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What sort of bird is a coot?	American Coot, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology Typical Voice Size & Shape The American Coot is a plump, chickenlike bird with a rounded head and a sloping bill. Their tiny tail, short wings, and large feet are visible on the rare occasions they take flight. Color Pattern Coots are dark-gray to black birds with a bright-white bill and forehead. The legs are yellow-green. At close range you may see a small patch of red on the forehead. Behavior You’ll find coots eating aquatic plants on almost any body of water. When swimming they look like small ducks (and often dive), but on land they look more chickenlike, walking rather than waddling. An awkward and often clumsy flier, the American Coot requires long running takeoffs to get airborne. Habitat Look for American Coots at ponds in city parks, in marshes, reservoirs, along the edges of lakes, and in roadside ditches, sewage treatment ponds, and saltwater inlets or saltmarshes.	Aquatic
The modern internet grew from a non-public US Defense system called?	Coot Control - Repel Coots \| BirdStoppers.com Hear It Now! Coot Problems Coots cause can cause damage to golf courses, cemeteries, lawns, and contaminate reservoirs. Their activities can cause real economic hardship, aggravate nuisance situations, or create human health hazards. Coot problems in urban and suburban areas can be a nuisance if left undisturbed. These coots will readily establish nesting territories on ponds in residential yards, golf courses, condominium complexes, city parks, or on farms. Coots can mess up the place with their droppings, their nesting activities and their foraging behavior. They can leave slippery green droppings on paths and driveways close to ornamental lakes and other waterways. Public feeding of these birds in problem areas should be discouraged, and areas of succulent vegetation such as well watered and fertilized lawns – could be replanted with less tasty shrubs and ground-cover plants. Coot Control Coots can be difficult to remove. Once established, immediate corrective landscaping and behavioral modification is imperative: Remove cover shrubbery; use herbicides to eliminate aquatic vegetation; and reduce fertilizer, especially around pond area, to make grass less nutritionally attractive. Several visual scare products like Gator Guard and Prowler Owl combined with Bird Stop taste aversion should be employed as soon as the birds enter the area, varying in location and type. For more established flocks, audio scare devices like our top selling GooseBuster which projects true geese distress calls through several speaker locations in a random pattern to scare them away. All systems require constant re-enforcement and should be relocated frequently, especially the Gator Guard replica to remain a realistic threat to the birds. The Industrial Bird Hazer has shown effectiveness at repelling coots away from large open areas. See our complete list below of recommended bird deterrent products to repel coots. To speak to a bird control professional, call BirdStoppers at 1-866-411-6287. A "synergy" or combination of bird repellent products typically offer the most successful solution for repelling coots. For bird control solutions, we often recommend using companion products by combining electronic sonic repeller devices or bird hazers with visual scare deterrents, physical bird barriers or scent and taste aversion products. This kind of multi-sensory attack is extremely effective in deterring pest coots for good! Sound Repellers & Bird Hazers Critter Blaster Pro Sonic animal and bird repeller uses digital harrassment sounds to get rid of pests. 6 acre coverage. Price	i don't know
What widely referenced cosmetic surgery method contains the Greek word for fat?	Plastic Surgery for Gynecomastia: Background, History of the Procedure, Problem Plastic Surgery for Gynecomastia Author: Jay M Pensler, MD; Chief Editor: James Neal Long, MD, FACS more... Share Overview Background Gynecomastia is derived from the Greek terms gynec (feminine) and mastos (breast). The literal translation, male breasts, relates to any condition that results in excessive development of breast tissue in males. Males may rarely develop breast cancer , but this is often associated with testicular atrophy. Male breast volume is composed of a combination of ductal and stromal tissue, commonly referred to as glandular tissue, and an increase in adipocytes, typically referred to as fatty tissue. Excess skin resulting in significant ptosis of the breast may be present in patients with severe gynecomastia. See the images below. Preoperative gynecomastia patient. Note the enlarged breast size. Courtesy of Jay Pensler, MD. Next: History of the Procedure Galen introduced the term gynecomastia in the second century AD. He defined gynecomastia as an unnatural increase in the breast fat of males. Although Galen was aware that glandular enlargement of the male breast occurred as a separate entity, he did not consider this gynecomastia. The first recorded description of a reduction mammaplasty was by Paulas of Aegina in the seventh century AD, who referred to the condition as an "effeminacy of men." Several medical and surgical treatments of gynecomastia were described in the 1800s. Treatment of gynecomastia has continued to evolve over the ages. Presently, a multifaceted surgical approach is used to optimize correction of the deformity. The fatty component is removed with one or a combination of the variants of liposuction, while the glandular component requires direct excision. The skin is redraped over the underlying structures or, in severe cases, resected. The patient's treatment plan should be crafted to correct the specific problems that are unique to his specific case. [ 1 ] Previous Next: Problem Gynecomastia results in an increase in breast tissue in males that, when problematic, is readily detectable by other individuals. The increased tissue may be breast glandular tissue, adipose (fatty) in nature, or a combination of the two. This results in significant functional and psychological limitations. The physical deformation may also be exquisitely painful. As a general rule, the glandular tissue is significantly more painful than the fatty tissue. Situations like gym class may require children or adolescents to remove their shirts in the presence of other students. This can put a boy with gynecomastia in danger not only of embarrassment but also of physical harm. Most patients have never heard of this condition until the family physician identifies it. The physician may be unaware of the possible causes of the condition and its psychological impact. After initial presentation, boys are frequently advised to ignore the gynecomastia and are told that it will go away. Fortunately, in most instances, cases of minimal subareolar pubertal-onset gynecomastia do regress as puberty progresses. Individuals with no regression or even progression of the deformity often receive little or no understanding about the shame and humiliation they experience. Coaches, sergeants, physicians, parents, and peers (both boys and girls) can inflict damage out of ignorance, cruelty, or both. The author reports that a parent recently exclaimed during an initial evaluation, "I just don't understand why 'he' has to slouch around all the time." Postural and clothing modifications to mask the deformity are the norm in these patients from puberty through adulthood. Awareness of gynecomastia needs to progress in order to inform the men and boys with gynecomastia and their physicians what can be done to improve the condition. Previous Epidemiology Frequency Gynecomastia can occur in persons of any age. During adolescence, males develop firmness around the breast as the breast bud enlarges due to the hormonal fluxes of puberty. The subareolar firmness which normally develops regresses with time. Breast tissue is typically present on a microscopic level in male patients; a small amount of breast tissue is normal. The visible appearance of breast tissue in a male is abnormal. The definition of clinically significant gynecomastia is subject to interpretation by any author; therefore, reports in the literature are often confusing, as the reader is forced to compare apples to oranges when examining different studies. Nydick et al reported 65% of boys "may have the problem" but cautioned that it typically resolves. [ 2 ] Webster noted the incidence of gynecomastia to be around 8% in a series of naval patients, [ 3 ] while Williams noted that 40% of men examined in his series of autopsies had gynecomastia to some degree. [ 4 ] Approximately 40% of healthy men and up to 70% of hospitalized men have palpable if not visible breast tissue. The incidence of some degree of palpable breast tissue in males increases to more than 60% in those in the seventh decade of life in one series. Previous Next: Etiology Gynecomastia can be classified based on etiology. Idiopathic gynecomastia accounts for over 85% of cases that require surgical intervention. Physiologic gynecomastia occurs primarily in newborns and in adolescents at puberty. In the newborn, the neonatal breast results from the action of maternal estrogens, placental estrogens, or both in concert. The increased breast tissue usually disappears in a few weeks. Neonatal gynecomastia is not a problem that requires surgical intervention. Adolescent gynecomastia, by definition, is initiated during puberty. The median age of onset is 13 years. Breast tissue growth is often asymmetrical, and the breasts are frequently tender. Adolescent gynecomastia usually regresses by the latter teen years. Note that the normal course during puberty is for a palpable, often visible, mass below the areola that begins to resolve in the mid teen years. While continued visible enlargement in the size of the breast is not normal in a teenager, residual palpable gynecomastia may be present in one or both breasts through the mid teen years. The authors would stress that the norm would be progressive diminution of any visible or palpable deformity through this period. In each case, the clinician must evaluate the degree of tissue present, the clinical presentation, and the physical and psychological effects on the patient. Pathologic gynecomastia may be due to testosterone deficiency, increased estrogen production, or increased conversion of androgens to estrogens. The pathological conditions associated with gynecomastia include congenital anorchia, Klinefelter syndrome , testicular feminization, hermaphroditism, adrenal tumors , liver disorders, pituitary tumors , and malnutrition . Many pharmacological agents have been linked to gynecomastia. [ 5 ] These drugs can be categorized by their mechanisms of action. The first type is drugs that act exactly like estrogens (eg, diethylstilbestrol, birth control pills, digitalis, estrogen-containing cosmetics). The second type is drugs that enhance endogenous estrogen formation (eg, gonadotropins, progesterone, clomiphene). The third type is drugs that inhibit testosterone synthesis and action (eg, ketoconazole, metronidazole, and cimetidine). The final type is drugs that act by unknown mechanisms (eg, isoniazid, [ 6 ] methyldopa, captopril, tricyclic antidepressants, diazepam, marijuana, heroin). While heavy marijuana use has been linked to gynecomastia in rats, the relationship in humans is at best poorly documented. Chronic alcohol abuse may result in hepatocellular destruction and scarring which may result in gynecomastia. Adult patients should be routinely questioned about alcohol abuse or addiction. A link between testicular atrophy, Klinefelter syndrome, and breast cancer has been noted. Longstanding, stable gynecomastia in an otherwise healthy male does not require an extensive medical workup. Previous Next: Pathophysiology In boys, the main sex hormone is testosterone, which is secreted by the testes. In girls, the main sex hormone is estrogen, which is secreted by the ovaries. However, both hormones are secreted in both sexes. Some production of estrogen occurs in the testes, and some production of testosterone occurs in the ovaries. Gynecomastia has long been considered the result of an imbalance between estrogens, which stimulate breast tissue, and androgens, which antagonize this effect. An alteration in the normal ratio of estrogen to androgen has been found in patients with gynecomastia in association with many different etiological factors. [ 7 , 8 ] Estradiol is the growth hormone of the breast in women, and an excess of estradiol leads to the proliferation of breast tissue. Under normal circumstances, most estradiol in men is derived from the peripheral conversion of testosterone and adrenal estrogen. The basic mechanisms of physiologic gynecomastia have been postulated to represent a decrease in androgen production, an absolute increase in estrogen production, and an increased availability of estrogen precursors for peripheral conversion to estradiol. See the image below. Pathophysiology of gynecomastia. Estradiol is the growth hormone of the breast, and an excess of estradiol leads to the proliferation of breast tissue. Under normal circumstances, most estradiol in men is derived from the peripheral conversion of testosterone and adrenal estrone. The basic mechanism of endocrine-related gynecomastia is a decrease in androgen production, an absolute increase in estrogen production, and an increased availability of estrogen precursors for peripheral conversion to estradiol. Next: Presentation Patients present with an increase in breast tissue, which is asymmetric in one third of cases. The degree of asymmetry between the 2 sides varies widely. Some patients present with unilateral gynecomastia, while other individuals have a size discrepancy between the 2 sides that ranges from moderate to severe. Breast tenderness may also be noted in one third of patients. Enlargement is usually central and symmetric, although occasionally it is eccentric. In 1934, Webster classified gynecomastia into 3 types. [ 3 ] The first is glandular. Patients with a glandular component require surgical removal of the gland. The second is fatty glandular. With the fatty glandular form, surgery combined with liposuction allows good contouring. The third is simple fatty. In the cases that are primarily fatty in nature, liposuction alone provides good results. Another classification described by Simon in 1973 groups the patients into categories according to the size of the gynecomastia. [ 10 ] Group 1 is minor but visible breast enlargement without skin redundancy. Group 2A is moderate breast enlargement without skin redundancy. Group 2B is moderate breast enlargement with minor skin redundancy. Group 3 is gross breast enlargement with skin redundancy that simulates a pendulous female breast. Patients in groups 1 and 2 require no skin excision, but the breast development associated with group 3 is so marked that excess skin must be removed. Previous Next: Indications Generally, gynecomastia is a benign condition. Longstanding cases do not require histologic examination of surgically removed tissue. Rapid changes in the size of the breast, especially when unilateral in nature, may represent a malignancy particularly when pharmacologic manipulation can be ruled out. Also, changes in breast size in a patient with Klinefelter syndrome should be viewed with caution. Surgical intervention is indicated in patients for diagnostic purposes or, most commonly, for patients who request treatment for physical modification. Most patients who visit a plastic surgeon request treatment for improvement of the obvious physical deformity which enhances psychological and physical wellbeing. These patients seek treatment because they find that the condition, which is readily apparent in everyday life, adversely impacts day-to-day activities under various circumstances. The physical deformation necessitates behavioral modifications that have numerous implications in the lives of the patients who are affected. Patients wear loose clothing and often avoid exposure in showers and swimming pools. Patients in high school and college are reticent to participate in any athletic activity that may directly or inadvertently require removal of one's shirt, exposing the chest. Patients with gynecomastia typically slouch forward and roll the shoulders toward the midline in an effort to camouflage the deformation. The aforementioned posturing has a submissive connotation to the public with whom they interact. Patients return for postoperative appointments standing tall. In cases involving teenagers, parents typically remark "I have been trying to have him stand up straight for years!" The postural changes alone, which result at all age levels both sitting and standing, have numerous positive implications in peer-to-peer interactions. The confidence a patient gains after surgery becomes a life-changing event. Previous Next: Relevant Anatomy The plastic surgeon must be familiar with the anatomy of the breast and be able to differentiate between the fat (adipose) tissue and the glandular tissue. In a liposuction-assisted mastectomy, the surgeon primarily targets the fatty component of the breast. The glandular tissue is quite dense and is extremely resistant to removal by any method other than direct excision. All patients have a glandular component and a fatty component. The requirement of direct surgical resection of glandular tissue in patients may explain the poor results obtained by some inexperienced practitioners in specific cases. As previously mentioned, longstanding stable cases of gynecomastia do not routinely require histological examination of the excised tissue. See the images below. Resected tissue. Note that the white tissue, which is glandular breast tissue, has a higher density than the fat (adipose) tissue. The thick and dense glandular tissue in not ammenable to liposuction. Next: Contraindications Liposuction-assisted mastectomy with or without gland excision for gynecomastia patients can be performed under local anesthesia , intravenous conscious sedation , or general anesthesia . The choice of sedation should be determined preoperatively by the physician and patient. Any significant medical problems, such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, must be excluded before the procedure is performed. Rapid or unusual progression or presentation of the disease may require endocrinologic evaluation, which is optimally preformed prior to any surgical intervention. If the etiology of the gynecomastia is related to an adrenal or pituitary tumor, the tumor should be addressed prior to any attempt to correct the gynecomastia. If the gynecomastia is related to drug use, the use of the offending agent should be stopped prior to surgery. Males who are upset with the appearance of their chest may also have substantial psychological issues. A boy who is being abused or humiliated commonly focuses on some part of his external appearance to avoid dealing with internal pain that he feels unable to manage or control. What may have started as a minor physical condition can be a cover for much deeper emotional issues that no amount of surgery can resolve. While Yost has demonstrated that more than 91% of individuals who have had surgery are happy with the procedure and would recommend surgery to a friend, individuals who require multiple surgeries may need to be screened for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and referred for treatment. [ 11 ] Previous Merle J Yost, MA LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. Miguel A Delgado, Jr, MD, FACS Private Practice Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. Specialty Editor Board Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape. Chief Editor James Neal Long, MD, FACS Founder of Magnolia Plastic Surgery; Former Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital and Kirklin Clinics, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine; Section Chief of Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand, and Microsurgery, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center	Liposuction
The English word Parliament derives from what foreign word-meaning?	Plastic Surgery for Gynecomastia: Background, History of the Procedure, Problem Plastic Surgery for Gynecomastia Author: Jay M Pensler, MD; Chief Editor: James Neal Long, MD, FACS more... Share Overview Background Gynecomastia is derived from the Greek terms gynec (feminine) and mastos (breast). The literal translation, male breasts, relates to any condition that results in excessive development of breast tissue in males. Males may rarely develop breast cancer , but this is often associated with testicular atrophy. Male breast volume is composed of a combination of ductal and stromal tissue, commonly referred to as glandular tissue, and an increase in adipocytes, typically referred to as fatty tissue. Excess skin resulting in significant ptosis of the breast may be present in patients with severe gynecomastia. See the images below. Preoperative gynecomastia patient. Note the enlarged breast size. Courtesy of Jay Pensler, MD. Next: History of the Procedure Galen introduced the term gynecomastia in the second century AD. He defined gynecomastia as an unnatural increase in the breast fat of males. Although Galen was aware that glandular enlargement of the male breast occurred as a separate entity, he did not consider this gynecomastia. The first recorded description of a reduction mammaplasty was by Paulas of Aegina in the seventh century AD, who referred to the condition as an "effeminacy of men." Several medical and surgical treatments of gynecomastia were described in the 1800s. Treatment of gynecomastia has continued to evolve over the ages. Presently, a multifaceted surgical approach is used to optimize correction of the deformity. The fatty component is removed with one or a combination of the variants of liposuction, while the glandular component requires direct excision. The skin is redraped over the underlying structures or, in severe cases, resected. The patient's treatment plan should be crafted to correct the specific problems that are unique to his specific case. [ 1 ] Previous Next: Problem Gynecomastia results in an increase in breast tissue in males that, when problematic, is readily detectable by other individuals. The increased tissue may be breast glandular tissue, adipose (fatty) in nature, or a combination of the two. This results in significant functional and psychological limitations. The physical deformation may also be exquisitely painful. As a general rule, the glandular tissue is significantly more painful than the fatty tissue. Situations like gym class may require children or adolescents to remove their shirts in the presence of other students. This can put a boy with gynecomastia in danger not only of embarrassment but also of physical harm. Most patients have never heard of this condition until the family physician identifies it. The physician may be unaware of the possible causes of the condition and its psychological impact. After initial presentation, boys are frequently advised to ignore the gynecomastia and are told that it will go away. Fortunately, in most instances, cases of minimal subareolar pubertal-onset gynecomastia do regress as puberty progresses. Individuals with no regression or even progression of the deformity often receive little or no understanding about the shame and humiliation they experience. Coaches, sergeants, physicians, parents, and peers (both boys and girls) can inflict damage out of ignorance, cruelty, or both. The author reports that a parent recently exclaimed during an initial evaluation, "I just don't understand why 'he' has to slouch around all the time." Postural and clothing modifications to mask the deformity are the norm in these patients from puberty through adulthood. Awareness of gynecomastia needs to progress in order to inform the men and boys with gynecomastia and their physicians what can be done to improve the condition. Previous Epidemiology Frequency Gynecomastia can occur in persons of any age. During adolescence, males develop firmness around the breast as the breast bud enlarges due to the hormonal fluxes of puberty. The subareolar firmness which normally develops regresses with time. Breast tissue is typically present on a microscopic level in male patients; a small amount of breast tissue is normal. The visible appearance of breast tissue in a male is abnormal. The definition of clinically significant gynecomastia is subject to interpretation by any author; therefore, reports in the literature are often confusing, as the reader is forced to compare apples to oranges when examining different studies. Nydick et al reported 65% of boys "may have the problem" but cautioned that it typically resolves. [ 2 ] Webster noted the incidence of gynecomastia to be around 8% in a series of naval patients, [ 3 ] while Williams noted that 40% of men examined in his series of autopsies had gynecomastia to some degree. [ 4 ] Approximately 40% of healthy men and up to 70% of hospitalized men have palpable if not visible breast tissue. The incidence of some degree of palpable breast tissue in males increases to more than 60% in those in the seventh decade of life in one series. Previous Next: Etiology Gynecomastia can be classified based on etiology. Idiopathic gynecomastia accounts for over 85% of cases that require surgical intervention. Physiologic gynecomastia occurs primarily in newborns and in adolescents at puberty. In the newborn, the neonatal breast results from the action of maternal estrogens, placental estrogens, or both in concert. The increased breast tissue usually disappears in a few weeks. Neonatal gynecomastia is not a problem that requires surgical intervention. Adolescent gynecomastia, by definition, is initiated during puberty. The median age of onset is 13 years. Breast tissue growth is often asymmetrical, and the breasts are frequently tender. Adolescent gynecomastia usually regresses by the latter teen years. Note that the normal course during puberty is for a palpable, often visible, mass below the areola that begins to resolve in the mid teen years. While continued visible enlargement in the size of the breast is not normal in a teenager, residual palpable gynecomastia may be present in one or both breasts through the mid teen years. The authors would stress that the norm would be progressive diminution of any visible or palpable deformity through this period. In each case, the clinician must evaluate the degree of tissue present, the clinical presentation, and the physical and psychological effects on the patient. Pathologic gynecomastia may be due to testosterone deficiency, increased estrogen production, or increased conversion of androgens to estrogens. The pathological conditions associated with gynecomastia include congenital anorchia, Klinefelter syndrome , testicular feminization, hermaphroditism, adrenal tumors , liver disorders, pituitary tumors , and malnutrition . Many pharmacological agents have been linked to gynecomastia. [ 5 ] These drugs can be categorized by their mechanisms of action. The first type is drugs that act exactly like estrogens (eg, diethylstilbestrol, birth control pills, digitalis, estrogen-containing cosmetics). The second type is drugs that enhance endogenous estrogen formation (eg, gonadotropins, progesterone, clomiphene). The third type is drugs that inhibit testosterone synthesis and action (eg, ketoconazole, metronidazole, and cimetidine). The final type is drugs that act by unknown mechanisms (eg, isoniazid, [ 6 ] methyldopa, captopril, tricyclic antidepressants, diazepam, marijuana, heroin). While heavy marijuana use has been linked to gynecomastia in rats, the relationship in humans is at best poorly documented. Chronic alcohol abuse may result in hepatocellular destruction and scarring which may result in gynecomastia. Adult patients should be routinely questioned about alcohol abuse or addiction. A link between testicular atrophy, Klinefelter syndrome, and breast cancer has been noted. Longstanding, stable gynecomastia in an otherwise healthy male does not require an extensive medical workup. Previous Next: Pathophysiology In boys, the main sex hormone is testosterone, which is secreted by the testes. In girls, the main sex hormone is estrogen, which is secreted by the ovaries. However, both hormones are secreted in both sexes. Some production of estrogen occurs in the testes, and some production of testosterone occurs in the ovaries. Gynecomastia has long been considered the result of an imbalance between estrogens, which stimulate breast tissue, and androgens, which antagonize this effect. An alteration in the normal ratio of estrogen to androgen has been found in patients with gynecomastia in association with many different etiological factors. [ 7 , 8 ] Estradiol is the growth hormone of the breast in women, and an excess of estradiol leads to the proliferation of breast tissue. Under normal circumstances, most estradiol in men is derived from the peripheral conversion of testosterone and adrenal estrogen. The basic mechanisms of physiologic gynecomastia have been postulated to represent a decrease in androgen production, an absolute increase in estrogen production, and an increased availability of estrogen precursors for peripheral conversion to estradiol. See the image below. Pathophysiology of gynecomastia. Estradiol is the growth hormone of the breast, and an excess of estradiol leads to the proliferation of breast tissue. Under normal circumstances, most estradiol in men is derived from the peripheral conversion of testosterone and adrenal estrone. The basic mechanism of endocrine-related gynecomastia is a decrease in androgen production, an absolute increase in estrogen production, and an increased availability of estrogen precursors for peripheral conversion to estradiol. Next: Presentation Patients present with an increase in breast tissue, which is asymmetric in one third of cases. The degree of asymmetry between the 2 sides varies widely. Some patients present with unilateral gynecomastia, while other individuals have a size discrepancy between the 2 sides that ranges from moderate to severe. Breast tenderness may also be noted in one third of patients. Enlargement is usually central and symmetric, although occasionally it is eccentric. In 1934, Webster classified gynecomastia into 3 types. [ 3 ] The first is glandular. Patients with a glandular component require surgical removal of the gland. The second is fatty glandular. With the fatty glandular form, surgery combined with liposuction allows good contouring. The third is simple fatty. In the cases that are primarily fatty in nature, liposuction alone provides good results. Another classification described by Simon in 1973 groups the patients into categories according to the size of the gynecomastia. [ 10 ] Group 1 is minor but visible breast enlargement without skin redundancy. Group 2A is moderate breast enlargement without skin redundancy. Group 2B is moderate breast enlargement with minor skin redundancy. Group 3 is gross breast enlargement with skin redundancy that simulates a pendulous female breast. Patients in groups 1 and 2 require no skin excision, but the breast development associated with group 3 is so marked that excess skin must be removed. Previous Next: Indications Generally, gynecomastia is a benign condition. Longstanding cases do not require histologic examination of surgically removed tissue. Rapid changes in the size of the breast, especially when unilateral in nature, may represent a malignancy particularly when pharmacologic manipulation can be ruled out. Also, changes in breast size in a patient with Klinefelter syndrome should be viewed with caution. Surgical intervention is indicated in patients for diagnostic purposes or, most commonly, for patients who request treatment for physical modification. Most patients who visit a plastic surgeon request treatment for improvement of the obvious physical deformity which enhances psychological and physical wellbeing. These patients seek treatment because they find that the condition, which is readily apparent in everyday life, adversely impacts day-to-day activities under various circumstances. The physical deformation necessitates behavioral modifications that have numerous implications in the lives of the patients who are affected. Patients wear loose clothing and often avoid exposure in showers and swimming pools. Patients in high school and college are reticent to participate in any athletic activity that may directly or inadvertently require removal of one's shirt, exposing the chest. Patients with gynecomastia typically slouch forward and roll the shoulders toward the midline in an effort to camouflage the deformation. The aforementioned posturing has a submissive connotation to the public with whom they interact. Patients return for postoperative appointments standing tall. In cases involving teenagers, parents typically remark "I have been trying to have him stand up straight for years!" The postural changes alone, which result at all age levels both sitting and standing, have numerous positive implications in peer-to-peer interactions. The confidence a patient gains after surgery becomes a life-changing event. Previous Next: Relevant Anatomy The plastic surgeon must be familiar with the anatomy of the breast and be able to differentiate between the fat (adipose) tissue and the glandular tissue. In a liposuction-assisted mastectomy, the surgeon primarily targets the fatty component of the breast. The glandular tissue is quite dense and is extremely resistant to removal by any method other than direct excision. All patients have a glandular component and a fatty component. The requirement of direct surgical resection of glandular tissue in patients may explain the poor results obtained by some inexperienced practitioners in specific cases. As previously mentioned, longstanding stable cases of gynecomastia do not routinely require histological examination of the excised tissue. See the images below. Resected tissue. Note that the white tissue, which is glandular breast tissue, has a higher density than the fat (adipose) tissue. The thick and dense glandular tissue in not ammenable to liposuction. Next: Contraindications Liposuction-assisted mastectomy with or without gland excision for gynecomastia patients can be performed under local anesthesia , intravenous conscious sedation , or general anesthesia . The choice of sedation should be determined preoperatively by the physician and patient. Any significant medical problems, such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, must be excluded before the procedure is performed. Rapid or unusual progression or presentation of the disease may require endocrinologic evaluation, which is optimally preformed prior to any surgical intervention. If the etiology of the gynecomastia is related to an adrenal or pituitary tumor, the tumor should be addressed prior to any attempt to correct the gynecomastia. If the gynecomastia is related to drug use, the use of the offending agent should be stopped prior to surgery. Males who are upset with the appearance of their chest may also have substantial psychological issues. A boy who is being abused or humiliated commonly focuses on some part of his external appearance to avoid dealing with internal pain that he feels unable to manage or control. What may have started as a minor physical condition can be a cover for much deeper emotional issues that no amount of surgery can resolve. While Yost has demonstrated that more than 91% of individuals who have had surgery are happy with the procedure and would recommend surgery to a friend, individuals who require multiple surgeries may need to be screened for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and referred for treatment. [ 11 ] Previous Merle J Yost, MA LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. Miguel A Delgado, Jr, MD, FACS Private Practice Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. Specialty Editor Board Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape. Chief Editor James Neal Long, MD, FACS Founder of Magnolia Plastic Surgery; Former Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital and Kirklin Clinics, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine; Section Chief of Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand, and Microsurgery, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center	i don't know
As at 2011 how many countries of the world criminalize homosexuality?	77 countries where homosexuality is illegal \| 76 CRIMES 77 countries where homosexuality is illegal Updated Dec. 14, 2016 Map of the 77 countries with laws against sexual relations between people of the same sex. 77 countries with anti-homosexuality laws (or 73 or 79) Click image to learn about the hundreds of LGBTI people in jail or awaiting trial in the 76-plus countries with anti-gay laws A total of 73 countries have criminal laws against sexual activity by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) people, according to a revised version of a tally by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, or ILGA. ILGA’s list slightly understates the problem. It leaves out Indonesia, where millions of citizens are affected by anti-LGBT laws. It also omits three anti-LGBT governments because, for various reasons, they don’t appear on a list of internationally recognized countries. This blog’s comparable 77-country list is below, including links to the blog’s coverage of each one. A separate article lists the 10 governments with laws providing the death penalty for same-sex intimacy, at least on paper. As of the publication of the 2016 edition of ILGA’s State-Sponsored Homophobia report, ILGA’s list numbered 75. But both Seychelles and Nauru repealed their anti-gay laws in May 2016, just after the ILGA report was prepared for publication. Then, on Aug. 10, 2016, the Supreme Court in Belize overturned that nation’s anti-sodomy law as applied to consensual sex. That brings the ILGA total down to 72. In December, the parliament in Chad approved a new penal code making same-sex intimacy a crime. That raised the ILGA tally back up to 73. The main difference between that revised ILGA total of 73 nations and this blog’s list of 77+ is that ILGA mentions but does not include four political entities that are on this blog’s list: Indonesia , where two large provinces outlaw homosexual acts; and Three political entities that have anti-LGBT laws but that aren’t accepted as countries by the international community — the Cook Islands , a self-governing country whose residents all have citizenship in New Zealand; Gaza / Palestine ; and the territory of Syria and Iraq that is controlled by Daesh / ISIS / ISIL troops. This blog’s total would be 79 countries if it were to include Russia and Lithuania , two countries that do not have laws against homosexual acts but do have repressive laws against “propaganda of homosexuality.” Libya and Nigeria have similar anti-propaganda laws, but also prohibit same-sex relations, so they are already on the list. Back in 2012, based on a separate, nearly complete count, St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation cited a total of 76 countries. That list was used in that year’s Spirit of 76 Worldwide program aimed at repealing those laws. It also inspired the name of this blog — “Erasing 76 Crimes.” These are some of the recent changes in the list: The tiny nations of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean and São Tomé and Príncipe , in the Atlantic Ocean off the shores of central Africa, recently decriminalized homosexuality and were dropped from this list in 2014. Mozambique’s LGBTI advocacy organization, Lambda, can celebrate the repeal of the country’s anti-gay law, but it has not yet won its battle for official government recognition, which it has been seeking since 2008. (Photo courtesy of Lambda) Mozambique , on the southeastern coast of Africa, with a population of 24 million, adopted a new Penal Code in the second half of 2014 and was dropped from this list in early 2015. Lesotho also was dropped from the list after adopting a new Penal Code, which effectively eliminated the nation’s former common-law crime of sodomy. As noted above, Seychelles and Nauru repealed their anti-gay laws in May 2016, as did Belize in August 2016. Also as noted above, Chad enacted an anti-homosexuality law in December 2016. Iraq was added to the list, although it does not have a civil law against same-sex relations. But, in the words of the 2015 edition of ILGA’s State-Sponsored Homophobia report, Iraq “clearly has judges and militias throughout the country that issue the death sentence for same-sex sexual behaviours.” Chad was briefly added to the list in 2014 — by mistake — because of a proposed new Penal Code that would provide for 15 to 20 years in prison and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs (US $86 to $860) “for anyone who has sex with persons of the same sex.” Chad was removed from the list after ILGA realized that the proposed change had been approved by Chad’s cabinet, but not by the president. Daesh (or ISIS / ISIL ) was added to the list because it publicizes its executions of LGBTI people in the the areas of northern Iraq and northern Syria held by its troops. ILGA states that “the Nusr [‘Victory’ in Arabic] website, which claims to be the website of the Islamic caliphate, has a section on Legal Jurisprudence (evidence-based rules and the penal code). One of the pages under this section is dedicated to “punishment for sodomy”, which states: “the religiously-sanctioned penalty for sodomy is death, whether it is consensual or not. Those who are proven to have committed sodomy, whether sodomizer or sodomized, should be killed…”. Here is this blog’s list of 76 countries and independent political entities with anti-homosexuality laws, with links to the blog’s coverage of them. Chad will be added if it becomes clear that the new penal code of December 2016 has taken effect: Africa 68 Trinidad & Tobago In the United States, anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, but they are still on the books in 13 states : Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Conservative state legislators refuse to repeal the laws and, in some cases, police still enforce them. In the past several years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws , but the arrestees were freed because prosecutors won’t seek convictions based on defunct laws. Oceania 76 Tuvalu Europe No country in Europe has a law against homosexuality. The last European location with such a law was Northern Cyprus (recognized as a country only by Turkey), which repealed its law in January 2014 . Also in Europe and worth mentioning but not on the list of countries with laws against homosexuality are: Russia , which enacted an anti-“gay propaganda” law in 2013 prohibiting any positive mention of homosexuality in the presence of minors, including online; Lithuania , which has a similar law; in 2015, it considered but has not yet adopted a further law that would impose fines for any public display that “defies traditional family values.” Ukraine , which considered such a law in 2012 and 2013, did not adopt it and seems to have dropped the issue. Moldova , which adopted and then repealed such a law in 2013. Belarus , which was discussing such a law in early 2016. In addition, in central Asia, Kyrgyzstan in October 2014 was on the verge of adopting an anti-“gay propaganda” law harsher than that in Russia. If that bill becomes law, any type of distribution of positive information on same-sex relations, not just discussions in the presence of a minor, would become a crime punishable by fines and a jail sentence. In Kazakhstan , both house of parliament passed a bill “On Protecting Children from Information Harmful to their Health and Development,” but the Constitutional Council rejected it in May 2015, saying that the wording was too vague. As noted above, Libya and Nigeria also have anti-“gay propaganda” laws in addition to their laws outlawing same-sex intimacy. For more information, download these PDF files: ILGA map of countries that recognize and those that reject gay and lesbian rights (2016). Related information: 76 Countries Where Anti-Gay Laws Are As Bad As Or Worse Than Russia’s. Each country’s anti-LGBTI law is summarized in a list compiled by BuzzFeed. With photos. Countries that still criminalise homosexuality. AntiGayLaws.org publishes tables for each continent, citing the language of each country’s anti-LGBTI laws, along with whether the country has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and/or allows the UN to monitor and assess its human rights record. The Sexual Rights Law and Policy Database, which is compiled by the Sexual Rights Initiative, a coalition of organizations from Canada, Poland, India, Egypt, Latin America and Africa that work together to advance human rights related to sexuality at the United Nations. Share this: July 16, 2012 at 9:02 am Some have also suggested that Namibia has no place in the list. The ILGA report bases its assertion that it criminalises homosexual acts on Dutch common law, but the Namibian constitution prohibits discrimination, and takes precedence over Dutch common law. Maybe something to keep in mind for the 2013 review… June 13, 2013 at 8:02 pm Homo?; It is a shame that ignorant hate speech is allowed or that it is practiced by the under educated. Why do people like you hate such a small portion of the population, they want nothing from you. All they want is to be left alone and to live their lives in peace and to love the person that they love, without the bigots crawling out of the woodwork and spewing hate at them. What have these people done? I don’t mean for you to answer this with the hateful interpretation of the Bible or any other holy book. Just answer it, what have these people done to you? People start to live up to the teachings of the Prophet Issa and the others. The following applies to you as well – “And turn not thy cheek away from people in false pride, and walk not haughtily on earth: for, behold, God does not love anyone who, out of conceit, acts in a boastful manner. (18) Hence, be modest in thy bearing and lower thy voice: for behold, the ugliest of all voices is the loud voice of asses. . .” (19) Holy Qur’an S31v18-19 RAK, A Proud American and Veteran (1969-94) Et secundum diversitatem unitatis pro scientiam / Unity through diversity and knowledge. LPN/ret, HM2c(FMF)/USN, Sgt/USAR, ACM/olc, CWVet, VNeVet, GWVet, DAV/VFW Life Member August 12, 2013 at 9:17 pm Only 10% of the world’s population’s homosexual, statistically qualifying it as abnormal, which it certainly is, that is, unless of you think a man stickin’ his penis into another man’s anus is normal, let alone in accordance with natural law, which it assuredly isn’t, given it doesn’t entail procreation, inherently the natural purpose of sex, the very basis of life itself. Hypothetically, supposing you’re fully supportive of homosexuality, how would you feel if your son revealed being Gay? Would you be happy? Hm, let me guess…. you’d be initially shocked; subsequently saddened; and then? Why? After all, aren’t you supportive? That said, people are so misled by The Media into assuming The World’s population approves of homosexuality, when, in fact, only The West does. Then again, does it? Be reminded, for example, that virtually every poll in North America opposes same-sex marriage by about 60% of respondents. Can these polls be extrapolated? Moreover, be reminded that no referendum’s ever been held to officially support or oppose Gay Rights; that only the politically correct stroke of a pen has unilaterally legislated Gay Rights, opposed, for example, by virtually every religion. Again, I ask, if your son came out of the closet, would you be happy about his bein’ Gay? If not, why not? August 14, 2013 at 4:32 pm Dear Bob, You’ve said a lot in there, and I won’t try to respond to it all. But you’re wrong about support for marriage equality in the United States. As this AP story notes, “In U.S., 52% Back Law to Legalize Gay Marriage in 50 States.” But the focus of this blog is human rights for LGBT people, whether the majority of their country is for or against same-sex marriage. Just because a majority is in favor of oppressing a minority, that doesn’t make it right. If my son came out as gay, I might worry that he would have a difficult life ahead of him, but I’d love him just the same. I certainly wouldn’t wish him to stay in the closet and live a miserable life there, or turn to “pray the gay away” hucksters for a life of self-denial and self-delusion. All the best, March 5, 2015 at 2:08 am Get with the times mate, some people r gay, I’m bi and have dealt with abuse my whole life and my adolescent years were very difficult because of this. Yofu don’t mind seeing a man and a woman kiss, but put that man with another and suddenly ur offended by seeing two people of the same sex showing affection. And many straight couple have anal sex now so if that’s bugging u about gay guys then u need to start hating some straight people for that too. And if it’s a religious thing, well I’m religious but smart enough to know love between two people regardless of their gender is a beautiful thing. Instead of giving u a message such as I hate u or something like that, I ask u to review your opinion on homosexuality and why u feel the need to go online and make people feel isolated. Homosexuality is not a choice, u could have just as easily been bi as I am, then how would u feel about homosexuality if u felt feelings towards the same sex? http://blip.tv/prophecyfilmdotcom/hell-without-sermon-4689942 Is homosexuality a sin? And who do we believe? God is the ultimate and sovereign judge for sin. Homosexuality is sin by His order; it is not decided by public opinion or deceived/false clergy. Changing societies do not dictate God’s standards. Sin is defined by God for us in the Bible. It is the source for what God says is holy and righteous or sin and abomination. Hebrews 13:8 states that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; he does not “go with the flow.” God’s Word says that homosexuality is unnatural, a perversion, an abomination, fornication, vile affections, and a great sin against Him. He states any sexual act outside of marriage is adultery (hetro or homo sexual). Sex is to be between man and woman within marriage. Is homosexuality a sin? What does this mean? God’s design for natural sexual relationships is part of His plan. Homosexuality falsifies what God designed. Sin often means not only rejecting God but denying or rejecting how and why we are made. Though it may be considered acceptable by some today — even in some churches — it is not acceptable to God. And we need to take that seriously. Sexual sins were rampant in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (This is the origin of the word sodomy.) Despite warnings, they refused to repent. God destroyed those cities and it was recorded as a warning to all future generations (Genesis 18:20-21, Genesis 19:4-5, 2 Peter 2:6). Some additional scriptures on homosexuality are found in: Leviticus 18:22 The price paid for homosexuality and other fornications are told in: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Jude 6-7 Romans 1:18 In spite of the growing secular humanist trend to think “it’s ok to be gay,” it’s not a righteous lifestyle. Most vocal Christians are not homophobic, but are trying to share Christ’s love for homosexuals and trying to keep them from horrific judgment. Is homosexuality a sin? Is there hope for forgiveness? There absolutely is hope for homosexuals. God can cleanse and purify all persons from sin. As many scriptures as there are that address sin, there are more that speak of forgiveness and redemption. He is able to give deliverance to any who sincerely desire true freedom and salvation. Such is demonstrated in 1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV): “And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This verse says “some of you were,” meaning they became past acts. We are offered the empowering Spirit of God to help us turn from our sins. Coming out of drug addiction, homosexuality, pornography, or other sin isn’t always easy but God will provide the way. Christians are to “love” into the kingdom, those who desire repentance and to live by His natural plan. Jesus Christ died on the cross for all of our sins and rose again the third day. He desires that we repent and be forgiven of our sins by coming into a personal relationship with Him. July 19, 2015 at 10:34 am How can people be so awful? If you keep denying that it’s happening, your going to get blown into the past, because when time comes being homosexual will be considered “just another normal thing”. May take hundreds of years, but it’ll happen. And for the people who keep referencing the bible, who are we to paraphrase God’s word? In reality, doesn’t that mean you are sinning, changing his word into something that could potentially mean something totally different? Homosexuality though may be considered a sin, but were all sinners, so why is it such a big deal? You can continue to hate on gay people for your whole life, but why? What’s the point? Just to make somebody feel awful about who they really are? That’s pretty disgusting, if I do say so myself. So maybe you still don’t accept gay people and their rights. Really, that’s okay. It’ll take time for people to get used to it and accept it as well, and I’m not here to scream at you for feeling uncomfortable about something you can’t change. But that doesn’t mean you can just go say extremely awful things to people just because they are of a different preference. It’s just like the different between white and black, why does it matter? So please take this into consideration when you think about how you really feel about homosexuality. If you keep hating on it, I’m very sorry for you, and hope that something will change your mind. That is all, thank you. December 12, 2016 at 10:45 am Sometimes the old ways are better. We need to purge the land of such sick and mentally ill acts as queers commit daily. Bring back the one true God and overthrow all the altars to Satan and immoral conduct. It is not natural to produce children with same sex. First they would kill their children with abortions….then people got so ill they thought queers should get married…now they are so messed up in the head that they think they can choose their sex and change at will or go into any bathroom they choose. Stop the madness and bring back shock theapy for these queers! June 27, 2015 at 7:53 am It is not a question of minority and majority. “The same as blonds or whites etc”. It is not the same at all.To be a blond is not a pervertion, not against the nature. And there is nothing in Bible about “minority”. Harp players are also minoruty, but it is not a sin or pervertion. The idea is to keep your pervertion to yourself, do not demonstrate and intrude your pervertion. Do what you want if it is not a harm to anyone or anything, If it is disgust to someone who is natural, mentally healthy, do not demonstrate it to such people. By the way it is a fact – some people are born like this, but some people – not, there were perverted by someone when very young. How about that? I know one girl who was normal girl, had normal natural interests. Once one old pervert wanted to make her a sexual “toy” for herself. First the girl got shock, shied, did not want. But the old pervert slowly slowly through financial help, presents, fast-talks made the girl. a lesbian. I think it is the main reason for antigay activity. And it is the same for men and women. October 16, 2016 at 9:10 am God created all species. I’m a hemaphridite and I was born with both testies and overies . I find all of this dialogue interesting. God has tolerance for many things. There is so much that many of the arguing parties do not understand about the body and mind. At the end of day God made us all different. It’s a test for us to learn how to love one another. If people can learn to stay in their lanes just like traffic we can get along. I’m one of 5 children.47 years old my dad is 88 and mom passed this year at 79. I have over 40 nieces and nephews and I’m a great great uncle. My family doesn’t have all the issues that are argued here beacause we know how to love. I’m a mentor and role model. We don’t have these debates. My brother n laws were wired at first and they developed tollerence once they learned in time I’m not a threat to them. I love and support their children and my niece named one of her 8 children, son after me . We live in truth, God and love. Pehaps if you saw a family be suucessful it may expand your views. We all have a purpose in life. God is on my side and loves each one of you. I love our country. People can be free here in the United States. No one should live in bondage. Things can not remain the same. We all have to continuously grow and not come from a place of fear and negativity. I love being different because people just see only gay. Life is lived in color. Educate yourself on all scenarios. Becareful what you say about people and treat them because it could be one of your children or friends like me. Karma is for all. Keep living and life will give you answers. November 2, 2016 at 12:56 pm Hate is a sin. As a Jew me and my wife of 7 years are welcoming to the GLBTI community. God loves everyone. Everyone is different. In the Holocaust the Nazis arrested gays and they were treated even more harshly then the Jews if you can imagine. It all started (the entire Holocaust) from some hocus pocus nuts that made some fake propaganda like on here. Homosexuality is not a sin. That’s like saying it’s a sin to be a different color of skin. Or someone who has a different color of hair. It’s bigotry. Then the try to use religion to fight peoples rights. That’s pure ridiculous. I thought religion taught peace and love. Religious freedom ? What about liberty and justice for all that’s in the pledge of allegiance. What about my religion ? We don’t celebrate Xmas or Easter. I feel my religion is discriminated against because I am Jewish (God’s chosen people). All this hate on here brings tears to my eyes. Talking about these vicious and inhumane views towards someone they don’t agree with. If your still against homosexuality just mind your business. I will go on and welcome all in the temple I belong to so we can follow what God has told us to. Then at the end you can answer to God about the hate in your heart. November 5, 2016 at 5:13 pm My heart is breaking as I read this hatefull comments, you have no idea how hard it is to be a Lesbian, to deal with the word: “Man” as if it was written. You people say us gays have no right in adopting kids, but in the end who takes care of the kids you didn’t want? You talk about kids needing a mom and a dad, but when your son/daughter turns out gay, you throw then away so they have none. Why give so much hate to a person that has done nothing to you, if you see a same sex couple in the streets, will they kidnap you and force you into the gay? No, they wouldn’t. You care more about people living each other, more than you care about rape, kidnaps, child and women abuse, hunger and racism. Hope this got stuck in some of yours ignorant brains. June 8, 2013 at 5:27 pm Poor = uneducated = ignorant towards science, religion, history, gender, sexual orientation, business, economics, politics, and life in general. Lots of “poor” places are quite beautiful and the people are very nice. I’ve lived in Ghana and worked in many parts of Africa. It’s a pity that the “old laws” were imposed. It’s an equal pity that the people still follow them out of their own ignorance. Yes, lots of ignorant people live in the US and Europe too. They are largely poor and uneducated as well. If Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu can love and accept gay people, then who are you? They are two of the most enlightened Africans on the continent and forced South Africa to include gays into South Africa’s constitution. If you don’t accept homosexuality, it has nothing to do with God; it has to do with your own hatred. When people “hate” on the anti-gay religious people, it’s because they hate their ignorance. And if you think God is against gay people, then you should also remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. Besides, the Christian bible wasn’t written until 300 years after Jesus died. The first gospels were written at least 60-70 years after Jesus died. They were not written by Jesus or during his life time. They were written by stupid men who supposedly tried to write down what God wanted. Look it up. The continued ignorance and hostility of the poor is a real shame, and it’s because of that they will continue to stay poor and can only blame themselves for it. November 16, 2012 at 9:18 am In the cases where Gays might face execution or extreme civil rights violations, yeah, but otherwise it’s not our place to tell other nations what laws they should pass. As an American, I’ve had enough of this world police BS. And quite franklly, with th actions of Gay activists in this country I don’t think I’d ever willingly jump on any bandwagon they provided since they’re THE most irritating and hateful pieces of crap I’ve ever had the misfortune of encountering. The ones who claim they’re discriminated against the most are almost always 10 times as guilty as those they accuse for their own brands of hatred and intolerance. I’m sick of hearing nonstop about how those evil white Christian rednecks all need to be hung to save the noble gays/blacks/fillintheblank…and how we need European Union and Canadian style hate speech laws and possibly, in the future, manditory daily insertions of electric batons up our arses should we not march in lockstep with the Rainbow Coalition. But rednecks aren’t trying to pass bills in favor of execution for gays…but you listen to the cackling hens on the view and you’d think there was a second holocaust going on. Meanwhile, you’ve got Perez Hilton basically stripping the Ms. America title off of a women he asked a question there was no right answer to and he penalized her for respectfully expressing her own opinion. In other words, he discriminated against her because of her beliefs. And that’s “kosher.” Were it the other way around? OUTRAGE! And besides…add them to this list of groups getting screwed over. It’s a very long list. But in our selective outrage we focus on only one because of emotional attachment to that certain issue. You boycott them. You boycott til’ your heart’s content…but if I see a Persian rug from Iran and I’ve got 5 grand to blow…fvck you and your stupid cause. Because in the end all activists become what they despise. They become vengeful, hateful and petty. Just like everyone else who is to full of their own crap. July 8, 2013 at 1:08 am Dear Sammy, The same can be said of you who clearly has hatred in your words. It seems that you have experience in becoming what you despise. I’m not saying anyone should be forced to live my lifestyle but i should be able to live the way i want, we wouldnt need activist if we were granted the same rights but were not so we need a voice. We don’t want to throw it in anyone’s face, we just want the right to live our lives. I apologist if you have been the victim of radical movements but i doubt it. Gay activism is our attempt to gain the rights you already have and you should be ashamed for hating people that disrupting your life by trying to gain the same rights you are granted just by liking the opposite sex. i hope you will think about how you would feel if people only thought you should live but have no rights and maybe that will help you understand the activists and deal with the anger that lives through your words. sincerely, July 28, 2013 at 3:47 am Personally I’m sick of people who get irritated with other people who want NOTHING more than that same rights that they have. They try and rationalise and justify their ignorance, impatience and narrow-mindedness by stereotyping the one’s who want those rights. Always going on about the ‘us’ and the ‘them’. This is how selfishness and hate has always been. Gay rights, black rights, women’s rights – it doesn’t matter – are all HUMAN RIGHTS. It’s that simple. And sadly, we have a world where they all have to be fought for. July 20, 2014 at 10:17 am your anger is misplaced on Black people. we do not want to take anything from you and we do not want you talking anything from us. now you have already shown that you will rob, steal, discriminate and even kill Black people. Black americans have survived and contributed many things to this culture. we did not ask to come here. you beef is with your own people, white people, who allowed a more aggressive tribe among you to rub you out and perpetrate the lie that they aren’t even white people, your own kind. don’t feel bad, it happened to Black people in africa, too but I cannot allow you to say certain things about Black people unchallenged. April 8, 2016 at 6:29 pm Soon, and very soon, every gay, homosexual, lesbian whatever will realize that the true Christians who were trying to lead them to the salvation of Jesus Christ was their ONLY FRIEND…Believe me when I tell you that there is coming a time when Christians are going to be the Gay persons least concern. When America and Europe becomes a predominantly Islamic religion, then HEADS will roll; literally. I am a Christian and I think it’s time that Christians leave the Homosexuals to their own end. Save those that want to be saved. Mark 6:11 says, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgement, than that city.” July 31, 2013 at 10:51 pm Why call it hatred? I don’t know, how do we know if its causing anyone harm? Besides how others see and act because of that. Do we really know if it is or not causing harm? We have other types of love between two or more that is still illegal should that too become legal. They too say they are not hurting anyone, whether its true or not, they say it. I think adultery should be illegal and about shellfish (from the sea if it doesn’t have scales and fins don’t eat it. Matthew 15: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. March 2, 2014 at 10:36 pm Christians are being made to be the villain here. Obama could have avoided all this friction between the gay community and Christians (and Muslims for that matter) if he had had upheld the constitutional right of freedom of religion when writing this law. It has been purposely and cleverly left out to divide the two groups. Americas constitution gives all American citizens basic human rights and the pursuit of happiness. Christians are not trying to take away that basic right, the gay community is trying to take away the basic right of Christians to believe and abide by their faith. Any person or group that dares to think different than them or does not accept their life style choice is ridiculed, harassed and sued for discrimination. This is not showing tolerance and respect for the rights of others to believe different than you. In effect this law is being used by the gay community to silence Christians and any condemnation they might make them feel by living and standing by their Christian values. Would anyone ever believe it would come to this in America? The basic right of freedom of religion was one of the most if not THE most important issue this country was founded on…now it is seen as a flaw, outdated and no longer needed… July 3, 2014 at 3:05 am Well said mate !!! If my son turned gay, I’d never have anything to do with him. I’d be totally DEVISTATED, I certainly would NOT accept it. It would be the biggest kick in the teeth for me & his mum. I think, if you are gay & flaunt it “in public”, swinging your handbags & wearing womens clothing,,, what do you expect ? You WILL 100% be ridiculed ! How pathetic does it look, a bloke mincing down the street, with a limp wrist, wiggling hips & expecting “us” real blokes not to say anything !!!! Yeh right,,, you filthy pathetic little freaks deserve all you get !!!!! The U.K. should be 100% ANTI GAY like so many other countries. If you read the bible, it talks about Adam & Eve NOT Adam & Steve !! July 1, 2015 at 11:05 am Actually, America is pretty kick ass. I have been employed most of my adult life and when I wasn’t I was able to live on unemployment until I found a job. I have never missed a meal or not had a roof over my head due to poverty. I have been harassed by law enforcement only a handful of times but walked away unscathed each time once they knew I was not guilty of anything. I have also been allowed to voice my support of everyone having equal rights in a peaceful matter without fear of reprisal or having my social media accounts shutdown. Finally, I am more likely to die from a luxury related disease than environmental disease or starvation. I know my experience is not the same as everyone’s but it is relatively standard and I am thankful every day. I want everyone to share it. I am not bragging just addressing the comment that America isn’t such a great place. I can’t complain! January 23, 2014 at 4:42 pm Name the passages in the Bible where God say being gay is a sin. Also, find the passages where God says that it’s a sin to masturbate and the other sins that are deserving of death. Do you approve of stoning a woman to death for adultery? Will you murder you son for masturbating? How dare you justify parts of the Bible for your own prejudices and ignore others because YOU don’t think they’re relevant anymore. You can’t pick-and-choose only those Biblical things which suit your needs anymore than you can pick-and-choose those parts of science that support your beliefs and convictions in the Creation while denying those that don’t. Remember the Golden rule (common to most religions) to love/treat your neighbor as you wish to be loved/treated. That statement is at the base of Judaism. “Judge not lest you be judged” and “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” is the basis of Christianity.. January 28, 2014 at 1:44 am Dessert Foxx, David Aris, et al, read this simple piece. To begin with, David, it is obvious with all your efforts at selecting portions of the bible to justify your position, you’ve never read Romans 1vs24-30! Sure you understand it. Also read about Sodom and Gomorrah and reasons for their destruction. These succinctly, establish God is against homosexuality. He created both sexes with an intent and anything other than that is gross perversion. For believing in God, your refusal to obey his laws-human punishment notwithstanding-is regarded as rebellion and trust me,God’s punishment is more severe than human’s whenever unleashed, hence the need to collectively, instruct ourselves, like Moses did, to refrain from rebellion. Your concept of freedom and human right is an open invitation for humanity to disregard God’s laws and live in rebellion. It is as applicable to rapists, murderers and armed robbers as much as thy are to gays, lesbians, drug addicts etc. Just like we owe the society, our kids and NEIGHBOURS, a duty to propagate peace and urge all to eschew violence, it is also our collective responsibilities to condemn acts that are capable of subjecting nations to Sodom and Gomorrah or induce individuals to becoming self destruct. And you are doing the contrary to the ignorant, in ironical love and freedom crusade. January 28, 2014 at 8:21 am Hi, VIP. You misread both the Biblical texts that you cite, although I’ll admit that your misreadings are shared by many people. Romans 1 sets up Romans 2, which begins, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself.” So, for your own sake and for others whom you would condemn, step back from your judgmental condemnations. As for Sodom and Gomorrah, the point of the story is God’s displeasure with people who are violently inhospitable. You might want to ponder whether you are being inhospitable too. Best, January 18, 2014 at 9:31 pm For me, I have no trouble with individuals who “freely & willingly” wish to have their kind of sex life. I ‘would’ have loved to just ignore them LGBTs and allow it to be a ‘Live & let Live’ issue, but come to think of it, these people won’t ‘simply live’ when they are allowed, rather they go on to influence, propagate & create the inception that such ideas are normal on our children & teenagers who are most vulnerable to their sermons and arguments, because they won’t be very successful with thinking adults like the people here who are giving them such a hard. Big problem here is, like intelligent lawyers do, they may convince you to believe that all you ever learned was wrong and that what they now have to say is essential truth and hence, it is the way to go. Forgive me, cos I coudn’t seem to agree better on Govts imposting stiff laws bcos that seems the only way this menace could be slowed as its trying to become a global epidemic. In summary, for the sake of our kids who are in great danger of this movement, I still maintain my support for govt anti-gay legislations. Many regards January 23, 2014 at 5:12 pm Noreligion, From your writing you are obviously poorly educated. Not a surprise. Explain to me at what age you decided to become a heterosexual? Were you so strongly influenced by straight people that you felt that you had no choice but to become straight? People are born either gay or straight. Sexuality is NOT a choice. I mean, considering all the hatred and negativity associated with being gay, who in their right mind would choose it as a lifestyle? We are who we are. Your children cannot be harmed by knowledge and education unless that education comes from a place of prejudice and hatred, bigotry and intolerance. Gay people are not evangelists for homosexuality. Gays are not out to convert your children. Your children are at more danger from your ignorant beliefs or from that trusted neighbor next door who pays too much attention to your daughter than they are from learning that gays simply want all the same rights and earned privileges your enjoy. Ten to seventeen percent of the world’s population has always been and will always be gay. There are more non-white people in the world than white people. You talk about not judging governments for passing anti-gay laws; would you have a different opinion about a law prohibiting mixed racial marriage? Or re-instating slavery? Or outlawing alcohol? February 3, 2014 at 6:37 am You are forcing yourself to understand the scriptures and it doesn’t work that way. Thought you’d painstakingly express your understanding of the Roman reference I simply made in response to your quest to know which portion of the Holy bible condemns homosexuality. Not I but God calls and judges the act as evil and I’m simply referring you to His position which I believe. Left for me and most others, we would have considered even murder and rape as human right. If your approval and encouragement for rebels against God’s injunctions is your ironical idea of tolerance, hospitality and love! So sad! You can as well, in that context, encourage drug addicts rather than educate them on the danger and gravity of the consequences. Those who indulge in vices in defiance of the Almighty only dare Him to act and are taking His patience for granted. I can tell you that for free. February 17, 2014 at 3:32 am Haley, You are advertising here the impression homos don’t and can’t think deep. In their evolution to fame and wealth, were the rich nations thinking homo? Your mentor Obama got to power when those nations’ economies enriched by exploitatve wealth form the poor countries were even stronger! Wealthy,strong and famous empires existed and collapsed with time. Hope you know your history! Then came the “nations under God!” Whoever would have reckoned with Japan, China and India in the community of wealthy nations in the 80s? Curse induced laws are capable of wrecking the economy of the wealthiest of nations and reversing the world order with time,my shallow minded friend! Romans 11vs9 even makes it more grievious for those who revel in riches. In a certain version it says”let their bountiful table (wealth) presents the illusion that all is well!” It beats my imagination that any sane being should take a swipe at those hating homo,rape,robbery,slavery,drug addiction et al.even if perpectuated by the critic. For all I know,there is noone called by those names ,and thus can not be the subject of hatred! Sanity must prevail over invading demonic insanity. February 20, 2014 at 3:07 pm I shall make every effort to support these nations that remain faithful to the truth of life. Those governments that refuse to cave into lies which will give their people over to destruction. Homosexuality is destruction of humanity— a great evil indeed which will prove more deadly than any man-made weapons of war. The west is now the cradle of evil with its many crimes against humanity.. However, homosexual marriage has failed every referendum when put to ballot in most western nations. The courts and the media have forced this on people in a corrupt act of tyranny. It mandates an act of mass brainwashing directed specifically toward younger generations. Also it must be said that Russia is an Asian nation with three fourths of its land mass in Asia. The eastern way is far superior to the west which has taken its course of destruction. While the East will prevail for it has chosen the way of life & truth. March 1, 2014 at 9:11 am As much as it is wrong to imprison someone for whom they are and what they stand for, I find it equally wrong to impose and force sovereign nations to adopt policies that they don’t stand for, just because another nation has enacted these. What is the purpose of a nation ruling its self, yet the West and Europe can do that for them? Isn’t that bullying? I am African and we struggled to attain independence from our colonial oppressors because they suppressed the very core of our existence and society. So why should we accept everything they demand of Africa to do yet we gained our independence, for self governance? As far as I know everyone’s right is covered by the “UN Bill of Rights” including homosexuals. So how different are they from other human beings? Must we accept the gays and lesbians just by the mere fact that it happens in America and Europe? I don’t think so. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. America has in the past enacted Anti Christian laws such as that pertaining religious. I have not heard other nations rising up against such a move. It is sad that, in the name of aid (strings attached), we are forced to take in whatever the America and its friends deem to be good. I personally do not hate the gays as humans; they are equally human as I am. I just don’t agree with what they do. They do deserve to live and interact. But for people in these 86 nations, what is it that they should know about the LGBT? Why should they take them in? Why should they compromise? How should they treat these minorities? You don’t have to force them to take in what they don’t want. It only heightens the anger and revulsion over homosexuals. I read a comment on this blog whereby someone thought that since these 86 nations have not adopted the LGBT policies, they are backward, poor and their education is of lower value. This is wrong. Africans and Asians are vastly educated. It is stereotype to think they are not. Some of the curriculums used in these nations were taken up from their colonizers; who are the Europeans. How then is it bad? It should be noted that some of these nations lost their cultures and education systems due to colonialism. Who knows if they were any better compared to what they acquired. Isn’t imposing sanctions on nations like Uganda, a form of neo-colonialism? And won’t this justify their actions and compel them to keep at what they do? We should all agree that Africa is FREE. Once that is established, and then there will be room for dialogue. Sanctioning, profiling, and imposing bans on these nations only makes it worse and it is no different from what they have equally done against the gays and lesbians. Hate begets hate, love begets love. Yes it is wrong for these nations to imprison homosexuals, infringing their basic human rights. But it should be up to them to determine how to respond to this issue, depending on the set up of their societies, rather than be compelled to accept blindly, and threatened with sanctions. March 1, 2014 at 11:45 am Thank you Colin for your response. Slight correction before I move forward, I did not say that countries are being asked to take in LGBT “people”. I said they are being asked to take in LGBT “policies” that they do not stand for. Of course not all countries; including the developed, uphold all rights under the bill of rights. Anyone has the right to stand up for the minority in society. In some instances the minority have had an upper hand over the majority, such as economically. But who fights for the poor majority? The comparison of genocide and imprisonment of homosexuals is far too great in comparison for, having witnessed the brutality of people killing each other. However, preservation of life is paramount. People have been imprisoned over their political and religious views, yet their cries still go unheard. My main argument, and not to go off track, is that the question of homosexuality should be left to a society to determine for its self. But we have to uphold these people’s rights as humans. By this I mean that we should first treat them as humans. When the question of homosexuality arises then the dynamics of these conservative societies becomes defensive. Some people will be tolerant, others will be cynical. Regards September 5, 2012 at 3:10 pm Hi, Anna. Thanks for your comment. I don’t know what you think ought to be done or believed, however. Probably that’s because I don’t see where you infer that I’m saying it’s a crime to be poor. Here are some of the ways that I don’t understand what you’re saying … In the first place, do you think it’s OK for a country to imprison its citizens for their sexual identify if the country has a low standard of living? Secondly, while it’s quite true that many countries inherited their anti-homosexuality laws from their former colonial rulers, what are the implications of that fact? Does that mean that former colonial powers such as Britain can change their own laws, as Britain did, but must not communicate with their former colonies? Thirdly, wouldn’t it be more despicable to ignore poor countries’ problems? Are you suggesting that poor countries should be left alone, or merely should be given money with no strings attached? I hope you’ll write more. Colin Stewart March 31, 2013 at 10:23 am Colin, I think the real question we need to ask is can a country be ran by religion rather than by government? And do we have the right to force our beliefs on other countries who choose to be run by religion rather than by government? And is it a hate message to slander those countries who choose to operate under religion rather than by government? I would never be gay, I don’t support gay life and would not teach it to my child. I’m not in agreement with it, it goes against my nature, my core being. Does that make me a hater or just different? April 1, 2013 at 8:25 am Hi, Tonya — You ask, “Do we have the right to force our beliefs on other countries who choose to be run by religion rather than by government? And is it a hate message to slander those countries who choose to operate under religion rather than by government?” I do think that it’s OK to urge all countries, including those with religiously dominated governments, to abide by universal standards of human rights, especially those countries that have signed treaties pledging them to do so. You state further, “I would never be gay, I don’t support gay life and would not teach it to my child. I’m not in agreement with it, it goes against my nature, my core being. Does that make me a hater or just different?” I don’t think those beliefs make you a hater, unless you move on to encouraging the imprisonment of LGBT people for the sexual orientation they were born with, as 76-plus countries do. July 25, 2013 at 8:39 am I just don’t understand why you all homophobes visit this website. I think that you all have a serious issue with your own sexuality. I suggest you revisit this problem. Secondly, Tonya, if stupidity could fly you would hit the ceiling. A country is for ALL citizens, not for a religious group. And if you don’t mind that, why don’t you move to Saudi Arabia? They would shut you up quickly, you will have no rights, you will have no right to drive, no right to vote, and no right to be on a street with a man who is not your husband. You wouldn’t even have legal rights to your children! How do you like that? Or go to Congo, where there are 48 rapes per hour, or 1,252 a day, or over 400,000 rapes yearly. How would you like that? You want to keep your woman’s rights but you deny gays to have them? How thoughtful and civilized of you. And to all guys who hate gays: what is your problem? We don’t want to be with you, we don’t like you, and you are not attractive to us at all. We will not be, ever, after your girlfriend or wife – so why are you afraid? Or as I said, you have an issue with your own sexuality. Think about it. And regarding religion, any religion is for the soul, for being a better person. It is to love and forgive, not to hate and kill. Which god asks to hate others? So all of you supposedly “religious” people, I suggest you think about what your god actually tries to teach to. And if you are so religious, changing god’s words is a sin. To all of you, try to accept and love others, regardless of their religion, ethic background, color of the skin, or sexual orientation. It will make us all better people and a better planet. We are all here, the entire spectrum of the rainbow – so let’s live together in piece and harmony. What you want for yourself, let others have it too. Matthew 7: 13-14 The Narrow and Wide Gates 13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. I don’t know of a God that says hate people but the Sin itself as he himself Loves people but hates Sin. Others can be accepted with out accepting their sin. As in the quote above not all religions lead to Heaven. Jesus Christ is the one and true way to Heaven. August 9, 2013 at 6:53 pm Wow. Ok…HISTORY TIME! Here’s the deal: NAMBLA in its early years was a member of ILGA, but very early on they realized that what NAMBLA stood for was no good; the LGBT movement wanted equality amongst consenting adults, not the unusual right (one which even hetero adults didn’t have) to see engage in sexual acts with underage minors. Thusly, they were booooooted. Oh yeah, there were some which protested this decision. Namely one Allen Ginsberg, the influential and much celebrated gay jewish beat poet, who was known to take in underage lovers, and mingled with known pedophiles – most famous was his relationship with William S. Burroughs, a gay heroin junkie who made no attempts at hiding his penchant for young hispanic boys. Hell, Burroughs even fled to South America, so he could practice his boy love with impunity, where he also allowed the molestation of his own teenage son, Billy Burroughs, Jr. who would grow up to despise his father and die young, after authoring only two books (Speed & Kentucky Ham.) :( What matters here though, is that ILGA cut out a lot of bad apples, and these are just skeletons in their closet now – and at no point was an agenda such as NAMBLA anywhere near the forefront for ILGA. February 8, 2014 at 8:04 am There are lots of things that happen in this world that are wrong but sex is for making children. Men should sleep with women. Should we legalise crack because crack smokers deserve equal rights, should we change the law regarding underage sex because people that sleep with kids want rights. In my opinion rights must be weighted against each other. Heterosexual people have the rights they have for the furtherance of the human race. Same sex couples cannot contribute to the furtherance of life on this planet. I had always been under the impression that marriage was about companionship (and too an extent it is) but men naturally, instinctively seek the companionship of women because they want kids. Maybe gay men want sex without the complication of kids but that is not natural. Governments seem to be making the impossible possible and visa versa. There are plants that grow naturally in every hot country on this planet and it’s use by adults that consent via their conduct/use is prohibited, yet same sex male couples can have kids. The world went mad ages ago. Leave the mad people to be mad. Just make sure you bring your children up in a natural way and hope they are not tarnished by all the rubbish they hear about same sex being the way to go. February 8, 2014 at 11:53 pm Bob, I hope that you learn one day what it is like to live in mortal fear every day of your life, that you are attacked viciously and relentlessly for being who you are, that you are psychologically and physically tortured and abused until it breaks you, that your family disowns you and tells you to go to hell and leaves you with nothing, that you are humiliated and scorned and called every name in the book. That you drown in shame and self loathing and feel submerged in unending darkness. Because then you will be at the very tip of understanding what it is like to grow up as a gay person in this wretched, sick, violent, extremely brutal world. And maybe if you can begin to understand it you can learn to show a little kindness and empathy for other people. November 7, 2012 at 1:47 pm you people do realize that no law you change will effect reality, you still wont be able to put a bolt into bolt, you still wont be able to have children, you wont be able to change God’s beliefs no matter how much you complain, and you will never be accepted. Sooner or later your going to have to face that fact and stop reffering to every group that decides to stand up for its morals a “hate group”. Seems to me the only hate group Ive seen is a majority (but not all) of gays/lesbians, you spout acceptance but instantly jump on anyone or any group that doesnt see things your way. Might want to look up the definition of “equality.” April 17, 2013 at 5:50 pm Colin… most people who show that they are not in homosexuality favor are view by gay groups as haters. We have our opinion. We dont accept homosexuality in our lives or the lives of our children . That doesnt mean we are haters… just dont want that for us. The same way you dont want religious entities to force beliefs into others we dont want you forcing your beliefs into us, that are nurtured by a sexual inclination ,orientation, taste or whatever you want to call it. Theres ample scientific evidence by real scientist that homosexuality is still a mental illness and it still falls within the definition it had pre 1973. When you want to impose all this beliefs that homosexuality is natural and want to compare a human being to an animal who have no way of reasoning or morals and when you want to convince the world that homosexuals are better than the rest in any way, you are making yourself a religion and a hate group.The only hate you perceive is the one that you create towards yourself. Neither I or any other poster here want gays to die or hang them or punish them. If you want to have your lifestyle do it but dont try to impose your beliefs and actions over all society and accept it. We wont impose you our religion or beliefs , dont try to do it to us either . And dont try to make us believe that marriage is not a religious institution in the USA and all the twisted rethoric you use to try to prove a point that never existed. Thats when you by being hateful toward the rest bring hate towards you. December 8, 2012 at 9:25 pm I’m sure people who are in support of LGBT rights are quite familiar with the definition of equality. These people may “jump on anyone” because they are constantly submitted to to hatred and rejection like your statements. You need to understand that a lot of the time “standing up for morals” means ostracizing people who have no control over their sexual orientation, that’s why people get defensive. I’m sure you would be pretty defensive if the tables were turned, you don’t see groups of LGBT people walking around actively trying to take away your human rights. THAT is the difference here, one is fighting for equality, the other is trying to suppress them. This is NOT a two sided argument, it is a bunch of people not ready for change prosecuting others. Also I’m pretty sure LGBT people do not believe that changing the laws will allow them to have children and change their biology, they just wanted to be treated like human beings. That’s quite the ignorant statement, you should really educate yourself. April 17, 2013 at 6:03 pm No one have taken human rights from any homosexuals… the right to marry have been recognized from hundreds of years as a man and a woman in this country. No one takes civil unions away from you and the right to have children is given by nature not goverments. This was founded a Cristian nation you like it or not and the fact that there have been more liberties allowed wont take that away. There have to be a point in which stretching liberties and rights dont get to a point of going against the culture and identity of a nation. Im sure you wont go to Iran to try to made them change their religion or culture,. .then why try to change the culture of this nation so much toward the other side of what it was founded on? The reason there is no specific on the Constitution about this is because it was understood at that moment that marriage was between a man and a woman and no one in their right mind at the moment will propose the contrary.In fact in that time they would have hanged someone with this ideas. If you already have rights that give you the same why you want to come and shove up the face of religious organizations your ways knowing that its part of this country culture. If you wont do it to other nations you should not expect to do it and be accepted here. No one is killing you or suppressing you. Human rights are unaltered and the law applies equally. Now to try to raise a children in a way that exposes them to wrong concepts of sexuality since an early age is plain wrong. it is not for you bc thats your preference but you have to allow kids to grow up normally and have the option of finding themselves , not imposing your ideas of right or wrong that obviously by all that is good and sacred and logic is not what you have. While you dont accept that being homosexual is still a mental illnes like any other mental illness and try to push in others that is normal you will keep having this struggle not mattering what laws they approve or not. Laws wont make the poblation homosexual or accepting.. they will make people more aggresive toward homosexuals when being forced by law to accept something most dont believe in ,..much like making x religion mandatory for the whole country. Remember its a preference and orientation,. its something you can choose and scientifically even cured of as there are methods to cure it and people cured of it. The fact that you choose to believe what you want to believe reinforces even more the religion like manner in which you are treating this. June 5, 2015 at 1:47 pm @jean jones ” the right to marry have been recognized from hundreds of years as a man and a woman in this country.” Just because something existed for hundreds of years or was part of the founding of the country is no reason to keep it. Slavery existed as part of the founding of the country. Doesn’t make it right. Woman couldn’t vote. Doesn’t make it right. Mixed racial marriage was banned for hundreds of years. Doesn’t make it right. Women have been viewed as property thousands of years and were given very few allowances. Doesn’t make it right. The bible forbids women from teaching scripture and says they should be stoned to death for doing so. Doesn’t make it right. I’m not trying to change Iran because I don’t live in Iran. I live in the US. Here in the US we do have a continued process of expanding freedoms. That is a tradition in the US that has existed from the beginning. The Founding Fathers were subjects of the King of England. They decided to change that. If they followed your advice of not questioning the country you live in,there would be no USA. Also, Thomas Jefferson himself advocated for atheists saying they were equals in this country. I also want to say, I am a Christian. I believe in the word of Christ. Christ himself never spoke out against homosexuals and broke the old covenant to from a new one. As a Christian I will not bind myself to the old covenant as you have. My church believes homosexuals have a right to marry. If you don’t want to allow gay marriage within your church, that is you and your churches right. Allowing gay marriage should be allowed as a right within me and my church. July 2, 2015 at 3:00 pm I agree with the bullying bit…..if anything they want to have more rights than normal people…..the minute you open your mouth to complain about them straight away you are labelled. Adopting kids is wrong too….that means all the children’s book will be re-written because alot of it is a normal ‘mum and dad’..if its 2 gay males, how do you explain that to a child you are adopting? The child will become confused from an early age when he/she sees other kids with “mum and dad” and yet she sees ” dad and dad”..You are ruining a childs life . July 8, 2013 at 1:32 am Dear randomcitizen, do you often talk to god? are you made aware of his beliefs? if you are ignorant please stop and think about what you said first. The definition of equality has no relevance to what you just said about acceptance. I do accept your view, I accept that you are a straight person on a website about homosexual rights who has chosen to ignore that god makes no mistake especially not in so many people as the LGBT community is quite large. Just because you go to church doesn’t mean you know what god believes, especially since casting judgment upon others is a sin. You should really reflect upon yourself and how god feels about you before trying to tell others how god feels about them. P.S. the definition of “equality”- is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. This has nothing to do with the fact that people jump on you for hating others, you put yourself above homosexuals and we want to be on the same plane, be do not ask that you agree with what we do and we don’t agree with you but we do ask that we do not get a lesser status or different rights, we ask for “equality.” next time you ask someone to know a definition please make sure i is relevant to your topic and also that you know the definition first. Sincerely, February 5, 2014 at 8:24 pm Right time for an educated home truth here. The world is buckling under the strain of severe overpopulation as it is and if everyone were to have these religious beliefs that the sole purpose of sex is to procreate then the world would be in even bigger shit and more recession than it already is. Next time you have to get on a packed train or sit miserably in hours and hours of traffic or wait in a massive queue in a shop just think that is all because of straight procreating couples who just can’t stop breeding like animals. Secondly there are millions of abused and unloved children out there already born so why create more when you can adopt, foster or take in a child whose life would be utterly awful without someone to save them (Many gays and lesbians adopt or foster and give an unloved and unwanted child a loving and nurturing home) March 27, 2016 at 12:39 pm Thank you for saying this, I could not have said it better, they will never be able to change what GOD has decreed. And they will never number accepted, why not because me or you said, but cause GOD said so. That’s the real problem they think they are better than GOD, or they dont believe in GOD, that they won’t have to answer to him on the day they return to him. And if they want to call me apart of a hate group because I’m talking and taking actions against them because of what GOD says then so be it. May 22, 2013 at 2:52 am I Just don’t get it They cant reproduce they have zero families unless they adopt which isn’t there’s. so no way any of them can move forward they just die so be patient they all die off soon its just pathetic that we have to here about it. and be forced on us the government tried getting rid of them in the 80s and didn’t realize that bysexuals existed wide spread of aids over night back fired. Like the heroin in 70s with the black race back fired again. and it leaves America in a waste land morallus, selfish and now we advertise it like its a beer and reality you dumb asses thinks its ok your nuts you cant reproduce your way would kill the human race but I guess since everyone thinks of themselves first itll be ok fuck the future. I really don’t think that’s plan though Hope I didn’t offend any one but if your to stupid to figure out the queer life is extinction prison probably wont help they’ll just get with more of there kind im thinking lobotomy shock therapy nut houses we as American’s classify everything as a diese so treat it like one. but the liberals democrats & republicans are to scared to loose a vote than do the right thing. Last thing I took my daughter to an amusement park on fathers day and they changed it to guy day. I guess since they will never be real parents they will ruin it for everyone else cant blame the Christians. Just use common since your way extinction there way millions of yrs of life. Have a great day Americas been sold out May 22, 2013 at 8:07 pm Dear Duane, Clearly you have a lot of hate for LGBT people. You really ought to get to know some LGBT folks. Many are quite upstanding citizens; generous, loving people. By the way, no LGBT rights advocates are saying that everyone should be gay. Do you really worry that humanity will become extinct (in our over-populated world!) because of same-sex marriage? Homosexual men obviously don’t give birth to children, but gay men are the children of heterosexual parents. Society will continue to be a mix of gay and straight people, no matter what laws we pass. The only question is whether society will tolerant and peaceful or angry and repressive. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog 1. you don’t fear God, the creator of the whole universe. 2. You don’t know that heaven is real and hell fire is real. 3. You should be living this life to please yourself or your flesh but should be living it to please God almighty . 4. Your body is the temple of the most high God, keep it holy. 5. Either you like it or not homosexual is a big sin and offensive. 6. God has place before good and evil but he is advising you to choose good. 7. The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life. 8. give your life to Christ now is not late. call me for more enquiry. 07036494203 November 27, 2012 at 8:39 pm It has been said that ignorance is bliss. If that is the case we should all be drowning in bliss. Those that say GLBT people are reprobates are the ones I feel most sorry for. They hide behind their holy books and condem others simply because they do not fit the criteria laid out in these books. God did not write these books. Men did. Please don’t throw up on me the line I hear most often that these men were “inspired by god” to write these books. Look around you. You can use that line on anything. God is our creator. He is not our keeper on this earth. Look at world history and all the murders that have been committed in the name of god. God made humankind. Kind should be removed from that word. Simply put – God does not make mistakes. Humans makes mistakes. Anyone that believes god made a mistake by making someone gay, trans, bi, or lesbien will have a much harder time getting into heaven than those who feel it is their duty to persecute others. PS – I hope Madam Curie looses some ignorance and does some real research about Belize. It is much worse than the United States on every key indicator for economic freedom including nearly twice the unemployment rate which of course leads to more crime against the elderly. April 17, 2013 at 6:21 pm Colin.. i get amused when people like you try to rebuke the Bible with one verse or though without having read it whole. Yes the Bible tells you to love your neighbor but we dont have any problem with our neighbors or gays. God have a problem with homosexuality. If you want you can read the whole 1st chapters or romans and you will see what the Bible says about homosexuality. Im not for htrowing gays into jail and Im sure most of the people who comment here are not either. God loves man,.. he doesnt love man’s sin. He said homosexuality is a sin and wrong and in the chapter I just told you it explains not only why but WHERE homosexuality comes from. The action of us loving all people have to be more with showing God nature of loving good ones and bad ones as to have mercy for them all and we to try to show that nature thru our actions. Now thats one thing. But it doesnt matter how much we love each other even the ones that would kill us , it wont erase the judgement of God(not man) towards those that dont follow His teachings. The reason behind homosexuality being a sin goes far more than just the sexual act, but the sexual act its an expression of the perversions and depravation inside man that causes it to go against God. Homosexuality most of the times comes from a number of reasons which have been identified and none of them are good. Could something good come from a rooten root? No. So we are just wanting you to recognize that there is help for homosexuals. Its not hating. But when homosexuals get defensive and militant and start saying that God doesnt exist just because the Bible dont accept homosexuality you will find hostile atittudes against them from most people. Most homosexuals have been : abused either mentally or physically, not had a positive masculine figure while growing up, have a authoritative female figure who despises men most of the time, grown up insecure about their sexuality without any positive reinforment from a make figure, ridiculed for their lack of confidence since childhood. No communication with the father. This and other facts create an insecurity and lack of confidence that put them in doubt during the formative years and make them join groups and practices that allows them to not face the pressures of properly being formed. April 26, 2013 at 3:09 pm You know what I dont undetsand? Is how come gay and lesbian people wont TRY to become straight again and I know that some people would reply saying, “oh well because they’re born with it” okay so? It doesnt mean that they still cant get help to become straight. I learned in religion class a few years back about how a gay guy was being non stop bullied by these other men so the gay guy seeked God for help to save him and God in return made that gay guy straight. The guy never had any problems of being bullied any more. He got married to a wonderful wife and had kids and grandkids. God does help gay people, but not in a way some people think he does. Im positively sure that if a gay guy is absolutely desperate and can’t take anymore of the harrassment and also believes in God just like a normal Catholic/Jewish/Christian/etc would, he/she would be saved. God does love all of us and he’ll help us but we have seek for him first. AND I know some people would be thinking, “yeah but a gay/lesbian person should be who they are and shouldnt change themselves not even for religion” Okay so youre saying that a psychotic person who has a mental illness of wanting to rape children should be who they are and not change their personality not even for the safety of others? Oh and yes, i understand its bad that we “haters” throw homosexuals in jail, okay? Its not like all of us think the same alright? Maybe some people want to kill and hang homosexuals but then there are different haters who just dont want to be involved with anything that has to do with homosexuality (im one of them). There are two (probably more but I just cant think of any others for the moment) hate groups, you know. And besides that, i cant say im a “hater”, i just think its wrong, period. Doesnt mean i want to see them burn to hell. I just think that its a mental disorder that can be fixed if actually tried. And i agree with most people here that say that we shouldnt force other countries to go all gay and lesbian. Please, lets all not be hypocrites, okay? Collin, Im SURE youll agree that forcing someone to believe in the same religion is bad, right? I mean think about it. During Stalin’s rule in Russia, he made schools force students to believe that God isnt real, where the new religion; atheism, was created in the 1920’s. Im sure A LOT of people were pretty mad but couldnt do anything about it because Stalin would search you down and have you killed. Well some say its gonna be the same thing for us in a few years (maybe not that severe that the government would kill you). I mean its sort of already starting. For example: I heard one of my teachers say that a mother told her child to stay away from homosexuals -and i know thats mean but hang on a minute- the school found out (or was it the homosexuals mother?) and the mother got either sued or fined. Whatever it was, she got in trouble and had to pay a lot. Im not saying that we should all just attack the homosexuals, Im trying to say is that we all have our own opinions and our own “human rights” and im sorry if there are people out there that harrass homosexuals. Honest. As human beings, we should find other ways to show our dislike but we also shouldnt force it on others. So big deal that 80 other countries decide to stay original? At least parts of Europe and the freaking USA is allowing it. April 27, 2013 at 4:25 pm Dear Guest, 1. You ask, “You know what I dont understand? Is how come gay and lesbian people wont TRY to become straight?” Many LGBT people have tried to “become straight.” It doesn’t work. The example you give is either false or a very, very rare exception. LGBT people can’t “become straight AGAIN” because they never were straight. They were created gay. 2. You also say, ” i understand its bad that we ‘haters’ throw homosexuals in jail, okay? ” Good. That’s the main point of this blog. If everyone agreed with you on that, the world would be a much, much better place. We could argue about the rest, but not kill or imprison anyone because of their sexual orientation. All the best, April 7, 2016 at 9:35 am Yes he sat down to talk to them, yes love them because if he didnt love them he would not have sat down with them, but thst still doesn’t mean he condoned the sins, how do you just condon what a sinner does, so if thats the cast if my son or daughter is a murder im suppose to condon it. Not talk to them and say hey this isnt right, you can not do this. Cause that what people do, say oh its ok and its not ok, all im doing is speaking the truth and if people dont like well so what. You will never get a person to change there mind about what GOD says, and these people will never be what they want to be, because you can not change what GOD has made you man or women. Period December 8, 2012 at 6:31 pm To those who will potentially move to these countries….really? you would really uproot your entire life so you could avoid gay people? Because it is an abomination? Point that out, where that says that, not in the form of a metaphor which can be interpreted in any way, but where it directly says that. I’m aware it says a “man should not lay with another man,” but what does it say about lesbians? Oh right, nothing, I forgot that women aren’t really people, so why would god even talk about them? While you’re at it, could you find me the part of the bible where it says I’m allowed to sell my daughter into slavery? Maybe you could quote me a price? Why does this even bother you? Do you think seeing gay people will make you gay? If that’s the case, then you already are. By that logic, wouldn’t seeing straight people all of the time make gay’s straight? It doesn’t. Go ahead, stand up for your morals, but arguing about distress from a privileged standpoint is a NOT equal to that of the persecuted. The LGBT community is not actively trying to oppress you or your rights; being told you are acting hateful is not the same as being told that God hates you. It is your right to happiness, then fine, don’t be gay, don’t marry a gay person, but don’t for one second act as though you are choosing to be a heterosexual. It is NOT your right to decide what makes other people happy and to pass judgement on them, I think you would agree that that is God’s place, and claiming to speak for God is taking the Lord’s name in vane is it not? That’s a pretty big sin. At the end of all of this, if God turns out to be real and we all end up meeting at the gates of heaven, you really think God is going to pat you on the back for taking away someone else’s rights? Does your mom pat you on the back for ordering around your younger siblings? And for this comment: “Ok, for those who believe in neither,, they believe in the human intelligence,,,, so you get female attempting to bond with female and male with male. Hmmmm there seems to be an identity crisis amongst these so-called intelligent humans.” Maybe you should open a biology textbook. A large portion of species engage in homosexual activity as females are not fertile all year round, and in some species they prefer it, only straying when the females are ready to reproduce. In many others, especially birds, the younger members never mate and instead help take care of the older siblings offspring, and those offspring turn out a lot better than if everyone were to have kids and raise them themselves. Birds are descendents of dinosaurs and have been around for more then 250 million years, who are we to criticize that? Approving of homosexuality does not make you a homosexual, it is not infringing on your rights, only one party is vulnerable here. The world is slowly already changing, in 50 years when people talking about gays being immoral, the subject will be a joke, in the same way that being against a white and a black person is now. This is already happening, so all of you can lick your wounds and take a step off your pedestals. I sincerely hope none of the prosecuted in these countries lose hope, it gets better, please hang on! And after all of this, God does exist and those opposed are right, then living with people like you in heaven for an eternity would be my own personal hell, so I guess it doesn’t really make a difference what I believe. I think that everyone has a choice about what life-style he or she wants to live, and we as human being must not judge or kill a gay person, just because he or she choses to live the alternative life-style. I am a Child of God. I do not support homosexuality or any organization that promotes it. Homosexuality is a decision that a person makes, not a birth mark. But I feel that everybody has the right to be whatever they want to: gay or straight. God has given human being living on this earth free-will, whether they follow his Standards or follow the life-styles of the majority that deliberately disobey JEHOVAH GOD. “if your dumb than you don’t have a choice?” I don’t understand what you’re saying. “If your dad was gay you wouldn’t have been born.” If my dad were gay and only had sex with men, he wouldn’t be my dad and I wouldn’t be me. And therefore what? (I don’t follow your logic. Are you worrying that the human race will die out rather than suffer from overpopulation?) “Animals in nature don’t do gay either. I wonder why animals don’t?” You’re wrong about that. Here’s a list of dozens of species the exhibit homosexual behavior: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals Are you telling me that humans should model their behavior after the behavior of animals? That sounds bestial to me. “its your choice to be gay but not push your opinions on me or my children!” It’s not a choice. I’m not gay. I’m expressing my opinions, which is different from pushing them on you or on your children. Can you see the difference? January 17, 2013 at 10:30 am I just love how the homosexuals try and twist the BIBLE around to read what they want it to, It is because of such fools that prayer is no longer in schools. Everything that was moral is now just a memory to such stupidity, It does not break my heart 1 bit to see it illegal in these countries and totaly believe it should be illegal in the USA. I dont think it should be the respocibility of legal moral christians to pay for research into a desease that has been brought to us by homosexuals and dopers, if the government would stop using our tax dolors for education and research into the aids virus just maybe the homosexuals and druggies would disapear as well, rather them then our christian tax dolors April 22, 2013 at 6:37 pm Considering how many religious texts have been written, and the amount of sub-religions that have formed from Christianity with their own versions of the bible, how do you not think that you yourself read the bible as you want it to read and not what else it could possibly mean? Like in genesis, what I got from that?? God lied, Adam and Eve didn’t die when they ate the fruit, he punished them afterwards for disobeying, but they still didn’t die. Beliefs are great things to have, until they cloud your better judgement on how to be a civilised and caring human being. May 18, 2013 at 4:18 am Hi Mitch Love how the only thing you took from what I said was the way I viewed what was written in Genesis. Being exactly my point, while you read it as they died because of the fruit, I read it as God’s punishment brought death upon them, he didn’t have to cast them out, he could have shown mercy. The bible and almost every other religious text can be misinterpreted by anyone and everyone besides those who wrote it. What I took from it is most likely wrong, but hey, how many times has the bible been rewritten to accommodate the way someone else takes it. The point is, why should something that can be perceived in so many different ways allow someone to wish death upon someone else, just because they are different? I’m not a believer. I’m the first to admit. I respect other peoples faith, right up until they start condemning others for it. I don’t condemn those who choose to believe, I don’t see why people can’t show the same respect to others. Gay people only want the same rights as everyone else. They aren’t trying to rub it in God’s nose, they aren’t trying to provoke Christians, they just want to live like everyone else. It’s comments like James’ that show just how much disrespect one human being can show towards another for no reason other than they are different. Much like your perception of Genesis and mine are different, James’ perception of homosexuals and mine are very different. I hope you understand where I was going with it now. April 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm Oh, one other thing, HIV has been linked closely to SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus), nothing to do with being gays or dopers or whatever you want to put it down to. Yes it has a higher tendency to be contracted through needles and such, but that doesn’t mean that’s how it originated. Heterosexuals are just as at risk of contracting the virus which leads to AIDS as homosexuals are. Hence the necessity for research. But hey, I’m sure if you got HIV you’d turn down all treatment because your god was obviously punishing you for your sins, right? June 24, 2013 at 8:48 am James: We don’t twist the bible near as much as it’s dedicated cherry pickers like too. So while your bumping your gums the USA will Never outlaw homosexuality and guess what I’ll get married anywhere I want to when the time comes and it won’t affect anyone around me but you; apparently. I guess an invitation is out of the question. Christian tax dollars? Pretty sure church’s are tax exempt. Christians didn’t start this nation and if we want to go a step further the Native Americans are the ones who lived here first lets go by their laws where homosexuality was perfectly acceptable and they married the “sacred” two spirit people. You have your head shoved somewhere dark without ever noticing the view from the way in.. You might want to check that. August 1, 2013 at 12:16 am James, it is because of people like you that I left the christen faith. You need to read your bible better and focus on what the Prophet Issa (pbwh) tried to teach the people when he was alive. He was given his holy mission because of how the people where acting towards each other and not following the laws of the Book. When the Injeel was written a few hundred years down the way, the people quit following Issa’s teachings. Then another Prophet (pbwh) was selected to again bring to the people, new laws and rules and as before the people have perverted that text as well. If you really want to be a good Christian then focus on what Issa tried to teach the people and live up to those standards. Once you master those teachings, you need to find some of the older unbiased histories of the USA and really start to learn something about this country, the Constitution and the reasons that the pilgrims came to this continent. Also focus on what the Christian church did to the Native Americans, a good example are the smallpox blankets. There are many reasons in history why the founding fathers brought this country to life as a secular nation. There are reasons other than the gays why prayer is not allowed in the schools and never was really legal when it was there. When you have really learned something about this once great nation, stop listening to people like Rush Limbaugh – the druggie, Glen Beck – the “cry baby”, Sean Hannity, Michelle Bachmann, Pamela Geller and others of the extreme right. Once you have that flushed out of your system, start using that brain Allah gave you and start thinking for yourself. Unless that is just too hard and painful to do, when you start using the power of your brain as God intended you to, you will find life more fulfilling and satisfying. Unless you like people that to tell you what to think and how to act. Shades of Nazi Germany of the 1930’s & 1940’s, you can have it, I love my freedom too much, I enjoy coming to my own conclusions, I love the freedom to pray to God as I see fit, I love the ability to love who I want and when I want to. I love the freedom to move about the country and go where I so chose Before you start calling me names, I am a single heterosexual grandmother, I am also a proud Disabled American Veteran. As-salaamu ‘alaikum A Proud American (since 1868) and Veteran (1969-1994) Et secundum diversitatem unitatis pro scientiam (Unity through diversity and knowledge.) LPN/ret, HM2c(FMF)/USN, Sgt/USAR, ACM/olc, CWVet, VNeVet, GWVet, DAV/VFW Life Member. February 5, 2014 at 8:21 am James. We’re not the ones twisting that terrible book. We just happen to know it better than most Christians. For every verse you Christians use against us we can use an entire chapter to blow what ever you said out of the water. As for aids and druggies, guess what, the biggest group of people with aids are black women in Africa. I know this because I used to work at one the hiv clinics. As for the junkies, there is abuse of drugs in every race, creed, sexual preference etc. If you’re a Christian you should be doing everything you can to help them. Instead you are judging. Typical. Jesus must be so proud of you. One other thing, if you want to take on a gay guy with facts you had better make sure that those facts are true. February 3, 2014 at 7:17 am Mr. Gay, it’ll be more grievous to substitute above, the book “bible” with the writer “God.” The creator of the universe and not Africa, says not all things are good for his creatures(children) and homo is clearly one of them. If you chose to disobey him, with the knowing there will be unpleasant consequences, then you are free, but don’t you ever be deceived “whatsoever a man sows, that he shall reap.” In God’s dico, the synonym for homo is rebellion, and I know for sure that even if evil fights and “defeats” Africa, it can’t never prevail against God and God’s purpose. Here’s the section on Mozambique in the ILGA report: Mozambique Male/Male Illegal Female/Female Illegal Penal Code of September 16, 1886, as amended in 1954 (Inherited from the Portuguese colonial era) Articles 70 and 71 impose security measures on people who habitually practice acts against the order of nature. The security measures include: confinement in criminal mental hospitals or labor camps (from 6 months to 3 years), as well as have their freedom restricted (from 2 to 5 years) or the exercise of their profession interrupted (minimum of 10 months and maximum of 10 years), under the supervision of a probation officer. http://www.portaldogoverno.gov.mz/Legisla/legisSectores/judiciaria/codigo_penal.pdf And also: “At the same time it is interesting to notice a paradoxical development in several states of Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius and Seychelles), where parliaments adopt legislation to prevent discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in workplaces, while at the same time their respective penal codes retain provisions to punish those who engage in same-sex sexual acts among consenting adults – one would hope that it is only a matter of time before these very parliaments acknowledge this contradiction and proceed as soon as possible with an update of their penal codes.” Please let me know what you find out about this, if you pursue it further. All the best, March 26, 2013 at 12:15 pm get over your gender stereotypes. that’s like saying “single parent households are invalid” we don’t make it illegal for single parents to raise kids. why? because we can’t force men and women to raise children together. (not in america anyway). my point here is that plenty of alternative families exist OUTSIDE of homosexual marriage. also “wanting a lot of women” is a lot different than sexual orientation. why would someone chose to be hated, killed, bullied, discriminated against, beat, denied BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS just so they could have sex with someone of their gender? does not compute. I would also like to point out that the continent that is most well known for it’s problem with HIV/AIDS on this list where the ban on homosexuality is most prevalent. July 21, 2013 at 8:36 pm I bet you only speak, and write English “guest”. I also bet Diana is using English as a second language. I further bet, your the only person in the entire world, who can make a decision as to, who you fancy……….. A point not addressed in what I have read so far, in these posts. People simply do not have the ability to change their sexual orientation on demand. I wonder if we all could do this, would this be a good thing? It would certainly shake up some established view’s. Would you try it out “guest”? On a most serious note, if all these named countries were to repeal these draconian laws, do their lawmakers really think, there would be a sudden uptake in their citizens “deciding” to become gay? February 22, 2013 at 10:20 pm Colin Stewart–prove to me that they have learned? To me they haven’t. Just because a country thrives–means nothing. And the reason they have not been destroyed is because of God’s love that you have mentioned in your previous posts. But read carefully–and try to understand not with your intellect, but with your conscience; if you read the story of Abraham, when Abraham prayed to God about Sodom & Gomorrah (mainly known for the sin of Sodomy)–for God not destroy the city with the righteous in it as well–God indicated He will not destroy the city if there were even 50 righteous, then it got down to 10–but the city did not have even that–it had less than 10–Lot’s family–which was saved. And the reason why countries thrive is not because of what you have stated–but because of the righteous living in it!! Also read Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God”. People have and will continue to not fear God–but I am not worried about that–I have to worry about my soul and my walk before the Lord Almighty. Since in your previous post, you have stated you are a Christian, tell me where do you see that God approves of homosexuality and does not condemn it to be not a sin? I can assure you that there is no such place in the “Word of the Almighty God”–but there are a NUMEROUS of places–where it is condemned. If you would like the references–please let me know–I will supply. I know homosexuality is a sin, in line with all the other sins–murder, fornification, adultery, lying, using the name of God in vain, worship idolatry…and the list goes on–but those who practice the other sins don’t demand confirmation in public places of their sin, and don’t demand others to conform to their standards, and push their standards on others and their children. That is the biggest difference–therefore, you see a pushback from the Christians on this subject. What Christian—fearing before God—will want their children to be raised in seeing this sin spread like fire on every corner/block/newspaper/radio/TV/organization/store/work…etc—which is what is happening currently? This is my stance as a Christian. And should be yours—since you proclaim to be a Christian as well—but I see that it is not—let God be your judge! March 10, 2013 at 6:17 pm Hi Colin! I still did not see where you cite that God Almightly approves of homosexuality or blesses a homosexual marriage. I still await a reply to this–if you can, please provide. Thank you! As far as Ron Goetz–you are correct, it is “his” Bible. Did you know that Hitler rewrote the Bible to make it say exactly what he wanted–his understanding? Is this where we are going? Maybe, we are not at this point–but we are heading there. If so, look at where Hitler’s sin took him and where he ended. A great philosopher once said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santyana). Hitler had envey & hatred towards Jews–which was one of his many sins–but he did not want to acknowledge that–he did not want to acknowlegde what he was doing was a sin before God almighty–so the best he could do was to convince others that what he is doing is right and God approves of it. But he couldn’t go against the Word of God–which pronounced his actions and the intents of his heart a sin before God–so he rewrote it–to make himself feel better and look better before others–is this a way out of sin? Why is it hard for mankind to admit that they are wrong–especially, when the Word of God states that it is wrong? People (including some “so called” christians) sit here and try to make excuses by saying…”oh no that is not what that meant to say–it really said this…” Why do they call on that which is “black” white, and that which is “wrong” right? Like I stated before, this is because there is no fear before God almighty! But I know it will be well with those that fear before the Lord and seek Him and His truths and do His Truth! Hitler tried to change the Word of God to say what he wanted it to say…Hitler came and passed…you and I will come and pass…but the Word of God will not pass! It will not stand to be corrected! Even though many try to correct it! It has more authority to me than any law–as it has withstood trials and tribulations and has come through generations, religions, beliefs…etc. And I have seen and still witness Its power in changing the hearts of man! But I also see the adversary (devil) planting his seeds of sin, disbelief, hatred towards the Word of God—and towards God’s children. I agree with the writings of H.E. Phillips, which state the following: “This lifestyle (referring to homosexuality) is being accepted by a large segment of this nation because they think they have changed God to accept this practice. After all, most of them think that God is everywhere and is whatever they think Him to be. God is not affected with the desires of the flesh. That is the reason God is not tempted to do evil. James said: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man . . .” (James 1:13). But man is led away into sin by his own lusts. “But everyman is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15). We may be facing an increasing hostile society, whose honor and worship of their god of sexual lusts, greed, murder, blasphemy and all ungodliness will cause them to come upon those who believe in and honor the Almighty God in heaven, with great wrath. We may find ourselves in jail. We may find ourselves without any property, without any money, but we had better keep doing what God says for us to do in the way He says to do it. GOD DOESN’T CHANGE! We are not going to change Him or remake Him into some other being because we are undergoing change ourselves. We do not change the compass when we get out to sea and find the compass is not reading like we want it to read. We do not make things right by bending the hand of the compass to make it point where we want it to point. We will not be going in the right way if we do. We do not change the calendar by just writing in another date. We do not change the Word of God by trying to reform God into the image we want Him to be. That is a fatal mistake men are making. If we think the Godhead is like unto gold and silver, and we can change Him at will, we do not have an understanding of God, and we have missed it all the way along: we are reprobates by God’s definition”. To read full version: http://www.hephillips.org/articles/homosexuality/does-god-approve-of-homosexuality.htm I wish you this kind of understanding—but a man always has a choice and to choose what he desires. Those who love God—will choose God and follow his Truths—those who love something more than God—will end up with what they chose, but they will be without God. You will be in my prayers (and if I say I will pray—I will pray!)—if it is not too late… March 11, 2013 at 4:28 am Hi, JS — These aren’t mine, and won’t persuade you, I’m sure, but they’re a partial response to your question. Of course the Bible doesn’t say that “God Almightly approves of homosexuality or blesses a homosexual marriage,” since nothing like a committed, loving same-sex relationship existed when those books were written — which is also why it’s false to say that the Bible condemns homosexuals, since passages that you cite are translations into modern language of ancient words that refer to other things, such as temple prostitution. 1. The Bible says, “Whosoever…” 2. Jesus never said anything against homosexuality. 3. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. 4. Jesus came to save the world, not condemn it. 5. Salvation is for anyone who asks for it. 6. God knew who we were before we were born. Or God knew you were gay before you were born, and it was ok then and it’s ok now. 7. God has plans for all of us — prosperity, a hope and a future. 8. God is love. 9. God wants fellowship with us. 10. God’s church is not a place of spiritual alienation. You imply, without evidence, that God created only heterosexuals and that a particularly willful group of them decided to become homosexuals. That’s wrong. In a much more minor way, so is your misquotation of my statement about Ron Goetz’s blog. Not me, but you are the one who thinks Ron Goetz has “his” Bible, while you have the real Bible rather than “your” Bible. For me, I see all of us as falling short of what God wants for us, and I don’t think it’s God’s will to imprison those whom God created gay, which is the point of this blog. Prayers back at ya. June 24, 2013 at 12:57 am The Bible does condemn homosexuality. But how about those devious pork- and shellfish-eating heathens who go to barbershops and get tattoos – all sinful actions mentioned in the Bible, all happening in public places and shamelessly pushed onto our innocent children even as I write this reply? Why do you not go after them with equal vehemency? The LGBT folk is not looking to spread gay propaganda and bring down society. They are only informing people of their point of view, hoping that helps them understand and eventually grant them equal human rights – the rights of those who eat shellfish and pork, those who shave their beards and those who get tattoos despite that all those actions are against God’s law. Simple questions for you, the second and third questions are, of course, conditional upon an affirmative answer to those previous to it…. 1. Do you have a child? 2. Have your child ever behaved in a manner that is in any way disobedient of either you or their other parent? 3. Have you taken them to the town gates, and met with the town elders to denounce that child as “stubborn and rebellious, and does not obey us. They are a profligate and a drunkard”, then had the entire male population of your town stone your child to death? That also happens to be what the Bible requires you and any other sola scriptura Christian to do. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) November 25, 2013 at 10:02 pm Oh really, I’m gay and I never played with anyone’s genitals until I was a teenager. I was raised by both parents, I was not molested, I don’t hate women, I went to church regularly and all in all I’ve had a very normal childhood. You said, “Homosexuality is a habit acquired by little boys and girls playing with each others’ genitals without any control”. I’m curious, how does one let children play with each others genitals with “control”? What exactly do you do to your kids? Do you say, “ok kids, it’s play time” and then sit and watch, perhaps show them how to do it properly so that they wont become gay? Sounds to me like you’re the only aberration here. March 11, 2013 at 7:39 pm No, Colin, you are correct—you did not persuade me. God did not create homosexuals or lesbians at the beginning, nor did he create them now. He created Adam and created Eve for Adam. He created the foundation. Whether or not you WANT to build upon this foundation, or not–is YOUR CHOICE. But please do not make your choice, God’s choice for you. It will be as saying God created Cain in order to kill Abel and Cain had no choice but to kill Abel. Or He created murderers and killers to kill. Or He created liars…or you might as well state that God created all of the sins on this planet! Your logic proves to me that you do not know God and just make God whatever you want Him to be. I am deeply saddened and offended by the way you view God. But God will stand up for Himself—He does not need anyone to stand up for Him. My mission here is complete. I have stated what I needed to state. God will do the rest. March 26, 2013 at 8:38 am All people have sinful desires because we are wicked and fallen people. However, God does not make someone homosexual any more than he makes someone an alcoholic. Many people have genetic and social dispositions that make them prone to fits of rage or anger. The person born with an anger issue is still unjustified when acting out in their ungodly passion. Homosexuality is blooming in our country due to rampant fornication, broken homes, and child molestation. People are having a massive identity crisis in America. We all need to humble ourselves and fall at the foot of Christ. Open your eyes people of God. Repent. Everyone, not just those struggling with homosexuality. June 12, 2013 at 2:18 am Yes thank you colin you make me proud to be a gay man – Ireland it was illegal to be gay until 1987 we have come a long way since with the introduction of civil partnerships and ongoing support for gay people from all ages including the most old fashioned of Irish people. The key success for this was the fact that Ireland stopped doing what the catholic church wanted and instead what the majority of everyday people who practice their religion believe to be right. Which was equality for all in a just and fair society equality is key. We are soon due to have a referendum to change the constitution to allow for gay marriage with latest polls indicating overwhelming support for equal rights with 82% of the population agreeing 100% equality is only right. Once again thank you for your input and your support Keith May 3, 2013 at 10:04 am @Colin Stewart. First thing: people or either born homosexual/ bi, they choose it or forced into it. I only sympathize with people born or forced that way because it is a handicap/ mental illness. mental illness is the butch women who walk around all day with a rubber penis strapped to them desperate to feel like a man. Many do that, very sad. However, no matter what the circumstance I treat it the same. I done some research to see how the majority of countries around the world can find the U.S.A oppressive & insensitive for by having the age of consent from 16- 18 yrs old & throw people in jail for not following that law. Majority is below 16 or have no law. Even U.S. friendly Spain & Japan lconsent of 13yrs old. I dont agree with it & I bet U.S wont go to the rest of the worlds standards. This is to discredit your statement that rest of the world should adhere to universal acceptance on homosexuality May 4, 2013 at 11:59 am @Colin. I actually feel that 16 is too young. Should be 19, so the U.S is not protecting children. The point is; other countries can veiw the U.S. too laxed on that issue or to strict-just like they can on the homosexual issue. In most cases children are a products of their enviroments examples: if a child grows up in miltary, ivy leage, football, or abusive hateful household they most likely be follow those footsteps. So if children grow up in gay or bisexual household they will be heavily infulenced. Countries have right to make illegal to if they feel such influence is bad, regardless of person is born that way or not. They are protecting the children with theses laws. That’s they primary reason people have problems with practicing homosexuality. People are born with all kinds of urges & fullfilling homosexual ones should land you in trouble. August 31, 2013 at 12:35 pm Maury……”Then why are the vast majority of gays born into straight families?” How is it? Well I guess the same way straights are “born” into straight families. Except for artificially getting pregnant how else is being born into going to happen? Other then that still today that vast majority that have children are straight families. Children are being programed every day even if they don’t know about it. They could be influenced by other children and not even know it. There is a lot of images and words that influence people subconsciously. May 22, 2013 at 7:43 pm I’m sorry but I just have to ask……What if there is no God? Then all the discussions about homosexuality is just a waste of time and energy, and all this anger, hatred and finger-pointing is based on unsubstantiated beliefs. What is wrong with live and let live? Isn’t there enough hatred and hysteria in the world? It seems to me that there are an awful lot of “believers” out there carrying around an awful lot of venom towards those who have different beliefs and/or different interpretations of certain biblical passages. By the way, before you start attacking me, I am not a non-believer as some may have assumed, but I was raised by parents who taught me that it is not my place to judge, to live life with tolerance and compassion and to treat others in the same way I wish to be treated myself. Perhaps some of the energy manifesting in the hostility which is being directed towards a group of people who are simply asking for equality in the eyes of the law could be better used in empathy and self examination. Surely the bible teaches tolerance and understanding? Post Script to Colin Stewart: Your measured and sane responses to some, what can only be described as hostile and bigoted messages posted here, is a testament to your character. Keep up the good work. May 28, 2013 at 1:01 am What and wait for u n ur obviously homosexually induced abominations who defy God In their choices and actions.. Not all who do this openly defy God but since u urself are claiming the tolerance of Jesus n yet have none for those trying to uphold Gods feelings on the matter… Abomination n back then they were called sodomites n they don’t give two shits… God created everything in this universe n yet u decide who is what from birth? Make no mistake u can’t stand with God halfway.. Tolerance isn’t sympathising to appease those who have no intrested and put thier needs first… What authority do u have to dictate any knowledge of ur expetise… No one is born homosexual and if u can’t see open ur eyes… Satan is using weak willed ppl like u against his elect.. I commend all u who weren’t afraid .. This is not ur planet nor is it the sodomites either.. Or haven’t u heard.. They found Sodom n gom Mora n the story is true.. Ill take Gods word over mans any day of the week… N no I’m not wrong for speaking out against Satan directed demon bred activities pestilences n abdominal acts… Or would u rather cavort with Satan as if to please him… U need to understand the lake of fire awaits all those who defy God n that ur decisions arguments n feeling n whatever else can change… Quit afflicting his creations quit afflicting his children for they just recently came from there… U need to decide for there is no halfway.. For or against God… U can not be in between… God in the past has rewarded rulers who ran the sodomites out of thier kingdom n called them just in his eyes.. N rightly so.. Is not man aware of duality as uve all been shown.. One was not created the way u speak.. Yet u choose to speak for God.. N as those who back him u negate as well .. This world is Gods make no mistake n those faithful to him I commend u for having the courage where one falters In ur midst… U are loved always for u are a friend to God… N do u care Collin to quote ur dogma to his son when he shows? For his son our lord n saviour whom we proudly serve is coming with an iron rod to rule his kingdom with the saints… Dare u oppose that? Since u find not assurance in his word… Be of faith then and turn for there is only God who is the creator of all .. Yah is his name n he and the father n the spirit laid the foundations long before anything else… What master do u serve… Man or God? For God has no tolerance for the obviously wicked for contempt breeds in the heart.. Be not decieved o ye of little faith for thier words may be sweet n upon thier tongues song.. But verily I say unto u thier hearts are elsewhere than on the lord or God… Pleasure of the flesh is a defilement for flesh was made pure to house the temple yet such abominations defile it…actions speak louder than thier words… For those that lust after the flesh ye shall not inherit the kingdom that is to come.. Nor idolators nor decievers nor thieves nor liars nor adulterers nor defilers nor sodomites nor those that like the pharasees who pray so that they may be seen n heard yet in private no holiness be found among him… Seek therefor the son for he is the way truth n life n thru him only shall u come unto God…seek for there is only one who has the power to forgive as he already has died for ur sins once…. Therefor repent of ur transgressions so that u may be found n made worthy in sight of the father son n holy spirit …be forewarned God is watching at all times n sees all.. There is nothing that remains hidden in his sight.. There is nothing he doesnt know… N nothing he can’t hear… Be mindful therefor of ur works n in ur deeds n let them be in accordance to n with the creator n his order not mans.. For time is but a fleeting thing… N for God u do not speak therefor stand in his word for his word is truth n life May 28, 2013 at 5:24 am I was just thinking n I say this with a heavy heart.. I remember when smoking was a thing till a biased activist decided he knew what was best for everybody else.. He didn’t care what they thought only as long as he got his way… Well push came to shove with them throwin stones… N it started with no smoking in public places that had it before n when they went for it.. It spiralled out of control n do u think that was enough? Give them an inch n they’ll take a foot.. They keep pushing.. Continually ppl like me get taxed way beyond what any of u pay n are they satisfied ? No cuz they want it banned completely n keep harassing till they get thier way.. Take a look at new York n that should give u an example of out of control ppl n what happens when u resort to extremes n yet who is it a better life for? How does any of it get better? It doesnt… One group will have thier way n the other won’t be free for the same will happen each time it does n so I say… Ok u guys get ur way.. What then.. Do u stop n celebrare? N just go home cuz u won? I remember when they apitones civil unions for same sex couples.. Think it was over then n yet they still cried fowl… Wanted more so then it was harrassment laws got enacted n ud think it was over n yet they cried fowl… Then gays in the military n free to be open about that.. Same thing n ud think it was over n yet they cried fowl.. Then it was churches n birth control n all that so against the churches belief they are now forced to offer birth control tho state n church are supposed to be separate but they pushed and forced the church to go against it’s belief… N yet again they cried fowl.. Next was chick fil a n just because someone expressed a view at work it got blown way outta proportion n got thier way n yet again they still cried fowl… Lol just realized I’ve been spelling foul as fowl .. Sorry guys.. Anyways.. So now it’s to marriage n equal rights n nothing was decided for all fifty state n they managed to get a few states but still cried foul.. Do u see the pattern here n yet I wonder cuz I can’t freely smoke n now they tell me where n what place I can n I’m the one who is living free? Made it better how? Theyll push as they did for the smoking ban n they still harass us smokers n no one cares I’m the enemy to the public now… So fine u get ur way.. What then? What’s next? Schools .. Homes… Rewrite every last history book to ur liking? After that what then cuz it never stops n it never ends.. What is going to satisfy u? When will it ever be enough…? N while u get ur way each time how does it make things better? The only thing is uve eliminated anything opposing outside urself but when ur at the top of the mountain n there is no more .. N there’s nothing left to do cuz uve changed it all.. What then? I say this cuz when they take each time they push more as well.. U can change the laws u can forcé them to bow u can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink.. So I ask u got what u came for .. Is my freewill next? Until it’s showcase wil cuz I tell u if u thought them getting locked up cuz thier gay is bad? What when the tables have turned? N I know everytime when i state to ppl if they wanna be gay fine but I’m not gay cuz I don’t live that way n I get called every name in the book as if I’m supposed to love n respect thier freewill but am I not entitled to live mine ? So my friend why then if that’s the case am I even alive for cuz apparently there is no place for ppl like me here n I can’t live freely n since they won’t stop till there are laws against ppl like me not being gay.. Funny thing about power.. Humans can’t seem to handle it… So as u say in fifty years anything anti gay will be a thing of the past… So exactly who is going to be free in a world then.. ? Forced n subjected will be for those who aren’t gay… n doesn’t sound like much of a world cuz ppl will be enslaved… Forced to accept cuz that’s the way the world works now n Im sad cuz my daughter won’t have a future nor I.. I don’t foresee any kind of a future… What then is the point? U all fight n no one wins till everyone is miserable n freedom is gone so tell me why be alive? There is no point.. I had freewill n yet this world seems to think it’s theirs not mine… Same with my kid… So what am I alive for .. I have no true choice n I’m hated for even existing… I can’t think freely so how then can there be life? If u cant grow or have room to do that freely? I’m here with a heavy heart cuz I’m done n can’t go no further… Fuck every single one of u… Why bother.. U don’t care u don’t live peacefully.. U don’t love n u all want ur own way… I’ve been judged by all of u… This entire world has done nothing but make my life a shitty exsistence… Then again save ur apologies n respite cuz why bother.. It’s not ur life so why care now…? Why pretend to care at all? I can’t live I have to struggle harder than any of u n In the shit n swallor I scroung for what little s raps u ppl even manage to leave.. N u sit In ur luxury houses n drive ur fancy cars n bitch bitch bitch cuz o no ur not happy… Fuck u all to ur unhappyness u have no idea or the faintest clue what it’s like to struggle In a world that takes n gives nothing in return…I would love to see u all go thru how my life is .. Have urself taken at birth from ur parents then never able to find them then told thier dead.. Then go thru being harassed n bullied all ur life.. Thrown in jail numerous times n prison for stuff u didn’t even do.. Then deal with a whole slew of relationships of cheaters lists n deceit n finally one fucking day I became a dad n I’ve tried protecting her since.. I get judged for being a parent n judged for how u I parent n judge cuz I must not act like one.. I don’t get told I’m a good dad n I get doors slammed in my face when I look for work.. The little money I manage to scrounge for me n my kid n what little money we get from food stamps I’m only able to feed my daughter for a week n a half so I don’t eat n she gets to eat three n a half weeks n yet on top of daily hunger I see ppl fucking complain… O wah wah my poor this n they get in thier 20,000 dollar car n drive away… N they go to thier fancy fucking homes cuz all my life I ain’t never had shit.. I only had dreams n dreams are all I got n yet there is no future cuz the trays I have to dig thru to get my smokes then what change I manage to find so I can roll the tobacco I find just to smoke so the hunger goes away n all I hear is ppl bitching… I already know I don’t have much.. I don’t think my kid will even get a chance at college the way shit is goin… N yet ppl fucking bitch o fucking poor ole me… Wah wah… There isn’t going to be a future so why do u care… None of u love… None of u care so why? None of u are happy n u don’t get along.. The youth are gettin restless n the old are dying off…n yet u all still negate n u hate… Y don’t u all just stop living in the illusion.. Stop living the lie u call life? Life means u could live but how can u? Now a days u can’t even do that.. So why care cuz u know for a fact it doesn’t matter to any of u… Why even bother…there is just no point.. To it all.. Anymore May 28, 2013 at 12:06 pm Dear Colin, I was doing some research about gay rights, but now I really want to thank you for what you do. Because reading some of the comments made me sick. I don’t know how you can deal with all these comments full of hatred and intolerance. The only thing that comforts me is to look back and remember that my grandmother couldn’t vote when she was young because she was a woman, that some interracial couples couldn’t get married only few decades ago in some countries, and put things into perspective. For my grand-father, homosexuality was a crime. For my father, it was an illness. For me, it just shows the beautiful diversity and complexity of humanity.. Moral perceptions evolve in societies, and people can like it or not, they will have to deal with it. I’m sure that even now we can find people who are against women’s right to vote! :) Again, thank you for what you do, I wish you good luck. From a heterosexual French girl glad to see her country legalizing same-sex marriage! May 29, 2013 at 2:44 pm Dear Colin, I am a bit shocked by reading all these comments from people. You are doing an amazing job here. I hope a lot of people leaving these messages do indeed stay in all day/night writing these misinformed opinions. I wouldn’t like my kids meeting them! Our family is surrounded by a great mixture of multicultural friends and different sexual orientations and all that is just part of our daily life, I wouldn’t change it. We all should have the right to be who we are and I will boycott these places with my family. June 13, 2013 at 9:38 pm As-salaamu ‘alaikum / Peace be with you Colin, I applaud you for the efforts that you put forth on this subject which stirs up so much hatred and hostility. Please keep up with the work of enlightening those who are not so enlightened. You articles are always full of information that a lot of people are not aware of. What I do not understand is why those who are so anti-gay come to your site here to belittle those who want a harmonious world. Please forgive my wording and punctuation, I sustained I brutal head injury while in the military so I may not always write what I am thinking, I try very hard to edit what I post so that I don’t get too carried away. Thanks for your efforts. June 14, 2013 at 1:37 am Dear Colin here is a picture in which it shows the ways “straight” couples be little our god. How can they jump on the bandwagon and belittle gay people for wanting equality. ” A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin, If the wife is not a virgin she shall be executed” – Deuteronomy 22:13-21. How many of those who seem to deny the rights to gay people to have a “civil marriage” can say they where virgins before getting married? I mean if we are supposed to live by the bible and its exact word shall we start stoning now? or when is the right time to start?. I believe that a lot of progress has been made globally even here in my own country of Ireland – Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1987 and now we have civil partnerships gay people are free to express themselves in public often seen walking round holding hands like straight couples have done for many years. Gay Irish people are protected by the Irish state with politicians from Sinn Fein, Labour, Fine Geal, all supporting equality for all. The current Government of the Republic of Ireland has pledged a Referendum to change the constitution in order to allow marriage equality before 2015. Recent polls suggest 73% of Irish people support marriage equality. Pretty amazing considering the year i was born it was a crime to be gay and punishable by imprisonment. Thank you for your work Colin its greatly appreciated i personally think you are a role model to society. Thank you GOD for people like Colin may god bless you and your family. My last word is haters they gonna hate. But people who have a kind heart and love one and other will always have this. So let the haters hate at the end of the day its them with the problem not us . June 15, 2013 at 11:12 pm Prosecuting me for being a lesbian is no different then prosecuting anyone for being heterosexual both are wrong I don’t want everyone in the world to believe that homosexuality is okay and god has no problem with it that will never happen if I want freedom of speech religion beliefs I feel those with views and opinions different to mine are entitled to the same I do not wish to force my beliefs on anyone I just want us all to be able to coexist and not infringe on each others rights but hate creates more hate there are ignorant and hateful straight gay white black people I choose to not let it affect me the people who have posted angry things on here must have encountered an ignorant homosexual so in turn become the ignorant heterosexual who creates another ignorant homosexual cause and affect people coexist its about our civil rights if they can dictate who I can and can not love successfully how long do you think all of the things you do will be legal don’t agree with me I have my own relationship with god and I know and love myself I dont want you to agree with me I want you to respect my right to have a different opinion than you as I respect but disagree with yours and I don’t think you should be imprisoned or killed or kept from getting a job if your a heterosexual racist disagree with me in any way or think I’m going to yell so why should I or any other homosexual be imprisoned ect February 15, 2014 at 4:53 pm Being gay is not a choice! It is no abnormal either…. And not every gay person is obsessed with sex. Some don’t have sex at all. It is homophobic people like you idiots who obsess over gay sex because you obviously don’t know what love is. You should love people for who they are not because of their gender, colour, religion etc. gay people don’t attempt to recruit people either. This is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard. You can’t turn someone gay any more than you can make someone heterosexual. Records of same sex marriage between men and men and women and women go as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Jesus wasn’t the son of god either he was a very influential person who people made stories up about to try and control society. June 23, 2013 at 11:54 pm Yep, it not natural like driving a car, flying a plane, scuba diving, eyeglasses, ice cream, jello, nuclear weapons…… I once had a gay couple as next door neighbors. I was shocked by what I saw when I looked out my kitchen window. They were MOWING THE LAWN and TENDING THEIR GARDEN and WASHING THEIR CAR!!! Why they even…GASP….UNLOADED GROCERIES FROM THE CAR!!! Oh the HORRORS!! If we let this “gay lifestyle” continue, there is no telling what will happen!! Why they might even….gulp…PAINT THE HOUSE!!!!!! You people make me proud to be Canadian! February 7, 2014 at 10:19 pm OK, Steeve, I invite you to immigrate to Russia and enjoy the enormous freedoms and economic advantages that they have there. Just so you know, I’d check to see what the HIV infection rate is in your new country before getting a transfusion or other invasive medical care there. Of course, I’m sure that God will protect you from any illness since it won’t be in His will for you to get a “gay” disease. I hope that assurance will give you comfort in your medical treatments. As you’re relocating please invite the people from this website, who believe as you do that the USA is going downhill due to the acceptance of gays, to go with you. I’m certain that President Putin will welcome each of you with open arms and a great job offer. I am a born-again Christian who is gay and I love the USA where I live. In my 55+ years of life I have NEVER tried to “convert” anyone, much less a youth, that they give up heterosexuality and pursue a gay lifestyle. For years as an adult I went to counselors and prayed for 30 years to become heterosexual. After praying until I almost had a nervous breakdown, I realized that God’s will for my life revolves around being gay and helping anyone who comes to me to accept his or her gayness. I can swear I never chose to be gay–I was born gay. Based on comments like yours, it hurts me to see so many well-intended people be clouded by Satan and his minions into believing that gayness is a sin. I ask you to pray Satan out of your lives and accept your gay brothers and sisters in Christ’s love. Remember you might be included with the other people you believe are committing sins listed by Paul, e.g., gluttony (that includes many past and present portly televangelists), liars (even those white lies remember!), adulterers (hmmmm, remember, this includes thoughts guys!), drunks (remember those high school/college days??), slanderers (I’m sure you’ve never said bad things about someone) or robbers (this includes robbing the government of taxes around April 15th!). I wish everyone the best and hope I don’t have my head chopped off for my comments. Thanks for this site and the openness of expression on here. My prayers are with everyone tonight. June 23, 2013 at 11:44 pm I am not sure what is more upsetting to me. The list of countries on here OR the amount of awful comments that follow. It breaks my heart to think of how incredibly HATE-FILLED some people can be. It is uncalled for and just upsetting. There is no need for it. The LGBT community of this world just wants to be able to be themselves and love who they wish to love. I will never understand people that want to deny that right. Whether you agree with it or not, its not YOUR life and therefore not YOUR place to deny them happiness, safety and love. Shame on the people that seem to think that hate is the way to live their lives. February 4, 2014 at 7:30 am darleneg77, you have a funny understanding of the word “hate.” Let’s break it down, John Elton I know is gay and is “hated” for that but if he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t be the subject of hatred in that regard. So, it is the act and not the person that we disapprove. I am certain you hate rape, murder, terrorism, armed robbery, awful comments et al. Does that make you a hater in your estimation? I assure you there is good and evil and we can all take pleasure and liberty in indulging in either but others too have the right to interpret and treat them for what they are just like they do those who delight in doping without your express solidarity. Oh this one I will respond to…… Peter, sorry to hear that you are in a wheelchair. Unnatural is defined as something occurring in nature. The problem is that it is occurring way too often. The description should be changed from unnatural to disgusting. Disgusting means “Arousing revulsion or strong indignation”. That is what the gay community brings out in many. You made a choice to be in a wheel chair? Did you do something illegal or immoral that led to you being in that wheel chair? Not exactly comparing apples to apples are you. For me, it is simple. One of the main issues of federal recognition of gay marriage is all about benefits and money. Way the federal government is discriminatory against single people and punishes them more due to a higher tax rate. I say take away ALL tax benefits, everyone pays 10% regardless of marital state and children. This takes away one of the big incentives to them to rush to get marriage. The only think I look forward to is that future queen divorce on television. should be more entertaining that the OJ trial. I wish my time on earth was over before the SCOTUS decision was out. Hate this country and what it has become. Ashamed to be part of it anymore. June 24, 2013 at 2:58 am I’ve been reading a lot of these comments and I need to say this! First of all if any of you read the treaty of Tripoli you would know that the USA was not founded a Christian nation. Humans are one of 1600+ other animals observed to engage in homosexual behaviour. People are born with a certain orientation and trying to make them change that orientation is not healthy and has been denounced by the psychiatric community has an invalid and dangerous practice. Disagreeing with gay rights is like the nazis disagreeing with the Jew being born Jews. Someone who is born having a homosexual preference needs to still be able to love whoever they want regardless. The line in the bible that is most famous for denouncing homosexual behaviour is up there with don’t were two mixed fabrics or don’t have mixed gardens or put a fence around your roof. You can have your religion but realize that if you believe in God you believe he doesn’t make mistakes and he makes gay people. If homosexuality was a sin and god makes no mistakes than why would he create gay people. Don’t say because it is a choice! If you do then tell me in details when you decided to be straight! July 30, 2013 at 1:03 pm I could be wrong, been wrong many times, but I don’t think anyone says God made a mistake any more then he did when someone is born with a cleft pallet or born conjoined. Its a matter of genetics but even so does it make it right? I don’t know which ‘famous’ line your talking about but the ‘don’t wear two mixed fabrics’ is explained thus:”These and other prohibitions were designed to forbid the Israelites to engage in fertility cult practices of the Canaanites. The Canaanites believed in sympathetic magic, the idea that symbolic actions can influence the gods and nature…. Mixing animal breeds, seeds, or materials was thought to “marry” them” so as magically to produce “offspring,” that is, agricultural bounty in the future.” Some of what is in the Bible is time and place specific. I’ve also read that mixing these two fabrics can be unhealthy on how they react together. June 26, 2013 at 8:13 pm Unbelief and Its Consequences For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil,disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. June 26, 2013 at 8:45 pm Hi, “Romans Eighteen” — Perhaps you didn’t notice that Romans 1, which you quote, sets up Romans 2, which calls for mercy rather than a judgmental attitude. Romans 2 turns the tables, stating that people who pass judgment on the basis of Romans 1 have condemned themselves in the process: “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” As I’ve said before: Let’s be merciful. – Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog June 26, 2013 at 9:12 pm Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. June 26, 2013 at 11:56 pm Hey guys, I have been reading and thinking about all these posts for the last hour. My husband has too and we’ve been talking with a very open mind about everything that’s been said on this blog. We have left out all emotion and prejudice from our conversation to try and understand why so much hate has come out of this and quite frankly we can find no reason for it. We live in South Africa. We have been married for almost 2 years but have been together for almost 5 years. In our country we as gay men have the same rights as everybody else. We are treated like “normal” people. Nobody cares that we are gay. We do not promote that fact that we are gay but then again we don’t try to hide it either. We live our lives like everybody else. We do our jobs, we go out for dinner, we wash our car, feed our pets, and we pay our taxes. The only time we make a point of not showing affection to one another is when there are children close by and the reason for this is because we think it is unfair to parents to force them to have to explain matters of a sexual nature to their kids before they think the time is right. Before 2006 it was illegal for gay people to get married. We had our protests and pride marches and there was a lot of angry words and several gay bashings but as soon as we were protected and treated like everybody else it stopped. Yes, there is the odd gay bashing here and there and every now and then some religious leader says something in a public forum that upsets us but on the whole we get to go about our lives unscathed from homophobia and life is good for us. This is all after 2006. Before 2006…… Before our rights were “granted” to us gay men and women lived in total fear. Having your homes burned to the ground and being gang raped, (corrective rape), was the norm for us. We had to find “girlfriends” and live unhappy lives. Men and women were thrown into jail and repeatedly raped and left to rot. Most of us have scars on our wrists from suicide attempts or we have rope burn marks around our necks. For me, I have problems with my liver and kidney from the damage done by the meds I used to overdose as well as many scars on my writs. I survived and I am glad I did. What most of the haters don’t know is what personal hell we went through and some times still go through when we discover that we are gay. As a small child, age 6 to 10 we know that we don’t fit in. We don’t know why but we don’t really care that much because we are so little and there are cool cartoons to keep your mind off for a while. Then from 11 to 14 we discover that everyone else likes girls. We don’t know why but we think to ourselves, one day things will change. Then puberty really sets in and we discover that we like boys. At first we don’t understand it as it presents its self as a form of hero worship. Later it becomes a full out sexual lust that we can’t control, pretty much the same as straight boys of the same age. Then our personal trip to hell begins. Now we know we are gay. We hate it, we despise it and will do anything to change it because everyone we know hates gays. We turn to the bible, we force ourselves to look at straight porn and we get girlfriends because we convince ourselves that the right girl will change us. We make sure that we do the “straight” activities and “man up” as much as possible……….but it doesn’t go away. EVER ! By the time we are 16 the self loathing becomes so overpowering that we lash out at everyone and when that doesn’t work we turn to God one more time. God does nothing and the fact that He did nothing makes us believe that we are the ugly things that the bible and family say that we are…….so we try to kill ourselves. The sad thing is that most kids don’t survive. Those that do face an even worse reality. From 16 to about 20 we make peace with the fact that we are gay an that there is nothing we can do about it. We are left with two choices, 1,come out and deal with what ever happens or 2, lie, find a wife and be miserable for the rest of our lives. Choice 1, The consequences of coming out vary. In my case I was lucky and was accepted immediately by my family and friends. They treated me exactly the same as before. Most gay people are not so lucky, most of them get kicked out of their homes and are disowned by their families. They are forced to live on the streets and become prostitutes and thieves. Most die from drug overdose or from hypothermia or will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Some of the really unfortunate ones are beaten to death. Choice 2. Most of these men and women become nasty angry people. They do what is expected of them but on the odd occasion when the craving gets too much they will go find sex with men and women in dangerous places. Most times no protection is used and they get sick. They also makes their wives and husbands sick. So many people have died from AIDS because of this. Now you know what we go through, the point I’m trying to make is this; because gay men and women have the freedom and protection that we do it South Africa we have become happier people. We no longer have to fear homophobia. We no longer feel like freaks. We get the same benefits as straight people and we can live our lives in peace. That’s all we ever wanted. Teenagers don’t hurt then selves anymore. We are no longer part of a marriage we shouldn’t in in the first place and churches no longer tell us that God hates us. All this because of 2 laws. First law, no one may discriminate against us. Second law, we are aloud to marry who ever we want. The second things changed for us ALL the propaganda went away. This is what ALL American gay people want. This is what ALL gay people world wide want and NOTHING more. Now put yourself in our shoes, would you not want to fight for these rights as well? June 27, 2013 at 1:10 pm I’ve spent a rather large sum of my time reading these comments and I’ve come to the conclusion that most people either have an aggressive tendency towards people different than themselves or that they have a creeping fear of humanity becoming extinct. Let’s be honest, regardless of your religious disposition, humans will eventually fade away, like most other species that has ever existed. Just look at what we do to our environment: We use up all of our resources, pollute our rivers, air, overpopulate, abuse other species, etc. If you think about it, homosexuals and lesbians are rather eco-friendly as they help keep our population in check (assuming that they do not reproduce). To me, they’re very human, much more human than some of the violent people I’ve heard about that kill people or harm others due to their sexual orientation. In addition, homosexuality is not an illness as it can be interpreted as a higher form of love, rather than mindless lust (in my opinion). In addition, I would like to see your references as to where you’ve read that homosexuality is an illness from a reputable source. A study where it is not shady, nor religiously biased and is relatively recent (as in the past 20 years, give or take). As a last thought, I really hope that the number of countries that incriminate homosexuals will decrease and that our own neighbors will wake up one day that god (if it exists) is less tolerant towards hateful, ignorant people that he is to same-sex couples. July 4, 2013 at 4:54 pm Dear Yal, As one of those thin-lipped, pale-skinned, blue-eyed NON-devils, descended from some of the folks (or distant relatives of some of the folks) who definitely did some bad stuff in Africa, I’d say you’re pretending to be blind to what Africans can do both right and wrong entirely on their own. Sure, the British empire gave Africa its anti-homosexuality laws, but you seem to be embracing them as your own, without regard to the grievous harm they do to Africans. And don’t pretend that homosexuality was a Western invention! Gay rights, maybe; democracy, sure; but homosexuality, no. It’s common on every continent and in every race. Have a nice day, July 8, 2013 at 12:55 am What does homosexuality has to do with poverty? You white people brought Christianity in Africa with Bibles in your hands, you made us abandon our gods telling us Jesus is the only way. I’m very surprised that you are denying Him now. Who is Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu? Are they God my Creator? They will die and be buried like any other person, and I’m not accountable to them, but I am to God. God’s laws never change, they are absolute. Can you tell me why people always change laws and sometimes adopt the ones they had rejected? If you can’t punish homosexuals, why do you jail murderers, robbers, those accused with rape, etc. Let them be because it is how they want to live their lives and that’s how they are created, right? Nobody should be in jail because according to your laws of democracy everyone is free to do what pleases him or her, no one is therefore to be condemned and be jailed. Serve the devil because we know homosexuality is one of His plans to ruin God’s people and leave us alone to serve God and remain poor. July 12, 2013 at 7:13 pm Some of what has been written here does make sense, I don’t hate LGBT people, I don’t wish or pray for them to die, we all die in our appointed time. I also don’t think their lifestyle is good or normal for any Country as concerns laws and rights. My view on this is because adults who “choose” to engage in same sex it is of no interest to me. However when it opens the door for every other sexual choice to become ” a human right or equal right ” it does concern me. If it is deemed to be normal and a equal right by a Country to be LGBT and it may be, isn’t it just as normal for those humans who choose to have sex with a child under the age of puberty or for that matter with an animal or your mother or father or any other related person you decide is the right choice for you? I suppose you will say I am wrong that would never happen. Well inter-racial marriage would NEVER be made lawful, being openly LGBT would NEVER be accepted let alone be allowed to marry that also would NEVER happen, but it has. Is it such a stretch to see where this path leads. I know right now there are Countries that sell their daughters into marriage with adult men for a price, in those places our Country will say ” horrible, unacceptable, cruel ” in our own Country is was legal to own and sell people, they were treated well some places but they were slaves none the less, it took several lifetimes to fix that terrible decision. There were also those who came here because they borrowed money and were bound to the lender until the debt was paid most of them were Caucasian or Asian but they were also used as slaves because the “lender” had a signed paper. How many lifetimes do you think this door the LGBT supporters are sticking their feet into to pry moral behavior out of our Constitution and replace it with “equal rights and human rights” will take? For hundreds… no thousands of years there have been LGBT people, it was considered either sinful or at the very least something you only let very close family and friends know. As far as I know there have been very few killings because of their sexual preferences. More killings have happened because of heterosexual relations. All this hoopla is over one thing. Government benefits and insurance coverages, and the need to be accepted. Just because a Government accepts your lifestyle it still won’t make you all happy it will only open the door for the other problems mentioned. As for the Countries on your list, If you win them over it will be by overtaking their Countries, or paying off the current rulers. Those poor people have enough problems if you feel you must interfere in those Countries why don’t you spend your time and money helping the poor to be educated so they may rise above ignorance and if they choose to follow your path at least they will be able to decide whether they accept your lifestyle. Hi, Denise — Thanks for your lengthy comment. A couple of your thoughts call out for responses. You say, “If it is deemed to be normal and a equal right by a Country to be LGBT … isn’t it just as normal for those humans who choose to have sex with a child under the age of puberty or for that matter with an animal?” Well, no. There’s a crucial difference between sexual relations with a consenting adult and sexual relations with one that does not have the ability to consent, such as a child or animal. That’s like saying that eating bacon should be outlawed, because if bacon-eating were legal, what would keep people from eating each other? You also say regarding LGBT people that “there have been very few killings because of their sexual preferences.” That’s very, very incorrect. For the U.S., the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs recently reported 25 anti-gay hate-crime homicides last year. Elsewhere the numbers are much higher. In Brazil, for example, an organization tracking violence against LGBT people reported 118 anti-gay homicides so far this year. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog Dear Colin, Thank you for your website and the work you are doing. My partner and I travel for vacations a decent amount, and we try to only visit countries (and thus spend money and help the local economy) where there are not gay/human rights atrocities (I would say all of the 76+ countries fall into the “atrocities” category). I am wondering if you know why there is not a stronger push to boycott travel to these countries, both by members of the LGBT community and also by our many allies around the world. Any thoughts/ideas? Heck, I’d love to do something myself about it, but would have thought it is already being done, just don’t see it. Thanks, and again, thank you what you are doing for the world. fourdoor July 28, 2013 at 7:07 pm Everyone should have a right to live by personal conviction. It’s called free will and was instituted by God. But one’s belief should never be forced on another. That applies to gays, as well as to Christians. If a Christian has a spiritual conviction against same sex marriage or abortion, we’re called homophobic and ignorant. Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom? It’s being lost in this country. If a Christian can’t embrace same sex marriage or abortion, that is his right. We are not disagreeing because we’re hateful or ignorant or fearful. It’s spiritual conviction and our interpretation of scripture. Noone has a right to interpret that for us or to violate it. Christian conscience is one’s God given right and should not be misconstrued as anything else. July 29, 2013 at 4:43 am Dear Alena, When you say that “one’s belief should never be forced on another,” it sounds as though you’re focusing on debates in the United States or in Europe, where those who believe in the right to marriage equality have been winning in the battle about which set of beliefs should be the basis for marriage laws (and where the beliefs of opponents of same-sex marriage have previously been the basis for forcing those opponents’ preferred laws on others.) But this blog is about the human toll of anti-homosexuality laws in 76-plus countries where anti-homosexuality beliefs lead to the forced imprisonment of LGBT people for loving whom they love. That’s an outrageous version of forcing one’s beliefs on others. All the best, August 14, 2013 at 9:40 am Dear Frankie, I’m not sure what point you’re making. Yes, there are homosexuals who do horrible things, just as there are heterosexuals who do horrible things. Do you think that all homosexuals should be imprisoned because some are pedophiles? Do you think that all heterosexuals should be imprisoned because some are rapists? As I said, I miss your point. As I’ve said before, these issues are easy to battle back and forth on an abstract level, but that’s not the way to make progress in understanding what’s really at stake. Please get to know several LGBT people. Many are good folks. You would like them. All the best, July 31, 2013 at 11:18 pm I believe the Bible and it says God created one man and one woman to be together. If so then we would be born heterosexual but choose to be otherwise. Putting a side as your are right this about how people are treated I think another quote, this was about an adulterous woman: John 8:7 So when they continued asking him (Jesus), he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. I would not wish any harm on others just because of their life choice. ‘For all have sin and come short of the glory of God’ OTH how many people are jailed and treated bad just because of a plant they choose to enjoy? Almost every country besides Amsterdam and Portiguel and some state here lock people for enjoying the flowering bud of a cannabis plant. This is not right either. April 28, 2014 at 8:52 pm Have you ever been scared to death of a group of homosexuals that you have to wait on in a restaurant? These adult homosexuals, talk their evil sex talk, to teenagers, thank god a man working at the place told them to leave me alone, as one grabbed me by my sweater saying she liked girls, not one adult homosexual stopped her, the man stopped her. now tell the truth about how gays can be trusted to be around children , they are as sneaky as satan was in lies and put on a show that they are the ones that are victims. like hell they are. I cannot forget how evil they were to me, the man told them to leave me alone, he told me to go to the back of the restaurant until they left. sicking warped minded evil adults.and that is not the only time a adult homosexual tried to use their sex on me as a child. any one that says what they do is right and they can go to heaven , is a liar just like they are. August 11, 2014 at 3:01 pm Because not everyone believes in Heaven, and not every gay person is a sexual deviant. That’s like saying because Catholic and Christian priests molested children, therefore everyone who holds their beliefs or ideals is now a child molester. ‘Talk their evil sex talk,’ such as, I don’t know, informing people of sex, safe sex, sex being a completely natural thing; okay. Teenagers are at the age where they need to be told these things, so they know how to do it safely should they choose to have sex at a young age. Don’t generalise an entire people on one bad experience. You could wind up ignorant. August 9, 2013 at 7:18 am The aegis of law is to discipline people for their actions and to protect others in some small way from the consequences of those actions. I strongly disagree with any law that seeks to punish people for what they are. I do not believe for an instant that a person’s sexual orientation is a matter of their choice, nor a matter of their upbringing. For example, having gay or lesbian parents, whether one is the natural parent or not, does not result in the child being gay or lesbian… a child’s sexual orientation will manifest itself regardless of upbringing. With that said, I do strongly believe that a sovereign nation has the sovereign right to enact laws that conform to the predominant social mores of their citizens. Whether a person agrees with a particular country’s laws or not, when in that country, they are bound by those laws, and must obey those laws, to the extent that it is POSSIBLE for them to do so. It is no foreigner’s place to try to change those laws or to impose their social mores upon the nation in question. The damage done by such imperialism throughout history is impossible to overestimate, and has brought far more death and suffering to the world than “social advancement.” As a person of an asexual bent, I have always struggled to understand why flagrant display of a person’s sexual orientation, whether that is heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or preferring the company of animals, is worthy of protesting for. (NB: I in no way condone bestiality, as the animal is generally not a competent or willing participant) In my opinion, unless they are a compulsive exhibitionist, a person’s sexual orientation should be neither a cause for discrimination, nor seen as a necessary part of their public persona. August 26, 2013 at 7:46 am “Nuff Said!!” Why are people like you so vehemently opposed to allowing those who are homosexual to live under the same standards that, say, you live under? Why should being homosexual be illegal and punishable by imprisonment or worse?. Say you are a red haired person, and it was deemed that all red heads were demons and should be put to death. As it was back in the medieval times by certain sects of the early church. Under your philosophy it would seem to be alright, you seem to be basing your views on archaic religious texts written by a bunch of men who probably had an agenda to push and definitely had their prejudices. If the Christian faith is supposed to be based on the teachings of Issa why then is there no chapters in the bible that where written by his disciples, why were these left out when the Bible was written? Can you explain it with enough scientific and common sense reasoning that it would make it acceptable by the non-christian people that are out there.. We are all God’s children, so lets act like it. RAK, August 26, 2013 at 7:23 am If being a homosexual is a learned thing, how do you explain homosexual teen you was raised in a strict religious home? Or those that grew up in religious communes? These young people having had no contact with the gay life style, yet have grown up as homosexual, your statement does not stand up to scrutiny. Please explain how children raised under these circumstances have since an early age been attracted to those of the same gender. Explain in a scientific concept not by the pseudoscience of religion, I am very interested in how this happens if it is learned. RAK, September 8, 2013 at 12:34 am It is important to note that as a Christian, I am not opposed to homosexuality but to any sex outside of a marriage between a man and woman. To just pick on the gays is not right but it is important to note that homosexuality is not to be construed with a race, blacks for example, are born that way but homosexuality is a behavior and a choice. Now that this sinful behavior is allowed, it will spiral out of control. Child molesters will demand their rights and those who practice bestiality will want to marry their horse or whatever. You as the one who practices this behavior must understand that God has determined this to be wrong, not the Christian. Jesus Christ loves you and is willing to forgive you of all sin, not just that one but you must confess it as sin and believe on Him. No matter how many of us Christians you may destroy, you are still wrong and God will not be mocked. September 8, 2013 at 10:44 pm Dear John, Thank you for your comment, though it makes many missteps. You declare that homosexuality is a choice, although that is not the experience of homosexuals. (Did you, presumably a heterosexual, make a decision on whether you would be attracted to women or to men?) You then move on to declare that if LGBT people were granted the right to love each other, then sexual attacks on children and animals would be next. There is a huge difference, which you ignore, between consensual sex and sexual activity directed at those who are in no position to give their consent. You then finish with imagining retaliation or violence against Christians (“No matter how many of us Christians you may destroy, …”) In this world, LGBT people are frequently killed for their sexual orientation, including Christian homosexuals such as my friend Eric Lembembe. Straight people, including Christians, are rarely killed for their sexual orientation. All the best, September 26, 2013 at 1:13 pm misconceptions i’m from Jamaica born raised and homosexuality is not illegal marijuana is, no laws against homosexuality most folks don’t like the idea, but the law don’t kill gays matter of fact allot of homosexuality vacation in JA from all over mainly UK, bad stuff only happen when you go to bad areas aka slums just like having money or being well off is not illegal either but if you go to those same areas bad stuff can happen or will happen, and one more thing some guys not all but some which i personal have know that are gay in JA are only gay because they want the tourist money gay for money etc unlike people who are born that way that’s where the JA term “sell out” came from These 76 countries are mostly Muslims. Proud to be Muslim. We will never allow homosexuality. It’s against Islam. And Quran clearly says it is unlawful. They should be punished. If anyone does it he will be killed. This is only solution for gays. Why it is illegal to discuss about Holocaust??????????????????? We demand freedom of speech about holocaust. I know your law will not allow then why u r asking about homosexual rights in 76 countries????????? That’s your law and this is our law. It’s against freedom of SPEECH. Where is freedom of speech in America and west? Everyone should have a right to live by personal conviction. It’s called free will and was instituted by God. But one’s belief should never be forced on another. That applies to gays, as well as to Muslims. If Muslims has a spiritual conviction against same sex marriage or abortion, we’re called homophobic and ignorant. Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom? It’s being lost in this country. If a Muslims can’t embrace same sex marriage or abortion, that is his right. We are not disagreeing because we’re hateful or ignorant or fearful. Its spiritual conviction and our interpretation of scripture. None has a right to interpret that for us or to violate it. Islamic conscience is one’s God given right and should not be misconstrued as anything else. I salute to Islamic countries Iran and Saudi Arabia for punishment to gays to death. And in Pakistan and other countries life imprisonment. You people are homophobic if we Muslims don’t want homosexuality then why you people trying to impose your laws to us. We thanks God that Muslim countries are still awakening. At the end we respect Christian religious movements to be against gay. October 2, 2013 at 5:53 am Dear Anti Gay, I approved your comment for publication, except for the confused parts about “bastard countries” and “gay countries,” although I disagree with much of it. It’s true that many of the 76-plus countries are Muslim countries — about half of them, I expect. You ask, “Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom.” Religious freedom is a good thing, but you’re asking for people’s respect and toleration for a religious conviction that people who are born gay should be killed. The freedom to demand the death of others for who they are, rather than what they do, is far beyond the normal understanding of what freedom of religion should include. So don’t be surprised and don’t complain when you’re criticized by people who you say should be killed. Don’t demand tolerance, acceptance and passivity from people whom you say should be executed. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog October 8, 2013 at 6:52 pm People need to stop discriminating gays whether its for religious reasons, beliefs, their norms or values or based on their society. You can’t tell any country what their law should be but you also can’t tell a person who to love. Love has no limits and it has no gender ( god loves all his children, sinner or not). We all have sinned or break the 10 commandments as for christian believers. Am a law, history and sociology student, my country opposes gays, but I support it. Growing up in the caribbean and learning bout the white men who murdered the natives because they resisted christianity ( thou shall not kill being stated in the bible). I sometimes wonder what is the right religion. Is the world to small for us? We need to live together and stop. My religious belief aint gonna be someone elses neither laws, neither government but we need to accept it. Human Rights have been fought by our ancestors, black rights or women rights even religious rights. October 8, 2013 at 7:21 pm I can’t believe the world is still backward as it was years ago. As a law, history and sociology student I’ve learnt too much about the world. My question is, is the world too small for all of us? Not everyone would agree on a religion , law, belief, society, norms or values, but we accept their lifestyle. You cant tell a country what law they should have neither can you tell someone who to love. Regardless of being gay is a sin, so is the 10 commandments in the bible. And am sure half of broke one or more. God made no perfect man. Love has no limit neither has it a gender. Human rights is something I believe it, especially being black and a young woman. Everyone has a right to walk the earth a happy man. It was made for all of us, not y’all alone. This is in response to Will who posted on June 8th: First I’d like to address your inaccurate knowledge of when books of the Bible were written. You claim that new testament books weren’t written until hundreds of years after the death of Jesus Christ,, The fact is that they were all written by men that actually knew Jesus, who were around in His lifetime. The last book written was the Revelation and it was written by Jesus disciple John in or around 85 AD. Next is your assertion that all of these men were idiots… I find it quite interesting that people everywhere, homosexuals and straight, christian and non-christian all have a reverence, a respect, and even an understanding of who Jesus was and to a degree what He was about… And yet so many people (homosexuals especially) disregard the Judgment and keen senses of Jesus when it comes to who He hand picked and taught as His disciples, as well as the doctrines that they in turn wrote down and taught to us through the centuries….. By contrast you never hear followers of Buddha criticized for continuing the teaching of their master,, you also don’t hear people condescending to the teachings of followers of the Gnostics or the Kharijites or Mandaeans or Sabians… But the teachings of the followers of Jesus Christ come under fire for one reason and one reason only.. Man is rebellious!! And man rebels against Truth and Truth alone!! There is no truth in all these other many religions that cover this earth. Jesus would say this “I Am the way, the TRUTH, and the Life and no one can come to God but through Me” The reason that Jesus ruffles the feathers of so many so badly is simply because His Truth is Truth! There is a natural order to this world and those that occupy it, and that order has been twisted into rebellion against the one that created it. This is why there is such contention against Jesus Christ and His Father, Two men can not procreate!! Its against the order of nature! The very fact that for centuries homosexuality and lesbianism has been more than just a shameful thing,, yes its been something that has warranted death in many civilizations! WHY?? Because of the knowledge of what it truly was. Pure evil rebellion against God. October 22, 2013 at 4:36 pm God loves everyone including sinners but He will not save everyone, including sinners who continue to live in their sins after they have come to the knowledge of Christ and the Word. We are accountable for out actions to God (believers or not). If you are a believer then you are held to high standard of morals that God has set forth. He did not say we can go about committing these sins and it would be okay because of Christ’s Blood. Christ said to the prostitute after he forgave her sins, “Go and sin no more.” He didn’t say continue in your sins because I have forgiven them. He said SIN NO MORE! Why do people try to change what God has said? Because they are lovers of sin. They are lovers of pleasure. More than God! If you truly love God and want to DO HIS WILL. They you will do your best to SIN NO MORE! Quit trying to dilute God’s word and make it say something it does not. We may have desires that are difficult for us but with God’s help we can overcome them. Many people have various sinful sexual desires but not all fulfill their lusts. TURN FROM YOUR WAYS and follow Christ. 2 Ch 7:14 – New International Version if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Again you will see the commandment to TURN FROM YOUR WICKEDNESS. This is a commandment. One that we all need to adhere to no matter the sin. November 24, 2013 at 8:22 pm What ever happened to “Thou shalt not judge”? If you’re going to use the christian bible as a means to judge and you claim to be a Christian then you have to play by the same rules that your bible gave you. You are judging. You’re breaking the rules. The only thing I have learned from you silly Christians is that your hypocrisy knows no boundaries. Tell me, what exactly did Jesus have to say about gay people? You see, the new testament is all about love, forgiveness and caring for your fellow man while the old testament is all about doom and gloom and kill kill kill. Christians are Christians because of the new testament otherwise they would be Jews. You’re a Christian right? Yet you keep going back to the old testament in order to justify your hate. PS, your bible also says that one should kill your children if they disobey, should kill people who divorce and should keep slaves. I don’t recall anyone doing that lately so if you’re not going to play by the rules and follow them to the letter then you cant use those same rules to judge others. February 25, 2014 at 5:00 am Michael, If you are truly a good “apostle” of the new testament, you’d have come across Romans 25-32 with specifics on your case! Besides,if Jesus could condemn adultery in Matthew 5vs27-29, what do you imagine He’s saying against homo? I hope it’ll sink into your IQ that God/Jesus and not, primarily, Christians, judge and condemn sin. We’re only sensitizing our friends about what our master says with related quotations which we believe to be true. Left for man, even cannibalism is right but for God’s light. The only “hate” which we are permitted to practice is hatred for sin i.e hate homosexuality and love Michael to the point where you want him to repent and escape God’s wrath. Any write up which seeks to condemn you is wrong. Moreover, in my bible, Jesus never discarded but perfected the old testament, so he said. I wonder which part of the bible you were paraphrasing in your last 4 lines. How can you read/understand a book without opening it Michael! November 3, 2013 at 11:01 am Having come accross this comment page almost by accident I was tempted to take the view that those who eschew logic in debate are very unlikely indeed to be persuaded to adopt a different stance by being faced by logical argument ie.He/She who is persuaded against their will are of the same opinion still.Most of those who enjoy the prosecution and persecu tion of those who differ from themselves use religious metaphysics to attempt to justify tthe hatred of those minorities that seek the very ordinarhy human right to love whomsoever lis their choice male or female – live and let live. November 11, 2013 at 12:51 pm Wow! where should one start? As a gay man in a wonderful and loving relationship reading the comments on this page really saddens me. In fact it hurts. I never chose to be gay I simply am…besides what does it mean to be gay? Knowing there are people in this world who hate “gays” so vehemently is truly a sad day for humanity. Where does hatered end or begin? Can you only hate gays? Or do you hate black people, Christians, Muslims etc as well? How about just loving your fellow human regardless of whatever it is that you may hate about him or her. If we could do that the world would be far better off. What are we faced with today,…economic collapse, mass deforestation, poverty global warming, famine, child rape….the list is endless. Do you in all honesty think that so called rampant homosexuality is the cause? Simple answer…No. It is hatered and a lack of compassion or care that has pushed the world into the position it is in. To those of you who hate people like me, I can do nothing more than pray for you, pray that your burden of hatered is lifted. No God could condone hate…..at least no God I know of…I always assumed hatered was left for “satan” . I’m sure that like myself, many other Gay men and woman will continue to find and enjoy love. Love is not only sex! To those of you like me…keep your heads up high and forgive. After reading this thread I cannot express how grateful I am to work as a lawyer in a successful law firm that accepts me, shop in malls where people couldn’t care about my sexual orientation but rather their own life, have a home filled with love, have a family so close and accepting, have friends who don’t even see sexual orientation and perhaps most of all I am grateful not to have people who fill their hearts with hatered around me. I am free….truly free and should I be condemned to hell as described by some previous posts I will be grateful to be able to be there with the free thinkers of this world, the people who love without boundaries…..for being stuck in heaven with those of you who hate us gays would be far more of a hell. To those gay and lesbian couples who dont find themselves in the position I do…I pray that you will and thankyou from the bottom of my heart for maintaining your identity in the face of adversity…you are my heros. November 22, 2013 at 5:40 pm God’s laws are clear and do not represent hatred for any person, in fact God’s love is so deep that he made a way for, thieves, murderers for adulterers, liars, homo sexuals and all sinners to have salvation and with that freedom from the bondage and results all sin carries with it and no you would not have any pleasure at all in a lake of fire for eternity, hell is real and so is Heaven. You were not born a homosexual any more than a liar is born to lie they are transgressions, sins and you, like so many others like me can be delivered and find peace,joy and happiness in this life and an eternity in complete incomprehensible bliss for all eternity in Jesus Christ the Only begotton son of the living God. November 16, 2013 at 11:24 pm I have tried and retried to write this comment so that my words are read with the meaning they were intended. The best I can do is write this as my thoughts and not worry to much how they are interpreted because in the end we are all different. My thoughts are that should 2 people engage in sex and it is a free of any intimidation, to me that is their choice at what point does it become an issue where total strangers have the right to judge if it is right or wrong. From what I see is that we hide behind the very thin veil of politics and religion when passing judgement on others and we use the word of God as justification to do so. Take a look at the counties that are listed, where religion is not the ruling government then it is a country where the ruling government are in fear of their own position. It was not all that long ago where interracial relationships were against the law, it was ok to rape (if you were a white male that is) but not to have a consensual relationship, and I can only imagine how the governments & religious leaders of the day reacted. The world is doomed would be my best guess. In the end to jail or execute people because they happen to prefer same sex relationships and or sex is really disturbing. I can only say that for governments deal with your starving and underprivileged populations and for the religious off all types out there, stop using the word of God as a reason to justify the imprisonment or death of people because of sexual preference. November 22, 2013 at 8:13 pm Don’t blame God for what the devil is doing,,,,, Moses was commanded by God to marry an Ethiopian woman, rape has never been sanctioned by God in any fashion, Christianity and Judaism have been more merciful and supportive to the poor and suffering mankind than any other body of humanity in the history of the world I know of not one person that is a true Christian that condones killing or imprisoning anyone for their sexual activities unless they are child molesters and then I believe they should be put where they will have no contact with children ever. It is easy to label someone that has an opposing view from yours and bashing Christians is acceptable in our culture but the Lord told us it would be this way don’t think for a second that I am moved because you hate the Lord Jesus Christ and his pure law or his messengers, we pray for you to be saved and you can be. Repent and God will receive you and say “Go and sin no more”: Jesus is Lord and savior of all mankind he will not turn you away. November 18, 2013 at 9:40 pm Homosexuality is and should be an abomination to God and all that love his law,, He needs no excuse to enforce his holy and righteous laws and homosexuality is against all that is good and Godly and against all natural making it not only repulsive to a civilized people but an abomination and undesireable,it is not homo phobia but rather a love for Gods law and hatred for all sin and more so a sin that has an end goal of spreading to a civilization and trying to make it appear normal which it is very far from. When a person is vexed by a sinful action it is not homophobic it is a natural reaction to that which is abominable. Repent and turn from your sin, God will forgive and deliver you from this horrible disgusting sin and give you complete victory and peace joy and happiness. November 22, 2013 at 4:17 pm Actually, in my 45 years of reading,studying and teaching the Holy scriptures, I have heard all of the arguments you pretend to know and in every instance the Holy word of God is confirmed but you are right about one thing and that is I won’t go there with you because it will net nothing edifying,go look that word up. If you disbelief needs to be encouraged to justify your sin, that is your problem and you can not make it mine. I know in whom I have believed,Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of the living God and your only hope of escaping an eternity in a burning hell, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and he will hear you, there is hope for you too. November 23, 2013 at 3:37 am This is one of the many discrepancies in the bible and most holy scriptures, God is meant to forgive anyone, however I will go to hell for looking at facts and making an informed decision over how I think the world and life began. God is meant to have made everyone however he/she/it hates homosexuals even though he/she/it made them. I know that you are barely going to read this and are going to go on, hoping that God will come and save you when it won’t happen, you will spend your whole life waiting for something that will never come, good luck with your days in heaven. December 3, 2013 at 4:04 am Colin, you are way off on your report … the news is just saying there is 52% support for gay marriage in the U.S. … we know because in Hawai’i all our news reported the same thing but guess what 80% voted against it and 80% testified against it … funny how you can buy anything in this world with money … even news reports when you want the whole country to believe that the rest of the country approves … and even though I support my gay family and friends and they support me, I don’t think gay marriage is going to make people in this country like/support LGBT any more than before it passed … survey results are already coming out showing that it is pushing everyone the other way to be less supportive … way to go! … coercion/deceit don’t work … sure hope you’re ready for sharia law which is coming our way next and will work it’s way in on the same pretext of special rights/discrimination laws … guess what? they harass and kill people that are immoral … thanks for relaxing our laws and paving the way for sharia law December 3, 2013 at 3:51 pm I think the number one reason people disagree with gay rights is because the bible says its a sin. It is God’s place to judge us, not ours to judge each other. Simply wishing to be with someone of the same gender does not harm anybody. It is in no way comparable to murder or rape or actions that actually constitute as crimes. Of course I can’t claim to never judged other people but I would never try to take away rights that we all have humans or attack someone just because of one thing I didn’t like about them. Divorce is a sin, isn’t it? And that’s legal. I never hear about divorcee-bashing but I’ve plenty about gay-bashing. Honestly, if you think gays are going to hell because of their sexuality, why make life hell for them too? December 5, 2013 at 1:50 am Recently Stephen Fry did his series ‘Out There’. Some of you homophobic ‘people’ should possibly watch this before being so cynical. Why does there have to be divide. There has already been enough hatred between black and white communities. It is only now that is becoming second nature for the younger population to lead by example and have jokes between different cultures. It is only through unity, that this world we live in can be freed from all of this hatred. I am not saying that there will be no wars, because selfishness and wish for power will almost always remain, however these could be greatly reduced if we accept the ways and understand the cultures of other people. On Stephen’s series, there was a woman in Uganda who had ‘corrective rape’. From this she was left bleeding, she was taken to hospital to find that she was pregnant, at which point she had a abortion forced upon her. Later on when she went in for a check up, she found that she was positive with HIV and AIDS. Are you saying that this kind of act, to ruin this womans life is ‘fair’ because she is gay? If so, shame on you. Similarly, there are hangings in Iran for the offence of being homosexual. So, to those of you above, who say that punishments should come back to the West for homosexuality, are you also bringing with that, capital punishment? Or are you referring to Sri Lanka where they are jailed for 15 years in order to try and ‘convert’ them back into ‘normal’ human beings. Again I repeat, you disgust me. I might add that many people above have stated about anal sex being wrong. Anal sex occurs more often during heterosexual couples than gay, as was stated by Stephen Fry on his programme. Taking a relationship down to such materialistic reasons is so shallow, it is embarrassing. At the start I referred to the homophobes above as ‘people’. This is because, no loving person being, who has any kind of humanity, would try and cause harm to others with different views to their own. You would not kill another person or jail them for being a vegetarian, or coming from a different culture, or having a different religion – I hope. So how dare you say that people who love and show affection for the same sex should come to this injustice. Surely a loving relationship, is still a loving relationship. I can’t ever see why rape, murder and hangings can ever be justified, let alone when the person in question is just loving a person. I am a girl who is in a loving heterosexual relationship. I have friends who are in loving homosexual relationships. Similarly, I am white and I have black friends. One of my friends calls me ‘Vanilla Cheesecake’ and I call her ‘Chocolate Brownie’. That is the show of two communities coming together to just enjoy one another’s company. If you actually met, talked to, listened to others, maybe you would understand that there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’. There is only people. There is the world. I think that any harm you think other people are deservant of, maybe should be done to you. Just think about life if this situation was turned on its head. What would you do? December 23, 2013 at 3:00 pm hei just leave us a lone. Uganda is uganda and ugandans are ugandans. How many people have been killed by police in USA for dealing in Drugs or Ganja and how many people have died as a result of using that ganja??? You will that in 10 peolpe atlst one died as a result of using the drugs while the 9 were killed by the police coz of dealing in drugs. We need these laws so that we can define our heritage and culture not like in south africa where you can diffrenciate a man from a woman. Thats being crazy and having a virus in their heads. You talk of human rights. You can go to a goat farm and find that all the goats are moving freely doing everything they can but you will never see a he goat mounting another he goat. If animals can have that in minds why not we humans???? The end of the earth is near. December 6, 2013 at 8:10 pm This deeply saddens me to, not only see a list of countries where being yourself is a crime, but to read quite a few comments of those who do not believe that human rights are a necessity regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Asking someone to change their gender expression or sexual orientation is like asking someone not to have blue eyes or brown hair. Sure, they can color it and get contacts, just like many members of the LGBT community hide in closets out of fear, but it doesn’t change how the person was born at the core. Having religion is a wonderful thing, but using the Bible to justify hatred towards any group of people is a horrible act in itself. In the book of John, Jesus says, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” The true test of Christianity isn’t defined by following a set of rules, but in the acknowledgement that we are all sinners, and yet still being able to love everyone for it. The Bible isn’t a book of commands we are to follow perfectly. Every emotion is portrayed in the Bible. It’s a love story. A love story of God’s unconditional love for us, of how much he was willing to do so that he could spend eternity with us. That in itself is an incredible idea. As a member of the transgender community, I face hatred on a regular basis. But I can love my enemies. The quote I find most memorable from my studying of the Bible is, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they do.” This is what I try to model my life after. I am sure that when I die, I will go to Heaven. Not because I can read the Bible and not because I am sinless. But because with time and effort I can love and forgive. God wouldn’t create members of the LGBT community as they are if he didn’t care for them, after all: we’re created in God’s image. In my short life thus far I have yet to find a person; regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, skin color, who is without sin. Likewise, I have yet to find a person I think won’t go to Heaven. Human beings are human beings, regardless of anything else. Every human being deserves to love and be loved and to live in a world where they aren’t forced to live in a closet filled with depression, insecurity, and self hatred. I know this article was written over a year ago, so commenting is rather pointless, however, it is something I am passionate about regardless. December 11, 2013 at 5:54 pm Dear Colin, I am a woman from India (the country which yesterday failed to throw out the law that decriminalizes sex). I came across this blog and have been reading through the comments people have written here. I am straight but I am utterly shocked that homophobia runs so deeply in the countries where it does not criminalize gay sex (I had thought it was otherwise). To face this kind of hatred, ignorance and ostracization on a daily basis must be very painful. I can tell you that the reaction to yesterday’s verdict in India has mostly been that of disappointment, anger and embarrassment. You will see that if you look up the reactions in the Indian media and social networking sites. Though the Supreme Court has not actually criminalized gay sex, but simply said that it is the legislature that will have to take the step to amend a law, and the court’s role is only to interpret it. I do hope that you and your friends continue your fight, and there are millions who are with you and support you in this fight for the freedom to love who you want. The state should have nothing to say about what two consenting adults do within the privacy of the four walls of their house. The constitutions of most countries enshrine the principles of inclusiveness and equality, and most religions teach about God loving all his/her children equally. December 12, 2013 at 10:45 am People are always going to be judgmental and hating towards other people. There will always be wars and unfair treatment of people because we r just organisms that don’t have anything better to do. The comments crack me up. We r smart bacteria literally. We work all our lives so we can eat, have shelter, and spend time with loved ones. There is nothing special about us. We intake energy and give it off we are just aware we r doing it. What makes any person think they can tell another person What to do based on their own beliefs. its fucking hilarious to me how smart yet completely retarded the human race is. I don’t want to start a religious argument because I believe people should have Faith. It gives your useless life a reason to get up in the morning, but it seems pretty obvious to me atleast that there is no higher power and we r just a coincidence. Given that thought all that should matter is to help eachother. Not preach bullshit that was probably written by some assholes who were making guidelines for the human race to abide by. Instead they set up years of opression based on the motion of their hand on a piece of paper. And we still do this shit today, we should focus on advancing the human race helping eachother and doing what we can to make eachother happy so we can enjoy our short lives. Stop worrying about shit that doesnt affect you directly. The only crimes that should be illegal are violent crimes, theft, and vandalism. Otherwise live your life and treat others with respect.— straight white male As far as I’m concerned, if it doesn’t affect you, then you shouldn’t care about it. People just like to force their opinions on the world. What has homosexuality ever done to any of you who claim gays should be executed? Nothing, that’s what. Oh, and you don’t want to redefine the “Holy Act of Marriage”? Considering that you can no longer sell your daughters for 3 goats and a cow means it already has been. Marriage has been around longer than Christianity, so keep your damn book out of it, it’s the epitomy of hypocrisy. To summarise – Don’t get your panties in a twist if it doesn’t affect your life. That is all. Well, Affect! Yes and no. We live in an integrated society. Act of One affects all. Re: Homosexuality. It is against nature. Recent research in Genetics has proven that there are no Genes, i.e., people are not born homosexual. It is their choice. That should be respected as long as it does not affect society adversely. What people do in their bedroom consensually is their business and they should be left alone. I am all for it. However, there is a snag: Adoption of Babies. A newborn is very susceptible in forming life long traits. It looks at its mother and forms images of gestures, nuances and physical actions. The same is with the father. Besides, the newborn needs the mother for nourishment that includes immunization from Amniotic. Lactation can last up to 3 years. Although, there is no milk coming out but the security is provided to the infant through lactation. Please do not let the homosexual adopt ‘babies’. It is unfair on the ‘babies’. Look after their Rights. January 1, 2014 at 3:04 pm I would like to thank you all for letting my voice be heard. I just want to simply say I don’t hate anyone for their lifestyle and just stop judging people for their lifestyle choices. God is the ultimate judge and he’s quite capable of doing his job. My job is to love others as myself and keep my eyes on him. If gays and lesbians are sinning in every Christians eyes, why do you think you have a right to tell them of their infractions against gods laws. Its between them and our heavenly father. Not you!!! Love you all. God bless!!! He loves all his children all!!! February 17, 2014 at 2:32 am Hi Jamie, You sound religious and one would have expected you must have read and understood biblical passages like Ezekiel 3v17-21. What were God’s messengers like John the Baptist,Paul etc assigned to preach and what did Jesus charge his disciples to preach? Just as I know your dad or brother warns you against indulgence in certain vices without hatred for you, you can, knowledgibly, warn your fellow beings against destructive vices. Hatred and mischieviousness are depicted in doing the opposite. I, for one, have never seen one homo, so I wonder who I hate, rather I hate the sin holding my beloved friends captive just like our black activists hated and condemed slave trade and not the whites.Did they have to leave that too between God and the slave masters? Now you got the point and that’s the crux of all these! January 6, 2014 at 4:11 pm I honestly am saddened and disgusted at the blatant ignorance that still diseases much of our population. What is obvious is that too many people fear what they don’t understand and disagree with that with which they can’t identify. I would love to sit down face to face with many of these individuals and have a well thought out debate about why someone should be treated as a lesser-being simply because they don’t find attraction in the opposite sex. Do you think, if I had the choice, I would submit myself to a life of suppression? That I would enjoy reading the hateful, hurtful comments of my ‘wiser’ elders on a website designed to support? Because breaking news just in; I don’t and given the ‘choice’ I would take your lifestyle every time. Take a good hard look at yourselves in the mirror and realise that your pathetic attempts to beat and badger this ‘sin’ out of people is never going to change anything. I don’t think I need to point out that you bigots have flaws too; not only being offensive, discriminatory and derogatory to your fellow citizens. If you think that by posting comments like this here will get you any closer to God, you are very very much mistaken. All you are doing is corrupting and further dementing an already hate-filled world and I really do hope that you change for your own sakes. I am not an activist, but a pacifist and I hope that one day you’ll learn the lesson that I’m sure you’ve thumped into your children’s heads a thousand times over: If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it. January 16, 2014 at 7:17 am l wonder what is special about Gay that people are killing themselves about? if you see any gay or lesbian person, gently ask him or her this questions; if there parents were gay or lesbian , would they be given birth too? common sense should tell us that whatever gaynism or lesbianism represent is EVIL. Why? Can anyone of you you point out Gay dog, Gay bird, Gay fish, Gay cow or better still lesbian goat? in otherwords, animal created are more wiser and interlligent than this gay/lesbian people. you people need deliverance from this evil spirit. January 19, 2014 at 4:38 pm Humans are all equal in the eyes of God. That said, SIN is an action, behavior and choice. As children, we are taught that there are consequences for our actions. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13) The day you CHOSE to give in to your temptation and be GAY was also the day you gave up your rights to have a marriage, family, children & sex. Stop blaming us for taking away your GOD given rights, you did it to yourself. February 6, 2014 at 6:12 am As a student of humanities, I’ve probably read more of world history/religious books, even as electives, than you. One fact or reality you must accept is that of existence both of the human and material(time inclusive) universe. Their forms and activities appear quite deliberate as if intentionally formed, designed and programmed. Only life can create life and I recognize that LIFE as JEHOVAH/JESUS=GOD. Call yours whatever you like but how can a creature exist without a creator? The concept of accidental evolution of the material world is archived even by its proponents like Charles Darwin. Before and after the times of Noah, Abraham, Paul e.t.c,(hope you know they existed here on earth) men have been acknowledging this my God and still do and will so do forever, while “others” are extinct beings. One other thing, mine deserves obedience and I dare not perverse His order. February 4, 2014 at 11:45 am Why is it that whenever homosexuality is mentioned anywhere online, all the jesus freaks come crawling out of the woodwork to spew their unwanted opinion on this subject? Do you really have nothing better to do than googling homosexuality? Is there a passage in the bible that states you have to do this? Does it give you bonus points to get to heaven? (Don’t bother replying to these questions because they are all rhetorical) And if the answer to the last (rhetorical!) question is yes, the idea of an hereafter where all of these judgemental people are gathered is not a very beckoning one. Religion has no business being a base for any sort of law. You’re welcome. February 5, 2014 at 1:44 am Margaret, What a pity. Thought you would reason through that as social beings, as opposed to Islands, we are meant to watch each others’ backs irrespective of our inclinations. In as much as you have the liberty of misleading people into believing in same sex affairs, some owe it a social duty to warn them of the gravity of the consequences. Perhaps, some (now properly informed) may reconsider their ways and turn a new leave, for their( and not my) good. It’s like warning that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health! Daily, bizarre opinions, such as yours and newsreels flood my mailbox and I didn’t have to goggle madam judge and jury. And, if you must know, the creator existed before the creature and His intents/injunctions/laws before any form of law. The genesis for the knowledge that vices like murder, is wrong, is nature-GOD-Religion my dear. February 10, 2014 at 6:56 pm It would appear that I may be in the right place at the wrong time, or at least a bit late. I had wanted to plead that the UN step in to strongly ask the frightening number of nations in Africa who are antigay/lesbian to stop their violence perpetrated on our brothers and sisters in these nations. They have already done so. The political leaders of these nations,and their antigay/lesbian religious counterparts, have let fear guide their actions and have chosen to violate their fellow countrymen-and women. I have not read all of the particulars on this issue. Quite frankly, I do not wish to. I have heard it all already just from the antigay/lesbian people in this country. None of these people’s views are new to me. It all boils down to one thing-VIOLENCE plain and simple. I am sure they have tried to justify their actions in some way, be it religious or political. However, they will never be able to do so to any free thinking, spiritually minded society. They certainly will never be able to justify it to any member of the LGBTQ community or our supporters. I have scanned the comments posted on this site-quickly. They are standard responses from both sides. Those who are supporters of the violence in Africa and there are those who are not. Many are eloquent and well thought. There are those whose responses are straight from the hips. The words “tolerant” and “tolerate” are used. I do not want to be tolerated as a gay man. Such a word suggests a sense of superiority from those who choose to tolerate me out or the goodness of their heart. No thank you. If you cannot accept me for who I am out of your sense of political equality, if you possess such a character trait in the first place which I doubt, then just leave me in peace. Mr. “ab1885” calls the antigay/lesbian laws of Africa and elsewhere “beautiful”. He, sorry if you are a she, suggests we leave them alone to their violence and say nothing. There is a famous quote that says “Violence begets violence”. I ask you sir, or madam, if no one said anything in the 1930’s and let the violence continue in Europe you could be living a German dictatorship or something similar. Be that as it may, as for right now, I hereby ask any person who does not support the current antigay/lesbian violence in Africa, Russia, or the other countries listed on this site to put them on their list of places NOT to go to on vacation. I have often read of social changes following on the heals of economic downfalls. This may also show our critics that we do count for something in this world. Our money talks as well as our voices. February 17, 2014 at 8:29 am Hi Colin! I chose to recognise you as a human right activist and not gay and I expect you to spread your activism tentacles beyond gay right. Are you then also fighting against the incarceration of rapists,armed robbers,kidnappers, drug addicts and the likes, who also deserve to enjoy the rights of indulgences? What a free societ yours really is! If Homo is as an act, rightly tagged sinful/a vice, it’s then undesireable as those who indulge in them. Pesonally,i’d prefer a rehab for them to imprisonment.. I wish you can also redirect your intellectual energy into discouraging the act so that LGBT prisons will remain depopulated and empty, afterall, they were only established to discourage the act as there are prisons established against other vices! February 17, 2014 at 8:51 am Dear VIP, How about reframing your argument so that you’re not suggesting that consensual love between people of the same sex is the equivalent of violent non-consensual crimes such as rape, armed robbery and kidnapping? Those are totally different. Also, you’re mistaken in suggesting that a change could occur by anyone redirecting their intellectual energy. This isn’t a matter of intellectual choice; it’s a question of basic sexual attraction. I am attracted as I am, whether I will it or not. You are attracted as you are, whether you will it or not. LGBT people are attracted as they are, whether they will it or not. The question is whether to accept people as they are and to love your neighbor as yourself, or to reject people for who they are and to throw your neighbor in prison for loving the “wrong” person. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog Hi Colin, You still don’t get my point and I’ll try to break it down. Crime/sin/vice/perversion/sodomy are some of the epithets/synonyms used by the different contributors here to describe same sex immoral indulgences and whether by mutual consent or not, this common numenclature qualifies them for same punitive prescription you’ve indirectly admitted for violent non-consentual offenses.Two adults,who by mutual consent sell(non-voilent) each others’ babies are criminals.Slave trade,in economic terms, was by consent, yet widely condemned! Accepting people is one thing,accepting their misdemeanour, is another. The law/tags existed before the crime. The creator/owner of humanity had expectations/intentions for what he created and the society is bound to protect such standards just as you would defend well intended laws of your parents or fatherland. The punitive measures may be different and unsavoury but the intent is for societal good. If, as a nigerian and a christian I believe that homo indulgences led to the destruction of Sodom and Gommorrha, then I will try all to protect my country by discouraging the scourge. Smoking/drug addiction should fall under your consent category yet they are condemned especially by Sodom-America and severe punishment imposed! Colin,I was talking about redirecting your intellect to discourage the act oblivion of the fact that you were an actor yourself! We may be on the same page in believing that imprisonment may not help the condition of those who genuinely seek freedom but my point, just like of those you tag religious biggots, is that JESUS CHRIST can and He truly loves you but hates the sin enough to destroy it and set you ,as God’s child, free from that demonic bondage! Yes Colin, We are closer to agreing but you missed out my real point. Let’s shift attention for a minute from the “cruel,” “unhelpful,” uncaring,” and “unloving” LGBT and focus on the caring, helpful,loving and abled JESUS! I had more character flaws than anyone else but decided to try him and I was baffled it worked for real. I bet, if he sets you free, you are free indeed! I still commit my human weaknesses to him and I get amazing results-acceptance(to take away the flaws),liberty(to obey God) and love(to fufill purpose for humanity). You have what he can use to mitigate hate and deviance for a better society. He’ll use you for his glory! One more thing; make it very personal -in your private time. God bless you! February 20, 2014 at 8:04 am VIP, Do you ever stop for just one moment to consider that you are perhaps delusional? You’ve done well to over intellectualise you responses in order to feign intelligent meaning, but have brought that down with preachy BS. I myself am homosexual, and while our community suffers culturally and socially on an international scale, I pity more those who cling to inane and evidence less religion as a justifiable springboard into enacting hate, in any form. The Jesus obsessed who hate on homosexuals, race or any other are truly the most regressive, life squandering and sympathy worthy group on this earth. Your perception of life, love and meaning are murky at best. You were no doubt raised this way and have neither been given nor taken the opportunity to think for yourself at any point. It’s truly a waste of the human mind and heart. Michael, I wonder why my previous responses to you were tugged out of this blog! I perceive you want to belong to the club of deep thinkers. Let’s go a bit personal asking if you were groomed a homo? Christianity is different. You aren’t born or raised to think like one. You must become/reborn a Christian. It’s, neither a religion nor an ideology in variance with your ages long misconception. It’s, simply put, a personal experience of the creature with his creator having exhausted all options and in deep meditation on the challenges and purpose/essence of life/living. His mindset and lifestyle, on daily basis, are fine tuned in harmony with his creator’s. The only intellectual explanation to empirical existence lies in the fact that there most be a creator to all that exist and, I call mine Jehovah/Jesus=God! How about yours? Or,are you an accident possibly, downloaded here through abnormal union of same sex beings? Don’t bother quizzing anyone about God’s(invisible reality) existence or the authenticity of Jesus'(visible reality) claims, simply ask them to come and reveal His reality to you in your privacy and you may turn out even more obsessed by his love for you. One more fact: God/Jesus only hates homosexuality but loves the individual involved , and that’s exactly what we, Christians do and preach. He(God),just like any responsible father or nation, will punish the impenitent which should exclude you, if you ask for help. This applies to all human(the creature)’s acts of rebellion, perversion or disobedience to his creator and not just the homo. I tell you all these for free! Part1. February 24, 2014 at 5:21 am gay people lesbians its all madness how can t he whole world debate about homos if it was normal we wouldnt be talking about its just so funny how evil deeds are being made to seem okay if its normal why do they hide and are ashamed of themselves why why not walk around and scream it to the whole world am gay please stop lying to our kids our brothers do ur shamless deeds with the devil backing u cause we all know in the lords eyes thats a curse and if he is silent he will soon act continue doing funny vile things with ur bodies and am sure god will bless u crazy people February 24, 2014 at 5:32 am again on homos dont defy nature never ever mock GOD by creating ur own crazy ideas because u are indirectly abusing ur creator since there is a reason why a woman was made to a man so when i walk down the street and see a bunch of homos acting like women thats being in denial stop if ur a man be a man if ur a woman be a woman respect ur bodies and ur creator cause those demons llying to u that uall normal ur are not we dont hate homos we hate their deeds that all and u cant fight a supreme power GOD how dare u challenge him creation who made u can clay challenge the potter no so dont challenge God hes the voice deep down telling u live an upright life cause even if he is silent hes watching u February 24, 2014 at 9:55 am Which god ? There is absolutely NO evidence to support any of the gods created by humans actually exist in reality. What has homosexuality got to do with any unproven gods. Humans are not the only species on the planet to exercise this form of relationship and sexual activity. There are over 1500 species that do the same. Humans are not some special species we are just another life form on this planet, one of approximately 12 Million other species. So the only reason you are homophobic is because of your love for a god you have no proof for and the religion built up around such a false ideology ? February 24, 2014 at 8:08 am If gay is legalised then bestiality should also because there is no crime, because there is no victim. It will be also be undemocratic if bestiality don’t have their own right and if bestiality have their right, what do you want this world to turn into? And I don’t think you would wish your children to marry dogs. Supporting same sex marriage is denying unborn ones the right to exist or don’t they deserve the privileged like you? What is the good end product in homosexuality? Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. – Leviticus 18:22 February 25, 2014 at 12:50 am Afraid because, the history-(a realistic occurrence with tenable evidences) of Sodom and Gomorrah teaches us that, that INDULGENCE is capable of inviting nemesis upon an entire nation. If your sole obsession is about hate, why not come to terms with the fact that the “haters” actually detest the act and not you. Change and you will realize I am right. Again,visible matters like hills, mountains, oceans, seas, birds, animals, man etc existence have taught, even Charles Darwin, that there is an invisible creator and I for one call him GOD. These, more than my friend NNM, are better proofs to any rational being. February 24, 2014 at 10:42 am What people need to realize is that yes, being gay is abnormal. So is being blonde, or having freckles. There is nothing wrong with being abnormal. Everyone is abnormal is their own right. Most people I come across (I live in PA, USA) don’t really care either way as long as it doesn’t effect them. For example, if a blonde girl walks around a bar telling everyone she has natural blonde hair and warning them not to state their opinions on her hair (but you can if it’s a compliment) and talking about everything she went through to care for her hair, then people might start to get a little annoyed. I’m not saying all gay rights activists are like this, but they are definitely out there. The bottom line is that people should and do (in America) have the right to express themselves and say what they want. That goes both ways. So when a gay rights group wants to condemn a old guy on a TVshow for not having the same opinion as them, you know there is something wrong. Then continue on to try and make the station cancel his TV show and ultimately lose his job. That’s when the activists turn into the bullies. We are all people just trying to live our own lives in the way that we see fit. There is no good side or bad side in this argument. Hi Haylee! You are always in a haste to defend your sect that you leave your thinking cap behind! How would you compare an indulgence-homosexuality- to a biological state-being blonde! Perhaps the main problem here is that these “divine infraction” see nothing wrong in what they do just like a pilferer sees nothing wrong in stealing. They act like a kid seeking a pat from the parents for deepening HIS finger into fire! There is always a justifiable corresponding actions/reactions to any misdemeanor according to the gravity of the offense. This isn’t only applicable to homo. That explains why we all seek decent, sane and safe ambience to happily co-exist. February 24, 2014 at 9:48 pm Mr. Colin Stewart, Your comment to “Bob” above, reference “Just because a majority is in favor of oppressing a minority, that doesn’t make it right” is truly out of place. Do you know that the majority of people also favor oppressing terrorism ? That people have the right to deny behavior unbecoming the norms of socially accepted institution of marriage ? Does that denial constitute “oppression” to your mind ? I fail to understand why some people will do anything through media hype to legalize everything their minds fall short of acknowledging that the “majority” (consensus) exists for a reason and betterment of most. Some soldiers sacrifice their lives to protect those of the “majority.” Is that also “oppression” to your mind ? What would constitute “oppression” would be edicts to obstruct bloggers like yourself from sharing diagonally opposite views about generally accepted norms of social behavior. Perhaps you will find common ground with the “majority” when your son does in fact declare that he is Gay. February 25, 2014 at 10:35 am I think that it’s great that some countries are taking a stand against this social disease that has infected the US and other countries. it is a perversion of the mind and the body. It’s bad enough that they practice this sickness in private, but the governments have no business sanctioning this sickness as normal. What next…. I want to marry one of my parents? It sets a horrible example for our children as to what is right and what is wrong, because as a country we don’t even know ourselves! February 25, 2014 at 12:12 pm It is actually so simple….there is no god, so stop using religion to promote your illiterate views that because your god says gay is a sin, therefore u must agree with him/her/it. No concrete proof exists that there is a deity sitting up on a cloud somewhere approving of the daily murder and or abuse of gay people, no proof that this deity is shielding u from harm because u “pray” and ask it to. If there was, this world would be perfect in every way….no disease, no disasters, no famine, no poverty. And by the way, tolerance implies acceptance and vice versa… So please stop hiding your own sick prejudices behind the veil of your phantom god! Tell me, would god have allowed your mother who died of excruciating cancer, to have cancer in the first place if he/she/it was the supposed god of love? Or do u just accept that your mother died because it was god’s will? Bullshit…just shows how people are blinkered into accepting that some things are the will of the gods because it comforts them – when actually the dont have a logical explanation for their loss. February 26, 2014 at 2:39 am GYSD, It’s gratifying to realize from your entire essay that your view is parochial and your opinion is, at best subject, to superior opinions and realities. Among folks of better formation than you are, men of high intellect-masters of the educational pedigree you claim and,among the kindergartens,who know better, the meaning of illiteracy, are believers in the existence of a creator of any existence. That is the simplest intellectual truth any thinking person should imbibe. Your very existence is an empirical truth that you were brought into existence or how else did you “evolve?” If someone with deeper thought and higher intellect had told you about the existence of invisible radioactive waves before the invention of radio and TV, you would possibly run amok with insulting irrational attacks as you’ve just done here. Unpleasant circumstances such as happened to your mother(my sympathy) find more rational explanations in godly perspectives. Outside this are either implausible or no explanations at all. The fact that I’ve never been to Helsinki doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist! My best bet is find out, if in doubts. Free lectures! February 27, 2014 at 12:53 am NNM, My brother NNM, if you’ve been following my piece, you’d understand that I am on your(The Lord’s) side, trying intellectually, to rescue these lost sheep from impending wrath from God. You’d also adduce that I am a born again, holy ghost filled, tongue speaking servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was trying to reason with(respond to) GYSD and not you. We both hate homo the way the Lord hates it but let’s love those in that bondage and win them to Christ rather than wish they perished in hell fire. God bless you. February 28, 2014 at 11:48 am Dear VIP, What you insist on calling “a habit, an indulgence, a vice/sin” is an attraction to people of the same sex. You insist on calling it a choice, but most LGBT people experience it as a basic part of their being, something that they begin to experience as adolescents, not something they chose. Really, really, really — could you yourself CHOOSE to be attracted to people of the same sex?? No one has ever demonstrated the ability to switch back and forth between different sexual orientations, yet anti-gay partisans repeatedly, without any proof, declare that it’s a choice. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 1, 2014 at 7:11 am Hi Colin, Ok. I once stated that it’s of late I learnt homo isn’t by choice thanks to this blog. You may also recall, I saw it as an irony that a report some years back had it that a female secondary school was “ravaged by the scourge!” Now how do you reconcile these? One of the reasons all articles and efforts must be geared at helping, rehabilitating, transforming, and restoring the victims of this scourge to normalcy and discouraging the act lies in their helpless disposition. It’s an issue I believe, only God can completely mitigate in a willing individual but the unwilling ones may face his wrath. Any man born with a bizarre desire to lure(by consent) minors into sexual intercourse needs a combination of mental help and condemnation for both his act and continuous indulgence. Hope America will not rise up in defense of such fellows too. One more thing, God/Jesus’ injunction on this matter overrules those of Whoopi and her likes and to me ,they are simply end time agents of perversion. Do you accept the entire bible as truth? Or do you just pick and choose verses that suite you? On Punishing ‘Immorality’ Leviticus 20:9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. 20:10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death. Deuteronomy 22:20-1 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. Exodus 35:2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. On Destroying Other People Deuteronomy 7:1-2 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations . . . then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 20:10-17 When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. . . . This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. On the Evil of Biblical Law Ezekiel 20:25-26 I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by; I let them become defiled through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD. On Slavery & Subjugation of Women Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Exodus 21:20-21 If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. 2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. Leviticus 25:44-45 Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. February 27, 2014 at 2:04 am Mr. Gay, You sound confused by the Bible, just as I might be reeling out verses of the Koran without proper teachings! The Ethiopian eunuch was in your state(see Acts 8vs30ff). Now are you using these scriptures to condemn your perceived selective justice against homos? You may have a point there. If so, then, you have indirectly admitted that homosexuality, just like those vices you reeled out, deserve condemnation and in that case you’re on point! You may also do better by trying to escape, especially, God’s ultimate punishment which is more dreadful than man’s. That’s what I try to do every day, starting with repenting and giving my life to Christ. How about you my friend? February 28, 2014 at 11:39 am Dear VIP, That’s some mixed-up thinking. It’s deep nonsense. Obama supports gay rights, so he must be gay and his wife and daughters must be lesbian?? I support the rights of Ugandans not to be thrown in prison for who they are. Does that make me Ugandan? I support the rights of scientists to do their work. Does that make me a scientist? I support the rights of Christians, Muslims and atheists to worship, or not, as they choose. Does that make me a Christian Muslim atheist? — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 1, 2014 at 6:31 am Mr. Colin, Try understanding my point. Psychology permits assumptions adduced from contrasting premises. I am only presupposing that NNM imagines possible co-relations in Obama’s stand. You’ve wisely chosen positive illustrations here, why not establish also that you may not assume a leader who supports (the rights?) corruption as possibly corrupt himself! Support for any bizarre, abnormal, immoral, anti-social or even criminal entities casts aspersions on the moral ethics of the supporter. For instance, by your write up and crusade, if you hadn’t declared to be gay, I’d have still assumed you as one, and would be logically or sensitively, correct. March 10, 2014 at 12:21 pm The problem is the so called westerners think Africa has to bow done to thier unearthly sex desires !!! Homosexuality as collateral for aid to our poor countries as you say live africa for us africans stay there & be rich as ever u can’ t change our laws and implement laws u regard as human rights when men violet other men’s anus’s… most of these gays endup gay because they wil have been abused at a young age and endup not knowing what they want!! Even Dogs & pigs know thier mates better than so called gays!! Licking another man’s anus and you call it a human right! Get real! Proud to be Black & African… regards Tutu!!! February 28, 2014 at 6:35 am My brother NNM, that adage doesn’t apply in your case. Just like I am, you are simply upset that the devil could hold God’s creatures in such bondage. The mix up is also because the designers of this link got it a bit twisted. The most amazing of it all is that one can publicly declare being infested by this destructive infirmity. That leaders of even the so called “civilized” and “godly” nations parade as crusaders of this societal menace and endemic scourge requiring serious attention like the HIV/AIDs pandemic, is another amazing misfortune for those countries! March 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm Even in Ezekial, it was presumed that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was due to their inhospitality to strangers, not homosexuality. Rather than be inhospitable, Lot offers up his daughters to be raped? That’s certainly a strange reaction. It was a story written by men thousands of years ago, with a bias, to further their greed and keep others fearful. Didn’t it used to also be a sin to believe the earth was round, or that the universe did not revolve around the earth? Used to be put to death for those beliefs as well, I think. February 28, 2014 at 2:07 pm am monday from NIGERIA As we all clearly know that a GAY is a person usually a man who is attracted to someone of thesame sex while homosexualism is the act by which a man engage in sexual intercourse with his fellow man through his ANUS, Now base on this definition can the normal man imagine this kind of people? And this kind of disgusting act? Let us be realistic, let reason about this act and let ask our selves series of questions,who are this people called GAY?where do they really come from? The issue of criminalizing or decriminalizing of the homosexual act is not the issue yet, do you really think this act have any positive influence that can help the society and the people in world generally?is there any danger in the future? I believe those who were born in 18 and early 19 are no more in existence any longer if not for few of them, do you really think if your parent where to be Gay or lesbian you would exist today? If we are to encourage this act of homosexualism and lesbianism do you think it will result to mortality or natality? Etc apart of religion and belief let us take a look at the percentage of the negative and positive effect it has on us now or in the future, but to me i dont see the act of homosexualism having any positive effect on man kind instead destruction and the risk of low natality…….. I dont know about you……………………………………………………………. ……… In summary if am been given an opportunity to talk about this topic i think i have a lot to really say……….. But however we must understand the fact that GAY are not being from God….. Incase you are doubting, then why did God destroy sodom and gomorah? After God created Adam why didnt he creat another man and instead? Instead creat a woman …… So therefore these so callded GAY people have their root in satanism and they are incarnate of satan,their purpose here in the world is to oppose God just like as it has been prophecied from the beginning. March 1, 2014 at 11:09 am To Colin, That’s simply not true that gays and lesbians and what have you just want to be treated as everyone else. As soon as you give them a inch they want to take a yard. When homosexuals were being bullied harassed and beaten all they wanted was to be protected and left alone. They got that. Then they wanted civil unions. They got THAT. Next they wanted to be able to adopt children. They got THAT! Then they wanted to be able to marry one another. They got THAT! Now they’re trying to infect the rest of the world!! I hope like hell they don’t get THAT!! Personally I think it should be illegal to practice this sickness and the United States once again as well so that we can move this country forward again and not continue to go backward!! March 2, 2014 at 12:48 pm The reason that we differ is because some people are following God and some people are not. We are all given the choice to follow God or not…that is free will. I wish everyone could feel God’s Love and know Him. I would encourage you seek God with all of your heart and He promises you will find Him. I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I accept God’s free gift of Salvation. It is not something I earned. Love covers a multitude of sins. Anything you place in your life before God is an idol. When it comes to homosexuality, I believe God is very clear on that, it is an abomination. That does not mean that a homosexual cannot be forgiven. Just like any sin, we must repent and turn away from the sin. Sin separates us from God. I know many homosexuals and just try to show everyone I come in contact with the Love of Christ. Although, I disagree with the lifestyle, I still show them respect. I also am not going to compromise my beliefs, then I would be a fake. I believe God defines marriage, not man. Jesus can heal you no matter what you have done-if you ask Him. To me, it doesn’t get any better than that. Jesus brings peace that passes all understanding. We will all find out one day. I have blessed assurance of one day being with Jesus and you can have that, too. You do not have to take my word for it, ask God to reveal Himself to you. He will not disappoint! God bless you all! =) March 3, 2014 at 2:36 am Yes Colin, Even prostitutes, drunks, pilferers, dopers see nothing wrong in their indulgences and can justify/hold unto their positions as you (gays) do. Societies for people with down syndrome, the blind and the deaf at birth, realize there’s something unnatural about their state and solicit for help. On the contrary, LGBTs want the right to remain the same even if there was a remedy. You can as well defend a wealthy gay I learnt, lured, enticed and recruited, his security guard and domestic staff into this abnormal practice. Many ugly variations of such cases abound. If one born with or recruited into any illicit practice is requesting for a right to remain same, it’s so sad. Attempts at condemning a corrective measure and advocating a better reformatory/curative option for this malaise starts with the realistic establishment/acceptance of what it, really is- a natural or induced perversion, It’s the perception of the different nations of this indulgence and it’s social consequences which conditions the laws enacted for or against it just as done for other social vices. Anyone or nation which doesn’t see perversion of natural order as evil is decadent. No one was created blind or a pilferer. If by “inexplicable” unnatural interferences one is born as such, then the most rational thing to do is seek help rather than advance the most implausible excuses for it. One gay blogger used population check as an excuse oblivion of the fact, that in the world of homo, the entire population can be wiped off by war, famine, disease, natural disasters et al hence divine wisdom/provision for procreation which no laws can disannul. March 3, 2014 at 6:03 am Tmara75 you are absolutely right! But you can’t reason with crazy people. Colin Stuart is sick and perverted! He and others just like him including the lesbians are at the center of moral decay in this country. They spread their sickness like a disease, and they wonder why are the countries don’t want to be infected. If someone has to tell you that there is something wrong with a man being with a man and a woman being with a woman then that person has no reason. Some of these sick idiots try to claim that its genetic. How in the hell is it genetic when those people can’t even breed!? March 4, 2014 at 6:39 am Dear VIP (in case you’re still reading the comments), I fear that you’re so obsessed with homosexuality that you are blinded to what you’re reading in the Bible. You read a story about attempted homosexual rape in Genesis 19: 4-10 (the extreme inhospitality that I was referring to) and you conclude from it that consensual same-sex intimacy is worthy of a prison sentence. You read Old Testament passages containing many prohibitions — “There are six things which the LORD hates, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19). Eating clam chowder or shrimp, conducting improper blood sacrifices, adultery, having sex after a divorce, dishonest business practices, and love of money — but you pick on homosexuality. It’s sad that a strong Christian finds it so important to speak so hatefully about loving people who also were created by God and who share this world as our neighbors. Via con Dios, May 28, 2016 at 6:00 pm You God damned enemy of all living, you have no idea what love is you two faced Satanic trojan demon, you will have your day, then you will be thrown into the lake of fire for your crimes of luring and perverting souls into hell with you. It would have been better you never been born you Satanic demonic cancer, shameless accursed pig, the only thing you love is evil and perversion and to infect it into the minds and souls of the world, especially children, and for that you will be eternally damned. March 5, 2014 at 6:31 am Colin, you don’t have to defend me, we are reasoning here and if you hold a strong view you should be able to reason through spurious views. Now Gay, the Jews did not indulge in anti social acts that warranted the unjust killings. May God forgive the Nazis! This issue is easier if you believe in God the creator and that every creature must have a creator! The reasoning you are finding so hard to understand/accept is simply that homos are perverting the natural intent for procreation just like you’d tell a man who abuses the natural purpose for animals. On a lighter note, how would you react seeing or hearing of a “security goat!’ Now you’re giggling. You can impair this with anything-some may be unpleasant though. As a christian, I recommend rehab rather than imprisonment for this acclaimed involuntary perversion just like i’d recommend same for drug addicts as,in most cases, imprisonment hardens the victims. Above all,homo practice just like any strong ungodly indulgence in any man-VIP inclusive- can best be cured and mitigated during a private or open honest session with Jesus Christ. Need I say more? Just try it! God and I love you! Tchau Amigo! March 4, 2014 at 7:03 am I have been reading the comment of colin stewart and psychologically i have come to realize that colin stewart is a GAY and purposely dsigned this website for the purpose of been an advocacy of homosxuals. I also want to believe that the essence of colin stewart designing this website is to see how he can educate and creat the impression that, the act of homosexualism should be accepted and they should have equal right but here in africa expecially nigeria where i come from that can not be possible ……………………… Like i said earlier i see you are an advocate for the homosexuals . Why are you trying to turn the bible up side down,if you are trying to defend gays by the event of sodom and gomorah, have you checked other verses in the bible where homosexualism is condenm? If not then you can check this verse of the bible. GENESIS 19:1:29, LEVITICUS 18:22, LEVITICUS 20:13, JUDGES 19 :22-23, ACT 15:28-29, ROMANS 1:18-32 , 1CORITHIANS 6:9-11 AND 1TIMOTHY 1:10. Remember that the bible has clearly stated it that any fruit that bear no branches should be cut down, so therefore Gay or homosexual any how you people may name them should be deal with mercilessly because they are not beings from God and this is satan at work. Parts of Gay eradication in nigeria. March 4, 2014 at 7:53 am Dear Monday, Just to correct a couple of errors you’ve made. I’m heterosexual, but I do believe that homosexuals should not be thrown in jail for being as God made them. I know that many Biblical verses, as translated into English anyway, condemn homosexual acts, though nothing like modern consensual, loving same-sex relations was known at the time they were written. In context, some of those references seem to be related to temple prostitutes whose sexual relations were on behalf of idols. But you don’t have to believe that to see that the biblical message is love. Jesus surely did not propose “gay eradication”! Is his message to love your neighbor after killing off your gay neighbor? I don’t think so. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm Remember that, at the time all these passages were written, women were considered property, there were different words in the native language for different relationships between people, and all those things have changed in 2000 years, much more in the many thousands of years since the old testaments were written. For a man to treat another equal man as property, as a conquest, would have been a horrible insult. That is how women were treated at that time! Look at how many wives and concubines these “holy” men had back then! It was for greed. Those words were written by MEN who had bias so they could get what they wanted. God did not take ink to paper; men did. March 5, 2014 at 5:58 am Your comments must have come before I unsubscribed from your blog as , with great relief, no new comments have com through! You may consider this piece as my final(lengthy) submission on this matter on this blog even at the risk of being misunderstood. Let’s begin with your delight in twisting the Gen,19 passage to suit your intent: Only gays(the men of that city) could have attempted/desired to rape fellow men(angels in this context). They failed because God and the angels stopped them. In law, a foiled attempt(as in coup d’etat) attracts severe consequences as befell Sodom and Gomorrah. Use whatever semantics, the act(homosexual misdemeanor) by the actors(homosexuals) attracted the destruction. Intellectuals who understood this better adopted the term “sodomy” in allusion to the episode. Imprisonment isn’t designed only for homos, it’s a universal instrument of correction of perceived societal ills. It’s better than the freedom campaign. You find it so convenient to impose this position on me in spite of previous opinion. If only we can see this act as socially unacceptable then we can focus on the best option to eradicate it.The involuntary nature of it may and call for help by perpetrators may attract genuine sympathy and more considerate solution. I’m totally against any activities that suggest this infraction is right and seek to legalize it. If anyone had solicited the right for perpetrators of all the abominable acts you reeled out of the Bible, I’d have still attacked it with same passion. The issue in this blog focuses on same sex. Homo proponents are shifting attention from the cause and effect to attempts at eradicating the scourge. Which came first Colin? As a veteran journalist, you should be conversant with the rules of ” burning issues.” Attacks and counter attacks fly across. In this case you are acting like a partial referee by ignoring the various invectives and insults meted out from your “all loving” camp choosing rather to condemn the firepower from opposing views. On the whole, I find amusing what you term ” love” in the context of same sex attraction. This is worse than hate. You can’t demonstrate your love for a male goat by being attracted to it. On the other hand you can demonstrate genuine love to your fellow man(son,brother) by correcting, criticizing and even punishing the self destructive tendencies in them. God loves the world, yet he HATES, CONDEMNS and PUNISHES sin. Yes I’ve never seen any of the homos I attack here -I wouldn’t attack Michael for being Michael but for being gay. Likewise I do attack VIP(self) for any anti-social indulgence but on my part I humbly ask for God’s help rather than defiance. Get it right-I hate homosexuality and the causative demons holding my beloved brothers(the homosexuals) captive.As a christian, imprisonment may not guarantee their repentance. It’s not about being white, black, green or red but what you symbolize or indulge in! Those massaging your ego are only giving you the impression with spurious arguments that you should continue as you are but, when in future, you find the truth and repent you’d prefer my hard knocks and “bitter” prescriptions capable(as in John de Baptists weapon) of inducing repentance. MUITO OBRIGADO, GRACIAS! March 8, 2014 at 4:36 pm ‘There are those who claim that when the crowd said “let us know them,” they meant “have sex.” There are even translations of the Bible that say “let us have sex with them,” or “let us know them carnally.” Let us state categorically, that the Hebrew text will NOT support such “translations.” Some say that Hebrew has more than one verb for “know” and that the one used here means “have sex.” Let’s set the record straight on this. The root of the Hebrew verb for “know” is ידע yada. A form of yada is used here and hundreds of other times in scripture. Only about ten of those times refer to sex, and in each case, the sexual meaning is clear by the context. (Example: Adam knew his wife and she conceived.) To try to make this word mean sex everywhere will get us in a lot of trouble, because the scripture tells us that God knew David, and uses a form of this word. We don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try to attach a sexual meaning to that. When the crowd outside Lot’s house said they wanted to know the visitors, they meant exactly that: To know who they were.” March 5, 2014 at 3:25 pm “no matter what you say he’s not going to change his point of view”. The same can be said regarding your comments on the subject. You just can’t let anyone live the life they were given by God without injecting your judgments, can you? My first visit to this site, and you label me evil and an agent of Satan. I never addressed your personal life, and you know nothing of mine. Colin Stewart has stated he is heterosexual, yet you condemn him for doing exactly as Jesus had done: not judge another for something that is not a choice. He simply set up a site showing places where gay people can be killed for being gay, imprisoned for being gay. God experiences this physical realm through each and every one of us, every day, and it is too bad that so many live their lives by expressing disdain for their fellow humans. That’s not what I want to be my contribution to God’s experience on Earth. I hope God can lead you to have a happier life, one without the anguish you bring upon yourself with your obsession about other people’s personal lives and physical activities. The gospels mention Jesus’ referring to casting the first stone and something about a speck in someone else’s eye. I love the teachings attributed to Jesus. I Cor 6:9 Greek Study: Historical Background Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians has been totally falsely twisted from the Greek to English. It says nothing at all about homosexuality only ancient idolatry. The temple of Aphrodite Pandemos, goddess of sexual fertility, dominated Acrocorinthus and employed 1000 prostitutes who served in sexual rites virtually around the clock. The greek words pornoi, arsenokitai and malikos, were no doubt promiscuously available throughout the city, a city famous for her libertine rites in the worship of idols. Acrocorinthus was the dominant geographic feature enshrouding the Corinthian skyline and rose to a great height of 1750 ft. above the city. Corinth, herself, was a metaphor of fertility and libertine sexuality among the ancient cities of Mediterrania. The range of meanings for the Greeks “malakos” and “arsenokoital”in I Cor 6:9 is very wide. In the KJV its “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind”, other versions translate it as homosexuals, sodomites, or who are guilty of homosexual perversion. However there are many lexical errors in all these translations. “Malakos” The idea that “malakos” (soft, effeminate) links it to homosexuality ignores the hebrew culture. Gay men were not viewed as effeminate unless they exhibited feminine characteristics in addition to being gay. Many heterosexual males were called effeminate and there is no essential connection between this and sexual preference in any ancient literature. Other greek words were used for homosexuals but never “malakos”, and the other words are never used in scripture. Boswell points out that it is frequently used in moral context as licentious. Scroggs points out it also has been used as the effeminate call-boy prostitute in pederasty, but has nothing to do with homosexuality as we know it today. “Arsenkoites” There is no recorded used of “Arsenkoites” prior to its appearance in 1 Cor 6:9. English translators traditionally have related it to Sodomites. There is a double irony to this since, as it is now generally recognized, Sodomites were not punished for homosexuality. The claim this word means homosexual, defies linguistic evidence and common sense. “Koites” generally denotes licentious sexual activities, and corresponds to the active person in intercourse. The prefix “Arsen”, simply means “male”. It could mean a male that has sex with lots of women. Paul made up a new word. A biblical scholar when a word is unknown, looks for similar greek words to find a possible meaning. Boswell concludes Paul writing in Koine Greek, took a word from Attic Greek combined with a word from Old Testament Greek to mean the active male prostitute. These were common in the Hellenistic world in the time of Paul. They served as prostitutes for both men and women. BINGO! Remember “porneia” in the same verse that has been mistranslated fornication but was really female temple prostitutes? Guess what? Paul also is condemning the male prostitutes that also were in the temples of the sex gods! Scroggs relates it to pederasty in the context it is used in conjunction with “malakos”, the effeminate call-boy prostitute. It follows that “arsenkoites” is used to describe the adult active partner of the effeminate call-boy prostitute. Again this is a specific style of pederasty characterized by a young, passive, for-hire call boy and the adult customer. What is clear it has absolutely nothing to do with homosexuality as practiced today. It is a serious thing to take human bias and misrepresentations and then sanctify them by wrapping them in the robes of God’s authority. That is clearly Scriptural abuse and God does warn strongly those that try and add to His Word. The Bible is the key instruction manual for Christians, but many fail to realize that the English translations of today, often reflect the bias and history of sexual repression of the Church through the ages and may have nothing to do with what God or writers were really meaning to say. God’s real opinion is found by digging beneath the surface, and doing that will lessen the danger of misunderstanding, resulting in confusing our homophobic opinion with God’s. God does not call today’s homosexuality sin, only you do. I know this does little to change the thoughts of many who comment on this site, but the information is out there if you look for it, and read it, and think about what God really intended for this physical realm. My idea is God intended for us to have compassion for one another, care for one another, and think beyond what we are told by others. I apologize to Colin for monopolizing this site as of late, but I keep trying to find places to express my opinion. I hope some find some solace in believing God wants us to care for the creations in this existence: the planet, the animals, the plants, each other. We are all here for a reason: to add to God’s experience in this world. Jesus was a great instrument of God; let’s hope we learn the lessons God tried to teach us through the person of Jesus, real or not. March 6, 2014 at 9:37 am Ezekiel recorded the sins of Sodom: Ezek. 16:49-50 – pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, they were haughty and committed abomination. A note about this unspecified abomination: In the Law of Moses, many things are called abomination, including such things as eating pork and shellfish, having sex with a woman during her period, etc. But Sodom and the other cities were destroyed before the Law was written, so we’ll need to look outside the Law for the definition of this word. Outside the Law, the word abomination almost always refers to the practices associated with idol worship, some of which were enumerated earlier. It should also be noted that ancient Jewish commentaries on Sodom (in the Mishnah) all agree that Sodom and the other cities were destroyed because of their failure to help the poor. None of them suggests anything in regard to homosexual activity. March 9, 2014 at 6:31 pm “God spared Lot and his daughters from the destruction of Sodom. Genesis 19:33-36 goes on to say how the daughters got Lot drunk and committed incest with him. Would God destroy two cities for homosexuality and save these people so they would go right out and commit incest?” “Unfortunately Church tradition of today has bought into these twisting of scripture and ignores true biblical research to find the truths of scripture. But many Christians and ministers just think they know it all and many are totally unaware of the background of some of their false teachings. This is the true abomination…all the hurt caused by the lies and false teaching instead of loving people just as God created them, regardless of their natural sexual orientation. It is very clear there is no choice in sexual orientation and the terrible hurt and failure of the “change-em” ministries is full of evidence how impossible and harmful trying to change ones God given sexual orientation can be. But ignorance prevails and the lies continues which all Christians should be ashamed of and speak out against.” March 15, 2014 at 6:45 pm No matter how much you may try to justify it..Homosexuality is perversion of what man should be.Its the lowest dregs of what man ca descend into.Thats why there is all this hysteria..If what you are doing is good why scream and yell for attention and fight and grovel and snivel fir justification or your rights.Rights to be depraved, put your penis into another man’s anus and callinng another man wife.Another woman husband.. Homosexuals cannot build a community, a society or Nation.Nations are built on families of mother.father children.. sodomy is an abomination in God’ eyes.It is a cancer in the survival of the human race.Politicians are capitalising on vote buying in the West by selling their souls to this filth in their communities..And for money too. Thats one reason for the decay in Western famliy life..Anything goes:-drugs.sexual perversion.do your thing..All sorts of decadence, vice . They also have evolved and encouraged a culture of God hate believing falsely that God is monitoring their depravity and perversions.They want no mention of God.in schools or anywhere in the community ..so that they may enjoy their destructive and abominable practices in comfort,like an ostrich burying its head in the sand to avoid trouble. I have many homosexual friends and I love them but I hate the perversion of homosexuality they practise. As an African I would also like to encourage all African countries to resist the pressure the decadent societies of the West which seek to have them grant homosexuality and other anti social .and anti human..UnGodly practices freedom in Africa. If possible more severe laws and penalties against any perverts and sexual miscreants should be enforced and to hell with their aid. I would likecommend Nigeria, Gambia, Uganda and all progressive African countries for standing up for their societies in the face of the sodomists and Western perverts Holy Moyo March 15, 2014 at 10:29 pm All of the countries above are right to have anti-gay laws because it’s not natural to have two male guys get merried in front of GOd. Imagine, having two men have an adopted child and don’t have a mom?. Have parents with the same aspect is not right, it causes problems to the child mentally and even a trauma. Gay marriage is wrong… Because we didn’t start with two male guys and reproduce to populate the earth did we?. Now why are we allowing this to happen around our kids and families. March 16, 2014 at 9:12 pm I think you are absolutely right!! the United States endorses homosexuality because it’s also a form of genocide! there isn’t a homo sexual couple in the world that has produced a child nor will they ever! here in the US they’re always passing laws that are aimed at breaking up the family, and getting rid of God from our minds. this Colin Stuart guy claims to be heterosexual, but no hetero sexual will go through the trouble that he is going through in order to justify this sick perversion unless he is one himself! March 17, 2014 at 6:45 am You’re clueless, big al! Completely clueless! You wouldn’t have a clue if somebody faxed it to you.You couldn’t catch a clue if you stripped naked and soaked your pallid hide in clue musk, then did the clue mating dance in a field full of horny clues during the height of clue mating season! What meaning do you expect your delusional self-important statements of unknowing, inexperienced opinion to have with us? What fantasy do you hold that you would believe that your tiny-fisted tantrums would have more weight than that of a leprous desert rat, spinning rabidly in a circle, waiting for the bite of the snake? I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are. I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid. Your writing has to be a troll. Nothing in our universe can really be this stupid. Perhaps this is some primordial fragment from the original big bang of stupid. Some pure essence of a stupid so uncontaminated by anything else as to be beyond the laws of physics that we know. I’m sorry. I can’t go on. This is an epiphany of stupid for me. March 17, 2014 at 11:40 am To this IDIOT that calls himself the other Jim… I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished with that senseless and meaningless and flat out stupid rampage that you just went on! everyone can see by the way you express yourself who the real stupid ignorant idiot is. I hope you know someone who can fix the holes that you just put in those walls and the ones that you obviously had in your head before you went on that senseless rampage! post something that makes sense next time and maybe people will listen to you! You obviously love this gay sickness that we have going on in this country which tells me a lot about your warped mind! PERVERT!! March 22, 2014 at 12:00 pm Dear Joe, I suggest that you read your Bible much, more more carefully. You say the “only thing in the Bible punished by death is homosexuality.” You overlook, among other things, blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14-16,23), breaking the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14, Numbers 15:32-36), trying to convert people to another religion. (Deuteronomy 13:1-11, Deuteronomy 18:20), striking your parents (Exodus 21:15), cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9), and being a drunkard. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) But instead of focusing on what some religious people in the past thought were crimes worthy of death, I’d suggest that you focus instead on living out the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Best, March 23, 2014 at 6:24 pm Big Al, did we learn nothing from the Medieval times? From Roman times? That breeding within families causes serious physical and mental disordrs? To marry, and procreate from, your mother or sister would create a genetic disaster. Why do people go to that – and animals – in response to same-gender love? Why? It is NOT even comparable! We have advanced enough in science and theology to move beyond incest and bestiality for most, but apparently not for all. I pray to the power surrounding us that you receive some respite from your obsession with the physical contact other humans have with other consenting humans. March 24, 2014 at 11:25 am K,To Colin , and Jeff Thank you for answering my question.I don’t actually want to marry my mother that’s sick! But now you guys see what homosexuality looks like from the perspective of a straight person. This is going to be my last response to this blog, so I’m just going to let you know how I actually feel about this whole issue. Believe it or not, despite all of my other comments I actually do not hate gay people as people. I have family members and close friends who happen to be gay. However; they never try to force their opinions or lifestyles on other people. I still believe that homosexuali ty in the United States should be outlawed once again because of the impact that it’s making our society. That rhetorical question that I asked Colin, was asked simply to illustrate the point of reckless sexual behavior. Why should your sexual recklessness be accepted any more than that question exemplifies? I have a cousin who was gay for years until he met the love of his life. Now he’s happily married with two beautiful children and is extremely financially well off. He’s living a picture perfect life, and I wish that more gay people that indulge in that lifestyle would get a grip on reality and realize that what they’re doing is morally and physically wrong. March 27, 2014 at 9:57 pm The great mayority of americans opposes homosexuals but to their missfortune they got homos ruling and screwing their constitution to the point of dispair also their media target teenagers and childrn to think homo isa fashion that without it you are backward ..weakup americans your destruction is underway it can still be straighten homos attack Christans they threaten with get you sued and they win most of the cases your citys allows such signs as who need Christ in Christmass what matters is fashion …. however it is difficult …i only hope your country stop bothering RUSSIA for choosing GODS teaching .. March 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm Mani, feel free to oppress whomever you choose in your country. We choose to fight for our rights in this country, to live without oppression by religious zealots. But that does not mean that we cannot feel sorry for other countries where our brothers and sisters are persecuted and held silent for nothing more than being what God made them to be. And, as Americans and as human beings, we have the right to express our opinions, whether they agree with yours or not. Regardless, I thought God’s teaching was one of love and not judging others. That’s what I get from reading the teachings attributed to Jesus Christ. Religious beliefs are a CHOICE; being gay is NOT. March 29, 2014 at 5:06 am I want to amend what I wrote to state that, as a sovereign nation, your government has the ability to oppress others. I, as a fellow human being in the world, think those policies are incorrect, and I have the right to speak my mind. But there is certainly nothing I can do about it directly, nor should the government of any other country. Our people and our leaders can certainly express their opinions and implement policies within our countries which address those issues. Interesting that you capitalize “Russia” and “Gods” (should be God’s, but understandable), but not USA or Americans. Makes it seem like you think Russia is God. I can also assure you that the majority of Americans do not oppose homosexuals. Polls show now that most support the rights of homosexuals to live, work, and even marry as equal members of our society. That was not the case a few years ago, but most Americans feel differently now. It is unfortunate that most Russians do not, but, again, I cannot, and will not, force you or your fellow Russians to accept my thinking, nor do I endorse the American government, nor any other government, to do so. That has to be changed within yourselves if you want to treat all human beings with dignity. April 15, 2014 at 7:27 am WHOA WHOA, YOU GUYS… WHY DON”T WE ALL LEARN SOMETHING HERE FIRST OF ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY THINK THEY SHOULD DO FOR OUR FUTURE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT WRONG, SINFUL OR ANY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE…WHAT’S THE POINT IN TRYING TO DENY THE TRUTH AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS WHAT HAAAASSSS BEEEEENNN HHHAPPPEEENNNIIINNNGGG ALL ALONG THE HUMAN HISTORY NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT YOUR BELIEF IS….???? I REPEAT.. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALL ALONG HUMAN HISTORY…..AND EVEN IN SOME ANIMAL SPECIES…(SEE ABOVE) DENIAL WOULDN’T HELP AT ALL IN THIS CASE. EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN HAVE ALL GAY PEOPLE KILLED THROUGHOUT THIS WORLD THERE WILL BE NEW ONES COMING. GO READ THE BOOK ….. AND JUST REMEMBER THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NATURE LEARN FROM IT…TRY TO LEARN SOMETHING HERE, PEOPLE. April 15, 2014 at 8:32 am To atheist, I said I wasn’t going to comment on this website anymore but your comment need some perspective here. just because something has been happening for a long time does not make it right!! For example; there has always been murders, child molestation, domestic violence, drug use, incest, and on and on!! Once we realize that these things are not good for society, it’s our job as intelligent civilized people to put an end to it and not just throw our hands up and say..OH WELL! its been happening so long there’s nothing we can or should do about it!! BIG AL… YOUR EQUATING LOGIC SOUNDS FUNNY TO ME…you know…about people having bad behaviors against others’ will. haha THE LAW IS ONE THING AND I WON’T TOUCH THAT BUT WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG IS ANOTHER…..AND THAT HAS TO BE DELICATELY DEFINED WITH UNIVERSAL AND MORAL SENSIBILITY……NOT FROM ANY RELIGION. (HOPE YOU GET THIS POINT) AND THE NATURE IS ALSO ANOTHER THING. i AM JUST GOING TO SAY THIS ONCE..ONLY TRY TO CHANGE YOURSELF INTO A HOMO FIRST…WHEN YOU SUCCEED…..THEN I WILL TRY CHANGING MESELF INTO A HETERO…. (AGAIN…HOPE YOU GET THIS POINT) . AGAIN….GO….READ SOME OTHER BOOKS, YOU HAVE READ ENOUGH OF THE BIBLE. April 28, 2014 at 8:37 pm We have gay priest that molest boys , and those in child porno, that is against the laws of america. . Now america wants to be turned into a sodom and gomorrah, that god almighty hated them and what they did he called them evil people and destroyed them. as jesus said alos in new testament that the end days would be as the days of sodom and gomorrah, and the days of noah/ no oral values at all, just dopers, drunks, perverted minded people. if god says he does not change that he is the same today yesterday and forever his hate for homosexuals and orgies and all evils that he destroyed people for he hates to all generations, knowing all generations have their evil people, ever been molested as a child by a homosexual adult, that is with a tablle full of homosexuals they see no wrong in talking to a teenager their evil ways. of sex. THE TENAGE GIRL WAS SCARED TO DEATH OF THE LESBIANS THAT SHE HAD TO WAIT ON IN A RESTAURANT , AS 1 GRABBED HER BY HER SWEATER, SHE WAS TRYING TO WORK. NO NEVER AND ANY PREACHER THAT SAYS IT IS NORMAL, CAN GO TO HELL WITH THEM. all they want is money in their pockets, yes, and they will say you will go to heaven. but that is a lie from someone just as evil. if a drunkard will not enter in you know a dope, and priest lying gay drunkard have more hell to face before god almighty. jesus did not tip through the tulips with those evil at all. he rebuked them and anyone that follows jesus will do the same as he did , not lie, satan has an angelic tone as he wants to stop all the god given emotions that the bible says god gave us. a time to hate, a time to be angry, a time to love all emotions, evil provokes people to anger. using their propaganda and saintly ways but are as vile and evil as they come. May 11, 2014 at 8:18 pm First off, this site was created in order to bring awareness to LGBT issues and is meant to be a safe haven for those of us who live in countries where we’re suppressed just because of our sexual orientation as well as bringing truth in the irony of keeping laws that discriminate against our very being. Now to MY main points. From my understanding, the ruling in Lebanon does mean that homosexuality is legal so to call it one of the nations where homosexuality is illegal is probably not correct unless a higher court within the nation reverses the decision (like the case with India). With that said, Trinidad and Tobago do have a law in place criminalizing homosexual activity, but does not enforce it. I have no idea if that counts as being part of the list or not since the law is there, yet it isn’t enforced (a pretty similar situation for those of us who live in Texas coincidentally). Dear CFTXP, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Regarding Lebanon, I’d like it if your understanding of the situation in Lebanon turns out to be true, but I don’t have evidence that the court ruling you cite applies throughout the country. In this blog’s article on that ruling an activist states, ““The more we have decisions like this the more Article 534 becomes irrelevant.” If you have further information, please let me know. Regarding Trinidad, I leave countries with enforceable anti-gay laws on the list, adding a notation if I know of an official action or statement that blocks the implementation of the law, such as in Lebanon and Malawi. I haven’t included the United States on the list (and the ILGA report doesn’t either), since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such laws unconstitutional in 2003, even though they remain on the books in Texas and 12 other states, and police sometimes arrest people on the basis of those laws, even though they know that prosecutors won’t take the arrestees to court. Please let me know if you have more information to improve the accuracy of the list and/or of the blog in general. Best, May 12, 2014 at 2:20 pm The book of Acts in Ch. 15 lists four of the most important rules for Gentiles to follow.. One of them is Sexual Morality. 1 Corinthian 6:9 also lists types of people that will not make it to heaven unless they repent of course (fornicators, drunkards, homosexuals,adulterers….etc.) So we are in the New Covenant and homosexuality is listed clearly as a sin that will keep people out of heaven. Its time to stop being in denial. Jesus taught repentance and grace, that is why he didn’t stone the woman caught in adultery but instead gave her another chance and said “GO AND SIN NO MORE.” You see, in the New Covenant it is all about having a chance to REPENT which means to stop sinning. Instead of being stoned, you are told to repent and change. God will forgive your past mistakes. So you see Sir, Christians are against killing anyone. Jesus said Hatred is murder, so we are against Hatred. Telling someone that what they are doing is sinful is not hatred, for Christ did the same thing and he never sinned. Preaching repentance is not hatred. Hatred is a sin. We simply obey the teachings of Christ which are to preach that if you repent God will forgive your sins and you can have the Holy Spirit enter your own spirit and help you overcome the sins listed in the New Testament. 1Corinthian ch. 6:9 and many others listed in Galations and Ephesians. One thing for certain is that homosexuality will keep people from heaven unless they repent. You can fight about what is sin and what isn’t sin, but the new testament makes it clear which ones are sin for sure in 1 Corinthian 6:9 and in many other places. The bible makes it clear that people have itchy ears and like to hear what they want to hear and will reject sound teaching to defend their own sinful lives. Afterall, Jesus said ” unless you deny yourself” you can not follow him. I was actually born with a propensity to be gay. The older I got the more it left me. For people who are bisexual, seeing gays marry and be accepted as “wholesome” will make many of them choose to live a gay lifestyle which in essence will lead them to hell unless they repent. So it does matter what people around us do. Accepting homosexuality as normal will ultimately lead more souls into hell. That is not love. Love is speaking the truth that one must flee sexual immorality and put God before our own sexlife or even lovelife if it is sinful. Same thing with divorce and remarriage. Jesus made it clear that those who do this are committing adultery. Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, all sins that will keep one out of heaven unless you repent and stop doing it. Only those who can put God before their own opinion or wishful thinking are worthy of him. God bless. May 12, 2014 at 5:39 pm This blog is to discuss the laws of homosexuality, like Colin Stewart points out. America was a place based on religious freedom, and if someone’s religion beliefs in homosexuality and having the privilege of being the last of your kind or something similar to that, then your beliefs and their beliefs contradict, and the law should state freedom of religion based on the requirement that it will not harm others, and I don’t think pleasuring the same sex is harmful to them, so therefore your argument is invalid. Get over yourself, and stop patronizing people and being condescending. I am Christian, and I am aware of the bible verses you spit around. I have a few gay friends and love them all the same. So now that you think you are better than them, you aren’t better than them, and worse than that, you betrayed your god. You could have grown up with a chemical imbalance that caused you to be gay, and it would be god’s error of man, while he should have given us the equal opportunity to sin, rather than put a chicken and a chicken’s rib in a cage match, and see how ugly it can get in time for their offspring. So I bet you didn’t think about that. Why don’t you just have some perspective, instead of wearing a halo on your head? May 14, 2014 at 7:01 am If you believe that will send them to hell, then let them sin. Leave them alone. You are a disgrace. People used to enslave Africans In the US, where I come from, and us whites despised them so much when they had rights. Now you are sooooo mad because gay people aren’t stoned to death, or publicly humiliated. Why don’t you become aware of the present, and forget a 2000 year old book, and be kinder to the diversity of the human race, rather than be selfish and push people away because of your religion. May 14, 2014 at 6:56 am You know what your problem is? You follow very strict laws, and only break a few in secret, and when anyone else openly doesn’t follow your book’s rules, you get so pissed off that he is unpunished. I live in America. America is a land of religious freedom. We escaped here to the colonies for religious asylum. You are absolutely stupid to think that something like homosexuality is a sin and that is why it should be illegal in the U.S. (if that is your origin). You are an abomination to this world. Let others make mistakes of their own, just like you make mistakes. Also, you can’t deny the possibility that a different type of afterlife from what you grew to learn of, is possible. We could be reincarnated, or sent up to heaven, or hell, or we could just rot, and become part of the world’s soil, gone forever. Stop trying to pressure people into your own BELIEFS, we all have rights to our own beliefs and to our own fucking sexual desires. You have no proof of your god. Only faith for a some thousand year old collection of books, that may or may not have most of the facts straight. Islamic religion with Allah is just as likely as Christianity or Catholicism. May 16, 2014 at 11:30 am That paragraph is hilarious! I would laugh out loud if I wasn’t at work and would have to explain your comments to coworkers. “it also goes against nature (for those of you that don’t believe in God)” is funny because all I could think of was a dog humping someone’s leg, yet we would consider that natural, humorous even. “Ten commandments are in order for a reason” is funny because only one of them is even a law in most of the world, and the condemnation of homosexuality is not one of Ten Commandments. And I don’t even want to continue the thought of a “vial act”, but I do realize you meant “vile act”. Thanks for the laugh; needed that today. May 14, 2014 at 8:51 am I am a Christian and I do my best to fallow His strict law. There are none perfect. I will attack the act of homosexuality without apology. I refuse to get into an email debate. I will happily come to all of you and debate all of you at once. All I ask is that I get half the time and that we stay on topic. Of course, you won’t do that. I don’t want you to burn in hell for eternity. I’m after you for your salvation. God has left tons of evidence for His existence. The biggest one is our sense of right and wrong. One question. Do you believe that you are the God of yourself and your own universe? Answer that. May 15, 2014 at 5:22 am I hope you enjoy the life you have chosen to live, love the God you have chosen to believe. Now, let those of us who think differently also live the life God gave us, following the precepts of a loving God, and not relying on stories written by men thousands of years ago. We have learned so much about this world since those stories were written, and many of those stories were written by greedy, antagonistic men who only wanted to attain wealth and positions of authority over others. We no longer believe the earth is flat, we no longer believe the earth is the center of the universe, we no longer believe that pork is forbidden, we no longer believe wearing clothes of different fabrics is sinful, we no longer believe men cutting their hair or shaving their beards will damn us to hell. Are those the rules you live your life by? If so, good for you; maybe you need that discipline to be a nice person. Others of us do not need those self-imposed rules. Besides, this religious discussion is NOT the topic of this page. I am just expressing my opinions regarding your opinions. The topic, as you state you want to focus on, is human-imposed LAWS in countries around the world. In the USA, we were founded on an idea of the separation of church and state. The state addresses some issues of civilization; religion is to address others! In my humble opinion, neither is doing a very good job! August 5, 2014 at 1:51 am Hi Eric, its very simple, i was a very devout follower, i could put many Christians to shame because of how close i followed the bible, but i found later that a lot of it wasn’t true, some was however and this is based on my experiences which are overwhelming. Forcing other people to follow a religion or the idea of God is absolutely wrong, people have choice and deserve to make those choices, gay people have the same rights as any straight person does, its that simple, they don’t all believe in God or God as you see it and that is the only sane reason to force anyone from being together and its not reasonable, its absolutely without a shadow of a doubt with a firm straight head on my shoulders very down to Earth easy to see as wrong as wrong can be, if God denies a gay person loving another then he is no different then the devil because he is opposing love and that is not a God i believe is real, its all about control. And by the way, i am perfect the way i am right now and im always getting better and better, figure that one out ;) PS:i am straight. May 18, 2014 at 4:19 am A Large portion of these countries that have Anti Gay laws, do so on religious grounds. Religion makes up a huge part of a countries laws and legislation, it just so happens that most Western Countries have, through social influence and intellect, decided to reduce its impact on legislation. I don’t have an issue with homosexual’s, if two consenting adults decide they want to engage in a certain behavior, then it is none of my business. I don’t particularly enjoy having homosexual culture a part of mainstream society, as personally I feel uncomfortable with the concept. That is not to confuse my lack of enjoyment and familiarity with a dislike of homosexuals or a condemnation of it, far from it, a person should be free to engage in any non-harmful action they see fit, I simply find it a foreign concept, which I am unable to feel comfortable around. But I don’t have to like it, because it has nothing to do with me. I don’t enjoy Rap music, and would feel uncomfortable surrounded by a group of Teenagers that were into Gangster Rap. I don’t hate and condemn them for their enjoyment of it, I just don’t like or engage in that world. I do however feel that homosexuality is in terms of a biological point of view, a deviance, which is caused by a chemical imbalance, and therefor a form of mental disorder, in the clinical sense of the word. Homosexuality is the only sexual deviance from Heterosexuality that is not classified as a mental disorder, solely based on the fact that it is deemed, and quite rightly, as socially acceptable, as it is between two consenting adults of sound mind. However when you remove the notion of social acceptance from the equation, and look at other sexual deviation, such as Paedophilia, Necrophilia or Incest, in terms of a sexual preference, it seems strange to me that these acts of sexual deviance are classed as a form of mental disorder and yet Homosexuality is not. Now I am not saying that being Gay is like being a Paedophile, because one is between consensual adults and the other is not. What I am saying is that from a biological point of view, they are both as defunct as each other, in terms of procreation. From a biological point of view, Homosexuality is redundant and against our nature to further the species. I think people feel it is too taboo to classify Homosexuality as a form of mental disorder, because they feel it is a label which is discriminatory and not simply a clinical assessment. Personally I think we need homosexuals, because the worlds population is expanding too fast, and so homosexuality is good way to curtail this rapid growth. May 20, 2014 at 5:55 am YOU SHOULD ALL REPENT AND GIVE UR LIFE TO CHRIST JESUS.THIS IS EVIL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS THAT THE WORLD WAS DESTROYED IN THE FIRST PLACE BY GOD. ARE U GUYS NOT ASHAME, A MAN SLEEPING WITH A MAN OR A WOMAN WITH A WOMAN, DOWNING PLAYING THE BALANCE. THIS IS EVIL, IT IS SO FUNNY THAT THE WEST HAS LOST ITS DIGNITY OF MORALS.THE COUNTRIES YOU CALL POOR, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT.MOST OF THE PRODUCTS DEVELOPED IN THE WEST WERE DO YOU THINK THEY ARE SOLED….THE SO CALLED POOR COUNTRIES HAVE EVERYTHIN YOU CAN EVER THING ABOUT.CHANGE YOUR WAYS FOR WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO PROMOTE IS EVIL.GOD SAYS IT IS AND YOU SHOULD ALL REPENT ELSE YOU WOULD FIND YOUR SELF’S IN THE HELL.. June 7, 2014 at 9:42 am WE CHRISTIANS NEED TO STOP BEING CHRISTIANS, BUT BE CHRIST-LIKE ! SADLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE A BIG DIFFERENCE. So, some of us don’t like gays and we believe homosexuality to be a sin, does that justify gay-bashing? The Bible speaks against adultery, stealing, lies, bearing false witness, and hundreds of other items, read Leviticus!, Do we seek to bash these violators as well, perhaps not, especially if we participate in these activities. There are people out there who hate other people because of their weight, religion, skin color, finances, height, accent, etc. should these haters bash those they hate? Let Gays and Lesbians live free, or would you rather, out of fear, they continue to marry non-gays as a cover? June 22, 2014 at 3:46 pm Homosexuals Secrets Exposed, Check out A little closer to a decade, Homosexuality (gay and lesbianism) has become a very debatable issue among nations, religions, organisational bodies, families, tribes and many others. This is a very social phenomenon which needs to be addressed with careful and logical reasoning in order not to offend anyone, whichever stand the discussion takes. One cannot just get up to condemn a social issue without thorough analysis. A person must analyse issues psychologically, physically, spiritually, religiously, emotionally, as well as culturally and ethnically. There are some secrets behind the legalisation of gay and lesbian marriage by some world leaders, organisations, some churches or individual pastors, and other religious bodies. The advocators often refer from the Bible ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged’ – in other words ‘do not judge your fellow friend’. This is very interesting quote from the Bible that needs deep thoughts. Human rights and freedom of speech and expressions are also used in defence of homosexuality. Are all things right to do or not? Can immoralities be considered the rights of those in it? Should the judiciary system be abolish or allow to exists? What are the essences of cultural, moral, social, and religious values in a society? This book outlines the key secrets behind the advocacy and legalisation (or acceptance) of gay and lesbian marriage and other social needs which may be considered social problems. The World Leaders And Homosexuality Legalisation The Secret Behind (Volume one -1) ISBN: 9781312279827 Visit http://www.mkaquah.webs.com or http://www.facebook.com/mkacquah for other books by the author http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Leaders-Homosexuality-Legalisation-ebook/dp/B00L2A0BIS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403162243&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+World+Leaders+And+Homosexuality+Legalisation++The+Secret+Behind+%28Volume+one+-1%29 In this world, our main reference law book for living is the BIBLE; all other religions make reference from the Bible with different interpretations. The Bible is not like any ordinary constitutional book that needs amendment, but can be descended in common language for one’s understanding. It is the deep thought of God and is God Himself, John 1:1; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. One cannot just interpret with his or her own thinking, it must be spiritually descended. The issue of human right and freedom of expressions in defence of advocacy of gay and lesbian have been wrongly defined and erroneously handled. Morality is the opposite of immorality so as deviant behaviour is the opposite of standard or rightful behaviour. People are hiding behind Human Rights and freedom of speech and expressions, and the biblical phrase ‘‘that shall not judge’’ to promote what is socially deviant in Christian perspective. Everything that happens on earth has a spiritual basis. There is a spiritual influence on those involved homosexual act. The bible makes it clear that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities – ‘Ephesians 6:12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ‘ Some leaders in the world, organisation, churches and religions have been attacked by those principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness, and rulers of the darkness. Hence out of pressure, lack of proper counselling, and wanting to cling on to political power or positions, they eventually give up and hence implement homosexuality, other sexual immoralities and social deviant rights. Some of these leaders too are the occult leaders themselves or connected to the occult groups and impose with convincing and pleasure things of those deviant vices to lure others to join them. The most popular bible quotation they use to lure people is Matthew 7:1 ‘that shall not judge’. What shall not be judge? Is it those in the act or the act itself? People in deviant act are not to be rejected but be judging in the situation they find themselves in order to get a solution. Judging is made with the bible not worldly view, and whoever makes judgement has to check himself or herself first before making judgement, Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. We are to judge to find solution to problems in life but not to judge to condemn others. Recognise that the bible says, we have the right to do all things but not all things are rightful before God. This book attempts to expose the secret behind the legalisation of homosexuality and other social problems. @Will: Your comment on the Bible being written by “stupid people” years after Jesus Christ died is WRONG. . — 1) Don’t bring up the “homosexual animals” because it has 3 effects: – that i should treat homosexuals like wild animals. I don’t want to. – that homosexual rights are anti-human rights because they practice animalistic behaviours. This leads to discrimination. – that murder, pedophilia, stealing and other animalistic behaviours are good. 2) Don’t bring up the “you can’t change” story because this means you can’t stop being an alcoholic, kleptomaniac, drug addict etc. 3) Don’t bring up the “Romans 2” says you are judging because speaking the truth is not judging. If it was, that means: – if i tell my sibling/loved one that their outfit is not good, it means i’m judging. – if i tell a drug addict/smoker/kleptomaniac that his/her lifestyle is harmful to both him/her and the society, i’m judging. 4) Don’t bring up the “you can’t pray the gay away” because you CAN’T JUST PRAY AWAY ANYTHING. Faith that you will change without being willing to work towards that is just as useless as faith that you won’t change while working towards changing. June 23, 2014 at 10:34 am So, do I understand your position, Vy, that I am not allowed to have ideas of my own, because they are contrary to yours? Do you really want a world were everyone is the same, thinks the same, behaves the same? Not me! Animals also have heterosexual intercourse; humans are animals; no one is saying treat homosexuals like animals; all we are saying is that it is a natural genetic variation, just like being left handed, color blind, or an albino. You then compare what two CONSENTING ADULTS agree to do, to actions which causes the end of a life, the inclusion of a minor who cannot consent, and lack of consent. Apples and oranges, Vy! 2) comparing homosexuality to diseases is such a crude and unsupported claim; I could then also say heterosexuality is just as much of a curable disease as you say homosexuality is. 3) Love thy neighbor as thyself. 4)Using “faith” to demean your fellow human beings is also useless faith. We also do not believe pork is an abomination anymore, that the earth is flat, eating ship is punishable by death. If you do, I hope you enjoy your fantasy world. Hope we never meet. July 6, 2014 at 1:57 pm Laws are made to make sure there is peace and order in the society. They are used to help people out of deviant or immoral situation. For example, when someone is sent into prison for wrongful act, it does not mean the person should be maltreated or mishandled but to be counselled and so that he or she would recognised what brought him or her to prison was deviant or immoral and should desist from it. We criticise to help people out of problems but not to put them into doom. So it is wrong for others to quote a biblical principle that they do not understand to defend what is Biblically wrong. Once upon a time every human being was innocent of his or her existence until the man (man and woman) got to know good and bad. Every person is potential to do wrong and also repent of wrong doing, so judgement is used to bring up a person to the realisation of standard of living but not deviant. All laws including moral law, cultural law, religious law, natural law, traditional law and the likes are subjected to the Bible; the ones that are not found in the Bible are manufactured or man-made laws. July 9, 2014 at 6:09 am Am I to understand, then, that you would support governmental laws calling for the death penalty for the consumption of pork, shrimp, and cheeseburgers? Laws to kill people who wear clothes made of cotton and polyester? Laws to ban businesses from being open on the Sabbath (which Sabbath? Jewish? Christian?)? Laws forcing women to marry the man who rapes her? These are all “laws” in that Bible you are so convinced is absolute and unquestionable, a book of stories written by men thousands of years ago to explain things they didn’t know, keep their followers in line, in their attempt to gain wealth and power, and expand the population to dominate tribes a cultures around them with death, destruction, theft, torture. I was hoping we, as a species given the gift of intelligence by a force unknown and unknowable, would use that gift to shed ancient myths and learn to respect the gift of life which exists all around us, and not abuse that life any more like our ancestors did. I feel sorry for people like you who live their lives based on ancient stories. But I will ask our cosmic consciousness (God) to help you to think about your convictions that other people should die for believing something other than you believe, who cause YOU no harm, who force no one to do something against their will. June 28, 2014 at 1:51 am I find this blog quite amusing, you can rant on about how its not normal or how its against ‘gods’ will but did you ever stop and think that homosexuality is found in all animals and creatures on earth but yet homophobia is found only in 1 and that’s humans surely if ‘god’ hated gays he would not have even allowed any creature to be inclined towards that, does it not also say in the bible ‘love thy neighbor’, surely it is each persons own personal desire to what they like and it should concern no on else unless it will effect you, which 9/10 cases it does not, that 1/10 case been if they are hitting on you, many same sex couples can raise kids just as well as a different sex couple, and it wont have no life changing effect on children, they are not gonna be ‘converted’ to that way of life. from a gay soldier June 28, 2014 at 11:47 am I live in an impoverished place in Kent – Thanet. Most people here are not only supportive of gay rights, they will vehemently protect their friends and family who are gay, because money has nothing to do with it; it’s a simple case of being a tolerant person. So those of you who are arguing about a place’s wealth in relation to their tolerance are being themselves ignorant. It doesn’t matter. I wish I had the chance to have a platform and say what I think about it. I feel if we as young people were given more room to voice our opinions, we would be so helpful in making the world a better place. Pretty much 90% of young people I know down here have gay friends or are indifferent to if people are gay or not. The fact of the matter remains that we are the future. Most of the bigots now are either people too afraid of change, too afraid to stray from their ideals, based in a book written 2,000 years ago. These 76+ countries represent nothing but those too fixated and scared to welcome someone abnormal. My little sister is nine this year. She saw two men kissing in a park while walking their dog a week ago. She turned to me and asked nothing about how they had sex, how they had children, how they coped in a household dynamic – she wanted to know what breed the dog was. Some people put so much weight on preserving children’s innocence that they forget most children don’t care who’s having sex with who. If Spongebob dies, then we’ve got problems. If they see two people of the same sex kissing? Probably won’t mention it, unless they see someone they respect/are friends with react in a horrified way. And don’t use preserving children’s innocence as a reason to keep gay parents from adopting. Gay parents, much the same as straight parents, will not have sex in front of them. Bullying at school? Don’t take away someone’s rights just because some children are being ignorant bullies. Punish the children ostracising someone for their family life. PARENTS have the responsibility to teach their children to be tolerant; if you dare ever say that a person doesn’t have a right to a child because that child might be bullied, than people who have genetic facial disfigurements or disabilities also shouldn’t have children, because they might be bullied also. I’m raising my little sister to one day help me in fighting back these countries’ awful ideals. Only together, and through agape love and social justice, will we make the world more tolerant. I’m 17; at 9, I pretty much became a surrogate mother to my sister, because my mother broke down. I have 4 brothers and sisters, with myself being the middle child. I would have loved a stable household with parents who loved us. I wouldn’t care if they were gay or straight – they would be people I was safe with. I’m sorry for the lengthy speech that probably veered off topic. It just brings tears to my eyes to see how hard my family and I have to fight to see tolerance spread across the world. These are not interchangeable terms. Can you not judge/discern when a person is in sin? People are walking around dead and heading to hell. To know that and to walk away is condemnation. You do not love an alcoholic by giving him/her alcohol. You love them by helping them work through their struggle of abstinence from alcohol. You say, “well I don’t know their heart only God knows.” Not so, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Jesus said, “it is not what goes into a man that defiles him but what comes out of him.” Listen long enough to a man and you will know his every sin. We must love sinners enough to tell them the truth and help them with their struggles to come out of their entanglements. We do not love them by telling them they are fine the way they are God loved us while we were yet sinners and sent Jesus to reconcile us to him. We were not OK the way we were otherwise the would have been no need for Christ. We were Lost and dead without Him and so is everyone else. That is a safe Judgment not a statement of condemnation. June 30, 2014 at 2:08 pm I read this and I would like to say it angers me. But all it does is sadden me I find it impossible for a informed adult to come up with such hate. Use external resources to validate there own hate. I’m sure The Lord who created us all equal wouldn’t be a big supporter of such hate. We shouldn’t even be discussing wether or not people should be treated equally being able to live a equal life that should be a given WE are all equal no one gave you the rights to choose to treat people how you so desire. Next time you believe being gay is a choice ask yourself. When you was young did you choose to be straight ? If your answer is yes then this would suggest you also had attraction to same sex making it a “choice”. All people deserve is equal rights and we all deserve them. July 1, 2014 at 6:23 am Reading the comments regarding being gay is so wrong, and so evil, and so destructive to modern society, comparing it to such heinous activities, I cannot understand their intrusion regarding how other consenting adults live their lives. As long as I am not harming another person, place, or thing, why do you feel the need to make how I live my life illegal, subject to imprisonment, torture, or even death? Why? Because some MEN who THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO decided they wanted to be in control, decided to write down that GOD said so? Those men wrote down a whole lot of things, which we no longer believe today; although some still do (can’t wait to visit the Creation Museum near Cincinnati and laugh my tush off!). Why do you tell me that being gay is an abomination, but eating pork or shrimp isn’t anymore? A human being wrote it down, in languages long ago now extinct; God did not put pen to paper. Supposedly, God has told women to drown their own children. Do you believe that God? I believe in God, as the essence of all that we do not and cannot know as humans. And as humans, we need to treat each other with respect, and realize that each person is different, as long as we do not harm, abuse, manipulate another, especially those unable to make informed decisions. Thanks to this site, I have learned that many places in the world have made the judgement that the way some of my fellow humans were born should be considered inhuman, worthy of torture or death. That truly cuts into my idea that people can be kind and respectful of others. And I am coming to the conclusion that, despite being born without judgement, it apparently is one of the easiest things to learn, to make oneself feel more important than others, to create more pride in oneself, and to ignore one’s own frailties. It would be a truly boring world if we were all the same. I don’t think your God, my God, or any God would be pleased with that. We need to learn to appreciate the beauty of this planet, these people, this life which is all around us, ALL of which should be considered part of the beautiful mystery that is the many dimensions of this universe – physical and non-physical, known and unknown. I detest of the use of what was intended as a message of love to divide us. LIFE ALTERING EYE OPENING READ! By Jacqueline M Piepenhagen Author, Maxwell Kobina Acquah Yeful, has written his views on the issue of homosexuality from a Christian perspective in his newest book, WORLD LEADERS and HOMOSEXUALITY LEGALISATION.He has left nothing to the imagination. Fact for fact, Maxwell has painstakingly defined all major words pertaining to homosexuality with open and honest description. Maxwell is well educated and trained to addresses major “social issues” with thorough analysis of all the aspects relating to gay and lesbianism. I feel he has done a respectful job in reviewing this “social phenomenon” as to not offend anyone. Even though this book is a short read, it is filled with valuable information including the history on the issues of homosexuality from the ancient times to present. Homosexuality will continue to be a divisive issue worldwide for many years to come. Regardless of your denomination, religious orientation or affiliation, all the author’s inspirational books will help you, the reader to be enlightened to the “social issues” facing the world today. I do recommend this book for anyone needing guidance in today’s chaotic world. July 15, 2014 at 12:51 pm Why there is so much fuss around? The very first book of the most ancient records says “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” He created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve after all. So since the beginning of times it was wrong. And suddenly it becomes right….at least for some. LGBT people should have all rights in the world, but defining the word “marriage” as something new is wrong. Marriage has always been man and woman, no exceptions. If a person considers himself or herself gay and don’t want to change it, they can always have civil unions and whatever else you call it. But let me tell you that being gay or lesbian is not just a sexual orientation, it is disgraceful and twisted lifestyle to satisfy their fleshly appetites. Usually gays are involved in all kinds of shameful acts such as changing partners all the time, going to gay clubs where there is so much filth and doing many other acts. How do I know it? Well my very close relative is gay, so I happen to hear and see a lot. I think instead of legalizing same-sex marriage, countries should be investing in counselors who can help LGBT people to get rid of this curse so that they can enjoy normal relationships, have families, kids, grandkids, relatives. and have normal lifestyle in general. But instead media tells them it’s ok, yet they don’t have anyone after forties, just parents and relatives who rejected them. July 16, 2014 at 6:23 am Despite all the comments to the contrary, people continue to use ancient stories written by biased and greedy men, translated through many languages by biased and greedy men, to condemn people different than themselves. People were murdered for believing the earth was round in the name of that book. People were enslaved with justification by that book. Women were considered less than a donkey as property by that book. Original Hebrew words were translated incorrectly to Greek, to Latin, to English. Check Hope Remains website; written by Christians, it will discuss the original Hebrew words used and the mistakes made in translation and understanding. And those Hebrew words were probably also translations from now-extinct languages. Yet still today, words of ancient men are used to imprison, torture, and kill fellow human beings. How long will it take until people can think for themselves and realize there is more to each of us than what is listed in an ancient book? That is a book of stories to explain things they did not understand. Do you really want to return to the all the laws listed in that book??? July 16, 2014 at 10:59 am My “family” consists of people who actually want to care about me, rather than those who feel “obligated” to care about me. And I have plenty of people after I turned 40, and my parents and relatives did not reject me or my husband of 13 years, and we lead a normal suburban life, kind and considerate to our neighbors, family, and friends. I never had the desire to procreate offspring into this demented world. My sister had enough children. Please, keep your judgements of my life to yourself; I make none regarding yours. Homosexuality is a hot debatable social issue in America, Europe and other parts of the world. There are pressures on world leaders by some personalities and other people to legalise homosexuality. Some countries such as America and other parts of Europe and Africa have legalised it. Religious leaders, some Christian churches and some individual pastors have also accepted the Homosexual rights. A Church like Catholics, Anglicans and some Pentecostal and charismatic churches has also accepted the HOMOSEXUAL marriage. They make reference from the Bible ‘THAT SHALL NOT JUDGE’. Everybody is entitled to his or her right. To those who are against the acceptance of HOMOSEXUALITY marriage by world leaders are debating that it is immoral, deviant and abnormal. The questions that people need to analyse them very well are: 1. Is the Bible really clear on Homosexual marriage? 2. Are all religious and Christian teachings clear on the issue of HOMOSEXUALITY? 3. Are we perfect enough to judge others of their choice of lifestyle? 4. Why so much noise on HOMOSEXUALITY but not drugs abuse, abortion, arm robbery, and others? 5. Are there biological, physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, religious, and ethical benefits of HOMOSEXUALITY or not? 6. Are some of the world leaders involved in the HOMOSEXUALITY act? These are some of the questions that needs psychological, physical, emotional, mental, religious, social, ethical, and region interrogation. It needs very deep analyses before one can make a judgement. 1. No, due to mistakes and bias in translations and original writings. 2. No, due to individual interpretations of the original or translated writings. 3. Never, that is for the power greater than us; the mysteries of the universe we call God. 4. Because those against it are the most vocal and it brings in lots of money; gays remained quiet for thousands of years. The vociferousness of those against black equality were equally loud when blacks started wanting rights. The speech against women’s equality was probably also loud. But, now, we have the internet, where anyone can say anything and sometimes remain anonymous. 5. Yes; female relatives of gay men have more children on average; see link posted above. And maybe not a single gene, but how some genes interact. Plus, I think world population is already straining the planet’s resources. Do we need 3.5 million more men producing children? How many people do you want on this planet? 20 billion? 50 billion? 6. Some, maybe, but who cares? The loudest objections often come from those most repressive of themselves. These are just some things to consider before condemning, imprisoning, torturing, or killing fellow human beings. If all gays were removed from the human population at birth, there might have been no Sistine Chapel, no 1812 Overture, no Rhapsody in Blue, no end of slavery in the U.S.A., no democracy. Remember, the Roman Empire ended AFTER the adoption of early Christianity; it grew and survived for a few thousand years prior to Constantine. There night have been no Greek Empire (Alexander the Great), which brought a great deal of mathematics, arts and entertainment, government, communication. But, again, just my opinions. I don’t condemn others for their biological, social, or educational backgrounds; we need to learn from each other so we as the human race survive, before we destroy others and ourselves through unwarranted judgment and hatred, all based on ancient beliefs and superstitions and myths. August 5, 2014 at 1:41 am Its such an obvious topic you don’t even need all this detail, no one should ever force another person to abandon their sexual preferences by law or any other way, as long as its consenting and not out in everyone’s face (no different then straight people) then there is no reasonable point anyone can make to justify getting into other peoples business, its not hurting anyone or anything, its like banning people looking at the stars, more then the moon, its silly. Oh and for the topic of God, well not everyone worships God or a religion and if they did and it was counter to being gay, that once again is their own business and to force someone else to follow another persons religious beliefs to me is offensive, what if we created a gay religion where if someone is gay they have to express their sexuality in privet? see how silly it all is? Personally judging anyone because they don’t like the opposite sex (and can’t help it either to add and its not a disorder) is VERY WRONG! Its plain and simple, the people who back anything anti-gay have serious personal issues and messed up beliefs, personally i use it as a filter to keep close minded idiots out of my life and no im not gay! Thank you i hope you enjoyed this, also if you want, if you like this you can use it as you see fit! August 4, 2014 at 5:47 pm This isn’t in response to any of the other comments. All I mean to say is in reply to the paragraph written above, “The total would actually be 82 countries if you were to include Russia, which does not have a law against homosexual acts but is in the midst of an anti-gay crackdown on the basis of its new law against “gay propaganda.”” This law does not outlaw homosexuality, nor does it damage the rights of homosexuals in any way. This law simply bans [and I quote from an English translation here], “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” among minors. As well as this it bans the distribution of content that “may elicit fear, horror, or panic in children” Among minors this includes pornography and “materials that glorify violence, unlawful activities, substance abuse, or self-harm.” An amendment to the law passed in 2012 instituted a mandatory content rating system for material distributed through an “information and telecommunication network” (covering television and the internet), and established a blacklist for censoring websites which glorify drug abuse or suicide, or contain child pornography Violation of this law can lead to a fine or even some jail time. It was unfair and ignorant above where you suggested the inclusion of Russia to a list of countries outlawing homosexuality. This simply demonises Russia for passing a law, similar to those which exist in Western countries that basically outlaws the distribution of homosexual pornography as well as certain other materials listed above, among minors. In America if you were found to be giving homosexual pornography to a minor, you could easily find yourself as a registered sex offender. This would also be the case in other Western countries such as the U.K. and Ireland. I ask you to remove this paragraph as it serves for nothing more than to suggest Russia has employed discriminatory laws against homosexuals which it has not. In case you would reply to this comment, writing that you suggested nothing of the sort, this is not truly the case. Though you only said “if you were to include Russia”, this still suggests an opinion one might otherwise not form, as well as being unnecessary to the rest of this otherwise informative page. Thank you for reading my complaint and please remove this harmful comment. August 5, 2014 at 11:11 am The Russian law is being enforced in cases NOT involving pornography. It is being used to suppress what we in the US call free speech regarding human rights to exist and live a truthful life. No one should approve of the distribution of pornography to minors, homosexual or heterosexual. We do not approve of that here in the US. I fully stand by my statement in response to your original comment, and appreciate the freedom the hosts of this website have permitted in comments from BOTH sides of the story. Never should civil discussion be censored. NEVER! August 5, 2014 at 1:31 am We all know gay people just as anyone else deserves to have the freedom to be or do anything sexually with another consenting person, there is no reason what so ever that anyone should invade another persons privacy or judge another person for being straight, gay or anywhere around that area, its just no ones business but their own. This is all about control and its very wrong, some people say its about God, well forcing other people to obey someone elses religion or point of view on God like this is absolutely wrong, anyone can have an opinion but when that opinion and religious belief is forced on other people…. even children know this is wrong. FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia#cite_ref-wsjpropagandabill_58-0 Human rights observers, LGBT activists, and international media disputed its stated purpose of protecting children, and traditional family values, criticizing the law for being a de facto criminalization of LGBT culture, as well as the efforts for LGBT rights, with some noting that even displaying LGBT symbols in public was made illegal by this legislation, which subsequent arrests bore out.[8] They also reported a surge in anti-LGBT rhetoric, violence, and hate crimes, many of which using the law as justification.[9][10][11][12][13] A number of LGBT rights protesters have also been arrested under the law[14][15] 8 Elder, Miriam (11 June 2013). “Russia passes law banning gay ‘propaganda'”. The Guardian. 9 Luhn, Alec (1 September 2013). “Russian anti-gay law prompts rise in homophobic violence”. The Guardian. 10 Weaver, Courtney (16 August 2013). “Russia gay propaganda law fuels homophobic attacks”. Financial Times. 11 “Russian Neo-Nazis Allegedly Lure, Torture Gay Teens With Online Dating Scam”. Huffington Post. 7 August 2013. 12 “Gay teenager kidnapped and tortured by Russian homophobes claimed to have died from injuries”. Pink News. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013. 13 Gay hunting season in Russia: Shocking documentary everyone should see 14 “Sochi 2014: Vladimir Luxuria arrested for holding ‘Gay is OK’ banner”. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2014. 15 “Sochi activist arrested for pro-gay chant”. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 February 2014. Critics say that the statute is written so broadly that it is in effect a complete ban on the gay rights movement and any public expression of LGBT culture.[25][56][62] In July 2013, four Dutch tourists were arrested for allegedly discussing gay rights with Russian youths. The four were arrested for allegedly spreading “propaganda of nontraditional relationships among the under-aged” after talking to teens at a camp in the northern city of Murmansk.[70] 25 Herszenhorn, David M. (11 August 2013). “Gays in Russia find no haven, despite support from the West”. New York Times. 56 Alpert, Lukas I. (11 June 2013). “Russia passes bill banning gay ‘propaganda'”. Wall Street Journal. 62 “Q&A: Gay rights in Russia”. BBC News. 13 August 2013. 70 “Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws: How a Dutch Activist Got Caught in the Crosshairs”. Time (magazine). 5 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013. August 11, 2014 at 1:27 pm At the moment, we’re facing a huge population crisis. Reproduction isn’t favourable right now – of course, it should still happen, but at a much slower, lesser rate than it is. Therefore, this argument carries no weight at the present time. Also, the idea that bestiality is the same as homosexuality is a stupid argument. The love and love-making between two same-sex people is (usually) consensual. A dog cannot give consent, as they can’t achieve a higher consciousness such as humans can; they can’t think on the level we do. How is a person having sex with a dog the same as two people having sex with each other, regardless if they are same-sex or not? P.S. – A woman does not give birth every time she has sex. That in mind, I suppose you’re against contraception as well? August 12, 2014 at 6:17 am So, the only thing you can think about happening in a same-gender relationship is sexual intercourse? Is that the only thing you think about when considering an opposite-gender relationship? Is the only reason you married your wife – if you are married – is to have sex and create children? If not married, do you only think about sexual intercourse when you see a woman? So, when you see your dog, all you think about is sexual intercourse with your dog? In other words, all sterile persons must remain unmarried, older women beyond menopause should be prohibited from marrying again, all women who do not WANT children must remain single or get treatment? All couples who do not have children must divorce? But divorce is the primary threat to matrimony? So women must prove that they both can have and want children prior to getting married? Do they sign an affidavit saying so? And if they end up not having children after matrimony, then they are to be put to death? I don’t understand that inane argument when there is so much more to a relationship between two CONSENTING ADULTS than sexual intercourse. And why do you people focus on sex SO much? We don’t, not ours or yours! August 11, 2014 at 2:34 pm “”Also, the idea that bestiality is the same as homosexuality is a stupid argument””. Young person !!! May i suggest to you that you learn to read, before calling people “stupid” The only comparison I make between homosexuals and bestiliality is that one is criminalized and the other is not,.in my country. Obviously homosexuality and beastiliality are two totally different beasts. RE: contraception. It brakes no Natural law and so i do not consider it detrimental to the human race. RE: ‘Population crisis’ I concur the Earth would benefit greatly by halving it’s population and I know which half should be extinguished !!! Goodbye young person :) August 11, 2014 at 2:44 pm Might I suggest you learn to spell and use punctuation marks when you insult my reading skills? Of course it BREAKS natural law – there should be no sex unless it has the POTENTIAL to create children, according to natural law, which follows that everything show follow God’s SPECIFIC design for it. Therefore; animals should not have sex with humans, nor should humans have sex with someone of their own gender, nor should a man have anal sex or receive oral sex, as it does not have the potential to create offspring. According to the people and its fundamentalist followers. I don’t see your argument for why homosexuality should be illegal, then, if you in your argument do compare it to beastiality, and then contradict yourself by saying they’re two entirely different things. Detrimental to the human race; the only detriment to the human race is narrow-mindedness that refuses to widen itself so that we might grow and advance as a society. So, yes, you’re right – the half that choose to repress and shun people who are different to them and do not fit their idea of an ‘ideal society’ should be removed from the gene pool and given their Darwin Awards. August 27, 2014 at 6:22 pm Hmmm….Gay rights activist are championing their cause,they fight against discrimination…but actually do the same.Everyone has a right to their believes.Feel free to be Gay(that’s reaLly no business of mine) but DO NOT force gay rights down our throats! We DO NOT have to like it or support it..we might tolerate it….but We can’t be forced to accept it FREEDOM is what is been clamoured for right? Then let any country that so wishes enact and enforce Anti-gay Laws!! The Customs,traditions,way of life of a people form a part of their Laws(as long as it not repugnant to NATURAL justice) and it is Alien to the people of those countries to see or permit or allow people of the same sex ‘relate’. So as Gay Rights activist clamor for freedom….same should be given to countries and people that are anti-gay!…You cannot FORCE acceptance down our throats! August 29, 2014 at 6:13 am What I find interesting is that these countries and people who yell for freedom to do as they wish to gays, saying they are free to do what they want to anyone in their country, are only playing up the old colonial powers which conquered them and used their resources. Every country highlighted on the map was a COLONY of a European country, conquered hundreds of years ago before modern science and conscience. And, for the most part, prior to that colonization hundreds of years ago, homosexuality was NOT considered so abhorrent as it is now with the evangelical Christians, radical Muslims, etc. with their religious fervor to line their pocketbooks. If anything, these countries should be ranting and raving about being colonized again by these religious zealots who move from place to place to make more money, when they realize they can no longer convince people in other places to codify their personal beliefs. Large sums of money are made by convincing people to hate, imprison, torture, and kill others. YOU should not FORCE your beliefs down our throats when you base your beliefs on ancient COLONIAL laws from the uninformed past conquerors and modern panderers of ancient stories and myths. Think for yourselves, consider science, help your children, and LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. Judge not, lest ye be judged. January 24, 2015 at 5:17 pm Your ignorance is astounding. People are allowed to be together; barring them is barring Free Will, and barring a small group of people from doing anything not detrimental to us is ridiculous and immoral. “BUT IF EVERYONE TURNED GAY, WE WOULD BE EXTINCT” – Is everyone going to turn gay? Has everyone turned into a woman since they got more rights? No? That beats away that option, then. “GAY IS WRONG BECAUSE BIBLE” – The Bible has been proven to be inaccurate several times, made more to represent an understanding of God for something we cannot conceptualise. And that’s if it’s true. “GAY IS SEXUALLY DEVIANT” – Not unless you’re constantly thinking about gay men and women sleeping with each other out on the streets, and I particularly don’t see that. A lot of PDA between young couples, true for gay and straight, but not much else. September 28, 2014 at 6:27 pm OK I’m a white, christian, politically independent, woman. Homosexuality is wrong but that is MY opinion. But denying someone basic rights is also wrong! To my gay friends not every christian is like that. The ones who are that way are not Christians don’t think they are. Also who u sleep with doesn’t effect me at all so why is it a big deal about marriage idk. But you cannot force someone to do something for your weddings if they don’t want to. Its there religious freedom to say no. Just go somewhere else. And if it is natural like you say why teach it in schools? They will learn on there own when they are ready. And to people who hate these gay people your no better. Jesus died for everyone no matter the sin. Wrong is wrong and right is right but also God is a big God who is bigger then sin. You have every right to disagree but no right to say they are going to hell and calling them names. September 29, 2014 at 12:49 pm Christians, that are true think in the likeness of our father. God, himself condemns homosexuality and he is not nice about what he says. Homosexuality is not normal and children are affected by it when they see what they think is normal. If you to a child on an island male and one female and they were the only people there, when they came of pubescent age they would have sex. If it were 2 males same thing and females same thing. Homosexuality is not inbred it’s learned behavior predicated upon outside influence and social upbringing. We don’t hate the sinner we hate the sin. I have a right to enjoy life and raise my child in an environment that is free from negative influence. That includes, drugs,alcohol, loud music,and sexual deviant behavior. Sexual deviant behavior is behavior that is outside the normal definition of sex. Sodomy, pesiphilia,beastiality,necrophilia,rape,BDSM are outside normal sex. Gays have the right to stay within their house stop being so flamboyant and protesting for a right that God granted a “man and woman “. The right to have your anus invaded is your right, butbI don’t wanna know about it and I don’t want to be told, nor will I ask. That is your soul going to hell. October 23, 2014 at 11:28 am Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is a choice- as is being “straight”, if someone is attracted to the same gender, both genders, the opposite gender or to no gender than that is their choice, and they should have the freedom to have that choice. All people should also have the choice to have their own opinion(article 19 of Human rights)- it is a human right as is a right to marriage and family (article 16). I am black/white afro Caribbean british, most people assume im white because my mum and sister are, and they are surprised when they find out that I have a black twin- I am truly gifted to be able to say that me and my brother share a genetic bond and that we are in fact related, my father is black and my mother is white therefore my brother and I are mixed-race. My sister is naturally strawberry-blonde as her father is Irish and has red hair. I have grown up believing that equality is important- NEVER have I expected to be treated than my brother because I am whit, never have I expected to be treated over my sister because she is a “red-head” never have I expected to be treated over my cousin who is bisexual or my uncle who is gay- I have been gifted with an amazing family who all have a range of beliefs and colours and sexualities and yet we are still a family, we all get along no one is treated better by anyone else. that is called LOVE. Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, black, white, transgender, heterosexual, Rastafarian, Christian, Muslim, Jewish or having any other type of fait/belief/sexual preference is a choice-its and opinion and you have a right to express that opinion. Homophobia is discrimination against people with a different sexual orientation to the “majority”. I completely disagree against discrimination against gender, against race, against religion and against sexuality- if I have a preference for girls that is my opinion it doesn’t hurt you, if I have a sexual preference for boys that’s my opinion not yours. All humans have a right to marrying the person they love (article 16) it doesn’t matter what gender, its a right that all people have. Some people will disagree and say that their religion forbids same-sex marriage- that is their choice, they don’t have to get married to someone of the same sex if they want to, why make it a crime to sin? people sin all the time – Adultery, theft (no matter how small or petty), jealousy, greed, etc. and are they punished? not all the time. If it is forbidden in their religion then don’t they go to hell, or are persecuted in their next life, or there is some sort of repercussion? It is not upto the human race to persecute those who a select group believe are sinning, that is upto whatever greater power you believe in. Obviously not everyone will agree and they are free to express their opinion however there is a difference between opinion and abuse know that difference learn that difference and don’t be that difference, feel free to express your opinion but do not harm someone or abuse someone because of their opinion. you have a right to an opinion so do they. I am 14, I believe in equality for everyone, I agree with same sex marriage, I agree that women should be paid the same wage as their male counterpart, I believe that no person should live in fear of discrimination, I believe that some people will never change, I believe that we can make this world better, but only if everyone makes an effort and everyone compromises. Make an effort, help create a world where discrimination is a problem in the past, where your kids or your kids kids, will be able to grow up and be themselves- you don’t have to agree with everyone or love everyone you meet you just have to believe in the best for everyone. October 25, 2014 at 5:22 pm Wow, in reading all these posts it is interesting to see the degree of ignorance that is prevalent in individuals from, supposedly, first world countries. Your fear of difference is overwhelming. This is not 1890 and we do not live in isolated communities far from education and enlightenment. All the haters need to stop, think and take a little read of world history because at some point in history someone in your family was hated, ill-treated, denied basic rights just because of who they where. You can hate and rant as much as you want – but this is social progress – this is how it gets done people standing up against the ignorance and fear of poorly educated masses and the bullying of those who need to have a whipping boy to feel superior. my last comment is specifically to the individual who said “Gay” is a choice, like straight is a choice. I think not but maybe you live in a different world than mine. October 26, 2014 at 6:45 am The next thing you know peodphiles will tell us they were born like that. Some people are born evil I suppose. Seems like these gays were born with a problem that they want everyone to fall in line with. It’s disgusting to make out like gays are in the same boat as the those that are mistreated. It is wrong to be gay. It is not wrong to be African or Jewish for an example but it is wrong for same sex couple to flaunt their sexuality. I want normal kids not kids that think it is right to be gay or at least normal. It it abnormal and should be stamped out. Go and be gay on some little gay island away from those that detest you. October 30, 2014 at 3:26 pm Colin, I think you are lost in your own Stupidity You quote Christian Bible scriptures to support your beliefs but I can tell for sure you do not believe the Christian Bible. Why did Jehovah destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Those cities had done just what you are purposing, they let them go against logic and take over. But Jehovah didn’t accept them and didn’t turn the other cheek, He killed them. The Bible says that men that lie with other men should be stoned to Death! What you are preaching is coming straight out of Satan’s handbook! In the book of Revelations it states, men that lie with men, will not enter the Kingdom Of God! You are making your choice today to stand against your Creator, I am not judging you are any other Gay, but lets see if you lustful people can persuade Jehovah to accept your filthy way of life based on LUST, not love. October 30, 2014 at 4:11 pm Your Bible speaks of women being used as nothing more than domestic appliances and baby-canons, people being owned as slaves, and contradictions in itself too plentiful in number to be noted down. If you follow this one thing, follow all of it. Give up everything you own, aside from essentials. Plasma screen televisions and your luxuries. God promotes a humble life. Speak to God for every decision you make, moral or otherwise, and follow the Bible to the letter – that is, no anal, oral, or any other sex with your wife/husband that has little to no chance of producing offspring. And when you have those children, raise them to be devout; marry off the girls as soon as they are able to carry a child (puberty) and make sure the boys are religious, and have their eyes set on a family as soon as they see a woman. November 1, 2014 at 7:09 pm If you want to bring back laws against Homosexuality, then lets bring back slavery, and take away women’s rights, and the rest. The Homosexuals have no choice on who they are. Anymore than a straight person has. We don’t know how many Gay people are in the World as most still keep it quiet. If you want to follow the Bible to the letter, then people should not eat Clams. People pick and chose what parts of the Bible they will follow. Few people know the history. At one time the Catholic Church performed Same Sex Marriages.Do you think Jesus would stone a Gay Person? I really doubt it. We are are all made in God’s Image. Even Gay people. They should have the same protection and rights under the law. Thank goodness, the laws are changing in the U.S. Europe has been way ahead of the U.S. for years. For the record, I am a Christian, a Methodist. We believe is love an respect for all humans. November 8, 2014 at 12:26 am I am from zimbabwe. Homosexuality is illegal here. Its the law, we live by it and we respect it. We are not going to come to America and try to convince you to change your laws too. If you believe that a man should put his penis in another men’ s anus, hey, by all means do it. We wont judge but here, its illegal. It was not there before colonialists came in my tribe, I am Ndebele, break away from the Zulu kingdom of South Africa. If you want to boycott coming to our country, go ahead, we wont lose any sleep over it. No one kills homos here, it has never happened in my country, EVER! if you are caught, in between the thorough beatings @the hands of the police and jail time, you will have a change of heart. It may not sound fair to you colin because you are a homo but its the law HERE which must not be broken. Its that simple. Like i said it may not be fair to you but hey, the world is not a fair place, ask afghanistans who had their country torn down by America because of primarily one man’s actions. Was that fair? I think not. But it happened anyway and no one dares to speak up too many times because they fear America. Someone mentioned that its because we are uneducated and that is why we outlaw homos. FYI, i went to Cambridge University where i graduated top of my class among local white students, so that school of thought is invalid. People in my country are very educated actually. If he meant we are uneducated in our knowledge and understanding of homos then im sorry to say we are okay with what we have already, thanks. There was the issue of people who were saying God and the Bible are not valid. Tell me this then, why does everyone in government use the Bible to be sworn into office? They use the line ‘so help me God’. And colin, you never addressed those type of comments because they were said by your fellow homos. I know you will probably say the topic is the 76countries, but i believe the reason why homosexuality is outlawed in those countries primarily because of religious reasons. You seem to believe there is a God. You counter every Christian who believes homosexuality to be wrong with a scripture of your own(no matter how wrong your interpretetions, but hey, your point of view right?) and you used to sign out ‘blessings’. Or maybe you were just mocking christians? But homos can say what they want about God and you dont respond to say, ‘gays, lets not insult other people’ s beliefs. Hateful speech from heterosexuals you respond to it by expressing your pity. Why not your fellow homos? You claim one is born a homo right? Well, here it doesnt matter if you are born gay or acquire it, its illegal! If you do it, the law enforcers of this countrt will tame you. Just ask simon mann the mecenary about zimbabwean prison. Stick to the laws of our land and all will be well. I personally do not hate homos, i just believe some things should never be allowed or encouraged because they are spiritual. I never fight with the flesh because i know the real battle is in the spirit. I am only glad that in my country even young people see homosexuality as an American or European way of life that we should not even bother to try and emulate or follow. We will continue to abide by the laws that govern our country. And we say NO to homosexuality in our borders. You can have your man on man sex where ever you want colin. Just not within our borders. But the day of reckoning is coming. Believe that. November 9, 2014 at 5:20 pm Strange to think a supposed man of Cambridge would have such ridiculous thoughts. By all means, believe that gay people are an affront to The Lord, if so your interpretation follows through to that. But do not then go and completely ban gay people from being in love, or being together, when one of the most basic functions God gave us was Free Will. Do you think yourself mightier than God to bar the decisions that people make? Even if He had a problem with it, what does it matter to you, Mighty One, who has obviously never felt the compassion God does? That you would happily say the beating gets it out of them proves how disloyal you are to your own dogma. Police should never beat anyone unless they are a danger to those around them, and then only as a last resort. God has done nothing to warn us about the ‘threat’ that gay people pose. These natural disasters and outbreaks; they’re proven occurrences that happened long before Christianity became a mainstream religion. Outbreaks are the result of poor hygiene, and poor healthcare; most of which is not the ill’s fault. And Zimbabwe will too one day see the light and realise that gay behaviour is not a new thing. Before this religion, it was embraced in a great many cultures; Greece, for example. A Cambridge man who believes that people should be beaten for who they love signifies a slow year for Cambridge. November 11, 2014 at 7:08 am As editor/publisher of this blog, I allow vigorous debate within the comments section, including with distaste even some harsh, nasty comments such as the recent one from Gregor, who claims that he doesn’t “hate homos,” but speaks favorably of police beatings of LGBT people. I draw the line at comments that advocate killings. That said, I’ve noticed a small recent upsurge in comments, which I’ve blocked, from people who take a pro-Nazi, anti-gay position such as this: “We will never forgive the Satanic Jews, Homosexuals, Lezbians, bisexuals, Transgenders, Child Molisters, Arial Sharon and Satanic State of Isreal, Tony Blair, Bush’s . They are all the Walking Devils inside the Human Body whom belong underground not above ground taking advantage and corrupting the minds of the weak, innocent, young, poor human beings,regardless of race, color, age, creed, religion, or national orgin. Give the poison to kill themselves or light them up HITLER STYLE.” I hope that this upsurge is merely because a small group of hate-filled people have newly taken notice of this blog and not because such hate-filled people are becoming more active in the world. November 22, 2014 at 4:49 pm It saddens me that so many people search out sites and stories to spew their animosity towards our fellow human beings. That’s why I don’t visit and comment on these stories much any more. I prefer to deal with people who are caring, polite, and espouse the kindness that God offers to us all. I pray that all of you can someday realize that we are all one, we are all part of God, we all must care about each other and this planet on which we reside and for which we are responsible. November 24, 2014 at 5:55 pm I do believ same sex relations is sick. But thats for me.But I do have a stronger believe that as long as it doesn’t involve harming any one then people have a right to live their lives how ever they want and nobody has the right to tell any one on how to live their lives. If gays want to get married then what ever as long as their lifestyle isn’t forced on me then let them be. People have the right to be happy, and the word gay means happy, so let them be happy. No if they ever come up with a law saying I have to pay taxs to gay people then yeah fuck that. But I don’t see that happening. Come on people can’t we all just get along. :-) November 28, 2014 at 12:52 pm While most Homo propaganda tries to pull the wool over the eyes of the unsuspecting,and makes the claim “gay is not a choice,its something youre born with”..This fabricated lie is superceded by the Truth of what actually occurs.During the gender undifferentiated period of sexual development,usually during puberty,most people are attracted to the same sex to a varying degree.The mistake,the fatal life error is to act on this impulse.Instead of acting on this confused notion of attraction, and allowing lust to propel you towards same sex interaction,you resist.Sooner or later,a desireable person of the opposite sex will be there for every single person,male or female. .Cognitive therapy using orgasmic reorientation bears this out in real life.Any so called gay person can be rehabilitated back to the natural attraction and interactions based on this.It is only difficult to the degree the deviant homo bonding has instantiated itself in the person.Once,in the case of males,they recognize their error that the male rectum is not a valid gateway to love,but rather was biologically intended as a feces-stinking orifice for defaecating,they usually come to their senses and receive orgasmic reorientation therapy.It works every time,and they are thankful.No male is born homo,nor any female.The question is,are they aware of their desperate need for change from the unnatural to the natural??Until they are aware of this,all you can do is jail them…lol…I will be sending a hefty cash donation to every single country on this list to prevent any potential “recidivism”….lol…lol.Truly,no mercy for this error in puberty.And, as the great jamaican singer,buju bandon points out “boom,bye,bye in dee bahtty bwy head…..” November 29, 2014 at 3:49 am You have no evidence to back up any of the claims you make. Therapy doesn’t help to solve homosexuality. It’s been proven multiple times – watch a man named Doctor Christian’s ‘Cure Me I’m Gay.’ He not only went through the brutality that many other gay people went through in hoping for a cure, he came out the other side unchanged, not straight as so many would like to believe. If you want to imprison them, you realise that the prison population will go up tenfold? Your taxes will be used more and more, you’ll have to pay more, so essentially you will be paying for homosexuality; just the imprisonment of it, which is proven never to work. I’m sorry, but if you don’t see gay people as people, you’re an idiot. Alan Turing. Oscar Wilde. Perhaps William Shakespeare, if we go by hearsay. Leonardo da Vinci. A great host of doctors, police officers, mathematicians, scientists, craftsman, fashion designers, engineers and the like. Gay people are probably doing more in this world than you collectively, because they band together and, hopefully, don’t spread the bile you are. Now, you’re probably going to come back to me spewing that you’re in fact a world class engineer or a top rated scientist – seems everyone on your side of the argument does, doesn’t it? – but I won’t believe you anymore than I believe one of the above commenters came from Cambridge. You put spaces after punctuation before you start to write again. If you want to be taken seriously, ‘lol’ is not the way to do that. November 28, 2014 at 7:25 pm I would just like to point out that half of the individuals on this blog that are making nasty remarks about LGBTI’s are misspelling words and seem totally illiterate. Perhaps instead of disowning your own children and teaching yourself hatred, you should go to school and educate yourself. Perhaps take a Cultural Differences class? Yes God says in Leviticus that a man shall not lay with another man as he does with a women, but he also says that a man who saves the corners of his beard is a disgrace. Think about that. God also says that those who judged will be judged 10 x. The world wouldn’t be such a terrible place if people just learned to understand differences. For those of you who are disgusted by gay PDA, get over it. Any PDA is discomforting, it is only your ignorance and lack of true peace that makes LGBTI PDA more uncomfortable for you. Rodrigo Aguado not from USA says: December 6, 2014 at 11:07 am It is a sin to be a homosexual and a lesbian-the bible & Gods Laws state this truth–if nations abandon Gods truth & Laws-God abandons those nations– the USA is NO LONGER blessed by GOd nor is Canada or Britian these and others who defy Gods Laws now find themselves in bad weather storms & corruptions–nations that obey Gods Laws find persecution –isn’t it bizarre–how Russia-once officially atheist banning God now defends Gods Laws & is persecuted–while its opposite–the USA now defys Gods Laws & promotes sinful homosexual & lesbian “weddings”?? what is next? a movement to say its not a sin to steal–kill–rape-lie etc?? sin is sin regardless of your power as a nation–God will always punish the wicked & save the Blessed ones who keep Gods Laws–do not emulate the USA–emulate nations wherte Gods Laws are upheld December 11, 2014 at 1:31 pm Anyone who is anti-gay because of religious beliefs makes up the stupidest group of people in the entire world. You hide behind your God and what he “wrote” how long ago and rely on that misinterpreted information as a way to oppose all that does not conform to your conservative redneck views. You want your guns, your upper-middle class white suburban neighbourhoods and everyone around you to be exactly the same. There is so much hatred here for people that have done no wrong to you. In fact I think somewhere along the line most of the people here that write such negative comments maybe had some kind of personal brush with questioning their sexuality and are now afraid. What do people do when they are afraid? Lash out. If the amendments were not meant to be changed then why were they called amendments? If I recall correctly SLAVERY was in there at one point I bet you wish that one stuck too. Pathetic. The worst part is that those of you that grow up in these rich church-going families have the right to a proper education but are too stupid to think independently and realize that religion is not meant t be taken literally. There was no magic man in the sky walking on water it is about the message. You make it extremely difficult for any atheist to remove their hands from their eyes as you destroy this world with your judgement and negativity. Don’t worry about “Adam and Steve” because Adam and Eve weren’t real in the first place. If you find a talking snake please inform the authorities though, or give me some of what you took. Sincerely, one of the few straight people here that is not a complete idiot. December 11, 2014 at 2:54 pm And a man who will lie down with a male in a woman’s bed, both of them have made an abomination; dying they will be put to death, their blood is on them. This is the correct translation of Leviticus 20:13. It can be seen that, rather than forbidding male homosexuality, it simply forbids two males to lie down in a woman’s bed, for whatever reason. Culturally, a woman’s bed was her own. Other than the woman herself, only her husband was permitted in her bed, and there were even restrictions on when he was allowed in there. Any other use of her bed would have been considered defilement. Other verses in the Law will help clarify the acceptable use of the woman’s bed. (Lev. 15.) http://hoperemains.webs.com/leviticus2013.htm Written by men thousands of years ago when women were considered property, when it was thought men carried miniature humans in the testicles, which needed to be transferred to a woman’s womb to grow, and when the earth was thought to be flat. Written when some Jewish people lived among other cultures that didn’t want them around. Would be nice if people would realize we should have moved beyond these myths by now. January 15, 2015 at 8:25 am There is no treatment of it other than the acceptance that this is who they are and who they will forever be. I can’t tell you what makes a person gay, and the theory is yes, it is genetic. But not all genetic mutations are bad. Eye colour, hair colour, certain features and the like are all based off of mutations and do nothing but make a person appear a certain way. We mustn’t judge them for how they are born, but for how they act as a people and how they contribute to society. Homosexuality is normal. It may be a genetic mutation, or some other factor. However, there is no treatment, it is not a sickness, and all ‘treatments’ currently in use have been proven failures. A poster boy for ‘ex-gay’ therapy who claimed it cured him has recently come out as gay again and has said he must accept who he is. Many people have died because they haven’t reached the revelation this man did, and ashamed of themselves committed suicide. This ignorance that led to their deaths will not help us as a society. Morals aren’t declining due to our wish to accept homosexuals. They are enhancing themselves and shedding pointless stigmas. January 24, 2015 at 4:52 pm It is helpful. God may or may not exist – this is not the issue here. We know for a fact gay people do exist. But we keep them at arms’ length and vilify them for a creator we aren’t even sure is real. Homosexuality is not evil, nor is it detrimental to the world – realistically, not everyone is going to turn gay because we allow gay people, and not everyone is going to turn straight because we outlaw homosexuality. It’s one of the many things that diversify us as a people. Homosexuality, I believe, is no more as evil as you worshipping your religion how you see fit, so long as it’s not detrimental or harmful to the surrounding populace. Gay people can serve God in how they act. If they are reasonable, rational, kind and loving, than they deserve as much respect as a straight man. There is no more difference to them than their sexual preference. The unfortunate downside to it is that ignorance can abound for those who have no idea and who based what they do know on propaganda. These people, gay, straight, bisexual, and the like, are all people – and until they are directly harming others, we should have no quarrel with how they live their lives. I would much rather burn in Hell for accepting my fellows, than live by a God who ostracises a people HE created. December 27, 2014 at 1:34 pm It is possible. But you will have to sacrifice your right to free speech, your right to practice certain religions, and your right to drive, if I am right in thinking you’re a female. Christians are allowed to speak of their disdain for it, but treat homosexual people as people, and accept that they too deserve the rights that you so desperately cling to. Government and church must be separated now. It is the way. It is how we as people are going to develop and disregard all archaic practices that put us back. And trust me, dear; if we accept homosexuals and don’t start calling them filthy, disgusting perverts, you won’t have to worry if the man you date is gay, because the gay people will be able to go out with whomever they want and won’t have to hide who they are. January 3, 2015 at 6:50 am Like Concerned Young Person stated, there are many countries you can move to. Check the map above. Iran, Uganda, Sudan would welcome you with open arms, except if you disagree with other of their laws. Like being a Christian. If you can have freedom of speech in the US, why can’t we? Just understand that you speaking out against it is based on your chosen religious beliefs, religion is a choice and can be changed, yet is protected from governmental interference. Our lives are not protected. You cannot be fired in the US for being a Christian; we can be fired in most places just for being gay. Do you mean you want us also to be imprisoned, tortured, and killed for being gay? Yet you may rail against countries which do that to people who have chosen to be Christian? January 22, 2015 at 7:11 pm Thank you! My son is 12 and is very against the gay lifestyle but knows it is not his job to judge it but His job however the local school has ‘anti-bullying’ campaigns where they all must wear pink to support ‘anti-bullying’. He says “Mom, I can’t wear the pink but if I don’t I will be labeled a bully. Maybe I will wear purple. It’s not about bully’s mom, it’s about gays”. We live in rural Saskatchewan, Canada in the midst of Catholic haven. We moved here so we could love God without persecution (though we are not Catholic) and lo and behold it is here just as anywhere else in Canada. Canada the friendly? Oh no, Canada the puppy of the States. We want to move too. We are the persecuted, not them. The Gay agenda for the ultimate agenda……to keep us from God. January 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm I weep for your son. That he could believe such DRIVEL at his young age shows your failures as a parent to teach him to accept and love his fellow man – a basic theme in the Bible you claim to love. Gay people are not keeping you from God, but your own insane belief that they are is in fact keeping you from achieving that all-loving glow that He promises. Canada is being friendly, it’s being accepting, it’s being more Godly than you. Why should we have any power to dictate how people live their lives? Anti-bullying campaigns are about all walks of life – from the poor, to the rich, to the gay, to the straight, and all else around it. My sister is very young, and yet she is enriched by the wealth of people around her, because I do not tell her not to play with the boy who wears skirts, or the girls who wear overalls, those with dirt on their face and more. Protection of your children is for those who will harm them; gay people will do no such thing. I can only hope your son realises the error of his ways, and in doing so makes you realise them too. God is dead when people are more concerned with the genitalia of others’ partners whilst people are being slaughtered for their religion, ethnicity, sexuality and more that they cannot control. January 28, 2015 at 1:08 pm I am sorry that your son feels the way that he does. I feel even worse that he is subject to your influences. I hope he can see beyond the brainwashing you and others in society are providing, and think for himself some day. It is unfortunate that the only focus of these anti-bullying efforts he sees is for gays. My guess is he probably has not been bullied before. I was bullied, not for being gay, but for being a Northerner living in Atlanta, being a Catholic in a mostly Baptist part of Kentucky, for having a funny accent because I spoke like a Wisconsinite and not a hillbilly. There are many reasons that anti-bullying campaigns should be implemented. Many find that still okay to verbally and physically abuse someone because that person is thought to be gay. There “should” be no reason for children to bully each other. Fun can be had without being mean. Many kids seem to be taught that being mean is fun, to watch someone else suffer, to make others feel less worthy than yourself. Personally, I don’t find that enjoyable at all. January 14, 2015 at 11:05 am I am on a Demographic/Anthropological study that looks at dynamic trends in World civilization. Since 1991 I have traveled to Russia to review Stalin’s files on Leon Trotsky who advocated ‘Free Love” of any kind including pedophilia and homosexuality. Stalin on the other hand saw that the Communists would lose their grip on power, being viewed as Jewish Bolshevik child molesters. Hence Stalin told his henchman to, ” get rid of that libertine Jew Trotsky before we are all thrown out as pedophiles!” I know i have simplified the facts but I am on the mark based on the archives of the 1924-27 era. This why Russia sees us as going down a faggy/child molester Trotsky road. They do not want any part of it. Also why the Muslims will do the west in eventually. January 15, 2015 at 8:19 am Extremists will not do in the west eventually. This is the way of the world, and currently we’re in the most peaceful era in recorded human history. It’s no wonder that people are starting to accept things which truly don’t matter. There will always be extremists, there will always be those who try to say that gay people shouldn’t be legal and make ignorant comparisons to pedophilia with it. Muslims are not the problem, nor are gay people, nor are any other factors that don’t include this; active hate and ignorance made prevalent through generations of misguidance. January 28, 2015 at 1:15 pm That truly has to be one of the stupidest exaggerations I have ever read. Concerned Young Person is absolutely right; that is an extremely absurd comment. Besides, religion – not spirituality – is truly the epitome of brainwashing, yet religion is protected. You cannot be fired for your religious beliefs in the USA; you cannot be denied service at a store or restaurant because of your religious beliefs in the USA; you cannot be denied housing because of your religious belief in the USA. All of those can be denied to someone who is gay in most areas of the USA. Is that what your “Creator” intended, when the phrase “love thy neighbor” was attributed to someone called Jesus? January 30, 2015 at 3:09 pm Normal birth happens and produces a child that when formed in the womb of the female came out with the apparatus to reproduce themselves. Normally the child is labeled a male or female by peeking inside their diaper. No doctor ever called or labeled a newborn child an electrician, a contractor, a baker, a butcher, or a candlestick maker etc. – if they had a normal birth they were labeled male or female. Question for all educated citizens – How did that baby child become an electrician? How did that baby child become a farmer? How did that baby child become a gay? How did that baby child become a lawyer? How did that baby child become a murderer? It seems to me that gay is not what you ARE it’s what you do. Same for a plumber. I’m not a plumber it’s what I do. I was not born an airline pilot – it’s what I developed an interest in as I was maturing then I went to school and earned by credentials to fly. Hello is anybody home? Has western civilization lost it’s ability to “connect-the-dots? January 30, 2015 at 4:18 pm From what I’ve heard of recent studies, there is a genetic element to being born homosexual. There is no conclusive proof yet, as far as I am aware. However, if a baby is born, the gender is evident – they have immature sexual organs that will develop more in puberty. Yet SEXUALITY does not develop until puberty, when they become interested in other people’s sexual organs. Being gay is something that you are, just as heterosexual is something you are. A baby is born as that; a new human, a new slate, a new life. Yet there are aspects to them which are set in stone with their genes, and other aspects which develop, such as the interest in certain jobs and hobbies. Sexuality has nothing to do with it. It is not a job, it is not a hobby. It is a person’s preference for one gender or another, and it cannot be determined at birth, both because there are no physical signs of it, and because it does not develop until later on. I am not a doctor, but from what I’ve heard and read, that’s my conclusion. February 16, 2015 at 12:17 pm There is absolutely no reason not to allow gay people to be who they are. We are a population too large to sustain ourselves, as well as the fact that no amount of ‘healing’ has worked; and no amount of healing shall ever work. These people are who they are – I have a gay friend who was raised in a completely loving family unit, and he’s still gay. There’s no scientific research to say that gay people can be ‘cured’ because there is nothing to cure, except for backwards, ridiculous thinking that has us all still in some cesspit of not accepting one another. February 16, 2015 at 10:35 am This type of thinking is the direct result of allowing a condition to “fester” which saddens many professionals who are now legally denied the possibility of treatment of such condition. Realistically speaking/writing..no one is born to BE anything. If you had a normal birth, according to nature – you were born with a penis or a vagina – period. After you are born a nurturing and caring person helped you to grow and develop as you learned the ropes of life. Then with your exposure to various ideas in society and the educational process, you began to BECOME a plumber, an airline pilot, a carpenter, a gay person, a lawyer, etc. For those with eyes – let them see. If you have ears to hear – then listen. There’s still time left in your life or anyone else who thinks this way to be healed from this condition. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE. This is about the survival of mankind/animals on this planet. (Animals are doing well in spite of the poachers!) February 6, 2015 at 8:06 am Calling other nations names (poor, ignorant, bastards) just because they don’t agree with you on an issue is very immature. You say they are”under educated” fine you have a point, educate them, convince them to accept it rather than calling them this barbaric names. You want someone to accept an acts and you’re imposing it on them. I’m not for it but I dont care what you do with your life. If it right to be gay why are you fighting for it to be legal. If its natural like a man and a woman getting married, or human consuming vegetables, fruits and meat. Why are you forcing the so called “poor and under educated” nations into accepting it. Once again I dont care what you do with your life. PS. February 6, 2015 at 12:56 pm Maybe some people describe those countries that way because they show a complete lack of compassion for their fellow human beings in the modern world. The US did the same thing less than 50 years ago. We just wish to express that we do not approve of imprisoning, torturing, or killing people who are our brothers and sisters on this planet. And that is the objection many of us wish to express here. Sometimes people use harsh words to get their points across, but it comes from both sides. It is very difficult to remain civil when your opponent is constantly vicious. We are human, after all; we’re not all perfect either. February 17, 2015 at 3:22 pm Such a strict dichotomy is a sad way to look at the beauty of diversity in this physical world. I suppose you see only day and night, based on your analyses. But what about dusk, when the sun is below the horizon, yet there is still light in the sky? What about dawn, when the sun is not above the horizon yet, but light is in the sky? What about above the Arctic Circle in June, July, and August, when the sun is still in the sky even at midnight? Or below the Antarctic Circle, when the same occurs in December, January, and February. Is it day only? No, it is still considered to be night, but the wonders of diversity in this world is not a “CONDITION” that needs to be cured! The same is true of the wonderful diversity that makes up the over 7 billion individuals which make up the human species. I am a male; I am gay. I never made your “claim” that I am anything other than physically male. But the physical body I inhabit is not the only thing that defines my role in this world. That physical body was defined for my by the combination of the DNA from my mother and my father, as well as many other aspects of me, like my eyes, my hair, my brain, my chemical compositions and interactions. And I don’t want “protected rights”; I want equal rights to live a pleasant life, given my rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, many people want to deny those rights, yet obtain special consideration of their rights based on their chosen religious beliefs. Religion is a choice! February 17, 2015 at 11:19 am All concerned and interested parties should take a field trip to your local maternity ward. How we soon forget or ignore our past. Lying there in soft blankets are little bundles of life – the apple of their parents eye. Every last one of those little bundles of joy are either MALE OR FEMALE. The doctor knows by peeking inside the diaper. After you grow up and become whatever, check out the statistics compiled at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and see how same-sex activity compares with normal (male-female) activity. There’s still hope for those who are alive. The Creator is longsuffering. February 17, 2015 at 4:32 pm The maternity ward will not show anything other than babies, ignorant of sexuality, and without sexuality. They have gender and immature sexual organs, but no sexuality. A male can love a male, a female can love a female, and even doctors, leading experts in genetics and people who know a far greater deal than you, who forms opinions on books written before they even knew germs existed, are saying that this is not something that can be cured, nor should it be. Based on evidence, there are no people, or at least very, very few people who are most likely lying, that say they have been cured from homosexuality. February 18, 2015 at 7:06 am Regardless of the causes of homosexuality, your focus on the dichotomy of physical genders, and your insistence on ancient texts, is it your belief than homosexuals should be imprisoned, tortured, or killed simply for being – or as you phrase it “claiming to be” – homosexual? I must reiterate that by being a homosexual, a person does not say that person is not the gender with which they were born. I am a male. I am gay. By saying I am gay, I am not saying I am female despite being born a male. I am male. I am gay. They are not opposites. They both are part of who I am, what I am, and what I can do as a consenting adult physical human, as well as many other parts of my life determine my life. Your physical existence, your chemical composition and interaction, your environment make up who you are, what you are, and what actions you take. February 17, 2015 at 6:54 pm Why are people gay? The question of how homosexual orientation originates has been the subject of much press, with the general impression being promoted that homosexuality is largely a matter of genes, rather than environmental factors. However, if one examines the scientific literature, one finds that it’s not quite as clear as the news bytes would suggest. The early studies that reported differences in the brains of homosexuals were complicated by HIV infection and were not substantiated by larger, better controlled studies. Numerous studies reported that possible hormonal differences affected homosexual orientation. However, these studies were often directly contradictory, and never actually measured any hormone levels, but just used proxies for hormonal influences, without direct evidence that the proxies were actually indicative of true hormone levels or imbalances. Twin studies showed that there likely are genetic influences for homosexuality, although similar studies have shown some genetic influences for homophobia and even opposition to abortion. Early childhood abuse has been associated with homosexuality, but, at most, only explains about 10% of those who express a homosexual orientation. The fact that sexual orientation is not constant for many individuals, but can change over time suggests that at least part of sexual orientation is actually sexual preference. Attempts to find a “gay gene” have never identified any gene or gene product that is actually associated with homosexual orientation, with studies failing to confirm early suggestions of linkage of homosexuality to region Xq28 on the X chromosome. The question of genetic influences on sexual orientation has been recently examined using DNA microarray technology, although, the results have largely failed to pinpoint specific genes as a factor in sexual orientation. For the complete text to this article log on to: February 18, 2015 at 6:49 am Again, I do thank you, Bill, for confirming the basis for your analyses by providing the link above. It is a site which – in my summarization – purports scientific discussion and analysis based on biblical beliefs, and supports those beliefs of ancient man simply by saying that, since science doesn’t know all the answers, then the only answer must be written in the Bible. In my humble opinion, neither has the answers, and we – as a small and short-lived part of the physical world – will never have all the answers. So why spend our short time here hating, imprisoning, torturing, and killing others who are causing no harm to another consenting human adult? Those feelings are not ones I prefer to share or spend my life mulling over, obsessing my life with actions of others in which I have no interest, does no harm to my fellow consenting adult human beings. Why must people like you obsess with the sexual actions of other consenting adult human beings? It would seem you think about it much more than I or my husband do. I do not think the following links have all the answers. No human being will ever be able to have – much less understand – all the answers of the mysteries, fluidity, and diversity of the universe. But they might provide some information from a more unbiased foundation than a book written by men thousands of years ago, and translated by men many times through different languages, which now uses words which didn’t exist then. February 17, 2015 at 8:17 pm To Jeff, I think that people like you are the exact reason why other countries have banned gay activity. your twisted and ambiguous analogy of the day and night is just plain retarded! from the physical to the mental gay activity is a sickness….. one that is indulged in by the sick people choosing to indulge in it! that lifestyle is destructive to the individuals but even more so to the countries facilitating it. because if it’s all about hormones dictating what you do then maybe we shouldn’t lock up rapist or pedophiles anymore because their hormones dictated their activities too! February 18, 2015 at 2:47 am The difference is; pedophilia and rape is not consensual. What we are talking about is two adults consenting to have a sexual relationship, and being happy with it. Theirs is the same love as heterosexuality. You tell him not to compare homosexuality to something, but then you compare it to rapists or pedophiles. No. This is not the same, nor will it ever be the same. People who hide behind their holy texts or try so desperately to think otherwise are ignorant and terrified of change. My generation will see most of you wiped out – and it will be your own ignorance that does it. If being gay is unnatural, then stop taking medicines such as antibiotics, or any other medical help when you become ill, because these aren’t natural either. Roll the dice; do you live or die? February 18, 2015 at 5:31 am Thank you, Bill. Now we get the truth behind your reasoning, as you have chosen to proceed to anger to address someone who disagrees with you. I was simply addressing your discussion regarding the physical world and your idea that being gay is not a physical characteristic. Day and night is a physical characteristic of the universe. My analogy is stating that there is a spectrum of physical characteristics, not just one or the other – as you present – and that one is not necessarily right and the other wrong, one superior and one inferior. Both are necessary, and there are gradients from one to the other. It is unfortunate that you had to resort to name-calling, denigration, and anger to discuss your position. February 19, 2015 at 12:55 pm I’m sure we are both on the correct track for what God gave us to learn and experience. We were given a physical form and composition which is unique to each individual who has existed, does, or will exist. Yours is yours to experience; mine is mine to experience; Big Al’s is Big Al’s to suffer through with so much animosity towards certain other human beings. All combined, all of our lives further God’s experience in this physical realm. I really like the idea that God wants us to care about each other and the world on which we live. Why does one person have to think they are superior to another person, or a whole group of people? Sounds a little Pollyanna of me, but it gets me through life in a happier mood. I don’t obsess about what other people are doing in the privacy of their own homes or minds as long as it causes no harm to another consenting adult human. February 20, 2015 at 9:41 am Daniel, please speak for yourself and not for me. By my statements, I have clearly stated that I believe in God. You need to be careful of the rules from ancient times by which you choose to live. If that one rule is the only one you choose to obey, yet break some of the others, then you are just as bad off as any practicing homosexual. There are many, many rules listed in Leviticus which are broken daily by devout Christians. There are many, many condemnations in the New Testament which are broken daily by devout Christians. Judge not, lest ye be judged; I believe that was attributed directly to someone named Jesus! The only other being who pay attention to what I do or think does so every minute of every day, and that is God, for God is in all of us in one way or another. I just wish we could treat each other as such. February 23, 2015 at 6:07 am Daniel, I have clearly stated I believe in God. My reference point comes from not being condescending and mean to other people for their beliefs and feelings. I am trying to be a good person during my life, kind to the people around me and those with whom I interact. I look at God’s beauty and existence every day in the people, animals, and plants of this world. I don’t need another human being or ancient text written by humans to guide me. God is doing that well enough; you don’t need to. February 22, 2015 at 9:50 pm the thing i just cannot understand is why people care if someone else is committing a “unholy act”, just to let you know its not your job to save people from something you can’t prove. furthermore why can’t we just let people be people, without bigotry, without hate, without injustice, and just with kindness; if after all anyone still believes that homosexuality should be recriminalized in the west or should stay a crime in places where it is a crime then do me a favor and watch the imitation game, if your perspective doesn’t change then frankly, you’re not fit to breathe. February 24, 2015 at 2:59 am Fine Jeff. You have put it well by refering to the book of Leviticus in the Bilble. There were a lot of rules which were given by God and recorded in this book and others. Characters which affect human behaviour such as homosexuality, prostitution, murder, theft, incest, beastiarity just to mention a few were/have been forbidden in this book. In my country, all these practices are punishable and have been accepted by not only Christians but also non-christians. The mediam used to measure these practices is not only the bible but other natural traditions, for your own information the bible was not authored in Africa but in the western and was brought to us. Before the bible came all these practices were considered tabboos or offences and the coming of the bible was just a reconciliation of the global standards of human behaviour. Inasmuch as we refrain from judging homosexuals, we are aware this is forbidden bibilically and traditionally despite being practiced by few who under normal circumstances need help to reform and repent. However, your adamancy to accept that this is an abnormal condition makes us conclude that you don’t believe in God through the Bible, or the Quran, or Torah or any other known media. As an ambassador of Christianty, I must assure you that there is no single church which comends homosexuals, thieves, prostitutes, witches, liars, murderers or the like to demnation. In fact the principle role of the church is to represent the face of God to his people while they are still on earth (mortals). This means that the church shows mercy and gives counsel to sinners so that they can repent and live lives that befit God’s eternal kingdom. Dispelling this leaves a trace of ones disbelief in God. The other authority that now institutes punishment for immoral offenders is that of human governments. This puts down codes of conduct for its people and breakers of those codes are punished in reference. You now have to study the origins of constitutional laws for respective nations before lebelously calling them ‘CRIMINALS’ for sunctioning laws that should govern them in peace and harmony? are you not putting on the judge’s robe yourself, and by what standards are you doing so? Incase you want to say they should not be punished for they give ‘concent’ to one another as adults, what then makes two prostitutes more evil than homosexuals? And again you said they are ‘harming’ nobody, why then should they be arrested? In human laws, if you are not harming the individual, you are harming the society. If none of the two happened then you must be let free. “Hope Remains has been designed by Christian people who have a sincere desire to cut through the prejudice and misinformation concerning God’s gift of sexuality.” Please check out this website, by Christians, the same as you profess to be. http://hoperemains.webs.com/ Your misinterpretation of my comments, and telling me I am subject to your eternal damnation, are unfortunate. Live your life to be happy; let me live mine. I judged no one in my comments, called no government “CRIMINAL”, and the Bible was originally written in the Middle East thousands of years ago. My opinion is that being gay is not worthy of abuse, torture, imprisonment, nor death. February 24, 2015 at 1:41 pm “Being gay is not a crime”. No, it is not. Needless philosophizing about simple things. But it’s unnatural. Has anyone seen anything like this in animals world. It does not have someone to believe in God to reject unnatural behavior. What is unnatural is not normal. What is not normal is not socially acceptable. On the other hand I do not care what you do in your own apartment. I do not talk around that I’m heterosexual, then why are these other publicly proud that they are homosexual. I live in central Europe, and no one has ever denied any right because of sexual orientation. The problem arose when they wanted the public to walk proud of its abnormality. February 25, 2015 at 5:13 am “What is not normal is not socially acceptable.” According to this part of your statement, then, being left-handed “is not socially acceptable”. Having red hair “is not socially acceptable”. What is “normal” – a human definition? The majority? Then, believe it or not, being male is not normal, as the majority of the earth’s population is female. “But it’s unnatural.” What is unnatural? Nature is a spectrum, not a dichotomy of what is right and wrong – a human measure. A black swan is then “unnatural”, but we don’t destroy them just because they are not white. Smoking cigarettes is “unnatural” (and unhealthy) but we don’t imprison, torture, and kill people who do that. “no one has ever denied any right because of sexual orientation.” Lucky you. I live in the US, and I and several friends have been fired for being gay. I didn’t parade it around, I never talked about it. A friend of mine never talked about it at his job (a restaurant), but when a friend of his boss asked him if he liked Cher (she was on TV at that moment), and he said yes, the next day he was fired. Unless a law is in place, people can be fired, evicted, or refused service for being (or even thought to be) gay. “The problem arose when they wanted the public to walk proud of its abnormality.” We decided we no longer wanted to live in hiding. All we want to do is work at our jobs, take care of our homes and feel safe there, and be able to talk with friends and neighbors about our lives and families, just as the heterosexuals talk about their wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc., and not get beat up or put in jail, our homes destroyed, or kicked out of a restaurant. The media tends to focus on the more exotic and flamboyant parts of people’s lives, in order to get people to watch. That’s not what the vast majority of gay people, straight people, Christians, Muslims do in their lives. Most just want to get along with others and be a part of their culture, without having to sneak around and hide for fear of physical harm or death. February 25, 2015 at 1:19 am Thanks Jeff for wishing me well, may the same happen to you. About calling us Criminals I referred to the title of this blog and never attributed to any single individual like you. It is only that the editor of the blog, Colin Stewart, has decided to call it ’76 CRIMES’. Your honesty interpretation will be needed here. I am very sorry if I hurt your emotions dear. But you also need to bear in mind that Christianity is the most divided religion in the world, perhaps the most tolerant as well but that is not to say every opinion by any Christian is generally accepted. Have a nice time. February 26, 2015 at 6:20 am I found the website to be a good representation of another interpretation of the Bible passages by other people. The Bible in circulation today has been interpreted by many people, mostly men, ever since the words were first written down by men in positions of power thousands of years ago, to address their own biases, desires, and greed. Saying those human attributes came from a God made them seem more important to the people those men were trying to make submit to them. Since different languages use different words for different things, the English language versions of the Bible have been translated using words to express the meaning that the human translators wanted to express. I thought that website did a good job of explaining that, since it is the Bible most often used to imprison and kill people in some countries. I was also raised Roman Catholic, but have seen the men and women in the Roman Catholic Church make many, many mistakes in the name of God. None have occurred to me; I was never molested or abused by clergy or family. But I have realized that any organization formed and governed by humans is subject to faults, mistakes, and greed. And the Bible was written by humans as well, written in different languages by many series of humans, to control other humans. Where in the Bible does it say eating fish on Friday during Lent is a sin? For the happiness God wants me to find for God, God exists in me, in all my fellow humans, in the plants and animals, and throughout the universe. God cannot be explained with words – nor limited to words – in a book. Those are words written down by individual humans, addressing what they wanted – at that time, based on what they knew – at that time. Pork is an abomination; shrimp is an abomination; a man will go to damnation for cutting his hair and beard; a person is eternally damned if they eat a cheeseburger? All of these are according to some of the rules written thousands of years ago. I look beyond those rules and words since they applied to a group of people some men were trying to control. Have a “God” responsible for destroying cities because they didn’t know that a volcano had erupted some distance away? And then have that story change through many languages to mean something completely different than the original language of the story, for someone’s personal – or a group’s – purposes. This is how I live my short life in this world, a world filled with animosity, starvation, killing, and all sorts of horrendous things humans do to each other, some in the name of whatever God they believe. DOGMA is an interesting movie to watch, and greatly increased my love of God despite what many humans do in God’s name. Peace to you, too, Daniel. March 1, 2015 at 2:01 pm Okay so… I agree 100% LGBT community should have equal rights. People are basing the LGBT community on stereotypes and that’s not fail. These people can be as harmless as anyone else. They want to have the same and they want to be happy. They don’t want to argue with you or degrade a religion that just want equal rights. So much hate has been spread around the world and its caused to many people who are gay to go the extremes of suicide. It’s a preference. Everyone has preferences and we might not have the same but we don’t degrade people or make them feel like there nothing. If you judged someone on everything they did, their would be a lot of miserable people in this world. Not everyone agrees with the Holy Bibble or God, even if they did try to change the sexuality what makes you think they’ll follow God? The LGBT community doesn’t want to hurt anyone and. You people say the Gay’s are ruining the country or the world. No SIN is ruining the world and the country. Everyone sins in their life not everyone is judged. If people were a little more open minded I think the world would e a better place. You don’t have to like it. You also don’t have to fight against it. Just ignore it. March 23, 2015 at 4:31 pm First off, Homosexuality is not a sin in the bible. The Bible never calls homosexuality a sin. Secondly, the bible was written 300 years after Jesus’ death by a group of MEN. All were very wise men, however, based on the belief that no man is perfect, I must be inclined to believe that while all of these men were wise, some had their faults and believed Homosexuality was wrong and hated it. During this time the Bible was written, philosophy was at a high point and it turns out a major study in Philosophy at this time was largely the study of nature. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It can possibly be concluded that people at that age in time were influenced by the philosophy at the time that Homosexuality went against nature and therefore was against God. However, by now homosexuality has been observed in nature in multitudes of species besides our own in the Kingdom Animalia. Therefore it can now be concluded with proof that Homosexuality is in fact NOT against the laws of nature and in fact may be an integral part of nature. Nature is a system and every single “gear” in that system is important to it. Now getting back to the people who wrote the bible, I, as a non denominational GAY believer, do not believe in the entirety of the bible due to its rather indirect sources but rather choose to focus not on petty opinions but things of universal value such as the Ten Commandments that I believe God himself put on Earth to guide humans. The Ten Commandments teach tolerance, acceptance, love, peace and actually promote humans living in harmony hand in hand. Given from Gods hands to Humans. Not given from a Human to Humans such as the wicked and corrupt idea that Homosexuality is “immoral, against nature, evil, etc”. This spreads hate, intolerance, and violence and goes directly against Gods laws and Gods wishes and is the true violation of Nature here. April 7, 2015 at 7:35 am BIG UP! Christians use the bible to preach and advocate forgiveness, peace and godliness on the one side and use it to preach against ungodliness which includes homosexuality on the other hand. It is not the church’s responsibility to send sinners to worldly prisons but where sin is easily spotted we should not hesitate to point it out using biblical reference. What is bad for homosexuals is that they do not want to admit they are living a sinful life (they are deliberately unrepentant). If there can be total forgiveness of culprits of all sorts of offenses by secular governments I do not see a cause for the church to blame the act. However, the church, using the bible, will continue preaching against such evils. March 31, 2015 at 5:34 am What about the Koran? The Torah? The literature of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc.? To those people, those texts are more important than your Christian Bible. All these texts were written and translated by men over thousands of years to promote what those men CHOSE to influence others at that time to gain power and wealth. No doubt, there are some good messages about kindness, hospitality, forgiveness; but there are also many contradictions, murder, rape, incest, violence, and other things all promoted in the name of your God. Also, many things we know factually are not true. Are you really damned to hell if you eat pork? Or shrimp? Or a cheeseburger? Or cut your hair? And is it really a basis for imprisoning, torturing, or killing others who do not think as you do? April 1, 2015 at 7:12 am First of I doubt very seriously that 52% of heterosexuals support gay marriage. The first commandment God gave to man was , be fruitful and multiply . Now,how a man and a man or woman and woman multiply. Sodom and Gomorrah was not about hospitality. It was a country of no righteous acts not just homosexuals but every despicable act imaginable .There was not one righteous person , even Lot and he was a man of God..So God destroyed it all.Is America unlike Sodom and Gomorrah now ? People oppose this law because they hate other people, they oppose it because they in what God intended for man. A lot of gays believe that because you don’t agree with them , that people don’t love them or somehow hate them .I wonder if the thief , robber , dope dealers , prostitutes , etc. Feel the same cause we lock them up .Most these people are just running around from person to person. There should be no benefits of a gay mmnarriage. S uch as insurance etc.What are we teaching our children. I don’t want my child or grandchildren exposed homosexuals just as I don’t want them exposed to drugs robbers rapers child molestation etc.My hope is this never becomes law. Barack Obama is not a good president especially for allowing this to happen . I didn’t vote for him at all. I’d rather have Bush back.Atleast he understood the what real marriage is. Homosexuality should not be forced on heterosexual people . We aren’t the ones with the problem. They are ! This is the biggest disgrace , unhuman! Some one ave us! April 2, 2015 at 10:47 am I see no fire from the skies, no plagues or sheep eating Shepherds; all I see are men and women refusing to believe that other men and women may love someone of the same gender, and outright oppressing them in the name of a book with stories that no one can agree whether they are real or metaphorical. Stop using Sodom and Gomorrah as a reference point for this discussion when gay rights have been here for a while and no one’s been smited by God. Also, over here, it’s more a 70-80% approval rate for gay rights. Homosexuals do nothing to you, they merely love one another. If you do not meet them, you have no idea who they are. Your children will have richer experiences for meeting some, some of their friends now will turn out to be gay, and they will not care if YOU help them take the first step to being understanding people who know they have no influence over the genitals of other people’s partners. April 2, 2015 at 12:57 pm Yal. Hi, I’m one of those western devils. I have blue eyes and blonde hair and I come with some upsetting news for racist pricks like you. Who the hell are we? Well Hunnybun, we are the ones who send money, vaccines, food aid, and troops when you need it so listen up. Either you find a way to cure disease, feed the poor and control terrorism on your own with your own inventions and your own resources or you can just shut the F* up and fall in line. I am so tired of people like you hating us white folk for all the evils our forefathers did. It’s over and now you need to suck it up and get over yourself. You don’t like what we have to offer? FINE, then by all means stop asking for hand outs you pompous idiot. April 2, 2015 at 11:36 am Yal. Hi, I’m one of those western devils. I have blue eyes and blonde hair and I come with some upsetting news for racist pricks like you. Who the hell are we? Well Hunnybun, we are the ones who send money, vaccines, food aid, and troops when you need it so listen up. Either you find a way to cure disease, feed the poor and control terrorism on your own with your own inventions and your own resources or you can just shut the F* up and fall in line. I am so tired of people like you hating us white folk for all the evils our forefathers did. It’s over and now you need to suck it up and get over yourself. You don’t like what we have to offer? FINE, then by all means stop asking for hand outs you pompous idiot. May 4, 2015 at 9:29 am I just cannot believe that there are still so many close minded people out there.. ‘the bible’ was written by people… Not God… So any of the 2-3 passages Christians quote as ”proof that god hates homosexuals” are an outdated example of historic homophobia , because lets face it homosexuality has been around since the dawn of mankind (the ancient Greeks loved it). SO to put it simply, during the time the bible was written this person who wrote that particular verse had some problem with homosexuality (probably was recently screwed over by his male lover and wanted some revenge). So has decided to write a bad phrase about it… I am not one for knowing Biblical quotes, but, I do know there is one somewhere that advises not to wear 2 separate types of cloth, no mixing wool and other such types. Does anyone enforce this? Or people working on a Sunday being killed? Again this was one mans view of the sabbath and as far as I am aware nobody has taken this literally. So really its just selective use of the bible which is directly against the whole point of Christiantiy. The whole point of this somewhat lengthy reply is really does it matter? Why be so bothered if someone (in your opinion) is different? We may lead boring lives but find something more productive to do! One final thing I must say is that if you are one of these people who are adamantly unjustifiably against homosexuality, but complain about being discriminated against for your race, age, religion ANYTHING, is really just look at how hypocritical you are being someone who is Gay made no choice just like you made no choice to be Hispanic or Nigerian or Kenyan, you were born this way and so are we. Moral of the story: Live and love! Why waste your time hating on people for anything, you are only making your life negative.. Trust me im Gay and have experienced intolerance because of it, it only bounces off me and will be the reason for your untimely demise at 50 because of a heart attack.. May 16, 2015 at 9:06 pm People DO hold rallies to say how awful homosexuals are, and to defend the practice of throwing homosexuals in jail. So I ask you your own question: Who is discriminating against whom? Before you answer, ask yourself who is throwing whom into jail, who is disinheriting whom for having a different sexual orientation, who is firing whom for that sexual orientation, who calls whom worse than pigs and dogs? Oh and, by the way, Sodom incurred God’s wrath by being inhospitable — to the point of raping visitors. — Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog May 22, 2015 at 11:53 am Hi everyone, It saddens me that most of the arguments given against homosexuality in this thread are of such a fallacious nature, clearly exposing the lack of knowledge that people seem to have, but that is nothing new. Going back to Bob, in one of your comments you said that only 10 per cent of the population is homosexual. Bob, I do not know where you are getting your stats from but that cipher seems to be incorrect. There have been very elaborate studies concerning this matter that would prove you wrong. Have you heard about the Kinsey Scale? Look it up! Secondly, you also mention that we assume that homosexuality is accepted throughout the whole world and that it is actually only accepted in the west. That is entirely untrue. There are plenty of sociological and anthropological studies that prove the “acceptance” of homosexuality in diverse cultures all throughout the world. For example, there are societies in south Asia where the word homosexuality does not even exist, since they do not consider it as a characteristic to create differentiation. If you wish to know more, I will be happy to send you some sources regarding this matter. Moreover, if you do some research on homosexuality within the animal kingdom you will also find some interesting studies that would disproof your arguments. Lastly, concerning your question addressing fathers about the possibility of their sons “coming out of the closet”, this being the biggest disgrace that a father can go through, I hope that you understand that every human being is different and that your perception of truth or reality does not necessarily have to be on tune with the rest of the human race. Be aware that the concept of homosexuality is a human creation and its perception is mainly rooted within culture, which is also a human conception. Therefore, you believing that such a happening would be a disgrace to any father is based on your own perception. That does not give you the authority to generalise over the whole population as if you held the ultimate truth, specially when you seem so terribly uninformed about this subject. Also I would like to know where you are getting your sources from. Just to check them out. Finally, I would like to ask you a favour, please educate yourself before talking about any subject in the future. Not only it is frustrating towards others, but I believe that it may portray you as a functional illiterate. Best regards, Here’s the relevant law in Zimbabwe: Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Effective 8 July 2006). 311 section 73. “(1) any male person who, with the consent of another male person, knowingly performs with that other person anal sexual intercourse, or any act involving physical contact other than anal sexual intercourse that would be regarded by a reasonable person to be an indecent act, shall be guilty of sodomy and liable to a fine up to or exceeding level fourteen or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or both. … {B]oth parties to the performance of an act referred to in subsection (1) may be charged with and convicted of sodomy. anti sodomy laws in the united states “in some cases, police still enforce them. Reportedly, in the past few years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws…” “Reportedly”? I thought the authors of THIS article were the reporters. Living in the United States, as a gay man, I am REALLY interested to know where people are “reportedly” being arrested for violating sodomy laws. I follow the gay rights movement pretty closely, and I can’t remember any such cases. And believe me, if these arrests were happening MSNBC, Salon, the Huffington Post and all the rest would be all over it. so color me skeptical. May 24, 2015 at 1:06 pm Hi, I understand your skepticism. Here’s the blog article that will lead you to original articles in The Advocate and Slate about the phenomenon. Conservative state legislators refuse to take the laws off the books and homophobic local police occasionally make arrests on the basis of those laws, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has declared such laws unconstitutional, which means that prosecutors won’t pursue those cases. “Reportedly” was intended as shorthand to say that the statement is not based on this blog’s original reporting. I’ve reworded that sentence and made the link more prominent. Feel free to contribute to the blog to make more original reporting possible. Best, June 2, 2015 at 1:39 am Sins and crime in the legal definition are not the same. Sin is subjective, based on religious belief. Crime is formulated from an evaluation of the effects of acts on the physical and emotional wellbeing of the public. Murder is a crime, because it involves taking an innocent life. However, not everyone agrees that homosexuality is a crime, and itis quite clear that homosexual identity and sexual relations have no effect on heterosexuals at all. Furthermore, people have a basic right to life, free from oppression and the consequences of disobeying these anti-homosexuality laws often leads to loss of life. This goes against basic human rights that are universally agreed upon. Just because you have a religious belief, doesn’t mean someone should lose their life. June 2, 2015 at 1:34 am Laws against homosexuality- apart from being against basic human rights- won’t change anyone’s sexual orientation or stop same-sex relations. The whole point of making something illegal is to promise punishment for perpetrators whose actions cause physical and or emotional harm to fellow citizens. For this reason, murder, rape, terrorism, drug dealing and human trafficking are illegal. Homosexuality is a personal identity, and same sex relations are a private affair that have no effect on heterosexual identity or heterosexual sex relations. Many of the countries listed here use religious/cultural/moral arguments for outlawing homosexuality, which is one of the reasons I strongly believe in the separation of Church and State. What is considered a crime in religion is completely subjective. Although it must be said that the majority of people in said countries are in democratic agreement with their anti-homosexuality laws, the reality for people who don’t agree and or are gay is grim. No one has to agree with any sexual orientation, but they should never have the right to lock someone away, or cause them physical harm. This is a clear contravention of human rights. Furthermore, many of the countries on this list have a myriad of social, economic and political problems to contend with, of which outlawing homosexuality will solve none. As someone of African descent- and heterosexual-, I hope to see a day when more African countries repeal these useless laws and focus more energy on outlawing/fighting crimes that really do harm a majority of citizens. June 22, 2015 at 8:55 am Are people still really getting in a knot about homosexuality…. Really?! – In a world with so many issues that are truly diabolic in any religious context and even caused by radical views of religion. I can truly understand why you feel so negatively on homosexuality, it could be considered unnatural… but so are so many things we engage in, invent, do and practice. Just let it go, make a real difference and engage changing child abuse, homelessness, a starving family, destruction to our environment… These are issues that when changed will truly make a difference. It’s such a shame that god gives us this free will and we waste on issues that have the least impact to our lives June 26, 2015 at 5:05 pm It is clear that there are serious medical consequences to same-sex behavior. Identification with a GLB community appears to lead to an increase in promiscuity, which in turn leads to a myriad of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and even early death. Youth should be warned of the undeniable health risks associated with a homosexual lifestyle. Adapted from Dr. John R. Diggs, Jr., “The Health Risks of Gay Sex.” Corporate Resource Council (2002). (accessed 1/30/13) References [1] Becky Birtha, “Gay Parents and the Adoption Option,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 04, 2002, ; Grant Pick, “Make Room for Daddy – and Poppa,” The Chicago Tribune Internet Edition, March 24, 2002. [2] Ellen C. Perrin, et al., “Technical Report: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents,” Pediatrics, 109(2): 341-344 (2002). June 26, 2015 at 10:43 pm Well, personally I think all gays and lesbians should be put in prison and be forced to remain single and abstain from all displays of affection. Homosexuality is a virus that is infecting humanity and if the end of this wicked system of things weren’t so close, eventually you would see a entire planet of gays and the human race would become extinct. Of coarse in the bible, God says those days will be cut short. The U.S. became a nation of sodomites and made it possible for people of the same sex to sign their own death warrants today this 26th of June 2015. All I can say is I refuse to obey this new law. It conflicts with Gods law which is the highest law. I’ll never accept or respect the institute of gay marriage. Besides, it won’t last long. This world of wicked people is almost done. And the gay stuff is only proving how wicked and corrupted man has become. June 27, 2015 at 9:17 am No one will turn gay for the sake of it only because it’s legal now. That’s ridiculous. Did everyone turn into a woman when they were given autonomy and equal rights? No. God has made no attempts to stop this with any clear signs – and all those acting in ‘God’s name’ have not actually seen him for themselves, have not been told to do it, they are interpreting a religious text that may or may not be out of date/true. It’s more a symbol than anything else. If you do not want to participate, then I recommend you don’t. However, this is not only your world. It’s theirs as well, and people – especially people who in no way affect you, your family or your life – should be allowed to live as they please. June 27, 2015 at 5:09 pm There is so much hatred, and ignorance in so many of these posts. One man(?) said that if his son “turned” gay, he would never speak to him again. First, no one just “turns” gay, they are, or they aren’t, period, it’s not a choice, it’s a reality. Secondly, what a horrible thing for a father to say, mate. My son is gay, and not for one second could I have said or done that. When he told me he was gay, I was hurt, and disappointed, not in him, but in the intolerance of pure hatred of those like you who would cause him pain throughout his life. I am so proud of him! He is wonderful…..everything about him is special, he is not only a wonderful son, but he is my best friend. He is smart, responsible, loyal, compassionate, giving. All of the things that i suspect you probably aren’t. I’m still just shaking my head in disbelief. For a father to make such a statement, to put such horrible conditions on his love for his son. Shame on you. June 28, 2015 at 3:00 pm I read and weep. All I can say is America is becoming a recarnation of Book of Lot. GOD destroyed that place for good reason. I pray for all who judge and all who already live in sin and continue to sin. For we are all sinners, however we do have a choice. So to say homosexauals don’t have a choice the way they are born is an understatement. Because we all have choices. Same for prositutes, swingers, drug addicts, thiefs, liars, pedophile, rapists, murders, abusers. WE all have a choice, we use excuses to continue and justify the unpleasant lifestyle we adopted. June 30, 2015 at 1:00 pm Guys it doesn’t matter how u phrase it, homosexuality is digusting whether the whole community is up for it or just the minority, it must be some kind of demon disease and i even puke in my mouth whenever i see a man kissing a fellow man.And guys lets be reasonable there is some kind of immorality that can be exused maybe fornication,its bad too but ya people lose control sometimes and it can be understood but that no way. God help us but those laws need to be back and more strick June 30, 2015 at 3:48 pm No law will stop homosexuality . infact it will go on because it is a punishment from God to men to allow their bodies to b degraded as a sign of his evident anger that will be displayed during judgment . it is only the second coming of Jesus that will put and end of the evil on this earth. So let every man chose for him self what he wants. And let me tell you homosexuals it is your knowledge that is deceiving you, the same kind of knowledge in the garden of eden so you know how to take what is good to defend what is evil. You have so much knowledge and power to hide your self by justification but you have been given away to your worst enamy Satan the devil. God is still patient though. Because he expects repentance and you can respect forgiveness because of his son Jesus Christ the living one. But if you don’t repent you can also expect condemnation. Allow your self to love your God so that you can experience his own love. June 30, 2015 at 3:55 pm Brothers in Christ stop with this worldliness and falsity of Christ. Be aware that the sons of God will suffer on this earth for the truth some will die and be enprisoned for the gospel. This evil men will win because it is their world but as for you fight for your kingdom. The kingdom of God coming in the leadership of the most supreme of principalities Jesus the saviour. Pray that it comes and that the lord forgives our sins. These men will not change because they have not been chosen by God almighty but you come together and pray. Have no oppinion on what you don’t know about. Don’t bother fighting them and their rights. Love them. May the peace of God rest on his own. July 2, 2015 at 3:25 pm The LGBT community want nothing more than to live their lives in peace. If you do not want to see them on television and making comments about the fact they’re gay, the good idea would be to give them rights and treat them equally. Then they would have no reason to be on television. They could live out their lives, meet people they love, and enjoy themselves in a society where they are equals. People here keep separating the groups – us and them, straight and gay. We are all people. If we stop separating, we can stop the hate. July 4, 2015 at 4:38 pm I think children are far more resilient than you give them credit for. I personally know of one family with two dad’s and their two sons, 14 and 16, when I met them, grew into adulthood and both are married with children. Both won scholarships to university and both are happy, well adjusted adults with keen minds, social awareness, and successful careers. Both demonstrate an an unpredjudiced respect for others, regardless of the orientation of that/those person(s) that is sadly missing in your own message. They also use terrible puns, laugh a lot, and are a lot of fun to talk to. Again, those are qualities missing from your own message. July 5, 2015 at 11:38 pm Ok, let me just start off by saying that some of the comments I read on here, from BOTH sides, have left me utterly speechless. I’m a straight male, was brought up in church my entire life, and was taught first and foremost that God loves every soul that he’s created, he doesn’t automatically hate or condemn any one of us for the sins that we commit. Yes, I think its wrong that some of these countries are imprisoning or executing gay people, but I think the major problem with a government allowing same sex marriage that marriage is defined in the bible as a holy union, under God, between a man and a woman. If the government really wanted to avoid lighting this powder keg, they could just as easily allow gay couples to be wed, but use a non-biblical term for it such as joined, or united. In the United States, we’re noe reaching the point where, since the supreme court ruled in favor of gay marriage, any preacher who refuses to wed a same sex couple could face violating discrimination laws, and be sued. I don’t think its right for a preacher to be arrested or sued for practicing their religious convictions, just as it isn’t right for a government to imprison somebody based solely on their sexual orientation. I have no ill will towards gays or lesbians, I wish them a happy life nust as I would wish the same for a straight couple, which I truely believe is what God would want me to do. However, we’ve started down a slippery slope now, where churches will end up being persecuted for their beliefs, just the same as gay couples are persecuted for their beliefs in other countries. The answer to the problem isn’t always cut and dried, but I do believe part of the answer lies in the government allowing gay couples to be joined together in marriage, while also allowing any religious organization that doesn’t believe in uniting a same sex couple the right to refuse to marry them, without fear of breaking anti-discrimination laws. God tells us to love the sinner, hate the sin, well what we’re doing in the united states now is basically the opposite of that… we’re basically saying love the sinner and accept their sin as not being a sin. I myself am a sinner, we all are, so I don’t consider myself any better than anyone else, I’m just worried that in the next few years, churches won’t even be allowed to mention homosexuality as a sin for fear of persecution, which is scary when you actually stop and think about it. In effect we’re trying to rewrite holy scriptures to fit our changing society, scriptures that have been taught and followed for almost 2000 years. If we start cutting and pasting into the bible the things that we feel should be amended, we’re going to wind up teaching people a concept that is totally backwards from the original message. I don’t judge people, I know that I myself will be judged. Its my job to love all and treat all the same as my God would, and shame on all you posting your hateful, disgusting comments on here and not even trying to see that we’re talking about REAL people, with real lives and struggles. And yes, I’m talking about both sides, the christian hating the gays, and the gays hating the christians. Youre the kind of people that brought this situation into the HORRIBLE state that its in now, so you have only your own selfish, close-minded self to thank for not being more accepting, and trying to reach a compromise where BOTH sides are equally happy with the results. And to those of you, on bith sides, who actually made well-thought out arguments, congratulations.. you’re actually taking the other sides’ views into consideration before you post nonsensical hate filled drivel on here, which NOBODY should be subjected to reading. My hope is that even one person will read this and understand that its going to take love and compassion from BOTH sides before we will ever be able to make an actual difference July 9, 2015 at 5:49 pm so, thank god, LGBT and HUMAN rights are prevailing. The US is finally in a position to lead, and in the following years, international anti-gay legislation will slowly decrease. All you people that have hatred towards LGBT people hate yourselves, guess what, you’re probably gay too ;) that’s the most ironic thing about homophobia to me, its people recognize some element of same sex-desire in their own sexuality, and then getting really really angry when they see that element exaggerate in a gay person. like, oh my god, is that person ME?????? I HAVE TO HATE GAY PEOPLE THEN!!!! and anti gay shit being in the bible and other religious books? hello! those books were used for POPULATION CONTROL because things like Science, democracy, and enlightenment were thought of. all of you anti-gay commenters on here clearly have serious mental issues, or else you would direct your hateful energy into something positive :) and the best part is, you know it too :) i don’t know what’s more satisfying to me, seeing the amazing amazing growing support and love for lgbt rights, women’s rights, and ultimately Human rights that is sweeping the US and sweeping the world, OR watching all of you sick sick sad pathetic people BITCH and SCREAM and MOAN on POSITIVE PRO GAY WEBSITES, with your backwards antigay self loathing HATE speech! I think that probably gives me more satisfaction, actually. so keep it up!!!!!! GAYS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD WATCH OUT!!!! :):):):):):):):):) Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality Dr. Charles Socarides published an historical essay, “Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality,” in The Journal Of Psychohistory, Volume 10, Number 3, Winter, 1992. It should be of interest to all students of our socio-cultural history. Dr. Socarides is one of the original founders of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexual (NARTH) in 1992. Prior to this, he was a key figure in the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and he had expressed concern decades earlier that homosexuals were being denied the right to competent therapy to help them overcome their unwanted homosexuality. This prominent psychiatrist became embroiled in the debate within the APA in the 1970s over efforts to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). In Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality, Dr. Socarides observes that the removal of homosexuality from the DSM in 1973, “…created injustices for the homosexual, as it belied the truth that prevented the homosexual from seeking and receiving psychoanalytic help. At the social, group, and community level, it proved to be the opening phase of a two-phase sexual radicalization: the second phase being the raising of homosexuality to the level of an alternate lifestyle–an acceptable psycho-social institution alongside heterosexuality as the prevailing norm of society.” The doctor notes that the efforts to remove homosexuality as a disorder from the DSM was accomplished by pressure from psychiatrists within the APA as well as activist homosexual groups that began disrupting psychiatric meetings and publicly attacking any psychiatrists who dared consider homosexuality to be a deviant sexual behavior. As outside homosexual pressure groups challenged psychiatrists with hate-filled letters and threatening phone calls, pro-homosexual psychiatrists within the APA were aggressively lobbying for the normalization of homosexuality. Pro-homosexual psychiatrists successfully seized control of various committees within the APA and began issuing reports that recommended the removal of homosexuality from the DSM. Among these was Dr. Judd Marmor, who used the networking sources provided by SIECUS (Scientific Information and Education Council of the U.S.) to promote the normalization of homosexuality. In 1973, Marmor and other psychiatrists met with members of the Gay Activist Alliance, the Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Bilitis, and the Nomenclature Committee of the American Psychiatric Association at Columbia University to discuss deletion of homosexuality from the DSM. Eventually, the issue was put to a vote to APA members. Only 25% of those eligible to vote sent in their ballots out of 25,000 psychiatrists. However, the vote was in favor of removing homosexuality from the DSM. As Dr. Socarides noted: “By declaring a condition a ‘non-condition,’ a group of practitioners had removed it from our list of serious psychosexual disorders. The action was all the more remarkable when one considers that it involved the out-of-hand and peremptory disregard and dismissal not only of hundreds of psychiatric and psychoanalytic research papers and reports, but also of a number of other serious studies by groups of psychiatrists, psychologists, and educators over the past seventy years…” Dr. Socarides continued: “In the material cited above, I have described a movement within the American Psychiatric Association which, through social-political activism, has accomplished the first phase of a two-phase radicalization of a main pillar of psychosexual life: the erosion of heterosexuality as the single acceptable sexual pattern in our culture. … In essence, this movement within the American Psychiatric Association has accomplished what every other society, with rare exceptions, would have trembled to tamper with–a revision of a basic code and concept of life and biology; that men and women normally mate with the opposite sex and not with each other.” Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality is no longer available from NARTH, however this important document should be in the hands of lawmakers, school officials, pastors, members of the media, and parents who are concerned about their children being encouraged to experiment with a homosexual lifestyle through organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian, and Normal Education Network (GLSEN). This resource is so important that it is being made available for free simply by requesting a PDF copy to be emailed to you. July 17, 2015 at 6:43 am A quick shoutout to my pro-love peeps in the room. Now’s a terrible time to discuss homosexuality with regressive churchies. They just suffered a huge loss in America, like a cousin who got busted for drugs and is now in Narcotics Anonymous cleaning up. He’ll kick, bite and say absolutely terrible, inhumane things, but in the end, he’ll just have to accept it. Same thing happened after the Civil Rights movement. People were drawing upon the numerous parts of the Bible affirming the legitimacy of slavery (the Bible is far more supportive of slavery than homophobia), but aside from a handful of freaks who still believe they should have the right to own slaves, they just got over it. I think. July 17, 2015 at 8:37 pm I strongly believe and know that homosexuality is wrong and it should be criminalized here in America and all across the world. It is wrong and wicked! It is an abomination and it is very gross & disgusting, it is a evil thing to see two men or two women hold hands. The majority of people in America do not support same-sex marriage but rather strongly oppose it with great indignation. Homosexuality has no place in America; it is a shame and very degrading towards the human race. Sodomy should be punishable by death in America, and any propaganda or speech supporting it should be an illegal crime. If I were to be elected to office, I would over turn and change the laws that we have now and make sex offenders eligible for death row in all 50 states. I strongly oppose and despise all same-sex marriage laws here in America because I simply did not vote for any of them but rather voted against them, the LGBT community should be listed as a terrorist organization. (Romans 1:32) “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Leviticus 18:22) ” Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” ( Leviticus 20:13) ” If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” In the end, homosexuality is just flat out wrong, it is nothing but confusion. July 22, 2015 at 1:39 am Being man or woman or if you like it, being masculine or feminine isn’t a thing to be tested psychologically because it is not a mental condition but physical. If gays and lesibians love only people of their own kind, why do they pretend to behave like women or men to disguise their true self. You can see that something isn’t alright here, whether you believe in God or not. Homosexuality is disgusting, outragious and worst of all, sinful, and these respective evil-doers shouldn’t even be hiding behind the ‘do not judge’ phrase because they do not subscribe to the God we worship. That is the God of Christians, the God of Islam, the God of the Jews to say the least (none of these allow homosexuality). As if that is not enough they are even bulling their way into ordering our church leaders, pastors and believers into saluting them for doing the abomnable. We know that your god is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, so stop masquerading as christians or belivers. Shame on America – I would rather live and die without setting my foot on that cursed soil of America!! July 22, 2015 at 8:47 pm It’s nice that you believe you share a God with people who consider members of any other religion to be infidels. United in homophobia. That could be the name of your website. The Old Testament you all believe in also promotes the abuse of women and owning of slaves in far more passages than it prohibits gay marriage, a prohibition I’ve only seen once in the New Testament. The rest have to do with homosexual sex, but let’s be honest. Do you really think one’s sex life IMPROVES with marriage? You’ve clearly never been married. Moral of your story: abuse women, own slaves, but whatever you do, do NOT allow marriage equality! July 27, 2015 at 3:21 am When we talk about sexuality we are not talking about who is more or less intelligent. And, if I should happen to aggree with you on one issue, I am not bound to agree with you in everything. My implication of the God that Christians, Muslims or Jews believe in has been bordered around one issue ‘homosexuality’ not more, not less. If you want us to separate these religions, then you have to propose a topic that is independent. God’s instructions do not depend on how many times they are mentions for them to yield a meaning – Whether it is mentioned once or a billion times does not change it’s meaning unless it is modified. You have to understand that the bible in the OT is more of peoples biographies (understand people are bound to err and subject to jugement on the day). The NT in contrast is more of instructions which have been delivered as direct message from God (Gospel). For your own information every teaching of the prophets, whether in the new testament or old, never incouraged people to sleep sexually with their equals (gayism). I bet to aggree with you if you will extract anything to the contrary. I am tired of the constant hate crimes period. From both sides. If your core beliefs are Bible based or Non- Bible bases. We can all choose common sense based. In the Holy Bible it says to love everyone, even your enemy. (NOT HATE) so spreading Hate is a sin in itself. So saying I hate gay, black, white, or any other group of people is a sin. The Bible says to be in the world, but not of the world. (Not matter if it is the new hot fad. Don’t partake) let ye without sin cast the first stone. (crouching and covering my eye) Cool, I haven’t got hit yet…lol The Bible says obey the law of the land, as long as it is in line with Gods world. (Not your opinion). If the laws of the land does not fall in line with God’s word. Simply don’t partake of the non-biblical action.(Live your life according to your own core beliefs, and let other’s lives according to their own core beliefs in “PEACE”). The Bible says God gave “all mankind” free will and a soul. (So no person should has the right to take free will away from another person) if you are of Bible based core beliefs. The Bible says do until other, as you would have done unto you. (your rights end where another person’s rights begin). It’s simple. Everyone should have the same rights according to the laws of the land. Weather you Black, white, gay, straight, Bi, And so on. Meaning people should have the right to “Marriage”, and any other law of the land. If a man wants to marry a man, a woman a woman, or a black person marry a white person. That is their right to according law of the land. One should not try to force another’s will. All should build their own organizations. And not try to change what someone else has built, into what they want it to be. If you would like join someone else’s organization. Respect the rules they set for their organization. Or peacefully go somewhere else. Simply build your own and set the rules you like. They worked hard to build their organization. You would not want someone to come along after you have worked hard to build something, and try to change it to something else. “Example” Like the boys and girls club. Don’t drag the children into the hate wars, THEIR INNOCENT. I think It would be cool if all walks of life created their own boys and girls clubs. And then they had an annual all states included, scouting competition with each other. And leave the hate at home. So the children can enjoy just playing and being kids, and meeting new friends. We have rich and famous people from all walks of life. I wish they would use their riches to give back. That way, all parents from all walks of life. Don’t have to worry about their children being exposed to things they otherwise, would not want them exposed to. The children would learn to have pride in self. Because there is power in seeing other families that like your own. And then all sides could learn to love each other, and just enjoy life in peace together. Instead of judgment and hate. “Example” If you had a non-smoking establishment. I should not be able to light up in your in you establishment. And sue you. Stating that you’re discriminating against smokers, because I can’t change the rules in your establishment to what I want. Let’s use common sense and get along folks, and stop the hate war. This is not a laughing, because people are being hurt behind the hate crimes on all sides. People that where lifelong friends, are now being pressured to take sides in unnecessary hate wars. Families are being torn apart. Children stuck in the middle of the hate. —————————————————–Bottom Line ———————————————————— Who someone else marries shouldn’t bother us. It shouldn’t be an issue. Everyone has the right to live their lives according to their own will, within good reason.(Meaning), be respectful of other people rights and happiness. If you are straight, don’t go to LGBT and pressure them to convert to living like their straight. If you are Christian, don’t go to Non-Christian and pressure them to convert to living like their Christian. If you are Black, don’t go to White and pressure them to convert to living like their Black. If you are White, don’t go to black and pressure them to convert to living like their White. If someone builds a men’s organization, women’s organization, children organization, religious organization, secular organization, traditional organization, or non-tradition organization). The rules they set for it should be respected. (unless the rule is to take up weapons and do harm to a different group) That’s just foul. Meaning that when they built their organization. They were targeting a certain dynamic. If you fit that dynamic. Go in and enjoy and be peaceful. If you do not fit the dynamic. Simply go somewhere else and leave them in peace. If you would like to be part of an organization like theirs. Simply get your friends together and build your own. Who knows you might build something better and benefit a lot of people that join because they wanted the same thing you did. EXAMPLE If you are straight and you go to a LGBT bakery and ask them to make you a straight wedding cake. If they say they don’t make straight wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. If you are LGBT and you go to a straight bakery and ask them to make you a LGBT wedding cake. If they say they don’t make LGBT wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. If you are Black and you go to a bakery that specialized in white wedding cakes, and ask them to make you a black wedding cake. If they say they don’t make black wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. The same thing goes for Christian and Non-Christian establishments. Hopefully you get the general idea. Let respect each other. Love each other. Stop intentionally stepping on each other’s toes to get a rise out of people. When groups gather to screams in hate. You and your friends should gather to reply in unified love. It will piss the hatters of that they can’t get under your skin. Hatters only get joy, if they can cause you unhappiness. Don’t let the hatters or the Devil get the victory. Let unified love & peace win. Don’t let others use you to promote their hate war agendas. We as adults have to lead by example. Show our children how to deal with hatters and evil in this world. We have to be part of the solution. And not add to the problem. Treat all people with the same respect you want to receive. Not just the people that look act and live life as you do. We all deserve to be happy. I am just tired of the hate from all sides. Spread love not hate. If anything all citizens of America need to stand together to stop the government from chipping away at all of our right. Or before we know it we will lose them all. We will always have hatter in the world and war starter. Don’t be one of them. Wishing all love & happiness!!! August 7, 2015 at 4:19 am Truly this was quite very veru long. You tried to go back and forth, and move from side to side. The law however, sets a straight line. Just us you the people of America have respected your laws which can be commonly respected, we also have our laws which need to be commonly respected. Mind you we also have our reference points to make those laws and do not depend on what you the American, European or Esians citizens believe in. Christians too have the God whom they worship and whose laws do not correspond with what the Gays believe in. Gays will be treated as gays the moment they will declare that they don’t believe in the God of the Christians and do not subscribe to the scriptural rules of the Bible. In our countries we respect the laws of nature not of man, that is whether you believe in God or not, nature has given clear and straight forward dictates. Sexuality too is a matter of nature not beliefs or implication. Nature is stronger than feelings – Feeling of killing, hating, stealing, fighting, oppressing are always opposed to nature and the feeling of sodomising cannot be classified any different therefore. August 10, 2015 at 1:52 am People should read d bible very well, Sodom and Gomorah were destroyed for their evil act and for homosexuality because when d Angel of God went to sodom and gomorah, Lot invited them and when d pple of sodom and gomorah knew dat some men were inside dey told Lot to bring d men outside, but he told them dat he has two daughters dat dey should do anything dat please them with his daughters but dey insisted on taking d men. The Angels of God were angry and made dem blind and told Lot to take his wife and children out before they destroyed d place. It does not take God a seconds to destroy this world within a seconds, but because of d promise he made with Noah and for his son Jesus Christ who died for our sins. It is said dat few will enter into his kingdom and many will perish in d lake of fire. May God have mercy upon us September 4, 2015 at 11:21 pm I am stuck in America, I need help from the countries that outlaw homosexuals. The United States agenda for homosexuals is a mental warfare. The United States and countries that favor homosexuality uses homosexuals to control population and target Heterosexuals buy the knowledge of keeping the male and female separate. In the U.S. Heterosexual couples are faced with plotted economic situations, media propaganda and religious concepts to keep them mating, like the Adam and Eve concept where a man is to believe a woman is born as the reason man fell from Grace which in turn is a concept for a man to believe that he has to constantly worry about a woman leaving him and falling into a world of corruption all plotted by homosexuals and their followers. Homosexuality is a virus or a parasite that needs a host. If homosexuals existed on the planet without Heterosexuals how would they reproduce? As you can see these parasites need Heterosexuals to host their environment, they need Heterosexuals to conceive offspring to change into homosexuals. If there are men on the planet that are real and true to their nature that God created, in his image, they would join together and kill and create a cure for this virus called homosexuality. If God was a homosexual why would he create a woman and why would a Heterosexual man or woman need to live? October 21, 2015 at 6:30 pm Homosexuality is a sin always has been and always will be.As Christians we do not hate homosexuals we don’t hate anybody.The bible teaches us to love thy neighbor therefore if we hated anybody in the lgbt organization we are committing and injustice towards God.Now I would also like to say that God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.Homosexuality is a chemical imbalance in the brain which cause the brain and hormones to be attracted to the same sex. This chemical imbalance can be triggered by certain situations that were traumatic or conditionalized.And please stop comparing gay rights to the civil rights fought for by our ancestors it is egregious.Gay is wrong no matter how you try and sugar code it which is why gay people can’t reproduce duh October 22, 2015 at 11:23 am I have rarely red such a bunch of crap coming out of so many poor ignorant minds, so much hate spilled out in the name of the so called “good God” who bares the responsibility of 70% of all the hate, pain and blood humans inflict to each other, how more stupid can someone get to think that it is a choice to be gay??? does that mean that you were at a point faced with such a choice yourself?? if yes then drop the lie, because YOU ARE GAY. and even more proof of stupidity is for anyone to think that gay people made the choice to be treated the way you guys do in the name o a even bigger lie, GOD…. I’m just sick of reading all those ” GOD SAID, “GOD WROTE” crappy hate justifications, next time “God says”, record him and share it on youtube … sometimes I smile at the funny idea of all the Gay community actually following your advice and decide to take a “wife to pretend, to fit in”.. now let wish one chooses your daughter and have you test your medicine. Anyway, as a gay man I noticed something true the year 100% of those expressing homophobic views are generally just frustrated that they have to leave in the closet and there would be no job left for male and transvestite prostitutes if you erased homophobia, cause the bulk of their clients are generally the same that write or say homophobic words, REAL STRAIGHT GUYS DON’T GIVE A DAM WHERE ANY OTHER PENIS GOES THAN THEIR OWN, and without doubt, A WOMAN HAPPY WITH THE PENIS IN HER BED GIVES NO DAM WHERE WHAT OTHER PENISES DO… so take your shame back in your closet, or talk more just to prove the point. November 30, 2015 at 10:41 am There are a couple of things I don’t understand: 1) Let’s say that the Christians are correct, and that their god is the only one. There are literally billions on this planet who would dispute that, but… say it’s true. Ok, then homosexuality is a sin, and those of us who do it are going to hell. Fine, and what business is that of yours? Do you actually think we don’t know you believe this? How is my* going to hell going to affect you? Why do you care, if you know that I know? It’s my life, and my afterlife, for that matter. And if you truly care out of compassion, then why the anger? 2) Anal sex…? Come on. Go look at heterosexual porn sites on the web, and you’ll find it everywhere. If that’s your problem, then you need to stone a lot of your straight neighbors, not just your gay ones. 3) Child sex? Do you really believe that’s unique to gays? Seriously? If some gay men are attracted to young boys, what about the straight men attracted to young girls? There are whole industries promoting and selling straight sex between men and female children, and given the relative numbers of gays and straights, I’d say you ought to clean your own house before you start throwing stones here. December 12, 2015 at 11:11 pm Personally I am a Southern Baptist Christian, and I believe that homosexuality is a sin, simply because the bible explicitly states so. Having said that, I don’t think that homosexuality is worse than any other sin, including any of my own. Also, as a Christian, I am called to love others with the same love that Christ loved us. I don’t care about your sin, I care about you. I love homosexuals, just like I love every other person, who sins. I also think that pornography is a much larger poison in our current culture, and it oversexualizes everything, so maybe some of my fellow Christians can get off their self-righteous pedestal, and worry about their own sexual and spiritual integrity. January 21, 2016 at 9:53 am WHY DON’T WE OWN UP TO AND ADMIT WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT HERE…IT’S CHOICE, AND CHOICE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE, WHICH IS WHAT HOMOSEXUALS USE TO LABEL SUCH A LIFESTYLE CHOICE…A CHOICE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE, C’MON…WE ALL LOVE SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT “HOMOSEXUALITY”…IF I LOVE AS AN ADULTERESS, THEN I AM LOVING WRONG AND AM HURTING SOMEBODY IN THE PROCESS. IN STARK COMPARISON, THE RIGHT CHOICES I MAKE DO NOT EQUAL TO LOVE THEY EQUAL TO SACRIFICE…WHEN WE TRULY LOVE, WE TRULY ARE SACRIFICING…THAT IS WHAT LOVE TRULY IS, NOT SELF INDULGENCES WHICH IS WHERE OUR SOCIETY IS IN TERMS OF ERA, WE ARE SELFISH NARCISSISTIC BEINGS, DO A STUDY ON HOW WE LOVE OURSELVES SO MUCH WE SO LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER ONE AT THE DIRE EXPENSE OF OUR NEIGHBOR. WE NO LONGER LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS WE LOVE OURSELVES BC WERE TOO BUSY LOOKING INWARD AT OUR NEEDS INSTEAD OF THE NEEDS OF OTHERS…HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SELFISH CHOICE AND STAINS OUR SOCIETY JUST LIKE ANY LAW BREAKING ACT…AND REGARDING HATE SPEECH, HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO MOST HOMOSEXUALS THAT YOUR ATTEMPTS OF FORCING YOU LIFESTYLE ONTO A PERSON WHO OPPOSES IT, IS REALLY WHERE THE HATE LIES…YOU HATE ME BC I LOATHE YOUR UNNATURAL ACTS…YOU ARE NOT, BY LAW, FORCED TO ACCEPT MY RESERVATIONS, BUT I AM, BY LAW REQUIRED TO ACCEPT YOUR LIFESTYLE…SEE HOW THIS IS NOT LOVE? IT IS SELFISH LOVE IF ANYTHING…CONSIDER THIS, MY 6 YEAR OLD GOES TO SCHOOL AND SEES TO GIRLS/TWO BOYS KISSING AND HUGGING, ETC…NOW TELL ME HOW THIS DOES NOT CRIPPLE A SOCIETY AS A WHOLE?? IF WE CAN BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH THIS HOT TOPIC, AS BOB SAY’S ABOVE AND I CONCUR … IT IS AN UNNATURAL ACT OF INSERTING A PENIS INTO ANOTHER MAN’S ANUS…HOW DO I DISCUSS THIS WITH MY SIX YEAR OLD? WILL WE BE TOLERANT OF BEASTIALITY IN YEARS TO COME? I DO NOT LIKE LIVING IN A COUNTRY THAT SO CORRUPTS THE BOUNDARIES AND LINES OF ACCEPTED BEHAVIOR, WHATEVER THAT BEHAVIOR IS, INCLUDING HOMOSEXUALITY WHICH IS JUST AS DAMAGING AS ADULTERY, FORNICATION ETC…ONE DOES NOT RISE ABOVE THE OTHER, OR IS A SPECIAL CASE…BAD BEHAVIOR IS JUST THAT, BAD BEHAVIOR AND I CANNOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME HOW WE CAN BE SO APPROVING OF IT… January 25, 2016 at 1:21 pm NEW MAN-MADE SPECIES [To date there has been no intelligent dialogue on the topic of how a mental condition (homosexuality), came to be classified as a species worthy of protected rights by the constitution. In President Obama’s address to the state of the union, under an inscribed “In God We Trust,” he states “…I want future generations to know that we are a people who see our differences as a great gift, that we are a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen: man and woman, young and old, black and white, Latino and Asian, immigrant and Native American, gay and straight, Americans with mental illness or physical disability. Everybody matters….” According to science there are no “gay and straight” Americans – only gay and normal Americans. Until this issue is resolved the condition will only fester and we will all suffer the consequences. Male and female, scientifically and biologically, have distinct identifiable characteristics that allows for intelligent identification and classification of the human race by the human race. No political maneuvering and posturing will change those NATURAL facts. Any attempts by legal authorities to legislate to the contrary can only be considered divisive propaganda and lead to confusion and discord and weaken the element that made this country strong in the first place – Functional Families. “In God We Trust” should respect the design and intent of the designer – for males to mate with females February 1, 2016 at 6:04 am Homosexuality is not what’s wrong in this world, what’s wrong is all the bigotry, racism, sexism, hatred, greed …. And for all you people claiming to “up hold Gods law” take a good long look at yourself before you condemn others for what they do in their own beds and who they love, you are all hypocrites and not without your own sins, if you choose to believe in your God, that’s your choice, you’re constant need to control others is a serious mental disorder, your fixation on gays and their lifestyle is what unhealthy, you thinking you have the right to deprive another human being of their dignity and livelihood is not only ignorant but also mental and disguising. I base my judgment on character and the treatment of other beings and you all FAIL! If you don’t agree with homosexuality don’t be one, if you don’t approve of gay marriage don’t marry the same sex, you’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s all it is and that does not give you the right to think you have more rights than another. So, please tell me, how does one being homosexual affect you personally? (If you can only answer this question with a quote from your bible you already failed as a human) How does someone who’s gay threaten you and your being, and if your God wanted everyone to be the same it would have given you your own planet, the only thing you are proving with your hatred is that you are intolerant nincompoops. March 4, 2016 at 11:03 am I am one of God’s chosen people (a.k.a. Jewish) God loves everyone, so just to let you know saying things or hateful speech towards homosexuality is against what God believes in. Saying it’s an illness or sickness has been proven incorrect so wake up and smell the coffee. How can a man marry another man ? Simple go get married. There’s a passage in a book written 3500 years ago, same book that says women are not to work or wear pants, mix fabrics, eat pork, do anything on the sabbath (which is technically Saturday). A man laying with a woman during that error was seen as a sport not a commitment today that’s all changed so update yourself take your head out of your ass and follow God who loves EVERYONE. Btw if you hate homosexuals go where it’s illegal or join the kkk or Nazi party they believe in the same inhumane ideas. March 7, 2016 at 5:22 am telling people that their soul is in danger of eternal damnation is not hate, you are Jewish, and it is the GOD of Israel that wrote what HE deems sin or not, not you or i, homosexuality is an abomination, if you know you scriptures you know that to be true, and to not alert those that practice such perverse behavior is a sin onto itself. if you want to dismiss what GOD say in a book that you say written 3500 years ago, then you advocate dismissing having sex with animals, and your family members, it is in the same paragraph as thou shall not lay with mankind as with womankind it is an abomination. same paragraph. so get your incest, and beastiality on ! March 27, 2016 at 4:18 pm it’s illegal to be myself in all these countries. think about how that feels for a second, and then maybe you’ll be more careful when making your homophobic, ignorant, and just plain rude comments. it’s 2016 for christ sake, and if you’re not striving to make a change I’m not sorry to say you are stuck in your own small minded world and I hope for your sake one day you learn that it’s not a choice. love is not a choice. it’s no more of a choice than the colour of your skin. if you can’t believe this, have fun living a life filled with hate and lies. April 23, 2016 at 4:39 pm Ok I’m not bigot or racist but being gay is unnatural and wrong.Im a man of color and I have noticed a very disturbing uprising of gay people .Recently over the last decade. I have had gay men harass me and hit on me in such a way I could call it sexual harassment and even after I say I’m straight!All these gay right movements are making gay people think they can turn others gay Against there will.Its sick.There’s even this new trend of Gay men who only date straight guys wtf?I even have heard from a college student at Berkeley that a straight young man was rapped by a gay man at a party .They even have a shady place called steam works where gay men go to have orgies with other men.Just think about all the diseases being spread.Im sorry but just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s right .Where do we draw the lines?Now gays and transgendered can share a bathroom with me?Guess what your gonna start seeing straight people rapped on a regular basis.I don’t feel comfortable sharing a private space with someone who is gay especially like a gym dressing room because there are sickos in there looking at your privates.I mean think about it .If straight men where was allowed to share bathrooms or dressing rooms etc with women every sicko would be in there lol.There needs to be some laws that come into effect or we might as well change are flag into a rainbow.Also Who gave gays the right to destroy the image of a rainbow.Rainbows in my day were( I’m only thirty ) beautiful and maybe had a pot of gold a the end.Now it’s some gay bat signal .Its a shame. If I have a child I pray they don’t turn out gay.Theres nothing beautiful about a man penetrating another man it’s quite disgusting actually and serves no natural purpose.As a straight man I feel I’m being bombarded by this gay movement in a negative way.Now I’m seeing gay ads pop up everywhere and I don’t want to see it .At some point we gotta ask are selves is this what we want for our children a gay future? April 27, 2016 at 5:22 am As another person of color I can tell you that if anyone should understand the term bigot it’s you. your ignorance is appalling . Oh my a straight man harassed ? A man raped ? Orgies ? You do realize that more women are rapped on college campuses each year than you could fathom. The number of woman harrased by straight men is insurmountable and I’ve seen more gang bang porn videos where a line of hetero men have unprotected sex with one female than I would care to … It sounds like you are making a solid case for us to make being a straight man illegal . Please take your simple minded fear mongering some where else . You poor misguided soul . Save the prayer for yourself your disillusion is only surpassed by your complete lack of competence . You are what’s wrong with the world people like you are the people that invented Jim Crow they said all they same things about us mixing how appealing and un natural it was …. Science says other wise . You have access to the Internet. use it to educate yourself . Please. May 2, 2016 at 12:51 pm Lol Ha ha .No your not gonna use Race as a excuse to be a homo sorry not this time.Race has nothing to do with being gay it’s a choice .Black people or Jews didn’t have a choice so that’s just a crutch to make you feel better about your Gayness.Gay black men are a fucking embarrassment. I’m a strong ,straight , conservative , educated , honorable black man .So that’s the dumbest arguememt to even start.Being gay is a mental disorder and a sickness.I wish I could cure your damaged mind but so many have been fooled into believing that it’s right.The bible says it all .Its a Sin and just as bad as Beastiality , Incest and having sex with children.There are people who probably think those things are ok as well but guess what just because u can do it don’t mean it’s right.Marriage use to be about what’s beautiful , pure and natural . Now it’s just another freak show used by people with sick minds to give them some false sense of security about what’s right and wrong.I pray for your damaged soul ..look at your self in the mirror , deep down past your denial you know it’s wrong and that’s God talking. May 2, 2016 at 8:40 am Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men. Corinthians 6:9 I well understand how if you believe in christ you will go to heaven but this verse says how wrong it is to be homosexual. all of you LGBT supporters scrap the scripture of meaning trying to say you aren’t twisted and immoral looking constantly for every detail when it is clearly stated in black and white. Oh by the way if it is so natural why does my stomach knot when I see two guys or two girls. the principles you say make it natural are of the same level of envy you should not envy other people or their belongings but it feels natural. here is the connection they both involve satan tempting you. If you fight it you can get away but the second you say ok he has gotten to you you can cope with your envy just keep your feelings inside. This website is good I like the fact that it states all of the places I can move to when I leave this immoral country. Thanks for the list. May 27, 2016 at 9:45 pm its funny how so many people judges the LGBT community around the world this was a interesting topic to discuss i understand that many people would rather see these countries bomb full of hate but seriously why we are all the same in away just finding what attracts us more straight people have to understand that the LGBT is not to hurt the world we live in but we are only human how many of you all can say you weren’t attracted to the same sex it makes no difference if we were blind or have a disability we are still human we bleed the same we have the same organs in our bodies and if my children ever came to me and said i need to tell you something im gay/lesbian or im going to be a transgender i wouldn’t be shock but be happy for them life is to short to judge on other people sexuality this topic has made me understand that there are countries who wont allow LGBT be who they are and its ashame we not standing behind and showing support to let these countries know that changing there laws help make a greater change its a new time new generations of the old come a new now why cant many of you people get that we should be seeing what others face in horror the acceptance is all the LGBT wants is that so hard to see that maybe they are reaching out in arms and saying people of the world stand with us help us get this new law that being LGBT is ok let us stop hiding and being scared let our country allow us to be who we are who we marry and love and have a family just like any other hetro human there are in the world help us. or are we just going to stand there and let them hurt other humans its a world we need to show love and compassion time for all the people quotes of god and other beliefs to stop cause there was a saying to show love to others than to pass judgement i could go on but ill leave it to that but to the one who post this topic up ill tilt my hearrty to you cause you have help me understand what its like for other countries when i come from a country that allows LGBT to marry in the civil union and that being along time to understand just how lucky i am to live where we may just live even though we may have some who dislikes it but we dont condemn them to death or fines but its a great topic feel happy that you put this out there hea June 6, 2016 at 5:16 am I think that homosexuality is a natural course. I read a lot of comments in here that animals don’t mate with their own sex and so humans who practices homosexuality is below than animals. I ask you people…how many is the human population here on Earth? How many is the animal population here on Earth? Animals mated with the opposite sex to repopulate their species especially because their lives are always in danger. Homosexual persons increases because of overpopulation. It’s the natural and less harmful way to decrease the human population. Our era now is different from the old times where there’s always war and epedemics that drastically decrease our population. In this times, war doesn’t occur often and cures for diseases and epedemics are invented and discovered. Making the lives of humans safe and for the death rates to be low. Meanwhile, births are continuously increasing thus increasing the humanity’s population. Earth’s resources is not infinite. Homosexuality is one of the natural ways aside from natural disasters to decrease the overpopulated human infested Earth and also an indicator that we humans are overpopulating. June 6, 2016 at 10:36 pm You are not human and you don’t love the world we live in. If you this first, you be out here trying to get people to accept what you are. Next you wouldn’t condone what you know is against god. God saved some prostitutes but not any homosexuals. So God doesn’t Love you. There is not a scripture in the world that says so. When it says God so loved the world Hello have his only son , it wasn’t talking about homosexuals. Heterosexual is who it’s referencing, you will never walk through the gates of heaven ! June 10, 2016 at 6:49 am First of all just to clarify some things on here this all sounds terrible the way you people are talking no matter what side your on. Who ever said God does not love you is beyond me, because in fact it say’s several times in the book I read God loves everyone. Personally I am one of God’s chosen people I am Jewish. Homosexuality in my belief is a gene not a mental illness so to say it is, is ridiculous it’s actually been proven it is not. To disown your child for being gay I personally do not understand that. However I feel bad for you and will pray for you in my temple tonight. People we need to remember this goes back to the early 1900’s when people claimed that Africans where these demons and against God. This is pure hate speech we need to understand and realize God love us all July 4, 2016 at 9:38 am I think if you want to be gay that’s your choice, but keep it to yourself. Why do you have to shove that choice down everyone’s throat? Why do my children need to be exposed to it? On tv, media, in the school sex ed curriculum, pride parade’s, etc it’s sickening! Who needs to know which man is shoving his wiener into the next man’s anus or which woman prefers taco’s to schlongs? Those countries that don’t have anti-gay laws but where they protect the children from it by enforcing an anti-gay propaganda law by not letting it affect or mold the children in media, schools, etc, are 100% correct in their thinking! Children don’t need to subjected to sex and homosexuality just so gays can feel accepted! Nor do they need to be molded to thinking it’s “OK” to be gay when their minds shouldn’t even be on those types of things. They should be allowed to grow and develop naturally into the person they choose to be whatever that may be on their own without INFLUENCE from the GAY AGENDA. Stop acting like what you are promoting is LOVE when in reality most gays are jumping from partner to partner and will readily tell you its about SEX. Being gay is only part of a person and your identity it is not everything that you are. It’s a sexual choice or preference and I can choose to be against your sexual choice or preference but still like you as a human being and that doesn’t make me hateful. I choose to not allow my children to be molded by a gay society but I don’t teach them to hate anyone. I tell them what is natural and that is naturally a woman and man can without “help” or assistance from outside parties, make a baby because our bodies are made for each other. The law of nature. I also teach them to love and accept people even if they don’t agree with everything about them.People aren’t born gay, its a CHOICE to be gay. Transgenders are also misguided and have self esteem issue’s a shame of their own natural bodies. That is a sickness and a mental disorder. How can you expect people to accept you when you can’t even accept your natural self? July 12, 2016 at 5:53 am I am Gay! But its not always about sex!, However as you have mentioned “gay is always jumping around changing partners” I couldn’t agree more to this line, its not easy to find someone who’s into relationships as most gays jump from one partner to another. Celebrating pride should be something more or less like a marriage or something spiritual not getting naked wearing nothing but a jock strap. Furthermore to the last point you talked about Transgenders they are the worse, Everyone suffers from insecurity of their own body no matter how perfect it might seem to be in other peoples eyes. but we do not have to change our entire physical appearance to that. we do not have to wear hills to prove a point. I just wish that being gay was just a normal thing like i am a man like any other man but i dont have to strip down naked to prove a point. I wear the same close as a normal man, the only difference is that to love another man that shares the same feelings as me. I am most probably the only gay guy that agrees with you. but however i do want to be married 1 day. I stay as far as i can from my little brother because i want him to be a better man and choosing his own faith i don’t ever want to be blame for misguiding him. but that doesn’t make me un happy well at least i don’t have to hide my personal stuff so that my brother might go thru it. im a straight acting gay & proud to be this way. Anyway sorry for the misspelling and the lack of grammar i was overwhelm by your statement. July 24, 2016 at 1:33 pm Dear Mohammad, I find no evidence to indicate that you’re right. The publication State-Sponsored Homophobia lists Jordan in the category “Same-sex sexual acts legal (119 States) 61% of UN States.” That report also mentions, “the Jordanian Penal Code of 1951, largely modified in 1960, is in force, having no prohibition on sexual acts between persons of the same sex.” It does mention a Jordanian law against public displays of immodest behavior and “signs incompatible with modesty,” which seems to apply both to heterosexuals and to homosexuals: “127 Article 320 states, “Anyone who commits an act incompatible with modesty or expresses signs incompatible with modesty in a public place or a public assemblage or by manner that could be seen by those in a public place shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding 50 Dinars”, see: http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4f5defd92.pdf ” Best, July 25, 2016 at 1:26 pm Homosexuality has alot to do with God, it’s an abomination but what can I say. In the book of Genesis 2 it specifically says that GOD CREATED MAN, AND GOD SAY THAT MAN WAS LONELY AND PUT ADAM TO SLEEP AN FROM A RIB HE MADE WOMAN AND SAID MAN HERE’S YOUR WIFE, GOD DIDN’T MAKE ANOTHER MAN OUT OF MAN’S RIB. But since the devil is the God of this world. They have taken 64,000 bibiblical scriptures that speaks against immorality and homosexuality and what God has created. God shouldn’t be mocked and your really aren’t born with a so-called gay gene. God doesn’t make mistakes he’s perfect man isn’t perfect. We need God in America again November 19, 2016 at 7:06 am Politicians from Russia and Lithuania are the only politicians who have some brain in their skulls because they don’t allow homosexual propaganda. The total truth is that people from Russia or Lithuania act upon instinct because of loyalty to a safe religion however they don’t care for the chaos elsewhere. I do. The mass-media, mostly directed from Europe have done a flirt with transexual people and they came up with a law allowing a trans to hide personal information and identity as well from the public viewers of the main stream of mass-media, in special way the TV. This cannot be done because it brings those who have had a change of sex into the public eye deceiving anyone that looks at them like real women. There are now minors trying to be trans for this very reason. The minors do pedophelia as well and they are very reluctant to report any pedo activity to the police, just because a tran will like to do pedophelia and those who fall into the trap likes it as well. They could be politicians, policeman, judges and lawyers and they all do it with minors without any problem whatsoever. Traffic of children can also be linked to this explosion of trans activity that keep on wishing to be trans to reach for success while they try all they can to look like real women that were able to deliver a baby. However the delivery it’s a fake delivery with all of the papers that are needed and supplied by those dirty pigs of politicians that made those dirty laws. No person reaching for success into the mass-media has any right to hide his past life. No compromise about it. Dear Blondtiger, Those are different judgment calls, not mistakes. I include Daesh (ISIS,ISIL), Gaza/Palestine and the Cook Islands in the list, because each has its own laws that apply in the territory it controls. I know that Daesh and Gaza/Palestine are not internationally recognized as independent nations and that the Cook Islands are in free association with New Zealand, which handles their defense and foreign affairs. Malawi has suspended enforcement of its anti-gay law but has not repealed it. I include Indonesia because the states with anti-gay laws (Aceh and South Sumatra) account for 4.7 million and 10.7 million people respectively. Thanks for keeping me honest. — Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog August 4, 2016 at 7:24 am Well i can certainly tell you one thing is that many of us Straight Guys trying to meet a woman at the Gym would be a Better place which it is Not since so many women are Gay unfortunately. And why the Hell would they be there anyway which Doesn’t make sense to begin with. It is very obvious why us guys have Trouble meeting women these days after i tried to start a Conversation with the one that i was Attracted too which she told me to get lost. Wow, i never thought that there are so many sick women out there today. August 8, 2016 at 7:51 pm Bob your wrong it isn’t less than 10 percent of the world population is homosexual it’s a lot higher than that – In the United States there are 70 percent men that are homosexual possibly as high as 20 percent more due to unreported cases, 40 percent woman lesbian in the United States, The United States makes up 5% of the World Population. In Canada, there are 10 percent men homosexual, in India there are 90 percent men homosexual, In Russia there are 10 percent of men homosexual. These are all in published statistics by each government – these 4 countries alone raise it higher than 10 percent of the world population. As a guess to include homosexuals gay men and lesbians I would guess it to be 60-65 percent of the world population possibly higher. August 29, 2016 at 5:24 am It’s so cute the stupid people quote from a book that was written by man. Do you really believe that Mary got pregnant by a ghost too???? I hope there are no woman commenting on this because according to the bible you should be serving your man instead of thinking for yourself and actually opening your mouthes. I also hope you believe in putting everyone to death that doesn’t believe in God! Cuz that there bible says that too! It’s funny how people who hide behind the bible just pick and choose which words they want to believe and which words they just ‘ignore’ when it’s good for them. What’s wrong in the world isn’t if a guy sticks his ding dong in another guys butt…..it’s religious ignorance. Same reason almost every single war in the world can be pointed towards religion. August 29, 2016 at 11:09 am Wow there is so much hate on here. For starters let me say God hates hate. God loves everyone. There’s nothing wrong with homosexuals. It is NOT a sin, not abnormal it been proven it’s a gene like beind a certain race or ethnicity. Homosexuality is not a choice. These people who are preaching all this hate on here are the true sinner’s. I can not believe some of the things people or saying trying to act like their God stating this and that is abnormal like they can decide that. I want to clarify this Bologna about the Bible vs. Homosexuality. Man shouldn’t lay with a man… During that error a man was way above a woman. Woman were seen as objects and property. Men would lay with woman as a sport and not a commitment. That passage was given to a man that was commiting adultry. You can’t relate a book written 3,500+ years ago to current day. You have to update everything. Woman wearing pants having a job. Mixing fabric. Having a car, electricity, HVAC, cable, phone, is all against the bible the list goes on and on. Don’t be fake and try to justify your updated idea but nobody else’s. God loves everyone if you hate a race or group of people you will indeed have to answer to God. September 1, 2016 at 11:25 pm There is a growing divide between feminists/lesbians and gay men. Milo Yiannopoulos identifies himself as a gay man right-winger yet he is attacked by members of the feminist and lesbian community. It is interesting that many Caribbean countries with harsh anti-MSM laws tend to allow relationships between women-women and women-children, while gay men in countries like Canada are under watch if they engage in consensual sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old, even though 16 is the unrestricted Age of Consent in Canada, but it’s 18 for MSM couples under the clause of anal sex. Many people tend to believe that the hatred of gay men is only made from heterosexual men; however, it is becoming apparent that Women’s Rights radical feminists and lesbians on the Left Paradigm, and Neo-Victorian traditional women on the Right Paradigm BOTH have hatred for gay men. Feminists tend to use the catch phrase “Are you Gay?” when a male criticizes feminism, and female teachers who molest young boys tend to warn their victims that if they complain, the boys are “gay”, and in some countries such as in the Middle East, being falsely accused of being gay results in a death penalty. Milo Yannapolis being attacked by women who support feminism. Gay men are not welcome to Slut Walks. Lesbians in Canada attack a black man and get away with it. His voice sounds like Southern state American/Caribbean. He was attacked, and unlike the stereotype that Caribbean men victimize “battyman”, it looks like the feminists/lesbians attacked him, and he was the one treated unfairly by the local authorities. Before you blindly consider that it is only heterosexual men who harm gay men, just look at what the feminists and lesbians are doing to marginalized ethnic-ties of men and gay men like Milo Yannoupoulis. A woman who wants to molest little children, such as a predator female teacher in a school, will be more likely to spread anti-gay messages to the children she molests, because the boy/s she molest will be afraid of being wrongly accused of being “gay” for reporting such abuse. Feminists, Traditional women and lesbians also hate on gay men too! September 10, 2016 at 8:22 am At this point I have lost all my faith in humans actually having any piece of humanity. I mean fine, yes, I am only a year 9 but so many 13 year olds have more humanity and are more opened minded than most of the adults. At this point in time some people that are my age can set a better example of being a responsible human being role model than any of the people in most countries that are past the age of 20. I am so disappointed with the churches that hate LGBTQ+ people and that is why now I might have even lost the faith not only in humans and adults but in my religion as well. September 20, 2016 at 8:46 am I begin to wonder about the hate on here. Why are these people on here? This site is not for homophobic people. It is for straight allies learning about anti gay laws and BGLT peoples learning about it as well. I have nothing to say to the bigots except that they are closeted gay men or “queerbaiting” as the expression goes. Jealousy and hate are wrong. Jealous because they are not open and have self loathing problems. I am sorry for them because they need help. As for religion. Not just applies to BGLT peoples but all people. Even heterosexuals are oppressed by evil religious peoples and religion and also “communist” countries with radical agendas. As for anarchism it is a good idea and also a bad one. We need laws to protect us from discrimination and bigotry and intolerance. Anarchism would apply for atheism and non monotheistic pagan beliefs. Anarchism would apply for human sexuality as well. I say to the self loathers and bigots, we all love you but we are opposed to your hate. Hate causes cancer and many karmic actions. So please learn to be kinder and loving and supportive and seek psychotherapy. 4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/kyrgyzstan-lgbt-community-fear-attacks-russia I became interested in this topic because the author describes clearly and portrays an overview of LGBT populations on a global scale. Also, the human right of minority groups is one of my areas of interest. However, it is not easy to do an in-depth critique that will reduce the anti-LGBT issues. Since the sexual/gender identity is based on the perception of oneself. The male/female gender roles were created from social values and this belief impacted judging what is right/wrong or accepted/rejected. If ones’ identity contrasts from the sexual mainstream, they are considered “different”. It is important to know about these social norms since the impact of anti-LGBT is based on their culture value and education. As a Thai man studying in the US, I have experience from the both sides of this world. In the US, some LGBT populations still experience discrimination even though but the gender bias is not severe when compared with other countries. In Thailand, we don’t have laws that legalize or protect, but the discrimination rate is not high. If LGBTs follow the law and do nothing to negatively impact the family or society, it is thought of as “OK” and for the most part acceptable. Moreover, based on Thai culture and teachings of Buddhism, Thais and other Asian countries place a high value on such virtues as kindness, humanity, sharing, and peace. It is believed that abiding by these values is key to living together among diversity. Moreover, education plays an important role changing the society over time. Thailand, US, and many other countries contain sexual minorities as one of their health topic issues. New generations of Thai and other nations seem to be more accepting and open-minded regarding sexual diversity. In Anti-LGBT countries, beliefs, cultures, and education systems are varied. Some think that being gay is a sin or crime. The reaction from their beliefs is varied based on how conservative they are in their values. However, many countries around the world have changed to a more positive opinion about their LGBT populations. For example, the US has already passed the law legalizing LGBT marriage. Since then, many of the more conservative countries are processing this law, including Thailand. For the past ten years, being LGBT in Thailand was prohibited. Refer to the beginning; LGBT identities depend on the individual beliefs influenced by the social norm. Since sexual identity was created by society it can be changed by society as well. We’ve gone from believing that sexual minorities were caused by illness to now having gay marriage acceptable. Health disparity in LGBT becoming a priority health issue in some countries. We’ve come a long way and many misconceptions have changed from the past. These signs confirm the positive change from the past to the present. In the future, when society becomes more open and accepting, people who are falling under the social norm will be open-minded. Therefore, LGBT identity will become acceptable among those countries. 4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/kyrgyzstan-lgbt-community-fear-attacks-russia I became interested in this topic because the author describes clearly and portrays an overview of LGBT populations on a global scale. Also, the human right of minority groups is one of my areas of interest. However, it is not easy to do an in-depth critique that will reduce the anti-LGBT issues. Since the sexual/gender identity is based on the perception of oneself. The male/female gender roles were created from social values and this belief impacted judging what is right/wrong or accepted/rejected. If ones’ identity contrasts from the sexual mainstream, they are considered “different”. It is important to know about these social norms since the impact of anti-LGBT is based on their culture value and education. As a Thai man studying in the US, I have experience from the both sides of this world. In the US, some LGBT populations still experience discrimination even though but the gender bias is not severe when compared with other countries. In Thailand, we don’t have laws that legalize or protect, but the discrimination rate is not high. If LGBTs follow the law and do nothing to negatively impact the family or society, it is thought of as “OK” and for the most part acceptable. Moreover, based on Thai culture and teachings of Buddhism, Thais and other Asian countries place a high value on such virtues as kindness, humanity, sharing, and peace. It is believed that abiding by these values is key to living together among diversity. Moreover, education plays an important role changing the society over time. Thailand, US, and many other countries contain sexual minorities as one of their health topic issues. New generations of Thai and other nations seem to be more accepting and open-minded regarding sexual diversity. In Anti-LGBT countries, beliefs, cultures, and education systems are varied. Some think that being gay is a sin or crime. The reaction from their beliefs is varied based on how conservative they are in their values. However, many countries around the world have changed to a more positive opinion about their LGBT populations. For example, the US has already passed the law legalizing LGBT marriage. Since then, many of the more conservative countries are processing this law, including Thailand. For the past ten years, being LGBT in Thailand was prohibited. Refer to the beginning; LGBT identities depend on the individual beliefs influenced by the social norm. Since sexual identity was created by society it can be changed by society as well. We’ve gone from believing that sexual minorities were caused by illness to now having gay marriage acceptable. Health disparity in LGBT becoming a priority health issue in some countries. We’ve come a long way and many misconceptions have changed from the past. These signs confirm the positive change from the past to the present. In the future, when society becomes more open and accepting, people who are falling under the social norm will be open-minded. Therefore, LGBT identity will become acceptable among those countries.	82
(Supplementary question) As at 2011 how many countries which criminalize homosexuality are in the British Commonwealth?	77 countries where homosexuality is illegal \| 76 CRIMES 77 countries where homosexuality is illegal Updated Dec. 14, 2016 Map of the 77 countries with laws against sexual relations between people of the same sex. 77 countries with anti-homosexuality laws (or 73 or 79) Click image to learn about the hundreds of LGBTI people in jail or awaiting trial in the 76-plus countries with anti-gay laws A total of 73 countries have criminal laws against sexual activity by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) people, according to a revised version of a tally by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, or ILGA. ILGA’s list slightly understates the problem. It leaves out Indonesia, where millions of citizens are affected by anti-LGBT laws. It also omits three anti-LGBT governments because, for various reasons, they don’t appear on a list of internationally recognized countries. This blog’s comparable 77-country list is below, including links to the blog’s coverage of each one. A separate article lists the 10 governments with laws providing the death penalty for same-sex intimacy, at least on paper. As of the publication of the 2016 edition of ILGA’s State-Sponsored Homophobia report, ILGA’s list numbered 75. But both Seychelles and Nauru repealed their anti-gay laws in May 2016, just after the ILGA report was prepared for publication. Then, on Aug. 10, 2016, the Supreme Court in Belize overturned that nation’s anti-sodomy law as applied to consensual sex. That brings the ILGA total down to 72. In December, the parliament in Chad approved a new penal code making same-sex intimacy a crime. That raised the ILGA tally back up to 73. The main difference between that revised ILGA total of 73 nations and this blog’s list of 77+ is that ILGA mentions but does not include four political entities that are on this blog’s list: Indonesia , where two large provinces outlaw homosexual acts; and Three political entities that have anti-LGBT laws but that aren’t accepted as countries by the international community — the Cook Islands , a self-governing country whose residents all have citizenship in New Zealand; Gaza / Palestine ; and the territory of Syria and Iraq that is controlled by Daesh / ISIS / ISIL troops. This blog’s total would be 79 countries if it were to include Russia and Lithuania , two countries that do not have laws against homosexual acts but do have repressive laws against “propaganda of homosexuality.” Libya and Nigeria have similar anti-propaganda laws, but also prohibit same-sex relations, so they are already on the list. Back in 2012, based on a separate, nearly complete count, St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation cited a total of 76 countries. That list was used in that year’s Spirit of 76 Worldwide program aimed at repealing those laws. It also inspired the name of this blog — “Erasing 76 Crimes.” These are some of the recent changes in the list: The tiny nations of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean and São Tomé and Príncipe , in the Atlantic Ocean off the shores of central Africa, recently decriminalized homosexuality and were dropped from this list in 2014. Mozambique’s LGBTI advocacy organization, Lambda, can celebrate the repeal of the country’s anti-gay law, but it has not yet won its battle for official government recognition, which it has been seeking since 2008. (Photo courtesy of Lambda) Mozambique , on the southeastern coast of Africa, with a population of 24 million, adopted a new Penal Code in the second half of 2014 and was dropped from this list in early 2015. Lesotho also was dropped from the list after adopting a new Penal Code, which effectively eliminated the nation’s former common-law crime of sodomy. As noted above, Seychelles and Nauru repealed their anti-gay laws in May 2016, as did Belize in August 2016. Also as noted above, Chad enacted an anti-homosexuality law in December 2016. Iraq was added to the list, although it does not have a civil law against same-sex relations. But, in the words of the 2015 edition of ILGA’s State-Sponsored Homophobia report, Iraq “clearly has judges and militias throughout the country that issue the death sentence for same-sex sexual behaviours.” Chad was briefly added to the list in 2014 — by mistake — because of a proposed new Penal Code that would provide for 15 to 20 years in prison and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs (US $86 to $860) “for anyone who has sex with persons of the same sex.” Chad was removed from the list after ILGA realized that the proposed change had been approved by Chad’s cabinet, but not by the president. Daesh (or ISIS / ISIL ) was added to the list because it publicizes its executions of LGBTI people in the the areas of northern Iraq and northern Syria held by its troops. ILGA states that “the Nusr [‘Victory’ in Arabic] website, which claims to be the website of the Islamic caliphate, has a section on Legal Jurisprudence (evidence-based rules and the penal code). One of the pages under this section is dedicated to “punishment for sodomy”, which states: “the religiously-sanctioned penalty for sodomy is death, whether it is consensual or not. Those who are proven to have committed sodomy, whether sodomizer or sodomized, should be killed…”. Here is this blog’s list of 76 countries and independent political entities with anti-homosexuality laws, with links to the blog’s coverage of them. Chad will be added if it becomes clear that the new penal code of December 2016 has taken effect: Africa 68 Trinidad & Tobago In the United States, anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, but they are still on the books in 13 states : Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Conservative state legislators refuse to repeal the laws and, in some cases, police still enforce them. In the past several years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws , but the arrestees were freed because prosecutors won’t seek convictions based on defunct laws. Oceania 76 Tuvalu Europe No country in Europe has a law against homosexuality. The last European location with such a law was Northern Cyprus (recognized as a country only by Turkey), which repealed its law in January 2014 . Also in Europe and worth mentioning but not on the list of countries with laws against homosexuality are: Russia , which enacted an anti-“gay propaganda” law in 2013 prohibiting any positive mention of homosexuality in the presence of minors, including online; Lithuania , which has a similar law; in 2015, it considered but has not yet adopted a further law that would impose fines for any public display that “defies traditional family values.” Ukraine , which considered such a law in 2012 and 2013, did not adopt it and seems to have dropped the issue. Moldova , which adopted and then repealed such a law in 2013. Belarus , which was discussing such a law in early 2016. In addition, in central Asia, Kyrgyzstan in October 2014 was on the verge of adopting an anti-“gay propaganda” law harsher than that in Russia. If that bill becomes law, any type of distribution of positive information on same-sex relations, not just discussions in the presence of a minor, would become a crime punishable by fines and a jail sentence. In Kazakhstan , both house of parliament passed a bill “On Protecting Children from Information Harmful to their Health and Development,” but the Constitutional Council rejected it in May 2015, saying that the wording was too vague. As noted above, Libya and Nigeria also have anti-“gay propaganda” laws in addition to their laws outlawing same-sex intimacy. For more information, download these PDF files: ILGA map of countries that recognize and those that reject gay and lesbian rights (2016). Related information: 76 Countries Where Anti-Gay Laws Are As Bad As Or Worse Than Russia’s. Each country’s anti-LGBTI law is summarized in a list compiled by BuzzFeed. With photos. Countries that still criminalise homosexuality. AntiGayLaws.org publishes tables for each continent, citing the language of each country’s anti-LGBTI laws, along with whether the country has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and/or allows the UN to monitor and assess its human rights record. The Sexual Rights Law and Policy Database, which is compiled by the Sexual Rights Initiative, a coalition of organizations from Canada, Poland, India, Egypt, Latin America and Africa that work together to advance human rights related to sexuality at the United Nations. Share this: July 16, 2012 at 9:02 am Some have also suggested that Namibia has no place in the list. The ILGA report bases its assertion that it criminalises homosexual acts on Dutch common law, but the Namibian constitution prohibits discrimination, and takes precedence over Dutch common law. Maybe something to keep in mind for the 2013 review… June 13, 2013 at 8:02 pm Homo?; It is a shame that ignorant hate speech is allowed or that it is practiced by the under educated. Why do people like you hate such a small portion of the population, they want nothing from you. All they want is to be left alone and to live their lives in peace and to love the person that they love, without the bigots crawling out of the woodwork and spewing hate at them. What have these people done? I don’t mean for you to answer this with the hateful interpretation of the Bible or any other holy book. Just answer it, what have these people done to you? People start to live up to the teachings of the Prophet Issa and the others. The following applies to you as well – “And turn not thy cheek away from people in false pride, and walk not haughtily on earth: for, behold, God does not love anyone who, out of conceit, acts in a boastful manner. (18) Hence, be modest in thy bearing and lower thy voice: for behold, the ugliest of all voices is the loud voice of asses. . .” (19) Holy Qur’an S31v18-19 RAK, A Proud American and Veteran (1969-94) Et secundum diversitatem unitatis pro scientiam / Unity through diversity and knowledge. LPN/ret, HM2c(FMF)/USN, Sgt/USAR, ACM/olc, CWVet, VNeVet, GWVet, DAV/VFW Life Member August 12, 2013 at 9:17 pm Only 10% of the world’s population’s homosexual, statistically qualifying it as abnormal, which it certainly is, that is, unless of you think a man stickin’ his penis into another man’s anus is normal, let alone in accordance with natural law, which it assuredly isn’t, given it doesn’t entail procreation, inherently the natural purpose of sex, the very basis of life itself. Hypothetically, supposing you’re fully supportive of homosexuality, how would you feel if your son revealed being Gay? Would you be happy? Hm, let me guess…. you’d be initially shocked; subsequently saddened; and then? Why? After all, aren’t you supportive? That said, people are so misled by The Media into assuming The World’s population approves of homosexuality, when, in fact, only The West does. Then again, does it? Be reminded, for example, that virtually every poll in North America opposes same-sex marriage by about 60% of respondents. Can these polls be extrapolated? Moreover, be reminded that no referendum’s ever been held to officially support or oppose Gay Rights; that only the politically correct stroke of a pen has unilaterally legislated Gay Rights, opposed, for example, by virtually every religion. Again, I ask, if your son came out of the closet, would you be happy about his bein’ Gay? If not, why not? August 14, 2013 at 4:32 pm Dear Bob, You’ve said a lot in there, and I won’t try to respond to it all. But you’re wrong about support for marriage equality in the United States. As this AP story notes, “In U.S., 52% Back Law to Legalize Gay Marriage in 50 States.” But the focus of this blog is human rights for LGBT people, whether the majority of their country is for or against same-sex marriage. Just because a majority is in favor of oppressing a minority, that doesn’t make it right. If my son came out as gay, I might worry that he would have a difficult life ahead of him, but I’d love him just the same. I certainly wouldn’t wish him to stay in the closet and live a miserable life there, or turn to “pray the gay away” hucksters for a life of self-denial and self-delusion. All the best, March 5, 2015 at 2:08 am Get with the times mate, some people r gay, I’m bi and have dealt with abuse my whole life and my adolescent years were very difficult because of this. Yofu don’t mind seeing a man and a woman kiss, but put that man with another and suddenly ur offended by seeing two people of the same sex showing affection. And many straight couple have anal sex now so if that’s bugging u about gay guys then u need to start hating some straight people for that too. And if it’s a religious thing, well I’m religious but smart enough to know love between two people regardless of their gender is a beautiful thing. Instead of giving u a message such as I hate u or something like that, I ask u to review your opinion on homosexuality and why u feel the need to go online and make people feel isolated. Homosexuality is not a choice, u could have just as easily been bi as I am, then how would u feel about homosexuality if u felt feelings towards the same sex? http://blip.tv/prophecyfilmdotcom/hell-without-sermon-4689942 Is homosexuality a sin? And who do we believe? God is the ultimate and sovereign judge for sin. Homosexuality is sin by His order; it is not decided by public opinion or deceived/false clergy. Changing societies do not dictate God’s standards. Sin is defined by God for us in the Bible. It is the source for what God says is holy and righteous or sin and abomination. Hebrews 13:8 states that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; he does not “go with the flow.” God’s Word says that homosexuality is unnatural, a perversion, an abomination, fornication, vile affections, and a great sin against Him. He states any sexual act outside of marriage is adultery (hetro or homo sexual). Sex is to be between man and woman within marriage. Is homosexuality a sin? What does this mean? God’s design for natural sexual relationships is part of His plan. Homosexuality falsifies what God designed. Sin often means not only rejecting God but denying or rejecting how and why we are made. Though it may be considered acceptable by some today — even in some churches — it is not acceptable to God. And we need to take that seriously. Sexual sins were rampant in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (This is the origin of the word sodomy.) Despite warnings, they refused to repent. God destroyed those cities and it was recorded as a warning to all future generations (Genesis 18:20-21, Genesis 19:4-5, 2 Peter 2:6). Some additional scriptures on homosexuality are found in: Leviticus 18:22 The price paid for homosexuality and other fornications are told in: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Jude 6-7 Romans 1:18 In spite of the growing secular humanist trend to think “it’s ok to be gay,” it’s not a righteous lifestyle. Most vocal Christians are not homophobic, but are trying to share Christ’s love for homosexuals and trying to keep them from horrific judgment. Is homosexuality a sin? Is there hope for forgiveness? There absolutely is hope for homosexuals. God can cleanse and purify all persons from sin. As many scriptures as there are that address sin, there are more that speak of forgiveness and redemption. He is able to give deliverance to any who sincerely desire true freedom and salvation. Such is demonstrated in 1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV): “And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This verse says “some of you were,” meaning they became past acts. We are offered the empowering Spirit of God to help us turn from our sins. Coming out of drug addiction, homosexuality, pornography, or other sin isn’t always easy but God will provide the way. Christians are to “love” into the kingdom, those who desire repentance and to live by His natural plan. Jesus Christ died on the cross for all of our sins and rose again the third day. He desires that we repent and be forgiven of our sins by coming into a personal relationship with Him. July 19, 2015 at 10:34 am How can people be so awful? If you keep denying that it’s happening, your going to get blown into the past, because when time comes being homosexual will be considered “just another normal thing”. May take hundreds of years, but it’ll happen. And for the people who keep referencing the bible, who are we to paraphrase God’s word? In reality, doesn’t that mean you are sinning, changing his word into something that could potentially mean something totally different? Homosexuality though may be considered a sin, but were all sinners, so why is it such a big deal? You can continue to hate on gay people for your whole life, but why? What’s the point? Just to make somebody feel awful about who they really are? That’s pretty disgusting, if I do say so myself. So maybe you still don’t accept gay people and their rights. Really, that’s okay. It’ll take time for people to get used to it and accept it as well, and I’m not here to scream at you for feeling uncomfortable about something you can’t change. But that doesn’t mean you can just go say extremely awful things to people just because they are of a different preference. It’s just like the different between white and black, why does it matter? So please take this into consideration when you think about how you really feel about homosexuality. If you keep hating on it, I’m very sorry for you, and hope that something will change your mind. That is all, thank you. December 12, 2016 at 10:45 am Sometimes the old ways are better. We need to purge the land of such sick and mentally ill acts as queers commit daily. Bring back the one true God and overthrow all the altars to Satan and immoral conduct. It is not natural to produce children with same sex. First they would kill their children with abortions….then people got so ill they thought queers should get married…now they are so messed up in the head that they think they can choose their sex and change at will or go into any bathroom they choose. Stop the madness and bring back shock theapy for these queers! June 27, 2015 at 7:53 am It is not a question of minority and majority. “The same as blonds or whites etc”. It is not the same at all.To be a blond is not a pervertion, not against the nature. And there is nothing in Bible about “minority”. Harp players are also minoruty, but it is not a sin or pervertion. The idea is to keep your pervertion to yourself, do not demonstrate and intrude your pervertion. Do what you want if it is not a harm to anyone or anything, If it is disgust to someone who is natural, mentally healthy, do not demonstrate it to such people. By the way it is a fact – some people are born like this, but some people – not, there were perverted by someone when very young. How about that? I know one girl who was normal girl, had normal natural interests. Once one old pervert wanted to make her a sexual “toy” for herself. First the girl got shock, shied, did not want. But the old pervert slowly slowly through financial help, presents, fast-talks made the girl. a lesbian. I think it is the main reason for antigay activity. And it is the same for men and women. October 16, 2016 at 9:10 am God created all species. I’m a hemaphridite and I was born with both testies and overies . I find all of this dialogue interesting. God has tolerance for many things. There is so much that many of the arguing parties do not understand about the body and mind. At the end of day God made us all different. It’s a test for us to learn how to love one another. If people can learn to stay in their lanes just like traffic we can get along. I’m one of 5 children.47 years old my dad is 88 and mom passed this year at 79. I have over 40 nieces and nephews and I’m a great great uncle. My family doesn’t have all the issues that are argued here beacause we know how to love. I’m a mentor and role model. We don’t have these debates. My brother n laws were wired at first and they developed tollerence once they learned in time I’m not a threat to them. I love and support their children and my niece named one of her 8 children, son after me . We live in truth, God and love. Pehaps if you saw a family be suucessful it may expand your views. We all have a purpose in life. God is on my side and loves each one of you. I love our country. People can be free here in the United States. No one should live in bondage. Things can not remain the same. We all have to continuously grow and not come from a place of fear and negativity. I love being different because people just see only gay. Life is lived in color. Educate yourself on all scenarios. Becareful what you say about people and treat them because it could be one of your children or friends like me. Karma is for all. Keep living and life will give you answers. November 2, 2016 at 12:56 pm Hate is a sin. As a Jew me and my wife of 7 years are welcoming to the GLBTI community. God loves everyone. Everyone is different. In the Holocaust the Nazis arrested gays and they were treated even more harshly then the Jews if you can imagine. It all started (the entire Holocaust) from some hocus pocus nuts that made some fake propaganda like on here. Homosexuality is not a sin. That’s like saying it’s a sin to be a different color of skin. Or someone who has a different color of hair. It’s bigotry. Then the try to use religion to fight peoples rights. That’s pure ridiculous. I thought religion taught peace and love. Religious freedom ? What about liberty and justice for all that’s in the pledge of allegiance. What about my religion ? We don’t celebrate Xmas or Easter. I feel my religion is discriminated against because I am Jewish (God’s chosen people). All this hate on here brings tears to my eyes. Talking about these vicious and inhumane views towards someone they don’t agree with. If your still against homosexuality just mind your business. I will go on and welcome all in the temple I belong to so we can follow what God has told us to. Then at the end you can answer to God about the hate in your heart. November 5, 2016 at 5:13 pm My heart is breaking as I read this hatefull comments, you have no idea how hard it is to be a Lesbian, to deal with the word: “Man” as if it was written. You people say us gays have no right in adopting kids, but in the end who takes care of the kids you didn’t want? You talk about kids needing a mom and a dad, but when your son/daughter turns out gay, you throw then away so they have none. Why give so much hate to a person that has done nothing to you, if you see a same sex couple in the streets, will they kidnap you and force you into the gay? No, they wouldn’t. You care more about people living each other, more than you care about rape, kidnaps, child and women abuse, hunger and racism. Hope this got stuck in some of yours ignorant brains. June 8, 2013 at 5:27 pm Poor = uneducated = ignorant towards science, religion, history, gender, sexual orientation, business, economics, politics, and life in general. Lots of “poor” places are quite beautiful and the people are very nice. I’ve lived in Ghana and worked in many parts of Africa. It’s a pity that the “old laws” were imposed. It’s an equal pity that the people still follow them out of their own ignorance. Yes, lots of ignorant people live in the US and Europe too. They are largely poor and uneducated as well. If Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu can love and accept gay people, then who are you? They are two of the most enlightened Africans on the continent and forced South Africa to include gays into South Africa’s constitution. If you don’t accept homosexuality, it has nothing to do with God; it has to do with your own hatred. When people “hate” on the anti-gay religious people, it’s because they hate their ignorance. And if you think God is against gay people, then you should also remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. Besides, the Christian bible wasn’t written until 300 years after Jesus died. The first gospels were written at least 60-70 years after Jesus died. They were not written by Jesus or during his life time. They were written by stupid men who supposedly tried to write down what God wanted. Look it up. The continued ignorance and hostility of the poor is a real shame, and it’s because of that they will continue to stay poor and can only blame themselves for it. November 16, 2012 at 9:18 am In the cases where Gays might face execution or extreme civil rights violations, yeah, but otherwise it’s not our place to tell other nations what laws they should pass. As an American, I’ve had enough of this world police BS. And quite franklly, with th actions of Gay activists in this country I don’t think I’d ever willingly jump on any bandwagon they provided since they’re THE most irritating and hateful pieces of crap I’ve ever had the misfortune of encountering. The ones who claim they’re discriminated against the most are almost always 10 times as guilty as those they accuse for their own brands of hatred and intolerance. I’m sick of hearing nonstop about how those evil white Christian rednecks all need to be hung to save the noble gays/blacks/fillintheblank…and how we need European Union and Canadian style hate speech laws and possibly, in the future, manditory daily insertions of electric batons up our arses should we not march in lockstep with the Rainbow Coalition. But rednecks aren’t trying to pass bills in favor of execution for gays…but you listen to the cackling hens on the view and you’d think there was a second holocaust going on. Meanwhile, you’ve got Perez Hilton basically stripping the Ms. America title off of a women he asked a question there was no right answer to and he penalized her for respectfully expressing her own opinion. In other words, he discriminated against her because of her beliefs. And that’s “kosher.” Were it the other way around? OUTRAGE! And besides…add them to this list of groups getting screwed over. It’s a very long list. But in our selective outrage we focus on only one because of emotional attachment to that certain issue. You boycott them. You boycott til’ your heart’s content…but if I see a Persian rug from Iran and I’ve got 5 grand to blow…fvck you and your stupid cause. Because in the end all activists become what they despise. They become vengeful, hateful and petty. Just like everyone else who is to full of their own crap. July 8, 2013 at 1:08 am Dear Sammy, The same can be said of you who clearly has hatred in your words. It seems that you have experience in becoming what you despise. I’m not saying anyone should be forced to live my lifestyle but i should be able to live the way i want, we wouldnt need activist if we were granted the same rights but were not so we need a voice. We don’t want to throw it in anyone’s face, we just want the right to live our lives. I apologist if you have been the victim of radical movements but i doubt it. Gay activism is our attempt to gain the rights you already have and you should be ashamed for hating people that disrupting your life by trying to gain the same rights you are granted just by liking the opposite sex. i hope you will think about how you would feel if people only thought you should live but have no rights and maybe that will help you understand the activists and deal with the anger that lives through your words. sincerely, July 28, 2013 at 3:47 am Personally I’m sick of people who get irritated with other people who want NOTHING more than that same rights that they have. They try and rationalise and justify their ignorance, impatience and narrow-mindedness by stereotyping the one’s who want those rights. Always going on about the ‘us’ and the ‘them’. This is how selfishness and hate has always been. Gay rights, black rights, women’s rights – it doesn’t matter – are all HUMAN RIGHTS. It’s that simple. And sadly, we have a world where they all have to be fought for. July 20, 2014 at 10:17 am your anger is misplaced on Black people. we do not want to take anything from you and we do not want you talking anything from us. now you have already shown that you will rob, steal, discriminate and even kill Black people. Black americans have survived and contributed many things to this culture. we did not ask to come here. you beef is with your own people, white people, who allowed a more aggressive tribe among you to rub you out and perpetrate the lie that they aren’t even white people, your own kind. don’t feel bad, it happened to Black people in africa, too but I cannot allow you to say certain things about Black people unchallenged. April 8, 2016 at 6:29 pm Soon, and very soon, every gay, homosexual, lesbian whatever will realize that the true Christians who were trying to lead them to the salvation of Jesus Christ was their ONLY FRIEND…Believe me when I tell you that there is coming a time when Christians are going to be the Gay persons least concern. When America and Europe becomes a predominantly Islamic religion, then HEADS will roll; literally. I am a Christian and I think it’s time that Christians leave the Homosexuals to their own end. Save those that want to be saved. Mark 6:11 says, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgement, than that city.” July 31, 2013 at 10:51 pm Why call it hatred? I don’t know, how do we know if its causing anyone harm? Besides how others see and act because of that. Do we really know if it is or not causing harm? We have other types of love between two or more that is still illegal should that too become legal. They too say they are not hurting anyone, whether its true or not, they say it. I think adultery should be illegal and about shellfish (from the sea if it doesn’t have scales and fins don’t eat it. Matthew 15: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. March 2, 2014 at 10:36 pm Christians are being made to be the villain here. Obama could have avoided all this friction between the gay community and Christians (and Muslims for that matter) if he had had upheld the constitutional right of freedom of religion when writing this law. It has been purposely and cleverly left out to divide the two groups. Americas constitution gives all American citizens basic human rights and the pursuit of happiness. Christians are not trying to take away that basic right, the gay community is trying to take away the basic right of Christians to believe and abide by their faith. Any person or group that dares to think different than them or does not accept their life style choice is ridiculed, harassed and sued for discrimination. This is not showing tolerance and respect for the rights of others to believe different than you. In effect this law is being used by the gay community to silence Christians and any condemnation they might make them feel by living and standing by their Christian values. Would anyone ever believe it would come to this in America? The basic right of freedom of religion was one of the most if not THE most important issue this country was founded on…now it is seen as a flaw, outdated and no longer needed… July 3, 2014 at 3:05 am Well said mate !!! If my son turned gay, I’d never have anything to do with him. I’d be totally DEVISTATED, I certainly would NOT accept it. It would be the biggest kick in the teeth for me & his mum. I think, if you are gay & flaunt it “in public”, swinging your handbags & wearing womens clothing,,, what do you expect ? You WILL 100% be ridiculed ! How pathetic does it look, a bloke mincing down the street, with a limp wrist, wiggling hips & expecting “us” real blokes not to say anything !!!! Yeh right,,, you filthy pathetic little freaks deserve all you get !!!!! The U.K. should be 100% ANTI GAY like so many other countries. If you read the bible, it talks about Adam & Eve NOT Adam & Steve !! July 1, 2015 at 11:05 am Actually, America is pretty kick ass. I have been employed most of my adult life and when I wasn’t I was able to live on unemployment until I found a job. I have never missed a meal or not had a roof over my head due to poverty. I have been harassed by law enforcement only a handful of times but walked away unscathed each time once they knew I was not guilty of anything. I have also been allowed to voice my support of everyone having equal rights in a peaceful matter without fear of reprisal or having my social media accounts shutdown. Finally, I am more likely to die from a luxury related disease than environmental disease or starvation. I know my experience is not the same as everyone’s but it is relatively standard and I am thankful every day. I want everyone to share it. I am not bragging just addressing the comment that America isn’t such a great place. I can’t complain! January 23, 2014 at 4:42 pm Name the passages in the Bible where God say being gay is a sin. Also, find the passages where God says that it’s a sin to masturbate and the other sins that are deserving of death. Do you approve of stoning a woman to death for adultery? Will you murder you son for masturbating? How dare you justify parts of the Bible for your own prejudices and ignore others because YOU don’t think they’re relevant anymore. You can’t pick-and-choose only those Biblical things which suit your needs anymore than you can pick-and-choose those parts of science that support your beliefs and convictions in the Creation while denying those that don’t. Remember the Golden rule (common to most religions) to love/treat your neighbor as you wish to be loved/treated. That statement is at the base of Judaism. “Judge not lest you be judged” and “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” is the basis of Christianity.. January 28, 2014 at 1:44 am Dessert Foxx, David Aris, et al, read this simple piece. To begin with, David, it is obvious with all your efforts at selecting portions of the bible to justify your position, you’ve never read Romans 1vs24-30! Sure you understand it. Also read about Sodom and Gomorrah and reasons for their destruction. These succinctly, establish God is against homosexuality. He created both sexes with an intent and anything other than that is gross perversion. For believing in God, your refusal to obey his laws-human punishment notwithstanding-is regarded as rebellion and trust me,God’s punishment is more severe than human’s whenever unleashed, hence the need to collectively, instruct ourselves, like Moses did, to refrain from rebellion. Your concept of freedom and human right is an open invitation for humanity to disregard God’s laws and live in rebellion. It is as applicable to rapists, murderers and armed robbers as much as thy are to gays, lesbians, drug addicts etc. Just like we owe the society, our kids and NEIGHBOURS, a duty to propagate peace and urge all to eschew violence, it is also our collective responsibilities to condemn acts that are capable of subjecting nations to Sodom and Gomorrah or induce individuals to becoming self destruct. And you are doing the contrary to the ignorant, in ironical love and freedom crusade. January 28, 2014 at 8:21 am Hi, VIP. You misread both the Biblical texts that you cite, although I’ll admit that your misreadings are shared by many people. Romans 1 sets up Romans 2, which begins, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself.” So, for your own sake and for others whom you would condemn, step back from your judgmental condemnations. As for Sodom and Gomorrah, the point of the story is God’s displeasure with people who are violently inhospitable. You might want to ponder whether you are being inhospitable too. Best, January 18, 2014 at 9:31 pm For me, I have no trouble with individuals who “freely & willingly” wish to have their kind of sex life. I ‘would’ have loved to just ignore them LGBTs and allow it to be a ‘Live & let Live’ issue, but come to think of it, these people won’t ‘simply live’ when they are allowed, rather they go on to influence, propagate & create the inception that such ideas are normal on our children & teenagers who are most vulnerable to their sermons and arguments, because they won’t be very successful with thinking adults like the people here who are giving them such a hard. Big problem here is, like intelligent lawyers do, they may convince you to believe that all you ever learned was wrong and that what they now have to say is essential truth and hence, it is the way to go. Forgive me, cos I coudn’t seem to agree better on Govts imposting stiff laws bcos that seems the only way this menace could be slowed as its trying to become a global epidemic. In summary, for the sake of our kids who are in great danger of this movement, I still maintain my support for govt anti-gay legislations. Many regards January 23, 2014 at 5:12 pm Noreligion, From your writing you are obviously poorly educated. Not a surprise. Explain to me at what age you decided to become a heterosexual? Were you so strongly influenced by straight people that you felt that you had no choice but to become straight? People are born either gay or straight. Sexuality is NOT a choice. I mean, considering all the hatred and negativity associated with being gay, who in their right mind would choose it as a lifestyle? We are who we are. Your children cannot be harmed by knowledge and education unless that education comes from a place of prejudice and hatred, bigotry and intolerance. Gay people are not evangelists for homosexuality. Gays are not out to convert your children. Your children are at more danger from your ignorant beliefs or from that trusted neighbor next door who pays too much attention to your daughter than they are from learning that gays simply want all the same rights and earned privileges your enjoy. Ten to seventeen percent of the world’s population has always been and will always be gay. There are more non-white people in the world than white people. You talk about not judging governments for passing anti-gay laws; would you have a different opinion about a law prohibiting mixed racial marriage? Or re-instating slavery? Or outlawing alcohol? February 3, 2014 at 6:37 am You are forcing yourself to understand the scriptures and it doesn’t work that way. Thought you’d painstakingly express your understanding of the Roman reference I simply made in response to your quest to know which portion of the Holy bible condemns homosexuality. Not I but God calls and judges the act as evil and I’m simply referring you to His position which I believe. Left for me and most others, we would have considered even murder and rape as human right. If your approval and encouragement for rebels against God’s injunctions is your ironical idea of tolerance, hospitality and love! So sad! You can as well, in that context, encourage drug addicts rather than educate them on the danger and gravity of the consequences. Those who indulge in vices in defiance of the Almighty only dare Him to act and are taking His patience for granted. I can tell you that for free. February 17, 2014 at 3:32 am Haley, You are advertising here the impression homos don’t and can’t think deep. In their evolution to fame and wealth, were the rich nations thinking homo? Your mentor Obama got to power when those nations’ economies enriched by exploitatve wealth form the poor countries were even stronger! Wealthy,strong and famous empires existed and collapsed with time. Hope you know your history! Then came the “nations under God!” Whoever would have reckoned with Japan, China and India in the community of wealthy nations in the 80s? Curse induced laws are capable of wrecking the economy of the wealthiest of nations and reversing the world order with time,my shallow minded friend! Romans 11vs9 even makes it more grievious for those who revel in riches. In a certain version it says”let their bountiful table (wealth) presents the illusion that all is well!” It beats my imagination that any sane being should take a swipe at those hating homo,rape,robbery,slavery,drug addiction et al.even if perpectuated by the critic. For all I know,there is noone called by those names ,and thus can not be the subject of hatred! Sanity must prevail over invading demonic insanity. February 20, 2014 at 3:07 pm I shall make every effort to support these nations that remain faithful to the truth of life. Those governments that refuse to cave into lies which will give their people over to destruction. Homosexuality is destruction of humanity— a great evil indeed which will prove more deadly than any man-made weapons of war. The west is now the cradle of evil with its many crimes against humanity.. However, homosexual marriage has failed every referendum when put to ballot in most western nations. The courts and the media have forced this on people in a corrupt act of tyranny. It mandates an act of mass brainwashing directed specifically toward younger generations. Also it must be said that Russia is an Asian nation with three fourths of its land mass in Asia. The eastern way is far superior to the west which has taken its course of destruction. While the East will prevail for it has chosen the way of life & truth. March 1, 2014 at 9:11 am As much as it is wrong to imprison someone for whom they are and what they stand for, I find it equally wrong to impose and force sovereign nations to adopt policies that they don’t stand for, just because another nation has enacted these. What is the purpose of a nation ruling its self, yet the West and Europe can do that for them? Isn’t that bullying? I am African and we struggled to attain independence from our colonial oppressors because they suppressed the very core of our existence and society. So why should we accept everything they demand of Africa to do yet we gained our independence, for self governance? As far as I know everyone’s right is covered by the “UN Bill of Rights” including homosexuals. So how different are they from other human beings? Must we accept the gays and lesbians just by the mere fact that it happens in America and Europe? I don’t think so. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. America has in the past enacted Anti Christian laws such as that pertaining religious. I have not heard other nations rising up against such a move. It is sad that, in the name of aid (strings attached), we are forced to take in whatever the America and its friends deem to be good. I personally do not hate the gays as humans; they are equally human as I am. I just don’t agree with what they do. They do deserve to live and interact. But for people in these 86 nations, what is it that they should know about the LGBT? Why should they take them in? Why should they compromise? How should they treat these minorities? You don’t have to force them to take in what they don’t want. It only heightens the anger and revulsion over homosexuals. I read a comment on this blog whereby someone thought that since these 86 nations have not adopted the LGBT policies, they are backward, poor and their education is of lower value. This is wrong. Africans and Asians are vastly educated. It is stereotype to think they are not. Some of the curriculums used in these nations were taken up from their colonizers; who are the Europeans. How then is it bad? It should be noted that some of these nations lost their cultures and education systems due to colonialism. Who knows if they were any better compared to what they acquired. Isn’t imposing sanctions on nations like Uganda, a form of neo-colonialism? And won’t this justify their actions and compel them to keep at what they do? We should all agree that Africa is FREE. Once that is established, and then there will be room for dialogue. Sanctioning, profiling, and imposing bans on these nations only makes it worse and it is no different from what they have equally done against the gays and lesbians. Hate begets hate, love begets love. Yes it is wrong for these nations to imprison homosexuals, infringing their basic human rights. But it should be up to them to determine how to respond to this issue, depending on the set up of their societies, rather than be compelled to accept blindly, and threatened with sanctions. March 1, 2014 at 11:45 am Thank you Colin for your response. Slight correction before I move forward, I did not say that countries are being asked to take in LGBT “people”. I said they are being asked to take in LGBT “policies” that they do not stand for. Of course not all countries; including the developed, uphold all rights under the bill of rights. Anyone has the right to stand up for the minority in society. In some instances the minority have had an upper hand over the majority, such as economically. But who fights for the poor majority? The comparison of genocide and imprisonment of homosexuals is far too great in comparison for, having witnessed the brutality of people killing each other. However, preservation of life is paramount. People have been imprisoned over their political and religious views, yet their cries still go unheard. My main argument, and not to go off track, is that the question of homosexuality should be left to a society to determine for its self. But we have to uphold these people’s rights as humans. By this I mean that we should first treat them as humans. When the question of homosexuality arises then the dynamics of these conservative societies becomes defensive. Some people will be tolerant, others will be cynical. Regards September 5, 2012 at 3:10 pm Hi, Anna. Thanks for your comment. I don’t know what you think ought to be done or believed, however. Probably that’s because I don’t see where you infer that I’m saying it’s a crime to be poor. Here are some of the ways that I don’t understand what you’re saying … In the first place, do you think it’s OK for a country to imprison its citizens for their sexual identify if the country has a low standard of living? Secondly, while it’s quite true that many countries inherited their anti-homosexuality laws from their former colonial rulers, what are the implications of that fact? Does that mean that former colonial powers such as Britain can change their own laws, as Britain did, but must not communicate with their former colonies? Thirdly, wouldn’t it be more despicable to ignore poor countries’ problems? Are you suggesting that poor countries should be left alone, or merely should be given money with no strings attached? I hope you’ll write more. Colin Stewart March 31, 2013 at 10:23 am Colin, I think the real question we need to ask is can a country be ran by religion rather than by government? And do we have the right to force our beliefs on other countries who choose to be run by religion rather than by government? And is it a hate message to slander those countries who choose to operate under religion rather than by government? I would never be gay, I don’t support gay life and would not teach it to my child. I’m not in agreement with it, it goes against my nature, my core being. Does that make me a hater or just different? April 1, 2013 at 8:25 am Hi, Tonya — You ask, “Do we have the right to force our beliefs on other countries who choose to be run by religion rather than by government? And is it a hate message to slander those countries who choose to operate under religion rather than by government?” I do think that it’s OK to urge all countries, including those with religiously dominated governments, to abide by universal standards of human rights, especially those countries that have signed treaties pledging them to do so. You state further, “I would never be gay, I don’t support gay life and would not teach it to my child. I’m not in agreement with it, it goes against my nature, my core being. Does that make me a hater or just different?” I don’t think those beliefs make you a hater, unless you move on to encouraging the imprisonment of LGBT people for the sexual orientation they were born with, as 76-plus countries do. July 25, 2013 at 8:39 am I just don’t understand why you all homophobes visit this website. I think that you all have a serious issue with your own sexuality. I suggest you revisit this problem. Secondly, Tonya, if stupidity could fly you would hit the ceiling. A country is for ALL citizens, not for a religious group. And if you don’t mind that, why don’t you move to Saudi Arabia? They would shut you up quickly, you will have no rights, you will have no right to drive, no right to vote, and no right to be on a street with a man who is not your husband. You wouldn’t even have legal rights to your children! How do you like that? Or go to Congo, where there are 48 rapes per hour, or 1,252 a day, or over 400,000 rapes yearly. How would you like that? You want to keep your woman’s rights but you deny gays to have them? How thoughtful and civilized of you. And to all guys who hate gays: what is your problem? We don’t want to be with you, we don’t like you, and you are not attractive to us at all. We will not be, ever, after your girlfriend or wife – so why are you afraid? Or as I said, you have an issue with your own sexuality. Think about it. And regarding religion, any religion is for the soul, for being a better person. It is to love and forgive, not to hate and kill. Which god asks to hate others? So all of you supposedly “religious” people, I suggest you think about what your god actually tries to teach to. And if you are so religious, changing god’s words is a sin. To all of you, try to accept and love others, regardless of their religion, ethic background, color of the skin, or sexual orientation. It will make us all better people and a better planet. We are all here, the entire spectrum of the rainbow – so let’s live together in piece and harmony. What you want for yourself, let others have it too. Matthew 7: 13-14 The Narrow and Wide Gates 13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. I don’t know of a God that says hate people but the Sin itself as he himself Loves people but hates Sin. Others can be accepted with out accepting their sin. As in the quote above not all religions lead to Heaven. Jesus Christ is the one and true way to Heaven. August 9, 2013 at 6:53 pm Wow. Ok…HISTORY TIME! Here’s the deal: NAMBLA in its early years was a member of ILGA, but very early on they realized that what NAMBLA stood for was no good; the LGBT movement wanted equality amongst consenting adults, not the unusual right (one which even hetero adults didn’t have) to see engage in sexual acts with underage minors. Thusly, they were booooooted. Oh yeah, there were some which protested this decision. Namely one Allen Ginsberg, the influential and much celebrated gay jewish beat poet, who was known to take in underage lovers, and mingled with known pedophiles – most famous was his relationship with William S. Burroughs, a gay heroin junkie who made no attempts at hiding his penchant for young hispanic boys. Hell, Burroughs even fled to South America, so he could practice his boy love with impunity, where he also allowed the molestation of his own teenage son, Billy Burroughs, Jr. who would grow up to despise his father and die young, after authoring only two books (Speed & Kentucky Ham.) :( What matters here though, is that ILGA cut out a lot of bad apples, and these are just skeletons in their closet now – and at no point was an agenda such as NAMBLA anywhere near the forefront for ILGA. February 8, 2014 at 8:04 am There are lots of things that happen in this world that are wrong but sex is for making children. Men should sleep with women. Should we legalise crack because crack smokers deserve equal rights, should we change the law regarding underage sex because people that sleep with kids want rights. In my opinion rights must be weighted against each other. Heterosexual people have the rights they have for the furtherance of the human race. Same sex couples cannot contribute to the furtherance of life on this planet. I had always been under the impression that marriage was about companionship (and too an extent it is) but men naturally, instinctively seek the companionship of women because they want kids. Maybe gay men want sex without the complication of kids but that is not natural. Governments seem to be making the impossible possible and visa versa. There are plants that grow naturally in every hot country on this planet and it’s use by adults that consent via their conduct/use is prohibited, yet same sex male couples can have kids. The world went mad ages ago. Leave the mad people to be mad. Just make sure you bring your children up in a natural way and hope they are not tarnished by all the rubbish they hear about same sex being the way to go. February 8, 2014 at 11:53 pm Bob, I hope that you learn one day what it is like to live in mortal fear every day of your life, that you are attacked viciously and relentlessly for being who you are, that you are psychologically and physically tortured and abused until it breaks you, that your family disowns you and tells you to go to hell and leaves you with nothing, that you are humiliated and scorned and called every name in the book. That you drown in shame and self loathing and feel submerged in unending darkness. Because then you will be at the very tip of understanding what it is like to grow up as a gay person in this wretched, sick, violent, extremely brutal world. And maybe if you can begin to understand it you can learn to show a little kindness and empathy for other people. November 7, 2012 at 1:47 pm you people do realize that no law you change will effect reality, you still wont be able to put a bolt into bolt, you still wont be able to have children, you wont be able to change God’s beliefs no matter how much you complain, and you will never be accepted. Sooner or later your going to have to face that fact and stop reffering to every group that decides to stand up for its morals a “hate group”. Seems to me the only hate group Ive seen is a majority (but not all) of gays/lesbians, you spout acceptance but instantly jump on anyone or any group that doesnt see things your way. Might want to look up the definition of “equality.” April 17, 2013 at 5:50 pm Colin… most people who show that they are not in homosexuality favor are view by gay groups as haters. We have our opinion. We dont accept homosexuality in our lives or the lives of our children . That doesnt mean we are haters… just dont want that for us. The same way you dont want religious entities to force beliefs into others we dont want you forcing your beliefs into us, that are nurtured by a sexual inclination ,orientation, taste or whatever you want to call it. Theres ample scientific evidence by real scientist that homosexuality is still a mental illness and it still falls within the definition it had pre 1973. When you want to impose all this beliefs that homosexuality is natural and want to compare a human being to an animal who have no way of reasoning or morals and when you want to convince the world that homosexuals are better than the rest in any way, you are making yourself a religion and a hate group.The only hate you perceive is the one that you create towards yourself. Neither I or any other poster here want gays to die or hang them or punish them. If you want to have your lifestyle do it but dont try to impose your beliefs and actions over all society and accept it. We wont impose you our religion or beliefs , dont try to do it to us either . And dont try to make us believe that marriage is not a religious institution in the USA and all the twisted rethoric you use to try to prove a point that never existed. Thats when you by being hateful toward the rest bring hate towards you. December 8, 2012 at 9:25 pm I’m sure people who are in support of LGBT rights are quite familiar with the definition of equality. These people may “jump on anyone” because they are constantly submitted to to hatred and rejection like your statements. You need to understand that a lot of the time “standing up for morals” means ostracizing people who have no control over their sexual orientation, that’s why people get defensive. I’m sure you would be pretty defensive if the tables were turned, you don’t see groups of LGBT people walking around actively trying to take away your human rights. THAT is the difference here, one is fighting for equality, the other is trying to suppress them. This is NOT a two sided argument, it is a bunch of people not ready for change prosecuting others. Also I’m pretty sure LGBT people do not believe that changing the laws will allow them to have children and change their biology, they just wanted to be treated like human beings. That’s quite the ignorant statement, you should really educate yourself. April 17, 2013 at 6:03 pm No one have taken human rights from any homosexuals… the right to marry have been recognized from hundreds of years as a man and a woman in this country. No one takes civil unions away from you and the right to have children is given by nature not goverments. This was founded a Cristian nation you like it or not and the fact that there have been more liberties allowed wont take that away. There have to be a point in which stretching liberties and rights dont get to a point of going against the culture and identity of a nation. Im sure you wont go to Iran to try to made them change their religion or culture,. .then why try to change the culture of this nation so much toward the other side of what it was founded on? The reason there is no specific on the Constitution about this is because it was understood at that moment that marriage was between a man and a woman and no one in their right mind at the moment will propose the contrary.In fact in that time they would have hanged someone with this ideas. If you already have rights that give you the same why you want to come and shove up the face of religious organizations your ways knowing that its part of this country culture. If you wont do it to other nations you should not expect to do it and be accepted here. No one is killing you or suppressing you. Human rights are unaltered and the law applies equally. Now to try to raise a children in a way that exposes them to wrong concepts of sexuality since an early age is plain wrong. it is not for you bc thats your preference but you have to allow kids to grow up normally and have the option of finding themselves , not imposing your ideas of right or wrong that obviously by all that is good and sacred and logic is not what you have. While you dont accept that being homosexual is still a mental illnes like any other mental illness and try to push in others that is normal you will keep having this struggle not mattering what laws they approve or not. Laws wont make the poblation homosexual or accepting.. they will make people more aggresive toward homosexuals when being forced by law to accept something most dont believe in ,..much like making x religion mandatory for the whole country. Remember its a preference and orientation,. its something you can choose and scientifically even cured of as there are methods to cure it and people cured of it. The fact that you choose to believe what you want to believe reinforces even more the religion like manner in which you are treating this. June 5, 2015 at 1:47 pm @jean jones ” the right to marry have been recognized from hundreds of years as a man and a woman in this country.” Just because something existed for hundreds of years or was part of the founding of the country is no reason to keep it. Slavery existed as part of the founding of the country. Doesn’t make it right. Woman couldn’t vote. Doesn’t make it right. Mixed racial marriage was banned for hundreds of years. Doesn’t make it right. Women have been viewed as property thousands of years and were given very few allowances. Doesn’t make it right. The bible forbids women from teaching scripture and says they should be stoned to death for doing so. Doesn’t make it right. I’m not trying to change Iran because I don’t live in Iran. I live in the US. Here in the US we do have a continued process of expanding freedoms. That is a tradition in the US that has existed from the beginning. The Founding Fathers were subjects of the King of England. They decided to change that. If they followed your advice of not questioning the country you live in,there would be no USA. Also, Thomas Jefferson himself advocated for atheists saying they were equals in this country. I also want to say, I am a Christian. I believe in the word of Christ. Christ himself never spoke out against homosexuals and broke the old covenant to from a new one. As a Christian I will not bind myself to the old covenant as you have. My church believes homosexuals have a right to marry. If you don’t want to allow gay marriage within your church, that is you and your churches right. Allowing gay marriage should be allowed as a right within me and my church. July 2, 2015 at 3:00 pm I agree with the bullying bit…..if anything they want to have more rights than normal people…..the minute you open your mouth to complain about them straight away you are labelled. Adopting kids is wrong too….that means all the children’s book will be re-written because alot of it is a normal ‘mum and dad’..if its 2 gay males, how do you explain that to a child you are adopting? The child will become confused from an early age when he/she sees other kids with “mum and dad” and yet she sees ” dad and dad”..You are ruining a childs life . July 8, 2013 at 1:32 am Dear randomcitizen, do you often talk to god? are you made aware of his beliefs? if you are ignorant please stop and think about what you said first. The definition of equality has no relevance to what you just said about acceptance. I do accept your view, I accept that you are a straight person on a website about homosexual rights who has chosen to ignore that god makes no mistake especially not in so many people as the LGBT community is quite large. Just because you go to church doesn’t mean you know what god believes, especially since casting judgment upon others is a sin. You should really reflect upon yourself and how god feels about you before trying to tell others how god feels about them. P.S. the definition of “equality”- is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. This has nothing to do with the fact that people jump on you for hating others, you put yourself above homosexuals and we want to be on the same plane, be do not ask that you agree with what we do and we don’t agree with you but we do ask that we do not get a lesser status or different rights, we ask for “equality.” next time you ask someone to know a definition please make sure i is relevant to your topic and also that you know the definition first. Sincerely, February 5, 2014 at 8:24 pm Right time for an educated home truth here. The world is buckling under the strain of severe overpopulation as it is and if everyone were to have these religious beliefs that the sole purpose of sex is to procreate then the world would be in even bigger shit and more recession than it already is. Next time you have to get on a packed train or sit miserably in hours and hours of traffic or wait in a massive queue in a shop just think that is all because of straight procreating couples who just can’t stop breeding like animals. Secondly there are millions of abused and unloved children out there already born so why create more when you can adopt, foster or take in a child whose life would be utterly awful without someone to save them (Many gays and lesbians adopt or foster and give an unloved and unwanted child a loving and nurturing home) March 27, 2016 at 12:39 pm Thank you for saying this, I could not have said it better, they will never be able to change what GOD has decreed. And they will never number accepted, why not because me or you said, but cause GOD said so. That’s the real problem they think they are better than GOD, or they dont believe in GOD, that they won’t have to answer to him on the day they return to him. And if they want to call me apart of a hate group because I’m talking and taking actions against them because of what GOD says then so be it. May 22, 2013 at 2:52 am I Just don’t get it They cant reproduce they have zero families unless they adopt which isn’t there’s. so no way any of them can move forward they just die so be patient they all die off soon its just pathetic that we have to here about it. and be forced on us the government tried getting rid of them in the 80s and didn’t realize that bysexuals existed wide spread of aids over night back fired. Like the heroin in 70s with the black race back fired again. and it leaves America in a waste land morallus, selfish and now we advertise it like its a beer and reality you dumb asses thinks its ok your nuts you cant reproduce your way would kill the human race but I guess since everyone thinks of themselves first itll be ok fuck the future. I really don’t think that’s plan though Hope I didn’t offend any one but if your to stupid to figure out the queer life is extinction prison probably wont help they’ll just get with more of there kind im thinking lobotomy shock therapy nut houses we as American’s classify everything as a diese so treat it like one. but the liberals democrats & republicans are to scared to loose a vote than do the right thing. Last thing I took my daughter to an amusement park on fathers day and they changed it to guy day. I guess since they will never be real parents they will ruin it for everyone else cant blame the Christians. Just use common since your way extinction there way millions of yrs of life. Have a great day Americas been sold out May 22, 2013 at 8:07 pm Dear Duane, Clearly you have a lot of hate for LGBT people. You really ought to get to know some LGBT folks. Many are quite upstanding citizens; generous, loving people. By the way, no LGBT rights advocates are saying that everyone should be gay. Do you really worry that humanity will become extinct (in our over-populated world!) because of same-sex marriage? Homosexual men obviously don’t give birth to children, but gay men are the children of heterosexual parents. Society will continue to be a mix of gay and straight people, no matter what laws we pass. The only question is whether society will tolerant and peaceful or angry and repressive. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog 1. you don’t fear God, the creator of the whole universe. 2. You don’t know that heaven is real and hell fire is real. 3. You should be living this life to please yourself or your flesh but should be living it to please God almighty . 4. Your body is the temple of the most high God, keep it holy. 5. Either you like it or not homosexual is a big sin and offensive. 6. God has place before good and evil but he is advising you to choose good. 7. The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life. 8. give your life to Christ now is not late. call me for more enquiry. 07036494203 November 27, 2012 at 8:39 pm It has been said that ignorance is bliss. If that is the case we should all be drowning in bliss. Those that say GLBT people are reprobates are the ones I feel most sorry for. They hide behind their holy books and condem others simply because they do not fit the criteria laid out in these books. God did not write these books. Men did. Please don’t throw up on me the line I hear most often that these men were “inspired by god” to write these books. Look around you. You can use that line on anything. God is our creator. He is not our keeper on this earth. Look at world history and all the murders that have been committed in the name of god. God made humankind. Kind should be removed from that word. Simply put – God does not make mistakes. Humans makes mistakes. Anyone that believes god made a mistake by making someone gay, trans, bi, or lesbien will have a much harder time getting into heaven than those who feel it is their duty to persecute others. PS – I hope Madam Curie looses some ignorance and does some real research about Belize. It is much worse than the United States on every key indicator for economic freedom including nearly twice the unemployment rate which of course leads to more crime against the elderly. April 17, 2013 at 6:21 pm Colin.. i get amused when people like you try to rebuke the Bible with one verse or though without having read it whole. Yes the Bible tells you to love your neighbor but we dont have any problem with our neighbors or gays. God have a problem with homosexuality. If you want you can read the whole 1st chapters or romans and you will see what the Bible says about homosexuality. Im not for htrowing gays into jail and Im sure most of the people who comment here are not either. God loves man,.. he doesnt love man’s sin. He said homosexuality is a sin and wrong and in the chapter I just told you it explains not only why but WHERE homosexuality comes from. The action of us loving all people have to be more with showing God nature of loving good ones and bad ones as to have mercy for them all and we to try to show that nature thru our actions. Now thats one thing. But it doesnt matter how much we love each other even the ones that would kill us , it wont erase the judgement of God(not man) towards those that dont follow His teachings. The reason behind homosexuality being a sin goes far more than just the sexual act, but the sexual act its an expression of the perversions and depravation inside man that causes it to go against God. Homosexuality most of the times comes from a number of reasons which have been identified and none of them are good. Could something good come from a rooten root? No. So we are just wanting you to recognize that there is help for homosexuals. Its not hating. But when homosexuals get defensive and militant and start saying that God doesnt exist just because the Bible dont accept homosexuality you will find hostile atittudes against them from most people. Most homosexuals have been : abused either mentally or physically, not had a positive masculine figure while growing up, have a authoritative female figure who despises men most of the time, grown up insecure about their sexuality without any positive reinforment from a make figure, ridiculed for their lack of confidence since childhood. No communication with the father. This and other facts create an insecurity and lack of confidence that put them in doubt during the formative years and make them join groups and practices that allows them to not face the pressures of properly being formed. April 26, 2013 at 3:09 pm You know what I dont undetsand? Is how come gay and lesbian people wont TRY to become straight again and I know that some people would reply saying, “oh well because they’re born with it” okay so? It doesnt mean that they still cant get help to become straight. I learned in religion class a few years back about how a gay guy was being non stop bullied by these other men so the gay guy seeked God for help to save him and God in return made that gay guy straight. The guy never had any problems of being bullied any more. He got married to a wonderful wife and had kids and grandkids. God does help gay people, but not in a way some people think he does. Im positively sure that if a gay guy is absolutely desperate and can’t take anymore of the harrassment and also believes in God just like a normal Catholic/Jewish/Christian/etc would, he/she would be saved. God does love all of us and he’ll help us but we have seek for him first. AND I know some people would be thinking, “yeah but a gay/lesbian person should be who they are and shouldnt change themselves not even for religion” Okay so youre saying that a psychotic person who has a mental illness of wanting to rape children should be who they are and not change their personality not even for the safety of others? Oh and yes, i understand its bad that we “haters” throw homosexuals in jail, okay? Its not like all of us think the same alright? Maybe some people want to kill and hang homosexuals but then there are different haters who just dont want to be involved with anything that has to do with homosexuality (im one of them). There are two (probably more but I just cant think of any others for the moment) hate groups, you know. And besides that, i cant say im a “hater”, i just think its wrong, period. Doesnt mean i want to see them burn to hell. I just think that its a mental disorder that can be fixed if actually tried. And i agree with most people here that say that we shouldnt force other countries to go all gay and lesbian. Please, lets all not be hypocrites, okay? Collin, Im SURE youll agree that forcing someone to believe in the same religion is bad, right? I mean think about it. During Stalin’s rule in Russia, he made schools force students to believe that God isnt real, where the new religion; atheism, was created in the 1920’s. Im sure A LOT of people were pretty mad but couldnt do anything about it because Stalin would search you down and have you killed. Well some say its gonna be the same thing for us in a few years (maybe not that severe that the government would kill you). I mean its sort of already starting. For example: I heard one of my teachers say that a mother told her child to stay away from homosexuals -and i know thats mean but hang on a minute- the school found out (or was it the homosexuals mother?) and the mother got either sued or fined. Whatever it was, she got in trouble and had to pay a lot. Im not saying that we should all just attack the homosexuals, Im trying to say is that we all have our own opinions and our own “human rights” and im sorry if there are people out there that harrass homosexuals. Honest. As human beings, we should find other ways to show our dislike but we also shouldnt force it on others. So big deal that 80 other countries decide to stay original? At least parts of Europe and the freaking USA is allowing it. April 27, 2013 at 4:25 pm Dear Guest, 1. You ask, “You know what I dont understand? Is how come gay and lesbian people wont TRY to become straight?” Many LGBT people have tried to “become straight.” It doesn’t work. The example you give is either false or a very, very rare exception. LGBT people can’t “become straight AGAIN” because they never were straight. They were created gay. 2. You also say, ” i understand its bad that we ‘haters’ throw homosexuals in jail, okay? ” Good. That’s the main point of this blog. If everyone agreed with you on that, the world would be a much, much better place. We could argue about the rest, but not kill or imprison anyone because of their sexual orientation. All the best, April 7, 2016 at 9:35 am Yes he sat down to talk to them, yes love them because if he didnt love them he would not have sat down with them, but thst still doesn’t mean he condoned the sins, how do you just condon what a sinner does, so if thats the cast if my son or daughter is a murder im suppose to condon it. Not talk to them and say hey this isnt right, you can not do this. Cause that what people do, say oh its ok and its not ok, all im doing is speaking the truth and if people dont like well so what. You will never get a person to change there mind about what GOD says, and these people will never be what they want to be, because you can not change what GOD has made you man or women. Period December 8, 2012 at 6:31 pm To those who will potentially move to these countries….really? you would really uproot your entire life so you could avoid gay people? Because it is an abomination? Point that out, where that says that, not in the form of a metaphor which can be interpreted in any way, but where it directly says that. I’m aware it says a “man should not lay with another man,” but what does it say about lesbians? Oh right, nothing, I forgot that women aren’t really people, so why would god even talk about them? While you’re at it, could you find me the part of the bible where it says I’m allowed to sell my daughter into slavery? Maybe you could quote me a price? Why does this even bother you? Do you think seeing gay people will make you gay? If that’s the case, then you already are. By that logic, wouldn’t seeing straight people all of the time make gay’s straight? It doesn’t. Go ahead, stand up for your morals, but arguing about distress from a privileged standpoint is a NOT equal to that of the persecuted. The LGBT community is not actively trying to oppress you or your rights; being told you are acting hateful is not the same as being told that God hates you. It is your right to happiness, then fine, don’t be gay, don’t marry a gay person, but don’t for one second act as though you are choosing to be a heterosexual. It is NOT your right to decide what makes other people happy and to pass judgement on them, I think you would agree that that is God’s place, and claiming to speak for God is taking the Lord’s name in vane is it not? That’s a pretty big sin. At the end of all of this, if God turns out to be real and we all end up meeting at the gates of heaven, you really think God is going to pat you on the back for taking away someone else’s rights? Does your mom pat you on the back for ordering around your younger siblings? And for this comment: “Ok, for those who believe in neither,, they believe in the human intelligence,,,, so you get female attempting to bond with female and male with male. Hmmmm there seems to be an identity crisis amongst these so-called intelligent humans.” Maybe you should open a biology textbook. A large portion of species engage in homosexual activity as females are not fertile all year round, and in some species they prefer it, only straying when the females are ready to reproduce. In many others, especially birds, the younger members never mate and instead help take care of the older siblings offspring, and those offspring turn out a lot better than if everyone were to have kids and raise them themselves. Birds are descendents of dinosaurs and have been around for more then 250 million years, who are we to criticize that? Approving of homosexuality does not make you a homosexual, it is not infringing on your rights, only one party is vulnerable here. The world is slowly already changing, in 50 years when people talking about gays being immoral, the subject will be a joke, in the same way that being against a white and a black person is now. This is already happening, so all of you can lick your wounds and take a step off your pedestals. I sincerely hope none of the prosecuted in these countries lose hope, it gets better, please hang on! And after all of this, God does exist and those opposed are right, then living with people like you in heaven for an eternity would be my own personal hell, so I guess it doesn’t really make a difference what I believe. I think that everyone has a choice about what life-style he or she wants to live, and we as human being must not judge or kill a gay person, just because he or she choses to live the alternative life-style. I am a Child of God. I do not support homosexuality or any organization that promotes it. Homosexuality is a decision that a person makes, not a birth mark. But I feel that everybody has the right to be whatever they want to: gay or straight. God has given human being living on this earth free-will, whether they follow his Standards or follow the life-styles of the majority that deliberately disobey JEHOVAH GOD. “if your dumb than you don’t have a choice?” I don’t understand what you’re saying. “If your dad was gay you wouldn’t have been born.” If my dad were gay and only had sex with men, he wouldn’t be my dad and I wouldn’t be me. And therefore what? (I don’t follow your logic. Are you worrying that the human race will die out rather than suffer from overpopulation?) “Animals in nature don’t do gay either. I wonder why animals don’t?” You’re wrong about that. Here’s a list of dozens of species the exhibit homosexual behavior: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals Are you telling me that humans should model their behavior after the behavior of animals? That sounds bestial to me. “its your choice to be gay but not push your opinions on me or my children!” It’s not a choice. I’m not gay. I’m expressing my opinions, which is different from pushing them on you or on your children. Can you see the difference? January 17, 2013 at 10:30 am I just love how the homosexuals try and twist the BIBLE around to read what they want it to, It is because of such fools that prayer is no longer in schools. Everything that was moral is now just a memory to such stupidity, It does not break my heart 1 bit to see it illegal in these countries and totaly believe it should be illegal in the USA. I dont think it should be the respocibility of legal moral christians to pay for research into a desease that has been brought to us by homosexuals and dopers, if the government would stop using our tax dolors for education and research into the aids virus just maybe the homosexuals and druggies would disapear as well, rather them then our christian tax dolors April 22, 2013 at 6:37 pm Considering how many religious texts have been written, and the amount of sub-religions that have formed from Christianity with their own versions of the bible, how do you not think that you yourself read the bible as you want it to read and not what else it could possibly mean? Like in genesis, what I got from that?? God lied, Adam and Eve didn’t die when they ate the fruit, he punished them afterwards for disobeying, but they still didn’t die. Beliefs are great things to have, until they cloud your better judgement on how to be a civilised and caring human being. May 18, 2013 at 4:18 am Hi Mitch Love how the only thing you took from what I said was the way I viewed what was written in Genesis. Being exactly my point, while you read it as they died because of the fruit, I read it as God’s punishment brought death upon them, he didn’t have to cast them out, he could have shown mercy. The bible and almost every other religious text can be misinterpreted by anyone and everyone besides those who wrote it. What I took from it is most likely wrong, but hey, how many times has the bible been rewritten to accommodate the way someone else takes it. The point is, why should something that can be perceived in so many different ways allow someone to wish death upon someone else, just because they are different? I’m not a believer. I’m the first to admit. I respect other peoples faith, right up until they start condemning others for it. I don’t condemn those who choose to believe, I don’t see why people can’t show the same respect to others. Gay people only want the same rights as everyone else. They aren’t trying to rub it in God’s nose, they aren’t trying to provoke Christians, they just want to live like everyone else. It’s comments like James’ that show just how much disrespect one human being can show towards another for no reason other than they are different. Much like your perception of Genesis and mine are different, James’ perception of homosexuals and mine are very different. I hope you understand where I was going with it now. April 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm Oh, one other thing, HIV has been linked closely to SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus), nothing to do with being gays or dopers or whatever you want to put it down to. Yes it has a higher tendency to be contracted through needles and such, but that doesn’t mean that’s how it originated. Heterosexuals are just as at risk of contracting the virus which leads to AIDS as homosexuals are. Hence the necessity for research. But hey, I’m sure if you got HIV you’d turn down all treatment because your god was obviously punishing you for your sins, right? June 24, 2013 at 8:48 am James: We don’t twist the bible near as much as it’s dedicated cherry pickers like too. So while your bumping your gums the USA will Never outlaw homosexuality and guess what I’ll get married anywhere I want to when the time comes and it won’t affect anyone around me but you; apparently. I guess an invitation is out of the question. Christian tax dollars? Pretty sure church’s are tax exempt. Christians didn’t start this nation and if we want to go a step further the Native Americans are the ones who lived here first lets go by their laws where homosexuality was perfectly acceptable and they married the “sacred” two spirit people. You have your head shoved somewhere dark without ever noticing the view from the way in.. You might want to check that. August 1, 2013 at 12:16 am James, it is because of people like you that I left the christen faith. You need to read your bible better and focus on what the Prophet Issa (pbwh) tried to teach the people when he was alive. He was given his holy mission because of how the people where acting towards each other and not following the laws of the Book. When the Injeel was written a few hundred years down the way, the people quit following Issa’s teachings. Then another Prophet (pbwh) was selected to again bring to the people, new laws and rules and as before the people have perverted that text as well. If you really want to be a good Christian then focus on what Issa tried to teach the people and live up to those standards. Once you master those teachings, you need to find some of the older unbiased histories of the USA and really start to learn something about this country, the Constitution and the reasons that the pilgrims came to this continent. Also focus on what the Christian church did to the Native Americans, a good example are the smallpox blankets. There are many reasons in history why the founding fathers brought this country to life as a secular nation. There are reasons other than the gays why prayer is not allowed in the schools and never was really legal when it was there. When you have really learned something about this once great nation, stop listening to people like Rush Limbaugh – the druggie, Glen Beck – the “cry baby”, Sean Hannity, Michelle Bachmann, Pamela Geller and others of the extreme right. Once you have that flushed out of your system, start using that brain Allah gave you and start thinking for yourself. Unless that is just too hard and painful to do, when you start using the power of your brain as God intended you to, you will find life more fulfilling and satisfying. Unless you like people that to tell you what to think and how to act. Shades of Nazi Germany of the 1930’s & 1940’s, you can have it, I love my freedom too much, I enjoy coming to my own conclusions, I love the freedom to pray to God as I see fit, I love the ability to love who I want and when I want to. I love the freedom to move about the country and go where I so chose Before you start calling me names, I am a single heterosexual grandmother, I am also a proud Disabled American Veteran. As-salaamu ‘alaikum A Proud American (since 1868) and Veteran (1969-1994) Et secundum diversitatem unitatis pro scientiam (Unity through diversity and knowledge.) LPN/ret, HM2c(FMF)/USN, Sgt/USAR, ACM/olc, CWVet, VNeVet, GWVet, DAV/VFW Life Member. February 5, 2014 at 8:21 am James. We’re not the ones twisting that terrible book. We just happen to know it better than most Christians. For every verse you Christians use against us we can use an entire chapter to blow what ever you said out of the water. As for aids and druggies, guess what, the biggest group of people with aids are black women in Africa. I know this because I used to work at one the hiv clinics. As for the junkies, there is abuse of drugs in every race, creed, sexual preference etc. If you’re a Christian you should be doing everything you can to help them. Instead you are judging. Typical. Jesus must be so proud of you. One other thing, if you want to take on a gay guy with facts you had better make sure that those facts are true. February 3, 2014 at 7:17 am Mr. Gay, it’ll be more grievous to substitute above, the book “bible” with the writer “God.” The creator of the universe and not Africa, says not all things are good for his creatures(children) and homo is clearly one of them. If you chose to disobey him, with the knowing there will be unpleasant consequences, then you are free, but don’t you ever be deceived “whatsoever a man sows, that he shall reap.” In God’s dico, the synonym for homo is rebellion, and I know for sure that even if evil fights and “defeats” Africa, it can’t never prevail against God and God’s purpose. Here’s the section on Mozambique in the ILGA report: Mozambique Male/Male Illegal Female/Female Illegal Penal Code of September 16, 1886, as amended in 1954 (Inherited from the Portuguese colonial era) Articles 70 and 71 impose security measures on people who habitually practice acts against the order of nature. The security measures include: confinement in criminal mental hospitals or labor camps (from 6 months to 3 years), as well as have their freedom restricted (from 2 to 5 years) or the exercise of their profession interrupted (minimum of 10 months and maximum of 10 years), under the supervision of a probation officer. http://www.portaldogoverno.gov.mz/Legisla/legisSectores/judiciaria/codigo_penal.pdf And also: “At the same time it is interesting to notice a paradoxical development in several states of Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius and Seychelles), where parliaments adopt legislation to prevent discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in workplaces, while at the same time their respective penal codes retain provisions to punish those who engage in same-sex sexual acts among consenting adults – one would hope that it is only a matter of time before these very parliaments acknowledge this contradiction and proceed as soon as possible with an update of their penal codes.” Please let me know what you find out about this, if you pursue it further. All the best, March 26, 2013 at 12:15 pm get over your gender stereotypes. that’s like saying “single parent households are invalid” we don’t make it illegal for single parents to raise kids. why? because we can’t force men and women to raise children together. (not in america anyway). my point here is that plenty of alternative families exist OUTSIDE of homosexual marriage. also “wanting a lot of women” is a lot different than sexual orientation. why would someone chose to be hated, killed, bullied, discriminated against, beat, denied BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS just so they could have sex with someone of their gender? does not compute. I would also like to point out that the continent that is most well known for it’s problem with HIV/AIDS on this list where the ban on homosexuality is most prevalent. July 21, 2013 at 8:36 pm I bet you only speak, and write English “guest”. I also bet Diana is using English as a second language. I further bet, your the only person in the entire world, who can make a decision as to, who you fancy……….. A point not addressed in what I have read so far, in these posts. People simply do not have the ability to change their sexual orientation on demand. I wonder if we all could do this, would this be a good thing? It would certainly shake up some established view’s. Would you try it out “guest”? On a most serious note, if all these named countries were to repeal these draconian laws, do their lawmakers really think, there would be a sudden uptake in their citizens “deciding” to become gay? February 22, 2013 at 10:20 pm Colin Stewart–prove to me that they have learned? To me they haven’t. Just because a country thrives–means nothing. And the reason they have not been destroyed is because of God’s love that you have mentioned in your previous posts. But read carefully–and try to understand not with your intellect, but with your conscience; if you read the story of Abraham, when Abraham prayed to God about Sodom & Gomorrah (mainly known for the sin of Sodomy)–for God not destroy the city with the righteous in it as well–God indicated He will not destroy the city if there were even 50 righteous, then it got down to 10–but the city did not have even that–it had less than 10–Lot’s family–which was saved. And the reason why countries thrive is not because of what you have stated–but because of the righteous living in it!! Also read Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God”. People have and will continue to not fear God–but I am not worried about that–I have to worry about my soul and my walk before the Lord Almighty. Since in your previous post, you have stated you are a Christian, tell me where do you see that God approves of homosexuality and does not condemn it to be not a sin? I can assure you that there is no such place in the “Word of the Almighty God”–but there are a NUMEROUS of places–where it is condemned. If you would like the references–please let me know–I will supply. I know homosexuality is a sin, in line with all the other sins–murder, fornification, adultery, lying, using the name of God in vain, worship idolatry…and the list goes on–but those who practice the other sins don’t demand confirmation in public places of their sin, and don’t demand others to conform to their standards, and push their standards on others and their children. That is the biggest difference–therefore, you see a pushback from the Christians on this subject. What Christian—fearing before God—will want their children to be raised in seeing this sin spread like fire on every corner/block/newspaper/radio/TV/organization/store/work…etc—which is what is happening currently? This is my stance as a Christian. And should be yours—since you proclaim to be a Christian as well—but I see that it is not—let God be your judge! March 10, 2013 at 6:17 pm Hi Colin! I still did not see where you cite that God Almightly approves of homosexuality or blesses a homosexual marriage. I still await a reply to this–if you can, please provide. Thank you! As far as Ron Goetz–you are correct, it is “his” Bible. Did you know that Hitler rewrote the Bible to make it say exactly what he wanted–his understanding? Is this where we are going? Maybe, we are not at this point–but we are heading there. If so, look at where Hitler’s sin took him and where he ended. A great philosopher once said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santyana). Hitler had envey & hatred towards Jews–which was one of his many sins–but he did not want to acknowledge that–he did not want to acknowlegde what he was doing was a sin before God almighty–so the best he could do was to convince others that what he is doing is right and God approves of it. But he couldn’t go against the Word of God–which pronounced his actions and the intents of his heart a sin before God–so he rewrote it–to make himself feel better and look better before others–is this a way out of sin? Why is it hard for mankind to admit that they are wrong–especially, when the Word of God states that it is wrong? People (including some “so called” christians) sit here and try to make excuses by saying…”oh no that is not what that meant to say–it really said this…” Why do they call on that which is “black” white, and that which is “wrong” right? Like I stated before, this is because there is no fear before God almighty! But I know it will be well with those that fear before the Lord and seek Him and His truths and do His Truth! Hitler tried to change the Word of God to say what he wanted it to say…Hitler came and passed…you and I will come and pass…but the Word of God will not pass! It will not stand to be corrected! Even though many try to correct it! It has more authority to me than any law–as it has withstood trials and tribulations and has come through generations, religions, beliefs…etc. And I have seen and still witness Its power in changing the hearts of man! But I also see the adversary (devil) planting his seeds of sin, disbelief, hatred towards the Word of God—and towards God’s children. I agree with the writings of H.E. Phillips, which state the following: “This lifestyle (referring to homosexuality) is being accepted by a large segment of this nation because they think they have changed God to accept this practice. After all, most of them think that God is everywhere and is whatever they think Him to be. God is not affected with the desires of the flesh. That is the reason God is not tempted to do evil. James said: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man . . .” (James 1:13). But man is led away into sin by his own lusts. “But everyman is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15). We may be facing an increasing hostile society, whose honor and worship of their god of sexual lusts, greed, murder, blasphemy and all ungodliness will cause them to come upon those who believe in and honor the Almighty God in heaven, with great wrath. We may find ourselves in jail. We may find ourselves without any property, without any money, but we had better keep doing what God says for us to do in the way He says to do it. GOD DOESN’T CHANGE! We are not going to change Him or remake Him into some other being because we are undergoing change ourselves. We do not change the compass when we get out to sea and find the compass is not reading like we want it to read. We do not make things right by bending the hand of the compass to make it point where we want it to point. We will not be going in the right way if we do. We do not change the calendar by just writing in another date. We do not change the Word of God by trying to reform God into the image we want Him to be. That is a fatal mistake men are making. If we think the Godhead is like unto gold and silver, and we can change Him at will, we do not have an understanding of God, and we have missed it all the way along: we are reprobates by God’s definition”. To read full version: http://www.hephillips.org/articles/homosexuality/does-god-approve-of-homosexuality.htm I wish you this kind of understanding—but a man always has a choice and to choose what he desires. Those who love God—will choose God and follow his Truths—those who love something more than God—will end up with what they chose, but they will be without God. You will be in my prayers (and if I say I will pray—I will pray!)—if it is not too late… March 11, 2013 at 4:28 am Hi, JS — These aren’t mine, and won’t persuade you, I’m sure, but they’re a partial response to your question. Of course the Bible doesn’t say that “God Almightly approves of homosexuality or blesses a homosexual marriage,” since nothing like a committed, loving same-sex relationship existed when those books were written — which is also why it’s false to say that the Bible condemns homosexuals, since passages that you cite are translations into modern language of ancient words that refer to other things, such as temple prostitution. 1. The Bible says, “Whosoever…” 2. Jesus never said anything against homosexuality. 3. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. 4. Jesus came to save the world, not condemn it. 5. Salvation is for anyone who asks for it. 6. God knew who we were before we were born. Or God knew you were gay before you were born, and it was ok then and it’s ok now. 7. God has plans for all of us — prosperity, a hope and a future. 8. God is love. 9. God wants fellowship with us. 10. God’s church is not a place of spiritual alienation. You imply, without evidence, that God created only heterosexuals and that a particularly willful group of them decided to become homosexuals. That’s wrong. In a much more minor way, so is your misquotation of my statement about Ron Goetz’s blog. Not me, but you are the one who thinks Ron Goetz has “his” Bible, while you have the real Bible rather than “your” Bible. For me, I see all of us as falling short of what God wants for us, and I don’t think it’s God’s will to imprison those whom God created gay, which is the point of this blog. Prayers back at ya. June 24, 2013 at 12:57 am The Bible does condemn homosexuality. But how about those devious pork- and shellfish-eating heathens who go to barbershops and get tattoos – all sinful actions mentioned in the Bible, all happening in public places and shamelessly pushed onto our innocent children even as I write this reply? Why do you not go after them with equal vehemency? The LGBT folk is not looking to spread gay propaganda and bring down society. They are only informing people of their point of view, hoping that helps them understand and eventually grant them equal human rights – the rights of those who eat shellfish and pork, those who shave their beards and those who get tattoos despite that all those actions are against God’s law. Simple questions for you, the second and third questions are, of course, conditional upon an affirmative answer to those previous to it…. 1. Do you have a child? 2. Have your child ever behaved in a manner that is in any way disobedient of either you or their other parent? 3. Have you taken them to the town gates, and met with the town elders to denounce that child as “stubborn and rebellious, and does not obey us. They are a profligate and a drunkard”, then had the entire male population of your town stone your child to death? That also happens to be what the Bible requires you and any other sola scriptura Christian to do. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) November 25, 2013 at 10:02 pm Oh really, I’m gay and I never played with anyone’s genitals until I was a teenager. I was raised by both parents, I was not molested, I don’t hate women, I went to church regularly and all in all I’ve had a very normal childhood. You said, “Homosexuality is a habit acquired by little boys and girls playing with each others’ genitals without any control”. I’m curious, how does one let children play with each others genitals with “control”? What exactly do you do to your kids? Do you say, “ok kids, it’s play time” and then sit and watch, perhaps show them how to do it properly so that they wont become gay? Sounds to me like you’re the only aberration here. March 11, 2013 at 7:39 pm No, Colin, you are correct—you did not persuade me. God did not create homosexuals or lesbians at the beginning, nor did he create them now. He created Adam and created Eve for Adam. He created the foundation. Whether or not you WANT to build upon this foundation, or not–is YOUR CHOICE. But please do not make your choice, God’s choice for you. It will be as saying God created Cain in order to kill Abel and Cain had no choice but to kill Abel. Or He created murderers and killers to kill. Or He created liars…or you might as well state that God created all of the sins on this planet! Your logic proves to me that you do not know God and just make God whatever you want Him to be. I am deeply saddened and offended by the way you view God. But God will stand up for Himself—He does not need anyone to stand up for Him. My mission here is complete. I have stated what I needed to state. God will do the rest. March 26, 2013 at 8:38 am All people have sinful desires because we are wicked and fallen people. However, God does not make someone homosexual any more than he makes someone an alcoholic. Many people have genetic and social dispositions that make them prone to fits of rage or anger. The person born with an anger issue is still unjustified when acting out in their ungodly passion. Homosexuality is blooming in our country due to rampant fornication, broken homes, and child molestation. People are having a massive identity crisis in America. We all need to humble ourselves and fall at the foot of Christ. Open your eyes people of God. Repent. Everyone, not just those struggling with homosexuality. June 12, 2013 at 2:18 am Yes thank you colin you make me proud to be a gay man – Ireland it was illegal to be gay until 1987 we have come a long way since with the introduction of civil partnerships and ongoing support for gay people from all ages including the most old fashioned of Irish people. The key success for this was the fact that Ireland stopped doing what the catholic church wanted and instead what the majority of everyday people who practice their religion believe to be right. Which was equality for all in a just and fair society equality is key. We are soon due to have a referendum to change the constitution to allow for gay marriage with latest polls indicating overwhelming support for equal rights with 82% of the population agreeing 100% equality is only right. Once again thank you for your input and your support Keith May 3, 2013 at 10:04 am @Colin Stewart. First thing: people or either born homosexual/ bi, they choose it or forced into it. I only sympathize with people born or forced that way because it is a handicap/ mental illness. mental illness is the butch women who walk around all day with a rubber penis strapped to them desperate to feel like a man. Many do that, very sad. However, no matter what the circumstance I treat it the same. I done some research to see how the majority of countries around the world can find the U.S.A oppressive & insensitive for by having the age of consent from 16- 18 yrs old & throw people in jail for not following that law. Majority is below 16 or have no law. Even U.S. friendly Spain & Japan lconsent of 13yrs old. I dont agree with it & I bet U.S wont go to the rest of the worlds standards. This is to discredit your statement that rest of the world should adhere to universal acceptance on homosexuality May 4, 2013 at 11:59 am @Colin. I actually feel that 16 is too young. Should be 19, so the U.S is not protecting children. The point is; other countries can veiw the U.S. too laxed on that issue or to strict-just like they can on the homosexual issue. In most cases children are a products of their enviroments examples: if a child grows up in miltary, ivy leage, football, or abusive hateful household they most likely be follow those footsteps. So if children grow up in gay or bisexual household they will be heavily infulenced. Countries have right to make illegal to if they feel such influence is bad, regardless of person is born that way or not. They are protecting the children with theses laws. That’s they primary reason people have problems with practicing homosexuality. People are born with all kinds of urges & fullfilling homosexual ones should land you in trouble. August 31, 2013 at 12:35 pm Maury……”Then why are the vast majority of gays born into straight families?” How is it? Well I guess the same way straights are “born” into straight families. Except for artificially getting pregnant how else is being born into going to happen? Other then that still today that vast majority that have children are straight families. Children are being programed every day even if they don’t know about it. They could be influenced by other children and not even know it. There is a lot of images and words that influence people subconsciously. May 22, 2013 at 7:43 pm I’m sorry but I just have to ask……What if there is no God? Then all the discussions about homosexuality is just a waste of time and energy, and all this anger, hatred and finger-pointing is based on unsubstantiated beliefs. What is wrong with live and let live? Isn’t there enough hatred and hysteria in the world? It seems to me that there are an awful lot of “believers” out there carrying around an awful lot of venom towards those who have different beliefs and/or different interpretations of certain biblical passages. By the way, before you start attacking me, I am not a non-believer as some may have assumed, but I was raised by parents who taught me that it is not my place to judge, to live life with tolerance and compassion and to treat others in the same way I wish to be treated myself. Perhaps some of the energy manifesting in the hostility which is being directed towards a group of people who are simply asking for equality in the eyes of the law could be better used in empathy and self examination. Surely the bible teaches tolerance and understanding? Post Script to Colin Stewart: Your measured and sane responses to some, what can only be described as hostile and bigoted messages posted here, is a testament to your character. Keep up the good work. May 28, 2013 at 1:01 am What and wait for u n ur obviously homosexually induced abominations who defy God In their choices and actions.. Not all who do this openly defy God but since u urself are claiming the tolerance of Jesus n yet have none for those trying to uphold Gods feelings on the matter… Abomination n back then they were called sodomites n they don’t give two shits… God created everything in this universe n yet u decide who is what from birth? Make no mistake u can’t stand with God halfway.. Tolerance isn’t sympathising to appease those who have no intrested and put thier needs first… What authority do u have to dictate any knowledge of ur expetise… No one is born homosexual and if u can’t see open ur eyes… Satan is using weak willed ppl like u against his elect.. I commend all u who weren’t afraid .. This is not ur planet nor is it the sodomites either.. Or haven’t u heard.. They found Sodom n gom Mora n the story is true.. Ill take Gods word over mans any day of the week… N no I’m not wrong for speaking out against Satan directed demon bred activities pestilences n abdominal acts… Or would u rather cavort with Satan as if to please him… U need to understand the lake of fire awaits all those who defy God n that ur decisions arguments n feeling n whatever else can change… Quit afflicting his creations quit afflicting his children for they just recently came from there… U need to decide for there is no halfway.. For or against God… U can not be in between… God in the past has rewarded rulers who ran the sodomites out of thier kingdom n called them just in his eyes.. N rightly so.. Is not man aware of duality as uve all been shown.. One was not created the way u speak.. Yet u choose to speak for God.. N as those who back him u negate as well .. This world is Gods make no mistake n those faithful to him I commend u for having the courage where one falters In ur midst… U are loved always for u are a friend to God… N do u care Collin to quote ur dogma to his son when he shows? For his son our lord n saviour whom we proudly serve is coming with an iron rod to rule his kingdom with the saints… Dare u oppose that? Since u find not assurance in his word… Be of faith then and turn for there is only God who is the creator of all .. Yah is his name n he and the father n the spirit laid the foundations long before anything else… What master do u serve… Man or God? For God has no tolerance for the obviously wicked for contempt breeds in the heart.. Be not decieved o ye of little faith for thier words may be sweet n upon thier tongues song.. But verily I say unto u thier hearts are elsewhere than on the lord or God… Pleasure of the flesh is a defilement for flesh was made pure to house the temple yet such abominations defile it…actions speak louder than thier words… For those that lust after the flesh ye shall not inherit the kingdom that is to come.. Nor idolators nor decievers nor thieves nor liars nor adulterers nor defilers nor sodomites nor those that like the pharasees who pray so that they may be seen n heard yet in private no holiness be found among him… Seek therefor the son for he is the way truth n life n thru him only shall u come unto God…seek for there is only one who has the power to forgive as he already has died for ur sins once…. Therefor repent of ur transgressions so that u may be found n made worthy in sight of the father son n holy spirit …be forewarned God is watching at all times n sees all.. There is nothing that remains hidden in his sight.. There is nothing he doesnt know… N nothing he can’t hear… Be mindful therefor of ur works n in ur deeds n let them be in accordance to n with the creator n his order not mans.. For time is but a fleeting thing… N for God u do not speak therefor stand in his word for his word is truth n life May 28, 2013 at 5:24 am I was just thinking n I say this with a heavy heart.. I remember when smoking was a thing till a biased activist decided he knew what was best for everybody else.. He didn’t care what they thought only as long as he got his way… Well push came to shove with them throwin stones… N it started with no smoking in public places that had it before n when they went for it.. It spiralled out of control n do u think that was enough? Give them an inch n they’ll take a foot.. They keep pushing.. Continually ppl like me get taxed way beyond what any of u pay n are they satisfied ? No cuz they want it banned completely n keep harassing till they get thier way.. Take a look at new York n that should give u an example of out of control ppl n what happens when u resort to extremes n yet who is it a better life for? How does any of it get better? It doesnt… One group will have thier way n the other won’t be free for the same will happen each time it does n so I say… Ok u guys get ur way.. What then.. Do u stop n celebrare? N just go home cuz u won? I remember when they apitones civil unions for same sex couples.. Think it was over then n yet they still cried fowl… Wanted more so then it was harrassment laws got enacted n ud think it was over n yet they cried fowl… Then gays in the military n free to be open about that.. Same thing n ud think it was over n yet they cried fowl.. Then it was churches n birth control n all that so against the churches belief they are now forced to offer birth control tho state n church are supposed to be separate but they pushed and forced the church to go against it’s belief… N yet again they cried fowl.. Next was chick fil a n just because someone expressed a view at work it got blown way outta proportion n got thier way n yet again they still cried fowl… Lol just realized I’ve been spelling foul as fowl .. Sorry guys.. Anyways.. So now it’s to marriage n equal rights n nothing was decided for all fifty state n they managed to get a few states but still cried foul.. Do u see the pattern here n yet I wonder cuz I can’t freely smoke n now they tell me where n what place I can n I’m the one who is living free? Made it better how? Theyll push as they did for the smoking ban n they still harass us smokers n no one cares I’m the enemy to the public now… So fine u get ur way.. What then? What’s next? Schools .. Homes… Rewrite every last history book to ur liking? After that what then cuz it never stops n it never ends.. What is going to satisfy u? When will it ever be enough…? N while u get ur way each time how does it make things better? The only thing is uve eliminated anything opposing outside urself but when ur at the top of the mountain n there is no more .. N there’s nothing left to do cuz uve changed it all.. What then? I say this cuz when they take each time they push more as well.. U can change the laws u can forcé them to bow u can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink.. So I ask u got what u came for .. Is my freewill next? Until it’s showcase wil cuz I tell u if u thought them getting locked up cuz thier gay is bad? What when the tables have turned? N I know everytime when i state to ppl if they wanna be gay fine but I’m not gay cuz I don’t live that way n I get called every name in the book as if I’m supposed to love n respect thier freewill but am I not entitled to live mine ? So my friend why then if that’s the case am I even alive for cuz apparently there is no place for ppl like me here n I can’t live freely n since they won’t stop till there are laws against ppl like me not being gay.. Funny thing about power.. Humans can’t seem to handle it… So as u say in fifty years anything anti gay will be a thing of the past… So exactly who is going to be free in a world then.. ? Forced n subjected will be for those who aren’t gay… n doesn’t sound like much of a world cuz ppl will be enslaved… Forced to accept cuz that’s the way the world works now n Im sad cuz my daughter won’t have a future nor I.. I don’t foresee any kind of a future… What then is the point? U all fight n no one wins till everyone is miserable n freedom is gone so tell me why be alive? There is no point.. I had freewill n yet this world seems to think it’s theirs not mine… Same with my kid… So what am I alive for .. I have no true choice n I’m hated for even existing… I can’t think freely so how then can there be life? If u cant grow or have room to do that freely? I’m here with a heavy heart cuz I’m done n can’t go no further… Fuck every single one of u… Why bother.. U don’t care u don’t live peacefully.. U don’t love n u all want ur own way… I’ve been judged by all of u… This entire world has done nothing but make my life a shitty exsistence… Then again save ur apologies n respite cuz why bother.. It’s not ur life so why care now…? Why pretend to care at all? I can’t live I have to struggle harder than any of u n In the shit n swallor I scroung for what little s raps u ppl even manage to leave.. N u sit In ur luxury houses n drive ur fancy cars n bitch bitch bitch cuz o no ur not happy… Fuck u all to ur unhappyness u have no idea or the faintest clue what it’s like to struggle In a world that takes n gives nothing in return…I would love to see u all go thru how my life is .. Have urself taken at birth from ur parents then never able to find them then told thier dead.. Then go thru being harassed n bullied all ur life.. Thrown in jail numerous times n prison for stuff u didn’t even do.. Then deal with a whole slew of relationships of cheaters lists n deceit n finally one fucking day I became a dad n I’ve tried protecting her since.. I get judged for being a parent n judged for how u I parent n judge cuz I must not act like one.. I don’t get told I’m a good dad n I get doors slammed in my face when I look for work.. The little money I manage to scrounge for me n my kid n what little money we get from food stamps I’m only able to feed my daughter for a week n a half so I don’t eat n she gets to eat three n a half weeks n yet on top of daily hunger I see ppl fucking complain… O wah wah my poor this n they get in thier 20,000 dollar car n drive away… N they go to thier fancy fucking homes cuz all my life I ain’t never had shit.. I only had dreams n dreams are all I got n yet there is no future cuz the trays I have to dig thru to get my smokes then what change I manage to find so I can roll the tobacco I find just to smoke so the hunger goes away n all I hear is ppl bitching… I already know I don’t have much.. I don’t think my kid will even get a chance at college the way shit is goin… N yet ppl fucking bitch o fucking poor ole me… Wah wah… There isn’t going to be a future so why do u care… None of u love… None of u care so why? None of u are happy n u don’t get along.. The youth are gettin restless n the old are dying off…n yet u all still negate n u hate… Y don’t u all just stop living in the illusion.. Stop living the lie u call life? Life means u could live but how can u? Now a days u can’t even do that.. So why care cuz u know for a fact it doesn’t matter to any of u… Why even bother…there is just no point.. To it all.. Anymore May 28, 2013 at 12:06 pm Dear Colin, I was doing some research about gay rights, but now I really want to thank you for what you do. Because reading some of the comments made me sick. I don’t know how you can deal with all these comments full of hatred and intolerance. The only thing that comforts me is to look back and remember that my grandmother couldn’t vote when she was young because she was a woman, that some interracial couples couldn’t get married only few decades ago in some countries, and put things into perspective. For my grand-father, homosexuality was a crime. For my father, it was an illness. For me, it just shows the beautiful diversity and complexity of humanity.. Moral perceptions evolve in societies, and people can like it or not, they will have to deal with it. I’m sure that even now we can find people who are against women’s right to vote! :) Again, thank you for what you do, I wish you good luck. From a heterosexual French girl glad to see her country legalizing same-sex marriage! May 29, 2013 at 2:44 pm Dear Colin, I am a bit shocked by reading all these comments from people. You are doing an amazing job here. I hope a lot of people leaving these messages do indeed stay in all day/night writing these misinformed opinions. I wouldn’t like my kids meeting them! Our family is surrounded by a great mixture of multicultural friends and different sexual orientations and all that is just part of our daily life, I wouldn’t change it. We all should have the right to be who we are and I will boycott these places with my family. June 13, 2013 at 9:38 pm As-salaamu ‘alaikum / Peace be with you Colin, I applaud you for the efforts that you put forth on this subject which stirs up so much hatred and hostility. Please keep up with the work of enlightening those who are not so enlightened. You articles are always full of information that a lot of people are not aware of. What I do not understand is why those who are so anti-gay come to your site here to belittle those who want a harmonious world. Please forgive my wording and punctuation, I sustained I brutal head injury while in the military so I may not always write what I am thinking, I try very hard to edit what I post so that I don’t get too carried away. Thanks for your efforts. June 14, 2013 at 1:37 am Dear Colin here is a picture in which it shows the ways “straight” couples be little our god. How can they jump on the bandwagon and belittle gay people for wanting equality. ” A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin, If the wife is not a virgin she shall be executed” – Deuteronomy 22:13-21. How many of those who seem to deny the rights to gay people to have a “civil marriage” can say they where virgins before getting married? I mean if we are supposed to live by the bible and its exact word shall we start stoning now? or when is the right time to start?. I believe that a lot of progress has been made globally even here in my own country of Ireland – Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1987 and now we have civil partnerships gay people are free to express themselves in public often seen walking round holding hands like straight couples have done for many years. Gay Irish people are protected by the Irish state with politicians from Sinn Fein, Labour, Fine Geal, all supporting equality for all. The current Government of the Republic of Ireland has pledged a Referendum to change the constitution in order to allow marriage equality before 2015. Recent polls suggest 73% of Irish people support marriage equality. Pretty amazing considering the year i was born it was a crime to be gay and punishable by imprisonment. Thank you for your work Colin its greatly appreciated i personally think you are a role model to society. Thank you GOD for people like Colin may god bless you and your family. My last word is haters they gonna hate. But people who have a kind heart and love one and other will always have this. So let the haters hate at the end of the day its them with the problem not us . June 15, 2013 at 11:12 pm Prosecuting me for being a lesbian is no different then prosecuting anyone for being heterosexual both are wrong I don’t want everyone in the world to believe that homosexuality is okay and god has no problem with it that will never happen if I want freedom of speech religion beliefs I feel those with views and opinions different to mine are entitled to the same I do not wish to force my beliefs on anyone I just want us all to be able to coexist and not infringe on each others rights but hate creates more hate there are ignorant and hateful straight gay white black people I choose to not let it affect me the people who have posted angry things on here must have encountered an ignorant homosexual so in turn become the ignorant heterosexual who creates another ignorant homosexual cause and affect people coexist its about our civil rights if they can dictate who I can and can not love successfully how long do you think all of the things you do will be legal don’t agree with me I have my own relationship with god and I know and love myself I dont want you to agree with me I want you to respect my right to have a different opinion than you as I respect but disagree with yours and I don’t think you should be imprisoned or killed or kept from getting a job if your a heterosexual racist disagree with me in any way or think I’m going to yell so why should I or any other homosexual be imprisoned ect February 15, 2014 at 4:53 pm Being gay is not a choice! It is no abnormal either…. And not every gay person is obsessed with sex. Some don’t have sex at all. It is homophobic people like you idiots who obsess over gay sex because you obviously don’t know what love is. You should love people for who they are not because of their gender, colour, religion etc. gay people don’t attempt to recruit people either. This is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard. You can’t turn someone gay any more than you can make someone heterosexual. Records of same sex marriage between men and men and women and women go as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Jesus wasn’t the son of god either he was a very influential person who people made stories up about to try and control society. June 23, 2013 at 11:54 pm Yep, it not natural like driving a car, flying a plane, scuba diving, eyeglasses, ice cream, jello, nuclear weapons…… I once had a gay couple as next door neighbors. I was shocked by what I saw when I looked out my kitchen window. They were MOWING THE LAWN and TENDING THEIR GARDEN and WASHING THEIR CAR!!! Why they even…GASP….UNLOADED GROCERIES FROM THE CAR!!! Oh the HORRORS!! If we let this “gay lifestyle” continue, there is no telling what will happen!! Why they might even….gulp…PAINT THE HOUSE!!!!!! You people make me proud to be Canadian! February 7, 2014 at 10:19 pm OK, Steeve, I invite you to immigrate to Russia and enjoy the enormous freedoms and economic advantages that they have there. Just so you know, I’d check to see what the HIV infection rate is in your new country before getting a transfusion or other invasive medical care there. Of course, I’m sure that God will protect you from any illness since it won’t be in His will for you to get a “gay” disease. I hope that assurance will give you comfort in your medical treatments. As you’re relocating please invite the people from this website, who believe as you do that the USA is going downhill due to the acceptance of gays, to go with you. I’m certain that President Putin will welcome each of you with open arms and a great job offer. I am a born-again Christian who is gay and I love the USA where I live. In my 55+ years of life I have NEVER tried to “convert” anyone, much less a youth, that they give up heterosexuality and pursue a gay lifestyle. For years as an adult I went to counselors and prayed for 30 years to become heterosexual. After praying until I almost had a nervous breakdown, I realized that God’s will for my life revolves around being gay and helping anyone who comes to me to accept his or her gayness. I can swear I never chose to be gay–I was born gay. Based on comments like yours, it hurts me to see so many well-intended people be clouded by Satan and his minions into believing that gayness is a sin. I ask you to pray Satan out of your lives and accept your gay brothers and sisters in Christ’s love. Remember you might be included with the other people you believe are committing sins listed by Paul, e.g., gluttony (that includes many past and present portly televangelists), liars (even those white lies remember!), adulterers (hmmmm, remember, this includes thoughts guys!), drunks (remember those high school/college days??), slanderers (I’m sure you’ve never said bad things about someone) or robbers (this includes robbing the government of taxes around April 15th!). I wish everyone the best and hope I don’t have my head chopped off for my comments. Thanks for this site and the openness of expression on here. My prayers are with everyone tonight. June 23, 2013 at 11:44 pm I am not sure what is more upsetting to me. The list of countries on here OR the amount of awful comments that follow. It breaks my heart to think of how incredibly HATE-FILLED some people can be. It is uncalled for and just upsetting. There is no need for it. The LGBT community of this world just wants to be able to be themselves and love who they wish to love. I will never understand people that want to deny that right. Whether you agree with it or not, its not YOUR life and therefore not YOUR place to deny them happiness, safety and love. Shame on the people that seem to think that hate is the way to live their lives. February 4, 2014 at 7:30 am darleneg77, you have a funny understanding of the word “hate.” Let’s break it down, John Elton I know is gay and is “hated” for that but if he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t be the subject of hatred in that regard. So, it is the act and not the person that we disapprove. I am certain you hate rape, murder, terrorism, armed robbery, awful comments et al. Does that make you a hater in your estimation? I assure you there is good and evil and we can all take pleasure and liberty in indulging in either but others too have the right to interpret and treat them for what they are just like they do those who delight in doping without your express solidarity. Oh this one I will respond to…… Peter, sorry to hear that you are in a wheelchair. Unnatural is defined as something occurring in nature. The problem is that it is occurring way too often. The description should be changed from unnatural to disgusting. Disgusting means “Arousing revulsion or strong indignation”. That is what the gay community brings out in many. You made a choice to be in a wheel chair? Did you do something illegal or immoral that led to you being in that wheel chair? Not exactly comparing apples to apples are you. For me, it is simple. One of the main issues of federal recognition of gay marriage is all about benefits and money. Way the federal government is discriminatory against single people and punishes them more due to a higher tax rate. I say take away ALL tax benefits, everyone pays 10% regardless of marital state and children. This takes away one of the big incentives to them to rush to get marriage. The only think I look forward to is that future queen divorce on television. should be more entertaining that the OJ trial. I wish my time on earth was over before the SCOTUS decision was out. Hate this country and what it has become. Ashamed to be part of it anymore. June 24, 2013 at 2:58 am I’ve been reading a lot of these comments and I need to say this! First of all if any of you read the treaty of Tripoli you would know that the USA was not founded a Christian nation. Humans are one of 1600+ other animals observed to engage in homosexual behaviour. People are born with a certain orientation and trying to make them change that orientation is not healthy and has been denounced by the psychiatric community has an invalid and dangerous practice. Disagreeing with gay rights is like the nazis disagreeing with the Jew being born Jews. Someone who is born having a homosexual preference needs to still be able to love whoever they want regardless. The line in the bible that is most famous for denouncing homosexual behaviour is up there with don’t were two mixed fabrics or don’t have mixed gardens or put a fence around your roof. You can have your religion but realize that if you believe in God you believe he doesn’t make mistakes and he makes gay people. If homosexuality was a sin and god makes no mistakes than why would he create gay people. Don’t say because it is a choice! If you do then tell me in details when you decided to be straight! July 30, 2013 at 1:03 pm I could be wrong, been wrong many times, but I don’t think anyone says God made a mistake any more then he did when someone is born with a cleft pallet or born conjoined. Its a matter of genetics but even so does it make it right? I don’t know which ‘famous’ line your talking about but the ‘don’t wear two mixed fabrics’ is explained thus:”These and other prohibitions were designed to forbid the Israelites to engage in fertility cult practices of the Canaanites. The Canaanites believed in sympathetic magic, the idea that symbolic actions can influence the gods and nature…. Mixing animal breeds, seeds, or materials was thought to “marry” them” so as magically to produce “offspring,” that is, agricultural bounty in the future.” Some of what is in the Bible is time and place specific. I’ve also read that mixing these two fabrics can be unhealthy on how they react together. June 26, 2013 at 8:13 pm Unbelief and Its Consequences For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil,disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. June 26, 2013 at 8:45 pm Hi, “Romans Eighteen” — Perhaps you didn’t notice that Romans 1, which you quote, sets up Romans 2, which calls for mercy rather than a judgmental attitude. Romans 2 turns the tables, stating that people who pass judgment on the basis of Romans 1 have condemned themselves in the process: “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” As I’ve said before: Let’s be merciful. – Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog June 26, 2013 at 9:12 pm Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. June 26, 2013 at 11:56 pm Hey guys, I have been reading and thinking about all these posts for the last hour. My husband has too and we’ve been talking with a very open mind about everything that’s been said on this blog. We have left out all emotion and prejudice from our conversation to try and understand why so much hate has come out of this and quite frankly we can find no reason for it. We live in South Africa. We have been married for almost 2 years but have been together for almost 5 years. In our country we as gay men have the same rights as everybody else. We are treated like “normal” people. Nobody cares that we are gay. We do not promote that fact that we are gay but then again we don’t try to hide it either. We live our lives like everybody else. We do our jobs, we go out for dinner, we wash our car, feed our pets, and we pay our taxes. The only time we make a point of not showing affection to one another is when there are children close by and the reason for this is because we think it is unfair to parents to force them to have to explain matters of a sexual nature to their kids before they think the time is right. Before 2006 it was illegal for gay people to get married. We had our protests and pride marches and there was a lot of angry words and several gay bashings but as soon as we were protected and treated like everybody else it stopped. Yes, there is the odd gay bashing here and there and every now and then some religious leader says something in a public forum that upsets us but on the whole we get to go about our lives unscathed from homophobia and life is good for us. This is all after 2006. Before 2006…… Before our rights were “granted” to us gay men and women lived in total fear. Having your homes burned to the ground and being gang raped, (corrective rape), was the norm for us. We had to find “girlfriends” and live unhappy lives. Men and women were thrown into jail and repeatedly raped and left to rot. Most of us have scars on our wrists from suicide attempts or we have rope burn marks around our necks. For me, I have problems with my liver and kidney from the damage done by the meds I used to overdose as well as many scars on my writs. I survived and I am glad I did. What most of the haters don’t know is what personal hell we went through and some times still go through when we discover that we are gay. As a small child, age 6 to 10 we know that we don’t fit in. We don’t know why but we don’t really care that much because we are so little and there are cool cartoons to keep your mind off for a while. Then from 11 to 14 we discover that everyone else likes girls. We don’t know why but we think to ourselves, one day things will change. Then puberty really sets in and we discover that we like boys. At first we don’t understand it as it presents its self as a form of hero worship. Later it becomes a full out sexual lust that we can’t control, pretty much the same as straight boys of the same age. Then our personal trip to hell begins. Now we know we are gay. We hate it, we despise it and will do anything to change it because everyone we know hates gays. We turn to the bible, we force ourselves to look at straight porn and we get girlfriends because we convince ourselves that the right girl will change us. We make sure that we do the “straight” activities and “man up” as much as possible……….but it doesn’t go away. EVER ! By the time we are 16 the self loathing becomes so overpowering that we lash out at everyone and when that doesn’t work we turn to God one more time. God does nothing and the fact that He did nothing makes us believe that we are the ugly things that the bible and family say that we are…….so we try to kill ourselves. The sad thing is that most kids don’t survive. Those that do face an even worse reality. From 16 to about 20 we make peace with the fact that we are gay an that there is nothing we can do about it. We are left with two choices, 1,come out and deal with what ever happens or 2, lie, find a wife and be miserable for the rest of our lives. Choice 1, The consequences of coming out vary. In my case I was lucky and was accepted immediately by my family and friends. They treated me exactly the same as before. Most gay people are not so lucky, most of them get kicked out of their homes and are disowned by their families. They are forced to live on the streets and become prostitutes and thieves. Most die from drug overdose or from hypothermia or will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Some of the really unfortunate ones are beaten to death. Choice 2. Most of these men and women become nasty angry people. They do what is expected of them but on the odd occasion when the craving gets too much they will go find sex with men and women in dangerous places. Most times no protection is used and they get sick. They also makes their wives and husbands sick. So many people have died from AIDS because of this. Now you know what we go through, the point I’m trying to make is this; because gay men and women have the freedom and protection that we do it South Africa we have become happier people. We no longer have to fear homophobia. We no longer feel like freaks. We get the same benefits as straight people and we can live our lives in peace. That’s all we ever wanted. Teenagers don’t hurt then selves anymore. We are no longer part of a marriage we shouldn’t in in the first place and churches no longer tell us that God hates us. All this because of 2 laws. First law, no one may discriminate against us. Second law, we are aloud to marry who ever we want. The second things changed for us ALL the propaganda went away. This is what ALL American gay people want. This is what ALL gay people world wide want and NOTHING more. Now put yourself in our shoes, would you not want to fight for these rights as well? June 27, 2013 at 1:10 pm I’ve spent a rather large sum of my time reading these comments and I’ve come to the conclusion that most people either have an aggressive tendency towards people different than themselves or that they have a creeping fear of humanity becoming extinct. Let’s be honest, regardless of your religious disposition, humans will eventually fade away, like most other species that has ever existed. Just look at what we do to our environment: We use up all of our resources, pollute our rivers, air, overpopulate, abuse other species, etc. If you think about it, homosexuals and lesbians are rather eco-friendly as they help keep our population in check (assuming that they do not reproduce). To me, they’re very human, much more human than some of the violent people I’ve heard about that kill people or harm others due to their sexual orientation. In addition, homosexuality is not an illness as it can be interpreted as a higher form of love, rather than mindless lust (in my opinion). In addition, I would like to see your references as to where you’ve read that homosexuality is an illness from a reputable source. A study where it is not shady, nor religiously biased and is relatively recent (as in the past 20 years, give or take). As a last thought, I really hope that the number of countries that incriminate homosexuals will decrease and that our own neighbors will wake up one day that god (if it exists) is less tolerant towards hateful, ignorant people that he is to same-sex couples. July 4, 2013 at 4:54 pm Dear Yal, As one of those thin-lipped, pale-skinned, blue-eyed NON-devils, descended from some of the folks (or distant relatives of some of the folks) who definitely did some bad stuff in Africa, I’d say you’re pretending to be blind to what Africans can do both right and wrong entirely on their own. Sure, the British empire gave Africa its anti-homosexuality laws, but you seem to be embracing them as your own, without regard to the grievous harm they do to Africans. And don’t pretend that homosexuality was a Western invention! Gay rights, maybe; democracy, sure; but homosexuality, no. It’s common on every continent and in every race. Have a nice day, July 8, 2013 at 12:55 am What does homosexuality has to do with poverty? You white people brought Christianity in Africa with Bibles in your hands, you made us abandon our gods telling us Jesus is the only way. I’m very surprised that you are denying Him now. Who is Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu? Are they God my Creator? They will die and be buried like any other person, and I’m not accountable to them, but I am to God. God’s laws never change, they are absolute. Can you tell me why people always change laws and sometimes adopt the ones they had rejected? If you can’t punish homosexuals, why do you jail murderers, robbers, those accused with rape, etc. Let them be because it is how they want to live their lives and that’s how they are created, right? Nobody should be in jail because according to your laws of democracy everyone is free to do what pleases him or her, no one is therefore to be condemned and be jailed. Serve the devil because we know homosexuality is one of His plans to ruin God’s people and leave us alone to serve God and remain poor. July 12, 2013 at 7:13 pm Some of what has been written here does make sense, I don’t hate LGBT people, I don’t wish or pray for them to die, we all die in our appointed time. I also don’t think their lifestyle is good or normal for any Country as concerns laws and rights. My view on this is because adults who “choose” to engage in same sex it is of no interest to me. However when it opens the door for every other sexual choice to become ” a human right or equal right ” it does concern me. If it is deemed to be normal and a equal right by a Country to be LGBT and it may be, isn’t it just as normal for those humans who choose to have sex with a child under the age of puberty or for that matter with an animal or your mother or father or any other related person you decide is the right choice for you? I suppose you will say I am wrong that would never happen. Well inter-racial marriage would NEVER be made lawful, being openly LGBT would NEVER be accepted let alone be allowed to marry that also would NEVER happen, but it has. Is it such a stretch to see where this path leads. I know right now there are Countries that sell their daughters into marriage with adult men for a price, in those places our Country will say ” horrible, unacceptable, cruel ” in our own Country is was legal to own and sell people, they were treated well some places but they were slaves none the less, it took several lifetimes to fix that terrible decision. There were also those who came here because they borrowed money and were bound to the lender until the debt was paid most of them were Caucasian or Asian but they were also used as slaves because the “lender” had a signed paper. How many lifetimes do you think this door the LGBT supporters are sticking their feet into to pry moral behavior out of our Constitution and replace it with “equal rights and human rights” will take? For hundreds… no thousands of years there have been LGBT people, it was considered either sinful or at the very least something you only let very close family and friends know. As far as I know there have been very few killings because of their sexual preferences. More killings have happened because of heterosexual relations. All this hoopla is over one thing. Government benefits and insurance coverages, and the need to be accepted. Just because a Government accepts your lifestyle it still won’t make you all happy it will only open the door for the other problems mentioned. As for the Countries on your list, If you win them over it will be by overtaking their Countries, or paying off the current rulers. Those poor people have enough problems if you feel you must interfere in those Countries why don’t you spend your time and money helping the poor to be educated so they may rise above ignorance and if they choose to follow your path at least they will be able to decide whether they accept your lifestyle. Hi, Denise — Thanks for your lengthy comment. A couple of your thoughts call out for responses. You say, “If it is deemed to be normal and a equal right by a Country to be LGBT … isn’t it just as normal for those humans who choose to have sex with a child under the age of puberty or for that matter with an animal?” Well, no. There’s a crucial difference between sexual relations with a consenting adult and sexual relations with one that does not have the ability to consent, such as a child or animal. That’s like saying that eating bacon should be outlawed, because if bacon-eating were legal, what would keep people from eating each other? You also say regarding LGBT people that “there have been very few killings because of their sexual preferences.” That’s very, very incorrect. For the U.S., the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs recently reported 25 anti-gay hate-crime homicides last year. Elsewhere the numbers are much higher. In Brazil, for example, an organization tracking violence against LGBT people reported 118 anti-gay homicides so far this year. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog Dear Colin, Thank you for your website and the work you are doing. My partner and I travel for vacations a decent amount, and we try to only visit countries (and thus spend money and help the local economy) where there are not gay/human rights atrocities (I would say all of the 76+ countries fall into the “atrocities” category). I am wondering if you know why there is not a stronger push to boycott travel to these countries, both by members of the LGBT community and also by our many allies around the world. Any thoughts/ideas? Heck, I’d love to do something myself about it, but would have thought it is already being done, just don’t see it. Thanks, and again, thank you what you are doing for the world. fourdoor July 28, 2013 at 7:07 pm Everyone should have a right to live by personal conviction. It’s called free will and was instituted by God. But one’s belief should never be forced on another. That applies to gays, as well as to Christians. If a Christian has a spiritual conviction against same sex marriage or abortion, we’re called homophobic and ignorant. Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom? It’s being lost in this country. If a Christian can’t embrace same sex marriage or abortion, that is his right. We are not disagreeing because we’re hateful or ignorant or fearful. It’s spiritual conviction and our interpretation of scripture. Noone has a right to interpret that for us or to violate it. Christian conscience is one’s God given right and should not be misconstrued as anything else. July 29, 2013 at 4:43 am Dear Alena, When you say that “one’s belief should never be forced on another,” it sounds as though you’re focusing on debates in the United States or in Europe, where those who believe in the right to marriage equality have been winning in the battle about which set of beliefs should be the basis for marriage laws (and where the beliefs of opponents of same-sex marriage have previously been the basis for forcing those opponents’ preferred laws on others.) But this blog is about the human toll of anti-homosexuality laws in 76-plus countries where anti-homosexuality beliefs lead to the forced imprisonment of LGBT people for loving whom they love. That’s an outrageous version of forcing one’s beliefs on others. All the best, August 14, 2013 at 9:40 am Dear Frankie, I’m not sure what point you’re making. Yes, there are homosexuals who do horrible things, just as there are heterosexuals who do horrible things. Do you think that all homosexuals should be imprisoned because some are pedophiles? Do you think that all heterosexuals should be imprisoned because some are rapists? As I said, I miss your point. As I’ve said before, these issues are easy to battle back and forth on an abstract level, but that’s not the way to make progress in understanding what’s really at stake. Please get to know several LGBT people. Many are good folks. You would like them. All the best, July 31, 2013 at 11:18 pm I believe the Bible and it says God created one man and one woman to be together. If so then we would be born heterosexual but choose to be otherwise. Putting a side as your are right this about how people are treated I think another quote, this was about an adulterous woman: John 8:7 So when they continued asking him (Jesus), he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. I would not wish any harm on others just because of their life choice. ‘For all have sin and come short of the glory of God’ OTH how many people are jailed and treated bad just because of a plant they choose to enjoy? Almost every country besides Amsterdam and Portiguel and some state here lock people for enjoying the flowering bud of a cannabis plant. This is not right either. April 28, 2014 at 8:52 pm Have you ever been scared to death of a group of homosexuals that you have to wait on in a restaurant? These adult homosexuals, talk their evil sex talk, to teenagers, thank god a man working at the place told them to leave me alone, as one grabbed me by my sweater saying she liked girls, not one adult homosexual stopped her, the man stopped her. now tell the truth about how gays can be trusted to be around children , they are as sneaky as satan was in lies and put on a show that they are the ones that are victims. like hell they are. I cannot forget how evil they were to me, the man told them to leave me alone, he told me to go to the back of the restaurant until they left. sicking warped minded evil adults.and that is not the only time a adult homosexual tried to use their sex on me as a child. any one that says what they do is right and they can go to heaven , is a liar just like they are. August 11, 2014 at 3:01 pm Because not everyone believes in Heaven, and not every gay person is a sexual deviant. That’s like saying because Catholic and Christian priests molested children, therefore everyone who holds their beliefs or ideals is now a child molester. ‘Talk their evil sex talk,’ such as, I don’t know, informing people of sex, safe sex, sex being a completely natural thing; okay. Teenagers are at the age where they need to be told these things, so they know how to do it safely should they choose to have sex at a young age. Don’t generalise an entire people on one bad experience. You could wind up ignorant. August 9, 2013 at 7:18 am The aegis of law is to discipline people for their actions and to protect others in some small way from the consequences of those actions. I strongly disagree with any law that seeks to punish people for what they are. I do not believe for an instant that a person’s sexual orientation is a matter of their choice, nor a matter of their upbringing. For example, having gay or lesbian parents, whether one is the natural parent or not, does not result in the child being gay or lesbian… a child’s sexual orientation will manifest itself regardless of upbringing. With that said, I do strongly believe that a sovereign nation has the sovereign right to enact laws that conform to the predominant social mores of their citizens. Whether a person agrees with a particular country’s laws or not, when in that country, they are bound by those laws, and must obey those laws, to the extent that it is POSSIBLE for them to do so. It is no foreigner’s place to try to change those laws or to impose their social mores upon the nation in question. The damage done by such imperialism throughout history is impossible to overestimate, and has brought far more death and suffering to the world than “social advancement.” As a person of an asexual bent, I have always struggled to understand why flagrant display of a person’s sexual orientation, whether that is heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or preferring the company of animals, is worthy of protesting for. (NB: I in no way condone bestiality, as the animal is generally not a competent or willing participant) In my opinion, unless they are a compulsive exhibitionist, a person’s sexual orientation should be neither a cause for discrimination, nor seen as a necessary part of their public persona. August 26, 2013 at 7:46 am “Nuff Said!!” Why are people like you so vehemently opposed to allowing those who are homosexual to live under the same standards that, say, you live under? Why should being homosexual be illegal and punishable by imprisonment or worse?. Say you are a red haired person, and it was deemed that all red heads were demons and should be put to death. As it was back in the medieval times by certain sects of the early church. Under your philosophy it would seem to be alright, you seem to be basing your views on archaic religious texts written by a bunch of men who probably had an agenda to push and definitely had their prejudices. If the Christian faith is supposed to be based on the teachings of Issa why then is there no chapters in the bible that where written by his disciples, why were these left out when the Bible was written? Can you explain it with enough scientific and common sense reasoning that it would make it acceptable by the non-christian people that are out there.. We are all God’s children, so lets act like it. RAK, August 26, 2013 at 7:23 am If being a homosexual is a learned thing, how do you explain homosexual teen you was raised in a strict religious home? Or those that grew up in religious communes? These young people having had no contact with the gay life style, yet have grown up as homosexual, your statement does not stand up to scrutiny. Please explain how children raised under these circumstances have since an early age been attracted to those of the same gender. Explain in a scientific concept not by the pseudoscience of religion, I am very interested in how this happens if it is learned. RAK, September 8, 2013 at 12:34 am It is important to note that as a Christian, I am not opposed to homosexuality but to any sex outside of a marriage between a man and woman. To just pick on the gays is not right but it is important to note that homosexuality is not to be construed with a race, blacks for example, are born that way but homosexuality is a behavior and a choice. Now that this sinful behavior is allowed, it will spiral out of control. Child molesters will demand their rights and those who practice bestiality will want to marry their horse or whatever. You as the one who practices this behavior must understand that God has determined this to be wrong, not the Christian. Jesus Christ loves you and is willing to forgive you of all sin, not just that one but you must confess it as sin and believe on Him. No matter how many of us Christians you may destroy, you are still wrong and God will not be mocked. September 8, 2013 at 10:44 pm Dear John, Thank you for your comment, though it makes many missteps. You declare that homosexuality is a choice, although that is not the experience of homosexuals. (Did you, presumably a heterosexual, make a decision on whether you would be attracted to women or to men?) You then move on to declare that if LGBT people were granted the right to love each other, then sexual attacks on children and animals would be next. There is a huge difference, which you ignore, between consensual sex and sexual activity directed at those who are in no position to give their consent. You then finish with imagining retaliation or violence against Christians (“No matter how many of us Christians you may destroy, …”) In this world, LGBT people are frequently killed for their sexual orientation, including Christian homosexuals such as my friend Eric Lembembe. Straight people, including Christians, are rarely killed for their sexual orientation. All the best, September 26, 2013 at 1:13 pm misconceptions i’m from Jamaica born raised and homosexuality is not illegal marijuana is, no laws against homosexuality most folks don’t like the idea, but the law don’t kill gays matter of fact allot of homosexuality vacation in JA from all over mainly UK, bad stuff only happen when you go to bad areas aka slums just like having money or being well off is not illegal either but if you go to those same areas bad stuff can happen or will happen, and one more thing some guys not all but some which i personal have know that are gay in JA are only gay because they want the tourist money gay for money etc unlike people who are born that way that’s where the JA term “sell out” came from These 76 countries are mostly Muslims. Proud to be Muslim. We will never allow homosexuality. It’s against Islam. And Quran clearly says it is unlawful. They should be punished. If anyone does it he will be killed. This is only solution for gays. Why it is illegal to discuss about Holocaust??????????????????? We demand freedom of speech about holocaust. I know your law will not allow then why u r asking about homosexual rights in 76 countries????????? That’s your law and this is our law. It’s against freedom of SPEECH. Where is freedom of speech in America and west? Everyone should have a right to live by personal conviction. It’s called free will and was instituted by God. But one’s belief should never be forced on another. That applies to gays, as well as to Muslims. If Muslims has a spiritual conviction against same sex marriage or abortion, we’re called homophobic and ignorant. Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom? It’s being lost in this country. If a Muslims can’t embrace same sex marriage or abortion, that is his right. We are not disagreeing because we’re hateful or ignorant or fearful. Its spiritual conviction and our interpretation of scripture. None has a right to interpret that for us or to violate it. Islamic conscience is one’s God given right and should not be misconstrued as anything else. I salute to Islamic countries Iran and Saudi Arabia for punishment to gays to death. And in Pakistan and other countries life imprisonment. You people are homophobic if we Muslims don’t want homosexuality then why you people trying to impose your laws to us. We thanks God that Muslim countries are still awakening. At the end we respect Christian religious movements to be against gay. October 2, 2013 at 5:53 am Dear Anti Gay, I approved your comment for publication, except for the confused parts about “bastard countries” and “gay countries,” although I disagree with much of it. It’s true that many of the 76-plus countries are Muslim countries — about half of them, I expect. You ask, “Where is tolerance for someone’s basic right, that being religious freedom.” Religious freedom is a good thing, but you’re asking for people’s respect and toleration for a religious conviction that people who are born gay should be killed. The freedom to demand the death of others for who they are, rather than what they do, is far beyond the normal understanding of what freedom of religion should include. So don’t be surprised and don’t complain when you’re criticized by people who you say should be killed. Don’t demand tolerance, acceptance and passivity from people whom you say should be executed. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog October 8, 2013 at 6:52 pm People need to stop discriminating gays whether its for religious reasons, beliefs, their norms or values or based on their society. You can’t tell any country what their law should be but you also can’t tell a person who to love. Love has no limits and it has no gender ( god loves all his children, sinner or not). We all have sinned or break the 10 commandments as for christian believers. Am a law, history and sociology student, my country opposes gays, but I support it. Growing up in the caribbean and learning bout the white men who murdered the natives because they resisted christianity ( thou shall not kill being stated in the bible). I sometimes wonder what is the right religion. Is the world to small for us? We need to live together and stop. My religious belief aint gonna be someone elses neither laws, neither government but we need to accept it. Human Rights have been fought by our ancestors, black rights or women rights even religious rights. October 8, 2013 at 7:21 pm I can’t believe the world is still backward as it was years ago. As a law, history and sociology student I’ve learnt too much about the world. My question is, is the world too small for all of us? Not everyone would agree on a religion , law, belief, society, norms or values, but we accept their lifestyle. You cant tell a country what law they should have neither can you tell someone who to love. Regardless of being gay is a sin, so is the 10 commandments in the bible. And am sure half of broke one or more. God made no perfect man. Love has no limit neither has it a gender. Human rights is something I believe it, especially being black and a young woman. Everyone has a right to walk the earth a happy man. It was made for all of us, not y’all alone. This is in response to Will who posted on June 8th: First I’d like to address your inaccurate knowledge of when books of the Bible were written. You claim that new testament books weren’t written until hundreds of years after the death of Jesus Christ,, The fact is that they were all written by men that actually knew Jesus, who were around in His lifetime. The last book written was the Revelation and it was written by Jesus disciple John in or around 85 AD. Next is your assertion that all of these men were idiots… I find it quite interesting that people everywhere, homosexuals and straight, christian and non-christian all have a reverence, a respect, and even an understanding of who Jesus was and to a degree what He was about… And yet so many people (homosexuals especially) disregard the Judgment and keen senses of Jesus when it comes to who He hand picked and taught as His disciples, as well as the doctrines that they in turn wrote down and taught to us through the centuries….. By contrast you never hear followers of Buddha criticized for continuing the teaching of their master,, you also don’t hear people condescending to the teachings of followers of the Gnostics or the Kharijites or Mandaeans or Sabians… But the teachings of the followers of Jesus Christ come under fire for one reason and one reason only.. Man is rebellious!! And man rebels against Truth and Truth alone!! There is no truth in all these other many religions that cover this earth. Jesus would say this “I Am the way, the TRUTH, and the Life and no one can come to God but through Me” The reason that Jesus ruffles the feathers of so many so badly is simply because His Truth is Truth! There is a natural order to this world and those that occupy it, and that order has been twisted into rebellion against the one that created it. This is why there is such contention against Jesus Christ and His Father, Two men can not procreate!! Its against the order of nature! The very fact that for centuries homosexuality and lesbianism has been more than just a shameful thing,, yes its been something that has warranted death in many civilizations! WHY?? Because of the knowledge of what it truly was. Pure evil rebellion against God. October 22, 2013 at 4:36 pm God loves everyone including sinners but He will not save everyone, including sinners who continue to live in their sins after they have come to the knowledge of Christ and the Word. We are accountable for out actions to God (believers or not). If you are a believer then you are held to high standard of morals that God has set forth. He did not say we can go about committing these sins and it would be okay because of Christ’s Blood. Christ said to the prostitute after he forgave her sins, “Go and sin no more.” He didn’t say continue in your sins because I have forgiven them. He said SIN NO MORE! Why do people try to change what God has said? Because they are lovers of sin. They are lovers of pleasure. More than God! If you truly love God and want to DO HIS WILL. They you will do your best to SIN NO MORE! Quit trying to dilute God’s word and make it say something it does not. We may have desires that are difficult for us but with God’s help we can overcome them. Many people have various sinful sexual desires but not all fulfill their lusts. TURN FROM YOUR WAYS and follow Christ. 2 Ch 7:14 – New International Version if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Again you will see the commandment to TURN FROM YOUR WICKEDNESS. This is a commandment. One that we all need to adhere to no matter the sin. November 24, 2013 at 8:22 pm What ever happened to “Thou shalt not judge”? If you’re going to use the christian bible as a means to judge and you claim to be a Christian then you have to play by the same rules that your bible gave you. You are judging. You’re breaking the rules. The only thing I have learned from you silly Christians is that your hypocrisy knows no boundaries. Tell me, what exactly did Jesus have to say about gay people? You see, the new testament is all about love, forgiveness and caring for your fellow man while the old testament is all about doom and gloom and kill kill kill. Christians are Christians because of the new testament otherwise they would be Jews. You’re a Christian right? Yet you keep going back to the old testament in order to justify your hate. PS, your bible also says that one should kill your children if they disobey, should kill people who divorce and should keep slaves. I don’t recall anyone doing that lately so if you’re not going to play by the rules and follow them to the letter then you cant use those same rules to judge others. February 25, 2014 at 5:00 am Michael, If you are truly a good “apostle” of the new testament, you’d have come across Romans 25-32 with specifics on your case! Besides,if Jesus could condemn adultery in Matthew 5vs27-29, what do you imagine He’s saying against homo? I hope it’ll sink into your IQ that God/Jesus and not, primarily, Christians, judge and condemn sin. We’re only sensitizing our friends about what our master says with related quotations which we believe to be true. Left for man, even cannibalism is right but for God’s light. The only “hate” which we are permitted to practice is hatred for sin i.e hate homosexuality and love Michael to the point where you want him to repent and escape God’s wrath. Any write up which seeks to condemn you is wrong. Moreover, in my bible, Jesus never discarded but perfected the old testament, so he said. I wonder which part of the bible you were paraphrasing in your last 4 lines. How can you read/understand a book without opening it Michael! November 3, 2013 at 11:01 am Having come accross this comment page almost by accident I was tempted to take the view that those who eschew logic in debate are very unlikely indeed to be persuaded to adopt a different stance by being faced by logical argument ie.He/She who is persuaded against their will are of the same opinion still.Most of those who enjoy the prosecution and persecu tion of those who differ from themselves use religious metaphysics to attempt to justify tthe hatred of those minorities that seek the very ordinarhy human right to love whomsoever lis their choice male or female – live and let live. November 11, 2013 at 12:51 pm Wow! where should one start? As a gay man in a wonderful and loving relationship reading the comments on this page really saddens me. In fact it hurts. I never chose to be gay I simply am…besides what does it mean to be gay? Knowing there are people in this world who hate “gays” so vehemently is truly a sad day for humanity. Where does hatered end or begin? Can you only hate gays? Or do you hate black people, Christians, Muslims etc as well? How about just loving your fellow human regardless of whatever it is that you may hate about him or her. If we could do that the world would be far better off. What are we faced with today,…economic collapse, mass deforestation, poverty global warming, famine, child rape….the list is endless. Do you in all honesty think that so called rampant homosexuality is the cause? Simple answer…No. It is hatered and a lack of compassion or care that has pushed the world into the position it is in. To those of you who hate people like me, I can do nothing more than pray for you, pray that your burden of hatered is lifted. No God could condone hate…..at least no God I know of…I always assumed hatered was left for “satan” . I’m sure that like myself, many other Gay men and woman will continue to find and enjoy love. Love is not only sex! To those of you like me…keep your heads up high and forgive. After reading this thread I cannot express how grateful I am to work as a lawyer in a successful law firm that accepts me, shop in malls where people couldn’t care about my sexual orientation but rather their own life, have a home filled with love, have a family so close and accepting, have friends who don’t even see sexual orientation and perhaps most of all I am grateful not to have people who fill their hearts with hatered around me. I am free….truly free and should I be condemned to hell as described by some previous posts I will be grateful to be able to be there with the free thinkers of this world, the people who love without boundaries…..for being stuck in heaven with those of you who hate us gays would be far more of a hell. To those gay and lesbian couples who dont find themselves in the position I do…I pray that you will and thankyou from the bottom of my heart for maintaining your identity in the face of adversity…you are my heros. November 22, 2013 at 5:40 pm God’s laws are clear and do not represent hatred for any person, in fact God’s love is so deep that he made a way for, thieves, murderers for adulterers, liars, homo sexuals and all sinners to have salvation and with that freedom from the bondage and results all sin carries with it and no you would not have any pleasure at all in a lake of fire for eternity, hell is real and so is Heaven. You were not born a homosexual any more than a liar is born to lie they are transgressions, sins and you, like so many others like me can be delivered and find peace,joy and happiness in this life and an eternity in complete incomprehensible bliss for all eternity in Jesus Christ the Only begotton son of the living God. November 16, 2013 at 11:24 pm I have tried and retried to write this comment so that my words are read with the meaning they were intended. The best I can do is write this as my thoughts and not worry to much how they are interpreted because in the end we are all different. My thoughts are that should 2 people engage in sex and it is a free of any intimidation, to me that is their choice at what point does it become an issue where total strangers have the right to judge if it is right or wrong. From what I see is that we hide behind the very thin veil of politics and religion when passing judgement on others and we use the word of God as justification to do so. Take a look at the counties that are listed, where religion is not the ruling government then it is a country where the ruling government are in fear of their own position. It was not all that long ago where interracial relationships were against the law, it was ok to rape (if you were a white male that is) but not to have a consensual relationship, and I can only imagine how the governments & religious leaders of the day reacted. The world is doomed would be my best guess. In the end to jail or execute people because they happen to prefer same sex relationships and or sex is really disturbing. I can only say that for governments deal with your starving and underprivileged populations and for the religious off all types out there, stop using the word of God as a reason to justify the imprisonment or death of people because of sexual preference. November 22, 2013 at 8:13 pm Don’t blame God for what the devil is doing,,,,, Moses was commanded by God to marry an Ethiopian woman, rape has never been sanctioned by God in any fashion, Christianity and Judaism have been more merciful and supportive to the poor and suffering mankind than any other body of humanity in the history of the world I know of not one person that is a true Christian that condones killing or imprisoning anyone for their sexual activities unless they are child molesters and then I believe they should be put where they will have no contact with children ever. It is easy to label someone that has an opposing view from yours and bashing Christians is acceptable in our culture but the Lord told us it would be this way don’t think for a second that I am moved because you hate the Lord Jesus Christ and his pure law or his messengers, we pray for you to be saved and you can be. Repent and God will receive you and say “Go and sin no more”: Jesus is Lord and savior of all mankind he will not turn you away. November 18, 2013 at 9:40 pm Homosexuality is and should be an abomination to God and all that love his law,, He needs no excuse to enforce his holy and righteous laws and homosexuality is against all that is good and Godly and against all natural making it not only repulsive to a civilized people but an abomination and undesireable,it is not homo phobia but rather a love for Gods law and hatred for all sin and more so a sin that has an end goal of spreading to a civilization and trying to make it appear normal which it is very far from. When a person is vexed by a sinful action it is not homophobic it is a natural reaction to that which is abominable. Repent and turn from your sin, God will forgive and deliver you from this horrible disgusting sin and give you complete victory and peace joy and happiness. November 22, 2013 at 4:17 pm Actually, in my 45 years of reading,studying and teaching the Holy scriptures, I have heard all of the arguments you pretend to know and in every instance the Holy word of God is confirmed but you are right about one thing and that is I won’t go there with you because it will net nothing edifying,go look that word up. If you disbelief needs to be encouraged to justify your sin, that is your problem and you can not make it mine. I know in whom I have believed,Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of the living God and your only hope of escaping an eternity in a burning hell, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and he will hear you, there is hope for you too. November 23, 2013 at 3:37 am This is one of the many discrepancies in the bible and most holy scriptures, God is meant to forgive anyone, however I will go to hell for looking at facts and making an informed decision over how I think the world and life began. God is meant to have made everyone however he/she/it hates homosexuals even though he/she/it made them. I know that you are barely going to read this and are going to go on, hoping that God will come and save you when it won’t happen, you will spend your whole life waiting for something that will never come, good luck with your days in heaven. December 3, 2013 at 4:04 am Colin, you are way off on your report … the news is just saying there is 52% support for gay marriage in the U.S. … we know because in Hawai’i all our news reported the same thing but guess what 80% voted against it and 80% testified against it … funny how you can buy anything in this world with money … even news reports when you want the whole country to believe that the rest of the country approves … and even though I support my gay family and friends and they support me, I don’t think gay marriage is going to make people in this country like/support LGBT any more than before it passed … survey results are already coming out showing that it is pushing everyone the other way to be less supportive … way to go! … coercion/deceit don’t work … sure hope you’re ready for sharia law which is coming our way next and will work it’s way in on the same pretext of special rights/discrimination laws … guess what? they harass and kill people that are immoral … thanks for relaxing our laws and paving the way for sharia law December 3, 2013 at 3:51 pm I think the number one reason people disagree with gay rights is because the bible says its a sin. It is God’s place to judge us, not ours to judge each other. Simply wishing to be with someone of the same gender does not harm anybody. It is in no way comparable to murder or rape or actions that actually constitute as crimes. Of course I can’t claim to never judged other people but I would never try to take away rights that we all have humans or attack someone just because of one thing I didn’t like about them. Divorce is a sin, isn’t it? And that’s legal. I never hear about divorcee-bashing but I’ve plenty about gay-bashing. Honestly, if you think gays are going to hell because of their sexuality, why make life hell for them too? December 5, 2013 at 1:50 am Recently Stephen Fry did his series ‘Out There’. Some of you homophobic ‘people’ should possibly watch this before being so cynical. Why does there have to be divide. There has already been enough hatred between black and white communities. It is only now that is becoming second nature for the younger population to lead by example and have jokes between different cultures. It is only through unity, that this world we live in can be freed from all of this hatred. I am not saying that there will be no wars, because selfishness and wish for power will almost always remain, however these could be greatly reduced if we accept the ways and understand the cultures of other people. On Stephen’s series, there was a woman in Uganda who had ‘corrective rape’. From this she was left bleeding, she was taken to hospital to find that she was pregnant, at which point she had a abortion forced upon her. Later on when she went in for a check up, she found that she was positive with HIV and AIDS. Are you saying that this kind of act, to ruin this womans life is ‘fair’ because she is gay? If so, shame on you. Similarly, there are hangings in Iran for the offence of being homosexual. So, to those of you above, who say that punishments should come back to the West for homosexuality, are you also bringing with that, capital punishment? Or are you referring to Sri Lanka where they are jailed for 15 years in order to try and ‘convert’ them back into ‘normal’ human beings. Again I repeat, you disgust me. I might add that many people above have stated about anal sex being wrong. Anal sex occurs more often during heterosexual couples than gay, as was stated by Stephen Fry on his programme. Taking a relationship down to such materialistic reasons is so shallow, it is embarrassing. At the start I referred to the homophobes above as ‘people’. This is because, no loving person being, who has any kind of humanity, would try and cause harm to others with different views to their own. You would not kill another person or jail them for being a vegetarian, or coming from a different culture, or having a different religion – I hope. So how dare you say that people who love and show affection for the same sex should come to this injustice. Surely a loving relationship, is still a loving relationship. I can’t ever see why rape, murder and hangings can ever be justified, let alone when the person in question is just loving a person. I am a girl who is in a loving heterosexual relationship. I have friends who are in loving homosexual relationships. Similarly, I am white and I have black friends. One of my friends calls me ‘Vanilla Cheesecake’ and I call her ‘Chocolate Brownie’. That is the show of two communities coming together to just enjoy one another’s company. If you actually met, talked to, listened to others, maybe you would understand that there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’. There is only people. There is the world. I think that any harm you think other people are deservant of, maybe should be done to you. Just think about life if this situation was turned on its head. What would you do? December 23, 2013 at 3:00 pm hei just leave us a lone. Uganda is uganda and ugandans are ugandans. How many people have been killed by police in USA for dealing in Drugs or Ganja and how many people have died as a result of using that ganja??? You will that in 10 peolpe atlst one died as a result of using the drugs while the 9 were killed by the police coz of dealing in drugs. We need these laws so that we can define our heritage and culture not like in south africa where you can diffrenciate a man from a woman. Thats being crazy and having a virus in their heads. You talk of human rights. You can go to a goat farm and find that all the goats are moving freely doing everything they can but you will never see a he goat mounting another he goat. If animals can have that in minds why not we humans???? The end of the earth is near. December 6, 2013 at 8:10 pm This deeply saddens me to, not only see a list of countries where being yourself is a crime, but to read quite a few comments of those who do not believe that human rights are a necessity regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Asking someone to change their gender expression or sexual orientation is like asking someone not to have blue eyes or brown hair. Sure, they can color it and get contacts, just like many members of the LGBT community hide in closets out of fear, but it doesn’t change how the person was born at the core. Having religion is a wonderful thing, but using the Bible to justify hatred towards any group of people is a horrible act in itself. In the book of John, Jesus says, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” The true test of Christianity isn’t defined by following a set of rules, but in the acknowledgement that we are all sinners, and yet still being able to love everyone for it. The Bible isn’t a book of commands we are to follow perfectly. Every emotion is portrayed in the Bible. It’s a love story. A love story of God’s unconditional love for us, of how much he was willing to do so that he could spend eternity with us. That in itself is an incredible idea. As a member of the transgender community, I face hatred on a regular basis. But I can love my enemies. The quote I find most memorable from my studying of the Bible is, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they do.” This is what I try to model my life after. I am sure that when I die, I will go to Heaven. Not because I can read the Bible and not because I am sinless. But because with time and effort I can love and forgive. God wouldn’t create members of the LGBT community as they are if he didn’t care for them, after all: we’re created in God’s image. In my short life thus far I have yet to find a person; regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, skin color, who is without sin. Likewise, I have yet to find a person I think won’t go to Heaven. Human beings are human beings, regardless of anything else. Every human being deserves to love and be loved and to live in a world where they aren’t forced to live in a closet filled with depression, insecurity, and self hatred. I know this article was written over a year ago, so commenting is rather pointless, however, it is something I am passionate about regardless. December 11, 2013 at 5:54 pm Dear Colin, I am a woman from India (the country which yesterday failed to throw out the law that decriminalizes sex). I came across this blog and have been reading through the comments people have written here. I am straight but I am utterly shocked that homophobia runs so deeply in the countries where it does not criminalize gay sex (I had thought it was otherwise). To face this kind of hatred, ignorance and ostracization on a daily basis must be very painful. I can tell you that the reaction to yesterday’s verdict in India has mostly been that of disappointment, anger and embarrassment. You will see that if you look up the reactions in the Indian media and social networking sites. Though the Supreme Court has not actually criminalized gay sex, but simply said that it is the legislature that will have to take the step to amend a law, and the court’s role is only to interpret it. I do hope that you and your friends continue your fight, and there are millions who are with you and support you in this fight for the freedom to love who you want. The state should have nothing to say about what two consenting adults do within the privacy of the four walls of their house. The constitutions of most countries enshrine the principles of inclusiveness and equality, and most religions teach about God loving all his/her children equally. December 12, 2013 at 10:45 am People are always going to be judgmental and hating towards other people. There will always be wars and unfair treatment of people because we r just organisms that don’t have anything better to do. The comments crack me up. We r smart bacteria literally. We work all our lives so we can eat, have shelter, and spend time with loved ones. There is nothing special about us. We intake energy and give it off we are just aware we r doing it. What makes any person think they can tell another person What to do based on their own beliefs. its fucking hilarious to me how smart yet completely retarded the human race is. I don’t want to start a religious argument because I believe people should have Faith. It gives your useless life a reason to get up in the morning, but it seems pretty obvious to me atleast that there is no higher power and we r just a coincidence. Given that thought all that should matter is to help eachother. Not preach bullshit that was probably written by some assholes who were making guidelines for the human race to abide by. Instead they set up years of opression based on the motion of their hand on a piece of paper. And we still do this shit today, we should focus on advancing the human race helping eachother and doing what we can to make eachother happy so we can enjoy our short lives. Stop worrying about shit that doesnt affect you directly. The only crimes that should be illegal are violent crimes, theft, and vandalism. Otherwise live your life and treat others with respect.— straight white male As far as I’m concerned, if it doesn’t affect you, then you shouldn’t care about it. People just like to force their opinions on the world. What has homosexuality ever done to any of you who claim gays should be executed? Nothing, that’s what. Oh, and you don’t want to redefine the “Holy Act of Marriage”? Considering that you can no longer sell your daughters for 3 goats and a cow means it already has been. Marriage has been around longer than Christianity, so keep your damn book out of it, it’s the epitomy of hypocrisy. To summarise – Don’t get your panties in a twist if it doesn’t affect your life. That is all. Well, Affect! Yes and no. We live in an integrated society. Act of One affects all. Re: Homosexuality. It is against nature. Recent research in Genetics has proven that there are no Genes, i.e., people are not born homosexual. It is their choice. That should be respected as long as it does not affect society adversely. What people do in their bedroom consensually is their business and they should be left alone. I am all for it. However, there is a snag: Adoption of Babies. A newborn is very susceptible in forming life long traits. It looks at its mother and forms images of gestures, nuances and physical actions. The same is with the father. Besides, the newborn needs the mother for nourishment that includes immunization from Amniotic. Lactation can last up to 3 years. Although, there is no milk coming out but the security is provided to the infant through lactation. Please do not let the homosexual adopt ‘babies’. It is unfair on the ‘babies’. Look after their Rights. January 1, 2014 at 3:04 pm I would like to thank you all for letting my voice be heard. I just want to simply say I don’t hate anyone for their lifestyle and just stop judging people for their lifestyle choices. God is the ultimate judge and he’s quite capable of doing his job. My job is to love others as myself and keep my eyes on him. If gays and lesbians are sinning in every Christians eyes, why do you think you have a right to tell them of their infractions against gods laws. Its between them and our heavenly father. Not you!!! Love you all. God bless!!! He loves all his children all!!! February 17, 2014 at 2:32 am Hi Jamie, You sound religious and one would have expected you must have read and understood biblical passages like Ezekiel 3v17-21. What were God’s messengers like John the Baptist,Paul etc assigned to preach and what did Jesus charge his disciples to preach? Just as I know your dad or brother warns you against indulgence in certain vices without hatred for you, you can, knowledgibly, warn your fellow beings against destructive vices. Hatred and mischieviousness are depicted in doing the opposite. I, for one, have never seen one homo, so I wonder who I hate, rather I hate the sin holding my beloved friends captive just like our black activists hated and condemed slave trade and not the whites.Did they have to leave that too between God and the slave masters? Now you got the point and that’s the crux of all these! January 6, 2014 at 4:11 pm I honestly am saddened and disgusted at the blatant ignorance that still diseases much of our population. What is obvious is that too many people fear what they don’t understand and disagree with that with which they can’t identify. I would love to sit down face to face with many of these individuals and have a well thought out debate about why someone should be treated as a lesser-being simply because they don’t find attraction in the opposite sex. Do you think, if I had the choice, I would submit myself to a life of suppression? That I would enjoy reading the hateful, hurtful comments of my ‘wiser’ elders on a website designed to support? Because breaking news just in; I don’t and given the ‘choice’ I would take your lifestyle every time. Take a good hard look at yourselves in the mirror and realise that your pathetic attempts to beat and badger this ‘sin’ out of people is never going to change anything. I don’t think I need to point out that you bigots have flaws too; not only being offensive, discriminatory and derogatory to your fellow citizens. If you think that by posting comments like this here will get you any closer to God, you are very very much mistaken. All you are doing is corrupting and further dementing an already hate-filled world and I really do hope that you change for your own sakes. I am not an activist, but a pacifist and I hope that one day you’ll learn the lesson that I’m sure you’ve thumped into your children’s heads a thousand times over: If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it. January 16, 2014 at 7:17 am l wonder what is special about Gay that people are killing themselves about? if you see any gay or lesbian person, gently ask him or her this questions; if there parents were gay or lesbian , would they be given birth too? common sense should tell us that whatever gaynism or lesbianism represent is EVIL. Why? Can anyone of you you point out Gay dog, Gay bird, Gay fish, Gay cow or better still lesbian goat? in otherwords, animal created are more wiser and interlligent than this gay/lesbian people. you people need deliverance from this evil spirit. January 19, 2014 at 4:38 pm Humans are all equal in the eyes of God. That said, SIN is an action, behavior and choice. As children, we are taught that there are consequences for our actions. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13) The day you CHOSE to give in to your temptation and be GAY was also the day you gave up your rights to have a marriage, family, children & sex. Stop blaming us for taking away your GOD given rights, you did it to yourself. February 6, 2014 at 6:12 am As a student of humanities, I’ve probably read more of world history/religious books, even as electives, than you. One fact or reality you must accept is that of existence both of the human and material(time inclusive) universe. Their forms and activities appear quite deliberate as if intentionally formed, designed and programmed. Only life can create life and I recognize that LIFE as JEHOVAH/JESUS=GOD. Call yours whatever you like but how can a creature exist without a creator? The concept of accidental evolution of the material world is archived even by its proponents like Charles Darwin. Before and after the times of Noah, Abraham, Paul e.t.c,(hope you know they existed here on earth) men have been acknowledging this my God and still do and will so do forever, while “others” are extinct beings. One other thing, mine deserves obedience and I dare not perverse His order. February 4, 2014 at 11:45 am Why is it that whenever homosexuality is mentioned anywhere online, all the jesus freaks come crawling out of the woodwork to spew their unwanted opinion on this subject? Do you really have nothing better to do than googling homosexuality? Is there a passage in the bible that states you have to do this? Does it give you bonus points to get to heaven? (Don’t bother replying to these questions because they are all rhetorical) And if the answer to the last (rhetorical!) question is yes, the idea of an hereafter where all of these judgemental people are gathered is not a very beckoning one. Religion has no business being a base for any sort of law. You’re welcome. February 5, 2014 at 1:44 am Margaret, What a pity. Thought you would reason through that as social beings, as opposed to Islands, we are meant to watch each others’ backs irrespective of our inclinations. In as much as you have the liberty of misleading people into believing in same sex affairs, some owe it a social duty to warn them of the gravity of the consequences. Perhaps, some (now properly informed) may reconsider their ways and turn a new leave, for their( and not my) good. It’s like warning that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health! Daily, bizarre opinions, such as yours and newsreels flood my mailbox and I didn’t have to goggle madam judge and jury. And, if you must know, the creator existed before the creature and His intents/injunctions/laws before any form of law. The genesis for the knowledge that vices like murder, is wrong, is nature-GOD-Religion my dear. February 10, 2014 at 6:56 pm It would appear that I may be in the right place at the wrong time, or at least a bit late. I had wanted to plead that the UN step in to strongly ask the frightening number of nations in Africa who are antigay/lesbian to stop their violence perpetrated on our brothers and sisters in these nations. They have already done so. The political leaders of these nations,and their antigay/lesbian religious counterparts, have let fear guide their actions and have chosen to violate their fellow countrymen-and women. I have not read all of the particulars on this issue. Quite frankly, I do not wish to. I have heard it all already just from the antigay/lesbian people in this country. None of these people’s views are new to me. It all boils down to one thing-VIOLENCE plain and simple. I am sure they have tried to justify their actions in some way, be it religious or political. However, they will never be able to do so to any free thinking, spiritually minded society. They certainly will never be able to justify it to any member of the LGBTQ community or our supporters. I have scanned the comments posted on this site-quickly. They are standard responses from both sides. Those who are supporters of the violence in Africa and there are those who are not. Many are eloquent and well thought. There are those whose responses are straight from the hips. The words “tolerant” and “tolerate” are used. I do not want to be tolerated as a gay man. Such a word suggests a sense of superiority from those who choose to tolerate me out or the goodness of their heart. No thank you. If you cannot accept me for who I am out of your sense of political equality, if you possess such a character trait in the first place which I doubt, then just leave me in peace. Mr. “ab1885” calls the antigay/lesbian laws of Africa and elsewhere “beautiful”. He, sorry if you are a she, suggests we leave them alone to their violence and say nothing. There is a famous quote that says “Violence begets violence”. I ask you sir, or madam, if no one said anything in the 1930’s and let the violence continue in Europe you could be living a German dictatorship or something similar. Be that as it may, as for right now, I hereby ask any person who does not support the current antigay/lesbian violence in Africa, Russia, or the other countries listed on this site to put them on their list of places NOT to go to on vacation. I have often read of social changes following on the heals of economic downfalls. This may also show our critics that we do count for something in this world. Our money talks as well as our voices. February 17, 2014 at 8:29 am Hi Colin! I chose to recognise you as a human right activist and not gay and I expect you to spread your activism tentacles beyond gay right. Are you then also fighting against the incarceration of rapists,armed robbers,kidnappers, drug addicts and the likes, who also deserve to enjoy the rights of indulgences? What a free societ yours really is! If Homo is as an act, rightly tagged sinful/a vice, it’s then undesireable as those who indulge in them. Pesonally,i’d prefer a rehab for them to imprisonment.. I wish you can also redirect your intellectual energy into discouraging the act so that LGBT prisons will remain depopulated and empty, afterall, they were only established to discourage the act as there are prisons established against other vices! February 17, 2014 at 8:51 am Dear VIP, How about reframing your argument so that you’re not suggesting that consensual love between people of the same sex is the equivalent of violent non-consensual crimes such as rape, armed robbery and kidnapping? Those are totally different. Also, you’re mistaken in suggesting that a change could occur by anyone redirecting their intellectual energy. This isn’t a matter of intellectual choice; it’s a question of basic sexual attraction. I am attracted as I am, whether I will it or not. You are attracted as you are, whether you will it or not. LGBT people are attracted as they are, whether they will it or not. The question is whether to accept people as they are and to love your neighbor as yourself, or to reject people for who they are and to throw your neighbor in prison for loving the “wrong” person. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog Hi Colin, You still don’t get my point and I’ll try to break it down. Crime/sin/vice/perversion/sodomy are some of the epithets/synonyms used by the different contributors here to describe same sex immoral indulgences and whether by mutual consent or not, this common numenclature qualifies them for same punitive prescription you’ve indirectly admitted for violent non-consentual offenses.Two adults,who by mutual consent sell(non-voilent) each others’ babies are criminals.Slave trade,in economic terms, was by consent, yet widely condemned! Accepting people is one thing,accepting their misdemeanour, is another. The law/tags existed before the crime. The creator/owner of humanity had expectations/intentions for what he created and the society is bound to protect such standards just as you would defend well intended laws of your parents or fatherland. The punitive measures may be different and unsavoury but the intent is for societal good. If, as a nigerian and a christian I believe that homo indulgences led to the destruction of Sodom and Gommorrha, then I will try all to protect my country by discouraging the scourge. Smoking/drug addiction should fall under your consent category yet they are condemned especially by Sodom-America and severe punishment imposed! Colin,I was talking about redirecting your intellect to discourage the act oblivion of the fact that you were an actor yourself! We may be on the same page in believing that imprisonment may not help the condition of those who genuinely seek freedom but my point, just like of those you tag religious biggots, is that JESUS CHRIST can and He truly loves you but hates the sin enough to destroy it and set you ,as God’s child, free from that demonic bondage! Yes Colin, We are closer to agreing but you missed out my real point. Let’s shift attention for a minute from the “cruel,” “unhelpful,” uncaring,” and “unloving” LGBT and focus on the caring, helpful,loving and abled JESUS! I had more character flaws than anyone else but decided to try him and I was baffled it worked for real. I bet, if he sets you free, you are free indeed! I still commit my human weaknesses to him and I get amazing results-acceptance(to take away the flaws),liberty(to obey God) and love(to fufill purpose for humanity). You have what he can use to mitigate hate and deviance for a better society. He’ll use you for his glory! One more thing; make it very personal -in your private time. God bless you! February 20, 2014 at 8:04 am VIP, Do you ever stop for just one moment to consider that you are perhaps delusional? You’ve done well to over intellectualise you responses in order to feign intelligent meaning, but have brought that down with preachy BS. I myself am homosexual, and while our community suffers culturally and socially on an international scale, I pity more those who cling to inane and evidence less religion as a justifiable springboard into enacting hate, in any form. The Jesus obsessed who hate on homosexuals, race or any other are truly the most regressive, life squandering and sympathy worthy group on this earth. Your perception of life, love and meaning are murky at best. You were no doubt raised this way and have neither been given nor taken the opportunity to think for yourself at any point. It’s truly a waste of the human mind and heart. Michael, I wonder why my previous responses to you were tugged out of this blog! I perceive you want to belong to the club of deep thinkers. Let’s go a bit personal asking if you were groomed a homo? Christianity is different. You aren’t born or raised to think like one. You must become/reborn a Christian. It’s, neither a religion nor an ideology in variance with your ages long misconception. It’s, simply put, a personal experience of the creature with his creator having exhausted all options and in deep meditation on the challenges and purpose/essence of life/living. His mindset and lifestyle, on daily basis, are fine tuned in harmony with his creator’s. The only intellectual explanation to empirical existence lies in the fact that there most be a creator to all that exist and, I call mine Jehovah/Jesus=God! How about yours? Or,are you an accident possibly, downloaded here through abnormal union of same sex beings? Don’t bother quizzing anyone about God’s(invisible reality) existence or the authenticity of Jesus'(visible reality) claims, simply ask them to come and reveal His reality to you in your privacy and you may turn out even more obsessed by his love for you. One more fact: God/Jesus only hates homosexuality but loves the individual involved , and that’s exactly what we, Christians do and preach. He(God),just like any responsible father or nation, will punish the impenitent which should exclude you, if you ask for help. This applies to all human(the creature)’s acts of rebellion, perversion or disobedience to his creator and not just the homo. I tell you all these for free! Part1. February 24, 2014 at 5:21 am gay people lesbians its all madness how can t he whole world debate about homos if it was normal we wouldnt be talking about its just so funny how evil deeds are being made to seem okay if its normal why do they hide and are ashamed of themselves why why not walk around and scream it to the whole world am gay please stop lying to our kids our brothers do ur shamless deeds with the devil backing u cause we all know in the lords eyes thats a curse and if he is silent he will soon act continue doing funny vile things with ur bodies and am sure god will bless u crazy people February 24, 2014 at 5:32 am again on homos dont defy nature never ever mock GOD by creating ur own crazy ideas because u are indirectly abusing ur creator since there is a reason why a woman was made to a man so when i walk down the street and see a bunch of homos acting like women thats being in denial stop if ur a man be a man if ur a woman be a woman respect ur bodies and ur creator cause those demons llying to u that uall normal ur are not we dont hate homos we hate their deeds that all and u cant fight a supreme power GOD how dare u challenge him creation who made u can clay challenge the potter no so dont challenge God hes the voice deep down telling u live an upright life cause even if he is silent hes watching u February 24, 2014 at 9:55 am Which god ? There is absolutely NO evidence to support any of the gods created by humans actually exist in reality. What has homosexuality got to do with any unproven gods. Humans are not the only species on the planet to exercise this form of relationship and sexual activity. There are over 1500 species that do the same. Humans are not some special species we are just another life form on this planet, one of approximately 12 Million other species. So the only reason you are homophobic is because of your love for a god you have no proof for and the religion built up around such a false ideology ? February 24, 2014 at 8:08 am If gay is legalised then bestiality should also because there is no crime, because there is no victim. It will be also be undemocratic if bestiality don’t have their own right and if bestiality have their right, what do you want this world to turn into? And I don’t think you would wish your children to marry dogs. Supporting same sex marriage is denying unborn ones the right to exist or don’t they deserve the privileged like you? What is the good end product in homosexuality? Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. – Leviticus 18:22 February 25, 2014 at 12:50 am Afraid because, the history-(a realistic occurrence with tenable evidences) of Sodom and Gomorrah teaches us that, that INDULGENCE is capable of inviting nemesis upon an entire nation. If your sole obsession is about hate, why not come to terms with the fact that the “haters” actually detest the act and not you. Change and you will realize I am right. Again,visible matters like hills, mountains, oceans, seas, birds, animals, man etc existence have taught, even Charles Darwin, that there is an invisible creator and I for one call him GOD. These, more than my friend NNM, are better proofs to any rational being. February 24, 2014 at 10:42 am What people need to realize is that yes, being gay is abnormal. So is being blonde, or having freckles. There is nothing wrong with being abnormal. Everyone is abnormal is their own right. Most people I come across (I live in PA, USA) don’t really care either way as long as it doesn’t effect them. For example, if a blonde girl walks around a bar telling everyone she has natural blonde hair and warning them not to state their opinions on her hair (but you can if it’s a compliment) and talking about everything she went through to care for her hair, then people might start to get a little annoyed. I’m not saying all gay rights activists are like this, but they are definitely out there. The bottom line is that people should and do (in America) have the right to express themselves and say what they want. That goes both ways. So when a gay rights group wants to condemn a old guy on a TVshow for not having the same opinion as them, you know there is something wrong. Then continue on to try and make the station cancel his TV show and ultimately lose his job. That’s when the activists turn into the bullies. We are all people just trying to live our own lives in the way that we see fit. There is no good side or bad side in this argument. Hi Haylee! You are always in a haste to defend your sect that you leave your thinking cap behind! How would you compare an indulgence-homosexuality- to a biological state-being blonde! Perhaps the main problem here is that these “divine infraction” see nothing wrong in what they do just like a pilferer sees nothing wrong in stealing. They act like a kid seeking a pat from the parents for deepening HIS finger into fire! There is always a justifiable corresponding actions/reactions to any misdemeanor according to the gravity of the offense. This isn’t only applicable to homo. That explains why we all seek decent, sane and safe ambience to happily co-exist. February 24, 2014 at 9:48 pm Mr. Colin Stewart, Your comment to “Bob” above, reference “Just because a majority is in favor of oppressing a minority, that doesn’t make it right” is truly out of place. Do you know that the majority of people also favor oppressing terrorism ? That people have the right to deny behavior unbecoming the norms of socially accepted institution of marriage ? Does that denial constitute “oppression” to your mind ? I fail to understand why some people will do anything through media hype to legalize everything their minds fall short of acknowledging that the “majority” (consensus) exists for a reason and betterment of most. Some soldiers sacrifice their lives to protect those of the “majority.” Is that also “oppression” to your mind ? What would constitute “oppression” would be edicts to obstruct bloggers like yourself from sharing diagonally opposite views about generally accepted norms of social behavior. Perhaps you will find common ground with the “majority” when your son does in fact declare that he is Gay. February 25, 2014 at 10:35 am I think that it’s great that some countries are taking a stand against this social disease that has infected the US and other countries. it is a perversion of the mind and the body. It’s bad enough that they practice this sickness in private, but the governments have no business sanctioning this sickness as normal. What next…. I want to marry one of my parents? It sets a horrible example for our children as to what is right and what is wrong, because as a country we don’t even know ourselves! February 25, 2014 at 12:12 pm It is actually so simple….there is no god, so stop using religion to promote your illiterate views that because your god says gay is a sin, therefore u must agree with him/her/it. No concrete proof exists that there is a deity sitting up on a cloud somewhere approving of the daily murder and or abuse of gay people, no proof that this deity is shielding u from harm because u “pray” and ask it to. If there was, this world would be perfect in every way….no disease, no disasters, no famine, no poverty. And by the way, tolerance implies acceptance and vice versa… So please stop hiding your own sick prejudices behind the veil of your phantom god! Tell me, would god have allowed your mother who died of excruciating cancer, to have cancer in the first place if he/she/it was the supposed god of love? Or do u just accept that your mother died because it was god’s will? Bullshit…just shows how people are blinkered into accepting that some things are the will of the gods because it comforts them – when actually the dont have a logical explanation for their loss. February 26, 2014 at 2:39 am GYSD, It’s gratifying to realize from your entire essay that your view is parochial and your opinion is, at best subject, to superior opinions and realities. Among folks of better formation than you are, men of high intellect-masters of the educational pedigree you claim and,among the kindergartens,who know better, the meaning of illiteracy, are believers in the existence of a creator of any existence. That is the simplest intellectual truth any thinking person should imbibe. Your very existence is an empirical truth that you were brought into existence or how else did you “evolve?” If someone with deeper thought and higher intellect had told you about the existence of invisible radioactive waves before the invention of radio and TV, you would possibly run amok with insulting irrational attacks as you’ve just done here. Unpleasant circumstances such as happened to your mother(my sympathy) find more rational explanations in godly perspectives. Outside this are either implausible or no explanations at all. The fact that I’ve never been to Helsinki doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist! My best bet is find out, if in doubts. Free lectures! February 27, 2014 at 12:53 am NNM, My brother NNM, if you’ve been following my piece, you’d understand that I am on your(The Lord’s) side, trying intellectually, to rescue these lost sheep from impending wrath from God. You’d also adduce that I am a born again, holy ghost filled, tongue speaking servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was trying to reason with(respond to) GYSD and not you. We both hate homo the way the Lord hates it but let’s love those in that bondage and win them to Christ rather than wish they perished in hell fire. God bless you. February 28, 2014 at 11:48 am Dear VIP, What you insist on calling “a habit, an indulgence, a vice/sin” is an attraction to people of the same sex. You insist on calling it a choice, but most LGBT people experience it as a basic part of their being, something that they begin to experience as adolescents, not something they chose. Really, really, really — could you yourself CHOOSE to be attracted to people of the same sex?? No one has ever demonstrated the ability to switch back and forth between different sexual orientations, yet anti-gay partisans repeatedly, without any proof, declare that it’s a choice. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 1, 2014 at 7:11 am Hi Colin, Ok. I once stated that it’s of late I learnt homo isn’t by choice thanks to this blog. You may also recall, I saw it as an irony that a report some years back had it that a female secondary school was “ravaged by the scourge!” Now how do you reconcile these? One of the reasons all articles and efforts must be geared at helping, rehabilitating, transforming, and restoring the victims of this scourge to normalcy and discouraging the act lies in their helpless disposition. It’s an issue I believe, only God can completely mitigate in a willing individual but the unwilling ones may face his wrath. Any man born with a bizarre desire to lure(by consent) minors into sexual intercourse needs a combination of mental help and condemnation for both his act and continuous indulgence. Hope America will not rise up in defense of such fellows too. One more thing, God/Jesus’ injunction on this matter overrules those of Whoopi and her likes and to me ,they are simply end time agents of perversion. Do you accept the entire bible as truth? Or do you just pick and choose verses that suite you? On Punishing ‘Immorality’ Leviticus 20:9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. 20:10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death. Deuteronomy 22:20-1 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. Exodus 35:2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. On Destroying Other People Deuteronomy 7:1-2 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations . . . then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 20:10-17 When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. . . . This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. On the Evil of Biblical Law Ezekiel 20:25-26 I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and laws they could not live by; I let them become defiled through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD. On Slavery & Subjugation of Women Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Exodus 21:20-21 If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. 2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. Leviticus 25:44-45 Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. February 27, 2014 at 2:04 am Mr. Gay, You sound confused by the Bible, just as I might be reeling out verses of the Koran without proper teachings! The Ethiopian eunuch was in your state(see Acts 8vs30ff). Now are you using these scriptures to condemn your perceived selective justice against homos? You may have a point there. If so, then, you have indirectly admitted that homosexuality, just like those vices you reeled out, deserve condemnation and in that case you’re on point! You may also do better by trying to escape, especially, God’s ultimate punishment which is more dreadful than man’s. That’s what I try to do every day, starting with repenting and giving my life to Christ. How about you my friend? February 28, 2014 at 11:39 am Dear VIP, That’s some mixed-up thinking. It’s deep nonsense. Obama supports gay rights, so he must be gay and his wife and daughters must be lesbian?? I support the rights of Ugandans not to be thrown in prison for who they are. Does that make me Ugandan? I support the rights of scientists to do their work. Does that make me a scientist? I support the rights of Christians, Muslims and atheists to worship, or not, as they choose. Does that make me a Christian Muslim atheist? — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 1, 2014 at 6:31 am Mr. Colin, Try understanding my point. Psychology permits assumptions adduced from contrasting premises. I am only presupposing that NNM imagines possible co-relations in Obama’s stand. You’ve wisely chosen positive illustrations here, why not establish also that you may not assume a leader who supports (the rights?) corruption as possibly corrupt himself! Support for any bizarre, abnormal, immoral, anti-social or even criminal entities casts aspersions on the moral ethics of the supporter. For instance, by your write up and crusade, if you hadn’t declared to be gay, I’d have still assumed you as one, and would be logically or sensitively, correct. March 10, 2014 at 12:21 pm The problem is the so called westerners think Africa has to bow done to thier unearthly sex desires !!! Homosexuality as collateral for aid to our poor countries as you say live africa for us africans stay there & be rich as ever u can’ t change our laws and implement laws u regard as human rights when men violet other men’s anus’s… most of these gays endup gay because they wil have been abused at a young age and endup not knowing what they want!! Even Dogs & pigs know thier mates better than so called gays!! Licking another man’s anus and you call it a human right! Get real! Proud to be Black & African… regards Tutu!!! February 28, 2014 at 6:35 am My brother NNM, that adage doesn’t apply in your case. Just like I am, you are simply upset that the devil could hold God’s creatures in such bondage. The mix up is also because the designers of this link got it a bit twisted. The most amazing of it all is that one can publicly declare being infested by this destructive infirmity. That leaders of even the so called “civilized” and “godly” nations parade as crusaders of this societal menace and endemic scourge requiring serious attention like the HIV/AIDs pandemic, is another amazing misfortune for those countries! March 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm Even in Ezekial, it was presumed that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was due to their inhospitality to strangers, not homosexuality. Rather than be inhospitable, Lot offers up his daughters to be raped? That’s certainly a strange reaction. It was a story written by men thousands of years ago, with a bias, to further their greed and keep others fearful. Didn’t it used to also be a sin to believe the earth was round, or that the universe did not revolve around the earth? Used to be put to death for those beliefs as well, I think. February 28, 2014 at 2:07 pm am monday from NIGERIA As we all clearly know that a GAY is a person usually a man who is attracted to someone of thesame sex while homosexualism is the act by which a man engage in sexual intercourse with his fellow man through his ANUS, Now base on this definition can the normal man imagine this kind of people? And this kind of disgusting act? Let us be realistic, let reason about this act and let ask our selves series of questions,who are this people called GAY?where do they really come from? The issue of criminalizing or decriminalizing of the homosexual act is not the issue yet, do you really think this act have any positive influence that can help the society and the people in world generally?is there any danger in the future? I believe those who were born in 18 and early 19 are no more in existence any longer if not for few of them, do you really think if your parent where to be Gay or lesbian you would exist today? If we are to encourage this act of homosexualism and lesbianism do you think it will result to mortality or natality? Etc apart of religion and belief let us take a look at the percentage of the negative and positive effect it has on us now or in the future, but to me i dont see the act of homosexualism having any positive effect on man kind instead destruction and the risk of low natality…….. I dont know about you……………………………………………………………. ……… In summary if am been given an opportunity to talk about this topic i think i have a lot to really say……….. But however we must understand the fact that GAY are not being from God….. Incase you are doubting, then why did God destroy sodom and gomorah? After God created Adam why didnt he creat another man and instead? Instead creat a woman …… So therefore these so callded GAY people have their root in satanism and they are incarnate of satan,their purpose here in the world is to oppose God just like as it has been prophecied from the beginning. March 1, 2014 at 11:09 am To Colin, That’s simply not true that gays and lesbians and what have you just want to be treated as everyone else. As soon as you give them a inch they want to take a yard. When homosexuals were being bullied harassed and beaten all they wanted was to be protected and left alone. They got that. Then they wanted civil unions. They got THAT. Next they wanted to be able to adopt children. They got THAT! Then they wanted to be able to marry one another. They got THAT! Now they’re trying to infect the rest of the world!! I hope like hell they don’t get THAT!! Personally I think it should be illegal to practice this sickness and the United States once again as well so that we can move this country forward again and not continue to go backward!! March 2, 2014 at 12:48 pm The reason that we differ is because some people are following God and some people are not. We are all given the choice to follow God or not…that is free will. I wish everyone could feel God’s Love and know Him. I would encourage you seek God with all of your heart and He promises you will find Him. I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I accept God’s free gift of Salvation. It is not something I earned. Love covers a multitude of sins. Anything you place in your life before God is an idol. When it comes to homosexuality, I believe God is very clear on that, it is an abomination. That does not mean that a homosexual cannot be forgiven. Just like any sin, we must repent and turn away from the sin. Sin separates us from God. I know many homosexuals and just try to show everyone I come in contact with the Love of Christ. Although, I disagree with the lifestyle, I still show them respect. I also am not going to compromise my beliefs, then I would be a fake. I believe God defines marriage, not man. Jesus can heal you no matter what you have done-if you ask Him. To me, it doesn’t get any better than that. Jesus brings peace that passes all understanding. We will all find out one day. I have blessed assurance of one day being with Jesus and you can have that, too. You do not have to take my word for it, ask God to reveal Himself to you. He will not disappoint! God bless you all! =) March 3, 2014 at 2:36 am Yes Colin, Even prostitutes, drunks, pilferers, dopers see nothing wrong in their indulgences and can justify/hold unto their positions as you (gays) do. Societies for people with down syndrome, the blind and the deaf at birth, realize there’s something unnatural about their state and solicit for help. On the contrary, LGBTs want the right to remain the same even if there was a remedy. You can as well defend a wealthy gay I learnt, lured, enticed and recruited, his security guard and domestic staff into this abnormal practice. Many ugly variations of such cases abound. If one born with or recruited into any illicit practice is requesting for a right to remain same, it’s so sad. Attempts at condemning a corrective measure and advocating a better reformatory/curative option for this malaise starts with the realistic establishment/acceptance of what it, really is- a natural or induced perversion, It’s the perception of the different nations of this indulgence and it’s social consequences which conditions the laws enacted for or against it just as done for other social vices. Anyone or nation which doesn’t see perversion of natural order as evil is decadent. No one was created blind or a pilferer. If by “inexplicable” unnatural interferences one is born as such, then the most rational thing to do is seek help rather than advance the most implausible excuses for it. One gay blogger used population check as an excuse oblivion of the fact, that in the world of homo, the entire population can be wiped off by war, famine, disease, natural disasters et al hence divine wisdom/provision for procreation which no laws can disannul. March 3, 2014 at 6:03 am Tmara75 you are absolutely right! But you can’t reason with crazy people. Colin Stuart is sick and perverted! He and others just like him including the lesbians are at the center of moral decay in this country. They spread their sickness like a disease, and they wonder why are the countries don’t want to be infected. If someone has to tell you that there is something wrong with a man being with a man and a woman being with a woman then that person has no reason. Some of these sick idiots try to claim that its genetic. How in the hell is it genetic when those people can’t even breed!? March 4, 2014 at 6:39 am Dear VIP (in case you’re still reading the comments), I fear that you’re so obsessed with homosexuality that you are blinded to what you’re reading in the Bible. You read a story about attempted homosexual rape in Genesis 19: 4-10 (the extreme inhospitality that I was referring to) and you conclude from it that consensual same-sex intimacy is worthy of a prison sentence. You read Old Testament passages containing many prohibitions — “There are six things which the LORD hates, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19). Eating clam chowder or shrimp, conducting improper blood sacrifices, adultery, having sex after a divorce, dishonest business practices, and love of money — but you pick on homosexuality. It’s sad that a strong Christian finds it so important to speak so hatefully about loving people who also were created by God and who share this world as our neighbors. Via con Dios, May 28, 2016 at 6:00 pm You God damned enemy of all living, you have no idea what love is you two faced Satanic trojan demon, you will have your day, then you will be thrown into the lake of fire for your crimes of luring and perverting souls into hell with you. It would have been better you never been born you Satanic demonic cancer, shameless accursed pig, the only thing you love is evil and perversion and to infect it into the minds and souls of the world, especially children, and for that you will be eternally damned. March 5, 2014 at 6:31 am Colin, you don’t have to defend me, we are reasoning here and if you hold a strong view you should be able to reason through spurious views. Now Gay, the Jews did not indulge in anti social acts that warranted the unjust killings. May God forgive the Nazis! This issue is easier if you believe in God the creator and that every creature must have a creator! The reasoning you are finding so hard to understand/accept is simply that homos are perverting the natural intent for procreation just like you’d tell a man who abuses the natural purpose for animals. On a lighter note, how would you react seeing or hearing of a “security goat!’ Now you’re giggling. You can impair this with anything-some may be unpleasant though. As a christian, I recommend rehab rather than imprisonment for this acclaimed involuntary perversion just like i’d recommend same for drug addicts as,in most cases, imprisonment hardens the victims. Above all,homo practice just like any strong ungodly indulgence in any man-VIP inclusive- can best be cured and mitigated during a private or open honest session with Jesus Christ. Need I say more? Just try it! God and I love you! Tchau Amigo! March 4, 2014 at 7:03 am I have been reading the comment of colin stewart and psychologically i have come to realize that colin stewart is a GAY and purposely dsigned this website for the purpose of been an advocacy of homosxuals. I also want to believe that the essence of colin stewart designing this website is to see how he can educate and creat the impression that, the act of homosexualism should be accepted and they should have equal right but here in africa expecially nigeria where i come from that can not be possible ……………………… Like i said earlier i see you are an advocate for the homosexuals . Why are you trying to turn the bible up side down,if you are trying to defend gays by the event of sodom and gomorah, have you checked other verses in the bible where homosexualism is condenm? If not then you can check this verse of the bible. GENESIS 19:1:29, LEVITICUS 18:22, LEVITICUS 20:13, JUDGES 19 :22-23, ACT 15:28-29, ROMANS 1:18-32 , 1CORITHIANS 6:9-11 AND 1TIMOTHY 1:10. Remember that the bible has clearly stated it that any fruit that bear no branches should be cut down, so therefore Gay or homosexual any how you people may name them should be deal with mercilessly because they are not beings from God and this is satan at work. Parts of Gay eradication in nigeria. March 4, 2014 at 7:53 am Dear Monday, Just to correct a couple of errors you’ve made. I’m heterosexual, but I do believe that homosexuals should not be thrown in jail for being as God made them. I know that many Biblical verses, as translated into English anyway, condemn homosexual acts, though nothing like modern consensual, loving same-sex relations was known at the time they were written. In context, some of those references seem to be related to temple prostitutes whose sexual relations were on behalf of idols. But you don’t have to believe that to see that the biblical message is love. Jesus surely did not propose “gay eradication”! Is his message to love your neighbor after killing off your gay neighbor? I don’t think so. — Colin Stewart, editor of this blog March 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm Remember that, at the time all these passages were written, women were considered property, there were different words in the native language for different relationships between people, and all those things have changed in 2000 years, much more in the many thousands of years since the old testaments were written. For a man to treat another equal man as property, as a conquest, would have been a horrible insult. That is how women were treated at that time! Look at how many wives and concubines these “holy” men had back then! It was for greed. Those words were written by MEN who had bias so they could get what they wanted. God did not take ink to paper; men did. March 5, 2014 at 5:58 am Your comments must have come before I unsubscribed from your blog as , with great relief, no new comments have com through! You may consider this piece as my final(lengthy) submission on this matter on this blog even at the risk of being misunderstood. Let’s begin with your delight in twisting the Gen,19 passage to suit your intent: Only gays(the men of that city) could have attempted/desired to rape fellow men(angels in this context). They failed because God and the angels stopped them. In law, a foiled attempt(as in coup d’etat) attracts severe consequences as befell Sodom and Gomorrah. Use whatever semantics, the act(homosexual misdemeanor) by the actors(homosexuals) attracted the destruction. Intellectuals who understood this better adopted the term “sodomy” in allusion to the episode. Imprisonment isn’t designed only for homos, it’s a universal instrument of correction of perceived societal ills. It’s better than the freedom campaign. You find it so convenient to impose this position on me in spite of previous opinion. If only we can see this act as socially unacceptable then we can focus on the best option to eradicate it.The involuntary nature of it may and call for help by perpetrators may attract genuine sympathy and more considerate solution. I’m totally against any activities that suggest this infraction is right and seek to legalize it. If anyone had solicited the right for perpetrators of all the abominable acts you reeled out of the Bible, I’d have still attacked it with same passion. The issue in this blog focuses on same sex. Homo proponents are shifting attention from the cause and effect to attempts at eradicating the scourge. Which came first Colin? As a veteran journalist, you should be conversant with the rules of ” burning issues.” Attacks and counter attacks fly across. In this case you are acting like a partial referee by ignoring the various invectives and insults meted out from your “all loving” camp choosing rather to condemn the firepower from opposing views. On the whole, I find amusing what you term ” love” in the context of same sex attraction. This is worse than hate. You can’t demonstrate your love for a male goat by being attracted to it. On the other hand you can demonstrate genuine love to your fellow man(son,brother) by correcting, criticizing and even punishing the self destructive tendencies in them. God loves the world, yet he HATES, CONDEMNS and PUNISHES sin. Yes I’ve never seen any of the homos I attack here -I wouldn’t attack Michael for being Michael but for being gay. Likewise I do attack VIP(self) for any anti-social indulgence but on my part I humbly ask for God’s help rather than defiance. Get it right-I hate homosexuality and the causative demons holding my beloved brothers(the homosexuals) captive.As a christian, imprisonment may not guarantee their repentance. It’s not about being white, black, green or red but what you symbolize or indulge in! Those massaging your ego are only giving you the impression with spurious arguments that you should continue as you are but, when in future, you find the truth and repent you’d prefer my hard knocks and “bitter” prescriptions capable(as in John de Baptists weapon) of inducing repentance. MUITO OBRIGADO, GRACIAS! March 8, 2014 at 4:36 pm ‘There are those who claim that when the crowd said “let us know them,” they meant “have sex.” There are even translations of the Bible that say “let us have sex with them,” or “let us know them carnally.” Let us state categorically, that the Hebrew text will NOT support such “translations.” Some say that Hebrew has more than one verb for “know” and that the one used here means “have sex.” Let’s set the record straight on this. The root of the Hebrew verb for “know” is ידע yada. A form of yada is used here and hundreds of other times in scripture. Only about ten of those times refer to sex, and in each case, the sexual meaning is clear by the context. (Example: Adam knew his wife and she conceived.) To try to make this word mean sex everywhere will get us in a lot of trouble, because the scripture tells us that God knew David, and uses a form of this word. We don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try to attach a sexual meaning to that. When the crowd outside Lot’s house said they wanted to know the visitors, they meant exactly that: To know who they were.” March 5, 2014 at 3:25 pm “no matter what you say he’s not going to change his point of view”. The same can be said regarding your comments on the subject. You just can’t let anyone live the life they were given by God without injecting your judgments, can you? My first visit to this site, and you label me evil and an agent of Satan. I never addressed your personal life, and you know nothing of mine. Colin Stewart has stated he is heterosexual, yet you condemn him for doing exactly as Jesus had done: not judge another for something that is not a choice. He simply set up a site showing places where gay people can be killed for being gay, imprisoned for being gay. God experiences this physical realm through each and every one of us, every day, and it is too bad that so many live their lives by expressing disdain for their fellow humans. That’s not what I want to be my contribution to God’s experience on Earth. I hope God can lead you to have a happier life, one without the anguish you bring upon yourself with your obsession about other people’s personal lives and physical activities. The gospels mention Jesus’ referring to casting the first stone and something about a speck in someone else’s eye. I love the teachings attributed to Jesus. I Cor 6:9 Greek Study: Historical Background Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians has been totally falsely twisted from the Greek to English. It says nothing at all about homosexuality only ancient idolatry. The temple of Aphrodite Pandemos, goddess of sexual fertility, dominated Acrocorinthus and employed 1000 prostitutes who served in sexual rites virtually around the clock. The greek words pornoi, arsenokitai and malikos, were no doubt promiscuously available throughout the city, a city famous for her libertine rites in the worship of idols. Acrocorinthus was the dominant geographic feature enshrouding the Corinthian skyline and rose to a great height of 1750 ft. above the city. Corinth, herself, was a metaphor of fertility and libertine sexuality among the ancient cities of Mediterrania. The range of meanings for the Greeks “malakos” and “arsenokoital”in I Cor 6:9 is very wide. In the KJV its “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind”, other versions translate it as homosexuals, sodomites, or who are guilty of homosexual perversion. However there are many lexical errors in all these translations. “Malakos” The idea that “malakos” (soft, effeminate) links it to homosexuality ignores the hebrew culture. Gay men were not viewed as effeminate unless they exhibited feminine characteristics in addition to being gay. Many heterosexual males were called effeminate and there is no essential connection between this and sexual preference in any ancient literature. Other greek words were used for homosexuals but never “malakos”, and the other words are never used in scripture. Boswell points out that it is frequently used in moral context as licentious. Scroggs points out it also has been used as the effeminate call-boy prostitute in pederasty, but has nothing to do with homosexuality as we know it today. “Arsenkoites” There is no recorded used of “Arsenkoites” prior to its appearance in 1 Cor 6:9. English translators traditionally have related it to Sodomites. There is a double irony to this since, as it is now generally recognized, Sodomites were not punished for homosexuality. The claim this word means homosexual, defies linguistic evidence and common sense. “Koites” generally denotes licentious sexual activities, and corresponds to the active person in intercourse. The prefix “Arsen”, simply means “male”. It could mean a male that has sex with lots of women. Paul made up a new word. A biblical scholar when a word is unknown, looks for similar greek words to find a possible meaning. Boswell concludes Paul writing in Koine Greek, took a word from Attic Greek combined with a word from Old Testament Greek to mean the active male prostitute. These were common in the Hellenistic world in the time of Paul. They served as prostitutes for both men and women. BINGO! Remember “porneia” in the same verse that has been mistranslated fornication but was really female temple prostitutes? Guess what? Paul also is condemning the male prostitutes that also were in the temples of the sex gods! Scroggs relates it to pederasty in the context it is used in conjunction with “malakos”, the effeminate call-boy prostitute. It follows that “arsenkoites” is used to describe the adult active partner of the effeminate call-boy prostitute. Again this is a specific style of pederasty characterized by a young, passive, for-hire call boy and the adult customer. What is clear it has absolutely nothing to do with homosexuality as practiced today. It is a serious thing to take human bias and misrepresentations and then sanctify them by wrapping them in the robes of God’s authority. That is clearly Scriptural abuse and God does warn strongly those that try and add to His Word. The Bible is the key instruction manual for Christians, but many fail to realize that the English translations of today, often reflect the bias and history of sexual repression of the Church through the ages and may have nothing to do with what God or writers were really meaning to say. God’s real opinion is found by digging beneath the surface, and doing that will lessen the danger of misunderstanding, resulting in confusing our homophobic opinion with God’s. God does not call today’s homosexuality sin, only you do. I know this does little to change the thoughts of many who comment on this site, but the information is out there if you look for it, and read it, and think about what God really intended for this physical realm. My idea is God intended for us to have compassion for one another, care for one another, and think beyond what we are told by others. I apologize to Colin for monopolizing this site as of late, but I keep trying to find places to express my opinion. I hope some find some solace in believing God wants us to care for the creations in this existence: the planet, the animals, the plants, each other. We are all here for a reason: to add to God’s experience in this world. Jesus was a great instrument of God; let’s hope we learn the lessons God tried to teach us through the person of Jesus, real or not. March 6, 2014 at 9:37 am Ezekiel recorded the sins of Sodom: Ezek. 16:49-50 – pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, they were haughty and committed abomination. A note about this unspecified abomination: In the Law of Moses, many things are called abomination, including such things as eating pork and shellfish, having sex with a woman during her period, etc. But Sodom and the other cities were destroyed before the Law was written, so we’ll need to look outside the Law for the definition of this word. Outside the Law, the word abomination almost always refers to the practices associated with idol worship, some of which were enumerated earlier. It should also be noted that ancient Jewish commentaries on Sodom (in the Mishnah) all agree that Sodom and the other cities were destroyed because of their failure to help the poor. None of them suggests anything in regard to homosexual activity. March 9, 2014 at 6:31 pm “God spared Lot and his daughters from the destruction of Sodom. Genesis 19:33-36 goes on to say how the daughters got Lot drunk and committed incest with him. Would God destroy two cities for homosexuality and save these people so they would go right out and commit incest?” “Unfortunately Church tradition of today has bought into these twisting of scripture and ignores true biblical research to find the truths of scripture. But many Christians and ministers just think they know it all and many are totally unaware of the background of some of their false teachings. This is the true abomination…all the hurt caused by the lies and false teaching instead of loving people just as God created them, regardless of their natural sexual orientation. It is very clear there is no choice in sexual orientation and the terrible hurt and failure of the “change-em” ministries is full of evidence how impossible and harmful trying to change ones God given sexual orientation can be. But ignorance prevails and the lies continues which all Christians should be ashamed of and speak out against.” March 15, 2014 at 6:45 pm No matter how much you may try to justify it..Homosexuality is perversion of what man should be.Its the lowest dregs of what man ca descend into.Thats why there is all this hysteria..If what you are doing is good why scream and yell for attention and fight and grovel and snivel fir justification or your rights.Rights to be depraved, put your penis into another man’s anus and callinng another man wife.Another woman husband.. Homosexuals cannot build a community, a society or Nation.Nations are built on families of mother.father children.. sodomy is an abomination in God’ eyes.It is a cancer in the survival of the human race.Politicians are capitalising on vote buying in the West by selling their souls to this filth in their communities..And for money too. Thats one reason for the decay in Western famliy life..Anything goes:-drugs.sexual perversion.do your thing..All sorts of decadence, vice . They also have evolved and encouraged a culture of God hate believing falsely that God is monitoring their depravity and perversions.They want no mention of God.in schools or anywhere in the community ..so that they may enjoy their destructive and abominable practices in comfort,like an ostrich burying its head in the sand to avoid trouble. I have many homosexual friends and I love them but I hate the perversion of homosexuality they practise. As an African I would also like to encourage all African countries to resist the pressure the decadent societies of the West which seek to have them grant homosexuality and other anti social .and anti human..UnGodly practices freedom in Africa. If possible more severe laws and penalties against any perverts and sexual miscreants should be enforced and to hell with their aid. I would likecommend Nigeria, Gambia, Uganda and all progressive African countries for standing up for their societies in the face of the sodomists and Western perverts Holy Moyo March 15, 2014 at 10:29 pm All of the countries above are right to have anti-gay laws because it’s not natural to have two male guys get merried in front of GOd. Imagine, having two men have an adopted child and don’t have a mom?. Have parents with the same aspect is not right, it causes problems to the child mentally and even a trauma. Gay marriage is wrong… Because we didn’t start with two male guys and reproduce to populate the earth did we?. Now why are we allowing this to happen around our kids and families. March 16, 2014 at 9:12 pm I think you are absolutely right!! the United States endorses homosexuality because it’s also a form of genocide! there isn’t a homo sexual couple in the world that has produced a child nor will they ever! here in the US they’re always passing laws that are aimed at breaking up the family, and getting rid of God from our minds. this Colin Stuart guy claims to be heterosexual, but no hetero sexual will go through the trouble that he is going through in order to justify this sick perversion unless he is one himself! March 17, 2014 at 6:45 am You’re clueless, big al! Completely clueless! You wouldn’t have a clue if somebody faxed it to you.You couldn’t catch a clue if you stripped naked and soaked your pallid hide in clue musk, then did the clue mating dance in a field full of horny clues during the height of clue mating season! What meaning do you expect your delusional self-important statements of unknowing, inexperienced opinion to have with us? What fantasy do you hold that you would believe that your tiny-fisted tantrums would have more weight than that of a leprous desert rat, spinning rabidly in a circle, waiting for the bite of the snake? I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are. I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid. Your writing has to be a troll. Nothing in our universe can really be this stupid. Perhaps this is some primordial fragment from the original big bang of stupid. Some pure essence of a stupid so uncontaminated by anything else as to be beyond the laws of physics that we know. I’m sorry. I can’t go on. This is an epiphany of stupid for me. March 17, 2014 at 11:40 am To this IDIOT that calls himself the other Jim… I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished with that senseless and meaningless and flat out stupid rampage that you just went on! everyone can see by the way you express yourself who the real stupid ignorant idiot is. I hope you know someone who can fix the holes that you just put in those walls and the ones that you obviously had in your head before you went on that senseless rampage! post something that makes sense next time and maybe people will listen to you! You obviously love this gay sickness that we have going on in this country which tells me a lot about your warped mind! PERVERT!! March 22, 2014 at 12:00 pm Dear Joe, I suggest that you read your Bible much, more more carefully. You say the “only thing in the Bible punished by death is homosexuality.” You overlook, among other things, blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14-16,23), breaking the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14, Numbers 15:32-36), trying to convert people to another religion. (Deuteronomy 13:1-11, Deuteronomy 18:20), striking your parents (Exodus 21:15), cursing your parents (Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9), and being a drunkard. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) But instead of focusing on what some religious people in the past thought were crimes worthy of death, I’d suggest that you focus instead on living out the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Best, March 23, 2014 at 6:24 pm Big Al, did we learn nothing from the Medieval times? From Roman times? That breeding within families causes serious physical and mental disordrs? To marry, and procreate from, your mother or sister would create a genetic disaster. Why do people go to that – and animals – in response to same-gender love? Why? It is NOT even comparable! We have advanced enough in science and theology to move beyond incest and bestiality for most, but apparently not for all. I pray to the power surrounding us that you receive some respite from your obsession with the physical contact other humans have with other consenting humans. March 24, 2014 at 11:25 am K,To Colin , and Jeff Thank you for answering my question.I don’t actually want to marry my mother that’s sick! But now you guys see what homosexuality looks like from the perspective of a straight person. This is going to be my last response to this blog, so I’m just going to let you know how I actually feel about this whole issue. Believe it or not, despite all of my other comments I actually do not hate gay people as people. I have family members and close friends who happen to be gay. However; they never try to force their opinions or lifestyles on other people. I still believe that homosexuali ty in the United States should be outlawed once again because of the impact that it’s making our society. That rhetorical question that I asked Colin, was asked simply to illustrate the point of reckless sexual behavior. Why should your sexual recklessness be accepted any more than that question exemplifies? I have a cousin who was gay for years until he met the love of his life. Now he’s happily married with two beautiful children and is extremely financially well off. He’s living a picture perfect life, and I wish that more gay people that indulge in that lifestyle would get a grip on reality and realize that what they’re doing is morally and physically wrong. March 27, 2014 at 9:57 pm The great mayority of americans opposes homosexuals but to their missfortune they got homos ruling and screwing their constitution to the point of dispair also their media target teenagers and childrn to think homo isa fashion that without it you are backward ..weakup americans your destruction is underway it can still be straighten homos attack Christans they threaten with get you sued and they win most of the cases your citys allows such signs as who need Christ in Christmass what matters is fashion …. however it is difficult …i only hope your country stop bothering RUSSIA for choosing GODS teaching .. March 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm Mani, feel free to oppress whomever you choose in your country. We choose to fight for our rights in this country, to live without oppression by religious zealots. But that does not mean that we cannot feel sorry for other countries where our brothers and sisters are persecuted and held silent for nothing more than being what God made them to be. And, as Americans and as human beings, we have the right to express our opinions, whether they agree with yours or not. Regardless, I thought God’s teaching was one of love and not judging others. That’s what I get from reading the teachings attributed to Jesus Christ. Religious beliefs are a CHOICE; being gay is NOT. March 29, 2014 at 5:06 am I want to amend what I wrote to state that, as a sovereign nation, your government has the ability to oppress others. I, as a fellow human being in the world, think those policies are incorrect, and I have the right to speak my mind. But there is certainly nothing I can do about it directly, nor should the government of any other country. Our people and our leaders can certainly express their opinions and implement policies within our countries which address those issues. Interesting that you capitalize “Russia” and “Gods” (should be God’s, but understandable), but not USA or Americans. Makes it seem like you think Russia is God. I can also assure you that the majority of Americans do not oppose homosexuals. Polls show now that most support the rights of homosexuals to live, work, and even marry as equal members of our society. That was not the case a few years ago, but most Americans feel differently now. It is unfortunate that most Russians do not, but, again, I cannot, and will not, force you or your fellow Russians to accept my thinking, nor do I endorse the American government, nor any other government, to do so. That has to be changed within yourselves if you want to treat all human beings with dignity. April 15, 2014 at 7:27 am WHOA WHOA, YOU GUYS… WHY DON”T WE ALL LEARN SOMETHING HERE FIRST OF ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY THINK THEY SHOULD DO FOR OUR FUTURE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT WRONG, SINFUL OR ANY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE…WHAT’S THE POINT IN TRYING TO DENY THE TRUTH AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS WHAT HAAAASSSS BEEEEENNN HHHAPPPEEENNNIIINNNGGG ALL ALONG THE HUMAN HISTORY NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT YOUR BELIEF IS….???? I REPEAT.. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALL ALONG HUMAN HISTORY…..AND EVEN IN SOME ANIMAL SPECIES…(SEE ABOVE) DENIAL WOULDN’T HELP AT ALL IN THIS CASE. EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN HAVE ALL GAY PEOPLE KILLED THROUGHOUT THIS WORLD THERE WILL BE NEW ONES COMING. GO READ THE BOOK ….. AND JUST REMEMBER THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NATURE LEARN FROM IT…TRY TO LEARN SOMETHING HERE, PEOPLE. April 15, 2014 at 8:32 am To atheist, I said I wasn’t going to comment on this website anymore but your comment need some perspective here. just because something has been happening for a long time does not make it right!! For example; there has always been murders, child molestation, domestic violence, drug use, incest, and on and on!! Once we realize that these things are not good for society, it’s our job as intelligent civilized people to put an end to it and not just throw our hands up and say..OH WELL! its been happening so long there’s nothing we can or should do about it!! BIG AL… YOUR EQUATING LOGIC SOUNDS FUNNY TO ME…you know…about people having bad behaviors against others’ will. haha THE LAW IS ONE THING AND I WON’T TOUCH THAT BUT WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG IS ANOTHER…..AND THAT HAS TO BE DELICATELY DEFINED WITH UNIVERSAL AND MORAL SENSIBILITY……NOT FROM ANY RELIGION. (HOPE YOU GET THIS POINT) AND THE NATURE IS ALSO ANOTHER THING. i AM JUST GOING TO SAY THIS ONCE..ONLY TRY TO CHANGE YOURSELF INTO A HOMO FIRST…WHEN YOU SUCCEED…..THEN I WILL TRY CHANGING MESELF INTO A HETERO…. (AGAIN…HOPE YOU GET THIS POINT) . AGAIN….GO….READ SOME OTHER BOOKS, YOU HAVE READ ENOUGH OF THE BIBLE. April 28, 2014 at 8:37 pm We have gay priest that molest boys , and those in child porno, that is against the laws of america. . Now america wants to be turned into a sodom and gomorrah, that god almighty hated them and what they did he called them evil people and destroyed them. as jesus said alos in new testament that the end days would be as the days of sodom and gomorrah, and the days of noah/ no oral values at all, just dopers, drunks, perverted minded people. if god says he does not change that he is the same today yesterday and forever his hate for homosexuals and orgies and all evils that he destroyed people for he hates to all generations, knowing all generations have their evil people, ever been molested as a child by a homosexual adult, that is with a tablle full of homosexuals they see no wrong in talking to a teenager their evil ways. of sex. THE TENAGE GIRL WAS SCARED TO DEATH OF THE LESBIANS THAT SHE HAD TO WAIT ON IN A RESTAURANT , AS 1 GRABBED HER BY HER SWEATER, SHE WAS TRYING TO WORK. NO NEVER AND ANY PREACHER THAT SAYS IT IS NORMAL, CAN GO TO HELL WITH THEM. all they want is money in their pockets, yes, and they will say you will go to heaven. but that is a lie from someone just as evil. if a drunkard will not enter in you know a dope, and priest lying gay drunkard have more hell to face before god almighty. jesus did not tip through the tulips with those evil at all. he rebuked them and anyone that follows jesus will do the same as he did , not lie, satan has an angelic tone as he wants to stop all the god given emotions that the bible says god gave us. a time to hate, a time to be angry, a time to love all emotions, evil provokes people to anger. using their propaganda and saintly ways but are as vile and evil as they come. May 11, 2014 at 8:18 pm First off, this site was created in order to bring awareness to LGBT issues and is meant to be a safe haven for those of us who live in countries where we’re suppressed just because of our sexual orientation as well as bringing truth in the irony of keeping laws that discriminate against our very being. Now to MY main points. From my understanding, the ruling in Lebanon does mean that homosexuality is legal so to call it one of the nations where homosexuality is illegal is probably not correct unless a higher court within the nation reverses the decision (like the case with India). With that said, Trinidad and Tobago do have a law in place criminalizing homosexual activity, but does not enforce it. I have no idea if that counts as being part of the list or not since the law is there, yet it isn’t enforced (a pretty similar situation for those of us who live in Texas coincidentally). Dear CFTXP, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Regarding Lebanon, I’d like it if your understanding of the situation in Lebanon turns out to be true, but I don’t have evidence that the court ruling you cite applies throughout the country. In this blog’s article on that ruling an activist states, ““The more we have decisions like this the more Article 534 becomes irrelevant.” If you have further information, please let me know. Regarding Trinidad, I leave countries with enforceable anti-gay laws on the list, adding a notation if I know of an official action or statement that blocks the implementation of the law, such as in Lebanon and Malawi. I haven’t included the United States on the list (and the ILGA report doesn’t either), since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such laws unconstitutional in 2003, even though they remain on the books in Texas and 12 other states, and police sometimes arrest people on the basis of those laws, even though they know that prosecutors won’t take the arrestees to court. Please let me know if you have more information to improve the accuracy of the list and/or of the blog in general. Best, May 12, 2014 at 2:20 pm The book of Acts in Ch. 15 lists four of the most important rules for Gentiles to follow.. One of them is Sexual Morality. 1 Corinthian 6:9 also lists types of people that will not make it to heaven unless they repent of course (fornicators, drunkards, homosexuals,adulterers….etc.) So we are in the New Covenant and homosexuality is listed clearly as a sin that will keep people out of heaven. Its time to stop being in denial. Jesus taught repentance and grace, that is why he didn’t stone the woman caught in adultery but instead gave her another chance and said “GO AND SIN NO MORE.” You see, in the New Covenant it is all about having a chance to REPENT which means to stop sinning. Instead of being stoned, you are told to repent and change. God will forgive your past mistakes. So you see Sir, Christians are against killing anyone. Jesus said Hatred is murder, so we are against Hatred. Telling someone that what they are doing is sinful is not hatred, for Christ did the same thing and he never sinned. Preaching repentance is not hatred. Hatred is a sin. We simply obey the teachings of Christ which are to preach that if you repent God will forgive your sins and you can have the Holy Spirit enter your own spirit and help you overcome the sins listed in the New Testament. 1Corinthian ch. 6:9 and many others listed in Galations and Ephesians. One thing for certain is that homosexuality will keep people from heaven unless they repent. You can fight about what is sin and what isn’t sin, but the new testament makes it clear which ones are sin for sure in 1 Corinthian 6:9 and in many other places. The bible makes it clear that people have itchy ears and like to hear what they want to hear and will reject sound teaching to defend their own sinful lives. Afterall, Jesus said ” unless you deny yourself” you can not follow him. I was actually born with a propensity to be gay. The older I got the more it left me. For people who are bisexual, seeing gays marry and be accepted as “wholesome” will make many of them choose to live a gay lifestyle which in essence will lead them to hell unless they repent. So it does matter what people around us do. Accepting homosexuality as normal will ultimately lead more souls into hell. That is not love. Love is speaking the truth that one must flee sexual immorality and put God before our own sexlife or even lovelife if it is sinful. Same thing with divorce and remarriage. Jesus made it clear that those who do this are committing adultery. Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, all sins that will keep one out of heaven unless you repent and stop doing it. Only those who can put God before their own opinion or wishful thinking are worthy of him. God bless. May 12, 2014 at 5:39 pm This blog is to discuss the laws of homosexuality, like Colin Stewart points out. America was a place based on religious freedom, and if someone’s religion beliefs in homosexuality and having the privilege of being the last of your kind or something similar to that, then your beliefs and their beliefs contradict, and the law should state freedom of religion based on the requirement that it will not harm others, and I don’t think pleasuring the same sex is harmful to them, so therefore your argument is invalid. Get over yourself, and stop patronizing people and being condescending. I am Christian, and I am aware of the bible verses you spit around. I have a few gay friends and love them all the same. So now that you think you are better than them, you aren’t better than them, and worse than that, you betrayed your god. You could have grown up with a chemical imbalance that caused you to be gay, and it would be god’s error of man, while he should have given us the equal opportunity to sin, rather than put a chicken and a chicken’s rib in a cage match, and see how ugly it can get in time for their offspring. So I bet you didn’t think about that. Why don’t you just have some perspective, instead of wearing a halo on your head? May 14, 2014 at 7:01 am If you believe that will send them to hell, then let them sin. Leave them alone. You are a disgrace. People used to enslave Africans In the US, where I come from, and us whites despised them so much when they had rights. Now you are sooooo mad because gay people aren’t stoned to death, or publicly humiliated. Why don’t you become aware of the present, and forget a 2000 year old book, and be kinder to the diversity of the human race, rather than be selfish and push people away because of your religion. May 14, 2014 at 6:56 am You know what your problem is? You follow very strict laws, and only break a few in secret, and when anyone else openly doesn’t follow your book’s rules, you get so pissed off that he is unpunished. I live in America. America is a land of religious freedom. We escaped here to the colonies for religious asylum. You are absolutely stupid to think that something like homosexuality is a sin and that is why it should be illegal in the U.S. (if that is your origin). You are an abomination to this world. Let others make mistakes of their own, just like you make mistakes. Also, you can’t deny the possibility that a different type of afterlife from what you grew to learn of, is possible. We could be reincarnated, or sent up to heaven, or hell, or we could just rot, and become part of the world’s soil, gone forever. Stop trying to pressure people into your own BELIEFS, we all have rights to our own beliefs and to our own fucking sexual desires. You have no proof of your god. Only faith for a some thousand year old collection of books, that may or may not have most of the facts straight. Islamic religion with Allah is just as likely as Christianity or Catholicism. May 16, 2014 at 11:30 am That paragraph is hilarious! I would laugh out loud if I wasn’t at work and would have to explain your comments to coworkers. “it also goes against nature (for those of you that don’t believe in God)” is funny because all I could think of was a dog humping someone’s leg, yet we would consider that natural, humorous even. “Ten commandments are in order for a reason” is funny because only one of them is even a law in most of the world, and the condemnation of homosexuality is not one of Ten Commandments. And I don’t even want to continue the thought of a “vial act”, but I do realize you meant “vile act”. Thanks for the laugh; needed that today. May 14, 2014 at 8:51 am I am a Christian and I do my best to fallow His strict law. There are none perfect. I will attack the act of homosexuality without apology. I refuse to get into an email debate. I will happily come to all of you and debate all of you at once. All I ask is that I get half the time and that we stay on topic. Of course, you won’t do that. I don’t want you to burn in hell for eternity. I’m after you for your salvation. God has left tons of evidence for His existence. The biggest one is our sense of right and wrong. One question. Do you believe that you are the God of yourself and your own universe? Answer that. May 15, 2014 at 5:22 am I hope you enjoy the life you have chosen to live, love the God you have chosen to believe. Now, let those of us who think differently also live the life God gave us, following the precepts of a loving God, and not relying on stories written by men thousands of years ago. We have learned so much about this world since those stories were written, and many of those stories were written by greedy, antagonistic men who only wanted to attain wealth and positions of authority over others. We no longer believe the earth is flat, we no longer believe the earth is the center of the universe, we no longer believe that pork is forbidden, we no longer believe wearing clothes of different fabrics is sinful, we no longer believe men cutting their hair or shaving their beards will damn us to hell. Are those the rules you live your life by? If so, good for you; maybe you need that discipline to be a nice person. Others of us do not need those self-imposed rules. Besides, this religious discussion is NOT the topic of this page. I am just expressing my opinions regarding your opinions. The topic, as you state you want to focus on, is human-imposed LAWS in countries around the world. In the USA, we were founded on an idea of the separation of church and state. The state addresses some issues of civilization; religion is to address others! In my humble opinion, neither is doing a very good job! August 5, 2014 at 1:51 am Hi Eric, its very simple, i was a very devout follower, i could put many Christians to shame because of how close i followed the bible, but i found later that a lot of it wasn’t true, some was however and this is based on my experiences which are overwhelming. Forcing other people to follow a religion or the idea of God is absolutely wrong, people have choice and deserve to make those choices, gay people have the same rights as any straight person does, its that simple, they don’t all believe in God or God as you see it and that is the only sane reason to force anyone from being together and its not reasonable, its absolutely without a shadow of a doubt with a firm straight head on my shoulders very down to Earth easy to see as wrong as wrong can be, if God denies a gay person loving another then he is no different then the devil because he is opposing love and that is not a God i believe is real, its all about control. And by the way, i am perfect the way i am right now and im always getting better and better, figure that one out ;) PS:i am straight. May 18, 2014 at 4:19 am A Large portion of these countries that have Anti Gay laws, do so on religious grounds. Religion makes up a huge part of a countries laws and legislation, it just so happens that most Western Countries have, through social influence and intellect, decided to reduce its impact on legislation. I don’t have an issue with homosexual’s, if two consenting adults decide they want to engage in a certain behavior, then it is none of my business. I don’t particularly enjoy having homosexual culture a part of mainstream society, as personally I feel uncomfortable with the concept. That is not to confuse my lack of enjoyment and familiarity with a dislike of homosexuals or a condemnation of it, far from it, a person should be free to engage in any non-harmful action they see fit, I simply find it a foreign concept, which I am unable to feel comfortable around. But I don’t have to like it, because it has nothing to do with me. I don’t enjoy Rap music, and would feel uncomfortable surrounded by a group of Teenagers that were into Gangster Rap. I don’t hate and condemn them for their enjoyment of it, I just don’t like or engage in that world. I do however feel that homosexuality is in terms of a biological point of view, a deviance, which is caused by a chemical imbalance, and therefor a form of mental disorder, in the clinical sense of the word. Homosexuality is the only sexual deviance from Heterosexuality that is not classified as a mental disorder, solely based on the fact that it is deemed, and quite rightly, as socially acceptable, as it is between two consenting adults of sound mind. However when you remove the notion of social acceptance from the equation, and look at other sexual deviation, such as Paedophilia, Necrophilia or Incest, in terms of a sexual preference, it seems strange to me that these acts of sexual deviance are classed as a form of mental disorder and yet Homosexuality is not. Now I am not saying that being Gay is like being a Paedophile, because one is between consensual adults and the other is not. What I am saying is that from a biological point of view, they are both as defunct as each other, in terms of procreation. From a biological point of view, Homosexuality is redundant and against our nature to further the species. I think people feel it is too taboo to classify Homosexuality as a form of mental disorder, because they feel it is a label which is discriminatory and not simply a clinical assessment. Personally I think we need homosexuals, because the worlds population is expanding too fast, and so homosexuality is good way to curtail this rapid growth. May 20, 2014 at 5:55 am YOU SHOULD ALL REPENT AND GIVE UR LIFE TO CHRIST JESUS.THIS IS EVIL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS THAT THE WORLD WAS DESTROYED IN THE FIRST PLACE BY GOD. ARE U GUYS NOT ASHAME, A MAN SLEEPING WITH A MAN OR A WOMAN WITH A WOMAN, DOWNING PLAYING THE BALANCE. THIS IS EVIL, IT IS SO FUNNY THAT THE WEST HAS LOST ITS DIGNITY OF MORALS.THE COUNTRIES YOU CALL POOR, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT.MOST OF THE PRODUCTS DEVELOPED IN THE WEST WERE DO YOU THINK THEY ARE SOLED….THE SO CALLED POOR COUNTRIES HAVE EVERYTHIN YOU CAN EVER THING ABOUT.CHANGE YOUR WAYS FOR WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO PROMOTE IS EVIL.GOD SAYS IT IS AND YOU SHOULD ALL REPENT ELSE YOU WOULD FIND YOUR SELF’S IN THE HELL.. June 7, 2014 at 9:42 am WE CHRISTIANS NEED TO STOP BEING CHRISTIANS, BUT BE CHRIST-LIKE ! SADLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE A BIG DIFFERENCE. So, some of us don’t like gays and we believe homosexuality to be a sin, does that justify gay-bashing? The Bible speaks against adultery, stealing, lies, bearing false witness, and hundreds of other items, read Leviticus!, Do we seek to bash these violators as well, perhaps not, especially if we participate in these activities. There are people out there who hate other people because of their weight, religion, skin color, finances, height, accent, etc. should these haters bash those they hate? Let Gays and Lesbians live free, or would you rather, out of fear, they continue to marry non-gays as a cover? June 22, 2014 at 3:46 pm Homosexuals Secrets Exposed, Check out A little closer to a decade, Homosexuality (gay and lesbianism) has become a very debatable issue among nations, religions, organisational bodies, families, tribes and many others. This is a very social phenomenon which needs to be addressed with careful and logical reasoning in order not to offend anyone, whichever stand the discussion takes. One cannot just get up to condemn a social issue without thorough analysis. A person must analyse issues psychologically, physically, spiritually, religiously, emotionally, as well as culturally and ethnically. There are some secrets behind the legalisation of gay and lesbian marriage by some world leaders, organisations, some churches or individual pastors, and other religious bodies. The advocators often refer from the Bible ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged’ – in other words ‘do not judge your fellow friend’. This is very interesting quote from the Bible that needs deep thoughts. Human rights and freedom of speech and expressions are also used in defence of homosexuality. Are all things right to do or not? Can immoralities be considered the rights of those in it? Should the judiciary system be abolish or allow to exists? What are the essences of cultural, moral, social, and religious values in a society? This book outlines the key secrets behind the advocacy and legalisation (or acceptance) of gay and lesbian marriage and other social needs which may be considered social problems. The World Leaders And Homosexuality Legalisation The Secret Behind (Volume one -1) ISBN: 9781312279827 Visit http://www.mkaquah.webs.com or http://www.facebook.com/mkacquah for other books by the author http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Leaders-Homosexuality-Legalisation-ebook/dp/B00L2A0BIS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403162243&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+World+Leaders+And+Homosexuality+Legalisation++The+Secret+Behind+%28Volume+one+-1%29 In this world, our main reference law book for living is the BIBLE; all other religions make reference from the Bible with different interpretations. The Bible is not like any ordinary constitutional book that needs amendment, but can be descended in common language for one’s understanding. It is the deep thought of God and is God Himself, John 1:1; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. One cannot just interpret with his or her own thinking, it must be spiritually descended. The issue of human right and freedom of expressions in defence of advocacy of gay and lesbian have been wrongly defined and erroneously handled. Morality is the opposite of immorality so as deviant behaviour is the opposite of standard or rightful behaviour. People are hiding behind Human Rights and freedom of speech and expressions, and the biblical phrase ‘‘that shall not judge’’ to promote what is socially deviant in Christian perspective. Everything that happens on earth has a spiritual basis. There is a spiritual influence on those involved homosexual act. The bible makes it clear that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities – ‘Ephesians 6:12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ‘ Some leaders in the world, organisation, churches and religions have been attacked by those principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness, and rulers of the darkness. Hence out of pressure, lack of proper counselling, and wanting to cling on to political power or positions, they eventually give up and hence implement homosexuality, other sexual immoralities and social deviant rights. Some of these leaders too are the occult leaders themselves or connected to the occult groups and impose with convincing and pleasure things of those deviant vices to lure others to join them. The most popular bible quotation they use to lure people is Matthew 7:1 ‘that shall not judge’. What shall not be judge? Is it those in the act or the act itself? People in deviant act are not to be rejected but be judging in the situation they find themselves in order to get a solution. Judging is made with the bible not worldly view, and whoever makes judgement has to check himself or herself first before making judgement, Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. We are to judge to find solution to problems in life but not to judge to condemn others. Recognise that the bible says, we have the right to do all things but not all things are rightful before God. This book attempts to expose the secret behind the legalisation of homosexuality and other social problems. @Will: Your comment on the Bible being written by “stupid people” years after Jesus Christ died is WRONG. . — 1) Don’t bring up the “homosexual animals” because it has 3 effects: – that i should treat homosexuals like wild animals. I don’t want to. – that homosexual rights are anti-human rights because they practice animalistic behaviours. This leads to discrimination. – that murder, pedophilia, stealing and other animalistic behaviours are good. 2) Don’t bring up the “you can’t change” story because this means you can’t stop being an alcoholic, kleptomaniac, drug addict etc. 3) Don’t bring up the “Romans 2” says you are judging because speaking the truth is not judging. If it was, that means: – if i tell my sibling/loved one that their outfit is not good, it means i’m judging. – if i tell a drug addict/smoker/kleptomaniac that his/her lifestyle is harmful to both him/her and the society, i’m judging. 4) Don’t bring up the “you can’t pray the gay away” because you CAN’T JUST PRAY AWAY ANYTHING. Faith that you will change without being willing to work towards that is just as useless as faith that you won’t change while working towards changing. June 23, 2014 at 10:34 am So, do I understand your position, Vy, that I am not allowed to have ideas of my own, because they are contrary to yours? Do you really want a world were everyone is the same, thinks the same, behaves the same? Not me! Animals also have heterosexual intercourse; humans are animals; no one is saying treat homosexuals like animals; all we are saying is that it is a natural genetic variation, just like being left handed, color blind, or an albino. You then compare what two CONSENTING ADULTS agree to do, to actions which causes the end of a life, the inclusion of a minor who cannot consent, and lack of consent. Apples and oranges, Vy! 2) comparing homosexuality to diseases is such a crude and unsupported claim; I could then also say heterosexuality is just as much of a curable disease as you say homosexuality is. 3) Love thy neighbor as thyself. 4)Using “faith” to demean your fellow human beings is also useless faith. We also do not believe pork is an abomination anymore, that the earth is flat, eating ship is punishable by death. If you do, I hope you enjoy your fantasy world. Hope we never meet. July 6, 2014 at 1:57 pm Laws are made to make sure there is peace and order in the society. They are used to help people out of deviant or immoral situation. For example, when someone is sent into prison for wrongful act, it does not mean the person should be maltreated or mishandled but to be counselled and so that he or she would recognised what brought him or her to prison was deviant or immoral and should desist from it. We criticise to help people out of problems but not to put them into doom. So it is wrong for others to quote a biblical principle that they do not understand to defend what is Biblically wrong. Once upon a time every human being was innocent of his or her existence until the man (man and woman) got to know good and bad. Every person is potential to do wrong and also repent of wrong doing, so judgement is used to bring up a person to the realisation of standard of living but not deviant. All laws including moral law, cultural law, religious law, natural law, traditional law and the likes are subjected to the Bible; the ones that are not found in the Bible are manufactured or man-made laws. July 9, 2014 at 6:09 am Am I to understand, then, that you would support governmental laws calling for the death penalty for the consumption of pork, shrimp, and cheeseburgers? Laws to kill people who wear clothes made of cotton and polyester? Laws to ban businesses from being open on the Sabbath (which Sabbath? Jewish? Christian?)? Laws forcing women to marry the man who rapes her? These are all “laws” in that Bible you are so convinced is absolute and unquestionable, a book of stories written by men thousands of years ago to explain things they didn’t know, keep their followers in line, in their attempt to gain wealth and power, and expand the population to dominate tribes a cultures around them with death, destruction, theft, torture. I was hoping we, as a species given the gift of intelligence by a force unknown and unknowable, would use that gift to shed ancient myths and learn to respect the gift of life which exists all around us, and not abuse that life any more like our ancestors did. I feel sorry for people like you who live their lives based on ancient stories. But I will ask our cosmic consciousness (God) to help you to think about your convictions that other people should die for believing something other than you believe, who cause YOU no harm, who force no one to do something against their will. June 28, 2014 at 1:51 am I find this blog quite amusing, you can rant on about how its not normal or how its against ‘gods’ will but did you ever stop and think that homosexuality is found in all animals and creatures on earth but yet homophobia is found only in 1 and that’s humans surely if ‘god’ hated gays he would not have even allowed any creature to be inclined towards that, does it not also say in the bible ‘love thy neighbor’, surely it is each persons own personal desire to what they like and it should concern no on else unless it will effect you, which 9/10 cases it does not, that 1/10 case been if they are hitting on you, many same sex couples can raise kids just as well as a different sex couple, and it wont have no life changing effect on children, they are not gonna be ‘converted’ to that way of life. from a gay soldier June 28, 2014 at 11:47 am I live in an impoverished place in Kent – Thanet. Most people here are not only supportive of gay rights, they will vehemently protect their friends and family who are gay, because money has nothing to do with it; it’s a simple case of being a tolerant person. So those of you who are arguing about a place’s wealth in relation to their tolerance are being themselves ignorant. It doesn’t matter. I wish I had the chance to have a platform and say what I think about it. I feel if we as young people were given more room to voice our opinions, we would be so helpful in making the world a better place. Pretty much 90% of young people I know down here have gay friends or are indifferent to if people are gay or not. The fact of the matter remains that we are the future. Most of the bigots now are either people too afraid of change, too afraid to stray from their ideals, based in a book written 2,000 years ago. These 76+ countries represent nothing but those too fixated and scared to welcome someone abnormal. My little sister is nine this year. She saw two men kissing in a park while walking their dog a week ago. She turned to me and asked nothing about how they had sex, how they had children, how they coped in a household dynamic – she wanted to know what breed the dog was. Some people put so much weight on preserving children’s innocence that they forget most children don’t care who’s having sex with who. If Spongebob dies, then we’ve got problems. If they see two people of the same sex kissing? Probably won’t mention it, unless they see someone they respect/are friends with react in a horrified way. And don’t use preserving children’s innocence as a reason to keep gay parents from adopting. Gay parents, much the same as straight parents, will not have sex in front of them. Bullying at school? Don’t take away someone’s rights just because some children are being ignorant bullies. Punish the children ostracising someone for their family life. PARENTS have the responsibility to teach their children to be tolerant; if you dare ever say that a person doesn’t have a right to a child because that child might be bullied, than people who have genetic facial disfigurements or disabilities also shouldn’t have children, because they might be bullied also. I’m raising my little sister to one day help me in fighting back these countries’ awful ideals. Only together, and through agape love and social justice, will we make the world more tolerant. I’m 17; at 9, I pretty much became a surrogate mother to my sister, because my mother broke down. I have 4 brothers and sisters, with myself being the middle child. I would have loved a stable household with parents who loved us. I wouldn’t care if they were gay or straight – they would be people I was safe with. I’m sorry for the lengthy speech that probably veered off topic. It just brings tears to my eyes to see how hard my family and I have to fight to see tolerance spread across the world. These are not interchangeable terms. Can you not judge/discern when a person is in sin? People are walking around dead and heading to hell. To know that and to walk away is condemnation. You do not love an alcoholic by giving him/her alcohol. You love them by helping them work through their struggle of abstinence from alcohol. You say, “well I don’t know their heart only God knows.” Not so, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Jesus said, “it is not what goes into a man that defiles him but what comes out of him.” Listen long enough to a man and you will know his every sin. We must love sinners enough to tell them the truth and help them with their struggles to come out of their entanglements. We do not love them by telling them they are fine the way they are God loved us while we were yet sinners and sent Jesus to reconcile us to him. We were not OK the way we were otherwise the would have been no need for Christ. We were Lost and dead without Him and so is everyone else. That is a safe Judgment not a statement of condemnation. June 30, 2014 at 2:08 pm I read this and I would like to say it angers me. But all it does is sadden me I find it impossible for a informed adult to come up with such hate. Use external resources to validate there own hate. I’m sure The Lord who created us all equal wouldn’t be a big supporter of such hate. We shouldn’t even be discussing wether or not people should be treated equally being able to live a equal life that should be a given WE are all equal no one gave you the rights to choose to treat people how you so desire. Next time you believe being gay is a choice ask yourself. When you was young did you choose to be straight ? If your answer is yes then this would suggest you also had attraction to same sex making it a “choice”. All people deserve is equal rights and we all deserve them. July 1, 2014 at 6:23 am Reading the comments regarding being gay is so wrong, and so evil, and so destructive to modern society, comparing it to such heinous activities, I cannot understand their intrusion regarding how other consenting adults live their lives. As long as I am not harming another person, place, or thing, why do you feel the need to make how I live my life illegal, subject to imprisonment, torture, or even death? Why? Because some MEN who THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO decided they wanted to be in control, decided to write down that GOD said so? Those men wrote down a whole lot of things, which we no longer believe today; although some still do (can’t wait to visit the Creation Museum near Cincinnati and laugh my tush off!). Why do you tell me that being gay is an abomination, but eating pork or shrimp isn’t anymore? A human being wrote it down, in languages long ago now extinct; God did not put pen to paper. Supposedly, God has told women to drown their own children. Do you believe that God? I believe in God, as the essence of all that we do not and cannot know as humans. And as humans, we need to treat each other with respect, and realize that each person is different, as long as we do not harm, abuse, manipulate another, especially those unable to make informed decisions. Thanks to this site, I have learned that many places in the world have made the judgement that the way some of my fellow humans were born should be considered inhuman, worthy of torture or death. That truly cuts into my idea that people can be kind and respectful of others. And I am coming to the conclusion that, despite being born without judgement, it apparently is one of the easiest things to learn, to make oneself feel more important than others, to create more pride in oneself, and to ignore one’s own frailties. It would be a truly boring world if we were all the same. I don’t think your God, my God, or any God would be pleased with that. We need to learn to appreciate the beauty of this planet, these people, this life which is all around us, ALL of which should be considered part of the beautiful mystery that is the many dimensions of this universe – physical and non-physical, known and unknown. I detest of the use of what was intended as a message of love to divide us. LIFE ALTERING EYE OPENING READ! By Jacqueline M Piepenhagen Author, Maxwell Kobina Acquah Yeful, has written his views on the issue of homosexuality from a Christian perspective in his newest book, WORLD LEADERS and HOMOSEXUALITY LEGALISATION.He has left nothing to the imagination. Fact for fact, Maxwell has painstakingly defined all major words pertaining to homosexuality with open and honest description. Maxwell is well educated and trained to addresses major “social issues” with thorough analysis of all the aspects relating to gay and lesbianism. I feel he has done a respectful job in reviewing this “social phenomenon” as to not offend anyone. Even though this book is a short read, it is filled with valuable information including the history on the issues of homosexuality from the ancient times to present. Homosexuality will continue to be a divisive issue worldwide for many years to come. Regardless of your denomination, religious orientation or affiliation, all the author’s inspirational books will help you, the reader to be enlightened to the “social issues” facing the world today. I do recommend this book for anyone needing guidance in today’s chaotic world. July 15, 2014 at 12:51 pm Why there is so much fuss around? The very first book of the most ancient records says “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” He created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve after all. So since the beginning of times it was wrong. And suddenly it becomes right….at least for some. LGBT people should have all rights in the world, but defining the word “marriage” as something new is wrong. Marriage has always been man and woman, no exceptions. If a person considers himself or herself gay and don’t want to change it, they can always have civil unions and whatever else you call it. But let me tell you that being gay or lesbian is not just a sexual orientation, it is disgraceful and twisted lifestyle to satisfy their fleshly appetites. Usually gays are involved in all kinds of shameful acts such as changing partners all the time, going to gay clubs where there is so much filth and doing many other acts. How do I know it? Well my very close relative is gay, so I happen to hear and see a lot. I think instead of legalizing same-sex marriage, countries should be investing in counselors who can help LGBT people to get rid of this curse so that they can enjoy normal relationships, have families, kids, grandkids, relatives. and have normal lifestyle in general. But instead media tells them it’s ok, yet they don’t have anyone after forties, just parents and relatives who rejected them. July 16, 2014 at 6:23 am Despite all the comments to the contrary, people continue to use ancient stories written by biased and greedy men, translated through many languages by biased and greedy men, to condemn people different than themselves. People were murdered for believing the earth was round in the name of that book. People were enslaved with justification by that book. Women were considered less than a donkey as property by that book. Original Hebrew words were translated incorrectly to Greek, to Latin, to English. Check Hope Remains website; written by Christians, it will discuss the original Hebrew words used and the mistakes made in translation and understanding. And those Hebrew words were probably also translations from now-extinct languages. Yet still today, words of ancient men are used to imprison, torture, and kill fellow human beings. How long will it take until people can think for themselves and realize there is more to each of us than what is listed in an ancient book? That is a book of stories to explain things they did not understand. Do you really want to return to the all the laws listed in that book??? July 16, 2014 at 10:59 am My “family” consists of people who actually want to care about me, rather than those who feel “obligated” to care about me. And I have plenty of people after I turned 40, and my parents and relatives did not reject me or my husband of 13 years, and we lead a normal suburban life, kind and considerate to our neighbors, family, and friends. I never had the desire to procreate offspring into this demented world. My sister had enough children. Please, keep your judgements of my life to yourself; I make none regarding yours. Homosexuality is a hot debatable social issue in America, Europe and other parts of the world. There are pressures on world leaders by some personalities and other people to legalise homosexuality. Some countries such as America and other parts of Europe and Africa have legalised it. Religious leaders, some Christian churches and some individual pastors have also accepted the Homosexual rights. A Church like Catholics, Anglicans and some Pentecostal and charismatic churches has also accepted the HOMOSEXUAL marriage. They make reference from the Bible ‘THAT SHALL NOT JUDGE’. Everybody is entitled to his or her right. To those who are against the acceptance of HOMOSEXUALITY marriage by world leaders are debating that it is immoral, deviant and abnormal. The questions that people need to analyse them very well are: 1. Is the Bible really clear on Homosexual marriage? 2. Are all religious and Christian teachings clear on the issue of HOMOSEXUALITY? 3. Are we perfect enough to judge others of their choice of lifestyle? 4. Why so much noise on HOMOSEXUALITY but not drugs abuse, abortion, arm robbery, and others? 5. Are there biological, physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, religious, and ethical benefits of HOMOSEXUALITY or not? 6. Are some of the world leaders involved in the HOMOSEXUALITY act? These are some of the questions that needs psychological, physical, emotional, mental, religious, social, ethical, and region interrogation. It needs very deep analyses before one can make a judgement. 1. No, due to mistakes and bias in translations and original writings. 2. No, due to individual interpretations of the original or translated writings. 3. Never, that is for the power greater than us; the mysteries of the universe we call God. 4. Because those against it are the most vocal and it brings in lots of money; gays remained quiet for thousands of years. The vociferousness of those against black equality were equally loud when blacks started wanting rights. The speech against women’s equality was probably also loud. But, now, we have the internet, where anyone can say anything and sometimes remain anonymous. 5. Yes; female relatives of gay men have more children on average; see link posted above. And maybe not a single gene, but how some genes interact. Plus, I think world population is already straining the planet’s resources. Do we need 3.5 million more men producing children? How many people do you want on this planet? 20 billion? 50 billion? 6. Some, maybe, but who cares? The loudest objections often come from those most repressive of themselves. These are just some things to consider before condemning, imprisoning, torturing, or killing fellow human beings. If all gays were removed from the human population at birth, there might have been no Sistine Chapel, no 1812 Overture, no Rhapsody in Blue, no end of slavery in the U.S.A., no democracy. Remember, the Roman Empire ended AFTER the adoption of early Christianity; it grew and survived for a few thousand years prior to Constantine. There night have been no Greek Empire (Alexander the Great), which brought a great deal of mathematics, arts and entertainment, government, communication. But, again, just my opinions. I don’t condemn others for their biological, social, or educational backgrounds; we need to learn from each other so we as the human race survive, before we destroy others and ourselves through unwarranted judgment and hatred, all based on ancient beliefs and superstitions and myths. August 5, 2014 at 1:41 am Its such an obvious topic you don’t even need all this detail, no one should ever force another person to abandon their sexual preferences by law or any other way, as long as its consenting and not out in everyone’s face (no different then straight people) then there is no reasonable point anyone can make to justify getting into other peoples business, its not hurting anyone or anything, its like banning people looking at the stars, more then the moon, its silly. Oh and for the topic of God, well not everyone worships God or a religion and if they did and it was counter to being gay, that once again is their own business and to force someone else to follow another persons religious beliefs to me is offensive, what if we created a gay religion where if someone is gay they have to express their sexuality in privet? see how silly it all is? Personally judging anyone because they don’t like the opposite sex (and can’t help it either to add and its not a disorder) is VERY WRONG! Its plain and simple, the people who back anything anti-gay have serious personal issues and messed up beliefs, personally i use it as a filter to keep close minded idiots out of my life and no im not gay! Thank you i hope you enjoyed this, also if you want, if you like this you can use it as you see fit! August 4, 2014 at 5:47 pm This isn’t in response to any of the other comments. All I mean to say is in reply to the paragraph written above, “The total would actually be 82 countries if you were to include Russia, which does not have a law against homosexual acts but is in the midst of an anti-gay crackdown on the basis of its new law against “gay propaganda.”” This law does not outlaw homosexuality, nor does it damage the rights of homosexuals in any way. This law simply bans [and I quote from an English translation here], “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” among minors. As well as this it bans the distribution of content that “may elicit fear, horror, or panic in children” Among minors this includes pornography and “materials that glorify violence, unlawful activities, substance abuse, or self-harm.” An amendment to the law passed in 2012 instituted a mandatory content rating system for material distributed through an “information and telecommunication network” (covering television and the internet), and established a blacklist for censoring websites which glorify drug abuse or suicide, or contain child pornography Violation of this law can lead to a fine or even some jail time. It was unfair and ignorant above where you suggested the inclusion of Russia to a list of countries outlawing homosexuality. This simply demonises Russia for passing a law, similar to those which exist in Western countries that basically outlaws the distribution of homosexual pornography as well as certain other materials listed above, among minors. In America if you were found to be giving homosexual pornography to a minor, you could easily find yourself as a registered sex offender. This would also be the case in other Western countries such as the U.K. and Ireland. I ask you to remove this paragraph as it serves for nothing more than to suggest Russia has employed discriminatory laws against homosexuals which it has not. In case you would reply to this comment, writing that you suggested nothing of the sort, this is not truly the case. Though you only said “if you were to include Russia”, this still suggests an opinion one might otherwise not form, as well as being unnecessary to the rest of this otherwise informative page. Thank you for reading my complaint and please remove this harmful comment. August 5, 2014 at 11:11 am The Russian law is being enforced in cases NOT involving pornography. It is being used to suppress what we in the US call free speech regarding human rights to exist and live a truthful life. No one should approve of the distribution of pornography to minors, homosexual or heterosexual. We do not approve of that here in the US. I fully stand by my statement in response to your original comment, and appreciate the freedom the hosts of this website have permitted in comments from BOTH sides of the story. Never should civil discussion be censored. NEVER! August 5, 2014 at 1:31 am We all know gay people just as anyone else deserves to have the freedom to be or do anything sexually with another consenting person, there is no reason what so ever that anyone should invade another persons privacy or judge another person for being straight, gay or anywhere around that area, its just no ones business but their own. This is all about control and its very wrong, some people say its about God, well forcing other people to obey someone elses religion or point of view on God like this is absolutely wrong, anyone can have an opinion but when that opinion and religious belief is forced on other people…. even children know this is wrong. FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia#cite_ref-wsjpropagandabill_58-0 Human rights observers, LGBT activists, and international media disputed its stated purpose of protecting children, and traditional family values, criticizing the law for being a de facto criminalization of LGBT culture, as well as the efforts for LGBT rights, with some noting that even displaying LGBT symbols in public was made illegal by this legislation, which subsequent arrests bore out.[8] They also reported a surge in anti-LGBT rhetoric, violence, and hate crimes, many of which using the law as justification.[9][10][11][12][13] A number of LGBT rights protesters have also been arrested under the law[14][15] 8 Elder, Miriam (11 June 2013). “Russia passes law banning gay ‘propaganda'”. The Guardian. 9 Luhn, Alec (1 September 2013). “Russian anti-gay law prompts rise in homophobic violence”. The Guardian. 10 Weaver, Courtney (16 August 2013). “Russia gay propaganda law fuels homophobic attacks”. Financial Times. 11 “Russian Neo-Nazis Allegedly Lure, Torture Gay Teens With Online Dating Scam”. Huffington Post. 7 August 2013. 12 “Gay teenager kidnapped and tortured by Russian homophobes claimed to have died from injuries”. Pink News. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013. 13 Gay hunting season in Russia: Shocking documentary everyone should see 14 “Sochi 2014: Vladimir Luxuria arrested for holding ‘Gay is OK’ banner”. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2014. 15 “Sochi activist arrested for pro-gay chant”. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 February 2014. Critics say that the statute is written so broadly that it is in effect a complete ban on the gay rights movement and any public expression of LGBT culture.[25][56][62] In July 2013, four Dutch tourists were arrested for allegedly discussing gay rights with Russian youths. The four were arrested for allegedly spreading “propaganda of nontraditional relationships among the under-aged” after talking to teens at a camp in the northern city of Murmansk.[70] 25 Herszenhorn, David M. (11 August 2013). “Gays in Russia find no haven, despite support from the West”. New York Times. 56 Alpert, Lukas I. (11 June 2013). “Russia passes bill banning gay ‘propaganda'”. Wall Street Journal. 62 “Q&A: Gay rights in Russia”. BBC News. 13 August 2013. 70 “Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws: How a Dutch Activist Got Caught in the Crosshairs”. Time (magazine). 5 August 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013. August 11, 2014 at 1:27 pm At the moment, we’re facing a huge population crisis. Reproduction isn’t favourable right now – of course, it should still happen, but at a much slower, lesser rate than it is. Therefore, this argument carries no weight at the present time. Also, the idea that bestiality is the same as homosexuality is a stupid argument. The love and love-making between two same-sex people is (usually) consensual. A dog cannot give consent, as they can’t achieve a higher consciousness such as humans can; they can’t think on the level we do. How is a person having sex with a dog the same as two people having sex with each other, regardless if they are same-sex or not? P.S. – A woman does not give birth every time she has sex. That in mind, I suppose you’re against contraception as well? August 12, 2014 at 6:17 am So, the only thing you can think about happening in a same-gender relationship is sexual intercourse? Is that the only thing you think about when considering an opposite-gender relationship? Is the only reason you married your wife – if you are married – is to have sex and create children? If not married, do you only think about sexual intercourse when you see a woman? So, when you see your dog, all you think about is sexual intercourse with your dog? In other words, all sterile persons must remain unmarried, older women beyond menopause should be prohibited from marrying again, all women who do not WANT children must remain single or get treatment? All couples who do not have children must divorce? But divorce is the primary threat to matrimony? So women must prove that they both can have and want children prior to getting married? Do they sign an affidavit saying so? And if they end up not having children after matrimony, then they are to be put to death? I don’t understand that inane argument when there is so much more to a relationship between two CONSENTING ADULTS than sexual intercourse. And why do you people focus on sex SO much? We don’t, not ours or yours! August 11, 2014 at 2:34 pm “”Also, the idea that bestiality is the same as homosexuality is a stupid argument””. Young person !!! May i suggest to you that you learn to read, before calling people “stupid” The only comparison I make between homosexuals and bestiliality is that one is criminalized and the other is not,.in my country. Obviously homosexuality and beastiliality are two totally different beasts. RE: contraception. It brakes no Natural law and so i do not consider it detrimental to the human race. RE: ‘Population crisis’ I concur the Earth would benefit greatly by halving it’s population and I know which half should be extinguished !!! Goodbye young person :) August 11, 2014 at 2:44 pm Might I suggest you learn to spell and use punctuation marks when you insult my reading skills? Of course it BREAKS natural law – there should be no sex unless it has the POTENTIAL to create children, according to natural law, which follows that everything show follow God’s SPECIFIC design for it. Therefore; animals should not have sex with humans, nor should humans have sex with someone of their own gender, nor should a man have anal sex or receive oral sex, as it does not have the potential to create offspring. According to the people and its fundamentalist followers. I don’t see your argument for why homosexuality should be illegal, then, if you in your argument do compare it to beastiality, and then contradict yourself by saying they’re two entirely different things. Detrimental to the human race; the only detriment to the human race is narrow-mindedness that refuses to widen itself so that we might grow and advance as a society. So, yes, you’re right – the half that choose to repress and shun people who are different to them and do not fit their idea of an ‘ideal society’ should be removed from the gene pool and given their Darwin Awards. August 27, 2014 at 6:22 pm Hmmm….Gay rights activist are championing their cause,they fight against discrimination…but actually do the same.Everyone has a right to their believes.Feel free to be Gay(that’s reaLly no business of mine) but DO NOT force gay rights down our throats! We DO NOT have to like it or support it..we might tolerate it….but We can’t be forced to accept it FREEDOM is what is been clamoured for right? Then let any country that so wishes enact and enforce Anti-gay Laws!! The Customs,traditions,way of life of a people form a part of their Laws(as long as it not repugnant to NATURAL justice) and it is Alien to the people of those countries to see or permit or allow people of the same sex ‘relate’. So as Gay Rights activist clamor for freedom….same should be given to countries and people that are anti-gay!…You cannot FORCE acceptance down our throats! August 29, 2014 at 6:13 am What I find interesting is that these countries and people who yell for freedom to do as they wish to gays, saying they are free to do what they want to anyone in their country, are only playing up the old colonial powers which conquered them and used their resources. Every country highlighted on the map was a COLONY of a European country, conquered hundreds of years ago before modern science and conscience. And, for the most part, prior to that colonization hundreds of years ago, homosexuality was NOT considered so abhorrent as it is now with the evangelical Christians, radical Muslims, etc. with their religious fervor to line their pocketbooks. If anything, these countries should be ranting and raving about being colonized again by these religious zealots who move from place to place to make more money, when they realize they can no longer convince people in other places to codify their personal beliefs. Large sums of money are made by convincing people to hate, imprison, torture, and kill others. YOU should not FORCE your beliefs down our throats when you base your beliefs on ancient COLONIAL laws from the uninformed past conquerors and modern panderers of ancient stories and myths. Think for yourselves, consider science, help your children, and LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. Judge not, lest ye be judged. January 24, 2015 at 5:17 pm Your ignorance is astounding. People are allowed to be together; barring them is barring Free Will, and barring a small group of people from doing anything not detrimental to us is ridiculous and immoral. “BUT IF EVERYONE TURNED GAY, WE WOULD BE EXTINCT” – Is everyone going to turn gay? Has everyone turned into a woman since they got more rights? No? That beats away that option, then. “GAY IS WRONG BECAUSE BIBLE” – The Bible has been proven to be inaccurate several times, made more to represent an understanding of God for something we cannot conceptualise. And that’s if it’s true. “GAY IS SEXUALLY DEVIANT” – Not unless you’re constantly thinking about gay men and women sleeping with each other out on the streets, and I particularly don’t see that. A lot of PDA between young couples, true for gay and straight, but not much else. September 28, 2014 at 6:27 pm OK I’m a white, christian, politically independent, woman. Homosexuality is wrong but that is MY opinion. But denying someone basic rights is also wrong! To my gay friends not every christian is like that. The ones who are that way are not Christians don’t think they are. Also who u sleep with doesn’t effect me at all so why is it a big deal about marriage idk. But you cannot force someone to do something for your weddings if they don’t want to. Its there religious freedom to say no. Just go somewhere else. And if it is natural like you say why teach it in schools? They will learn on there own when they are ready. And to people who hate these gay people your no better. Jesus died for everyone no matter the sin. Wrong is wrong and right is right but also God is a big God who is bigger then sin. You have every right to disagree but no right to say they are going to hell and calling them names. September 29, 2014 at 12:49 pm Christians, that are true think in the likeness of our father. God, himself condemns homosexuality and he is not nice about what he says. Homosexuality is not normal and children are affected by it when they see what they think is normal. If you to a child on an island male and one female and they were the only people there, when they came of pubescent age they would have sex. If it were 2 males same thing and females same thing. Homosexuality is not inbred it’s learned behavior predicated upon outside influence and social upbringing. We don’t hate the sinner we hate the sin. I have a right to enjoy life and raise my child in an environment that is free from negative influence. That includes, drugs,alcohol, loud music,and sexual deviant behavior. Sexual deviant behavior is behavior that is outside the normal definition of sex. Sodomy, pesiphilia,beastiality,necrophilia,rape,BDSM are outside normal sex. Gays have the right to stay within their house stop being so flamboyant and protesting for a right that God granted a “man and woman “. The right to have your anus invaded is your right, butbI don’t wanna know about it and I don’t want to be told, nor will I ask. That is your soul going to hell. October 23, 2014 at 11:28 am Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is a choice- as is being “straight”, if someone is attracted to the same gender, both genders, the opposite gender or to no gender than that is their choice, and they should have the freedom to have that choice. All people should also have the choice to have their own opinion(article 19 of Human rights)- it is a human right as is a right to marriage and family (article 16). I am black/white afro Caribbean british, most people assume im white because my mum and sister are, and they are surprised when they find out that I have a black twin- I am truly gifted to be able to say that me and my brother share a genetic bond and that we are in fact related, my father is black and my mother is white therefore my brother and I are mixed-race. My sister is naturally strawberry-blonde as her father is Irish and has red hair. I have grown up believing that equality is important- NEVER have I expected to be treated than my brother because I am whit, never have I expected to be treated over my sister because she is a “red-head” never have I expected to be treated over my cousin who is bisexual or my uncle who is gay- I have been gifted with an amazing family who all have a range of beliefs and colours and sexualities and yet we are still a family, we all get along no one is treated better by anyone else. that is called LOVE. Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, black, white, transgender, heterosexual, Rastafarian, Christian, Muslim, Jewish or having any other type of fait/belief/sexual preference is a choice-its and opinion and you have a right to express that opinion. Homophobia is discrimination against people with a different sexual orientation to the “majority”. I completely disagree against discrimination against gender, against race, against religion and against sexuality- if I have a preference for girls that is my opinion it doesn’t hurt you, if I have a sexual preference for boys that’s my opinion not yours. All humans have a right to marrying the person they love (article 16) it doesn’t matter what gender, its a right that all people have. Some people will disagree and say that their religion forbids same-sex marriage- that is their choice, they don’t have to get married to someone of the same sex if they want to, why make it a crime to sin? people sin all the time – Adultery, theft (no matter how small or petty), jealousy, greed, etc. and are they punished? not all the time. If it is forbidden in their religion then don’t they go to hell, or are persecuted in their next life, or there is some sort of repercussion? It is not upto the human race to persecute those who a select group believe are sinning, that is upto whatever greater power you believe in. Obviously not everyone will agree and they are free to express their opinion however there is a difference between opinion and abuse know that difference learn that difference and don’t be that difference, feel free to express your opinion but do not harm someone or abuse someone because of their opinion. you have a right to an opinion so do they. I am 14, I believe in equality for everyone, I agree with same sex marriage, I agree that women should be paid the same wage as their male counterpart, I believe that no person should live in fear of discrimination, I believe that some people will never change, I believe that we can make this world better, but only if everyone makes an effort and everyone compromises. Make an effort, help create a world where discrimination is a problem in the past, where your kids or your kids kids, will be able to grow up and be themselves- you don’t have to agree with everyone or love everyone you meet you just have to believe in the best for everyone. October 25, 2014 at 5:22 pm Wow, in reading all these posts it is interesting to see the degree of ignorance that is prevalent in individuals from, supposedly, first world countries. Your fear of difference is overwhelming. This is not 1890 and we do not live in isolated communities far from education and enlightenment. All the haters need to stop, think and take a little read of world history because at some point in history someone in your family was hated, ill-treated, denied basic rights just because of who they where. You can hate and rant as much as you want – but this is social progress – this is how it gets done people standing up against the ignorance and fear of poorly educated masses and the bullying of those who need to have a whipping boy to feel superior. my last comment is specifically to the individual who said “Gay” is a choice, like straight is a choice. I think not but maybe you live in a different world than mine. October 26, 2014 at 6:45 am The next thing you know peodphiles will tell us they were born like that. Some people are born evil I suppose. Seems like these gays were born with a problem that they want everyone to fall in line with. It’s disgusting to make out like gays are in the same boat as the those that are mistreated. It is wrong to be gay. It is not wrong to be African or Jewish for an example but it is wrong for same sex couple to flaunt their sexuality. I want normal kids not kids that think it is right to be gay or at least normal. It it abnormal and should be stamped out. Go and be gay on some little gay island away from those that detest you. October 30, 2014 at 3:26 pm Colin, I think you are lost in your own Stupidity You quote Christian Bible scriptures to support your beliefs but I can tell for sure you do not believe the Christian Bible. Why did Jehovah destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Those cities had done just what you are purposing, they let them go against logic and take over. But Jehovah didn’t accept them and didn’t turn the other cheek, He killed them. The Bible says that men that lie with other men should be stoned to Death! What you are preaching is coming straight out of Satan’s handbook! In the book of Revelations it states, men that lie with men, will not enter the Kingdom Of God! You are making your choice today to stand against your Creator, I am not judging you are any other Gay, but lets see if you lustful people can persuade Jehovah to accept your filthy way of life based on LUST, not love. October 30, 2014 at 4:11 pm Your Bible speaks of women being used as nothing more than domestic appliances and baby-canons, people being owned as slaves, and contradictions in itself too plentiful in number to be noted down. If you follow this one thing, follow all of it. Give up everything you own, aside from essentials. Plasma screen televisions and your luxuries. God promotes a humble life. Speak to God for every decision you make, moral or otherwise, and follow the Bible to the letter – that is, no anal, oral, or any other sex with your wife/husband that has little to no chance of producing offspring. And when you have those children, raise them to be devout; marry off the girls as soon as they are able to carry a child (puberty) and make sure the boys are religious, and have their eyes set on a family as soon as they see a woman. November 1, 2014 at 7:09 pm If you want to bring back laws against Homosexuality, then lets bring back slavery, and take away women’s rights, and the rest. The Homosexuals have no choice on who they are. Anymore than a straight person has. We don’t know how many Gay people are in the World as most still keep it quiet. If you want to follow the Bible to the letter, then people should not eat Clams. People pick and chose what parts of the Bible they will follow. Few people know the history. At one time the Catholic Church performed Same Sex Marriages.Do you think Jesus would stone a Gay Person? I really doubt it. We are are all made in God’s Image. Even Gay people. They should have the same protection and rights under the law. Thank goodness, the laws are changing in the U.S. Europe has been way ahead of the U.S. for years. For the record, I am a Christian, a Methodist. We believe is love an respect for all humans. November 8, 2014 at 12:26 am I am from zimbabwe. Homosexuality is illegal here. Its the law, we live by it and we respect it. We are not going to come to America and try to convince you to change your laws too. If you believe that a man should put his penis in another men’ s anus, hey, by all means do it. We wont judge but here, its illegal. It was not there before colonialists came in my tribe, I am Ndebele, break away from the Zulu kingdom of South Africa. If you want to boycott coming to our country, go ahead, we wont lose any sleep over it. No one kills homos here, it has never happened in my country, EVER! if you are caught, in between the thorough beatings @the hands of the police and jail time, you will have a change of heart. It may not sound fair to you colin because you are a homo but its the law HERE which must not be broken. Its that simple. Like i said it may not be fair to you but hey, the world is not a fair place, ask afghanistans who had their country torn down by America because of primarily one man’s actions. Was that fair? I think not. But it happened anyway and no one dares to speak up too many times because they fear America. Someone mentioned that its because we are uneducated and that is why we outlaw homos. FYI, i went to Cambridge University where i graduated top of my class among local white students, so that school of thought is invalid. People in my country are very educated actually. If he meant we are uneducated in our knowledge and understanding of homos then im sorry to say we are okay with what we have already, thanks. There was the issue of people who were saying God and the Bible are not valid. Tell me this then, why does everyone in government use the Bible to be sworn into office? They use the line ‘so help me God’. And colin, you never addressed those type of comments because they were said by your fellow homos. I know you will probably say the topic is the 76countries, but i believe the reason why homosexuality is outlawed in those countries primarily because of religious reasons. You seem to believe there is a God. You counter every Christian who believes homosexuality to be wrong with a scripture of your own(no matter how wrong your interpretetions, but hey, your point of view right?) and you used to sign out ‘blessings’. Or maybe you were just mocking christians? But homos can say what they want about God and you dont respond to say, ‘gays, lets not insult other people’ s beliefs. Hateful speech from heterosexuals you respond to it by expressing your pity. Why not your fellow homos? You claim one is born a homo right? Well, here it doesnt matter if you are born gay or acquire it, its illegal! If you do it, the law enforcers of this countrt will tame you. Just ask simon mann the mecenary about zimbabwean prison. Stick to the laws of our land and all will be well. I personally do not hate homos, i just believe some things should never be allowed or encouraged because they are spiritual. I never fight with the flesh because i know the real battle is in the spirit. I am only glad that in my country even young people see homosexuality as an American or European way of life that we should not even bother to try and emulate or follow. We will continue to abide by the laws that govern our country. And we say NO to homosexuality in our borders. You can have your man on man sex where ever you want colin. Just not within our borders. But the day of reckoning is coming. Believe that. November 9, 2014 at 5:20 pm Strange to think a supposed man of Cambridge would have such ridiculous thoughts. By all means, believe that gay people are an affront to The Lord, if so your interpretation follows through to that. But do not then go and completely ban gay people from being in love, or being together, when one of the most basic functions God gave us was Free Will. Do you think yourself mightier than God to bar the decisions that people make? Even if He had a problem with it, what does it matter to you, Mighty One, who has obviously never felt the compassion God does? That you would happily say the beating gets it out of them proves how disloyal you are to your own dogma. Police should never beat anyone unless they are a danger to those around them, and then only as a last resort. God has done nothing to warn us about the ‘threat’ that gay people pose. These natural disasters and outbreaks; they’re proven occurrences that happened long before Christianity became a mainstream religion. Outbreaks are the result of poor hygiene, and poor healthcare; most of which is not the ill’s fault. And Zimbabwe will too one day see the light and realise that gay behaviour is not a new thing. Before this religion, it was embraced in a great many cultures; Greece, for example. A Cambridge man who believes that people should be beaten for who they love signifies a slow year for Cambridge. November 11, 2014 at 7:08 am As editor/publisher of this blog, I allow vigorous debate within the comments section, including with distaste even some harsh, nasty comments such as the recent one from Gregor, who claims that he doesn’t “hate homos,” but speaks favorably of police beatings of LGBT people. I draw the line at comments that advocate killings. That said, I’ve noticed a small recent upsurge in comments, which I’ve blocked, from people who take a pro-Nazi, anti-gay position such as this: “We will never forgive the Satanic Jews, Homosexuals, Lezbians, bisexuals, Transgenders, Child Molisters, Arial Sharon and Satanic State of Isreal, Tony Blair, Bush’s . They are all the Walking Devils inside the Human Body whom belong underground not above ground taking advantage and corrupting the minds of the weak, innocent, young, poor human beings,regardless of race, color, age, creed, religion, or national orgin. Give the poison to kill themselves or light them up HITLER STYLE.” I hope that this upsurge is merely because a small group of hate-filled people have newly taken notice of this blog and not because such hate-filled people are becoming more active in the world. November 22, 2014 at 4:49 pm It saddens me that so many people search out sites and stories to spew their animosity towards our fellow human beings. That’s why I don’t visit and comment on these stories much any more. I prefer to deal with people who are caring, polite, and espouse the kindness that God offers to us all. I pray that all of you can someday realize that we are all one, we are all part of God, we all must care about each other and this planet on which we reside and for which we are responsible. November 24, 2014 at 5:55 pm I do believ same sex relations is sick. But thats for me.But I do have a stronger believe that as long as it doesn’t involve harming any one then people have a right to live their lives how ever they want and nobody has the right to tell any one on how to live their lives. If gays want to get married then what ever as long as their lifestyle isn’t forced on me then let them be. People have the right to be happy, and the word gay means happy, so let them be happy. No if they ever come up with a law saying I have to pay taxs to gay people then yeah fuck that. But I don’t see that happening. Come on people can’t we all just get along. :-) November 28, 2014 at 12:52 pm While most Homo propaganda tries to pull the wool over the eyes of the unsuspecting,and makes the claim “gay is not a choice,its something youre born with”..This fabricated lie is superceded by the Truth of what actually occurs.During the gender undifferentiated period of sexual development,usually during puberty,most people are attracted to the same sex to a varying degree.The mistake,the fatal life error is to act on this impulse.Instead of acting on this confused notion of attraction, and allowing lust to propel you towards same sex interaction,you resist.Sooner or later,a desireable person of the opposite sex will be there for every single person,male or female. .Cognitive therapy using orgasmic reorientation bears this out in real life.Any so called gay person can be rehabilitated back to the natural attraction and interactions based on this.It is only difficult to the degree the deviant homo bonding has instantiated itself in the person.Once,in the case of males,they recognize their error that the male rectum is not a valid gateway to love,but rather was biologically intended as a feces-stinking orifice for defaecating,they usually come to their senses and receive orgasmic reorientation therapy.It works every time,and they are thankful.No male is born homo,nor any female.The question is,are they aware of their desperate need for change from the unnatural to the natural??Until they are aware of this,all you can do is jail them…lol…I will be sending a hefty cash donation to every single country on this list to prevent any potential “recidivism”….lol…lol.Truly,no mercy for this error in puberty.And, as the great jamaican singer,buju bandon points out “boom,bye,bye in dee bahtty bwy head…..” November 29, 2014 at 3:49 am You have no evidence to back up any of the claims you make. Therapy doesn’t help to solve homosexuality. It’s been proven multiple times – watch a man named Doctor Christian’s ‘Cure Me I’m Gay.’ He not only went through the brutality that many other gay people went through in hoping for a cure, he came out the other side unchanged, not straight as so many would like to believe. If you want to imprison them, you realise that the prison population will go up tenfold? Your taxes will be used more and more, you’ll have to pay more, so essentially you will be paying for homosexuality; just the imprisonment of it, which is proven never to work. I’m sorry, but if you don’t see gay people as people, you’re an idiot. Alan Turing. Oscar Wilde. Perhaps William Shakespeare, if we go by hearsay. Leonardo da Vinci. A great host of doctors, police officers, mathematicians, scientists, craftsman, fashion designers, engineers and the like. Gay people are probably doing more in this world than you collectively, because they band together and, hopefully, don’t spread the bile you are. Now, you’re probably going to come back to me spewing that you’re in fact a world class engineer or a top rated scientist – seems everyone on your side of the argument does, doesn’t it? – but I won’t believe you anymore than I believe one of the above commenters came from Cambridge. You put spaces after punctuation before you start to write again. If you want to be taken seriously, ‘lol’ is not the way to do that. November 28, 2014 at 7:25 pm I would just like to point out that half of the individuals on this blog that are making nasty remarks about LGBTI’s are misspelling words and seem totally illiterate. Perhaps instead of disowning your own children and teaching yourself hatred, you should go to school and educate yourself. Perhaps take a Cultural Differences class? Yes God says in Leviticus that a man shall not lay with another man as he does with a women, but he also says that a man who saves the corners of his beard is a disgrace. Think about that. God also says that those who judged will be judged 10 x. The world wouldn’t be such a terrible place if people just learned to understand differences. For those of you who are disgusted by gay PDA, get over it. Any PDA is discomforting, it is only your ignorance and lack of true peace that makes LGBTI PDA more uncomfortable for you. Rodrigo Aguado not from USA says: December 6, 2014 at 11:07 am It is a sin to be a homosexual and a lesbian-the bible & Gods Laws state this truth–if nations abandon Gods truth & Laws-God abandons those nations– the USA is NO LONGER blessed by GOd nor is Canada or Britian these and others who defy Gods Laws now find themselves in bad weather storms & corruptions–nations that obey Gods Laws find persecution –isn’t it bizarre–how Russia-once officially atheist banning God now defends Gods Laws & is persecuted–while its opposite–the USA now defys Gods Laws & promotes sinful homosexual & lesbian “weddings”?? what is next? a movement to say its not a sin to steal–kill–rape-lie etc?? sin is sin regardless of your power as a nation–God will always punish the wicked & save the Blessed ones who keep Gods Laws–do not emulate the USA–emulate nations wherte Gods Laws are upheld December 11, 2014 at 1:31 pm Anyone who is anti-gay because of religious beliefs makes up the stupidest group of people in the entire world. You hide behind your God and what he “wrote” how long ago and rely on that misinterpreted information as a way to oppose all that does not conform to your conservative redneck views. You want your guns, your upper-middle class white suburban neighbourhoods and everyone around you to be exactly the same. There is so much hatred here for people that have done no wrong to you. In fact I think somewhere along the line most of the people here that write such negative comments maybe had some kind of personal brush with questioning their sexuality and are now afraid. What do people do when they are afraid? Lash out. If the amendments were not meant to be changed then why were they called amendments? If I recall correctly SLAVERY was in there at one point I bet you wish that one stuck too. Pathetic. The worst part is that those of you that grow up in these rich church-going families have the right to a proper education but are too stupid to think independently and realize that religion is not meant t be taken literally. There was no magic man in the sky walking on water it is about the message. You make it extremely difficult for any atheist to remove their hands from their eyes as you destroy this world with your judgement and negativity. Don’t worry about “Adam and Steve” because Adam and Eve weren’t real in the first place. If you find a talking snake please inform the authorities though, or give me some of what you took. Sincerely, one of the few straight people here that is not a complete idiot. December 11, 2014 at 2:54 pm And a man who will lie down with a male in a woman’s bed, both of them have made an abomination; dying they will be put to death, their blood is on them. This is the correct translation of Leviticus 20:13. It can be seen that, rather than forbidding male homosexuality, it simply forbids two males to lie down in a woman’s bed, for whatever reason. Culturally, a woman’s bed was her own. Other than the woman herself, only her husband was permitted in her bed, and there were even restrictions on when he was allowed in there. Any other use of her bed would have been considered defilement. Other verses in the Law will help clarify the acceptable use of the woman’s bed. (Lev. 15.) http://hoperemains.webs.com/leviticus2013.htm Written by men thousands of years ago when women were considered property, when it was thought men carried miniature humans in the testicles, which needed to be transferred to a woman’s womb to grow, and when the earth was thought to be flat. Written when some Jewish people lived among other cultures that didn’t want them around. Would be nice if people would realize we should have moved beyond these myths by now. January 15, 2015 at 8:25 am There is no treatment of it other than the acceptance that this is who they are and who they will forever be. I can’t tell you what makes a person gay, and the theory is yes, it is genetic. But not all genetic mutations are bad. Eye colour, hair colour, certain features and the like are all based off of mutations and do nothing but make a person appear a certain way. We mustn’t judge them for how they are born, but for how they act as a people and how they contribute to society. Homosexuality is normal. It may be a genetic mutation, or some other factor. However, there is no treatment, it is not a sickness, and all ‘treatments’ currently in use have been proven failures. A poster boy for ‘ex-gay’ therapy who claimed it cured him has recently come out as gay again and has said he must accept who he is. Many people have died because they haven’t reached the revelation this man did, and ashamed of themselves committed suicide. This ignorance that led to their deaths will not help us as a society. Morals aren’t declining due to our wish to accept homosexuals. They are enhancing themselves and shedding pointless stigmas. January 24, 2015 at 4:52 pm It is helpful. God may or may not exist – this is not the issue here. We know for a fact gay people do exist. But we keep them at arms’ length and vilify them for a creator we aren’t even sure is real. Homosexuality is not evil, nor is it detrimental to the world – realistically, not everyone is going to turn gay because we allow gay people, and not everyone is going to turn straight because we outlaw homosexuality. It’s one of the many things that diversify us as a people. Homosexuality, I believe, is no more as evil as you worshipping your religion how you see fit, so long as it’s not detrimental or harmful to the surrounding populace. Gay people can serve God in how they act. If they are reasonable, rational, kind and loving, than they deserve as much respect as a straight man. There is no more difference to them than their sexual preference. The unfortunate downside to it is that ignorance can abound for those who have no idea and who based what they do know on propaganda. These people, gay, straight, bisexual, and the like, are all people – and until they are directly harming others, we should have no quarrel with how they live their lives. I would much rather burn in Hell for accepting my fellows, than live by a God who ostracises a people HE created. December 27, 2014 at 1:34 pm It is possible. But you will have to sacrifice your right to free speech, your right to practice certain religions, and your right to drive, if I am right in thinking you’re a female. Christians are allowed to speak of their disdain for it, but treat homosexual people as people, and accept that they too deserve the rights that you so desperately cling to. Government and church must be separated now. It is the way. It is how we as people are going to develop and disregard all archaic practices that put us back. And trust me, dear; if we accept homosexuals and don’t start calling them filthy, disgusting perverts, you won’t have to worry if the man you date is gay, because the gay people will be able to go out with whomever they want and won’t have to hide who they are. January 3, 2015 at 6:50 am Like Concerned Young Person stated, there are many countries you can move to. Check the map above. Iran, Uganda, Sudan would welcome you with open arms, except if you disagree with other of their laws. Like being a Christian. If you can have freedom of speech in the US, why can’t we? Just understand that you speaking out against it is based on your chosen religious beliefs, religion is a choice and can be changed, yet is protected from governmental interference. Our lives are not protected. You cannot be fired in the US for being a Christian; we can be fired in most places just for being gay. Do you mean you want us also to be imprisoned, tortured, and killed for being gay? Yet you may rail against countries which do that to people who have chosen to be Christian? January 22, 2015 at 7:11 pm Thank you! My son is 12 and is very against the gay lifestyle but knows it is not his job to judge it but His job however the local school has ‘anti-bullying’ campaigns where they all must wear pink to support ‘anti-bullying’. He says “Mom, I can’t wear the pink but if I don’t I will be labeled a bully. Maybe I will wear purple. It’s not about bully’s mom, it’s about gays”. We live in rural Saskatchewan, Canada in the midst of Catholic haven. We moved here so we could love God without persecution (though we are not Catholic) and lo and behold it is here just as anywhere else in Canada. Canada the friendly? Oh no, Canada the puppy of the States. We want to move too. We are the persecuted, not them. The Gay agenda for the ultimate agenda……to keep us from God. January 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm I weep for your son. That he could believe such DRIVEL at his young age shows your failures as a parent to teach him to accept and love his fellow man – a basic theme in the Bible you claim to love. Gay people are not keeping you from God, but your own insane belief that they are is in fact keeping you from achieving that all-loving glow that He promises. Canada is being friendly, it’s being accepting, it’s being more Godly than you. Why should we have any power to dictate how people live their lives? Anti-bullying campaigns are about all walks of life – from the poor, to the rich, to the gay, to the straight, and all else around it. My sister is very young, and yet she is enriched by the wealth of people around her, because I do not tell her not to play with the boy who wears skirts, or the girls who wear overalls, those with dirt on their face and more. Protection of your children is for those who will harm them; gay people will do no such thing. I can only hope your son realises the error of his ways, and in doing so makes you realise them too. God is dead when people are more concerned with the genitalia of others’ partners whilst people are being slaughtered for their religion, ethnicity, sexuality and more that they cannot control. January 28, 2015 at 1:08 pm I am sorry that your son feels the way that he does. I feel even worse that he is subject to your influences. I hope he can see beyond the brainwashing you and others in society are providing, and think for himself some day. It is unfortunate that the only focus of these anti-bullying efforts he sees is for gays. My guess is he probably has not been bullied before. I was bullied, not for being gay, but for being a Northerner living in Atlanta, being a Catholic in a mostly Baptist part of Kentucky, for having a funny accent because I spoke like a Wisconsinite and not a hillbilly. There are many reasons that anti-bullying campaigns should be implemented. Many find that still okay to verbally and physically abuse someone because that person is thought to be gay. There “should” be no reason for children to bully each other. Fun can be had without being mean. Many kids seem to be taught that being mean is fun, to watch someone else suffer, to make others feel less worthy than yourself. Personally, I don’t find that enjoyable at all. January 14, 2015 at 11:05 am I am on a Demographic/Anthropological study that looks at dynamic trends in World civilization. Since 1991 I have traveled to Russia to review Stalin’s files on Leon Trotsky who advocated ‘Free Love” of any kind including pedophilia and homosexuality. Stalin on the other hand saw that the Communists would lose their grip on power, being viewed as Jewish Bolshevik child molesters. Hence Stalin told his henchman to, ” get rid of that libertine Jew Trotsky before we are all thrown out as pedophiles!” I know i have simplified the facts but I am on the mark based on the archives of the 1924-27 era. This why Russia sees us as going down a faggy/child molester Trotsky road. They do not want any part of it. Also why the Muslims will do the west in eventually. January 15, 2015 at 8:19 am Extremists will not do in the west eventually. This is the way of the world, and currently we’re in the most peaceful era in recorded human history. It’s no wonder that people are starting to accept things which truly don’t matter. There will always be extremists, there will always be those who try to say that gay people shouldn’t be legal and make ignorant comparisons to pedophilia with it. Muslims are not the problem, nor are gay people, nor are any other factors that don’t include this; active hate and ignorance made prevalent through generations of misguidance. January 28, 2015 at 1:15 pm That truly has to be one of the stupidest exaggerations I have ever read. Concerned Young Person is absolutely right; that is an extremely absurd comment. Besides, religion – not spirituality – is truly the epitome of brainwashing, yet religion is protected. You cannot be fired for your religious beliefs in the USA; you cannot be denied service at a store or restaurant because of your religious beliefs in the USA; you cannot be denied housing because of your religious belief in the USA. All of those can be denied to someone who is gay in most areas of the USA. Is that what your “Creator” intended, when the phrase “love thy neighbor” was attributed to someone called Jesus? January 30, 2015 at 3:09 pm Normal birth happens and produces a child that when formed in the womb of the female came out with the apparatus to reproduce themselves. Normally the child is labeled a male or female by peeking inside their diaper. No doctor ever called or labeled a newborn child an electrician, a contractor, a baker, a butcher, or a candlestick maker etc. – if they had a normal birth they were labeled male or female. Question for all educated citizens – How did that baby child become an electrician? How did that baby child become a farmer? How did that baby child become a gay? How did that baby child become a lawyer? How did that baby child become a murderer? It seems to me that gay is not what you ARE it’s what you do. Same for a plumber. I’m not a plumber it’s what I do. I was not born an airline pilot – it’s what I developed an interest in as I was maturing then I went to school and earned by credentials to fly. Hello is anybody home? Has western civilization lost it’s ability to “connect-the-dots? January 30, 2015 at 4:18 pm From what I’ve heard of recent studies, there is a genetic element to being born homosexual. There is no conclusive proof yet, as far as I am aware. However, if a baby is born, the gender is evident – they have immature sexual organs that will develop more in puberty. Yet SEXUALITY does not develop until puberty, when they become interested in other people’s sexual organs. Being gay is something that you are, just as heterosexual is something you are. A baby is born as that; a new human, a new slate, a new life. Yet there are aspects to them which are set in stone with their genes, and other aspects which develop, such as the interest in certain jobs and hobbies. Sexuality has nothing to do with it. It is not a job, it is not a hobby. It is a person’s preference for one gender or another, and it cannot be determined at birth, both because there are no physical signs of it, and because it does not develop until later on. I am not a doctor, but from what I’ve heard and read, that’s my conclusion. February 16, 2015 at 12:17 pm There is absolutely no reason not to allow gay people to be who they are. We are a population too large to sustain ourselves, as well as the fact that no amount of ‘healing’ has worked; and no amount of healing shall ever work. These people are who they are – I have a gay friend who was raised in a completely loving family unit, and he’s still gay. There’s no scientific research to say that gay people can be ‘cured’ because there is nothing to cure, except for backwards, ridiculous thinking that has us all still in some cesspit of not accepting one another. February 16, 2015 at 10:35 am This type of thinking is the direct result of allowing a condition to “fester” which saddens many professionals who are now legally denied the possibility of treatment of such condition. Realistically speaking/writing..no one is born to BE anything. If you had a normal birth, according to nature – you were born with a penis or a vagina – period. After you are born a nurturing and caring person helped you to grow and develop as you learned the ropes of life. Then with your exposure to various ideas in society and the educational process, you began to BECOME a plumber, an airline pilot, a carpenter, a gay person, a lawyer, etc. For those with eyes – let them see. If you have ears to hear – then listen. There’s still time left in your life or anyone else who thinks this way to be healed from this condition. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE. This is about the survival of mankind/animals on this planet. (Animals are doing well in spite of the poachers!) February 6, 2015 at 8:06 am Calling other nations names (poor, ignorant, bastards) just because they don’t agree with you on an issue is very immature. You say they are”under educated” fine you have a point, educate them, convince them to accept it rather than calling them this barbaric names. You want someone to accept an acts and you’re imposing it on them. I’m not for it but I dont care what you do with your life. If it right to be gay why are you fighting for it to be legal. If its natural like a man and a woman getting married, or human consuming vegetables, fruits and meat. Why are you forcing the so called “poor and under educated” nations into accepting it. Once again I dont care what you do with your life. PS. February 6, 2015 at 12:56 pm Maybe some people describe those countries that way because they show a complete lack of compassion for their fellow human beings in the modern world. The US did the same thing less than 50 years ago. We just wish to express that we do not approve of imprisoning, torturing, or killing people who are our brothers and sisters on this planet. And that is the objection many of us wish to express here. Sometimes people use harsh words to get their points across, but it comes from both sides. It is very difficult to remain civil when your opponent is constantly vicious. We are human, after all; we’re not all perfect either. February 17, 2015 at 3:22 pm Such a strict dichotomy is a sad way to look at the beauty of diversity in this physical world. I suppose you see only day and night, based on your analyses. But what about dusk, when the sun is below the horizon, yet there is still light in the sky? What about dawn, when the sun is not above the horizon yet, but light is in the sky? What about above the Arctic Circle in June, July, and August, when the sun is still in the sky even at midnight? Or below the Antarctic Circle, when the same occurs in December, January, and February. Is it day only? No, it is still considered to be night, but the wonders of diversity in this world is not a “CONDITION” that needs to be cured! The same is true of the wonderful diversity that makes up the over 7 billion individuals which make up the human species. I am a male; I am gay. I never made your “claim” that I am anything other than physically male. But the physical body I inhabit is not the only thing that defines my role in this world. That physical body was defined for my by the combination of the DNA from my mother and my father, as well as many other aspects of me, like my eyes, my hair, my brain, my chemical compositions and interactions. And I don’t want “protected rights”; I want equal rights to live a pleasant life, given my rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, many people want to deny those rights, yet obtain special consideration of their rights based on their chosen religious beliefs. Religion is a choice! February 17, 2015 at 11:19 am All concerned and interested parties should take a field trip to your local maternity ward. How we soon forget or ignore our past. Lying there in soft blankets are little bundles of life – the apple of their parents eye. Every last one of those little bundles of joy are either MALE OR FEMALE. The doctor knows by peeking inside the diaper. After you grow up and become whatever, check out the statistics compiled at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and see how same-sex activity compares with normal (male-female) activity. There’s still hope for those who are alive. The Creator is longsuffering. February 17, 2015 at 4:32 pm The maternity ward will not show anything other than babies, ignorant of sexuality, and without sexuality. They have gender and immature sexual organs, but no sexuality. A male can love a male, a female can love a female, and even doctors, leading experts in genetics and people who know a far greater deal than you, who forms opinions on books written before they even knew germs existed, are saying that this is not something that can be cured, nor should it be. Based on evidence, there are no people, or at least very, very few people who are most likely lying, that say they have been cured from homosexuality. February 18, 2015 at 7:06 am Regardless of the causes of homosexuality, your focus on the dichotomy of physical genders, and your insistence on ancient texts, is it your belief than homosexuals should be imprisoned, tortured, or killed simply for being – or as you phrase it “claiming to be” – homosexual? I must reiterate that by being a homosexual, a person does not say that person is not the gender with which they were born. I am a male. I am gay. By saying I am gay, I am not saying I am female despite being born a male. I am male. I am gay. They are not opposites. They both are part of who I am, what I am, and what I can do as a consenting adult physical human, as well as many other parts of my life determine my life. Your physical existence, your chemical composition and interaction, your environment make up who you are, what you are, and what actions you take. February 17, 2015 at 6:54 pm Why are people gay? The question of how homosexual orientation originates has been the subject of much press, with the general impression being promoted that homosexuality is largely a matter of genes, rather than environmental factors. However, if one examines the scientific literature, one finds that it’s not quite as clear as the news bytes would suggest. The early studies that reported differences in the brains of homosexuals were complicated by HIV infection and were not substantiated by larger, better controlled studies. Numerous studies reported that possible hormonal differences affected homosexual orientation. However, these studies were often directly contradictory, and never actually measured any hormone levels, but just used proxies for hormonal influences, without direct evidence that the proxies were actually indicative of true hormone levels or imbalances. Twin studies showed that there likely are genetic influences for homosexuality, although similar studies have shown some genetic influences for homophobia and even opposition to abortion. Early childhood abuse has been associated with homosexuality, but, at most, only explains about 10% of those who express a homosexual orientation. The fact that sexual orientation is not constant for many individuals, but can change over time suggests that at least part of sexual orientation is actually sexual preference. Attempts to find a “gay gene” have never identified any gene or gene product that is actually associated with homosexual orientation, with studies failing to confirm early suggestions of linkage of homosexuality to region Xq28 on the X chromosome. The question of genetic influences on sexual orientation has been recently examined using DNA microarray technology, although, the results have largely failed to pinpoint specific genes as a factor in sexual orientation. For the complete text to this article log on to: February 18, 2015 at 6:49 am Again, I do thank you, Bill, for confirming the basis for your analyses by providing the link above. It is a site which – in my summarization – purports scientific discussion and analysis based on biblical beliefs, and supports those beliefs of ancient man simply by saying that, since science doesn’t know all the answers, then the only answer must be written in the Bible. In my humble opinion, neither has the answers, and we – as a small and short-lived part of the physical world – will never have all the answers. So why spend our short time here hating, imprisoning, torturing, and killing others who are causing no harm to another consenting human adult? Those feelings are not ones I prefer to share or spend my life mulling over, obsessing my life with actions of others in which I have no interest, does no harm to my fellow consenting adult human beings. Why must people like you obsess with the sexual actions of other consenting adult human beings? It would seem you think about it much more than I or my husband do. I do not think the following links have all the answers. No human being will ever be able to have – much less understand – all the answers of the mysteries, fluidity, and diversity of the universe. But they might provide some information from a more unbiased foundation than a book written by men thousands of years ago, and translated by men many times through different languages, which now uses words which didn’t exist then. February 17, 2015 at 8:17 pm To Jeff, I think that people like you are the exact reason why other countries have banned gay activity. your twisted and ambiguous analogy of the day and night is just plain retarded! from the physical to the mental gay activity is a sickness….. one that is indulged in by the sick people choosing to indulge in it! that lifestyle is destructive to the individuals but even more so to the countries facilitating it. because if it’s all about hormones dictating what you do then maybe we shouldn’t lock up rapist or pedophiles anymore because their hormones dictated their activities too! February 18, 2015 at 2:47 am The difference is; pedophilia and rape is not consensual. What we are talking about is two adults consenting to have a sexual relationship, and being happy with it. Theirs is the same love as heterosexuality. You tell him not to compare homosexuality to something, but then you compare it to rapists or pedophiles. No. This is not the same, nor will it ever be the same. People who hide behind their holy texts or try so desperately to think otherwise are ignorant and terrified of change. My generation will see most of you wiped out – and it will be your own ignorance that does it. If being gay is unnatural, then stop taking medicines such as antibiotics, or any other medical help when you become ill, because these aren’t natural either. Roll the dice; do you live or die? February 18, 2015 at 5:31 am Thank you, Bill. Now we get the truth behind your reasoning, as you have chosen to proceed to anger to address someone who disagrees with you. I was simply addressing your discussion regarding the physical world and your idea that being gay is not a physical characteristic. Day and night is a physical characteristic of the universe. My analogy is stating that there is a spectrum of physical characteristics, not just one or the other – as you present – and that one is not necessarily right and the other wrong, one superior and one inferior. Both are necessary, and there are gradients from one to the other. It is unfortunate that you had to resort to name-calling, denigration, and anger to discuss your position. February 19, 2015 at 12:55 pm I’m sure we are both on the correct track for what God gave us to learn and experience. We were given a physical form and composition which is unique to each individual who has existed, does, or will exist. Yours is yours to experience; mine is mine to experience; Big Al’s is Big Al’s to suffer through with so much animosity towards certain other human beings. All combined, all of our lives further God’s experience in this physical realm. I really like the idea that God wants us to care about each other and the world on which we live. Why does one person have to think they are superior to another person, or a whole group of people? Sounds a little Pollyanna of me, but it gets me through life in a happier mood. I don’t obsess about what other people are doing in the privacy of their own homes or minds as long as it causes no harm to another consenting adult human. February 20, 2015 at 9:41 am Daniel, please speak for yourself and not for me. By my statements, I have clearly stated that I believe in God. You need to be careful of the rules from ancient times by which you choose to live. If that one rule is the only one you choose to obey, yet break some of the others, then you are just as bad off as any practicing homosexual. There are many, many rules listed in Leviticus which are broken daily by devout Christians. There are many, many condemnations in the New Testament which are broken daily by devout Christians. Judge not, lest ye be judged; I believe that was attributed directly to someone named Jesus! The only other being who pay attention to what I do or think does so every minute of every day, and that is God, for God is in all of us in one way or another. I just wish we could treat each other as such. February 23, 2015 at 6:07 am Daniel, I have clearly stated I believe in God. My reference point comes from not being condescending and mean to other people for their beliefs and feelings. I am trying to be a good person during my life, kind to the people around me and those with whom I interact. I look at God’s beauty and existence every day in the people, animals, and plants of this world. I don’t need another human being or ancient text written by humans to guide me. God is doing that well enough; you don’t need to. February 22, 2015 at 9:50 pm the thing i just cannot understand is why people care if someone else is committing a “unholy act”, just to let you know its not your job to save people from something you can’t prove. furthermore why can’t we just let people be people, without bigotry, without hate, without injustice, and just with kindness; if after all anyone still believes that homosexuality should be recriminalized in the west or should stay a crime in places where it is a crime then do me a favor and watch the imitation game, if your perspective doesn’t change then frankly, you’re not fit to breathe. February 24, 2015 at 2:59 am Fine Jeff. You have put it well by refering to the book of Leviticus in the Bilble. There were a lot of rules which were given by God and recorded in this book and others. Characters which affect human behaviour such as homosexuality, prostitution, murder, theft, incest, beastiarity just to mention a few were/have been forbidden in this book. In my country, all these practices are punishable and have been accepted by not only Christians but also non-christians. The mediam used to measure these practices is not only the bible but other natural traditions, for your own information the bible was not authored in Africa but in the western and was brought to us. Before the bible came all these practices were considered tabboos or offences and the coming of the bible was just a reconciliation of the global standards of human behaviour. Inasmuch as we refrain from judging homosexuals, we are aware this is forbidden bibilically and traditionally despite being practiced by few who under normal circumstances need help to reform and repent. However, your adamancy to accept that this is an abnormal condition makes us conclude that you don’t believe in God through the Bible, or the Quran, or Torah or any other known media. As an ambassador of Christianty, I must assure you that there is no single church which comends homosexuals, thieves, prostitutes, witches, liars, murderers or the like to demnation. In fact the principle role of the church is to represent the face of God to his people while they are still on earth (mortals). This means that the church shows mercy and gives counsel to sinners so that they can repent and live lives that befit God’s eternal kingdom. Dispelling this leaves a trace of ones disbelief in God. The other authority that now institutes punishment for immoral offenders is that of human governments. This puts down codes of conduct for its people and breakers of those codes are punished in reference. You now have to study the origins of constitutional laws for respective nations before lebelously calling them ‘CRIMINALS’ for sunctioning laws that should govern them in peace and harmony? are you not putting on the judge’s robe yourself, and by what standards are you doing so? Incase you want to say they should not be punished for they give ‘concent’ to one another as adults, what then makes two prostitutes more evil than homosexuals? And again you said they are ‘harming’ nobody, why then should they be arrested? In human laws, if you are not harming the individual, you are harming the society. If none of the two happened then you must be let free. “Hope Remains has been designed by Christian people who have a sincere desire to cut through the prejudice and misinformation concerning God’s gift of sexuality.” Please check out this website, by Christians, the same as you profess to be. http://hoperemains.webs.com/ Your misinterpretation of my comments, and telling me I am subject to your eternal damnation, are unfortunate. Live your life to be happy; let me live mine. I judged no one in my comments, called no government “CRIMINAL”, and the Bible was originally written in the Middle East thousands of years ago. My opinion is that being gay is not worthy of abuse, torture, imprisonment, nor death. February 24, 2015 at 1:41 pm “Being gay is not a crime”. No, it is not. Needless philosophizing about simple things. But it’s unnatural. Has anyone seen anything like this in animals world. It does not have someone to believe in God to reject unnatural behavior. What is unnatural is not normal. What is not normal is not socially acceptable. On the other hand I do not care what you do in your own apartment. I do not talk around that I’m heterosexual, then why are these other publicly proud that they are homosexual. I live in central Europe, and no one has ever denied any right because of sexual orientation. The problem arose when they wanted the public to walk proud of its abnormality. February 25, 2015 at 5:13 am “What is not normal is not socially acceptable.” According to this part of your statement, then, being left-handed “is not socially acceptable”. Having red hair “is not socially acceptable”. What is “normal” – a human definition? The majority? Then, believe it or not, being male is not normal, as the majority of the earth’s population is female. “But it’s unnatural.” What is unnatural? Nature is a spectrum, not a dichotomy of what is right and wrong – a human measure. A black swan is then “unnatural”, but we don’t destroy them just because they are not white. Smoking cigarettes is “unnatural” (and unhealthy) but we don’t imprison, torture, and kill people who do that. “no one has ever denied any right because of sexual orientation.” Lucky you. I live in the US, and I and several friends have been fired for being gay. I didn’t parade it around, I never talked about it. A friend of mine never talked about it at his job (a restaurant), but when a friend of his boss asked him if he liked Cher (she was on TV at that moment), and he said yes, the next day he was fired. Unless a law is in place, people can be fired, evicted, or refused service for being (or even thought to be) gay. “The problem arose when they wanted the public to walk proud of its abnormality.” We decided we no longer wanted to live in hiding. All we want to do is work at our jobs, take care of our homes and feel safe there, and be able to talk with friends and neighbors about our lives and families, just as the heterosexuals talk about their wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc., and not get beat up or put in jail, our homes destroyed, or kicked out of a restaurant. The media tends to focus on the more exotic and flamboyant parts of people’s lives, in order to get people to watch. That’s not what the vast majority of gay people, straight people, Christians, Muslims do in their lives. Most just want to get along with others and be a part of their culture, without having to sneak around and hide for fear of physical harm or death. February 25, 2015 at 1:19 am Thanks Jeff for wishing me well, may the same happen to you. About calling us Criminals I referred to the title of this blog and never attributed to any single individual like you. It is only that the editor of the blog, Colin Stewart, has decided to call it ’76 CRIMES’. Your honesty interpretation will be needed here. I am very sorry if I hurt your emotions dear. But you also need to bear in mind that Christianity is the most divided religion in the world, perhaps the most tolerant as well but that is not to say every opinion by any Christian is generally accepted. Have a nice time. February 26, 2015 at 6:20 am I found the website to be a good representation of another interpretation of the Bible passages by other people. The Bible in circulation today has been interpreted by many people, mostly men, ever since the words were first written down by men in positions of power thousands of years ago, to address their own biases, desires, and greed. Saying those human attributes came from a God made them seem more important to the people those men were trying to make submit to them. Since different languages use different words for different things, the English language versions of the Bible have been translated using words to express the meaning that the human translators wanted to express. I thought that website did a good job of explaining that, since it is the Bible most often used to imprison and kill people in some countries. I was also raised Roman Catholic, but have seen the men and women in the Roman Catholic Church make many, many mistakes in the name of God. None have occurred to me; I was never molested or abused by clergy or family. But I have realized that any organization formed and governed by humans is subject to faults, mistakes, and greed. And the Bible was written by humans as well, written in different languages by many series of humans, to control other humans. Where in the Bible does it say eating fish on Friday during Lent is a sin? For the happiness God wants me to find for God, God exists in me, in all my fellow humans, in the plants and animals, and throughout the universe. God cannot be explained with words – nor limited to words – in a book. Those are words written down by individual humans, addressing what they wanted – at that time, based on what they knew – at that time. Pork is an abomination; shrimp is an abomination; a man will go to damnation for cutting his hair and beard; a person is eternally damned if they eat a cheeseburger? All of these are according to some of the rules written thousands of years ago. I look beyond those rules and words since they applied to a group of people some men were trying to control. Have a “God” responsible for destroying cities because they didn’t know that a volcano had erupted some distance away? And then have that story change through many languages to mean something completely different than the original language of the story, for someone’s personal – or a group’s – purposes. This is how I live my short life in this world, a world filled with animosity, starvation, killing, and all sorts of horrendous things humans do to each other, some in the name of whatever God they believe. DOGMA is an interesting movie to watch, and greatly increased my love of God despite what many humans do in God’s name. Peace to you, too, Daniel. March 1, 2015 at 2:01 pm Okay so… I agree 100% LGBT community should have equal rights. People are basing the LGBT community on stereotypes and that’s not fail. These people can be as harmless as anyone else. They want to have the same and they want to be happy. They don’t want to argue with you or degrade a religion that just want equal rights. So much hate has been spread around the world and its caused to many people who are gay to go the extremes of suicide. It’s a preference. Everyone has preferences and we might not have the same but we don’t degrade people or make them feel like there nothing. If you judged someone on everything they did, their would be a lot of miserable people in this world. Not everyone agrees with the Holy Bibble or God, even if they did try to change the sexuality what makes you think they’ll follow God? The LGBT community doesn’t want to hurt anyone and. You people say the Gay’s are ruining the country or the world. No SIN is ruining the world and the country. Everyone sins in their life not everyone is judged. If people were a little more open minded I think the world would e a better place. You don’t have to like it. You also don’t have to fight against it. Just ignore it. March 23, 2015 at 4:31 pm First off, Homosexuality is not a sin in the bible. The Bible never calls homosexuality a sin. Secondly, the bible was written 300 years after Jesus’ death by a group of MEN. All were very wise men, however, based on the belief that no man is perfect, I must be inclined to believe that while all of these men were wise, some had their faults and believed Homosexuality was wrong and hated it. During this time the Bible was written, philosophy was at a high point and it turns out a major study in Philosophy at this time was largely the study of nature. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It can possibly be concluded that people at that age in time were influenced by the philosophy at the time that Homosexuality went against nature and therefore was against God. However, by now homosexuality has been observed in nature in multitudes of species besides our own in the Kingdom Animalia. Therefore it can now be concluded with proof that Homosexuality is in fact NOT against the laws of nature and in fact may be an integral part of nature. Nature is a system and every single “gear” in that system is important to it. Now getting back to the people who wrote the bible, I, as a non denominational GAY believer, do not believe in the entirety of the bible due to its rather indirect sources but rather choose to focus not on petty opinions but things of universal value such as the Ten Commandments that I believe God himself put on Earth to guide humans. The Ten Commandments teach tolerance, acceptance, love, peace and actually promote humans living in harmony hand in hand. Given from Gods hands to Humans. Not given from a Human to Humans such as the wicked and corrupt idea that Homosexuality is “immoral, against nature, evil, etc”. This spreads hate, intolerance, and violence and goes directly against Gods laws and Gods wishes and is the true violation of Nature here. April 7, 2015 at 7:35 am BIG UP! Christians use the bible to preach and advocate forgiveness, peace and godliness on the one side and use it to preach against ungodliness which includes homosexuality on the other hand. It is not the church’s responsibility to send sinners to worldly prisons but where sin is easily spotted we should not hesitate to point it out using biblical reference. What is bad for homosexuals is that they do not want to admit they are living a sinful life (they are deliberately unrepentant). If there can be total forgiveness of culprits of all sorts of offenses by secular governments I do not see a cause for the church to blame the act. However, the church, using the bible, will continue preaching against such evils. March 31, 2015 at 5:34 am What about the Koran? The Torah? The literature of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc.? To those people, those texts are more important than your Christian Bible. All these texts were written and translated by men over thousands of years to promote what those men CHOSE to influence others at that time to gain power and wealth. No doubt, there are some good messages about kindness, hospitality, forgiveness; but there are also many contradictions, murder, rape, incest, violence, and other things all promoted in the name of your God. Also, many things we know factually are not true. Are you really damned to hell if you eat pork? Or shrimp? Or a cheeseburger? Or cut your hair? And is it really a basis for imprisoning, torturing, or killing others who do not think as you do? April 1, 2015 at 7:12 am First of I doubt very seriously that 52% of heterosexuals support gay marriage. The first commandment God gave to man was , be fruitful and multiply . Now,how a man and a man or woman and woman multiply. Sodom and Gomorrah was not about hospitality. It was a country of no righteous acts not just homosexuals but every despicable act imaginable .There was not one righteous person , even Lot and he was a man of God..So God destroyed it all.Is America unlike Sodom and Gomorrah now ? People oppose this law because they hate other people, they oppose it because they in what God intended for man. A lot of gays believe that because you don’t agree with them , that people don’t love them or somehow hate them .I wonder if the thief , robber , dope dealers , prostitutes , etc. Feel the same cause we lock them up .Most these people are just running around from person to person. There should be no benefits of a gay mmnarriage. S uch as insurance etc.What are we teaching our children. I don’t want my child or grandchildren exposed homosexuals just as I don’t want them exposed to drugs robbers rapers child molestation etc.My hope is this never becomes law. Barack Obama is not a good president especially for allowing this to happen . I didn’t vote for him at all. I’d rather have Bush back.Atleast he understood the what real marriage is. Homosexuality should not be forced on heterosexual people . We aren’t the ones with the problem. They are ! This is the biggest disgrace , unhuman! Some one ave us! April 2, 2015 at 10:47 am I see no fire from the skies, no plagues or sheep eating Shepherds; all I see are men and women refusing to believe that other men and women may love someone of the same gender, and outright oppressing them in the name of a book with stories that no one can agree whether they are real or metaphorical. Stop using Sodom and Gomorrah as a reference point for this discussion when gay rights have been here for a while and no one’s been smited by God. Also, over here, it’s more a 70-80% approval rate for gay rights. Homosexuals do nothing to you, they merely love one another. If you do not meet them, you have no idea who they are. Your children will have richer experiences for meeting some, some of their friends now will turn out to be gay, and they will not care if YOU help them take the first step to being understanding people who know they have no influence over the genitals of other people’s partners. April 2, 2015 at 12:57 pm Yal. Hi, I’m one of those western devils. I have blue eyes and blonde hair and I come with some upsetting news for racist pricks like you. Who the hell are we? Well Hunnybun, we are the ones who send money, vaccines, food aid, and troops when you need it so listen up. Either you find a way to cure disease, feed the poor and control terrorism on your own with your own inventions and your own resources or you can just shut the F* up and fall in line. I am so tired of people like you hating us white folk for all the evils our forefathers did. It’s over and now you need to suck it up and get over yourself. You don’t like what we have to offer? FINE, then by all means stop asking for hand outs you pompous idiot. April 2, 2015 at 11:36 am Yal. Hi, I’m one of those western devils. I have blue eyes and blonde hair and I come with some upsetting news for racist pricks like you. Who the hell are we? Well Hunnybun, we are the ones who send money, vaccines, food aid, and troops when you need it so listen up. Either you find a way to cure disease, feed the poor and control terrorism on your own with your own inventions and your own resources or you can just shut the F* up and fall in line. I am so tired of people like you hating us white folk for all the evils our forefathers did. It’s over and now you need to suck it up and get over yourself. You don’t like what we have to offer? FINE, then by all means stop asking for hand outs you pompous idiot. May 4, 2015 at 9:29 am I just cannot believe that there are still so many close minded people out there.. ‘the bible’ was written by people… Not God… So any of the 2-3 passages Christians quote as ”proof that god hates homosexuals” are an outdated example of historic homophobia , because lets face it homosexuality has been around since the dawn of mankind (the ancient Greeks loved it). SO to put it simply, during the time the bible was written this person who wrote that particular verse had some problem with homosexuality (probably was recently screwed over by his male lover and wanted some revenge). So has decided to write a bad phrase about it… I am not one for knowing Biblical quotes, but, I do know there is one somewhere that advises not to wear 2 separate types of cloth, no mixing wool and other such types. Does anyone enforce this? Or people working on a Sunday being killed? Again this was one mans view of the sabbath and as far as I am aware nobody has taken this literally. So really its just selective use of the bible which is directly against the whole point of Christiantiy. The whole point of this somewhat lengthy reply is really does it matter? Why be so bothered if someone (in your opinion) is different? We may lead boring lives but find something more productive to do! One final thing I must say is that if you are one of these people who are adamantly unjustifiably against homosexuality, but complain about being discriminated against for your race, age, religion ANYTHING, is really just look at how hypocritical you are being someone who is Gay made no choice just like you made no choice to be Hispanic or Nigerian or Kenyan, you were born this way and so are we. Moral of the story: Live and love! Why waste your time hating on people for anything, you are only making your life negative.. Trust me im Gay and have experienced intolerance because of it, it only bounces off me and will be the reason for your untimely demise at 50 because of a heart attack.. May 16, 2015 at 9:06 pm People DO hold rallies to say how awful homosexuals are, and to defend the practice of throwing homosexuals in jail. So I ask you your own question: Who is discriminating against whom? Before you answer, ask yourself who is throwing whom into jail, who is disinheriting whom for having a different sexual orientation, who is firing whom for that sexual orientation, who calls whom worse than pigs and dogs? Oh and, by the way, Sodom incurred God’s wrath by being inhospitable — to the point of raping visitors. — Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog May 22, 2015 at 11:53 am Hi everyone, It saddens me that most of the arguments given against homosexuality in this thread are of such a fallacious nature, clearly exposing the lack of knowledge that people seem to have, but that is nothing new. Going back to Bob, in one of your comments you said that only 10 per cent of the population is homosexual. Bob, I do not know where you are getting your stats from but that cipher seems to be incorrect. There have been very elaborate studies concerning this matter that would prove you wrong. Have you heard about the Kinsey Scale? Look it up! Secondly, you also mention that we assume that homosexuality is accepted throughout the whole world and that it is actually only accepted in the west. That is entirely untrue. There are plenty of sociological and anthropological studies that prove the “acceptance” of homosexuality in diverse cultures all throughout the world. For example, there are societies in south Asia where the word homosexuality does not even exist, since they do not consider it as a characteristic to create differentiation. If you wish to know more, I will be happy to send you some sources regarding this matter. Moreover, if you do some research on homosexuality within the animal kingdom you will also find some interesting studies that would disproof your arguments. Lastly, concerning your question addressing fathers about the possibility of their sons “coming out of the closet”, this being the biggest disgrace that a father can go through, I hope that you understand that every human being is different and that your perception of truth or reality does not necessarily have to be on tune with the rest of the human race. Be aware that the concept of homosexuality is a human creation and its perception is mainly rooted within culture, which is also a human conception. Therefore, you believing that such a happening would be a disgrace to any father is based on your own perception. That does not give you the authority to generalise over the whole population as if you held the ultimate truth, specially when you seem so terribly uninformed about this subject. Also I would like to know where you are getting your sources from. Just to check them out. Finally, I would like to ask you a favour, please educate yourself before talking about any subject in the future. Not only it is frustrating towards others, but I believe that it may portray you as a functional illiterate. Best regards, Here’s the relevant law in Zimbabwe: Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Effective 8 July 2006). 311 section 73. “(1) any male person who, with the consent of another male person, knowingly performs with that other person anal sexual intercourse, or any act involving physical contact other than anal sexual intercourse that would be regarded by a reasonable person to be an indecent act, shall be guilty of sodomy and liable to a fine up to or exceeding level fourteen or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or both. … {B]oth parties to the performance of an act referred to in subsection (1) may be charged with and convicted of sodomy. anti sodomy laws in the united states “in some cases, police still enforce them. Reportedly, in the past few years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws…” “Reportedly”? I thought the authors of THIS article were the reporters. Living in the United States, as a gay man, I am REALLY interested to know where people are “reportedly” being arrested for violating sodomy laws. I follow the gay rights movement pretty closely, and I can’t remember any such cases. And believe me, if these arrests were happening MSNBC, Salon, the Huffington Post and all the rest would be all over it. so color me skeptical. May 24, 2015 at 1:06 pm Hi, I understand your skepticism. Here’s the blog article that will lead you to original articles in The Advocate and Slate about the phenomenon. Conservative state legislators refuse to take the laws off the books and homophobic local police occasionally make arrests on the basis of those laws, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has declared such laws unconstitutional, which means that prosecutors won’t pursue those cases. “Reportedly” was intended as shorthand to say that the statement is not based on this blog’s original reporting. I’ve reworded that sentence and made the link more prominent. Feel free to contribute to the blog to make more original reporting possible. Best, June 2, 2015 at 1:39 am Sins and crime in the legal definition are not the same. Sin is subjective, based on religious belief. Crime is formulated from an evaluation of the effects of acts on the physical and emotional wellbeing of the public. Murder is a crime, because it involves taking an innocent life. However, not everyone agrees that homosexuality is a crime, and itis quite clear that homosexual identity and sexual relations have no effect on heterosexuals at all. Furthermore, people have a basic right to life, free from oppression and the consequences of disobeying these anti-homosexuality laws often leads to loss of life. This goes against basic human rights that are universally agreed upon. Just because you have a religious belief, doesn’t mean someone should lose their life. June 2, 2015 at 1:34 am Laws against homosexuality- apart from being against basic human rights- won’t change anyone’s sexual orientation or stop same-sex relations. The whole point of making something illegal is to promise punishment for perpetrators whose actions cause physical and or emotional harm to fellow citizens. For this reason, murder, rape, terrorism, drug dealing and human trafficking are illegal. Homosexuality is a personal identity, and same sex relations are a private affair that have no effect on heterosexual identity or heterosexual sex relations. Many of the countries listed here use religious/cultural/moral arguments for outlawing homosexuality, which is one of the reasons I strongly believe in the separation of Church and State. What is considered a crime in religion is completely subjective. Although it must be said that the majority of people in said countries are in democratic agreement with their anti-homosexuality laws, the reality for people who don’t agree and or are gay is grim. No one has to agree with any sexual orientation, but they should never have the right to lock someone away, or cause them physical harm. This is a clear contravention of human rights. Furthermore, many of the countries on this list have a myriad of social, economic and political problems to contend with, of which outlawing homosexuality will solve none. As someone of African descent- and heterosexual-, I hope to see a day when more African countries repeal these useless laws and focus more energy on outlawing/fighting crimes that really do harm a majority of citizens. June 22, 2015 at 8:55 am Are people still really getting in a knot about homosexuality…. Really?! – In a world with so many issues that are truly diabolic in any religious context and even caused by radical views of religion. I can truly understand why you feel so negatively on homosexuality, it could be considered unnatural… but so are so many things we engage in, invent, do and practice. Just let it go, make a real difference and engage changing child abuse, homelessness, a starving family, destruction to our environment… These are issues that when changed will truly make a difference. It’s such a shame that god gives us this free will and we waste on issues that have the least impact to our lives June 26, 2015 at 5:05 pm It is clear that there are serious medical consequences to same-sex behavior. Identification with a GLB community appears to lead to an increase in promiscuity, which in turn leads to a myriad of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and even early death. Youth should be warned of the undeniable health risks associated with a homosexual lifestyle. Adapted from Dr. John R. Diggs, Jr., “The Health Risks of Gay Sex.” Corporate Resource Council (2002). (accessed 1/30/13) References [1] Becky Birtha, “Gay Parents and the Adoption Option,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 04, 2002, ; Grant Pick, “Make Room for Daddy – and Poppa,” The Chicago Tribune Internet Edition, March 24, 2002. [2] Ellen C. Perrin, et al., “Technical Report: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents,” Pediatrics, 109(2): 341-344 (2002). June 26, 2015 at 10:43 pm Well, personally I think all gays and lesbians should be put in prison and be forced to remain single and abstain from all displays of affection. Homosexuality is a virus that is infecting humanity and if the end of this wicked system of things weren’t so close, eventually you would see a entire planet of gays and the human race would become extinct. Of coarse in the bible, God says those days will be cut short. The U.S. became a nation of sodomites and made it possible for people of the same sex to sign their own death warrants today this 26th of June 2015. All I can say is I refuse to obey this new law. It conflicts with Gods law which is the highest law. I’ll never accept or respect the institute of gay marriage. Besides, it won’t last long. This world of wicked people is almost done. And the gay stuff is only proving how wicked and corrupted man has become. June 27, 2015 at 9:17 am No one will turn gay for the sake of it only because it’s legal now. That’s ridiculous. Did everyone turn into a woman when they were given autonomy and equal rights? No. God has made no attempts to stop this with any clear signs – and all those acting in ‘God’s name’ have not actually seen him for themselves, have not been told to do it, they are interpreting a religious text that may or may not be out of date/true. It’s more a symbol than anything else. If you do not want to participate, then I recommend you don’t. However, this is not only your world. It’s theirs as well, and people – especially people who in no way affect you, your family or your life – should be allowed to live as they please. June 27, 2015 at 5:09 pm There is so much hatred, and ignorance in so many of these posts. One man(?) said that if his son “turned” gay, he would never speak to him again. First, no one just “turns” gay, they are, or they aren’t, period, it’s not a choice, it’s a reality. Secondly, what a horrible thing for a father to say, mate. My son is gay, and not for one second could I have said or done that. When he told me he was gay, I was hurt, and disappointed, not in him, but in the intolerance of pure hatred of those like you who would cause him pain throughout his life. I am so proud of him! He is wonderful…..everything about him is special, he is not only a wonderful son, but he is my best friend. He is smart, responsible, loyal, compassionate, giving. All of the things that i suspect you probably aren’t. I’m still just shaking my head in disbelief. For a father to make such a statement, to put such horrible conditions on his love for his son. Shame on you. June 28, 2015 at 3:00 pm I read and weep. All I can say is America is becoming a recarnation of Book of Lot. GOD destroyed that place for good reason. I pray for all who judge and all who already live in sin and continue to sin. For we are all sinners, however we do have a choice. So to say homosexauals don’t have a choice the way they are born is an understatement. Because we all have choices. Same for prositutes, swingers, drug addicts, thiefs, liars, pedophile, rapists, murders, abusers. WE all have a choice, we use excuses to continue and justify the unpleasant lifestyle we adopted. June 30, 2015 at 1:00 pm Guys it doesn’t matter how u phrase it, homosexuality is digusting whether the whole community is up for it or just the minority, it must be some kind of demon disease and i even puke in my mouth whenever i see a man kissing a fellow man.And guys lets be reasonable there is some kind of immorality that can be exused maybe fornication,its bad too but ya people lose control sometimes and it can be understood but that no way. God help us but those laws need to be back and more strick June 30, 2015 at 3:48 pm No law will stop homosexuality . infact it will go on because it is a punishment from God to men to allow their bodies to b degraded as a sign of his evident anger that will be displayed during judgment . it is only the second coming of Jesus that will put and end of the evil on this earth. So let every man chose for him self what he wants. And let me tell you homosexuals it is your knowledge that is deceiving you, the same kind of knowledge in the garden of eden so you know how to take what is good to defend what is evil. You have so much knowledge and power to hide your self by justification but you have been given away to your worst enamy Satan the devil. God is still patient though. Because he expects repentance and you can respect forgiveness because of his son Jesus Christ the living one. But if you don’t repent you can also expect condemnation. Allow your self to love your God so that you can experience his own love. June 30, 2015 at 3:55 pm Brothers in Christ stop with this worldliness and falsity of Christ. Be aware that the sons of God will suffer on this earth for the truth some will die and be enprisoned for the gospel. This evil men will win because it is their world but as for you fight for your kingdom. The kingdom of God coming in the leadership of the most supreme of principalities Jesus the saviour. Pray that it comes and that the lord forgives our sins. These men will not change because they have not been chosen by God almighty but you come together and pray. Have no oppinion on what you don’t know about. Don’t bother fighting them and their rights. Love them. May the peace of God rest on his own. July 2, 2015 at 3:25 pm The LGBT community want nothing more than to live their lives in peace. If you do not want to see them on television and making comments about the fact they’re gay, the good idea would be to give them rights and treat them equally. Then they would have no reason to be on television. They could live out their lives, meet people they love, and enjoy themselves in a society where they are equals. People here keep separating the groups – us and them, straight and gay. We are all people. If we stop separating, we can stop the hate. July 4, 2015 at 4:38 pm I think children are far more resilient than you give them credit for. I personally know of one family with two dad’s and their two sons, 14 and 16, when I met them, grew into adulthood and both are married with children. Both won scholarships to university and both are happy, well adjusted adults with keen minds, social awareness, and successful careers. Both demonstrate an an unpredjudiced respect for others, regardless of the orientation of that/those person(s) that is sadly missing in your own message. They also use terrible puns, laugh a lot, and are a lot of fun to talk to. Again, those are qualities missing from your own message. July 5, 2015 at 11:38 pm Ok, let me just start off by saying that some of the comments I read on here, from BOTH sides, have left me utterly speechless. I’m a straight male, was brought up in church my entire life, and was taught first and foremost that God loves every soul that he’s created, he doesn’t automatically hate or condemn any one of us for the sins that we commit. Yes, I think its wrong that some of these countries are imprisoning or executing gay people, but I think the major problem with a government allowing same sex marriage that marriage is defined in the bible as a holy union, under God, between a man and a woman. If the government really wanted to avoid lighting this powder keg, they could just as easily allow gay couples to be wed, but use a non-biblical term for it such as joined, or united. In the United States, we’re noe reaching the point where, since the supreme court ruled in favor of gay marriage, any preacher who refuses to wed a same sex couple could face violating discrimination laws, and be sued. I don’t think its right for a preacher to be arrested or sued for practicing their religious convictions, just as it isn’t right for a government to imprison somebody based solely on their sexual orientation. I have no ill will towards gays or lesbians, I wish them a happy life nust as I would wish the same for a straight couple, which I truely believe is what God would want me to do. However, we’ve started down a slippery slope now, where churches will end up being persecuted for their beliefs, just the same as gay couples are persecuted for their beliefs in other countries. The answer to the problem isn’t always cut and dried, but I do believe part of the answer lies in the government allowing gay couples to be joined together in marriage, while also allowing any religious organization that doesn’t believe in uniting a same sex couple the right to refuse to marry them, without fear of breaking anti-discrimination laws. God tells us to love the sinner, hate the sin, well what we’re doing in the united states now is basically the opposite of that… we’re basically saying love the sinner and accept their sin as not being a sin. I myself am a sinner, we all are, so I don’t consider myself any better than anyone else, I’m just worried that in the next few years, churches won’t even be allowed to mention homosexuality as a sin for fear of persecution, which is scary when you actually stop and think about it. In effect we’re trying to rewrite holy scriptures to fit our changing society, scriptures that have been taught and followed for almost 2000 years. If we start cutting and pasting into the bible the things that we feel should be amended, we’re going to wind up teaching people a concept that is totally backwards from the original message. I don’t judge people, I know that I myself will be judged. Its my job to love all and treat all the same as my God would, and shame on all you posting your hateful, disgusting comments on here and not even trying to see that we’re talking about REAL people, with real lives and struggles. And yes, I’m talking about both sides, the christian hating the gays, and the gays hating the christians. Youre the kind of people that brought this situation into the HORRIBLE state that its in now, so you have only your own selfish, close-minded self to thank for not being more accepting, and trying to reach a compromise where BOTH sides are equally happy with the results. And to those of you, on bith sides, who actually made well-thought out arguments, congratulations.. you’re actually taking the other sides’ views into consideration before you post nonsensical hate filled drivel on here, which NOBODY should be subjected to reading. My hope is that even one person will read this and understand that its going to take love and compassion from BOTH sides before we will ever be able to make an actual difference July 9, 2015 at 5:49 pm so, thank god, LGBT and HUMAN rights are prevailing. The US is finally in a position to lead, and in the following years, international anti-gay legislation will slowly decrease. All you people that have hatred towards LGBT people hate yourselves, guess what, you’re probably gay too ;) that’s the most ironic thing about homophobia to me, its people recognize some element of same sex-desire in their own sexuality, and then getting really really angry when they see that element exaggerate in a gay person. like, oh my god, is that person ME?????? I HAVE TO HATE GAY PEOPLE THEN!!!! and anti gay shit being in the bible and other religious books? hello! those books were used for POPULATION CONTROL because things like Science, democracy, and enlightenment were thought of. all of you anti-gay commenters on here clearly have serious mental issues, or else you would direct your hateful energy into something positive :) and the best part is, you know it too :) i don’t know what’s more satisfying to me, seeing the amazing amazing growing support and love for lgbt rights, women’s rights, and ultimately Human rights that is sweeping the US and sweeping the world, OR watching all of you sick sick sad pathetic people BITCH and SCREAM and MOAN on POSITIVE PRO GAY WEBSITES, with your backwards antigay self loathing HATE speech! I think that probably gives me more satisfaction, actually. so keep it up!!!!!! GAYS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD WATCH OUT!!!! :):):):):):):):):) Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality Dr. Charles Socarides published an historical essay, “Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality,” in The Journal Of Psychohistory, Volume 10, Number 3, Winter, 1992. It should be of interest to all students of our socio-cultural history. Dr. Socarides is one of the original founders of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexual (NARTH) in 1992. Prior to this, he was a key figure in the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and he had expressed concern decades earlier that homosexuals were being denied the right to competent therapy to help them overcome their unwanted homosexuality. This prominent psychiatrist became embroiled in the debate within the APA in the 1970s over efforts to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). In Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality, Dr. Socarides observes that the removal of homosexuality from the DSM in 1973, “…created injustices for the homosexual, as it belied the truth that prevented the homosexual from seeking and receiving psychoanalytic help. At the social, group, and community level, it proved to be the opening phase of a two-phase sexual radicalization: the second phase being the raising of homosexuality to the level of an alternate lifestyle–an acceptable psycho-social institution alongside heterosexuality as the prevailing norm of society.” The doctor notes that the efforts to remove homosexuality as a disorder from the DSM was accomplished by pressure from psychiatrists within the APA as well as activist homosexual groups that began disrupting psychiatric meetings and publicly attacking any psychiatrists who dared consider homosexuality to be a deviant sexual behavior. As outside homosexual pressure groups challenged psychiatrists with hate-filled letters and threatening phone calls, pro-homosexual psychiatrists within the APA were aggressively lobbying for the normalization of homosexuality. Pro-homosexual psychiatrists successfully seized control of various committees within the APA and began issuing reports that recommended the removal of homosexuality from the DSM. Among these was Dr. Judd Marmor, who used the networking sources provided by SIECUS (Scientific Information and Education Council of the U.S.) to promote the normalization of homosexuality. In 1973, Marmor and other psychiatrists met with members of the Gay Activist Alliance, the Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Bilitis, and the Nomenclature Committee of the American Psychiatric Association at Columbia University to discuss deletion of homosexuality from the DSM. Eventually, the issue was put to a vote to APA members. Only 25% of those eligible to vote sent in their ballots out of 25,000 psychiatrists. However, the vote was in favor of removing homosexuality from the DSM. As Dr. Socarides noted: “By declaring a condition a ‘non-condition,’ a group of practitioners had removed it from our list of serious psychosexual disorders. The action was all the more remarkable when one considers that it involved the out-of-hand and peremptory disregard and dismissal not only of hundreds of psychiatric and psychoanalytic research papers and reports, but also of a number of other serious studies by groups of psychiatrists, psychologists, and educators over the past seventy years…” Dr. Socarides continued: “In the material cited above, I have described a movement within the American Psychiatric Association which, through social-political activism, has accomplished the first phase of a two-phase radicalization of a main pillar of psychosexual life: the erosion of heterosexuality as the single acceptable sexual pattern in our culture. … In essence, this movement within the American Psychiatric Association has accomplished what every other society, with rare exceptions, would have trembled to tamper with–a revision of a basic code and concept of life and biology; that men and women normally mate with the opposite sex and not with each other.” Sexual Politics And Scientific Logic: The Issue Of Homosexuality is no longer available from NARTH, however this important document should be in the hands of lawmakers, school officials, pastors, members of the media, and parents who are concerned about their children being encouraged to experiment with a homosexual lifestyle through organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian, and Normal Education Network (GLSEN). This resource is so important that it is being made available for free simply by requesting a PDF copy to be emailed to you. July 17, 2015 at 6:43 am A quick shoutout to my pro-love peeps in the room. Now’s a terrible time to discuss homosexuality with regressive churchies. They just suffered a huge loss in America, like a cousin who got busted for drugs and is now in Narcotics Anonymous cleaning up. He’ll kick, bite and say absolutely terrible, inhumane things, but in the end, he’ll just have to accept it. Same thing happened after the Civil Rights movement. People were drawing upon the numerous parts of the Bible affirming the legitimacy of slavery (the Bible is far more supportive of slavery than homophobia), but aside from a handful of freaks who still believe they should have the right to own slaves, they just got over it. I think. July 17, 2015 at 8:37 pm I strongly believe and know that homosexuality is wrong and it should be criminalized here in America and all across the world. It is wrong and wicked! It is an abomination and it is very gross & disgusting, it is a evil thing to see two men or two women hold hands. The majority of people in America do not support same-sex marriage but rather strongly oppose it with great indignation. Homosexuality has no place in America; it is a shame and very degrading towards the human race. Sodomy should be punishable by death in America, and any propaganda or speech supporting it should be an illegal crime. If I were to be elected to office, I would over turn and change the laws that we have now and make sex offenders eligible for death row in all 50 states. I strongly oppose and despise all same-sex marriage laws here in America because I simply did not vote for any of them but rather voted against them, the LGBT community should be listed as a terrorist organization. (Romans 1:32) “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Leviticus 18:22) ” Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” ( Leviticus 20:13) ” If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” In the end, homosexuality is just flat out wrong, it is nothing but confusion. July 22, 2015 at 1:39 am Being man or woman or if you like it, being masculine or feminine isn’t a thing to be tested psychologically because it is not a mental condition but physical. If gays and lesibians love only people of their own kind, why do they pretend to behave like women or men to disguise their true self. You can see that something isn’t alright here, whether you believe in God or not. Homosexuality is disgusting, outragious and worst of all, sinful, and these respective evil-doers shouldn’t even be hiding behind the ‘do not judge’ phrase because they do not subscribe to the God we worship. That is the God of Christians, the God of Islam, the God of the Jews to say the least (none of these allow homosexuality). As if that is not enough they are even bulling their way into ordering our church leaders, pastors and believers into saluting them for doing the abomnable. We know that your god is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, so stop masquerading as christians or belivers. Shame on America – I would rather live and die without setting my foot on that cursed soil of America!! July 22, 2015 at 8:47 pm It’s nice that you believe you share a God with people who consider members of any other religion to be infidels. United in homophobia. That could be the name of your website. The Old Testament you all believe in also promotes the abuse of women and owning of slaves in far more passages than it prohibits gay marriage, a prohibition I’ve only seen once in the New Testament. The rest have to do with homosexual sex, but let’s be honest. Do you really think one’s sex life IMPROVES with marriage? You’ve clearly never been married. Moral of your story: abuse women, own slaves, but whatever you do, do NOT allow marriage equality! July 27, 2015 at 3:21 am When we talk about sexuality we are not talking about who is more or less intelligent. And, if I should happen to aggree with you on one issue, I am not bound to agree with you in everything. My implication of the God that Christians, Muslims or Jews believe in has been bordered around one issue ‘homosexuality’ not more, not less. If you want us to separate these religions, then you have to propose a topic that is independent. God’s instructions do not depend on how many times they are mentions for them to yield a meaning – Whether it is mentioned once or a billion times does not change it’s meaning unless it is modified. You have to understand that the bible in the OT is more of peoples biographies (understand people are bound to err and subject to jugement on the day). The NT in contrast is more of instructions which have been delivered as direct message from God (Gospel). For your own information every teaching of the prophets, whether in the new testament or old, never incouraged people to sleep sexually with their equals (gayism). I bet to aggree with you if you will extract anything to the contrary. I am tired of the constant hate crimes period. From both sides. If your core beliefs are Bible based or Non- Bible bases. We can all choose common sense based. In the Holy Bible it says to love everyone, even your enemy. (NOT HATE) so spreading Hate is a sin in itself. So saying I hate gay, black, white, or any other group of people is a sin. The Bible says to be in the world, but not of the world. (Not matter if it is the new hot fad. Don’t partake) let ye without sin cast the first stone. (crouching and covering my eye) Cool, I haven’t got hit yet…lol The Bible says obey the law of the land, as long as it is in line with Gods world. (Not your opinion). If the laws of the land does not fall in line with God’s word. Simply don’t partake of the non-biblical action.(Live your life according to your own core beliefs, and let other’s lives according to their own core beliefs in “PEACE”). The Bible says God gave “all mankind” free will and a soul. (So no person should has the right to take free will away from another person) if you are of Bible based core beliefs. The Bible says do until other, as you would have done unto you. (your rights end where another person’s rights begin). It’s simple. Everyone should have the same rights according to the laws of the land. Weather you Black, white, gay, straight, Bi, And so on. Meaning people should have the right to “Marriage”, and any other law of the land. If a man wants to marry a man, a woman a woman, or a black person marry a white person. That is their right to according law of the land. One should not try to force another’s will. All should build their own organizations. And not try to change what someone else has built, into what they want it to be. If you would like join someone else’s organization. Respect the rules they set for their organization. Or peacefully go somewhere else. Simply build your own and set the rules you like. They worked hard to build their organization. You would not want someone to come along after you have worked hard to build something, and try to change it to something else. “Example” Like the boys and girls club. Don’t drag the children into the hate wars, THEIR INNOCENT. I think It would be cool if all walks of life created their own boys and girls clubs. And then they had an annual all states included, scouting competition with each other. And leave the hate at home. So the children can enjoy just playing and being kids, and meeting new friends. We have rich and famous people from all walks of life. I wish they would use their riches to give back. That way, all parents from all walks of life. Don’t have to worry about their children being exposed to things they otherwise, would not want them exposed to. The children would learn to have pride in self. Because there is power in seeing other families that like your own. And then all sides could learn to love each other, and just enjoy life in peace together. Instead of judgment and hate. “Example” If you had a non-smoking establishment. I should not be able to light up in your in you establishment. And sue you. Stating that you’re discriminating against smokers, because I can’t change the rules in your establishment to what I want. Let’s use common sense and get along folks, and stop the hate war. This is not a laughing, because people are being hurt behind the hate crimes on all sides. People that where lifelong friends, are now being pressured to take sides in unnecessary hate wars. Families are being torn apart. Children stuck in the middle of the hate. —————————————————–Bottom Line ———————————————————— Who someone else marries shouldn’t bother us. It shouldn’t be an issue. Everyone has the right to live their lives according to their own will, within good reason.(Meaning), be respectful of other people rights and happiness. If you are straight, don’t go to LGBT and pressure them to convert to living like their straight. If you are Christian, don’t go to Non-Christian and pressure them to convert to living like their Christian. If you are Black, don’t go to White and pressure them to convert to living like their Black. If you are White, don’t go to black and pressure them to convert to living like their White. If someone builds a men’s organization, women’s organization, children organization, religious organization, secular organization, traditional organization, or non-tradition organization). The rules they set for it should be respected. (unless the rule is to take up weapons and do harm to a different group) That’s just foul. Meaning that when they built their organization. They were targeting a certain dynamic. If you fit that dynamic. Go in and enjoy and be peaceful. If you do not fit the dynamic. Simply go somewhere else and leave them in peace. If you would like to be part of an organization like theirs. Simply get your friends together and build your own. Who knows you might build something better and benefit a lot of people that join because they wanted the same thing you did. EXAMPLE If you are straight and you go to a LGBT bakery and ask them to make you a straight wedding cake. If they say they don’t make straight wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. If you are LGBT and you go to a straight bakery and ask them to make you a LGBT wedding cake. If they say they don’t make LGBT wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. If you are Black and you go to a bakery that specialized in white wedding cakes, and ask them to make you a black wedding cake. If they say they don’t make black wedding cakes. Simply, respect their choice. Bid them good day. Leave in peace and go somewhere else. (Don’t set up a boycott line outside their establishment screaming discrimination and sue. Just take your money business elsewhere.) Our children are watching. Let’s fix this for the next generations to come. The same thing goes for Christian and Non-Christian establishments. Hopefully you get the general idea. Let respect each other. Love each other. Stop intentionally stepping on each other’s toes to get a rise out of people. When groups gather to screams in hate. You and your friends should gather to reply in unified love. It will piss the hatters of that they can’t get under your skin. Hatters only get joy, if they can cause you unhappiness. Don’t let the hatters or the Devil get the victory. Let unified love & peace win. Don’t let others use you to promote their hate war agendas. We as adults have to lead by example. Show our children how to deal with hatters and evil in this world. We have to be part of the solution. And not add to the problem. Treat all people with the same respect you want to receive. Not just the people that look act and live life as you do. We all deserve to be happy. I am just tired of the hate from all sides. Spread love not hate. If anything all citizens of America need to stand together to stop the government from chipping away at all of our right. Or before we know it we will lose them all. We will always have hatter in the world and war starter. Don’t be one of them. Wishing all love & happiness!!! August 7, 2015 at 4:19 am Truly this was quite very veru long. You tried to go back and forth, and move from side to side. The law however, sets a straight line. Just us you the people of America have respected your laws which can be commonly respected, we also have our laws which need to be commonly respected. Mind you we also have our reference points to make those laws and do not depend on what you the American, European or Esians citizens believe in. Christians too have the God whom they worship and whose laws do not correspond with what the Gays believe in. Gays will be treated as gays the moment they will declare that they don’t believe in the God of the Christians and do not subscribe to the scriptural rules of the Bible. In our countries we respect the laws of nature not of man, that is whether you believe in God or not, nature has given clear and straight forward dictates. Sexuality too is a matter of nature not beliefs or implication. Nature is stronger than feelings – Feeling of killing, hating, stealing, fighting, oppressing are always opposed to nature and the feeling of sodomising cannot be classified any different therefore. August 10, 2015 at 1:52 am People should read d bible very well, Sodom and Gomorah were destroyed for their evil act and for homosexuality because when d Angel of God went to sodom and gomorah, Lot invited them and when d pple of sodom and gomorah knew dat some men were inside dey told Lot to bring d men outside, but he told them dat he has two daughters dat dey should do anything dat please them with his daughters but dey insisted on taking d men. The Angels of God were angry and made dem blind and told Lot to take his wife and children out before they destroyed d place. It does not take God a seconds to destroy this world within a seconds, but because of d promise he made with Noah and for his son Jesus Christ who died for our sins. It is said dat few will enter into his kingdom and many will perish in d lake of fire. May God have mercy upon us September 4, 2015 at 11:21 pm I am stuck in America, I need help from the countries that outlaw homosexuals. The United States agenda for homosexuals is a mental warfare. The United States and countries that favor homosexuality uses homosexuals to control population and target Heterosexuals buy the knowledge of keeping the male and female separate. In the U.S. Heterosexual couples are faced with plotted economic situations, media propaganda and religious concepts to keep them mating, like the Adam and Eve concept where a man is to believe a woman is born as the reason man fell from Grace which in turn is a concept for a man to believe that he has to constantly worry about a woman leaving him and falling into a world of corruption all plotted by homosexuals and their followers. Homosexuality is a virus or a parasite that needs a host. If homosexuals existed on the planet without Heterosexuals how would they reproduce? As you can see these parasites need Heterosexuals to host their environment, they need Heterosexuals to conceive offspring to change into homosexuals. If there are men on the planet that are real and true to their nature that God created, in his image, they would join together and kill and create a cure for this virus called homosexuality. If God was a homosexual why would he create a woman and why would a Heterosexual man or woman need to live? October 21, 2015 at 6:30 pm Homosexuality is a sin always has been and always will be.As Christians we do not hate homosexuals we don’t hate anybody.The bible teaches us to love thy neighbor therefore if we hated anybody in the lgbt organization we are committing and injustice towards God.Now I would also like to say that God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.Homosexuality is a chemical imbalance in the brain which cause the brain and hormones to be attracted to the same sex. This chemical imbalance can be triggered by certain situations that were traumatic or conditionalized.And please stop comparing gay rights to the civil rights fought for by our ancestors it is egregious.Gay is wrong no matter how you try and sugar code it which is why gay people can’t reproduce duh October 22, 2015 at 11:23 am I have rarely red such a bunch of crap coming out of so many poor ignorant minds, so much hate spilled out in the name of the so called “good God” who bares the responsibility of 70% of all the hate, pain and blood humans inflict to each other, how more stupid can someone get to think that it is a choice to be gay??? does that mean that you were at a point faced with such a choice yourself?? if yes then drop the lie, because YOU ARE GAY. and even more proof of stupidity is for anyone to think that gay people made the choice to be treated the way you guys do in the name o a even bigger lie, GOD…. I’m just sick of reading all those ” GOD SAID, “GOD WROTE” crappy hate justifications, next time “God says”, record him and share it on youtube … sometimes I smile at the funny idea of all the Gay community actually following your advice and decide to take a “wife to pretend, to fit in”.. now let wish one chooses your daughter and have you test your medicine. Anyway, as a gay man I noticed something true the year 100% of those expressing homophobic views are generally just frustrated that they have to leave in the closet and there would be no job left for male and transvestite prostitutes if you erased homophobia, cause the bulk of their clients are generally the same that write or say homophobic words, REAL STRAIGHT GUYS DON’T GIVE A DAM WHERE ANY OTHER PENIS GOES THAN THEIR OWN, and without doubt, A WOMAN HAPPY WITH THE PENIS IN HER BED GIVES NO DAM WHERE WHAT OTHER PENISES DO… so take your shame back in your closet, or talk more just to prove the point. November 30, 2015 at 10:41 am There are a couple of things I don’t understand: 1) Let’s say that the Christians are correct, and that their god is the only one. There are literally billions on this planet who would dispute that, but… say it’s true. Ok, then homosexuality is a sin, and those of us who do it are going to hell. Fine, and what business is that of yours? Do you actually think we don’t know you believe this? How is my* going to hell going to affect you? Why do you care, if you know that I know? It’s my life, and my afterlife, for that matter. And if you truly care out of compassion, then why the anger? 2) Anal sex…? Come on. Go look at heterosexual porn sites on the web, and you’ll find it everywhere. If that’s your problem, then you need to stone a lot of your straight neighbors, not just your gay ones. 3) Child sex? Do you really believe that’s unique to gays? Seriously? If some gay men are attracted to young boys, what about the straight men attracted to young girls? There are whole industries promoting and selling straight sex between men and female children, and given the relative numbers of gays and straights, I’d say you ought to clean your own house before you start throwing stones here. December 12, 2015 at 11:11 pm Personally I am a Southern Baptist Christian, and I believe that homosexuality is a sin, simply because the bible explicitly states so. Having said that, I don’t think that homosexuality is worse than any other sin, including any of my own. Also, as a Christian, I am called to love others with the same love that Christ loved us. I don’t care about your sin, I care about you. I love homosexuals, just like I love every other person, who sins. I also think that pornography is a much larger poison in our current culture, and it oversexualizes everything, so maybe some of my fellow Christians can get off their self-righteous pedestal, and worry about their own sexual and spiritual integrity. January 21, 2016 at 9:53 am WHY DON’T WE OWN UP TO AND ADMIT WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT HERE…IT’S CHOICE, AND CHOICE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE, WHICH IS WHAT HOMOSEXUALS USE TO LABEL SUCH A LIFESTYLE CHOICE…A CHOICE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE, C’MON…WE ALL LOVE SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT “HOMOSEXUALITY”…IF I LOVE AS AN ADULTERESS, THEN I AM LOVING WRONG AND AM HURTING SOMEBODY IN THE PROCESS. IN STARK COMPARISON, THE RIGHT CHOICES I MAKE DO NOT EQUAL TO LOVE THEY EQUAL TO SACRIFICE…WHEN WE TRULY LOVE, WE TRULY ARE SACRIFICING…THAT IS WHAT LOVE TRULY IS, NOT SELF INDULGENCES WHICH IS WHERE OUR SOCIETY IS IN TERMS OF ERA, WE ARE SELFISH NARCISSISTIC BEINGS, DO A STUDY ON HOW WE LOVE OURSELVES SO MUCH WE SO LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER ONE AT THE DIRE EXPENSE OF OUR NEIGHBOR. WE NO LONGER LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS WE LOVE OURSELVES BC WERE TOO BUSY LOOKING INWARD AT OUR NEEDS INSTEAD OF THE NEEDS OF OTHERS…HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SELFISH CHOICE AND STAINS OUR SOCIETY JUST LIKE ANY LAW BREAKING ACT…AND REGARDING HATE SPEECH, HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO MOST HOMOSEXUALS THAT YOUR ATTEMPTS OF FORCING YOU LIFESTYLE ONTO A PERSON WHO OPPOSES IT, IS REALLY WHERE THE HATE LIES…YOU HATE ME BC I LOATHE YOUR UNNATURAL ACTS…YOU ARE NOT, BY LAW, FORCED TO ACCEPT MY RESERVATIONS, BUT I AM, BY LAW REQUIRED TO ACCEPT YOUR LIFESTYLE…SEE HOW THIS IS NOT LOVE? IT IS SELFISH LOVE IF ANYTHING…CONSIDER THIS, MY 6 YEAR OLD GOES TO SCHOOL AND SEES TO GIRLS/TWO BOYS KISSING AND HUGGING, ETC…NOW TELL ME HOW THIS DOES NOT CRIPPLE A SOCIETY AS A WHOLE?? IF WE CAN BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH THIS HOT TOPIC, AS BOB SAY’S ABOVE AND I CONCUR … IT IS AN UNNATURAL ACT OF INSERTING A PENIS INTO ANOTHER MAN’S ANUS…HOW DO I DISCUSS THIS WITH MY SIX YEAR OLD? WILL WE BE TOLERANT OF BEASTIALITY IN YEARS TO COME? I DO NOT LIKE LIVING IN A COUNTRY THAT SO CORRUPTS THE BOUNDARIES AND LINES OF ACCEPTED BEHAVIOR, WHATEVER THAT BEHAVIOR IS, INCLUDING HOMOSEXUALITY WHICH IS JUST AS DAMAGING AS ADULTERY, FORNICATION ETC…ONE DOES NOT RISE ABOVE THE OTHER, OR IS A SPECIAL CASE…BAD BEHAVIOR IS JUST THAT, BAD BEHAVIOR AND I CANNOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME HOW WE CAN BE SO APPROVING OF IT… January 25, 2016 at 1:21 pm NEW MAN-MADE SPECIES [To date there has been no intelligent dialogue on the topic of how a mental condition (homosexuality), came to be classified as a species worthy of protected rights by the constitution. In President Obama’s address to the state of the union, under an inscribed “In God We Trust,” he states “…I want future generations to know that we are a people who see our differences as a great gift, that we are a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen: man and woman, young and old, black and white, Latino and Asian, immigrant and Native American, gay and straight, Americans with mental illness or physical disability. Everybody matters….” According to science there are no “gay and straight” Americans – only gay and normal Americans. Until this issue is resolved the condition will only fester and we will all suffer the consequences. Male and female, scientifically and biologically, have distinct identifiable characteristics that allows for intelligent identification and classification of the human race by the human race. No political maneuvering and posturing will change those NATURAL facts. Any attempts by legal authorities to legislate to the contrary can only be considered divisive propaganda and lead to confusion and discord and weaken the element that made this country strong in the first place – Functional Families. “In God We Trust” should respect the design and intent of the designer – for males to mate with females February 1, 2016 at 6:04 am Homosexuality is not what’s wrong in this world, what’s wrong is all the bigotry, racism, sexism, hatred, greed …. And for all you people claiming to “up hold Gods law” take a good long look at yourself before you condemn others for what they do in their own beds and who they love, you are all hypocrites and not without your own sins, if you choose to believe in your God, that’s your choice, you’re constant need to control others is a serious mental disorder, your fixation on gays and their lifestyle is what unhealthy, you thinking you have the right to deprive another human being of their dignity and livelihood is not only ignorant but also mental and disguising. I base my judgment on character and the treatment of other beings and you all FAIL! If you don’t agree with homosexuality don’t be one, if you don’t approve of gay marriage don’t marry the same sex, you’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s all it is and that does not give you the right to think you have more rights than another. So, please tell me, how does one being homosexual affect you personally? (If you can only answer this question with a quote from your bible you already failed as a human) How does someone who’s gay threaten you and your being, and if your God wanted everyone to be the same it would have given you your own planet, the only thing you are proving with your hatred is that you are intolerant nincompoops. March 4, 2016 at 11:03 am I am one of God’s chosen people (a.k.a. Jewish) God loves everyone, so just to let you know saying things or hateful speech towards homosexuality is against what God believes in. Saying it’s an illness or sickness has been proven incorrect so wake up and smell the coffee. How can a man marry another man ? Simple go get married. There’s a passage in a book written 3500 years ago, same book that says women are not to work or wear pants, mix fabrics, eat pork, do anything on the sabbath (which is technically Saturday). A man laying with a woman during that error was seen as a sport not a commitment today that’s all changed so update yourself take your head out of your ass and follow God who loves EVERYONE. Btw if you hate homosexuals go where it’s illegal or join the kkk or Nazi party they believe in the same inhumane ideas. March 7, 2016 at 5:22 am telling people that their soul is in danger of eternal damnation is not hate, you are Jewish, and it is the GOD of Israel that wrote what HE deems sin or not, not you or i, homosexuality is an abomination, if you know you scriptures you know that to be true, and to not alert those that practice such perverse behavior is a sin onto itself. if you want to dismiss what GOD say in a book that you say written 3500 years ago, then you advocate dismissing having sex with animals, and your family members, it is in the same paragraph as thou shall not lay with mankind as with womankind it is an abomination. same paragraph. so get your incest, and beastiality on ! March 27, 2016 at 4:18 pm it’s illegal to be myself in all these countries. think about how that feels for a second, and then maybe you’ll be more careful when making your homophobic, ignorant, and just plain rude comments. it’s 2016 for christ sake, and if you’re not striving to make a change I’m not sorry to say you are stuck in your own small minded world and I hope for your sake one day you learn that it’s not a choice. love is not a choice. it’s no more of a choice than the colour of your skin. if you can’t believe this, have fun living a life filled with hate and lies. April 23, 2016 at 4:39 pm Ok I’m not bigot or racist but being gay is unnatural and wrong.Im a man of color and I have noticed a very disturbing uprising of gay people .Recently over the last decade. I have had gay men harass me and hit on me in such a way I could call it sexual harassment and even after I say I’m straight!All these gay right movements are making gay people think they can turn others gay Against there will.Its sick.There’s even this new trend of Gay men who only date straight guys wtf?I even have heard from a college student at Berkeley that a straight young man was rapped by a gay man at a party .They even have a shady place called steam works where gay men go to have orgies with other men.Just think about all the diseases being spread.Im sorry but just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s right .Where do we draw the lines?Now gays and transgendered can share a bathroom with me?Guess what your gonna start seeing straight people rapped on a regular basis.I don’t feel comfortable sharing a private space with someone who is gay especially like a gym dressing room because there are sickos in there looking at your privates.I mean think about it .If straight men where was allowed to share bathrooms or dressing rooms etc with women every sicko would be in there lol.There needs to be some laws that come into effect or we might as well change are flag into a rainbow.Also Who gave gays the right to destroy the image of a rainbow.Rainbows in my day were( I’m only thirty ) beautiful and maybe had a pot of gold a the end.Now it’s some gay bat signal .Its a shame. If I have a child I pray they don’t turn out gay.Theres nothing beautiful about a man penetrating another man it’s quite disgusting actually and serves no natural purpose.As a straight man I feel I’m being bombarded by this gay movement in a negative way.Now I’m seeing gay ads pop up everywhere and I don’t want to see it .At some point we gotta ask are selves is this what we want for our children a gay future? April 27, 2016 at 5:22 am As another person of color I can tell you that if anyone should understand the term bigot it’s you. your ignorance is appalling . Oh my a straight man harassed ? A man raped ? Orgies ? You do realize that more women are rapped on college campuses each year than you could fathom. The number of woman harrased by straight men is insurmountable and I’ve seen more gang bang porn videos where a line of hetero men have unprotected sex with one female than I would care to … It sounds like you are making a solid case for us to make being a straight man illegal . Please take your simple minded fear mongering some where else . You poor misguided soul . Save the prayer for yourself your disillusion is only surpassed by your complete lack of competence . You are what’s wrong with the world people like you are the people that invented Jim Crow they said all they same things about us mixing how appealing and un natural it was …. Science says other wise . You have access to the Internet. use it to educate yourself . Please. May 2, 2016 at 12:51 pm Lol Ha ha .No your not gonna use Race as a excuse to be a homo sorry not this time.Race has nothing to do with being gay it’s a choice .Black people or Jews didn’t have a choice so that’s just a crutch to make you feel better about your Gayness.Gay black men are a fucking embarrassment. I’m a strong ,straight , conservative , educated , honorable black man .So that’s the dumbest arguememt to even start.Being gay is a mental disorder and a sickness.I wish I could cure your damaged mind but so many have been fooled into believing that it’s right.The bible says it all .Its a Sin and just as bad as Beastiality , Incest and having sex with children.There are people who probably think those things are ok as well but guess what just because u can do it don’t mean it’s right.Marriage use to be about what’s beautiful , pure and natural . Now it’s just another freak show used by people with sick minds to give them some false sense of security about what’s right and wrong.I pray for your damaged soul ..look at your self in the mirror , deep down past your denial you know it’s wrong and that’s God talking. May 2, 2016 at 8:40 am Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men. Corinthians 6:9 I well understand how if you believe in christ you will go to heaven but this verse says how wrong it is to be homosexual. all of you LGBT supporters scrap the scripture of meaning trying to say you aren’t twisted and immoral looking constantly for every detail when it is clearly stated in black and white. Oh by the way if it is so natural why does my stomach knot when I see two guys or two girls. the principles you say make it natural are of the same level of envy you should not envy other people or their belongings but it feels natural. here is the connection they both involve satan tempting you. If you fight it you can get away but the second you say ok he has gotten to you you can cope with your envy just keep your feelings inside. This website is good I like the fact that it states all of the places I can move to when I leave this immoral country. Thanks for the list. May 27, 2016 at 9:45 pm its funny how so many people judges the LGBT community around the world this was a interesting topic to discuss i understand that many people would rather see these countries bomb full of hate but seriously why we are all the same in away just finding what attracts us more straight people have to understand that the LGBT is not to hurt the world we live in but we are only human how many of you all can say you weren’t attracted to the same sex it makes no difference if we were blind or have a disability we are still human we bleed the same we have the same organs in our bodies and if my children ever came to me and said i need to tell you something im gay/lesbian or im going to be a transgender i wouldn’t be shock but be happy for them life is to short to judge on other people sexuality this topic has made me understand that there are countries who wont allow LGBT be who they are and its ashame we not standing behind and showing support to let these countries know that changing there laws help make a greater change its a new time new generations of the old come a new now why cant many of you people get that we should be seeing what others face in horror the acceptance is all the LGBT wants is that so hard to see that maybe they are reaching out in arms and saying people of the world stand with us help us get this new law that being LGBT is ok let us stop hiding and being scared let our country allow us to be who we are who we marry and love and have a family just like any other hetro human there are in the world help us. or are we just going to stand there and let them hurt other humans its a world we need to show love and compassion time for all the people quotes of god and other beliefs to stop cause there was a saying to show love to others than to pass judgement i could go on but ill leave it to that but to the one who post this topic up ill tilt my hearrty to you cause you have help me understand what its like for other countries when i come from a country that allows LGBT to marry in the civil union and that being along time to understand just how lucky i am to live where we may just live even though we may have some who dislikes it but we dont condemn them to death or fines but its a great topic feel happy that you put this out there hea June 6, 2016 at 5:16 am I think that homosexuality is a natural course. I read a lot of comments in here that animals don’t mate with their own sex and so humans who practices homosexuality is below than animals. I ask you people…how many is the human population here on Earth? How many is the animal population here on Earth? Animals mated with the opposite sex to repopulate their species especially because their lives are always in danger. Homosexual persons increases because of overpopulation. It’s the natural and less harmful way to decrease the human population. Our era now is different from the old times where there’s always war and epedemics that drastically decrease our population. In this times, war doesn’t occur often and cures for diseases and epedemics are invented and discovered. Making the lives of humans safe and for the death rates to be low. Meanwhile, births are continuously increasing thus increasing the humanity’s population. Earth’s resources is not infinite. Homosexuality is one of the natural ways aside from natural disasters to decrease the overpopulated human infested Earth and also an indicator that we humans are overpopulating. June 6, 2016 at 10:36 pm You are not human and you don’t love the world we live in. If you this first, you be out here trying to get people to accept what you are. Next you wouldn’t condone what you know is against god. God saved some prostitutes but not any homosexuals. So God doesn’t Love you. There is not a scripture in the world that says so. When it says God so loved the world Hello have his only son , it wasn’t talking about homosexuals. Heterosexual is who it’s referencing, you will never walk through the gates of heaven ! June 10, 2016 at 6:49 am First of all just to clarify some things on here this all sounds terrible the way you people are talking no matter what side your on. Who ever said God does not love you is beyond me, because in fact it say’s several times in the book I read God loves everyone. Personally I am one of God’s chosen people I am Jewish. Homosexuality in my belief is a gene not a mental illness so to say it is, is ridiculous it’s actually been proven it is not. To disown your child for being gay I personally do not understand that. However I feel bad for you and will pray for you in my temple tonight. People we need to remember this goes back to the early 1900’s when people claimed that Africans where these demons and against God. This is pure hate speech we need to understand and realize God love us all July 4, 2016 at 9:38 am I think if you want to be gay that’s your choice, but keep it to yourself. Why do you have to shove that choice down everyone’s throat? Why do my children need to be exposed to it? On tv, media, in the school sex ed curriculum, pride parade’s, etc it’s sickening! Who needs to know which man is shoving his wiener into the next man’s anus or which woman prefers taco’s to schlongs? Those countries that don’t have anti-gay laws but where they protect the children from it by enforcing an anti-gay propaganda law by not letting it affect or mold the children in media, schools, etc, are 100% correct in their thinking! Children don’t need to subjected to sex and homosexuality just so gays can feel accepted! Nor do they need to be molded to thinking it’s “OK” to be gay when their minds shouldn’t even be on those types of things. They should be allowed to grow and develop naturally into the person they choose to be whatever that may be on their own without INFLUENCE from the GAY AGENDA. Stop acting like what you are promoting is LOVE when in reality most gays are jumping from partner to partner and will readily tell you its about SEX. Being gay is only part of a person and your identity it is not everything that you are. It’s a sexual choice or preference and I can choose to be against your sexual choice or preference but still like you as a human being and that doesn’t make me hateful. I choose to not allow my children to be molded by a gay society but I don’t teach them to hate anyone. I tell them what is natural and that is naturally a woman and man can without “help” or assistance from outside parties, make a baby because our bodies are made for each other. The law of nature. I also teach them to love and accept people even if they don’t agree with everything about them.People aren’t born gay, its a CHOICE to be gay. Transgenders are also misguided and have self esteem issue’s a shame of their own natural bodies. That is a sickness and a mental disorder. How can you expect people to accept you when you can’t even accept your natural self? July 12, 2016 at 5:53 am I am Gay! But its not always about sex!, However as you have mentioned “gay is always jumping around changing partners” I couldn’t agree more to this line, its not easy to find someone who’s into relationships as most gays jump from one partner to another. Celebrating pride should be something more or less like a marriage or something spiritual not getting naked wearing nothing but a jock strap. Furthermore to the last point you talked about Transgenders they are the worse, Everyone suffers from insecurity of their own body no matter how perfect it might seem to be in other peoples eyes. but we do not have to change our entire physical appearance to that. we do not have to wear hills to prove a point. I just wish that being gay was just a normal thing like i am a man like any other man but i dont have to strip down naked to prove a point. I wear the same close as a normal man, the only difference is that to love another man that shares the same feelings as me. I am most probably the only gay guy that agrees with you. but however i do want to be married 1 day. I stay as far as i can from my little brother because i want him to be a better man and choosing his own faith i don’t ever want to be blame for misguiding him. but that doesn’t make me un happy well at least i don’t have to hide my personal stuff so that my brother might go thru it. im a straight acting gay & proud to be this way. Anyway sorry for the misspelling and the lack of grammar i was overwhelm by your statement. July 24, 2016 at 1:33 pm Dear Mohammad, I find no evidence to indicate that you’re right. The publication State-Sponsored Homophobia lists Jordan in the category “Same-sex sexual acts legal (119 States) 61% of UN States.” That report also mentions, “the Jordanian Penal Code of 1951, largely modified in 1960, is in force, having no prohibition on sexual acts between persons of the same sex.” It does mention a Jordanian law against public displays of immodest behavior and “signs incompatible with modesty,” which seems to apply both to heterosexuals and to homosexuals: “127 Article 320 states, “Anyone who commits an act incompatible with modesty or expresses signs incompatible with modesty in a public place or a public assemblage or by manner that could be seen by those in a public place shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding 50 Dinars”, see: http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4f5defd92.pdf ” Best, July 25, 2016 at 1:26 pm Homosexuality has alot to do with God, it’s an abomination but what can I say. In the book of Genesis 2 it specifically says that GOD CREATED MAN, AND GOD SAY THAT MAN WAS LONELY AND PUT ADAM TO SLEEP AN FROM A RIB HE MADE WOMAN AND SAID MAN HERE’S YOUR WIFE, GOD DIDN’T MAKE ANOTHER MAN OUT OF MAN’S RIB. But since the devil is the God of this world. They have taken 64,000 bibiblical scriptures that speaks against immorality and homosexuality and what God has created. God shouldn’t be mocked and your really aren’t born with a so-called gay gene. God doesn’t make mistakes he’s perfect man isn’t perfect. We need God in America again November 19, 2016 at 7:06 am Politicians from Russia and Lithuania are the only politicians who have some brain in their skulls because they don’t allow homosexual propaganda. The total truth is that people from Russia or Lithuania act upon instinct because of loyalty to a safe religion however they don’t care for the chaos elsewhere. I do. The mass-media, mostly directed from Europe have done a flirt with transexual people and they came up with a law allowing a trans to hide personal information and identity as well from the public viewers of the main stream of mass-media, in special way the TV. This cannot be done because it brings those who have had a change of sex into the public eye deceiving anyone that looks at them like real women. There are now minors trying to be trans for this very reason. The minors do pedophelia as well and they are very reluctant to report any pedo activity to the police, just because a tran will like to do pedophelia and those who fall into the trap likes it as well. They could be politicians, policeman, judges and lawyers and they all do it with minors without any problem whatsoever. Traffic of children can also be linked to this explosion of trans activity that keep on wishing to be trans to reach for success while they try all they can to look like real women that were able to deliver a baby. However the delivery it’s a fake delivery with all of the papers that are needed and supplied by those dirty pigs of politicians that made those dirty laws. No person reaching for success into the mass-media has any right to hide his past life. No compromise about it. Dear Blondtiger, Those are different judgment calls, not mistakes. I include Daesh (ISIS,ISIL), Gaza/Palestine and the Cook Islands in the list, because each has its own laws that apply in the territory it controls. I know that Daesh and Gaza/Palestine are not internationally recognized as independent nations and that the Cook Islands are in free association with New Zealand, which handles their defense and foreign affairs. Malawi has suspended enforcement of its anti-gay law but has not repealed it. I include Indonesia because the states with anti-gay laws (Aceh and South Sumatra) account for 4.7 million and 10.7 million people respectively. Thanks for keeping me honest. — Colin Stewart, editor/publisher of this blog August 4, 2016 at 7:24 am Well i can certainly tell you one thing is that many of us Straight Guys trying to meet a woman at the Gym would be a Better place which it is Not since so many women are Gay unfortunately. And why the Hell would they be there anyway which Doesn’t make sense to begin with. It is very obvious why us guys have Trouble meeting women these days after i tried to start a Conversation with the one that i was Attracted too which she told me to get lost. Wow, i never thought that there are so many sick women out there today. August 8, 2016 at 7:51 pm Bob your wrong it isn’t less than 10 percent of the world population is homosexual it’s a lot higher than that – In the United States there are 70 percent men that are homosexual possibly as high as 20 percent more due to unreported cases, 40 percent woman lesbian in the United States, The United States makes up 5% of the World Population. In Canada, there are 10 percent men homosexual, in India there are 90 percent men homosexual, In Russia there are 10 percent of men homosexual. These are all in published statistics by each government – these 4 countries alone raise it higher than 10 percent of the world population. As a guess to include homosexuals gay men and lesbians I would guess it to be 60-65 percent of the world population possibly higher. August 29, 2016 at 5:24 am It’s so cute the stupid people quote from a book that was written by man. Do you really believe that Mary got pregnant by a ghost too???? I hope there are no woman commenting on this because according to the bible you should be serving your man instead of thinking for yourself and actually opening your mouthes. I also hope you believe in putting everyone to death that doesn’t believe in God! Cuz that there bible says that too! It’s funny how people who hide behind the bible just pick and choose which words they want to believe and which words they just ‘ignore’ when it’s good for them. What’s wrong in the world isn’t if a guy sticks his ding dong in another guys butt…..it’s religious ignorance. Same reason almost every single war in the world can be pointed towards religion. August 29, 2016 at 11:09 am Wow there is so much hate on here. For starters let me say God hates hate. God loves everyone. There’s nothing wrong with homosexuals. It is NOT a sin, not abnormal it been proven it’s a gene like beind a certain race or ethnicity. Homosexuality is not a choice. These people who are preaching all this hate on here are the true sinner’s. I can not believe some of the things people or saying trying to act like their God stating this and that is abnormal like they can decide that. I want to clarify this Bologna about the Bible vs. Homosexuality. Man shouldn’t lay with a man… During that error a man was way above a woman. Woman were seen as objects and property. Men would lay with woman as a sport and not a commitment. That passage was given to a man that was commiting adultry. You can’t relate a book written 3,500+ years ago to current day. You have to update everything. Woman wearing pants having a job. Mixing fabric. Having a car, electricity, HVAC, cable, phone, is all against the bible the list goes on and on. Don’t be fake and try to justify your updated idea but nobody else’s. God loves everyone if you hate a race or group of people you will indeed have to answer to God. September 1, 2016 at 11:25 pm There is a growing divide between feminists/lesbians and gay men. Milo Yiannopoulos identifies himself as a gay man right-winger yet he is attacked by members of the feminist and lesbian community. It is interesting that many Caribbean countries with harsh anti-MSM laws tend to allow relationships between women-women and women-children, while gay men in countries like Canada are under watch if they engage in consensual sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old, even though 16 is the unrestricted Age of Consent in Canada, but it’s 18 for MSM couples under the clause of anal sex. Many people tend to believe that the hatred of gay men is only made from heterosexual men; however, it is becoming apparent that Women’s Rights radical feminists and lesbians on the Left Paradigm, and Neo-Victorian traditional women on the Right Paradigm BOTH have hatred for gay men. Feminists tend to use the catch phrase “Are you Gay?” when a male criticizes feminism, and female teachers who molest young boys tend to warn their victims that if they complain, the boys are “gay”, and in some countries such as in the Middle East, being falsely accused of being gay results in a death penalty. Milo Yannapolis being attacked by women who support feminism. Gay men are not welcome to Slut Walks. Lesbians in Canada attack a black man and get away with it. His voice sounds like Southern state American/Caribbean. He was attacked, and unlike the stereotype that Caribbean men victimize “battyman”, it looks like the feminists/lesbians attacked him, and he was the one treated unfairly by the local authorities. Before you blindly consider that it is only heterosexual men who harm gay men, just look at what the feminists and lesbians are doing to marginalized ethnic-ties of men and gay men like Milo Yannoupoulis. A woman who wants to molest little children, such as a predator female teacher in a school, will be more likely to spread anti-gay messages to the children she molests, because the boy/s she molest will be afraid of being wrongly accused of being “gay” for reporting such abuse. Feminists, Traditional women and lesbians also hate on gay men too! September 10, 2016 at 8:22 am At this point I have lost all my faith in humans actually having any piece of humanity. I mean fine, yes, I am only a year 9 but so many 13 year olds have more humanity and are more opened minded than most of the adults. At this point in time some people that are my age can set a better example of being a responsible human being role model than any of the people in most countries that are past the age of 20. I am so disappointed with the churches that hate LGBTQ+ people and that is why now I might have even lost the faith not only in humans and adults but in my religion as well. September 20, 2016 at 8:46 am I begin to wonder about the hate on here. Why are these people on here? This site is not for homophobic people. It is for straight allies learning about anti gay laws and BGLT peoples learning about it as well. I have nothing to say to the bigots except that they are closeted gay men or “queerbaiting” as the expression goes. Jealousy and hate are wrong. Jealous because they are not open and have self loathing problems. I am sorry for them because they need help. As for religion. Not just applies to BGLT peoples but all people. Even heterosexuals are oppressed by evil religious peoples and religion and also “communist” countries with radical agendas. As for anarchism it is a good idea and also a bad one. We need laws to protect us from discrimination and bigotry and intolerance. Anarchism would apply for atheism and non monotheistic pagan beliefs. Anarchism would apply for human sexuality as well. I say to the self loathers and bigots, we all love you but we are opposed to your hate. Hate causes cancer and many karmic actions. So please learn to be kinder and loving and supportive and seek psychotherapy. 4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/kyrgyzstan-lgbt-community-fear-attacks-russia I became interested in this topic because the author describes clearly and portrays an overview of LGBT populations on a global scale. Also, the human right of minority groups is one of my areas of interest. However, it is not easy to do an in-depth critique that will reduce the anti-LGBT issues. Since the sexual/gender identity is based on the perception of oneself. The male/female gender roles were created from social values and this belief impacted judging what is right/wrong or accepted/rejected. If ones’ identity contrasts from the sexual mainstream, they are considered “different”. It is important to know about these social norms since the impact of anti-LGBT is based on their culture value and education. As a Thai man studying in the US, I have experience from the both sides of this world. In the US, some LGBT populations still experience discrimination even though but the gender bias is not severe when compared with other countries. In Thailand, we don’t have laws that legalize or protect, but the discrimination rate is not high. If LGBTs follow the law and do nothing to negatively impact the family or society, it is thought of as “OK” and for the most part acceptable. Moreover, based on Thai culture and teachings of Buddhism, Thais and other Asian countries place a high value on such virtues as kindness, humanity, sharing, and peace. It is believed that abiding by these values is key to living together among diversity. Moreover, education plays an important role changing the society over time. Thailand, US, and many other countries contain sexual minorities as one of their health topic issues. New generations of Thai and other nations seem to be more accepting and open-minded regarding sexual diversity. In Anti-LGBT countries, beliefs, cultures, and education systems are varied. Some think that being gay is a sin or crime. The reaction from their beliefs is varied based on how conservative they are in their values. However, many countries around the world have changed to a more positive opinion about their LGBT populations. For example, the US has already passed the law legalizing LGBT marriage. Since then, many of the more conservative countries are processing this law, including Thailand. For the past ten years, being LGBT in Thailand was prohibited. Refer to the beginning; LGBT identities depend on the individual beliefs influenced by the social norm. Since sexual identity was created by society it can be changed by society as well. We’ve gone from believing that sexual minorities were caused by illness to now having gay marriage acceptable. Health disparity in LGBT becoming a priority health issue in some countries. We’ve come a long way and many misconceptions have changed from the past. These signs confirm the positive change from the past to the present. In the future, when society becomes more open and accepting, people who are falling under the social norm will be open-minded. Therefore, LGBT identity will become acceptable among those countries. 4. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/kyrgyzstan-lgbt-community-fear-attacks-russia I became interested in this topic because the author describes clearly and portrays an overview of LGBT populations on a global scale. Also, the human right of minority groups is one of my areas of interest. However, it is not easy to do an in-depth critique that will reduce the anti-LGBT issues. Since the sexual/gender identity is based on the perception of oneself. The male/female gender roles were created from social values and this belief impacted judging what is right/wrong or accepted/rejected. If ones’ identity contrasts from the sexual mainstream, they are considered “different”. It is important to know about these social norms since the impact of anti-LGBT is based on their culture value and education. As a Thai man studying in the US, I have experience from the both sides of this world. In the US, some LGBT populations still experience discrimination even though but the gender bias is not severe when compared with other countries. In Thailand, we don’t have laws that legalize or protect, but the discrimination rate is not high. If LGBTs follow the law and do nothing to negatively impact the family or society, it is thought of as “OK” and for the most part acceptable. Moreover, based on Thai culture and teachings of Buddhism, Thais and other Asian countries place a high value on such virtues as kindness, humanity, sharing, and peace. It is believed that abiding by these values is key to living together among diversity. Moreover, education plays an important role changing the society over time. Thailand, US, and many other countries contain sexual minorities as one of their health topic issues. New generations of Thai and other nations seem to be more accepting and open-minded regarding sexual diversity. In Anti-LGBT countries, beliefs, cultures, and education systems are varied. Some think that being gay is a sin or crime. The reaction from their beliefs is varied based on how conservative they are in their values. However, many countries around the world have changed to a more positive opinion about their LGBT populations. For example, the US has already passed the law legalizing LGBT marriage. Since then, many of the more conservative countries are processing this law, including Thailand. For the past ten years, being LGBT in Thailand was prohibited. Refer to the beginning; LGBT identities depend on the individual beliefs influenced by the social norm. Since sexual identity was created by society it can be changed by society as well. We’ve gone from believing that sexual minorities were caused by illness to now having gay marriage acceptable. Health disparity in LGBT becoming a priority health issue in some countries. We’ve come a long way and many misconceptions have changed from the past. These signs confirm the positive change from the past to the present. In the future, when society becomes more open and accepting, people who are falling under the social norm will be open-minded. Therefore, LGBT identity will become acceptable among those countries.	i don't know
(Supplementary question) In what year did the UK decriminalize homosexuality?	Homosexuality: the law, ethics, and the Bible Read more about James at You can stop being gay . Read about more changed lives at Hope for Homosexuals . Read testimonies about men and women who felt uneasy, empty, emotionally unstable or unfulfilled in gay relationships and how God changed their life styles when they turned to Jesus. For those who voluntarily seek change in sexual preference and expression, see Coreissues: Homosexuality and the Law Since the 1960's Western culture has progessively legalised private homosexual acts between consenting adults. In the UK, the Sexual Offences Act (1967) decriminalised private sexual acts between men 21 years or over in England and Wales. The minimum age of consent at which a person may lawfully consent to buggery and to certain homosexual acts was then reduced to 16 in England and Wales by the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000. This came into force in 2001. In 1973 the Dutch mental health institutions stopped treating homosexuality as an illness and the military lifted its ban on homosexuals. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage in 2001. In America the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated all state sodomy laws in 2003, opening the floodgates to the legalization of homosexuality and same-sex marriages state by state. In Europe, social and employment law surrounding homosexuality has been formalized and prompted by EU legislation. The European Union Article 13 Race & Employment Directives require EU member states to introduce legislation to outlaw unfair discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation. This applies in the fields of employment and training, and in the provision of goods and services. In response to such directives the UK government introduced the Equality Act 2010 , where sexual orientation is a 'protected characteristic'. In practice this law effectively restricts free speech on homosexuality and free expression of Christian ethics on sexuality in the work place! Same Sex Marriage In the western world there are persistent moves by vocal minorities to legalise same sex (gay) marriage. And over time the general population accepts this as 'equality' law and culturally defined ethics take precedence over traditional biblical morality. In the UK - after a sham public consultation - same sex marriage was finally legalised in England and Wales in 2013 through the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill . Clearly, this must lead to redefining marriage. For instance, Section 12 of the UK Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 says a marriage is voidable if it has not been consummated (in the normal and complete way) due to the incapacity of either party to consummate it. Clearly, the law has to change for same sex marriage and marriage has to be redefined. But doing this will be to the detriment of society , and surely only the originator of marriage, God (Gen 2.24), has the right to define marriage? "Marriage must remain a union between a man and a woman. It is not the role of the state to redefine marriage" [Archbishop of York (UK)] "Same-sex marriage would eliminate entirely in law the basic idea of a mother and a father for every child" [Cardinal Keith O'Brien (Scotland)] Church Protection: In the UK the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill 2013 claims to 'protect those religious organisations and their representatives who don't wish to conduct marriages of same sex couples from successful legal challenge'. But this 'protection' could be challenged by EU equality directives which aim to remove discrimination. The European Court of Human Rights has stated [Spring 2012]: "If same sex couples are allowed to marry, any church that refuses to offer wedding services to them will be guilty of discrimination." From a legal point of view the church will probably have to accept any change in the law. But it does not have to accept man's re-definition of marriage. More at Gay Marriage and the Law & Gay Marriage and the Bible . Homosexuality and Free Speech (UK) In order to avoid conflict with Human Rights Law on free speech (specifically, the right to publicly manifest religious belief), the UK 2007 Regulations included exemption to cover the activities of religious organisations. The exemption applied for example when it is necessary to comply with the doctrine of the organisation. In principle therefore, it was still possible for a church to publicly state the biblical teaching on the subject of homosexuality, even when it conflicted with homosexual practice. In principle, free speech was protected. The Main Point At the end of the day it is not what an individual or organisation says against homosexual acts or gay marriage (so-called homophobia). What matters is a person's relationship with their creator God, who has decreed that homosexual acts are wrong in His sight. Then in May 2008 the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act was passed. The Act created the criminal offence of ï¿½incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientationï¿½ and the Government, at the instigation of ï¿½gay rightsï¿½ lobby groups, initially refused to make exceptions that would allow for free speech by those who wish to express their disagreement with homosexual practice. In order to protect free speech a group of dedicated Peers in the House of Lords tabled an amendment as section 29JA in the Public Order Act 1986. This ï¿½free speech clauseï¿½ read: "In this Part, for the avoidance of doubt, the discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practices or the urging of persons to refrain from or modify such conduct or practices shall not be taken of itself to be threatening or intended to stir up hatred." Homosexual lobby groups tried but failed to persuade the UK government to include a clause in the Coroners & Justice Bill 2009 (Clause 58) that would repeal the free speech clause . Such law, if brought into force, could have overuled Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (or Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights) in the Courts. In all this it is important to recognise that, if absolute morality exists, the fact that the law sanctions homosexual acts and tries to muzzle free speech on such acts does not make homosexual acts moral (see later). Origins of Homosexuality Some scientists maintain that homosexuality is due to a complex combination of social (relational), psychological, and biological factors [National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, NARTH]. But some claim that NARTH's 'biological factor' is not a fundamental genetic one. Royal College of Psychiatrists Report The Royal College of Psychiatrists 'LGB Special Interest Group' submitted a report to the Church of England's Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality (2007). The report concluded: "It would appear that sexual orientation is biological in nature, determined by a complex interplay of genetic factors and the early uterine environment (i.e. genes and hormones)" But this is based upon just three studies - none of which actually support the biological theory! Gay rights activists refer to three different studies and claim that these have shown that there is a biological basis for homosexuality. The three studies are: Hamer's X-chromosome research, LeVay's study of the hypothalamus, and Bailey and Pillard's study of identical twins who were homosexuals. But others claim that in all three studies, the researchers had a vested interest in obtaining a certain outcome because they were homosexuals themselves, and that their studies did not stand up to scientific scrutiny [Baptist Union of Western Australia (BUWA) Task Force on Human Sexuality]. The BUWA concluded that "There is no reliable evidence to date that homosexual behaviour is determined by a personï¿½s genes." This conclusion is supported by other researchers: "There is no conclusive scientific evidence for any genetic trait causing homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgendered desires." [ Hope for Homosexuals ] "No researcher has found provable biological or genetic differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals that weren'ï¿½t caused by their behaviour ... no one has found a single heredible genetic, hormonal or physical difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals." [ Family Research Institute, Colorado Springs ] For example, studies of 1700 homosexuals in the 1940's and nearly 1000 homosexuals in 1970 reported that homosexuals overwhelmingly believed that their feelings and behaviour were the result of social or environmental influences i.e. relationships. According to NARTH, the relational problem leading to male homosexuality can be a complex combination of gender nonconformity e.g. avoiding competition and lack of male bonding, temperament e.g. a tendency to personalize criticism, poor (distant) father-son relationship, and over intimate mother-son relationship. Conclusion on Origin of Homosexuality Scientific studies point to homosexuality being what a person does in contrast to gender, race and impairment - which relate to what a person is. Homosexuality is learned; the root cause is psychological rather than biological; and the problem is relational rather than genetic. [ Family Research Institute, Colorado Springs ]. So Is Homosexuality 'Normal'? When someone claims that homosexuality is 'normal', ask "Then why don't we find about 50% of the population heterosexual and about 50% of the population homosexual?" Western ethics tend to be those of Postmodernism. They maintain that: What is, is OK All homosexual activity is a viable choice, and there is no guilt Homosexual feelings are normal; youth are advised "there is nothing wrong with you" But are homosexual feelings normal? In deed, what is 'normal'? Given that relational issues appear to be the prime cause of homosexuality, we can now challenge the Postmodern idea that homosexuality is ï¿½normalï¿½. Are homosexual feelings really normal? A perceptive definition of ï¿½normalityï¿½ has been given as: "that which functions according to its design" On this definition, the relationship problems outlined above are clearly not normal in that they donï¿½t follow the perceived design pattern. For example, the natural and preferred father-son relationship is for a father to lead and help his son in a close and friendly manner. And of course the sexual acts of homosexuality are perceived by the majority as conflicting with the design pattern. How can anal intercourse be perceived as part of natural design? On this basis, homosexuality is clearly not normal - it is not a normal sexual variation. Statistics also bear this out; typically only a few percent of the population identify themselvs as gay or lesbian. To counter this, some point out that there are many examples of homosexuality in nature itself, and so it must be normal. For example, it is claimed that lizards can be lesbian and gay male swans can make good parents ['Evolution's Rainbow', Roughgarden, Stanford]. But male swans cannot create a family via procreation - they are not designed that way! The World Ethic on Homosexuality If homosexual feelings are not 'normal', what about homosexual acts? Is there a 'correct' worldview on homosexual acts? Is there a guiding standard or ethic on the matter stating that such acts are 'right', or 'wrong'? Western society tends to go by a majority or cultural ethic, whereby whatever a cultural group approves of is deemed 'right', and whatever the group disapproves of is 'wrong'. A quick way of determining the current majority or cultural ethic on some matter is to carry out an opinion poll. A Canadian poll (Environics Research Group, May 2001) asked Canadians "Do you personally strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove of homosexuality?" In 1996 22% approved and in 2001 44% approved, showing a rapid change in social ethic. According to this poll, homosexuality (and by implication, homosexual sex) is rapidly becoming 'right'. Simularly, a 2001 Gallup poll showed a continuation of a slow, but steady, liberalization of American public opinion toward homosexuality (Newport, 2001). A poll in the same year by the Barna Research Group found that nearly half of all adults (48%) believe that sexual relations between consenting adults of the same gender should be legal. Two years later, Gallup found that six out of ten Americans feel that homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal. Clearly, a majority or culturally defined ethic is variable and unreliable. This is cultural relativism and the social consequences can be disastrous e.g. liberal sexual ethics has led to a dramatic increase in HIV cases and sexually transmitted infections (see Ethics & Morality ). Moreover, opinion polls only tell us what a society is currently thinking, not what it should be thinking - assuming an absolute ethic exists. Consider again the core question: "Is there an absolute ethic on homosexual acts?" Can we say homosexual acts are definitely 'right' or definitely 'wrong'? Some maintain that any absolute ethic (moral standard) cannot come from man, a finite and fallible being. It must come from a transcendent source, from beyond mankind, if such a source exists. As the philosopher Wittgenstein said: "The sense of the world must lie outside the world ï¿½ ethics is transcendental" The Biblical Ethic on Homosexuality Christianity maintains that absolute ethics exist and are based upon the nature of God, and in particular on the absolute moral standard of a Creator God. This ethical view escapes the unreliability of cultural relativism. It presupposes that God exists and has revealed absolute standards. It maintains that these standards are compatible with His creation and are true and correct. Such ethic is timeless and is for man's well-being. It comes from an authority higher than man, and is revealed in Jesus and the inspired scriptures of the Bible. According to the Bible, God created 'kinds' (including man), and instructed them to 'multiply' (Gen 1). In order to multiply, the 'kinds' had male and female gender. Moreover, everything that was created 'was good'. So the natural state of things before the so-called 'Fall of Man' was for a male and female of a kind to procreate. The concept of two male swans 'parenting' simply cannot have been on God's agenda, since together they cannot procreate. This is not saying that same-sex relationships are wrong - far from it. Male bonding can have great social benefit and in the Bible we are told that Jonathan loved David and became his close friend (1 Sam 18.1). It is simply saying that same-sex sexual relationships were not on God's creation agenda! In God's perfectly created world, they were simply not natural and intended and so must have been completely absent. The biblical concept of the Fall of Man brought a different scenario. For man, one consequence was sexual sin in the sight of God, and that includes homosexual acts. The biblical case against the act of homosexuality is found in Lev 18.22, 20.13; Deut 23.18, Mat 5.17-19; Rom 1.18-27; 1 Cor 6.9-11 and Rev 21.27, and God underscored His word by destroying the sodomy of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19.5,24). Natural Sexual Variation Since the Fall appears to have introduced genetic variations leading to physical changes in all of creation (see Gen 3), it is probable that it introduced sexual variations in man. The interaction of fallen angels with women (Gen 6.2) may also have caused genetic change. And genetic change might be the cause of the decreasing age of the patriarchs after the Flood (Gen 5). Clearly, from observation of today's world, there is great natural variation (the statistical 'Normal' curve) in the masculinity of men and the femininity of women. What does biology say? Human cells contain pairs of chromosomes - which are long, stringy aggregates of genes. The gender determining or 'sex' chromosomes are the X and Y chromosomes; normally males have one X and one Y chromosome (the XY male) and females have two X chromosomes (the XX female). It is generally accepted that gender determination is due to the presence or absence of the Y chromosome i.e. this is the determining factor of a person's "true" biological sex. The Y chromosome contains a gene, SRY, which triggers embryonic development as a male. Sexual variation arises when someone is born with only one sex chromosome or with three sex chromosomes. Also, damage of the SRY gene can lead to an XX male or to an XY female. For the XX male, it has been suggested that one of the X chromosomes has obtained a small piece of Y chromosome which is sufficient to produce 'maleness'. But in extreme cases sexuality is not easily determined. In general, sex chromosome abnormalities can affect a person's sexuality e.g their sterility. The Bible acknowledges this sexual variation. For example, it refers to the 'sensitive (tender) and very refined man' (Deut 28.54) and to the 'tender (sensitive) and delicate (refined) woman' (Deut 28.56) - implying that some men are 'less masculine' than others and some women are 'more feminine' than others. So, biblically, we are to expect some natural variation in sexual awareness and drive (commonly called 'libido'). But, as discussed, it is probably wrong to link this natural sexual variation with homosexuality. Research shows that homosexuality is linked more to what a person does than to what they are (their genetics). This is where the Bible draws a line in the sand; God is concerned with a person's will and heart, not their genetics. It seems likely that many 'chromosome normal' people (XY males and XX females) are drawn into homosexual activity through relationships and by choice. It seems many make a deliberate choice to violate the sexual norm through deliberate homosexual acts, and in cross-dressing. To such activity, God says 'No'! "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God." (Deut 22.5) Is the Old Testament Outdated? Some argue that the OT law on homosexuality (as in Deut 22.5 above) is outdated, just as we no longer stone people to death, have slaves, or offer a ram for guilt offering. But they fail to distinguish between civil, ceremonial, and moral law. Whilst civil law changes with time, and the law requiring ceremonial sacrifice was abolished by the sacrificial death of Jesus, God's 'moral' law is timeless. For instance, written several thousand years later, the New Testament still labels the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as sexually corrupt in God's sight (2 Pet 2.4-10). Moreover, we cannot simply pick and choose which parts of the Bible we dislike. If we don't like Lev 18.22 ('You shall not lie with a male as with a woman') do we also reject the next verse, Lev 18.23 ('You shall not mate with an animal')? If homosexual acts are OK, then why not human-animal sexual acts too? Sadly, European Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs) now force individual Christians and Christian organizations who offer 'goods and services' to compromise their Christian ethos in favour of activities violating Godï¿½s timeless moral law! In contrast to the EU, Jesus upheld the OT moral law and did not abolish it (Mat 5.17), and the Bible holds this view of homosexuality right up to the book of Revelation. The fact that homosexuality is found in nature is no excuse for man. Man, as distinct from an animal, is a moral being and has been given God's injunction on the matter. Animal homosexuality is simply demonstrating one effect of The Fall and God does not appear to have created them this way. As to the future, those who deliberately live immoral, unclean lives in the sight of God are excluded from the heavenly city (Rev 21.27, 22.15), the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22.15 uses a term similar to that in Deut 23.18, which implies 'male prostitute' or 'somodite'. Based on such scriptures, Christian Theism maintains that: Human nature has been warped by the Fall Homosexual feelings are abnormal All homosexual activity (sexual acts) is sin in God's sight The Christian Response to Homosexuality The legal position and the sympathetic Postmodern world ethic on homosexuality pose a challenge for the Church. How is the Church to respond? Since Christians are commanded to be salt and light in society (Mat 5.13-16), it is their duty to state God's moral law on homosexual acts, and other ethical and moral issues. But this must be done in the context of a loving, caring, non-judgemental way - Jesus always gave the truth in love. The Christian should have Christ's love, humility and compassion for those caught up in homosexuality, without compromising the God-given principles in scripture. Homosexuals, like any other sector of society are to be welcomed into God's church. Here we all strive to understand God's way for man, and try to adhere to His word in the Bible. Here we all acknowledge the need for repentance, the saving grace of Jesus and the new life He offers through His death and resurrection. But someone openly flouting God's word within His church (on homosexuality or any other issue) should not hold a position of authority or ministry within the church (1 Tim 3.1-14). Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible	1967
What in Spanish what does the song-title, 'Que Sera, Sera,' mean (loosely, not grammatically correctly)?	TIMELINE \| Same-sex rights in Canada - Canada - CBC News TIMELINE \| Same-sex rights in Canada CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2012 4:47 PM ET Last Updated: May 25, 2015 9:15 AM ET Michael Stark, left, and Michael Leshner celebrate with champagne after their marriage in Superior Court in Toronto on June 10, 2003. The couple had been together for 22 years and were finally allowed to marry following a court ruling. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press) Same-sex rights in Canada have come a long way since 1965. That year, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a ruling that labelled Everett Klippert a "dangerous sexual offender" and threw him in prison for admitting he was gay and that he had sex with other men. Today, homosexual Canadians enjoy much more freedom and societal acceptance. Here's a look at some of the changes that have occurred since Klippert was sent behind bars. 1965 Everett Klippert, a Northwest Territories mechanic, acknowledges to police that he is gay, has had sex with men over a 24-year period and is unlikely to change. In 1967, Klippert is sent to prison indefinitely as a "dangerous sex offender," a sentence that was backed up by the Supreme Court of Canada that same year. Dec. 22, 1967 Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau proposes amendments to the Criminal Code which, among other things, would relax the laws against homosexuality. In 1969, amendments that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had proposed when he was justice minister to the Criminal Code to decriminalize homosexuality are passed. (Chuck Mitchell/Canadian Press) Discussing the amendments, Trudeau says: "It's certainly the most extensive revision of the Criminal Code since the 1950s and, in terms of the subject matter it deals with, I feel that it has knocked down a lot of totems and overridden a lot of taboos and I feel that in that sense it is new. It's bringing the laws of the land up to contemporary society I think. Take this thing on homosexuality. I think the view we take here is that there's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation. I think that what's done in private between adults doesn't concern the Criminal Code. When it becomes public this is a different matter, or when it relates to minors this is a different matter." 1969 Trudeau's amendments pass into the Criminal Code, decriminalizing homosexuality in Canada. July 20, 1971 Everett Klippert is released. Dec. 16, 1977 Quebec includes sexual orientation in its Human Rights Code, making it the first province in Canada to pass a gay civil rights law. The law makes it illegal to discriminate against gays in housing, public accommodation and employment. By 2001, all provinces and territories take this step except Alberta, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories. Jan. 5, 1978 The Pink Triangle Press (now publisher of Xtra magazine) is charged with "possession of obscene material for the purpose of distribution" and "the use of mails for the purpose of transmitting anything that is obscene, indecent or scurrilous" for publishing an article titled "Men Loving Boys Loving Men" in the Dec. 1977/Jan. 1978 issue of The Body Politic. After almost six years in the courts, including two trials, the case is finally resolved when on Oct. 15, 1983, the deadline passes for the Crown to appeal the second court acquittal. (In the first trial, The Pink Triangle Press had also won an acquittal but upon appeal the Crown won a retrial.) The case results in an important precedent. On June 15, 1982, Judge Thomas Mercer, the judge for the second trial, rules that the article "does, in fact, advocate pedophilia," but says, "It is perfectly legal to advocate what in itself would be unacceptable to most Canadians." 1978 Canada gets a new Immigration Act. Under the act, homosexuals are removed from the list of inadmissible classes. 1979 The Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends in its annual report that "sexual orientation" be added to the Canadian Human Rights Act. May 2, 1980 Bill C-242, an act to prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gets its first reading in the House of Commons by MP Pat Carney. The bill, which would have inserted "sexual orientation" into the Canadian Human Rights Act, doesn't pass. NDP MP Svend Robinson introduced numerous bills in the House of Commons to prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press) MP Svend Robinson introduces similar bills in 1983, 1985 1986, 1989, and 1991. In 1991, Robinson tries to get the definition of "spouse" in the Income Tax Act and Canada Pension Plan Act to include "or of the same sex." In 1992, he tries to get the "opposite sex" definition of "spouse" removed from Bill C-55 which would add the definition to survivor benefits provisions of federal pension legislation. All the proposed bills are defeated. Feb. 5, 1981 More than 300 men are arrested following police raids at four gay bath houses in Toronto, the largest mass arrest since the War Measures Act was invoked during the October Crisis. The next night, about 3,000 people march in downtown Toronto to protest the arrests. This is considered to be Canada's 'Stonewall.' October 1985 The Parliamentary Committee on Equality Rights releases a report titled "Equality for All." The committee writes that it is shocked by the high level of discriminatory treatment of homosexuals in Canada. The report discusses the harassment, violence, physical abuse, psychological oppression and hate propaganda that homosexuals live with. The committee recommends that the Canadian Human Rights Act be changed to make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation. In March 1986, the government responds to the report in a paper titled "Toward Equality" in which it writes "the government will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that sexual orientation is a prohibited ground of discrimination in relation to all areas of federal jurisdiction." 1988 Svend Robinson goes public about being gay, becoming the first member of Parliament to do so. Robinson was first elected to the House of Commons in 1979. In 2000, the B.C. riding of Burnaby-Douglas (though its borders had changed) elected Robinson for the eighth time. 1991 In 1991, Delvin Vriend, a lab instructor at King's University College in Edmonton, Alta., was fired from his job because he is gay. (Kevin Frayer/Canadian Press) Delwin Vriend, a lab instructor at King's University College in Edmonton, Alta., is fired from his job because he is gay. The Alberta Human Rights Commission refuses to investigate the case because the Alberta Individual Rights Protection Act does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation. Vriend takes the government of Alberta to court and, in 1994, the court rules that sexual orientation must be added to the act. The government wins on appeal in 1996 and the decision is overturned. In November 1997, the case goes to the Supreme Court of Canada and on April 2, 1998, the high court unanimously rules that the exclusion of homosexuals from Alberta's Individual Rights Protection Act is a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court says that the act would be interpreted to include homosexuals even if the province doesn't change it. The Alberta government does not use the notwithstanding clause despite pressure from conservative and religious groups. August 1992 In Haig and Birch v. Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal rules that the failure to include sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act is discriminatory. Federal Justice Minister Kim Campbell responds to the decision by announcing the government would take the necessary steps to include sexual orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act. November 1992 The federal court lifts the country's ban on homosexuals in the military, allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces. Dec. 9, 1992 As promised, Justice Minister Kim Campbell introduces Bill C-108, which would add "sexual orientation" to the Canadian Human Rights Act. But the act, which would also restrict the definition of "marital status" to opposite-sex couples, doesn't pass first reading. On June 3, 1993, the Senate passes Bill S-15, another attempt at adding "sexual orientation" to the Canadian Human Rights Act, but the bill doesn't make it to the House of Commons because Parliament is dissolved for the 1993 federal election. Feb. 23, 1993 In the Mossop case, the Supreme Court of Canada rules that the denial of bereavement leave to a gay partner is not discrimination based on family status defined in the Canadian Human Rights Act. The case isn't a complete loss to homosexuals though. Two of the judges find the term "family status" was broad enough to include same-sex couples living together in a long-term relationship. The Supreme Court also notes that if Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been argued, the ruling might have been different. May 1995 The Supreme Court rules on the case involving Jim Egan and Jack Nesbit, two gay men who sued Ottawa for the right to claim a spousal pension under the Old Age Security Act. The court rules against Egan and Nesbit. However, all nine judges agree that sexual orientation is a protected ground and that protection extends to partnerships of lesbians and gay men. May 1995 An Ontario Court judge finds that the Child and Family Services Act of Ontario infringes Section 15 of the Charter by not allowing same-sex couples to bring a joint application for adoption. He rules that four lesbians have the right to adopt their partners' children. Ontario becomes the first province to make it legal for same-sex couples to adopt. British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia follow suit, also allowing adoption by same-sex couples. Other provinces are looking into the issue. 1996 The federal government passes Bill C-33 which adds "sexual orientation" to the Canadian Human Rights Act. May 1999 The Supreme Court of Canada rules same-sex couples should have the same benefits and obligations as opposite-sex common-law couples and equal access to benefits from social programs to which they contribute. The ruling centred on the "M v. H" case which involved two Toronto women who had lived together for more than a decade. When the couple broke up in 1992, "M" sued "H" for spousal support under Ontario's Family Law Act. The problem was that the act defined "spouse" as either a married couple or "a man and woman" who are unmarried and have lived together for no less than three years. The judge rules that the definition violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and declares that the words "a man and woman" should be replaced with "two persons." "H" appeals the decision. The Court of Appeal upholds the decision but gives Ontario one year to amend its Family Law Act. Although neither "M" nor "H" chooses to take the case any further, Ontario's attorney general is granted leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal, which brought the case to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court rules that the Ontario Family Law Act's definition of "spouse" as a person of the opposite sex is unconstitutional as was any provincial law that denies equal benefits to same-sex couples. Ontario is given six months to amend the act. June 8, 1999 Although many laws will have to be revised to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling in May, the federal government votes 216 to 55 in favour of preserving the definition of "marriage" as the union of a man and a woman. Justice Minister Anne McLellan says the definition of marriage is already clear in law and the federal government has "no intention of changing the definition of marriage or legislating same-sex marriage." Oct. 25, 1999 Attorney General Jim Flaherty introduces Bill 5 in the Ontario legislature, an act to amend certain statutes because of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the M. v. H. case. Instead of changing Ontario's definition of spouse, which the Supreme Court essentially struck down, the government creates a new same-sex category, changing the province's Family Law Act to read "spouse or same-sex partner" wherever it had read only "spouse" before. Bill 5 also amends more than 60 other provincial laws, making the rights and responsibilities of same-sex couples mirror those of common-law couples. Feb. 11, 2000 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberals introduce Bill C-23, the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, in response to the Supreme Court's May 1999 ruling. The act would give same-sex couples who have lived together for more than a year the same benefits and obligations as common-law couples. In March, Justice Minister Anne McLellan announces the bill will include a definition of marriage as "the lawful union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others." On April 11, 2000, Parliament passes Bill C-23, with a vote of 174 to 72. The legislation gives same-sex couples the same social and tax benefits as heterosexuals in common-law relationships. In total, the bill affects 68 federal statutes relating to a wide range of issues such as pension benefits, old age security, income tax deductions, bankruptcy protection and the Criminal Code. The definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" are left untouched but the definition of "common-law relationship" is expanded to include same-sex couples. March 16, 2000 Alberta passes Bill 202 which says that the province will use the notwithstanding clause if a court redefines marriage to include anything other than a man and a woman. July 21, 2000 British Columbia Attorney General Andrew Petter announces he will ask the courts for guidance on whether Canada's ban on same-sex marriages is constitutional, making his province the first to do so. Toronto was the first Canadian city to ask for clarification on the issue when it did so in May 2000. Dec. 10, 2000 Kevin Bourassa, left, and partner Joe Varnell exchange rings and vows in front of Reverend Brent Hawkes during their wedding ceremony at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto on Jan. 14, 2001. (Kevin Frayer/Canadian Press) Rev. Brent Hawkes of the Metropolitan Community Church in Toronto reads the first "banns" — an old Christian tradition of publishing or giving public notice of people's intent to marry — for two same-sex couples. Hawkes says that if the banns are read on three Sundays before the wedding, he can legally marry the couples. The reading of banns is meant to be an opportunity for anyone who might oppose a wedding to come forward with objections before the ceremony. No one comes forward on the first Sunday but the next week two people stand up to object, including Rev. Ken Campbell who calls the procedure "lawless and Godless." Hawkes dismisses the objections and reads the banns for the third time the following Sunday. Consumer Minister Bob Runciman says Ontario will not recognize same-sex marriages. He says no matter what Hawkes' church does, the federal law is clear. "It won't qualify to be registered because of the federal legislation which clearly defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others." The two same-sex couples are married on Jan. 14, 2001. The following day, Runciman reiterates the government's position, saying the marriages will not be legally recognized. May 10, 2002 Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert McKinnon rules that a gay student has the right to take his boyfriend to the prom. Earlier, the Durham Catholic District School Board said student Marc Hall couldn't bring his 21-year-old boyfriend to the dance at Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic high school in Oshawa. Officials acknowledge that Hall has the right to be gay, but said permitting the date would send a message that the church supports his "homosexual lifestyle." Hall went to the prom. July 12, 2002 For the first time, a Canadian court rules in favour of recognizing same-sex marriages under the law. The Ontario Superior Court rules that prohibiting gay couples from marrying is unconstitutional and violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court gives Ontario two years to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. As a result of the Ontario ruling, the Alberta government passes a bill banning same-sex marriages and defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. The province says it will use the notwithstanding clause to avoid recognizing same-sex marriages if Ottawa amends the Marriage Act. Also, a ruling against gay marriages is expected to be heard in B.C. by the province's Court of Appeal in early 2003, and a judge in Montreal is to rule on a similar case. July 16, 2002 Ontario decides not to appeal the court ruling, saying only the federal government can decide who can marry. July 29, 2002 On July 29, the federal government announces it will seek leave to appeal the Ontario court ruling "to seek further clarity on these issues." Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says in a news release, "At present, there is no consensus, either from the courts or among Canadians, on whether or how the laws require change." Aug. 1, 2002 Toronto city council passes a resolution calling the common-law definition restricting marriage to opposite sex couples discriminatory. Nov. 10, 2002 An Ekos poll commissioned by CBC finds that 45 per cent of Canadians would vote Yes in a referendum to change the definition of marriage from a union of a man and a woman to one that could include a same-sex couple. Feb. 13, 2003 MP Svend Robinson unveils a private member's bill that would allow same-sex marriages. The federal government has already changed several laws to give same-sex couples the same benefits and obligations as heterosexual common-law couples. June 10, 2003 The Ontario Court of Appeal upholds a lower court ruling to legally allow same-sex marriages. "The existing common law definition of marriage violates the couple's equality rights on the basis of sexual orientation under [the charter]," read the decision. The judgment follows the Ontario Divisional Court ruling on July 12, 2002. Hours after the ruling, Michael Leshner and Michael Stark are married in a ceremony in Toronto. Both men played a key role in the court case. June 11, 2003 Ontario Attorney General Norm Sterling announces that the province will obey the law and register same-sex marriages. Nearly two dozen homosexual couples applied for marriage licences in Ontario on June 10. June 17, 2003 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announces legislation to make same-sex marriages legal, while at the same time permitting churches and other religious groups to "sanctify marriage as they see it." It means Ottawa will not appeal two provincial court rulings allowing same-sex unions. "There is an evolution in society," Chrétien said. July 8, 2003 British Columbia becomes the second province to legalize same-sex marriages. The British Columbia Court of Appeal lifts its ban on same-sex marriages, giving couples in the province the right to marry immediately. The decision alters a ruling that would have made same-sex marriages legal, but not until July 2004. The court had already agreed that the definition of marriage should be the union of "two persons" rather than of "one man and one woman." Ontario was the first province to recognize same-sex marriages as legal. July 17, 2003 Ottawa reveals the exact wording of legislation that would allow gay couples to marry. The Act Respecting Certain Aspects of Legal Capacity for Marriage was sent to the Supreme Court of Canada for review. According to the draft bill, "marriage for civil purposes is the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others. The Supreme Court is being asked whether or not Parliament has the exclusive legal authority to define marriage; if the proposed act is compatible with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and whether or not the Constitution protects religious leaders who refuse to sanctify same-sex marriages. If the country's top justices decide that the draft legislation is constitutional, it will be put to a free vote in the House of Commons — meaning members of Parliament would not have to vote according to party lines. Aug. 13, 2003 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien vows not to let religious objections alter his stand on same-sex marriage. He says members of Parliament will be allowed to vote freely on the bill when it's introduced in the House of Commons after his retirement in 2004. A significant number of Liberal MPs say they do not support same-sex unions and will vote against the legislation. Aug. 14, 2003 After extensive and emotional debate, the United Church of Canada votes overwhelmingly to endorse same-sex marriages. The majority of delegates at the church's general council meeting in Wolfville, N.S., vote to ask Ottawa to recognize same-sex marriage in the same way as heterosexual ones. Sept. 9, 2003 A gay and lesbian group goes to trial against the federal government in an attempt to force Ottawa to extend survivor benefits to excluded gays and lesbians. Gay and lesbian partners — pursuing Canadian Pension Plan benefits from their deceased partners — say the federal government is discriminating against them and have filed a $400-million class-action suit. Nov. 27, 2003 Alliance Leader Stephen Harper Thursday fires MP Larry Spencer as family issues critic after Spencer said homosexuality should be outlawed. Dec. 19, 2003 An Ontario court rules that Ottawa has discriminated against same-sex couples by denying benefits to those whose partners died before 1998. The court rules that benefits will be retroactive to April 17, 1985, when equality rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into effect. Jan. 28, 2004 Justice Minister Irwin Cotler announces the government has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to determine whether limiting common-law marriages to opposite-sex couples only is constitutional. This adds to the three original questions sent to the top court in 2003. March 19, 2004 The Quebec Court of Appeal rules that homosexuals have the right to marry, and that the traditional definition of marriage is discriminatory and unjustified. The ruling upholds a lower-court decision and follows similar decisions in Ontario and B.C. June 2004 A lesbian couple files the first same-sex divorce petition in Canada. Lawyers for the couple are asking the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to grant the divorce and declare the definition of "spouse" under the Divorce Act unconstitutional. A judge grants the divorce in September 2004. Sept. 16, 2004 A Manitoba judge ruling in the Court of Queen's Bench declares the current definition of marriage "no longer constitutionally valid in view of the provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms." Neither federal nor provincial lawyers attempted to oppose the lawsuit launched by three Manitoba couples. Officials in the province begin issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples shortly thereafter. Sept. 24, 2004 In the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Justice Heather Robertson rules that banning same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, effectively changing the definition of marriage in the province to "the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others." Nov. 26, 2004 The Ontario Court of Appeal rules that gays and lesbians in the province are entitled to survivors' benefits under the Canada Pension Plan dating back to 1985. The class-action lawsuit was filed for gays and lesbians whose partners died before Jan. 1, 1998, the cut-off date for retroactive benefits set by the government in 2000. Dec. 9, 2004 The Supreme Court of Canada rules that the federal government can change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, but does not answer whether such a change is required by the Charter. It also reaffirms that religious leaders cannot be compelled to perform same-sex marriages. Dec. 21, 2004 Newfoundland and Labrador is the seventh province to legalize same-sex marriage after a Supreme Court judge approves the licences for two lesbian couples. Feb. 1, 2005 The federal government introduces its same-sex marriage bill in the House of Commons. The bill, if passed, would give married same-sex partners the same legal recognition as other married couples, but protects religious freedoms, the Liberals say. "No church, no temple, no synagogue, no mosque, no religious official will be asked or forced to perform a marriage that is contrary to their beliefs," says Prime Minister Paul Martin. April 25, 2005 Four gay couples in New Brunswick file papers with the province's Court of Appeal asking it to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions. New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta and Prince Edward Island are the only jurisdictions in Canada that don't recognize same-sex marriages. May 3, 2005 Two men, a Canadian Forces sergeant and a warrant officer, are married in the chapel at CFB Greenwood, N.S., in the military's first gay wedding. May 20, 2005 Jason Perrino and Colin Snow, a same-sex couple from Yellowknife, sue the government of the Northwest Territories over the right to be married. June 23, 2005 New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench finds the province's current definition of civil marriage violates the rights of gay people. The ruling makes New Brunswick the eighth province where a court has opened the door to legal same-sex unions. June 28, 2005 The Liberals' controversial Bill C-38, titled Law on Civil Marriage, passes a final reading in the House of Commons, sailing through in a 158-133 vote, supported by most members of the Liberal party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP. The vote came at a price for Paul Martin's minority government. Joe Comuzzi, the minister responsible for Northern Ontario, resigned from the cabinet so he could vote against the bill — an open rebuke of the government legislation. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says if his party forms the next government, the law will be revisited. If the Senate approves the law, and it is expected to do so, it would make Canada the fourth country in the world, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, to officially recognize same-sex marriage. July 20, 2005 Bill C-38, the law giving same-sex couples the legal right to marry, receives royal assent and becomes law. Dec. 7, 2006 A motion tabled by the ruling Conservatives to reopen the same-sex marriage debate is defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 175-123. Twelve Tories — including five cabinet ministers — broke from party lines and voted against the motion, while 13 Liberals supported the motion. Jan. 12, 2012 The federal government says it is considering how to make divorce possible for same-sex couples who had to come to Canada to get married. Thousands of gays and lesbians who could not marry in the country where they live have travelled to Canada seeking a legal marriage. But Canada's divorce laws don't allow people who haven't lived in Canada for at least a year to end their marriage.	i don't know
Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics are notable corporations in what sector?	Comparing Lockheed Martin with other major defense contractors - Market Realist Company overview: Should you invest in Lockheed Martin? PART 12 OF 12 Comparing Lockheed Martin with other major defense contractors By Ally Schmidt \| Oct 31, 2014 10:08 am EST Major defense players in the U.S. With total sales of $45,358 million in 2013, Lockheed Martin is the largest defense contractor in the world. The other major defense contractors in the world include The Boeing Company ( BA ), Raytheon Company ( RTN ), General Dynamics ( GD ), and Northrop Grumman Corp. ( NOC ). The Boeing Company Boeing is one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers. It’s also the second largest defense contractors in the world. It had total sales of $86,623 million in 2013. It has two major business segments: Commercial Airplanes, which forms 61.5% of its sales, and Defense, Space and Security, which forms 38.5% of its sales. Its popular products include some widely used commercial aircraft like 737s, 777s, and 747s. Raytheon Company Raytheon is the third largest defence contractor in the U.S. It has total sales of $23,706 million in 2013. Its major business segments are Integrated Defense Systems (22%), Intelligence, Information and Services (24%), Missile Systems (27%), and Space & Airborne Systems (27%). Almost 72% of its revenues come from the U.S. government, while 27% of its sales come from international customers. General Dynamics This is the fourth largest defense contractor in the United States. Its total sales in 2013 were $31,218 million. General Dynamics’ major business segments include Aerospace (26%), Combat Systems (20%), Marine Systems (22%), and Information Systems & Technology (32%). The company gets 62% of its revenue from the U.S. government. Northrop Grumman With total sales of $24,661 million Northrop Grumman is the fifth largest defense contractor in the United States. Its major business segments include Aerospace Systems (35 %), Electronic Systems (30%), Information Systems (25%), and Technical Services (10%). Almost 86% of its sales are from the U.S. government. All these stocks are part of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ( XLI ). Check out Market Realist’s Aerospace page for more important research. {"metrics":["Open"],"tickers":["LMT","GD","NOC","RTN","XLI"],"ticker_names":["Lockheed Martin Corporation","General Dynamics Corporation","Northrop Grumman Corporation","Raytheon Company","Select Sector Industrl Slct Sctr SPDR Fd"]} X	Weapon
What is the currency of Brazil?	How Could a War against ISIS Affect Raytheon? - Market Realist Raytheon: From Noble Beginnings to Attractive Option for Investors PART 8 OF 12 How Could a War against ISIS Affect Raytheon? By Ally Schmidt \| Apr 13, 2015 3:10 pm EST War against ISIS an expensive affair Wars have always been an expensive affair, and the US fight against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the latest global threat, is no exception. US military forces and other allies have reportedly dropped more than 3,000 bombs and conducted more than 2,600 airstrikes at ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. The US military has reportedly spent more than $1.2 billion since December 2011 on the war against ISIS, and this amount is expected to rise as the war continues. Since most of the attacks on these two countries have been done aerially without deploying any ground forces, US armed forces have mostly made use of satellite-guided bombs and missiles to strike targets. The most used equipment are the GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions made by Boeing ( BA ) and the laser-guided Hellfire missiles made by Lockheed Martin ( LMT ). The United States and its allies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Australia will all require more weapons to keep up with the requirements of war. Huge opportunity US top defense companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics ( GD ), and Raytheon ( RTN ) are expected to reap the highest benefits from these global tensions. Together, these companies are expected to gain more than $150 billion in revenues overall per year. Boeing and Lockheed Martin have already received $559 million funding for $700 million to buy 5,567 Hellfire missiles and 13,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Raytheon forms a 1.82% holding of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ( XLI ). Raytheon has also received a $139 million order from the U.S. Navy for 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The company expects similar orders in the future as requirements grow. {"metrics":["Open"],"tickers":["RTN","LMT","BA","GD","XLI"],"ticker_names":["Raytheon Company","Lockheed Martin Corporation","The Boeing Company","General Dynamics Corporation","Select Sector Industrl Slct Sctr SPDR Fd"]} X	i don't know
The word apogee refers to what sort of point?	Apogee \| Definition of Apogee by Merriam-Webster Examples of apogee in a sentence <shag carpeting reached the apogee of its popularity in the 1970s but is now considered outdated> Of apogees, climaxes, and culminations Apogee is often used in its figurative sense, signifying the high point of a career, endeavor, or state (“she was at the apogee of her profession”). This meaning developed as a metaphorical extension of the word’s astronomical sense, denoting the farthest distance from earth of an object orbiting the planet. A number of other English words that are synonymous with apogee have followed a similar path of figurative development from a technical meaning. Climax (“the most interesting and exciting part of something”) came into English as a term for a series of phrases arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness. And, very much like apogee, culmination (“the final result of something”) is also rooted in astronomy: it originally referred to the highest point a celestial body reaches in its daily revolution (for example, the sun’s height at noon). Illustration of apogee Origin and Etymology of apogee French apogée, from New Latin apogaeum, from Greek apogaion, from neuter of apogeios, apogaios far from the earth, from apo- + gē, gaia earth First Known Use: 1640 apogee Synonyms Synonyms	Extremes on Earth
What country has Baffin Bay to its west coast and Denmark Strait to its south-east?	Apogee - definition of apogee by The Free Dictionary Apogee - definition of apogee by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/apogee n. 1. a. Astronomy The point in an orbit around the planet Earth where the orbiting body is farthest from the planet. b. The analogous point in an orbit around a celestial body other than Earth. Not in technical use. 2. The farthest or highest point; the apex: "The golden age of American sail, which began with the fast clipper ships in 1848, reached its apogee in the Gold Rush years" (Los Angeles Times). [French apogée, from New Latin apogaeum, from Greek apogaion, from neuter of apogaios, far from the earth : apo-, apo- + gaia, earth.] ap′o·ge′an (-jē′ən) adj. apogee (ˈæpəˌdʒiː) n 1. (Astronomy) the point in its orbit around the earth when the moon or an artificial satellite is at its greatest distance from the earth. Compare perigee 2. the highest point [C17: from New Latin apogaeum (influenced by French apogée), from Greek apogaion, from apogaios away from the earth, from apo- + gaia earth] ˌapoˈgean adj (ˈæp əˌdʒi) n. 1. the point in the orbit of the moon or of an artificial satellite at which it is farthest from the earth. Compare perigee. 2. the highest or most exalted point; climax: an apogee of artistic development. [1585–95; alter. (after French apogée) of earlier apogaeum < Latin < Greek apógaion (diástema) off-earth (distance), neuter of apógaios (adj.)] ap`o•ge′an, adj. ap·o·gee (ăp′ə-jē) 1. The point farthest from the Earth's center in the orbit of the moon or an artificial satellite. 2. The point in the orbit of a body, such as a satellite, where it is farthest from the body around which it revolves, such as a planet. Compare perigee . apogee The point at which a missile trajectory or a satellite orbit is farthest from the center of the gravitational field of the controlling body or bodies. apogee	i don't know
What recent wine-making country produces varieties from its Maharashtra region?	GRAPE GRAPE 1. INTRODUCTION Grape (Vitis sp.) belonging to Family Vitaceae is a commercially important fruit crop of India. ï¿½It is a temperate crop which has got adapted to sub-tropical climate of peninsular India. 2. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this exercise is to support commercial cultivation of grapes by projecting a one acre bankable model project.ï¿½ The high yield of grape is limited to a few vineyards and is not consistent throughout the life - span of the crop. ï¿½In order to get uniformly high yields with good quality fruit, the basic principles of viticulture needs to ï¿½percolate down to all the growers. Peak production during March-April months leading to glut in the market and poor quality of grapes resulting in tremendous post-harvest losses are other problems which limit profits. Growers need to be educated on means of extending harvest over a longer period to get better price for their produce and to minimize market risk. 3.1 Origin Grape cultivation is believed to have originated in Armenia near the Caspian Sea in Russia, from where it spread westward to Europe and eastward to Iran and Afghanistan. Grape was introduced in India in 1300 AD by invaders from Iran and Afghanistan. 3.2 Area & Production India is among the first ten countries in the world in the production of grape. The major producers of grape are Italy, France, Spain, USA, Turkey, China and Argentina.ï¿½ This crop occupies fifth position amongst fruit crops in India with a production of 1.21 million tonnes (around 2% of worldï¿½s production of 57.40 million tonnes) from an area of 0.05 million ha. in 2001-02. The area under grape is 1.2 % of the total area of fruit crops in the country.ï¿½ Production is 2.8% of total fruits produced in the country. About 80% of the production comes from Maharashtra followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The area and production trends of grape during the period 1997-98 to 2001-02 are depicted in Graphs-1 & 2. State-wise area, production and productivity of grapes are given in Table-1 below. Table-1: State-wise Area, Production & Productivity of Grapes during 2001-02. 1209.60 24.40 ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Source: Database of National Horticulture Board, Ministry of Agriculture , Govt. of India. Variety-wise break-up of the area is as below: 3.3 Economic Importance The fruit contains about 20% sugar in easily digestible form besides being rich in calcium and phosphorus. ï¿½World over it is grown mainly for wine making (82% production), raisin making (10% production) and rest for table purpose (8%). In India, however it is mostly consumed as fresh fruit and only a limited quantity is utilized for the production of liquor, dry fruits like raisins etc. 4. MARKET ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY 4.1 Demand and Supply Patterns The contribution of India in foreign trade of grape and its processed products is meager, although, export of fresh grape from India is on the increase. ï¿½The share of Indian grape in the imports of the European countries (U.K., Germany, France, Netherlands) and Asian countries (Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and China) needs to be increased. Varieties in demand in international markets include Thompson Seedless, Emperor, Ruby Seedless, Red globe, Christmas rose, Crimson Seedless, Calmeria, Rouge Ribier, Exotic, Fantasy Seedless. Several varieties such as Thompson Seedless, Flame Seedless, Shared Seedless, Tas-A-Ganesh and Sonaka, that are currently in demand in the international markets, are produced and exported from India. However, seeded varieties that are demanded in USA and Italy markets are not produced in India. To tap this potential, there is a need to increase area under seeded varieties of grapes. The wine trade has enormous potential. With the support of Govt. policies India can make a mark in wine industry at global level. ï¿½Mahagrapesï¿½, a co-operative partnership firm established in 1991, with the support of Maharashtra State Agricultural & Marketing Board (Pune), NCDC (New Delhi), Govt. of India, National Horticulture Board (Gurgaon, Haryana) and APEDA has established itself as a major organization exporting quality grapes from India to European Union and Middle East markets. ï¿½It has succeeded in establishing its brand name in the highly competitive and quality conscious international markets. 4.2 Import / Export Trends The major exporters are Italy, Chile, USA, S. Africa, Spain, Greece, Netherlands etc. The major importers of grapes are USA and Germany followed by France, U.K., Canada, Netherlands and Hong Kong. Fresh grapes are being exported from India to about 30 countries including U.K., Netherlands, U.A.E., Bangladesh, Germany, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain.ï¿½ The trend in export of fresh grapes during the period 1999-2000 to 2002-03 is given in Graph-3.ï¿½ The export statistics of fresh grapes from India during 2001-02 is presented in Table-2. Table-2: Country-wise export of fresh grapes from India during 2001-02. ï¿½Source: APEDA, New Delhi About 100 metric tonnes of grapes were imported during the period 1999 to 2002, at an average per kg. price of Rs.50.38. These were mainly imported from Afghanistan (37%), USA (15%), Australia (12%), Vietnam (11%), New Zealand (7%), Singapore (6%) and China (5%). Besides, small quantities were imported from South Africa, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 4.3 Analysis and Future Strategy Production currently is much higher than demand in the domestic market.ï¿½ There is need to promote export of grape and its products to sustain present production trend.ï¿½ Otherwise growers can incur heavy financial losses. ï¿½ Till recently export of grapes from India was mostly confined to neighbouring countries due to inadequate pre-cooling facilities and consciousness about quality as well as residues of pesticides by countries like U.K., USA, Germany, Canada & Switzerland. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ We have now taken adequate measures to ensure prescribed pesticide residual limits in the grapes produced in the country.ï¿½ To boost exports regular guidance is being given to the farmers and their co-operative societies on different aspects e.g. pre-harvest, proper use of pesticides, post harvest, packaging, pre-cooling, cold storage and transportation. There is a need to increase the share of Indian grape in the imports of European countries like U.K., Germany, France and Netherlands where higher prices can be fetched. ï¿½There is also potential for increase in the export of Indian grape to Asian countries like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and China in which prices are very high. 5.1 Agro-climatic Requirements Grape is a versatile crop that can adjust to any type of climate. The ideal climate is in the Mediterranean region. In Europe, America, Australia and Russia, it is grown under temperate conditions, while in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China, Pakistan, Israel and North India it is grown under sub-tropical conditions. It is also cultivated under the tropical climatic conditions of Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Kenya, South and West India. Sandy to clayey and loamy soil with good drainage and irrigation facilities is suitable for the cultivation of Grapes. Soils having pH value from 6.5 to 7.5 are most suitable. In its natural habitat, the crop bears fruit during the hot and dry period and undergoes dormancy during the period of severe cold. It tolerates frost during resting stage but is very susceptible during growing period. Temperature ranging from 15-350 C is ideal for shoot growth and normal physiological processes of the grapevine. Vines do not grow and fruit well when the temperature falls below 100 C. Locations where the annual rainfall does not exceed 900 mm. are ideal for its cultivation. ï¿½More than the amount of rainfall received during a year, the number of rainy days in a year and the occurrence of rains in relation to the stage of growth of the vine is important. ï¿½Humidity associated with rains during flowering and fruit ripening is not favourable and invites the attack of fungal diseases. 5.2 Growing and Potential Belts Maharashtra (Nasik, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Pune, Satara, Solapur and Osmanabad Districts) ranks first in the production of grape followed by Karnataka (Bangalore, Kolar, Bijapur), Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh (Rangareddy, Medak, Ananthapur). In these States, grape orchards bear two crops in a year resulting in exceptionally high yield.ï¿½ Fruit quality is however poor.ï¿½ In north India, grape is cultivated mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.ï¿½ Vegetative growth takes place only in the spring season; consequently the fruiting is only once in a year during the summer months. Region - I. (Northern India) Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Thompson Seedless, Perlette, Beauty Seedless, Anab-e-Shahi, Black Hamburg, Black Prince, Dakh, Fosterï¿½s seedling, Kandhari, Khalili, Pandhari Sahebi, Watham Cross, Pusa Seedless, Hur, Black Muscat, Early Muscat, Banquiabyad, Cardinal, Kairon Region ï¿½ II (Peninsular India) ï¿½ Telangana & Rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh ï¿½ Nasik, Pune, Sholapur, Satara, Sangli, Bhir, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra ï¿½ Bijapur,Gulbarga,Raichur, Bellary districts of Karnataka Anab-e-Shahi, Thompson Seedless, Cheema Sahebi, Pandari Sahebi, Gulabi, Bhokri, Kali Sahebi, Sonaka & Tas-A-Ganesh(clones of Thompson seedless). Region ï¿½ III (Peninsular India) ï¿½ Madurai, Salem and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu ï¿½ Bangalore, Kolar, Mysore & Tumkur districts of Karnataka Bhokri, Anab-e-Shahi, Gulabi, Bangalore Blue, Black Champa, Convent Large Black, Angur Kalan, Taifi Rosovi, Coarna Resia, Queen of vineyard, Kandhari, Black Prince, Muscat, Pachadraksha List of commercial varieties utilized for specific purposes is given in the following: ï¿½ Perlette, Pusa Seedless, Thompson Seedless and its clones (Tas-A-Ganesh, Sonaka & Manik Chaman). 5.4 Land Preparation Land is leveled by a tractor or bulldozer as per the requirement, soil type and gradient. ï¿½In case of drip irrigation, leveling need not be perfect. ï¿½ The size of the plot will vary with the type of training system used. In case of bower and telephone or ï¿½Tï¿½ trellis the ideal size could be 60 X 80 m. and 90 X 120 m. respectively. 5.5 Planting Grape is usually propagated by hard wood cuttings, though propagation by seed, soft wood cuttings, layering, grafting and budding is also used in some cases. The grapevines are usually planted in pits. The size of the pit depends upon the spacing of the vines and also on the specific requirements of the variety. The depth may vary from 60 to 90 cm. depending upon the soil type. ï¿½Wider spacing (1.2 m. X 1.2 m.) is required in case of vigorous varieties like Anab-e-Shahi and Bangalore Blue. A little less than that (i.e. 90 X 90 cm.) is required in case of varieties viz. Thompson Seedless, Perlette and Beauty Seedless. In central Maharashtra and northern parts of Karnataka the spacing adopted for Thompson seedless and its mutants is 1.8m X 2.4 m. The pits need to be opened about a month before planting. Planting is usually avoided during the rainy season. The best time for planting is February-March in North India, November-January in the peninsular India. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu it is usually planted during December-January, due to the fact that rainy season lasts upto end of November. Growth of the plants starts 10-15 days after planting, depending upon the season of planting. Growth occurs earlier in case of those planted during warm season as compared to those planted in cold season.ï¿½ After one month of planting, the young plants need staking and training. 5.6 Training Systems In India systems like bower, kniffin, telephone, head and slanting trellis have been tried in the past, but the bower & telephone system are being followed on a large scale. ï¿½About 80% of the vineyard area in India is on bower system.ï¿½ The training system and intensity of pruning recommended for different varieties is given below: 5.6.1 Bower This system is most widely used in commercial cultivation of grapes and particularly for the vigorous varieties with high degree of apical dominance. As the shoots start growing from the newly ï¿½planted rooted cuttings in the main field, only the best shoot growing vertically is allowed to grow along the stake provided upto the bower height. 5.6.2 Kniffin (also called Espalier System) The system is less expensive than Bower, yet it is less commonly followed. ï¿½It is suitable for training moderately vigorous varieties having less degree of apical dominance. Close planting of vines within a row at spacing of 1.80 to 2.40 m. depending upon the vigour of the plant is followed keeping the row to row distance at 3 meters. As in the case of Bower, the vigorous and vertically growing shoot is trained along the vertical support. ï¿½ Advantages of Kniffin System over Bower System: ï¿½ Disease incidence and spread is less. ï¿½ Easy to carry out spraying and other cultural operations. The main drawback is that yield is about half of what is obtained on bower system. Though the vine canopy is exposed to light, the lower laterals are less productive due to shading by the foliage on the upper laterals. Damage to the branches is more due to sunburn and birds. ï¿½ 5.6.3 Telephone System T-trellis is used in this system of training. It is a mini discontinuous bower with shoots hanging downwards with three topped wires and T-shaped support, the trellis looks like a telephone pole and wires. It is as expensive as kniffin system and is suitable for moderately vigorous varieties with slightly more apical dominance. Advantages of Telephone System over Bower System: ï¿½ Better ventilation and light interception ï¿½ More convenient to carry out cultural operations and spraying ï¿½ Less expensive Disadvantages of Telephone System over Bower System : ï¿½ Less yield as there is no provision for developing as many number of canes per unit area as in Bower. ï¿½ During summer months, sunburn of berries is observed in very hot and dry places. 5.6.4 Head System This is the least expensive of all the training systems. It is suitable for less vigorous varieties with less degree of apical dominance and for those in which the basal buds in a cane are fruitful, such as Beauty Seedless, Delight and Perlette in North India and Gulabi in South India.ï¿½ Plants are spaced very closely to accommodate about 4000 ï¿½ 4500 plants per ha. with a spacing of 1.80 m. and 1.20 m to 1.50 m between the rows and within a row respectively. The vines are supported to vertical stakes of eucalyptus or bamboo poles of 1.50 m. length. These supports are fixed very close to the vine 30 cm. deep in the soil leaving 1.20 m above the ground. The return on investment made is less as compared to the Bower system. Size of the berries produced on this system is larger as compared to that of other systems. Incidence of diseases is much less on this system. The prevailing pruning practices in India can be broadly grouped into the following categories: (i) Single Pruning- Single cropping This system is prevalent in North India. Since only one growing season is available, grapevines are pruned with the onset of spring or during late winter (mostly January-February). Floral differentiation on the current shoots and the fruit set take place simultaneously. If all the bearing shoots are retained on the vine and pruned in the next winter for fruiting, the fruiting wood multiplies faster and the vine canopy becomes denser year after year, leading to barrenness within just 3 to 4 years. In order to regulate vine canopy and extend its productive life span, half of the mature shoots are pruned for fruiting and the other half are pruned for renewing the spurs to give rise to shoots that develop into fruiting canes for the next year. Alternatively, the fruiting canes are pruned back to renewal spurs and the mature shoots developed from the previous spurs are pruned to fruiting canes year after year. (ii) Double pruning ï¿½ Single cropping This system is predominantly followed in Maharashtra, north interior Karnataka in case of Thompson Seedless, and Andhra Pradesh on Thompson Seedless and Anab-e- Shahi grapes. After harvest in summer, the vines are forced to undergo rest for about a month, during which period water is withheld to help concentrate the reserves in the mature parts of the vine. All the fruiting canes are pruned back to spurs retaining only one basal node. This is called as ï¿½back pruning ï¿½or ï¿½foundation pruningï¿½ or ï¿½summer pruning ï¿½. Buds on the shoots growing from these spurs differentiate into floral primordial and the shoots mature in about five months. These mature shoots are pruned for fruiting before the onset of winter (September- October). This pruning is called ï¿½forward pruningï¿½ or ï¿½fruit pruningï¿½ or winter pruningï¿½. All the mature shoots are subjected to fruit pruning. Thus, in this system of pruning, a cycle of two prunings resulting in one crop is practiced. (iii) Double pruning ï¿½ Double cropping This system is in vogue in Anab-e-shahi and Bangalore Blue grapes in the south interior Karnataka and in Anab-e- Shahi, Bhokri and Gulabi in Tamil Nadu. Barring Bangalore Blue, the pruning practices in other varieties are common. Mature shoots are pruned to canes of 7-8 buds after harvesting the crop in summer. The mature shoots arising from these 3-4 buds along spurs are pruned for fruiting canes in the next winter. In the Madurai region and other parts of Tamil Nadu, pruning is done during November-December for summer crop harvested during March-April, and during May-June for the second crop harvested during August-September. In the south interior Karnataka, the forward pruning is done during October-November for summer crop harvested during February-March and during April-May for the second crop harvested during July-August. In Bangalore Blue, the recently mature shoots are pruned to 3-4 nodes at every pruning. There is no alternative system of backward and forward pruning in this variety.ï¿½ ï¿½Only forward pruning is practised. Time of pruning could be any time of the year excepting December. In this variety, the crop is harvested about 5 months after pruning. As a result, three crops are harvested in two years, and the crop is harvested almost throughout the year. 5.8 Shoot Pinching Shoot pinching is mainly done to regulate the growth, and provide better ventilation and light interception into the vine canopy. Shoot pinching is done during the growth as well as fruiting seasons in peninsular India but only during the fruiting season in North India and other temperate regions as there is only one growing season in these regions. 5.9 Irrigation Irrigation practices vary considerably in different regions of India depending upon the rainfall pattern, time of pruning, different growth stages, water-holding capacity of soil, variety grown, training system followed and spacing of vines. Irrigation is provided once in every three days in newly planted vineyards by allowing water into a small circular basin of 50 cm. radius. With the increase in growth rate the size of the basin increases to a radius of 2m. In case of drip irrigation, only one emitter is placed at the base of the vine. The number of emitters gradually increases to two and then four which are shifted about 30 or 40cm. away from the stem depending upon the variety and spacing of the vines. Heavy irrigation is provided soon after pruning in order to wet the entire root zone thoroughly and induce active growth in the vine. Light irrigation of 50-75mm. (5.0-7.5 L./ha.) is given is given at an interval of 10-12 days during winter and 5-7 days in summers. In the event of rainfall during that interval, the next irrigation is either omitted or delayed. Irrigation frequency is reduced during anthesis, fruiting stage and also after berry softening to improve fruit quality. 5.10 Nutrition Recommended doses of nutrients for different varieties under different agro-climatic regions are given in table below: Table-4: Recommended nutrient doses (kg./ha.) for different varieties of Grape Source: The Grape Improvement, Production & Post-harvest management by K.L. Chadha, S.D. Shikhamany. 5.11 Improvement in fruit Quality Pruning time, variations in climate during the growth period (temperature, humidity and frost), use of various chemicals to control diseases and pests are the main factors which determine the quality of the produce. ï¿½Good variety bunches of Grapes for eating should be from medium to big sized, seedless grains. Varieties like Perlette tend to bear very compact bunches and require considerable thinning of berries for proper development of berry and bunch. Removal of distal end of the bunch helps in uniform ripening of berries. Application of growth regulators also helps in improving the fruit quality. ï¿½Application of 20 ppm. of Gibberellic acid (GA) (2g./100 l. water) at full bloom followed by dipping of bunches in 75 ppm. of GA solution at fruit set stage increases the bunch and berry size of seedless varieties. Similar kind of treatment given to seeded varieties does not give the same kind of result. Pre-bloom application of SADH (1500 ppm.) and CCC (1200 ppm.) increases fruit set and yields in Thompson Seedless and Anab-e-Shahi cultivars of grapes. 5.12.1 Insect Pests Insect pests mostly observed are flea beetle, thrips & wasps.ï¿½ For controlling these spraying with Dichlorovas, Dimethoate & Endosulfan is recommended. 5.12.2 Diseases The Crop is suspect to diseases like downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot, wilt, leaf blight etc.ï¿½ Timely treatment and control measures are needed. ï¿½ 5.12.3 Disorders Some of the disorders observed in case of grapes are post harvest berry drop, berry cracking, leaf cholorosis, dead arm & trunk splitting. 5.13 Harvesting and Yield In North India, plants start fruiting after two years of planting. ï¿½Berries start ripening from the end of May in early varieties. However, most of the varieties are harvested after they have changed colour near the tip and have become sweet. A day prior to picking, the broken, decayed, deformed, under-sized berries are removed. The clusters are usually harvested during the early hours of the day before the temperature rises above 200 C. Yield varies according to variety and climatic conditions etc.ï¿½ The average yield of Anab-e-Shahi and Bangalore blue is 40-50 tonnes/ha while that of seedless varieties is 20 tonnes/ha. Average yield of 20-25 tonnes/ha. is considered good.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 6.ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT 6.1 Grading Grading is mainly done based on the size and colour of the grapes to maintain uniformity of berries in a package. While grading, size of the berry is the criterion but not the size or shape of the bunch. 6.2 Pre-Cooling Pre-cooling is done to reduce the field heat, moisture loss and subsequently increase the storability of grapes. ï¿½Fruit needs to be pre-cooled to a temperature below 4.40 C within six hours after harvesting in cold rooms, forced air coolers, refrigerator cars and tunnels. Cooling of grapes is generally carried out in special rooms attached to the cold storage units. ï¿½Mobile pre-cooling units (refrigerator cars) are also in operation to cool the grapes during their transport to the cold storage units situated away from the production site. 6.3 Storage The shelf life of grapes is only one week at room temperature. The storage life of grapes can be increased by employing suitable means to reduce desiccation, decay due to growth of fungi e.g. Botrytis, Cladosporium, Alternaria etc. and bio-chemical deterioration. Harvesting the over-ripe grapes during hot hours of the day, careless handling to cause bruises and injuries to the berries at harvest and packing stage can reduce the storage life of grapes. Under optimum conditions of storage, the maximum storage life of Anab-e-Shahi variety is 40 days, Muscat 45 days, Thompson Seedless 30-60 days etc. ï¿½Ideal conditions for storage are low temperature (00 C) and high humidity (92-96%). The following methods are recommended for increasing the shelf life of grapes : Type of treatment Reduce the physiological loss in weight. 6.4 Packing Table grapes meant for local market are picked and packed directly in containers in the field. Table grapes meant for long distance markets and those for overseas markets are packed differently in the packing shed. Raisin, juice and wine grapes are subjected to suitable treatments and processed.ï¿½ï¿½ Different types of containers are used for packing grapes in India. Bucket shaped baskets (36cm. diameter at the top, 20 cm. at base and 25cm. height, capacity -5kg.) made of thin bamboo strips are commonly used in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and Bangalore (Karnataka). Wooden boxes rectangular in shape and capacity to accommodate 5 to 8kg. of fruits are also used. The most commonly used containers are ventilated card board boxes of corrugated fibre board (CFB) cartons which absorb moisture released by the grapes and provide insulation against minor fluctuations in temperature during cold storage. Size of the box varies to accommodate 2 to 4 kg. of fruit. The inner dimensions of the CFB carton accommodating 4 kg. grapes are 37 cm. in length, 25.5 cm in width and 11.5 cm. in height, and those of the carton accommodating 2kg. grapes are 25.5x18.5x11.5 cm. Irrespective of the size of the carton, each one contains two holes of 2cm. diameter on either side. Table grapes for overseas markets are packed in five-ply corrugated fibre board boxes, printed and labeled attractively. The standard dimensions of the carton are 50 cm. x 30 cm. x 12 cm. to accommodate 5 kg. grapes. For the European market, bunches of grapes of approx. 300 to 700 gms. are packed in food grade plastic pouches. They are then wrapped in polythene sheet along with grape guard and tissue paper. Grape guard is used as per international norms to prevent fungal and bacterial infection to grapes due to moisture, if any. 6.5 Transportation Table grapes are mostly transported through roadways for local, short distance or long distance markets. About 5 % of the produce is transported by rail and the quality of produce transported through air cargo is almost negligible. The cold chain for grapes is maintained meticulously right from pre-cooling state to selling of the same. The produce for international market is sent through refrigerated vans by road upto the sea port and then again by sea in refrigerated containers in the ships to their respective destination. 6.6 Marketing The producers sell the fruit either to the pre-harvest contractor or to the wholesaler through an agent with these middlemen sharing profit. The responsibility of harvesting, packing, transportation and marketing vests with the contractor to whom the produce is sold on the basis of price agreed for unit weight of the produce or without weighing for a mutually agreed price. Co-operative grape marketing societies are in existence in many grape producing states of India. The advantage of marketing by producersï¿½ cooperative are: ï¿½ Reduction in the price gap by avoiding the commission agent and wholesaler; ï¿½ Regulate supplies to different markets; and ï¿½ Minimize marketing problems arising out of unhealthy competition among producers. Two channels of selling grapes exist in the international markets viz., (i) through producerï¿½s co-operatives who collect, pack, cool, transport, market it abroad and share the profit with the growers and (ii) through traders who purchase, pack, pre-cool, store and then ship these in refrigerated containers to overseas markets. The major sources for technology as well as quality planting material are: (i) National Research Centre for Grapes, P.B. No.3, Manjri Farm Post, Solapur Road, Pune ï¿½ 412 307, Maharashtra [Tel: (020) 2691 4246, 2691 4245] (ii) Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Lake Post, Bangalore ï¿½ 560 089, Karnataka [Tel: (080) 2846 6471, 28466353] (iii) Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi ï¿½ 110 012. [Tel: (011) 2573 3375, 2573 3367] (iv) Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri ï¿½ 413 722, Maharashtra [Tel: (02426) 224 3208] (v) University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore ï¿½ 560 065, Karnataka, [Tel: (080) 2333 2442] (vi) Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad ï¿½ 500 030, Andhra Pradesh, [Tel: (040) 2401 5078] (vii) University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad ï¿½ 580 005, Karnataka [Tel: (0836) 244 7783] (viii) Directorate of Horticulture, Shivaji Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra (ix) Directorate of Horticulture, Lalbagh, Bangalore ï¿½ 560 003, Karnataka (x) Directorate of Horticulture, Public Gardens, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 8 ECONOMICS OF A ONE ACRE MODEL 8.1 High quality commercial cultivation of the crop though capital intensive is highly remunerative (BCR being 1.8 L).ï¿½ A one acre bankable model project presented below bears this out. Costs & Returns: 8.2 The cost components of such a model along with the basis for costing are exhibited in Annexure I. ï¿½ï¿½A summary is given in the figure below.ï¿½ The project cost works out to Rs. 3.20 lakhs. Figure-I : COST OF PROJECT Project Cost: ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ (Amount in Rs.) Sl. No. Grand Total 3,20,000 ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ @Cost of newly purchased land will be limited to 10% of the total project cost. 8.3 The major components of the model are: ï¿½ Land Development:ï¿½ (Rs.4.0 thousand):ï¿½ This is the labour cost of shaping and dressing the land site. ï¿½ Fencing (Rs.29.6 thousand): ï¿½It is necessary to guard the orchard by barbed wire fencing to safeguard the valuable produce from poaching. ï¿½ Irrigation Infra-structure (Rs.56.0 thousand):ï¿½ For effective working with drip irrigation system, it is necessary to install a tube well with diesel/electric pumpset and submersible motor.ï¿½ This is part cost of tube-well. ï¿½ Drip Irrigation & Fertigation System (Rs.35.0 thousand):ï¿½ This is average cost of one acre drip system for the crop inclusive of the cost of fertigation equipment.ï¿½ The actual cost will vary depending on location, plant population and plot geometry. ï¿½ Equipment/Implements (Rs.10 thousand):ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ For investment on improved manually operated essential implements a provision of Rs.10 thousand is included. ï¿½ Building and Storage (Rs.30 thousand):ï¿½ A one acre orchard would require minimally a pump house and a store-cum grading/packing room. ï¿½ Erection of Bower System: (120 thousand).ï¿½ Erection of Bower system over one acre would cost Rs.1.20 lakh. ï¿½ Cost of Cultivation (Rs.35.4 thousand):ï¿½ This includes labour, inputs, planting material (1000 vines per acre at a spacing of 2.0 m. x 2.0 m.) etc. during the gestation period.ï¿½ 8.4 Labour cost has been put at an average of Rs.70 per man-day.ï¿½ The actual cost will vary from location to location depending upon minimum wage levels or prevailing wage levels for skilled and unskilled labour.ï¿½ Cost on ï¿½trainingï¿½ system can vary widely depending on the type used.ï¿½ Bower type is the most popular. 8.5 Profitability calculations are exhibited in Annexure II. 8.6 Recurring Production Cost:ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Recurring production costs are exhibited in Annexure III.ï¿½ The main components are farm inputs, (FYM, fertilizers, liming material, plant growth regulators, plant protection chemicals etc.), labour and power mainly for irrigation.ï¿½ 8.7 Besides, provision is also included for harvesting and packing/transportation for the produce to the nearest secondary market.ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ 8.8 Returns from the Project:ï¿½ The average annual yield from the plantation is estimated at 3 tonnes per acre in year two and 10 tonnes per acre in year three (vide Annexure III).ï¿½ Valued at Rs.25000 per tonne the total realization works out to Rs.3.25 lakhs per annum. Project Financing: 8.9. Balance Sheet:ï¿½ The projected balance sheet of the model is given at Annexure IV.ï¿½ There would be three sources of financing the project as below: ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Sourceï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Rs. thousands. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Farmerï¿½s shareï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 160 ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Capital subsidyï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½64 ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Term loanï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½96ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Totalï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½320ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ 8.10 Profit & Loss Account:ï¿½ The cash flow statement may be seen in Annexure V. ï¿½ï¿½Annexure VI projects the profit and loss account of the model.ï¿½ The annual gross profit works out to Rs.56.3 thousand in year two rising to Rs.202.3 thousand in year three.ï¿½ 8.11 Repayment of Term Loan:ï¿½ The term loan will be repaid in 11 equated 6 monthly installments with a moratorium of 24 months.ï¿½ The rate of interest would have to be negotiated with the financing bank.ï¿½ It has been put at 12% in the model (vide Annexures VII & VII-A). 8.12 Depreciation calculations are given in Annexure VIII. Project Viability: 8.13 IRR/BCR:ï¿½ The viability of the project is assessed in Annexure IX over a period of 5 years.ï¿½ The IRR works out to 26.16 and the BCR to 1.4. 8.14 The Debt Service coverage ratio calculations are presented in Annexure X.ï¿½ The average DSCR works out to 5.45.ï¿½ 8.15 Payback Period:ï¿½ On the basis of costs and returns of the model, the pay back period is estimated at 3.47 years (vide Annexure XI).ï¿½ 8.16 Break-even Point:ï¿½ The break even point will be reached in the 3rd year.ï¿½ At this point fixed cost would work out to 30.0% of gross sales - vide Annexure XII.	India
Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd complained that what homeland foodstuff was confiscated from his luggage on entering the USA in 2011?	Indian Wine - A Guide to the Wines of India Indian Wine Shop all wines from India Join the India group Few people associate India with drinking culture, but the country has been producing wine, beer, and spirits since ancient times. Wine production dates as far back as nearly 500 BC, though most of the wine was consumed for ceremonial and healing purposes. The oldest wine in India is an Ayurvedic concoction called Draksharishtha, the name literally meaning grape wine in Sanskrit. This is made from fermented grape juice with sweet and savory herbs. The Indian courtesans and tribal groups also consumed wine socially and ceremonially. Indian royalty planted vineyards at the palaces, using wine to welcome visiting dignitaries. But until the 19th century, not much of it ever left Indian soil. Portuguese settlers in the 16th century planted vineyards in Goa. The wine was consumed on its own as well as used for cooking, mixed with garlic and spices for Vin d’Ail. Around the same time, the Persians planted Syrah (Shiraz), which enticed the British into entering the viticultural Read more » Few people associate India with drinking culture, but the country has been producing wine, beer, and spirits since ancient times. Wine production dates as far back as nearly 500 BC, though most of the wine was consumed for ceremonial and healing purposes. The oldest wine in India is an Ayurvedic concoction called Draksharishtha, the name literally meaning grape wine in Sanskrit. This is made from fermented grape juice with sweet and savory herbs. The Indian courtesans and tribal groups also consumed wine socially and ceremonially. Indian royalty planted vineyards at the palaces, using wine to welcome visiting dignitaries. But until the 19th century, not much of it ever left Indian soil. Portuguese settlers in the 16th century planted vineyards in Goa. The wine was consumed on its own as well as used for cooking, mixed with garlic and spices for Vin d’Ail. Around the same time, the Persians planted Syrah (Shiraz), which enticed the British into entering the viticultural scene there. Under the British Raj starting in the 1850s, more Indian wines were produced, and even showcased at international competitions. But Phylloxera hit India as it did elsewhere and destroyed most of the vineyards. It wasn’t till the 1980s that modern viticultural innovations, expansion of the local middle class, the global demand for wine, and international investments created a surge in the Indian wine industry. Today, India is well poised to become a significant figure on the global wine scene, with one of the highest rates of wine industry growth. Throughout much of India, the conditions are too tropical for quality wine production. However, the south-western part of the country, where the main regions of Maharashtra (including the capital city of Mumbai) and Karnataka are located, is elevated and mild enough to produce good wine. Other hilly areas such as Nadu, Tamil, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, and Kashmir are also up and coming viticultural sites. International consultants have worked with local wine-makers to ensure quality control measures such as trellising methods, lower yields, and to combat disease and rot. Many international varieties are grown alongside indigenous ones such as Anabeshahi, Arkavati, Arkashyam, Bangalore Blue (Isabella), Gulabi (Black Muscat). The Turkish grape Sultana is the most common varietal planted. Styles range from dry to pink to sparkling to sweet and fortified. Aside from wine, India is also known for beers produced in a range of styles. The earliest beers were rice beers, still produced in some areas. The style known as India Pale Ale, I.P.A., became a lasting international favorite, first made to withstand the long voyage between India and Great Britain. Indian whiskey is also evolving into a global success. With the British occupation came a local appreciation of whisk(e)y, and demand for spirits produced within the country. Much of it is produced from molasses, or a blend of molasses and grains, which brings some consternation from whisky purists, who would consider this to be rum. For this reason, whiskies from India must be labelled as “Indian Whisky” to avoid confusion with Scotch, Irish, Bourbon or other grain whiskies. Amrut is a brand that uses malted barley in the Scotch tradition, and the first to earn E.U. approval for import as whisky. Brands such as Bagpiper and McDowell No. 1 are also gaining international attention.	i don't know
A backless usually female shoe or slipper is commonly called by what animal name?	Glossary \| Zappos.com A reptile hide featuring a wide, boxed print. Analog Movement Representation of time by position on a dial on a clock or watch. Analog Watch This type of watch possesses a dial and hands. Angled Cuff A cuff on a dress shirt with an angled outer top edge. Aniline Leather A type of leather in which high quality hides have been treated with aniline dye to create a delicate, soft, supple finish. Aniline dye colors the leather while keeping the natural variations blemishes on the surface visible. Ankle Strap A strap attached at the rear of the shoe that encircles the ankle. Usually features an adjustable buckle or elastic. Antiqued Leather A type of leather which is dyed a darker color over an existing lighter color to create a contrasting, rubbed-off, and artificially-aged appearance. This is also referred to to distressed leather. APMA The APMA stands for the American Podiatric Medical Association. It is comprised of America's Premier Foot & Ankle Physicians. The seal was created to inform both physicians and consumers about products whose quality, safety and effectiveness allow for normal foot function and promote good health. Approach Shoe A grip-soled athletic shoe meant to aid rock climbers on the path to and from the climbing area. Arch The high, curved part of the sole of the foot, located between the ball of the foot and the heel. This term can also refer to the raised area of the insole of the shoe, which is meant to pad and provide support for the arch of the foot. Asymmetrical Hem A bottom hem that is longer on one side and shorter on the other. Athleisure Shoe Athletic footwear meant for performance of a specific sport. Basketball , crosstraining, golf , hiking , running, tennis and walking are some examples. ATM (Atmosphere) Unit of pressure used in watch making to indicate water resistance. A water-resistance of 3 ATM is equivalent to 30 meters or 100 feet, 5 ATM= 50 meters or 165 feet, and so on. Atmosphere (ATM) This is a measurement of pressure to determine water resistance of watches . Each ATM is equal to 10 meters of water pressure. Automatic Also known as self-winding movement. A mechanically powered watch that is wound by motion of the wearer's arm rather than through turning the winding system. Most automatic watches have up to 36 hours of power reserve. If the automatic watch is not worn for a day or two, it will wind down and need to be wound by hand to get it started again. Automatic Movement Automatic watches do not require batteries or manual winding. A weight within these watches turns with the natural movement of the wearer's arm, thus keeping the watch wound. Back Seam The vertical seam at the center of the back of a shoe or boot. Backpack A cloth or leather bag held to the back with double shoulder straps. Originally designed for a functional purpose, the backpack has now become a fashion item as well. Ball A ballet-style flat meant for everyday wear. Balmoral Shoe A shoe construction featuring a laced "V"-shaped panel across the foot. Band Collar A narrow band that stands up around the neckline. This collar may have an opening or a button closure. Bateau Otherwise known as boat-neck, it's used to describe a wide slit neckline that follows the curve of the collarbone. Bateau Neckline A straight, wide-cut neckline from shoulder to shoulder. Also called a "boat neck." Batwing Sleeve A sleeve with a large armhole and extends from the bodice to a narrow cuff. Also called a "dolman sleeve." Bell Sleeve A sleeve that flares out at the bottom and resembles a bell shape. Bellows Tongue Close-fitting shorts for men, women, or kids that land at or slightly above the knee. Besom Pocket A left-chest welt pocket on a suit jacket or a blazer commonly used for a pocket square. Bezel Generally, the upper part of the watch body. Specifically, it refers to the ring around the outside of the crystal of the watch face. It may be covered in diamonds or crystals in fashion watches or calibrated markings on sportier watches . Bike Shorts Tight-fitting shorts for sport use ( cycling ) that have a chamois (padding) built into the crotch for comfort. Bishop Sleeve A set-in sleeve with gradual width added throughout the length. The fullness at the end of the sleeve is set into a cuff. Blucher A shoe construction featuring two side flaps of material that are joined across the foot with lacing. Boat Neck A straight, wide-cut neckline from shoulder to shoulder. Also called a "bateau neckline." Bolero A short jacket that is open in front and ends above the waist. Boot A style of footwear extending to the height of the anklebone and above. May extend as high as the thigh. Bow Collar A collar that features a bow. Box Handbag A box-shaped handbag, typically of a hard material such as plastic or wood. Features a handle at the top and latching hardware. Box Leather A type of leather that is dyed on the top layer of the leather only and coated with polyurethane to create a finish that is resilient to spills from liquids. BPA BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical used in manufacturing polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin for items such as water bottles, baby bottles, food containers, and many more household items commonly used. Recent studies have found that exposure to BPA is linked to a number of diseases and health problems as BPA interferes with the body’s hormonal system. Brannock Device® A device used to measure the length and width of the foot in order to ensure proper shoe fit. Break The natural crease created across the vamp of the shoe from everyday wear. Brogue A heavy oxford-style shoe featuring pinked and perforated detailing. Bubble Hem A skirt that bubbles out and tapers in closely at the hem, resembling a bubble. Bucket Handbag A large, bucket-shaped bag of cloth or leather. Typically features a single shoulder strap. Buckle A clasp at the end of a length of fabric or leather that joins one end of the material to the other. Buffed Leather A type of leather where the top surface has been removed using abrasion. This type of leather is often referred to as suede or nubuck. Bunions A painful swelling at the base of the big toe, frequently leading to permanent enlargement of the toe joint. Burnished Leather The process of buffing the surface to achieve an antiquing effect on the leather. Button-Down Collar A collar with points that are fastened to the shirt by buttons. Cabochon Used to indicate a smooth, round or oval convex shaped polished stone. Calfskin Leather created from the skins of very young cows. Calfskin is typically very supple and soft. Calluses A firm, rough patch of skin that develops from overuse or irritation. Cambrelle® A structured rectangular or square bag with many zippered compartments for storing camera bodies, lenses, cords, etc. Canteen Bag A round, padded canvas or nylon bag meant for carrying a canteen. Features a single, adjustable shoulder strap. Cap Sleeve A short sleeve just covering the shoulder but not the underarm. Cap Sleeve A short sleeve cut with a cap at the shoulder. Cap Toe An additional piece of leather covering the toe of a shoe. May be in several different shapes or patterns. Also known as a Tip. Cargo Short Loose fitting shorts typically made from cotton. Always features large pockets along the sides of the leg. Carnaby Fit Slightly fitted loosely around the body, allowing plenty room for movement and maximum comfort. Carpet Bag Case ( watches ) Also known as the watch case, this is the metal housing that contains the internal parts of a watch. Stainless steel is the most typical metal used. Cemented Construction A shoe construction in which the upper of a shoe is cemented, rather than stitched, to the sole of the shoe. Cement construction results in a lighter, more flexible shoe. Chronograph A multifunction watch with a stopwatch (Tachymeter) function. Most have two or three sub-dials for measuring minutes and hours. A boot style with laces, usually with a plain toe, and is the height of the ankle. Circumference The measurement around the shaft of a boot taken at the widest part near the top of the boot shaft. Climatrac® A durable lining that is quick-drying and extremely breathable. Clog A footwear style featuring a closed toe, open back and a platform sole traditionally fashioned from wood. Cloverleaf Lapel The collar and lapel have rounded edges where they meet, resembling clover leaves. Club Collar A men's shirt collar with rounded ends. Clutch Handbag A narrow, handheld bag with no strap. Collar A strip of material stitched to the opening of a shoe or the topline. The collar can be padded for extra comfort. Collar with Revers A collar that turns back from the neckline and resembles a lapel. Combination Last A footwear last in which the heel is two sizes smaller in width than the widest part of the shoe, producing a shoe with a narrow heel and a wide toebox. Compression Shorts Form-fitting shorts that are worn by athletes to promote blood flow and prevent muscle strain and fatigue during activity. Often made from a spandex material. Contoured Footbed An insole that molds to the shape of the foot. Convertible Handbag Features a wrist or shoulder strap that may be removed or hidden. Cordovan Leather from a horse's posterior. When tanned it becomes a rich black cherry color; so it has evolved into common usage as a color name. Corn A small, hard formation usually found on the toe. A corn is usually the result of continuous friction or pressure in one place. Corrected Grain Leather A type of leather that has been buffed to remove any blemishes, then covered with an artificial grain using finishes such as pigments, embossing, antiquing, buffing, waxing, waterproofing, etc. Counter A stiff piece of material placed at the heel of a shoe between the lining and upper in order to retain the shape of the shoe. Country Club Relax and enjoy yourself in elegant style. Like a cool summer breeze, our collection of Country Club brands will help you unwind. At the beach or on a cruise, you will find what you are looking for in resort and casual wear here. View the Country Club Collection Cowl Neck Soft, bias-cut neckline, draped in the front or back. Similar to a loosely draped turtleneck. Cowl Neckline A loosely draped circular neckline that resembles a draped hood. Crepe Rubber A crude natural rubber with a crinkled texture, used in shoe soles. Crescent Handbag A half-moon shaped bag, often with a top zipper and single shoulder strap. Crew Neck Round, banded neckline that fits close to the base of the neck. Commonly seen on sweaters and T-shirts . Crown Also known as the winding crown or winder. The knob of an analog watch used to set the time. Crystal This is the transparent cover that protects the face of the watch. The three most popular crystal types are acrylic, mineral and sapphire. Curing The application of chemicals to animal hides in preparation for the tanning process. Cushioning Padding on the insole or outsole of a shoe for added comfort and stabilization. D'Orsay A style of pump featuring one or both sides cut-out. Décolleté Neckline A style of boot whose shaft is generally no taller than the anklebone. Dial The surface of the watch located under the hands usually containing the numbers and markers. Differential A running shoe term. May also be used in cross-training and hiking footwear. Describes the difference between the heel height (midsole and outsole) and forefoot height (midsole and outsole) of a shoe. Also called: heel drop, drop, heel-to-toe, offset. Distressed Leather This is another term used for antiqued leather. Dolman Sleeve A sleeve with a large armhole and extends from the bodice to a narrow cuff. Also called a "batwing sleeve." Any handbag with a string or cord (rather than a zipper or latch) closure. Drawstring Neckline A neckline that is accented with drawstrings. Dressing The application of polish or gloss to a shoe to maintain its finish and appearance. Dri-lex® A dual layered configuration composed of a moisture-absorbing hydrophilic nylon fiber and a moisture-resisting hydrophobic polyester layer knitted together. An unstructured, spacious bag featuring a top zipper and two handles. Originally designed for military use. Durabrush Durabrush is made of synthetic suede and micro-fiber materials to create a smooth, soft upper. Duty Shoe A health care professional or service industry shoe. E.V.A. (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) A synthetic compound used for outsoles. E.V.A. provides cushioning to the foot and is easily shaped by heat and pressure. Elastane An elastic fabric made from segmented polyurethane that adds stretch. It's stronger and more durable than rubber. Similar to spandex. Embossed Leather A design that is imprinted onto leather and often simulated exotic skin - i.e., crocodile or snake. May also be a random pattern. Envelope Handbag A slim, envelop shaped handbag. May be a clutch or have a handle or strap. Envelope Neckline A straight or slightly curved neckline that has fabric crossing from the back and over the shoulder making the neckline look like an envelope. Epaulet A shoe or sandal style that has a woven rope or similar material covering the wedge or sole. Eyelet A hole through which a lace is threaded; may be reinforced with a metal ring or grommet. Feed Bag A roomy bag with a single shoulder strap and drawstring closure. Derived from the style of bag typically used to feed horses and cattle. Fiberboard A material made primarily of wood pulp which is used for counters, insoles and heel lifts. Finish The process by which the final appearance of a shoe is created. The finish can include the application of polish to create a high-gloss finish, or a contrasting polish to create a rub-off finish like "antiquing". Finishing Room The area of a shoe factory where the shoe is finished, including the removal of the last, insertion of the insole, completion of the outsole and final application of polish. Fishmouth Lapel A lapel on a blazer that resembles a fish mouth. A fishmouth lapel has a rounded collar edge with a pointed lapel. Fishtail Hem An asymmetrical hem that looks reminiscent of a fish's tail. There are a few variations, but usually the skirt tapers past the knee and then flares out at the bottom leaving more material at the back. Flap Pocket A pocket with an outer flap overlay. Flat Foot A condition in which the arch of the foot is collapsed and the entire foot rests on the ground. Fold Over Clasp This type of watch clasp utilizes a hinge to fold over itself and is locked into place using a pressure tab. Fold Over Clasp with Push Button This type of watch clasp utilizes a hinge to fold over itself and is locked into place using a pressure tab. For added security the clasp can only be released by depressing a push button. Fold Over Clasp with Safety This type of watch clasp utilizes a hinge to fold over itself and is locked into place using a pressure tab. For additional security a safety flap is closed over the end of the clasp. Footbed The area of foot between the ball and the toes. Foxing A strip of rubber joining the upper and sole of a shoe. Typically found on canvas sneakers . French Cuff A turned back cuff on a dress shirt with holes to allow cufflinks to be worn. Frill Collar A neckline that is edged with ruffles. Frill Sleeve A ruffled short sleeve. Full Grain Leather The most genuine type of leather which has not been altered beyond removing hair. This type of leather retains all of the leather's natural texture and markings. Funnel Neckline A neckline that surrounds the neck and extends to the top of the neckline. Gait An individual's style of walking. Galoshes Waterproof (typically rubber) overshoes or boots meant to protect the foot and footwear from inclement weather. Ghillie Pronounced "gil-ee", this is a style of footwear in which the laces pass through fabric or leather rings or loops attached to the front opening of the shoe, rather than eyelets. Girth The circumference of a shoe last measured around the ball of the foot. Glazed Leather Using Aniline-dyed leather, this type of leather is polished to a high luster by passing through greatly-pressured glass or steel rollers to create a smooth and shiny finish. Glove Leather A very soft leather such as lambskin which is typically used for gloves . Goatskin Leather made from the hide of a goat. Gold Filled A layer of gold pressure-bonded to another metal. Not to be confused with "gold plated" , Gold filled jewelry is more valuable and tarnish resistant than the latter. It will not rub off, tarnish or turn colors like some gold plated jewelry might over time. Gold filled jewelry is made from solid gold and filled with other alloys such as rhodium (a member of the platinum family), brass, and sterling silver. Gold Vermeil Sterling silver coated with 14 carat (58%) gold. To be considered vermeil, the gold must also be at least 10 carat (42%). Sterling silver covered with another metal cannot be called vermeil. Gold-Plated A base metal (usually copper) with a thin layer of gold on the surface. Goodyear Welt A shoe construction in which the upper and sole of the shoe are stitched together, resulting in greater durability. The resulting seam is visible and runs around the outside of the shoe, where the upper and outsole meet. Gore An elastic panel stitched into either side of a shoe's vamp in order to make it more comfortable and easier to put on and take off. A waterproof, windproof and breathable membrane designed to protect against the elements to keep you dry and comfortable at all times. Grain The inherent surface pattern of leather, differentiated by the animal from which it came. Green-Lam™ Fleurville brand fabric made of environmentally friendly PVC-free polyurethane laminate which provides moisture-repellency, UV resistance and durability. GSM GSM stands for Grams Per Square Meter. GSM is typically used to determine the thread count on plush/thicker items such as towels, bath robes, and jersey-style sheets. To determine the GSM for such fabrics, you first multiply the length by the width (in meters) to get the square meter. Then take the weight of the item (in grams) and divide it by your square meter. The number you are left with would be the item’s GSM. Like standard thread count, the higher your GSM number is, the softer and more plush the item is. Gun Flap A hanging flap on the right-front shoulder of a trench coat. Hacking Pockets Angled flap pockets on the sides of a suit jacket or blazer. These were angled to make it easier to reach for items while riding on horseback. Halter Neck A garment that wraps around the neck, leaving the shoulders and back bare. Hammertoe A condition in which the toe is bent in a claw-like position, occurring most frequently in the second through fifth toes. Hammertoes are usually caused by an imbalance of muscle tissue, but can also be aggravated by arthritis and poorly-fitting shoes . Handkerchief Hem A bottom hem on a dress or a skirt that has draped points resembling a handkerchief. Heel "Heel" can refer to both the rear, padded area of the underside of the foot, as well as the solid part of a shoe that supports the heel cup. The standard measure for heel heights is as follows: an 8/8 (low heel) is 1" high; a 16/8 (medium heel) is 2" high; and a 24/8 (high heel) is 3" high. Types of shoe heels include: Baby Louis - The same shape as a Louis heel but a 12/8 or shorter. Built Heel - Created from layers of leather or fiber with contrasting tones. Continental - A higher heel with a slightly curved back and flat front. Cuban - A thick, stacked heel with little or no curvature and tapered at the bottom; usually medium in height. Louis or French - Features a curved back and ranges in height from 16/8 to 24/8. Stacked - Similar to the built heel but typically can be created from synthetic and leather materials. Often found on spectator shoes . Wedge - A heel of any height that is as wide as the shoe itself and follows the shoes contour from toe to heel. Heel Breast The forward-facing side of the heel. Heel Height Heel height is measured on a vertical line at the breast of the heel, and goes from the bottom surface of the sole (where it meets the heel) to the floor. Heel height is traditionally measured in increments of 1/8th inches, so for example an 8/8 heel is 1" high. Heel Seat The part of the shoe directly below where the heel of the foot rests, and where the sole and the heel are joined together. Heel Spurs Soft deposits of calcium that grow on the "plantar fascia", a band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, and are typically very painful. Henley Neckline A scoop neckline with a button-front placket. Hidden Gore An elastic panel at the front of a shoe that is covered by the shoe's tongue and provides added comfort. Hide The skin of a large animal that is treated, tanned or finished for use in boots , shoes , handbags , and clothing . High-Low Hem A bottom hem on a garment that is cut short in the from and longer in the back. A roomy, unstructured, rounded bag, typically with a single top zipper and shoulder strap. Hook & Loop A method of keeping something closed, using 2 pieces of fabric. One piece has small hooks, to attach to the other piece which has 2 loops. Horseshoe Neckline A neckline that is cut in the shape of a horseshoe. Also referred to as a "U-Neck." A flat sandal or shoe with a woven leather upper. Imitation Leather Any synthetic material made to look like leather. Industry Footwear Work/ industrial footwear with OSHA and A.N.S.I. ratings. If you need industrial footwear, you will find it here. View the Industry Collection Ingrown Nail A nail edge or side that digs painfully into the skin. They are frequently caused by improper nail trimming, but also by shoe pressure, injury, fungus infection, heredity, and poor foot structure. Injection Molded Construction A type of sole unit construction created by injecting melted PVC or a similar material into the sole mold. Injection molded construction is an efficient way to mass-produce footwear. Inseam The hidden seam of a welted shoe holding together the welt, upper, lining, and insole. Also, in clothing it is the seam that binds the length of the inner pant leg. Inset A fabric panel or garment piece that is sewed into a garment. Insole A lining that runs the full length of the inside of the shoe. Instep The upper, center section of the foot, between the toes and ankle. Jabot Jewelry Clasp Closure Typically seen on women's watches , a jewelry clasp is a latch that snaps closed around a bar. It is released by gently lifting the clasp and unsnapping it from the latch bar. Jodhpur Boots A low-cut boot used primarily for equestrian activities. May be laced or a twin gore pull-on style. Kangaroo Pocket An A-shaped pocket stitched to the lower-front of a garment (commonly seen on hoodies ) with two holes for hands. Keyhole A decorative cut hole on a garment usually placed close to the neckline. Kidskin A soft, porous leather created from the hide of young goats Kiltie A decorative, fringed tongue over the vamp of a shoe. Kimono Sleeve A wide sleeve cut in one piece from the front and back of the garment. It is seamed down the outer and underarm like a traditional Japanese kimono. Kipskin Middle-grade leather created from the skins of young cattle that are larger than calves, yet not fully grown. Laces A strip of material strung through the eyelets of a shoe in order to pull the shoe closed and adjust its girth. Lambskin Leather created from the skin of young sheep. Last A metal, wood or plastic form used to create the shape of a shoe. Lasting The process of pulling and shaping a shoe on a last. Leather The skin of an animal, typically with the hair removed and tanned for use. Leg Of Mutton Sleeve A sleeve that is puffed or full at the top and gradually tapers towards the cuff. Lift One of the several layers of leather or leather-board used make a heel. Lining The inside material of a shoe. May be composed of leather, fabric or synthetic material. Lizard A slip-on shoe, completely without fasteners. Lucite® Trademark name of a type of acrylic resin/plastic consisting essentially of polymerized methyl methacrylate. Lug Sole A heavy-tread, rubber sole. Lurex® A type of yarn fabric that has a metallic appearance. Typically it's a synthetic fiber which an aluminum layer has been vaporized. Lycra® A premium stretch fiber found in garments made from natural and man-made fibers. Lyocell® Fibers produced from wood pulp cellulose. Tencel® is Lenzing's brand name for lyocell. Mandarin Collar A slender banded collar that has round edges at the front. This collar is reminiscent of collars on Mandarin Chinese robes. Markers The style of shoe with a strap across the instep. The strap can be attached with elastic or a buckle, making it easy to slip on and off. Metatarsal Bones Five long bones in the foot that help to move the body forward when walking or running. They form the top slope of the foot, from the instep to the toes. Microfiber An extremely fine synthetic fiber that can be woven into textiles with the texture and drape of natural fiber cloth. Mid-sole The layer of material between outsole and innersole used for reinforcement or cushioning. Minaudière Minimalist Shoes Running Barefoot is the oldest form of exercise. Minimalist shoes allow for a barefoot-like experience, with some protection from the elements. Natural running does just that − allows your feet to work naturally, while strengthening your muscles. Minktex® A lightweight, synthetic lining. It is backed to an open cell foam rubber to provide a trimmer fitting lining that still provides warmth to the wearer. A shoe in which the bottom is a single piece of leather, stitched around a last. The vamp is usually attached by whip stitching to the bottom of the shoe so it encloses the foot. Also known as Tru-Moc construction. Mock Turtleneck A high funnel style collar that is lower than the turtleneck and does not turn down. Modal A bio-based fiber made from the cellulose of beech trees. It's dyeable, resistant to shrinking and fading. A closed shoe, usually a blucher pattern, with a wide strap across the instep that buckles at the side. Also known as a monk strap . Mother-of-Pearl Often used on the dial of watches , this is the material taken from the inside of a mollusk shell which simulates true pearl in appearance. Motion Control Shoes Motion Control shoes are for runners who generally have a low or flat arch and are moderate to severe overpronators. These shoes employ extra support devices on the medial side to slow excessive pronation and tend to have wider and flatter outsoles. Heavier runners who need extra support and durability may also want Motion Control shoes . Motion-Control MU size chart (Missy) Size (Waist): 2 (24"-26"), 4 (25"-28"), 6 (27"-30"), 8 (28"-31"), 10 (30"-33"), 12 (32"-35"), 14 (34"-37"), 16 (36"-39") Inseam: Regular (33"), Tall (36"), Petite (28"). Muff Handbag A fur-lined handbag meant to be worn over the hands in order to keep them warm. Mule Backless, closed-toe slippers or shoes . Napa A supple version of sheepskin leather. Nappa A supple version of sheepskin leather. Natural Grain Leather A type of leather which displays the leather's original grain. Neuroma (Or Morton's Neuroma) A benign, soft tissue mass which forms on the nerve which runs between the metatarsals, in the ball of the foot. When two metatarsal bones are squeezed together, they pinch the nerve that runs between them. This squeezing together of the metatarsal bones is usually a result of narrow shoes , high-heeled shoes , injury, or a biomechanical defect of the foot (such as loose ligaments, pronation, or arches which are too flat or high). Neutral Cushioning Shoes A Neutral Cushioning shoe is best for runners with a high arch who do not pronate effectively. These shoes do not have medial supports but are more concerned with midsole cushioning. The midsole will provide the extra shock absorption that the lack of pronation is missing. Along with a runner who does not overpronate, Neutral Cushioned shoes also work well for midfoot and forefoot strikers. Notched Lapel A lapel that has a cut "V" in the lapel creating a notch. Nubuck Lightweight, supple leather used on the upper of the shoe. Buffed to a suede-like appearance. Office In business you never have a second chance to make a first impression. And you never know when you'll make your next impression. If a professional appearance is your goal this line will help you achieve one. View The Office Collection Oil Tanned Leather A type of leather that is tanned using oils creating a soft and pliable finish. Orthotic An orthopedic insole designed to cushion and stabilize the foot. Outsole The bottom outer sole of a shoe. Oxford A traditional term describing a low shoe laced or tied over the instep. Paperbag Waistline An extended waistline that stands up or folds down and is scrunched around the waist resembling a paper bag. Park In a single lifetime you only get one pair of feet, so make sure to take care of them. Comfort, support, quality, our Park collection includes the top names in comfort footwear. Whether you are walking, working, or just on your feet, make sure you are giving them the support they deserve. View The Park Collection Patch Pocket A pocket that is basically a sewn outer patch with a top opening. Commonly used as a chest pocket on dress shirts . Patent Leather A glossy leather that has a shiny appearance. Patent leather is typically created from cattle hide. Patina A luster that develops on quality materials due to natural aging. Peaked Lapel A lapel where the line is broken by upward protruding points. Peau de soie A soft satin weave of silk or rayon, with a grainy and dull luster. Pebbled Grain Penny Loafer A slip-on style shoe with a slit over the instep where a penny traditionally was placed for good luck. Peplum A draped extension from the waistline and drapes around the hips. It is commonly seen as an extension from the waist of the bodice or as an extension from the waistband of a skirt. Perforation A pattern of small holes punched or bored into the trim of a shoe, for the purpose of decoration or ventilation. Peter Pan Collar A woman's or children's collar that has rounded ends at the front. Phthalate Phthalate is an organic compound commonly used as plasticizer for plastics to increase the softness and flexibility. It is used and found in common household items such as children’s toys, shower curtains, liquid soap, food containers and wrappers. Research has been conducted to study the effects phthalate has on carcinogenicity, environmental effects and estrogen mimicking. Pigskin Leather Leather made from the skin of pigs. Pinking Saw-tooth shaped edging applied to the trim of shoes for decoration. Piping A decorative, narrow strip of leather that typically follows the seam of a shoe. Pitch The angle of the back part of the heel where it meets the sole, compared to the front part of the heel where it meets the sole. On a high-heeled shoe the pitch should be at a larger angle, in order to stabilize the heel. Platform Shoe A style of shoe featuring a thicker sole at the front; the heel is typically high to accommodate the higher height of the sole. Podiatry A branch of the medical profession dealing with the prevention and remedy of foot diseases. Point Collar A collar that has pointed ends and leaves a narrow opening between the collar points. Polo Collar A ribbed collar commonly seen on a polo shirt that has a partial placket. Polyurethane (PU) A synthetic material frequently used as an alternative to leather in the manufacturing of footwear. PU is light, flexible and durable. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) A semi-rigid plastic material, often used in heel counters and outsoles for added support. Pouch Handbag A general term referring to a handbag with a framed closure. May come in a variety of sizes with a variety of straps. Primer Also known as foundation primer. A cream or liquid that creates an invisible barrier between your makeup and skin, helping the foundation to go on more smoothly and last longer. There are different formulations for different skin tones available. Pronation The inward rotation of the foot as it strikes the ground, causing shoes to wear on the inner line of the outsole. Puff Sleeve A short sleeve that looks rounded and puffed because it is gathered at the scye and the cuff. Pull-Up Leather A type of high-quality, stretched leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes to create a finish that is lighter in the stretched areas. Pump A low-cut women's shoe, typically moderate in heel height. Quarter The rear portion of a shoe, covering the heel and sides and often joined at the back seam. Quarter Lining The lining of the rear part of a shoe, typically made from leather or fabric. Quartz Movement When a movement of a clock or watch is regulated by a quartz crystal battery, it is a "quartz movement" watch. It differs from a mechanical movement watch (also known as "automatic movement"), because the watch does not stop functioning when it is taken off by the wearer. The battery in a quartz watch generally needs to be replaced every 1 1/2 years- 2 years. RadianTex® An insole that provides thermal reflection to keep your feet warm and cozy. Raglan A style of sleeve that has a diagonal seam on front and back, extending from the neckline to the underarm. Re-Run® Fleurville brand fabric made by processing recycled plastic water bottles combined with nylon and polyester, to make a lightweight, environmentally friendly fabric. Pick any time in footwear history, and chances are Zappos has something from that era. Find your favorite authentic and classically inspired styles in this " Retro " section. View the Retro Collection Rhodium A hard silvery-white and durable metal that has a high reflectance. It looks similar to sterling silver and is a member of the platinum group. A boot designed specifically for equestrian activities. Usually knee-high with goring and a low heel. This term can also describe boots that are designed to look like riding boots . Rim The part of the shoe where the foot enters. Another term for collar or top line. Round Bertha Collar A bib style collar made of a large round cut piece of fabric that is overlayed and draped around the neckline creating a half-moon shape. Round Cuff A cuff on a dress shirt with a round outer top edge. Saddle Oxford An oxford-style shoe featuring a saddle across the vamp, often in a contrasting color. Safety Shoe A shoe or boot designed specifically for wear in an industrial setting. This style of shoe often includes protective features such as steel-toe reinforcement and waterproof and oil-resistant materials. Sandal A form of footwear, with an open toe and open back, that is held to the foot by strips of leather or fabric. Satchel Handbag A structured handbag with double handles, locking hardware and a wide, flat bottom. May be large or small. Scoop Neck The embossing of leather to create a heavy, pebbled look. Shaft Height Shaft height of boots are measured from middle of the arch up the inside of the boot to the top of the boot shaft. Shawl Collar A turnback collar that follows the opening of the garment. Shearling Sheepskin or lambskin with the wool still attached. Used often as a lining for shoes and boots . Sheepskin Skin from sheep, either with or without the wool attached. Shift Dress A loose-fitting dress with no waistline seam or darts, also known as a chemise. Shoe Anatomy A diagram depicting the parts of a shoe. Shoe Horn A curved metal or synthetic device used to aid in slipping the foot into a shoe. Shoe Sizes A variation between full sizes is one-third of an inch, while the difference between half sizes is one-sixth of an inch. Shoe Width The width of a shoe is typically measured in letters (AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, E, EE, EEE, EEEE) and refers to the width of the shoe last as measured at the ball of the foot. Widths are defined in increments of an eighth (1/8) of an inch. Side Leather Leather from the sides of cattle, divided by the backbone. Silicone A slippery polymer material used to waterproof shoes . Silicones are also used as sealants, lubricants and insulation. Sipes A specific, razor-cut pattern in the outsoles of the deck shoes that help to disperse water and prevent slipping. Skate Park Zappos is committed to being an online destination for premium skate shoes . "Skate Park" features footwear, clothing , equipment and bags from the leading skate brands in the industry. Sky Effect System™ The Sky Effect System is a special insole that possesses all of the characteristics of a normal Primigi insole as well as some unique features such as: flexible, lightweight, shock-absorbing, breathable, and anti-bacterial. Slash Neckline A straight-cut neckline that is cut from shoulder to shoulder. Sleeveless A term used for a garment with no sleeves. Slide A shoe featuring an open toe and open back with a band across the toe. Can be flat, mid-heel or high-heeled. A shoe held on the foot with a strap at the back of heel. The strap is typically elasticized or buckled for adjustment. Slip Last A simple way to make shoes in which the last is forced into the upper and then stitched to the sole. Slip-On A style of footwear which is simply slipped on to the foot with no further adjustment. Slipper A flat shoe that is easily slipped on, usually meant for indoor wear and lined for comfort and warmth. Slit Sleeve A sleeve with a decorative slit. Smooth Leather Any leather that is smooth on the surface, without pebbling, or noticeable grain. Snakeskin Leather made from the skin of snakes, with a rough, scaly texture. Snap-Tab Collar A men's shirt collar with two tabs that fasten at the spread, to hold the collar in place when wearing a tie. Sneaker An athletic shoe , typically made of canvas with a rubber sole. The term "sneaker" comes from the wearer's ability to walk in the shoe without making noise. Sock Liner A sock liner is the insole in the interior of the shoe that the foot rests on. Soho Fashion for the 30 something. Not the shoes your parents used to wear but not so wild you look a teenager again. From dress to casual, the shoes you will find in this collection will keep you up-to-date with the current trends in a most tasteful way. Remember, you're too old to look cheap! Sole The bottom part of the shoe, not including the heel. Sole Leather Any heavy leather (usually cattle-hide), used for the soles of shoes . Southside Check out the latest looks from the country's foremost leaders in urban apparel. Keep your feet looking hotter than hot and remember, most of these are only here for a short time, so don't get left behind! Spectator A shoe design that is characterized by 2 materials, often of different colors or materials, with an edge of the dominant color having a pinking edge exposed, and a perforated design on the toe. Split Leather A type of leather used in shoes that is made from the lower layers of a hide that have been split away from the upper or grain. Split Leather Typically used in the form of suede, split leather is made from the lower layers of the hide which have been split away from the upper grain layers. Spread Collar A men's shirt collar that leaves a wider opening between the collar points. Square Bertha Collar A bib-style collar made of a square or rectangular cut piece of fabric that is overlayed and draped around the neckline. Square Neck Stability Shoes Stability shoes are for runners who have normal or medium arches who are mild to moderate overpronators. These shoes have some medial support and good midsole cushioning. Because normal or medium arches are the most common foot type, most runners will need Stability shoes . Static Dissipating Boots and shoes are rated SD Type 1 to protect against the hazards of static buildup in the workplace. Static dissipating shoes regulate the buildup of electrical charge in a person's body. Static dissipative shoes are commonly used in manufacturing of computer components, solvent based paints, explosives and plastics. Static dissipating products reduce the risk of static shock to people and to the manufactured product. Steel Toes Steel toes are most frequently found in industrial -style footwear that is meant to prevent injury in the workplace. Steel toes are tested by the A.N.S.I. (American National Standard Institute) for their ability to maintain a minimum clearance when compressed by different weights. Step Hem A bottom hem commonly used on a men's polo shirt where the front hem is short and the back hem is slightly longer, resembling steps. Sterling Silver An alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals. Typically, a branding of the numbers "925" is stamped somewhere on the metal to indicate that it is sterling silver. Straight Lasted A type of last used to create a very straight shoe that helps to prevent severe pronation. Suede Leather with a soft napped surface. Supima Supima® is an organization whose primary objective is to promote the increased consumption of American Pima cotton around the world. Supima is a major sponsor of research programs to improve the quality of American Pima. Supima® also works closely with cotton industry organizations and government agencies to ensure a fair and viable marketing environment for American Pima cotton growers. Over 300-fine count textile mills, manufacturers and retailers from around the world are licensed to use the Supima® brand; licenses are given only to select, high-quality textile mills, apparel and textile manufacturers, and retailers whose products are made of 100% American Pima cotton. Supination The outward rolling of the foot while walking. The opposite of overpronation. Swarovski® A luxury brand name of precision-cut lead crystal glass and similar products. Daniel Swarovski was born to a glass cutting family in Austria. Sweetheart Neckline A neckline that creates a rounded "V" at the bust. The front silhouette resembles a heart shape. Synthetic Materials Materials other than genuine leather, but which are designed to look or function like leather. Also known as man-made materials. Tannage The process of converting raw hides or skins into finished leather. Tap The attachment of a leather or metal partial sole over the existing sole of a shoe. Tassel A rope and knot ornament typically found on the vamp of a loafer or moccasin . Tencel® A cellulose fiber made from wood pulp that is environmentally friendly to produce. This fiber offers comfortable, soft wear and has ideal moisture wicking properties. Thermoplastic Rubber (T.P.R) A plastic material used by many manufacturers in the injection molding process. Thermoplastic Urethane (T.P.U.) A plastic material that gives support through the midfoot or medial side of a running shoe. Thong A sandal featuring a v-strap that connects to the sole of the shoe between the big toe and second toe and at the sides of the foot. Thread Count Thread count is the number of threads, both vertically and horizontally, that are found in one square inch of fabric. If a one square inch piece of fabric used for sheets has 100 threads going lengthwise and 100 going widthwise, then the thread count for those sheets would be 200. Throat The main opening of a shoe extending from the vamp to the ankle. Ticket Pocket A small pocket above the right flap pocket on a suit jacket , blazer or coat. This pocket was originally used for carrying tickets. Tie Neckline A neckline that has an attached tie at the front. Tiered Bottom Hem Contrasting cut lengths of fabric creating a layered tiered look at the bottom hem Tip An additional piece of leather covering the toe of a shoe. May be in several different shapes or patterns. Also known as a Cap. Tongue A strip of leather or other material sewn into the vamp of a laced shoe and extending to the throat of the shoe. Tread May refer to the design of a shoe's sole or the way in which a shoe's sole is worn. Tru-Moc A shoe in which the bottom is a single piece of leather stitched around a last. The vamp is usually attached by whip stitching to the bottom of the shoe so it encloses the foot. Also known as moccasin . Turnedback Cuff A cuff on a dress shirt that folds back towards the sleeve. Turtleneck A high turned-down funnel collar that comes up to the top of the neckline. Turtlenecks are commonly seen on knitwear. U-Neck A neckline that is shaped like an "U". Also referred to as a "horseshoe neckline." Unit Bottom A single shoe bottom made from a mold of rubber or plastic. It includes the sole, platform heel or wedge . Upper The upper part of the shoe, not including the sole. May be made from leather, fabric or synthetics. Upper Leather Any leather used for making shoe uppers. The principal leathers used for shoe uppers are calf, kid, horsehide, goat, sheep and leathers made from the skin of reptiles. All of these may be made in a wide variety of finishes, such as smooth, suede, patent, embossed and glossy. V-Neck A neckline that is cut in the shape of a "V". Vamp The front part of a shoe upper that covers the toes and part of the foot. Vegetable Tanned Leather A type of leather which has been tanned using natural materials such as bark or other plant-based components rather than chemicals. Registered trademark of Velcro Industries BV. Brand hook-and-loop fasteners are often used as straps to provide adjustable fits for shoes . Vent A slit on a skirt or a jacket . Vibram® A type of durable, non-slip outsole typically found on hiking boots . Vibram is a registered trademark of Vibram S.P.A. Vinyl Short for polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C.), vinyl is a shiny plastic often used for coating shoes . Viscose A man-made fiber (specifically, a type of rayon) that's derived from wood pulp cellulose. Waterproof Leather Wedge Heel A heel which extends from the back of the shoe to the ball of the shoe, following its contour. Wellington A style of pull-on boots with no trim, often made of rubber for inclement weather. Welt A strip of leather sewn between the insole and the outsole to create greater durability. Welt Pocket	Mule
When bankers and brokers talk of M&A, what normally do they mean?	Types of Shoes Types of Shoes Fashion Terminology Women's Shoes Men's Shoes T Fashion Terms Do you think you are a shoe expert? Before you read this page, grab a piece of paper and list out the various types of shoes that you know. After you finish your list, compare it to the list below and see if you had been able to name them all. By the way, if you know some shoe styles that we do not have listed, please let us know so we can add your knowledge about footwear to this list of shoes. Your help with making this list better would be greatly appreciated. Below you will find shoe styles along with brief definitions. Adidas Kampung - Adidas Kampung is a generic name for cheap black rubber shoes that are usually made in Malaysia. Being made 100% out of rubber, they are waterproof, easy to dry, and thus ideal for trekking in tropical weather. They gained attention in the blogosphere when they were featured as having been used by local climbers to win various climbathons such as the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon held in Sabah. One particular model comes with four yellow stripes and studded soles, and is commonly used by villagers to play football. Its similarities to the famed stripes on Adidas shoes earned it the moniker Adidas Kampung, or the Village Adidas. Ballet shoe - A ballet shoe, or ballet slipper, is a lightweight shoe designed specifically for ballet dancing. It may be made from soft leather, canvas, or satin, and has flexible, thin soles. Traditionally, women wear pink shoes and men wear white or black shoes. Tan colored slippers—which are unobtrusive and thus give the appearance of dancing barefoot—are worn in modern ballets and sometimes modern dancing by both men and women. Most ballet dancers wear soft ballet slippers for the main part of the ballet class. More advanced female dancers may change into pointe shoes for centre work and performance. Ballet shoes must fit very closely to the foot, for safety and to retain maximum flexibility. Pointe shoe (type of ballet shoe) - A pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointe work. Pointe shoes were conceived in response to the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and have evolved to enable dancers to dance en pointe (on the tips of their toes) for extended periods of time. They are normally worn by female dancers, though male dancers may wear them for unorthodox roles such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella, or in dance companies that feature men dancing as women, such as Les Ballets Trockadero. They are manufactured in a variety of colors, most commonly in shades of light pink. Bast shoe - Bast shoes are shoes made primarily from bast—fiber from the bark of the linden tree or birch tree. They are a kind of basket, woven and fitted to the shape of a foot. Bast shoes are an obsolete traditional footwear of the forest areas of Northern Europe, formerly worn by poorer members of the Finnic peoples, Balts, and East Slavs. They were easy to manufacture, but not durable. Birkenstock - Birkenstock Orthopädie GmbH & Co. KG is a shoe manufacturer headquartered in Neustadt (Wied), Germany. The company sells Birkenstock, a German brand of sandals and other shoes notable for their contoured cork and rubber footbeds, which conform somewhat to the shape of their wearers' feet. Representative products include the two-strap Arizona sandal and the Boston clog. Blucher shoe - A blucher is a style of shoe similar to a derby. Its vamp is made of a single piece of leather ("one cut"). It is named after the 18th century Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. General von Blücher commissioned a boot with side pieces lapped over the front in an effort to provide his troops with improved footwear. This design was adopted by armies across Europe. Boat shoe - Boat shoes (also known as deck shoes) are typically canvas or leather with non-marking rubber soles designed for use on a boat. A siping pattern is cut into the soles to provide grip on a wet deck; the leather construction, along with application of oil, is designed to repel water; and the stitching is highly durable. Boat shoes are traditionally worn without socks. Modern boat shoes were invented in 1935 by American Paul A. Sperry of New Haven, Connecticut after noticing his dog's ability to run easily over ice without slipping. Using a knife, he cut siping into his shoes' soles, inspiring a shoe perfect for boating and a company called Sperry Top-Sider. Sperry Top-Siders are still a popular brand of boat shoe today, among many others, including Sebago and Timberland. Boat shoes are used by sailors, as the name suggests; however, since the 1970s they have become casual footwear in coastal areas of the United States, Canada, Argentina, China, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. Some boat shoes today have traditional white, non-marking soles, though many others today have dark non-marking soles. They usually have a moc-toe (like a moccasin) construction. Brogan (shoes) - Brogan-like shoes, called "brogues" (from Old Irish "bróc" meaning "shoe"), were made and worn in Scotland and Ireland as early as the 16th century, and the shoe-type probably originated there. They were used by the Scots and the Irish as work boots for wear in the wet, boggy Scottish and Irish countryside. The word "brogue" is still used in Britain for a style of dress shoe, which may or may not have an ankle high top. Brogans and brogan-like shoes and boots were adopted over time by various countries for wear by their military forces. Brogue shoe - The Brogue (derived from the Old Irish bróg) is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or "broguing") and serration along the pieces' visible edges. Modern brogues trace their roots to a rudimentary shoe originating in Ireland that was constructed using untanned hide with perforations, allowing water to drain when crossing wet terrain such as a bog. Brogues were traditionally considered to be outdoor or country footwear not otherwise appropriate for casual or business occasions, but brogues are now considered appropriate in most contexts. Brogues are most commonly found in one of four toe cap styles (full or "wingtip", semi-, quarter and longwing) and four closure styles (Oxford, Derby, ghillie, and monk). Today, in addition to their typical form of sturdy leather shoes or boots, brogues may also take the form of business dress shoes, sneakers, high-heeled women's shoes, or any other shoe form that utilises or evokes the multi-piece construction and perforated, serrated piece edges characteristic of brogues. Brothel creeper - Brothel creeper (sometimes shortened to creeper) is a style of shoe which has thick crepe soles, often in combination with suede uppers. This style of footwear became fashionable in the years following World War II, seeing resurgences of popularity at various times ever since. This style of thick soled shoe was first developed commercially in 1949 by George Cox Limited of Wellingborough, UK, and marketed under the "Hamilton" name, based on George Cox Jr.'s middle name.Initially they came in shades of blue, ranging from pastel shades to electric blue, and were made of suede or polished leather. Later, more extravagant patterned versions were created. Calceology - Jump to: navigation, search Calceology (from Latin calcei "shoes" and -λογία, -logiā, "-logy") is the study of footwear, especially historical footwear whether as archaeology, shoe fashion history, or otherwise. It is not yet formally recognized as a field of research. Calceology comprises the examination, registration, research and conservation of leather shoe fragments. A wider definition includes the general study of the ancient footwear, its social and cultural history, technical aspects of pre-industrial shoemaking and associated leather trades, as well as reconstruction of archaeological footwear. Cantabrian albarcas - A Cantabrian albarca is a rustic wooden shoe in one piece, which has been used particularly by the peasants of Cantabria, northern Spain. Cantabrian albarcas are similar to other clogs from Europe, but have significant features and different characteristics in terms of woodworking process and in their use. Chopine - A chopine is a type of women's platform shoe that was popular in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Chopines were originally used as a patten, clog, or overshoe to protect the shoes and dress from mud and street soil. Chopines were popularly worn in Venice by both courtesans and patrician women from ca. 1400–1700. Besides their practical uses, the height of the chopine became a symbolic reference to the cultural and social standing of the wearer; the higher the chopine, the higher the status of the wearer. High chopines allowed a woman to tower over others. Cleats or Kleets – Cleats or studs are protrusions on the sole of a shoe, or on an external attachment to a shoe, that provide additional traction on a soft or slippery surface. Cleats are used for sports such as soccer, football, golf, and other sports. The style of cleat for various sports varies. In British English; the term 'studs' is never used to refer to the shoes, which would instead be known as 'football boots', 'rugby boots', and so on. See cleat blog posts on the fashion blog. You may also want to learn about turf shoes and indoor soccer shoes . Climbing shoe - A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand. Unsuited to walking and hiking, climbing shoes are typically donned at the base of a climb. Modern climbing shoes use carefully crafted multi-piece patterns to conform very closely to the wearer's feet. Leather is the most common upper material, with other materials such as fabric and synthetic leather also employed. The climbing rubber used for soles was developed specifically for rock-climbing. Climbing shoes manufactured with a downward pointing toe box increase the ability to stand on small holds and pockets at the expense of both comfort and the ability to smear. Approach shoes are hybrids between light-weight hiking shoes and climbing shoes offering some of the qualities of each. Clog - Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Clogs are used worldwide and although the form may vary by culture, within a culture the form often remained unchanged for centuries. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective footware in agriculture and in some factories and mines. Although clogs are sometimes negatively associated with cheap and folkloric footwear of farmers and the working class, some types of clogs are considered as fashion wear today, such as Swedish Träskor or Japanese geta. Clogs are also used in several different styles of dance. When worn for dancing an important feature is the sound of the clog against the floor. This is one of the fundamental roots of tap, but with the tap shoes the taps are free to click against each other and produce different sound to clogs. Court shoe - A court shoe (British English), or pump (American English), is a shoe with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. However, some have an ankle strap. They are usually worn by women, but are still traditional menswear in some formal situations, where the style is sometimes called an opera slipper or patent pump. Cowboy Boots - Cowboy boots refer to a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a Cuban heel, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally made from cowhide leather but are also sometimes made from "exotic" skins such as alligator, snake, ostrich, lizard, eel, elephant, stingray, elk, buffalo, and the like. There are two basic styles of cowboy boots, western (or classic), and roper. The classic style is distinguished by a tall boot shaft, going to at least mid-calf, with an angled "cowboy" heel, usually over one inch high. A slightly lower, still angled, "walking" heel is also common. Although western boots can be customized with a wide variety of toe shapes, the classic design is a narrowed, usually pointed, toe. A newer design, the "roper" style, has a short boot shaft that stops above the ankle but before the middle of the calf, with a very low and squared-off "roper" heel, shaped to the sole of the boot, usually less than one inch high. Roper boots are usually made with rounded toes, but, correlating with style changes in streetwear, styles with a squared toe are seen. The roper style is also manufactured in a lace-up design which often fits better around the ankle and is less likely to slip off, but these two features also create safety issues for riding. Cross country running shoe - Cross country running shoes are made for both cross country running and long distance running. Season-specific trainers are available for different types of training. Specialist shops offer advanced fitting services. The feet change shape and swell when running, so a shoe that fit while sitting or walking may not work for running.[ Derby shoe - A Derby shoe (also called Gibson) is a style of Men's shoe characterized by quarters with shoelace eyelets that are sewn on top of the vamp. This construction method, also known as "open lacing", contrasts with that of the Oxfords. In American English the Derby shoe may be referred to as a Blucher, although technically the Blucher is a different design of shoe where only eyelet tabs are sewn onto a single piece vamp. In modern colloquial English, the Derby shoe may be referred to as "bucks," when the upper is made of buckskin. The Derby became a popular sporting and hunting boot in the 1850s. By the turn of the 20th century, the Derby had become appropriate for wear in town Diabetic shoe - Diabetic shoes, sometimes referred to as extra depth, therapeutic shoes or Sugar Shoes, are specially designed shoes, or shoe inserts, intended to reduce the risk of skin breakdown in diabetics with co-existing foot disease. People with diabetic neuropathy in their feet may have a false sense of security as to how much at risk their feet actually are. An ulcer under the foot can develop in a couple of hours. The primary goal of therapeutic footwear is to prevent complications, which can include strain, ulcers, calluses, or even amputations for patients with diabetes and poor circulation. Dori shoes - Dori shoes are dance shoes that combine the toe box of a pointe shoe with a dance heel approximately 3 inches ( about 7.5 cm ) in length. These allow the dancer to combine steps from multiple dance styles with classical ballet, by switching balance from standing on the heel to standing en pointe, and vice versa. Dress shoe - A dress shoe (U.S. English) is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe. Dress shoes are worn by many as their standard daily shoes, and are widely used in dance, for parties, and for special occasions. Men's dress shoes are most commonly black or brown, usually black (but are available in other colors). Most men's dress shoes are made of leather, usually entirely, including the outers, lining, and sole, though for more durability at the expense of elegance, many shoes are made with rubber soles. Non-leather men's dress shoes are also available. Oxfords, monk shoes, derbies, and loafers are the most common dress shoe styles. Women's dress shoes come in a variety of colors. They may also match the color of the gown, dress or suit being worn. Dress shoes for women include pumps, slingbacks, loafers, mules, ballet flats, sandals, and more. While sandals are usually more casual, there are some sandals that can be worn with dress clothes. Driving moccasins - A driving moccasin (driving moc) is a contemporary version of the traditional Native American moccasin with the addition of rubber tabs on the sole. The addition of rubber-pad sole adds to the versatility and longevity of the shoe while maintaining the flexibility and comfort of a traditional moccasin. There are many variations on driving moccasin sole styles varying from manufacturer to manufacturer. The two most common styles are: Rubber-dotted - These have a uniform covering of small, round rubber pads. Separated Pad - These have larger, flat rubber pads separated by only small areas. Earth shoe - Earth shoes (also known as Kalso Earth Shoes) were an unconventional style of shoe invented in the 1970s in Scandinavia by Danish yoga instructor and shoe designer Anna Kalsø. Unlike most other shoes, the soles were thick and the heels were thin (Negative Heel Technology), so wearing them one walked heel-downward. The shoes were introduced in the United States in New York City on April 1, 1970, three weeks before the first Earth Day. The shoes surged in popularity and were prominently featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and TIME Magazine. Unable to keep up with demand, franchise owners pursued litigation against the United States distributor of Kalso Earth Shoes, and the brand discontinued being sold at retail by the late 1970s. In 2001, Kalso Earth Shoes re-surfaced as the rights to the name, technology and branded properties was purchased by Meynard Designs, Inc. Elevator shoes - Elevator shoes are shoes that have thickened sections of the insoles (known as shoe lifts) under the heels to make the wearer appear taller, or "elevate" them as the name suggests. Unlike high-heeled shoes, the component of elevator shoes that increases the wearer's height is inside the shoe, hiding it from observers. An elevator shoe, like the platform shoe's heel, can be made from different soles like plastic, wood, or rubber. Shoes with thickened soles are also used in cases of orthopedic problems, although the term "elevator shoe" is not usually used for these. Shoe lifts are often sold separately as versions that are small enough to fit inside a regular shoe. These lifts can increase the sole height by 1-2cm in a regular shoe. By contrast, elevator shoes are designed to accommodate a much larger shoe lift of up to 7cm. Combined with the outsole, this can typically increase the wearer's height by up to 10cm. Espadrille - Espadrilles or espardenyes are normally casual, flat, but sometimes high-heeled shoes originating in the Pyrenees. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of jute rope. The jute rope sole is the defining characteristic of an espadrille; the uppers vary widely in style. In Quebec, however, espadrille is the usual term for running shoes or sneakers. The term espadrille is French and derives from the word in the Occitan language, which comes from espardenya, in Catalan or alpargata in Spanish. In Catalan it meant a type of shoes made with espart, the Catalan name for esparto, a tough, wiry Mediterranean grass used in making rope. Its name in the Basque region is espartina. The manufacture of espadrilles is generally more complex than that of sandals. The jute soles are the most critical part. The jute twines are first machine-braided. These braids are then manually formed into the shape of the sole and hydraulically pressed with heat to form the final shape and completed with vertical stitching. These basic soles are then vulcanized underneath. EVA foam or wooden heels are glued in place and more jute braids are wrapped around it to complete the soles. Uppers of different styles are then built on the jute soles to complete the espadrille. Fashion boot - A fashion boot is a boot worn for reasons of style or fashion (rather than for utilitarian purposes – e.g. not hiking boots, riding boots, rain boots, etc.). The term is usually applied to women’s boots. Fashion boots come in a wide variety of styles, from ankle to thigh-length, and are used for casual, formal, and business attire. Although boots were a popular style of women’s footwear in the Nineteenth Century, they were not recognized as a high fashion item until the 1960s. They became widely popular in the 1970s and have remained a staple of women’s winter wardrobes since then. Flip-flops - are a type of open-toed footwear sandal, typically worn as a form of casual wear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped commonly rubber strap that passes between the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot. They may also be held to the foot with a single strap over the top of the foot rather than a thong. The name "flip-flop" originated from the sound made by the slapping of the sole, foot and floor when walking. This style of footwear has been worn by the people of many cultures throughout the world, originating as early as the ancient Egyptians in 1,500 B.C. The modern flip-flop descends from the Japanese zōri, which became popular after World War II when soldiers returning to the United States brought them back. They became popular gender-neutral summer footwear during the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Some varieties have even found their way into more formal attire, especially double-pluggers despite criticism. Galesh - A galesh (گالش) is a traditional footwear of Iran. Unlike most galoshes, the "galesh" are always handwoven and with specific fabrics. It is what people in Persia used to wear before the proliferation of the modern shoe, especially in the provinces of northern Iran. Galesh are still made today, but in the category of handicrafts and cultural produce. Giveh - Giveh, pronounced /gi:ve/ in Persian or /gi:wæ/ in Kurdish, is a kind of soft, comfortable, durable and handwoven-top shoe common in several parts of Iran especially in rural and mountainous areas of Kermanshah Province. The production centers of Giveh are the two provinces of Yazd and Kermanshah in Iran. Giveh is made up of two parts: sole and upper. The sole is usually rubber or leather the upper is woven thread. Before the arrival of rubber industry to the area, Giveh-makers would use a kind of wild-bull leather to make giveh and the upper was of wool or cotton thread. Most rich people would wear them. With the arrival of rubber industry, lower-income people have used rubber in the sole of their givehs. Glass Slipper - Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper, (French: Cendrillon, ou La petite Pantoufle de Verre, Italian: Cenerentola, German: Aschenputtel) is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances, that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune. The oldest documented version comes from China, and the oldest European version from Italy. The most popular version was first published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697, and later by the Brothers Grimm in their folk tale collection Grimms' Fairy Tales. High-heeled footwear - High-heeled footwear (often abbreviated as high heels or simply heels) is footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. When both the heel and the toes are raised equal amounts, as in a platform shoe, it is technically not considered to be a high heel; however, there are also high-heeled platform shoes. High heels tend to give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender legs. High heels come in a wide variety of styles, and the heels are found in many different shapes, including stiletto, pump (court shoe), block, tapered, blade, and wedge. According to high-fashion shoe websites like Jimmy Choo and Gucci, a "low heel" is considered less than 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters), while heels between 2.5 and 3.5 inches (6.4 and 8.9 cm) are considered "mid heels", and anything over that is considered a "high heel". The apparel industry would appear to take a simpler view; the term "high heels" covers heels ranging from 2 to 5 inches (5.1 to 12.7 cm) or more. Early depictions of high heels could be seen on ancient Egyptian murals, dating back to 3500 BC. These murals would depict Egyptian nobilities wearing heels to set them apart from the lower class, who would normally go barefoot. Huarache - Huaraches (derived from Warachi, in Purépecha, indigenous language About this sound wa'ɾatʃe (help·info), singular huarache) are a type of Mexican sandal. Pre-Columbian in origin. Traditional huarache designs vary greatly, but are always very simple. Originally made of all-leather, later early designs included woven string soles and occasionally thin wooden soles. Later more elaborate upper designs were created by saddlers and leather workers. The modern huarache developed from the adoption in the 1930s of rubber soles developed from used rubber car-tires. Modern designs vary in style from a simplistic sandal to a more complex shoe, using both traditional leather as well as more modern synthetic materials. Many shoes claim to be huaraches, but they are still traditionally only considered a huarache if they are handmade, and have a woven-leather form in the upper. Jazz Shoes - A jazz shoe is a type of shoe worn by dancers. They are used in jazz dance and other styles of dance including acro dance, acrobatic rock'n'roll, and hip hop, and in other activities, such as aerobics. Jazz shoes are available in a variety of styles, with varying features. They may be high-rise or low-rise, and may be slip-ons or lace-up Oxfords. Split-sole jazz shoes allow enhance shoe flexibility, making it possible to flex the foot more easily. Most have rubber soles, which provide traction and also help to cushion the foot, and some have thicker heels for better shock-absorption. Some have a suede patch under the ball of the foot to facilitate turning. Jelly shoes - Jelly shoes or jellies are shoes made of PVC plastic. Jelly shoes come in a large variety of brands and colors and the material is frequently infused with glitter. Its name refers to the semi-transparent materials with a jelly-like sheen. The shoes became a fad in the early 1980s, when a pair could frequently be purchased for less than one US dollar. Like many other fashion trends from the 1980s, jellies have been revived a number of times since the late 1990s. Although considered a populist shoe in the 1980s, the jelly shoe has been reinterpreted by a number of high-end fashion designers in the early twenty-first century. The exact origins of the jelly shoes are unclear. Jumpsoles - Jumpsoles are weighted platforms that attach to your shoes. Although invented primarily for basketball players, the platforms are now used by athletes in other sports. Users stand with their heel off the ground and practice jumping for a short time, often no more than 20 minutes. The exercises, according to Black Belt Magazine, are supposed to "build fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are integral to developing explosive power and quickness". They can improve the user's vertical leap by 5 inches (13 cm) to 10 inches (25 cm) and build calf and thigh muscles. Jutti - The jutti (Punjabi: ਜੁੱਤੀ) or Punjabi Jutti (Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਜੁੱਤੀ) is a type of footwear common in North India and neighboring regions. They are traditionally made up of leather and with extensive embroidery, in real gold and silver thread in olden days, though now with changing times different juti with rubber soles are made available. Besides Punjabi jutti, there are various local styles as well. Today Amritsar and Patiala ("tilla jutti") are important trade centers for handcrafted juttis, from where they are exported all over the world to Punjabi diaspora. Closely related to mojaris. Juttis have evolved into several localized design variations, even depending upon the shoemaker. However by large, they have no left or right distinction, and over time take the shape of the foot. They usually have flat sole, and are similar in design for both women and men, except for men they have a sharp extended tip, nokh curved upwards like traditional mustaches, and are also called khussa, and some women juttis have no back part, near the ankle. Even with changing times juttis have remained part of ceremonial attire, especially at weddings, the unembellished juttis are used for everyday use for both men and women in most of Punjab. Many Punjabi folk songs mention juttis, like Jutti kasuri peri na poori hai rabba sanu turna paiy and Jutti lagdi vairia mere'. Kitten heel - A kitten heel is a short, slender heel, usually from 3.5 centimeters (1.5 inches) to 4.75 centimeters (1.75 inches) high with a slight curve setting the heel in from the back edge of the shoe. The style was popularized by Audrey Hepburn. Kolhapuri Chappal - Kolhapuri chappals are Indian hand-crafted leather slippers that are locally tanned using vegetable dyes. Kolhapuri Chappals or Kolhapuris as they are commonly referred to are a style of open-toed, T-strap sandal which originated from Kolhapur, a southern district in the state of Maharashtra. Kung fu shoe, a type and style of slip-on shoe traditionally worn while practicing kung fu. The kung fu shoe, also known as a "Tai Chi shoe" or as a "martial arts slipper", is a type and style of cloth slip-on shoe that is traditionally made in China, and was originally worn while practicing kung fu and other martial arts, and also while performing Tai Chi. Variants of this shoe are now mass-produced for general-purpose wear, and there are several slightly different styles. These shoes are inexpensive and are available worldwide. Loafers - Slip-ons are typically low, lace-less shoes. The style most commonly seen, known as a loafer or slippers in American culture, has a moccasin construction. One of the first designs was introduced in London by Wildsmith Shoes, called the Wildsmith Loafer. They began as casual shoes, but have increased in popularity to the point of being worn in America with city lounge suits. Another design was introduced as Aurlandskoen (the Aurland Shoe) in Norway (early 20th century). They are worn in many situations in a variety of colors and designs, often featuring tassels on the front, or metal decorations (example, the Gucci loafer ). A less casual, earlier type of slip-on is made with side gussets (sometimes called a dress loafer). Made in the same shape as lace-up Oxfords, but lacking the laces, these shoes have elasticated inserts on the side which allow the shoe to be easily removed but remain snug when worn. This cut has its greatest popularity in Britain. Lotus shoes - Lotus shoes (simplified Chinese: 莲履; traditional Chinese: 蓮履; pinyin: lianlǚ) are footwear that were worn by women in China who had bound feet. The shoes are cone or sheath-shaped, intended to resemble a lotus bud. They were delicately constructed from cotton or silk, and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Some designs had heels or wedge-shaped soles. They were made in different styles and colors, and were typically ornately decorated, with embroidered designs of animals or flowers that could continue on the sole of the shoe. Some designs only fit over the tip of the foot, giving the illusion of a small bound foot when worn under a long skirt. Though foot binding is no longer practiced, many lotus shoes survive as artifacts in museums or private collections. Mary Jane Shoes - Mary Jane is an American term (formerly a registered trademark) for a closed, low-cut shoe with one or more straps across the instep. Classic Mary Janes for children are typically made of black leather or patent leather, have one thin strap fastened with a buckle or button, a broad and rounded toebox, low heels, and thin outsoles. Among girls, Mary Janes are traditionally worn with pantyhose or socks, and a dress or a skirt and blouse. Among boys (less common), Mary Janes are traditionally worn with socks, short trousers, and a shirt. Moccasin - A moccasin is an outdoor slipper, made of moose skin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole (made with leather that has not been "worked") and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp (additional panel of leather). The sole is soft and flexible and the upper part often is adorned with embroidery or beading. Though sometimes worn inside, it is chiefly intended for outdoor use, as in exploring wildernesses and running. Historically, it is the footwear of many indigenous peoples of North America; moreover, hunters, traders, and European settlers wore them. Monk shoe - A monk shoe is a style of shoe with no lacing, closed by a buckle and strap. It is also known as a monk strap, and has been described as the "most advanced" dress shoe. It is a moderately formal shoe: less formal than a full Oxford (American: Balmoral); but more so than an open Derby (American: Blücher). A monk shoe is one of the main categories of men's footwear. It often has a cap toe, is occasionally brogued, and is popular in suede . Mule (we are not talking about the animal) - Mule, a French word, is a style of shoe that is backless and often closed-toed. Mules can be any heel height - from flat to high. The style is predominantly a style of women’s footwear. The term derives from the Ancient Roman mulleus calceus a red or purple shoe worn by the three highest magistrates, although there is little indication of any structural resemblance. Opanak - Opanak (Bulgarian: цървул, опинок[a]; Macedonian: опинок; Serbian Cyrillic: опанак) are traditional peasant shoes worn in Southeastern Europe (specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia). The attributes of the Opanci (name in plural) are: a construction of leather, lack of laces, durable, and various ending on toes. In Serbia, the design of the horn-like ending on toes indicates the region of origin. The concept, and the word, exists in Romania (as opincă) which is borrowed from Slavic. The Opanci are considered a national symbol of Serbia, and the traditional peasant footwear for people in the Balkan region. Apparel Search thinks these are very cool looking shoes. Opinga - Opinga are traditional shoes which are worn by Albanian men throughout Albania, in Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and in the Arbëresh villages in Italy. Earliest archaeological evidence for opinga dates back to 5-4th century BC indicating they were an element in Illyrian culture. Organ shoes - Organ shoes are shoes worn by organists, designed to facilitate playing of the organ pedal keyboard. Also, since organ shoes are worn only at the organ, the use of special footwear avoids picking up grit or grime that could scar or stain the pedal keys. Shoes are not always used, some famous organists like Rhoda Scott play with bare feet. Orthopaedic footwear - Orthopedic shoes are specially-designed footwear to relieve discomfort associated with many foot and ankle disorders, such as blisters, bunions, calluses and corns, hammer toes, plantar fasciitis, or heel spurs. They may also be worn by individuals with diabetes or people with unequal leg length. These shoes typically have a low heel, tend to be wide with a particularly wide toe box, and have a firm heel to provide extra support. Some may also have a removable insole, or orthotic, to provide extra arch support. Over-the-knee boot - Over-the-knee boots (or cuissardes, which include thighboots, top boots, hip-boots, and waders) are long boots that fully or partly cover the knee. This sort of boot was originally created as a man's riding boot in the 15th century, in the latter part of the 20th century, the style was redefined as a fashion boot for women. Over-the-knee boots are also used as a work boot in circumstances requiring additional protection for the legs (e.g. fishing waders). In modern times, over-the-knee boots are also a style of women’s footwear. The adoption of over-the-knee boots as a fashion item for women began in the early 1960s. In 1962, Balenciaga's fall collection featured a tall boot by Mancini that just covered the knee and the following year, Yves Saint Laurent's couture collection included thigh-length alligator skin boots by designer Roger Vivier. Oxford shoe - An Oxford shoe is characterized by shoelace eyelets tabs that are attached under the vamp, a feature termed "closed lacing". This contrasts with Derbys, or Blüchers, which have shoelace eyelets attached to the top of the vamp. Originally, Oxfords were plain, formal shoes, made of leather but they evolved into a range of styles suitable for both formal and casual wear. Based on function and the dictates of fashion, Oxfords are now made from a variety of materials, including calf leather, patent leather, suede, and canvas. They are normally black or brown, and may be plain or patterned (Brogue). Oxfords first appeared in Scotland and Ireland, where they are occasionally called Balmorals after Balmoral Castle. However, the shoes were later named Oxfords after Oxford University. This shoe style didn't appear in the U.S. until the 1800s. In the U.S. Oxfords are called "Bal-type" as opposed to "Blucher-type". In France, Oxfords are known as Richelieu. Pampootie - Pampooties are raw-hide shoes, which were formerly made and worn on the Aran Islands of County Galway, Ireland. They are formed of a single piece of untanned hide folded around the foot and stitched with twine or a leather strap. Hide from the buttocks was most often used. The hair was usually left and this improved the shoe's grip. The raw hide is kept flexible by use and the constant damp conditions of Western Ireland. However the shoes are not made to last. They are prone to rot and were usually kept for as little as a month or less. Pampooties are similar to the Scottish cuaran shoes, and are the precursors to ghillies, Celtic dance shoes. They are also similar in appearance to American moccasins. Ancient shoes found preserved from Stone Age Europe have a similar design. Peranakan beaded slippers - Peranakan beaded slippers, also known as kasot manek, literally meaning beaded shoes, is a type of shoe that dates back to the early twentieth century. It refers to beaded slippers worn by a nyonya to complete her Sarong Kebaya outfit, together with chained brooches (kerosang) and a silver belt (tali pendeng). The slippers are made of Peranakan cut beads (manek potong), which are treasured as these beads are no longer available. Vintage kasot manek are intricate and finely stitched, a testimony to the fine workmanship of yesteryears. The intricacy and fine workmanship of a pair of beaded slipper is also a hallmark of highly accomplished Peranakan women, also known as nyonyas, whose skills in embroidery and beadwork are highly valued. The beaded slippers were either opened face (peep-toe) or covered face. Peshawari chappal - Peshawari Chappal is a traditional footwear of Pakistan, worn especially by Pashtuns in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The shoe takes its name from the city of Peshawar, where it originates from, while "chappal" is the local word for flip-flops. Peshawari chappal is worn by men casually or formally, usually with the Shalwar kameez dress. Because of its comfort, it is used in place of sandal or slipper in Pakistan. It is a semi-closed footwear which consists of two wide strips where both strips are joined with the sole by crossing each other. The back side has also a strip with a buckle to tie according to the foot size and level of comfort. It is traditionally made with pure leather with its sole often made of truck tyre. It is available in many traditional designs and colors with various variations such as works of golden and silver threads, which give the shoe a more elegant look. Peshawari chappals have become increasingly popular in other parts of Pakistan; even wearing them with jeans has become a fashion trend, especially among urban youth. Platform shoe - Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with an obvious thick sole, usually in the range of 3–10 cm (1–4 in). Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. Extreme heights, of both the sole and heel, can be found in footwear such as ballet boots, where the sole may be up to 20 cm (8 in) high, and the heels up to 40 cm (16 in) and more. The sole of a platform shoe can have a continuous uniform thickness, have a wedge, a separate block or a stiletto heel. Apart from the extreme forms of fetish shoes (which are first and foremost not intended for walking in), walking in platform shoes can be cumbersome and clumsy. This type of shoe may raise the risk of a sprained ankle in addition to raising your height.. Pointed shoe - Throughout the history of footwear, shoes or fashion boots with very long, pointed toes have been favored at various periods and in various cultures or sub-cultures. These have included: Crakows or Poulaines - (15th- and 16th-century Europe). Winklepickers - 1960s to present, Britain and Germany. Mexican pointy boots - 21st-century Mexico and southern United States. Pointinini - The pointinini (pointed shoe) is a type of shoe popular in Côte d'Ivoire. They are shoes whose characteristic is that the front part pointed and is slightly bent, available in all the colors and various materials (leather, deer, synthetic fibre). This fashion strongly developed in Côte d'Ivoire and was quickly exported with Coupé-Décalé and the concept of the "farot" incarnated by JetSet. Ivorian singer Abou Nidal sings about it in "La chaussure qui parle" (The shoe which speaks). The pointinini is a key component of the "Afrodesign" or modern "Afrostyle". The pointinini is a true phenomenon of style in Africa. The pointinini was not invented by Abou Nidal but finds its origins in the centre of Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via the science of sapeology (which originates from the word sape i.e. Societe Admirer des Persons Elegant). Rain Boots - boots manufacturered to be waterproof and appropriate for wear in the rain or wet conditions. Rocker bottom shoe - A rocker sole shoe or rocker bottom shoe is a shoe which has a thicker-than-normal sole with rounded heel. Such shoes ensure the wearer does not have flat footing along the proximal-distal axis of the foot. The shoes are generically known by a variety of names including round bottom shoes, round/ed sole shoes, and toning shoes, and also by various brand names. Rocker soles may replace regular soles on any style of footwear. Some rocker bottom shoes are purpose built to reduce the function or replace the lost function of a joint. For example, a person with a hallux rigidus (stiff big toe) may use a rocker bottom shoe to replace the flexion lost at the metatarsal joint. Rocker bottom shoes are also used to compensate for the lost range of motion, however caused, at the tibiotalar joint (ankle joint). In such cases, the wearer maintains solid and stable footing while standing, but the rock of the heel assists with the propulsive phase of gait, making walking more natural and less painful to the affected joints. If selecting these shoes with the hopes of some sort of medical benefit, Apparel Search strongly suggests that you first consult with your physician to make sure it is appropriate. The construction of most varieties of rocker sole shoes mean that the wearer's body weight is shifted behind the ankle and the wearer is required to do more work than would be required in flat-soled shoe to find their center of gravity and remain balanced. In recent years, heel-to-toe rocker sole shoe for the sports footwear market was popularized by brands such as MBT , Shape Ups and EasyTone. Ruby slippers (click your heels three times and you’ll understand) - The ruby slippers are the magic pair of shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the classic 1939 MGM musical movie The Wizard of Oz. Because of their iconic stature, the ruby slippers are now considered among the most treasured and valuable items of film memorabilia. As is customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though the exact number is unknown. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen in August 2005 and has never been recovered. In L. Frank Baum's original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), on which the film is based, Dorothy wears Silver Shoes. However, the color of the shoes was changed to red in order to take full advantage of the new Technicolor film process being used in big-budget Hollywood films of that era. Film screenwriter Noel Langley is credited with the idea. Russian boot - Russian boot is the name applied to a style of calf- or knee-length fashion boot for women that was popular in the early part of the 20th Century. Russian boots fell out of favor in the 1930s, but were the inspiration for the high-leg fashion boots that returned to popularity in the 1950s and 60s. Today the term Russian boot is sometimes applied to the style of low heeled boots worn by some folk dancers. The original Russian boot was the valenki, a flat heeled, wide topped, knee-length boot worn by Russian soldiers. Designed to combat the extremely cold Russian winters, valenki were normally made of thick felt. The boots' uppers were loosely constructed for convenience and comfort, which produced the style's distinctive wrinkling effect around the ankles. The term was later applied to women’s boots in leather that appeared in the second decade of the 20th Century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shoes with high uppers, buttoned or laced and reaching to the lower calves, were common footwear for women. Rising hemlines made longer styles of boots popular, particularly when the alternative was exposure of the leg, which was still considered shocking. In 1913, Denise Poiret, wife of celebrated French couturier Paul Poiret, caused a sensation in Paris and New York by wearing knee-length boots in wrinkled Morocco leather. Designed by her husband and made by the bottier Favereau, these boots were styled with a low heel and a square toe; she had versions in red, white, green, and yellow. Russian boots were the inspiration for the modern fashion boot, some of which closely resemble styles that first appeared in the 1920s. The term “Russian boot" is usually applied to the flat-heeled, calf-length boots popular with some traditions of folk dancing, especially those from Eastern Europe. In 2009, The New York Times reported that the original felt valenki was being reinvented as a fashion item in Russia Saddle shoe - The saddle shoe is a low-heeled casual Oxford shoe (hence the alternate name "saddle oxford"), characterized by a plain toe and distinctive, saddle-shaped decorative panel placed mid foot. Saddle shoes are typically constructed of leather and are most frequently white with a black saddle, although any color combination is possible. Saddle shoes are worn by both men and women in a variety of styles ranging from ultra-high platforms to golf cleats. Some groups identify with this type of shoe irrespective of current fashion trends. Those associated with ska, sometimes known as rudeboys, often wear them in some combinations since both the classic look and the black/white color scheme represent the genre as a whole. Sandals - Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometimes be blurry (as in the case of huaraches—the woven leather footwear seen in Mexico, and peep-toe pumps), the common understanding is that a sandal leaves most of the upper part of the foot exposed. People may choose to wear sandals for several reasons, among them comfort in warm weather, economy (sandals tend to require less material than shoes and are usually easier to construct), and as a fashion choice. Silver Shoes - The Silver Shoes are the magical shoes that appear in L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as heroine Dorothy Gale's transport home. They are originally owned by the Wicked Witch of the East but passed to Dorothy when her house lands on the Witch. As gathered from the clues throughout the various books and films, the Silver Shoes will only pass to a new owner if they have physically defeated the previous owner, or the previous owner willingly hands them over. You may also want to learn about Ruby Slippers. By the way, if you were silver shoes, they may be anti-microbial. Silver is said to have anti-microbial properties . Slip-on shoe - Slip-ons are typically low, lace-less shoes. The style most commonly seen, known as a loafer or slippers in American culture, has a moccasin construction. One of the first designs was introduced in London by Wildsmith Shoes, called the Wildsmith Loafer. They began as casual shoes, but have increased in popularity to the point of being worn in America with city lounge suits. Another design was introduced as Aurlandskoen (the Aurland Shoe) in Norway (early 20th century).[2] They are worn in many situations in a variety of colours and designs, often featuring tassels on the front, or metal decorations (the 'Gucci' loafer). A less casual, earlier type of slip-on is made with side gussets (sometimes called a dress loafer). Made in the same shape as lace-up Oxfords, but lacking the laces, these shoes have elasticated inserts on the side which allow the shoe to be easily removed but remain snug when worn. This cut has typically had its greatest popularity in Britain. Slipper - Slippers are light shoes which are easy to put on and take off and usually worn indoors. The following is a partial list of types of slippers: Slip-on slippers - slippers usually made with a fabric upper layer that encloses the top of the foot and the toes, but leaves the heel open. These are often distributed in expensive hotels, included with the cost of the room. Slipper boots - slippers meant to look like boots. Often favoured by women, they are typically furry boots with a fleece or soft lining, and a soft rubber sole. Modelled after sheepskin boots, they may be worn outside Sandal slippers - cushioned sandals with soft rubber or fabric soles, similar to Birkenstock's cushioned sandals. Moccasin slippers - are often made of a soft leather or pelt. They are often beaded in the style of tribal or indigenous cultures. Closed slippers - slippers with a heel guard that prevents the foot from sliding out. Evening slipper, also known as the Prince Albert slipper. It is made of velvet with leather soles and features a grosgrain bow or the wearer’s initials embroidered in gold. In India, slippers are generally made of rubber and are called rubber chappals. Sneakers - Sneakers (also known as athletic shoes, tennis shoes, or trainers) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise. Sneakers have evolved to be used for casual everyday activities. The term generally describes a type of footwear with a flexible sole made of rubber or synthetic material and an upper part made of leather or synthetic materials. Examples of such shoes include athletic footwear such as: basketball shoes, tennis shoes, cross trainers and other shoes worn for specific sports. These shoes acquired the nickname 'plimsoll' in the 1870s, derived according to Nicholette Jones' book The Plimsoll Sensation, from the coloured horizontal band joining the upper to the sole, which resembled the Plimsoll line on a ship's hull. Alternatively, just like the Plimsoll line on a ship, if water got above the line of the rubber sole, the wearer would get wet. Plimsolls were widely worn by vacationers and also began to be worn by sportsmen on the tennis and croquet courts for their comfort. Special soles with engraved patterns to increase the surface grip of the shoe were developed, and these were ordered in bulk for the use of the British Army. Athletic shoes were increasingly used for leisure and outdoor activities at the turn of the 20th century - plimsolls were even found with the ill-fated Scott Antarctic expedition of 1911. Plimsolls were made compulsory in schools' physical education lessons in the UK. British company J.W. Foster and Sons designed and produced the first shoes designed for running in 1895; the shoes were spiked to allow for greater traction and speed. This style of footwear also became prominent in America at the turn of the 20th century, where they were called 'sneakers'. Snow boots - A snow boot is a type of boot, generally waterproof, or water-resistant. The boot, in almost all cases, has a high side, keeping snow from entering the boot, and a rubber sole, to keep water out. Because of their water-resistant material, snowboots are often used in wet, slushy, or muddy situations. This means not a half inch dusting of snow, of water, but quite deep, heavy wet snow, slush, or mud. Snowboots are used by people to easily walk in snowy or wet situations, and by children playing in snowy, relatively wet, or muddy lawns, fields, etc. They are also usable for walking in streams in winter, as they are well-insulated, while still waterproof. Spectator shoe - The spectator shoe (British English: co-respondent shoe) is a style of low-heeled, oxford, semi-brogue or full brogue constructed from two contrasting colors, typically having the toe and heel cap and sometimes the lace panels in a darker color than the main body of the shoe. This style of shoe dates from the nineteenth century but reached the height of popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. Common color combinations include a white shoe body with black, brown or tan toe and heel caps, but other colors can be used. The spectator is typically an all leather shoe, but can be constructed using a canvas, mesh or suede body. The spectator was originally constructed of willow calf leather and white buck or reverse calf suede. The white portion was sometimes made from a mesh material, for better ventilation in hot weather. The saddle shoe, another style of two-tone oxford shoe, can be distinguished from the spectator shoe by noting the saddle shoe's plain toe and distinctive, saddle-shaped decorative panel placed mid foot. Steel-toe boot - A steel-toe boot (also known as a safety boot, steel-capped boot or safety shoe) is a durable boot or shoe that has a protective reinforcement in the toe which protects the foot from falling objects or compression, usually combined with a mid sole plate to protect against punctures from below. Although traditionally made of steel, the reinforcement can also be made of a composite material, a plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or even Aluminum. Steel-toe boots are important in the construction industry and in many industrial settings. Occupational safety and health legislation or insurance requirements may require the use of such boots in some settings, and may mandate certification of such boots and the display of such certification directly on the boots. The markings on the boot label will indicate the national or international standards that the boot was intended to meet, and identify the level of protection offered for impact, penetration, electric shock, and chemical hazards. Footwear for use in chemical processing or semiconductor manufacturing may also be rated to dissipate static electricity while still protecting the wearer from electric shock. Safety footwear now comes in many styles, including sneakers and clogs. Some are quite formal, for supervising engineers who must visit sites where protective footwear is mandatory. Some brands of steel-toe footwear have become fashionable within subcultures such as skinhead, punk, and rivethead. While brands that were previously renowned within the fashion industry have also diversified into the safety footwear market, industrial brands like Caterpillar, Rock Fall and JCB have also issued licenses to produce safety footwear. T-bar sandal - A T-bar sandal or T-bar shoe (also known in the United Kingdom as "school sandal" or "closed-toe sandal") is a closed, low-cut shoe with two or more straps forming one or more T shapes (one or more straps across the instep passing through a perpendicular, central strap that extends from the vamp). Classic T-bars for children are typically made of blue or brown leather, have two thin straps forming a single T shape and fastened with a buckle, a broad and rounded toebox pierced with a pattern of holes, a low heel, and a crêpe rubber outsole stitched-down to the upper. Among boys, T-bars are traditionally worn with socks, short trousers, and a shirt. First seen in Europe and America in the early 1900s, T-bars became very common among children in the 1950s,[ Tiger-head shoes - Tiger-head shoes (Chinese: 虎头鞋) are an example of traditional Chinese folk handicraft used as footwear for children. Their name comes from the toe cap, which looks like the head of a tiger. In the North of China, people also call them cat-head shoes. In Chinese culture, tigers are regarded as auspicious; people embroider the head and the upper of the shoes with tiger or tiger-head patterns, in the hope that their children will become as robust and dynamic as tigers. Also, the vivid image of tiger-head pattern was thought to expel evil spirits to protect their children from diseases and disasters. It is a complicated work to make tiger-head shoes, there are many delicate stitch work such as embroidery, or weaving simply on the head of the shoes. The vamp (upper part of the shoe) is mainly colored in red and yellow. Turf Shoe – sports shoes made to provide better traction on grass or artificial grass (turf). They are similar to cleats but have much smaller studs providing traction. In fact, they might be too small to actually refer to them as studs. Tsarouhi - A tsarouhi (Greek: τσαρούχι; plural: τσαρούχια; from Turkish çarık) is a type of shoe, which is typically known nowadays as part of the traditional uniform worn by the Greek guards known as Evzones. Their origin is obscure and goes back to the Byzantine times, with influences from styles imported by neighbouring tribes, including the Turks. Originally, various types of similar shoes were worn all over the Balkans, but tsarouhia are mainly associated with the Greeks. They were the most common footwear worn by both urban and rural Greeks, mainly men, but also many women. Turnshoe - A turnshoe is a type of shoe made of leather used during the Middle Ages. It was so named because it was put together inside out, and then was turned right-side-out once finished. This hides the main seam between the sole and vamp (upper) -- prolonging the life of the shoe and inhibiting moisture leaking in through the seam. In the very beginning, turnshoes consisted of only one piece of leather sewn on only one side. In the late early and the high medieval ages, turnshoes mostly consisted of one sole (cowhide or bovinae) and one piece of vamp (goat or cowhide or caprinae/bovinae). In the late Middle Ages, additional elements were added, like doubled soles. Turnshoes were displaced by welted shoes in the beginning of the 16th century. Turnshoes were most often made in the home. Venetian-style shoe - Venetian-style shoes (venetian-style loafers) are mid-heel slippers with an upper or top part that is slightly open to the kick of the foot and the ankle bone. The venetian-style shoe and its lack of ornamentation contrasts with the loafer which may have slotted straps, vamps and even tassels. The term came from Great Britain. Loafers are "slip-on shoes with a moccasin toe construction and slotted straps stitched across vamps". A loafer may even be "decorated with metal chains or tassels" (Drummond). A penny-loafer has a "tongue and strap". By the 20th century, the slip-on loafers were common male footwear. During this period other popular shoes included low, laced oxfords in various leathers, ankle boots, and specialized sport shoes. During the 1950s, the loafer became fashionable. Winklepicker - Winklepickers, or winkle pickers, are a style of shoe or boot worn from the 1950s onward by male and female British rock and roll fans. The feature that gives both the boot and shoe their name is the very sharp and long pointed toe, reminiscent of medieval footwear and approximately the same as the long pointed toes on some women's high-fashion shoes and boots in the late 2000s. The extremely pointed toe was called the winkle picker because in England periwinkle snails, or winkles, are a popular seaside snack which is eaten using a pin or other pointed object to extract the soft parts out of the coiled shell carefully, hence the phrase: "to winkle something out", and based on that, winklepickers became a humorous name for shoes with a very pointed tip. Other countries had other humorous names, e.g. in Norway and Sweden they were called myggjagere/myggjagare, literally "Mosquito Chasers". They are still popular in the raggare and rockabilly subcultures. In some parts of the U.S. they are called "roach stompers." Wörishofer - Wörishofer is a type of orthpaedic ladies' sandal made in Bad Wörishofen. They have a cork wedge in the sole which is light and acts as a shock absorber. They were first designed in the 1940s and have been considered practical but ugly. But in 2010, they became fashionable, being worn by celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Their effectiveness as a fashion accessory is due to the confidence with which they are worn — the wearer is indicating that they are so beautiful that they can transcend the frumpiness of the shoe. In this, they are similar to other practical shoes which have been fashionable, including Birkenstocks, crocs , Dr. Martens , Dr. Scholl's and Ugg boots . If you know of additional types of shoes , please let us know. We would like to keep this page as complete as possible. Learn more about shoes in the shoe definitions section. For more complete definitions with more historical reference and specifics we would suggest you also visit an educational resource such as the Wikipedia website. They present product images as well as great information about this subject.	i don't know
What pressure group, led by Kumi Naidoo, with three million members, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2011?	Can This Man Save the Planet? – gCaptain Can This Man Save the Planet? August 26, 2011 by gCaptain By Adam Spangler, Dow Jones & Co, Image: © Louise Gubb/Greenpeace At 0700 hours, June 17, 100 Miles off the coast of Greenland, a black inflatable speedboat splashed into the icy water off the bow of a large, repurposed Russian fireboat. Kumi Naidoo, the charismatic leader of Greenpeace International, climbed down into it. As the engine revved up and the high-speed Zodiac started pounding through the waves, Naidoo recalled clutching a bow rope tightly with one hand, and with the other holding a banner demanding, “Stop Arctic Destruction.” Speeding past Danish naval patrol boats, the inflatable reached its target, a towering 53,000-ton oil rig. As Naidoo and his Nordic action coordinator, Ulvar Arnkvaern, started to climb a steel ladder that stretched 100 feet up to the platform, a high-pressure fire hose hammered freezing water down on their heads. Soaked to the skin and shivering violently, Naidoo and Arnkvaern fought their way up, step by step. When they reached the deck of the oil rig, Naidoo announced to the crewmen who surrounded him that he was there to hand over a petition signed by 50,000 people online demanding that the rig operator, Cairn Energy, release its oil-spill response plan—if it even had one. The captain of the rig refused to see him and, while he waited to be arrested, Naidoo gave a short interview to a newspaper reporter patched in by walkie-talkie. When a police helicopter landed, the activists were flown off to four days in a Greenland jail, where Naidoo came down with a fever. The petition was left behind, unread. Both sides claimed victory though neither seemed to have won anything. The Cairn Energy protest was the first time a Greenpeace executive director had been arrested and deported in a direct action in over a decade and it’s not a coincidence that Naidoo decided to lead the operation on the eve of the organization’s 40th anniversary. Greenpeace finds itself at a major crossroads. What began as a tiny grassroots group in Vancouver now has 2.8 million members and 2,500 employees in 40 countries. It is not just the international face of the environmental movement—it is a behemoth that rivals some of the companies it opposes. It has won battles in the wilderness and in the courts, but it also faces widespread criticism that it has not achieved major, world-changing results. As the organization struggles with middle age, a question flaps in the air like one of their tattered banners: What is Greenpeace’s role in the world today? Naidoo, a 46-year-old human-rights activist from South Africa who has held the top job at Greenpeace for two years, has always shared with the organization a taste for direct action. But his willingness to negotiate with multinational corporations is a new and controversial direction for the organization. He has successfully pressed Unilever and Coca-Cola to agree to discontinue the use of HFC gases (which are more harmful to the atmosphere than CO2) in their refrigeration systems. He has gotten NestlÃ© to agree to stop buying palm oil from Sumatra, where forests in pristine tiger habitats bear continual clear-cutting. He is now pressuring Facebook to “unfriend” coal. “How appropriate for our time that the executive director of Greenpeace is in the absolute heart and soul of global business and politics,” says J. Carl Ganter, a leading environmentalist. “He’s positioned to lead the way.” All of this is sacrilege, however, for many hard-core eco-warriors. “I lost some old grassroots friends on that one,” Naidoo admits about working with Coca-Cola. “But we don’t have to support everything they do in order to work with them.” Paul Watson, the youngest founding member of Greenpeace and now leader of the smaller, more confrontational Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is perhaps the best-known detractor of his former NGO. He paints a picture of a once-great organization lost at sea. “It’s become nothing more than a bureaucratic money machine that rides on the backs of other NGOs,” Watson charges. He is especially contemptuous of Greenpeace’s philosophy of peacefully bearing witness in its direct actions, labeling the approach cowardice. “It sounds like he wants to move it in the direction of the Red Cross instead of Greenpeace,” Watson says. The movement has gone mainstream in the past two decades, but as environmentalists save an old-growth rain forest here and protest the drilling for Arctic oil there, they feel the world is continuing to spiral further away from sustainability. “We’ve won significant battles,” Naidoo says. “But the environmental movement as a whole, Greenpeace included, are losing the war.” The idea of saving the environment held little meaning for young Naidoo in his native South Africa. His mother committed suicide when he was 15. His father, a bookkeeper who ran local soccer and cricket associations from their home outside Durban, took care of Naidoo and his three siblings. As a young teen, he was drawn to anti-apartheid protests, for which he was expelled from school, reinstated and expelled again. By the time he was 18, Naidoo had been arrested, beaten, thrown in the back of a van with a can of tear gas. “One day we felt empowered,” he recalls. “Other days we were terrified. I felt like I was living on borrowed time. Too many friends died in the struggle to think I wouldn’t be next.” In 1985, when he was 19, Naidoo heard a local group home for boys from broken families was about to close because they couldn’t afford to pay a social worker. With his father’s support, he volunteered to be a live-in counselor to the dozen or so boys. One afternoon, he turned on a small shortwave radio to Radio 702, one of only two independent radio channels in the country. The voice described a scene in faraway Auckland, New Zealand. Two bombs planted by divers working with the French Secret Service had ripped through the hull of Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, which was in the South Pacific to protest French nuclear tests in the area. Naidoo had never heard of Greenpeace, but the broadcast electrified his imagination. “That a nonprofit could constitute such a threat to a powerful government,” he recalls, “inspired me to believe that our efforts against the apartheid regime could succeed even as the state was becoming increasingly violent.” A sympathetic professor at a local university recommended that the promising student apply for scholarships to get him out of the country. He interviewed to be a Rhodes Scholar, the only black South African candidate on the region’s short list of 12. He was awarded the spot and went to Oxford, England, where he followed the liberation of his homeland from afar. In 1990 Naidoo returned to South Africa and plunged into two decades of high-profile human-rights work. He led South Africa’s first national literacy program and became honorary president of the global civil society network Civicus. He was named a Young Global Leader and he sat on the board of Greenpeace Africa. In January 2009, Naidoo helped lead a 21-day hunger strike to protest the South African government’s position on Zimbabwe’s despotic ruler, Robert Mugabe. Exhausted and emaciated, he saw his hair turn gray from malnutrition. On his 19th day without eating, a recruiting firm called to see whether he was interested in the top job at Greenpeace. He brushed off the offer—it wasn’t exactly the best timing—but his daughter convinced him to reconsider. (Naomi is now 19 and studying ethics, religion and philosophy at the University of London.) The new consensus among eco-activists is that environmentalism is now a matter of life and death, especially for people of color living in poverty, who are bearing the brunt of climate change. “Climate apartheid” is a term Naidoo uses to connect environmentalism and human rights. “The old paradigm, where we can pretend you can either care about people or you care about the planet and don’t worry about both at the same time, is starting to break down,” says Van Jones, a former environmental-jobs adviser to the Obama administration. “Someone like Kumi, who has such impeccable human-rights credentials, says that protecting the people and the planet are twin duties. It showed a lot of foresight on Greenpeace’s part to hire someone with that background.” What exactly to do about the daunting challenge of climate change, however, is still very much up in the air. After failing to strike an accord in Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun in 2010, the next attempt comes in December at the Climate Summit South Africa—in Naidoo’s native Durban, where the spotlight will naturally fall on him. “The environmental movement is global now,” Jones says, “and you need someone who can speak to people in Asia, Latin America, Africa. That’s easier when you have a former anti-apartheid youth leader sitting across the table. With Nelson Mandela passing from the international scene soon, I wouldn’t be surprised if the South African that most kids will hear about and know about in their lifetime is Kumi Naidoo.” For years he traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to campaign about issues of poverty and climate and couldn’t get a single meeting with a CEO. In the past two years, Naidoo couldn’t accommodate all of their requests. One CEO told Naidoo, “My colleagues are very keen to get you to the table, so that they are not on your menu.” In a battery of informal half-hour meetings with companies across a range of industries, from energy to telecom to chemicals to electronics, executives asked how they could avoid Greenpeace’s wrath, whether it’s a ranking on a polluter’s list or being subjected to direct action. In many ways, Naidoo’s life mirrors the growth of Greenpeace, a wild-eyed youth protesting injustice maturing to a grown-up negotiating on equal terms with the largest corporations in the world. It seems fitting, then, that Naidoo is now fund-raising to build a new Rainbow Warrior, a successor to the famous flagship sunk by the French government. Naidoo has to convince donors that the new boat is not just a headline-grabbing echo of an aging organization’s glory years but a cutting-edge weapon in environmentalism’s biggest fight. Van Jones argues that Naidoo is the best possible person to do that. “Kumi’s such a compelling person,” Jones says. “He gives a speech to poor kids and gets them excited, and then he gives the same speech at the World Economic Forum to the richest people in the world, and they give him a standing ovation. I don’t know anyone else who could do that.”	Greenpeace
Greek god Dionysus is also known by what mythical Roman godly name, associated with revelry?	Impact Report - Winter 2011 by Greenpeace East Asia - issuu WINTER ISSUE IMPACT REPORT Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace China became Greenpeace East Asia in 2010, with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei and Seoul in order to strengthen its cross border environmental campaigning. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants. Welcome to contact us if you have any questions. Hong Kong。Taipei。Beijing。Seoul Hong Kong Office 8/F, Pacific Plaza, 410-418 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong. Tel : (852) 2854 8318 E-mail: [email protected] Taipei Office 1/F, No. 5, Alley 6, Lane 44, Jinmen Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10088, Taiwan. Tel: 886 (02) 2368 5108 Email: [email protected] Beijing Office 3/F, Julong Office Building, Block 7, Julong Gardens, 68 Xinzhong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027. Tel : (86) 10 6554 6931 Email: [email protected] Seoul Office 4/F Obelium, Hapjeong-dong 426-7, Mapo-gu, Seoul Tel : (82) 2 3144 1994 E-mail: [email protected] Dear Greenpeace supporter, I’m delighted to send you our totally new-look quarterly donor magazine. We’ve renamed it Impact to reflect its more dynamic content and our IDEAL framework. Each of the five main feature stories in this issue covers one aspect of our environmental work. We hope you find it more interesting, engaging and helpful in understanding how your gift is being put to work. Let me explain what IDEAL represents. This small word encapsulates a framework for our campaigns: Investigate (I), Document (D), Expose (E), Act (A) and Lobby (L). Having such a framework allows us to conduct more strategic and more effective campaigns to bring positive action that will save our planet. We’re also going a bit more hi-tech in our new magazine. We’ve added QR codes for all our readers who have smartphones equipped with QR code readers so that you can easily link to a web page or online video from a story. While all the campaigns we do never fail to move me, my favourite story this edition is about Greenpeace International Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, who scaled an oil rig off the coast of Greenland while being pounded with freezing water from a water canon. He was trying to get the owner of the rig and the water canon, Cairn Energy, to make public their oil spill contingency plan. And we succeeded. Turn to page 23 to read a letter written by his teenage daughter when he was detained after that peaceful direct action. There’s a large window in our Greenpeace Hong Kong office. Whenever I feel tired I often look out at the Hong Kong skyline, and it reminds me of how far we are from the Arctic, where climate change has really taken grip with melting sea ice and glaciers. But it just makes me even more determined to work harder and make sure that our IDEAL approach is the right one to get positive results for our planet. Furthermore, knowing that we have people like you behind us gives me much heart that we can reach those IDEALs. So let me say a warm thank you for your continued support and hope that you enjoy this magazine as a small token of our thanks. We look forward to hearing your comments on our revamped look and your thought on ways that we can further improve. Please email us here at [email protected] or give us a call on 2854-8318. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for being part of the Greenpeace family. Cristina San Vicente Fundraising Director, Greenpeace East Asia ACT EXPOSE FINANCIAL SUMMARY Our transparency policy: How your gifts have been put to good use 35 Greenpeace has offices in more than 40 countries around the world. The main driving force behind our work is the concept captured by the word IDEAL â€“ Investigate (I), Document (D), Expose (E), Act (A), and Lobby (L). We use this effective framework to tackle climate change, promote clean energy, defend our oceans, protect forests, prevent pollution and campaign for food security across the planet. Greenpeace, together with you, works for positive change through action. DOCUMENT INVESTIGATE LOBBY A good way to help you visualize our work is with the word, IDEAL. Its letters spell out the different strategies we employ within our campaigns. It is a framework that incorporates solid science, positive action, networking, media relations, and the passion of our activists, while the glue that holds it all together is the support of our donors, people like you. GREEN HEADLINE IDEAL is ...... INVESTIGATE Like scientists – in fact many of our staff hold PhD’s and masters in scientific disciplines – we investigate environmental crimes. We take samples, conduct laboratory tests, and use satellite mapping data. In this issue we reveal our undercover investigation into water pollution by the textile industry in China (see page 6). DOCUMENT One of Greenpeace’s core values is ‘bearing witness,’ or in other words documenting environmental disasters so that they cannot be forgotten or covered up. This year we rushed to the scene of an illegal chromium waste dump site that was killing cattle, poisoning people’s drinking water, and choking crops in Yunnan province. Here we present the evidence (see page 12) that helped to kick start a nationwide government cleanup plan. EXPOSE Through meticulous research, often in collaboration with some of the world’s top scientists, Greenpeace investigates key environmental issues. We were in the Arctic earlier this year to measure sea ice thickness (an indicator of the rate of climate change) with experts from Cambridge University. Gloria Chang from our Hong Kong office went to the Arctic to lend a helping hand (see page 16). ACT “Positive Change through Action” is one of Greenpeace’s guiding principles. Non-violent direct action helps bring our message of change to companies, governments, and the public. Read about the bravery (page 20) of our activists this year as they scaled an oil rig in freezing conditions in the Arctic to stop potentially devastating oil drilling. LOBBY We engage in dialogue with governments and companies on all our campaign issues – that includes toxic pollution, climate change, deforestation, and the health of our oceans. In effect, we are lobbying with the best of them. Our role as lobbyists is best illustrated with the story of Yu Fen Kao, our oceans campaigner in our Taiwan office who is facing court action because she told the Taiwan government to take responsibility for the problem of illegal fishing. See page 24. 05 â€œThe use of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry is a widespread and pervasive problem.â€? Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry, Greenpeace report on the textile industry released August 2011 IDEAL – INVESTIGATE 07 How dirty is your laundry? We’re not talking about your Sunday washing but about top fashion labels and sportswear brands that many of us admire and wear. Greenpeace came out with serious results in our latest investigation published in full in the report Dirty Laundry 2. We analyzed clothing samples from 15 household names and 14 of them tested positive for nonylphenol ethoxylate. The word is a mouthful but simply put it’s a chemical that over time breaks down into a toxic compound which can then damage our reproductive systems and is dangerous even at low concentrations. Europe has already banned its use. Timetable of investigate: Date/Time 1. June 2010 and morning on March 2011 Pipe from Youngor Textile Complex 2. June 2010 and evening on March 2011 Pipe from Youngor Textile Complex 3. Morning on June 2010 Pipe from Well Dyeing Factory Limited 4. Morning on June 2010 Pipe from Well Dyeing Factory Limited Discharge of effluent was observed Discharge of effluent was not observed No effluent was discharged The colour and the temperature of the wastewater were observed to vary considerably over time. White and blue foam of wastewater These are the results from the lab. Date of sample analysis Analysis by Greenpeace International Research Laboratories Wastewater from Youngor Textile Complex and Well Dyeing Factory Limited The chemical analysis found a variety of hazardous substances, including the persistent chemicals nonylphenol and perfluorinated chemicals. They can cause adverse effects on the liver and act as hormone disruptors. These chemicals not only pose a danger to the areas surrounding the factories where these clothes are made, but also to the countries where these clothes are worn because chemicals can leak from the clothes when they are washed. Which means Hong Kong is also at risk. For more details, please click here: We are targeting these top brands because they have sway. They dominate the clothing industry and so can influence their suppliers – such as textile factories in China – to eliminate the use of all hazardous chemicals from both the production process and from the clothing that we end up wearing. On this basis, our Toxics campaigners turned to each of these clothing giants and asked them: “Who will rise to the challenge and champion a toxic-free future?” Thanks to you and all our other supporters, we received some great responses. IDEAL – INVESTIGATE 09 DETOX We’re challenging some of the world’s most popular clothing brands to work with all of their suppliers to eliminate the release of toxic chemicals into our water. Campaign Name: Champion a toxic-free future Launch date: July 2011 Aimed at who: High street clothing brands Demands: DESIGN A BETTER FUTURE: Adopt clear company and supplier policies that push for a shift from toxic to non-hazardous chemicals with clear and realistic time-lines. WALK THE TALK: Prioritise the worst chemicals and eliminate these immediately. MAKE TRANSPARENCY EN VOGUE: Make data publicly available on suppliers, restricted substance list, hazardous chemicals. SET THE TREND: Catalyse change by working collaboratively with others. ACTION: It was time to throw out our challenge to these clothing companies to turn their polluting ways around. Hong Kong campaigners walked into a Li-Ning boardroom and hand delivered our demands to the company executives. And spreading around the globe was a viral video campaign, online petitions and public demonstrations, including outside Beijing’s Adidas and Nike stores. More than 600 volunteers participated in a “Detox flashmob striptease” outside Adidas and Nike stores in 29 cities in 10 countries. We also reached to the public at events such as Shanghai’s Zebra Music Festival. Before long one by one the companies came forward with pledges to Detox. These included: ■ To eliminate all hazardous chemicals from the entire product lifecycle and across the whole supply chain by 2020 ■ To ensure full transparency about the chemicals being released from supplier factories (to various deadlines) ■ To use influence, knowledge and experience to bring about widespread elimination of hazardous chemicals from the clothing industry 26 July: Puma 18 August: Nike 30 August: Adidas 20 September: H&M 21 Nov: Li-Ning 21 Nov: C&A We are still waiting for Abercrombie & Fitch, Calvin Klein, CONVERSE, G-Star Raw, Kappa, LACOSTE, Ralph Lauren, UNIQLO and Youngor. IDEAL – INVESTIGATE Behind the scenes of our Detox campaign More than a year’s meticulous research went into our two Dirty Laundry reports. We have to be 100% sure of our facts before we go out there with you and pressure companies. Greenpeace East Asia toxic campaigner Zhang Kai talks about dirty pipes, going undercover and a toxic-free future. Which part of the Detox campaign was the most challenging? The most challenging parts were the investigations into the production process and the supply chain: this included investigating the effluent from the suppliers’ sewage pipes and the precise relationship between the brands and the suppliers. In mainland China, factories do not clearly mark their effluent pipes, so we needed to confirm which pipe belonged to which factory and then we needed to make at least five sampling trips for each factory pipe. This was one of Greenpeace’s most complex investigations because the relationship between textile plants and the big brands was often opaque and it was vital to our campaign that we established the relationship clearly. Which part of the campaign work left the deepest impression on you? The on-site investigation left the deepest impression on me. We spent about one year carrying out the investigation on the textile plants, covering factories along the Yangtze River and in the Pearl River Delta. Our investigators had to work undercover and conceal their identity. For example we had some workers pretend to apply for work at the factory so they could take photos of the plant secretly, and others gathered information by just chatting to factory workers. Tell us about some of the key moments in the campaign. 1) After the sampling results came back, we felt very torn. On the one hand, we knew that we had to continue our investigation but at the same time we felt anxious because it was obviously urgent that we solved this toxic pollution problem as soon as possible. 2) Two weeks after we released our report, Puma came out with its promise to eliminate toxic substances from its supply chain. When we heard that we were overjoyed. 11 What’s the next step? We will continue to pressure the big clothing brands to commit to eliminating toxic chemicals and we’ll engage with the China Textile Industry Association, research bodies and the environmental bureaus to promote clean policies and standards. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? We look forward to the day that the reckless behaviour of multinational companies no longer endangers the health of Chinese people by turning their waterways into rivers of toxic poison. By continuing to monitor the operations of these clothing companies and their suppliers, holding them accountable to the promises they have made, as well as facilitate other companies to likewise make the “detox” switch, we hope to see a “detox revolution” move through the entire textile industry. In 20-25 years the entire textile industry will have eliminated the use of hazardous chemicals. Greenpeace’s investigation team works around the clock to collect evidence of environmental pollution by the fashion industry. Our final aim is to persuade the big brands to change to clean production, that means no more water pollution. To help us target even more top clothing companies we would like to see if you could spare an additional gift. We can achieve clean production sooner and prevent the poisoning of the remaining 30% of water which is as of yet unpolluted on the Mainland. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/ Greenpeace sent a rapid response team to area near the village of Xinglong to document the illegal dumping of chromium and raise awareness among the local people. When Greenpeace workers tested the water used by the villagers for drinking, the levels chromium VI were so high that the readings went off the scale. IDEAL – DOCUMENT 13 Chromium waste dumpers in Yunnan taken to court. Earlier this year we were all shocked by the news that a chemical company in southern China’s Yunnan province had been illegally dumping toxic cancer-causing waste near the village of Xinglong. The problem was so serious that the Chinese press began calling Xinglong a cancer village. Yunnan Liuliang Chemical Industry had dumped 5,000 tons of the hazardous waste and had another 140,000 tons that would likely have ended up the same way if they had not been discovered. The waste should have been driven to the neighbouring province of Guizhou to a processing plant. The chemical waste, containing toxic chromium VI, had seeped into the soil, drinking water and crops. And the villagers did not know the real dangers. They were still drinking the water and walking in their fields barefoot. As soon as we heard about the news, Greenpeace sent a rapid response team to the area to document the problem and raise awareness among the local people. When we tested the water used by the villagers for drinking, the levels of chromium VI were so high the readings went off the scale. Our work and the media attention kick-started a clean-up campaign. The local government fenced off the polluted area, surveyed the region for other illegal waste sites, tested for levels of contamination and then made the results public. There are many other chromium waste dump sites across China, endangering people’s lives and polluting the land and water. Following our work in Yunnan, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced a national crackdown on chromium waste sites, with clear timelines. And it’s had a positive spill-on effect into other waste issues such as e-waste. Latest update: In October, local environmental NGO, Friends of Nature, filed a public interest law suit against Luliang Chemical for dumping the toxic chromium waste. This is the first time a grassroots Chinese NGO has successfully brought a public interest law suit to court. Chromium VI: fast facts ■ ■ ■ Heavy metal, highly toxic, commonly used in electroplating or in the manufacture of stainless steel; Included on China’s national list of hazardous waste, one of eight substances most harmful to the human body; Difficult to break down, it requires years or even decades to completely clean up; In the US, similar contaminated sites are still not completely clean even after 30 years. Ma Tianjie, from Greenpeace in Beijing, was part of the Greenpeace rapid response team that was dispatched to Yunnan to investigate that toxic chromium dump. Here he shares with us his experiences. IDEAL – DOCUMENT 15 Real witness: Chromium Waste Dead cows and sheep The drivers working for the chemical company were lazy and so they dumped the toxic chromium waste in several sites in the hills here. Rain washed the waste into a nearby reservoir killing dozens of cattle and sheep. And the bigger problem is that Liuliang Chemical still has more than 100,000 tons of untreated chromium waste. If there was a bad storm this waste could contaminate the source of the Pearl River and turn it into a toxic soup! Xinglong, the cancer village We visited a nearby village, called Xinglong, which because of abnormally high rates of cancer has been dubbed Sudden environmental disasters and natural disasters can have a huge impact on people’s lives. The damage and hurt can last for generations. Greenpeace’s rapid response team needs your additional help to meet the growing number of crises in the region. Our team has the expertise to not only help save the environment but also the professional experience to propose solutions. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/ a cancer village by the media. We took some measurements from the mouth of an underground aquifer, which locals call ‘the dragon’s fountain’ and it was hundreds of times over the safe limit for chromium. But still local villagers plant their crops barefoot and put their cattle and sheep out to graze on this contaminated land. They told us crops fail and their livestock die for no reason. The rescue is started Myself and the other members of the emergency response team put on rubber boots, gloves and masks, and dug through the chromium waste dump to take suitable samples. We also told the villagers how to protect themselves and urged the local government to take immediate action. Sadly, this dump in Liuliang county is not the only one. There are similar toxic dump sites all across the country including in Tianjin, Henan and Hunan. They are like toxic time bombs. We hope that we can use this Yunnan example to kickstart a big cleanup everywhere. We have taken the first step. “Glaciers are retreating. Ice caps are melting. Oceans are acidifying. The Arctic is under threat from both climate change and increased oil drilling.” – Hong Kong Campaigns Manager, Gloria Chang IDEAL – EXPOSE 17 Walking on thin ice At the end of this summer, Hong Kong campaigns manager Gloria Chang joined independent ice scientists from the University of Cambridge’s Polar Ocean Physics Group on board our other ship, the Arctic Sunrise. Gloria was helping to measure Arctic sea ice thickness around Norway’s Warbah Islands. The thinning of sea ice reveals how fast and how serious climate change is happening. Gloria talks about how she measured the ice and her feelings up near the pole as she was faced with worrying environmental news. “I measured sea ice thickness in about a dozen places. It was fun because even I got to operate the tools – using just a tape measure! Some of the crew members would drill into the ice and then use me to measure the ice.” While we were measuring sea ice thickness bad news came from the US-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, which reported that the Arctic summer sea ice extent had plummeted to the second lowest level in recorded history. You might think this does not sound so bad, but in reality it really is serious. The lowest level was in 2007, but that year the Arctic was experiencing some extreme weather conditions which was responsible for the sea ice coverage reaching record lows. But this year, there was no extreme weather in the Arctic, so we can see the serious extent of climate change and how it is causing rapid melting of Arctic sea ice. Out there in the seemingly endless Arctic Ocean of ice and waves, I felt the determination of the Greenpeace workers and the scientists with us who were keenly seeking the truth. We could feel the support of all our donors and activists, including you, and that made us even more determined to work together to save our fragile planet from its most serious threat. The China Connection The melting ice is opening up new waterways to shipping, a clamor to claim rights to its natural resources and exploit its fish stocks. All these activities are a potential source of friction, likely making the Arctic the world’s next geopolitical battleground. And China appears to be starting to flex its muscles around Arctic issues, showing a keen interest in having a stake in decision-making for the region. Climate change is a global issue, and the melting of Arctic sea ice will involve Greenpeace East Asia just as much as all the other regional offices. For more details, please click here: The Rainbow Warrior is not just one of the most environmentally-friendly ships ever made; sheâ€™s also a campaignerâ€™s dream. IDEAL – EXPOSE Ship of Dreams The Rainbow Warrior II The New Rainbow Warrior You may have had a chance to board the Rainbow Warrior II this February when she docked in Hong Kong on her farewell voyage around Asia. We retired this beautiful campaigning ship after 22 years of service last August and she is now a floating hospital for Friendship, a Bangladesh-based NGO. The new Rainbow Warrior III, built with your support, is the world’s first ship constructed from the keel up to win the battle for the future of the Earth. Constructed in Poland and Germany, she was launched in Hamburg this October. The Rainbow Warrior is synonymous with Greenpeace. She helped us end nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, block coal ports and close down destructive fishing operations (to name but a few). The original Rainbow Warrior I was bombed by French secret service agents in 1985, killing one of our photographers. The Rainbow Warrior 3 is Greenpeace’s most iconic tool to help save our planet. With your extra gift we could fund her on more campaigns, making positive change to protect our world for all of us and all of our children and our children’s children to come. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Total length: 57.92 m Helicopter landing deck Mast length: over 50 m Sailing speed: 15 knots Accommodation: 30 people Hull: designed for superior energy efficiency Environmentally-friendly paint Engine heat is used to heat water for crew use The Rainbow Warrior III She’s fast: she can speed as fast as many industrial vessels, with action boats that can be deployed in minutes – even in waves up to 3.5 m high. Her helicopter landing pad means we can deploy a vital eye in the sky, enabling us to spot illegal fishing operations and shipments of illegal wood. She’s built for science: she can carry 8 tonnes of scientific equipment. By supporting original scientific research we help build understanding of what is happening to our planet’s ecosystems. She’s built to communicate: the on-board satellite communications system – featuring a built-in satellite uplink – means she is able to stream live footage from the scene of environmental crimes direct to the world’s media and direct to you. Arctic sea ice acts like the planetâ€™s air conditioning system and, like miners who used canaries to warn of deadly gases, we have the extent and volume of this ice to warn us of climate change. IDEAL – ACT 21 Canaries made of ice The most visible impact of climate change is the disappearing Arctic sea ice. Melting sea ice creates an evil feed-in loop, further accelerating the melting and climate change itself. How does it work? Warmed air Pool Ocean Methane released to atmosphere Lake Active layer Permafrost layer Unfrozen layer Methane hydrate 1 2 Gorgeous Arctic As sea ice recedes, the face of the Arctic is changing: wildlife lose their home, climate change is kicked up a notch, sea channels are opened up increasing shipping and the associated dangers of oil spills, and oil companies begin to jostle over the right to exploit for oil and gas. Let’s take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the Arctic today, so that we can build up our movement to preserve it for tomorrow. Step One: As the white reflective surface of ice melts there is less white space to reflect the sun’s rays and so the darker ocean surface ends up absorbing more heat, meaning warmer seas and more ice melting. Step Two: The warmer seas and climate change are melting Arctic permafrost (frozen soil). Underneath are massive pockets of methane gas which are released when the permafrost melts. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, thus intensifying climate change. “The campaign to stop Arctic oil drilling is one of the defining environmental battles of our age” – Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International IDEAL – ACT The first oil company to sneak into the Arctic was Cairn Energy, a small British exploration company which set up an oil rig nearly 200 km off the coast of Greenland in the freezing waters of the Davis Strait. As soon as the oil rig was up Greenpeace sprung into action. This summer we sent team after team of activists, including our own international executive director Kumi Naidoo, to scale the oil rig, the Leiv Eriksson. They got to the top even though Cairn fired freezing water cannons at them. Some teams even managed to stop the rig’s operations for several days at a stretch. We were asking the company to immediately halt the drilling and leave the Arctic. And also, crucially, to publish its oil spill response plan which it resisted for months. Although all our brave activists ended up drenched, and some arrested and detained in jail for a few weeks, we won the key battle. Our peaceful direct action and the support of more than 100,000 people who signed petitions, forced Cairn to make public its oil spill response plan and it wasn’t pretty. During the long, winter months, Cairn admitted it would have to abort any clean up operation, and for the rest of the year clean up operations would be largely ineffective. They said it would be better to simply let beaches recover over time. 23 A letter to Kumi from his daughter (Extracted) Dear Dad, As my friends and flatmates go to visit their fathers on father’s day, I am both proud and saddened to know that you are being held in custody in Greenland after standing up against the madness of Arctic oil drilling. Watching the videos of you braving the freezing water cannons to scale that massive Arctic oil rig, I can truthfully say that I will spend this father's day being proud to be your daughter. There are many reasons why I am glad you are my father. First, you made sure that as a child I became aware of issues of social, economic, gender and environmental justice. It has never been more to clear to me that the Earth is a fragile place that needs protection, and if it continues to be exploited in ways such as is currently being done in the Arctic, it will not be long before there is nothing left. It seems completely crazy that the melting ice may spur a whole new oil rush there in the Arctic. It is clear to me, and all the many Greenpeace supporters across the world who are behind you, that brave and direct action like yours is the only hope we have that sanity may prevail over madness. Lots of love, Naomi The Arctic is one of the most pristine, fragile and vulnerable ecosystems in the world – home to wildlife that includes almost all of the world’s Narwhal whale population as well as blue whales, sea bird colonies and polar bears. The world’s oil giants are watching Cairn’s rigs with great interest. If it strikes oil, although to date most of its exploration wells have shown up dry if it strikes oil Exxon, Chevron and the other big oil companies (which have already bought up Greenland licenses to exploit for oil) will begin drilling in the area and the Arctic oil rush will be on. We can’t let that happen. Are you with us? Why not drill for oil in the Arctic? Oil spills are devastating at the best of times, but an accident in the Arctic would be many times worse. The sea ice, extreme weather, and remote location would mean that it would be almost impossible to clean up. Kao Yu-fen is an oceans campaigner and oceans defender in our Taiwan office, and as we go to press she is involved in a court case because she stood up to the Taiwan government. IDEAL – LOBBY 25 Oceans Defender At the beginning of this year, Greenpeace reported that the MV Lung Yuin, a 3,431 ton flag of convenience refrigerated fish carrier ship, was in breach of Taiwan’s flag of convenience ordinance. The Lung Yuin has a murky past and has long been on Greenpeace’s radar. She was apprehended in Japan in 2004 for illegal fishing and has faced allegations of onboard human rights abuses in recent years. We have identified over 235 FOC vessels which should have registered with the government. To date the government has ignored this problem. You might remember the protest we staged against the Lung Yuin back in January. Our brave activists prevented the ship from leaving Kaoshiung port for several hours by locking themselves to the anchor chain. Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency skirted their responsibility, and claimed that since the Lung Yuin is a cargo ship it did not need to register and now Chang Soon Corp, the ship’s owner, has pressed charges against Fen Kao. This case here in Taiwan has just begun and we will continue to tell the people who should be managing our oceans that they have to do their jobs and manage them for the benefit of the billions of people around the world who need the oceans for food and jobs. After all, fishing industries, governments and most importantly ordinary people like you and me, all have a vested interest in our oceans. Kao Yu-Fen tells us why she loves her job “I want to use my knowledge to fight injustice and change the way that information is controlled by people with privilege. I want to start a public debate on our oceans, because interest groups have all the power here, but their fate affects people across the globe. I see my mission as revealing the truth, pushing the issue to the forefront of our lives, using the media, and asking the public to consider our marine planet. I love my job!” Recent scientific evaluation has shown that if nothing changes, most commercial fisheries will have collapsed by 2048. IDEAL – LOBBY 27 Not Enough Fish in the Sea And thus we arrive at the last of our IDEAL letters, Lobby. Let us tell you the story of our new Taiwan office as it is perhaps the best current example of our lobbying work. It was a passion to protect our oceans and the fish that sustain many millions of people that impelled us to open an office in Taipei last year. Taiwan sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean where the bulk of the world’s fish stocks live. 60% of the world’s tuna come from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Because they are near the top of the food chain, their numbers indicate the health of a marine ecosystem. The news is not good. Tuna in trouble This wonderful fish - the majestic bluefin tuna weighs in at 700kg, can accelerate faster than a Porsche and swim as fast as 43mph – has been exploited since large-scale industrial fishing began in the 1950s. Bigeye and yellowfin tuna are fully exploited or over exploited in all oceans. Large modern fishing ships are able to take as much tuna in two days as whole countries can take in a year. What’s Taiwan got to do with this? Taiwan is at the center of the crisis facing our oceans. It has fishing boats in every ocean of the world, and it has the largest fishing fleet in the Pacific. Due to international condemnation after the number of its fishing vessels had spiraled out of control Taiwan cut the number of its distant-water fishing vessels to 2,200 in 2009. However, the number of Taiwanese has continued to rise because many of them just register under a flag of convenience (FOC). The number of FOC vessels operated by Taiwanese fishermen has grown rapidly in recent years. Factoring in FOC ships, Taiwan has one of the biggest tuna fleets in the world. What’s our answer? As well as getting the Taiwan government to crack down on FOC vessels, the worldwide problem of saving our oceans has a simple solution: a network of marine reserves (national parks in the sea), where fishing and mining would be prohibited. Ideally, these reserves would cover about 40% of the world’s oceans. Greenpeace is committed to campaigning for the establishment of marine reserves in the high seas off the coasts of Taiwan and South Korea to save our fragile marine ecosystems. If you can spare an additional gift it would really help our Ocean Defenders campaign catch illegal fishing vessels, lobby for sustainable fishing practices and the setting up of marine national parks. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/ GREEN FOOTPRINTS 2007 2008 Photocopy giant Xerox agrees to stop buying timber pulp from StoraEnso, the Finnish national logging company which is cutting down one of Europe’s last remaining ancient forests. Our campaigning results in a presidential decree in Brazil which creates a conservation area in the Amazon rainforest twice the size of Belgium (16 million acres). We lobby China’s largest home improvement retailer B&Q to pledge not to sell any wooden product that is made from illegally felled timber. We persuade Unilever and Italian chocolate maker Ferrero (creators of Nutella) to stop buying palm oil from companies that destroy Indonesia’s rainforests to plant palm oil trees. That air you are breathing comes to us courtesy of our planet’s great forests. They support all life on earth. They help in the fight to stop global climate change; sustain a myriad marvelous animals (two thirds of the world’s total). Why is it crucial that we end deforestation? • “Remaining forests are critical to stabilize and maintain our climate. If we don’t maintain our forests, this will only increase climate change. Plus, forest ecosystems are where most of the earth species are held.” Greenpeace campaigner 2011 • To end deforestation globally, the international community must urgently agree on a mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries – where most of the world’s remaining ancient forests are found. • Greenpeace is lobbying for an international framework that could do just that. This mechanism or program is known as ‘reduced emissions from degradation and deforestation’ (REDD). • We are campaigning for massive funding to be made available to developing countries to increase their capacities to manage and monitor their forests to protect the global climate, as well as to develop economic alternatives to tropical forest destruction. 29 re We ae! r he 2009 2011 2020 We help save Canada’s Great Bear Forest. An area half the size of Switzerland is protected from logging. Europe passes law banning trade in illegal timber after a 10-year Greenpeace campaign. Three of the world’s biggest toymakers – Lego, Mattel (maker of Barbie dolls) and Hasbro (maker of transformer toys and Monopoly) – respond to our campaigns and pledge to stop buying paper and packaging from companies that destroy Indonesia’s Paradise Forests. Mattel also promises to increase the amount of recycled paper and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper and wood products it uses for its packaging. Go! Zero Deforestation! Greenpeace is campaigning for an end to all deforestation of tropical rainforests by 2020 – a step that is critical to protecting the global climate, biodiversity and forest dependent communities. To get there, we need massive, coordinated political action on an international and national scale. Greenpeace and eight other environmental organizations reach an agreement with 21 logging companies for an immediate moratorium on logging in nearly 29 million hectares of Canada’s Boreal Forest. GREEN SNAPSHOTS QR Codes To enable your device to read QR codes simply search for “QR Code” apps in the iTunes store, Android Market or wherever you download apps. Popular iPhone apps for reading these codes include QRReader, BeeTagg Reader, and Barcode. Popular Andriod apps include QR Droid, QuickMark and QR Code Reader. After you’ve installed the app, select it, point your device’s camera at the QR code, and follow the link that pops up. It couldn’t be easier. It’s not just QR codes that Greenpeace is getting into. We’re also au fait with all kinds of apps and microblogs, particularly those that keep us to date with real-time air quality in mainland China and Hong Kong. In October we published a round-up of the best ones, official and unofficial, made by us and made by others. Scan the QR code here to see which one works for you. International Greenpeace campaigner and Hong Kong-native, Iris Cheng, is getting published. Her article, Chernobyl: distorted reality, and unanswered questions will feature in the new Cambridge Checkpoint English Student Book 3. In her text, she dwells on the dangers of nuclear power after a taking a trip with 70 journalists to the site of the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine earlier this year. The Greenpeace bible, Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World, by Rex Weyler, has finally been published in Chinese on the mainland. The book, originally out in English in 2004, relates how a loosely-knit protest group in Canada in the 1970s, took on the name “Greenpeace” and transformed itself from an effective, but decidedly underground, international heckler into a mobilized, global ‘eco-navy.’ It is our story. 31 Greenpeace has been pushing the Hong Kong government to scrap energy-guzzling incandescent light bulbs since 2007. Four years later, Hong Kong finally bowed to pressure and has just finished a three-month public consultation on restricting the sale of these light bulbs. It’s bright to ban the bulb. Let’s hope the government sees the light. While Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs was never a Greenpeace fan he did respond to our campaigns and take Apple from the bottom of our green electronics ranking to somewhere nearer the top. In 2008, Apple led the industry with the first computers virtually free of toxic PVC and BFRs. Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple. Please scan for the latest Greener electronics guide! We trust that you came along to our “Car-free Day” last September. Well, we were honoured to be shortlisted for the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with our with Car-Free Day ad. The ad showed two tire tracks with the text: “You’re not just driving poochie, you’re driving chronic droughts. Every day, cars speed up global warming by emitting 2,992 tons of greenhouse gasses. Give the earth a break on Car Free Day this September 22.” The ad was designed by Leo Burnett, Hong Kong. Eight cowering pelicans, stained a sickened brown colour from an oil slick stand huddled together. This moving picture won Greenpeace photographer Daniel Beltra the title of Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year in October. Daniel made his winning picture for Greenpeace at a temporary bird-rescue facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, while documenting the environmental impacts caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. DONORS MESSAGE Thank you When Greenpeace marked its 40th anniversary earlier this year many members sent us kind birthday wishes. We thank everyone for their inspiring support. We can share a few of those messages of warmth and blessing with you. Is yours among them? “ I hope that more people will notice Greenpeace’s program of positive change through action and will join their support to ours. Over the next 40 years, I hope that Greenpeace will continue to uphold its values and strive for a greener, more peaceful and fairer world, and continue to use non-violent direct action to alert people to environmental issues. Wang Chung Yee Jackie Tang “ I particularly like the way Greenpeace promotes a greener society and a sustainable future for human beings. Please keep bringing this message to governments. I also applaud how Greenpeace persuades large multinational manufacturers to protect the environment. Keep up with the good work. My best wishes to all the people who work for Greenpeace. ” “ I sincerely hope that more and more people will understand the urgent need to take action. I also think that Greenpeace projects should extend into the local community and work more closely with corresponding local government officials so that everyone will take real action to save our Earth! ” “ “ “ I hope to see Greenpeace campaigning more on energy-saving and providing achievable solutions for the next generation. Happy Birthday to Greenpeace and to a clean and healthy planet for everyone! ” Greenpeace, please keep fighting for a beautiful and healthy world! ” Chan King Ki Kimmy Fu Ling I am very impressed with how Greenpeace campaigns for food safety and against pollution by big companies. I hope Greenpeace will bring us more achievements. We will support you and be by your side always. ” Ruby Ng “ I hope Greenpeace can educate the public to be more concerned about our living environment and its limited resources. If not, we will need to pay the price one day. We need to work hand-in-hand to protect the world before it’s too late. I hope Greenpeace will have the capability and the power to make all nations listen and that we will all work together as one. ” Ng Suk Ping April “ I love how Greenpeace dares to challenge authorities on green issues. Please keep independent and unbiased. ” FINANCIAL SUMMARY (JAN-AUG 2011) Financial Summary A big thank you for your donation. Please be assured that we make full use of every single dollar, converting it into effective positive action for the environment. In order to make our financial accounts more transparent we will now start publishing our accounts – how we divide and spend your donations – each quarter. We also hope it will give you a better feel for the impact your gift is making on saving our planet. If you have any questions, or simply want to know how you can involve in Greenpeace’s work, please feel free to call our Member Services Hotline on (852) 28548318. We will do our best to answer any questions you have. Protecting Pristine Forests Climate and Energy ■ Highlighting the plight of Hainan Island’s rare gibbons due to deforestation; ■ Joining our international rainforest campaign against APP to protect Sumatran tigers in Indonesia ■ ■ ■ ■ Defending Our Oceans Eliminate Toxic Chemicals Testing for pesticides on rice and fresh produce in mainland supermarkets; ■ Filing a law suit against Tesco and Lianhua for illegal pesticide levels; ■ Released report on Taiwan Fishery Agency’s ocean-destroying subsidies; ■ Chasing Taiwan long-liner vessel in the high seas calling for marine reserves; ■ ■ Measuring sea ice thickness in the Arctic; Calibrating pollution from coal ash dump sites; Assessing mercury contamination from coal power plants. Rallied the Hong Kong public to petition China Light & Power (CLP) to make its billing policy fairer for us and harder for big corps to gobble up energy. A response from the Government and CLP is expected by December. Going undercover to collect evidence on textile plant pollution; ■ Cleaning up the fashion industry with our Dirty Laundry reports; ■ Took direct action to push Adidas and Li-Ning to join the Detox challenge globally, in which our action was able to get positive response from Li-ning's top management. In Hong Kong, we gave Adidas the yellow card to get them to detox. ■ Sending a rapid response team to illegal chromium dump in Yunnan. 35 Fundraising, Donor communications & Donor maintenance in both Hong Kong and Taiwan offices 16% Organizational support (Senior Management governance, Finance control, IT infrastructure, Human Resources and office support) 57% Campaigns and supporting funds 9% Administration (Statistics from January until August 2011) Address：8/F, Pacific Plaza, 410-418 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong Supporter Services Hotline：2854 8318 Email：[email protected] E POSTAGE PAID HONG KONG PORT PAYE ECONOMY The Rainbow Warrior spirit lives on Our new Rainbow Warrior III sets sail Defending our planet, with no fear of storms Please watch out for the Rainbow Warrior III’s 2012 Defending the Amazon Rainforest Tour www.greenpeace.org.hk Printed on recycled paper and using soy ink PERMIT NO 333	i don't know
In 2011 Australia launched passports offering a third-gender option for intersex people (whose anatomy fits neither male/female convention) indicated by what letter symbol?	Human Rights Violations against Trans People in the Netherlands \| HRW Human Rights Violations against Trans People in the Netherlands September 13, 2011 Repeal Requirement for Irreversible Surgery to Change Official Gender Summary The state should stay out of our underwear. — Vreer, Amsterdam, March 7, 2011 After a while, you’re just done with it. You just want to live, just like everybody else. — Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011 In 1985, the Netherlands was among the first European nations to adopt legislation granting transgender people—individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned them at birth—legal recognition of their gender identity, albeit under onerous legal conditions. Over a quarter of a century later, the Netherlands has lost its leading edge. Legislation that at the time represented a progressive development is wholly out of step with current best practice and understandings of the Netherlands’ obligations under international human rights law. Most egregiously, Dutch law allows trans people to change their gender on official documents only on condition that they have altered their bodies through hormones and surgery, and that they are permanently and irreversibly infertile. These requirements routinely leave trans people with identity documents that do not match their deeply felt gender identity, resulting in frequent public humiliation, vulnerability to discrimination, and great difficulty finding or holding a job. “Right now, you have to brace yourself at every moment of your life, because you never know when will be the next time you have to explain yourself,” one woman said. The conditions imposed by article 1:28 of the Civil Code violate transgender people’s rights to personal autonomy and physical integrity and deny transgender people the ability to define their own gender identity, which the European Court of Human Rights has deemed to be “one of the most basic essentials of self-determination.” This report details the impact the current Dutch law has on the daily life of transgender people and analyzes the existing Dutch legal framework from a human rights perspective. Human Rights Watch calls upon the Netherlands to amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code to respect transgender people’s right to personal autonomy and physical integrity. It should separate medical and legal questions for transgender people. Legal recognition of the gender identity of transgender people should not be made conditional on any form of medical intervention. An Outdated Law and Its Impact on Transgender People Most people’s internal, deeply felt sense of belonging to a particular gender corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth on the basis of their external sex organs. For transgender people, or trans people, this is not the case: their gender identity differs from their birth sex. The transgender community is diverse, and precisely how their gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth differs from person to person. Transsexual people want to live and be accepted as members of the gender opposite to the sex they were assigned at birth. Besides transsexual people, the trans community also includes gender variant people whose gender identity is neither male nor female: it may be somewhere on the spectrum between male and female, or it may not be susceptible at all to definition in terms of the male/female dichotomy. Article 1:28 of the Civil Code impacts different groups of transgender people in the Netherlands in different ways. According to the law, transsexual people who wish to undergo surgery to alter their bodies can change their papers only after they have completed the lengthy medical trajectory. It takes years, not weeks or months, before people meet the conditions imposed by article 1:28. During that time, they must live with identity documents that do not match their gender identity, and thus deny a fundamental aspect of their personality. “People are left dangling in between two worlds for far longer than is necessary,” Jochem Verdonk, the chairman of the Transman Foundation, a Dutch advocacy organization, told us. “It is needlessly traumatizing for people who are already very vulnerable.” For trans people who do not want surgery, and who will therefore never be able to change their gender markers under the current legislation, these obstacles last a lifetime. A popular shorthand phrase for trans people refers to people who are “trapped in the wrong bodies.” But trans people who do not want surgery are not trapped in the wrong bodies, since they have in fact decided to accept their bodies as they are, they are trapped by the law. Such individuals are confronted on a daily basis by a gulf between their deeply felt identity and what their documents say, made manifest in countless fraught interactions with government agencies, employers, and often, as explained below, even complete strangers. The pressure on trans people who find themselves in this situation is enormous. A woman who does not want surgery and who has suffered countless indignities when applying for jobs because her papers say she is male, told Human Rights Watch: “I have even thought about having the operations after all, just to be done with all the crap. But if I come to regret the operations later on, I’ll be deeply unhappy for the rest of my life.” Finally, transgender people who are not transsexual but whose gender identity differs in other ways from the sex they were assigned at birth do not currently have any means of obtaining legal recognition of their gender identity. For these gender variant people, neither a male nor a female gender marker accurately reflects their gender identity, but in 2007 the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) ruled that neither article 1:28 nor any other provision of the Civil Code allows for such people to have the gender marker on their birth certificate removed. Even if as a stopgap measure some gender variant people might prefer to change to the opposite gender marker because it may be a closer approximation to their gender identity, the only avenue open to them would be through the surgery and irreversible infertility requirements stipulated in article 1:28 of the Civil Code. Registering Gender The information about people’s gender is contained in the Dutch register of civil status records (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie van Persoonsgegevens, known by the abbreviation GBA), along with other personal data derived from people’s birth certificates such as their names and date of birth. Several hundred agencies and institutions that require personal data to discharge their public duties have access to GBA data, including the police, the internal revenue service (belastingdienst) and pension funds. A wide array of other actors are under a legal obligation to ensure that their own records are in line with GBA data, including banks and insurance companies, employers and educational institutions. This system of interconnected recordkeeping means that information about people’s gender as registered in the GBA is ubiquitous. For trans people who are unable to change their gender marker on their birth certificate, and hence their registered gender in the GBA, the inevitable consequence is that the incongruity between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity pursues them in all aspects of their lives. Official correspondence is invariably addressed wrongly, to Mr. X instead of Mrs. X, or Mrs. Y instead of Mr. Y. Trans people also often have no choice but to put their signature under forms that are based on their birth sex, or to tick the wrong box on the many forms that ask one to identify one’s gender as well as one’s name and other personal data: to do otherwise might leave them open to accusations of fraud. To many trans people, this deliberate act of denying their own gender identity feels like self-betrayal. “I can’t bear to tick that box with ‘M’ myself,” one woman told Human Rights Watch. “Everything in me resists that. That’s not who I am. I’m not just called Sabrina, I am Sabrina.” Even more distressing are the many occasions when, as a direct result of having a wrong gender marker in their identity documents, trans people have no option but to reveal to perfect strangers, often within earshot of a larger audience of yet more strangers, details of one of the most intimate aspects of their private lives—that they are transgender. Trans people emphasized that the examples they gave to Human Rights Watch were not exceptions, but typical of situations they face daily. A woman who lives with male identity papers said, “Each time that information derived from the GBA is called up by some official is hurtful, because each time I’m met with a raised eyebrow, each time I have to provide an explanation, over and over and over again.” A man told Human Rights Watch, “You have no option, you’re forced, always, to provide an explanation. Sometimes I’m in the right mood for that, but not always. You feel diminished as a man whenever you need to explain that you are in fact a man. Sex registration is like administrative violence that is condoned by the state.” A woman said of such situations where she was challenged about her identity: “At a stroke, it’s like they pull the rug from underneath you. It leaves me very, very tired, you’re always having to explain. After a while, you’re just done with it. You just want to live, just like everybody else.” A further problem that trans people in the Netherlands face relates to the ability to choose a first name that suits their gender identity. For trans people who do not happen to have one of the few first names that society considers to be gender neutral, the ability to choose a new first name is as important as changing the gender marker in civil status records. Changes of first names are governed by article 1:4 of the Civil Code. While article 1:4 does not explicitly provide that first names must correspond to a person’s registered gender, it does state that first names may not be “inappropriate” (ongepast), without specifying what renders a name inappropriate. However, a number of trans people who did not meet the requirements of article 1:28 of the Civil Code told Human Rights Watch that the courts had denied their applications to change their first names, on the grounds that their chosen first names were deemed to be “inappropriate” within the meaning of article 1:4 of the Civil Code, since they did not correspond to the person’s registered gender. One man told Human Rights Watch: It is up to the judge to decide whether a first name is appropriate. In my case, this particular judge decided that for me it was inappropriate to have a male first name, because in the eyes of the law I’m still female. I can’t change my registered gender because I don’t yet meet the infertility requirement, and I can’t change my name because I can’t change my registered gender. In deciding name change applications, some judges evidently accord primacy to people’s registered gender, ignoring the social reality of the people in question and their own expressly stated wish to adopt a forename that suits their gender identity. A woman said: The court rejected my application: it argued that my chosen name was inappropriate for me because I’m still registered as a man. There was no court hearing, my application was decided on the papers. So the judge never had an opportunity to see me, to see that I am a woman. In these instances, judges in effect make name changes for trans people conditional on the applicants having had surgery and being infertile, requirements that are not in fact provided by law. A New Law States have legitimate reasons for registering people’s sex at birth, and hence for regulating the manner in which people can change their gender marker in civil status records later in life. Sex is one characteristic used to identify people and government bodies such as national security agencies may need to have access to this information to carry out their duties. In some contexts the state has specific, positive obligations to protect people from risk, for example, by mandating separate facilities, such as prisons, for men and women; or it may need to use data segregated by gender to further policies on equality or inform gender-specific health policies such as those targeting maternal health and prostate cancer. Countries with conscription armies might only call up men for military duty. But while the state may have a legitimate interest in regulating the manner in which people can change their legally recognized gender, it should do so in ways that do not violate an individual’s human rights. However, the two conditions imposed by article 1:28 of the Civil Code for recognition of people’s gender identity violate trans people’s right to personal autonomy and physical integrity. The Dutch Constitution protects these rights, subject to restrictions imposed by law, as do several international human rights instruments ratified by the Netherlands, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. Significantly, in a January 2011 decision the German Constitutional Court struck down as unconstitutional two conditions in German law similar to those in Dutch law, on the grounds that they violated the right to physical integrity. As it stands, article 1:28 conflates medical and legal questions. The use of hormones and surgery should be guided exclusively by considerations relating to the individual’s health. Article 1:28 of the Civil Code—which predicates legal recognition of gender identity conditional on hormone therapy, surgery, and permanent infertility—is incompatible with this principle. For individual trans people, hormones and surgery may be necessary to restore them to the best possible state of health. In the Netherlands this is reflected by the fact that hormones and most forms of surgery for trans people are covered by health insurance policies. However, as the Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health affirm, not all transgender people need hormones and surgery: decisions whether to use hormones or to undergo surgery should be left to individual transgender people and the medical professionals assisting them. Making hormones and surgery leading to infertility a mandatory requirement for recognizing trans people’s gender identity ignores the individual circumstances of trans people, and leaves some trans people with the impossible choice between having surgery so as to have access to correct identity documents, or not having surgery and living with the wrong documents. As a woman told Human Rights Watch: I am lucky with my body, for me it’s possible to live as a woman without surgery and without hormones. Why then should I subject myself to a surgeon’s scalpel? Why take hormones for the rest of my life, when I don’t know what the side effects might be? …. It should be up to each individual to decide what solution they adopt. To me, it’s unacceptable that if I want to change the M in my passport into an F, the state decides for me how I must alter parts of my body. Article 1:28 also places medical professionals in a difficult position in terms of medical ethics. Professional codes of ethics for physicians require that physicians act in the patient’s best interest when providing medical care. However, the Civil Code places medical professionals in the invidious position of gatekeepers who are required to act to protect the supposed interests of the state, as opposed to the interest of their patients: no transgender person can obtain legal recognition of their gender identity without a statement from medical professionals certifying that they meet the conditions of article 1:28, including irreversible infertility. For trans people for whom surgery is medically unnecessary and thus inappropriate, medical professionals know that without surgery leading to irreversible infertility they cannot provide the required statements to the court. This cuts off their patients from the only access route to legal recognition of their gender identity, which is in most cases essential to safeguard the welfare of the trans person in question. Five Proposed Amendments Both the previous and the current Dutch governments have acknowledged the need to amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code. Since the previous government failed to act on its commitment to present the necessary draft legislation to parliament, it has fallen to the current government to bring article 1:28 into line with the state’s obligations under international human rights law. The government committed itself to making draft legislation available for consultation before the summer of 2011, but has yet to do so. Human Rights Watch calls upon the Netherlands to amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code to respect transgender people’s right to personal autonomy and physical integrity. It should separate medical and legal questions for transgender people. Legal recognition of the gender identity of transgender people should not be made conditional on any form of medical intervention. In particular, Human Rights Watch urges the Netherlands to amend the existing legal framework for the legal recognition of gender identity in five ways. First, parliament should abolish the condition of bodily adaptation by means of hormones and surgery and the condition of irreversible infertility. Second, the Netherlands should reconsider the process provided for in article 1:28 of the Civil Code. The existing process makes legal recognition of trans people’s gender identity dependent on trans people submitting to the court a statement signed by certified experts confirming their enduring conviction that they belong to the gender opposite to that assigned at birth. Best practice, as detailed below, would be instead to afford primacy to trans people’s own self-defined gender identity. Third, a new law on legal recognition of gender identity should safeguard the right of transgender people to choose a forename that suits their gender identity. Applications to change one’s forenames are governed by article 1:4 of the Civil Code, which provides that forenames may not be “inappropriate.” Human Rights Watch calls on the Dutch government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the courts, in applying article 1:4, do not import a requirement into the Civil Code that first names correspond to people’s registered gender. Fourth, a new legal framework for the legal recognition of trans people’s gender identity should allow for the fact that it may be in the best interest of some transgender children to change their legal gender before they reach the age of adulthood. The inclusion of a minimum age in such a legal framework should be avoided; instead, the individual circumstances of each child should determine whether it is in their best interest to change their legal gender. A new legal framework for legal recognition of gender identity in relation to transgender children should be informed by the Netherlands’ obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including allowing the transgender child to give their opinion on the need to change their legal gender, with increasing weight given to that opinion as the child grows closer to adulthood. Fifth, the existing legal framework for the legal recognition of gender identity does not recognize the existence of gender variant people whose gender identity is neither exclusively female nor exclusively male. Human Rights Watch does not contend that international human rights law has, as yet, evolved in such a manner as to impose a positive obligation on the state to give legal recognition to gender identities other than male or female. Nevertheless, Human Rights Watch calls upon the Netherlands to explore ways to accommodate the gender identity of gender variant people. Specific suggestions are detailed below. Methodology This report is based on research conducted by Human Rights Watch in the Netherlands from March 14 to April 15, 2011. Human Rights Watch conducted 28 in-depth interviews with trans people, of which 12 identified as men, 10 identified as women, and 6 identified as gender variant. Of these 28 people, some had had SRS; some had had some forms of surgery but were still waiting for other operations; some were waiting for the first operation; and others were living in their desired gender role without intending to have surgery. Two of the interviewees were under age 18. Where they have given permission to do so, interviewees’ names are provided in the report. Other interviewees chose to remain anonymous: their full names and other identifying information have been withheld to protect their privacy. All interviews were conducted in Dutch. Transgender interviewees were identified largely with the assistance of the Transgender Netwerk Nederland, a lobby and advocacy organization working to promote the rights of transgender people in the Netherlands, and Transvisie, a Dutch foundation providing counseling and support to transgender people. Human Rights Watch also conducted interviews with Dr. M. van Trotsenburg, director of the Knowledge and Care Center for Gender Dysphoria at the medical center of the Free University in Amsterdam (VUmc), and with Prof. Dr. W. C. M. Weijmar Schultz and A. Pascal, director and coordinator respectively of the Gender Dysphoria Center at the Groningen University Hospital (UMCG). Human Rights Watch also interviewed a senior legal officer at the Ministry of Security and Justice, as well as NGO representatives, lawyers and academics. Our interviewees included directors and staff of the Transgender Netwerk Nederland, Transvisie and the Stichting Patientenorganisatie Transvisie (POST). All documents cited in this report are either publicly available or on file with Human Rights Watch. Recommendations To the Government of the Netherlands On Legal Recognition of Gender Identity Amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code in such a way that transgender people can apply to have the gender marker on their birth certificate changed without having to satisfy any medical conditions. In particular, abolish the current conditions of sex reassignment surgery and irreversible infertility. Ensure that legal recognition of transgender people’s gender identity applies to all aspects of people’s lives. In particular, where transgender people have children, their parental relation with their child should be in line with trans people’s gender identity. Thus a trans man who has a child should be recognized as the father of that child, and a trans woman having a child should be recognized as the mother of that child. In light of the Netherlands’ commitment to the Yogyakarta Principles, explore avenues to amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code so that it recognizes the primacy of self-identification advanced by principle 3 of the Yogyakarta Principles. In particular, explore options for enabling transgender people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate without having to provide expert statements, relying instead on transgender people’s testimony about their own self-identified gender identity. If legal recognition of transgender people’s gender identity is made conditional on expert statements being provided to the court, ensure that there is sufficient capacity on the part of the designated experts to provide the required documents within a reasonable time. Ensure that transgender people are able to choose a first name that suits their gender identity, whether or not they have applied to change the gender marker on their birth certificate. To this end, provide clarification to the courts on the meaning of the term “inappropriate” in article 1:4 of the Civil Code, to ensure that judges do not refuse applications for name changes on the basis that transgender people’s chosen first names are deemed to be inappropriate for their gender. Recognize that it may in the best interest of some transgender children to change their legal gender before the age of adulthood at 18, and ensure that transgender children are not excluded from the possibility of applying for legal recognition of their gender identity and changing their first names. Procedures for the consideration of transgender children’s applications should include a mechanism for the transgender child to give his or her opinion on the need to change his or her legal gender. The child’s freely expressed opinion must be given due weight. In line with the Netherlands’ obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the relevant procedures must be designed in such a way as to acknowledge that as children grow and acquire capacities, they are entitled to an increasing level of responsibility for the regulation of matters affecting them. Explore ways to grant legal recognition to the gender identity of transgender people whose gender identity is neither male nor female, including removing the gender marker on the identity documents of gender variant people. Ensure that information about people’s gender as contained in the register of civil status records (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie van Persoonsgegevens, or GBA) is only made available to institutions, organizations and businesses in situations where this information is relevant. Encourage institutions, organizations and businesses to develop forms for recording personal information that allow people not to specify their gender. In developing and implementing the measures referred to above, involve and consult transgender persons and organizations representing transgender people. Ensure that transgender children are included in these consultation processes. On Nondiscrimination and Equality Include a provision in the General Law on Equal Treatment (Algemene Wet Gelijke Behandeling) specifying that “discrimination on the grounds of sex” also means “discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and on the grounds of gender expression.” In consultation with transgender people and organizations representing them, develop and implement policies to combat discrimination against and exclusion of transgender people, including in relation to employment. In consultation with transgender people and organizations representing them, develop education and training programmes and awareness-raising campaigns to promote respect for the human rights of transgender people. Collect and analyze data on the human rights situation of transgender persons, including the discrimination and intolerance they encounter, with due regard to the right to privacy of the persons concerned. On Medical Assistance and Psychological Support for Transgender People Ensure that transgender people have access to the medical and psychological assistance and support they require, and that such support and assistance is available to transgender individuals within a reasonable time. In consultation with transgender people, the organizations representing them and the two gender teams at the university hospitals at the Free University in Amsterdam and the University of Groningen, ensure that all medical interventions deemed to be necessary under the sex reassignment protocols for transgender people are covered by health insurance schemes. Ensure that training is available to health service professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists and general practitioners, as well as social workers, with regard to the specific needs and rights of transgender persons and the requirement to respect their dignity. To the Gender Teams at the Free University Hospital in Amsterdam and the Groningen University Hospital Advocate for the rights of transgender people, including legal recognition of their gender identity regardless of whether they have had hormone treatment or surgery, in line with the Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. To Council for the Judiciary (Raad voor de Rechtspraak) and the Dutch Association for the Judiciary (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Rechtspraak) Work to ensure that the term “inappropriate” as used in article 1:4 of the Civil Code is not interpreted to deny transgender people legal recognition of their chosen first names. To Health Insurance Companies In consultation with transgender people, the organizations representing them and the gender teams at the Free University in Amsterdam and the University of Groningen, ensure that all medical interventions deemed to be necessary under the sex reassignment protocols for transgender people are covered by health insurance schemes. To the American Psychiatric Association Ensure that the diagnosis of gender dysphoria in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not pathologize trans identities. A Note on Terminology Terminology relating to transgender issues is still fluid and subject to debate. This report uses the following definitions: We use gender identity to refer to a person's internal, deeply felt sense of being male or female, or something other than or in between male and female. Gender expression refers to the external characteristics and behaviors which societies define as “masculine” or “feminine”—including such attributes as dress, appearance, mannerisms, speech patterns, and social behavior. Transgender people,ortrans people, are people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth on the basis of their bodily characteristics. Understanding the experiences of trans people means recognizing how gender is not the same as biological sex. Biological sex is the classification of bodies as male or female on the basis of biological factors, including hormones, chromosomes, and sex organs. Gender describes the social and cultural meanings attached to ideas of “masculinity” and “femininity.” Intersex people are people whose bodily characteristics (genetic, hormonal or anatomical) are such that their biological sex cannot readily be determined to be male or female. The phenomenon of intersexuality is different from the existence of transgender people (whose biological sex is unambiguous, but whose gender identity is different from their biological sex). However, where parents or others decide to raise an intersex child as belonging to a particular gender (or even subject the child to surgery to modify its body so as to correspond more closely to society’s ideas of male and female bodies), the intersex child may grow up to be transgender if its own gender identity does not correspond with the gender identity imposed on the child. The transgender community is diverse. It includes transsexual people, whose gender identity is opposite to the sex they were assigned at birth. Atrans womanrefers to someone who was born with a male body but who has a female gender identity; a trans man is someone born with a female body but with a male gender identity. The term transsexual people is sometimes used to refer exclusively to people who wish to alter their bodies physically, or who have already done so. (This usage in turn gives rise to the problematic terms “pre-operative” and “post-operative” transsexual people, which seem to set greater store by people’s physical appearance than their gender identity.) However, this report uses the term transsexual people to refer to people who have a persistent desire to live and be accepted as members of the opposite sex. For some transsexual people, this desire may be accompanied by a sense of discomfort with, or inappropriateness of, one's anatomic sex, and a wish to make his or her body as congruent as possible with their gender identity through surgery and hormone therapy. For others, the desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite sex is not accompanied by a wish to have hormone therapy and/or have sex reassignment surgery (SRS). [] It should be noted that while some transsexual people use the identity labelstrans woman and trans man to signify that they are women and men respectively while still affirming their history as males and females respectively, other trans people experience these labels as an attempt to deny that they are “real” women or “real” men; they prefer to be referred to simply as women or men in accordance with their gender identity. This report follows the preferences of individual transgendered people interviewed in the course of the research. Not all transgender people are either trans women or trans men: the trans community also includes other gender variant people (who sometimes use the term genderqueersto refer to themselves), whose gender identity is neither exclusively male nor exclusively female, but in between or beyond genders. Gender variant people challenge all notions that insist on a gender dichotomy according to which there are only two genders, male and female. The trans community also includes transvestites/cross-dressers (whose gender identity corresponds with their sex assigned at birth but who dress at times in clothes typical of the opposite sex) and transgenderists (whose gender identity has both male and female elements). Gender Identity Disorderis a diagnosis contained in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) [†] and in the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The DSM and ICD are both in the process of being revised. The current proposal for the DSM-V is to replace gender identity disorder with gender dysphoria. The proposal would retain the classification of gender dysphoria as a mental disorder, something which many trans people strongly contest. Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)refers to surgical interventions to change the body so as to resemble a body of the opposite sex as closely as possible. SRS is usually preceded by a minimum period of hormone therapyto induce secondary sex characteristics of the desired sex. I. Recognition of Gender Identity: The Dutch Legal Framework Being Transgender in the Netherlands The Dutch government estimates the number of transgender people in the Netherlands between 30,000 and 100,000. [3] Transgender people face a complex set of interrelated problems. Relations with family, friends, and colleagues may come under strain when transgender people seek acceptance of their gender identity, which in turn may lead to social isolation. They may struggle to obtain appropriate and timely psychological or medical assistance, or they may not be able to pay for the cost of certain medical procedures that are not covered by their insurance. They may experience discrimination at their workplace, or when they apply for jobs, or in accessing services. They may also encounter harassment, aggression, and even physical violence as a result of their gender expression. [4] Social and economic indicators for transgender people provide some insight into the combined impact of this situation. A 2009 study focusing on transgender people in Belgium found that 22 percent of transgender people had attempted at least once to commit suicide, a figure that Dutch transgender advocacy groups hold to be indicative for the Netherlands also. [5] A 2010 study in the Netherlands found that for nearly half of all transgender people who lost their jobs for reasons other than the regular expiry of their contracts, their transgender identity played a role. [6] Of transgender people in employment, 77 percent of trans women and 66 percent of trans men surveyed had had at least one negative experience with their colleagues in the last six months on account of their gender expression, ranging from gossip and insulting jokes to social exclusion, threats, and sexual intimidation. [7] Transgender people are far more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population. [8] This report focuses on one particular problem faced by transgender people in the Netherlands, namely the exceedingly restrictive framework for obtaining legal recognition of their gender identity. This does not mean that Human Rights Watch expects trans people’s other difficulties to be solved once this particular issue has been addressed, or that Human Rights Watch deems this problem to be of greater significance for every transgender person than any of the other problems they may encounter. However, the current framework for legal recognition of the gender identity of trans people does amount to a particularly egregious violation of their human rights. It also is a problem that affects all trans people in the Netherlands without exception. Finally, a human-rights-compliant framework for legal recognition of gender identity is a necessary, if not a sufficient, step towards addressing other abuses of the human rights of transgender people, notably various forms of discrimination. The Netherlands’ Claim to being a Role Model on LGBT Rights As will be discussed in more detail in chapter IV of this report, the Netherlands is far from the only country with a legal framework for recognition of gender identity that violates the human rights of transgender people. This report focuses on the Netherlands for two reasons. First, on a number of occasions the Dutch government has acknowledged the need to amend the Civil Code in relation to the recognition of gender identity, but without then taking the necessary steps to translate these expressions of political will into a new law. The first such promise was made in June 2009, when the then Minister of Justice stated that a draft law to this effect would be presented for consultation in the fall of that year. However, no such bill had been presented by year’s end. Following the 2010 elections, the government program published by the new coalition government stated: “The Cabinet guarantees the emancipation of lesbian women, homosexual men, bisexual people and transgender people, and shall develop a policy for this purpose.” [9] This was followed by a promise in March 2011 by the State Secretary for Security and Justice to present a draft law on legal recognition of the gender identity of transsexual people before the summer of 2011. [10] This specific commitment was repeated in the 2011-2015 policy document on emancipation presented by the government to parliament on April 8, 2011, setting out the main priorities for policy initiatives for the emancipation of women and of homosexual and transgender citizens. [11] Secondly, the Dutch government takes pride in the fact that the Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, and has taken the initiative in safeguarding the rights of homosexual people both in the Netherlands and abroad. Regrettably, in the minds of policymakers the pioneering role the Netherlands has played in relation to same-sex marriage has given rise to the unfounded assumption that the Netherlands is equally in the vanguard in relation to the protection of the rights of trans people, and that the Netherlands should now work towards strengthening the protection of the rights of homosexual and transgender people abroad. For example, the government’s 2011-2015 policy document on emancipation states: No international treaty exists as yet for the rights and safety of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. By becoming the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, the Netherlands has become an important role model in the world. The cabinet wants to use that position, together with other like-minded countries, to ensure that the rights and safety of homosexual and transgender people are better protected internationally. [12] While welcoming the willingness of the Dutch government to take a lead role internationally on these important issues, with this report Human Rights Watch seeks to focus attention on the urgent need to bring the Netherlands’ own laws into line with its obligations under international human rights law. Article 28 of the Civil Code: Conditions for Recognition of Gender Identity Under Dutch law, a child’s sex must be registered on their birth certificate, as either female (F) or male (M), on the basis of the child’s external reproductive organs. [13] If no sex is registered, the birth certificate has no legal validity. [14] The only exception to this rule is the situation of intersex children, whose biological sex is ambiguous. When an intersex child is born a temporary birth certificate must be prepared, which must be replaced within three months with a definitive certificate stating the child’s sex. If three months after the birth it is still impossible to determine the child’s sex, a definitive birth certificate must be drawn up which states that it has been impossible to determine whether the child is male or female. [15] As far as is known, no such birth certificate has ever been drawn up. [16] For transgender people, the problem is not that their biological sex cannot be determined, but that their gender identity does not accord with the sex they were assigned at birth.Accordingly, for transsexual people, whose gender identity is opposite to the sex they were assigned at birth, legal recognition of their gender identity has two aspects: the amendment of civil status records to change their registered sex to the sex corresponding to their gender identity, and, if they do not happen to have a forename that is generally considered to be gender neutral, the right to choose a new forename (or forenames) that suits their gender identity. For gender variant people whose gender identity is neither male nor female, legal recognition of their gender identity entails an amendment of their civil status records to reflect this fact, plus the right to choose an appropriate forename. The situation of gender variant people is discussed in more detail in chapter V. Transsexual people in the Netherlands have been able to obtain legal recognition of their gender identity under the terms described above since 1985, when a law was adopted to amend the Civil Code for this purpose. [17] Article 1:28 of the Civil Code allows transsexual people to request the court to order their birth certificate to be amended so as to bring their registered sex into line with their gender identity, and where necessary to register new first names. [18] Other civil status records are then updated on the basis of the amended birth certificate, enabling the person in question to apply for new identity documents that are in line with their gender identity. [19] However, the conditions imposed by the existing law for legal recognition of transsexual people’s gender identity are extraordinarily burdensome. First, they must show that their body has been altered so as to resemble a body of the opposite sex by means of hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery (SRS). This requirement is subject to the important qualification that physical adaptation is necessary only to the extent that this is medically and psychologically possible and justified. Examples of circumstances where the requirement of bodily adaptation does not need to be met are pre-existing medical conditions that render surgery too risky, or the person in question having a great fear of operations. [20] Second, transsexual people must prove that they have become irreversibly infertile: trans women must never again be able to beget children and trans men must never again be able to bear children. This is a separate requirement from the first requirement. Moreover, unlike the first requirement this second requirement is absolute: while the first requirement of bodily alteration may be lifted in whole or in part when there are medical or psychological contra-indications for surgery, no such circumstances can be relied upon in relation to the second requirement of irreversible infertility. This second requirement is often referred to as the “sterilization requirement,” but this label does not in fact quite capture the drastic nature of the requirement: ordinary sterilization techniques used for family planning purposes do not suffice, since in principle these are reversible. Hormone treatment alone is also insufficient: while it often leads to infertility, it does not necessarily result in permanent and irreversible infertility. In practice what is required is the removal of the ovaries (trans men) or testes (trans women), unless there are, for example, pre-existing medical conditions that have resulted in permanent infertility. [21] The requirement of bodily adaptation by means of SRS was included in article 1:28 of the Civil Code on the grounds that it was taken to be the only way to protect the interests of public order. Registering people’s sex at birth was deemed to be necessary to serve those interests, and changing someone’s registered sex later in life would have important consequences for the legal relations between individuals (for example, their relation as husbands and wives, or as mothers and fathers) and for people’s participation in society. It was argued that, consequently, even the most unwavering conviction to belong to the other sex could not in itself form the basis in law for changing someone’s registered sex. [22] SRS was seen as a necessary requirement to guarantee legal certainty and to preclude abuses of the law. [23] The reason provided by the legislature for the infertility requirement was that it was necessary to protect the interest of the unborn child by ruling out situations where a person legally registered as a man would give birth to a child, or where a person legally registered as a woman would father a child. [24] This report will argue that the conditions of mandatory surgery and irreversible infertility are an unjustified interference with trans people’s rights to personal autonomy and physical integrity. Moreover, the manner in which the law is applied in practice, and the changes in Dutch family law since article 1:28 of the Civil Code came into force in 1985, demonstrate that neither requirement is in fact necessary to protect the interests of public order. Court Procedures Trans people who meet the legal requirements can instruct a lawyer to submit an application to one of the 19 district courts in the Netherlands for an amendment of their birth certificate. Such applications must be accompanied by an expert statement comprising three elements: the statement must confirm that the person in question is convinced that he or she belongs to the opposite gender and that in the opinion of the experts this conviction is durable; that the person’s body has been physically adapted (or, where this has not been done, on what medical and/or psychological grounds operations have been ruled out); and that the person is irreversibly infertile. Such statements can only be signed by experts who have been authorized to do so: these include registered psychologists, psychiatrists, surgeons and medical doctors specialized in internal medicine. [25] Once an application has been made, the court decides whether a court hearing must be held; most applications are decided on the papers and without a court hearing, normally within one to two months after the application is made. Even if the court grants the request in full, the normal 3-month period for appeals to be lodged is adhered to: only after the expiry of these three months is the applicant’s birth certificate amended as per the court’s decision. [26] The costs of the legal procedure, including the court costs (griffierecht) and the lawyer’s fee, vary from about €800 to about €1,100. Applicants may qualify for legal aid, depending on their level of income. Sex Reassignment Surgery The phrase sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is somewhat deceptive. It conjures up the image of one straightforward surgical procedure leading to the desired result, namely a body whose appearance approaches a body of the opposite sex as much as possible. The reality is more complex. For both trans men and trans women, SRS involves major surgery, requiring considerable recovery time. Moreover, these operations carry significant risks of complications, which may necessitate further surgery. [27] For trans men in particular, SRS involves a number of separate operations. In the Netherlands, two specialist gender teams provide medical assistance to trans people. The gender team at the university hospital of the Free University in Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit medisch centrum, VUmc) deals with an estimated 85 percent of the caseload: annually it receives 300 requests for assistance from adults, and 100 from children. The gender team at Groningen University Hospital (Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen, UMCG) assists a further 5 percent of the annual caseload, while an estimated 10 percent of trans people seek assistance outside the recognized gender teams. [28] Both gender teams work on the basis of protocols grounded in the Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. [29] These Standards of Care are based on the diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID) as contained in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). [30] Following an initial diagnostic phase of at least 6 months, the assistance provided to people diagnosed with GID comprises three elements: “real-life experience,” in which trans people live full-time in the desired gender role; hormone therapy; and surgery. To be eligible for surgery, people must have had hormone therapy for at least 12 months, during which time they must also live in the desired gender role. While the effects of hormone therapy are still partially reversible, the consequences of SRS are irreversible. [31] The actual sex reassignment surgery itself comprises different elements for trans men and trans women. Here a distinction must be made between the range of interventions that are medically necessary to restore a trans person to health, and the interventions required to meet the conditions contained in article 1:28 of the Civil Code that one’s body has been physically adapted as much as possible to a body of the opposite sex and that one has become irreversibly infertile. To meet the requirements of article 1:28, trans women require a genital operation, in which the penis and testes are removed and a neo-vagina is created. Other operations that may be medically indicated for individual trans women to assist feminization include voice modification surgery, tracheal shave (reducing the thyroid cartilage to create a less pronounced Adam’s apple), breast augmentation, and facial feminization surgery. [32] The courts do not deem any of these procedures necessary for trans women to meet the conditions of article 1:28 of the Civil Code. Trans women must, however, have had genital surgery before they are deemed eligible for legal recognition of their female gender identity under article 1:28 of the Civil Code. [33] For trans men the first operation is usually a mastectomy to remove the breasts, followed by an operation to remove the womb and ovaries (sometimes these two operations can be carried out in one procedure). This may be followed by the reconstruction of a functional male outer genital; here trans men must choose between different operative techniques. Some trans men opt for the construction of a penis (phalloplasty), which involves a number of separate stages of surgery. Others opt for the construction of a so-called microphallus (metoidioplasty), which in theory is a one-stage procedure. Yet others choose not to have genital surgery, mostly because they deem the current medical possibilities to be unsatisfactory. Other interventions to assist masculinization for trans men include liposuction to reduce fat in hips, thighs and buttocks. [34] Given that surgical techniques are still insufficiently developed to produce reliably satisfactory results for penis reconstruction, many trans men decide against the genital operation, or postpone the operation until such time that surgical techniques will have advanced. As Marc (pseudonym) told Human Rights Watch: I don’t want the third [i.e. genital] operation. I’m not a patient, and I have no desire to live like a patient for 18 months or 2 years. That’s what it means in practice if you decide to have the operation, I see it happening to [transsexual] friends. One friend had his [genital] operation in 2007 and now, 4 years later, he needs yet another follow-up operation. My sex is important to me, but my life is more important still. [35] In terms of legal recognition of their male gender identity under article 1:28 of the Civil Code, trans men are not required to undergo a reconstruction of the outer genital. As long as they have had surgery to remove their breasts, womb and ovaries, they are deemed to fulfill the requirement that their body has been adapted to that of the other sex as much as is medically and psychologically possible and justified, even in the absence of a genital operation. [36] SRS as a Medical Necessity For many trans people, SRS is a medical necessity. The Standards of Care of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health state: In persons diagnosed with transsexualism or profound GID [gender identity disorder], sex reassignment surgery, along with hormone therapy and real-life experience, is a treatment that has proven to be effective. Such a therapeutic regimen, when prescribed or recommended by qualified practitioners, is medically indicated and medically necessary. Sex reassignment is not “experimental,” “investigational,” “elective,” “cosmetic,” or optional in any meaningful sense. [37] The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that states should provide transsexual people with the possibility of SRS, and as medically necessary treatment it should be included with other such treatment provided by the state and/or covered by health insurance. [38] While not the focus of this report, Human Rights Watch notes that trans people in the Netherlands face two obstacles in this regard. First, the two university hospitals that provide specialist assistance to trans people do not have sufficient capacity to respond to the demands for their services. As a consequence, trans people face a waiting period of many months for each step in the process, undermining the principle of meaningful access to SRS within a reasonable time (see also Chapter II). Second, not all medical procedures that are part of SRS are covered by insurance plans. The two gender teams and two transgender organizations published recommendations in a 2007 policy paper to address these concerns; to date these recommendations have not been implemented by Dutch health insurers. As a result, some trans people have to pay themselves for procedures that are deemed medically necessary by the gender teams. [39] Surgery Imposed by the State Operations carried out on a healthy body are also a form of physical violence. — Marc (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 29, 2011 While the Standards of Care make clear that SRS has proven to be an effective treatment for trans people, they also emphasize that whether SRS is in fact a medical necessity depends on the individual and needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis: After the diagnosis of GID is made the therapeutic approach usually includes three elements or phases (sometimes labeled triadic therapy): a real-life experience in the desired role, hormones of the desired gender, and surgery to change the genitalia and other sex characteristics.… However, the diagnosis of GID invites the consideration of a variety of therapeutic options, only one of which is the complete therapeutic triad. Clinicians have increasingly become aware that not all persons with gender identity disorders need or want all three elements of triadic therapy. [40] Human rights norms require that medical treatment should be subject to the best interest of the individual, and tailored to the specific needs and situation of the person in question. [41] Professional codes of ethics for physicians also require that physicians “shall act in the patient’s best interest when providing medical care.” [42] The Civil Code poses particular challenges for medical professionals in this regard. Although the Standards of Care lay out carefully designed procedures to decide whether irreversible changes to the body are indeed an appropriate form of assistance for an individual diagnosed with gender identity disorder, [43] article 1:28 of the Civil Code, which makes legal recognition of gender identity conditional on SRS, is at variance with this approach. Medical professionals are therefore in the invidious position of gatekeepers who are required to act to protect the supposed interests of the state, as opposed to the interest of their patients: no transgender person can obtain legal recognition of their gender identity without a statement from medical professionals certifying that the applicant has had surgery (or is exempt from surgery) and has become permanently infertile, and thus meets the conditions of article 1:28. Medical ethics dictate that decisions whether to offer surgery to a trans person should be guided exclusively by considerations of how to restore the person in question to the highest attainable standard of health. However, in the case of trans people for whom surgery is medically unnecessary and thus inappropriate, medical professionals know that in the absence of surgery leading to irreversible infertility, they are unable to provide the required statements to the court, thus cutting off their patients from the only access route to legal recognition of their gender identity, something which in most cases will itself be essential to safeguard the welfare of the trans person in question. Thomas Hammarberg, the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, observes about requirements such as those contained in article 1:28 of the Dutch Civil Code: In reality, this means that the state prescribes medical treatment for legal purposes, a requirement which clearly runs against the principles of human rights and human dignity. [44] Human Rights Watch spoke with a number of trans people who live full-time in their desired gender role, but who do not want SRS. Some take hormones, others do not. Sabrina ter Horst said: I have a very healthy body. My wish is to live as a woman, and to be treated and accepted as a woman by others. I am lucky with my body, for me it’s possible to live as a woman without surgery and without hormones. Why then should I subject myself to a surgeon’s scalpel? Why take hormones for the rest of my life, when I don’t know what the side effects might be? People assume that the only solution is a medical one, and we have elevated certain surgical procedures to “sex reassignment surgery.” But even doctors can never create a woman’s body out of a man’s body. When we talk about sex change operations, what we mean is operations that change the external appearance of our bodies. But there are other ways to change the appearance of your body, to conceal what I see as a few biological mistakes of my body. My gender identity doesn’t match the configuration between my legs. But does that mean I must go to the VU [university hospital] or to Groningen [University Hospital]? Why is it of such overriding importance to remove that biological mistake between my legs? It should be up to each individual to decide what solution they adopt. To me, it’s unacceptable that if I want to change the M in my passport into an F, the state decides for me how I must alter parts of my body. [45] Linda told Human Rights Watch: Why should I let myself be mutilated because I want an F in my passport? You must learn to accept your body. You can have a sex change operation, but they cannot change your body into that of a woman, it is impossible. They can create an artificial vagina, but you’re never going to have the body of someone who was born as a woman. Why then should I have the operations? [46] A man who had a mastectomy but no other operations, and who was thus unable to obtain male papers, said, “One way or another, you’re violating people, either through operations, or by denying them new papers.” [47] Marc (pseudonym), whose decision to have his ovaries removed had been motivated in part by the legal requirements for getting new identity documents, told us: As far as I was concerned, those ovaries could have stayed where they were; I was already more than 50 years old when I had the operations, and my ovaries no longer did anything. But I’m a pragmatist, and since there was a legal reason to have them removed, I had the operation. There was also a medical reason, because you may be at a higher risk of getting cancer if you don’t have them removed. It is odd that the legislature demands operations of transgender people. The Netherlands is prepared to defend the physical safety of transgender people, and it calls on other countries to follow the Yogyakarta Principles. But operations carried out on a healthy body are also a form of physical violence. [48] One person summed up the objections to article 1:28 by stating simply, “The state should stay out of our underwear.” [49] State-Enforced Sterilization Many transgender people experience the infertility requirement as an affront to their dignity, embodying a judgment by society that as citizens they are not deemed fit to enjoy the right to found a family on the same basis as other people. In his report on the rights of transgender people, Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg argues strongly against infertility requirements for transgender people: It is of great concern that transgender people appear to be the only group in Europe subject to legally prescribed, state-enforced sterilisation. [50] Human Rights Watch spoke with a number of transgender people who had had SRS and who met the legal requirements to apply to change their registered gender, but who refused to do so because of their strongly-felt objections to the law. Alice Verheij said, “I live with male identity documents. I refuse to apply to change my registered gender: I’m not going to subject myself to a law that violates human rights.” [51] Sophie told us, “I could have been registered as a woman by the end of 2010. But I am not going to change my registered gender under the current law: I don’t want to support the government in infringing my rights. The state can’t dictate what medical procedures I must follow.” [52] The infertility requirement in Dutch law was designed to rule out situations where a person legally registered as a man would give birth to a child, or where a person legally registered as a woman would father a child. This, it was claimed, was necessary to protect the interest of the unborn child. [53] Article 1:28 of the Civil Code cannot and does not stop trans people from having children before they apply to change their registered gender. In the eyes of the law, a trans man remains the mother of any children to whom he gave birth before changing his registered gender to male, while a trans woman remains the father of any children she fathered before changing her registered gender to female. [54] Conversely, if a trans man adopts a child after the change of his registered gender, he becomes the father of that child, but, in legal terms, he remains the mother of any children he gave birth to before having SRS (and vice versa for trans women). What the legislature did not foresee in the early 1980s was the development of reproductive techniques allowing genetic material (sperm or eggs) to be frozen for later use by means of artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization. With the arrival of these techniques, the possibility arose for trans women to freeze their sperm before they started taking hormones and had SRS. As a result, trans women in a lesbian relationship can have their own genetic child with their partner even after having had SRS. Both gender teams in the Netherlands discuss this possibility with trans women before prescribing hormones (which result in the reduction and ultimately the cessation of sperm production). [55] In terms of the infertility requirement contained in article 1:28 of the Civil Code, this indirect route to a biological child by means of freezing one’s sperm is not interpreted by the courts as violating the requirement that a trans woman must never again be able to beget a child. Trans women who have had sperm frozen for the purposes of having a child after surgery are therefore not barred from legal recognition of their female gender identity. [56] Until recently, freezing eggs was subject to much stricter regulation than freezing sperm, as a result of which this indirect route to a biological child was not generally available for trans men. However, following a vote in the lower house of parliament (Tweede Kamer) on April 14, 2011, all women in the Netherlands until the age of 45 are allowed to have their eggs frozen, opening the way for trans men to have a biological child even after having had SRS, while still being able to apply for legal recognition of their male gender identity. [57] Convention on the Recognition of Decisions Recording a Sex Reassignment In July 2004, the Netherlands became the first country to ratify the Convention on the Recognition of Decisions Recording a Sex Reassignment, a convention adopted under the auspices of the International Commission on Civil Status (ICCS). [58] The convention does not take a particularly human rights-friendly approach to the standards states should apply in granting recognition of gender identity changes; however, it does require that contracting states recognize decisions taken by competent authorities in another contracting state to grant legal recognition of a person’s gender identity following SRS. [59] The purpose of the convention is to avoid situations where someone is registered as belonging to one gender in one country, and belonging to another gender in another country. [60] According to the convention’s Explanatory Note, for a decision to be eligible for recognition, “the body of the person concerned must have been adapted, before the decision recording the sex reassignment, as much as possible by medical treatment and surgery to give it the physical appearance of the sex to which the person claims to belong. This physical adaptation must not only have been carried out, it must also be expressly recorded in the sex reassignment decision.” [61] The convention then provides that recognition does not have to be granted “if the physical adaptation of the person concerned has not been carried out” or it “is contrary to public policy.” [62] It would seem therefore that while the convention includes the requirement of SRS, it does not necessarily include a requirement of infertility. [63] A growing number of the 16 member states of the ICCS provide trans people with the possibility of obtaining legal recognition of their gender identity without imposing an infertility requirement, including Hungary, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom (see chapter IV). In a letter accompanying the text of the convention, addressed to Parliament’s Senate (Eerste Kamer) and House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer), the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the infertility requirement was implied in the requirement of bodily adaptation by means of SRS. [64] However, this is not how it is addressed in Dutch law: the Civil Code sets out the requirements of SRS and infertility as two separate requirements. Moreover, the purpose of the convention, namely to enable transsexual people to have the same legal gender identity in different countries, would be undermined if states parties were to reapply the conditions for legal recognition of gender identity contained in their national legislation. Unless the Dutch government invokes public policy considerations that override an individual’s right to have his or her legal gender identity changed without proof of irreversible infertility, it should recognize decisions taken in other states that grant legal recognition of gender identity to transsexual people who have undergone SRS but who do not meet the irreversible infertility requirement. To date, Spain is the only other state to have ratified the convention (in 2010, bringing the convention into force on March 1, 2011), and Spain recognizes changes to gender identity without imposing an infertility requirement. [65] II. “It Is Like Your Life Is On Hold” My life consists of waiting. That’s the most difficult thing, even more difficult than all the psychological challenges of being transgender. You’re waiting all the time for other people to make decisions about you. — Maarten (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 30, 2011 Even transgender people who want to have SRS have to contend with many obstacles before they can obtain legal recognition of their gender identity under article 1:28 of the Civil Code. These range from exceedingly long waiting lists at the two university hospitals that provide medical assistance to trans people, to lengthy and costly legal procedures and a lack of legal certainty in relation to changing forenames. Waiting Lists The combined capacity of the two gender teams in the Netherlands is insufficient to respond to requests for assistance from trans people in a timely manner. There are waiting lists at every step in the process. The length of these waiting lists fluctuates, but is usually several months for each step. For trans people these periods of waiting, often without knowing exactly when they can progress to the next step, are difficult, since they are dependent on the assistance of the gender teams to give full expression to their gender identity. As one man said, “All that time, it’s like your life is on hold. I am now waiting for the last operation and it feels like I’m left in no-man’s land.” [66] The website of the gender team at the Free University states that there is “a long waiting list” for the first appointment with a member of the gender team. [67] The initial waiting period is followed by another waiting list for the start of the diagnostic phase. Several of the trans people who spoke with Human Rights Watch and who were currently receiving assistance from the Free University gender team gave examples of a total period of 16 – 18 months between their initial call to the gender team and the start of the diagnostic phase. A woman observed, “Between the time when I first called the gender team and my first consultation with them, six months passed. After that first consultation I had to wait another ten months for the start of the diagnostic phase. It felt interminable.” [68] With a further six months for the diagnostic phase itself, about two years can thus pass before trans people start the 12-month “real-life experience” phase and have access to hormones. After the real-life phase, further waiting lists exist for each of the operations. The waiting lists are not just difficult for trans people to contend with because they delay access to hormones and surgery. The waiting lists also mean that the date when trans people are eligible to change their registered gender is pushed back repeatedly. While the state demands SRS as a condition for legal recognition of trans people’s gender identity, itself an unjustified demand as it violates trans people’s human rights, it has failed to ensure that the gender teams have sufficient capacity to assist trans people within a reasonable time. [69] While waiting lists exist for many non-life threatening medical procedures in the Netherlands, they are generally much shorter than those for medical assistance to trans people. [70] A Name to Match an Identity I can’t change my registered gender because I don’t yet meet the infertility requirement, and I can’t change my name because I can’t change my registered gender. — Jonathan, Amsterdam, March 31, 2011 For trans people, as important as the ability to change the gender marker on their identity documents is the ability to adopt new forenames appropriate to their gender. Transsexual people in the Netherlands have two options for changing their forenames. The easiest and cheapest method is to wait and apply to change one’s forenames at the same time as the application to change the gender marker on one’s birth certificate. Article 1:28b(2) of the Civil Code provides that, where the court grants a request to change the registered gender of a transsexual person, it may grant a request for the applicant’s forenames to be amended on their birth certificate at the same time. [71] The alternative option is to change one’s forenames in a stand-alone procedure. The Civil Code provides for the possibility of a change of forenames by means of an application to the court. [72] This procedure is open to anyone, not just trans people. The Civil Code places only two restrictions on the choice of forenames: they may not be inappropriate (ongepast), and they may not correspond to surnames unless these surnames are also commonly in use as forenames. [73] The Civil Code does not provide explicitly that forenames must be gender specific. [74] The Civil Code itself does not elaborate on the meaning of “inappropriate” in this context, but according to guidance provided by the government to parents inappropriate names include names that are in conflict with existing morals, names that ridicule the bearer of these names, and names that consist of an absurdly large number of separate forenames. [75] Human Rights Watch spoke with a number of trans people who had applied to the court to change their forenames at a point in time when they were not yet eligible to apply to change their registered gender under article 1:28. In some cases these applications had been successful, enabling the trans people in question to start using forenames that matched their gender identity on their driver’s licenses, bank cards, contracts, etc, even if they could not yet change the gender marker on these documents. However, in a number of other cases the court had turned down such applications on the grounds that the chosen forenames were inappropriate for someone who was still legally registered as belonging to the other sex. Maud told us: I submitted an application to change my first names as soon as I had received my diagnosis and had been given the go-ahead from the gender team to start taking hormones. I included a letter from Professor Cohen-Kettenis from the VU [university hospital], stating that the gender team supported the name change. The court rejected my application: it argued that my chosen name was inappropriate for me because I’m still registered as a man. There was no court hearing, my application was decided on the papers. So the judge never had an opportunity to see me, to see that I am a woman. I lodged an appeal and submitted two other expert letters, one of which provided proof that the forename I had chosen [Maud] is in fact in use not only by women but also by men. I don’t know whether it was this that convinced the court, but on appeal my application was granted. [76] Jonathan explained to Human Rights Watch: It is up to the judge to decide whether a first name is appropriate. In my case, this particular judge decided that for me it was inappropriate to have a male first name, because in the eyes of the law I’m still female. I can’t change my registered gender because I don’t yet meet the infertility requirement, and I can’t change my name because I can’t change my registered gender. I didn’t have the money to lodge an appeal against the decision. [77] The Civil Code does not specifically address the question of name changes from a male to a female forename or vice versa, and in particular does not impose any conditions such as SRS for name changes for transgender people. But as these examples make clear, some judges (but not all) interpret the general “appropriateness” condition for forenames to mean that female forenames are inappropriate for people who are legally registered as men and vice versa, even with respect to trans people who have been diagnosed with gender identity disorder by one of the two gender teams and who have embarked on hormone therapy. These judges thus accord primacy to people’s registered gender, ignoring the social reality of the people in question, and their own expressly stated wish to adopt a forename that is appropriate for their gender identity. In this way, judges make forename changes for trans people conditional on SRS and infertility, requirements that are not in fact provided by law. For example, in the case of a trans woman who received medical assistance from the Amsterdam gender team and who would eventually have SRS but who had not yet had surgery, the ’s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal held that she did not yet meet the requirements of article 1:28 of the Civil Code and therefore the court could not order her birth certificate to be amended. In relation to the trans woman’s application to change her forename, the court said: Although [applicant] presents herself as a woman in society and uses a female forename, the Court is of the opinion that, since the applicant’s request to have her gender marker on her birth certificate changed has been refused and the gender marker “male” will therefore be left unchanged, the requested (female) forenames are undesirable and moreover inappropriate in the meaning of article 1:4 of the Civil Code. [78] It should be noted that in relation to changes of surnames (which are subject to a different procedure), the UN Human Rights Committee, in the case of A. R. Coeriel and M. A. R. Aurik v. The Netherlands, held that the state’s refusal to allow the applicants to change their surnames constituted a violation of the right to privacy under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, stating: [T]he notion of privacy refers to the sphere of a person’s life in which he or she can freely express his or her identity, be it by entering into relationship with others or alone. The Committee is of the view that a person’s surname constitutes an important component of one’s identity and that the protection against arbitrary or unlawful interference with one’s privacy includes the protection against arbitrary or unlawful interference with the right to choose and change one’s own name. [79] Clearly, not just surnames but forenames too constitute an important component of one’s identity. To the extent that forenames are gender specific, this applies especially to transgender people who have a forename associated with the gender opposite to that of their gender identity. Therefore, instances where transgender people who apply to have their forenames changed are denied on the basis that the chosen names are “unsuitable” for the person in question, arguably amount to arbitrary interferences with the right to privacy. Quite apart from the current lack of legal predictability with regard to applications for name changes, many trans people are also deterred from applying for a name change by means of a separate court procedure because of the costs involved. The state has valid reasons to ensure that name change procedures take into account the administrative costs to the state. However, the current costs are prohibitive for many trans people who have a legitimate and pressing need to change their forenames. As things currently stand, choosing to apply for a name change in a separate procedure means that transgender people need to pay for a lawyer and the court costs twice: first for their name change and then for the change of gender registration (although people on low incomes would qualify for legal aid for both procedures). As one man said, I applied to change my name at the same time as my gender registration. If it hadn’t been so expensive I would probably have tried to change my name earlier, because it is very unpleasant to walk around with an ID with the wrong name. [80] A new law on recognition of gender identity that would do away with the current medical conditions would go a long way to address these obstacles related to forename changes: by removing the main barriers for transgender people to change their registered gender, the main reason for transgender people to change their forenames in a separate legal procedure would fall away. III. Living With the Wrong Identity Papers I used to be open and outgoing. But I notice that more and more I make the impression of being somewhat autistic, because I avoid all forms of contact that could lead to questions about my gender identity. It changes your character. People say to me, “What’s the big deal, having an F in your papers?” But it creates a lot of stress. — Maarten (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 30, 2011 Due to the restrictive nature of article 1:28 of the Civil Code, many trans people in the Netherlands live with identity documents of the wrong gender. Women with male identity documents and men with female identity documents face a wide array of problems on a daily basis, the cumulative effect of which is to thwart trans people’s participation in society. The European Court of Human Rights, discussing the situation of so-called post-operative transsexual people who were denied access to identity documents with the correct gender markers, observed: The stress and alienation arising from a discordance between the position in society assumed by a post-operative transsexual and the status imposed by law which refuses to recognise the change of gender cannot, in the Court's view, be regarded as a minor inconvenience arising from a formality. A conflict between social reality and law arises which places the transsexual in an anomalous position, in which he or she may experience feelings of vulnerability, humiliation and anxiety. [81] What is true for trans people who have had SRS is equally true for trans people who live in the gender role opposite to that of their birth sex without having had SRS. After all, the “anomalous position” to which the court referred arises out of a “conflict between social reality and law,” and the social reality of trans people is determined not by whether they have undergone SRS but by the gender role in which they live. Trans people in the Netherlands told Human Rights Watch of the many obstacles, large and small, which they must overcome on a daily basis due to the misidentification of their gender on their identity documents and in the underlying civil status records. This chapter documents examples given by trans people of the “feelings of vulnerability, humiliation and anxiety” of which the European Court of Human Rights spoke. For trans people who do not want SRS, and who will therefore never be able to change their gender markers under the current legislation, these obstacles last a lifetime. A popular shorthand phrase for trans people refers to people who are “trapped in the wrong bodies.” But trans people who do not want SRS are not so much trapped in the wrong bodies, since they have in fact decided to accept their bodies as they are, but trapped by the law into an existence that is shaped every day of their lives by the impossibility of obtaining identity documents that match their gender identity. The pressure on trans people who find themselves in this situation is enormous. A woman who did not want SRS, who had lost her own business once she started living as a woman, and who had then suffered countless indignities when applying for jobs said, “I have even thought about having the operations after all, just to be done with all the crap. But if I come to regret the operations later on, I’ll be deeply unhappy for the rest of my life.” [82] For trans people who want SRS, and who would want SRS even if it were not a requirement for obtaining new identity documents, these obstacles are of a temporary nature: once they meet the legal requirements they can apply to have their gender markers changed. Nevertheless, in practice this still means that people spend many years with the wrong identity documents, due to the delays they face at every stage of the medical process. Jochem Verdonk, chairman of the Transman Foundation, summed up the impact of this situation as follows: “People are left dangling in between two worlds for far longer than is necessary. It is needlessly traumatizing for people who are already very vulnerable.” [83] Some trans people succeed in officially changing at least their first names before they can apply to have their gender marker changed. But as the previous chapter showed, such attempts sometimes founder on the unwillingness of judges to allow changes of first names for trans people who have not had SRS. For many trans people, the period in their lives when they have just started to take hormones is a particularly vulnerable phase. In accordance with the protocols used by the two gender teams, trans people who are prescribed hormones are expected to live full-time in the desired gender role. But it takes time, at least several months, for someone’s appearance to be altered sufficiently under the influence of hormones until they are fully “passable” in the opposite gender role, that is, until others identify them correctly. During that time, many trans people feel they must brace themselves for each interaction with strangers. Having papers with the wrong gender marker often undermines their confidence, as invariably their papers call forth the need for explanations about their gender identity. A man who now has male papers described the time when he first started to take hormones and when he still had female documents: It is an uncertain phase. In my case people continued to address me as a woman for another year to 18 months after I started taking hormones. At these moments it would help to have new papers, then you have at least that to hold on to. [84] Another man, who was taking hormones but who had not yet had SRS, told Human Rights Watch: When I’m in a queue at a counter, all I think about is how I can avoid showing my ID. Even when I know that many people don’t even pay attention to the M or F in your papers. I just feel a bit ridiculous with that F in my passport, it feels like I’m acting in some kind of play. I would feel much stronger if I had new papers, then I would be able to let go at least of that particular issue. [85] The Identity Card Requirement I leave my ID at home, despite the identity card requirement. I’m not going to show it, I’d rather be fined. If I were to show my ID, I would really be showing them a false ID, because that person has ceased to be me a long time ago. — Matthew, Amsterdam, April 13, 2011 Since January 1, 2005, everyone in the Netherlands aged 14 years and older has been required to be able to show a valid ID at the request of the police and certain authorized civil servants such as tax inspectors. People who cannot produce a valid ID when asked for it may have to report to the nearest police station to have their identity checked. They also risk a fine. In most situations Dutch citizens have a choice between three IDs: their passport, their identity card (which can be used for travel within the European Union), or their driver’s license. All three documents carry people’s first names in full; only passports and identity cards also carry a gender marker. As a result, many trans people who have not yet been able to obtain new identity documents prefer to carry their driver’s license. However, driver’s licenses do not qualify as valid IDs in situations where people need to provide proof of nationality or immigration status, because driver’s licenses do not contain this information. Thus when one enters into a new employment contract, applies for social welfare, or is dealing with the internal revenue service, one must use either one’s passport or one’s identity card. And of course not everyone has a driver’s license. Children in particular have no choice but to use their identity card or their passport, since in the Netherlands one must be at least 18 to qualify for a driver’s license. For many transgender children, having to show an ID with the wrong gender marker is so awkward and humiliating that they leave their IDs at home on purpose: they prefer the risk of being fined over being “caught with the wrong ID.” (See chapter IV for a detailed discussion of the position of transgender children.) As 17-year-old Matthew told Human Rights Watch: Ever since I started using a male first name, I have the impression that that other person no longer exists. But my new identity doesn’t officially exist yet. It is like they are trying to punish me because I don’t identify with that person on my ID. Really you should be punished if you’re trying to provide a false ID, but in my case I would be punished if I tried giving them the right identity information. What’s official is wrong, and what’s right doesn’t exist yet. [86] Many trans people who do not yet have the right papers avoid certain situations or interactions in order to avoid having to show their ID, such as paying with a credit card in shops that demand to see an ID in the same name as the credit card, or buying alcohol or renting DVDs with an age certificate, where people must show an ID to prove their age. These latter situations can be problematic for trans men in their twenties especially, since they often look much younger than their age. A man said, They sometimes ask me for proof of identity when I order a drink. When that happens, I prefer to order something else. I once had a bad experience in a pub in the UK. I ordered a beer and was asked for identification to prove my age. First I showed two different documents that didn’t have any gender markers, but the bartender didn’t accept those as proof of identity. So then I showed him my passport. When he saw the F in my passport, he waved the passport above his head and called his colleagues and the other customers around the bar and shouted, “Look, it’s a girl!” There were a lot of people who had quite a bit to drink, and I was afraid that there might be some idiot who would start beating me up. So I asked for my passport and I left. Ever since then, I’m very hesitant about showing my passport in these kinds of situations. [87] The impact of such incidents was something echoed by many trans people. A woman told Human Rights Watch: Other people don’t even notice, but you must show your ID so often. People don’t realize how much of an impact this has on trans people. My friend [who is also a trans woman] was forced to get off the train once, because the ticket inspector would not believe that she was the same person as the person on her travel card. [88] The Register of Civil Status Records The Netherlands has 12 so-called basic registers, one of which is the register of civil status records (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie van Persoonsgegevens, known by the abbreviation GBA). For each person residing in the Netherlands, the GBA contains three sets of data under the headings general, special and administrative. The general data includes, among other things, one’s surname, first names, sex, and date and place of birth. This information is included in the GBA on the basis of the information contained in someone’s birth certificate. For each person registered in the GBA, the general information section also includes the unique identifying number allocated by the state to each Dutch citizen and resident (burgerservicenummer, BSN). [89] Several hundred agencies and institutions that require personal data to discharge their public duties have access to the data contained in the GBA, including state agencies such as the police and the internal revenue service (belastingdienst), but also, for example, pension funds and public notaries. Subsets of data are made available to specific agencies; for example, a limited set of data about all registered women older than 50 years is made available to designated screening organizations for the purposes of breast cancer screening programs. A wide array of other actors are under a legal obligation to ensure that data contained in their own records are in line with those in the GBA, including, for example, banks and insurance companies, employers and educational institutions. This system of interconnected recordkeeping means that information about people’s gender as registered in the GBA is ubiquitous. For most people this might not pose any particular problems, but for trans people who are unable to change their gender marker on their birth certificate and hence their registered gender in the GBA, the inevitable consequence is that the incongruity between their birth sex and their gender identity pursues them in all aspects of their lives. Pay slips and other official communications from employers, letters from insurance companies and pension funds, bank statements: all will be wrongly addressed to Mr. X instead of Mrs. X, or Mrs. Y instead of Mr. Y. Trans people whose gender identity is neither male nor female find it impossible to have correspondence addressed to them simply with their initials and their surname, without the addition of Mr. or Mrs. For many trans people, such communications feel like recurring denials of who they are; however much they try to shrug their shoulders about it, for many it remains painful to be addressed incorrectly. A woman said, “Letters addressed to Mr. S. are hurtful. I try hard not to let it affect me, but each time you receive a letter like that, you’re upset.” [90] A man stated, “When they’re addressing Mrs H., they’re addressing someone who doesn’t exist, who has never existed.” [91] Another woman told Human Rights Watch: Recently I came home after having been abroad for a few weeks. Nineteen of the 20 letters that were waiting for me were addressed to Mr. V. This happens to me a hundred times a year. It harms me, it marks me out, it affects me. It hurts, permanently, and it’s stressful. It leaves me feeling isolated, disconnected from the rest of society. [92] More difficult still for many trans people are situations where they are left with no choice but to put their signature on forms that are based on their birth sex, or having to tick the wrong box on the many forms that ask one to identify one’s gender as well as one’s names and other personal data. To many this deliberate act of denying their own gender identity feels like self-betrayal. A woman said, “I can’t bear to tick that box with ‘M’ myself. Everything in me resists that. That’s not who I am. I’m not just called Sabrina, I am Sabrina.” [93] Another woman told us: To sign forms that are addressed to Mr. J., I can really hardly get myself to do that any longer. I need to ask for an amendment of my employment contract, because my terms of employment have changed but this is not reflected in my contract. I keep postponing this, because my contract is in the name of Mr. J. I can’t bear the thought of receiving a letter addressed to Mr. J. with the amended contract, which I will then have to sign as Mr. J. I cannot sign as Mr. J. [94] Getting Around the GBA: Informal Solutions Many trans people try to get organizations and institutions to make a note in their own records so as to ensure that letters and other communications from these organizations are addressed correctly, even if it is impossible permanently to change the underlying data contained in the files because of the link to the data in the GBA. However, such attempts often fail. A woman explained: My previous health insurance company insisted that they could no longer register me as Mrs. H., only as Mr. H., due to their legal obligation under the 2006 law to ensure consistency between their client database and the GBA. As a consequence, one time in the hospital the nurse arrived in the waiting room and called out for Mr. H. Can you imagine what that is like, when you then have to stand up in a full waiting room? I then wrote to 15 different health insurance companies, to ask if they would register me as Mrs. H. if I took out an insurance policy with them. Only one insurer replied to say they would. I then submitted an official complaint to the umbrella organization of health insurers about this situation. The response I got only stated that it was too difficult for the insurers to comply with my request because they were bound by the GBA data. They would have to change the information about my gender in their own files by hand, and this they were not willing to do. [95] A man remarked that organizations often felt they had no choice: “At most institutions, staff are kind and understanding, but they say they cannot change the information about my gender because of the GBA.” [96] What is often particularly upsetting to transgender people is that in almost all cases their gender is in fact completely irrelevant to the issue at hand. As Jiro Ghianni put it wryly, referring to the bills from the electricity company which the company insisted could only be addressed to Mrs. G: “Surely my gender is irrelevant here. Or do men get a different kind of electricity than women?” [97] Trans people also gave examples of encounters with officials who tried to be helpful. Trans people found that in some cases it was possible to persuade institutions to make a note in their files about their gender, even if the data in the main register could not officially be changed. On that basis, these institutions would then at least address their letters and other communications correctly, and issue insurance cards, membership passes, etc., in the right names and gender. As one woman said: It’s not like it’s completely impossible to get institutions to change your details; on the contrary, sometimes one phone call is enough, if you’re prepared to explain things calmly. In my experience, daily practice is miles ahead of the law; many institutions show a real understanding of my situation. There is a lot of room to find practical solutions. I have a health insurance card with an F, a hospital card with an F, and my bank statements are also addressed correctly. Even when I was summoned to appear as a witness in a court case, my lawyer arranged for me to be addressed in court as Mrs., not Mr. She drew a larger lesson from her positive experiences with these institutions: These positive examples are shameful for the government, because it shows that in fact there is no real resistance in society to the idea of letting transgender people change their papers. The government can’t maintain that they cannot amend the law because society isn’t ready for such things; in fact, most people appear perfectly capable of dealing with such requests. [98] However, as she also observed, “The only problem is that, as long as you can’t change your ID officially, each time you have to explain your situation to get them to amend your details. That is unpleasant: I wish I could determine myself when I disclose the fact that I am transgender.” Another person added: With institutions whose records are linked to the GBA, you have to ask every year again whether they can send you a new insurance pass with an M, for example, because automatically their data revert to those contained in the GBA. I don’t like the fact that I’m registered as F with many institutions, but it’s too much work to try to get it all changed every year. [99] “They Don’t Believe That I Am Who I Say I Am” You feel diminished as a man whenever you need to explain that you are in fact a man. Sex registration is like administrative violence that is condoned by the state. — Jasper (pseudonym), Amsterdam, April 7, 2011 For many trans people, one of the most distressing consequences of having the wrong gender in their identity documents is that they repeatedly have no option but to reveal to perfect strangers, often within earshot of a larger audience of yet more strangers, details of a particularly intimate aspect of their private lives, namely that they are transgender. A woman recounted her battle to have her prescription for hormones issued in the name of Mrs. L. instead of Mr. L., so that she would not get any questions about her identity at her pharmacy, where she was already registered as Mrs. L.: I’ve managed to persuade the hospital to do it, even though at first they said it was impossible. But I had to have a long argument about it at the counter, with a full waiting room behind me. Similarly, each time I have an appointment at the hospital, I have to remind the nurses at the counter to call for Mrs. L., not Mr. L., when they come to get me from the waiting room. [100] A man described what had happened to him in similar circumstances: One day I sat in the waiting room at the hospital. I was the only person in the room. A nurse came in, she didn’t say anything, but she looked at her papers and she must have been looking for a Mrs. K., because she looked at me, saw a man, and then she left. A few minutes later she came back, she still didn’t see a woman in the waiting room so she left again. When she came back a third time I addressed her and gave her my surname. Then she realized she had been looking for me. These situations are so humiliating and embarrassing. [101] A student explained: A few weeks ago I was at the offices of the student loan company, because I wanted to apply for a loan. They wouldn’t help me, because they didn’t believe that I was the same person as the person on my papers. So I had to have them call first the VU Hospital, and then my lawyer, before they would assist me. She went on: When I started my new degree course, 18 months ago, the first thing I did was to ask for a meeting with my mentor to explain my situation, because I wanted to be listed on the class list [which schools use every day to record students’ grades, absences, etc.] with an F, not an M. It was yet another occasion at which I needed to explain my story to a stranger. Now at least I’m listed as F on the class list. But in the school’s main records I’m listed as M, because my student number is coupled to the GBA data, including my official gender. So all of my teachers can see that I’m registered as M. Why could it possibly be of value to the teachers to know that I’m transgender? [102] Another woman explained how even urgent requests for help can be sidetracked by misunderstandings about one’s gender: Last Sunday I was hit by a hockey ball on my eyebrow during a match. Because it was Sunday I couldn’t reach my own doctor, so I called the weekend emergency clinic. They asked for my BSN [the unique number allocated to everyone registered in the GBA] and my date of birth. Automatically, both my name and my gender appeared in their system, so then there was great confusion because they didn’t understand how a woman could be calling when their records said Mr. S. [103] Trans people emphasized that the examples they gave were not exceptions, but that they were confronted with such situations on a daily basis. A woman told us: Each time that information derived from the GBA is called up by some official is hurtful, because each time I’m met with a raised eyebrow, each time I have to provide an explanation, over and over and over again. [104] A man said: You have no option, you’re forced, always, to provide an explanation. Sometimes I’m in the right mood for that, but not always. You feel diminished as a man whenever you need to explain that you are in fact a man. Sex registration is like administrative violence that is condoned by the state. [105] A woman said of such situations where she was challenged about her identity, “At a stroke, it’s like they pull the rug from underneath you.” She went on: It makes me very, very tired, you’re always having to explain. After a while, you’re just done with it. You just want to live, just like everybody else. New papers would help, then there would be no need anymore to discuss it all the time. [106] Another woman said, “It would be such a relief if you could already obtain new papers before you have surgery. Right now, you have to brace yourself at every moment of your life, because you never know when will be the next time you have to explain yourself.” [107] One activity where transgender people run a particularly high risk of having to explain the discrepancy between their identity and their papers is international travel and crossing borders. As a result, for many trans people international travel is the subject of much anxiety. They may try to limit their journeys abroad for as long as they do not have papers with the correct gender marker, but for people whose jobs require international travel, or who have family abroad, this is not always an option. Several trans people who had traveled internationally with identity documents that did not conform to their gender identity gave examples of the humiliating situations they had encountered at airports. One person said, “When I travel internationally, they often take me out of the queue for questioning: people think I have stolen my passport.” [108] A man who did not yet have papers with the right gender marker gave another example: “Once when I flew to France they thought I had the wrong ticket. They asked where the rest of my family was, because they thought that I had my mother’s or my sister’s ticket. I had to explain to them that I am transgender.” [109] For some transgender people, examples of this kind are enough to limit international travel to the absolute minimum. A woman who was about to receive her new papers, almost five years after she first approached the gender team at the Free University Hospital, said: “It is something I have taken into account these past years, I’ve only traveled to Schengen countries [between which passport free travel is possible], for example.” [110] A man who was probably still at least two years away from receiving a new passport said, “I have been wanting to go traveling in South America, but I have postponed that until after I get a new passport.” [111] Another man had adopted the same approach: “During that time [after he had started to take hormones, but before he obtained new papers] I did not travel abroad, based on unpleasant experiences of other trans people who tried to cross borders.” [112] Employment If I had new papers, my job interviews wouldn’t be about being transgender. — Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011 For many transgender people, keeping the jobs they are in, or finding new employment, is a major concern. Their identity documents are by no means the only reason for this: many of the problems trans people experience in the workplace, or when they are applying for jobs, derive from a lack of understanding or acceptance of trans people by society at large. Identity documents that match trans people’s gender identity do not, by themselves, suffice to solve these issues, including the discrimination of which many trans people complain. Nevertheless, in this area of their lives too, the fact that trans people cannot change their identity documents to reflect their gender identity forms an impediment to their participation in the labor market. A woman who does not want SRS, and who therefore has no possibility of ever changing her papers under the current law, described her experience: I applied for a job as Mrs. L. [female first name]. I was invited for an interview, and at that stage you don’t need to show your passport. But before they offer you a job, they check your records, through your BSN [the unique identifying number allocated to everyone registered in the GBA]. So then they saw that I am registered as a man, and they called me back with all kinds of questions. After that I had another interview with them, and during that entire interview the only subject was my being transgender. Trans people face problems with traveling, in shops, etc., but in the end you can get over all of that. But the biggest problem is employment, and applying for jobs. [113] A woman who had to follow an obligatory course to update her qualifications to keep her job had faced the prospect of receiving her certificate in the name of Mr. J. instead of Mrs. J. She explained: Several times I was on the verge of calling in sick to avoid having to do the course under a male identity. In the end, after a long battle with the training institute, they arranged for me to be listed as a woman in their internal records, even if they could do nothing about the fact that in their official records I had to be listed as a man: the institute must provide details to the national examination register and these records must be in line with the GBA. We then agreed that they would issue the certificate to me with my initials only, so as not to show my former [male] first name. When I graduated, I didn’t want to go to the graduation ceremony, because I would be the only person whose certificate would have initials only, rather than the full name: it would be yet another confirmation that as a transgender you don’t have the same rights as everybody else. To my great surprise my certificate had my full [female] names after all. It was very emotional. [114] A man told Human Rights Watch: Each time you apply for a job, you have to show your papers. I apply for jobs as Mr. A. [male first name] but on my papers there are different [female] names. People might not pay particular attention to the M/F in your passport, but of course they see your names. Without new papers, you mustalways explain your situation. If I already had new papers, it wouldn’t be an issue, maybe it would simply come up at some point later on, when you’re already in the job. [115] Another man said: Before I could pass as male, when I showed up in men’s clothes for a job interview I would be rejected straight away. But even once I began to pass as a man, if I succeeded in getting past the interview stage I would run into another problem: my documents. As a result, I could only get horrible jobs for which I was overqualified. It took me ages to find a good job. My current employer is great, but even there I initially had a problem: because of the discrepancies in my documents, the payroll administration—handled by a separate firm—was a mess and it took two-and-a-half months before I received any salary at all." [116] IV. Evolving Norms, Evolving Practices Calls to Change the Law In the 1980s the Netherlands was among the first group of European countries to legislate for the legal recognition of the gender identity of transsexual people. While this was a progressive step at the time, more than a quarter century after article 1:28 of the Civil Code came into force the country has been left with what is now widely perceived as outdated legislation. This seems due mostly to legislative inertia, rather than any strong political opposition to the idea of legislative reform in this area. Trans people point to various causes for this lack of political initiative: on the one hand, the fact that it concerns a relatively small group of people, who are, furthermore, mostly invisible in society as a group, and on the other hand a sense of complacency fed by a conviction that at least in terms of the provision of medical assistance to trans people the Netherlands has done relatively well. The Netherlands is far from the only country to make SRS and infertility a requirement for the legal recognition of the gender identity of trans people. In fact, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe has noted that in the majority of the 47 Council of Europe member states similar provisions are in place. In another, smaller group of member states the possibility of legal recognition of the gender identity of trans people does not exist at all. In the third and smallest group of member states, including Hungary, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, transsexual people can change their registered gender by submitting an expert statement to a competent authority to the effect that the applicant is indeed transsexual, but without having to provide proof of either SRS or infertility. [117] However large the number of other countries that have legislation that is equally restrictive, this cannot serve to justify the Dutch approach to legal recognition of trans people’s gender identity as embodied in its current law. On the contrary, the Dutch government should, without further delay, bring its legal framework into line with current understandings of human rights-compliant ways of regulating recognition of gender identity. In doing so, it should pay heed to the calls of the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, who, following his visit to the Netherlands in September 2008, recommended that the Netherlands [a]bolish the legal condition of sterilisation and other compulsory medical treatment as a requirement for legal recognition of a person’s gender identity. [118] Similarly, in its Concluding Observations of February 5, 2010, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) stated: The Committee also expresses concern at specific health problems experienced by transgender women, in particular the compulsory sterilization they should undergo to get their birth certificates changed … [119] In March 2010 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recommended to member states, including the Netherlands: Prior requirements, including changes of a physical nature, for legal recognition of a gender reassignment, should be regularly reviewed in order to remove abusive requirements. Member states should take appropriate measures to guarantee the full legal recognition of a person’s gender reassignment in all areas of life, in particular by making possible the change of name and gender in official documents in a quick, transparent and accessible way; member states should also ensure, where appropriate, the corresponding recognition and changes by non-state actors with respect to key documents, such as educational or work certificates. [120] Promises to Change the Law On a number of occasions, the Dutch government acknowledged the need to amend article 1:28 of the Civil Code, but without then taking the necessary steps to translate these expressions of political will into a new law. On May 17, 2009 the then minister of foreign affairs, Maxime Verhagen, gave a speech in the “Old Hall” of the House of Representatives, in which he indicated that the law would change. He said: “I consulted with Minister Hirsch Ballin of the Ministry of Justice and we both agree that the law [article 1:28] should be changed. We will take care of this. I promise.” [121] In June 2009 the then minister of justice, Ernst Hirsch Ballin, stated that a bill to amend article 1:28 would be presented for consultation in the fall of that year, taking into account the March 2009 recommendations of the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe. [122] The promise was repeated in October of that year by the minister of education, culture and science. [123] However, no such bill had been presented by year’s end, and in 2010 the promise was overtaken by events when a cabinet crisis led to new parliamentary elections. Following these elections, the government program published by the new coalition government stated: “The cabinet guarantees the emancipation of lesbian women, homosexual men, bisexual people, and transgender people, and shall develop a policy for this purpose.” [124] This was followed by a promise in March 2011 by the state secretary for security and justice to present a bill before the summer of 2011 to abolish the infertility requirement for legal recognition of the gender identity of transsexual people. [125] The government committed itself to this undertaking in the policy document on emancipation presented by the government to parliament on April 8, 2011, which sets out the main priorities for policy initiatives for the emancipation of homosexual and transgender citizens and of women. [126] The Right to Private Life and the Right to Physical Integrity Presently, most countries’ legal systems are based on the principle that people are either men or women. The state’s interest in knowing people’s gender derives in part from the fact that one’s gender determines what type of legal relations one can have with other people: for example, in countries where same-sex marriage has not been legalized, only people of opposite genders can marry each other. The law differentiates between men and women in other ways too: for example, countries with conscription armies often only call up men for military duty. There is also a positive duty on states to promote and ensure gender equality, and in order to fulfill this duty, states need to collect information and data that can be segregated by gender, thereby making it possible to determine the extent of any inequalities. Against this background, states have an interest not only in registering people’s sex at birth, but also in regulating the ways in which people can change their legal gender later in life. There are different ways of doing so, but all legal frameworks for the recognition of gender identity should respect certain minimum conditions. The commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe has drawn attention to the fact that “[g]ender identity is one of the most fundamental aspects of life.” [127] Similarly, the European Court of Human Rights referred to the freedom of a trans woman applicant to define herself as a woman as “one of the most basic essentials of self-determination.” [128] Given the fundamental nature of the right to define one’s own gender identity, it follows that any conditions imposed on the legal recognition of gender identity must be subjected to close scrutiny. In particular, such conditions must comply with international human rights obligations. The current legal framework for gender recognition in the Netherlands as embodied by article 1:28 of the Civil Code does not meet this minimal requirement. First, the two conditions of SRS and infertility are an unjustified interference with the rights to personal autonomy and physical integrity. The rights to personal autonomy and physical integrity are protected by the Dutch Constitution, subject to restrictions imposed by law. [129] They are also protected by several international human rights instruments ratified by the Netherlands, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [130] and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as part of the right to private life. [131] Article 8 of the ECHR provides: 1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. 2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well‑being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. To make surgery and infertility a requirement for the enjoyment of the right to recognition of gender identity is a prima facie infringement of the rights to personal autonomy and physical integrity. Consequently, for such a requirement to be justified under article 8 of the ECHR it must be lawful; it must be necessary for one of the purposes specified in article 8(2) of the convention; and it must be a proportional means for achieving that purpose. While the conditions of SRS and infertility are indeed prescribed by law, they place a disproportionate burden on transgender persons that cannot be justified by reference to the purposes specified in article 8(2). Relevant case law can be found in a January 2011 decision from the Constitutional Court in Germany: it ruled that two conditions in German law similar to those in Dutch law violated the right to physical integrity. The court struck down the two provisions as unconstitutional. [132] Sections 8(1) nos. 3 and 4 of the German Transsexuals Act (Transsexuellengesetz (TSG), 1980) required infertility and SRS respectively for the legal recognition of the gender identity of transsexual people. The Constitutional Court first pointed out that it was “constitutionally unobjectionable that the legislature … makes the gender determination under the law of civil status contingent on objectifiable prerequisites in order to render the civil status permanent and unambiguous” and that it was therefore reasonable for the legislature to specify “how evidence of the stability and irreversibility of transsexual persons’ perception and life in the other gender is to be provided.” However, the court observed that there were limits to the conditions the state could impose: … by unconditionally and without exception requiring them under § 8.1 nos. 3 and 4 TSG to undergo surgery that modifies their genitals and leads to infertility, the legislature places excessive demands on such evidence which are unreasonable to expect of the persons concerned. [133] In relation to the condition of SRS (section 8.1 no. 4 TSG), the court said, “Gender reassignment surgery constitutes a massive impairment of physical integrity, which is protected by Article 2.2 GG [Grundgesetz, Germany’s Basic Law], and it involves considerable health risks and side effects for the person concerned.” The court argued moreover that the assumption that had informed the Transsexuals Act, namely that SRS is always medically indicated for people with a diagnosis of transsexuality, was no longer considered correct: However, according to the current state of scientific knowledge, it is not always indicated even in the case of a diagnosis of transsexuality that is certain to a large extent. The permanent nature and irreversibility of transsexual persons’ perceived gender cannot be assessed against the degree of the surgical adaptation of their external genitals but rather against the consistency with which they live in their perceived gender. The unconditional prerequisite of a surgical gender reassignment according to § 8.1 no. 4 TSG constituted an excessive requirement because it requires of transsexual persons to undergo surgery and to tolerate health detriments even if this is not indicated in the respective case and if it is not necessary for ascertaining the permanent nature of the transsexuality. [134] In relation to the infertility requirement (section 8.1 no. 3 TSG), the court said: The same applies with regard to the permanent infertility which is required under § 8.1 no. 3 TSG for the recognition under the law of civil status to the extent that its permanent nature is made contingent on surgery. By this prerequisite, the legislature admittedly pursues the legitimate objective to preclude that persons who legally belong to the male sex give birth to children or that persons who legally belong to the female sex procreate children because this would contradict the concept of the sexes and would have far-reaching consequences for the legal order. Within the context of the required weighing, however, these reasons cannot justify the considerable impairment of the fundamental rights of the persons concerned because the transsexual persons’ right to sexual self-determination safeguarding their physical integrity is to be accorded greater weight. Here, it has to be taken into account that in view of the fact that the group of transsexual persons is small, cases in which the legal gender assignment and the role of procreator, or person bearing a child, diverge will only rarely occur. [135] On these grounds, the Constitutional Court struck down both provisions of the Transsexuals Act as unconstitutional. In February 2009 the Austrian Administrative High Court also held that mandatory SRS as a condition for legal recognition of gender identity was unlawful. [136] There can be no doubt that, on the same grounds, the requirements of SRS and infertility as contained in article 1:28 of the Dutch Civil Code are an unjustified interference with the right to private life. Their replacement with a human rights compliant way of regulating legal recognition of gender identity is long overdue. Second, the infertility requirement, demanding that trans people are never again able to have a biological child, deprives trans people of the right to found a family, a right protected by the ECHR under article 12: Men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right. As the European Court has pointed out, article 12 does not provide that the right to found a family can be restricted on such grounds as “the protection of health or morals” or “the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.” [137] Instead the test for the lawfulness of any measure which interferes with the right to found a family is whether it is arbitrary or disproportionate. [138] The measure in this case should be considered both arbitrary and disproportionate. For example, as it targets trans people on the basis of gender identity it is discriminatory. The right to nondiscrimination is protected by article 1 of the Dutch Constitution, [139] as well as several of the international treaties to which the Netherlands is a party, including article 14 of the ECHR and protocol 12 of the ECHR. [140] Moreover, the fact that transgender people are able to freeze their semen or eggs before applying for recognition of their gender identity, without this being interpreted by the courts as violating the infertility requirement (see chapter I), shows that if there ever was a sound reason for making recognition of gender identity conditional on infertility, there certainly is none today. The Framework for Legal Recognition of Gender Identity in Other Countries In recent years, a number of countries around the world have introduced laws on recognition of gender identity, in many cases starting from situations where there had been no law in place to regulate the change of registered gender for trans people. These recent laws, adopted more than two decades after article 1:28 of the Dutch Civil Code came into force, reflect current understandings of the minimum human rights requirements with which such laws must comply. They can thus serve as useful models for a new Dutch law. [141] One of the most progressive laws currently in existence is the Portuguese law, which came into force on March 16, 2011. It enables trans people to obtain new identity documents with their preferred gender and forename, using a standardized administrative procedure. Applicants must be Portuguese nationals of at least 18 years old. They must present a statement from a multi-disciplinary team of experts to the effect that they have been diagnosed with gender identity disorder. [142] The law does not require hormone therapy, SRS, infertility or any other medical interventions for the legal recognition of gender identity. Since same-sex marriage has been legalized in Portugal, the law does not include a condition that trans people must be unmarried or divorced. Uruguay adopted a law to regulate changes of gender and forenames in October 2009. [143] Under this law, anyone may apply to have their registered gender and forenames changed; the law does not prescribe a minimum age or a nationality requirement. Applicants must demonstrate a discordance between their registered gender and their gender identity, and must provide evidence, in accordance with procedures set out by the law, that this discordance has existed for at least two years. [144] Applications must be accompanied by a report from a multidisciplinary team established for this purpose in the Directorate General of the civil status registry. [145] The law provides explicitly that SRS is not a requirement for changing one’s registered gender or forenames. However, applicants who have had SRS need not provide evidence that the discordance between their registered gender and their gender identity has been present for at least two years. [146] In Spain a new law came into force in March 2007, enabling Spanish nationals age 18 or older to request that their registered gender and forenames be changed in the Civil Register. [147] This allows Spanish trans people to obtain a new National Identity Card (Documento Nacional de Identidad, DNI), a document that must be carried by Spaniards at all times. The law makes changes of the registered gender and forename in the Civil Register conditional on the applicant providing adequate evidence of their change in gender identity, in the form of a report from a certified doctor or clinical psychologist stating that the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. They must also submit a medical report stating that they have received medical treatment for at least two years to adapt their physical characteristics to those of the preferred sex. Such treatment need not, however, include SRS. Moreover, medical treatment is not required where reasons of health or age preclude such treatment. [148] There is no requirement of infertility, and no requirement that transgender people must be unmarried or divorced, same-sex marriage having been legalized in Spain in 2005. In the United Kingdom the Gender Recognition Act 2004 came into force on April 4, 2005. [149] It enables transgender people to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), which in turn allows applications to obtain a new birth certificate. [150] Applicants must be at least 18 years old. [151] Applicants need not be British nationals: applicants who have changed their gender under the laws of another country can obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate if the country in question is on a pre-approved list. [152] There are no requirements of hormone therapy, SRS, infertility or other medical conditions of any kind. However, applications must include a statutory declaration by the applicant that he or she has lived in the desired gender for at least two years and intends to continue to do so until death; a report from a registered medical practitioner or a registered psychologist practicing in the field of gender dysphoria that includes details of the applicant’s diagnosis of gender dysphoria; and another medical report from a registered medical practitioner. Where the applicant has undergone or is undergoing or has been prescribed treatment for the purpose of modifying sexual characteristics, either or both of the reports by the medical practitioner(s) and/or psychologist must include details of such treatment. [153] People who are either married or in a civil partnership when they apply are issued with an interim GRC. They can obtain a full GRC by means of a simplified procedure if their marriage or civil partnership comes to an end through divorce, annulment, or the death of their spouse or civil partner. [154] In some cases, countries without a specific law on changes of gender and forenames have nevertheless implemented the relevant procedures in a progressive manner. In Hungary there are no express legal provisions regulating changes of gender and forenames. However, it is established practice for trans people wishing to change their registered gender and name to submit a request to this effect to the Ministry of Interior. Such requests are accompanied by an expert opinion prepared by a forensic psychologist or psychiatrist, and a medical record from a urologist or gynecologist. The Ministry of Interior prepares an opinion on the basis of the submitted documents. This opinion is evaluated by the Ministry of Health; if it deems the request well-founded, it sends a resolution to this effect to the registrar of birth certificates, who amends the applicant’s birth certificate. Neither surgery nor infertility are imposed as conditions for changing one’s registered gender and forenames. [155] The Yogyakarta Principles In creating a new legal framework for the recognition of trans people’s gender identity, the Netherlands must at a minimum replace the requirements of SRS and infertility with requirements that respect trans people’s human rights. It would represent significant progress if the Netherlands were to follow the example of countries like Portugal and the United Kingdom by substituting a diagnosis of gender dysphoria for the current requirements of SRS and infertility. The decision by an individual transgender person of whether in fact to undergo SRS would then be restored to its proper domain, namely that of the health and wellbeing of the individual in question. It would be left to the gender teams and transgender people to come to a decision in each individual case whether SRS is medically necessary and in the best interest of the person in question. The legal question of recognition of the gender identity of trans people would be separated, as it should be, from the medical question of whether SRS is necessary to restore the individual to health. However, while such a framework would indeed signify progress compared to the current conditions in Dutch law for legal recognition of gender identity, the Netherlands should consider going one step further by ensuring that legal recognition of gender identity is no longer made dependent on a diagnosis of gender identity disorder (or gender dysphoria). With gender identity disorder classified as a mental disorder in both the DSM and ICD, making legal recognition of gender identity dependent on such a diagnosis is needlessly restrictive. The Netherlands could derive relevance guidance in this regard from the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. [156] The Yogyakarta Principles were launched in 2007 by an eminent group of international law experts following a 2006 meeting analyzing how internationally recognized human rights standards should apply to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. [157] While the Yogyakarta Principles are not themselves legally binding, they have been endorsed by human rights experts and governments alike, including the Dutch government. [158] In March 2008 the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, said in a statement to the UN Human Rights Council: The Dutch government subscribes to the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. I call upon other States to embrace these principles as well. [159] This statement to the Human Rights Council did not acknowledge that article 1:28 of the Dutch Civil Code contravenes principle 3 of the Yogyakarta Principles. Principle 3 concerns the right to recognition before the law. It is unequivocal in its rejection of SRS or infertility as requirements for legal recognition of gender identity, stating: Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities shall enjoy legal capacity in all aspects of life. Each person’s self-defined sexual orientation and gender identity is integral to their personality and is one of the most basic aspects of self-determination, dignity and freedom. No one shall be forced to undergo medical procedures, including sex reassignment surgery, sterilization or hormonal therapy, as a requirement for legal recognition of their gender identity.No status, such as marriage or parenthood, may be invoked as such to prevent the legal recognition of a person’s gender identity. No one shall be subjected to pressure to conceal, suppress or deny their sexual orientation or gender identity. [Emphasis added.] The Yogyakarta Principles include the following recommendations to states in relation to principle 3: States shall: A. ensure that all persons are accorded legal capacity in civil matters, without discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and the opportunity to exercise that capacity, including equal rights to conclude contracts, and to administer, own, acquire (including through inheritance), manage, enjoy and dispose of property; B. take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to fully respect and legally recognise each person’s self-defined gender identity; C. take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that procedures exist whereby all state-issued identity papers which indicate a person’s gender/sex—including birth certificates, passports, electoral records and other documents—reflect the person’s profound self-defined gender identity; D. ensure that such procedures are efficient, fair and non-discriminatory, and respect the dignity and privacy of the person concerned; E. ensure that changes to identity documents will be recognised in all contexts where the identification or disaggregation of persons by gender is required by law or policy; F. undertake targeted programmes to provide social support for all persons experiencing gender transitioning or reassignment. Recommendations B and C give primacy to trans people’s ability to self-define their gender identity. In line with the commitment expressed by the Dutch government to the Yogyakarta Principles, the government should explore ways to create a new framework for legal recognition of gender identity that takes trans people’s self-identified gender identity as its starting point. Transgender advocacy groups recognize that there may be legitimate reasons to introduce some conditions modifying the underlying principle, but believe that trans people themselves should have primary say over their legal gender identity. Such conditions may be necessary to protect the interests of the state by ensuring that people do not change their legal gender identity at a whim or for reasons other than self-identifying gender motivation, such as to hide their registered legal identity for fraudulent purposes. Conditions may also be necessary to protect some people from themselves, for example, people who are not transgender but who suffer from mental health problems that may lead them to try to change their legal gender identity where this is not in fact in their own interest. One way to guard against possible fraudulent or undesirable changes of legal gender would be to build in a delay between trans people’s applications to change their registered gender and the implementation of such a request. Applicants might, for example, be asked to deposit an affidavit, counter-signed by a witness, to the effect that they are of sound mind and that they wish to change their registered gender. The request would only be acted upon after the elapse of a certain minimum period of time, and only after the person in question has deposited a second affidavit, stating that they stand by their desire to change their registered gender. [160] A reasonable period of delay might be six months, based on the fact that the current proposed revision for the diagnosis of gender dysphoria includes a requirement of a “marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6 months duration.” The Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group of the American Psychiatric Association is responsible for the proposed diagnosis and states that “a lower-bound duration of 6 months would be unlikely to yield false positives.” [161] It should be noted that under such proposals transgender people would still be required to go through a diagnostic trajectory to have SRS, and medical protocols would still need to be adhered to in relation to SRS. Proposals for legal gender recognition based on the Yogyakarta Principles argue for a separation between the medical and legal questions tied to trans people’s gender identity. Such proposals do not argue that individuals must be able to demand access to SRS based solely on the basis of their self-identified gender identity. Medical professionals would still have an important role to play in decisions to use medical interventions to assist trans people, especially interventions of an irreversible nature such as SRS. However, Human Rights Watch concurs with the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe that the current classification of gender identity disorder (or gender dysphoria in the proposed revision of the DSM) as a mental disorder should be reconsidered, in close consultation with transgender advocacy groups. The commissioner has said: [M]any international and national medical classifications impose the diagnosis of mental disorder on transgender persons. Such a diagnosis may become an obstacle to the full enjoyment of human rights by transgender people especially when it is applied in a way to restrict the legal capacity or choice for medical treatment. [162] Alternative classifications should be explored in close consultation with transgender persons and their organisations. From a human rights and health care perspective no mental disorder needs to be diagnosed in order to give access to treatment for a condition in need of medical care. [163] Children In the Netherlands, all transgender children are referred to the gender clinic at the Free University in Amsterdam. Transgender children from the age of 12 may be prescribed hormones that delay the onset of puberty. The purpose of administering these hormones is to suppress the bodily changes brought about by puberty, thus giving the child more time to discover what their gender identity is. The effects of these hormones are fully reversible: once the child stops taking these particular hormones, puberty resumes its normal course. [164] From the age of 16, transgender children may be prescribed masculinizing or feminizing hormone therapy. As is the case for adults, the effect of these masculinizing or feminizing hormones is only partially reversible: some of the effects of these hormones can be reversed only by means of operations. The lower age limit of 16 for the administration of these hormones is not an absolute limit: where individual circumstances so demand, a child of 15 may be prescribed masculinizing/feminizing hormones. For both puberty delaying and masculinizing/feminizing hormones, both parents of the child up to age 18 need to give their consent. This is despite the fact that in ordinary circumstances, article 7:447 of the Civil Code provides that children from the age of 16 are legally capable of giving consent to medical treatment, while article 7:465 of the Civil Code leaves open the possibility that children from the age of 12 can give such consent if they are deemed capable of understanding their own interests. [165] However, the regulatory framework currently applying to transgender children receiving medical assistance in relation to their diagnosed gender identity disorder is the framework governing medical experimental studies. For such studies more stringent rules apply than for ordinary medical treatment, including the need for parental consent from both parents in the case of child participants in such studies. In some cases, this leaves transgender children in a very difficult position. A 19-year-old woman said, talking about the time when she was a child: I have known since I was very young that I was different. For me it was perfectly normal that I put on girls’ clothes, but other people did not think it was normal. My parents were very upset when I told them I was a girl, especially my father, he was angry. I started taking hormones one week after my 18th birthday. If it had been up to me, I would have started much earlier, but I couldn’t, because my parents did not agree with each other whether they should give permission for me to start taking hormones. My father did not want me to be a girl. The psychologist tried to persuade my parents to give permission when I was 17, they knew I would do it anyway as soon as I turned 18, but my dad wouldn’t give in. [166] Article 1:28 of the Dutch Civil Code contains no minimum age for applications for legal recognition of a sex change. The reasoning provided was as follows. On the one hand, it was noted that only in very rare cases would children be eligible to apply for legal recognition of their gender identity, due to the law’s medical requirements: the legislature noted that in the vast majority of cases hormone treatment and surgery would only be available to adults. However, at the same time it was noted that, “There may be cases, albeit very rare, where, even at a young age, waiting any longer with the administrative change may hinder and harm the person’s personal development.” [167] On that basis, the inclusion of a minimum age was deemed inadvisable. In practice, transgender children in the Netherlands have been unable to obtain legal recognition of their gender identity, since recognition is dependent on SRS and only adults are eligible for SRS. The protocols used by the two gender teams in the Netherlands follow the Standards of Care in this regard, and apply this rule to all transgender children without exception. [168] According to the director of the Amsterdam gender team, “in light of the complexity of puberty and the physical and mental growth of adolescents, the Amsterdam gender team does not consider SRS and its irreversible consequences to be advisable before the age of 18.” [169] As a result, while the legislature foresaw the possibility of harm being done to the development of transgender children by denying them access to the possibility of legal recognition of their gender identity, in practice article 1:28 and medical protocols combine in such a way as to rule out all possibilities of avoiding such harm. Seventeen-year-old Matthew told Human Rights Watch: I’ve really always known that I’m a boy. I didn’t know about transgender people, I didn’t know exactly what it was that I had. But I fantasized all the time about becoming a boy, I asked God every night if he could turn me into a boy. At school I would tell other children that I had had an accident and that that had left me with a girl’s body. In primary school everyone treated me as a boy, but it became more difficult in secondary school, when my body started changing. When I was 14 I went to the VU [university hospital] and when I was 16 I started taking hormones. But my papers still say I am a girl. For me, that person doesn’t exist anymore. I wish they could at least give you some kind of temporary papers, if you can’t change your papers officially yet. I have been using a boy’s name for years, it would make sense if they let your change your papers once you start living with a new name. [170] As in the case of adults, Human Rights Watch supports reform of article 1:28 of the Civil Code in such a way as to separate medical and legal procedures for transgender children. Legal recognition of the gender identity of transgender children should not be conditional on any form of medical intervention. For children, as for adults, making legal recognition of their gender identity conditional on SRS and infertility is an unjustified interference with their right to physical integrity. Considerations that should inform a new legal framework for legal recognition of gender identity in relation to transgender children must include the obligations of the Netherlands under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Accordingly, decisions about legal recognition of the gender identity of transgender children should be guided exclusively by the best interests of the child, in accordance with article 3 of the convention: In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. [171] Minimum age limits for medical interventions such as SRS should not be used to bar transgender children from the possibility of changing their identity papers, because doing so means inflicting harm on children in cases where providing the child with new identity papers would be in the child’s best interest. In determining the child’s best interest, the child itself should be heard, in accordance with article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: 1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. 2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law. The Committee on the Rights of the Child has clarified the relation between articles 3 and 12 of the convention: The purpose of article 3 is to ensure that in all actions undertaken concerning children, by a public or private welfare institution, courts, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child are a primary consideration. It means that every action taken on behalf of the child has to respect the best interests of the child.... The Convention obliges States parties to assure that those responsible for these actions hear the child as stipulated in article 12. This step is mandatory. [172] A new legal framework for the legal recognition of trans people’s gender identity should make allowance for the fact that it may be in the best interest of some transgender children to change their legal gender before they reach the age of adulthood. The inclusion of a minimum age in such a legal framework should be avoided; instead, the individual circumstances of each child should determine whether it is in the child’s best interest to change their legal gender. Procedures created by a new legal framework to replace article 1:28 of the Civil Code should include a mechanism for the transgender child to give his or her opinion on the need to change his or her legal gender. In determining whether changing the child’s legal gender is indeed in the best interest of the child, the child’s freely expressed opinion should be given due weight. Provision should also be made for transgender children to be allowed to change their forenames, either at the same time as the change of their legal gender, or at an earlier stage than the change of legal gender. Here too, decisions should be guided by the best interests of the child. The child should be given an opportunity to make his or her views known, and the proceedings designed so as to acknowledge that “as children acquire capacities, so they are entitled to an increasing level of responsibility for the regulation of matters affecting them.” [173] V. Legal Recognition of the Gender Identity of Gender Variant People The transgender community comprises not only transsexual people, but also cross-dressers, transvestites, transgenderists and gender variant people (who sometimes self-identify as genderqueers). The commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe has noted that, despite this diversity, “Many legal frameworks only seem to refer to transsexual persons, leaving out a decisive part of the [transgender] community.” [174] The Dutch Civil Code is a case in point: while it makes provision for the gender recognition of transsexual people, albeit in a deeply flawed manner, it makes no reference at all to gender variant people, whose gender identity is something other than male or female. Whether their gender identity lies somewhere on the continuum between male and female, or outside the realm defined by male and female identities, the law makes no provision for the recognition of their gender identity. Only people whose gender identity fits within the male-female dichotomy around which the legal framework is constructed are in a position to have a legal gender identity that matches their own self-identified identity. This situation is at variance with the Yogyakarta Principles, endorsed by the Dutch government. As was discussed in chapter IV, principle 3 of the Yogyakarta Principles affirms that people’s self-identified gender identity “is integral to their personality and is one of the most basic aspects of self-determination, dignity and freedom.” Principle 3 does not restrict the type of gender identities that deserve recognition; in particular, the principle is not limited to male and female gender identities. In so far as principle 3 emphasizes that “[n]o one shall be subjected to pressure to conceal, suppress or deny their … gender identity,” legal frameworks that do not allow for legal recognition of gender identities other than male or female inevitably mean that gender variant people are in effect required to suppress or deny their gender identity in the public sphere. Recommendations B and C of the Yogyakarta Principles, as discussed above, encourage states to consider measures that allow all persons to define their own gender identity. In particular, states should: B. take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to fully respect and legally recognise each person’s self-defined gender identity; C. take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that procedures exist whereby all state-issued identity papers which indicate a person’s gender/sex—including birth certificates, passports, electoral records and other documents—reflect the person’s profound self-defined gender identity[emphasis added]. [175] The changes to the legal framework for gender recognition discussed in the previous chapter would help transsexual people, whose gender identity is opposite to that of their sex assigned at birth, by enabling them to obtain legal recognition of their gender identity without having to satisfy conditions that violate their human rights. But these changes would not aid gender variant people who do not identify as transsexual: they would continue to be presented with a choice between two options, male and female, that the law considers to be mutually exclusive, while neither in fact accurately fits their gender identity. In line with its endorsement of the Yogyakarta Principles, the Netherlands should seek to address the specific situation of gender variant people. One way it could do so is by introducing a possibility for gender variant people to suppress the gender marker on their official documents; or another possibility would be to introduce a third gender marker. [176] Suppressing the Gender Marker on Identity Documents One strategy that would go some way towards recognizing the gender identity of gender variant people would be to introduce a possibility for gender variant people to suppress the gender marker on their identity documents. Such a strategy would, in effect, create a third possibility besides the two currently recognized genders of male and female, to accommodate all gender identities whose common characteristic is that they are neither male nor female. Introducing this possibility for gender variant people should be done in such a way to respect the right of transsexual people to identify as male or female: while the possibility to suppress the gender marker should be available to those people whose gender identity does not fit the male/female dichotomy, no transsexual person should have to choose between the gender marker of their sex assigned at birth or suppressing the gender marker altogether. More generally, even if the possibility of suppressing the gender marker were introduced, it would have to remain a genuine choice for gender variant people. Making gender variant people more visible and more easily distinguishable on the basis of their gender identity may leave them more vulnerable to discriminatory attitudes and practices. While individual gender variant persons may decide that such a risk is a price worth paying for no longer having to identify as either male or female, no one should be exposed to such risks against their will. Since it is not possible to know at birth that a child is transgender, as long as the general sex registration system is maintained all newborn babies would continue to be registered as either boys or girls on the basis of their external sex organs (apart from intersex children, for whom there already is a special provision in the Dutch Civil Code). [177] The possibility of suppressing the gender marker on one’s identity documents would then be open to gender variant people later in life, on the same basis and under the same conditions as the possibility for transsexual people to change their legal gender from male to female or vice versa. The Dutch government could take its cue in this regard from the Australian Human Rights Commission, which has recommended that a “person over the age of 18 years should be able to choose to have an unspecified sex noted on documents and records.” [178] Australian nationals already have the option of applying for a Document of Identity, valid for a maximum of three years, with the gender marker field left blank (as opposed to Australian passports, which carry a F or M gender marker). The Australian Document of Identity complies with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations: it is a widely, although not universally, recognized travel document. [179] In contrast, ICAO regulations for passports stipulate that passports must contain information about the sex of the bearer, which may be given as either M, F or X (for unspecified): the field cannot be left blank. [180] Article 8 of the ECHR and the Position of Gender Variant People In 2007 the Dutch Supreme Court upheld decisions by the lower courts in the case of a Dutch citizen who had applied to have his birth certificate amended in such a way as to suppress the information about his sex. [181] In effect, the applicant had asked the courts to recognize a third gender, next to the two categories of male and female. The applicant, who had been born as a man and who had twice relied on article 28 of the Civil Code to change his legal gender from male to female and then back to male, had come to the conclusion that he identified as “belonging to no sex” (“niet geseksueerd”). The Supreme Court upheld the decisions by the lower court to reject the application. In doing so, the court appealed to the general interest, and referred to the need to balance the interests of the individual against the interests of the state and society at large. The court held that it was the interests of society at large in registering every individual as belonging to one of two sexes that prevailed. Although the person in question has decided not to take their case further, it raises clearly arguable issues of compatibility with the ECHR. It could be argued that the refusal by the state to comply with the request to suppress information about the person’s sex failed to respect their right to privacy under article 8. The European Court has held that under article 8 states are under an obligation to give legal recognition to the gender identity of transsexuals who have undergone SRS. [182] However, the court has not had occasion to address the question whether article 8 entails a positive obligation on states parties to take measures to legally recognize the gender identity of persons whose gender identity is neither male nor female. Nevertheless, guidance about the position of gender variant people can be derived from the court’s case law in relation to so-called post-operative transsexual people. The European Court has defined “private life” as “a broad term not susceptible to exhaustive definition. It covers the physical and psychological integrity of a person. It can sometimes embrace aspects of an individual and social identity. Elements such as, for example, gender identification, name, and sexual orientation and sexual life fall within the personal sphere, protected by Article 8.” [183] The right to respect for private life has two elements: a negative obligation not to interfere with people’s private life, and a positive obligation to take steps to protect specific elements of the personal sphere whose protection is guaranteed by article 8. In relation to positive obligations on the part of the state entailed by article 8, the court has noted that states parties have a wide margin of appreciation: … this is an area in which the Contracting Parties enjoy a wide margin of appreciation in determining the steps to be taken to ensure compliance with the Convention with due regard to the needs and resources of the community and of individuals… [184] The meaning of the term “respect” in article 8(1) is not fixed but must be determined on a case-by-case basis; in each case, the outcome depends on the proper balance between the general interest and the interest of the individual: The Court recalls that the notion of “respect” as understood in Article 8 is not clear cut, especially as far as the positive obligations inherent in that concept are concerned: having regard to the diversity of practices followed and the situations obtaining in the Contracting States, the notion's requirements will vary considerably from case to case and the margin of appreciation to be accorded to the authorities may be wider than that applied in other areas under the Convention. In determining whether or not a positive obligation exists, regard must also be had to the fair balance that has to be struck between the general interest of the community and the interests of the individual, the search for which balance is inherent in the whole of the Convention... [185] In a series of cases, the court initially held that the failure by a state party to give legal recognition to the gender identity of transsexual people did not amount to a violation of article 8, arguing that the matter fell within states parties’ margin of appreciation. [186] In 2002, in the case of Christine Goodwin v. the United Kingdom , the court came to the opposite conclusion, arguing that article 8 entailed a positive obligation on states parties to give legal recognition to the gender identity of transsexual persons who had undergone SRS. In explaining its departure from its previous case law, the court referred to a number of determining factors. On the one hand, the court found it significant “that transsexualism has wide international recognition as a medical condition for which treatment is provided in order to afford relief.” [187] It also referred to “the clear and uncontested evidence of a continuing international trend in favour not only of increased social acceptance of transsexuals but of legal recognition of the new sexual identity of post-operative transsexuals.” [188] Furthermore, … the very essence of the Convention is respect for human dignity and human freedom. Under Article 8 of the Convention in particular, where the notion of personal autonomy is an important principle underlying the interpretation of its guarantees, protection is given to the personal sphere of each individual, including the right to establish details of their identity as individual human beings. [189] In terms of the balancing of the state’s interest against the interests of the individual, the court noted: No concrete or substantial hardship or detriment to the public interest has indeed been demonstrated as likely to flow from any change to the status of transsexuals and, as regards other possible consequences, the Court considers that society may reasonably be expected to tolerate a certain inconvenience to enable individuals to live in dignity and worth in accordance with the sexual identity chosen by them at great personal cost. [190] Since there are no significant factors of public interest to weigh against the interest of this individual applicant in obtaining legal recognition of her gender re-assignment, it reaches the conclusion that the fair balance that is inherent in the Convention now tilts decisively in favour of the applicant. There has, accordingly, been a failure to respect her right to private life in breach of Article 8 of the Convention. [191] Although the applicant in Goodwin was a trans woman who had already undergone SRS, and so the inferences to be drawn from the case should be tempered by that, nevertheless, a number of guiding principles still can be gleaned from this and other cases with respect to a potential duty to give legal recognition to the gender identity of gender variant people. The court has observed that the European Convention is “a living instrument, to be interpreted in the light of present-day conditions.” [192] Accordingly, the convention must be interpreted and applied in a “dynamic and evolutive” manner: … since the Convention is first and foremost a system for the protection of human rights, the Court must have regard to the changing conditions within the respondent State and within Contracting States generally and respond, for example, to any evolving convergence as to the standards to be achieved…. It is of crucial importance that the Convention is interpreted and applied in a manner which renders its rights practical and effective, not theoretical and illusory. A failure by the Court to maintain a dynamic and evolutive approach would indeed risk rendering it a bar to reform or improvement. [193] Taking into account this need for a “dynamic and evolutive approach” to the interpretation of the convention, gender variant people’s conviction not to belong to either of the two sexes arguably falls within the personal sphere protected by article 8 of the ECHR. If a state therefore does not take steps to ensure that people whose gender identity is neither male nor female are entitled to legal recognition of their gender identity, this would be a restriction on an aspect of their private life. However, it does not necessarily follow that such a restriction would be incompatible with the ECHR. In view of the court’s reasoning in the case of Goodwin , the restriction would be incompatible if it was established that there was broad international medical recognition of gender variant identities, plus a trend towards legal recognition of this phenomenon. In terms of the first element of medical recognition, arguably there is indeed the beginning of a trend towards recognition of these gender identities. This is apparent, for example, from the fact that the revision proposed by the DSM for the diagnosis of gender dysphoria avoids references to a male-female dichotomy, and talks instead of “the other gender (or some alternative gender different from one’s assigned gender).” The Work Group provides the following explanation for this approach: Furthermore, in the DSM-IV, gender identity and gender role were described as a dichotomy (either male or female) rather than a multi-category concept or spectrum… The current formulation makes more explicit that a conceptualization of GI [gender identity] acknowledging the wide variation of conditions will make it less likely that only one type of treatment is connected to the diagnosis. Taking the above regarding the avoidance of male-female dichotomies into account, in the new formulation, the focus is on the discrepancy between experienced/expressed gender (which can be either male, female, in-between or otherwise) and assigned gender (in most societies male or female) rather than cross-gender identification and same-gender aversion. [194] Once the notion of a gender continuum, or gender spectrum, is taken at face value, obligatory sex registration on the basis of two mutually exclusive categories of male and female is seen to be untenable. In terms of the second element of a trend towards legal recognition of gender variant identities, no such clear trend is currently identifiable. However a noticeable development is the introduction by Nepal of a third gender category which paves the way for the issuance of citizenship certificates to Nepali citizens on the basis of this third gender. This followed a Supreme Court ruling ordering the state to “amend the new constitution so as to guarantee nondiscrimination on the grounds of gender identity.” The court argued: As the people with a third type of gender identity, other than male or female, and different sexual orientation are also Nepali citizens and natural persons, they should be allowed to enjoy the rights with their own identity as provided by the national laws, the Constitution, and international human rights instruments. It is the responsibility of the state to create an appropriate environment and make legal provisions accordingly for the enjoyment of such rights. It cannot be construed that only “men” and “women” can enjoy such rights and other people cannot enjoy them solely because they have a different gender identity and sexual orientation. [195] The extent to which this ruling is being implemented is unclear. India too has taken steps towards the legal recognition of the gender identity of gender variant people. Its 2011 decennial census allowed the response “other” as well as male or female as a valid response to the question about one’s sex on the census form. [196] In 2009 the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to recognize a separate gender for members of Pakistan’s hijra community, who are transgender or intersex, and to issue national identity cards to hijras showing a distinct gender. [197] As was noted above, the Australian Human Rights Commission has recommended that Australia take steps to recognize the gender identity of gender variant people, by allowing people “to have an unspecified sex noted on documents and records.” [198] As to the weighing of the public interests against the interests of gender variant individuals, it should be noted that, in contrast to the situation of transsexual people discussed by the court in Christine Goodwin v. the United Kingdom , introducing a third category besides male and female could entail what might be deemed “concrete or substantial hardship or detriment to the public interest.” For example, whenever the law currently allows for men and women to be treated differently, despite the general prohibition on discrimination on the grounds of sex, the law would need to be rewritten to take account of this third category, and across societies measures would be required to adjust to this new legal framework. Examples would include recruitment processes for jobs where the gender of the person is shown to matter; or prescribing separate spaces or facilities for women and men such as prisons, detention facilities, and emergency refuges and safe houses for women; regulating access to sports competitions on the basis of gender; and security protocols involving body searches. So although states can opt to grant legal recognition of the gender identity of gender variant people, given the current state of international practice, it would be unlikely that article 8 imposes a positive obligation to create space in the legal system for gender identities other than male and female. Scope for Legal Reform in the Netherlands The fact that mandatory sex registration with reference to male/female categories is not seen to be a violation of the human rights of gender variant people does not preclude the Netherlands, or indeed other states, from exploring possibilities for giving legal recognition to the gender identity of gender variant people, in accordance with principle 3 of the Yogyakarta Principles. Legal reform to this effect would be a welcome development in offering protection to a group of people who tend to be both invisible and vulnerable to discrimination. As transgender researcher Paul Vennix told Human Rights Watch: The state should acknowledge that there are people whose gender identity is neither exclusively male nor exclusively female. In a sense, these people are even more vulnerable than transsexual people, because at the end of the day, transsexual people fit into society’s generally accepted gender dichotomy. Even if their gender identity is opposite to that of their birth sex, ultimately they affirm society’s expectations about appropriate gender roles. It is more difficult to position yourself in between the two sexes. But there are people who will do this anyway. The law, by denying legal recognition to these people’s gender identity, cannot regulate how people identify. The only thing the law achieves is to exclude these people from society, shut them out from the labor market, and isolate them socially. [199] In the particular case of the Netherlands, possibilities could be explored to take article 1:19d and article 1:24 of the Civil Code as the starting point for legal reform aimed at providing legal recognition of the gender identity of gender variant people. Article 1:19d was incorporated into the Civil Code for the specific purpose of providing for intersex children, whose biological sex at birth is ambiguous. Article 1:19d provides that in cases where it is impossible to determine the child’s sex, a temporary birth certificate must be prepared, which must be replaced within three months with a definitive birth certificate stating the child’s sex. If three months after the birth it is still impossible to determine the child’s sex, a definitive birth certificate must be drawn up which states that it has been impossible to determine whether the child is male or female. While it would appear that no definitive birth certificate in those terms has ever been drawn up, the provision in the Civil Code nevertheless demonstrates that the current legal framework does already allow for the possibility of people growing up in the Netherlands without a registered gender. [200] Article 1:24 of the Civil Code makes provision for the correction of mistakes in records included in the civil register. The Supreme Court has held that gender variant people cannot rely on article 1:24 to have their birth certificate “corrected” so as to remove the gender marker without replacing it with the opposite gender marker. The court argued that to use article 1:24 in this way would be to go against the legislature’s original intent and the logic of the Civil Code, which is based on the notion that everyone is either a man or a woman. With reference to article 1:19d, the Supreme Court held that a distinction must be made between on the one hand a birth certificate which states that it has not been possible to determine the person’s sex, and on the other hand a birth certificate without any information about the person’s sex. The court held that while article 1:19d provides for the former circumstance, it does not admit the latter. [201] While the Supreme Court has thus blocked off this avenue towards the gender recognition of gender variant people on the basis of an appeal to the legislature’s original intent, it would be for the legislature to initiate reform of the Civil Code aimed at fulfilling the promise contained in the Dutch government’s endorsement of the Yogyakarta Principles. Acknowledgments This report was researched and written by Katinka Ridderbos, consultant for Human Rights Watch. The report was edited by Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the LGBT Rights Program, Joseph Amon, director of the Health and Human Rights Program, Zama Coursen-Neff, deputy director of the Children’s Rights Division, Gauri van Gulik, researcher in the Women’s Rights Division, Ben Ward, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division, and Joseph Saunders, deputy program director. Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor, provided a legal review. Additional editorial assistance was provided by José Luis Hernández, associate in the LGBT Rights Program. Heather Doyle, director of the Sexual Health and Rights Project at the Open Society Foundation, provided valuable feedback. Johanna Boersen translated sections of the report into Dutch. Human Rights Watch is deeply grateful to all the transgender people who agreed to be interviewed for this report and thus made this report possible. They include Alex von Vaupel, Alice Verheij, Azzah Wonmaly, Carole van der Linden, Frederique Retsema, Janiek, Jay, Jean, Jiro Ghianni, Jochem Verdonk (chairman of the Transman Foundation), Jonathan Todd, Kam Wai Kui, Linda, Marius Heijnis, Matthew, Maud Kon, Paul Vennix, Sabrina ter Horst, Sophie Schers, Tania Barkhuis (director of COC Amsterdam), and eight transgender people who have chosen to remain anonymous. Human Rights Watch collaborated with the Transgender Netwerk Nederland for this report: we are indebted in particular to Thomas Wormgoor and Vreer for the assistance they provided during the research phase, and their detailed and helpful comments on drafts of the report. We would also like to thank Transvisie and the Stichting Patientenorganisatie Transvisie and their staff, including Bastiaan Franse and Simon Huges, for the assistance they provided. Human Rights Watch would also like to thank Mauro Cabral, Paisley Currah and Justus Eisfeld, members of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Program, for their detailed comments on earlier drafts of the report. Human Rights Watch gratefully acknowledges the support of the Open Society Foundations. Appendix: Relevant Provisions of Book 1 of the Dutch Civil Code Article 4 1 Any person shall have the forenames given to him or her on his or her birth certificate. 2 The Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Registered Partnerships shall refuse to include any forenames in the birth certificate which are inappropriate or correspond to existing surnames unless these are also customary forenames, 4 A change of forenames may be ordered by the district court on the application of the person involved or by his or her legal representative. The change is effected by the addition of the subsequent amendment, in the court order, to the birth certificate in accordance with Article 20a, paragraph 1. In the case of a change of forenames of a person born outside the Netherlands, the district court making the order shall, where necessary ex office, order either the registration of the birth certificate or of the instrument or decision referred to in Article 25g, paragraph 1, or of the order referred to in Article 25c. Article 19d 1 Where there is doubt as regards the sec of the child, a birth certificate shall be drawn up stating that the sex of the child could not be established. 2 Within three months of the birth or in case of death, within such a period, on the occasion of the declaration of death, a new birth certificate stating the sex of the child shall be drawn up and the instrument referred to in paragraph 1 shall be cancelled, if the sex has meanwhile been established, in accordance with a medical certificate lodged in respect thereof. 3 If no medical certificate is lodged within the period mentioned in paragraph 2 or where it appears from the lodged medical certificate that the child’s sex could not be established, a new birth certificate shall state that the sex of the child could not be established. Article 24 1 On the application of any interested person or of the public prosecution service the district court may order the addition of an instrument which is lacking in the register of the Registry of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships or of a subsequent record, or a correction to an instrument appearing therein or in a subsequent instrument which is incomplete or contains a mistake. When ordering a correction of an instrument or of a subsequent record which is incorrect or contains a mistake, the district court may also order the same correction as regards an instrument or subsequent record in respect of the same person or his or her descendants which is recorded in the registers of the Registry of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships outside its jurisdiction. 2 The clerk of the judicial body before which the case was last pending shall send a true copy of the court order to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships of the municipality in whose registers the instrument or a subsequent record is or should have been recorded no sooner than three months since the date of the decision. Where such municipality no longer exists, he or she shall send the true copy of to the Registrar in whose record office the registers of the Registry of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships of the municipality which no longer exists are kept. Article 28 1 Any Dutch national who is convinced to be of a different sex than that stated in the birth certificate and whose body has been physically altered to the desired sex, insofar as this is both possible and safe, may apply to the district court for an order for a change of the sex mentioned on the birth certificate, if such a person is recorded on the birth certificate as male and will never be capable of fathering children or, if such a person is recorded on the birth certificate as female, will never be capable of giving birth to children. 2 For the purpose of the provisions in paragraph 1 and Articles 28a and 28b of this book, a ‘birth certificate’ includes an instrument of registration of a birth certificate drawn up outside the Netherlands or of a decision referred to in Article 25c of this book. 3 person who does not possess Dutch nationality may make an application referred to in paragraph 1, if he or she already had his or her residence in the Netherlands for one or more years immediately preceding the application and has a valid residence permit and, moreover, satisfies the conditions laid down in paragraph 1. If the birth certificate is not registered in the registers of the Registry of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships in the Netherlands, the district court shall also be requested to order registration of the birth certificate in the register of births of the municipality of The Hague. Article 28a 1 Along with the application a true copy of the birth certificate must be lodged and a certificate jointly signed by experts nominated by Regulation and issued within six months of the date on which the petition is lodged, establishing: the conviction of the applicant to be of a different sex than that mentioned on the birth certificate and the opinion of the expert with competence in respect thereof that such a conviction may be regarded as of an enduring nature, considering the period in which the applicant has lived as such and, where possible, any other factors or circumstances to be stated therein; whether and, if so, to what extent the body of the applicant was physically altered to the desired sex, insofar as possible and safe from a medical or psychological viewpoint; that the applicant is recorded as male on the birth certificate and will never be able to father children or, that the applicant is recorded as female on the birth certificate and will never be able to give birth to children. 2 The part referred to in paragraph 1(a) need not be included in the certificate, if the body of the applicant was already physically altered to the desired sex. Article 28b 1 The application shall be granted if the district court considers that it has been sufficiently established that the applicant has the conviction to be of a different sex than that mentioned on the birth certificate that this conviction may be considered to be enduring and that applicant satisfies the conditions laid down in Article 28, paragraph 1. 2 When the district court grants the application for a change of the sex mentioned, it may, when this is so requested, also order a change of the applicant’s forenames. Article 28c 1 A recorded change of sex shall have the effects arising from this book from the date on which the Registrar of the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships adds a subsequent record to the birth certificate of the court order to make an alteration. 2 A recorded change of sex shall not affect any legal familial ties which exist on the date mentioned in paragraph 1 and any rights, powers and duties arising there from which are based on this book. Applications in connection with Article 157 and in connection with Article 394 of this book may also be made after the date mentioned in paragraph 1. Relevant Provisions of Book 1 of the Dutch Civil Code in Original Language Artikel 4 1 Een ieder heeft de voornamen die hem in zijn geboorteakte zijn gegeven. 2 De ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand weigert in de geboorteakte voornamen op te nemen die ongepast zijn, of overeenstemmen met bestaande geslachtsnamen tenzij deze tevens gebruikelijke voornamen zijn. 3 …. 4 Wijziging van de voornamen kan op verzoek van de betrokken persoon of zijn wettelijke vertegenwoordiger worden gelast door de rechtbank. De wijziging geschiedt doordat van de beschikking een latere vermelding aan de akte van geboorte wordt toegevoegd, overeenkomstig artikel 20a, eerste lid. In geval van wijziging van de voornamen van een buiten Nederland geboren persoon geeft de rechtbank die de beschikking geeft, voor zoveel nodig ambtshalve hetzij een last tot inschrijving van de akte van geboorte dan wel van de akte of de uitspraak, bedoeld in artikel 25g, eerste lid, hetzij de in artikel 25c bedoelde beschikking. Artikel 19d 1 Indien het geslacht van het kind twijfelachtig is, wordt een geboorteakte opgemaakt, waarin wordt vermeld dat het geslacht van het kind niet is kunnen worden vastgesteld. 2 Binnen drie maanden na de geboorte, of, bij overlijden binnen die termijn, ter gelegenheid van de aangifte van het overlijden, wordt onder doorhaling van de in het eerste lid bedoelde akte een nieuwe geboorteakte opgemaakt, waarin het geslacht, indien dit inmiddels is vastgesteld, wordt vermeld aan de hand van een ter zake overgelegde medische verklaring. 3 Is binnen de in het tweede lid genoemde termijn geen medische verklaring overgelegd, of blijkt uit de overgelegde medische verklaring dat het geslacht niet is kunnen worden vastgesteld, dan vermeldt de nieuwe geboorteakte dat het geslacht van het kind niet is kunnen worden vastgesteld. Artikel 24 1 Aanvulling van een register van de burgerlijke stand met een daarin ontbrekende akte of latere vermelding, doorhaling van een daarin ten onrechte voorkomende akte of latere vermelding, of verbetering van een daarin voorkomende akte of latere vermelding die onvolledig is of een misslag bevat, kan op verzoek van belanghebbenden of van het openbaar ministerie worden gelast door de rechtbank. De rechtbank kan bij haar beschikking tot verbetering van een akte of latere vermelding die onvolledig is of een misslag bevat, eveneens dezelfde verbetering gelasten ten aanzien van een akte of latere vermelding betreffende dezelfde persoon of zijn afstammelingen, die buiten haar rechtsgebied in de registers van de burgerlijke stand is opgenomen. 2 De griffier van het college waarvoor de zaak laatstelijk aanhangig was, zendt niet eerder dan drie maanden na de dag van de beschikking een afschrift daarvan aan de ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand van de gemeente, in welker registers de akte of latere vermelding is of had moeten zijn opgenomen. Is deze gemeente opgeheven, dan zendt hij het afschrift aan de ambtenaar van de gemeente in wier archieven de registers van de burgerlijk stand van de opgeheven gemeente berusten. Artikel 28 1 Iedere Nederlander die de overtuiging heeft tot het andere geslacht te behoren dan is vermeld in de akte van geboorte en lichamelijk aan het verlangde geslacht is aangepast voor zover dit uit medisch of psychologisch oogpunt mogelijk en verantwoord is, kan de rechtbank verzoeken wijziging van de vermelding van het geslacht in de akte van geboorte te gelasten, indien deze persoon als mannelijk in de akte van geboorte vermeld staande, nimmer meer in staat zal zijn kinderen te verwekken, dan wel als vrouwelijk in de akte van geboorte vermeld staande, nimmer meer in staat zal zijn kinderen te baren. 2 Voor de toepassing van het bepaalde in het eerste lid en de artikelen 28a en 28b van dit boek wordt onder akte van geboorte mede verstaan een akte van inschrijving van een buiten Nederland opgemaakte akte van geboorte of van een beschikking als bedoeld in artikel 25c van dit boek. 3 Degene, die de Nederlandse nationaliteit niet bezit, kan een verzoek als bedoeld in het eerste lid doen, indien hij reeds gedurende een tijdvak van ten minste één jaar, onmiddellijk voorafgaande aan het verzoek, woonplaats in Nederland heeft en een rechtsgeldige verblijfstitel heeft en voor het overige voldoet aan de in het eerste lid gestelde voorwaarden. Indien de akte van geboorte niet hier te lande in de registers van de burgerlijke stand is ingeschreven, wordt tevens de rechtbank verzocht de inschrijving te gelasten van de akte van geboorte in het register van geboorten van de gemeente 's-Gravenhage. Artikel 28a 1 Bij het verzoek moeten worden overgelegd een afschrift van de akte van geboorte alsmede een gezamenlijk ondertekende verklaring van bij algemene maatregel van bestuur aangewezen deskundigen, afgegeven ten hoogste zes maanden voor de datum van indiening van het verzoek, waaruit blijkt: de overtuiging van de verzoeker dat hij tot het andere geslacht behoort dan in de akte van geboorte is vermeld en waarin is vervat het oordeel van de daartoe bevoegde deskundige dat die overtuiging, gelet op de periode waarin de verzoeker als zodanig heeft geleefd en zo mogelijk op andere daarbij te vermelden feiten of omstandigheden, als van blijvende aard kan worden beschouwd; of en zo ja, in hoeverre de verzoeker lichamelijk aan het verlangde geslacht zodanig is aangepast als uit medisch of psychologisch oogpunt mogelijk en verantwoord is; dat de verzoeker als mannelijk in de akte van geboorte vermeld staande, nimmer meer in staat zal zijn kinderen te verwekken, dan wel als vrouwelijk in de akte van geboorte vermeld staande, nimmer meer in staat zal zijn kinderen te baren. 2 In de verklaring behoeft het in het eerste lid onder a bedoelde onderdeel niet te worden opgenomen indien de verzoeker lichamelijk reeds aan het verlangde geslacht is aangepast. Artikel 28b 1 Het verzoek wordt toegewezen indien de rechtbank van oordeel is dat voldoende is komen vast te staan dat de verzoeker de overtuiging heeft tot het andere geslacht te behoren dan in de akte van geboorte is vermeld en dat deze overtuiging als van blijvende aard kan worden beschouwd en de verzoeker voldoet aan de in het eerste lid van artikel 28 gestelde voorwaarden. 2 Indien de rechtbank het verzoek om wijziging van de vermelding van het geslacht inwilligt, kan zij desverzocht tevens de wijziging van de voornamen van de verzoeker gelasten. Artikel 28c 1 De wijziging van de vermelding van het geslacht heeft haar gevolgen, die uit dit boek voortvloeien, vanaf de dag waarop de ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand aan de akte van geboorte een latere vermelding toevoegt van de last tot wijziging. 2 De wijziging van de vermelding van het geslacht laat de op het in het eerste lid genoemde tijdstip bestaande familierechtelijke betrekkingen en de daaruit voortvloeiende op dit boek gegronde rechten, bevoegdheden en verplichtingen onverlet. De verzoeken in verband met artikel 157 en in verband met artikel 394 van dit boek kunnen ook worden gedaan na het in het eerste lid genoemde tijdstip. [] See also World Health Organization, “International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems,” 10th Revision (ICD-10), May 1990, Chapter V: Mental and Behavioural Disorders, code F64: Gender identity disorders (F64.0: Transsexualism). [†] American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), 1994 (text revision, DMS-IV-TR, 2000), codes 302.6 and 302.85. [3] Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, “Simply Gay: Policy for the Emancipation of Lesbian Women and Gay Men 2008-2011” (“Gewoon Homo Zijn: Lesbisch en Homo Emancipatiebeleid 2008-2011”), The Hague, November 9, 2007, p. 24. [4] See, for example, the results of a qualitative preliminary study into the situation of transgender people in the Netherlands: Rutgers WPF (Utrecht), “Freedom and Visibility: Qualitative Preliminary Study of Transgender People and Safety” (“Vrijheid en Zichtbaarheid: Kwalitatief Vooronderzoek naar Transgenders en Veiligheid”), February 2011. [5] Instituut voor de Gelijkheid van Vrouwen en Mannen (Brussels), “Living as a Transgender Person in Belgium: Mapping the Social and Legal Situation of Transgender Persons” (“Leven als Transgender in België: De Sociale en Juridische Situatie van Transgender Personen in Kaart Gebracht”), 2009. The most recent figures for the Netherlands (also incorporating Flanders, the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium) date back to 1997, with 16 percent of transsexual people having attempted at least once to commit suicide, while a 1990 study found that 21.4 percent of transsexual people in the Netherlands had tried to commit suicide at least once. See Paul Vennix, Transvestites in the Netherlands and Flanders (Travestie in Nederland en Vlaanderen) (Delft: Eburon, 1997), p. 357, and references therein. [6] Rutgers Nisso Groep (Utrecht, the Netherlands), “Transgender People and Employment: An investigation into the job situation of transgender people in the Netherlands and Flanders” (“Transgenders en Werk: Een Onderzoek naar de Arbeidsituatie van Transgenders in Nederland en Vlaanderen”), May 2010, http://www.rutgersnissogroep.nl (accessed April 22, 2011), pp. 80-81. [7] Ibid., pp. 69-70. [8] Ibid., pp. 2-3. [9] “Het kabinet staat ook borg voor de emancipatie van lesbische vrouwen, homoseksuele mannen, biseksuelen en transgenders en zal daartoe concreet beleid ontwikkelen.” VVD and CDA, “Freedom and Responsibility: Government Program VVD-CDA” (“Vrijheid en Verantwoordelijkheid: Regeerakkoord VVD-CDA”), undated (2010). [10] COC, “Opstelten Makes Pledge about Safety Gays” (“Opstelten Doet Toezegging over Veiligheid Homo’s”), March 3, 2011, http://www.coc.nl/dopage.pl?thema=any&pagina=viewartikel&artikel_id=4063 (accessed March 20, 2011). The promise was repeated in a letter from the State Secretary for Security and Justice to the Transgender Netwerk Nederland, dated May 31, 2011, http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/venj/documenten-en-publicaties/kamerstukken/2011/05/31/b-transgender-netwerk-nederland-herziening-artikel-28-boek-1-bw-26600.html (accessed August 9, 2011). [11] VVD and CDA, “Policy Priorities: Emancipation of Women and Homosexual People” (“Hoofdlijnen Emancipatiebeleid: Vrouwen- en Homo-Emancipatie 2011-2015”), Kamerstukken II, 2010-2011, 27 017, nr. 74, https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-27017-74.html (accessed June 16, 2011), p.4. [12] “Voor de rechten en veiligheid van homoseksuelen en transgenders bestaat nog geen internationaal verdrag. Nederland heeft, door als eerste land ter wereld het huwelijk tussen paren van gelijk geslacht juridisch mogelijk te maken, een belangrijke voortrekkersrol in de wereld. Het kabinet wil die positie gebruiken om samen met gelijkgestemde landen te komen tot een betere internationale bescherming van de rechten en veiligheid van homoseksuelen en transgenders. Ook zal Nederland actief bijdragen aan de veiligheid van homoseksuelen en transgenders in Europa.” VVD and CDA, “Policy Priorities: Emancipation of Women and Homosexual People” (“Hoofdlijnen Emancipatiebeleid: Vrouwen- en Homo-Emancipatie 2011-2015”), Kamerstukken II, 2010-2011, 27 017, nr. 74, p. 2. [13] Civil Registry Decree (Besluit burgerlijke stand), Bbs 1994, article 18(5) and article 43(1)(e). [14] See, for example, Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), March 24, 1987, NJ 1987, 867 m.nt. ThWvV. [15] Civil Code, art. 1:19d. [16] See Marije Graven and Marjolein van den Brink, “Trans M/F: Gender Diversity, Sexual Equality and the Law” (“Trans m/v: Genderdiversiteit, Seksegelijkheid en het Recht”), Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies, issue 11, no. 2 (2008). http://rjh.ub.rug.nl/genderstudies/article/view/575/561 (accessed May 20, 2011). [17] “Further rules for the benefit of transsexual people in relation to changing the sex registration on birth certificates” (“Nadere regelen ten behoeve van transseksuelen omtrent het wijzigen van de vermelding van de kunne in de akte van geboorte”), law of April 24, 1985, Law Gazette (Staatsblad) 243 (Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken) 17 297). [18] Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), art. 28(1) and art. 28b(2). http://www.wetboek-online.nl/wet/Burgerlijk%20Wetboek%20Boek%201/28.html (accessed April 3, 2011). [19] Transsexual people who do not have Dutch nationality but who have legally resided in the Netherlands for at least one year immediately preceding their application to the court are also eligible to apply to have their birth certificates amended: Civil Code, art. 28(3). [20] Memorandum of Explanation (Memorie van Toelichting), Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken) II, 17 297, nr. 3, http://resourcessgd.kb.nl/SGD/19811982/PDF/SGD_19811982_0005331.pdf (accessed April 4, 2011). [21] See the parliamentary records of the debates preceding the adoption of the 1985 law: Memorandum of Explanation (Memorie van Toelichting), Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken) II, 17 297, nr. 3, pp. 19-20, and Memorandum of Reply (Memorie van Antwoord), Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken) II, 17 297, nr. 6, http://resourcessgd.kb.nl/SGD/19821983/PDF/SGD_19821983_0002619.pdf (accessed April 4, 2011), p. 12. [22] Memorandum of Explanation (Memorie van Toelichting), Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken) II, 17 297, nr. 3, pp. 14-15. [23] Ibid., p. 15. [61] Ibid. [62] Ibid., art. 2. The Explanatory Report clarifies that recognition can be rejected on policy grounds, as long as “sex reassignment” in itself is not considered to be contrary to public policy. [63] However, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs stated in 2004 that the infertility requirement was implied in the requirement of bodily adaptation by means of SRS (see below). [64] Letter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Chairpersons of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament, The Hague, March 30, 2004 (Brief van de Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Aan de de Voorzitters van de Eerste en van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, Den Haag, 30 maart 2004), Parliamentary Records (Kamerstukken), Parliamentary Year 2003–2004, 29 501, nr. 1, p. 4. [65] In Spain transsexual nationals can obtain legal recognition of their gender identity without having to meet an infertility requirement (see Chapter IV). Therefore transsexual Spanish nationals who have obtained recognition of their gender identity in Spain could subsequently demand recognition of their gender identity in the Netherlands on conditions that are less demanding than those applicable to other transsexual people residing in the Netherlands, who must meet the conditions of article 28 of the Civil Code before they are eligible for legal recognition of their gender identity. Dutch transgender people cannot circumvent the requirements contained in the Dutch Civil Code by seeking recognition of their gender identity in Spain first, because the Spanish law applies only to transgender people of Spanish nationality. In contrast, the provisions on recognition of gender identity in the Dutch Civil Code do not apply exclusively to Dutch nationals. [66] Human Rights Watch interview with Marius Heijnis, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [67] See VU medisch centrum, Kenniscentrum Genderdysphorie, “Question Relating to Sex Reassigment Surgery” (“ Vraag met Betrekking tot Geslachtsaanpassende Behandeling”), http://www.vumc.nl/afdelingen/zorgcentrum-voor-gender/faq/gabvragen/322620 (accessed May 12, 2011). [68] Human Rights Watch interview with Janiek, Amsterdam, March 18, 2011. [69] In April 2011 the Transgender Network Netherlands sent a dossier of documented complaints about waiting times to the Healthcare Inspection (Inspectie voor de Gezondheidszorg); on May 9, 2011 a Member of Parliament asked parliamentary questions to the Minister of Health about the waiting lists for transgender people. Transgender Netwerk Nederland, “Klachten over Wachtlijsten Transgenderzorg naar Inspectie,” May 4, 2011, http://transgendernetwerk.org (accessed May 13, 2011); and “Zorg Voor Transgenders Moet Sneller en Beter,” May 9, 2011, http://tweedekamer.groenlinks.nl/node/67426 (accessed May 13, 2011). See also Nora Uitterlinden, “Je Leven een Paar Jaar Uitstellen,” Het Continuüm, April 11, 2011, http://continuum.nl/index.php?id=350 (accessed May 13, 2011). [70] See Nationale Atlas Volksgezondheid, http://www.zorgatlas.nl/ (accessed June 14, 2011). [71] Civil Code, art. 28b(2). [72] Ibid., art. 4(4). [73] Ibid., art 4(2). [74] Unlike in Germany, for example, where by law only those forenames are allowed which enable the person’s gender to be inferred from their forenames (an exception is made for Maria, which is allowed as a forename for men). See Gerrit Bloothooft, “Remarkable Names in the Register of Civil Status Records (3): ‘We Call Him Maria,’” (“Opmerkelijke Namen in de GBA (3): ‘We Noemen Hem Maria’”), Burgerzaken & Recht, No. 2, February 2008, pp. 39-41. [75] See the “Questions and Answers” provided by the government about choosing a forename, at http://www.rijksoverhied.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/vragen-en-antwoorden/welke-regels-gelden-er-voor-het-kiezen-van-een-vornaam-voor-kinderen-door-ouders.html (accessed April 12, 2011). [76] Human Rights Watch interview with Maud Kon, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [77] Human Rights Watch interview with Jonathan, Amsterdam, March 31, 2011. [78] “Hoewel [X.] zich in het maatschappelijke leven presenteert als vrouw en een vrouwelijke roepnaam hanteert, is het hof van oordeel dat nu de gevraagde wijziging van de geslachtsaanduiding in de geboorteakte wordt afgewezen en de aanduiding ‘mannelijk’ dus gehandhaaft blijft, de gevraagde (vrouwelijke) voornamen niet wenselijk en tevens ongepast zijn in de zin van artikel 1:4 lid 2 BW.” ’s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal (Gerechtshof ‘s-Hertogenbosch), LJN BA5428, May 22, 2005, http://zoeken.rechtspraak.nl/detailpage.aspx?ljn=BA5428 (accessed May 10, 2011), para. 4.4.2. [79] UN Human Rights Committee, Views of October 31, 1994, case of A. R. Coeriel and M. A. R. Aurik v. The Netherlands, Communication no. 453/1991, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/SDecisionsVol5en.pdf, p. 72, para. 10.2. [80] Human Rights Watch interview with Hans (pseudonym), Utrecht, April 8, 2011. [81] European Court of Human Rights, Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom, no. 28957/95, Judgment of 11 July 2002, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 77. [82] Human Rights Watch interview with Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011. [83] Human Rights Watch interview with Jochem Verdonk, chairman of the Transman Foundation, Utrecht, April 8, 2011. [84] Human Rights Watch interview with Marc (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 29, 2011. [85] Human Rights Watch interview with Maarten (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 30, 2011. [86] Human Rights Watch interview with Matthew, Amsterdam, April 13, 2011. [87] Human Rights Watch interview with Jonathan, Amsterdam, March 31, 2011. [88] Human Rights Watch interview with Maud Kon, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [89] Law on the Basic Register of Civil Records (Wet Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie Persoonsgegevens), June 9, 1994, art. 34. [90] Human Rights Watch interview with Sophie, Amsterdam, April 7, 2011. [91] Human Rights Watch interview with Marius Heijnis, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [92] Human Rights Watch interview with Alice Verheij, The Hague, March 16, 2011. [93] Human Rights Watch interview with Sabrina ter Horst, Amsterdam, March 28, 2011. [94] Human Rights Watch interview with Janiek, Amsterdam, March 18, 2011. [95] Human Rights Watch interview with Sabrina ter Horst, Amsterdam, March 28, 2011. [96] Human Rights Watch interview with Tim (pseudonym), Amsterdam April 6, 2011. [97] Human Rights Watch interview with Jiro Ghianni, Utrecht, April 8, 2011. [98] Human Rights Watch interview with Janiek, Amsterdam, March 18, 2011. [99] Human Rights Watch interview with Jiro Ghianni, Utrecht, April 8, 2011. [100] Human Rights Watch interview with Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011. [101] Human Rights Watch interview with Michael (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 17, 2011. [102] Human Rights Watch interview with Maud Kon, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [103] Human Rights Watch interview with Sophie, Amsterdam, April 7, 2011. [104] Human Rights Watch interview with Alice Verheij, The Hague, March 16, 2011. [105] Human Rights Watch interview with Jasper (pseudonym), Amsterdam, April 7, 2011. [106] Human Rights Watch interview with Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011. [107] Human Rights Watch interview with Janiek, Amsterdam, March 18, 2011. [108] Human Rights Watch interview with Carole, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [109] Human Rights Watch interview with Jonathan, Amsterdam, March 31, 2011. [110] Human Rights Watch interview with Frederique, Amsterdam, March 30, 2011. [111] Human Rights Watch interview with Maarten (pseudonym), Amsterdam, March 30, 2011. [112] Human Rights Watch interview with Hans (pseudonym), Utrecht, April 8, 2011. [113] Human Rights Watch interview with Linda, Rotterdam, April 1, 2011. [114] Human Rights Watch interview with Janiek, Amsterdam, March 18, 2011. The training college's decision was prompted by a letter from the Minister of Education sent to all educational institutions in the Netherlands, following a decision by the Equal Treatment Commission in the case of Justus Eisfeld. Mr Eisfeld had demanded a new graduation certificate from the University of Amsterdam showing his male names following his change of legal gender identity after he graduated. In November 2010 the Equal Treatment Commission ruled in Mr. Eisfeld's favor. [115] Human Rights Watch interview with Tim (pseudonym), Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [116] Human Rights Watch interview with Jonathan, Amsterdam, March 31, 2011. [117] Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights, Council of Europe, “Human Rights and Gender Identity,” issue paper, July 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1476365 (accessed April 4, 2011), p. 18; and “Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Europe,” June 2011, http://www.coe.int/t/Commissioner/Source/LGBT/LGBTStudy2011_en.pdf (accessed June 29, 2011), pp. 85-87. For an overview of the situation in the 27 European Union member states by the end of 2009, see European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), “Homophobia, Transphobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Comparative Legal Analysis, 2010 Update,” 2010, http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/FRA-LGBT-report-update-corr2010.pdf (accessed April 9, 2011), pp. 17-18. [118] Council of Europe, “Report by the commissioner for human rights, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, on his Visit to the Netherlands, 21 - 25 September 2008,” CommDH(2009)2, March 11, 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1417061 (accessed April 9, 2011), recommendation 32. [119] Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, “Concluding Observations, The Netherlands,” CEDAW/C/NLD/CO/5, February 5, 2010, para. 46. [120] Council of Europe, “Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity,” adopted by the Committee of Ministers on March 31, 2010 at the 1081st meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies, https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1606669 (accessed April 4, 2011), Appendix, Section IV, Right to respect for private and family life, Recommendations 20 and 21. [121] Minister Verhagen gave the speech after accepting the first copy of the book “Elke Liefde Telt” (Every Love Counts) written by Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. Boris Dittrich, Elke Liefde Telt (Amsterdam: Nieuw Amsterdam, 2009). [122] Letter of the Minister of Justice, E. M. H. Hirsch Ballin, to the House of Representatives, June 15, 2009, parliamentary year 2008-2009, 27 017, nr. 53. [123] Letter from the Minster of Education, Culture and Science, R. H. A. Plasterk, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, October 1, 2009, reference no. DE/153374. [124] “Het kabinet staat ook borg voor de emancipatie van lesbische vrouwen, homoseksuele mannen, biseksuelen en transgenders en zal daartoe concreet beleid ontwikkelen.” VVD and CDA, “Freedom and Responsibility: Government Program VVD-CDA” (“Vrijheid en Verantwoordelijkheid, Regeerakkoord VVD-CDA”), undated (2010). [125] COC, “Opstelten Makes Pledges about Safety Gays” (“Opstelten Doet Toezegging over Veiligheid Homo’s”), March 3, 2011, http://www.coc.nl/dopage.pl?thema=any&pagina=viewartikel&artikel_id=4063 (accessed March 20, 2011). See also Letter from the State Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven to Transgender Netwerk Nederland, May 31, 2011, http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/venj/documenten-en-publicaties/kamerstukken/2011/05/31/b-transgender-netwerk-nederland-herziening-artikel-28-boek-1-bw-26600.html (accessed August 9, 2011). [126] Hoofdlijnen emancipatiebeleid: vrouwen- en homo-emancipatie 2011-2015, Kamerstukken II, 2010-2011, 27 017, nr. 74. The document states, under “Undertakings to Parliament”: “The Cabinet abolishes the so-called sterilization requirement for changing the registered sex on birth certificates. The draft law on transsexuality … is in preparation and will be made available for consultation before the summer of 2011,” p. 4. [127] Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights, Council of Europe, “Human Rights and Gender Identity,” issue paper, July 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1476365 (accessed April 4, 2011), p. 5. [128] European Court of Human Rights, Van Kück v. Germany, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 73. [129] See Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands of August 24, 1815 (Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden van 24 augustus 1815), art. 11: “Everybody has a right to physical integrity, subject to restrictions imposed by law.” (“Ieder heeft, behoudens bij of krachtens de wet te stellen beperkingen, recht op onaantastbaarheid van zijn lichaam.”) [130] International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted December 16, 1966, G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force March 23, 1976, ratified by the Netherlands on December 11, 1978, art. 17. [131] European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, 213 U.N.T.S. 222, entered into force September 3, 1953, as amended by Protocols Nos 3, 5, 8, and 11 which entered into force on September 21, 1970, December 20, 1971, January 1, 1990, and November 1, 1998, respectively. See, for example, European Court of Human Rights, X and Y v. The Netherlands, no. 8978/80, Judgment of 26 March 1985, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 22 and European Court of Human Rights, Pretty v. United Kingdom, no. 2346/02, Judgment of 29 April 2002, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 61. [132] Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), “Prerequisites for the statutory recognition of transsexuals according to § 8.1 nos. 3 and 4 of the Transsexuals Act are unconstitutional, Order of January 11, 2011” (“Voraussetzungen für die rechtliche Anerkennung von Transsexuellen nach § 8 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 und 4 Transsexuellengesetz verfassungswidrig, Beschluss vom 11. January 2011”), Press release no. 7/2011, January 28, 2011, 1 BvR 3295/07 (English translation provided by the court), http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/entscheidungen/rs20110111_1bvr329507.html (accessed April 18, 2011). [133] Ibid., consideration 2.b. [134] Ibid. See also BVerfG, 1 BvL 3/03 vom 6.12.2005, Absatz-Nr. (1 - 73), http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/ls20051206_1bvl000303.html (accessed April 12, 2011), paras. 25 and 66. [135] Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht), Press release no. 7/2011, January 28, 2011, 1 BvR 3295/07 (English translation provided by the court), http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/entscheidungen/rs20110111_1bvr329507.html (accessed September 1, 2011), consideration 2.b. [136] Administrative High Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof), no. 2008/17/0054, judgment of February 27, 2009, http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Vwgh&Dokumentnummer=JWT_2008170054_20090227X00 (accessed April 12, 2011). See also Rechtkomitee Lambda, “Austrian Administrative High Court lifts Mandatory Surgery for Transsexuals,” press release April 28, 2009, http://www.RKLambda.at (accessed April 12, 2011). Austria has had no specific law to provide for legal recognition of gender identity for transsexual people (a new law is now in preparation); applications for legal recognition of gender identity must be made using an administrative procedure rather than a judicial one. [137] See, for example, European Court of Human Rights, O’Donoghue and Others v. United Kingdom, no. 34848/07, Judgment of 14 December 2010, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 84; Frasik v. Poland, no. 22933/02, Judgment of 5 January 2010, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 90. [154] Ibid., secs. 4, 5 and 5A. [155] European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), “Thematic Study Hungary,” April 2010, pp. 41-42. [156] Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, March 2007, http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org (accessed April 3, 2011). [157] The 2006 meeting of experts was sponsored by the International Commission of Jurists and the International Service for Human Rights. See International Commission of Jurists, “Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and International Human Rights Law,” Practitioners Guide No. 4 (Geneva: ICJ, 2007), http://www.icj.org (accessed April 20, 2011), p. 4. [158] See, for example, Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Ending Violence and Criminal Sanctions Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Statement by the High Commissioner,” September 17, 2010, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10717&LangID=E (accessed May 6, 2011); and Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights, Council of Europe, “Human Rights and Gender Identity,” issue paper, July 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1476365 (accessed April 4, 2011), p. 14. [159] Statement by H.E. Mr. Maxime Verhagen, Minster of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 7th session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, March 3, 2008, AVT08/BZ89826, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/7session/hls/Netherlands-E.pdf (accessed April 3, 2011). In two policy documents, the previous government announced that it would use the Yogyakarta Principles to guide its international policy to protect the rights of gay men and lesbian women. These policy documents made no specific reference to the need to bring Dutch legislation into line with the Yogyakarta Principles. Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, “Simply Gay: Policy for the Emancipation of Lesbian Women and Gay Men 2008-2011” (“Gewoon Homo Zijn: Lesbisch en Homo Emancipatiebeleid 2008-2011”), The Hague, November 9, 2007, p. 20; and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Towards a Dignified Existence: A Human Rights Strategy for Foreign Policy” (“Naar een Menswaardig Bestaan: Een Mensenrechtenstrategie voor het Buitenlands Beleid”), The Hague, November 2007, p. 58. [160] Transgender Netwerk Nederland, “Proposed revision Civil Code art. 28 (change of gender)” (“Voorstel herziening art. 28 BW (geslachtswijziging)”), March 14, 2008, document on file with Human Rights Watch. [161] Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, “P 01 Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents or Adults, Proposed Revision, updated May 4, 2011,” http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=482 (accessed May 8, 2011). The proposed diagnosis requires: “A marked incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6 months duration, as manifested by 2 [footnote omitted] or more of the following indicators …” Note 4 explains: “The 6 month duration was introduced to make at least a minimal distinction between very transient and persistent GI [gender identity]. The duration criterion was decided upon by clinical consensus. However, there is no clear empirical literature supporting this particular period (e.g., 3 months vs. 6 months or 6 months vs. 12 months). There was, however, consensus among the group that a lower-bound duration of 6 months would be unlikely to yield false positives.” [162] Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights, Council of Europe, “Human Rights and Gender Identity,” issue paper, July 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1476365 (accessed April 4, 2011), p. 7. [163] Ibid., p. 25. See also World Professional Association for Transgender Health, WPATH De-psychopatholisation Statement, May 26, 2010, http://www.wpath.org/announcements_detail.cfm?pk_announcement=17 (accessed June 23, 2011). [164] World Professional Association for Transgender Health, “Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders,” Sixth Version, February 2001, www.wpath.org/Documents2/socv6.pdf, p. 10. [165] Arts. 7:447 and 7:465 of the Civil Code. [166] Human Rights Watch interview with Maud Kon, Amsterdam, April 6, 2011. [167] “Er kunnen zich gevallen voordoen, zij het zeer zelden, waarin, al is het dan op jonge leeftijd, een langer wachten met de administratieve aanpassing de geestelijk ontplooiing van de betrokkene kan belemmeren en schaden.” Memorie van Toelichting (Explanatory Memorandum), Kamerstukken II, 17 297, nr. 3, p. 20, http://resourcessgd.kb.nl/SGD/19811982/PDF/SGD_19811982_0005331.pdf (accessed April 4, 2011). [168] Human Rights Watch interview with Dr. M.A.A. van Trotsenburg, director of the gender team at the Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, April 5, 2011, and Human Rights Watch interview with Prof. Dr. W.C.M. Weijmar Schultz, director of the gender team at Groningen University Hospital, April 15, 2011. [169] Email communication from Dr. van Trotsenburg, director of the gender team at the Free University Hospital in Amsterdam to Human Rights Watch, June 5, 2011. [170] Human Rights Watch interview with Matthew, Amsterdam, April 13, 2011. [171] Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted November 20, 1989, G.A. Res. 44/25, annex, 44 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 167, U.N. Doc. A/44/49 (1989), entered into force September 2, 1990, ratified by the Netherlands on February 6, 1995, art. 3(1). [172] UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 12, The Right of the Child to Be Heard, U.N. Doc. CRC/C/GC/12 (2009), para. 70. [173] Ibid., para. 85. [174] Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights, Council of Europe, “Human Rights and Gender Identity,” issue paper, July 2009, https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1476365 (accessed April 4, 2011), pp. 5-6. [175] Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, March 2007, http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org (accessed April 3, 2011). [176] A third method of addressing the situation of gender variant people which has been put forward is to do away with sex registration altogether. (See, for example, the manifesto published by the feminist network of one of the political parties in the Netherlands, GroenLinks, in March 2011, arguing that possibilities should be explored for abolishing the legal distinctions between people of different genders, and for the state to stop registering people’s sex. Feministisch Netwerk GroenLinks, “Obligatory information? An appeal to explore the possibilities for abolishing sex as a juridical distinction” (“Verplicht veld? Pleidooi voor verkennen van mogelijkheden voor afschaffen van geslacht als juridisch onderscheid”), March 2011, http://femnet.groenlinks.nl/files/verplicht_veld.pdf (accessed May 20, 2011). See also Marjolein van den Brink, “About the generally held conviction that people belong either to the male or the female sex” (“Over de algemeen aanvaarde opvatting dat personen hetzij tot het mannelijke hetzij tot het vrouwelijke geslacht behoren”) in Vrouw en Recht: De Beweging, De Mensen, De Issues (Amsterdam: 2009).) The theory of this approach is that as the state would no longer make any legal distinctions between people on the basis of gender, whether male, female or something else, therefore there would be no need for a specific framework for legal recognition of transgender people’s gender identity. However, there is no basis in current international human rights law for demands that states do away with sex registration. [177] Civil Code, article 1:19d. [178] Australian Human Rights Commission, “Sex Files: the legal recognition of sex in documents and government records: Concluding paper of the sex and gender diversity project” (Sydney: Australian Human Rights Commission, March 2009), http://www.hreoc.gov.au/genderdiversity/sex_files2009.html (accessed May 20, 2011), p. 3, recommendation 5. See also Sean Nicholls, “States to consider rights of genderless people,” December 9, 2010, http://www.smh.com.au/national/states-to-consider-rights-of-genderless-people-20101208-18pxg.html#ixzz1MwP1vL7y (accessed May 20, 2011). [179] Australian Passport Office, “Sex and gender diverse passport applicants,” https://www.passports.gov.au/web/sexgenderapplicants.aspx#quest4 (accessed May 20, 2011). [180] In New Zealand transgender people have the option of applying for a passport with an X as the gender marker. Government of New Zealand, “Information for transgender applicants,” http://www.passports.govt.nz/Transgender-applicants (accessed June 18, 2011). [181] Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), March 30, 2007, LJN AZ5686, http://zoeken.rechtspraak.nl/detailpage.aspx?ljn=AZ5686 (accessed May 10, 2011). [182] European Court of Human Rights, Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom, available at http://www.echr.coe.int. [183] European Court of Human Rights, Pretty v. United Kingdom, para. 61; Bensaid v. United Kingdom, no. 44599/98, Judgment of 6 February 2001, available at http://www.echr.coe.int. [184] European Court of Human Rights, Johnston and others v. Ireland, no. 9697/82, Judgment of 18 December 1986; see also European Court of Human Rights, Abdulaziz, Cabales and Balkandali v. United Kingdom, nos 9214/80; 9473/81; 9474/81, Judgment of 28 May 1985, available at http://www.echr.coe.int. [185] European Court of Human Rights, Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom. See also B. v. France, no. 13343/87, Judgment of 25 March 1992, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 44. [186] European Court of Human Rights, Rees v. United Kingdom, no. 9532/81, Judgment of 17 October 1986; Cossey v. United Kingdom, no. 10843/84, Judgment of 27 September 1990; B. v. France; Sheffield and Horsham v. United Kingdom, nos 31-32/1997/815-816/1018-1019, Judgment of 30 July 1998, available at http://http://www.echr.coe.int. [187] European Court of Human Rights, Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 81. [188] Ibid., para. 85. [190] Ibid., para. 91. [191] Ibid., para. 93. [192] European Court of Human Rights, Fretté v. France, no. 36515/97, Judgment of 26 February 2002, available at http://www.echr.coe.int. [193] ECHR, Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom, para 74; see also Stafford v. United Kingdom, no. 46295/99, Judgment of 28 May 2002, available at http://www.echr.coe.int, para. 68. [194] Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, “P 01 Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents or Adults, Proposed Revision, updated May 4, 2011,” http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=482 (accessed May 8, 2011), Rationale, endnote 16. [195] Nepal Supreme Court, Writ No. 917, Blue Diamond Society v. Office of the Prime Minister and Council Ministers et. al., 2 NJALJ (2008) 261-286, translated into English by Mr. Yadav Pokharel, documents on file with Human Rights Watch. See also “Third gender issued citizenship certificate,” The Himalayan Times, April 15, 2011, http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Third+gender+issued+citizenship+certificate&NewsID=284117 (accessed May 20, 2011); and “Nepal introduces transgender census category,” Agence France-Presse, January 9, 2011, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iUjXoBA5dPXY8etqO2acLBOMWBGw?docId=CNG.549d9012fb77ecdc111aaffaea9ad062.371 (accessed April 3, 2011). [196] Population Reference Bureau, “A First for Census Taking: The Third Sex,” January 21, 2011, http://prbblog.org/index.php/2011/01/21/india-census-third-sex/ (accessed April 3, 2011). [197] Ria Misra, “Pakistan Recognizes Third Gender,” December 25, 2009, http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/25/pakistan-recognizes-third-gender/ (accessed August 9, 2011); Reuters, “Pakistan’s Transvestites to Get Distinct Gender,” December 23, 2009, http://in.reuters.com/article/2009/12/23/us-pakistan-transvestites-idINTRE5BM2BX20091223 (accessed August 9, 2011).07/13/2011 [198] Australian Passport Office, “Sex and gender diverse passport applicants,” https://www.passports.gov.au/web/sexgenderapplicants.aspx#quest4 (accessed May 20, 2011). [199] Human Rights Watch interview with Paul Vennix, Utrecht, March 19, 2011. [200] Marije Graven and Marjolein van den Brink, “Trans M/F: Gender Diversity, Sexual Equality and the Law” (“Trans m/v: Genderdiversiteit, Seksegelijkheid en het Recht”), Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies, issue 11, no. 2 (2008), http://rjh.ub.rug.nl/genderstudies/article/view/575/561 (accessed May 20, 2011). [201] Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), March 30, 2007, LJN AZ5686, http://zoeken.rechtspraak.nl/detailpage.aspx?ljn=AZ5686 (accessed May 10, 2011), section 3, “Beoordeling van het middel.”	X
Kevlar, the high-strength fibre material, used in armour and sports equipment, is a product/brand of which international chemicals corporation?	Gender \| KJ (Katy Jon Went) KJ (Katy Jon Went) Prince and the Revolution Genderblend Love Symbol of the artist formerly known as Prince The enigma that was Prince Rogers Nelson, whose African-American family hailed from Lousiana originally burst onto the pop scene as a 17-year-old teenager, in the late 1970s. Aged just 20, in 1979, he performed his first gig with his band, who became, ‘The Revolution‘. His death, this week, leaves behind dozens of songs, lyrics, statements, and beliefs, that not everyone understood. His own path navigated 3 engagements, 2 marriages and divorces, and the death of his only child. In 2001, he became a Jehovah Witness and said he was turning to monogamy after prior romantic links to Kim Basinger, Madonna, Sheila E., Carmen Electra, Anna Fantastic, Sherilyn Fenn, Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, Susan Moonsie of Vanity 6, and Vanity, herself, another singer who underwent a Christian conversion and also died this year. Prince, the Genderbending Rule-breaker “A strong spirit transcends rules”, Prince said in a 1999 interview . Steven W Thrasher, writing in the Guardian , writes of Prince’s genderbending and gender-busting allure: Prince broke all the rules about what black American men should be. The musical genius captivated both men and women with his high heels, tight butt and playful sexuality – and he refused to be anyone’s slave… …letting go of all those rules he seemed to have dispensed with? That purple clothing, those high heels and ruffled shirts: was he proudly feminine, or so secure in his masculinity he didn’t mind others questioning it? That small frame and that tight, small butt that seemed to leave him “shaking that ass, shaking that ass” for men and women alike? Prince was a paradox in that he expanded the concept of what it meant to be a man while also deconstructing the entire idea of gender. It was, in retrospect, the first time I experienced someone refusing to live under the oppressive binary regime of gender, or to submit to the dominant power’s rules.” In 1982, Prince said that “What’s missing from pop music is danger – there’s no excitement and mystery”. Well, he certainly provided that mystery, much as David Bowie did. I wanna be your lover Wanna be your mother and your sister too – “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1979) Mick Jagger tweeted that Prince was “ authentic in every way “. …but most importantly, authentic in every way. 3/4 — Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) April 21, 2016 “Prince brazenly blended rock, R&B, funk, pop and jazz like few artists before or since. He pushed the envelope on sexuality and androgyny in music, dared to take on the corporate music industry…” – Star Tribune Freedom and Fascination From a rare interview in 1996 with, among others, NME , on the release of his ‘Emancipation’ triple album comes these quotes from Prince on freedom, life, experience and people: “I find freedom sexy. I find freedom so sexy I can’t even explain it to you. You wake up every day and feel like you can do anything.” “Everyone has their own experience. That’s why we are here, to go through our experience, to learn, to go down those paths and eventually you may have gone down so many paths and learned so much that you don’t have to come back again.” “I’m no different to anyone. Yes, I have fame and wealth and talent, but I certainly don’t consider myself any better than anyone who has no fame, wealth or talent. People fascinate me. They’re amazing! Life fascinates me! And I’m no more fascinated by my own life than by anyone else’s.” Prince, Mystery or Madness? “America still believes Prince to be mildly insane…’Why does everyone think I’m mad?’ he once asked his British press person. ‘Because,’ the PR replied, ‘you do weird things and you don’t explain them.’ Prince does do weird things, but he also performs live with a stage presence and a charisma that’s unrivalled in American entertainment.” – Guardian (2006) His refusal to bow to the corporate line of either the music industry or journalists meant that he came across as ‘odd’, but his response was that he didn’t care: “I don’t really care so much what people say about me because it usually is a reflection of who they are.” “Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people.” Being yourself and not worrying about what others thought was one of the ways he inspired others to break out. “Cool means being able to hang with yourself. All you have to ask yourself is ‘Is there anybody I’m afraid of? Is there anybody who if I walked into a room and saw, I’d get nervous?’ If not, then you’re cool.” – Rolling Stone Magazine Prince, Song Lyrics Simone de Beauvoir, Sex-Positive Feminist, d.1986 Simone de Beauvoir, d.1986 It’s a generation since the death of author, feminist, and existentialist, Simone de Beauvoir on 14 April 1986. A lover of Sartre – in both senses of the word, she was a sexually liberated bisexual whose disregard for sexual convention – including age of consent laws , caused her to lose her right to teach in France. Her 1949 defining work on the oppression of women, Le Deuxième Sexe – “ The Second Sex “, is widely considered a groundbreaking treatise on sex and gender for 20th-century feminism. As to her sexual liberation, her “ erotic liberty “, and open relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre, she saw any sexual categorisation as restrictive: “In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.” – Simone de Beauvoir Simone de Beauvoir Quotes I recently quoted, knowingly totally out of context, this from de Beauvoir: “One is not born a woman, but becomes one.” I was quite promptly, and perhaps rightly, accused of ‘quote mining’. Contextomy or the unjustified use of an uprooted, and in this case anachronous, quote, to prove a point it was never intended to address, is a fair criticism. My use of the quote was because it resonated with the idea that people can be born female, raised a girl, but become a woman. A woman is as much experience, as nature. I’m not jumping in and suggesting, for example, that post-operative trans women are thus women, the same as those who were born with a uterus and raised as girls. Indeed, is anyone any less of a woman after uterine cancer (affecting 8,500 women in the UK a year) and removal of the womb via hysterectomy? Similarly, women can have various difficulties in reproduction due to infertility, or any number of intersex medical differences that may cause an XX or indeed other chromosomal combination such as XXY etc to present a body that defies the defined binary female stereotype. Women should not be defined by their ability to procreate and bear children – that much I am sure de Beauvoir would agree with. My question is, though, whether de Beauvoir would have condemned or supported the rights of some to pursue a gender trajectory that more matches their inner feelings and psyche than their binary-born bodies. In other words, transgender, non-binary and other forms of gender fluidity or transition. Simone de Beauvoir on Woman, Femininity, the Other, and maybe a Third Sex Simone de Beauvoir “The Second Sex” (1949) So to add insult to injury, to compound my contextomy crime, here are some further Beauvoirisms that might shed light on what might have been her attitude to “The Third Sex”. A phrase which I use, advisedly, for the main purpose of echoing her “Second Sex”, rather than for the purpose of defining all trans and/or gender non-conforming people as a “Third Sex” even though that is a way which some, especially in Asian and Indian cultures , do define. Does ‘Woman’ even exist? Beauvoir existentially questioned whether woman would always exist, suggesting that ‘she’ is an ephemeral concept ,driven by culture and construct as much as conception: “Are there women, really? Most assuredly the theory of the eternal feminine still has its adherents who will whisper in your ear: ‘Even in Russia women still are women’; and other erudite persons – sometimes the very same – say with a sigh: ‘Woman is losing her way, woman is lost.’ One wonders if women still exist, if they will always exist, whether or not it is desirable that they should…” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) One can be female but not a woman As to femininity, she saw it as something esoteric, and that female ≠ woman ≠ femininity: “It would appear, then, that every female human being is not necessarily a woman; to be so considered she must share in that mysterious and threatened reality known as femininity. Is this attribute something secreted by the ovaries? Or is it a Platonic essence, a product of the philosophic imagination?” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) If female equals the “female of the species” reproductively, and feminine a cultural construct if not oppression, then woman need not be feminine and feminism a path to throwing off that oppression. But does ‘woman’ need to be female? If one can be female but not a woman, can one be woman but not a female? What is woman? If much previous philosophical, and biblical-theological enquiry, stemmed around “What is man?” and the nature of man, then de Beauvoir helpfully examines, what is woman: If her functioning as a female is not enough to define woman, if we decline also to explain her through ‘the eternal feminine’, and if nevertheless we admit, provisionally, that women do exist, then we must face the question “what is a woman”? Yet would it not be more helpful to discuss what it means to be human, or are we still stuck seeing woman as something less than a man, and hence neither equal nor fully human since, as in the Bible, Adam stands for man and humankind as the first point of reference? “Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) On BBC Woman’s Hour today , British Army Captain Rosie Hamilton was interviewed about how female recruits are trained, but it was then made all about how many of them made the ‘male’ standard. Woman as the ‘Other’ Beauvoir rebelled against the patriarchal concept that man is human and woman is defined only in relation to being man’s so-called opposite pole, that she is ‘othered’ in reference to him. Not that we have achieved gender parity yet, but I wonder how she would see trans, non-binary, intersex people now, as perhaps the new (however ancient a group of people they are) ‘other’? “No subject will readily volunteer to become the object, the inessential; it is not the Other who, in defining himself as the Other, establishes the One. The Other is posed as such by the One in defining himself as the One.” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex people are ‘othered’ by the default biologically and socially essentialist binary. In the same way, de Beauvoir saw woman as othered by man. Thus, gender non-conforming people, whether assigned male or female at birth, should have some solidarity with the feminist struggle to assert the equality of women with men, and their common core identity as human beings absolutely, not relatively. Sadly, that is not always the case and some folk do not see a common struggle between feminism and gender identity. As de Beauvoir said: “Enough ink has been spilled in quarrelling over feminism” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) Some radical feminists, such as Julie Bindel, Germaine Greer, Sheila Jeffries and others, are well known for exclusionary attitudes to trans people. Indeed, de Beauvoir others intersex people, formerly termed ‘hermaphrodite’, in her seeking to find an independent voice on ‘what is woman?’: “What we need is an angel – neither man nor woman – but where shall we find one? Still, the angel would be poorly qualified to speak, for an angel is ignorant of all the basic facts involved in the problem. With a hermaphrodite we should be no better off, for here the situation is most peculiar; the hermaphrodite is not really the combination of a whole man and a whole woman, but consists of parts of each and thus is neither.” – The Second Sex, introduction (1949) In a 1976 interview , when asked about excluding men from some aspects of the feminist struggle and female gatherings, she opined that sometimes it was necessary. So she may have argued against the full and unfettered access of some transwomen (e.g., pre-operative) to women-only safe spaces. She did also say, however: “The battle of the sexes is not implicit in the anatomy of man and woman.” – The Second Sex, conclusion (1949) Similarly, she spoke of some lesbian women, in particular, being male-exclusionary: “There are other women who have become lesbian out of a sort of political commitment: that is, they feel that it is a political act to be lesbian, the equivalent somewhat within the sex struggle of the black power advocates within the racial struggle. And, true, these women tend to be more dogmatic about the exclusion of men from their struggle.” – interview (1976) Anyone, who is oppressed has the right to gather in safe spaces – whether other oppressed minorities should have rights of access to the safe spaces of other groups who have been ‘othered’ is another matter. That siad, shared oppression is sometimes more important than shared hormones. “Woman is determined not by her hormones or by mysterious instincts, but by the manner in which her body and her relation to the world are modified through the action of others than herself.” – The Second Sex, conclusion (1949) It was Audre Lorde that said, whilst “any woman is not free”, then “no woman is”. Being the one oppressed is sadly part of a common humanity, and a common responsibility: “Each of us is responsible – to every human being.” – Simone de Beauvoir In some matters, if not most – except the most basic biological differences, “men and women” and anyone that is defined or identified outside that binary need to” unequivocally affirm their brotherhood”, as de Beauvoir concluded in The Second Sex . So, could every Human be a Woman? “I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.” Beauvoir speaks of every human being, every human life, less of the categorisation that in a class-distinctive way oppresses all of us, even the men. For, in defining men and not women, as not soft or empathic, or similar stereotypes, we trap them in conventional masculinity, we oppress gay men, drag queens and transvestites who may still identify as male. “…man, like woman, is flesh, therefore passive, the plaything of his hormones and of the species, the restless prey of his desires.” – The Second Sex, conclusion (1949) We no longer accept feminism as the sole regard of women. True women’s liberation also liberates men from roles and rules of sex and gender. “…the woman of today is [not] a creation of nature; it must be repeated once more that in human society nothing is natural and that woman, like much else, is a product elaborated by civilisation.” – The Second Sex, conclusion (1949) If a feminist need not be a woman, and a female need not be a ‘woman’, and the ‘feminine’ just as possessable by males, then, perhaps too, a ‘woman’ need not be female, at least not assigned one at birth. In other words, is the very term ‘woman’ as much a social construct as gender itself, and the so-called masculine and feminine ideals? “No single educator could fashion a female human being today who would be the exact homologue of the male human being; if she is brought up like a boy, the young girl feels she is an oddity and thereby she is given a new kind of sex specification.” – The Second Sex, conclusion (1949) Only in an androgynous (but not uniform) utopia, where all human beings were raised without class or gender specificity, could true equality perhaps be found. Katy Leave a comment Brighton College adopts trans-friendly Uniform policy Brighton College is one of Britain’s top-ten schools , which puts student “welfare and happiness” as a number-one priority. Ranked as the leading co-educational school in England by The Sunday Times and described by The Week as “ Britain’s most forward thinking school ” it has lived up to this accolade by adopting a gender-neutral uniform policy. The educational establishment is: “reacting to a changing society which recognises that some children have gender dysphoria and do not wish to lose their emotional gender identities at school.” Trans Education & Tolerance Needed Increased education of trans and gender variant issues needs to follow, especially in younger years where up to half of all schools are still ignorant of issues. Calls for the PSHE curriculum to teach about transgender and non-binary awareness are regularly sounded and it may be that after the recent evidence-based trans enquiry the Government is finally listening . A conservative estimate of transgender prevalence would suggest that around 10 pupils or more at the 900-student school might identify as trans and potentially even more as non-binary. The number ‘out’ within the school would depend upon the age of ‘coming out’ and the safety to do so at school. Up to 48% of trans teens attempt to take their own lives, and around 80% consider suicide. Around 80 primary school pupils a year are taking gender transition further and seeking the help of NHS services such as the Tavistock and Portman Gender Clinic. “People say that schools should be tolerant places but I think that we are more than that. We encourage everyone and anyone to be who they are or who they want to be. I am really proud that I have been educated in a school where there is no concept of the norm, of conformity and of the expected way to be. Everyone has supported this move and I think that there is a real sense of unity, from the headmaster to the youngest 3rd former, about this idea. I also know that students who are gender fluid or for any reason, decide to change the uniform that they wear, will be accepted, supported and encouraged by the whole school.” – Headmaster Richard Cairns Abolishing Gender Distinctions Whilst its headmaster would love to see “the notion of boys’ and girl’ schools abolished altogether” having a uniform policy that covers the needs and requirements of any pupil including transgender and gender-fluid is a major step forward in equality and diversity. Pupils can now opt for a skirt and jacket or trouser and blazer combo, which is not explicitly tied to gender. At least one pupil has taken the college up on the offer and other families have expressed interest in the school’s new policy. “It ties in with my strong personal belief that youngsters should be respected for who they are. If some boys and girls are happier identifying with a different gender from that in which they were born, then my job is to make sure that we accommodate that. My only interest as headmaster is their welfare and happiness.” – Headmaster Richard Cairns Co-educational Advantage? Whilst Head Master, Richard Cairns, was named “England’s Headmaster of the Year” by Tatler magazine in September 2012, he has recently come under fire for suggesting that single-sex education, particularly girls’ schools, puts them at a disadvantage and is “unrealistic”. He argues that co-educational environments benefit boys and girls providing a gentler, more tolerant, atmosphere. If tolerating a more flexible uniform policy increases the freedom of trans and genderqueer pupils to be themselves, then it is to everyone’s benefit. Indeed, for trans people being in a single-sex school is an additional layer of hell they have to endure, as social transition is nigh on impossible. Katy Leave a comment Patronisingly Pink Ladyball for Women’s Football Unbelievably, to encourage women in sport a pink sparkly soft-touch football is being marketed in a “pretty pattern that is designed especially for a woman’s grip”. Sigh! Women are more likely to be put off football by the sexism and homophobia in sport , unequal pay and media coverage, rather than the colour and texture of the ball! Unless this is a major satirical spoof, it ticks every possible patronising pitch possible: “pretty” check, “pink” check, “sparkly” check, “soft” check, “easy” check, “glamorous” check! Serious Proposition or Irish Joke? It’s being made in Ireland, and it’s tempting to think that it is an Irish April Fool’s joke were it not January and endorsed by a real sportsman – Ger Brennan, an All-Ireland winning Gaelic Football player. Surely, it has to be a farcical fake designed to challenge rather than collude with sexism in sport? In fact, their Twitter feed is full of jokes, disbelief, and amazingly, apparent appreciation. Lots of “ball” jokes and since one of the founders is female, a lot of poking fun at female stereotypes, or are they deadly serious? What’s big, round & bouncy? #Ladyball pic.twitter.com/uc0IjaCrId — Lady Ball (@theladyball_com) January 14, 2016 Their modern media, PR and advertising, seem to be everywhere in Ireland and yet their tagline soundbites are out of the pre-feminist dark ages: “Don’t break a nail, break boundaries with #Ladyball” “Our ladies sure are pretty in pink! #Ladyball” “Ladies, the wait is finally over (&we don’t mean the one for the ring!) Introducing #Ladyball!” “Our pink #Ladyball has silver accents to help you sparkle on the pitch!” Ladyball Official Launch Spec From the Ladyball website – an adapted shutterstock image rather than a real photoshoot, suggestive of a spoof ? From the Ladyball website comes this: Ladyball is the concept led by a group of aspiring entrepreneurs who have made it their personal goal in life to encourage girls to play more team sports, and to bring a feminine touch to the all too masculine world of sports! The idea for Ladyball came from personal experience when one of the creators tried various ball sports as a weight loss measure and found the regular (or as we like to call them “man-sized”) balls heavy, cumbersome and difficult to control. It was then (as Oprah would say) she had an “aha moment”; what if there was a ball designed just for women, a soft, trendy ball that could enhance natural feminine abilities and make it easier for girls to play? After a lot of market research we found that there really wasn’t anything like that available, and in the majority of cases women just had to make do with balls meant for men. In order to fill this gap in the market and with the hopes of making team sports more accessible to women, the idea for Ladyball was born! Since that day we have spent countless hours researching and designing our creation. We want to revolutionize the way ladies play sports. These women are kitted out in Ladyball’s branding but inappropriate footwear: Keep your man(icure) longer with #Ladyball pic.twitter.com/heJof03uR1 — Lady Ball (@theladyball_com) January 14, 2016 Reaction on Twitter Ladies want a “lady-ball” so they don’t break a nail, suggests a retweet by the makers: Mandy just gets it. Our kinda gal x https://t.co/KM8HN1jP0T — Lady Ball (@theladyball_com) January 14, 2016 Yet other tweets still believe it to be a spoof or social experiment, one journalist received a press release and was stumped not to find a punchline at the end of what they assumed was a joke: I just got a press release from #LadyBall and there’s, there’s no punchline. It’s a straight release. I am so terribly confused. — Conor Pope (@conor_pope) January 14, 2016 Pink Balls It’s not the first time pink balls have been introduced. Last November saw a premium game played with a pink ball and which led a male sports commentator to say: “The pink ball is the prettiest, clearest projectile we have known. Its iridescence allowed superb pictures on television” – ESPN Kookaburra Turf Pink Ball This was cricket, however, and male cricket at that! It was first introduced by Kookaburra in 2006 for a Cancer charity event but is now being used in some day-night matches for visibility. Mark Nicholas watching the Test at Australia’s Adelaide Oval went on to wax lyrical about the colourful aesthetics of the game: “colours are an almost subconscious attraction – the way in which white clothing, for example, has such clarity against the green field and how a clear blue sky wraps itself so brightly around the canvas that the game creates.” In cricket, at least, despite divided opinions , it is regarded as an innovation here to stay , but nothing to do with gender stereotypes. Satire, PR Stunt or Sexist Stereotype? It just, could be, that their advertising ‘genius’ is a girlie girl who loves sparkly pink. Just because pink is a female stereotype, doesn’t mean girls can’t be seen in pink, but to my mind this sets sports equality back years in perception, at least. The truth, if this is even true, will be whether it increases participation and gives the boot to received wisdom about women’s football. Not wanting to spoil the spoof or burst the ball of fun that this possibly serious-point making set-up appears to be, fact-checking flagged-up alarm bells and other mixed metaphors. Just trying to investigate their quoted ” patented Eazi-Play technology” drew a blank. Scottish football agrees although sees it as a hoax that “ Highlights Discrimination in Sport ” and “sexism in football. So, I call fake rather than foul, in this instance. Indeed, in the last few hours, Munster Hockey seem to have confessed to creating the challenge to sexist stereotypes, some assume an announcement about women’s sport is imminent and others are now doubting the spoof creator’s claims as just trying to get in on the act! It’s either a marketing marvel, comedy gold, or an unevolved sexist disaster. It just could be, the best advert for hockey yet: The Munster Branch has this morning confessed to the creation of the Ladyball. We never expected it to get so much… Posted by Munster Hockey on Friday, 15 January 2016 “we would like to apologise for nearly breaking the internet. However, we have been successful in making a very valid point. Men’s and women’s sport should be equal – same rules, same equipment and same goals. Hockey is one of the very few sports where men and women are on a par with each other in terms of coverage and recognition. So if anyone out there is looking to take up a sport that treats everyone as equal maybe hockey is the sport for you.” Whether Munster Hockey were in on it or not, the @theladyball_com Twitter account has now also confessed to the ruse promoting women’s gaelic football (LGFA) along with Lidl sponsorship, “a lighting rod for the discussion of attitudes to women in sports and an amplifier for voices of support”. Katy Leave a comment Trans Prisoners and where to place them? With the furore over trans prisoners such as Tara Hudson, a trans woman, being sent to a male prison and her eventual transfer to a female one, another – Vicky Thompson, who took her own life because she was sent to an overcrowded high-suicide risk men’s prison, and another Joanne Latham, two weeks later, it is time to re-address questions of sex/gender policing and segregation in prison. Hudson was sent to prison for violence against a man but presented and identified as female, Latham for two attempted murders and had clear psychiatric issues, as many, especially in women’s prisons do. I did diversity work in HMPs for 5-6 years and was regularly asked what to do with trans prisoners and whether what they were already doing was okay. One HMP had two trans women on the women’s wing, one pre-op one post-op. So they can be flexible. And the 20-30 in UK HMPs is a massive underestimate. I know of dozens and statistically there are probably hundreds. The Norfolk Gender & Sexuality (GAS) Discussion Group met to discuss this very topic Tuesday night – “ Prison, Gender, Trans, Violence, and Women’s Spaces ” and from which I’ve borrowed and supplied corresponding research and material. (see also the Facebook event discussion). The group meets monthly in Noriwch to discuss questions of sex, gender, and sexuality and intersecting issues. Jump to: Introduction \| Sex & Gender in Prison \| Trans Prisoners in: USA \| Israel \| Italy \| UK \| Case Studies: Joanne Latham \| Vicky Thompson \| Tara Hudson \| Comment: Paris Lees \| Prison Reform Prison, Sex and Gender Prison is an area of mandatory sex/gender segregation based upon the presumption of two sexes and a majority heterosexual population. Separation based upon sex is presumed to aid management, deny sexual privilege, improve safety and risk of sexual and physical violence. All on the basis that men are more likely to harm, harass, or worse, women more than other men. If that is based on size and strength, or merely sex, we should be housing people according to height, weight, and sexuality as well! Where is the protection for gay, lesbian and bisexual, inmates? Trans prisoners, as some intersex prisoners would also, present a binary dilemma. Inmate violence in US prisons is actually more common between women than between men, up to three times higher for sexual victimisation. What are the facts and myths of gender-based violence and does prison distort them? For instance men are more likely to attempt suicide outside of prison but inside it is women that are more at risk where a higher proportion have mental health issues and concerns. Where is a safe place to send trans prisoners? In the US they are 50% likely to be raped in prison. Italy has a dedicated trans jail. HMP estimates around 20-30 trans people are in UK prisons but that is likely an underestimate as I’m aware of 10-15 in my local counties. It is, however, the argument of Germaine Greer and others that women’s spaces need to be kept safe from “men masquerading as women”. The verbal vitriol is almost violent of her anti-trans rhetoric and is something that has led several universities to no-platform her in the name of creating safe trans-inclusive female spaces for students. What risks are acceptable in the name of free expression (that may contain verbal violence), gender identity, legal sex definition, and how should we balance them with creating safe spaces in universities, DASV/rape crisis support centres, society at large and during incarceration – for all people? Trans Detention Experience in the USA “According to a study by University of California Irvine professor Valerie Jenness, more than half of all transgender inmates experience rape. Prison culture also creates an atmosphere where transgender inmates may submit to sexual assault for protection from physical violence – all under the callous indifference of prison authorities.” – The Guardian “Transgender prisoners are unfathomably at risk for sexual abuse,” Chris Daley, Deputy Executive Director at Just Detention International, an advocacy group that works to end sexual abuse in detention, told VICE News . “It’s a crisis” “A recent US study said transgender women in male prisons are 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than in the general population, with 59 per cent reporting sexual assaults.” – The Independent “When we are talking about trans people, we are talking about a population who are among the most vulnerable in our prisons,” Rebecca Earlbeck , lawyer representing Sandy Brown. “Among former state prisoners (US), the rate of inmate-on inmate sexual victimization was at least three times higher for females (13.7%) than males (4.2%)… Following their release from prison, 72% of victims of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization indicated they felt shame or humiliation, and 56% said they felt guilt.” Many transgender inmates are placed in “involuntary administrative segregation, which keeps them separated and safe from other inmates.” “I was forced with no options to be in protective custody, locked down for 23 hours a day,” said Christopher D’Angelo, a transgender male who spent six months in MCSO [Arizona] custody. He likened his detention to solitary confinement. “It just added to my isolation,” D’Angelo said . Earlier this year, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was looking to relocate around 25 of the nearly 70 transgender women (there are also a half-dozen or so trans men) that it houses on a nightly basis somewhere more permanent and together, incorporating the 2015 revised trans policies that it has been trying to improve since 2009 and 2011. Barely two-thirds of US facilities are even following the 2011 guidelines. “The transgender detainees will likely be housed in their own area of the women’s facility, but may be allowed to “mingle” with other female detainees, according to ICE officials .” Whilst the declared trans women detainees may make up just 0.22% of the 34,000 held, they account for 20% of the sexual abuse cases in detention, and that’s the confirmed reported ones – many are not . “[US] Immigration officials say they have a model facility in Southern California that only houses gay and bisexual men and transgender women. While some 75 transgender detainees are housed across the country every night, the California facility only houses an average of 44 gay, bisexual and transgender individuals at a time.” ICE has now cancelled those plans leaving trans immigrants and asylum seekers at risk until improved policies are adopted, although LGBT and immigrant-rights advocates had actually opposed the move because the facility in question had a notorious reputation , disputed by GEO Group and its apparent 100% standards accreditation . Instead, the updated ‘Transgender Care Contract Modification’ policy would allow trans women detainees to be housed in facilities matching their gender identity – a policy the UK adopted in 2011/12, though judging by recent cases, not wholly adopted. Trans Detention Facilities in Israel A 24-year-old trans woman in Israel is being reasonably housed at the Neveh Tirtzah women’s prison but kept in isolation at night “ due to safety concerns .” She was born into an ultra-Orthodox household as male and began transition as a teen but is serving a third prison term for prostitution, theft and assault. She has complained and filed a petition due to her isolation to which the Israeli Prison Service responded: “In any case in which a prisoner whose identity is not unambiguous, detention is required in isolation and that is out of concern regarding harm to them or prisoners in the vicinity.” Trans Detention Facilities in Italy It is thought that Italy has a total of some 60 transgender prisoners but a specialist centre in Tuscany was planned to house about 30 people. The BBC’s Duncan Kennedy, in Rome, said that until now [2010] transgender prisoners have been located in women’s prisons where they are often segregated for their own safety. Guards were to undertake special training in how to treat transgender prisoners before the prison block was to open near Empoli, in Tuscany, in March 2010 . “It’s a great idea. It will not be a ghetto but a way to avoid the experience of isolation in ordinary prisons,” said Regina Satariano , the head of the Italian Movement for Transgender Identity. Sadly the Pozzale facility, near Florence, was put on hold . An academic case study – ‘ Section D: a Tertium Genus of Incarceration? Case-study on the Transgender Inmates of Sollicciano Prison ‘, was recently published (Dec 2014) presenting “a socio-legal analysis of the condition of transgender inmates and of the policy choices (or the lack of them) concerning their incarceration in Italy, based on our case-study of Section D of the Italian Prison of Sollicciano, Florence.” “…different scenarios share the same conceptual roots: normative binarism and the resulting impossibility of engaging in a political discussion concerning the condition of transgender inmates. Therefore, the second consideration lying at the heart of our study and defining its theoretical and practical framework consists in the necessity of interpreting the complex relations between law and gender, and prison and gender… The condition of transgender inmates globally is evidence of the failure of essentialist policies, grounded on normative binary categories, and the reduction of the social world to the male/female opposition. Employing theory, i.e. critically rethinking the categories of our social space, seems the most logical solution, but logic is not the strong suite of the law (nor of politics). As a result, while legislators envision solely male and female prisoners (and the corollary male and female issues), many correctional institutions are confronted with troublesome ‘specters’ who fail to conform to the legislator’s rational, biopolitical plan… …Sollicciano is one of the few Italian prisons in which a tertium genus of incarceration, not provided for by law, has been informally established. The second consideration is the high percentage of non-EU inmates housed in Section D, and the predominance, within this group, of Latin-American inmates, with a significant majority of Brazilians. The last consideration, which lies at the heart of our study and defines its theoretical and practical framework, is the necessity of interpreting the complex relationship between law and gender, and prison and gender. This ‘critical triangle’ defines the object of our study: the theoretical and practical interrelation of law, gender, and rights.” Trans Detention Experience in the UK Government estimates of numbers are vastly under-reported. 20-30 is just the tip of the iceberg when there are around 10 in one county alone, to my knowledge, and often 2 or more in each prison, and there are 136 prisons, 82,000 male inmates and 4,000 female inmates . Based upon typical trans statistics that would indicate a few hundred trans inmates, at least. Self-inflicted deaths in custody this year number 43 , at least 2 of which were trans, 5% of the total from a population of perhaps 0.5% of inmates (less than 1 in 2000 according to the Government, 0.05%), so at least 10-100x more likely to take one’s life when imprisoned in facilities not matching their gender identity. Trans and prison reform activists petitioned the Government for over a decade before the PSI 07/2011 Care and Management of Transsexual Prisoners guidance (March 2011) was brought in. I met with prison officers in the few years leading up to that and found that some were taking common sense into their own hands already and in one instance allowing trans women, both pre and post-op, to be moved to the female estate. That, it is not being followed fully 4 years on is a scandal that has led to several high profile deaths in custody. In ‘ Rethinking gendered prison policies: Impacts on transgender prisoners ‘, Sarah Lamble co-founder of Bent Bars Project and a lecturer at Birkbeck School of Law, says: “Law enforcement officials have a long history of targeting, punishing and criminalising people who do not conform to gender norms. As feminist criminologists have shown, for example, women who fail to conform to femininity norms are often policed and punished more harshly in the criminal justice system than those who adhere more closely to societal gender expectations (Carlen, 1983, 1985; Heidensohn, 1996). Likewise, traditional norms around masculinity and femininity still operate as key modes of discipline, power and regulation within carceral settings (Sim, 1994; Carrabine and Longhurst, 1998; Crewe, 2006). Although the role of gender norms within the penal system is widely recognised, little attention has been paid to their specific impact on transgender people.” Joanne Latham A transgender prisoner was discovered dead in her cell at an all-male prison, the BBC reports . Joanne Latham, 38, serving life for three attempted murders , was found hanging by a prison officer at HMP Woodhill (category A) in Milton Keynes in the early hours of Friday 27 November. That she was a patient at the secure Rampton Hospital in 2011 and in the prison’s Close Supervision Centre (CSC) evidences her mental health issues. She had apparently only publicly identified as female this year . Vicky Thompson HMP Leeds Transgender woman Vicky Thompson was found dead on Friday 13 November at “ England’s most overcrowded prison ” all-male HMP Leeds (category B), where the infamous violent prisoner Charles Bronson was briefly held. It currently holds 550 more people than the 669 person prison was designed for, with the contingent additional health and safety risks that brings. Thompson identified as female and requested female prison incarceration for her 12 month sentence. She said if she was sent to a male prison she would likely commit suicide . her solicitor described the 21 year old as vulnerable. So sending her to Britain’s second most suicidal jail was not clever thinking. HMP Leeds is second, to HMP Brixton, with “77 self inflicted deaths in custody since 1978. There has been at least one death every year since 1986. From 2010 the number of prison officers has fallen from 383 to 260.” Tara Hudson Transgender woman Tara Hudson was moved from a men’s to women’s prison after protests. She was imprisoned for assaulting a bar manager. She had been living full-time for 6 years as a woman since the age of 20. She was released this week . Jackie Brooklyn, Tara’s mother said on her release: “Hopefully she will heal in time, but it will have a lasting effect. There needs to be a change in the law and the way prisons deal with transgender inmates in general. We had a letter from Tara’s doctor confirming that she has lived her whole adult life as a woman, but it was completely ignored. Relying on what a passport says is a silly way to decide where people belong.” A petition that called for Tara Hudson to serve her sentence in a women’s prison attracted 159,000 signatures . At the same time another petition by Cardiff University SU Women’s Officer, Rachael Melhuish, wanted to no-platform Germaine Greer from speaking due to her transmisogynistic views. Greer’s view has been labelled as radical by those feminists who embrace intersectionality, but Hudson’s treatment at the hands of the Prison Service shows the opposite. If anything, Greer’s disdain is indicative of how we view transgender people as a society. By denying Hudson the right to serve her time in a female prison, our legal system is entirely aligned with statements from Greer such as “Just because you lop off your penis… it doesn’t make you a woman.” – Ella Griffiths in The Independent Paris Lees How The Prison Service Is Failing Trans People by Paris Lees Prison Reform for all Prison reform is what is needed as society moves forward to accepting people outside the binary. HMP/MoJ would have the same problems with non-binary people, some intersex people, as well as trans people at varying points in transition. Italy tried to solve the problem with a specialist trans prison unit. America is considering the same. Rather than 23hrs solitary which is cruel and inhuman, care and planning needs to go into how to house people who do not confirm for their safety. Prisoners still have human rights even if some civil rights are suspended. Trans people also need to be able to have the conversation with some feminists that also argue a pre-op trans may present a risk to a female prison population, or even if no risk, still present an issue. Indeed, the trans person may still be at risk there. Share this: Katy Leave a comment Moving Away from Gender-based Signs The USA’s second biggest discount retailer, Target, announced on 7 August that it was doing away with gender-based signs in store. Phasing out where inappropriate and where needs had changed is more the case, as the corporate press release says: Target stores logo “…shopping preferences and needs change and, as guests have pointed out, in some departments like Toys, Home or Entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary. We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance. For example, in the kids’ Bedding area, signs will no longer feature suggestions for boys or girls, just kids. In the Toys aisles, we’ll also remove reference to gender, including the use of pink, blue, yellow or green paper on the back walls of our shelves.” Historic criticism of Target’s gendered products A tweet by Abi Bechtel, 2 months ago showing a Target store with separate signage for “Building Sets” and “Girls’ Building Sets” went viral on Twitter with over 3,000 retweets to date: — Abi Bechtel (@abianne) June 1, 2015 In an interview at the weekend Bechtel said she hadn’t expected to be at the centre of the discussion about gender: “I didn’t expect it to become the center of this entire discussion about gender and the way toys are marketed. But Caitlyn Jenner’s pictures had just come out. And the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage came out soon after. So there was a whole lot of discussion about gender and gender roles anyway. The tweet just landed at the right time.” Furthermore, last year, they were criticised for their gendered pajamas range – superheroes for boys and “I only date heroes” for girls. If this is Target’s PR response, great. Change often comes about after being caught red-handed in some way. Response to Target’s signage changes As if it was the end of the world as we know it, some Target customers took to posting on non-related threads on Target’s Facebook page . Exercise your right and treat yourself for biking to work today. Happy #MondayMotivation! Which yielded comments such as this : “We are done. No more Target. To remove one of the very thing that makes us all unique . To stuff all children into the same box. What’s next we all get a number instead of a name? Part of our beautiful God given identity is in our gender. You are losing a lot of people with your madness.” Clearly not getting that offering children only 2 gendered boxes hardly makes them unique whereas offering no boxes or labels at all gives them infinite beautiful freedom to be creative in their expression, play, and development. Sigh! Positive Reactions For every shopper they lose they’ll gain one like Tonya Hardin: “Thank you, Target. Thank you for being you, and for reminding the rest of us (especially our children) that it’s okay for them to be themselves, too. In the face of adversity, you’ve stood up for what you believe, and I respect that wholeheartedly. I rarely ever shopped at Target before, but I plan to start now. You may have lost some people, but that’s one customer gained in exchange. Thanks, again. My girls can’t wait to see the new toy section!” Let Toys Be Toys The UK-based #LetToysBeToys campaign will be pleased, however. Indeed, they are, as according to Let Toys Be Toys : “Fourteen UK retailers have agreed to drop boys and girls signs since our campaign began in late 2012. It’s heartening to see that stores in the US are now following suit. This change is part of an overall shift in retailers’ approach. Our research found a 60% drop in the use of ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ signs in UK toy stores between 2012 and 2013, and a 46% drop in the use of gender categories for toys on websites between 2012 and 2014.” A US blog that aims to educate people on”how marketing, sexualization, gender stereotypes, and body image impact childhood” was very pleased to hear the news: “all it will take is one of the retailing giants to be bold enough to deviate from status quo and the rest will fall like dominoes” A parent and writer for TIME Magazine called it “just the tip of the iceberg” and suggested to parents that: “Just because your son wants a My Little Pony bedspread does not mean he’s gay. Just because your daughter wants a bug collecting kit doesn’t mean she’s transgender. And if your children don’t identify with the gender binary, that’s OK. Gender identity has nothing to do with signage in a store. Maybe you should consider backing off and loving the wonderful being you created whether they are homosexual, or queer, or transgender, or straight. Whether they like pink or blue or yellow or polka dots.” For Him For Her Greetings Cards “For Him, For Her” product labeling is binary and patronising, and in an age that has accepted transgender Big Brother winners and TV-series stars, same-sex marriage and intersex athletes, it’s time we stopped the pseudo-division between his and her, boys and girls, and let life be life, and stuff, well… be simply stuff. Earlier this year, the UK department store Selfridges began trialing agender clothing . Moves across everything from toys to clothes are needed to both ease and keep up with the gender-free and genderqueer nature of many growing up in these more enlightened times. That said, narrow-minded binary responses such as “boys are boys and girls are girls” still abound, but are slowly being drowned out by progress. ‘He, She, Me’: an exclusive track by Devonté Hynes and Neneh Cherry, commissioned by Selfridges who launched their agender clothing range in 2015: Share this: Katy Leave a comment More LGBT Lives Lost Here in the UK, February was a month of LGBT History celebration and education but instead of lives remembered the US is memoralising more trans teen lives lost – not to mention the “ eight trans women [who] have been murdered in the US so far this year “. It is with great sadness, therefore, that I’ve seen reports of yet more trans suicides in America, not dissimilar to Leelah Alcorn who took her life at the end of 2014. That at least three trans teens took their lives, in the US alone, during February, is a measure of how far LGBT education still has to go. Another 13 year old trans boy, Damien Strum, ended up in a psych ward after also trying to take his life. Although the facts surrounding this particular teen are somewhat hard to confirm and any privacy should be respected. Zander Mahaffey \| Melonie Rose \| Ash Haffner Better Gender Education On Instagram, Damien had shared, like Leelah Alcorn had, about wanting schools to provide better gender education “of all the other genders”. Leelah has said, “Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better“. A blog post entitled “Let Him Dance” is subtitled “Protecting Gender Expansive Youth” and encourages us that: “We need to stop viewing gender as a binary, because some young people don’t have those easy answers, and they deserve to feel safe and confident in themselves and the people around them. No matter what. Gender is a spectrum . It’s not black and white. There is no ‘opposite’ gender; the binary concept fails to capture the rich variation that exists within gender identity…Every single young person who is fighting to define themselves — trans kids, queer kids, gender fluid kids — need to be protected. They need to belong.” Over LGBT History Month I had several opportunities to speak in schools, a university and elsewhere educating and raising awareness of LGBTIQ experiences. I especially drew attention to young people’s LGBTQ identities, often asexual, bisexual, genderfluid and outside the binary or with newer MOGAI (Minority Orientations Genders and Intersex) labels that many older gay, lesbian and trans people might struggle to recognise – indeed, I had to research many of them myself. “I need to know that I am loved and accepted and believed in, and that life has a point and I will find it someday. That’s just getting harder and harder to believe.” — A gender-expansive youth documented by Human Rights Campaign Zander Nicholas Mahaffey, 15, Georgia Trans teen Zander Mahaffey via Twitter Zander, born Sandra, by his own admission, was a young trans teen, male identified, so a boy. He was just 5’2″ in height and that bothered him. As with many young queer tumblr generation teens he was clued up on his self-identified labels, describing himself as “panromantic-asexual”: “my name’s zander. I’m trans and here to win. 15\|He/Him\|GA\|♓” Tumblr Suicide Note If you’re still reading this it’s probably too late for a trigger warning about suicide (not to mention sexual assault). Having attempted to take my own life on more than one occasion I’ve no problem reading about this, and see writing and talking about it as essential, not something to avoid, but I understand that it can be triggering for some, more often than not the siblings and families left behind. That said, what follows is some parts of Zander’s suicide note , that like Leelah Alcorn’s was timed for a delayed tumblr release: “I don’t know why I’m writing this now, it just feels like a good time. I’ve kept holding off from doing this since it’s probably gonna be long. It’s surreal right? And if I publish this (or don’t delete it from my queue, I should say) then that means I’m dead.” “Dad, I’m sorry but your “little girl” isn’t a little girl. I’m a boy, in my heart. And no, that doesn’t mean I want to play football.” Apart from gender dysphoria, a lot of Zander’s pain seems to stem from a known person sexual assault and family psychological abuse that he describes. He left behind several messages for friends and romantic partners, telling them they weren’t to blame. In amongst one such note, he wrote: “I’m weak, I’m battered and bruised and I’m tired of fighting.” I know that feeling. Sometimes suicide is not about the sum total of life to date, but the last straw, the exhaustion of struggling to survive another day, with no let up in both internal feelings and external circumstances. Often, it is no single thing, but a combination of factors, and a feeling of powerlessness to change them and the solitude of facing them alone. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough, that I gave up. But I just couldn’t, I couldn’t take it anymore. I am a hypocrite, I’ve talked many of people out of suicide before but yet here I am. Or, here I was. I’m not noble, I’m not really trying to make this mean something huge. I’m just a coward who wanted to cut my strings and be free from my troubles. Here marks the end of Zander, a meme enthusiast and, friend? I guess. I can’t say I’m not a little bit afraid of dying, but we all are. It’s the fear of the unknown. Perhaps there is another world waiting for me, perhaps I will be reborn into something, or maybe I’ll just stop existing. Maybe I would be a ghost that would be cool don’t you think? I have no clue, like with everything else in my life I’ll just wing it. So this is the end? I’m over 3,000 words now. Time will go on, hopefully no one will be too bothered from me for too long. Just continue as you normally would be, that is what I want. I’m selfish, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that I only think about myself in this situation. I know there’s going to be people hurt and devastated by this. And I’m so, so, sorry about that. I don’t know what else to say. I’m just so tired, I’m so tired and I just want to go to sleep.” I recognise so many of those feelings, as much as suicide helplines exist, empathic Samaritans, even closest friends are out there, the darkness of dysphoric depression, ache of social anxieties, are best understood by those that have been there. Family and domestic and sexual violence issues are something more broadly faced and understood. But nobody can be there for you 24/7 – and if anybody is, it would probably be your family, not much help if they are part of the problem and not part of the solution. The American Institute for Suicide Prevention found that 46% of trans men and 42% of trans women have attempted to take their own lives. Furthermore, 57% of transgender people were found to have been denied and excluded by family members. 50-54% experienced bullying in school. In the UK 48% of trans people under 26 attempt suicide (2014) and some 43% in Canada (2012). Misgendered Memorial Whilst Leelah Alcorn found herself misgendered in death by close family, the funeral service, school and some news media outlets, a more aware Zander had probably learned from her situation and thus writes to two friends, Gabby and Katie: “I want to ask of you both (especially you, Gabby) is to make sure if there are any memorials for me I want you both to make sure my right name and pronouns are used.” Sadly, but not unsurprisingly, the family chose to use birth names and pronouns in the funeral and tombstone arrangements, as confirmed by a teenage friend present at the funeral . It seems supportive families of trans children are still the exception not the rule. In response thousands took to twitter with the hashtag campaign #HisNameWasZander . Friends and supporters also put together a memorial blog on tumblr. Melonie Rose, 19, Maryland Trans teen Melonie Rose via Twitter Also last month, Melonie Rose, aged 19, a transwoman of colour, took her own life. Rather than rewrite what someone has written so well already, check out Dominick Evans’s report here . Dominick is a trans man and friend of Hunter, another trans man friend of Melonie’s, from whom much of the information about her life, death and misgendered memorial are drawn. #HerNameWasMelonie Ash Haffner, 16, North Carolina Trans teen Ash Haffner via Twitter After years of bullying, particularly after cutting his hair short and changing his name legally to that of his male gender identity, 16-year-old Ash Haffner stepped into traffic, like Leelah Alcorn, and ended his life on 26 February. Ash’s mother told WSOC-TV that “Ash started enduring the most bullying when she cut her hair short.” Whilst his mother was supportive of his transition she admitted to struggling with pronouns and still called him ‘she’ but did refer to him as Ash rather than by his birth name of Ashlyn. Ash left a final note on his iPad saying: “Please be WHO YOU ARE… Do it for yourself. Do it for your happiness. That’s what matters in YOUR life. You don’t need approval on who you are. Don’t let people or society change who you are just because they’re not satisfied with your image.” Suicide Contagion Trans teen Leelah Alcorn via Twitter Some people have warned of the risk of copycat suicides and suicide clusters but more worrying is the similarity of lived experiences of transphobia and family struggles to accept – conquering these, “fixing society” as Leelah Alcorn called for, would bypass any likelihood of contagious exit strategies. Research on the possible factors leading to multiple suicide events has concluded that it is not media coverage in general but certain specific elements, which the Washington Post has reported on here , although calling it a suicide epidemic is unnecessarily alarmist. The focus should be on creating supportive environments at home, school and in society, not creating a blame culture on social media – the very place that is often the only place some trans teens can go to for support – although it can often be a place of online bullying too. Supportive Families It has been clearly demonstrated that parental attitudes have a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of transgender youth and according to a 2012 Canadian report , can lead to a: “93% reduction in reported suicide attempts for youth who indicated their parents were strongly supportive of their gender identity and expression” Without that support, some 57% of young trans people attempted suicide, even higher than the averaged-out figure for trans of all ages and domestic backgrounds. “Ross” is a short video telling of the trials of being an FTM teen in a school and family environment. Gender identity can be a matter of life and death, not an academic gender critical ideology, but a real lived – and sometimes died, gender dysphoria. #TransLivesMatter Helplines in the USA National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 The Trevor Project Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 Katy Leave a comment Stonewall to become Trans inclusive Historically, during the UK’s LGBT History Month, Stonewall (England and Wales) has announced that after months of meetings and “extensive consultation with over 700 trans people” that it will now actively campaign for trans rights and educate across the whole of LGBT. “This change marks a significant moment in Stonewall’s history…This is an exciting but huge undertaking – we recognise that we are not instant experts, and will work closely with the trans community to achieve real change for LGBT people.” – Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall Stonewall office view “Some people are Trans” Just as Stonewall plays historic catch-up and apology, others are debating the inclusion of more letters in the LGBT alphabet soup. So it was good that Stonewall also had engagements, one of which I was present at, with people who are intersex and/or non-binary, whether they identified as trans or not. Ruth said: “We recognise that there is no universal experience of being trans”, so it is good that the trans* spectrum rather than stereotype is being explored. At present, intersex inclusion is some way off, but engagement continues to take place, and Stonewall will help facilitate intersex campaigners and ensure that it itself says nothing about intersex without reference to UK intersex organisations and individuals first. Bisexual Erasure Another long standing grievance with Stonewall has been bisexual silence and thus tacit erasure. This too, has been addressed this month, with more conclusions to follow. Gender & Sexuality, different but not distinct? Trans People and Stonewall report The Stonewall report reflects that: “Stonewall no longer needs to maintain a strict distinction between sexual orientation and gender identity….[but] we would have to work hard to make sure that people understood the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation.” In an interview with PinkNews , to be published later today, Ms Hunt said: “I am absolutely committed to creating a world through Stonewall where everyone has the right to be themselves, where everyone can be who they want to be, and I think that the artificial divide between trans and sexual orientation hasn’t been particularly helpful in the kind of disagreements that we have had, so I wanted to move it forward.” LGBT, Bullying, Education and Schools Perhaps, now, with Stonewall’s help weighing in on Government and education, we might see an improvement to sex education and anti-bullying training and measures that are inclusive of trans and gender non-conforming individuals, and not just homophobic bullying awareness. Indeed, anti-transphobic bullying campaigns and education about gender dysphoria needs to take place at an age before even sexual orientation becomes an issue, since gender identity is often felt by age 7. Responses to the news Meanwhile, some in the gay and lesbian communities have questioned the addition of trans. For instance, in the Pink News article comments : “I’ve just cancelled my monthly donation to Stonewall as it’s clear they now have more money that they need. Gender and sexual orientation are wholly different.” – Steve Other leading gay and lesbian figures including Paul Burston and Julie Bindel have previously commented that they can’t see the need of campaigning and including trans, and that at best lesbian and gay should stick together or indeed also work independently of each other. They regard LGBT as a letter too far and any other letters beyond that as weird and ridiculous. Divided we fall, united we stand Many of these changes are down to the hard work and great mediating of CEO, Ruth Hunt, who made these engagements a prerequisite of taking on the job after Ben Summerskill stepped down. She spoke to the Guardian on the first day of that new job: Time Magazine Transgender Tipping Point Laverne Cox “We are at quite an important tipping point in terms of trans equality, and we are looking at how we can best support and maximise that tipping point… Any change needs to be led by the trans community… we are very open to taking whatever direction will be in the best interest of [that] community” – Ruth Hunt In just over 6 months she has begun the fulfilment of those promises, and today is indeed historical – but never needed to have been. Trans were among the first participants in LGBT rights and demonstrations since the Stonewall Inn riots, but were sidelined and erased from early gay rights history. Correcting that now, is long overdue, but nonetheless appreciated. “This change marks a significant moment in Stonewall’s history. As a community we can achieve much more by standing together.“ – Ruth Hunt This is very definitely a step forward and step away from the past. Some historic grievances may have to be laid to rest and a trans/bi-Stonewall amnesty declared to see this as a good thing for all, particularly as Stonewall are a narrow remit organisation involved in education, government and business equality monitoring and lobbying, not a support organisation or legal advocacy one, thus there is plenty of room for grassroots trans organisations to continue the great work they are doing. Free Speech or Hate Speech? Some people are trans t-shirts Stonewall This comes at a crucial time in the UK since twitter storms , blogs and facebook arguments are raging over trans rights to self-identify and the question of whether it’s free speech or hate speech to question that right and trans access to cis-gender spaces. (‘cis’ means non-trans, and is not a word I personally like, nor is accepted by many ‘cis people’ who simply consider themselves non-trans and comfortable with their birth sex identity.) Share this: Katy Leave a comment Leelah Alcorn – an unnecessary death On Sunday morning in Ohio, USA, whilst many were attending church, an unnecessary tragedy struck. 17-year-old teenager Leelah Alcorn, took her own life. Whilst some reported it as an accident – including her family , her death on I-71 by a trailer truck was clearly suicide by her own admission on her Tumblr blog (now deleted at her parent’s request but accessible by web archive). It was sadly preventable. Within days of her death on 28 December she has set the world alight in terms of trans activism, vigils , messages and memorials of sympathy, petitions of change, Facebook campaigns, Twitter trending hashtags , blogs and comments deleted, backed up, reported, reposted. There has also been, what can only be described as “hate”. Transphobic Hate, Anger at Leelah’s Parents The calls for criminal charges and invective targeted at her parents may be understandable but in the immediate period of grief perhaps misguided and inappropriate, for now at least. The erasure and hate from certain radical (TERF) feminists such as Cathy Brennan, and even some far right extremist groups would be wrong at any time. Brennan has been stirring on Twitter and several Facebook posts, [TW] e.g., fb.com/iambugbrennan/posts/632544953524123 and fb.com/iambugbrennan/posts/632097490235536 . She will certainly never now be forgotten and may trigger a change in the very society she sought to “fix”. Leelah herself regarded her domestic situation as “shitty parenting” not criminal abuse, others might disagree and regard the things that happened, as outlined below, as abusive. Reaching out for help via Reddit After coming out to her parents, she had her Internet access revoked and laptop removed, but upon their return (after submitting to reparative Christian therapy) she began to reach out on social media again. Whilst her Tumblr blog suicide note made the news after her death she had previously posted in the Reddit asktrangender community, at the end of October: Leelah Alcorn reddit asktransgender 28 October 2014 I really need help. Hi, I’m Leelah, 16 and MtF/dmab. Ever since I was around 4 or 5 I knew I was a girl, just like most of the lovely ladies on here, but I didn’t actually understand that it was possible to successfully change genders until I was 14. As soon as I found out what transgender meant, I came out to my mom. She reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong, and it felt awful. She then proceeded to tell my Dad without my consent, and they were both extremely angry with me. They never physically hurt me, but they always talked to me in a very derogatory tone. They would say things like “You’ll never be a real girl” or “What’re you going to do, fuck boys?” or “God’s going to send you straight to hell”. These all made me feel awful about myself, I was christian at the time so I thought that God hated me and that I didn’t deserve to be alive. I cut myself at least once every couple days, and I was constantly thinking about suicide. I wanted to see a gender therapist but they wouldn’t let me, they thought it would corrupt my mind. The would only let me see biased Christian therapists, who instead of listening to my feelings would try to change me into a straight male who loved God, and I would cry after every session because I felt like it was hopeless and there was no way I would ever become a girl. Eventually I lied to them and told them I was straight and that I was a boy, and then the derogatory speech and neglect started to fade. I tried my absolute hardest to live up to their standards and be a straight male, but eventually I realized that I hated religion and my parents. I came out as gay in school, hoping to ease my friends into the whole LGBT thing before I came out as trans. Although my friends reactions were mostly positive my parents were beyond pissed. They took me out of public school, took away my phone and computer, and wouldn’t let me on social media websites, so I was out of contact with any of my friends. I was like this for 5 months, completely and utterly alone. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone outside of church and I wasn’t allowed to be with any of my friends, I just had to stay in my house and be quiet. Eventually they came around and gave me my phone back, but they heavily monitored my facebook/twitter/tumblr profiles in case I did anything “stupid” again. Although I got my friends back I wasn’t allowed to talk to them about anything LGBT.” Less than a fortnight later, Leelah again posted on Reddit in the SuicideWatch forum: “I’m sure someone on here can convince me not to kill myself…Can someone please give me a reason to live” It is clear from the wider context of her post that Prozac anti-depressants were not helping what should have been a case of referring someone to a Gender Identity clinic or specialist. That, unfortunately, was not something with the worldview of her Christian parents who preferred to send her for “ conversion therapy “. Trans Positive Parenting It has been clearly demonstrated that parental attitudes have a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of transgender youth and according to a 2012 Canadian report , can lead to a: “93% reduction in reported suicide attempts for youth who indicated their parents were strongly supportive of their gender identity and expression” Without that support, some 57% of young trans people attempted suicide, even higher than the averaged-out figure for trans of all ages and domestic backgrounds. (See below for more on suicide risks ) Family Non-Acceptance Leelah was born Joshua and went by Josh too. That is the name and gender by which her parents still knew her, despite her protestations and requests to be allowed to transition after her 16th birthday. Her mother posted on Facebook , but upon the press contacting them about Joshua also being Leelah – which the family confirmed, they requested privacy, and have now made their profile private blocking access to the following post: Carla Wood Alcorn facebook post re Leelah/Joshua Ryan Alcorn “My sweet 16-year-old son, Joshua Ryan Alcorn went home to heaven this morning. He was out for an early morning walk and was hit by a truck. Thank you for the messages and kindness and concern you have sent our way. Please continue to keep us in your prayers” Whilst Leelah herself left another Tumblr note, an apology to certain friends, it did not include her mum and dad and explicitly said: “Mom and Dad: Fuck you. You can’t just control other people like that. That’s messed up.” I understand the frustration and the pain that led to her suicide, and nothing excuses parental non-acceptance of their own child. Certain behaviours they may not be accepting of, certain identities they may not understand – my own took years to understand, but accepted and loved me from the outset of coming out. The cries of “murderers” and “evil” seen on some news and social media comments, are “ unhelpful “, though. Many parents have become LGBTI advocates after experiences such as these. The grief of losing a child is still losing a child, whether you accepted their gender or not. Certainly, they could have diminished the likelihood and reduced the family factor leading up to the loss of life, but suicide very often has multiple causations, as I know only too well. Family and faith were factors, but society, friends, and not being able to see any future happy outcome as male or female, also contributed. Religious repression and Christian confusion I can understand from personal experience that it takes time for family to come around to a name change, let along a gender change, and the accompanying pronouns, but Leelah’s parents were doubly burdened, it would seem, by their personal faith – they were Christians. Whilst there are some inclusive Christian groups out there, in the UK, for example, the Metropolitan Church, Changing Attitude, Greenbelt festival, there are even Accepting Evangelicals, many would regard a transgender Christian as an oxymoron. I experienced attempts to “pray away the gay“, exorcise the trans demon, heal and cure my “twisted” gender – as it was termed by a charismatic Christian healer, who was also an Ob/Gyn consultant. I know it is hard, too, for believers to step away from the idea that since “God does not make mistakes“, gender is somehow fixed. I theologically tortured myself, repenting and repressing my gender dysphoric identity for decades. I prayed – when I believed, for God to take away the “curse” of being trans. I too tried suicide on more than one occasion. My psychiatrist called me “the most reluctant transsexual he’d ever met” because of my own religious repression. Conversion/Reparative Therapy I know people currently or previously involved in Christian reparative therapy, some willingly undergo it, only for them to revert to their true nature (trans or gay) later – sometimes called ex-ex-gay and ex-ex-trans. Neither ex-gay conversion therapy nor psychotherapies to prevent gender transition are endorsed by UK or US psychiatric and psychological professional bodies, eg. APA, AMA, APA, BACP, BPS, UKCP etc. It is hard to outlaw it completely if some people actively seek it. Many in those circles call it “unwanted same sex attraction”, the unwanted bit gives them pseudo-legitimacy to offer it. In Leelah’s case it was very definitely imposed, and an unwanted intervention. Quite rightly, a call to reign in “conversion therapy” was made at the London vigil for Leelah, by Sarah Brown , the full text of her speech can be read here . “presumably … the conversion therapist assured them [the parents] that their therapy could “fix” their child and turn Leelah into the dutiful straight cisgender son they wanted. That the trans feelings could be “cured” … We have known for a long time that conversion therapy, whether it be aimed at changing gender identity or sexuality does not work. We also now know that if a trans person has stated the need to transition, and things are done to block them, there is a better than evens chance that they will try to kill themselves.” Trans Suicide note left on Tumblr Leelah’s suicide note showed up on the social media site Tumblr along with some personal posts on scheduled release. It began: “If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue.” She continued: “Please don’t be sad, it’s for the better. The life I would’ve lived isn’t worth living in… because I’m transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and I’ve felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally “boyish” things to try to fit in. When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong. If you are reading this, parents, please don’t tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don’t ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won’t do anything but make them hate them self. That’s exactly what it did to me. My mom started taking me to a therapist, but would only take me to christian therapists, (who were all very biased) so I never actually got the therapy I needed to cure me of my depression. I only got more christians telling me that I was selfish and wrong and that I should look to God for help. When I was 16 I realized that my parents would never come around, and that I would have to wait until I was 18 to start any sort of transitioning treatment, which absolutely broke my heart. The longer you wait, the harder it is to transition. I felt hopeless, that I was just going to look like a man in drag for the rest of my life. On my 16th birthday, when I didn’t receive consent from my parents to start transitioning, I cried myself to sleep. I formed a sort of a “fuck you” attitude towards my parents and came out as gay at school, thinking that maybe if I eased into coming out as trans it would be less of a shock. Although the reaction from my friends was positive, my parents were pissed. They felt like I was attacking their image, and that I was an embarrassment to them. They wanted me to be their perfect little straight christian boy, and that’s obviously not what I wanted. So they took me out of public school, took away my laptop and phone, and forbid me of getting on any sort of social media, completely isolating me from my friends. This was probably the part of my life when I was the most depressed, and I’m surprised I didn’t kill myself. I was completely alone for 5 months. No friends, no support, no love. Just my parent’s disappointment and the cruelty of loneliness. At the end of the school year, my parents finally came around and gave me my phone and let me back on social media. I was excited, I finally had my friends back. They were extremely excited to see me and talk to me, but only at first. Eventually they realized they didn’t actually give a shit about me, and I felt even lonelier than I did before. The only friends I thought I had only liked me because they saw me five times a week. After a summer of having almost no friends plus the weight of having to think about college, save money for moving out, keep my grades up, go to church each week and feel like shit because everyone there is against everything I live for, I have decided I’ve had enough. I’m never going to transition successfully, even when I move out. I’m never going to be happy with the way I look or sound. I’m never going to have enough friends to satisfy me. I’m never going to have enough love to satisfy me. I’m never going to find a man who loves me. I’m never going to be happy. Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself. There’s no winning. There’s no way out. I’m sad enough already, I don’t need my life to get any worse. People say “it gets better” but that isn’t true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse. That’s the gist of it, that’s why I feel like killing myself. Sorry if that’s not a good enough reason for you, it’s good enough for me. As for my will, I want 100% of the things that I legally own to be sold and the money (plus my money in the bank) to be given to trans civil rights movements and support groups, I don’t give a shit which one. The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society. Please.” Goodbye, Josh Alcorn Leelah’s feelings are both unique and somewhat typical. I resonate and empathise having experienced something similar. In my case it was my own Christian fundamentalism that kept me down, my Anglican parents were none the wiser, and unlike Leelah, I didn’t discover the word transgender till my 20s, even then, that was before social media and Internet support groups. Transgender Suicide Stats Her desire for her death to mean something, “to be counted”, not just as a statistic, but an individual life, that should not have been added to the toll of trans deaths by murder or suicide that is already way too high. She remarked, and it is worth repeating: “My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society.” Transgender suicide stats are horrific. I co-spoke with a psychiatric medical director at an NHS seminar on “Gender, Sex and Mental Health” less than 2 weeks ago. Putting up a PowerPoint slide that reports trans young people as 8x more likely to attempt suicide than other teens, and that that figure is 48%, is enough – or at least should be, to stop an audience in its tracks, and for someone to cry “enough!” The reality is that repeated surveys in the UK , US and Canada , show figures of 32-48% trying suicide to end their dysphoria and felt-rejection by family, partners and society. Up to 80% consider suicide but don’t act on it. In the UK alone, 30% of trans under the age of 26 had attempted suicide in the past 12 months. The most recent US statistics were published earlier this year: “The prevalence of suicide attempts among respondents to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality, is 41 percent, which vastly exceeds the 4.6 percent of the overall U.S. population who report a lifetime suicide attempt, and is also higher than the 10-20 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who report ever attempting suicide.” News reporting of Trans stories It has long been a bugbear of trans persons that many newspapers and websites will report a trans story using the wrong pronouns, focusing on tales and pictures of before and after, or erase our identities and histories in some other way. Local news sites were still misgendering Leelah – if they even mentioned her female identity, and ignoring her social media suicide note, hours after people online had caught up with the facts. It seems both the family and media outlets were in denial about her being trans. The main local reporting on WCPO took nearly 2 days to post an editorial update after 3 stories had already aired about “Joshua’s accident”. Editor’s note: WCPO.com posted an update to this story on Tuesday. The update connects Joshua Alcorn to a blog post by a “Leelah” Alcorn in which Leelah says she was transgender and committed suicide. Finally the WCPO news source reported about Leelah rather than, or at least, as well as Joshua, within the last few hours. Further updates and later news stories were now acknowledging that Joshua preferred to be called Leelah and termed her Leelah Joshua Alcorn and managed the tightrope walk of journalistic caution by subsequently calling her just Alcorn but now using female pronouns. Not all related stories had been fully updated though. A supportive feature on Cincinnati.com included an interview with a friend and fellow young teen artist, Abigail Jones, to whom Leelah came out as trans last July. Abigail described Leelah as “super bubbly and upbeat, with a really brash sense of humor; she could make anyone laugh”. Of all papers, the Daily Mail, in the UK ran a properly gendered article about her suicide, using respectful and correct – as per her self-identification, pronouns. Political Support Positive political support came from Chris Seelbach, Cincinnati City Council’s first openly-gay elected politician, who wrote about Leelah on his Facebook page , re-shared some 16,000 times: “Cincinnati led the country this past year as the first city in the mid-west to include transgender inclusive health benefits and we have included gender identity or expression as a protected class for many years….the truth is….it is still extremely difficult to be a transgender young person in this country.” He went on to appeal for donations as an “investment in our trans kids” for TransOhio.org . Many other trans support groups in the US have been listed on a Storify post . High School Memorial As Joshua, Leelah’s former school offered a memorial and counselling advice. “Beloved Son, Brother, Friend – 1997-2014” was the inscription on the memorial meme. After complaints, it was removed but is still referenced here . Some social media users created and circulated an alternate memorial of a “Beloved Daughter, Sister, Friend” instead, also citing Leelah’s last wishes. Social Media Memorial A Facebook community page “ Justice for Leelah Alcorn ” had garnered thousands of likes in just hours (over 41,000 now) and a sister page “ Leelah’s Law ” to end forced transgender conversion therapy , some 51,000+ attracting well over the 100,000 signatures requested for a Whitehouse petition . There is now a petition on Change.org which went from 3,000 signatures to 63,000 overnight with around 5,000 an hour signing it, and now some 345,000 (as at 28 February 2015). Indeed, Facebook, Tumblr with tens of thousands of notes and reblogs, and Twitter were the primary sources of information, respect, and concern, these last 48 hours. Of all the thousands of trans suicides worldwide each year it is Leelah’s that has struck a chord with people and reached the #1 trending topic on Twitter . Hopefully, enough to make a difference. For all the flack social media gets it should be remembered that they can be a primary source of support for, especially young, trans people seeking help and advice. Leelah was forcibly deprived of access for months at a time, along with Christian therapy, to ween her off being trans, something that could not be done. Nonetheless, Leelah also realised that even social media friends may not be that deep, and with “hating herself” as she was and not seeing any future for herself as man or woman, she could not even be a friend to herself in her desperate isolation in the real, online , and her own internal worlds. Public Memorials and Vigils Katy Leave a comment Third/Non-Gender passport options could be debated in the UK Parliament following a lengthy campaign by people outside the male-female gender binary who feel erased and discriminated against. [UPDATE – Government “considering” changes to gender identity laws, passport and driving licence changes. Maria Miller, chair of the Commons Women and Equalities committee, said a person’s sex was “not relevant” on official documents, and it created an “unconscious bias” in job applications. Gender details on passports also do not assist with identification, she added. The committee will publish a report on transgender discrimination in January 2016. In an interview with The Times , Miller said gender stereotyping can be as “damaging” for men as women.] A motion was tabled yesterday (5 June 2014) in the UK Parliament to allow non-binary M/F passport gender markers in the UK, to aid those that identify as non-gender, non-binary, agender, bigender, or intergender – or simply hate gender construct labels. The internationally allowed X marker already allows this, not as some compulsory trans or third gender marker which could be used to reduce people’s rights as citizens, but as a self-selected optional marker for those that feel they do not fit the only 2 options given in UK and most nation’s passports. Australia and New Zealand accept the non-gender specific X passport as do India, Nepal and Pakistan. Canada is debating change; Malaysia are allegedly considering removing gender from all passports. Argentina makes switching between Male & Female easy, without legal-medical requirements for trans, intersex, genderqueer, or anyone else for that matter – a move, it has been announced, that Denmark looks set to follow. This motion is essentially a re-tabling of previous attempts, but taking advantage of a new Parliamentary session – it will need hundreds of signatures to even trigger a full debate. “Although there is very little prospect of EDMs being debated, many attract a great deal of public interest and frequently receive media coverage … In an average session only six or seven EDMs reach over two hundred signatures. Around seventy or eighty get over one hundred signatures. The majority will attract only one or two signatures. An EDM is not likely to be debated even if it gains a large number of signatures.” Parliament.uk The move follows LibDem sponsored Government reviews into this since 2011, and yet progress had stalled. The new early day motion has been sponsored by Julian Huppert (LibDem) and is supported by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour). Non-gendered Christie Elan-cane has long fought for non-gendered passports and had her case taken up by MPs such as David Blunkett (Lab), Liberal Democrat MPs Lynne Featherstone and Simon Hughes and Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP. Some of the last 3 years’ history on this has been blogged about here . One might think that just two options M/F on passports prejudices just trans, intersex and genderqueer people but if part of a family then gay, lesbian and trans are also affected as the designated parents on child passports. Some countries, including the US have thus adopted gender-neutral parenting option on children’s passports, not mother/father but parent 1/parent 2. The words “mother” and “father” were being removed from American passport applications and replaced with gender neutral terminology, the US State Department said in 2011. The UK and Australia were said to be following suit. Legal documents that reflect a person’s gender – or non-gender identity are a basic human right. Denying them, restricts, travel, identification, and citizen rights such as voting or access to welfare benefits. “The denial of existence is the worst act of discrimination by the gendered majority against the non-gendered“ – Christie Elan-Cane Elan-Cane prefers ‘per’ in place of him or her and the honorific title Pr, short for Person, neither Mr nor Ms. Shouldn’t we all be entitled to be seen as persons first, and not primarily gendered categories? Facebook now has some 50+ gender options, why do we need any on official documentation? The military does not use gender as a means of identification, just name and rank. Height, eyes, and finger prints should be sufficient on biometric passports. Gender, race and identifying marks are invasive, insufficient and inappropriate. Nationality, for the sake of legal travel rights and repatriation. But I cannot see how gender matters. [An early version of this article first appeared here .] Update on “X” Gender not specified UK Passports During the current April-May 2015 General Election campaign, several parties, initially just the Greens and LibDems, but now both Ed Miliband (Labour) and David Cameron (Conservative) have pledged to re-examine X-Gender passports: “The Conservative leader also said he would consider following Australia and New Zealand in introducing ‘Gender X’ passports for people who do not identify as male or female – after Ed Miliband also pledged to review the issue in his PinkNews Q&A “ Share this:	i don't know
What compound, KClO3, commonly features in the heads of safety matches?	Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Chemical Reaction of a Safety Match - Powered by XMB 1.9.11 Chemical Reaction of a Safety Match Does anyone know the Chemical Reaction of a safety match? I believe the matches contain sulfur, potassium chlorate, powdered glass and red phosphorus but I couldn't find an equation for the reaction. Does anyone know it? posted on 8-1-2007 at 21:35 Strike-on-box safety matches contain Sb2S3 and KClO3 in the tip. The box's striking surface contains red phosphorus and glass powder. According to wikipedia, the friction of striking a match causes a small portion of the striking surface's red P to convert to white P which combusts spontaneously in air, starting the reaction between the components of the match head. Like any other pyrotechnic reaction, it is generally difficult to predict the exact reaction products, but I would assume that a reaction along these lines occurs. 3KClO3 + Sb2S3 -> Sb2O3 + 3SO2 + heat posted on 8-1-2007 at 23:06 additionally, in these safety matches are many other substances to regulate their stability (in the matchehead are present sulphur and derivates which isn't will be stable without "stabilizing" compounds as small amounts of Fe2O3, zinc, etc without these things the "safety" matche will turns in a really mini portable "bomb" which will ignites and even explodes on smallest friction), other compounds to regulate the velocity of burn, etc..i cann't remember much of the infos at teh moment because my book with tons of infos disapeared and i MUST sleep now (here: 5:05 AM) the web.... tomorrow i will post "The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant." posted on 10-1-2007 at 08:52 so now i find my book with the infos. there says which moreover the Sb2S3 (in modern safety matches), has the phosphorus sesquisulfide(done development to risks to red P ). some of the phosphorus sesquisulfide based modern matches are of the Strike-anywhere matches types, and other part of the Safety matches (although i don't know what the difference of % in the composition ).. ------- darkuza,i think which is very probably which the SO2 isn't the ONLY gas of decomposition ,but the MAINLY gas... i don't think which using this method with matchheads for producing H2SO4 is cheap, and also has very time consuming and lot of impurities (the others gases from decomposition of matches can to poison any catalyst (e.g. V2O5 method)(????)).. you can try also heat sulfur alone with air or O2 this is much better (much less cost , and much more purity of SO2) and pass into catalyst, or then heat MUCH more pirite or other sulfide ..e.g. iron sulfate III Quote: from wikipedia: iron(III) sulfate, Fe2(SO4)3, which when heated to 480 Â°C decomposed to iron(III) oxide and sulfur trioxide, which could be passed through water to yield sulfuric acid in any concentration i still think which old baterry (and filtrated after) acid can provide dilute H2SO4 totally FREE.. also, search in this forum to see threads of H2SO4. [Editado em 10-1-2007 por Aqua_Fortis_100%] [Editado em 10-1-2007 por Aqua_Fortis_100%] "The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant." posted on 21-11-2015 at 18:52 Sorry for reviving an old thread and all... My recent projects in chemistry have involved mainly turning household chemicals into other ones, or isolating an element out of them. I recently wondered if I could isolate the rather exciting compounds out of matches, as those are one the few pyrotechnic compositions commonly sold to the public. My research showed (as stated somewhat incorrectly above) that strike-anywhere match heads contain PHOSPHOROUS sequisulfide(P4S3)and antimony trisulfide(Sb2S3),along with some unnamed stabilizers. Safety matche heads (as opposed to strike anywhere matches) contain potassium chlorate (KClO3) and antimony trisulfide(Sb2S3). The trick in safety matches (to make them safe) is to isolate the phosphorous critical to the reaction from the other reactants in the match head by putting in on a striker strip on the box, along with glass particles and a binder to make sure there is appropriate friction. Strike anywhere matches get around this problem by putting the phosphorous in a compound (P4S3)and using even more binders. Usually, to get phosphorous from matches(both strike anywheres and safety) one would just cut out the match strips containing the phosphorous and scrape or dissolve it out. The excess matches are simply wasted. My goal is to efficiently dissolve the binders and other unwanted materials out of the match head composition, then separate and purify the wanted chemicals (usually two). Firstly, I want to attempt to isolate phosphorus sequisulfide out of strike anywhere match heads via a solvent and some way to eleminate the binders (filtration?). I noticed this post from a thread which is now closed- "P4S5 can be dissolved from strike-anywhere match-heads with many solvents: "Suitable solvents or diluents for the phosphorus sesquisuflide are solvents that dissolve the phosphorus sesquisulfide and which preferably swell the surface of a plastic without detrimentally affecting the surface of the plastic. Such solvents include the halogenated hydrocarbons and halocarbons such as chloroform, methyl chloroform, phenyl chloroform, dichloroethylene, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, trichloroethane, dichloropropane, ethyl dibromide, ethyl chlorobromide, propylene dibromide, monochlorobenzene, monochlorotoluene and the like; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene, naphthalene and the like; ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and the like; acetic acid; acetic acid-trichloroethylene mixtures; carbon disulfide; and the like. " United States Patent 3650708" For some reason it was called P4S5 but Wikipedia said it was P4S3. Anyways I can get toluene and aceton fairly easily, along with strike anywhere matches. This may dissolve the antimony (III) sulfide and binders though.Has anyone attempted anything like this? I UTFSE'd and didn't find any high quality threads about chemically isolating phosphorous and other reagents from matches. "Is this even science anymore?!"	Potassium chlorate
A significant German reaction to the 2011 Fukushima crisis was to phase out what by 2022?	match \| tinder \| Britannica.com tinder Match, splinter of wood , strip of cardboard, or other suitable flammable material tipped with a substance ignitable by friction . Burning safety match. Sebastian Ritter A match consists of three basic parts: a head, which initiates combustion; a tinder substance to pick up and transmit the flame; and a handle. There are two main types of modern friction matches: (1) strike-anywhere matches and (2) safety matches. The head of the strike-anywhere match contains all the chemicals necessary to obtain ignition from frictional heat, while the safety match has a head that ignites at a much higher temperature and must be struck on a specially prepared surface containing ingredients that pass ignition across to the head. The substance commonly used for obtaining combustion at the temperature of frictional heat is a compound of phosphorus . This substance is found in the head of strike-anywhere matches and in the striking surface of safety matches. Learn about the chemistry of lighting a match. © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner) In addition to the phosphoric igniting agent, three other main groups of chemicals are found in the match: (1) oxidizing agents, such as potassium chlorate, which supply oxygen to the igniting agent and the other combustible materials; (2) binders, such as animal glue, starches and gums, and synthetics , which bind the ingredients and are oxidized during combustion; post-combustion binders, such as ground glass , which fuse and hold the ash together, must also be used; and (3) inert materials, such as diatomaceous earth , which provide bulk and regulate the speed of reaction. Before the invention of matches, it was common to use specially made splinters tipped with some combustible substance, such as sulfur , to transfer a flame from one combustible source to another. An increased interest in chemistry led to experiments to produce fire by direct means on this splinter. Jean Chancel discovered in Paris in 1805 that splints tipped with potassium chlorate, sugar , and gum could be ignited by dipping them into sulfuric acid . Later workers refined this method, which culminated in the “ promethean match” patented in 1828 by Samuel Jones of London . This consisted of a glass bead containing acid, the outside of which was coated with igniting composition . When the glass was broken by means of a small pair of pliers, or even with the user’s teeth, the paper in which it was wrapped was set on fire. Other early matches, which could be both inconvenient and unsafe, involved bottles containing phosphorus and other substances. An example was François Derosne’s briquet phosphorique (1816), which used a sulfur-tipped match to scrape inside a tube coated internally with phosphorus. Similar Topics flash point These first matches were extremely difficult to ignite, and they frequently erupted in a shower of sparks. In addition, the smell was particularly offensive, and the warning printed on Jones’s box (“Persons whose lungs are delicate should by no means use the Lucifers”) seems well founded. Economic conditions between 1825 and 1835 seem to have favoured the manufacture of matches as an industrial proposition, although the first suppliers fell back on nonphosphoric formulas—i.e., those based mostly on potassium-chlorate mixtures. The first friction matches were invented by John Walker , an English chemist and apothecary, whose ledger of April 7, 1827, records the first sale of such matches. Walker’s “Friction Lights” had tips coated with a potassium chloride–antimony sulfide paste, which ignited when scraped between a fold of sandpaper. He never patented them. Nonphosphoric friction matches were being made by G.-E. Merkel of Paris and J. Siegal of Austria, among others, by 1832, by which time the manufacture of friction matches was well established in Europe . Energy & Fossil Fuels In 1831 Charles Sauria of France incorporated white, or yellow, phosphorus in his formula, an innovation quickly and widely copied. In 1835 Jànos Irinyi of Hungary replaced potassium chlorate with lead oxide and obtained matches that ignited quietly and smoothly. The discovery by the Austrian chemist Anton von Schrötter in 1845 of red phosphorus , which is nontoxic and is not subject to spontaneous combustion , led to the safety match, with its separation of the combustion ingredients between the match head and the special striking surface. J.E. Lundström of Sweden patented this method in 1855. Britannica Stories	i don't know
In general a horse is distinguished from a pony at/over approximately what height, in hands, to the withers?	clipper paddock horsemanship gaucho rider mustang clipper paddock horsemanship gaucho rider mustang Yearling: a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Modern light horses, all descended in part from the Arabian horse, the oldest surviving breed of known lineage, include the Thoroughbred, celebrated as a racehorse; the American saddlebred horse, known for its easy gaits; the Morgan and the quarter horse, favored for riding and cow herding; and the Standardbred, or trotter, developed for light harness racing. The Appaloosa and the Pinto, much used in cow herding, are distinguished by their patterned colors. The palomino is not a breed but a color type. Among the small horses are the Shetland pony and Welsh pony. The terms cow pony and polo pony refer to the animal's use rather than its size or breed. Although little used for work today, horses are widely owned for recreational riding and show activities. Yearling: a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. The size of horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition. The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands as measured at the withers. An animal 14.2h or over is usually considered a horse and one less than 14.2h is a pony. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some smaller horse breeds who typically produce individual horses both under and over 14.2h are considered "horses" regardless of height. Likewise, some pony breeds, such as the Welsh pony, share some features of horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2h, but are still considered ponies. People of all ages with physical and mental disabilities obtain beneficial results from association with horses. Therapeutic riding is used to mentally and physically stimulate disabled persons and help them improve their lives through improved balance and coordination, increased self-confidence and a greater feeling of freedome and independence. The benefits of equestrian activity for people with disabilities has also been recognized with the addition of equestrian events to the Paralympic Games and recognition of para-equestrian events by the FEI. Hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding are names for different physical, occupational, and speech therapy treatment strategies that utilize equine movement. In hippotherapy, a therapist uses the horse's movement to provide improve their patient's cognitive, coordination, balance and fine motor skills, whereas therapeutic horseback riding uses specific riding skills. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot or jog, and the leaping gaits known as the canter or lope (a three-beat gait), and the gallop. Besides these basic gaits, some horses perform a two-beat pace, instead of the trot. In addition, there are several four-beat "ambling" gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral slow gait, rack, running walk, and tï¿½lt as well as the diagonal fox trot. Ambling gaits are often genetic traits in specific breeds, often referred to as gaited horses. In most cases, gaited horses replace the standard trot, a 2-beat gait, with one of the four beat gaits. People of all ages with physical and mental disabilities obtain beneficial results from association with horses. Therapeutic riding is used to mentally and physically stimulate disabled persons and help them improve their lives through improved balance and coordination, increased self-confidence and a greater feeling of freedome and independence. The benefits of equestrian activity for people with disabilities has also been recognized with the addition of equestrian events to the Paralympic Games and recognition of para-equestrian events by the FEI. Hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding are names for different physical, occupational, and speech therapy treatment strategies that utilize equine movement. In hippotherapy, a therapist uses the horse's movement to provide improve their patient's cognitive, coordination, balance and fine motor skills, whereas therapeutic horseback riding uses specific riding skills. Click Here to Return to Windy Hill Acres Filly: a female horse under the age of four. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot or jog, and the leaping gaits known as the canter or lope (a three-beat gait), and the gallop. Besides these basic gaits, some horses perform a two-beat pace, instead of the trot. In addition, there are several four-beat "ambling" gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral slow gait, rack, running walk, and tï¿½lt as well as the diagonal fox trot. Ambling gaits are often genetic traits in specific breeds, often referred to as gaited horses. In most cases, gaited horses replace the standard trot, a 2-beat gait, with one of the four beat gaits. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot or jog, and the leaping gaits known as the canter or lope (a three-beat gait), and the gallop. Besides these basic gaits, some horses perform a two-beat pace, instead of the trot. In addition, there are several four-beat "ambling" gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral slow gait, rack, running walk, and tï¿½lt as well as the diagonal fox trot. Ambling gaits are often genetic traits in specific breeds, often referred to as gaited horses. In most cases, gaited horses replace the standard trot, a 2-beat gait, with one of the four beat gaits. Foal: a horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling. Most domesticated foals are weaned at 4-6 months of age. The horse (Equus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten living species of the family Equidae. The size of horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition. The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands as measured at the withers. An animal 14.2h or over is usually considered a horse and one less than 14.2h is a pony. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some smaller horse breeds who typically produce individual horses both under and over 14.2h are considered "horses" regardless of height. Likewise, some pony breeds, such as the Welsh pony, share some features of horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2h, but are still considered ponies. Yearling: a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot or jog, and the leaping gaits known as the canter or lope (a three-beat gait), and the gallop. Besides these basic gaits, some horses perform a two-beat pace, instead of the trot. In addition, there are several four-beat "ambling" gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral slow gait, rack, running walk, and tï¿½lt as well as the diagonal fox trot. Ambling gaits are often genetic traits in specific breeds, often referred to as gaited horses. In most cases, gaited horses replace the standard trot, a 2-beat gait, with one of the four beat gaits. Horses also provide psychological benefits to people whether they actually ride or not. "equine-assisted" or "equine-facilitated" psychotherapy is a form of experiential psychotherapy that uses horses as companion animals to assist people with psychological problems, including anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, behavioral difficulties, mental illness and those who are going through major life changes. equine Assisted Learning (EAL) (also known as equine guided education or equine assisted professional development) is field of experiential learning for corporate, professional and personal development. There are also experimental programs using horses in prison settings. Exposure to horses appears to improve the behavior of inmates in a prison setting and help reduce recidivism when they leave.	fourteen
What self-proclaimed birthplace of surfing announced in 2011 that the activity would become (in 2013) an official college sport?	Horse Horse Linnaeus , 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal , one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. Horses have long been among the most economically important domesticated animals; although their importance has declined with mechanization, they are still found worldwide, fitting into human lives in various ways. The horse is prominent in religion , mythology , and art ; it has played an important role in transportation , agriculture , and war; it has additionally served as a source of food , fuel, and clothing . Almost all breeds of horses can, at least in theory, carry humans on their backs or be harnessed to pull objects such as carts or plows . However, horse breeds were developed to allow horses to be specialized for certain task; lighter horses for racing or riding , heavier horses for farming and other tasks requiring pulling power. In some societies, horses are a source of food, both meat and milk ; in others it is taboo to consume them. In industrialized countries horses are predominantly kept for leisure and sporting pursuits, while they are still used as working animals in many other parts of the world. Biology Anatomy of a horse from an Egyptian ( Arabic ) document (15th century) Age Depending on breed, management and environment, the domestic horse today has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. It is uncommon, but a few horses live into their 40s, and, occasionally, beyond. The oldest verifiable record was "Old Billy," a horse that lived in the 19th century to the age of 62. The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages: Foal: a horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling. Most foals are weaned at 4-6 months of age. Yearling: a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Colt: a male horse under the age of four. Filly: a female horse under the age of four. Mare: a female horse four years old and older. Stallion: a non-castrated male horse four years old and older. Some people, particularly in the UK, refer to a stallion as a "horse." Gelding: A castrated male horse of any age, though for convenience sake, many people also refer to a young gelding under the age of four as a "colt." In horse racing the definitions of colt, filly, mare, and stallion or horse may differ from those given above. In the United Kingdom, Thoroughbred horse racing defines a colt as a male horse less than five years old and a filly as a female horse less than five years old. In the USA, both Thoroughbred racing and harness racing defines colts and fillies as four years old and younger. Size The size of horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition. The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands(h or hh) (147 cm, 58 inches) as measured at the withers. An animal 14.2h or over is usually considered a horse and one less than 14.2h is a pony. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some smaller horse breeds who typically produce individual horses both under and over 14.2h are considered "horses" regardless of height. Likewise, some pony breeds, such as the Pony of the Americas or the Welsh cob, share some features of horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2h, but are still considered ponies. The difference between a horse and pony is not simply a height difference, but also a difference in phenotype or appearance. There are noticeable differences in conformation and temperament. Ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat. They also have proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavy bone, thick necks, and short heads with broad foreheads. Light horses such as Arabians, Morgans, Quarter Horses, Paints and Thoroughbreds usually range in height from 14.0 (142 cm) to 16.0 hands (163 cm) and can weigh from 386 kilograms (850 lbs) to about 680 kg (1500 lbs). Heavy or draft horses such as the Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron, and Shire are usually at least 16.0 (163 cm) to 18.0 hands (183 cm) high and can weigh from about 682 kg (1500 lb) up to about 900 kg (2000 lb). Ponies are less than 14.2h, but can be much smaller, down to the Shetland pony at around 10 hands, and the Falabella which can be the size of a medium-sized dog. The miniature horse is as small as or smaller than either of the aforementioned ponies but are classified as very small horses rather than ponies despite their size. The largest horse in history was a Shire horse named Sampson, later renamed Mammoth, foaled in 1846 in Bedfordshire, England. He stood 21.2½ hands high (i.e. 7 ft 2½ in or 2.20 m ), and his peak weight was estimated at over 3,300 lb (approx 1.5 tonnes). The current record holder for the world's smallest horse is Thumbelina, a fully mature miniature horse affected by dwarfism. She is 17 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds. Reproduction and development Pregnancy lasts for approximately 335-340 days and usually results in one foal (male: colt, female: filly). Twins are rare. Colts are usually carried 2-7 days longer than fillies. Females 4 years and over are called mares and males are stallions. A castrated male is a gelding. Horses, particularly colts, may sometimes be physically capable of reproduction at approximately 18 months but in practice are rarely allowed to breed until a minimum age of 3 years, especially females. Horses four years old are considered mature, though the skeleton usually finishes developing at the age of six, and the precise time of completion of development also depends on the horse's size (therefore a connection to breed exists), gender, and the quality of care provided by its owner. Also, if the horse is larger, its bones are larger; therefore, not only do the bones take longer to actually form bone tissue (bones are made of cartilage in earlier stages of bone formation), but the epiphyseal plates (plates that fuse a bone into one piece by connecting the bone shaft to the bone ends) are also larger and take longer to convert from cartilage to bone as well. These plates convert after the other parts of the bones do but are crucial to development. Depending on maturity, breed and the tasks expected, young horses are usually put under saddle and trained to be ridden between the ages of two and four. Although Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse race horses are put on the track at as young as two years old in some countries (notably the United States ), horses specifically bred for sports such as show jumping and dressage are generally not entered into top-level competition until a minimum age of four years old, because their bones and muscles are not solidly developed, nor is their advanced training complete. Anatomy Horses have, on average, a skeleton of 205 bones. A significant difference in the bones contained in the horse skeleton, as compared to that of a human, is the lack of a collarbone--their front limb system is attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, tendons and ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso. The horse's legs and hooves are also unique, interesting structures. Their leg bones are proportioned differently from those of a human. For example, the body part that is called a horse's "knee" is actually the carpal bones that correspond to the human wrist. Similarly, the hock, contains the bones equivalent to those in the human ankle and heel. The lower leg bones of a horse correspond to the bones of the human hand or foot, and the fetlock (incorrectly called the "ankle") is actually the proximal sesamoid bones between the cannon bones (a single equivalent to the human metacarpal or metatarsal bones) and the proximal phalanges, located where one finds the "knuckles" of a human. A horse also has no muscles in its legs below the knees and hocks, only skin and hair, bone, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the assorted specialized tissues that make up the hoof (see section hooves, below). Digestion A horse is a herbivore with a digestive system adapted to a forage diet of grasses and other plant material, consumed regularly throughout the day, and so they have a relatively small stomach but very long intestines to facilitate a steady flow of nutrients. A 1000 pound horse will eat between 15 and 25 pounds of food per day and, under normal use, drink 10 to 12 gallons of water . Horses are not ruminants, so they have only one stomach, like humans, but unlike humans, they can also digest cellulose from grasses due to the presence of a "hind gut" called the cecum, or "water gut," that food goes through before reaching the large intestine. Unlike humans, horses cannot vomit, so digestion problems can quickly spell trouble, with colic a leading cause of death. Teeth Horses are adapted to grazing, so their teeth continue to grow throughout life. There are 12 teeth (six upper and six lower), the incisors, adapted to biting off the grass or other vegetation, at the front of the mouth, and 24 teeth, the premolar and molars, adapted for chewing, at the back of the mouth. Stallions and geldings have four additional teeth just behind the incisors, a type of canine teeth that are called "tushes." Some horses, both male and female, will also develop one to four very small vestigial teeth in front of the molars, known as "wolf" teeth, which are generally removed because they can interfere with the bit. There is an empty interdental space between the incisors and the molars where the bit rests directly on the bars (gums) of the horse's mouth when the horse is bridled. The incisors show a distinct wear and growth pattern as the horse ages, as well as change in the angle at which the chewing surfaces meet, and while the diet and veterinary care of the horse can affect the rate of tooth wear, a very rough estimate of the age of a horse can be made by looking at its teeth. Hooves The critical importance of the feet and legs is summed up by the traditional adage, "no foot, no horse." The horse hoof begins with the distal phalanges, the equivalent of the human fingertip or tip of the toe, surrounded by cartilage and other specialized, blood-rich soft tissues such as the laminae, with the exterior hoof wall and horn of the sole made essentially of the same material as a human fingernail. The end result is that a horse, weighing on average 1,000 pounds, travels on the same bones as a human on tiptoe. For the protection of the hoof under certain conditions, some horses have horseshoes placed on their feet by a professional farrier. The hoof continually grows, just like a large fingernail, and needs to be trimmed (and horseshoes reset, if used) every six to eight weeks. Senses eye "> A horse's eye The senses of a horse are generally superior to those of a human. As prey animals, they must be aware of their surroundings at all times. They have very large eyes (among land animals only the ostrich has a larger eye), with excellent day and night vision, though they may have a limited range of colour vision. The side positioning of the eyes gives the horse a wide field of vision of about 350°. While not colour-blind , studies indicate that they have difficulty distinguishing greens, browns and grays. Their hearing is good, and the pinna of their ears can rotate a full 360 degrees in order to pick up sound from any direction. Their sense of smell, while much better than that of humans, is not their strongest asset; they rely to a greater extent on vision. A horse's sense of balance is outstanding; the cerebellum of their brain is highly developed and they are very aware of terrain and placement of their feet. Horses' sense of touch is better developed than many people think; they immediately notice when a fly or mosquito lands on them, even before the insect attempts to bite. Their sense of taste is well-developed in order to determine the nature of the plants they are eating, and their prehensile lips can easily sort even the smallest grains. Horses will seldom eat most poisonous plants or spoiled food unless they have no other choices, although a few toxic plants have a chemical structure that appeals to animals, and thus poses a greater risk of being ingested. Behaviour Horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. Their first response to threat is to flee, although they are known to stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is not possible, such as when a foal would be threatened. Through selective breeding, some breeds of horses have been bred to be quite docile, particularly certain large draft horses. However, most light horse riding breeds were developed for speed, agility, alertness and endurance; natural qualities that extend from their wild ancestors. Horses are herd animals, with a clear hierarchy of rank, led by a dominant animal (usually a mare). Horses are also social creatures who are able to form companionship attachments to their own species and to other animals, including humans. They communicate in various ways, including vocalizations such as nickering or whinnying, mutual grooming, and body language. Many horses will become flighty and hard to manage if they are isolated. When this behaviour occurs while being handled by human, the horse is called being "herd-bound". However, through proper training, it is possible to teach any horse to be comfortable away from the herd. When confined with insufficient companionship, exercise or stimulation, horses may develop stable vices, an assortment of bad habits, mostly psychological in origin, that include wood chewing, wall kicking, "weaving" (rocking back and forth) and other problems. Sleep patterns When horses lie down to sleep, others in the herd remain standing, awake or in a light doze, in order to keep watch. Horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. They are able to doze and enter light sleep while standing, an adaptation from life as a prey animal in the wild. Lying down makes an animal more vulnerable to predators. Horses are able to sleep standing up because a "stay apparatus" in their legs allows them to relax their muscles and doze without collapsing. Unlike humans, horses do not need a solid, unbroken period of sleep time. They obtain needed sleep by means of many short periods of rest. Horses may spend anywhere from four to fifteen hours a day in standing rest, and from a few minutes to several hours lying down. However, not all this time is the horse actually asleep; total sleep time in a day may range from several minutes to a couple of hours. Horses require approximately two and a half hours of sleep, on average, in a 24-hour period. Most of this sleep occurs in many short intervals of about 15 minutes each. Horses need to lie down occasionally, and prefer soft ground for a nap. Horses must lie down to reach REM sleep. They only have to lie down for an hour or two every few days to meet their minimum REM sleep requirements. However, if a horse is never allowed to lie down, after several days it will become sleep-deprived, and in rare cases may suddenly collapse as it involuntarily slips into REM sleep while still standing. This condition differs from narcolepsy, though horses may also suffer from that disorder. Horses sleep better when in groups because some animals will sleep while others stand guard to watch for predators. A horse kept entirely alone will not sleep well because its instincts are to keep a constant eye out for danger. Gaits Sequence of a race horse galloping All horses move naturally with four basic gaits; the walk, trot or jog, canter or lope, and gallop. Besides these basic gaits, there are many additional "ambling" or "single-foot" gaits such as pace, slow gait, rack, fox trot running walk, and tölt. These special gaits are often found in specific breeds, often referred to as "gaited" horses because they naturally possess additional gaits that are approximately the same speed as the trot but smoother to ride. Technically speaking the so called "gaited horses" replace the standard trot which is a 2 beat gait with a four beat gait (as opposed to the canter/lope and gallop which are three beat gaits). Horse breeds with additional gaits that often occur naturally include the Tennessee Walking Horse which naturally performs a running walk, the American Saddlebred which can easily be trained to exhibit a slow gait and the rack, the Paso Fino horse with the paso corto and paso largo, and Icelandic horses which are known for the tölt. The fox trot is found in several breeds, most notably the Missouri Foxtrotter. Standardbreds, depending on bloodlines and training, may either pace or trot. Horse Care Horses are animals that evolved to graze. Therefore, they eat grass or hay, sometimes supplemented with grain . Although horses are adapted to live outside, they require shelter from the wind and rain. Horses require annual vaccinations to protect against various diseases, need routine hoof care by a farrier, and regular dental examinations from a veterinarian or a specialized equine dentist. If horses are kept inside in a barn, they require regular daily exercise for their physical health and mental well-being. Evolution Mesohippus, an ancestor of the modern horse The horse as it is known today adapted by evolution to survive in areas of wide-open terrain with sparse vegetation, surviving in an ecosystem where other large grazing animals, especially ruminants, could not. Horses and other equids are odd-toed ungulates of the order Perissodactyla, a relatively ancient group of browsing and grazing animals that first arose less than 10 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct. In the past, this order contained twelve families, but only three families — Equidae (the horse and related species), the tapir and the rhinoceros—have survived to the present day. The earliest equids known as Hyracotherium developed approximately 54 million years ago, during the Eocene period. One of the first true horse species, it had 4 toes on each front foot, and 3 toes on each back foot. By the Pleistocene era, as the horse adapted to a drier, prairie environment, the 2nd and 4th toes disappeared on all feet, and horses became bigger. These side toes first shrunk in size until they have vanished in modern horses. All that remains are a set of small vestigial bones on either side of the cannon ( metacarpal or metatarsal) bone, known informally as splint bones, which are a frequent source of splints, a common injury in the modern horse. Their legs also lengthened as their toes disappeared and until they were a hoofed animal capable of running at great speed. Over millions of years, equid teeth also evolved from browsing on soft, tropical plants to adapt to browsing of drier plant material, and grazing of tougher plains grasses. Thus the proto-horses changed from leaf-eating forest-dwellers to grass-eating inhabitants of semi-arid regions worldwide, including the steppes of Eurasia and the Great Plains of North America. For reasons not fully understood, Equus caballus disappeared from North America around 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age . Domestication and surviving wild species Competing theories exist as to the time and place of initial domestication. The earliest evidence for the domestication of the horse comes from Central Asia and dates to approximately 4,500 BC. Archaeological finds such as the Sintashta chariot burials provided unequivocal evidence that the horse was definitely domesticated by 2000 BC. Wild prototypes and modern species Most "wild" horses today are actually feral horses (see feral horses, below), animals that had domesticated ancestors but were themselves born and live in the wild, often for generations. However, there are also some truly wild horses whose ancestors were never successfully domesticated. The "Four Foundations" theory Przewalski's Horse, the last surviving wild horse species There is a theory that there were four basic "proto" horses that developed with adaptations to their environment prior to domestication. There are competing theories, some arguing that the prototypes were separate species, others suggesting that the prototypes were physically different manifestations of the same species. Either way, the most common theories of historical wild species from which other types are thought to have developed suggests the following base prototypes: The "Warmblood subspecies" or "Forest Horse" (Equus ferus silvaticus, also called the Diluvial Horse), thought to have evolved into Equus ferus germanicus, and which may have contributed to the development of the warmblood horses of northern Europe , as well as older "heavy horses" such as the Ardennais. The "Draft" subspecies, a small, sturdy, heavyset animal with a heavy hair coat, arising in northern Europe, adapted to cold, damp climates, somewhat resembling today's draft horse and even the Shetland pony The "Oriental" subspecies, a taller, slim, refined and agile animal arising in western Asia , adapted to hot, dry climates, thought to be the progenitor of the modern Arabian horse and Akhal-Teke The "Tarpan subspecies," dun-colored, sturdy animal, the size of a large pony, adapted to the cold, dry climates of northern Asia, the predecessor to the Tarpan and Przewalski's Horse as well as the domesticated Mongolian horse. Species surviving into modern times The tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, survived into the historical era, but became extinct in 1880. Its genetic line is lost, but its phenotype has been recreated by a " breeding back" process, in which living domesticated horses with primitive features were repeatedly interbred. Thanks to the efforts of the brothers Lutz Heck (director of the Berlin zoo) and Heinz Heck (director of Munich Tierpark Hellabrunn), the resulting Heck horse together with the Konik resembles the tarpan more closely than any other living horse. Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), a rare Asian species, is the only true wild horse alive today. Also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse, Mongolians know it as the taki, while the Kirghiz people call it a kirtag. Small wild breeding populations of this animal, named after the Russian explorer Przewalski, exist in Mongolia. There are also small populations maintained at zoos throughout the world. After a battle against extinction, the Przewalksi's Horse is finally flourishing in the wild once again. Other truly wild equids alive today include the zebra and the onager. Feral horses Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005) Feral animals, who had domesticated ancestors but were born and live in the wild, are distinct from wild animals, whose ancestors have never undergone domestication. Several populations of feral horses exist, including those in the western United States and Canada (often called " mustangs"), and in parts of Australia (" brumbies") and New Zealand (" Kaimanawa horses"). Isolated feral populations are often named for their geographic location: Namibia has its Namib Desert Horses; the Sorraia lives in Spain and Portugal ; Sable Island Horses reside in Nova Scotia, Canada ; and New Forest ponies have been part of Hampshire , England for a thousand years. Studies of feral horses have provided useful insights into the behaviour of ancestral wild horses, as well as greater understanding of the instincts and behaviours that drive horses. Other modern equids Other members of the horse family include zebras , donkeys, and onagers. The Donkey, Burro or Domestic Ass, Equus asinus, like the horse, has many breeds. A mule is a hybrid of a male ass (jack) and a mare, and is usually infertile. A hinny is the less common hybrid of a female ass (jenny) and a stallion. Breeders have also tried crossing various species of zebra with mares or female asses to produce "zebra mules" ( zorses, and zonkeys (also called zedonks)). This will probably remain a novelty hybrid as these individuals tend to inherit some of the undomesticated nature of their zebra parent, but they may inherit the zebra's resistance to nagana pest: zorses, also called zebroids, have been used in Central African game parks for light haulage. Horses within the human economy Around the world, horses play a role within human economies, for leisure, sport and working purposes. To cite one example, the American Horse Council estimates that horse-related activities have a direct impact on the economy of the United States of over $39 billion, and when indirect spending is considered, the impact is over $102 billion. In wealthier, First World, industrialized economies, horses are primarily used in recreational pursuits and competitive sports, though they also have practical uses in police work, cattle ranching, search and rescue, and other duties where terrain or conditions preclude use of motorized vehicles. In poorer, Third World economies, they may also be used for recreational purposes by the elite population, but serve a much wider role in working pursuits including farming , ranching and as a means of transportation. To a very limited extent, they are also still used in warfare, particularly in regions of extremely rugged terrain. Sport A youth competitor show jumping in Denmark Horses are trained to be ridden or driven in many different sporting events and competitions. Examples include horse shows, gymkhana and O-Mok-See, rodeos, endurance riding, fox hunting, and Olympic-level events such as three-day eventing, combined driving, dressage, and show jumping. Although scoring varies by event, most emphasize the horse's speed, maneuverability, obedience and/or precision. Sometimes the equitation, the style and ability of the rider, is also considered. Sports such as polo and horseball do not judge the horse itself, but rather use the horse as a partner for human competitors as a necessary part of the game. Although the horse assists this process and requires specialized training to do so, the details of its performance are not judged, only the result of the rider's actions -- be it getting a ball through a goal or some other achievement. Examples of these sports of partnership between human and animal also include jousting (reenacting the skills used by medieval knights), where the main goal is for one rider to dismount the other, and buzkashi, a team game played throughout Central Asia, the aim being to capture a goat carcass while on horseback. The most widely known use of horses for sport is horse racing, seen in almost every nation in the world. There are three types: "flat" racing; steeplechasing, i.e. racing over jumps; and harness racing, where horses trot or pace while pulling a driver in a small, light cart known as a sulky. Most race horses in the developed world are Thoroughbreds, a breed which can reach speeds up to 40 mph/70 km/h. In the case of a specialized sprinting breed, the American Quarter Horse, speeds over 50 mph have been clocked. In harness racing, performed by Standardbred horses, speeds over 30 mph have been measured. A major part of the economic importance of horse racing, as for many sports, lies in the gambling associated with it. Work Horses used for carriage rides There are certain jobs that horses do very well, and no amount of technology appears able to supersede. Mounted police horses are still effective for crowd control. Cattle ranches still require riders on horseback to round up cattle that are scattered across remote, rugged terrain. Search and rescue organizations in some countries depend upon mounted teams to locate people, particularly hikers and hunters, who are lost in remote areas. Some land management practices such as logging can be more efficiently managed with horses, to avoid vehicular disruption to delicate soil in areas such as a nature reserve. Forestry rangers may use horses for their patrols. In poor countries such as Romania , Kyrgyzstan , and many parts of the Third World, horses, donkeys and mules are routinely used for transport and agriculture. In areas where roads are poor or non-existent and fossil fuels are scarce or the terrain rugged, riding horseback is still the most efficient way to get from place to place. Entertainment and culture Modern horses are often used to re-enact their historical work purpose. One famous example is the Budweiser Clydesdales. This team of draft horses pull a beer wagon in a manner similar to that used prior to the invention of the modern motorized truck. Horses are used, complete with equipment that is authentic or a meticulously recreated replica, in various historical reenactments of specific periods of history, and especially famous battles. Popular subjects include American Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactments, as well as battles of the 19th century between the U.S. Cavalry and Native Americans , such as the Battle of the Little Bighorn . Horses also are used preserve cultural traditions and for ceremonial purposes. Examples include the use of horses at tourist destinations such as Colonial Williamsburg or the presence of cavalry horses at significant funerals of military figures and heads of state. Countries such as the United Kingdom still use horse-drawn carriages to convey royalty and VIPs to and from certain culturally significant events. Horses are frequently used in television and motion pictures to add authenticity to historical dramas as well as adding charm to films set in modern-day, or even futuristic science fiction settings. Assisted learning and therapeutic purposes People with disabilities obtain beneficial results from association with horses. The movement of a horse strengthens muscles throughout a rider's body and promotes better overall health. In many cases, riding has also led to increased mobility for the rider. Horses also provide psychological benefits to people whether they actually ride or not. The benefits of equestrian activity for people with disabilities has also been recognized with the addition of equestrian events to the Paralympic Games and recognition of para-equestrian events by the FEI. Hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding are names for different physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment strategies that utilize equine movement. In the hippotherapy environment, a therapist uses the horse's movement to provide carefully graded sensory input, whereas therapeutic horseback riding uses specific riding skills. "Equine-assisted" or "equine-facilitated" psychotherapy uses horses as companion animals to assist people with psychological problems. Actual practices vary widely due to the newness of the field; some programs include Therapeutic Horseback Riding and hippotherapy. Non-riding therapies simply encourage a person to touch, speak to and otherwise interact with the horse. People appear to benefit from being able to be around a horse; horses are very sensitive to non-verbal communication and are an ideal resource for working with individuals who have "tuned out" human therapists. Equine Assisted Learning (EAL), Equine guided education, or equine assisted professional development, is another relatively new field of experiential learning for corporate, professional and personal development. There also have been experimental programs using horses in prison settings. Exposure to horses appears to improve the behaviour of inmates in a prison setting and help reduce recidivism when they leave. A correctional facility in Nevada has a successful program where inmates learn to train young mustangs captured off the range in order to make it more likely that these horses will find adoptive homes. Both adult and juvenile prisons in New York, Florida , and Kentucky work in cooperation with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to re-train former racehorses as pleasure mounts and find them new homes. Horses are also used in camps and programs for young people with emotional difficulties. Warfare Jousting is a sport that evolved out of heavy cavalry practice Horses in warfare have been seen for most of recorded history, dating back at least to the 19th century B.C. While mechanization largely has replaced the horse as a weapon of war, horses are still seen today in limited military uses, mostly for ceremonial purposes, or for reconnaissance and transport activities in areas of rough terrain where motorized vehicles are ineffective. Horses have been used in the 21st century by the Janjaweed militias in the Darfur conflict in attacks against unarmed civilians. Products Horse meat has been used as food for animals and humans throughout the ages. It is eaten in many parts of the world and is an export industry in the United States and other countries. Bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate which would put an end to this practice in the United States. Horse consumption is taboo in some cultures. Mare's milk is used by people with large horse-herds, such as the Mongols. They may let it ferment to produce kumis. Mares produce a lower yield of milk than cows , but more than goats and sheep . Horse blood was also used as food by the Mongols and other nomadic tribes. The Mongols found this food source especially convenient when riding for long periods of time. Drinking their own horse's blood allowed the Mongols to ride for extended periods of time without stopping to eat. Premarin is a mixture of female hormones ( estrogens) extracted from the urine of pregnant mares (pregnant mares' urine). It is a widely used drug for hormone replacement therapy. This horse product is especially controversial; see the Premarin article. The tail hair of the horse is used for making bows for stringed instruments such as the violin , viola , cello and double bass . Horsehide leather has been used for boots, gloves, jackets, baseballs, and baseball gloves. The saba is a horsehide vessel used in the production of kumis. Horsehide can be used to produce animal glue. Horse hooves can be used to produce hoof glue. Horse bones can be used to make implements. Specifically, in Italian cuisine, the horse tibia is sharpened into a probe called a spinto, which is used to test the readiness of a ( pig ) ham as it cures. Specialized vocabulary	i don't know
The world wide web domain .tv belongs to which Pacific island nation?	Dot.tv brings riches and worry - ITNews - theage.com.au Dot.tv brings riches and worry Funafuti, Tuvalu July 8, 2004 It took just a bit of alphabet and a jot of punctuation to pave this island's lone road, to light the village lanes at night, to pay the rent on an office suite and a UN seat in far-off New York. Ever since two little letters, "tv," were plucked from the alphabet soup of the internet and assigned to tiny Tuvalu, its 9,000 Pacific islanders have been making the most of it. Or have they? Television stations, networks and others with video-heavy Web sites have been buying the right to use the island nation's ".tv" internet domain, explains Bart MacKay of California-based VeriSign Inc, which sells the Tuvaluans' cyber-identity to distributors. "When we speak with our customers and ask what domain extensions they would like to sell, dot.tv is at the top of their list," he says. But the Tuvaluan government may not be getting top dollar for its lucky draw in the World Wide Web lottery, some islanders are grumbling. "What do you call it, 'ripped off'?" politician Apisai Ielemia asks a visiting reporter. "We should not be ripped off by these business-minded companies." The Tuvaluans themselves are decidedly not business-minded. Traditional, laid-back, remote, living on a scattering of sunny atolls midway between Hawaii and Australia, their chief exports are coconut oil and postage stamps. Cooperatives or the government run almost everything here, from the ramshackle markets to the radio station. (The land of dot.tv, ironically, itself has no television.) Tuvaluans also have been too trusting in the past. In 1979, for example, a year after the colony gained independence from Britain, an American "real estate" scammer swindled it out of half its $US1 million reserves. By 1998, when a Canadian entrepreneur dropped in to regale them with tales of riches awaiting via the internet, they knew enough to consult American lawyers. The Geneva-based International Organisation of Standards, assigning country-code, "top-level domain" names on the internet, had bestowed .tv on Tuvalu, as it had dealt .jp to Japan and .fr to France, for example. The Tuvaluans now owned that Web address, and could license it for non-Tuvaluans to use. With no real marketing plan, the Canadian deal foundered, however, and Tuvalu reached another agreement, with a California company, in 2000. Two years later, that company sold the new .tv Corp to VeriSign, the powerful outfit that maintains registries for ".com" and ".net", the most important internet suffixes. Along the way, the Tuvaluan government collected more than $US20 million ($A28.14 million) in lump-sum payments, from .tv Corp. stock sales and other windfalls, and .tv collected tens of thousands of registrants - from Major League Baseball's mlb.tv, which streams video of games, to a site called farm.tv, which offers videos of farms for sale. The revenue - about twice as much as Tuvalu's previous annual gross domestic product - allowed the islanders to tar the road that runs the length of slender, sandy, 11-km-long Funafuti; to install street lights among the palms and cinderblock shacks; to pay the $US50,000 ($A70,350) admission fee to the United Nations, among other things. Regular cheques came in as well, as Tuvalu's cut in annual registrants' fees: a guaranteed $US550,000 ($A773,830) per quarter, plus five per cent of quarterly income over $US5 million ($A7.03 million), with the rest going to VeriSign. As each quarter passed with only the minimum payment, however, that deal began looking less lucrative to some here. "We're getting very little," said Amasone Kilei, a member of Tuvalu's 15-seat Parliament. "It's our property, and we need to get more than the company operating it - more than 50 per cent." MacKay, at VeriSign, said ordinary .tv domains sell for an average $US49 ($A68) a year, but the most desirable premium names, such as "drugstore.tv," sell for much more, up to five figures annually. The current number of registrants is between 190,000 and 200,000, he said. The previous operator had claimed to have sold more than 450,000 domains by December 2001. Aunese Makoi Simati, the government's chief liaison for dot.tv, said he believes VeriSign must be more open in reporting sales information to Tuvalu. "While they're telling us this is the total, we still need to know just how they're selling these things ... how much they're paying and the arrangements," Simati said. MacKay, speaking by telephone from Seattle, said the Tuvaluans had asked for details of VeriSign expenses counted against .tv revenues, and he told them it was impossible to separate out costs of the .tv registry when the same VeriSign computers and engineers operate other suffixes and services as well. "It's virtually impossible to give them blow-by-blow accounting of each deal," he said. "Most likely the minimum payment will continue for some time," he added. The Tuvaluan Cabinet has endorsed taking legal action against VeriSign, but that was in mid-2003 and nothing has happened. Meantime, the Tuvaluans are looking elsewhere for the next windfall - toward the heavens. The government may claim national orbital space from the International Telecommunication Union, to profit from deals with satellite operators. It's in negotiation with a potential partner - again, a US-based company. - AP	Tuvalu
According to popular medical opinion (at 2011) how much sleep on average is best per night for optimum adult health?	Island Reaps Less Than Hoped in Dot-TV Boom - latimes YOU ARE HERE: LAT Home → Collections Island Reaps Less Than Hoped in Dot-TV Boom Tiny Tuvalu says a California company marketing the Pacific atoll's Internet domain name should pay the nation more. July 25, 2004 \|Charles J. Hanley \| Associated Press Writer FUNAFUTI, Tuvalu — It took just a bit of alphabet and a jot of punctuation to pave this island's lone road, to light the village lanes at night, to pay the rent on an office suite and a U.N. seat in far-off New York. Ever since two little letters, "tv," were plucked from the alphabet soup of the Internet and assigned to tiny Tuvalu, its 9,000 Pacific islanders have been making the most of it. Or have they? Television stations, networks and others with video-heavy websites have been buying the right to use the island nation's ".tv" Internet domain, said Bart MacKay of California-based VeriSign Inc., which sells the Tuvaluans' cyber-identity to distributors. "When we speak with our customers and ask what domain extensions they would like to sell, dot-tv is at the top of their list," he said. But the Tuvaluan government may not be getting top dollar for its lucky draw in the World Wide Web lottery, some islanders are grumbling. "What do you call it, 'ripped off'?" politician Apisai Ielemia asked a visiting reporter. "We should not be ripped off by these business-minded companies." The Tuvaluans themselves are decidedly not business-minded. Traditional, laid-back, remote, living on a scattering of sunny atolls midway between Hawaii and Australia, their chief exports are coconut oil and postage stamps. Cooperatives or the government run almost everything here, from the ramshackle markets to the radio station. (The land of dot-tv, ironically, itself has no television.) Tuvaluans also have been too trusting in the past. In 1979, for example, a year after the colony gained independence from Britain, an American "real estate" scammer swindled Tuvalu out of half its $1 million in reserves. By 1998, when a Canadian entrepreneur dropped in to regale them with tales of riches awaiting via the Internet, they knew enough to consult U.S. lawyers. The Geneva-based International Organization of Standards, assigning country-code, "top-level domain" names on the Internet, had bestowed .tv on Tuvalu, as it had dealt .jp to Japan and .fr to France. The Tuvaluans now owned a Web domain they could license for non-Tuvaluans to use. With no real marketing plan, the Canadian deal foundered, however, and Tuvalu reached another agreement, with a California company, in 2000. Two years later, that company sold the new .tv Corp. to VeriSign, the outfit that maintains registries for ".com" and ".net", the most important Internet suffixes. Along the way, the Tuvaluan government collected more than $20 million in lump-sum payments, from .tv Corp. stock sales and other windfalls, and .tv collected tens of thousands of registrants -- from Major League Baseball's mlb.tv, which streams video of games, to a site called farm.tv, which offers videos of farms for sale. The revenue -- about twice as much as Tuvalu's previous annual gross domestic product -- allowed the islanders to tar the road that runs the length of slender, sandy, seven-mile-long Funafuti; to install street lights among the palms and cinderblock shacks; to pay the $50,000 admission fee to the United Nations, among other things. Regular checks came in as well, as Tuvalu's cut in annual registrant fees: a guaranteed $550,000 per quarter, plus 5% of quarterly income in excess of $5 million, with the rest going to VeriSign. As each quarter passed with only the minimum payment, however, that deal began looking less lucrative to some here. "We're getting very little," said Amasone Kilei, a member of Tuvalu's 15-seat Parliament. "It's our property, and we need to get more than the company operating it -- more than 50%." MacKay, at VeriSign, said ordinary .tv domains sell for an average of $49 a year, but the most desirable premium names, such as "drugstore.tv," sell for much more, as much as five figures annually. The current number of registrants is between 190,000 and 200,000, he said. The previous operator claimed to have sold more than 450,000 domains by December 2001. Aunese Makoi Simati, the government's chief liaison for dot-tv, said he believed VeriSign must be more open in reporting sales information to Tuvalu. "While they're telling us this is the total, we still need to know just how they're selling these things ... how much they're paying and the arrangements," Simati said. MacKay, speaking by telephone from Seattle, said the Tuvaluans had asked for details of VeriSign expenses counted against .tv revenue, and he told them it was impossible to separate out costs of the .tv registry when the same VeriSign computers and engineers operate other suffixes and services as well. "It's virtually impossible to give them blow-by-blow accounting of each deal," he said. "Most likely the minimum payment will continue for some time," he added. The Tuvaluan Cabinet had endorsed taking legal action against VeriSign, but that was in mid-2003 and nothing had happened. In the meantime, the Tuvaluans are looking elsewhere for the next windfall -- toward the heavens. The government may claim national orbital space from the International Telecommunication Union, to profit from deals with satellite operators. It's in negotiation with a potential partner -- again, a U.S.-based company. MORE:	i don't know
What family-founded/named corporation owns the brands Snickers, Uncle Ben's and Dolmio (at 2011)?	Visit the 3 Musketeers brand website. AMERICAN HERITAGE American Heritage Chocolate is an authentic historic line of products — based on a recipe from the 1750s — that celebrates chocolate’s important role in the lives of Americans during the 18th century. Mildly spicy, and slightly sweet, American Heritage Chocolate is flavored with a blend of spices and ingredients available during colonial times, including cinnamon, nutmeg, chili pepper, orange, anise and vanilla. Visit the American Heritage brand website. AMICELLI Amicelli is a chocolate delicacy on the path to success. Endless pleasure from tender chocolate covering a crispy, wafer roll with hazelnut-cream at its center. Visit the Amicelli brand website. BALISTO BALISTO is an irresistible combination of whole-meal biscuits and tasty fruit covered in delicious chocolate. Since Summer 2011 BALISTO is certified with sustainable cocoa from UTZ CERTIFED. Visit the Balisto brand website. BOUNTY Available in whole milk and dark chocolate varieties, the moist, tender coconut in Bounty Candy tempts your senses with the taste of paradise. CELEBRATIONS Launched in 1997, CELEBRATIONS Chocolate was first to bring together a selection of well-loved brands in miniature. With the mix of everyone's favorites, CELEBRATIONS Candy is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any occasion. COMBOS COMBOS® Baked Snacks are bite-size crackers, pretzels or tortillas jam packed with cheese-filled deliciousness. COMBOS® Snacks were developed from a patent purchased in the late 1970s. A dedicated group of R&D, Engineering and Manufacturing Associates, each with extensive experience in combining great food flavors, helped mold the patent into the COMBOS® Baked Snacks we now love. Visit the Combos brand website. DOVE Made with 100 percent pure cocoa butter and available in a variety of formats, from DOVE® Bars to DOVE® PROMISES® Candies, DOVE® Chocolate offers a silky smooth texture and delicious, lingering taste to create the perfect moment of chocolate pleasure. Visit the Dove Chocolate Discoveries website. ETHEL M. In 1981, after passing the leadership of Mars to his children, Forrest Mars, Sr. retired to Henderson, Nevada and created Ethel M® Chocolates as a tribute to his mother, her recipes and her chocolate. The Mars family continues to be intimately involved in keeping the legacy of Frank and Ethel alive by producing the highest quality chocolates. Ethel M® Chocolates are sold online and in multiple locations throughout Las Vegas. Visit the Ethel M. brand website. GALAXY Smooth and creamy GALAXY Chocolate is your perfect partner in chocolate indulgence. Since its launch in 1960, GALAXY has seen strong growth that continues to strengthen year over year. The GALAXY Brand, which includes GALAXY Smooth Milk, MINSTRELS and RIPPLE, stands for “me-time” indulgence, femininity and sensuousness. GOODNESSKNOWS goodnessknows™ Snack Squares are a delicious snack made with slow-roasted whole almonds, tangy fruits, toasted whole grains and our extraordinary deep chocolate. Our deep chocolate is made from cocoa beans specially selected and handled to retain flavanols. Try a little goodness.™ Visit the goodnessknows brand website. MALTESERS Maltesers — the lighter way to enjoy chocolate. These crisp honeycombed centers covered in delicious milk chocolate were first introduced in the U.K. in 1936. MARATHON MARATHON® Bars are a delicious, satisfying energy snack that gives you what you need to help run your day your way. We thoughtfully researched and crafted our MARATHON® Bar to ensure an optimal nutritional profile, packing it full of protein and essential vitamins — and then we powered it with the satisfying taste enjoyment that only Snickers brand can provide. Visit the Marathon brand website. MARS Created by Forrest Mars in 1932, The MARS® Bar is a delicious fusion of chocolate, caramel and nougat. MARS — Work, Rest and Play your part. Visit the Mars brand website. MILKY WAY Created in 1923 and designed to capture the taste of malted milk shakes, MILKY WAY® Candy was named after a famed malted milk drink of the day, not the Milky Way galaxy. MILKY WAY® Bars are made of chocolate malt-flavored nougat and caramel covered with milk chocolate. MILKY WAY® MIDNIGHT Bars are vanilla-flavored nougat, caramel and dark chocolate. MILKY WAY® Brand Simply Caramel Bars are bursting with nothing but caramel, coated in irresistible MILKY WAY® Brand chocolate. Visit the Milky Way brand website. MILKY WAY CRISPY ROLLS MILKY WAY Crispy Rolls are light and fluffy cream filling, rolled inside a crispy layer and covered with delicious milk chocolate. Light and tasty for an enjoyable treat. Visit the Milky Way Crispy Rolls brand website. M&M’S M&M'S® Candies have been one of the most famous candy treats in the world since 1941. The snack-sized pieces of chocolate in a colorful candy shell are instantly recognizable all over the globe. M&M'S® Candy is available in flavors, such as Milk Chocolate, Peanut, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Peanut, Almond, Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Coconut. Visit the M&M’S brand website (Latin America). MY M&M’S MY M&M’S® Products are available in 20 custom colors and allow consumers to upload a picture or themed clip art along with personalized messages to create unique gifts or party favors. In addition to using your own photos and messages, MY M&M’S® Website offers popular blends for graduations, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, weddings, new babies and more. Visit the My M&M’S website, REVELS The quirky personality of REVELS Candy is revealed through its product mix of MALTESERS Chocolate, Coffee, Raisin, Toffee, and Orange Candies. What makes REVELS Candy unique and really interesting is the variety of flavors in each pack and that you can’t really tell which one you are going to get. It is the unpredictability of REVELS Candy that makes them so exciting to eat. SNICKERS The world's best-selling candy bar. Crammed with peanuts, caramel and nougat then coated with milk chocolate, SNICKERS® Candy Bars quickly became one of the planet's favorite treats after its introduction in 1930. Visit the Snickers brand website. TWIX TWIX® Caramel Cookie Bar was first introduced in the United States in 1979. With crunchy cookie, smooth caramel, and creamy chocolate to savor twice each time, TWIX® Candy allows you to make whatever you’re doing more fun. So grab a TWIX® Cookie Bar, and pause like you mean it. Quality rice distributed in the Middle East DOLMIO DOLMIO® sauces are the spark that brings your family to the table. They give you a quick and convenient way to deliver a healthy nutritious meal with tastes inspired by Italy and flavors the whole family will enjoy. Visit the Dolmio brand website. EBLY Ebly® is durum wheat pre-cooked for tenderness and ease of preparation. Ebly® offers the authentic pleasure of eating whole grains of wheat full of natural goodness and has many nutritional benefits. Visit the Ebly brand website. KAN TONG KAN TONG® Sauces use only the highest quality ingredients. KAN TONG® Stir Fry Sauces, Simmer Sauces and Inspirations Recipe Bases are made in Australia. Visit the Kan Tong brand website. MASTERFOODS MASTERFOODS® — one of Australia's largest and best-loved food brands — has inspired creativity in Aussie kitchens for more than 60 years with its leading range of herbs and spices, recipe bases, table sauces, marinades, mustards, relishes and finishing sauces. MASTERFOODS® products also are manufactured and sold in Brazil. Visit the MasterFoods brand website (Brazil). MIRACOLI For more than 50 years the pasta meals and sauces of MIRACOLI® have provided original Italian taste for the whole family. Not only the popular original spaghetti with tomato sauce and secret spice mix, but also many more delicious varieties, such as hot arrabbiata spaghetti or linguine with mild cheese and herb sauce offer a great variety for your personal MIRACOLI® day. PAMESELLO® is a delicious grated cheese that will give your pasta dishes that extra Italian flavor. RARIS The RÁRIS® product line offers nutrition and health through whole grains. Focused on health and nutrition, the RÁRIS® brand has been available in Brazil since 1981. With a special selection of whole grain mixes, RÁRIS® delivers delicious, nutritious products with a significant amount of fiber and other healthy benefits. ROYCO Since the 1960s, Royco® has been helping moms make tasty, family-favorite meals. With such a wide range of products to choose from, including thickeners, soups, sauces, gravies, marinades and cook-in-sauces, there is a Royco® for every meal. Royco® — delicious every time. Visit the Royco website (South Africa). SEEDS OF CHANGE SEEDS OF CHANGE® reconnects consumers with where real food comes from, offering a variety or rice and grains and ethnic sauces that are 100-percent organic. Visit the Seeds of Change Foods website. SUZI WAN Since 1978, Mars Food brand Suzi Wan® offers a wide range of ready-made meals, sauces, relishes and cooking aids to help you prepare delicious exotic dishes — quick and easily. There’s a whole world of authentic tastes to discover. Visit the Suzi Wan website. UNCLE BEN’S "Making rice convenient and tasty for over half a century." From its traditional long grain rice, to easy and convenient microwaveable rice, to a range of delicious ethnic sauces the whole family will love, UNCLE BEN'S products are easy to prepare and can form part of a delicious balanced meal. Visit the Uncle Ben’s website (U.K.). BANFIELD In 2007, Banfield Pet Hospitals joined the Mars family of businesses, and together we work to ensure pets receive the highest level of care so they can live longer, healthier lives. Today, Banfield is more than 770 hospitals strong, with the common goal of providing high‐quality medicine for each pet we treat and working alongside our clients to ensure they have the resources they need to care for their pets at home. Visit the Banfield website CESAR Cesar® Canine Cuisine is gourmet wet dog food and dog treats for the pet we adore. Treat your dog to delicious flavors and varieties, and show them how much you care. Love them back.® Visit the Cesar brand website. EUKANUBA It all started in 1969 when our founder, Paul Iams, was looking for a memorable word that echoed the uncompromising high level of his new dog food formula. With unmatched quality the market had never seen before, Paul wanted a name that was just as special. He found inspiration in the world of jazz. Eukanuba ("You-Ka-Noo-Bah") was one word that grew out of that culture. It was reserved for something that was "the tops" or "supreme" — whether it was the latest song or a top-of-the-line car. It struck a chord, and he named his product Eukanuba to embody this ideal. Visit the Eukanuba brand website. IAMS From our start in 1946, Paul F. Iams sought out new ways to create premium, quality pet foods that would help give dogs and cats happy, healthy and long lives. He spent time with breeders and nutritionists and learned the importance of protein and the role of fat in pet food diets. He was the first to consider dogs and cats primarily as carnivores, a perception which was to revolutionize the whole of the pet food industry. Visit the IAMS brand website. PEDIGREE With more than seventy years of experience behind us, the PEDIGREE Brand helps make sure that man's best friend stays fit, healthy and happy. There's a PEDIGREE Meal for every size and shape of dog. Visit the Pedigree brand website. Royal Canin Founded in 1967 by a veterinarian, the Royal Canin Brand is a global leader in pet health nutrition. In an industry that continues to adapt to popular trends, our mission will remain the same; to constantly bring, through Health Nutrition and shared knowledge, the most precise nutritional solution for cats’ and dogs’ health needs, by building on constantly deepened scientific knowledge and Royal Canin’s roots in the feline and canine professional networks. Visit the Royal Canin brand website (France). SHEBA The makers of SHEBA® Cat Food know that cat owners love cats for their independent spirits, personalities and discerning palates. That's why each SHEBA® Recipe is purposefully crafted to entice a cat’s unique tastes and desires. Celebrate the mutual bond between you and your cat with SHEBA® Premium Cat Food. Visit the Sheba brand website. TEMPTATIONS TEMPTATIONS® Treats are America’s favorite cat treat, with 20 flavor varieties, and many that offer health benefits specific to cats’ needs. TEMPTATIONS® Treats are a one-of-a-kind, patented treat that’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In addition, TEMPTATIONS® MixUps Treats were awarded Product of the Year in the 2011 Consumer Survey of Product Innovation. Look for TEMPTATIONS® Cat Treats at your favorite pet food retailer. Visit the Temptations brand website. WALTHAM The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and wellbeing advancing the frontiers of scientific research into nutrition and health of pets for more than 50 years. Visit the WALTHAM website. WHISKAS If you want to keep your cat healthy and happy, there's no better choice than the WHISKAS Brand. After all, we've been making it for more than 40 years. Visit the Whiskas brand website (Brazil). WISDOM PANEL WISDOM PANEL Canine DNA Tests are the most comprehensive breed identification DNA test for dogs on the market. Our mission is to facilitate responsible pet care by enhancing the well-being and relationship between pets, pet owners and veterinarians through valuable insights into pets as individuals. Visit the Wisdom Panel brand website (U.K.). COCOAVIA CocoaVia® supplement delivers the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols in a cocoa extract supplement today, and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that these flavanols promote healthy blood flow from head to toe†. The cocoa flavanols in CocoaVia® are backed by more than two decades of scientific research. Through our patented Cocoapro® process, we gently preserve cocoa flavanols in their purest form, protecting them in the highest concentration available in a cocoa extract supplement today. By helping promote healthy blood flow, the cocoa flavanols in CocoaVia® supplement help your cardiovascular system deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Visit the CocoaVia website. 5 GUM 5 gum invites you to “Stimulate your Senses®.” 5 gum is a groundbreaking sugar-free gum that delivers a unique chewing experience. The signature sleek 5 gum envelope created the next great packaging enhancement for stick gum and is slim enough to fit in a pocket or purse. Shop for 5 Gum. ALTOIDS Introduced in 1780, Altoids® were originally marketed to relieve stomach discomfort. By the 1920s, the original cardboard box had been replaced by the more durable distinctive metal tins of today. The irreverent, quirky personality of Altoids has led Altoids Peppermint tins to be a top-selling mint in the U.S. Shop for Altoids. BIG RED The bold cinnamon flavor of Wrigley's Big Red provides long-lasting fresh breath. In fact, Big Red has been the No. 1 selling cinnamon gum since 1987. Recently, the flavor was improved to provide even more long-lasting taste, and a new 15-stick Slim Pack™ was introduced. Shop for Big Red. DOUBLEMINT Doublemint was launched in the U.S. in 1914 and has since become one of the world's best-selling chewing gums, enjoyed by generations of consumers worldwide. Today, the classic Doublemint flavor is as enjoyable as ever. Doublemint is one of the largest selling gum brands in the world, available in over 140 countries. Shop for Doublemint. ECLIPSE Eclipse sugar-free gum and mints provide incredible fresh-breath solutions for people whose on-the-go lifestyle demands a breath freshener that delivers. Shop for Eclipse. EXTRA Launched in 1984, Extra was Wrigley's first sugar-free gum offering in the U.S. Extra gum is known for its incredible, long-lasting flavors. Extra gum is also available in a variety of distinctive flavors, specifically tailored to local tastes, in geographies including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Taiwan. Shop for Extra. FREEDENT Experience the freedom of chewing gum without the stick. Freedent offers a non-stick chewing gum option in three great-tasting flavors. Freedent was introduced in 1975 as the first non-stick alternative in chewing gum. Shop for Hubba Bubba. JUICY FRUIT "Gotta Have Sweet?" Gotta have Juicy Fruit. Juicy Fruit gum brings you one-of-a-kind flavor that satisfies your cravings for something sweet. People all over the world have loved Juicy Fruit gum for over 100 years. A top-selling fruit gum brand in the U.S., Juicy Fruit gum is also popular in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong. Shop for Juicy Fruit. LIFE SAVERS Since their introduction in 1912, Life Savers® has become an iconic American brand across non-chocolate candy and mints due to their great-tasting flavors and unique candy-with-the-hole shape. Over 40 flavors of Life Savers have been created since the original Pep-O-Mint® was launched. Shop for Life Savers. ORBIT The smooth, refreshing flavor of sugar-free Orbit gum leaves your mouth with a "just brushed clean feeling." Orbit gum is a global brand, enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Importantly, Orbit gum has received the American Dental Association's Seal of Acceptance. Orbit is on a mission to help keep mouths clean and healthy by encouraging people to Eat Drink Chew™. Shop for Orbit. SKITTLES A variety of bite-sized chewy candies with a colorful candy shell, fans have been enjoying Skittles® candies for decades. Taste The Rainbow®. Shop for Skittles. STARBURST Starburst® candies are packed with a variety of authentic fruit flavors and a deliciously chewy texture, to be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. There are many different Starburst varieties, including Very Berry, Flavor Morph®, FaveREDs®, Original Fruit Chews, Tropical Fruit Chews, Jellybeans Original, Jellybeans Crazy Beans, Jellybeans Sours, Jellybeans Tropical, GummiBursts® Original, GummiBursts® Sour and GummiBursts® Flavor Duos. Shop for Starburst. WINTERFRESH Launched in 1994 with a name and taste all its own, Winterfresh created an "Icy Cool Breath That Lasts" craze for that refreshing Winterfresh flavor. Shop for Winterfresh. WRIGLEY’S SPEARMINT Launched in 1893 just months after Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley's Spearmint is the classic Wrigley's chewing gum. The great spearmint taste has been providing refreshment for over 100 years. When you want that classic, spearmint flavor that you've always enjoyed, there's only one Wrigley's Spearmint. Visit the Banfield website CESAR Cesar® Canine Cuisine is gourmet wet dog food and dog treats for the pet we adore. Treat your dog to delicious flavors and varieties, and show them how much you care. Love them back.® Visit the Cesar brand website. EUKANUBA It all started in 1969 when our founder, Paul Iams, was looking for a memorable word that echoed the uncompromising high level of his new dog food formula. With unmatched quality the market had never seen before, Paul wanted a name that was just as special. He found inspiration in the world of jazz. Eukanuba ("You-Ka-Noo-Bah") was one word that grew out of that culture. It was reserved for something that was "the tops" or "supreme" — whether it was the latest song or a top-of-the-line car. It struck a chord, and he named his product Eukanuba to embody this ideal. Visit the Eukanuba brand website. IAMS From our start in 1946, Paul F. Iams sought out new ways to create premium, quality pet foods that would help give dogs and cats happy, healthy and long lives. He spent time with breeders and nutritionists and learned the importance of protein and the role of fat in pet food diets. He was the first to consider dogs and cats primarily as carnivores, a perception which was to revolutionize the whole of the pet food industry. Visit the IAMS brand website. PEDIGREE With more than seventy years of experience behind us, the PEDIGREE Brand helps make sure that man's best friend stays fit, healthy and happy. There's a PEDIGREE Meal for every size and shape of dog. Visit the Pedigree brand website. Royal Canin Founded in 1967 by a veterinarian, the Royal Canin Brand is a global leader in pet health nutrition. In an industry that continues to adapt to popular trends, our mission will remain the same; to constantly bring, through Health Nutrition and shared knowledge, the most precise nutritional solution for cats’ and dogs’ health needs, by building on constantly deepened scientific knowledge and Royal Canin’s roots in the feline and canine professional networks. Visit the Royal Canin brand website (France). SHEBA The makers of SHEBA® Cat Food know that cat owners love cats for their independent spirits, personalities and discerning palates. That's why each SHEBA® Recipe is purposefully crafted to entice a cat’s unique tastes and desires. Celebrate the mutual bond between you and your cat with SHEBA® Premium Cat Food. Visit the Sheba brand website. TEMPTATIONS TEMPTATIONS® Treats are America’s favorite cat treat, with 20 flavor varieties, and many that offer health benefits specific to cats’ needs. TEMPTATIONS® Treats are a one-of-a-kind, patented treat that’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In addition, TEMPTATIONS® MixUps Treats were awarded Product of the Year in the 2011 Consumer Survey of Product Innovation. Look for TEMPTATIONS® Cat Treats at your favorite pet food retailer. Visit the Temptations brand website. WALTHAM The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and wellbeing advancing the frontiers of scientific research into nutrition and health of pets for more than 50 years. Visit the WALTHAM website. WHISKAS If you want to keep your cat healthy and happy, there's no better choice than the WHISKAS Brand. After all, we've been making it for more than 40 years. Visit the Whiskas brand website (Brazil). WISDOM PANEL WISDOM PANEL Canine DNA Tests are the most comprehensive breed identification DNA test for dogs on the market. Our mission is to facilitate responsible pet care by enhancing the well-being and relationship between pets, pet owners and veterinarians through valuable insights into pets as individuals. Visit the 3 Musketeers brand website. AMERICAN HERITAGE American Heritage Chocolate is an authentic historic line of products — based on a recipe from the 1750s — that celebrates chocolate’s important role in the lives of Americans during the 18th century. Mildly spicy, and slightly sweet, American Heritage Chocolate is flavored with a blend of spices and ingredients available during colonial times, including cinnamon, nutmeg, chili pepper, orange, anise and vanilla. Visit the American Heritage brand website. AMICELLI Amicelli is a chocolate delicacy on the path to success. Endless pleasure from tender chocolate covering a crispy, wafer roll with hazelnut-cream at its center. Visit the Amicelli brand website. BALISTO BALISTO is an irresistible combination of whole-meal biscuits and tasty fruit covered in delicious chocolate. Since Summer 2011 BALISTO is certified with sustainable cocoa from UTZ CERTIFED. Visit the Balisto brand website. BOUNTY Available in whole milk and dark chocolate varieties, the moist, tender coconut in Bounty Candy tempts your senses with the taste of paradise. CELEBRATIONS Launched in 1997, CELEBRATIONS Chocolate was first to bring together a selection of well-loved brands in miniature. With the mix of everyone's favorites, CELEBRATIONS Candy is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any occasion. COMBOS COMBOS® Baked Snacks are bite-size crackers, pretzels or tortillas jam packed with cheese-filled deliciousness. COMBOS® Snacks were developed from a patent purchased in the late 1970s. A dedicated group of R&D, Engineering and Manufacturing Associates, each with extensive experience in combining great food flavors, helped mold the patent into the COMBOS® Baked Snacks we now love. Visit the Combos brand website. DOVE Made with 100 percent pure cocoa butter and available in a variety of formats, from DOVE® Bars to DOVE® PROMISES® Candies, DOVE® Chocolate offers a silky smooth texture and delicious, lingering taste to create the perfect moment of chocolate pleasure. Visit the Dove Chocolate Discoveries website. ETHEL M. In 1981, after passing the leadership of Mars to his children, Forrest Mars, Sr. retired to Henderson, Nevada and created Ethel M® Chocolates as a tribute to his mother, her recipes and her chocolate. The Mars family continues to be intimately involved in keeping the legacy of Frank and Ethel alive by producing the highest quality chocolates. Ethel M® Chocolates are sold online and in multiple locations throughout Las Vegas. Visit the Ethel M. brand website. GALAXY Smooth and creamy GALAXY Chocolate is your perfect partner in chocolate indulgence. Since its launch in 1960, GALAXY has seen strong growth that continues to strengthen year over year. The GALAXY Brand, which includes GALAXY Smooth Milk, MINSTRELS and RIPPLE, stands for “me-time” indulgence, femininity and sensuousness. GOODNESSKNOWS goodnessknows™ Snack Squares are a delicious snack made with slow-roasted whole almonds, tangy fruits, toasted whole grains and our extraordinary deep chocolate. Our deep chocolate is made from cocoa beans specially selected and handled to retain flavanols. Try a little goodness.™ Visit the goodnessknows brand website. MALTESERS Maltesers — the lighter way to enjoy chocolate. These crisp honeycombed centers covered in delicious milk chocolate were first introduced in the U.K. in 1936. MARATHON MARATHON® Bars are a delicious, satisfying energy snack that gives you what you need to help run your day your way. We thoughtfully researched and crafted our MARATHON® Bar to ensure an optimal nutritional profile, packing it full of protein and essential vitamins — and then we powered it with the satisfying taste enjoyment that only Snickers brand can provide. Visit the Marathon brand website. MARS Created by Forrest Mars in 1932, The MARS® Bar is a delicious fusion of chocolate, caramel and nougat. MARS — Work, Rest and Play your part. Visit the Mars brand website. MILKY WAY Created in 1923 and designed to capture the taste of malted milk shakes, MILKY WAY® Candy was named after a famed malted milk drink of the day, not the Milky Way galaxy. MILKY WAY® Bars are made of chocolate malt-flavored nougat and caramel covered with milk chocolate. MILKY WAY® MIDNIGHT Bars are vanilla-flavored nougat, caramel and dark chocolate. MILKY WAY® Brand Simply Caramel Bars are bursting with nothing but caramel, coated in irresistible MILKY WAY® Brand chocolate. Visit the Milky Way brand website. MILKY WAY CRISPY ROLLS MILKY WAY Crispy Rolls are light and fluffy cream filling, rolled inside a crispy layer and covered with delicious milk chocolate. Light and tasty for an enjoyable treat. Visit the Milky Way Crispy Rolls brand website. M&M’S M&M'S® Candies have been one of the most famous candy treats in the world since 1941. The snack-sized pieces of chocolate in a colorful candy shell are instantly recognizable all over the globe. M&M'S® Candy is available in flavors, such as Milk Chocolate, Peanut, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Peanut, Almond, Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Coconut. Visit the M&M’S brand website (Latin America). MY M&M’S MY M&M’S® Products are available in 20 custom colors and allow consumers to upload a picture or themed clip art along with personalized messages to create unique gifts or party favors. In addition to using your own photos and messages, MY M&M’S® Website offers popular blends for graduations, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, weddings, new babies and more. Visit the My M&M’S website, REVELS The quirky personality of REVELS Candy is revealed through its product mix of MALTESERS Chocolate, Coffee, Raisin, Toffee, and Orange Candies. What makes REVELS Candy unique and really interesting is the variety of flavors in each pack and that you can’t really tell which one you are going to get. It is the unpredictability of REVELS Candy that makes them so exciting to eat. SNICKERS The world's best-selling candy bar. Crammed with peanuts, caramel and nougat then coated with milk chocolate, SNICKERS® Candy Bars quickly became one of the planet's favorite treats after its introduction in 1930. Visit the Snickers brand website. TWIX TWIX® Caramel Cookie Bar was first introduced in the United States in 1979. With crunchy cookie, smooth caramel, and creamy chocolate to savor twice each time, TWIX® Candy allows you to make whatever you’re doing more fun. So grab a TWIX® Cookie Bar, and pause like you mean it. Shop for 5 Gum. ALTOIDS Introduced in 1780, Altoids® were originally marketed to relieve stomach discomfort. By the 1920s, the original cardboard box had been replaced by the more durable distinctive metal tins of today. The irreverent, quirky personality of Altoids has led Altoids Peppermint tins to be a top-selling mint in the U.S. Shop for Altoids. BIG RED The bold cinnamon flavor of Wrigley's Big Red provides long-lasting fresh breath. In fact, Big Red has been the No. 1 selling cinnamon gum since 1987. Recently, the flavor was improved to provide even more long-lasting taste, and a new 15-stick Slim Pack™ was introduced. Shop for Big Red. DOUBLEMINT Doublemint was launched in the U.S. in 1914 and has since become one of the world's best-selling chewing gums, enjoyed by generations of consumers worldwide. Today, the classic Doublemint flavor is as enjoyable as ever. Doublemint is one of the largest selling gum brands in the world, available in over 140 countries. Shop for Doublemint. ECLIPSE Eclipse sugar-free gum and mints provide incredible fresh-breath solutions for people whose on-the-go lifestyle demands a breath freshener that delivers. Shop for Eclipse. EXTRA Launched in 1984, Extra was Wrigley's first sugar-free gum offering in the U.S. Extra gum is known for its incredible, long-lasting flavors. Extra gum is also available in a variety of distinctive flavors, specifically tailored to local tastes, in geographies including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Taiwan. Shop for Extra. FREEDENT Experience the freedom of chewing gum without the stick. Freedent offers a non-stick chewing gum option in three great-tasting flavors. Freedent was introduced in 1975 as the first non-stick alternative in chewing gum. Shop for Hubba Bubba. JUICY FRUIT "Gotta Have Sweet?" Gotta have Juicy Fruit. Juicy Fruit gum brings you one-of-a-kind flavor that satisfies your cravings for something sweet. People all over the world have loved Juicy Fruit gum for over 100 years. A top-selling fruit gum brand in the U.S., Juicy Fruit gum is also popular in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong. Shop for Juicy Fruit. LIFE SAVERS Since their introduction in 1912, Life Savers® has become an iconic American brand across non-chocolate candy and mints due to their great-tasting flavors and unique candy-with-the-hole shape. Over 40 flavors of Life Savers have been created since the original Pep-O-Mint® was launched. Shop for Life Savers. ORBIT The smooth, refreshing flavor of sugar-free Orbit gum leaves your mouth with a "just brushed clean feeling." Orbit gum is a global brand, enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Importantly, Orbit gum has received the American Dental Association's Seal of Acceptance. Orbit is on a mission to help keep mouths clean and healthy by encouraging people to Eat Drink Chew™. Shop for Orbit. SKITTLES A variety of bite-sized chewy candies with a colorful candy shell, fans have been enjoying Skittles® candies for decades. Taste The Rainbow®. Shop for Skittles. STARBURST Starburst® candies are packed with a variety of authentic fruit flavors and a deliciously chewy texture, to be enjoyed anytime and anywhere. There are many different Starburst varieties, including Very Berry, Flavor Morph®, FaveREDs®, Original Fruit Chews, Tropical Fruit Chews, Jellybeans Original, Jellybeans Crazy Beans, Jellybeans Sours, Jellybeans Tropical, GummiBursts® Original, GummiBursts® Sour and GummiBursts® Flavor Duos. Shop for Starburst. WINTERFRESH Launched in 1994 with a name and taste all its own, Winterfresh created an "Icy Cool Breath That Lasts" craze for that refreshing Winterfresh flavor. Shop for Winterfresh. WRIGLEY’S SPEARMINT Launched in 1893 just months after Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley's Spearmint is the classic Wrigley's chewing gum. The great spearmint taste has been providing refreshment for over 100 years. When you want that classic, spearmint flavor that you've always enjoyed, there's only one Wrigley's Spearmint. Quality rice distributed in the Middle East DOLMIO DOLMIO® sauces are the spark that brings your family to the table. They give you a quick and convenient way to deliver a healthy nutritious meal with tastes inspired by Italy and flavors the whole family will enjoy. Visit the Dolmio brand website. EBLY Ebly® is durum wheat pre-cooked for tenderness and ease of preparation. Ebly® offers the authentic pleasure of eating whole grains of wheat full of natural goodness and has many nutritional benefits. Visit the Ebly brand website. KAN TONG KAN TONG® Sauces use only the highest quality ingredients. KAN TONG® Stir Fry Sauces, Simmer Sauces and Inspirations Recipe Bases are made in Australia. Visit the Kan Tong brand website. MASTERFOODS MASTERFOODS® — one of Australia's largest and best-loved food brands — has inspired creativity in Aussie kitchens for more than 60 years with its leading range of herbs and spices, recipe bases, table sauces, marinades, mustards, relishes and finishing sauces. MASTERFOODS® products also are manufactured and sold in Brazil. Visit the MasterFoods brand website (Brazil). MIRACOLI For more than 50 years the pasta meals and sauces of MIRACOLI® have provided original Italian taste for the whole family. Not only the popular original spaghetti with tomato sauce and secret spice mix, but also many more delicious varieties, such as hot arrabbiata spaghetti or linguine with mild cheese and herb sauce offer a great variety for your personal MIRACOLI® day. PAMESELLO® is a delicious grated cheese that will give your pasta dishes that extra Italian flavor. RARIS The RÁRIS® product line offers nutrition and health through whole grains. Focused on health and nutrition, the RÁRIS® brand has been available in Brazil since 1981. With a special selection of whole grain mixes, RÁRIS® delivers delicious, nutritious products with a significant amount of fiber and other healthy benefits. ROYCO Since the 1960s, Royco® has been helping moms make tasty, family-favorite meals. With such a wide range of products to choose from, including thickeners, soups, sauces, gravies, marinades and cook-in-sauces, there is a Royco® for every meal. Royco® — delicious every time. Visit the Royco website (South Africa). SEEDS OF CHANGE SEEDS OF CHANGE® reconnects consumers with where real food comes from, offering a variety or rice and grains and ethnic sauces that are 100-percent organic. Visit the Seeds of Change Foods website. SUZI WAN Since 1978, Mars Food brand Suzi Wan® offers a wide range of ready-made meals, sauces, relishes and cooking aids to help you prepare delicious exotic dishes — quick and easily. There’s a whole world of authentic tastes to discover. Visit the Suzi Wan website. UNCLE BEN’S "Making rice convenient and tasty for over half a century." From its traditional long grain rice, to easy and convenient microwaveable rice, to a range of delicious ethnic sauces the whole family will love, UNCLE BEN'S products are easy to prepare and can form part of a delicious balanced meal.	Mars
The venue for the 2012 Olympic archery events is considered the home of what sport?	Sumitomo Corporation Expands Renewable Energy Portoflio as Sole Owner of Mesquite Creek Wind Farm in Texas \| Sumitomo Corporation Sumitomo Corporation Sumitomo Corporation of Americas Sumitomo Corporation Expands Renewable Energy Portoflio as Sole Owner of Mesquite Creek Wind Farm in Texas Exclusive Long Term Agreement with Mars Inc. to Purchase Renewable Energy from Wind Farm Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) and Sumitomo Corporation (SC) (collectively Sumitomo) have acquired the remaining shares of the Mesquite Creek Wind Farm in Western Texas from co-developer BNB Renewable Energy (BNB) to achieve 100% ownership of the project. Sumitomo also announced that they have entered into a long-term agreement with Mars Inc. to purchase the renewable energy from the wind farm which will allow Mars to be effectively carbon neutral in their electricity consumption for 20+ years. Sumitomo secured financing for the project through funding from a syndicate of banks including, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Mizuho Bank. “We are pleased to be partnered with Mars to help them reduce their carbon footprint and allow them to be carbon-neutral in the U.S. Mesquite Creek is a landmark project for Sumitomo and further stregthens our commitment to renewable energy and the U.S. market.”, said William Cannon, Vice President, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas. BNB, the originating developer of the project, entered into a joint venture with Sumitomo in August 2013 and they have since worked together to bring the 25,000 acre wind farm project to fruition. Construction began in October 2013 on Mesquite Creek Wind, a 200MW wind farm located in Borden and Dawson Counties, near Lamesa, Texas. Blattner Energy Inc, is constructing the wind farm, and electricity will be generated via 118 1.7MW GE turbines. Turbine delivery is scheduled to begin at the end of the summer with commerical operations expected for the second quarter of 2015. This 20-year renewable energy contract marks the biggest long-term commitment to renewable energy use of any food manfacturing business in the U.S. Mars will receive all of the Renewable Energy Credits generated by the windfarm, largely offsetting the company’s North American carbon footprint in a single transaction. Mesquite Creek will generate 100% of the electricity needs of Mars’ U.S. operations, which covers 70 sites including 37 factories and 25,000 associates. According to Mars, Inc. the energy created from the wind farm will represent 24 percent of Mars’ total global factory and office carbon footprint and 12 percent of its energy use globally – equivalent to making 13 billion SNICKERS® bars or powering 61,000 U.S. households. Barry Parkin, chief sustainability officer, Mars, Inc., commented, “We are committed to doing our part to limit climate change. We are therefore delighted to be announcing this major renewable project that takes us a big step towards our goals of becoming carbon neutral in our operations. This is an innovative appropach that makes great business and environmental sense.” Mesquite Creek will make it possible for Mars to reach its aggressive goal of achieving carbon neutral energy consumption some 25 years ahead of its 2040 target. “By making this extraordinary commitment to buy renewable energy, Mars is sending a clear message that companies, private and public, have the power to lead the world on climate change. It’s good for the bottom line. It’s good for the environment, and projects like this leave a lasting legacy of values we hold dear. Thank you Mars and Sumitomo, “ said Jonathan Butcher, Sr., a founder of BNB. Sumitomo continues to grow its renewable energy business and has extensive experience developing, operating and owning power generating facilities such as wind, geothermal, biomass and solar business around the world. Ownership of the Mesquite Creek Wind project is Sumitomo’s sixth renewable energy investment in the U.S. Other investments include:	i don't know
If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! ?	If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him: The Pilgrimage Of Psychotherapy Patients: Sheldon Kopp: 9780553278323: Books - Amazon.ca By Bruce P. Barten on June 3 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback This book has the best title for a general work on therapy. However, I would consider most of the advice which this contains quite conventional. Even the chapter on a power trip does not embrace thermonuclear war. The advice suggested by the title might be best for someone who wished to devote his life to writing the most unpopular reviews, or whatever other perverse activities might suggest themselves to those who are familiar with the Buddha. This might be a great opportunity for irony, which ought to pop into the mind of anyone who does not like the title upon reading it for the first time. A little experience in dialectics ought to allow readers to see how this can't be the final word, whatever "this" is. The humor which I see in the title springs from my ability to show how therapy could be the worst alternative to be suggested by those who expect everyone to contribute positive ideas when confronting a radical situation. Page 4 of this book, on the "distress and disruption" in the lives of those who seek this kind of help, supposes that really the patient "prefers the security of known misery to the misery of unfamiliar security." This kind of assumption has very little play in a comic society in which trouble is often the result of a ludicrous embrace of inappropriate familiarity, often expressed in a manner which is considered "adult" when the need to exclude children from the consideration of such pernicious ideas is paramount. In the suggested reading at the end of this book, an anthology of writings by C.G. Jung is suggested. This kind of psychology could be associated with those who might laugh if I claimed that I am a Freudian. Read more › Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By lander on Sept. 26 2014 Verified Purchase The book came quickly and was in good shape so I will order from the second hand book dealer again. Book content was worst book I ever read. It started out well but all the information was in the first chapter. From there it went down hill. The message of the book is you must find happiness and peace from within. No one else is responsible for the way you feel, act or think. Don't read any more of the book. Then he gives examples that I couldn't figure out how they applied to what he was saying. Sheldon Kopp was a psychotherapist helping other people only if it benefited him to do so. He admitted that most of the people he couldn't help. He came across as a little bitter with health issues. I got the book because I liked the character Peter, on Fringe. I was very disappointed in the character until I remembered Fringe is just a tv show. Was I glad I read the book? No. Was it a good book? No. Would I recommend the book? No. I was telling my sister about the book and she wanted to read it. I said did you not hear what I was saying about the book? She wanted to read it anyway. I sent her the book. She still hasn't finished it because she said I was right. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By L. Dann on April 14 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback There are books available now to diagnose and prescribe everything according to the DSMIV etc. There are E-therapy sessions and from what I see of the state of mental health- you might as well go for virtual therapy as the practicioners are not particularly life-like in this current, very restrained and dispassionate age. It is worthy to reopen this book and reopen our hearts to the sacred responsibility implicit in working with another person's suffering and passage. As in so much of our corporate culture, we deny the significance of the patient in the parroting of redundant questions, no humility or sense of awe. I had the honor of hearing this book before it was published with an old psychiatrist, Dr. O. Spurgeon English, who'd been trained by Wilhelm Reich in Vienna while Freud was still there. Koop, as many authors, sent Spurge his audio draft for comment. Together we did some minor editing of the first printing and I remember it well for it was my own therapy and that was what we did. For it was the relationship, and the enormous sense of personal investment and trust that I consider perhaps the most life saving event of my life. Now, as an administrator in mental health, I have seen every sort of style come and go, from EST to primal screaming to the more fascist styles of today. It is time to return to the differing needs of the patient as an individual with a unique soul and important journey. In order to do this we must be dutiful to our own shortcomings and creative gifts as we come to understand them in our own work. If You Meet The Budha On The Road Kill Him. was one of the first of a new, revolutionary, and often sloppy, self serving approaches that was taken up in psychiatry. Read more › Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By Max Sand on June 25 2013 Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase I haven't finished this book yet but thought i would jump the gun and do a wee review and then review my review when i finish the oook. As of today i have read 7 chapters and all have been enlightening in their content and in the way they have forced me to think about my own life. I think a highlighter would be a handy tool to have as you read this book and then re-read it again at a later date and ponder your highlights. I may do this the second time i read this book because there is a lot of wisdom here and i think i will be returning to it again and again. It was first published in 1972 so some of the stuff about the Women's Liberation Movement in one of the chapters is a bit dated. Anyway, you will know what i mean when you read it. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again.	Sheldon Kopp
La Sombra del Viento (The Shadow of the Wind)?	If You Meet Buddha on the Road, Kill Him: Amazon.co.uk: Sheldon Kopp: 9780553278323: Books If You Meet Buddha on the Road, Kill Him Add all three to Basket One of these items is dispatched sooner than the other. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:If You Meet Buddha on the Road, Kill Him by Sheldon Kopp Mass Market Paperback Â£6.39 Only 12 left in stock (more on the way). Sent from and sold by Amazon. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£10. Details The Road Less Travelled (Arrow New-Age) by M. Scott Peck Paperback Â£5.59 In stock. Sent from and sold by Amazon. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£10. Details Sent from and sold by Amazon. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£10. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Paperback Â£23.99 Amazon Prime Paperback Â£7.99 Amazon Prime Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Apple To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. or Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . New Year, New You Everything you need to keep your resolutions. Shop now. Product details Mass Market Paperback: 238 pages Publisher: Bantam USA; Reissue edition (1 Jan. 1976) Language: English Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 1.8 x 17.4 cm Average Customer Review: By William Cohen VINE VOICE on 2 July 2006 Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase I work as a speechwriter and I love this type of book because it's full of quotable stuff. Lines like, 'You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.' or, 'You can't make anyone love you. You just have to reveal who your are and take your chances.' He illustrates his theories using some of the Great Classics of Western Literature - Chaucer's Wife of Bath, Kafka's The Castle, John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Shakespeare's Macbeth. The thrust of the book is 'The secret is that there is no secret'. We must all face our problems, there are no real gurus with all the answers. Life is complex, difficult, unpredictable, confusing - fun sometimes - harrowing and depressing at others. We have to find temporary solutions in ourselves. Stories, maxims and metaphors help us do this. It all ends with Kopp's Laundry List - a number of short phrases which sum up his theses. A super book.	i don't know
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?	SparkNotes: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Home → SparkNotes → Literature Study Guides → The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe C. S. Lewis Lack of Characters by callum715 , September 02, 2012 In the section with a more in-depth analysis of the more major characters, it doesn't contain any in-depth analyses of the other Pevensie children, which are arguably major characters.	C. S. Lewis
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?	16 Facts About 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' \| Mental Floss 16 Facts About 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' darchwonders In the 1940s, Oxford University professor C.S. Lewis struggled and fought to complete The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Little did he know that his novel would become a best seller, lead to six sequels, and still be widely read decades later. Here are some things you may not know about this long-lived children’s classic. 1. The story was inspired by an image of a faun. From age 16 onward, Lewis often found himself imagining “a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.” According to his short essay It All Began With A Picture [ PDF ], the image continued to come to him until, at age 40, he said to himself, “Let's try to make a story about it.” 2. The book was also inspired by three girls who lived with Lewis during World War II. In 1939, three girls, Margaret, Mary, and Katherine, were evacuated from London because of anticipated bombings and sent to live with Lewis in the countryside for a short time. This situation seems to be the inspiration for the four children—Susan, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy—being sent to live with the old Professor in the book. 3. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe took 10 years to write. Lewis started in 1939 and finished in 1949. The novel was published in 1950. 4. The story was floundering until Lewis invented Aslan the lion. Wikimedia Commons Lewis wasn’t sure what to do with the book until “Aslan came bounding into it.” He’d been having dreams of lions, and found that putting Aslan in “pulled the whole story together, and soon He pulled the six other Narnian stories in after Him.” Incidentally, Aslan means "lion" in Turkish. 5. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were in a writing group called The Inklings. While both writers were working on fantasy novels—Lewis on Narnia and Tolkien on The Lord of the Rings—they met every Monday morning to talk about writing. Others started to join them, and soon the group swelled to 19 men, so they started meeting on Thursday evenings to share and discuss their work. 6. Lewis destroyed the first version of the book because his friends didn’t like it. Before 1947, Lewis wrote a draft of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with four children named Ann, Martin, Rose, and Peter. The reaction of his friends to the story was discouraging, to say the least. He said in a letter, “It was, by the unanimous verdict of my friends, so bad that I destroyed it.” 7. Lucy is a real person. owenbarfield.org Lucy is based on Lucy Barfield, Lewis’s goddaughter, and the daughter of Owen Barfield. She was 4 years old when he started the book and 14 when he finished it. In the dedication to Lucy, he said, “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it.” 8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a “magical doorway” story. As the term suggests, this is a story where a door or other opening allows a character to leave the real world and enter a magical world. Other magical doorways include the rabbit hole that Alice falls down in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Platform 9 3/4 in the Harry Potter series. 9. The book is also a Christian allegory—or is it? The Christian themes in the story are overt. Aslan, as a stand-in for Christ, allows himself to be sacrificed by the evil White Witch and is then resurrected, which brings salvation to Narnia. This follows Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection three days later. But in a 1962 letter, Lewis said the book was not an allegory so much as a “supposal,” as in: “Suppose there were a Narnian world and it, like ours, needed redemption. What kind of incarnation and Passion might Christ be supposed to undergo there?” 10. Lewis jumbled all kinds of mythology into the book. Narnia draws on Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology, Irish and British fairy tales, Germanic folklore, and Arthurian romance, just to name a few. Even Santa Claus makes an appearance. 11. The White Witch is based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. Wikimedia Commons Like the Snow Queen, the White Witch is a tall woman dressed in white who is capable of freezing people—the Snow Queen turns their hearts to ice and the White Witch turns people to stone. Both women bring a boy onto a sled and destroy him emotionally through evil magic. 12. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is chronologically the second book in the Narnia series. While The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was written first, The Magician’s Nephew is chronologically where the story starts. Many people read The Magician’s Nephew first so they can go from the earliest to the latest point in the series. 13. Professor Kirke was based on Lewis’s high school tutor. The Professor, whose name is Digory Kirke, is based on William T. Kirkpatrick, who tutored Lewis when he was a teenager. Along with appearing in the first book, the Professor is the protagonist of The Magician’s Nephew and also appears in The Last Battle. 14. Tolkien didn’t like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In 1949, Lewis read a completed manuscript of the book to Tolkien and was surprised by his negative reaction. There’s much speculation as to why he disliked the book so much. Some say it’s because Tolkien didn’t like how Lewis mixed different mythologies together. Another theory is that Tolkien was threatened by the speed with which Lewis assembled his world, when Tolkien was so meticulous in his invention of Middle-earth. The truth is, we may never know the details. Tolkien said in a letter: "It is sad that 'Narnia' and all that part of C.S.L.'s work should remain outside the range of my sympathy, as much of my work was outside his.” Which tells us almost nothing. 15. It's one of the best-selling books of all time. It’s difficult to rank all-time best-selling books, but when people try, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is usually on the list. For example, it’s number 6 on this list, number 9 on this list, and number 17 on this list. In any case, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is ridiculously successful. It has been translated to 47 languages and adapted for TV, stage, radio, and the silver screen. In 2005, it was made into a big-budget movie starring Tilda Swinton and James McAvoy. 16. Turkish delight is real candy you can make yourself. iStock The White Witch gives Edmund magical Turkish delight that he can’t stop eating. “Each piece was sweet and light to the very center and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious.” You can whip up a batch yourself (minus the magic, of course) with the recipe here.	i don't know
The Catcher in the Rye?	SparkNotes: The Catcher in the Rye Home → SparkNotes → Literature Study Guides → The Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger Rye by DaveMacDonald , September 01, 2012 'The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment to one another.' I thought the 'Rye' referred to in Robert Burns' poem was the river Rye, hence the lines: 'Jenny's a wet poor body, Jenny's seldom dry'. In this regard it is about two people who meet at a river with no crossing, which will cause people to question why one of them is wet and what they have been doing.	J. D. Salinger
Who Moved My Cheese? ?	SparkNotes: The Catcher in the Rye: Plot Overview The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger Context Character List The Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or sanatorium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old. Holden’s story begins on the Saturday following the end of classes at the Pencey prep school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Pencey is Holden’s fourth school; he has already failed out of three others. At Pencey, he has failed four out of five of his classes and has received notice that he is being expelled, but he is not scheduled to return home to Manhattan until Wednesday. He visits his elderly history teacher, Spencer, to say goodbye, but when Spencer tries to reprimand him for his poor academic performance, Holden becomes annoyed. Back in the dormitory, Holden is further irritated by his unhygienic neighbor, Ackley, and by his own roommate, Stradlater. Stradlater spends the evening on a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl whom Holden used to date and whom he still admires. During the course of the evening, Holden grows increasingly nervous about Stradlater’s taking Jane out, and when Stradlater returns, Holden questions him insistently about whether he tried to have sex with her. Stradlater teases Holden, who flies into a rage and attacks Stradlater. Stradlater pins Holden down and bloodies his nose. Holden decides that he’s had enough of Pencey and will go to Manhattan three days early, stay in a hotel, and not tell his parents that he is back. On the train to New York, Holden meets the mother of one of his fellow Pencey students. Though he thinks this student is a complete “bastard,” he tells the woman made-up stories about how shy her son is and how well respected he is at school. When he arrives at Penn Station, he goes into a phone booth and considers calling several people, but for various reasons he decides against it. He gets in a cab and asks the cab driver where the ducks in Central Park go when the lagoon freezes, but his question annoys the driver. Holden has the cab driver take him to the Edmont Hotel, where he checks himself in. From his room at the Edmont, Holden can see into the rooms of some of the guests in the opposite wing. He observes a man putting on silk stockings, high heels, a bra, a corset, and an evening gown. He also sees a man and a woman in another room taking turns spitting mouthfuls of their drinks into each other’s faces and laughing hysterically. He interprets the couple’s behavior as a form of sexual play and is both upset and aroused by it. After smoking a couple of cigarettes, he calls Faith Cavendish, a woman he has never met but whose number he got from an acquaintance at Princeton. Holden thinks he remembers hearing that she used to be a stripper, and he believes he can persuade her to have sex with him. He calls her, and though she is at first annoyed to be called at such a late hour by a complete stranger, she eventually suggests that they meet the next day. Holden doesn’t want to wait that long and winds up hanging up without arranging a meeting. Holden goes downstairs to the Lavender Room and sits at a table, but the waiter realizes he’s a minor and refuses to serve him. He flirts with three women in their thirties, who seem like they’re from out of town and are mostly interested in catching a glimpse of a celebrity. Nevertheless, Holden dances with them and feels that he is “half in love” with the blonde one after seeing how well she dances. After making some wisecracks about his age, they leave, letting him pay their entire tab. As Holden goes out to the lobby, he starts to think about Jane Gallagher and, in a flashback, recounts how he got to know her. They met while spending a summer vacation in Maine, played golf and checkers, and held hands at the movies. One afternoon, during a game of checkers, her stepfather came onto the porch where they were playing, and when he left Jane began to cry. Holden had moved to sit beside her and kissed her all over her face, but she wouldn’t let him kiss her on the mouth. That was the closest they came to “necking.” Holden leaves the Edmont and takes a cab to Ernie’s jazz club in Greenwich Village. Again, he asks the cab driver where the ducks in Central Park go in the winter, and this cabbie is even more irritable than the first one. Holden sits alone at a table in Ernie’s and observes the other patrons with distaste. He runs into Lillian Simmons, one of his older brother’s former girlfriends, who invites him to sit with her and her date. Holden says he has to meet someone, leaves, and walks back to the Edmont. Maurice, the elevator operator at the Edmont, offers to send a prostitute to Holden’s room for five dollars, and Holden agrees. A young woman, identifying herself as “Sunny,” arrives at his door. She pulls off her dress, but Holden starts to feel “peculiar” and tries to make conversation with her. He claims that he recently underwent a spinal operation and isn’t sufficiently recovered to have sex with her, but he offers to pay her anyway. She sits on his lap and talks dirty to him, but he insists on paying her five dollars and showing her the door. Sunny returns with Maurice, who demands another five dollars from Holden. When Holden refuses to pay, Maurice punches him in the stomach and leaves him on the floor, while Sunny takes five dollars from his wallet. Holden goes to bed. He wakes up at ten o’clock on Sunday and calls Sally Hayes, an attractive girl whom he has dated in the past. They arrange to meet for a matinee showing of a Broadway play. He eats breakfast at a sandwich bar, where he converses with two nuns about Romeo and Juliet. He gives the nuns ten dollars. He tries to telephone Jane Gallagher, but her mother answers the phone, and he hangs up. He takes a cab to Central Park to look for his younger sister, Phoebe, but she isn’t there. He helps one of Phoebe’s schoolmates tighten her skate, and the girl tells him that Phoebe might be in the Museum of Natural History. Though he knows that Phoebe’s class wouldn’t be at the museum on a Sunday, he goes there anyway, but when he gets there he decides not to go in and instead takes a cab to the Biltmore Hotel to meet Sally. Holden and Sally go to the play, and Holden is annoyed that Sally talks with a boy she knows from Andover afterward. At Sally’s suggestion, they go to Radio City to ice skate. They both skate poorly and decide to get a table instead. Holden tries to explain to Sally why he is unhappy at school, and actually urges her to run away with him to Massachusetts or Vermont and live in a cabin. When she refuses, he calls her a “pain in the ass” and laughs at her when she reacts angrily. She refuses to listen to his apologies and leaves. Holden calls Jane again, but there is no answer. He calls Carl Luce, a young man who had been Holden’s student advisor at the Whooton School and who is now a student at Columbia University. Luce arranges to meet him for a drink after dinner, and Holden goes to a movie at Radio City to kill time. Holden and Luce meet at the Wicker Bar in the Seton Hotel. At Whooton, Luce had spoken frankly with some of the boys about sex, and Holden tries to draw him into a conversation about it once more. Luce grows irritated by Holden’s juvenile remarks about homosexuals and about Luce’s Chinese girlfriend, and he makes an excuse to leave early. Holden continues to drink Scotch and listen to the pianist and singer. Quite drunk, Holden telephones Sally Hayes and babbles about their Christmas Eve plans. Then he goes to the lagoon in Central Park, where he used to watch the ducks as a child. It takes him a long time to find it, and by the time he does, he is freezing cold. He then decides to sneak into his own apartment building and wake his sister, Phoebe. He is forced to admit to Phoebe that he was kicked out of school, which makes her mad at him. When he tries to explain why he hates school, she accuses him of not liking anything. He tells her his fantasy of being “the catcher in the rye,” a person who catches little children as they are about to fall off of a cliff. Phoebe tells him that he has misremembered the poem that he took the image from: Robert Burns’s poem says “if a body meet a body, coming through the rye,” not “catch a body.” Holden calls his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini, who tells Holden he can come to his apartment. Mr. Antolini asks Holden about his expulsion and tries to counsel him about his future. Holden can’t hide his sleepiness, and Mr. Antolini puts him to bed on the couch. Holden awakens to find Mr. Antolini stroking his forehead. Thinking that Mr. Antolini is making a homosexual overture, Holden hastily excuses himself and leaves, sleeping for a few hours on a bench at Grand Central Station. Holden goes to Phoebe’s school and sends her a note saying that he is leaving home for good and that she should meet him at lunchtime at the museum. When Phoebe arrives, she is carrying a suitcase full of clothes, and she asks Holden to take her with him. He refuses angrily, and she cries and then refuses to speak to him. Knowing she will follow him, he walks to the zoo, and then takes her across the park to a carousel. He buys her a ticket and watches her ride it. It starts to rain heavily, but Holden is so happy watching his sister ride the carousel that he is close to tears. Holden ends his narrative here, telling the reader that he is not going to tell the story of how he went home and got “sick.” He plans to go to a new school in the fall and is cautiously optimistic about his future. More Help	i don't know
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)?	The Little Prince (2015) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to prepare her for it. Her neighbor, the Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince. Director: Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence. a list of 41 titles created 12 Aug 2014 a list of 41 titles created 01 Jan 2015 a list of 37 titles created 11 months ago a list of 29 titles created 8 months ago a list of 40 titles created 1 month ago Title: The Little Prince (2015) 7.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 5 nominations. See more awards » Videos In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. Director: Peter Sohn Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the faeries and save the spirit world. Director: Tomm Moore An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets. Director: Henry Selick Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home to win the love of his life. Director: Steve Martino The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is. Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard Stars: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. Directors: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi Stars: Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Nick Frost Continuing his "legendary adventures of awesomeness", Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home. Directors: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh Nelson Stars: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Director: Jorge R. Gutiérrez A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. Director: Travis Knight A pilot, stranded in the desert, meets a little boy who is a prince on a planet. Director: Stanley Donen The friendly but forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way. Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes. Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams Stars: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung Edit Storyline From Mark Osborne comes the first-ever animated feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's iconic masterpiece, The Little Prince. At the heart of it all is The Little Girl, who's being prepared by her mother for the very grown-up world in which they live - only to be interrupted by her eccentric, kind-hearted neighbor, The Aviator. The Aviator introduces his new friend to an extraordinary world where anything is possible. A world that he himself was initiated into long ago by The Little Prince. It's here that The Little Girl's magical and emotional journey into her own imagination - and into the universe of The Little Prince - begins. And it's where The Little Girl rediscovers her childhood and learns that ultimately, it's human connections that matter most, and that what's truly essential can only be seen with the heart. Written by EJ Growing up isn't the problem... forgetting is. See more » Genres: Rated PG for mild thematic elements \| See all certifications » Parents Guide: 5 August 2016 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $28,140 (USA) (1 April 2016) Gross: First-ever animated feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 's The Little Prince. See more » Goofs When the Little Girl claps for the first time "The Conceited Man" took kudos by taking his hat off with his "right hand" but next time while holding The Little Girl with "left hand" he drops her and took kudos with his "left hand" although his "right hand" was free. See more » Quotes [after Mr. Prince and the Little Girl liberate the stars back into space] The Businessman : [saddened] This is very, very, very bad for business. See more » Crazy Credits One of few movies where the end credits scroll downwards (instead of upwards), so that the title of each department is at the bottom of the list of people in that department. See more » Connections (United States) – See all my reviews This latest effort at adapting the classic book is not very good. The screenplay is in dire need of re-writing and the movie really needs an editor in order to excise about 45 minutes off the end. At about the 1-hour mark, the actual story ends, but it goes on and on off on its own meandering trying to find a proper ending. I guess the original ending is not something easily explained, so the screenwriter and director added to it. Those are probably the movie's biggest flaws. The animation was also inconsistent. It would've been better had they stuck with the style used for the actual story of The Little Prince. The animation used for contemporary time looked like some cookie-cutter, generic 3-D animation à la Pixar. Mind you, it can be good, but it sits in stark, ugly contrast with the more charming style and design used for The Little Prince. It's as if the director tried to blend two different animated movies into one. The overall bad and/or miscast voice acting is nothing to write home about, either. Going back to the story, the screenplay misplaces or, worse, omits A LOT. Things that are supposed to take a longer time to talk and explain are brushed off in a matter of seconds, entire segments of the story are simply not used - at least half The Little Prince's dialogue and interactions are gone!, and things are replaced with a boring story about a girl trying to get into a prestigious academy and her controlling mother. As I said, the problem is the stark difference between the sublime and the heavy-handed. I commend Netflix for taking a chance on what would now be considered an esoteric project that few people under 40 would even know about nowadays. However, I can't help but think the writers and director simply were not into it or, sadly, probably gave up on it. 4 of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
And Then There Were None?	Amazon.com: The Little Prince (8580001044842): Antoine de Saint-ExupÃ©ry, Richard Howard: Books The Little Prince Buy the selected items together This item:The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Paperback $7.00 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Paperback $10.19 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Paperback $10.00 Prime Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Captive Justice: A Private Investigator Mystery Thriller (A Jake & Annie Lincoln Thriller Book 4) Rayven T. Hill PI's Jake & Annie Lincoln must unweave a baffling puzzle before a treacherous murderer claims more victims, among whom may be the Lincolns themselves. Sisters of Sorrow Axel Blackwell Anna lives in a factory that eats children, but what waits for her beyond its walls is far more terrifying. The Fate: Book 1: Tournament Wysteria (Fates of the New School) John Ko âYesterday, we forgetâTomorrow is a memory yet to be written. But today â¦ Today, we become Legend!â Justice for Hire: A Private Investigator Crime Novel (A Jake & Annie Lincoln Thriller Book 3) Rayven T. Hill When private eyes Jake & Annie Lincoln race to discover why young killers are murdering without remorse, they become targets of a merciless assassin. The Edge of Juniper Lora Richardson Some houses have secrets. Escaping the tension at her cousin's house leads Fay to Malcolm, who is captivating but off -limits due to a family grudge. Cold Justice: A Private Investigator Murder Mystery (A Jake & Annie Lincoln Thriller Book 2) Rayven T. Hill When a troubled woman claims to have witnessed a murder, then apparently commits suicide, her husband hires PI's Jake and Annie to uncover the truth. Blood Republic James Duncan Corrupt politicians, crazed generals, NSA spying, and viral hate; will America survive its election, or plunge into a 2nd Civil War of right vs left? Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions. The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities . And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary: I have good reason to believe that there is an old rat living somewhere on my planet. I hear him at night. You could judge that old rat. From time to time you will condemn him to death. That way his life will depend on your justice. But you'll pardon him each time for economy's sake. There's only one rat. The author pokes similar fun at a businessman, a geographer, and a lamplighter, all of whom signify some futile aspect of adult existence. Yet his tale is ultimately a tender one--a heartfelt exposition of sadness and solitude, which never turns into Peter Pan-style treacle. Such delicacy of tone can present real headaches for a translator, and in her 1943 translation , Katherine Woods sometimes wandered off the mark, giving the text a slightly wooden or didactic accent. Happily, Richard Howard (who did a fine nip-and-tuck job on Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma in 1999) has streamlined and simplified to wonderful effect. The result is a new and improved version of an indestructible classic, which also restores the original artwork to full color. "Trying to be witty," we're told at one point, "leads to lying, more or less." But Saint-Exupéry's drawings offer a handy rebuttal: they're fresh, funny, and like the book itself, rigorously truthful. --James Marcus	i don't know
The Wind in the Willows?	The Wind in the Willows (TV Movie 1983) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Wind in the Willows ( 1983 ) TV-G \| One spring, Mole decides that he can ignore the spring cleaning for a little longer, and begins a series of adventures with his new friend Rat. They go for a picnic on the riverbank, on a ... See full summary » Directors: a list of 1056 titles created 10 Nov 2011 a list of 3 titles created 13 Jan 2014 a list of 220 titles created 25 Jan 2015 a list of 12 titles created 11 months ago a list of 40 titles created 8 months ago Title: The Wind in the Willows (TV Movie 1983) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards » Photos Based on the characters created by Kenneth Grahame, this award winning animated series follows the adventures of Mole as he leaves home to discover the world. Mole finds friendship with Rat... See full summary » Stars: Richard Pearson, Peter Sallis, Michael Hordern When three tight friends Mole, Ratty, and Badger, find out that the infamous Mr. Toad of Toad Hall has been up to no good, they must find him and change his ways for good. Director: Dave Unwin Mole's underground home is bought by the Weasels from wealthy landowner Mr. Toad and Mole is thrown out. He and Rat start to fight to get his home back from evil Weasels. Director: Terry Jones Rat, Mole and Badger try to curb Mr. Toad's wild ways before he ruins himself and the other animals of the forest. Director: Rachel Talalay 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X Badger, Rat and Mole are trying to save Toad Hall and its owner, their rich irresponsible airhead playboy friend Toad, from himself, as well as financial ruin, the court and a gang of conspiratorial weasels who have their eye on the place. Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. Stars: Charles Nelson Reilly, Roddy McDowall, José Ferrer Disney "Mini-Classic" version of the tale. First released as a double-feature: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Directors: James Algar, Jack Kinney Stars: Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, J. Pat O'Malley The Wind in the Willows II (TV Movie 1983) Adventure \| Family \| Fantasy Danger Mouse, the greatest secret agent in the world, must follow Colonel K's orders (and try not to break Professor Squawkencluck's inventions) to foil Baron Greenback's and his henchman Stiletto's plans. Stars: David Jason, Terry Scott, Edward Kelsey The misadventures of a little Peruvian bear living in London, UK. Stars: Michael Hordern, Joel Grey Mole disappears while answering what he thinks is an urgent summons from Rat, forcing Badger to enlist Toad and his new airplane in a frantic search party. Director: Dave Unwin Animated series telling the story of many beloved Beatrix Potter Characters Stars: Niamh Cusack, Enn Reitel, Mary Jane Bowe Edit Storyline One spring, Mole decides that he can ignore the spring cleaning for a little longer, and begins a series of adventures with his new friend Rat. They go for a picnic on the riverbank, on a caravan expedition with Toad, until Toad switches allegiance to his new car and his reckless driving makes Mole and Rat search out Badger for help in curbing Toad's profligate habits. But Toad gets away from them and gets a 20-year sentence from the magistrate for theft, reckless driving, and Gross Impertinence. While Toad works his wiles on the jailer's daughter and escapes jail dressed as a washer woman, Badger tries to guard Toad Hall from the machinations of the Weasels and is badly beaten. And it requires a plan of attack and all four comrades to regain Toad Hall. Written by Kathy Li 27 December 1983 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Det susar i säven See more » Filming Locations: One of the backdrop illustrators was future Stone Roses guitarist John Squire See more » Quotes Badger : Do you mean to say you don't promise never to touch a motorcar again? Toad : On the contrary! I faithfully promise that the first motor car I see... [puts on his driving goggles] The Wind in the Willows If animals did have human qualities, humans would have gone to war with the cows years ago. Fortunately, none of the anthropomorphic fauna in this animated movie are edible. Suffering from spring fever, Mole (Richard Pearson) emerges from his subterranean home. During his constitutional he encounters his woodland colleagues Rat (Ian Carmichael) and Badger (Michael Hordern). Together, they arrange a picnic, followed by a visit to Toad Hall. The latter, however, proves a wild ride as the lead footed Mr. Toad (David Jason) takes the trio on a whirlwind tour of the countryside in his roadster, which lands Toad in hot water. Featuring an unforgettable Mr. Toad performance and finely detailed characters that are masterful manipulated, this brilliant stop-motion BBC adaptation of the misadventures of upper-crusty critters is now a classic in its own right. More impressive is that foxhunting dogs haven't torn any of these beloved characters to shreds. Green Light	Kenneth Grahame
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care?	The Wind in the Willows (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Kenneth Grahame, Paperback \| Barnes & Noble® See All Formats & Editions The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics& The Wind in the Willows (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) available in Hardcover , NOOK Book , Audiobook , Paperback Paperback	i don't know
What name was given to a legendary substance believed to turn base metals (notably lead) into gold or silver?	Philosophers Stone, Alchemy - Crystalinks The Philosopher's Stone The philosopher's stone is a legendary substance, allegedly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold. It was sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy. In the view of spiritual alchemy , making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work. It is also known by several other names, such as 'materia prima.' The Philosopher's Stone, the White Stone by the River, The Sword in the Stone, all the same, meaning that which contains the knowledge of creation, a symbol that represents the final outcome of man's inner transformation, of the conversion of the base metal of his outer character to the golden properties of his higher self. It is all about the evolution of consciousness in the alchemy of time. The Stone in Alchemy Transmutation of Metals The concept apparently originated from the theories of the 8th century Islamic alchemist Geber. He analyzed each Aristotelian element in terms of four basic qualities of hotness, coldness, dryness, and moistness. Thus, fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air hot and moist. He further theorized that every metal was a combination of these four principles, two of them interior and two exterior. From this premise, it was reasoned that the transmutation of one metal into another could be effected by the rearrangement of its basic qualities. This change would presumably be mediated by a substance, which came to be called al-iksir in Arabic (from which comes the Western term "elixir"). It was often imagined as a dry powder, made from a mythical stone - the "philosopher's stone". The stone was believed to have been composed of a substance called carmot. Geber's theory and the concept of the philosopher's stone may have been inspired by the knowledge that metals like gold and silver could be hidden in alloys and ores, from which they could be recovered by the appropriate chemical treatment. Geber himself is believed to be the inventor of aqua regia, a mixture of muriatic and nitric acids, which is one of the few substances that can dissolve gold (and is still often used for gold recovery and purification). The Stone as a Spiritual Metaphor Alchemy has always made extensive use of analogy, symbolism, and so forth to relate chemical and physical concepts to esoteric and mystic ones. In some epochs and contexts, these metaphysical aspects came to predominate, and the chemical processes were then viewed as mere symbols of spiritual processes. In this hermetic side of alchemy, the "philosopher's stone", supposed to to be the most tangible and dense crystalization or condensation of a subtle substance, became a metaphor for an inner potential of the spirit and reason to evolve from a lower state of imperfection and vice (symbolized by the base metals) to a higher state of enlightenment and perfection (symbolized by gold). In this view, spiritual elevation, the transmutation of metals, and the purification and rejuvenation of the body were seen to be manifestations of the same concept. The mystical revival in the late 20th century renovated the public interest on alchemy, and particularly on this metaphysical and philosophical conception of the philosopher's stone - which is now subscribed by many people, especially within several New Age movements. The Stone and Modern Science Though the notion of a simple philosopher's stone of the alchemic sense fell out of scientific conception by at least the 19th century, its metaphors and imagery persisted: man's attempt to discover the essential secret of the universe, redemptively transforming not just lead into gold, but death into life. In 1901, Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy discovered that radioactivity was a sign of fundamental changes within elements, and it was Soddy who quickly made the connection between this and the ancient search for the philosopher's stone (Soddy had studied alchemy extensively as a hobby). At the moment of realization that their radioactive thorium was converting itself into radium, bit by bit, Soddy later recalled that he shouted out: "Rutherford, this is transmutation!" Rutherford snapped back, "For Christ's sake, Soddy, don't call it transmutation. They'll have our heads off as alchemists." However the term stuck, in part because it drew the new discoveries in nuclear physics into a longer cultural and mystical web. When it was discovered that radioactivity was also tapping into a latent source of energy bound inside atoms, this furthered the thought that radioactive decay might be the ultimate philosopher's stone. Later, the discovery of nuclear fission would become consciously connected into the same narrative, especially with optimistic hopes of energy "too cheap to meter" and great utopian cities of the future run on nuclear energy. The Stone in Art and Entertainment The philosopher's stone has been subject, inspiration, or plot feature of innumerable artistic works � novels, comics stories, movies, animations, and even musical compositions. It is also a popular item in many video games. Azoth Azoth was considered to be a 'universal medicine' or 'universal solvent' sought in alchemy, its symbol was the Caduceus and so the term, which being originally a term for an occult formula sought by alchemists much like the philosopher's stone, became a poetic word for the element Mercury. The term was considered by occultist Aleister Crowley to represent a unity of beginning & ending by tying together the first and last letters of the alphabets of antiquity; A/Alpha/Alef (first character of Roman, Greek & Hebrew), Z (final character in latin), O as Omega (final character in Greek) and Th as Tau (final character in Hebrew). In this way permeation & totality of beginning and end was considered the supreme wholeness and thus the universal synthesis of opposites as a 'cancellation' (i.e. solvent) or cohesion (i.e. medicine), and in such a way is similar to the philosophical "absolute" of Hegel's dialectic. Crowley further made reference in his works refering to Azoth as "the fluid." Azoth is also used in the video game Haunting Ground. The game has components of alchemy, horror, and strategy. The main character (Fiona Belli) is the wielder of the Azoth, and is chased by various characters who want to extract the Azoth within her, all for serveral different but none the less selfish reasons. It is refered to as the "essence of life" and also has some things to do with the God Stone and the staff of Caduceus - which is the rod of Hermes, the Magician. Alchemy is a big part in this game. Panacea (Medicine) The panacea (pan-ah-SEE-ah), named after the Greek goddess of healing Panacea, was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. It was sought by the alchemists as a connection to the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold. The Net (Substance) The Net was a term in alchemy for a copper-antimony alloy, named for its crystaline "net" like surface separated by interstices & thought to be one step in the creation of the philosopher's stone. It was discovered by the American alchemist George Starkey aka Eirenaeus Philalethes, who believed the ancient Greek & Roman myths were really encoded recipes for substances needed in the creation of the philosophers stone. It was in the particular myth of the god Vulcan (the medieval alchemical term for fire) finding his wife Venus (alchemical symbol for copper) in bed with the god Mars (whose symbol meant iron in alchemy), that inspired Starkey for the experiment which led to the discovery and creation of the substance he called "The Net". In the myth, the god Vulcan (fire) hung Venus & Mars from a high ceiling with an especially crafted metal net, being the craftsman of the gods, as punishment. The creation process included antimony regulus being reduced from antimony sulfide aka stibnite by the addition of iron from whence the influence of Mars in the alloy comes. Isaac Newton, in his private notes, wrote how he himself followed the steps to the creation of 'the net' and took to Starkeys theory that the Classical mythology was indeed a collection of secret formulas in the creation of a metaphysical substance, which Newton pursued covertly for fear of being ostracized in his time. Claims and Frauds The concept of a substance that could turn inexpensive metals into valuable gold naturally attracted the attention of many entrepreneurs of all sorts - learned and amateurish, skeptical and gullible, honest and dishonest. An example that illustrates the spirit of the times is that of Rudolf II (1552-1612). This king of Bohemia, having found himself in financial difficulties, decided to invest heavily in the search for the philosopher's stone. He thus attracted to Prague a large number of alchemists, who were given ample material and financial support, and promised rewards if they could solve the problem. This "virtual gold rush" may have involved even the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, then at Rudolf's court, who had an alchemical lab built on the grounds of his observatory. Rudolf never saw his dream realized, and he eventually became insane and had to be deposed by his relatives. It is not known whether his insanity was due to natural causes, or to misuse of alchemical "remedies" which often included toxic materials like sulphur, lead, mercury, arsenic, and antimony. Edward Kelley Among those who took Rudolf's offer were the English scholar John Dee, and his assistant Edward Kelley, one of the many alchemists who have claimed possession of the philosopher's stone. Specifically, Kelley claimed that he had acquired in England small amounts of two powders, one white and one red, which had allegedly been found in Wales, in the raided tomb of a Bishop. From these two powders, Kelley would prepare a red "tincture", one drop of which could turn a larger quantity of heated mercury into gold. There are reports that he performed this feat several times, once even in the presence of Rudolf's court officials, and the gold was later tested and found to be genuine. He is also reported as sending to queen Elizabeth I of England a copper bed warmer which had been partly transmuted into gold. Kelley also carried with him a cryptic manuscript, which he claimed had been found with the powders, and which presumably held the secret of their manufacture. On the basis of these claims, Kelley obtained much support from Rudolf - so much so that, when Dee broke with him and returned to England, Kelley chose to remain in Prague. However, Kelley eventually ran out of his magic powders, was jailed by Rudolf in a tower of his castle, and died of injuries sustained in an extravagant escape attempt. The nature of Kelley's powders is open to conjecture. Gold can be dissolved by aqua regia to give a red-colored chloride, from which the metal can be easily recovered by heat or simple chemical means. Although that salt has a tendency to decompose on its own, it seems at least possible that Kelley simply plated a layer of gold on some other metal (possibly dissolved in the mercury to form an amalgam) and then used sleight-of-hand or bribery to pass the goldsmith's test.	Philosopher's stone
The sweet variety of the plant genus Musa is more commonly known as what?	Alchemy and Harry Potter (Part I) - The-Leaky-Cauldron.org The-Leaky-Cauldron.org Alchemy and Harry Potter (Part I) Submitted by: Arianrhod This paper will trace the ancient history of alchemy, its goals and objectives, and explain the Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation. Later, I will discuss the books one at a time, discussing the alchemical imagery and symbolism in each as it relates to both the Seven Stages and to the plot. Finally, I will attempt to make some predictions about the coming book based on the principles of alchemy and the elements necessary for Harry to finish his journey to enlightenment and spiritual immortality. I. A (Very) Short Introduction to Alchemy Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, astrology, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine, mysticism, and religion. Two intertwined goals sought by many alchemists were the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold; and the universal panacea, a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Alchemy can be regarded as the precursor of the modern science of chemistry prior to the formulation of the scientific method. The word alchemy comes from the Arabic al-kimiya or al-khimiya and the Greek word khumeia, meaning "cast together", "pour together", "weld", "alloy", etc. (from khumatos, "that which is poured out, an ingot"). Another etymology links the word with "Al Kemi", meaning "the Egyptian Art", since the ancient Egyptians called their land "Kemi" and were widely regarded as powerful magicians throughout the ancient world. That is the standard textbook definition of alchemy as a science, one that is found verbatim on any number of alchemy websites. As we shall see, however, the alchemists themselves were anything but crackpots, heathens and Occultists. Alchemy was far more than an infantile protoscience based on quasi-scientific principles and steeped in allegory and metaphor, although it certainly had plenty of that. No one really knows how old alchemy is. According to alchemylab.com, there is some evidence that the advent of alchemy predates the Agricultural Revolution, which occurred around 8,000 years ago. Some sources connect alchemy with shamanism and metallurgy; it was certainly known in Sumer, Egypt and Babylonia and later in Greece, blending more and more with metallurgy and divination until the advent of Christianity, when it became a full-fledged philosophy in its own right. Many of the medieval alchemists were devoutly Christian or Muslim, and began every day with prayers and devotions. Alchemy as a philosophy (as well as Tarot, the Kabbalah, astrology and all occult studies) owes its existence to a single document called The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table, The Secrets of Hermes or Tabula smaragdina of Hermes Trismegistus. It is a short, cryptic text that claims to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations. Until the twentieth century, its earliest known sources were Medieval Latin manuscripts, but the oldest documented source for the text is the Kitab Sirr al-Asrar, a book of advice for rulers authored by Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani in around 800 AD. This work was translated into Latin as Secretum Secretorum (The Secret of Secrets) by Johannes "Hispalensis" or Hispaniensis (John of Seville) around 1140 AD and by Philip of Tripoli around 1243 AD. 1 The key word here is "documented." The origins of the Emerald Tablet may well go back several thousand years; it was translated into Greek by Alexandrian scholars and was actually put on display in Egypt in 330 BC. Around the year 400 AD, it was reportedly buried somewhere on the Giza plateau to protect it from religious zealots who were burning libraries around the world at that time. Many believe the tablet still lies hidden there, hidden under a hypogeum beneath the rear paws of the Sphinx. According to legend, the Egyptian god Thoth built a Hall of Records there, storing all of the records of mankind from before the universal flood. To clarify one point: Hermes Trismegistus is not to be confused with the Greek god Hermes. While the name Hermes Trismegistus means "Hermes Thrice Great", the name is really a combination of the Greek god and Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge, wisdom, and writing. Incidentally, the Greeks, and the Romans after them, refused to identify Thoth with Hermes or Mercury, and Cicero noted several individuals known as Hermes. Hermes and Thoth did, however, share many similar traits. Both are gods of writing, communication and magic, and both were regarded as psychopomps, or gods that acted as guides to souls in the afterlife. In the 14th century, the alchemist Ortolanus wrote The Secret of Hermes, which was influential on the subsequent development of alchemy. Many manuscripts of this copy of the Emerald Tablet and the commentary of Ortolanus survive, dating at least as far back as the 15th century. The Tablet has also been found appended to manuscripts of the Kitab Ustuqus al-Uss al-Thani (Second Book of the Elements of Foundation) attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan or Geber, and the Kitab Sirr al-Khaliqa wa San`at al-Tabi`a (Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature), dated between 650 and 830 AD. From the beginning of the text comes the motto of the alchemists: As above, so below. It is a metaphor for recreating heaven on earth via the secrets of the ancients, who certainly knew far better than we how to do it. From The Emerald Tablet: Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt! That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one. As all things were from one. Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon. The Earth carried it in her belly, and the Wind nourished it in her belly, as Earth which shall become Fire. Feed the Earth from that which is subtle, with the greatest power. It ascends from the earth to the heaven and becomes ruler over that which is above and that which is below. And I have already explained the meaning of the whole of this in two of these books of mine. II. Alchemy's Goals and Objectives: Harry Potter and Tom Riddle The medieval alchemists pursued three objectives: Â· The transmutation of base metals into gold Â· The immortality of the soul and spirit Â· The creation of artificial life While many alchemists spent decades trying to turn base metals into gold by means of a vague substance called the Philosopher's Stone, others, like William Lilly and Nicholas Flamel, pursued the spiritual enlightenment of the soul. While these objectives may seem incompatible or even mutually exclusive, it is important to remember that alchemy was both a philosophy and an experimental science, and the transmutation of the metals enabled the alchemists to try to prove that the Above could be recreated in the Below; in short, recreating heaven on earth and in the soul. We see the genuine scientific spirit in the saying of one of the alchemists: "Would to God . . . all men might become adepts in our Art -- for then gold, the great idol of mankind, would lose its value, and we should prize it only for its scientific teaching." 2 Unfortunately, however, not many alchemists came up to this ideal; and for the majority of them, alchemy did mean merely the possibility of making gold cheaply and gaining untold wealth. The third goal of alchemy”the creation of life from nothing”belonged almost entirely to the Islamic alchemists. This will come into play later when we discuss Goblet of Fire. The Islamic alchemists, especially Jabir ibn Hayyan or Geber, experimented with the principles of the elements in the hopes of producing takwin, the artificial creation of life, including human life, in the laboratory. As far as we know Geber did not succeed, but Mary Shelley played on this theme in her novel Frankenstein, as did many other authors of the time. They called their creations homunculus, or "little man' and it appears that the great medieval alchemist and physician Paracelsus coined the term after he supposedly created a false man that stood only about 12 inches tall. The concept is similar to the Jewish golem, which was the creation of life from inanimate objects, and the homunuculi usually did the work ascribed to golems. Alchemy contains a profoundly mystical element, and anyone trying to study it with a modern viewpoint or from a purely scientific standpoint will not understand or appreciate it. The alchemists always spoke of their art as a Divine Gift, one whose secrets could not be learned from any book, and could only be achieved by long years of study and devotion. Enlightenment, when and if it came, occurred all at once and without warning. More than one alchemist marveled at how simple the answer was and how long it took them to grasp it. The right mental attitude with God was the crucial first step to achieving The Great Work (magnum opus), because alchemy is a three-fold transformation: physical, spiritual and psychological. According to The Hermetic House: "From the ascetic standpoint...the development of the soul is only fully possible with the mortification of the body; and all true Mysticism teaches that if we would reach the highest goal possible for man -- union with the Divine -- there must be a giving up of our own individual wills, an abasement of the soul before the Spirit. And so the alchemists taught that for the achievement of the magnum opus on the physical plane, we must strip the metals of their outward properties in order to develop the essence within. As says Helvetius: "... The essences of metals are hidden in their outward bodies, as the kernel is hidden in the nut. Every earthly body, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, is the habitation and terrestrial abode of that celestial spirit, or influence, which is its principle of life or growth. The secret of Alchemy is the destruction of the body, which enables the Artist to get at, and utilise for his own purposes, the living soul." This killing of the outward nature of material things was to be brought about by the processes of putrefaction and decay; hence the reason why such processes figure so largely in alchemistic recipes for the preparation of the "Divine Magistery." 3 The seeker must enter his studies with a pure heart. Those that fail to do so”to use alchemy for power or financial gain”would never achieve spiritual perfection and immortality. I suspect that this is what happened to Tom Riddle. In his quest for knowledge about the Horcruxes and in his experiments to become immortal, his heart and his motives were not pure. He used his gain to mutilate his soul, an act that went against the laws of nature and of God. And he paid for it: In the chapter, "Lord Voldemort's Request", we see the result of his folly. His good looks are gone”not yet snakelike, but only a shadow of what they once were. The outside mirrors the inside. A mutilated and maligned soul cannot be encased in a beautiful package: "In the first place, let every devout and God-fearing chemist and student of this Art consider that this arcanum should be regarded, not only as a truly great, but as a most holy Art (seeing that it typifies and shadows out the highest heavenly good). Therefore, if any man desire to reach this great and unspeakable Mystery, he must remember that it is obtained not by the might of man, but by the grace of God, and that not our will or desire, but only the mercy of the Most High, can bestow it upon us. "For this reason you must first of all cleanse your heart, lift it up to Him alone, and ask of Him this gift in true, earnest, and undoubting prayer. He alone can give and bestow it." 4 Thomas Norton in his Orindall of Alchemy puts it quite nicely when he says: "...A singular grace and gift of the Almighty Which never was found, as witness we can, Nor this science was ever taught to man... ALSO NO MAN SHOULD THIS SCIENCE TEACH For it is so wonderful and so selcouth That it must needs be taught fro mouth to mouth, Also he must (if he be never so loath), Receive it with a most sacred oath, That, as we refuse great dignity and fame, So he must needly refuse the same... So that for doubt of such pride and wealth He must beware that what this science teach No man therefor may reach this present But he has virtues excellent." 5 Tom Riddle also sought the knowledge of the alchemists; he, too, sought immortality of the soul and spirit in order to remain here on earth. The difference between Riddle and Harry, however, is their motivations for seeking the knowledge to begin with. Tom wanted power and gain while Harry did not. A prime example of this is one of the final chapters of the first book”"The Mirror of Erised." Dumbledore, himself an alchemist, was well aware of the principle of love and enlightenment, and hid the Stone in a place where only the pure at heart would be able to obtain it. Professor Quirrell could see himself with the Philosopher's Stone but could not get it. Why? Because he wanted it for material gain and power”to return his master to strength. Harry, on the other hand, wanted to get the Stone to keep it safe; in no way did he ever intend to use it for himself. This is why he was able to get the Stone from the Mirror. This is the path on which Harry finds himself”the path to enlightenment. Only by seeking that part of himself”his goodness and love”will he find the means to destroy Voldemort once and for all. He must become the physical embodiment of the Philosopher's Stone, achieving spiritual perfection and immortality, before he will finally be free of the bond between himself and Tom Riddle. III. The Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life First mentioned by Zosimos the Theban in the third century BC, the concept of the Philosopher's Stone is truly ancient. It is known by many names in many civilizations, but the concept is still the same: the Philosopher's Stone is a means by which humans can achieve spiritual perfection and immortality. It represents the force behind life and the universal binding power between the mind and the body. One of the oldest manifestations of the Stone is as old as civilization itself. The Sumerian Water of Life, now known as alcohol or aqua vitae, was also called "the living water" or "water with spirits" and was used in alchemy as a distillation agent. It was mentioned in The Epic of Gilgamesh and featured prominently in the myth of the goddess Inanna's rebirth after her sister Eriskegal, the wife of the god of death, murdered her in the Underworld. The Benben Stone of Egyptian legend was also called "the stone that fell from heaven" (lapsit ex caelis). It was the symbol of the sun, pyramidal in shape, and resided in the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, the center of religion and astronomy in ancient Egypt. The Benben Stone was rumored to have the secrets of life inscribed on it. The Latin translation of the Philosopher's Stone/Elixir of Life is ex lapis elixir, which is eerily similar to the name that Wolfram von Esenbach gives to the Holy Grail in his Arthurian romance Parzival (lapsit exillis). In fact, Wolfram goes out of his way to describe the Grail as a stone, and his choice of words does not seem coincidental. The term lapsit exillis could also be translated as lapsit ex caelis: the "stone that fell from heaven' which implies that both the Stone and the Grail can be traced back at least to ancient Egypt, although it is probably far older than that. Some of the Stone's other manifestations include: 1· Lia Fail, Ireland/Stone of Destiny, Scotland 2· Keridwen's Cauldron of Immortality, Ireland 3· Jacob's Stone, Biblical 4· Bran's Cauldron of Rebirth, Wales 5· The Holy Grail, European 6· Kaba'a, Islam The Stone was viewed as a magical substance that could immediately perfect any substance or situation. The Philosopher's Stone has been associated with the many other mystical and religious examples and phenomena, including the Salt of the World, the Astral Body, the Elixir, and even Jesus Christ. The Elixir of the alchemists has essentially the same ability to perfect any substance. As the universal panacea, the Elixir cures diseases and restores youth. If the creation of the Philosopher's Stone was difficult, the creation of the Elixir of Life was next to impossible. The Elixir of Life must contain the four elements (fire, earth, air and water) plus the three principles of animal, vegetable and prima materia (tan). To work with these ingredients many thought it was necessary to use crocodile livers, human skeletons, mandrake roots, and gall bladders of antelopes as well as other bizarre ingredients. The prima materia or tan is thought to be the mineral cinnabar, or mercury sulfide, also known as Dragons Blood. We learned in The Philosopher's Stone that Albus Dumbledore was the partner of Nicolas Flamel, who possessed "the only known Philosopher's Stone." As we shall see, Flamel was one of alchemy's premier students, and that Dumbledore was his partner is surely no accident on Rowling's part. Dumbledore was then familiar with the knowledge of the alchemists, their goals and objectives, and the attitude necessary to succeed in their quest. Rowling credits Dumbledore with the discovery of the twelve uses of Dragons Blood, which is a very crucial ingredient in the construction of the Philosopher's Stone. Long used by the ancients as a drug of longevity, cinnabar has been mined since ancient times and is highly toxic due to its mercury content. Dragon's Blood is also the name of a plant, Dracaena draco, which is native to the Canary Islands, and another plant, D. cinnabari, which is found only on the island of Socotra off the south coast of Arabia. The dried resin from these plants was thought to have magical properties due to their bright red color. Dragon's Blood is now used in a variety of industrial applications”as a varnish and in photoengraving among others. It is still used in India for ceremonial purposes. Although it has many more than twelve uses, none of them is oven cleaner! Cinnabar, also called vermellion, combined the two important substances in alchemy: mercury and sulfur. According to Paracelsus: "NATURE begets a mineral in the bowels of the earth. There are two kinds of it, which are found in many districts of Europe. The best which has been offered to me, which also has been found genuine in experimentation, is externally in the figure of the greater world, and is in the eastern part of the sphere of the Sun. The other, in the Southern Star, is now in its first efflorescence. The bowels of the earth thrust this forth through its surface. It is found red in its first coagulation, and in it lie hid all the flowers and colours of the minerals. Much has been written about it by the philosophers, for it is of a cold and moist nature, and agrees with the element of water. So far as relates to the knowledge of it and experiment with it, all the philosophers before me, though they have aimed at it with their missiles, have gone very wide of the mark. They believed that Mercury and Sulphur were the mother of all metals, never even dreaming of making mention meanwhile of a third; and yet when the water is separated from it by Spagyric Art the truth is plainly revealed, though it was unknown to Galen or to Avicenna. But if, for the sake of our excellent physicians, we had to describe only the name, the composition; the dissolution, and coagulation, as in the beginning of the world Nature proceeds with all growing things, a whole year would scarcely suffice me, and, in order to explain these things, not even the skins of numerous cows would be adequate. Now, I assert that in this mineral are found three principles, which are Mercury, Sulphur, and the Mineral Water which has served to naturally coagulate it. Spagyric science is able to extract this last from its proper juice when it is not altogether matured, in the middle of the autumn, just like a pear from a tree. The tree potentially contains the pear. If the Celestial Stars and Nature agree, the tree first of all puts forth shoots in the month of March; then it thrusts out buds, and when these open the flower appears, and so on in due order until in autumn the pear grows ripe. So is it with the minerals. These are born, in like manner, in the bowels of the earth. Let the Alchemists who are seeking the Treasure of Treasures carefully note this. I will shew them the way, its beginning, its middle, and its end. In the following treatise I will describe the proper Water, the proper Sulphur, and the proper Balm thereof. By means of these three the resolution and composition are coagulated into one..." 6 As we know, the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life were the primary goals of the alchemists. The Philosopher's Stone was the substance that could turn inexpensive lead into gold and create a universal panacea that would make humans immortal”the Elixir of Life. The Great Work, or Magnum Opus, refers to the quest for this stone. In addition, making the Philosopher's Stone was understood to confer a type of initiation upon the student, and this initiation is the proper culmination of the Great Work. The Philosopher's Stone is a symbol for the journey to enlightenment by breaking down and recombining elements within us (solve et coagula). Although there were traditionally seven stages to the completion of the Philosopher's Stone, other authors put the number higher. According to the Ripley Scroll, there were 12 steps involved in making the Philosopher's Stone. Basil Valentine wrote The Twelve Keys. The difference in the systems is that the traditional seven-step system dates back to The Emerald Tablet, while the 12-step system deals more with astrological archetypes. Ripley wrote about the four known elements: fire, earth, air and water: You must make Water of the Earth, and Earth of the Air, and Air of the Fire, and Fire of the Earth." 7 According to Wikipedia, the alchemists believed that all four elements were interdependent on each other, and that any process would yield the four elements. This idea goes back to the philosophers, specifically Empedocles of Agrigent (440 B.C.), who considered that there were four elements -- earth, water, air, and fire. Aristotle added the so-called Fifth Element, "the ether." (alt: aether) These elements were regarded, not as different kinds of matter, but rather as different forms of the one original matter, whereby it manifested different properties. It was thought that this was due the four primary properties of dryness, moistness, warmth, and coldness, with each element having two of these properties: fire was equated with hot and dry, hot and wet to air, wet and cold to water, and dry and cold to earth. Thus, moist and cold bodies (most liquids) were called "waters". Also, since these elements were not regarded as different kinds of matter, the alchemists thought transmutation was possible. In fact, it is possible, but it took the development of nuclear fission to make the alchemists' dreams a reality. According to Rowling, the four Houses of Hogwarts are used to represent these four elements. Gryffindor is Fire, Ravenclaw is Air, Hufflpuff is Earth and Slytherin is Water. But what about Aristotle's Fifth Element, the ether? This is where Harry comes in. The ether, or quintessence, stands alone above the other elements. It is pure and incorruptible, the essential presence of something or someone. The quintessence combines the Above and the Below, the mental as well as the material. It can be thought of as the ethereal embodiment of the life force that we encounter in dreams and altered states of consciousness. According to the Greeks, the ether was the celestial fire in the Greek view, the pure essence in which the gods lived and breathed, and the Greeks likened it to the radiant heat from the sun, which could move in empty space; this prompted Aristotle to claim that "nature abhors a vacuum." 8 The classical elements are often used together thematically in modern fantasy, science fiction, film and television. Typically, a magician, wizard or someone able to wield magic has the ability to influence one of the elements, or can use the elements to affect the world around him. The fifth element or quintessence is embodied in the hero, who is usually the epitome of love, and pure love at that. Examples of this theme include Captain Planet, where Captain Planet is summoned by combining the power of five rings that each represent one of the four classical elements, as well as a ring that represents "Heart"; Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series and the children's television show Avatar, where four nations representing the four elements are at war. Each nation's "wizards" have the ability to control the element for which their nation is named. The Avatar, Ang, a young child, is the only one who can control all four elements and bring the nations back into harmony. Yet another example is the feature film The Fifth Element, where the main character (played by Bruce Willis) must use the four elements to power a weapon for Earth's defense, along with love, the "fifth element." More recent examples include two popular films from the past year: The Incredibles and The Fantastic Four (which was originally a comic book). Harry is on a quest to discover the quintessence within himself. He is the one who can unite the four houses as one. He alone contains all four characteristics within himself. The search for the quintessence is the search for the Philosopher's Stone”his awakening and spiritual immortality. In The Half Blood Prince, we even find Harry reading a book on the quintessence: "Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning, Quintessence: A Quest." (US Deluxe HBP, p. 304) IV. The Tools of Alchemy and Harry Potter The alchemists believed that the universal formula contained in the Emerald Tablet was the basis for a spiritual philosophy first introduced in ancient Egypt in remote antiquity”some sources say more than 10,000 years ago. This formula consists of seven consecutive operations performed on the "matter" - whether it be of a physical, psychological, or spiritual nature. Basil Valentine, in his Azoth of the Philosophers, describes the full meaning of the One Thing, which are both the chaotic First Matter at the beginning of the Work and the perfected Stone at its conclusion. The word "Azoth" is from the Emerald Tablet; the "A" and "Z" in the word related to the Greek alpha and omega, which means simply the beginning and end of all things. 9 In the above drawing, taken from The Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation, a salamander engulfed in flames and a standing bird are touching the wings of a caduceus. Below the salamander is the inscription Anima (Soul); below the bird is the inscription Spiritus (Spirit). Corpus means Body. According to the Alchemy Electronic Dictionary, the soul is " the passive presence in all of us that survives through all eternity and is therefore part of the original substance (First Matter) of the universe. Ultimately, it is the One Thing of the universe. Soul was considered beyond the four material elements and thus conceptualized as a fifth element (or Quintessence)." The spirit is "the active presence in all of us that strives toward perfection. Spirit seeks material manifestation for expression. Ultimately, it is the One Mind of the universe." In other words, the soul is what we're born with; it's the spirit and the choices that we make in life that molds us into who we are, a point that Rowling drives home again and again in the novels. Spiritus, Anima, and Corpus form a large inverted triangle that stands behind the central emblem. According to McLean, together they symbolize the three archetypal celestial forces that the alchemists termed Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. In the philosophy of alchemy, these are not chemicals at all, but our feelings, thoughts, and body. Before we discuss the books and how Rowling cleverly weaves the threads of alchemy through them, it is necessary to give a few brief definitions and descriptions of the basic substances used in alchemy. There were seven metals known to the alchemists: gold, silver, mercury, lead, copper, tin and iron (see figure 1). Each one played a specific role in the formation of the Philosopher's Stone; however, as we shall see, the alchemists were not always clear on the names of the substances, often couching them in metaphor and symbolism. In addition, prior to the nineteenth century there was no universal nomenclature system in place for chemical elements. What one alchemist called sulfur another might call mercury and vice versa; this makes interpreting their texts extremely difficult. METAL Saturn Figure 1: The Seven Metals of Alchemy and their ruling planets. In addition to the seven metals, there were also other elements and compounds in use: vitriol, antimony (the Grey Wolf or stribite), saltpeter (potassium nitrate), a combination of sulfuric acid and nitric acid (called aqua regis), nitric acid (aqua fortae), water, sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride), alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) and salt, among others. It is important to remember that elements that had the same properties were classified under the same name; for example, the more combustible compounds the alchemists worked with were given the name "sulfur", although clearly they are not all elemental sulfur. Mercury was well known for its ability to bond, and was famous for its luster and malleability. But the alchemists labeled many substances as "mercury"” those that were soft, shiny and easy to work with, which includes most metals --and sometimes it is difficult to determine just what they are talking about. Again, the alchemists themselves are never clear about just which "sulfur" or "mercury" they were referring to, which only compounds the problem of translation. The three most important substances in alchemy were mercury, sulfur and salt. The alchemists believed that all metals were made up of mercury and sulfur, in different proportions and degrees of purity. Mercury was also known as quicksilver or unicorn blood and was used to make red mercury oxide by heating it in a solution of nitric acid. A thick red vapor hung over the solution, and bright red crystals precipitated at the bottom. This convinced the alchemists that mercury transcended the liquid and solid states, and consequently both heaven and earth and life and death. Mercury was the cause of "perfection" in the metals, and gave gold its luster. An unknown alchemist, quoting Arnold de Villanova, writes: "Quicksilver is the elementary form of all things fusible; for all things fusible, when melted, are changed into it, and it mingles with them because it is of the same substance with them. Such bodies differ from quicksilver in their composition only so far as itself is or is not free from the foreign matter of impure sulphur." 10 The "philosophical mercury", which was present in the seeker's quest for enlightenment, was absolutely necessary for the completion of the Magnum Opus. In alchemy, a serpent or snake often represents mercury. The alchemists believed that an excess of sulfur in the metals caused impurities. By sloughing off the excess sulfur through a purification process, they would be left with pure mercury or quicksilver. Geber called sulfur "the fat of the earth, by temperate Decoction in the Mine of the Earth thickened, until it be hardened and made dry." 11 He considered an excess of sulfur to be a cause of imperfection in the metals, and he writes that one of the causes of the corruption of the metals by fire "is the Inclusion of a burning Sulphuriety in the profundity of their Substance, diminishing them by Inflamation, and exterminating also into Fume, with extream Consumption, whatsoever Argentvive in them is of good Fixation." 12 He assumed, further, that the metals contained two kinds of sulfur: incombustible as well as combustible sulfur, the second being apparently regarded as an impurity. 13 A later alchemist says that sulfur is "most easily recognised by the vital spirit in animals, the colour in metals, the odour in plants." 14 To make matters worse, the term sulfur was also given to any brightly colored substance. According to The Hermetic House: Alchemy Ancient and Modern, this "sulphur-mercury theory of the metals was held by such famous alchemists as Roger Bacon, Arnold de Villanova and Raymond Lully." 15 Salt, on the other hand, was a late addition to alchemy. Salt was the beginning and the end of the Great Work, and that concept that will be extremely important in our analysis of the books. As with mercury and sulfur, the alchemists were not referring to table salt here. Any substance that was resistant to fire was called a "salt." Isaac of Holland and Basil Valentine attempted to explain the differences in the metals by the amount of mercury, sulfur and salt they contained. For example, copper, which is brightly colored, was said to contain an excess of sulfur, while iron, which is hard, was said to contain an excess of salt. Paracelsus and others heartily approved of the addition of salt to the list of alchemical substances, although salt remained less important than either mercury or sulfur. Vitriol is another substance that we will come across in the course of our analysis. It is the most important liquid in alchemy, bar none, serving as a catalyst for all subsequent reactions. It was distilled from an oily, green substance (copper sulfate) that formed naturally from the weathering of sulfur-bearing gravel. This Green Vitriol is symbolized by the Green Lion in alchemical drawings. After it was collected, it was heated and broken down into iron compounds and sulfuric acid. The acid was then separated out by distillation. The first distillation produced a brown liquid that smelled like rotten eggs (sulfur), but further distillation yielded a nearly odorless, yellow oil called simply vitriol. The name was also used for various sulfate salts, such as copper sulfate (blue vitriol, or rarely Roman vitriol), zinc sulfate (white vitriol), iron (II) sulfate (green vitriol), iron (III) sulfate (vitriol of Mars), or cobalt sulfate (red vitriol). Vitriol readily dissolves human tissue and is severely corrosive to most metals, although it has no effect on gold. Vitriol's importance in the novels cannot be underestimated; without it, Harry cannot move through the stages of transformation to enlightenment, even when things look irrepressibly bleak. Sulfuric acid reacts with most metals to produce hydrogen gas and a metal sulfate. These reactions cause the acid to boil, and it can explode. The only way to fight a sulfuric acid fire is with foam or other dry earth agents to keep it from boiling. Once it boils, it releases acidic fumes that can kill. In Harry Potter, these four substances are symbolized by the following characters, and these will be discussed in greater detail: Mercury=Dumbledore, Sulfur=Hagrid, Salt=Sirius and Vitriol=Snape. The other characters have their places as well. Three couples represent the union of sulfur and mercury or the Great Marriage: James and Lily; Ron and Hermione (the "quarreling couple"); and Bill and Fleur. In addition, Ginny's full name, Ginevra, means "white foam." As mentioned in the paragraphs on vitriol, the only thing that can fight a sulfuric acid fire is foam. V. The Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation According to traditional sources, there were seven stages of alchemy, the end product of which was the Philosopher's Stone. The first four steps take place in the Below, in the realm of matter. The last three steps take place in the Above, in the realm of mind and creative imagination. While each book represents a stage in the transformation, the cycles of alchemy are also present within each book, beginning with Harry at the Dursley's (the Black stage) and ending with the all-important talk by Dumbledore and the train ride home (the Red stage). Each stage is related to a color, alchemical substance and metal, and each has a specific place in the creation of the Stone. According to other sources, such as George Ripley and Basil Valentine, there were Twelve Keys or Gates. For the purposes of this discussion, however, we will confine ourselves to the traditional seven stages and analyze them as they relate to the world of Harry Potter. (see figure 2) The first five phases together are called the Black Stage or melanosis; the White Stage is distillation or leukosis and the Red Stage is coagulation or iosis. Iosis is also known as the purple phase, because the material turns purple during the coagulation process. Year 1: The Philosopher's Stone In Rowling's universe, the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life played the major role in the first book. Lord Voldemort, ripped from his body eleven years before, needs the Stone to remain alive until he can construct a new body, reducing himself to preying on unicorn blood, a travesty so horrible that from then on he will lead a cursed half-life. Hogwarts becomes a place of intrigue and danger to Harry and his friends as they try to unravel the mystery of the theft at Gringott's Bank and prevent the Stone from falling into the wrong hands. Eventually, Harry succeeds, in the process discovering within himself his own abilities and the secret of his mother's sacrifice for him. Voldemort does not get the Stone and is forced to flee to Albania, no better off than when he returned to Britain. This is the beginning of Harry's journey. He starts out as a confused mass, alone in the care of abusive relatives, and then he gets the shock of his life when Hagrid tells him he is a wizard. From there, he has to break down (dissolve) everything he has learned and begin building again (coagulate). He learns in the process that he is not just a wizard; he is The Boy Who Lived. In order for him to be completely free from Voldemort, he must dissolve the bond between them, a process that will take six more books to complete. We first meet Harry in Chapter 2, abused by his Muggle relatives and confined to his cupboard under the stairs. The impression we get is that of a boy who is alone in the world, without a friend, and without hope of his situation ever changing. And then, suddenly, his whole world changes. He finds out he is a wizard. The agent of this profound change is Rubeus Hagrid, who will come to play a crucial role in the series. The name Rubeus means "red", and we quickly learn that Hagrid has a penchant for dangerous creatures. He is caring and nurturing, something we would not expect in a man so large; that he is depicted as such by Rowling is no accident, as we shall see in the later books. According to Adam McLean in his The Seven Stages of Transformation, this first stage of the Great Work, called calcination, is the breaking down of the massa confusa (confused mass) by fire. It is represented by sulfuric acid, a potent corrosive that eats the skin and reacts with all metals except gold. The alchemists created sulfuric acid from vitriol, the highly corrosive agent discussed earlier. The chaotic massa confusa has to undergo a long process in which it is repeatedly dissolved and coagulated (solve et coagula) and from this the prima materia appears, which is the raw material for making gold. The psychologist Carl Jung was very occupied with the archetypal aspects of alchemy, and was struck by the similarities between opus magnum and the psychoanalytical process. In Jung's psychoanalysis, the massa confusa of the subconscious is the prime instrument for reaching a state of mental balance and completeness. Calcination itself represented the breaking down of the ego and attachments to material possessions. Through this process the Seeker becomes introspective and begins to evaluate his life. The massa confusa is depicted as a snake holding its tail--the Ouroborus. The snake often was used as a symbol for duality - its long drawn out body separating the polarities of head and tail. Sometimes the figure of a winged dragon was used here in place of the snake, in order to close the circle with the dragon at the beginning of the work. When the snake or dragon seized its tail it united the polarities into a circle, a symbol to the alchemists for achieving solidity amongst the dualistic energies of the soul forces. The creation of the Philosophers' Stone was the formation of solid inner ground upon which the alchemical philosophers could build their personalities, and experience the full potentiality of being human. 16 This is what Harry begins to experience from the moment he sets foot on the Hogwarts Express. He is entering a whole new world; one of magic and wonder, one that forces him to evaluate who he is and what purpose he serves. Platform 9 3/4 represents his initiation into this world of wonder, crossing the boundaries between the mundane and the higher realms. He meets Ron and Hermione, who immediately take a dislike to each other. Together, they represent the Quarreling Couple; king and queen, mercury and sulfur, gold and silver, whose Great Marriage at the end of the Great Work will allow Harry to reach his full potential. We will discuss that more later on. Hermione's name finds its roots in the Greek god Hermes, but even more importantly in Hermes Trismegistus, the author of The Emerald Tablet, from which all alchemy and occult studies are derived. It is also significant that St. James (Potter) is the patron saint of alchemy, and the symbol for the White Stage of transformation is the lily. At this point, we meet two of the most important characters in the entire book: Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. Ron's Chocolate Frog Cards are a veritable fountain of information for us on the first reading of the book. We discover that Dumbledore and Flamel were partners; moreover, it is stated unequivocally that they were alchemists. Dumbledore is credited with discovering the twelve uses of Dragons Blood, which as we have seen is not a fantastic turn of Rowling's imagination. Dumbledore repeatedly shows himself well acquainted with alchemic principles throughout the book and indeed throughout the series. On the other hand, Nicholas Flamel is the most important person in Harry Potter to never be memorialized on a Chocolate Frog Card. The reason for this is unclear; the fact that he was still alive cannot be the reason, as Dumbledore is alive and has his own card. In any case, Flamel's life was real enough”his house in Paris, built in 1407, still stands, at 51 rue de Montmorency, where it has been made into a restaurant. His exploits, however, are legendary among students of esoterica and the occult. This is the end of Part I. Part II discusses Flamel's life, his infamous manuscript and tackles the question: Did Flamel really find the Philospher's Stone? I also trace alchemical symbolism in Chamber of Secrets through Half Blood Prince and beyond, making some predictions for the fate of the characters and the ending of the series. Note: Part II can be found in Issue Two .	i don't know
Technically the Earth's moon is a?	What is this thing? Photo by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio I’m not a big fan of definitions in astronomy. I’ve been pretty clear about this in the past ; Nature is way less anal about boundary lines than humans are. Borders between categories of objects are fuzzy, and while it’s OK to put things in boxes (Jupiter is a planet, the Sun is a star, the Milky Way is a galaxy), it can get tougher when you have two similar objects that you nevertheless think should be on opposite sides of the line. It can be confusing. And then you have what happened on QVC recently. Advertisement QVC is an online and TV shopping channel. Recently, host Shawn Killinger was featuring a line of cardigans by designer Isaac Mizrahi. She described the pattern on one: “It almost kind of looks like what the Earth looks like when you’re a bazillion miles away from the planet moon.” To her credit she laughs at herself and says she just meant to say “looking back at the planet from the Moon,” not “planet moon”. But then the conversation takes an odd turn . Watch: Killinger at first correctly says the Sun is a star, and the Moon is not a star. But then Mizrahi says the Moon is a planet, and she questions that, saying the Moon was never included when you learn the planets. She also goes back to saying it’s a star. Someone off screen then gets on Google, and says “the Moon is a natural satellite.” This confuses both Killinger and Mizrahi, who then quickly move on to selling more clothes. Advertisement Let me cut through the confusion: The Sun is a star, a huge object that has ongoing nuclear fusion in its core. At the lower mass limit, the definition of “star” can get fuzzy , but the Sun is way to one side of that line, so we’re good. Is the Moon a star? No. No fusion in its core, and not even close. It’s not a star. Is the Moon a planet? Well, not really, as a planet is an object that orbits a star, and the Moon orbits the Earth (and yes, wannabe pedants, it really does orbit the Earth and not the Sun ). A satellite is a generic term for an object that orbits another object. You could say the Earth is a satellite of the Sun and be technically correct, though that’s not usually how the term is used. The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth; it orbits Earth, and is not artificial. Another term for “satellite” is (lowercase M) moon, so the Moon is a moon. A weather satellite is then an artificial moon. Advertisement Phil Plait writes Slate’s Bad Astronomy blog and is an astronomer, public speaker, science evangelizer, and author of Death From the Skies! Advertisement By the definition decreed by the IAU, a planet orbits the Sun. But each component of a binary planet orbits the other one. So are they a planet, or two planets, or two satellites, or what? I could argue any and all of these. The fact that the definition falls apart so easily is a pretty good indication that using a definition is a bad idea in the first place. The center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is inside the Earth, so we can safely say the Moon orbits the Earth. But if the Moon were a bit more massive, it wouldn’t be quite so clear. Ceres , the largest asteroid, was thought to be a planet for a few years before it got reclassified into the new category of “asteroid.” And it’s way smaller than the Moon. What if the Earth didn’t exist? The Moon is pretty big, and if it orbited the Sun where the Earth is now, would we call it a planet? I don’t think so, since according to the IAU definition, a planet has to be massive enough to gravitationally affect all the objects that share nearby orbits (it’s “cleared the neighborhood around its orbit” is how it’s confusingly stated), and I think the Moon would fail that criterion. But that’s not a great definition either, to be honest. It’s complicated and weird and still mighty fuzzy along the borders. My gut feeling is that if we saw a solar system exactly like ours, but with a Moon-sized thing where the Earth is now, we might call it a planet. Happily, I have a brain as well as my gut, and my brain says, “So what? That object is a big, round, interesting world, so who cares what you call it? Let’s study it!” Advertisement	Satellite
Racip Erdogan is a leader (at 2011) of what nation?	Is The Moon A Planet? - Universe Today Universe Today Is The Moon A Planet? Article Updated: 23 Dec , 2015 by Elizabeth Howell What makes a planet a planet? The Moon is so big compared to the Earth — roughly one-quarter our planet’s size — that occasionally you will hear our system being referred to as a “double planet”. Is this correct? And we all remember how quickly the definition of a planet changed in 2006 when more worlds similar to Pluto were discovered. So can the Moon stay the Moon, or is the definition subject to change? Defining a planet First, it’s important to understand what the official definition of a “planet” is, at least according to the International Astronomical Union. In its own words, according to a vote in Prague in 2006, the union has this definition : “A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.” What this means is that a planet must move around the Sun (and not move around something else), that it’s massive enough to have a round shape due to gravity, and that it will swoop up any dust or debris in its orbit as it moves around the Sun. But let’s be clear on something; the IAU definition of planet is not without controversy. There is still a strong contingent of people who say that Pluto is indeed a planet, including the principal investigator of a spacecraft (New Horizons) to examine the world: Alan Stern. “It’s an awful definition; it’s sloppy science and it would never pass peer review,” he told the BBC in 2006 . He said that the line between dwarf planets and planets is too artificial, and that the definition of a “cleared neighborhood” is muddy. The Earth alone has many asteroids that follow it — or approach or cross its orbit — not to mention the massive planet Jupiter. UV observations from Hubble show the size of water vapor plumes coming from Europa’s south pole (NASA, ESA, and M. Kornmesser) Definition of a ‘satellite’ The Moon is not a unique phenomenon in our Solar System, in the sense that there are other planets that have satellites around them. Jupiter and Saturn have many dozens! Referring again to the IAU, the union also said in 2006 that it does not consider Charon a dwarf planet despite its large relative size to Pluto. But Charon’s status as a moon could change in future, the IAU acknowledged. That’s primarily because the center of gravity in the system is not inside of Pluto, but in “free space between Pluto and Charon”. This center is called the “barycenter”, technically — and in Jupiter and Saturn’s cases, for example, all the barycenters of the various moons reside “inside” the huge gas giants. Another caution, however: the IAU says “there has been no official recognition that the location of the barycenter is involved with the definition of a satellite.” So for now, it doesn’t have any bearing. That said, one question to consider is if the Moon’s barycenter is inside the Earth? This Cassini raw image shows a portion of Saturn’s rings along with several moons. How many can you find? Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute The answer right now is “yes”. But over time, that barycenter will move outside of Earth. That’s because the Moon is slowly receding from our planet at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) a year. It’ll take a long time, but eventually the center of our system’s mass will not be within our planet. And if you read back to an IAU interview in 2006 , you’ll see that at that time, the IAU defined a “double planet” as a system where both bodies meet the definition of a planet, and the barycenter is not inside either one of the objects. So for now, the Earth is a planet and the Moon a satellite — at least under IAU rules. We have written many articles about the Moon for Universe Today. Here’s an article about how long it takes to get to the Moon , and here are some interesting facts about the Moon . We’ve also recorded an entire episode of Astronomy Cast all about the Moon. Listen here, Episode 113: The Moon, Part 1 . Share this:	i don't know
Polly Toynbee is a British writer and journalist mainly on?	Polly Toynbee (Writer) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Polly Toynbee Female Born Dec 27, 1946 Mary Louisa Toynbee, known as Polly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing. During the 2010 general election she called for tactical voting to keep out the Conservatives with the hope that this would lead to a Lab-Lib coalition supporting proportional representation.… Read More related links Don't Treat Us As Migrants, Hungarian Pm Tells Cameron â Politics Live Guardian (UK) - Jan 07, 2016 ' Rolling coverage of all the dayâs political developments as they happen Osborne says Britain needs to be ready for interest rate increase Livingstone says Labour defence review will consider case for leaving Nato Labour HQ overrules Livingstone on Nato Lunchtime summary 3.31pm GMT Here is the Guardianâs Politics Weekly podcast, with <mark>Polly Toynbee</mark>, Rowena Mason, Toby Helm and Tom Clark discussing the Labour reshuffle and the EU referendum. Related: Labour\'s long res... Morley Literature Festival Set To Launch Batley & Birstall News - Oct 04, 2012 ' THE seventh Morley Literature Festival gets underway on Saturday with a host of star names, childrenâs entertainment and a little bit of something for everyone. The headline names for the festival include former Joy Divison and New Order member Peter Hook, BBC 6 Music presenter Stuart Maconie, best-selling crime novelist Val McDermid and Guardian columnist <mark>Polly Toynbee</mark>, who will all be taking their turns on the main stage of Morley Town Hall during the event. Also appearing... Austerity: Not Just How Much But How National Review Online - May 25, 2012 ' If you listen to those on the political left, you will think that the ongoing meltdown in the euro zone proves that spending cuts are driving the world into another Great Depression. Paul Krugman called the fiscal retrenchment âcriminal folly,â while the famous British journalist <mark>Polly Toynbee</mark> affirmed that âthe great austerity experiment has failed.â Adopting this view, at their recent Camp David summit meeting, leaders of the G8 nations agreed to pursue growth and job creatio... Opinion: Land Value Tax â An Old Idea With Lots Of Modern Supporters Liberal Democrat Voice - May 10, 2012 ' Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations (1776) was an early proponent of land taxes as was that great radical Tom Paine. \n John Stuart Mill was an advocate and Henry George put the case in âProgress and Povertyâ (1879). \n The economist David Ricardo gave us the concept of economic ârentâ â that land or property derives its value from scarcity rather than investment. \n In the debates before and after the peoples budget of 1909 both Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George argued strongly for ... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Polly Toynbee. CHILDHOOD 1946 Birth Born on December 27, 1946. TEENAGE During her gap year, in 1966, she worked for Amnesty International in Rhodesia (which had just declared independence) until she was expelled by the government. She published her first novel, Leftovers, in 1966. … Read More Following her expulsion from Rhodesia, Toynbee revealed the existence of the "Harry" letters, which detailed the alleged funding of Amnesty International by the British government.<br /><br /> After 18 months at Oxford, she dropped out, finding work in a factory and a burger bar and hoping to write in her spare time. She later said "I had a loopy idea that I could work with my hands during the day and in the evening come home and write novels and poetry, and be Tolstoy... But I very quickly discovered why people who work in factories don't usually have the energy to write when they get home." She went into journalism, working on the diary at The Observer, and turned her eight months of experience in manual work (along with "undercover" stints as a nurse and an Army recruit) into the book A Working Life (1970). Read Less TWENTIES 1970 23 Years Old Toynbee married The Guardians political columnist Peter Jenkins in 1970 having met him at trade union conference; they had three children. … Read More Jenkins died from a lung disease in 1992. She subsequently married David Walker, another Guardian columnist. She lives in Lewes, East Sussex. Toynbee is a member of the Arts Emergency Service. Read Less THIRTIES 1981 34 Years Old Toynbee and her first husband Peter Jenkins (from 1970) were supporters of the Social Democratic Party breakaway from Labour in 1981, both signing the Limehouse Declaration. 1983 36 Years Old Toynbee stood for the party at the 1983 General Election in Lewisham East, garnering 9351 votes (22%), and finishing third. … Read More She was one of the very few SDP members who believed in unilateral nuclear disarmament, founding an unsuccessful group "Unilateralists for Social Democracy". She later refused to support the subsequent merger of the SDP with the Liberals (to form the Liberal Democrats), reacting instead by rejoining Labour when the rump SDP collapsed. Read Less FORTIES 1995 48 Years Old In 1995, Toynbee criticised Paul Condon's comments that 80% of mugging cases were committed by black people, stating that it was "an over-simplification that is seriously misleading". … Read More She approvingly quoted Michael Keith, who said: "If you were to standardise for everything else - education, unemployment, housing estates, life chances - race on its own would have virtually no significance." Read Less FIFTIES 2002 55 Years Old In a 2002 debate hosted by the Royal Society of Arts and Prospect, Toynbee argued that the West should pursue liberal internationalism by intervening through the United Nations to promote democracy around the world: "Spreading people's right to self-determination, and their right to think and vote for themselves, is a moral obligation We should be intervening now in the Congo and Sudan". Show Less Toynbee strongly supports state education, though she had two of her three children partly educated in the private sector, leading to accusations of hypocrisy. Although consistently critical of many of Tony Blair's New Labour reforms, she wrote in 2005 that his government "remains the best government of my political lifetime". During the 2005 General Election, with dissatisfaction high among traditional Labour voters, Toynbee wrote several times about the dangers of protest voting, "Giving Blair a bloody nose". … Read More She urged Guardian readers to vote with a clothes peg over their nose if they had to, to make sure Michael Howard would not win from a split vote. "Voters think they can take a free hit at Blair while assuming Labour will win anyway. But Labour won't win if people won't vote for it". Read Less 2006 59 Years Old In December 2006, Greg Clark (a former SDP member, later to be a Conservative Minister) claimed Toynbee should be an influence on the modern Conservative Party, causing a press furore. … Read More Reacting to this, Conservative leader David Cameron said he was impressed by one metaphor in her writings â of society being a caravan crossing a desert, where the people at the back can fall so far behind they are no longer part of the tribe. He added, "I will not be introducing Polly Toynbee's policies". Toynbee expressed some discomfort with this embrace, adding, "I don't suppose the icebergs had much choice about being hugged by Cameron either." In response to the episode, Boris Johnson, at the time a Conservative MP and journalist who had been severely criticised by Toynbee, rejected any association with Toynbee's views, writing that she "incarnates all the nannying, high-taxing, high-spending schoolmarminess of Blair's Britain. Polly is the high priestess of our paranoid, mollycoddled, risk-averse, airbagged, booster-seated culture of political correctness and 'elf 'n' safety fascism". Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD	Politics
What historic capital city is situated where the White Nile and Blue Nile join to form the southern start of the Nile?	Polly Toynbee - Wikiquote Polly Toynbee Sources are needed for some or all quotes on this page. You can help Simple English Wikiquote by adding sources . Polly Toynbee Polly Toynbee (born 27 December 1947) is a British journalist and writer. She has written for the Guardian newspaper since 1988. Quotes "I never believed. I thought all the services at school were ludicrous. Loved the hymns, but the content of the hymns were so absurd. Dense theology, weird stuff." Simple: I was never a believer in God. I enjoyed singing, but not what we were singing about. "The phrase "political correctness" was born as a coded cover for all who still want to say Paki, spastic or queer, all those who still want to pick on anyone not like them, playground bullies who never grew up." [1] Simple: The negative use of the phrase 'political correctness' is an excuse for people to pick on people they do not like. References	i don't know
What London landmark became the UK focus of global protests in October 2011 against corporate greed?	Across the world, the indignant rise up against corporate greed and cuts \| The Independent Across the world, the indignant rise up against corporate greed and cuts Violence mars Rome protest, but in scores more cities tens of thousands take peacefully to the streets Saturday 15 October 2011 23:00 BST Click to follow Across the world, the indignant rise up against corporate greed and cuts 1/8 8/8 AP Protests against corporate greed, executive excess and public austerity began to gel into the beginnings of a worldwide movement yesterday as tens of thousands marched in scores of cities. The "Occupy Wall Street" protest, which started in Canada and spread to the US, and the long-running Spanish "Indignant" and Greek anti-cuts demonstrations coalesced on a day that saw marches or occupations in 82 countries. Some protests were small, as in Tokyo, where only 200 turned up; some were large, as in Spain, where around 60 separate demonstrations were staged; and some were muted, as in London, where nearly 2,000 intending to march on the Stock Exchange obeyed police who turned them back. As dusk fell, some 500 of them were kettled in St Paul's churchyard. Containment tactics were also used by police in New York last night as thousands of demonstrators were penned behind barricades in Times Square. They had marched through Manhattan and protested outside the city's banks, withdrawing their money as they did. Only one of the protests, in Rome, was violent. Here, among an estimated 100,000 protesters, were a few who broke away and hurled bottles, smashed shop windows, torched cars and attacked news crews. There were reports that the defence ministry had been partly trashed. Most of the disorder took place near the Colosseum, and police charged the protesters and fired water cannon. Some demonstrators fled, but others turned against the troublemakers, trying, with limited success, to stop them. Italy, with a national debt ratio second only to Greece's in the 17-nation eurozone, is rapidly becoming a focus of concern in Europe's debt crisis. But even in Germany – part of the solution to the crisis rather than the problem – around 4,000 people marched through the streets of Berlin with banners that urged the end of capitalism. Some scuffled with police as they tried to get near the country's parliamentary buildings. In Frankfurt, continental Europe's financial capital, some 5,000 people protested in front of the European Central Bank. In Spain, six marches were set to converge on Madrid's Puerta del Sol plaza just before dusk yesterday. This is the country where, in May, groups which became known as the Indignant Movement established the first around-the-clock protest camps that lasted for weeks in cities and towns. Portuguese angry at their government's handling of the economic crisis were due to protest in central Lisbon later yesterday evening. Portugal is one of three European nations – the others being Greece and Ireland – that have already needed an international bailout. In Stockholm, 500 people gathered to hear speakers denounce capitalism at a peaceful rally. They held up red flags and banners that read: "We are the 99 per cent" and "We refuse to pay for capitalism's crisis". The reference was to the world's richest 1 per cent, who control billions in assets, while billions around the world live in poverty or are struggling economically. Bilbo Goransson, a trade union activist, declared through a megaphone: "There are those who say the system is broke. It's not. That's how it was built. It is there to make rich people richer." Anti-banking protests outside St Paul's cathedral yesterday drew a crowd of around 2,000. The "Occupy London" protesters gathered with the intention of taking over the plaza in front of the London Stock Exchange but were turned back at Temple Bar by mounted police. The crowds returned to St Paul's churchyard where WikiLeaks' Julian Assange spoke briefly. The singer Billy Bragg was also in the crowd. "Today is about accountability," he said. "People want to see a change in the way things are done." He believed yesterday's protest represented a shift in the way the public views demonstrations. "I think the attitude coming out of protests here and on Wall Street has been incredibly positive," he said. "It's a desire to build, rather than smash things up." In Canada, hundreds gathered in Toronto's financial district to decry what they said was government-abetted corporate greed which has served elites at the expense of the majority. Further protests were planned yesterday for other Canadian cities, while, in the US, marches were scheduled in cities large and small, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Little Rock, Arkansas; from New York to Seattle. In the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, there was a different tone: hundreds walked through the streets carrying pictures of Che Guevara, old communist flags and placards that read: "Death to capitalism, freedom to the people". Turnout was light in Asia, where the global economy is booming. In Sydney, around 300 people gathered, cheering a speaker who shouted: "We're sick of corporate greed! Big banks, big corporate power standing over us and taking away our rights!" Only 200 people protested in Tokyo; and in the Philippines, about 100 people marched on the US embassy in Manila to express support for the Wall Street protests. A group of 100 prominent authors, including Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman and the Pulitzer prize-winning novelists Jennifer Egan and Michael Cunningham, signed an online petition declaring their support for "Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world". And there were stinging words yesterday in The New York Times' leading article for David Cameron and George Osborne. It began: "For now, Britain's economy has been stuck in a vicious cycle of low growth, high unemployment and fiscal austerity. But unlike Greece, which has been forced into induced recession by misguided European Union creditors, Britain has inflicted this harmful quack cure on itself." It ended: "Austerity is a political ideology masquerading as an economic policy. It rests on a myth, impervious to facts, that portrays all government spending as wasteful and harmful, and unnecessary to the recovery. The real world is a lot more complicated. America has no need to repeat Mr Cameron's failed experiment." Several years after the Western financial crisis began, and with growing momentum it seems, new dividing lines – if not battle lines – are being drawn up.	St Paul's Cathedral
What UK newspaper's grossly wrong reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium disaster still causes it to be boycotted in Liverpool over 20 years later?	Across the World, the Indignant Rise Up Against Corporate Greed and Cuts \| Common Dreams \| Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community Across the World, the Indignant Rise Up Against Corporate Greed and Cuts Published on Across the World, the Indignant Rise Up Against Corporate Greed and Cuts by David Randall and Matt Thomas Air Canada employees walk in St. James Park during the 'Occupy Toronto' march in Toronto, Saturday. (photo: Mike Cassese, REUTERS) Protests against corporate greed, executive excess and public austerity began to gel into the beginnings of a worldwide movement yesterday as tens of thousands marched in scores of cities. The "Occupy Wall Street" protest, which started in Canada and spread to the US, and the long-running Spanish "Indignant" and Greek anti-cuts demonstrations coalesced on a day that saw marches or occupations in 82 countries. Some protests were small, as in Tokyo, where only 200 turned up; some were large, as in Spain, where around 60 separate demonstrations were staged; and some were muted, as in London, where nearly 2,000 intending to march on the Stock Exchange obeyed police who turned them back. As dusk fell, some 500 of them were kettled in St Paul's churchyard. Containment tactics were also used by police in New York last night as thousands of demonstrators were penned behind barricades in Times Square. They had marched through Manhattan and protested outside the city's banks, withdrawing their money as they did. Only one of the protests, in Rome, was violent. Here, among an estimated 100,000 protesters, were a few who broke away and hurled bottles, smashed shop windows, torched cars and attacked news crews. There were reports that the defence ministry had been partly trashed. Most of the disorder took place near the Colosseum, and police charged the protesters and fired water cannon. Some demonstrators fled, but others turned against the troublemakers, trying, with limited success, to stop them. Italy, with a national debt ratio second only to Greece's in the 17-nation eurozone, is rapidly becoming a focus of concern in Europe's debt crisis. But even in Germany – part of the solution to the crisis rather than the problem – around 4,000 people marched through the streets of Berlin with banners that urged the end of capitalism. Some scuffled with police as they tried to get near the country's parliamentary buildings. In Frankfurt, continental Europe's financial capital, some 5,000 people protested in front of the European Central Bank. In Spain, six marches were set to converge on Madrid's Puerta del Sol plaza just before dusk yesterday. This is the country where, in May, groups which became known as the Indignant Movement established the first around-the-clock protest camps that lasted for weeks in cities and towns. Portuguese angry at their government's handling of the economic crisis were due to protest in central Lisbon later yesterday evening. Portugal is one of three European nations – the others being Greece and Ireland – that have already needed an international bailout. In Stockholm, 500 people gathered to hear speakers denounce capitalism at a peaceful rally. They held up red flags and banners that read: "We are the 99 per cent" and "We refuse to pay for capitalism's crisis". The reference was to the world's richest 1 per cent, who control billions in assets, while billions around the world live in poverty or are struggling economically. Bilbo Goransson, a trade union activist, declared through a megaphone: "There are those who say the system is broke. It's not. That's how it was built. It is there to make rich people richer." Anti-banking protests outside St Paul's cathedral yesterday drew a crowd of around 2,000. The "Occupy London" protesters gathered with the intention of taking over the plaza in front of the London Stock Exchange but were turned back at Temple Bar by mounted police. The crowds returned to St Paul's churchyard where WikiLeaks' Julian Assange spoke briefly. The singer Billy Bragg was also in the crowd. "Today is about accountability," he said. "People want to see a change in the way things are done." He believed yesterday's protest represented a shift in the way the public views demonstrations. "I think the attitude coming out of protests here and on Wall Street has been incredibly positive," he said. "It's a desire to build, rather than smash things up." In Canada, hundreds gathered in Toronto's financial district to decry what they said was government-abetted corporate greed which has served elites at the expense of the majority. Further protests were planned yesterday for other Canadian cities, while, in the US, marches were scheduled in cities large and small, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Little Rock, Arkansas; from New York to Seattle. In the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, there was a different tone: hundreds walked through the streets carrying pictures of Che Guevara, old communist flags and placards that read: "Death to capitalism, freedom to the people". Turnout was light in Asia, where the global economy is booming. In Sydney, around 300 people gathered, cheering a speaker who shouted: "We're sick of corporate greed! Big banks, big corporate power standing over us and taking away our rights!" Only 200 people protested in Tokyo; and in the Philippines, about 100 people marched on the US embassy in Manila to express support for the Wall Street protests. A group of 100 prominent authors, including Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman and the Pulitzer prize-winning novelists Jennifer Egan and Michael Cunningham, signed an online petition declaring their support for "Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world". And there were stinging words yesterday in The New York Times' leading article for David Cameron and George Osborne. It began: "For now, Britain's economy has been stuck in a vicious cycle of low growth, high unemployment and fiscal austerity. But unlike Greece, which has been forced into induced recession by misguided European Union creditors, Britain has inflicted this harmful quack cure on itself." It ended: "Austerity is a political ideology masquerading as an economic policy. It rests on a myth, impervious to facts, that portrays all government spending as wasteful and harmful, and unnecessary to the recovery. The real world is a lot more complicated. America has no need to repeat Mr Cameron's failed experiment." Several years after the Western financial crisis began, and with growing momentum it seems, new dividing lines – if not battle lines – are being drawn up. ©independent.co.uk	i don't know
The New Zealand All Blacks rugby union team badge emblem is a silver?	New Zealand - The Silver Fern and Other Emblems This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website New Zealand - The Silver Fern and Other Emblems The silver fern as a new flag proposal The Silver Fern The Silver Fern is widely used in New Zealand to signify New Zealandness. It is incorporated in the badges of most Army units, and more importantly it forms the wreath surrounding the central badge on Regimental Colours (equivalent to the UK Union Wreath and the Canadian �autumnal maple leaves�). Todd Mills, 11 Nov 1997 I believe the rugby All Blacks first played overseas (NSW) in 1884 when they wore a gold fern leaf on blue jerseys. In 1905 they changed to a silver fern on the now-famous all-black uniform. NZ Army contingents first saw overseas service in the South African war of 1899-1902, and they wore fern leaf badges. By WWI the fern leaf was the predominant badge in the Army, much like the Canadian maple leaf, which served as the background for all units raised for the CEF. I don�t have good documentation on pre-1900 NZ Army badges, but fern leaves seem to have made their first appearance in the 1860s (maybe). In the British Army, the Union Wreath (roses, thistles, shamrocks) surrounding a central device has long been a major feature of Regimental Colours. Around 1900 (I can�t find the exact date), this was changed in the Dominions to a wreath of a national plant ( Canada = maple, Australia = wattle, South Africa = protea, New Zealand = fern). Todd Mills, 07 Sep 1998 Silver Fern Flag image by Pascal Gross, 7 September 1998 By reading the results of this poll [organized by FlagWire ], it appear that people voting in favour of a new flag for New Zealand often mentioned the Black flag with the silver fern present on the rugby team ( All Blacks ) jersey. Pascal Gross, 7 September 1998 Fern with lettering image by Ant�nio Martins, 26 April 2006 A flag with regular white lettering and silver fern on black, as shown at http://www.silverfernz.com/prodView.asp?idproduct=542 , is a popular design used by sport fans. Large image at http://www.silverfernz.com/Prodimages/big_images/029F_big.jpg . Ant�nio Martins, 26 April 2006 Fern replacing Union Jack You quite often see a flag at sporting events which is the current national flag with the Union Jack replaced by a silver fern on black, but I don't think many are really considering that as an alternative national flag. James Dignan, 20 May 2006 Fighting Kiwi image by Jorge Candeias, 6 June 2001 A similar flag [to the boxing kangaroo ] called the Fighting Kiwi has become popular in New Zealand, another country where the continued use of the Union jack is also in question. Neither of these animal flags, however, is a serious contender to replace the present national flags. Jorge Candeias, quoting from [ cra90 ], 6 June 2002 I believe that ownership of the "Fighting Kiwi" Flag design, from New Zealand, is held by Peter J. Hume, Director of Flagmakers in Thorndon, Wellington. The "Fighting Kiwi" Flag was designed by New Zealand artist, Peter Bonner, at the request of Peter J. Hume, between February-August 1988, as a response to Australia's "Boxing Kangaroo" Flag and to support New Zealand's campaigns to win the America's Cup Yacht Race, first at the 1988 challenge and then successfully in 1995. Since then, I believe it has not only been used during the next campaigns in 2000 and 2003, but also generally displayed to support other New Zealand sporting teams competing at other international events. Further details about the origin of the "Boxing Kiwi" Flag has been published in Flags Australia's journal, "Crux Australis", Vol. V, No.2-22, April 1989. Peter J. Hume can be contacted at Flagmakers, https://www.flagmakers.co.nz , Postal address: P.O. Box 9545, Wellington 614 Ralph Bartlett, 24 July 2012 This flag was also proposed by a Barry Palmer from Canterbury, New Zealand in the recent contest for a new national flag of New Zealand. Source: New Zealand Government website: https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/the-nz-flag-your-chance-to-decide/gallery/design/24553 Tomislav Todorovic, 28 April 2016	Fern
In physics, mass multiplied by velocity equals what, represented by the symbol P?	NZFlag nzflag.com home The Silver Fern The image of the silver fern is widely representative of New Zealand and New Zealanders. It is an image to which all New Zealanders relate and is a powerful and emotional symbol of inspiration at times when it matters. The symbol comes from the leaf of the New Zealand fern - Cyathea Dealbata (Ponga is the Maori name). The leaves are dark green on the upper side and silver underneath. The underside glows brightly in moonlight providing excellent track markers in New Zealand's native forests. It was often used by Maori as bedding for sleeping on due to the thin texture of the 'hairs'. The symbol of the silver fern is widely used in sport which, given New Zealand's passion for and commitment to sport, is understandable. However, it is misleading to characterise it as a symbol limited to sporting roles - it pervades the imagery of all of New Zealand and has inspired new Zealanders in all aspects of their lives ... from the famous New Zealand export "Fernleaf Butter" through the badges of most New Zealand Army units through Neil Dawson's Civic Square sculpture in Wellington through to Violet Walrond's swimming costume in the 100m freestyle final at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games through to our old 1 cent coins. The New Zealand Labour Party badge has featured the fern from 1946. From the early 1970s lifetime members of the Party were presented with a pin after 25 years service. It has played an inspirational role for the military - New Zealand Army contingents who saw overseas service in the South African war of 1899-1902 are understood to have worn fern leaf badges, while the fern leaf had become the predominant badge in the Army by World War I ... and of course in New Zealand's national game, rugby. When the All Blacks first played overseas (NSW) in 1884 they are understood to have worn blue jerseys with a gold fern leaf. However, at the first Annual General Meeting of the NZRFU, held on 27 April 1893, "It was resolved that the New Zealand Representative colours should be Black Jersey with Silver Fernleaf, Black Cap with Silver Monogram, White Knickerbockers and Black Stockings".	i don't know
The Latin pectus refers to what part of the human body?	Create Human Body Lesson Plans with Latin Roots Create Human Body Lesson Plans with Latin Roots With Latin roots your human body lesson plans become a tremendous resource for new vocabulary words. Many of these derivatives are simple enough for grade school students to learn, others can be found on the SAT and GRE exams. Take a moment to read our lists of human body derivatives. CAPUT, CAPITIS: Start with the HEAD! CAPITAL CITY: What’s the HEAD city of your country or state? CAPTAIN: Who’s at the HEAD of this ship? CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: Don’t lose your HEAD! DECAPITATE: Off with their HEADS! CAPITULATE: Ever nod your HEAD in surrender when you give up? RECAPITULATE: Just summarize the high points, the HEADS, if you will. PER CAPITA: How many Latin scholars per HEAD in your school? PRECIPICE: Don’t fall HEADLONG over the cliff! [In many compound words, the –a- of capitis becomes an –i-] PRECIPITATE: The leader’s actions PRECIPITATED a war, i.e. caused the nation to speed HEADLONG into war. CHAPTER: Find more material below under a new HEADING! OCULUS, OCULI: EYE, to see new vocabulary! OCULIST: Set your goals high, become an EYE doctor! BINOCULARS: Or become bird watcher, but look carefully with BOTH EYES! MONOCLE: Or study precious stones, looking carefully with ONE EYE! OCULAR: You CAN believe your EYES, if you have OCULAR proof! OCULUS: As an architect, build a dome with an EYE for gazing out at the stars! OCULATE: In the OCULATE feathers of the peacock’s tail you will find the hundred EYES of Argus. INOCULATE: Oculus is EYE, it’s true. But it’s also a BUD, and so when a doctor implants an antigen to protect you from future disease, you are said to be inoculated. NASUS, NASI: Your NOSE will sniff out several new words! NASAL: Of or pertaining to the NOSE – A NASAL passage, a NASAL whine. NALALISE: Know anyone who speaks through the NOSE? NASALITY: A tone of voice when speaking through the NOSE. NASOPALATINE: Relating to the NOSE and palate. NASOSCOPE: An instrumental for examining inside the NOSE. NASO: The genus of several species of unicorn fish, with protruding NOSES! [As in nasocaeruleacauda, or blue-tailed nose fish] OS, ORIS: ORAL: Become an ORAL surgeon to help those with diseases of the MOUTH! ORATION: Use your MOUTH for public good – Give a passionate speech! ORATOR: With practice, you may become influential using your MOUTH! ORATORY: The art of public SPEAKING is important to develop early in life. PERORATION: The final persuasive conclusion of a SPEECH. PERORAL: Doctors administered the drug THROUGH the MOUTH (i.e. PERORALLY). PECTUS, PECTORIS: New words from the heart (actually, the CHEST) PECTORAL: The guys at the beach were really flexing their CHEST muscles. PECTUS: The BREAST of a bird. PARAPET: They built a CHEST-high wall around the entire yard. Find more Latin roots for your human body lesson plans: Check back frequently to find more vocabulary help with your human body lesson plans!	Thorax
What was the population of the world at 31 Oct 2011 according to the United Nations?	Anatomy Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z (type full word or first few letters) pachymeninx : Greek pachys = thick, and meninx = membrane; hence, the thick membrane covering the central nervous system, i.e., dura mater. palaeo : Greek palaios = old; hence, palaeocerebellum, the earliest stage in the evolution of the cerebellum. palate : Latin palatum = palate, adjective - palatal or palatine. paleo : Greek palaios = old; hence, paleocerebellum, the earliest stage in the evolution of the cerebellum. pallidus : adjective, Latin = pale. pallium : Latin = cloak; hence, the cerebral cortex forming the outer covering of the cerebral hemisphere. palma : Latin palma = palm; adjective, palmar - Latin palmaris. palpate : Latin palpare = to touch, and palpatus = touched; hence, to examine by feeling, and palpation, such an examination. palpebra : Latin = eyelid, probably from palpitare = to flutter. pampiniform : adjective, Latin pampinus = tendril, and forma = shape. pancreas : Greek = sweetbread, derived from Greek pan = all, and kreas = flesh; adjective - pancreatic. panniculus : diminutive of Latin pannus = cloth. papilla : Latin = nipple or teat; adjective - papillary. paradidymis : Greek para = beside of near, and didymis = twinned or paired, refers to testes; hence the collection of convoluted tubules in the spermatic cord, above the head of the epididymis. paraesthesia : Greek para = beside, and aisthesia = sensation; hence, abnormal sensation, usually burning or pricking. paralysis : Greek para = beside, near, lyein = to loosen; hence loss or impairment of muscle function. parametrium : Greek para = beside, and metra = womb; hence, connective tissue alongside the body of the uterus, within the broad ligament. paraplegia : Greek para = beside, and plege = a stroke; hence, paralysis of the lower limbs. pararenal : adjective, Greek para = beside, Latin ren = kidney; hence, beside the kidney, e.g., pararenal fat, the fatty capsule of the kidney. parasternal : adjective, Greek para = beside, and sternon = chest; hence, the parasternal line is a vertical line about midway between the sternal edge and the midclavicular line. parasympathetic : adjective, Greek para = beside, syn = with, and pathos = feeling; hence, the division of the autonomic nervous system complementary to the sympathetic system. parathyroid : adjective, Greek para = beside, and thyroid; hence, beside the thyroid gland. parenchyma : Greek para = beside or near, en = in, and chein = to pour; hence a general term to designate the functional elements of an organ, as opposed to the framework or stroma. paresis : Greek = relaxation, but has come to mean partial paralysis. parietal : adjective, Latin parietalis, pertaining to paries = wall. parotid : adjective, Greek para = beside, and otos = of the ear; hence, beside the ear. parous : adjective, Latin pario = I bear (children); hence, adjective, applied to woman who has borne one or more children (cf. nulliparous, multiparous). pecten : Latin = comb. pectinate : adjective, from Latin pecten = a comb; applied to structures having the appearance of parallel teeth arising from a straight back (musculi pectinati), or the sellar appearance of the superior pubic ramus, which may have resembled the body of antique combs. pectineal : adjective, from Latin pecten = a comb; applied to structures having the appearance of parallel teeth arising from a straight back (musculi pectinati), or the sellar appearance of the superior pubic ramus, which may have resembled the body of antique combs. pectineus : Latin, pecten = a comb; hence the muscle attaching to the pecten (pectineal line) of the pubic bone. pectoral : adjective, Latin pectoris = of the front of the chest. pectoralis : adjective, Latin pectoris = of the front of the chest. pedicle : diminutive of Latin pedis = of the foot. pedis : Latin = of the foot. peduncle : variation of pedicle. pellucidum : adjective, Latin per = through, and lucere - to shine; hence, translucent. pelvis : Latin = basin, adjective - pelvic. penis : Latin = tail, the male organ of copulation (cf. appendix, appendage). pennate : Latin penna = feather; hence, a muscle whose fibres approach the tendon from one direction is unipennate; from two, bipennate, and from more than two, multipennate. pennatus : (pinnate) - adjective, Latin penna = feather; hence, a muscle whose fibres approach the tendon from one direction is unipennate; from two, bipennate, and from more than two, multipennate. perianal : adjective, Greek peri = around, and Latin anus = lower opening of alimentary canal. pericardium : Greek peri = around, and kardia = heart; hence, the membranes enclosing the heart. perichondrium : Greek peri = around, and chondros = cartilage; hence, the membrane covering cartilage. pericranium : Greek peri = around, and kranion = skull; hence, the external periosteum of the skull. perilymph : Greek peri = around, and lympha - Latin = clear water; hence, the fluid in the bony labyrinth surrounding the membranous labyrinth (and continuous with the cerebrospinal fluid). perineum : Greek the caudal aspect of the trunk between the thighs, or, the region of the trunk below the pelvic diaphragm; adjective - perineal. periodontal : adjective, Greek peri = around, and odont = tooth. periosteum : Greek peri = around, and osteon = bone; hence, the membrane around a bone. peripheral : adjective, Greek peri = around and phero = carry; hence, away from the centre (cf. periphery). peristalsis : Greek peri = around, and stellein - to constrict; hence, a circular constriction passing as a wave along a tube; adjective - peristaltic. peritoneum : Greek periteino = to stretch around; hence, the membrane stretched around the internal surface of the walls and the external aspect of some of the contents of the abdomen; adjective - peritoneal. peroneal : adjective, Greek perone = clasp, brooch - see fibula. petrosal : adjective, Latin petrosus = rocky. petrous : adjective, Latin petrosus = rocky. phalanx : Latin = row of soldiers; hence, one of the small bones of a digit, plural - phalanges, adjective - phalangeal. phallus : Greek phallos = penis. pharynx : Greek = throat; adjective - pharyngeal. philtrum : Greek philtron - the median sulcus of the upper lip. Derivation doubtful. phonation : Greek phone = sound or voice; hence, the production of either. phrenic : Greek phren = diaphragm or mind; hence, diaphragmatic (cf. schizophrenic). pia : Latin = faithful, hence, the membrane which faithfully follows the contour of the brain and spinal cord. pilomotor : Latin pilus = a hair, and movere = to move; hence the action of the arrectores pilorum muscles. pilus : Latin = a hair. pineal : adjective, Latin pinea = a pine cone; hence, the pineal gland which is cone-shaped. piriform : adjective, Latin pirum = a pear; hence, pear-shaped. pisiform : adjective, Latin pisum = a pea; hence, pea-shaped. pituitary : Latin pituita = mucous or phlegm, the gland was thought to produce mucous that discharged through the nose. placenta : Latin = a flat, round cake. placode : Greek plax = plate or flat, and eidos = shape or form. plane : Latin planus = flat; hence, a real or imaginary flat surface. planta : Latin the sole of the foot; adjective - plantar or plantaris. plantar : adjective, Latin planta = the sole of the foot. platysma : Greek = flat object; hence, the flat subcutaneous muscle extending from below the clavicle to the mouth. pleura : Greek = a rib. Later used to name the serous membrane lining the chest walls and the lung on each side. plexus : Latin = a network or plait. plica : Latin plicare = to fold; hence, a fold. pneumon : Greek pneuma = air. pollicis : genitive (possessive case) of Latin pollex = thumb; hence of the thumb. pons : Latin = bridge; adjective - pontine; part of the brain stem. popliteus : Latin poples = the ham or thigh, and sometimes, the knee; adjective, popliteal, referring to the fossa behind the knee or its contents. porta : Latin = a gate, also Latin portare = to carry; hence, the portal system carries venous blood from the alimentary tract to the porta hepatis; adjective - portal. porus : Latin a pore or foramen; hence, the openings of the acoustic meatuses. posterior : adjective, Latin post = behind (in place or time). posture : Latin positus = placed; hence, the position of the body as a whole at a given moment, e.g. erect, recumbent, prone, supine, sitting, kneeling. precuneus : Latin pre = before, and cuneus = wedge; hence, the parietal lobule anterior to the cuneus. prepuce : Latin praeputium = foreskin (of penis or clitoris). princeps : Latin primus = chief, and capere = to take; hence chief or principal. procerus : Latin = slender, elongated; hence, the vertical slip of muscle between the medial part of frontalis and the root of the nose. process : Latin = going forwards, used to indicate growing out, i.e., an outgrowth, usually of bone, e.g., the zygomatic process of the temporal. processus : Latin going forwards, used to indicate growing out, i.e., an outgrowth, usually of bone, e.g., the zygomatic process of the temporal. profundus : Latin pro = before, and fundus = bottom; hence profundus = deep. prominens : Latin = projecting. promontory : Latin promontorium = a headland, i.e., part of land jutting into the sea - used for a bony prominence. pronate : Latin pronatus = bent forwards; hence to pronate = to turn the hand so that the palm faces posteriorly. prone : Latin pronatus = bent forwards; hence, recumbent face-down posture. proprioceptive : Latin proprius = one's own, and captum = taken; hence, sensory impulses received by the joints and muscles within one's own body. prosection : Latin pro = before, and sectum = cut. A dissection prepared for demonstration of anatomic structures. prosector : Latin pro = before, and sectum = cut. One who prepares a dissection for demonstration. prosencephalon : Latin pro = in front, and Greek enkephalos = brain; hence, the part of the brain rostral to the midbrain. prostate : Greek pro = before, and Latin = statum = stood; hence, something which stands before - the prostate stands before the urinary bladder. protract : Latin protractus = drawn out; hence, to put forwards (e.g., shoulder or mandible). Protraction - the act of protracting. protrude : Latin protrudo = thrust forwards, e.g. the tongue; protrusion - the act of protruding. protuberance : Latin protubero = I bulge out; hence, a bulging bony feature (see tuber). proximal : adjective, Latin proxime = nearest; hence, nearer to the root of a limb. psoas : Greek = loin. pterion : Greek pteron = wing; hence, the region where the tip of the greater wing of the sphenoid meets or is close to the parietal, separating the frontal from the squamous temporal; alternatively the region where these 4 bones meet. pterygoid : adjective, Greek pteryx = wing, and eidos = shape; hence, wing-shaped. ptosis : Greek = fall; hence, drooping of an eyelid, or descent of an internal organ. puberty : Latin puber = adult; hence, the time when hair appears in the pubic region - i.e., near the pubis - as a secondary sexual characteristic. pubes : Latin = adult or signs of manhood, hence the lower abdominal secondary sexual hair. pubis : Latin pubes (see pubes) pudendal : adjective, Latin pudendus = shameful; hence, pertaining to the external genitalia. pulmonary : adjective, Latin pulmo = lung. pulp : Latin pulpa = a soft part of the body or tooth. pulposus : Latin pulpa = a soft part of the body or tooth, hence pulpy or soft. pulvinar : Latin pulvinus = rounded cushion; the posterior end of the thalamus. punctum : Latin = a sharp point; hence a very small point or orifice. pupil : Latin pupilla = the central black orifice in the iris; adjective - pupillary. putamen : Latin = peel, husk or shell of fruit or seed (the external part of the lentiform nucleus). pyelogram : Greek pyelos = basin, and gramma = diagram; hence, radiograph of the renal pelvis (and usually of the ureter) after filling with contrast medium. pylorus : Greek = gate-keeper; hence, the part of the pyloric canal containing the sphincter, which guards the opening into the duodenum; adjective - pyloric. pyramid : Greek pyramis = a pyramid (solid with 3- or more-sided base, and flat sides meeting at the apex), adjective - pyramidal.	i don't know
Traditional UK government terminology for the persuasion of ministers to vote according to party policy is called?	The Bureaucratic Role and Party Governance (Symposium Report 3) — The Tokyo Foundation Related Articles The first two sessions of the symposium discussed the relationship between legislators and bureaucrats and party governance issues. Panelists including the British ambassador to Japan, members of the Japanese and British parliaments, and academics exchanged views on ways to improve their political systems. Click here for the symposium program and list of panelists. For an overview of the British parliamentary system, click here . To learn about the Japanese parliamentary system, click here. Session 1: The Relationship between Legislators and Bureaucrats Professor Hideaki Tanaka, director of the Research Division at the Tokyo Foundation, began the session by highlighting two issues, namely those of the sectionalism of the ministries and the relations between politicians and bureaucrats. Bureaucracy in Britain Ambassador David Warren began his presentation by stating that the civil service he joined 33 years ago was still dominated by its principal officials and, to a certain degree, by the structure that had been laid down in the nineteenth century. In the 1870s, reformers replaced a system of political patronage and preferment by family connections with a system of selection of civil servants by competitive examination and promotion by merit. Academic and intellectual strength came to be the criteria by which civil servants were selected. This reform put the Civil Service on a par with other professions, in terms of the esteem in which individuals were held. HM Ambassador to Japan David Warren The Second World War propelled the next great shift of emphasis. The Civil Service was galvanized by the mobilization of the state behind the industrial, social, and military organization that was necessary to wage total war. Talent was then recruited from the widest range of professional backgrounds, which diluted the traditional generalism of the Civil Service. After 1945, the Labour government introduced a system for the recruitment of civil servants, adapted from that used during the war for the appointment of officers in the armed services. The basis of this system still applies today: civil servants are expected to have the intellectual skills and personal qualities required to analyze complex problems, make objective recommendations for consequential action, and observe the highest standards of personal integrity and political impartiality. Civil servants advise on policies, and ministers decide on them; this is as it should be, because it is the politicians who are elected to make these choices. They accordingly shoulder the responsibility for them and suffer the political consequences, good or bad, of the choices they make. The culture and style of the Civil Service has changed remarkably over the last three decades. It is true that the Civil Service has in the past seen itself as a "permanent administration," whose members will continue in office even when their transient political masters have moved on. The obvious advantage of such a model is that it enshrines absolute objectivity and affords the historical and professional knowledge that enables decisions to be made with a real understanding of the external context in which they have to be taken, as well as their probable consequences. But the disadvantage is that institutional objectivity represents a permanent bias towards the status quo. The system can give the civil servant great leverage over the terms in which the policy is formed, while detaching him or her from the consequences of the decision. In the 1940s, civil servants were anonymous. Increasingly, though, media scrutiny and freedom of information mean that their actions are more public. There is no area where a civil servant can expect to be immune from direct scrutiny. In the Civil Service, independence, objectivity, and freedom from political patronage have been important principles of employment. These virtues have sometimes led to excessive detachment from the political imperatives set by ministers. Strong ministers should have no difficulty asserting themselves against obstruction. But the real issue is how the Civil Service delivers and implements the policy and the services in question, and how it continues to make policy judgments and delivers effective services according to the core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. Bureaucracy in Japan Koichi Yamauchi, member of the House of Representatives (LDP), explained that recent efforts to reform the bureaucracy are the most far-reaching ones Japan has seen since the Meiji era. Minister of State for Civil Service Reform Yoshimi Watanabe's eagerness to institute reform of administrative structures was met with opposition from LDP members and special interest groups. Even Watanabe's own subordinates tried to hinder his efforts. But despite the so-called "contorted Diet," in which the LDP controls the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, while the DPJ controls the upper chamber, the House of Councillors, reform has been possible. The bureaucrats themselves played a major role in the debate over the reform, which led to worries in some quarters that the reform might end up being too cozy for them, constituting "reform by bureaucrats for bureaucrats." Traditionally in Japan, bureaucrats are prone to interfere in politics, and sometimes try to exploit disagreements over policy in the ruling party. Bureaucrats have been known to help politicians benefit from pork barrel politics. A unique feature of the Japanese political system is that bureaucrats are involved in the amendment of laws. Circumstances that permit bureaucrats to ignore the wishes of their ministers must be changed, and the relationship between the bureaucracy and the ruling parties must be altered, too. Not least, these changes ought to be introduced because bureaucrats take into consideration the interests of their respective ministries, whereas politicians must think about the national interest. In short, politics should be led by the Cabinet. Mr. Yamauchi ended his presentation with the idea that what is required in the Japanese system of government is more diversity: individuals with backgrounds in, for example, nongovernmental organizations and think tanks should be appointed to improve efficiency. Kenta Izumi, member of the House of Representatives (DPJ), noted the difference in the quantity of information provided by the bureaucrats to legislators in the ruling and opposition parties. As things stand today the opposition is unable to avail itself of the nation's largest think tank, the national bureaucracy. The resultant gap in policymaking and other organizational abilities is striking. In comparison with bureaucrats, the average political party official is relatively unseasoned and unprepared for taking part in the policy process. Party officials lack the ability to collect information and the authority to do so in the field. In order for civil servants to tackle their jobs with vigor, there is a need to implement a new career system in the bureaucracy. Japan has seen no progress on a system within the bureaucracy to ensure protection for whistleblowers. Achieving a proper relationship between bureaucrats and legislators will involve creating a level field for and increasing the transparency of discussion among them. It will be important to keep a permanent record of all such discussion. The politics of today, in which the loudest voices are the ones that end up apportioning the budget, must be changed, and we must have both legislators and bureaucrats who take a moral approach to their work. Kensuke Takayasu, an associate professor of political science at Seikei University, identified two problems in the Japanese bureaucracy. The first is sectionalism, which thwarts attempts by politicians to grasp "the big picture." The second problem is the dominance of bureaucrats, which often leads to the wishes of politicians being ignored. The reform promoted by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1998, in response to an increase in policy issues that cut across the fiefdoms of multiple ministries and the apparent limitations of the bureaucracy in providing ideas for policy, strengthened the powers of the prime minister and Cabinet and created a framework for bringing in fresh ideas from outside the traditional government structure. But the bureaucracy still shows little interest in transparency. Associate Professor Takayasu noted that greater information sharing and transparency are required if the bureaucracy is to develop in a more favorable way from the perspective of the Japanese people. Discussion Photograph by Secretariat of the House of Councillors Opening the discussion, Professor Tanaka reiterated some of the views of the presenters. The Japanese bureaucracy is supposed to function on the principle of neutrality, but in fact it is more politicized. In comparison to Europe, Japanese governments change infrequently, resulting in coziness; this may have served Japan well in the postwar era to date, but now Japan ought to follow the worldwide trend of politician-led administration. The key issue is the responsiveness of bureaucrats to politicians. Ambassador Warren remarked that as a civil servant he is content simply to engage in an open discussion with ministers. He remarked that he was horrified to learn of Mr. Yamauchi's account of the efforts of the subordinates of Civil Service Reform Minister Watanabe to undermine reform. In the United Kingdom, such lobbying against a minister would be a cause for disciplinary sanctions. In this regard, a clear code of practice and discipline would be useful in Japan. In any democracy there needs to be a clear structure for civil servants to discharge their responsibilities. Lord Cunningham commented that in the United Kingdom, relations between civil servants and politicians are on a sound footing, but there are rare occasions when a civil servant is disciplined. In the 1970s a number of ambassadors were retired early because they were not working consistently with government aims. When problems do arise it is usually because ministers do not have a clear plan of political action to pass on to their civil servants; the fault in those circumstances lies with the vacillating politicians. Alex Brazier, director of the Parliament and Government Programme at the Hansard Society, added that in the past, politicians used to view the civil service as an impenetrable edifice, but nowadays bridges are more easily built. Professor Arthur Stockwin, emeritus fellow of St. Anthony's College at the University of Oxford, pointed out that in Japan, a high proportion of politicians, particularly in the LDP, are former bureaucrats. Taro Kono, member of the House of Representatives (LDP), remarked that he had experienced resistance from bureaucrats, but was told that if a politician exerts strong determination, then the bureaucracy will follow the political lead. Returning to the issue of the resistance met by Minister Watanabe, Mr. Kono asserted that in his case the direction of reform had been unclear. Sumio Mabuchi, member of the House of Representatives (DPJ), said that strong will is necessary to cut through the wrangling of the bureaucracy. Associate Professor Harukata Takenaka of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies added that if the ruling party is not sure of its path, then the bureaucracy will not follow. It is important that leadership be demonstrated by the prime minister. Session 2: Party Governance Issues Philip Cowley, professor of politics at Nottingham University, introduced his topic by declaring that whipping is one of the most misunderstood topics in British politics. Expressed simply, the Whips manage their respective parties in parliament. They have been integral to the parliamentary system in the United Kingdom since the eighteenth century. All parties have at least a single whip; the main parties have several. The Role of Whips in Britain Professor Philip Cowley, Nottingham University The Whips have three functions: management, communication, and persuasion. In terms of management, the Whips are responsible for organizing the business of Parliament, including by liaising with the opposition parties. No British government would survive long without a whipping operation. In terms of communication, the Whips constitute a channel of communication between backbenchers and the front bench. Their top-down communication involves explanation of policy, and their bottom-up role is that of acting as "the eyes and ears" of the prime minister, monitoring the opinions held by backbenchers. In terms of persuasion, when MPs look likely to deviate from party line, Whips exert influence over them in ways that can seem like bullying or even blackmail: promotions can be denied, as can better office space, and overseas trips can be curtailed. But Whips have much less power over patronage than they used to have, and few formal powers (which, in any case, are rarely used). It is possible for MPs to be expelled from their parties, but that has not happened in the past 10 years. The hostility of the British public toward the Whips is due to their ignorance of their role, though the public's antagonism to political parties also plays into this. But Whips are actually indispensable to multi-party democracy. In the United Kingdom there is still a high level of party cohesion, though it peaked in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, even the most rebellious MPs vote in line with their respective parties more often than not. Still, British MPs defy the Whips three times as frequently as Canadian MPs do (though this is, in part, because Canadian MPs are much more satisfied with their involvement in policymaking prior to voting on legislation). Two-thirds of Labour MPs have voted against their party at least once, and the vote to authorize the Iraq war led to the biggest rebellion since the 1840s. Beyond defying the Whips, the media has given MPs other avenues to express their disquiet. Elaborating on the topic of "free votes," Professor Cowley explained two problems. The first is that there is no clear definition about what issues are subject to "free votes": the same issue could be whipped in one party and not in another, and whipped in one chamber and not in another. The second problem is that "free votes" allow controversial issues to become detached from politics: governments can use them to enact controversial legislation without taking responsibility for it. Party Governance in Japan Associate Professor Takenaka stated that, generally speaking, Diet members follow the instructions of the leaders of their political parties. In 1994, there was broad political reform in Japan; prior to that, there were multiple legislators from each district. That change had a great impact on party management. The old way had been to seek consensus before crafting party policy, resulting in the major players being in broad agreement. But the enhancement of the power of the party leadership allowed, for example, Prime Minister Koizumi to ignore LDP pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill to privatize the postal services. Nowadays, when the prime minister deems an issue important, it becomes risky for an MP to go against his wishes. Free debate has been stifled, as legislators no longer feel they have much power to influence policy. Still, if a sufficient number of legislators want to work on an issue on which the government is not looking hard enough, they could group together to submit their own bill. Associate Professor Takenaka advocated expanding the roles of parliamentary ministers and senior vice-ministers in order that their involvement in policymaking is increased. Sumio Mabuchi, member of the House of Representatives (DPJ), pointed out that Article 43 of the Japanese Constitution stipulates that legislators are representatives of "all the people," and Article 51 states that they will not be held liable for their speeches, debates, or votes during house proceedings. However, as party-based politics forms the basis for their activities, there is a need for coordination of them. In the case of almost all bills, the party members find themselves restrained by the dictates of their parties, which saps them of the ability to make individual judgments on the matters at hand. Both the ruling and opposition parties have made efforts to carry out deeper debate of the issues even as they made use of pre-legislative dealing to craft policy. Making policy councils forums for open discussion should result in broader convergence of opinion, even if there will be some issues on which views are bound to diverge. There ought to be whipping on issues covered in party election manifestos because MPs were elected on that platform. "Free votes" should take place on matters judged to be matters of personal conviction, and no sanctions should apply, as is the case in the British Parliament. The critical issue for the future of Japan's parliamentary system is what degree of freedom should be extended to MPs. Discussion Professor Cowley opened discussion by saying that all the main political parties in the British Parliament have private groupings through which backbenchers can communicate their views to the leadership of their respective parties. But backbenchers, especially in the Labour Party, do not find this communication to be satisfactory. The backbenchers' role of scrutiny is important, but constituency work has become more important in MPs' lives: a recent study found that MPs first elected to Parliament in 2005 spend half their time either in their constituencies or working on constituency issues. Lord Cunningham asserted that the issue of whipping has a different hue when governments have a large majority, in which cases it is not critical. Voting against the party line is not the only way for MPs to express dissatisfaction; abstaining is another option. Backbench MPs often make a nuisance of themselves in order to be bribed with a promotion. Mr. Brazier noted that although Whips are necessary in the British parliamentary system, the public not only truly despises them, but even considers their existence to be evidence of a dysfunctional system. This impression may have been created as a result of occasions on which Whips have destroyed Private Members' Bills. When Professor Tanaka asked if there is debate in the United Kingdom about reforming the whipping system, Mr. Brazier replied that advocates for reform tend not to come from Parliament, as the political parties know that they will make use of the whipping system should they be elected to govern. Mr. Brazier added that MPs provide input on potential legislation at the consultation stage, as the government is more willing to listen to the opinions of the backbenchers the further the bill is from being formalized. Professor Cowley added that the people who want to abolish whipping do not have any ideas about how party coherence would be maintained in its absence. Although the public rates "independence" highly in MPs, it also tends to punish divided parties at general elections. Lord Cunningham added that in that sense the British public want the best of both worlds: they want coherent parties, but it is also part of the British psyche to like idiosyncratic individuals. The Whips take the view that MPs were elected on the party manifesto, and the need of the party is to get their bills through the house. On occasions when MPs are dissatisfied, it is partially their own fault for not taking opportunities to raise concerns at an earlier stage. Professor Stockwin contributed a historical view. In nineteenth-century Britain, parties were much more fluid, and the whipping system evolved from that; since the emergence of two-party rule in the 1930s, Whips have ensured the stability of that system. Professor Cowley appended his view that the Reform Acts ended the state of fluidity by ushering in mass democracy, which requires both accountability and disciplined parliamentary parties. Participants next turned to the topic of the system of preliminary legislative review in Japan. Mr. Kono voiced sharp criticism of the pre-legislative dealing carried out in the LDP's Policy Research Council and General Council, calling it "clearly against the rules of the parliamentary cabinet system." He stressed that the ruling parties must work through a process of fine-tuning legislation at the parliamentary debate stage. Masahiko Shibayama, member of the House of Representatives (DPJ), voiced his opinion that MPs are given mandates via their parties, so they must respect the platform of their own party. He added a caveat: manifestos have to be more clearly defined, though they need not go to minute details. Mr. Shibayama predicted that outlets for backbenchers to express their dissatisfaction will prove more important in the future. Intimidation in parliament should have no place in contemporary politics. Responding to questions from the floor, Professor Hiroko Oyama of Komazawa University stressed that MPs ought to vote in line with what they think is in the interest of the voters. One problematic feature of the Japanese parliamentary system is that during the process of deliberation there is not really any room for substantive discussion. The problems with the parliamentary system are all entwined and therefore cannot be tackled on an individual basis: thus, the overarching system needs to be subject to wholesale reform.	Whip
What French term, meaning 'high dressmaking', refers internationally to expensive designer clothing, typically of leading fashion houses?	SparkNotes: U.S. Government and Politics Glossary: Glossary of Terms in U.S. Government & Politics Glossary of Terms in U.S. Government & Politics U.S. Government and Politics Glossary ← Glossary of Terms in U.S. Government & Politics → Table of Contents How to Cite This SparkNote absentee ballot - A ballot, usually sent in the mail, that allows those who cannot go to their precinct on election day to vote. absolutism - The belief that the government should have all the power and be able to do whatever it wants. acquisitive model - A view of bureaucracies that argues agency heads seek to expand the size, budget, and power of their agency. actual malice - Knowingly printing falsehoods in order to harm a person’s reputation. administrative adjudication - The bureaucratic function of settling disputes by relying on rules and precedents. affirm - An action by the Supreme Court to uphold a ruling by a lower court; that ruling is now the legally binding one. affirmative action - Measures to give minorities special consideration for hiring, school admission, and so on, designed to overcome past discrimination. agency capture - The gaining of control (direct or indirect) over a government regulatory agency by the industry it regulates. agency representation - A type of representation in which the representative is seen as an agent, acting on behalf of the district, who is held accountable if he or she does not do as the constituents wish. agenda-setting - The power of the media to determine which issues will be discussed and debated. amendment - A change to the Constitution. American conservatism - The belief that freedom trumps all other political considerations; the government should play a small role in people’s lives. American exceptionalism - The view that the United States is different from other countries. American liberalism - The belief that the government should promote equality in politics and economics. Americans with Disabilities Act - The major law banning discrimination against the disabled, it requires employers to make all reasonable accommodations to disabled workers; it passed in 1990. amicus curiae brief - Literally, a “friend of the court” brief. A brief submitted to the court by a group not involved in the case; it presents further arguments for one side in the case. anarchism - The belief that all governments are repressive and should be destroyed. appellate jurisdiction - The authority to review cases heard by lower courts. appointment power - The president’s power to appoint people to key federal offices. appropriation - The act of Congress formally specifying the amount of authorized money that an agency can spend. Articles of Confederation - America’s first national constitution, which loosely bound the states under a weak national Congress. attack journalism - Journalism that aims to undermine political leaders. Australian ballot - A ballot printed by the government that allows voting to be secret. authoritarian regime - A government that can do whatever it wants, without limits. authority - The ability of the government to exercise power without resorting to violence. authorization - A formal declaration by a congressional committee that a certain amount of money is available to an agency. autocracy - A regime in which the government holds all the power. bad-tendency rule - A rule to judge if speech can be limited: If the speech could lead to some sort of “evil,” it can be prohibited. Bakke case - This Supreme Court Case decided in 1978 that affirmative action is legal as long as race is not the only factor considered. balanced budget - When a government spends exactly as much as it takes in. bicameral legislature - A legislature with two houses. bilateral - A state acting in cooperation with another state. bill - A proposed law or policy. bill of attainder - A bill passed by the legislature that declares a person guilty of a crime. Bill of Rights - The first ten amendments to the Constitution, which safeguard some specific rights of the American people and the states. Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act - A law passed in 2002 that banned soft money, put limits on issue advertising, and increased the amount people can donate to candidates; also called the McCain-Feingold bill. bipolar system - An international system characterized by two superpowers that roughly balance each other. blanket primary - A primary in which voters can choose candidates from more than one party; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. block grant - A grant-in-aid with few restrictions or rules about how it can be spent. blog - A weblog on the Internet; the thoughts and opinions of a person or group posted online. brief - A document submitted to a court that presents one side’s argument in a case. broadcast media - Media that is distributed over the airwaves. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas - Supreme Court case that ended segregation and declared “separate but equal” to be unconstitutional. bundling - The practice of lumping campaign donations from several donors together. bureaucracy - An administrative way of organizing large numbers of people to work together; usually relies on specialization, hierarchy, and standard operating procedure. buying power - One’s ability to purchase things; it is undermined by inflation. cabinet - A group, composed of the heads of federal departments and key agencies, that advises the president. caesaropapism - The belief that the powers of church and state should be united in one person. candidate-centered politics - Campaigns and politics that focus on the candidates, not party labels. case law - The collection of court decisions that shape law. casework - Work done by a member of Congress or his or her staff on behalf of constituents. categorical grants - Money given for a specific purpose that comes with restrictions concerning how the money should be spent. There are two types of categorical grants: project grants and formula grants. caucus - A gathering of political leaders to make decisions, such as which candidate to nominate for an office; set policy; and plot strategy. census - Counting the population to determine representation in the House of Representatives; the constitution mandates one every ten years. central bank - The institution with the power to implement monetary policy. centralization - the process by which law- and policymaking becomes centrally located. centrally planned economy - An economy where all decisions are made by the government. charter - A document issued by state government granting certain powers and responsibilities to a local government. checks and balances - The ability of different branches of government to stop each other from acting; designed to prevent one branch from gaining too much power. chief of state - The ceremonial head of government; in the United States, the president serves as chief of state. citizen - A legal member of a political unit. civic education - Education geared toward training the young to be good citizens. civil liberties - Individual freedoms that the government cannot take away, including free speech, freedom of religion, and the rights of the accused. civil rights - The rights of equality under the law. Civil Rights Act of 1964 - The major civil rights legislation in the modern era, the Civil Rights Act banned discrimination and segregation in public accommodations. Civil Rights Cases - Supreme Court decision in 1883 that said the Fourteenth Amendment only made discrimination by government illegal; private citizens could do as they pleased. civil service - Government employees hired and promoted based on merit, not political connections. Civil Service Commission - The first federal personnel agency. Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 - Law that established the federal civil service; also known as the Pendleton Act. Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 - Law that updated and reformed the civil service. civil society - The network of community relationships that builds social capital. civil war - A war fought within a single country between or among different groups of citizens who want to control the government and do not recognize another group’s right to rule. classical conservatism - A view that arose in opposition to classical liberalism; it claimed that tradition was very valuable, human reason limited, and stability essential. classical liberalism - A view that arose in the early modern era in Europe; it argues for the value of the individual, the necessity for freedom, the importance of rationalism, and the value of the free market. clear-and-present danger - A limit on free speech stipulating that speech that constitutes a “clear and present danger” can be banned. closed primary - A primary in which the voter must belong to the party in which he or she participates. closed rule - A rule on a bill, issued by the House Rules Committee, which limits or bans amendments during floor debate. cloture - A motion to end debate in the Senate, it must be approved by sixty votes. codetermination - A policy used in some states with strong social democratic parties that forces large corporations to have substantial representation from the workers on the board of directors command economy - An economy where all decisions are made by the government. commerce clause - A clause in Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution that grants Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. common-carrier role - The media’s role as an intermediary between the people and the government. common law - A system of law, originally from England, in which previous decisions guide judges in interpreting the law. communism - An extreme form of socialism that advocates violent revolution to create a socialist state. comparative politics - An academic discipline that compares states in order to understand how they work. concurrent powers - Powers exercised simultaneously by the states and the federal government. concurring opinion - An opinion issued by a judge who votes with the winning side but disagrees with the majority or plurality opinion. confederacy - A loose relationship among a number of smaller political units. confederate system - A system of government with a very weak central government and strong states. conformism - A tendency for people to act the same way, watch the same television programs, read the same books, and so on. constituency - The people in a district represented by a legislator. constitution - A set of rules that govern how power will be distributed and used legitimately in a state. constitutional democracy - A type of government characterized by limitations on government power spelled out in a constitution. constitutional government - A regime in which the use of power is limited by law. constitutional powers - Powers of the president granted explicitly by the Constitution. continuing resolution - A measure passed by Congress that temporarily funds an agency while Congress completes its budget. conventional participation - Political participation in activities deemed appropriate by most; includes voting, donating to a campaign, and writing letters to officeholders. convention delegate - A party member or official who goes to the national convention to vote for the party’s presidential nominee and to ratify the party’s platform. cooperative federalism - A term used to describe federalism for most of the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first), where the federal government and the states work closely together and are intertwined; also known as marble-cake federalism. corrupt practices acts - A series of laws in the early twentieth century that were the first attempts to regulate campaign finance. credentials committee - Party officials who decide which delegates may participate in the national convention. critical election - An election that marks the advent of a realignment. dealignment - The loosening of party ties as more voters see themselves as independents. decision - A document issued by the court stating who wins the case. Declaration of Independence - The document written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that broke the colonies away from British rule. de facto segregation - Segregation that exists due to economic and residential patterns, not because of law. defamation of character - Unfairly hurting a person’s reputation. deficit spending - When a government intentionally spends more money than it takes in. de jure segregation - Segregation imposed by law. delegated powers - Powers granted by Congress to help the president fulfill his duties. demand-side economics - An approach to economic policy that stresses stimulation of demand by putting more money in the hands of consumers. democracy - Rule by the people. democratic socialism - A peaceful form of socialism that works within democratic governments to attain socialism gradually. demosclerosis - The inability of the U.S. government to get anything significant done because interest groups block all major change. denial of power - Declaring that a certain person or group does not have a particular power. depression - A severe economic downturn that lasts a long time; more serious than a recession. deregulation - The repeal or reduction of regulations in order to boost efficiency, increase competitiveness, and benefit consumers. deterrence - Threatening to use military force to prevent another state from taking a particular course of action. devolution - The process of the national government giving responsibilities and powers to state, local, or regional governments. dictatorship - An absolute government in which one person holds all the power and uses it for his or her own self-interest. diplomacy - The act of negotiating and dealing with other nations in the world, trying to achieve goals without force. direct democracy - A government in which the people come together to vote on all important issues. discharge petition - A measure in the House that forces a bill out of a committee for consideration by the whole House. dissenting opinion - A court opinion written by the losing side that explains why it disagrees with the decision. diversity - A mix of different cultural and religious traditions and values. divided government - A situation in which one party controls the presidency, while the other controls at least one house of Congress. divine right theory of kingship - The view that the monarch is chosen by God to rule with absolute power over a country. division of labor - The practice of dividing a job into smaller component parts and assigning one person or group to do each part. dual federalism - A term to describe federalism through most of the nineteenth century, where the federal and state governments each had their own issue areas, which rarely overlapped; also known as layer-cake federalism. due process clause - Part of the Fourteenth Amendment, which declares that no person can be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. duopoly - A term to describe the overwhelming power of the two major parties in American politics. Earned Income Tax Credit - A federal welfare program that refunds all or part of a poor family’s social security tax. economic aid - Assistance to other countries designed to help the recipient’s economy. economic group - An interest group that seeks material benefits for its members. economic growth - The expansion of the economy, leading to the creation of more jobs and more wealth. effective tax rate - The actual percentage of one’s income that one pays in taxes, after deductions and tax credits. elastic clause - Clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution that says the Congress has the power to do anything that is necessary and proper in order to carry out its explicit powers; also called the necessary and proper clause. elector - A member of the Electoral College. Electoral College - The body that elects the president of the United States; composed of electors from each state equal to that state’s representation in Congress; a candidate must get a majority of electoral votes to win. elitism/elite theory - The view that a small capable group should rule over the rest. emergency powers - Inherent powers exercised by the president to deal with emergencies. empire - A state that governs more than one national group, usually as a result of conquest. enabling legislation - A law passed by Congress that lays out the general purposes and powers of an agency but grants the agency the power to determine the details of how it implements policy. entitlement program - A program under which the federal government is obligated to pay a specified benefit to people who meet certain requirements. enumerated powers - The powers specifically given to Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. environmental impact statement - A statement that must be prepared by the federal government prior to acting that describes how the environment will be affected. environmentalism - The belief that humans have an obligation to protect the world from the excesses of human habitation, including pollution and the destruction of wilderness. equality of opportunity - When all people are given the same chances to compete and achieve so that those with talent and diligence will succeed, whereas others will not. equality of outcome - When all people achieve the same result, regardless of talent or effort. equal protection clause - Part of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that states must give all citizens the equal protection of the law. Equal Rights Amendment - A proposed amendment that would end gender discrimination; it failed to be ratified. equal time rule - A broadcast media regulation that requires media outlets to give equal amounts of time to opposing candidates in an election. equity - When all parties to a transaction are treated fairly. establishment clause - A part of the First Amendment that forbids government establishment of religion. excess demand - An economic situation in which the demand for something exceeds the supply. exclusionary rule - A legal rule that excludes from trial evidence obtained in an illegal search. executive leadership - The view that the president should have strong influence over the bureaucracy. Executive Office of the President - A set of agencies that work closely with the president to help him perform his job. executive order - An order issued by the president that has the effect of law. executive privilege - The right of officials of the executive branch to refuse to disclose some information to other branches of government or to the public. ex post facto law - A law that declares something illegal after it has been done. expressed powers - The specific powers given to Congress or the president by the Constitution; also called the enumerated powers. fairness doctrine - A broadcast media regulation that requires a broadcaster that airs a controversial program to also provide airtime to people with an opposing view. faithless elector - An elector who votes for someone other than the candidate who won the most votes in the state. fascism - Ideology from Italy that stresses national unity, a strong expansionist military, and absolute rule by one party. federal budget - A document detailing how the federal government will spend money during a fiscal year. Federal Communications Commission - The federal agency that regulates the broadcast media. Federal Election Campaign Act - A law, passed in 1971, that limited expenditures on media advertising and required disclosure of donations above $100; made more stringent following the Watergate scandal. Federal Election Commission - The independent agency established in 1974 to enforce campaign finance laws. federalism - A system of government in which power is shared by national and state governments. Federal Register - A federal publication that lists all executive orders. federal reserve bank - The name of the central bank of the United States; often called the Fed. federal system - A system of government where power is shared between the central government and state and local governments. feminism - The belief that women are equal to men and should be treated equally by the law. filibuster - A Senate tactic; a senator in the minority on a bill holds the floor (in effect shutting down the Senate) until the majority backs down and kills the bill. First Continental Congress - A gathering of representatives from all thirteen colonies in 1774; it called for a total boycott of British goods in protest against taxes. fiscal federalism - The practice of states spending federal money to help administer national programs. fiscal policy - How the government influences the economy through taxing, borrowing, and spending. fiscal year - A twelve-month period (which does not coincide with the calendar year) used for accounting and budget purposes by the federal government. 527 groups - A political organization, not affiliated with a party, that can raise and spend soft money; named after a section of the Internal Revenue Code. flat taxes - A taxation system in which everyone is charged the same rate, regardless of income. food stamps - Coupons issued by the government that can be used to purchase food. foreign policy - A state’s international goals and its strategies to achieve those goals. formalized rules - Another term for standard operating procedure. formula grants - Grants in which a formula is used to determine how much money each state receives. framers - The men who wrote the Constitution. franking - The ability of members of Congress to mail informational literature to constituents free of charge. free exercise clause - The part of the First Amendment that forbids the government from interfering in the free exercise of religion. free rider - A person who benefits from an interest group’s efforts without actually contributing to those efforts. front-loading - Moving primaries up in the campaign calendar so that many primaries are held early in the campaign. front-runner - The candidate perceived to be in the lead in an election campaign. full faith and credit clause - A clause in Article IV of the Constitution that declares that state governments must give full faith and credit to other state governments’ decisions. fundamentalism - The belief that a religious document is infallible and literally true. gag order - An order by a court to block people from talking or writing about a trial. gender discrimination - Treating people differently and unequally because of gender. general election - An election contest between all party nominees and independent candidates; the winner becomes a member of Congress. general jurisdiction - A court’s power to hear cases, which is mostly unrestricted. gerrymandering - The term used to describe the process by which the party that controls the state government uses redistricting to its own political advantage. Gibbons v. Ogden - An 1824 Supreme Court case that gave the federal government extensive powers through the commerce clause. Gideon v. Wainwright - Supreme Court case of 1963 that ordered governments to provide an attorney to criminal defendants who cannot afford one. globalization - The trend toward the breakdown of state borders and the rise of international and global organizations and governments. government - The organization of power within a country. Government Accountability Office - Congress’s main investigative agency, the GAO investigates operations of government agencies as part of congressional oversight. government bond - A promissory note issued by the government to pay back the purchase price plus interest. government corporation - A federal agency that operates like a corporation (following business practices and charging for services) but receives some federal funding. grandfather clause - A voting law that stated that a person could vote if his grandfather was eligible to vote prior to 1867; designed to keep blacks from voting. grant-in-aid - A general term to describe federal aid given to the states for a particular matter. grant of power - Declaring that a certain person or group has a specific power. grassroots activism - Efforts to influence the government by mobilizing large numbers of people. Great Compromise - The compromise plan on representation in the constitutional convention; it created a bicameral legislature with representation determined by population in one house and equality in the other; also known as the Connecticut Compromise. gross domestic product - The total value of all economic transactions within a state. guerrilla war - A war in which one or both combatants use small, lightly armed militia units rather than professional, organized armies; guerrilla fighters usually seek to topple their government, often enjoying the support of the people. gun control - Policies that aim at regulating and reducing the use of firearms. Hatch Act - A law passed in 1939 that restricts the participation of federal civil servants in political campaigns. hierarchy - An arrangement of power with a small number of people at the top issuing orders through a chain of command to lower-level workers; each person is responsible to someone above him or her. home rule - The granting of significant autonomy to local governments by state governments. home style - The way a member of Congress behaves in his or her district. honeymoon period - The first few months of an administration in which the public, members of Congress, and the media tend to give the president their goodwill. horizontal federalism - How state governments relate to one another. hyperpluralism - The idea that there are too many interest groups competing for benefits. idealism - The view that states should act in the global arena to promote moral causes and use ethical means to achieve them. ideology - A set of beliefs a person holds that shape the way he or she behaves and sees the world. illegal participation - Political activity that includes illegal actions, such as sabotage or assassination. impeachment - The power of the House of Representatives to charge an officeholder with crimes; the Senate then holds a trial to determine if the officeholder should be expelled from office. implementation - The act of putting laws into practice. implied powers - Powers given to the national government by the necessary and proper clause. income distribution - The way income is distributed among the population. income transfer - A government action that takes money from one part of the citizenry and gives it to another part; usually the transfer goes from the well-off to the poor. incorporation - The practice of federal courts forcing state governments to abide by the Bill of Rights. incrementalism - The tendency of policy in the United States to change gradually, in small ways, rather than dramatically. independent - A person who does not feel affiliation for any party. independent executive agency - A federal agency that is not part of any department; its leader reports directly to the president. independent regulatory agency - A federal agency charged with regulating some part of the economy; in theory, such agencies are independent of Congress and the president. individualism - The idea that all people are different and should be able to make their own choices. inflation - The increase of prices. informational benefits - The educational benefits people derive from belonging to an interest group and learning more about the issues they care about. inherent powers - The powers inherent to the national government because the United States is a sovereign nation. in-kind subsidies - Government aid to poor people that is not given as cash but in forms such as food stamps and rent vouchers. inside game - Interest groups’ efforts to influence government by direct and close contact with government officials; also known as lobbying. interest group - An organization of people who share a common interest and work together to protect and promote that interest by influencing the government. international agreement - An understanding between states to restrict their behavior and set up rules governing international affairs. internationalism - The view that the United States should play an active role in world affairs. international law - A set of agreements, traditions, and norms built up over time that restricts what states can do; not always binding. international organization - An institution set up by agreements between nations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. international system - The basic structures that affect how states relate to one another, including rules and traditions. Internet media - Media that is distributed online. interpretive reporting - Reporting that states the facts along with analysis and interpretation. intervention - When a state sends military forces to help a country that is already at war. iron triangle - An alliance of groups with an interest in a policy area: bureaucrats from the relevant agency, legislators from appropriate committees, and interest groups affected by the issue. isolationism - The view that the United States should largely ignore the rest of the world. issue advertising - Advertising, paid for by outside groups, that can criticize or praise a candidate but not explicitly say “vote for X” or “vote against X.” issue network - A collection of actors who agree on a policy and work together to shape policy. Jim Crow laws - Laws passed by southern states that imposed inequality and segregation on blacks. Joint Chiefs of Staff - A group that helps the president make strategy decisions and evaluates the needs and capabilities of the military. judicial activism - A judicial philosophy that argues courts must take an active positive role to remedy wrongs in the country. judicial implementation - The process of enforcing a court’s ruling. judicial philosophy - A set of ideas that shape how a judge or lawyer interprets the law and the Constitution. judicial restraint - A judicial philosophy that believes the court’s responsibility is to interpret the law, not set policy. judicial review - The power of the courts to declare laws and presidential actions unconstitutional. jurisdiction - A court’s power to hear cases of a particular type. justiciable question - A matter that the courts can review. just-war theory - A theory of ethics that defines when war is morally permissible and what means of warfare are justified. Keynesian economics - A demand-side economic policy, first presented by John Maynard Keynes after World War I, that encouraged deficit spending by governments during economic recessions in order to provide jobs and boost income. kitchen cabinet - An informal name for the president’s closest advisers. Kyoto Protocol - An international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. laissez-faire capitalism - The economic philosophy that the government should not interfere with the economy. lawmaking - The power to make rules that are binding on all people in a society. layer-cake federalism - A term used to describe federalism through most of the nineteenth century, in which the federal and state governments each had their own issue areas, that rarely overlapped; also known as dual federalism. legislative agenda - A series of laws a person wishes to pass. legitimacy - Acceptance by citizens of the government. Lemon test - A three-part test to determine if the establishment clause has been violated; named for the 1971 case Lemon v. Kurtzman. libel - Printing false statements that defame a person’s character. liberalism - A theory of international relations that deemphasizes the importance of military power in favor of economic power, trade, and international institutions. libertarianism - The belief that government should be small and most decisions left up to the individual. liberty - The freedom to do what one chooses as long as one does not harm or limit the freedom of other people. limited government - A government that places few restrictions on its citizens’ choices and actions, and in which the government is limited in what it can do. limited jurisdiction - A court’s power to hear only certain kinds of cases. limited war - A war fought primarily between professional armies to achieve specific political objectives without causing widespread destruction. line-item veto - A special type of veto that the president can use to strike the specific parts of the bill he or she dislikes without rejecting the entire bill. line organization - In the government bureaucracy, an agency whose head reports directly to the president. literacy test - Historically, a test that must be passed before a person can vote; designed to prevent blacks from voting. lobbying - Attempting to persuade government officials through direct contact via persuasion and the provision of material benefits; also known as the inside game. logrolling - A practice in Congress where two or more members agree to support each other’s bills. loophole - A part of a tax code that allows individuals or businesses to reduce their tax burden. loose constructionism - A judicial philosophy that believes the Constitution should be interpreted in an open way, not limited to things explicitly stated. machine - A very strong party organization that turns favors and patronage into votes. Madisonian Model - A structure of government proposed by James Madison that avoided tyranny by separating power among different branches and building checks and balances into the Constitution. majority leader - (1) In the House, the second-ranking member of the majority party; (2) in the Senate, the highest-ranking member of the majority party. majority opinion - A court opinion that reflects the reasoning of the majority of justices. majority party - In a legislative body, the party with more than half of the seats. majority rule - The idea that the government should act in accordance with the will of the majority of people. malapportionment - An apportionment of seats in Congress that is unfair due to population shifts. mandate - When the federal government requires states to do certain things. mandatory retirement - An employment policy that states that when an employee reaches a certain age, he or she must retire. marble-cake federalism - A term used to describe federalism for most of the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first), where the federal government and the states work closely together and are intertwined; also known as cooperative federalism. markup - When a Congressional committee revises a bill in session. material incentive - The lure of a concrete benefit, usually money, that attracts people to join a group. McCain-Feingold bill - The popular informal name for the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002; it is named after its sponsors, Republican John McCain and Democrat Russell Feingold. McCulloch v. Maryland - A Supreme Court case that granted the federal government extensive power to carry out its enumerated powers. means-testing - Basing benefits from a policy on a person’s wealth so that poor people get more benefits than rich people. media - Information and the organizations that distribute that information to the public. media consolidation - The trend toward a few large corporations owning most of the media outlets in the country. merit system - The practice of hiring and promoting people based on skill. Merit System Protection Board - A board that investigates charges of wrongdoing in the federal civil service. midterm election - A congressional election that does not coincide with a presidential election. military aid - Assistance to other countries designed to strengthen the recipient’s military. military-industrial complex - The alliance of defense contractors, the military, and some members of Congress that promotes a large defense budget in order to profit themselves. minority leader - In both the House and Senate, the leader of the minority party. minority party - In a legislative body, the party with fewer than half of the seats. Miranda v. Arizona - A 1966 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that police must inform suspects of their rights when arrested. mixed economy - An economy that includes elements of the free market and central planning. monarchy - A regime in which all power is held by a single person. monetary policy - An economic policy that seeks to control the supply of money in the economy. monopolistic model - A view of the bureaucracy that says bureaucracies have no incentive to reform or improve performance because they face no competition. Monroe Doctrine - An American policy, set by President James Monroe in 1823, that claims America’s right to intervene in the affairs of Western Hemisphere nations. multiculturalism - The idea that Americans should learn about and respect the many cultural heritages of the people of the United States. multilateralism - The idea that nations should act together to solve problems. multinational corporation - A business that operates in more than one country. multiple-member district - A legislative district that sends more than one person to the legislature. multipolar system - An international system with more than two major powers. nation - A large group of people who are linked by a similar culture, language, and history. national convention - A convention held by a political party every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president and to ratify the party platform. national debt - Money owed by a government. national interest - Things that will benefit and protect a state. nationalism - A belief in the goodness of one’s nation and a desire to help make the nation stronger and better. National Security Council - A part of the White House Staff that advises the president on security policy. nation-building - The task of creating a national identity through promotion of common culture, language, and history. nation-state - A state that rules over a single nation. Nazism - Political ideology from Germany that stressed the superiority of the German race, authoritarian rule by one party, military expansion, and a longing for a mythical past. necessary and proper clause - A clause at the end of Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary and proper to carry out its duties; also known as the elastic clause. necessary evil - Something that is believed to be needed but is not good in and of itself; many Americans see government as a necessary evil. negotiated rule-making - A federal rule-making process that includes those affected by the rules. neoconservatism - A recent development in American conservatism that believes the power of the state should be used to promote conservative goals. New Deal coalition - The supporters of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal; the coalition included labor unions, Catholics, southern whites, and African Americans; helped the Democrats dominate politics from the 1930s until the 1960s. new federalism - An American movement, starting in the 1970s, to return power to state and local governments, thereby decreasing the amount of power held by the federal government. New Jersey Plan - A plan at the constitutional convention that gave each state equal representation in the legislature. nihilism - The belief that in order to remake society, one must first destroy the current society. Nineteenth Amendment - Passed in 1920, it gave women the right to vote. No Child Left Behind Act - A law passed in 2001 that expanded federal funding to schools but required increased testing and accountability. noneconomic group - An interest group that works on noneconomic issues; also called a citizens’ group. nongovernmental actor - A participant in the international arena that is not part of a government; such participants include nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, and international organizations. nongovernmental organization - A political actor that is not affiliated with a particular government. Many NGOs are nonprofit institutions run by private citizens, such as the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and the Catholic Church. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - An international treaty, signed in 1968, that aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. objective reporting - Reporting only the facts with no opinion or bias. office-block ballot - A ballot that groups candidates by office: All candidates for an office are listed together; also called the Massachusetts ballot. Office of Personnel Management - The central federal personnel office, created in 1978. oligarchy - Rule by the wealthy few. ombudsperson - A person who investigates complaints against government agencies or employees. open primary - A primary in which a person can participate in any party’s primary as long as he or she participates in only one party’s primary. open rule - A rule on a bill, issued by the House Rules Committee, allowing amendments during floor debate. opinion - A document issued by a court explaining the reasons for its decision. opinion leader - A person whose opinion can shape the opinions of many others. original intent - A judicial philosophy that states that judges should seek to interpret the law and the constitution in line with the intent of the founders. original jurisdiction - The authority to be the first court to hear a case. outside game - A term used to describe grassroots activism and other means to influence elections and policymaking. overregulation - An excess of regulation that hurts efficiency. oversight - Congress’s power to make sure laws are being properly enforced. pack journalism - The idea that journalists frequently copy and imitate each other rather than doing independent reporting. paradox of participation - When many people vote because they wish to make a difference, but the actual chances of making a difference are infinitesimally small. pardon - A release from punishment for criminal conviction; the president has the power to pardon. parliamentary democracy - A regime in which the legislature chooses the executive branch. partisan journalism - Journalism that advances the viewpoint of a political party. party activist - A person who is deeply involved with a party; usually more ideologically extreme than an average party voter. party-centered politics - Campaigns and politics that focus on party labels and platforms. party-column ballot - A ballot that groups candidates by party; also called the Indiana ballot. party identification - Feeling connected to a political party. party in government - The role and function of parties in government, particularly in Congress. party in the electorate - Party identification among voters. party organization - The formal structure and leadership of a political party. party platform - The collection of issue positions endorsed by a political party. party reform - Measures aimed at opening up party leadership adopted by the major parties following the 1968 election. patronage - Government jobs and contracts given out to political allies in exchange for support. Pendleton Act - Another name for the Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. per curiam - An unsigned decision issued by an appellate court; it reaffirms the lower court’s ruling. pigeonholing - The ability of a committee to kill a bill by setting it aside and not acting on it. Plessy v. Ferguson - The Supreme Court case of 1896 that upheld a Louisiana law segregating passengers on trains; it created the separate but equal doctrine. pluralism - The view that society contains numerous centers of power and many people participate in making decisions for society. plurality - More votes than any other candidate but not a majority. plurality opinion - An opinion written by the majority of justices on the winning side. pocket veto - An unusual type of presidential veto: When the president neither signs nor vetoes a bill, after ten days the bill dies if Congress is not in session. political action committee - An organization, usually allied with an interest group, that can donate money to political campaigns. political appointees - Federal bureaucrats appointed by the president, often to reward loyalty. political culture - The set of beliefs, values, shared myths, and notions of a good polity that a group of people hold. political economy - The study of how politics and economics interact. political efficacy - The belief that the government listens to normal people and that participation can make a difference in government. political equality - Treating everyone the same way in the realm of politics. political participation - Engaging in actions to achieve political goals. political party - An alliance of like-minded people who work together to win elections and control of the government. political science - The systematic, rigorous study of politics. political socialization - The process by which political culture is passed on to the young. politics - The process by which government decisions are made. polling - Assessing public opinion by asking people what they think and feel. pollster - A person who conducts polls. poll tax - A fee for voting, designed to keep blacks and other poor people from voting. popular sovereignty - A regime in which the government must respond to the wishes of the people. Populists - A political movement in the late nineteenth century that fought on behalf of the poor workers and farmers; fused with the Democratic Party in 1896. pork - Money spent by Congress for local projects that are not strictly necessary and are designed to funnel money into a district. poverty line - The federal standard for poverty: Anyone below a certain income level is considered poor. power - The ability to get others to do what you want. power of the purse - The ability of Congress to spend money; all federal expenditures must be authorized by Congress. precedent - A court ruling bearing on subsequent court cases. preemption - The practice of the national government overriding state and local laws in the name of the national interest. Presidential Commission - A body that advises the president on some problem, making recommendations; some are temporary, whereas others are permanent. presidential democracy - A regime in which the president and the legislators must be entirely separate. president pro tempore - In the vice president’s absence, the presiding officer of the Senate. primary election - An election within a party to choose the party’s nominee for the office. print media - Media distributed via printed materials. prior restraint - Stopping free expression before it happens. private bill - A bill that offers benefit or relief to a single person, named in the bill. private good - A good that benefits only some people, such as members of a group. privatization - The practice of private companies providing government services. privileges and immunities clause - Part of the Fourteenth Amendment, which forbids state governments from taking away any of the privileges and immunities of American citizenship. probability sample - A sampling technique in which each member of the population has a known chance of being chosen for the sample. professional legislature - A state legislature that meets in session for long periods, pays its members well, and hires large support staffs for legislators. progressive taxes - A taxation system in which the rich must pay a higher percentage of their income than the poor. prohibited powers - The powers specifically denied to the national government by the Constitution. project grants - Categorical grant programs in which states submit proposals for projects to the federal government and the national government chooses which to fund on a competitive basis. proportional representation - An electoral system in which each party gets a number of seats in the legislature proportionate to its percentage of the vote. prospective voting - Making a vote choice by looking to the future: Voters choose the candidate(s) they believe will help the country the most in the next few years. proxy war - A war fought by third parties rather than by the enemy states themselves. public administration - The task of running the government, and providing services through policy implementation. public assistance - Another term for welfare. public education - Informing the public about key issues and about what Congress is doing about those issues. public good - A good that benefits everyone, not just some; also called collective good. public opinion - The basic attitudes and opinions of the general public. public policy - Any rule, plan, or action pertaining to issues of domestic national importance. public representative role - The role of the media to act as a representative of the public, holding government officials accountable to the people. purposive incentive - The lure of a desire to promote a cause. rally ’round the flag effect - A significant boost in presidential popularity when a foreign crisis arises. random selection - A sampling technique to ensure that each person in the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample. ranking member - The senior committee member from the minority party. ratings game - The practice of organizations rating members of Congress based on votes that matter to the organizations and their members. rational choice theory - An approach that assumes people act rationally in their self-interest, seeking to maximize value. rationalism - The belief that human reason can find solutions to many of our problems. realignment - A dramatic shift in the balance of the two parties that changes the key issues dividing the parties. realism - A theory of international relations that stresses the importance of power (particularly military power) and claims that states act in their national interest. reapportionment - The process of reallocating representation in the House of Representatives after a census; some states will gain seats, while other will lose them. recession - An economic downturn; milder than a depression. redistributive policy - A government action that takes money from one part of the citizenry and gives it to another part; usually the transfer goes from the well-off to the poor; also known as income transfer. redistricting - Redrawing district boundaries after a state loses or gains seats in the House of Representatives. regime - A word used to describe a particular government. regressive taxes - A taxation system that costs the poor a larger portion of their income than it does the rich because the amount of tax gets smaller as the amount to which the tax is applied gets larger. regulated federalism - The practice of the national government imposing standards and regulations on state governments. regulatory policy - Government policies that limit what businesses can do; examples include minimum wages, workplace safety measures, and careful monitoring of stock sales. remand - Sending a case back to a lower court for a new trial or proceeding. rent voucher - A voucher issued by the government that can be used to pay all or part of a poor person’s rent. representative democracy - A system of government in which the people elect officials to represent their interests in the government. representative sample - A sample that resembles the population as a whole. reprieve - A formal postponement of the execution of a criminal sentence; the president has the power to grant reprieves. republic - A regime that runs by representative democracy. reregulation - Significantly changing government regulations on an industry. reserved powers - The powers reserved to the states and the people in the Tenth Amendment. responsible party - A party that is strong enough to carry out a specific platform if elected to office. retention election - A state election, held in states using the merit plan for selecting judges, in which voters are asked whether a judge should keep his or her job. retrospective voting - Making a vote choice by looking to the past: Voters support incumbents if they feel that the country has done well over the past few years. revenue agency - A government agency that raises money by collecting taxes or fees. revenue sharing - The practice of the federal government giving money to the states with no strings attached; started by the Nixon Administration and ended by the Reagan Administration. reverse - When a court overturns a lower court’s ruling, declaring it void. reverse discrimination - Discrimination against majority-status people due to affirmative action policies. revolution - A major event causing a fundamental change in a state. rider - An amendment attached to a bill that has nothing to do with the bill itself. right of rebuttal - A media regulation that requires broadcasters to give people an opportunity to reply to criticisms aired on the outlet. rights of the minority - Rights held by the minority that must be respected by the majority. Roe v. Wade - A 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion during the first trimester. rogue state - A state that does not follow international law or unspoken rules of the global arena. roll-call vote - Occurs when each member’s vote is recorded. rugged individualism - A form of individualism that emphasizes self-reliance and ignoring what others want and think. rule-making - The bureaucratic function of creating rules needed to implement policy. rule of four - An informal rule in the Supreme Court: Four justices must agree to hear a case for the Court to issue a writ of certiorari. sample - A group of people who are used to stand in for the whole population in a poll. sampling error - Mistakes in polls caused by bad samples. school vouchers - Government money given to parents to help pay for tuition at private schools. Second Continental Congress - The governing body over the colonies during the revolution that drafted the Articles of Confederation to create the first national government. selective incentives - The lure of benefits that only group members will receive. selective incorporation - Forcing states to abide by only parts of the Bill of Rights, not the whole thing. self-selected candidate - A person who chooses to run for office on his or her own initiative. senatorial courtesy - A tradition in which a Senator, if he or she is of the president’s party, gets input into nominees for federal judgeships in his or her state. separation of powers - Dividing up governmental power among several branches. sexual harassment - Unwanted and inappropriate physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature that interferes with doing one’s job or creates a hostile work environment. Shays’ Rebellion - A 1786 uprising of Massachusetts farmers against high taxes and debt. signing message - A message attached to a bill the president signs, explaining his or her understanding of the bill. single-member district - A legislative district that sends only one person to the legislature. skewed sample - A sample that is not representative and leads to inaccurate polling results; a deceptive practice used to manipulate public opinion. slander - Publicly stating things that the speaker knows to be untrue that hurt a person’s reputation. social capital - Mutual trust and habits of cooperation that are acquired by people through involvement in community organizations and volunteer groups. socialism - Political view that the free market breeds servitude and inequality and should be abolished. social security - A social insurance program that aims to keep retired people and the disabled out of poverty. sociological representation - A type of representation in which the representative resembles the constituents in ethnic, religious, racial, social, or educational ways. soft money - Unregulated money raised by parties and spent to influence elections indirectly; banned by the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. solicitor general - A high-ranking Justice Department official who submits requests for writs of certiorari to the Supreme Court on behalf of the federal government; he or she also usually argues cases for the government in front the Court. solidarity incentive - The lure of a social benefit, such as friendship, gained by members of an organization. sovereignty - The right to exercise political power in a territory. Speaker of the House - The leader of the House of Representatives, elected by the majority party. special district - A type of local government designed to meet a very specific need. special election - An election to replace a member of Congress who leaves office in between regular elections. specialization - The practice of a group or person becoming extremely knowledgeable and skilled at one specific task. splinter party - A third party formed when a faction from a major party breaks off and forms its own party. split-ticket voting - Voting for candidates from one party for some offices and from the other party for other offices. spoiler - A losing candidate who costs another candidate the election. spoils system - The practice of an elected officials rewarding supporters and allies by giving them government jobs. staffer - A person who works for Congress in a supporting capacity. standard operating procedure - A set of rules established in a bureaucracy that dictate how workers respond to different situations so that all workers respond in the same way. stare decisis - The legal doctrine of following precedent. state - A political unit that has sovereign power over a particular piece of land. statecraft - The exercise of power, guided by wisdom, in pursuit of the public good. State of the Union address - A constitutionally mandated message, given by the president to Congress, in which the president lays out plans for the coming year. statute - A law passed by Congress, a state legislature, or some other government body. stewardship theory - A view of presidential power, put forward by Theodore Roosevelt, arguing that the president is uniquely suited to act for the well-being of the whole nation because he or she is elected by the whole nation. straight-ticket voting - Voting for only candidates from one party. strict constructionism - A judicial philosophy that argues that constitutional interpretation should be limited to the specific wording of the document. subnationalism - Identification with small ethnic and regional groups within a nation. suffrage - The right to vote; also called the franchise. sunset provisions - Expiration dates written into some federal programs; Congress can renew the program if it is satisfied that the program is achieving its objectives. sunshine laws - Laws that require government agencies to hold public proceedings on a regular basis. superdelegate - A party leader or elected official who is automatically granted delegate status for the national convention; superdelegates do not have to be chosen in primaries. Super Tuesday - A term used to describe primary elections held in a large number of states on the same day. Supplemental Security Income - A federal program that provides a minimum income to seniors and the disabled who do not qualify for social security. supply-side economics - An attempt to improve the economy by providing big tax cuts to businesses and wealthy individuals (the supply side). These cuts encourage investment, which then creates jobs, so the effect will be felt throughout the economy; also known as trickle-down economics. supremacy clause - The part of Article VI of the Constitution that specifies that the federal Constitution, and laws passed by the federal government, are the supreme law of the land. supremacy doctrine - The doctrine that national law takes priority over state law; included in the Constitution as the supremacy clause. surplus - When a government spends less money than it takes in. symbolic speech - Actions that are intended to convey a belief. system of government - How power is distributed among different parts and levels of the state. talk radio - A radio format featuring a host who interviews guests that is often very partisan. tax credit - A reduction in one’s tax burden designed to help certain people. Temporary Assistance to Need Families - A federal welfare program that provides money to poor families. term limits - Limits on the number of terms an elected official can serve. terrorism - The use of violent tactics with the aim of creating fear and destabilizing a government; frequently targets civilians. third party - In American politics, any political party other than the Democrats and Republicans. Three-Fifths Compromise - A compromise on how to count slaves for determining population; slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person. totalitarian government - A regime in which the government controls every facet of life. total war - A highly destructive total war in which combatants use every resource available to destroy the social fabric of the enemy. transnational - Something that lies beyond the boundaries of a nation-state or consists of several nation-states. trickle-down economics - An attempt to improve the economy by providing big tax cuts to businesses and wealthy individuals (the supply side). These cuts encourage investment, which then creates jobs, so the effect will be felt throughout the economy; also known as supply-side economics. trustee representation - A type of representation in which the people choose a representative whose judgment and experience they trust. The representative votes for what he or she thinks is right, regardless of the opinions of the constituents. tyranny of the majority - When the majority violate the rights of the minority. unconventional participation - Political activity that, although legal, is not considered appropriate by many people; it includes demonstrations, boycotts, and protests. underemployment - When people who seek work can only find part-time jobs. unemployment - When not everyone who wants a job can find one. unfunded mandate - A mandate for which the federal government gives the states no money. unilateral - A state acting alone in the global arena. unipolar - An international system with a single superpower dominating other states. unitary system - A system of government where power is concentrated in the hands of the central government. unity - The idea that people overwhelmingly support the government and share certain common beliefs even if they disagree about particular policies. user fee - A fee charged by the government to do certain things (e.g., paying a toll to use a tunnel). veto - The power of the president to stop a bill passed by Congress from becoming law. veto message - A message written by the president, attached to a bill he or she has vetoed, which explains the reasons for the veto. Virginia Plan - A plan at the constitutional convention to base representation in the legislature on population. voter turnout - The percentage of citizens who vote in an election. voting behavior - A term used to describe the motives and factors that shape voters’ choices. Voting Rights Act - A law passed in 1965 that banned discrimination in voter registration requirements. War Powers Resolution - Passed by Congress in 1973, the War Powers Resolution demands that the president consult with Congress when sending troops into action; it also gives Congress the power to force withdrawal of troops. Washington community - The “inside the beltway” group that closely follows politics and constantly evaluates the relative power of politicians. watchdog journalism - Journalism that attempts to hold government officials and institutions accountable for their actions. Weberian model - The model of bureaucracy developed by sociologist Max Weber that characterizes bureaucracy as a rational and efficient means of organizing a large group of people. welfare - The term for the set of policies designed to help those in economic need. welfare state - The term to describe the government or country that provides aid to the poor and help to the unemployed. whip - A member of the leadership of a legislative body responsible for counting votes and connecting the leadership with the rank and file. whistleblower - A person who reports wrongdoing in a government agency. White House staff - The people with whom the president works every day. white primary - The practice of political parties only allowing whites to participate in their primaries. winner take all - An electoral system in which the person with the most votes wins everything (and everyone else loses); most states have winner-take-all systems for determining electoral votes. writ of certiorari - The legal document, issued by the Supreme Court, that orders a lower court to send a case to the Supreme Court for review. writ of habeas corpus - A court order requiring that the government show cause for detaining someone and charge him or her with a crime. yellow journalism - Journalism that focuses on shocking and sordid stories to sell newspapers.	i don't know
What national population is projected (as at 2011) to overtake China in 2020 as the largest in the world?	National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com Special Series: 7 Billion Population 7 Billion There will soon be seven billion people on the planet. By 2045 global population is projected to reach nine billion. Can the planet take the strain? By Robert Kunzig Photograph by Randy Olson One day in Delft in the fall of 1677, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a cloth merchant who is said to have been the long-haired model for two paintings by Johannes Vermeer—“The Astronomer” and “The Geographer”—abruptly stopped what he was doing with his wife and rushed to his worktable. Cloth was Leeuwenhoek’s business but microscopy his passion. He’d had five children already by his first wife (though four had died in infancy), and fatherhood was not on his mind. “Before six beats of the pulse had intervened,” as he later wrote to the Royal Society of London, Leeuwenhoek was examining his perishable sample through a tiny magnifying glass. Its lens, no bigger than a small raindrop, magnified objects hundreds of times. Leeuwenhoek had made it himself; nobody else had one so powerful. The learned men in London were still trying to verify Leeuwenhoek’s earlier claims that unseen “animalcules” lived by the millions in a single drop of lake water and even in French wine. Now he had something more delicate to report: Human semen contained animalcules too. “Sometimes more than a thousand,” he wrote, “in an amount of material the size of a grain of sand.” Pressing the glass to his eye like a jeweler, Leeuwenhoek watched his own animalcules swim about, lashing their long tails. One imagines sunlight falling through leaded windows on a face lost in contemplation, as in the Vermeers. One feels for his wife. Leeuwenhoek became a bit obsessed after that. Though his tiny peephole gave him privileged access to a never-before-seen microscopic universe, he spent an enormous amount of time looking at spermatozoa, as they’re now called. Oddly enough, it was the milt he squeezed from a cod one day that inspired him to estimate, almost casually, just how many people might live on Earth. Nobody then really had any idea; there were few censuses. Leeuwenhoek started with an estimate that around a million people lived in Holland. Using maps and a little spherical geometry, he calculated that the inhabited land area of the planet was 13,385 times as large as Holland. It was hard to imagine the whole planet being as densely peopled as Holland, which seemed crowded even then. Thus, Leeuwenhoek concluded triumphantly, there couldn’t be more than 13.385 billion people on Earth—a small number indeed compared with the 150 billion sperm cells of a single codfish! This cheerful little calculation, writes population biologist Joel Cohen in his book How Many People Can the Earth Support?, may have been the first attempt to give a quantitative answer to a question that has become far more pressing now than it was in the 17th century. Most answers these days are far from cheerful. Historians now estimate that in Leeuwenhoek’s day there were only half a billion or so humans on Earth. After rising very slowly for millennia, the number was just starting to take off. A century and a half later, when another scientist reported the discovery of human egg cells, the world’s population had doubled to more than a billion. A century after that, around 1930, it had doubled again to two billion. The acceleration since then has been astounding. Before the 20th century, no human had lived through a doubling of the human population, but there are people alive today who have seen it triple. Sometime in late 2011, according to the UN Population Division, there will be seven billion of us. ( Pictures: Population 7 Billion. ) And the explosion, though it is slowing, is far from over. Not only are people living longer, but so many women across the world are now in their childbearing years—1.8 billion—that the global population will keep growing for another few decades at least, even though each woman is having fewer children than she would have had a generation ago. By 2050 the total number could reach 10.5 billion, or it could stop at eight billion—the difference is about one child per woman. UN demographers consider the middle road their best estimate: They now project that the population may reach nine billion before 2050—in 2045. The eventual tally will depend on the choices individual couples make when they engage in that most intimate of human acts, the one Leeuwenhoek interrupted so carelessly for the sake of science. With the population still growing by about 80 million each year, it’s hard not to be alarmed. Right now on Earth, water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing. Close to a billion people go hungry each day. Decades from now, there will likely be two billion more mouths to feed, mostly in poor countries. There will be billions more people wanting and deserving to boost themselves out of poverty. If they follow the path blazed by wealthy countries—clearing forests, burning coal and oil, freely scattering fertilizers and pesticides—they too will be stepping hard on the planet’s natural resources. How exactly is this going to work? THERE MAY BE SOME COMFORT in knowing that people have long been alarmed about population. From the beginning, says French demographer Hervé Le Bras, demography has been steeped in talk of the apocalypse. Some of the field’s founding papers were written just a few years after Leeuwenhoek’s discovery by Sir William Petty, a founder of the Royal Society. He estimated that world population would double six times by the Last Judgment, which was expected in about 2,000 years. At that point it would exceed 20 billion people—more, Petty thought, than the planet could feed. “And then, according to the prediction of the Scriptures, there must be wars, and great slaughter, &c.,” he wrote. As religious forecasts of the world’s end receded, Le Bras argues, population growth itself provided an ersatz mechanism of apocalypse. “It crystallized the ancient fear, and perhaps the ancient hope, of the end of days,” he writes. In 1798 Thomas Malthus, an English priest and economist, enunciated his general law of population: that it necessarily grows faster than the food supply, until war, disease, and famine arrive to reduce the number of people. As it turned out, the last plagues great enough to put a dent in global population had already happened when Malthus wrote. World population hasn’t fallen, historians think, since the Black Death of the 14th century. In the two centuries after Malthus declared that population couldn’t continue to soar, that’s exactly what it did. The process started in what we now call the developed countries, which were then still developing. The spread of New World crops like corn and the potato, along with the discovery of chemical fertilizers, helped banish starvation in Europe. Growing cities remained cesspools of disease at first, but from the mid-19th century on, sewers began to channel human waste away from drinking water, which was then filtered and chlorinated; that dramatically reduced the spread of cholera and typhus. Moreover in 1798, the same year that Malthus published his dyspeptic tract, his compatriot Edward Jenner described a vaccine for smallpox—the first and most important in a series of vaccines and antibiotics that, along with better nutrition and sanitation, would double life expectancy in the industrializing countries, from 35 years to 77 today. It would take a cranky person to see that trend as gloomy: “The development of medical science was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” wrote Stanford population biologist Paul Ehrlich in 1968. Ehrlich’s book, The Population Bomb, made him the most famous of modern Malthusians. In the 1970s, Ehrlich predicted, “hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death,” and it was too late to do anything about it. “The cancer of population growth … must be cut out,” Ehrlich wrote, “by compulsion if voluntary methods fail.” The very future of the United States was at risk. In spite or perhaps because of such language, the book was a best seller, as Malthus’s had been. And this time too the bomb proved a dud. The green revolution—a combination of high-yield seeds, irrigation, pesticides, and fertilizers that enabled grain production to double—was already under way. Today many people are undernourished, but mass starvation is rare. Ehrlich was right, though, that population would surge as medical science spared many lives. After World War II the developing countries got a sudden transfusion of preventive care, with the help of institutions like the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Penicillin, the smallpox vaccine, DDT (which, though later controversial, saved millions from dying of malaria)—all arrived at once. In India life expectancy went from 38 years in 1952 to 64 today; in China, from 41 to 73. Millions of people in developing countries who would have died in childhood survived to have children themselves. That’s why the population explosion spread around the planet: because a great many people were saved from dying. And because, for a time, women kept giving birth at a high rate. In 18th-century Europe or early 20th-century Asia, when the average woman had six children, she was doing what it took to replace herself and her mate, because most of those children never reached adulthood. When child mortality declines, couples eventually have fewer children—but that transition usually takes a generation at the very least. Today in developed countries, an average of 2.1 births per woman would maintain a steady population; in the developing world, “replacement fertility” is somewhat higher. In the time it takes for the birthrate to settle into that new balance with the death rate, population explodes. Demographers call this evolution the demographic transition. All countries go through it in their own time. It’s a hallmark of human progress: In a country that has completed the transition, people have wrested from nature at least some control over death and birth. The global population explosion is an inevitable side effect, a huge one that some people are not sure our civilization can survive. But the growth rate was actually at its peak just as Ehrlich was sounding his alarm. By the early 1970s, fertility rates around the world had begun dropping faster than anyone had anticipated. Since then, the population growth rate has fallen by more than 40 percent. THE FERTILITY DECLINE that is now sweeping the planet started at different times in different countries. France was one of the first. By the early 18th century, noblewomen at the French court were knowing carnal pleasures without bearing more than two children. They often relied on the same method Leeuwenhoek used for his studies: withdrawal, or coitus interruptus. Village parish records show the trend had spread to the peasantry by the late 18th century; by the end of the 19th, fertility in France had fallen to three children per woman—without the help of modern contraceptives. The key innovation was conceptual, not contraceptive, says Gilles Pison of the National Institute for Demographic Studies in Paris. Until the Enlightenment, “the number of children you had, it was God who decided. People couldn’t fathom that it might be up to them.” Other countries in the West eventually followed France’s lead. By the onset of World War II, fertility had fallen close to the replacement level in parts of Europe and the U.S. Then, after the surprising blip known as the baby boom, came the bust, again catching demographers off guard. They assumed some instinct would lead women to keep having enough children to ensure the survival of the species. Instead, in country after developed country, the fertility rate fell below replacement level. In the late 1990s in Europe it fell to 1.4. “The evidence I’m familiar with, which is anecdotal, is that women couldn’t care less about replacing the species,” Joel Cohen says. The end of a baby boom can have two big economic effects on a country. The first is the “demographic dividend”—a blissful few decades when the boomers swell the labor force and the number of young and old dependents is relatively small, and there is thus a lot of money for other things. Then the second effect kicks in: The boomers start to retire. What had been considered the enduring demographic order is revealed to be a party that has to end. The sharpening American debate over Social Security and last year’s strikes in France over increasing the retirement age are responses to a problem that exists throughout the developed world: how to support an aging population. “In 2050 will there be enough people working to pay for pensions?” asks Frans Willekens, director of the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute in The Hague. “The answer is no.” In industrialized countries it took generations for fertility to fall to the replacement level or below. As that same transition takes place in the rest of the world, what has astonished demographers is how much faster it is happening there. Though its population continues to grow, China, home to a fifth of the world’s people, is already below replacement fertility and has been for nearly 20 years, thanks in part to the coercive one-child policy implemented in 1979; Chinese women, who were bearing an average of six children each as recently as 1965, are now having around 1.5. In Iran, with the support of the Islamic regime, fertility has fallen more than 70 percent since the early ’80s. In Catholic and democratic Brazil, women have reduced their fertility rate by half over the same quarter century. “We still don’t understand why fertility has gone down so fast in so many societies, so many cultures and religions. It’s just mind-boggling,” says Hania Zlotnik, director of the UN Population Division. “At this moment, much as I want to say there’s still a problem of high fertility rates, it’s only about 16 percent of the world population, mostly in Africa,” says Zlotnik. South of the Sahara, fertility is still five children per woman; in Niger it is seven. But then, 17 of the countries in the region still have life expectancies of 50 or less; they have just begun the demographic transition. In most of the world, however, family size has shrunk dramatically. The UN projects that the world will reach replacement fertility by 2030. “The population as a whole is on a path toward nonexplosion—which is good news,” Zlotnik says. The bad news is that 2030 is two decades away and that the largest generation of adolescents in history will then be entering their childbearing years. Even if each of those women has only two children, population will coast upward under its own momentum for another quarter century. Is a train wreck in the offing, or will people then be able to live humanely and in a way that doesn’t destroy their environment? One thing is certain: Close to one in six of them will live in India. I have understood the population explosion intellectually for a long time. I came to understand it emotionally one stinking hot night in Delhi a couple of years ago… The temperature was well over 100, and the air was a haze of dust and smoke. The streets seemed alive with people. People eating, people washing, people sleeping. People visiting, arguing, and screaming. People thrusting their hands through the taxi window, begging. People defecating and urinating. People clinging to buses. People herding animals. People, people, people, people. —Paul Ehrlich In 1966, when Ehrlich took that taxi ride, there were around half a billion Indians. There are 1.2 billion now. Delhi’s population has increased even faster, to around 22 million, as people have flooded in from small towns and villages and crowded into sprawling shantytowns. Early last June in the stinking hot city, the summer monsoon had not yet arrived to wash the dust from the innumerable construction sites, which only added to the dust that blows in from the deserts of Rajasthan. On the new divided highways that funnel people into the unplanned city, oxcarts were heading the wrong way in the fast lane. Families of four cruised on motorbikes, the women’s scarves flapping like vivid pennants, toddlers dangling from their arms. Families of a dozen or more sardined themselves into buzzing, bumblebee-colored auto rickshaws designed for two passengers. In the stalled traffic, amputees and wasted little children cried for alms. Delhi today is boomingly different from the city Ehrlich visited, and it is also very much the same.	India
Cristina Kirchner was re-elected president of which country in October 2011?	10 projections for the global population in 2050 \| Pew Research Center 10 projections for the global population in 2050 By Rakesh Kochhar 58 comments A new Pew Research Center report examines global public opinion on the challenges posed by aging populations and analyzes projections for the populations in the U.S. and in 22 other countries. Here are 10 major findings regarding the demographic future of the world’s population in 2050. 1 The global population is getting older: The number of people 65 and older is projected to triple by mid-century, from 531 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2050. In the U.S., the population of seniors is expected to slightly more than double, from 41 to 86 million. 2 The world is graying faster than the U.S.: The global median age, eight years less than in the U.S. in 2010, is projected to be only five years less by 2050. 3 Who will be among the oldest? By 2050, the majority of people in Japan, South Korea and Germany are expected to be older than 50. Some Latin American countries, which are now younger than the U.S., will likely be older than the U.S. by 2050. 4 Trading young for old: Most countries, including the U.S., are projected to see the share of their population that is 65 and older surpass the share that is younger than 15 by mid-century. 5 Pressure on workers: As populations age, working-age people in the developed world may have to support more dependents, while workers in India and several major African nations will likely have to support fewer dependents. 6 Population 2050: The global population is expected to increase by 38%, from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 9.6 billion in 2050. The population of children younger than 15 is projected to increase by only 10%, a consequence of falling birth rates. 7 How big will the U.S. be? The U.S. population is projected to grow by 89 million residents from 2010 to 2050. The U.S. is likely to grow faster than European and East Asian countries, but slower than Nigeria, which is expected to replace the U.S. as the world’s third most populous country. 8 A population shift to Africa: Africa’s population is projected to increase the most and make up a greater share of the global population by 2050. The shares of Europe and Asia in the global population are expected to decrease, while the Americas will hold steady. 9 India replaces China as the world’s most populous country: India’s population is expected to increase by 400 million by 2050. Its projected population of 1.6 billion will be almost equal to the populations of the U.S. and China combined. China is projected to add only 25 million residents. 10 Population losers: The populations of Japan, Russia and Germany are expected to decrease by more than 10% by 2050. For Japan, this means a loss of 19 million residents; for Russia, 23 million; and for Germany, 10 million.	i don't know
Horology is the study of the measurement of what?	horology - definition of horology in English \| Oxford Dictionaries Definition of horology in English: horology 1The study and measurement of time. Example sentences ‘I've been umming and ahhing about what to take but I think I've settled on horology.’ ‘We have to create space for them, so I got rid of a number of subjects, such as horology.’ ‘And while his father encouraged him to pursue higher studies in horology after a basic degree in engineering, he found a different calling for himself.’ ‘Sadly, on the whole, The Horizontal Instrument is far more interesting as a bluffer's guide to horology - with a few regrettable dramatic interludes.’ ‘I've got my eye on horology and small mechanisms.’ ‘Plinlimmon would seem to be offering a kind of antinomian horology at worst, at best an unctuous pragmatism of local mores.’ ‘George III was interested in horology, and Louis XVI enjoyed locksmithing.’ ‘His interest in the sciences, particularly natural history, agriculture and horology, was perfectly attuned to the spirit of entrepreneurial expansion in manufacturing that surged through the realm during his reign.’ ‘David S. Landes's Revolution in Time treats ‘clocks and the making of the modern world’ in earlier historical periods, with a good emphasis on economic history as well as horology and philosophy.’ ‘His network of contacts and friends in England reads like a who's who of experts on early tools, horology, and technology.’ ‘We repeat this same tune many times, and about the twelfth or thirteenth time, we know it's time to stop, since we have gained a century in those few minutes of horology.’ 2The art of making clocks and watches. Example sentences ‘The following year Jonathan Betts, the curator of horology at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, was contracted to survey and produce a catalogue of the collection.’ ‘Underneath the ‘ordinary ’dial is another which has a rather diabolical look, but which is simply a piece of horology that shows those star signs that tell your horoscope.’ ‘But when he lost his job through illness he knew it was time for a change - and he enrolled on a clockmaking - horology - course at City College, Manchester.’ ‘Since then, the watch-makers of Geneva have achieved an unparalleled reputation in the art of horology.’ ‘These two shows and their accompanying catalogues have spawned a new level of study based on a combination of comparative and documentary research never before seen in horology.’ Origin Early 19th century: from Greek hōra time + -logy. Pronunciation Which of the following is correct? They wore coarse linen dresses They wore course linen dresses Which of the following is correct? She was a coarse-looking woman She was a course-looking woman Which of the following is correct? Her illness had run its coarse Her illness had run its course Which of the following is correct? I had steak for my main coarse I had steak for my main course Which of the following is correct? Of coarse I care about you Of course I care about you Which of the following is correct? This wine's harsh and course This wine's harsh and coarse Which of the following is correct? My car careered off coarse My car careered off course Which of the following is correct? I took a course of antibiotics I took a coarse of antibiotics Which of the following is correct? Use a course mesh wire strainer Use a coarse mesh wire strainer Which of the following is correct? Tears coursed down her cheeks Tears coarsed down her cheeks You scored /10 practise again? Retry Most popular in the world Australia	Time
What country features centrally and ironically in a map of Europe on the reverse face of Euro coins?	School of Jewellery : Horology - BA (Hons) - 2017/18 Entry School of Jewellery Facilities & Staff Discover new designs and materials, discuss the theory behind clocks and watches, and develop specialist skills with our Horology degree, the only course of its type. You will enhance your skills of servicing and restoration to industry standard, as well as using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and rapid prototyping to explore different methods and designs. What's covered in the course? Our unique undergraduate Horology course will enable you to study clocks and watches, both mechanical and electronic, as well as assessing the art and science of time measurement. Combining traditional craftsmanship with the latest technology, this course looks at the theory of horology, as well as providing you with valuable practical skills. You’ll examine the history of timekeeping, how clocks and watches work, and how they are designed, providing you with the restoration skills that are in demand within the industry. The course uses industry-standard software, such as the Solidworks CAD package, to teach design and technical drawing skills, as well as both traditional and modern niche skills of repair, conservation and restoration. Our workshops give you access to timing and testing equipment, as well as machine tools, including advanced five-axis milling and engine turning equipment. Our reputation and staff connections mean that our professional links are outstanding. We have unique industry partnerships with luxury goods brands, such as Cartier Richemont (UK), who own the brands IWC, Panerai, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Baume et Mercier and Montblanc. We also boast a partnership with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), and have recently joined forces with established UK brand Christopher Ward. All these offer work placements, one-to-one mentoring and the chance to develop technical skills in a commercial environment. You’ll study at our internationally-renowned School of Jewellery, in the heart of Birmingham’s famous working Jewellery Quarter. Our Vittoria Street building mixes the modern with the classical, and includes workshops, a specialist library, an atrium gallery and exhibition space. “My time spent studying provided me with an excellent foundation skillset and knowledge that I was able to build upon professionally in an haute horology brand service department.” Thomas Mason Why Choose Us? Our outstanding industry links include Swatch, Rolex, Christopher Ward, Time In Hand, Richard Higgins Conservation and the British Museum. You will be supported by experienced staff and visiting tutors, who inspire through example and share their expertise in practice, research and design techniques. We boast unique partnerships with luxury goods brands LVMH and CartierUK, part of the Richemont group, give you the chance to undertake placements, mentoring and develop technical expertise in a commercial setting. You will have the opportunity to gain the professional accreditation of the British Horological Institute. We have a strong employability record, with all of our students getting offers of work often within days of graduating. Founded in 1890, our internationally-renowned School of Jewellery is the largest in Europe, located in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. This course is open to International students Where our students go Our students have gone on to work with companies such as: Philippe Patek And in jobs such as: Watch technician We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below. Typical UK Qualification GCE A Level/ AS Level BBC at A-Level or 112 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A-Levels Access to Higher Education Diploma Pass overall with 60 credits, 45 at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2. Must be in a relevant subject pathway BTEC National Diploma (12-units not including early years) DD or combined with other Level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum total of 112 UCAS points BTEC Extended Diploma (18-units not including early years) DMM - 112 UCAS points BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/ National Award (6-units not including early years) Combined with other Level 3 qualifications to achieve a minimum total of 280 UCAS points BTEC Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design Distinction 112 UCAS points - Higher Levels Scottish Higher/ Advanced Higher 112 UCAS points Welsh Baccalaureate (core plus options) grade Pass plus grades CC at A-Level (or equivalent qualifications) to achieve a minimum total of 112 UCAS points If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. Typical EU/Non-EU (International) Qualifications 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands International Baccalaureate Diploma (or equivalent, including internationally accredited Foundation courses). 14 points overall Learn more about BCUIC The UCAS tariff is changing If you're considering applying for this course to start in September 2017 onwards, it's important to know that the UCAS tariff system is changing. UCAS tariff points – the points system most universities use to compare different qualifications – will be introducing a new system on how points are calculated. tariff points needed for this course From A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels View fees for continuing students... You will need to apply online direct to the university for this course. A link to the form will be available soon as well as details of the course fee. We'd like to send you an email once the link is available to save you checking back - just sign up for an update . The University reserves the right to increase fees broadly in line with increases in inflation, or to reflect changes in government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. Guidance for UK/EU students UK and EU students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS . The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college. Applying through UCAS There are three ways to apply: 1) Direct to the University You will need to complete our International Application Form and submit it together with scan copies of your original academic transcripts and certificates. 2) Through a country representative Our in-country representatives can help you make your application and apply for a visa. They can also offer advice on travel, living in the UK and studying abroad. 3) Through UCAS If you are applying for an undergraduate degree or a Higher National Diploma (HND), you can apply through the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service ( UCAS ). You can request a printed form from your school or nearest British Council office. You will be charged for applying through UCAS. Birmingham City University’s UCAS code is B25 BCITY. Portfolio Guidance It is important to be relevant; include appropriate work related to the subject area of interest. Know about the course you are applying for and show idea generation and experimentation. Within your portfolio, ensure you are able to demonstrate knowledge of the subject discipline, practitioners and individuals that have inspired you. Display examples of paintings, drawings, photographs, three-dimensional work, time-based work and anything else relevant to the area of practice. Also, it is vital you show examples of how you can pay close attention to detail, work on a small scale, your practical skills and 3D spatial awareness. Your personal statement Your personal statement is a highly important part of your application. It gives you a crucial opportunity to say why you’re applying and why the institution should accept you. Here are the key areas you’ll need to address: Course choice Why does this course appeal? What areas are of particular interest? Career plans If you have a specific career in mind, say how your chosen course will help you pursue this goal. Work experience Mention any work that is relevant to your subject, highlighting the skills and experience gained. School or college experience Highlight skills gained at school/college, eg summer schools or mentoring activities. Non-accredited skills or achievement eg Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Enterprise scheme. You should also mention your future plans – if you’re planning to take a year out, don't forget to give your reasons. Talk about any subjects you’re studying that don’t have a formal assessment and any sponsorships or placements you’ve applied for. And don't be scared to add in details about your social, sports or leisure interests. Get more information on writing personal statements . Additional Costs We estimate that you will need in the region of £1,500 per year to buy specialist hand tools and materials to work with. Some bursaries are available from the George Daniels’ Educational Trust and the National Express Foundation, and we will help you with your applications once on the course. This course is not available part-time Panicking about personal statements? Whether you’ve not started yet, or just making final tweaks, we’ve got advice from students and experts on how to nail your personal statement by 15 January. You can download a free checklist too! Personal statement advice Financial Support We offer further information on possible undergraduate financial support . This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University. Major Project 60 credits You will explore a relevant area of interest in an in informed, extensive manner, with the outcome taking the form of a written dissertation or practice-based portfolio. You will work independently, but will have support from your assigned supervisor, as well as from seminars and workshops. Through this module, you will develop the employability skills you’ll need when it comes to securing work. Employment Skills 60 credits You will further develop your skills by practicing and mastering a series of complex servicing, repair and restoration exercises. By evaluating the design, construction and function of the different elements of horological objects, you will strengthen your transferrable skills, as well as producing a series of portfolios demonstrating your development. Studied full-time over three years, the course is practice-led, with the majority of your assessment via coursework. You will also undertake exams, some of a practical nature to align with industry experience. Taught by practising horologists, you’ll study 10 modules, enabling you to secure a degree-level Horology qualification, as well as providing you with the specialist skills that the horology industry actively seeks. In your first year, we will guide you through a series of exercises that will develop your practical competency, as well as the understanding of the evolution of horology mechanisms. You will also develop CAD design skills to assist you with your projects. The second year of the course builds on your knowledge and skillset by gradually increasing the complexity of servicing and manufacturing techniques. For your final year, you will produce a student ‘masterpiece’ that will showcase the skills you’ve learnt across the Horology course. This will help you unite your theoretical understanding in a physical object, as well as enabling you to build a portfolio of restoration and repairs, showcasing your skills. Hours in the classroom The acquisition of specialist horological skills takes a lot of practise, so you will have access to the workshops from 8am – 8pm, five days a week. We strongly encourage you make use of our extensive facilities, both through self-directed study but also under the guidance of our experienced staff team. In the first year, contact time is typically in the region of 14 hours a week, split over Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Teaching breakdown #fece5a Teaching and learning activities All of our students bring a wealth of experience to the course, with all year groups working in a shared workshop environment to develop key communication and groupwork skills. Individual projects begin with the acquisition of essential competencies in the first and second years of the course and culminate in range from bespoke designed timepieces in the final year. You will work on practical projects that are all horologically themed, and you’ll be encouraged to explore different design and production techniques while maintaining the essential qualities of horological production. Student work Students have produced numerous prize-winning pieces of work. For example, Rosie Kirk and James Harris have had their work exhibited at the Science Museum in London. Rosie went on to win a Young Talent Prize at Baselword 2016 for her clock, which she made during her final year. James Harris’s created an 8 day timepiece with tourbillion. Accreditation The British Horological Institute (BHI), the body that represents UK Hhorologists alongside the British Watch and Clockmakers Guild, has acknowledged the significance of the degree education and will now confer professional membership status on Birmingham City University CU graduates in Horology a minimum of a 2.2, provided they can meet the BHI standards for servicing. Study and work abroad If you are interested in undertaking part of your studies abroad, the Erasmus scheme may be of interest to you. It allows higher education students to study for part of their degree in another European country. It is open to undergraduates in their second year (or above) and offers a unique opportunity to enhance your CV and experience new cultures. If you study with us you will have access to an Erasmus co-ordinator, who can provide information about which institutions we have links with. Find out more Further study We are currently designing an MA pathway for Horology for those that wish to continue their studies in the subject, and hope to have this in place for 2017-18. Trip and visits We undertake numerous trips throughout the year to significant horological exhibitions, particular sites of horological interest and to specialist employers, gaining insight into the real world of employment. Importantly, we are very open to suggestions! Previous destinations have included The Great Clock of Westminster, the British Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, Cartier workshops, Sinclair Harding and the LVMH Service Centre. Enhancing Employability skills The course is not just about the acquisition of a set of specialist skills; we also develop key transferable skills, all of which will enhance your employability prospects. With a degree-level qualification, you’ll be able to enter the employment market at graduate level, with essential skills in communication, presentation and problem solving. The course is delivered through a variety of formats, including e-learning, formal lectures, tutorials and self- directed studies. One-to-one staff contact and group work enables the free exchange of knowledge and experience. Placements Following extensive negotiations we are delighted to state that the servicing centres run by LVMH, Cartier UK and Christopher Ward all offer opportunities for our Horology students to gain work experience. Student stories - Rosie Kirk Third year Horology student Rosie Kirk is specialising in clock repair. She did a summer placement at London’s British Museum and hopes to one day own her own clock restoration business. "I think the inner-workings of clocks are beautiful," said Rosie. "My time at the British Museum was fascinating, I even got to help with the conservation of some of the clocks, which is such a delicate process." Student stories - Andrew Law Andrew Law completed a seven-week placement with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, which services TAG Heuer watches. "It was an amazing experience. They let us experience every aspect of the workshop. I found it really inspiring." OpportUNIty OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market. It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles. Links to Industry Our course was designed in close collaboration with the BHI, with the Service Centres run by Cartier UK, LVMH and through constant ongoing conversations with specialist restoration and manufacturing businesses, like Sinclair Harding, as well as the Clock Clinic in Putney, where the owner, an alumni of the University, regularly appears on ‘Antiques Roadshow’. Graduate stories Rebecca and Craig Struthers During their time at the University, husband and wife Craig and Rebecca started their own watchmaking company, called Struthers London, using traditional skills to create 21st century designs. Rebecca said: I went to the School of Jewellery and just fell in love with it – it’s such a beautiful building, I thought this is for me and this is what I want to do. Rebecca and Craig went on to Master's courses with the School of Art before securing a prestigious contract with Morgan Motor Company to make bespoke watches. They have recently been named as Alumni of the Year . BCU Graduate+ Through our courses we give you the skills and experience needed to get a head start when applying for jobs. But we offer something extra too – Graduate+. Our unique programme gives you the chance to develop valuable skills outside of the more formal classroom learning. We award points for Graduate+ activities (including firewalking!) and these can be put towards a final Graduate+ award. More about Graduate+ Graduate jobs A wide range of employment is available in the horological world. Graduates go on to positions with major watch brand servicing centres, small bespoke restoration businesses, museums and specialist auction houses. Our Graduates We are proud of our graduates’ achievements. Our graduates work with Richard Mille, Omega, Roger Smith and the British Museum, all using their degrees and their knowledge to full potential. Student stories – Thomas Mason As soon as I finished the course I started working for a major watch brand in their servicing department and am really using the skills I learned on the course; in fact people ask me how things work! Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community. The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK. Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including: Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country . Learn where to find financial support for your studies. Studying in the UK is better Overseas students studying in the UK are happier and have a better learning experience compared to those studying in other countries. The International Undergraduate Students: The UK's Competitive Advantage report asked 365,754 international students studying outside their home country to give their feedback on what it's like to study in this country. And the UK scored top in every aspect. So if you're looking at studying with us, you'll be making a good choice. Overall measures: ranked positions 2 Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies. BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University. Learn more about BCUIC An international subject Horology is an international subject, our graduates have gone on to work all over the world. Our students have come from as far afield as the Far East, or as close as Northern Europe. We try to support students from all over the world and even recently received applications from Western Samoa and Alaska. Facilities Vittoria Street building The School of Jewellery's Vittoria Street building is inspirational and functional. A blend of traditional historic and cutting-edge contemporary, it is light, spacious and extremely well-resourced. Refurbished An extensive refurbishment programme integrated the Victorian Gothic building of 1863 with the adjacent 1912 extension and a site further down the road. The architects’ success in doing so resulted in awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Civic Trust. Equipment and Machinery The Basement contains machinery and equipment that requires higher levels of supervision. As well as conventional tool room machines such as lathes and milling machines, this area includes rooms for casting and electro-plating, and a tool and material store. Atrium Our atrium area is a lively exhibition space with a frequently changing range of shows and displays. Horology facilities Horology students also have dedicated areas, as well as the latest CAD equipment. You’ll also have access to specialist equipment, a subject specialist library, seminar rooms and lecture theatre. Studio Workshops Studio Workshops provide cut-out work benches with lights and gas torches plus design work stations. Process workshops Process workshops contain larger soldering hearths under extraction hoods with pickling and cleaning facilities. These workshops also have polishing machines and other bench mounted powered equipment. Each studio workshop has access to one of the process workshops. Assay Office Our gemmology students are based in new, state-of-the-art premises at 1 Moreton Street in the Jewellery Quarter with access to the highest specification of equipment available for gemmological education within the UK. You'll use diamond-testing equipment at Assay Office Birmingham's AnchorCert Gem Laboratory. Meet our staff The Head of Horology, Jeremy Hobbins, has been a practising horologist for 25 years, is a professional member of the BHI and was selected by Watch Pro magazine for their top 100 Watchmakers Award twice in the three-year history of the awards. Jon Parker, who helped design and now run the BA Horology degree, has also been working in the area for about 20 years, with a thriving practise in Birmingham before moving away from the area. .	i don't know
Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Audemars Piguet are all notable what?	Audemars Piguet Patek Philippe Vacheron Constantin Brand Impressions ergobaby cheap beats by dre ergo baby dr dre beats ergo baby carrier australia Funny how so many things come in three's. I have been a long time fanatic about the "Big Three" (about two decades) so my thoughts on them are probably anachronistic, old guard, and traditional. But being a student of consumer psychology and brand marketing (who woulda thunk, huh?) I find public perception of them fascinating. Patek has pretty much been number one or two, for just about forever. There was a time when Vacheron may have vied for the top spot, but that was many decades ago. AP has always had the image of the young turk among the three, and the (relatively) recent date of their founding supports this. In my mind, and most of the "traditionalists" I know, Patek is the mature young king, Vacheron is the retired and fading, though still revered, King Father, and Audemars is the bright and rambunctious Crown Prince. AP is renowned for being adventurous with design and materials use, though not always so successfully. Their Royal Oak preceded PP's Nautilus, leading to a whole new category - the SS luxury sport watch, and they were (one of) the first to successfully use Tantalum, among other unusual and rare metals. Their innovativeness and technical prowess even goes back to the early 20th century - they made the first wristwatch minute repeater, for Omega, thus in effect playing the role of "the watchmaker's watchmaker." Vacheron is frequently referred to (at least among my acquaintances) as "The greatest watch of my grandfather's era" (I'm under 40), though with the popularity of retro-chic, Vacheron Constantin still commands a great "ooh" factor. I got a kick out of the time when, with about 11 other young (under 30) up and coming business execs, professionals, and bankers (I was the outsider visitor to the group), sitting around the table at a local beer pub in Taipei, the "big swinging xxxx" (he always got the seat at the head of the table, and walked out the door first, and was never the designated driver), from the other end of the 10 foot table, asked if he could see my watch, then nodded with approval and said, "I always wanted a Vacheron, ever since my grandfather told me they were the best watches in the world" after I passed it over to him. He was wearing an IWC Mark XII. Besides the ego stroke, it was a fascinating look into the mind of the next generation Watch Idiot Savant. (btw - he was a hot shot ForEx SVP for BNP) Vacheron Constantin never quite got a brand icon established in the way AP has the Royal Oak and PP has the Nautilus and Golden Ellipse (the Calatrava has too many different and differing variations to qualify as a brand icon, imho) - the 222 and the Phidias lines never really quite finding market acceptance. The Overseas line may finally work for them, but this awaits the test of time. Interesting that the Overseas owes clear design elements to both previous lines. If at first you don't succeed... So, in the spirit of your one liners, I would say that VC is the watch of your rich retired uncle (or old money), PP the "power watch" of the CEO or banker, and AP the watch of choice of artists and other avant-garde. Not sure if this is profound, but it sure is fun. I welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections to this article.	Watchmaker
Lumia is a product brand of which phone company?	Audemars Piguet Patek Philippe Vacheron Constantin Brand Impressions ergobaby cheap beats by dre ergo baby dr dre beats ergo baby carrier australia Funny how so many things come in three's. I have been a long time fanatic about the "Big Three" (about two decades) so my thoughts on them are probably anachronistic, old guard, and traditional. But being a student of consumer psychology and brand marketing (who woulda thunk, huh?) I find public perception of them fascinating. Patek has pretty much been number one or two, for just about forever. There was a time when Vacheron may have vied for the top spot, but that was many decades ago. AP has always had the image of the young turk among the three, and the (relatively) recent date of their founding supports this. In my mind, and most of the "traditionalists" I know, Patek is the mature young king, Vacheron is the retired and fading, though still revered, King Father, and Audemars is the bright and rambunctious Crown Prince. AP is renowned for being adventurous with design and materials use, though not always so successfully. Their Royal Oak preceded PP's Nautilus, leading to a whole new category - the SS luxury sport watch, and they were (one of) the first to successfully use Tantalum, among other unusual and rare metals. Their innovativeness and technical prowess even goes back to the early 20th century - they made the first wristwatch minute repeater, for Omega, thus in effect playing the role of "the watchmaker's watchmaker." Vacheron is frequently referred to (at least among my acquaintances) as "The greatest watch of my grandfather's era" (I'm under 40), though with the popularity of retro-chic, Vacheron Constantin still commands a great "ooh" factor. I got a kick out of the time when, with about 11 other young (under 30) up and coming business execs, professionals, and bankers (I was the outsider visitor to the group), sitting around the table at a local beer pub in Taipei, the "big swinging xxxx" (he always got the seat at the head of the table, and walked out the door first, and was never the designated driver), from the other end of the 10 foot table, asked if he could see my watch, then nodded with approval and said, "I always wanted a Vacheron, ever since my grandfather told me they were the best watches in the world" after I passed it over to him. He was wearing an IWC Mark XII. Besides the ego stroke, it was a fascinating look into the mind of the next generation Watch Idiot Savant. (btw - he was a hot shot ForEx SVP for BNP) Vacheron Constantin never quite got a brand icon established in the way AP has the Royal Oak and PP has the Nautilus and Golden Ellipse (the Calatrava has too many different and differing variations to qualify as a brand icon, imho) - the 222 and the Phidias lines never really quite finding market acceptance. The Overseas line may finally work for them, but this awaits the test of time. Interesting that the Overseas owes clear design elements to both previous lines. If at first you don't succeed... So, in the spirit of your one liners, I would say that VC is the watch of your rich retired uncle (or old money), PP the "power watch" of the CEO or banker, and AP the watch of choice of artists and other avant-garde. Not sure if this is profound, but it sure is fun. I welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections to this article.	i don't know
What iconic Moscow theatre reopened in 2011 after major refurbishment and earlier decades of neglect?	RUSSIA AS I SEE HER. Yuri Abramochkin photoalbum 1960–2013 by RUSS PRESS PHOTO - issuu issuu photoalbum 1960–2013 SCANRUS PUBLISHING HOUSE Moscow, 2013 I have been collecting and preparing this photo album throughout the last 50 years of my life as a reporter. Initially, I did not quite know why I was doing it. Now that the book has seen the light of day, I would like to thank all my heroes who have enabled me to take these photographs. I am sorry that circumstances have prevented me from photographing everything I wanted to. I hope that, inÂ time, my work will become a photo chronicle of our times, my generation and my country. Yuri Abramochkin Dmitry Stepanov, Ramil Sitdikov. 2011 My conscious life began at the time that would later come to be called the “thaw”. I lost my parents early. My grandmother was both mother and father to me. After finishing secondary school in 1953, I worked for a while as a geodetic specialist on construction sites, before getting a job as a photographer. I became genuinely interested in photography. An old FED camera my father had given me became an extension of myself. In 1957, I made my first photo report about the Moscow International Youth Festival. The photos were printed in the newspaper Nash Festival (Our Festival) and that sealed my choice of future profession. In 1961, I was hired by Novosti Press Agency (APN), a prestigious organisation that produced materials for foreign consumption and had a distinctive “Western” style. I was learning the ropes of my profession and the profession was teaching me to overcome adversity, value success while not getting big-headed, help my colleagues and rejoice in their success, too. I have always wanted to know how my photographs were perceived. When working on a portrait, I try to capture my subject’s inner state. If I succeed, the emotional impact of the picture can work miracles: all sorts of people start “speaking” with the photograph, as if immersing themselves in it. As a reporter, I gravitate towards situational “living” photographs. The main thing is to capture the moment. Reportage requires “a sense of the moment” from the photographer. One has to be able to foresee what is about to happen. A modern photo reporter is equipped with technology that enables him to upload pictures that have just been taken into information channels and reach the viewer/reader immediately. Communication becomes instant and authentic. Even if the photo correspondent approaches the subject with his own vision and attitude, time will sort out the material and put everything on the proper shelf. 4 Content Mikhail Gorbachev 6 Half a century of our life Andrei Nechayev 7 The man who captured light Genrikh Borovik 8 He comes from a tribe of masters Alexander Yurikov 9 “The Golden Eye” 10 The main square 48 The first to photograph the first man in space 64 The Thaw and other manifestations of fickle weather 98 From stability to stagnation 198 2600 days in power 226 A radical at the Kremlin 252 Waiting for a century that has already come 328 The roads that choose us 334 About the author Half a century of our life Reflecting on the past is part of human nature. Even when planning for the future, people always proceed from memories of the past. This is their experience, experience of work, of dealing with people, emotional experience. No wonder diaries and memoirs are such a popular genre. But there is one special type of memory – photographs. Each of them not only packs in a vast amount of information. It stirs emotions, brings back associations, conjures up vivid memories of events. Of course, this only happens when you see the work of a true master. Yuri Abramochkin’s album “A Flight Through Time” is just such a collection of highly professional photographs. I have known Yuri Abramochkin personally for a long time. Mikhail Gorbachev He is known in and outside Russia as one of the best in his profession. He is at once a zestful photo reporter and an artist with a deep insight into what he photographs. Yet I would like to single out one of the author’s features: for all the seemingly dispassionate nature of the photo lens, one cannot but feel that these are the works of a deeply committed man. A patriot of his country, Yuri Abramochkin experiences deeply its joys and sorrows; he photographs with his heart. This is clearly seen in his work. His new book could be called “our country’s family album”. It has already been published (and well received) in Russia, and now interested people in America, Europe and other parts of the world can see the English-language edition. The photographs are accompanied by comments, brief explanations or the author’s personal assessments of the events reflected in the album. But, for the most part, the pictures speak for themselves and do not need to be translated into verbal form. Anyone who takes this book in his hands will understand and feel more deeply what our country, first the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation, was like and what it is like today, during the recent turbulent decades. The middle of that historical period included the times of Perestroika and Glasnost, which were ushered in by me and my colleagues in the Soviet leadership. Yuri Abramochkin offers his own vision of the big turning point that, for all the difficulties and contradictions, brought freedom and democracy to our country, averted the nuclear threat and put an end to the Cold War. This book reviews the milestones in the country’s political history from Khrushchev and Brezhnev to Yeltsin and Putin. But the focus is on people – both ordinary and not so ordinary. Here are photos of workers and peasants, official Agitprop photos and thoroughly informal and very vivid pictures. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, aircraft designer Tupolev, the singer Anna Netrebko, conductor Gergiev. We see lyrical photographs of romantic couples; children shot from various angles; war veterans during Victory Day celebrations; Brezhnev’s funeral, then Andropov’s and then Chernenko’s; the opening up of the Virgin Lands and the famous Dneproges hydroelectric power plant. When we open Yuri Abramochkin’s photo album, half a century of our life passes before our eyes so vividly, as if it all happened only yesterday. Many of his works can already be considered classics. Yuri Abramochkin – man and artist – has made a distinctive contribution to the chronicle of our country in the 20th and early 21st centuries. With ex-President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev. 2001 With Donbass coal miners. 1976 With Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 2007 Mikhail Gorbachev With the Patriarch of the Russian chess school Mikhail Botvinnik. 1963 6 The man who captured light When you look at Yuri Abramochkin’s photographs, the words “Photo Chronicle of an Era” come to mind. I do not like this journalistic cliché but the fact is that Yuri Abramochkin’s works do add up to a portrait of the country’s life over several decades. It seems there was no major event in the history of the USSR and Russia that remained unrecorded by this remarkable master’s camera. The conquest of outer space, opening up of the Virgin Lands, the Brezhnev era of stagnation and Gorbachev’s perestroika, the collapse of the USSR and the difficult economic reforms of the 1990s, and, finally, our complicated and contradictory times: all this has been reflected in the works of Yuri Abramochkin. He is deeply civic-minded. A talented artist, Abramochkin can make wonderful and perceptive photographs of nature. Yet his credo is reporting Andrei Nechayev from the thick of events. Such pictures cannot be taken in a study or studio, in the countryside or at a Kremlin reception. He lives side by side with his heroes, works and rejoices together with them. Yuri Abramochkin has a very important quality. He loves the people he is photographing – no matter whether it is the world’s first man in space, the leader of the Cuban Revolution or a fisherman on the shores of Lake Baikal. I think it is because of his interest and his empathy with his subjects that his photographs are not official statues but living, breathing portraits. Behind each of them is the subject’s personality and character. For half a century, Abramochkin was a member of the “Kremlin pool” of photo journalists, this enabling him to travel all over the world with his camera. He photographed Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Castro, Nixon, Queen Elizabeth, Thatcher, Gandhi and many other historic personalities. There is hardly a major political leader of the second half of the 20th century whose photograph has not found its way into Abramochkin’s photo archive. Plus cosmonauts, famous designers, scientists, writers, artists, musicians and actors. He had access to the “holy of holies” and many of his photographs are totally unique. Lady Luck and his own foresight enabled him to be in the right place at the right time. Even so, he also had to find the right angle, catch the light and, most important, press the button at the right time. Looking at these photographs, we understand that their author is a Master writ large. Abramochkin brings sincere respect to his photographs of the “great and good of this world”, but there is no trace of sycophancy or trembling hands. That is why we see living people, with their human foibles, problems and joys. He can inject a note of gentle irony in portraying his heroes, irrespective of their social status, but he never allows himself disrespect, familiarity or tactlessness. Abramochkin is a photo reporter, not a paparazzi. His works are interesting for history but not for glossy magazines or the gutter press. He is sincerely proud of his Homeland and shares its trials and tribulations. You only have to put side by side the photographs of the military parade on Red Square or a flea market at the Luzhniki Stadium to realise that they were taken by a person who takes the fate of his country close to his heart. If somebody feels he is too enthusiastic about the Soviet past and critical of the post-perestroika times, he may be right up to a point. Well, the author is entitled to his own opinion. He has seen a lot during the fifty years that he has been on the frontline with his camera and I take off my hat to him. Yuri Abramochkin is also a brilliant story-teller – and he has a lot to tell. Behind each of his photographs is the history of his country. And Abramochkin is not just a wellspring of reminiscences; he is a profoundly erudite and creative man. Take the trouble to read the author’s captions to his photographs and you will learn a lot of interesting things. It is great that this album has seen the light of day. But I know that the author has lifted the veil off only a small portion of his wealth. Do not stop, Yuri. At a Novosti Press Agency photo exhibition. 1961 With Fidel Castro. 1976 With Juan Carlos I. 2005 Professor Andrei Nechayev, first Minister of Economics of Russia With Yuri Lyubimov. 2007 7 He comes from a tribe of masters Genrikh Borovik The tribe of photographers, more precisely photo journalists, is a very special one. Of course they are journalists – but with a difference. I began my journalistic career in the early 1950s, working for the illustrated magazine Ogonyok, one of the most popular magazines at the time. It was arguably the best loved magazine. That is why I am well versed in this profession. Yuri Abramochkin had yet to appear on the horizon; he was still at school. But about ten years later, his name began appearing in magazines and newspapers. And soon the readers buying a magazine or a paper at a kiosk were looking for Yuri Abramochkin’s photographs. The young Abramochkin, who never thought about journalism and dreamt of being a builder, suddenly discovered that he had not just a photo correspondent’s sharp eye, but the mental frame of a journalist. This came as a surprise not only for the readers of magazines and newspapers, but for Yuri Abramochkin himself, then a very young man. When he found he had these qualities, he dropped out of the construction institute and became a photo journalist. His works often compared favourably even with the work of major Soviet masters. In his pictures, people do not pose; they are themselves. Even at official functions, he managed to take photographs of living people, people like you and me. What is it? An artist’s flair? Luck? Accident? I think one should put it down, above all, to the author’s love of life, people and ordinary situations, something that even recognised photo masters neglected at the time. Red Square, every nook and cranny of which seems to have been photographed by hundreds and thousands of correspondents, presents us with very down-to-earth, moving and previously unknown details. During Mikhail Gorbachev’s meeting with Ronald Reagan and George Bush in New York, Abramochkin photographed them not in formal talks at the table but after the official part was over, when the three leaders strolled along the bank of the East River. The photo gives an instant insight into the relations between the three leaders. A four-year-old girl demonstrates to her happy mother how elegantly she can lift her leg. And we don’t need any captions to know that the daughter is a future ballerina. Our hearts go out to her. Of course, Yuri Abramochkin shows not only joy but also sadness, all aspects of life. Yet, on balance, his photographs give us the joy of being aware of the great miracle that is our life in the boundless and still mysterious Universe. I would like to congratulate in advance all those who see and read this new book, Yuri Abramochkin’s album, take part in his master class and look at another remarkable exhibition of his work. His photographs teach us to understand life. With Mireille Mathieu. 2005 With Marshal Ivan Konev. 1965 With world chess champion Anatoly Karpov. 1979 Genrikh Borovik, writer With the first Russian President, Boris Yeltsin. 1990 8 “The Golden Eye” Some people photograph with a “point-and-shoot”, some with a digital reflex camera. Yuri Abramochkin photographs with his heart. For many years, he worked with the one of our official structures, Novosti Press Agency, initially Sovinformburo. He profited from all the opportunities the job opened up to him: a pass that gave him access to off-limits places, travel to any part of the country and abroad, and the opportunity to approach the mighty of this world within photographing distance… But he did not become a court photographer puffed up with a sense of his own importance. Yes, he has photographed party secretaries, generals and presidents, leaders and kings, world stars and People’s Artists. But, in his photographs, they come across as, above all, human beings with Alexander Yurikov their own characters, manners and habits. And he photographed a lot of people not burdened by high ranks or titles or government decorations. They sow and harvest grain, build houses and dams, go into outer space, never thinking that they would become legends; they fall in love, give birth to and raise children. They were oblivious of the camera in Yuri Abramochkin’s hands, which is why his photographs ring true to life. Abramochkin differs from your common-or-garden variety of “protocol photographer”, because he can be in the right place at the right time. Such instances cannot be many, but they bring professional recognition and glory. Among his numerous awards, Yuri Abramochkin is rightly proud of the World Press Photo International Contest Prize (1987). The photograph is that of Mathias Rust during his trial. How did he manage to take a photo of a German air hooligan who had landed his midget aircraft on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge near Red Square having lunch with his guard? The award is called “Golden Eye”, and one could not think of a better nickname for my friend. Having avoided the trap of stately halls, Abramochkin also managed to resist being seduced by the world of glamour. He photographed global idols in a way that penetrated their costumes and plumage, the thick layer of make-up, to reveal if not the soul, at least the character. Look at the photograph of Boney M in Red Square. The singers and dancers look like high school students who had had a drink too many at a graduation party. The aura of the magnificent place that casts its spell on everyone within its shadow convinces that the stars on top of the Kremlin towers are much bigger than any other stars. But let us not forget that, for many decades, we had a watchdog organisation that assessed the work of every artist. This was the local Party Committee. On one occasion, Yuri Abramochkin was accused of propagating bourgeois culture and a meeting of the Party cell decided to issue a written reprimand to him. By the standards of the time, that might have jeopardised the photographer’s career. However, a telephone call from on high came to the agency’s Party Committee and a voice at the other end said: “You’ve got to be mad”. So the author was allowed to go on working as before. Which means working fast and with real talent. If it is true that each photograph is partly a portrait of the author, I advise you to look at the photographs of children, at which Abramochkin excels. Like children, he never stops wondering at what he sees and he helps us see it, too. I think his photographs leave space, as it were, for those who look at them. I feel as if I could sit down on the ramp next to the two legendary aircraft designers, Tupolev and Ilyushin, and look up close at the stars of Heroes of Socialist Labour on their lapels. I can walk unnoticed on the red carpet behind the world’s first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and bask in the warmth of his smile, addressed to the whole world. There is even room for me on the stand of the Lenin Mausoleum, somewhere in the corner behind a marshal’s broad back… In his work (and I have often gone with him to a “site” to prepare the caption for his photograph), Yuri is like a bulldozer sweeping away all logistical, time or geographical barriers. There is a mission and he must fulfil it. And he will. Abramochkin is a professional with a “golden eye” and a throbbing human heart. Alexander Yurikov, journalist With Academician Mikhail Lavrentiev. 1966 With Urho Kekkonen. 1978 With sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. 2004 9 Atop the Kremlin Wall. 1966 10 I went to Red Square at least twice a year to photograph the 1 May demonstration and the demonstration on October Revolution Day on 7 November. Gradually, the place began to draw me. I developed a taste for its dayto-day life, photographing everything that struck me as interesting. Yet it was becoming ever more austere and forbidding under my eyes. In the 1960s, it was open to traffic, but was closed later on. At one time, smoking was forbidden on the square. I was curious to learn about its details, including the huge clock on the Spasskaya Tower by which our country lives in a direct and metaphorical sense. I was allowed inside the tower and climbed to the very top. I was amazed at the clock’s gigantic mechanism of the clock. I still cannot forgive myself for missing that shot. My only consolation is that I photographed the face of the clock with half of it in the sun and the other half in shadow. One face was in the dark and the other in the light. That happened at a time when one state had morphed into another, conferring a symbolic meaning to my photograph. Further changes that occurred in the country in the early 1990s turned the square into the epicentre of modern history, with spontaneous mass rallies and unwonted cultural and sporting shows, including rock concerts and ice hockey matches. But Red Square remains a place for commemoration and celebration, honours and mourning, a symbol of the might of Moscow and the state. That is why it has always been, with varying degrees of success, seized and subjugated, built up and rebuilt, beautified and glorified. It is high time to forego commercial benefits and see how to revive and preserve it, with due respect for the special spirit that has always imbued Red Square, the country’s main square. The Kremlin Clock. 1987 11 Sports Parade is a typical feature ofÂ theÂ 1960s, with all the attributes of the time. 1964 12 I met this boy in Red Square. AÂ solitary figure, it was as if he were in a trance. I did not immediately realise that the kid had probably been left there by his parents, who were making aÂ quick visit to the GUM department store. I unsheathed my camera and pressed the button. Soon his worried mum and dad appeared. Everybody was happy. And I keep this photograph as one that began my own history of Red Square. It continues to this day. 1963 13 View of the Kremlin, Red Square and Alexandrovsky Garden. I had long wanted to take a bird’s eye photograph. Finally I had the chance, though it did not come my way easily. In Moscow, in order to take a bird’s eye photograph, one has to secure a special permit. No such permit is needed in New York. In Paris you have to pay a small charge for every camera brought into Notre-Dame de Paris. Nobody will ever have a chance to take a picture from this spot. The former Intourist Hotel, from which I took it, has been replaced by the new RitzCarlton Hotel, which is not so tall. And other changes have taken place since I took that photograph. The Iberian Gate and Chapel have been restored. The Moskva Hotel was pulled down and what was supposed to be a carbon copy of it was built in its place. The Rossiya Hotel was demolished almost overnight… An underground retail centre blocked the traffic lanes on Manezh Square. 1987 14 15 I took this picture with a traffic policeman in 1962. Several years later, cars were no longer permitted to cross the square. And in the intervening period, the mix of cars in Russia changed from the Volgas, Moskviches and Pobedas seen in this photograph, now vintage items, to foreign-made cars. 16 Policeman in Red Square â€“ not only a guardian of the law. Very often he acts as an enquiry office for out-of-towners. 1999 17 I shot this military parade from the top of the History Museum in 1964. The photograph attracted world-wide interest not so much because of its austere character as because it was taken at the height of the nuclear rivalry between Moscow and Washington. At the time, the US was ahead of the USSR, but it reacted anxiously to any public display of Soviet weaponry. For his part, Nikita Khrushchev 18 missed no opportunity to scare the West with rockets, which “we churn out like sausages”, and occasionally demonstrate them. That was why my photograph was taken up as proof of our advances. But the Kremlin was conducting its own play, while the Pentagon used it as a pretext for beating out more appropriations for the military-industrial complex. 19 1982. Blessed times. Twice a year, on the eve of the “sacred” holidays of 1 May and 7 November, the authorities published inspiring theses in all the newspapers. They were put on banners and set targets for everyone. You see one of the last manifestations that I photographed from the top of St. Basil’s. The picture was to be further proof of the unity of the state and the people, an idea that would soon turn out to be fiction. 20 21 Official delegations usually laid wreaths in front of the Lenin Mausoleum before the doors were opened for ordinary folk. People stood in line for hours in any weather to see the leader’s body and never thought of it as time wasted. Every Soviet person felt he had to make this pilgrimage. In 1987, I was engaged in the international project “One Day in the Life of the Soviet Union” and got an assignment to photograph anything of interest that might happen inside the Kremlin 22 on that day. For the first time, I met with no obstruction. From the top of Spasskaya Tower, I saw people queuing to see the mummified body of our leader. I felt that the stream of people was almost part of the square’s architecture. Next to the square, at the Lenin Museum, Lenin’s statue arrested the attention of a youthful visitor. The museum was shut down in October 1993 and its collection was handed over to the History Museum. 1967 23 24 A sports festival in Red Square. The key slogan says: “Glory to the Motherland of October [Revolution]”. However, the traditional Soviet symbols – the Hammer and the Sickle – hide the faces of the event’s participants. According to Soviet ideology, work was always more important than the labourers themselves. 1977 25 A formidable Soviet weapon, theÂ Voyevoda intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead. This was our first missile that could reach America. 1966. Behind the Kremlin Wall is the famous Tsar Cannon, which once stood in Red Square. Luckily, neither the former nor the latter were ever fired. I will divulge a great secret. TheÂ missiles that are displayed during parades have no charges and the nuclear warheads are mock-ups. 1967 26 27 This is how the Kremlin’s Sobornaya Ploshchad (Cathedral Square) appears from Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The cathedral in the centre of the picture is the Annunciation Cathedral, built by Pskov architects in late 15th century. 1987 28 You see the shadow cast by the famous Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The 81-metre tower was the tallest structure in Moscow until the late 19th century. To take this picture, I availed myself of a rare permit to climb it: as a rule, noÂ one was permitted to do that. 1987 29 Not everybody knows about the existence of a memorial Kremlin Cemetery in Red Square. Behind the Mausoleum, there are the graves of ordinary champions of Soviet power who died during the Revolution and those of prominent Soviet leaders. Delegations come here to pay tribute to the Soviet leaders Sverdlov, Kalinin, Frunze, Stalin, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko… Busts by famous sculptors top the USSR leaders’ graves. Set in the Kremlin wall are urns with the ashes of prominent leaders of the international workers’ movement who died in the early years of Soviet Russia. They include the American John Reed, author of the famous documentary book about the October Revolution titled “Ten Days That Shook the World” and the French woman Inessa Armand, thought to have been Lenin’s mistress. Other urns contain the remains of outstanding Soviet leaders, including Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Konstantin Rokossovsky, as well as heroes and scientists who made an outstanding contribution to the country’s defence, exploration of the Arctic and of outer space. Among them are Valery Chkalov, Yuri Gagarin, Igor Kurchatov, Sergei Korolyov and Mstislav Keldysh… Moscow. 1987 31 A protestor tears up a portrait of â€œLenin himselfâ€? in front of the Kremlin, while passers-by pay no attention. Just a couple of years earlier, insulting Lenin in this way would have been considered hooliganism bordering on crime. 1990 Marx, Engels and Lenin, the main Soviet ideologists, look down indifferently on efforts to clean-up Red Square after a parade. 1989 32 33 34 Boney M, one of the first Western disco groups, toured the USSR and willingly posed for me in the country’s main square. My series of photos of its concerts in Moscow was printed in the German magazine Der Stern. It brought the agency a substantial sum in hard currency and it brought me… the threat of a party reprimand “for propagating bourgeois culture and morals.” It took a call from the Kremlin to APN to put an end to that absurd “case”. 1978 I shot this scene by chance. The photograph turned out to be unexpected. But I could never find out who the girl was, frozen on horseback in front of the monument to Marshal Zhukov. 2006 35 Concert of the National Symphony Orchestra of the USA devoted to Russia’s resurgence. The conductor is the great Russian musician and citizen of the world Mstislav Rostropovich. 1993 The era of democratisation opened up Red Square for grandiose rallies and manifestations. 1992 36 37 2001. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, participants in the legendary 7 November 1941 parade, walk slowly through Red Square. At that time, German troops were within a few dozen kilometres of Moscow. It was a dramatic time. A full-scale parade with army bands was staged in Moscow to boost the morale of the armed forces and the people and broadcast live to the whole world on the radio. Stalin is on top of the Lenin Mausoleum. These people will go from Red Square straight to the frontline. Of the 30,000 who marched on the flagstones, only a few would survive the terrible battle for the capital and reach Berlin, to go down in history as Victors. 38 Change brings new visitors to Red Square, often appearing symbolical. 2005 41 Marathons, cycle and car races: all sorts of sporting events take place around the Kremlin. Some of them threaten to become regular. 1995 42 The legendary hockey match between Russian and Canadian superstars. The organisers felt that it had to take place in the very heart of the capital. Every winter from then on, Red Square has been a skating-rink, which does no good to the stone pavement and diminishes the historic significance of this unique place. I cannot imagine anything like this happening in the central squares of Paris, London or Rome. 2005 43 This is how the Lobnoye Mesto is decorated on holidays today. Contrary to legend, it was never a place of execution; in fact, the Tsars’ decrees were read out from it. Through the flags, the unique clock on the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower can be glimpsed. The clock is used by the whole nation to get the precise time. 2001 The unusually hot weather and wildfires that struck Russia’s central regions for the first time in a thousand years could not quash tourists’ interest. Moscow. The summer of 2010 44 45 46 The pealing of church bells wafts over Red Square, filling it with the energy of Purification. Orthodox Russia has, from time immemorial, been famous for the pealing of its various-sized church bells. The church bells were treated as living creatures, each having its own special voice and history. The histories turned into legends, handed down from generation to generation. Some of these have come down to us. The purpose of the bell is to call people together to defend against enemies and natural disasters or to solve important issues. It also calls people together for holidays and church ceremonies. The peal was different for every occasion. The more powerful the sound – the more respect for the city. The more skilful the bell ringer and the more beautiful the sound – the more prestigious the church. If such a bell were to break, it was thought to be a calamity for the city and its people. That is why enemies tried to destroy the church and its bell tower as quickly as possible, to deprive the city of communication, of the language that unites people. Church bells ring all over the country today, calling for unity and harmony. 1994 47 The first to photograph the first man in space With Yuri Gagarin. 1961 48 In May 1961, I was summoned to the editorial office. “Pack your case at once; you are flying south. They’ll explain the mission to you on the plane. It’s an important one.” There were five of us at the airport: correspondents from Pravda, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Krasnaya Zvezda and myself, representing APN. We boarded an Il-14 plane and were told that we were flying to meet Yuri Gagarin. We were brought to the Sochi sanatorium where Yuri was resting. Journalists started asking him questions and I took pictures. Some people in track suits were milling around – it turned out they were future cosmonauts. Our session was soon cut short, however, and the film was taken away from us. We were furious. A stranger in an open-necked shirt approached us. He heard our “rantings” and smiled. “The journalists were brought here by decision of the Party Central Committee”, he told the guards. “Give them back the film, and God forbid you to lose any of them, they answer for them with their heads.” Our saviour turned out to be Sergei Korolyov, the spacecraft Chief Designer. In the morning, my colleagues flew away to Moscow. I was left alone. I went for a walk and saw Gagarin sitting on a bench. “Take your pictures quickly”, he said, “the medical people may be here any minute and there will be no more photographs”. I took several snaps of Gagarin in his holiday hat. It taught me a lesson: the main thing in my profession is always to have my camera with me. Yuri emerged from the meeting with the doctors with his head bandaged. I did not ask him any questions but started taking snap shops at once. This is the story of the photograph of the cosmonaut with his head bandaged near the ZIS 110 limousine. I managed to be photographed together with him. On my return to Moscow, I surrendered all the undeveloped negatives to the secret First Department. The most interesting shots with Gagarin and future cosmonauts were not returned to me. It was only several years later that I got some of them back. Looking through my archive in 2004, I decided to put them on public view for the first time. The Soviet-made DS-2 colour film and A-2 black and white film had decayed over time but computer processing saved the photographs. It is amazing that Gagarin’s famous smile looks as if it were photographed just yesterday. Yuri Gagarin. Sochi. 1961 49 In the spring of 1961, I again photographed the first cosmonaut and the famous dog Belka, which went into outer space before Gagarin, inÂ August 1960 50 51 The cosmonaut’s father, Alexei Gagarin, at his home in Gzhatsk with Yuri’s relatives. The town, located 180km to the south of Moscow, is now named after Gagarin. 1961 52 You have to pay with your time for popularity. The sculptorâ€™s first session. Sochi. 1961 53 54 A routine workout: it will be the cosmonaut’s routine for life. Sochi. 1961 Yuri Gagarin with General Nikolai Kamanin, Hero of the Soviet Union, in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City), Moscow region. A cosmonaut training centre is located here. 1961 55 Gagarin with his mother, grandmother and older sister. The photo was taken near the new house built almost overnight to replace his father’s hovel. The father is not in the frame. Alexei Gagarin had had a good drink to mark his son’s arrival. Gzhatsk. 1961 56 With wife Valentina at Sochi sanatorium. Looking through post. Letters arrive from all over the country. 1961 57 Morning walk with his wife. Sochi. 1961 58 With Valentina and their first child Galina. Moscow. 1961 59 Nikita Khrushchev and other national leaders welcoming cosmonaut 2 German Titov, to the left ofÂ Gagarin. August 1961 60 Cosmonauts Andrian Nikolayev (left), Yuri Gagarin and German Titov at Central Television. Moscow. 1964 61 Space Heroes Alley is next to the National Exhibition Centre. It commemorates in bronze and granite the cosmonauts who overcame gravity: Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and those who followed them. Opposite their sculptures are those of the founders of the Soviet aerospace industry: Sergei Korolyov, Valentin Glushko and Mstislav Keldysh. The cosmonauts seem to be thanking the scientists for the opportunity they received to see our planet 62 from outer space. The figure of the scientist who founded space exploration, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, symbolically opens the Memorial Space Exploration Museum, which is topped by a 110 metre stella made of polished titanium. It was erected to mark the launching of the first artificial Earth satellite in the USSR on 4 October 1957. Taking pride of place in the museum is the spaceship in which Yuri Gagarin circled the Earth and from which he bailed out on landing. I climbed into the first Mir orbital research station, which Moscow launched in 1986 and which survived until 2001. I looked at the space suits and space products, all kinds of tubes and pills. I walked around the Soviet Lunokhod (Moon Rover), which worked on the Moon for almost a year beginning in 1970. At least two copies were built of all the spaceships at the time. Lunokhod’s double now stands in the museum. Next to it, under a magnifying glass, is another unique exhibit – twenty-five specks of dust delivered from the Moon. It is a living museum, where one can meet cosmonauts and watch documentaries. For children, of course, there is nothing like playing at space flight. To sit in the cosmonaut’s chair and use a remote to “dock” your spaceship to another. With luck, one can take part in the work of the Mission Control Centre and have a radio session with the crew that is actually flying on the International Space Station. 2009 63 A business trip to Siberia. 1964 The Thaw and other manifestations of fickle weather In my mind, the Khrushchev era is primarily associated with Yuri Gagarin’s flight and the conquest of outer space. As well as the Virgin Lands, the length and breadth of which I travelled with my camera to become immersed in its atmosphere. It is also associated with movement by large masses of people all over the country and a grandiose housing construction programme. And with the measure of free expression and art freedom experienced by the intelligentsia. It was as if the doors to normal life had been opened. Like many of my contemporaries, I was surprised to learn about Nikita Khrushchev’s secret report to the 20th CPSU (the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) Congress condemning Stalin’s cult of personality and the Soviet regime’s mass reprisals. At the same time, I noticed that policemen stopped calling at our communal flat at night and asking the occupants if they had noticed anything suspicious in the behaviour of their neighbours.” The Kremlin declared a policy of peaceful coexistence with the capitalist world. First contacts with the West were established. Some ordinary people, after being screened by the Party, managed – by some a miracle – to go on a group tour abroad. Our people reacted enthusiastically to Khruschev’s promise that “the present generation of Soviet people will live under Communism”. Communism was to be reached in 1980. The country watched with interest as the Soviet leader made his first trip to the USA, where he discovered maize, the “queen of farmland”. Upon his return from America, he had it planted in the USSR even in areas where it could not grow. Later, it turned out that Khrushchev had brought nuclear weapons to Cuba, which triggered a world crisis. Our leader also threatened to show the West “Kuzma’s mother” and became famous throughout the world by pounding his shoe on the speaker’s rostrum at the UN. The authorities soon decided that the gulp of freedom we had was a bit too much. Nikita Khrushchev personally slammed the abstract painters and modernist poets. He promised “real frosts” to the writer Ilya Erenburg, whose story “The Thaw” gave its name to that period. Because Khrushchev constantly swung from one side to the other and was feared by the apparatchiks, they got rid of him. His reaction was philosophical: “For the first time, a Soviet leader is replaced by a simple vote.” 64 Nikita Khrushchev. 1962 65 Khrushchevâ€™s advent generated hopes. People wanted to take an active part in the life of society. 1962 At last, people from all over the country had aÂ chance to see the capital and Red Square. 1963 66 Hitching a rideâ€Ś to Siberia. 1963 68 On Khrushchev’s initiative, the country committed itself to developing heavy industry. New construction projects brought hundreds of thousands of people eastward, beyond the Urals mountains. They had to be accommodated. Industrial construction got underway of five-storey, walk-up apartment blocks made of prefabricated blocks, later christened “Khrushchevki”. They mushroomed all over the country, beginning from Moscow’s Cheryomushki neighbourhood. The USSR would lead the world in terms of the volume of housing construction. People from Central Russia go to Siberia with their families in search of a better life. If they carry suitcases, they are city folk. The villagers carry their belongings in bundles, boxes and bags. They had no suitcases in the villages. Instead, people had strong heavy trunks passed on like heirlooms from generation to generation. The trunks were left behind. The women bore the brunt of moving house and settling down in a new place. Most of the men had died in the War. 1964 69 Such “droplets” appeared on mighty Siberian rivers. Timber was rafted down the rivers. This picture was taken from a helicopter over the Siberian river Yenisei. 1964 70 71 People had to be fed somehow… A slogan was offered: “We shall develop the Virgin Lands of Kazakhstan and South Siberia”. But, for now, the future Virgin Lands pioneers see only a weedcovered wilderness. 1962 72 73 74 Kustanai Region, Kazakhstan. 1962. Trucks with grain from the Virgin Lands waiting to be unloaded at elevators. A bumper harvest has been brought in. The country will have enough bread. Actually, the trucks are idle because of poor work organisation. Collective farm managers are in the field every day from early morning. They watch the harvesting process. But the enthusiasm and managerial skill of some were marred by the sloppiness of others. A lot of the harvested grain was lost. 75 A work team returns from the field, each carrying a water melon. This is now permitted. But, until recently, under Stalin, a collective farmer was liable to be sent to prison forÂ stealing a few ears ofÂ corn. Astrakhan Region. 1965 76 Young people come to the Virgin Lands. Kustanai Region. 1962 78 The children grow up healthy and well-fed. 1965 79 To each his own road. Kurgan Region, Western Siberia. 1962 80 Everyday life in the Virgin Lands. Kurgan Region, Western Siberia. 1962 81 No Russian village can live without its accordion player. Yaroslavl Region. 1964 Fishing season. Astrakhan. 1965 82 83 Linen is habitually washed in the Volga. OfÂ course, washing machines would appear here in due course but people would still come to the Volga. Kostroma. 1964 84 85 A junction on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Who are these latter-day Itinerants? Most probably, they are builders or gold-diggers, in short, working people. At any rate, they are not merchants or speculators. The whole country is onÂ theÂ move. Many problems crop up. One of them is the shortage of seats on public transport. The problem is still there. The places may be available but not everyone can afford them. 1964 86 Commander Islands. Bering Island. People prefer to reach the mainland by air. 1967 87 The Soviet state took care of children, their upbringing, education, vocational training and even leisure. Only now that we have lost all this can we really appreciate the results ofÂ changing a political system. Heading for school with a younger brother. Moscow. 1962 88 Aircraft modelling circle at the Young Pioneer Palace. Moscow. 1963 89 The country is learning. One can get a university degree not only on full-time but also evening courses, after work. And also by correspondence. All of it for free. We are rightly proud of our education and the fact that people want to have an education. Naturally, the schools, technical colleges, institutes and universities are full. Just 90 like this auditorium, where lectures are given for correspondence students at the Plekhanov Institute. Moscow. 1969 Alas, the situation is changing dramatically. We are losing interest in knowledge and pride in the values of our education system. Money and career, not knowledge, come first. The best Russian higher educational institutions yield their place to prestigious foreign colleges. Knowledge tests turn into mere technical points counting. This is a subject of public controversy. Corruption and nepotism, if not downright theft, prevail in the crumbling education system. 91 One of the heralds of “the thaw”, popular poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, reciting his poems to a capacity crowd at the Polytechnic Museum. Moscow. 1964 92 Talented singer Edita Pyekha brings a new style. Moscow. 1965 93 94 The star of “the Thaw”. They say it rose on Moscow’s Mayakovsky Square in 1958, when a monument to the poet was unveiled. First, famous authors recited their poems but then anyone who wished could climb the podium. People were spilling out their long pent-up feelings. Such recitals became common. Crowds gathered around the monument to Mayakovsky. Poetry meetings spilled into the Polytechnic Museum, which was besieged by poetry lovers. New names – Rozhdestvensky, Yevtushenko, Voznesensky were on everybody’s lips… They were joined by writers, artists, sculptors and directors. Samizdat (self-publishing) appeared. The key feature of the generation’s life was a return to democracy and Khrushchev’s exposure of Stalin’s crimes. The informal group of creative youth would be called the “men of the sixties”. The Novy Mir journal, under its editor, the poet Alexander Tvardovsky, provides a rostrum for them. The popularity of the “men of the sixties” scares the authorities. At the opening of the art exhibition at the Manezh, Nikita Khrushchev publicly berates modernist artists and sculptors. Their works would be removed from the exhibition. Newwave films, plays and books would be criticised and banned. Tvardovsky would be forced to leave his journal. Western support for talent, as exemplified by the cases of Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn, would cause a row. The poet Brodsky would be sent into internal exile as a “parasite.” All three would later become Nobel prize winners. The star of the “Khrushchev Thaw” gradually dims and winks out. After the rain. Outside Moscow. 1964 95 96 1964. Kremlin number two, Leonid Brezhnev, gradually catches up with Khrushchev, number one. Brezhnev’s shadow is about to cover the “corn” reformer, whose unpredictable actions meet with growing discontent. It looks as if the head of state is about to tread on the party leader’s heels. The photograph was put aside at the editorial office without comment. But I have kept it. Leonid Brezhnev eventually managed to trip Khrushchev up and get rid of his rival. The photograph turned out to be symbolic. Another manifestation in Red Square. Posters read: “Long Live the Unbreakable Unity of the Peoples of the USSR” and “Lenin is still more alive than all the living.” The Soviet slogans seemed eternal… Moscow. 1964 97 From stability to stagnation “The heavy burden” of the profession. 1980 98 In character and style, Leonid Brezhnev turned out to be the antithesis of his predecessor. Stability was his watchword. Instead of the Communism promised by Khrushchev, he proclaimed “Advanced Socialism”. Economic development of Siberia and the Far East was still the priority. I willingly went on month-long trips there. I took pictures at the VAZ car plant in Togliatti, at the Baikal-Amur Railway and in Western Siberia, where new oilfields were being developed. I visited the builders of giant power stations on the Yenisei and Angara rivers. I flew to the Caucasus, to the Far North and to the Pacific islands… I travelled the length and breadth of our vast country. I accompanied our leaders on their foreign trips. I was lucky. My talent and skills were appreciated. The political activity of our General Secretary in the world gave a boost to cultural exchanges. I met many celebrities in diverse areas of science and the arts. Portraits of world stars were added to my collection. The highlight of that era was, I think, the 1980 Olympics. The first Olympic Games to be held on Soviet soil. An unprecedented number of medals: we won 197, of which 80 were gold medals. The country made an effort and built 78 new sports and urban facilities, including the Izmailovo Hotel complex, the biggest in Europe. Yet Brezhnev’s reign came to a dismal end. A new personality cult in miniature. The ageing General Secretary’s pathological passion for medals: he ended up having more of them than Stalin and Khrushchev combined. The crackdown on dissidents… The ongoing arms race with the USA, crippling for our country. And, towards the end, the tragedy of the Afghan war. On the face of it, the people seemed to be content. Eating, drinking, relaxing in the Crimea, the Caucasus and on the Baltic coast. A two-day weekend was introduced. But, before long, the Brezhnev era would be described as the era of “stagnation”. Leonid Brezhnev. 1976 99 I took this photograph behind the Kremlin Wall on the eve of a parade: Politbureau members and alternate members waiting for Leonid Brezhnev’s arrival. It is amazing how alike all the members of this welcoming party seem. Perhaps this is the secret of the Soviet collegiate manner of ruling the country? The bodyguard standing by my side, a sharp-eyed man, asked me: “What did you take that photo for?” “For history”, was all that I could think of by way of an answer. 1965 100 101 Moscow is readily promoting links with the West. Under Brezhnev, there was a rapprochement between the Soviet Union and France, which led to international détente and the signing of the Helsinki Act by all the European states, plus the USA and Canada, in 1975. That document provided a code of conduct for the European countries and led to the creation of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which today has 56 member states. The General Secretary’s first visit to Paris. The President’s wife Claude Pompidou, Leonid Brezhnev, French President Georges Pompidou and Brezhnev’s wife Viktoria. 1971 102 The Soviet leaderâ€™s first trip to Washington. On the White House lawn in Washington with President Nixon. 1973 103 The USSR’s ideological allies, members of the socialist camp, are still the focus of the Kremlin’s attention. Look how relaxed the leaders of these countries feel on the platform of the 25th CPSU Congress. In the front row are the most honoured guests: Janos Kadar (Hungary), Gustav Husak (Czechoslovakia), Alvaro Conhal (head of the Portugese Communist Party), Fidel Castro (Cuba), Willy Stoph and Erich Honecker (GDR). As members of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, these states render significant aid to each other. But this “communist open market” is governed by Moscow. Meanwhile, a state of “cold war” exists between the capitalist West and the socialist East: a political, ideological and economical duel, escalating and subsiding in turns. The Soviet Union ultimately suffers a clear defeat in this struggle in late 80s and early 90s. The socialist camp falls apart. However paradoxical it may seem, Cuba is the only country to withstand the one-sided fight. 104 105 106 7 November 1979. A rare photograph taken during Revolution Day celebrations. Leonid Brezhnev is having a friendly conversation with Soviet Minister of Defence Dmitry Ustinov on top of the Mausoleum. The photo was printed a month later by the American magazine Time after Soviet troops had entered Afghanistan. The New York journalists saw it as a way to highlight the militancy of the Soviet leader. During his final years, Brezhnev would frequently call the defence minister to ask when he was going to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. But this was not done until Mikhail Gorbachev dared to take this step ten years later, in 1989. 107 108 One of the regular rallies in Moscow. It was a tough job for the artists who decorated Red Square. They had to come up with something new every time while adhering strictly to the unwritten rules. The main goal was to emphasise the leaders’ significance. On Brezhnev’s portrait, for example, not a single new decoration could be omitted. But the portait itself was not supposed to be larger than Lenin’s. However, Brezhnev’s portraits could outnumber those of the leader of the world proletariat. 1977 109 110 This is the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station, the first of its kind on the mighty Yenisei River in Siberia and one of the “great construction projects of communism” which the country was justifiably proud of. It took 16 years to finish, and its capacity of six million kilowatts made it the second biggest in Russia, providing power for dozens of industrial facilities in the East. 1966 111 Young people responded with enthusiasm – a feature of the times – to the Party and Government’s call to revive Siberia and the Far East. The best specialists came to the new construction sites. After settling down in the new places, they were joined by their families. Stability was needed so people would not be diverted from the labour effort. Successful development of oil and gas in Western Siberia continued and the building of the Baikal-Amur Railway began. Assembly workers. Krasnoyarsk power station. Central Siberia. 1966 112 She is in charge of the cranes. Construction of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station. The Angara river. Eastern Siberia. 1966 113 Pouring steel at the Orsk-Khalilov steel plant. Orsk. Orenburg Region. Southern Urals. 1966 114 Portrait of a blast furnace operator. 1966 115 Geological party. Irkutsk Region. 1965 The development of Siberia called not only for massive capital investment but also for a huge human effort in overcoming the rigours of the taiga and tundra, mountain rivers and swamps. “Snow and wind, starlit nights, my heart calls me into the unknown.” The wellknown song “Geologists” by Pakhmutova and Dobronravov became the anthem of the profession, a monument to the courage and dedication of the romantics who ventured into the taiga wilderness. Our achievements in the field of geology are history now. The oil barons are pumping oil without investing in new fields. Irkutsk Region. Eastern Siberia. 1965 116 117 Anatoly Aksyuchenko, a miner from Donetsk. The picture was taken right after he and I emerged from the mine shaft. But photographing inside a mine turned out to be the easy part. It took me two days to remove coal dust from my equipment. Ukraine. 1981 A typical image of a Soviet worker, whose achievements are illustrated by the fruits of his industrial labour. 1976 118 119 Camera repair man. When he lifted his head, IÂ could not resist the temptation and the camera clicked instantly. Moscow. 1968 120 Another portrait, this time a woman. What is more, the subject is using a real weapon on a shooting range. From a series of photographs called “Police Lieutenant”. Moscow. 1968 121 Preparing timber for rafting down the Yenisei. Siberia. 1966 122 123 Every inch a Hollywood actor. Actually, this is an ordinary builder of the Bratsk power station. Such husky Siberian lads felled and rafted timber, built houses and dams, extracted oil and mined gold. Eastern Siberia. 1964 Spending some time with a fishing rod on the Angara, right by the dam of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, is a real treat for a fisherman. Eastern Siberia. 1964 124 Any modern beauty queen would envy this belle from a Siberian animal farm. 1973 126 Furs from Siberia and omul fish from Lake Baikal are still part of the wealth of the Russian land. 1964 127 This hydroelectric power station, built inÂ 1927â€“ 1932 on the Dnieper, Ukraine and designed by constructivist architect Viktor Vesnin, still impresses with its perfect form. 1983 128 129 The 5300-room Rossiya Hotel, theÂ biggest inÂ Europe, is only just being built. It was intended for delegates to the CPSU congresses because it was within walking distance of the Kremlin Palace. For the sake of prestige, a historical area of the capital with 15thâ€“18th century landmarks was destroyed. In 2007, 40 years later, the hotel was demolished. What the city architects will build in its place is yet unknown. 130 A smoking break that lasts a bit too long. Kosogorsk metallurgical plant. Tula. 1976 131 Far Eastern beauties. The Kamchatka Peninsula, bounded by the Pacific Ocean. TheÂ red caviar they are packing is sent all over the country. Way cheaper than black caviar, it was and is widely bought, and even issued as a reward to foremost workers inÂ the USSR. 1977 132 133 134 “Distances grow shorter…” when a letter from home arrives. The postman is a vital figure in a nation that reads more than any other. People subscribed to a variety of newspapers and magazines, which they later shared with one another. A land of forests, the USSR was short of paper. While the women studied the national press, the men had their own idea of relaxing: shashlyk from grayling, washed down with vodka and a song. Krasnoyarsk Region. Divnogorsk. 1964 135 1967. Togliatti. The main assembly line of the VAZ motor works is under construction on the banks of the Volga. The project was started by Italian FIAT, which was not scared away by the main Soviet slogan: “The victory of Communism is inevitable”. For a long time, we produced popular and affordable Zhiguli (Lada) cars ourselves. Now we make them better with the help of the French company Renault. Every construction project at the time needed a hero to emulate. A welder’s portrait belongs to the category of commissioned heroic photographs. I put it in the album because it reminded me of an interesting historical fact. After major gas fields were discovered in Siberia, Moscow agreed to deliver gas to Western Europe via a 4500‑km pipeline. At the time, though, our country did not produce large-diameter pipes. 136 The Urengoi-Uzhgorod Gas Pipeline, the direct route of Russian gas to Western Europe.. Lipetsk Region. 1973 West Germany offered its pipes in exchange for an annual supply of 10 billion cubic metres of gas. The contract, the biggest deal between West Germany and the USSR, suddenly met with stiff opposition on the part of the USA. The Germans withstood the pressure from across the ocean and even Washington’s economic sanctions. The project went ahead. Common sense and cool heads prevailed over the Cold War. 137 Two famous aircraft designers, Academicians Andrei Tupolev andÂ Sergei Ilyushin, at the exhibition of new aircraft in Vnukovo. World famous Tu and Il planes are the pride of Soviet science. The country built more than 60,000 Ilyushin combat and passenger planes. Tupolev developed more than 100 types of aircraft, 70Â of which went into serial production. Many are still in service. 1966 138 “The golden heads” of Soviet science, Academicians Igor Glebov (left) and Nikolai Blokhin. A prominent scientist in the field of electrical physics and mechanics, Glebov created his own school of electrical engineering; he was the head of the international organisation for large energy system. The surgeon and oncologist Blokhin is President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the founder and head of the Russian Oncological Centre on Kashirka, one of the biggest cancer centres in the world. Moscow. 1966 139 The Siberian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, headed by Academician Mikhail Lavrentyev, became a new scientific and cultural centre in the country’s east. An outstanding mathematician and mechanics specialist, he developed the first Soviet computers. On the initiative of Lavrentyev, who was a brilliant teacher, a university and several scientific institutes were established outside Novosibirsk. Soon, the Akademgorodok (Science City) got Russia’s first physical-mathematical boarding school for gifted children. Mikhail Lavrentyev and colleagues scouted for young talent all over the country. The teachers there were not professional educators but scientists from Akademgorodok institutes. The school’s graduates later dispersed all over the country and the world. Some of them made discoveries of global importance and became the pride of Russian and foreign universities. Lavrentyev’s pupil, Academician Vladimir Titov, is Director of the Lavrentyev Hydrodynamics Institute. Another graduate of the boarding school is Academician Mikhail Elov, who heads up the Oil and Gas Geology and Geophysics Institute… It is impossible to enumerate all the talents that emerged from that powerful science centre. The physical mathematics boarding school computer centre. The computer occupies the whole wall; today we all have PCs. Novosibirsk. 1966 140 Informal communication. Academician Mikhail Lavrentyev with his pupils. 1966 141 Formulae on asphalt. Youthful talents, graduates of the famous Siberian physical mathematical boarding school, live in the world of formulae even when they play. Novosibirsk. 1966 142 144 First-grader wearing her Sunday best. Moscow. 1974 The state and school assumed responsibility for education and even upbringing of children. School meals were free. School uniforms precluded parents from parading their social superiority. OnÂ well-to-do households, however, they preferred to order uniforms for their girls from aÂ tailor and not buy ready-made ones. One could choose a better material and a prettier collar. But the cut did not change. Young Pioneersâ€™ Meeting. Girls became leaders that way. At this age, they are much more socially active than boys. Moscow. 1974 145 Motherâ€™s helpmate. Moscow. 1970 146 A ballet dancer is born. Moscow. 1965 147 He reached the summit. What next? Ryazan Region. 1967 148 The “Three Warriors” crew. 1980. I took this photograph in a new three-room apartment into which the family of a young Moscow journalist had just moved. The apartment was a reward from the editorial office for the birth of triplets. It was based on a government decree whereby a family with triplets was entitled to additional living space. Free of charge. The decision of the authorities was effective in encouraging the birth rate. The experience would come in handy today. 149 Exchanging news. Divnogorsk. Krasnoyarsk Region. Siberia. 1966 The Crimea. 1979. Leonid Brezhnev visiting the world-famous Artek Young Pioneer camp, where the children from various countries of the world spent their holidays. The Soviet leader is obviously in bad shape: he had recently checked out of a hospital where he experienced clinical death. The Kremlin doctors did everything to reanimate the General Secretary and bring him back to a working condition. The country’s leader would file four official requests for retirement but his comrades could never agree on who would occupy his post. Communicating with children. One of the few joys remaining for the sentimental Leonid Brezhnev. 150 151 152 The Three Graces. Donetsk Region. Ukraine. Khomutov steppe. 1981. This botanical preserve, established in 1926 on an area of 1000 hectares, remains unique. The regionâ€™s diversity of relict plants provides a basis for fundamental scientific research. It is here that the famous Soviet film director Sergei Bondarchuk filmed the adaptation of Chekhovâ€™s The Steppe. 153 The nationalities issue is a very sensitive one in our country. Economic development and distribution of resources, culture, preservation of traditions and native tongues, relations with neighbours… and all this amid an infinite diversity of living conditions, customs and history. I have been in the north, east and south of our country. Both the north and the south are exotic areas. Of course, they attract photographers, but they also create professional problems. In the north, cameras A mountaineer. Dagestan. The Caucasus. 1968 154 mist up and freeze over, as the temperature often drops to minus 30, but sometimes to minus 50. I felt this on Kotelny Island (one of the New Siberian islands of the Arctic Ocean), 1500 km from the North Pole. Climate determines the life and occupations of the inhabitants. In the north, it is reindeer herding. In the south, it is vine growing and animal farming vine growing. The magnificent and beautiful nature produces proud, freedomloving people. Horsemen. Dagestan. The Caucasus. 1968 155 I had the honour of being entertained by the famous Chechen dancer Makhmud Esambayev. I took photographs of the great Dagestani poet Rasul Gamzatov. It was thanks to Rasul that I became acquainted with one of the many peoples inhabiting Dagestan. The small people had managed to preserve its native language, which no one else spoke. Buddies. Abkhazia. The Caucasus. 1985 156 Another scoop was an invitation to a traditional rural Abkhazian wedding party of a thousand people. As a child, I read “Hadji Murat” and “The Cossacks”, but it never occurred to me that I would meet with Leo Tolstoy’s characters face to face. You raise a horn of wine and… you part as real friends. Brides. Abkhazia. The Caucasus. 1985 157 From the â€œVisiting Reindeer Herdersâ€? series. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. Western Siberia. 1977 159 There are different kinds of sleds. Those drawn by dogs are every bit as good as deer sleds. Yamal. Western Siberia. 1977 160 Sledging in one of the streets ofÂ Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Eastern Siberia. 1976 161 An impressive purchase for a family â€“ exceptional luck for those times! 1969 162 A Moscow courtyard is a very special world. Children playing, boys kicking a football, men playing dominos, girls flirting and women gossiping. Sometimes they have parties together â€“ and have a drink, of course. Until recently, people lived in communal flats with a shared bathroom and kitchen. Now most people have their own flats, although they are usually quite small. But coming out into the courtyard to exchange the latest news isÂ not only fun, it is essential. 1971 163 A typical apartment of a high-ranking official ofÂ the time: a whole three rooms. All the furniture, including rugs, belongs to the state. Every object has an iron tag. Moscow. 1978 164 More and more people have their own flats but one thing that “Advanced Socialism” is short of is jeans. Underground tailors are busy making fashionable trousers at home, for themselves and for sale. Moscow. 1976 165 Moscow. May 9, 1974. Gorky Park. A reunion of Great Patriotic War veterans. Himself a war veteran, Leonid Brezhnev made sure that the country took care of its veterans and their families. Life became easier, the health service “woke up” and began to take care of the veterans. Veterans were given flats. First, the holders of decorations and distinguished people, then all the rest. Subsidised prices were introduced for furniture and household appliances. The 166 families of war veterans were the first to acquire refrigerators, washing machines and even cars. Wheelchairs helped people crippled by the war to emerge from indoors, breathe fresh air and talk with their families. Leningrad perked up. For the first time, the people who defended the city were granted substantial benefits. The category of “siege veterans” was broadened to include all those who survived the siege of Leningrad, the 872 days of horror and hunger. The friendly Germans paid “guilt money” to the survivors of the Leningrad siege. In 1965, the 20th Victory anniversary, was marked on a grand scale for the first time. Brezhnev declared 9 May a national holiday. For the people, it became the main red-letter day, which has been marked by a military parade every decade ever since. Free use of all kinds of transport enabled veterans to get together on Victory Day in various cities across the country at their convenience. 167 Ulyanovsk, situated on the Volga, is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, whose monument in the local museum is still watched by a guard of honour. TheÂ rigorous discipline of the past, however, seems to have abated. 1975 One of the most popular spots in Moscow. It features a monument to the legendary poet Alexander Pushkin, made by sculptor Opekushin and erected in 1880 168 At a youth club. Tatarstan. The Volga region. 1978 The Estonian holiday resort of P채rnu. 1979 171 Moscow, 1980 Olympic Games. The summer Olympic Games, called upon to assert the country’s prestige, were held in a truly Soviet spirit. The city was spruced up. It became half empty, as all those who might spoil the party – alcoholics and prostitutes – were removed. Along with children. Some were sent to places 101 km from Moscow, some to Young Pioneer camps. Out-of-towners were forbidden to enter the city. Foodstuffs and drinks familiar to the guests but On the cycle track, I used a new fish-eye lens that had just become available. Moscow. 1980 172 unknown to Muscovites had been procured. They even opened a direct telephone line with foreign countries, which was switched off immediately after the competitions ended. In addition to hotels, the Olympic Village, the Olympic sports complex, a cycle track, a rowing canal and a roof over the Small Arena at the Luzhniki Stadium were built… Everything would have been fine if the Kremlin had not, six months before the Games started, decided to move its troops into Afghanistan to help the local Communists. In protest, the West called for a boycott of the Olympics and launched a massive political and propaganda war. As a result, the Games were attended by athletes from only 80 countries, while 62 countries boycotted them. A retaliatory conflict arose four years later over the Olympics held in the USA. The socialist countries, in turn, did not send any of their athletes to those Olympics. These Olympic shots brought me a Gold Medal. Flowers for a champion or a gift from an admirer? Moscow. 1980 173 I managed to photograph boxing bouts with aÂ remote-controlled camera fixed above theÂ ring. 1980 174 Moscow. 1980 Olympics. Young gymnasts open the festival. 175 My profession has enabled me to meet different people: world-famous politicians and cultural figures, great scientists and celebrated artists, talented musicians and popular sportsmen… I included some of their photos in this album. Moscow. 1976. The 25th CPSU Congress. I was asked to take this unofficial photograph with the Cuban leader. For that purpose I went to a guest house on Leninskiye Gory. Fidel had been warned we were coming and received us cordially. But he immediately sat down at his desk with a stack of documents in front of him. For an hour, he read 176 and signed papers without raising his head, as I stood with my camera ready. Finally, he shoved the documents aside and asked me: “Well, have you taken all the pictures?” “Almost”, I replied smiling, although I had not managed to take a single one. I gave him photographs of his speech at the Kremlin Palace. It was time to say goodbye but I still had not taken any photos. We shook hands and I started edging my way towards the exit facing Castro, my camera cocked. Fidel produced a cigar. And then I started clicking my camera. I managed to take three photos. This is the story behind this portrait. My acquaintance with Marshal Ivan Konev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union and military commander during the Great Patriotic War, began with an official photo session. Some time later, I came to his home to show him the photographs. He was preparing to go on a fishing party. I persuaded him to take me along. We stopped about a hundred kilometres from Moscow in the Tver Region. The Marshal was fishing with a small fishingrod called a mormyshka and I was fishing with my camera. Honestly, his catch was modest, but he was pleased anyway. I was even more pleased. My catch was a successful series of pictures. And the party had a happy ending: towards evening, the Marshal managed to catch a small fish. The event called for a celebration… When we were about to go home, the organisers of this exciting event gave us three huge pike perches apiece. The Marshal and my family were ecstatic. Tver Region. 1966 177 Legendary musician, singer and actor Leonid Utyosov. The founder of Soviet jazz, director and conductor of the Tea Jazz group. The prototype and hero of a cult Soviet film “Jolly Fellows”, 1934. In 1965, he was the first variety actor to be awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. Moscow. 1964 178 Family tournament. World chess champion inÂ 1963â€“1969, chess theoretician and journalist Tigran Petrosian. Moscow. 1967 179 Lezginka dance performed by the world famous Makhmud Esambayev, the best dancer from the Caucasus region and pride of the Chechen people. In the foothills at Grozny. 1971 Outstanding musician, conductor and teacher Aram Khachaturyan. Author of the music for the Spartacus ballet. The composer’s hallmark is the inimitable voice intonation. He wrote music for stage plays and films. Moscow. 1974 180 181 Soviet writer Mikhail Sholokhov, Nobel Prize winner (1965). Author of the world-famous novels And Quiet Flows the Don and Virgin Soil Upturned. Moscow. 1966 182 The “Thaw” poet Robert Rozhdestvensky, with daughter Katya. Moscow. 1980 183 Popular film actor and member of the Vakhtangov theatre company Mikhail Ulyanov at the Lenin Komsomol Automobile plant. He was registered as a member of the Communist Labour Team: the workers fulfilled his daily work rate on behalf of their favourite actor. The theatre, in turn, invited the automobile plant workers to see its plays â€“ at no charge. Moscow. 1977 184 Veronika Dudarova, the first Soviet woman conductor. From 1960 to 1989, she was chief conductor and art director of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. Her name is in the Guinness Book of Records as a woman who worked with the world’s major orchestras for 50 years. Moscow. 1977 185 186 Popular idol, actor and poet Vladimir Vysotsky at the start of his career at the Taganka Theatre. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is his best known role. Vysotsky appeared in dozens of films, but he was mainly famous as singer / song writer. But the government recognised the man who had given 1000 concerts in and outside the USSR as a professional singer only two years before his death. Moscow. 1975 Leonid Kogan, famous virtuoso violinist, a brilliant representative of the Soviet violin school, teacher. Moscow. 1980 187 December. 1976. Leonid Brezhnev’s 70th birthday is marked at the Kremlin with great pomp and circumstance. The celebrations last several weeks: every day, the leader of one of the socialist countries presents him with the top national decoration. The head of capitalist Finland is also among them. TV broadcasts all the ceremonies live. Only Brezhnev’s speeches are brief. The celebrations are crowned with a meeting at the Vladimir Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace, 188 where Leonid Brezhnev receives yet another Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and an Order of Lenin. His loyal “armour bearer” Chernenko hands him “an honorary weapon, with a gold picture of the state emblem of the USSR” and proudly demonstrates a gi lded sword. A documentary film “The Story of a Communist” devoted to the General Secretary goes on release. Needless to say, the authors of the film are rewarded with a Lenin Prize. 189 The party is staged at St. George Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Next to the General Secretary of the Communist Party are his comrades and followers: Mikhail Suslov (left), Alexei Kosygin and Nikolai Podgorny (right). 1976 190 Leonid Brezhnevâ€™s relatives: Daughter Galina Brezhneva with husband Yuri Churbanov andÂ son Yuri Brezhnev (right), with his wife Vera. 1976 191 1982. The Hall of Columns. Brezhnev’s funeral. The state of his health had long been the subject of gossip all over the country and in the political world. Yet his death, after 18 years at the helm of the Soviet Union, came as a surprise. Two days earlier, the General Secretary stood on top of the Mausoleum throughout the October Revolution celebrations. The sad news was announced to the people after a day and a half. Four days of mourning were announced. Factories 192 stopped for five minutes and sirens wailed for 3 minutes. Army officers in front of the hearse carried Brezhnev’s more than 150 orders on silk pillows. Not only allies and friends, but also the leaders of all the major powers came to the Hall of Columns to bid farewell to the General Secretary and be present at his burial beneath the Kremlin wall. In the next two and a half years, they were to do it twice more. However, the guests’ main interest was to become acquainted with the new Kremlin boss. Bear hugs exchanged between the new Soviet leader, Yuri Andropov and the leader of socialist Germany Erich Honecker. However, as the future would show, not all kisses can be taken at face value. In December 1991, after the collapse of the socialist camp, Russia would deny asylum to the former head of East Germany. Moscow. 1983 193 Changing of the guards at the Lenin Mausoleum. Moscow. 1982 194 The post of Communist Party General Secretary is filled by Yuri Andropov, head of the State Security Committee. Konstantin Chernenko becomes the number two man. Even so, the situation in the country did not change. The promises of social and political change boiled down to exposing corruption among the ruling elite. The authorities vainly tried to enforce discipline. In his last months, the General Secretary ran the country from hospital. Chernenko made even less difference to the life of society. He was elected to replace the late Andropov in 1984. During their tenure, meetings of the Politbureau were sometimes held in a hospital ward. The last two general secretaries reigned for a year each. During the five years from 1980 to 1985, a whole generation of Soviet leaders was replaced. Next to Kosygin, Suslov, Brezhnev, Andropov, Ustinov and Chernenko passed away… Right to left: head of the ruling party and the state Yuri Andropov, Chairman of the CPSU Central Committee Konstantin Chernenko, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Nikolai Tikhonov. Moscow. 1983 195 As I brooded over the string of events in the country, I recalled Stalin’s death in 1953. His demise caused universal despair. I was 16 years old. I tried to find my way into the Hall of Columns, where the idol lay in state, by crawling under rows of trucks and climbing rooftops. I failed. Yuri Andropov’s funeral: Moscow. 1984 196 Now I have just to flash my photo correspondent’s pass to enter the same hall. But the feeling is different. Expectations of significant change in the country have been frustrated again and again. Of course age and a new look at reality play their part. The funeral of Konstantin Chernenko. Moscow. 1985 197 2600 days in power Washington. The White House. 1989 198 The USSR Foreign Minister proposed that Mikhail Gorbachev be elected as the new Party leader at the meeting of the CC CPSU Politbureau. Andrei Gromyko explained that, with this man at the head, the country would feel confident in the world. The Soviet veteran diplomat chose not to say out loud that what the country needed was a young leader. Gorbachev, 54, was the youngest Politbureau member. I accompanied Mikhail Gorbachev on many of his foreign trips, when he was usually accompanied by his wife Raisa. That couple made a strong impression on me and on everyone, as I later realised. The leader’s wife was good-looking, a smart dresser and a past master at establishing contacts. As for Gorbachev, over the years I had a growing feeling that he was more words than deeds. He began by introducing the policy of “glasnost” and liquidating censorship. There was freedom of expression. The Soviet press was the best in the world in those years, political scientists admit. The democratisation that the General Secretary conducted under the slogan of “perestroika” (restructuring) turned out to be a veritable revolution. Some people today, though, describe it as counterrevolution. Be it as it may, destiny gave him only 2600 days, from the spring of 1985 until the winter of 1991. The attempt to reform the Soviet Union ended up in a dramatic collapse of the state, a collapse of the world socialist system, reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War. As Mikhail Gorbachev admits, he failed to foresee all the consequences of his policy, above all the economic ones. But he managed to put an end to the war in Afghanistan, take the first steps towards a market economy and government reform, allowing many parties to exist. The most popular Soviet leader was named “man of the year” in 1990 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He became the hero of the transition period. Assessments of Gorbachev’s activities and his achievements vary. He was both cheered and jeered. CC CPSU General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and Soviet Defence Minister Sergei Sokolov. 1985 199 The new General Secretary went hammer and tongs at the outstanding international problems, but was obviously mistrusted by the West. This was natural because he had to do business with Ronald Reagan, who had described our country as “the empire of evil”. After the first round of negotiations 200 with the US President in Geneva (left photo), 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev had to admit that the partners were not ready for “major decisions”. It was not until their next meeting in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik (right-hand photo, 1986) that some steps were made to meet each other halfway. 201 December 1988. Gorbachev is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly Session. His aim is to attract attention to the new Soviet foreign policy. That policy puts universal human interests above social class interests. The Soviet leader proposes “to solve political problems only by political means and human problems in a human way”. He also announced that the USSR was unilaterally cutting its army by 500,000. Mikhail Gorbachev meets the new President George H. W. Bush (left), who would replace Ronald Reagan within weeks. Governors Island. New York. 1988 202 Moscow’s new foreign policy has to fight its way to recognition. The first to come to trust Gorbachev was the British “Iron Lady”, Margaret Thatcher. After meeting him in London in 1984, before he was elected to the nation’s top job, she said that he was a man “you can do business with”. They would preserve a special relationship forever. I remember an incident that happened to me during Gorbachev’s next visit to Britain. Together with the cameraman and Thatcher’s personal photographer, we were waiting for the General Secretary at the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street. Nearby stood Mrs Thatcher, surrounded by her ministers. Something that lay on the floor attracted her attention and she suddenly bent down. I reacted instantly like a true paparazzi. I lifted my camera and clicked the button, not seeing anything except the lady surrounded by ministerial feet. Thatcher stood up and fixed me with her gaze. I realised that she might mention my reaction to Gorbachev and that could have dire consequences for me. I might be sent packing to Moscow. Before everyone’s eyes, I removed the film from the camera, exposed it and gave it to Thatcher’s aide. Gorbachev entered a minute later and the negotiations began. During an evening reception given by the British, I was approached by the British Premier’s advisor: “You can move about freely.” Usually photo correspondents had limited access and the area where they could move was determined in advance, but after the official’s words I realised that I could move about all the rooms unobstructed. London. 1989 203 204 The Gorbachev couple itself became a symbol of change in the country. The Soviet Union never had a real “first lady” or even an image of one. Raisa turned out to be the first woman to emerge from behind the shadow of her politician husband. But she had to pay for it. She was reproached for meddling in politics, her “mentor’s tone” and for exerting an excessive influence on Mikhail. And, what is more, the criticism came from the female part of the population. I do not know whether the real reason was envy or jealousy. Anyway, it was a sure sign of conservatism in society as a whole and among women in particular. Raisa’s grave illness and early death changed people’s attitude to her. People sympathised with Gorbachev. Mikhail and Raisa. 1989 Margaret Thatcher in Moscow. 1994 205 The Kremlin. 1989. The great scientist and the nation’s conscience, Academician Andrei Sakharov, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1975), is brought back from internal exile by Gorbachev. He is elected deputy to the First Congress of People’s Deputies. I remember him sitting on the front row, together with everyone, but looking lonely. In spite of his age and poor health, he took an active part in the meetings throughout the second half of 1989. The scientist demanded repeal of Article 6 of the Constitution that established the CPSU’s monopoly on power. He was backed by a small group of radical deputies, later joined by Boris Yeltsin. The majority in the hall see Sakharov as a dissident and take his proposals with mistrust. The scientist is booed and prevented from speaking. Gorbachev does nothing to stop it. After another clash, the Academician shuffles out of the hall. That was his last public speech. Andrei Sakharov leaves the session of the Congress of People’s Deputies in Kremlin. Forever. 1989 206 Moscow, Red Square. 1987 208 On 28 May 1987, a small Cessna plane piloted by 19-year-old German amateur pilot Mathias Rust landed on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge. Having taken off in Germany and using local benchmarks, he flew at low altitudes across the European part of the USSR. The plane was detected by our air defence and military fighter planes but, because it was flying at such a low altitude and at a low speed, they could not follow it and they had no orders to shoot it down. The event caused a row in the army, the resignation of some top brass and led to a trial of the “air hooligan”. I attended the trial. During the interval, I spotted where Rust went and surreptitiously took a picture of him having lunch with his guard. He spent just over a year in prison. These photographs earned me the World Press Photo “Golden Eye” Prize in Amsterdam in 1988 in the “People in the News” nomination. 209 Sunrise. 1986 We see the sunrise and sunset in nature every day and get used to that miracle. But there are turning points in the life of individuals and society that suggest comparisons with natural phenomena. Gorbachev’s perestroika was one such moment. Soviet people were shaken by the new government and the swift pace of change. Add to this all that they got to know and managed to digest during the years of glasnost. No wonder people’s heads reeled. 210 The enthusiasm that wilted during the Brezhnev era was back. Young people reacted promptly to the early calls to show initiative. This was when future millionaires made their first money. Even so, the majority were not ready and could not adapt themselves to the opportunities that opened up. Many had lost all they had, including hope. For them it was the time of sunset. Others, retreating, slipped into their habitual apathy, into twilight… Twilight. Moscow. 1990 211 In 1988, the country marked the millennium of the Baptism of Rus. Festive prayers began at the St Trinity Sergius Lavra (Monastery) in Zagorsk and were then held in Kiev, Leningrad, Vladimir and continued in the dioceses. After 70 years of rejection and an effective ban on religion, a new stage began in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Churches were restored and new ones built, Sunday schools were opened at churches and life in monasteries was reviving. For the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution, the Bible came out in a print run of 100,000 copies. Church representatives finally gained access to the press and television. Various religious and spiritual literature appeared. Along with the marking of the millennium, Russian Orthodox Church sobor (local church council) was held. For the first time in the Soviet period, the Sobor proclaimed new saints, including Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy, the icon painter Andrei Rublyov and writer on religious affairs, Maximus the Greek. The main outcome of all these changes was to restore normal relations between the Soviet state and the Orthodox Church. The Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church to mark the millennium of the Christianisation of Rus. Zagorsk. 1988 212 213 Gorbachev tours the country campaigning for perestroika. Uzbekistan. 1986. But the guests from Moscow are shown the meagre harvest that the first private farms have grown on the fertile soil of the South. It is clear that changing this giant country quickly will be hard. But the General Secretary assures that â€œthe process is underwayâ€?... 214 A roadside stall called “Good Cheer”. Kaluga Region. 1989 215 A manifestation by Communists and the new opponents of Gorbachev. Gorbachev’s rhetoric is not backed up by any noticeable change for the better. The General Secretary is gradually losing the people’s trust. The Communists and the new opposition come out in defence of socialism. The poster in the foreground calls the people “to fight the cursed pro-Gorbachev hordes”. Moscow. 1990 216 Democracy on to the streets. Boris Yeltsin, a populist, becomes Mikhail Gorbachev’s main rival. He successfully unites the discontents. Life has become more exciting but less comfortable. Food supplies are shrinking catastrophically. In 1989 even cereals, macaroni and soap are rationed. There are bread lines. Gorbachev explains, persuades and cajoles people. His velvety voice hypnotises the audience… But, taking advantage of free travel, citizens begin to leave the country. This is the fourth wave of emigration from the country in the 20th century. During the years of perestroika, 1.5 million people were to leave the USSR and Russia. Moscow. 1990 217 Moscow. 1990. A fierce power struggle unfolds between Gorbachev and Yeltsin. In 1990, the Congress of People’s Deputies elects Gorbachev the first President of the USSR. A year later, he proposes to reform the multinational state and enters into negotiations with the leaders of nine republics. The other six republics do not even want to discuss the topic. Negotiations take place at Novo-Ogaryovo. The Kremlin seeks public support and calls a referendum on the issue 218 of preserving the USSR. 76% of the voters want the USSR to be preserved. But that makes no difference to the debate and the political infighting. In June 1991, Yeltsin is elected President of Russia. He continues to counterpose the RSFSR to the Soviet Union. The Russian deputies vote to make the laws of Russia prevail over those of the USSR. That marks a total break in the relations between Yeltsin and Gorbachev. In other words, dual power. 219 Moscow. 1991. Gorbachev announces that he has agreed with the leaders of nine republics on the setting up a Union of Sovereign States. And then he goes on holiday in the Crimea until 20 August, the date the document was signed. Yet, before the President returned to Moscow, USSR Vice President Gennady Yanayev and a group of comrades declared themselves the State Emergency Committee, or GKChP. This was, by all accounts, an attempted military-political coup. They tell a press conference at the Foreign Ministry that they are for preserving the Soviet Union and want to restore order in the country. 220 Their muddled answers to journalists’ questions were broadcast on television on 19 August 1991. Left to right: Interior Minister Boris Pugo, Gennady Yanayev and CC CPSU Secretary Oleg Baklanov. Hardly a “Holy Trinity”. They are all Gorby’s people. Meanwhile, the President is sitting under house arrest in the Crimea on orders from the Kremlin. Flash mobs form, demonstrating for and against the coup. Troops are moved. Additional military units are sent to Moscow. The first tragedy happens in Moscow when three young people die. Their funeral develops into a spontaneous demonstration. 221 Moscow. 19â€“23 August 1991. Neither the Army nor the populace supports the coup. Thousands of supporters gather around the White House, where the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR is sitting. They are led by Boris Yeltsin. He climbs on to the top of a tank, like Lenin climbed on to an armoured car at the Finland Station in 1917 upon his return to Petrograd (later Leningrad and now St. Petersburg) from emigration. Fearing possible clashes, both sides are trying 222 to win over the military units stationed outside Moscow. The military are at a loss, not knowing whose orders to obey. The provinces waver; the military does not act. The coup-makers do not dare take any active steps and find themselves in isolation. They are arrested. Gorbachev returns from the Crimea and is left without allies. Nobody supports him at the parliamentary meeting. Indeed, they found no better place for him to sit than theâ€Ś diplomatic box. 223 On 7 December 1991, unbeknownst to Gorbachev, the heads of Russia, Ukraine and Byelorussia meet at Belovezhskaya Pushcha. They declare the independence of the three republics and practically “dissolve” the Soviet Union. Earlier, the Baltic republics declared their independence; now all the other republics follow suit. Nobody is urging Gorbachev to leave his post but he realises that there is no other way out. Abdication is inevitable. 224 Truly a presidential act. He signs the unique document in the presence of his press secretary and journalists. I barely managed to join them to take this historic picture. Shortly afterwards, I take another historic picture as the USSR flag is furled. It has just been taken off the dome of the Kremlin building in which the Soviet parliament sat only recently. There is no more president, no flag. The abdication takes place in the Kremlin on 25 December. 225 A radical at the Kremlin In front of the White House. Moscow. 1993 226 My memory of Boris Yeltsin is of a businesslike, focused and sincere man. Outwardly amicable and approachable, people liked him because they saw him as “one of them”, unlike the verbose Gorbachev. More important, that giant of a man from the Urals promised everyone what they wanted: free-for-all sovereignty to the republics and the regions, freedom and private property to entrepreneurs… The trouble with hail-fellow-well-met guys is that they tend to drink heavily. In June 1991, he would go down in history as the first elected president of Russia and, in August, as the organiser of resistance to the attempted coup. He then became a radical reformer. He banned the CPSU, rejected socialism, together with the Ukrainian and Byelorussian leaders dissolved the Soviet Union and created a weird entity called Commonwealth of Independent States. In his travels about Russia, he encouraged the local authorities to grab “as much democracy as they could handle”. As a result, Chechnya declared independence. He had to declare war on it. He lost. He had to sign a peace that was constantly broken. But it would fall to Yeltsin’s successor, Putin, to clear up the mess. A former builder, Boris Yeltsin put at the head of his government young and talented Yegor Gaidar and launched a cardinal economic reform that overturned Russia. As a result, some went to London with a billion dollars in their pockets, some got hold of a factory, a truck or a stall. Some ended up with a privatisation voucher, i.e., a share of the national wealth with a face value of 10,000 roubles. But the President made a return to the past impossible. Many think this was his main contribution. The years under “Tsar Boris” are remembered as the “time of hope” and the “wild 1990s”. They saw a clash between the President and parliament, the shelling of the parliament building and liquidation of the Supreme Soviet. Russia became a land of financial pyramids and stock exchanges, unemployment and the first millionaires, mob rule and millions of “guest workers”, supermarkets and traffic jams… Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev. 1988 227 When Yeltsin came to power, the country was in dire straits. The treasury was empty. There was talk of food rationing. On his first trips to the provinces, the President saw empty shelves and angry citizens. Concerned about the threat of famine in a vast country, the West provided humanitarian aid. To avoid it being stolen, the authorities passed a resolution on “improving the system of aid distribution”. On a trip to the provinces. Tatarstan. Kazan. 1991 A stop on the road to Kazan. 1991. Now, each time he talks to ordinary people, the leader flatly rejects the Soviet past, symbolically washing his hands of it 228 229 The failure of the August 1991 coup meant defeat for the union leadership that had failed to put down the coup. Gorbachev himself was compromised because the revolt was started by his recent appointees. A massive manifestation in support of the new Russian leadership is held in front of the White House. A huge white-bluered flag is carried across Moscow. Yeltsin declares it to be the national flag of Russia. With people’s support, he takes power. He puts the economist Yegor Gaidar in charge of the economic reform. Rally in front of the White House. Moscow. 1991 230 The people are for Boris. Moscow. 1991 231 January 1992 began with a radical economic reform and the “freeing up of prices”. The bank savings of millions of citizens were devalued overnight. At the end of the month, a decree was passed on free trade and foreign economic activities. It seemed as if all Russia took to the streets to buy and sell. Shops, catering establishments and services were privatised. Markets sprang up 232 everywhere. “Shuttle merchants” flooded them with cheap foreign goods. People were left to shift for themselves. The press, playing on the notion of “shock therapy” that appeared in the neighbouring socialist countries, christened Gaidar’s reforms “shock without therapy”. The famous Luzhniki stadium was turned into a gigantic fair. Yeltsin begins losing support. A Lenin monument at the entrance to Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The proletarian leader looks puzzled at the sight of the Sunday fair in the place of sportsmen. 1992 The first “business ladies”. Moscow. 1992 233 Some rake in profits from trade; others feverishly invest in the gambling business and the accompanying commodity, sex. The professions of racketeer and stripper become popular. For those who managed to get rich, cafés and restaurants open where unheard of licence prevails. Moscow. 1995 234 Moscow. 1993. Lots of stalls, kiosks and tiny shops have sprung up around the city â€“ something like flea markets. People are selling things out of their own hands, trading nearly everything possible. Articles of genuine value are bought and sold, from certificates of honour and commendations to orders and World War II medals. Anyone may become the owner of a decoration for heroic labour or for bravery in battle, or even a banner with the state emblem. The new businessmen who run this trade are often the children or grandŃ hildren of veterans. 235 Reluctant musicians. 1994. What brings a war veteran and a young lad to the former Arbat pedestrian area? Undoubtedly hardship. ButÂ at least they are trying to earn by working. They do not stoop to beg. Unfortunately, very soon there will be beggars in the streets. And there will be street kids whose parents are alive but neglect them. Young homeless children have no compunction about begging. Or about stealing, in a small way at first. TheÂ former showcase for tourists becomes aÂ boot sale. 236 Reluctant musicians: hardship has evidently brought a war veteran and a young lad to the former Arbat pedestrian area. Moscow. 1994 237 Moscow. 1992. Some grow rich, others, the majority, become paupers. People are unable to adjust to the reforms. They take to the streets. ItÂ is an era of search and growing discontent. Yeltsin is starting to lose his popularity. 238 239 Moscow. 1993. The conflict between the President and the Supreme Soviet comes to a head. The Constitutional Court and Patriarch Alexy II vainly try to act as brokers. Military action begins. Russian TV channels do not cover it. Tanks on Novoarbatsky Bridge open fire on the top floors of the parliament building, where the leaders have their offices. People in the streets do not hide and do not run away. They see it as a big show. Everybody waits for the Supreme Soviet building to be stormed. 240 241 Several shells fired on the White House are enough to force the Supreme Soviet to negotiate. The guns fall silent. Buses pull up at the doors of the parliament building. The arrested deputies get on. The tragedy takes about 150 lives. This was the price of the President’s victory. On Smolenskaya Square. Moscow. 1993 242 On the Garden Ring. Moscow. 1993 243 244 245 A political first. In the autumn of 1993, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain comes to Moscow. This is the first visit by the head of the British Royal Family in the history of bilateral relations between England and Russia since 1553. US President Bill Clinton is not to be left behind. In Moscow, he easily finds a common language with the Kremlin incumbent, Yeltsin. The West unanimously sees these diplomatic moves as signs of support for the Russian President. 246 247 The famous writer, Nobel Prize Winner (1970) and public figure Alexander Solzhenitsyn offers his plan for “developing Russia”. In 1994, he returns to his homeland after 20 years in exile from the USSR. He acquaints himself with the new Russia by riding on a train from Magadan to Moscow. At the Kremlin, he is given a polite hearing and even allowed to run a regular programme on television. But before long, the programme is shut down. The country’s authorities feel that Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Moscow. 1994 248 his assessments, preachings and recipes for reforming the country are unacceptable for today’s Russia. His strong views scared people. But the world gave its due to the person who gave the soul back to his country and spoke up on behalf of morality. His testament – the idea of a historical blend of the national and spiritual elements in Russia – is still with us. And so is the “GULAG Archipelago”, a book exposing the totalitarian system in the Soviet Union. Old-new symbols. 1994 249 Moscow. 1999. Boris Yeltsin’s last appearance on the Mausoleum as the “boss” of Red Square. All that would happen during his time in office has already taken place: the disbanding of the Supreme Soviet in 1993, the disputed presidential elections of 1996, the 1998 financial crisis and finally, the attempted overthrow of Yeltsin by the deputies of the new parliament, the Duma. 250 History will have a hard time pinpointing when the first Russian President made his mistakes and when the controversial, but popular leader took the only decisions possible. Be that as it may, they exacted a heavy price on the country, the people and the President. Russia has survived. But as he resigns, Yeltsin asks the people’s forgiveness. A rare case in history. Moscow. 2000. The new Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with former President Boris Yeltsin 251 Victory Day. Moscow. 2004 Waiting for a century that has already come I don’t think we have realised that the 21st century is already here. It may be because the noughties – as the first decade was dubbed – were somewhat controversial. President Putin established uniform legislation and order across the Russian Federation’s regions and republics. The war in Chechnya came to an end. Moscow improved its relations with its neighbours near and far. Global prices for oil and gas went up considerably, increasing our country’s income and influence. Everybody started buying cars. Our country is said to be “rising from its knees”. These are all good things to see, and so is the revival of faith in Russia. But spiritual life needs its symbols. Hundred-dollar notes, Bentleys and policemen’s batons can hardly be such symbols. Big cities are built up, but the traffic congestion is appalling. The Russian provinces are striking in their rustic beauty, but job opportunities for the locals are increasingly scarce. There are no new iconic figures in culture or art, and no geniuses in science – can they have been among the million and a half specialists who left the country in the past decade? No new holidays have been added to the calendar either. I am happy to photograph Victory Day, celebrating the historic defeat of the Nazi regime, but soon no veterans will be alive to be there. Vladimir Putin and his team’s war on corruption is garnering support, but hasn’t brought victory yet. The constancy of power makes one doubt whether Russian democracy works. The economic crisis coming from the West has exposed severe ills and caused some new troubles: our economy is severely lagging behind, we are experiencing capital flight, ethnic conflict, terrorism, drug abuse… We have made a 100-year leap leap in social equality – sadly, it is a leap backward. The number of millionaires and billionaires in the country is growing, but the working population is on a constant decline. We can only place our hopes on the potential of our children and grandchildren, whose faces you will see in this book. They will surely help the new era break through and help me restore my optimism. 252 Moscow. 8 May 2001. Improvised meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin after laying a wreath at the Unknown Soldierâ€™s Grave. 253 254 Motorised infantry on parade. 9 May 2011 2005. Red Square sees the parade to mark the 60th anniversary over Nazi Germany. In the front row, left to right, are French President Jacques Chirac, Lyudmila Putina, Vladimir Putin, US President George Bush Jr. and Laura Bush. 255 256 Many photographs in this album are connected with the celebration of Victory Day. More than 65 years have passed since 9 May 1945. Some may feel that this great day is now in the distant past. But I would like to emphasise that we pay so much attention to the history of those violent years because they saved the planet. They preserved freedom for, and gave it back to, millions of people. And the other reason is that our losses were greater than those of any other country. The Soviet Union lost 26.6 million people during the War. Moscow. 9 May 2005. This holiday is special inÂ Russia. This is why the veterans are so relaxed when they come together by the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The most popular gathering place of war veterans on The Victory Day, 9 May, is in front of the Bolshoi Theatre. Moscow. 2005 257 For many of those who come here from all over the country, this Grave remains the only surviving memory of the dead. Moscow. 2010 People continue to come to the Grave ofÂ theÂ Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall. Moscow. 1999 258 259 World War II veterans celebrating. In 2012, there were still about three-and-a-half million veterans in Russia, including about thirty-eight thousand in Moscow. Many a fine word has been addressed to them. But the country has failed to reward them accordingly. These people gave everything for their country, yet many of them had to live in poverty. Russia must at least honour the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for her. When the troops are together, theÂ morale is high. Moscow. 2005 Riding through Red Square on famous war-time trucks. 2005 260 The sisters-in-arms meet at last. Moscow. 2003 Each of them has somebody to be proud of. Red Square. 9 May 2011 262 263 The oldest part of the city of Moscow, the Kremlin, was built using wood in 1264 to house local feudal princes. Its walls and towers were rebuilt at the end of the 14th century with white limestone. The largest fortress in Europe served as the residence for the heads of the Russian state â€“ great princes, tsars, emperors, general secretaries and, finally, presidents. In addition to offices, state rooms and ceremony halls, the Kremlin has operating Orthodox churches, museums and concert halls. This unique architectural ensemble is estimated at $50 billion on the real estate market. I love seeing the Kremlin from the banks of the Moskva River, where it looks particularly solemn and even magnificent. Moscow. 2007 264 265 Moscow. 2005. This is the only surviving outdoor monument to Vladimir Lenin in Moscow. TheÂ sculptor is Lev Kerbel. Russian communists assemble here every year on 7 November to mark the anniversary of the Socialist Revolution of 1917. The monument is decorated with red flags for the rally, and a portrait of Stalin appears at its foot. 266 Moscow. 1999. Sadly, care for architectural and historical heritage in Russia goes alongside disdain for the monuments of the passing regime. Soviet symbols were systematically destroyed throughout the last decade of the 20th century. The first to go were communist posters and slogans. Then the monuments and sculptures of the era were dumped on waste grounds. The largest outdoors stockpile of this kind was organised beside the Central House of Artists. Sculptures of Lenin and other communist leaders, as well as other state symbols cast in metal or concrete, lay covered by ice and snowâ€Ś It looks like a graveyard. All that had been associated with the Revolution of 1917 and the USSR is exiled, if not destroyed. Some individual items stay in their place, like the giant granite head of Karl Marx opposite the Bolshoi Theatre. But many true works of art that provide an insight into our history are thrown away, works whose fate should be decided in a calm and sober debate. 267 Democracy opened the doors to various political parties and groupings, sometimes even of a puzzling orientation. A great number of youth groups also appeared, including radical ones. It is not always clear exactly what they want, but they are obviously angry. Radical protests provoke fear in society and worry the authorities. Perhaps this is why the Kremlin has been turning its attention to internal troops and the army. Moscow. 2009 Guarding democracy. Moscow. 2009 268 269 The parliamentary and presidential elections of 4 December 2011 and 4 March 2012 spurred mass opposition protests and gave rise to a new political phenomenon that had not been seen in Russia for the previous two decades. On 10 December 2011, tens of thousands of protesters gathered on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow calling for “fair elections” for the first 270 time since the 1990s. The protesters are carrying a silhouette of the Aurora cruiser – the ship that fired a salvo in Petersburg in 1917, giving the signal for the uprising that led to the October Revolution. The Aurora, moored on the Neva River in the centre of St. Petersburg, has been a symbol of Revolution ever since. 24 December 2011. A second rally took place on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow, attracting even more protesters. Similar scenes were played out in 99 Russian cities and 42 cities abroad. The massive popular discontent is due to growing social inequality, rampant corruption among the elite, the lack of jobs for skilled workers, infringement on freedom, and the lack of any real representative powerâ€Ś Another rally in central Moscow, 1 May 2013. Among the protesters is this old lady. But she also seems to have a cause: â€œRussia demands change!â€? Will she achieve her end? Will anybody hear her voice? 271 Moscow. 2004. Special forces training exercises. It is not just about physical fitness and military skills, but about keeping up the morale of the armed forces. These units are intended more for protecting against internal, rather than external, enemies. That is, they mainly protect the country against terrorists and drug traffickers. 272 273 A rare natural phenomenon in winter â€“ an ice stormâ€Ś Outside Moscow. 2011 274 275 Moscow. 2004. The miracle-working Tikhvin icon of Our Lady returns to Russia. It is thought to be an icon of the Novgorod region and of the entire Orthodox state. Legend has it that the icon was painted by St. Luke, a disciple of St. Paul., It was brought from Constantinople, which had been conquered by the Turks, in the 14th century and was kept in a monastery in the town of Tikhvin. Crowds of believers on the Kremlin Embankment. 276 During the war it was moved to Germany, and then to the Orthodox Church in Chicago, USA. The Tikhvin monastery was restored and reopened in the mid-1990s. In 2004, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia returned the icon to the Moscow Patriarchate. It passed through St. Petersburg and Moscow en route to Tikhvin. The Tikhvin icon on Red Square. 277 Moscow. 2009. The Christ the Saviour Cathedral was built in 1883 using donations from the common people to commemorate the victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812. It was demolished on Stalinâ€™s orders in 1931 to give way to a gigantic Palace of Soviets, which was to be crowned by a sculpture of Lenin. World War II prevented the project from being implemented. A huge open-air swimming pool operated in its place from 1960 to 1994. The church was only reconstructed after the fall of Soviet rule, and became operational again in 2000. When I saw the church on a gloomy winter day, I suddenly realised that this was how I should photograph it. 278 279 280 Moscow. 1 February 2009. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, is enthroned. Moscow. 2009. The enthronement of Patriarch Kirill is an exceptional event, both for believers and the Russian state as a whole. The countryâ€™s leaders are present. Left to right: Lyudmila Putina, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev and Svetlana Medvedeva. In the background: Naina Yeltsina, widow of the former president. 281 Moscow. 18 January 2010. Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian holidays. In Russia, it is traditionally observed at the height of the winter frosts. I photographed Epiphany on the Moskva River, at the walls of the Novospassky Monastery, founded in the 13th century. A cross-shaped hole is cut in the ice. Steps leading down to the water are prepared in advance for those who want to take a dip. For the uninitiated, it is a veritable feat, considering the Russian cold. But the amazing thing is that people hardly ever fall ill. On this feast day, water is thought to have particular powers and does not go stale for several years. It is drunk, applied to wounds and sprayed in new homes, hoping that it will bring order and calm to the household. The cross was magically luminous in the moonlight. I felt like taking a dip myself. 282 283 For almost three quarters of a century, the Soviet government was combating religion. Thousands of priests and believers died in the repressions. Churches were destroyed and closed down. In the 1990s, with the demise of the USSR, the mentality of the people changed dramatically. The social is being replaced with the individual. Man still needs communication, The Church of the Holy Sign at Znamenskoye village. Moscow Region. 2008 284 comfort and hope. Having lost faith in the recent past, people are looking for and discovering new values. Very often, these are old pre-revolutionary values that the Church has preserved. We go to church more and more often for baptisms, weddings and when bidding farewell to our dead. These rituals have become part of our lives, like iconsâ€Ś Church wedding. Outside Moscow. 2007 285 Moscow. The Bolshoi Theatre. 2001. Russia is renowned for its culture. I have constantly revisited this theme over the 50 years of my work as a reporter. And now I am happy, for there are so many portraits of world stars in my collection. Performers, musicians, singers... I will open this theme with the timeless symbol 286 of Russia, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow – founded by Empress Catherine the Great in 1776, opened in the coronation days of Emperor Alexander II in 1856 and reconstructed in 2005–2011. This photograph was taken before reconstruction, so you can see the state emblem of the USSR on the façade. Moscow. 1990. The famous singer Galina Vishnevskaya and her husband, the gifted musician Mstislav Rostropovich, at the Bolshoi Theatre after their return to Russia. They were the best-known musical family in the Soviet Union. The Bolshoi’s chief conductor Boris Pokrovsky described opera diva Vishnevskaya as the “Bolshoi’s trump card”. The family was stripped of all its titles and decorations by the Soviet government and expelled from the country in the mid-1970s for giving refuge to the dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. 287 Maya Plisetskaya, the most famous ballerina ofÂ the second half of the 20th century. Moscow. 1998 288 World-famous pop singer Tina Turner (USA). Concert in Moscow. 1996 289 American megastar Michael Jackson on his first visit to Russia. Moscow. Luzhniki Stadium. 1993 290 French singer Patricia Kaas amazed me with her grace. Moscow. Olimpiysky Concert Hall. 1994 291 Super-soprano and enchanting woman Anna Netrebko. Moscow. 2007 292 British singer and song-writer Elton John is a frequent visitor to Russia. Rossia Concert Hall. 1978 293 Famous American composer, pianist and vocalist Ray Charles with his orchestra. Moscow. 2006 294 Art director of St. Petersburgâ€™s Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev. Chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. I had taken a lot of photos of him at the conductorâ€™s stand, but ultimately picked a portrait without the baton. Moscow. 2008 295 Fashion designer and the first fashion trendsetter in Russia Slava Zaitsev and his “living exhibits”. Moscow. 2010 Famous Italian designer Giorgio Armani is ever ready to autograph. Moscow. 2002 296 Real joy. No matter if the bills are fake or genuine. Moscow. 2007 Behind the scenes at a fashion show. Moscow. 2010 298 299 Moscow. 2008. The annual Vienna-style ball at the Moscow Manege. The guests can expect snow-white tablecloths, exquisite food and beverages, classic dances and exorbitant prices. What is this? A return to the times of the Russian Empire? A yearning for luxury? An imitation of the West as it is seen by Moscow today? Or is it the imperishable thirst for high society the Russian people were missing for almost a century?.. 300 Moscow. 2007. The automobile is the point of focus of the new Russian society â€“ beautiful, fast, fashionable, powerful and, of course, foreign and expensive! It is the car that defines a personâ€™s standing and leaves a lasting impression, and therefore it should be changed often. It is an age of auto shows, rallies, races, incredible success and true happiness for the leading car producers of the world. Moscow is their new Mecca. 301 The Russian province offers a stark contrast to the bustling, frenetic, money-hungry life in the capital. The ancient, quiet, truly Russian city of Suzdal. The Russian hinterland. One breathes differently here. Even the air seems especially clean, and the sky clear. You can hear time flowing. A good place to think about things eternal. You understand that the road must lead to the Church. Some may think that the town is a symbol of moribund Russia; some would say it is a symbol of Russia resurgent. Suzdal. 2009 302 303 304 Tatarstan. Sviyazhsk. 2008. The city’s coat of arms portrays a wooden fortress sailing down the Volga River. This fortress was actually built in 1551 in Uglich by the cunning Tsar Ivan the Terrible and then sent down the Volga River to the capital of the Tatar Khanate, Kazan. Once there, the Russian soldiers carried their cargo to land and reassembled the fortress in a month. The fortress gave shelter to 1500 troops, who stormed Kazan the following year and prevailed, joining the conquered khanate to Russia. Today, the village on the island has a population of only 250. But the distinctive style and beauty of the Christian monasteries and churches built here have survived to this day. A chain of towns just north of Moscow makes up the so-called Golden Ring of Russia, including Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov, Suzdal, Vladimir, Yuriev-Polsky, Uglich and others. They have preserved unique monuments of ancient Russian history and culture. Local masters of traditional crafts are renowned all over the country. Churches and monasteries that were built here as early as in 10th–16th centuries attract many tourists and pilgrims. 2009 305 Lipetsk Region. Yelets. 2005. An ancient provincial town in Russiaâ€™s Black Soil zone. Its chronicle is dominated by a catalogue of misfortunes brought by Tatar-Mongol invasions. Then follows the list of churches plundered and destroyed by the Bolsheviks. The third calamity that befell this town, according to historians, was the fierce battles for Russian land against Hitlerâ€™s troops during World War II. 306 But the city’s chief landmark today may be the curious collection of busts of world proletarian leaders rejected by history that are kept by one of the local citizens and used as a sort of fence for his front garden. Only Vladimir Lenin has remained in his place: his statue is still towering in the centre of Yelets, indicating “the right way” to the locals with the famous gesture. It’s a rare thing to see in Russian provinces nowadays. 307 308 Yaroslavl Region. 2009. There are some small and wonderful places in Russia. They include the town of Myshkin on the Volga, which dates back to the 15th century; although its inhabitants claim it is even older than Moscow. Its life revolves aroundâ€Ś a mouse, which is the word the town's name stems from. It has the only museum and palace of the mouse and it holds festivals and exhibitions honouring it. The brainchild of local citizens, they bring joy to many tourists and local children. I have visited the town more than once. Myshkin charms with its original beauty and its welcoming, open and ingenuous people. 309 Yaroslavl Region. Myshkin. 2009. Flushed with the excitement of a concert, their clothes soaked by a sudden downpour, the young performers from the local folk dance ensemble sauntered in their ballet shoes along the Volga embankment. And they remained on my film as a vivid reminder of the unusual holiday and particular warmth of the provincial town. 310 311 St. Petersburg. 2003. The city, which marked itsÂ 300th anniversary, has an amazing history. Built by Peter the Great as the new capital of the Russian Empire, it changed its name three times in the 20th century from S Petersburg to Petrograd to Leningrad and back to St Petersburg. I am more comfortable with Leningrad, because I had many links with that city at the time it was Leningrad. I find its bridges, itsÂ granite embankments, its country palaces and even its fickle weather enchanting. The city is so good that it merits a separate photo album. The Moika River Embankment. St. Petersburg. 2003 St. Petersburg. 2003. Griffin. A decoration of the Bankovsky suspended bridge over the Griboyedov Canal. Sculptor: P. Sokolov. 19th century 312 313 Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, marked its millennium in 2005. The renovated Kazan Kremlin is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tatars around the world consider this city to be their Home. 314 Feeling a bit tired after the celebration. Kazan. 2005 315 316 Ambulance in the Tula Region. 1977. I caught a bad cold during a business trip. They called an ambulance, a minibus with a red cross that drove me on a bumpy snow-covered road to the nearest rural hospital. Later, sifting through my archive, I recall those who treated me and how. I doubt that you can still get to the hospital via that road. I am not sure the hospital still exists. How does a rural farmer pay for his treatment and medicines after visiting the doctor? At best, he can bring vegetables he has grown himself. Free healthcare is a thing of the past, just like other social achievements. An ambulance in a rural area in Tula Region. 2001 317 Moscow. 2007. Cancer centre on Kashirskoye Highway 318 Reception at a district clinic. Moscow. 2011. The pictures are not comforting. Most visitors at clinics are elderly. Healthcare for retirees is often full of drama. Not enough medicines are provided free of charge. Some vital medicines are unavailable, just like specialist doctors. Old people have to wait for months for free surgeryâ€Ś And this happens everywhere in the country! 319 320 Moscow. 2010. Evening on the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment of the Yauza River. This apartment block is one of the seven skyscrapers resembling the Kremlin towers that were built on Stalinâ€™s orders. They seem to have raised the city and given it a special style. You can see three planes from the place where I photographed this building: the smooth waters of the Yauza River and two roads. All the seven skyscrapers were built almost simultaneously in the early 1950s. In my opinion, the most attractive one is the University on Vorobyovy Gory. It was ultramodern for its time. 321 I like taking photographs of children. And the older I get, the more I enjoy it. Children are the most accessible “subjects”, even for a novice photographer. They are sincere, spontaneous, sometimes aggressive. I say children are smarter than adults, because they are so quick on the draw. I’m still struggling with a novel electronic gadget when my grandson Petka is already using it, jokingly scoffing at granddad and grandma, like we were some hopelessly ignorant fools! Children have a different psychology today. Look Moscow. 2004. A responsible mission. 322 at the boy whose picture opens the Red Square chapter of this album. He is somewhat scared: he can’t find his parents! The kids of today would have behaved differently. They have many more opportunities to search and discover. New games, films, computers and amazing books… The state used to take care of its children. Now they are mostly left to their parents and themselves. The world is making such giant steps toward children, and they see so many new things every day, that one can’t help envying them. Another victory. 2011 323 Moscow. 2010. My family celebrating. My grandson Petka turned six. Three generations of the family have gathered together. According to tradition, the boy blows out all the candles at once. One of the grandfathers, yours truly, had to use his camera. 324 Moscow. 2007. A wedding party in a surgeon’s family. My friend Lukich, an oncologist, is the best man; his son is getting married and, of course, he wants to have photographs as mementos of the occasion. He invites a professional photographer. I am a guest at the wedding party. But I could not resist the temptation and took this unusual snapshot. 325 Our flight through time is coming to an end. And so is our acquaintance with Russia. The Russia as I saw it during my half a century as cameraman. I felt it just happened by chance. It was by chance that I chose this simple but exciting profession and did only what people expected of me. I was more successful on some occasions than others. As a result, a whole epic was built up. I never faced such a daunting task. It encompasses all my life and an important part of the times we all shared. Our era. I, and probably you, too, have many questions concerning what we think about it. Questions for ourselves, the country and our times. Are we following the right road? Are we living right? I have no pat answers. Most probably, our children and randchildren will give them. But we all answer them for ourselves. More than once. Did I do the right thing? Did I photograph the right thing? Was I cheating? I am afraid I made many mistakes. Most important, I wanted to be honest with myself and with what I saw. It was not always easy. The book contains all sorts of things. Perhaps you will not like all of it. But the photographs are real. It was you and I. What road we follow depends on you and me. My fellow travellers on Commander Islands. 1977 326 Wide Russian spaces. East of the Volga. 1977 327 Photographing wildlife in the Oka natural reserve. August 2011 328 The roads that choose us Roads not only link vast Russian spaces. Some roads are better than others. They are part of our lives. They enabled me to see things that not everyone is lucky enough to see. From Estonian islands to the Pacific, from Yamal to the Caucasus, I crossed the Soviet Union many times. Later, I travelled to Western Europe, America, Asia and Africa. The roads were like living creatures because humans were behind them. They provided me with food for thought and gave me creative stimulus. It is thanks to them that I met and photographed my heroes, sometimes in places no vehicle could reach. But the people I discovered for myself were so much all-of-a-piece and so interesting that I was not deterred by muddy roads. I like untrodden paths. I do not like to backtrack. I prefer new sensations. My whole career seems to me to be one long road. Perhaps the movement of people spurs me on? They rush, ride, sail and fly. And they build, including roads. I think the capillary network of our country roads are like its arteries and veins. Yet, to me, the simple railway wagon remains the symbol of the era. Just like one’s fellow travellers. They tingle with anticipation of new meetings and new impressions. This may be why I have so many photos taken at railway stations and along the way. I have always been lucky with the people I shared a compartment with. Some of them became my friends. Some of them I remember every time I leaf through the albums or come across a faded old photograph. All this is my professional and human wealth. The only kind of road I do not like is one that leads nowhere. That is why I never was eager to go wherever there was fighting. I have no war photographs. My task is to “look for the spot to take pictures from”. All the rest is done for me. I am almost sure that life actually chooses the roads for me. 329 Monument to Stalin in Prague. 1962. It would be pulled down in a few yearsâ€™ time A trip to India. 1976 With Boney M in Moscow. 1978 In a mountain village. Dagestan. Caucasus. 1966 On Lake Baikal. 1964 In the Far East. 1973 With Soviet Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin in Tunisia. 1981 In a deer-hide tent with locals of Yamal. Siberia. 1972 After a work trip. 1969 On Neftyanye Kamni inÂ Azerbaijan. 1969 331 Visiting the dancer Esambayev. Chechnya. Caucasus. 1971 Felling trees in Siberia. 1964 With airmen on the Virgin Lands. 1962 With members of the project “One Day in the Life of the USSR” in Moscow. 1987 With a London “bobby”. 1989 332	Bolshoi
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More >> DVA T12 on demo in Spain & Holland Europe - dBTechnologies' latest and largest line array module, DVA T12 has been showcased simultaneously in Holland and Spain this month, at two local events organised to give current and prospective dBTechnologies customers unique chance to hear the new system in a stadium set up. "What better way to find out about the T12 than to actually hear it in a live situation?" says Michael Herweg, MD of dBTechnologies German HQ, who was at the demonstration. "In my experience this is the only way to fully appreciate what the product has to ... More >> The Wombats tour with Soundcraft Vi6 Australia - After a tireless summer touring the biggest European festivals as well as an extensive run of headline shows, Liverpool-based indie rockers The Wombats have just completed a successful tour of Australia that included several sold-out shows. JPJ Audio provided the audio set-up for the tour including the Soundcraft Vi6 console specified by the band's sound engineer Dave Samwell. "When I started my career as a sound engineer I used Soundcraft products all the time and so I really feel at home with them," remarked Samwell. "My ... More >> Sasha on the road with Xone mixer Wolrd - DJ Sasha, has been road-testing Allen & Heath's new Xone:DB4 digital FX mixer on his busy global tour schedule, and since the beginning of the year it has been his mixer of choice. "The Xone:DB4 has so many features and it's really compact and easy to transport around. My favourite thing is the fact that you have 4 digital channels, very nice effects and the beautiful A&H filters and EQ, all in one product. For me, the DB4 is a digital mixer with an A&H analogue heart - it's the best of both worlds," says Sasha. "I use the DB4's ... More >> AP Security completes third Tour of Britain UK - After seven gruelling stages in England, Scotland and Wales, September's 2011 Tour of Britain came to a high-speed conclusion in London in front of huge crowds. For the third year in a row, AP Security was entrusted with ensuring that the fans enjoyed the event and that the required road closures caused as little disruption as possible. Starting in Whitehall, the cyclists rode up to Trafalgar Square, down Northumberland Avenue and then along the north bank of the Thames to the Tower of London, returning by the same route to pass ... More >> Black Light in high profile fashion shoot UK - The latest TV advert for national clothing chain M&Co shows the fruits of Black Light's latest video project. The company designed and installed the lighting, staging and sound equipment for the fun and fashionable 35m catwalk show that is the focus of the ad. "It was great to be involved in such a high-profile shoot," says Black Light's head of company development, Phil Haldane. "The main challenge we faced was time, as there was less than a fortnight to turn the project round from the initial client meeting to wrap, but our ... More >> Martin MAC IIIs light up Puy du Fou France - Puy du Fou's Cinéscénie is a visually stunning night time spectacle: a show with effects worthy of Las Vegas but located in the heart of the Vendée region in Western France. As in years past, from June to September, the 14,000-capacity open-air amphitheatre was sold out for each and every show this year. Cinéscénie is considerable feat of engineering, featuring a 23-hectare stage, 1,200 actors, 8,000 costumes and millions of spectators over the years, not to mention unforgettable special ... More >> Litestructures makes a splash at Westfield UK - Jason Bruges Studio, in conjunction with Prolyte Group, have designed the world's first digital water feature for the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London. The design of Westfield Stratford City ensures that the scheme is much more than just a shopping mall and demonstrates a real commitment to public space and a connection to the Olympic Park. Installation artists, Jason Bruges Studio, were commissioned to create a 'public art' design to be a key feature in Chestnut Plaza, the central public square leading to ... More >> Schnick-Schnack dances with the stars USA - ABC's Dancing with the Stars features a new production design by James Yarnell, set designer, and Simon Miles, lighting designer. A new set with the dance floor raised above the audience provides a 360-degree stage taking full advantage of the studio space including three balcony tiers, and the dancers making their grand entrance through the new tracking centre-stage staircase. The new design also features a new fully integrated Schnick-Schnack-Systems multi-media LED lighting installation in its North American television ... More >> NMK hosts Midas academy in Dubai UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributor of Midas and Klark Teknik products have recently hosted a Midas Academy prior to the InfoComm exhibition held at the Dubai International Convention Centre. Over 25 sound professionals attended the one-day event, which highlighted the digital console offering of Midas. The event was also used to unveil the new Midas PRO2 and PRO2C live audio systems. "Our last academy took place in 2009 so it was time for a follow up event in the Middle East, especially with all the new ... More >> Christie stages concert experience at LDI 2011 USA - At LDI this week, Christie is launching the YK50 dual-arm moving yoke and projector system, and Christie AutoStack 2.0, a camera-based, software-driven solution used to automatically align and blend images in multi-projector arrays. Designed to stimulate the senses and simulate a concert stage, the Christie booth also features the rest of the Christie Nitro Solutions family (Christie YK100 and Christie YK200), the North American debut of Christie J Series - the next generation of Christie's Xenon 3-chip DLP projector platform, and ... More >> Flying high with Riedel over Sion Switzerland - For establishing a comprehensive communications infrastructure, the organisers of the Breitling Sion Air Show used an integrated communications solution from Riedel Communications. Riedel installed a combination of Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom and trunked digital radio (TETRA). The project was realised on behalf of Swisscom Broadcast AG. The Breitling Sion Air-Show is one of largest events in Switzerland in 2011. The comprehensive communications infrastructure of the event integrated the organising team, the ... More >> Leeds University's Stylus installs KARAi UK - Adlib's specialist installations division has completed the UK's first live music venue installation with an L-Acoustics KARAi system at the newly refurbished 1000 capacity Leeds University venue, Stylus. Stylus is located in the basement building complex beneath the famous Leeds Uni Refectory, a gig renowned for hosting some landmark live performances in its day. Adlib has a history of involvement in various capacities with Leeds University Students' Union (LUSU), who run all the venues on campus, and were one of the companies ... More >> Axiom at the Castroreale Jazz Festival Italy - Last summer, a long-awaited jazz festival was staged in Castroreale, an historic Sicilian village in the Messina province. Many international artists performed during the four days of the festival. The sound system, provided by Tintori della Provvidenza from Castroreale, featured 12 Proel Axiom AX3210P modules and eight EDGE SW121P Subwoofers plus EDGE 12CXP Monitoring, all driven by Powersoft amplifiers K10, Digam Q4004 and Proel HPD3400PFC. (Jim Evans) More >> Rugby World Cup 2011 spectacular New Zealand - The IRB Rugby World Cup was the biggest sporting event ever to be staged on New Zealand shores. It kicked-off on 9 September 2011 with the Opening Ceremony at Auckland's Eden Park, broadcast to a global television audience estimated at over 50m. An estimated 200,000 people crowded the Auckland waterfront precinct to take in the visual spectacle aptly named All Lit Up. Lighting designer David Eversfield relied on a grandMA2 system for control. While the show's lighting design in the stadium was created by Paul ... More >> Sound Division appointed Bose PRO-Partner UK - The Sound Division Group (Sound Division) has confirmed its appointment as a Bose PRO-Partner this summer. A significant proportion of Sound Division's business is in the high-end retail market and has established relationships with many well known high street brands, retail stores, hotels and restaurants. David Graham MD for Sound Division comments: "Bose is synonymous with quality and we are very pleased to have them on-board. We will now be able to offer the Bose brand particularly to the multiple retailers, five star hotels and ... More >> JTE & PixelRange appoint operations director UK - Paul Young has been announced as the new operations director for both James Thomas Engineering and PixelRange. Young will lead the commercial direction of all future business development. Paul Young states, "Following a successful PLASA, it is a very exciting time with both brands launching new innovative products. To celebrate the launch, we will be hosting an open day in November to demonstrate the range and everyone will be welcome." JTE creates trussing solutions and PixelRange high performance LED luminaires. All products are ... More >> Sharpys on the run with McCartney USA - Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures have featured on Paul McCartney's On The Run tour, a series of sell-out, stadium concerts across the USA and Canada. Lighting designer Roy Bennett selected over 80 Clay Paky Sharpy narrow-beam spotlights. Bennett, whose association with McCartney dates back to 2001, decided to incorporate the Sharpys into his design after seeing them for the first time at the LDI industry show in 2010. "When I first saw the Sharpy, I was really impressed. It's totally new and fresh, yet it reminded me of some of ... More >> Coemar Care Centre opens in London UK - Following several years of increased presence in the UK market, Coemar and White Light have announced that a Coemar Care service centre will be available at the White Light London headquarters starting from October 2011. This will offer a wide range of spare parts and service support, enabling White Light to offer a higher degree of support to the growing number of Coemar users. White Light expects that this initiative will strengthen the relationship with existing and future customers, enabling them to obtain immediate local ... More >> Midas PRO6 on Kooks Euro tour UK - The Kooks' front of house engineer Russ Tite has chosen a Midas PRO6 live audio system from SSE Audio for the band's European tour. Tite's re-acquaintance with Midas analogue during this summer's festival season was the reason he chose the PRO6 for this tour. "I'd been using another brand of digital desk, but this summer I was rocking up to festivals and using an H3000 or XL4, and found I loved it again, it sounded like a console should," he says. "We were almost going to take an XL4, but you can't really fit one on a tour like ... More >> Widespread Panic on the road with Bandit USA - Widespread Panic has had a long, fun journey over the last 25 years and celebrated it this fall with a jaunt around the US with Bandit Lites supplying the lighting. Lighting designer Paul Hoffman's set featured arches of truss in a staggered waterfall, loaded with 100 GRNLite LED PARs Hoffman also utilized Martin MAC III's, a new tool for him. He incorporated VL 3000 Spots, GLP Impressions, and Grand MA consoles and used the new, fully programmable Bandit 5x5 Blinders. Widespread Panic is an iconic American band with a big ... More >> Yamaha flies the flag at La Rodia France - Having lacked a multi-purpose live entertainment venue for many years, the patience of the 176,000 residents of Besançon, eastern France, was rewarded this year with the opening of La Rodia. Featuring two concert halls, a lobby bar, two studios and information / multimedia resources, a Yamaha digital audio system ensures that all of the new facility's users - whether local amateurs or international stars - get a universally high standard of sound. Covering 2000m2, the project was initiated several years ago by the mayor of ... More >> Blackout screen for California Classics UK - Blackout provided its new projection screen for Future Cinema, the creators of Secret Cinema which creates large-scale cinematic experiences. The event, California Classics, featured a themed live screening of The Lost Boys and Top Gun in London's Canary Wharf. Blackout is well known for its truss and rigging services, skills which proved invaluable when it designed and installed a temporary 18m wide by 8m tall screen using the specialist Demopsec screen material, of which Blackout is a UK distributor. The ... More >> Second Lighthouse Moscow screen Russia - With the Russian advertising market being one of the fastest growing in the world, there is great potential revenue from the effective use of large format LED screens. Central Moscow is a prime location and a second outdoor Lighthouse screen is now bringing the benefits of its clear, uniform images to a range of advertisers. Positioned at the major intersection of Kutuzovskiy Prospekt and Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya, the screen is located in front of the Parliament building and is seen by many thousands of Muscovites each ... More >> PLASA Focus: Austin 2012 floor plan goes live USA - The PLASA Focus: Austin 2012 floor plan is now live. From today, participating companies and a full programme of events can be found alongside visitor registration facilities and exhibitor application information at www.plasafocus.com/austin. The two-day event, to be held 22-23 February 2012 at the Renaissance Austin, Texas, is the first of a new style of regional event for North America. Based on the successful PLASA Focus events in Europe, the new regional model seeks to bring world class professional knowledge and high-profile ... More >> Midas PRO2C is star on Lake Malawi Malawi - The new Midas PRO2C live audio system has passed its first real world challenge with flying colours, handling front of house at the Lake of Stars Festival on the sandy shores of Lake Malawi. The PRO2 faced extreme temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius, an abundance of sand and grit plus a severe fuel crisis, which meant power was only available 30 minutes before the festival opened. "I really love the PRO2C; it was very easy to get to grips with, and after just 30 minutes I could start the show confidently," says FOH ... More >> Ateis scores at Seagulls' Amex Stadium UK - PA/VA specialist Ateis has supplied a sophisticated PA/VA system to The American Express Community Football Stadium - the new home of Brighton & Hove Albion FC - aka The Seagulls. The 22,5000 capacity stadium is nestled in the rolling hills of the South Downs, situated just outside Brighton's busy city centre. The club has been without an official home since the sale of its original stadium in 1997. And the launch of this new stadium coincided with Brighton & Hove Albion being promoted to the championship league for the 2010-2011 ... More >> projectiondesign opens Moscow office Russia - As the latest step in their global growth strategy to provide support for local partners, projectiondesign has opened an office in the heart of Russia's capital. To coincide with the increased local presence, industry veteran Stein Ramsli has taken on the role of regional director, Russia and CIS. Ramsli previously held the position of managing director at Cisco/TANDBERG Russia and PLC and has extensive experience in working in the region. Ramsli comments, "Our opening of an office in Moscow clearly demonstrates ... More >> LumenRadio gears up for LDI USA - LumenRadio will later this week showcase SuperNova 2.0 and other new developments at the LDI show in Orlando. The entire LumenRadio CRMX wireless DMX, RDM, and DALI product line-up will also be on display in distributor TMB's LDI village. SuperNova 2.0 had its debut at the recent PLASA show in London and garnered intense interest from a steady stream of visitors. SuperNova's RDM capabilities have been extended to wired networks and now offer unified connectivity and user-interface for systems that utilize a combination of wired ... More >> A.C. Lighting shows new technology at LDI USA - A.C. Lighting Inc.'s booth at the 2011 LDI show, Orlando will be showcasing the latest technology innovations from Chroma-Q, Jands Vista and LedGo - all of which are distributed in North America by the reseller. The new Chroma-Q Color Force Compact will be officially launched at this year's show. Utilizing core LED technology from the popular Color Force range, the Compact provides a powerful 1,700 lumens of output in a slim, compact profile - making it suitable for lighting areas while occupying a very small footprint. By ... More >> White Light back at LDI with i-Pix and Core USA - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light returns to exhibiting at LDI in Orlando this year, after a several years absence from the show floor. The reason for the return - new products from i-Pix and Core Lighting, both companies are members of the White Light Family of manufacturers distributed by White Light. On the White Light booth, i-Pix will be showing their new LED Beamlight, which surprised and delighted many on its first appearance at the PLASA Show in London in September. The fixture offers a new, low-energy ... More >> Stage Technologies sponsors NATEAC USA - Stage Technologies has confirmed its major sponsorship of the North American Theatre Engineering & Architecture Conference (NATEAC). The next two day conference will be held in New York on 22-23 July 2012 and Stage Technologies is once again the first company to commit its support as Platinum Sponsor of this key industry event, having been one of the main sponsors of the inaugural event in 2008. The NATEAC conference provides a forum for consultants, architects, engineers, technicians and technical managers to discuss planning, ... More >> EAW line array on stream in Cardiff UK - More than 61,000 people turned up to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium recently to watch the free live streaming of Wales v France in the Rugby World Cup 2011 Semi Final from New Zealand. This required a hasty sound reinforcement infrastructure to be constructed inside the Stadium for the commentary and live performances, including an EAW KF740 line array speaker system and three big screens. For Huw 'Buz' Evans and Rob Ashton from Welsh sound rental company ABacoustics, it might have seemed something of a poisoned chalice as they ... More >> Colour Sound Experiment goes Electric UK - London- based lighting rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) continues to build its contract rental business, designing and supplying lighting and rigging for the newly opened Electric live music venue in Brixton, south London - a place with an illustrious history, arguably best known as the legendary Fridge, and before then, The Roxy. CSE's contract rental packages are proving a highly cost effective and flexible option for busy venue operators, and come complete with quick and excellent technical support and backup. ... More >> PRG invests in RockNet for Pan Am Games Mexico - PRG, one of the largest rental providers worldwide, has expanded its stock of RockNet digital audio network devices from Riedel Communications. Riedel, delivered 60 RockNet devices that will be directly used at the opening and closing ceremonies of the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. One of the main challenges at the ceremonies of the Pan American Games 2011 is the long distance between the individual positions in the stadium, where up to 300m need to be bridged. Furthermore, the distant master control room, ... More >> Illumination Physics releases Bar Pro Rectilinear Australia / China - A new addition has been made to the Illumination Physics Bar Pro range of linear direct view LED products. Developed and implemented for the façade of the Landmark China Resources Building in Hong Kong, the unique rectangular shape of Illumination Physics' Bar Pro Rectilinear has been developed to suit applications where the physical appearance of the LED Bar must conform to a more planar appearance: "The semi-square profile suits certain architectural applications better than a round profile LED BAR," says the ... More >> The Week in Lighting & Sound Q Awards - Adele has won best female artist and best track at Q magazine's music awards in London. Other prizes went to rapper Tinie Tempah, who was named best male artist and Coldplay, who picked up best act in the world today. Readers voted U2 the best band of the publication's lifetime. Speaking on the red carpet, frontman Bono said Q had been crucial to his career. "It's a truly great thing," he said. "They're so important for anyone that wants to take all their music all the way." Adele's Rolling in the Deep was picked out as the ... More >> Green Hippo appoints distributor in Turkey Turkey - After a very successful 2011 with Hippotizers attending a host of events and projects in Turkey, Green Hippo has decided to appoint a new distributor for the region. Phantom Engineering has so far purchased nine HDs for various projects, plus two demonstration HDs for their role as Green Hippo distributor. Phantom Engineering first contacted Green Hippo at the end of 2010 with a view to buying six HDs for the 25th Winter Universiade in Erzurum earlier this year. Since then Phantom has not stopped. They have worked continuously ... More >> Robe MMX Logic in Russia Russia - Fast growing Moscow- based lighting design and rental company Light Logic has invested in its first batch of Robe's new MMX Spot moving light fixtures. MMX was launched this year and has already been a massive success for Robe, with over 1500 units sold and orders being received and processed daily by the factory in the Czech Republic. The units were supplied to Light Logic by Russian distributor Sofitlight, after being specified by Light Logic's primary designer Dmitry Velikanov and technical director Ivan Nassonov. The deal ... More >> Sibelius Concert Hall upgrades with M'elodie Finland - Housed in the Sibelius Hall Congress and Concert Centre, the 1,229-seat Main Hall serves as the home to the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and a year-round programme of Finnish light music, stand-up comedy, and operettas. Listed by Sydney Morning Herald and Gramophone magazine amongst the world's best concert venues, the Main Hall's celebrated physical acoustic features were designed by New York-based Artec Consultants in 2000. For presentations that require amplification, the hall has recently upgraded to Meyer Sound ... More >> Mega Audio to distribute JoeCo in Germany Germany - JoeCo has appointed Mega Audio GmbH as its new distributor for Germany and Austria. The Bingen-based distribution company adds the BlackBox Recorder/Player range to an established portfolio of pro audio and live sound products. This latest addition to JoeCo's international distributor network follows the recent launches of the BlackBox BBR64-MADI and BBR-DANTE Recorder versions, which have increased the product's live multi-channel audio capturing capabilities from 24 channels to up to 64 channels in the compact 1 rack unit ... More >> L-Acoustics reinforces Mamma Mia! in Korea Korea - International hit musical Mamma Mia! has opened at the D-Cube Art Center, Seoul, which has been equipped by L-Acoustics Korea distributor Dream Sound with a K1 WST line source and XTi coaxial system. This is the first permanent K1 theatre system to be installed worldwide. Located within Seoul's futuristic D-Cube City, the 1,242 seat venue has been installed with two hangs of eight K1s and two K1-SB subs left and right of the stage, six KARAs as down-fill, and two stacks of four SB28 subs in cardioid mode positioned on ... More >> grandMA2 for Seoul's Blue Square Korea - Recently built, the Blue Square theatre in Seoul relies on a MA Lighting system that combines grandMA2 and grandMA series 1 consoles. Kim Hong Sik, CEO of Hansam System Co, MA Lighting's exclusive distributor in the Republic of Korea, commented, "MA products are known as the most reliable and popular among lighting designers in Korea so it was an obvious choice to vote for grandMA. " Furthermore we wanted a future-proof lighting control solution with plenty of headroom for upgradability to incorporate powerful new features and ... More >> DMX wireless Solution for Singapore's Sentosa Singapore - Wireless Solution Sweden is now part of Sentosa, the popular island resort in Singapore which attracts millions of local and foreign visitors every year. Its most famous resident and visitor attraction - The Merlion - a 37m statue formed in the image of the fabled half-lion and half-fish guardian of Singapore recently got a makeover using W-DMX technology. Sentosa Development Group, which manages the Sentosa Merlion Park had decided to look into enhancing the Merlion Park's environment with the use of creative outdoor ... More >> Lighthouse at UM's Yost Ice Arena USA - Yost Ice Arena, home of Michigan Wolverines hockey, is the new home of a spectacular centre-hung Lighthouse video system. Integrated by Lighthouse partner TS Sports, the four-sided system features four main video screens, full-colour corner screens, and a 360-degree lower fascia ring. The arena was constructed in 1923 and has undergone major renovations four times in its illustrious history. A classic collegiate hockey facility, Yost seats 6,637 and has hosted NCAA tournament games five times, most recently in 2003. Yost's newest ... More >> MAC rig for Songs of Praise 50th Anniversary UK - Lighting designer Bernie Davis used Martin Professional's new MAC Aura wash light on the BBC's Songs of Praise 50th Birthday Celebration, which aired on Sunday, 25 September from Alexandra Palace in London. Davis, who saw the MAC Aura on the Martin Professional stand just two weeks earlier at the PLASA trade show, placed the quiet LED fixtures on stage either side of the artists. "They were very effective as eye candy and we were all impressed with how six small Auras worked so well, even in an enormous venue like this," ... More >> White Light with the Horrors at the Roundhouse UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light helped garage-punk outfit The Horrors with their acclaimed concert at London's Roundhouse Wednesday 12 October. The company supplied lighting designer Ed Warren from Next Level Lights with a compact but diverse selection of equipment, including six of the powerful, punchy JB A7Zoom LED fixtures, six of the bright Martin MACIII Spotlights, five Martin Atomic strobes and four 5kW Fresnels. Warren used the fixtures to help create an all-encompassing environment for the show, with reviewers ... More >> Farnham tours with VariLite VLX Australia - John Farnham is celebrating 25 years of his all-time bestselling Australian album, Whispering Jack, with another return tour. This time he performs an opening unplugged set of familiar hits, followed by a full serve of the 1980s album that really changed it all. When lighting designer Chris Newman began planning the tour he wandered down to PRG's Melbourne warehouse to check out their latest gear and he came across the VariLite VLX LED wash luminaire. "I knew PRG had lots of new fixtures but I didn't want to go down ... More >> Tiger Touch on Lira tour South Africa - Lira's The Captured Tour is midway, performing to sold out audiences across South Africa. Kurt du Preez, co-director of Pan Tilt, was honoured when approached to be the touring lighting designer for South African's Afro-jazz star Miss Lira, as she is affectionately known. "It's the work we live for," said du Preez, who operates the show using the Avolites Tiger Touch. "The Tiger Touch is incredibly fast for its size and mobility. It's user friendly and if you make a mistake, forgiving. Avolites have come a long way ... More >> Damian Andrews joins Visual Acuity UK -- Independent technology consultancy Visual Acuity is expanding once again, this time appointing Damian Andrews to the position of lead consultant, project development. Andrews brings a fresh perspective to the consultancy with a wealth of experience working in various project roles ranging from client user, owner, operator and integrator, says the company. Blair Parkin, managing director, Visual Acuity comments, "The technological scope of our work continues to develop, as does our geographical reach - we are currently working on ... More >> Wayne Howell to speak at LDI seminar USA - Artistic Licence founder, Wayne Howell, has accepted an invitation to speak at the forthcoming LDI show in Orlando, Florida, as part of the Innovation and Technology Conference. The training session, to be held at 10am on 30 October (Room S319), will allow participants to access Howell's considerable expertise in the use of Ethernet TCP/IP for the lighting industry. Covering essential information on the 'hows and whys' of Cat 5E and Cat 6 cables, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the entertainment technology sector, the ... More >> Medialon releases Manager KIOSK France - Medialon has released Manager KIOSK, billed as "the ultimate kiosk application generator for Media Control for interactive kiosk applications in Museum kiosks, Theme Park interactive attractions, and more". Manager KIOSK is the solution when link to other controls and link to external world is needed without the burden of doing C++ or Flash programming. This new special edition of Medialon Manager, Medialon's awarded Windows-based powerful audiovisual control software, benefits from Medialon Manager's control programming ... More >> CAST demonstrates BlackTrax 3D at LDI USA - In just the few weeks since PLASA, CAST has prepared two new demonstrations to be seen for the first time during LDI this monbth. Visitors will witness the 3D Cue Paths available in BlackTrax 3D, as well as a Beta version of wysiwyg R28. BlackTrax 3D is a fully operational, fully integrated, fully realtime tracking system. Using a new proprietary LED-IR Beacon, which is worn or otherwise attached to an object or person, BlackTrax 3D uses special static motion capture cameras to accurately pinpoint and track the movements of the ... More >> City Theatrical at LDI 2011 USA - City Theatrical is launching a wide range of new products at LDI 2011 in Orlando this month, including the US debut of SHoW DMX Neo and SHoW DMX SHoW Baby. These two products are the latest innovations in City Theatrical's 10 years of wireless DMX development and manufacturing. SHoW DMX Neo has advanced Ethernet gateway functions including dual Ethernet ports and accepts multiple show protocols such as sACN, Art-Net, and KiNet. SHoW DMX Neo includes a RDM controller provided with the Transceiver which allows anyone to monitor RDM ... More >> Bolshoi re-opens with ShowTex drapes Russia - The rebirth of Russia's Bolshoi Theatre this month will serve as the premiere for the world's largest installation of Oeko-Tex 100 certified stage drapes from ShowTex. After six years of work by a cast of thousands, the Bolshoi Theatre is just days away from reopening night, with President Dmitry Medvedev concert on 28 October. The black velvet velour fabric used for all acoustic panels, stage borders, legs, and backdrops was selected by the project's main contractor Rexroth in a blind test. There were several requirements for ... More >> ETC releases aRFR app for Android users USA - Following the popularity of ETC's iRFR application for Apple's iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, ETC has developed a similar application for Android devices - the aRFR. The aRFR offers the same functionality as the iRFR and at the same price. The app allows users to turn any mobile device into a touchscreen-based remote controller for Eos- and Congo-family control desks, Eos and Ion Remote Processor Units (RPUs) and the Congo Light Server. Any user can download the programme without factory hardware. Security controls provided in the ... More >> Christie reflects on the waterfront UK - The Czech consortium of Tomato Production, their technical partners AV Media and creative company, The Macula, recently produced a stunning video mapping show on Liverpool's waterfront. Using exclusively Christie projection, they helped the City's landmark Grade 1-listed Royal Liver Building celebrate its centenary, while marking the opening of the Museum of Liverpool - the largest newly-built national museum in Britain for more than a century. With both buildings sited at the Pier Head the event was fittingly entitled ... More >> APG monitors star-studded Bataclan show France - The legendary Parisian venue, the Bataclan, was packed to the rafters on the night of 17 October as over 1000 people flocked to see their favourite artists take part in a massive charity concert on behalf of the homeless and those forced to live in dwellings unfit for human habitation in Paris. Organised by the Abbé Pierre Foundation, the line up for the concert, Ne Lâchons Rien read like a Who's Who of the French music scene with performances from the likes of M, Zazie, Alain Souchon, Nolwenn Leroy, Laurent ... More >> QI Clubbing in Erbusco installs RCF system Italy - With catching environment and very stylish decoration the QI Clubbing in Erbusco, Brescia is a popular venue. Several times QI Clubbing has been named as one of the best nightclubs in Italy. In October 2011 the QI Clubbing will be opening their new Restaurant and Private Club facilities. Opening a new facility gives QI a 360 degrees solution of entertainment of dining, nightclub, dancing and social life comes together under the same establishment. The key of the success for QI Clubbing is the constant investment into developing ... More >> Transformed Royal Welsh College opens UK - The newly completed Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff - Wales' national music and drama conservatoire - opens to a new intake of students this month. Won by BFLS in international competition in 2007, the scheme comprises 450-seat chamber recital hall (the Dora Stoutzker Hall), a 180-seat theatre (the Richard Burton Theatre), four rehearsal studios, an exhibition gallery (the Linbury Gallery) as well as generous foyer areas, a terrace overlooking Bute Park and a new Café Bar. The £22.5m project is funded ... More >> Guano Apes with MAC Aura and Martin M1 Germany - Lighting designer Stephan Aue of Ambion GmbH is one of the first LDs worldwide to use Martin Professional's new MAC Aura wash light and placed 42 of the award-winning fixtures on the German rock band Guano Apes' current European tour. "The Auras came into the design pretty late," says Aue, who handled lighting, stage and set design for the tour. "In late summer, Markus Klüsener of Martin Germany approached me about seeing a new product before its official release at PLASA and as I was more than ready to see something new, I ... More >> Backstage Academy training opportunities UK - Backstage Academy is developing a network of professionals from the live events industry who are keen to get involved in delivering training. There are various opportunities available, from tutoring modules on the FdA in Live Events Production (a 15-month degree starting this November), or running short courses, to taking students out into a real working environment to gain industry practice, or simply dropping in to spend an hour with the students on the FdA to pass on some of your knowledge and tell them what it's really like in ... More >> Cervantes Institute goes digital with Bosch Spain - When the Headquarters of the Cervantes cultural institute in Madrid needed to update its ageing analogue conference system, the choice for the institute was a new all-digital DCN Next Generation system from Bosch. And to ensure optimum audibility throughout the acoustically-challenging conference chamber with its classic architecture, two Vari-directional arrays were installed, making for a total Bosch conference and communication solution. The Cervantes Institute is a public institution set up by Spain in 1991 to promote and ... More >> Renegade lights London Fashion Week UK - Nick Gray of London- based creative lighting practice Renegade designed lighting for the main British Fashion Council (BFC) space in Somerset House and other rooms, along with numerous off-site shows in one of his busiest Fashion Weeks to date. The off-site shows included Mulberry, Julien Macdonald, Temperley, Emilio de la Morena, Hardy Amies, Rocksander and others, all staged in an assortment of venues from Claridges Hotel to the British Museum atrium - engaging Gray and his team in a relentless week of activity - utilising four ... More >> K-array at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre UK - The University of Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre was Sir Christopher Wren's first building design and is therefore of tremendous historic importance, having been started in 1664. Adapting a Grade 1listed building for 21st Century use, while at the same time not losing any of its historic magnificence, has been a complex process. But a K-array audio system has meant the 343 year old theatre can now meet all those criteria. The iconic structure is arch-shaped in plan, surmounted by a cupola and is one of the most photographed buildings ... More >> RML on BBC TV's Up For Hire UK - Up For Hire, the live interactive show about unemployment and job seeking, hosted by Richard Bacon and Tina Daheley, aired on BBC3, invites Industry experts to share their knowledge and each episode a celebrity guests comes in to share their stories too. Alongside this, Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills will also be running an Up For Hire theme in the breakfast show. Roger Williams designed the lighting supported by Richard Martin Lighting (RML). Alpha Beam 300's are the main focus of the show. The rig is completed with Robe ... More >> Arthur Guinness Day celebrated with PSI Ireland - Production Services Ireland (PSI) energised its Northern and Southern Irish facilities in a massive operation to provide lighting, rigging and technical services for the 2011 Arthur Guinness Day celebrations. This featured multiple events worldwide and in Ireland, incorporating major live stages in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Limerick - plus a myriad of organically flowing pub-based live music gigs and celebrations in all those towns and throughout the entire country. The main venue for the whole event was the Guinness Hop Store ... More >> Outline highlights GTO-DF at AES USA - At AES in New York, Outline highlighted the GTO-DF, the newest member of the GTO (Grand Touring Outline) Series of line array speakers. First introduced at PLASA 2011, the GTO-DF is designed to provide exceptionally high-quality sound to the first several rows of the audience at an event, filling the sonic gap often experienced by event attendees who are seated near the stage. "The GTO-DF rounds out the performance coverage of the highly regarded GTO line array speaker systems," says Tom Bensen, senior vice president and managing ... More >> Renkus-Heinz launches Iconyx update USA - At AES 2011 in New York, Renkus-Heinz unveiled two major enhancements to its family of digital beam steering loudspeaker products. The IC8R-II is "a major evolutionary update" to the Iconyx range, introducing significant performance improvement over its predecessor, the IC8R, combining a new Triple Tweeter High Frequency Array Coax with the equally new RHAON [Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network] v1.8 beam steering module. The new Triple Tweeter design creates a continuous, close spaced high frequency line source that pushes the ... More >> Robert Juliat at LDI 2011 USA - At LDI this month, Robert Juliat will be showing the 85W Aledin 330LF LED Wash fresnel, a complement to the company's award-winning Aledin 630SX LED Profile Framing Spot. "The popularity of the Aledin wash has grown quickly as good reports spread about TV studios, exhibition halls and theaters taking advantage of its many qualities," says Robert Juliat's Fred Lindauer. "Customer feedback finds the Aledin wash to be a very powerful LED product which produces an even beam over a spread range of 17 - 96 degrees (field angle), and ... More >> LumenRadio & Philips light up Black Eyed Peas France - LumenRadio and Philips Electronics lit up the Black Eyed Peas during a three-day event at the Stade de France as part of the group's The Beginning tour. The 80,000 capacity stadium was filled to capacity all three nights. Fergie and the rest of the Peas wore costumes developed to showcase Philips latest LED and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology and incorporating LumenRadio's CRMX wireless technology. The costumes were designed by Philips Lighting's chief design officer, Rogier Van der Heide in cooperation ... More >> Outline arrays reinforce Relatively Speaking USA - Outline reports that its Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. powered line array speakers were chosen as the centre stage, primary front-of-house speakers for the Broadway hit Relatively Speaking, playing at the Brookes-Atkinson Theatre in Manhattan. The play, directed by actor/director John Turturro and penned by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen, consists of three one-act plays that deal with the topic of family relationships. As each play is essentially dialogue-driven, clarity is of great importance for the success of the production. ... More >> AIM installs ETC Element consoles Australia - The Australian Institute of Music has grown into a major player in education and training for the Australian music industry, performing arts and entertainment management fields. Recently this industry institution purchased two ETC Element consoles - one for the Pilgrim Theatre Sydney, for their Dramatic Arts programme, replacing the Jands 48 channel ESP, and one for their multipurpose 220 seat auditorium in Foveaux Street replacing a Theatrelight Scenemaster 24. The ETC Element control console is designed expressly for ... More >> LDR sets milestone in US market USA - Italian lighting manufacturer LDR will celebrate the sale of its 1000th Canto followspot in the US market next week at the annual LDI tradeshow. LDR introduced the Canto followspot to the US market thorough Ballantyne Strong in 2006. Five years on, and 1000 units later, the Canto followspot has set a new standard in the medium-throw followspot professional market, says the company. "A special thanks goes to Paul Rabinovitz and John Luhrs from Ballantyne Strong and to all of the Strong team that has contributed to reaching this ... More >> DiGiCo console range expands at AES USA At the AES convention in New York this week, DiGiCo is debuting the SD10-24 console. The SD10-24, like the original SD Ten launched at ProLight+Sound earlier this year, is a console that "boasts features and benefits that i distinguish it from the others in the SD Series and every other digital console on the market, just in a more compact package". "When we introduced the SD8-24, which was primarily designed with the corporate market in mind, it was an immediate hit," says James Gordon, DiGiCo's managing director. "The SD10-24 is ... More >> Easypix facelift for Tirana's Diesel Hall Albania - Ermal Gashi, owner of Diesel Hall in Tirana, was looking for a cost effective but high-quality wall-grazing fixture to dress up his popular bar-lounge. The fixture would need to include a colour mixing system and be able to project effectively up to three metres. Kliton Gjika, sales manager at Prosound, Martin Professional's distributor in Albania, suggested the Martin Easypix linear strip light to fulfill the task. Twelve Easypix wallwashers were installed to light the venue's interior façade in a variety of shades. The ... More >> Clear-Com promotes wireless intercom USA - Clear-Com is exhibiting the new HME DX210 at this year's AES 2011 in NYC. The 2.4-GHz-band wireless intercom system delivers "exceptional sound clarity and reliable, interference-free connection to audio professionals that need to communicate with their production team". With two communication channels, improved wired system connections and simple-to-use operations, the HME DX210 provides great flexibility and value for fixed installations and tour productions, says the company. The HME DX210 is a robust wireless system with a ... More >> Pathport Quattro debuts at LDI 2011 USA - Acuity Brands is introducing the newest Pathway Connectivity DMX-over-Ethernet product, the Pathport Quattro. This product provides real-time, interoperability solutions between sophisticated lighting control systems. A compact, four-port node, the Pathport Quattro product runs on Power-over-Ethernet, making it suitable for truss, desktop or wall mount installation, as well as 19" rack mounting. Recently acquired by the company, Pathway designs and manufactures electronics that enable lighting control systems to communicate with ... More >> Community extends VLF family USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has introduced three new products to its VLF Series of Versatile Low Frequency systems. The dual 8-inch VLF208LV, the single 15-inch VLF115 and the single 18-inch VLF118 join the existing VLF products to create a comprehensive family of high performance subwoofers featuring a compact, low profile design. The new VLF208LV, a dual 8-inch in a larger volume enclosure than the ultra-compact VLF208, is designed for applications that require the lowest frequencies from a slim-profile design. With a ... More >> JoeCo confirms Canadian distribution UK - JoeCo has announced that, following two very successful years distributing the BlackBox Recorder in the US, Nashville-based Full Scale AV will now also distribute the JoeCo product range in Canada. The announcement follows the recent launches of the BBR64-MADI and BBR-DANTE BlackBox Recorder versions, which have increased the product range's live multi-channel audio capturing capabilities from 24 channels to up to 64 channels in the compact 1 rack unit format. "Over the past two years we have established a very successful ... More >> Swing switches on to Yamaha digital Belgium - Ethersound-based audio is now used on live events of all sizes, aided by the ease with which it can be integrated with Yamaha's digital mixing consoles. Belgian company Swing is the latest rental house to invest in Yamaha equipment and take advantage of the many benefits of completely digital audio systems. Based in Merelbeke, near Gent, Swing owns two Yamaha M7CL-32 consoles, which are in high demand for a range of events. Company owner Dany de Letter was keen to invest in an Ethersound 'digital snake' solution to enhance the ... More >> grandMA2 joins charity concert Finland - The charity concert Elämä Lapselle (Life of a Child) in the Hartwall-Areena, Helsinki, raises funds to help Finnish children in need. It has been staged annually since 1995 and has since been aired on MTV3. For this year's event, lighting and visual designer Mikko Linnavuori and lighting designer Eero Helle used two grandMA2 light, a grandMA full-size, a grandMA light and three MA NSP (Network Signal Processor). "grandMA and grandMA2 are the only usable solutions when you need full tracking backup and a multi-user control ... More >> GT Pacific to distribute Apex Audio Australia - Belgium manufacturer Apex Audio has announced GT Pacific as its new exclusive distributor for Australia. "The Apex Audio product range brings a plethora of solutions suitable for the highest levels of commercial installations, broadcast, and touring," says GT Pacific's marketing director Anthony Touma. "With innovative solutions including cutting edge speaker management systems, hardware gates, limiters and equalisers, as well as exceptionally high quality active direct input units, the Apex Audio brand is destined to enjoy ... More >> Dynacord reinforces Oktoberfest marquee Germany - With over seven million visitors, white-knuckle rides galore, and a convivial atmosphere in the gigantic beer tents strewn out over the vast Theresienwiese (the Meadow of Therese), the Munich Beer Festival (or Oktoberfest) this year once again lived up to its reputation as one of the largest and most spectacular festivals in the world. The two-week event kicked off, as ever, with the broaching of the first barrel in the largest tent: the Schottenhamel Marquee. No less important, of course, was the quality of the sound ... More >> Spain debuts first European E15 System Spain - Spain became the first testing ground for the new Adamson 'Project Energia' beta launch. Adamson distributor Seesound together with sound provider Fluge arranged the first E15 system in Europe to premiere at the Low Cost Festival in Benidorm, featuring Mika and Ok GO! among many others. Now ready for a full tour, Fluge is putting the E15's to the test with the Spanish metal band Los Marea. The tour begins in Arnedo, in La Rioja province in the North of Spain on 5 November, and finishes the year on 30 December in Madrid, starting ... More >> Strand dimmers at The Durban Playhouse South Africa - "When I first looked at The Durban Playhouse Company tender we'd won, I had to wonder if we would complete it," says Dan Riley, head of sales for Philips Distributor in South Africa, DWR. "It was a major job and the client had put in clauses stating that the theatre could not close and that shows must go on as normal. A tall order given DWR had been commissioned to change all the dimmers in the building! However I'm delighted to be able to say that the DWR boys pulled it off, on time and on budget." DWR's Bruce Riley ... More >> Anolis finds a safe Haven USA - Haven is an intimate restaurant in the South Beach district of Miami, Florida, featuring an Anolis LED lighting scheme created by lighting designer David Chesal and Mike Boles, the venue's independent owner who wanted "Something different". The 1237 Lincoln Road location is a contemporary food lounge fusing a mix of modern design, international cuisine and creative cocktails in South Beach's busiest business district. Chesal and Boles have collaborated before on producing differently themed environments, and both are big fans of ... More >> SeaChanger HMI range debuts at LDI USA - SeaChanger is expanding its product line with three new luminaires all using a highly efficient 575W HMI lamp. The new 24,000 lumen SeaChanger HMI will be on display in SeaChanger's booth at LDI 2011 in Orlando this month. The SeaChanger HMI fixtures join the current SeaChanger range that employs tungsten and plasma light sources. The SeaChanger HMI is available in Profile, Wash, and Exterior-rated models. Like other SeaChanger units, the SeaChanger HMI luminaire utilizes ETC Source Four Ellipsoidal components, making it ... More >> Parasol demos with Clay Paky at LDI USA - Parasol Advanced Systems of Vancouver will be showcasing its new KLR System (Kinetic Light Ring) during LDI 2011in Orlando. The system will be demonstrated with 12 Clay Paky Sharpys. The KLR system is an alternate means of moving the source point of a number of automated lighting fixtures along a pre-defined, circular path. The KLR system is based on a patent application filed by Parasol earlier this year. Parasol's various systems can be scaled for all types of applications, ranging from small clubs (lights under 80 lbs.) all the ... More >> Midas XL8 spearheads Mighty Rock launch Australia - The first Midas XL8 to be based in Australia is the flagship console for new Melbourne company Mighty Rock Performance Technology, a rental operation set up to focus purely on Midas digital consoles and associated accessories. Supplied by Midas distributor National Audio Systems in Melbourne, Mighty Rock's XL8 is joined by a Midas PRO9 digital sound system, with the addition of the new Midas PRO2 series planned within a matter of months. Mighty Rock is the brainchild of husband and wife team Tony and Tonie Miller, CEOs and ... More >> GDS brings LumenRadio's CRMX to LiteWare UK / Sweden - Global Design Solutions (GDS) has partnered with LumenRadio to bring CRMX wireless DMX to their LiteWare product line. The LiteWare UL and HO products have featured integrated wireless DMX from W-DMX and ShowDMX in the past, and are now available for immediate shipment with integrated CRMX technology, offering GDS customer advanced wireless DMX functionality. "The reliability and frame integrity of LumenRadio's CRMX technology enabled us to enhance and expand upon features such as wireless firmware upgrades and wireless ... More >> Cooper Controls launches training videos UK - Zero 88 makes has released the first of a series of online training videos now available on YouTube. In response to detailed user research and feedback, the latest console training videos have been designed in short, easy to manage chapters. Each clip lasts between two and four minutes allowing operators to pick and choose their exact learning needs. These new videos feature the new ORB series of fully featured lighting consoles and cover basic to advanced training. The videos add to the existing training video clips already ... More >> Frank Schiff joins Martin EMEA team Denmark - Martin Professional's EMEA sales organisation has announced that Frank Schiff has joined the company's sales team as project sales manager for EMEA Region North. Schiff joined Martin on 1 October and will oversee project activities in Martin's southern German, Austrian and Swiss markets. He began his career as an electrical engineer and has been working in and around the electrical industry, latest as a key account manager, for more than 20 years. Leif Orkelbog-Andresen, business area manager for Martin EMEA Projects, ... More >> Casascène to distribute dBTechnologies Morocco - Retailer and premier regional distributor Casascène, has recently been appointed by dBTechnologies to distribute its products in Morocco. Henri Halioua, founder and owner of Casascène comments, "I am very impressed by the dBTechnologies product range. I am really confident about the impact it will have in the market, in particular the rental and installation fields, where I am sure the DVA Series will play a very important and leading role." Created in 1996, Casascène provides a range of sound, lighting, and AV solutions to ... More >> DiGiCo SD8 for Kafe Pi Group Turkey - Kafe Pi Group is one of Turkey's fastest growing organisations, having opened 14 new venues in quick succession, including two beach clubs as well as pubs and bars. Bronx Pi Stage is one of its latest additions. Located in the Beyoglu district in the heart of Istanbul, it features a DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing console supplied by DiGiCo's Turkish distributor, Elit Light/Sound Technologies. Kafe Pi Group predominantly targets university students, hosting a variety of events from concept parties to board game tournaments. Bronx Pi, ... More >> Showgun 2.5s shine on Santana tour USA - LD Lee Gipson is using High End Systems' 18 Showgun 2.5s supplied by Light Source Inc. of Milford, MI on Santana's current tour. "I always try to make sure I have them in my rig," he said. For Santana's current tour. Rick O'Neill of Light Source Inc. said the company has supplied various items of equipment over the years for Santana, but for this tour they are providing the complete system with 150 automated luminaires. Gipson is in his ninth year as the LD for Carlos Santana, a gig that was supposed to be a two-week temporary job ... More >> Maná tours with grandMA2 World - Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned - amongst others - three Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards and five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America. Accompanying their current Drama e Luz world tour that started this year is a grandMA2 system, comprising one grandMA2 full-size console, one grandMA2 light and two MA NPU (Network Processing Unit). Lighting designer Luis Pastor says of the grandMA2, "After working for six years with the ... More >> Robe upstairs at the Beresford Australia - Lighting designer Andy Mutton from Lightning Lighting in Melbourne, Australia has specified 14 Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving lights for a new lighting installation at the Beresford Hotel nightspot in Surrey Hills, Sydney, New South Wales. This is the first club/live music installation for these new fixtures and it's in the Beresford's 600 capacity Upstairs venue, which has just been refurbished by new owners, Merivale. Mutton was asked to deliver a full lighting technical package - which also features eight Robe Robin 300E ... More >> 5 Star Flare for Nero tour UK - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star's penchant for imagination and style came to the forefront again in a project delivered to UK speaker manufacturer Flare Audio, who are supplying the sound system (PA and monitors) for popular drum 'n' bass duo Nero's current UK tour. Flare's owner and MD Davies Roberts encouraged project manager Arron Smith to approach 5 Star - initially on their booth at the PLASA exhibition in London in September - as he had memories of the name and reputation for quality dating back to when he worked on film sets ... More >> BlackBox Recorder software updated UK - JoeCo Limited has announced a major software update for its award-winning BlackBox Recorder series. Version 2.2 contains a number of features designed to give the user greater working efficiency and includes many benefits inherited from the development of the BlackBox BBR64-MADI and Dante Recorders, says the company. These include enhancements to the underlying bespoke operating system alongside improved methods of displaying critical information to the user whilst maintaining the conceptual simplicity of the user interface. Simple ... More >> J.R. Clancy takes PowerLine to LDI 2011 USA - J.R.Clancy will showcase its most recent advance in theatrical rigging at LDI 2011 in Orlando later this month. Clancy's new PowerLine line shaft hoist features a lighter backbone than the standard line shaft, making it easier to install with no reduction in strength or durability. The new hoist brings users an expanded choice of brake options(electric or over speed) and drums (3/16" or ¼") to meet virtually any standard application. The PowerLine series includes Clancy's heavy-duty transmissions and universal joints for longevity ... More >> The Week in Lighting & Sound Show Business - AES Convention chair Jim Anderson has announced another major coup in attracting artists to participate in the upcoming 131st Convention in NYC. On Friday 21 October Judy Collins will participate in a rare one-on-one interview with music journalist Jason King. The discussion will focus on Bohemian, Collins' upcoming CD release. In making the announcement, Jim Anderson remarked, "The AES has always drawn major artists including Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne and Mick Fleetwood. But they are generally ... More >> BlackBox goes live at Royal Festival Hall UK - A JoeCo BlackBox Recorder was used to add electronic tracks to a recent live performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The Video Game Heroes concert was part of the Vision Sound Music Festival - the UK's first festival of music for visuals. The tracks were prepared for the live performance by project programmer Chris White, who was also responsible for making sure that they were triggered on cue during the actual performance. The BlackBox was situated by the monitor console, with feeds ... More >> Audio-Technica promotes David Marsh USA - Audio-Technicahas promoted David Marsh to the position of director of sales and marketing, installed sound & broadcast. Marsh's appointment was announced by Michael Edwards, vice president professional markets. In his new role, David Marsh will be responsible for managing and directing all sales and marketing activities within the Installed Sound and Broadcast markets. Marsh has been with Audio-Technica since 2000, when he joined the company in the position of customer support representative. "David has done an outstanding job in ... More >> Brilliant Stages creates Muse festival set UK - Hertfordshire-based staging company, Brilliant Stages, was responsible for creating a set featuring the signature pronged 'pylons' in homage to Muse's 2001 album Origin of Symmetry for the band's appearances at the 2011 Reading and Leeds Festivals. The music events take place simultaneously over the August bank holiday weekend and share the same bill, so Brilliant Stages needed to design the giant, top heavy pieces to withstand the outdoor venues and be quick to set up and take down. The design brief from lighting and stage ... More >> DALD lights V&A attraction UK - David Atkinson Lighting Design (DALD) has recently completed the lighting design for the Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990s exhibition at the V&A, London. This is the first in-depth exhibition of art, design and architecture of the 1970s and 1980s, examining one of the most contentious phenomena in recent art and design history: Postmodernism. It shows how postmodernism evolved from a provocative architectural movement in the early 1970s and rapidly went on to influence all areas of popular culture including art, ... More >> Martin Audio helps MoS celebrate in style UK - Martin Audio's award-winning sound system at the Ministry of Sound London was put to the ultimate test by some of the world's legendary house exponents last month, as the club celebrated its 20th anniversary. With clubbers immersed inside 'The Box's' six-stack soundfield, the custom five-way hybrid system at the Ministry has already won prestigious IDMA (International Dance Music) awards for Best Club Sound System Design in both 2010 and 2011 - and its signature low-bass rumble created by two 21in ASX subs per stack, was ... More >> EAW KF760 reinforces harvest festival Belarus - Sound and lighting production company, MediaContract, rigged an advanced EAW system to help inaugurate the new amphitheatre in the Belarus city of Molodechno recently, when the Dozhinki Festival - an annual celebration for the year's harvest - took place. The amphitheatre was built specially for the festival, and EAW's territorial distributors were brought in to reinforce the traditional festival of folk music, which was attended by nearly 3,000 people. The opening ceremony was attended by well-known Belarusian bands and ... More >> KARAi makes waves in cruise ship installation Germany - An L-Acoustics KARAi modular WST line source system for permanent installation has been installed into the 881-seat Celebrity Theatre of the Mein Schiff 2 cruise ship. The system consists of six KARAi cabinets and four SB28 subs in cardioid mode per side, with three 8XT coaxials as front-fill. "There were a few reasons why we chose an L-Acoustics system," says Ingo Rippe from German systems integrator Protones, which also owns a Kara system for rental. "The first reason was the performance of the KARAi and SB28. "In addition, ... More >> Sound Division in Green & Red UK - When Edward Mason of Mason & Taylor opened his first London pub site - the award-winning Duke of Wellington in Dalston - the emphasis was as much on its cinema club activities as its real ales. But Mason wanted a unit which was free of tie, and when the Underdog Group put the landmark Green & Red Mexican-themed bar/club in Shoreditch on the market, it fitted the operators' requirement. In its previous guise, The Sound Division Group had carried out an advanced sound and lighting system installation in the 220-capacity basement ... More >> We Are Scientists tour with iLive Asia - American indie rock band, We Are Scientists (WAS), recently completed a string of dates throughout Indonesia and Singapore, specifying an iLive digital mixing system to manage FOH audio. The tour started in Bali at the newly opened Temple of Enthusiasm venue, where local rental company, Sumber Ria, supplied the system, which comprised an iDR-48 MixRack with iLive-T112 Control Surface. FOH engineer, Tim Walter, mixed both the support act and WAS. "It was the first time in that area that iLive had been used and the results were ... More >> SGM features in Hotel Ramada Pitesti Romania - SGM lighting fixtures and control feature exclusively in the Grand Ballroom of the new Hotel Ramada Pitesti in Romania. All the overhead intelligent lighting for the stage and auditorium floor has been supplied by SGM, and comprises six fully-featured Idea Spot 575 (with 575W discharge lamp), four Idea Wash 575, 575W moving head zoom wash lights and two IDEA Colorchanger 575's, with 7-segment colour and effects wheels. These are all run off a sophisticated SGM Pilot 3000, capable of controlling up to 1024 DMX channels via two ... More >> Yamaha DME network in Klangfarbe's tower Austria - When customers in loudspeaker retailers want to try out a range of different models, it can be a difficult task re-patching cables to make straightforward comparisons. With the existing Vienna headquarters of sound, lighting and musical instrument dealer Klangfarbe literally bursting at the seams, the company's owners knew that a radical solution was required. They found it in a former, brick built gasometer, which provides 3500m2 of office and retail space. The extra space in the circular, four-storey building has allowed ... More >> Martin Audio reinforces Mayaland attraction Belgium - Having worked for Studio 100 theme parks since 2000 - right up to this summer's latest indoor themed extension (Mayaland) at Plospaland De Panne - FACE has consistently chosen Martin Audio as its preferred loudspeaker brand. Says FACE MD, Karel De Piere, "Our credo to offer the best hardware, knowledge and service combination led to us recommending Martin Audio. It is about earning the customer's trust and confidence with a proven sound solution." Founded by Gert Verhulst and Hans Bourlon Studio 100's theme parks receive more ... More >> Pulse Stage Lighting adds GLP USA - Pulse Stage Lighting reports that it is among the first in its service area to own the new Impression Spot One 400 Watt RGB LED Moving Spotlights from manufacturer German Light Products (GLP). "From its sharp focus, outstanding optics, and unique color mixing and color correction capabilities to its smooth dimming system and highly-efficient, flicker-free design, we found GLP's Impression Spot One to be an incredibly impressive fixture," says Pulse Stage Lighting president Scott de Villers. "As a company dedicated to providing ... More >> Acey Decy adds Victor and Flo Followspots USA - Acey Decy Lighting, a sales and rental company in San Fernando, California that has been servicing the feature film and television industries since 1963, has added Robert Juliat 1159 Victor and 1459 Flo 1800W followspots to its rental inventory. "We bought four Victors," says Carlos Sandoval, vice president of operations at Acey Decy. "Victor's light output is very even from the centre of the spot towards the edges; you get a much more even light across the fill with the optics. And the fact that they have a douser at hand level, ... More >> Central American debut for PR-5000 Guatemala - PR Lighting's new PR-5000 advanced moving head spot and powerful XLED590 LED wash light made their Central American debut at a high profile concert in Guatemala recently. Popular Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Tito el Bambino, headlined a concert at the Feria de Xela in Quetzaltenango in a show of great success. Local company The Best Music, who have also been PR Lighting's distributor for the past six years, fielded a vast array of the Chinese manufacturer's products as part of a complete sound, light and video package ... More >> Entec with Micky Flanagan at The Garrick UK - West London based lighting and sound rental company Entec Sound & Light specified and supplied a full lighting and sound rig for comedian Micky Flanagan's current sold out West End run at the Garrick Theatre. The lighting rig was relatively straightforward and hung on the theatre's house bars. For moving lights, Entec supplied Martin Professional MAC 300 Washes - which fit perfectly into the space and the spec. These were joined by 16 ETC Source Four profiles with 19 degree lenses, 27 x Source Four PARs and three 20-lamp MR16 ... More >> LS-Live, HSL and Adlib together at Showmans Show UK - Three of the entertainment industry's leading service providers will be joining forces to co-exhibit at the Showmans Show next week. LS-Live, HSL and Adlib will be collaborating to produce one of the biggest stands at the outdoor event services show, which takes place between 19th-20th October at the Newbury Showground in Berkshire. The joint exhibit will feature a full live rig based around LS-Live's Space Roof stage system. The three northern-based rental companies will be demonstrating how their varying products and skills, ... More >> d&b T-Series at Dublin's Button Factory Ireland - On Tuesday 15 November, d&b's sales partner in Ireland, MOSCO will host a T-Series demonstration at TheButton Factory, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. MOSCO's Kevin McGing and Oran Burnsfrom the d&b audiotechnik Education and Application Support team, will mix a little theory and lots of practical listening sessions. With an introduction to the positioning of the T-Series within the d&b audiotechnik product range, technical overview and the thinking behind the integrated systems approach the day will round up with the all ... More >> Chris Cairns Joins AM&S as marketing director USA - American Music & Sound has announced the appointment of Chris Cairns to the position of marketing director. Cairns is a drummer/writer/producer and has also worked in live sound reinforcement. He comes to AM&S with over 20 years of experience as a valued vendor to several musical products companies including Young Chang, Kurzweil, and Kawai Piano. Lynn Martin, president of AM&S, adds, "Chris has an extensive internet marketing background coupled with a well rounded understanding of our industry which is perfectly suited to AM&S's ... More >> Kara reinforces castle concert Denmark - Moto Rental has been supplying equipment for the annual Ledreborg Slotskoncerter (Ledreborg Castle Concert) for almost 20 years. Since 1999, Moto Rental has used L-Acoustics systems for the event, hosted by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra with various guest performers. This year, FOH engineer Henrik Bonné chose Moto's new Kara WST modular line source system with SB18 subs for the concert. "Everyone was very excited about getting this large Kara/SB18 system," says Bonné who has mixed the concert since 1995. "... More >> Prism launches RevEAL Studio Fresnel 3 at LDI USA - Prism Projection will be offering attendees at LDI 2011 the opportunity to see the next generation of lighting technology with "not only a product launch but also a head to head comparison of source technologies". With the launch of the third generation RevEAL Studio Fresnel 3 (SF3) Prism expands their RevEAL line of products by offering designers yet another way to use LED technology as their primary source within a familiar fixture format. "Many lighting designers consider the 750-Watt Source Four as a benchmark when comparing ... More >> Mittelmann takes new role with Community USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Thomas Mittelmann as director of business development, Asia-Pacific. A well-known industry figure, Mittelmann most recently worked with Powersoft, successfully concentrating on global brand building and marketing while overseeing sales in the Asian region. However, it was during his years with Lab.gruppen when rapid growth led from managing all overseas sales to focusing primarily on Asia, prompting his relocation from Germany to Singapore in 2007. Mittelmann ... More >> Charcoalblue in Theatre Royal restoration UK - Newcastle's Theatre Royal reopened its doors to the public on Monday 12 September following an extensive £5m restoration project. The complex renovation drew on the theatrical expertise of UK theatre consultants, Charcoalblue. Charcoalblue began work on the refurbishment project in September 2009. Managing director of the company Andy Hayles explains, "The scope of the restoration for this Grade I listed theatre was particularly ambitious, and included complete internal redecoration, new seating, new and refurbished pit ... More >> Stadium success for Mitsubishi Electric Poland - Mitsubishi Electric has commissioned a major stadium screen installation for the newly-opened Wroclaw Stadium in south west Poland. The 42,771 capacity stadium will be the main venue for the UEFA Euro 2012 soccer tournament as well as an impressive range of other major cultural, entertainment and sporting events planned for the coming year. The two 98sq.m screens overlook opposite ends of the stadium and have already been used successfully at several high profile music and sporting events. Working closely with local long-term ... More >> Robe in Clover at Sun City South Africa - Lighting designer Denis Hutchinson joined creative forces with Robert Grobler from rental company Techrig to produce a masterpiece of imagination and style for the Gala Dinner event at food and beverage brand specialist Clover's annual conference. This was staged in the Royal Ballroom venue at the Sun City resort, in the Pilansberg Mountains, South Africa. Robe moving lights - including 24 Robin 600 LEDWashes - were the key fixtures of the design, supplied by Johannesburg based Techrig, who provided lighting equipment and ... More >> Menlo Park church upgrades with Tannoy USA - "It is always disappointing when church technical teams have their expectations for a new system threatened by budgetary limitations," explains Michael Garrison, founder and owner of Michael Garrison Associates, a system design/consultation firm that has worked with churches all over the United States. "This was the exact situation we walked into at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church." Located in Menlo Park, California, the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church originally commissioned plans for a comprehensive building renovation in 2007. ... More >> Flex Array reinforces Kenyan concerts Kenya - This year's annual Safaricom Kenyan Classical Fusion series of classical concerts took place from 28 September to 2 October and were reinforced by Turbosound's Flex Array sound system. The Classical Fusion series consists of three concerts spanning two cities - Nairobi and Mombasa - and all three events were technically managed by Xtreme Media Solutions Africa Ltd with Nairobi sound company EdTheMix providing sound and monitoring systems. With audience sizes ranging from a small select VIP group of 800 in the Nairobi Arboretum ... More >> First sale of Calrec Artemis Light confirmed UK/USA - Calrec Audio reports that Cameron-Pace Group is the first customer to purchase Calrec's new Artemis Light audio console. The sale took place at IBC2011, on the same day as the official launch of the Artemis Light console. The Artemis Light is the newest member of Calrec's Artemis family of Bluefin 2 Hydra2 audio consoles, introducing a compact processing rack dedicated to delivering digital signal processing (DSP) and routing capabilities in a 4U enclosure. Cameron-Pace Group chose the Artemis Light to upgrade Mobile Unit 1, a ... More >> APRS Sound Fellowships announced UK - The 5th annual APRS Sound Fellowship Awards Lunch, is to be held at the Roof Gardens, Kensington on Tuesday 22 November. Stephen Navin, CEO, Music Publishers' Association, has been invited to give the 'keynote' address by way of proposing the special 'Harewood Toast'. The Harewood Toast was introduced to provide an opportunity for a prominent member of the music, film and TV businesses to speak about the relationship they have with the studios and service providers that make their products. The inaugural proposer of the Harewood ... More >> Updated software for Martin P3 controllers Denmark - Martin Professional has recently made available version 2.1.0 software for the family of P3 system controllers for LED screens. Compatible with the Martin P3-100, P3-200 and P3-PC System Controllers, the free-of-charge software includes a host of new features and improvements. One of the key new software features is CAD Mapping Background, an ergonomic feature that makes P3 system controllers even easier to use. CAD Mapping Background allows users to import a CAD drawing (stage, building, etc.) and then map LED video panels ... More >> W-DMX BlackBox MK2 launched Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has announced the latest addition to the G4 line, the W-DMX BlackBox MK2, launched during PLASA and shipping Q4 2011. The BlackBox MK2 contains all of the features of the G4 line including the ability to repair corrupted data creating maximum security by running on dual band (2.4GHz and 5.8GHz) as well as creating a backup duplicate of the signal. New features in the MK2 include: Built in Quick Lock; DIN RAIL prepared, rack and truss mountable; Both 5-Pin and 3-Pin DMX Connectors for both IN and OUT; ... More >> Apollo takes Multiform's GII range to LDI USA - Apollo Design Technology will be displaying Multiform's latest GII range of LED lighting products at LDI 2011 in Orlando where their booth will be staffed by Joel Nichols, Jeff Mateer and Melissa Irk. Multiform's MultiSpot GII HP3 and MultiSpot GII HP5 high powered professional fixtures are housed in a waterproof diecast and extruded aluminium chassis using 5 Pin XLR and Neutrik PowerCon connectors for internal and rental applications. By fitting an optional conversion kit using cable glands and hard wired cables the devices meet ... More >> EES appointed Robert Juliat distributor Spain - Robert Juliat has confirmed that Entertainment Equipment Supplies (EES) of Spain has joined the Robert Juliat distributor family. From 1 September 2011, EES has assumed responsibility for sales activity across Spain and Portugal, promoting and supporting the full range of Robert Juliat lighting equipment including tungsten, HMI and LED profiles and wash lights and the world-famous range of followspots. EES has two bases in Spain from which to service its customers, at Astigarraga and Madrid, whilst the Portuguese market benefits ... More >> MilTec at the Showman's Show UK - MilTec (UK) Ltd will be showing a mixture of old favourites and new LED Lighting products at the Showman's Show. The venue is the Newbury Showground on 19 -20 October. Portable products will feature heavily on the stand with a new high powered battery uplighter on show for the first time. The ULite6000 is bright enough to light trees and architectural features without the need for cabling. Moving heads are now an affordable option with the EPW dual function wash/spot. For exterior lighting there will be a range of LED battens and ... More >> L-Acoustics & Sennheiser Canada end collaboration Canada / France - L-Acoustics and Sennheiser Canada Inc. have announced their joint decision to end their collaboration. Sennheiser Canada will cease to be the exclusive distributor of the L-Acoustics brand in Canada, effective 1 January 2012. Starting January 2012, all sales support will be provided direct from L-Acoustics. A communiqué to this effect will be issued to all Canadian customers and users within the next few days. As for the future representation of the brand, L-Acoustics will establish a Certified Provider Network ... More >> Espoo Cultural Centre upgrades with Meyer Finland - The Espoo Cultural Centre (Espoon kulttuurikeskus) is the premier venue for performing arts and cultural life in Espoo, Finland's second largest city. Earlier this year, Meyer Sound dealer Studiotec installed a new M'elodie line array system in the cultural centre's 800-seat Tapiola Hall (Tapiolasali). System versatility is key at the Tapiola Hall, which hosts musicians from around the world for dance, opera, and conferences, as well as crossover performances with classical orchestras and electric bands. Local children with ... More >> New look Showgroup keeps busy South Africa - Showgroup recently underwent a complete transformation from a fresh new logo, new website, trucks with bright green sign-writing, office renovations and a Spa where clients and staff alike can make appointments for anything from free manicures to massages, ensuring everyone's welfare is looked after, says the company. On the technical side, Showgroup purchased 16 Robin 300E Spot fixtures, liking the optics, design and zoom of the fixtures, along with 14 new LTM Loadguard 500kg hoists. The Robins have already been hard at ... More >> Renovated Dutch Maritime Museum opens The Netherlands - The Dutch Maritime Museum - Het Scheepvaartmuseum - has reopened following major renovation. The museum consists of several themed exhibitions, object exhibitions and interactive exhibits. Rapenburg Plaza made an important contribution to the interior layout of the Museum. Rapenburg Plaza is responsible for the complete media and lighting control, the major part of the audio-visual installations and also the entire technical content, including the lighting & sound design for the Voyage at Sea - an impressive ... More >> Adamson launches Project Energia in Asia Indonesia - "In keeping with tradition of making the best sounding speaker boxes in the world, Adamson have outdone themselves. The E15 combined with the T21 is a force to be reckoned with. This changes everything," declares Ken 'Pooch' Van Druten about his experience mixing Linkin Park on the new Adamson E15 rig in Jakarta Indonesia. A set of shows over two evenings was the Asian maiden voyage for the new Adamson E15 system. Big Daddy productions based in Jakarta, Indonesia together with Team 108, Adamson's distributor for Southeast ... More >> KIva installed into historic concert hall Germany - L-Acoustics certified provider Soundhouse has installed a Kiva WST modular line source system into the Max Littmann Saal concert hall in Bad Kissingen. The historic concert hall, built in 1913 and panelled in cherry wood inlaid with ebony, can accommodate 1,160 people and specializes in classical music and spoken word performances through to blues and rock music. When the time came to upgrade its sound system, the major requirements were low weight, wide and controlled coverage and low visual impact. Soundhouse installed a ... More >> Eagle eye view for LTP UK - Llanelli-based Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) was asked by Lancashire-based Lite Ltd who are a Philips partner for the Midlands and the North providing solid state lighting solutions, to bring to life their lighting design for a new illuminated cube array feature at the city's Eagle Market. This bustling town centre market is incorporated within the new Westfield Derby shopping centre development which opened in 2007. The nine internally lit cubes are suspended from the steel grid ceiling structure and illuminated with over ... More >> Martin hosts designers seminar in Aarhus Denmark - Martin Professional recently held an installation products training seminar for lighting designers at its headquarters in Aarhus, the first of several planned over the coming year. Martin product manager for fixed installations, Jonathan Meineke, headed the training with participation from members of Martin's R&D and design & application departments. The training included an up-close look at a live lighting installation on the exterior of Martin's headquarter building, along with hands-on training in the Martin demo room. ... More >> XL Video at Phantom gala celebration UK - XL Video supplied LED screens, Video projection, IMAG camera system, HD playback and control systems and crew for the spectacular celebration event marking 25 Years of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera musical, produced by Cameron Macintosh and staged in London's Royal Albert Hall. The high-impact digital scenery and projections elements were designed by Jon Driscoll. He was asked onboard by the anniversary show's designer Matt Kinley and by Cameron Macintosh's production manager Nic Harris. Driscoll also designed ... More >> PR goes White for winter with d&b UK - London based AV and technical production services company Presentation Rentals (PR) has become the first UK company to offer an all-White d&b Audiotechnik sound system in its rental stock, which is being used to service its busy ongoing work schedule. The initial PR White Series speakers comprise d&b T10s and B4s, which make an suitable system for high profile small to medium events, and join PR's extensive d&b audio rental stock. PR has made the move after recent work in many venues in and around London - including art gallery and ... More >> Vierzon theatre opts for Nexo Geo system France - Nexo Geo S12 line array cabinets have been chosen by the Theatre Mac-Nab, the municipal arthouse of the French town of Vierzon, near Orleans. Installed by rental and installation specialist XB Diffusion, the system is a pgood example of Nexo's sound reinforcement solution for a 500-capacity auditorium. The theatre is named after the celebrated 19th century singer Maurice Mac-Nab, a native of Vierzon. Now in its 12th season, this dynamic venue punches well above its weight, booking well-known artists and hosting an eclectic ... More >> NL Productions at the MOBO Awards 2011 UK - NL Productions - the events arm of Northern Light - provided a range of equipment and services to this year's MOBO Awards, which took place in Glasgow on Wednesday 5 October. The company was called upon to provide a variety of audio visual systems including repeater screens to the left and right of the main stage, projectors, plasmas and lighting effects. Phil O'Halloran, head of NL Productions, commented: "It goes without saying that being asked to work on an event as prestigious as the MOBO Awards was a fantastic coup for NL ... More >> Zero 88 Fringe benefits UK - Members of Cooper Control's entertainment lighting control team spent the month of August onsite in Edinburgh, supporting one of the world's largest and most diverse performance festivals - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Over 150 venues selected Zero 88 control desks and dimming for their fringe appearance this year, with products being supplied from a large variety of Zero 88 dealers including Northern Light, Black Light, Hawthorn, HSL, Stage Electrics and Stage Lighting Services. On-site backup was provided by members of the Zero ... More >> OCA Alliance pre-releases technical documentation Europe - Making significant progress in its technical work, the OCA Alliance pre-released a first set of technical documents to its observer members, making it possible to follow up on the process to become an open public standard for professional media network systems. The Open Control Architecture Alliance has been formed to ensure the standardisation for a wide interoperability of professional audio equipment. Since its formation in June 2011 the nine full members have been working towards a final technical definition of OCA and it ... More >> Audio Light Systems at Theatre Royal Newcastle UK - Audio Light Systems has recently completed work at the Theatre Royal Newcastle on the restoration project. The ambitious development required the technical infrastructure to be replaced in the main auditorium and surrounding spaces. Audio Light Systems working to a Charcoal Blue specification completed the five-month build with the usual high standards required for this level of work. Over 20 miles of cable, over 100 new panels were used and more than 3,500 man hours were taken during the short build period. The Audio Light Systems ... More >> Cambridge NZ school takes iLive option New Zealand - St. Peter's School in Cambridge, New Zealand, recently installed an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system in its 600-capacity auditorium. Comprising an iDR-32 MixRack with iLive-T112 Control Surface, the system is an upgrade to the incumbent analogue mixer. One of New Zealand's leading independent secondary schools, St. Peter's is set in 100 acres of land and includes facilities such as an equestrian park and golf academy. The auditorium hosts various dance, drama and music events throughout the academic year, ... More >> Offstage Choices: Birmingham UK - The National Skills Academy is coming to the Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 4 November for the Birmingham leg of this year's Offstage Choices programme, which introduces young people to the variety of career options available 'offstage', through workshops and tours backstage in industry venues. Join them from 5.30pm in the StageSide bar for an evening of informal networking and the opportunity to discuss topics including: - How the Skills Academy can benefit you - How the NSA can support Birmingham's creative and cultural industry ... More >> Sennheiser at inaugural XSolutions 2011 UK - The inaugural XSolutions in London will see Sennheiser UK bringing a selected range of own brand and distributed products to this new AV technology based event. Having announced the full availability of all Channel 38 capable wireless ranges at PLASA2011, examples of Sennheiser's G3 2000 Series and 3000/5000 Series products will be on display at XSolutions. Sennheiser now offers a comprehensive selection of Channel 38 compatible choices with evolution G3 GB systems tuning from 606 to 648 MHz, 2000 GBW Series tuning from 606 to 678 ... More >> Anolis & Robe at Prague's designblok11 Czech Republic - Anolis and Robe exhibited at the designblok11 in Prague, a dynamic high profile expo highlighting creative ideas and innovative concepts across all areas of the design world - from street furniture to fashion, interiors to theatre sets, architecture to furniture. The six day event was staged at the Futurama Office Park in Karlin, one of the liveliest and most vibrant areas of Prague. Jiri Baros, Anolis & Robe's marketing and communications manager says, "It was really good for us to be represented amongst the top ... More >> Elation Master Class contest winner USA - Jeff Newing of Ala Carte Entertainment in Schaumburg, Illinois, is the winner of an all-expenses-paid trip from Elation Professional to attend the informative Live Design's Master Classes in Los Angeles, where lighting designers learn tips and techniques from some of the best lighting professionals in the business today. Newing was chosen at random out of 327 entries in the contest, which ran last month on Elation's Facebook page. He will receive round trip airfare to Los Angeles, three nights' hotel accommodations, meals and ... More >> Renkus-Heinz in Hamburg's Beatlemania Germany - Almost half a century after their first gig in the city, The Beatles finally came home to Hamburg when the concept of a permanent interactive exhibition dedicated to the Fab Four became a reality, with a Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker system powering an immersive cinema experience. Situated at the end of the Reeperbahn, in Hamburg's famous red-light and club district, and close to many of the venues where the band performed, Beatlemania is a 1,300 sq m celebration over five floors of the Liverpool band, from their early days in ... More >> Dynacord sound for Polish amphitheater Poland - Jozef Pilsudski Park in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski is one of the most popular recreational areas in Poland's Kamienna river basin. One of the latest attractions of the park is a new thousand-seater amphitheater. The programme scheduled for the new venue includes both theatrical productions and live concerts. This being the case, the amphitheater's sound reinforcement system necessarily had to be capable of offering the highest possible level of intelligibility as well as enough punch to bring musical performances to life. The ... More >> Gateway Church selects grandMA2 USA - The Bible-based, evangelical Gateway Church opened its new, main Southlake campus last fall from which it oversees the North Richland Hills (NRH) campus in the centre of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex and an extension campus in Frisco, Texas which opened last July. The church has a congregation of more than 20,000 people; the senior pastor's messages from the Southlake campus are fed live to the other campuses via fiber during Sunday worship services. Southlake boasts a grandMA2 full-size with a grandMA2 light as a backup while ... More >> DVA drives Motocross Championship in Italy Italy - dBTechnologies digital line arrays towered above the Motocross World Championship racecourse in Fermo last month. The dramatic undulations of the Italian track used for the last Grand Prix of the season could have presented quite a challenge for an audio engineer to provide complete coverage during the two-day event. Andrea Salvioli, however, was definitely up to the challenge. Making use of the manufacturer's newest release, DVA T12, dBTechnologies product manager and audio specialist, Salvioli explains the system's design. "We ... More >> Robe lights Capetown's Gospel Skouspel South Africa - Capetonians were treated to the Gospel Skouspel held at the Grand Arena at the Grand West Casino in Cape Town on 10 September 2011. Ninety-one Robe fixtures controlled by an Avo with technical support from a jacked-up team, ensured a breathtaking show. Local performers included Juanita du Plessis, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Nianell, Romanz, Retief Burger, Riana Nel and Joe Niemand amongst others. For the fifth consecutive year, Phoenix 5 called on the technical expertise of Cape Town based rental company, C&S, for the ... More >> Successful Music Moscow for Martin Russia - Held from 15-18 September at the Culture Exhibition Centre Sokolniki, Music Moscow is an annual entertainment technology trade show that attracts thousands of visitors from across Russia and the CIS. This year, Martin Professional was represented via its Russian office, which opened in Moscow in 2010, and was supported by Martin headquarter personnel including Martin area sales manager Peter Dahlin and Martin product managers Paul Pelletier and Peter Skytte, who conducted product demonstrations and master classes. "Thanks to ... More >> The Week in Lighting & Sound Tax Relief - Commercial producers and Arts Council England are lobbying the government to introduce US-style tax relief that would allow theatre investors to write off losses against income tax, reports The Stage. The Treasury has just finished consulting on proposals aimed at extending tax benefits on investment by business angels for small and start-up businesses across all sectors. However, in its response, ACE has called on the government to launch a separate review looking specifically at tax breaks for all the creative ... More >> Tecnimúsica extends Martin distribution Portugal - Following several years of strong growth as Martin Audio's exclusive Portuguese distributor, Tecnimúsica has now been awarded full brand representation by the British manufacturer for all the PALOP territories (the group of five African countries where Portuguese is the official language). Tecnimusica's new status was confirmed during last month's PLASA Show in London by Martin Audio director of sales, Simon Bull, and export sales manager, Martin Kelly. "We have worked with Tecnimúsica's owner Jorge de Oliveira and his team ... More >> Sales-All to distribute SGM in Benelux Benelux - Rentall, one of Holland's leading technology sales and rental companies, has been appointed exclusive Benelux distributors for SGM lighting - under its newly formed division, Sales-All BV. The appointment was confirmed, with immediate effect at this year's PLASA Show in London, by company director Michel Roelofsen, and SGM's managing director Peter Johansen and export area manager Steen Geertsen. Along with co-founder Theo van Workum, Roelofsen has built up a formidable sales and rental company over the past 15 years, with ... More >> Optocore network for Juventus Stadium Italy - Audio sales and rental service company, Agorà, has carried out an advanced sound and lighting installation at the new Juventus Stadium in Turin. For audio network transport and signal distribution they have developed an Optocore redundant optical fibre ring system to span the new 41,000 capacity arena. Agorà's relationship with the German fibre network specialists extends back to 2002 when the company's Italian distributors Audiosales srl first introduced them to the system. After many years of discussions, demos and comparative ... More >> Electro-Voice reinforces Papal Mass in Berlin Germany - The official visit to Germany of Pope Benedict XVI received worldwide press coverage, whilst the national media provided comprehensive information on the event by means of special programmes, talk shows and live reports. The highlight of the tour was a visit to the German capital, Berlin, on 22-23 September, where the Pope celebrated the Mass with 61,000 followers in the Olympic Stadium while millions more followed the event on television. To ensure that not a word spoken by the Pope, who has a relatively quiet voice, was lost ... More >> NMK Roland roadshow hits Bahrain Bahrain - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, Roland Professional distributors in the region, have recently completed the Roland Roadshow series with the last and final event hosted in Bahrain. The event, which attracted professionals from the AV industry included individuals from installation companies, live sound rental firms and broadcast integrators. "Although Bahrain has gone through some difficulties this year, we experienced an upbeat and very interested attendance that were full for two of three sessions we hosted," ... More >> Yamaha amplification for the Žalgiris Arena Lithuania - Yamaha audio equipment is making high profile inroads into the audio systems of the world's major sporting venues. DME series digital mixing engines and SB168-ESstage boxes are a feature of the new audio system at Paris's Stade de France and now Europe's newest major sporting venue, Lithuania's Žalgiris Arena, features no less than 31 Yamaha power amplifiers. Located in Kaunas, the €50m Žalgiris Arena covers 39,684m² and is the largest in the Baltic states. Designed as a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue, its ... More >> Paradigm confirms largest Supernova order UK - Paradigm Audio Visual has fulfilled its biggest single order for large-format front-projection displays - from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. As a result, well over 200 dnp Supernova Core 16:10 optical screens will be deployed for general purpose use within primary and secondary schools in the borough over the next few months. This includes 105 low-gain (08:85) screens - to be divided across five primary schools - after the council had earlier endorsed the Supernova platform for use in two new-build secondary schools ... More >> Delicate acquires Martin MLA system USA - Martin Audio and Delicate Productions of Camarillo and San Francisco, California have announced Delicate's purchase of an MLA Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array system. Joining North Carolina-based Special Event Services (SES) and Las Vegas-based On Stage Audio (OSA) as key North American companies in the growing worldwide MLA Network, Delicate has taken delivery of an extensive MLA System comprised of MLA enclosures, MLD down-fill enclosures and MLX subwoofers. Delicate first employed MLA on a successful Selena Gomez tour of North ... More >> Projection Studio on Diespeker Wharf UK - Ross Ashton's The Projection Studio was commissioned to design and create a special five-minute son et lumière video artwork for award winning London based Pollard Thomas Edwards architects (PTEa), who specialise in the creation of new neighbourhoods and the revitalisation of old ones. This was for a special event at their base in Diespeker Wharf, Islington, on the banks of the Regent Canal, a listed building and former Victorian timber mill, which has been innovatively restored and converted into a contemporary workspace and HQ ... More >> Orbital scores Manchester musical hat-trick UK - Last week, Manchester's principal theatre venues all ran simultaneous musical productions supported by London-based Orbital Sound, with the hit musical comedy Sister Actat the Opera House completing the trio at the start of its first-ever UK and Ireland tour. Sister Act is now running at the Opera House until 15 October. Orbital also provided the sound equipment and support for the UK tour of Grease at the Palace Theatre, and for the new UK touring production of Top Hat at the Lowry. Orbital Sound's show ... More >> Girls night in with dB Technologies UK - In a sales initiative pioneered by the White Rose shopping centre in Leeds Joe McElderry and the Rizzle Kicks performed to a crowd of 8500 people as part of the centre's Girls night in event. All the shops reopened for the event with exclusive discounts for the ticket only evening whilst audiences were entertained by the acts. Powered by six dB Technologies DVA T4 and three DVA S10 per side this was the system's first major event for Indivisual who recently added the system to their rental inventory and also managed the ... More >> Birmingham Hippodrome chooses Leader Light UK - In the few short months of being distributed in the UK by White Light, the comprehensive range of LED fixtures from Leader Light has attracted quite considerable attention - and has already been selected by a number of lighting practitioners, including the team at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre. The theatre has purchased seven Leader Light Stage Wash RGBAW fixtures, a 60cm long, 12cm wide, 12.5cm deep LED batten that incorporates five LED colours - red, green, blue, amber and white - to give a higher output and more flexible ... More >> Christie MicroTiles for Bulgaria On Air Bulgaria - New television station Bulgaria On Air has commissioned a major Christie MicroTiles installation at its newly-renovated facility near Sofia Airport. This is the first use of the video wall in Bulgaria. Owned by MSAT Cable, a subsidiary of Holding Varna, the priority of this broadcaster is to deliver top quality business and financial information to local audiences and international investors, advising them on the opportunities that exist in Bulgaria. Their development strategy is to generate leads by attracting the right ... More >> RCF brings VSA Series to xSolutions UK - RCF will augment the targeted product range it plans to present at xSolutions 2011 (19-20 October, ExCeL London) by extending the family of VSA vertical digitally-steerable array columns. At the recent PLASA Show, the company launched its smaller VSA 850 and VSA 1250 for the first time, complementing the original VSA 2050 - and such was the impact created that they have decided to give them a second airing at the ExCel. "This entire show is about providing creative solutions for AV specialists and M&E consultants - and this will ... More >> EAW / SSE aid Chili Peppers simulcast Germany / USA - In order to generate high-octane promotion of their new album I'm With You, Red Hot Chili Peppers recently simulcast a live concert from Cologne to cinemas throughout the States. With their long-serving FOH engineer, Dave Rat, piloting the house mix, the band performed all songs off the album plus many other selected hits - largely through an EAW sound system. The European promo run immediately preceded the South American leg of the band's stadium-sized world tour, and according to Rat, the concert at Cologne's ... More >> Yamaha sponsors Association of Sound Designers UK - Founded by some of the UK's leading sound designers, the ASD was officially launched at PLASA2011 to provide sound designers a professional representative body. Issues such as training and new technology are at the forefront of the Association's aims and so it has actively sought support from rental companies, educational institutions and equipment manufacturers. As one of the professional audio industry's major examples of the latter, Yamaha Commercial Audio is very supportive of the new venture. "Providing support for end users ... More >> d&b audiotechnik extends E-Series UK - The d&b audiotechnik benchmark E-Series comprises some of the smallest loudspeakers within the Black range of products. In order to expand the offering within this series, d&b is launching the new E4and E5 loudspeakers that size wise fit below the recently launched E6,the successor for the venerable little E3. The E4 will be available from November 2011, while the release of the E5 is scheduled for January 2012. The E4 and E5, the latter being a new design for the popular E0, are lightweight two-way passive loudspeakers that employ ... More >> Martin MAC 101s on Rihanna's Loud tour World - Production and lighting designer Roy Bennett is using 112 Martin MAC 101 wash lights for R&B singer Rihanna's current Loud world tour and praises the ultra-small fixture's combination of small size and brightness as important elements in his lighting design. "They have been great," Bennett says, adding that the compact fixture has also been an excellent lighting fixture on Paul McCartney's latest tour, also a Roy Bennett designed show. "I love the 101s because of the size, weight and speed, as well as the light output." ... More >> Tannoy solutions for historic Indian theatre India - The Gaitey Theatre in Himachal Pradesh, India, has a special look that is worth preserving. This remarkable piece of Victorian-theatre architecture was conceived by legendry Architect Henry Irwin, and symbolises the grandeur of the British colonial period heritage. After the inception in the year 1887, eminent theatre personalities like Rudyard Kipling, Baden Powel, K.L.Sehgal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Balraj Sahni, and Manohar Singh have taken to the stage of this theatre. The government of Himachal Pradesh recently restored the ... More >> PixelRange in Stratford upon Avon UK - Worcester-based LED lighting manufacturer, PixelRange part-hosted the STLD's tour of the recently transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, enabling the busy television lighting designers to view the latest innovations in Smart LED lighting whilst taking in the theatre tour. STLD and ALD members had travelled from London and around the country to the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatre where, as well as a tour of the historic playhouse, the designers took in a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. ... More >> ARCUS Lighting offers Wholehog seminars Germany - High End Systems, a Barco company, reports that ARCUS Lighting, the exclusive distributor of High End Systems and Flying Pig Systems in Germany, is now a certified Wholehog training centre. Starting in October 2011, ARCUS will hold monthly two-day training courses free-of-charge at their Paderborn, Germany offices. ARCUS Lighting staff members have been certified by High End Systems to teach programming and operation of Wholehog consoles including the Wholehog 3, Road Hog Full Boar, Road Hog and Hog 3PC software. Utilising the ... More >> APG jazzes up the Seine France - Moored at the Quai de l'Oise in the 19th arrondissement, L'Improviste is a traditional 'peniche' or longboat that has been completely restored and converted into Paris's latest jazz club/wine bar. The lower deck, which houses the jazz club, has been equipped with a new APG sound system, specified and installed by systems contractor and events specialist, Octalino. Given the rather 'bijou' dimensions of both the room and the stage, the venue required a physically unobtrusive system that would nevertheless deliver professional ... More >> Durban hire company chooses HK Audio South Africa - Durban based rental company Clifi Sound (formerly Sound Design), who specialise in corporate and live event production, recently invested in a HK Audio ConTour Array 2 system from Pro Audio, the authorised distributor for HK Audio loudspeaker systems in South Africa. "The flexibility of the CTA as well as its warm tone has made an impression on those looking for quality professional audio products," says Andrew Sorrill, audio specialist at Pro Audio. "The ConTour Array is extremely expandable in setup from a compact ... More >> Emilie Autumn puts DPA 4088 through its paces Europe - Theatrical performer and musician Emilie Autumn, backed by her all-female band the Bloody Crumpets, doesn't stint on the entertainment. Apart from singing, violin-playing and vaudevillian chit-chat between performers, Autumn's act includes aerial flying, burlesque fan dancing, stilt-walking, fire eating and multiple costume changes. She finds the only headworn mic to keep pace with her flamboyant performances is the DPA 4088 cardioid headset. "I've been using the DPA 4088F in all of my shows, which are a blend of rock and ... More >> Lighthouse LED at Vancouver's BC Place Canada - Lighthouse and TS Sports have completed the installation of four huge LED video screens at BC Place in Vancouver, home of MLS' Vancouver Whitecaps and the CFL's BC Lions, to create the world's second largest centre-hung LED video system, a visually-arresting four-sided system that also serves as the origin for BC Place's new suspension bridge-style retractable fabric roof. With design by Anthony James Partners, the centre-hung LED video system features Lighthouse's new Impact 16 LED video product. With over 6,500sq.ft of LED ... More >> Robert Juliat appoints distributor for Belgium Belgium - Robert Juliat has added AED Distribution NV (Belgium) to its family of international distributors. The latest addition to Robert Juliat's worldwide network, AED Distribution forms part of the AED group which has a strong reputation for investing in the industry's most popular, high quality equipment. With over 200 Robert Juliat followspots in stock at the time of going to press, AED Rent (AED group's dry-hire company) holds one of the largest rental stocks of Robert Juliat equipment in Europe. "AED is constantly investing in ... More >> APG on tour with PAN.OPTIKUM France - PAN.OPTIKUM describe themselves as an ensemble of street or action theatre artists. They are all about outdoor theatre productions on a huge scale with complex and spectacular pyrotechnics, gigantic purpose-built theatrical machines, large-scale projection, stunning lighting and effects, and a troupe of artists who clearly aren't afraid of heights. Each show tells a story through the media of theatre, music and song. The company responsible for transmitting those messages - aurally, at least - is Freiburg-based rental company, ... More >> Black Light revamps dance school floor UK - Black Light has supplied a versatile new dance floor for one of Scotland's leading independent dance schools. The company was commissioned by the Yvonne Gray Dance School to revamp the flooring at its Cupar Studio and chose a Rosco Adagio floor for the job. The project was turned around on time and on budget - now hundreds of young (and not so young) Scottish dancers will be able to enjoy this wonderful new facility. "Black Light have been so helpful in the process of selecting and installing our new dance floor covering. Their ... More >> Martin Professional to participate in PLDC 2011 Spain - Martin Professional will be participating in the upcoming PLDC event in Madrid as a Silver Sponsor and will have its European Project Sales Team of sales, project and product managers on hand to present the latest in Martin dynamic lighting and visual solutions. This year's PLDC will be held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid from 19-22 October. PLDC is a conference held every second year that addresses trends in architecture and lighting with a series of presentations by internationally renowned speakers. It also includes ... More >> Minute to Win It - with Coemar UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light - UK distributor for lighting manufacturer Coemar - recently teamed up with television lighting supplier Richard Martin Lighting to let lighting director Will Charles sample Coemar's Infinity range of products - Spot, Wash and ACL - while lighting the UK version of Minute To Win It, a new TV challenge show based on a US show of the same name. Produced by Shine TV for ITV2, the show was shot at BBC TV Centre's TC6 studio. However, part of the challenge faced by set designer Simon ... More >> L-Acoustics Kara reinforces castle concert Denmark - Moto Rental has been supplying equipment for the annual Ledreborg Slotskoncerter (Ledreborg Castle Concert) for almost 20 years. Since 1999, Moto Rental has used L-Acoustics systems for the event, hosted by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra with various guest performers. This year, FOH engineer Henrik Bonné chose Moto's new Kara WST modular line source system with SB18 subs for the concert. "Everyone was very excited about getting this large Kara/SB18 system," says Bonné who has mixed the concert since 1995. "... More >> Medialon at 54th Venice Biennale Italy - Two Medialon MIP HD media player units along with a Medialon Manager show control license are currently running on The Black Arch, a collaboration work made by the Artist Shadia Alem and writer Raja Alem to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its debut participation in the 54th International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia - running in Italy from June 04th to November 27th, 2011. Damien Lebrun and Nathalie Grassi from CYWEB, a France-based company specialized in multimedia tools and content development, were ... More >> AC-ET provides hub for entertainment technologies UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) received a great reception to many leading innovations showcased exclusively on the company's stand at PLASA 2011 - with highlights including new products from Chroma-Q, GLP, PixelRange, Jands Vista, Litec and Traction Sound. AC-ET UK sales director, Jonathan Walters commented, "We've had a great response to the latest Chroma-Q, PixelRange and GLP LED-based fixtures alongside moving head models from GLP, Clay Paky, Martin Professional, Robe lighting and VARI*LITE. Also causing a buzz were the ... More >> Blitz wins AV Rental Award UK - At last week's Professional AV Awards, Blitz was awarded the accolade of 'AV Rental and Staging Company of the Year 2011'. Chaired by Clive Couldwell, Editor of AV Europe, the judges' citation read: "A fantastic entry from Blitz Communications! Their submission showed that hard work really pays off - making significant profits this year, despite the economic downturn. They have shown product innovation with the development of their own digital signage system, LiveVIEW, as well as impressive marketing innovations." The awards ... More >> WATCHOUT V5 heads for LDI USA - Dataton and their North American partner, Show Sage LLC, will be demonstrating version 5 of WATCHOUT multi-display production and playback system at LDI. Jim Testa, Show Sage's president, explains, "As Dataton's North American distributor we are pleased to be spearheading the introduction of WATCHOUT version 5 to LDI attendees. Already recognized as the number one multi-display software solution for the industry, WATCHOUT version 5 offers many new advantages to our customers including enhanced live interaction and a significantly ... More >> AED to distribute GDS in Benelux Benelux - GDS (Global Design Solutions) has announced the appointment of AED Distribution as its exclusive distributor for Benelux as part of a deal with its equipment banker AED Rent. Equipment banking means AED Rent rents equipment to AV professionals only. AED Rent now holds the largest stock of GDS LiteWare anywhere in Europe. AED Rent is part of the AED group has subsidiaries across Europe. With over 31 years' experience AED Rent carries an extensive portfolio from leading manufactures, ranging from lighting and sound products to ... More >> grandMA2 joins autosymphonic party Germany - The multimedia autosymphonic show closed celebrations for the 125th birthday of the automobile in Mannheim. An audience of 17,000 attended the spectacle that traced the history of cars and gave an insight into their future development. For the show, the whole Friedrichsplatz was transformed into a concert stage area of 65,000sq.m. Entertainment included a gig by leading band Söhne Mannheims in addition to the autosymphonic show that was specially commissioned for this event and performed by the SWR ... More >> Dolly Parton tours with Midas PRO Series World - Dolly Parton is touring with a pair of digital consoles from the Midas PRO range: a PRO6 at front of house, operated by Mike Fechner, and a PRO9 on monitors, both supplied by Thunder Audio of Detroit. The world tour, in support of her Better Day album, kicked off in the US before travelling to Europe for a string of sell-out arena concerts. Using Midas digital for the first time, Dolly's monitor engineer Jason Glass is finding his PRO9 invaluable for the complex show, which changes from bluegrass to full string pop to ... More >> Christie Lites invests in Martin MAC Aura USA - Lighting rental and production company Christie Lites has purchased 2000 of Martin Professional's award-winning MAC Aura moving head wash lights for their many rental locations across North America. Christie Lites CEO Huntly Christie commented on the purchase, stating, "When making a commitment, Christie Lites looks for products that are first in its class. We believe the MAC Aura's patented colour mixing system, powerful output, clean optics and affordable price tag will deliver the design community a fabulous tool. We are very ... More >> Acuity Brands acquires Pathway Connectivity USA / Canada - Acuity has acquired for cash Pathway Connectivity, Inc. Pathway is a leading manufacturer of networked data communications and interface equipment for architectural and entertainment lighting control applications worldwide. Established in 1985 and based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Pathway designs and manufactures electronics that enable lighting control systems to communicate with intelligent lighting fixtures and power devices, even when those products utilize different communications protocols. Terms of the acquisition ... More >> Hellbellies hit the road with Nexo Norway - One of Norway's most popular recording art monitorsists, country rock group the Hellbillies, is spending 2011 taking Nexo's new N-12 stage monitors all over the country on an epic eight-month tour. Hellbillies' monitor engineer Atle Aamodt sourced eight of the 45°N-12 wedges from rental company and Nexo distributor Fotophono for the national tour, and has found them a major advance on the in-ear monitors being used by the band, especially in an environment where the acoustics or PA are poor and muddying the sound on stage. "... More >> Genelec monitors in New York's Pony Bar USA - It's to be expected that a bar might be serious about the drinks that it serves, but The Pony Bar, located at 10th Avenue and 45th Street in Manhattan's famed Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood, takes the quality of its sound system no less seriously. The Pony Bar, which offers some of America's finest craft brews, also provides beer aficionados with a nightly music soundtrack from artists such as Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Phish and Wilco played back though six Genelec 8030A Bi-Amplified Monitor Speakers and a 7050A Active Subwoofer. ... More >> i-Pix Satellite II adds W-DMX technology Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden has added yet another company to its growing list of OEM partners. W-DMX technology is now available in the new i-Pix Satellite II, an LED brick light based on the original best-selling Satellite fixture, now with three times the output. Suitable for stage and theatrical applications where space is a premium, the handy sized Satellite can be easily concealed in a wide variety of small spaces in stage sets, under risers, in trussing, etc. With the addition of W-DMX, this unit solves a myriad of ... More >> Turbosound's Milan Mi0 comes to SCV London UK - Turbosound's Milan portable self-powered range of loudspeakers has a new addition - the Mi0, a lightweight, self-powered two-way compact loudspeaker that makes your portable system even easier to handle. The Milan Mi0 enclosure consists of a 10" reflex-loaded neodymium low frequency driver and a 1" high frequency compression driver on a 90°H x 60°V dispersion HF horn in an optimally tuned injection-moulded enclosure, together with an integrated two-channel amplifier module. The integrated amplifier is a two channel unit - ... More >> Major product range expansion at VDC Trading UK - AV specialist, VDC Trading has launched a series of new cable and connector ranges. that represent "the first wave of an expansion that will see hundreds of new stock items added to the VDC Trading catalogue in the coming weeks - in direct response to customer demand". Commenting on the firm's expansion plans, VDC Trading's CEO Niall Holden said, "The excitement for me in business is the constant need for change and improvement. I always enjoy the challenge, and this range expansion has been no different. "When you're adding even ... More >> Revised Code of Practice for sports grounds UK - The British Standards Institution has launched the revised BS7827, a code of practice for audio systems designers in sports venues. BS7827 officially known as a code of practice for designing, specifying, maintaining and operating emergency sound systems at sports venues, was initially drawn up in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, and covers not only stadia, but any venue where sport is played such as racecourses, swimming pools etc, it is also applicable to large public facilities such as shopping malls, conference ... More >> Busy summer season for Martin Professional Europe - Summer means outdoor music season across Europe with Martin Professional lighting rigs going up on a wide variety of music festivals from rock to pop to dance to classical. Here is a small sampling of the many music festivals that featured Martin lighting rigs this past summer. The Reading Festival, the world's oldest popular music festival still in existence, and its sister festival, the Leeds Festival, took place simultaneously in August, sharing the same bill. Neg Earth provided the main stage lighting, trussing and control ... More >> Helen Meyer wins 2011 Women in AV Award USA - Helen Meyer, executive vice president of Meyer Sound, has been recognised with the 2011 InfoComm International Women in AV Award. At ceremonies held on 23 September in conjunction with the InfoComm 100 conference in Portland, Ore., Meyer accepted the accolade with the other winner this year, Erin Bolton, partner and strategic development for Pivot Communications. Now in its third year, the Women in AV Award acknowledges female AV industry professionals who represent a strong entrepreneurial spirit and excellence in technology ... More >> LumenRadio on Hardcore Superstar tour Sweden - Hardcore Superstar is Sweden's most popular band in the hard rock genre with a very distinctive musical and visual identity. After seven albums and seven world tours, the quartet from outside Gothenburg has grown to be a headline act at many European festivals. The group has also toured with some of biggest rock names including AC/DC and Motörhead. When lighting designer Henke Hjälm, together with Hans Ekdahl at HELL Produktion AB, wanted to bring along a wireless DMX/RDM system on the band's extensive European tour, the choice ... More >> Theatre lighting shoot out in Manchester UK - The ALD and the ABTT assisted by Stage Electrics are holding a shoot out of LED theatre lanterns at the Royal Northern College of Music Opera Theatre, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RD on 28 October 2011. The intention is to see what an average theatre might expect from LED lanterns. To which end manufacturers have been invited to provide examples ofLED lanterns falling into the categories of - Profile Spots, Acting Area Wash Lights, Scenery/Cyclorama Wash Lights and Beam Lights - PAR equivalents etc. To limit the field, moving ... More >> Solution from Bosch protects the end of the line UK - An entire portfolio of technologies from Bosch Security Systems - including the PLENA range of Public Address/Voice Alarm (PA/VA) technology - is being installed at the new Stobart Rail operated railway station at Stobart Group's London Southend Airport to protect the safety and security of passengers and staff. The station and airport, which was acquired by the famous transport and logistics group in 2008, features the Bosch range of Projection Speakers and Metal Cabinet Speakers to ensure effective communications with passengers, ... More >> Lightmoves fits out Madeleine Centre Australia - Genazzano FCJ College, located in Kew, Melbourne, recently unveiled their new Madeline Centre for Music and Performing Arts. The Madeleine Centre is a fully functioning performing arts venue, incorporating a series of classrooms, drama rooms, a gallery space and the impressive Montagner Auditorium. The 456 seat auditorium and the accompanying rooms are already heavily used each day, playing host to drama and theatre studies, music classes, band rehearsals, meetings, assemblies, seminars, concerts, recitals and theatre ... More >> LTP keeps fit in Llanelli UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has supplied Llanelli's newest gym, the Robert Davies Health and Fitness Centre, with a solution-led lighting scheme. Having undergone a complete refurbishment, the venue, which is in close proximity to LTP's base, required an innovative interior lighting scheme to enhance its extensive facilities. Offering a two-floor gymnasium, sauna, steam and salt inhalation rooms, boxercise, a spinning room and two studios, along with physiotherapy areas and a coffee shop and lounge, LTP was able to design ... More >> PF Events assists OnLive launch UK - OnLive, the pioneer of cloud gaming, launched its on-demand video game service at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, London, where PF Events were official sole AV suppliers. The launch itself occurred in the Developer Sessions conference room, for which PF Events were contracted to supply all the audio, video, lighting, staging and technical management. The four-day event featured presentations from some of the leading games developers and manufacturers in the industry and included a combination of speech, HD presentations and ... More >> TI introduces offline LED lighting drivers Italy - At the Strategies in Light Europe conference in Milan this week, Texas Instruments Incorporated introduced two integrated, phase-dimmable AC/DC LED lighting drivers, LM3448 and TPS92070, for use in solid state lighting residential, architectural, commercial and industrial applications, such as retrofit bulbs, LED ballasts, downlights, spot lights and other luminaires. The National LM3448 adaptive, constant-off time AC/DC constant current LED regulator integrates a 600-V MOSFET and is optimized for 2-W to 8-W dimmable LED ... More >> The Week in Lighting & Sound Lecture Notes - Pete Townshend is to deliver the inaugural John Peel Lecture, in which he will assess the state of music in the internet age. The lecture, part of the Radio Festival in Salford at the end of this month, will become an annual event given by a different music figure every year. Townshend will ask how musicians can survive in the age of free downloads. The lecture, named in honour of legendary DJ Peel, who died in 2004, will be broadcast live on BBC 6 Music. Townshend said he was "honoured" to be asked to deliver the ... More >> PLASA elections underway World - PLASA members worldwide have begun voting in the Association's yearly elections, which commenced this week. The month-long ballot, in which over 1,000 members participate, will decide places on PLASA's European and North American Regional Boards, together with a single seat on its over-arching Governing Body. The two Regional Boards are still a relatively new concept for PLASA, having been formally launched at the start of 2011. Their role is to represent the interests of members affiliated to those regions, ensuring that PLASA ... More >> White Light to distribute CITC in Europe UK - CITC, located in the USA, has been in the forefront of manufacturing unique and exciting effects equipment for many years, and White Light is proud to announce their exclusive distributorship for the European community. Their President, Gary Crawford, is well known for his work as a Special Effects Coordinator, and has worked on such movies as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, 2010, Poltergeist, Halloween III, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many more well known films, his first being Camelot. He is also the recipient of the 1997 ... More >> ETC LDI Student Sponsorship recipients announced USA - In its continuing support of arts education, ETC has announced the recipients of its 12th annual LDI Student Sponsorship. The programme gives six students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of lighting design and stage technology an exclusive opportunity for professional development. The students enjoy an all expenses paid trip to the LDI trade show; backstage access to ETC's tradeshow stand; an insider's look at the latest technology; and the chance to network with industry professionals. ETC matches the ... More >> Philips Strand Lighting at Skidmore College USA - At colleges and universities around the world, technical directors are often faced with the same challenge when it comes to lighting control for their performance season. Using primarily student technicians, the control console must be intuitive enough for a novice programmer, but also must be able to handle the creative needs of seasoned programmer when the production calls for it. Such is the case at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, where technical director Shawn DuBois oversees a full production schedule using student ... More >> St Joseph's upgrades with Renkus-Heinz USA - Originally constructed in 1919, St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls, SD recently put the finishing touches on a decade-long restoration project. Totalling more than $16m, the extensive renovation and restoration process of the majestic church was overseen by architect Duncan G. Stroik. Intrinsic to the project was replacing the church's 25 year-old sound system. Serving as Mother Church to the Diocese, as well as parish church for Sioux Falls and other surrounding parishes, St. Joseph's masses services are well attended by ... More >> Green Hippo's full houses at PLASA 2011 UK - Green Hippo reports a busy and successful PLASA 2011. 2011 saw Green Hippo move to Hall 1, conveniently situated for passing traffic and easy to find, due to its trademark double-decker stand and the slightly green glow emanating all-round. The stand was never empty with visitors stopping by repeatedly and the upstairs area provided the perfect space for meetings or a chance to chill out with a drink from the strains of the show - perhaps with a pint of UberBrew or a glass of the green GrassHopper, says the company. As always, the ... More >> Mojo at Reading and Leeds Festivals UK - Mojo Barriers worked closely with organisers Festival Republic to develop a bespoke front of main stage barrier design, incorporating BLMS (Barrier Load Monitor Systems), and NME/Radio 1 stage barrier designs. The new designs were suitable for both the Reading and Leeds sites. A total of 1,100m of stage barrier was supplied to each festival, which included Mojo's line-up gate system for the silent disco. Mojo's BLMS detects and records pressure applied by the crowd throughout the event with its unique pressure sensors. It was first ... More >> DiGiCo sets sail on the Costa Favolosa Italy - With a role that included AV consulting, theatre consulting, and project management for all entertainment systems on board Costa Cruise's new flagship, the Costa Favolosa, Nautilus Entertainment of San Diego specified the systems shipwide, with a DiGiCo SD7T chosen for its impressive theatre. Following a three-day July vernissage cruise from Venice, the Costa Favolosa (114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total guests) began offering Eastern Mediterranean cruises, before being positioned in Dubai for eight-day Arabian Nights cruises ... More >> AB Acoustics extends EAW armoury UK - Rhondda-based AB Acoustics, one of Wales' leading suppliers of audio equipment for hire, sales or installation, have increased their inventory of EAW components, with the acquisition of the compact KF730 line array and more powerful KF740 system. Established in 1989, the company headed by Huw 'Buzz' Evans and Rob Ashton had been running EAW's popular KF750 as its premier system for the past eight years. In March this year the company invested in 12 of the compact KF730 line array elements, complemented by six SB730 subs, which ... More >> Adlib lights Clumber Festival UK - Adlib's lighting division supplied a full lighting rig and crew for the first time to the Clumber Park Music Festival in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, as their busy Summer festival period continued apace. Clumber's three diverse nights of entertainment for all ages and musical tastes - included Pop Party In the Park on Friday, headlined by N-Dubz also with sets by The Wanted, Chipmunk, Aggro Santos and Parade. It continued on the Saturday with a 'flashback' night featuring some of the best loved sounds of the 1980s with live ... More >> PixelPars light N Dubz UK tour UK - Pete Watts, LD and MD of Essex-based DPL Production Lighting (DPLX), has designed and supplied the lighting set for the recent UK Stadium tour of N-Dubz. To achieve the effects he wanted, he created a lighting rig comprising 30 PixelRange PixelPars. Watts explains, "I used PixelPars with 8-degree lenses, the reason being: I really wanted the speed of LED but the brightness of a moving wash. The PixelPar is bright enough for me to use as beam light, blinder or strobe - or all three! Very impressive for a single unit that draws less ... More >> Robert Juliat Illuminates Chicago Castle USA - Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament has installed a Topaze 1200W MSD followspot from Robert Juliat at its Chicago Castle, now celebrating its 20th year as one of the Midwest's most popular family entertainment destinations. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament offers guests "ringside seats to a story of bravery and honour set in 11th-century Spain. The spectacular includes a jousting tournament and falconry, all enjoyed over dinner. Barbizon Lighting Company supplied the Robert Juliat Topaze fixtures as part of a lighting upgrade to ... More >> New distribution for Pan Beam in China & Macau Germany / China - Pan Acoustics GmbH, the German manufacturer of the Pan Beam, easy to control Digital Steerable Loudspeakers, has announced continued growth of its distribution network in the form of a new distribution partnership with CY-Communications Ltd. for Hong Kong, China and Macau. CY-Communications Ltd specializes in providing leading audio and video solutions to enable businesses to communicate internally with remote office staff and externally with their customers. The flagship product is the V2 Conference System which ... More >> Reading Hexagon upgrades with Yamaha UK - The Hexagon in Reading is one of the Thames Valley's principal theatres, its catchment area covering the wide commuter belt west of London. A recent upgrade to its audio system has seen the installation of a Yamaha M7CL-48ES digital console and three SB168-ES stage boxes. The nature of venues like the Hexagon is that they stage a huge variety of productions - ranging from professional comedians, tribute acts, variety shows, choirs, psychics, musicals, pantomimes, dance troupes and TV spinoffs to amateur performances by clubs, ... More >> New lease of life for the fountain of Jouvence France - Inspired by the myth of the Fountain of Youth, a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks its waters, La Fontaine de Jouvence in Puteaux has recently been rejuvenated by a multicoloured, dynamic underwater illumination system. 4J Événements, the company in charge of the lighting installation of the fountain, has chosen with the help of CSI, Griven's exclusive distributor for France, the best solution for this project. After the necessary renovations of the square in front of the city ... More >> Robe for Idols South Africa South Africa - Idols is one of the most enduringly popular global TV talent shows - and Robe moving lights have joined the thrills, excitement and action on several Idols around the world, with the latest being the current series of Idols South Africa. This is recorded at the Mosaiek Teatro in Fairlands, Johannesburg live in front of 3,500 people, and broadcast on M-Net, M-Net HD and Mzansi Magic on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. The lighting and video visuals for this seventh series of Idols SA have been created by ... More >> Sound By Design appoints directors UK - Almost two years to the day since Sound By Design (SBD) joined forces with Delta Sound, and as part of the next phase in its development, the company has announced the appointments of Emma Gallagher and Lee Dennison as directors. Gallagher, who previously held the position of SBD general manager and has been with the company for the past 11 years, will take on the role of business development and client relations. Dennison, who has worked with sister company Delta for over six years, will bring his considerable experience in ... More >> Key appointments at Philips Strand Lighting USA - Philips Strand Lighting and Philips Selecon has announced the realignment of key manager positions to strengthen its sales and marketing operations in North America. In order to continue the worldwide operational realignment, the company has appointed industry-veteran Leonard Miller to the position of North American sales manager. "One of the key elements in the successful transformation of our North American sales and marketing team is to place talented and motivated individuals into leadership positions, and we have done so with ... More >> iLive at Blues in Hell Festival Norway - For the fourth year running, Norwegian PA company, Sceneservice, provided sound, light and staging for the Blues in Hell Festival, selecting Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing systems for FOH and monitors. The festival derives its name from the location, which is the village of Hell in the Nord-Trondelag area of Norway. The main festival venue is the Magic Mirror, a spectacular tent from the Belgian Company, Magic Mirrors, which hosted headline performances from artists including Delbert McClinton, Johnny Winter, Popa Chubby ... More >> ER Productions goes wireless with LumenRadio UK - ER Productions of London had been looking for a wireless control solution for years. Finally, after a demonstration from TMB of LumenRadio's wireless DMX system, they realised their search was over. As a laser production company, ER relies heavily on atmospheric products being in the right place at the right time, and always on cue. This is especially true at festivals, where, given the unpredictable conditions, it is essential to tick all the boxes and prepare for every eventuality. In the past this meant spending many hours of ... More >> APart installations in Serbia & Knokke Serbia / Belgium - The Vojvodina clinical centreprovides emergency and regular health care for the city of Novisad and Vojvodina, the northern province of Serbia. The hospital was completed in 2010. The hospital also houses research and housing facilities of the University of Novi Sad. The hospital presently counts 1300 beds and a staff of more than 2700. On a surface of more than 9500m² there are: 360 APart CM6SF ceiling speakers with fire dome, 50 CM3T mini ceiling speakers and 120 EVOL20 volume controls. At Knokke on Belgium's North ... More >> J.R.Clancy brings Pirates Voyage to life USA - Two life-sized pirate ships, bands of swashbucklers sword fighting across a 15ft-deep lagoon, sails unfurling and props descending from the sky...there's nothing like a major family entertainment attraction to challenge every aspect of theatrical production. When Mike Compton of Pirates Voyage took on the challenge of bringing the new attraction to life in Myrtle Beach, SC, he turned to the rigging experts from J. R. Clancy. Compton had worked with Clancy on three other recentprojects, so he knew they could help make the technical ... More >> Auto spectacular features tarm lasers Germany - At the world premiere of autosymphonic in Mannheim on 10 September, in addition to the musical composition, video and laser shows were major constituents of the proceedings. The event was staged by photographer and video artist Horst Hamann, a native of Mannheim, media designer Thomas Gerdon, and tarm Showlaser's laser specialists. The 20,000 attendees witnessed a plethora of music, light, laser effects, and images in the heart of the city. Its water tower was repeatedly bathed in a rash of the most fascinating of ... More >> Jands Vista EMEA roadshow rolls out Norway - Norway has become the first stop in an extensive EMEA-wide (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) roadshow that is designed to give everyone a chance to take a look for themselves at the next generation Vista v2 software - for the Jands Vista lighting and media control range. Vista v2 was designed from the ground up to allow all levels of users to get the most from whatever mix of technology they have available, whether dimmers, moving lights, LED, or media, says the company. Available in a wide range of hardware Vista v2 offers ... More >> Fohhn reinforces Notti di Luce festival Italy - A range of Fohhn loudspeaker systems, DSP-controlled amplifiers and the new PS-9 high-powered active subwoofer were selected for sound reinforcement at the recent Notti di Luce festival in Bergamo, Italy. The festival is a celebration of light and music, with many events taking place in various venues. A series of live concerts featuring classical, pop and rock music was held in the Piazza Matteotti, which has an audience capacity of over 10,000. The main stage area was exclusively equipped with Fohhn's high quality systems. Two ... More >> Hawthorn Walling Systems celebrates UK - Hawthorn Walling Systems has just celebrated its first birthday. Hawthorn Walling Systems designs and manufactures set, stand and display solutions for exhibitions, conferences and product launches. The first year of trading has been "phenomenal", says the company. The bespoke in-house workshop has already been extended and the team has expandedsignificantly to meet ongoing demand for the Walling Systems product. Hawthorn Walling Systems uses a patented tensioned fabric on an aluminium frame system to create seamless high ... More >> RML lights Watson and Oliver UK - Lorna Watson and Ingrid Oliver have started filming their new six part sketch show which will be aired on BBC2 in the New Year. Richard Martin Lighting (RML) supports the show, which is comprised of a mix of live and pre recorded sketches. RML is providing a Spark Top desk and 20 MAC 700s for the show. (Jim Evans) More >> Saville stages fiery drinks launch UK - Saville Audio Visual provided the staging and facilities for the launch of Fiery Irn-Bru, a limited edition soft drink from Scottish drinks group, AG Barr. The new brand was launched to the public in Glasgow's George Square by former AG Barr chairman Robin Barr, who donned protective gloves to pull the first-ever bottle out of a furnace to present to the gathered crowd. The Saville team provided full project support for the outdoor event, from the design process through to production and delivery. The facilities included staging, ... More >> Community expands Distributed Design series USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has expanded the Distributed Design series of high-performance ceiling-mount loudspeakers with the addition of several new surface-mount models. The series has been well received by installers since its introduction last year. The new surface-mount loudspeakers represent a significant expansion to the product line, adding several high-output, low-profile models that deliver the same outstanding musical sound quality and excellent intelligibility, easily outperforming larger sized competitive ... More >> CPL invests in Coolux Media Servers UK - Central Presentations (CPL), West Midlands and Bristol UK based AV rental specialist is the first UK rental company to take delivery of the latest Coolux Pandora's Box quad head media servers. These four DVI output units are to replace their existing Pandora's Box units, which were also among the first in UK rental stock when purchased 5 years ago. The new units were specified by CPL's Nick Diacre, and supplied via UK distributors, TMB. The latest CPL investment was timed to coincide with a large automotive industry event for which ... More >>	i don't know
How many grooves are on one side of a standard 33RPM vinyl LP record?	Record Formats Why 78, 45 and 33 1/3 record formats? 1.78s: (c. 1900 - 1960) The first disc format was the 10-inch 78 rpm record, pictured above in the center, invented around 1900. The first record player was invented around 1870 by Thomas Edison, but this used cylindrical records about the size of an empty toilet paper tube. The flat 78s were much easier to store. The grooves on these records were much larger than later LPs and 45s (about 4 times as big) and the needles were larger too. 78s were recorded and played back "acoustically", without any electric amplifiers or microphones, until about 1925. 78s were obsolete by about 1960. Since the grooves are so spaced out and the records spin so fast, a standard 10-inch 78 can't hold more than about 3 minutes of music per side. They are typically made of a shellac compound (as in furniture finish!), and have the consistency of a china plate, so they are very thick and heavy and break easily. 33s / "LPs": (c. 1948 - 1990) The 33, a.k.a. the "LP" (Long Playing record) or "album", pictured above at left, was invented in 1948. These LPs were popular until around 1990 when CDs were popular enough to take over. An LP could hold up to a total of 60 minutes of music, but most didn't have more than 40 minutes. They are made of vinyl plastic rather than shellac, so they are more flexible and don't tend to break like 78s. The grooves are 4 times smaller, so they were originally called "Microgrooves" (MG), and early LPs have this written on the label. Interestingly enough, there are enough people still willing to buy "classic" albums, particularly jazz and blues, that some of the labels in those styles, like Blue Note records, Original Jazz Classics (a.k.a. Prestige, Riverside, Contemporary, New Jazz, etc) and Delmark Records are once again pressing and selling LPs for about $9 - 13 through mail order. LPs of some newer releases are available, in very limited quantities. Because people are still willing to buy classic albums, there is still a strong market for the best record players and the industry is looking up. 45s: (c. 1949 - 1990) The 45, pictured above at right, was the alternative to the LP when you wanted to record a single pop song rather than a full album. The 45 had the same smaller-sized groove as the LP, and the center hole was larger. 45s became popular in jukeboxes, which had previously used 78s, because 45s took up less space and you could fit more songs in the box. Suddenly jukes went from offering 24 or 40 songs on 78s to having 100 to 200 songs on 45s. 45s are also made of vinyl rather than shellac, and can hold up to about 5 minutes of music on each side. 45s are still being made in limited quantities for jukebox operators who have not upgraded to newer CD jukeboxes, so you can still get some of the latest releases on 45. Does anyone know why 78 revolutions per minute was chosen as the standard rotation speed of old-fashioned gramophone records, rather than a round number such as 75 or 80 rpm? And are there convincing explanations for the choice of speeds for later EPs and LPs of 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm? It was Emil Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, who determined roughly how fast old disc records should spin. He avoided Edison's need for a stylus made from precious jewels by using points which could be made from steel sewing needles and pins. The size of the stylus effectively determined the size of the grooves in a record and the recordable frequency range limited by this groove size determined a speed between 70 and 90 rpm. Standardization did not begin until 1912, when the British Gramophone Company conducted listening tests on their back catalogue. They settled on the average (or possibly the median) of these tests, which turned out to be 78 rpm. Other companies adopted this, but the process was not complete until the early 1930s. Even after this date �rogue rpm� records still appeared. After standardization problems still occurred. Because of electrical mains frequencies differences on opposite sides of the Atlantic, stroboscopic speed testers and synchronous motors meant a nominal speed of 77.922 rpm in countries that used 50 hertz and 78.261 in countries that used 60 hertz. These were later fixed in national (but not international) standards. Records of 33 1/3 rpm were developed in conjunction with films. A 12-inch 78 with Berliner-type grooves could hold between 4 and 5 minutes per side. The first practical sound films produced in the US in the late 1920s had their sound on separate disc records and it was more important for the sound to be continuous. A reel of film might run for 11 minutes, so a rotational speed of about 32 rpm was required to make the sound match the picture. History doesn't tell us why precisely 33 1/3 was chosen, but in retrospect it was a very good choice because stroboscopic speed testers can be made for this speed which will work on both sides of the Atlantic. It seems CBS engineers (who developed the first LPs in 1948), simply experimented with one of the old machines hanging around in their workshop. They then developed new groove dimensions which gave an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio with the new plastic material "vinyl". The 45 rpm speed was the only one to be decided by a precise optimization procedure (by RCA Victor in 1948). Calculus was used to show that the optimum use of a disc record of constant rotational speed occurs when the innermost recorded diameter is half the outermost recorded diameter. That's why a 7-inch single has a label 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Given the CBS vinyl groove dimensions and certain assumptions about the bandwidth and tolerable distortion, a speed of 45 rpm comes out of the formula. PETER COPELAND British Library National Sound Archive London From 1894 to around 1930 there were many different record speeds ranging from 65 to 90 rpm, each case being a compromise between playing time and the need for a clean cut in the original wax. The Victor company used 76 rpm for many years for its recordings but instructed buyers to reproduce at 78�the record�s durability was improved that way. The standard of 78 rpm arrived by default, although the actual speed depended on the electrical mains frequency. Constant linear speed, or varying the rpm, was commercialized but did not prove to be a success (until the arrival of the CD). The speed of 33 1/3 was introduced in 1927 after theoretical analysis of the compromise between signal-to-noise ratio and playing time (3 minutes per radial inch) by J. P. Maxfield of Bell Laboratories for sound films produced on the Vitaphone system. And it was a professional de facto standard before it became commercialized by CBS in 1948. It has been suggested that 78 minus 33 equals 45 was the reason for the emergence of 45 rpm records but, in fact, Maxfield's analysis still applies: the 45 "single" was RCA�s equivalent to a 10-inch, 78 rpm record, only smaller. GEORGE BROCK-NANNESTAD Copenhagen Denmark Emil Berliner's first disc gramophones were wound by hand at somewhere between 60 and 100 rpm. The 7-inch discs lasted a minute or so and had low sound quality. Berliner and his assistant Fred Gaisberg realized that unless the speed was governed, the gramophone would never be more than a novelty. Gaisberg visited a young mechanic who was making clockwork machinery in hoping to use it for sewing machines. This machinery was never successful in sewing machines, but was ideal for gramophones, and it rotated at 78 rpm. The mechanic, Eldridge Johnson, became a millionaire. Columbia made all its discs to run at 80 and HMV had its pioneer recordings produced between 68 and 92 rpm with the key of the piece marked on the label. You then tuned it on your own piano, using the gramophone's governor. These speeds all gradually settled into the standard of 78. When talking pictures first arrived in the late 1920s, the sound was recorded separated on discs and had to be synchronized by the projectionist at each showing. Every cinema projection room had a pair of projectors, each taking 1000-feet reels of film, whose running time was about 10 minutes. The projectionist switched projectors after each reel. Ideally, this meant that the sound should last 10 minutes as well, as it would be impossible to synchronize a sound changeover in mid-reel. At the time, however, a 12 inch 78 rpm record lasted for only about 4 minutes, so the Vitagraph company simply slowed down the 78 until it lasted 10 minutes and recorded all their masters on that, starting each disc in the middle, as it was easier to drop a needle there than the outer edge. This new speed was 33 1/3 rpm, adopted for other records in the late 1940s when Columbia introduced its first vinyl, long-play discs with microgrooves, giving a play time of about 30 minutes on each side. However, the long-play disc wasn't particularly suitable to popular music, as the public wanted its records as singles with good sound quality even at high volumes. RCA Victor came up with a 7-inch vinyl disc with microgrooves, rotating at 45 rpm, a speed chosen specifically to make the most of the music, unlike 78s or 33 1/3s. And does no one remember the 16s? ROGER WORSLEY	1
Name the Israeli corporal released in October 2011 by Palestinian Hamas militants, held hostage since June 2006?	Vinyl LP Records - Collector Information \| Collectors Weekly Overview eBay Auctions Show & Tell Articles There is something about holding a vinyl LP in the palms of your hands, touching only the platter’s edges lest you smudge, soil, or scratch the grooves incised in its inky surface. As you tilt the disc so that it catches the light, the tracks show up as fuzzy concentric bands, each delineated by a darker, thinner bar of dead space. That wide band in the middle of side one of The Doors must be the seven-minute version of "Light My Fire." Flip it over, and the last band on side two is even fatter, the 11-plus-minute opus, "The End." It’s time to give this vintage vinyl a spin. Records as we know them today (or knew them, before the rise of CDs and digital music) have been around since 1930, when RCA manufactured a 12-inch vinyl disc that was meant to be played at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (RPM). RCA’s vinyl records produced a lot less playback noise than the shellac records that dominated the market, but the Great Depression was no time to introduce a new entertainment product with limited manufacturer support, so vinyl didn’t catch on. It took until 1948 for that to happen. That’s when Columbia introduced its own 12-inch, 33 1/3 vinyl monaural record, which it branded as the LP for Long Play. Today, the letters LP are treated like the word "Kleenex," which is to say that it’s technically a brand name, but we use it as if it was the generic description for vinyl records. For fans of early rock ’n’ roll, key vinyl LPs to collect include 1955’s Rock Around the Clock, the first 12-inch LP that Bill Haley & His Comets cut for Decca. The following year, a teenage singer named Frankie Lymon, who was sort of the Michael Jackson of the 1950s , released The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon, which included their hit "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." Other pioneers of rock include Chuck Berry, whose 1957 LP called After School Session on Chess Records is a classic of the genre. Another Chess artist was Bo Diddley, whose 1958 Bo Diddley included such early hits as "Who Do You Love?" And then there was Elvis Presley , whose eponymous 1956 debut was the first rock ’n’ roll album to top the charts and sell a million copies. Tracks included the King’s famous cover of Carl Perkins’s "Blue Suede Shoes." For jazz fans, collectible LP choices range from Dixieland to West Coast Cool. From 1952 on, Chet Baker recorded numerous albums, many of them live, accompanied by the likes of Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan on labels with names like Fresh Sound, Pacific Jazz, and Blue Note ... Another early jazz LP pioneer was Louis Armstrong, whose trumpet work and vocals on the soundtrack for the 1956 film High Society contributed to its brisk sales (Bing Crosby’s duet with Grace Kelly, plus other tracks by Frank Sinatra , didn’t hurt, either). Armstrong had another film-related hit in 1963, when an LP version of Hello Dolly! was released to capitalize on his best-selling single from the movie. During the 1960s , a painful (to the ears) transition from mono to stereo took place. In many cases, monaural recording sessions were turned into stereo LPs during post-production, with predictably poor results. For collectors, some of the "pure" mono recordings of that decade are therefore highly prized. These include the 1963 Parlophone release of Please Please Me by The Beatles , the first Rolling Stones album in 1964, mono versions of Pink Floyd ’s 1967 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the Grateful Dead ’s first album, also from 1967. In fact, LPs by psychedelic bands like Floyd and the Dead are a genre of collecting unto itself. Known as Psych Rock , bands include 13th Floor Elevators, The Chocolate Watchband, and H.P. Lovecraft. In some cases, particular LPs are considered classics of this trippy art form, such as the Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 After Bathing at Baxter’s, which was reportedly mixed based on how well it would sound while the listener was on LSD. Yet another highly collectible genre of vintage LPs is Progressive Rock, also known as Prog Rock . This late-1960s to 1970s phenomenon includes bands like Gong, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Yes, and Rush. Regardless of genre, one of the best things about LPs is their generous size, which gave rise to a flood of covers with gorgeous and/or provocative artwork. There are the colorful covers of 1960s Psych records , to be sure, but go back in time a little bit and you can collect Mid-century Modern graphics disguised as 1950s and 1960s jazz albums . Some album covers are simply legendary: Andy Warhol designed a cover for The Rolling Stones’s Sticky Fingers that featured an actual working zipper. The Who’s Tommy came with a cover-size booklet filled with art and lyrics. Robert Rauschenberg designed a clear plastic cover for the Talking Heads’s Speaking in Tongues. And if you want a copy of The Beatles’s infamous "butcher" version of Yesterday and Today, you’ve got to go back to the original vinyl. Today, numerous contemporary musicians are choosing to release their music not just on CD and digitally but on vinyl, too. In 2007, Radiohead famously offered music files of its In Rainbows album to its fans for whatever they wanted to pay. The potentially risky gambit did not seem to hurt sales of the vinyl version of the 10-song collection—In Rainbows was the best-selling vinyl LP of 2008. Grunge bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam embraced vinyl from the beginning of their careers. A rare version of Nirvana’s Nevermind was issued with a multi-colored, mottled, "splash" design on the vinyl itself. As for Pearl Jam, one of the bestsellers on eBay continues to be its four-disc recording of a benefit the band performed in 2003 at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall. The discs, which are red like the album’s cover, were issued in an edition of 2,000. The price in 2004 was $40 for the set. Today, you’d be lucky to find a sealed copy for under $500. Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”) Vinyl Divas Vinyl Divas pays homage to international female opera singers of the LP era. Chronicling more than 800 singers, the… [ read review or visit site ] 317X Despite its mysterious title, 317X is plain and simple—an online gallery of vintage LPs, with a 1950s vintage fee… [ read review or visit site ] Mybeatles.net Jesse Barron's collection of Beatles 45s, picture sleeves, magazines, books, and memorabilia. Browse singles and al… [ read review or visit site ] Association of Vogue Picture Record Collectors This great site, from the Association of Vogue Picture Record Collectors, offers detailed background information an… [ read review or visit site ] The Remington Site Since 1999, the Remington Site has offered classical music collectors a glimpse into Remington Records, an independ… [ read review or visit site ] Clubs & Associations	i don't know
Name the English 1960s playwright (of Loot and Entertaining Mister Sloane), imprisoned with (and later murdered by) boyfriend Kenneth Halliwell for defacing library books in 1962?	Book, Library books and History on Pinterest Forward Joe Orton/. Playwright. Born Leicester. Came to London in 1951 as a student at RADA, where he met fellow student Kenneth Halliwell. Works include Entertaining Mr Sloane and Loot, in which he wrote the part of Inspector Truscott for his close friend Kenneth Williams. In 1962 Orton and his partner, Halliwell, were prosecuted for stealing and defacing books from the Islington Public Library. Jealous of his sexual adventures, Halliwell murdered Orton with a hammer cont.... See More	Joe Orton
Yulia Tymoshenko, controversially jailed for seven years in 2011 for exceeding her authority in signing a Russian gas deal, was prime minister of which country?	Book, Library books and History on Pinterest Forward Joe Orton/. Playwright. Born Leicester. Came to London in 1951 as a student at RADA, where he met fellow student Kenneth Halliwell. Works include Entertaining Mr Sloane and Loot, in which he wrote the part of Inspector Truscott for his close friend Kenneth Williams. In 1962 Orton and his partner, Halliwell, were prosecuted for stealing and defacing books from the Islington Public Library. Jealous of his sexual adventures, Halliwell murdered Orton with a hammer cont.... See More	i don't know
Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in prison after appearing in an Australian film critical of what country, her homeland?	Marzieh Vafamehr: Iranian actress sentenced to 90 lashes \| Daily Mail Online An Iranian actress who made a film challenging the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic has been sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail. Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was handed the sentence on Saturday, according to a Iranian opposition website Kalameh.com. 'A verdict has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr, sentencing her to a year in jail and 90 lashes. Her lawyer has appealed the sentence,' the website stated. Scroll down for trailer Arrest: Marzieh Vafamehr was first questioned by police in July after appearing in My Tehran For Sale (pictured) which came under criticism in conservative circles Vafamehr was arrested in July after appearing in My Tehran For Sale, which came under harsh criticism in conservative circles. The film, produced in collaboration with Australia, tells the story of a young actress in Tehran whose theatre work is banned by the authorities. RELATED ARTICLES Share She is then forced to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically. The film was part of the official selection for the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. The Fars news agency said the movie had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally. Controversial plot: Vafamehr in a still from My Theran For Sale, which tells the story of a young actress whose theatre work is banned by the authorities Damning subtitles: In one scene, where Vafamehr's character returns to her family home, she is told that her visit is not appreciated by all Vafamehr was released in late July after posting unspecified bail. She is not the only person in the Iranian film industry to face harsh treatment. The government arrested a further six independent filmmakers last month, on charges of collaborating with the BBC to show the country in a poor light. Two of them, Naser Saffarian and Mohsen Shahrnazdar, who were accused of providing the BBC's Farsi foreign language service with information, films and secret reports to paint "a black picture of Iran and Iranians," were released Saturday, the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association said. Criticism: My Tehran For Sale, a film about a young actress in Tehran, was being distributed in Iran illegally, according to Fars news agency Vafamehr's family had requested a Western media blackout of the case since her arrest, but Iranian opposition website Kalameh.com went public with news of the actress's punishment yesterday. The co-producer of the film, Kate Croser of Cyan Films, told News.co.au that she had offered assistance to the family. But she added: 'There is an appeal, which could be lengthy, and the family may still believe that public comment will be unhelpful - because they are going through all the official channels. 'We can say the charges were that there was no permit for filming, which is not true, and that in some scenes Marzieh was not wearing a hijab and had a shaved head.'	Iran
The UK's most senior civil servant has traditionally held what post?	Iranian Actress Freed From Prison on Reduced Sentence \| Reuters Fri Oct 28, 2011 \| 12:36 PM EDT Iranian Actress Freed From Prison on Reduced Sentence Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr was released from prison Monday after her sentence was overturned by an appeals court, Amnesty International reports. Vafamehr had been sentenced to a year in prison and 90 lashes for appearing in the 2009 Australian film "My Tehran for Sale," which is banned in Iran. In the movie -- which was filmed in the Iranian capital -- Vafamehr is seen with a shaved head, and without the head covering that's required of Iranian women. In one scene, she also appears to drink alcohol -- also a no-no in her culture. Also read: Iranian Actress Sentenced to 90 Lashes, 1 Year in Jail According to Amnesty International, the appeals court reduced Vafamehr's sentence to three months, and removed the lashing aspect of her sentence. Vafamehr was arrested in early July. In the film, Vafamehr plays an actress who is forced to live a secret life. When news of the arrest broke, the film's producers, Julie Ryan and Kate Croser, expressed their "deep shock and sadness at the sentence imposed by the Iranian government" in a statement to TheWrap. They also emphasized that Vafamehr's participation in the film "was limited to her role as an actress, and she was not in any other way involved in the behind-the-scenes filmmaking." While Vafamehr has been freed, Amnesty International points out that Iran has been cracking down on filmmakers. Hadi Afarideh, Naser Saffarian, Mohsen Shahrnazdar and Katayoun Shahabi were arrested Sept. 17 on suspicion of having sold their films to foreign broadcasters. Doing so without permission from the government is prohibited in Iran; recently, the country's police chief, Esma’il Ahmadi-Moghaddam, equated dealings with the BBC and Voice of America with conspiring with enemy security services, Amnesty International said. Related Articles: 'Iranium' Filmmakers Hit Back at Iranian Government After Screening is Cancelled Berlin Film Festival to Protest Jailing of Iranian Filmmaker ADVERTISEMENT	i don't know
The Omega Speedmaster is claimed (at 2011) to be the only watch worn on the?	Originally published in International Wristwatch Number 62, December 2002 July 20, 1969 is without doubt one of the most significant dates in the history of the storied Omega Watch Company of Bienne, Switzerland. Carried into space and worn on the moon by NASA astronaut Edwin �Buzz� Aldrin on that date, Omega�s Speedmaster Professional chronograph became the first (and, Omega has claimed, only) watch to be worn on the surface of the moon. Other reporters and horological historians have, in great detail, chronicled the association of the Speedmaster with NASA, and the successful marketing that has ensued. This article focuses on a single Speedmaster model: the remarkable watch introduced by Omega in late 1969 to commemorate the historic Apollo XI mission to the moon. The First of its Kind The 1969 Commemorative Speedmaster, model BA 145.022-69, was the first Speedmaster ever made of gold. Aside from the case material, the only differences between it and the NASA-issue Speedmasters are the gold dial, burgundy bezel, and the inscriptions on the back. Its heart is the same Calibre 861 as the steel model; the same as Omegas worn by NASA astronauts from 1969 until the revised Calibre 1861 became the standard movement in the Speedmaster �Moon Watch� in the mid-1990s. . Initially, the Apollo XI Commemorative �was offered to each of the astronauts active at that time at a gala dinner November 25, 1969 at Hotel Warwick in Houston.� The first thirty watches were, according to John Diethelm of Omega Public Relations, �created in tribute to the sensational exploit of Man's first landing on the Moon.� Numbers 3 through 28 were personalized and presented to astronauts in NASA�s space program. The lower numbers were reserved for those astronauts who had been with NASA the longest. Each of these first 30 watches was inscribed with the slogan: to mark man�s conquest of space with time, through time, on time Additionally, the astronaut�s watches were inscribed with their name and rank (if any), and the names of the missions which they had flown to date. ( Click here to see a list of recipients of watches and the historic events in which they participated.) The watches numbered 1 and 2 in the series, having been refused by their intended recipients, presently reside in the Omega museum in Switzerland. Number two was created for then-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Number one was intended for then-President of the United States Richard M. Nixon. Each of these was inscribed with the man�s title in place of the space mission information found on the astronaut watches. Omega intended to take this historic opportunity to follow a precedent set by other Swiss watchmakers. Several Swiss houses had previously made a gift of a timepiece to an American president and capitalized on the presidential ownership. Revue-Thommen markets its Cricket alarm watch as that worn by Lyndon B. Johnson. Rolex�s �President� day-date model is reputedly so-named because it was the watch worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Similarly, an example of Jaeger-LeCoultre�s Atmos clock is routinely presented to foreign dignitaries during their official visits to Switzerland. The saga of Omega�s premier solid gold Speedmaster Professional does not end with the watches delivered in 1969 to these noteworthy personalities. According to an Antiquorum auction catalog from their October 1995 sale in Geneva, �an initial series of 50 to 100 pieces was produced, followed by subsequent series until a total of 1014 pieces was reached in 1973. Correspondence with Omega revealed that they offered a small series for sale to the public early in 1970 which, due to unexpected demand, was expanded to the entire production of 1014 watches, all made in 1969. A run of the later numbers (Nos. 1001 to 1008) was given in 1972 to astronauts from Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17. As Mr. Diethelm indicated, all the others, �up to N� 1014, have been sold or distributed for very special occasions.� The watches that were sold to the public are identical to the others but for the engraving. The inscription on the caseback was changed to read: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON (edition serial #) Those who are familiar with the caseback of the post-Apollo XI steel Speedmaster Professional series will recognize this as the precursor to the engraving found there. Other information obtained from Omega suggests that the watches sold to the public did not all bear this second engraved message. Contrary to other accounts of this model, Mr. Diethelm indicated that watches �from No. 31 up to No. 745, then from 747 until 1014�have been sold under normal conditions.� This excludes numbers 1001 through 1008 which, as previously mentioned, had been given to another group of astronauts. Mr. Diethelm�s correspondence accounts for all of the pieces presented except for two: No. 30, given to John M. Updegraph and No. 746, which was given, according to Omega archives, to a certain Mr. Rene K. Ruepp. The significance of these gifts is unknown. Oddly, another watch, No. 221, was recently found to have been made with the same inscription as the astronaut presentation watches. Omega was contacted by the current owner of the watch but they were unable to tell him to whom the watch was presented. They did, however, confirm that the special inscription was intentional, thus opening the question of how many more undocumented examples exist with the same engraving. The visual impact of the watch is significantly different than that of its cousin the steel Moon Watch. The black-dial, steel-case chronograph is, by today�s standards, a relatively common watch. The 1990s boom in popularity of white metals and chronographs has made the steel mechanical chronograph a somewhat ordinary item, worn by dedicated collectors, sportsmen and fashion-conscious men and women on all continents. The Apollo XI 18k Speedmaster, however, has several features that distinguish it from the mass of chronos seen on the wrists of the world. By virtue of being a solid gold watch with a large case and massive bracelet (the total weight of the watch and bracelet is a spectacular 5.8 ounces), this watch catches one�s eye. The distinctive case shape and bomb� lugs are immediately recognizable as those of an Omega Speedmaster, but subtle differences draw one closer. Every other Speedmaster to date had been issued with either the engraved steel bezel of the original models or the familiar black bezel of the later models, including the NASA-certified Speedmasters. This model, however, included a tachymetric bezel of a burgundy color--a lovely complement to the yellow gold case and an idea replicated on a later Mark II Speedmaster with gold-plated case. Equally eye-catching is the striking gold dial. The engine-turned sub-dials and script common to all Speedmasters are there, but for the first time Omega created a �dressy� dial for the previously instrument-like Speedmaster. The Apollo commemorative dial features several textures, giving it a two- or even three-tone effect. The majority of the dial surface is vertically brushed, while the sub-dials are concentrically grooved and surrounded by a beveled edge containing the registers� chapter rings. The entire dial is bordered by another beveled ring printed with a chronograph seconds chapter divided into fifths of a second. The hands are black lacquered and the markers are raised gold rectangles, beveled and filled with black lacquer as well. Two subtle touches are the applied gold Omega logo (reminiscent of the applied silver logo on the pre-moon Cal. 321 Speedmasters) and the letters �OM� printed twice at the bottom of the dial. Speedmasters from 1964 onward, which used Tritium in the luminous material on hands and dial markers, display the letter �T� at the bottom of the dial on either side of the text �SWISS MADE.� The presence of �OM� on an Omega dial denotes Or Massif, the French phrase for �solid gold.� Collector�s Information In 1970 the suggested retail price of the 18k Speedmaster offered to the public was 3,917 Swiss francs (approx. $1,340 at the time, compared with $185 for the standard steel model). A survey of prices on the secondary market revealed that examples of these collectible watches are indeed available, but for a premium. Late in 1999 a retailer in Germany sold one on leather straps for approximately $5,200 and on eBay in October 2002 a similar piece sold for $5,600. An example with the original bracelet was offered in January 2000 by a reputable American dealer for $7,350. These prices appear to be in line with other examples recently attained by private sellers and auction houses. The prices for watches owned by celebrities, however, tend to be three to four times higher than the prices for the rest of the series. In October 1995, the horological auction house Antiquorum offered the watch belonging to Astronaut Charles M. Duke as lot number 470. This watch, number 1005 of the series, was estimated to sell for between 20,000 and 25,000 Swiss francs. The hammer price was 19,500 Swiss francs, roughly $17,300 in 1995 US dollars. Another notable offering was at Christie�s East in New York City, where the venerable auction house offered a once-in-a-lifetime array of items pertaining to Space Exploration. Lot number 2, Astronaut Donald K. "Deke" Slayton's 18k Omega Speedmaster watch (No. 27) with bracelet, sold for $28,750. The pre-sale estimate was $8,000-12,000. Needless to say, the first-ever 18k Gold Speedmaster is a desirable item to collectors of Omega and other watches, as well as collectors of �Space Race� memorabilia. Another of the astronaut-issued 18k Speedmasters was recently sold through an on-line auction. This watch, which was presented to the widow of Ed White and, therefore, was never personally owned by the famous astronaut, fetched a price in the nieghborhgood of $15,000 indicating that perhaps there is a premium which savvy collectors are willing to pay for provenance that involves the actual historical figure named on the watch. ADDENDA:In 2005, several fine specimens of BA 145.022 came on the market at prices over $10,000. Two were sold by Antiquorum for $12k-15K including Lot 294 of their March 23 sale, which fetched $13,800 including buyer's premium. Lot 245 in Antiquorum's July 10 sale went even higher, selling for 126,500HKD (over $15,000 US). Two others were offered via eBay and other on-line sales venues for prices ranging from around $12,000 to more than $17,000. Clearly, the market is active where fine examples are concerned. In 2007, Antiquorum's "Omegamania" auction featured two BA 122.045s which sold for $25,000-$50,000. Interested readers should visit antiquorum.com for auction results.-CBJ Collectors should be aware that these watches are sometimes found on the secondary market in other than original condition. Available information pertaining to these watches has been inconsistent, and the seller of a watch of this series may not know exactly what he has, so be aware that unintentional misrepresentation of these watches can occur easily. A simple example is that while there were 36 watches personally inscribed and intended for US government and NASA dignitaries, numbers 31-36 of the series were available to members of the public, thus a watch marked as number 31 was not created for an astronaut. The astronauts� watches will be so inscribed and a potential buyer should be aware of this and not be swayed by unintentional misinformation. It is important to note that several of the examples seen on the market in recent years have had the original red bezel replaced with the common black one or even with a bezel set with diamonds. When asked about the correct bezel for this series, Mr. Diethelm replied �all these watches were having a red bezel. The very same watch but with a black bezel (still available) was therefore made for �civilian� sales after the Number 1014 was handed-over.� Note that later solid gold Speedmasters also have a different dial. Mr. Diethelm further stated that �the 18K solid gold watch BA 145.022 was in fact always having the matching 18K solid gold bracelet.� A couple of different bracelets were delivered with these watches, one that is perhaps the most common is marked 1116/575 on the underside of the clasp. A difference of more than $2,000 can be found in the market prices of watches of similar condition depending upon the presence of the original bracelet. The presence of original boxes and papers is important to many collectors. This model was delivered in a box decorated to look like moon rocks, my own experience over the last four years has revealed that these boxes are scarce; the collector is probably well advised to seek the watch and box separately. Current values for such boxes are unknown. . Speedmaster Evolution During the 1970s, when the public�s desire for large, tonneau (barrel-shaped) watches was peaking, Omega made several additions to the Speedmaster line. The �Mark Series� (Marks II, III and IV), non-Professional automatic models, tuning-fork and quartz electric models and limited editions with various complications have followed in the earthly footsteps of the popular moon watch. Among them, only a handful have utilized yellow gold, and only a couple of designs have included a red tachymetric bezel. The tonneau-shaped Mark II (MD 145.034, gold-plated, 1970; BA 145.0014, 18k gold, ca. 1972) and the Speedsonic with tuning-fork movement (MD 188.0002, gold-plated, 1973)) were issued with the red tachymetric scale that is covered by the crystal, unlike the exterior bezel of the 145.022 design. Other Speedmasters, including these, have been made with gold-colored dials but no other watch has been made with a dial exactly like the original from 1969. The next time Omega saw fit to create a solid gold Speedmaster Professional of the classic shape was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Apollo XI in 1979. Versions in both yellow gold (BA 345.0802) and white gold (BA 145.0039) were made available, each with a transparent caseback allowing a view of the Calibre 863, an improved Cal. 861. The white gold version was sold with a white gold dial and leather straps. The yellow gold version with yellow gold dial was available with matching gold bracelet. It interesting to note that both dials are marked simply �SWISS MADE.� Though it is obvious that no luminous materials were employed on the hands or markers, it leaves the observer to wonder whether each dial is indeed made of gold. Production numbers for these models were not available when I made my request. Interestingly, though Omega has produced many versions of the Speedmaster Professional and non-Professional models with designs most unlike that of the original �Moon Watch,� only one of their solid gold models has strayed from the original shape (BA 145.0014). The two early-70s gold-plated models are noteworthy because they are unusual among Speedmasters, but they are not overly valuable except for their comparative rarity. The remainder of the gold models have been made very much in the image of the original Speedmaster that survived NASA testing, multiple space missions, and the decline in popularity of mechanical watches due to the advent of quartz technology. The Speedmaster line, in all its forms, seems destined to survive indefinitely. To view more images on this topic, Click here . For more watch articles by C. Bradley Jacobs, visit: Text and images: �2008 C. Bradley Jacobs and WatchCarefully.com, unless otherwise credited	Moon
Name the Glasgow-born guitar virtuoso and 1960s founder of the band Pentangle who died age 67 in 2011?	Weekly Watch Photo - Omega Speedmaster Pre-moon - Monochrome Watches / 1 response / in Omega / tagged: Chronographs , Weekly Watch Photo Again a Weekly Watch Photo of an Omega. This week it’s a Speedmaster Pre-moon from Trum, a member of Timezone UK made the photo. He wrote a very informative post about identifying the different Pre-moon Speedmaster versions that Omega released before the Speedmaster accompanied the astronauts in space. The first being reference 105.003, which can be recognized by the dial without the word “professional” under “Speedmaster”. This version was worn by astronauts during the Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 missions and it was the first Speedmaster worn during a space walk on Ed White’s wrist. The later references 105.012 and 145.012 (launched in 1966) are known as the two Speedmaster to have been worn on the moon by Apollo astronauts and referred to as the original Moonwatches. Omega Speedmasters have been used throughout the early Apollo program and during the Apollo 11 mission they became the first watch to reach the moon. The three mentioned references are all called Pre-moon because they are manufactured before the moon landings. Later models have the famous case-back inscription: “The First Watch Worn on the Moon”. Post 2003 versions with a sapphire case back have a different engraving: “First And Only Watch Worn on the Moon” (Check the late Chuck Maddox’s website for reference about the different Omega Speedmaster version). The funny things is that Neil Armstrong was first man to set foot on the moon, however he left his Speedmaster (reference 105.012) inside the moonlander, because the electronic timer inside malfunctioned. Buzz Aldrin choose to wear his Speedmaster and thus, on his wrist, the Speedmaster became the first and only watch worn on the moon. PS. a very rare Speedmaster Pre-moon and pre-professional reference ST 105.002 is available at Watch-store.com ; to see it click on the N-P section and scroll down. Related	i don't know
What is common name of the clear flammable early anaesthetic liquid with the formula C2H5OC2H5 (or CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3)?	ether - definition of ether in English \| Oxford Dictionaries Definition of ether in English: ether noun 1Chemistry A pleasant-smelling colourless volatile liquid that is highly flammable. It is used as an anaesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes. Example sentences ‘Although ether was once a popular anesthesia agent, its use is now strongly discouraged.’ ‘In the recent past dentists were instrumental in the introduction of diethyl ether and nitrous oxide.’ ‘The animals were anesthetized with diethyl ether, and their abdomens were opened by a midline incision.’ ‘To knock someone out, ether would have to be applied in a highly concentrated form (such as an ether-soaked rag).’ ‘The lipid was redissolved in diethyl ether that was then re-evaporated under nitrogen to complete dryness.’ 1.1[count noun] Any organic compound with a similar structure to ether, having an oxygen atom linking two alkyl or other organic groups: ‘methyl t-butyl ether’ More example sentences ‘Vinyl ethers are made by addition of alcohols to acetylene.’ ‘In the most recent case with farmed salmon, the culprit chemical compound is polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, used widely as flame retardants in furniture and electronic goods.’ ‘Included among these compounds are some of the best known of all chemical families, including the hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes and ketones, and organic acids.’ ‘Cosmetics tested were found to contain a variety of industrial chemicals, including phthalates (reproductive toxins) and glycol ethers (neurotoxins).’ ‘The chemicals included aliphatic hydrocarbons, glycol ethers, isopropanol, limonene, naphtha, oils, and varnishes.’ ‘The emissions from surface-treated wood-based materials mainly originated from the oils and lacquers, and were mainly alcohols, unsaturated aldehydes, esters, glycol ethers, and glycol esters.’ 2literary The clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds: ‘nasty gases and smoke disperse into the ether’ More example sentences	Ether
The famous geological/geographical feature Chesil Beach in Dorset, England, is a natural coastal barrier made of?	Gas Book Americas - Documents Documents Share Gas Book Americas Embed <iframe src="http://docslide.us/embed/gas-book-americas.html" width="750" height="600" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #CCC; border-width:1px; margin-bottom:5px; max-width: 100%;" allowfullscreen> </iframe> <div style="margin-bottom:5px"> <strong> <a href="http://docslide.us/documents/gas-book-americas.html" title="Gas Book Americas" target="_blank">Gas Book Americas</a></div> size(px) Download Gas Book Americas Transcript Gas book Perfectly placedH to deliver innovation in gas detection 1. Honeywell Analytics Honeywell Analytics is the World’s leading manufacturer of flammable, toxic and oxygen detection systems, bringing together nearly 200 years of collective experience in the design and creation of some of the most innovative products in gas detection. Suitable for industrial, commercial and domestic applications where people can be exposed to flammable, toxic or oxygen deficiency gas hazards, Honeywell Analytics’ gas detection solutions are available in a variety of fixed and portable ranges. Honeywell Analytics’ commitment to excellence is reflected in our dedication to best practise in customer relations. By adopting a cohesive, unified approach to all aspects of customer relations and service, all enquiries, sales, service and technical support are handled by two ‘customer business centers’ located in Uster, Switzerland and Sunrise, Florida, ensuring our customers receive the high level of advice and support they deserve. We are a responsible company and take pride in building positive, sustained relationships with all our stakeholders. By the very nature of our business, we are an environmentally-aware company and our working and manufacturing methods reflect this commitment to good environmental practise. The company’s core competencies lie in the design, development and manufacture of electrochemical, catalytic, paper tape and infrared sensors. With a high commitment to research and engineering, the company offers solutions to increasingly difficult gas detection and monitoring applications. Lumidor and Neotronics are the company’s portable ranges that include instruments with disposable multi-gas cartridges and automated calibration facilities; Sieger fixed, robust detectors are crucial for gas monitoring in extreme conditions such as the marine and offshore industry; MDA Scientific is the leading fixed solution for the semiconductor industry, monitoring low levels of highly toxic gases and Zareba, Honeywell Analytics’ newest family of detectors, makes compliance with health and safety regulations in commercial and industrial sites, simple, convenient and cost-effective. The success and influence of these brands is evident in them having become as much associated with industry-standard processes as with the products they represent - for example, ‘MDA rooms’ are commonly found in the semiconductor manufacturing facilities, while Sieger is used so commonly on offshore oil platforms it has become effectively a shorthand term to describe gas detection technology. Honeywell Analytics’ success is built on a legacy of innovation in and the development of gas detection technology. Responsible for a number of industry ‘firsts’ that has defined and transformed the theory, practise and language of the gas detection industry, notable innovations include the original Siegistor catalytic bead, development of optical point and open path infrared gas detection technology, the Chemcasette® paper tape cartridge and the world’s first automated electrochemical cell manufacturing facility. 2 www.honeywellanalytics.com 3 2 Introduction Section 1 Subject Contents Page 2-3 4 6 7 8 9 10-11 12-19 20 21 22-25 26-29 30 31 32-33 34 34 34 35 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Honeywell Analytics Introduction What is gas? Gas hazards Flammable gas hazards Flammable limit Flammable gas properties Flammable gases data Toxic gas hazards Hygiene monitoring Toxic exposure limits Toxic gases data Asphyxiant (oxygen deficiency) hazard Oxygen enrichment Typical areas that require gas detection Principles of detection Combustible gas sensor Catalytic sensor Sensor output Speed of response Calibration Semiconductor sensor Thermal conductivity Infrared gas detector Open path flammable infrared gas detector Open path toxic infrared gas detector Electrochemical sensor Chemcassette® sensor Comparison of gas detection techniques Portable gas detectors North American hazardous area standards and approvals North American Ex marking and area classification European and rest of world hazardous area standards and approvals ATEX Equipment markings Area classification Apparatus design Apparatus classification Ingress protection of enclosures Safety integrity levels (SIL) Gas detection systems Location of sensors Typical sensor mounting options Typical system configurations Installation methods Global service and support network Glossary Industrial processes increasingly involve the use and manufacture of highly dangerous substances, particularly flammable, toxic and oxygen gases. Inevitably, occasional escapes of gas occur, which create a potential hazard to the industrial plant, its employees and people living nearby. Worldwide incidents, involving asphyxiation, explosions and loss of life, are a constant reminder of this problem. In most industries, one of the key parts of any safety plan for reducing risks to personnel and plant is the use of early-warning devices such as gas detectors. These can help to provide more time in which to take remedial or protective action. They can also be used as part of a total, integrated monitoring and safety system for an industrial plant. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This handbook is intended to offer a simple guide to anyone considering the use of such gas detection equipment. It provides an explanation of both the principles involved and the instrumentation needed for satisfactory protection of personnel, plant and environment. The aim has been to answer as many as possible of the most commonly asked questions about the selection and use of industrial gas detection equipment. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 48-49 50-51 52-53 54-55 56-57 58-59 60-61 62-63 64-65 66-67 68 69 70-73 74-75 76-79 5 21 22 4 www.honeywellanalytics.com 3 What is gas? 4 Gas Hazards The name gas comes from the word chaos. Gas is a swarm of molecules moving randomly and chaotically, constantly colliding with each other and anything else around it. Gases fill any available volume and due to the very high speed at which they move will mix rapidly into any atmosphere in which they are released. There are three main types of gas hazard: C4H10 HCN HCN CO2 O2 NO2 CO H2C:CH2 H2Se HCN C2H6 CO HF SiH2Cl2 ClO2 Flammable WF6 ClO2 Toxic Asphyxiant CO2 HF O3 CO 2 6 HCN CH2-CH2-O HCN BF3 SO2 C3H8 C2H6 SO2 AsH3 B H ClO H2S BF3 SO2 2 SO2 PH3 O2 CO2 ClO2 Cl2 C H NH3 CO H Se CH4 HCN CO SO2 H2S HCON(CH3)2 CO2 CH4C H (CH ) 6 4 CH2-CH2-O PH3 CH3:CHCH3 CO2 H2S Cl2 POCl2 CH4 C6H12 NH3 CH3(CH2)6CH3 3 2 CH4 6 14 CO SO CO2 NO2 O2 CO2 C3H8 SO2 ClO2 SO2 O2 C6H12 CH3[CH2]5CH3 B2H6 CH3[CH2]5CH3 CH3COCH3 CH3(CH2)6CH3 SiH4 Si2H6 C4H10 H S SO2 2 NO2 CO2 C4H6 TEOS H2 CH3COCH3 CH3[CH2]5CH3 H2S BCl3 O2 Cl CH4 2 C4H10 ClO2 BCl3 PH3 COCl2 C6H5CH3HCNC3H8 PH3 GeH4 H 2S CH3[CH2]5CH3 2 H2S PH3 NH3 HCN HBrH Cl2 C4H10 HCN H2S 3 3 2 PH3 2 CH COCH HCl CH3:CHCH3 SO H S 2 C6H12 C6H12 PH NH3 CO2 H 2S CH3(CH2)6CH3 NO2 3 CH4 NO2 C6H14 CH3:CHCH3 2 N2C:CH2 C6H5CH3 CH3[CH2]5CH3 CO PH3 CIO2 NH3 WF6 CH4 NO CO COCl2 PH3 HCN HCN CH3(CH2)6CH3 2 Different gases are all around us in everyday life. The air we breathe is made up of several different gases including Oxygen and Nitrogen. Natural Gas (Methane) is used in many homes for heating and cooking. Vehicle engines combust fuel and oxygen and produce exhaust gases that include Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide. Air Composition Name Nitrogen Oxygen Argon Carbon Dioxide Neon Methane Helium Krypton Hydrogen Xeron Symbol N2 O2 Ar CO2 Ne CH4 He Kr H2 Xe Percent by Volume 78.084% 20.9476% 0.934% 0.0314% 0.001818% 0.0002% 0.000524% 0.000114% 0.00005% 0.0000087% Cl2 SO2 H2S CH3COO[CH2]3CH3 CH Gases can be C H 2-CH2-O lighter, NH SO heavier or about the PH ClO same density as air. CH HCl NO Gases can have an 3 CO4CH HBr SO Cl O 2 C4H10 4 SO SO odour or beSi H odourless. H CH3CH Gases can have colour 2OH O POCl C H 2 POCl 2 6 2 or be colourless. If CH4 HCN CH4 you can’t see it, smell (CH ) CH HBr H C:CH CH it or touch it, it doesn’t SO SO H mean that it is not there. CH3CH2OH HCON(CH3)2 O3 2 CH3(CH2)6CH3 NO2HCON(CH ) NO CH NO 3 2 CO2 SO2 CH4 2 4 SO2 GeH4 O2 8 ClO2 2 CO2 SO2 CH3COCH3 C4H10 O2 CO2 H2S CO O2 NH3 SO2 C6H6 2 6 CH COO[CH ] CH SO2 SO2 GeH4 POCl2 F2 PH3 3 2 3 Si H WF6 NH3 HCN CO2 CO2 SiH2Cl2 HCON(CH3)2 NH3 HCN Si(OCH2CH3)4 SO2 SiH2Cl2 NO2 PH3 C6H6 3 WF6 WF6 CH4 CO2 O2 C6H12 BF H2 S 3 CO2 PH 2 NO2 B2H6 3 CO PH3 3 PH3 NH CO2 CO2 Br2 CO SO2 CO HF ClO C6H5CH3 2 SO SO2 HCl 3 2 CO2 CO2 BR2 C6H4(CH3)2 SO2 B2H6 C H 3 C H SO Risk of fiRe and oR explosion CH3(CH2)CH3 3 8 2 C6H5CH=CH2 Si(OCH2CH3)4 H2S O3 CH3CH2OH 3 SO2 SiH4 GeH4 NO 2 SO2 NO2 H2S SO C3H8 NH3 C2H5OC2H5 2 6 CH3(CH2)6CH3 2 Cl2 C6H5CH=CH2 O3 TEOS CO PH3 H2SClO 2 2 C3H10 C4H10 C4H10 H2 O2 CH2(CH2)3CH3 PH3 NO2 H2S HCN 2 H2S CH4 CH3(CH2)6CH3 SO2 TEOS C6H14 SO2 2 NO C6H6 C3H8 e.g. SO2 BR SO 2 8 NO2 H2 2 F2 PH3 NO SO2 C6H4(CH3)2 C3H8 C3H8 COCl2 2 B2 H 6 CIO2 2 C6H5CH=CH2 O2 CH3(CH2)6CH3 SO2 2 CH3COO[CH2]3CH3 CH4 CH3(CH2)6CH3 H2S PH3 SO2 Butane, Propane NH3 NO2 SO2 CH3(CH2)6CH3 CH3(CH2)6CH3 Methane, C2H5OC2H5 CH4 BF3 HCl Risk of poisoning e.g. Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Carbon Dioxide, Chlorine Risk of suffocation e.g. Oxygen deficiency. Oxygen can be consumed or displaced by another gas 3 2 6 3 PH3 2 2 SO2 PH3 2 2 B2H6 CH4 2 ClO2 The table gives the sea-level composition of air (in percent by volume at the temperature of 15°C and the pressure of 101325 Pa). 7 6 www.honeywellanalytics.com 5 Flammable Gas Hazards Flammable Limit Combustion is a fairly simple chemical reaction in which oxygen is combined rapidly with another substance resulting in the release of energy. This energy appears mainly as heat – sometimes in the form of flames. The igniting substance is normally, but not always, a Hydrocarbon compound and can be solid, liquid, vapor or gas. However, only gases and vapors are considered in this publication. (N.B. The terms ‘flammable’, ‘explosive’, and ‘combustible’ are, for the purpose of this publication, interchangeable). There is only a limited band of gas/air concentration which will produce a combustible mixture. This band is specific for each gas and vapor and is bounded by an upper level, known as the Upper Explosive Limit (or the UEL) and a lower level, called the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL). Flammable range Too rich 100% v/v gas 0% v/v air U.E.L. (upper explosive limit) L.E.L. (lower explosive limit) Too lean 0% v/v gas 100% v/v air The process of combustion can be represented by the well known fire triangle. Three factors are always needed to cause combustion: 1. A source of ignition 2. Oxygen AIR HEAT fiRe FUEL 3. Fuel in the form of a gas or vapor At levels below the LEL, there is insufficient gas to produce an explosion (i.e. the mixture is too ‘lean’), whilst above the UEL, the mixture has insufficient oxygen (i.e. the mixture is too ‘rich’). The flammable range therefore falls between the limits of the LEL and UEL for each individual gas or mixture of gases. Outside these limits, the mixture is not capable of combustion. The Flammable Gases Data in section 2.4 indicates the limiting values for some of the better-known combustible gases and compounds. The data is given for gases and vapors at normal conditions of pressure and temperature. An increase in pressure, temperature or oxygen content will generally broaden the flammability range. In the average industrial plant, there would normally be no gases leaking into the surrounding area or, at worst, only a low background level of gas present. Therefore the detecting and early warning system will only be required to detect levels from zero percent of gas up to the lower explosive limit. By the time this concentration is reached, shut-down procedures or site clearance should have been put into operation. In fact this will typically take place at a concentration of less than 50 percent of the LEL value, so that an adequate safety margin is provided. However, it should always be remembered that in enclosed or unventilated areas, a concentration in excess of the UEL can sometimes occur. At times of inspection, therefore, special care needs to be taken when operating hatches or doors, since the ingress of air from outside can dilute the gases to a hazardous, combustible mixture. (N.B LEL/LFL and UEL/UFL are for the purpose of this publication, interchangeable). In any fire protection system, therefore, the aim is to always remove at least one of these three potentially hazardous items. 8 www.honeywellanalytics.com 9 Flammable Gas Properties Ignition Temperature Flammable gases also have a temperature where ignition will take place, even without an external ignition source such as a spark or flame. This temperature is called the Ignition Temperature. Apparatus for use in a hazardous area must not have a surface temperature that exceeds the ignition temperature. Apparatus is therefore marked with a maximum surface temperature or T rating. Flash Point (F.P. °C) The flash point of a flammable liquid is the lowest temperature at which the surface of the liquid emits sufficient vapor to be ignited by a small flame. Don’t confuse with Ignition Temperature as the two can be very different: Gas / Vapor Methane Kerosene Bitumen Flash Point °C <-20 38 270 Ignition Temp. °C 595 210 310 To convert a Celsius temperature into degrees Fahrenheit: Tf = ((9/5)*Tc)+32 E.g. to convert -20 Celsius into degrees Fahrenheit, first multiply the Celsius temperature reading by nine-fifths to get -36. Then add 32 to get -4°F. Vapor Density Helps determine sensor placement The density of a gas / vapor is compared with air when air = 1.0 Vapor density < 1.0 will rise Vapor density > 1.0 will fall Gas / Vapor Methane Carbon Monoxide Hydrogen Sulfide Petrol Vapor Vapor density 0.55 0.97 1.19 3.0 approx 10 www.honeywellanalytics.com 11 Flammable Gases Data Common Name Acetaldehyde Acetic acid Acetic anhydride Acetone Acetonitrile Acetyl chloride Acetylene Acetyl fluoride Acrylaldehyde Acrylic acid Acrylonitrile Acryloyl chloride Allyl acetate Allyl alcohol Allyl chloride Ammonia Aniline Benzaldehyde Benzene 1-Bromobutane Bromoethane Buta-1,3-diene Butane Isobutane Butan-1-ol Butanone But-1-ene But-2-ene (isomer not stated) Butyl acetate n-Butyl acrylate Butylamine Isobutylamine Isobutylisobutyrate Butylmethacrylate Tert-butyl methyl ether n-Butylpropionate Butyraldehyde Isobutyraldehyde Carbon disulphide Carbon monoxide Carbonyl sulphide Chlorobenzene 1-Chlorobutane 2-Chlorobutane 1-Chloro-2,3-epoxypropane Chloroethane 2-Chloroethanol Chloroethylene Chloromethane 1-Chloro-2-methylpropane 3-Chloro-2-methylprop-1-ene 5-Chloropentan-2-one 1-Chloropropane 2-Chloropropane Chlorotrifluoroethyl-ene -Chlorotoluene Data may change by country and date, always refer to local up to date regulations. References: BS EN 61779-1:2000 Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of flammable gases-Part 1: General requirements and test methods. NIST Chemistry Web Book June 2005 release. Aldrich Handbook of Fine Chemicals and Laboratory Equipment 2003-2004. CAS Number 75-07-0 64-19-7 108-24-7 67-64-1 75-05-8 75-36-5 74-86-2 557-99-3 107-02-8 79-10-7 107-13-1 814-68-6 591-87-7 107-18-6 107-05-1 7664-41-7 62-53-3 100-52-7 71-43-2 109-65-9 74-96-4 106-99-0 106-97-8 75-28-5 71-36-3 78-93-3 106-98-9 107-01-7 123-86-4 141-32-2 109-73-9 78-81-9 97-85-8 97-88-1 1634-04-4 590-01-2 123-72-8 78-84-2 75-15-0 630-08-0 463-58-1 108-90-7 109-69-3 78-86-4 106-89-8 75-00-3 107-07-3 75-01-4 74-87-3 513-36-0 563-47-3 5891-21-4 540-54-5 75-29-6 79-38-9 100-44-7 Formula CH3CHO CH3COOH (CH3CO)2O (CH3)2CO CH3CN CH3COCl CH=CH CH3COF CH2=CHCHO CH2=CHCOOH CH2=CHCN CH2CHCOCl CH2=CHCH2OOCCH3 CH2=CHCH2CH CH2=CHCH2Cl NH3 C6H6NH2 C6H5CHO C6H6 CH3(CH2)2CH2Br CH3CH2Br CH2=CHCH=CH2 C4H10 (CH3)2CHCH3 CH3(CH2)2CH2OH CH3CH2COCH3 CH2=CHCH2CH3 CH3CH=CHCH3 CH3COOCH2(CH2)2CH3 CH2=CHCOOC4H9 CH3(CH2)3NH2 (CH3)2CHCH2NH2 (CH3)2CHCOOCH2CH(CH3)2 CH2=C(CH3)COO(CH2)3CH3 CH3OC(CH3)2 C2H5COOC4H9 CH3CH2CH2CHO (CH3)2CHCHO CS2 CO COS C6H5Cl CH3(CH2)2CH2Cl CH3CHClC2H5 OCH2CHCH2Cl CH3CH2Cl CH2ClCH2OH CH2=CHCl CH3Cl (CH3)2CHCH2Cl CH2=C(CH3)CH2Cl CH3CO(CH2)3Cl CH3CH2CH2Cl (CH3)2CHCl CF2=CFCl C6H5CH2Cl Mol. Wt. 44.05 60.05 102.09 58.08 41.05 78.5 26 62.04 56.06 72.06 53.1 90.51 100.12 58.08 76.52 17 93.1 106.12 78.1 137.02 108.97 54.09 58.1 58.12 74.12 72.1 56.11 56.11 116.2 128.17 73.14 73.14 144.21 142.2 88.15 130.18 72.1 72.11 76.1 28 60.08 112.6 92.57 92.57 92.52 64.5 80.51 62.3 50.5 92.57 90.55 120.58 78.54 78.54 116.47 126.58 B.P. °C 20 118 140 56 82 51 -84 20 53 139 77 72 103 96 45 -33 184 179 80 102 38 -4.5 -1 -12 116 80 -6.3 1 127 145 78 64 145 160 55 145 75 63 46 -191 -50 132 78 68 115 12 129 -15 -24 68 71 71 37 47 -28.4 Rel. Vap. Dens. 1.52 2.07 3.52 2.00 1.42 2.70 0.90 2.14 1.93 2.48 1.83 3.12 3.45 2.00 2.64 0.59 3.22 3.66 2.70 4.72 3.75 1.87 2.05 2.00 2.55 2.48 1.95 1.94 4.01 4.41 2.52 2.52 4.93 4.90 3.03 4.48 2.48 2.48 2.64 0.97 2.07 3.88 3.20 3.19 3.30 2.22 2.78 2.15 1.78 3.19 3.12 4.16 2.70 2.70 4.01 4.36 F.P. °C –38 40 49 <–20 2 –4 <–17 –18 56 –5 –8 13 21 –32 75 64 –11 13 <–20 -76 gas 29 –9 gas 22 38 –12 –20 34 53 –27 40 –16 –22 –30 28 –12 <–18 28 55 –78 gas –24 gas <–14 –16 61 –32 <–20 gas 60 LFL % v/v 4.00 4.00 2.00 2.50 3.00 5.00 2.30 5.60 2.85 2.90 2.80 2.68 1.70 2.50 2.90 15.00 1.20 1.40 1.20 2.50 6.70 1.40 1.40 1.30 1.70 1.80 1.60 1.60 1.30 1.20 1.70 1.47 0.80 1.00 1.50 1.10 1.80 1.60 0.60 10.90 6.50 1.40 1.80 2.20 2.30 3.60 5.00 3.60 7.60 2.00 2.10 2.00 2.40 2.80 4.60 1.20 Flammable Limits UFL % v/v LFL mg/L 60.00 17.00 10.00 13.00 16.00 19.00 100.00 19.90 31.80 28.00 18.00 9.30 18.00 11.20 33.60 11.00 8.60 6.60 11.30 16.30 9.30 9.80 12.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 7.50 8.00 9.80 10.80 6.80 8.40 7.70 12.50 11.00 60.00 74.00 28.50 11.00 10.00 8.80 34.40 15.40 16.00 33.00 19.00 8.60 11.10 10.70 84.30 74 100 85 80 51 157 24 142 65 85 64 220 69 61 92 107 47 62 39 143 306 31 33 31 52 50 38 40 64 63 49 44 47 58 54 58 54 47 19 126 180 66 69 82 86 95 160 94 160 75 77 98 78 92 220 63 UFL mg/L 1108 428 428 316 275 620 1092 505 728 620 662 3 800 438 357 240 425 280 380 517 365 225 236 372 302 235 228 390 425 286 330 395 310 409 378 320 1 900 870 700 520 386 339 1 325 413 540 610 410 340 365 350 3 117 I.T. °C 204 464 334 535 523 390 305 434 217 406 480 463 348 378 390 630 630 192 560 265 511 430 372 460 359 404 440 325 370 268 312 374 424 289 385 389 191 176 95 805 209 637 250 368 385 510 425 415 625 416 478 440 520 590 607 585 12 www.honeywellanalytics.com 13 Flammable Gases Data (continued) Common Name Cresols (mixed isomers) Crotonaldehyde Cumene Cyclobutane Cycloheptane Cyclohexane Cyclohexanol Cyclohexanone Cyclohexene Cyclohexylamine Cyclopentane Cyclopentene Cyclopropane Cyclopropyl methyl ketone p-Cymene Decahydro-naphthalene trans Decane (mixed isomers) Dibutyl ether Dichlorobenzenes (isomer not stated) Dichlorodiethyl-silane 1,1-Dichloroethane 1,2-Dichloroethane Dichloroethylene 1,2-Dichloro-propane Dicyclopentadiene Diethylamine Diethylcarbonate Diethyl ether 1,1-Difluoro-ethylene Diisobutylamine Diisobutyl carbinol Diisopentyl ether Diisopropylamine Diisopropyl ether Dimethylamine Dimethoxymethane 3-(Dimethylamino)propiononitrile Dimethyl ether N,N-Dimethylformamide 3,4-Dimethyl hexane N,N-Dimethyl hydrazine 1,4-Dioxane 1,3-Dioxolane Dipropylamine Ethane Ethanethiol Ethanol 2-Ethoxyethanol 2-Ethoxyethyl acetate Ethyl acetate Ethyl acetoacetate Ethyl acrylate Ethylamine Ethylbenzene Ethyl butyrate Ethylcyclobutane Ethylcyclohexane Ethylcyclopentane Ethylene CAS Number 1319-77-3 123-73-9 98-82-8 287-23-0 291-64-5 110-82-7 108-93-0 108-94-1 110-83-8 108-91-8 287-92-3 142-29-0 75-19-4 765-43-5 99-87-6 493-02-7 124-18-5 142-96-1 106-46-7 1719-53-5 75-34-3 107-06-2 540-59-0 78-87-5 77-73-6 109-89-7 105-58-8 60-29-7 75-38-7 110-96-3 108-82-7 544-01-4 108-18-9 108-20-3 124-40-3 109-87-5 1738-25-6 115-10-6 68-12-2 583-48-2 57-14-7 123-91-1 646-06-0 142-84-7 74-84-0 75-08-1 64-17-5 110-80-5 111-15-9 141-78-6 141-97-9 140-88-5 75-04-7 100-41-4 105-54-4 4806-61-5 1678-91-7 1640-89-7 74-85-1 Formula CH3C5H4OH CH3CH=CHCHO C6H5CH(CH3)2 CH2(CH2)2CH2 CH2(CH2)5CH2 CH2(CH2)4CH2 CH2(CH2)4CHOH CH2(CH2)4CO CH2(CH2)3CH=CH CH2(CH2)4CHNH2 CH2(CH2)3CH2 CH=CHCH2CH2CH CH2CH2CH2 CH3COCHCH2CH2 CH3CH6H4CH(CH3)2 CH2(CH2)3CHCH(CH2)3CH2 C10H22 (CH3(CH2)3)2O C6H4Cl2 (C2H5)SiCl2 CH3CHCl2 CH2ClCH2Cl ClCH=CHCl CH3CHClCH2Cl C10H12 (C2H5)2NH (CH3CH2O)2CO (CH3CH5)2O CH2=CF2 ((CH3)2CHCH2)2NH ((CH3)2CHCH2)2CHOH (CH3)2CH(CH2)2O(CH2)2CH(CH3)2 ((CH3)2CH)2NH ((CH3)2CH)2O (CH3)2NH CH2(OCH)3)2 (CH3)2NHCH2CH2CN (CH3)2O HCON(CH3)2 CH3CH2CH(CH3)CH(CH3)CH2CH3 (CH3)2NNH2 OCH2CH2OCH2CH2 OCH2CH2OCH2 (CH3CH2CH2)2NH CH3CH3 CH3CH2SH CH3CH2OH CH3CH2OCH2CH2OH CH3COOCH2CH2OCH2CH3 CH3COOCH2CH3 CH3COCH2COOCH2CH3 CH2=CHCOOCH2CH3 C2H5NH2 CH2CH3C6H5 CH3CH2CH2COOC2H5 CH3CH2CHCH2CH2CH2 CH3CH2CH(CH2)4CH2 CH3CH2CH(CH2)3CH2 CH2=CH2 Mol. Wt. 108.14 70.09 120.19 56.1 98.19 84.2 100.16 98.1 82.14 99.17 70.13 68.12 42.1 84.12 134.22 138.25 142.28 130.2 147 157.11 99 99 96.94 113 132.2 73.14 118.13 74.1 64.03 129.24 144.25 158.28 101.19 102.17 45.08 76.09 98.15 46.1 73.1 114.23 60.1 88.1 74.08 101.19 30.1 62.1 46.1 90.12 132.16 88.1 130.14 100.1 45.08 106.2 116.16 84.16 112.2 98.2 28.1 B.P. °C 191 102 152 13 118.5 81 161 156 83 134 50 44 -33 114 176 185 173 141 179 128 57 84 37 96 170 55 126 34 -83 137 178 170 84 69 7 41 171 -25 152 119 62 101 74 105 -87 35 78 135 156 77 181 100 16.6 135 120 131 103 -104 Rel. Vap. Dens. 3.73 2.41 4.13 1.93 3.39 2.90 3.45 3.38 2.83 3.42 2.40 2.30 1.45 2.90 4.62 4.76 4.90 4.48 5.07 3.42 3.42 3.55 3.90 4.55 2.53 4.07 2.55 2.21 4.45 4.97 5.45 3.48 3.52 1.55 2.60 3.38 1.59 2.51 3.87 2.07 3.03 2.55 3.48 1.04 2.11 1.59 3.10 4.72 3.04 4.50 3.45 1.50 3.66 4.00 2.90 3.87 3.40 0.97 F.P. °C 81 13 31 <10 –18 61 43 –17 32 –37 <–22 15 47 54 46 25 86 24 –10 13 –10 15 36 –23 24 –45 26 75 44 –20 –28 –18 gas –21 50 –42 gas 58 2 –18 11 –5 4 <–20 12 40 47 –4 65 9 <–20 23 21 <–16 <24 <5 LFL % v/v 1.10 2.10 0.80 1.80 1.10 1.20 1.20 1.00 1.20 1.60 1.40 1.48 2.40 1.70 0.70 0.70 0.70 0.90 2.20 3.40 5.60 6.20 9.70 3.40 0.80 1.70 1.40 1.70 3.90 0.80 0.70 1.27 1.20 1.00 2.80 3.00 1.57 2.70 1.80 0.80 2.40 1.90 2.30 1.60 2.50 2.80 3.10 1.80 1.20 2.20 1.00 1.40 2.68 1.00 1.40 1.20 0.90 1.05 2.30 Flammable Limits UFL % v/v LFL mg/L 16.00 6.50 6.70 8.30 11.10 9.40 9.40 10.40 6.50 4.90 5.60 8.50 9.20 16.00 16.00 12.80 14.50 10.00 11.70 36.00 25.10 3.60 6.10 8.30 21.00 14.40 16.90 32.00 16.00 8.50 20 22.50 30.50 9.10 15.50 18.00 19.00 15.70 12.70 11.00 9.50 14.00 14.00 7.80 7.70 6.60 6.80 36.00 50 82 40 42 44 40 50 42 41 63 41 41 42 58 39 40 41 48 134 223 230 255 391 160 43 50 69 60 102 42 42 104 49 45 53 93 62 51 55 38 60 74 70 66 31 73 59 68 65 81 54 59 49 44 66 42 42 42 26 UFL mg/L 470 328 275 290 460 386 372 183 366 284 433 460 564 660 654 516 682 306 570 1 118 665 190 370 260 900 272 535 610 500 310 490 813 935 376 194 466 359 593 642 406 519 588 260 340 272 310 280 423 I.T. °C 555 280 424 259 300 419 244 293 320 309 498 452 436 288 201 198 648 440 438 440 557 455 312 450 160 380 256 290 185 285 405 400 247 317 240 440 305 240 379 245 280 515 295 363 235 380 460 350 350 425 431 435 212 238 262 425 14 www.honeywellanalytics.com 15 Flammable Gases Data (continued) Common Name CAS Number Formula NH2CH2CH2NH2 CH2CH2O HCOOCH2CH3 (CH3)2CHCOOC2H5 CH2=CCH3COOCH2CH3 CH3OCH2CH3 CH3CH2ONO HCHO HCOOH OCH=CHCH=CHCHO CH=CHCH=CHO OC(CH2OH)CHCHCH CHCHCHC(CH3)C(CH3)C(CH3) C7H16 CH3(CH2)4CH3 C6H13OH CH3CO(CH2)3CH3 H2 HCN H2S CH3COCH2C(CH3)2OH CHC(CH3)CHC(CH3)CHC(CH3) CH2CCH3COCl CH4 CH3OH CH3SH CH3OCH2CH2OH CH3COOCH3 CH3COOCH2COCH3 CH2=CHCOOCH3 CH3NH2 (CH3)2CHCH2CH3 CH3CH2C(OH)(CH3)2 (CH3)2CH(CH2)2OH (CH3)2C=CHCH3 CH3OOCC CH3CH(CH2)4CH2 C6H6 CH3CH(CH2)3CH2 C(=CH2)CH2CH2CH2 HC=CC(CH3)CH2 HCOOCH3 OC(CH3)CHCHCH CH3NCO CH3=CCH3COOCH3 (CH3)2CHCH2CHOHCH3 (CH3)2CHCH2COCH3 CH3CH2CHC(CH3)COH (CH3)2(CCHCOCH)3 (CH3)2CHCH2OH (CH3)2C=CH2 NCH(CH3)CHCHCHCH NCHCH(CH3)CHCHCH NCHCHCH(CH3)CHCH C6H5C(CH3)=CH2 (CH3)2C(OCH3)CH2CH3 SC(CH3)CHCHCH OCH2CH2NHCH2CH2 Mol. Wt. 60.1 44 74.08 116.16 114.14 60.1 75.07 30 46.03 96.08 68.07 98.1 120.19 100.2 86.2 102.17 100.16 2 27 34.1 116.16 120.19 104.53 16 32 48.11 76.1 74.1 116.12 86.1 31.1 72.15 88.15 88.15 70.13 94.5 98.2 80.13 84.16 68.12 66.1 60.05 82.1 57.05 100.12 102.17 100.16 98.14 98.14 74.12 56.11 93.13 93.13 93.13 118.18 102.17 98.17 87.12 B.P. °C 118 11 52 112 118 8 -19 101 162 32 170 175 98 69 156 127 -253 26 -60 166 150 163 95 -161 65 6 124 57 169 80 -6 30 102 130 35 70 101 72 32 32 63 37 100 132 117 137 129 108 -6.9 128 144 145 165 85 113 129 Rel. Vap. Dens. 2.07 1.52 2.65 4.00 3.90 2.10 2.60 1.03 1.60 3.30 2.30 3.38 4.15 3.46 2.97 3.50 3.46 0.07 0.90 1.19 4.00 4.15 3.60 0.55 1.11 1.60 2.63 2.56 4.00 3.00 1.00 2.50 3.03 3.03 2.40 3.30 3.38 2.76 2.90 2.35 2.28 2.07 2.83 1.98 3.45 3.50 3.45 3.78 3.78 2.55 1.93 3.21 3.21 3.21 4.08 3.50 3.40 3.00 F.P. °C 34 <–18 –20 10 (20) –35 42 60 <–20 61 51 –4 –21 63 23 <–20 58 38 44 17 11 39 –10 62 –3 –18 gas <–51 16 42 –53 10 –4 <–18 <–10 <0 –54 –20 <–16 –7 10 37 16 30 24 28 gas 27 43 43 40 <–14 –1 31 LFL % v/v 2.70 2.60 2.70 1.60 1.50 2.00 3.00 7.00 10.00 2.10 2.30 1.80 0.80 1.10 1.00 1.20 1.20 4.00 5.40 4.00 1.80 0.70 0.80 2.50 4.40 5.50 4.10 2.40 3.20 1.30 2.40 4.20 1.30 1.40 1.30 1.30 7.50 1.16 1.30 1.00 1.25 1.40 5.00 1.40 5.30 1.70 1.14 1.20 1.46 1.60 1.70 1.60 1.20 1.40 1.10 0.90 1.50 1.30 1.80 Flammable Limits UFL % v/v LFL mg/L 16.50 100.00 16.50 10.10 50.00 73.00 57.00 19.30 14.30 16.30 7.00 6.70 8.40 8.00 77.00 46.00 45.50 6.90 5.00 7.30 17.00 38.00 21.00 20.60 16.00 14.20 25.00 20.70 8.00 10.20 10.50 6.60 26 6.70 7.60 8.40 8.60 23.00 9.70 26.00 12.50 5.50 8.00 7.20 9.80 10 8.10 7.80 6.60 6.50 15.20 64 47 87 75 70 50 94 88 190 85 66 70 46 35 51 50 3,4 60 57 88 40 108 29 73 80 76 99 62 85 55 38 50 47 37 293 47 43 35 35 38 125 47 123 71 47 50 58 64 52 37 45 53 42 44 62 52 65 UFL mg/L 396 1 848 497 255 1 555 920 1 049 768 408 670 281 290 336 63 520 650 336 365 113 484 420 650 475 685 903 270 242 374 385 189 1 020 275 249 296 239 580 325 605 520 235 336 289 305 235 308 296 330 261 550 I.T. °C 403 435 440 438 190 95 424 520 316 390 370 470 215 233 293 533 560 538 270 680 210 499 510 537 386 340 285 502 280 415 430 420 392 339 290 475 258 432 258 352 272 450 318 517 430 334 475 206 306 408 483 533 537 534 445 345 433 230 Ethylenediamine 107-15-3 Ethylene oxide 75-21-8 Ethyl formate 109-94-4 Ethyl isobutyrate 97-62-1 Ethyl methacrylate 97-63-2 Ethyl methyl ether 540-67-0 Ethyl nitrite 109-95-5 Formaldehyde 50-00-0 Formic acid 64-18-6 2-Furaldehyde 98-01-1 Furan 110-00-9 Furfuryl alcohol 98-00-0 1,2,3-Trimethyl-benzene 526-73-8 Heptane (mixed isomers) 142-82-5 Hexane (mixed isomers) 110-54-3 1-Hexanol 111-27-3 Hexan-2-one 591-78-6 Hydrogen 1333-74-0 Hydrogen cyanide 74-90-8 Hydrogen sulfide 7783-06-4 4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-penta-2-one 123-42-2 Kerosene 8008-20-6 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene 108-67-8 Methacryloyl chloride 920-46-7 Methane (firedamp) 74-82-8 Methanol 67-56-1 Methanethiol 74-93-1 2-Methoxyethanol 109-86-4 Methyl acetate 79-20-9 Methyl acetoacetate 105-45-3 Methyl acrylate 96-33-3 Methylamine 74-89-5 2-Methylbutane 78-78-4 2-Methylbutan-2-ol 75-85-4 3-Methylbutan-1-ol 123-51-3 2-Methylbut-2-ene 513-35-9 Methyl chloro-formate 79-22-1 Methylcyclohexane 108-87-2 Methylcyclo-pentadienes (isomer not stated) 26519-91-5 Methylcyclopentane 96-37-7 Methylenecyclo-butane 1120-56-5 2-Methyl-1-buten-3-yne 78-80-8 Methyl formate 107-31-3 2-Methylfuran 534-22-5 Methylisocyanate 624-83-9 Methyl methacrylate 80-62-6 4-Methylpentan-2-ol 108-11-2 4-Methylpentan-2-one 108-10-1 2-Methylpent-2-enal 623-36-9 4-Methylpent-3-en-2-one 141-79-7 2-Methylpropan-1-ol 78-83-1 2-Methylprop-1-ene 115-11-7 2-Methylpyridine 109-06-8 3-Methylpyridine 108-99-6 4-Methylpyridine 108-89-4 -Methyl styrene 98-83-9 Methyl tert-pentyl ether 994-05-8 2-Methylthiophene 554-14-3 Morpholine 110-91-8 16 www.honeywellanalytics.com 17 Flammable Gases Data (continued) Common Name Naphtha Naphthalene Nitrobenzene Nitroethane Nitromethane 1-Nitropropane Nonane Octane 1-Octanol Penta-1,3-diene Pentanes (mixed isomers) Pentane-2,4-dione Pentan-1-ol Pentan-3-one Pentyl acetate Petroleum Phenol Propane Propan-1-ol Propan-2-ol Propene Propionic acid Propionic aldehyde Propyl acetate Isopropyl acetate Propylamine Isopropylamine Isopropylchloro-acetate 2-Isopropyl-5-methylhex-2-enal Isopropyl nitrate Propyne Prop-2-yn-1-ol Pyridine Styrene Tetrafluoroethylene 2,2,3,3-Tetrafluoro-propylacrylate 2,2,3,3-Tetrafluoro-propyl methacrylate Tetrahydrofuran Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol Tetrahydro-thiophene N,N,N’, N’-Tetra-methylmethane-diamine Thiophene Toluene Triethylamine 1,1,1-Trifluoro-ethane 2,2,2-Trifluoro-ethanol Trifluoroethylene 3,3,3-Trifluoro-prop-1-ene Trimethylamine 2,2,4-Trimethyl-pentane 2,4,6-Trimethyl-1,3,5-trioxane 1,3,5-Trioxane Turpentine Isovaleraldehyde Vinyl acetate Vinyl cyclohexenes (isomer not stated) Vinylidene chloride 2-Vinylpyridine 4-Vinylpyridine Xylenes CAS Number 91-20-3 98-95-3 79-24-3 75-52-5 108-03-2 111-84-2 111-65-9 111-87-5 504-60-9 109-66-0 123-54-6 71-41-0 96-22-0 628-63-7 108-95-2 74-98-6 71-23-8 67-63-0 115-07-1 79-09-4 123-38-6 109-60-4 108-21-4 107-10-8 75-31-0 105-48-6 35158-25-9 1712-64-7 74-99-7 107-19-7 110-86-1 100-42-5 116-14-3 7383-71-3 45102-52-1 109-99-9 97-99-4 110-01-0 51-80-9 110-02-1 108-88-3 121-44-8 420-46-2 75-89-8 359-11-5 677-21-4 75-50-3 540-84-1 123-63-7 110-88-3 590-86-3 108-05-4 100-40-3 75-35-4 100-69-6 100-43-6 1330-20-7 Formula C10H8 CH3CH2NO2 C2H5NO2 CH3NO2 CH3CH2CH2NO2 CH3(CH2)7CH2 CH3(CH2)3CH3 CH3(CH2)6CH2OH CH2=CH-CH=CH-CH3 C5H12 CH3COCH2COCH3 CH3(CH2)3CH2OH (CH3CH2)2CO CH3COO-(CH2)4-CH3 C6H5OH CH3CH2CH3 CH3CH2CH2OH (CH3)2CHOH CH2=CHCH3 CH3CH2COOH C2H5CHO CH3COOCH2CH2CH3 CH3COOCH(CH3)2 CH3(CH2)2NH2 (CH3)2CHNH2 ClCH2COOCH(CH3)2 (CH3)2CH-C(CHO)CHCH2CH(CH3)2 (CH3)2CHONO2 CH3C=CH HC=CCH2OH C5H5N C6H5CH=CH2 CF2=CF2 CH2=CHCOOCH2CF2CF2H CH2=C(CH2)COOCH2CF2CF2H CH2(CH2)2CH2O OCH2CH2CH2CHCH2OH CH2(CH2)2CH2S (CH3)2NCH2N(CH3)2 CH=CHCH=CHS C6H5CH3 (CH3CH2)3N CF3CH3 CF3CH2OH CF2=CFH CF3CH=CH2 (CH3)3N (CH3)2CHCH2C(CH3)3 OCH(CH3)OCH(CH3)OCH(CH3) OCH2OCH2OCH2 ~C10H16 (CH3)2CHCH2CHO CH3COOCH=CH2 CH2CHC6H9 CH2=CCl2 NC(CH2=CH)CHCHCHCH NCHCHC(CH2=CH)CHCH C6H4(CH3)2 Mol. Wt. 128.17 123.1 75.07 61.04 89.09 128.3 114.2 130.23 68.12 72.2 100.1 88.15 86.13 130.18 94.11 44.1 60.1 60.1 42.1 74.08 58.08 102.13 102.13 59.11 59.11 136.58 154.25 105.09 40.06 56.06 79.1 104.2 100.02 186.1 200.13 72.1 102.13 88.17 102.18 84.14 92.1 101.2 84.04 100.04 82.02 96.05 59.1 114.23 132.16 90.1 86.13 86.09 108.18 96.94 105.14 105.14 106.2 B.P. °C 35 218 211 114 102.2 131 151 126 196 42 36 140 136 101.5 147 182 -42 97 83 -48 141 46 102 85 48 33 149 189 101 -23.2 114 115 145 132 124 64 178 119 85 84 111 89 77 -16 3 98 123 115 149 90 72 126 30 79 62 144 Rel. Vap. Dens. 2.50 4.42 4.25 2.58 2.11 3.10 4.43 3.93 4.50 2.34 2.48 3.50 3.03 3.00 4.48 2.80 3.24 1.56 2.07 2.07 1.50 2.55 2.00 3.60 3.51 2.04 2.03 4.71 5.31 1.38 1.89 2.73 3.60 3.40 6.41 6.90 2.49 3.52 3.04 3.50 2.90 3.20 3.50 2.90 3.45 2.83 3.31 2.04 3.90 4.56 3.11 2.97 3.00 3.72 3.40 3.62 3.62 3.66 F.P. °C <–18 77 88 27 36 36 30 13 81 <–31 –40 34 38 12 25 <–20 75 –104 gas 22 12 52 <–26 10 4 –37 <–24 42 41 11 33 17 30 45 46 –20 70 13 <–13 –9 4 –7 30 LFL % v/v 0.90 0.90 1.70 3.40 7.30 2.20 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.20 1.40 1.70 1.06 1.60 1.00 1.20 1.30 1.70 2.20 2.00 2.00 2.10 2.00 1.70 1.80 2.00 2.30 1.60 3.05 2.00 1.70 2.40 1.70 1.10 10.00 2.40 1.90 1.50 1.50 1.10 1.61 1.50 1.10 1.20 6.80 8.40 15.30 4.70 2.00 1.00 1.30 3.20 0.80 1.70 2.60 0.80 7.30 1.20 1.10 1.00 Flammable Limits UFL % v/v LFL mg/L 6.00 5.90 40.00 63.00 5.60 6.50 7.40 9.40 7.80 10.50 7.10 8.00 9.50 10.90 17.50 12.70 11.00 12.00 8.00 8.10 10.40 8.60 100.00 16.80 12.00 8.00 59.00 12.40 9.70 12.30 12.50 7.60 8.00 17.60 28.80 27.00 12.00 6.00 29.00 13.40 16.00 7.60 48 87 107 187 82 37 38 49 35 42 71 38 58 55 50 31 55 50 35 64 47 70 75 49 55 89 192 75 28 55 58 48 420 182 155 46 64 42 67 50 42 51 234 350 502 184 50 47 72 121 60 93 35 294 51 47 44 UFL mg/L 317 2 067 1 613 301 311 385 261 236 385 387 370 200 353 320 194 370 343 340 258 208 3 738 280 398 350 2 245 370 416 450 420 300 339 605 1 195 904 297 284 1 096 478 645 335 I.T. °C 290 528 480 410 415 420 205 206 270 361 258 340 298 445 360 560 595 470 405 425 455 435 188 430 467 318 340 426 188 175 346 550 490 255 357 389 224 280 200 180 395 535 714 463 319 490 190 411 235 410 254 207 425 257 440 482 501 464 –12 27 45 35 –12 –8 15 –18 35 43 30 18 www.honeywellanalytics.com 19 6 Toxic Gas Hazards Hygiene Monitoring Some gases are poisonous and can be dangerous to life at very low concentrations. Some toxic gases have strong smells like the distinctive ‘rotten eggs’ smell of H2S. The measurements most often used for the concentration of toxic gases are parts per million (ppm) and parts per billion (ppb). For example 1ppm would be equivalent to a room filled with a total of 1 million balls and 1 of those balls being red. The red ball would represent 1ppm. The term ‘hygiene monitoring’ is generally used to cover the area of industrial health monitoring associated with the exposure of employees to hazardous conditions of gases, dust, noise etc. In other words, the aim is to ensure that levels in the workplace are below the statutory limits. 1 million balls More people die from toxic gas exposure than from explosions caused by the ignition of flammable gas. (It should be noted that there is a large group of gases which are both combustible and toxic, so that even detectors of toxic gases sometimes have to carry hazardous area approval). The main reason for treating flammable and toxic gases separately is that the hazards and regulations involved and the types of sensor required are different. With toxic substances, (apart from the obvious environmental problems) the main concern is the effect on workers of exposure to even very low concentrations, which could be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Since adverse effects can often result from additive, long-term exposure, it is important not only to measure the concentration of gas, but also the total time of exposure. There are even some known cases of synergism, where substances can interact and produce a far worse effect when together than the separate effect of each on its own. Concern about concentrations of toxic substances in the workplace focus on both organic and inorganic compounds, including the effects they could have on the health and safety of employees, the possible contamination of a manufactured end-product (or equipment used in its manufacture) and also the subsequent disruption of normal working activities. This subject covers both area surveys (profiling of potential exposures) and personal monitoring, where instruments are worn by a worker and sampling is carried out as near to the breathing zone as possible. This ensures that the measured level of contamination is truly representative of that inhaled by the worker. It should be emphasised that both personal monitoring and monitoring of the workplace should be considered as important parts of an overall, integrated safety plan. They are only intended to provide the necessary information about conditions as they exist in the atmosphere. This then allows the necessary action to be taken to comply with the relevant industrial regulations and safety requirements. Whatever method is decided upon, it is important to take into account the nature of the toxicity of any of the gases involved. For instance, any instrument which measures only a time-weighted average, or an instrument which draws a sample for subsequent laboratory analysis, would not protect a worker against a short exposure to a lethal dose of a highly toxic substance. On the other hand, it may be quite normal to briefly exceed the average, long-term (LTEL) levels in some areas of a plant, and it need not be indicated as an alarm situation. Therefore, the optimum instrument system should be capable of monitoring both short and long term exposure levels as well as instantaneous alarm levels. 1 red ball 100%V/V = 1,000,000ppm 1%V/V = 10,000ppm example 100%LEL Ammonia = 15%V/V 50%LEL Ammonia = 7.5%V/V 50%LEL Ammonia = 75,000ppm 20 www.honeywellanalytics.com 21 Toxic Exposure Limits European Occupational Exposure Limits Occupational Exposure Limit values (OELs) are set by competent national authorities or other relevant national institutions as limits for concentrations of hazardous compounds in workplace air. OELs for hazardous substances represent an important tool for risk assessment and management and valuable information for occupational safety and health activities concerning hazardous substances. Effects of exposure to Carbon Monoxide Carbon Monoxide in parts per million (ppm) 2500 2000 1500 1000 = Well 500 = Unwell = Dead! 5 10 20 40 80 160 Period of exposure in minutes Occupational Exposure Limits can apply both to marketed products and to waste and by products from production processes. The limits protect workers against health effects, but do not address safety issues such as explosive risk. As limits frequently change and can very by country, you should consult your relevant national authorities to ensure that you have the latest information. Occupational exposure limits in the UK function under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). The COSHH regulations require the employer to ensure that the employee’s exposure to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or if not practically possible, adequately controlled. As of 6 April 2005, the regulations introduced a new, simpler Occupational Exposure Limit system. The existing requirements to follow good practice were brought together by the introduction of eight principles in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Amendment) Regulations 2004. Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs) were replaced with a single type of limit - the Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL). All the MELs, and most of the OESs, are being transferred into the new system as WELs and will retain their previous numerical values. The OESs for approximately 100 substances were deleted as the substances are now banned, scarcely used or there is evidence to suggest adverse health effects close to the old limit value. The list of exposure limits is known as EH40 and is available from the UK Health and Safety Executive. All legally enforceable WELs in UK are air limit values. The maximum admissible or accepted concentration varies from substance to substance according to its toxicity. The exposure times are averaged for eight hours (8-hour TWA) and 15 minutes (short-term exposure limit STEL). For some substances, a brief exposure is considered so critical that they are set only a STEL, which should not be exceeded even for a shorter time. The potency to penetrate through skin is annotated in the WEL list by remark “Skin”. Carcinogenicity, reproduction toxicity, irritation and sensitation potential are considered when preparing a proposal for an OEL according to the present scientific knowledge. 22 www.honeywellanalytics.com 23 US Occupational Exposure Limits The Occupational Safety systems in the United States vary from state to state. Here, Information is given on 3 major providers of the Occupational Exposure Limits in the USA - ACGIH, OSHA, and NIOSH. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MAC), which were later renamed to “Threshold Limit Values” (TLVs). Threshold Limit Values are defined as an exposure limit “to which it is believed nearly all workers can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without ill effect”. The ACGIH is a professional organisation of occupational hygienists from universities or governmental institutions. Occupational hygienists from private industry can join as associate members. Once a year, the different committees propose new threshold limits or best working practice guides. The list of TLVs includes more than 700 chemical substances and physical agents, as well as dozens of Biological Exposure Indices for selected chemicals. The ACGIH defines different TLV-Types as: Threshold Limit Value – Time-Weighted Average (TLV-TWA): the time-weighted average concentration for a conventional 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek, to which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse effect. Threshold Limit Value – Short-Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL): the concentration to which it is believed that workers can be exposed continuously for a short period of time without suffering from irritation, chronic or irreversible tissue damage, or narcosis. STEL is defined as a 15-minute TWA exposure, which should not be exceeded at any time during a workday. Threshold Limit Value - Ceiling (TLV-C): the concentration that should not be exceeded during any part of the working exposure. There is a general excursion limit recommendation that applies to those TLV-TWAs that do not have STELs. Excursions in worker exposure levels may exceed 3 times the TLV-TWA for no more than a total of 30 minutes during a workday, and under no circumstances should they exceed 5 times the TLV-TWA, provided that the TLV-TWA is not exceeded. ACGIH-TLVs do not have a legal force in the USA, they are only recommendations. OSHA defines regulatory limits. However, ACGIH-TLVs and the criteria documents are a very common base for setting TLVs in the USA and in many other countries. ACGIH exposure limits are in many cases more protective than OSHA’s. Many US companies use the current ACGIH levels or other internal and more protective limits. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor publishes Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL). PELs are regulatory limits on the amount or concentration of a substance in the air, and they are enforceable. The initial set of limits from 1971 was based on the ACGIH TLVs. OSHA currently has around 500 PELs for various forms of approximately 300 chemical substances, many of which are widely used in industrial settings. Existing PELs are contained in a document called “29 CFR 1910.1000”, the air contaminants standard. OSHA uses in a similar way as the ACGIH the following types of OELs: TWAs, Action Levels, Ceiling Limits, STELs, Excursion Limits and in some cases Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has the statutory responsibility for recommending exposure levels that are protective to workers. NIOSH has identified Recommended Exposure Levels (RELs) for around 700 hazardous substances. These limits have no legal force. NIOSH recommends their limits via criteria documents to OSHA and other OEL setting institutions. Types of RELs are TWA, STEL, Ceiling and BEIs. The recommendations and the criteria are published in several different document types, such as Current Intelligent Bulletins (CIB), Alerts, Special Hazard Reviews, Occupational Hazard Assessments and Technical Guidelines. Occupational Exposure Limits Comparison Table AICGH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) TLV-TWA TLV-STEL TLV-C OSHA NIOSH EH40 Meaning Limit definition Long term exposure limit (8hr-TWA reference period) Short term exposure limit (15-minute exposure period) The concentration that should not be exceeded during any part of the working exposure Limit if no STEL stated Biological Exposure Indicies Permissible Exposure Recommended Workplace Exposure Limits (PELs) Exposure Levels (RELs) Limits (WELs) TWA STEL Ceiling TWA STEL Ceiling TWA STEL - Excursion Limit - Excursion Limit BEIs BEIs - 24 www.honeywellanalytics.com 25 Toxic Gases Data The toxic gases listed below can be detected using equipment supplied by Honeywell Analytics. Gas data is supplied where known. As product development is ongoing, contact Honeywell Analytics if the gas you require is not listed. Data may change by country and date, always refer to local up to date regulations. Ref: EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits, OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1000 tables Z-1 and Z-2 and ACGIH Threshold Limit Valves and Biological Exposure Indices Book 2005. EH40 Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) Long-term exposure limit (8-hour TWA reference period) ppm 25 0.05 mg.m-3 18 0.16 Short-term exposure limit (15-minute reference period) ppm 35 mg.m-3 25 OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) Long-term exposure limit (8-hour TWA reference period) ppm 50 0.05 1 (ceiling) mg.m-3 35 0.2 3 (ceiling) 0.7 55 3 (ceiling) 0.3 0.1 18 ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) 8-hour TWA workday and a 40-hour workweek ppm 25 0.05 1 (ceiling) 0.1 25 0.5 0.1 0.1 5 0.01 Common Name Ammonia Arsine Boron Trichloride Boron Trifluoride Bromine Carbon Monoxide Chlorine Chlorine Dioxide 1,4 Cyclohexane diisocyanate Diborane Dichlorosilane (DCS) Dimethyl Amine (DMA) Dimethyl Hydrazine (UDMH) Disilane Ethylene Oxide Fluorine Germane Hexamethylene Diisocyanate (HDI) Hydrazine Hydrogen Hydrogen Bromide Hydrogen Chloride Hydrogen Cyanide Hydrogen Fluoride Hydrogen Iodide Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen Selenide Hydrogen Sulfide Hydrogenated Methylene Bisphenyl Isocyanate (HMDI) Isocyanatoethylmethacrylate (IEM) Isophorone Diisocyanate (IPDI) Methyl Fluoride (R41) Methylene Bisphenyl Isocyanate (MDI) Methylene Bisphenyl Isocyanate -2 (MDI-2) Methylene Dianiline (MDA) Monomethyl Hydrazine (MMH) Naphthalene Diisocyanate (NDI) Nitric Acid 26 www.honeywellanalytics.com CAS Number 7664-41-7 7784-42-1 10294-34-5 7637-07-2 7726-95-6 630-08-0 7782-50-5 10049-04-4 19287-45-7 4109-96-0 124-40-3 57-14-7 1590-87-0 75-21-8 7782-41-4 7782-65-2 822-06-0 302-01-2 1333-74-0 10035-10-6 7647-01-0 74-90-8 7664-39-3 10034-85-2 7722-84-1 7783-07-5 7783-06-4 Formula NH3 AsH3 BCl3 BF3 Br2 CO Cl2 ClO2 CHDI B2H6 H2Cl2Si C2H7N C2H8N2 Si2H6 C2H4O F2 GeH4 C8H12N2O2 N2H4 H2 HBr HCl HCN HF HI H2O2 H2Se H2S C7H9NO3 C12H18N2O2 0.1 30 0.5 0.1 0.66 35 1.5 0.28 0.3 200 1 0.3 2 232 2.9 0.84 0.1 50 1 (ceiling) 0.1 0.1 2 3.8 6 11 10 5 1 0.2 0.02 9.2 1 0.62 0.03 0.6 0.1 3 1.9 0.13 10 8 11 2.5 2.8 14 1 0.1 0.2 1 1 0.2 0.005 1 3 5 (ceiling) 10 3 1 0.05 20 (ceiling) 1.3 10 7 (ceiling) 11 0.01 Asphyxiant 2 (ceiling) 2 (ceiling) 4.7 (ceiling) 3 (ceiling) 1 1.8 1 5 2 1.5 1.4 7 5 10 3 2 10 1.4 0.2 1 0.05 10 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.01 0.08 0.1 0.01 0.005 2 5.2 4 10 2 5 2 27 593-53-3 101-68-8 101-68-8 101-77-9 60-34-4 3173-72-6 7697-37-2 CH3F C15H10N2O2 C15H10N2O2 C13H14N2 CH6N2 C12H6N2O2 HNO3 Toxic Gases Data (continued) EH40 Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) Long-term exposure limit (8-hour TWA reference period) Short-term exposure limit (15-minute reference period) ppm mg.m-3 OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) Long-term exposure limit (8-hour TWA reference period) ppm 25 5 (ceiling) 10 5 (ceiling) mg.m-3 30 9 (ceiling) 29 15 (ceiling) 0.2 0.4 0.4 240 0.1 ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) 8-hour TWA workday and a 40-hour workweek ppm 25 3 10 5 (ceiling) 100 ppb 100 ppb 300 ppb 2 0.1 mg/mm3 5 Common Name Nitric Oxide Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen Trifluoride n-Butyl Amine (N-BA) Ozone Phosgene Phosphine Propylene Oxide p-Phenylene Diamine (PPD) p-Phenylene Diisocyanate (PPDI) Silane Stibine Sulfur Dioxide Sulfuric Acid Tertiary Butyl Arsine (TBA) Tertiary Butyl Phosphine (TBP) Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) Tetrakis (Dimethylamino) Titanium (TDMAT) Tetramethylxylene Diisocyanate (TMXDI) Toluene Diamine (TDA) Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI) Triethyl Amine (TEA) Trimethylhexamethylene Diisocyanate (TMDI) Unsymetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine (UDMH) Xylene Diisocyanate (XDI) CAS Number 10102-43-9 10102-44-0 7783-54-2 109-73-9 10028-15-6 75-44-5 7803-51-2 75-56-9 106-50-3 104-49-4 7803-62-5 7803-52-3 7446-09-5 7664-93-9 2501-94-2 78-10-4 3275-24-9 95-80-7 584-84-9 121-44-8 57-14-7 Formula NO NO2 NF3 C4H11N O3 COCl2 PH3 C3H6O C6H8N2 C8H4N2O2 SiH4 SbH3 SO2 H2SO4 C4H11P C8H20O4Si C8H24N4Ti C14H16N2O2 C7H10N2 C9H6N2O2 C6H15N C11H18N2O2 C2H8N2 ppm mg.m-3 0.2 0.02 5 0.08 12 0.1 0.5 0.67 1 0.06 0.3 0.4 0.25 0.42 0.1 0.1 0.3 100 1.3 0.1 5 0.5 13 1 0.1 2 0.05 0.01mg/m3 for arsenic 5 as DMA 50 2 191 8 150 0.02 (ceiling) 4 574 0.14 (ceiling) 17 lowest feasible (NIOSH) 0.005 5 0.01 28 www.honeywellanalytics.com 29 7 Asphyxiant (Oxygen Deficiency) Hazard 8 Oxygen Enrichment We all need to breathe the oxygen (O2) in air to live. Air is made up of several different gases including oxygen. Normal ambient air contains an oxygen concentration of 20.9% v/v. When the oxygen level dips below 19.5% v/v, the air is considered oxygendeficient. Oxygen concentrations below 16% v/v are considered unsafe for humans. oxygen depletion can be caused by: • Displacement • Combustion • Oxidation • Chemical reaction v/v O2 100% 20.9% v/v normal 20.9% v/v normal 16% v/v depletion 6% v/v fatal It is often forgotten that oxygen enrichment can also cause a risk. At increased O2 levels the flammability of materials and gases increases. At levels of 24% items such as clothing can spontaneously combust. Oxyacetylene welding equipment combines oxygen and acetylene gas to produce an extremely high temperature. Other areas where hazards may arise from oxygen enriched atmospheres include areas manufacturing or storing rocket propulsion systems, products used for bleaching in the pulp and paper industry and clean water treatment facilities Sensors have to be specially certified for use in O2 enriched atmospheres. 6% v/v fatal 16% v/v depletion v/v O2 0% 30 www.honeywellanalytics.com 31 9 Typical Areas that Require Gas Detection There are many different applications for flammable, toxic and oxygen gas detection. Industrial processes increasingly involve the use and manufacture of highly dangerous substances, particularly toxic and combustible gases. Inevitably, occasional escapes of gas occur, which create a potential hazard to the industrial plant, its employees and people living nearby. Worldwide incidents involving asphyxiation, explosions and loss of life, are a constant reminder of this problem. In most industries, one of the key parts of the safety plan for reducing the risks to personnel and plant is the use of early warning devices such as gas detectors. These can help to provide more time in which to take remedial or protective action. They can also be used as part of a total integrated monitoring and safety system for an industrial plant. Oil & Gas The oil and gas industry covers a large number of upstream activities from the on and offshore exploration and production of oil and gas to its transportation, storage and refining. The large amount of highly flammable Hydrocarbon gases involved are a serious explosive risk and additionally toxic gases such as Hydrogen Sulfide are often present. typical applications: • Exploration Drilling Rigs • Production Platforms • Onshore oil and gas terminals • Refineries typical gases: Flammable: Hydrocarbon gases Toxic: Hydrogen Sulfide, Carbon Monoxide Semiconductor Manufacturing Manufacturing semiconductor materials involves the use of highly toxic substances and flammable gas. Phosphorus, arsenic, boron and gallium are commonly used as doping agents. Hydrogen is used both as a reactant and a reducing atmosphere carrier gas. Etching and cleaning gases include NF3 and other perfluorocompounds. typical applications: • Wafer reactor • Wafer dryers • Gas Cabinets • Chemical Vapor Deposition typical gases: Flammable: Flammable: Hydrogen, Isopropyl Alcohol, Methane Toxic: HCl, AsH3, BCl3, PH3, CO, HF, O3, H2Cl2Si, TEOS, C4F6, C5F8, GeH4, NH3, NO2 and O2 Deficiency. Pyrophoric: Silane Chemical Plants Probably one of the largest users of gas detection equipment are Chemical Plants. They often use a wide range of both flammable and toxic gases in their manufacturing processes or create them as by-products of the processes. typical applications: • Raw material storage • Process areas • Laboratories • Pump rows • Compressor stations • Loading/unloading areas typical gases: Flammable: General Hydrocarbons Toxic: Various including Hydrogen Sulfide, Hydrogen Fluoride and Ammonia Power Stations Traditionally coal and oil have been used as the main fuel for Power Stations. In Europe and the US most are being converted to natural gas. typical applications: • Around the boiler pipe work and burners • In and around turbine packages • In coal silos and conveyor belts in older coal/oil fired stations typical gases: Flammable: Natural Gas, Hydrogen Toxic: Carbon Monoxide, SOx, NOx and Oxygen deficincy. Waste Water Treatment Plants Waste Water Treatment Plants are a familiar site around many cities and towns. Sewage naturally gives off both Methane and H2S. The ‘rotten eggs’ smell of H2S can often be noticed as the nose can detect it at less than 0.1ppm. typical applications: • Digesters • Plant sumps • H2S Scrubbers • Pumps typical gases: Flammable: Methane, Solvent vapors Toxic: Hydrogen Sulfide, Carbon Dioxide, Chlorine, Sulfur Dioxide, Ozone. Boiler Rooms Boiler Rooms come in all shapes and sizes. Small buildings may have a single boiler whereas larger buildings often have large boiler rooms housing several large boilers. typical applications: • Flammable gas leaks from the incoming gas main • Leaks from the boiler and surrounding gas piping • Carbon Monoxide given off badly maintained boiler typical gases: Flammable: Methane Toxic: Carbon Monoxide Hospitals Hospitals may use many different flammable and toxic substances, particularly in their laboratories. Additionally, many are very large and have onsite utility supplies and back up power stations. typical applications: • Laboratories • Refrigeration plants • Boiler rooms typical gases: Flammable: Methane, Hydrogen Toxic: Carbon Monoxide, Chlorine, Ammonia, Ethylene oxide and Oxygen deficiency Tunnels/Car Parks Car Tunnels and enclosed Car Parks need to be monitored for the toxic gases from exhaust fumes. Modern tunnels and car parksuse this monitoring to control the ventilation fans. Tunnels may also need to be monitored for the build up of natural gas. typical applications: • Car tunnels • Underground and enclosed car parks • Access tunnels • Ventilation control typical gases: Flammable: Methane (natural gas), LPG, LNG, Petrol Vapor. Toxic: Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide 32 www.honeywellanalytics.com 33 10 Principles of Detection 100 % Response (indicated) 90 (50) 0 (t50) t90 time Combustible gas sensors Many people have probably seen a flame safety lamp at some time and know something about its use as an early form of ‘firedamp’ gas detector in underground coal mines and sewers. Although originally intended as a source of light, the device could also be used to estimate the level of combustible gases- to an accuracy of about 25-50%, depending on the user’s experience, training, age, colour perception etc. Modern combustible gas detectors have to be much more accurate, reliable and repeatable than this and although various attempts were made to overcome the safety lamp’s subjectiveness of measurement (by using a flame temperature sensor for instance), it has now been almost entirely superseded by more modern, electronic devices. Nevertheless, today’s most commonly used device, the catalytic detector, is in some respects a modern development of the early flame safety lamp, since it also relies for its operation on the combustion of a gas and its conversion to carbon dioxide and water. Catalytic sensor Nearly all modern, low-cost, combustible gas detection sensors are of the electro-catalytic type. They consist of a very small sensing element sometimes called a ‘bead’, a ‘Pellistor’, or a ‘Siegistor’- the last two being registered tradenames for commercial devices. They are made of an electrically heated platinum wire coil, covered first with a ceramic base such as alumina and then with a final outer coating of palladium or rhodium catalyst dispersed in a substrate of thoria. This type of sensor operates on the principle that when a combustible gas/air mixture passes over the hot catalyst surface, combustion occurs and the heat evolved increases the temperature of the ‘bead’. This in turn alters the resistance of the platinum coil and can be measured by using the coil as a temperature thermometer in a standard electrical bridge circuit. The resistance change is then directly related to the gas concentration in the surrounding atmosphere and can be displayed on a meter or some similar indicating device. Sensor output To ensure temperature stability under varying ambient conditions, the best catalytic sensors use thermally matched beads. They are located in opposing arms of a Wheatstone bridge electrical circuit, where the ‘sensitive’ sensor (usually known as the ‘s’ sensor) will react to any combustible gases present, whilst a balancing, ‘inactive’ or ‘non-sensitive’ (n-s) sensor will not. Inactive operation is achieved by either coating the bead with a film of glass or de-activating the catalyst so that it will act only as a compensator for any external temperature or humidity changes. A further improvement in stable operation can be achieved by the use of poison resistant sensors. These have better resistance to degradation by substances such as silicones, sulfur and lead compounds which can rapidly de-activate (or ‘poison’) other types of catalytic sensor. Speed of response To achieve the necessary requirements of design safety, the catalytic type of sensor has to be mounted in a strong metal housing behind a flame arrestor. This allows the gas/ air mixture to diffuse into the housing and on to the hot sensor element, but will prevent the propagation of any flame to the outside atmosphere. The flame arrestor slightly reduces the speed of response of the sensor but, in most cases the electrical output will give a reading in a matter of seconds after gas has been detected. However, because the response curve is considerably flattened as it approaches the final reading, the response time is often specified in terms of the time to reach 90 percent of its final reading and is therefore known as the T90 value. T90 values for catalytic sensors are typically between 20 and 30 seconds. (N.B. In the USA and some other countries, this value is often quoted as the lower T60 reading and care should therefore be taken when comparing the performance of different sensors). 34 www.honeywellanalytics.com 35 Principles of Detection (continued) typical types of gas sensoR/tRansmitteR Voltage Source Meter Metal Oxide Silicon Sensor screwed to Junction Box – two man calibration Sensor screwed to Transmitter with intrusive one man calibration Sensor screwed to Transmitter with non intrusive one man calibration Transmitter with remote sensor – one man non intrusive calibration Heater Heater Calibration The most common failure in catalytic sensors is performance degradation caused by exposure to certain poisons’. It is therefore essential that any gas monitoring system should not only be calibrated at the time of installation, but also checked regularly and re-calibrated as necessary. Checks must be made using an accurately calibrated standard gas mixture so that the zero and ‘span’ levels can be set correctly on the controller. Codes of practice such as EN50073:1999 can provide some guidance about the calibration checking frequency and the alarm level settings. Typically, checks should initially be made at weekly intervals but the periods can be extended as operational experience is gained. Where two alarm levels are required, these are normally set at 20-25% LEL for the lower level and 50-55% LEL for the upper level. Older (and lower cost) systems require two people to check and calibrate, one to expose the sensor to a flow of gas and the other to check the reading shown on the scale of its control unit. Adjustments are then made at the controller to the zero and span potentiometers until the reading exactly matches that of the gas mixture concentration. Semiconductor sensor Sensors made from semiconducting materials gained considerably in popularity during the late 1980’s and at one time appeared to offer the possibility of a universal, low cost gas detector. In the same way as catalytic sensors, they operate by virtue of gas absorption at the surface of a heated oxide. In fact, this is a thin metal-oxide film (usually oxides of the transition metals or heavy metals, such as tin) deposited on a silicon slice by much the same process as is used in the manufacture of computer ‘chips’. Absorption of the sample gas on the oxide surface, followed by catalytic oxidation, results in a change of electrical resistance of the oxide material and can be related to the sample gas concentration. The surface of the sensor is heated to a constant temperature of about 200-250°C, to speed up the rate of reaction and to reduce the effects of ambient temperature changes. Remember that where adjustments have to be made within a flameproof enclosure, the power must first be disconnected and a permit obtained to open the enclosure. Today, there are a number of ‘one-man’ calibration systems available which allow the calibration procedures to be carried out at the sensor itself. This considerably reduces the time and cost of maintenance, particularly where the sensors are in difficult to get to locations, such as an off-shore oil or gas platform. Alternatively, there are now some sensors available which are designed to intrinsically safe standards, and with these it is possible to calibrate the sensors at a convenient place away from the site (in a maintenance depot for instance). Because they are intrinsically safe, it is allowed to freely exchange them with the sensors needing replacement on site, without first shutting down the system for safety. Maintenance can therefore be carried out on a ‘hot’ system and is very much faster and cheaper than early, conventional systems. Semiconductor sensors are simple, fairly robust and can be highly sensitive. They have been used with some success in the detection of hydrogen sulfide gas, and they are also widely used in the manufacture of inexpensive domestic gas detectors. However, they have been found to be rather unreliable for industrial applications, since they are not very specific to a particular gas and they can be affected by atmospheric temperature and humidity variations. They probably need to be checked more often than other types of sensor, because they have been known to ‘go to sleep’ (i.e. lose sensitivity) unless regularly checked with a gas mixture and they are slow to respond and recover after exposure to an outburst of gas. 36 www.honeywellanalytics.com 37 Principles of Detection (continued) Sealed reference gas chamber Sample gas Reference element Sensing element Thermal Conductivity This technique for detecting gas is suitable for the measurement of high (%V/V) concentrations of binary gas mixes. It is mainly used for detecting gases with a thermal conductivity much greater than air e.g. Methane and Hydrogen. Gases with thermal conductivities close to air cannot be detected E.g. Ammonia and Carbon Monoxide. Gases with thermal conductivities less than air are more difficult to detect as water vapor can cause interference E.g. Carbon Dioxide and Butane. Mixtures of two gases in the absence of air can also be measured using this technique. The heated sensing element is exposed to the sample and the reference element is enclosed in a sealed compartment. If the thermal conductivity of the sample gas is higher than that of the reference, then the temperature of the sensing element decreases. If the thermal conductivity of the sample gas is less than that of the reference then the temperature of the sample element increases. These temperature changes are proportional to the concentration of gas present at the sample element. Infrared Gas Detector Many combustible gases have absorption bands in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum of light and the principle of infrared absorption has been used as a laboratory analytical tool for many years. Since the 1980’s, however, electronic and optical advances have made it possible to design equipment of sufficiently low power and smaller size to make this technique available for industrial gas detection products as well. These sensors have a number of important advantages over the catalytic type. They include a very fast speed of response (typically less than 10 seconds), low maintenance and greatly simplified checking, using the self-checking facility of modern micro-processor controlled equipment. They can also be designed to be unaffected by any known ‘poisons’, they are failsafe and they will operate successfully in inert atmospheres, and under a wide range of ambient temperature, pressure and humidity conditions. The technique operates on the principle of dual wavelength IR absorption, whereby light passes through the sample mixture at two wavelengths, one of which is set at the absorption peak of the gas to be detected, whilst the other is not. The two light sources are pulsed alternatively and guided along a common optical path to emerge via a flameproof ‘window’ and then through the sample gas. The beams are subsequently reflected back again by a retro-reflector, returning once more through the sample and into the unit. Here a detector compares the signal strengths of sample and reference beams and, by subtraction, can give a measure of the gas concentration. This type of detector can only detect diatomic gas molecules and is therefore unsuitable for the detection of Hydrogen. 38 www.honeywellanalytics.com 39 Principles of Detection (continued) Maximum Intensity of: XENON DISCHARGE LIGHT SUN LIGHT FILAMENT LAMP Single reference design – fog interference Fog type 1 Upscale gas/ false alarm Fog type 2 Downscale gas/fault Detector output Detector output S R S R R S R Double reference design – fully compensates InfraredInfrared intensity Intensity Solid state detectors Older system lead salt detectors RR SS RR RR SS RR Fog type 1 Fog type 2 RR SS RR RR SS RR y Open Path Flammable Infrared Gas Detector Traditionally, the conventional method of detecting gas leaks was by point detection, using a number of individual sensors to cover an area or perimeter. More recently, however, instruments have become available which make use of infrared and laser technology in the form of a broad beam (or open path) which can cover a distance of several hundred metres. Early open path designs were typically used to complement point detection, however the latest 3rd generation instruments are now often being used as the primary method of detection. Typical applications where they have had considerable success include FPSOs, add ‘jettys, loading/unloading terminals, pipelines, perimeter monitoring, off-shore platforms and LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) storage areas. Early designs use dual wavelength beams, the first coinciding with the absorption band peak of the target gas and a second reference beam which lies nearby in an unabsorbed area. The instrument continually compares the two signals that are transmitted through the atmosphere, using either the back-scattered radiation from a retroreflector or more commonly in newer designs by means of a separate transmitter and receiver. Any changes in the ratio of the two signals is measured as gas. However, this design is susceptible to interference from fog as different types of fog can positively or negatively affect the ratio of the signals and thereby falsely indicate an upscale gas reading/ alarm or downscale gas reading/fault. The latest 3rd generation design uses a double band pass filter that has two reference wavelengths (one either side of the sample) that fully compensates for interference from all types of fog and rain. Other problems associated with older designs have been overcome by the use of coaxial optical design to eliminate false alarms caused by partial obscuration of the beam and the use of xenon flash lamps and solid state detectors making the instruments totally immune to interference from sunlight or other sources of radiation such as flare stacks, arc welding or lightning. Open path detectors actually measure the total number of gas molecules (i.e. the quantity of gas) within the beam. This value is different to the usual concentration of gas given at a single point and is therefore expressed in terms of LEL meters. Open Path Toxic Infrared Gas Detector With the availability of reliable solid state laser diode sources in the near infrared region and also the increase in processing power afforded by the latest generation of digital signal processors, it is now feasible to consider the production of a new generation of gas detector for the reliable detection of toxic gases by optical means. Optical open path and point detection of flammable gas is now well established and has been widely accepted in the Petrochemical industry where they have proved to be a viable and reliable measurement technology. The main challenge in adapting this technology to measure toxic gases is that of the very low levels of gas that must be reliably measured. Typically flammable gases need to be measured at percent levels of concentration. However typical toxic gases are dangerous at part per million (ppm) levels, i.e. a factor of 1000 times lower than for flammable gas detection. To achieve these very low sensitivities it is not possible to simply adapt the technology used in open path flammable infrared gas detectors. Open path toxic infrared detectors need to utilise a different measurement principle where the instrument probes individual gas lines as opposed to a broad spectral range. This is facilitated by the use of a laser diode light source. The output of the laser is effectively all at a single wavelength and so no light is ‘wasted’ and all of the light emitted is subjected to absorption by the target toxic gas. This provides a significant enhancement of sensitivity compared to open path flammable gas detection techniques and further enhancements are achieved by the use of sophisticated modulation techniques. 40 www.honeywellanalytics.com 41 Electrochemical Sensor Chemcassette® Gas specific electrochemical sensors can be used to detect the majority of common toxic gases, including CO, H2S, Cl2, SO2 etc. in a wide variety of safety applications. Electrochemical sensors are compact, require very little power, exhibit excellent linearity and repeatability and generally have a long life span, typically one to three years. Response times, denoted as T90, i.e. time to reach 90% of the final response, are typically 3060 seconds and minimum detection limits range from 0.02 to 50ppm depending upon target gas type. Housing Carbon Filter Working Electrode reservoir 1st small electrolyte Counter Electrode 2nd expansion reservoir Output Pins Patented Surecell™ Two Reservoir Design Chemcassette® is based on the use of an absorbent strip of filter paper acting as a dry reaction substrate. This performs both as a gas collecting and gas analyzing media and it can be used in a continuously operating mode. The system is based on classic colorimetry techniques and is capable of extremely low detection limits for a specific gas. It can be used very successfully for a wide variety of highly toxic substances, including di-isocyanates, phosgene, chlorine, fluorine and a number of the hydride gases employed in the manufacture of semiconductors. Detection specificity and sensitivity are achieved through the use of specially formulated chemical reagents, which react only with the sample gas or gases. As sample gas molecules are drawn through the Chemcassette® with a vacuum pump, they react with the dry chemical reagents and form a coloured stain specific to that gas only. The intensity of this stain is proportionate to the concentration of the reactant gas, ie, the higher the gas concentration, the darker is the stain. By carefully regulating both the sampling interval and the flow rate at which the sample is presented to the Chemcassette®, detection levels as low as partsper-billion (ie, 10 -9) can be readily achieved. Commercial designs of electrochemical cell are numerous but share many of the common features described below: Three active gas diffusion electrodes are immersed in a common electrolyte, frequently a concentrated aqueous acid or salt solution, for efficient conduction of ions between the working and counter electrodes. Depending on the specific cell the target gas is either oxidized or reduced at the surface of the working electrode. This reaction alters the potential of the working electrode relative to the reference electrode. The primary function of the associated electronic driver circuit connected to the cell is to minimize this potential difference by passing current between the working and counter electrodes, the measured current being proportional to the target gas concentration. Gas enters the cell through an external diffusion barrier that is porous to gas but impermeable to liquid. 42 Many designs incorporate a capillary diffusion barrier to limit the amount of gas contacting the working electrode and thereby maintaining “amperometric” cell operation. A minimum concentration of oxygen is required for correct operation of all electrochemical cells, making them unsuitable for certain process monitoring applications. Although the electrolyte contains a certain amount of dissolved oxygen, enabling short-term detection (minutes) of the target gas in an oxygen free environment, it is strongly advised that all calibration gas streams incorporate air as the major component or diluent. Specificity to the target gas is achieved either by optimization of the electrochemistry, i.e. choice of catalyst and electrolyte, or else by incorporating filters within the cell which physically absorb or chemically react with certain interferent gas molecules in order to increase target gas specificity. It is important that the appropriate product manual be consulted to understand the effects of potential interferent gases on the cell response. The necessary inclusion of aqueous electrolytes within electrochemical cells results in a product that is sensitive to environmental conditions of both temperature and humidity. To address this, the patented Surecell™ design incorporates two electrolyte reservoirs that allows for the ‘take up’ and ‘loss’ of electrolyte that occurs in high temperature/high humidity and low temperature/low humidity environments. Electrochemical sensor life is typically warranted for 2 years, but the actual lifetime frequently exceeds the quoted values. The exceptions to this are oxygen, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide sensors where components of the cell are necessarily consumed as part of the sensing reaction mechanism. Stain intensity is measured with an electro-optical system which reflects light from the surface of the substrate to a photo cell located at an angle to the light source. Then, as a stain develops, this reflected light is attenuated and the reduction of intensity is sensed by the photo detector in the form of an analog signal. This signal is, in turn, converted to a digital format and then presented as a gas concentration, using an internally-generated calibration curve and an appropriate software library. Chemcassette® formulations provide a unique detection medium that is not only fast, sensitive and specific, but it is also the only available system which leaves physical evidence (i.e. the stain on the cassette tape) that a gas leak or release has occurred. Photodiode 3 LEDs Signals to Microcomputer Sample in Light reflected from tape surface Gas sampling head Gas stain on Chemcassette Sample Exhaust www.honeywellanalytics.com 43 Comparison of Gas Detection Techniques Gas Advantages Simple, measures flammability of gases. Low cost proven technology. Disadvantages Can be poisoned by lead, chlorine and silicones that remains an unrevealed failure mode. Requires oxygen or air to work. High power. Positioning critical. Failure modes are unrevealed unless advanced monitoring techniques used. Requires oxygen to work. Positioning critical. Flammable gas detection only in %LEL range. Measures concentration of flammable gases which have then to be related to the flammability of the gas. Positioning critical. High/ medium power. Higher initial purchase cost. Not suitable for use in smaller areas. Detection path can be obscured. 11 Portable Gas Detectors Catalytic Electrochemical Measures toxic gases in relatively low concentrations. Wide range of gases can be detected. Very low power. Uses a physical rather than chemical technique. Less sensitive to calibration errors. No unseen failure modes. Can be used in inert atmospheres. Area coverage- best chance to see a leak. No unseen failure modes. Latest technology. Can detect low concentrations. Positioning not as critical. New toxic version as well as flammable. Mechanically robust, works well in constant high humidity conditions. Point Infrared Open Path Infrared Flammable and toxic gas detection instruments are generally available in two different formats: portable, i.e. ‘spot reading’ detectors and ‘fixed’, permanently sited monitors. Which of these types is most appropriate for a particular application will depend on several factors, including how often the area is accessed by personnel, site conditions, whether the hazard is permanent or transitory, how often testing is needed, and last but not least, the availability of finances. Semiconductor Susceptible to contaminants and changes in environmental conditions. Non linear response effects complexity. High gas concentrations only. Limited range of gases. Cannot measures gases with conductivities close to air. Higher maintenance requirements. Requires extraction system. May need sample conditioning. Portable instruments probably account for nearly half of the total of all modern, electronic gas detectors in use today. In most countries, legislation also requires their use by anyone working in confined spaces such as sewers and underground telephone and electricity ducts. Generally, portable gas detectors are compact, robust, waterproof and lightweight and can be easily carried or attached to clothing. They are also useful for locating the exact point of a leak which was first detected with a fixed detection system. Portable gas detectors are available as single or multi gas units. The single gas units contain one sensor for the detection of a specific gas while multi gas units usually contain up to four different gas sensors (typically oxygen, flammable, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide). Products range from simple alarm only disposable units to advanced fully configurable and serviceable instruments with features such as datalogging, internal pump sampling, auto calibration routines and connectivity to other units. Recent portable gas detector design advances include the use of more robust and lightweight materials for their construction. The use of high power microprocessors enables data processing for instrument self checking, running operating software, data storage, and auto calibration routines. Modular designs allow simple routine servicing and maintenance. New battery technology has provided extended operating time between charges in a smaller and more lightweight package. Future designs are likely to see the integration of other technologies such as GPS, bluetooth and voice communication as well as the incorporation of gas detection into other safety equipment. Thermal Conductivity Measures %V/V concentrations of binary gas mixtures even with the absence of oxygen. Highly sensitive and selective for toxic gases. Leaves physical evidence of the gas exposure. No false alarms. Paper Tape 44 www.honeywellanalytics.com 45 12 North American Hazardous Area Standards and Approvals The North American system for the certification, installation, and inspection of hazardous locations equipment includes the following elements: • Installation Codes – E.g. NEC, CEC • Standard Developing Organisations (SDOs) – E.g. UL, CSA, FM • Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) – Third Party Certifiers e.g. ARL, CSA, ETI, FM, ITSNA, MET, UL • Inspection Authorities – E.g. OSHA, IAEI, USCG North American Ex Marking and Area Classification Once approved, the equipment must be marked to indicate the details of the approval. US (NEC 500) US (NEC 505) The installation codes in North America are the NEC (National Electric Code) for the USA, and the CEC (Canadian Electric Code) for Canada. In both countries these guides are accepted and used by most authorities as the final standard on installation and use of electrical products. Details include equipment construction, performance and installation requirements, and area classification requirements. With the issuance of the new NEC these are now almost identical. The Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) work with industry to develop the appropriate overall equipment requirements. Certain SDOs also serve as members of the technical committees charged with the development and maintenance of the North American installation codes for hazardous locations. The Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) are independent third-party certifiers who assess the conformity of equipment with these requirements. The equipment tested and approved by these agencies is then suitable for use under the NEC or CEC installation standards. In the United States of America the inspection authority responsible is OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration). In Canada the inspection authority is the Standards Council of Canada. To confirm compliance to all national standards both countries require an additional indication on products tested and approved. As an example CSA approved product to USA standards must add NRTL/C to the CSA symbol. In Canada UL must add a small c to its label to indicate compliance to all Canadian standards. Class I – Explosive Gases Division 1 Division 2 Gases normally present in explosive amounts Gases not normally present in explosive amounts Gas Types by Group Group A Group B Group C Group D Acetylene Hydrogen Ethylene and related products Propane and alcohol products Class II – Explosive Dusts Division 1 Division 2 Dust Types by Group Group E Group F Group G Metal dust Coal dust Grain and non-metallic dust Dust normally present in explosive amounts Dust not normally present in explosive amounts 46 www.honeywellanalytics.com 47 13 European and Rest of World Hazardous Area Standards and Approvals The standards used in most countries outside of North America are IEC / CENELEC. The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) has set broad standards for equipment and classification of areas. CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) is a rationalizing group that uses IEC standards as a base and harmonizes them with all member countries standards. The CENELEC mark is accepted in all European Community (EC) countries. cenelec membeR countRies: Austria Belgium Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom All countries within the EC also have governing bodies that set additional standards for products and wiring methods. Each member country of the EC has either government or third party laboratories that test and approve products to IEC and or CENELEC standards. Wiring methods change even under CENELEC this is primarily as to the use of cable, armoured cable, and type of armoured cable or conduit. Standards can change within a country depending on the location or who built a facility. Certified apparatus carries the ‘EEx’ mark. Approved National Test Houses which are cited in the EC Directives may use the EC Distinctive Community Mark: Key Note: This is not a Certification Mark Cenelec Members Cenelec Affiliates 48 www.honeywellanalytics.com 49 14 ATEX The ATEX directives set the MINIMUM standards for both the Employer and Manufacturer regarding ATEX = ATmospheres EXplosibles There are two European Directives that have been law since July 2003 that detail the manufacturers and users obligations regarding the design and use of apparatus in hazardous atmospheres. Responsibility Manufacturer Employer (End User) Directive 94/9/EC 1992/92/EC Article 100a 137 The classification of hazardous areas has been re-defined in the ATEX directive EN 50014 Series Zone 0 Definition Areas in which explosive atmospheres caused by mixtures of air and gases, vapors, mists or dusts are present continuously or for long periods of time Areas in which explosive atmospheres caused by mixtures of air and gases, vapors, mists or dusts are likely to occur Areas in which explosive atmospheres caused by mixtures of air or gases, vapors, mists or dusts are likely to occur or only occur infrequently or for short periods of time ATEX Category 1 explosive atmospheres. It is the responsibility of the Employer to conduct an assessment of explosive risk and to take necessary measures to eliminate or reduce the risk. atex diRective 94/9/ec aRticle 100a Article 100a describes the manufacturers responsibilities: • The requirements of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (e.g. Gas Detectors). • The requirements of safety and controlling devices intended for use outside of potentially explosive atmospheres but required for the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems (e.g. Controllers). • The Classification of Equipment Groups into Categories • The Essential Health and Safety Requirements (EHSRs). Relating to the design and construction of the equipment / systems In order to comply with the ATEX directive the equipment must: • display a CE mark. • have the necessary hazardous area certification. • meet a recognized performance standard e.g. EN 61779-1:2000 for flammable gas detectors. Zone 1 Category 2 Zone 2 Category 3 ATEX Category Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Permitted Certification Type EEx ia EEx ib, EEx d, EEx e, EEx p, EEx m, EEx o, EEx q EEx ib, EEx d, EEx e, EEx p, EEx m, EEx o, EEx q, EEx n 50 www.honeywellanalytics.com 51 Apparatus group –20˚C to +40˚C unless indicated as above Temperature Class (Group II) Equipment Markings Type of protection EU Explosion protected (Ex) symbol Complies with: E = EN 50014 A = NEC 505 CE Mark Notified numb CENELEC / IEC ATEX additional markings 0999 E Ex d IIC T5 (Tamb -40˚C to +55˚C) E Ex d IIC T5 (Tamb -40˚C to +55˚C) Apparatus group Type of protection EU Explosion protected (Ex) symbol Complies with: E = EN 50014 A = NEC 505 Apparatus group Temperature Class (Group II) Type of protection EU Explosion protected (Ex) symbol Complies with: E = EN 50014 A = NEC 505 Referenced to ambient –20˚C to +40˚C unless indicated as above Referenced to ambient –20˚C to +40˚C unless indicated as above CE Mark Notified body number Temperature Class (Group II) 0999 II 2 G Type of explosive atmosphere G : Gas, mist, vapor D : Dust Equipment category Gas Dust 1 : Zone 0 1 : Zone 20 2 : Zone 1 2 : Zone 21 3 : Zone 2 3 : Zone 22 CE Mark Notified body number Mining M1 : energised M2 : de-energised Equipment group I : Mining II : other areas (Ex) EU Explosive atmosphere symbol atex diRective 1992/92/ec aRticle 137 II 2 G Article 137 describes the responsibilities of the Employer. New plant must comply from July 2003. Existing plants must comply from July 2006. In the UK, this directive (also known as the ‘Use’ Directive) is implemented by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Equipment group Regulations 2002 (DSEAR). I : Mining II : other areas (Ex) It sets out to: EU Explosive atmosphere symbol G : Gas, mist, vapor Assessment of Type of explosive atmosphere D : Dust II 2 G Explosion Risks : Gas, mist, vapor G D : Dust Equipment category The employer must conduct a risk Gas Dust Mining assessment Zone 20 M1 : energised category including: Equipment 1 : Zone 0 1 : Gas 2 : Zone 1 2 : Zone 21 M2 : de-energised Dust 1. : Zone 2 3 : Zone explosive1atmosphereZone 20 : Zone 0 1 : 3 Probability of 22 2 : Zone 1 2 : Zone 21 Zone Area classification 3 : Zone 2 3 : Zone 22 2. Probability of ignition source Equipment group Equipment Categories I : Mining II other areas (Ex) 3. Nature :of flammable materials Type of explosive atmosphere explosive atmospheRes WaRning sign The employer must mark points of entry to places where explosive atmospheres may occur with distinctive signs: In carrying out the assessment of explosion risk the employer shall draw up an Explosion Protection Document that demonstrates: • explosion risks have been determined and assessed • measures will be taken to attain the aims of the directive • those places that have been classified into zones • those places where the minimum requirements will apply Mining M1 : energised M2 : de-energised Prevent the formation of explosive atmospheres Avoid the ignition of explosive atmospheres Control the effects of explosions Gas groups, ignition temperature (T rating), EU Explosive atmosphere symbol gas, vapor, mists and dusts 4. Scale of effect of explosion Personnel, plant, environment Ex • that work place and equipment are designed, operated and maintained with due regard for safety The employer may combine existing explosion risk assessments, documents or equivalent reports produced under other community acts. This document must be revised with significant changes, extensions or conversions. if not if not 52 www.honeywellanalytics.com 53 15 Area Classification Not all areas of an industrial plant or site are considered to be equally hazardous. For instance, an underground coal mine is considered at all times to be an area of maximum risk, because some methane gas can always be present. On the other hand, a factory where methane is occasionally kept on site in storage tanks, would only be considered potentially hazardous in the area surrounding the tanks or any connecting pipework. In this case, it is only necessary to take precautions in those areas where a gas leakage could reasonably be expected to occur. In order to bring some regulatory control into the industry, therefore, certain areas (or ‘zones’) have been classified according to their perceived likelihood of hazard. The three zones are classified as: AREA CLASSIFICATION EXAMPLE ZONE 2 AIPETROLEUM ZONE 0 ZONE 1 ZONE 1 ZONE 0 ZONE 0 In which an explosive gas/ air mixture is continuously present, or present for long periods ZONE 1 In which an explosive gas/ air mixture is likely to occur in the normal operation of the plant ZONE 2 In which an explosive gas/ air mixture is not likely to occur in normal operation In North America the classification most often used (NEC 500) includes only two classes, known as ‘divisions’. Division 1 is equivalent to the two European Zones 0 and 1 combined, whilst Division 2 is approximately equivalent to Zone 2. Continuous hazard (>1000hrs/annum) Europe/IEC North America (NEC 505) North America (NEC 500) Zone 0 Zone 0 Division 1 Intermittent hazard (>10<1000hrs/annum) Zone 1 Zone 1 Possible hazard (<10hrs/annum) Zone 2 Zone 2 Division 2 54 www.honeywellanalytics.com 55 16 Apparatus Design To ensure the safe operation of electrical equipment in flammable atmospheres, several design standards have now been introduced. These design standards have to be followed by the manufacturer of apparatus sold for use in a hazardous area and must be certified as meeting the standard appropriate to its use. Equally, the user is responsible for ensuring that only correctly designed equipment is used in the hazardous area. FLAMEPROOF Only cooled gas can escape Flame path INTRINSICALLy SAFE R L INCREASED SAFETy Gasket C Explosion contained in Ex d enclosure Hazardous Area Design Standards For gas detection equipment, the two most widely used classes of electrical safety design are ‘flameproof’ (sometimes known as ‘explosionproof’ and with an identification symbol Ex d) and ‘intrinsically safe’ with the symbol Ex i. Flameproof apparatus is designed so that its enclosure is sufficiently rugged to withstand an internal explosion of flammable gas without suffering damage. This could possibly result from the accidental ignition of an explosive fuel/ air mixture inside the equipment. The dimensions of any gaps in the flameproof case or box (e.g. a flange joint) must therefore be calculated so that a flame can not propagate through to the outside atmosphere. Intrinsically safe apparatus is designed so that the maximum internal energy of the apparatus and interconnecting wiring is kept below that which would be required to cause ignition by sparking or heating effects if there was an internal fault or a fault in any connected equipment. There are two types of intrinsic safety protection. The highest is Ex ia which is suitable for use in zone 0, 1 and 2 areas, and Ex ib which is suitable for use in zone 1 and 2 areas. Flameproof apparatus can Flame be only path used in Zone 1 or 2 areas. Increased safety (Ex e) is a method of protection in which additional procedures are applied to give extra security to electrical apparatus. It is suitable for equipment in which no parts can produce sparking or arcs or exceed the limiting temperature in normal service. A further standard, Encapsulation (Ex m) is a means of achieving safety by the encapsulation of various components or complete circuits. Some products now available, achieve safety certification by virtue of using a combination of safety designs for discrete parts. Eg. Ex e for terminal chambers, Ex i for circuit housings, Ex m for encapsulated electronic components and Ex d for chambers that could contain a hazardous gas. Division Zone Ex Ex ia 0 Ex s Type of protection intrinsically safe special (specially certified) Any design suitable for zone 0 plus: Ex d 1 1 Ex ib Ex p Ex e Ex s Ex m flameproof intrinsically safe pressurized / continuous dilution increased safety special encapsulation Any design suitable for zone 1 plus: Ex n or N 2 2 Ex o Ex q non-sparking (non-incendive) oil powder / sand filled Ex s is not used in the latest standards but may be found on older equipment still in use. 56 www.honeywellanalytics.com 57 17 Apparatus Classification Temperature Class T1=450 T1=450 T2=300 T2A=280 T2B=260 T2C=230 T2D=215 As an aid to the selection of apparatus for safe use in different environmental conditions, two designations, apparatus group and temperature classification, are now widely used to define their limitations. T2=300 T3=200 T3=200 T3A=180 T3B=165 T3C=160 T4=135 T5=100 T6=85 As defined by standard No EN50014 of the European Committee for Electrical Standards (i.e. Comite Europeen de Normalisation Electrotechnique or CENELEC), equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres is divided into two apparatus groups: of gases can be found in European Standard EN50014. The Temperature Class rating for safety equipment is also very important in the selection of devices to detect gas or mixture of gases. (In a mixture of gases, it is always advisable to take the ‘worst case’ of any of the gases in the mixture). Temperature classification relates to the maximum surface temperature which can be allowed for a piece of apparatus. This is to ensure that it does not exceed the ignition temperature of the gases or vapors with which it comes into contact. The range varies from T1 (450°C) down to T6 (85°C). Certified apparatus is tested in accordance with the specified gases or vapors in which it can be used. Both the apparatus group and the temperature classification are then indicated on the safety certificate and on the apparatus itself. North America and the IEC are consistent in their temperature or T-Codes. However unlike the IEC, North America includes incremental values as shown opposite. T4=135 T4C=120 T5=100 T6=85 o C Group I for mines which are susceptible to firedamp (methane) Apparatus Group Representative Gas Acetylene Hydrogen Ethylene Propane Methane Group II for places with a potentially explosive atmosphere, other than Group I mines Group II clearly covers a wide range of potentially explosive atmospheres and includes many gases or vapors that constitute widely different degrees of hazard. Therefore, in order to separate more clearly the differing design features required when used in a particular gas or vapor, Group II gases are sub-divided as indicated in the table. Acetylene is often considered to be so unstable that it is listed separately, although still included in Group II gases. A more comprehensive listing Gas Classification Europe and IEC countries Group IIC Group IIC Group IIB Group IIA Group I US and Canada Class I, Group A Ignitability Class I, Group C Class I, Group D No classification 58 Easier to ignite Class I, Group B www.honeywellanalytics.com 59 18 Ingress Protection of Enclosures IP codes (IEC / EN 60529) First Numeral Protection against solid bodies No protection Objects greater than 50mm Objects greater than 12mm Objects greater than 2.5mm Objects greater than 1.0mm Dust protected Dust tight 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 IP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Example: IP67 is dust tight and protected against the effects of immersion Coded classifications are now widely used to indicate the degree of protection given by an enclosure against entry of liquids and solid materials. This classification also covers the protection of persons against contact with any live or moving parts inside the enclosure. It should be remembered that this is supplementary to and not an alternative to the protection classifications for electrical equipment used in hazardous areas. Second Numeral Protection against liquid No Protection Vertically dripping water Angled dripping water -75º to 90º Splashed water Splashed water Water jets Heavy seas Effects of immersion (defined in minutes) Indefinite immersion In Europe the designation used to indicate the Ingress Protection consists of the letters IP followed by two ‘Characteristic Numbers’ which indicate the degree of protection. The first number indicates the degree of protection for persons against contact with live or moving parts inside, and the second number shows the enclosure’s protection against entry of water. For example, an enclosure with a rating of IP65 would give complete protection against touching live or moving parts, no ingress of dust, and would be protected against entry from water spray or jet. This would be suitable for use with gas detection equipment such as controllers, but care should be taken to ensure adequate cooling of the electronics. The two digit IP rating is a short form more commonly used in Britain. The full international version has three digits after the IP rather than two, e.g. “IP653”. The third digit is impact resistance. The meanings of the numbers are given in the following table. In North America enclosures are rated using the NEMA system. The table below provides an approximate comparison of NEMA ratings with IP ratings. NEMA, UL and CSA type rating 1 2 3 3R 4 Aproximate IEC/IP Code IP20 IP22 IP55 IP24 IP66 Description Indoor, from contact with contents Indoor, limited, falling dirt and water Outdoor from rain, sleet, windblown dust and ice damage Outdoor from rain, sleet and ice damage Indoor and outdoor, from windblown dust, splashing and hose directed water and ice damage Indoor and outdoor, from corrosion, windblown dust, rain, splashing and hose directed water and ice damage Indoor and outdoor, from hose directed water, water entry during submersion and ice damage Indoor, from dust, falling dirt and dripping non corrosive liquids Indoor, from dust, falling dirt and dripping non corrosive liquids Third Numeral 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Meaning No Protection Impact of 0.225 Joule (150g weight dropped from 15cm) Impact of 0.375 Joule (250g weight dropped from 15cm) Impact of 0.5 Joule (250g weight dropped from 20cm) (No meaning) Impact of 2.0 Joule (500g weight dropped from 40cm) (No meaning) Impact of 6.0 Joule (1.5Kg weight dropped from 40cm) H20.00005% Impact of 6.0 Joule (5Kg weight dropped from 40cm) 4X IP66 6 12 13 IP67 IP54 IP54 60 www.honeywellanalytics.com 61 19 Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) Certification has essentially been concerned with the safety of a product in its working environment i.e. that it won’t create a hazard in its own right. The certification process (particularly in Europe with the introduction of the ATEX standard pertaining to Safety Related Devices) has now moved on to also include the measurement/ physical performance of the product. SIL adds a further dimension by being concerned with the safety of the product in terms of being able to carry out its safety function when called to do so (ref: IEC 61508 manufacturers requirement). This is increasingly being demanded as installation designers and operators are required to design and document their Safety Instrumented Systems (ref: IEC 61511 user’s requirement). Individual standards applicable to specific types of equipment are being developed from IEC61508. For gas detection equipment the relevant standard is EN50402:2005 Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of combustible or toxic gases or vapors or of oxygen. Requirements on the functional Safety of fixed gas detection systems. Managing safety is about risk reduction. All processes have a risk factor. The aim is to reduce the risk to 0%. Realistically, this is not possible so an acceptable risk level that is ‘As Low As Reasonably Practical’ (ALARP) is set. Safe plant design and specification is the major risk reduction factor. Safe operational procedures further reduce the risk as does a comprehensive maintenance regime. The E/E/PES (Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic System) is the last line of defence in the prevention of accidents. SIL is a quantifiable measure of safety capability of the E/E/PES. In typical applications, this relates to the F&G systems- detectors, logic resolvers and safety actuation/annunciation. 100% Plant design RISK Operation It is recognized that all equipment has failure modes. The key aspect is to be able to detect when the failures have occurred and take appropriate action. In some systems, redundancy can be applied to retain a function. In others, self checking can be employed to the same effect. The major design aim is to avoid a situation where a fault which prevents the system carrying out its safety function goes undetected. There is a critical distinction between reliability and safety. A product which appears to be reliable may have unrevealed failure modes whereas a piece of equipment which appears to declare a large number of faults may be safer as it is never/rarely in a condition where it is unable to do its function or has failed to annunciate its inability to do so. There are 4 levels of SIL defined. In general, the higher the SIL, the greater the number of failure modes that are accommodated. For Fire and Gas systems the levels are defined in terms of “average probability of failure to perform the intended function on demand”. SIL 1 2 3 4 Many current fire and gas detection products were designed long before the introduction of SIL and therefore on individual assessment may only achieve a low or no SIL rating. This problem can be overcome by techniques such as decreasing the proof test intervals or combining systems with different technologies (and hence eliminating common mode failures) to increase the effective SIL rating. For a safety system to achieve a specified SIL, the sum of the PFDavg must be considered. Sensor GAS DETECTOR Logic Resolver MEASUREMENT RESOLVER, ALARM LEVEL, VOTING Safety Actuation SHUT OFF VALVE Maintenance E/E/PES 0% Fire and Gas system ALARP For SIL 2 PDF (Sensor) + PFD (Resolver) + PDF (Actuator) < 1x10-2 The selection of SIL required for the installation must be made in conjunction with the level of safety management within the design of the process itself. The E/E/PES should not be considered the primary safety system. Design, operation and maintenance have the most significant combination to the safety of any industrial process. Probability of failure on demand > 10–2 to < 10–1 Safer equipment > 10–3 to < 10–2 > 10–4 to < 10–3 > 10–5 to < 10–4 62 www.honeywellanalytics.com 63 20 Gas Detection Systems The most common method employed to continuously monitor for leakage of hazardous gases is to place a number of sensors at the places where any leaks are most likely to occur. These are often then connected electrically to a multi-channel controller located some distance away in a safe, gas free area with display and alarm facilities, event recording devices etc. This is often referred to as a fixed point system. As its name implies, it is permanently located in the area (e.g. an off-shore platform, oil refinery, laboratory cold storage etc). Typical small gas detection system protecting a room Key GD 20m Gas Detector Audible & Visual Alarm Remote Reset Fused Spur Control Panel Eg. • Small Pump Station • Generator House • Normally Unmanned GD GD V A R V A GD V A R F GD F V A Alarms • Warning AV prior to entry • AV internal to evacuate (if occupied) • Remote reset to silence alarm The complexity of any gas detection system depends on the use to which the data will be put. Data recording allows the information to be used to identify problem areas and assist in the implementation of safety measures. If the system is to be used for warnings only, then the outputs from the system can be simple and no data storage is necessary. In choosing a system, therefore, it is important to know how the information will be used so that the proper system components can be chosen. In toxic gas monitoring, the use of multi-point systems has rapidly demonstrated their potential for solving a wide variety of workplace exposure problems and is invaluable for both identifying problems and for keeping workers and management aware of pollutant concentrations in the workplace. In the design of multi-point systems, considerable thought should be given to the various components and to their interconnection. When using catalytic detection sensors, for instance, the electrical cable connections to the sensors would have three cores, each of 1mm squared, carrying not only the output signal, but also power to the electrical bridge circuit, which is located at the sensor to reduce signal voltage drop along the cables. In the case of toxic (and some flammable) gas monitoring systems, the atmosphere is often sampled at locations remote from the unit and the gases are drawn by pumps to the sensors through a number of synthetic material, narrowbore tubes. Care in design of such systems will include selection of suitable sized pumps and tubes, a sequential sampling unit for sampling each tube in turn and filters to stop particulates or water cutting off the flow of gas. The bore size of tubing can be critical, since it needs to be both large enough to allow rapid response times with standard size pumps, but at the same time should not be so large as to allow excessive dilution of the sample by air. Each sampling point must be connected to a separate tube and if a number of points are connected to a single, central sensor, it will be necessary to purge the sensor with clean air between samples. The controllers used in fixed systems can be centrally located or distributed at various locations in a facility according to the application requirements. They come in a control panel and come in either single channel (i.e. one control card per sensor) or multi-channel configurations, the latter being useful where power, space or cost limitations are important. The control units include a front panel meter or LCD to indicate the gas concentration at each sensor and will also normally have internal relays to control functions such as alarm, fault and shutdown. The number of alarm levels available varies between controllers but typically up to three levels can be set, depending on statutory requirements or working practices within the industry. Other useful features would include alarm inhibit and reset, over-range indication and analog 4-20mA outputs. Often digital outputs are also available for interfacing the controller to a DCS/BMS. It is important to remember that the main purpose of a gas detection system is to detect the build up of a gas concentration before it reaches a hazardous level and to initiate a mitigation process to prevent a hazard occurring. If the gas concentration continues towards a hazardous level then executive shut down and hazard warning alarms are initiated. It is not enough to just log the event or measure the gas levels to which personnel have been exposed. cables and junction boxes In a typical industrial gas detection system such as that just described, sensors are located at a number of strategic points around the plant and at varying distances from the controller. When installing electrical connections to the controller, it is important to remember that each sensor cable will have a different electrical loop resistance depending upon its length. With constant voltage type detectors the calibration process will require a person at both the sensor in the field and at the controller. With constant current detectors or those with a local transmitter, calibration of the field device can be carried out separately to that of the controller. The sensor cables are protected from external damage either by passing them through metal ducting, or by using a suitable mechanically protected cable. Protective glands have to be fitted at each end of the cable and the sensor is mounted on a junction box to help in making simple, low-resistance, ‘clean’ terminations. It is also very important to ensure that all the gland sizes and screw threads are compatible with the junction box and the external diameter of the cables being used. The correct sealing washer should be used to ensure a weatherproof between the detector and junction box. A further point to remember is that sensor manufacturers normally indicate the maximum loop resistance (not line resistance) of their sensor connections when providing the information to calculate cable core diameters for installation. 64 www.honeywellanalytics.com 65 Location of Sensors ‘How many detectors do I need?’ and ‘where should I locate them?’ are two of the most often asked questions about gas detection systems, and probably two of the most difficult to answer. Unlike other types of safety related detectors, such as smoke detectors, the location and quantity of detectors required in different applications is not clearly defined. Considerable guidance is available from standards such as EN50073 Guide for selection, installation, use and maintenance of apparatus for the detection and measurement of combustible gases or oxygen. Similar international codes of practice e.g. National Electrical Code (NEC) or Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) may be used where applicable. In addition certain regulatory bodies publish specifications giving minimum gas detection requirements for specific applications. These references are useful, but tend to be either very generic and therefore too general in detail, or application specific and therefore irrelevant in most applications. The placement of detectors should be determined following the advice of experts having specialist knowledge of gas dispersion, experts having knowledge of the process plant system and equipment involved, safety and engineering personnel. The agreement reached on the location of detectors should also be recorded. Detectors should be mounted where the gas is most likely to be present. Locations requiring the most protection in an industrial plant would be around gas boilers, compressors, pressurized storage tanks, cylinders or pipelines. Areas where leaks are most likely to occur are valves, gauges, flanges, T-joints, filling or draining connections etc. There are a number of simple and quite often obvious considerations that help to determine detector location: • • To detect gases that are lighter than air (e.g. Methane and Ammonia), detectors should be mounted at high level and preferably use a collecting cone. • To detect heavier than air gases (e.g. Butane and Sulfur Dioxide), detectors should be mounted at a low level. • Consider how escaping gas may behave due to natural or forced air currents. Mount detectors in ventilation ducts if appropriate. • When locating detectors consider the possible damage caused by natural events e.g. rain or flooding. For detectors mounted outdoors it is preferable to use the weather protection assembly. • Use a detector sunshade if locating a detector in a hot climate and in direct sun. • Consider the process conditions. Butane and Ammonia, for instance are normally heavier • • • • than air, but if released from a process line that is at an elevated temperature and/or under pressure, the gas may rise rather than fall. Detectors should be positioned a little way back form high pressure parts to allow gas clouds to form. Otherwise any leak of gas is likely to pass by in a high speed jet and not be detected. Consider ease of access for functional testing and servicing. Detectors should be installed at the designated location with the detector pointing downwards. This ensures that dust or water will not collect on the front of the sensor and stop the gas entering the detector. When siting open path infrared devices it is important to ensure that there is no permanent obscuration or blocking of the IR beam. Shortterm blockage from vehicles, site personnel, birds etc can be accommodated. Ensure the structures that open path devices are mounted to are sturdy and not susceptible to vibration. Perhaps the most important point of all is not to try and economize by using the minimum number of sensors possible. A few extra sensors could make all the difference if a gas leak occurs! 66 www.honeywellanalytics.com 67 sensor sensor pole POLE MOUNT Typical Sensor Mounting Options pole WALL MOUNT metal clamps WALL MOUNT CEILING MOUNT REMOTE GASSING screws/bolts CEILING MOUNT REMOTE Wall mounted GASSING metal clamps POLE mounted REMOTE SENSOR pole MOUNT CEILING MOUNT junction box/ transmitter WALL MOUNT junction box/ transmitter LOCAL DISPLAY & GASSING DUCT MOUNT junction box/ junction box/ transmitter transmitter sensor DUCT MOUNT REMOTE GASSING DUCT MOUNT REMOTE SENSOR TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ LOCAL DISPLAY ALARM SYSTEM screws/bolts junction box/ gassing TYPICAL & GASSING local display/gassing SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ Remote sensoR, box/ locallyTYPICAL LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM dRiven transmitter alaRm system junction point gassing ALARMMOUNT transmitter SYSTEM WALL CEILING MOUNT point remote sensor weather junction box/ transmitter weather screws/bolts gas protection locally driven tubing assembly audible/visual alarm gas tubing duct optional audible/ visual alarm Typical System Configurations DUCT MO metal clamps screws/bolts remote sensor re s au bolts gas tubing sensor pole sensor pole gassing point assembly weather protection with gassing nozzle bolts mounting plate gas tubing mounting remote plate junction box/ sensor transmitter junction box/ cable gassing point transmitter assembly gas tubing weather protection assembly duct weather protection with gassing nozzle protection gassing assembly remote mounting point plate duct sensor sensor cable gas tubing controller PLC/DCS junction b we transm protection gassing n sensor hazardous area in the field gas tubing control system gassing point in safe area assembly control room local display controller gas PLC/DCS tubing gassing point local relays controller wea junction assemblybox/ in transmitter PLC/DCSprotec control system hazardous area transmitter assem in safe area in the field control room mounting plate sensor duct gassing point assembly sensor SAMPLING/ASPIRATING SYSTEM REMOTE GASSING REMOTE SENSOR LOCAL DISPLAY & GASSING STANDALONE SYSTEM remote sensor gas local REMOTE SENSOR pole display TYPICAL LOCAL DISPLAY SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ ALARM SYSTEM & GASSING STANDALONE SYSTEM TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ TYPICAL LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM audible/visual TYPICAL LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM alarm STANDALONE SYSTEM ALARM SYSTEM typical sensoR/contRolleR system standalone system optional audible/ visual alarm indoors locally driven REMOTE SENSOR ING MOUNT MOUNT OCAL DISPLAY CEILING indoors ceiling mounted GASSING tubing outdoors g nt ly weather screws/bolts local relays protection with screws/bolts in transmitter gassing nozzle gassing point assembly remote weatherrelays local sensor protection with in transmitter audible/visual cable gassing nozzle junction box/ junction box/ alarm transmitter transmitter gas tubing REMOTE GASSING indoors sensor TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ DUCT MOUNT ALARM SYSTEM MOUNT DUCT duct mounted remote outdoors remote sensor cable gassing locally driven point remote tubing audible/visual alarm control system hazardous area sensor in the field in safe area control room gassing gas point audible/visual alarm controller REMOTE SENSOR audible/visual alarm TYPICAL LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM LOCAL DISPLAY & GASSING PLC/DCS locally driven calibration TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ ALARM SYSTEM local relays in transmitter local relays in controller transmitter PLC/DCS DA N G E R 240 VO L S T audible/visual alarm optional audible/ visual alarm intrinsically outdoors safe system calibratio audible/visual alarm optional audible/ local relays PLC/DCS visualtransmitter in alarm hazardous area in the field controller sample in remote sensor cable mounting mounting plate gas plate tubing junction box/ gassing point junction box/ assembly transmitter transmitter sensor sensor YSTEM gassing point assembly STANDALONE SYSTEM gassing point gas Weather assembly tubing protection weather protection controller gas assembly with local assembly tubing gassing nozzle local PLC/DCSdisplay display duct duct gassing point control system hazardous area assembly in safe area in the field control room control system exhaust in safe area control room locally dri audible/visual ala sample i controller PLC/DCS exhaus weather protection with gas gassing nozzle tubing remote sensor SAMPLING/ASPIRATING typical sampling/aspiRating system SYSTEM local relays cable controller in transmitter PLC/DCS gas tubing gassing point audible/visual alarm SAMPLING/ASPIRATING SYSTEM pump controller audible/visual PLC/DCS alarm hazardous area in the field intrinsically safe system control system in safe area control room SAMPLING/ASPIRATING SYSTEM assembly local display audible/visual calibration alarm sample in calibration intrinsically safe systemSAM outdoors local display indoors outdoors audib sample in local relays audible/visual in transmitter alarm audible/visual STANDALONE SYSTEM ALARM SYSTEM TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ TYPICAL LOCAL TYPICAL LOCAL ALARM alarm TYPICAL SENSOR/CONTROLLER/ ALARM SYSTEM SYSTEM ALARM SYSTEM exhaust intrinsically safe system DA N G E R 240 VO L S T exhaust DA N G E R 240 VO L S T indoors 68 locally driven locally driven audible/visual alarm audible/visual alarm local relays audible/visual alarm www.honeywellanalytics.com in transmitter controller local relays outdoors optional audible/ calibration audible/ optional visual alarm visual alarm pump pump calibration sample in exhaust DA N G E R 240 VO L S T sample in 69 exhaust controller Installation Methods Essentially three installation methods are used Worldwide for electrical equipment in hazardous locations: 1. Cable with indirect entry 2. Cable with direct entry 3. Conduit Cable Systems These are mainly used in Europe (although the US and Canadian Electrical Codes list Metal Clad and Mineral Insulated cables for use in Class 1 Div 1 or Zone 1). Explosion proof standards state that cable systems with suitable mechanical protection must be used. The cable is often Steel Wire Armoured (SWA) if used in areas where mechanical damage may occur, or it may be laid in protective conduit which is open at both ends. Certified cable glands are used to safely connect the cable to the enclosure. Direct Cable Entry Direct Entry is made into the flameproof enclosure. Only specially certified glands may be used. The type and structure of the cable must be carefully matched to the correct type of gland. The integrity of the protection is reliant on the correct installation by the installer. Conduit Conduit is the main method of installation in hazardous areas throughout the USA. The electrical wires are run as individual wires inside enclosed metal tubes. The tubes are connected to the housings by means of unions and must have a seal within 18 inches of each entrance point. The entire conduit system is flameproof. Indirect Cable Entry Indirect entry is into an increased safety ‘Ex e’ terminal area. Line barriers are used on the wires between the terminal chamber and the main enclosure. The installer need only open access the terminal area, not the flameproof enclosure. Typical Class 1 Div 1 conduit installation 70 www.honeywellanalytics.com 71 Installation Methods Typical Conduit Installation Fittings and Seals for Conduit Conduit Seals The seals prevent any explosions in the tubing from spreading. Drains must be installed at low points where condensation may accumulate. EXGJH/EXLK UNY Horizontal Seal EYS ELF Packing Fiber Sealing Compound EYM EYDM Vertical Seal with Drain Boxes GR GRF Wires Plug Sealing Compound Drain Conduit Drain Channel Packing Fiber GRSS CPU 72 www.honeywellanalytics.com 73 21 Global Service and Support Network A vital part of ensuring that fixed and portable gas detection equipment operates correctly is periodic servicing, maintenance and calibration. Unlike some other types of safety related equipment (e.g. fire detection), gas detection does not have specific legislation or clear guidelines that specify how often it should be serviced. Relevant documents simply state that inspection and maintenance should be carried out frequently by competent, trained personnel and in line with the manufacturers recommendations. Properly commissioning a system ensures that it is fully functioning as designed and accurately detecting gas hazards. Many companies require that employees who use personal gas detection equipment, or work in areas that have fixed systems installed, are formally trained on the use and routine maintenance of the equipment. Service training departments should be able to offer certified training courses designed to suit all levels of ability from basic gas detection principles through to advanced custom designed technical courses. Some gas detectors now offer ‘smart’ sensors that are pre-calibrated and can be simply fitted and used without the need for additional calibration and set up in the field. The additional use of Intrinsically Safe (I.S) design can also allow the ‘hot swap’ of these sensors without the need for removing power from the detector. Other recent innovations include the use of ‘auto-cal’ routines where the user is taken through a sequence of ‘on-screen’ calibration steps thereby ensuring correct set up. All of these innovations help keep service times to a minimum while ensuring accurate calibration of the detector. The modular design of modern gas detectors enables more efficient servicing. The replacement of modules rather than component level service/repair greatly reduces turnaround time and therefore system down time. The economies of scale achieved by volume module level servicing also enables overall servicing costs to be reduced. Gas detection applications vary widely and therefore so do the factors that affect the frequency of servicing required to ensure proper operation. It is important that a suitable service period is established for the equipment that takes account of each individual application’s unique set of factors. Traditionally, gas detection users had their own in-house service departments that were responsible for servicing, maintenance and calibration of their gas detection equipment as well as other safety related equipment. Increasingly, many users now choose to outsource part or all of this function in order to reduce fixed costs and at the same time ensure that people with specialist knowledge of the equipment are responsible for it. It is also becoming more common for leading gas detection companies to also offer service of third party gas detection equipment as well as their own. As users continue to demand better efficiencies from outsourced suppliers, the trend in the future is likely to require gas detection companies to offer a ‘one stop shop’ for the service and maintenance of complete safety systems. Gas detection company service departments should also offer other services including site surveys, installation, commissioning and training. Advice from experts in gas detection when conducting a site survey helps ensure the selection of the most suitable detection technologies and most appropriate detector locations. Installation must be carried out in accordance with any site, local or national codes of practice and legislation. Take your service to the next level Asia +65 6862 7701 Europe +41 44 943 4300 Americas +1 800 323 2000 74 www.honeywellanalytics.com 75 22 Glossary Glossary ACGIH AIT Analogue/analog output Apparatus group Asphyxiation ATEX Baseefa BMS Binary mixture of gas Breathing Zone Bridge Circuit CAS number Calibration Carcinogenic Catalytic Sensor American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Auto Ignition Temperature. Standard mA output from a sensor or transmitter. Normally described as 4-20mA. The alternative is a mV bridge output from a catalytic type sensor or a digital output. The classification of flammable gases into groups that are associated with required apparatus design standards. Death resulting from lack of oxygen. European Explosive Atmospheres Directives (ATmospheres EXplosibles). British Approvals Service for Electrical Equipment in Flammable Atmospheres – UK Safety Certification. Building Management System. A mixture of two gases only. Height where toxic gas monitoring is often carried out- head height. Wheatstone Bridge circuit used in catalytic detector design. Chemical Abstracts Service. CAS Registry number used to identify substances without the ambiguity of chemical nomenclature. The process of adjusting the output of the detector to give an accurate reading of gas concentration over its measuring range. Capable of causing Cancer. For detection of combustible gases. These are made of an electrically heated platinum wire coil, covered first with a ceramic base such as alumina and then with a final outer coating of palladium or rhidium catalyst dispersed in a substrate of thoria. Indicates compliance to all relevant European directives. Canadian Electrical Code. An individual sensor. Comite Europeen de Normalisation Electrotechnique – European Safety Certification. Centro Electrotechnico Sperimentale Italiano – Italian Safety Certification. One line or point of gas detection. Registered name of a paper tape cartridge used in toxic gas analyzers. Metal tubing mainly used in the US for installation of wires in hazardous areas. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. Canadian Standards Association. Decibels, relative to the A weighting scale (as affected by the human ear). Distributed Control System. Gas detector designed specifically for use in domestic or residential properties. North American area classification of a hazardous area (Division 1 or 2) that defines the length of time a hazard in present. A gas sensitive electrode, formed by a permeable membrane and special electrolyte. Electromagnetic compatibility. Electrostatic discharge. HSE Ignition Temperature Ineris Infrared Detector International Electrotechnical Committee Intrinsically safe (IS) IP Kema Gas Monitor GOSST Hazardous Areas FM Gas Analyzer Gas Detector Flame arrestor Flameproof Flammable Range Flash Point Glossary continued Exd Exi Exe Exm Explosimeters Explosion Proof Fail Safe Fieldbus Firedamp Fixed point system Flameproof – any flame is contained within the housing of the product. Suitable for zones 1 & 2. Intrinsic safety – any ignition is limited due to the low energy in the circuit even with one fault (Ex ib) or two faults (Ex ib). Zones 0, 1 & 2. Increased safety – No sparks or hot surfaces. Zones 1 & 2. Encapsulated to keep gas out of product. Zones 1 & 2. Combustible gas monitor. A name for Ex d apparatus design. Description of a detector that has no unseen failure modes. Digital communication standard. A mixture of methane and other hydrocarbon gases that forms in coalmines. Gas detection system using individual fixed point gas sensors and/or transmitters. Not mobile or transportable. A structure that allows gas to diffuse through it into a detector but prevents propagation of any flame back out. A name for Ex d apparatus design. Band of gas/air mixture that produces that is flammable. This is the lowest temperature at which vapor is given off at sufficient rate to form an explosive mixture with air. Factory Mutual – USA Safety Certification. Normally refers to equipment used to measure extremely small concentrations of gas (low or sub ppm) or one specific gas in the presence of several others. Refers to equipment used in applications where there is normally no toxic or explosive gas risk and therefore is used to signal the presence of gas in otherwise safe conditions. Equipment used in applications where a gas or gas mixture is constantly present and is therefore used to signal a change in the concentration or mixture of the gas. Russian hazardous area approvals body. Widely accepted in eastern Europe or as a base for own local approvals. Areas where there is the possibility of the presence of an explosive mixture of flammable gas or vapor and air are known as ‘Hazardous’ and other areas as ‘safe’ or ‘non-hazardous’. Any electrical equipment used in hazardous areas must be tested and approved to ensure that, in use even under fault conditions, it can not cause an explosion. Health and Safety Executive (UK) The lowest temperature that will cause a mixture to burn or explode. Institut Nationale de L’Environment Industriel et des Riscues. Gas Detector that uses the principle that infrared light is absorbed by gas molecules at specific frequencies. International Standards and conformity assessment for government, business and society for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. Method of design so that the maximum internal energy of the apparatus and wiring is not sufficient to cause ignition by sparking or heating effects resulting from a fault. Ingress Protection – a measure of protection against the ingress of dust and water. Hazardous Area Approvals Body. Dutch Safety Certification. CE CEC Cell CENELEC Cesi Channel Chemcassette® Conduit COSHH CSA dBA DCS Domestic Gas Detector Division Electrochemical Sensor EMC ESD 76 www.honeywellanalytics.com 77 Glossary continued LCD LED LEL LEL% LEL metres LFL LNG LPG LTEL Liquid Crystal Display. Light Emitting Diode. Lower Explosive Limit – is the lowest concentration of ‘fuel’ in air which will burn and for most flammable gases and vapors it is less than 5% by volume. Percentage of the Lower Explosive Limit (for example, 10% LEL of methane is approx 0.5% by volume). Scale for measurement for flammable gases by open path infrared detectors. Lower Flammable Limit. Liquefied Natural Gas. Liquefied Petroleum Gas made up of Propane and Butane. Long Term Exposure Limit. The 8 hour LTEL is the time-weighted average concentration for a normal 8 hour day to which most workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse effect. Milliamp – measurement of current. Toxic gas level described by ACGIH- Maximum Allowable Concentrations (replaced by TLVs) Maximale Arbeitsplatz Konzentration. Maximum exposure limit. Alternative scale of measurement for toxic gases. Digital communication protocol. More than one gas channel. Portable gas detector with typically up to 4 gas sensors fitted. Millivolt – measurement of Voltage. Fossil fuel formed almost entirely of Methane. National Electrical Code (US). Latest version of NEC. National Electrical Manufacturers Association. US standards developing organisation. NEMA rating of enclosures is similar to the IP rating system. Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (US). Occupational Exposure Limit – The 8 hour OEL is the time-weighted average concentration for a normal 8 hour day or 40 hour working week to which most workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse effect. Infrared gas detection with transmitter and receiver devices located at a distance apart. Occupational Safety and Health Association. Concentrations of oxygen less than 20.9% V/V. Ounce (weight). Maximum, or minimum, measurement since switch on. Monitoring the outer edge of a plant or storage area as opposed to monitoring specific points. Registered trade name for a commercial device – A very small sensing element used in catalytic sensors and sometimes also called a ‘bead’ or a ‘siegistor’. Programmable Logic Controller. Glossary continued PELs Point detection Poison resistant PPB PPM PTB RELs Response curve Retro reflector RFI RH RS485/232/422 SAA Safe Area Semiconductor Sensor SIL Single channel Sira Smart Span STEL T90 T60 Temperature classification/class Thermal Conductivity TLV TWA UEL UL %VOL V/V Vapor Density WELs Zone Permissible Exposure Limits (OSHA). Detecting or measuring gas at a fixed point/position. Capability of a catalytic sensor to reduce the effect of inhibiting substances or contaminants, such as silicones. Parts per billion concentrations in the atmosphere. Parts per million concentrations in the atmosphere. Physikalisch – Technische Bundesanstalt. Recommended Exposure Levels (NIOSH). The line that shows detector response to gas at points over time. Reflecting panel that returns an infrared signal. Radio Frequency Interference. Relative Humidity. Digital communication protocols. Standards Australia Quality Assurance Services Pty Ltd. Australian safety certification. Work area in which there is no danger of contamination with explosive gases. Type of sensor that uses semiconductor material in construction. Safety Integrity Levels. One point of gas detection. Sira Test and Certification Service (UK). Used to describe a sensor with a PCB and eprom that stores sensor information such as calibration details, date of manufacture, gas type etc. The level at which calibration is made (typically 50% of full scale). Short Term Exposure Limit, usually monitored over 15 minute periods. Time taken for a detector to reach 90% of its final reading. Time taken for a detector to reach 60% of its final reading. Product classification based on the hottest surface where igniting the product would destroy the protection. 6 bands exist T1 – T6. When selecting equipment T Class must be below AIt of gas to be detected. Method of detecting the level of gas using its properties of thermal conductivity. Threshold Limit Value. Time-Weighted Average. Upper Exposure Limit. Underwriters Laboratories (USA). Concentration of explosive gas, measured in percentage by volume. Another way of representing %VOL. A measure of the density of gas or vapor relative to air. Gases or vapors with a vapor density less than 1 are lighter than air. Work Exposure Limits (EH40) Area classification of a hazardous area (Zone 0, 1 or 2) that defines the length of time a hazard in present. Mainly used in Europe. mA MAC MAK MEL Milligrams per cubic metre Modbus multi-channel Multi gas mV Natural Gas NEC 500 NEC 505 NEMA NRTLs OEL Open path OSHA and NIOSH Oxygen Deficiency Oz Peak Perimeter Monitoring Pellistor PLC 78 www.honeywellanalytics.com 79 Notes 80 www.honeywellanalytics.com 81 Notes 82 www.honeywellanalytics.com 83 Find out more www.honeywellanalytics.com Contact Honeywell Analytics: Americas Honeywell Analytics Distribution, Inc. 405 Barclay Blvd. Lincolnshire, IL 60069 USA Tel: +1 847 955 8200 Toll free: +1 800 538 0363 Fax: +1 847 955 8208 [email protected] www.honeywell.com Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Life Safety Distribution AG Wilstrasse 11-U11 CH-8610 Uster Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)44 943 4300 Fax: +41 (0)44 943 4398 [email protected] Technical Services [email protected] www.honeywell.com Please Note: While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for errors or omissions. Data may change, as well as legislation, and you are strongly advised to obtain copies of the most recently issued regulations, standards, and guidelines. This publication is not intended to form the basis of a contract. © 2007 Honeywell Analytics H_Gasbook_V1 08/07 © 2007 Honeywell Analytics 17560807	i don't know
At the outset of a major demonstration against capitalist greed and recklessness in London in October 2011, what group did the Rev Giles Fraser ask to leave the steps of St Paul's Cathedral?	Thinking Anglicans: October 2011 Archives Andrew Brown has written at Cif belief St Paul’s must change direction . After the resignation of its dean, St Paul’s must negotiate a peaceful settlement with the protesters, as quickly as possible. The resignation of the dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, Graeme Knowles, has landed responsibility for the crisis with the bishop of London, Richard Chartres. If the dean’s sacrifice is not to be in vain, the bishop must reverse his policy within the next 24 hours, and preferably by tomorrow morning. The alternatives are very much worse. The bishop has a simple choice. Either he plans to throw all the protesters out, or he acquiesces in the presence of some sort of camp right outside his front door for the indefinite future. The lawyers, and perhaps the health-and-safety people, believe he must expel the protesters. The rest of the church sees clearly that this would be wrong in principle, and hugely damaging to the reputation of Christianity. There’s no tidy way out of this, but there is a wrong one, which is to continue digging the grave Knowles had with such effort prepared for the Church of England’s reputation. The bishop will have to defy his own lawyers and negotiate a peaceful settlement with the protesters. Since he must do this, he had best do it at once. To wait for a week and then change his mind would be nearly as disastrous as settling for expulsion…. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Monday, 31 October 2011 at 5:44pm GMT \| Comments (13) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Dean of St Paul's to resign Updated 8 pm press release from St Paul’s Cathedral: Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral announces intention to resign (31 October 2011) St Paul’s, 31 October 2011 The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, announced his intention to resign from his post this afternoon. He made his decision known to the Chapter and to the Bishop of London last night and has removed himself from Cathedral operations with immediate effect. He intended to submit his resignation as Dean of St Paul’s to HM the Queen today. In the light of the Dean’s resignation, the Chapter has unanimously voted to request the Bishop of London to assist them in providing an independent voice on the ongoing situation at St Paul’s. The Bishop has had no part to date in the discussions and decisions made by Chapter and it is felt his input is now required… Archbishop of Canterbury issues statement: Archbishop’s statement on resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued the following statement on the resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s: “The announcement today of the resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s, coming as it does in the wake of the resignation of Canon Giles Fraser last week, is very sad news. The events of the last couple of weeks have shown very clearly how decisions made in good faith by good people under unusual pressure can have utterly unforeseen and unwelcome consequences, and the clergy of St Paul’s deserve our understanding in these circumstances. Graeme Knowles has been a very distinguished Dean of St Paul’s, who has done a great deal to strengthen the pastoral and intellectual life of the Cathedral and its involvement in the life of London. He will be much missed, and I wish him and Susan well in whatever lies ahead.” The Archbishop also said: “The urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul’s remain very much on the table and we need – as a Church and as society as a whole – to work to make sure that they are properly addressed.” Update Video of the entire press conference, including Q and A, is now available here . Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Monday, 31 October 2011 at 2:22pm GMT \| Comments (7) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England St Paul's Cathedral: Monday morning media reports See preceding article for Guardian reports. But the front page picture of the Dean of St Paul’s is here . Telegraph And by way of historical background, Boris Johnson writes about Mellitus, the saint who retook London from barbarians . Independent Paul Calahan Bishop comes face to face with protesters – but won’t back down …A spokesman said the Dean and the cathedral are considering “all options”. As well as a scaled-down tented protest, it is understood St Paul’s is open to the idea of having a tent inside the cathedral “for as long as necessary”. All sides agree any eviction would only follow months of legal wrangling. Meanwhile, protesters remain adamant they will not be moving. Yesterday, one protester, Tammy Semede, told the Bishop, Dean and assembled crowd the Church’s stance had caused her doubts about her faith. “I went for Communion [in the cathedral] and didn’t feel I was able. The Church’s behaviour has affected my faith,” she said. One piece of good news for St Paul’s was the decision by a cathedral canon to stay. Canon Mark Oakley was said to be considering resigning but yesterday used Twitter to confirm he will not… From Twitter : @CanonOakley: For clarity - I’m not resigning. I’d like to play my part for the future of St P’s work and witness. Channel 4 News this evening’s video report: Evictions ‘prudent’ for protesters Coming in Monday’s Guardian The St Paul’s situation puts Rowan Williams and other bishops who have decried banking practices in an impossible quandary. She concludes: …The archbishops’ silence – and that of the wider church – on the crisis at the cathedral is extraordinary, then, given their past remarks. But the truth is they gain nothing from commenting on it. Siding with protesters would undermine the bishop of London and the dean of St Paul’s, who are already under fire for their actions, and represent an extrajudicial intervention not often seen in the Church of England. To ally themselves with their beleaguered colleagues would make them hypocrites. Those who have aired their views are retired – like Lord Carey – or relatively unknown outside Anglican circles. However infuriating their reticence, the clerics who bashed the bankers during the global financial meltdown are unlikely to put themselves forward to debate the merits or otherwise of Occupy London, a subject made toxic by the prospect of eviction, but it is inconceivable that they do not have opinions on the events at St Paul’s. Madeleine Bunting Occupy London is a nursery for the mind …The critics complain that there are no clearly identified objectives, no manifesto. But this is not some proto-political party. Critics insist there must be leaders or representatives. But the protesters stubbornly refuse to conform to any of the conventions of our political and media culture. That is why the invitation from the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, for representatives to join a panel discussion with business leaders was so inept. The protesters are challenging how the illusion of public debate is created through a stage-managed process that excludes all but a self-regarding elite who are largely in agreement, quibbling only over technocratic detail… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Sunday, 30 October 2011 at 6:14pm GMT \| Comments (7) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Leading article: St Paul’s is a national problem …Ever since the collapse of many of the world’s leading banks in 2008, the world has been suffused with unease about the ethical basis of a part of capitalism that seemed to reward failure as much as, if not more than, success. When those banks were put back upright with public credit, and seemed to continue to pay their executives excessively, that unease grew. Over the past three years, the feeling has strengthened around the world that, for the financial and corporate elite, the credit crunch, the government bailouts and the recession were a minor blip, and now it is business as usual, with rewards at the very top more extravagant than ever. The response of political and spiritual leaders has been uncertain. Barack Obama said he was going to cap the bonuses of bankers, and then didn’t. David Cameron was going to limit the earnings of public-sector bosses to 20 times the lowest-paid in their organisation, and then didn’t. Last week, the Prime Minister sounded concerned about the rise in pay of FTSE-100 executives, but his only suggestion for restraining it was that more women should be appointed to corporate boards – which sounded as if he were suggesting that women should continue to be lower paid than men. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Church of England have responded with all the courage and clarity for which they are renowned. As we report today, the St Paul’s Institute, associated with the cathedral, decided not to publish a report on the City that called for banks to show more responsibility, for fear that it might seem to side with the tent people. Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican communion, has been audible in his silence, although, as we also report today, he is believed to be sympathetic to the protesters. Before long, he too will have to admit that this is more than a local issue… In the Observer Editorial: The church’s reaction to the protesters has lacked humanity …The difficulty is that in its affluence at least, the real world of some of those at the top of the ecclesiastical hierarchy has more in common with those whom the anti-capitalist protesters correctly argue are “rewarded” grossly out of proportion to their efforts. Nay, are rewarded even when criminally at fault and abject failures. While Matthew insisted that you cannot serve both God and Mammon, some still try to give it a good go. So what are we to make of the events of the past fortnight? Undoubtedly, there has been an awakening. As Andrew Rawnsley reports, while many in the media have been hostile to the protesters, there is perhaps now a change of mood abroad. Ironically, not for a long time has the Bible been so forensically mined, nor the disciples so closely examined. It reminds us that in the New Testament, at least, the quest for a fairer society, requiring deeds as well as words, was a recurring motif. To be fair, in the Church of England many a fine priest works, unheralded, in impoverished communities, of which, as the protesters may point out, there are sadly still too many. However, what has been missing from the reaction of many of the senior figures at St Paul’s is an inclination to listen to what the protesters have to say, however inchoate. How much more productive might it have been to invite several to pitch their tents inside the cathedral, to request that they speak from the pulpit and to stand side by side with the protesters in acknowledging that social capital and the bonds we have with each other are infinitely more valuable than those are that are traded daily. In 1985, at another seismic moment, the Church of England published a ground-breaking report, “Faith in the City”, that then as now encapsulated a general unease. It wrote: “Poverty is not only about shortage of money. It is about rights and relationships; about how people are treated and how they regard themselves; about powerlessness, exclusion and loss of dignity.” Those words still have a resonance. That’s why the handling by St Paul’s of this situation has been far more than a public-relations disaster for the church. It has also given us a glimpse of a frost in a corner of its soul. Andrew Rawnsley The protesters seem more adult than politicians and plutocrats …A big mistake is to think that because the protesters tend to be youthful it follows that they should be treated like children. Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, has made that error by suggesting to the campers that they ought to leave in return for a debate under the dome of St Paul’s – gosh, thanks my Lord Bishop. He further asks them to go on the grounds that: “I am involved in ongoing discussion with City leaders about improving shareholder influence on excessive remuneration.” I am sure that the bishop is well-meaning, but that is not going to cut it. There has been “ongoing discussion” for years. The result, according to the latest report by Incomes Data Services: Britain’s top executives gave themselves a 49% increase in their salaries, benefits and bonuses in the past year. It does not even occur to the business and financial elite that it might be good old cynical public relations to moderate their greed while so many of their fellow citizens are suffering the consequences of corporate follies… Sunday Telegraph The anti-capitalist protest outside the gates of St Paul’s has sparked a moral battle inside the cathedral. More from the Observer Among the Christmas toys that she proposes is this: Mini St Paul’s Cathedral Fully domed and mechanised dolls’ house: at the touch of a button, your children can lock the doors and hose unwanted people off the steps, flooding the carpet. It comes with a Canon Giles Fraser doll that endlessly repeats: “A church should never force people away”; if his head is snapped off, wealthy bishops cackle in the rafters. (Warning: they may not cackle if water comes into contact with the batteries.) Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Sunday, 30 October 2011 at 12:05am BST \| Comments (6) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral and the protestors: Bishop of Buckingham interviewed The Bishop of Buckingham, Alan Wilson, was interviewed on Channel 4 News this evening by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Saturday, 29 October 2011 at 11:30pm BST \| Comments (4) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England protesters at St Paul's Cathedral: comment from the blogs This is a selection of those that I read during the past week. Some of them are several days old now, and don’t reflect the latest developments. Twitter reports “Following [motion] on Archbishops’ amendment failed Following [motion] encouraging early Code passed”. Here are the texts of the two following motions. That this synod [ie the diocesan synod] request the General Synod to debate a motion in the following form: That this synod [ie the General Synod] call upon the House of Bishops, in exercise of its powers under standing order 60(b), to amend the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure in the manner proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York at the Revision Stage for the draft Measure. [defeated 21 votes to 100] This Synod, supportive of women in the episcopate, urges General Synod to expedite the production of the Code of Practice by the House of Bishops and to take seriously its role in debating and approving the contents with due regard to those who find the consecration of women to the episcopate unacceptable. [passed] Posted by Peter Owen on Saturday, 29 October 2011 at 2:52pm BST \| Comments (3) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral: Saturday news and comment Evening Standard last night The camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral has been a public relations disaster for the Church of England. Independent this morning Jerome Taylor Mystery of Archbishop who didn’t speak for his Church With the prospect of anti-corporate protesters being forcibly removed from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral by riot police now almost inevitable, the silence from across the river at Lambeth Palace has been deafening. So far the Archbishop of Canterbury has kept his head far below the ramparts, choosing not to utter a single word on a deepening public relations disaster for the Established Church… Paul Cahalan and Jerome Taylor God vs Mammon: Britain takes sides As St Paul’s reopens its doors, the City of London and the cathedral launch legal actions to evict demonstrators, another clergyman resigns in dismay, David Cameron threatens legislation to ban protest camps – and the Archbishop of Canterbury…says nothing. Telegraph Tim Walker Canon Mark Oakley considers his position at St Paul’s cathedral The Rev Dr Giles Fraser’s resignation as Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s over the cathedral’s muddled response to the demonstrators on its doorstep looks unlikely to be the last. Mandrake is reliably informed that another senior figure in the hierarchy of St Paul’s, Canon Mark Oakley, its affable Canon Treasurer as well as a well-known author and broadcaster, is this weekend wrestling with his conscience. “I voted the same way as Giles at Chapter as I couldn’t vote for any course of action that might lead at some point to violent behaviour,” Oakley, 43, tells me. Guardian Lucy Mangan St Paul’s – embrace your new flock ‘When you’re dealing with protesters who bring their own portable loos, what’s the worst that can happen?’ Marina Hyde Jesus may be with Occupy London, but St Paul would have sided with health and safety The cathedral’s namesake was a sucker for authority – as the church is and ever was. Lawyers will serve notice on activists camped out around St Paul’s Cathedral as early as Monday, as police also finalise plans to forcibly remove them if senior officers are convinced they are causing disruption… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Saturday, 29 October 2011 at 1:15pm BST \| Comments (4) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England opinion St Paul's Cathedral: legal action against protesters commences Updated 4.30 pm Second, there is this announcement from the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s: Statement from the Dean and Chapter (28 October 2011) 28 October 2011 The Chapter has previously asked the encampment to leave the cathedral precinct in peace. This has not yet happened and so, following the advice of our lawyers, legal action has regrettably become necessary. The Chapter only takes this step with the greatest reluctance and remains committed to a peaceful solution. At each step of the legal process the Chapter will continue to entreat the protesters to agree to a peaceful solution and, if an injunction is granted, will then be able to discuss with the protesters how to reach this solution. Theirs is a message that the Chapter has both heard and shares and looks forward to engaging with the protesters to identify how the message may continue to be debated at St Paul’s and acted upon. According to the latest report from Riazat Butt in Guardian the tents are the key issue: “If this [Occupy London] were not a camped protest it would constitute a reasonable user of the highway. The City of London Corporation is not seeking to prevent protest but to limit the exact nature and form of protest it has chosen. A 24-hour non-camped protest would be permissible in this location.” Stephen Bates has a report of the first service in the re-opened building: St Paul’s congregation swells to hundreds for first lunchtime service and you can read the full text of the Homily given by The Dean of St Paul’s at Eucharist, 28 October 2011 Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Friday, 28 October 2011 at 12:22pm BST \| Comments (9) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England Diocese in Europe agrees Women Bishops legislation Although Europe’s diocesan synod voted on the legislation to allow women to become bishops in June, it is the Bishop’s Council which makes the official decision for the diocese. The Bishop’s Council has now held its debate, and here are the votes on the main motion in favour of the legislation. 3 1 As in all these debates it is the votes in the houses of clergy and laity that count, so Europe has voted in favour of the legislation. There is a report of the debate on the diocesan website: Diocese in Europe agrees Women Bishops legislation . This also gives details of a following motion asking for more provision for opponents; voting was 13 in favour, 10 against with 3 abstentions. Posted by Peter Owen on Friday, 28 October 2011 at 11:47am BST \| Comments (1) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral: more Friday media reports Updated 10.30 am Telegraph Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Friday, 28 October 2011 at 8:43am BST \| Comments (9) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral: first Friday media reports Church Times Giles Fraser Clarity at the heart of the St Paul’s storm THE reader will, I hope, excuse me if I do not address the complicated issues that currently beset St Paul’s Cathedral. Suffice to say, when you sit in the middle of a storm, and a great deal of misinformation is flying about, you are thrown back on the fundamentals of your faith. No one ever said that following Jesus would be easy. In fact, as Christians, we are given fair warning that the opposite is likely to be the case. And so it turns out. But one of the most interesting things about these challenging times is how scripture comes alive. Indeed, I do not remember the Bible ever speaking to me as vividly as it does today. As the saying goes, I don’t read scripture: scripture reads me… Leader: Wealth and safety: the St Paul’s dilemma TO GIVE them their due, the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s knew the reaction they would get when they cited health and safety as the reason for the closure of the cathedral. Their mistake last Friday was to treat this as a normal crisis: make the statement, get the official spokesman lined up, and plan to follow up on the Monday, when senior staff were next available for consultation. From this viewpoint, it did not seem to be a problem that the completed health-and-safety report would not be ready until late on Monday. Unfortunately, and predictably, the story continued to develop throughout the weekend, and, without a robust and detailed defence of the closure, suspicion was allowed to grow that the Chapter had turned against the protesters, concerned more for its lost tourist revenue than for a courageous witness against the evils of capitalism. As a result, when some (not all) of the report was released on Tuesday, it was largely derided… Guardian Riazat Butt, Sandra Laville and Shiv Malik Giles Fraser resignation: ‘I couldn’t face Dale Farm on the steps of St Paul’s …Forcible eviction looks inevitable, however, with the Metropolitan police taking a keen interest in the escalating crisis. The land around the cathedral is within the City of London police area but the force is working with the Met to decide how to deal with the encampment. Amid growing tensions, protesters using Twitter said armed police had entered the camp, as a tent belonging to Kurdish activists was searched. The City of London police said its officers had gone to the camp in response to reports of a firearm. Bernard Hogan-Howe, the commissioner of the Met, said police were in the last stages of assessing whether to clear the demonstrators under section 14 of the Public Order Act. Under section 14 police can forcefully remove the protesters outside St Paul’s and those gathered in Finsbury Square if they believe the disruption to the public and the people working in the area is “serious”. The commissioner indicated a judgment on that would come within 48 hours. “Deciding what is serious is what we are in the process of doing,” he told the Metropolitan Police Authority. “We need to have some kind of consensus so we are in the process of asking that question.” He said discussions were continuing and information was being gathered from shopkeepers, the landowners and other members of the public to assess the level of disruption. Once this work had been done a decision on taking clearance action would be made. The MPA was told by some members that shopkeepers in the area had seen their takings down by 80% since the tented encampment began. Hogan-Howe said the situation facing the police was complex. “If there is criminality being committed we need to do something about it. And there is some evidence that some of the protesters are leaving at night and coming back during the day. Taken together they have got a legitimate right to protest, they have no legitimate right to commit crimes. That is the complexity of what we are trying to deal with.” The land was owned by different people, which compounded the issue, Hogan-Howe said. “Either we ignore it and the property owners take some kind of injunctions out, or we use the criminal law, or we use injunctions and the criminal law … that will require careful judgments over the coming days.” The Home Office refused to say whether the home secretary, Theresa May, or Home Office representatives had been in direct contact with church authorities after suggestions that the government department had put pressure on the church to get protesters evicted… Stephen Bates Church of England split over St Paul’s handling of Occupy London protest “It is very hard to take the temperature of the Church of England,” said Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times. “In a poll last week we found 65% of church members believing it was right to welcome the protesters, but there are equally bound to be lots of churchgoers out in the country who think it is right to take a firm hand to them. I suspect whatever people think of the demonstrators though, most will think the church has taken an utterly wrong approach to dealing with the situation. It is such a shame: we have just had our best publicity for ages over Rowan Williams challenging Robert Mugabe to his face and now this comes up and clearly damages the church’s reputation once again.” Editorial: In praise of … Giles Fraser …Now we’re told the cathedral will reopen and the bishop of London, who lives over the occupation, will descend and speak to the protesters on Sunday. That should be fun. By now the whole situation is approaching farce, in which all the players are adding to the spectacle. That is not a dignified position for the cathedral, but one it richly deserves. In the meantime, at least the chapter has proved to a doubting nation that the Church of England can make a fool of itself about a subject which has nothing to do with sex. More in the morning… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Friday, 28 October 2011 at 1:05am BST \| Comments (6) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Statement from St Paul’s Cathedral: Canon Giles Fraser to step down . 27 October 2011 The Reverend Canon Dr Giles Fraser, Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, has resigned from his post. Canon Fraser, a former Vicar of Putney who took up his post in June 2009, informed the Dean and Chapter colleagues of his decision today. The Dean of St Paul’s, The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said today: “Giles has brought a unique contribution to the life and ministry of St Paul’s and we will be very sorry to see him go. He has developed the work of the St Paul’s Institute and has raised the profile of our work in the City. We are obviously disappointed that he is not able to continue to his work with Chapter during these challenging days. We will miss his humour and humanity and wish Giles and his family every good wish into the future.” The post of Canon Chancellor is a Crown appointment. The process to appoint Canon Fraser’s successor will begin shortly. Guardian St Paul’s Cathedral canon resigns by Shiv Malik and Riazat Butt …In a short statement to the Guardian, Fraser, who was appointed canon in May 2009, confirmed his resignation, saying: “I resigned because I believe that the chapter has set on a course of action that could mean there will be violence in the name of the church.” Evening Standard Tom Harper and Peter Dominiczak St Paul’s Canon blasts church over ‘violent treatment’ of tent protesters …The Bishop of London said he will meet the protesters on Sunday to invite them to a debate inside the cathedral if they agree to leave the camp… …It is understood Dr Fraser is not alone in his view among senior colleagues at St Paul’s that enforced removal of demonstrators would be a disaster for the Church. Dr Fraser quit as the Dean of St Paul’s admitted the crisis engulfing the cathedral was “its most difficult times since the Second World War”. Guardian Comment is Free Andrew Brown Giles Fraser is never taken in by establishment self-delusion So much of the church’s energies are taken up in make-believe about its position in society that Fraser is really shocking to anyone used to professional Anglicans. There was an example of this just this week in the Bishop of London’s statement about the protesters explaining that they could go away now because the grown-ups had taken over: “The St Paul’s Institute has itself focused on the issue of executive pay and I am involved in ongoing discussions with City leaders about improving shareholder influence on excessive remuneration.” Never mind that the St Paul’s Institute was run by Giles Fraser, who the bishop must have known was about to resign. There is one huge shrieking question about a press release like that: who is it meant to fool? Does anyone really think that the City takes more notice of a bishop than of a genuine popular demonstration? Does anyone in the wider world think that the bishop’s words count for as much as the protesters’ acts, or that they mean anything at all? Evening Standard Common sense wins with reopening of St Paul’s Dr Richard Chartres, The Bishop of London It is easy to be cynical about health and safety but it would be naive of the Dean and Chapter, in charge of a tourist attraction visited by thousands each week, to ignore the attached public liability responsibilities. It is much easier for those looking on to cry, “Ignore the lawyers”, let alone the insurers and the myriad appointed experts who invariably have a “worst case scenario” outlook. The fact remains that it was unavoidable for the Cathedral to close last week but the Dean, Chapter and staff should be commended for working tirelessly since then to find a way of reopening - and indeed the protesters for readily complying. Yet it is symptomatic of what the scene outside has become that so much attention remains focused upon what represents a “trip and slip” hazard, a flammable substance or a safe tent configuration. The debate has also been about whether it is capitalist to own an iPad or buy a Starbucks coffee, or whether a protester should take a break at night. The Church’s own role in this has now inevitably come under scrutiny. Calls for the camp to disband peacefully have been deliberately interpreted as taking the side of Mammon, which is simply not the case. The original purpose of the protests, to shine a light on issues such as corporate greed and executive pay, has been all but extinguished - yet these are issues that the St Paul’s Institute has taken to heart and has been engaged in examining. The time has come to change the setting. Now that St Paul’s can function again, albeit on a limited basis, the cathedral wants to help recapture the serious issues. If the protesters will disband peacefully, I will join the Dean and Chapter in organising a St Paul’s Institute debate on the real issues here under the Dome. We will convene a panel from across the political and business spectrum and will invite the protesters to be represented. The Dean and I will be available on Sunday morning, outside St Paul’s, to listen and engage. Our message will be simple: pack up your tents voluntarily and let us make you heard. Statement from the Dean of St Paul’s (26 October) 26 October 2011 The Dean of St Paul’s, The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said tonight that he was optimistic that St Paul’s Cathedral would be able to reopen to the public on Friday afternoon (28 October) following significant changes to the layout of those dwelling in tents outside of the Cathedral which was achieved this afternoon. “The staff team here have been working flat out with the police, fire brigade and health and safety officers to try to ensure that we have confidence in the safety of our worshippers, visitors and staff which will allow us to reopen.” said Dean Knowles this evening. “We have wide statutory obligations to ensure the safety of our staff, congregation, visitors and pilgrims and final checks will be made tomorrow. A passageway allowing evacuation procedures to be improved has been created; the kitchen providing food for those in the camp has been moved from close proximity to the building; bicycles chained to the railings have been shifted and a clear pathway restored”, said the Dean tonight. He added: “We have alternative arrangements in place to safeguard the evacuation of the crypt and floor areas but, for the time being, the galleries and dome will remained closed. Our continued dialogue with the fire brigade, police, and our own fire safety advisors has been encouraging.” Dean Knowles said that the Chapter would reach a final decision tomorrow on the re-opening: “We will revisit the risk assessment in the light of any overnight developments and subject to us getting the green light we hope to reopen in time for the 1230 Eucharist on Friday to which everyone is welcome.” On the question of the future of the campsite, the Dean explained: “We reiterate our basic belief in the right to protest as well as requesting that those people living in the tents now leave the site peacefully.” He added: “We want the site to be fully open to members of the public to have open access over the area as well as for those wanting to visit St. Paul’s. The mission of the cathedral is committed to the Christian Gospel message of justice, dignity and peace. The debate about social justice and economic policy will remain at the heart of the work of the St Paul’s Institute.” As regards any other action the Dean said “We have been and continue to take legal advice on a range of options including court action. Chapter very much hopes that we will achieve a peaceful solution.” Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 at 11:42pm BST \| Comments (1) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral: analysis of Health and Safety issues David Allen Green has published a detailed and lucid analysis of the situation at the New Statesman. Read it in full at Closing the doors at St Paul’s Cathedral . How seriously is the Cathedral taking health and safety concerns? …The worrying refusal by the Cathedral to share the details of its supposed health and safety concerns with the protesters after Wednesday would seem to undermine the sincerity of its reliance on those concerns to close the Cathedral. Whatever one’s views as to the merits of the protesters, there can be no good reason for these details not to be shared, especially as it is claimed that the health and safety concerns are so serious as to mean that the Cathedral should be closed down completely. This is a particularly depressing notion, given the Dean said expressly that the decision was taken “because of the legal requirements placed upon us by fire, health and safety issues”. So I asked the Cathedral for a full description of these health and safety issues, and this list was provided in response: Presence of unknown quantities of flammable liquids. Smoking/drinking within the tented areas. Potential gas safety within the catering facility. Compromised free fire exits, usually open now closed but manned. Slips, trips and falls exacerbated at night with cover of darkness. Due to the darkness issues on North side, use of naked flame lighting. Sleeping risk within the tented area, if fire should break out. Public heath issues b Food hygiene c Rodent/pest issue The issues of rope/guy-lines attached to trees, bollards, lamp standards possibly causing injury to face/neck/upper limbs and trips on low level guy-lines. VIP security due to camp protest. All of the above are representative of the possible injury to life and limb. This prompts an obvious question, and so I asked the Cathedral what it was actually doing now to manage these risks, other than closing the Cathedral. What had it done since the closure, if it thought these risks were serious? But the Cathedral was not able to say. I asked who compiled this list of issues. The vague response was “health and safety advisers”. Who were these advisers? The Cathedral would not say. What are their qualifications and expertise? The Cathedral would not say. Are they external or internal? The Cathedral would not say… And there is a great deal more, including a very full response by the protesters. Read it all . Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 at 1:18pm BST \| Comments (13) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Pauls' Cathedral: Wednesday morning reports Updated 1 pm Wednesday According to Episcopal Cafe Ruth Gledhill and Fay Schlesinger in The Times are reporting [ subscription only ] that Canon Dr. Giles Fraser will resign if the Cathedral moves to evict Occupy London protesters: …Dr Giles Fraser, who is responsible for the cathedral’s relations with the financial institutions of the City of London, is understood to be prepared to quit should it take legal action against the 200 tents forming an increasingly permanent-looking settlement on its land. …. A resignation from Dr Fraser would make him a martyr for the anti-capitalist cause and prove hugely embarrassing to the cathedral and the Church. If the cathedral does not try to oust the protesters, however, it will be forced into the humiliating position of reopening with the tents still in place, or remaining closed for months — putting events such as the Remembrance Day services at risk and losing the cathedral about £16,000 a day in tourist revenue. Update The BBC reports that Giles Fraser’s resignation threat relates to “use of force” rather than the taking of legal action to remove the protestors. Telegraph St Paul’s Cathedral protest: Blitz landmark closed because you might trip over guy rope by Victoria Ward, Richard Alleyne and Tim Ross At the height of the Blitz, the relentless pounding of London by Luftwaffe bombers forced St Paul’s Cathedral to close its doors for a total of four days. But today (Weds) health and safety fears about people tripping over tent guy ropes and blocked emergency exits have achieved what Hitler did not, and shut it for a fifth day. The cathedral has been criticised after it released a full list of the health and safety concerns that has been used as justification for closing it for the longest time in living memory. Mark Field, Tory MP for Cities of London and Westminster – in which the cathedral sits - said they were “spurious health and safety excuses” and called for them to be ignored. “There never seemed to be any substance to the health and safety reasons for the closure. It was a nuclear option and it has been a monumental own goal,” he said… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 at 7:50am BST \| Comments (14) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like City and cathedral: The whited sepulchre The dean and chapter of St Paul’s risk playing the villains in a national pantomime The last time St Paul’s Cathedral was so much in the news was the wedding of Charles and Diana: a vast if moth-eaten musical parade which ended very badly when the fairytale wedding turned into a marriage of unfaithful human beings. That helped turn the cathedral into a major tourist attraction, though it did nothing for the Christian message. Now another piece of theatre has swept it up, and with it won a turn on the national stage. Protesters hoping to “Occupy the London Stock Exchange” were prevented from entering Paternoster Square, a shopping development which had been their original target, and instead have camped, in orderly rows, around the north side of the cathedral and across its main west entrance. This rather messy and absurd situation has handed the dean and chapter of St Paul’s a truly historic opportunity to discredit Christianity in this country. They seem determined to take it. They should think, and stop. The dean and chapter appear to have decided that health and safety considerations mean they must be rid of the makeshift camp. These grounds are frankly risible. Pretending otherwise compounds the first mistake, which was to shut the cathedral altogether, rather than expose visitors to the sight and smells of a couple of hundred protesters. A cathedral isn’t really there for the tourists, even if it can charge visitors £14.50, as St Paul’s does. It is a place for prayer and worship. The congregations who come for these, the real purposes of the building, should remember that Jesus talked to publicans and tax collectors. He might even have talked to merchant bankers. He would certainly have talked to the protesters camped outside. Aspects of the protest camp are silly and rather squalid. But it still represents a profound and important moral revulsion which the Church of England needs to take seriously. These aren’t the usual Spartist suspects. The sense that there is something outrageous, unjust and absurd about the world of modern finance has spread across the whole political and religious spectrum. Even Pope Benedict XVI has reinforced his predecessor’s teaching with a demand that the markets of the world be brought under human control. The Church of England needs to be part of this discussion, for its own sake and for the sake of the country. And that is done far more effectively by theatre and by conversation than by lecturing or even preaching. It is no use having clever bishops saying clever things that no one listens to. Here at St Paul’s right now, there is a chance to catch the attention of millions of people who would never listen to a bishop or recognise a Dean without a Torvill. The protesters aren’t right about everything. A lot of the time they aren’t even coherent enough to be wrong. But the role of the church is to talk with them and to find out how their sense of injustice at the present slump can be refined and educated and brought out into the wider conversation. The cathedral has a chance to take Marx’s taunt about religion being “the heart of a heartless world” and try to make it true, and valuable. It must not fumble this. If the dean and chapter continue their steps towards evicting they will be playing the villains in a national pantomime. There will be legal battles and, eventually, physical force. At every step, the cathedral authorities will be acting in the service of absurdity and injustice. Yet this is where the logic of their position is leading them. They must see this, and stop. Jesus denounced his Pharisaic enemies as whited sepulchres, or shining tombs; and that is what the steam-cleaned marble frontage of St Paul’s will become if the protesters are evicted to make room for empty pomp: a whited sepulchre, where morality and truth count for nothing against the convenience of the heritage industry. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Tuesday, 25 October 2011 at 10:15pm BST \| Comments (11) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like 25/10/11 A statement by the Bishop of London on the protest outside St Paul’s Cathedral. “This demonstration has undoubtedly raised a number of very important questions. The St Paul’s Institute has itself focused on the issue of executive pay and I am involved in ongoing discussions with City leaders about improving shareholder influence on excessive remuneration. “Nevertheless, the time has come for the protestors to leave, before the camp’s presence threatens to eclipse entirely the issues that it was set up to address. The Dean and the Chapter, who are responsible for St Paul’s, have already made it clear that the protest should come to an end and I fully support that view.” Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Tuesday, 25 October 2011 at 8:24pm BST \| Comments (12) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England More on the St Paul's Cathedral mess Update on St Paul's Cathedral and the protesters Sunday afternoon/Monday morning news reports: Guardian Peter Walker and Riazat Butt St Paul’s may seek injunction to move Occupy London activists …With the deadlock seemingly set to continue, St Paul’s and other nearby institutions have consulted lawyers about possible efforts to forcibly evict the protesters. Cathedral staff were due to hold an emergency meeting with fire officers, police and officials from the Corporation of London, which administers the City district, on Monday. A St Paul’s spokesman, the Reverand Rob Marshall, said the impact of the closure would be felt more intensively next week as tourist numbers swell during half-term. “The penny is dropping,” he said. “Half-term has started and we’ve got hundreds and thousands of visitors from around the world in London. It will soon begin to dawn that the cathedral will not be open for the foreseeable future. It’s such a chunk of a visitor’s itinerary and there will be a momentum that this is a reality. If there is no sign of movement in the early part of the week there will be further negotiations.” The Corporation of London has not commented publicly since Friday, when it also called on the camp to disband. But the organisation is known to have consulted lawyers about how an eviction might take place, and whether the legal options could even include an emergency injunction to clear the space immediately. But this is seen as a last resort. Aside from the potential public relations disaster of police officers dragging peaceful protesters from their tents in the shadow of a cathedral, eviction proceedings would most likely take some weeks. Part of the land housing the camp is owned by St Paul’s, who would need to take action for trespass, while other parts belong to the Corporation, requiring a case under laws relating to obstruction of the highways. The Occupy movement has said it, too, has been taking legal advice, and cannot be expected to leave voluntarily without more information from St Paul’s… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at 11:00pm BST \| Comments (20) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like 10 2 A following motion, seeking more provision for opponents was defeated with 12 votes in favour, 74 72 against and 6 abstentions. The abstentions included both bishops. Posted by Peter Owen on Saturday, 22 October 2011 at 12:26pm BST \| Comments (7) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of England opinion In an article for the Church Times, now available to non-subscribers, George Pitcher offers Ten media tips for the Church . Christian Piatt asks in The Huffington Post Did Jesus Really Die for Our Sins? Posted by Peter Owen on Saturday, 22 October 2011 at 11:00am BST \| Comments (1) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like St Paul's Cathedral and the protestors Updated again Friday evening Ed Thornton reports in the Church Times this morning: Crisis brings crowd to steps of St Paul’s Update There has been a major update of this story, now headlined Protest means we must shut, says Dean of St Paul’s. THE Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral appealed this week for cathedral life to “be allowed to operate as normally as possible”, after hundreds of activists, protesting against corporate greed and economic inequality, set up camp in St Paul’s Churchyard… The Church Times also has editorial comment on the subject: Leader: Cold comfort for protesters . The statements by the Dean and Chapter can be found here , and earlier here . Friday afternoon update Statement from the Dean of St Paul’s (21 October) Update Video of this statement here . …Last night, I met with members of the Chapter to discuss some of these key issues. As the week has gone on, and in a statement we issued earlier this week, we intimated how difficult the situation was becoming. As a result of that meeting, and reports received today from our independent Health, Safety and Fire officers, I have written an open letter to the protestors this afternoon advising them that we have no lawful alternative but to close St Paul’s Cathedral until further notice. I have here copies of the letter clearly outlining the reasons we have had to take this dramatic course of action which I will ask my colleagues to distribute. The Health, Safety and Fire officers have pointed out that access to and from the Cathedral is seriously limited. With so many stoves and fires and lots of different types of fuel around, there is a clear fire hazard. Then there is the public health aspect which speaks for itself. The dangers relate not just to Cathedral staff and visitors but are a potential hazard to those encamped themselves. The decision to close St Paul’s Cathedral is unprecedented in modern times and I have asked the Registrar to implement emergency procedures whereby the building remains closed but fit for purpose until such a time that we can open safely. Our 200 staff and 100 volunteers are also being informed of this decision this afternoon. I want to say two simple things at this point. 1)We have done this with a very heavy heart, but it is simply not possible to fulfil our day to day obligations to worshippers, visitors and pilgrims in current circumstances. 2)That all of the Chapter are at one on this and recognise the complexities of the issues facing us at this time… Open Letter from the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral …With a heavy heart I have to tell you that St Paul’s Cathedral has to be closed today until further notice, because of the legal requirements placed upon us by fire, health and safety issues. I know you will appreciate that in taking on the burden of responsibility for the care and well being of people entering our building, we must also be able to ensure everyone’s safety and, according to those who are expert in this regard, we cannot do so at the moment. I wanted to inform you of this necessary decision before I announced it to the Press. I am therefore appealing to you directly to recognise that a great deal had been achieved by your presence here outside St Paul’s but that, in order that we might re-open the Cathedral as speedily as possible, we ask you to withdraw peacefully. We are concerned about public safety in terms of evacuation and fire hazards and the consequent knock-on effects which this has with regards to visitors… Guardian Peter Walker and Riazat Butt The next day, Preludium asked Why is the old TItle IV better than the new? And today, the Bishop of Upper South Carolina, Andrew Waldo wrote an opinion column for The State newspaper titled Unity, diversity both necessary and possible in Episcopal Church . Episcopalians in the Columbia-based Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina are watching with heavy hearts as our brothers and sisters in the Charleston-based Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina contend with allegations that their bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, has “abandoned the communion” of the Episcopal Church. We appreciate Bishop Dorsey Henderson’s clarification that the church’s disciplinary board, which he chairs, is merely looking to see if the charges have merit, not prosecuting Bishop Lawrence on the basis of them (“Calm urged over Lawrence inquiry,” Friday). I consider Bishop Lawrence a friend and respected fellow-laborer in the vineyards of the Lord. I know him to be a loyal and faithful minister who seeks to raise valid and serious questions as to the theology, polity and structure of the Episcopal Church. Our church has a long history of theological diversity and respect for those with whom we disagree, and we can all benefit from the challenge of addressing these questions openly and in a spirit of mutual charity. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that is too often hostile to disagreement and unwilling to engage in honest dialogue with those who have different views. Our churches are not immune from this, and all who follow a loving God have each to ask God to forgive us for any roles we may have played in that hostility over the years. I do not intend to prejudge the matters being considered by the review board; however, it is hard for me to see how the actions complained of against Bishop Lawrence rise to the level of an intentional abandonment of the communion of this church, as is charged. I have difficulty understanding why matters that are arguably legislative and constitutional in nature should be dealt with in a disciplinary context. I await the report and yet hope the review board shares my difficulty… Thursday evening update ACI has published South Carolina: The Church Needs Transparency We have considered carefully the available information related to the allegations against Bishop Mark Lawrence that are currently under review by the Disciplinary Board for Bishops. That information discloses an extended and troubling sequence of events that raises serious questions about transparency in the church… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 19 October 2011 at 10:41pm BST \| Comments (45) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like PA Supreme Court rejects Archbishop Duncan's appeal Updated Wednesday evening The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has rejected the last appeal made by the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (ACNA). From the court document (PDF): ORDER PER CURIAM And now, this 17th day of October, 2011 the Petition for Allowance of Appeal is hereby DENIED. From the diocesan website : On October 17, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the request of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh to appeal the ruling of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. 18th October, A.D. 2011 TO ALL CLERGY AND LAY LEADERS OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE: Dearest Brothers & Sisters in Christ, I write to you today to inform you that our appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been rejected. We accept that the courts have not found in our favor and will, of course, comply with all court orders. We remain committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with the Episcopal Church diocese. In light of this judgment by the courts, we will redouble that commitment to reaching a final resolution of all issues between the Episcopal Church diocese and the Anglican diocese through negotiation. We intend to persevere in our mission, which is to be Anglican Christians transforming our world with Jesus Christ. We do this chiefly by planting congregations. As at every annual Convention since realignment, congregations are being added to our diocese both locally and across the country, for which we give thanks to God. We pray God’s continued favor on our mission, his grace towards those who remain within the Episcopal Church, and his help for our beloved Communion as we move into the challenges and opportunities of this new millennium. May the Gospel of our Lord Christ find a fresh hearing all across his Church and his world! Faithfully your Bishop and Archbishop, The Most Rev. Robert Duncan Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America Update The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has issued this statement: Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal of Property Rulings . n an order issued October 17, 2011, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania rejected an appeal seeking to challenge lower court rulings holding that, under the terms of the 2005 settlement of the Calvary suit, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church was the rightful trustee of diocesan-held property. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision. The issues presented to the court had been adequately reviewed and ruled on, first by the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County, then on appeal by Commonwealth Court. Each ruling consistently supported the position of the Episcopal Diocese. We hope that all litigation over these issues will now cease. The Court’s ruling also affirms that the Episcopal Diocese holds the title to the property of a number of parishes where congregations had ceased to actively participate in the Diocese. We will continue to encourage them to return to active participation in the Diocese, and in the meantime to be good stewards of the property. This Diocese remains committed to working through these issues with each of the affected congregations. A previous diocesan statement, which includes a link to the Commonwealth Court decision, is available here . Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Tuesday, 18 October 2011 at 11:45pm BST \| Comments (15) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like The following motion asking for more provision for those opposed was “decisively defeated”. Update The following motion was the standard CEEC motion. That this Synod “Desires that all faithful Anglicans remain and thrive together in the Church of England; and therefore Calls upon the House of Bishops to bring forward amendments to the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure to ensure that those unable on theological grounds to accept the ministry of women bishops are able to receive episcopal oversight from a bishop with authority (i.e. ordinary jurisdiction) conferred by the Measure rather than by delegation from a Diocesan Bishop.” Posted by Peter Owen on Monday, 17 October 2011 at 10:17pm BST \| Comments (6) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Women Bishops - diocesan debates - 15 October Updated Saturday afternoon and evening Updated Saturday night (including corrections to Blackburn and Norwich figures) Updated Monday night to add Wakefield following motion Updated Tuesday to add links to reports on Blackburn and Rochester diocesan websites. In addition the voting figures for clergy and laity in the first following motion at Rochester have been corrected to match the diocesan report. Seven diocesan synods debated the women bishops legislation today. We will update this article as results become available. A majority of diocesan synods have now voted in favour of the main motion, and the draft legislation can now return to General Synod. The main motion, which all synods have to vote on by houses and without amendment, is: That this Synod approves the proposals embodied in the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and ordination of women) Measure and in draft Amending Canon Number 30. The usual following motion (the “CEEC motion”) seeks further provision for opponents. That this Synod 1. Desires that all faithful Anglicans remain and thrive together in the Church of England; and therefore 2. Calls upon the House of Bishops to bring forward amendments to the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure to ensure that those unable, on theological grounds, to accept the ministry of Women Bishops are able to receive episcopal oversight from a Bishop with authority (i.e. ordinary jurisdiction) conferred by the Measure rather than by delegation from a Diocesan Bishop. 1) Blackburn passed the main motion in the houses of clergy and laity (which is what matters).. The CEEC following motion also passed with 61 votes for, 36 against and 6 abstentions. A second following motion The Synod requests the General Synod to amend the draft legislation to provide for the review on a periodic basis, by or on behalf of the General Synod, of its operation having specific regard to its efficacy in removing, as far as possible , within the context of the existing safeguards, the legal distinctions between the Episcopal ministry of women and the Episcopal ministry of men, as soon as possible and for a mechanism to be established for the implementation of the recommendations of each and any such review. was defeated: 29 votes for, 51 against, and 13 abstentions. From the diocesan website: Winchester Diocese says ‘yes’ …just! Posted by Peter Owen on Saturday, 15 October 2011 at 12:52pm BST \| Comments (70) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like See Fellowship declares its opposition to civil unions from the Portadown Times. The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (EFIC) said the civil partnership of Portadown-born Tom Gordon and New Zealander Mark Duley has made it “very difficult” for the CoI to stay united. The Rev Trevor Johnston chaired a meeting in Belfast on Monday addressed by the Bishop of Lewes, the Rt Rev Wallace Benn, who last year caused a furore in the Church of England when he made a highly controversial comment about women bishops. Mr Johnston told the Portadown Times, “There are usually around 40 clergy at our EFIC meetings, but Monday’s was attended by 80 from all over Ireland, with 80 per cent of them rectors and all strongly opposed to same sex partnerships. The main purpose of the meeting was Bible study, but this issue was discussed widely and clergy from all over Ireland are opposed. “The Bible is unequivocal throughout, and the meeting took place in a very serious mood. There was a groundswell of distress by people who do not want to see their church divided over this issue, but it will be very difficult to hold the Church of Ireland together.” He added that the bishops’ conference in the spring and then the General Synod could be a watershed for the church, “and this crisis will be very hard to resolve”. There are letters on this subject in this week’s Church of Ireland Gazette (scroll down). Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Friday, 14 October 2011 at 4:01pm BST \| Comments (6) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like further developments in the South Carolina case Updated Friday evening Following on from here , the stream of material continues. Making sense of it all is not easy. The Living Church has published Bishop: Attorney Never on Disciplinary Board . TitusOneNine has published a helpful index of documents published so far. Posted by Peter Owen on Thursday, 13 October 2011 at 9:55pm BST \| Comments (26) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like more on same sex marriage in Scotland The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church has now written on this subject. See his article in the Scotsman The Most Rev David Chillingworth: A secular state should be prepared to defend religious freedom and his article on Thinking Aloud Church, state and the secular society . …The suggestion has been made that the Scottish Government does not have a mandate to introduce legislation which is of such fundamental significance for our society. The implication is that these are “non-negotiable” areas. If the Scottish Government was proposing to legislate to enshrine in law discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, colour or race, I would publicly oppose their moral right to do so. But that is not the nature of these consultation proposals. So what does this say about the relationship of church and state in modern society? I have often said that I am a supporter of the secular state because it sustains a proper separation between legislature, judiciary and church. In my Irish background, I have experienced both the confessional state which was the Irish Republic in my childhood and the Northern Irish mirror image – the sabbatarian “lock up the playgrounds on Sunday” society. Neither was healthy. A secular state should defend religious freedom – but it will not make any assumptions about religious faith nor defer to it. If, following the consultation period, the Scottish Government and parliament feel that they should legislate in this way, I believe that it is their right to do so. It is clear that there would be an “opt-out” protection for those who cannot accept this. Churches and faith groups would have to decide whether they wished to use or to stand outside the provisions of such legislation… This has been reported also in the news columns of the Scotsman as Gay marriages backed by Episcopal Church * which is a most perverse interpretation of what the Primus has said. Which was this: IN THE Scottish Episcopal Church, we’re thinking about our response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on same-sex marriage and other related issues. The definition of marriage set out in our Canons is that, “marriage is a physical, spiritual and mystical union of one man and one woman”. That is the position of our church. It’s a difficult issue for us – as it is for all churches and faith groups. We have among our membership people who feel passionately that change is needed – and those who feel equally strongly that we should resist any attempt to broaden society’s understanding of marriage. The consultation period is very short. Among the things we shall say will be that if – and it’s a big “if” – we were to consider changing our canonical definition of marriage, that would require a two-year process in our General Synod, the outcome of which could not be predicted with any certainty. We haven’t got involved in public debate about this. We’ve been asked for our view and we shall give it in a considered manner – believing that the time for public debate comes later… * The Scotsman later changed its online headline to read Episcopal Church considers changing stance on gay marriages. Which is less of a stretch. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Thursday, 13 October 2011 at 11:35am BST \| Comments (9) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like This post by Adam Wagner at UK Human Rights Blog summarises the current legislative situation in both jurisdictions: Gay marriage on the way… but not quite yet . …The Prime Minister said in his speech that “we’re consulting on legalising gay marriage.” In fact, to the annoyance of some campaigners, the consultation was announced by the Equalities Minister last month but will not begin until March of next year. According to gay news website Pink News, the Prime Minster personally intervened to ensure the law is changed “within the lifetime of this parliament“, but Liberal Conspiracy doubts whether this is now practically possible. By contrast, a Scottish consultation on gay marriage launched in September… The Scottish Government’s consultation - which also covers the issue of civil partnership registrations taking place on religious premises in Scotland - is already in progress, see The Registration of Civil Partnerships Same Sex Marriage - A Consultation . This consultation paper seeks views on the possibility of allowing religious ceremonies for civil partnerships and the possible introduction of same sex marriage… …The Scottish Government is choosing to make its initial views clear at the outset of this consultation. We tend towards the view that religious ceremonies for civil partnerships should no longer be prohibited and that same sex marriage should be introduced so that same sex couples have the option of getting married if that is how they wish to demonstrate their commitment to each other. We also believe that no religious body or its celebrants should be required to carry out same sex marriages or civil partnership ceremonies… Objections to this proposal have been voiced strongly. In particular: And most recently, Former SNP leader calls for gay marriage referendum . There have been objections to the objections too. Most notably from the Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, who preached this sermon last Sunday. …It vexes me greatly to say so in public, but at such a time as this, there seems no alternative but to speak up. The behaviour of our brothers, the Roman Catholic Bishops in recent days, has been so unpleasant and so ill judged that it risks harming the good influence of the whole Christian community. To behave as though bishops carry some kind of block vote to Holyrood, to threaten politicians and to decry those who want access to the dignity of marriage as unnatural…. to say these things seems to me to go too far. Such comments from the leaders of the Roman Catholic church have left me feeling embarrassed as a Christian. There is a risk that all of the churches will appear to be out of touch, arrogant, conceited and rude. We don’t all have to agree but we are all called to behave charitably and there has been an absence of love in this relentlessly bitter campaign and it diminishes us all… This led to news coverage in several places, including The Times (not available online without subscription) which ran a story with extensive quotes from the sermon under the headline Catholic views on gay marriage ‘unpleasant’. And Channel 4 News hosted a discussion on the general topic (not specifically related to Scotland) which you can see here: Is Britain divided over the issue of gay marriage? Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 at 3:14pm BST \| Comments (12) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like The Belfast Newsletter reports: CoE bishop at gay clergy row meeting . A CONSERVATIVE Church of England bishop has attended a meeting of Church of Ireland clergy increasingly unhappy at their church’s response to a minister’s same-sex partnership. There are few details about where Monday night’s meeting, which was first revealed by this newspaper last Thursday, was held, or how many were present. However, the News Letter understands that the meeting included an address by Bishop Wallace Benn, a leading figure on the right of the Church of England… The Newsletter also quotes an editorial in the forthcoming edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette. Full text of editorial below the fold. “It is not an exaggeration to say that, as a result of this whole scenario, the Church of Ireland’s very unity is imperilled,” the editorial says. “For that reason, it is somewhat concerning that the bishops refer to a need for yet further study and research on related biblical, theological and legal issues, because such could be a charter for years-long argumentation. We need to study such matters, but we also need to do so expeditiously.” The editorial adds that in other Anglican churches the gay debate had seemed “interminable”. It says that the Windsor Report, which in an attempt to ease tensions led to the Anglican Covenant, had bought more time “but more time turns out to have been precisely not what was needed”. “Now, the communion has reached breaking point and we have two primates’ meetings and a whole new Anglican church in north America. The dragging on has been because, of course, the Anglican Communion cannot legislate for the communion as a whole. “However, the Church of Ireland can legislate for the Church of Ireland, and so a clear regulation of the issue before us is needed urgently if we are not to find ourselves in a situation resembling that of the Anglican Communion in all its woes. “The Church of Ireland probably can contain itself for the process which the bishops have outlined, but it will be difficult.” The Archbishop of Armagh, Alan Harper has commented further on the recent pastoral letter from the Irish bishops in his diocesan synod presidential address. See detailed report here . Text also available here . Church of Ireland Gazette EDITORIAL 14 October 2011 now online here (scroll down) A WAY FORWARD The statement which the Bishops issued following their residential meeting last week and their subsequent Pastoral Letter together point a way forward in the quite alarming circumstances in which the Church of Ireland finds itself at this time (full texts, page 9; letters, page 8; report, page 16). There has indeed been considerable disquiet in the Church, to use the Bishops’ term, following Dean Tom Gordon’s entering into a civil partnership, a decision which he has said was with his Bishop’s knowledge even before he was appointed last year to the position of Dean of Leighlin. It is not an exaggeration to say that, as a result of this whole scenario, the Church of Ireland’s very unity is imperilled. For that reason, it is somewhat concerning that the Bishops refer to a need for yet further study and research on related biblical, theological and legal issues, because such could be a charter for years-long argumentation. We need to study such matters, but we also need to do so expeditiously. We can learn from the experience at Anglican Communion level - but will we? There, the issue has been debated, seemingly interminably, for well over a decade. The Windsor Report’s big idea, the Anglican Covenant, seems to be drifting into the mists of obscurity and irrelevance. The ‘Windsor process’ bought more time, but more time turns out to have been precisely not what was needed. Now, the Communion has reached breaking point and we have two Primates’ Meetings and a whole new Anglican Church in North America. The dragging on has been because, of course, the Anglican Communion cannot legislate for the Communion as a whole. However, the Church of Ireland can legislate for the Church of Ireland, and so a clear regulation of the issue before us is needed urgently if we are not to find ourselves in a situation resembling that of the Anglican Communion in all its woes. The Church of Ireland probably can contain itself for the process which the Bishops have outlined, but it will be difficult. The conference which has been proposed will not be held until the spring, but this does allow time for proper preparation for the gathering which, assuming the matter proceeds to the General Synod, will in turn inform the mind of the Synod with its power to legislate on Church matters, including matters of doctrine. Given the circumstances, the best path for all concerned is to enter into this process with grace and with the clear aim of discerning, as we stressed in our 16th September editorial, the right way forward to guard the Church of Ireland in unity, truth and holiness. [ENDS] Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 at 9:54am BST \| Comments (17) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like South Carolina bishop: more on the disciplinary process Updated yet again Thursday afternoon See earlier report South Carolina bishop accused of “abandonment” . In the comments to that article, I provided links to some criticisms of what was, at the time, assumed to be the process being followed. It now appears that those assumptions were wrong. The Living Church reports: In response to questions from The Living Church and others, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops , provided this explanation regarding accusations brought to the board against the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, Bishop of South Carolina. See Bp. Henderson Explains Disciplinary Board’s Duty . A question has arisen about the process for administration of the so-called “abandonment” canon (Title IV.16) especially as it applies to bishops. Although it has come in a couple of forms, the question might be expressed in this way: “Who initiates action when information arises which indicates that abandonment of The Episcopal Church may have occurred?” In accordance with the canon, such proceedings are begun at the initiative of the Disciplinary Board itself (although this has not happened within memory, if ever), or when information is received by the Disciplinary Board from any credible source with standing to raise the issue. Perhaps the following is helpful. Title IV.16 is entitled “Of Abandonment of The Episcopal Church,” and sub-section (A) is the portion thereof which relates to bishops. It designates that conduct which constitutes abandonment and specifies the process for administration of the canon when such conduct happens, or is alleged to have happened. Title IV.17 is entitled “Of Proceedings for Bishops.” It addresses terminology applicable to Title IV.16, but the canons make clear that the process to be followed for abandonment is markedly different from that to be followed with other kinds of infractions… This has provoked further critical comments: ACI Title IV: Abandonment Without Offense? and Anglican Curmudgeon Bishop Henderson: It’s “Business as Usual” in the Church . The full text of the Title IV canons can be found here (PDF). Some more background can be found in this ENS news report from June: Disciplinary Board for Bishops formed for new Title IV canons . Wednesday evening update The Diocese of South Carolina has published this account of a meeting held yesterday, Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese Meet to Discuss “Serious Charges” Made Against Bishop Lawrence . In an atmosphere of prayerful solemnity, the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina gathered at Saint James Church, James Island, S.C. for more than two hours on Tuesday, October 12. In focus were the “serious charges” that have been made against Bishop Mark Lawrence and the diocese under the new Title IV canons. Bishop Lawrence began by restating the diocesan vision of “Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age” and then traced the history of the current controversy in The Episcopal Church and the many obstacles they presented to pursuing our diocesan vision. He ended with the two recent diocesan conventions in which the diocese refused to be coerced into the Episcopal Church’s embrace of the new title IV canons which violate both due process and the Episcopal Church’s own constitution. Of further concern with the current allegations is that evidently this process doesn’t allow the accused to know who his accusers are… Thursday lunchtime update The State a newspaper in South Carolina reports Bishop urges calm over Lawrence inquiry Retired Episcopal Bishop Dorsey F. Henderson Jr. sought Wednesday to quell tensions among S.C. Lowcountry clergy, saying the national church is not attacking its bishop, the Right Rev. Mark Lawrence. Henderson, who heads the national Episcopal Church’s Disciplinary Board for Bishops, told Lawrence Sept. 29 that the board is investigating allegations, made by churchgoers within Lawrence’s diocese, that he abandoned the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church. But Wednesday Henderson made clear that the inquiry is in its earliest stages and in no way implies that Lawrence may have committed any wrong. Henderson said he notified Lawrence and shared all the information the board had received. “I thought he needed to know,” said Henderson, who led the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina until his retirement in 2009. “I thought it was only fair for him to know that we had this information and that we were studying it.” …But Henderson said, “The idea that the Episcopal Church is after Bishop Lawrence and after the diocese is incorrect. I’m going to keep the board focused and, as much as humanly possible, to stay narrowly focused on the canon and to see if that information fits the definition of abandonment.” Thursday afternoon update Bishop Henderson has issued a further statement which is copied in full below the fold. Statement from Bishop Henderson: The Role of the Disciplinary Board Regarding the Bishop of South Carolina. Public media has recently reported that the “The Episcopal Church is alleging that Bishop Mark Lawrence has abandoned the church….” That is incorrect. This action originated with communicants of the Bishop Lawrence’s own diocese, who submitted information to the Disciplinary Board for the House of Bishops. Those communicants requested that the information be studied in order to determine if abandonment had occurred. The Disciplinary Board, made up of bishops, other clergy, and lay people from many dioceses across the country (none of whom are in the employ of, or under the direction of, the Episcopal Church Center), does not have the discretion to decline to study the matter. The role of the Disciplinary Board in circumstances which may constitute abandonment is to: 1. Determine whether the actions and/or conduct included in the information submitted to it is factual; and, then, 2. Determine whether the information submitted, even if true, constitutes abandonment as defined by the Church’s canons (laws). The Disciplinary Board is only in the earliest stages of its work and has not reached any decision regarding the credibility of the information received or whether the actions and conduct reported actually constitute abandonment. It has made no “charges” of any kind; neither has any other part or structure of The Episcopal Church. The Disciplinary Board will, by the grace of God and with diligence, proceed methodically, carefully, prayerfully—and confidentially—to meet its canonical responsibility, including a request for, and consideration of, any and all input that Bishop Lawrence wishes to be considered. The President of the Disciplinary Board has provided Bishop Lawrence with all of the information it has received and is under consideration, and will continue to do so. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 at 8:44am BST \| Comments (8) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like BBC Rowan Williams hands Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe abuse file Statement by the Archbishops of Canterbury, Central Africa, and Southern Africa and the President of the All Africa Conference of Churches the Archbishop of Tanzania In our capacities as leaders of the Anglican Church in Africa and worldwide, we have just met President Robert Mugabe. We come here to be in solidarity with our Anglican sisters and brothers at the invitation of the local church – the Anglican Province of Central Africa, which includes the five dioceses of Zimbabwe. As you know this has been a time of immense trial. Since 2007 Anglican congregations in Zimbabwe have suffered serious persecution at the hands of the police. They have been intimidated. Their churches have been closed. Properties, including schools and clinics, have been seized. As representatives of the Anglican Communion, and with the support of ecumenical friends worldwide, we strongly and unequivocally support the efforts of ordinary Anglicans to worship in peace and to minister to the spiritual and material needs of their communities. Today we were able to present President Mugabe with a dossier compiled by the bishops in Zimbabwe which gives a full account of the abuses to which our people and our church has been subject. We have asked, in the clearest possible terms, that the President use his powers as Head of State to put an end to all unacceptable and illegal behaviour. We are proud of our church and our people who have suffered so much, but who continue to serve with love and with hope. For our part we pray, and invite you to join us in praying, that the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe be allowed to carry out its mission in peace, and serve its communities with love. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Monday, 10 October 2011 at 8:28am BST \| Comments (3) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like more on Archbishop's visit to Central Africa Updated Sunday morning Aislinn Laing in Harare and Jonathan Wynne-Jones Archbishop Rowan Williams warned over meeting with Mugabe The Archbishop of Canterbury has been warned by senior church leaders that he risks handing a propaganda coup to President Robert Mugabe by seeking to meet the Zimbabwean dictator on Sunday. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, arrives in Zimbabwe on Sunday in a bid to heal a growing rift in the country’s church. Aislinn Laing visited an orphanage where 80 unhappy children are among its victims. Two other earlier reports: Voice of America has Archbishop of Canterbury Due in Zimbabwe; No Word on Mugabe Meeting The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, was expected in Harare, Zimbabwe, this weekend for a major service Sunday at the City Sports Centre with Anglicans from the Church of the Province of Central Africa under Bishop Chad Gandiya. Williams is expected to meet with President Robert Mugabe on Monday in what most see as a bid to end an acrimonious and at times violent rift among Zimbabwean Anglicans that started in 2007 when Harare Bishop Nolbert Kunonga resigned from the church saying homosexual priests and congregants had gained influence… RadioVOP Anglican Does Not Support Homosexuality - Archbishop Of Canterbury The Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) on Thursday said it does not condone homosexuality. “It is reaffirmed that the CPCA position regarding homosexuality is crystal clear. In terms of Canon 22, marriage is between one man and one woman and in consequence, homosexuality is not acceptable in the CPCA which comprises Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” Reverend Clifford Dzavo, the secretary for the diocese of Harare said in a statement. “We therefore reiterate that the CPCA does not condone homosexuality. Whatever happens in other Provinces worldwide does not affect us as we do not necessarily share the same views with them.” Press releases from Lambeth Palace: Zim Eye Mugabe may refuse to meet Rowan Williams President Robert Mugabe may refuse to meet Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as it emerged after more thanthree weeks waiting, Mugabe is still to respond to the former’s request for audience, amid fierce fighting between ousted Bishop Kunonga and the current head of the Anglican church in Zimbabwe, Chad Gandiya. Without providing more details, a source in the President’s office on Friday indicated that it was still not clear President Robert would accept Williams’ meeting request. His statement was weighed in by presidential spokesman George Charamba who said that “if ever the two are going to meet”, Mugabe and the State in Zimbabwe “have nothing to do with the goings-on in the local chapter of the Anglican Church.” AFP Mugabe wants to quiz Anglican leader on gays, sanctions …Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba did not say if the two men would meet, but told the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper that if they did speak, the 87-year-old president would challenge Williams about gays and sanctions. “Fundamentally, he would want to know why the church of the British state, the Anglican Church, has remained so loudly silent while the people of Zimbabwe, and these people include Anglicans, are suffering from the illegal sanctions,” Charamba said. “The second issue that the president wants this man of God to clarify is why his Anglican Church thinks homosexuality is good for us and why it should be prescribed for us. “He thinks the Archbishop will be polite enough to point to him that portion of the Great Book (that) sanctions homosexuality and sanctions sanctions.” Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Saturday, 8 October 2011 at 10:42pm BST \| Comments (2) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Women Bishops - diocesan debates - 8 October Updated Saturday afternoon to add the Chichester results. Updated Saturday evening to add the Exeter results. Updated Sunday to add more details of the Chichester debates (below the fold). Three more diocesan synods held their debates on the women bishops legislation today. 1) At Lichfield the main motion That this Synod approves the proposals embodied in the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and ordination of women) Measure and in draft Amending Canon Number 30. was carried in all three houses. Here are the detailed voting figures. The usual following motion (text below) was defeated. That this Synod 1. Desires that all faithful Anglicans remain and thrive together in the Church of England; and therefore 2. Calls upon the House of Bishops to bring forward amendments to the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure to ensure that those unable, on theological grounds, to accept the ministry of Women Bishops are able to receive episcopal oversight from a Bishop with authority (i.e. ordinary jurisdiction) conferred by the Measure rather than by delegation from a Diocesan Bishop. 2) At Chichester the main motion (as above) was defeated. 41 0 There were two following motions seeking greater provision for opponents. The first (as above) was carried by 80 votes to 52. There was also a motion as at Manchester which was carried by 87 votes to 50. The diocese has published this: Chichester votes NO . Alastair Cutting has sent us more details of the Chichester debates as published on the Chalice wesbite ; these are copied below the fold. 3) At Exeter the main motion was carried in the houses of clergy and laity (which is what matters for this purpose), although it was defeated in the house of bishops. The synod also passed the following motion: That this synod request the General Synod to debate a motion in the following form: That this synod: 1. Desires that all faithful Anglicans remain and thrive together in the Church of England and therefore 2. Requests the House of Bishops, in exercise of its powers under Standing Order 60 (b) to amend the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure so as to incorporate the amendments proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York at the General Synod group of sessions in July 2010 as follows: In clause 2 (1) leave out the words ‘way of delegation to’ and after clause 2(1) insert - (2) The episcopal ministry referred to in subsections (1), (3) and (5) shall be exercisable by virtue of this section and shall not divest the bishop of the diocese of any of his or her functions. Here are the voting figures. The diocese has published this: Women in the Episcopate legislation . The Chichester Diocesan Synod - Women in the Episcopate Debate 8 October 2011 There was a well attended meeting of the synod with over 30 speeches in the debate on the General Synod Article 8 business, the Women Bishops debate. The Bishop of Chichester had previously asked parishes and deaneries to vote on three additional questions; and these questions were also put to the Diocesan Synod. The ‘Chichester Questions’ 1. Are you in favour of ordaining women to the episcopate in the Church of England? 2. Do you think that provision should be made for those who cannot on theological grounds accept this development? 3. Do you think that the provisions in the draft Measure are appropriate for this purpose? Results were as follows: 2 0 The main motion was lost in all three houses. (One bishop had to leave before the ballot.) Following motions The Synod then first debated the CEEC motion, as proposed by the deaneries of Battle & Bexhill, Cuckfield, Dallington, Eastbourne & Hastings: a.This Synod desires that all faithful Anglicans remain and thrive together in the Church of England and therefore: b.Calls upon the House of Bishops to bring forward amendments to the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure to ensure that those unable on theological grounds to accept the ministry of women bishops are able to receive Episcopal oversight from a bishop with authority (i.e. ordinary jurisdiction) conferred by the Measure rather than by delegation from a Diocesan Bishop. This was passed: 0 Then Synod debated a motion from the Dallington Deanery: This Synod proposes that in the event of the failure of the draft measure to be accepted regarding provisions for those not accepting the ordination of women to the episcopate, then the amendment 514 made by the Archbishops to the General Synod of Saturday 10th July 2010 be reconsidered as a motion to be voted upon by General Synod There was an amendment, based on the Manchester Diocesan Following Motion: That this Synod [ie the Diocesan Synod] request the General Synod to debate a motion in the following form: That this Synod [ie the General Synod] call upon the House of Bishops, in exercise of its powers under standing order 60(b), to amend the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and ordination of women) measure in the manner proposed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York at the revision stage for the draft measure. This amendment was passed: The Irish Times in Dublin reports: C of I planning conference on sexuality for early 2012 A MAJOR conference on sexuality is being planned by the Church of Ireland for next spring and a pastoral letter will be issued by its archbishops and bishops in the next few days. The move follows a three-day meeting of the church’s House of Bishops this week. It was precipitated by disclosure early last month that the Dean of Leighlin (Carlow) Rev Tom Gordon and his same-sex partner of 20 years had been married in a civil ceremony at a registry office last July. Formerly a lecturer at the Church of Ireland theological institute in Dublin and a co-ordinator of religious programmes at RTÉ, he was installed as Dean of Leighlin last year… The Belfast News Letter reports: Archbishop had notice of cleric’s gay union plan …Asked whether when he was first told of the same-sex union he realised that it would be a very difficult issue for the Church, the archbishop says: “Of course, of course.” He adds: “There was nothing more that I could do. The civil partnership legislation is a freedom that he has and, technically, it’s not just not my diocese, it’s also not my province, it’s in the province of Dublin. “But obviously then the urgent matter was to try and get an opportunity to begin to grapple with the issues as they have now presented themselves and that’s what we’re trying to do.” So has he been surprised by the vocal opposition from evangelical and traditional Anglicans, many of them in Northern Ireland? “I’m not surprised that it’s vocal,” he says. “I think probably the extent to which it has been sustained is interesting but this is a free country; this is a church which believes in people having the right to express themselves freely and I’ll defend that right if it is necessary to defend it.” Asked whether the Church has a position on whether same-sex activity is sinful or normal, the archbishop says: “Sinful and normal are not alternatives. And so obviously, as you perfectly well know, there are different views within the Church as to whether or not a committed same-sex relationship is sinful. “There has been a traditional view which has in effect not accepted the appropriateness of sexual relations between same-gender people. That is the traditional view. “That view had come under question and that is where we find ourselves now and that’s why there’s a debate across the communion and that’s why we’ve got the present situation as it affects the Church of Ireland. “The Church itself hasn’t thoroughly debated these new developments and the implications of these new developments. “That’s why it is necessary, it seems to me and to my fellow bishops, to put in train a way for the Church to address those matters.” And earlier Church summit to address gay tensions …last night the News Letter learned that disillusioned conservative and evangelical members of the Church of Ireland are planning their own meeting next week. The meeting, to be held in Northern Ireland on Monday, is to be addressed by a visiting bishop from outside Ireland, as some parishes become increasingly unhappy at the Irish bishops’ leadership… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Friday, 7 October 2011 at 10:51am BST \| Comments (3) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Archbishop of Canterbury visits Central Africa Updated Friday afternoon additional items below the fold Official press release issued Wednesday: Lambeth Palace Archbishop to pay a pastoral visit to the Church of the Province of Central Africa with map: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams is today embarking on a week-long pastoral visit to the Church in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia at the invitation of the Archbishop of the Province of Central Africa, the Rt Revd Albert Chama. During the course of the week Dr Williams will meet with bishops, clergy and parishioners to celebrate the life and ministry of the Anglican Church in the region… British press reports: Riazat Butt Guardian Rowan Williams seeks meeting with Robert Mugabe …The Foreign Office, attempting to quash speculation that Williams is engaging in a form of freelance diplomacy, said that the archbishop’s visit was purely as head of the Anglican church. A spokesman told the Guardian: “He is not a representative of the government and his proposed meeting with Mugabe in no way reflects a change of government policy. “The archbishops of Zambia, Southern Africa and Tanzania are also part of the delegation of senior Anglican leaders visiting Zimbabwe. “It is not for us to comment on the appropriateness of the archbishop’s visit, which is in a pastoral and not a political capacity.” The Foreign Office said the situation of Anglicans in Zimbabwe had worsened in recent months and as head of the church, Williams’s “desire to support them is understandable”. The UK ambassador to Harare discussed the visit with the archbishop when they met in London in July, the FCO said, adding that the two will meet again during the visit and that British officials will “continue to offer logistical support”… Aislinn Laing Telegraph Archbishop of Canterbury to meet Mugabe amid Anglican rift …Chad Gandiya, the Anglican-appointed Bishop of Harare, said Dr Rowan Williams was “very likely” to meet Mr Mugabe on Monday, with a time and place yet to be confirmed. “With these things it is impossible to say for sure, but it seems that the Archbishop has been granted an audience with the president,” he said… African press reports: ZimOnline Williams visit for solidarity: church …When Kunonga and former Manicaland bishop Elson Jakazi revolted against the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA), the supreme authority of the Anglican church in the region, they claimed they were doing so because the mother church supported ordination of gay priests. However this is not true as the Anglican Church in Africa is largely conservative and has strongly opposed ordination of gay priests. Kunonga and Gandiya were excommunicated in 2008. A staunch supporter of Mugabe, who tried to use the pulpit to defend the Zimbabwean leader’s controversial policies, Kunonga was excommunicated together with several priests and other church leaders who backed his revolt against the CPCA… And also Coltart intervenes in Anglican saga with a great cartoon : Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart has ordered Mash East Provincial Education Director to produce a detailed report of school children and teachers who were evicted by ex-communicated Anglican church leader Nolbert Kunonga in Mrewa. I have instructed the Mashonaland East Provincial Education Director to prepare a report detailing what happened to the teachers, headmasters and children. I got a very disturbing report that teachers were physically beaten up. This is very disturbing as it affects lives of school children,” said Coltart in an interview this week. Kunonga evicted headmasters, teachers and priests for allegedly aligning themselves with the diocese of his arch-rival, Chad Gandiya. “I have said time and again that politics should stay out of schools. What is happening in the Anglican Church is not religious – it is politics,” Coltart said. Christian Today Archbishop hopes to meet Mugabe in Zimbabwe …Dr Rowan Williams arrived in Malawi on Thursday afternoon, where he was greeted by Archbishop Albert Chama and Bishop James Tengatenga. His visit coincides with a service of celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of the Anglican Church in Malawi. His first stop in the country was the shrine of Bishop Charles Mackenzie in St Paul’s Cathedral, Blantyre. The Scot was the first missionary bishop in Nyasaland – today’s Malawi. Speaking to the media shortly after his arrival, Dr Williams said: “The Church today in this country still plays a deeply significant part in community development, in education, in grassroots agricultural development, in the empowerment of women and young people – I am here to give thanks to God, with you, for all that work. “I am here to pray with you for a Church that will continue responding to God’s call in that way in the future, and to learn from what you do as I go around and visit various projects in different parts of the country.” Maravi Post Archbishop Williams to raise persecution issues with Mugabe The worldwide spiritual leader of the Anglican church Dr. Rowan Williams said on Thursday he will raise the issue of his church’s harassment and persecution in Zimbabwe with Pres Robert Mugabe. “My purpose of the visit is not directly political but pastoral, but of course I should be raising with President Mugabe issues on harassment and persecution of our churches in Zimbabwe,” the Archbishop of Canterbury told a news conference when he arrived in Malawi at the start of a three-nation pastoral visit. “What difference that will make, I don’t know, but I want to raise those issues on the table,” he added… Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Thursday, 6 October 2011 at 10:31pm BST \| Comments (4) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Anglican Communion Suffragan Bishop of Doncaster The Venerable Peter Burrows, Archdeacon of Leeds, is to be the next Suffragan Bishop of Doncaster in the Diocese of Sheffield. Episcopal News Service Mary Frances Schjonberg South Carolina bishop investigated on charges he has abandoned the Episcopal Church …The allegations are being investigated by the church’s Disciplinary Board for Bishops. Communicants in the Diocese of South Carolina filed the information with the board, according to the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, board president. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the House of Bishops were not involved in making the claims, Henderson said in a fact sheet released by the church’s Office of Public Affairs. “Therefore, the matter is not being handled by the Presiding Bishop’s office or anyone in the employ of the Episcopal Church Center,” Henderson said in the fact sheet. Henderson said he has been in contact with Lawrence, whose ministry has not been restricted during this phase of the process. Under Title IV, Canon 16, a bishop is deemed to have abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church by an open renunciation of the doctrine, discipline or worship of the church; by formal admission into any religious body not in communion with the church; or by exercising episcopal acts in and for a religious body other than the church or another church in communion with the church… Living Church Doug LeBlanc Board Hears Case against Bp. Lawrence The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, Bishop of South Carolina, is being investigated on accusations of abandoning the Episcopal Church, and his diocese has released a 63-page document of the evidence brought against him. Lawrence and the Very Rev. Paul C. Fuener, president of the diocese’s standing committee wrote in a letter to members of the diocese that on Sept. 29 the bishop “received communication from the President of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops that ‘serious charges’ have been made under Title IV of the Canons of The Episcopal Church. … Since several of these allegations also include actions taken by the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina, after sustained prayer and discernment, it has seemed appropriate to both the Bishop and the Standing Committee to make these allegations available to the members of the Diocese.” See these documents: Text of memo released by Dorsey Henderson, retired Bishop of Upper South Carolina, president of the 18-member Title IV Disciplinary Board copied below the fold. From Bishop Dorsey Henderson President of the Title IV Disciplinary Board of the Episcopal Church Concerning the Diocese of South Carolina: • In the matter concerning the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, information is being reviewed by the Title IV Disciplinary Board. Bishop Dorsey Henderson is President of the Title IV Disciplinary Board. • Information was presented from communicants within the Diocese of South Carolina. • The information was not brought forward by the Presiding Bishop’s office, or by the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church. Therefore, the matter is not being handled by the Presiding Bishop’s office or anyone in the employ of the Episcopal Church Center. • All information has been presented to the Disciplinary Board under the Episcopal Church Title IV disciplinary canons (laws of the church). • In situations as this, the “church attorney” is an attorney who is retained by the Disciplinary Board to investigate cases brought to the Disciplinary Board. The “church attorney” is not the chancellor to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. • As a matter of law and a matter of respect to those involved, the Disciplinary Board operates confidentially and will continue to do so. As such, it would not be appropriate to discuss the details of the case in public. • Bishop Henderson has been in conversation with Bishop Mark Lawrence of the Diocese of South Carolina. • The Disciplinary Board is comprised of Episcopal Church bishops, clergy and laity. Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 at 10:57pm BST \| Comments (50) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like A Statement From The Archbishops And Bishops Of The Church Of Ireland . We met over three days in an atmosphere of prayer and worship to reflect on current disquiet in the Church caused by disagreements on the matter of human sexuality. We acknowledge that this tension is a cause of distress to many. Our discussions were frank and careful and, at times, painful. We committed ourselves to listen carefully to one another and speak openly about our differences within the context of a variety of reactions within the Church. Strengthened by our honest interchange of views, we corporately agreed a way forward. A pastoral letter to the Church will be issued through the Clergy in the next few days. It will highlight key themes and outline a process by which the Church may move forward. This will involve a major conference in Spring 2012 to which members of the General Synod and others will be invited. The conference will provide an important opportunity to learn from and listen to one another as the Church strives to discern the mind of Christ. As Bishops we commit ourselves to work together on these issues. In addition, we envisage that further study and research on biblical, theological and legal issues will be required. The Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Ireland The Most Revd Alan Harper, Archbishop of Armagh The Most Revd Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin & Glendalough The Most Revd Richard Clarke, Bishop of Meath & Kildare The Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down & Dromore The Rt Revd Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross The Rt Revd Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh The Rt Revd Ken Good, Bishop of Derry & Raphoe The Rt Revd Michael Burrows, Bishop of Cashel & Ossory The Rt Revd Alan Abernethy, Bishop of Connor The Rt Revd Trevor Williams, Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe The Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala & Achonry The Rt Revd John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 at 6:18pm BST \| Comments (20) \| TrackBack You can make a Permalink to this if you like Categorised as: Church of Ireland Sydney Anglicans: more reactions to Muriel Porter's book	Police
Which large automotive and musical corporation has a logo comprising three crossed tuning forks?	OT2 by Occupied Times - issuu issuu #02 Fe ars o f a V i olent Evic tion Stacey Knott Relations between OccupyLSX and St Paul’s Cathedral took another twist last Monday when the Dean of St Paul’s, Graeme Knowles, resigned amid the controversy of St. Paul’s handling of the occupation. Last week the cathedral sought legal action to evict occupiers, which has caused three clergy to quit. In a statement, Knowles said he had resigned to “give the opportunity for a fresh approach to the complex and vital questions facing St Paul’s, I have thought it best to stand down as dean, to allow new leadership to be exercised. I do this with great sadness, but I now believe that I am no longer the right person to lead the Chapter of this great cathedral.” With Knowles stepping down, the Cathedral has asked the Bishop of London Dr Richard Chartres to assist in providing an independent voice on the ongoing situation at St Paul’s. Two other St Paul’s clergy quit their posts in solidarity with the protesters. The first was the canon chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, Dr Giles Fraser. He said he could not support the possibility of “violence in the name of the church”, then the Rev Fraser Dyer, who worked as a chaplain at St Paul’s, stepped down because he was “left feeling embarrassed” by the cathedrals eviction decision. Knowles’ announcement came one day after he and Chartres met with the occupiers to listen to and speak to them about their concerns. At the public meeting, they said they did not want the eviction to be violent, and that they were willing to open dialogue over the issues the movement was trying to address. However, many protesters told the Occupied Times they felt the clerics were evasive of their questions, and did not say anything of real substance. Many in the movement were concerned about a violent eviction, after it was announced on Friday that St Paul’s and the City of London Corporation were planning on getting high court injunctions to remove the protesters. Chartres told the occupiers “nobody wants to see violence.” Musician and occupier Ben Doran felt the men were contradictory with their intentions to evict, but also not wanting violence. “An eviction would apply violence. As a logical process you can’t be against one and for the other,” he said. Occupier Tanya Paton, who was part of a working group responsible for liaising with the cathedral, told the Occupied Times she had been trying to open dialogue with the cathedral for the past two weeks, and was pleased they had finally started talking to occupiers. However, she was also concerned about a violent eviction and hoped the church would commit to protecting the occupiers from one. Church & State Seek Legal Action Rory MacKinnon Camp residents voiced anger this week as clergy and councillors alike threatened legal action to force them from a public square. Between 200-300 campers from Occupy London Stock Exchange have held St Paul’s Square for more than a fortnight after police barred them from the privately-owned Paternoster Square directly outside the exchange. But both St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London confirmed late last week they were seeking an eviction order to break up the camp on grounds of obstructing a public highway. City of London said in a statement they believed protest was “an essential right” in a democracy – “but camping on the highway is not.” “We believe we will have a strong highways case because an encampment on a busy thoroughfare clearly impacts the rights of others,” it read. Meanwhile the Cathedral said only that legal action had “regrettably become necessary.” “The Chapter only takes this step with the greatest reluctance and remains committed to a peaceful solution,” the Cathedral’s ruling Chapter said in a statement. >> EDITORIAL >> The statements followed tense scenes at the council’s meeting in Guildhall, where councillors immediately voted 12-4 to eject press and members of the public - including the Occupied Times before discussing the eviction. Upwards of 30 protesters sat silently as the resolution passed: only then did protester Ronan McNern break the silence as the 30-odd protesters prepared to leave. “We’re peaceful protesters — we have a just cause and we have a right to be able to demonstrate,” he said to applause. It is understood Occupy’s lawyers will likely invoke a CREDITS CONTRIBUTORS/ Gabriel Balfe Mircea Barbu Sam Berkson Hannah Borno Mike Czech Donnacha DeLong Martin Eiermann Flaminia Giambalvo Tim Hardy Stacey Knott Taryn Ladendorff Tina Louise Rory MacKinnon Steven Maclean Matthew Myatt Aaron John Peters Adam Ramsey Natalia Sanchez-Bell Stefan Simanowitz Brian Whelan DESIGN/ Lazaros Kakoulidis Tzortzis Rallis PRINT RUN/ 2000 COPIES WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO/ Aldgate Press, E1 7RQ CONTACT US/ [email protected] © All information in this paper is free for non-profit distribution TENTCITY UNIVERSITY LISTING Wednesday 2nd 3PM / Anthea Lawson, Global Witness: “The dictator/offshore paper trail” 4PM / Mike Neary: “Radical education” 4PM / @ Finsbury Square Workshop on people’s assemblies 5PM / Jasper Tomlinson: “Monetary justice and the need for effective protest” 6PM / Ernest Woolmer, a guide at St Pauls’ Cathedral “The history of St Paul’s” 8PM / Occupy Cinema presents Battlefield - Bolivian documentary on revolt in La Paz Thursday 3rd 10AM / Rupert Read: “Green growth” 3PM / John Kinsella: “Activist poetics - using poetry to bring positive change” 6PM / “Ten theses on scarcity” Friday 4th 12-1pm / George Irvin: “Plan B for Britain” 3.30pm / Skill share: “Improvising activism” 6.30pm / Radical Theory Reading Group meets Occupy LSX “lawful excuse” for the camp’s existence under the European Convention of Human Rights. Legal volunteer James Smith, a law graduate from Leicester university with a background in conveyancing, told the Occupied Times the case would largely centre on whether or not the act of camping was itself a form of protest. The camp would then be protected under the Convention’s binding right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, he said. The camp has also accepted an offer from human rights monitors Liberty to mediate talks with councillors and clergy. “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” said one of Canon Chancellor Giles Fraser’s favourite authors - Friedrich Nietzsche. In the light of last week’s events, we can take this affirmation even further and say, at least in the case of Canon Fraser, that some great thoughts are embodied by walking away. It takes much integrity for a man in his position to recognise the value of moral action despite the implications of his resignation for the church, and still act upon his religious convictions. We cannot know for sure what happened behind closed doors in the church. But what we do know is that his decision to resign signalled the separation of the church as an institutionalised entity from the person of faith within it. Many Christians – whether serving within the church by virtue of their beliefs, or simply those for whom the Bible’s teachings resonate – will recognise this as a crucial moment. Giles Fraser’s resignation shows the ability of individuals to moralise where institutions often cannot. You do not have to be a Christian to acknowledge the discrepancy between the church and the man. By walking away, Fraser has highlighted the dichotomy between the religious establishment and Christ’s original moral teachings. As an individual, he has rejected the institutional acceptance of possible violence. Historically, the church has not always shied away from such measures in pursuit of a perceived ‘greater good’, so Fraser was not obliged to say: ‘Not in my name’. The Canon’s departure leaves a large void within the church. Without his spirit filling the walls of St. Paul’s - giving metaphysical meaning to the sound of bells awakening protesters nightly - the cathedral is suddenly reduced to just another building of marble and glass in the centre of this Mecca for bankers. It remains architecturally astonishing, but has been emptied of the morality that cements its foundation. It is also worth mentioning the warning that Fraser included in his letter of resignation: “If the camp is forcibly evicted, there will be violence in the name of the church against peaceful protesters.” We must not fool ourselves; if all other methods to censor our voices and remove our presence fail, violence will occur. It is important to remind ourselves that this protest is not a festival campsite of peace and love. We are seen by many - especially the powers that be - as a hostile presence, and in our hostility to that which is unjust lies our virtue. This protest provides a physical reminder of the failure of those in possession of socio-economic power to act morally. By leaving St. Paul’s in sympathy with those camping out in the tents St. Paul himself once made, Fraser has illustrated that by forcing those with power into moral dilemmas and highlighting the chasm between people and profit, we can succeed in bringing about real change. Sonnies Edge CONTENTS PAGES/ 02 Editorial Listing O.E Oakland 03 Faith & Finance 03 The End of Atomism 04 Keep the Peace This is Revolution Who Funds St.P Cathedral? Feeding the Masses Stock Exchange Monopoly 05 City Voice Closet Egalicarians 06 This is ‘Actually Happening World(S) in Movement 07 Money Talk What Would Jesus Do 08 To the Occupier From Occupy Wall Street to St.P Occupation 09 The Occupation Is Our Refusal To Forget 10 A Friend Indeed St. Paul Principles Poems 11 Anarchism For & Against Pirates 12 Use As A Placard SATURDAY 5TH 11am / Anna Minton: “Ground control - private takeover of public space and how to win back the commons” 12-1pm / Aoife Daly: “Fighting prejudice against children and young people” 2.30pm / Six-pack policy with 15M movement: “European economic policy” 5.30pm / International Democracy Panel, with Joel Lazarus, Claes Belfrage & Richard Seymour Sunday 6th 2.30pm / Brian Leslie: “Crisis and financial reform” 4pm / John Christensen, TJN & Rev. Michael Taylor: “Democracy by and for the corporation: London’s Square Mile” Monday 7th 3pm / Tom Moriarty, former banker: “The creation of debt and democratic capitalism” Wednesday 9th 4pm / Day of Action – Solidarity with the student anti-fees protest Speakers to include George Monbiot, Polly Toynbee, Richard Hall, Alex Callincoss & Dave Hill Please check in at Tentcity University for more dates and details, to suggest a speaker, or to let us know of a topic you’d like to see addressed. OCCUPIED ELSEWHERE Occupy Brighton has begun: activists held their first general assembly Saturday with an estimated 130 protesters gathering at the 16-tent camp in Victoria Gardens. The Times’ Brighton correspondent described the session as “fruitful.” Authorities across America have continued to crack down hard on occupation camps: New York’s fire department had confiscated Occupy Wall St’s generators and fuel as the Times went to print, citing a fire risk; while police in Oakland, San Diego and Atlanta broke up local protests with batons, tear gas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets and kettling, ending in dozens of injuries and arrests. In an Occupied Times exclusive, a street medic and member of AnonMedics from Occupy Oakland checks in with her own account of police brutality. “We arrived in Oakland before the march began on Wednesday”. Between a thousand to two thousand people gathered on the library steps making speeches. People said the [Oakland Police Department] attempted to force the library to close, but the library refused. We started off from the library, raucous but peaceful, and into downtown to rally around the jail. Cops tried to kettle, block by block, and the first major altercation occurred when one of them got (harmlessly) splattered with blue paint. At this point, batons came Rory Mackinnon out, kettle got tighter, they split the march (my partner medic got cut off from me), and they gassed the half of us that got caught, including little children and bystanders. I found gas victims on the ground in a parking lot, and washed their eyes with LAW [liquid antacid and water]. We found the other marchers and approached Oscar Grant, née Frank Ogawa, Plaza. [Grant was an Oakland resident shot in the back while pinned to the ground in police custody in 2009. His killer served two years for involuntary manslaughter.] The plaza was barricaded, so the march moved around downtown, consensus taken repeatedly about where to go next. The first gas, bullet, and flashbang attack happened at the plaza, as we rallied in the intersection. It happened again and again — gas, flashbangs, bullets, the crowd scattering, and within ten minutes everyone was back at the barricades, unfazed, every time. Street medics pulled person after person out of the cloud, washing their eyes and mouths with LAW, bandaging and photographing their bullet and grenade contusions. Some medics, without protective masks or armor, were gassed three or four times and kept going back in. The victims were shaken, weeping, shocked that they were being attacked for no reason, by people who we paid to protect us. And it happened five times that night. 02 T 03 ____” movement is a movement directed against the neoliberal agenda, although it does not always articulate its opposition in those terms. In order to cure an illness, we must first diagnose it. Only then will we be able to formulate the proper medication needed to get better. Neoliberalism can be a confusing term. David Harvey defines it as “a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong private property rights, free markets, and free trade.” To put it simply: the market must be free, without government interference beyond enforcing private property laws. The confusion sets in when we remember that with all these bailouts, tax cuts, and slaps-onthe-wrist, the market isn’t really free at all! If anything, it is now intimately connected with the state. So neoliberalism is something that is inherently contradictory in its stated ideology. Yet if we understand neoliberalism as an ideology that encourages the accumulation of assets and power through the free market, state involvement by way of bail-outs and austerity cuts suddenly seems more reasonable to prevent a growing imbalance between the marginalized many and the powerful few. Neoliberalism assumes that the state has a new role in our Taryn Ladendorff lives. Instead of it being something that is elected by and for the people, it is now an institution that is the protector/enforcer of the market and its whims. In return for protecting the free market, the state gains an incredible amount of power. Under the auspices of “protecting private property”, governments now have the legal ability to intrude on your life in ways never before imagined. Neoliberalism started out by attacking the most vulnerable among us: those who live handto-mouth in the third world, the poor, the mentally ill, the cold, and the hungry. Yet just as neoliberal capitalism demands more access to markets in order to expand, it also demands that new populations live according to its logic. The United States is a fantastic example. A reckoning for the sins of the father came upon the United States in the form of rotting houses in New Orleans, empty factories in Detroit, and homeless veterans freezing to death in the streets of New York. The wealth gap grew as wages started to fall and jobs grew scarce. Suddenly, we began to notice that our social safety net had been cut from under us: No health insurance, unemployment compensation at £120 per week, houses being foreclosed on, and retirement accounts that suddenly became worthless. As social security and education are hauled up on the chopping block, forces that the US government helped to unleash consume our future. Yet the most dangerous part of neoliberalism is that is pursues an atomistic view of society. According to that logic, society is simply made up of individuals whose primary democratic responsibility is consumption. This individualisation of humankind created not only a vacuous consumer culture, but also ended up isolating us to an astonishing degree. The true achievement of the Occupy movement has been a reclaiming of public space and human solidarity. When was the last time you stood around and spoke to perfect strangers about how the world should be run? The Occupy movement has begun to refocus our attention on non-monetary values. The potency of those discussions is evident. This is why skulls get cracked in New York, flash bangs and gas gets thrown in Oakland, and why the police parade around with machine guns here in London. It is the simple act of gathering and independent thinking that constitutes the biggest threat to the status quo. If the people have found a way to excuse themselves from their bleak existence by gathering and feeding and caring for each other, the system of speculative profit begins to crack. Therein lies the real threat to the 1%. Concerns about health and safety violations, about fire codes or the loss of tourist money merely mask the much bigger jeopardy to the status quo: A people who are self-actualized and determined to break the endless cycle of consumption. It is precisely in those ruptures that we may find a cure to the disease of neoliberalism. Gabriel Balfe Until recently, St Paul’s has limited itself to areas of activity where it has never had to confront this contradiction directly. Words sufficed whenever moral questions were put before the church. As recently as last week, Graeme Knowles, the Dean of St Paul’s, wrote in a statement that, “The debate about a more just society is at the heart of much our work at St Paul’s and indeed we hope to contribute to the wider debate in the very near future through a Report from the St Paul’s institute.” To us, the vague promise of “a Report” seems disappointingly non-committal. Fed up with the inequalities of our society, people have brought themselves out onto the streets to actually manifest change. Our unique situation of Occupy LSX has not only highlighted problems of injustice but has also shone a light on the role of the church as a moral guardian of society. Many clerics are now faced with a moral dilemma: How will the church (and the individuals that comprise it) deal with a protest movement whose aims converge with certain ideals of the Christian faith? And how will St. Paul’s financial interests influence discussions about moral leadership? The resignation of two clergy members indicates the severity of the dilemma that might eventually result in the forcible removal of protesters from the doorsteps of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Matthew Myatt A BRIEF CRITIQUE OF THE NEOLIBERAL AGENDA clandestine meetings, like members of a secret brotherhood. But But what we can conclude from the above is just how collusive, how intertwined, the institution of St Paul’s is with the ideology which we are trying to fight. It would be naïve to expect the trustees to offer skills and knowledge to St. Paul’s without being influenced by their experiences and interests. Their biographies, after all, reflect a very particular way of life. St. Paul’s, as an institution, obviously lends great weight to their views and opinions. The trustees of St. Paul’s have benefitted enormously from the present state of affairs. Yet they are now dealing with a movement that brings attention to the injustices embedded in that state of affairs and to those who do not benefit from it. The events of the last few weeks have led to a very interesting dynamic. At the time of writing, two clerical figures have resigned over the church’s decisions. We are witnessing the clash of two visions for the role of the church. According to the first view, St. Paul’s is primarily a tourist attraction and a provider of church services. It is comfortably situated in the centre of the largest concentration of wealth in Britain even in times of economic crisis and hardship. Yet this view now clashes with the selfimage of the church as the moral conscience of society. Matthew Myatt Marcus Boyle he Occupy London movement is directed against the proverbial “one percent” – not against St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is directed against the disproportionate concentration of wealth and power at the expense of the many. Bearing this in mind, here are 7 of the 10 trustees of St Paul’s Cathedral Foundation, the charity organisation which oversees all events and projects to do with the cathedral: Chairman Sir John Stuttard Partner at PriceWaterhouse Cooper’s; former Lord Mayor of London. Dame Helen Alexander DBE Deputy chair of the Confederation of British Industry, one of the largest business lobbying groups in the country Lord Ian Blair of Boughton Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Roger Gifford Investment banker Gavin Ralston Global Head of Product and leading international asset manager at Schroder Investment Management Carol Sergeant CBE Chief Risk Director at Lloyds TSB; formerly Managing Director for Regulatory Process and Risk at the Financial Standards Authority John Spence OBE Former Managing Director, Business Banking, LloydsTSB Nobody suggests that the trustees are gathering for THE END OF ATOMISM When I was little, my grandfather took me on his knee and explained the market to me. In theory, it was a way for people to invest in businesses and commodities that they saw had a future in the economy. For a handful of bills, we could own a tiny slice of a business. However, in the last decade this simple act has exploded into complexity, with over-the-counter derivatives, futures contracts, currency speculation, or tax credit default swaps. Market finance became a new form of worship: What would the market think? What would the market say? Without even knowing why, the common person was suddenly exhorted to care very deeply about how the market “felt” about something. If the market was upset, something so unspeakably terrible would happen! Better to offer up our flesh and blood as sacrifice, cut social spending and our children’s futures short so that the market might be pleased. The high priests of power encourage us to trust them and to simply let them act in our best interest whether or not we understand what is going on. “Why”, might we ask, “is it so important to develop an understanding of the market and of neoliberal market theory?” There are two answers to this: First, it is not difficult to understand what is going on. There might be very confusing terms thrown about, but the confusion boils down to simple concepts. Secondly, the “Occupy FA IT H & FINAN CE H I P-H OP REVOLU TION Occupiers and passersby quickly gathered to listen to the artists expressing their support for the occupation the way they know best: through music. 16 year old Sunny Green was first on stage. His creative anger announced what soon became a memorable night at LSX. “We need to be taught from a young age about the lawful meaning of words” said Sunny. “Through music we will change things. That’s why there’s many 16 year olds down here, they know what’s going on”. His enthusiasm, energy and creativity were remarkable. Their potential to inspire our youth to become more aware of the real connotations of this movement was clear as the crowd responded positively to very specific lyrics. Robert Proverbz, 28, followed shortly after with an emotionally charged performance, again using lyrics in keeping with the movement which resonated with the gathered crowd. The experienced rapper was less optimistic than his younger contemporary, expressing his doubts about the outcome of the movement while speaking to The Occupied Times, “To be honest I don’t think change is possible right now, the agenda is far too long in, but that doesn’t stop me. TZ Some of London’s best underground hip-hop artists turned up at Occupy LSX for an impromptu concert on Friday night. Following the routine general assembly, St. Paul’s square became an outdoor music venue as artists tackled social issues with rap. Just minutes earlier, protestors had been debating whether or not to adopt resolutions regarding the bio-sphere and global action into a planned set of demands. Rap artists Sunny Green and Robert Proverbz were just two of a host of performers who took the debate to a new level with their subversive lyrics about government, police and inequality. Mircea Barbu F EE DING THE MA SSES Alessandro has had homeless people and tourists as well as business people stopping by for nourishing meals. The kitchen usually has snacks, like bread, spreads, fruit or biscuits laid out, and the staff are often seen bent over gas cookers making rice dishes, lentil, soups or pasta when trying to provide 3 hot meals a day. As he is fully trained in kitchen health and safety, the kitchen meets all the requirements needed to operate. “Safety in the kitchen is very important, we have danger in every corner, we have knives, we have fire, everything,” he said. A city health inspector has come around to check out the kitchen a few times since its inception and has found it up to standard each time, something to be expected, Alessandro said. He always has an eye on what all his voluntary staff are doing, and coordinates them as needs be. He also enforces rules that are found in any professional kitchens, like the no smoking requirement , hair covered and tied back and clean and tidy clothing.“I don’t want to make myself responsible for eviction because of the kitchen; the kitchen is safe”, Alessandro told Occupied Times. The kitchen is always in need of donations, and they are grateful for all offers. If you want to meet Alessandro or any of the dedicated, hardworking volunteers working in the kitchen come down to St. Paul’s Square. We ‘e open! Martin Eiermann The “Capitalism Is Crisis” banner might have come down, but there is a new centerpiece of (self-) expression at the St. Paul’s camp: A giant monopoly board that plays on discussions of greed and bailouts. The piece was donated to the camp by an unnamed artist ahead of the Monopoly Bike Ride on October 27. Since then, several pieces of art have been added to the original installation, including a mock get-out-of-jail card with the tags of the street artists Banksy and Zeus. The Occupied Times spoke with several people who indicated that the art had indeed been donated by Banksy. “Monopoly” began its history as an educational game titled “Landlord’s Game” in the early 20th century. The original creator, a woman named Elizabeth Margie, wanted to use the game to explain the benefits of a single tax on land that would have made it less costly to run individual businesses and more costly to amass large amounts of land in private hands. During the Great Depression, the idea caught the eye of American economics students. They adjusted the rules to allow players to link properties and construct buildings. The emphasis of the game shifted: Instead of discouraging the monopolization of land, the successful gameplay now depended on the ability of players to monopolize color groups. The game was re-named “Monopoly” and first sold during the 1934 holiday season. Only in the 1970s did someone try to return the game to its original idea. Economics professor Ralph Anspach won an out-of-court settlement in 1974 that allowed him to sell his own game under the name “Anti-Monopoly” – which is just what you would expect: A “game which is against monopolists”, according to Anspach. True to its message, the St. Paul’s board has already begun to evolve from installation to message board. Political graffiti covers most of the art while the adjacent Tent City University hosts regular discussions and lectures about economics, politics, and justice. Terry 1953 Alessandro Petruzzi has become a familiar face to participants of the London occupation, whom he feeds us daily. Working from a small camp kitchen,a tent tucked on the right side of St Paul’s Cathedral, he provides at least 400 meal a day using food donated by supporters of the movement. A trained Italian chef, Alessandro runs the kitchen in an unorthodox but professional manner. He worked in some of Milan’s top restaurants, and now lives in London working nights at a security firm and spending his days running the kitchen. The make-shift kitchen is in a gazebo, with gas cookers, long tables and a washing up section. And it’s not only the occupiers he has been feeding. STACEY KNOTT 04 CITY VOICE “My job is to help people become financially secure, to protect their families and income and ensure they are not just relying on the government financially when it comes to their retirements. I’ve seen how some people have been quite frustrated with what’s been going on in the last few years with the markets and the way things are run here, and reckon it was only a matter of time before a protest like this happened. If you want to make a statement you’ve got to do it somewhere the world can see, and St Paul’s is one place in London to do just that. I do believe there will be a change, to a certain degree - just look at how much media interest there has been. I feel sorry for Canon Dr Giles Fraser though because he’s been placed under a huge amount of pressure and he probably never though that something like this would happen! After all that’s happened, people who were undecided about these sorts of issues are now finally seeing that there is another side to the coin, and that perhaps there is some truth in what you’re saying after all..” Kristian Win - Financial advisor TZ arlier this year, the economist Michael Norton from Harvard Business School and Duke University’s behavioral economist Dan Ariely published a study with the title “Building a Better America One Wealth Quintile at a Time”. In it, they asked a representative online panel two simple questions: 1. What is the distribution of wealth in America today? 2. What should the distribution of wealth be like? Respondents to the survey predicted that the top 20% of Americans controlled close to 60% of overall wealth, and that the bottom 40% of Americans controlled close to 10% of wealth. When asked to outline their ideal wealth distribution, respondents came up with an almost egalitarian scheme that would give the top 20% control over 30% of wealth, and give the bottom 40% around 25% of wealth. The results were rather surprising, even to the two researchers: Both wealth distributions were far off the statistical data that they had gathered about actual wealth distribution. In contemporary America - the land of opportunity, of the American Dream, Hollywood and social mobility - the top 20% control over 80% of wealth. The bottom 40% control less than 2%. That’s two percent of wealth, for forty percent of the population - a staggering level of inequality that has been growing rather rapidly since the mid-1970s. What do you make of those numbers? Norton and Ariely conclude that we tend to be overly optimistic about social mobility (especially in the United States) and 05 often under-estimate the level of inequality in the world. At the same time, we intuitively reject excessive inequalities. When asked about our moral intuitions, the vast majority of us are closet egalitarians. Those numbers are specific to the US and cannot be superimposed on the British context. But a recent non-representative Guardian poll (indicating that 88% of respondents support Occupy LSX) provides indication that our intuitions are not all that different. In the UK, the top 10% control one hundred times as much wealth as the bottom 10%, according to the National Office of Statistics data. Here, too, a large majority of people are shocked to realize how wide the socioeconomic gap between rich and poor has become – and is at least vaguely sympathetic to a movement that has arisen in response to these inequalities. They are concerned about the effects of that gap on those who struggle in their daily lives, and on society at large - a concern that is evident in conversations around the Occupy LSX camp every day, with passersby, tourists, bankers, and the scores of people who stop for a quick chat and leave with a deeper sense of awareness of the enormous strains of inequality. We, too, are closet egalitarians. But increasingly, we are coming out of the closet. Current levels of inequality have simply become economically, politically and morally unsustainable. Some of us are anti-capitalist, some are anti-corporatist, some are anticorruption, we are participatory democrats, left libertarians, social democrats, liberal socialists, or environmental activists. But on the question of inequality, we speak with one voice. Wasi Daniju CL O SET EGALI C A RIANS Sonnies Edge MARTIN EIERMANN TH I S IS ‘ACTUALLY HA PPENING’- WO RLD(S) IN MOVE MENT AARON JOHN PETERS POST-MATERIALIST YOUTH TRYING TO REDISCOVER THE SIGNIFICANT’ HOME-MADE SIGN FROM THE TUC ‘MARCH FOR THE ALTERNATIVE’ 26TH MARCH, 2011 coincide with “a phase of heightened conflict and contention across the social system that includes... a quickened pace of change in the forms of protest; a combination of organised and unorganised participation; and sequences of intensified interactions between challengers and authorities which can end in reform, repression and sometimes revolution”. All that one can establish at the outset of any new ‘cycle’ is that what seemed established is once again in motion. According to one activist collective, “...social movements come into being by creating problems; or perhaps we could say, movements form as they make specific issues into problems that must be addressed.” The occupy movement can be seen in this light as well. Those who complain about the lack of concrete demands or deem the movement irrelevant because “it lacks focus” fail to understand that this is precisely the nature of protest movements in their early stages. Contemporary public debate has lost its grasp of real grassroots movements. Social movements are no lobby groups, they do not issue writs on the nuances of public policy or acclaim cardinal bulls about how to revivify economic growth. They are not think tanks or political parties. They are none of these things. Instead, social movements transform specific issues unemployment, underemployment, privatisation of public services and space, high energy prices, high inflation, over-priced public transport, a feral 1 percent of financiers and politicians, tuition fees, the surveillance state, a supremely undemocratic political and electoral apparatus, low pay - into problems that must be addressed by institutional actors. We must raise issues, and we must raise our voices. Problems of immediate pertinence to our everyday lives and material needs must be articulated. Amid political and economic stagnation, we must articulate shared public problems that demand to be addressed. The rectification of current problems will take time. That is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the formulation of demands offers a rare glimpse into the inner working of democracy. As Manuel Castells writes, “political democracy, as conceived by the liberal revolutions of the eighteenth century, and as diffused throughout the world in the twentieth century, has become an empty shell.” According to Castells, “the new institutional, cultural, and technological conditions of democratic exercise have made the existing party system, and the current regime of competitive politics, obsolete as adequate mechanisms of political representation in the network society.” Today, we have realized the shortcomings of the current system. And in our collective memory, we know the importance of preventing “tyrants from occupying the vanishing space of democratic politics. Citizens are still citizens but they are uncertain of which city, and of whose city.” The uncertainty is perhaps beginning to fade. Things are in movement and times indeed are changing. We have reached a historical watershed moment. From Athens and New York to Cairo, London and Oakland, problems are being articulated. We have started a discussion that has been long overdue. And this is only the beginning. Indeed: We live in interesting times. TZ TZ In 1968, social scientists and politicians alike lamented the ‘end of ideology’, and a declining public interest in politics. Likewise at the end of the 20th century, immediately before the rise of the anti-globalisation movement and its ‘coming out’ party in the streets of Seattle in 1999, pundits focused on the institutionalisation of previous social movements into bureaucratised organisations and the ‘anti-political’ stance of a new generation that was supposedly without precedent. Society, coming out of periods of relative quiet, rarely sees the next wave of contentious ‘collective action’ on the horizon. Genuine social movements interject energy into an environment charaterised by political inertia. The streets become vibrant only when we know that institutional politics is failing us. The present moment and the events we have witnessed during the course of the last twelve months are no different. Protest movements have historically varied in dimension and duration. Yet there are a few common characteristics that unite rather than divide them. As Sidney Tarrow wrote, protests frequently 06 M ONEY TALK$ OCCUPIED TIMES: So Ben, let’s talk money. BEN DYSON: Money is at the root of all the social problems that we’re facing today: poverty is a lack of money; the lack of jobs is because there’s not enough money moving around the economy. THIS WEEK, BEN DYSON OF POSITIVEMONEY.ORG.UK EXPLAINS HOW HIGH STREET BANKS CREATE MONEY THEY NEVER EVEN HAD IN THE FIRST PLACE... OT: We’ve seen some ‘Positive Money’ signs around the camp. What’s the Positive Money campaign all about? BD: We think there’s a huge problem with allowing the private corporations that we all know as ‘banks’ to create the nation’s money supply. When you take out a loan from a bank, the money you borrow doesn’t actually come from anyone else’s savings. Instead, the bank just opens up an account for you in its computer system, and types the numbers in. Last year alone the banks created £110 billion of brand new money, according to Bank of England figures, and pumped most of this into pushing up house prices and speculating on commodities (i.e. oil and food prices). And if you ever wondered why there’s so much debt, it’s because almost all of the money we use to run society has to be borrowed from the banks. OT: What are the social implications of this? WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? TZ 07 BD: For one thing, inequality is made worse because we as the public have to pay interest on the entire money supply, and most of that interest gets redistributed to the highly-paid guys who are based in the City. Also, because we don’t have control over how our actual savings are used, then our society and the economy ends up reflecting the shortterm priorities of the banks - so without most people realising it, we have pacifists funding bombs, and environmentalists funding Canadian tar sands.Think what kind of impact it could’ve had if just half of that money had gone into say, reducing poverty, or investing in switching to clean energy. OT: What brought you to this position? BD: I simply couldn’t understand where all the money was coming from to fund all the credit cards and personal loans that banks were pushing on people. One day I stumbled across a book, The Grip of Death by Martin Rowbotham, and that explained how banks are able to create money out of nothing when they make loans. When I realised that actually all this money was just being created out of nothing, it seemed like a huge problem that needed to be talked about. OT: Should we be paying off our debts, as David Cameron suggests? BD: Well, that’s a truly stupid suggestion from the Prime Minister. This is an example of people in power not understanding how the monetary system works. Remember how I said that banks create money when they make loans? Well when someone repays a loan, the opposite happens - the money basically disappears. So if everyone starts paying down our debts, it reduces the amount of money in the system - it’s like sucking the life blood out of the Christian camper writes… Poor old Church of England. They were hoping to get away with another 100 years of not saying anything at all about anything at all, then OccupyLSX comes and lands on their doorstep. What a pickle they’re in. What’s that they’re moaning about? Injustice? Theft? Something about the massive concentration of wealth and power in a few hands? Gosh. Should we say something...? It took a while, but finally a couple of senior church figures spoke out. George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, cast his loving arms about the protest, and branded it “opportunistic and cynical”. Carey cried out against the injustice at the heart of the occupation: that “yet another blow has been struck against Christian worshippers” who can’t get into the cathedral to pray. Because, don’t forget, there aren’t any other empty churches in central London. His sentiments chimed with the Bishop of London, who summoned up every last ounce of charity in his bones to say: “the time has come for the protesters to leave, before the camp’s presence threatens to eclipse entirely the issues that it was set up to address.” Yes. We wouldn’t want a few dozen tents and some homemade banners eclipsing the impending global financial collapse. Good point, Bishop. To be fair to both these venerable clerics, it’s likely that in their busy lives as churchmen they’ve never managed to find time to read the Bible. If they had, they would have seen Jesus telling his disciples: “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Mark 10:21). They’d have heard him say he had come “to preach good news to the poor” and “to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). To many Christians, the closing of St Paul’s and the chilly reception from senior clergy, has been a real crisis of faith – a “scandalon” in the ancient Greek. There’s a schism growing, between those who would cast out the protesters, and those who are scandalised by the moral weakness of the Church. Christian Tony Gosling of Bristol says that: “many would be shocked that you have to pay to enter a cathedral, so that the poor - whom Jesus’ ministry was all about - are excluded from the temple! Extraordinary.” He also notes that irony that “there is evidence St. Paul himself was a tentmaker. St. Paul’s chapter are supposed to be stewarding the land using Christ’s teachings and looking after these dispossessed. The people there in the tents have come because they have been shut out of the democratic process.” And coming there, we find ourselves facing eviction. And have a former Archbishop condemn their “self-indulgence” for being there. Jesus Christ must be spinning in his grave. Oh no, hang on... economy. What we need is to put new money into the economy without increasing the level of debt at the same time, and the only way that can be done is if the government takes back the power to create money from the banks. OT: Does ‘positive money’ currently exist in any form? BD: No, unfortunately the vast majority of countries in the world use the same debt-based, privatised money system as the UK, and as a result the vast majority of countries are sinking under the weight of all the debt. The existing system is tried and tested, and every time it’s been tested, it has failed. That said, this idea of stopping the banks from creating money has been tried in the past. It was tried on a small island about 170 years ago, where the government of the day stopped banks from printing their own paper money, and said that only the state would be allowed to print paper money. The small island was called Great Britain, it was in 1844, and it was a Conservative Prime Minister who passed the law. So there might be hope for the present government! OT: How would the reforms you suggest help to raise people out of poverty worldwide? BD: Don’t forget that all this money is just numbers in computer systems, which means that if we could reclaim the power to create money from the banks, then we could cancel much of this ‘thirdworld’ debt without any of the big banks losing even a single penny. OT: So, you’re Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day, what’s your first bit of legislation? BD: Simply this: I’d take the power to create money away from the banks, and make sure that newlycreated money is used for the public benefit instead of the benefit of the bankers. TO T HE O CC UPIER MIKE CZECH as possible in order to create a bargaining chip when making demands. Sometimes it is simply because people believe they can put a space to better use than those who currently own and run it. When protest is inspired, as it is now, by the effects of austerity, and when those involved do not have the luxury of their own space, taking control of new areas from which to organise is essential. Whether undertaken to disrupt or to re-order, occupation is a truly radical act. Among the many iconic images to have come out of Greece in recent months, the six story banner dropped from the roof of the Finance Ministry in Syntagma Square which proclaims to the world that it is OCCUPIED perhaps best shows the escalating power of the protesters. Personally, when I hear the word ‘occupation’, I think instantly of the 2010/11 actions of student protesters in the UK, but walking around the camp, veterans of the anti-war movement have been quick to remind me that ‘occupation’ is what the British and American military did in Iraq (or the Nazis did in France). So what is occupylsx? Though dogmatically peaceful and avoiding causing any damage, The occupation is a defiant and antagonistic action and we, started to properly acknowledge that when we decided to stay after St. Paul’s asked us to leave. There had been a mood around the camp while we nominally had the Church’s blessing to be there that we were guests, making a protest without causing any trouble. Now we more fully recognise that the existence of an occupation is a point of conflict between the property owners and the occupiers, and that we are in a rebellious position. During the first days, I heard someone advise us not to risk our camp’s future by responding to the provocations of the ‘1%’; but the camp is a response, and by being here we are taking the first steps towards fighting back. We are radicals, though some are still in the process of realising that. The more we reject the interferences of outside influences, the more we resist the inference of authorities, the more we control the space as our own, the more we are an occupation. of the typical protester but that is because the occupation does not fit the template of a typical protest. Instead it is part of a wider global movement which is articulating the anger and frustrations of the so-called “99 per cent” who do not belong to the world’s wealthy elites. Having recently returned from a week with Occupy Wall Street I can report that in a short amount of time the London occupation compares favourably to its sister occupation in New York. Both have successfully occupied a central site which provides a crucial practical and symbolic focal point for the movement. Both are using outreach to spread their message and are expanding to more sites across the city. Both have established working groups to support specific initiatives ranging from food, medical, and legal committees to media and technical support. The Occupy Wall Street’s working group on Alternative Banking includes bankers, a professor of financial law, the heads of various credit unions, and a quant trader. Both the OLSX and OWS are run by General Assemby, a horizontal, autonomous, leaderless, consensus-based system at which anyone present at the assembly can propose an idea or express an opinion and decisions are reached by a show of hands. Both are committed to nonviolence and both are attracting a wide range of people of all ages and from all backgrounds. In London a grandmother has been camping in front of St Paul’s Cathedral since day one. In Zuccotti Park I met 80 year- >> TZ What Is OccupyLSX? Something exciting has happened. A wave of loosely affiliated occupations are springing up across the Western world, drawing thousands of people to the streets in hundreds of cities expressing dissatisfaction with the current economic order. We are creating a network of unignorable reminders to those in charge that we demand better from them, while at the same time finding ways to relate on a direct and human level, forming closer and more meaningful bonds of communal cohesion than government can provide. Occupation is the word of the moment. We are reaching a point where the idea of occupation has taken on a mythical quality, divorced from the act itself, and the meaning is becoming distorted and confused. The word has spread from the streets to new domains, as people heed the call to #occupyeverywhere. In the US, the website www. OccupyTheBoardroom.org declares “THE 1% HAVE ADDRESSES. THE 99% HAVE MESSAGES” and provides the contact details of various ‘Wall Street elites’ to facilitate their personal harassment at the hands of the disgruntled. Perhaps most impressive is the work of studentvote.ca, encouraging people to improve poor voter turn out and ‘Occupy the Ballot Box’! There are very few certain commonalities between the different occupation movements, but perhaps the most obvious is the lost faith in established democratic processes and the creation of new ways for their voices to be heard. Telling them to return to Parliamentary voting, even under the trendy guise of ‘occupying the ballot box’, is to miss the point entirely. Furthermore, the more ubiquitously the word ‘occupy’ is used, the more it becomes the default verb for any kind of political engagement, the more meaningless it is. Put simply; to #occupyeverywhere is to occupy nowhere. So, what is occupation? Traditionally the word occupation has been used to denote; the act of inhabiting and controlling a space; university buildings, workplaces, government buildings, shops or anything else (rather than just loitering in it). Sometimes this is to cause as much disruption FROM OCCUPY WALL STREET TO ST.PAUL’S OCCUPATION RECENTLY RETURNED TO LONDON AFTER A WEEK IN NEW YORK, STEFAN SIMANOWITZ EXPLORES THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE LONDON OCCUPATION AND OCCUPY WALL STREET ’I’ve had enough” says Tim Saunders. “Enough of this grotesque greed and fraud on a massive scale. Enough of spiralling education costs and watching my mother scraping by on a meagre pension. Enough of the claim that the banks are too big to fail.” Forty-five year-old chartered accountant Saunders joined to the occupation outside St Paul’s Cathedral in his lunchbreak and his discussion with other protesters drew a small crowd. As a middle-class father of two his eloquent anger struck a chord and people cheered him enthusiastically as he finally headed back to the office. “I only came down for a sandwich” he shrugged. “But I’ll be back tomorrow.” Saunders was back the next day, and the next, and the next. He may not fit the template 08 “THE STRUGGLE OF HUMANITY AGAINST POWER IS THE STRUGGLE OF MEMORY AGAINST FORGETTING.” MILAN KUNDERA Matthew Myatt >>old Joan Davis who was there because she remembers the Great Depression. “My sister and I would often go to bed hungry and I still remember the look on my dad’s face the day he was forced to sell our farm” she told me. So far, the movement has no set solutions or concrete list of demands. While these may emerge in time, there is no sense of urgency to focus on anything other than growing the movement. Addressing the general assembly in New York on Sunday October 9, the political philosopher Slavoj Zizek acknowledged that: “There are truly difficult questions that confront us. We know what we do not want. But what do we want?” But for Zizek, the central message is a clear one: “We are allowed to think about alternatives.” others insist that they will have to be dragged kicking and screaming away when the time comes. Some are upset to be called anti-capitalists while others are outraged by calls to remove the “Capitalism is Crisis” banner. A few at St Paul’s are in open communication with the police and have stated they would be willing to hand over others “to save the occupation”. Others view such behaviour with total disgust. There is something here for everyone to hate, there is something here for everyone to love. It is maddening, frustrating, slow and messy. And it is beautiful. The occupation is many things, one thing it can never be is harmonious. If the majority the movement terms “the 99%” all agreed, then those called “the 1%” would never be able to maintain their hold. Can such manifestly different points of view ever be reconciled into a set of demands on which all can agree? The occupation is a chance to experience politics as lived experience, as a self-determining body of people living together and engaged in discussing both the things that affect our immediate existence, like food, shelter, health and sanitation, but also to discuss the possibilities of applying the lessons learned here to the larger world. It is not an economic blockade. It is not direct action. It is not an attempt to create a position of counterpower from which to negotiate with power. This is what people mean when they say the occupation is its own demand. Even if there is no consensus here as to what should replace the global system of systemic inequality whose latest crisis has provoked this and countless other protests worldwide, the occupation is still a collective “No” to those in power. It is a refusal to forget that the solutions proposed by politicians are more of the same things that caused the crisis in the first place. The occupation is the beginning of a conversation the whole world needs. Whatever happens, we cannot rest until we have built a world based on mutual respect for all in which no one is forgotten. TZ ur lives are based on forgetting. We forget the misery of lowwage work in the UK when we casually spend more than the cashier’s hourly wages on a sandwich and a coffee then get angry because they did not smile. When we applaud the athletes preparing for the Paralympics, we forget the disabled people driven to suicide as their benefits are wrongly stopped by a cruelly stupid system created and administered by the company sponsoring the Games. We marvel at our shiny new gadgets and the glittering icons distract us from the plight of those who labour in inhuman conditions to make these devices. All is not for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Our riches are built on the misery of others and too many of our good causes are used to whitewash the evil done by those with wealth and power. We are encouraged not to think of these and countless other injustices every day. It makes life easier to do so. The occupation is our refusal to forget. Our libraries are closing, our universities are stripped of funding, our health service is being offered up for sale. Wages are frozen while the cost of everything goes through the roof. The poorest are attacked and threatened with homelessness. And over and over again a small clique of obscenely rich men and women sneer and tell us that we’re all in this together as they use a crisis caused by those that fund them as an opportunity to further increase their wealth. This is why people occupy. The claims made about the occupiers are many. The occupation has many voices, many faces. This makes it almost impossible to understand. Outside commentators pick the voices that fit their prejudices and pretend that these views alone are what it is really about. Some here want celebrity endorsements, others are sick of rich people cashing in on their fame. When some will be happy to walk away when asked to go, Tim Hardy/ BEYONDCLICKTIVISM.COM O THE O CC UPATION IS OUR RE F USAL TO FORGET s the Cathedral caretaker explained the impact the occupation was having to the gathered crowd, he was on the verge of tears. We were, he said, disrupting a number of plans and activities that normally took place, including a children’s fair and a wedding complete with horse and carriage. Such inconveniences, the flock of protestors tentatively argued, could not be put on a par with the suffering of the 99% they were here to represent. Just then, the caretaker saw a familiar face within the expanding crowd, “I know you James, we’ve been feeding you for years” He said to a tall redhaired man. “Yes,” came back the reply in a distinctly Liverpudlian accent, “and you’ve never once asked me how I am. Then all these beautiful people turned up and now I’m not alone any more.” The local among occupying activists was James McMahon, 48. Homeless for over twelve years, he’s spent the past ten living around St. Paul’s, and is now a familiar face at the camp, “I split up with my wife in Liverpool and came to London on a coach. After sleeping rough in different locations, I came to stay at St Paul’s” When we first arrived, James wasn’t initially sure what we were all doing here, “I thought you were something to do with the church. I didn’t know it was a demonstration at first,” POEMS LONDON 2012 The shard looms large New flats grow from the Marshes, Sweatshop treats in new consumer pick-a-mix Overseen by Lord Seb Coe of the London Olympics, New laws in place, a dying welfare state, Did the Mayans predict this? Tories back in power again Dissidents in the Tower again, Bang Bang, Duggen’s dead, Police bullets in his head, They want to blame the blacks again, Take us back to that again, Trap us like lab-rats again, Experiment in how to take the piss – Fuck the poor and help the rich, Evict the gypsies, tax the barges, Relieve Chelsea of congestion charges. I want to slap these elegant Machiavellians, All the PR men and the shit they’re selling them, Moral messages with twisted policy, Liberty costs money, forget equality, No fraternity, it’s been like this for fucking eternity. But it’s a condition of my existence To deny them my compliance I am the science of resistance, The crash of thunder and dread, I am the blood red under your bed, I am the scorpion in your sheets, The screaming skull beneath your moisturised sheen The skein of truth under your perfumed cleavages, “I don’t read newspapers, and I don’t listen to radios. I’ve just been living a free spirit life. I spoke to a chap later on who explained about the cuts, and tax dodging and the gambling of the banks. Anything that needs to be done, they shout this thing called ‘mic check’ and then everyone gets involved,” “They all run round, get together, and it’s done within minutes. It doesn’t matter what it may be, it’s done in a loving, humble way, together as a community.” While St. Paul’s consider the ‘community’ that has sprung up in its shadow an inconvenience, for James it has been a lease of life, “For me to refuse to be part of it - I’d be a fool. They’re so loving and understanding. I’ve accepted most of them as friends,” But it isn’t just new friends James has found, “Working in the kitchen shows me what I’m capable of. It’s been a graceful path for me to play my part and be involved.” The experience hasn’t been entirely positive though, “I think over the course of this week I’ve been a bit stressed out.” Hundreds of relatively privileged strangers suddenly pitching up on your patch would certainly agitate most of us, but that isn’t what is making James tense. Instead, it’s some of the general public “passing comments as they walk by,” “If they’d come to a general assembly they’d really understand,” James feels the church, despite its kindness, also lacks some understanding at times, “the Church has been kind, but not so kind.” “They know of me sleeping here, but I think they are annoyed to see me NATALIA SANCHEZ-BELL STEVEN MACLEAN in a sense. They come to move me at six thirty in the morning to clean the stairs and other people’s mess. They could clean around me,” “Its not the community church, its a cathedral, a tourist attraction. I don’t think they want people to see me. London is a wonderful city; I don’t think they actually want to accept that there’s homelessness here. People have offered me money in kindness, but I would rather them sit down and talk with me, or any of the rough sleepers.” The homeless are at the foot of the 99% either ignored or abused by society’s socio-economic elite. Though new to this movement, the words “involved’ and “understanding” pepper James’ rhetoric, “I wish people would understand who I was and what I am. I’ve been writing a book for four and a half years. If people don’t know, how can they really help?” James knows exactly how he’d like occupiers to help, “I’d like you all to stay there until Christmas. If you stay here until Christmas it means I’ll have a beautiful big family to have a turkey with. “We could crack a few crackers, maybe have a few glasses of wine in the pub before we go back for dinner.” So, what does James want as a Christmas gift? Nothing material. What he wants is of far greater value: empowerment and companionship, “I’ll be in the kitchen on Christmas day if we’re able to stay here. I’ll cook a roast all on camp. It will be lovely to have you all there for Christmas dinner.” ST. PAUL PRINCIPLES Sam Berkson The piles of squalor and the sum of our grievances. I read about these pharaohs in their summer palaces, Erecting oriental chalets of Marakesh fantasies, The locals hit the road, work as guards at their homes, Keep their own away from this tasteless opulence Makes me want to burn the whole crew in their pigsty monuments. Please understand, I never had a problem with authority, But authority seems to have a problem with me, Can’t take the rejection It checks on me and demands my attention, Cos I know of a world where we don’t need laws, Work together, not for profit, build for the cause. It doesn’t take a genius to know why they feel threatened Termites in their oak panel, ivy in their walls, The hum of the mosquito, the tapeworm in their bowels. I know we’ve all heard what the meek will, And mission seems impossible, But numbers ARE unstoppable, tyrants ARE toppable, Combined and collective Immune to their rhetoric, We’ve all seen the film and learnt from past lessons, Invincibility lessoned, See where their weapons get them. TZ A A F RIEND IN D EE D KARIZMAH - OPEN MINDS In a side alley of life two unsuspecting minds embrace here they enter a vacuum lost in time and space amongst their thoughts ordinary constraints have no place feelings are effortlessly lifted as they exchange face to face banter gives way to passion which noticeably overflows similarities become obvious and their imagination grows life moves forward which draws this moment to a close but it will live on in meaning to be froze met in a different moment these people may not have connected with open minds we can all be accepted These four principles were devised by American activists resisting the 2008 Republican National Convention. 1. Our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups. 2. The actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space. 3. Any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events. 4. We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. we agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others. 10 A NA RCHISM: FO R & A G AINST The Great Debate: last week we weighed up the ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments for being portrayed as anti-capitalist. This week, anarchism is our topic. As political philosophies go, anarchism is one of the most misunderstood, but could it contain the answers to the world’s problems? FOR / Donnacha DeLong Do you like being told what to do with your life? Do you appreciate it when politicians, bosses and experts seem to think that they know more about what you should do than you do yourself? If you do, then stop reading now. If, on the other hand, you think you are the best person to decide about you and that the same is probably true of most people, you’re on your way to becoming an anarchist. Anarchism is based on the idea that true freedom is only possible where people are in control of their own lives. Anarchists argue that our lives are controlled by coercive authorities and imposed hierarchies that control our lives both politically and economically. That is why most anarchists oppose both the existence of the state and of capitalism. As Bakunin argued, “Liberty without socialism is privilege, injustice; and [...] socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality.” Anarchism, as its developed as a political movement over the last 150 years or so has been a key element of the fight for women’s rights, for gay rights, against racism and other forms of discrimination and helped build the radical trade union movements that gained workers the basic rights they now enjoy. Inspirational figures like Albert and Lucy Parsons, Louise Michel, Emma Goldman, Rudolf Rocker, Errico Malatesta, Buenaventura Durruti, Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky are just some of the names in the anarchist tradition. Unlike other political viewpoints, anarchism is a conversation over the ages, not tied to specific doctrines or one thinker. Anarchism has a bad reputation, misrepresented as a violent creed stereotyped by bomb-throwing terrorists in the past and black-clad vandals in the present. These aspects do exist, by they have never represented the majority of anarchists – who can be found everywhere. Some anarchists are teachers, doctors, trade unionists – the people who spend their time working to make life better for everyone inspired by an idea of a future free from oppression and inequality, a world based on free distribution of the things we need and free association of autonomous individuals. AGAINST / Brian O’Faolain The anarchists can’t save us now. As the global economy went into meltdown in 2008 a British anarchist group took to the streets and called for the system to ‘collapse faster’. For me this event captured all the worst aspects of a movement that increasingly has nothing to say about important events beyond glib slogans. The anarchist movement is amorphous, made up of vast and contradictory groups together under one banner, united by their ideology of opposition to the state. There are many positive elements, I won’t deal with them here. This year’s London anarchist bookfair posed the question ‘Is Capitalism destroying itself? And can we replace it?’. The unfortunate answer is no. As capitalism teeters our society faces a choice of socialism or barbarism, yet many anarchists still place their faith in spontaneous insurrections, naively hoping capitalism might topple itself so they can pick up the pieces. They praised the recent riots as a sign of a society fighting back, where a more appropriate analysis would see them as neo-liberal riots against a backdrop of a defeated working class. Elsewhere anarchists, lacking a real analysis of the current situation, have blamed the financial crisis on ‘the bankers’, missing THE GREAT DEBATE a trick by allowing the inherent failures of capitalism off the hook. There are huge parallels to be drawn between the anarchists and the Occupy movement and serious warnings to be heeded too. The Occupy movement has uncritically taken some of the worst aspects of anarchist practice on board, adopting the consensus decision making process and fetishising form over content. The usual failings of the consensus model are clear; meetings drag on, informal leaderships emerge and frustrated activists drift away. It is a hangover of the worst parts of the late 60’s countercultural libertarian movement. The anarchist focus on direct action has helped to keep the movement interesting but all too often leaves them stuck in a cycle of activity for the sake of it. If the goal of the Occupy movement is to take advantage of a perceived historic rupture and begin the work of changing society then your first job should be to pack up the tents and go back to your communities. Learn the historic lessons of anarchism, stop petitioning the city and go do the hard work of building a real political movement. A debate is scheduled at Tentcity University after the GA on Wednesday, Nov 2nd for us to carry on this debate in person. See you there! PIRATES ST. PAULS, AND THE ROOTS OF ANTI-CAPITALIST PROTEST 11 In May 1724, in a small bookshop just a stone’s throw from St Paul’s, Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates went on sale, and became an instant hit. Though pirates’ bodies were hung in gibbets along the banks of the Thames to frighten those who thought of mutiny the crowds that gathered to watch these hangings were there less to jeer at criminals meeting just punishment than for the spectacles that these events often were. One such spectacle was the hanging of the notorious pirate William Fly on 12th July 1726. Fly was given an opportunity to speak. Having complained at the poor workmanship of the executioner and re-tied his own noose, he went to his death unrepentant, using his moment to speak to warn that ‘all Masters of Vessels should pay sailors their wages when due, and treat them better.’ We think of pirates as thieves, yet the truth is far more complex. Sailors aboard Royal Naval ships and merchant vessels were some of the sorriest men alive, ‘caught in a machine from which there was no escape, bar desertion, incapacitation, or death’ as one writer of the day put it. These merchant ships were the engines of the emerging global capitalism, yet the sailors themselves were utterly excluded from the wealth they worked to generate. The decision to ‘turn KESTER BREWIN pirate’ was thus a decision to wrestle back some autonomy, and when they did, life on a ship changed dramatically. Officers were democratically elected. Food was shared equally among men of all rank. When booty was collected the Captain only took two shares where the lowest took one – income differentials that would make modern CEOs faint. Loss of a limb aboard would be met with a payment of around £20,000 in today’s money – an amazing form of early healthcare. So, far from being simple thieves, pirates were perhaps the original anti-capitalist protesters. The reason they were hunted down and suffered such savage public executions was because the powers of the day were petrified of the consequences of the pirates’ ethos. Historian Marcus Rediker writes: ‘Pirates abolished the wage relation central to the process of capitalist accumulation. So rather than work for wages using the tools and machine (the ship) owned by a capitalist merchant, pirates commanded the ship as their own property and shared equally in the risk of their common adventure.’ It is this ‘equal sharing’ that the banks do not want. Yes, they want to nationalise debt, but profits must remain private and enclosed. Interestingly, this is the view of the Anglican Church too – the 38th ‘Article’ of which reads: ‘The Riches and Goods of Christians are not common… as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast.’ Appropriately, pirates emerge whenever ‘the commons’ is under threat of enclosure into private property. They rose up to battle the crown-censored publishing monopolies of the 17th century. They rose up as Levellers to defend the poor as they were turfed off common land and forced into vagrancy. They rose up in the 1960’s as pirate DJs when the BBC refused to play Rock and Roll. Look around. Pirates are everywhere. The Jolly Roger is to be found on baby bottles, t-shirts, children’s clothes, skate boards. Why? Why do we send our children to pirate parties, but not ‘aggravated robbery’ ones? The reason, I believe, is this: deep down, we know that pirates say something to us about freedom from oppression, about standing up to systemic violence, and about taking back free access to that which has been enclosed and privatised by the wealthy. We are not much brutalised, nor often beaten or left unpaid, but our lives are no less reduced, narrowed and controlled by powerful forces far beyond our control. So now, more than ever, we need pirates to rise up again against the princes, the captains and merchants, raise the Jolly Roger, and restore to life some democracy, some fairness… and not a little merriment. That’s exactly what Occupy is about, so, avast occupiers, stay strong and mutiny! Kester is a teacher and writer from South East London. Geoffrey Pearson on twitter	i don't know
What common scientific suffix (referring to having a productive quality) is from the French/Greek word loosely meaning 'born of a specific kind'?	Xurnese grammar Typographical conventions Boldface is used for standard Xurnese words, italics for other languages. As a corollary, boldface single letters or digraphs refer to graphemes; thus I write b or au instead of <b> or <au>. Within the text, English glosses of single words are given in quotes (i.e. šun ‘language’), which extends without confusion to other langauges (Wede:i bo ‘one’). Phrases and sentences however are glossed in italics: Oyes ende yu šu May your path be pleasant. Full sentences are normally accompanied by a morpheme-by-morpheme gloss, and a free English equivalent. In these glosses, Pronouns are abbreviated by person and number: 2s = second person singular. This is briefer and more accurate than using English pronouns. Grammatical elements are capitalized: e.g. PERF = perfective, SUB = subordinator. A hyphen separates morphemes; a dot indicates multi-word glosses. Thus not.know-PAST.3s for zeynuči indicates that zeyn- is a single morpheme meaning ‘not know’, while -uči is a fused morpheme expressing both past tense and third person singular. Discussions of a linguistic feature generally use color to highlight instances of that feature. In the section on auxiliaries, for instance, the auxiliaries in a sentence are shown in green: Yes mavis šač I don’t love you. In the transformations section, green and blue highlight entire structures so it’s clear what moves where. Family relationships Xurnese, the language of their major rivals at sea, has been studied for many centuries by the Verdurians, who call it ahuenaš. They found it difficult but fascinating, and so little suspected its relation to Verdurian that it was used as an argument against the first philologists, who boldly theorized that all languages derived from one. “Show us how we’re related to that,” ran the taunt. In fact Xurnese is a member of the Axunaic branch of the Eastern language family to which Verdurian also belongs. Modern linguists can trot out many similar words (e.g. rama/rana ‘frog’, tas/ta ‘we’, mul/mole ‘soft’) to show this, as well as dissimilar-sounding but related pairs (xu ‘bad’ / čelt ‘evil’, rae/lädan ‘go’, šic/hep ‘seven’). The affinity has been disguised not only by sound changes, but by semantic and lexical divergence. Xurnese has inherited many words from the Wede:i civilization which preceded it in Xengiman (for details see the Axunašin grammar), as well as from the Skourene and Tžuro cultures it has interacted and struggled with. Though we say Corauši derives from Axunašin, it’s actually more complicated than that. Before the rise of Axunai, Curau (then named Tural) spoke a variety closer to Mounšun, the dialect of Tannaza. During imperial times the speech of the delta supplanted local dialects throughout Šuzep, the middle Xengi, but without erasing some distinctive local vocabulary and language features. Old Xurnese, the language of the early Xurnese empire (fl. 2700) and the direct ancestor of modern Xurnese, derives from this somewhat divergent form of Axunašin. Modern Inegri dialect was, in turn, strongly influenced by the language of Curau, which was for a time the larger city. So in some ways Inegri is not a purely straightforward descendant of Axunašin either. The case is similar to that of Italian, which derives not from Rome but Florence. The Xurnese sound system is as follows: corresponding to the transliterations: Consonants The b/v distinction is not phonemic; this is a single phoneme pronounced [b] initially and [v] between vowels. I write the allophones distinctly as a frank concession to English speakers (and in imitation of Verdurian transliterations). The use of c and k does not follow Verdurian: c represents /ts/ and k is /k/. C is phonemic, though barely; cf. the minimal pair ceš ‘this one’ / teš ‘halves’. D and dz are also phonemic (cf. dus ‘house’ / dzus ‘in back of’) but even less so, since dz cannot occur finally. Using a digraph for dz reflects Xurnese usage; a word like jadzíes ‘sculptor’ may be written jad-zi-es, whereas c is never split up into ts. Somewhat confusingly, x and j generally derive from Axunašin x and j, but represent different sounds. J is /dʒ/ as in English, not Axunašin /ʝ/. X is /s/ initially and /ks/ (as in Axunašin) elsewhere. (So, x and s have merged initially? Perhaps; but in Inegri initial x is pronounced /z/. Residents of Curau and Inex are aware of this difference and use it to imitate each other. Of course, only literate speakers do a good job of this; the writing system distinguishes between s/z/x.) e is closed [e] except in diphthongs; o is closed [o] unless followed by an r. However, both tend to be more open in closed syllables. Common diphthongs are ay /aj/, ey /ɛj/, oy /oj/, au or aw /aw/, eu /ɛw/. Stress Stress placement is normally predictable: the final syllable is stressed if it ends in a consonant (excluding y), otherwise the previous syllable. If the stressed syllable falls elsewhere, it is indicated with an accent (in our transcription; Xurnese writing never indicates stress). Examples: The transliteration used here is essentially that used by Verdurian and Kebreni scholars, with these differences: They use Ismaîn ç for my c (but sometimes use ts), and c for my k. They use h for my x (which leads to borrowings like haleza for xaleza). They mark stress accent following Verdurian rules, though this requires that many more words get an accent. Sometimes they just get things wrong. I’ve had a devil of a time tracking down and fixing some of their errors— e.g. Culau for Curau, Bezuxao for Bezuxau. For years I even referred to Xurnáš for ‘Xurnese’ without realizing that it was a Verdurian confusion of Xurno with ahuenaš (deriving from Axunašin). (j) is borrowed from Flaidish, and (w) from Ismaîn or Kebreni. It’s a perfectly serviceable transliteration, and if the b/v distinction is bad phonetics, it helps the Verdurians and it will help English speakers too. Aw/au are merged in Corauši but not in Inegri. The Xurnese script is part logographic, part syllabic. The syllabic portion is extremely archaic; e.g. Inegri is written <wei-ne'x-ri>, which matches <wei-ne'x> for Inex and Axunašin Weinex, but is hopeless for a transliteration. Fortunately the Xurnese recognize their pedagogic problem and dictionaries often provide ad hoc phonetic glosses for difficult spellings. These match the Verdurian transliterations in almost all cases, and I’ve used them to transliterate words not attested in Verdurian sources. Xazno The dialects largely correspond to provinces for good reason: these are the natural divisions of Xurno, largely defined by its river valleys. The map shows the pronunciations of four words across Xurno: pija (Ax. pija) ‘filth’ , xaučis (xučik) ‘to die’, čaši (čiaši) ‘enemies’, miruj (meiruj) ‘brain’. Some characteristics of the dialects, as exemplified by the sample words (but by no means an exhaustive description): Inegri: Medial č j are pronounced [ʃʃ ʒʒ] (thus, č still contrasts with š). Initial x is pronounced [z]; this has spread to all the coastal areas (including Jinayzu but not inland Idestri). The diphthongs au eu are rounded (and their offset is laxed). Some sort of rounding of these diphthongs is characteristic of all the eastern dialects. However, this doesn’t affect aw ew. Jimbri: Medial č j are pronounced [ʃʃ ʒʒ], and x- is [z], as in Inegri. Diphthongs au eu become rounded and lose their offset: [œ ø]. Initial č becomes [ʃ], c becomes [s]. Ax. ei is subject to umlaut before u. Final -j, -č are deaffricated. Ax. final -k is lost. Lejur: Ax. diphthongs become long vowels. a is backed when stressed, and raised finally. Evangri: Diphthongs au eu merge to long [y:]. Initial x- retains its Ax. value [ks]. Final -j, -č are deaffricated. a is raised when stressed, laxed finally. B/v remain phonemic; thus the local toponym Van. Idestri: Initial p before a high vowel fricativizes to [ps]. Initial x- is pronounced [kʃ] (though not in Jinayzu where it’s [z]). Stressed vowels tend to break into diphthongs with a laxed offset. Perhaps to contrast, diphthongs such as au have a laxed onset and a strengthened offset. Final -j, -č are deaffricated with compensatory lengthening. Rajjari: Medial č j are pronounced [ʃ ʒ] (thus č merges with š). Ax. ei did not raise to i but became [ɛ]; this retention is shared with Xazengri and Bolongri, and affects ou as well. High vowels lower before a final fricative or affricate. Bozangri is sometimes distinguished as a dialect, though it is very close to Rajjari. Its primary distinction is that it was held by the royalists for longer than almost any other region, and never entirely adapted the Revaudo pronoun system ( described below ). Momori: š j are pronounced [ɕ ʑ] in Momori, like Jeori śź; medial č merges with š. Initial x- is pronounced [z]. The offset on diphthongs is markedly lowered. b/v remain phonemic, while ŋ has been borrowed from Jeori. Čimagri: Ax. final -k becomes [q]. Q is phonemic in this dialect, most likely borrowed from the Naviu languages; thus the toponyms Čiqay and Diqun Bormai. Initial x- is pronounced [z]. Final -i was generally lost, but in most dialects it was restored in the plural by analogy. Čimagri is an exception. Ax. ei did not raise to i but became [ɪ]. Final -a is weakened to schwa. Bolongri: Ax. ei did not raise to i but became [ɛ]. Ax. final -k is [ʃ], a more conservative form than standard [s]; compare Xazengri [tʃ]. Diphthongs tend to weaken their onsets. Ax. x is pronounced [ç], similar to Xazengri [x] but more fronted. Xazengri: Stressed vowels tend to break, giving a distinctive drawl. Unstressed vowels weaken. Ax. ei did not raise to i but became [e]. Ax. x is pronounced [x]. This seems to date back to Axunemi times, and to be responsible for Cađinor Aȟuenai. Xazengri has acquired phonemic q from Verdurian. Ax. final -k is [tʃ], a more conservative form than standard [s]. Medial -d- becomes r. The Xurnese writing system is unable to represent most dialectal variation, inasmuch as it’s partly logographic, and partly based on Corauši syllables. Occasionally misspellings are used (rather haphazardly) to give a local flavor to a provincial character— e.g. xaučis might be written xiučis to suggset Evangri, kxeučis for Idestri, šiwčič for Xazengri. However, there is little attempt to write the dialects; even popular songs are written in standard Corauši. As Tásuc Tag is a separate state, there is a little less pressure to use the standard, but this mostly means that more New Jeori words are used. Sound changes from Axunašin to Xurnese See the xurnese.sc sound change file. Nominal morphology Native grammars maintain that Xurnese nouns have dominant, subordinate, and genitive case, as well as civú, goro, and čeyke gender. In fact these are archaizing fantasies— or at best aids for teaching Axunašin. The grammarians assign ‘case’ according to the Axunašin etymon, inasmuch as Xurnese nouns derive from either the dominant or subordinate case in Axunašin. For instance buma ‘cow’ derives from the subordinate case bouma, while bus ‘bull’ derives from dominant case bouz. ‘Genitives’ are rare, and are best treated as a form of derivational morphology. ‘Gender’ is even easier— e.g. buma and bus are both goro gender, like their etymons. There is no gender agreement in Xurnese, but admittedly the plural paradigms usually correspond to the ancient gender— e.g. nouns ending in -a pluralize in -i (koma ‘house’ → komi) if they derive from the civú gender, but in -ay (rina ‘river’ → rinay) if they were goro gender. But instead of learning an arbitrary gender for many words, why not just remember the arbitrary plural? Xurnese plurals are indeed difficult. There were already many irregular plurals in Axunašin, and these have been complicated by sound change and by derivation from different cases and genders, though analogy has also simplified the results somewhat. The most common plural (about a third of all nouns) is added -i; e.g. raun ‘tongue’ → rauni. The next most common (20%) is -ú; e.g. nusirc ‘doctor’ → nusircú. The remainder mostly change the final consonant; e.g. dus ‘house’ → dum. Some, due to piled up sound changes, are entirely opaque: ayu ‘owl’ → wiw; siwe ‘pond’ → suw; xayu ‘sky’ → xaul. If that weren’t enough, many plurals incorporate a vowel change as well; usually u → au as in móruc ‘form’ → moraup or i → ay as in riju ‘room’ → rayjú. The table below summarizes the most common patterns (excluding vowel changes). Quite a few plurals are predictable— especially for those with a good knowledge of Axunašin—but it may be easiest simply to memorize the plural for each noun. The lexicon gives plural forms for all nouns that have one. Nouns in kiezič ke In form the high 2nd and 3rd person pronouns derive from forms meaning e.g. ‘your greatness’ (Ax. rir ezičou), ‘his/her greatness’ (toiš ezičou). These are attested in many forms showing varying levels of abbreviation. The usage of the high and low forms was quite complex. The grammarians’ explanation was that ‘high’ forms were used for superiors; ‘low’ forms for inferiors. Examples: A noble speaking to a maid calls himself siu and the maid ri. The maid would call herself si and her master riezič. The same noble calls himself si when speaking to the Emperor. The Emperor addresses him as riezič. Addressing peers, socially elevated persons used the high forms, the masses used only low forms. There were many exceptions: for instance, husbands and wives at home always used the low forms— except for nobles in arranged marriages, who used the high forms! The grammarians’ explanation does not explain why nobles addressed lower nobles with ‘high’ forms, as if they were superiors; and does not provide much guidance for speaking to equals. A better formulation might be that the ‘high’ forms are court forms, used to refer to the noble and the educated in social situations. The noble and the servant thus consistently use court forms for nobles, commoner forms for commoners. The upper-class use of commoner pronouns when addressing their (few) superiors can then be interpreted as conscious self-abasement. The domestic use of commoner forms was a form of linguistic relaxation; one put off court speech at home just as one removed uncomfortable court dress. Compare now the modern Corauši system: singular to tir, oto The high/low distinction has disappared, a victim of the egalitarian climate of the Revaudo revolution. Note that it was the high and not the low forms that survived— in effect, everyone would now address each other as peers of the educated class, which would have been how the Revaudo intellectuals addressed each other. The accusative is retained only in the 1st person. The genitives derive from Axunašin, with the 1s/2s -r ending generalized, except for the 2s and alternate 3s forms which consist of the adposition o plus the nominative form. (O is now a postposition, so these words are archaic in form.) It is awkward to have just one 3s pronoun; Corauši has therefore innovated an additional one out of the archaic low form. Thus toš serves as a proximative, to as an obviative. The 3rd person forms given above are used for animate referents only. For inanimates use ceš ‘this one’ or cuš ‘that one’ instead. There is considerable dialectal variation in the pronominal system. Bozangri is noted for using the dzunye ‘royalist’ system, which retains the high/low forms: singular always wholly Of these anaphora only ji ‘who, what’ has an accusative form, je. There are no genitive forms; use the postposition o. For inanimates (things), use ji / ceš / cuš (from the person column) but then do / bunji / maus / ez (from the adjective column). The anaphora in the ‘some’ row can be translated ‘any’ in negative sentences. Xurnese has both inflected and synthetic tenses. This section concentrates on the inflected forms; for their usage and other constructions, see the section on Syntax . Conjugations As in Axunašin, there are three conjugations; it’s effectively meaningless which one a particular verb is. Verb agreement Verbs must agree in person and number with the subject of the sentence. Verbs no longer have second person forms in standard Xurnese. Third person forms are used with the second person pronouns (which, as we have seen, developed from respectful third-person expressions). The following chart shows the three regular conjugations or verb classes, using the regular verbs kalis ‘please’, reše ‘look at’, and čir ‘cook’. Irregular forms are common, and will be discussed below . (A few verbs have an infinite in -i; they conjugate with the verbs in -e.) reš-euc čir-yeyc Sound change rendered the ordinary past tense of Axunašin too close to the present, and it was replaced by the past intensive. The present intensive became the perfect tense. There are no 2s or 2p forms in Corauši. (There are in certain dialects, notably Bozangri and Xazengri.) Some mnemonics: 1s usually ends in -ú (present, perfect); or -e / u (other tenses) 3s usually has a null ending or a single vowel 1p always ends in -m 3p always ends in -c. The perfect is formed by infixing -ij- or -ej; the only irregularity being the the change to -ayj- in the plural for the third conjugation. The past is formed with the same infixes, but slightly different endings (different vowels). The future derves etymologically from an infix -iv- or -ev, but the v was almost always lost, and the vowels have interacted to form something of a mess. keyzum kezijú As seen above, the typical irregularity is a different vowel and/or final consonant, and affects both the 1s and 1p. The 3p will have the same root as the 1p (e.g. juguc, jidayc, keyzuc). The lexicon will give the 1s form, in these cases. In the rare cases where the 1s is regular and the 1p is not (keyzum), the lexicon will give the 1p form instead. The perfect subjunctive will have the same root as the 1p present indicative (e.g. jugugú, jidogú, keyzuswe). The 3s may follow the 1s/1p irregularity, may have its own irregular form, or may be regular. The lexicon will give the 3s form if it is irregular (e.g. juge, jic), but not if it is regular (e.g. ruwe, baus). Some infinitives are irregular; in this case the lexicon will give the root. In the 3rd conjugation, the 3s singular form is identical to the infinitive (irregular or not). De ‘give’ has an irregular present tense, shown below. Other forms are regular, based on the root d-, except for the present and past subjunctive whose root is dz-. Present xamučuc mojučeyc Šizenače ‘not be able to’, saragače ‘must not’, jidače the negative passive, and imišače ‘not begin to’ conjugate like zenače. There is no negative perfect, future, or subjunctive. DERIVATIONAL MORPHOLOGY Derived words are often inherited from Axunašin, which can make the derivation less transparent: the derivation Curau + -ri = coralaur ‘of Curau’ makes sense only in terms of the Axunašin equivalent Turaluri. Changes in vowels are common (saul + -ayc → sulayc ‘youth’; cf. Ax. suli → sulito); changes in final consonants are also seen (dax + -iš → dásiš ‘imperial’; cf. dax → daxiš). Many derivational suffixes are not accented in the singular; e.g. réuric, brúndeč, símex. The plural has normal accent: reurir, brundeš, simas. Such suffixes are marked “unacc.” below. General 1. Adjectives: -ic (unacc.; pl. -ir): gisu heavy → gisúnic weight 2. Simple actions: -u (pl. -ú): pij fear → piju orae leave → orau departure rues desire → rou desire 3. A state, process, or activity: -udo (pl. -udzú), or -audo following a syllable containing a front vowel: kuli gather → kuludo harvest ize be → izaudo existence revi new → revaudo newness 4. One instance of a repeated process, or one item from a mass: -uc (unacc.; pl. -aup). This is derivation has a pedantic feel and is mostly used in philosophy and science. baus inform → búsuc report šone head of hair → šónuc one hair 5. The result of a process: -eč (unacc.; pl. -eš): brunde promise → brúndeč a promise pece sing → pídeč hymn 8. A follower (like -ist) or inhabitant: -su (pl. -sú), a contraction of xuma ‘man’: Meša → mešasu follower of Mešaism beyludo enlightenment → beylusu enlightened one Jeor → jeorsu 9. Inhabitants and some occupations: -es (unacc.; pl. -é): Asuna Axuna → asúnes Axunemi jadziac sculpt → jadzíes sculptor uyku herd → úykes herdsman 10. Persons associated with a place (including some professions) may also use -iy or -ey (pl. -éy): Xurno → xurney jen forest → jeniy woodsman rina river → riney ferryman 11. Femininization: zim- or zin-. To be used sparingly; Xurnese is generally happy with unisex forms: šudzirc waiter, waitress; im prince, princess. nye king → zinnye queen The same suffix turns an adjective X into a verb ‘to make something X’: geun straight → gewmiac straighten 3. Bestowal of an object or condition: -de: nus name → naunde give a name to nar place → mride grant xe body → xede create 4. The suffix -šis roughly means ‘use X’; with body parts it often has a despective meaning: gil stream → gilaušis ford sou salt → solaušis add salt raun tongue → raunešis slander, insult jad butt → jadzišis move lewdly, live loosely 5. Added to an adjective, the suffix -bes (which is simply the verb ‘become’) forms a verb with the meaning ‘become X’: caun rotten → caumbes rot rauj red → raujives redden 6. A negative can be formed with -ač-; this is sometimes a survival of the Axunašin negative mood, sometimes formed by analogy. This suffix is not very productive; it’s generally preferable to use the auxiliary sače instead. rues want → rugačis not want zene know → zenače not know gerizas understand → gerizagač misunderstand sinde say → sindače not say 7. To undo an action, or remove something: o- (or- before a vowel): naušvar approve → onaušvar retract one’s approval jireac marry a woman → ojireac divorce šeguac bury → ošeguac disinter An auxiliary verb takes the final position, the infinitive appearing just before it. S O V → S O V-Inf Aux Toš to ray do šasaup rile šizen. 3s 3s.OBV in no flaws see can-3s She can see no flaws in him. If there are additional constituents between object and verb (e.g. adverbs or prepositional phrases), they remain between the object and infinitive. S O ... V → S Inf O ... Inf Aux To am šus bunji dis kes denjic. 3s.OBV one province some day govern hope-3s He hopes one day to govern a province. The Xurnese negative is an auxiliary, and follows this rule: Syu cu šus izrues šač. 1s that province envy not-1s Myself, I don’t envy that province. The noun always ends its noun phrase, thus following Adjectives: mip xuma a rich man Genitive pronouns: ir nus my name Numbers: buma civel two horses Subordinate clauses: cu xandze na nue the cat who fishes Postpositional phrases: xauvisi tes xumi men without hats Pronouns Subject pronoun usage is as follows: It is usual to omit the pronoun syu ‘I’, except for emphasis: Syu lumú As for myself, I bathe Tas ‘we’, yes / myes ‘you’ and kyes ‘they’ must always be included. (They don’t need to be repeated within a sentence, however, and in very colloquial speech they are sometimes omitted.) Toš ‘he/she’ is more often present than not. Pronominal objects occur in the same locations as nominal objects (that is, after the subject): Myes mavú, myes i mava, tas wéneš koros. 2p.acc love.1s / 2p.nom 1s.acc love.3s / 1p happy family I love you; you love me; we’re a happy family. The accusative form of pronouns is used with a postposition: toy eš against us. 2s pronouns take 3s verb forms, and 2p pronouns take 3p verbs. The obviative 3s form to is used to disambiguate two referents. Sulayc li tir mayp mirileju; toš i šigosuac pel to šači. youth and 3s.GEN mother met-1s.past / 3s 1s.acc bore-3s but 3s.OBV not-3s I’ve met the boy and his mother; he bores me but she doesn’t. If the topic switches to the referent of to— in the example, if the speaker went on to concentrate on the boy’s mother— then toš is used instead. Thus, toš is used for the first of two named referents, or for the main topic of the conversation. If a sentence contasts toš and to, it may distinguish the genitives otoš and oto. If ambiguity is not likely, tir should be used. Subject and object can be coreferential: Yes yes lajiji You hit yourself. In the 1s/1p the subject is normally omitted: I lajije I hit myself. The 3p Kyes kyes lajijeyc is ambiguous between They hit themselves and They hit some other people. The 3s Toš toš lajiji He hit himself / She hit herself is not ambiguous, since if two people were involved it would be Toš to lajiji. The adverb tirse can optionally be included to ensure a reflexive meaning; as the object pronoun is redundant it may be omitted: (Kyes) tirse lajijeyc. Verbs of personal grooming are understood to be reflexive if no object is specified: Laumijú I washed myself. Reflexives can never be used (as in Verdurian or Spanish) for an impersonal meaning (se habla español). With plural referents, the reflexive always indicates that each person acted upon himself. The expression ceš playnu ‘this one the other’ indicates a reciprocal meaning. Compare: Kyes kyes tirse jesejayc. They each killed themselves. Kyes kyes čes playnu jesejayc. They killed each other. Impersonal expressions Impersonal verbs do not take a subject: Mojuri ze It’s possible; Nuw It’s raining. The expression ros ‘people’ can be used much like an indefinite pronoun. In colloquial speech ros is often omitted, leaving an impersonal 3p verb. (Ros) yajirc tom Yajirc naundayc. (people) hunter to ‘hunter’ call-3p They call the hunter ‘Hunter.’ Tas ‘we’ can be used as an inclusive impersonal expression: Tas toš Yajirc naundom We call him Hunter. Similarly myes ‘you’ can be used to refer to the listener’s people: Myes toš ‘yagom’ naundayc You (Verdurians) call him ‘Yagom’. This impersonal myes is always distancing; don’t confuse it with the informality of English impersonal you as in You know how women are. Impersonal rile ‘see’ is used as an existential, rather than ize: Buma edumi rilayc, li palači am zú. two idiot.PL see-3p / and only one be-1s There are two idiots here, and only one is me. Niormen ray cu mavije na moz rilejuc. Niormen in that love-PAST.1s SUB girl see-PAST.3p There was a girl in Niormen that I loved. deysaur sigac The cardinal numbers are not declined: am yeys one feather, seči dim six days. Ordinals are regular adjectives and have plural forms: puc runi the second city, pucú runú the second cities. Two-digit numbers are formed by concatenation (cidešdzi 43, šidešyauš 78) except for those with final 1, which becomes -mam (a survival of Ax. mu): pudešmam 21, and -6 which becomes -šeči. Names of the hundreds use the same prefixes as the tens: pusigac, dzisigac, etc. Thus peysigač šideššeči 576. Ezir ‘1000’ however is a separate word: seči ezir 6000. Higher ordinals are formed by changing the last digit only. Years are reckoned from the foundation of Xurno in 2530 (buma ezir peysigac dzideš); the current year, Z.E. 3480, is thus 950 (nesigac peydeš). Sometimes years are counted from the Revaudo revolution (3017), making the current year 463 (cisigac sedešdzi). Xurnese has postpositions rather than prepositions. (Thus Xurnese is consistently head-final.) postposition xur beside, next to Thus mes cumoro like a woman, rile eyka in order to see, bes rano along the road, Xurno ray ‘in Xurno’; cu rum eči dmuro during that long summer. The Axunašin adverbial suffix -iwa survives in Xurnese as ga, but has been reinterpreted as a postposition: rey ga ‘newly’, dam ga ‘smoothly’, gisu ga ‘importantly’. It can apply to other postpositions, to indicate a direction: neyo ga ‘across’, ray ga ‘inward’, etc. Ga can be applied to nouns as well. It is used with the plural form, though no plural meaning is intended: rilúšeč appearance → rilušeš ga in appearance, seemingly nox night → nozú ga at night šec experience → šedzú ga in (our) experience, as experience shows Possession is indicated using o, thus: Deru o dus Deru’s house. Colloquially the genitive pronoun may be used instead: Deru tir dus Deru his house. Tom indicates the indirect object: Šudzirc nízeš jerej kaymirc tom dej. waiter nutty bag customer to give-PERF The waiter gave the customer a bag of nuts. Indicative The indicative is used for facts. The present always indicates that an action or state is going on right now. It corresponds to various tenses in English. With states (‘be, please, believe, want, look at, understand, know’), it indicates an ongoing condition; we also use the present for these. With ongoing processes (‘date, study, travel’), actions that can be continued for some time (‘read, dance, walk, eat’) or weather (‘rain, be warm’), it indicates that the process is happening right now; we use the present progressive for this (I’m dating Itep; He’s dancing; It’s raining). With conditions that began in the past and still continue, Xurnese uses the present indicative where we often use the past perfect: Inex ray buma sum komú I have lived in Inex for two years. With simple actions, the present indicative has a progressive meaning: čirú I am cooking. The past indicates that the action or state was happening at the time under discussion. In a narrative, statements in the past do not imply that the condition is no longer true (Xurno was in Ereláe, I lived in Inex, It was raining). With simple actions, the past normally serves as an imperfect: Borma resije I was climbing the mountain. The perfect is prototypically used for completed actions. With simple actions, it indicates that the action was completed: Borma resijú I climbed the mountain (reaching the top); Šebreč aycaurijú I read the book (and finished it). With verbs of motion, it emphasizes that the motion is done— perhaps just this minute: Tas xamejom We’ve arrived, we’re here. For processes or ongoing states, the perfect has an intensive or emphatic meaning: nuij It was really raining, Dzusey bumeacú I fervently followed the teacher. The future expresses events believed reliable. It may be used for intentions (raeyu I will go), but not for conditional or hypothetical situations. The subjunctive is used for counterfactual, desired, or dubious states. It can be used alone for potential or doubtful actions or states: Pečrešey yes lešrilen. You say dancers are monogamous?? In an emphatic sentence, the subjunctive alone expresses a wish: Cu mul buma na pečrešey xauč šu! that fat cow SUB editor dead be-3s-SUBJ I wish that fat cow of an editor were dead! More typically, the subjunctive is used with auxiliaries or in subordinate clauses to suggest that the described state is hypothetical, wished for, or doubtful. Ševarirc maus niudo mu ci elas ševarij, cu tas cuš aycaurimum eyka. author much kindness with this lines write-3s.perf SUB we that read-1p.SUBJ for The author very kindly wrote these lines in order that we might say them. Cu myes geun miw mu li geun ximaudo mu aycauryeyc citun bezzú. that you correct words with and correct order with read-3p.SUBJ therefore beg-1s I beg of you, then, that you say them with the right words and the right order. The verbal system is extended with a limited number of auxiliaries: Auxiliary passive no The auxiliary is inflected, while the formerly main verb appears in the infinitive, just to its left. The subject, object, and any adverbials that are present are not affected, and in effect are shared by both verbs. Yes mavyú → Yes mavis šač. you love-1s → you love-INF not-1s I love you → I love you not. Maysu xivije → Maysu xip zeneji. iliu swim-3s.PAST → iliu swim-INF know-3s.PAST The iliu was swiming → The iliu knew how to swim Ci sus o dzuzovugeš dzulé xu ize meuš. this year of play-PL most bad be-INF may-3p This year’s plays may be the worst ever. Naturally, the auxiliaries may appear in the subjunctive. Berdursú xudimayc → Berdursú xude raimayc. Verdurian-PL cheat-3p.SUBJ → Verdurian-PL cheat-INF go-3p.SUBJ They say the Verdurians are cheating → They say Verdurians habitually cheat. The subjunctive softens the meanings of certain auxiliaries: zene ‘know how to’ → ‘know a bit how to; xame ‘intend to’ → ‘think about doing’; šaras ‘must’ → ‘should’. Šukeac zenidú. Jadziac šarasidú. As the first example shows, sentences are negated using the auxiliary sače. Pipaup berdursu riju ray orkime šačum. drunk Verdurian room in hide-INF not.1p We are not hiding a drunk Verdurian in the room. Šače is optional if other negative words are present. Toš inar duoyo (zi / ize šuči), cu xunj na grišnar ray cinar nudzú. 3s here never (be-PAST.3s / be-INF not-PAST.3s) / that snore-3s SUB closet in there point-1s He has never been here, especially in that closet that is snoring there. Sentences with auxiliaries are negated by using the negative auxiliaries (which are highly irregular; see the morphology section ). Maysu xip šučuc → Maysu xip zeynučuc. iliu swim-INF not-3s.PAST → iliu swim-INF not.know-3s.PAST The iliu wasn’t swiming → The iliu didn’t know how to swim In English we can distinguish between negating the auxiliary and the main verb: I don’t know how to get noticed vs. I know how to not get noticed. This distinction is not usually made in Xurnese; the negative auxiliaries only negate the auxiliary itself. (It’s possible to use the -ač- suffix to negate any verb, but this is rather hifalutin, like coining a word: I know how to get unfamous. In addition to the normal auxiliary structure, denjidze ‘hope’, rues ‘want’, and xame ‘intend’ can take a full subordinate clause, which must appear in the subjunctive; this is used when wishing or intending someone else to do something. Compare: Xauč ize denjidzú. He intends to publish my book. Cu xamunar ir šebreč imprimide na xam. that salon my book print-3s.SUBJ SUB intend-3s He intends for the Salon to publish my book. Denjidze ‘hope to’ does not have a negative form; but the subordinated clause can be negative. Xurnese grammarians used to prohibit the use of more than one auxiliary in a sentence; but it’s clear that colloquial speech has allowed this for centuries, and it is now common in the written language as well. Some examples: Deru yu šuema imise zene rap. Deru good beer find-INF know-INF habitual-3s Deru always knows where to get good beer. Ševarirc toy grijil xame mojači. writer us confuse-INF intend-INF may-NOT-3s The writer may not intend to confuse us. Cu šebreč aycaur rae xameju, pel i šigosuac. that book read-INF habitual-INF intend-PAST-1s / but me bore-3s I was fixin’ to keep reading that book, but it’s boring. Uneducated speakers are known for conjugating all the auxiliaries rather than just the last one: Toš imise zenú mojú. In the standard dialect, commands are expressed using the infinitive: Ci kasum oyes euma e čeji. this basket your grandmother to take-INF Take this basket to your grandmother. Wes e xuxame pel teris. artist to approach-INF but be.silent-INF Approach the artist but be silent. Colloquially, the present tense may be reduplicated to form an imperative: Ir emu ujú— ra ra! my husband hear-1s / go-3s go-3s I hear my husband— Go! Xurnese does not have the wide range of softened pseudo-imperatives that English does. When an imperative is softened, it is normally by use of diminutives: Déruis, bic i de. deru-DIM / grape me give-INF Deru darling, pass me a grape. Commands were given using the future and subjunctive, as in Axunašin, until the Revaudo revolution, when these usages were seen as hopelessly class-ridden. They still survive in some remote provinces (generally the same ones which still use the ‘royalist’ pronouns). Ize ‘to be’ is normally omitted in the present tense, in the second and third persons: Ševarirc wéneš. Tir šebreč makri. Yes izruirc. writer happy / 3s.GEN book successful / 2s envious The writer is happy. His book is successful. You are envious. It reappears in other tenses: Tir šebreč makri zi ‘His book was successful’. The constituents can be swapped: Wéneš ševarirc. Makri tir šebreč. happy writer / successful 3s.GEN book Happy is the writer. Successful is his book. In the first person the verb is still required in the written language (Wéneš zú I am happy), but in colloquial speech it’s omitted (Syu wéneš). The verb is not omitted in impersonal expressions: mojurači ze It’s impossible. Ize is not used as an existential; see Impersonal expressions . Peje ‘stand’ is used colloquially to express one’s current or temporary state; thus Wéneš pejú I’m happy right now, Toš braup pej He’s busy at the moment. It’s also used for time expressions: Nimala peje It’s market day. With the past participle (not the infinitive) and in the past tense, peje indicates that the events described occurred at an earlier time, much like the English past perfect. Jorumíex omeunijayc, pel jošmir oraup pejeji. council deliberate-PAST.3p / but opportunity leave-PP stand-PAST.3s The council deliberated, but the opportunity had past. 2. By appending the conjunction ma: Yes šuema imisej ma? Did you find the beer? 3. By appending the phrase ma jende ‘or how’, the origin of the previous form: Berdursu ez šuema picayš ma jende? Verdurian every beer drink-PERF.3s or how The Verdurian didn’t drink all the beer, did he? 4. Using jic before the verb— an inheritance from Axunašin jiti: Muré nanú dmuna jic gemayc? Muran-PL god-PL still Q accept-3p Do the Uṭandal still believe in gods? Questions usually use the indicative, but the subjunctive can be used instead to suggest that the suggested state is absurd or unlikely. In writing it’s still normal to respond to questions as in Axunašin, using the verb (imisejú I found it); but colloquially one responds cunde ‘that way, yes’, šači ‘it isn’t’, or donde ‘no way, not at all’. Interrogatives always appear just before the verb. (As ji ‘who/what’ has an accusative je, this causes no confusion as to whether the remaining argument is subject or obejct. Je is also used with postpositions.) Ir jira tom jiváteč nao ji bausij? my wife to liquor about who tell-PERF-3p Who told my wife about the liquor? Xauč peš pišši je etešayš? dead near until whom whip-PAST-3s Who did she whip senseless? Xamunar o rireširc jideym xam? salon from inspector when come-3p When is the inspector from the Salon coming? Mes i cunde tun rešeji? woman 1s.ACC that.manner why look-PAST.3p Why did the woman look at me like that? The use of the subjunctive implies that what is questioned may not exist, or is unlikely to be known: Peranagu e bes jinar šu? Fananak to road where be-SUBJ.3s Where is the road to Fananak? In this case the subjunctive signals the absurdity of the question: Fananak is across the ocean, so there is no road there. There are some dialects where interrogatives appear where the corresponding NP would: Ji i čaujeji? Who touched me? This sounds unutterably rustic to anyone from the Xengi valley. Two sentences can be linked with a conjunction, e.g. S1 li S2 ‘S1 and S2’. As in Axunašin, a simple conjunction may be used where we use a subordinator. Yes xaušmelač luk oraeyu. The conditional is similar to Axunašin in that keno ‘if’ is a simple conjunction; but both clauses appear in the subjunctive. subj S1 keno subj S2 Oyes mavirc xamim keno, zenaup ga kejideym šu. your lover come-3s.SUBJ if / certain ADV dinner be-3s.SUBJ If your boyfriend is here, it is surely dinnertime. For past conditions, use the past subjunctive; there is no tense substitution as in English: Ševarirc xorneacaux keno, tir emur jecaux. writer err-3s.PERF.SUBJ if / 3s.GEN husband laugh-3s.PERF.SUBJ If the writer had made a mistake, her husband would have laughed. As there is no negative subjunctive, negative conditions and consequences are simply expressed using the negative auxiliary: Kissu i raunešis šuči keno, syu toš yalu eš nejlaj šuč. child 1s.ACC insult-INF not-3s.PAST.SUBJ if / 1s 3s.ACC knee against kick-INF not-1s.PAST.SUBJ If the boy had not insulted me, I wouldn’t have kicked him in the knee. For logical consequences of sure facts, Xurnese doesn’t use keno but simple conjunctions such as cutun ‘therefore’: Pudis peje, cutun Rajjay ray izom. second-day stand-3s / that.reason Rajjay in be-1p It being the second day of the week, this must be Rajjay. Pronominalization Pronominalization can be seen as a transformation: an NP is replaced by a pronoun. (However, I’ve never liked this way of looking at it, because it makes no sense as a theory of utterance generation. Why generate NPs (itself a complex process) only to throw them out? It might make more sense to posit depronominalization: deep structure has prounouns, or just referential indices, and some of these are expanded into NPs. This would also explain why pronominalization, unlike other transformations, continues into subsequent sentences, even those uttered by another speaker.) S O V → to O V → S to V → Kyes ševarirc ziduc. They hate a writer. → Pečrešéy toš ziduc. Editors hate him. → Kyes toš ziduc. They hate him. The singular equivalent isn’t Toš toš zic, but uses the obviative: Tos to zic or To tos zic. It’s also possible to pronominalize with ceš ‘this one’ or cuš ‘that one’, especially with inanimates, or when making contrasts between two referents. Deru buma mozú mnošuac. Ceš zimaysu, li cuš isaur. pname two girl-PL date-3s / this.one pretty and that.one smart Deru is dating two girls. One is pretty, and the other is smart. Axunašin formed nominalizations using the infinitive, and this construction is imitated in Xurnese, though since Xurnese lacks Axunašin’s cases, the arguments are unmarked: S O V → S O V-inf Xamunar ir šu gemej. → Xamunar ir šu gemi salon my uncle admit-3s.PAST → salon my uncle admit-INF The salon admitted my uncle. → the salon admitting my uncle. The infinitive expression can be used as a predicate, where we would use a subordinated impersonal expression: Xamunar ir šu gemi mojuri. salon my uncle admit-INF possible The salon admitting my uncle is possible, or, It’s possible that the salon admitted my uncle. Or it can be used as an argument to a verb: Xamunar ir šu gemi buguc. salon my uncle admit-INF talk-3s They’re talking about the salon admitting my uncle. If the infinitive expression is used as the object, the subject must come just before the verb; Xamunar ir šu gemi Inex baus Inex is talking about the salon admitting my uncle. The imperative , discussed above, uses the infinitive transformation. The use of an auxiliary can be considered a transformation. Adding the auxiliary, the underlying sentence is infinitivized, and its verb morpology is transferred to the auxiliary. S O V-morph → S O V-Inf Aux-morph Cu xušimirc etešip → Cu xušimirc etešis šarasiye. that upstart whip-FUT.1s → that upstart whip-INF must-FUT.1s I will whip that upstart → I’ll have to whip that upstart. Xurnese also uses lexicalized nominalizations, much as English does; e.g. gemaudo ‘admission’. The arguments cannot be simply placed before the nominalization, but must be converted into postpositional phrases, using nao ‘about’ for the subject and e ‘to’ for the obejct: Xamunar ir šu gemej. → The salon admitted my uncle. → Xamunar nao ir šu e gemaudo salon about my uncle to admission the salon’s admission of my uncle These postpositions must be used with pronouns as well: toš nao gemaudo his admission. (Don’t use the genitive: tir gemaudo.) x (y z V1) V2 → x cu y z V1 na V2 (y z V1) w V2 → cu y z V1 na w V2 An entire sentence can serve as the object or subject of the verb. Cir šemilircú cu zešnasú boru ga Cuwoli ray reatuc na gejayc. our agent-PL that Dhekhnami-PL true ADV Cuoli in move-3p SUB tell-3p Our agents report that the Dhekhnami are indeed active in Cuoli. Cu yes šwedze xam na i xušim. that you argue-INF intend-3s SUB me amuse-3s It amuses me that you wish to argue. As noted above, the subordinated clause appears in the subjunctive if it is not a matter of fact. With verbs of speaking or thinking, the subject is normally moved before the verb. Cu braunic mavis na šuč na geyma sindej. that truth love-INF SUB not-PAST.1s SUB lady say-PERF.3s The lady said I did not love the truth. This is indirect speech, and tenses match the narrative (e.g. the lady spoke in the past, so ‘love’ is also past). Direct speech omits the initial cu and replaces na with cuš ‘that’: Píješ xaundirc ze, geyma cuš sindej. filthy liar be-3s / lady that say-PERF.3s The lady said, “You are a filthy liar.” As noted above, two sentences can be linked with a conjunction: Yes xaušmelač luk oraeyu. 2s disrepectful therefore leave-1s.FUT Because you are disrespectful, I will leave. However, it’s also possible to highlight the subordination by enclosing the subordinate clause within a cu...na block. Formally this turns the conjunction into a postposition, and the subordinated constituent normally moves after the subject (and object if any) in the sentence: S1 conj S2 → S2 O2 cu S1 na conj V2 Cu yes xaušmelač na luk oraeyu. that 2s disrepectful SUB therefore leave-1s.FUT I’ll leave, since you are being disrespectful. It’s difficult to suggest the same effect in English; stylistically, the subordinate clause is less important, more of an adverbial comment than a structured logical argument. At the same time it’s more integrated into the sentence, and feels less spontaneous, more bookish. S O1 V1 & S O2 V2 → cu O1 V1 na S O2 V2 S1 O V1 & S2 O V2 → S2 cu S1 V1 na O V2 A clause is relativized with the cu..na block: Cu am breši ma na xuma ir jira jesej. that one arm have-3s SUB man my wife kill-PERF.3s A man with one arm killed my wife. Cu toš popej na breš dmuna mú. that he lose-PERF.3s SUB arm still have-1s I still have the arm which he lost. Ci ‘this’ may be used where additional information is being offered about someone already referred to. A clause cu NP V na is ambiguous between a reading where the NP is the subject or the object: cu mes jesej na could mean that killed a woman or that a woman killed. The clause can be disambiguated by including the obviative pronoun to in place of the relativized argument: cu to mes jesej na that killed a woman, cu mes to jesej na that a woman killed. The use of to allows a constituent from a doubly embedded clause to be relativized; this can’t be done in standard English. [Xuma dzuzovúgeč ševarij] [Jorumíex dzuzovúgeč empojačiji] xuma ilirileju → man play write-PERF.3s / council play disallow-PAST.3s / man meet-PAST.1s [the man wrote the play] [the Council banned the play] I met the man Cu Jorumíex cu to ševarij na dzuzovúgeč empojačiji na xuma ilirileju. council play disallow-PAST.3s / man play write-PERF.3s / man meet-PAST.1s I met the man who the Council banned the play he wrote. A relative clause may include another: Cu Inex ray keume na mavirc mnošuac na xairc that Inex in live-3s SUB girlfriend date-3s SUB student a student who has a girlfriend who lives in Inex Cu is not reduplicated. If it’s desired instead to subordinate multiple clauses to the same noun, use a conjunction: Cu Inex ray keume na li mavirc mnošuac na xairc that Inex in live-3s SUB girlfriend date-3s SUB student a student who has a girlfriend and who lives in Inex Causatives E O V → S cu O V-inf E-acc na dem-morph Causatives use the same verb as Axunašin, de ‘give’. The caused action is placed in a cu..na block, the verb appearing in the infinitive. Yojaup rindeju. → Zendey cu syu yojaup rinde na dayš. teacher that 1s nude draw-INF SUB give-PAST.3s The teacher made me sketch the nude. Empeuš ‘allow’ uses the same construction, as do yac ‘command’, ruje ‘force’, ruzene ‘ask for’, and many others. Syu cu bunji yojú ir emu rile na empeuš šač. I that some nude-PL my husband see SUB allow-INF not-1s I don’t allow my husband to see any nudes. The causer may be left out (taking cu with it). The resulting sentence suggests impersonal causation or a lack of responsibility: Syu yojaup rinde na dayš. 1s nude draw-INF SUB give-PAST.3s I was made to sketch the nude. Front the object (as described below ), and we have something close to a passive: Yojaup syu cuš rinde na dayš. nude 1s that.one draw-INF SUB give-PAST.3s The nude was sketched by me. The subject may now be omitted, and the verb changed to jidze ‘suffer’, for an impersonal passive: Yojaup rinde na jidzeji. A clause can be subordinated to a pronoun as well, forming an adverbial. The demonstrative pronouns are used, not the interrogative as in English—e.g. use cideym ‘then’, not jideym ‘where’. Cu mulayc pec na cideym aujikulur mum. that fat-person sing-3s SUB then musical have-1p When the fat woman sings, we have opera. Cu kešaup dzuséy kejačejuc na cinar kejeyu. that separated master-PL eat-PAST.3p SUB there eat-FUT.1p We will be eating where the Hermit Masters fasted. Indefinite pronouns can be used as well; compare the meaning of the last example with various pronouns substituted for cinar: inar → We will eat here where the Hermit Masters fasted. donar → We will eat in no place where the Hermit Masters fasted. amnar → We will eat some place where the Hermit Masters fasted. eznar → We will eat everywhere the Hermit Masters fasted. Such an adverbial can be subordinated to a noun. Neyosu šigri ga cu Yute mirile denjidzeji na pucišnar imisej. foreigner difficult ADV that Yute meet expect-PAST.3s SUB atelier find-PERF.3s With difficulty, the foreigner found the Atelier where he was supposed to meet Yute. No pronoun is generally used; but if it’s unclear whether the subclause indicates when something happened, or where, or even why, the pronoun can be included inside the clause: Neyosu šigri ga cu Yute cinar mirile denjidzeji na pucišnar imisej. foreigner difficult ADV that Yute there meet expect-PAST.3s SUB atelier find-PERF.3s A time expression can also be subordinated to a postposition, e.g. dmuro ‘during’, dzus ‘after’, dzušši ‘since’, pip ‘before’, pišsi ‘until’: Cu joraumirc xamey na pišsi keji šačum. that councillor come-FUT.3s SUB until eat-INF not-1 We will not eat until the Councillor arrives. Idiomatically, peje ‘stand’ plus a subordinated dzus clause expresses that something has just happened, and with a pip clause that it is just about to happen: Cu ir gejúpuy tasije na dzus pejú. that my novel finish-PAST.1s SUB after stand-1s I’ve just finished my novel. Some adjectives can take subclasuses, formed as usual with cu...na, with the subordinated verb in the infinitive: Cu oyes endevausirc ize na gesauliri zú. that your mentor be-INF SUB proud be-1s I’m proud to be your mentor. Cu yes sor na wogri zú. that you hurt-INF SUB sorry be-1s I’m sorry that you are in pain. Fronting S O V → O S cuš V Normal constituent order is SOV; the direct object may be fronted if cuš ‘that one’ is left in its place. Objects are normally fronted to topicalize them. Ir jira ci jadzíes toy koma e mneušije. my wife this sculptor our home to invite-PERF My wife invited this sculptor to our home. → Ci jadzíes ir jira cuš toy koma e mneušije. this sculptor my wife that.one our home to invite-PERF This sculptor, my wife invited him to our home. The object of a postposition can be fronted in the same way; note that the postposition is duplicated, appearing after both the fronted object and the inserted demonstrative. → Toy koma e ir jira ci jadzíes cuš e mneušije. our home to my wife this sculptor that.one to invite-PERF Our home, my wife invited the sculptor there. Indirect objects are postpositional phrases and work the same way: Kaymirc tom šudzirc nízeš jerej cuš tom dej. customer to waiter nutty bag that.one to give-PERF The customer, the waiter gave him a bag of nuts. Backing S O V → S V O An NP or postpositional phrase can also be moved to the end of the sentence; this generally highlights the constituent, for drama or to express suprise or shame. Roc xayórex šaup imisejayc xa. people pavement under found-PERF.3p corpse Under the pavement they found a corpse. It’s even possible to back a constituent from inside a subclause: Šonuatirc cu alui o raun andeym šudziac mojuri na zeniseji. detective that lark of tongue sometime serve-INF possible SUB ask-PAST.3s The detective asked if they had ever served lark’s tongue. → Šonuatirc cu andeym šudziac mojuri na zeniseji alui o raun. → detective that sometime serve-INF possible SUB ask-PAST.3s lark of tongue A sentential subject or object may be backed, leaving cuš in its place and omitting the initial cu. Leave the final na for direct speech, omit it for indirect speech (or, in first person, a slight softening effect). Wogri ga yes cuš baus šaragú, ci ravom pija na. regretful ADV you that.one inform-INF must-1s / this canvas filth SUB I must regretfully inform you that this canvas is shit. The meaning of meaning We all know what meaning is, but no one can really explain it. It’s somehow related to reference, but not the same. For instance, Itep refers to a certain girl who lived in Inex during the Prose Wars; but the relationship between Itep and the word moz ‘girl’ is less clear. Moz doesn’t even refer to the set of all girls, though this does feel a little closer. We can declare that ‘girls’ are a natural class and pretend we’re done, but the concept of a ‘natural class’ doesn’t really hold up. For one thing, classes are vague... when exactly does a moz become a mes, a woman? Worse yet, classes depend on culture and language. The Axunemi, who maintained that there were three sexes, had a different idea of ‘girl’ than the modern Xurnese. Even where boundaries seem clear (a kissu ‘child’ is not marriageable, a moz is), they end up permeated by culture— e.g. the age of marriage depends on historical epoch, region (it’s higher in the cities), and even ecology (in bad times marriage is delayed). A key insight of Saussure was that the whole problem of single-word meanings could be sidestepped by looking instead at language as a structure. Meanings don’t exist in isolation; they’re circumscribed by their relationships with other words. Meanings may exist in binary opposition: eliri alive vs xauč dead. Meanings may divide up a linear continuum. Different languages may divide up the same continuum differently: English divides temperature into hot / warm / cool / cold, while Xurnese has just toro / yu / rauš. On the other hand, where English has just late, Xurnese distinguishes dzutri a little late from saur very late. Meanings may divide up a non-linear semantic space— e.g. color, social classes, directions, parts of the body, time, geographical features. A word may carve out a space for itself in opposition to other words. For instance, the general term for wrapped rather than fitted clothes— i.e. robes— is mínuc; but this excludes the short skirt, the neyreyki. The distinction originated in Axunemi times; males wore neyreykú while ewemi wore minaup. Similarly, Xurnese still distinguishes between xauvis helmet, stiff hat and néyuc cap, soft hat though the gender difference is obsolete. Two languages may have a similar number of terms, but the boundaries between them may differ. For instance, Xurnese has jimi and bormi where we have hills and mountains. But the transition point differs: a jima can be quite a bit higher than a hill. The Xurnese would consider the Appalachians to be jimi. (The mountains of Tanel and Gotanel are about this size.) Languages differ in what seems worth naming. For instance, Xurnese has a word for the back of the hand (runije), which English lacks. Almost anything may define a word apart from other words. Šwecis and res both refer to upward movement, for instance, but res implies effort on the part of the mover. English climb is even more specific, prototypically requiring the use of the hands. Meanings can be organized into hierarchies. For instance, a podi dog is a nečidirc mammal, which is a xalirc animal, which is an elirc living thing. As we know no other intelligent species, we are using to thinking of human beings as their own category, or as primates. On Almea xumauri humans belong to the class of šeš intelligent beings. Sometimes the same word may label two adjoining levels of a hierarchy. E.g. English uses man for both males and humans; Xurnese has separate words, xuma and xumaur. Xurnese divides the leg in two, xuc for the lower leg and reyk for the upper leg, but also uses xuc for the whole leg. Languages tend to lexicalize only certain distinctions: e.g. Xurnese animal names may be distinguished by gender and age (e.g. bus, buma, bim for male, female, and young cattle), while not systematically distinguishing by shape, animacy, or countability, as some other langauges do. It’s tempting to see this as an insight to the speakers’ categorization of the world, but if it is, the insight is into whatever remote ancestors derived the categorization. Modern preoccupations of the Xurnese such as art and the cosmic dance have not affected the structure of the language (though of course they are reflected in the lexicon). It’s worth noting that all cultures have categories; but not all emphasize them as we do. Premodern peoples—including the majority of Xurnese— tend to associate things by function, not category. Asked to find the subgroups within the set nue cat, red rabbit, teyp knife, the modern mind groups nue and red together as nečidircú mammals; the premodern groups red and teyp together on the grounds that knives are used to skin rabbits. Intention and utterance In English ‘meaning’ is used also for intention, which is probably an unfortunate linguistic coincidence. We must distinguish the speaker’s intention from a word’s or sentence’s signification (as in fact Xurnese does: eykraudo vs. núdzeč). An obvious example is irony: a speaker says Yes susaur You’re brilliant to mean the opposite. Sometimes an ironical meaning is even lexicalized: e.g. the Mešaic term šuvičik ‘seek enlightenment’ was used ironically so often by the Endajué masters that šwečis now simply means ‘to be spiritually confused’. Phatic communication is used to reinforce social bonds rather than convey information. For instance, English How do you do? is not a request for a medical diagnosis, it’s a greeting; the same is true of the Xurnese equivalent Maypayvú yunú?, literally Your parents are good? We may also distinguish an utterance from a sentence. An utterance is a single speaker saying something, at a particular moment in time, in a particular context. This gets so messy that linguists and logicians prefer to deal with sentences, abstract statements without context. The optimist hopes that by getting the abstract sentence right, we’ll be in a better position to plunge into the grimy specifics of utterances. The pessimist may feel that focussing on ‘sentences’ is so artificial as to be counter-productive. If we want to learn how humans use language, we won’t get far by throwing out most of our subject matter. We will focus on the interaction of language with the world under Pragmatics below. Meanings upon meanings Semantics is something like a rain forest: a huge area of obvious scientific interest, but not well mapped; paths have been hacked into it, but don’t seem to meet up to allow us to form a coherent overview. It’s evident that words are much more complicated beasts than they look like in the dictionary. We deal seemingly effortlessly with a large mass of information about each word: For verbs, their argument counts, and restrictions on what sort of thing each argument can be. For nouns, their classes. In English, the important distinction is not sex but count vs. mass noun: we know that oats and peas are count nouns but cotton and wheat are not. This too may vary by language: Xurnese evima oats is a mass noun, and mus cotton boll is a count noun. There are often idiosyncratic ways of referring to associated words: e.g. birds and sheep come in flocks, cows come in herds, fish in schools. In Xurnese domestic animals (e.g. cows or sheep) come in uykú, while small animals that move in unison (e.g. birds or fish) do so in ambrigas. Adjectives mean something different when applied to different things. A dari big beetle is smaller than a bip small moose. Applied to a class X, dari really means big as X goes. This becomes positively baroque with qualitative adjectives: a word like yu pleasant, suitable conveys very different things when applied to persons, dogs, meats, paintings, swords, poems, ores, or weather. Many adjectives can be used as an implied causative: toro can be used directly of something that’s warm, like a fire, but also of something that brings warmth, like boots (toro kenka). On the other hand this doesn’t work for all adjectives: a shoe that makes you taller can’t be called a reš kenka. Some adjectives are gradeable (e.g. reš tall), while some are binary (zimu female). (And somehow this distinction is not erased when we make the binary adjectives gradeable after all: pali zimu more female). Some words can be used only with a few other words; e.g. rancid can only by used for a few things (oil, butter); dasu rich can only be used for wine; eyke is a person only in a legal context. Words have lexical presuppositions; e.g. if we hear Jadzíes jireacije The sculptor got married we can presume that the sculptor is male, that he married a woman, that he had not married before, and that (in Xurno at least) he has no other legal wife. (There is a separate verb, emurac, used for a woman marrying a man.) We can often find out more and more about a word’s meaning just by looking closer; George Lakoff wrote a 46-page analysis of the single word over. This gets into knowledge of the world; but there’s no firm boundary between knowledge about the word and knowledge about the world. The complexity of meaning frustrates simplistic attempts to reduce meaning to reference or to componential analysis. Some words neatly decompose (e.g. bus ‘bull’ = male + adult + bovine); other are more difficult (what are the components of jadziac ‘sculpt’?). Another naive formulation is that all the members of a class have “something in common”, even if we are not sure what it is; Wittgenstein pointed out that this is not the case for many words, such as game, whose instances have family resemblances but do not all share a set of features. (This is even more true of šudo which also covers the ground of play, fun.) Language and logic Many linguists have tried to reduce language to logic; but it may be that the attractive simplicity of logic is due to it being underdeveloped. Logic has quite a few rules devoted to conjunction and quantification; rather than these being the only special operators needed, it may be that logicians have only gotten around to fully analyzing five words: and, or, every, some, and no. Grammarians generally go farther; the morphology and syntax sections of a grammar are essentially the language’s operators, with the predicates and arguments left to the lexicon. But the lexicon is not merely a list; we know quite a bit about each word. (Foreign-language lexicons such as the one attached to this grammar are brief because they omit many complications, and because by providing glosses they leverage our own real-world knowledge.) Syntacticians in the 1970s produced ‘semantic structures’ based on predicate calculus; e.g they would relate Itep sukirc jeseji. Some went on to treat nouns as predicates, leading to something like EXISTS x, y SUCH THAT NAMED(x, “Itep”) & RAPES(y) & CAUSE(x, DIE(y)) Perhaps the same meaning underlies other sentences: e.g. The rapist was killed by Itep has the same semantic structure, but undergoes an additional transformation; Did Itep kill the rapist? has the same structure plus an element Q which queries truth value. Many an ambitious grad student felt that, with just a few more semesters of work, the appropriate transformations could be modelled in LISP. It’s worth playing with, just to see how far it can be taken. But as a model of either meaning or how the brain processes language, it’s at best very incomplete. Meanings aren’t entirely preserved under transformations, notably when quantifiers are involved: The target was not hit by many arrows doesn’t mean the same as Many arrows didn’t hit the target. (The second sentence is compatible with many arrows hitting the target; the first isn’t.) William Poundstone wrote a fascinating essay focussing on why All ravens are black and All non-black things are non-ravens, though logically equivalent, are epistemologically different. Words like kill don’t behave syntactically precisely like their presumed components, such as cause to die; in particular each component can have separate adverbials: On Tuesday Itep caused the rapist to die on Thursday. On Tuesday Itep killed the rapist on Thursday. The initial attraction of such representations is their simplicity (e.g. the same deep structure underlies many surface structures). But the more you analyze, the more complex the predicate calculus gets. E.g. a šukirc ‘painter’ isn’t just an x for whom PAINTS(x) is true— Deru is a painter even if he’s not painting right now. A painter habitually paints. But someone can be a sukirc ‘rapist’ without habitually raping. Componential analysis isn’t very satisfactory anyway; there’s no explanation for the primitives, and many proposed primitives don’t seem that primitive anyway. The procedure assumes that surface syntactic details are not very important— they are mere stylistic variation. But that’ s a dubious assumption at best. Conveying factual information isn’t the only thing language does, and often it’s not even the most important thing. sustri earthy → macho saumes earth-lady → lesbian In early Xurno, solidarity against the barbarians was an essential virtue; one of the key metaphors was THE EMPIRE IS A FAMILY. (This can be traced back to Axunai, but it was much more marginal; Axunemi absolutism was not very paternalistic.) The emperor referred to both cities and subjects as his children; he was called payp father and his policies approved as payvaur paternal. The Revaudo revolution countered this with a new metaphor THE EMPIRE IS A PREDATOR; this underlies the slang term ricayc royalist (= ‘wolfish’) as well as the verb riciac oppress = ‘act like a wolf’. Other Xurnese metaphor systems which are not used in English, or used less extensively: AN ARMY IS A BODY newe brow → general šukeac paint → have sex šuke paint → semen I’ve emphasized lexicalized metaphors here, but most of these metaphors are productive and can be used in phrases as well, e.g. ende pope lose the path → go wrong. Grammaticalized metaphor Some metaphor systems are so basic that it may take a mental effort to recognize them as such. Examples: TIME IS SPACE, which allows us to use placement in space as a stand-in for order in time, and to treat blocks of time as spaces to be traversed. The postpositions dzus ‘in back of / after’ and pip ‘before’ can refer to either location or to time order. A period of time can be treated as a space one is travelling: cf. eči ray in summer, dus ray in the house. Spatial dimensions can be used to measure time. However, instead of using rizo/bip long/short for time as English does, Xurnese uses rum/teyk wide/narrow. EVENTS ARE OBJECTS, which extends the previous metaphor to treat actions (which would otherwise be rather intractable) as things which can be isolated and counted, and which can serve as grammatical subjects and objects. In other words, nomnalization is a metaphor, which allows us to treat a káymuc sale as concretely as we treat luji coins or jusam merchandise. ACTION IS MOVEMENT. We see this in the auxiliaries rae go → habitually do and xame come → intend to, or in the use of puxame return as resume, as in Neymore puxanejú I went back to sleep. The metaphor also underlies derivations such as orae leave → happen. AN INDIVIDUAL IS A SAMPLE. This pattern allows us to talk about an indefinite individual as a stand-in for its class: Japum buma rusi ma A goat has two horns. Older linguists are somewhat dismissive of metaphor— they seemed to file it under ‘rhetoric’, to be dealt with only after pragmatics. Lakoff underlined the ubiquity of metaphor; sometimes it’s the only way to talk about something. For instance, the metaphor THE MIND IS A COMMUNITY allows us to use our extensive social vocabulary to talk about our own minds: My heart tells me to do it; He is ruled by lust; She was divided on the subject; Your memory is deceiving you. He went further, identifying basic metaphors said to underlie our cognition, each based on direct bodily experience. E.g. the act of categorization itself is said to be a metaphor CATEGORIES ARE CONTAINERS. Perspective We can compare meaning to vision, in that words’ meanings tell us what we are looking at. Many words or expressions differ not so much in what we’re looking at, as in our point of view. Mass nouns may be taken as substances which appear homogenous at ordinary distances. We can mentally zoom in to see the individual constituents; in Xurnese the diminutive can be used for this: gilum wheat → gilúmis grain of wheat. We can zoom in to a smaller extent and treat the components of an object as entities: neywen o leš the front side of the bed. If an object’s plexity is changing, we can take the point of view either of the whole (Bumu ga paup čuzije The rock broke in two) or the pieces (Paup o teš čuzijuc The two halves of the rock broke apart). Similarly we can zoom out and group individual items into collectives. This may be done lexically (šuš bone → šúšex skeleton) or syntactically (bumi o uyku herd of cattle, nangi o kúlex a pile of oranges). An object may be treated as an extent (nelima o rumic buma meynú the box is 2 hands wide) or as a point (rónuc o nelima o dmuru bundeš meynú the box is 20 hands from the wall). Using the TIME IS SPACE metaphor system, events can be treated the same way: he lived for 70 years / he lived in the Age of Petty Kings. Verbs can be divided into those that focus on an instance (xaučis die, sinde say) or a process (neymore sleep, gemi believe). Some verbs can be used both ways (aycaur read, empeuš permit). An instance verb conceptualizes the action as occurring at a point in time: But if you zoom in close enough to something pointlike, it becomes a perceptible extent— that is, a process: Given an instance verb, we can zoom in to force a process reading: by using the simple present or past: xauče he’s dying, xaučayš he was dying with the -udo nominalization: xaučudo the process of dying We can also focus on the beginning or end of the process: Sinde imišeji. He began to speak Cu sindej na dzus pej. He’s just finished speaking With a process verb, we can zoom out till the process looks like a point again. Context alone may suffice: Grayeyu li neymoreju I’ll grab a bite and then sleep. The perfect forces an instance interpretation, either by emphasizing that the action is completed (cuš aycaurijú I read it) or just finished (neymoreji I slept (i.e. I’m rested, I finished sleeping). The -uc nominalization names a single instance of an action: neymóruc a period of sleep Or use a verb that treats the same action as an instance, e.g. yuwis take a breath instead of xale breathe. Either type of action can be repeated; this may be expressed using the habitual auxiliary rae. Sinde rap He keeps speaking. Aycaur rap He’s always reading. Locative adpositions are ambiguous between a static viewpoint (rina neyo wus the ball is across the river) and a moving one (rina neyo wus rase throw the ball across the river). A moving perspective may be implied even if nothing is physically moving, e.g. in the following examples by the highlighted time expressions: Rina neyo giesnar dzunyo jima. river across castle afterwards hill Across the river is a castle and then a hill. Rina rano kiras daumaur ga pejom. river along villages times ADV stand-3p There are villages now and then along the river. A pair of words may differ only by argument order: that is, the same situation is described from differing points of view. kaym / kaynes buy / sell emurac / jireac marry a man / marry a woman maypayvú / kissú parents / children Similarly, the choice of impersonal tas ‘us’ or ros ‘people’ depends on whether one pictures oneself inside or outside the group referred to: Bicikes ray dopalurač izom / ayzuc. Academy in arrogant be-1p / be-3p In the Academy we / people are rude. Categories and prototypes Not all members of a class are equal. Eleanor Rosch and George Lakoff have emphasized that classes have prototypes or central members; speakers consider these typical examples of the class, list them first if asked for examples of the class, and think about the class in terms of the prototypes. The prototype werc ‘bird’, for instance, is often a songbird— small, flying, and untamed. The prototypical cis ‘chair’ has a back in English but not in Xurnese. Naturally, this means that there are also untypical and marginal members of a class. Color terms vary widely between languages in number and boundaries, but the focal or prototypical colors are nearly identical: Xurnese širp green has the same focal color as Verdurian verde, Kebreni kyr, Old Skourene -arṭ, Uytainese hur, Trêng šuda. However, it’s not the same as English focal green, because the eyes of Almean humans are not quite the same; ‘Almean green’ is slightly bluer than our green. Languages may provide explicit ways of indicating how far a referent differs from the prototype: To indicate that (say) a bird is close to the prototype, we may say that’s a real bird. In Xurnese the expression is yumel werc. In English, technically or strictly speaking indicates that an item is far from the prototype but still a valid member of the class: The penguin is technically a bird. The Xurnese say zebiš ga, literally like a scholar (would say). If an item is outside the normal semantic boundaries but close, the previous expressions can be simply negated (The whale is technically not a fish). An alternative in Xurnese is to use nwenmel ga, literally lazily. Especially with abstract terms, people may not share the same prototypes, and this can lead to misunderstandings. A royalist and a Revaudo revolutionary could agree on what a nyei emperor was, but the one pictured a paternal lord, the other a tyrant. For a cleric, the word kejismel refined conjures up a picture of encumbering wordly luxuries; for an artist, it suggests erudite and sophisticated artworks. Basic categories Not all categories are alike; basic categories are more perceptually salient, are learned more early, and have simpler names. For plants and animals, for instance, basic categories nearly always correspond to the genus level: ekis maple, seyke maple, cuka rye, xulana cod, podi dog, bum bull/cow, red rabbit. (In the Cŕolile system used on Almea, this is the šix or surkest level.) The existence of basic categories answers Quine’s objection to ostension—e.g. that pointing to a rabbit cannot be used to define ‘rabbit’, since the speaker might be referring to rabbit noses, the act of running, or a miscellaneous collection of rabbit parts. Linguists studying language acquisition, such as Eve Clark, report that children apply some simple rules: use prelinguistic understanding of objects, containers, actions, and spatial relationships learn the basic words first reject synonymity: assume that each word heard has a different meaning Quine may see rabbit parts, but children see rabbits. Presumably they have evolved to do so; we are not tabulae rasae, and by the time we learn language we have strategies for dealing with it, provided both by our animal inheritance and by our experience exploring the world. Of course, these categories are basic to humans. This is clearest with human-oriented words like sis chair, which are defined not so much by shape as by interaction with the body. But even the taxonomic categories are not ‘natural kinds’ pre-existing in the world. They are natural to human minds interacting with the world with human bodies. Register As the spoken language of a dense urban culture, and the inheritor of a milennia-long literary tradition, Xurnese has a wide range of available registers. This grammar largely describes the written standard, usually just called Corauši or, if explicitly contrasted with other registers, geun šun ‘correct language’. Educated speech in Curau and Inex approximates the standard; in writing, one scrupulously avoids slang and regionalisms. Colloquial (ródeš) language allows some grammatical laxities (the most important have been noted in the text), but it is mostly distinguished by slang terms. Some lexical examples: Xurnese stuff Verdurian As in English, there’s a continuum from colloquial to slang to obscene registers. Slang goes hand in hand with regionalism; if you’re departing from the standard, you’ll probably head in the direction of your native speech. Bookish (sebrešu) language is found in scholarship, whether religious, magical, artistic, legal, medical, or scientific. It’s chiefly marked by Axunašin vocabulary, much as our own technical language is Latinate. Words do not appear in their Axunašin forms. Xurnese script is partly logographic (with the consequence that logographs don’t reflect pronunciation at all) and partly syllabic; but the syllabary is highly archaizing. For instance, the script still distinguishes Axunašin e/ei and ou/o; in fact, this is the only way the script distinguishes c and t, or dz and d. Initial consonant clusters are still written with the ancient vowel; e.g. mnaur ‘wear’ is written minaur, while Mnau the peninsula is written Menau. Axunašin endings would be unusable in Xurnese. Thus the Axunašin spelling is generally unavailable, unusable morphologically, or not distinctive anyway. Instead, Axunašin words are borrowed by meaning. Only if there is no clear cognate is the word borrowed by sound. The worst offenders are books on magic and Mešaism, which use words in their classical meanings (e.g. mneušis ‘invite’ is used in its ancient sense of ‘gesture’, mes ‘woman’ in the sense of ‘mistress’, xu ‘bad’ as ‘evil’). The earliest Endajué writings relate to a different stratum, the Old Xurnese of 1700 years ago. As these works are very familiar, the senses involve remain current, but may be restricted to religious contexts. For instance, dzaus ‘teach’ is still common, but for secular senses is replaced by zende, while xaleza ‘elite warrior’, like our ‘knight’, retains emotional resonance but is outmoded as a military term (cf. newe ‘general’, juysu ‘commander’). Modern scientific terminology (including manufacturing and navigation) contains its share of Axunašin, but also heavily borrows from Tžuro (e.g. jeku ‘steel’), Kebreni (šenu ‘clock’), and Verdurian (e.g. resteko ‘telescope’). late afternoon 4 to 6 p.m. Through the early Xurnese period the hours were sunrise to sunset, so they varied by the season. Astronomers and navigators preferred amuri (that is, equal-length) hours, and once good mechanical clocks existed (around the time of the Revaudo revolution), this became general. In ancient times the nighttime was not given hours; but kip ‘dusk’ was used for the first hours after sunset. By the Xurnese period the hour names were simply extended into the night, with the prefix nosuš ‘nocturnal’: e.g. nosuš yeucino mid-evening (8 to 10 p.m.). Now that lighting is better and evening events are common, the latter period is also known as kip dzus ‘after dusk’. Xurnese prefers its more specific names for time periods, and has no terms for ‘morning’ and ‘afternoon’. However, two adjoining periods can be combined: yeušircino ‘2nd/3rd hours’ = 8 to 12 a.m., širtaucino ‘3rd/4th hours’ = 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., etc. Few people recognize that the prefixes derive from the Wede:i numbers; their meanings are taken to be the times of the day, and can be used as abbreviations: e.g. taukéjuc ‘a meal eaten at noon’; baykejúcis ‘late afternoon snack’; pidéynduc ‘2:00 appointment’. Hours are typically divided by fractions, e.g. taucino teč ‘taucino plus half a šaruc’ = 3 p.m. Astronomers divided the šarus into 100 deymisi ‘instants’, and clocks now have a déymis hand, so that city dwellers, at least, deal with times like picino li yumudeš deymisi ‘5 hours 80 instants’ = 4:36 p.m. The hours can be used both to refer to the period of time, and to the instant that begins them. Thus taucino has increasingly displaced eudis ‘noon’, which however retains its metaphorical meanings such as ‘zenith, high point’. (For simplicity’s sake I’ve treated the šaraup as exactly two hours; in fact it’s slightly longer, as the Almean day is about 24 1/2 hours long.) The week (nedim) is nine days long; the days are: day 16 bešana - 15 cuéndimar March / April / May Days are numbered within the season: e.g. dzayndešpayk kuludo ‘the 35th day of fall’. Each season has 82 days. (Because this doesn’t match our year, exact Earth equivalents can’t be given.) The numbering aligns with the calendar, not the movements of the planet; thus am eči ‘the 1st day of summer’ is New Year’s and precedes the solstice. In ancient times the Axunemi emperors inserted a nonce leap day whenever the year wandered too far out of sync with the planet. This became chaotic in the Age of Petty Kings as a different schedule was followed in each kingdom. The Xurnese finally regularized the system by adding a leap day (an extra day in sumbrey) every five years. Names and titles The Xurnese have accumulated names from various sources. Eastern names tended to be two elements; compare Cađinor Vacunesec ‘shrine-born’, Aiďoctodos ‘god-wrath’, Axunašin Tazipivu ‘lightning-father’, Uliromez ‘glory-son’, Meivudeiz ‘rich-day’, Cuêzi Bēusoma ‘dream of peace’, Lerīmanio ‘powerful in seeing’. Most such names in modern Xurnese are inherited, but new names can still be created this way, though they may come off as pretentious or nostalgic. Names could also be created from single morphemes (e.g. Čeba ‘hawk’, Kuzun ‘wonder’, Yute ‘flower’). This process remains highly productive. The Xurnese borrowed names they liked from other peoples, or in some cases inherited them from conquered peoples as Axunašin and then Xurnese spread; the major donor languages were Wede:i, Jeori, Bucardo, Cuolese, Old Skourene, and Mei. The Xurnese like to make variants on a name, using alternate roots, suffixes, or even dialectal or orthographic variation. For instance, aulic ‘glory’ and its relatives lead to Aulic, Aulir, Auliri, Auliric, Aulayc, Aulimel, Aulis, Auluy, Ulis, Ules, Ulun. Only the nobility ever had family names, and this practice largely died out during the Revaudo revolution. The traditional way to disambiguate names is to use the patronymic and/or a locative: Bezu ma-Veon Bezu son of Beon Joraumiri Enirc Enirc of Joraumi Jamimbri Xayu ne-Rilirc Xayu daughter of Rilirc of Jamim Colony Patronymics appear after the name, a practice which dates back to Axunašin, where heavy modifiers could migrate after their head. The use of locatives is more recent and follows the standard modifier-head order. Naturally it wouldn’t do to have most of Inex surnamed Inegri; the locative may refer to the provenance of the parents or more remote ancestors. In the cities, people are most commonly referred to using titles: Aulic joraumirc Councillor Aulic Gašnue dzusey bicikesiy Master Academician Gašnue Kaleon empojaup neyosu Permitted Alien Caleon Raujic reyxu Lieutenant Raujic Yute saus Cousin Yute Everyone has a title—if nothing else róses ‘citizen’. If foreigners have a rank (e.g. dalonaysu ‘ambassador’, imimex ‘ship captain’) it’s used, otherwise they are neyosu ‘alien’, or empojaup if they are legal residents of Xurno. Other Thinking Kinds may be referred to using their species: Sulbelid gedzaysu ‘elcar Thulbelidd’. Within a family, kinship terms are preferred; elsewhere, religious, artistic, or military ranks. Titles of nobility are only used for foreigners (or in backwards areas like Bozan). The title follows the name; this is not an exception to the rule that the head appears last in an NP, since the title is the head, as can be seen by the fact that on second reference the name, not the title, is dropped. That is, if you’re talking to Enirc you normally call him by his title, jivirc, not by his name. If you are talking to multiple jivircú, you use the full name and title. Only close friends, lovers, and siblings use the name alone. The most charged despective vocabulary derives from Endajué: expletive spit me damn me! As Endajué disbelieves in gods and yet considers the Dance divine, you can insult someone both by calling them godless (nanač) or god-following (dzunan, nansu). The Mešaic formula for making an oath was (god) leš sindú I speak before (a god), and this was transferred to the Path (ende), the dance (cuš), the Greater and Lesser Principles (šwerayjú), or the masters (dzuséy). Oaths are heightened with a little sacrilege; the difference between cuš leš and cus eš is similar to that between “dammit!” and “damn me!” Similarly, to ask (say) Meša to curse someone, you said Meša toš puide! May Meša reject him! Endajué entities, abstract as they are, can be asked to do the cursing. (This construction is so ancient that it’s one of the few surviving uses of the subjunctive as an imperative.) As puide is now largely used literally (‘may it spit’), similar terms may be substituted, especially šauvide ‘may it vomit’ and mišide ‘may it piss’. Bodily functions are a rich source of despectives, especially pija ‘shit’ and mišu ‘piss’ and their derivatives. There are many vulgar terms related to sex, notably šim, jadzišis, dzaulišis, rijac ‘screw’, ri ‘be aroused’, zis ‘come’, naušis ‘suck’ There are two important differences from English, however. The relative charge of religious and sexual terms is reversed. To us ‘damn’ sounds weaker than ‘fuck’; but tegendi or end’ eš is much stronger than jadzišis (or pija). There is little of the Anglo-Saxon idea that there is something particularly shameful about being penetrated. Rather, all sex is considered animalistic, shameful, and somewhat ridiculous. Sex is notable for the relaxation of the usual linguistic restraint on synonyms. All of the following words can be glossed ‘have sex’, but there are differences in allowed subjects, body parts used, or language register. term PRAGMATICS In our own tradition pragmatics is something of the trash bin of linguistics: anything that didn’t fit into truth-conditional semantics was shoved aside into pragmatics, to be dealt with later if at all. However, many of the items put aside— utterances, speakers, conversational rules and strategies, speech acts, real-world knowledge— turn out to be pretty interesting, and close to the core of what language is. The boundary between semantics and pragmatics is vague and disputed, though as rough guide we may say that semantics deals with the meanings of words and sentences, while pragmatics deals with the way speakers use utterances in context. A short dialog may illustrate: A: Yes muru kissu. A: You’re an intelligent boy. B: Yes inar ray mneušije? 2s here inside invite-PAST.1s B: Did I invite you here? Semantics seems to fully explain both sentences, and yet it is unable to explain even the basics of the exchange. A’s statement is evidently irony, the sentence’s meaning being interpreted as its opposite (aided by the deliberate choice of an expression that is insulting when applied to an adult). B’s question is logically a non sequitur, but we have no trouble taking it as an insulting rejoinder. Neither utterance is intended to convey or query a proposition, and thus truth conditions are irrelevant. Yet these are not marginal examples; they’re typical of actual human conversation. Most broadly, pragmatics studies how language is actually used in the world. Deixis Expressions are deictic when their referents inherently vary by context. They are so basic to language that they were discussed many pages back: personal pronouns, demonstratives, words like idzum ‘now’ and cinar ‘there’. They are not at all mysterious; they’re chiefly interesting to logicians because they so glaringly prevent abstract evaluation of the truth of sentences. For instance, Cimai Aulirimes o payp zi. Timai Uliromez of father be-PAST.3s Timai was the father of Uliromez. is the sort of sentence logicians love; we can easily decide whether it’s true, or with more sophistication, consider the set of possible worlds where it is true. But we can’t do the same with Aulirimes o payp zú. Uliromez of father be-PAST.1s I am the father of Uliromez. This can only be evaluated as an utterance: its truth depends on whether the person who speaks or writes it is in fact the father of Uliromez. A related phenomenon is anaphora— expressions which refer to a previously cited entity or action. Cimai Asunai o nyei zi. Toš Aulirimes o payp zi. Timai Axunai of emperor be-PAST.3s / 3s Uliromez of father be-PAST.3s Timai was emperor of Axunai. He was the father of Uliromez. Here the logician is on firmer ground, since toš ‘he/she’ refers back to Cimai. The rules for interpreting anaphora can be complex (e.g. determining their scope), but the problems are largely technical. Note however that anaphora can be used without an antecedent—for instance, pointing at someone— and thus reduce to deixis: Toš Aulirimes o kissu ze. 3s Uliromez of child be-3s He [pointing] is a child of Uliromez. Extra points to readers who speculate that all words are in some sense deictic. For instance, Cimai in the first example might refer to my pal Cimai from dance class, and he’s not the father of anyone named Uliromez— he’s gay. Ordinary nouns like payp ‘father’ normally, like names, refer to single individuals rather than to a class. The difference from deictics is not binary; it’s a matter of how much additional informational content is provided. Yes ‘you’ provides only the information that the referent is singular and animate; compare Cuêzi lei which can only be used for females, or English you which is indeterminate as to number. A word like xumaur human provides little more information than these pronouns; a full noun phrase like Cimai o mul mau xursu Cimai’s fat bald neighbor offers quite a bit of information but still may be ambiguous. Ordinary language is a trap for logicians: people seem to make remarks and draw conclusions that don’t relate to what has been said. A: Deru Bicikes eyka jam? Deru Academy for object A: Is Deru Academy material? B: Deru. An, yu ze, plima lumaup. Deru / well pleasant be-3s / very clean B: Deru... well, he’s pleasant, very clean. If A were a logician, he would complain that B’s response is entirely irrelevant. Paul Grice pointed out that such replies make sense if we assume that speakers follow conversational maxims, and exploit apparent violations to convey subtle messages. The full maxims can be easily found elsewhere, but they can be summarized as follows: Quality: stick to the truth Quantity: be informative (but not over-detailed) Relevance: be relevant to the topic Manner: be clear, concise, and orderly B’s response violates the maxims of relevance and perhaps quantity. Why does B not directly address Deru’s qualifications for the Academy? Most likely, because there is nothing better to say about Deru. By flouting the maxims, B makes a conversational implicature that Deru is in fact incompetent. Often implicatures can be treated as adding unspoken propositions: the speakers can be taken as intending some specific statement (e.g. Deru šemilač Deru is incompetent) but not saying it. However, as Sperber and Wilson take pains to show in Relevance, there is no guarantee that all the implicatures of a statement are consciously present and intended. To take a simple case, B might have responded as follows to A’s query: B: An... Yes Deru mwele. well / you Deru know-3s B: Well... you know how Deru is. Like the first statement, this information is strictly irrelevant, and implicates that Deru is not a prime candidate; but unlike it, it does not commit to a simple proposition. It appeals to common knowledge without pinning it down— B may be referring to any number of known facts about Deru; B may not even be able to explain what Deru’s problem is; A’s impression of Deru need not be the same as B’s. (So much for the conduit metaphor of language: that the speaker has a fixed meaning in her head, dehydrates it into an utterance, and passes it to the hearer, who rehydrates it into a copy of her original meaning). Are the maxims culturally variable? Certainly what is relevant varies by culture. For instance, if B replied B: Toš jue li kezaudo o zebiš, li čeiyu sinc. 3s war and government of expert and Ṭeôši speak-3s B: He’s an expert in government and war, and he speaks Ṭeôši. this is irrelevant to a career in art, and we might take it to implicate that he shouldn’t study it. But in artist-run Xurno, the Academy is effectively the government, so the implicature would be that Deru could be a valuable Academician, despite his lack of purely artistic skills. More subtly, the Xurnese differ in their expectations as to Quality and Manner. For instance, the Xurnese are famous for understatement; they seem to follow a maxim Do not tell all you know. This is said to derive from the ways of speaking of the early Endajué kešaup dzuséy, or from the need for secrecy during the Gelyet occupation. For instance, in the statement Tir ew šemil šukirc li reykeumar Jamim o raysu. 3s-GEN grandfather competent painter and settlement Jamim of member Her grandfather was a competent painter and a member of the Jamim colony. the choice of adjective šemil ‘competent’ must be taken as high praise— we would probably say ‘outstanding’. A famous example is the reply of a Xurnese diplomat to an indiscreet query from a Verdurian: V: Oyes ros cu treše nowsuc na seješi ma? your country that black.powder burn-3p SUB machine-PL have-3s Does your country have machines that burn black powder [i.e., cannons]? X: Am. one We have one. The claim that the country has one cannon is rather absurd; the implicature is that Xurno possesses many more such devices, but that the speaker won’t specify how many. Similarly, the Xurnese idea of sufficient clarity falls far short of our ideas (or the Verdurians’). The kešaup dzuséy relied frequently on indirection and parable, while Xurnese poets strove for suggestiveness, wit, and erudite allusion. The following dialog would be rather impolite in Verdurian: A: Yes Inex ray neux? 2s Inex in be.born-PERF.3s Were you born in Inex? B: U Inex... Xurno o gopri melen. oh Inex .. Xurno of beating heart Ah, Inex... the beating heart of Xurno. B is quoting a poet, who happened to be a native of Inex. If A happens to know the poet, he might take B as implicating that he also is a native. On the other hand, the Xurnese feel no need to fully answer an idle question; a polite response is to say something else about the invited topic. B’s implicature might be taken as ‘I won’t say, but I am listening and I do acknowledge that we’re talking about Inex.’ Lexical implicatures Implicatures neatly address some puzzling aspects of quantifiers, among other things. For instance, Bunji keprisú xudircú Some Kebreni are cheaters is taken in logic to mean no more than that at least one Kebreni is a cheater. The logician insists that the statement is compatible with all Kebreni being cheaters. But in ordinary language we wouldn’t say bunji ‘some’ if ez ‘all’ was meant. Similarly we wouldn’t use it if we knew for sure that only one Kebreni was dishonest. So is the meaning of ordinary-language bunji (as opposed to logical some) more than one but less than all? Not at all, because we can without contradiction say: Bunji keprisú xudircú, zuryo ez. some Kebreni-PL cheater-PL / truly every Some Kebreni are cheaters, in fact all of them. We can say that bunji has the meaning of logical ‘some’, but has the implicature that the quantity is more than one and less than all. (By the maxim of quantity, if the speaker knows that all Kebreni are cheaters she should say so.) Implicatures can be explicitly denied without contradiction. Due to the Xurnese predilection for understatement, we can’t say that the example implicates (as the English gloss does) that most Kebreni are not cheaters. Similarly, Bicikesiy dzi endevugú ma The Academician has three protegés logically implies that he has two, but it implicates that he has no more than three. Again, the implicature can be explicitly overridden: Bicikesiy dzi endevugú ma, zuryo peyk The Academician has three protegés, in fact five. (If the implicatures are features of a word rather than deduced by the maxims of converation, Grice called them conventional implicatures; I prefer lexical implicatures.) Presuppositions are classically defined as inferences that survive negation of a sentence. For instance, these sentences Yes cu wu mes xaučij na zeneji. 2s that old woman die-PERF.3s SUB know-PAST.3s You knew that the old lady was dead. Yes cu wu mes xaučij na zeynuči. 2s that old woman die-PERF.3s SUB not.know-PAST.3s You didn’t know that the old lady was dead. both presuppose that the old lady was dead. So does the interrogative: Yes cu wu mes xaučij na zeneji ma? Did you know that the old lady was dead? The presupposition is associated with a trigger, in this case the word zene ‘know’. Auxiliaries generally preserve the presupposition as well: Yes cu wu mes xaučij na zene šarasimiji You should have known that the old lady was dead. There is a bewildering range of presuppositions, as suggested by the following list. The symbol >> stands for ‘presupposes’. The highlighted expression is the presupposition trigger. For brevity, only the positive is supplied in Xurnese. Deru Itep xwe tasej. Nyew dzuséy aujimijeyc keno, jam pali još šu. emperors masters listen-3p.PAST.SUBJ if / thing more good be-3s.SUBJ If the emperors listened to the Masters, things would / wouldn’t be better. >> The emperors didn’t listen to the Masters Xamunar nao ir šu e gemaudo i tazdeju. (nominalization) salon about my uncle to admission 1s.ACC shock-PAST.3s The salon’s admission of my uncle shocked / didn’t shock me. >> The salon admitted my uncle Cu reykeumar Jamim nej na Xayu plima giarmel ze. (subordination) that settlement Jamim born-PERF.3s SUB Xayu very condescending be-3s Xayu, who was born in Jamim Colony, is / isn’t very condescending. >> Xayu was born in Jamim Colony Like lexical implicatures, presuppostions can be denied, though with restrictions. For instance, an outright denial following a positive statement is anomalous: ??Yes cu wu mes xaučij na zeneji, li toš xaučis šuči. 2s that old woman die-PERF.3s SUB know-PAST.3s and 3s die-INF not-PAST.3s You knew that the old lady was dead, and she wasn’t dead. ??Maysu puciga rile na jidzeji, pel toš pip ga rile na duoyo. iliu again see-INF SUB suffer-PAST.3s / but 2s before ADV see-INF SUB never The iliu was seen again, but she had never been seen before. More precisely, then, there are contexts or special circumstances under which the presupposition can be removed. E.g. zene ‘know’ in the first person: Cu wu mes xaučij na zeynauč, li toš xaučis zuryo šuči. that old woman die-PERF.3s SUB know-PAST.1s / and 3s die-INF truly not-PAST.3s I didn’t know that the old lady was dead, and in fact she wasn’t. (This sounds better with stress on zeynauč /know.) Puciga ‘again’ takes a bit more context: There were rumors that an iliu had been seen in the city. There was intense excitement, but nothing could be confirmed. In a few months the furor had died down. The iliu wasn’t seen again. Speech acts In our philosophical tradition, it has sometimes been assumed that the central function of language is to inform, and that semantics deals largely with analyzing when sentences are true or not. (This notion would seem absurd to the Xurnese, who have always been more interested in the manner of speech than its content.) J.L. Austin challenged this view, first drawing attention to performatives, sentences which do not convey information, but actually accomplish a task: Yes šukecudo xamunar o raysu eyka cuzasum. you painting salon of member for select-1p We accept you as a member of the Salon of Painting. Yes tom cu toš šwepusey na ej ximú you DAT that 3s fail-FUT.3s SUB ej bet-1s I bet you an ej that he’ll lose. Performatives don’t have truth conditions, but they do have felicity conditions— e.g. one who utters the first example must have authority to admit members to the salon, must be speaking to a prospective member, must not have admitted the person already, etc. Expressions like imperatives can also be seen as performatives— Puxame! Go back! It’s a small step now to maintain, not that performatives are an unusual subclass of utterances, but that informative utterances are just one subclass of speech acts. All utterances do something: inform, remind, disagree, complain, promise, warn, announce, propose, lie, flatter, persuade, mock, amuse, joke, threaten, praise, boast, show respect, kill time, show solidarity, express an aesthetic reaction, greet, apologize, and so on. Speech acts should not be confused with syntactic or morphological categories. The imperative, for instance, is often an order, but it may just as well be advice, pleading, or a dare; in particular expressions it can be almost anything— e.g. empeuš ‘permit (it)’ is used to apologize for an interruption, and idiomatically marks the beginning of a lawyer’s plea. As well, orders can be expressed by questions (Would you please go back?) or declaratives (If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back). Adverbials may refer to the speech act rather than the content of the sentence. Brumel ga joraumirc i šigosuac. honest ADV councillor 1s-ACC bore-3s Frankly, the Councillor bores me. Brumel ga ‘frankly’ doesn’t modify the verb šigosuac— it doesn’t tell how the Councillor bores me. It relates to the speech act, that of informing. Even more subtly: Bunji misi, moz o busaum još ma? some word-PL / maiden of long.poem good or In a few words— is the girl’s poem any good? Here bunji misi ‘in brief’ doesn’t refer to the question itself, or to the speech act of asking, but to the addressee’s expected act of answering. Similarly civike ‘please’ may be attached to any utterance used as a request, whatever its surface form: Yes seješ rano civike rile. 2s device through please look-INF You will please look through the instrument. Discourse structure It’s not only sentences that have structure; conversations do as well. The rules are looser than syntax, however, befitting a process worked out cooperatively by two or more people. This section is based on the methods of conversation analysis, and focusses on the prototypical case of two people conversing face to face. Extension to multiple speakers is not difficult. Obviously speech contexts such as lectures, court sessions, and meetings have different rules. Turn-taking Conversations can be divided into turns— the time one speaker holds the floor. Turn-taking is remarkably efficient: overlaps are rare, and yet the average gap between speakers is less than half a second. Xurnese culture, even after the egalitarianism of the Revaudo revolution, is more hierarchical than our own. The Xurnese are always conscious of relative status, and this affects turn-taking behavior. The highest-ranking speaker tends to speak first, to more freely control the topic, to take longer turns, to interrupt more freely, and to approve or deny conversational gambits. (E.g. if someone wants to tell a story or explain an idea, everyone will look to the highest ranker to see if they allow it.) Middle ranks will speak in turn— e.g. when the highest rank finishes a topic, the next highest has a claim to the floor. If there are at least three salient ranks the lowest often do not speak at all, unless asked a question. There is a good deal more freedom if there are only two ranks present (e.g. a student speaking to a teacher), no matter how socially separated those two ranks are. Rank generally corresponds to titles, as described above . Gradations of age, experience, or fame do not count as higher rank, nor is gender a factor. It should be emphasized that the Xurnese are not (in general) overbearing; the above behaviors are nearly unconscious. Indeed, high-ranking speakers often speak with elaborate courtesy, and insist loudly that everyone should talk pešaycú dzu ‘as among friends’, an invitation that it is unwise to accept. Generally multiple people are not to talk at once. However, women (of the same rank) may interrupt each other: if one feels that the other has gone on too long, she may simply start speaking. Usually the other will break off; if not, the interrupter will usually stop. Turns rarely occur alone; they are grouped into adjacency pairs, an utterance and a response. Examples: greeting/greeting A: Gašnue o dámis ray grijil zú, xaxau ambriga šonkiac šizenimom? Gašnue of class in confused be-1s / anatomy together examine can-1p I’m lost in Gašnue’s class, could we go over anatomy together? Very often the pre-s questions a felicity condition of the request. For instance, felicity conditions for accepting an invitation include not being busy, being in town, being willing to come, perhaps enjoying the type of event, etc. Any of these can be used in a pre-s, thus heading off a direct refusal. The listener may choose to respond to the anticipated sequence rather than to the pre-s: INVITATION PRE-S A: Yes cu Rorsus bicikesiy dzudis cuey na zen? you that Rorsus Academician tomorrow host-FUT.3s SUB know-3s Did you know that Academician Rorsus is throwing a party tomorrow? B: Cunde, tegendi cúeč e yes mu eraeyu. that.way / pathless party to you with attend-FUT.1s Yes, I’ll go to the damned party with you. Pre-sequences are especially characteristic of a low-status person addressing a higher one— a nervous person may even have a pre-s for asking a question: QUESTION PRE-S A: Yes tom bunji zenise mojú? you DAT something ask-INF may-1s Can I ask you a question? The habit of issuing a pre-s is so ingrained that one may be given even for an insult: INSULT PRE-S Greetings and closings Greeting a superior requires at least three adjacency pairs, merely to establish communication. First is a greeting by title; this is highly ritualized. The superior may choose to acknowledge the inferior by title or simply repeat the greeting. Second is an inquiry about the superior’s institution: Salon, temple, command, etc. This allows a fair amount of variation; canny speakers will take the opportunity to personalize the question. (However, it’s frowned upon to use the occasion to broach the ‘real’ subject of the conversation.) Finally there is a personal inquiry, usually asking after the health of the parents, children, or the superior himself, depending on his age. GREETING Between peers only the first and third parts are necessary, and may be combined: GREETING + PERSONAL QUERY I: ’s payčú, Xayu, maypayvú yunú? 2s greet-1s Xayu / parent-PL good-PL Hello, Xayu. Your parents are fine? X: ’s payčú, Itep, yunú. 2s greet-1s Itep / good-PL Hello, Itep, yes, thanks. None of these queries actually seek knowledge, and it’s quite anomalous to answer with actual information. If Itep’s parents were ailing, there would be nothing unusual in the above exchange being immediately followed by a real inquiry after their health and an honest answer. Similarly, even a hostile conversation will begin with these ritualized preliminaries. No complaints or insults are allowed till after the greetings are executed. (Written letters have similar rules for polite greetings, which can lead to a comic transition from first to second paragraph in the case of an angry letter.) Closings between peers require two adjacency pairs. The first, the pre-close, signals that the speaker thinks the conversation is over, but invites the other to bring up any new topics if any. If she is reassured, good wishes are exchanged. PRE-CLOSE yours also Yours too. If Xayu did not want to end the conversation, she would take the floor and bring up a new topic during the pre-close. With superiors, there is usually another pair after the pre-close, expressing thanks to the superior’s institution. The superior will also echo the final good wishes more exactly. Repair Actual spoken sentences, as opposed to textbook examples, often look embarrassingly sloppy: An, Zendey— Árus zenday— yes oyes jam, oyes dámis u, dmoyo inar, dzaus ruide keno— u, rue cutun, čawke li sim... an čawke wes šaragú li sim čeji cunde. well teacher / Árus teacher / 2s your thing your class er really here teach-INF want-SUBJ.3s if / er want-3s therefore / table and chair-PL / well table move-INF must-1s and chair-PL carry-INF must-1s OK Well, Instructor— Instructor Árus—if you want.. er, since you want to hold your thing, your class, er, right here, the table and chairs have to— well, I have to move the table and get the chairs, OK? However, most of extra material is due to the repeated use of repairs, which go back and replace a portion of the ongoing sentence. For instance, the speaker began to use a keno ‘if’ construction, but changed it to a less tentative cutun ‘therefore’ construction; he simply supplies the new words rue cutun which are understood to replace ruide keno. If we show pragmatic markers in blue and repaired material in green— An, Zendey— Árus zenday— yes oyes jam, oyes dámis u, dmoyo inar, dzaus ruide keno— u, rue cutun, čawke li sim... an čawke wes šaragú li sim čeji cunde. well teacher Árus teacher / 2s your thing your class er really here teach-INF want-SUBJ.3s if / er want-3s therefore / table and chair-PL / well table move-INF must-1s and chair-PL carry-INF must-1s OK we find that the material in black is now a clear, well-formed sentence: Instructor Árus, since you really want to hold your class here, I must move the table and get the chairs. Self-repair is preferred to other-repair, which will be marked with hesitations and other indicators of a dispreferred response (at least among peers; brusque other-repairs are a privilege of authority). A: Cutun, yes rindudo dzausí. therefore you drawing teach-FUT.3s So, you’re teaching drawing. B: An... do geun ga... šukecudo dzausiye. well / not correct ADV / painting teach-FUT.3s Well, not exactly... I’m teaching painting. A: Af cunde, šukecudo, još ga. oh that.way / painting / good ADV Oh right, painting, very good. Embedded repairs are a bit more polite: A: Cutun, yes rindudo dzausí. therefore you drawing teach-FUT.3s Languages generally have some syntactic or even morphological means of distinguishing topic (or old information) from comment (new information). This has already come up in several sections: Topicalization and Passive (under Transformations) The obviative pronouns Turn-taking and topic-changing markers (under Conversation analysis). Focussing on sentences, however, we lose track of the big picture. These are just parts of a theory of narrative. How do people agree on topics? How do they change? How do we follow a narrative? How do we know what a conversation is about? Let’s follow (part of) a conversation, adapted from A Diary of the Prose Wars (for more on this work, see the Examples ). We’ll point out how the narrative focus changes, as well as other pragmatic phenomena. Two students— a couple, Deru and Itep— are talking. Itep: Bicikesiy o cúeč e eraeyu. Academician of party to attend-FUT.1s Itep: I’m going to the Academician’s party. Though the word order here is unmarked, it’s clear that we’ve joined this conversation in medias res, because Itep would probably not introduce the idea of the party this way. It’s typical for new information to appear at the end of the sentence—in this case, Itep’s determination to attend. Deru: I nao ji? 1s-ACC about what Deru: What about me? This is an explicit, conventionalized way to raise a related topic— Deru himself. It’s an implicature (not a certain deduction) that he isn’t abandoning the previous topic (the party), but injecting himself in it, inasmuch as Itep didn’t include him in her first-person declaration. Itep: Yes nao, cuš nao ji? 2s about / that about what Itep: What about you? A curious structure for something of a non-response. The formula X nao ji? asks “What about X?” Here X is stated, then replaced with the pronoun cuš, a form of topicalization, emphasizing X even more. But X is just an indirect quotation from Deru’s own utterance. Itep refuses to add a comment to this topic. If she’s following Grice’s maxims, her implicature could be that the new information is obvious. But perhaps she isn’t being cooperative at all— her refusal to supply the information is itself the message. Deru: I mneušis šučuc? 2s-ACC invite-ACC not-PAST.3p Itep: You’re not invited. Deru is forced to draw out the implication himself. He also makes it clear that the overall topic remains the party. The choice of impersonal 3p is intentional: Deru makes it clear that who’s issuing the invitation is of no importance; the focus is on his being left out. Itep confirms the implication; the absence of any mollifiers suggests either mockery or annoyance. Deru: Syu je šenyu na denjic? 1s what do-FUT.SUBJ.1s SUB 2s expect-3s Deru: What am I supposed to do with myself then? Since syu is never required, its explicit use serves as a topicalizer: me, or by metonymy, my feelings. Deru’s tortured syntax corresponds to his frustration: the inner clause is all about what he should do (“Me, what will I do”) and yet is subordinated to a question about Itep’s intentions; the implicature is that Itep is responsible for him. The discussion has shifted from the party itself to its consequence— Deru being left alone. Itep: I puide jende zenimú? Braupač kip nej. Koma e moz murae. me spit-SUBJ.3s how know-SUBJ.1s / unbusy dusk use-INF / home to girl bring-INF Itep: How the fuck should I know? Take it as a night off. Invite a girl home. Itep belittles the question but answers it— on the surface. Taking things literally can be a form of mockery: she is disdainfully refusing to address the implicature (Deru feels left out). Or she simply refuses to take responsibility for amusing Deru. Deru: Moz koma e murae xamač. Yes nulač tun zi? Bumasú cumoro gemimayc na rues xu zi ma? girl home to bring-INF not.come-1s / 2s unwell why be.3s / couple like accept-SUBJ.3p SUB want-INF wrong be-3s or Deru: I’m not going to invite a girl home. What’s the matter with you? Is it wrong to think we should be treated like a couple? Again, Deru is forced to make his complaints more explicit... which underlines by contrast how often the ‘real subject’ of our conversations is kept implicit. He still uses some indirection, complaining that people (again, unnamed ones) won’t treat them as a couple; his real complaint is that Itep isn’t doing so. He doesn’t accurately quote Itep’s koma e moz murae, but switches ‘girl’ and ‘home’. Topicalizing moz makes the hypothetical girl more real. Itep’s phrasing is impersonal: “bring someone home— maybe a girl”. Deru focusses on the girl almost as an intruder: “Some girl, yeah, bring her home.” A subtle difference in syntax brings out their different attitudes toward infidelity, and thus toward their relationship. Itep: Bicikesu ga bumasú šačum. Emu ize šarasum, mat endevugaup. academic ADV couple not.be-1p / husband be-INF must-3p or protegé Itep: In academic circles we aren’t a couple. You have to be married, or a mentor/protégé. Language includes meta-language: it’s always possible to go from use to mention, focussing on the forms or definitions of words. This can be done for play, to point out imprecise or incorrect assumptions, or as pedantic obstruction. Itep, more worldly than her boyfriend, points out that the artist class of the 3100s did not socially recognize mere romantic liaisons. From her point of view, Deru is making foolish objections and it’s sufficient to swat them down. By not addressing the real cause of complaint she denies it validity. Deru: Yes tegendi Bicikes jideym xaušije? Bicikes yes cuš zic. 2s pathless academy when respect-PAST.3s / academy 2s that hate-3s Deru: Since when did you ever give a fuck about academic circles? You hate the Academy. In a failed argument, people behave like logicians: they focus on the surface meaning of the last utterance. Deru seizes on Itep’s Bicikesu ga Academically speaking, treating it not as a matter of social fact, but as an adherance to academic values. This allows him to point to a supposed contradiction with her oft-stated feelings about the Academy. The second sentence topicalizes its object. Bicikes ‘the Academy’; this has the effect of emphasizng the comment, namely Itep’s hatred. Itep: Yes end’ eš je nao baus? Revaudo o tegendi xau yes cuš ukošim ma? Cuš nao šači. Yes cúeč e mneušis šačuc luk yes bodugri auris cumoro cauč, ceš nao jam. 2s path against what about tell-3s / Revaudo of pathless study 2s that tend-SUBJ.3s or / that about not-3s / you party to invite-INF not-3p therefore 2s lame bear like dance-3s / this about thing Itep: What the fuck are you talking about? Did you get interested in pathless Revaudo theory? I think not. I think it’s about you getting your precious nose out of joint because somebody didn’t invite you to a party. What in the name of the Path are we talking about? That is the question for narrative theory. By this time a lot is on the table: the Academician’s party, Deru, Deru’s empty evening, Deru’s feelings, the couple’s differing expectations, the Academy itself. Though we can juggle many topics at once, an orderly discussion focusses on one at a time, and closes out subtopics as they occur, returning to the larger points. A failed discussion leaves everything open, which probably underlies Itep’s frustrated question. Itep restates the topic as she sees it, addressing Deru’s feelings directly for the first time, but dismissively. To state a topic is in part to control the discussion. This being an argument, Deru will take this as an aggressive move and simply deny Itep’s formulation. Her strong language derives from Endajué, still the spiritual touchstone of Xurnese culture. To be off the path and to “dance like a lame bear” are vivid images of depravity within Endajué, much more so than references to sex. Politeness Languages seem to be permeated with certain notions: gender, location, time, politeness. These may affect pragmatics, morphology, even phonology. None of this is surprising— these are basic factors of human society— but they’re also somewhat arbitrary. Languages are much less likely, for instance, to focus on age, wealth, size, or spirituality. We’ve already encountered examples of politeness in Xurnese: The high and low pronouns in Old Xurnese— an example of social deixis, words chosen to indicate social placement much as locative pronouns are chosen to indicate distance. The use of the infinitive for commands, softened by the use of diminutives. The changeover from the use of the future and subjunctive as in Axunašin is also a bow to politeness. The general preference for titles over names, except among intimates. The rules for turn-taking, especially when multiple social ranks are present. Xurnese-specific conversational maxims, which allow speakers to evade direct replies so long as they make a pro forma response to the topic. The avoidance of dispreferred responses in conversation, including the use of pre-sequences to shield participants from refusals, and the questioning of presuppositions (Are you busy?) as a means of avoiding direct requests (Will you come over?). Greetings and closings. The predominant terrestrial analysis of politeness is that of Brown and Levinson. Following Goffman, they emphasize the concept of face— itself a calque on Chinese liǎn. This can be divided into positive face (the desire to have one’s wants acknowledged and shared by others) and negative face (the desire to have one’s wants unimpeded). Negative face is threatened by orders, requests and threats (which limit freedom of action), offers (which may generate debts), and expressions of envy or anger. Positive face is threatened by disapproval and contradiction, inattention, or irreverence. Politeness strategies According to Brown and Levinson, speakers can adopt one of four approaches; these are exemplified below by a speaker who wants a friend to serve as a nude model. Bald on record: direct and concise orders or statements, without mitigation. These are perfectly acceptable from high superiors, but highly impolite between peers, except in emergencies. Oyes mnórex yeuš. 2s-GEN clothes strip-INF Take off your clothes. Positive politeness, which seeks to flatter positive face: praise, exaggerate markers of solidarity and group membership, joke around, offer reciprocity, use inclusive language. Mabri, cu eraom na cir dámis ray dmoyo šagú... yojaup ga toy rinde šarasum, ma jende? Mabri / that attend-1p SUB 1p-GEN class in really fail-1s / nude ADV 1p-ACC draw may-1p / or how Mabri, I’m doing so badly in this class of ours... maybe we could model nude for each other, you think? Negative politeness, which seeks to minimize negative face: use conventionalized indirectness, assume noncompliance, minimize the request, be deferential, apologize, use impersonal forms. Xirc ize rugač, pel i tom jujoš de yes civike rue... bunji yojaup ga rindudo mis šaragú. lemon be-INF not.want-1s / but 1s-ACC DAT boon give-INF 2s please want-3s / some nude ADV drawing have-INF must-1s I don’t want to be a bother, but if you could please do me a favor... there’s a little nude modelling I need done. Off record, which avoids a direct request by using language that can be interpreted as not a request at all: hint, use understatement or exaggeration, use tautologies or contradictions (i.e., flout the conversational maxims), be vague or elliptic. Yoyaup imisenyu na cinar zenač. Ezisu ruzenejú. nude find-SUBJ.1s SUB there not.know-1s / everyone ask-PAST.1s I don’t know where I can find a model to sketch. I’ve asked everyone. A Xurnese view To the Xurnese, what we call politeness is divided into three concepts. Ezmavyu ‘benevolence’, literally ‘love for all’. As the Greater Principle of Endajué is the oneness behind the distinctions that consume us (male/female, good/evil, rich/poor, body/spirit), the sage, the dzusey, treats all persons alike. As a teaching strategy, he even overcorrects, treating the beggar with kindness and the ruler with disdain. The opposite vice (ezmavračudo) is not so much ill will toward all, as selective good will— i.e. prejudice, treating women worse than men, the poor worse than the rich. Xušu ‘honor, respect’ for those who have been placed in a superior position by the Dance. This may be by birth (e.g. parents or, formerly, nobles), by temporary circumstance (teachers, officers), or by talent (e.g. acclaimed artists). The opposite vice (xaušmelačudo) is disrespect or impertinence. Dopaludo, ‘modesty, understatement’, literally ‘lesserness’. The kešaup dzuséy preached unattachment and the simple life; the rich and powerful who were not for some reason ready to give up their encumbrances (šusaweš, literally plaster casts) should act as if they had. This sort of humility became much easier for the nobles when the Gelyet invaded and took their lands, and then the new Xurnese state arose, which created new estates for its generals rather than restoring old ones. The old nobles largely became artists; both their aesthetics and their manners were suited to people with little money whose taste was formed when they had more. The opposite vice would be dopaluračudo ‘immodesty, arrogance’. Or to put it jocularly, treat everyone nicely, except for some who should be treated even more nicely, so long as they don’t act like they deserve it. From a Xurnese perspecctive, Deru and Itep’s discussion (under Narrative) is obviously an argument, but neither is particularly impolite. Neither is prejudiced, and since their rank is the same there is no real issue of deference or modesty. Deru’s naïveté about Academic norms would be less forgivable to Xurnese readers, but they would see little wrong in his making demands— or in Itep refusing them. They’d agree, however, that the couple shows little solidarity and would wonder if they’ll last together. By Almean standards, the Xurnese are dismayingly egalitarian— in southern Eretald, horrified officials have gone so far as to ban discussion of Endajué, which seems to them to upend the natural order. Modern Americans will however dscover differences from their own ideas of politeness: The Xurnese are very conscious of rank and punctilious about titles. Americans will probably feel quite uncomfortable if there are three or more degrees of rank present in a conversation, as the lower ranks are largely silent. At the same time, higher ranking persons seem to go to great efforts to hide their status. If asked directly about their responsibilities or achievements, they will give a partial or evasive answer. They are pleasant and solicitous with underlings and attempt to build consensus. Once a decision is made, however, they expect obedience. Americans are rather anti-intellectual; nerds are looked down on and politicians pretend to be jes’ folks. Xurno by contrast supremely values scholarship, intellect, and above all artistic skill. There isn’t a lot of tolerance for naïveté, and the favored aesthetic requires technical skill and wide experience. Before travelling to Xurno, Americans are well advised to spend some time with humanities grad students. Xurnese mores don’t provide a strong sense of privacy, nor do they discourage imposition. You can ask very personal questions and freely ask for favors. But responses may be insincere, especially from superiors. There’s no great shame attached to displays of emotion or opinion. They will cheerfully mouth off to superiors— but continue to use proper titles, and avoid insults to character: Rorsus bicikesiy, cuš edúmeč. Rorsus academician / that.one idiocy Academician Rorsus, that’s nonsense. However, acting against the consensus, local or general, is difficult for Xurnese. This is why the Prose Wars happened: no one minded calls for a new Academy; many might even agree with them. Actually making changes was another matter; it didn’t happen till a tipping point was reached and the new consensus favored the Prose Academy. The Xurnese have astonishing powers of passive resistance to authority. Even today underlings are quick to declare Mojurači ze It’s impossible, and it’s often a chore to merely discover what the problem is. The underlying attitude seems to be that you can’t reasonably ask for the impossible, and doing something out of the ordinary is pretty close to it. Naturally it’s not hard to pass off any imposition as being out of the ordinary, nor does the underling recognize any requirement to report his motivations accurately. Real-world knowledge To fully understand language use, we find ourselves discussing social interaction, emotion and intention, wordplay and rhetoric, wide realms of implication or presupposition, and ultimately real-world knowledge. This isn’t really controversial, except to those who hope to treat language as an isolated subsystem (e.g. Chomskyan syntax, or early attempts at AI). As a random example, here’s the beginning of a diary entry from Academician Rorsus in the Diary of the Prose Wars: Cu čawke o xúdeč ji ze na zenisimayc cideym— li zenisayc denjitrač li teč ga orkaymaup izraudo mu— cu palači jam jad na ešindimú. that table of trick what be-3s SUB ask-SUBJ.3p then / and ask-3p hopeless and half ADV hidden envy with / that sole thing ass SUB reply-SUBJ.1s. When they ask what is the secret of my table— and they do, with a desperate half-concealed envy— I answer that it’s all about the ass. Šišimimuc keno— li duoyo šišimuc— paundimú, palači jam jad li miruj o yu jíleč na persist-SUBJ.3p if / and never persist-3p / SUB add-SUBJ.1s / sole thing ass and brain of suitable mixture SUB If they persist— and they never do— I add that it’s about the proper mix of ass and brain. Let’s enumerate some of the real-world knowledge the Xurnese reader needs to interpret this text. Knowledge that an unspecified third-person statement is a general assertion about “people”. This is a convention of the language, but that’s just another way of saying that the reader knows that this is how such statements are interpreted. Knowledge about dinner parties, triggered by the reference to čawke ‘table’; understanding that some are more successful than others, thus that “secrets of the table” are a subject of interest in Rorsus’s circle. (It’s worth considering as well how the reader knows that čawke is not meant literally.) Knowledge of social conventions— i.e. that jad ‘ass’ is unexpected in this context and rude enough to discourage most enquiries. Understanding of common opinions about the success of dinner parties, so that Rorsus’s answer can be seen as unusual (or, if one shares his viewpoint, jaded). Good judgement about relevance and importance— e.g., how literal is Rorsus being in his statement that it’s only about ass and brain? He certainly is not denying that other factors exist (indeed, he goes on to discuss the skills of his chef). It takes a good deal of experience to know what nuances are obvious and thus can be left out. It would take us far afield to consider how the brain stores real-world knowledge— and we know little— but a common analysis assumes that it’s organized into frames or scripts— essentially, structured chunks relating to a subject. For instance, there is a script referring to cuaup ‘parties’, which contains common knowledge such as who the typical participants are, what objects are involved, the sequence of events (from the invitation onward), and their felicity conditions. It’s easy to show that almost any of the information in the script is relevant to language understanding; for instance, once a party is mentioned, all the participants and objects can be considered to be referenced. It would be odd, for instance, to say Rorsus bicikesiy cúeš cuey. Cušrileuc bunji mneušú. Rorsus Academician party host-FUT.3s / that.one some guests see-FUT.3p Academician Rorsus is throwing a party. There will be some guests. because topicalization highlights new information, and once we know that there’s a party, we already know that there will be guests— this is not new information. Frames and metonymy William Croft has suggested that frames underlie common uses of metonymy. For instance, we can use an author’s name to refer to her works: Ne-Duox aycaurijú I’ve read ne-Duox. A mention of reading activates the entire frame of reading. We read books, and books have authors, so mentioning the author can serve as shorthand for mentioning the book. Similarly: a reference to a book may invoke its contents: Ci šebreč beyru This book is obscure. body parts or accoutrements refer to people: Xamunar ray rey leši pejayc There are new faces in the Salon; Ezmiri nox dmuro cir čeyki jivijeyc Our swords marched all night. buildings refer to institutions or, even more indirectly, to their leaders: Dzusnar kis rue The temple wants to expand. objets d’art can refer to their creators: Ci yoyaup šemil That nude is competent. What isn’t so well explained is why some metonymies fail. Since ne-Duox was a teacher, her ideas should be activated by references to learning or thinking; but we can’t say Ne-Duox eumije I’ve thought ne-Duox. If I live in a house built by the architect Mauto, I can’t say Mauto komú I live in Mauto. Body part metonymies are highly restricted; we can’t ask if your brother is here by asking Brayp o teyš inar pej? Your brother’s chest is here? There are festivals commemorating the martyrdom of certain Hermit Masters; curiously we can’t refer to the festivals by the Master’s name (Šika xam Šika is coming), but we must use a postpositional phrase: Šika o xam. The phrase, however, can refer to the time period of the festival: Šika o yes rileyu I’ll see you at Šika. As we often say in linguistics, more research is needed... 1. A Defense of Women Mešaism had a rigidly hierarchical scale of values, ultimately deriving from the warrior ethic. Rulers were inherently virtuous and unlimited in power; fighters the most important class; the conquered Wede:i were suited only to be slaves; men were more valuable than women, and manly warriors superior to bookish clerics and officials. Endajué rejected this hierarchy. Its heroes were not the petty kings who had torn Axunai into a patchwork of war-torn states, but the quiet Hermit Masters (kešaup dzuséy), who taught harmony, simplicity, mercy, and withdrawal from the world. Several were women; this passage is attributed to one of them, Rúmeš (‘the Redhead’), who flourished around 1825. This is not an extract from a larger essay, but a dzusúis, a parable or short teaching; the Masters preferred to speak as briefly as possible, and if pressed to explain, responded only with a different dzusúis, often one counselling quiet reflection. Rúmeš’s target was as much the first generation of dzuséy as the Mešaist elders. The equality of women did become Endajué doctrine, but like its pacifism, it remained largely an ideal, except among the clerical and intellectual class. When these took power, with the Revaudo revolution, Xurnese society was transformed. The Hermit Masters taught by speaking; their dzusuisi were haphazardly written down by disciples, or disciples of disciples. It’s clear that the Masters spoke in the vernacular, in Old Xurnese, but the disciples often attempted to render them into classical Axunašin. Many dzusuisi, including this one, exist in multiple forms, widely varying in word choice, proportion of logographs to syllabic glyphs, and degree of archaism. The text here is taken from a standard text of 2855 and thus uses modern spelling. Its age is indicated by some lexical choices (notably dzaus for ‘teach’), the conservative question marker jic, and the Old Xurnese pronoun system. Dzusey kírex o xumi xur ga kuluc. teacher village of man-PL beside ADV bring-3p A teacher takes the men of the village aside. Zimi orpwiduc, tošezič cuš sinc. woman-PL leave-SUBJ.3p that.one say-3s “Leave the women behind,” he says. Ci jisú mulú ayzuc na elircú cauč o orkaymaupi gerizas šučuc. this weak-PL soft-PL be-3p SUB living.thing-PL cosmos of secret-PL understand-INF not-3p “Weak, soft creatures, they will not understand the secrets of the universe.” Bezmoro ga zimi cu oraayc na kiezič rešayc. sad ADV woman-PL that leave-3p SUB 3p watch-3p Sadly, the women watch them go. Bunjisu dzuzočis xamen keno to lajú mu ešreac jidzenuc, cuš zenayc. someone follow-INF intend-SUBJ.FUT.3s if 3s blow-PL with prevent-INF suffer-SUBJ.FUT.3s / that.one know-3p If any tries to follow, they know, they will be prevented with blows. Rijivayjuc, li kiezič tom welayc je dzausyeyc? enter-PERF.3s / and 3p DAT old.man what-ACC teach-FUT.3s Once inside, what does the old man teach them? Još ameatudo ga elis, civike, kuvetudo ešinde, gesaulic li rumeludo brešrae. good union ADV live-INF / pity--INF / violence reject-INF / pride and greed bypass-INF To live in harmony, to be merciful, to reject violence, to avoid pride and greed. Tošezič cu denjidzirci zimi ci idzum zenayc na ez dzaus jic šači? 3s that waiting-PL woman-PL this now know-3s SUB everything teach-INF Q not-3s Is he not teaching them what the women waiting already know? Cu xaleš na naumoro móreč, zimi ceš ez dis nej jic šačuc? that preach-3s SUB peaceful world.level woman-PL this.one each day craft-INF Q not-3p The peaceful ideal he preaches, is that not the daily achivement of women? Welayc na pali još ga wes zen; cauš mororiwde eyka tošezič niu li rinari moz rinc. old.man SUB more good ADV artist know-3s / dance illustrate-INF for 3s kind and graceful young.woman draw-3s The artist knows better than the old man; illustrating the Dance, he draws a sweet and graceful young woman. Xumi cauč zezine li xais li xauke šaraguc. man-PL dance learn-INF and study-INF and struggle-INF must-3p Men must study and struggle to learn the Dance. Zimi tom andes ze ayči cumoro. woman-PL DAT easy be-3s wake-INF like For women it is as easy as waking. Miezič aycaurri xumi, ir mis pucude šačuc! 2p reading men / my words 2p offend-INF not-3p But men, do not take offense at my words! Cauč am kezirc mu nyešus šači; am masirc mu murutu šači. dance one ruler with kingdom not-3s / one winner with race not-3s The dance is not a kingdom with one ruler; it is not a race with one winner. 2. Diary of the Prose Wars: Deru The Gejupudo nao onomú o xizonip (Diary of the Prose Wars) is a selective compilation of journals from the Prose Wars, the agitation surrounding the creation of the Salon of Prose in the 3140s. Gejupudo ‘prose’ is distinguished from busumudo ‘poetry’; it was not one of the classical arts, and its detractors insisted that there was nothing artistic about it— it was mere busaudo ‘journalism’: the compilation of facts, artlessly arranged. Its supporters insisted that to be a modern country, competitive with Čeiy and the northern maritime powers, Xurno must embrace science and scholarship. The Diary includes journals of several figures involved in the Prose Wars, some minor, some major— notably Enirc, a minor cleric and indefatigable promoter of northern science. His struggles won the day for Prose but not for himself; he was considered a popularizer, thus a journalist. The work, published in 3226 in Inex, is anonymous, but assumed to be the work of one of the diarists, though critics dispute which one it might be. The diarists are all real people, and three of them at least are known to be real journals which have since been wholly or partially published. The editor is widely assumed to have invented some of the rest; again, it is unclear which. This extract is from the diary of Deru, a student in the Academy of Drawing. Deru is the son of poor merchants who, by financing his artistic education, hope to make his fortune. Rindudo mojurači. Cunde, zendey bicikesiy tom šači. that.way / teacher academician DAT not-3s Not for the Academician Instructor, of course. Ezende andes rilauši cu toš bunji rim ribes na cideym, li rilayc šeri bibéseč. every.way easy seem-3s that he some line-PL ooze-3s SUB then and see-3p elegant miniature It looks so easy when he squirts out a few lines and there it is, an elegant miniature. Li ezende andes cu toš ez cuš nao sinc— reátuc o rim li ušu jataup li šic neymoro dmurú. and every.way easy that he all that.thing about speak-3s / action of line-PL and golden proportion-PL and seven principle distance-PL And it sounds so easy when he talks about lines of action and golden proportions and the seven key distances. Plaup dzu ximi eykraysú, li cu jam rindejú na pip xwenar dumoro rilauše. paper on arrange-INF try-1s / and that thing draw-PERF.1s SUB before chicken-place like seem-3s I try to lay all this out on the paper, and it looks like a chickenyard before I’ve drawn the thing itself. Cuš eykraysú, li toš cáunuc, xoren, jigaurataup mimic neyo do. that.one try-1s / and 3s ruin / black tangled swamp beyond nothing I try that, and it’s all a ruin, nothing but a dark, tangled swamp. Playnu ezisu o plu rešú li moreštes kyes silírceš réuric aušas muc. other everyone of paper-PL look.at-1s / and turn without 3p celestial beautiful classic-PL have-3p I look at everyone else’s paper and naturally, they all have ethereal, gorgeous masterpieces. This is the same Deru whose relationship with Itep we considered earlier; a subsequent entry, in fact, adds that Itep is also mojurači. 3. An infatuation with clocks The following passage derives from a newspaper in Curau, published in 3478. The author is Uvimel of Yeš, who captures common Xurnese attitudes about the Northern countries. Many of his observations are true enough, though they are perhaps not as definitive as he believes. There is no ring of slums around Inex or Curau because they don’t have factories with an insatiable need for cheap labor. Absent an accurate census, Inex may or may not be larger than Verduria city; but Uvimel is correct that Xurnese has more cities of comparable size. And his information on sequestration of women is a few centuries out of date. Worth noting is Uvimel’s use of the subjunctive to underline what he considers absurdities, such as the suggestion that the northern countries are more advanced. A linguistic curiosity: much as medieval Europeans used ‘christians’ to mean ‘people’, Xurnese use wem ‘artists’. Uvimel’s suggestion that the painters be asked to duplicate the northern clocks is less absurd than it appears: the Salon of Painting had oversight responsibility for the ministry of Engineering, which was responsible for the irrigation works and the ports. Cu roc na dzudo ezič Berdura li Kebri na sindayc. that nations SUB most great Verduria and Kebri SUB say-3p It’s said that Verduria and Kebri are the greatest nations of Almea. Saur li mip ayzuc, li zuryo isaurisi seješi li šujisi mu. powerful and rich be-3p and truly smart machine-PL and toys with They are powerful, very rich, and certainly clever with machines and toys. Cu tir néjex gemi šačum keno brešraup šuenum na bunji wem sindayc. that their methodology accept-INF not-1p if antiquated be-1p.FUT.SUBJ SUB some artists say-3p Some people say that we should follow their ways or be left behind. Kyes tom cuš lusimú, tir rosuy pali wu— xumaur rosúy na dzudo wu. 3p DAT that.one remind-1s.SUBJ / 1p-GEN civilization more old / human civilizations SUB most old I would remind them that our culture is older, the oldest of human civilizations. Xuač berdursú ceš zezinayc.	Gen
What Canadian technology service suffered a major internet outage in October 2011, angering millions of its customers unable to use its email and popular 'messenger' services, and prompting calls for its owners to sell up and exit?	User talk:I'm so meta even this acronym - Wiktionary User talk:I'm so meta even this acronym Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary shadows on the wall [ edit ] Not sure if it would meet our criteria for inclusion. However, see w:Allegory of the Cave for background. SemperBlotto ( talk ) 17:11, 20 May 2012 (UTC) Yeah, I figured it was an allusion to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. What are your criteria for inclusion? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 21:21, 21 May 2012 (UTC) See Wiktionary:Criteria for inclusion . SemperBlotto ( talk ) 21:23, 21 May 2012 (UTC) That looks like a lot to take in. I'll get back to you once I've had time to look it over. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 21:29, 21 May 2012 (UTC) discuss / deeds 13:22, 25 May 2012 (UTC) Thanks, but I can't take the credit for it; I took it from xkcd 917 . I would have taken the handle User:ISMETA, but someone somewhere'd already taken User:Ismeta, so the system wouldn't let me. :-( I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 23:07, 25 May 2012 (UTC) Having read every xkcd comic, including the hidden ones, I certainly recognized the reference. In this case, I find it somewhat humorous on another level, because I'm willing to bet that if you stick around, somebody will confuse us, or even accuse me of sockpuppeteering . Anyway, it's great to have you here! -- Μετάknowledge verisome [ edit ] Probably just running together "very same" (meaning something like "exact") ? SemperBlotto ( talk ) 15:39, 6 July 2012 (UTC) Hmm, yes; that makes a lot of sense. I took it to mean something like "true", formed from veri- (as in "verity" and "verisimilitude") + -some (as in "worrisome" and "flavoursome"), but I think you may be right that it's just "verisame" with a typo; Buckminster Fuller uses "verisame" (see Citations:verisame ), which supports your interpretation. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 16:00, 6 July 2012 (UTC) suffrutex [ edit ] You are inventing Classical pronunciations for a word that did not exist in Classical Latin. If you do this, you need to mark the pronunciations as modern pronunciations based on Classical principles. -- EncycloPetey ( talk ) 21:31, 25 August 2012 (UTC) OK, sorry. How do I do that? Does it have a different New Latin pronunciation? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 21:32, 25 August 2012 (UTC) That's the problem. New Latin pronunciation differs enormously by country. I usually don't add pronunciations to New Latin terms because of that. -- EncycloPetey ( talk ) 21:34, 25 August 2012 (UTC) Hmm. How about a qualifier like "(pseudo-Classical)"? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 21:46, 25 August 2012 (UTC) hanshinron [ edit ] Hi, really recently there was a discussion on how to treat romaji entries, and basically we decided to treat it as a soft link. All the information that would go on a romaji entry instead only goes on kana entries, which usually in turn link to kanji entries. I saw your edits on hanshinron (which were exactly the way to do it until a week ago, so no criticism there) and in the new format it would be like this: ==Japanese== ===Romanization=== {{ja-romaji\|hira=はんしんろん}} All the information that was on the previous romaji entry can be merged with the matching hiragana entry. Thanks for your help :) -- Haplology ( talk ) 16:49, 20 March 2013 (UTC) OK. Just to make sure I understand you, does that mean that ローマ字 entries don't get definition lines at all? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 17:18, 20 March 2013 (UTC) They do get definition lines, but the lines are produced by {{ ja-romaji }} and are basically soft redirects. Take a look for yourself. — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 23:50, 18 April 2013 (UTC) Forgive my boldness, but I've reverted your removal of the quotation. That entry's such a stubby thing that, surely, the quotation does some good by adding information, and at the very least certainly does no harm; also, n.b. that I'd also already added the quotation to the entry for the lemma at dioecēsis . I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 12:35, 19 April 2013 (UTC) It's supposed to be stubby. The whole point of dioecesim is to give the bare minimum of information to clothe what is essentially a soft redirect to dioecesis , where the definitions ought to be. I agree that it probably does no harm, but keeping entries standardised is important in general around here. — Μετάknowledge λάλει ἐμοί 17:08, 28 April 2013 (UTC) It's from an early–eighteenth-century introductory text of Biblical exposition by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz . Is that any help? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 16:18, 30 April 2013 (UTC) As far as I can tell, δικαιωσύνη (the lemma form of δικαιωσύνην ) is a modern Greek word, not an ancient one. It might possibly be medieval, but I have an utter paucity of sources on medieval Greek. You might want to ask Flyax about it, as he is better versed in both periods than anyone else here, and would likely have more insight than anyone else. - Atelaes Thanks for the suggestion; I've done just that. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 00:02, 1 May 2013 (UTC) Flyax has concluded that δικαιωσύνην is a misspelling of δικαιοσύνην, which may explain the original source quotation "Τὴν δικαιοσύνην, id est κατά τὴν δικαιωσύνην." — Κατά ‎(Katá) can mean "badly" or "erroneously", right? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 23:20, 6 May 2013 (UTC) I also can't find εὐφνία . I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist, as Google only returned nine results, and most of them were typos. Was the request misspelled? - Atelaes λάλει ἐμοί 08:40, 1 May 2013 (UTC) I'll recheck my source in a bit and then get back to you. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 12:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC) I suppose the word you are referring to is εὐφυΐα . -- flyax ( talk ) 22:21, 3 May 2013 (UTC) Here's my source: -uus [ edit ] Complex explanations of pronunciation of suffixes in isolation tend to fall apart. The suffix -uus is a case in point. It appears to have originally been a primary suffix, and is present in words like equus (=equos), arvum and vacīvus. As you can see then, statements about the stress falling on the antepenult fall apart, because in these words the stress falls on the paenultimate syllable instead. See sxn 234, II, 8 of Allen & Greenough's New Latin Grammar. I usually find it best to keep explanations of the pronunciation of the suffix limited to the pronunciation of the suffix in isolation. -- EncycloPetey ( talk ) 04:20, 30 May 2013 (UTC) Addendum: Oh, and usually a request for etymology should be placed in an Etymology section. This (1) makes it easier to insert the requested information, (2) aids in removal of the request template, and (3) helps to ensure correct formatting by the next editor. -- EncycloPetey ( talk ) 04:22, 30 May 2013 (UTC) I'm sorry to disagree, but your counterexamples don't contradict the pronunciation information I've given; equus is governed by the ⟨-quus⟩ exception already provided for, whereas arvum and vacīvus exhibit -vus , not -uus. Re requests for etymology, is this what you mean? Finally, could you tell me what "trop." (as in Lewis's & Short's A Latin Dictionary, “ equus ”, II.C.2: "Trop., of a secret conspiracy…") means / is short for, please? 體#Japanese [ edit ] I noticed you re-added an rfe for this entry. It looks like you're asking for the etymology of the character, but that should be given in the ==Translingual== section. If you're asking about the etymology for karada, etc., that should be given in the lemma entry, which is 体 . (Admittedly, that entry right now is a dog's breakfast , but it's on my to-do list. :) ) ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 18:29, 15 July 2013 (UTC) {{ rfe }}s for Japanese terms go in 新字体 entries and {{ rfe }}s for character derivations go in Translingual sections; OK, gotcha. Sorry for inconveniencing you. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 09:59, 25 July 2013 (UTC) Annoying RFEs and RFPs[ edit ] I for one find all those RFEs and RFPs you are adding pretty annoying. Luckily for you, there are quite a few editors who seems to support what you are doing. Do you have any evidence that the RFE requests and RFP requests actually get fulfilled at a significant rate? -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 08:26, 16 September 2013 (UTC) I'm not trying to be annoying. Some requests are fulfilled somewhat quickly (Ancient Greek, Japanese), whilst others aren't (obscure languages). There is a definite purpose to the {{ rfe }}s: once they're answered, I link to that entry in its etymon's or etyma's, like I did in the case of the etyma of requiebro (which was FWOTD yesterday): [1] , [2] , [3] (granted, that didn't involve {{ rfe }}s, but that's the kind of thing that answered requests allow me to do). Since they annoy you, I shall cease to add those request templates to Czech entries. I added this pronunciation to rádio; please check that it is correct. Also, can you recommend a reliable source for Czech etymologies? I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 17:14, 16 September 2013 (UTC) Do you have any evidence that the RFE requests and RFP requests actually get fulfilled at a significant rate? -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 17:34, 16 September 2013 (UTC) Define "significant rate". I can't really be bothered to look through my contributions for the evidence; they're open to you, too, so be my guest if you want to look yourself. I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 17:37, 16 September 2013 (UTC) Is there a definition of "significant rate" for which you have evidence that RFE requests actually get fulfilled at a significant rate? (Above, you have provided links to edits that have no bearing to RFEs; I don't know why you did that.) -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 17:43, 16 September 2013 (UTC) As I said, I can't be bothered to spend my time getting that evidence; I have better things to do with my time, but if you don't, you are free to peruse my list of contributions . Those links are there to demonstrate my explanation for why I add RFEs ("once [an RFE is] answered, I link to that entry in its etymon's or etyma's [entry or entries], like I did in the case of the etyma of requiebro [recently]"). It was rather impolite of you to ignore almost all of the content of my above message (17:14, 16 September 2013). I'm so meta even this acronym (talk) 21:21, 16 September 2013 (UTC) I went through your contributions and did not find any edits of yours that serve RFEs placed in the pages, but I did not check every single edit. Can you point me to a couple of edits of yours that serve RFEs? You would understand that adding RFE is not serving it, and that editing an etymology section that does not have RFE is not serving RFE. So again, can you point me to a couple of edits of yours that serve RFEs? -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 07:04, 17 September 2013 (UTC) IIRC, I have, in all my time here, served one (or maybe two) RFE(s). That may be to my discredit, admittedly, but that wasn't your original question; you originally asked whether the RFEs and RFPs that I add are served "at a significant rate". For your interest, I recently added an RFE to the Afrikaans entry for koning, Metaknowledge served it twenty days later, which enabled me to add it as a descendant to the homographic Dutch entry the next day; presumably one example doesn't establish that my RFEs are "served 'at a significant rate'", but I certainly have no appetite for conducting a survey of all my RFEs. What did you intend to accomplish by your interrogation of me? If it was to get me to stop adding RFEs and RFPs to Czech entries, a simple request would have sufficed. If it was to get me to serve others' RFEs, an appeal to the spirit of reciprocity would have done the trick. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:47, 18 September 2013 (UTC) I have warned Dan Polansky about this. Meta, feel free to continue adding requests to any entry if you need the etymology, pronunciation, etc. — Ungoliant ( Falai ) 12:43, 17 September 2013 (UTC) I agree with Ungoliant. Valid requests shouldn't be removed. But you took away my nick... ;w; Wikipedia link[ edit ] Hi! You changed the link to Wikipedia on Bundesgrenzschutz from the {{ wikipedia }} template at the top of the page to the {{ pedia }} template in an "External links" section at the bottom. I'm wondering if there is any consensus how to deal with links to Wikipedia (as a third option, there's {{ slim-wikipedia }}). So if you know of anything, please let me know too :) Thanks! Longtrend ( talk ) 10:19, 20 October 2013 (UTC) Sorry, but I don't know what the consensus is (if, indeed, there is one) regarding those templates; I'd assumed that, because all three template types exist, it's up to the individual editor's preference. Certainly, my preference is for using {{ pedia }} in External links sections; this mirrors Wikipedia's usage (links to other projects go at the bottom of their articles), reduces horizontal compression and/or lopsided vertical lengthening of entries, and (less validly and somewhat hyperbolically) stops Wiktionary from looking like one big glorified redirect to Wikipedia. What's your preference? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:21, 20 October 2013 (UTC) I don't really have any preference :) I've always used {{ wikipedia }} and never really thought about it. Your arguments sound fair, though. Longtrend ( talk ) 11:39, 26 October 2013 (UTC) OK. Well, thanks for asking. Do you mind me making the change from {{ wikipedia }} to {{ pedia }} when I edit here? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:59, 26 October 2013 (UTC) As long as that's not the only change you're doing on an entry, I think that's fine. Longtrend ( talk ) 10:41, 27 October 2013 (UTC) Good to know. And no, I wouldn't bother editing an entry just to change the style of link to Wikipedia; that would be far too petty a sole change to bother making an edit for. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:35, 27 October 2013 (UTC) Hi, [4] reads རྒྱལ་པོ འི ་ སྲས་མོ ། ‎(rgyal po'i sras mo.), i.e. the king's daughter. Wyang ( talk ) 01:25, 28 October 2013 (UTC) Ah, thank you! So it was pretty accurate, after all... I am grateful for your recent spate of Tibetan contributions, especially your edits to སྲས་མོ ‎(sras mo). Additionally, would you mind adding a Tibetan Babelbox to your user page (I think only {{ User bo-1 }} currently exists, so if – as I assume – your proficiency in Tibetan surpasses level 1, you'd need to create the box template, too; it may just be easier to add [[Category:User bo-N]] – with whatever the appropriate number is – to your user page), so that users in need of Tibetan-related help can find you, and create an entry for སྲས ‎(sras, “son”) please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:40, 31 October 2013 (UTC) Thanks, སྲས ‎(sras) done. I don't know what my Tibetan level is... but I am happy to be of help when I could be. Wyang ( talk ) 08:00, 5 November 2013 (UTC) Thank you very much. I added the Category:User bo category to your user page as I suggested above; I hope you don’t mind. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 10:43, 6 November 2013 (UTC) Thanks, no worries. Wyang ( talk ) 03:14, 11 November 2013 (UTC) data from external dictionaries[ edit ] Just saw your reply . Thanks! – ὁ οἶστρος ( talk ) 13:42, 6 November 2013 (UTC) You're very welcome. If you need any more information regarding the legal issues that can crop up whilst you edit here, I advise you to contact User:BD2412 — he's the resident expert, by all accounts. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:54, 6 November 2013 (UTC) Nice job you have done expanding the W1913 stub! Equinox ◑ 20:26, 12 November 2013 (UTC) Thanks. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:37, 12 November 2013 (UTC) anonymous[ edit ] Hey, removing the flame war at Wiktionary:Requests for verification#anonymous is a good idea, however I do think that the use of the word at wikipedia, wikitionary and so on, is not described by any of the 5 senses. Even people who know my name, can call me an anonymous user, who makes anonymous contributions. They can even refer to me as the anonymous, so there's even a noun sense. It may be hard to find citations, if wikipedia/wikitionary &c. aren't considered to be durably archived. -- 80.114.178.7 17:56, 20 November 2013 (UTC) Five senses, you say? I only see four. Anyway, you may have a point. Usenet might be a good place to look for examples of such usage. As for "the anonymous", I think that's an adjectival use, rather than a full-fledged noun; I would suppose that anon is the more likely word for the nominal sense you describe. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:54, 20 November 2013 (UTC) Yes, five senses, including "without consideration of prestige or background", which doesn't have a definition, but a synonym ("on the merits") and six alleged translations. -- 80.114.178.7 21:22, 20 November 2013 (UTC) On the noun sense, see Anonymous , and w:anonymous IV . -- 80.114.178.7 21:22, 20 November 2013 (UTC) Hello again. I'm sorry to have taken so long to get back to you. I must confess that I'd forgotten all about this until I renoticed this section when Hekaheka posted a message for me about Matth. Take a look at google books:"anonymouses" — I am almost certain that you could find there the evidence you need for a robust noun section for anonymous . You may also find the two quotations I've added to Citations:anonymus useful. I hope this helps. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:38, 4 January 2014 (UTC) Matth.[ edit ] I don't think the abbreviation Matth. is used in Finnish, because "Matthew" is Matteus in Finnish, and the Gospel of Mathew is abbreviated as Matt. . Where have you seen "Matth." in a Finnish text? -- Hekaheka ( talk ) 13:52, 4 January 2014 (UTC) It occurs after the Finnish translation in the translation table in the English entry for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof . Perhaps some Finnish Biblical commentators use Book-name abbreviations deriving from their Latin names (cf. the English Luc. ‎(“[Gospel of] Luke”), from the Latin Lūcās ). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:16, 4 January 2014 (UTC) It seems to be my own edit. It's an error, or at least a potentially misleading entry. I don't remember anymore, why I wrote "Matth.". Possibly I wanted to use the English abbreviation, because this is the English Wiktionary. I'll add the words "Finnish translation of" and then it will be clear to everyone that "Matth." is intended to be English. I did not want to make a Finnish entry of these words, because as far as I know, this particular sentence of the Bible is not used proverbially in Finnish. -- Hekaheka ( talk ) 22:15, 4 January 2014 (UTC) Ah, I see. Well, in that case, never mind; I'm sorry for wasting your time. Thanks, besides, for creating Matt . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:00, 5 January 2014 (UTC) Ancient Greek inflection headers[ edit ] Could you please stop replacing inflection with declension? Ancient Greek has been doing "Inflection" for a long time, and there are a great many entries that have the header. Changing it in a handful of entries only serves to make things messy. If you think that it should be the standard going forward, then by all means propose such a change and interested parties can discuss it. Thanks. - Atelaes 20:03, 11 January 2014 (UTC) Yes, certainly. Sorry; I didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:52, 11 January 2014 (UTC) ocris[ edit ] Hi, I'm not sure to understand why you removed the label archaic, but don't you think it would be useful to have a category that would collect all the ante-classical words altogether? And shouldn't we empty Category:Latin archaic terms then? -- Fsojic ( talk ) 10:51, 29 January 2014 (UTC) Well, consider the generic preamble to Category:Latin archaic terms : "Latin terms that are no longer in general use but still encountered in older literature and still sometimes used for special effect." In belonging to a dead language, how are those archaic terms any different from the rest of the Latin lexicon, which are also "no longer in general use"? And do we have any evidence that they are "still sometimes used for special effect"? That said, I can see what you were thinking: Everything Latin that's ante-Classical is Old Latin ; synonyms of "Old Latin" include "Early Latin" and "Archaic Latin"; hence, "Latin archaic terms". However, for the reasons I gave above, and for the sake of consistency with the analogous categories ( Category:Ecclesiastical Latin , Category:Post-classical Latin , Category:Vulgar Latin , Category:Late Latin , Category:Medieval Latin , Category:Renaissance Latin , and Category:New Latin ), I assert that Category:Old Latin is a better category name for these terms. (Re the choice between "Old Latin" and its two synonyms that I listed: there is no language with an ISO code that is called "Archaic"-anything, and there is only one which is called "Early"-something ( Early Tripuri , whose ISO code is xtr); by contrast, there are thirty-nine top-level categories for various languages called "Old"-something, from Old Armenian to Old Welsh .) I have asked in Module talk:labels#Old Latin data for the necessary changes to the labelling infrastructure to be made. After they are instituted (which I hope they will be), we can go ahead and empty Category:Latin archaic terms into Category:Old Latin , as you suggest. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:12, 3 February 2014 (UTC) Thanking[ edit ] I appreciate it, but I really don't need (or deserve) all those thanks for all my edits. :-) — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 00:50, 3 February 2014 (UTC) Yeah, sorry; I think just the message on your talk page would've been a better idea. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:54, 3 February 2014 (UTC) Licensing[ edit ] Wouldn't it be better if you could place, in your user page, where your username came from? Just a suggestion. -- kc_kennylau ( talk ) 01:57, 3 February 2014 (UTC) I don't think that opening up inside jokes to the out-group is necessarily a bad idea, but on the other hand, that renders them no longer inside jokes. If, as your title implies, you believe there is a legal problem with using this name sans citation, I urge Meta to ignore this at will. I am not a lawyer, but that seems ludicrous. — Μετάknowledge Historical hiragana[ edit ] Heya, I just noticed in this edit diff that you added a request for だいくんゐ . That's an historical spelling that isn't used anymore following spelling reforms after WWII. I've been adding historical spellings to entries as I go (and when I remember, using the hhira parameter of the JA headword templates), but I don't think anyone has done any work on creating entries for historical hiragana. If you'd like JA editors to create those as a matter of course, I suggest you might want to bring it up in the Beer Parlour -- adding requests for the historical hiragana forms of each and every JA entry to the WT:WE list would quickly become ridiculous and tedious. :) If you're at all interested in Japanese kana usage conventions, have a look at w:Kanazukai . Tala við mig 05:46, 11 February 2014 (UTC) I'd already looked into that topic before, but, looking into it again, I learned some new things, so thanks for the link. :-) Don't worry, I wasn't intending to add every historical-hiragana red link to WT:WE, and yes, it would be great if ja editors would "create those [entries] as a matter of course"; however, I don't really want to bring it up in the Beer Parlour until the discussion I started about Old Latin is resolved. Therefore, would you mind teaching me what I need to do to create entries for those historical hiragana, please? That way, I can help to tackle the workload, rather than adding to it. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:43, 12 February 2014 (UTC) Cheers, thanks for the explanation and offer of assistance. Part of why I suggested WT:BP is that I myself don't have any clear idea what would be best for hhira (historical hiragana) entries. That said, the circle of JA editors is (naturally) smaller than the whole BP audience, so perhaps I can kick things off here. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ 20:58, 12 February 2014 (UTC) Proposal for creating historical hiragana entries[ edit ] Pinging @ TAKASUGI Shinji , @ Haplology , @ Atitarev , @ Wyang , @ Jamesjiao -- do you all have any strong feelings about the creation of entries using the historical hiragana (hhira) spellings? I'd like to propose that we create hhira entries much like existing kana entries -- as soft redirects, just listing the relevant POS headers, with the relevant lemma terms listed underneath using {{ ja-def }}. Example for なびかふ : ==Japanese== ===Verb=== {{ja-verb}} # {{ja-def\|靡かう}} to be waving, streaming, or bending in the wind: to do so continuously Would you all be amenable to this? Is there anything you'd like to do differently? For example, should we indicate on the page somewhere that this is an obsolete (or at least archaic) historical spelling? Should we categorize these entries differently? Please chime in. Once we have a clear consensus, perhaps Haplology or one of the other code-y editors could update the accelerator scripts to make it easier to create such entries. And for that matter, I was thinking this might be a minor enough issue to handle just among us JA editors (and please ping anyone I've missed). But perhaps this should be brought up in WT:BP or elsewhere? Let me know what you think. Tala við mig 20:58, 12 February 2014 (UTC) @ Atitarev , Haplology , Jamesjiao , TAKASUGI Shinji , Wyang , and of course @ Eirikr : In the specific case of なびかふ (nabikafu), wouldn't it be more correct to say that なびかふ is actually the all-hiragana spelling of 靡かふ , rather than of 靡かう ? I imagine that the form with kanji would be attestable, and indeed more readily so than the all-hiragana form. If that were to be decided as the way to treat these forms, then presumably 靡かふ would then get an entry, and would simply be defined as: Category:Entries with Pronunciation n headers [ edit ] The template {{rfc-pron-n\|Pronunciation 1\|lang=la}} preempts the action of Kassadbot for Pronunciation n headers in Latin entries and now categorizes by language. 20 languages so far have such headers, Latin having more than any other language. See Category:la:Entries with Pronunciation n headers , the master category, and {{ rfc-pron-n }}. The template is better than hard categorization, because it is the standard. I've converted two or three of these that are probably yours. How many do you think you added? I assume they were all added after Dec 29 when we had our discussion. I'm happy to search myself if I know how many to look for. DCDuring TALK 01:22, 13 February 2014 (UTC) I've just finished checking all my edits to pages with Latin sections since the 29th of December; I converted the one use of the hard category that remained to use {{ rfc-pron-n \|Pronunciation 1\|lang=la}}. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:47, 22 February 2014 (UTC) Thanks. I don't like these headers, but they seem indispensable in some cases, including many if not all of their uses in Latin. Having them sorted by language makes it a little easier to get folks with the right knowledge to take a look and either eliminate them or defend them and expand their use to all the relevant cases. DCDuring Osea...[ edit ] I assume this is the Latin name of the prophet Hosea . But I'm not sure of the Lemma; it might even be "Osee" (from the Greek). SemperBlotto ( talk ) 12:45, 16 February 2014 (UTC) - p.s. Don't we put citations of inflected forms at the lemma citation page? Yes indeed; see Ōsēe , Hōsēās , and User talk:Flyax#Ὡσήᾱς (Hōsēās) for context. Unfortunately, I'm not yet certain of those forms' lemmata, so I can't yet confidently "put [the] citations of inflected forms at the lemma citation page". — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:58, 16 February 2014 (UTC) ÆØÅ [ edit ] How would you pronounce ÆØÅ ? I would pronounce it as /ɛːœːoː/ or Anglicized as /æːɜːɔː/ but that's just how I would pronounce it. In fact, I have never seen it before. -- kc_kennylau ( talk ) 15:36, 23 February 2014 (UTC) It seems unlikely to me that there would exist any standardly accepted naturalised/Anglicised pronunciation of this term. I've added the Danish and Norwegian pronunciations of the letters' names; presumably any pronunciation that deviates from them would be an approximation of one or both of them, anyway. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:24, 23 February 2014 (UTC) Actually I pronounced it as [ei.iː.əυ.ei] before I did some research. -- kc_kennylau ( talk ) 09:20, 24 February 2014 (UTC) Fair enough; that refutes my presumption, then! :-) Do you think it's worth including pronunciations like your pre-research one (which looks like it's based on the English letter names for A, E, O, and A again)? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:57, 24 February 2014 (UTC) But English is not my native language so I'm considered out of the sample space :) -- kc_kennylau ( talk ) 12:45, 25 February 2014 (UTC) @ Kc kennylau An anonymous user has suggested at Talk:ÆØÅ#Adjective that the example sentences for the adjectival senses of ÆØÅ are just uses of the nominal sense. Do you have any citations of this term being used unambiguously as a true adjective, perchance? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:19, 23 March 2014 (UTC) rfe: -σύνη[ edit ] Hi - you rfe'd -σύνη , my Bambiniotis gives PIE -tunā as predecessor to the ancient Greek. Would you know about formatting this? cheers Saltmarsh ( talk ) 06:41, 6 April 2014 (UTC) Thanks, Saltmarsh . Is this what you meant? If so, it would probably be a good idea if you could flesh out the one-word citation of Bambiniotis that's in the References section. Thanks. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:18, 6 April 2014 (UTC) oder noch [ edit ] Hi! You added oder noch to Wiktionary:Wanted entries . What makes you think this is an idiomatic unit? I can't see that. Longtrend ( talk ) 16:34, 8 April 2014 (UTC) @ Longtrend : Well, I had the sentence fragment "danach alles gestr. oder noch 1–2 Wörter?", which I translated as "After that, everything is crossed out — perhaps 1–2 words?"; I couldn't see how oder noch ‎(“perhaps”) could derive unidiomatically from oder + noch . Or have I mistranslated the sentence? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:02, 12 April 2014 (UTC) You mistranslated it :) Actually it would be "Is everything after that crossed out or (= oder) are there one or two more (= noch) words?". So it's the normal conjunction oder with the adverb noch (sense 4). Longtrend ( talk ) 16:42, 12 April 2014 (UTC) @ Longtrend : I see; I apologise for the mistake. I've removed oder noch from WT:WE and I shall add "Danach alles gestr. oder noch 1–2 Wörter?" to oder and to noch as an example sentence. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:55, 12 April 2014 (UTC) No problem! This is really a weird and unusual sentence, but it's better than no example at all, I guess. Longtrend ( talk ) 20:34, 12 April 2014 (UTC) Indeed. No wonder I had trouble translating it! :-S — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:36, 12 April 2014 (UTC) Why would you list the current term as one of the related terms? — CodeCa t 21:14, 11 April 2014 (UTC) Not related; co-ordinate. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:15, 11 April 2014 (UTC) So it's coordinate with itself? That doesn't make sense to me. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ 大君#Japanese and alternate vs. alternative[ edit ] FWIW, I don't particularly care one way or the other, beyond a preference for brevity. The terms alternate and alternative are synonymous in this context, making the change insubstantial and not particularly important. I reverted the anon for making a piddling unconstructive edit. Past experience has shown that this kind of niggling edit from certain IP ranges presages a crapflood of bad editing, hence my reflexive reversion. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 20:26, 22 April 2014 (UTC) OK; well, I understand you reversion now. Re the synonymy of alternate and alternative in that sense, the OED (3rd ed., Nov. 2010) notes this in its etymology section for alternate, adj., adv., and n. : The semantic overlap with alternative adj. has been criticized by usage guides, and many British speakers consider the use of alternate in the senses of branch A. II. incorrect. "Branch A. II." thereof is defined as "Senses equating to alternative adj. Chiefly N. Amer.", and it has three senses (A. II. 7–9) which merely point to senses 3a, 3b, and 5 of the OED’s entry for alternative, respectively. Being a speaker of British English, I therefore agreed with the anon's change and, IMO, it is better (all other things being equal) to choose usage that is uncontentious. I hope that seems reasonable and that I didn’t irk you by reverting your reversion. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:43, 23 April 2014 (UTC) Cheers, I appreciate the additional information. I wasn't irked so much as puzzled, and felt the need to explain myself. That said, the background you provided helps clear up my puzzlement. Ta, ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Small request[ edit ] Could you please do it like this instead? — CodeCa t 20:53, 22 May 2014 (UTC) Also, please don't abuse templates like you did here . You shouldn't try to "fake close" the opening quotes of the template like that. It's generally bad to assume that templates will ever display a certain way, because btuff like that would break if the display of the template is ever changed. — CodeCa t 20:56, 22 May 2014 (UTC) Hello Lmaltier. Could you tell me whether this text is written in Middle French, please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:15, 1 July 2014 (UTC) Yes, it's (rather modern) Middle French. Lmaltier ( talk ) 18:02, 2 July 2014 (UTC) Thank you. I've added the ridiculously long sentence from that source to Citations:perfinition . Do you know enough Middle French to tell me what the word means? It may help to know that it very probably derives from the Mediaeval Latin perfīnītiō ‎(“a decision”). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:58, 2 July 2014 (UTC) You are right, it very probably derives from perfinitio . And I agree that perfinitio very probably derives from per + finitio . But I'm surprised by the definition provided here. Finitio may already indicate the termination, and per- still insists on the complete termination. This seems to be the meaning of perfinition: it seems to be a legal term, and is seems that perfinition de temps means when the time is 100% elapsed. But I don't know Middle French. Lmaltier ( talk ) 21:34, 2 July 2014 (UTC) Template:la-suffix-noun [ edit ] Your most recent edit appears to have broken things: -astrum DTLHS ( talk ) 23:28, 31 July 2014 (UTC) @ DTLHS : Sorry about that. I think this change has fixed that now. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:38, 31 July 2014 (UTC) οξύτονος [ edit ] What was your concern about this etymology? I have changed the Ancient Greek to Koine/Hellenistic which is what my modern Greek dictionary says. Does that satisfy your query? — Saltmarsh απάντηση 06:57, 9 August 2014 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : Yes; thank you for answering it. I always add Modern Greek etymologies using {{ rfe \|lang=el\|From the [lang] [etymon]?}} because they're usually my own guesses and are unsourced, which means there's every chance that I'll get something wrong (the chronolect in the case of οξύτονος ‎(oxýtonos), the etymon in the case of δικαίως ‎(dikaíos)), and that I should not be overconfident with my guesses, leaving the decision about whether to remove the {{ rfe }} to another editor who can check a source. Is that OK? BTW, I believe we should change the grc-koi language code to display Koine Greek instead of just Koine , since koine can qualify other language names as well; what do you say? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:33, 9 August 2014 (UTC) Koine Greek would be more accessible (don't think that it's used elsewhere), that would be a good idea. I'm not sure how grc-koi can be changed to produce the result we want! — Saltmarsh απάντηση 13:38, 9 August 2014 (UTC) I'll ask at the Grease Pit , I tried changing the appropriate line in Module:etymology language/data but this had a knock-on to the category name assigned, with ramifications beyond Greek words. — Saltmarsh απάντηση 15:34, 9 August 2014 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : Thanks a lot for sorting that out. Things look better now. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:38, 9 August 2014 (UTC) Marking vowel length in Ancient Greek[ edit ] I saw your edit on κλάζω . While this seems like an excellent idea, I would like to point out a couple things: I'm actually working right now on a Luacized conjugation table —an idea I proposed a while back, started work on, gave up, and just recently came back to. (And I'm planning using neither of my proposed options, and actually implementing it more like the Latin system . The point being that, if you were planning on adding the 1v, 2v, etc. arguments to the conjugation templates, don't do so quite yet. As I'm fairly sure this is not yet codified practice, we need to specify which of the diacritics should combine; especially given that it would be easier to generate page links (without having to enter two arguments for each word) if the breve/macron were combining, rather than the acute (or breath mark) as you have been doing. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 01:00, 11 August 2014 (UTC) I was having a similar problem with Ancient Greek nouns. I seemed useful to add breves to nouns with ambiguous lengths, for example Γᾰ́δᾰρᾰ ‎(Gádara). I am aware that, when generating links for entries with macrons, the macrons are automatically removed for the HTTP query text but still displayed on the page. Breves, on the other hand, are always preserved in the HTTP query text, causing the link to go to Γᾰ́δᾰρᾰ as opposed to Γάδαρα. You probably knew all this, but I really wish I could specify breves in declension tables without fear of having bad links. Is there any safe way to put breves in link text or declension tables without creating bad links or having to write my tables from the ground up? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 21:36, 12 August 2014 (UTC) To change the automatic linking, an admin would have to change Module:languages/data3/g . I would do it myself, but (aside from the fact I've never worked with that part of the data modules) the fact that no one has implemented such an obvious feature makes me nervous. You could ask at Wiktionary Talk:About Ancient Greek to see if there's a consensus for doing so. Or you could ask at the Grease pit , and perhaps an admin who's more bold than I am (or who knows the issues involved better than I do) will make the change. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 00:45, 13 September 2014 (UTC) JohnC5: Don't put breves on the ambiguous vowels, only the short vowels. Ambiguous vowels should be left blank. As for the entry titles, I asked Atelaes to add breves and the combining diacritics about a month ago ; he said he'd try to find the time, which apparently he has not yet. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 18:42, 15 September 2014 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Sorry, all, for the delay in my response to you. @ ObsequiousNewt : Per your request, I've left Ancient Greek conjugation tables entirely alone since your first posting above; do please keep me abreast of your progress with your Luacised conjugation table. Re "specify[ing] which of the diacritics should combine", the actual situation is diametrically opposed to what you suppose. Consider, for example, that Μεσσί̄ᾱς ‎(Messí̄ās) ( Μ ε σ σ ί [U+0304 COMBINING MACRON] ᾱ ς ) generates a red link, whereas Μεσσῑ́ᾱς ‎(Messī́ās) ( Μ ε σ σ ῑ [U+0301 COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT] ᾱ ς ) is properly treated, has its macrae stripped from the link text, and generates a blue link. (Moreover, the string with the combining oxia generates both original Greek and transliterated Latin text that display properly, in contradistinction with the string with the combining macra.) If I understand this properly, it has to do with canonical equivalence . Everything (apart from four codepoints) in the Greek Extended character block (Precomposed polytonic Greek, U+1F00–U+1FFF) is canonically equivalent to something else. (The four codepoints in that block that aren't canonically equivalent are U+1FBD GREEK KORONIS, U+1FBF GREEK PSILI, U+1FC0 GREEK PERISPOMENI, and U+1FFE GREEK DASIA, and even they're noted as being approximately equivalent to U+0020 SPACE combined with U+0313 COMBINING COMMA ABOVE, 〃, U+0342 COMBINING GREEK PERISPOMENI, and U+0314 COMBINING REVERSED COMMA ABOVE, respectively. The Unicode Consortium uses ≡ ‎(“identical to”) to denote canonical equivalence and ≈ ‎(“almost equal to”) to denote this approximate equivalence.) Greek Extended includes ᾰ, ᾱ, Ᾰ, Ᾱ, ῐ, ῑ, Ῐ, Ῑ, ῠ, ῡ, Ῠ, and Ῡ at U+1FB0, U+1FB1, U+1FB8, U+1FB9, U+1FD0, U+1FD1, U+1FD8, U+1FD9, U+1FE0, U+1FE1, U+1FE8, and U+1FE9, respectively; they are all canonically equivalent to the relevant undiacriticked letter in the Greek and Coptic character block, combined with either U+0304 COMBINING MACRON or U+0306 COMBINING BREVE. That means that whatever character conversion the Lua languages module performs (in the case of ᾰ, be it U+1FB0 GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH VRACHY → U+03B1 GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA or U+03B1 GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA + U+0306 COMBINING BREVE → U+03B1 GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA), whether we use combining macrae and brachiae or precomposed polytonic Greek characters should make no difference. As Μεσσί̄ᾱς ‎(Messí̄ās) vs. Μεσσῑ́ᾱς ‎(Messī́ās) shows, however, the order of diacritics matters, both for display and software functionality. Let's take the more complex case of ἄβαξ ‎(ábax). Let's say I wanted to add macrae to that word (I don't know whether its vowels are long, but that doesn't matter for the present purpose). I could just add U+0304 COMBINING MACRON after each alpha, to give ἄ̄βᾱξ ‎(á̄bāx), but the Lua module fails to remove the macra from the first alpha for the link text (note, however, that it does remove the macra from the second alpha). If, however, I were to construct the string U+03B1 (GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA) + U+0304 (COMBINING MACRON) + U+0313 (COMBINING COMMA ABOVE) + U+0301 (COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT) + U+03B2 (GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA) + U+03B1 (GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA) + U+0304 (COMBINING MACRON) + U+03BE (GREEK SMALL LETTER XI) and then link to that, it would generate ᾱ̓́βᾱξ ‎(ā́bāx), which works properly. Switching the composition order of the U+0313 COMBINING COMMA ABOVE and the U+0301 COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT leads to an invalid result again, generating the red link ᾱ́̓βᾱξ ‎(ā́bāx). So, basically, macrae and brachiae must come before the other diacritics, not after them. Anti-TL;DR version: Diacritics have to be added in a strict order, otherwise links don't work and display problems are generated. It just so happens that macrae and brachiae have to come before the other diacritics. @ Chuck Entz : As far as I can tell, the only change to Module:languages/data3/g that's necessary is changing this: m["grc"] = { entry_name = { from = {"ᾰᾱ", "ῐῑ", "ῠῡ"}, Given that Atelaes , JohnC5 , ObsequiousNewt , and I all seem to be in favour of such a change, are you willing to tweak that data page? (Macra-stripping was added to grc by -sche in this revision ; might it be worth asking him why he didn't enable brachia-stripping as well?) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:09, 16 September 2014 (UTC) What about the Grease Pit discussion? — CodeCa t 00:11, 16 September 2014 (UTC) Oh, sorry, I didn't see that . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:16, 16 September 2014 (UTC) I was unaware that accents automatically combined; this is good news then. On the other hand, if we add both combining symbols the the ignore list, shouldn't both work? Anyway, my practices for marking vowel length are based on the Latin system: mark every vowel that doesn't have a diacritic on it already. If we do decide to mark every* vowel, I'll start doing that—but there are a couple issues that need to be sorted out first. And the Luacized conjugation table is complete; I posted that in Wiktionary talk:About Ancient Greek but you probably missed it. Anyway, the template is {{ grc-conj }}; see me if you have any bugs or questions. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 02:25, 16 September 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Re "if we add both combining symbols the the ignore list, shouldn't both work?", I don't know what you mean. What two combining symbols are you refering to? Re "If we do decide to mark every vowel, I'll start doing that—but there are a couple issues that need to be sorted out first.", sure; what are these issues? You're right; I missed your elegant declaration . Well done. I look forward to familiarising myself with its use. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:59, 16 September 2014 (UTC) The macron and breve combining symbols, I mean. And the main issue is that they don't render well (all the diacritics layer over each other making it impossible to tell which ones the vowel has.) ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 16:44, 16 September 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Yes, "add[ing] both…[t]he macron and breve combining symbols…[to] the ignore list" (as I described in my response to Chuck Entz in my post timestamped: 00:09, 16 September 2014) should indeed mean that any brachia used in a way that a macra can be used will lead to a correct result. I agree that there are display problems when a brachia or macra is used in conjunction with a psile or dasia. There are also display problems when a brachia or macra is combined with any diacriticked majuscule. Whilst these display problems could easily be corrected in the transliterations, I don't know whether or, if so, how they can be corrected in the original Greek script. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:15, 17 September 2014 (UTC) perispomene and other matters[ edit ] Lest you think me foolish, I am indeed aware that vowels with a perispomene are long. :) I guess I was just in a mood last night were it looked inconsistent not to make them all have macra, and I had a sneaking suspicion you might remove it (for which I am grateful). It certainly will not happen again, and I deeply appreciate your checking my edits to WT:WE, particularly in languages like AG, on which I have read up intently but which I have never technically studied. On a related topic: am I right in thinking that there is no explicit template for AG 3rd declension after a "strong"-υ stem, such as with νᾶπυ‎ ‎(nâpu‎)? Is it just that such terms are so uncommon as to not need a separate template? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 21:32, 14 October 2014 (UTC) Lemmata in etymologies[ edit ] Heya, thanks for your work on 女房詞 . I thought it would be better to chat here rather than exclusively in the edit summaries. :) My thought is that using the alt params in etymologies should be restricted to cases like verb forms, where you show the verb form (like 見て or 読め, etc.) and link to the lemma dictionary form (in these cases, 見る or 読む). This kind of gentle redirect is relatively transparent -- the kanji doesn't change, and users who click through wind up pretty much where they expect to be. Meanwhile, showing one kanji spelling and linking through to another substantially raises the chances of user confusion and general unhappiness. We do have an entry for 詞 , so showing that and linking to 言葉 instead feels unnecessarily misleading. The etymon kotoba has a lemma form of 言葉 , so linking to 詞 is poor usability -- users have to click again through to the 言葉 entry to get the relevant details for that etymon. As such, showing 言葉 and linking to that in the etymology for 女房詞 seems the most straightforward to me. Japanese has maaaany cases of a single etymon being spelled multiple ways using different kanji, so this phenomenon we see in the 女房詞 entry is not unique. I hope that explains my position clearly enough. :) Let me know your thoughts. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 19:15, 3 November 2014 (UTC) @ Eirikr : OK; I see where you're coming from. What do you make of this presentation , instead? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:22, 3 November 2014 (UTC) Still not ideal, in my eyes, in that this gives 詞 as the lemma used to form the compound. The underlying constituent terms here are nyōbō, which has the single kanji spelling 女房 , and kotoba, which has multiple kanji spellings, of which 言葉 is the lemma, not 詞 . Compounds presented in etymologies should use the lemmata where possible (verb forms as one clear exception, since that's not just a matter of spelling; c.f. the etymologies at 糞垂 , 薺 , 曝け出す ). ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ φωνήεις [ edit ] I'm not positive (as I'm still very new to AG declension), but I think we'll need to create {{ grc-adecl-1&3-ντ-prx }} (based on {{ grc-adecl-1&3-ντ }}) in order to facilitate the inflection for φωνήεις . However, this is slightly out of my comfort zone for AG. Can you do this or do you know someone who can? I can certainly handle the template creation fine, but I'm not positive about the forms. Thanks in advance! — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 09:33, 5 November 2014 (UTC) I can take this one (working on it right now), unless ISMETA wants to. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 17:56, 6 November 2014 (UTC) Thanks, ObsequiousNewt ; please, be my guest. @ JohnC5 : Sorry I haven't been very prompt with my responses lately. I'm quite busy right now, but I will get to your various messages once my present project is out of the way. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:34, 6 November 2014 (UTC) Thanks, ObsequiousNewt , I had to add another parameter to allow for the recessive accent in MVS, NNS, NAS, and NVS. Please fix my changes further if necessary. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 21:52, 6 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 According to Smyth 299 , the accent doesn't recede there. Were you using a different source? ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 21:59, 6 November 2014 (UTC) Very intriguing, ObsequiousNewt . I was going off of this and also Perseus's declension tool . Then again, the Anthon & Kühner also seems to imply that the contracted form should be φωνῇς and not φωνῆς , which disagrees with LSJ (unless LSJ omits iota subscript, which it very well might). Again, I defer to greater AG expertise. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 22:46, 6 November 2014 (UTC) Perseus' declension tool is useful for looking up a lemma from the inflected form... but I've found that it tends to be a lot less reliable (particularly with accents—I've found some examples that defy Greek's rules for accent) with the reverse. As for the contracted form (which I hadn't coded yet)... η + ει can be either ῃ or η, and it essentially depends on whether the ει came from underlying ey (this is called a genuine diphthong) or from (a) contraction of ε+ε or (b) lengthening of ε (this is called in either case a spurious diphthong.) See Smyth 6, 53, and 59. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 04:41, 7 November 2014 (UTC) And what about the Anthon & Kühner for the recessive accent (i.e.should I change the template back?) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 04:57, 7 November 2014 (UTC) Ah, so, okay, my mistake. I forgot that penult can mean properispomenon. So, your change was correct. On the other hand, I'm going to reorder the arguments because that's just kind of awkward IMO. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 13:56, 7 November 2014 (UTC) I was hoping you would do that, as I was too lazy to reörder them myself. :) Thanks for making that change. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 21:50, 7 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 For you. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:32, 21 November 2014 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ I'm so meta even this acronym Thanks. I have always been a fan of diaereses for the purpose of disambiguation. For many years I pronounced reägent the same way as regent because I had misanalyzed its structure. :) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 19:42, 21 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I understand and have quite a lot of sympathy for that general principle. I thought reörder was kinda quirky, since I figured it's a word more-or-less immune from synaeretic mispronunciation; reägent , however, I agree with (when I first encountered the word on a game, I was also unsure about its pronunciation until I looked it up). Pleasingly, and unlike reörder, reägent has enough citations to warrant its inclusion , so I made an entry for it. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:47, 23 November 2014 (UTC) @ I'm so meta even this acronym Again, thank you! I do, of course, mostly use reörder in jest, but I will seriously go in for classics like reëlect or orthoëpy (the latter of which also makes my list of words that were almost certainly made out of spite for what they describe along with lisp and hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia ). Out of curiosity, in which game did you encounter re(a\|ä)gent? I first ran across it in the Might and Magic series of games. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 02:30, 23 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Heh, ditto. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:50, 23 November 2014 (UTC) Slow down. And prioritise [ edit ] If you keep adding requests at such rate, soon WT:WANTED shall become as overloaded as WT:RFD is. Also, many of these entries you add seem quite obscure and I doubt they are high priority: "Presentment of Englishry", seriously? WT:WANTED should be for more-or-less immediately needed terms. — Keφr 08:17, 7 November 2014 (UTC) @ Kephir : Yeah, OK, fair enough. Sorry about that. I'll add far fewer from now on, and I'll move terms from there to language-specific requests pages soon. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:24, 7 November 2014 (UTC) @ Kephir : It is not entirely I.S.M.E.T.A.'s fault, as I have been trying to add a couple wanted entries each day recently and I.S.M.E.T.A. has just been refilling the entries. I have wondered, however, whence the high priority terms are supposed to come; though I am perfectly happy to add random/obscure terms. Would you want the list to become shorter generally? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 09:09, 7 November 2014 (UTC) Based on my sample of one so far ( Cechenodes ) the taxonomic names are not well selected. There are millions of taxonomic names. It is neither realistic nor worthwhile to have them all. I am skeptical about the value to Wiktionary of taxon entries that are not linked to and do not have the prospect of being linked to by any vernacular name in any language. See the thousands of bird species entries for examples of mostly low-value entries. The whole point of {{ taxlink }} (and {{ vern }}) is to create "wanted" lists that reflect links. I have more or less abandoned Wiktionary:Requested entries (Scientific names) for that reason. Further my process of adding taxonomic names includes making fairly full entries with links to external databases, removing {{ taxlink }}s that point to the entry and adding wikilinks to unlinked uses of the taxon. Anything short of that is not as helpful as it might be. At least use {{ taxon }} in the definition line. DCDuring μέλι καρύδι[ edit ] Surely just some of parts - μέλι = honey, καρύδι = walnut ? — Saltmarsh απάντηση 21:10, 8 November 2014 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : I figured honey-nut would be just one thing, but maybe not. If you don't detect any idiomaticity in the phrase μέλι καρύδι ‎(méli karýdi), then you're probably right that it's no more than the sum of its parts. I've removed the request ; sorry to waste your time. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 06:21, 9 November 2014 (UTC) I believe this template, {{ Template:grc-decl-3rd-weak-υ-prx }}, needs to be made in order to decline the substantive form of this entry. :) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 04:48, 12 November 2014 (UTC) Noted. I'll get to it at some indefinite point in the future. Thanks for creating ἀμφίβραχυς ‎(amphíbrakhus). BTW, regarding this edit of yours , AFAICT, emys is only attested in the accusative plural form emydas in Classical Latin, a form which {{ la-decl-3rd \|emys\|emyd}} doesn't generate. I'm not sure how we should present emys's declension, but I'm convinced we shouldn't obscure Classical usage by giving only the non-natively over-regularised New Latin declension. These sparsely attested terms are difficult cases; do you think it would be worthwhile having Category:Latin hapax legomena (I see we already have that one; I'd forgotten that I'd created it.), Category:Latin dis legomena , Category:Latin tris legomena , and Category:Latin tetrakis legomena for these Latin terms with very limited Classical attestation? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:55, 12 November 2014 (UTC) That's a very fair point about emys. Maybe do something along the lines of what I did with chelys , perhaps? I agree that it deserves to have a hapax category slapped on it (along with a few other Plinian words I've added from WT:WE recently). I'm trying to decide, if it is a hapax, whether we ever keep the lemma form or change it to emys and move it to the appendix. I am certainly not well enough versed in Wiktionary's policies (as people keep telling me :) ) to know what to do. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 09:06, 12 November 2014 (UTC) Emys is only a hapax legomenon (as emydas) in the Classical Latin corpus; it is plentifully attested in every case (except perhaps the vocative) and in both numbers in New Latin. We don't relegate to appendices Latin terms wholly restricted to the New Latin chronolect; a fortiori, we shouldn't relegate to appendices Latin terms whose lemmata are only found in New Latin, but which are attested in one or more oblique forms in the Classical chronolect. I like the accuracy of presentation in chelys (It's attested in the vocative‽), but I'd prefer to mark unattested forms with asterisks and without linking them (like this ) rather than omitting them altogether, wherever that's possible (it may not be in the case of very impredictable declension). And yes, I've noticed that quite a lot of the more obscure Classical Latin vocabulary is only found in Naturali Historiâ C. Plinii Secundi and that he often remains faithful to his borrowings' original Greek patterns of declension; I don't suppose his practice is all that different from that of English authors that retain plural forms from the Classical languages when using terms derived thence in an English context. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:30, 12 November 2014 (UTC) I quite like the method you've shown with chelys (also, yeah, it is weird that it is attested in the vocative). It gives us the pleasure of getting to reconstruct something without forcing us to claim attestation. For emys, we could use the "chelys method" for the Classical Latin and the standard declension method for New Latin. You should probably revert chelys to your asterisked version (at least, in my opinion); though, I notice something has changed since I first made chelys that obviates the need for links inside the table, as the table now appears to auto-generate links. Sorry for misinterpreting your previous point about hapaxes—it was a late night. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 15:02, 12 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : At least two of emys's Graeciform inflections are attested in New Latin (viz. emydos and emyda ) and New Latin only; accordingly, I think it would be best to present the whole range of forms in one table. I'm glad you also prefer the complete-but-asterisked version of chelys's declension table; however, the autogenerated appendical links for the unattested forms need to be removed before that page can be reverted to that version (we don't want entries in an appendix for mere unattested forms of otherwise attested words). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:46, 14 November 2014 (UTC) If you think about it, there aren't that many Classical Latin terms attested in all of the forms our templates generate, so we're not all that strict about asterisking every form that's not attested. I would think one would only asterisk cases where the attested forms don't provide enough information to be reasonably sure about those parts of the paradigm. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 00:02, 15 November 2014 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : There are very many irregular forms attested in the Classical corpus; it is generally the case that the better attested a term is in the Classical corpus, the more irregular forms it will have (this is especially the case for verbs). Such irregularities are largely unpredictable, so reconstructions cannot hope to anticipate them. It is one thing to show (unattested) forms that would result according to the application of general patterns, and quite another to state that those forms actually occur. On the other hand, I'm not suggesting that we leave all inflection tables blank or full of asterisks until someone comes along to verify which forms actually occur; that would leave us with very few of those entries for Latin non-lemmata which are so useful to those less well-acquainted with Latin inflection. I propose an "innocent until proven guilty" approach (not vice versa) whereby we have entries for non-lemmata unless they have been shown, with reasonable reliability, not to exist. (After all, if the form does not exist, what would cause a person unfamiliar with Latin inflection to search for that form; i.e., where would that person find that form?) This approach yields results like those at emys (see {{ la-decl-emys }}) and postrēmōgenitus ; please let me know what you think of those results. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:28, 21 November 2014 (UTC) Regarding the template--you'll both want to look at this RFDO I made a while back. —This unsigned comment was added by ObsequiousNewt ( talk • contribs ) at 16:28, 13 November 2014‎. @ ObsequiousNewt : Oh, thanks for that. Are those seven deletions and one move going to happen, then? Would it be helpful for me to post a vote in that RFDO in support? @ JohnC5 I have added {{ grc-decl-3rd-weak-υ-prp }} to the new noun section of ἀμφῐ́βρᾰχῠς ‎(amphíbrakhus). Is the result what you were looking for? I'm uncertain, given the mismatch between the adjectival and nominal declension tables (the genitive masculine singular of the adjective is ἀμφῐβρᾰ́χεος ‎(amphibrákheos), whereas the genitive singular of the noun is ἀμφῐβρᾰ́χεως ‎(amphibrákheōs); the nominative, accusative, and vocative masculine dual of the adjective is ἀμφῐβρᾰ́χεε ‎(amphibrákhee), whereas the nominative, accusative, and vocative dual of the noun is ἀμφῐβρᾰ́χει ‎(amphibrákhei); and the genitive masculine plural of the adjective is ἀμφῐβρᾰχέων ‎(amphibrakhéōn), whereas the genitive plural of the noun is ἀμφῐβρᾰ́χεων ‎(amphibrákheōn)). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:02, 13 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Having actually looked at the LSJ entry, seeing as ἀμφίβραχυς is an adjective, you actually want {{ grc-adecl-1&3-ups-prx }}. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 17:50, 13 November 2014 (UTC) @ I'm so meta even this acronym : I think there's a consensus to delete... but they need to be orphaned first, which I had started doing before getting sidetracked. If you'd like to help fix them, that would be great (but don't feel obligated.) ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 17:53, 13 November 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : I thought because there is a male substantive sense, we would need {{ Template:grc-decl-3rd-weak-υ-prx }}. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 06:48, 14 November 2014 (UTC) I'd figure that wouldn't be necessary; a substantive is still an adjective, and the inflection would be the masculine form of the adjective. But I defer opinion. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 14:43, 14 November 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : I don't know if you noticed my comments in that RFDO , but {{ grc-decl-1st-ala-prp }}, {{ grc-decl-1st-ets-prp }}, {{ grc-decl-3rd-N-ln-prp }}, and {{ grc-decl-3rd-weak-υ-prp }} are all orphans and can, accordingly, be deleted. @ JohnC5 Just FYI, I agree with giving separate nominal declension tables for substantivised adjectives, as in the case of ᾰ̓μφῐ́βρᾰχῠς ‎(amphíbrakhus). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:12, 21 November 2014 (UTC) Yes, I noticed; I'm not an admin. I've been busy, so I haven't been able to work on the others either. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 13:51, 24 November 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Ah, OK; I just wanted to check. Re your not being an administrator; shall I nominate you for administratorship? It seems you could do with the tools. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:33, 24 November 2014 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you think it seems appropriate. I haven't gotten involved with policy debate yet, so I don't know if I'm qualified, but I do agree that we could use a dedicated admin for Greek given Atelaes' absence. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 19:18, 24 November 2014 (UTC) Aftermath περισπωμένη[ edit ] What dictionary gives you a noun-sense? LSJ doesn't have anything. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 21:59, 19 November 2014 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : LSJ, περισπάω IV has “Gramm., pronounce a vowel or word with the circumflex…π. [προσῳδία] D.T.630.2, Ph.1.29; περισπώμενος [φθόγγος] ib.46”, which I took to mean that Dionysius Thrax and Philo Judaeus use περισπωμένη ‎(perispōménē) as a noun in elliptical usage for περισπωμένη προσῳδία ‎(perispōménē prosōidía) = ⟨ ῀ ⟩. I tracked down Dionysius' use, but I couldn't find Philo's; given the translations thereof at Citations:περισπωμένη , I'm no longer sure… — I.S. M.E.T.A. 03:14, 20 November 2014 (UTC) salateen [ edit ] Whence did you procure that pronunciation? Just curious. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 01:07, 26 November 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I Anglicised the Arabic pronunciation given in سَلَاطِينُ ‎(salāṭīnu). I think it's very unlikely that we'll find an IPA transcription in an authority that we can cite. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:23, 26 November 2014 (UTC) Good enough for me. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 01:27, 26 November 2014 (UTC) :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:36, 26 November 2014 (UTC) Ancient Greek prosody[ edit ] No, only the length of the ult's vowel counts. An example where the penult's vowel is long (there are many cases like this): ἀγανάκτησις ‎(aganáktēsis). -- Fsojic ( talk ) 13:50, 29 November 2014 (UTC) w:Ancient Greek accent has a shorthand explanation: the morae between the accented mora and the last mora can't be in separate syllables. This also explains the type of accent in the antepenult- you can never have a rising accent, with the accent on the first mora of the syllable, because that would put unaccented morae in both the antepenult and the penult. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 18:40, 29 November 2014 (UTC) @ Fsojic , Chuck Entz : Thank you both. That's helped explain things a lot. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:53, 1 December 2014 (UTC) Axiogenesis[ edit ] Could you read the 3 page preface of this book and help me figure out what on earth the distinction between noophelia and axiogenesis is? I get optimalism , but the other two are so subtly different as to seem like not at all. Axiogenesis also appears to be an alternate form of axogenesis (creation of axons ), but I don't want to add that until I have this philosophical meaning sorted out. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 08:28, 3 December 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Well, as Classical compounds representing Greek roots, noöphelia represents νοωφέλεια, νοωφελία ‎(noōphéleia, noōphelía, “the benefiting of reason or intellect”), whereas axiogenesis represents ἀξιογένεσις ‎(axiogénesis, “generation according to value”). Knowing that helps to elucidate what the author means by these words, especially in the light of the definitions he offers on page x. The axiological doctrine of noöphelia states that the measure of value is benificiality to the intellect (or, in Rescher's words, the extent of "best serving the interest of intelligent beings"), whereas axiogenesis, as a combination of noöphelia and optimalism, is an ontological doctrine that states that that which actually exists or comes into being is determined by what is beneficial to the intellect. That's my take on it, anyhow. Does that make matters any clearer to you? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:00, 3 December 2014 (UTC) (Just to clarify, the roots involved here are νόος , ὠφέλεια / ὠφελία , ἀξία , and γένεσις . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:05, 3 December 2014 (UTC)) Thank you. This is in line with my reading but far better stated. I just couldn't figure out how to put it into words. So the real distinction is that in noöphelia intelligence determines all value of existing things and in axiogenesis the existence of all things is determined by what is optimally beneficial to intelligence? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 18:30, 3 December 2014 (UTC) On second thought, do you want to write this entry? :) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 23:28, 3 December 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Sure. I've done some groundwork on the etyma; I'll create the actual entries later today. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:12, 4 December 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 Done and done . I hope the definitions I've written are comprehensible. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:48, 4 December 2014 (UTC) Curious John is curious[ edit ] Are you from a Commonwealth nation? I ask because I notice that you spelled/spelt the word favourable as opposed to favorable. Or is it that there is some heinous and despicable (just kidding (no, but really)) bylaw of Wiktionary that says we should prefer British English spellings over American ones? I have been curious ever since I noticed that the Wiktionary logo has the RP pronunciation and not the American. ramble, — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 08:23, 5 December 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Yup, I'm a UK-ite. AFAIK, the practice is to adhere to the original spelling as used by the first editor; that convention is neutral regarding which spelling is to be used, but prevents edit wars over spelling. I don't know about the origin of the logo, but I note that [ˈwɪkʃənrɪ] violates our convention of using ⟨ɹ⟩ to represent both /ɹ/ and [ɹ] in English; also, the RP pronunciation is more like [ˈwɪkʃn̩ɹɪ] or [ˈwɪkʃn̩ɹi], really. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:36, 5 December 2014 (UTC) Yeah, I definitely say [ˈwɪkʃənɛɹi], and I'm baffled that the American pronunciation would not be favo(u)red as I imagine the plurality if not majority of en.wiktionary editors are American, though I have not confirmed this. And lest you think me an Anglophobe or America zealot, I am just poking fun. :) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 08:50, 5 December 2014 (UTC) Also, you make a very good point about the ⟨ɹ⟩ in the logo—it sets a bad example! I would bring up changing it in WT:BP if I weren't so frightened of how violent arguments around here get sometimes. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 08:56, 5 December 2014 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Yes, I'd be interested to know the national make-up of the editing community here, although how we could gather reliable data on that is beyond me. WT:A lists administrators' time zones, so I suppose we can infer something from that, extrapolate to the general community, and then take the results with a small Siberian salt mine. ;-) How would one even go about changing the logo? I don't know what determines it. I don't suppose it matters much, and at least the status quo has the advantage of "privileging" so marginal (or, perhaps, non-existent) a group of speakers that no one's likely to feel unduly and uniquely underrepresented. I totally know what you mean about the arguments around here. I have no time for that kind of bullshit. Also, I'm not an Anglo, so I wouldn't be offended by your zeal, anyway. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:38, 5 December 2014 (UTC) Hmm, perhaps we can modify something so that last category line is added automatically by {{ head \|participle}}... ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 16:05, 6 December 2014 (UTC) I think this calls for a {{ grc-part }} template. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:18, 6 December 2014 (UTC) It might. I created those entries mostly as an example. I think such a template would be useful if we do start adding conjugation pages, but we need to get a concrete proposal together first. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 00:01, 7 December 2014 (UTC) (And very helpful λελυκώς was for me, too; thank you.) Agreed. Something like the treatment of Latin participles? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:45, 7 December 2014 (UTC) Good catch on καθέδρα 's genitive[ edit ] For you ædification, my normal order of operations (where possible) is: Etymology Definitions Other stuff Clearly I missed step five this passed time. Should probably just do the declension before the headword, eh? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 19:37, 11 December 2014 (UTC) Ah, I see. The omission makes sense, given that ordo operandi. Yeah, sorting a preliminary outline for the headword seems fairly unnecessary if you're going to back to it later, and that would probably preclude such errors in future. Thanks for the explanation. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:33, 11 December 2014 (UTC) -tus , -sus , etc.[ edit ] Ok, I'm getting closer to what we need for the t~s alternation. I realize I need to refine this a bit more by changing -g- to -rg- and add -ll- ( pellō → pulsus ) and -lce- ( mulceō / mulgeō → mulsus ). However there are all sorts of awkward outliers like ( indulgeō → indultus ) or 4th conjugation ( ordior → orsus ). I feel like there should be a more parsimonious solution to this problem. Can you find a source that discusses this topic? I would deeply appreciate that. I also need to update -ātus , -itus , -ītus , and -ūtus as extended forms of -tus — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 04:22, 28 December 2014 (UTC) Hi John . Sorry for taking a while to respond; as you might have noticed, I've been on a bit of a wikibreak since Christmas. Anyway, you asked for a pertinent reference; I think I've found you three: The Eton Latin Grammar, Accented Edition (19th C.?), “As in Præsénti, or, The Rules for Verbs Construéd”, pages 202ff. ; especially pages 209ff. (from “Nunc now díscas you may learn formáre to form supínum the súpine ex prætérito (témpore) from the preterpérfect tense.” onward) The Bromsgrove Latin Grammar, third edition (1851), § 31 : “Formation of Tenses” (pages 74ff.); especially § 31(c)–(d) (pages 78–9) Gildersleeve’s Latin Grammar, third edition (1903), §§ 9 (pages 5–6) and 135 (pages 94–5) I hope they help. Let me know if you need anything else. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:14, 6 January 2015 (UTC) Thanks, these are very informative. I will update the articles soon. In a related note, WT:WE has a request for poenae servus , though as best I can tell, modern writers frequently quote it as servus poenae , (see here ). Is there a policy for this and other compound lemmas for fusional languages wherein word order does not matter? I just feel weird if I am going to create it (and possibly also its inflected forms) if there is not prescribed order or method for prescribing it. Servus poenae appears to be the more standard for such NP's (namely nominative genitive), but poenae servus is widely attested ( google books:"poenae servus" ). — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 01:50, 8 January 2015 (UTC) So create a lemma entry for servus poenae and an alt-form entry for poenae servus . Or the other way around if it looks like poenae servus is used more. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 03:14, 8 January 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : Thanks. I had a feeling that was the case. Would I make inflected forms for one, both, or neither, do you think? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 03:28, 8 January 2015 (UTC) I suppose you could, but the inflection table would be basically the inflection table for servus with poenae tacked on to the left or right of each form- maybe it would be better to just have a soft redirect to the servus entry for the inflection, and to forgo creating entries for all the forms that would have been in it. I do think that having entries for all the inflected forms of both the lemma and the alt-form would be overkill, since the search engine will find the same set of entries regardless of the word order entered in the search box. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 03:51, 8 January 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : Makes sense. At this juncture I'm disinclined to make a full-fledged inflection table because, as you say, it's just poenae + servus's inflection. In the past, if the compound is weird, like Lūca bōs , where it is a proper noun and an irregular noun declined concurrently, I have opted for the full table. This seems like something for which there should be a full write-up or policy (both the question of ordering and that of inflection). Is this a matter that is or ought be discussed elsewhere? Also, thanks again for giving advice. I always feel odd about my decisions because I'm still so new here (and people tend to be so opinionated). — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 04:22, 8 January 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 , Chuck Entz : I agree that neither servus poenae nor poenae servus needs a declension table; the principle we can draw from this case, I think, is that Latin two-word phrases in which one word does not vary do not need declension tables (not, IMO, that they should be prohibited; it's just they're of little value, and needn't be added). Two-word phrases in which both words decline, however, should indeed have declension tables (even if it's just the declension of a regular noun with a regular adjective that merely declines in agreement with the noun it modifies). As for which ordering we should lemmatise, that matters little, but IMO we should lemmatise the order that was standard (or, at least, attested) in ancient sources; in the case of servus poenae vs. poenae servus, that would be whatever occurs in the Institutiones and Digesta Justiniani . But again, that doesn't really matter, and in the absence of compelling evidence either way, I think John is right to opt for the standard/unemphatic/unmarked/whatever order (i.e., nominative–genitive). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 05:36, 12 January 2015 (UTC) A few things[ edit ] Welcome back! I hope your wikibreak was wikipeutic. Thanks for the backlog of thanks and corrections. As per usual, I feel that I should apologize for my general carelessness, with particular regard to diff . Speaking of Cordubensis, the article -ēnsis lists -ensis as having a macron despite L&S, OLD, and every other dictionary I can find saying to the contrary. We may have to percolate this change throughout and remove all the macra. As for switching Inflection headers to Declension/Conjugation in illābor and dividium , WT:ALA#Inflection says we should only use Inflection. I'm inclined to use Declension and Conjugation, and we have disagreed with WT:ALA a few times previously, but for this one, I can understand the reasoning. What do you think? Also, you are killing me with these גָּדַר ‎(gāḏar) descendants . :) — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 22:24, 12 January 2015 (UTC) PS: Am I allowed to put ꝛc. in Fraktur in its headword and links as I have? It makes sense, right? — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 22:33, 12 January 2015 (UTC) So for dibreve: You added this from reading L&S, right? The two entries that contain it are Mĕtăgōge͡us and Mo͞ysēs under Mōsēs . In the case of Mĕtăgōge͡us, that character is an combining inverted double breve, but in the case of Mo͞ysēs, that is a combining double macron, which I think the program that interpreted the text of the book mistook for o͡y. There does seem to be some Italian word dibreve ( google books:"dibreve" ), whose meaning here seems to be twice the length of a musical breve, but otherwise is either di breve or has an unknown meaning to me. The usage in L&S seems to be merely a placeholder in a computer program for the inverted double breve, and I have found little evidence that this is a broadly used descriptor. — JohnC5 ( Talk \| contribs ) 23:51, 24 January 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Thanks for the welcome back. Sorry I'm so rubbish at responding. I'm not very productive right now; I'm a bit out of sorts lately, but hope to improve in both respects. To your points, questions, etc.: Worry not about your "general carelessness". You do a lot of good work and you're very productive; a few errors are inevitable. (And you're not generally careless, anyway.) I had believed our entry. Damn. I'll be sure to mark the e short in -ensis words henceforth. "[A]lways us[ing] the Inflection header, and never the alternatives Declension or Conjugation…reduces the number of possible section names, and thus improves accessibility of Latin entries for learners of both Latin and English. It also sidesteps the problem created by participles, which are technically verbs but decline like adjectives.": The "number of possible section names" is a non-issue. We could, for the same reason, use only Affix or Combining form, but instead we use Prefix, Suffix, Circumfix, Infix, etc. Excessive parsimony vis-à-vis section headers is neither desirable nor Wiktionary-wide common practice. Also, I don't see how restricting ourselves to using only Inflection headers "improves accessibility of Latin entries" when above every conjugation table there is written "first/second/third/fourth conjugation" and above every declension table there is written "first/second/third/fourth/fifth declension"; that just means that inflection is another word that has to be learnt alongside conjugation and declension. There is no "problem created by participles, which are technically verbs but decline like adjectives". In Latin, conjugation is inflection for person, number, tense, voice, and mood; declension is inflection for case, number, and gender. Non-finite verb forms are defective, marking only tense and voice. Yes, participles are non-finite verb forms, but they're conjugated already, so of course they wouldn't conjugate further; as sublemmata, they quite unproblematically have declension tables. — That will keep the Fraktur text, but return the font size to its ordinary size, thereby ensuring that the display would break elegantly. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:39, 2 February 2015 (UTC) Here you are! — John C5 06:36, 3 February 2015 (UTC) Just in passing: a vowel before ns is always long in Latin. -- Fsojic ( talk ) 20:20, 1 February 2015 (UTC) @ Fsojic : Does that mean that -ēnsis is definitely correct? Why would the OLD et al. omit the macron? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:24, 1 February 2015 (UTC) In reality, -ens- was pronounced as [ẽːs], with a long nasal vowel and no nasal consonant. The length of the vowel is often indicated with a macron, but it's technically redundant because as Fsojic said, this change always happens before ns. — CodeCa t 20:31, 1 February 2015 (UTC) Ah, of course that makes sense. So should we continue using it or not? — John C5 20:40, 1 February 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : I second John's query. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:39, 2 February 2015 (UTC) I would say keep using the macron. The vowel was pronounced as long, even if it wasn't a normal long vowel (just an allophone triggered by the following -ns-). Marking the vowel as long helps in understanding the Romance outcomes, as the Romance languages invariably show the outcome of a normal long vowel there. For example -ins- is reflected the same as -īs-. — CodeCa t 19:30, 2 February 2015 (UTC) δεσπότης [ edit ] My Bambiniotis's etym agrees (I think) with that for the grc term, and its cognacy with Sanskrit "dámpati". There are another 10 lines under ETYM. I would have a problem if the text were in English (with the abbreviations etc) but would be bound to misinterpret if I tackled the Greek text. So I hope you'll be happy leaving it at that! :) — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 14:33, 25 February 2015 (UTC) emys and aegis [ edit ] Seems like we could combine these into a template {{ la-decl-3rd-Greek-dn \|emys\|emy\|d}}? Thoughts? — John C5 20:09, 1 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Yes, I thought of that once I noticed how many Grecian forms of aegis I'd seen in use. If possible, I'd like to make {{ la-decl-3rd-Greek }} instead, which could also be used for chelys etc. It may be best to wait till we have a bigger sample of words so that we know what declensions the template needs to be able to generate. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:53, 1 March 2015 (UTC) So chelys would be of the form -ys, -yos (upsilon stem). This list contains both dental -ydis words ( emys , aclys , chlamys , Iapys , pelamys , sagochlamys (I also found cassis )) and upsilon -yos words (all the rest on the list). I suspect we could also skim through the -is lists for obviously AG words or any word that contains y, ch, th, ph, z, ꝛc. Any other ideas? — John C5 22:34, 1 March 2015 (UTC) Nope, exactly my thoughts. :-) I'm going to sign off for the night now. If you want to speed up this process, I'd be most grateful if you could create entries for the Ancient Greek etyma of the Latin terms under consideration; I shall be happy to verify (over the next however-long-it'll-take) the attestability of the various Grecian declined forms in Latin. Are you up for creating those A.Gr. entries? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:42, 1 March 2015 (UTC) I can certainly do my best. You may have noticed, I tend to be loath to add any entry for which I don't know the vowel lengths and etymologies (this is a bad habit, but whatever), but I'll break my rule, if it is necessary. — John C5 22:45, 1 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Cool. And your dislike is understandable; it's frustrating to have to admit lacunae in our knowledge. Bambiotis and Beekes are apparently the go-to authorities for Greek etymology; IIRC, Saltmarsh has access to the former, whereas Vahag has the latter; they may be willing and able to help you with any A.Gr. etymologies you're stuck on. Re those Latin words you linked to, cassis is not Grecian, Iāpys appears to be a hapax legomenon (in the form Iāpydis ), and aclys doesn't seem to occur in any Grecian forms (though aclydas might exist as a varia lectio of aclydes in Virgil's Aeneid, book vii, line 730); emys has the full complement of Grecian forms (x/c probably the vocatives), and chlamys , pēlamys , and sagochlamys look promising. In this connection, could you create πηλαμύς ‎(pēlamús) and σαγοχλαμύς ‎(sagokhlamús), please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:24, 3 March 2015 (UTC) Bambiniotis often restricts itself to saying that the modern Green word comes from the Ancient greek/Koine/etc. But I'd be happy to help - just ask me on my talk page . — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 19:33, 3 March 2015 (UTC) I'll get to it soon. — John C5 19:35, 3 March 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh , JohnC5 : Thank you both. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:47, 3 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 I've just created {{ la-decl-3rd-Greek-s }} and used it in the declension section of chlamys . AFAICT, that template should work for all Grecian third-declension words ending -Vs (where V denotes any vowel) in the nominative singular, ending -V in the vocative singular, and with a long stem in the oblique forms. If you come across or can think of any cases where this template wouldn't work, please let me know, and I'll try to tweak the template accordingly. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:10, 3 March 2015 (UTC) I very much enjoy that valign trick. I have implemented it in utervis . — John C5 22:15, 3 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Utervīs looks good; very neat. I've edited {{ la-decl-3rd-Greek-s }} again; it should now work for upsilon stems like botrys . I assume that the accusative plural botrȳs wouldn't be retained in Latin, so I've made it botryes ; if it turns out that botrȳs is used, I can edit the template accordingly. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:05, 6 March 2015 (UTC) This looks very nice to me. Also, for what does the -s stand in this template? — John C5 22:26, 6 March 2015 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ JohnC5 : The final sigma→ess, which gets dropped in the vocative singular. If you can think of a better name, by all means please suggest it. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:33, 6 March 2015 (UTC) Nah, that makes sense. — John C5 23:06, 6 March 2015 (UTC) So shall I request the deletion of {{ la-decl-emys }}, {{ la-decl-aegis }}, and their documentation? — John C5 23:42, 6 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Not just yet. I want to finalise the template's scope and coding before we roll it out widely, if that's OK with you. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:11, 7 March 2015 (UTC) Cool, cool. — John C5 00:14, 7 March 2015 (UTC) ISMETA[ edit ] You're welcome! — LlywelynII 03:30, 6 March 2015 (UTC) @ LlywelynII : Is this in response to the thanks I sent you for the edits to cenobium etc.? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:27, 6 March 2015 (UTC) admin[ edit ] Hey. Fancy going for administrator? I'll nominate you if you like. -- Type56op9 ( talk ) 12:31, 12 March 2015 (UTC) Sure, thanks. It would make it easier to stop the current torrent of vandalism, that's for sure. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:32, 12 March 2015 (UTC) dēlēlicet[ edit ] Where'd you find it? I can't find this form. — John C5 03:39, 19 March 2015 (UTC) (And, unrelatedly, could you look at this template I made, {{ R:DGEel }}, and tell me how we could make the citation better. I looks janky right now.) — John C5 10:23, 20 March 2015 (UTC) I like the guillemets that you added (they look super classy), but is there a reason why? — John C5 21:27, 20 March 2015 (UTC) [post-edit conflict]: @ JohnC5 : It was a word that I came up with and then did a quick Google Books search (q.v.) to verify that it existed. I've edited {{ R:DGEel }}; to explain the changes I've made: I substituted the “” quotation marks with guillemets because (Modern) Greek uses guillemets as its primary quotation marks and because there exists the potential for confusion between ⟨ “ ⟩ and ⟨ ῞ ⟩, especially where that diacritic (dasia-oxia) marks a capital letter. I believe the link to http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge/ is unnecessary because the page is so easily accessed from the other link provided and because a wikilink to w:Diccionario Griego–Español already exists to provide general information about the cited authority. The dictionary has a pretty sizeable group of editors, so I simply omitted their names (the OLD, with its nineteen editors, has been treated the same by {{ R:OLD }}). If you think it would still be desirable to specify one or more editors, I would recommend changing the citation text from “…in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea…” to “…in Francisco Rodríguez Adrados and others’ Diccionario Griego–Español en línea…”. IMO, noting the publisher provides little benefit as is just unnecessary bloat. (Sorry.) I'm not sure about the date. Where did you get 2008? I went with 2006–2016 because the CSIC " signed in 2006 the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities " and because, as an on-line resource, additions and amendments will be ongoing and open-ended and therefore subject to later copyright dates. But if you got 2008 from somewhere authoritative, I'll change the date statement back to that. I hope you're generally happy with what I've done to the template. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:57, 20 March 2015 (UTC) Oh, all your edits looks great. I just slapped some stuff in there because I couldn't figure out exactly what was necessary nor could I find a good source referencing the online DGE directly. I think I used scholar.google's citaiton tool (third one down, press cite). Actually, this says 2012 for some reason. The other reference for which I have great avarice is the LBG , but currently there is no good way (that I know of) to auto-link to it. You can use the eid= input, but I wonder if there is a way to query it directly. I may dig around in the site's JS and see if I can't figure a way to query directly through HTML. — John C5 22:17, 20 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I think the 2008 dating refers to the physical version of the authority and the 2012 dating of the en línea version is on account of the "accessioned" and available dates for the authority being the 4th of January 2013 . Re the LBG, maybe the template for citing it will need to be coded in a similar way to {{ R:NLW }} (with its specified "entry number"), but let me know if you find a way to query the source without an entry number. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:00, 20 March 2015 (UTC) So, are we sticking with 2006 or going with 2012? — John C5 23:35, 20 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I'm still inclined toward 2006–2016; 2012 is, unless I'm mistaken, just the date of first digital access. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:07, 21 March 2015 (UTC) Unless Wiktionary allows socket.http in Lua, we have to stick just adding the eid by hand, sadly. — John C5 00:54, 21 March 2015 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Ok, so I made {{ R:LBG }}. Feel free to rewrite it as you see fit. Also, I previously had {{ R:DGEel }} as {{ R:DGE }} but changed it, thinking that someone might want to cite the original book. I'm not sure, however, that that is necessary, and I think I might want to switch it back to {{ R:DGE }}. Thoughts? — John C5 05:55, 21 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Well, the physical and en línea versions are discrete authorities, so yes, it can be expected that someone may want to cite the physical version rather than the en línea; however, I can't think of a situation where it wouldn't be desirable to replace any citation of the physical version with a citation of the en línea version (chiefly on account of the fact that the latter permits near-instant verification of content by users). So yes, I agree that {{ R:DGE }} is preferable to {{ R:DGEel }}. Regarding the coding of {{ R:LBG }}: the &context=lsj&action=from-search bit of the URL is unnecessary and can be omitted; the first fascicle of the Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität was published in 1994, whilst the sixth fascicle (which is the latest one to have been digitised) was published in 2007, so we should date the LBG 1994–2007, IMO; and I don't think it's desirable to permit the omission of the first parameter. What do you say? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:27, 21 March 2015 (UTC) Again, this all sounds good to me. I will move the DGE back and make the appropriate changes to LBG. — John C5 19:33, 21 March 2015 (UTC) OK, check out LBG now. I can't decide whether to end it at 2007 or at the current date since, in theory, further fascicles are in the process of being digitized. — John C5 20:29, 21 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Good work, especially with the very eye-catching error text. I think we should stick to an end date of 2007; we can extend it to 2011 or 2016 as and when fascicles 7 and 8 are digitised, too. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:34, 21 March 2015 (UTC) Cool cool. I'm in the process of writing Gräzität . As for the translation, I was thinking Greekdom or Greekness are the closest in English. The literal Duden definition is "The character of Ancient Greek language, customs, and culture." It is very similar to the English Latinity , but no word Greecity/Greekity seems to exist. Maybe Hellenism would be more appropriate? — John C5 20:44, 21 March 2015 (UTC) Also, because I know it is your heart's desire to fiddle around with AG reference templates, could we fix up {{ grc-wh-page }}? I've already edited it a bit, but I feel like we might add some documentation, reorder the format, or even rename it to something more sensible like {{ R:Woodhouse }} (then ask someone to use a bot to change it over). @ ObsequiousNewt do you think we should rename this? — John C5 23:00, 21 March 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 Yeah, I'd support moving it to {{ R:Woodhouse }}, for consistency's sake. ObsequiousNewt ( ἔβαζα \| ἐτλέλεσα ) 23:20, 21 March 2015 (UTC) The reference template[ edit ] I think referencing templates that you have created yourself as a model to follow is rather unconvincing. I mean {{ R:du Cange }}, {{ R:Gaffiot }}, {{ R:OLD }}, {{ R:Niermeyer }}, {{ R:NLW }}. Every single template that you have mentioned in the edit summary were created by you. I really am at a loss about what you intended by mentioning these templates. -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 20:47, 22 March 2015 (UTC) That said, I have placed quotation marks into the disputed template, per status quo ante on the template level. -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 21:12, 22 March 2015 (UTC) [post-edit conflict]: @ Dan Polansky : JohnC5 and I make a lot of contributions to Latin entries; those five reference templates and {{ R:L&S }} are the ones we use to support our entries; it is desirable for the authorities' citations to be consistently formatted, especially where they occur in the same list; those five templates are better-formatted than {{ R:L&S }}. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:14, 22 March 2015 (UTC) You do not support your claim that they are better formatted. -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 21:16, 22 March 2015 (UTC) @ Dan Polansky : I haven't here, no, but I believe I have done so elsewhere. BTW, thank you for this ; I considered the lack of quotation marks in {{ R:L&S }} to be its most unsightly presentational inconsistency with the other five templates. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:21, 22 March 2015 (UTC) I don't think you have explained it well elsewhere. The elsewhere would be at Wiktionary:Beer_parlour/2014/October#use.E2.80.93mention_distinction_in_reference_templates , I figure. Your use of typographic dash instead of minus in that section title alone suggests you are one of those folks who emphasize style over substance or function, and that is perfectly consistent with your preference of these quotation marks. Your explanation was wrongly based on use-mention distinction; that it was wrong was explained by Ruakh in that discussion. And even if this were about use-mention distiction (discussed e.g. by Hofstadter to whom you seem to owe your user name), the quotation marks are just typographical sugar, inessential to mark that distinction. The presentation we had in the disputed template and that we still have in couple other templates cannot leave anyone in doubt about whether we use the word to carry meaning or whether it is just a section title of a linked dictionary. The whole thing boils down largely to subjective preference, coupled with various ideological baggage that cannot be reduced to observable facts. As for inconsistency, that could have been easily solved by your removing the quotation marks from the templates you created. What I find most disclosing is this revision , which even links "New York"; that tells me that my percetion of good formatting and presentation and your perception are miles away. -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 21:39, 22 March 2015 (UTC) @ Dan Polansky : I'm sure we can come to some kind of resolution on this issue at some point, but I don't have the enthusiasm for it right now. I'll be sure to ping you when I do. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:17, 22 March 2015 (UTC) Αντίπας [ edit ] I've removed the rfd from this redirect - now reinstated as a proper noun. — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 19:29, 24 March 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : The way you've fixed it is far better than a deletion would've been. Thank you very much. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:41, 27 March 2015 (UTC) Paronymum/paronyma[ edit ] Howdy! What brought about this edit ? — John C5 14:04, 9 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Of {{ R:L&S }}, {{ R:du Cange }}, {{ R:Gaffiot }}, {{ R:OLD }}, {{ R:Niermeyer }}, and {{ R:NLW }}, only Gaffiot has an entry, and it lists only the plurale tantum noun părōny̆ma ‎(“paronyms”), which is supported by the Late Latin citation of Diomedes in that entry. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:58, 9 April 2015 (UTC) The OED has the post-classical Latin parōnymum listed under its etymology for paronym, but of course no actual citation, so who knows. Then again Gaffiot translates părōny̆ma as paronyms, which implies to me that the singular exists but we merely lack attestation thereof. I don't know, to be honest. — John C5 20:24, 9 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Searching google books:"paronymon" and/or google books:"paronymum" suggests that the word is not plurale tantum post Late Latin… — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:10, 9 April 2015 (UTC) So... what is our verdict? — John C5 19:27, 13 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Thanks for the reminder. I'll relemmatise that Latin term at parōnymon or parōnymum once I decide which is best. I'll ping you once I've done that. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:39, 13 April 2015 (UTC) :) — John C5 19:40, 13 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I've relemmatised the lexeme at parōnymon , following Calepinus ' choice of lemma. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:58, 14 April 2015 (UTC) Etym requests[ edit ] Hi, Pls don't pepper the entries with etym requests. I don't think they are necessary for each and every term. I will add myself when they are not transparent. открытый is a participle and is self-explanatory. -- Anatoli T. ( обсудить / вклад ) 07:08, 13 April 2015 (UTC) @ Atitarev : Hi Anatoli. Sorry for causing you bother. My knowledge of Russian is extremely limited, so even the most transparent etymologies will not be apparent to me! That being said, I should've done more investigating in the case of откры́тый ‎(otkrýtyj), given that the past passive participle of откры́ть ‎(otkrýtʹ) verb form is listed lower down on the same page, and considering that participial adjectives are a common feature of English grammar, too. I've added the etymology for that term myself ; is what I've added correct? Would you like me to desist from adding {{ rfe }}s to any Russian entries whatsoever? (I already abstain from doing so to Czech entries, following Dan Polansky's voicing of his disapproval.) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 07:34, 13 April 2015 (UTC) Yes, please. While I do normally add pronunciations (except for prefixes and suffixes), which is now made easier thanks to Wyang's module (it needs to be used with care and knowledge, though), I don't always add etymologies. I don't completely disapprove etym. requests but it works discouragingly. It adds more work. For regular Russian learners, genuinely wanting to know etymologies, seeing words of their same stem should be sufficient. The entry открытый already says that it's both the adjective and the participle, just like English "tired", "bent", "open" (adj) or "opened" (participle). -- Anatoli T. ( обсудить / вклад ) 07:44, 13 April 2015 (UTC) @ Atitarev : OK; no problem. Thank you for the civility of your request and, again, I'm sorry to have caused you bother. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:37, 13 April 2015 (UTC) Some advice please[ edit ] What is the general policy concerning this sort of thing ? I normally would be quite hesitant to wade into such treacherous waters. — John C5 09:30, 15 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Well, we have several other Peoples’ Republics , so there would seem to be no policy bar against having entries for Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic … Shall I create them and then send them to WT:RFD to see what regulation coalesces there? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:31, 15 April 2015 (UTC) Nah, it's fine to just create them. I guess I'm hesitant because, from an American perspective, these “Republics” do not or should not exist, and so I feel like any definition I would give to the entry would not maintain a neuter viewpoint. — John C5 19:18, 15 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I've created both entries, complete with quotations from news agencies reporting on the separatist states' proclamations at the time. Do they look OK to you? I've tried to be neutral. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:39, 15 April 2015 (UTC) Seems plausible enough. Thank you! — John C5 23:12, 15 April 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : You're welcome. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 07:06, 16 April 2015 (UTC) The only policy issue related to these terms is the fact that they aren't attested for a year. But I think we can all let it pass, because they'd qualify as hot words anyway and probably have citations spanning one year in less than a month. — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 23:28, 15 April 2015 (UTC) @ Μετάknowledge : Donetsk People’s Republic is now CFI-compliant , even without “hot word” status. :-) The Luhansk People’s Republic was proclaimed a little later than the Donetsk People’s Republic (the 27th, vs. the 7th, of April last year), but were the term sent to WT:RFV today, it would very probably have a third and sufficiently recent citation before the discussion was closed (as long as the listing were given the guaranteed month). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 07:06, 16 April 2015 (UTC) Comparative adjective forms?[ edit ] Why on earth would we need a category for forms of specifically comparative adjectives? — CodeCa t 16:18, 29 April 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Please see User talk:Chuck Entz#Latin -ior comparatives . I'm trying to fix that categorisation problem which he drew my attention to. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:20, 29 April 2015 (UTC) Citations:Pädophilie [ edit ] I apologize. What I changed was to an earlier source, 1834 not your later 1835, which was a conflicting edit at the time. I think the earlier is better, as it seems to be the earliest. — BoBoMisiu ( talk ) 15:15, 30 April 2015 (UTC) modified 15:18, 30 April 2015 (UTC) @ BoBoMisiu : I certainly agree with the principle that, given two identical passages of text, the earlier text should be favoured for citation. Be that as it may, you, in this case, fell foul of a trap I avoided: The Google book with the ID xLsqAAAAMAAJ, which you cited, consists of the eleventh volume (Horn–Hultschin) of the second section of Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste immediately followed by the twelfth volume thereof (Hum–Hypexodon); go here and scroll up six pages, and you'll see the twelfth volume's frontispiece, which bears the publication date 1835. Anyway, apology accepted; my edit summary was a bit harsh, for which I apologise, too. I confess that I really dislike {{ quote-book }} and the way that it tries to cram all sorts of bibliographical information into one template, with its resultant loss of information. Bitching aside, thank you for responding to the {{ rfquote }} I added ; I appreciate it. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:45, 30 April 2015 (UTC) I hate those multiple volumes combined into one. I didn't look. I like {{ quote-book }} because it adds the metadata that only the machines see into the HTML. — BoBoMisiu ( talk ) 19:05, 30 April 2015 (UTC) @ BoBoMisiu : What kind of metadata are you referring to? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:03, 30 April 2015 (UTC) For example, if you look at the source code Citations:Pädophilie , you will see the citations I added have: <li> And you're welcome. — LlywelynII 16:31, 1 May 2015 (UTC) :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:07, 1 May 2015 (UTC) Suffix linking[ edit ] I have certainly seen the pos linking used for -ō in PIE but never in Latin. May we split -tus up similarly (perhaps participle, abstract noun, and action noun)? Also, can we split -ātus into only the adjective category and move all the participial forms to -tus? — John C5 19:47, 6 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I'll follow your lead re -tus; I ask only that you amend -tus in a similar manner to -ō and Category:Latin words suffixed with -tus in a similar manner to Category:Latin words suffixed with -o . As for -ātus, I suppose that all the adjectives should simply remain in Category:Latin words suffixed with -atus , whereas all the participles should be moved to Category:Latin participles suffixed with -tus ; is that right, or do I misunderstand you? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:52, 6 May 2015 (UTC) That is right. So, I should create those category pages? — John C5 23:23, 6 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Go f’rit! — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:35, 7 May 2015 (UTC) Could you check out the changes I've made? And should we add a new Participle section to -tus ? — John C5 19:30, 7 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Your changes look good; I amended -tus slightly, but everything was good with that, anyway. I don't think it would be desirable to add a Participle section to -tus, no, since the section would be virtually indentical to the one for the adjectival suffix. Thanks. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:36, 8 May 2015 (UTC) Ceste (venetian)[ edit ] Perhaps the pronunciation is /'t͡ʃɛste/, but i'm not sure. It's a slang term and it is used only in the city of Vicenza (not only when they speak in venetian, but also when they speak in italian). I'll try to ask a user from Vicenza.-- GatoSelvadego ( talk ) 15:53, 8 May 2015 (UTC) @ GatoSelvadego : That's good to know; thank you for getting back to me. Let me know once you've received confirmation from your Vicentine . :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:43, 8 May 2015 (UTC) User Davy1509 told me that the correct pronunciation is /'tʃeste/, with /e/ not /ɛ/.-- GatoSelvadego ( talk ) 13:47, 15 May 2015 (UTC) επιμόνως[ edit ] Thanks for noting (and correcting) my error - I have been away. — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 05:36, 9 May 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : No problem; I like to keep Category:Candidates for speedy deletion as empty as is feasible. Welcome back! — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:47, 9 May 2015 (UTC) Capio - qapi[ edit ] Hi, I had read in an etymology book that the Persian predecessor of the root keh₂p- is the verb 'qapidan' (present stem: 'qapi-', past stem: 'qapid') literally meaning 'to grab', 'to gasp' or 'to catch'. I had added it to etymology of the Latin verb 'capio' but it is now removed. Would you please reconsider it? Or maybe it belongs to a more proper place. Nonetheless I'm new to editing on Wikipedia. If possible, would you then add it to the same Indo-European root's page? Thank you! :) —This unsigned comment was added by 87.184.207.126 ( talk ) at 19:53, 10 May 2015. @ 87.184.207.126 : I assume you're referring to these edits which I reverted . I'm sorry if I was too summary in my reversion, but the claim seemed implausible to me; moreover, the claim you're making now is inconsistent with, and even less plausible than, your earlier claim. Nevertheless, I've brought this up in Wiktionary:Tea room/2015/May#Is the Persian قاپیدن (qapidan) a cognate of the Latin capiō? to seek the advice of editors conversant with Persian. By the way, this project is Wiktionary, not Wikipedia. Also, to get the term display you were trying for, the template format needs to be {{m\|fa\|قاپیدن\|\|tr=qapidan\|snap”, “snatch}} or {{term\|قاپیدن\|\|tr=qapidan\|snap”, “snatch\|lang=fa}} — note the oh-so-important empty parameter between the term (قاپیدن) and the gloss (“snap”, “snatch”), as well as the way that the transliteration is provided by specifying the \|tr= parameter. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:22, 11 May 2015 (UTC) @ 87.184.207.126 : Statements by Chuck Entz in Wiktionary:Etymology scriptorium/2015/May#Is the Persian قاپیدن (qapidan) a cognate of the Latin capiō? suggest that your etymology book is mistaken, as I suspected. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:01, 11 May 2015 (UTC) Should we ask for the R:Urban template to be removed?[ edit ] The on fleek entry was recently edited to contain a reference to Urban Dictionary; so, I went to investigate whether there was a preëxisting template, which there was . I made some updates to the template's appearance, functionality, and documentation (including some very strongly worded warnings about the template). Do you think these restrictions on the template a strong enough, or should we bring it up for deletion? I'm sure there is useful information to be gleaned from UD, but it seems hard to find. I bring this up here because I am loath to get into a pitched battle over whether UD is a source worth banning, but by the same token I don't feel like we can just remove it without asking. What do you think? — John C5 07:46, 17 May 2015 (UTC) <butting in> The updates to the template documentation are good. The edit to on fleek looks dodgy to me, but I didn't have time to investigate. </butting in> SemperBlotto ( talk ) 07:51, 17 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I agree with SemperBlotto 's "butting in" (which is always welcome, SB). Anything UD asserts we need to verify independently. Citing UD never adds to the credibility of an entry; on the contrary, it may well detract from it. Accordingly, I would support deleting {{ R:Urban }}; should we bring this up in the Beer Parlour or at RFDO? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:28, 17 May 2015 (UTC) The real question is whether we should ban UD references outright. The only situation in which we should remove the template is when we agree that UD should not be allowed. Otherwise, I'd prefer to have the template for indexing and standardization purposes. If we want to remove it, we would probably have to have a vote of some sort to ban UD and then remove the template contingent on that outcome. — John C5 20:44, 17 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Yes, I agree, of course. I'd vote to ban references to UD. Do you feel like tackling this now, or do you want to leave it for a later date? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:03, 17 May 2015 (UTC) I am...hesitant...to draft such a vote as I have never done so before. Also, in the case of the CFI demotion argument going on, it was mentioned that discussion should occur before putting issues to a policy vote. This could merely be a parliamentary formality meant to postpone/prevent that vote in the first place, but if people actually care about this, maybe we should start in the Beer Parlor? — John C5 21:08, 17 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I think we should indeed start this off in the Beer Parlour, but I think that the BP is too busy at the moment; the section would more than likely end up being ignored. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:41, 17 May 2015 (UTC) Ok, let's put this on hold then. — John C5 21:58, 17 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Sure. Perhaps after the RFV of that suspect sense of on fleek is concluded. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:02, 17 May 2015 (UTC) FWIW, I think it's fine to have and use {{ R:Urban }}, but not to rely on it or encourage users to rely on it. Perhaps we could could place some recommendations on use in its documentation and a warning that displays (optionally?, but by default?). DCDuring TALK 16:33, 18 May 2015 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ DCDuring : I for one almost never use in-line superscript citations. However, when I create Latin entries, I add {{ R:Smith's DGRG }}, {{ R:L&S }}, {{ R:du Cange }}, {{ R:Gaffiot }}, {{ R:OLD }}, {{ R:Niermeyer }}, and/or {{ R:NLW }} in References sections because they support the content of the entry, whereas I add {{ pedia }} and the like in External links sections because they provide opportunities for further reading, but which give details that would be excessively encyclopaedic were they to be included in the content of the entry; I think that's a worthwhile distinction to make. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:55, 18 May 2015 (UTC) WP, Wikispecies, and Commons all support the content of the entry in one way or another, but they are nevertheless relegated to External links by vote. The rationale used in that vote would apply to anything so linked, not that I supported or support that rationale. Perhaps we could take advantage of the two headers and forbid using {{ R:Urban }} under the References header, relegating it to External links, which eventually users would come to associate with second-class references. DCDuring TALK 23:10, 18 May 2015 (UTC) @ DCDuring : Yes, I'd say that that view of UD is the right one to hold. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 01:41, 19 May 2015 (UTC) -rhexis / -rrhexis / -orrhexis[ edit ] I noticed you removed these from the wanted entries page, but these were intended to be English suffixes. -- WikiWinters ( talk ) 21:27, 26 May 2015 (UTC) The question of whether it should be -rrhexis or -orrhexis is also (approximately) being discussed in this discussion . — John C5 21:50, 26 May 2015 (UTC) @ WikiWinters , JohnC5 : There isn't an English suffix involved here; there is just the English noun rhexis , which has been around since the Middle English rixis . The corresponding word rhaphy doesn't may exist, but definitely doesn't go back as far as 1835 (the first recorded English formation with -rrhaphy , viz. staphylorrhaphy ). I'll add an English entry for rhexis once I've dug out my copy of the 1933 A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Introduction, Supplement, and Bibliography . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:40, 26 May 2015 (UTC) Categories to (keep) empty[ edit ] If you have them in your userpage in order to often look after them then you might find catwatch useful. The documentation is here and the source here . -- Dixtosa ( talk ) 19:28, 30 May 2015 (UTC) Better still, make a single parent category for them. Then everyone can use and monitor it. — CodeCa t 19:32, 30 May 2015 (UTC) Latin months[ edit ] I was working on Māius and I noticed EncycloPetey had made all the months lowercase. Can you think of why this would be, even if they are normally adjectives? — John C5 23:14, 31 May 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : He seemed to think that all words which aren't proper nouns should have an initial minuscule. That kind of lemmatisation policy is at odds with actual Latin usage, however. Please do feel free to move all the entries for the month adjectives from their minuscule-initial page titles to majuscule-initial ones. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:17, 31 May 2015 (UTC) After beginning the extremely arduous task of trying to move a single month ( Aprilis ), I find this , which still does not convince me. Though, if I am to continue the ~300 edits that will be necessary to move all the months, I need to be slightly more confident that I won't have to change it back later. Should we move this to a broader forum? — John C5 10:18, 1 June 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Well, Lewis & Short , Gaffiot , and the OLD (1st ed., page 154/3) all capitalise both the proper noun and the adjective; I find it especially authoritative that the Latin–French Gaffiot capitalises the word, even though the month's name in French, avril , is minuscule-initial. Be that as it may, would you like me to bring this up in the Tea Room? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:05, 1 June 2015 (UTC) That would be great. What impresses me most about EncycloPetey is when (s)he makes a decision, it is very consistently applied, and fixing this will take a deal of effort. — John C5 19:25, 1 June 2015 (UTC) Butting in. What about collecting some evidence of use? Dictionaries are not evidence. -- Dan Polansky ( talk ) 20:14, 1 June 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Done. I assume that EncycloPetey is male. barba[ edit ] That one Latin citation at Citations:barba is too long with its 10,389 bytes, it violates point 1 from WT:Quotations : "Ideally, quotations should: 1. Illustrate the meaning by surrounding context, but without being too long — quotations where that word is the "star" of the sentence serve the reader better than lengthy passages which have the word incidentally buried in it;" It looks like it can be trimmed to just the sentence where the word appears (has quoque mollis protegit barba, sed putamini nucleisque solida rotunditas inest.), would you agree to that? As an aside, I can probably find at least 1 good Portuguese quotation to add to that page. -- Daniel 08:22, 16 June 2015 (UTC) @ Daniel Carrero : Yeah, it's a bit long, I know. I'll split off various bits of it today and tomorrow, leaving lots of short, scattered quotations. That OK? Also, please do add that Portuguese quotation. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:02, 16 June 2015 (UTC) Your plans sound good; thanks! Ok, done; after you replied I found a nice quotation in the book I was reading and added it. -- Daniel 09:17, 16 June 2015 (UTC) WT:WE editing[ edit ] I was reading WT:DW#In progress , and it seems to imply that the WT:WE should be rotated daily. That seems a little crazy to me, but do you think we should start doing that? — John C5 20:02, 22 June 2015 (UTC) Even better would be a moving crawl with a word taking about a minute to go from one side of the screen to the other. DCDuring Module:la-verb [ edit ] Why did you revert this? — CodeCa t 12:30, 24 June 2015 (UTC) (For the benefit of others reading this, I note that CodeCat refers to my rollback of her edits to Module:la-verb .) I reverted your changes because I disagreed with the visible changes they introduced: 1) Giving the four principal parts introduces a redundancy vis-à-vis the headword line (which leads to wasted vertical screen space when the table is collapsed); 2) Your changes made the table wider than the page width (on my computer, in any case); 3) Centre-alignment of conjugated forms looks a lot better than left-alignment thereof (IMO); and, 4) Their increased font size makes many of the row headings for the time and voice groupings look "squeezed" in their fields. I felt justified in reverting your changes because I saw no evidence of prior discussion instigated by you to establish consensus in favour of making what was a pretty major change. It was necessary that I roll back your edits because I was in a rush when I noticed them (hence the lack of explanation). I meant no offence, but I do object to the changes you made. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:56, 24 June 2015 (UTC) Ok, I've taken your comments into account, but I can't say I agree with them all. In particular I don't think centre-alignment looks better, and it makes it a lot harder to compare forms because they don't line up together. I also think that we should not be using the headword line to show grammatical information that should go in the inflection section. The idea of my change in that respect was to keep inflection under inflection, while also giving the principal parts without having to expand the table. I've done this for Dutch and it works well. — CodeCa t 18:33, 28 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Thank you. The results of your new changes look a lot better than those of your old ones. One thing: could you indent the conjugation table's leading title in line with other collapsible tables like {{ der3 }}, {{ rel3 }}, etc., please? Re "keep[ing] inflection under inflection", that contravenes universal practice for Latin, which was recently reaffirmed in changes to the presentation of {{ la-verb }} (see Wiktionary talk:About Latin#Template:la-verb ). I have no involvement with Dutch (of which I note you are a native speaker), so I don't object to the changes you've instituted in the presentation of that language's entries; however, I'm unconvinced that we should omit from Latin headword lines those snippets of key grammatical information that all other dictionaries worth their salt include (at the very least, the space taken up thereby is otherwise wasted and left blank). As for "centre-alignment…mak[ing] it a lot harder to compare forms because they don't line up together", comparing forms is only helpful when one is learning conjugational paradigms, which is best done with reference to conjugational appendices and/or conjugation tables like: Conjugation of I'm so meta even this acronym ( first conjugation ) indicative -ātū for verbal suffixes (in this case -ō ). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 10:14, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : BTW, given your knowledge of Dutch, can you answer the {{ rfe }} at Bergen op Zoom , please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:25, 29 June 2015 (UTC) The etymology is more or less what is suggested, but nothing is known about why it's called that, at least according to the Dutch Wikipedia. — CodeCa t 14:23, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Do you know the antecedent Middle Dutch and/or Old Dutch forms? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:34, 29 June 2015 (UTC) No, but presumably it's just the ancestors of the three words. — CodeCa t 15:45, 29 June 2015 (UTC) Searching for google books:"Berghen op Soom" yields a fair few Dutch results from the seventeenth century; however, since I know very little about any of the Dutch chronolects, we have no Middle Dutch entries for berch , op , or soom , the Old Dutch entry for berg doesn't give the word's plural, and we have no Old Dutch entries for up or sōm , I can do no better than that. Can you help me to do better? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:21, 29 June 2015 (UTC) Our coverage of Middle Dutch is pretty bad in general. I've tried to improve things but it's all me really. — CodeCa t 16:27, 29 June 2015 (UTC) I did come across this, though: [7] — CodeCa t 16:38, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Thank you for your efforts generally, and for creating Middle Dutch entries for berch and soom specifically. Also, well done in finding Berghen op den Soom ; I hope you're OK with my tweak to the etymology you inserted . BTW, I found this little gem whilst searching for "berghen vp den zoem"; is that a list of (all?) the attested forms of the toponym in Middle Dutch? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:36, 29 June 2015 (UTC) I've undone some of your tweaks, mainly the spelling of Middle Dutch. According to WT:ADUM , all DUM spellings should be normalised. And the capitalisation doesn't make sense either, they didn't use capitals back then the way we do now. — CodeCa t 17:42, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Yeah, that's fine; I tweaked the Middle Dutch spelling because most of the Google Book Search hits for "bergen op den soom" were capitalised Berghen op den Soom, with a couple capitalised Berghen op den soom; however, I defer to you and to WT:ADUM (even if the uncapitalised proper noun looks a bit strange to me). Is there any chance you can add that indent to the leading titles of Latin conjugation tables? Also, what's your interpretation of that snippet from Oorkondenboek van Noord-Brabant tot 1312 II ? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:01, 29 June 2015 (UTC) It does look to be a list of all attestations, or at least attestations in deeds . — CodeCa t 18:04, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : Excellent! I've created an entry for the Middle Dutch toponym at bergen op den soom ; should all those alternative forms be all-lowercase? and will its gender also be neuter, like its Modern Dutch descendant? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:50, 29 June 2015 (UTC) I really doubt that any of them were actually capitalised in their original attestation. But I should note that quite a lot of them are Latin. Mons super Zoma is certainly not Dutch! I have no idea about the gender, gender of names is always hard to judge. In Dutch (and Middle Dutch), you can only determine the gender by looking at adjectives and especially determiners. In Dutch, you would say "het mooie Bergen op Zoom", with a neuter article. But it's very rare to see a place name with an adjective or determiner, so it may well not be possible to know the gender as we have no Middle Dutch natives to tell us. — CodeCa t 20:16, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : You seem to have been right to remove those probably-Latin names; at least Bergen super Zoem and Mōns super Zōmā are Latin, not (Middle) Dutch. (I may try to add more of those Latin names in the future.) However, why did you remove the form Soem ? That looks like Dutch to me… Re gender, capisco. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:45, 29 June 2015 (UTC) I'm not sure if Soem even refers to the same place. It might be a misreading. — CodeCa t 22:57, 29 June 2015 (UTC) @ CodeCat : OK; I don't suppose it matters very much anyway. To return to the issue of indenting the leading titles of Latin conjugation tables, for the sake of consistency, could you do that, please? That would merely restore the indentation that was there before you eliminated it in your changes. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:24, 29 June 2015 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ kc kennylau : As one of our coding wizards, would you mind restoring the abovementioned indentation, please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:25, 30 June 2015 (UTC) Eh... what indentation? -- kc_kennylau ( talk ) 00:46, 1 July 2015 (UTC) @ kc kennylau : That did it. :-) Thank you very much. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 07:03, 1 July 2015 (UTC) A wee favor[ edit ] Hey there. I'm still afar and don't have the requisite time to look into this, but could you go through and check out this user's contribs and fix the etymologies? The user seems to have good intentions but subpar understanding of the template system and etymology style. KTHXBAI . — John C5 09:47, 2 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : No problem. I've looked over (and, where necessary, corrected) his contributions from June and July this year, but the user has a little under 250 contributions going back to September 2009. How far back do you want me to go? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:16, 2 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I've spruced up all his contributions that were marked "(current)" that needed it. Any other errors are fairly likely to have been caught already. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:15, 2 July 2015 (UTC) Danke, danke. — John C5 08:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Bitte, bitte. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:23, 3 July 2015 (UTC) Hello, what JohnC5 says above is right: I occasionnally do my best to contribute by fixing etymologies (and many other points), without knowing the right templates. (One reason is that I have real memory problems: cannot remember things by rote. Despite also being a programmer ;-)). The intention is that, once the "material" is there (hopefully better information), if needed someone can fix the template without having to search elsewhere for said information. Now that, thank to you, my attention has been drawn on this, I will try to find time and motivation to learn at least the right template(s) for etymology sections. Denispir ( talk ) Wanted words[ edit ] Hi there. There are now 4 words that display as little square boxes. Do you think that some of them ought to be moved back down the list a bit? SemperBlotto ( talk ) 15:03, 6 July 2015 (UTC) @ SemperBlotto : I assume you're referring to four of ꝰ ( U+A770 MODIFIER LETTER US @ SemperBlotto : Oh, I see; that makes sense. I've scattered the five you had trouble with, eighty terms apart . That should prevent them appearing too close together again. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:49, 6 July 2015 (UTC) Speaking of wanted words, did you add -αστής ? This looks like -άζω + -τής to me. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 15:19, 7 July 2015 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Do you mean -ᾰ́στης ‎(-ástēs)? If so, then, IIRC, yes, I did. The following words end in -άστης ‎(-ástēs): ἀνδριαντοπλάστης ‎(andriantoplástēs, “modeller of statues”), ἀνδροκτάστης ‎(androktástēs), ἀνθρωποπλάστης ‎(anthrōpoplástēs, “fashioner of men”), βουπλάστης ‎(bouplástēs, “cowmodeller”), βράστης ‎(brástēs, “upheaving the earth verlically”, of an earthquake), δημοσιομάστης ‎(dēmosiomástēs, “an officer appointed to ascertain and get possession of the assets of public debtors and exiles at Athens”), δράστης ‎(drástēs, “labourer”, “working man”), δῠνάστης ‎(dunástēs, “lord”, “master”, “ruler”), ἐμβρῠοθλάστης ‎(embruothlástēs, “instrument to extract a fetus”), φουρνοπλάστης ‎(phournoplástēs, “potter”), φράστης ‎(phrástēs, “ ēloquēns ”), ἰνδικοπλάστης ‎(indikoplástēs, “dyer”), καταπλάστης ‎(kataplástēs, “one who plasters”), κεφᾰλοκλάστης ‎(kephaloklástēs, “a surgical instrument”), κερᾰμῐδοπλάστης ‎(keramidoplástēs, “tile-maker”), κερᾰμοπλάστης ‎(keramoplástēs, “potter”), κεράστης ‎(kerástēs, “horned”), κεροπλάστης ‎(keroplástēs, “arranging the hair in horns or queues”, as a noun “a hairdresser”), κηροπλάστης ‎(kēroplástēs, “modeller in wax”), κλάστης ‎(klástēs, “vine-dresser”), κοραλλιοπλάστης ‎(korallioplástēs, “one who makes images of coral”), κοσμοπλάστης ‎(kosmoplástēs, “framer of the world”), κωλοπλάστης ‎(kōloplástēs, “manufacturer of artificial limbs [as votive offerings]”), μετανάστης ‎(metanástēs, “one who has left his home”, “a wanderer”, “a migrant”), μῡθοπλάστης ‎(mūthoplástēs, “coiner of legends”), νάστης ‎(nástēs, “inhabitant”), Νάστης ‎(Nástēs, “son of Nomion, leader of the Carians, slain by Achilles”), νευροσπάστης ‎(neurospástēs, “puppet-show man”), ὀβρῐμοδῠνάστης ‎(obrimodunástēs, “powerful potentate”), ὀστοκλάστης ‎(ostoklástēs, “ ossifrage ”, “ lammergeier ”), παντοδῠνάστης ‎(pantodunástēs, “all-powerful”), πλάστης ‎(plástēs, “moulder”, “modeller”; “creator”), πυρσοδῠνάστης ‎(pursodunástēs, “ ignipotēns ”), θεοπλάστης ‎(theoplástēs, “maker of gods”), θλάστης ‎(thlástēs, “instrument to extract a fetus”), σειρομάστης ‎(seiromástēs), σῑρομάστης ‎(sīromástēs, “pit-searcher”), σκινδᾰλᾰμοφράστης ‎(skindalamophrástēs, “straw-splitter”), σχάστης ‎(skhástēs), τῡφοπλάστης ‎(tūphoplástēs, “inventor of falsehood”), ὑπερανάστης ‎(huperanástēs, “one who has left his home”, “a wanderer”, “a migrant”), χαλκοπλάστης ‎(khalkoplástēs, “bronze-worker”), χοοπλάστης ‎(khooplástēs, “one who forms of earth”), ψευδοπλάστης ‎(pseudoplástēs, “forger of lies”), ζῳοπλάστης ‎(zōioplástēs, “the Creator”; “a moulder of creatures”, “a sculptor, etc.”). I infer from all that that there isn't really an -ᾰ́στης ‎(-ástēs) suffix, so I shall remove that from WT:WE . I don't know about -αστής ‎(-astḗs), however; are you sure that for every noun ending in -αστής ‎(-astḗs), there exists a corresponding verb ending in -άζω ‎(-ázō)? Whether -αστής ‎(-astḗs) is an independent suffix or not, we need entries for its constituent suffixes, -άζω ‎(-ázō) and -τής ‎(-tḗs); would you be willing and able to create entries for them, please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:58, 7 July 2015 (UTC) Yeah, but not until John finishes checking the declension module. I'm doing adverbs in the meantime. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 19:55, 7 July 2015 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Cool, cool. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:13, 7 July 2015 (UTC) кхъохь [ edit ] Yes I believe кхъохь should be deleted. In Standard Adyghe it's spelled къухьэ and in Kabardian it's spelled кхъухь .-- Adamʂa123 ( talk ) 16:07, 9 July 2015 (UTC) @ Adamʂa123 : OK, I've deleted it now. In future, please include a reason when you add {{ delete }} to an entry (in the case of кхъохь, something like {{ delete \|misspelling of къухьэ/кхъухь}} would've been sufficient), otherwise I have no idea why it should be deleted, and it looks like you've just blanked the page for no reason. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:18, 9 July 2015 (UTC) пчын [ edit ] Hello. пчын is a misspelled of пчъын . I apologize i should have used {{ delete \|misspelling of пчъын}} like you suggested previously. Actually пчын can be an alternative form of пчъын if you consider the different dialects, but i think пчъын is enough because that's how it's spelled in standard Adyghe.-- Adamʂa123 ( talk ) 12:00, 21 July 2015 (UTC) @ Adamʂa123 : No problem. Thanks for the explanation. Rather than deleting it, how do you feel about this treatment of пчын ‎(pčən)? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:28, 21 July 2015 (UTC) Great.-- Adamʂa123 ( talk ) 17:27, 21 July 2015 (UTC) ancient Greek vs. Ancient Greek [ edit ] Should LlywelynII have moved ancient Greek from Ancient Greek ? I'm unsure whether this is worth RFVing. — John C5 22:10, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : He certainly should not have. It's a specific language (or, if you like, a specific chronolect of a language) called Ancient Greek , not just Greek that happens to be ancient . Consider, for example, that Hamlet is written in old English , whereas Beowulf is written in Old English . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:03, 26 July 2015 (UTC) I guessed as much. Would you care to fix 'er up for me? I'm in the midst of a battle with a PIE noun, on which I've finally gained some traction. Also, given previous evidence, I find it likely that one or both of us is about to be called "wrongheaded" by LlywelynII. — John C5 23:06, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I've kept most of what he wrote, but not the relemmatisation. He'll have to provide some pretty decent evidence to back up his claim in Talk:ancient Greek#Not a mistaken form if he wants the entry moved back. BTW, "a battle with a PIE noun"? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:19, 26 July 2015 (UTC) The reconstruction of wéh₁itis (in progress) poses serious problems and several theories exist. It tends to be the case that when I do these things, I will have many tabs (15), books (3), and PDFs (6) open concurrently, and thus making complex changes to other entries can be confusing to me. — John C5 23:28, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Aah, I see. Anytime. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:39, 26 July 2015 (UTC) This is what I was doing. — John C5 02:10, 27 July 2015 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : That's amazing! I wish I understood P.I.E. studies, like, at all. How do you have access to all those resources? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:28, 27 July 2015 (UTC) The move to ancient Greek was out-of-process, since the form had been deleted once or twice before per consensus on WT:RFD that the lemma entry should be Ancient Greek . However, an Ngram comparison of the two capitalizations is interesting. (I added "language" to that Ngram because I figure the numbers without it are probably skewed by phrases like "X was an ancient Greek philosopher".) - -sche (discuss) 23:22, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ -sche : That is very interesting.... I have rarely, if ever, noticed that capitalization. — John C5 23:28, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ -sche : Ditto. I wonder why that is. That Ngram makes the initial-minuscule form seem far more common than my experience would suggest. Surely, however, use of the initial-minuscule form for the language/chronolect is straightforwardly ungrammatical. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:39, 26 July 2015 (UTC) I don't know about "ungrammatical", but it's probably SOP (as discussed in the RFDs). A comparison of Old vs old French confirms what I've found to be the case in perusing old books, which is that people in the past seem to have conceptualized "French", "Greek" etc as single languages which varied greatly over time (so that "old French" x might be different from modern French y), whereas we now conceptualize their various temporal stages as distinct lects ("Old French", etc). Compare sense 2 of Old English . - -sche (discuss) 23:58, 26 July 2015 (UTC) @ -sche : Yes, you're probably right with that one. It is common to hear and read Ancient Greek referred to as "Greek" simpliciter even today. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:13, 27 July 2015 (UTC) Ainu translit[ edit ] Hi, I replied at Talk:コッ and my provisional draft is complete at User:Neitrāls vārds/sandbox . Not implying that anyone should "get to it" right away, but I'm afraid I might need to go on a wikt. hiatus and I'm wondering what could be a good place to advertise this thing, so someone with some Lua knowledge (and some interest in Asian langs) could perhaps pick it up, so the whole deal doesn't "slide into oblivion." I think a good half of the conditions can be copied pretty much verbatim from the ja module. Neitrāls vārds ( talk ) 21:50, 27 July 2015 (UTC) reverts[ edit ] Hello, notifications tell me that you have reverted a series of 5 changes by me. Is there a particular reason? Were all of these changes wrong in your view? Is it an issue of no usage or wrong usage of templates? Am I doing something else wrong, in general? or what? Denispir ( talk ) Hi, Denispir . This was a while ago, so I don't know what reversions you're referring to. Please post the links herein; I'd be happy to explain the reasons for my reversions once I know what I need to explain. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 10:12, 4 August 2015 (UTC) Quid agis?[ edit ] Colloquium tuum mihi dēfuit. — John C5 16:38, 27 August 2015 (UTC) Ad Johannem C. V : Incuriam tui meam doleo. Te esse editorem optimum arbitror. Me excusa, te quaeso. ¿Quid agis? Nuper natinatus sum, rerum ceterarum ergo; nunc ad Victionarium Anglicum recurri! Tibi cooperari gaudebo. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:12, 21 September 2015 (UTC) Tibi ago gratias pro verbis tuis peramicis, at mihi placet tuum reventum comperire. Nuper itidem coepi novae professionis causā natinari; nihil ita excusationis tuae requiro. Habesne ullum negotium Victionariale, quod me agere velis? — John C5 13:41, 22 September 2015 (UTC) Alba Longa [ edit ] I haven't really added much in the way of Latin content in a while, and I was thinking I'd do geographical terms, but I don't really know how all of the templates work now. How do I get to make this headword not show redlinks? (head= didn't work.) And how should I set up the declension table for it, considering that both words decline? — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 22:49, 28 August 2015 (UTC) @ Μετάknowledge : Parameter \|1= modifies the headword; see my changes . Unfortunately, Latin declension tables can’t yet handle phrases (they can handle invariant enclitics thanks to kc_kennylau ); that is a project I intend to commit myself to at some unspecified point in the future. If you’re going to work on geographical terms (that would be great, by the way), you may find William Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography and Johann Georg Theodor Grässe’s Orbis Latinus useful. I hope that helps! — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:40, 28 August 2015 (UTC) @ Μετάknowledge : I've just created {{ la-decl-1st-1st-loc }} and added it to Alba Longa ; it will work for two-word placenames comprising two regular first-declension nominal and/or adjectival elements. Of course, creating separate templates for every combination isn't practical, but this sort of solution will have to do for now, I'm afraid. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:49, 28 August 2015 (UTC) Re multiword declensional problems: Thanks for the template. Perhaps one should be created for the likes of rēspūblica and other entries that are currently untemplatised; as for cases like pater familiās , are you comfortable with the status quo of lacking a declension table? Re geography: I haven't used DGRG before, thanks for the recommendation! It's a vague plan, as I'm getting busier IRL and I do need to get back to working on Swahili when I feel up to making conjugation templates, which I'm rather scared of doing. Oh, and on another note, I'm not sure which template to use for zootrophion . I haven't studied enough Greek to make it easy for me to figure out declensional templates for Greek words in Latin. — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 18:06, 5 September 2015 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ Metaknowledge : Is there anything else you need me to edit and/or create? Something to do with Neāpolis , perhaps? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:12, 13 September 2015 (UTC) We have {{ la-decl-3rd-polis }} for that now thanks to Kenny. My only other issue (that I can think of at the moment) is one I just raised over at John's talkpage. — Μετάknowledge discuss / deeds 06:06, 14 September 2015 (UTC) @ Metaknowledge : Oh, good. Re the other issue, hopefully one of our Luists can fix that issue with {{ la-noun }}. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 10:31, 14 September 2015 (UTC) Updates to the Word of the Day[ edit ] Hi, thanks for making this edit . However, I've just noticed that you didn't actually update the individual pages " Wiktionary:Word of the day/August 29 ", " Wiktionary:Word of the day/August 30 " and " Wiktionary:Word of the day/August 31 ", which means that the words didn't actually get showcased. Oops! Why don't you set those words for 15, 16 and 17 September instead? Smuconlaw ( talk ) 09:24, 31 August 2015 (UTC) I felt energetic so I did the updating for you. :-) Smuconlaw ( talk ) 17:47, 1 September 2015 (UTC) @ Smuconlaw : I'm sorry for the mistake, and I thank you for clearing up my mess. That was the first time I'd tried to set a word of the day, so please put it down to the incompetence of a novice! Thanks for your understanding. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:17, 13 September 2015 (UTC) No worries. Please help out more! Smuconlaw ( talk ) 09:54, 14 September 2015 (UTC) @ Smuconlaw : I'll try to follow the policy of setting one or more WOTDs for each word I nominate. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 10:37, 14 September 2015 (UTC) That would be a great help. Smuconlaw ( talk ) 10:51, 14 September 2015 (UTC) triale tantum [ edit ] Hi there. This seems to be a plurale tantum of the third order. Italian seems to have the rare noun triale to cover it. The Italian Wikipedia entry Numero (linguistica) also mentions the terms quartale (4) and paucale (few). I had difficulties translating that citation into natural-sounding English, but have done my best (too much wine with my dinner). SemperBlotto ( talk ) 20:27, 1 September 2015 (UTC) @ SemperBlotto : Thanks very much for that. Yes, I'd figured that triale tantum carried the meaning “trial only”, but I couldn't tell whether it was an adjective with the sense “trial only” or a noun with the sense “a noun that is trial only”. Do you mean that Italian has the terms triale , quartale , and paucale that are synonymous with the English terms trial number, quadral number, and paucal number? Your translation read perfectly; I tweaked it slightly , which I hope you don't mind. BTW, duale tantum is plentifully attested in English, though I found no sign of quadrale tantum or paucale tantum, and that Italian citation of triale tantum is the only citation of the phrase in any language I found anywhere. Also, interestingly enough, I have yet to find a Latin dictionary that lists triālis (though trīnālis exists), quadrālis (the noun quadrāle and the adjective quartālis both exist), or paucālis , though I suspect they're all attestable; hits for the German nouns Trialis and Paucalis render a prima facie glance inconclusive, however. Again, thanks for your help with this. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 22:52, 13 September 2015 (UTC) Multiple declension tables for the same usage of the same word in Latin[ edit ] Is there an accepted standard for how to organize multiple declension tables for the same usage of the same word in Latin? You seem to prefer arranging them horizontally, but other pages ( vesper and tigris , for example; in the case of the latter the page looks much worse with them arranged horizontally because the note at the top of the first declension table prevents the second one from getting any closer to it than the end of the note) have them arranged vertically. Is one method preferred over the other by the Wiktionary community, or is there not a standard that has its general support? Esszet ( talk ) 22:52, 10 September 2015 (UTC) @ Esszet : As you'd guessed, there isn't any policy governing this. It's difficult to tell (without a poll) which presentation is preferred, but I'd guess from the fact that I'd never seen horizontal presentation changed to verical before your two edits that horizontal presentation would be preferred generally for nominal declension tables and perhaps some adjectival declension tables, but vertical presentation preferred for conjugation tables. (I can't Lua, but if I could, I'd add line breaks to the titular descriptions atop declension tables, which would fix the problem with horizontal presentation of the tables in tīgris .) I wonder if I'm right about what presentation is preferred generally… @ Angr , JohnC5 , kc kennylau , Metaknowledge ? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:30, 12 September 2015 (UTC) I'm lazy about it, but I'd say side-by-side is usually better. Anyway, does this mean that all my declensional woes are going to be solved by Luacisation? — Μετάknowledge Αρβανιτόπουλος [ edit ] The normal "definition" of a foreign word is its translation - ie the English form of the name. For the example of I used a derived form of the word - to show where the name "Αρβανιτόπουλος" might be found. As regards the words derived from the surname: they are not found in dictionaries, and I dont know what part of speech they are. But - quite honestly - there are more important things for all of us to spend our time on than foreign surnames. — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 15:07, 2 October 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : I'm sorry to have irked you. Re the translation/English form, I've now added an \|eq= parameter to {{ surname }}, which can be used to specify the English equivalent, which Αρβανιτόπουλος now does . I'm afraid that Αθανασάκειο ‎(Athanasákeio) is a derived form of Αθανασάκης ‎(Athanasákis), not Αρβανιτόπουλος ‎(Arvanitópoulos). I am pretty certain that Αθανασάκειος ‎(Athanasákeios) is an adjective (like the English Shavian and Platonic ). The reason I've requested these things is because I want to add the PDF of the 1909 Θεσσαλικὰ μνημεῖα. Ἀθανασάκειον Μουσεῖον ἐν Βόλῳ that I have to the Internet Archive, and I don't want to add any incorrect information in doing so. Again, I'm sorry to have irked you. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:38, 2 October 2015 (UTC) Fine - as you say it's probably an adjective, as in "Guggenheim Museum", etc. But I was unirked :) — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 15:43, 2 October 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : Not exactly. In Guggenheim Museum, Guggenheim is a proper noun used attributively, which certainly makes it look like an adjective, but considering the museum's full name, viz. the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum should make it clearer that Solomon R. Guggenheim isn't an adjective; were it called the Guggenheimean Museum , the Guggenheimian Museum , or the Guggenheimlich Museum , then the name would indeed use an adjective. Analogically, Αθανασάκειο Μουσείο Βόλου uses an adjective, whereas Αθανασάκης Μουσείο Βόλου uses a proper noun attributively (though it's probably ungrammatical Greek). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:54, 2 October 2015 (UTC) "proper noun used attributively" yes - but in another language an adjective may be available. (answer not needed!) — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 15:51, 7 October 2015 (UTC) Reversal[ edit ] Why aren’t arrows better than inequality signs clearer or better, in your opinion? Your reversal seemed overzealous and discouraging, and your edit summary was really unhelpful. — Born2bgratis ( talk ) 14:18, 3 October 2015 (UTC) @ Born2bgratis : Whilst your edit was indubitably one made in good faith, I reverted it because 2 is greater than 1 and 2 is less than 3. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:07, 3 October 2015 (UTC) This “explanation” would lead me to think that the real reason is that you have a hard time accepting other’s improvements. The template is for NAVIGATION, it has nothing to do with the mathematical concept of inequality. But it’s okay with me; I’m not interested in engaging in idiotic edit wars – otherwise I could get blocked. — Born2bgratis ( talk ) 15:15, 3 October 2015 (UTC) And what other evidence, pray tell, led you to such a judgment? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:20, 3 October 2015 (UTC) dog-bread[ edit ] Not totally clear, but I found something about "dog's-bread": a kind of mushroom that grows near the mandrake . It looks like breadcrumbs, and in Arabic is called khubz al-kalb (dog's bread). Equinox ◑ 21:48, 4 October 2015 (UTC) @ Equinox : Thanks. I somewhat suspect that the definition was a sort of nihilartikel to catch out copyright infringers, especially given that the Greek etymon is supposedly the name for one of these . Gaffiot, meanwhile, defines it (rather uselessly) as just "plante". — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:55, 4 October 2015 (UTC) When dealing with ancient references to plants, it's a miracle that we have any botanical identifications at all. I find it entirely plausible that a hapax legomenon might have insufficient context to enable anything much in the way of a definition. On top of that, it's entirely possible that an author in one language might be just repeating what they've read in another language and have no clue what they're writing about. It would be interesting to track down the passage, though that may not be easy: the Apuleius Herbarium (actually w:Pseudo-Apuleius ) was a very popular work in the Middle Ages, so there are a number of editions/manuscripts. As for "dog-bread", it's obviously a literal translation of the parts of the Ancient Greek word, rather than a reference to a known plant by that name. Equinox's reference is talking about an 8th-century Arabic translation from Syriac, so it doesn't really have much to do with anything in Latin. There is something called "dog's-bread, though: it was a term for a kind of very low-quality bread given to poor people before the French Revolution. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 02:11, 5 October 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : Aah, I see! I didn't know μᾶζα ‎(mâza), but I should've made the connection with κύων ‎(kúōn). Thanks for that. Should I change the definition of cynomazon to "a plant, perhaps Cardopatium corymbosum ", per κυνόμαζον ‎(kunómazon)? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:28, 5 October 2015 (UTC) Speaking of requested entries, why are you requesting specific forms like ἡπατίζον, ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα, κατεσκευασμένων... and not the lemmas thereof? — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 22:36, 5 October 2015 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : They occurred in something I was trying to translate, and I couldn't work out the lemma from the non-lemma. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:05, 5 October 2015 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Re ἡπατίζον , I requested that in preparation for creating hēpatizon . As for κατεσκευασμένων , that was for the quotation from Xenophon's Λακεδαιμονίων Πολιτεία in Citations:μόρα . I got ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα from reading about the Old Testament; see google books:"anagignoskomena" . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:55–12:40, 7 October 2015 (UTC) a number of possibilities (uninflected): PhD διδακτορία/φιλοσοφία moral phylosophy δίδαγμα/φιλοσοφία and probably others. Do you have a context? — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 15:46, 7 October 2015 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : It's from the same text as all my recent requests. That one, specifically, is from the frontispiece, which describes its author thus: ΥΠΟ As estar and être , yes. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:24, 23 October 2015 (UTC) Does testa mean caput in Medieval Latin? (Presumably not in Classical.) -- Romanophile ♞ ( contributions ) 05:31, 9 March 2016 (UTC) @ Romanophile : Yes! It's also in Niermeyer. — John C5 05:54, 9 March 2016 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : it seems like a lot of innovations that occurred in Romance also existed in Medieval Latin. homo may warrant a pronoun section, but I’ve been told that it’s been used pronominally since the Classic era. -- Romanophile ♞ ( contributions ) 06:05, 9 March 2016 (UTC) Thanks for deleting all those templates[ edit ] @ Equinox Thanks to you too for the earlier round! Benwing2 ( talk ) 21:49, 7 November 2015 (UTC) @ Benwing2 : No problem. All the templates are deleted now; only the documentation subpages remain. I'll delete them at some point, too, unless someone else beats me to them. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 23:18, 7 November 2015 (UTC) Thanks again for deleting the remaining template doc pages. Benwing2 ( talk ) 13:34, 12 November 2015 (UTC) Post-edit conflict: @ Benwing2 : I've just deleted the sixty-five documentation subpages, so all the candidates for speedy deletion are gone, now. This spate of deletions generated a number of orphans in the Template talk: namespace; feel free to tag them for speedy deletion if you want them gone, too; I'd be happy to delete them for you. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:35, 12 November 2015 (UTC) OK cool. I'll go find them. Benwing2 ( talk ) 14:21, 12 November 2015 (UTC) 形聲 [ edit ] I don't think you can refer to Chinese 形聲 and Japanese 形声 as cognates: that would imply that they were inherited from a common source, but inheritance by Japanese from anything other than earlier stages of Japanese has never been proven. The Japanese is borrowed from Chinese at some stage, both the the characters (in Chinese, 形声 is an alternative form of 形聲 ), and the spoken words that the characters represent (that's what an on yomi /reading is). Now, Japanese borrowed from Chinese at different stages of its history, and from different dialects, so the spoken Japanese may be said to have been borrowed from a term in one Chinese regional lect that is cognate to the term in other regional lects, but it's not cognate to the term in Chinese as a whole. An analogy might be asking whether castle is cognate to château . Chuck Entz ( talk ) 03:37, 13 December 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : I figured that the Chinese 形聲 and the Japanese 形声 might both descend from a Middle Chinese etymon. I'd call the English castle and the French château cognates because they both descend from the Latin castellum ; is this incorrect for some reason? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:49, 15 December 2015 (UTC) Strictly speaking, they're not, because English didn't inherit it from Latin. It was borrowed, both directly into Old English and indirectly into Middle English from Old Northern French. The reason I chose that example is because you can tell from the form that castle and château came ultimately from the same source, but were the result of borrowing at different times from different regions. The Chinese writing system complicates things quite a lot, because written Chinese is a single language, but spoken Chinese is a family of related languages. Likewise, Japanese, when written in kanji, is, with rare exceptions, always a sort of borrowing from Chinese- if not the phrase, at least the components. Spoken Japanese (referred to as the readings when the written form is made up of kanji) can be either a borrowing or native Japanese. If it's native Japanese, the reading is classified as a kun reading. If it's from Chinese, it's classified as an on reading (there are several kinds of on readings, classified according to the timeand or regional lect from which the original borrowing came). Not uncommonly, a given kanji term will have both kun and on readings, with the kun reading being completely unrelated to the on reading (except for sometimes being a calque). So 形声 is, almost by definition, a Chinese borrowing. If it had a kun reading, the reading would be unrelated to Chinese. The on reading by definition, again, would have to be descended from a Chinese loanword. In other words, you asked a question which was self-evidently unnecessary to anyone familiar with Japanese: the writing was obviously a borrowing and the on reading, by definition, was descended from a borrowing. There are no doubt interesting details to the etymology, but the overall question was already answered before you asked it. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 15:08, 15 December 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : Eiríkr's addition of "From Middle Chinese compound 形聲 ‎(heng syeng, literally “form, shape + sound”)." was the kind of thing I was thinking of. TBH, I don't really see the great importance of the borrowing–inheritance distinction vis-à-vis cognacy — surely two terms in separate languages both derived howsoever from a term in a third language are ipso facto cognates…? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:12, 22 December 2015 (UTC) The details are much as Chuck explained them: any Japanese on'yomi term is an old borrowing from Middle Chinese . The variation in the kinds of on'yomi are due to 1) differences in when a term was borrowed, as the dialects of Chinese themselves have undergone substantial phonetic shifts over the years; and 2) differences in where a term was borrowed from, as the dialects of Chinese can have very different readings. Hence, for Japanese 行 , we have the on'yomi readings gyō, gō, kō, and an, all from Chinese 行 . However, also note that the kun'yomi readings i(ku), yu(ku), and oko(nau) or okona(u) all derive from Old Japanese . I've added an etymology for Japanese 形声 . I'll defer to the Chinese editors to add an etymology for 形聲 . ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 17:47, 15 December 2015 (UTC) @ Eirikr : Thanks for answering the {{ rfe }}. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:12, 22 December 2015 (UTC) @ Chuck Entz : This is a bit late, but is it really the case that "written Chinese is a single language"? I've always thought that this must be a misconception, because e.g. Cantonese has thousands of Cantonese-specific characters and definitely isn't written the same as Mandarin. Similarly, Shanghainese if written down would not look like Mandarin because many or most of its function words are etymologically unrelated to the corresponding Mandarin ones, and it certainly must have other grammatical differences, differences in meaning, lack of many Mandarin-created compounds, etc. Benwing2 ( talk ) 02:22, 5 January 2016 (UTC) Well, I only speak and read a little Mandarin, and I oversimplified quite a bit, but my non-expert impression is that the written topolects are close enough that monolectic readers and writers of each can sort of figure out the others. They're definitely not the same, by any means, but the majority of the vocabulary overlaps (for that matter, even the kanji-based part of Japanese writing is somewhat intelligible to Chinese readers, and Japanese can read some Chinese). Now, of course, the education system on the mainland is pushing Mandarin really hard, so those who speak the non-Mandarin lects may start to understand more just by virtue of their having been taught Mandarin in school. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 02:48, 5 January 2016 (UTC) στοιχειολογία [ edit ] Where did you find the citation for this term? It is not in LSJ (although it might be in the supplement, which I don't have a copy of.) — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 00:19, 5 January 2016 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : It is used by three different authors (viz. Ludwig Lucius, Emmanuel Stupanus , and Johann Müller), who are cited by Johann Ramminger in his Neulateinische Wortliste . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 02:10, 5 January 2016 (UTC) All three works postdate the fall of Constantinople; thus, by our criteria—unless it is attested in an earlier work—the word is Modern Greek. I was unable to produce any Byzantine citation through a Google search, and it does not appear in Sophocles' Byzantine dictionary. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 03:47, 5 January 2016 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : Hmm, so maybe this word deserves a Modern Greek entry; what do you think, Saltmarsh and Ilias Iliadis ? Also, @ CodeCat , might this be relevant to ὑποθερμία ‎(hupothermía)? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 21:49, 5 January 2016 (UTC) Created - my Bambiniotis dates it to the 1850s — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 06:48, 6 January 2016 (UTC) It dates back farther than that (Acronym's citations were from the 1600s) but not far enough to be considered Ancient. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 12:54, 6 January 2016 (UTC) Thanks for creating the entry, Saltmarsh . I've added a few examples of the Katharevousa accusative, στοιχειολογίαν ‎(stoicheiologían), to Citations:στοιχειολογία ; is there a way to add it to the declension table in the entry for στοιχειολογία ‎(stoicheiología)? Google Books Search does a poor job of OCRing polytonic Greek, so I haven't bothered trying to find examples of the Katharevousa dative, στοιχειολογίᾳ ‎(stoicheiologíᾳ). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:12, 8 January 2016 (UTC) Done - the parameter "note" is used. It is largely undecided how to deal with Katharevousa forms - other than "Katharevousa form of … ". I have been meaning to have a look at other diglossias to see how this might be handled. — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 12:27, 9 January 2016 (UTC) @ Saltmarsh : Thank you. Why not just integrate Katharevousa forms into the usual (currently Demotic) inflection tables, with the Katharevousa forms marked with obeli , referring to a footnote that states that they are Katharevousa-only? The forms are regular, as far as I can tell. Are you happy with how I've formatted στοιχειολογίαν ‎(stoicheiologían)? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:02, 11 January 2016 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘It may be more complicated than that - according to the latest Greek Grammar (Holton et al Greek: A Comprehensive Grammar …) Demotic and Katharevousa are evolving into SMG (Standard Modern Greek). We need a wider discussion (my time is short a present - so please feel free to take over) with some wiki-active native speakers involved @ Eipnvn , Xoristzatziki , Rossyxan (there must be others). — Saltmarsh συζήτηση-talk 12:29, 12 January 2016 (UTC) \|k isn't needed/doesn't do anything anymore BTW. — suzukaze ( t ・ c ) 03:09, 22 January 2016 (UTC) @ suzukaze-c : OK, thanks. I'll omit it in future. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 03:11, 22 January 2016 (UTC) You just deleted my user talk page![ edit ] After you delete my userpage in my request, it seems you unexpectedly deleted my user talk page. Eyesnore ( talk ) 11:09, 27 February 2016 (UTC) @ Eyesnore : I'm very sorry; I misunderstood what you wanted. Chuck Entz has since restored it (thanks, Chuck). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:38, 27 February 2016 (UTC) Deletion of "Template:reference-book"[ edit ] Thanks for deleting the template. I'm afraid I couldn't tag the template page as it was protected. That's why I tagged the template talk page. — SMUconlaw ( talk ) 19:53, 20 March 2016 (UTC) @ Smuconlaw : Oh, sorry; I didn't realise. That makes sense. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:05, 21 March 2016 (UTC) Thanks, I didn't know we generally keep the talk pages of deleted templates. — SMUconlaw ( talk ) 15:57, 21 March 2016 (UTC) cometes [ edit ] Hello. Regarding your revert, please see Wiktionary:Tea_room/2016/April#Latin:_cometes . The accusative "cometem" is still missing in the entry. - Ikiaika ( talk ) 17:15, 13 April 2016 (UTC) @ Ikiaika : Done. I had no way of knowing (unless I did a What-links-here, which is only common practice with deletions) that the problem with the table was the missing alternative accusative singular form. In future, if you're discussing an entry in the Tea Room, please tag that entry with {{ tea room }} and, if possible, include an editorial note (using <!-- NOTE -->) in the entry near the {{ rfinfl }} to explain what the problem is. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:15, 14 April 2016 (UTC) If I remember those templates, I will do. Are you sure about the length of the e, i.e. that it is "comētem"? It could be a third decension form, but couldn't it also be a different ending? Like by analogy with the ending -an or -am (incorrectly) using -m instead of -n, without changing the e. So maybe there should be a note that it is a Late Latin form and that the length is unknown, maybe also mentioning the possibility that it could be a third declension ending. - Ikiaika ( talk ) 17:52, 14 April 2016 (UTC) @ Ikiaika : Unless you can present evidence (from an authority or, better, scansion) that the alternative accusative singular form is or can be comētēm, as opposed to comētem , then Occam's razor dictates that we treat the form as just a normal third-declension ending. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:24, 15 April 2016 (UTC) @ Ikiaika : Also consider the existence of comētibus (occurring, for example, here ). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 12:33, 15 April 2016 (UTC) σεβαστοκράτωρ/Σεβαστοκρᾰτέω[ edit ] hey, I noticed your edit on σεβαστοκράτωρ and have kept it up for now, but it seems to me like Σεβαστοκρᾰτέω - the verb to rule as sebastokrator - would be derived from σεβαστοκράτωρ and not the reverse. LSJ tells me the only use was in Joannes Tzetzes - who lived after the title was created, see w:Sebastokrator Rathersilly ( talk ) 16:11, 22 April 2016 (UTC) Caland systems don't easily lend themselves to a clear tree of derivation. If there were an adjective σεβαστόκρατος I might say both are derived from that, but as it is I'd rather simply say both are σεβαστος + κρατος + (suffix). — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 17:28, 22 April 2016 (UTC) I edited it according to your suggestion. Rathersilly ( talk ) 17:54, 24 April 2016 (UTC) @ Rathersilly , ObsequiousNewt : Cool, thanks. And sorry for the unwarranted change. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:54, 26 April 2016 (UTC) Wiktionary:Wanted entries/grc [ edit ] Disclaimer: I don't know how many of the Ancient Greek you've actually added to WT:WE; this is partly a request for citations and partly a request for help finding citations. I had decided to create entries for σχηματομετρία and βαλλίξω, but I couldn't find them in LSJ. I suspect the latter is a scanno for βαλλίζω, although I'm not sure of this. In any case I decided to go through WE and list all of the Ancient Greek words (excluding proper names) for which I could not find a citation in LSJ: Ζάβολος ‎(Zábolos) is given as the etymon of the Latin zabolus by Lewis & Short , du Cange , and Gaffiot . That's all I have time for right now. I'll get to the others as soon as I can. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:17, 2 May 2016 (UTC) Thanks for helping! I suspect that schēmatometria was formed as a compound within Latin, the same way English forms compounds like e.g. cryophysics . It doesn't seem to ever have been attested in Greek (it's not in LSJ or Sophocles' lexicon, and a Google search reveals nothing.) I checked LSJ's entry for Καδμῖλος and it does mention camillus . Wikipedia also says : "The name of Kadmilus (Καδμῖλος), or Kasmilos, one of the Cabeiri who was usually depicted as a young boy, was linked even in antiquity to camillus, an old Latin word for a boy-attendant in a cult[.]" I can only suppose OLD didn't capitalize Greek words. ζάβολος certainly appears to exist, on this evidence—but a Google search doesn't actually yield any useful results. Neither does a search of Packhum. I'm honestly wondering if it was in fact never attested—and, if so, we should create Reconstruction:Ancient Greek/ζάβολος . — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 17:11, 2 May 2016 (UTC) Bot-reverted Welsh edit on Wikipedia[ edit ] Hi, somebody added "allwch chi ddim cadw torth a’i bwyta hi - you can’t keep a loaf and eat it" as the Welsh equivalent on Wikipedia's page for "you can't have your cake and eat it", but ClueBot reverted this as suspected vandalism [8] . It doesn't look like vandalism to me, but being cy-0 I thought I'd ask you if you could have a look and if appropriate revert ClueBot. Thanks, Droigheann ( talk ) 13:40, 28 April 2016 (UTC) @ Droigheann : Well, it's grammatically correct (albeit colloquial) apart from the fact that the allwch should be gallwch . It makes perfect sense, but I don't know whether it's actually used as a proverb in Welsh, or if it's just a near-calque of the English proverb — substitute torth ‎(“loaf”) with teisen ‎(“cake”) and you've got a precise calque. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:54, 28 April 2016 (UTC) In that case I'll let it be, Google search (with galwch) having returned zero results, I just didn't want to let the editor down if they were obviously correct. Cheers mate! -- Droigheann ( talk ) 18:20, 28 April 2016 (UTC) @ Droigheann : You're welcome. Please note, however, that google:"allwch chi ddim cadw torth a'i bwyta hi" also gets zero hits. N.b. that page 191 of Bruce Griffiths' Geiriadur yr Academi looks like it might be relevant. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:45, 2 May 2016 (UTC) Actually I didn't even try to google the sentence with "allwch", just took your word for it. The Welsh dictionary you link to unfortunately doesn't open any preview for me. Anyway, looking at the editor's contribs again I daresay they're not a newbie who might be discouraged by the revert from becoming a prolific contributor or something like that. -- Droigheann ( talk ) 18:18, 3 May 2016 (UTC) @ Droigheann : The Google Books Search result page to which I linked doesn’t show me a preview either. I’m currently in a public library which has a hard copy of the dictionary in question. The relevant bit is this (transcribed verbatim et litteratim): 1995, Bruce Griffiths and Dafydd Glyn Jones, Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary, Cardiff: University of Wales Press (sixth impression, 2006), ISBN 0708311865 , page 191 s.v. “cake¹”: […] you can’t have your ⁓ and eat it, allwch chi mo’i chael hi bob ffordd; allwch chi ddim cadw torth a’i bwyta hi; F: chewch chi mo’ch afal i chwarae ac i’w fwyta. […] Secundum opus citatum (§ “Abbreviations and field markers used in the Dictionary”, page xvi/2), ⟨ F: ⟩ denotes “Familiar, colloquial”. So that dictionary gives allwch chi mo’i chael hi bob ffordd ‎(literally “you can’t have it every way”), allwch chi ddim cadw torth a’i bwyta hi ‎(literally “you can’t keep a loaf and eat it”), and chewch chi mo’ch afal i chwarae ac i’w fwyta ‎(familiar, colloquial, literally “you shan’t have your apple to play and to eat [?!]”) as Welsh translations of the English you can’t have your cake and eat it , which vindicates Growdigital . — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:38, 5 May 2016 (UTC) Splendid, I returned it to the article together with the first translation they give [9] . Thanks for the time you spend on this! -- Droigheann ( talk ) 02:16, 8 May 2016 (UTC) @ Droigheann : You're very welcome. I'm glad I could help. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 11:54, 9 May 2016 (UTC) Soft mutation of the verb in a negative sentence is very common in colloquial Welsh, so allwch is correct. And the Geiriadur yr Academi is available online at [10] . — Aɴɢʀ ( talk ) 19:05, 26 May 2016 (UTC) @ Aɴɢʀ : Yes, where it's elliptical for ni allwch, as in the formal construction ni allwch gadw torth a’i bwyta ; I wouldn't say that that's correct in writing anything but dialogue, however (for one thing, that elliptical construction makes the sentence's negativity ambiguous without ddim for speakers who use the positive markers fe and/or mi ). It's good to know that Geiriadur yr Academi is available online; thanks for the link. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:26, 3 June 2016 (UTC) I think ddim (or its derivative mo ) is pretty much obligatory in colloquial usage unless there's some other negative polarity item present. It's sort of like French, where the normal language uses ne...pas, highly literary language can eliminate pas and use just ne, highly colloquial language can eliminate ne and use just pas, but you can't eliminate both ne and pas. — Aɴɢʀ ( talk ) 14:32, 3 June 2016 (UTC) @ Aɴɢʀ : I can see the analogy, and you may be right, but I stick to saying "that that's [not] correct in writing anything but dialogue". — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:47, 8 June 2016 (UTC) The UK Electoral Commission uses it, so does Citizens Advice , so does Mental Health Matters . It seems to be OK to drop the ni (but not the ddim) in any sort of more colloquial, less literary register. — Aɴɢʀ ( talk ) 18:46, 8 June 2016 (UTC) @ Aɴɢʀ : Maybe I'm just too conservative for the likes of those writers. Still, many of those just don't seem right to me. shrugs — I.S. M.E.T.A. 18:21, 10 June 2016 (UTC) R:LSJ and the Perseus Resolve Form[ edit ] Hello ISMETA, you thanked me for an edit which I had rescinded, and I felt I should never have made. Did you mean to thank me for rescinding it? I felt it was useful but bibliographically inappropriate. I'm writing because if you did like the functionality I could implement it in a better way. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 13:16, 26 June 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : I was thanking you for the functionality it introduced. Perhaps, if the resolve form is called, the template can add that page to a category of entries that need to be made more bibliographically accurate; what do you say to that? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 19:11, 28 June 2016 (UTC) Hi ISMETA, in that case, you are welcome. Would you like to make this change? I am still not very good with categories and templates. Additionally, maybe the better thing for me to do would be to update the module with a headword list rather than just a collision list. This way, the resolve redirection can take place automatically for LSJ misses, and not just collisions. In this case, I could invoke your category of bibliographical corrigenda only for misses, while providing the same resolve link either way. I am trying to avoid the need for too many arguments for these templates; I feel it is hard enough for editors to make Greek entries with the macron-and-breve augmented polytonic and all the principal parts as it is. I appreciate your pointing out this is helpful; you are right that it is, since in fact I do not believe we have proper Slater and Autenrieth reference templates at all at this point. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 19:30, 28 June 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : Unfortunately, my knowledge of Lua is very poor, so I could do nothing more intelligent than revert your self-reversion. (I can do wikitext-coding, but that skill is rather passé on the English Wiktionary nowadays.) It would be a trivial matter to create {{ R:Autenrieth }} and {{ R:Slater }}; they'd both use a backend like Module:R:LSJ (I'm thinking of the polytonic_to_perseus_beta, format_perseus_url, and format_perseus_wikilink functions), with {{ R:Autenrieth }}'s URL being http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0073:entry= and its bibliographical citation being Autenrieth, Georg, ''A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges'', New York: Harper and Brothers, 1891 and with {{ R:Slater }}'s URL being http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0072:entry= and its bibliographical citation being Slater, William J., ''Lexicon to Pindar'', Berlin: De Gruyter, 1969. Would you be able to make Module:R:LSJ flexible enough to function as a backend for {{ R:Autenrieth }} and {{ R:Slater }}? (We can discuss the module's renaming to a better title — perhaps Module:grc authorities via Perseus — at Wiktionary:Requests for moves, mergers and splits‎ later.) If you can, that would be great. Also, would it be possible to enclose the cited headword in guillemets: « » per the practice of Modern Greek punctuation, per {{ R:DGE }}, and per the citations of those two authorities at Ἀριστοφάνης , Ἰφιγένεια , Πόλυβος , Ἀντίκλεια , ὄσσε , Εὐρύκλεια , ἠριγένεια , Ἠριγένεια , and κεχηνώς , please? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 15:15, 1 July 2016 (UTC) I will make these changes soon. I had actually assumed the guillemets were used for DGE according to the Spanish convention. I am about to go through the Greek entries with a robot for adding references. At present the consensus seems to be that people want LSJ, DGE, Strong's, and Woodhouse, in this order, followed by anything else already extant in the References section. I wish I knew more Greek editors to canvass for opinions. Do you have anything else you would like to see on the list (when the headword is available). Other options are Cunliffe (for Homer), LBG (for Byzantine Greek), Slater and Autenrieth. For Latin, I believe I am only adding L&S and the Meissner and Auden phrasebook, though I would welcome further suggestions here too. Thanks. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 15:45, 1 July 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : I agree with ISMETA that having {{ R:Autenrieth }} and {{ R:Slater }} would be quite nice. Why not add them now if your going to do a bot run anyway. — John C5 16:14, 1 July 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : Yes, I second John 's suggestion. Adding Cunliffe and the Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität whenever they have relevant content would also be desireable. Basically, the more references you add, the more comprehensive our content can be, so I'm in favour of you adding everything with relevant content. For Latin, {{ R:du Cange }}, {{ R:Gaffiot }}, and {{ R:NLW }} all link to online content, as does {{ R:Smith's DGRG }} in the case of toponyms; {{ R:OLD }} and {{ R:Niermeyer }} also exist, but neither of those are legally available online for linking (AFAIK). Keep up the excellent work! — I.S. M.E.T.A. 16:24, 1 July 2016 (UTC) Boy, I also wish there were a good, digitized version of le Grand Bailly online that we could query, but I certainly can't find it. — John C5 16:33, 1 July 2016 (UTC) Thank you! The more of a paper trail I have for inclusion the better-- especially with the non-English dictionaries I didn't want to run the risk of seeming obtrusive unless I felt others used them. As soon as someone closes out the vote I will start with this-- feel free to ping me with further suggestions or if you see anything that can be improved. @ JohnC5 : By digitised, you mean not images? I assume one could link the digitised images here: [11] if one wanted; it would look a bit like the Woodhouse template, without the one-to-many problem. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 16:41, 1 July 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : As with Gaffiot and Woodhouse, images would be fine. My main issues with that version stem from my inability to query the page directly (I haven't dug around in the JS, but there might be a way hidden somewhere). Also, it seems like pages are missing. This may be a failing of the interface itself, and that the pages are uploaded and query-able, just not listed. If we can figure out how to query it, we can determine whether it's just the interface's fault. — John C5 16:50, 1 July 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc , JohnC5 : Well, this is all quite exciting. Re further suggestions, does either of you know how to get a complete list of the resources that have been digitised by Perseus? Guessing resource numbers like "1999.04.0072" doesn't sound very promising. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:01, 1 July 2016 (UTC) Ecce! — John C5 17:08, 1 July 2016 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : Tibi gratias ago! I'll look through that list for citanda when I have more time. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:25, 1 July 2016 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ JohnC5 , Isomorphyc : These are the additional ones for which it might be worth having reference templates: Perseus Encyclopedia [1999.04.0004] = PersEnc. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (1976) = PECS [1999.04.0006] Samuel Ball Platner & Thomas Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (1929) [1999.04.0054] Henry George Liddell & Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon (1889) [1999.04.0058] Charlton T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary (1890) [1999.04.0060] Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898) [1999.04.0062] William Smith et al., A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890) [1999.04.0063] William Smith, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology (1848/1873) [1999.04.0104] Valerius Harpocration, Lexicon in decem oratores Atticos (ed. Wilhelm Dindorf, 1853) [2013.01.0002] What do you guys think? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 17:58, 14 July 2016 (UTC) These seem reasonable to me, though I can't say I've used any besides Lewis' An Elementary Latin Dictionary. — John C5 18:21, 14 July 2016 (UTC) @ I'm so meta even this acronym : I am not familiar with most except by name through Perseus. What stood out to you in this list? For those which I know, in fact, I think LSJ and L&S are quite forbidding. While Elementary Lewis is too basic for a primary dictionary, Middle Liddell strikes a great balance, and it would be my recommendation to almost anyone for this. I never seem to use it much on Perseus, though feel I would find what I am looking for faster if I used it more, having used the paper edition more than regularly in the past. I am not familiar with the other resources, but they are easy enough to link. It is beginning to concern me that we are building a bit of wall of references at this point, especially in Greek. Unless somebody currently uses any of these often, I would prefer to offer a curated collection, at least at a first glance. It might be possible to make a template with a name such as R:Perseus and link everything out of a list which will be initially collapsed? Isomorphyc ( talk ) 23:07, 14 July 2016 (UTC) @ I'm so meta even this acronym : I finally have been able to look through these in more depth. They are all very lovely. Excluding the abridged dictionaries (Elementary Lewis and Middle Liddell), since mostly the others link proper names or exotic common ones, it would not be very obtrusive to link them all where available, but probably complementary. There are two issues: all of these books have Latin based headings, but some also include Greek spellings in addition. One would have to extract both separately. Secondly, we probably need entries for a great many of the headwords, especially in Greek, so I think building the modules will only solve half the problems. Nevertheless, thank you for finding these. I really like them, and at a minimum I'm going to make the modules. I will probably do it after linking the initial set of resources because these are slightly orthogonal problems. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 20:18, 15 July 2016 (UTC) Hi I'm so meta even this acronym is meta, and pinging @ JohnC5 , I hope you all y'all don't mind, but I edited the R:NLW citation a little bit. I was trying to be consistent with the other templates, but I also tried to retain the features in yours, as NLW does indeed change quite quickly. Please feel free to edit my somewhat inconsistent date format (or anything else) as you see fit. I'm afraid my new citation style is substantially uglier than yours. I temporarily included the subtitle, though perhaps this much detail it is not necessary or desirable. I put your old template on this sandbox page: User:IsomorphycSandbox/SandboxT and all of the transclusions in both the new style and the old style are included here for comparison: User:IsomorphycSandbox/Sandbox3 . Thanks for making the initial template; I really enjoyed reading through some of it as I worked on this. As things look currently, I think Du Cange, Middle Liddell, and Elementary Lewis will get added in a second round of revisions, when the extra data will allow the unindexed links to be included or excluded slightly more accurately. The remaining works will be added after that, as they are not structurally straightforward dictionaries. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 16:52, 17 July 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : I'm very pleased with your edits to this template. Do we know if there's a way to get around NLW's "long url" dialog? — John C5 17:46, 17 July 2016 (UTC) @ JohnC5 : I don't really see a way, but perhaps there is someone who will understand the web UI better than I do. It is quite strange, but the AJAX implementation is very fast once one is actually using it. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 18:06, 17 July 2016 (UTC) Weird. It's not super important. — John C5 18:16, 17 July 2016 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ @ JohnC5 , Isomorphyc : To be honest, I just listed everything lexicographic I could find; I was limited for time, so I was unable to review them before posting that list. I am glad to hear that they met with approval (Valerius Harpocration's Lexicon in decem oratores Atticos was the one that I felt most enthusiastic about, primâ facie). I included Liddell & Scott's Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon and Lewis's Elementary Latin Dictionary in the list, despite their seeming redundancy and inferiority to LSJ and L&S, because their more basic presentation and restriction to main senses might make the core meanings of terms easier to grasp. Re "we probably need entries for a great many of the headwords, especially in Greek", would it be possible to create lists of those headwords on subpages of WT:RE:grc , in the style of WT:RE:la/L&S ? Re {{ R:NLW }}, I reluctantly support the uniformity of citation style that your (Isomorphyc's) changes introduce; however, I feel that including the subtitle ("Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700") adds unnecessary clutter and giving the "accessed" date is certainly inferior to the former practice of including the revision date, but noting that we're linking to the pre-publication website is valuable and a laudable addition. Re User:IsomorphycSandbox/Sandbox3 , I note that the argument-free transclusion for aromellinus doesn't actually link to the NLW entry, but instead just says "(must link: aromellinus)" — why is that? Thanks to you both for keeping me in the loop; it is appreciated. Please note that I no longer have Internet access at home, which is why I'm on here far less regularly than I used to be. I hope that, someday, this inconvenient situation can be ameliorated. In the meantime, I apologise that I can't be on here more, and ask for your patience and understanding. I wish you all the best with your work on this project. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 20:45, 31 July 2016 (UTC) @ JohnC5 , I'm so meta even this acronym : Your involvement is especially valued, and moreso for your willingness to devote time to this given the inconvenience. Let me answer these items in order for the time being. 1) I agree with you about the smaller dictionaries, and I also feel their formatting is substantially better on Perseus. 2) It would be easy to create these missing-words lists. (The full headwords lists already exist in machine-readable form on the OrphicBot userpage.) I would suggest, however, instead a format such as this one: User:Isomorphyc/Latin_Wiktionary_Misses . Conversely, I have been thinking of putting the above type of information into stub-articles, if this seems wanted by Greek users in general. (JohnC5 and I have discussed this a little in the past.) I would suggest the following procedure: a) import all the LSJ words appearing in The Republic; b) Homer; c) New Testament; d) anything occurring more than 10x in the Attic corpus. I still have a bit of work to do to make sure I can do this without mistakes. But the benefit is that we would be initially importing only important words from books which many people have read, so that it can be done more comfortably and with fewer mistakes. Obviously suggestions or other favourite works would be appreciated. 3) I don't like the length of the NLW subtitle either, but it does explain the purpose of the work, and since it is not famous I thought it added some value. I'm happy to remove it if everyone else is ambivalent. 4) The reason for the separate treatment of aromellinus is that I believe you manually linked the aromellinus Wiktionary entry to the NLW entry for ermina. I was only pointing out that this will obviously not work on an argument-free basis. For the dates: I seem to be unable to locate the current revision date, though I have seen it before. Do you feel I should replace the accessed-date with the most recent revision date? I can certainly do that. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 22:13, 31 July 2016 (UTC) edited: or before The Republic, I would probably make a core vocabulary list of 2000 words by sampling a variety of works; I suspect we'd be missing somewhere in the mid hundreds of these, particularly verbs. Hesiod would be a lot of fun too. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 23:45, 31 July 2016 (UTC) Greetings @ I'm so meta even this acronym , JohnC5 : I think everything on this list is preliminarily implemented, with the partial exception of Harpocration, which will need a Greek lexical analyser to be useful, and probably would end up looking a little bit more like R:M&A and R:Woodhouse than the Perseus resources. I have a more immediate question, however. Before entering templates mechanically, do either of you have preferences for final names? I'm not very excited about either my long names or the short names, unfortunately. current (long) name @ Wikitiki89 , JohnC5 : There's also the evidence of descendant languages. The Arabic رَاحِيل ‎(rāḥīl), Estonian Raahel , Finnish Raakel , Hungarian Ráchel , and Maori Rāhera all suggest a long a in the etymon. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:48, 16 August 2016 (UTC) Why the eta (and not an epsilon)? Also— User:Isomorphyc 's bot added a reference to Bailly, which is not only on the wrong page alphabetically but does not in fact appear to exist in that dictionary. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 00:43, 11 August 2016 (UTC) Hi @ ObsequiousNewt : Module:grc-accent.strip_accent() seemed to have an issue removing the rough breathing over the rho, creating the wrong link. I have temporarily fixed this by bringing back the original diacritics removal code, but will look into Module:grc-accent soon. The inclusion of Bailly is another issue: this dictionary, along with Gaffiot in Latin, is not indexed. I have followed the policy of including the non-indexed dictionary links for any lemma which appears in any other dictionary, with some caveats about eras. In this case, the Bailly link exists because the name appears in Strong's. I don't really like this behavior. Here are a few options 1) remove all machine-generated links to non-indexed dictionaries; 2) require multiple (perhaps all) indexed dictionaries to include a word in order to add a non-indexed dictionary link; 3) status quo: require only one indexed dictionary to include the word. What do you think? For what it's worth, I was also wondering about the eta when I saw this discussion. Thanks, Isomorphyc ( talk ) 02:40, 11 August 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : I would prefer option 1, viz. "remove all machine-generated links to non-indexed dictionaries". False positives significantly harm entry credibility. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 14:48, 16 August 2016 (UTC) @ I'm so meta even this acronym :, pinging @ JohnC5 , ObsequiousNewt , my experience is that 98%-99% of these links are valid, and that human users typically add Gaffiot (but not Bailly) to new entries, in my experience without always checking link validity. Since these are unabridged dictionaries, misses are as informative as valid entries, and users who follow the links often enough to find an error will be aware of the limitations of scanned dictionaries. My suggestion is to add a subsection to About Ancient Greek and About Latin describing the policy for automatic links to unindexed unabridged dictionaries (viz., currently, if and only if another indexed dictionary for the same time period also has a headword, correcting for spelling conventions). If this seems too loose, I'll go ahead an remove the automatically generated Gaffiot and Bailly entries. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 16:04, 16 August 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc : I can't speak as to Gaffiot or, frankly, Bailly. I do know that LSJ only tends to show a few proper names (usually gods or places) and Beekes doesn't show any (despite seeming to refer to them). I think Autenrieth, Slater and Thayer show every word in their respective corpora. I would guess that Bailly and Gaffiot don't, since they're general lexica, but I only have one data point to support that. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 17:16, 16 August 2016 (UTC) strip_accent('Ῥάχηλ') works, and I think I actually remember fixing the error in question—so ideally that can be fixed. I would personally just turn off automatic citation of proper names, seeing as those are the only things that tend to not (consistently) be in dictionaries. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 02:49, 11 August 2016 (UTC) I will turn off automatic citations for proper names; the next iteration will be in a few days. strip_accent('Ῥάχηλ') is not working for me, and I do not see rho in the list of vowels. I will try to fix this tomorrow, but I may ask you for help. Thanks, Isomorphyc ( talk ) 03:13, 11 August 2016 (UTC) @ Isomorphyc Yeah, you're right, I wasn't paying attention. I think it's fixed now. — ObsequiousNewt ( εἴρηκα \| πεποίηκα ) 07:20, 13 August 2016 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : In any case, I could have tested it more in R:Bailly when it was added. At this time, I have removed all R:Bailly links to proper names which I had previously added. However, I did not remove any other unindexed dictionaries because Gaffiot and DGE seem to have quite a few, Gaffiot usually more than L&S. I'll make further changes if anything comes up. Thanks for pointing these things out. Edit: oops; thanks for the fix. I forgot they were regular expressions halfway through. Isomorphyc ( talk ) 12:08, 13 August 2016 (UTC) @ ObsequiousNewt : The eta could easily be due to vowel quality rather than quantity. Don't forget that in proto-Hebrew, רחל was pronounced */raχil/ with short vowels and we don't know exactly what intermediate stage Hebrew was in at the time the Septuagint was written. -- Wiki Tiki 89 15:17, 11 August 2016 (UTC) ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Do we know for sure that Koine had no vowel length? We only claim no vowel length for 1st-century BC Egyptian, and keep in mind that (a) Egyptian Koine might have been more advanced than elsewhere; (b) the Septuagint was written 300-200BC, i.e. 200 years before 1st-century BC Egyptian. I think I remember reading that vowel length was still present significantly later in some areas. Benwing2 ( talk ) 17:57, 11 August 2016 (UTC) Note BTW that Gothic, which borrows 4th-century-AD Greek spelling, distinguishes i = short /i/ from ei = long /iː/, which suggests that some variants at least of Greek as late as then still had vowel length. Benwing2 ( talk ) 17:59, 11 August 2016 (UTC) @ Benwing2 : The Pentateuch of the Septuagint , according to Wikipedia, was written in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 3rd century BCE. According to Wikipedia's entry on Koine Greek phonology , Egyptian Greek of the mid-2nd century BCE had already lost vowel length (before that it talks about 4th century BCE Attic Greek, which still had vowel length). But don't forget that my original question was about how we know whether the alpha is meant to be long or short. Keeping in mind that we don't even know the vowel length situation in Hebrew at the time; it could very well have even been that the first vowel in רחל was still short while the second was already lengthened, so the eta doesn't tell us much about the alpha. -- Wiki Tiki 89 18:12, 11 August 2016 (UTC) It's been a long time since I studied Hebrew diachronic phonology and I don't remember it very well but I think the lengthening of vowels occurred quite early, before many other changes. AFAIK lengthening occurred in all unstressed open syllables but not necessarily in stressed open syllables. But you're right that unless we have direct vowel-length evidence we don't know for sure which vowels were short and which ones long (or even if vowel length existed in the Greek of the time). Benwing2 ( talk ) 18:50, 11 August 2016 (UTC) But what does "early" mean? Without a point of reference, it's a meaningless word. It was a whole millennium later that the Hebrew texts were fully vocalized; that's plenty of time for any number of phonological changes. -- Wiki Tiki 89 19:02, 11 August 2016 (UTC) Early means, I think, before loss of case endings, which occurred c. 1300-1000 BC AFAIK. Benwing2 ( talk ) 19:18, 11 August 2016 (UTC) Three things: (1) The disappearance of the case system did not necessarily happen at the same time as the loss of final short vowels (and I believe the loss of the case system, as evidenced by the spelling of masculine plurals and the constructs of nouns like אב , is actually what your date represents). (2) Final short vowels are not the only way to explain the lengthened vowels in final closed syllables. (3) On the total contrary, the phonemic vowel length distinction could have already disappeared by the time of the Septuagint. The point is, we don't know nearly as much as we'd like to think we do. -- Wiki Tiki 89 21:21, 11 August 2016 (UTC) You always have to have the last word, evidently. Benwing2 ( talk ) 01:59, 12 August 2016 (UTC) I really hate when people say that. I really don't "have to have the last word"; if you or anyone else has a response that can debunk my points without leaving any holes (or even just a reference to another source), I'd be happy to hear it. I brought up this topic because I want to get to the bottom of it. If you give me a response and I see some flaws in it (or at least what seem like flaws to me), I'm going to point them out, regardless of whether I even believe my own argument or am just playing devil's advocate. What would you do in my situation, just accept a flawed answer? And anyway, it's nothing personal. I'm not saying that you're flawed, but that the theories you are referencing are flawed (or seem flawed to me). And I'm not even saying that these are bad theories, just that any theory on the subject is bound to be flawed due to the scarcity of evidence. -- Wiki Tiki 89 12:46, 12 August 2016 (UTC) Sorry, I wrote that out of frustration. It can be difficult to carry on a discussion with you because you seem (in my view) to treat discussions as arguments to be won rather than discussions per se (proverbially speaking, you'd rather be right than happy). I know this about you, and usually let you get the last word because I get tired of arguing with you, and otherwise you won't let the discussion die; but sometimes this is frustrating. Benwing2 ( talk ) 18:39, 13 August 2016 (UTC) I realize that I can be difficult sometimes, but I hope you realize that I'm not trying to be. Also, I would actually prefer to be wrong with an adequate explanation than to be right and not learn anything new. What frustrates me most is when I'm told that I'm wrong, but the reason is not adequately explained, which makes me want to press for more information. So ironically, when someone "lets me get the last word", it is actually very frustrating for me (but I have no choice but to hold it in at that point). I'd much prefer if that person told me outright that they don't want to take the discussion any further, because at least that doesn't leave me waiting for a response. And by the way, right now I'm just trying to share my feelings and not to argue with your previous post, even though it might come off that way. -- Wiki Tiki 89 19:01, 15 August 2016 (UTC) I don't remember the timing, but eta is the Attic reflex of an original long a, and seems to have been distinct in quality as well as quantity from epsilon. It wouldn't surprise me if it continued to be distinctive somehow as it converged towards the iota sound it has in modern Greek. Perhaps the key to figuring this out is to look at pre-Christian references to historical Hebrew people and places in other languages to see if there are differences in representation of vowels that might correlate to length distinctions. Notice I said "correlate": it's entirely possible that the phonemic distinctions might have persisted after they ceased to be a matter of actual length, as can be seen, for instance, with the transition of the Middle English vowels into their modern English descendants. Someone must have done studies on this, though I haven't read enough of the literature to even guess where to look for them. Chuck Entz ( talk ) 03:07, 12 August 2016 (UTC) Thanks[ edit ] You don't need to thank me for creating entries. It's just one more button to click on. SemperBlotto ( talk ) 08:22, 11 November 2016 (UTC) @ SemperBlotto : It's just to show my appreciation for your answering requests. Do you find it spammy? If so, I shall stop thanking you. Is that what you mean? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:24, 11 November 2016 (UTC) It's just that, when you do it, the "alerts" thingy at the top of the screen goes blue and I have to click on it. Thanks anyway. SemperBlotto ( talk ) 08:26, 11 November 2016 (UTC) @ SemperBlotto : Fair enough; I can see how that would be annoying. I shall be far more sparing in thanking you in future! Do know, however, that I shall continue to notice and appreciate your work. :-) — I.S. M.E.T.A. 08:29, 11 November 2016 (UTC) You can turn it off in the settings somewhere... Equinox ◑ 13:44, 14 November 2016 (UTC) re-examine çimerlik[ edit ] çimerlik isn't Turkish, it is Azeri. Citations aren't valid. "çimerlik" have to re-examine. Also look here https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Requests_for_verification#estelik -- 123snake45 ( talk ) 08:55, 14 November 2016 (UTC) @ 123snake45 : Are you saying that the citations at Citations:çimerlik are written in Azeri, rather than Turkish? I cannot read either language, but I note that none of the citations at Citations:çimerlik feature any of the three letters ə , x , q — those Azeri additions to the Latin Turkish alphabet which Turkish does not use — so, orthographically, they certainly look more Turkish than Azeri. Or do you mean that the word is Azeri, rather than Turkish, even though we have evidence of the word's use in Turkish running text? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 13:33, 14 November 2016 (UTC) Citations aren't truth, they may fake. Also "çimerlik"'s meaning is false as grammar. Çimer is taking who bath, or bathes, also çimerlik is batherness... You can look here: [12] , [13] . Beach is "plaj" or "kumsal" in the Turkish: [14] . There is no "çimerlik" in the Turkish. That word is Azeri. -- 123snake45 ( talk ) 21:33, 14 November 2016 (UTC) @ 123snake45 : Do you believe that the citations at Citations:çimerlik have been fabricated? — I.S. M.E.T.A. 00:33, 15 November 2016 (UTC) Yes, I believe.-- 123snake45 ( talk ) 17:50, 15 November 2016 (UTC) Miyako spellings[ edit ] I saw recently that you'd added several Miyako terms to the Wiktionary:Wanted entries list. I was puzzled to see you were using single-byte (skinny) katakana to indicate consonant-only sounds. Where did you get this notation? Half-width kana mixed in with full-width is very unusual, and this sometimes even suggests mojibake , so this caught my eye. Poking around in what I can find, I'm not seeing anyone else do that. The Miyako Dialect Dictionary , for instance, apparently uses katakana to spell CV morae like グ /gu/, and hiragana to spell either moraic consonants like む /m/ or vowel sounds that don't exist in mainland five-vowel Japanese like い /y/. (Moraic /s/ may be an exception, appearing as ス.) By way of example, I notice you added a request for Miyako term かいｽ (kais). The Miyako Dialect Dictionary has two entries with readings of kais, both spelled カイス in kana ( the verb and the noun ). Or the requested term がざﾑ (gazam), rendered in the dictionary entry as ガザむ /gazam/. You also added a request for Miyako term つｽくｽ (tskɿ). The final glyph there in the reading appears to be an obsolete IPA character; I'm not sure what sound that's intended to represent. I see that the w:Obsolete and nonstandard symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet article describes this /ɿ/ in use by researchers of Miyako, but the sound it represents is (I think) more commonly rendered in Miyako contexts as /y/ or /ɨ/ instead. FWIW, I can't find anything resembling つｽくｽ (tskɿ) in the term list here , but the closest might be ツスクー /cyskuː/. I'm worried that the half-width single-byte kana representations you've included in your term requests are not actually used in the wild. Would you be amenable to different renderings? (FWIW, I'm certainly interested in the Japonic languages and I'd love to see our coverage expand in this area.) ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 06:32, 6 December 2016 (UTC) There is a relevant comment at Wiktionary:Votes/2016-10/Redirect_fullwidth_and_halfwidth_characters#Oppose . — suzukaze ( t ・ c ) 15:55, 6 December 2016 (UTC) @ DCDuring : See Wiktionary:Information desk/2016/December#Displaying Special:WhatLinksHere/ numbers for a relevant discussion. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:24, 10 December 2016 (UTC) Korean character boxes[ edit ] In case you are interested, see these Korean hangul letters: ㄱ , ㄷ , ㅇ . I'm redirecting the alternative codepoints for choseong, jongseong and halfwidth forms of the same hangul letters, (I'm using {{ R character variation }} in the redirected entries) and adding the respective character boxes in the "main" entries. I'm doing this because the halfwidth -> normal redirects were voted and approved, and a number of choseong/jongseong already existed anyway as redirects, but the main entries didn't have multiple character boxes. -- Daniel Carrero ( talk ) 08:51, 10 December 2016 (UTC) @ Daniel Carrero : Thanks for the heads-up. Adding the multiple character boxes is doubleplusgood. {{ R character variation }} is also positive, but it is rather unlikely that many people will see it (the URL for a redirect page has to contain &redirect=no for a user to see the page itself); far more important, I think, is the kind of feature I proposed in Wiktionary:Votes/2016-10/Redirect fullwidth and halfwidth characters#Discussion , where certain codepoints autodisplay a message explaining their redirection. — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:11, 10 December 2016 (UTC) When you sent the message above, I was typing my reply about the feature you proposed there; please see it. Yes, I believe you are right: it is rather unlikely that many people will visit the redirected entries and see {{ R character variation }}. In case we want to know what are the current character redirects, the template also populates Category:Character variation redirects , which I believe is a good thing. In the future, we might want to create a new module to make {{ R character variation }} recognize the current Unicode block automatically, so it might be able to populate new categories named like this: Category:Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms block character variation redirects , Category:Dingbats block character variation redirects . I don't think we need these new categories right now because Category:Character variation redirects has only 355 entries, (and from few blocks) but if this number increases too much, this is an idea that could be implemented. -- Daniel Carrero ( talk ) 09:29, 10 December 2016 (UTC) @ Daniel Carrero : Please forgive my impetuosity. I agree with you re Category:Character variation redirects and re using Lua to “recognize the current Unicode block automatically” (which would also be labour-saving in the case of those autodisplayed messages). — I.S. M.E.T.A. 09:35, 10 December 2016 (UTC) It's allright. :) Great, thanks. -- Daniel Carrero ( talk ) 10:00, 10 December 2016 (UTC)	i don't know
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It originated in India and is celebrated near the end of the winter season, on the last day of the lunar month. This usually falls in late February, or early March. Holi is a celebration of various legends, such as the legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakshyap. It stated that there was once a demon king named... Bonfire, Festival, Hiranyakashipu 1197 Words \| 3 Pages My Favorite Chinese Festival My Favorite Chinese Festival The Mid-autumn is my favorite Chinese festival. It always falls on the... 15th day of August, but this year is on 29th September. “This wonderful tale is a depiction of a Chinese family coming together and preparing to celebrate the moon with a nighttime picnic that embraces their Chinese customs with glowing lanterns and includes traditional dishes, such as the moon cakes, pomelos, and tea.”(LIN 94) A few days before the festival, everyone in the family will help to... Chang'e, Chinese calendar, Han Chinese 1052 Words \| 3 Pages An Essay on Holi Holi » Holi Festival » History of Holi History of Holi Holi is an... ancient festival of India and was originally known as 'Holika'. The festivals finds a detailed description in early religious works such as Jaimini's Purvamimamsa-Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras. Historians also believe that Holi was celebrated by all Aryans but more so in the Eastern part of India. It is said that Holi existed several centuries before Christ. However, the meaning of the festival is believed to have changed... Barsana, Festival, Hiranyakashipu 1142 Words \| 4 Pages Festivals Festivals and fairs of rajastan BRIJ FESTIVAL Staged a few days before Holi (March) in the Brij area around... Bharatpur, it celebrates the festival of spring with spontaneus expressions of music and dance. DESERT FESTIVAL Place: Jaisalmer Time: January-February Rites & Rituals The otherwise barren land of Jaisalmer comes to life and displays some cherished moments of its illustrious past and affluent culture. Traditional dances backed by high-pitched music create an out-of-this-world environment... Bikaner, Forts in Rajasthan, Jaipur 1307 Words \| 5 Pages National Festivals 3 National festivals Independence Day Independence Day, August 15, commemorates the day in 1947 when India achieved freedom from British... rule. The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth of the world`s biggest democracy as a national festival. Till Independence, there is no true national festival that the whole country could take part of. Independence Day, beginning as a day to commemorate the greatest moment in Indian history, has now come to signify a feeling of nationalism, solidarity... Bihar, Diwali, Festivals in India 2288 Words \| 6 Pages The Festival she couldn't care less. "Michael, it's summer, and you get a full 12 hours of sleep not matter what time you crash." She had a point there. "Anyways, you... remember how we talked about trying to get you into working staff for this years Harry Brown festival?" "Yeah?" Now she really caught my attention. "Well I made a few calls this morning and now you're all signed up. Start packing clothes to last you for the weekend and any other essentials you can think of. You'll be staying with me and Matt... 2007 singles, Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, Night 1901 Words \| 5 Pages Festival What are you thinking of doing this summer? Why not try Reading festival? Reading festival I hear you say? From my past mind... blowing experience at Reading I noticed that it was more of an annual pilgrim for people to pay homage to their musical idols, plus a chance to reconnect with friends from previous year. Opportunities to try local shop keeper’s wears are available as the festival is located within the beautiful town centre. There are many local arts and crafts, organic fruit and veg and even... Celebrity, Folk festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals 1082 Words \| 3 Pages India: A Land Of Festivals And Fairs culture, it is easy to understand why India is called "a land of festival and fairs." Every day of the year there is a festival... celebrated in some part of the country. As in any old civilization, most of these festivals have religious ties. Because India is still a predominantly rural nation, many of its festivals also welcome the coming of natural phenomena like the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Thus, festivals often commemorate the sacred bond felt by the Indian villagers... Diwali, Festival, Hindu festivals 862 Words \| 3 Pages Festival BENGUET STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL La Trinidad Benguet is the Guinness World Record Holder of the “Largest Strawberry Cake,” a recognition... awarded during the Strawberry Festival in March 2004. During the festival locals and visitors alike can enjoy various activities, including Agro Trade fair, the search for Ms. Strawberry Festival 2009 and Mr. La Trinidad, jobs fair, strawberry contests, Strawberry Farm tour and berry picking, Dumba ni Kabajo, Benguet Grand Battle of the Country Western bands... Baguio City, Benguet, Berries 765 Words \| 4 Pages Festival and Its Environment Impact Festivals of India Indian festivals are both colourful and extremely joyous. People enjoy the festivals with... family and friends. The religious significance of the festivals too can hardly be denied. Here are some of the very popular festivals that take place throughout India. There are many festivals in India like Durga Puja,Navratri,Dussehra,Ganesh Chaturthi,Holi,Diwali,etc. In India, festivals do not just offer people a temporary reprieve from their daily grind. Imbued with deep inner significance... Diwali, Festival, Festivals in India 1583 Words \| 5 Pages Holi HOLI By Shreya Sujan About Holi ★ ★ Holi is a spring festival celebrated as a... festival of colours. It is a hindu religious festival , which has also become popular with people of other communities. It is primarily observed in India and Nepal. It is also observed by the minority hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well in countries with large diaspora populations following hinduism. ★ ★ How They Celebrate ❏ The entire country wears a festive look when it is time for the holi celebration... Festival, Hindu, Hinduism 369 Words \| 2 Pages Hindu Festivals HINDU FESTIVALS Hinduism is the world's oldest religion. Its roots date back to 4000 BC. Hinduism is widely spread out in India and around... South-East Asia. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, believing in many gods. Most of the festivals in Hinduism are centered on one or more gods. Hindus celebrate thousands of festivals every year at every part of the world. Each of the Hindu festivals is celebrated in a similar manner. They all include chanting prayers to the gods and making sweets or snack... Diwali, Hindu festivals, Hinduism 846 Words \| 3 Pages Unusual Festivals My lecture is about unusual festivals. Could you give me some examples for unusual festival? -Yes that’s true -Don’t you have... any idea? I'm sure you have seen some unusual festivals on TV but now you might forgot them. Forexample you imagin a lot of people gathering in a city throwing tomatos at each other just for fun. Have you ever participated in an unusual festival? -Yes: great this is such an interesting experience I'm sure you never fogot that day. -No: no problem... Apollo, Festival, Hindu festivals 1231 Words \| 4 Pages holi There is a symbolic legend to explain why holi is celebrated. The word "Holi" originates from "Holika", the evil sister of demon... king Hiranyakashipu. King Hiranyakashipu had earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. The special powers blinded him, he grew arrogant, felt he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.[1] Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada, however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu.[9] This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to... Avatar, Hiranyakashipu, Holi 411 Words \| 2 Pages Advantages of Festivals Advantages of Festivals - 1 Festivals celebration is the the culture we got from our past generations.According to the history... these festivals are celebrated when they achieve something (symbol of victory),or on the occasions where they are benefited (crop gain,happy with some gatherings etc). These festival celebrattions have got following advantages: 1. Increase the relations among the people 2. Create an opportunity to the people of community to share their feeling and exchange their ideas... Festival, Festivals in India, Gandhi Jayanti 896 Words \| 3 Pages Holi holi the festival of colours holi the festival of... colours When is Holi? Holi marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. In India it can last for a week or more, but outside India the celebrations may only last a day or two. Holi begins on the full moon night of the month of phalguna (March or early April). Giving Thanks Holi is just before harvest and gives Hindus a chance to thank the gods for the harvest to come. Flames and fire ... April Fools' Day, Bihar, Bonfire 622 Words \| 2 Pages Hinduism and Festivals Many of the festivals, rites, rituals and even the dress habits of the adherents of Sanatana Dharma -- the Hindus, have deep spiritual... significance and Amma actively encourages their propagation. In this section let us try to discover the Cultural Heritage of India, Her contributions to the world and the Life, Festivals and Philosophy of Indian people. Festivals in India In India, festivals do not just offer people a temporary reprieve from their daily grind. Imbued with deep inner significance... Bihar, Hindu, Hinduism 766 Words \| 3 Pages Hinduism and Festivals of festivals are celebrated in India in honour of their gods and goddesses. Since many communities exist here; the ways and method of... celebrating these festivals also differ from state to state. But, the basic form of the belief behind their origin, the traditions and the excitement of celebrations is still the same for years. However, since India has a majority of Hindus, there is a preponderance of Hindu festivals. Cities or states are famous for the celebration of particular festivals e.g... Festival, Hinduism, India 1389 Words \| 5 Pages Indian Festival Indian Festival Further information: Category:Festivals ▪ Arts festival Beer festival Comedy... festival Japanese Cultural festival Esala Perahera festival Film festival Fire festival Folk festival Food festival Literary festival Mela Festival Music festival Oyster Festival Peanut Festival Ribfest Religious festival Renaissance festival Rock festival Science festival Sindhi festivals Storytelling festival Theatre festival Wine festivals Winter festivals Baisakhi Diwali • Durga Puja •... Amusement park, Esala Perahera, Festival 642 Words \| 3 Pages Festivals in the Philippines Festivals in the Philippines 1. BULAKLAKAN FESTIVAL January 01 / Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila (45 minutes from Manila)... Annual procession, parade of flowers and costumes. 2. COCONUT FESTIVAL January 11-15 / San Pablo City, Laguna (2 hours from Manila by land) A grand mardi-gras celebration which pays homage to Laguna Province's most ubiquitous crop. 3. CARACOL FESTIVAL January 19 / Glorietta 4 Park, Makati City, Metro Manila (30 minutes from Manila ) "Caracol" is Spanish for... Cities in the Philippines, Cities of the Philippines, Luzon 1123 Words \| 5 Pages Festivals in India and Important Religious Holiday MAHA SHIVRATRI Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva. Shivaratri literally means the great night... of Shivaor the night of Shiva. It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Maagha month of the Hindu calendar Easter[ Easter is a Christian festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament. Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not... Fasting, Festival, Festivals in India 913 Words \| 3 Pages Festival celebrates their festivals with great joy and happiness. The Indian festivals are based on most of the religious or mythological... patterns. There are many such stories that can easily describe about the reasons behind these festivals. People express their happiness by dancing, singing, and enjoying every moment of celebration of the festivals. People in India are completely devoted towards the celebrations and the related ritual ceremonies related to the festivals. Holi is one of the festivals where people... Bihar, Event planning, Festival 524 Words \| 2 Pages .......................................................................................... 4 Background study of Holi Festival... .......................................................................................... 13 Holi Festival Today.................................................................................................................. 16 Impacts of Holi festival towards India and its tourism ............................................................ 18 Discussions and Recommendations... Cross-cultural communication, Culture, Festival 12624 Words \| 40 Pages Spring Festival Spring Festival The first day of the first month by the Chinese Lunar Calendar is Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New... Year; it is the most important traditional holiday in China. Spring Festival dates back to four thousand years ago, originated in the Shang Dynasty. The year of 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit; due to my parents went to Bengal for missionary work, my uncle who lives in the countryside invited me to his house for Spring Festival this year. I didn’t like the idea at first... Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year, Firecracker 1395 Words \| 4 Pages Indian Festivals health and environment. With unprecedented expansion in population, the pollution in India has sky rocketed. The pollution in India shoots up abruptly due to... various factors and the pollution due to festivals is also one among them. The practice of immersion of Ganesh idols after the Ganesh festival in various cities is causing severe water pollution which leads to the death of tonnes of fish and many aquatic creatures. Gone are the days when the idols are made with clay, nowadays idols are made... Environmentalism, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganesha 1034 Words \| 3 Pages Festival Republic and Glastonbury Festival international festival Steve Henderson, Leeds Metropolitan University Glastonbury Festival has beconne a worldwide attraction... for music fans and artists alike. In 2009, Bruce Springsteen was added to the long list of acts (from Paul McCartney to Oasis) that have appeared at the festival. It started in 1970 when 1,500 hippy revellers gathered on a farm near Glastonbury Tor to be plied with free milk and entertainment from a makeshift stage. Now, Glastonbury is a major international festival that attracts... Festival Republic, Glastonbury, Glastonbury Fayre 2048 Words \| 6 Pages Festival: Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming Durga Puja is one of the auspicious occasion celebrated with great enthusiasm across India. In modern times, festivals are getting... commercialized and taking the shape of pomp and show. Different communities set huge gigantic and attractive bright idols in order to compete with other communities. This all leads to major problem of environment pollution. Idols made by non biodegradable material and toxic paints contaminate water making it unfit for survival of aquatic life and drinking purposes. ... Carbon dioxide, Diwali, Festival 1385 Words \| 4 Pages My Favorite Festival Diwali Diwali - Hindu Festival of Lights Each year in October and November, Indian people who are followers of the Hindu religion celebrate the... festival of Diwali by decorating their homes with hundreds of little lamps called divas. The word Diwali is a contraction of deepavali - which literally means "cluster of lights" or "row of lamps" and the festival symbolises the triumph of light over darkness. Diwali is one of the most ancient Hindu festivals in India where it is a national holiday and celebrated... Diwali, Hindu, Hinduism 461 Words \| 2 Pages my favorite destination Today I am here to share one of my favorite place in world. This place is one of miraculous blessing given by mother earth to all living... things. I am so fond of this place that I see it in my dreams. Kereala, it was celebrated as a 'Paradise Found' - one of the ten in the world. A perfect description for a land renowned as "God's Own Country". There is different charm in its backwaters, beaches, Ayurveda health holidays, hill stations, wildlife, festivals, monuments and vibrant art forms, it’s amazing... Asia, Earth, English-language films 1308 Words \| 4 Pages Pahiyas Festival in the Philippines The Pahiyas Festival is celebrated every year on May 15 in Lucban, Quezon. It is in honor of St. Isidore the Farmer, the patron saint of... harvest. Lucban is marvelously situated at the foot of Mount Banahaw and the Pahiyas festival showcases a street of houses adorned with fruits, vegetables, agricultural products, handicrafts and kiping, a decoration made from rice flour, which afterwards can be grilled or fried for eating. The houses compete to be declared the best decorated. Tourists visit Lucban... Agriculture, CALABARZON, Harvest 1314 Words \| 4 Pages rituals and festivals Rituals and festivals have been a part of traditional European life for many years. They involved all religions, social classes and happened... in almost all areas throughout Europe. Back in these times, there were no forms of entertainment like television, cell phones and video games. People depended on one another to entertain themselves. People in Europe would also be punished or tortured in front of the whole town to control public outbursts. An example of this is known as charivari. Some of these... Carnival, Isles of Scilly, Police 1180 Words \| 3 Pages Music Festivals EUROPE FRANCE Main Square Festival- Arras Rock en Seine- Paris Vieilles Charrues- Carhaix Eurockéennes de belfort- Belfort... Garorock- Marmande Sonisphere Festival- amnéville La route du Rock- Saint Malu Solidays Festival - Paris Pantiero Festival - Cannes BELGIUM Rock Werchter -Leuven, Belgium Pukkelpop- Hasselt Dour festival Les Ardentes Festival- Liege Lokerse Feesten- Lokeren Cactus festival- Brugge Tw Classic- Werchter Suikerrock- Tienen Rock Zottegem Feest in Het... Iron Maiden, Kings of Leon, Muse 597 Words \| 7 Pages Panagbenga Festival - Baguio Flower Festival Panagbenga Festival - Baguio Flower Festival Baguio City: February 1- February 29 It's flower season at the City of Pines --... perfect timing for an all-out fiesta in the streets. The Baguio folks take a break on these days to revel in the cool climate and the unique culture of their city. Multi-hued costumes are worn, mimicking the various blooms of the highland region (or any of its 11 ethnic tribes). There's also the half-dozen or so flower beds-- disguised, of course, as the Panagbenga parade... Cebu City, Festival, Iloilo City 829 Words \| 3 Pages festivals of india Festivals, of many types, serve to meet specific needs, as well as to provide entertainment. These times of celebration offer a sense of... belonging for religious, social, or geographical groups. Modern festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics seek to inform members of their traditions. In past times, festivals were times when the elderly shared stories and transferred certain knowledge to the next generation. Historic feasts often provided a means for unity among families and for people... Christianity, Christmas, Event planning 1190 Words \| 4 Pages American festivals BEER FESTIVAL Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Started in 1982, the GABF was created by nuclear engineer Charlie Papazian... in Boulder, Colorado. The original GABF had 22 participating breweries and the 2009 festival had 457. In 2009 the festival expanded into a hall one-third larger than the previous year. The GABF is considered the largest ticketed beer festival in the United States. The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, held... Brian Greene, Festival, Great American Beer Festival 1150 Words \| 4 Pages Unforgetable Spring Festival Unforgettable Spring Festival The Spring Festival, which is commonly known in the west as Chinese New Year, is the most... important festival for the Chinese people and the moment that all family members get together just like Christmas. People who live or work away from home will go home before the Spring Festival. Therefore, it is the busiest time for the transportation systems. Spring festival is my favorite festival because all my family members can get together and that family plays an important... China, Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year 1215 Words \| 3 Pages Festival and Event to make this event a success. Social and Cultural Impact TITP has a massive effect on the social impact for the organisers, tourists and the people who... attend this music festival. TITP can allow people from all over the world to have a shared experience and show there interest and love for music. This music festival also brings the community of Kinross together and allows them to have pride for where they live and the history and tradition this event brings. Although sometimes if the Kinross... Entertainment, Event planning, Event scheduling 1955 Words \| 7 Pages The Spring Festival When I was younger, I asked to my grandma that why people eat rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival. She told me about Chinese... traditional food and its beginning in our five thousands years old Chinese culture. My grandma said that our ancestors created lots of festivals such as The Spring Festival, The Lantern Festival, The Dragon Boat Festival, Moon Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival was created to commemorate the poet 'quyuan' who jumped into the 'Han river' and committed suicide when... Chinese calendar, Chinese language, Chinese New Year 1326 Words \| 4 Pages Hinduism and Festival Many festivals are celebrated in India. Diwali is the most important festival of India. It is a festival of Hindus... but everyone participates in it. It is called Deepawali also. This festival falls in October or in the first week of November. When Lord Rama killed the Ravana-symbol of sin-and returned to Ayodhya, people expressed their joy and welcomed Lord Rama's return by lightening their houses. On this day everyone looks happy and they greet one another. Children buy toys and crackers... Andhra Pradesh, Ayodhya, Diwali 616 Words \| 3 Pages Festivals and Special Days in Britain Holidays, traditions and festivals in Creat Britain ( SPRING) Public holidays March 1st – St David’s Day (Wales). St David is the patron... saint of Wales, and March 1 is a celebration of Welsh culture. People in Wales might wear a daffodil and eat cawl, a soup of seasonal vegetables and lamb or bacon. Events are held across Wales, including a large parade in Cardiff. 6th – Holi Day. The 'festival of colours', the end of the winter season in the Hindu calendar, falls on this day in 2015. In several... Bank holiday, Belarus, Easter 1965 Words \| 5 Pages Laguna Festivals Laguna Festivals Laguna Islands Philippines \| Ana Kalang Festival - Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines Nagcarlan, Laguna,... located 105 kms. South of Manila, supposedly got its name from the legendary head of the tribe before Christianity was brought to the Philippines- Ana Kalang. This beautiful and capable leader, allegedly saw the Virgin Sta. Ana, who took the poison out of the lanzones fruit so that it can be edible, thus, the name Ana kalang Festival, in honor of the fruit which is one of the... Blessed Virgin Mary, Calamba City, Festival 1147 Words \| 4 Pages Community Book Festival Community Book Festival Every day hundreds, if not thousands of families look forward to their local upcoming weekend activities. For... some, it is the local fair that rolls into town with the rides for their children. Others, it is a walk on the water front with good food and drinks. For most, it is time to relax, have a cold drink, and enjoy things like Seafair in Washington State, or the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for Southern California residents. Without local non-profit organizations... Charitable organization, Community organization, Fundraising 2091 Words \| 5 Pages Maubanog Festival bath here, but remember boys to the left and girls to the right. Read... more: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Philippines/Province_of_Quezon/Mauban-1390661/Off_the_Beaten_Path-Mauban-TG-C-1.html#ixzz24imu8PBD 1qe8-z73k-jg1w Maubanog Festival is a seven day cultural extravaganza that features the town’s colorful history amiable people, tasty cuisine and of course, its locally fermented only-in-Mauban nipa wine! Known for its unique aroma and tangy taste, the nipa wine, popularly known... 1469 Words \| 4 Pages The Songkran festival SONGKRAN FESTIVAL Do we have everybody?! .. Guys, over here… there’s our bus. Please settle down. So, good afternoon, ladies and... gentlemen. Welcome to Chiang Mai, Thailand. My name is Thu and I’m gonna be your tour guide for the next three days. Before we get to the centre of the city, I want to tell you a bit about our three-day trip. As you all know today is the 13th of April At this very moment, all the provinces around the country are ready to celebrate the Songkran festival. The Songkran... Chiang Mai, Festival, Luck 911 Words \| 3 Pages Dinagyang Festival Dinagyang Festival A participant of Dinagyang Festival The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in... Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog In Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan. It is held both to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panay of Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis. History Dinagyang began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez of a local Roman Catholic parish introduced the... Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo, Iloilo City 1065 Words \| 3 Pages Festival \|Significance \|Events \|Date \|Food \| \| \|Seollal \|New Year's Day \|Sebae(New Year's \|1st day of... \|Tteokguk(Traditional soup made of \| \| \| \|greetings),Charye(Ancestral \|first month \|rice cake), Yakwa(Honey cakes) \| \| \| \|ceremony),Yunnori(Traditional game) \| \| \| \|Daeboreum \|First full moon \|Geuybulnori(Rice... Cake, Nian gao, Pancake 477 Words \| 3 Pages Maple Festival In order to understand the history of the Geauga County maple festival one must have some insight as to the history of Geauga County.... Geauga County was established in 1806, Geauga, is a Native American word for raccoon. Geauga County has been deemed a wonderful place to raise a family as it has many square miles of countryside and woodlands. Geauga County is also known for its many family oriented activities and a town that functions like a large family. In the county there are many amenities... Chardon Township, Geauga County, Ohio, Chardon, Ohio, Geauga County, Ohio 1539 Words \| 4 Pages Indian Festival celebration - Diyas, fireworks - Gifts, sweets distribution - Lighting decoration Values of Diwali festival... - Family Unite - Thanks giving and be generous - Brings unity among people - Victory of good over evil Paragraph: Draft - 2 Diwali, the festival of lights, is the most interesting festival of celebration from Indian culture. Diwali is celebrated by lighting up diyas or small clay lamps which are filled up by oil and... Debut albums, Diwali, Good and evil 347 Words \| 3 Pages Strawberry Festival they all enjoy is the strawberry festival. The strawberry festival is held once a year in Troy, Ohio at their local... fairgrounds. Fulton Farms, just outside of Troy is known to have one of the largest strawberry fields east of the Mississippi River. People come out every year the first weekend of June to savor the fun and great taste of the celebration because it is a great time to celebrate the berry harvest. The strawberry festival is one of the top festivals in Southern Ohio and gets a tremendous... Across the Universe, All This and World War II, Amusement rides 1151 Words \| 3 Pages Woodstock Festival Page 1 of 4 Woodstock Festival was a three day event of music and peace, held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm, in the town of Bethel, New York.... It took place on the dates August 15th-18th, 1969. Five hundred thousand people attended the festival, watching thirty-two acts perform over the three days. It was the first time that so many people had gathered together to listen to music in an outdoor setting (Articlesbase 2008). Not only did Woodstock Festival play a major role in the influence of music... Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Max Yasgur 1298 Words \| 4 Pages Chinese Festival Spring Festival Chinese New Year holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays.... The Chinese New Year is accompanied by a belief in good future. Chinese New Year is also called Spring Festival (1). Putting the spring festival scrolls up, hanging the lanterns, having reunion meals, having dumplings, sitting up late and waiting for the ring of the New Year are all Spring Festival’s customs. (2) Spring Festival is the day for family reunions... China, Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year 741 Words \| 3 Pages Music Festival through music therapy. A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as... musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and often include other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines, performance art, and social activities, and even theme park rides such as the festival held annually in Abu Dhabi “Cream Fields”. Which is similar to the festival that I am going to be designing... Electronic dance music, Electronic music, House music 1081 Words \| 3 Pages Iban Festival Celebrated with enthusiasm across Sarawak both in cities and rural villages, Gawai Dayak is a multi-day festival to honor the indigenous... people. Gawai Dayak translates to "Dayak Day"; the Dayak people include the Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit and Murut tribes which once roamed Sarawak and relieved unsuspecting traders of their heads. Although steeped in headhunting traditions of the past, the only head removed these days during Gawai Dayak belongs to a chicken sacrificed to honor a successful... Borneo, Dayak people, Headhunting 791 Words \| 3 Pages Pongal Festival Pongal Festival Pongal is a four-days-long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long... as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of harvest festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane... Maharashtra, Puthandu, Shiva 787 Words \| 3 Pages Festival and Prominent Religious Festivals a land of festivals. People of different communities belonging to different religions live here. As a result, some kind of... festival or the other is seen being celebrated with joy and fun on almost all days of the year. These festivals make life colourful and charming as they take people away from the dull routine of life. Since they infuse life with fun and frolics, they are celebrated with zeal and jubilation. The festivals commemorated in India are of various kinds. Some festivals are religious;... Bihar, Festival, Holi 517 Words \| 2 Pages Islam Festivals There are only two Muslim festivals set down in Islamic law: Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha ("Eid" or "Id" means festival). There... are also several other special days which Muslims celebrate. Al-Hijra (1 Muharram) The Islamic New Year’s Day. This festival commemorates the Hijra (or Hegira) in 622 CE when the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) moved from Mecca to Medina. This was the beginning of the growth of Islam into a world faith. The Muslim calendar counts dates from the Hijra, which is why Muslim... Eid ul-Fitr, Hajj, Islam 1043 Words \| 4 Pages Festival in British INTRODUCTION Festival is defined as a time of celebration marked by special observances. Every festival tells a message... pertaining our customs, traditional values, mythology, culture and historical events. Festival usually brings happiness and glee. Thereby, it strengthens the bond of relationship and friendships. Britain is a land known of its British cultures. It inevitably celebrates a variety of festivals throughout the year. For example, British people celebrate New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter... Christmas, Easter, Halloween 687 Words \| 3 Pages Carnival festival Speech 1619: Intercultural Communication Section 1T11 March 4, 2013 Samara Dudley February 13, 2013 Speech 1619: Intercultural... Communication Section 1T11 Haiti and the Carnival Festival Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people who share a common history and is defined by their religion, language, social habits, music, arts, and cuisine. Culture is also acquired meaning: it’s something we learn... Carnival, Creole peoples, Culture 1100 Words \| 4 Pages Chinese Festival The Chinese Spring Festival The Chinese New Year or more commonly The Spring Festival (Chun Jie in Chinese) is the most... important festival in China. It has more than four thousand years of history. It is based on the Chinese lunar calendar which all Chinese people use. The celebrations begin the first day of the first lunar month and end the 15th, although the most important day for Chinese people is new year eve, this day you have to be with your family and have dinner all together, so if you... Chinese astrology, Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year 974 Words \| 3 Pages	Diwali
The Easterlin Paradox concerns the relationship between?	Festivals Around the World Not all countries celebrate New Year at the same time, or in the same way. This is because people in different parts of the world use different calendars. Long ago, people divided time into days, months, and years. Some calendars are based on the movement of the moon; others are based on the position of the sun, while others are based on both the sun and the moon. All over the world, there are special beliefs about New Year. Hindu New Year Most Hindus live in India, but they don't all celebrate New Year in the same way or at the same time. The people of West Bengal, in northern India, like to wear flowers at New Year, and they use flowers in the colors of pink, red, purple, or white. Women like to wear yellow, which is the color of spring. In Kerala, in southern India, mothers put food, flowers, and little gifts on a special tray. On New Year's morning, the children have to keep their eyes closed until they have been led to the tray. In central India, orange flags are flown from buildings on New Year's Day. In Gujarat, in western India, New Year is celebrated at the end of October, and it is celebrated at the same time as the Indian festival of Diwali. At the time of Diwali, small oil lights are lit all along the roofs of buildings. At New Year, Hindus think particularly of the goddess of wealth, Lakshm. ******** Maghi Maghi, Makara Sankranti, the first day of the month of Magh. The eve of Maghi is the common Indian festival of Lohri when bonfires are lit in Hindu homes to greet the birth of sons in the families and alms are distributed. In the morning, people go out for an early-hour dip in nearby tanks. For Sikhs, Maghi means primarily the festival at Muktsar, a district town of the Punjab, in commemoration of the heroic fight of the Chali Mukte, literally, the Forty Liberated Ones, who laid down their lives warding off an attack by an imperial army marching in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh. ****** Lohri In the North Makar Sankranti is called Lohri. It is the only Hindu festival, which falls regularly on the 13th of January. Lohri is the time after which the biting cold of winter begins to taper off. ****** Makar Sankranti Makar Sankranti, the day of Goodwill and friendship, usually falls on 14th of January every year. This festival is one of the many festivals which have been celebrated since the vedic period. On this day the sun comes across the north of equator. On this very day it is believed that 'the morning' of the deities commences. This particular period, when the sun is positioned across the north of equator has been considered as an 'accomplishment giving period' by the scholars. Even Astrology endorses this fact and this period is supposed to be auspicious for the various activities like construction of the houses, performance of oblations, establishment of the deities etc. This period is considered to be so auspicious, that if a person dies during this period he is supposed to attain liberation. The sun's position towards the north of equator signifies the arrival of spring season and the end of winter season. The day starts to prolong. On this occasion, all the pilgrimage sites & holy rivers are the thronged by the devotees. At Ganga-Sagar an inland emerges by the grace of deity Varun, which remains for a week and ultimately gets submerged into the sea. The scriptures narrate about the greatness of taking a holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. After taking the bath it is customary to eat food articles prepared from sesame seeds and 'Kichadi' (rice and pulse cooked together). Making donation of sesame seed is also considered as very auspicious. Makar Sankranti usually comes in the Hindu month of 'Magha'. The term 'Magha' is derived from the sanskrit word 'Magh' which means wealth i.e. gold, silver, apparels, ornaments etc. This month has been named as 'Magha' because it is considered to be the month of making donations of the above mentioned things. In Punjab people celebrate it as 'Lohadi' a day before 'Makar-Sanskranti'. On this day the people of Punjab offer maize, 'Revadi' (prepared from sesame seeds), in the fire, amidst the singing of folk songs. In Gujarat and Maharashtra people decorate their houses with 'Rangoli'. They eat food prepared from sesame seeds and jaggery. There is a saying in Maharashtra connected with this day which goes as follows- 'TIL GUD GHYA ANI GARUD GARUD BOLA.' Meaning; (Take sesame and jaggery and speak sweetly.) Women of Maharashtra attired in beautiful apparels visit the houses of their relatives and friends, where they are welcomed with 'Kheel' and 'Porridge'. The hosts honour them by applying 'Kumkum'. The festival of Makar Sanskranti is celebrated as 'Pongal' in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. On this occasion people decorate the idols of deities. Cultural programmes are organised to mark this occasion. 'Pongal' (Khichadi) is offered to the deities and then it is taken as prasadam. During the ancient time, the third stage of the study of the Vedas commenced on this day. People used to send their wards to the 'Gurukula' after performing the sacred thread ceremony of children. On Vasant Panchami, which falls some days later, the worship of 'Saraswati' signifies the importance of the commencement of new learning session. In the south, people still continue with the tradition of initiating their children into the study of Vedas, on this day. The festival of Makar Sankrant traditionally coincides with the beginning of the Sun's northward journey (the UTTARAYAN) when it enters the sign of Makar (the CAPRICORN). It falls on the 14th of January every year according to the Solar Calendar. This day has a very special significance because the day and night on Makar Sankrant are of exactly of equal hours. This day is celebrated as a festival right from the times of the Aryans and is looked upon as the most auspicious day by the Hindus. This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country yet the use of til that is sesame is found everywhere. Til or sesame seed contain lot of oil and they therefore have a quality of softness in them. Therefore, firstly the use of til in sweets is good for health and secondly being soft their exchange means exchange of love and tender feelings. In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-coloured tilguds made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til and jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch and these are specialities of Maharashtra. Maharashtrian women are proud of their excellence in preparing these delicacies. While exchanging tilguls as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying - "til-gul ghya, god god bola" meaning "accept these tilguls and speak sweet words". The under-lying thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends. This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called "Haldi-Kumkoo" and given gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day. In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the year, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated as "LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the samptions food that is specially prepared for the occasion. In South Sankrant is known by the name of "PONGAL", which takes its name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankrant is a "Puja" (worship) for the Sun God. Thus we see that this festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. ****** Pongal In the South Sankranti begins �Pongal�. It is a celebration of the harvest, which is observed for three days in Tamil Nadu as well as Andhra Pradesh. ****** Republic Day The Constitution of India has been in effect since 26 January 1950. Hence every year this day (26 January) is celebrated as Republic Day (in India). It is one of the three National Holidays in India. To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India takes salute of the contingents of Armed Forces. ****** Maha Shivratri On the 14th day of the dark half of Magh the great night of Shiva is celebrated. On this day the devotees of Shiva observe fast. Maha Shivratri is the night on which Shivji and Parvati tied the knot and became 'One'. Hence it is symbolic of the meeting of the Soul with the Almighty. Parvati had to perform a lot of penance in order to wed Shivji. In her last life Parvati was Sati. She doubted and disobeyed the word of Shivji. In her life as �Parvati� she vowed to marry Shivji, for which she had to do A tremendous amount of penance (tapasya). On Shivrati, the Divine Union takes place once more, never ever to be separated again. The devotees stay awake throughout the night offering their prayers to Lord Shiva. They offer special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables and coconuts to Lord Shiva. ****** Vasantpanchami On the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha (Waxing moon of fortnightly) of the Magha month, coming of spring is celebrated. when Saraswati, Shiva- Durga and Vishnu � Lakshmi are worshiped. In west Bengal, Saraswati (the goddess of learning) is worshipped. This is known as Vasant Panchami. During this flowering and blossoming season one can listen distinctly to the kooing of the Koel (bird) and the entire ambiance becomes very beautiful. On this day one should dress up in beautiful attire and worship Lord Vishnu. On this day Brahmins should be offered food. Pitru-Tarpan (liberation of deceased ancestors) can also be performed on this day. One can also worship Goddess Saraswati.In the coming of Spring, God of Love(Kamadev) and his wife Rati are also prayed and worshipped on this auspicious occasion. It is on this day when Abeer and Gulal are played with and songs of Holi are sung till Phalgun Poornima.All rejoice while celebrating this auspicious occasion. Vasant Panchami, the Festival of Kites, falls on Panchami of the Sukal Paksh ( Waxing moon) towards the close of winter in the month of January-February. The weather circle seems to be changing otherwise Vasant used to bring a message of softness in the weather in place of the hard cold season. Vasant is the time when mustard fields are yellow with it the spring is ushered in. So Punjabis welcome the change and celebrate the day by wearing yellow clothes, holding feasts and by organising kite flying. Vasant Panchami day puja is devoted to Saraswati, the godess of learning and wife of Brahma. She bestows the greatest wealth to humanity i.e. the wealth of Knowledge. Vasant Panchami is the festival dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. (Deepavali is dedicated to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, and Navaratri Durga is dedicated primarily to Kali, goddess of strength, might and power.) Yellow colour is given special importance on this day. On Vasant Panchami, Saraswati is dressed in yellow garments and worshipped (with Puja, Havan etc.). Men and women try to wear yellow clothes on this day. Sweetmeats of yellowish hues are exchanged with relations and friends Vasant Panchami is also known as Shri Panchami. As Saraswati Puja, it is observed religiously almost in all parts of India expecially in Bengal. Goddess Saraswati being pure and white and representing learning, no animal sacrifice is made to her. Idols of Saraswati are brought and worshipped. Children are taught their first words on this day (as an auspicious beginning to learning). Schools, colleges etc., (places of learning) organise special worship of Saraswati. Vasant Panchami is a festival full of religious, seasonal and social significance and is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. Saraswati Puja is also performed during the Navaratri or Dussehra. ****** Holla Mohalla Holla Mohalla is a Sikh festival celebrated in the month of Phalguna , a day after Holi. An annual festival held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, Hola Mohalla was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles on the day following the festival of Holi. It reminds the people of valour and defence preparedness, concepts dear to the Tenth Guru who was at that time battling the Mughal empire. On this three-day festival mock battles are held followed by music and poetry competitions. The Nihang Singhs (members of the Sikh army that was founded by Guru Govind Singh) carry on the martial tradition with mock battles and displays of swordsmanship and horse riding. They perform daring feats, such as Gatka (mock encounters), tent pegging, bareback horse-riding and standing erect on two speeding horses. There are also a number of durbars where Sri Guru Granth Sahib is present and kirtan and religious lectures take place. Sporting shining swords, long spears, conical turbans, the Nihangs present a fierce picture as they gallop past on horseback spraying colors on people.On the last day a long procession, led by Panj Pyaras, starts from Takth Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five Sikh religious seats, and passes through various important gurdwaras like Qila Anandgarh, Lohgarh Sahib, Mata Jitoji and terminates at the Takth. ****** Holi FULL MOON DAY OF PHAALGUNA This is pre-eminently the spring festival of Bharat. The trees are smiling with their sprout of tender leaves and blooming flowers. With the harvest having been completed and the winter also just ended, it is pre-eminently a festival of mirth and merriment. Gulal (colored powder) is sprinkled on each other by elders and children, men and women, rich and poor alike. All superficial social barriers are pulled down by the all-round gaiety and laughter. The day itself is associated with many interesting and enlightening Puraanic legends. It is the day of Kaamadahana, the burning of god Kaama - Cupid. The virgin daughter of the king of Himaalayas, Paarvati, was in deep penance to acquire the hand of Lord Shiva as her spouse. But Shiva himself was lost in a deep trance entirely oblivious of the outside world. Kaamadeva came to the rescue of Paarvati and shot his amorous arrows of love at Shiva. Shiva, disturbed from his trance, opened his terrible Third Eye. The flames of Shiva's wrath, leaping from his fore-head eye, burnt Kaama to ashes and there after, Kaama became spirit without a form. Shiva then looked towards Paarvati and fructified her penance by marrying her. It is this burning of lustful infatuation by penance that is signified in this festival. Holi is also associated with the story of Holika, the sister of demon Hiranyakashipu. The demon-father, having failed in various other ways to make his son Prahlaada denounce Lord Naaraayana, finally asked his sister Holika to take Prahlaada in her lap and enter a blazing fire. Holika, who had a boon to remain unscathed by fire, did her brother's bidding. But lo, Holika's boon ended by this act of supreme sin against the Lord's devotee and was herself burnt to ashes and Prahlaada came out unharmed. One more legend pertains to another Holika, also known as Pootana, who came as a charming woman to kill the infant Sri Krishna by feeding him with her poisoned breast. Sri Krishna, however, sucked by blood and she lay dead in all her hideous form. Such stories have effectively charged the popular mind with the faith that ultimately the forces of divinity shall triumph over the demonic forces. Symbolically, a bonfire of Kaamadeva or Holika is made in every town or village, attended by unbounded fun and frolic. Games depicting the pranks of infant Krishna are also played by boys singing and dancing around the fire. As in the case of all our festivals, this too has its plentiful share of spiritual significance. Fire is the symbol of yajna in which all our bodily desires and propensities are offered in the pure and blazing flame of spiritual enlightenment lit within our hearts. On the fifth day of the dark half of Phalgun the feast of Color is celebrated. On this day some people throw colored powder ("gulal") or colored water on each other. This is done in remembrance of the fun Krishna used to have playing "hori" (songs) with the "gopis" (female cowherds) at Gokul. To have fun is one of the basic needs of man. When the year comes to an end, an occasion seems to offer itself to have fun. Among traditional minded people fun also must be done according to ancient tradition. Hence Krishna's fun and frolic can offer a convenient pattern. However, as in everything else, man must try to see that merry making conforms to advancing standards of society. Holi is the most colourful festival of the Hindus and falls on the Full moon day in the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu Calendar which is the month of March as per the Gregorian Calendar. The religious significance of the festival of Holi is to mark the burning of self-conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, hatred, in fact all the undesirable demoniac tendencies, propensities, thoughts and behaviours.The victory of righteous forces over demoniacal forces. According to the stories in the Puranas and various local legends, this day is important for three reasons. It was on this day that Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakasyapu, who tried to kill the child devotee Prahlad by taking him on her lap and sitting on a pyre of wood which was set ablaze. Holika was burnt to ashes while Prahlad remained unscathed! It was again on this day that an ogress called Dhundhi, who was troubling the children in the kingdom of Prthu (or Raghu) was made to run away for life, by the shouts and pranks of the mischievous boys. Though she had secured several boons that made her almost invincible, this � noise, shouts, abuses and pranks of boys � was a chink in her armour due to a curse of Lord Siva. The day itself came to be called �Adada� or �Holika� since then. There are practically no religious observances for this day like fasting or worship. Generally a log of wood will be kept in a prominent public place on the Vasantapanchami day (Magha Sukla Panchami), almost 40 days before the Holi Festival. An image of Holika with child Prahlada in her lap is also kept on the log. Holika�s image is made of combustible materials whereas Prahlada�s image is made of non-combustible ones. People go on throwing twigs of trees and any combustible material they can spare, on to that log which gradually grows into a sizable heap. On the night of Phalguna Purnima, it is set alight in a simple ceremony with the Raksoghna Mantras of the Rgveda (4.4.1-15; 10.87.1-25 and so on) being sometimes chanted to ward off all evil spirits. (Coconuts and coins are thrown into this bonfire).The next morning the ashes from the bonfire are collected as prasad (consecrated material) and smeared on the limbs of the body. Singed coconuts, if any are also collected and eaten. The day- Phalgun krsna pratipad � is observed as a day of revelry especially by throwing on one another gulal or coloured water or perfumed coloured powder. Holy is certainly a vital part of our Indian life and culture in which religion still is a living force. It is the most boisterous of all Hindu Festivals, observed all over the North. It heralds the end of winter and the beginning of the Spring. The night before the full moon, crowds of people gather and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves and twigs of the winter. People throw coloured water and powders (Gulal and Kumkum) at each other and make merry. Holi celebrates the joyful raasleela of Krishna and the gopis. They play Phag, which is a game of many colourful hues. It is a joyous celebration of the rejuvenation of nature, and renewed hope of happiness and peaceful coexistence. In Anandpur Sahib, Sikhs celebrate a special festival Hola Mohalla on the day after Holi. It marks a display of ancient martial arts and mock battles. VAISHAKHA POORNIMA The full-moon day of Vaishakha One of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind which Bharat has produced is undoubtedly, Buddha. Edwin Arnold has fittingly called him the "Light of Asia". Buddha/s message has travelled far and wide and captured the hearts and minds of billions of people outside Bharat also. Siddhartha, the only son of Shuddhodana, the Kind of Kapilavastu situated at the foot of Himalayas, was prophesied by the royal astrologer to become either a famous emperor or a world-renowned ascetic. The father, anxious that his son should not take to the thorny path of a recluse, took extraordinary precautions to avoid every situation which would provoke such thoughts in his son's mind. Siddhartha grew of age without ever knowing what misery or sorrow was. One day the prince desired to see the city. The King ordered that the city should be all gay and grand, so that everywhere his son would meet with only pleasing sights. However, an old and crippled man by the roadside happened to catch Siddhartha's eye. It was a sight never witnessed before by the prince: a sunken face, a toothless mouth, all the limbs emaciated, the whole body bent and walking with extreme difficulty. The innocent prince asked who that creature was. Chenna, the charioteer, replied that he was a human being who had become old. To further enquiries of Siddhartha, Chenna informed that the old man was of fine shape in his young age and that every human being had to become like him after the youthful days are past. The perturbed prince returned to the palace, deeply engrossed in anxious thoughts. King Shuddhodana, in order to cheer up his spirits, again ordered for his son's procession in the capital, but on subsequent rounds, Siddhartha came across a sick man and a corpse being carried to the funeral ground. Again it was Chenna, the charioteer, who explained that human beings were prone to illness and that death inevitably awaited man at the end. As luck would have it, on his final round, Siddhartha saw a person, his face beaming with job and tranquility, and heard from Chenna that he was an ascetic who had triumphed over the worldly temptations, fears and sorrows and attained the highest bliss of life. And that clinched the thoughts of the young prince. He was then hardly twenty-nine. In that full bloom of youth, in the midnight of a full-moon day, he bade good-bye to his dear parents, his beloved wife Yashodhara and sweet little child Rahul and all the royal pleasures and luxuries, and departed to the forest to seek for himself answers for the riddles of human misery. For seven long years, Siddhartha roamed in the jungles, underwent severe austerities and finally, on the Vaishaakha Poornima Day, the supreme light of Realization dawned on him. He thereafter became Buddha, the Enlightened One. When he was an itinerant monk, he was called Gautama and now he became popular as Gautama Buddha. Buddha's overflowing love for the downtrodden and destitute acted as one of the greatest factors for social harmony and justice to the weaker sections in the society. Buddha's life abounds in such instances when he honored and upheld the purity and devotion of the lowliest in the society. Once Buddha had camped in the kingdom of Bindusara. The king - a disciple of Buddha - honored his Guru with chariots-loads of royal presents and offerings. The other disciples also, many of them rich, made offerings to the best of their ability. At the end, an old and poor woman trekked slowly to the presence of Buddha, offered a small pomegranate and collapsed at his feet, Buddha ordered the bell of honor to be rung in her name for that day, to the utter surprise of the king and his subjects. The spiritual and moral forces generated by Buddha have strengthened and enriched Hinduism and helped to wean it from perversions which had set in at that time. The present-day sublime thoughts and convictions of a common Hindu owe not a little to the life and preachings of Buddha. And Buddha himself has been revered as an Avataar of God by Hindus. Buddha Gaya where he attained his supreme enlightenment has to this day remained one of the most sanctified places of pilgrimage for the entire Hindu World. Buddha's philosophical analysis of the basic problem of human suffering and misery helped to hold before the common man a purified and simplified Eight-Fold Path of Salvation, i.e., the right type of life-view, of intention, of speech, action, livelihood, effort, frame of mind and of concentration. Buddha, like Mahaveera, denounced the animal sacrifices in the yajnas and yagas and himself stood as the very embodiment of compassion to all living beings. He also forcefully brought home the limited merit of such rituals and stressed that the attainment of Final Beatitude is the summum bonum of human life. As days passed, the effect of Buddha's teachings not only influenced the Hindu people in general but contributed decisively in elevating spiritually several races spreading over a vast region of the globe, including areas such as the present-day Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Brahmadesh, Siam, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Annam, Cochin, China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Malaya, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Khotan in Central Asia. To this day most of these countries look upon Buddha as their supreme spiritual redeemer. Buddha passed into eternity after completing his Sahasra Chandra Darshana i.e., 1000 full moon days (80th year) on the full moon day of Vaishaakha - the day of his birth as also of his Enlightenment. And to this day, Buddha lives on as a beacon-light to billions the world over, who yearn for the peace and well-being of all living creation. ****** Basakhi Dates : Baisakhi, derived from the month of Vaisakh, is New Year's Day in Punjab. It falls on April 13, though once in 36 years it occurs on 14th April. Practice : Baisakhi marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest. It was on this day that the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa (the Sikh brotherhood) in 1699. The Sikhs, therefore, celebrate this festival as a collective birthday. Sikhs visits gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and listen to kirtans (religious songs) and discourses. The holy scriptures known as the Grantha are read, and the book is then carried in a procession led by five leaders of the congregation, carrying drawn swords. After the prayer, kada prasad (sweetened semolina) is served to the congregation. The function ends with langar, the community lunches served by volunteers. The bhangra is also performed on Baisakhi with great vigour and enthusiasm. Processions are taken out, at the head of which are the panj piaras. Mock duels and bands playing religious tunes are part of the processions. Schoolchildren also enthusiastically take part in them. For people in villages this festival is a last opportunity for relaxing before they start harvesting of corn. In April, this day marks the beginning of the Hindu solar new year. In fact this day is celebrated all over the country as new year day under different names. It is also the time when the harvest is ready to cut and store or sell. India�s rich and glorious civilization is mirrored in its innumerable festivals. These festivals mark the seasons which signal to man the time for work and the time for relaxation, the commencement of the agricultural cycle with sowing in spring, and its culmination with the harvesting of the golden grain. And then, of course, we have, in endless variations of legend and myth, the hallowed perceptions that there is an ever-renewed war of light and darkness, of the divine and the demoniac in the unceasing evolution of the world. Baisakhi (also called Vaisakhi) is a harvest festival which is celebrated on the thirteenth day of April according to the solar calendar. It is celebrated in North India, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, when the rabi crop is ready for harvesting. This tough agricultural operation is rendered into a lighter occupation by merry community festivities such as the Bhangra dance by men, who pound the ground with vigorous steps accompanied by singing. Women, too, break into a revelry of dances, principally the Gidda dance, executed with fervour and rhythmic exactitude. On these occasions, men and women adorn themselves with gay-coloured clothes and traditional jewellery. Generally, the sites of these festivities are on the banks of the rivers which have their sacred import with myths and legends woven around their origin and names. For the Sikh community Baisakhi has a very special meaning. It was on this day that the last Guru Gobind Singh organised the sikhs into Khalsa or the pure ones. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high and low and established that all human beings were equal. Punjab has always been known and identified as a land of gaiety and merrymaking where festivals are celebrated with much exuberance and fanfare. Being a predominantly agricultural state that prides itself on its foodgrain production, it is little wonder that its most significant festival is Baisakhi, which marks the arrival of the harvesting season. The word Baisakhi is derived from the month of Vaisakha (April-May), a time when the farmer returns home with his bumper crop, the fruit of his whole year�s hard labour. Cries of �Jatta aai Baisakhi� rent the skies as the people of Punjab attired in their best clothes break into the Bhangra dance to express their joy. The dancers and drummers challenge each other to continue the dance. The scenes of sowing, harvesting, winnowing and gathering of crops are expressed through zestful movements of the body to the accompaniment of ballads. Fairs are organized at various places in Punjab, where besides other recreational activities, wrestling bouts are also held. The occasion is celebrated with great gusto at Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikhs celebrate this day by visiting gurudwaras and distributing kada prasad. Processions led by the Panj Piaras or the five religious men are taken out. Kirtans and recital of passages from the Granth Sahib are also organized in gurdwaras, where people line up to receive the delicious prasad and perform kar sewa-that is, offering help in the daily chores of the gurdwara. In the hill state of Himachal, Baisakhi comes on a flood tide of peach blossom, with dazzling white dog roses rushing in torrents down the hillsides and somber rhododendrons suddenly turning a flamboyant red. People flock to the temple dedicated to Goddess Jwalamukhi and take a holy dip in the neighbouring hot springs. In the plains of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Baisakhi is time to harvest the winter crop of wheat. Time also to celebrate. Homes are spruced up and doorways hung with chains of marigold and mango leaves. The day begins with a ceremonial bath and followed by prayers. A little later, the first ripe ears of wheat are gathered and brought home to be offered to the family deities to invoke their blessings. Evening sees a mela (fair) complete with stalls and fun and games where people enjoy the end of a year of good harvest. Baisakhi day is observed as the Naba Barsha (New Year) in Bengal. On April 14, the people take a ritual bath in the Ganga and bedeck their houses with rangoli (floral patterns) drawn on the entrance of their homes with a paste made of rice powder. Bihar celebrates a festival in Vaishakha (April) and Kartika (November) in honour of the Sun God, Surya, at a place called Surajpur-Baragaon. This is essentially a village where, according to an ancient practice, people bathe in the temple tank and pay obeisance to the Sun God while offering flowers and water from the sacred river Ganga. In Kashmir, Baisakhi is marked by a ceremonial bath and general festivity. In Assam, it coincides with the Goru Bihu or cattle festival when cattle are bathed, anointed with turmeric paste and decorated with flowers, before being treated to a repast of jaggery and brinjal. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it�s New Year time too. The Kerala New Year is conspicuous for an exchange of gifts and for alms-giving, while in Tamil Nadu, ceremonial processions are taken out, with richly caparisoned elephants swinging along to the beat of drums. The ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra "Wherever four Hindus live, Rama and Sita will be there" so said Swami Vivekananda, one of the foremost harbingers of modern national renaissance of Bharat. The reverse also is equally true - wherever Rama and Sita live, the people there will remain and live as Hindus. Every hill and rivulet of Bharat bears the imprint of the holy feet of Rama and Sita. Sri Rama reigns supreme to this day in the hearts of our people, cutting across all barriers of province, language, caste or sect. Even the tribes living in isolated valleys and jungles have names like Mitti-Ram and Patthar-Ram. In some other tribes, every name carries the proud suffix of Ram, such as Lutthu Ram, Jagadev Ram, etc. In many northern parts of Bharat mutual greetings take the form of Jay Ramjee Ki. Sri Rama has become so much identified with all the good and great and virile qualities of heroic manhood that expressions such as 'Us me Ram nahi hai' (there is no Rama in him) - meaning that a person has lost all manliness and worth - have become common usage. And when a Hindu quits the world stage, he is bid God-speed in his onward journey [with Ramanama satya hai or Raghupati Raghava raja Ram, patita paavana Sita Ram. In fact, the latter couplet has become the nation's bhajan par excellence. Sri Rama's story, Ramayana, has been sung and resung in all the languages and dialects of Bharat. The tradition of writing epics centering round the saga of Rama's achievements started by Valmiki and Samskrit was continued by Tulsidas in Hindi, by Kamban in Tamil, by Ramanujan in Malayalm, by Krittivasa in Bengali and Madhav Kambali in Assamia and in fact, in almost every Bharatiya language. The tradition is being continued up to the present day. The Ramayana Darshanam of K.V. Puttappa, the national literary award of Bharat by the Jnana Peeth. The enchanting Geet Ramayana composed in Marathi by G.D. Madgulkar and set to tune by Sudhir Phadke is now thrilling the hearts of millions in Maharashtra. The various tribal groups too have sung the story of Ramayana in their dialects. Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Janaki mirror the ideals for millions of tribal boys and girls. The Khamati tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, which is Buddhist, depicts Ramayana as the story narrated by Buddha to his first disciple, Ananda, and carries the universal message of Buddha. How deeply significant that every group and sect even in distant and far-flung parts of Bharatavarsha should have found a radiant reflection of its own ideals in the form of Sri Rama! The comparison of Sri Rama's fortitude to Himalayas and the grace and grandeur of his personality to the ocean - 'Samudra iva gaambheerye, dhairye cha Himavaan iva' - portrays how inseparably his personality has been blended into the entire national entity of Bharat. Where in lay the secret of this unique greatness in Rama's personality? He is called Maryaada-Purushottama - the great one who never deviated from the norms set by Dharma. In the eyes of the Hindu, the touchstone of human excellence is Dharma. Devotion to Dharma came first in Rama's life and considerations of his personal joys and sorrows came last. It was his supreme commitment to putra-dharma (duty of a son) that made Rama smilingly depart to the forest for fourteen years at the bidding of his father. And this he did on the very day he was to be anointed as the future emperor of Bharat. He would not budge from the path of Dharma - righteousness - even when his own preceptor, his parents, his brothers and the whole body of his subjects tried to dissuade him. He upheld the supremacy of Dharma in every one of his human relationships and hence became an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal husband, an ideal disciple. an ideal friend, an ideal kind and even an ideal foe. The one and supreme concern of Sri Rama's life was the welfare of his subjects. He would forsake everything else to uphold his kingly duties - the Rajadharma. The night previous to his scheduled coronation, when Rama and Sita were alone in a happy mood in view of the next day's joyous occasion, Sita asked Rama, "What is that thing which hold dearest to your heart?" Rama fell serious for a moment and said, "Dear Sita, you know I love you most dearly, but I love the subjects of Ayodhya more and if their welfare demands, I would not hesitate to sacrifice even you!" The following couplet conveying this idea is cited often: Sneham dayaam cha soukhyam cha yadi vaa Jaanakimapi\| Aaraadhanaaya lokasya munchate naasti me vyathaa\|\| And Sri Rama did live up to his words. When he felt that the call of his royal duties - Rajadharma - demanded the forsaking of Sita, he wavered not in carrying it out. The most crucial test came when Lakshmana violated the orders of Rama and admitted Durvasa to Rama's presence with a view to averting the destruction of Ayodhya by Durvasa's curse. Rama stuck to the law of the land and awarded death penalty to Lakshmana - one whom he loved dearer than his own life. It was with such a fiery faith that Rama followed the dictates of Dharma. To such a one, how could power and pelf hold any fascination? When Bharata came to him in the forest and implored him to return to Ayodhya and become the emperor, Sri Rama firmly refused. Here was enacted a scene unparalleled in the annals of world history - each of the two brothers trying to out-argue the other to make him accept the emperorship of a great and mighty kingdom. Sri Rama's role as one of the first and foremost national unifiers of Bharat is also unique and extraordinary. He embraced Guha, the forest Kind and ate in his house without the least hesitation. No sense of high or low ever touched his all-embracing love of his people. He even enjoyed a fruit tasted and offered with devotion by Shabari, a tribal lady in the far south. The Vanaras or the forest-dwellers too felt that Rama was their own. He endeared himself to them so intimately that they became, in fact, his chief allies against Ravana. All over Bharatavarsha, the dear, little squirrel with his three brown stripes bespeaks the devotion to Sri Rama even among the animal world. Along with the Vanaras, a solitary squirrel had played his humble part in carrying sand for the construction of bridge to Lanka and Sri Rama's caressing of the little one on the back had left those indelible stripes for all future generations. Sri Rama's intense adoration for the motherland has been immortalized by a legendary couplet which is playing on the lips of millions even to this day: Janani janmabhoomischa swargaadapi garreyasi (the mother and the motherland are to me greater than the heavens themselves). The story of Rama is not that of a single towering personality dwarfing all others. The other characters like Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and Hanuman too shine in their own greatness. All of them are so closely interwoven with Sri Rama's life and achievements that it is well-nigh impossible to think of any one without the other. In fact, the most popular picture of Sri Rama, i.e., of Sri Rama Pattabhisheka includes Sita, Hanuman and all his brothers. And in the bringing out of the greatness of all these partners of his life-drama, Rama's instinctive recognition of their merit and virtues played no mean part. He would always be the first to openly appreciate the unique and noble traits in others' character. Even for Kaikeyi, who was responsible for his banishment to forest, Rama had only words of kindness. And as for Ravana, the abductor of his wife, Rama's unstinted praise of his erudition and prowess at once lifts the story of Ramayana to heights unsurpassed in the annals of human history. No wonder, the story of Sri Rama has crossed the boundaries of Bharat and inspired by many a distant people, their culture and literature. Indonesia - with Muslims forming 80% of her population - continues to adore Rama and Sita as her great cultural standard-bearers, and Ramayana as her national epic par excellence. Indonesia also prides herself in having the biggest drama stage in the world - with Ramayana as its chief attraction. And the credit goes to that country for celebrating the very first grand World Ramayana Festival some years ago. The birthday of Sri Rama, indeed, signifies an event worth of remembrance by every one, whatever his country or race or religion, who cherishes the time honored sublime values of human culture and civilization. The birthday of Lord Rama is enthusiastically celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra. Temples are decorated, religious discourses are held and the Ramayana is recited for ten days. People sing devotional songs in praise of Rama and rock images of him in cradles to celebrate his birth. Mahaveera Jayanti CHAITRA SHUKLA TRAYODASHI The thirteenth day of the bright half of Chaitra. The birth anniversary of the Jains, Mahavir , the founder of Jainism , is celebrated by the Jain Community. People meditate and offer prayers all over India. Mahaveera, also known as Vardhamana, is the last one in the galaxy of Twenty-four Teerthankaras (Jain Prophets). He was born in the year 599 B.C. and has been acclaimed as one of the greatest prophets of peace and social reformation that Bharat has ever produced. He was born to a pious couple, Siddhartha and Priyakarani or popularly Trishala Devi - who were deeply permeated with the philosophy of jainism preached by Parswanatha, the 23rd Teerthankara. Siddhartha was the king of Kaundinyapura on the outskirts of Vaishali (near Patna in Bihar). Even as a boy, Mahaveera came to be associated with many episodes of absolute fearlessness which earned him the name `Mahaveera'. He grew up as a prince, excelling in physical prowess as well as intellectual acumen. However, he renounced the pleasures and luxuries of the place, as also the power and prestige of kingship, and undertook a life of intense penance for more than twelve years. He calmly bore not only the rigors of nature but the torments from the ignorant and mischievous among his own countrymen also. He finally became self-illumined. But not content with his own personal salvation, he chose to become a great human redeemer. He looked around and found the society corrupted by the distortions of the true concept of Dharma. Violence in the form of animal sacrifice had overshadowed the true spirit of yajna and yaga. Spiritual values had been supplanted by superstitions and lifeless rituals and dogmas. Propitiating various Gods and Goddesses was considered as a means of acquiring religious merit - Punya - to the exclusion of the true spiritual significance of these Vedic practices. Mahaveera, with his penetrating insight born out of self-realization, struck mercilessly at these perversions. He simplified the religious procedures and concentrated on righteous conduct. Mahaveera's simple and convincing method of appealing to the highest and noblest impulses in the living breast soon won him a large following. He would, for example, pose the following question in order to bring home the grand message of non-injury to every living being: "Can you hold a red-hot iron rod in your hand merely because some one wants you to do so?" The listeners would instantly reply, "No, never". Then Mahaveera would ask them, "Then, will it be right on your part to ask others to do the same thing just to satisfy your desire? If you cannot tolerate infliction of pain on your body or mind by others' words and actions, what right have you to do the same to others through your words and deeds?" Mahaveera would then sum up his message: "Do unto others as you would like to be done by. Injury or violence done by your to any life in any form, animal or human, is as harmful as it would be if caused to your own self." Mahaveera's emphasis on this `Unity of Life' forms one of the highest saving principles of human life. The modern civilization, which seeks to exploit and destroy every other kind of living species in order to satiate the never ending cravings of man, is landing the entire human species itself in a deadly peril. As one deeply conversant with the needs, capacities and aptitudes of human being, Mahaveera initiated a simple five-fold path for the householders: Ahimsa (Non-injury - physical or mental - to others), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (temperance in sexual pleasures) and Aparigraha (non-acquisition of property). Mahaveera's injunctions for the monks and nuns were however very exacting. Abstinence from every kind of physical comfort and material possession and absolute dedication to the highest ethical and spiritual discipline were enforced. Even to this day, 2500 years after the passing away of that great master, this pure and upright tradition of the monks has been maintained. Thousands of whiteclad Sanyasins and Sanyasinis and also nude monks move on foot from village to village and town to town, throughout the length and breadth of the country, carrying Mahaveera's gospel of peace, non-injury and brotherhood among people. Mahaveera left his mortal coils at the age of 71 on the Deepavali day. But the lamp of peace which he lit continues to glow through the myriad lights of that Festival of Lights. On the 13th day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra Mahavir Jayanti (birthday) is celebrated. Vardhaman Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar (guide), is the great hero of the Jam religion. He lived from 540 to 468 B.C. Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankar, is believed to have been the founder of the Jain religion. Dr Radhakrishnan writes. �There is no doubt that Jainism prevailed even before Vardhaman or Parshvanath.� In the 12th century A.D. King Kumarapala was won over to Jainism and made Gujarat a model Jam state. Today the followers of the lain religion form a community of more than one million and a half living in India. ****** Hanuman Jayanti The birthday of Hanuman - the supreme devotee of Sri Ram is celebrated on full moon day of the bright lunar phase, in the Hindu month of Chaitra. The most powerful and valiant Hanuman who was also the gem of the scholars has been an inspiration for all of us since time immemorial. Because of his phenomenal strength and power, Hanuman is revered by the wrestlers. Hanuman's bravery is unmatched. This is the reason why government of India has named the bravery award on him i.e. Mahavir-Chakra. Being inspired by Hanuman's phenomenal valiance, the supreme warrior Arjun, had established him on the flag of his chariot. Hanuman is not only brave but he is also an example of supreme loyality and faithfulness, which he had towards his master - Sri Ram. If a man worships Hanuman and takes his refuge, then he will be able to have darshan of Sri Ram in no time - just like Tulsidas. When Sri Ram met Hanuman for the first time he was very impressed by his knowledge. He told Laxman-"O Laxman, it seems this person (Hanuman) has thoroughly studied the grammar. That is the reason why he did not pronounce incorrectly even a single word, during such a long conversation with me." Hanuman's high degree of knowledge can be understood from the following incident. Once Sri Ram asked Hanuman as to who he was. Hanuman replied by saying- "If you consider me just as the possessor of my physical body, then I am your servant. If you consider me as a soul then I am your 'Ansha' (part). My belief is based on the fact that my existence is not different from you in any way." On Hanuman Jayanti the various games which are based on strength and power are organised, along with the traditional worship of Hanuman. People are made to understand the phenomenal character of Hanuman - the unmatched warrior of the Indian history, so that they are able to serve the country with fearlessness and without considering their own self-interest. Hanuman's virtuosity, valiance, discipline and celibacy can prove to be an asset for any society or country. On the full-moon day of chaitra exactly at sunrise a festival is arranged in the temple of Hanuman to celebrate his birth. Hindus believe in ten avatars of Vishnu. They also believe in many other avatars. It is said that there are 33 crore gods and goddesses. In order to destroy Ravan Vishnu took birth as Rama. At the same time Brahmadev commanded all the gods, gandharvas and rishis to take birth (avatar) to help Rama. So all the gods and goddesses and rishimunis decided to take avatar in the form of "vanaras" (monkeys). The apsaras (courtesans of heaven) and the wives of the gandharvas became female monkeys and the rishis and the gods became male monkeys. ****** Buddha Jayanti In the month of Vaishakh the birthday of Gautam Buddha is celebrated. He is considered the ninth avatar of Vishnu. Gautam Buddha "lived and died in about the fifth century before the Christian era." The number of Buddhists in the world ranges "from less than two hundred million, to more than five hundred million, with the lower number closer to reality." Buddhism was originally a sect within the Hindu way of life. Its originator had the personal name of Siddharta, and the surname Gautama. He belonged to the Sakya clan of the Kshatriya or warrior caste. He married and had a son, Rahula. But after some years he left his parents, wife and child. The king, his father, had three palaces built for him, and at the age of sixteen gave him forty thousand dancing girls. Yet thirteen years later Gautama left everything to find, in his own words, "the incomparable security of a 'Nirvana' free from birth and endless reincarnation." ****** Rath Yatra Rath yatra is observed on Aashad Shukla Dwitiya. On this day in Pushya Nakshatra a chariot of Subhadra and the Lord is paraded. This festival is celebrated in many parts of India, but the pomp and gaiety in Jagannathpuri is definitely worth watching. JagannathPuri is one of the 4 most important religious places in India. Here we have even the Govardhan Peeth established by Shankaracarya. The main deity to be worshipped here is Lord Jagannath and this deity is the main centre of attraction. One can see a lot of crowd on this day. People from every corner of India come to see the idols of the Gods being paraded and seek their blessings. The chariot of Lord Jagannath is 45 feet tall, 35 feet long and 36 feet bride, 16 wheel, 6 feet diameters are fixed to the chariot. The chariot of Balbhadra 44 feet tall and has 14 wheels. The chariot of Subhadra is 43 feet tall and it has 12 wheels. Every year new chariot is built. 4200 people pull the chariot and other than these others men-women devotees do pull these chariots. The Lord stays for 3 days in Lanakpur there itself he meets Goddess Laxmi. After this the Lord return backs and is placed on his original position. ****** Guru Purnima A special worship is performed on this day to all teachers and is called Guru Purnima. Worship of the great Vyasa, the author of the great epic, Mahabharata, is part of the celebration. On this day students visit their elders, teachers and guides in order to show respect to them with gifts of coconuts, clothes and sweets. These gifts are called Gurudakshina. Discourses are held in community gatherings to hear the readings of the holybook, Bhagwad Gita. Teej "Teej" is the fasting festival for women. It takes place in August or early September. The festival is a three-day long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting. Through this religious fasting, Hindu women pray for marital bliss, well being of their spouse and children and purification of their own body and soul. Traditionally, the ritual of Teej is obligatory for all Hindu married women and girls who have reached puberty. Exception is made for the ones who are ill or physically unfit. In such circumstances a priest performs the rites. According to the holy books, the Goddess Parbati fasted and prayed fervently for the great Lord Shiva to become her spouse. Touched by her devotion, he took her for his wife. Goddess Parbati, in gratitude sent her emissary to preach and disseminate this religious fasting among mortal women, promising prosperity and longevity with their family. Thus was born the festival of Teej. The first day of Teej is called the "Dar Khane Din". On this day the women, both married and unmarried, assemble at one place, in there finest attires and start dancing and singing devotional songs. Admist all this, the grand feast takes place. The jollity often goes on till midnight, after which the 24 - hour fast commences. Some women stay without a morsel of food or drops of water while others take liquid and fruit. Gaily dressed women can be seen dancing and singing on the street leading to Shiva temples. But the main activities take place around the Pashupatinath temple where women circumambulate the Lingam, the phallic symbol of the lord, offering flowers, sweets and coins. The main puja (religious ceremony) takes place with offerings of flowers, fruits etc made to Shiva and Parbati, beseeching their blessing upon the husband and family. The important part of the puja is the oil lamp which should be alight throughout the night for it is bad omen if it dies away. The third day of the festival is Rishi Panchami. After the completion of the previous day's puja, women pay homage to various deities and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred Datiwan bush, along with its leaves. This act of purification is the final ritual of Teej, after which women are considered absolved from all sins. The recent years have witnessed alteration in the rituals, especially concerning the severity, but its essence remains. No matter how agonizing the fast may be Nepalese women have and will always continue to have faith in the austerities of Teej. ****** Nag Panchmi On the fifth day of the bright half of Shravan people worship the snake, "nag". The day is known as "Nag Panchami". Naga Panchami is the festival of snakes celebrated on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Shriven. The festival falls during the rainy months and is believed to counter the increased possibility of a snake bite during this time. People visit temples specially dedicated to snakes and worship them. Shiva temples are also favoured places for veneration as snakes are considered dear to him. In South India, people craft images of snakes using cow dung on either side of the entrance to the house to welcome the snake god. Some go to worship the snake which is believed to be hiding in the holes of anthills. Or else a five hood snake is made by mixing "gandh" (a fragrant pigment), "halad-kumkum" (turmeric powder), "chandan" (sandal) and "keshar" (saffron) and placed on a metal plate and worshipped. This practice of worshipping the snake on this day is related to the following story. Krishna and the Kaliya Snake Nag Panchami is also connected with the following legend of Krishna. Young Krishna was playing with the other cowboys, when suddenly the ball got entangled in the high branch of a tree. Krishna volunteered to climb the tree and fetch the ball. But below the tree there was a deep part of the river Yamuna, in which the terrible snake Kaliya was living. Everybody was afraid of that part of the river. Suddenly Krishna fell from the tree into the water. Then that terrible snake came up. But Krishna was ready and jumping on the snake�s head he caught it by the neck. Kaliya understood that Krishna was not an ordinary boy, and that it would not be easy to overcome him. So Kaliya pleaded with Krishna: "Please, do not kill me." Krishna full of compassion asked the snake to promise that henceforth he would not harass anybody. Then he let the snake go free into the river again. On Nag Panchami day the victory of Krishna over the Kaliya snake is commemorated. For this reason Krishna is known as "Kaliya Mardan". Snakes are believed to like milk. As this is the day of the serpents, devotees pour milk into all the holes in the ground around the house or near the temple to propitiate them. Sometimes, a small pot of milk with some flowers is placed near the holes so that the snakes may drink it. If a snake actually drinks the milk, it is considered to be extremely lucky for the devotee. The festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm by all, especially women. Nag Panchami is the festival when snakes, the symbols of energy and prosperity are worshipped. In Maharashtra snake charmers go from house to house with dormant cobras ensconced in cane baskets, asking for alms and clothing. Women offer milk and cooked rice to the snakes and gather around to see the snakes spread their hoods to the tune of the Pungi. In Kerala, snake temples are crowded in this day and worship is offered to stone or metal icons of the cosmic serpent Ananta or Shesha. ****** Janmashtami Gokulashtami Sri Krishna Jayanti marks the celebration of the birth of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna was born on the 'Rohini' nakshatram (star) on Ashtami day. This festival is also known as Sri Krishna Jayanti and Janmashtami. The actual day of celebration can be on two different days as the star 'Rohini' and Ashtami may not be on the same day. This occurs between August and September on the Christian calendar. The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu is observed all over India. It is celebrated with great fervour at Mathura and Brindavan where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Nightlong prayers are offered and religious hymns are sung in temples. In Maharashtra, earthen pots of curd and butter are hung high up over the streets. Young men enacting an episode from Krishna�s childhood form human pyramids by climbing on each other�s shoulders and try to break thee pots. ****** Onam Onam is Kerala�s most popular festival, celebrated with great enthusiasm. It is primarily a harvest festival celebrated to welcome the spirit of the pious King Mahabali from eternal exile and to assure him that his people are happy and wish him well. At Trichur, caparisoned elephants take part in a spectacular procession. There is also a magnificent display of fireworks. The Vallumkali (boat race) is one of the main attractions of Onam, and is best seen at Aranmulai and Kottayam. Rakshaa Bandhan Full Moon Day, Shraavana The Rakshaa Bandhan stirs up one of the deepest and noblest emotions in the human breast - the abiding and chaste bond of love between the brother and the sister. The delicate cord tied by the sister to the brother on this day pulsates with this sublime sentiment. History and legends of Bharat abound in touching episodes of ladies seeking protection from far-off, unacquainted heroes, though the Raakhi. A story is told of Alexander's wife approaching his mighty Hindu adversary Pururavas and tying Raakhi on his hand, seeking assurance from him for saving the life of her husband on the battlefield. And the great Hindu king, in the true traditional Kshatriya style, responded; and as the legend goes, just as he raised his hand to deliver a mortal blow to Alexander, he saw the Raakhi on his own hand and restrained from striking. A more poignant instance is of the princess of a small Rajput principality. It speaks of the spell the Raakhi had cast even on those of alien faiths. The princess sent a Raakhi to the Moghal Emperor Humayun to save her honor from the onslaught of the Gujarat Sultan. The emperor who was engaged in an expedition against Bengal, turned back and hastened to the rescue of his Raakhi sister. But, alas, to his utmost sorrow, he found that the kingdom had already been overrun and the princess had committed Jauhaar, i.e., leaped into the flames to save her honor. The sister-brother relationship highlighted by the Raakhi goes far beyond the mere personal protection of a female from a male. It also implies the basic element of an amicable and harmonious social life where all members of the society look upon themselves as brothers and sisters and as children of one common motherland. The congregational Raakhi function carries this social content. Particularly, the tying of Raakhi to the sacred Bhagavaa Dhwaj at the start of the function signifies this social and cultural aspect. Not only do the participants in the function develop a sense of love and affection amongst themselves but they also affirm their loyalty and devotion to the society of which they are the children. Their commitment to protect each other and also the society as a whole is emphasized through this simple ceremony. In the Hindu tradition the Rakshaa has indeed assumed all aspects of protection of the forces of righteousness from the forces of evil. Once, Yudhishthira asked Sri Krishna how best he could guard himself against impending evils and catastrophes in the coming year. Krishna advised him to observe the Rakshaa Ceremony. He also narrated an old incident to show how potent the Rakshaa is. Once, Indra was confronted by the demon king - the Daitya-raaja - in a long-drawn battle. At one stage, the Daitya-raaja got better of Indra and drove him into wilderness. Indra, humbled and crest-fallen, sought the advice of Brihaspati, the Guru of Gods. The Guru told him to bide his time, prepare himself and then march against his adversary. He also indicated that the auspicious moment for sallying forth was the Shraavana Poornima. On that day, Shachee Devi, the wife of Indra, and Brihaspati tied Raakhis around Indra's right-wrist. Indra then advanced against the Daitya-raaja, vanquished him and reestablished his sovereignty. The Rakshaa has several similar pauraanik associations. The following couplet is recited, especially in the northern parts, while tying the Raakhi. It denotes how the King Bali had become so powerful with the Raakhi on: Yena baddho Balee raajaa daanavendro mahaabalah \| tena twaam anubadhnaami rakshe maa chala maa chala \|\| (I am tying a Rakshaa to you, similar to the one tied to Bali the powerful king of demons. Oh Rakshaa, be firm, do not waver.) It is not merely that the spirit of Rakshaa manifests itself on occasions of mortal peril to the life and honor of the beloved ones or to the society. It is not like the HOme Guards or the militia which are expected to come to the rescue of the people in times of war or natural calamities. No, it is far more deep and all-encompassing. It is like the flow of bloodstream through every limb and organ of the body, carrying strength and nourishment to every cell thereof. As a result, even a small wound anywhere in the body is promptly attended to by the entire body. Every other limb spontaneously sacrifies a part of its blood and energy to heal that wound and keep that organ healthy and strong. This is how the society can live and prosper amidst all kinds of challenges either from within or without. Especially, various types of internal stresses and strains which are generated in the body-politic of a nation because of ever-changing economic, political and other factors can be overcome only on the strength of this inner flow of mutual affection and amity. A society imbued with this spirit will see to it that every one of its members is made happy. The idea of the Hindu has always been: Sarvepi sukhinassantu, sarve santu niraamayaah \| Sarve bhadraani pashyantu, maa kashchit duhkhabhaag bhavet \|\| (Let everyone be happy, let everyone be free from all ills, let everyone behold only the auspicious, let no one be afflicted.) This concept is far more comprehensive than the concept of the `maximum happiness of the maximum number.' In fact, spontaneous love and compassionate service for the poor and lowly in society is held up as the highest form of worship of God Himself. The spirit of selfless social service which makes for the uplift of the needy and deprived sections is thus transformed into a spiritual saadhanaa. It was Raamakrishna Paramahamsa who coined the world, Daridra Naaraayana. He would not even tolerate expressions like `showing pity to the poor and sick.' Once when he was in a semi-samaadhi state, he exclaimed, "Compassion for creatures! Compassion for creatures! Thou fool! An insignificant worm crawling on earth, thou to show compassion to others! Who art thou to show compassion? No, it cannot be. It is not compassion for others, but rather service to man, recognizing him to be the veritable manifestation of God!" Swami Vivekananda picked up the thread and invoked God in the poor and ignorant and said, 'daridradevo bhava, moorkhadevo bhava.' The boon asked of God by the King Rantideva who, when his kingdom was ravaged by famine, gave away his last morsel of food to a hungry man and the last sip of water to a thirsty dog, remains the eternal heart-beat of every devout Hindu: Na twaham kaamaye raajyam na swargam naapunar bhavam \| Kaamaye duhkhataptaanaam praaninaam aarti naashanam \|\| "Oh Lord, I desire not kingdom nor the heavens nor even moksha. All I desire is to remove the suffering from the afflicted beings." It is only when this type of attitude towards one's less fortunate brothers and sisters permeates society that exploitations of the weak by the strong will end. Powers of intellect and body, and of material wealth and influence will then be utilized for the uplift and service of others. A Samskrit Subhaashita says, Vidyaa vivaadaaya dhanam madaaya shaktih pareshaam paripeedanaaya \| Khalasya sadhorvipareetam etat jnaanaaya daanaaya cha rakshanaaya \|\| For the wicked, learning is for dry arguments, wealth is for satisfying vanity, strength for harassing others, but in the case of holy men these are for imparting knowledge, offering charity and protecting others. In short, Raksha Bandhan affords a most auspicious occasion to recharge ourselves every year with the true spirit of service and sacrifice for the welfare of the society, and find therein the highest spiritual fulfillment of human life. This is a Hindu sister�s day when brothers and sisters reaffirm their bonds of affections. Sisters tie colourful threads or rakhis on their brother�s wrists. The brothers in turn promise to protect their sisters and give them gifts. Ganesha Chaturthi Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati is widely worshipped as the munificent god of wisdom. Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival in his honour and is celebrated in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. To appreciate this occasion, one must go to Mumbai where preparations begin months in advance. Images of Ganesha are installed within homes as well as in places of assembly. Elaborate arrangements are made for lighting and decoration and Ganesha is fervently worshipped for about 7-10 days. On the day of the Chaturthi, i.e. the last of the days dedicated to the elephant-headed god, thousands of processions converge on the beaches of Mumbai to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This immersion is accompanied by drum beats, devotional songs and dancing. On the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapad, the great festival of Ganesh or Ganpati is celebrated. This festival marked the birthday of Lord Ganesh. Ganpati is one of the most popular deities. He is worshipped by both Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Even Buddhists and Jains have respect for Ganpati. He is considered to be an avatar of both Shiva and Vishnu. Ganpati is the god of learning. He is addressed as the "Remover of Obstacles" ("Vignaharta"). His devotees believe that no enterprise will succeed unless he is invoked. The picture of Ganpati is often found on the doors of houses and printed on wedding cards. On the occasion of the Ganpati festival a large number of images are made of all possible sizes, and people buy them to keep in their houses as a divine guest for one and a half, five, seven, or ten days, after which the image is taken out ceremoniously and thrown into the river, sea or well for immersion or "visarjan". When he is immersed in the water, people sing, "'GANPATI BAPPA MORYA, AGLE BARAS TO JALDI AA," ("father Ganpati, next year come again.") Ganesh Chaturthi is an important festival in India, especially in Maharashtra dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God of all good beginnings and success. It is believed that Lord Ganesha was born on this day and every chaturthi is considered auspicious. Thousands of the clay idols of Lord Ganesha are made in every size, pose, form and colour and worshipped at community or family festivals which last between one to ten days. These images are then taken in large processions, amidst the rhythm of bells and drums and immersed in flowing water. ****** Navratri Date : Navratri or the nine nights sacred to the Mother Goddess are celebrated in the month of October / November. Legend : It commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over a demon, Mahishasur. Endowed with power, by the blessing of Lord Shiva the demon started destroying innocent people. The gods invoked Goddess Durga and asked for her help. The goddess, astride a lion fought with the demon and cut off his head. Practice: It is an occasion for vibrant festivities throughout the country. During Navratri, devotees of Durga fast and pray for health and prosperity. Different manifestations of Durga or Shakti are worshipped every night. Devotees and young enthusiasts dance the Garba or Dandiya-Raas throughout the night, in keeping with the exuberant nature of this festival. The Navratri festival celebrations at Ahmedabad and Baroda are famous throughout Gujarat. Here the evenings and nights are occasions for the fascinating Garba dance. The women dance around an earthen lamp while singing devotional songs accompanied by rhythmic clapping of the hands. In Punjab, Navratri is a period of fasting. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka dolls called Bommai kolu are placed and decorated. Goddesses' Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati are worshipped for three days. Gifts of coconuts, clothes and sweets are exchanged. Scenes culled from various stories in the epics and puranas are displayed. The whole delusions of the world consists of nine elements - 'Panchamahabhurt' (the fine basic & fundamental elements from which the matter is made.) and four 'Antahkaran' (four types of consciousness). According to the Sadhakas, these nine elements symbolize the nine forms of 'Shakti' or goddess Durga. This Shakti prevails in the whole world. The same Shakti is known as 'Mahakali' (which symbolises physical, strength & power), 'Mahalaxmi' (which symbolises materialistic wealth and prosperity), and 'Mahasaraswati' (which symbolises mental). Eighteen days have been fined as the most auspicious days, for the worship of three forms of Durga. Out of these eighteen days, nine days come in the Hindu month of 'Vasant' (spring) and the remaining nine-days fall in the Hindu month of 'Sharad' (Autumn). This is the reason behind the importance of the number nine of the famous Navratras.' KANYA PUJAN (Worship of the girl child) During the Navratra especially on the eighth day and ninth day, worship of small girl-child is customary. The girl child is worshipped with complete devotion, after purifying them by the chanting of mantras and he is made to seat on a special pedestal. She is worshipped by offering 'akshat' (rice grains) and by burning incense sticks. She is worshipped because, according to the philosophy of 'Striyah Samastastava Devi Bhedah', women symbolize 'Mahamaya' (The goddess Durga). Even among these a girl child is considered to be the purest, because of her innocence. If the worshipper is desirous of acquiring knowledge then he should worship a Brahmin girl child. If he is desirous of acquiring power, then he should worship a Kshatriya-girl child. Similarly if he is desirous of acquiring wealth and prosperity, then a girl child belonging to a Vaishya family should be worshipped by him. If a person is desirous of attaining Tantrik-power, Mohan (hypnotizing), Uchchatan (causing hurdle in the path of other success), then he should worship a shudra-girl-child. This way a devotee of mother Jagdamba, contributes his lot in the social integration, by having a provision of girl child worship of all the four castes. SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS The festival of Vijayadashami, nourishes all the aspects of human life including religiousness, the aspects, spiritual aspects and it also provide us with an opportunity for entertainment. No other festival has such a combination of religion and politics, art and culture, as the festival of Vijayadashmi. When a devotee wakes up in the morning and takes a bath in a nearby river or pond, then worships goddess 'Dashahara', it helps him to destroy al the ten forms of sin. This festival also in an occasion for family gets together. After the worship of goddess Durga, receipt of 'Prasad', strengthen the physical aspect of the devotee. Watching the Ramleela in the evening gives mental nourishment. It also inspires us to follow the ideal path of Sri Ram. The burning of the effigy of Ravan warns us against evil conducts. Ravan - who was killed by Sri Ram, some nine lakh years ago also strengthens our belief, that no matter how powerful a sinful person becomes, he is ultimately doomed to destruction. The scriptural command for 'Seemolanghan (not being tied down by the boundary) symbolizes progress. It inspires a man to constantly try to make progress and not get tied down by restrictions. A provision of tree-worship is also made on Dashahara. This signifies the importance of the preservation of our forest-wealth. KUMBH MELA Dates : The Kumbh Mela takes place every March. However, the major Kumbh Mela occurs once in 12 years. Legend : Legend has it that Lord Vishnu saved the elixir (Amrut) from the demons and gave it to the vassal gods, called Devas, in a pot. The Devas rested the pot at each of the four cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. This is the reason why this festival is celebrated only at these four places. Practice : Kumbh Mela is the greatest riverside religious festival of Hindus that takes place once every three years. It attracts millions of devotees and visitors from all backgrounds. Scores of ash-covered holy men and sages known as rishis and sadhus, in all shapes and sizes, flock to the centre of the Mela. The festival is rotated between four holy places of Hindus. The Sangam at Allahabad is the holiest as three rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati converge there. Thousands of devotees take a holy dip in the river that is believed to purge them of their sin. Navratri is the longest Hindu festival that continues for nine consecutive nights in praise of Lord Rama. Continuous chanting from the great epic Ramayana, along with evening performances from the episodes of his life, is held for nine days. It is a combination of many concepts. It is believed that Durga. The Goddess of power and vitality, has nine forms called Navadurga and on each day of the nine days, she takes a new dorm, with an arsenal of weapons, to ride a lion and fight the demon Mahishasura. Lord Rama is said to have worshipped the Goddess, seeking her blessing in order to overpower the evil- force of Ravana, the abductor of his beloved Sita.The most joyous celebration of Navratri is seen in Gujrat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bengal. Every night people gather in courtyards to dance the dandiya raas and garba, a community dance in which men and women dressed in festive clothes, dance in pairs with painted wooden sticks. AASHWAYUJA SHUKLA DASHAMI The Tenth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Aashwayuja This is among the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar and comes as the finale of the nine-day festival, Navaraatri. this festival of victory is preceded by worship of Saraswati the Goddess of Learning and of Durgaa the Goddess of Strength. Grand processions of all Gods and goddesses are taken out in every town and village on this day, signifying the victory of the forces of righteousness over those of wickedness. Various have been the names of the Goddess of Strength - Durgaa, Mahaa Kaali, Mahishasura Mardini etc., under which that supreme protectress of the good and the holy put to rout, time and again, the demoniac forces and established the supremacy of the righteous. The story of how Mahishaasura Mardini took birth is striking for its unique message. At one stage the Gods felt powerless against the onslaughts of the demoniac forces headed by Mahishaasura. In answer to their prayers for protection, they were ordered to part with a portion of their divine powers to form into a new Goddess. It was thus that Mahishaasura Mardini took on a physical form as the combined might of 33 crores of Gods. The dreaded demon Mahishaasura was slain by Chaamundeshwari after a ceaseless fight of nine days and nights. The lesson of this legend is so beautifully clear. Even the good and the righteous can succeed against the evil forces only when they come together in an organized endeavour. Could there be a more telling message to the present-day disorganized Hindu people - many of them individually good and pious but who have remained incapable of overcoming the forces inimical to them and their culture? Truly has it been said, 'Sanghe shaktih kalau yuge' - Organization holds the key to strength in Kaliyuga. And this is the one single, most important lesson which the Hindu people have to learn today. Every page of our past history bears testimony to the shocking phenomenon of how the Hindus, though immensely superior in culture, wealth, armies, territory and sheer numbers to the foreign aggressors, were defeated and enslaved. And all this tragedy because of their fatal drawback of disorganization. Now, it is high time the Hindus learnt the bitter lesson of the past and realize that "Organization is life and disorganization is death". The unique concept of worship of strength in the Hindu tradition is far, far removed from that of accumulation of aggressive power. This strength is termed nigrahaanugraha shakti, i.e., while on the one hand it destroys the wicked, on the other it protects the good and the holy. That is how we find that the rise of Hindu power was never attended by aggression and exploitation of other countries. Probably the only nation on the face of the earth to display this rate restraint has been the Hindu Nation. The world history is replete with the blood curdling stories of nation after nation, whenever they became powerful, embarking upon barbaric invasions of other countries and liquidating whole native races. It was given to the Hindu Nation alone to live up to the famous saying of Jesus Christ, "I have come to fulfil, and not to destroy". Vijaya Dashami is resplendent with many an inspiring episode reflecting the victorious culmination of deeds of valour of our illustrious ancestors. The tradition in southern parts depicts Sri Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya after fourteen years of banishment entailing endless hardships, dangers and mental anguish like separation from Sita and finally the slaying of Raavana, as coinciding with this day. Symbolic of the victorious occasion, Raama-Leela is observed with great enthusiasm and eclat in the northern parts. Shree Raama, it is said, worshipped Shami tree before proceeding to Ayodhya. On the same day, the Paandavas too, took out their arms hidden in the Shami tree and revealed their identity after their one year of Ajnaatavaasa (living incognito) after twelve years of exile to a forest. That marked their preparation for the victorious war of Kurukshetra. Invoking these inspiring memories the Shami is worshipped on this day and the holy leaves are distributed by one another as an auspicious omen for the coming year. The following couplet is repeated on the occasion: Shamee shamayate paapam shamee shatruvinaashinee\| Arjunasya dhanurdhaaree Raamasya priyadarshinee\|\| (Shami, the remover of all sins, the destroyer of all enemies bore witness to Arjuna taking his bow and Shree Raama coming back to his near and dear ones.) The Hindu kings and chieftains in the medieval period like Vijayanagar kings and Maratha Peshwas continued this tradition of worshipping the Shami tree and marching in royal procession. Many a time they would sally forth against their foes - Seemollanghana - on this day. Even to this day, amidst the heartrending ruins of Hampi in Karnataka - the site of the once worldfamed Vijayanagar stands the Vijaya Dashami pedestal on which Krishna Devaraya, the celebrated monarch, used to stand and receive the salute of his half-a-million strong army. Vijaya Dashami is preceded by the Aayudha Pooja on the Mahaanavami day, when not only the weapons are worshipped by the warriors, but the blacksmith, the potter, the carpenter, the tailor, the mason, the typist, the musician, the artist and every type of technical worker - worships his instruments and tools. Buses, trucks and huge machines in factories are all decorated and worshipped It is the Vishwakarma Divas - the National Labor Day of Bharat,. Can there be a more telling way than this of investing sanctity in one's allotted work? The motto `work is worship' is writ large in this ceremony. Any work, Sri Krishna declared, done with a spirit of worship of God leads to the highest spiritual realisation. On this very day the Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded in 1925 in Nagpur for the rejuvenation and reorganization of the age-old Hindu Nation and Hindu Dharma, and true to the tradition of Vijayadashami, the Sangh too has been marching from success to success. ****** Dushera Dates : Dusserah, also known as Vijayadashmi, is celebrated on the tenth day, which follows nine days of Durga Pooja, some time in September / October. Legend/s : Rama destroyed Ravana on this day and hence it is celebrated as the day of victory. Rama invoked the blessings of the divine mother, Goddess Durga, before actually going out to battle. In the Kulu valley in Himachal Pradesh, the hill-folk celebrate Dussehra with a grand mass ceremony wherein village deities are taken out in elaborate processions. The Dussehra of Mysore is also quite famous where caparisoned elephants lead a colourful procession through the gaily-decorated streets of the city. Practice : One of the significant Hindu festivals it is celebrated with much joie de vivre in the entire country. Brilliantly decorated tableaux and processions depicting various facets of Rama's life are taken out and scenes from his life enacted out in a popular form of drama called Ramlila. On Vijayadashmi day, colossal effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnath are burnt in vast open spaces by Rama (usually the actor who plays Rama in Ramlila). His consort Sita and his brother Lakshmana, who shoots arrows of fire at the effigies, which are stuffed with crackers and firework, accompany him. In burning theDURGA POOJA Dates : Festivities commence on the first night in the month of Ashwin (September / October). Nine nights are spent in worship and the tenth day is devoted to goddess Durga, who occupies a special position in the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses. Legend/s : Durga is Shakti, the cosmic energy that animates all beings. According to a Puranic legend attached to this day, demon Mahishasur vanquished the gods and their king, Indra, who approached the Holy Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They in turn sought the help of the divine mother Durga who, equipped with lethal weapons, riding a ferocious lion, in all her awesome majesty, killed Mahishasur. This day, thus, also celebrates the magnificence and omnipotence of Goddess Durga. Practice : Durga pooja is celebrated extensively in North India where beautiful idols of the Mother Goddess are worshipped in elaborate pandals for nine days, and on the tenth day, these are carried out in procession for visarjan (immersion) in a river or pond. The face of the goddess remains covered until the bodhon (unveiling) ritual is performed on Sasthi - the sixth day of the moon. It is Sarat, or autumn, and Nature adorns herself to welcome the advent of the Mother Goddess, Durga. Rabindra Sangeet, dances and various programmes form a part of the celebrations. The Goddess is worshipped as a kumari or young girl, and reveals herself in her true form Mahasaptami (the seventh day of the moon). On Mahastami (eighth day) and Mahanavami (ninth day) the celebrations reach a fever pitch. On Dashami (tenth day) the idol of Durga is immersed in water. The ten-armed goddess dazzles the devotees with her splendour and appearance of fiery valour during her short stay every year. In the older days of zamindars (landed aristocracy) there used to be a Barwari pooja (community pooja) financed by the local zamindar who usually had a huge Nat Mandir or Mandap (out-hall) for pooja purposes, where the entire village congregated. All found employment of some kind - from the Brahmins performing the rites to various artisans of lower castes. Even women had their share of work in the preparations. The time of immersion is a sad occasion and the Devi is repeatedly requested to return to shower bliss on devotees whenever invoked. The festival sees a boom in pre-pooja sales. All trade and commerce gears up to meet the challenge of coping with the frenetic shopping spree. Whole communities of artisans spend their busiest time to ensure the netting of a sizeable income that will sustain them for several months to come. It is a time of activity and employment for all. Artisans build the mammoth pandal (a pandal constructed in 1994 as a replica of the Belur Math, was almost 90 ft high, required 3500 bamboo poles, 5000 planks of wood and over 2000 metres of cloth and cost Rs 5 lakh.). Weavers are kept busy, as are the craftsmen who model the exquisitely chiseled features and limbs of each figure in the pooja tableau from clay; electricians who ingeniously devise the decorative illuminations (everything of topical interest from the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park to World Cup football, to nuclear testing is portrayed); the dhaakis whose unsurpassed virtuosity finds expression in frenzied pounding on huge barrel-shaped drums, invoking an almost hypnotic rapture. Everybody is involved, and there is profit and fun for all. It is a time of prosperity also for publishing houses - the pooja Editions capitalize on the festive mood of the reading public. From big established dailies to little magazines, all thrive this season. There is also a big demand for audiocassettes, which are Pooja Hits. Today pooja pandals seem to sprout like mushrooms - practically one every 100 yards. Apart from loudspeakers blaring forth pop and Hindi film music and other forms of entertainment (there are also cultural programmes), there is a fierce competition among organisers to compete with and outdo each other in the extravagant and lavish show they put up. pooja committees are known to spend in lakhs on attractive pandal decor. Galaxies of twinkling lights make Technicolor pageants out of the dingiest lanes. The para poojas become grander still each year, as the poojas are an occasion people look forward to. Money is not a constraint, as people donate generously. poojas are a convenient occasion for fun-loving denizens to forget their cares and let their hair down. Multitudes throng the streets - people from all communities are agog - shopping, gorging themselves or gazing on Durga who is a shimmering vision - power personified - tresses streaming, a flickering tongue of flame. Durga Pooja is celebrated with more fervour by Bengalis than any other community in India. With the Bengali, Bijoya evokes sentiment. It is a time of renewal of ties of kinship with friends and relatives. Thus Kolakuli echoes the Id embrace among Muslims. Durga Pooja is a festival Bengalis celebrate without religious inhibition. The nine days of pooja are synonymous with the Navratras and the tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashmi in some parts of India. Dussehra means the Tenth Day, being the 10th day of the bright half of Ashvin. This day is also known as Vijayadashmi, or Victory Tenth, because of the Victory of Rama over Ravana. In North India it is Ram Lila and consists of plays, recitations and music that recall the life of the legendary hero, Ram. In Delhi, many amateur troupes perform plays based on this epic story. On the tenth day, an elaborate procession leads to the Ram Lila grounds where immense cracker-stuffed effigies of the demon Ravana and his brother and son explode to the cheers of thousands of spectators. In Kulu, the celebrations have a different flavor. Against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains, villages dressed in their colorful best, assemble to form procession of local deities while pipes and drums make music. This festival is celebrated to mark the homecoming of Lord Rama. The Ramlila � an enactment of the life of Lord Rama, is held nine days before Dussehra. On the tenth day, larger than life effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnath filled with fire crackers are set alight to celebrate the victory of good over evil.In Himachal Pradesh, a weel long fair at Kullu is a part of Dussehra celebrations. From the little temples in the hills, deties are brought in processin to the Kullu Maidan with lot of gaity, music and colour. The presiding deity is Lord Raghunathji. ****** Sharad Purnima This is a harvest festival when Laxmi, the Goddess of Prosperity, visits all homes to bring fortune and good luck to all. Kojagiri, the special night, is celebrated with ice-cold, saffron-flavoured sweet milk, shared in the cool midnight. The full moon night is called Navanna Purnima or the moonlit night of new food. The newly harvested rice is offered to the gods and lamps are lit before the full moon. Karva Chouth Dates : Karva Chouth falls about nine days before Diwali on the Kartik ki Chouth (fourth day of the waning moon or the dark fortnight) some time in October or November. Practice : It is the most important fast observed by the women of North India. A woman keeps such a fast for the wellbeing of her husband, who becomes her protector after she leaves her parents home. In the past, a widow was regarded as a burden to the house and was burned on the funeral pyre of her husband. This was glorified by attributing great virtue to the woman concerned, and she was known as a Sati. Hence, it was in her best interest that her husband remains alive. Earlier, the elders of the family were also keen to discipline the young wife, who was sometimes married off at the tender age of seven or eight years. Great care was taken on the day of this fast to ensure that she took neither food nor water unwittingly. An older woman would accompany the young girl even to the bathroom, or the toilet, to ensure that she did not drink any water. The fast of Karva Chouth is a very tough fast to observe, as it starts before sunrise and ends after worshipping the moon, which rises at night. Today, this fast is kept even in modern homes, as a symbol of a woman's love for her husband. The goddess known as Gaur Mata, who is none other than Parvati, is worshipped. Women celebrate by buying bangles and applying henna patterns on their hands. New brides wear their bridal outfits and others wear outfits woven with gold. Once the moon rises, the women see its reflection in a thaali of water, after which they do a pooja for their husband's safety and long life, and finally break their fast, only after feeding their husbands. Karva Chauth is a fast undertaken by married Hindu women who offer prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, well-being, and longevity of their husbands. Karva Chauth falls about nine days before diwali on the Kartik ki Chauth some time in October or November. It is the most important fast observed by the women of North India. A woman keeps such a fast for the well-being of her husband, who becomes her protector after she leaves her parents home. Her husband provides her with food, shelter, clothing, respectability, comfort and happiness. This is indeed a very tough fast to observe as it starts before sunrise and ends after worshipping the moon, which usually rises at about 8.45 p.m. No food or water is to be taken after 4 a.m. or after sunrise. Nowadays, this fast is kept even in modern educated homes, becoming a symbol of the sentiment that a woman has for her husband. Kali: The Dark Mother The fearful goddess with a heart of a mother The love between the Divine Mother and her human children is a unique relationship. Kali, the Dark Mother is one such deity with whom devotees have a very loving and intimate bond, in spite of her fearful appearance. In this relationship, the worshipper becomes a child and Kali assumes the form of the ever-caring mother. "O Mother, even a dullard becomes a poet who meditates upon thee raimented with space, three-eyed, creatrix of the three worlds, whose waist is beautiful with a girdle made of numbers of dead men's arms..." (From a Karpuradistotra hymn, translated from Sanskrit by Sir John Woodroffe) Who is Kali? Kali is the fearful and ferocious form of the mother goddess Durga . She assumed the form of a powerful goddess and became popular with the composition of the Devi Mahatmya, a text of the 5th - 6th century AD. Here she is depicted as having born from the brow of Goddess Durga during one of her battles with the evil forces. As the legend goes, in the battle, Kali was so much involved in the killing spree that she got carried away and began destroying everything in sight. To stop her, Lord Shiva threw himself under her feet. Shocked at this sight, Kali stuck out her tongue in astonishment, and put an end to her homicidal rampage. Hence the common image of Kali shows her in her mêlée mood, standing with one foot on Shiva's chest, with her enormous tongue stuck out. The Fearful Symmetry Kali is represented with perhaps the fiercest features amongst all the world's deities. She has four arms, with a sword in one hand and the head of a demon in another. The other two hands bless her worshippers, and say, "fear not"! She has two dead heads for her earrings, a string of skulls as necklace, and a girdle made of human hands as her clothing. Her tongue protrudes from her mouth, her eyes are red, and her face and breasts are sullied with blood. She stands with one foot on the thigh, and another on the chest of her husband, Shiva. Awesome Symbols! Kali's fierce form is strewed with awesome symbols. Her black complexion symbolizes her all-embracing and transcendental nature. Says the Mahanirvana Tantra : "Just as all colors disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in her". Her nudity is primeval, fundamental, and transparent like Nature � the earth, sea, and sky. Kali is free from the illusory covering, for she is beyond the all maya or "false consciousness." Kali's garland of fifty human heads that stands for the fifty letters in the Sanskrit alphabet, symbolizes infinite knowledge. Her girdle of severed human hands signifies work and liberation from the cycle of karma. Her white teeth show her inner purity, and her red lolling tongue indicates her omnivorous nature � "her indiscriminate enjoyment of all the world's 'flavors'." Her sword is the destroyer of false consciousness and the eight bonds that bind us. Her three eyes represent past, present, and future, � the three modes of time � an attribute that lies in the very name Kali ('Kala' in Sanskrit means time ). The eminent translator of Tantrik texts, Sir John Woodroffe in Garland of Letters , writes, "Kali is so called because She devours Kala (Time) and then resumes Her own dark formlessness." Kali's proximity to cremation grounds where the five elements or "Pancha Mahabhuta" come together, and all worldly attachments are absolved, again point to the cycle of birth and death. The reclined Shiva lying prostrate under the feet of Kali suggests that without the power of Kali (Shakti), Shiva is inert. Forms, Temples, and Devotees Kali's guises and names are diverse. Shyama, Adya Ma, Tara Ma and Dakshina Kalika, Chamundi are popular forms. Then there is Bhadra Kali, who is gentle, Shyamashana Kali, who lives only in the cremation ground, and so on. The most notable Kali temples are in Eastern India � Dakshineshwar and Kalighat in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Kamakhya in Assam, a seat of tantrik practices. Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Swami Vivekananda , Vamakhyapa, and Ramprasad are some of the legendary devotees of Kali. One thing was common to these saints � all of them loved the goddess as intimately as they loved their own mother. "My child, you need not know much in order to please Me. Only Love Me dearly. Speak to me, as you would talk to your mother, if she had taken you in her arms." ****** Dhanteras Traditionally, the festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated over a period of five days. Each one of the five days has its unique connotation, ceremonies and legends associated. Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin i.e. two days before Diwali. Dhanteras is celebrated to seek blessings of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. In the amalgamation of Dhan teras 'Dhan' means wealth. People and specially the rich community celebrate Dhan teras festival widely. Dhanteras is regarded as an auspicious occasion to buy some gold or silver articles. Many people shop for new utensils for their household. Dhanteras festival is ideal time for setting up businesses, commencing new projects, housewarming, deciding wedding dates, buying cars and jewellery. Today, exchange of Dhanteras gifts is extremely popular. Special gifts for Dhanteras flood the markets. The legend behind Dhanteras is centred on the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was fated to breathe his last on the fourth day of his marriage owing to snakebite. On the appointed day his wife illuminated the house with numerous lamps and placed a heap of gold and silver coins and ornaments in front of their bedroom. All through the night she sang songs and told stories. The lights of the lamps, and the dazzle of the coins and ornaments blinded the god of death, Yam devta, who had come as a serpent. He spent the entire night in the heap listening to the sweet sounding songs before leaving peacefully the next morning. Thus, the wife succeeded in saving the life of her husband. This explains, why the Dhan teras festival is also referred to as "Yamadeepdaan". ****** Deepavali AASHWAYUJA KRISHNA CHATURDASHI TO KAARTIKA SHUKLA DWITEEYAA The 14th Day of the dark half of Aashwayuja to the 2nd day of bright half of Kaartik If there is one occasion which is all joy and all jubilation for one and all - the young and the old, men and women - for the entire Hindu world, it is Deepaavali - the Festival of Lights. Even the humblest of huts will be lighted by a row of earthern lamps. Crackers resound and light up the earth and the sky. The faces of boys and girls flow with a rare charm in their dazzling hues and colors. Illumination - Deepotsavas - in temples and all sacred places of worship and one the banks of rivers symbolize the scattering of spiritual radiance all round from these holy centres. The radiant sight of everybody adorned with new and bright clothes, especially ladies decorated with the best of ornaments, captures the social mood at its happiest. And all this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, is to signify the victory of divine forces over those of wickedness. Narakaasura was a demon king ruling over Praagjyotishapura (the present-day Assam). By virtue of his powers and boons secured from God, he became all-conquering. Power made him swollen-headed and he became a menace to the good and the holy men and even the Gods. The Gods headed by Devendra implored Sri Krishna who was at Dwaaraka (in the present-day Gujarat) to come to their rescue. Sri Krishna responded. He marched from the western end of the country to its eastern end, Praagjyotishapura, destroyed the huge army which opposed him finally beheaded Narakaasura himself. The populace was freed from the oppressive tyranny and all heaved a sigh of relief. The 16,000 women kept in captivity by the demon king were freed. With a view to removing any stigma on them and according social dignity, Sri Krishna gave all of them the status of his wives. After the slaying of Narakaasura Sri Krishna bathed himself smearing his body with oil in the early morning of Chaturdashi. Hence the invigorating vogue of taking an early morning `oil-bath' on that day. Mother Earth, whose son Narakaasura was, requested Sri Krishna that the day be celebrated as one of jubilation. Sri Krishna granted the request and since then the tradition has continued. Mother Earth reconciled herself to the loss of her son and knowing as she did that the Lord had punished her son for the sake of the welfare of the world, she set a glowing example of how one has to brush aside one's personal joys and sorrows in the interest of society. It is this deliverance of the people from the clutches of the asuras that fill the people with joy. Then follows Amaavaasya, the new moon day, auspicious for offering prayers and gratitude to the bygone ancestors of the family and invoking their memories and blessings for treading the path of right conduct. This is also the sacred occasion for the worship of Mahaa Lakshmi, the goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. The business community open their New Year's account with Her worship. This reminds us of the famous saying of the sage Vyaasa, 'dharmaadarthashcha kaamashcha...' - it is through right conduct that wealth and fulfilment of desires also accrue. In northern parts of Bharat, Deepaavali is associated with the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya after vanquishing Raavana. The people of Ayodhya, overwhelmed with joy, welcomed Rama through jubilation and illumination of the entire capital. Well has it been said that while Sri Rama unified the north and south of our country, Sri Krishna unified the west and the east. Sri Rama and Sri Krishna together therefore symbolize the grand unity of our motherland. The third day, i.e., the first day of Kaartik, is named Balipratipada, after the demon king Bali, the ruler of Paataala (the netherworld), who had extended his kingdom over the earth also. On the day, Sri Vishnnu, taking the form of a dwarfish Brahmin by name Vaamana, approached Bali, for a boon of space equal to his three steps. Bali, known for his charity, gladly granted the boon. Vaamana now grew into a gigantic form; with one step he covered the entire earth, with the second he covered the outer sky, and asked Bali where he should keep his third step. Bali, left with no other choice, showed his own head. Sri Vishnu placed his foot on Bali's head and pushed him down to the netherworld, the rightful territory of Bali's reign. However, Bali prayed to the Lord that he might be permitted to visit the earth once a year. Now it was the turn of Vishnu to grant the boon. And the people too offer their and respect to him on this day. The annual visit of Bali is celebrated in Kerala as Onam. It is the most popular festival for Kerala where every Hindu home receives him with floral decorations and lights and festoons adorn all public places. Onam, however, falls on the 16th day of Aavani (Sowramaana) in september. The pratipada is also the day for Govardhana Pooja and Anna Koota (heap of grains), the former signifying the Govardhana episode in Sri Krishna's life and the latter conveying affluence and prosperity. The fourth and final day is Yama Dwiteeya, also called Bahu beej. It is a most touching moment for the family members when even distant brothers reach their sisters to strengthen that holy tie. The sister applies tilak and waves aarati to her brother, and the brother offers loving presents to the sister. To the Jains, Deepaavali has an added significance to the great event of Mahaaveera attaining the Eternal Bliss of Nirvaana. The passing into Eternity on the same Amaavaasya of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, that leonine sanyasin who was one of the first to light the torch of Hindu Renaissance during the last century, and of Swami Ramatirtha who carried the fragrance of the spiritual message of Hindu Dharma to the western world, have brought the national-cum-spiritual tradition of Deepaavali right up to modern times. History: Diwali is a five day Hindu festival which occurs on the fifteenth day of Kartika. During this time, homes are thoroughly cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Laksmi, goddess of wealth. Candles and lamps are lit as a greeting to Laksmi. Gifts are exchanged and festive meals are prepared during Diwali. Diwali, being the festival of lights, thousands of lamps are lit in and outside every home on the day. Lamp or �Deep� is the symbol of knowledge. Lighting the lamp of knowledge within us means to understand and reflect upon the significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to our day to day lives. The first day of Diwali: The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras .It is in fact the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksh (the dark forthnight) of the month of Kartik. On this day, Lord Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurvedic medicine (medicine which promotes healthy long life) for mankind. This day marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations. On this day at sunset,Hindus should bathe and offer a lighted deeya with Prasad (sweets offered at worship time) to Yama Raj (the Lord of Death) and pray for protection from untimely death. This offering should be made near a Tulsie tree (the Holy Basil) or any other sacred tree that one might have in their yard. If there is no sacred tree, a clean place in the front yard will suffice. The second day of Diwali: The second day of Diwali is called Narak Chaturdasi. It is the fourteenth lunar day (thithi) of the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear. On this day, we should massage our bodies with oil to relieve it of tiredness, bathe and rest so that we can celebrate Diwali with vigour and devotion. On this night, Yama Deeya should NOT be lit. The Shastras (Laws of Dharma) declares that Yama Deeya should be offered on Triodasi night with Prasad. The misconception that Yama Deeya should be offered on the night before Diwali came about some years ago when the fourteenth lunar day (Chaturdasi) was of a very short duration and caused Triodasi to extend into the night before Diwali. Some people mistook it to mean that because Yama Deeya was lit on that night, that it should always be lit on the night before Diwali. This is absolutely not true. It is advisable that one consults with a learned Pandit or Hindu Astrologer for proper guidance on this matter. The third day of Diwali. Actual Diwali....... This is the day when worship unto Mother Lakshmi is performed. Hindus cleanse themselves and join with their families and their Pandit (priest) and they worship the divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The fourth day of Diwali. On this day, Goverdhan Pooja is performed. Many thousands of years ago, Lord Krishna caused the people of Vraja to perform Goverdhan Pooja. From then on, every year Hindus worship Goverdhan to honour that first Pooja done by the people of Vraja. It is written in the Ramayan that when the bridge was being built by the Vanar army, Hanuman (a divine loyal servant of Lord Rama possessing enormous strength) was bringing a mountain as material to help with the construction of the bridge. The call was given that enough materials was already obtained. Hanuman placed the mountain down before He could have reached the construction site. Due to lack of time, He could not have returned the mountain to its original place. The deity presiding over this mountain spoke to Hanuman asking of His reason for leaving the mountain there. Hanuman replied that the mountain should remain there until the age of Dwapar when Lord Rama incarnates as Lord Krishna in the form of man. He, Lord Krishna will shower His grace on the mountain and will instruct that the mountain be worshiped not only in that age but but in ages to come. This deity whom Hanuman spoke to was none other than Goverdhan (an incarnation of Lord Krishna),who manifested Himself in the form of the mountain. To fulfill this decree, Goverdhan Pooja was performed and is continued to be performed today. The fifth day of Diwali. The fifth day of the diwali is called Bhratri Dooj. This is the day after Goverdhan Pooja is performed and normally two days after Diwali day. It is a day dedicated to sisters. We have heard about Raksha Bandhan (brothers day). Well this is sisters day. Many moons ago,in the Vedic era, Yama (Yamraj, the Lord of death) visited His sister Yamuna on this day. He gave his sister a Vardhan (a boon) that whosoever visits her on this day shall be liberated from all sins. They will achieve Moksha or final emancipation. From then on, brothers visit their sisters on this day to enquire of their welfare. This day marks the end of the five days of Diwali celebrations. This is also known as Bhai fota among Bengalis. Bhai fota is an event especially among Bengalis when the sister prays for her brother's safety, success and well being. The Origin of Diwali: Hindu Mythology: According to Ramayana, Diwali commemorates the return of Ram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the eldest son of King Dasharath of Ayodhya, from his 14-year exile with Sita and Lakshman after killing the Ravan, a demon king. The people of Ayodhya illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and fireworks to celebration of the return of their king. In rural areas, Diwali signifies Harvest Festival. Diwali which occurs at the end of a cropping season has along with the above custom, a few others that reinforce the hypothesis of its having originated as a harvest. Every harvest normally spelt prosperity. The celebration was first started in India by farmers after they reaped their harvests. They celebrated with joy and offered praises to God for granting them a good crop. During the reign of Emperor Prithu, there was a worldwide famine. He ordered that all available cultivatable lands be ploughed.When the rains came, the land became very fertile and grains were planted. The harvest provided food not only to feed all of India, but for all civilisation. This harvest was close to Diwali time and was a good reason to celebrate Diwali with great joy and merriment by a wider community. When Lord Krishna destroyed Narakasur on the day before Diwali, the news of it travelled very rapidly throught the land.It gave people who were already in a joyful mood, another reason for celebrating Diwali with greater pride and elaboration. In the Adi Parva of the Mahabarat , the Pandavas returned from the forest during Diwali time. Once more, the celebrations extended beyond the boundaries of India to wherever Hindus lived. It is on the same day of Amavasya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, that leonine sanyasin who was one of the first to light the torch of Hindu Renaissance during the last century, passed into Eternity. Swami Ramatirtha who carried the fragrance of the spiritual message of Hindu Dharma to the western world, also passed into eternity. The lights kindled on this day also mark the attempt of their followers to immortalize the sacred memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of millions of their fellow beings. The passage of these great men have indeed brought the national-cum-spiritual tradition of Deepavali right up to modern times. Sikh Festival Diwali In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. History states two commonly known reasons for his imprisonment. One is that the Muslim Raja approached Guru Hargobind Ji upon his entering Gwalior and told the Guru to denounce his Sikh religion and to join the Muslim faith. With the intention of utilizing the Guru�s great strength and fearlessness needed in battles. Being outraged by this request, the Guru rejected his proposition. In retaliation he captured the Guru and held him against his will. But eventually the Guru managed to free himself of this unjust imprisonment and returned to his beloved town of Amritsar. To commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the townspeople lit the way to, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his honour. For more about Diwali for Sikhs Click Here . Jain Festival Diwali: Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira who established the dharma as we follow it. Lord Mahavira was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13 in the Nata clan at Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on Vishakha Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula river at the age of 42. He initiated his shaashan (Jaina-shashana) on Shravana KrashNa 1 at his first assembly at Rajgrah. After having preached the dharma for 30 years, he attained Nirvana at Pava, at the age of 71 years and 6 and half months. For more about Diwali for Jains Click Here . Celebration: In Punjab, the day following Diwali is known as tikka when sisters make a paste with saffron and rice and place an auspicious mark on their brother�s foreheads as a symbolic gesture to ward off all harm. In North India on the day of the Diwali the children emerge, scrubbed clean to get into their festive attire, and light up little oil lamps, candles and agarbathis the wherewithal for setting alight crackers and sparklers. Likewise, on the second day of the month of Kartik, the people of Maharashtra exchange gifts. In Maharashtra, it is the thirteenth day of Ashwin, the trayodasi, that is observed as a festival commemorating a young prince whom Yama, the God of Death, had claimed four days after his marriage. Filled, however, with compassion for the luckless youth, the legend goes, Yama promised that those who observed the day would be spared untimely death�and so the lamps that are lit to mark the festival are placed facing south, unlike on other festive days, because south is the direction mythologically assigned to Yama. For the Bengalis, it is the time to worship Goddess Kali , yet another form of Durga, the divine embodiment of supreme energy. KALI is the Goddess who takes away darkness. She cuts down all impurities, consumes all iniquities, purifies Her devotees with the sincerity of Her Love. Tradition: Diwali is supposed to be a corruption of the word Deepavali, the literal meaning of which in Sanskrit is �a row of lamps.� Filling little clay lamps with oil and wick and lighting them in rows all over the house is a tradition that is popular in most regions of the country. In the north, most communities observe the custom of lighting lamps. However, in the south, the custom of lighting baked earthen lamps is not so much part of this festival as it is of the Karthikai celebrations a fortnight later. The lights signify a welcome to prosperity in the form of Lakshmi, and the fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirits. For the grown-ups, there is also a custom of indulging in gambling during Diwali. It is all in fun, though, in a spirit of light-hearted revelry, and merrymaking. The children can be seen bursting fire crackers and lighting candles or earthen lamps. This is a time of generously exchanging sweets with neighbors and friends. Puffed rice and sugar candy are the favorite fares. Diwali is a time for shopping, whether for gifts or for adding durable items to one�s own household. The market soars�everything from saffron to silver and spices to silks. Yet, symbolic purchases are to be made as part of tradition during Diwali. Whatever may be the fables and legends behind the celebrations of Diwali, all people in India exchange sweets, wear new clothes and buy jewellery at this festive time. Card parties are held in many homes. Diwali has become commercialised as the biggest annual consumer spree because every family shops for sweets, gifts and fireworks. However, in all this frenzy of shopping and eating, the steady, burning lamp is a constant symbol of an illuminated mind . The Diwali Festival lasts for five days. They are known as Dhantrayodashi, Narakchaturdashi, Laxmipujan (New Moon Day), Bali Pratipada, and Bhaubij. On Dhantrayodashi ("Dhan" = wealth; "Trayodashi" = thirteenth Day) people clean the portion in front of the house and with powders of different colours make beautiful designs on the ground called "rangoli". The women prepare sweet and pungent foods. Three oil lamps are lit and Divali is on ("line of lit lamps"). Lord Ram 's Return On this day, Lord Ram (the incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the treta Yug) returned to his capital Ayodhya after the exile of fourteen years. Thousands of Years have passed by, and yet so ideal is the kingdom of Ram (Ram Rajya) that it is remembered to this day. Ravan has been eliminated along with most of his rakshasas - by Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman, and their army of monkeys. Sita has been returned to her husband Ram, and they now make their way to Ayodhya in triumph and glory. The festival of lights is one of the most beautiful of Indian festivals. It comes 21 days after Dussehra and celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after his 14 year exile. Homes are decorated, sweets are distributed by everyone and thousands of lamps lit in houses all over the country making it a night of enchantment. Doorways are hung with Torans (a decorative garland for the door) of mango leaves and marigolds. Rangolis (designs on floor) are dawn with different coloured powders to welcome guests. Worship of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and fireworks and festivities are an essential part of the occasion. ****** Govardhan Puja Govardhan Puja is an occasion to worship Lord Krishna and Govardhan Parbat or Mount Govardhan, near Mathura. The fourth day of Diwali celebrations is reserved for Govardhan Puja. Goverdhan Puja is festival celebrated in commemoration of the lifting of Mount Govardhan by Krishna. The day after Diwali is celebrated as Govadhan Puja when Govardhan Parbat or Mount Govardhan, near Mathura, is worshipped. The devotees of Lord Krishna keep awake the whole night and cook as many as fifty-six or one hundred and eight different types of dishes for the bhog (the offering of food) to Krishna. This sacred ceremony is referred to as ankut i.e. a mountain of food. After being offered to the lord, the delicacies are distributed as prasad to devotees. According to Vishnu-Puran, the people of Gokul commemorated a festival in honour of Lord Indra and worshipped him after the end of monsoon season every year. In his young years Lord Krishna once prohibited the people from offering prayers to Lord Indra. Angered Lord Indra sent a torrent to sink Gokul. Lord Krishna lifted the mountain and held it as an umbrella for the people and saved them. ****** Bhaiyya dooj The festival of brother and sister Bhaiyya Dooj is celebrated on the 2nd day of the Shukla Paksha of the Caitra Month, and the 2nd day of Shukla Paksha of the Kartik Month. On this day before afternoon itself worship is performed. Those women who cannot move out of their homes they near the door of the house make two small idols of ruddle which indicate brother and sister in law and worship the idols with rice (parched), a mixture of lime and turmeric (roli) and offer food to the idols. After this, the door itself is worshipped and outside just below the doorsteps, at the entrance and altar (Square shaped) of Gobar (cow dung) is made. On the altar at every cornet there is one idol of cow dung placed and in between one idol is placed, Domestic commodities such as Hearth, grind mill, the pots are made of cow dung are decorated and placed every where around. At the doorstep the idol of brother and sister-in-law are made. Firstly parched grains, mixture of lime and turmeric, incense offerings are offered and the altar is worshipped and after that the idols kept at the doorstep one worshipped and then a story is told, After the story is over the women with the pestle say. Who ever are jealous of my brother and are with intention to do bad, I will destroy his fall with this pestle. Bhai Dooj: After the high voltage celebrations of the festival of lights and fire-crackers, sisters all over India get ready for 'Bhai Dooj' - when sisters ceremonize their love by putting an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark on the forehead of their brothers and perform an aarti of him by showing him the light of the holy flame as a mark of love and protection from evil forces. Sisters are lavished with gifts, goodies and blessings from their brothers. Bhai Dooj or Bhau Beej as it is known, is the fifth day of the Diwali festival, which falls on a new moon night. The name 'Dooj' means the second day after the new moon, the day of the festival, and 'Bhai' means brother. This day is special amongst brothers and sisters and is observed as a symbol of love and affection. The bond between them is strengthened on this day. Traditionally the sister applies tilak (red vermilion) on her brother's forehead and performs on aarti (a Puja) of him, wishing him a long and successful life. In return, the brother blesses his sister and offers her sweets and gifts. This day is also known as Yama Dwiteeya as it is believed that on this day Yama Raj, the God of Death, visited Yami, his sister. She applied the tilak on his forehead and the spent happy moments together and exchanged special gifts as a token of love. Yama Raj then announced that anyone who received a tilak from his sister on this day would never be thrown. Hence till this day, the practice continues and brothers visit their sisters and the bond of love is strengthened. Like all other Hindu festivals, Bhai Dooj too has got a lot to do with family ties and social attachments. It serves as a good time, especially for a married girl, to get together with her own family, and share the post-Diwali glee. Myths & Legends: Bhai Dooj is also called 'Yama Dwiteeya' as it's believed that on this day, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death and the Custodian of Hell, visits his sister Yami, who puts the auspicious mark on his forehead and prays for his well being. So it's held that anyone who receives a tilak from his sister on this day would never be hurled into hell. According to one legend, on this day, Lord Krishna, after slaying the Narakasura demon, goes to his sister Subhadra who welcomes him the lamp, flowers and sweets, and puts the holy protective spot on her brother's forehead. Yet another story behind the origin of Bhai Dooj says that when Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, attained nirvana, his brother King Nandivardhan was distressed because he missed him and was comforted by his sister Sudarshana. Since then, women have been revered during Bhai Dooj. ****** Guru Nanak Jayanti Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith, was born in the month of Kartik (October/November), and his birthday is known as Guru Nanak Jayanti. He was born in 1469 A.D. at Tolevandi some 30 miles from Lahore. The anniversaries of Sikh Guru's are known as Gurpurabs (festivals) and are celebrated with devotion and dedication. GurPurabs mark the culmination of Prabhat Pheris, the early morning procession that start from the gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and then go around localities singing 'shabads' (hymns). The celebrations also include the three-day Akhand path, during which the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib is read continuously, from beginning to end without a break. On the day of the festival, the Granth Sahib is also carried in a procession on a float, decorated with flowers, throughout a village or city. Five armed guards, who represent the Panj Pyares, head the procession carrying Nishan Sahibs (the Sikh flag). Local bands playing religious music form a special part of the procession. ****** Christmas The birth of Jesus is celebrated with great rejoicing all over the world on December 25th. The feast is preceded by a period of about one month (four Sundays) known as Advent. Jesus is the long awaited Savior. The first part of the Bible, or Old Testament, presents the history of humanity ever since the fall of Adam and Eve as a long expectation. Mankind in different degrees of awareness has been looking forward to the coming of the Liberator. Sin with all its consequences seems to be ever frustrating the efforts of men. Salvation seems to be beyond their reach. But the longing persists even after a thousand failures. This longing is the theme of Advent, Christmas its fulfillment. The Savior, the desired of the nations is born. This festival is celebrated by the Christians and non- Christians alike with special enthusiasm. All the major Indian cities wear a festive look. Shops and bazaars are decorated for the occasion and offer attractive bargains. Carol singing, get- togethers and the exchanging of gifts enhance the Christmas spirit. Chrismas parties launch off celebrations for the New Year, thus retaining the festive mood for at least a week. ********	i don't know
What famous UK 304-mile protest march took place in October 1936?	Famous British protests - Telegraph Expat Picture Galleries Famous British protests The Jarrow March took place in October 1936, when 200 protesters walked from the town of Jarrow to London to lobby parliament over poverty and unemployment in North East England. Their MP, Ellen Wilkinson, marched with them. The protest is often described as an important day in Labour's history, but was largely ignored by the Government at the time. Picture: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy	Jarrow March
On 19-20 October 1917 the largest fleet of what attempted and mostly failed to attack the UK?	BBC News - Unemployment campaigners recreate 1936 Jarrow March Unemployment campaigners recreate 1936 Jarrow March 01 October 11 07:40 A group of young unemployed people have begun a walk from Tyne and Wear to London in a recreation of the Jarrow March which took place 75 years ago. In 1936, 200 jobless men marched on the government with a 12,000-name petition calling for employment help. On Saturday, some of their great-grandchildren were among those taking part in the new protest, calling for similar help from ministers. Campaign group Youth Fight for Jobs said it hoped hundreds would take part. Students and young trade unionists also joined the march. It will finish in London with a demonstration on 5 November to protest against the high levels of youth unemployment. Claire Laker-Mansfield, one of the organisers, said: "We are marching to demand that the government does more to invest in a decent future for young people. "We think it is unfair that in the 21st Century, young people are facing long-term unemployment. There are almost a million young people out of work, and the jobs market is not getting any better." The march has been backed by trade unions including the Rail Maritime and Transport union and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: "Three-quarters of a century on, the young people recreating this famous march are sending an important message that our communities must never again be abandoned to pay for an economic crisis they did not cause." The government says it is taking action to tackle unemployment, which rose to 2.51 million in the three months to July, by creating 300,000 new apprenticeships and rolling out its Work Programme.	i don't know
The Grand Bazaar, said to be the world's largest covered market, is in which city?	How to Prepare For the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, World’s Oldest and Biggest Covered Market Your personal Istanbul city trip & expat guide How to Prepare For the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, World’s Oldest and Biggest Covered Market by Istanbul Trails in City Trip , Things To See & Do The Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı), built in the 15th century, is the oldest covered market in the world. Covering an area of 54.653 square meters, it also still ranks as one of the world’s biggest covered markets. In other words, keep on reading if you want to be prepared before entering this maze of 56 interconnecting vaulted passages, housing over 4.000 shops with persistent shopkeepers eager to use their relentless sales tricks. Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) There are four main entrances to the Grand Bazaar. Tel: +90 212 522 31 73 – +90 212 519 12 48 on Map with Tourist Attractions in the Historical Part of Istanbul Open Daily between 08.30 and 19.00. Closed on Sundays and October 29th. The bazaar is also closed for the full duration of religious holidays. Ticket Sales This series on the Grand Bazaar will cover: The history of the Grand Bazaar (see below) The Grand Bazaar Essentials, including a map, tips and tricks The Grand Bazaar Started Out Small The Grand Bazaar was commissioned by Mehmet II (1444-1481) immediately after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1453 to provide financial resources for the Hagia Sophia . The construction of the Grand Bazaar began in 1461. The Grand Bazaar, which was a wooden structure at the beginning, is now entirely built of stone and brick. Bricks were used for the vaulted arches, cut stones were used at the base of the arches, and walls were built by plastering over bricks or stone. The oldest building is the Cevahir or İç Bedesten. The second oldest building is the Sandal Bedesten. Bedesten, a vaulted and fireproofed segment of the Grand Bazaar, gets its name from bez (cloth) and means cloth seller’s market. Both bedestens are typical examples of classical Ottoman architecture. The Cevahir Bedesten, initially built for cloth trading and separated from the rest of the Grand Bazaar by four gates, later developed into a market for gold and precious stones. Located in the center of the Grand Bazaar, it also houses a bank. Named after a type of cloth woven of silk and cotton fibers, the Sandal Bedesten spans an area of 2.435 square meters and is covered by 20 lead-plated domes. The Istanbul Municipality used the Sandal Bedesten as an auction house 1914 to 1980. The Grand Bazaar Today The Grand Bazaar reached its present size after the surrounding streets were provided overhead cover using canvas and the neighboring hans were integrated into it. Hans (inns) are two- or three-storied buildings. The shops within the hans were called hucre (cell) and they faced the square or rectangular inner court. Every street was dedicated to a profession. Today most of these professions have disappeared but their memories live on through the names of the streets. Initially the roofs of the domes were covered with lead sheets. Later clay tiles from Marseille were used and today they are covered with ordinary tiles. Competition was banned in the Grand Bazaar. Up to the 19th century, the shops, called dolap, did not have a name or signboard. The Grand Bazaar underwent restoration only after the 1894 earthquake. It was after that when Western style signboards and display windows started being used. While there were 29 hans before the restoration process, only 17 were left after the restoration. Up until recently the Grand Bazaar was home to 5 mosques, 1 school, 7 fountains, 10 wells, 1 water dispenser and 1 ablution fountain. Today only 1 mosque and 1 ablution fountain are left. It has 21 gates, 2 bedestens, 17 inns, 56 streets, nearly 4000 shops and employs more than 30.000 people. Tourist Trap or Not? For centuries the Grand Bazaar was the most vital centre of commerce, handicraft and finance in the Mediterranean and Near East. Today, many may refer to the Grand Bazaar as a tourist trap, but that’s a distortion of the truth. Sure, without proper preparation for a visit to the Grand Bazaar , you may be an easy prey for the seasoned shopkeepers. But if you know how to bargain like a Turk, you can make excellent deals for authentic leather items, carpets, gold, silver or souvenirs; just like the locals do. In the end, the Grand Bazaar was and is a place where (import/export) businesses flourish. The fact that it became a tourist attraction is of course a nice extra. Istanbul’s Best Hotels, at Guaranteed Lowest Prices! Reserve online - Pay at the hotel!	Istanbul
Apple's smartphone launched in Autumn/Fall 2011 to unprecedented demand was the iphone?	Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) (Istanbul, Turkey): Top Tips Before You Go - TripAdvisor Neighborhood Profile Grand Bazaar Tourists, hawkers, and locals come together at the Grand Bazaar to comb its labyrinthine passageways in search of a bargain – be it a pair of brand name jeans, a handcrafted silk rug, or a perfectly brewed cup of tea. Outside the vast bazaar, worn, narrow streets wind their way down from its lofty perch to the southern shore of the Golden Horn, where the evocatively aromatic Spice Bazaar beckons alongside the elegant New Mosque (opened in 1665). Nearby, the famed Galata Bridge offers pedestrian access to urban delights across the river in Istanbul’s more residential and contemporary neighborhoods, while the must-see sights of Sultanahmet are but a leisurely stroll away.	i don't know
What is a person called who is unappreciative or hostile towards the arts, derived from an ancient race depicted in the Bible as great enemies of Israel?	3. Zephaniah \| Bible.org 3. Zephaniah Historical Context Setting Though an occasional voice of protest has been heard, 648 few scholars have failed to accept the information in the superscription that the book’s author prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.) as indicative of the setting of this short prophecy. 649 Rather, discussion concerning the date and background of the book has centered chiefly on the specific period within Josiah’s reign. The moral and spiritual conditions mentioned by Zephaniah have been taken by many to refer to Judah’s persistent apostasy and immorality despite the Josianic reform that began in earnest after the finding of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8) in 621 B.C. (e.g., A. R. Fausset, C. L. Feinberg, J. Hannah, C. F. Keil, V. Reid, L. Walker). Others, however, believe that such matters as Zephaniah denounces could only be true of the earlier portion of Josiah’s reign, either when the boy king was yet unable to deal with the longstanding effects of the wickedness of Judah’s two previous kings, Manasseh and Amon, or when his reformation had only recently got underway (e.g., J. A. Bewer, C. H. Bullock, P. C. Craigie, F. C. Eiselen, O. Eissfeldt, H. Freeman, H. Hailey, R. K. Harrison, H. Hummel, A. S. Kapelrud, T. Laetsch, G. A. Larue, E. B. Pusey, T. H. Robinson, G. A. Smith, J. M. P. Smith, C. von Orelli). 650 With capable scholars on both sides of the question, one is at first tempted to conclude with D. A. Schneider that “the evidence is insufficient to decide this debate.” 651 In examining the internal data, however, several conclusions seem to favor the earlier period in Josiah’s reign: (1) religious practices in Judah were still plagued with Canaanite syncretistic rites such as characterized the era of Manasseh (1:4-5, 9); (2) many failed to worship Yahweh at all (1:6); (3) royalty were enamored with wearing the clothing of foreign merchants (1:8) who had extensive business enterprises in Jerusalem (1:10-11); and (4) Judahite society was beset by socio-economic ills (1:12-13, 18) and political and religious corruption (3:1-4, 7, 11). All this sounds like the same sort of wickedness that weighed heavily on the heart of Habakkuk. Moreover, several of the specific sins (e.g., 1:4-5, 9; 3:4) would have been corrected in Josiah’s reforms. Accordingly, I am inclined to side with those who prefer a date before 621 B.C. 652 But how much before? Some have suggested that the political situation brought about by a Scythian raid (c. 630 B.C.) 653 occasioned both Zephaniah’s response to God’s call and his urgent message concerning God’s impending judgment of the world. 654 However, because the evidence of such an invasion is now considered to be tenuous at best, “the Scythian hypothesis has now been almost universally abandoned.” 655 Thus the search for a precise date for Zephaniah cannot be pressed too far. Nevertheless the conditions denounced by Zephaniah do seem to echo the social and religious ills decried by Habakkuk, so that if Habakkuk ministered in the mid-seventh century B.C. (see Introduction to Habakkuk) a date earlier in Josiah’s reign is plausible. If so, Pusey may be on the right track: The foreground of the prophecy of Zephaniah remarkably coincides with that of Habakkuk. Zephaniah presupposes that prophecy and fills it up. Habakkuk had prophesied the great wasting and destruction through the Chaldaeans, and then their destruction.... Zephaniah ... brings before Judah the other side, the agency of God Himself. God would not have them forget Himself in His instruments. Hence all is attributed to God. 656 When one considers that Josiah was only eight years old when he ascended the throne in 640 B.C. and was dependent upon royal officials of questionable integrity (cf. 3:3), the cause for Zephaniah’s alarm is apparent. Further, that Josiah’s reforms were not instituted until the twelfth year of his reign (628 B.C.), four years after his initial spiritual awakening (2 Chron. 34:3), suggests that Zephaniah’s prophetic activities may have had a salutary effect in the reformation of that era. Thus a date of 635-630 B.C. is not unlikely. Accepting such a date means that the historical setting has advanced little beyond that of Nahum and Habakkuk. Externally the Pax Assyriaca held sway. Of that great era W. W. Hallo observes that, in addition to the Assyrian rulers’ attention to administrative matters and details relative to extensive building projects, literature and learning too came into their own, and the vast library assembled by Assurbanipal at Nineveh is only the most dramatic expression of the new leisure. In spite of their protestations to the contrary, the later Sargonid kings were inclined to sit back and enjoy the fruits of empire. 657 Yet it is somewhat ironic that Ashurbanipal, who had already reigned some thirty years by the time of Zephaniah and under whom the zenith of Assyrian affluence and culture was achieved, was possessed by a personal weakness that would be mirrored in the Assyrian state itself. It was a defect of Ashurbanipal as a king that he had nothing in him of the great strategist, statesman, or soldier. He was as barren in political insight as he was rich in vindictiveness. It was his misfortune that he was called to be king when by inclination he was a scholastic. 658 Because Ashurbanipal was preoccupied with the belles lettres that inspired him to collect the ancient texts, particularly those dealing with traditional wisdom and religious matters, 659 affairs in the empire began to show signs of the decay that would hasten its demise a scant generation after his death in 626 B.C. 660 Indeed, already by Zephaniah’s day “an uneasy consciousness of impending disaster overhung the court, and not all the claims of a less and less honest history could conceal the danger on every side.” 661 Under such conditions it is small wonder that Josiah was increasingly free to pursue his reform policies, extending them even to the northern kingdom (2 Kings 23:1-25; 2 Chron. 34:32-35:19). 662 In addition, Judah could know a political and economic resurgence that it had not experienced since the days of Hezekiah. The time was ripe for national self-assertion expressed in the progressive steps of Josiah’s reformation.... So Judah saw the dawning of the day of freedom, though Josiah proceeded cautiously step by step before venturing into the Assyrian province of Samaria. 663 Leon Wood remarks: The three decades of Josiah’s reign were among the happiest in Judah’s experience. They were characterized by peace, prosperity, and reform. No outside enemies made war, the people could concentrate on constructive activity, and Josiah himself sought to please God by reinstituting matters commanded in the Mosaic Law. 664 Zephaniah therefore lived in a critical time of transition. Externally, the Assyrian ship of state began to show the stress of age and, creaking and groaning in all its timbers and joints, floundered in the seas of economic and political adversity. The ancient Near East was in the grip of climactic change, for “the whole balance of power in the Near Eastern world shifted radically from what it had been for almost three hundred years. Assyria was in its death throes.” 665 Internally, the relaxing of Assyrian pressure allowed Judah and its king the liberty to pursue the cause of righteousness without fear. It was an exciting and pivotal age in which to live. Zephaniah was to prove equal to its challenges. Indeed, he may well have been the Lord’s catalyst for the great reformation that would sweep across the land. Authorship Although some concern has been raised with regard to many passages in the book that bears his name, Zephaniah has generally been accepted as the author of a substantial core of the material of the book, particularly its first part (1:1-2:3; see under Literary Features). As for the prophet himself, Zephaniah traces his patrilineage four generations to a certain Hezekiah. Jewish (e.g., Ibn Ezra, Kimchi) and Christian commentators alike have commonly identified this Hezekiah with the king by that name. Although Laetsch is doubtless correct in stating that “Zephaniah’s royal descent cannot be proved,” 666 the unusual notice concerning four generations of family lineage indicates at the very least that Zephaniah came from a distinguished family. Perhaps he was of royal descent, but current scholarship rightly prefers to be cautious. L. Walker explains: It has been commonly accepted that this Hezekiah was no less than the famous Judean king. This is not at all certain, however; and we have no other proof of any royal status for Zephaniah, despite the unusual mention of his great-great grandfather. Although genealogies are frequent in the OT, only Zephaniah among the prophetic books exhibits a lengthy genealogical note about the author. On the other hand, some scholars argue that since the words “king of Judah” are not added to Hezekiah’s name, the reference is not to King Hezekiah. Others explain this omission on the ground that “king of Judah” follows immediately after Josiah’s name. We simply lack conclusive evidence to this interesting question. 667 Some scholars (e.g., Archer) have suggested that the time span between the birth of Hezekiah’s oldest son, Manasseh (c. 710 B.C.), and the birth of Josiah (c. 648 B.C.) is too short to allow four full generations, and others (e.g., Kapelrud) point out that Hezekiah was a common name in Judah (cf. 1 Chron. 3:23; Ezra 2:16; Neh. 7:21). In fairness to those who believe that Zephaniah was of royal descent, however, none of these objections is conclusive. Perhaps the title “king of Judah” was omitted after Hezekiah’s name out of respect for the ruling king, Josiah, to whose name it is appended. The compressed time frame may not be significant in light of the ancient custom of marriage at an early age. The argument that Hezekiah was a common biblical name is misleading in that only two other Hezekiahs are mentioned, both from the postexilic period. Further, a case can be made for Zephaniah’s royal descent. Wood observes that Zephaniah is unusual in tracing his lineage over four generations. Since he is the only prophet that does this, there must be a reason, and that reason apparently lies in the identity of the fourth person mentioned. The name given is Hizkiah. The significance of this may well be that King Hezekiah is in mind.... The lineage he gives is Hezekiah, Amariah, Gedaliah, Cushi, and Zephaniah. Comparing this with the line of Judah’s kings, the following results: King Manasseh and Amariah were brothers, King Amon and Gedaliah were first cousins, King Josiah and Cushi were second cousins, and the three sons of Josiah, all of whom ruled (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah), were third cousins of Zephaniah. 668 In support of Wood’s position it could be suggested that, if Hezekiah’s son Amariah was born of a member of the king’s harem, perhaps no legal recognition was accorded him, 669 so that he could have been older than Manasseh, a possibility allowing an expanded time frame from Hezekiah to Zephaniah’s day. Amariah could also have been born to one of Hezekiah’s daughters, who would remain unmentioned in the genealogies, and could have been older than Manasseh. Indeed, it is unlikely that Hezekiah, born in 741/40 B.C., had no children before 710 B.C. Under either scenario Zephaniah’s mentioning of Hezekiah would merely indicate his justifiable pride in his descent from the great king whose memory was held in high esteem (2 Kings 18:5). 670 In fairness to those who dispute Zephaniah’s royal lineage, none of the arguments in favor of his descent from Hezekiah is conclusive. As Bullock remarks: “However appealing the identification of Hizkiyyah with King Hezekiah, it cannot be substantiated.” 671 Whatever Zephaniah’s family associations might have been, he was thoroughly at home in Jerusalem and aware of conditions there (1:10-13). A man of keen spiritual sensitivity and moral perception, he decried the apostate and immoral hearts of the people, especially those who were in positions of leadership (1:4-6, 9, 17; 3:1-4, 7, 11). T. H. Robinson remarks: Princes, judges, prophets, priests—all alike are faithless to their true vocation and function. It is the business of the princes to protect people—instead, they use their strength to pounce on and destroy men. It is the duty of the judges to assign property to its rightful owner—instead they cling to their causes till they have appropriated in bribes or fees all that is in question. It is the task of the Prophets to assure themselves that the oracles which they deliver are the genuine word of Yahweh—instead, they recklessly pour out unauthenticated “oracles” which can only deceive men. It is the work of the priests to distinguish between the holy and the profane, and to see that the true Divine instruction is given to the worshipper—instead, they have confused all religious distinctions and criminally distorted the revelation of Yahweh. 672 Zephaniah denounced the materialism and greed that exploited the poor (1:8, 10-13, 18). He also was aware of world conditions and announced God’s judgment on the nations for their sins (2:4-15). Above all, God’s prophet had a deep concern for God’s reputation (1:6; 3:7) and for the well-being of all who humbly trust in Him (2:3; 3:9, 12-13). Zephaniah was a man for his times. He had a lively expectation of Israel’s future felicity in the land of promise (3:10, 14-20). If he was a man of social prominence and therefore had the ear of Judah’s leadership, it reminds all of us who read his messages that God uses people of all social strata. Zephaniah’s life and ministry are a testimony that one man, yielded wholly to God, can effect great things. Literary Context Literary Features Zephaniah writes to inform his readers of the coming Day of the Lord. His message is twofold: (1) this day is a judgment upon all nations and peoples, including God’s own covenant people, due to their sins against God and mankind; and (2) it is a day of purification for sin, when the redeemed of all nations shall join a regathered Israel in serving God and experiencing His blessings. 673 This basic theme of judgment and its consequences is developed in two distinctive portions, the first of which serves notice of the judgment and furnishes a description of its severity (1:2-2:3) and the second of which depicts the extent and purposes of the judgment (2:4-3:20). The early portion of Zephaniah begins with an announcement of God’s intention to bring judgment upon the whole earth (1:2-3), including apostate Judah and Jerusalem (1:4-6). Thus people are urged to “be silent before the Sovereign LORD” (1:7, NIV) who, as the divine host at a sacrificial meal, has invited His guests (the nations) to partake of the sacrifice (Judah) He has prepared (1:7-9). Those who in their godless greed have taken advantage of others are warned that they will lament over their lost material gain (1:10-13). The first half of the book comes to a climactic close with a powerful description of the coming Day of the Lord and all its attendant terrors (1:14-18) and then urges its readers to assemble before the Lord and seek His help in leading a humble and righteous life (2:1-3). Zephaniah initiates the latter portion of his prophecy with a series of divine pronouncements against the peoples who had plagued God’s people: Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Egyptians, Assyrians (2:4-15). He then denounces Jerusalem, whose people have strayed from God to follow debased and corrupt leaders (3:1-7). Once again he issues a warning: His people must listen carefully to God’s message, for His judgment is imminent and assured (3:8). The prophecy concludes by supplying the reason for the coming judgment. God will pour out His wrath not just for the sake of justice but that mankind might experience His cleansing (3:9). At a future time God will return His purified people to Jerusalem to serve Him in truth and sincerity (3:10-13). A redeemed and regathered Israel will rejoice in God and enjoy Him in everlasting felicity (3:14-20). Thus Zephaniah, like several other OT books, is arranged as a bifid. 674 This conclusion is reinforced by considering its structural components. (1) The section 1:1-2:3 forms an inclusio by means of the bookending theme of God’s dealing with the earth (1:2, 3; 2:2). A similar reference to the earth closes the second section (3:20). (2) The two halves of Zephaniah are arranged in complementary fashion: (a) pronouncements of judgment (1:2-6; 2:4-3:7) on the nations/earth (1:2-3; 2:4-15) and on Judah/Jerusalem (1:4-6; 3:1-7); (b) exhortations and warnings (1:7-13; 3:8); and (c) teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (1:14-2:3; 3:9-20), each of which is closed by admonitions (2:1-3; 3:14-20). This bifid structure is accomplished by means of distinctive stitch-words. In the first portion of the book, the first stanza is linked to the second via the careful employment of the Tetragrammaton, while the second stanza is linked to the third by reference to the Day of the Lord. In the second portion of the book, judgment (3:5, 8) and the nations (3:6, 8) provide stitching between the pronouncement section (2:4-3:7) and the following exhortation (3:8); בִּי ( kî, because/for”) links the exhortation to the added teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (3:9-13, 14-20). Each subunit likewise displays careful stitching. Thus the pronouncement against the earth (1:2-3) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem by the repetition of the phrase “cut off” (1:3, 4). One may also note the use of the Tetragrammaton and themes related to the Day of the Lord throughout the second and third stanzas (1:7-13; 1:14-2:3). In the second portion of the book, the pronouncement against the nations (2:4-15) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem via the employment of the word “woe” (2:5; 3:1), and the two strophes (3:9-13, 14-20) of the teaching stanza are stitched together with such ideas as “scattered” (3:10, 19) and “afraid/fear” (3:13, 16) as well as the phrase “in that day” (3:11, 16). 675 The structural design is schematized in the chart on page 284. Although Zephaniah does not display the literary genius of Nahum, several literary features are noteworthy. In keeping with his twofold purpose, two prophetic genres are evident: (1) positive prophetic sayings of hope (2:1-3; 3:9-13, 14-20); and (2) threats (judgment Structure of Zephaniah Declaration of the Day of the Lord’s Judgment Details Concerning the Day of the Lord’s Judgment (1:2-2:3) Instruction (3:14-20) oracles), whether to individuals (3:1-7), Judah and Jerusalem (1:4-6, 7-13), or the nations of the world (1:2-4; 2:4-15). Zephaniah makes use of exhortations (1:7-13; 3:8), two instructional admonitions (2:1-3; 3:14-20, the latter of which is almost hymnic in nature), lament (1:10-11), woes (2:4-7; 3:1-7), and pronouncements (1:2-3, 4-6; 2:4-15). Two narrative discourses giving detailed information are also present (1:14-18; 3:9-13). In addition, Zephaniah utilizes metaphor and simile (1:7, 11, 12; 2:1, 2, 4-7, 9; 3:3, 8, 13, 16), literary/historical allusions (1:3; 2:4, 9; 3:9-10, 18), personification (1:14; 3:14-15, 16), anthropopocia (1:4, 12-13; 3:7, 8, 15), irony (1:11; 2:12), merismus (1:12), synecdoche (1:16; 2:11, 13, 14; 3:6), enallage (3:7), hendiadys (3:7, 19), chiasmus (3:19), alliteration and paronomasia (1:2, 15, 17; 2:1, 4, 7, 12(?); 3:10(?), 20), enjambment (1:9-12; 2:2, 3, 14; 3:3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20), and repetition and refrain (1:2, 3, 14, 15-16, 18; 2:2, 3; 3:14-15). Several key words punctuate the prophetic material: יוֹם ( yo‚m, “day”), 21 times; קָרוֹב ( qa„ro‚b, “near”), 10 times; אָסַף ( áa„sap, “gather”), אֶרֶץ ( áeres£, “earth”), and שֵׁם ( sŒe„m, “name”), 5 times each; שָׁפַט ( sŒa„pat£, “judge”), 4 times; פָּקַד( pa„qad, “punish/visit”) and קָבַץ ( qa„bas£, “gather/assemble”), 3 times each. Some have suggested that Zephaniah made use of apocalyptic genre in his teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (e.g., Freeman, R. Smith). Thus G. A. Smith remarks: From this flash upon the concrete, he returns to a vague terror, in which earthly armies merge in heavenly; battle, siege, storm, and darkness are mingled, and destruction is spread upon the whole earth. The shades of Apocalypse are upon us. 676 Distinguishing between apocalyptic literature and prophetic eschatology is sometimes difficult, however. Thus P. D. Hanson emphasizes that though differences exist between prophetic eschatology and the eschatological material of apocalypse, there is also a strong element of continuity: Definitions attempt to specify the essential difference between prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology: the prophets, affirming the historical realm as a suitable context for divine activity, understood it as their task to translate the vision of divine activity from the cosmic level to the level of the politico-historical realm of everyday life. The visionaries, disillusioned with the historical realm, disclosed their vision in a manner of growing indifference to and independence from the contingencies of the politico-historical realm, thereby leaving the language increasingly in the idiom of the cosmic realm of the divine warrior and his council. Despite this difference in the form of prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology, it must be emphasized that the essential vision of restoration persists in both, the vision of Yahweh’s people restored as a holy community in a glorified Zion. It is this basic continuity which compels us to speak of one unbroken strand extending throughout the history of prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology. 677 Despite the overlap and continuity between prophetic eschatology and the eschatology of apocalypse, as Hanson acknowledges, some differences do exist. Most scholars add to the above distinction by noting in the apocalyptic writers attention to such matters as details of cataclysmic changes in the physical world, cosmic settings and events, and the universal resolution of all things—particularly good and evil—in the distant future. Moreover, all such details are usually related in a series of episodic happenings. Leon Morris follows A. S. Peake in adding further that “speaking generally, the prophets foretold the future that should arise out of the present, while the apocalyptists foretold the future that should break into the present.” 678 Restraint is called for in affirming that Zeph. 1:14-18 is an apocalypse, even though some characteristics of apocalyptic language are present. It does not suit the definition of apocalypse given by John J. Collins: A genre of revelatory literature with a narrative framework, in which a revelation is mediated by an otherworldly being to a human recipient, disclosing a transcendent reality which is both temporal, insofar as it envisages eschatological salvation, and spatial insofar as it involves another, supernatural world (italics his). 679 Thus while Zeph. 1:14-18 contains material of a sort that would one day become prominent in apocalyptic literature, it is not an apocalypse as such. Rather, it displays themes that are found in prophetic eschatology. In harmony with other OT prophets who spoke of the Day of the Lord, Zephaniah sees that time as one of fearful darkness and gloominess (1:15; cf. Isa. 13:6-16; Joel 1:15; 2:2, 10), awesome earthly and celestial phenomena (1:15; cf. Isa. 13:9, 10, 13; Joel 2:30, 31; 3:14, 15 [HB 3:3, 4; 4:14, 15]; Amos 5:20; Zech. 14-1-7; 2 Pet. 3:10), and a divine wrath that brings destruction, devastation, and death (1:14-18; cf. Isa. 13:15, 16; Obad. 15, 16; Zech. 14:1-3). Zephaniah’s closing messages of hope (3:9-20) are likewise in keeping with other prophecies concerning the Day of the Lord as a time of salvation and righteousness (Joel 2:32; 3:17 [HB 3:5; 4:17]; Zech. 14:2, 3) and the return of the Messiah (Zech. 14:4-7) to effect a worldwide climate of peace, prosperity, and everlasting joy (Joel 3:18, 20 [HB 4:18, 20]; Zech. 14:4-10). Zephaniah’s prediction of warfare (1:16-18) is likewise mirrored in the other prophets (e.g., Isa. 27; Ezek. 38-39; Joel 3:9-17 [HB 4:9-17]; Zech. 14:1-3; cf. Rev. 19:11-21). 680 To the extent that Zephaniah utilizes cosmic themes and extreme language he thereby anticipates later apocalyptic thought. With Zephaniah, however, we are removed from the fervor characteristic of later Jewish apocalyptic literature such as 2 Enoch, 3 Baruch, and the fragmentary apocalyptic pieces attributed to Zephaniah. 681 Indeed, Zephaniah is not so much concerned with a future that breaks into the present as he is with the unfolding of God’s sovereign and ordered arrangement of history so as to bring it to its intended culmination. As Craigie observes, The apocalyptic aspects of the prophet’s message are not so much predictions of what must happen in a future world as they are projections into the future of the potential that lies always within the human race. Insofar as Zephaniah is one of the pioneers of apocalyptic thought, we can learn from his writings. He was not, as are some modern representatives of the apocalyptic tradition, one who sat back waiting for the divine pattern of the future to unroll in a pre-ordained fashion. He perceived that the future was shaped in the present, that the horrors of apocalyptic dimensions that seem always to hover on the horizon of human history lay within the ever-present human capacity for evil, pursued to its ultimate climax. Zephaniah balanced this bleak view of human nature with a faith in God’s love (3:17), by which he was able to affirm a future of hope beyond the cataclysm. 682 Perhaps it is most appropriate to speak of Zeph. 1:14-18 as “emergent apocalyptic.” 683 As for Zephaniah’s poetic style and skill, although some have attempted to discern in the book qinah meter or the like, all such attempts are less than convincing. The most distinctive trait in Zephaniah’s style is his penchant for repetition and wordplay, both of which are utilized extensively throughout. Accordingly Zephaniah’s style is at times monotonously predictable. Nevertheless, his straightforward manner and forceful delivery capture the attention of his readers, so that J. M. P. Smith can affirm that Zephaniah can hardly be considered great as a poet. He does not rank with Isaiah, nor even with Hosea in this particular.... He had an imperative message to deliver and proceeded in the most direct and forceful way to discharge his responsibility. What he lacked in grace and charm, he in some measure atoned for by the vigour and clarity of his speech. He realised the approaching terror so keenly that he was able to present it vividly and convincingly to his hearers. No prophet has made the picture of the day of Yahweh more real. 684 Great poet or not, Zephaniah is nonetheless to be commended for his powerful pronouncements, carefully contrived puns (e.g., 2:4-7) and striking imagery. Concerning the last point, Crenshaw calls attention to Zephaniah’s “especially vivid description of the Deity wandering through the streets of Jerusalem, lamp in hand, searching for those who are overcome by a false sense of security” (1:12). 685 Zephaniah will be best remembered for his teaching concerning the Day of the Lord. The awful effects of that message are reflected in the medieval hymn Dies irae, dies illa, which has been widely translated. E. P. Mackrell observes that “there are not less than 160 English and 90 German translations of this ancient Latin hymn.” 686 Perhaps the most famous is the version in the Sarum Hymnal: Day of Wrath! O Day of mourning! See the Son’s dread Sign returning; Heaven and earth in ashes burning. Oh! what fear the sinner rendeth, When from heaven the Judge descendeth On Whose sentence all dependeth. 687 H. Hummel laments concerning the almost total abandonment of Zephaniah’s timeless message that its neglect parallels the neglect of not only end of the church year themes, but much of the Old Testament (especially the prophets) as well, and ultimately neglect of themes of Law, judgment, retribution, etc., in general. Thus our “Gospel” readily becomes “another Gospel.” 688 Outline and against the corner towers. 17”And I will bring distress to mankind so that they will proceed like blind men, for they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out* like dust and their flesh* like dung.” 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of the LORD’S wrath. In the fire of His jealousy the whole earth shall be consumed; yea, He shall make a terrifying end* of all the inhabitants of the earth. Exegesis and Exposition Once more (cf. 1:7) Zephaniah declares that the Day of the Lord is near. He previously used that fact to provide grounds for submission to the Lord. Now he supplies added details to provide a further reason for the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem to repent and submit to God. The day is near and coming quickly. In the description that follows Zephaniah describes conditions that will exist primarily in the final stages of the Day of the Lord. But the prophecy must be viewed as one vast event. Some matters that he mentions would soon take place at Jerusalem’s fall in 586 B.C.; others would be repeated in various historical epochs (e.g., A.D. 70) until the whole prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment eschatologically. Such prophecies (cf. Joel 2:28-32 [HB 3:1-5] with Acts 2:17-36) are progressively fulfilled, their individual segments termed fulfillment without consummation.” 769 Keeping such distinctions in mind enables one to keep a clear perspective as to both the meaning of the text and the effect the prophecy must have had upon Zephaniah’s hearers. However much the events detailed here may have full reference only to the final phase of the Day of the Lord, they were an integral part of the prophecy and could occur anywhere along the series. For the people of Zephaniah’s time the Day of the Lord was near—very near*—and the catastrophic conditions were capable of being soon applied with tragic consequences. In describing that time Zephaniah uses apocalypticlike themes and subject matter that occur elsewhere in prophetic passages and also utilizes a vocabulary frequently associated with them: v. 14 קָרוֹב ( qa„ro‚b, “near”; cf. Isa. 13:6, 22; Ezek. 7:7; 30:7; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 3:14 [HB 4:14]; Obad. 15), יוֹם גָּדוֹל ( yo‚m ga„do‚l, “great day”; cf. Joel 2:11, 31 [HB 3:4]), מַר (mar, “bitter”; cf. Amos 8:10) v. 15 עֶבְרָה ( àebra‚, “wrath”; cf. Isa. 13:9, 13; Ezek. 7:19; 38:19), צָרָה ( s£a„ra‚, “distress”; cf. Isa. 30:6; Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1), שֹׁאָה ( sŒo„áa‚, “destruction”; cf. Ezek. 38:9), חשֶׁךְ ( h£o„sŒek, “darkness”; cf. Joel 2:2, 31 [HB 3:4]; Amos 5:18, 20), אֲפֵלָה ( áa†pe„la‚, “gloom”; cf. Joel 2:2), עָנָן ( àa„na„n, “clouds”; cf. Ezek. 30:3, 18; 38:9, 10; Joel 2:2), עֲרָפֶל ( àaŒra„pel, “blackness”; cf. Ezek. 34:12; Joel 2:2) v. 16 שׁוֹפָר ( sŒo‚pa„r, “trumpet”; cf. Isa. 27:13; Jer. 4:5, 19, 21; Joel 2:1, 15; Zech. 9:14), תְּרוּעָה ( te†ru‚àa‚, “battle cry/blast”; cf. Jer. 4:19) v. 18 בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתוֹ ( be†áe„sŒ qináa„to‚, “in the fire of his jealousy”; cf. Ezek. 36:5, 6; 38:19), כָּלָה ( ka„la‚, “end/complete”; cf. Jer. 4:27), ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ ( yo„sŒeŒbe‚ ha„áa„res£, “the inhabitants of the earth”; cf. Jer. 24:6; 26:9, 18; Joel 2:1; see also Rev. 3:10) In composing his catalog of conditions that will characterize the Day of the Lord Zephaniah has drawn upon themes and vocabulary employed by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Joel, but he is particularly indebted to Joel 2:1-11: Subject Matter And depart, O king, from my house; rh£q krt lh£z£ry withdraw, O Keret, from my court. 967 Evidence for the latter point also falls along two lines: (1) the meaning “tribute/payment” is well known in other examples in Northwest Semitic literature; 968 (2) such a meaning is also found in the OT: Therefore, because you have imposed a tax 969 upon the poor (man) עַל־דָּל בוֹשַׁסְכֶם יַעַן לָכֵן and taken a tribute of grain from him מִמֶּנּוּ תִּקְחוּ וּמַשְׂאַת־בַּר (Amos 5:11) Utilizing these data it is possible to make good sense of the MT, as it stands, as constituting a further divine promise. God will regather those who, due to Jerusalem’s sin, were carried away as booty for the Chaldean army, a fact that stands as a reproach upon the holy city. As for מוֹעֵד (“appointed feasts”), Jack Lewis remarks: . . . mo‚àe„d must be thought of in a wide usage for all religious assemblies. Jerusalem became the city of assemblies (Isa 33:20; cf. Ezk 36:38) which were characterized by great rejoicing and were deeply missed during times of exile (Zeph 3:18; Lam 1:4). 970 3:19 † עֹשֶׂה הִנְנִי (“behold I will deal”): The construction הִנֵּה with the participle in future contexts lays stress on the certainty and immediacy of the action. 971 At that future time envisioned here, God will deal vigorously and swiftly with those who afflict His people. The verb עָשָׂה (“do/make”) followed by the particle אֶח־ is often used in the sense of “deal with” (e.g., Jer. 21:2; Ezek. 22:14; 23:25, 29). Zephaniah used this verb previously in proclaiming the speedy end of the world in the Day of the Lord (1:18). God’s effective power is underscored both there and here. † בָּשְׁתָּם (“their shame”): The syntactical relation of the form is disputed. 972 Because the preceding prepositional phrase “in all the earth” contains a definite article, it would be grammatically anomalous as part of that construction (i.e., “In all the land of their shame”; but cf. the Vg). Some (e.g., NASB, RSV) have solved the difficulty by seeing a case of enjambment and relating בָּשְׁתָּם to the controlling verb of the clause: “I will turn their shame (into praise and renown).” 973 Others have viewed the form relatively: “Whose shame hath been in all the earth” (Soncino; cf. Ewald) or “In every land where they were put to shame” (NKJV; cf. KJV, von Orelli). Among other proposals have been (1) that of Keil to treat בָּשְׁתָּם as epexegetical, “i.e. of their shame,” 974 (2) that of the LXX to view the form as a verb, a procedure that involves a restructuring of the text that relates the material involved to v. 20, “And they shall be ashamed at the time when I deal kindly with you,” and (3) that of M. Dahood to take the form as the object of the verb but to view the final mem on the verbal form as a type of dativus commodi, “And for them I shall transform their humiliation.” 975 Because of the grammatical difficulties here, some simply omit the form (Pesh.) or treat it as a corrupt dittography occasioned by the אֶת־שְׁבוּתֵיבֶם בְּשׁוּבִי of v. 20 (BHS, NJB). On the whole, the difficulty seems best solved by relating the phrase to the controlling verb, “I will turn their shame to praise and honor.” This view has the advantage of recognizing the presence of the phrase in some ancient texts. It also finds further support in the juxtaposition of the ideas of “name” and “shame” in the same Ugaritic epic material noted in the problem at Zeph. 3:10-11: bsŒm tgàrm à ttrt tg’rm ‘ttrt Athirat rebuked him by name, b t laliyn b[àl] “Be ashamed, O Aliyan Ba’al, Be ashamed, O Rider on the Clouds.” 976 The primary thrust, then, appears to be that the Lord will change His people’s shame to a name (i.e., honor) and praise. By separating the twin objects of the verb so widely, the author emphasizes the inclusive nature of the Lord’s action: Both they and their shame will be transformed to objects of honor and praise. 3:20 For אָבִיא הַהִיא בָּעֵת (“at that time I will lead”), J. M. P. Smith follows Buhl in suggesting an emendation to הֵיטִיבִי בָּעֵת (“in the time when I do good [to you]”; cf. LXX, Duhm). 977 The LXX reading, however, may depend on its own handling of the relationship of vv. 19 and 20 (see previous note). In any case, other textual data do not support it, nor does the context necessitate it. †The translation of אֶתְכֶם קַבְּצִי וּבָעֵת as “even at the time I gather you” takes the waw as explicative. 978 The use of בָּעֵת with the infinitive construct (here followed by an accusative complement) rather than a verb to express a temporal clause may be explained on the analogy of similarly formed nominal clauses used as a genitive (cf. Gen. 2:17; Jer. 2:7; Neh. 9:27). Thus, “at the time of my gathering you” becomes ”at the time (when) I gather you.” The clause could also be an instance in which בָּעֵת functions as a compound preposition followed by an infinitive construct with a pronominal suffix to express a temporal clause: “at the time (when) I shall gather you” (cf. NASB, NJB, RSV). 979 Thus, there is no need to view the construction here as a case of ellipsis, the eliding of the הַהִיא after וּבָעֵת occasioning the change of the imperfect אֲקַבֵּץ to the infinitive קַבְּצי (cf. BHS). As J. M. P. Smith remarks, “It is difficult to see how so easy and natural a reading as this ... one could have given way to the rarer idiom suggested by the MT, which bears the stamp of originality.” 980 † כִּי (“surely”): The Hebrew particle is emphatic here as in vv. 8 and 13. 981 For the phrase “when I restore your fortunes,” see the note at 2:7. The singular שְׁבוּתְכֶם, read by the LXX, Pesh., Vg and fourteen Hebrew MSS for the MT plural, is widely accepted by OT scholars (cf. BHS). 648 See, e.g., L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, “The Authorship of the Book of Zephaniah,” JNES 9 (1950): 137-42. The authors see Zephaniah as the work of an apocalyptist and opt for a date of c. 200 B.C. Donald L. Williams (“The Date of Zephaniah,” JBL 82 [1963]: 83-85) decides for a setting during the reign of Jehoiakim (608-597 B.C.), as does J. P. Hyatt, Zephaniah, PCB (London: Nelson, 1962), p. 642. 649 Many have suggested that individual sayings and sections may have been composed later and inserted into the final edition. 650 A good discussion of the setting of the book is given by F. C. Fensham, “Book of Zephaniah,” IDBSup, pp. 983-84. Fensham also favors a date for Zephaniah early in Josiah’s reign. 651 D. A. Schneider, “Book of Zephaniah,” ISBE 4:1189. 652 If M. de Roche (“Contra Creation, Covenant and Conquest: Jer viii 13,” VT 30 [1980]: 280-90) is correct in finding an allusion to Zeph. 1:2-3 in the Jeremianic passage, the case for a Josianic date is further strengthened. 653 According to Herodotus (1.41.103-6) the Scythians had plundered Ashkelon during a raid against Egypt (which ended when Psamtik I bought them off). Herodotus does not mention any invasion against Judah. 654 See, e.g., E. A. Leslie, “Book of Zephaniah,” IDB 4:951-53; G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1929), p. 40. 655 Fensham, “Zephaniah,” p. 983. For a defense of the Scythian hypothesis, see CAH 3:295 where the somewhat fantastic elements of Herodotus’s account are duly recognized as well as the probability that the supposed Scythian sack of Ashdod was as much an Egyptian enterprise as Scythian. See also R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 940. 656 E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 2:226. For the reform measures of Josiah, see R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 4:281-88. Other scholars who decide for a date early in the reign of Josiah include C. H. Bullock, P. C. Craigie, F. C. Fensham, and C. von Orelli. Duane L. Christensen (“Zephaniah 2:4-15: A Theological Basis for Josiah’s Program of Political Expansion,” CBQ 46 [1984]: 678) affixes a precise date of 628 B.C. for Zeph. 2:4-15 and declares: “In its original form Zeph 2:4-15 presents a theological basis for Josiah’s program of political expansion at the expense of Assyria, particularly in Philistia and Transjordan.” 657 W. W. Hallo and W. K. Simpson, The Ancient Near East (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971), p. 141. 658 H. W. F. Saggs, The Might That Was Assyria (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), p. 116. 659 One must not assume, however, that Ashurbanipal’s interests were not much more diverse. Indeed, his famed library probably held texts representative of every type of Akkadian literature, as well as business and administrative documents and correspondence. Ashurbanipal also gave attention to great building projects and the beaux arts. See further A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1968), pp. 489-503. 660 Some ancient sources indicate that Ashurbanipal himself grew increasingly degenerate; see W. Maier, The Book of Nahum (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), p. 129. 661 Olmstead, History of Assyria, p. 488. 662 For the general historical situation in the latter half of the seventh century B.C., see the Introduction to Nahum. 663 John Gray, I and II Kings, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), p. 720. 664 Leon Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), p. 366. 665 Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 441. 666 T. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia: 1956), p. 254. 667 L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:537. 668 Leon Wood, The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 321. 669 See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, trans. John McHugh (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), pp. 53-54. 670 S. M. Lehrman (“Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, 12th ed., ed. A. Cohen [New York: Soncino, 1985], p. 231) points out that the name Hezekiah was given to several persons in the later period, doubtless due to the fame of the godly king. 671 C. H. Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody, 1986), p. 166. 672 T. H. Robinson, Prophecy and the Prophets, 2d ed. (London: Duckworth, 1953), p. 111. 673 See the helpful remarks of H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets (Chicago: Moody, 1968), p. 232. 674 For details as to bifid structure, see R. D. Patterson and M. E. Travers, “Literary Analysis and the Unity of Nahum,” GTJ 9 (1988): 48-50. For bifid structure in Jeremiah, see R. D. Patterson, “Of Bookends, Hinges, and Hooks: Literary Clues to the Arrangement of Jeremiah’s Prophecies,” WTJ 51 (1989): 109-31. The suggestion of bifid structure here stands in contrast with the interesting discussion of B. Renaud, “Le Livre de Sophonie. La Theme de YHWH structurant de la Synthese redactionelle,” RevScRel 60 (1986): 1-33. Renaud finds a doublet at 1:18 and 3:8 and theorizes that these are seams that indicate a threefold division of the book in which the theme of the Day of the Lord (1:2-18) moves to a consideration of the remnant (2:1-3:8) and on to a picture of the day of Israel’s purification, conversion, and happiness (3:9-20). 675 Zephaniah’s use of structural techniques extends to smaller units. Thus the two strophes of the final stanza of the book (3:9-20) are themselves composed of subunits, each formed according to known compositional methods. In the first strophe (3:9-13) the subunits (vv. 9-10, 11-13) are linked by אָז כִּי, whereas in the second strophe (3:14-20) they (vv. 14-17, 18-20) are delineated by such distinctive devices as bookending (“sing/singing,” vv. 14, 17) and threading via first-person address (vv. 18-20). 676 G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, p. 54. 677 P. D. Hanson, The Dawn of Apocalyptic (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975), p. 12. The aspect of continuity is also underscored by Ronald Youngblood, “A Holistic Typology of Prophecy and Apocalyptic,” in Israel’s Apostasy and Restoration, ed. Avraham Gileadi (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), pp. 213-21. 678 Leon Morris, Apocalyptic (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 62. A similar dichotomy between teleological process and eschatological redemption versus pessimism as to the course of historical events and hence the need for esoteric knowledge and sudden sovereign interposition is emphasized by John H. Hayes, An Introduction to Old Testament Study (Nashville: Abingdon, 1979), pp. 383-89. 679 John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination (New York: Crossroad, 1984), p. 4. P. D. Hanson (Old Testament Apocalyptic [Nashville: Abingdon, 1987], p. 32) likewise stresses that in an apocalypse “(1) a revelation is given by God, (2) through a mediator ... (3) to a seer concerning (4) future events” (italics his). 680 For a similar concentration of apocalyptic themes in Isaiah 24-27, see Youngblood, “A Holistic Typology,” pp. 216-18. See also the discussion concerning the Day of the Lord by Kenneth L. Barker, “Zechariah,” in EBC, 7:690-92. 681 For details, see M. Rist, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” IDB 4:951; N. J. Opperwall-Galluch, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” ISBE 4:1189; and O. S. Wintermute, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983), 1:499-507. 682 P. C. Craigie, The Old Testament (Nashville: Abingdon, 1986), pp. 200-201. 683 Christensen (“Zephaniah 2:4-15,” p. 682) likewise sees the beginning of later apocalyptic in Zephaniah: “For Zephaniah ... the day of Yhwh is trans-historical.... The focus of attention in Zephaniah is not the judgment of Israel per se, but the vindication of Yhwh and the restoration of a righteous remnant as the true people of Yhwh (3:12-13). Zephaniah has moved beyond the events of history, in the sense of the here and now, to eschatology.... A number of the themes of subsequent apocalyptic literature have already begun to emerge as early as the time of Josiah, having their origin within so-called holy war traditions associated with the ‘day of Yhwh,’ which may well have been a rather specific setting within the cultic and political life of preexilic Israel.” D. S. Russell (The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1964], pp. 90-91) also speaks of a growing apocalyptic tendency from the time of Ezekiel onward, noting Zephaniah as one such case. 684 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 176. 685 James L. Crenshaw, Story and Faith (New York: Macmillan, 1986), p. 277. 686 E. P. Mackrell, ed., Hymns of the Christian Centuries (New York: Longmans, Green, 1903), p. 67. 687 Ibid., p. 66. 688 H. D. Hummel, The Word Becoming Flesh (St. Louis: Concordia, 1979), p. 354. 689 Ibid., p. 353. For details as to the critical view of the unity of Zephaniah, see Harrison, Introduction, pp. 941-43; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 172-74; G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, pp. 40-44. 690 L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, “The Authorship,” pp. 137-42. 691 Gerald A. Larue, Old Testament Life and Literature (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1968), p. 238. 692 Such was the earlier verdict of Budde, S. R. Driver, and J. M. P. Smith, and it has been perpetuated in recent times by Leslie, “Zephaniah,” pp. 952-53; J. A. Bewer, The Literature of the Old Testament, 3d ed. (New York: Columbia U., 1962), pp. 146-47. Manfred Oeming (“Gericht Gottes und Geschichte der Völker nach Zef 3, 1-13,” TQ 167 [1987]: 289-300) has isolated what he considers to be revisions in 3:8 and 3:10 that betray a pro-Jewish nationalistic outlook reflecting later times. 693 Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction, trans. P. R. Ackroyd (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), p. 425. 694 Recently Klaus Seybold (“Text und Auslegung in Zef 2, 1-3,” Biblische Notizen 25 [1984]: 49-54) has decided against the authenticity of 2:2b-3 while maintaining that 2:1-2a has the true ring of the prophet’s concern for the poor. 695 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” p. 1189. 696 Hummel, The Word, p. 353. 697 Harrison, Introduction, p. 942. 698 B. Waltke, “Book of Zephaniah,” ZPEB 5:1051. 699 For the general (as opposed to specific) nature of Zephaniah’s prophecies, see C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:123-24. 700 Bullock, Old Testament Prophetic Books, p. 170. 701 E. J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), p. 266. 702 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 177. 703 F. C. Eiselen, “Book of Zephaniah,” ISBE-1 5:3145. 704 Many have seen in Zephaniah’s condemnation of the rich a special concern for the poor. Not only are some materially poor, according to this theory, but also poor in spirit and hence shut up by faith to the provision of God, whereas the proud rich have cut themselves off from Israel’s covenantal benefits. See, e.g., S. M. Gozzo, “Il profeta Sofonia e la dottrina teologica del suo libro,” Antonianum 52 (1977): 3-37; C. Stuhlmueller, “Justice toward the Poor,” TBT 24 (1986): 385-90; Bewer, Literature of the Old Testament, p. 146. N. Lohfink (“Zefanja und das Israel der Armen,” BK 39 [1984]: 100-108), however, separates Zephaniah’s concern for the poor from any spiritual equation of them with the Lord’s redeemed. 705 See Roger Beckwith, The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), pp. 71-80; R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969), pp. 180-91. 706 Harrison, Introduction, p. 943. 707 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” p. 1190. 708 G. von Rad, The Message of the Prophets (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), p. 160. 709 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” pp. 1190-91. 710 W. S. LaSor, D. A. Hubbard and F. W. Bush, Old Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), p. 437. 711 C. K. Lehman, Biblical Theology: Old Testament (Scottdale: Herald, 1971), p. 346. 712 G. W. Anderson (“The Idea of the Remnant in the Book of Zephaniah,” Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute 11 [1977-78]: 11-14) points out that the remnant motif can logically exist only in a context of judgment so that doom and hope are not incompatible prophetic elements. He stresses the fact that the idea of a remnant means more than mere existence; it is a “promise that those who by the mercy of God survive the judgment will by their very existence be a pledge of restoration and of God’s continuing purpose of good for his people.” 713 G. Gerleman, “ דָּבָר,” THAT 1:439. 714 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 184. 715 For details, see ibid., p. 191. 716 See A. S. Kapelrud, The Message of the Prophet Zephaniah (Oslo-Bergen-Troms: Universitetsforlaget, 1975), pp. 21-22; L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1972), pp. 5-7. Sabottka’s proposal has the advantage of similarity to Gen. 8:21 ( הָאֲדָמָה ... אֹסִף לֹא, “I will not again” curse “the ground”). 717 GKC, par. 113w n. 3, however, lists both cases, as well as Zeph. 1:2, as textual errors. 718 See E. Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 113-19; C. E. Armerding, The Old Testament and Criticism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), p. 126. 719 C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:126-27. 720 Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), p. 63. 721 See J. D. Watts, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, CNEB (Cambridge: Cambridge U., 1975), p. 156, for a dissenting opinion. 722 Some biblical scholars, however, relate Zephaniah’s prophecy to a nearer historical fulfillment in 586 B.C. See, e.g., J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), pp. 440-41. 723 See M. De Roche, “Zephaniah I 2-3: The ‘Sweeping’ of Creation,” VT 30 (1980): 104-9; John D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, Ill.: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1525. 724 Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 8. Sabottka’s own suggestion of a compound form of mkk/ mu‚k (“be low,” “sink,” “give way”) and ksŒl (“fall/stumble”), hence “I will plunge the world into ruins,” is less than convincing. The LXX omits the whole phrase. 725 See also the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:372. 726 Theodore Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 355. 727 See P. C. Craigie, Ugarit and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), pp. 61-66; F. M. Cross, Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U., 1973), 145-215. 728 The biblical evidence for the persistent problem of paganism in general and Baalism in particular in ancient Israel is strong. Nor is extrabiblical evidence wanting, as demonstrated in the Samaria ostraca, although some now minimize the evidence of pagan influence in such cases. See, e.g., Jeffrey H. Tigay, You Shall Have No Other Gods: Israelite Religion in the Light of Hebrew Inscriptions, HSS 31 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986). For Baal and the OT, see K. G. Jung, “Baal,” ISBE 1:377-79. 729 See Cross, Canaanite Myth, pp. 7-8; Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 356-57; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:128-29. 730 For the equation of Bethaven with Bethel in Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, see Grace I. Emmerson, Hosea an Israelite Prophet in Judean Perspective, JSOTSup 28 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), pp. 124-38. 731 Kimchi and Ibn Ezra identify the term as referring to “ancillary priests who ministered to Baal.” See S. M. Lehrman, “Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, ed. A. Cohen, 12th ed. (London: Soncino, 1985), p. 235. W. F. Albright (From the Stone Age to Christianity, 2d ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957], p. 234) suggests that the word designates eunuch priests whose condition, according to the Mosaic law, disqualified them from service in the regular cultus. See further R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, trans. John McHugh (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), p. 345. 732 See KB-3 2:459; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 192. For an older proposal, see A. R. Fausset, “Zephaniah,” in R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 4:638-39. 733 See GKC, par. 154 n. 1(a). 734 Cyrus Gordon (UT, p. 395) suggests that the root is Egypto-Semitic. 735 H. D. Preuss, “ חוה,” TDOT 4:249. 736 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:129. 737 See Alan Cooper, “Divine Names and Epithets in the Ugaritic Texts,” RSP, 3:450. 738 For the identity and nature of Molech worship, see my note on 2 Kings 16:3 in R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “ 1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 4:245-46. 739 See Sabbottka, Zephanja, p. 24; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:129; A. R. Hulst, Old Testament Translation Problems (Leiden: Brill, 1960), p. 253. See also M. Weinfeld, “The Worship of Molech and of the Queen of Heaven and Its Background,” UF 4 (1972): 133-54. 740 For details, see G. Gerleman and E. Ruprecht, “ דרש,” THAT 1:459-67; S. Wagner, “ בִּקֵּשׁ,” TDOT 2:229-41, and “ דָּרַשׁ” TDOT 3:293-307. See also the note on Nah. 3:7. 741 For a similar employment of this structure in the prophetic literature, see R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:233-34. 742 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 358. 743 For a discussion of Israel’s life viewed as being in the presence of God, see the excellent discussion of G. J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 16-18. The challenge to “do that which is right/good in the eyes of the Lord” is an often recurring theme in Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut. 6:18; 12:25, 28; 13:18; 21:9). 744 See further Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:256-57; K. Barker, “Zechariah,” in EBC, 7:619-20. 745 Some prophecies that seem to have a primary orientation in the future blend almost imperceptibly into the eschatological complex. They often telescope disconnected but related future events into one prophetic perspective. For details, see J. B. Payne, Biblical Prophecy, pp. 134-40. Prophecies often have an unfolding fulfillment that covers wide expanses of time so that their fulfillments are only progressively realized. The term progressive fulfillment may be used for such cases. Thus Kenneth Barker (“Progressive Fulfillment of Prophecy,” paper presented at the spring meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society eastern section, April 7, 1989) demonstrates the applicability of the idea of progressive fulfillment to Joel 2:28-32 (Heb. 3:1-5) in its NT and future fulfillments. This paper is part of Barker’s chapter, “The Scope and Center of Old and New Testament Theology and Hope,” in the forthcoming Israel and the Church: Essays in Contemporary Dispensational Thought, ed. C. Blaising and D. Bock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan). 746 For details, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 427-28; R. K. Harrison, Leviticus, TOTC (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1980), pp. 78-80. C. R. Erdman (The Book of Leviticus [New York: Revell, 1951], p. 29) observes that the eating of the sacrificial feast by the offerer and his family and friends “seems to have been the supreme significance of this sacrifice.” W. Eichrodt (“Prophet and Covenant: Observations on the Exegesis of Isaiah,” in Proclamation and Presence, ed. John I. Durham and J. R. Porter [Macon, Ga.: Mercer U., 1983], pp. 181-82) connects this verse with Isa. 30:33, which he identifies as the covenant sacrifice at the Feast of Tabernacles. 747 B. Lang, “ זָבַח,” TDOT 4:25-26. The imagery of the sacrificial feast is also utilized by other prophets in predicting the fall of nations. Isaiah (34:6) had already depicted the judgment of Edom in similar language, while Jeremiah (46:10) will draw upon Isaiah and Zephaniah in relating the coming day of the Lord’s judgments of Egypt through the Chaldeans as the Lord’s sacrifice. Ezekiel (39:17-20) will mention the bidding of guests (birds, beasts) to the sacrificial slaughter in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 748 The LXX adds, “Instead they leap over it.” P. K. McCarter, Jr. (I Samuel, AB, p. 122) remarks: “The Philistine custom seems to have survived, at least in Gaza, into the first centuries A.D.” 749 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:132. See also the discussion in H. Hailey, A Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1972), p. 231. 750 If the people involved in the details of v. 9 were the same as those in v. 8, a simpler and more certain identification could have been given by writing הַמְּמַלְאִים ... הַמִּפְתָּן עַל הַדֹּלְגִים “who leap over the threshold ... and fill (etc.).” 751 For support of the view adopted here, see Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 360-61. P. C. Craigie (Twelve Prophets [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985], 2:113) adds the caution that “when the path of paganism is pursued by government officials, the people may be expected to follow.” 752 See W. Harold Mare, The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 126. 753 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 361. The merismus consists of mentioning selected parts of Jerusalem to represent the clamor and lamenting that will occur throughout Judah and Jerusalem by all who complain about their lost wealth. Accordingly, Zephaniah in irony tells them to go ahead and wail, for such would be their lot. Verse 10 draws the earlier charges against Judah’s leadership to a close and shifts attention to its merchant class. 754 Irresponsibility not only has a damaging effect on men and nations but also ultimately takes its toll in divine judgment. G. Adam Smith (The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1929], 2:53) well remarks: “None of us shall escape because we have said, ‘I will go with the crowd,’ or ‘I am a common man and have no right to thrust myself forward.’ We shall be followed and judged, each of us for his and her personal attitude to the movements of our time.” 755 See further David J. Clark, “Wine on the Lees (Zeph 1.12 and Jer 48.11),” BT 32 (1981): 241-43. 756 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 362. 757 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 202) observes: “Just as wine left too long in such a condition thickens and loses strength, so these men have sunk into weak self-indulgence, having lost all interest in and concern for the higher things of life and being solicitous only for their own bodily comfort and slothful ease.” 758 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:114. He concludes: “Zephaniah’s words on indifference touch the conscience of multitudes, those who are not guilty of unbelief, but are equally never overwhelmed by belief.... The way things are is partly because that is the way we have allowed them to become. We can sit back, smug and somnolent in a desperate world, but we cannot at the same time absolve ourselves from all responsibility, and we shall eventually be caught in the very chaos we permit.” 759 See, e.g., the comments by Hannah, “Zephaniah,” p. 1526; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:130; Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 358-59; L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:546-47. For alternative viewpoints as to the guests intended, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 195. Smith believes that “the only essential feature of the figure is the picture of Judah as a sacrificial victim about to experience the punitive wrath of Yahweh. The remaining features are but accessory circumstances, necessary to the rounding out of the view, but never intended to be taken literally.” The view adopted here was suggested earlier by H. Gressmann and has been put forward recently by Victor A. S. Reid, “Zephaniah,” in The International Bible Commentary, rev. ed., ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), p. 953. The view that the guests are likewise the victims is also held by T. H. Gaster (Thespis [New York: Harper, 1966], pp. 232-34) who, however, connects the incident with cultic themes of annual renewal that have been adopted and recast in an eschatological setting. 760 See W. Schottroff, “ פקד,” THAT 2:466-86; J. Scharbert, “Das Verbum PQD in der Theologie des Alten Testaments,” BZ 4 (1960): 207-27; and the informative dissertation by J. B. van Hooser, “The Meaning of the Hebrew Root פקד in the Old Testament” (Harvard U., 1962). 761 For the distinction between the officials and the royal sons given here, see André Lemaire, “Note sur le titre BN HMLK dans l’ancien Israel,” Sem 29 (1979): 62. According to BDB (p. 978), the sons of the king “are never called שׂ” ( שָׂרִים). J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 196) rightly points out that “the reference here cannot be to the sons of Josiah, the eldest of whom was not born until six years after Josiah assumed the crown (2 K. 2336 221) and was not old enough to have wielded any influence until well toward the close of Josiah’s long reign. 762 מִפְתָּן is defined by KB-3 as a “podium of an idol.” Compounding the problem is that the more common word for threshold is סַף; see R. D. Patterson, “ ספף,” TWOT 2:631-32. The LXX apparently did not know what to do with the whole phrase: “And I will punish publicly before the gates.” For additional details on the various views, see H. Donner, “Die Schwellenhüpfer: Beobachtungen zu Zephanja 1, 8f.,” JSS 15 (1970): 42-55; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 197-98; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 41-42; M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 244. 763 John Gray, I and II Kings, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), pp. 726-27. See also the note on Neh. 11:9 in The NIV Study Bible. 764 G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, 2:56; see also Gray, Kings, p. 727. Note, however, that Barry Beitzel (The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands [Chicago: Moody, 1985], p. 159) locates the maktesh in the lower Tyropoeon Valley. 765 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:133. 766 M. Rose (“‘Atheismus’ als Wohlstandserscheinung? [Zeph 1, 12],” TZ 37 [1981]: 193-208) proposes that the affluent class had become so entrenched in its wealth that it assumed God must be supportive of its lifestyle. Thus wealth was a sign of divine favor. 767 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 201. 768 John T. Willis, “Alternating (ABA’B’) Parallelism in the Old Testament Psalms and Prophetic Literature,” in Directions in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, JSOTSup 40, ed. Elaine R. Follis (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1987), p. 74. 769 See further R. T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament (London: Tyndale, 1971), pp. 160-62; see also nn. 33 and 76 in this chapter. For a brief introduction to the problems of author-centered, text-centered, and reader-centered theories of rhetorical criticism as applied to biblical studies, see Tremper Longman III, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), pp. 19-41. 770 The date of Joel is a matter of dispute. The tendency for most lists to be comprehensive and drawn from many sources, combined with the close correspondence in order and point of view, tends to favor the idea of Zephaniah’s adapting of material from Joel rather than vice versa. (See R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:231-33. For more details concerning the dating dispute and a different conclusion, see Thomas J. Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, ed. Kenneth Barker [Chicago: Moody, 1990], pp. 2-9.) Conversely the demonstrably later date of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as well as their utilization of Zephaniah’s list in different settings relative to the Day of the Lord, show their dependence upon Zephaniah. C. von Orelli (The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks [Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977 reprint], p. 267) remarks concerning the relation of this passage and Joel: “The close of the chapter (vv. 14-18) also depicts, with plain allusion to Joel, this day of retribution as one coming on all the children of men.” For Zephaniah’s apparent dependence on Joel elsewhere, see the note on Zeph. 2:13. 771 Both additions are apparently adapted from Job, the first from 15:2, 24 and the second from 30:3; 38:27. 772 Although cataclysmic events are common in apocalypses, one must not assume that such details are always constituent parts of all apocalyptists’ literary artistry, as some suggest. See, e.g., M. S. Terry, Biblical Apocalyptics (reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), pp. 11-23. In the case of biblical prophecies that contain apocalyptic elements, it seems certain that the prophet was attempting to portray desperate changes that would take place in the physical and socio-political realms so that however much he may have utilized literary figures, one must affirm that something remarkable was going to take place. Indeed, the presence of such matters in biblical prophecy may provide a point of reference for their later application in apocalyptic. 773 Some (e.g., Sabottka, Zephania, pp. 52-54) have suggested that the hero here is God Himself. For warriors in the eschatological Day of the Lord, see Joel 3:9-11 (HB 4:9-11) and Finley’s (Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 95-96) comments. 774 G. van Groningen, “ עָבַר”, TWOT 2:643. For the employment of this term with other words for divine wrath and for its prophetic application, see G. Sauer, “ עֶבְרָה,” THAT 2:205-6; for the utilization of the underlying verbal root in divine holy warfare, see G. von Rad, Der heilige Krieg im alten Israel (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Reprecht, 1965), pp. 68-75. 775 See further É. Dhorme, A Commentary on the Book of Job, trans. Harold Knight (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984), pp. 218-19. 776 The paronomasia is obvious here, the second term for devastation reinforcing the first so as to depict total desolation (cf. Isa. 6:11). For the Hebrew phrase וּמְשׁוֹאָה שֹׁאָה used here and in Job, see John E. Hartley, The Book of Job, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), p. 396 n. 3. 777 All four pairs occur in the same order in Joel 2:2 (see, e.g., Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 43-44). The first, third, and fourth were used in the scene depicting the children of Israel’s encampment at Mount Sinai (Deut. 4:11), the second in the portrayal of the ninth plague against Egypt (Ex. 10:21-22). 778 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 364. 779 G. von Rad, The Message of the Prophets, trans. D. M. G. Stalker (New York: Harper & Row, 1967), p. 98. 780 The synecdoche of citing towns and towers for the devastation of all cities and lands is an effective one. If the strongest defenses will collapse, everything will be laid waste. 781 Although some have doubted the authenticity of such universalistic pronouncements by Zephaniah, the passage is properly defended by A. S. Kapelrud, Prophet Zephaniah, p. 31. Von. Rad (Message of the Prophets, p. 99) observes that “the war was now to affect all nations, even the fixed orders of creation, and even Israel herself. The event has been expanded into a phenomenon of cosmic significance.” 782 For other examples of divine judicial blinding, see Gen. 19:11; 2 Kings 6:18. O. P. Robertson (The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, NICOT [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990], pp. 254-56) rightly points out Zephaniah’s abundant use of phraseology drawn from Deuteronomy. 783 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:136. 784 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:116. 785 Hailey, Minor Prophets, p. 233. 786 For good discussions, see Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 50-52; R. Smith, Micah-Malachi, WBC (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984), p. 129. For details as to the term itself, see B. Couroyer, “Trois épithètes de Ramsès II,” Or 33 (1964): 443-53; A. F. Rainey, “The Soldier Scribe in Papyrus Anastasi I,” JNES 26 (1967): 58-60; A. R. Schulman, “Mhr and Mskb. Two Egyptian Military Titles of Semitic Origin,” Zeitschrift für die Aegyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 93 (1966): 123-32; Gordon, UT, p. 431. Sabottka calls attention to the Phoenician/Punic personal names mhrbàl and bàlmhr, which he understands as “(soldier) hero of Baal” and “Baal is the hero” respectively. 787 See W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, JSOTSup 26 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986), pp. 278-79. 788 Among important contributions in the vast literature on the subject may be cited Payne, Biblical Prophecy, pp. 121-40; M. S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, 2d ed. (reprint, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.), pp. 493-99; Patrick Fairbairn, Hermeneutical Manual (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1858), pp. 129-36; Prophecy (reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), pp. 177-96; The Typology of Scripture (reprint; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.), 1:368-95; C. von Orelli, The Old Testament Prophecy of the Consummation of God’s Kingdom, trans. J. S. Banks (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1889), pp. 31-62; W. C. Kaiser, Jr., The Uses of the Old Testament in the New (Chicago: Moody, 1985), pp. 61-76. 789 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:135. Such a use of this word is common in the OT; see KB-3, p. 1015; S. Amsler, “ קוֹל,” THAT 2:631. 790 See further the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:350. The NEB follows an emended text and translates “No runner fast as (that day), or raiding band so swift” (cf. BHS). מַר is clearly read by the MT, however, and is supported by the ancient versions and the use of the word in other Day of the Lord passages (e.g., Amos 8:10). 791 See Hulst, Translation Problems, p. 253. 792 The existence of this noun has been postulated as well for Jer. 4:31 and Ezek. 21:27; see at KB-3, p. 987. Similarly the NJB translates צֹרֵתַ here as “cry of war.” 793 For a parallel case where שׁ occurs before a preposition, see Judg. 7:12. This relative particle, which was common in Akkadian, Amorite, and Phoenician, is attested in older (particularly northern) Hebrew. Although it was not often employed in standard classical Hebrew, it reappeared in later Hebrew (possibly through the influence of Phoenician), where it has remained with some modification until modern times. See E. Y. Kutscher, A History of the Hebrew Language, ed. Raphael Kutscher (Leiden: Brill, 1982), p. 32; S. Moscati, An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1964), pp. 113-14; Z. S. Harris, Development of the Canaanite Dialects (New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Society, 1939), pp. 69-70. 794 C. F. Whitley, “Has the Particle שׁם an Asseverative Force?” Bib 55 (1974): 394-98. Whitley points out other possible instances of such a use of שׁם in Isa. 48:16; Hos. 6:10; Eccles. 3:17. 795 Von Rad, Message of the Prophets, p. 99; see also Old Testament Theology, trans. D. M. G. Stalker (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), 2:122-25. 796 See Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 55; see also R. J. Williams, “The Passive Qal Theme in Hebrew,” in Essays on the Ancient Semitic World, ed. J. W. Wevers and D. B. Redford (Toronto: University Press, 1970), p. 47. 797 See also Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:136. The MT form may be related to the Arabic plural luh£u‚m. The LXX and the Pesh. also read “their flesh” (cf. NASB), while the Vg suggests “their bodies” (cf. NJB “their corpses”). 798 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 213) correctly points out that “everywhere that reference is made to chaff, except possibly in Is. 4I15, it is as a simile of scattering (e.g., Is. 1713 Hos. 133 Jb. 2I18 PS. I4).” If Zephaniah’s point is the same, the primary force of the judgment is on the coming exile and dispersion of God’s people (cf. Deut. 28:64-68). 799 Cf. Finley’s comments in Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 51-55. The note of hope suggested in the Exegesis and Exposition of Zeph. 2:1-3 stands in contrast to many who see in the context primarily doom with little hope of deliverance. Thus G. A. Smith (Twelve Prophets, p. 58) remarks: “Upon this vision of absolute doom there follows a qualification for the meek and righteous. They may be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger; but even for them escape is only a possibility. Note the absence of mention of the Divine mercy. Zephaniah has no gospel of that kind.” 800 Although לֹא could be viewed as written for the asseverative particle לוּ (“indeed”; see GKC par. 23i), it is best taken as the usual negative. Laetsch (Minor Prophets, p. 365) explains: “To the second and third בְּטֶרֶם, לֹא is added; an example of mingling of two constructions. A, before it bring forth; B, that it may not bring forth; C, before it may not bring forth.” 801 For בִּקֵּשׁ (“seek”), see the additional note on Nah. 3:7 802 For “poor” as a theological term for those dependent on God, see Carroll Stuhlmueller, “Justice toward the Poor,” The Bible Today 24 (1986): 385-90. Stuhlmueller notes its primary socio-economic reference here but sees a shift in perspective in Zeph. 3:12. 803 For righteousness, see the Excursus on Habakkuk 2:4; for humility, see R. Martin Achard, “ ענה,” THAT 2:346-50; Leonard J. Coppes, “ עָנָה,” TWOT 2:682-84. 804 R. Smith, Micah-Malachi, p. 132. 805 In an extensive note J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, pp. 221-222) provides a detailed discussion of these proposals and concludes that “none of these is more than a barren conjecture, providing no suitable meaning.” 806 Laetsch (Minor Prophets, p. 365) calls attention to such English denominative verbs as “to berry” or “to nut.” 807 See KB-3, pp. 467-68. 808 The Hebrew root in all three cases is שָׁבַר (“break [in pieces]”). 809 The NASB marginal reading is “without longing.” An interesting twist for understanding the negative here is supplied by Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 62-63) who considers it a title for Baal and translates “O people that long for the Nothing.” 810 For the statement that metaphor, as an example of a trope, constitutes meaning, see Paul Ricoeur, “The Metaphorical Process as Cognition, Imagination, and Feeling,” in On Metaphor, ed. Sheldon Sacks (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1979), pp. 141-57. Ricoeur’s thesis is that metaphor creates meaning rather than embellishing it. 811 O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure, p. 248. 812 W. Bauder (“ πρανς,” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976], 2:257) points out that àa„ni‚ and particularly àa„na„w change their meaning from those who are materially poor to what becomes the self-chosen religious title of those who in deep need and difficulty humbly seek help from Yahweh alone, or have found it there. See also F. Hauck and S. Schulz, “ πραν`ς, πραυν`της,” TDNT 6:645-49, who emphasize that the humble man is “one who feels that he is a servant in relation to God and who subjects himself to Him quietly and without resistance.” See further the additional note on Zeph. 3:12. 813 See M. Baldacci, “Alcuni nuovi esempi di taw infisso nell’ebraico biblico,” Biblia e Oriente 24 (1982): 107-14; M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970), 3:388-89. For סוּר, see R. D. Patterson, “ סוּר,” TWOT 2:620-21. 814 R. Smith (Micah-Malachi, WBC [Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984], p. 135) follows C. Westermann in suggesting that the oracles concerning the foreign nations are a disguised salvation speech in that they imply salvation for Israel in contrast to or as a result of the judgment of the other peoples. 815 For a detailed discussion of Amos’s prophetic arrangement, see Thomas J. Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, ed. Kenneth Barker (Chicago: Moody, 1990), pp. 133-36. 816 See further K. A. Kitchen, “The Philistines,” in Peoples of Old Testament Times, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Oxford: Clarendon, 1973), pp. 53-78; E. E. Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971); W. S. LaSor, “Philistines, Philistia,” ISBE 3:841-46; T. Dothan, The Philistines and Their Material Culture (New Haven: Yale U., 1982); “What We Know About the Philistines,” Biblical Archaeology Review 8 (1982): 20-44. 817 Only four Philistine cities are mentioned here. In the eighth century B.C. Gath was defeated by Uzziah, who destroyed its walls (2 Chron. 11:8; 26:6). It may have lain in ruins as early as Amos’s day (cf. Amos 62) and perhaps experienced final destruction as a result of an Assyrian invasion (cf. Mic. 1:10). 818 S. M. Lehrman, “Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, ed. A. Cohen, 12th ed. (London: Soncino, 1985), pp. 241-42. Some (e.g., Davidson, G. A. Smith) have seen in Esarhaddon’s capture of Memphis “in half a day” (AR 2:227) a reflection of a victory at midday; the expression may have relevance here. Conversely H. E. Freeman (Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk, Everyman’s Bible Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1973], p. 72) proposes: “The stronghold of the Philistines, a fortress in strength, would become so defenseless that there will be no need for a surprise attack after dark by the enemy forces, but she can be overthrown at noon, in broad daylight. An attack at noon implies contempt for Ashdod’s reputation as a formidable city.” For biblical parallels, see 1 Kings 20:16; Jer. 6:4. 819 Although there was a Gaza in NT times (cf. Acts 8:26), it appears to have been located on a different site nearer the coast. 820 For Ashdod, see M. Dothan, “Ashdod of the Philistines,” in New Directions in Biblical Archaeology, ed. D. N. Freedman and J. C. Greenfield (Garden City, N.J.: Doubleday, 1971), pp. 17-27; J. E. Jennings, “Ashdod,” in The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, ed. E. M. Blaiklock and R. K. Harrison (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983), pp. 73-74. For Ekron, see S. Gitin and T. Dothan, “The Rise and Fall of Ekron of the Philistines: Recent Excavations at an Urban Border Site,” BA 50 (1987): 197-222. 821 D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings (London: The Trustees of the British Museum, 1956), p. 69. 822 Kitchen, “Philistines,” p. 67. 823 . Robert Gordis, “A Rising Tide of Misery: A Note on Zephaniah II 4,” VT 37 (1987): 487-90. 824 L. Zalcman, “Ambiguity and Assonance at Zephaniah II 4,” VT 36 (1986): 365-71. 825 Gordis, “Rising Tide,” p. 489. 826 For הוֹי (“woe”), see the additional note on Nah. 3:1; for its use in invective in Habakkuk’s extended section of taunt songs, see the exposition of Hab. 2:6-20. 827 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 216. 828 Theo. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 368. 829 J. D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1530. 830 See, e.g., C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:139-40; L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), 7:552. 831 Cf. also Amos’s use of the number four in 3/4 ladder parallelism (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). 832 Zalcman, “Ambiguity and Assonance,” p. 366. 833 See further H.-J. Fabry, “ חבל,” TDOT 4:172-79. 834 Amos links the Philistines with Caphtor, traditionally associated with Crete. Some evidence, however, suggests a possible relationship with southern Asia Minor; see A. Wainwright, “Caphtor-Cappodicia,” VT 6 (1956): 199-210; “Early Philistine History,” VT 9 (1959): 73-84. 835 See, e.g., A. van Selms, “Cherethites,” ISBE 1:641. 836 M. Delcor, “Les kerethim et les cretois,” VT 28 (1978): 409-22. See also C. Gordon, Before the Bible (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p. 171. 837 The problematic “Negev of the Cherethites” (1 Sam. 30:14), as N. K. Sandars (The Sea Peoples [London: Thames and Hudson, 1978], p. 166) suggests, “may have lain in the hinterland of Gaza.” 838 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:141. 839 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 367n. So construed, there is a paronomasia involving the root krt. Thus, the land of the Kerethites ( כְּרֵתִים v. 5) will become a place marked by shepherds’ caves ( כְּרֹת, v. 6). A similar case of paronomasia occurs in Ezek. 25:16 where the root krt is used of “cutting off the Kerethites” ( וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־כְּדֵתים). Among those who prefer a reference to a proper name here, C. Gordon (Ugarit and Minoan Crete [New York: Norton, 1966], p. 28) proposes a reference to the Ugaritic hero “Kret ... the eponymous ancestor of the Cretans or the Philistines in Zephaniah 2:6.” The root כָּרָה apparently lies behind the decision of the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:375-76, to translate the form as “wells.” J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 218) omits the word as a “corrupt dittograph of the immediately preceding word.” 840 See the additional note on Nah. 1:8. 841 For the phrase “restore their fortunes,” see R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:259. 842 For the remnant theme, see R. de Vaux, “The ‘Remnant of Israel’ According to the Prophets,” in The Bible and the Ancient Near East, trans. Damian McHugh (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1971), p. 28; G. F. Hasel, The Remnant (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews U., 1974). 843 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 219. 844 See Duane L. Christensen, “Zephaniah 2:4-15: A Theological Basis for Josiah’s Program of Political Expansion,” CBQ 46 (1984): 681. 845 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:143. 846 Moab’s hostility toward Israel is illustrated in the well-known Mesha Stele (or Moabite Stone); see D. Winton Thomas, ed., Documents from Old Testament Times (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), pp. 195-99. For the text itself, see H. Donner and W. Röllig, Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1966), 1:33. 847 For light on the possible locations of Sodom and Gomorrah, see E. B. Smick, Archaeology of the Jordan Valley (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973), pp. 47-51; W. C. van Hatten, “Once Again: Sodom and Gomorrah,” BA 44 (1981): 87-92; James E. Jennings, “Bab Edh-dhra,” The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, pp. 84-85. 848 Despite a recent resurgence, the area is still marked by its austere surroundings. See Denis Baly, The Geography of the Bible, rev. ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), pp. 204-6. 849 J. Bergman, H. Ringgren, and R. Mosis, “ גָּדַל” TDOT 2:404-5. 850 The idea of arrogant boasting is ably defended by J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 226; L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute, 1972), pp. 84-85. 851 For details, see E. A. Speiser, Genesis, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964), pp. 111-12. 852 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 227) suggests similarly “overgrown.” For enclitic mem, see H. D. Hummel, “Enclitic MEM in Early Northwest Semitic, Especially Hebrew,” JBL 76 (1957): 85-107; M. Pope, “Ugaritic Enclitic -m,” JCS 5 (1951): 123-28; M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970), 3:408-9. The use of enclitic mem with proper nouns is attested elsewhere and may have been employed here for metrical reasons. 853 See B. H. Warmington, Carthage (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1964), p. 255. 854 See R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC, 4:142-43. 855 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 229) reasons that “if the text is correct, the point of the figure lies either in the thought that by destroying the nations Yahweh will enfeeble their gods, whose existence is bound up with that of the nations worshipping them; or in the fact that in earlier times, sacrificial offerings were looked upon as the ‘food of the gods’ (cf. Ez. 447); hence, by causing the offerings to cease, Yahweh will deprive the gods of their means of support.” 856 For double-duty consonants, see I. O. Lehman, “A Forgotten Principle of Biblical Textual Tradition Rediscovered,” JNES 26 (1967): 93-101; M. Dahood, Psalms, 2:81; 3:371-72. 857 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 371. See further the helpful discussions of W. LaSor, “Cush,” ISBE 1:839, and R. F. Youngblood, “Ethiopia,” ISBE 2:193-94. 858 For details on Egypt’s twenty-fifth (or Nubian) dynasty, see A. H. Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs (Oxford: Clarendon, 1961), pp. 340-52; K. A. Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1973), pp. 148-73. 859 Some suggest that the י in חַרְבִּי is an abbreviation for יהוה and hence understand here “the sword of Yahweh.” See G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1929), 2:63 n. 7; see also BHS; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 236n; M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 253. 860 See M. Pope, Song of Songs, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977), pp. 303-4. Keil (Minor Prophets, 2:146) calls attention to similar instances in Ezek. 28:22; Zeph. 3:18; Zech. 3:8. 861 Such use is common in Aramaic/Syriac; see A. F. Johns, A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, rev. ed. (Berrien Springs: Andrews U. 1972), p. 12; T. H. Robinson, Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar, 4th ed. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1962), p. 15. An alternative possibility would be to view this as an instance in which the pronoun has been attracted to כּוּשִׁים: “The Cushites ... they are the slain of my sword.” The הֵמָּה would thus be a resumptive pronoun. 862 For the motif of the outstretched hand of God, see the exposition of 1:4-6. For Zephaniah’s perspective on the political crises that marked the latter half of the seventh century B.C., see Christensen, “Zephaniah 2:4-15,” pp. 669-82; P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985), 2:121-22. 863 Nahum predicts that Nineveh’s shortage of water would be felt already at the time of its siege; see the exposition of Nah. 3:14. 864 Nahum prophesies that those who learn of Nineveh’s demise will not lament her passing (3:7) but will rejoice and clap their hands (3:19). 865 See his article “Death in Life: The Book of Jonah and OT Tragedy,” GTJ 11 (1990). 866 Note Isaiah’s similar condemnation of Babylon (47:8-10). See also the exposition of Nah. 2:8-10, 11-13. 867 M. R. Wilson, “Nineveh,” in Major Cities of the Biblical World, ed. R. K. Harrison (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), p. 186. See also CAH 3:76-79; A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1951), pp. 326-36; H. W. F. Saggs, The Might That Was Assyria (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), pp. 98-99, 187-93; W. A. Maier, The Book of Nahum (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), pp. 93-98. 868 Maier, Nahum, p. 135. For similar prophetic messages of total judgment, see Isa. 13:19-22; 14:22-23; 34:10-15; Jer. 49:18, 33; 51:29, 36-37, 43. 869 E. S. Kalland, “ דָּבַר,” TWOT 1:181. 870 H. J. Austel, “ שָׁמֵם,” TWOT 2:937. 871 For Zephaniah’s indebtedness to Joel elsewhere, see the additional note on 1:18. J. P. J. Olivier (“A Possible Interpretation of the Word s£iyya‚ in Zeph. 2, 13,” JNSL 8 [1980]: 96) suggests on the basis of ancient Near Eastern malediction formulae that צִיָּה may be a technical term for “a ruined city inhabited only by wild beasts.” 872 For details, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 233; Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:378. The construct chain here retains its old case marker (cf. Num. 23:18; 24:3, 15), apparently as a frozen form often occurring with חַיָּה (cf. Gen. 1:24; Pss. 50:10; 79:2; 104:11; Isa. 56:9). 873 See the helpful discussion by Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 96-97), who terms them “screech owl” and “owl” respectively. See also David Clark, “Of Beasts and Birds: Zephaniah 2, 14,” BT 34 (1982): 243-46. 874 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:148. 875 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 234; G. A. Smith (Twelve Prophets, 2:64) omits the words altogether (cf. BHS). 876 So Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 97-98) who, however, finds in the words בַּסַּף עֵרָה אַרְזָה כִּי an idiomatic expression of the extent of the destruction: “from the threshold right up to the cedar beams.” 877 Some suggest reading אַרְזָהּ here, thus “her cedar work” (RSV; G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, 2:64n.2). 878 The form עֹרָה apparently lies behind the translation “will be laid bare” (RSV; cf. NJB). 879 See GKC, par. 90 1; 152s; cf. Isa. 47:8, 10. 880 See H. Wolf, “ אַי,” TWOT 1:35 under the discussion of áe‚k. 881 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 238. 882 P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:123. 883 Ibid., 2:125. Craigie goes on to remark: “In Zephaniah’s time, just as in our own, there were those persons engaged in the ‘ministry of the Word’ who had seen and exploited its possibilities for personal gain.” 884 C. L. Feinberg, The Prophecy of Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody, 1969), p. 129. 885 For a discussion of the term “wolves of the evening,” see K. Elliger, “Das ende der ‘Abendwolfe’ Zeph 3, 3, Hab 1, 8,” in Festschrift A. Bertholet, ed. W. Baumgartner (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1950), pp. 158-74; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 104-5. 886 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, p. 174. 887 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:151. 888 The morning hour is often commended as an ideal time for meeting with God to find direction and strength for the day (e.g., Pss. 5:3 [HB 5:4]; 88:13 [HB 88:14]; 92:1-2 [HB 92:2-3]; 143:8; Mark 1:35). 889 See Victor Hamilton, “ מָרָה,” TWOT 1:526; see further R. Knierim, “ מרה,” THAT 1:928-30. 890 For a discussion of the West Semitic root behind the term, see A. Marzal, “The Provincial Governor at Mari: His Title and Appointment,” JNES 30 (1971): 186-94; see also P. Fronzaroli, “ SŒa„pit£u ‘una autorità tribale, con funzioni di giudice ma non esclusivamente,’“ Archivo Glottologico Italiano 45 (1960): 51-54. For excellent discussions of the root שׁפט and the judicial system in earliest Israel, see R. D. Culver, Toward a Biblical View of Civil Government (Chicago: Moody, 1974), pp. 138-50. See also G. Liedke, “ שׁפט,” THAT 2:999-1009; L. J. Wood, Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), pp. 4-6. 891 Michael Fishbane (Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel [Oxford: Clarendon, 1985], p. 463) singles out Ezekiel’s use of Zephaniah as a classic case of inner biblical exegesis: “For in this case reacting to the iniquity of his time, the inspired prophet drew upon a fixed form and phraseology—learned and studied in the schools—and added to them older and idiosyncratic verbal elements which seemed to suit the situation and more exactly specify the general imagery used. By this exegetical traditio and older traditum derived from Zephaniah’s prophecies came a new traditum in Ezekiel’s hands. And by virtue of this traditio which wove into Zeph. 3:3-4 various authoritative phrases from legal and prophetic sources, the denunciations in Ezek. 22:25-28 acquire a double force.” 892 Conrad von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (reprint, Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977), p. 274. 893 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:150. See further M. A. Klopfenstein, “ בגד,” THAT 1:262-63; S. Erlandsson, “ בָּגַד,” TDOT 1:470-73. 894 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:57. 895 See A. R. Hulst, Old Testament Translation Problems (Leiden: Brill, 1960), p. 255. 896 BDB, p. 38. 897 C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:153; cf. Hab. 2:3; 3:16-18. 898 My colleague Brent Sandy reports to me that this is one of 196 times that the LXX reading is taken over the MT by the NIV. 899 L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute, 1972), pp. 113-14. 900 M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964), 2:81-82; 3:113; see also “Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography VII,” Bib 50 (1969): 347. For Ugaritic àd, C. Gordon (UT, p. 453) proposes the meaning “throne room.” 901 See Dahood, Psalms, 3:394-95; C. F. Whitley, “Some Functions of the Hebrew Particles Beth and Lamedh,” JQR 62 (1972): 205-6. 902 For a cautious appraisal of the relation of the Hebrew prepositions, see M. D. Futato, “The Preposition ‘Beth’ in the Hebrew Psalter,” WTJ 41 (1978): 68-81. 903 The close relation of vv. 8 and 9 is also indicated by the words קָנָא (v. 8) and קָרָא (v. 9) that often occur in juxtaposition. See M. Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 1:326. 904 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 252n. See also the discussion in the introduction under Unity. 905 P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985), 2:129-30. Although W. Eichrodt (Theology of the Old Testament, trans. J. A. Baker [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961], 1:379n.2) rightly cautions that the reality of Israel’s hope in no way minimized the seriousness and severity of her imminent judgment, it is hope through judgment that gives full force to Zephaniah’s instructions to his people. From a literary standpoint, 3:9-20 forms the necessary corollary to the book’s opening announcement of judgment, and taken together both passages illustrate Zephaniah’s penchant for the employment of reversal as a literary technique. 906 For the Pauline perspective on the completion of the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, see the remarks of C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1979), 2:572-88. For the universal hope of salvation for all people as a basic tenet of OT teaching, see P. E. Hughes, Interpreting Prophecy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), pp. 61-62; J. Barton Payne, The Theology of the Older Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), pp. 188-94. 907 See C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, The Pentateuch, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), 1:119-20. 908 Theo. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 377. 909 ANET, p. 130. For the Ugaritic text itself, see UT, pp. 197-98, Text 137, lines 36-38. See further Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 3:119-20; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 121-22. 910 See, e.g., C. von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (reprint, Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977), p. 277; E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 2:284-85. 911 See GKC par. 117cc, ff. 912 G. A. Smith (The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1929], 2:71) wisely points out: “Where Churches have large ambitions for themselves, how necessary to hear that the future is destined for a poor folk, the meek and the honest. Where men boast that their religion—Bible, Creed or Church—has undertaken to save them, vaunting themselves on the Mount of My Holiness, how needful to hear salvation placed upon character and trust in God.” 913 See K. Seybold, “ הָפַךְ,” TDOT 3:423-27. 914 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:156. 915 The LXX translates the line picturesquely “under one yoke.” 916 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 249. 917 C. L. Feinberg (The Minor Prophets [Chicago: Moody, 1976], p. 234), however, suggests that the literal Ethiopia is meant. He goes on to observe that “there are some who suggest that the ones meant by the suppliants are Jews dispersed in Ethiopia. They point to the west of Abyssinia where the well-known Falashas (the word is from the same Semitic root as Philistine, meaning emigrant) live. They are said to trace their origin to Palestine and the Jewish religion. It is thought that the Abyssinian Christians were originally in part Hebrew believers. We prefer with others to understand the words ‘my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed’ as the object of the verb and not the subject. In other words, the Lord’s people dispersed in Ethiopia will be brought by the Gentiles to their homeland as an offering to the Lord.” (See also the additional note on 2:12.) 918 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 249. Smith emends the text to read “The princes(?) of the daughter of Put(?).” Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 119-21) adopts a suggestion of Dahood to understand בַּת as “woven garment,” emends פּוּצִי to בּוּצִי, and translates the phrase “garments of byssos” (i.e., fine linen garments). 919 Note the suggested translation in the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:382-83: “those who pray to me.” 920 See the additional note on 3:14. See further my note on 2 Kings 19:21 in R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 4:269. 921 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:156. 922 Thus Jeremiah speaks often of “the house of Israel,” or “the house of Judah,” and reports that God calls His people “my house” (Jer. 12:7). 923 See UT, p. 198, Text 137, lines 37-38. 924 M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 259. 925 For proposed examples of לא written for לוּ, see D. Rudolf Meyer, Hebräische Grammatik (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1969), 2:173, par. 86.4; see also the comments of B. K. Waltke and M. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990), pp. 211-12. 926 For the genitive of attribute or quality, see A. B. Davidson, Hebrew Syntax, 3d ed. (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1901), par. 24c, Rem. 2. 927 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:158. 928 Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 1:317-18. 929 L. Coppes, “ עָנָה,” TWOT 2:683. 930 L. Coppes, “ דַּל,” TWOT 1:190. 931 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 251-52; see also Carroll Stuhlmueller, “Justice Toward the Poor,” The Bible Today 24 (1986): 387. 932 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:159. 933 G. W. Anderson, “The Idea of the Remnant in the Book of Zephaniah,” ASTI 11 (1977-78): 387; see also the additional note on 2:7. R. L. Smith (Micah-Malachi, WBC [Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984], p. 142) points out that, “although the idea of God saying only the humble is magnified in the post OT era, the concept is an old one.” Smith provides several examples from the Psalms and prophets that antedate Zephaniah. 934 For literary keys to the structure of vv. 14-20, see the additional note on 3:17. 935 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 380. 936 For the universal and local aspects of the divine title “King,” see Daniel Block, The Gods of the Nations, Evangelical Theological Society Monograph Series No. 2 (Jackson: Evangelical Theological Society, 1988), pp. 47-52. 937 Subsequent revelation makes clear that this will be realized when the Messiah reigns in His everlasting glory (Jer. 23:5-8; 33:14-26; Ezek. 34:21-31; 36:22-38; 37:21-28; Zech. 2:10-13 [HB 2:14-17]; 14:1-11; cf. Phil. 2:9-11; Rev. 11:15; 19:6-16; 21:2-3). 938 A. R. Fausset, “Zephaniah,” in R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 4:650. 939 J. D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1534. 940 Herbert Marks, “The Twelve Prophets,” in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Robert Alter and Frank Kermode (Cambridge: Harvard U., 1987), p. 216. 941 Victor A. S. Reid, “Zephaniah,” in The International Bible Commentary, rev. ed., ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), p. 957. 942 For a standard premillennial interpretation of Zeph. 3:20, see H. E. Freeman, Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1973), pp. 89-90. For poetic sentiment concerning Christ’s triumphant return, one may note the words of Thomas Kelly (“Look, Ye Saints, the Sight Is Glorious!” in Immanuel Hymnal [New York: Macmillan, 1939], No. 188): Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious! See the Man of Sorrows now, From the fight returned victorious! Every knee to Him shall bow: Crown Him! Crowns become the Victor’s brow! 943 The text of this hymn is listed as “K” in Rippon’s Section of Hymns, 1787. For a contemporary hymn setting, see The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, ed. Tom Fettke and Ken Barker (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1986), No. 275. 944 L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:564n. See also the interesting study of Ihromi, “Die Häufung der Verben des Jubelns in Zephanja iii 14f., 16-18: mn, rwà, sÃmh£, àlz, sÃwsÃ und gi‚l,” VT 33 (1983): 106-10. 945 See H. Haag, “ בַּק” TDOT 2:334-35. 946 For the verb סוּר, see R. D. Patterson, “ סוּר,” TWOT 2:620-21. The verb פָּנָה may have been chosen as a deliberate echo of the earlier פִּנּוֹח (“strongholds”) in Zeph. 1:16; 3:6; for the verb itself, cf. Arabic fani‚ (“pass away”) and Geez fännäwä (“send away”). 947 See the Tg. Neb.; cf. BHS. For a full discussion, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 256, 261n. 948 See the LXX, Vg, Pesh., Tg. Neb., BHS. For אֹיֵב as an adversary at law, see Job 9:15; 13:24; 33:10; cf. 1 Kings 21:20. For the term itself, see E. Jenni, “ אֹיֵב,” THAT 1:118-22; H. Ringgren, “ אָיַב,” TDOT 1:212-18. It remains to be asked only whether the adversary here could be God Himself (cf. Isa. 63:10; Lam. 2:4-5). 949 Among modern foreign-language Bibles taking a similar position may be cited Die Heilige Schrift and La Sacra Biblia. 950 H. Kosmala, “ גָּבַר,” TDOT 2:374; see also J. Kuhlewein, “ גבר,” THAT 1:400. 951 For this title applied to Israel’s Messiah, see Isa. 9:6 (Heb. 9:5). 952 See Davidson, Syntax, par. 44b, Rem. 3. 953 For such hiphil transitives, see GKC, par. 53d, e, f. 954 Still other ideas have been proposed. Thus, Sabottka (Zephania, pp. 132-34) follows Dahood in taking חָרַשׁ in the sense of “devise artfully,” “improvise,” “compose”; see further R. Smith, Micah—Malachi, p. 143n.17a. 955 See E. Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, 4th ed., trans. E. F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 111-19. 956 See the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:384. Note that some suggest dropping the phrase entirely (e.g., Buhl, Marti). 957 Confusion between ד and ר is a source of frequent textual corruption; see Würthwein, Text of the Old Testament, p. 106. For the jussive of חָדָה, see Job 3:6; GKC, par. 75r. 958 ישֵׁב is used elsewhere in the OT with similar emphases, e.g., “(You are) the one who inhabits the praises of Israel” (Ps. 22:3 [HB 22:4]; cf. NIV, however, which follows BHS in construing the participle with the first colon). 959 See my comments on Joel 3:11 (HB 4:11) in R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:262. 960 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 257. For still other suggestions among those who adopt this reading, see Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:563. 961 See GKC, par. 69t; cf. Lam. 1:4. 962 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 257; see also pp. 258, 262. See further the LXX, Pesh. and Tg. Neb.; cf. NJB, RSV. 963 NIV; cf. NASB, NKJV, KJV. 964 So J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 258. 965 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:162. For full details, see the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:384-86; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 262-63. 966 This possibility is acknowledged by G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, p. 73n.4. 967 UT, 251, KRT, lines 131-33. 968 For details see KAI, 2:84; 3:15. 969 The verb here may be שָׁבַס; see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena in the Light of Akkadian and Ugaritic (Missoula, Mont.: Scholars Press, 1978), pp. 49, 95-96nn265-68. 970 Jack Lewis, “ יָעַד,” TWOT 1:389. A verb נוּג with the meaning “drive out/depart” also fits well the case of Lam. 1:4 where the MT נוּגוֹת בְּתוּלֹתֶהָ is rendered by the LXX αἱ παρθένοι αὐτῆς ἀγόμεναι (“her virgins are led away”). For the use of מוֹעֵד as either “appointed time” or “place,” see G. Sauer, “ יעד,” THAT 1:743-44. 971 See GKC, par. 116m, p. 972 For details, see the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:386. 973 Such a procedure involves taking the final mem on the verb as an enclitic. For details, see Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 139. For שִׂים with the meaning “turn/change/transform,” see M. Dahood, “Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography X,” Bib 53 (1972): 399-400. 974 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:163. 975 Dahood, “Lexicography X,” 399-400; for this employment of the pronominal suffix with verbs, see GKC, par. 117x; Davidson, Syntax, par. 73, Rem. 4. 976 UT, p. 180, Text 68, lines 28-29. For the term “rider on the clouds,” see R. D. Patterson, “A Multiplex Approach to Psalm 45,” GTJ 6 (1985): 37n.35. See also Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 3:308-9; Dahood draws attention to a similar problem in Ezek. 34:29. 977 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 263. 978 For waw explicative, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 2d ed. (Toronto: U. of Toronto, 1976), p. 71, par. 434; D. W. Baker, “Further Examples of the WAW EXPLICATIVUM,” VT 30 (1980): 129-36; Dahood, Psalms, 3:402. 979 Note the similar function of מִדֵּי with the infinitive construct to mean “as often as” (lit. “out of the abundance of”); see BDB, p. 191. 980 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 263. 981 For emphatic כִּי see R. Gordis, “The Asseverative Kaph in Ugaritic and Hebrew,” JAOS 63 (1943): 176-78; Dahood, Psalms, 3:402-6; Williams, Syntax, par. 261, 449; Waltke and O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, p. 670.	Philistines
The Reverend Thomas A Dorsey is linked with the origins of what musical singing style?	3. Zephaniah \| Bible.org 3. Zephaniah Historical Context Setting Though an occasional voice of protest has been heard, 648 few scholars have failed to accept the information in the superscription that the book’s author prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.) as indicative of the setting of this short prophecy. 649 Rather, discussion concerning the date and background of the book has centered chiefly on the specific period within Josiah’s reign. The moral and spiritual conditions mentioned by Zephaniah have been taken by many to refer to Judah’s persistent apostasy and immorality despite the Josianic reform that began in earnest after the finding of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8) in 621 B.C. (e.g., A. R. Fausset, C. L. Feinberg, J. Hannah, C. F. Keil, V. Reid, L. Walker). Others, however, believe that such matters as Zephaniah denounces could only be true of the earlier portion of Josiah’s reign, either when the boy king was yet unable to deal with the longstanding effects of the wickedness of Judah’s two previous kings, Manasseh and Amon, or when his reformation had only recently got underway (e.g., J. A. Bewer, C. H. Bullock, P. C. Craigie, F. C. Eiselen, O. Eissfeldt, H. Freeman, H. Hailey, R. K. Harrison, H. Hummel, A. S. Kapelrud, T. Laetsch, G. A. Larue, E. B. Pusey, T. H. Robinson, G. A. Smith, J. M. P. Smith, C. von Orelli). 650 With capable scholars on both sides of the question, one is at first tempted to conclude with D. A. Schneider that “the evidence is insufficient to decide this debate.” 651 In examining the internal data, however, several conclusions seem to favor the earlier period in Josiah’s reign: (1) religious practices in Judah were still plagued with Canaanite syncretistic rites such as characterized the era of Manasseh (1:4-5, 9); (2) many failed to worship Yahweh at all (1:6); (3) royalty were enamored with wearing the clothing of foreign merchants (1:8) who had extensive business enterprises in Jerusalem (1:10-11); and (4) Judahite society was beset by socio-economic ills (1:12-13, 18) and political and religious corruption (3:1-4, 7, 11). All this sounds like the same sort of wickedness that weighed heavily on the heart of Habakkuk. Moreover, several of the specific sins (e.g., 1:4-5, 9; 3:4) would have been corrected in Josiah’s reforms. Accordingly, I am inclined to side with those who prefer a date before 621 B.C. 652 But how much before? Some have suggested that the political situation brought about by a Scythian raid (c. 630 B.C.) 653 occasioned both Zephaniah’s response to God’s call and his urgent message concerning God’s impending judgment of the world. 654 However, because the evidence of such an invasion is now considered to be tenuous at best, “the Scythian hypothesis has now been almost universally abandoned.” 655 Thus the search for a precise date for Zephaniah cannot be pressed too far. Nevertheless the conditions denounced by Zephaniah do seem to echo the social and religious ills decried by Habakkuk, so that if Habakkuk ministered in the mid-seventh century B.C. (see Introduction to Habakkuk) a date earlier in Josiah’s reign is plausible. If so, Pusey may be on the right track: The foreground of the prophecy of Zephaniah remarkably coincides with that of Habakkuk. Zephaniah presupposes that prophecy and fills it up. Habakkuk had prophesied the great wasting and destruction through the Chaldaeans, and then their destruction.... Zephaniah ... brings before Judah the other side, the agency of God Himself. God would not have them forget Himself in His instruments. Hence all is attributed to God. 656 When one considers that Josiah was only eight years old when he ascended the throne in 640 B.C. and was dependent upon royal officials of questionable integrity (cf. 3:3), the cause for Zephaniah’s alarm is apparent. Further, that Josiah’s reforms were not instituted until the twelfth year of his reign (628 B.C.), four years after his initial spiritual awakening (2 Chron. 34:3), suggests that Zephaniah’s prophetic activities may have had a salutary effect in the reformation of that era. Thus a date of 635-630 B.C. is not unlikely. Accepting such a date means that the historical setting has advanced little beyond that of Nahum and Habakkuk. Externally the Pax Assyriaca held sway. Of that great era W. W. Hallo observes that, in addition to the Assyrian rulers’ attention to administrative matters and details relative to extensive building projects, literature and learning too came into their own, and the vast library assembled by Assurbanipal at Nineveh is only the most dramatic expression of the new leisure. In spite of their protestations to the contrary, the later Sargonid kings were inclined to sit back and enjoy the fruits of empire. 657 Yet it is somewhat ironic that Ashurbanipal, who had already reigned some thirty years by the time of Zephaniah and under whom the zenith of Assyrian affluence and culture was achieved, was possessed by a personal weakness that would be mirrored in the Assyrian state itself. It was a defect of Ashurbanipal as a king that he had nothing in him of the great strategist, statesman, or soldier. He was as barren in political insight as he was rich in vindictiveness. It was his misfortune that he was called to be king when by inclination he was a scholastic. 658 Because Ashurbanipal was preoccupied with the belles lettres that inspired him to collect the ancient texts, particularly those dealing with traditional wisdom and religious matters, 659 affairs in the empire began to show signs of the decay that would hasten its demise a scant generation after his death in 626 B.C. 660 Indeed, already by Zephaniah’s day “an uneasy consciousness of impending disaster overhung the court, and not all the claims of a less and less honest history could conceal the danger on every side.” 661 Under such conditions it is small wonder that Josiah was increasingly free to pursue his reform policies, extending them even to the northern kingdom (2 Kings 23:1-25; 2 Chron. 34:32-35:19). 662 In addition, Judah could know a political and economic resurgence that it had not experienced since the days of Hezekiah. The time was ripe for national self-assertion expressed in the progressive steps of Josiah’s reformation.... So Judah saw the dawning of the day of freedom, though Josiah proceeded cautiously step by step before venturing into the Assyrian province of Samaria. 663 Leon Wood remarks: The three decades of Josiah’s reign were among the happiest in Judah’s experience. They were characterized by peace, prosperity, and reform. No outside enemies made war, the people could concentrate on constructive activity, and Josiah himself sought to please God by reinstituting matters commanded in the Mosaic Law. 664 Zephaniah therefore lived in a critical time of transition. Externally, the Assyrian ship of state began to show the stress of age and, creaking and groaning in all its timbers and joints, floundered in the seas of economic and political adversity. The ancient Near East was in the grip of climactic change, for “the whole balance of power in the Near Eastern world shifted radically from what it had been for almost three hundred years. Assyria was in its death throes.” 665 Internally, the relaxing of Assyrian pressure allowed Judah and its king the liberty to pursue the cause of righteousness without fear. It was an exciting and pivotal age in which to live. Zephaniah was to prove equal to its challenges. Indeed, he may well have been the Lord’s catalyst for the great reformation that would sweep across the land. Authorship Although some concern has been raised with regard to many passages in the book that bears his name, Zephaniah has generally been accepted as the author of a substantial core of the material of the book, particularly its first part (1:1-2:3; see under Literary Features). As for the prophet himself, Zephaniah traces his patrilineage four generations to a certain Hezekiah. Jewish (e.g., Ibn Ezra, Kimchi) and Christian commentators alike have commonly identified this Hezekiah with the king by that name. Although Laetsch is doubtless correct in stating that “Zephaniah’s royal descent cannot be proved,” 666 the unusual notice concerning four generations of family lineage indicates at the very least that Zephaniah came from a distinguished family. Perhaps he was of royal descent, but current scholarship rightly prefers to be cautious. L. Walker explains: It has been commonly accepted that this Hezekiah was no less than the famous Judean king. This is not at all certain, however; and we have no other proof of any royal status for Zephaniah, despite the unusual mention of his great-great grandfather. Although genealogies are frequent in the OT, only Zephaniah among the prophetic books exhibits a lengthy genealogical note about the author. On the other hand, some scholars argue that since the words “king of Judah” are not added to Hezekiah’s name, the reference is not to King Hezekiah. Others explain this omission on the ground that “king of Judah” follows immediately after Josiah’s name. We simply lack conclusive evidence to this interesting question. 667 Some scholars (e.g., Archer) have suggested that the time span between the birth of Hezekiah’s oldest son, Manasseh (c. 710 B.C.), and the birth of Josiah (c. 648 B.C.) is too short to allow four full generations, and others (e.g., Kapelrud) point out that Hezekiah was a common name in Judah (cf. 1 Chron. 3:23; Ezra 2:16; Neh. 7:21). In fairness to those who believe that Zephaniah was of royal descent, however, none of these objections is conclusive. Perhaps the title “king of Judah” was omitted after Hezekiah’s name out of respect for the ruling king, Josiah, to whose name it is appended. The compressed time frame may not be significant in light of the ancient custom of marriage at an early age. The argument that Hezekiah was a common biblical name is misleading in that only two other Hezekiahs are mentioned, both from the postexilic period. Further, a case can be made for Zephaniah’s royal descent. Wood observes that Zephaniah is unusual in tracing his lineage over four generations. Since he is the only prophet that does this, there must be a reason, and that reason apparently lies in the identity of the fourth person mentioned. The name given is Hizkiah. The significance of this may well be that King Hezekiah is in mind.... The lineage he gives is Hezekiah, Amariah, Gedaliah, Cushi, and Zephaniah. Comparing this with the line of Judah’s kings, the following results: King Manasseh and Amariah were brothers, King Amon and Gedaliah were first cousins, King Josiah and Cushi were second cousins, and the three sons of Josiah, all of whom ruled (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah), were third cousins of Zephaniah. 668 In support of Wood’s position it could be suggested that, if Hezekiah’s son Amariah was born of a member of the king’s harem, perhaps no legal recognition was accorded him, 669 so that he could have been older than Manasseh, a possibility allowing an expanded time frame from Hezekiah to Zephaniah’s day. Amariah could also have been born to one of Hezekiah’s daughters, who would remain unmentioned in the genealogies, and could have been older than Manasseh. Indeed, it is unlikely that Hezekiah, born in 741/40 B.C., had no children before 710 B.C. Under either scenario Zephaniah’s mentioning of Hezekiah would merely indicate his justifiable pride in his descent from the great king whose memory was held in high esteem (2 Kings 18:5). 670 In fairness to those who dispute Zephaniah’s royal lineage, none of the arguments in favor of his descent from Hezekiah is conclusive. As Bullock remarks: “However appealing the identification of Hizkiyyah with King Hezekiah, it cannot be substantiated.” 671 Whatever Zephaniah’s family associations might have been, he was thoroughly at home in Jerusalem and aware of conditions there (1:10-13). A man of keen spiritual sensitivity and moral perception, he decried the apostate and immoral hearts of the people, especially those who were in positions of leadership (1:4-6, 9, 17; 3:1-4, 7, 11). T. H. Robinson remarks: Princes, judges, prophets, priests—all alike are faithless to their true vocation and function. It is the business of the princes to protect people—instead, they use their strength to pounce on and destroy men. It is the duty of the judges to assign property to its rightful owner—instead they cling to their causes till they have appropriated in bribes or fees all that is in question. It is the task of the Prophets to assure themselves that the oracles which they deliver are the genuine word of Yahweh—instead, they recklessly pour out unauthenticated “oracles” which can only deceive men. It is the work of the priests to distinguish between the holy and the profane, and to see that the true Divine instruction is given to the worshipper—instead, they have confused all religious distinctions and criminally distorted the revelation of Yahweh. 672 Zephaniah denounced the materialism and greed that exploited the poor (1:8, 10-13, 18). He also was aware of world conditions and announced God’s judgment on the nations for their sins (2:4-15). Above all, God’s prophet had a deep concern for God’s reputation (1:6; 3:7) and for the well-being of all who humbly trust in Him (2:3; 3:9, 12-13). Zephaniah was a man for his times. He had a lively expectation of Israel’s future felicity in the land of promise (3:10, 14-20). If he was a man of social prominence and therefore had the ear of Judah’s leadership, it reminds all of us who read his messages that God uses people of all social strata. Zephaniah’s life and ministry are a testimony that one man, yielded wholly to God, can effect great things. Literary Context Literary Features Zephaniah writes to inform his readers of the coming Day of the Lord. His message is twofold: (1) this day is a judgment upon all nations and peoples, including God’s own covenant people, due to their sins against God and mankind; and (2) it is a day of purification for sin, when the redeemed of all nations shall join a regathered Israel in serving God and experiencing His blessings. 673 This basic theme of judgment and its consequences is developed in two distinctive portions, the first of which serves notice of the judgment and furnishes a description of its severity (1:2-2:3) and the second of which depicts the extent and purposes of the judgment (2:4-3:20). The early portion of Zephaniah begins with an announcement of God’s intention to bring judgment upon the whole earth (1:2-3), including apostate Judah and Jerusalem (1:4-6). Thus people are urged to “be silent before the Sovereign LORD” (1:7, NIV) who, as the divine host at a sacrificial meal, has invited His guests (the nations) to partake of the sacrifice (Judah) He has prepared (1:7-9). Those who in their godless greed have taken advantage of others are warned that they will lament over their lost material gain (1:10-13). The first half of the book comes to a climactic close with a powerful description of the coming Day of the Lord and all its attendant terrors (1:14-18) and then urges its readers to assemble before the Lord and seek His help in leading a humble and righteous life (2:1-3). Zephaniah initiates the latter portion of his prophecy with a series of divine pronouncements against the peoples who had plagued God’s people: Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Egyptians, Assyrians (2:4-15). He then denounces Jerusalem, whose people have strayed from God to follow debased and corrupt leaders (3:1-7). Once again he issues a warning: His people must listen carefully to God’s message, for His judgment is imminent and assured (3:8). The prophecy concludes by supplying the reason for the coming judgment. God will pour out His wrath not just for the sake of justice but that mankind might experience His cleansing (3:9). At a future time God will return His purified people to Jerusalem to serve Him in truth and sincerity (3:10-13). A redeemed and regathered Israel will rejoice in God and enjoy Him in everlasting felicity (3:14-20). Thus Zephaniah, like several other OT books, is arranged as a bifid. 674 This conclusion is reinforced by considering its structural components. (1) The section 1:1-2:3 forms an inclusio by means of the bookending theme of God’s dealing with the earth (1:2, 3; 2:2). A similar reference to the earth closes the second section (3:20). (2) The two halves of Zephaniah are arranged in complementary fashion: (a) pronouncements of judgment (1:2-6; 2:4-3:7) on the nations/earth (1:2-3; 2:4-15) and on Judah/Jerusalem (1:4-6; 3:1-7); (b) exhortations and warnings (1:7-13; 3:8); and (c) teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (1:14-2:3; 3:9-20), each of which is closed by admonitions (2:1-3; 3:14-20). This bifid structure is accomplished by means of distinctive stitch-words. In the first portion of the book, the first stanza is linked to the second via the careful employment of the Tetragrammaton, while the second stanza is linked to the third by reference to the Day of the Lord. In the second portion of the book, judgment (3:5, 8) and the nations (3:6, 8) provide stitching between the pronouncement section (2:4-3:7) and the following exhortation (3:8); בִּי ( kî, because/for”) links the exhortation to the added teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (3:9-13, 14-20). Each subunit likewise displays careful stitching. Thus the pronouncement against the earth (1:2-3) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem by the repetition of the phrase “cut off” (1:3, 4). One may also note the use of the Tetragrammaton and themes related to the Day of the Lord throughout the second and third stanzas (1:7-13; 1:14-2:3). In the second portion of the book, the pronouncement against the nations (2:4-15) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem via the employment of the word “woe” (2:5; 3:1), and the two strophes (3:9-13, 14-20) of the teaching stanza are stitched together with such ideas as “scattered” (3:10, 19) and “afraid/fear” (3:13, 16) as well as the phrase “in that day” (3:11, 16). 675 The structural design is schematized in the chart on page 284. Although Zephaniah does not display the literary genius of Nahum, several literary features are noteworthy. In keeping with his twofold purpose, two prophetic genres are evident: (1) positive prophetic sayings of hope (2:1-3; 3:9-13, 14-20); and (2) threats (judgment Structure of Zephaniah Declaration of the Day of the Lord’s Judgment Details Concerning the Day of the Lord’s Judgment (1:2-2:3) Instruction (3:14-20) oracles), whether to individuals (3:1-7), Judah and Jerusalem (1:4-6, 7-13), or the nations of the world (1:2-4; 2:4-15). Zephaniah makes use of exhortations (1:7-13; 3:8), two instructional admonitions (2:1-3; 3:14-20, the latter of which is almost hymnic in nature), lament (1:10-11), woes (2:4-7; 3:1-7), and pronouncements (1:2-3, 4-6; 2:4-15). Two narrative discourses giving detailed information are also present (1:14-18; 3:9-13). In addition, Zephaniah utilizes metaphor and simile (1:7, 11, 12; 2:1, 2, 4-7, 9; 3:3, 8, 13, 16), literary/historical allusions (1:3; 2:4, 9; 3:9-10, 18), personification (1:14; 3:14-15, 16), anthropopocia (1:4, 12-13; 3:7, 8, 15), irony (1:11; 2:12), merismus (1:12), synecdoche (1:16; 2:11, 13, 14; 3:6), enallage (3:7), hendiadys (3:7, 19), chiasmus (3:19), alliteration and paronomasia (1:2, 15, 17; 2:1, 4, 7, 12(?); 3:10(?), 20), enjambment (1:9-12; 2:2, 3, 14; 3:3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20), and repetition and refrain (1:2, 3, 14, 15-16, 18; 2:2, 3; 3:14-15). Several key words punctuate the prophetic material: יוֹם ( yo‚m, “day”), 21 times; קָרוֹב ( qa„ro‚b, “near”), 10 times; אָסַף ( áa„sap, “gather”), אֶרֶץ ( áeres£, “earth”), and שֵׁם ( sŒe„m, “name”), 5 times each; שָׁפַט ( sŒa„pat£, “judge”), 4 times; פָּקַד( pa„qad, “punish/visit”) and קָבַץ ( qa„bas£, “gather/assemble”), 3 times each. Some have suggested that Zephaniah made use of apocalyptic genre in his teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (e.g., Freeman, R. Smith). Thus G. A. Smith remarks: From this flash upon the concrete, he returns to a vague terror, in which earthly armies merge in heavenly; battle, siege, storm, and darkness are mingled, and destruction is spread upon the whole earth. The shades of Apocalypse are upon us. 676 Distinguishing between apocalyptic literature and prophetic eschatology is sometimes difficult, however. Thus P. D. Hanson emphasizes that though differences exist between prophetic eschatology and the eschatological material of apocalypse, there is also a strong element of continuity: Definitions attempt to specify the essential difference between prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology: the prophets, affirming the historical realm as a suitable context for divine activity, understood it as their task to translate the vision of divine activity from the cosmic level to the level of the politico-historical realm of everyday life. The visionaries, disillusioned with the historical realm, disclosed their vision in a manner of growing indifference to and independence from the contingencies of the politico-historical realm, thereby leaving the language increasingly in the idiom of the cosmic realm of the divine warrior and his council. Despite this difference in the form of prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology, it must be emphasized that the essential vision of restoration persists in both, the vision of Yahweh’s people restored as a holy community in a glorified Zion. It is this basic continuity which compels us to speak of one unbroken strand extending throughout the history of prophetic and apocalyptic eschatology. 677 Despite the overlap and continuity between prophetic eschatology and the eschatology of apocalypse, as Hanson acknowledges, some differences do exist. Most scholars add to the above distinction by noting in the apocalyptic writers attention to such matters as details of cataclysmic changes in the physical world, cosmic settings and events, and the universal resolution of all things—particularly good and evil—in the distant future. Moreover, all such details are usually related in a series of episodic happenings. Leon Morris follows A. S. Peake in adding further that “speaking generally, the prophets foretold the future that should arise out of the present, while the apocalyptists foretold the future that should break into the present.” 678 Restraint is called for in affirming that Zeph. 1:14-18 is an apocalypse, even though some characteristics of apocalyptic language are present. It does not suit the definition of apocalypse given by John J. Collins: A genre of revelatory literature with a narrative framework, in which a revelation is mediated by an otherworldly being to a human recipient, disclosing a transcendent reality which is both temporal, insofar as it envisages eschatological salvation, and spatial insofar as it involves another, supernatural world (italics his). 679 Thus while Zeph. 1:14-18 contains material of a sort that would one day become prominent in apocalyptic literature, it is not an apocalypse as such. Rather, it displays themes that are found in prophetic eschatology. In harmony with other OT prophets who spoke of the Day of the Lord, Zephaniah sees that time as one of fearful darkness and gloominess (1:15; cf. Isa. 13:6-16; Joel 1:15; 2:2, 10), awesome earthly and celestial phenomena (1:15; cf. Isa. 13:9, 10, 13; Joel 2:30, 31; 3:14, 15 [HB 3:3, 4; 4:14, 15]; Amos 5:20; Zech. 14-1-7; 2 Pet. 3:10), and a divine wrath that brings destruction, devastation, and death (1:14-18; cf. Isa. 13:15, 16; Obad. 15, 16; Zech. 14:1-3). Zephaniah’s closing messages of hope (3:9-20) are likewise in keeping with other prophecies concerning the Day of the Lord as a time of salvation and righteousness (Joel 2:32; 3:17 [HB 3:5; 4:17]; Zech. 14:2, 3) and the return of the Messiah (Zech. 14:4-7) to effect a worldwide climate of peace, prosperity, and everlasting joy (Joel 3:18, 20 [HB 4:18, 20]; Zech. 14:4-10). Zephaniah’s prediction of warfare (1:16-18) is likewise mirrored in the other prophets (e.g., Isa. 27; Ezek. 38-39; Joel 3:9-17 [HB 4:9-17]; Zech. 14:1-3; cf. Rev. 19:11-21). 680 To the extent that Zephaniah utilizes cosmic themes and extreme language he thereby anticipates later apocalyptic thought. With Zephaniah, however, we are removed from the fervor characteristic of later Jewish apocalyptic literature such as 2 Enoch, 3 Baruch, and the fragmentary apocalyptic pieces attributed to Zephaniah. 681 Indeed, Zephaniah is not so much concerned with a future that breaks into the present as he is with the unfolding of God’s sovereign and ordered arrangement of history so as to bring it to its intended culmination. As Craigie observes, The apocalyptic aspects of the prophet’s message are not so much predictions of what must happen in a future world as they are projections into the future of the potential that lies always within the human race. Insofar as Zephaniah is one of the pioneers of apocalyptic thought, we can learn from his writings. He was not, as are some modern representatives of the apocalyptic tradition, one who sat back waiting for the divine pattern of the future to unroll in a pre-ordained fashion. He perceived that the future was shaped in the present, that the horrors of apocalyptic dimensions that seem always to hover on the horizon of human history lay within the ever-present human capacity for evil, pursued to its ultimate climax. Zephaniah balanced this bleak view of human nature with a faith in God’s love (3:17), by which he was able to affirm a future of hope beyond the cataclysm. 682 Perhaps it is most appropriate to speak of Zeph. 1:14-18 as “emergent apocalyptic.” 683 As for Zephaniah’s poetic style and skill, although some have attempted to discern in the book qinah meter or the like, all such attempts are less than convincing. The most distinctive trait in Zephaniah’s style is his penchant for repetition and wordplay, both of which are utilized extensively throughout. Accordingly Zephaniah’s style is at times monotonously predictable. Nevertheless, his straightforward manner and forceful delivery capture the attention of his readers, so that J. M. P. Smith can affirm that Zephaniah can hardly be considered great as a poet. He does not rank with Isaiah, nor even with Hosea in this particular.... He had an imperative message to deliver and proceeded in the most direct and forceful way to discharge his responsibility. What he lacked in grace and charm, he in some measure atoned for by the vigour and clarity of his speech. He realised the approaching terror so keenly that he was able to present it vividly and convincingly to his hearers. No prophet has made the picture of the day of Yahweh more real. 684 Great poet or not, Zephaniah is nonetheless to be commended for his powerful pronouncements, carefully contrived puns (e.g., 2:4-7) and striking imagery. Concerning the last point, Crenshaw calls attention to Zephaniah’s “especially vivid description of the Deity wandering through the streets of Jerusalem, lamp in hand, searching for those who are overcome by a false sense of security” (1:12). 685 Zephaniah will be best remembered for his teaching concerning the Day of the Lord. The awful effects of that message are reflected in the medieval hymn Dies irae, dies illa, which has been widely translated. E. P. Mackrell observes that “there are not less than 160 English and 90 German translations of this ancient Latin hymn.” 686 Perhaps the most famous is the version in the Sarum Hymnal: Day of Wrath! O Day of mourning! See the Son’s dread Sign returning; Heaven and earth in ashes burning. Oh! what fear the sinner rendeth, When from heaven the Judge descendeth On Whose sentence all dependeth. 687 H. Hummel laments concerning the almost total abandonment of Zephaniah’s timeless message that its neglect parallels the neglect of not only end of the church year themes, but much of the Old Testament (especially the prophets) as well, and ultimately neglect of themes of Law, judgment, retribution, etc., in general. Thus our “Gospel” readily becomes “another Gospel.” 688 Outline and against the corner towers. 17”And I will bring distress to mankind so that they will proceed like blind men, for they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out* like dust and their flesh* like dung.” 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of the LORD’S wrath. In the fire of His jealousy the whole earth shall be consumed; yea, He shall make a terrifying end* of all the inhabitants of the earth. Exegesis and Exposition Once more (cf. 1:7) Zephaniah declares that the Day of the Lord is near. He previously used that fact to provide grounds for submission to the Lord. Now he supplies added details to provide a further reason for the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem to repent and submit to God. The day is near and coming quickly. In the description that follows Zephaniah describes conditions that will exist primarily in the final stages of the Day of the Lord. But the prophecy must be viewed as one vast event. Some matters that he mentions would soon take place at Jerusalem’s fall in 586 B.C.; others would be repeated in various historical epochs (e.g., A.D. 70) until the whole prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment eschatologically. Such prophecies (cf. Joel 2:28-32 [HB 3:1-5] with Acts 2:17-36) are progressively fulfilled, their individual segments termed fulfillment without consummation.” 769 Keeping such distinctions in mind enables one to keep a clear perspective as to both the meaning of the text and the effect the prophecy must have had upon Zephaniah’s hearers. However much the events detailed here may have full reference only to the final phase of the Day of the Lord, they were an integral part of the prophecy and could occur anywhere along the series. For the people of Zephaniah’s time the Day of the Lord was near—very near*—and the catastrophic conditions were capable of being soon applied with tragic consequences. In describing that time Zephaniah uses apocalypticlike themes and subject matter that occur elsewhere in prophetic passages and also utilizes a vocabulary frequently associated with them: v. 14 קָרוֹב ( qa„ro‚b, “near”; cf. Isa. 13:6, 22; Ezek. 7:7; 30:7; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 3:14 [HB 4:14]; Obad. 15), יוֹם גָּדוֹל ( yo‚m ga„do‚l, “great day”; cf. Joel 2:11, 31 [HB 3:4]), מַר (mar, “bitter”; cf. Amos 8:10) v. 15 עֶבְרָה ( àebra‚, “wrath”; cf. Isa. 13:9, 13; Ezek. 7:19; 38:19), צָרָה ( s£a„ra‚, “distress”; cf. Isa. 30:6; Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1), שֹׁאָה ( sŒo„áa‚, “destruction”; cf. Ezek. 38:9), חשֶׁךְ ( h£o„sŒek, “darkness”; cf. Joel 2:2, 31 [HB 3:4]; Amos 5:18, 20), אֲפֵלָה ( áa†pe„la‚, “gloom”; cf. Joel 2:2), עָנָן ( àa„na„n, “clouds”; cf. Ezek. 30:3, 18; 38:9, 10; Joel 2:2), עֲרָפֶל ( àaŒra„pel, “blackness”; cf. Ezek. 34:12; Joel 2:2) v. 16 שׁוֹפָר ( sŒo‚pa„r, “trumpet”; cf. Isa. 27:13; Jer. 4:5, 19, 21; Joel 2:1, 15; Zech. 9:14), תְּרוּעָה ( te†ru‚àa‚, “battle cry/blast”; cf. Jer. 4:19) v. 18 בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתוֹ ( be†áe„sŒ qináa„to‚, “in the fire of his jealousy”; cf. Ezek. 36:5, 6; 38:19), כָּלָה ( ka„la‚, “end/complete”; cf. Jer. 4:27), ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ ( yo„sŒeŒbe‚ ha„áa„res£, “the inhabitants of the earth”; cf. Jer. 24:6; 26:9, 18; Joel 2:1; see also Rev. 3:10) In composing his catalog of conditions that will characterize the Day of the Lord Zephaniah has drawn upon themes and vocabulary employed by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Joel, but he is particularly indebted to Joel 2:1-11: Subject Matter And depart, O king, from my house; rh£q krt lh£z£ry withdraw, O Keret, from my court. 967 Evidence for the latter point also falls along two lines: (1) the meaning “tribute/payment” is well known in other examples in Northwest Semitic literature; 968 (2) such a meaning is also found in the OT: Therefore, because you have imposed a tax 969 upon the poor (man) עַל־דָּל בוֹשַׁסְכֶם יַעַן לָכֵן and taken a tribute of grain from him מִמֶּנּוּ תִּקְחוּ וּמַשְׂאַת־בַּר (Amos 5:11) Utilizing these data it is possible to make good sense of the MT, as it stands, as constituting a further divine promise. God will regather those who, due to Jerusalem’s sin, were carried away as booty for the Chaldean army, a fact that stands as a reproach upon the holy city. As for מוֹעֵד (“appointed feasts”), Jack Lewis remarks: . . . mo‚àe„d must be thought of in a wide usage for all religious assemblies. Jerusalem became the city of assemblies (Isa 33:20; cf. Ezk 36:38) which were characterized by great rejoicing and were deeply missed during times of exile (Zeph 3:18; Lam 1:4). 970 3:19 † עֹשֶׂה הִנְנִי (“behold I will deal”): The construction הִנֵּה with the participle in future contexts lays stress on the certainty and immediacy of the action. 971 At that future time envisioned here, God will deal vigorously and swiftly with those who afflict His people. The verb עָשָׂה (“do/make”) followed by the particle אֶח־ is often used in the sense of “deal with” (e.g., Jer. 21:2; Ezek. 22:14; 23:25, 29). Zephaniah used this verb previously in proclaiming the speedy end of the world in the Day of the Lord (1:18). God’s effective power is underscored both there and here. † בָּשְׁתָּם (“their shame”): The syntactical relation of the form is disputed. 972 Because the preceding prepositional phrase “in all the earth” contains a definite article, it would be grammatically anomalous as part of that construction (i.e., “In all the land of their shame”; but cf. the Vg). Some (e.g., NASB, RSV) have solved the difficulty by seeing a case of enjambment and relating בָּשְׁתָּם to the controlling verb of the clause: “I will turn their shame (into praise and renown).” 973 Others have viewed the form relatively: “Whose shame hath been in all the earth” (Soncino; cf. Ewald) or “In every land where they were put to shame” (NKJV; cf. KJV, von Orelli). Among other proposals have been (1) that of Keil to treat בָּשְׁתָּם as epexegetical, “i.e. of their shame,” 974 (2) that of the LXX to view the form as a verb, a procedure that involves a restructuring of the text that relates the material involved to v. 20, “And they shall be ashamed at the time when I deal kindly with you,” and (3) that of M. Dahood to take the form as the object of the verb but to view the final mem on the verbal form as a type of dativus commodi, “And for them I shall transform their humiliation.” 975 Because of the grammatical difficulties here, some simply omit the form (Pesh.) or treat it as a corrupt dittography occasioned by the אֶת־שְׁבוּתֵיבֶם בְּשׁוּבִי of v. 20 (BHS, NJB). On the whole, the difficulty seems best solved by relating the phrase to the controlling verb, “I will turn their shame to praise and honor.” This view has the advantage of recognizing the presence of the phrase in some ancient texts. It also finds further support in the juxtaposition of the ideas of “name” and “shame” in the same Ugaritic epic material noted in the problem at Zeph. 3:10-11: bsŒm tgàrm à ttrt tg’rm ‘ttrt Athirat rebuked him by name, b t laliyn b[àl] “Be ashamed, O Aliyan Ba’al, Be ashamed, O Rider on the Clouds.” 976 The primary thrust, then, appears to be that the Lord will change His people’s shame to a name (i.e., honor) and praise. By separating the twin objects of the verb so widely, the author emphasizes the inclusive nature of the Lord’s action: Both they and their shame will be transformed to objects of honor and praise. 3:20 For אָבִיא הַהִיא בָּעֵת (“at that time I will lead”), J. M. P. Smith follows Buhl in suggesting an emendation to הֵיטִיבִי בָּעֵת (“in the time when I do good [to you]”; cf. LXX, Duhm). 977 The LXX reading, however, may depend on its own handling of the relationship of vv. 19 and 20 (see previous note). In any case, other textual data do not support it, nor does the context necessitate it. †The translation of אֶתְכֶם קַבְּצִי וּבָעֵת as “even at the time I gather you” takes the waw as explicative. 978 The use of בָּעֵת with the infinitive construct (here followed by an accusative complement) rather than a verb to express a temporal clause may be explained on the analogy of similarly formed nominal clauses used as a genitive (cf. Gen. 2:17; Jer. 2:7; Neh. 9:27). Thus, “at the time of my gathering you” becomes ”at the time (when) I gather you.” The clause could also be an instance in which בָּעֵת functions as a compound preposition followed by an infinitive construct with a pronominal suffix to express a temporal clause: “at the time (when) I shall gather you” (cf. NASB, NJB, RSV). 979 Thus, there is no need to view the construction here as a case of ellipsis, the eliding of the הַהִיא after וּבָעֵת occasioning the change of the imperfect אֲקַבֵּץ to the infinitive קַבְּצי (cf. BHS). As J. M. P. Smith remarks, “It is difficult to see how so easy and natural a reading as this ... one could have given way to the rarer idiom suggested by the MT, which bears the stamp of originality.” 980 † כִּי (“surely”): The Hebrew particle is emphatic here as in vv. 8 and 13. 981 For the phrase “when I restore your fortunes,” see the note at 2:7. The singular שְׁבוּתְכֶם, read by the LXX, Pesh., Vg and fourteen Hebrew MSS for the MT plural, is widely accepted by OT scholars (cf. BHS). 648 See, e.g., L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, “The Authorship of the Book of Zephaniah,” JNES 9 (1950): 137-42. The authors see Zephaniah as the work of an apocalyptist and opt for a date of c. 200 B.C. Donald L. Williams (“The Date of Zephaniah,” JBL 82 [1963]: 83-85) decides for a setting during the reign of Jehoiakim (608-597 B.C.), as does J. P. Hyatt, Zephaniah, PCB (London: Nelson, 1962), p. 642. 649 Many have suggested that individual sayings and sections may have been composed later and inserted into the final edition. 650 A good discussion of the setting of the book is given by F. C. Fensham, “Book of Zephaniah,” IDBSup, pp. 983-84. Fensham also favors a date for Zephaniah early in Josiah’s reign. 651 D. A. Schneider, “Book of Zephaniah,” ISBE 4:1189. 652 If M. de Roche (“Contra Creation, Covenant and Conquest: Jer viii 13,” VT 30 [1980]: 280-90) is correct in finding an allusion to Zeph. 1:2-3 in the Jeremianic passage, the case for a Josianic date is further strengthened. 653 According to Herodotus (1.41.103-6) the Scythians had plundered Ashkelon during a raid against Egypt (which ended when Psamtik I bought them off). Herodotus does not mention any invasion against Judah. 654 See, e.g., E. A. Leslie, “Book of Zephaniah,” IDB 4:951-53; G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1929), p. 40. 655 Fensham, “Zephaniah,” p. 983. For a defense of the Scythian hypothesis, see CAH 3:295 where the somewhat fantastic elements of Herodotus’s account are duly recognized as well as the probability that the supposed Scythian sack of Ashdod was as much an Egyptian enterprise as Scythian. See also R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 940. 656 E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 2:226. For the reform measures of Josiah, see R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 4:281-88. Other scholars who decide for a date early in the reign of Josiah include C. H. Bullock, P. C. Craigie, F. C. Fensham, and C. von Orelli. Duane L. Christensen (“Zephaniah 2:4-15: A Theological Basis for Josiah’s Program of Political Expansion,” CBQ 46 [1984]: 678) affixes a precise date of 628 B.C. for Zeph. 2:4-15 and declares: “In its original form Zeph 2:4-15 presents a theological basis for Josiah’s program of political expansion at the expense of Assyria, particularly in Philistia and Transjordan.” 657 W. W. Hallo and W. K. Simpson, The Ancient Near East (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971), p. 141. 658 H. W. F. Saggs, The Might That Was Assyria (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), p. 116. 659 One must not assume, however, that Ashurbanipal’s interests were not much more diverse. Indeed, his famed library probably held texts representative of every type of Akkadian literature, as well as business and administrative documents and correspondence. Ashurbanipal also gave attention to great building projects and the beaux arts. See further A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1968), pp. 489-503. 660 Some ancient sources indicate that Ashurbanipal himself grew increasingly degenerate; see W. Maier, The Book of Nahum (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), p. 129. 661 Olmstead, History of Assyria, p. 488. 662 For the general historical situation in the latter half of the seventh century B.C., see the Introduction to Nahum. 663 John Gray, I and II Kings, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), p. 720. 664 Leon Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), p. 366. 665 Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 441. 666 T. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia: 1956), p. 254. 667 L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:537. 668 Leon Wood, The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 321. 669 See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, trans. John McHugh (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), pp. 53-54. 670 S. M. Lehrman (“Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, 12th ed., ed. A. Cohen [New York: Soncino, 1985], p. 231) points out that the name Hezekiah was given to several persons in the later period, doubtless due to the fame of the godly king. 671 C. H. Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody, 1986), p. 166. 672 T. H. Robinson, Prophecy and the Prophets, 2d ed. (London: Duckworth, 1953), p. 111. 673 See the helpful remarks of H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets (Chicago: Moody, 1968), p. 232. 674 For details as to bifid structure, see R. D. Patterson and M. E. Travers, “Literary Analysis and the Unity of Nahum,” GTJ 9 (1988): 48-50. For bifid structure in Jeremiah, see R. D. Patterson, “Of Bookends, Hinges, and Hooks: Literary Clues to the Arrangement of Jeremiah’s Prophecies,” WTJ 51 (1989): 109-31. The suggestion of bifid structure here stands in contrast with the interesting discussion of B. Renaud, “Le Livre de Sophonie. La Theme de YHWH structurant de la Synthese redactionelle,” RevScRel 60 (1986): 1-33. Renaud finds a doublet at 1:18 and 3:8 and theorizes that these are seams that indicate a threefold division of the book in which the theme of the Day of the Lord (1:2-18) moves to a consideration of the remnant (2:1-3:8) and on to a picture of the day of Israel’s purification, conversion, and happiness (3:9-20). 675 Zephaniah’s use of structural techniques extends to smaller units. Thus the two strophes of the final stanza of the book (3:9-20) are themselves composed of subunits, each formed according to known compositional methods. In the first strophe (3:9-13) the subunits (vv. 9-10, 11-13) are linked by אָז כִּי, whereas in the second strophe (3:14-20) they (vv. 14-17, 18-20) are delineated by such distinctive devices as bookending (“sing/singing,” vv. 14, 17) and threading via first-person address (vv. 18-20). 676 G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, p. 54. 677 P. D. Hanson, The Dawn of Apocalyptic (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975), p. 12. The aspect of continuity is also underscored by Ronald Youngblood, “A Holistic Typology of Prophecy and Apocalyptic,” in Israel’s Apostasy and Restoration, ed. Avraham Gileadi (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), pp. 213-21. 678 Leon Morris, Apocalyptic (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 62. A similar dichotomy between teleological process and eschatological redemption versus pessimism as to the course of historical events and hence the need for esoteric knowledge and sudden sovereign interposition is emphasized by John H. Hayes, An Introduction to Old Testament Study (Nashville: Abingdon, 1979), pp. 383-89. 679 John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination (New York: Crossroad, 1984), p. 4. P. D. Hanson (Old Testament Apocalyptic [Nashville: Abingdon, 1987], p. 32) likewise stresses that in an apocalypse “(1) a revelation is given by God, (2) through a mediator ... (3) to a seer concerning (4) future events” (italics his). 680 For a similar concentration of apocalyptic themes in Isaiah 24-27, see Youngblood, “A Holistic Typology,” pp. 216-18. See also the discussion concerning the Day of the Lord by Kenneth L. Barker, “Zechariah,” in EBC, 7:690-92. 681 For details, see M. Rist, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” IDB 4:951; N. J. Opperwall-Galluch, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” ISBE 4:1189; and O. S. Wintermute, “Apocalypse of Zephaniah,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983), 1:499-507. 682 P. C. Craigie, The Old Testament (Nashville: Abingdon, 1986), pp. 200-201. 683 Christensen (“Zephaniah 2:4-15,” p. 682) likewise sees the beginning of later apocalyptic in Zephaniah: “For Zephaniah ... the day of Yhwh is trans-historical.... The focus of attention in Zephaniah is not the judgment of Israel per se, but the vindication of Yhwh and the restoration of a righteous remnant as the true people of Yhwh (3:12-13). Zephaniah has moved beyond the events of history, in the sense of the here and now, to eschatology.... A number of the themes of subsequent apocalyptic literature have already begun to emerge as early as the time of Josiah, having their origin within so-called holy war traditions associated with the ‘day of Yhwh,’ which may well have been a rather specific setting within the cultic and political life of preexilic Israel.” D. S. Russell (The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1964], pp. 90-91) also speaks of a growing apocalyptic tendency from the time of Ezekiel onward, noting Zephaniah as one such case. 684 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 176. 685 James L. Crenshaw, Story and Faith (New York: Macmillan, 1986), p. 277. 686 E. P. Mackrell, ed., Hymns of the Christian Centuries (New York: Longmans, Green, 1903), p. 67. 687 Ibid., p. 66. 688 H. D. Hummel, The Word Becoming Flesh (St. Louis: Concordia, 1979), p. 354. 689 Ibid., p. 353. For details as to the critical view of the unity of Zephaniah, see Harrison, Introduction, pp. 941-43; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 172-74; G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, pp. 40-44. 690 L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, “The Authorship,” pp. 137-42. 691 Gerald A. Larue, Old Testament Life and Literature (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1968), p. 238. 692 Such was the earlier verdict of Budde, S. R. Driver, and J. M. P. Smith, and it has been perpetuated in recent times by Leslie, “Zephaniah,” pp. 952-53; J. A. Bewer, The Literature of the Old Testament, 3d ed. (New York: Columbia U., 1962), pp. 146-47. Manfred Oeming (“Gericht Gottes und Geschichte der Völker nach Zef 3, 1-13,” TQ 167 [1987]: 289-300) has isolated what he considers to be revisions in 3:8 and 3:10 that betray a pro-Jewish nationalistic outlook reflecting later times. 693 Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction, trans. P. R. Ackroyd (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), p. 425. 694 Recently Klaus Seybold (“Text und Auslegung in Zef 2, 1-3,” Biblische Notizen 25 [1984]: 49-54) has decided against the authenticity of 2:2b-3 while maintaining that 2:1-2a has the true ring of the prophet’s concern for the poor. 695 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” p. 1189. 696 Hummel, The Word, p. 353. 697 Harrison, Introduction, p. 942. 698 B. Waltke, “Book of Zephaniah,” ZPEB 5:1051. 699 For the general (as opposed to specific) nature of Zephaniah’s prophecies, see C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:123-24. 700 Bullock, Old Testament Prophetic Books, p. 170. 701 E. J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), p. 266. 702 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 177. 703 F. C. Eiselen, “Book of Zephaniah,” ISBE-1 5:3145. 704 Many have seen in Zephaniah’s condemnation of the rich a special concern for the poor. Not only are some materially poor, according to this theory, but also poor in spirit and hence shut up by faith to the provision of God, whereas the proud rich have cut themselves off from Israel’s covenantal benefits. See, e.g., S. M. Gozzo, “Il profeta Sofonia e la dottrina teologica del suo libro,” Antonianum 52 (1977): 3-37; C. Stuhlmueller, “Justice toward the Poor,” TBT 24 (1986): 385-90; Bewer, Literature of the Old Testament, p. 146. N. Lohfink (“Zefanja und das Israel der Armen,” BK 39 [1984]: 100-108), however, separates Zephaniah’s concern for the poor from any spiritual equation of them with the Lord’s redeemed. 705 See Roger Beckwith, The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), pp. 71-80; R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969), pp. 180-91. 706 Harrison, Introduction, p. 943. 707 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” p. 1190. 708 G. von Rad, The Message of the Prophets (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), p. 160. 709 Schneider, “Zephaniah,” pp. 1190-91. 710 W. S. LaSor, D. A. Hubbard and F. W. Bush, Old Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), p. 437. 711 C. K. Lehman, Biblical Theology: Old Testament (Scottdale: Herald, 1971), p. 346. 712 G. W. Anderson (“The Idea of the Remnant in the Book of Zephaniah,” Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute 11 [1977-78]: 11-14) points out that the remnant motif can logically exist only in a context of judgment so that doom and hope are not incompatible prophetic elements. He stresses the fact that the idea of a remnant means more than mere existence; it is a “promise that those who by the mercy of God survive the judgment will by their very existence be a pledge of restoration and of God’s continuing purpose of good for his people.” 713 G. Gerleman, “ דָּבָר,” THAT 1:439. 714 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 184. 715 For details, see ibid., p. 191. 716 See A. S. Kapelrud, The Message of the Prophet Zephaniah (Oslo-Bergen-Troms: Universitetsforlaget, 1975), pp. 21-22; L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1972), pp. 5-7. Sabottka’s proposal has the advantage of similarity to Gen. 8:21 ( הָאֲדָמָה ... אֹסִף לֹא, “I will not again” curse “the ground”). 717 GKC, par. 113w n. 3, however, lists both cases, as well as Zeph. 1:2, as textual errors. 718 See E. Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 113-19; C. E. Armerding, The Old Testament and Criticism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), p. 126. 719 C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:126-27. 720 Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), p. 63. 721 See J. D. Watts, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, CNEB (Cambridge: Cambridge U., 1975), p. 156, for a dissenting opinion. 722 Some biblical scholars, however, relate Zephaniah’s prophecy to a nearer historical fulfillment in 586 B.C. See, e.g., J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), pp. 440-41. 723 See M. De Roche, “Zephaniah I 2-3: The ‘Sweeping’ of Creation,” VT 30 (1980): 104-9; John D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, Ill.: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1525. 724 Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 8. Sabottka’s own suggestion of a compound form of mkk/ mu‚k (“be low,” “sink,” “give way”) and ksŒl (“fall/stumble”), hence “I will plunge the world into ruins,” is less than convincing. The LXX omits the whole phrase. 725 See also the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:372. 726 Theodore Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 355. 727 See P. C. Craigie, Ugarit and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), pp. 61-66; F. M. Cross, Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U., 1973), 145-215. 728 The biblical evidence for the persistent problem of paganism in general and Baalism in particular in ancient Israel is strong. Nor is extrabiblical evidence wanting, as demonstrated in the Samaria ostraca, although some now minimize the evidence of pagan influence in such cases. See, e.g., Jeffrey H. Tigay, You Shall Have No Other Gods: Israelite Religion in the Light of Hebrew Inscriptions, HSS 31 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986). For Baal and the OT, see K. G. Jung, “Baal,” ISBE 1:377-79. 729 See Cross, Canaanite Myth, pp. 7-8; Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 356-57; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:128-29. 730 For the equation of Bethaven with Bethel in Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, see Grace I. Emmerson, Hosea an Israelite Prophet in Judean Perspective, JSOTSup 28 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), pp. 124-38. 731 Kimchi and Ibn Ezra identify the term as referring to “ancillary priests who ministered to Baal.” See S. M. Lehrman, “Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, ed. A. Cohen, 12th ed. (London: Soncino, 1985), p. 235. W. F. Albright (From the Stone Age to Christianity, 2d ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957], p. 234) suggests that the word designates eunuch priests whose condition, according to the Mosaic law, disqualified them from service in the regular cultus. See further R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, trans. John McHugh (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), p. 345. 732 See KB-3 2:459; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 192. For an older proposal, see A. R. Fausset, “Zephaniah,” in R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 4:638-39. 733 See GKC, par. 154 n. 1(a). 734 Cyrus Gordon (UT, p. 395) suggests that the root is Egypto-Semitic. 735 H. D. Preuss, “ חוה,” TDOT 4:249. 736 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:129. 737 See Alan Cooper, “Divine Names and Epithets in the Ugaritic Texts,” RSP, 3:450. 738 For the identity and nature of Molech worship, see my note on 2 Kings 16:3 in R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “ 1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 4:245-46. 739 See Sabbottka, Zephanja, p. 24; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:129; A. R. Hulst, Old Testament Translation Problems (Leiden: Brill, 1960), p. 253. See also M. Weinfeld, “The Worship of Molech and of the Queen of Heaven and Its Background,” UF 4 (1972): 133-54. 740 For details, see G. Gerleman and E. Ruprecht, “ דרש,” THAT 1:459-67; S. Wagner, “ בִּקֵּשׁ,” TDOT 2:229-41, and “ דָּרַשׁ” TDOT 3:293-307. See also the note on Nah. 3:7. 741 For a similar employment of this structure in the prophetic literature, see R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:233-34. 742 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 358. 743 For a discussion of Israel’s life viewed as being in the presence of God, see the excellent discussion of G. J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 16-18. The challenge to “do that which is right/good in the eyes of the Lord” is an often recurring theme in Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut. 6:18; 12:25, 28; 13:18; 21:9). 744 See further Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:256-57; K. Barker, “Zechariah,” in EBC, 7:619-20. 745 Some prophecies that seem to have a primary orientation in the future blend almost imperceptibly into the eschatological complex. They often telescope disconnected but related future events into one prophetic perspective. For details, see J. B. Payne, Biblical Prophecy, pp. 134-40. Prophecies often have an unfolding fulfillment that covers wide expanses of time so that their fulfillments are only progressively realized. The term progressive fulfillment may be used for such cases. Thus Kenneth Barker (“Progressive Fulfillment of Prophecy,” paper presented at the spring meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society eastern section, April 7, 1989) demonstrates the applicability of the idea of progressive fulfillment to Joel 2:28-32 (Heb. 3:1-5) in its NT and future fulfillments. This paper is part of Barker’s chapter, “The Scope and Center of Old and New Testament Theology and Hope,” in the forthcoming Israel and the Church: Essays in Contemporary Dispensational Thought, ed. C. Blaising and D. Bock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan). 746 For details, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 427-28; R. K. Harrison, Leviticus, TOTC (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1980), pp. 78-80. C. R. Erdman (The Book of Leviticus [New York: Revell, 1951], p. 29) observes that the eating of the sacrificial feast by the offerer and his family and friends “seems to have been the supreme significance of this sacrifice.” W. Eichrodt (“Prophet and Covenant: Observations on the Exegesis of Isaiah,” in Proclamation and Presence, ed. John I. Durham and J. R. Porter [Macon, Ga.: Mercer U., 1983], pp. 181-82) connects this verse with Isa. 30:33, which he identifies as the covenant sacrifice at the Feast of Tabernacles. 747 B. Lang, “ זָבַח,” TDOT 4:25-26. The imagery of the sacrificial feast is also utilized by other prophets in predicting the fall of nations. Isaiah (34:6) had already depicted the judgment of Edom in similar language, while Jeremiah (46:10) will draw upon Isaiah and Zephaniah in relating the coming day of the Lord’s judgments of Egypt through the Chaldeans as the Lord’s sacrifice. Ezekiel (39:17-20) will mention the bidding of guests (birds, beasts) to the sacrificial slaughter in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 748 The LXX adds, “Instead they leap over it.” P. K. McCarter, Jr. (I Samuel, AB, p. 122) remarks: “The Philistine custom seems to have survived, at least in Gaza, into the first centuries A.D.” 749 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:132. See also the discussion in H. Hailey, A Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1972), p. 231. 750 If the people involved in the details of v. 9 were the same as those in v. 8, a simpler and more certain identification could have been given by writing הַמְּמַלְאִים ... הַמִּפְתָּן עַל הַדֹּלְגִים “who leap over the threshold ... and fill (etc.).” 751 For support of the view adopted here, see Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 360-61. P. C. Craigie (Twelve Prophets [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985], 2:113) adds the caution that “when the path of paganism is pursued by government officials, the people may be expected to follow.” 752 See W. Harold Mare, The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 126. 753 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 361. The merismus consists of mentioning selected parts of Jerusalem to represent the clamor and lamenting that will occur throughout Judah and Jerusalem by all who complain about their lost wealth. Accordingly, Zephaniah in irony tells them to go ahead and wail, for such would be their lot. Verse 10 draws the earlier charges against Judah’s leadership to a close and shifts attention to its merchant class. 754 Irresponsibility not only has a damaging effect on men and nations but also ultimately takes its toll in divine judgment. G. Adam Smith (The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1929], 2:53) well remarks: “None of us shall escape because we have said, ‘I will go with the crowd,’ or ‘I am a common man and have no right to thrust myself forward.’ We shall be followed and judged, each of us for his and her personal attitude to the movements of our time.” 755 See further David J. Clark, “Wine on the Lees (Zeph 1.12 and Jer 48.11),” BT 32 (1981): 241-43. 756 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 362. 757 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 202) observes: “Just as wine left too long in such a condition thickens and loses strength, so these men have sunk into weak self-indulgence, having lost all interest in and concern for the higher things of life and being solicitous only for their own bodily comfort and slothful ease.” 758 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:114. He concludes: “Zephaniah’s words on indifference touch the conscience of multitudes, those who are not guilty of unbelief, but are equally never overwhelmed by belief.... The way things are is partly because that is the way we have allowed them to become. We can sit back, smug and somnolent in a desperate world, but we cannot at the same time absolve ourselves from all responsibility, and we shall eventually be caught in the very chaos we permit.” 759 See, e.g., the comments by Hannah, “Zephaniah,” p. 1526; Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:130; Laetsch, Minor Prophets, pp. 358-59; L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:546-47. For alternative viewpoints as to the guests intended, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 195. Smith believes that “the only essential feature of the figure is the picture of Judah as a sacrificial victim about to experience the punitive wrath of Yahweh. The remaining features are but accessory circumstances, necessary to the rounding out of the view, but never intended to be taken literally.” The view adopted here was suggested earlier by H. Gressmann and has been put forward recently by Victor A. S. Reid, “Zephaniah,” in The International Bible Commentary, rev. ed., ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), p. 953. The view that the guests are likewise the victims is also held by T. H. Gaster (Thespis [New York: Harper, 1966], pp. 232-34) who, however, connects the incident with cultic themes of annual renewal that have been adopted and recast in an eschatological setting. 760 See W. Schottroff, “ פקד,” THAT 2:466-86; J. Scharbert, “Das Verbum PQD in der Theologie des Alten Testaments,” BZ 4 (1960): 207-27; and the informative dissertation by J. B. van Hooser, “The Meaning of the Hebrew Root פקד in the Old Testament” (Harvard U., 1962). 761 For the distinction between the officials and the royal sons given here, see André Lemaire, “Note sur le titre BN HMLK dans l’ancien Israel,” Sem 29 (1979): 62. According to BDB (p. 978), the sons of the king “are never called שׂ” ( שָׂרִים). J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 196) rightly points out that “the reference here cannot be to the sons of Josiah, the eldest of whom was not born until six years after Josiah assumed the crown (2 K. 2336 221) and was not old enough to have wielded any influence until well toward the close of Josiah’s long reign. 762 מִפְתָּן is defined by KB-3 as a “podium of an idol.” Compounding the problem is that the more common word for threshold is סַף; see R. D. Patterson, “ ספף,” TWOT 2:631-32. The LXX apparently did not know what to do with the whole phrase: “And I will punish publicly before the gates.” For additional details on the various views, see H. Donner, “Die Schwellenhüpfer: Beobachtungen zu Zephanja 1, 8f.,” JSS 15 (1970): 42-55; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 197-98; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 41-42; M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 244. 763 John Gray, I and II Kings, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), pp. 726-27. See also the note on Neh. 11:9 in The NIV Study Bible. 764 G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, 2:56; see also Gray, Kings, p. 727. Note, however, that Barry Beitzel (The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands [Chicago: Moody, 1985], p. 159) locates the maktesh in the lower Tyropoeon Valley. 765 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:133. 766 M. Rose (“‘Atheismus’ als Wohlstandserscheinung? [Zeph 1, 12],” TZ 37 [1981]: 193-208) proposes that the affluent class had become so entrenched in its wealth that it assumed God must be supportive of its lifestyle. Thus wealth was a sign of divine favor. 767 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 201. 768 John T. Willis, “Alternating (ABA’B’) Parallelism in the Old Testament Psalms and Prophetic Literature,” in Directions in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, JSOTSup 40, ed. Elaine R. Follis (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1987), p. 74. 769 See further R. T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament (London: Tyndale, 1971), pp. 160-62; see also nn. 33 and 76 in this chapter. For a brief introduction to the problems of author-centered, text-centered, and reader-centered theories of rhetorical criticism as applied to biblical studies, see Tremper Longman III, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), pp. 19-41. 770 The date of Joel is a matter of dispute. The tendency for most lists to be comprehensive and drawn from many sources, combined with the close correspondence in order and point of view, tends to favor the idea of Zephaniah’s adapting of material from Joel rather than vice versa. (See R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:231-33. For more details concerning the dating dispute and a different conclusion, see Thomas J. Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, ed. Kenneth Barker [Chicago: Moody, 1990], pp. 2-9.) Conversely the demonstrably later date of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as well as their utilization of Zephaniah’s list in different settings relative to the Day of the Lord, show their dependence upon Zephaniah. C. von Orelli (The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks [Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977 reprint], p. 267) remarks concerning the relation of this passage and Joel: “The close of the chapter (vv. 14-18) also depicts, with plain allusion to Joel, this day of retribution as one coming on all the children of men.” For Zephaniah’s apparent dependence on Joel elsewhere, see the note on Zeph. 2:13. 771 Both additions are apparently adapted from Job, the first from 15:2, 24 and the second from 30:3; 38:27. 772 Although cataclysmic events are common in apocalypses, one must not assume that such details are always constituent parts of all apocalyptists’ literary artistry, as some suggest. See, e.g., M. S. Terry, Biblical Apocalyptics (reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), pp. 11-23. In the case of biblical prophecies that contain apocalyptic elements, it seems certain that the prophet was attempting to portray desperate changes that would take place in the physical and socio-political realms so that however much he may have utilized literary figures, one must affirm that something remarkable was going to take place. Indeed, the presence of such matters in biblical prophecy may provide a point of reference for their later application in apocalyptic. 773 Some (e.g., Sabottka, Zephania, pp. 52-54) have suggested that the hero here is God Himself. For warriors in the eschatological Day of the Lord, see Joel 3:9-11 (HB 4:9-11) and Finley’s (Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 95-96) comments. 774 G. van Groningen, “ עָבַר”, TWOT 2:643. For the employment of this term with other words for divine wrath and for its prophetic application, see G. Sauer, “ עֶבְרָה,” THAT 2:205-6; for the utilization of the underlying verbal root in divine holy warfare, see G. von Rad, Der heilige Krieg im alten Israel (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Reprecht, 1965), pp. 68-75. 775 See further É. Dhorme, A Commentary on the Book of Job, trans. Harold Knight (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984), pp. 218-19. 776 The paronomasia is obvious here, the second term for devastation reinforcing the first so as to depict total desolation (cf. Isa. 6:11). For the Hebrew phrase וּמְשׁוֹאָה שֹׁאָה used here and in Job, see John E. Hartley, The Book of Job, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), p. 396 n. 3. 777 All four pairs occur in the same order in Joel 2:2 (see, e.g., Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 43-44). The first, third, and fourth were used in the scene depicting the children of Israel’s encampment at Mount Sinai (Deut. 4:11), the second in the portrayal of the ninth plague against Egypt (Ex. 10:21-22). 778 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 364. 779 G. von Rad, The Message of the Prophets, trans. D. M. G. Stalker (New York: Harper & Row, 1967), p. 98. 780 The synecdoche of citing towns and towers for the devastation of all cities and lands is an effective one. If the strongest defenses will collapse, everything will be laid waste. 781 Although some have doubted the authenticity of such universalistic pronouncements by Zephaniah, the passage is properly defended by A. S. Kapelrud, Prophet Zephaniah, p. 31. Von. Rad (Message of the Prophets, p. 99) observes that “the war was now to affect all nations, even the fixed orders of creation, and even Israel herself. The event has been expanded into a phenomenon of cosmic significance.” 782 For other examples of divine judicial blinding, see Gen. 19:11; 2 Kings 6:18. O. P. Robertson (The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, NICOT [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990], pp. 254-56) rightly points out Zephaniah’s abundant use of phraseology drawn from Deuteronomy. 783 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:136. 784 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:116. 785 Hailey, Minor Prophets, p. 233. 786 For good discussions, see Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 50-52; R. Smith, Micah-Malachi, WBC (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984), p. 129. For details as to the term itself, see B. Couroyer, “Trois épithètes de Ramsès II,” Or 33 (1964): 443-53; A. F. Rainey, “The Soldier Scribe in Papyrus Anastasi I,” JNES 26 (1967): 58-60; A. R. Schulman, “Mhr and Mskb. Two Egyptian Military Titles of Semitic Origin,” Zeitschrift für die Aegyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 93 (1966): 123-32; Gordon, UT, p. 431. Sabottka calls attention to the Phoenician/Punic personal names mhrbàl and bàlmhr, which he understands as “(soldier) hero of Baal” and “Baal is the hero” respectively. 787 See W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, JSOTSup 26 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986), pp. 278-79. 788 Among important contributions in the vast literature on the subject may be cited Payne, Biblical Prophecy, pp. 121-40; M. S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, 2d ed. (reprint, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.), pp. 493-99; Patrick Fairbairn, Hermeneutical Manual (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1858), pp. 129-36; Prophecy (reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), pp. 177-96; The Typology of Scripture (reprint; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.), 1:368-95; C. von Orelli, The Old Testament Prophecy of the Consummation of God’s Kingdom, trans. J. S. Banks (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1889), pp. 31-62; W. C. Kaiser, Jr., The Uses of the Old Testament in the New (Chicago: Moody, 1985), pp. 61-76. 789 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:135. Such a use of this word is common in the OT; see KB-3, p. 1015; S. Amsler, “ קוֹל,” THAT 2:631. 790 See further the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:350. The NEB follows an emended text and translates “No runner fast as (that day), or raiding band so swift” (cf. BHS). מַר is clearly read by the MT, however, and is supported by the ancient versions and the use of the word in other Day of the Lord passages (e.g., Amos 8:10). 791 See Hulst, Translation Problems, p. 253. 792 The existence of this noun has been postulated as well for Jer. 4:31 and Ezek. 21:27; see at KB-3, p. 987. Similarly the NJB translates צֹרֵתַ here as “cry of war.” 793 For a parallel case where שׁ occurs before a preposition, see Judg. 7:12. This relative particle, which was common in Akkadian, Amorite, and Phoenician, is attested in older (particularly northern) Hebrew. Although it was not often employed in standard classical Hebrew, it reappeared in later Hebrew (possibly through the influence of Phoenician), where it has remained with some modification until modern times. See E. Y. Kutscher, A History of the Hebrew Language, ed. Raphael Kutscher (Leiden: Brill, 1982), p. 32; S. Moscati, An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1964), pp. 113-14; Z. S. Harris, Development of the Canaanite Dialects (New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Society, 1939), pp. 69-70. 794 C. F. Whitley, “Has the Particle שׁם an Asseverative Force?” Bib 55 (1974): 394-98. Whitley points out other possible instances of such a use of שׁם in Isa. 48:16; Hos. 6:10; Eccles. 3:17. 795 Von Rad, Message of the Prophets, p. 99; see also Old Testament Theology, trans. D. M. G. Stalker (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), 2:122-25. 796 See Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 55; see also R. J. Williams, “The Passive Qal Theme in Hebrew,” in Essays on the Ancient Semitic World, ed. J. W. Wevers and D. B. Redford (Toronto: University Press, 1970), p. 47. 797 See also Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:136. The MT form may be related to the Arabic plural luh£u‚m. The LXX and the Pesh. also read “their flesh” (cf. NASB), while the Vg suggests “their bodies” (cf. NJB “their corpses”). 798 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 213) correctly points out that “everywhere that reference is made to chaff, except possibly in Is. 4I15, it is as a simile of scattering (e.g., Is. 1713 Hos. 133 Jb. 2I18 PS. I4).” If Zephaniah’s point is the same, the primary force of the judgment is on the coming exile and dispersion of God’s people (cf. Deut. 28:64-68). 799 Cf. Finley’s comments in Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, pp. 51-55. The note of hope suggested in the Exegesis and Exposition of Zeph. 2:1-3 stands in contrast to many who see in the context primarily doom with little hope of deliverance. Thus G. A. Smith (Twelve Prophets, p. 58) remarks: “Upon this vision of absolute doom there follows a qualification for the meek and righteous. They may be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger; but even for them escape is only a possibility. Note the absence of mention of the Divine mercy. Zephaniah has no gospel of that kind.” 800 Although לֹא could be viewed as written for the asseverative particle לוּ (“indeed”; see GKC par. 23i), it is best taken as the usual negative. Laetsch (Minor Prophets, p. 365) explains: “To the second and third בְּטֶרֶם, לֹא is added; an example of mingling of two constructions. A, before it bring forth; B, that it may not bring forth; C, before it may not bring forth.” 801 For בִּקֵּשׁ (“seek”), see the additional note on Nah. 3:7 802 For “poor” as a theological term for those dependent on God, see Carroll Stuhlmueller, “Justice toward the Poor,” The Bible Today 24 (1986): 385-90. Stuhlmueller notes its primary socio-economic reference here but sees a shift in perspective in Zeph. 3:12. 803 For righteousness, see the Excursus on Habakkuk 2:4; for humility, see R. Martin Achard, “ ענה,” THAT 2:346-50; Leonard J. Coppes, “ עָנָה,” TWOT 2:682-84. 804 R. Smith, Micah-Malachi, p. 132. 805 In an extensive note J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, pp. 221-222) provides a detailed discussion of these proposals and concludes that “none of these is more than a barren conjecture, providing no suitable meaning.” 806 Laetsch (Minor Prophets, p. 365) calls attention to such English denominative verbs as “to berry” or “to nut.” 807 See KB-3, pp. 467-68. 808 The Hebrew root in all three cases is שָׁבַר (“break [in pieces]”). 809 The NASB marginal reading is “without longing.” An interesting twist for understanding the negative here is supplied by Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 62-63) who considers it a title for Baal and translates “O people that long for the Nothing.” 810 For the statement that metaphor, as an example of a trope, constitutes meaning, see Paul Ricoeur, “The Metaphorical Process as Cognition, Imagination, and Feeling,” in On Metaphor, ed. Sheldon Sacks (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1979), pp. 141-57. Ricoeur’s thesis is that metaphor creates meaning rather than embellishing it. 811 O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure, p. 248. 812 W. Bauder (“ πρανς,” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976], 2:257) points out that àa„ni‚ and particularly àa„na„w change their meaning from those who are materially poor to what becomes the self-chosen religious title of those who in deep need and difficulty humbly seek help from Yahweh alone, or have found it there. See also F. Hauck and S. Schulz, “ πραν`ς, πραυν`της,” TDNT 6:645-49, who emphasize that the humble man is “one who feels that he is a servant in relation to God and who subjects himself to Him quietly and without resistance.” See further the additional note on Zeph. 3:12. 813 See M. Baldacci, “Alcuni nuovi esempi di taw infisso nell’ebraico biblico,” Biblia e Oriente 24 (1982): 107-14; M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970), 3:388-89. For סוּר, see R. D. Patterson, “ סוּר,” TWOT 2:620-21. 814 R. Smith (Micah-Malachi, WBC [Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984], p. 135) follows C. Westermann in suggesting that the oracles concerning the foreign nations are a disguised salvation speech in that they imply salvation for Israel in contrast to or as a result of the judgment of the other peoples. 815 For a detailed discussion of Amos’s prophetic arrangement, see Thomas J. Finley, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, WEC, ed. Kenneth Barker (Chicago: Moody, 1990), pp. 133-36. 816 See further K. A. Kitchen, “The Philistines,” in Peoples of Old Testament Times, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Oxford: Clarendon, 1973), pp. 53-78; E. E. Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971); W. S. LaSor, “Philistines, Philistia,” ISBE 3:841-46; T. Dothan, The Philistines and Their Material Culture (New Haven: Yale U., 1982); “What We Know About the Philistines,” Biblical Archaeology Review 8 (1982): 20-44. 817 Only four Philistine cities are mentioned here. In the eighth century B.C. Gath was defeated by Uzziah, who destroyed its walls (2 Chron. 11:8; 26:6). It may have lain in ruins as early as Amos’s day (cf. Amos 62) and perhaps experienced final destruction as a result of an Assyrian invasion (cf. Mic. 1:10). 818 S. M. Lehrman, “Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, ed. A. Cohen, 12th ed. (London: Soncino, 1985), pp. 241-42. Some (e.g., Davidson, G. A. Smith) have seen in Esarhaddon’s capture of Memphis “in half a day” (AR 2:227) a reflection of a victory at midday; the expression may have relevance here. Conversely H. E. Freeman (Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk, Everyman’s Bible Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1973], p. 72) proposes: “The stronghold of the Philistines, a fortress in strength, would become so defenseless that there will be no need for a surprise attack after dark by the enemy forces, but she can be overthrown at noon, in broad daylight. An attack at noon implies contempt for Ashdod’s reputation as a formidable city.” For biblical parallels, see 1 Kings 20:16; Jer. 6:4. 819 Although there was a Gaza in NT times (cf. Acts 8:26), it appears to have been located on a different site nearer the coast. 820 For Ashdod, see M. Dothan, “Ashdod of the Philistines,” in New Directions in Biblical Archaeology, ed. D. N. Freedman and J. C. Greenfield (Garden City, N.J.: Doubleday, 1971), pp. 17-27; J. E. Jennings, “Ashdod,” in The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, ed. E. M. Blaiklock and R. K. Harrison (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983), pp. 73-74. For Ekron, see S. Gitin and T. Dothan, “The Rise and Fall of Ekron of the Philistines: Recent Excavations at an Urban Border Site,” BA 50 (1987): 197-222. 821 D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings (London: The Trustees of the British Museum, 1956), p. 69. 822 Kitchen, “Philistines,” p. 67. 823 . Robert Gordis, “A Rising Tide of Misery: A Note on Zephaniah II 4,” VT 37 (1987): 487-90. 824 L. Zalcman, “Ambiguity and Assonance at Zephaniah II 4,” VT 36 (1986): 365-71. 825 Gordis, “Rising Tide,” p. 489. 826 For הוֹי (“woe”), see the additional note on Nah. 3:1; for its use in invective in Habakkuk’s extended section of taunt songs, see the exposition of Hab. 2:6-20. 827 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 216. 828 Theo. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 368. 829 J. D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1530. 830 See, e.g., C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:139-40; L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), 7:552. 831 Cf. also Amos’s use of the number four in 3/4 ladder parallelism (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). 832 Zalcman, “Ambiguity and Assonance,” p. 366. 833 See further H.-J. Fabry, “ חבל,” TDOT 4:172-79. 834 Amos links the Philistines with Caphtor, traditionally associated with Crete. Some evidence, however, suggests a possible relationship with southern Asia Minor; see A. Wainwright, “Caphtor-Cappodicia,” VT 6 (1956): 199-210; “Early Philistine History,” VT 9 (1959): 73-84. 835 See, e.g., A. van Selms, “Cherethites,” ISBE 1:641. 836 M. Delcor, “Les kerethim et les cretois,” VT 28 (1978): 409-22. See also C. Gordon, Before the Bible (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p. 171. 837 The problematic “Negev of the Cherethites” (1 Sam. 30:14), as N. K. Sandars (The Sea Peoples [London: Thames and Hudson, 1978], p. 166) suggests, “may have lain in the hinterland of Gaza.” 838 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:141. 839 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 367n. So construed, there is a paronomasia involving the root krt. Thus, the land of the Kerethites ( כְּרֵתִים v. 5) will become a place marked by shepherds’ caves ( כְּרֹת, v. 6). A similar case of paronomasia occurs in Ezek. 25:16 where the root krt is used of “cutting off the Kerethites” ( וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־כְּדֵתים). Among those who prefer a reference to a proper name here, C. Gordon (Ugarit and Minoan Crete [New York: Norton, 1966], p. 28) proposes a reference to the Ugaritic hero “Kret ... the eponymous ancestor of the Cretans or the Philistines in Zephaniah 2:6.” The root כָּרָה apparently lies behind the decision of the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:375-76, to translate the form as “wells.” J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 218) omits the word as a “corrupt dittograph of the immediately preceding word.” 840 See the additional note on Nah. 1:8. 841 For the phrase “restore their fortunes,” see R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:259. 842 For the remnant theme, see R. de Vaux, “The ‘Remnant of Israel’ According to the Prophets,” in The Bible and the Ancient Near East, trans. Damian McHugh (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1971), p. 28; G. F. Hasel, The Remnant (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews U., 1974). 843 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 219. 844 See Duane L. Christensen, “Zephaniah 2:4-15: A Theological Basis for Josiah’s Program of Political Expansion,” CBQ 46 (1984): 681. 845 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:143. 846 Moab’s hostility toward Israel is illustrated in the well-known Mesha Stele (or Moabite Stone); see D. Winton Thomas, ed., Documents from Old Testament Times (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), pp. 195-99. For the text itself, see H. Donner and W. Röllig, Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1966), 1:33. 847 For light on the possible locations of Sodom and Gomorrah, see E. B. Smick, Archaeology of the Jordan Valley (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973), pp. 47-51; W. C. van Hatten, “Once Again: Sodom and Gomorrah,” BA 44 (1981): 87-92; James E. Jennings, “Bab Edh-dhra,” The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, pp. 84-85. 848 Despite a recent resurgence, the area is still marked by its austere surroundings. See Denis Baly, The Geography of the Bible, rev. ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), pp. 204-6. 849 J. Bergman, H. Ringgren, and R. Mosis, “ גָּדַל” TDOT 2:404-5. 850 The idea of arrogant boasting is ably defended by J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 226; L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute, 1972), pp. 84-85. 851 For details, see E. A. Speiser, Genesis, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964), pp. 111-12. 852 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 227) suggests similarly “overgrown.” For enclitic mem, see H. D. Hummel, “Enclitic MEM in Early Northwest Semitic, Especially Hebrew,” JBL 76 (1957): 85-107; M. Pope, “Ugaritic Enclitic -m,” JCS 5 (1951): 123-28; M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970), 3:408-9. The use of enclitic mem with proper nouns is attested elsewhere and may have been employed here for metrical reasons. 853 See B. H. Warmington, Carthage (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1964), p. 255. 854 See R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC, 4:142-43. 855 J. M. P. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 229) reasons that “if the text is correct, the point of the figure lies either in the thought that by destroying the nations Yahweh will enfeeble their gods, whose existence is bound up with that of the nations worshipping them; or in the fact that in earlier times, sacrificial offerings were looked upon as the ‘food of the gods’ (cf. Ez. 447); hence, by causing the offerings to cease, Yahweh will deprive the gods of their means of support.” 856 For double-duty consonants, see I. O. Lehman, “A Forgotten Principle of Biblical Textual Tradition Rediscovered,” JNES 26 (1967): 93-101; M. Dahood, Psalms, 2:81; 3:371-72. 857 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 371. See further the helpful discussions of W. LaSor, “Cush,” ISBE 1:839, and R. F. Youngblood, “Ethiopia,” ISBE 2:193-94. 858 For details on Egypt’s twenty-fifth (or Nubian) dynasty, see A. H. Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs (Oxford: Clarendon, 1961), pp. 340-52; K. A. Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1973), pp. 148-73. 859 Some suggest that the י in חַרְבִּי is an abbreviation for יהוה and hence understand here “the sword of Yahweh.” See G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1929), 2:63 n. 7; see also BHS; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 236n; M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 253. 860 See M. Pope, Song of Songs, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977), pp. 303-4. Keil (Minor Prophets, 2:146) calls attention to similar instances in Ezek. 28:22; Zeph. 3:18; Zech. 3:8. 861 Such use is common in Aramaic/Syriac; see A. F. Johns, A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, rev. ed. (Berrien Springs: Andrews U. 1972), p. 12; T. H. Robinson, Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar, 4th ed. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1962), p. 15. An alternative possibility would be to view this as an instance in which the pronoun has been attracted to כּוּשִׁים: “The Cushites ... they are the slain of my sword.” The הֵמָּה would thus be a resumptive pronoun. 862 For the motif of the outstretched hand of God, see the exposition of 1:4-6. For Zephaniah’s perspective on the political crises that marked the latter half of the seventh century B.C., see Christensen, “Zephaniah 2:4-15,” pp. 669-82; P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985), 2:121-22. 863 Nahum predicts that Nineveh’s shortage of water would be felt already at the time of its siege; see the exposition of Nah. 3:14. 864 Nahum prophesies that those who learn of Nineveh’s demise will not lament her passing (3:7) but will rejoice and clap their hands (3:19). 865 See his article “Death in Life: The Book of Jonah and OT Tragedy,” GTJ 11 (1990). 866 Note Isaiah’s similar condemnation of Babylon (47:8-10). See also the exposition of Nah. 2:8-10, 11-13. 867 M. R. Wilson, “Nineveh,” in Major Cities of the Biblical World, ed. R. K. Harrison (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), p. 186. See also CAH 3:76-79; A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1951), pp. 326-36; H. W. F. Saggs, The Might That Was Assyria (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), pp. 98-99, 187-93; W. A. Maier, The Book of Nahum (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), pp. 93-98. 868 Maier, Nahum, p. 135. For similar prophetic messages of total judgment, see Isa. 13:19-22; 14:22-23; 34:10-15; Jer. 49:18, 33; 51:29, 36-37, 43. 869 E. S. Kalland, “ דָּבַר,” TWOT 1:181. 870 H. J. Austel, “ שָׁמֵם,” TWOT 2:937. 871 For Zephaniah’s indebtedness to Joel elsewhere, see the additional note on 1:18. J. P. J. Olivier (“A Possible Interpretation of the Word s£iyya‚ in Zeph. 2, 13,” JNSL 8 [1980]: 96) suggests on the basis of ancient Near Eastern malediction formulae that צִיָּה may be a technical term for “a ruined city inhabited only by wild beasts.” 872 For details, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 233; Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:378. The construct chain here retains its old case marker (cf. Num. 23:18; 24:3, 15), apparently as a frozen form often occurring with חַיָּה (cf. Gen. 1:24; Pss. 50:10; 79:2; 104:11; Isa. 56:9). 873 See the helpful discussion by Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 96-97), who terms them “screech owl” and “owl” respectively. See also David Clark, “Of Beasts and Birds: Zephaniah 2, 14,” BT 34 (1982): 243-46. 874 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:148. 875 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 234; G. A. Smith (Twelve Prophets, 2:64) omits the words altogether (cf. BHS). 876 So Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 97-98) who, however, finds in the words בַּסַּף עֵרָה אַרְזָה כִּי an idiomatic expression of the extent of the destruction: “from the threshold right up to the cedar beams.” 877 Some suggest reading אַרְזָהּ here, thus “her cedar work” (RSV; G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, 2:64n.2). 878 The form עֹרָה apparently lies behind the translation “will be laid bare” (RSV; cf. NJB). 879 See GKC, par. 90 1; 152s; cf. Isa. 47:8, 10. 880 See H. Wolf, “ אַי,” TWOT 1:35 under the discussion of áe‚k. 881 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 238. 882 P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets, 2:123. 883 Ibid., 2:125. Craigie goes on to remark: “In Zephaniah’s time, just as in our own, there were those persons engaged in the ‘ministry of the Word’ who had seen and exploited its possibilities for personal gain.” 884 C. L. Feinberg, The Prophecy of Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody, 1969), p. 129. 885 For a discussion of the term “wolves of the evening,” see K. Elliger, “Das ende der ‘Abendwolfe’ Zeph 3, 3, Hab 1, 8,” in Festschrift A. Bertholet, ed. W. Baumgartner (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1950), pp. 158-74; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 104-5. 886 Craigie, Twelve Prophets, p. 174. 887 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:151. 888 The morning hour is often commended as an ideal time for meeting with God to find direction and strength for the day (e.g., Pss. 5:3 [HB 5:4]; 88:13 [HB 88:14]; 92:1-2 [HB 92:2-3]; 143:8; Mark 1:35). 889 See Victor Hamilton, “ מָרָה,” TWOT 1:526; see further R. Knierim, “ מרה,” THAT 1:928-30. 890 For a discussion of the West Semitic root behind the term, see A. Marzal, “The Provincial Governor at Mari: His Title and Appointment,” JNES 30 (1971): 186-94; see also P. Fronzaroli, “ SŒa„pit£u ‘una autorità tribale, con funzioni di giudice ma non esclusivamente,’“ Archivo Glottologico Italiano 45 (1960): 51-54. For excellent discussions of the root שׁפט and the judicial system in earliest Israel, see R. D. Culver, Toward a Biblical View of Civil Government (Chicago: Moody, 1974), pp. 138-50. See also G. Liedke, “ שׁפט,” THAT 2:999-1009; L. J. Wood, Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), pp. 4-6. 891 Michael Fishbane (Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel [Oxford: Clarendon, 1985], p. 463) singles out Ezekiel’s use of Zephaniah as a classic case of inner biblical exegesis: “For in this case reacting to the iniquity of his time, the inspired prophet drew upon a fixed form and phraseology—learned and studied in the schools—and added to them older and idiosyncratic verbal elements which seemed to suit the situation and more exactly specify the general imagery used. By this exegetical traditio and older traditum derived from Zephaniah’s prophecies came a new traditum in Ezekiel’s hands. And by virtue of this traditio which wove into Zeph. 3:3-4 various authoritative phrases from legal and prophetic sources, the denunciations in Ezek. 22:25-28 acquire a double force.” 892 Conrad von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (reprint, Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977), p. 274. 893 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:150. See further M. A. Klopfenstein, “ בגד,” THAT 1:262-63; S. Erlandsson, “ בָּגַד,” TDOT 1:470-73. 894 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:57. 895 See A. R. Hulst, Old Testament Translation Problems (Leiden: Brill, 1960), p. 255. 896 BDB, p. 38. 897 C. F. Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 2:153; cf. Hab. 2:3; 3:16-18. 898 My colleague Brent Sandy reports to me that this is one of 196 times that the LXX reading is taken over the MT by the NIV. 899 L. Sabottka, Zephanja (Rome: Biblical Institute, 1972), pp. 113-14. 900 M. Dahood, Psalms, AB (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964), 2:81-82; 3:113; see also “Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography VII,” Bib 50 (1969): 347. For Ugaritic àd, C. Gordon (UT, p. 453) proposes the meaning “throne room.” 901 See Dahood, Psalms, 3:394-95; C. F. Whitley, “Some Functions of the Hebrew Particles Beth and Lamedh,” JQR 62 (1972): 205-6. 902 For a cautious appraisal of the relation of the Hebrew prepositions, see M. D. Futato, “The Preposition ‘Beth’ in the Hebrew Psalter,” WTJ 41 (1978): 68-81. 903 The close relation of vv. 8 and 9 is also indicated by the words קָנָא (v. 8) and קָרָא (v. 9) that often occur in juxtaposition. See M. Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 1:326. 904 J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 252n. See also the discussion in the introduction under Unity. 905 P. C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985), 2:129-30. Although W. Eichrodt (Theology of the Old Testament, trans. J. A. Baker [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961], 1:379n.2) rightly cautions that the reality of Israel’s hope in no way minimized the seriousness and severity of her imminent judgment, it is hope through judgment that gives full force to Zephaniah’s instructions to his people. From a literary standpoint, 3:9-20 forms the necessary corollary to the book’s opening announcement of judgment, and taken together both passages illustrate Zephaniah’s penchant for the employment of reversal as a literary technique. 906 For the Pauline perspective on the completion of the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, see the remarks of C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1979), 2:572-88. For the universal hope of salvation for all people as a basic tenet of OT teaching, see P. E. Hughes, Interpreting Prophecy (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), pp. 61-62; J. Barton Payne, The Theology of the Older Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), pp. 188-94. 907 See C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, The Pentateuch, COT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), 1:119-20. 908 Theo. Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), p. 377. 909 ANET, p. 130. For the Ugaritic text itself, see UT, pp. 197-98, Text 137, lines 36-38. See further Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 3:119-20; Sabottka, Zephanja, pp. 121-22. 910 See, e.g., C. von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (reprint, Minneapolis: Klock and Klock, 1977), p. 277; E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 2:284-85. 911 See GKC par. 117cc, ff. 912 G. A. Smith (The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, 1929], 2:71) wisely points out: “Where Churches have large ambitions for themselves, how necessary to hear that the future is destined for a poor folk, the meek and the honest. Where men boast that their religion—Bible, Creed or Church—has undertaken to save them, vaunting themselves on the Mount of My Holiness, how needful to hear salvation placed upon character and trust in God.” 913 See K. Seybold, “ הָפַךְ,” TDOT 3:423-27. 914 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:156. 915 The LXX translates the line picturesquely “under one yoke.” 916 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 249. 917 C. L. Feinberg (The Minor Prophets [Chicago: Moody, 1976], p. 234), however, suggests that the literal Ethiopia is meant. He goes on to observe that “there are some who suggest that the ones meant by the suppliants are Jews dispersed in Ethiopia. They point to the west of Abyssinia where the well-known Falashas (the word is from the same Semitic root as Philistine, meaning emigrant) live. They are said to trace their origin to Palestine and the Jewish religion. It is thought that the Abyssinian Christians were originally in part Hebrew believers. We prefer with others to understand the words ‘my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed’ as the object of the verb and not the subject. In other words, the Lord’s people dispersed in Ethiopia will be brought by the Gentiles to their homeland as an offering to the Lord.” (See also the additional note on 2:12.) 918 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 249. Smith emends the text to read “The princes(?) of the daughter of Put(?).” Sabottka (Zephanja, pp. 119-21) adopts a suggestion of Dahood to understand בַּת as “woven garment,” emends פּוּצִי to בּוּצִי, and translates the phrase “garments of byssos” (i.e., fine linen garments). 919 Note the suggested translation in the Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 5:382-83: “those who pray to me.” 920 See the additional note on 3:14. See further my note on 2 Kings 19:21 in R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel, “1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 4:269. 921 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:156. 922 Thus Jeremiah speaks often of “the house of Israel,” or “the house of Judah,” and reports that God calls His people “my house” (Jer. 12:7). 923 See UT, p. 198, Text 137, lines 37-38. 924 M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1980), p. 259. 925 For proposed examples of לא written for לוּ, see D. Rudolf Meyer, Hebräische Grammatik (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1969), 2:173, par. 86.4; see also the comments of B. K. Waltke and M. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990), pp. 211-12. 926 For the genitive of attribute or quality, see A. B. Davidson, Hebrew Syntax, 3d ed. (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1901), par. 24c, Rem. 2. 927 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:158. 928 Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 1:317-18. 929 L. Coppes, “ עָנָה,” TWOT 2:683. 930 L. Coppes, “ דַּל,” TWOT 1:190. 931 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 251-52; see also Carroll Stuhlmueller, “Justice Toward the Poor,” The Bible Today 24 (1986): 387. 932 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:159. 933 G. W. Anderson, “The Idea of the Remnant in the Book of Zephaniah,” ASTI 11 (1977-78): 387; see also the additional note on 2:7. R. L. Smith (Micah-Malachi, WBC [Waco, Tex.: Word, 1984], p. 142) points out that, “although the idea of God saying only the humble is magnified in the post OT era, the concept is an old one.” Smith provides several examples from the Psalms and prophets that antedate Zephaniah. 934 For literary keys to the structure of vv. 14-20, see the additional note on 3:17. 935 Laetsch, Minor Prophets, p. 380. 936 For the universal and local aspects of the divine title “King,” see Daniel Block, The Gods of the Nations, Evangelical Theological Society Monograph Series No. 2 (Jackson: Evangelical Theological Society, 1988), pp. 47-52. 937 Subsequent revelation makes clear that this will be realized when the Messiah reigns in His everlasting glory (Jer. 23:5-8; 33:14-26; Ezek. 34:21-31; 36:22-38; 37:21-28; Zech. 2:10-13 [HB 2:14-17]; 14:1-11; cf. Phil. 2:9-11; Rev. 11:15; 19:6-16; 21:2-3). 938 A. R. Fausset, “Zephaniah,” in R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 4:650. 939 J. D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1985), 1:1534. 940 Herbert Marks, “The Twelve Prophets,” in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Robert Alter and Frank Kermode (Cambridge: Harvard U., 1987), p. 216. 941 Victor A. S. Reid, “Zephaniah,” in The International Bible Commentary, rev. ed., ed. F. F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), p. 957. 942 For a standard premillennial interpretation of Zeph. 3:20, see H. E. Freeman, Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1973), pp. 89-90. For poetic sentiment concerning Christ’s triumphant return, one may note the words of Thomas Kelly (“Look, Ye Saints, the Sight Is Glorious!” in Immanuel Hymnal [New York: Macmillan, 1939], No. 188): Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious! See the Man of Sorrows now, From the fight returned victorious! Every knee to Him shall bow: Crown Him! Crowns become the Victor’s brow! 943 The text of this hymn is listed as “K” in Rippon’s Section of Hymns, 1787. For a contemporary hymn setting, see The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, ed. Tom Fettke and Ken Barker (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1986), No. 275. 944 L. Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:564n. See also the interesting study of Ihromi, “Die Häufung der Verben des Jubelns in Zephanja iii 14f., 16-18: mn, rwà, sÃmh£, àlz, sÃwsÃ und gi‚l,” VT 33 (1983): 106-10. 945 See H. Haag, “ בַּק” TDOT 2:334-35. 946 For the verb סוּר, see R. D. Patterson, “ סוּר,” TWOT 2:620-21. The verb פָּנָה may have been chosen as a deliberate echo of the earlier פִּנּוֹח (“strongholds”) in Zeph. 1:16; 3:6; for the verb itself, cf. Arabic fani‚ (“pass away”) and Geez fännäwä (“send away”). 947 See the Tg. Neb.; cf. BHS. For a full discussion, see J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 256, 261n. 948 See the LXX, Vg, Pesh., Tg. Neb., BHS. For אֹיֵב as an adversary at law, see Job 9:15; 13:24; 33:10; cf. 1 Kings 21:20. For the term itself, see E. Jenni, “ אֹיֵב,” THAT 1:118-22; H. Ringgren, “ אָיַב,” TDOT 1:212-18. It remains to be asked only whether the adversary here could be God Himself (cf. Isa. 63:10; Lam. 2:4-5). 949 Among modern foreign-language Bibles taking a similar position may be cited Die Heilige Schrift and La Sacra Biblia. 950 H. Kosmala, “ גָּבַר,” TDOT 2:374; see also J. Kuhlewein, “ גבר,” THAT 1:400. 951 For this title applied to Israel’s Messiah, see Isa. 9:6 (Heb. 9:5). 952 See Davidson, Syntax, par. 44b, Rem. 3. 953 For such hiphil transitives, see GKC, par. 53d, e, f. 954 Still other ideas have been proposed. Thus, Sabottka (Zephania, pp. 132-34) follows Dahood in taking חָרַשׁ in the sense of “devise artfully,” “improvise,” “compose”; see further R. Smith, Micah—Malachi, p. 143n.17a. 955 See E. Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, 4th ed., trans. E. F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), pp. 111-19. 956 See the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:384. Note that some suggest dropping the phrase entirely (e.g., Buhl, Marti). 957 Confusion between ד and ר is a source of frequent textual corruption; see Würthwein, Text of the Old Testament, p. 106. For the jussive of חָדָה, see Job 3:6; GKC, par. 75r. 958 ישֵׁב is used elsewhere in the OT with similar emphases, e.g., “(You are) the one who inhabits the praises of Israel” (Ps. 22:3 [HB 22:4]; cf. NIV, however, which follows BHS in construing the participle with the first colon). 959 See my comments on Joel 3:11 (HB 4:11) in R. D. Patterson, “Joel,” in EBC, 7:262. 960 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 257. For still other suggestions among those who adopt this reading, see Walker, “Zephaniah,” in EBC, 7:563. 961 See GKC, par. 69t; cf. Lam. 1:4. 962 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 257; see also pp. 258, 262. See further the LXX, Pesh. and Tg. Neb.; cf. NJB, RSV. 963 NIV; cf. NASB, NKJV, KJV. 964 So J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 258. 965 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:162. For full details, see the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:384-86; J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, pp. 262-63. 966 This possibility is acknowledged by G. A. Smith, Twelve Prophets, p. 73n.4. 967 UT, 251, KRT, lines 131-33. 968 For details see KAI, 2:84; 3:15. 969 The verb here may be שָׁבַס; see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena in the Light of Akkadian and Ugaritic (Missoula, Mont.: Scholars Press, 1978), pp. 49, 95-96nn265-68. 970 Jack Lewis, “ יָעַד,” TWOT 1:389. A verb נוּג with the meaning “drive out/depart” also fits well the case of Lam. 1:4 where the MT נוּגוֹת בְּתוּלֹתֶהָ is rendered by the LXX αἱ παρθένοι αὐτῆς ἀγόμεναι (“her virgins are led away”). For the use of מוֹעֵד as either “appointed time” or “place,” see G. Sauer, “ יעד,” THAT 1:743-44. 971 See GKC, par. 116m, p. 972 For details, see the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:386. 973 Such a procedure involves taking the final mem on the verb as an enclitic. For details, see Sabottka, Zephanja, p. 139. For שִׂים with the meaning “turn/change/transform,” see M. Dahood, “Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography X,” Bib 53 (1972): 399-400. 974 Keil, Minor Prophets, 2:163. 975 Dahood, “Lexicography X,” 399-400; for this employment of the pronominal suffix with verbs, see GKC, par. 117x; Davidson, Syntax, par. 73, Rem. 4. 976 UT, p. 180, Text 68, lines 28-29. For the term “rider on the clouds,” see R. D. Patterson, “A Multiplex Approach to Psalm 45,” GTJ 6 (1985): 37n.35. See also Dahood, “Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs,” RSP 3:308-9; Dahood draws attention to a similar problem in Ezek. 34:29. 977 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 263. 978 For waw explicative, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 2d ed. (Toronto: U. of Toronto, 1976), p. 71, par. 434; D. W. Baker, “Further Examples of the WAW EXPLICATIVUM,” VT 30 (1980): 129-36; Dahood, Psalms, 3:402. 979 Note the similar function of מִדֵּי with the infinitive construct to mean “as often as” (lit. “out of the abundance of”); see BDB, p. 191. 980 J. M. P. Smith, Zephaniah, p. 263. 981 For emphatic כִּי see R. Gordis, “The Asseverative Kaph in Ugaritic and Hebrew,” JAOS 63 (1943): 176-78; Dahood, Psalms, 3:402-6; Williams, Syntax, par. 261, 449; Waltke and O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, p. 670.	i don't know
The natural basic form of the spice ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a?	~ Spice Route ~ Portfolio - Spices - Ginger Email this page Ginger - the root of excitement The rhizome of an Asiatic plant, 'Zingiber Officinale', ginger derives its name form the Sanskrit word Srngavera - meaning, 'horn-shaped'. Known and used since ancient times in India and China, this tuber with many knobby protuberances called 'fingers' and a piquantly delicious taste is today found in many kitchens all over the world. Acknowledged as a digestive aid and a mild stimulant, ginger is reputed to have powerful aphrodisiacal properties as well. At present, ginger is cultivated in practically all the tropical countries of the world. In India, the finest quality ginger is grown primarily in Mananthawadi and Sulthan Bathery ranges in Kerala and also in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Fine ground ginger - a boom to the modern kitchen - Natural wet ginger dries up very fast and cannot be stored beyond a certain time. But Spice Route dry ginger lasts longer and does not lose its properties. It is more convenient to use as there is no grinding or crushing involved. It can be mixed easily, to required taste, into virtually any dish you like. Today, Spice Route dry ginger offers the convenience of being in your kitchen whenever you need it. Fresh, fine ground Spice Route ginger Spice Route fresh fine ground ginger is a premium quality powder made from fresh ginger grown at our dedicated farms in Maharashtra and Tami Nadu. We use a unique post-harvest processing technique wherein the fresh rhizomes are fried without exposure to the sun and usage of harmful chemicals that are normally used to dry the fresh ginger. It is then fine ground to perfection at our unique pulverizing facility. The fine ginger is packed in attractive eco-friendly PET dispensers and flexible refill pouches with zip-lock technology to seal in the freshness and aroma, Spice Route fine ground ginger is a great substitute for fresh ginger you buy everyday and is a must in every modern kitchen. Retail packs - 100g refill pouches and 75 g dispenser jars Bulk quantities - as per your requirements	Rhizome
Said to be the most natural unit of time what is typically defined as the period of rotation of the Earth relative to any selected heavenly body?	Herb-Ginger You are here: Home / Product Education / Herbs & Foods / Herb-Ginger Herb-Ginger Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Alias names for Ginger: African Ginger, Black Ginger, Race Ginger, Zingiber officinale, Family: Zingiberaceae, Sheng Jian (Chinese), Singabera (Sanskrit) Chinese Name for Ginger: Sheng Jian Pictures of Ginger: Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) Ginger flowers (Zingiber officinale) About Ginger: Ginger is a perennial which can grow up to 3 feet tall and has dark glossy green two ranked leaves that surround the base of the stem which may have white or yellow flowers. It grows out of tuberous rhizome roots and prefers moist fertile soil in partially shaded warm climates. Although ginger originated in India and China, the root is now cultivated all over the world as a spice, food alternative, and medicinal herb. The plant can be propagated through rhizome division and then harvested after about 10 months. References for Ginger pictures: Actions and Historical Uses of Ginger: Abdominal bloating Whooping cough Historical Uses for Ginger and how it Works: Ginger lessens the ability of blood platelets to aggregate or stick together thus increasing circulation. In the digestive system, the pungent constituents of ginger alleviate nausea and vomiting. The herb tones the intestinal muscles which makes digestive transport easier. Chinese herb, ginger is used in two different forms. Fresh ginger is given for fever, headaches, and aching muscles. Dried ginger is used for “internal cold,” with symptoms such as cold hands, a weak pulse and a pale complexion. Antiseptic, used in a trial study in China, 70% of patients with bacillary dysentery who were given ginger made a full recovery. Ginger is used many ways including: Ginger Tea Ginger Infusion Tea for nausea Ginger Essential oil for arthritic aches Ginger Capsules for morning sickness and motion sickness Ginger Tincture for digestion Parts of the Ginger plant used: Rhizome/root/tuber. Properties of Ginger: Antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, carminative, circulatory stimulant, inhibits coughing Chemical Constituents of Ginger: Bisabolene, gingerol, oleoresin, shogaols, volatile oil, and zingiberene Contradictions, safety issues, concerns, harmful drug interactions and allergy precautions for Ginger: Ginger is generally a safe herb to use, however there are some precautions. While short-term use shows no ill effects, long-term use of ginger during pregnancy is not recommended. Sensitivity to the taste may occur as well as development of heartburn. If you have had gallstones you should first seek the advice of a health care professional before using ginger. Pregnant women should not exceed the dose of 1 gram daily. Doctors should be notified of the use of ginger before going into surgery. Helpful Links and References for Ginger: Do Herbs by Sandy Brooks Herbal Medicine by Dian Dincin Buchman’s These products are not drugs, but foods for special dietary use pursuant to applicable Federal law. No statement in this page shall be construed as offering these products for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease. Related Pages: Dr. Denice Moffat, Medical Intuitive Hours for Phone Consultations are: 10 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Monday - Friday, Pacific Time, USA. First Name Last Name Reveals little-known secrets, effective natural remedies, tricks, tips, options, recipes, thought-provoking feature articles and much more! A $120 Value. Sign Up Today and Receive A FREE BONUS REPORT including 150+ Ways to Improve Your Health Starting today! (Available ONLY to New Subscribers.) 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You are encouraged to consult a knowledgeable practitioner before utilizing any of the information in this site. I am available for telephone consultations only at this point. I love working on my site and hope that you get enjoyment and healing from it. Namaste. Dr. Denice Moffat What I do, How I work Medical Intuitive Telephone Consultations What is a Naturopath and Medical Intuitive? A naturopath is a person who utilizes any and all … [Read More...] Contact Us	i don't know
What foodstuff, meaning 'fat liver' in French, is made from the liver of a duck or goose fattened traditionally by force-feeding?	Wiki: Foie gras - upcScavenger upcScavenger (11) Media Foie gras (, French for "fat liver") is a luxury food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck or Domestic goose that has been specially fattened. By French law, French rural code Code rural – Article L654-27-1 : " On entend par foie gras, le foie d'un canard ou d'une oie spécialement engraissé par gavage." ("'Foie gras' is understood to mean the liver of a duck or a goose that has been specially fattened by gavage, also served with toast"). foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by force-feeding corn with a feeding tube , a process also known as gavage. In Spain The Perennial Plate: Episode 121: A Time for Foie. [2] . June 2013. and other countries outside France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding. Ted Talks: Dan Barber's foie gras parable. [3] . July 2008. Ducks are force-fed twice a day for 12.5 days and geese three times a day for around 17 days. Ducks are typically slaughtered at 100 days and geese at 112 days. Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy in French cuisine . Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse , parfait , or pâté, and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that "Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France." French rural code L654-27-1 The technique of gavage dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding. Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. A Global Taste Test of Foie Gras and Truffles : NPR Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial, due mainly to the animal welfare concerns about force-feeding, intensive housing and husbandry, and enlarging the liver to 10 times its usual volume. A number of countries and jurisdictions have laws against force-feeding, and the production, import or sale of foie gras; even where it is legal, a number of retailers decline to stock it. Ancient times As early as 2500 BC, the ancient Egyptians learned that many birds could be fattened through forced overfeeding and began this practice. Whether they particularly sought the fattened livers of birds as a delicacy remains undetermined. : " Foie gras is the "fat liver" of force-fed geese and ducks. It has been made and appreciated since Roman times and probably long before; the force-feeding of geese is clearly represented in Egyptian art from 2500 BC." . In the necropolis of Saqqara , in the tomb of Mereruka , an important royal official, there is a bas relief scene wherein workers grasp geese around the necks in order to push food down their throats. At the side stand tables piled with more food pellets, and a flask for moistening the feed before giving it to the geese. . The practice of goose fattening spread from Egypt to the Mediterranean. . The earliest reference to fattened geese is from the 5th century BC Greek poet Cratinus , who wrote of geese-fatteners, yet Egypt maintained its reputation as the source for fattened geese. When the king Agesilaus visited Egypt in 361 BC, he noted Egyptian farmers' fattened geese and calves. . It was not until the Roman period, however, that foie gras is mentioned as a distinct food, which the Romans named iecur ficatum; iecur means liver : " A second instance of the restriction of the sense of a Latin anatomical term to animals is iecur 'the liver' in Theodorus and Cassius. In both, the human liver is always hepar , while iecur is used of an animal (...)" and ficatum derives from ficus , meaning fig in Latin . "Ficus,i" (...) Derivés: (...) ficatum n. (sc. iecur): d'abord terme de cuisine "foie garni de figues", cf. Hor., S. 2, 8, 88, ficis pastum iecur anseris albae, calque du gr. συκωτόν de même sens, puis, dans le langage populaire, simplement "foie" (...) et passé avec ce sens dans les langues romanes, où ficatum a remplacé iecur. A. Ernout, A. Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine, Éd. Klincksieck, Paris 1979. The emperor Elagabalus fed his dogs on foie gras during the four years of his reign. . Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) credits his contemporary, Roman gastronome Marcus Gavius Apicius, with feeding dried figs to geese in order to enlarge their livers: Hence, the term iecur ficatum, fig-stuffed liver; feeding figs to enlarge a goose's liver may derive from Hellenistic Alexandria, since much of Roman luxury cuisine was of Greek inspiration. Ficatum was closely associated with animal liver and it became the root word for "liver" in each of these languages: foie in French, : " (...) for example, why it is not the word JECUR (a Latin word taken from the Greek) which has come down to us with the meaning of 'liver', but the Romance word ficato , which has become the French foie . The word ficato is formed on the Latin word FICUS 'fig', and would appear to have nothing to do with the 'liver' other than the Greeks, followed by the Romans, fattened their geese with figs to obtain particularly fleshy and tasty livers. The FICATUM JECUR or 'fig-fattened goose liver', which was very much sought after, must have become such a common expression that it was shortened to FICATUM (just as the modern French say frites as an abbreviation of pommes de terre frites ). To begin with the word FICATUM probably designated only edible animal livers, with its meaning then being extended to include the human organ." hígado in Spanish, fígado in Portuguese, fegato in Italian, fetge in Catalan and Occitan and ficat in Romanian, all meaning "liver"; this etymology has been explained in different manners. : " Feûte n'est pas mieux fait que foie ; seulement, il conserve le t du Latin; car on sait que foie vient de ficatum (foie d'une oie nourrie de figues, et, de là, foie en général). Foie en français, feûte en wallon, fetge en provençal, fégato en italien, hígado en espagnol, fígado en portugais, témoignent que la bouche romane déplaça l'accent du mot Latin, et, au lieu de ficátum , qui est la prononciation régulière, dit, par anomalie, fícatum avec l'accent sur l'antépénultième." Postclassical Europe After the fall of the Roman empire, goose liver temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Some claim that Gallic farmers preserved the foie gras tradition until the rest of Europe rediscovered it centuries later, but the medieval French peasant's food animals were mainly pig and sheep. . Others claim that the tradition was preserved by the Jews, who learned the method of enlarging a goose's liver during the Roman colonisation of Judea . or earlier from Egyptians. : " The enlarged liver has been counted a delicacy since classical times, when the force-feeding of the birds was practised in classical Rome. It is commonly said that the practice dates back even further, to ancient Egypt, and that knowledge of it was possibly acquired by the Jews during their period of 'bondage' there and transmitted by them to the classical civilizations." The Jews carried this culinary knowledge as they migrated farther north and west to Europe. The Judaic dietary law, Kashrut , forbade lard as a cooking medium, and butter, too, was proscribed as an alternative since Kashrut also prohibited mixing meat and dairy products. Jewish cuisine used olive oil in the Mediterranean, and sesame oil in Babylonia , but neither cooking medium was easily available in Western and Central Europe, so poultry fat (known in Yiddish as schmaltz ), which could be abundantly produced by overfeeding geese, was substituted in their stead. . The delicate taste of the goose's liver was soon appreciated; Hans Wilhelm Kirchhof of Kassel wrote in 1562 that the Jews raise fat geese and particularly love their livers. Some were concerned that eating forcibly overfed geese violated Jewish food restrictions. The chasam sofer, Rabbi Moses Sofer , contended that it is not a forbidden food ( treyf ) as none of its limbs are damaged. This matter remained a debated topic in Jewish dietary law until the Jewish taste for goose liver declined in the 19th century. Another kashrut matter, still a problem today, is that even properly slaughtered and inspected meat must be drained of blood before being considered fit to eat. Usually, salting achieves that; however, as liver is regarded as "(almost) wholly blood", broiling is the only way of kashering. Properly broiling a foie gras while preserving its delicate taste is difficult, and therefore rarely practiced. Even so, there are restaurants in Israel that offer grilled goose foie gras. Foie Gras also bears resemblance to the Jewish food staple, chopped liver. Appreciation of fattened goose liver spread to gastronomes outside the Jewish community, who could buy in the local Jewish ghetto of their cities. In 1570, Bartolomeo Scappi, chef de cuisine to Pope Pius V, published his cookbook Opera, wherein he describes that "the liver of a domestic goose raised by the Jews is of extreme size and weighs between two and three pounds." . In 1581, Marx Rumpolt of Mainz , chef to several German nobles, published the massive cookbook Ein Neu Kochbuch, describing that the Jews of Bohemia produced livers weighing more than three pounds; he lists recipes for it—including one for goose liver mousse . . János Keszei, chef to the court of Michael Apafi, the prince of Transylvania , included foie gras recipes in his 1680 cookbook A New Book About Cooking, instructing cooks to "envelop the goose liver in a calf's thin skin, bake it and prepare a green or a brown sauce to accompany it. I used goose liver fattened by Bohemian Jews, its weight was more than three pounds. You may also prepare a mush of it." 4.0% 4.5% In the 21st century, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed in several other countries worldwide, particularly in some other European nations, the United States, and China. Approximately 30,000 people are members of the French foie gras industry, with 90% of them residing in the Périgord ( Dordogne ), the Aquitaine régions in the southwest, and Alsace région in the east. The European Union recognizes the foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods ( label rouge) in southwestern France with a geographical indication of provenance. Hungary is the world's second-largest foie gras ( libamáj) producer and the largest exporter. France is the principal market for Hungarian foie gras – mainly exported raw. Approximately 30,000 Hungarian goose farmers are dependent on the foie gras industry. French food companies spice, process, and cook the foie gras so it may be sold as a French product in its domestic and export markets. 2005 In 2005, France produced 18,450 tonnes of foie gras (78.5% of the world's estimated total production of 23,500 tonnes) of which 96% was duck liver and 4% goose liver. Total French consumption of foie gras in this year was 19,000 tonnes. In 2005, Hungary, the world's second-largest foie gras producer exported 1,920 tonnes and Bulgaria produced 1,500 tons of foie gras. The demand for foie gras in the Far East is such that China has become a sizeable producer. Madagascar is a small but rapidly growing producer of high quality foie gras. In 2012, France produced around 19,000 tonnes of foie gras representing 75% of the world's production in that year. This required the force-feeding of around 38 million ducks and geese. World production in this year is estimated as 27,000 tonnes. 2014–2015 In 2014, the whole of the EU produced approximately 25,000 tonnes of foie gras – 23,000 tonnes of duck foie gras and 2,000 tonnes of goose foie gras. The same year, France was producing 72% of world foie gras production of which 97% was from ducks. In 2015, it was reported that in France, sales of foie gras may be waning and an OpinionWay poll found that 47% of the French population supported a ban on force-feeding. 2015-2016 In 2016, it was reported that France produces an estimated 75% of the world's foie gras and southwestern France produces approximately 70% of that total. In 2016, it can retail for upwards of $65 a pound. In late 2015, there were several outbreaks of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu in France, which escalated during 2016. This led to Algeria, China, Egypt, Japan, Morocco, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia banning French poultry exports, including foie gras, and France to initiate increased bio-security protocols which will cost an estimated 220 million euros. One of these measures was the halting of production in southwestern France from early April, 2016 for an anticipated period of three months to reduce the spread of the virus. Exports of foie gras from France are expected to decrease from 4,560 tonnes in 2015 to 3,160 tonnes in 2016. In the United States, the largest producer is Hudson Valley Foie Gras, which uses approximately 350,000 ducks each year. In 2014, ducks accounted for 95% of foie gras production. The breeds primarily used are the Muscovy duck ( Cairina moschata) (also called the Barbary duck) and the hybrid cross of a male Muscovy duck and a female Pekin duck ( Anas platyrhynchos domestica) called the Mulard duck. This hybrid is sterile and is therefore sometimes referred to as a "mule" duck. Mulards are estimated to account for about 35% of all foie gras consumed in the US. About 95% of duck foie gras production from France comes from force fed Mulards and the remaining 5% from the Muscovy duck. After hatching, the Mulard ducklings are sexed. Males put on more weight than females, so the females are slaughtered, sometimes in an industrial macerator. Up to 40 million female ducks may be killed in this way. The remains of female ducklings are later used in cat food, fertilisers and in the pharmaceutical industry. The ideology behind foie gras production is the ability that some waterfowl have to expand their esophagus and to gain weight, particularly in the liver, in preparation for migration. , section 4 Unlike many birds, geese and ducks lack a crop. In the wild, esophageal dilation allows them to swallow large foodstuffs, such as a whole fish, for later digestion. Wild geese may consume 300 grams of protein and another 800 grams of grasses per day. Farmed geese allowed to graze on carrots adapt to eating 100 grams of protein, but may consume up to 2500 grams of the carrots per day. The increasing amount of feed given prior to force-feeding and during the force-feeding itself cause expansion of the lower part of the esophagus. Pre-force feeding phase The pre-force feeding phase consists of three stages. The first stage ("start-up") lasts from 1 to 28 days-of-age (0–4 weeks). During this stage, the young birds are housed in large, indoor groups (e.g. 2,100 ) usually on straw. The second stage ("growth") lasts from 28 to 63 days-of-age (4–9 weeks). The birds are moved outside to feed on grasses ad libitum. The birds are given additional feed, but access to this is limited by time. This stage aims to take advantage of the natural dilation capacity of the esophagus of some wildfowl. EU Scientific Report, p19 The third stage ("pre-fattening") lasts from 63 to 90 days-of-age (9–13 weeks). The birds are brought inside for gradually longer periods while introduced to a high starch diet. This is a feeding transition where the food is distributed by meals, first in restricted amount and time and thereafter greatly increased. Force-feeding phase The next production phase, which the French call gavage or finition d'engraissement, or "completion of fattening", involves forced daily ingestion of controlled amounts of feed for 12 to 15 days with ducks and for 15 to 18 days with geese. During this phase, ducks are usually fed twice daily while geese are fed up to three times daily. To facilitate handling of ducks during gavage, these birds are typically housed throughout this phase in individual cages or small group pens. Typical foie gras production involves force-feeding birds more food than they would eat in the wild, and much more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/international/out17_en.pdf Report of the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare, Chapter 4, pp 24–29 In modern production, the bird is typically fed a controlled amount of feed, depending on the stage of the fattening process, the bird's weight and the amount of feed the bird last ingested. tours.inra.fr At the start of production, a bird might be fed a dry weight of of food per day and up to (in dry weight) by the end of the process. The actual amount of food force-fed is much greater, because the birds are fed a mash with a composition of about 53% dry and 47% liquid (by weight). The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long tube (20–30 cm long), which forces the feed into the bird's esophagus. If an auger is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds, however, modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump with an operation time of 2 to 3 seconds per duck. During feeding, efforts are made to avoid damaging the bird's esophagus, which could cause injury or death, although researchers have found evidence of inflammation of the walls of the proventriculus after the first session of force-feeding. Serviere, J, Bernadet, MD and Guy, G. 2003. Is nociception a sensory component associated to force-feeding? Neurophysiological approach in the mule duck. 2nd World Waterfowl Conference. Alexandria, Egypt There is also indication of inflammation of the esophagus in the later stages of fattening. Alternative production Fattened liver can be produced by alternative methods without gavage, and this is often referred to either as "fatty goose liver" or as foie gras (outside France), though it does not conform to the French legal definition. This method involves timing the slaughter to coincide with the winter migration, when livers are naturally fattened. The winner of the Coup de Coeur award at the SIAL Paris , SIAL 2006, Patería de Sousa produces fattened livers without force-feeding. This has only recently been produced commercially, and is a very small fraction of the market. Producers outside France do not always force-feed birds to produce fattened livers considered to be foie gras, instead allowing them to eat freely, termed ad libitum. Interest in alternative production methods has grown recently due to ethical concerns in gavage-based foie gras production. Such livers are alternatively termed fatty goose liver, ethical foie gras, or humane foie gras. Waitrose also have a version of ethical foie gras which it calls (and has been trademarked) faux gras. This is not to be confused with the American product by the same name, produced by Regal Vegan, which has the US trademark for faux gras, and is actually a vegan, nut based spread. The term ethical foie gras or humane foie gras is also used for gavage-based foie gras production that is more concerned with the animal's welfare (using rubber hoses rather than steel pipes for feeding). Others have expressed skepticism at these claims of humane treatment, as earlier attempts to produce fattened livers without gavage have not produced satisfactory results. More radical approaches have been studied. A duck or goose with a ventromedian hypothalamic (VMH) lesion will tend not to feel satiated after eating, and will therefore eat more than a non-lesioned animal. By producing such lesions surgically, it is possible to increase the bird's food consumption when permitted to eat ad libitum, by a factor of more than two. Preparations Generally, French preparations of foie gras are made over low heat, as fat melts faster from the traditional goose foie gras than the duck foie gras produced in most other parts of the world. American and other New World preparations, typically employing duck foie gras, have more recipes and dish preparations for serving foie gras hot, rather than cool or cold. In Hungary, goose foie gras traditionally is fried in goose fat, which is then poured over the foie gras and left to cool; it is also eaten warm, after being fried or roasted, with some chefs smoking the foie gras over a cherry wood fire. In other parts of the world foie gras is served in dishes such as foie gras sushi rolls, in various forms of pasta or alongside steak tartare or atop a steak as a garnish. Cold preparations Traditional low-heat cooking methods result in terrines, pâtés, , foams and of foie gras, often flavored with truffle, mushrooms or brandy such as cognac or armagnac. These slow-cooked forms of foie gras are cooled and served at or below room temperature. In a very traditional form of terrine, au torchon ("in a towel"), a whole lobe of foie is molded, wrapped in a towel and slow-cooked in a bain-marie . For added flavor (from the Maillard reaction), the liver may be seared briefly over a fire of grape vine clippings ( sarments) before slow-cooking in a bain-marie; afterwards, it is pressed served cold, in slices. Raw foie gras is also cured in salt (" cru au sel"), served slightly chilled. Au Pied de Cochon. Menu. Montreal. 15 June. 2006. A pastry containing fatty goose liver and other ingredients is known as the " Strasbourg pie" since Strasbourg was a major producer of foie gras. The New Encyclopædia, ed. Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck and Frank Moore. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903): Vol. XIII, 778. The pie is mentioned in William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair as being popular with the diplomatic corps. William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Ch. 9. Hot preparations Given the increased internationalization of cuisines and food supply, foie gras is increasingly found in hot preparations not only in the United States, but in France and elsewhere. Duck foie gras (" foie gras de canard") has slightly lower fat content and is generally more suitable in texture to cooking at high temperature than is goose foie gras (" foie gras d'oie"), but chefs have been able to cook goose foie gras employing similar techniques developed for duck, albeit with more care. Raw foie gras can be roasted, sauteed, pan-seared ( poêlé) or (with care and attention), grilled. As foie gras has high fat content, contact with heat needs to be brief and therefore at high temperature, lest it burn or melt. Optimal structural integrity for searing requires the foie gras to be cut to a thickness between 15 and 25 mm (½ – 1 inch), resulting in a rare, uncooked center. Some chefs prefer not to devein the foie gras, as the veins can help preserve the integrity of the fatty liver. It is increasingly common to sear the foie gras on one side only, leaving the other side uncooked. Practitioners of molecular gastronomy such as Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck restaurant first flash-freeze foie gras in liquid nitrogen as part of the preparation process. Hot foie gras requires minimal spices; typically black pepper, paprika (in Hungary) and salt. Chefs have used fleur de sel as a gourmet seasoning for hot foie gras to add an "important textural accent" with its crunch. Nation's Restaurant News, 2004. Foie gras is a regarded as a gourmet luxury dish. Serventi 1993, cover text. In France, it is mainly consumed on special occasions, such as Christmas or New Year's Eve réveillon dinners, though the recent increased availability of foie gras has made it a less exceptional dish. In some areas of France foie gras is eaten year-round. Duck foie gras is the slightly cheaper and, since a change of production methods in the 1950s to battery, by far the most common kind, particularly in the US. The taste of duck foie gras is often referred to as musky with a subtle bitterness. Goose foie gras is noted for being less gamey and smoother, with a more delicate flavor. ... goose liver is more delicate and less gamey tasting that its duck equivalent '''France: World Food By Stephen Fallon, Michael Rothschild ISBN 1-86450-021-2, ISBN 978-1-86450-021-9 page 49''' Animal welfare Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial due to the animal welfare consequences of the force-feeding procedure, intensive housing and husbandry, an enlarged liver and the potential for being detrimental to human health. Some countries find foie gras to be "morally objectionable". One EU committee report noted that up to 1998, there was only a small number of scientific studies on the welfare of birds used for foie gras production, however, the Committee found sufficient evidence to conclude that "force-feeding, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds." In 2016, the industry faces accusations of "torture and cruelty". Suitability of breeds and species The production of foie gras occurs on the pretext that migrating wildfowl seasonally eat such that their liver naturally enlarges. However, the bird used predominantly in foie gras production is a hybrid of a male Muscovy duck and a female Pekin duck. It has been noted that the Muscovy duck is non-migratory, and both the Pekin and the mulard hybrid can not fly. Domestic ducks (including the Pekin) are derived from the mallard duck, which is sometimes migratory and sometimes not. Therefore, although the domestic goose might well be adapted to store food before migration, it is less likely that the Mulard hybrid duck has the same potential. Fear Geese and ducks show avoidance behaviour (indicating aversion) of the person who feeds them and the feeding procedure. Although an EU committee in 1998 reported seeing this aversion, they noted that at the time, there was no "conclusive" scientific evidence on the aversive nature of force-feeding. The AVMA (Animal Welfare Division) when considering foie gras production stated "The relatively new Mulard breed used in foie gras production seems to be more prone than its parent breeds to fear of people". Injury An EU committee in 1998 reported that there was usually clear evidence of tissue damage in the oesophagus of birds which had been gavage fed, although one 1972 study cited by the report observed no alteration of the oesophageal tissue. More recent scientific studies have shown that the esophagus of birds can be injured or inflamed by gavage feeding. Stress After measuring a range of physiological parameters in male Mulard ducks, it was concluded in one study that the acute stress caused by force feeding is similar at the beginning and end of the commercial production of foie gras. A similar study on Muscovy ducks found that gavage feeding was related to an increase in panting behaviour and serum corticosterone levels, indicating increased stress attributable to this feeding method. Behavioural restriction During the force-feeding period, the birds are kept in individual cages, with wire or plastic mesh floors, or sometimes in small groups on slatted floors. Individual caging restricts movements and behaviours by preventing the birds from standing erect, turning around, or flapping their wings. Birds cannot carry out other natural waterfowl behaviours, such as bathing and swimming. Furthermore, ducks and geese are social animals and individual cages prevent such interactions. During the force feeding period, when the birds are not being fed, they are sometimes kept in near darkness; this prevents normal investigatory behaviour and results in poor welfare. Injury Lesions can occur on the sternum of the birds due to necrosis of the skin. This is observed more frequently in birds reared in cages rather than on the floor. The prevalence is higher in Mulard ducks (40–70%) compared to under 6% in Muscovy ducks. This is due to the larger pectoralis profundus major and minor muscles in Muscovy ducks compared to Mulards. The relatively new Mulard breed used in foie gras production seems more prone to developing lesions in the area of the sternum when kept in small cages, and to bone breakage during transport and slaughter. Where ducks are fattened in group pens, it has been suggested that the increased effort required to capture and restrain ducks in pens might cause them to experience more stress during force feeding. Injuries and fatalities during transport and slaughter occur in all types of poultry production, however, fattened ducks are more susceptible to conditions such as heat stress. Enlarged liver Foie gras production results in the bird's liver being swollen. In some species of ducks, liver size changes seasonally, increasing by as much as 30 to 50%, with more pronounced changes in females. However, foie gras production enlargens the livers up to 10 times their normal size. This impairs liver function due to obstructing blood flow, and expands the abdomen making it difficult for the birds to breathe. Death occurs if the force-feeding is continued. Mortality rates The mortality rate in force-fed birds varies from 2% to 4%, compared with approximately 0.2% in age-matched, non-force-fed drakes. Mortality rates do not differ between the force-feeding period and the previous rearing phase, with both being approximately 2.5%. Controversy The polarising and controversial nature of foie gras production was identified in a paper that juxtaposed the views of "foie gras production as the apotheosis of murderous meat production, and those who consider it to be a co-production between humans and animals". Animal rights and welfare advocates such as PETA ,	Foie gras
The Head of State in Italy is (at 2011) a?	Foie gras : definition of Foie gras and synonyms of Foie gras (English) / f w ɑː ˈ ɡ r ɑː / ; French: [fwa ɡʁɑ] ); French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage (force-feeding corn), according to French law, [1] though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding. A pastry containing pâté de foie gras and bacon , or pâté de foie gras tout court, was formerly known as " Strasbourg pie" (or "Strasburg pie" [2] ) in English on account of that city's being a major producer of foie gras. [3] Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy in French cuisine . Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté (the lowest quality), and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that "Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France." [4] The technique of gavage dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding. [5] Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. [6] Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial due to the force feeding procedure used. A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras . Contents A bas relief depiction of overfeeding geese Ancient times As early as 2500 BC, the ancient Egyptians learned that many birds could be fattened through forced overfeeding and began this practice. Whether they particularly sought the fattened livers of migratory birds as a delicacy remains undetermined. [7] [8] In the necropolis of Saqqara , in the tomb of Mereruka , an important royal official, there is a bas relief scene wherein workers grasp geese around the necks in order to push food down their throats. At the side stand tables piled with more food pellets, and a flask for moistening the feed before giving it to the geese. [8] [9] [10] The practice of goose fattening spread from Egypt to the Mediterranean. [11] The earliest reference to fattened geese is from the 5th century BC Greek poet Cratinus , who wrote of geese-fatteners, yet Egypt maintained its reputation as the source for fattened geese. When the Spartan king Agesilaus visited Egypt in 361 BC, he noted Egyptian farmers' fattened geese and calves. [8] [12] It was not until the Roman period, however, that foie gras is mentioned as a distinct food, which the Romans named iecur ficatum; [13] [14] [15] iecur means liver [16] and ficatum derives from ficus , meaning fig in Latin . [17] The emperor Elagabalus fed his dogs on foie gras during the four years of his chaotic reign. [18] Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) credits his contemporary, Roman gastronome Marcus Gavius Apicius , with feeding dried figs to geese in order to enlarge their livers: "Apicius made the discovery, that we may employ the same artificial method of increasing the size of the liver of the sow, as of that of the goose; it consists in cramming them with dried figs, and when they are fat enough, they are drenched with wine mixed with honey, and immediately killed." — Pliny the Elder, Natural History , Book VIII. Chapter 77 [19] Hence, the term iecur ficatum, fig-stuffed liver; feeding figs to enlarge a goose's liver may derive from Hellenistic Alexandria, since much of Roman luxury cuisine is of Greek inspiration. [20] Ficatum was closely associated with animal liver and it became the root word for "liver" [21] in each of these languages: foie in French, [22] hígado in Spanish, fígado in Portuguese, fegato in Italian, fetge in Catalan and Occitan and ficat in Romanian, all meaning "liver"; this etymology has been explained in different manners. [23] [24] Postclassical Europe After the fall of the Roman empire, goose liver temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Some claim that Gallic farmers preserved the foie gras tradition until the rest of Europe rediscovered it centuries later, but the medieval French peasant's food animals were mainly pig and sheep. [25] Others claim that the tradition was preserved by the Jews, who learned the method of enlarging a goose's liver during the Roman colonisation of Judea [26] or earlier from Egyptians. [27] The Jews carried this culinary knowledge as they migrated farther north and west to Europe. [26] The Judaic dietary law, Kashrut , forbade lard as a cooking medium, and butter, too, was proscribed as an alternative since Kashrut also prohibited mixing meat and dairy products. [11] Jewish cuisine used olive oil in the Mediterranean, and sesame oil in Babylonia , but neither cooking medium was easily available in Western and Central Europe, so poultry fat (known in Yiddish as schmaltz ), which could be abundantly produced by overfeeding geese, was substituted in their stead. [26] [28] The delicate taste of the goose's liver was soon appreciated; Hans Wilhelm Kirchhof of Kassel wrote in 1562 that the Jews raise fat geese and particularly love their livers. Some Rabbis were concerned that eating forcibly overfed geese violated Jewish food restrictions. The chasam sofer, Rabbi Moses Sofer , contended that it is not a forbidden food ( treyf ) as none of its limbs are damaged. This matter remained a debated topic in Jewish dietary law until the Jewish taste for goose liver declined in the 19th century. [26] Another kashrut matter, still a problem today, is that even properly slaughtered and inspected meat must be drained of blood before being considered fit to eat. Usually, salting achieves that; however, as liver is regarded as "(almost) wholly blood", broiling is the only way of kashering. Properly broiling a foie gras while preserving its delicate taste is an arduous endeavour few engage in seriously. Even so, there are restaurants in Israel that offer grilled goose foie gras. Bartolomeo Scappi Gentile gastronomes began appreciating fattened goose liver, which they could buy in the local Jewish ghetto of their cities. In 1570, Bartolomeo Scappi , chef de cuisine to Pope Pius V , published his cookbook Opera, wherein he describes that "the liver of [a] domestic goose raised by the Jews is of extreme size and weighs [between] two and three pounds." [29] In 1581, Marx Rumpolt of Mainz , chef to several German nobles, published the massive cookbook Ein Neu Kochbuch, describing that the Jews of Bohemia produced livers weighing more than three pounds; he lists recipes for it—including one for goose liver mousse . [29] [30] János Keszei, chef to the court of Michael Apafi, the prince of Transylvania , included foie gras recipes in his 1680 cookbook A New Book About Cooking, instructing cooks to "envelop the goose liver in a calf's thin skin, bake it and prepare [a] green or [a] brown sauce to accompany it. I used goose liver fattened by Bohemian Jews, its weight was more than three pounds. You may also prepare a mush of it." Main producers Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. [6] Country 23,500 [31] 100% France is the leading producer and consumer of duck and goose foie gras. In 2005, the country produced 18,450 tonnes of foie gras (78.5% of the world's estimated total production of 23,500 tonnes) of which 96% was duck liver and the rest goose liver. Total French consumption of foie gras was 19,000 tonnes in 2005. [31] Approximately 30,000 people are members of the French foie gras industry, with 90% of them residing in the Périgord ( Dordogne ), the Midi-Pyrénées régions in the southwest, and Alsace . The European Union recognizes the foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods (label rouge) in southwestern France with a geographical indication of provenance. Hungary is the world's second-largest foie gras (libamáj) producer and the largest exporter (1,920 tonnes in 2005). France is the principal market for Hungarian foie gras; mainly exported raw. Approximately 30,000 Hungarian goose farmers are dependent on the foie gras industry. [34] French food companies spice, process, and cook the foie gras so it may be sold as a French product in its domestic and export markets. [35] Bulgaria produced 1,500 tons of foie gras in 2005; [31] Canada also has a thriving foie gras industry. The demand for foie gras in the Far East is such that China has become a sizeable producer. Forms of foie gras Moulard duck foie gras with pickled pear In France, foie gras exists in different, legally defined presentations, from the expensive to the cheap: [36] foie gras entier (whole foie gras), made of one or two whole liver lobes; cuit (either cooked), mi-cuit (semi-cooked), or frais (fresh); foie gras, made of pieces of livers reassembled together; bloc de foie gras, a fully cooked, molded block composed of 98% or more foie gras; if termed avec morceaux ("with pieces"), it must contain at least 50% foie gras pieces for goose, and 30% for duck. Additionally, there exist pâté de foie gras; mousse de foie gras (both must contain 50% or more foie gras); parfait de foie gras (must contain 75% or more foie gras); and other preparations (no legal obligation established). Fully cooked preparations are generally sold in either glass containers or metal cans for long-term preservation. Whole, fresh foie gras is usually unavailable in France outside the Christmas period, except in some producers' markets in the producing regions. Frozen whole foie gras sometimes is sold in French supermarkets. Whole foie gras is readily available from gourmet retailers in Quebec, the United States, Hungary, Argentina and regions with a sizable market for the product. In US, raw foie gras is classified as Grade A, B or C, with Grade A typically being the highest in fat. It is especially suited for low-temperature preparations, because the veins are relatively fewer and the resulting terrine will fit the aesthetic requirement of lacking obvious included blood. Grade B is accepted for high-temperature preparation, because the higher proportion of protein gives the liver more structure after being seared. Grade C livers are generally reserved for making sauces as well as other preparations where the high proportion of blood-filled veins will not impair the appearance of the dish.[ citation needed ] Production methods The physiological basis of foie gras production is migratory birds ' capacity for weight gain, particularly in the liver, in preparation for migration. Toulouse geese [37] and Mulard ducks are the most commonly used breeds for foie gras. [38] Mulards are a cross breed between a male Muscovy Duck and a female Pekin duck , and are estimated to account for about 35% of all ducks consumed in the US. Typical foie gras production involves force-feeding birds more food than they would eat in the wild, and much more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. [39] The feed, usually corn boiled with fat (to facilitate ingestion), deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the buttery consistency sought by the gastronome . Physiology and preparation Geese and ducks are omnivorous , and, like many birds, have expansive throats allowing them to store large amounts of food, either whole or pre-digested, in the crop , an enlarged portion of the esophagus , while awaiting digestion in the stomach, similar to python feeding . In the wild this dilation allows them to swallow large foodstuffs, such as a whole fish, for a later, long digestion. Wild geese may consume 300 grams of protein and another 800 grams of grasses per day. Farmed geese allowed to graze on carrots adapt to eat 100 grams of protein, but may consume up to 2500 grams of the carrots per day. A wild duck may double its weight in the autumn, storing fat throughout much of its body and especially on the liver, in preparation for winter migration . [40] Force feeding produces a liver that is six to ten times its ordinary size. [41] Storage of fat in the liver produces steatosis of the liver cells. The geese or ducks used in foie gras production are usually kept in a building on straw for the first four weeks, then kept outside for some weeks, feeding on grasses. This phase of the preparation is designed to take advantage of the natural dilation capacity of the esophagus. [42] The birds are then brought inside for gradually longer periods while introduced to a high starch diet. The next feeding phase, which the French call gavage or finition d'engraissement, or "completion of fattening", involves forced daily ingestion of controlled amounts of feed for 12 to 15 days with ducks and for 15 to 18 days with geese. During this phase ducks are usually fed twice daily while geese are fed up to 4 times daily. In order to facilitate handling of ducks during gavage, these birds are typically housed in individual cages or small group pens during this phase. Fattening Modern gavage feeding process, which takes 2–3 seconds to complete. In modern production, the bird is typically fed a controlled amount of feed, depending on the stage of the fattening process, its weight, and the amount of feed it last ingested. [43] At the start of production, a bird might be fed a dry weight of 250 grams (9 oz) of food per day, and up to 1,000 grams (35 oz) (in dry weight) by the end of the process. The actual amount of food force-fed is much greater, since the birds are fed a mash whose composition is about 53% dry and 47% liquid (by weight). [44] The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long tube (20–30 cm long), which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus; if an auger is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds. Modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump; [45] with such a system the operation time per duck takes about 2 to 3 seconds. During feeding, efforts are made to avoid damaging the bird's esophagus, which could cause injury or death, although researchers have found evidence of inflammation of the walls of the proventriculus after the first session of force-feeding. [46] There is also indication of inflammation of the esophagus in the later stages of fattening. [47] Several studies have also demonstrated that mortality rates can be significantly elevated during the gavage period. [48] [49] [50] Alternative production Fattened liver can be produced by alternative methods without gavage, and this is referred to either as "fatty goose liver" or as foie gras (outside France), though it does not conform to the French legal definition, and there is debate about the quality of the liver produced.[ citation needed ] This method involves timing the slaughter to coincide with the winter migration, when livers are naturally fattened. [51] This has only recently been produced commercially, and is a very small fraction of the market. While force feeding is required to meet the French legal definition of "foie gras", producers outside France do not always force feed birds in order to produce fattened livers that they consider to be foie gras, instead allowing them to eat freely, termed ad libitum. Interest in alternative production methods has grown recently due to ethical concerns in gavage-based foie gras production. Such livers are alternatively termed fatty goose liver, ethical foie gras, or humane foie gras. The terms ethical foie gras or humane foie gras is also used for gavage-based foie gras production that is more concerned with the animal's welfare (using rubber hoses rather than steel pipes for feeding). Others have expressed skepticism at these claims of humane treatment, [52] as earlier attempts to produce fattened livers without gavage have not produced satisfactory results. [53] More radical approaches have been studied. A duck or goose with a ventromedian hypothalamic (VMH) lesion will not tend to feel satiated after eating, and will therefore eat more than an unaffected animal. By producing such lesions surgically, it is possible to increase the animal's food consumption, when permitted to eat ad libitum, by a factor of more than two. [54] Preparations Foie gras with onions and figs Generally, French preparations of foie gras are over low heat, as fat melts faster from the traditional goose foie gras than the duck foie gras produced in most other parts of the world. American and other New World preparations, typically employing duck foie gras, have more recipes and dish preparations for serving foie gras hot, rather than cool or cold. In Hungary, goose foie gras traditionally is fried in goose fat, which is then poured over the foie gras and left to cool; it also is eaten warm, after being fried or roasted, with some chefs smoking the foie gras over a cherry wood fire. In other parts of the world foie gras is served in dishes such as foie gras sushi rolls, in various forms of pasta or alongside steak tartare or atop a steak as a garnish. Cold preparations Traditional low-heat cooking methods result in terrines , pâtés , parfaits , foams and mousses of foie gras, often flavored with truffle , mushrooms or brandy such as cognac or armagnac . These slow-cooked forms of foie gras are cooled and served at or below room temperature. In a very traditional form of terrine, au torchon ("in a towel"), a whole lobe of foie is molded, wrapped in a towel and slow-cooked in a bain-marie . For added flavor (from the Maillard reaction ), the liver may be seared briefly over a fire of grape vine clippings (sarments) before slow-cooking in a bain-marie; afterwards, it is pressed served cold, in slices. Raw foie gras is also cured in salt ("cru au sel"), served slightly chilled. [55] Hot preparations This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability . Given the increased internationalization of cuisines and food supply, foie gras is increasingly found in hot preparations not only in the United States, but in France and elsewhere. Duck foie gras ("foie gras de canard") has slightly lower fat content and is generally more suitable in texture to cooking at high temperature than is goose foie gras ("foie gras d'oie"), but chefs have been able to cook goose foie gras employing similar techniques developed for duck, albeit with more care. Raw foie gras can be roasted, sauteed, pan-seared (poëllé) or (with care and attention), grilled. As foie gras has high fat content, contact with heat needs to be brief and therefore at high temperature, lest it burn or melt. Optimal structural integrity for searing requires the foie gras to be cut to a thickness between 15 and 25 mm (½ – 1 inch), resulting in a rare, uncooked center. Some chefs prefer not to devein the foie gras, as the veins can help preserve the integrity of the fatty liver. It is increasingly common to sear the foie gras on one side only, leaving the other side uncooked. Practitioners of molecular gastronomy such as Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck restaurant first flash-freeze foie gras in liquid nitrogen , with the searing process resulting in a piece at room temperature. Hot foie gras requires minimal spices; typically black pepper, paprika (in Hungary) and salt. It has become fashionable in 3-star restaurants to use artisanal coarse salt to provide a visual and textural garnish. Consumption Foie gras is a luxury dish[ citation needed ]. In France, it is mainly consumed on special occasions, such as Christmas or New Year's Eve réveillon dinners, though the recent increased availability of foie gras has made it a less exceptional dish. [56] In some areas of France foie gras is eaten year-round. Duck foie gras is the slightly cheaper [56] and, since a change of production methods in the 1950s, by far the most common kind, particularly in the US. The taste of duck foie gras is often referred to as musky with a subtle bitterness. Goose foie gras is noted for being less gamey and smoother, with a more delicate flavor. [57] Controversy See also: Force-feeding#Force-feeding of animals Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial , due to the force feeding procedure, and the possible health consequences of an enlarged liver.[ citation needed ] A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras due to how it is traditionally produced. In modern gavage-based foie gras production, force feeding takes place 12–18 days before slaughter. The duck or goose is typically fed a controlled amount of corn mash through a tube inserted in the animal's cuticle -lined esophagus . Foie gras production has been banned in some nations because of the force-feeding process, including some members of the European Union , [58] Turkey, and Israel. [59] Foie gras producers maintain that force feeding ducks and geese is not uncomfortable for the animals nor is it hazardous to their health.[ citation needed ] The city of Chicago banned the production and selling of foie gras from 2006 until 2008, when it reversed its decision based on the criticisms that the ban was maneuvered into a larger package that the city council had voted on. [60] The state of California has also prohibited the production and sale of foie gras , effective July 1, 2012. [61] [62] Animal rights and welfare groups such as PETA , [63] Viva! , [64] and the Humane Society of the United States [65] contend that foie gras production methods, and force feeding in particular, constitute cruel and inhumane treatment of animals. Specific complaints include livers swollen to many times their normal size, impaired liver function, expansion of the abdomen making it difficult for birds to breathe, death if the force feeding is continued, and scarring of the esophagus[ citation needed ]. PETA claims that the insertion and removal of the feeding tube scratch the throat and the esophagus, causing irritations and wounds and thus exposing the animal to risk of mortal infections. Empirical research regarding the health and welfare of the bird during the production of foie gras is limited in quantity and quality. [47] A recent study demonstrated oral amyloid-A fibril transmissibility which raised food safety issues with consumption of foie gras over "concerns that products such as pâté de foie gras may activate a reactive systemic amyloidosis in susceptible consumers". [66] [67] Foie gras as a amyloid-containing food product hastened the development of amyloidosis . Amyloidosis may be transmissible, akin to the infectious nature of prion-related illnesses. [68] However, a correlation between foie gras consumption and these diseases has not been confirmed. [69] EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare The report of the European Union 's Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare on Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese , adopted on December 16, 1998, is an 89-page review of studies from several producing countries. It examines several indicators of animal welfare, including physiological indicators, liver pathology, and mortality rate. It strongly concludes that "force feeding, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds." Members of the committee describe how geese and ducks show "avoidance behaviour indicating aversion for the person who feeds them and the feeding procedure". Although the committee reported that there is no "conclusive" scientific evidence on the aversive nature of force feeding, and that evidence of injury is "small", in their overall recommendations, the committee stated that "the management and housing of the birds used for producing foie gras have a negative impact on their welfare". [70] [71] Both the American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates and the American Association of Avian Pathologists have concluded that foie is not a product of animal cruelty. [72] Notes ^ French rural code L654-27-1 : "On entend par foie gras, le foie d'un canard ou d'une oie spécialement engraissé par gavage." ("'Foie gras' is understood to mean the liver of a duck or a goose that has been specially fattened by gavage"). ^ William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Ch. 9 (indicating the dish's popularity in the diplomatic corps). ^ The New Encyclopædia, ed. Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck and Frank Moore. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903): Vol. XIII, 778. ^ French rural code L654-27-1 ^ McLaughlin, Lisa (9 October 2007). "Fight for Your Right to Pâté" . Time. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1669732,00.html . References Larousse Gastronomique, by Prosper Montagne (Ed.), Clarkson Potter, 2001. ISBN 0-609-60971-8 Alford, Katherine (2001), Caviar, Truffles, and Foie Gras, Chronicle Books, ISBN 0-8118-2791-7 . Bett, Henry (2003), Wanderings Among Words, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 0-7661-7792-0 . Davidson, Alan (1999), The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-211579-0 . Faas, Patrick (2002), Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 0-312-23958-0 . Giacosa, Ilaria Gozzini (1994), A Taste of Ancient Rome, University Of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-29032-8 . Ginor, Michael A. (1999), Foie Gras: A Passion, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-29318-0 . Langslow, David R. (2000), Medical Latin in the Roman Empire, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-815279-5 . Littré, Maximilien Paul Emile (1863), Histoire de la langue française: Études sur les origines, l'étymologie, la grammaire, Didier . McGee, Harold (2004), On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, ISBN 0-684-80001-2 . Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne (1994), History of Food, Blackwell Publishing Professional, ISBN 0-631-19497-5 . Walter, Henriette (2006), French Inside Out: The French Language Past and Present, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-07670-6 . External links	i don't know
Canadian professor of management and psychology, Victor Vroom, established '(What?) Theory'?	Victor Vroom \| Psychology Wiki \| Fandom powered by Wikia Professional Psychology: Debating Chamber · Psychology Journals · Psychologists Victor Vroom was born on 8 September 1932 in Montreal, Canada. He is a Professor of Psychology, and currently works in the Yale School of Management. Professor Vroom is renowned for his work on the Expectancy Theory of Motivation , in which he examines why people chose to follow a particular course of action. Vroom's Expectancy Theory deals with motivation and management. Vroom's theory assumes that behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Together with Edward Lawler and Lyman Porter, Vroom suggested that the relationship between people's behavior at work and their goals was not as simple as was first imagined by other theorists. Vroom posited that an employee's performance is based on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. The expectancy theory states that, in the workplace, individuals have a variety of goals and that they can be motivated if they believe that: There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance, Favorable performance will result in an outcome, The outcome's value to the employee can be determined, (The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the effort worthwhile). The actual equation is: F = E (I x V) Vroom's Expectancy Theory is based upon the following three beliefs: Valence (Valence refers to the emotional orientations people hold with respect to outcomes [rewards]. The depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic [money, praise, promotion, time-off, benefits] or intrinsic [satisfaction] rewards). Not all outcomes possess a positive valence; getting a promotion, coupled with a transfer to an undesirable location, may well result in a negative valence. Effective managers thus seek to discover what employees value. Expectancy (Employees have different expectations and levels of confidence about what they are capable of doing). Management must discover what resources, training, or supervision employees need. Expectancy is measured as a probability insofar as the employee asks, "What are chances that, given my knowledge, skills, and the resources available to me, I am able to complete the assigned task?" Instrumentality (The perception of employees -- expressed as a probability -- that there will actually be an outcome associated with completing the assigned task.). Management must ensure that promises of rewards are fulfilled and that employees are aware of that. Vroom suggests that an employee's beliefs about expectancy, instrumentality, and valence interact psychologically to create a motivational force such that the employee acts in ways that bring pleasure and avoid pain. This force can be 'calculated' via the following formula: Motivation = Expectancy x (Valence x Instrumentality). This formula can be used to indicate and predict such things as job satisfaction, one's occupational choice, the likelihood of staying in a job, and the effort one might expend at work. Vroom's primary research was on the expectancy theory of motivation , which attempts to explain why individuals choose to follow certain courses of action in organizations, particularly in decision-making and leadership. His most well-known books are Work and Motivation, Leadership and Decision Making and The New Leadership. Vroom has also been a consultant to a number of corporations such as GE and American Express. </p> Edit Vroom's theory assumes that behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. The key elements to this theory are referred to as Expectancy (E), Instrumentality (I), and Valence (V). Critical to the understanding of the theory is the understanding that each of these factors represents a belief. The Expectancy Theory of Victor Vroom deals with motivation and management. Vroom's theory assumes that behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Together with Edward Lawler and Lyman Porter, Vroom suggested that the relationship between people's behavior at work and their goals was not as simple as was first imagined by other scientists. Vroom realized that an employee's performance is based on individuals factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they believe that: There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance, Favorable performance will result in a desirable reward, The reward will satisfy an important need, The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the effort worthwhile. Vroom's Expectancy Theory is based upon the following three beliefs: Valence (Valence refers to the emotional orientations people hold with respect to outcomes [rewards]. The depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic [money, promotion, time-off, benefits] or intrinsic [satisfaction] rewards). Management must discover what employees value. Expectancy (Employees have different expectations and levels of confidence about what they are capable of doing). Management must discover what resources, training, or supervision employees need. Instrumentality (The perception of employees whether they will actually get what they desire even if it has been promised by a manager). Management must ensure that promises of rewards are fulfilled and that employees are aware of that. Vroom suggests that an employee's beliefs about Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence interact psychologically to create a motivational force such that the employee acts in ways that bring pleasure and avoid pain. This force can be 'calculated' via the following formula: Motivation = Valance x Expectancy(Instrumentality). This formula can be used to indicate and predict such things as job satisfaction, one's occupational choice, the likelihood of staying in a job, and the effort one might expend at work. Vroom's theory suggests that the individual will consider the outcomes associated with various levels of performance (from an entire spectrum of performance possibilities), and elect to pursue the level that generates the greatest reward for him or her. Expectancy Edit Expectancy refers to the strength of a person's belief about whether or not a particular job performance is attainable. Assuming all other things are equal, an employee will be motivated to try a task, if he or she believes that it can be done. This expectancy of performance may be thought of in terms of probabilities ranging from zero (a case of "I can't do it!") to 1.0 ("I have no doubt whatsoever that I can do this job!") A number of factors can contribute to an employee's expectancy perceptions: the level of confidence in the skills required for the task the amount of support that may be expected from superiors and subordinates the quality of the materials and equipment the availability of pertinent information Previous success at the task has also been shown to strengthen expectancy beliefs. Instrumentality Edit "What's the probability that, if I do a good job, that there will be some kind of outcome in it for me?" If an employee believes that a high level of performance will be instrumental for the acquisition of outcomes which may be gratifying, then the employee will place a high value on performing well. Vroom defines Instrumentality as a probability belief linking one outcome (a high level of performance, for example) to another outcome (a reward). Instrumentality may range from a probability of 1.0 (meaning that the attainment of the second outcome -- the reward -- is certain if the first outcome -- excellent job performance -- is attained) through zero (meaning there is no likely relationship between the first outcome and the second). An example of zero instrumentality would be exam grades that were distributed randomly (as opposed to be awarded on the basis of excellent exam performance). Commission pay schemes are designed to make employees perceive that performance is positively instrumental for the acquisition of money. For management to ensure high levels of performance, it must tie desired outcomes (positive valence) to high performance, and ensure that the connection is communicated to employees. The VIE theory holds that people have preferences among various outcomes. These preferences tend to reflect a person's underlying need state. Valence Edit "Is the outcome I get of any value to me?" The term Valence refers to the emotional orientations people hold with respect to outcomes (rewards). An outcome is positively valent if an employee would prefer having it to not having it. An outcome that the employee would rather avoid ( fatigue, stress, noise, layoffs) is negatively valent. Outcomes towards which the employee appears indifferent are said to have zero valence. Valences refer to the level of satisfaction people expect to get from the outcome (as opposed to the actual satisfaction they get once they have attained the reward). Vroom suggests that an employee's beliefs about Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence interact psychologically to create a motivational force such that the employee acts in ways that bring pleasure and avoid pain. People elect to pursue levels of job performance that they believe will maximize their overall best interests (their subjective expected utility) There will be no motivational forces acting on an employee if any of these three conditions hold: the person does not believe that he/she can successfully perform the required task the person believes that successful task performance will not be associated with positively valent outcomes the person believes that outcomes associated with successful task completion will be negatively valent (have no value for that person) (Source: WILF H. RATZBURG British Columbia Institute of Technology)	Expectancy theory
What is the (full name of the) United Nations' agency for nuclear technology, abbreviated to IAEA?	Victor Vroom named the inaugural BearingPoint Professor; Jonathan Feinstein appointed the John G. Searle Professor \| Yale School of Management Yale School of Management Victor Vroom named the inaugural BearingPoint Professor; Jonathan Feinstein appointed the John G. Searle Professor Page Navigation Contact Victor Vroom named the inaugural BearingPoint Professor Victor H. Vroom, an authority on the psychological analysis of behavior in organizations, has been appointed the inaugural BearingPoint Professor of Management. Vroom, who will also continue his appointment as professor of psychology, is widely recognized for his development of expectancy theory and for his work on leadership and decision making. This new professorship at the Yale School of Management (SOM) was established through the generosity of BearingPoint, the management and technology global consulting firm. In commenting on Vroom’s appointment, BearingPoint chief executive officer Harry L. You (GRD ’83), a member of the Yale SOM board of advisors, remarked, “We are deeply honored to have an educator of Victor Vroom’s reputation and distinction as the first incumbent of the BearingPoint Chair in Management. His scholarly accomplishments, unique vision and broad perspective on the global marketplace have already had a profound impact on some of our most talented people through his classes in the BearingPoint Leadership Program at the Yale School of Management. Professor Vroom’s insights have already enhanced our approach to solving our clients’ most pressing challenges, and so we are delighted that he has been named to the BearingPoint Chair.” Vroom joined the Yale faculty in 1972, after appointments at Carnegie-Mellon University (1963-1972), The University of Pennsylvania (1960-1963) and the University of Michigan (1958-1959). He served as chair of Yale’s Department of Administrative Sciences and associate director of the Institution of Social and Policy Studies from 1972 to 1975. He was part of the Yale task force on management education, whose work resulted in the founding of the Yale School of Management. From 1973 until his appointment to the BearingPoint Chair, he was the John G. Searle Professor of Organization and Management and Professor of Psychology. Early in his career Vroom developed a normative model of situational leadership with one of his students, Philip Yetton. The Vroom-Yetton model provided managers with a research-based framework for matching their decision-making processes to the challenges that they faced. Later, Vroom developed a method for assessing the “models” that managers use by studying their choices on a set of standardized cases. This method has been widely used in management and leadership development programs around the world and has contributed to a unique database for research on leadership. In addition to writing over 100 articles, Vroom has written nine books, including Work and Motivation, which is regarded as a landmark in the field. Other books include Leadership and Decision Making (with Yetton), The New Leadership: Managing Participation in Organizations (with A. Jago) and Management and Motivation (with E. Deci). Among his numerous professional affiliations, he is a fellow of the American Psychological Society and the Academy of Management and the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, where he also served as president. Vroom has also received numerous awards during the course of his scholarly career, including the Scholarly Contributions Award from the Academy of Management, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Yale SOM Alumni Association. Born in Montreal, Canada, Vroom received a BSc and MPsSc in psychology from McGill University in 1953 and 1955, respectively. He received his PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1958. An avid sailor, he has sailed up and down the East Coast from the Caribbean to Nova Scotia on his sloop, Leadership. He is also an accomplished saxophone and clarinet player who began playing professionally with a big band at age 15. Vroom still sits in with jazz bands in the New Haven area and wherever his travels take him. Jonathan Feinstein appointed the John G. Searle Professor Jonathan S. Feinstein, an economist whose scholarly interests include creativity and innovation, has been appointed the John G. Searle Professor of Economics and Management. Feinstein is the author of The Nature of Creative Development (Stanford University Press, 2006), which presents a model of the process of creative development through which individuals make creative contributions. The model is based on empirical study of many individuals across a wide range of fields — the arts, sciences, humanities, business, social sciences and public policy — including Virginia Woolf, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Matisse, Mondrian, Edison, John Maynard Keynes, Rachel Carson, Hannah Arendt and Ray Kroc, as well as contemporaries Feinstein interviewed. The book has been described by reviewers as “an important step” in understanding the creative process. Feinstein’s work in economics focuses on detection, compliance and enforcement. His work in the area of tax compliance and auditing has set the standard for the field and transformed the way the United States Internal Revenue Service and tax authorities around the world analyze compliance data. He has published many articles in this field in leading economics journals. More recently he has begun work with the Department of Homeland Security. Feinstein also studies aging, health and economics. He is the author of a well known review of the relationship between socioeconomic status and health published in The Milbank Quarterly. At the Yale School of Management (SOM), Feinstein is the lead designer for the Innovator core MBA course, one of the eight Organizational Perspectives courses that are central to Yale SOM’s innovative, integrated curriculum, which was launched in the 2006-2007 academic year. He also helped design and contributed to the Careers core course for first-year MBA students, which presents an overview of the ways in which careers develop and unfold over the course of a professional life. As part of the Careers course, Feinstein has initiated a project interviewing Yale SOM alumni about their career paths, creating a video archive of professional and personal role models for current Yale SOM students. Feinstein has been a member of the Yale SOM faculty since 1992, when he was appointed associate professor. He was promoted to full professor in 1995. He is a professor by courtesy at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and a faculty fellow of the Center for Research on Inequalities & the Life Course. He is also a founding member of the National Bureau of Economic Research program on the economics of national security. Before coming to Yale, Feinstein was assistant professor (1987-1990) and associate professor (1990-1992) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a graduate of Stanford University, from which he received a BA in economics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. He received his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. November 29, 2007	i don't know
What musical instrument has the nickname 'the devil's box'?	Irish Musical Instruments Celtic Harp Foremost among the traditional instruments of Ireland is the harp, the symbol of the Irish Republic, and also of that country's most popular beverage - Guiness Stout! The harp is a truly ancient instrument, with a history spanning almost 5,000 years. It has been used in Ireland for well over 1,000 years, surviving periodic doldrums of persecution and social upheaval. Queen Elizabeth I, who saw harpers as foci of local resistance to her rule, bid Lord Barrymore "hang the harpers wherever found and destroy their instruments". The queen was a tough critic. The Irish wire-strung harp used by the earliest harpers began dying out around the turn of 19th century, supplanted in part by the gut-strung harp, and in part by the European pedal harp that was invented about this time. This break in the tradition means that players of modern reconstructions of the Irish wire-strung harp use a technique that would probably have sounded quite foreign to their 18th century counterparts. The modern Irish harp stands about 4 feet high, and has 34 strings, as opposed to 47 strings on the modern orchestral harp. The so-called Neo-Irish harp, strung with gut or nylon, is the most popular. It's tone is soft, like water dripping into a crystal bowl. Contrast this with the penetrating, fuzzily resonant, bell-like tones of the wire-strung harp. Reed Instruments Before proceeding with my summary of Irish traditional instruments, I'd like to take a moment or two to discuss an integral part of many wind instruments. The reed is a narrow, thin piece of wood, plastic or metal that vibrates when air is blown past it. Reeded instruments include the clarinet, oboe, saxophone and harmonica. Wind instruments that do not use reeds include the flute, recorder, tin whistle and trumpet. Reeded instruments are either "wet reed" or "dry reed" instruments. Wet reeds are moistened by the breath of the musician. Wind instruments that use some means other than the musician's breath to move air are dry reed instruments. Most reeded wind instruments used in traditional Irish music are dry reed instruments. Uilleann Pipes Bagpipes, while not quite as ancient as the harp, have been played in Ireland three or four hundred years longer. The bagpipe features a bladder made of leather that is inflated through a pipe by the breath of the musician. The inflated bag is held under the arm and pressed with the elbow to force air through several reeded pipes that are attached to the bag. The musician plays by alternately covering the various holes on one of the pipes, called the chanter, producing the melody. The remaining pipes are drones, each tuned to a single note, that provide a continuous background tone. Bagpipes were used mostly in armies to provide marching music. In Ireland the war pipes were gradually supplanted by the Uilleann (pronounced "illyun") pipes, which were invented sometime in the 16th century. This instrument is smaller and quieter than the war pipes, with a greater range: two octaves, as opposed to one for the war pipes. Uilleann pipes are not blown; instead, air is provided to the bag by means of a bellows that is held under the opposite arm and is worked with the elbow (hence the name Uilleann, or "elbow", pipes). A neat little animated image that shows a piper playing can be seen on the Ceol Rince web site, which also provides some pipe tunes in midi format. A full modern set of Uilleann pipes has seven reeded pipes: the chanter, with its two octave range; bass, baritone, and tenor drones that can be turned on or off at need; and three regulators, which are chanters fitted with keys like those on a flute, and can be used to produce various chords. The Uilleann pipes are the most complex and versatile of all the bagpipes. A Piper A piper in the street today Set up, and tuned, and started to play, And away, away, away on the tide Of his music we started; on every side Doors and windows were opened wide, And men left down their work and came, And women with petticoats colored like flame, And little bare feet that were blue with cold, Went dancing back to the Age of Gold. And all the world went gay, went gay, For half an hour in the street today. Fiddle Fiddle,n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat. from The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce Despite Bierce's rather puckish definition, most fiddles these days are strung with steel instead of gut or nylon. This difference, along with variations in technique, is all that really distinguishes the fiddle from the violin. It was first used in Irish music in the 17th century, and has remained a popular fixture of Irish music ever since. Many distinctive regional styles have cropped up over the centuries, the most popular today being the quick-paced bowing of Donegal, although the music of other counties have also made their mark. Tin Whistle & Flute The high, shrill notes of the tin whistle have long been a fixture of traditional Irish music. It is cheap to make and simple to play, and produces a wonderful music that is by turns lively or plaintive. Most tin whistles, or "penny whistles", as they are sometimes called, are metal cylinders, sometimes tapered, with a mouthpiece and six holes, or "stops". They've been used in Irish music since at least the 18th century, replacing the bone whistles that had been used from time immemorial. Flutes have been about in various designs for centuries. The modern flute, with its pure, mellow tones, was the invention of a 19th century musician named Theobald Boehm, who made his flutes from silver instead of wood, enlarged the holes and equipped them with padded stops. However, Irish musicians tend to prefer older style wooden flutes with six open finger holes, as they feel it gives a tone more appropriate to their style of music. Bodhrán & Bones The bodhrán (pronounced bow-rahn) is a member of a class of percussion instruments known as "frame drums". The best are made from a sheet of treated goatskin stretched over a wooden frame. The older models had frames made of green wood and were liable to warp, so a crossbrace was added. Modern versions are often made of laminated woods that are less prone to this fault, although the crossbrace is often included to provide a handle for beginners. The instrument is held in one hand and played with a beater in the other. Styles of beaters vary, but it is commonly a wooden rod about 7 inches long, held in the center so that the player can strike the drum with either end. A decorative design of some sort will often be painted on the drum-head. The tone of the bodhrán depends on its size and method of manufacture. The homemade bodhrán used by Davey Fallon for the Chieftans I recording had a higher tone than most I've heard since (he'd also built cymbals into the rim in the manner of a tambourine, which he was prevailed upon to tape down for the recording). A modern bodhrán of standard size, about 18 inches in diameter, provides a deeper, rumbling resonance. Some bodhrán are also equipped with tuning screws. Differences in manufacture also affect the sound of the instrument - craftsman have developed their own special techniques, particularly regarding the treatment of the goatskin drum-head, and by and large they don't share them. Another percussion instrument used in Irish music are the "bones". These are typically laths of wood or bone (the ribs of sheep are common for the latter), which are held between the fingers and tapped together. Spoons have served as substitutes of expedience, from time to time. Concertina In the early 19th century, Charles Wheatstone invented the symphonium, a brass-reeded instrument that was a precursor of the harmonica. In 1844 he modified it so that the air that powered the instrument was provided by a bellows, and the concertina was born. It was a generally popular instrument in the 19th century, and was even used in orchestras from time to time, but has been pretty much defined as a folk music instrument ever since. The concertina and the accordion, an instrument that works on a similar principle, are often used in Irish folk music. Other Instruments Irish folk music is a living tradition, not a museum music, and as such continues to evolve. Other instruments that have become popular in Irish music include the guitar, stand-up bass, the banjo, and the Irish bouzouki, the latter a modification of the Greek bouzouki. Derek Bell, who plays harp and keyboards for the Chieftans, plays an instrument he calls a tiompán, or tympan. The tympan is an ancient Irish instrument related to the dulcimer. Little is known about the instrument, as its use died out in the 17th century, shortly after the fiddle made its arrival in Ireland. What Bell plays is actually a hammered dulcimer. The instrument has a number of strings, usually twelve, stretched over a hollow, trapezoidal sound box made of wood, with a bridge at either end, and a set of tuning keys behind one of the bridges. The strings are struck with hand-held "hammers", evoking bell-like tones. Bell insists that this is the tympan of old, and who can say he is wrong with any authority? I have also heard keyboards, mandolins, harmonicas, and bongos used in arrangements of Irish folk music from time to time. I won't even try to guess what might be used in the future. Tim Eagen	Violin
The Observer is the Sunday edition of which UK daily newspaper?	Irish Musical Instruments Celtic Harp Foremost among the traditional instruments of Ireland is the harp, the symbol of the Irish Republic, and also of that country's most popular beverage - Guiness Stout! The harp is a truly ancient instrument, with a history spanning almost 5,000 years. It has been used in Ireland for well over 1,000 years, surviving periodic doldrums of persecution and social upheaval. Queen Elizabeth I, who saw harpers as foci of local resistance to her rule, bid Lord Barrymore "hang the harpers wherever found and destroy their instruments". The queen was a tough critic. The Irish wire-strung harp used by the earliest harpers began dying out around the turn of 19th century, supplanted in part by the gut-strung harp, and in part by the European pedal harp that was invented about this time. This break in the tradition means that players of modern reconstructions of the Irish wire-strung harp use a technique that would probably have sounded quite foreign to their 18th century counterparts. The modern Irish harp stands about 4 feet high, and has 34 strings, as opposed to 47 strings on the modern orchestral harp. The so-called Neo-Irish harp, strung with gut or nylon, is the most popular. It's tone is soft, like water dripping into a crystal bowl. Contrast this with the penetrating, fuzzily resonant, bell-like tones of the wire-strung harp. Reed Instruments Before proceeding with my summary of Irish traditional instruments, I'd like to take a moment or two to discuss an integral part of many wind instruments. The reed is a narrow, thin piece of wood, plastic or metal that vibrates when air is blown past it. Reeded instruments include the clarinet, oboe, saxophone and harmonica. Wind instruments that do not use reeds include the flute, recorder, tin whistle and trumpet. Reeded instruments are either "wet reed" or "dry reed" instruments. Wet reeds are moistened by the breath of the musician. Wind instruments that use some means other than the musician's breath to move air are dry reed instruments. Most reeded wind instruments used in traditional Irish music are dry reed instruments. Uilleann Pipes Bagpipes, while not quite as ancient as the harp, have been played in Ireland three or four hundred years longer. The bagpipe features a bladder made of leather that is inflated through a pipe by the breath of the musician. The inflated bag is held under the arm and pressed with the elbow to force air through several reeded pipes that are attached to the bag. The musician plays by alternately covering the various holes on one of the pipes, called the chanter, producing the melody. The remaining pipes are drones, each tuned to a single note, that provide a continuous background tone. Bagpipes were used mostly in armies to provide marching music. In Ireland the war pipes were gradually supplanted by the Uilleann (pronounced "illyun") pipes, which were invented sometime in the 16th century. This instrument is smaller and quieter than the war pipes, with a greater range: two octaves, as opposed to one for the war pipes. Uilleann pipes are not blown; instead, air is provided to the bag by means of a bellows that is held under the opposite arm and is worked with the elbow (hence the name Uilleann, or "elbow", pipes). A neat little animated image that shows a piper playing can be seen on the Ceol Rince web site, which also provides some pipe tunes in midi format. A full modern set of Uilleann pipes has seven reeded pipes: the chanter, with its two octave range; bass, baritone, and tenor drones that can be turned on or off at need; and three regulators, which are chanters fitted with keys like those on a flute, and can be used to produce various chords. The Uilleann pipes are the most complex and versatile of all the bagpipes. A Piper A piper in the street today Set up, and tuned, and started to play, And away, away, away on the tide Of his music we started; on every side Doors and windows were opened wide, And men left down their work and came, And women with petticoats colored like flame, And little bare feet that were blue with cold, Went dancing back to the Age of Gold. And all the world went gay, went gay, For half an hour in the street today. Fiddle Fiddle,n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat. from The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce Despite Bierce's rather puckish definition, most fiddles these days are strung with steel instead of gut or nylon. This difference, along with variations in technique, is all that really distinguishes the fiddle from the violin. It was first used in Irish music in the 17th century, and has remained a popular fixture of Irish music ever since. Many distinctive regional styles have cropped up over the centuries, the most popular today being the quick-paced bowing of Donegal, although the music of other counties have also made their mark. Tin Whistle & Flute The high, shrill notes of the tin whistle have long been a fixture of traditional Irish music. It is cheap to make and simple to play, and produces a wonderful music that is by turns lively or plaintive. Most tin whistles, or "penny whistles", as they are sometimes called, are metal cylinders, sometimes tapered, with a mouthpiece and six holes, or "stops". They've been used in Irish music since at least the 18th century, replacing the bone whistles that had been used from time immemorial. Flutes have been about in various designs for centuries. The modern flute, with its pure, mellow tones, was the invention of a 19th century musician named Theobald Boehm, who made his flutes from silver instead of wood, enlarged the holes and equipped them with padded stops. However, Irish musicians tend to prefer older style wooden flutes with six open finger holes, as they feel it gives a tone more appropriate to their style of music. Bodhrán & Bones The bodhrán (pronounced bow-rahn) is a member of a class of percussion instruments known as "frame drums". The best are made from a sheet of treated goatskin stretched over a wooden frame. The older models had frames made of green wood and were liable to warp, so a crossbrace was added. Modern versions are often made of laminated woods that are less prone to this fault, although the crossbrace is often included to provide a handle for beginners. The instrument is held in one hand and played with a beater in the other. Styles of beaters vary, but it is commonly a wooden rod about 7 inches long, held in the center so that the player can strike the drum with either end. A decorative design of some sort will often be painted on the drum-head. The tone of the bodhrán depends on its size and method of manufacture. The homemade bodhrán used by Davey Fallon for the Chieftans I recording had a higher tone than most I've heard since (he'd also built cymbals into the rim in the manner of a tambourine, which he was prevailed upon to tape down for the recording). A modern bodhrán of standard size, about 18 inches in diameter, provides a deeper, rumbling resonance. Some bodhrán are also equipped with tuning screws. Differences in manufacture also affect the sound of the instrument - craftsman have developed their own special techniques, particularly regarding the treatment of the goatskin drum-head, and by and large they don't share them. Another percussion instrument used in Irish music are the "bones". These are typically laths of wood or bone (the ribs of sheep are common for the latter), which are held between the fingers and tapped together. Spoons have served as substitutes of expedience, from time to time. Concertina In the early 19th century, Charles Wheatstone invented the symphonium, a brass-reeded instrument that was a precursor of the harmonica. In 1844 he modified it so that the air that powered the instrument was provided by a bellows, and the concertina was born. It was a generally popular instrument in the 19th century, and was even used in orchestras from time to time, but has been pretty much defined as a folk music instrument ever since. The concertina and the accordion, an instrument that works on a similar principle, are often used in Irish folk music. Other Instruments Irish folk music is a living tradition, not a museum music, and as such continues to evolve. Other instruments that have become popular in Irish music include the guitar, stand-up bass, the banjo, and the Irish bouzouki, the latter a modification of the Greek bouzouki. Derek Bell, who plays harp and keyboards for the Chieftans, plays an instrument he calls a tiompán, or tympan. The tympan is an ancient Irish instrument related to the dulcimer. Little is known about the instrument, as its use died out in the 17th century, shortly after the fiddle made its arrival in Ireland. What Bell plays is actually a hammered dulcimer. The instrument has a number of strings, usually twelve, stretched over a hollow, trapezoidal sound box made of wood, with a bridge at either end, and a set of tuning keys behind one of the bridges. The strings are struck with hand-held "hammers", evoking bell-like tones. Bell insists that this is the tympan of old, and who can say he is wrong with any authority? I have also heard keyboards, mandolins, harmonicas, and bongos used in arrangements of Irish folk music from time to time. I won't even try to guess what might be used in the future. Tim Eagen	i don't know
Vitreous enamel, used to decorate and protect pottery, metals, etc., is?	What is Vitreous Enamel? Contact Us What is Vitreous Enamel? Vitreous Enamel is simply a thin layer of glass fused at high temperature on to the surface of a metal. The word enamel comes from the High German word ‘smelzan’ and later from the Old French ‘esmail’. The formal definition is : Vitreous Enamel can be defined as a material which is a vitreous solid obtained by smelting or fritting a mixture of inorganic materials. The Collins English Dictionary defines enamel as “a coloured glassy substance, transparent or opaque, fused to the surface of articles made of metal, glass etc. for ornament or protection.” Vitreous enamel is specifically on a metal base. It is thus defined as a vitreous, glass-like coating fused on to a metallic base. In American English it is referred to as Porcelain Enamel. It should not be confused with paint, which is sometimes called ‘enamel’. Paints cannot be vitreous enamel. They do not have the hardness, heat resistance and colour stability that is only available with real vitreous enamel. Beware of companies or products implying the use of enamel. Check their credentials and warranties. Vitreous enamel is part of everyday life and found all around us. You will use it on many kitchen surfaces including cookers, saucepans and washing machine drums. You will find enamelled cast iron or steel baths and clock and watch faces. Out of doors, we use enamel for street signs, Underground station signs, architectural panels, storage and treatment tanks and many other places. It is selected because it is weatherproof, vandal resistant, fireproof and because it lasts and lasts and lasts. Titanic’s Captain Smith’s enamelled bathtub has survived very well under the sea. Enamel is also used by artists and in jewellery, famously in Russia’s Fabergé eggs. Decorative enamelling was the first use of the process of enamelling, dating back to the 13th century BC. This type of enamel is usually applied to copper and its alloys and to gold and silver. We make Vitreous Enamel by smelting naturally occurring minerals, such as sand, feldspar, borax, soda ash, and sodium fluoride at temperatures between 1200 °C and 1350 °C until all of the raw materials have dissolved. Other metallic mineral may be added to give specific properties or colour. The molten glass which is formed is either quenched into water or through water-cooled rollers. This rapid cooling prevents crystallisation and is said to be in a metastable state. This material is called “frit”. To make a usable enamel the frit will be ground in a rotating ball mill either to produce a water-based slurry or a powder. Clays are used in the water-based products to give a product which can be applied to the metal by spraying, dipping or painting by brush. At the milling stage, other minerals will be added to give the properties which are required of the final enamel. Colour is introduced by the use of metal compounds. The recognisable blue enamel is produced using cobalt. Powdered enamels are applied by dusting or using electrostatic equipment. The final glassy finish so typical of vitreous enamel is produced by firing in furnaces at temperatures up to 900 °C. As it cools, it fuses to give glass-coated metal. This ‘firing’ process gives vitreous enamel its unique combination of properties. The smooth glass-like surface is hard; it is scratch, chemical and fire resistant. It is easy to clean and hygienic. It all started 3500 years ago in Cyprus. Since 1500 BC, enamelling has been a wonderful, durable, attractive and reliable material. You will recognise it as the material used to produce the now highly collectable advertising signs produced during the early 20th Century. The ‘Hovis’ and ‘Virol’ signs were part of the everyday street scene. Your cooker will almost certainly have a vitreous enamelled oven and the higher quality cookers will use it on the outer parts. Your cast iron or steel bath will have been vitreous enamelled. Less obvious are the storage silos on farms, usually blue or green; they tower over the surrounding countryside. Carl Faberge used enamel for his unique eggs and jewellery and the Battersea enamellers are famous for their copper enamelled boxes. These are only two of the better-known groups of highly skilled artists who used this very special material. Vitreous enamel can be applied to most metals. For jewellery and decorative items it is often applied to gold, silver, copper and bronze. For the more common uses, it is applied to steel or cast iron. There are some specialised uses on stainless steel and aluminium. The durability of the early advertising signs, still showing the brilliance of the original colours after a hundred years, is one of the best examples of the long-term colour stability of vitreous enamel. Compare them to signs, for example, road signs produced in less durable materials which fade and quickly become shabby. The scourge of graffiti will destroy signs and panelling produced in less durable materials. Graffiti can be easily removed from vitreous enamel	Glass
What German word refers to the highest or premier league of any sport in Germany or Austria?	enamel \| the-difference-between.com enamel glaze As nouns the difference between enamel and glaze is that enamel is an opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects while glaze is (ceramics) the vitreous coating of pottery or porcelain; anything used as a coating or color in glazing see (transitive verb). As verbs the difference between enamel and glaze is that enamel is to coat or decorate with enamel while glaze is to install windows. lacquer As nouns the difference between enamel and lacquer is that enamel is an opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects while lacquer is a glossy, resinous material used as a surface coating; either a natural exudation of certain trees, or a solution of nitrocellulose in alcohol, etc. As verbs the difference between enamel and lacquer is that enamel is to coat or decorate with enamel while lacquer is to apply a lacquer to something or to give something a smooth, glossy finish.	i don't know
What car/vehicle maker has (at 2011) a logo of two chevrons, one above the other, both pointing upwards?	Skyjan complete by Panorama - issuu issuu Your free take-home copy - exclusive to Airlink passengers TM insight for executives on the move Call to action Can Africa avoid a full-blown water crisis? pg.40 Touching down in Tshwane Happy new you Travelogue Bespoke tours Are you a Smombie? IT’S THE GREAT OUTDOORS. YOUR FURNITURE SHOULD BE GREAT TOO. MAKE THE GOOD LIFE GREAT LUXOR RANGE \| Footstool from R7 995 \| Chair from R10 995 Coffee Table from R11 995 \| 3 Seater Sofa from R28 995 Dunkeld, Fourways, Pretoria, Mbombela \| Finance Available Enjoy summerâ€™s sun in style. At Bakos Brothers, we offer a wide range of exquisite outdoor furniture, from loungers to sofas, dining tables to chairs. Our hardwearing pieces, made from all-weather wicker and MarinaPLUS vinyl, are designed for the outdoors. The cushions never have to be taken inside, which cuts out the hassle of setting up for a sunny day. They can withstand the elements, and are resistant to dirt, moisture and even UV. Best of all, though, they offer luxurious comfort, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful weather. insight for executives on the move interact january 2016 Your free take-home copy - exclusive to Airlink passengers TM insight for executives on the move celebrating 20 years of publishing excellence Call to action Can Africa avoid a full-blown water crisis? pg.40 Touching down in Tshwane Happy new you Travelogue Bespoke tours Are you a Smombie? Can we keep the glass half full? pg 40 Changing the tide New years are normally new starts, but this one seems to have us slogging behind us many of the hardships and fears of 2015, tainting our bright and shiny second chance. Our economy drags even though many other countries are seeing positive change, and the war on terror sees no progress, making it hard to feel safe, even at the very tip of Africa. But the starkest reality for South Africans has been water scarcity. As is the common human affliction, our water was not appreciated while it was in surplus, but in the wake of ruined livelihoods, we have a new-found appreciation for this lifeblood of our world. In this time of hopelessness, our only resort has been praying for rain. But the truth is that Mother Nature does provide – it is the human penchant for wastefulness that trips us up, not only at the upper echelons of water management and distribution, but at home too. Really take a minute to examine your contribution: are you truly doing everything you can to conserve water and prevent needless waste? Ideally, we should all be able to answer yes to this question. So for this wonderful new year, still heady with new possibilities, let’s forget about resolutions of weight loss and exercising – let’s resolve to make a tangible difference in the problems faced by this beautiful country. Even if it is just fixing that leaky tap. Happy New Year. 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Antananarivo HEAD OFFICE: Tel: 011 451 7300 / 010 590 3170 Fax: 011 451 7367 AIRLINK CARGO: Tel: 011 978 1060 Fax: 0860 914 75 SAA CENTRAL RESERVATIONS 011 978 1111 COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS: [email protected] 4 01 16 CUSTOMER RELATIONS: [email protected] (Ario Town office) 00261-20 223 5990 (Airo Airport) 00261-20 224 5734 Beira 00258-2 330 1570 Bloemfontein 051 408 3139 Bulawayo 00263-971 337/8/9 Cape Town 021 936 2810 Durban 032 436 2602 East London 043 706 0271 Gaborone 00267 395 1820/800 George 044-801 8401/02 Harare 00263 457 5279 Harare (SAA Call Centre) 00263-4 794 511/2/3/4 Kasane 00267 625 2354 Kimberley 053 838 2171 Livingstone 00260 213 323 031/2/3 Lusaka 00260 271031 Lusaka (Call Centre) 002601-254 350 Manzini 00268 233 50100/101/102/103 Maputo 00258 214 65487 Maseru 00266-22-350 418/9 Maun 00267 686 5230 Mthatha 047-536 0024 Nampula 00258 262 16770 Nelspruit KMIA 013-750 2531/2/3/4 Ndola 00260 2126 122 06 Pemba 00258-2722 1700 Phalaborwa 015-781 5823 Pretoria – Wonderboom airport 012 566 9400 Polokwane 015-288 0166 Port Elizabeth 041 581 6608 Pietermaritzburg 033-386 9286 Skukuza 013 735 5076 Sishen 079 519 4606 Tete 00258-2522 0394 Upington 054-332 2161 Vilanculos 00258 29382482 Windhoek 00264 625 40082 Tel: +41-61-3199090 Fax: +41-61-3199095 SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] Tel: 011 468 2090 Fax: 011 468 2091 FINANCE [email protected] ISSN 1025-2657 PRINTERS BusinessPrint Apr-Jun 2015 20,008 (certified) Skyways Magazine is published monthly and distributed via Airlink. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission of Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. Copyright © 1994-2016 Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. The views expressed in Skyways Magazine are not necessarily those of Panorama Media Corp or Airlink, and the acceptance and publication of editorial and advertising matterial in Skyways Magazine does not imply any endorsement or warranty in respect of goods or services therein described, whether by Skyways Magazine or the publishers. Skyways Magazine will not be held responsible for the safe return of unsolicited editorial contributions. The Editor reserves the right to edit material submitted and in appropriate cases to translate into another language. Skyways Magazine reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial material, which may not suit the standard of the publication, without reason given. Skyways Magazine is published by Panorama Media Corp on behalf of Airlink. PUBLISHED BY Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. Private Bag X4, Kyalami, 1684, South Africa. 92 Campolino Road, Kyalami. Tel: 011 468 2090 Fax: 011 468 2091 www.panorama.co.za freedom Pretoria to Cape Town the easy way. Airlink, in partnership with South African Airways, offers up to three daily ﬂights between Cape Town and Pretoria’s Wonderboom airport – where disembarking is quick, easy and convenient. The aircraft parks in front of the terminal building so there is no busing and it takes less than 10 minutes to collect your luggage and get to your car. Earn Voyager Miles, book your ﬂight direct on www.ﬂyairlink.com or www.ﬂysaa.com or contact your Travel Agent or SAA Central Reservations on +27 11 978 1111. Spread your wings, ﬂy Airlink – Freedom of the African sky. Ndola Pemba 6 01 16 SPOTLIGHT 36 Happy new you Make 2016 your best year ever 40 Liquid damage How do we protect our water resources? TAKE-OFF 10 Be scene Events calendar 12 Boarding call Airlink extends Maun offering 14 Bits and bytes News in brief 22 Panorama The world through a lens 67 Shop Talk Skylounge, Skyboutique, Sky industry 78 Flight schedules Airlink lodge-hopping and regional timetables GREAT ESCAPES 24 Capital gains Touching down in Tshwane 28 Travelogue Zimbabwe in pictures 32 Tailor-made Unique southern African tours 35 Opinion A silver lining for the tourism industry www.tagheuer.com Available soon at TAG Heuer Boutiques; Sandton City & V&A Waterfront. Also at selected fine jewellers nationwide. For further information please call 011.669.0500. www.picotandmoss.co.za contents contents 8 01 16 EXECUTIVE DECISION 44 Paradigm shift Why leaders need to change their thought processes 48 Ask the expert Pregnancy and labour law 50 Tee time Tshwane Open preview 52 Get smart The latest apps and gadgets TIME-OUT 54 Thought for food Small-scale farming holds the key to our future food security 58 Media Books DVD's and music 60 Motoring Ford Ranger sets the pace for the 2016 bakkie banter 62 Cooking club Easy-to-prepare recipes 65 Through the grapevine Wine-pairing tips 66 Brainteasers Sudoku and Battleship puzzles 86 Artistâ€™s impression Making masterpieces out of garbage 89 Social network 10 things you probably didnâ€™t know about Facebook 90 Take note A cry for help 94 Didya know? Take the Skyways quiz 96 Talespin Why wait to make a change? take \| off 8,242,924 The number of people worldwide who do not have access to safe drinking water The number of households in South Africa that had flush toilets as per the census of 2011 in South Africa. Bet on one of 16 Thoroughbreds and be sure not to miss the notorious after-party.  30 January 2016  Kenilworth Racecourse (CT) i www.facebook.com/JBMet Cape Town Minstrel Carnival This age-old traditional New Year celebration provides lots of music, colourful costumes, dancing and entertainment for the whole family to watch and enjoy.  2 January 2016  Cape Town City i www.sa-venues.com COUNTRYWIDE New Year’s Day It’s the start of a brand-new year and South Africans will be contemplating their resolutions and thinking of the year ahead. We wish you an amazing 2016!  1 January 2016 Swan Lake on Ice The Imperial Ice Stars bring this classic to the ice, with beautiful choreography, gorgeous costumes, and new manoeuvres performed to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.  14 January 2016  Artscape Opera House (CT) i www.computicket.com K WA Z U L U - N ATA L Rodriguez Live in SA 10 01 16 Legendary musician, Rodriguez, returns to our shores after selling out his previous tour in minutes. His unique story of fleeting fame and second chances resonates with music-loving South Africans.  27 and 29 January 2016 at Ticketpro Dome (JHB) 31 January and 1 February 2016 at ICC Durban (KZN) 3 February 2016 at Nelson Mandela Bay Outerfields (PE) 5 and 6 February 2016 at Grand West (CT) i www.computicket.com Roxette Live in SA To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Roxette kicks off their world tour right here in SA. It’s been four years since we saw them last – when they sold out six shows. This time, they perform at four venues around the country.  31 January 2016 at Ticketpro Dome (JHB) 2 February 2016 at ICC Durban (KZN) 5 February 2016 at Nelson Mandela Bay Outerfields (PE) 7 and 8 February 2016 at Grand West (CT) i www.computicket.com GAUTENG Madame Zingara: The Celebration An all-new production, cast and structure to commemorate the show’s 15th anniversary.  4 November 2015 to 30 January 2016  Montecasino (JHB) i www.madamezingara.com WESTERN CAPE J&B Met Combining sports and fashion, the J&B Met is considered by many as the most prestigious horserace Dinos Alive Children will enjoy the fun activities while learning about prehistoric animals. Tickets are R100 to R120.  Till 17 January 2016  Suncoast Casino (DBN) i www.dinosalive.co.za The Queen Show Listen to Queen’s greatest hits, performed by a tribute band, for R250 a ticket.  10 December 2015 to 10 January 2016  iZulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino (DBN) i www.computicket.com take \| off The number of homes in South Africa that have no toilets at all 2.2 million The number of people who die annually in developing countries from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water Beyond borders Airlink to commence Cape Town to Maun flight From 11 March 2016, Airlink will provide direct flights between Cape Town and Maun, Botswana. Cape Town is a firm favourite as a tourist destination and regularly features on lists of the best cities to visit. Maun is considered the tourism capital of Botswana, which has seen rapid development in recent years. 12 01 16 Fly Airlink and spend more time exploring majestic Maun The combination of Airlink’s new direct Cape Town to Maun service alongside the airline’s other services, namely Johannesburg to Maun; Johannesburg to Kasane; Livingstone to Nelspruit/Kruger; Nelspruit/Kruger to Cape Town; and Skukuza to Cape Town, will provide the global leisure-tourproduct industry with a complete, fully flexible, integrated travel circuit from which to structure guests’ itineraries. Airlink’s direct flights will give travellers the opportunity to minimise time spent in transit and maximise time spent at the various world-renowned tourism destinations, which South Africa promotes so successfully to the global travel market. Additionally, the inclusion of short Airlink ‘lodge-link’ flights will allow travellers the opportunity to connect directly to the well-known bush lodges of the Sabi Sands, thanks to connections that operate between Airlink’s iconic Skukuza Airport and the Nelspruit/Kruger gateway to the lodges. Travellers are also able to take advantage of the opportunity to include a Mozambican beach holiday at Bazaruto or Benguerra Island by putting Nelspruit/Kruger to Vilanculos in their itinerary. Airlink will initially operate the Cape Town to Maun service using one of its 18 Embraer ERJ 135 37-seat regional jets. Capacity will in time be increased using one of the airline’s 12 Avro RJ85 83-seat regional quad jets, in line with market demand. The direct Airlink Cape Town to Maun flights will depart Cape Town at 10:35 and arrive in Maun at 13:05; and return from Maun at 13:35 and arrive in Cape Town at 16:10. Flights will initially operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Text \| Supplied INTERMEDIATE SPECIAL The percentage of the world’s water that is salt water The amount of water a leaking tap can waste in a month cover a gecko’s toes, allowing it to stick firmly to surfaces. Kellie K is using the same theory and physical mechanism to form the lining of the bras that they are launching. Source: Daily Mail SCIENCE New strapless bra inspired by gecko feet Women who have experienced awkward evenings spent hitching up a strapless bra from their midriff, may soon have relief – and it’s all thanks to the stickiness of gecko feet! Start-up firm, Kellie K Apparel, has used the glue-like qualities on the lizard’s appendages as inspiration for its strapfree bra called The Alice. Geckos can climb a wide variety of surfaces, including smooth glass, using their ‘sticky feet’. They use adhesive pressures of between 6.8kg and 13.6kg per square inch for each limb, meaning that a gecko can hang its entire body by one toe. A gecko’s toe is made up of a microscopic hierarchical structure of stalklike setae. From individual setae, a bundle of hundreds of terminal tips called spatulae (like hairs) branch out and contact the climbing surface. These hairs create an electrostatic force known as Van der Waals, which causes neighbouring molecules to be attracted to each other. The effect is multiplied by thousands of tiny hairs that 14 01 16 T R AV EL TECHNOLOGY Google builds virtual London museum Google has built a virtual recreation of the British Museum that lets people from across the world see more than 4,500 priceless exhibits at the click of a mouse. The tech giant’s Cultural Institute spent a night in the museum digitising its famous halls, so that they could be explored using Street View. Sandton Sun Hotel gets R210 million makeover Tsogo Sun’s iconic Sandton Sun Hotel reopened following an investment of R210 million into its recently undertaken refurbishment. A huge number of cultural treasures have also been photographed in exquisite detail. To mark its digital dawn, the British Museum has set up several online exhibitions focusing on Celtic Iron Age Britain and Ancient Egypt. One of the most important virtual exhibits now on Street View display is the Admonitions Scroll, an ancient document so fragile that it can only be shown in the real museum for a few months a year. The 31-year-old hotel is situated in a prime location within the busy and exclusive business and retail hub of Sandton, and has been repositioned as a gateway into the Sandton City shopping centre. With the refurbishment, the number of hotel rooms has reduced by eight to 326 spacious, luxurious rooms and suites, with all the necessary conveniences and comfort. The refurbishment was jointly funded by the property owners, Pareto and Liberty, with responsibility for the design concept and implementation, as well as the operational issues of the refurbishment, being handled by Tsogo Sun. Source: Mirror.co.uk Source: Supplied BIZARRE Stag party prank lands man in hot water A man was recently left red-faced after a stag party prank that he was planning for his friend led to him being detained by airport security. The Australian traveller was held at Gatwick Airport after his flight from Dusseldorf, because he was found to be carrying a large hunting knife and a series of notes regarding kidnapping. The unnamed 25-year-old man’s joke backfired after the items were detected as he passed through security. On questioning, the prankster stated that he enjoyed spending time outdoors and did not realise that the 40ℓ The amount of water that is used in an average dishwasher cycle 16cm knife was too large for UK law – which allows knives of up to 7.5cm. The printed kidnap notes, which were along the lines of “The best way to kidnap someone”, were later discovered to refer to the stag party plan. The knife was seized by Gatwick police. word of the year is run by Langenscheidt, a publishing house for language resources, to promote its special edition dictionary, containing “100% teenage slang”. Source: Daily Mail A robotics enthusiast has engineered an alarm clock that repeatedly strikes someone’s head with a rubber hand to wake them up. C U LT U R E And the word of the year is … Smartphone users are often known to irritate passers-by as they walk along streets staring at the small screens in front of them, and now German youngsters have given them the name ‘smombies’. Last November, a jury named the portmanteau (a combination of ‘smartphone’ and ‘zombie’) its young people’s word of the year in Munich. A smombie is defined as someone who walks through life with no knowledge of what is going on around them because they are so absorbed in using their smartphone. The competition for 2025 The year Rand Water believes demand for water in South Africa will outstrip supply Source: iol.co.za BIZARRE Wake-up call Called The Wake-Up Machine, it is made using a traditional alarm clock mounted on the wall, with a motorised arm. Positioned above the bed, the arm whips around to repeatedly slap the slumbering person in the face when the alarm goes off. It was designed to “make bed a little bit less comfortable”. Simone Giertz (25) built the torturous device on her houseboat in Sweden. While the invention is a sure-fire way of forcing someone to wake up swiftly, the prototype does have some setbacks. For example, Giertz’s hair got tangled up in the mechanism in an experience she described as “more humiliating than painful”. Source: Daily Mail TECHNOLOGY Can a bedtime mode improve sleep? A British doctor, Professor Paul Gringras, has called on technology firms to develop an automatic bedtime mode for smartphones to stop them disturbing sleep patterns. The blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets and e-readers disrupts body clocks, according to experts. It mimics normal daylight and means that users, particularly children, are kept awake. In addition to disrupting sleep, it means that children are drowsy and tired during the day, thereby negatively affecting their performance at school. Gringras says that screens need an automatic setting that triggers at the end of the day and filters out the blue light that delays one’s natural body clock. As it gets darker, the body starts to produce the sleep hormone melatonin. However, certain wavelengths of light – those at the blue-green end of the spectrum – can disrupt the system. Professor Gringras, from Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, was part of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, which analysed the light emitted by devices. It concluded there was a clear trend for devices to be bigger, brighter, have higher levels of contrast and emit more blue light. The professor of children’s sleep medicine said: “That is great for use in the day, but awful for use at night. There is converging data to say if you are in front of one of these devices at night-time it could prevent you falling asleep by an extra hour.” Source: Daily Mail 15 01 16 The average rainfall for South Africa per annum; the global average is 985mm S PAC E New Venus-like planet discovered A Venus-like planet has been discovered in a solar system relatively close to our own, in what some astronomers are describing as arguably the most important ‘exoplanet’ found orbiting a star other than the sun. The rocky planet, called GJ 1132b, is slightly larger than the Earth and, like Venus, its surface The percentage of South Africa’s water used for agricultural purposes is too hot to support liquid water. However, scientists believe that the planet will be invaluable in the search for extraterrestrial life. At 39 light years away, GJ 1132b is the nearest rocky exoplanet yet discovered. Its relative proximity to Earth means that astronomers now have an important test bed to study the atmospheres of other far-away planets with telescopes that could detect the first chemical signatures of life beyond the solar system – such as atmospheric methane. Source: iol.co.za HISTORY Who is buried under the Great Pyramid? It may be more than 4,500 years old, but it seems the Great Pyramid of Giza still hasn’t revealed all its secrets. ECONOMY BMW pours billions into SA economy BMW is set to invest more than R6 billion in the carmaker’s South African operations to start production of the newest model of its X3 sport-utility vehicle. 16 01 16 The X3 will replace the assembly of the German company’s 3-Series sedan at the Rosslyn plant north of Pretoria. It will be the first time the SUV is produced outside the United States, and the model will be sold locally and exported, including to other African countries. South Africa’s automotiveincentive programme has attracted companies such as BMW, Ford Motor and Volkswagen to set up and invest in factories in the country. BMW will spend more than R3 billion on the Rosslyn factory, plus an additional R3 billion on suppliers, startup costs and training. Source: iol.co.za Experts scanning the huge monument in Egypt think there could be a royal tomb concealed deep inside it after thermal cameras detected higher temperatures in stones at its base. They could be caused by internal air currents, a different type of stone or the presence of a secret chamber, said the international team of scientists behind the research. Source: Daily Mail BIZARRE Bagpipe music used to drive away homeless people An English municipality is playing the ear-piercing sound of bagpipe music 11.5% The percentage of South Africa’s water used for domestic purposes in a bus station at night to drive away homeless people from sleeping there. More than a dozen homeless men and women used to congregate by the station’s restrooms in Bournemouth, Dorset, according to local newspaper, Daily Echo. They would bed down there all night and reportedly intimidate passers-by and hurl drunken abuse at women, according to the paper. But they’ve since moved elsewhere after the shrill sound started being pumped out over the speakers between midnight and 6:30am. “It seems to be doing the job,” one station worker told the Daily Echo. “They just cannot stand it. You try getting any sleep with that going on,” he added. It’s not known where the sleepers have gone, and the scheme has drawn criticism from some locals. “What a daft idea – all that will do is send them elsewhere – these people need practical help,” one said. Source: Daily Mail take \| off The amount of water that is actually allocated per person per day in South Africa The percentage of your brain that is made up of water TECHNOLOGY NASA develops super-robot BIZARRE Spider gets neighbours in a frenzy A man in Australia got so upset about a spider in his home that his neighbours thought he was murdering a woman, police said. Concerned residents called cops after they heard hysterical screams, furniture thrown and a man cursing at a home in Wollstonecraft, Sydney, the New South Wales police revealed on Facebook. He was heard shouting, “I’m going to kill you! You’re dead! Die! Die!” But his anger was actually directed at an arachnid that had entered his property, police confirmed. Neighbours feared that he was attacking and trying to kill a woman – possibly his girlfriend or wife. Police said several patrol cars raced to the home, where the “out-of-breath” and “rather flushed” man answered the front door. A report said officers asked him where his wife or girlfriend was, but he said he didn’t have one, and that he lived alone. “Come on, mate, people clearly heard you yelling you were going to kill her.” “It was a spider, a really big one!” he said. Australia has a reputation for being home to some of the world’s most dangerous spiders – including the funnel-web and the redback. Source: Huffington Post 18 01 16 A ‘superhero robot’ is being designed by NASA to help astronauts on a mission to Mars. Named Valkyrie, or R5, the 1.9m, 125kg humanoid machine has been under development by the space agency for a number of years. NASA has teamed up with two leading universities to develop the machine’s dexterity and artificial intelligence ENVIRONMENT The most electric place on Earth Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest concentration of lightning, with 250 lightning flashes per square kilometre each year. The storms ease off in the drier months of January and February, and are most spectacular at the peak of the wet season around October. At this time of year, you can see an average of 28 lightning flashes each minute. Experts have sought reasons for the area’s uniquely intense for deep space missions. Each leg has seven joints. Instead of feet, there are grippers, each with a light, camera and sensor for building 3D maps. A robot could stay out in the vacuum of space for days, weeks or even months. storms for decades. In the 1960s it was thought that uranium deposits in the bedrock attracted more lightning strikes. More recently, scientists suggested the conductivity of the air above the lake was boosted by the abundance of methane from oil fields below. Neither theory has been proved though, so for now this record-breaking light show is attributed to a potent combination of topography and wind patterns. long-distance athletes. Source: BBC.com H E A LT H Is sugar the key to athletic success? Ditching some sports drinks for a spoonful of sugar could make exercise easier for weary marathon runners and Source: Daily Mail Researchers at the University of Bath say that stirring table sugar into a water bottle before a big physical event could be the difference between success and failure. In a new study, they assessed the impact of endurance exercise on liver glycogen levels. The team tested various drinks to see how different carbohydrates could help avert the decline of liver glycogen levels and fatigue. Their experiment, conducted on long-distance cyclists, showed that ingesting carbohydrates in the form of either glucose or sucrose can achieve this. Both sucrose – in the form of table sugar – and glucose are important carbohydrates often referred to as simple sugars. Source: Daily Mail 11ℓ The amount of water used each time you flush the loo ❝ A new day Quotes about making a fresh start “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” Rainer Maria Rilke “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” TS Eliot “As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” Criss Jami “One can begin so many things with a new person – even begin to be a better man!” George Eliot “The key to a better life isn’t always a change of scenery. Sometimes it simply requires opening your eyes.” Richelle E Goodrich “The best endings are the ones that lead to new beginnings.” Mathangi Subramanian “Forget everything you’ve done. Start over.” Marty Rubin “New month, new intentions, new goals, new love, new light and new beginnings.” April Mae Monterrosa “Let go of your disappointments, mistakes and failures. May you find complete healing, renewed spiritual strength and courage to begin again.” Lailah Gifty Akita ❝ “I know it’s not the end ... it’s only just the beginning.” Lisa Schroeder proudly brought to you by knowledge the magazine that surprises Refresh your mind, feel smart again Could your finger or hand die if you sleep on it? Ivan Kok, Johannesburg N ESO/NASA o, that is impossible. You can wake up with pins and needles in your hand or arm because a nerve was pinched. However, a body part can only die off when the blood supply is almost completely closed off for a longer period and this will never happen when you lie on it. A nerve can get damaged when it has been pinched for a long period. Usually, you will move around enough in your sleep to prevent this. But with people who are very drunk or under the influence of drugs this moving around is sometimes suppressed. The singer of heavy metal band Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, fell asleep with his arm over a chair in 2002. A nerve was damaged to the extent that he needed 4 months of physiotherapy before he could play his guitar again. How is it possible that we have images of our entire galaxy? Bronwen Strydom, Free State T hat is not possible. What you may have seen are not photos but probably artist impressions. These are images created by an artist to create an impression of how the galaxy would look from the outside. The galaxy looks very different from Earth. All stars that we can detect with the naked eye are part of the galaxy. 20 01 16 The closest are seen as loose stars. We can see stars at a greater distance as a luminous belt in the sky when it is dark enough. Why do we see a belt and isnâ€™t the sky completely lit? Thatâ€™s because the shape of the galaxy is more or less like a disc. The majority of the stars are found on the flat surface. Knowledge is the magazine that fascinates, surprises, captivates and gives answers to questions you never thought you wanted the answers to. Knowledge has a clear focus to introduce you to the entertaining world of knowledge through intelligent content on technology, science, culture, history, health, psychology and much more and presents them in a unique way compared to other magazines. Knowledge is a quirky read that connects knowledge with entertainment and is your trusted companion on your ongoing quest for knowledge. www.coolmags.com T&Cs apply freedom Connecting your cargo from the Capital city to the Mother City. Airlink Cargo can only facilitate the movement of cargo to these destinations if it originates from any of our other branches of operations except Johannesburg. Ndola Pemba 33097 Cape Town George Port Elizabeth To ďŹ nd out more about our air freight transport service offerings, contact Airlink Cargo on 011 978 1128, [email protected] or www.airlinkcargo.co.za Antananarivo Pretoria Sishen Kimberley Upington Bloemfontein Nampula Tete Connecting 35 destinations in 9 African countries. panorama Komodo Judo This stunning wildlife image by Andrey Gudkov is part of the 51st Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition currently on show in Cape Town. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases the natural worldâ€™s most astonishing and challenging sights for over 50 years. Launched in the UK in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, today the competition receives over 42,000 entries from 96 countries, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year there are 13 images by South African finalists and winners for the various categories featured. 22 01 16 ???? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? Wonderboom Airport Dominique Drake finds out why Pretoria’s very own airport is welcoming, convenient and perfect for the business traveller being from Pretoria, I was looking forward to talking to Hendrik Kleynhans, acting executive director of Tshwane Airport Services, about Wonderboom Airport. That’s because for many who have lived in this part of the world, including myself, Wonderboom Airport is a prominent feature in the landscape of Tshwane North. 24 01 16 The airport’s name stems from a landmark in Pretoria – the wonderboom, a fig tree that has been growing near the airport for 1,000 years and is now protected in a reserve nearby. In 1936, Wonderboom Airport was opened for commercial purposes, but during the Second World War, the South African Air Force took over operations of the airport. As such, many Second World War pilots were trained at Wonderboom for both the British and South African air forces. Since 2003, it has been under the guidance of the Tshwane City Municipality. Initially, management focused its attention on attracting businesspeople, ambassadors and diplomats, who have used their services often. But it seems to have 80 45 minutes The number of steps it takes you to get from the parking lot to the airport entrance The time it takes to park, check in and board your flight At your service Not only is Wonderboom a fully functional airport, but it hosts 184 businesses on its premises. A few that you would find on the list are: • Fixed-wing pilot training • Helicopter pilot training • Advanced pilot training • Flight school • • • • • • • • • Pilot shop Freelance pilots Aircraft maintenance operations Skydiving for professionals Aircraft parts Aerial imagery Private aircraft charters Game capturing Airborne geophysical surveys Why use Wonderboom Airport? For those who travel often using OR Tambo, you may be wondering, why use a smaller airport such as Wonderboom? Well, here are a few reasons to help you make your decision: Convenience spread its wings to the tourism industry, with many tourists booking leisure flights. The airport facilitates private operators as well as chartered companies. In August this year, Airlink in partnership with SAA launched the Pretoria to Cape Town route. The main focus for this service is to enhance economic growth in Pretoria, which is greatly supported by the Tshwane City Municipality. Currently there are three daily return flights to Cape Town during the week. On weekends Airlink operates one flight on a Saturday and two on a Sunday. Wonderboom is located in relation to all industrial and business areas in the Tshwane district. It is only 11km from the city centre, which includes more than 130 embassy and trade missions. It is also only a 15-minute drive from universities and tertiary education institutions. In the late 1970s, upgrades were done to the airport to allow it to accommodate aircraft that may have to be diverted from OR Tambo. This first occurred in early 1980, and it was a Boeing 727 Accessibility Regional passengers from other provinces, such as travellers from Polokwane, the North West Province, Madibeng and Mpumalanga, won’t have to travel that extra distance to Kempton Park to reach OR Tambo. 25 01 16 great \| escapes Pretoria via the highways to OR Tambo, that the time that it takes you to leave the house, travel, find parking and check in at OR Tambo Airport is the same time it will take you to drive to Wonderboom, check in and land in Cape Town. Service For more info see flight schedule on page 81 26 01 16 Travel time Due to the airport’s location, travelling in traffic will be a rare occurrence, as it is in the opposite direction to the peak-hour traffic of the daily commute of hundreds of thousands of people driving to Johannesburg. The team at Wonderboom actually did a test run and found that when you travel from Pretoria from an area such as Woodlands or Menlyn to Wonderboom Airport, versus travelling from anywhere in Johannesburg or You will experience quick, friendly and personal assistance from the Airlink staff. The check-in process is an appealing one – from arrival, parking, checking in and boarding your flight, it will only take 45 minutes out of your day. Check-in is required 30 minutes before departure. The arrival process is even better. In fact, it will take you seven minutes from departing the aircraft to collecting your luggage. Epicurean feast Villa San Giovanni Pizzeria and Terrace forms part of the Wonderboom Airport complex. It is an eatery that boasts a stunning menu filled with classic Italian fare, including melt-in-the-mouth slow-cooked osso buco with tomato salsa, homemade lasagne – light as a feather and with the right balance of sauces and cheese – and some of the 11km R48 The short distance you need to travel to get to the city centre, home to 100+ diplomatic missions What you pay for 48 hours parking at Wonderboom Airport Check-in Thinking of catching a convenient early morning flight to Cape Town. Why not stay overnight at the Villa San Giovanni Hotel before heading to the Mother City. This includes the following: • Overnight stay at the four-star hotel: R790 (no meals included) • Breakfast at Villa San Giovanni, the onsite restaurant: R80 • 48-hour parking: R72 • Total cost: R942 *Prices are estimated averages best gourmet pizzas in town, with a low GI crust if you prefer and their prices are extremely reasonable as well. With a perfect view of the runway, you could enjoy your meal while viewing the landing and take-off of many aircraft and helicopters. It may even provide you with your very own Casablanca moment. Villa San Giovanni is child-friendly, and your little ones can keep themselves busy creating their own pizzas or in the well-equipped play park. Contact: 012 543 0501 Website: www.vsg.co.za Onsite Hotel Villa San Giovanni Hotel, is a four star hotel that is conveniently located at the airport. It offers quick and easy access to the city and is safe and secure. Each of the 11 en suite bedrooms ensure that you will enjoy the luxuries from home such as air-conditioning, TV Facilities on offer • • • Business lounge 11-room four-star hotel Voyager Miles are applicable • • VIP business lounge to be completed early in 2016 Tourism information and a daily cleaning service. An added bonus is the uninterrupted views of the runway by day and night from the rooms. Meals aren’t included but with a short walk to the restaurant breakfast could be enjoyed on the restaurant’s terrace. Contact: 012 543 0501 Website: www.vsg.co.za Moving forward Wonderboom Airport would like to expand its operations to include a number of initiatives to enhance general aviation at Wonderboom Airport. Due to the scheduled flights from Airlink, it is possible to have other aviation services, such as private chartered flights and the like, use the same air space safely. According to Kleynhans, their next biggest challenge will be to reestablish an international status to be able to service the regional market and then serve the African continent. This application was submitted in October 2012 and has gone through a thorough assessment process. A reply from parliament is expected in the new year. Text \| Dominique Drake Photography \| Supplied We actually put it to the test. After the interview I waited for an incoming plane that was scheduled to land at 17:00. At 16:52 I saw the Avro 85 touchdown and taxi to its parking bay. At 16:56 the doors opened and the first passenger disembarked at 16:57. At the luggage carousel the first passenger received their luggage at 17:00 and strolled out the door. 27 01 16 Travelogue Sights and sounds of Zimbabwe often Zimbabwe makes the news for the wrong reasons, which overshadows the many attractions of this landlocked country. It is known for its dramatic landscapes and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. 28 01 16 You are forgiven if you think this is a street in Pretoria. These blooming jacaranda trees are actually found in Milton Avenue, Harare A colourful lizard enjoys the warmth of the sun in Mana Pools National Park Tame the king of the jungle in one of Zimbabweâ€™s many national parks An aerial view of the capital city, Harare. With more than 1.6 million residents, it is the most densely populated city in the country 29 01 16 great \| escapes How to get there See page 78 for flight schedule www.flyairlink.com Bright colours and expressive dance moves are very much a part of Zimbabweâ€™s culture 30 01 16 Statuettes carved from stone displayed in a marketplace near Victoria Falls Remnants of a glorious past Wildlife gets right of way in this part of the country A stunning landscape view of the granite hills in Domboshawa. The granite hills are a national monument of Zimbabwe and have some examples of cave paintings that date back almost 6,000 years 31 01 16 Tailor-made travel Unique experiences in South Africa southern Africa is an enticing tourism destination that offers authentic experiences found nowhere else on Earth. Here are just a few unique offerings that one can enjoy in the region. 32 01 16 Cruise to the Knysna Heads Visitors to the Garden Route can enjoy a wonderful ecoexperience on the Knysna Lagoon. Travellers begin the adventure with a cruise to the Knysna Heads in a ferry, followed by a 4x4 vehicle drive up to the Featherbed Private Nature Reserve. A guide will provide information on the history of the area, including the fauna and flora. Travellers can also choose the optional guided 2.2km walk through the coastal forest and fynbos. Tired of the same old vacation offerings? Try these unique experiences Stargaze in Sutherland Sutherland in the beautiful Karoo is one of few locations in the world that are ideal for stargazing. This once-ina-lifetime experience allows travellers to see the natural beauty of the stars and the remoteness of the landscape. The famous Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is located in Sutherland. SALT can be visited Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm, and tourists can book a guided tour at the visitor centre. Walk with elephants The Elephant Sanctuary provides an opportunity for people to interact with elephants up close. There are three Elephant Sanctuaries across southern Africa at Hartbeespoort Dam, Plettenberg Bay and Hazyview. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview started in 1999 with five elephants and has grown to a total of 12. Visitors can walk hand-in-trunk with the elephants and experience an elephant-back ride or bare-back elephant ride. Visitors are guided through an unforgettable experience. The Elephant Sanctuary is open Monday to Sunday from 8am to 3:30pm. Return to the place of origin Maropeng, meaning â€˜returning to the place of originâ€™ in Setswana, is the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind and the Sterkfontein Caves. The Cradle of Humankind has received World Heritage Site status owing to the wealth of human ancestor fossils that have been discovered in the area. Families and visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour that begins with an underground boat ride and ends with a fossil display that changes regularly. The facilities at Maropeng include a restaurant, a state-of-the-art conference centre and a boutique hotel. Maropeng is open every day from 9am to 5pm. 33 01 16 great \| escapes and will be in the company of an experienced guide. The tours depart at 6am, 9am, 12pm and 3pm in summer and at 10am and 2pm in winter. Travel with musicians Airlink will get you to your dream holiday destination. See flight schedule on page 78 Turtle season Each year, from mid-October to December, magnificent loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs along the beach in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The turtles hatch from late December through to March. Guests visiting Wilderness Safaris’ Rocktail Camp get front-row seats to one of the world’s most fascinating spectacles and can enjoy a Turtle Drive led by an experienced guide, during which they may have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the tiny hatchlings making their way to the ocean for the first time. The remote northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline represents one of the most important western Indian Ocean breeding sites for both the loggerhead and leatherback turtles. Travel is not only about adrenaline activities anymore. Increasingly, it is about meeting people, discovering cultures and having unique experiences. Rock the Route is a small tour operator specialising in road trips. One of its unique road trips on the Garden Route sees travellers following a music band as they travel along from venue to venue. On the road, travellers will get to meet and befriend some talented musicians and hang out with them after their shows. It could be a small flamenco band from Argentina or an international rock band doing an acoustic tour, and travellers will be on the bus with these artists and see their shows every night. The Extreme 19th The Extreme 19th at Legend Golf and Safari Resort in the Entabeni Safari Conservancy, Limpopo Province, is the world’s longest and highest par three. Accessible only by helicopter, the tee is situated atop Hanglip Mountain with a 361m shot to the green, located 400m below the tee. Golfers staying at the resort can experience this incredibly unique hole along with the 18-hole Signature Golf Course. Iconic people who have experienced this extreme hole include Lewis Hamilton, Morgan Freeman, Frik du Preez, Naas Botha, Morné Steyn and South African golfing legend, Gary Player, who opened the Extreme 19th. Kayak with dolphins 34 01 16 Dolphin Adventures offers guided sea kayaking journeys from Central Beach to Plettenberg Bay. Visitors will enjoy views of the Tsitsikamma Mountains and Robberg Nature Reserve while gliding across the unique coastline, encountering marine life such as dolphins up close and personal. Visitors will be supplied with a kayak Zip-line tour Cape Canopy Tours and Cape Nature, a public institution promoting and ensuring biodiversity conservation within the Western Cape, offers a zip-line through the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, about 90km southeast of Cape Town. The one-hour tour is suitable for ages five to 75. Visitors will slide along steel cables and move from one platform to another, while taking in all the views of the reserve. Two professional guides accompany each group, ensuring strict safety standards while providing an enlightening and educational experience, with interesting facts about the nature and geology of the area. Text \| Daniella Di Gaspero \| toursimupdate.co.za Photography \| Shutterstock great \| escapes Waiting for a silver lining Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? the events in Paris, Beirut and Mali late last year have had a cascading effect on global society at many levels. The attacks have highlighted issues such as migration and refugees in Europe, increased security checks on travellers of every description and, naturally, on the prospects for foreign travel everywhere. It is the randomness and horror of such terrorist activity, designed to promote fear and a sense of insecurity among the public, that make it such a potent weapon. It immediately creates a climate of anxiety that begins to threaten even day-to-day life, resulting in people clinging to the familiar, reluctant to even travel locally, let alone internationally. It could be said that these incidents have created a heightened sense of unease among prospective and confirmed travellers, leading to them cancelling bookings or even reconsidering possible destinations due to security concerns. We in South Africa have long been exposed to aspects of negative publicity – particularly in terms of violent crime and, recently, the visa debacle – and have had to develop ways of dealing with this. They remain facts that we must both acknowledge and accept, but generally we are able to find some compensatory factors that can be promoted to counter the apprehension expressed by our travel customers. This is patently obvious since South Africa remains a popular destination for many thousands every year. As such, we must acknowledge that there will be disruption to travel and inconvenience to travellers in some instances, and at some destinations this may even be quite considerable. But forewarned is forearmed and, if people are sufficiently prepared for what they are likely to encounter in terms of inconvenience, they will be less inclined to blame those in the travel industry for their discomforts. Having confronted this rather gloomy scenario, is there anything on the horizon that might bring us some cheer? Well, there is a rumour circulating among some economists that the price of crude is set to fall further, and lower fuel costs are always a boon to the travel industry – it is, after all, part of our lifeblood. Nassim Taleb’s 2007 book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable described the extreme impact that certain rare and unpredictable events could have on economies. As Taleb puts it, the idea is centred on “our blindness with respect to randomness, particularly large deviations.” At a recent economics conference in Kilkenny, Ireland, he ventured the opinion that oil prices were headed dramatically downwards. He further suggested that the Saudi economy was far from robust, and could even go broke. The consequences of this would put crude into free-fall. Now while that isn’t a brilliant scenario for the oilproducing countries, it would have a positive and uplifting impact on global travel, because as any elementary economics student will tell you, there is a very direct correlation between price and demand: the higher the price, the less the demand, and conversely, make things cheaper and more people will buy them. You only have to look at the success of Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair venture (now Europe’s biggest independent airline) to know that the formula works. So we might yet see a boom in business in the not too distant future. Text \| Linda Pampallis Photography \| Shutterstock Linda Pampallis is Chief Executive Officer of Thompsons Africa. With over 40 years' experience in the industry, Linda is leader in her field, highly regarded and respected, with an in-depth understanding of tourism 35 01 16 Cash flow Achieve financial wellness by starting your planning now great achievements start with a plan. A financial plan that will help you reach your personal and financial goals is well worth the effort. Here are 10 ways to kick 2016 off to a good start: 1 Know your finances: Let this be a ritual where you know exactly how much money is coming into your account and how much of your income is financing bad debts such as clothing store cards, loans and hire purchases. 36 01 16 2 3 4 5 6 7 Now that you know how much debt you owe, you can start on your plan to pay it off. Always pay off higher-interest debts first. Start thinking about your financial goals. Do you want to save more for your retirement, save for a deposit on a house, or maybe start saving for your childâ€™s education? Write down these goals and estimate how much you want to save each month to reach them. Review your risk policies. You might find that you are over-insured and need to cancel some policies, which in turn saves you money. The younger generation should make sure that their risk cover is escalating to keep up with their growing assets and liabilities. As you grow older, your wealth also grows, hence your assets and liabilities are bound to grow. If you have children, open a savings account to set aside money for the holidays and for school fees and uniforms. While you plan your holiday, keep your financial plan in mind. Reassess your decision to go on holiday if you are falling short of your savings target. 8 If you receive a bonus, first pay off any outstanding debt and then put extra money into a savings account. Try investing in a tax-free savings account. It is a simple, flexible, affordable investment that you could use to save for a goal. You can save up to R30,000 a year and R500,000 over your lifetime, tax-free. You should leave your money for the long-term to benefit from compound interest and to increase your tax saving. Make sure you have a valid, up-to-date will in place. If not, then this should be on your list of things to do in 2016 to complete your journey to holistic financial wellbeing. Consult with a registered financial advisor, as a good financial advisor will provide investment advice to help you grow your money. In order to eliminate financial stress and start working on becoming wealthy in 2016, it is imperative to stick to a budget and live within your means. Starting off the new year with a good financial strategy can encourage savings, diminish spending and grow your finances. Nelisiwe Ndlovu is an associate consultant at Alexander Forbes Financial Services 9 10 Text \| Nelisiwe Ndlovu Photography \| Shutterstock 37 01 16 Focus on the goals that really matter Checklist what do you want in life? Chances are you could come up with a pretty long list of things if you set your mind to it. There are probably things relating to your job or career, your fitness and health, your relationships, and many other aspects of your life. But when it comes to setting goals, which of these things really matter? If you set goals for everything you want, or think you want, you may easily become completely overwhelmed, as the list becomes unmanageable. So how can you focus on the goals that really matter? Here are a few pointers: Make some time for yourself. Grab a pen and some paper and list all the things you want to achieve this year. Don’t edit or prejudge, just write them all down; everything from the chance to have a lie-in in the morning to that dream home or dream car. To help, try asking yourself questions like: “What do I want to do?”,“Who do I want be with?”,“Where do I want to live or visit?”,“How do I want to feel?”and“What do I want to own?” Keep the list simple. If, for example, a Ferrari is your dream car, just write ‘a Ferrari’ with no further details for now. 1 Make 2016 the year that you finally achieve your ultimate ambitions 38 01 16 2 3 From your list, try to identify how long it will take to attain each thing and then break them down into short-term (up to one year), medium-term (one to three years), and long-term (four years and beyond). Try to ensure you have a balanced list of three to five goals in each category. If you find you have lots of long-term goals, it may indicate that you are putting off going for what is really important to you, or if they are all short-term, maybe you have not decided on what you really want in life. Next, put some detail into the remaining things on your list, so that your goals are as precise as possible – so for that Ferrari, add the colour, the engine spec, the model, what the interior is like, and so forth. Identify why you want those things. Without a genuine reason, you may find that they are not that important after all and not worthy of setting a goal for. Think about how attaining the things on your list will make you feel. If you don’t have an emotional response, then setting a goal to get them will be harder to do. Discard those for which you cannot identify a genuine reason why and that do not have an emotional response. It is unlikely that they are things that you really want as you move forward to the life you desire. You should now have a balanced list of short-, medium- and long-term goals for which you can set a plan of action and start working on. 4 5 6 7 8 You will now have goals that really matter to you and upon which you can focus. But be sure to review them regularly â€“ on at least a weekly basis â€“ to ensure that they are still important to you and that you are taking the steps necessary to bring them to fruition. Only you know what truly matters. Text \| Tony Hall Photography \| Shutterstock 39 01 16 Why Africans must join forces to protect scarce water resources Hydrosolidarity african water resources are under increasing stress, and the continent is likely to face significant water shortages by 2030. Population growth combined with climate change and continued economic development will put further stresses on water resources and infrastructure. Effectively and equitably governing Africa’s water resources is vitally important. One of the most effective solutions will be for industry, civil society and all levels of government to join forces. It is impossible to downplay the importance of water for human individuals, societies, and the natural environment. We depend on it for food, energy and the natural functioning of ecosystems. Ignoring the problem or praying for rain will not solve Africa’s water insecurity. 40 01 16 There is a much harder task ahead – building resilient communities that acknowledge water’s political nature while working together to govern it. A bleak outlook The overall security of global freshwater resources is bleak. Places as diverse as São Paulo, California, Zimbabwe, and more recently South Africa, have all recently experienced drought conditions, severely disrupting living conditions. Globally, there is a growing chasm between availability and supply, our awareness of water’s preciousness, and our ability to govern it. Add in the upheaval from changing weather patterns due to climate change, and the complexity deepens. Unless things change, by 2030 the world will face a 40% shortfall between availability and demand. This is because trends around climate change and economic 41 01 16 focus \| water security Staying ahead of the water challenge By 2025, about 1.8 billion people will be living in regions or countries with absolute water scarcity. Clean water and adequate sanitation is still far from reach for many of the world’s poorest. At the same time, more water is needed to produce food and energy to satisfy the rising needs of the Earth’s growing population. Securing water is a multifaceted issue, and if we add the extra uncertainty brought on by climate change, we can be certain that securing water will not be properly managed unless we find ways to stay a step ahead. What are our options? • First, we need to develop tools and global solutions that are innovative and forward-looking. We need to bring solutions to countries to help them anticipate the future in order to shape their investments and policies accordingly. Truly innovative solutions can be transformational. For example, using satellite technologies such as Remote Sensing can help farmers identify and predict areas where more or less water is needed, and unlock the potential of rural areas, thus diminishing poverty. Sophisticated climate-change tools can be used to guide the design of water infrastructure precisely to factor in climate change as well as other challenges, and deliver benefits for generations to come. • Second, we need to push for greater integration across sectors to enable countries to better explore the linkages between water, energy, food and the environment, and make decisions based on trade-offs and synergies. We cannot deliver water supply and sanitation to the poor without taking into consideration that the same water sources will be needed in energy, industry, agriculture and to sustain our ecosystems. • Third, we need to support programmatic approaches with multi-year engagements in strategic deltas, basins and countries. This way, we will be able to work with countries on the type of strategic planning and investments that will make dramatic economic improvements in the long term. Our work in the Mekong Delta and the Sahel are good examples of this approach. • Fourth, we need to strengthen water governance to help countries manage their water resources by building institutional capacity and exploring innovative financing options. We must ensure that we can build long-lasting institutions that can govern and manage across several political administrations. Text \| Diego Rodriguez 42 01 16 development in the least developed and emerging economies are converging. The authors of a recent UN report on water write: “This convergence is certain to intensify the water insecurity of poor and marginalised people in low-income countries and add to the urgency for new approaches to the allocation of water resources for development.” For Africa, already struggling with water insecurity, these deeply vexing challenges will only intensify over time. Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is expected to increase to 2.4 billion by 2050. Africa’s urban population is expected to double by 2030, and the movement towards cities will also exacerbate water stress. Already the number of people who can rely on piped water to their premises has decreased from 42% to 34%. Safe drinking water in urban areas will continue to be a major problem in cities across the continent. Unpacking the politics of water Water problems are political problems and require political solutions. Increasingly, scholars from a range of disciplines are focusing on governance as a key variable in the quest for increased water security. Governance requires a toolbox of rules, procedures, norms, and a recognition of particular power dynamics. There is also a focus on how alliances will overcome complex problems that need integration and co-ordination. Water clearly intersects with a range of social and environmental issues that, at first glance, bear no connection. Working together can plug the gaping holes in governance that emerge from top-down management. It also reflects our growing networked society, where a decision in one sector can have a knock-on effect in intended and unintended ways. Most crucially, collaborative water governance can overcome the gaps that come from weakened or illegitimate centralised political authorities. Common ground Because water is infused with politics, it can lead to deep divisions between competing communities. Equally, it can generate the necessary will to co-operate. Several approaches grounded in local contexts but built on a common spirit of hydrosolidarity need to be pursued. It is crucial that NGOs, traditional communities and business interests are all included in partnerships with various levels of government to ensure water is managed effectively. Including a diversity of stakeholders in the political process has a number of positive effects. Technical knowledge of local water resources is spread, effective resolution of conflict is found, legitimacy is increased, and costs are cut. Regional co-operation is also absolutely essential, given that there are more than 80 international rivers and aquifers across the continent. It is also necessary to learn from and improve existing examples of collaborative water governance, including South Africa’s uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership, and the Swiss-funded Bridge Programme, which is active across the continent. We must understand that the seeds for sustainable water security are often sown through the dirty work of bargaining, negotiation and compromise. No silver bullet Given Africa’s water insecurity, it may be surprising to learn that only 5% of the continent’s potential water resources are developed. There is clearly plenty of opportunity for growth. The challenge will be to sustainably manage that growth. There is no miraculous technological innovation that will guarantee water security and no package of funding from multilateral donors or national coffers that will fully alleviate water shortages. Water security involves a number of interrelated pieces: the population, food, energy, land, sanitation, infrastructure, social development, international relations and environmental integrity. A focus on building collaborative governance is a necessary step to increasing water security. Text \| Cameron Harrington Photography \| Shutterstock 95% of the continent’s potential water resources are yet to be tapped into executive \| decision New direction It’s not about change, it’s about leadership business leaders tend to focus on the more obvious issues and often fail to account for the underlying challenges that can cause irreparable damage to the company. It is these matters that inform the culture of an organisation. Leaders need to learn to scan below the surface, assess these threats to the company’s internal capacity, and develop strategies that build confident and engaged employees. Ultimately, an organisation’s capacity to perform is a function of individual human behaviour and it is the invisible challenges related to this that can affect the success of the organisation. Strategy, integrated processes and operating models are clearly defined and leaders spend significant time over-communicating these elements and implementing scorecards to ensure adherence. It isn’t wrong to focus on visible perils, but it is important that an equal amount of time is taken to focus on the elements that aren’t as detectable. 44 01 16 45 01 16 executive \| decision Visit humanedge. co.za or contact Carina Serfontein on 012Â 345 6281 for more information about The Human Edgeâ€™s upcoming public training programmes, executive breakfasts or to develop a programme tailormade to impact your company culture positively Tough call Challenges that bubble below the surface can include employee behaviour. Behavioural challenges can hinder an organisationâ€™s progress, yet many leaders do not focus on this as they lack the visibility of looming behavioural threats and the skills to respond quickly and effectively. Hard change is not a mystery, and when done correctly can yield impressive results for the business. For hard change or, as I call it, level three change to be brought about, a focused leadership strategy, based on sound principles, is necessary. The end goal of a level three change initiative is not simply soft behavioural change, but also business performance improvement. Getting it right 46 01 16 A successful change strategy has three key phases: The first phase is for senior leaders to conduct a culture assessment. The assessment will provide critical information that will produce more unified and committed leaders. The senior team will emerge from the assessment with a clear understanding of the three to five vital behaviours they must change if performance is to improve, a compelling and testable hypothesis for how these behaviours will drive improved performance, an unreserved acceptance of the absolute need for behaviour change, and a humble appreciation for the role they will play in driving this change. In the influence strategy phase, executives learn to diagnose barriers and design influence strategies that engage each of the six sources of influence. Experience has shown that when all sources of influence support new behaviours, change becomes inevitable. It is when leaders learn to skilfully marshal all of these sources that they become world-class leaders. It is during this phase that leaders are able to identify barriers to change and multiply their influence vocabulary. Leaders emerge with a promising change strategy and broader and deeper leadership skill set. The longest phase of level three change is implementation. It is during this phase that executives develop an overwhelming positive influence to support critical behaviours. Behaviour change and performance improvement are measured carefully to monitor the relationships between the two. Executive coaching is also undertaken at this stage, as leaders become aware of how their own behaviour can unwittingly undermine the change effort. It is now when the influence strategy takes root and begins to bear fruit. By not relying on a single source of influence and rather identifying several sources at once, superior results are achieved. The level three change process creates a model that sustainably drives rapid change that leads to profound and measurable improvement in performance. Text \| Helene Vermaak Photography \| Supplied panorama Standing room only The Little Chapel in Saint Peter Port (Guernsey) is possibly the smallest chapel in the world. It is a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. Originally built in March 1914 by religious exile Brother DĂŠodat, it was demolished once in July 1914 and again in 1923 due to various reasons. It measures 4.82 X 2.75m. 47 01 16 Great expectation How well do you treat your pregnant employees? it is concerning that I still receive various complaints from employees that they are losing their jobs because they are pregnant. This is despite the fact that employers are aware that labour legislation provides substantial protection for pregnant employees. 48 01 16 lvan lsraelstam is Chief Executive of Labour Law Management Consulting. He may be contacted on 082 852 2973, ivan@ labourlawadvice. co.za or go to www. labourlawadvice.co.za The Constitution of South Africa, the Employment Equity Act (EEA), the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Labour Relations Act (LRA), and the Code of Good Practice on the Protection of Employees During Pregnancy and After the Birth of a Child, together provide a far-reaching and comprehensive set of rights for pregnant employees. These rights cover the employee from the day she falls pregnant until well after the birth of her child. Our constitution ensures that no person may be discriminated against or dismissed on account of pregnancy. This is emphasised in the EEA and the LRA. The LRA prohibits the dismissal of an employee for any reason related to her pregnancy. In fact, this section makes such a dismissal automatically unfair. This effectively means that such a dismissal breaches a basic right of the employee, can never be justifiable, and merits compensation to be paid by the employer up to an amount equivalent to 24 months’ remuneration. In practice this means that a pregnant employee or one with a newborn baby has an inherent right to her job, provided that she behaves and works according to the employer’s standards. Retrenchment is also only justified if she has been so incapacitated due to illness or injury that she is unable to do her duties. Fair practice Therefore, should the employer fire the employee due to pregnancy, or should the employer wish to use the pregnancy as an excuse for getting rid of the employee, the courts will most likely come down very hard on the employer. The following recent case proves this point. In the case of Mnguni vs Gumbi, the receptionist at a medical practice claimed that she was dismissed because she complained that she felt tired while she was in the advanced stages of pregnancy. The employer claimed that the employee had not been dismissed, but only sent home. However, the Labour Court found that the employer had employed a new receptionist the very next day. It also found that the employer had not called on the employee to return to work when the opportunity arose. This suggested that the applicant had in fact been fired and that the dismissal was automatically unfair. The result: the employer had to pay the employee 24 months’ remuneration in compensation. The employer was also required to pay the employee’s legal costs. This case suggests that even where evidence of dismissal is not clear, if there is any evidence of an employee being dismissed due to pregnancy, employers cannot expect mercy from the courts. Therefore, where such dismissals are contemplated, advice from a reputable labour law expert should be sought. Text \| Ivan Israelstam Photography \| Shutterstock Sponsored content Tee time Explore South Africa’s sports capital Come the second week in February, Tshwane will be in the spotlight as 156 of the world’s top golfers tee off at the magnificent Pretoria Country Club for the fourth Tshwane Open tournament. The 2016 Tshwane Open takes place from 11 to 14 February at the Pretoria Country Club 50 01 16 Bigger, better and brighter, the 2016 Tshwane Open takes place from 11 to 14 February, so make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting event, which is part of the prestigious Sunshine Tour, co-sanctioned by the European Tour. Now in its fourth year, the tournament is blazing an international name for itself as a must-play tournament attracting some of the world’s best. The Tshwane Open has helped establish South Africa as one of the most successful hosts of European Tour events globally, according to the organisers. This year’s Open is expected to draw record crowds – attendance climbs every year – and it will also be broadcast live into more than 200 million homes. But it is also a truism that the tournament is about more than just golf: it’s a multi-dimensional City of Tshwane mega-event with a range of entertainment options on offer alongside the cracking golf. Food, fun and a little history The City of Tshwane uses the event to encourage players and fans to spend a few extra days exploring Tshwane; to take time to visit, rediscover and be inspired by South Africa’s capital city. Although Tshwane is large – home to some 2.5 million people from all backgrounds and spread across an area of more than 6,000km² – the atmosphere is sociable. Here you will discover a unique city filled with many great experiences: it’s a city of sport, a city of art and culture; it has a lively nightlife and wonderful restaurants. In February, the late summer days are warm and welcoming, like the residents. And it is this warmth people remember long after they have left Tshwane. The only way to really understand the people of a city is to sit down for a meal with some locals. Eateries vary from homely Mediterranean classics to the finest of fine dining. But a not-to-be-missed experience is the traditional African meal at a shebeen while listening to jazz. Tshwane is a musical city. Atteridgeville, with more than 50 clubs and numerous bands, is known as the jazz capital of South Africa, while Mamelodi (‘mother of melodies’) gave birth to malombo jazz: a combination of mbaqanga with traditional drumming, gospel music and African jazz guitar. Of course, a visit is not complete without touring the city’s heritage sites. Every itinerary should include the impressive Freedom Park, which captures the story of South Africa from the dawn of time; the bustling Church Square in the city’s CBD with its many 19thcentury buildings; the quirky mining town of Cullinan, where the world’s largest diamond was found more than a century ago; and the traditional Ndebele village of Mabhoko with its intricately decorated houses. You need not travel far to experience the country’s wildlife. Tshwane is the only city in the world in which the Big Five roam free within municipal boundaries, at the Dinokeng Game Reserve. And it’s a malaria-free zone. Golf courses galore After watching some of the world’s best golfers in action, you may feel the urge to get out on the fairways yourself. You’ll be spoilt for choice as Tshwane is home to 16 world-class courses. There’s the bushveld experience at the Akasia Country Club or the parklands Peter Matkovichdesigned Centurion Country Club; the magnificent scenery on offer at the Silver Lakes Golf Estate or the challenging Pebble Rock Golf Course with water hazards on 11 holes. You can also tee off at the Ernie Els-designed club at Copperleaf, venue of the inaugural Tshwane Open, or tee off at the well-known Zwartkop Country Club, which has seen a number of golfing greats striding across the green – players of the likes of Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Nick Price and Retief Goosen. All in all, Tshwane’s a wonderful place to explore, so join us at the 2016 Tshwane Open next month – it’s more than just golf. Text and photography \| Supplied For more information, visit www.tshwaneopen.co.za 51 01 16 executive \| decision a geofence location, drag and drop the pin on the map, resize the radius using your finger, and Locale does the rest. Locale’s sophisticated sensor fusion technology combines an accelerometer, Wi-Fi, GPS and other signals for optimal accuracy, performance and battery life. Vehicle Logbook Enterprise Vehicle Logbook Enterprise offers features with time and location recording, which makes it excellent for salespeople, fleet operators, businesses that need to track drivers and people who would like more detailed vehicle logging. It also allows you to back up and restore your database to your phone and your Dropbox account. This app can run in the background, allowing you to use other apps (music, camera, and the like) or take calls at the same time. Users can export everything into an Excel spreadsheet at the end of the month and administer the data. MoneyWise MoneyWise is a money manager app that combines an expense manager, a bill reminder and a budget planner. It provides a rich, detailed window into your personal finances and daily money management needs. Business expenses, personal expenses and travel expenses can all be managed quickly and easily using the simple and intuitive user interface. Kitchen stories APP YOUR LIFE Make your smartphone work for you Every issue we review the apps that tick our boxes. Here are this month’s picks. Locale 52 01 16 Locale’s advanced artificial intelligence manages settings automatically. For example, arrive at work and instantly your ringer silences and your Wi-Fi switches on. With Locale, never worry about your ringer going off accidentally again. Configuring is simple. To create Kitchen Stories offers aspiring and seasoned chefs alike the opportunity to hone their cooking skills and discover delicious new recipes and cooking inspiration. All recipes are easy to make and come with beautiful pictures, easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions, recipe videos, and clever how-to videos. Video editor This easy-to-use storyboard-style video editor is ideal for exporting videos to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and more. Enjoy an intuitive interface and animated interactions where you can see your images and video clips on a visual storyboard. Start a video on your mobile device and pick up where you left off on the full-featured desktop video editor. Text \| Ernst Wittmann Photography \| Shutterstock Gadgets Doodle away The 3Doodler is the world’s first 3D-printing pen. It was designed to inspire creativity while enhancing visual and tactical learning. Lift your imagination off the page and draw in 3D. The 3Doodler pen releases heated plastic filament that cools almost instantly into a solid, stable structure that can be used for science and math, 3D chemistry, art and design or engineering school projects. Price: R1,999 thegadgetshop.co.za Is this the One for you? The HTC One A9 is the latest addition to the award-winning HTC One family. The first non-Nexus smartphone powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings Google’s latest innovations and the simplicity of HTC Sense right out of the box. It features a 5-inch, edge-to-edge, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4, full-HD AMOLED screen that cascades into the metal frame, giving you brighter and more vivid colours for brilliant graphics and gaming. Its main 13MP rear camera features optical image stabilisation (OIS), which automatically minimises hand shake and corrects vibrations to give you a crystal-clear picture every time. Price: Contract dependent htc.com Soundcheck Whether you choose wireless, USB or stereo-powered audio gear, you will always be one step ahead of your enemies with the Corsair RGB VOID headset. With fast-forward design, spectacular fidelity and innovative features like InfoMic and CUE Control, Corsair VOID gaming headsets enable you to command and control your gaming soundscape, without hitting pause. Price: From R1,715 corsair.com time \| out Ending poverty starts with zero food loss insects, rodents, moisture, mould: these are the age-old enemies of the world’s food supply chain – the farmers’ nemeses. To combat them, the World Food Programme (WFP) has turned to a practical yet innovative solution. By addressing inadequate post-harvest handling and storage practices, the programme is transforming the lives of low-income, smallholder farmers in Uganda struggling to meet their families’ basic food needs. A mother of six children, Tereza Turyatunga is a resident of Biguli in rural Uganda. Her family’s income relies entirely on agricultural production, with maize as their primary crop. Turyatunga always had to sell her grain right after harvest, as that’s when weevils and other pests become a problem. Even worse, months later she would be forced to buy grain from farmers at prices that were five times higher. This poverty trap forced Tereza and her family to struggle with hunger almost every harvest. Her story in not unique though. There are multiple threats to food security and smallholder farmers across the African continent. El Niño is just one of many challenges that cause food insecurity for millions. The El Niño phenomenon brings increased rain to the Horn of Africa, while simultaneously causing poor rains in other parts of East Africa and increased flooding in Kenya and Somalia. These changes in rainfall and temperature affect crop and pasture development around the world, thereby jeopardising people’s ability to produce and buy food. The current El Niño is said to be one of the strongest on record – many already struggling communities around the world will feel the impact of El Niño on their livelihoods. Did you know that farmers in subSaharan Africa can lose up to 30% of their crops within the first month after harvest? 55 01 16 time \| out Top: Maize after 90 days – traditional storage unit Above: Maize after 90 days – new storage unit 56 01 16 Even in years without a strong El Niño, some of the largest threats to food security are post-harvest losses. In the weeks after harvest, sub-Saharan Africa alone loses 20 million metric tons of food each year, valued at over $4 billion, according to a 2011 study by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa can lose up to 30% of their crops within the first month after harvest. Crops can also become damaged, spoiled or lost while being harvested, handled, processed, stored and transported. Without knowledge of proper handling and storage techniques, a significant portion of crops is lost before ever making it to the market and to the table. Smallholder farmers often use traditional storage made from straw and wood, leaving their crops vulnerable to rain and infestation by insects and rodents. While harvesting and cleaning the crops, antiquated techniques and tools can damage the grain. For rural families like Turyatunga’s, lost food means lost land, labour, water, fertiliser and income. Lost food also deprives farmers of the opportunity to grow and strengthen their own household finances. An end to wastage To combat food loss and the subsequent loss of livelihoods, WFP launched the Zero Food-Loss Initiative in 2013. coupled with airtight storage equipment, enables farmers to reduce losses to less than 2%, a drastic 98% reduction of post-harvest losses. In just one harvest, participating farmers were able to pay off their investments in the new storage devices. On average, they could triple their income within the first year. Size matters At least three-quarters of the food WFP purchases comes from developing countries, stimulating local economies and reducing the time it takes to reach the hungry. WFP works with local farmers to increase the quality and quantity of food they produce and to help connect them to buyers. By working with farmers and local communities to prevent losses, WFP is building a world with zero hunger, one community at a time. In Uganda, WFP’s post-harvest management training, Turyatunga is one of more than 2,200 people in Uganda’s Kamwenge District who participated in the farmer training, with each of them acquiring new storage units. After an initial pilot project of 200 farmers, WFP and partners rapidly scaled up, organising training on improved post-harvest handling practices, and offering subsidised storage equipment for 58,000 smallholder farmers across Uganda. However, farming families are not the only participants to benefit from the training and improved storage equipment.“We have been using rudimentary methods to control pests by mixing ash and cow dung to put in the beans,” said Denis Tukahirwa, headmaster of the Gayaza Primary School in the Isingiro District, Uganda, one of the participating schools in the programme. “In the process, the colour and even the taste of the beans changed, causing them to turn sour. The modern silos are going to help us save time and keep our beans for over a year.” In the Isingiro District alone, over 820 farmers as well as schools like Gayaza Primary School received training on post-harvest handling and received silos subsidised at 70% of the total cost. “The silos will enhance the School Meals Programme in Isingiro schools, and enable them to have food for the children throughout the year,” said Peninah Tumusiime, education co-ordinator for the project. “It will sustain the school feeding programme with minimal external support.” Because of the silo that she purchased after being trained on post-harvest handling and storage, Turyatunga was able to sell her grain after four months of storage for twice the price that she would have received at the time of harvest. “I have never acquired such income from my produce,” said Turyatunga. With the increased income, she is hoping to buy two goats to start another source of income generation and meet the requirements to put her children through school. Because of the Zero Food-Loss Initiative, many farmers will have a surplus supply of grain for both consumption and trade for the first time. Not only does this increase national and international trading opportunities for the countries, but it improves individual income and community livelihoods. Text \| Katherine Marchand Photography \| Supplied Small scale farming holds the key to ensuring securing our food resources 57 01 16 time \| out Media Books, music and DVD's Books The Age of Magic by Ben Okri This new novel from Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri is about a group of world-weary travellers who discover the meaning of life in a mysterious Swiss mountain village. Eight film-makers, travelling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travellers find themselves drawn into the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they are disturbed, enlightened and transformed, each in a different way. An intoxicating and dreamlike tale unfolds. Run Racist Run by Eusebius McKaiser At a time when South African students protest against colonial symbols on university campuses, when accusations of racism erupt in cultural spaces, and when racial tensions in towns in the USA explode, it is clear that this conversation is long overdue. In this collection of essays, McKaiser does not pull any punches in his dissection of apartheid’s racist legacy – and no one is safe from his pen. Springbok Rugby Quiz by Pierre Francois Massyn This book examines rugby lore in an unusually entertaining way: it comprises 1,001 questions and answers. Rugby lovers can now enjoy some of the most outlandish anecdotes, as well as cold hard facts and statistics about this game we all love. This well-researched book covers the entire spectrum of our rugby history, from the first Test match in 1891 up to modern times. Rugby fans will certainly find more than enough challenges among the 1,001 questions included here. And, as a bonus, the author also includes his Dream Team – the best players of all time united in one superteam. Fun, informative and factual, this is a must-read for all rugby fans. CDs Losing My Religion by Kirk Franklin Losing My Religion marks Franklin’s 11th consecutive number one debut on the Billboard gospel charts. The 13-song project explores timely themes and classic sentiments, while offering renewed testimony to Kirk’s status as a Grammywinning songwriter and producer. Kirk collaborates with a wide array of music luminaries, including stellar performances from Kim Burrell, Lalah Hathaway, Tamale Man, Tasha Cobbs, Sarah Reeves, Bacardi Cortez, and Tasha Page-Lockhart. 25 by Adele Adele sold more than 2.5 million copies of her album within three days of release. Almost every song on 25 addresses heartache in one form or another. Adele’s instincts as a singer remain unmatched; she is, inarguably, the greatest vocalist of her generation, an artist who instinctively understands timbre and pitch. And this comes through in this album. DVDs Everest This disaster movie focuses on a doomed ascent of Mount Everest in May 1996. Climbers from two expeditions head towards the summit, the highest point on Earth, when an unexpected storm closes in, wreaking havoc. Stranded in a violent blizzard, the teams are pushed to the edge in a harsh battle for survival. The odds are not in their favour, and many will not make it off the mountain alive. Based on true events. The Martian Matt Damon stars in this movie about a manned mission to Mars that goes awry when a fierce storm hits. Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind, presumed dead, with few supplies and no hope of survival. He must keep his wits about him in order to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. He succeeds and NASA plans a daring rescue mission to try and bring ‘the Martian’ home, something that captures the attention of the world, who root for his safe return. If you'd like to win a copy of Sprinkbok Rugby Quiz, send your name and contact number to [email protected] with the words 'Kirk Franklin' in the subject line. time \| out Full range Does the new Ford Ranger have what it takes to be a solid contender in the double-cab market? 60 01 16 This is the new Ford Ranger, and I’m not going to beat around the bush, because the only thing you want to know is whether it is the best bakkie on sale in SA. The answer is yes. There’s no doubt in my mind that this should be your choice, for the time being, if you are in the market for a double-cab or extended-cab bakkie. The main reason is that the Ranger is the first of the next-generation bakkies to reach our shores, and it shows. Most of the mechanicals were carried over from the pre-facelift model, but the changes are so significant that it almost feels like a new car. Yes, from the rear, it looks exactly the same, but that new front-end is stunning. I’m not particularly fond of the orange colour that you can order in Wildtrak specification, but in blue or white, it looks epic. It looks American, and that’s not a bad thing. The American marque is not celebrated for building dynamic vehicles, but no one can accuse them of producing boring cars. Same, only different Mechanically, the Ranger is almost the same vehicle as before, but since it was already class-leading in that regard, there really was no reason to mess with the formula too much. I’m also happy to report that the clunky gearshift problem in the previous 3.2ℓ model has been solved. The biggest improvement, however, is the interior. That touchscreen infotainment system makes a big difference to the overall ambience, and thanks to the uprated Sync 2 system it’s a joy to use. The colour-coded segments are fairly easy to understand, and you are never more than two touches away from where you want to be. The overall quality is good, noise levels are impressively low, and the Ranger glides along nicely in town and on the highway. That’s 90% of the dynamic abilities sorted out for most future customers. There’s good news for those who will venture offroad as well. The Ranger, even though it can brag about its 230mm ground clearance, 800mm wading depth and impressive approach and departure angles, has never been a very good trail vehicle. We entered the Bridgestone off-road driving event in one last year, and it was too bulky for obstacle-based precision offroading. The updated Ranger has a new electrically assisted steering module and this makes a massive difference when manoeuvring it through tight obstacles, or on a rocky mountain pass. The inclusion of hill descent control on top-spec models also makes it much easier to come down the mountain. It firms up nicely at speed, which gives you a fair amount of confidence on a gravel road. The updated suspension is equally impressive, and the Ranger felt secure and composed on every surface we drove on. You still get that traditional bakkie bounce on a really bad tar surface, but that’s par for the course with every double-cab. As mentioned previously, the engines remain unchanged, and Ford gave us the opportunity to drive the 2.2ℓ and 3.2ℓ turbocharged diesel engines, the latter in automatic guise. The updated 2.2ℓ four-cylinder diesel, now delivering 118kW and 385Nm of torque, is all the engine you’ll ever need. It picks up speed nicely and is more than happy to cruise along at 130km/h. But the 3.2ℓ five-cylinder unit remains the best bakkie engine in the business. It’s a tower of power and I don’t think any reasonable person would be able to walk away from it after experiencing its 470Nm first hand. Verdict Ford has done a lot to ensure that the Ranger stays on top for the foreseeable future, at least in the leisure segment. With so many changes, it feels unfair to call it a facelift. Sure, for the most part, it’s the same vehicle as before, but the changes make a massive difference. So that’s the new Ranger in a nutshell. It’s the current class leader, but this could change as the year progresses. Text \| courtesy leisure wheels Photography \| Supplied It’s built for a bruising, but the new Ranger’s interior is comfortable with all the right appointments Leisure wheels is South Africa's foremost adventure motoring magazine. For this reason Skyways has chosen to work with Leisure wheels when it comes to providing you with motoring information. For more on the topic of adventure motoring, look out for the current issue of Leisure wheels, on sale now. www.leisurewheels.com 61 01 16 time \| out Epicurean feast Easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes The Kimberley Anne Small Luxury Hotel is fast becoming known as the finest dining establishment in Kimberley. Executive chef and general manager Stephanie Smith designs each dish to perfection, going so far as to draw up the exact image of how she sees every meal presented on the plate. This month, she shares two of her own favourite recipes. Pork belly with a ginger and star anise sauce For the ginger and star anise sauce: • ¼ cup light-brown sugar • ¼ cup water • 2 red chillies, sliced • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed • 4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce • Juice of a lime • 1 star anise For the pork belly: • 500g pork belly, whole, with the bones still in • Peanut oil for roasting 62 01 16 Method For the ginger and star anise sauce: 1. In a saucepan, slowly bring the brown sugar and water to the boil. Simmer until the mixture starts to caramelise. Add the chillies, ginger, Thai fish sauce, lime juice and star anise and cook slowly for 2 more minutes. For the pork belly: 1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Place the pork belly on an oven tray and cover it with foil. 2. Roast in the oven for about four hours. Remove the pork from the oven and carefully take out the bones. 3. 5. 6. Transfer the pork to another pan and place a similar size pan on top of it. Place something heavy on top and leave it in the fridge for three hours or until completely cool. Remove the pork from the pan, trim the sides, and cut into the desired serving portions. Preheat your oven to 180˚. Place the pork pieces, skin-side down, on a roasting tray that has been lightly brushed with a little peanut oil. Roast for 10 minutes on either side until nicely crisped. Remove from the oven and serve with the ginger and star anise sauce. This is a very rich dish. Radishes served with it will offset the richness. West Coast snoek and sweet potato samoosas, served with spekboom and fresh coriander leaves Method 1. Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • 1.5kg West Coast smoked snoek, deboned 300g sweet potato, peeled 3 medium-size onions 10mℓ oil 150g brown sugar 90g butter Bunch of spring onions (greens only), sliced Seasoning Samoosa pastry Spekboom leaves and fresh coriander leaves, to garnish 2. 3. 4. Cook the sweet potato in water until soft, and then drain. Return it to the stove, and on a low heat, add the butter and sugar and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Mash the potato with the butter and sugar, and then let it cool. Sauté the onions in the oil until soft and slightly brown. Add the snoek and sauté until all the liquid has evaporated. Mix the snoek and sweet potato mixture, and then add the sliced spring onion and seasoning. Fill the samoosa pastry with the mixture and fold into samoosas. Shallow-fry until golden brown. 5. For garnish, add indigenous spekboom leaves and fresh coriander leaves. Spekboom has a slight citrusy taste that pairs well with snoek. 63 01 16 time \| out Spice it up Easy-to-prepare butter chicken In our November 2015 issue, we published a butter chicken recipe courtesy of Jeera at Suncoast Towers Hotel. Unfortunately, gremlins stirred the pot and key information about the recipe and method was omitted. Here is the correct recipe. Skyways apologises for any inconvenience caused. Butter chicken Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 500g chicken breasts 2 tablespoons each of ginger and garlic 500mℓ cream 2 teaspoons turmeric powder 4 tablespoons curry powder 2 teaspoons jeera powder 2 teaspoons elaichi powder 20g butter Cooking oil 500g fresh red tomato puree 4 chillies 3 onions, chopped 10g curry leaves 50g mint, to serve 50g coriander, to serve Method 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 64 01 16 Marinate the chicken pieces with the ginger and garlic. Make a paste with the spices and cream. Heat the butter and sauté the chicken on medium heat until brown and keep aside. Heat the oil and add the chilli, curry leaves, onions and tomato puree and cook for eight minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture. Next, add the paste. Simmer until cooked through and serve with coriander and mint. time \| out Through Wine-pairing tips from an expert the grapevine What made a fifth-generation Franschhoeker become the leading Chardonnay producer? And what made him choose GlenWood? If you ask him, he will tell you that it was the love of the valley, love of the owner’s driving philosophy, love of the terroir, and love of good wines. In 1991, DP Burger joined Alastair Wood on his farm GlenWood with his well-earned Elsenburg agricultural diploma. He was about to embark on a gap year overseas. However, Wood explained to him his dream of producing simple, natural, quality wines. Burger cancelled his plans and accepted a position as general manager and winemaker. The rest is history. To achieve that dream, only grapes from GlenWood’s vineyards – all of which Burger planted – find their way into his cellar. Here are his choices of great South African wines. GlenWood Grand Duc Chardonnay 2013 The estate’s flagship wine shows outstanding oak and fruit integration. On the palate the wine displays a full, rich, creamy mouthfeel of almonds and vanilla, resulting in a lingering aftertaste of smoky peach and citrus. With just under 1,800 bottles produced, the Grand Duc Chardonnay 2013 is ready to enjoy now, or if cellared under the correct conditions, will reach its full potential within the next five to seven years. It should be enjoyed with cream-based pasta dishes, roast chicken, spicy Thai foods or any seafood dishes. La Bri Merlot 2013 This Merlot has a rich garnet colour. The nose is a complex mix of black cherries, red plums and mulberries. It is a juicy and elegant entry with soft integrated tannins as well as hints of dried mushrooms and red plums on the palate. It is the ideal wine to enjoy with any red meat dish. La Motte Pierneef Syrah Viognier 2013 This wine is a blend of 90% Shiraz from the Walker Bay (65%) and Elim (35%) areas as well as 10% Viognier from Franschhoek. The Pierneef Syrah Viognier 2013 is a very versatile partner to food. Try this classic Rhône-style blend with a festively spiced whole-roasted duck. Text \| Pippa Pringle Photography \| Supplied In 1991 DP Burger made a life-changing decision that saw him develop into one of the country’s finest winemakers 65 01 16 s e t o N time \| out sudoku Try the addictive game of Sudoku. The aim is to fill each block with a number from 1 to 9. Each number must not appear more than once in each row, column and square. If you canâ€™t finish this puzzle during your flight, please take this free copy of Skyways with you. The cabin attendant will make sure that the next passengers get their own magazine, with a clean Sudoku for them to puzzle over! Puzzles taken from www.krazydad.com challenging Puzzles supplied by Conceptis, www.conceptispuzzles.com easy Solutions can be found on page 95 battleship Each Battleship puzzle represents a section of ocean with a hidden fleet of one battleship, two cruisers and three submarines. The ships may be oriented horizontally or vertically within the grid so that no ship touches another, not even diagonally. Any remaining squares in the grid contain water segments, which are shown as a symbol of water or as an X. The numbers on the bottom and on the right of the grid show how many squares in the corresponding rows and columns are occupied by ships. The object is to discover where all six ships are located. 66 01 16 1 x Battleship 2 x Cruisers Easy 3 x Submarines Medium This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| boutique sky \| boutique www.oldjoes.co.za +27 83 229 3751 [email protected] N4 Schoemanskloof Road Mpumalanga S 25˚23.096’ E 30˚32.395’ Named after the first warden of the Kruger National Park, Sir James Stevenson Hamilton. Hamilton’s offers a relaxed atmosphere with a colonial touch. Open from 9am offering Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. Hamilton’s is available for functions and does outside catering, to avoid disappointment it is advisable to make a reservation. Accommodation Bar and Restaurant Labyrinth The perfect destination for reviving your soul... Tel: 013 790 3421 \| Cell: 082 461 4974 hamiltons.restaurant@vodamail .co.za DRAKENSBERG RESORT & SPA MORGENZON GUEST HOUSE ACCOMMODATION: WONDERBOOM AIRPORT, PRETORIA TO ADVERTISE IN CONTACT Tel: 011 468 2090 [email protected] Upington O79 895 8324 / (27) 12 566 3693 [email protected] 68 01 16 This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| boutique The Colony Shopping Centre Jan Smuts Avenue Craighall Park (011) 880-5010 www.hodges.co.za Coffee House & Restaurant Hodges Coffee House hodgescoffee We are open 7 days a week from 7am and from Tuesday to Saturday we are open in the evenings with the kitchen closing at 8:30pm. We always tend to make something extra in the evenings, be it our delicious oxtail, lamb curry or a sumptuous vegetarian lasagne. Hodges is a fully licenced restaurant with an interesting yet inexpensive winelist. Why stay home when you can stay with us? Leisure & corporate rentals in and around Cape Town & Johannesburg No time wasted with our real-time availability calendars, and reservations booking engine with instant confirmation. A PA R T M E N T R E N TA L S Try it LIVE... www.fzp.co.za • Studios from R500 per apartment per night, or R6 000 per month • 1 bedroom apartments from R750 per apartment per night, or R8 500 per month FZP Apartment Rentals +27 (0) 21 426 1634 www.fzp.co.za [email protected] www.facebook.com/fzpapartments • 2 bedroom apartments from R950 per apartment per night, or R10 000 per month. Scan to get a 10% discount code for your first reservation! AYO BULAW E OFFIC N! PE O W O N 70 01 16 [email protected] /zimcarhire WWW.ZIMBABWECARHIRE.COM This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| lounge NB: Rates applicable to Credit Card rentals from airport locations only. Please produce your airline boarding pass at the time of making your reservation. Offer valid until 29 February 2016. E&OE. 71 01 16 PGA Teaching Professional Gordon Millar 082 957 3375 [email protected]; www.aisj-jhb.com • Weekly Trips to Gauteng & Back • Monthly Trips to the Cape & Back • Local Moves – Good Rates • Contract Work Welcome! LOCAL AND COUNTRY WIDE REMOVALS Christo 084 047 2600 Petra 079 026 2619 Tel/Fax 0866 103 567 Email [email protected] 72 01 16 FREE GOODS IN TRANSIT INSURANCE UP TO R300 000 We look after yours, as if it were our own! WE SHIP WORLDWIDE INDUSTRIAL PARK Tete Mozambique Warehouse and Office Space Available Warehouses for Rent • Container Storage Space • Long Term Secure Vehicle Storage • Open Space for Rent Aluguer de Armazens • Armazenamento de Contentores • Parqueamento do Veiculos em Recinto Seguro, longo Prazo • Espaco aberto www.ossmozambique.com \| [email protected] Contact Numbers: English +258 82 046 1552 or +258 84 496 3489 Portuguese +258 82 566 8610 Also available in Pemba and Nacala TO ADVERTISE IN Mining, Agricultural & Commercial Exhibition 1 – 5 June 2016 Kitwe, Zambia SHOWSTAND MODULE psst, PSST…, have a look at the passenger across the aisle, two rows up… Yes her. Just the person you would like to promote your product or services to, not so? So why aren’t you advertising on this page? Call us for a free tailor-made proposal Discount available for early bookings Contact: Karen O’Neil Tel: 260-212-238011/238012 Fax: 260-212-238013 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cacss.co.zm Cell: 260 966 783075 Tel 011 468 2090 or email [email protected] LEADERS IN MODULAR CONSTRUCTION ANY BUILDING … ANYWHERE IN AFRICA – BEST PRICE, PREMIUM QUALITY, EXPERT SERVICE [email protected] \| www.nyumba.co.za \| Tel: +27 (0)83 2700 555 \| Fax: 086 612 2887 74 01 16 SOUTH AFRICAN IMMIGRATION SPECIALISTS WORK VISAS & TAX O UR SE RVI CE OFFERING Intra-company, critical skills & “general” work visas Exchange control remittance, setup of banking & forex approvals International payroll & Reserve Bank approvals Expatriate life & disability cover International & South African tax planning, compliance audits & tax ﬁlings SARS binding rulings, Voluntary Disclosure Programme & Dispute Resolution NICO THERON MARISA JACOBS [email protected] psst, PSST…, have a look at the passenger across the aisle, two rows up… Yes her. Just the person you would like to promote your product or services to, not so? So why aren’t you advertising on this page? Call us for a free tailor-made proposal This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. SPECIALISING IN Tel 011 468 2090 or email [email protected] 75 01 16 NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL R 6 9 .0 3M BRANDED PROMO A L L FLAGS F L A G S ALL PRICES EXCL.VAT E CO FULLY BRANDED P O UPS P (2UX P S POP 1M) Crest way O ffice Pa r k , Fir st Floor, Block B \| Hotel Street \| Pretor ia \| S outh Afr ica w w w.ilea dbra nding.co.za \| tel: 071 283 6771 \| email: [email protected] a 76 01 16 KYALAMI COUNTRY CLUB Out in the country but close to home! 4 Play, 2 Pay Voucher Name: Cell: E-mail: skyways 01/16 This voucher entitles you to only pay for 2 players in your 4-ball • This voucher is valid on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (AM), Fridays (AM) (excluding public holidays) • This voucher is subject to availability – prior booking is essential • Kindly advise the Pro Shop that it’s a 4 Play, 2 Pay Voucher. • Please ensure the original voucher is retained and handed in at the Pro Shop. • Voucher is valid until 30 April 2016 www.kyalamicc.co.za \| E-mail: [email protected] Contact the Pro Shop for bookings – 071 657 7409 This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| industry Connecting 35 destinations in 9 African countries. Jetstream 4100 - Regional Turboprop Airliner 7 29 19.25m 18.29m 5.74m 2 600kg 25 000ft 500km/h Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Cruising Speed ERJ 135-LR - Regional Jet Airliner and Corporate Jet Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Cruising Speed 17 37 26.34m 20.04m 6.75m 5 000kg 37 000ft 800km/h Avro RJ85 - Regional Jet Airliner Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Seating Classes Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Maximum Cruising Speed 12 83 2 28.60m 26.21m 8.61m 9 362kg 35 000ft 780km/h STANDARD TIMETABLE – NOTE REDUCED SCHEDULE OPERATES DURING FESTIVE SEASON F L I G H T S – Domestic FLIGHT ROUTE 1 3 5 6 7 ER3 Airink Cape Town Day 1 = Monday, Day 7 = Sunday For reservations visit www.flyairlink.com, your travel agent or SAA Central Reservations on +27 11-978 1111 • Flight schedules subject to change • Contact your booking agent for these conditions 84 01 16 EXCESS BAGGAGE AND SPORTING EQUIPMENT: Refer to www.flyairlink.com Important information & Conditions of Carriage Clause 8 Baggage 8.3 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of content of the published timetable, both operational and strategic issues cause timetable changes. Due to the forward lead time required for publication, these often cannot be duly reflected. Should this occur, Airlink and its agents are not responsible for any errors, omissions, losses or detriments arising from the publication. MEMBER A LEKKER MAN LEKKER HAMPER WORTH R5,000 Join the Lekker Man Lekker movement at www.lekkermanlekker.com LEKKER MAN LEKKER IS TAKING BRAAIING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL Details and stuff With surprise braais, bespoke entertainment areas, braai towns and hilarious videos, Lekker Man Lekker is the ultimate party starter pack. Be part of the movement by winning a hamper of Lekker Man Lekker braai goodies worth R5,000. Cell: 087 720 1041 (national) Fax: 086 675 7599, Email: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/Lekker-Man-Lekker YouTube: (Braai & Waai video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZgroVHv0k0 HAMPER COMPRISES: Branded Lekker Man Lekker coast braai head lamp (R1,000) Braai board (R500) Biltong cutter (R500) V-Sharp knife sharpener (R600) Ice bucket (R450) Buck knife (R1,400) Lekker Man Lekker Braai accessory holder (R600) TO ENTER Fancy your chances of winning? Simply send a mail to [email protected]. Subject line: LML. Include your full name and daytime contact details. THE SMALL PRINT: Entries close 31 January 2016. Please include your daytime contact number. Winners will be chosen by random draw and notified telephonically. T&Cs apply (donâ€™t they always?). time \| out impression Telling ancient stories through recycled material and artwork a South African artist who tells the stories of the country's first inhabitants and their descendants is planning to take his message to the rest of the country soon. Stanley Grootboom, who comes from Coldstream in the Eastern Cape, exhibits his art at the Cradle of Mankind cultural village at Tsitsikamma's Khoi-San village, outside Knysna, and with the Knysna Art Society. The tales of Africaâ€™s forefathers are being told via a novel art medium In his art, Grootboom focuses on the indigenous people of South Africa â€“ the Khoi and San. He depicts their stories in paintings, sculptures and illustrated books. He has published an installation book and a CD on an art course he designed. The former, published in 2003, was made out of recycled material such as plates and hinges. In its 32 tin pages, the book tells the story of a young Khoi-San boy. He is planning to publish another three books, as well as colouring books. Nature as playground 86 01 16 When he was a child, nature was Grootboom's playground. "I grew up in Coldstream. In Tsitsikamma, we used to dive in the river bottom," he says. "I remember when I was about seven years old, I picked up drift wood and allowed it to dry on my pigeons' cage. Later I used it to make sculptures." The children would also collect black rocks, which they would burn and use as skin lotion. "We used it so that we didn't get sunburn." Grootboom says that in high school art was not offered as a subject. He matriculated from Knysna Senior Secondary School in the Western Cape in 1992. And although art was in his blood, he wanted to study law. "I saw a lot of bad things happening to my people, so I planned to help them in the villages as a lawyer. When I studied law at the time, I realised that things are better now in the new South Africa." He started researching more about his ancestry, gave up on law and art became his focus. The value of art "I was discouraged by many people that I would be a very poor person if I became an artist. A lot of people said this, because they heard this from someone. They were not exposed to these things and had a lack of information. A lot of us are uneducated about the value of art, and its cultural merits," says Grootboom. But these cautionary words from naysayers did not dampen his passion to succeed as an artist. He was indeed motivated by art and his heritage and culture, and got a job at the Department of Arts and Culture, where he worked for 12 years. He also facilitated workshops for the Department of Social Development. In his pursuit of the stories of his people, in 2003 Grootboom started walking with a voice recorder. He interviewed people from old forestry villages such as Krakeelriver, Coldstream, Clarkson, Gamtoos and Fairview. "I realised that there are things people still do (traditionally) even if they do not know it was passed on from their ancestors. "They still do the things but do not know it is Khoi. For example, they dig a hole in the ground (when sleeping outside) and throw a goiingsak over them," says Grootboom. A goiingsak is a hessian bag. A writing workshop at the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging, the institute dedicated to the study and preservation of the language, prepared him to write and do the illustrations for his books. Stanley Grootboom is keen to take his history lessons to the rest of the country Giving back The 40-year-old Grootboom also gives art classes to 87 01 16 time \| out Above: Grootboom is giving back by teaching teenagers in his community his methods of art underprivileged people in Knysna. His focus is mostly on people of the northern areas, but if anyone else comes who is not from that area, he does not turn them away. "My focus is on the previously disadvantaged." By giving these art classes for free, Grootboom believes he is giving back. "You get blessings in other ways," he explains. In the past two years that he has lived in Knysna, Grootboom has taught 25 people in his art classes. Art as rehabilitation Below: This form of art is not only inspiring, it is also therapeutic. 88 01 16 About three years ago, Grootboom trained 10 teens, aged 12 to 18, through the Department of Social Development. The best repayment for that experience, he says, was that the parents of the juveniles came to visit him afterwards to give him good news. "One mother in the beginning said that she could not get her child off dagga â€Ś There was a time when that boy, who is 12 years old, took dagga and drugs out of his socks, and I had him give it to the social worker," explains Grootboom. "After the art classes, parents said that the juveniles started washing dishes at home. The children's behaviour also bettered at home: they would greet their family members and ask how their days were." Grootboom believes that art is very therapeutic. "In school I used to have a bad temper. I thought chess would help. It was only when I did art that my bad temper went away. These days you will struggle to get me angry." There is a need for uniqueness in your art, he adds. "You have to identify what is important. It's not going to help you any way if you imitate someone. If your artwork is really good, it will make someone stop in their tracks. There should be emotional content in your artwork. The theme, consistency and technique [are] important. "You should bring something that is close to you, then you can bring out the emotion. If you work hard enough in art, you can make it work," concludes Grootboom. Text \| Melissa Javan Photography \| Supplied time \| out In June 2015, Facebook was worth an estimated $215 million Social network 10 fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about Facebook 1. 2. Al Pacino was the first ‘face’ on Facebook. 600,000 hacking attempts are made to Facebook accounts every day. 3. You can change your language on Facebook to ‘Pirate’. 4. Several people have been murdered for unfriending someone on Facebook. 5. Facebook tracks which sites you visit, even after you have signed out. 6. In 2014, a burglar in Minnesota was caught after he logged into his Facebook account on the home’s PC and forgot to log out. 7. Facebook is primarily blue because Mark Zuckerberg has red-green colour blindness. 8. There are about 30 million dead people on Facebook. 9. In Britain, a woman was given 20 months in jail for creating fake Facebook profiles for her family members in order to send abusive messages to herself and frame them for it. 10. The ‘Like’ button on Facebook was originally going to be called ‘Awesome’. Text \| Arno Visagie Photography \| Shutterstock 89 01 16 Battle cry Notes highlight the fight against addiction if you were listening to music in the ‘80s, American singer/ songwriter Martika’s Toy Soldiers will be well known to you. If you are a little bit younger, you might be more familiar with Eminem’s 2004 song Like Toy Soldiers, in which he samples the Martika hit. While Martika is widely known as a one-hit wonder, her one hit song did make a great impact. Toy Soldiers appeared on Martika’s self-titled debut album in 1988, and was released in 1989 as the third single from the album. The song wasted no time in shooting up the charts. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and also spent two weeks in the top position in New Zealand. It reached number five in both the United Kingdom and Australia. In true one-hit-wonder style, it was Martika’s only number one single in the United States, and the song that performed the best for her in the United Kingdom. The artist herself was overwhelmed by her success, beating the likes of Madonna to the number one spot: “I was busy doing promotion work when it happened, and I was told that the song had gone number one. I had to sit down and just breathe and take in the moment,” she said in an interview. At least for a one-hit wonder, she did extremely well. In March and April 2009, VH1 did a countdown of the 100 greatest one-hit wonders of the ‘80s and Toy Soldiers placed at number 67 on the countdown. Humble beginnings Martika (her real name is Marta Marrera) started out as a child actor before launching her career as a singer. Her most notable performances were in the movie Annie in 1982 and in the TV series Kids Incorporated, which ran from 1984 to 1986. Martika’s involvement in Kids Incorporated explains the distinct child-like sound of Toy Soldiers’ chorus. This American television series revolved around a group of children and teenagers who performed in their own rock group. It was aimed at the youth and included musical performances in every storyline. So, when Martika needed some extra vocals on Toy Soldiers, she Martika was only 22 when she “retired” from the music business. By that time she had already been doing it for 10 years 91 01 16 time \| out The song title is an apt description of how the grips of addiction can have you on a puppet string knew just who to call – her singing colleagues from her television days. Martika is the only one who sings throughout the whole song, but on the chorus she is joined by her former castmates, Renee Sands, Rahsaan Patterson, Devyn Puett, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Stacy Ferguson. Interestingly, Stacy Ferguson is today better known as Fergie, vocalist for the Black Eyed Peas. The fight against addiction 92 01 16 Drug abuse is a popular theme in music, most probably because of the strong emotions this destructive lifestyle can cause in both the addict and their loved ones. Around the time Toy Soldiers was released, people were becoming more aware of drug abuse in the youth. It is also the case with Toy Soldiers, as it was written about a friend of Martika who was addicted to cocaine. She was a bit unsure about writing a song with a more serious theme:“I was a little hesitant, because I had only written two songs before, and they were light songs,” Martika said. “This was the first time I got the nerve to write about something that was scary for me to talk about.” Toy Soldiers was featured on an episode of VH1’s Pop-Up Video, and here it was said that the friend referred to in the song did eventually conquer their addiction. The symbolic use of toy soldiers in the song is also a point of interest, and can be interpreted in several ways. Firstly, drug addiction usually has a strong grip on its victim, and it controls you – much like children control their toys (this also features prominently in the Metallica song Master of Puppets). Alternatively, soldiers represent strength and the ability to fight – but in this case it isn’t real, because the soldiers in question are just toys. This again alludes to the fight against addiction, in which the victim is sometimes not strong enough to win the battle. This is emphasised in the lyrics: “Bit by bit/ Torn apart/ We never win/ But the battle wages on/ For toy soldiers.” Where is she now? After 10 years in the entertainment industry, Martika ‘retired’ – at the age of only 22. Having made plenty of money, she wanted to take a break, having worked from the age of 12. The break ended up lasting for 20 years! “I spent several years just being a professional slacker,” Martika said in an interview. “I guess I had a delayed childhood. It wasn’t meant to be too long, but a month turned into two years, and then I just stopped wanting the pressure.” Martika returned to the music industry in 2012, but Toy Soldiers remained her biggest hit. Text \| Noleen Fourie Photography \| Shutterstock Mincon.com MINCON. 1ST FOR DURABILITY, RELIABILITY & PERFORMANCE. Track to the future What major tech advances will we see this year? Will we see these tech revolutions in 2016? if you were to believe the storyline of the classic Back to the Future franchise, then by now we should be flying over the streets on hoverboards, with pills that replace our three-course dinners. But we are not quite there yet. However, there are a few tech trends that could very well be making their debut in 2016. Here are our picks: New ways to recharge your devices Running out of juice? Not to worry. You can walk or run in your shoes, breathe a la Darth Vader-style, use your body heat, stop by a street sign, or use water: take your pick. Interactive clothes When fashion and technology collide, things can get pretty interesting and fun. With the debut of a dress that displays tweets in real time, we’re just waiting for it, along with programmable T-shirts and colour-changing and size-altering clothes to be produced en masse. Waste not, want not In an effort to help save the Earth, waste could become ‘clean energy’ or the likes of it – so as to lessen pollution – don’t you think? Maybe our poo can become a source of electrical power or fuel for vehicles. Mincon Southern Africa are proud to announce the introduction of 2 NEW ranges of Blast Hole Drilling Machines to the African Mining and Quarrying industries. REICHdrill DTH and ROTARY drills as well as BBurg TOP HAMMER and DTH drills. With the addition of these machines to our already superb range of Rock Drilling Tools and Accessories, MINCON and its strategic partners in Africa will help you to increase your bottom line. Mincon Southern Africa www.mincon.co.za Phone: +27 11 397 3630 Spill-proofed everything Using your phone in the toilet, and dropping sauce or beverages onto paper and your clothes, would soon be worryfree events. With companies developing superhydrophobic coatings, compounds for paper, and non-stick coatings, everything would become waterproofed – making stains or wetness non-existent. Mind-controlled gadgets As a step forward in the shoes of the fictional character telepath, Professor X of X-Men, humankind has created mood-controlled tails, and mind-controlled animal ears and skateboards. We’re expecting more mindcontrolled devices in the future; but will these devices that pick up brainwaves soon make us all pseudo-telepaths? Text \| Anthea Quay, Designtaxi.com Photography \| Shutterstock 93 01 16 The percentage of household water used for baths and showers The amount of water used by a family of four per day Didya know? 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Clue to number 9 94 01 16 Questions 1. UK 1980s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s nickname was the ‘____ Lady’? 2. The Rocinha favela in Brazil is said to be the biggest ____ in Latin America: tree; carnival; bird; or slum? 3. The Clostridium botulinum bacterium causes which commonly known but rare human poisoning? 4. Which famous line from Alexander Pope’s (16881744) poem, An Essay on Criticism, written in 1709, is often used in books, films and music? 5. Which two cities each hosted a John Lennon and How do you score with the Skyways quiz? Yoko Ono week-long hotel ‘bed-in’ peace protest in 1969? What is the currency of Pakistan? At the end of 2012, how many cities had hosted the modern Olympic Games three times? A diaspora is a dispersion of: droplets; people; sunlight; particles; or stolen property? A gilet (pronounced loosely ‘jee-lay’ – it’s French) is a jacket or blouse without: buttons; sleeves; pockets; or stitching? What foodstuff, meaning ‘fat liver’ in French, is made from the liver of a duck or goose that is fattened traditionally by force-feeding? Where on the female body is a snood worn? Born in October 1949, and in prison for life in France, by what nickname is Venezuelan Ilich Ramírez Sánchez known? Which country has a socialist political party whose members are called Sandinistas? Infection caused by the parasitic micro-organism genus Plasmodium is known better as which disease? What musical instrument has the nickname ‘the devil’s box’? Which German word refers to the highest or premier league of any sport in Germany and Austria? Which car/vehicle-maker has (at 2011) a logo of two chevrons, one above the other, both pointing upwards? What are the two major tributaries of the River Nile? A backless, usually female, shoe or slipper is commonly called by which animal name? The Greek god Dionysus is also known by which Roman name, associated with revelry? Answers 1. Iron 2. Slum (in Rio de Janeiro) 3. Botulism (food poisoning) 4. “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” 5. Amsterdam and Montreal 6. The rupee 7. One (London, in 1908, 1948 and 2012) 8. People 9. Sleeves 2,570,000 megalitres The capacity of the Vaal Dam (a megalitre is a million litres). That is the equivalent of about 17,134,190,000 bath tubs (enough for each person in the world to take 24 baths) Clue to number 15 6 2 Foie gras Neck Carlos the Jackal Nicaragua Malaria Violin Bundesliga Citroën White Nile and Blue Nile Mule Bacchus (god of wine and related harvest and consumption) Advert18231115 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Bell is Africa’s very own global equipment supplier. With support from our strategic partners we deliver a full range of premium machines well suited to a variety of industries and applications. Whether it’s mining, general and bulk earthworks, construction, roads and rehabilitation or waste management, our machines are all built tough for our harsh environment and are fully supported by Africa’s most comprehensive network of people dedicated to your success. Text \| Arno Visagie Photography \| Shutterstock Bell Equipment - a proudly South African company that’s committed to helping businesses to realise Africa’s potential. Get the answer Solutions to Sudoku and Battleship. Puzzles on page 66. swers 2 5 8 Proud to be building Africa Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad,Challenging Volume 8, Book 8 by KrazyDad, Volume 8, Book 8 Sudoku Sudoku Sudoku #1 4 8 7 9 1 3 2 7 6 5 9 1 9 1 8 4 3 7 5 2 2 4 6 8 8 6 1 3 7 2 3 5 5 9 4 6 Sudoku Easy 5 26 6 43 8 37 3 65 1 92 7 59 9 74 4 81 2 18 38 89 42 27 64 11 55 96 73 #2 64 1 7 95 5 2 71 24 5 6 78 43 81 38 93 29 46 12 69 87 35 5 9 8 1 3 6 9 4 6 7 2 5 7 4 1 8 3 2 3 2 1 4 7 6 5 8 9 2 1 3 8 9 5 6 4 7 1 3 2 7 5 8 9 6 4 Sudoku #4 Sudoku #3 2 3 1 4 5 65 82 97 79 1 6 4 3 8 9 8 5 3 7 21 19 48 62 4 3 5 6 7 6 4 7 9 8 16 2 4 33 57 5 8 1 9 2 2 7 5 1 3 9 6 8 4 Battleship 8 4 7 5 9 8 3 6 3 9 1 2 95 01 16 Starting afresh Why wait for January? a new year is almost always a time of fresh starts. The phrase ‘new year, new you’ peppers most media, while many of us see January as a time to change jobs, start diets or launch new projects. A stitch in time saves nine. So begin a new chapter of your life now 96 01 16 That’s great, but what about the rest of the year? Why not start your new life in March? Nobody ever pays attention to humble March – yet it used to mark the first day of the new year back in the Middle Ages. The Aztecs favoured 23 February, which seems entirely random, but it’s as good a day as any to start afresh. Nigerians celebrate their Odunde Festival on 2 June (‘Odunde’ means ‘Happy New Year’ in Yoruba) – a great time for a party considering we’re given six months to recover from Christmas, and not much else happens in June. This raises another question: what’s up with this festive season rush of celebrations? Did some Westerner decide to cram all our major celebrations into two weeks to keep business on track for the rest of the year? Let’s face it, commerce (aside from frenzied shopping) seems to grind to a halt over the ‘holiday’ season, which in spite of a multitude of cultural differences, impacts most of the planet. But I digress; we were starting afresh. Can you do it in August? If not, why not? If you need to lose 10kg, must the diet start on Monday, or could you simply skip the slab of chocolate you were planning to eat this afternoon? As a society, we seem designed to defer action to some milestone moment in the future. Until then, we’ll discuss those new beginnings at length to make sure we get them exactly right. Nothing worse than a new life that’s as bad as the old one. That’s not to say that it’s not wise to plan ahead – diving into the deep end can certainly lead to disaster if you have no idea what you’re in for. Why wait for January though? Start planning immediately. If you see the need to lose those kilos, change that job, start that project – do it at once! Life is short, but more importantly, it’s utterly unpredictable. You could get struck by a stray meteor at any moment. Happy New Year! Text \| Massy Odlazak Photography \| Shutterstock Space sponsored by	Citroën
Rocinha favela in Brazil is said to be the biggest what in Latin America?	Skyjan complete by Panorama - issuu issuu Your free take-home copy - exclusive to Airlink passengers TM insight for executives on the move Call to action Can Africa avoid a full-blown water crisis? pg.40 Touching down in Tshwane Happy new you Travelogue Bespoke tours Are you a Smombie? IT’S THE GREAT OUTDOORS. YOUR FURNITURE SHOULD BE GREAT TOO. MAKE THE GOOD LIFE GREAT LUXOR RANGE \| Footstool from R7 995 \| Chair from R10 995 Coffee Table from R11 995 \| 3 Seater Sofa from R28 995 Dunkeld, Fourways, Pretoria, Mbombela \| Finance Available Enjoy summerâ€™s sun in style. At Bakos Brothers, we offer a wide range of exquisite outdoor furniture, from loungers to sofas, dining tables to chairs. Our hardwearing pieces, made from all-weather wicker and MarinaPLUS vinyl, are designed for the outdoors. The cushions never have to be taken inside, which cuts out the hassle of setting up for a sunny day. They can withstand the elements, and are resistant to dirt, moisture and even UV. Best of all, though, they offer luxurious comfort, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful weather. insight for executives on the move interact january 2016 Your free take-home copy - exclusive to Airlink passengers TM insight for executives on the move celebrating 20 years of publishing excellence Call to action Can Africa avoid a full-blown water crisis? pg.40 Touching down in Tshwane Happy new you Travelogue Bespoke tours Are you a Smombie? Can we keep the glass half full? pg 40 Changing the tide New years are normally new starts, but this one seems to have us slogging behind us many of the hardships and fears of 2015, tainting our bright and shiny second chance. Our economy drags even though many other countries are seeing positive change, and the war on terror sees no progress, making it hard to feel safe, even at the very tip of Africa. But the starkest reality for South Africans has been water scarcity. As is the common human affliction, our water was not appreciated while it was in surplus, but in the wake of ruined livelihoods, we have a new-found appreciation for this lifeblood of our world. In this time of hopelessness, our only resort has been praying for rain. But the truth is that Mother Nature does provide – it is the human penchant for wastefulness that trips us up, not only at the upper echelons of water management and distribution, but at home too. Really take a minute to examine your contribution: are you truly doing everything you can to conserve water and prevent needless waste? Ideally, we should all be able to answer yes to this question. So for this wonderful new year, still heady with new possibilities, let’s forget about resolutions of weight loss and exercising – let’s resolve to make a tangible difference in the problems faced by this beautiful country. Even if it is just fixing that leaky tap. Happy New Year. PUBLISHER Urs Honegger EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Gerard Peter MANAGING EDITOR Deanne Dudley SENIOR SUB EDITOR Vanessa Koekemoer SUB EDITOR Nicolette Els EDITORIAL INTERN Charlotte Bastiaanse OPERATIONS AND PRODUCTION MANAGER Paul Kotze STUDIO MANAGER Cronjé du Toit DESIGNER Perpetua Chigumira-Wenda TRAFFIC AND PRODUCTION Juanita Pattenden ADVERTISING [email protected] +27 11 468 2090 SALES MANAGER Gillian Johnston SENIOR ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE Arlene Sanford 083 473 5002 [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE Mosadi Teffo 083 584 6673 [email protected] Ben Banda [email protected] Gerard Peter Editor-in-Chief Miems Scheppell [email protected] ENGLAND/WALES/SCOTLAND: Interactive Airline Partnerships, James Rolls. 13 Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge UB8 2FX Tel: +44-1895-258008 Fax: +44-1895-258009 SWITZERLAND/GERMANY: Imm Inflight Media Marketing Marcel Wernli, Gellertstrasse 18, 4052 Basel Your complimentary copy to take away! Antananarivo HEAD OFFICE: Tel: 011 451 7300 / 010 590 3170 Fax: 011 451 7367 AIRLINK CARGO: Tel: 011 978 1060 Fax: 0860 914 75 SAA CENTRAL RESERVATIONS 011 978 1111 COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS: [email protected] 4 01 16 CUSTOMER RELATIONS: [email protected] (Ario Town office) 00261-20 223 5990 (Airo Airport) 00261-20 224 5734 Beira 00258-2 330 1570 Bloemfontein 051 408 3139 Bulawayo 00263-971 337/8/9 Cape Town 021 936 2810 Durban 032 436 2602 East London 043 706 0271 Gaborone 00267 395 1820/800 George 044-801 8401/02 Harare 00263 457 5279 Harare (SAA Call Centre) 00263-4 794 511/2/3/4 Kasane 00267 625 2354 Kimberley 053 838 2171 Livingstone 00260 213 323 031/2/3 Lusaka 00260 271031 Lusaka (Call Centre) 002601-254 350 Manzini 00268 233 50100/101/102/103 Maputo 00258 214 65487 Maseru 00266-22-350 418/9 Maun 00267 686 5230 Mthatha 047-536 0024 Nampula 00258 262 16770 Nelspruit KMIA 013-750 2531/2/3/4 Ndola 00260 2126 122 06 Pemba 00258-2722 1700 Phalaborwa 015-781 5823 Pretoria – Wonderboom airport 012 566 9400 Polokwane 015-288 0166 Port Elizabeth 041 581 6608 Pietermaritzburg 033-386 9286 Skukuza 013 735 5076 Sishen 079 519 4606 Tete 00258-2522 0394 Upington 054-332 2161 Vilanculos 00258 29382482 Windhoek 00264 625 40082 Tel: +41-61-3199090 Fax: +41-61-3199095 SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] Tel: 011 468 2090 Fax: 011 468 2091 FINANCE [email protected] ISSN 1025-2657 PRINTERS BusinessPrint Apr-Jun 2015 20,008 (certified) Skyways Magazine is published monthly and distributed via Airlink. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written permission of Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. Copyright © 1994-2016 Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. The views expressed in Skyways Magazine are not necessarily those of Panorama Media Corp or Airlink, and the acceptance and publication of editorial and advertising matterial in Skyways Magazine does not imply any endorsement or warranty in respect of goods or services therein described, whether by Skyways Magazine or the publishers. Skyways Magazine will not be held responsible for the safe return of unsolicited editorial contributions. The Editor reserves the right to edit material submitted and in appropriate cases to translate into another language. Skyways Magazine reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial material, which may not suit the standard of the publication, without reason given. Skyways Magazine is published by Panorama Media Corp on behalf of Airlink. PUBLISHED BY Panorama Media Corp (Pty) Ltd. Private Bag X4, Kyalami, 1684, South Africa. 92 Campolino Road, Kyalami. Tel: 011 468 2090 Fax: 011 468 2091 www.panorama.co.za freedom Pretoria to Cape Town the easy way. Airlink, in partnership with South African Airways, offers up to three daily ﬂights between Cape Town and Pretoria’s Wonderboom airport – where disembarking is quick, easy and convenient. The aircraft parks in front of the terminal building so there is no busing and it takes less than 10 minutes to collect your luggage and get to your car. Earn Voyager Miles, book your ﬂight direct on www.ﬂyairlink.com or www.ﬂysaa.com or contact your Travel Agent or SAA Central Reservations on +27 11 978 1111. Spread your wings, ﬂy Airlink – Freedom of the African sky. Ndola Pemba 6 01 16 SPOTLIGHT 36 Happy new you Make 2016 your best year ever 40 Liquid damage How do we protect our water resources? TAKE-OFF 10 Be scene Events calendar 12 Boarding call Airlink extends Maun offering 14 Bits and bytes News in brief 22 Panorama The world through a lens 67 Shop Talk Skylounge, Skyboutique, Sky industry 78 Flight schedules Airlink lodge-hopping and regional timetables GREAT ESCAPES 24 Capital gains Touching down in Tshwane 28 Travelogue Zimbabwe in pictures 32 Tailor-made Unique southern African tours 35 Opinion A silver lining for the tourism industry www.tagheuer.com Available soon at TAG Heuer Boutiques; Sandton City & V&A Waterfront. Also at selected fine jewellers nationwide. For further information please call 011.669.0500. www.picotandmoss.co.za contents contents 8 01 16 EXECUTIVE DECISION 44 Paradigm shift Why leaders need to change their thought processes 48 Ask the expert Pregnancy and labour law 50 Tee time Tshwane Open preview 52 Get smart The latest apps and gadgets TIME-OUT 54 Thought for food Small-scale farming holds the key to our future food security 58 Media Books DVD's and music 60 Motoring Ford Ranger sets the pace for the 2016 bakkie banter 62 Cooking club Easy-to-prepare recipes 65 Through the grapevine Wine-pairing tips 66 Brainteasers Sudoku and Battleship puzzles 86 Artistâ€™s impression Making masterpieces out of garbage 89 Social network 10 things you probably didnâ€™t know about Facebook 90 Take note A cry for help 94 Didya know? Take the Skyways quiz 96 Talespin Why wait to make a change? take \| off 8,242,924 The number of people worldwide who do not have access to safe drinking water The number of households in South Africa that had flush toilets as per the census of 2011 in South Africa. Bet on one of 16 Thoroughbreds and be sure not to miss the notorious after-party.  30 January 2016  Kenilworth Racecourse (CT) i www.facebook.com/JBMet Cape Town Minstrel Carnival This age-old traditional New Year celebration provides lots of music, colourful costumes, dancing and entertainment for the whole family to watch and enjoy.  2 January 2016  Cape Town City i www.sa-venues.com COUNTRYWIDE New Year’s Day It’s the start of a brand-new year and South Africans will be contemplating their resolutions and thinking of the year ahead. We wish you an amazing 2016!  1 January 2016 Swan Lake on Ice The Imperial Ice Stars bring this classic to the ice, with beautiful choreography, gorgeous costumes, and new manoeuvres performed to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.  14 January 2016  Artscape Opera House (CT) i www.computicket.com K WA Z U L U - N ATA L Rodriguez Live in SA 10 01 16 Legendary musician, Rodriguez, returns to our shores after selling out his previous tour in minutes. His unique story of fleeting fame and second chances resonates with music-loving South Africans.  27 and 29 January 2016 at Ticketpro Dome (JHB) 31 January and 1 February 2016 at ICC Durban (KZN) 3 February 2016 at Nelson Mandela Bay Outerfields (PE) 5 and 6 February 2016 at Grand West (CT) i www.computicket.com Roxette Live in SA To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Roxette kicks off their world tour right here in SA. It’s been four years since we saw them last – when they sold out six shows. This time, they perform at four venues around the country.  31 January 2016 at Ticketpro Dome (JHB) 2 February 2016 at ICC Durban (KZN) 5 February 2016 at Nelson Mandela Bay Outerfields (PE) 7 and 8 February 2016 at Grand West (CT) i www.computicket.com GAUTENG Madame Zingara: The Celebration An all-new production, cast and structure to commemorate the show’s 15th anniversary.  4 November 2015 to 30 January 2016  Montecasino (JHB) i www.madamezingara.com WESTERN CAPE J&B Met Combining sports and fashion, the J&B Met is considered by many as the most prestigious horserace Dinos Alive Children will enjoy the fun activities while learning about prehistoric animals. Tickets are R100 to R120.  Till 17 January 2016  Suncoast Casino (DBN) i www.dinosalive.co.za The Queen Show Listen to Queen’s greatest hits, performed by a tribute band, for R250 a ticket.  10 December 2015 to 10 January 2016  iZulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino (DBN) i www.computicket.com take \| off The number of homes in South Africa that have no toilets at all 2.2 million The number of people who die annually in developing countries from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water Beyond borders Airlink to commence Cape Town to Maun flight From 11 March 2016, Airlink will provide direct flights between Cape Town and Maun, Botswana. Cape Town is a firm favourite as a tourist destination and regularly features on lists of the best cities to visit. Maun is considered the tourism capital of Botswana, which has seen rapid development in recent years. 12 01 16 Fly Airlink and spend more time exploring majestic Maun The combination of Airlink’s new direct Cape Town to Maun service alongside the airline’s other services, namely Johannesburg to Maun; Johannesburg to Kasane; Livingstone to Nelspruit/Kruger; Nelspruit/Kruger to Cape Town; and Skukuza to Cape Town, will provide the global leisure-tourproduct industry with a complete, fully flexible, integrated travel circuit from which to structure guests’ itineraries. Airlink’s direct flights will give travellers the opportunity to minimise time spent in transit and maximise time spent at the various world-renowned tourism destinations, which South Africa promotes so successfully to the global travel market. Additionally, the inclusion of short Airlink ‘lodge-link’ flights will allow travellers the opportunity to connect directly to the well-known bush lodges of the Sabi Sands, thanks to connections that operate between Airlink’s iconic Skukuza Airport and the Nelspruit/Kruger gateway to the lodges. Travellers are also able to take advantage of the opportunity to include a Mozambican beach holiday at Bazaruto or Benguerra Island by putting Nelspruit/Kruger to Vilanculos in their itinerary. Airlink will initially operate the Cape Town to Maun service using one of its 18 Embraer ERJ 135 37-seat regional jets. Capacity will in time be increased using one of the airline’s 12 Avro RJ85 83-seat regional quad jets, in line with market demand. The direct Airlink Cape Town to Maun flights will depart Cape Town at 10:35 and arrive in Maun at 13:05; and return from Maun at 13:35 and arrive in Cape Town at 16:10. Flights will initially operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Text \| Supplied INTERMEDIATE SPECIAL The percentage of the world’s water that is salt water The amount of water a leaking tap can waste in a month cover a gecko’s toes, allowing it to stick firmly to surfaces. Kellie K is using the same theory and physical mechanism to form the lining of the bras that they are launching. Source: Daily Mail SCIENCE New strapless bra inspired by gecko feet Women who have experienced awkward evenings spent hitching up a strapless bra from their midriff, may soon have relief – and it’s all thanks to the stickiness of gecko feet! Start-up firm, Kellie K Apparel, has used the glue-like qualities on the lizard’s appendages as inspiration for its strapfree bra called The Alice. Geckos can climb a wide variety of surfaces, including smooth glass, using their ‘sticky feet’. They use adhesive pressures of between 6.8kg and 13.6kg per square inch for each limb, meaning that a gecko can hang its entire body by one toe. A gecko’s toe is made up of a microscopic hierarchical structure of stalklike setae. From individual setae, a bundle of hundreds of terminal tips called spatulae (like hairs) branch out and contact the climbing surface. These hairs create an electrostatic force known as Van der Waals, which causes neighbouring molecules to be attracted to each other. The effect is multiplied by thousands of tiny hairs that 14 01 16 T R AV EL TECHNOLOGY Google builds virtual London museum Google has built a virtual recreation of the British Museum that lets people from across the world see more than 4,500 priceless exhibits at the click of a mouse. The tech giant’s Cultural Institute spent a night in the museum digitising its famous halls, so that they could be explored using Street View. Sandton Sun Hotel gets R210 million makeover Tsogo Sun’s iconic Sandton Sun Hotel reopened following an investment of R210 million into its recently undertaken refurbishment. A huge number of cultural treasures have also been photographed in exquisite detail. To mark its digital dawn, the British Museum has set up several online exhibitions focusing on Celtic Iron Age Britain and Ancient Egypt. One of the most important virtual exhibits now on Street View display is the Admonitions Scroll, an ancient document so fragile that it can only be shown in the real museum for a few months a year. The 31-year-old hotel is situated in a prime location within the busy and exclusive business and retail hub of Sandton, and has been repositioned as a gateway into the Sandton City shopping centre. With the refurbishment, the number of hotel rooms has reduced by eight to 326 spacious, luxurious rooms and suites, with all the necessary conveniences and comfort. The refurbishment was jointly funded by the property owners, Pareto and Liberty, with responsibility for the design concept and implementation, as well as the operational issues of the refurbishment, being handled by Tsogo Sun. Source: Mirror.co.uk Source: Supplied BIZARRE Stag party prank lands man in hot water A man was recently left red-faced after a stag party prank that he was planning for his friend led to him being detained by airport security. The Australian traveller was held at Gatwick Airport after his flight from Dusseldorf, because he was found to be carrying a large hunting knife and a series of notes regarding kidnapping. The unnamed 25-year-old man’s joke backfired after the items were detected as he passed through security. On questioning, the prankster stated that he enjoyed spending time outdoors and did not realise that the 40ℓ The amount of water that is used in an average dishwasher cycle 16cm knife was too large for UK law – which allows knives of up to 7.5cm. The printed kidnap notes, which were along the lines of “The best way to kidnap someone”, were later discovered to refer to the stag party plan. The knife was seized by Gatwick police. word of the year is run by Langenscheidt, a publishing house for language resources, to promote its special edition dictionary, containing “100% teenage slang”. Source: Daily Mail A robotics enthusiast has engineered an alarm clock that repeatedly strikes someone’s head with a rubber hand to wake them up. C U LT U R E And the word of the year is … Smartphone users are often known to irritate passers-by as they walk along streets staring at the small screens in front of them, and now German youngsters have given them the name ‘smombies’. Last November, a jury named the portmanteau (a combination of ‘smartphone’ and ‘zombie’) its young people’s word of the year in Munich. A smombie is defined as someone who walks through life with no knowledge of what is going on around them because they are so absorbed in using their smartphone. The competition for 2025 The year Rand Water believes demand for water in South Africa will outstrip supply Source: iol.co.za BIZARRE Wake-up call Called The Wake-Up Machine, it is made using a traditional alarm clock mounted on the wall, with a motorised arm. Positioned above the bed, the arm whips around to repeatedly slap the slumbering person in the face when the alarm goes off. It was designed to “make bed a little bit less comfortable”. Simone Giertz (25) built the torturous device on her houseboat in Sweden. While the invention is a sure-fire way of forcing someone to wake up swiftly, the prototype does have some setbacks. For example, Giertz’s hair got tangled up in the mechanism in an experience she described as “more humiliating than painful”. Source: Daily Mail TECHNOLOGY Can a bedtime mode improve sleep? A British doctor, Professor Paul Gringras, has called on technology firms to develop an automatic bedtime mode for smartphones to stop them disturbing sleep patterns. The blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets and e-readers disrupts body clocks, according to experts. It mimics normal daylight and means that users, particularly children, are kept awake. In addition to disrupting sleep, it means that children are drowsy and tired during the day, thereby negatively affecting their performance at school. Gringras says that screens need an automatic setting that triggers at the end of the day and filters out the blue light that delays one’s natural body clock. As it gets darker, the body starts to produce the sleep hormone melatonin. However, certain wavelengths of light – those at the blue-green end of the spectrum – can disrupt the system. Professor Gringras, from Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, was part of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, which analysed the light emitted by devices. It concluded there was a clear trend for devices to be bigger, brighter, have higher levels of contrast and emit more blue light. The professor of children’s sleep medicine said: “That is great for use in the day, but awful for use at night. There is converging data to say if you are in front of one of these devices at night-time it could prevent you falling asleep by an extra hour.” Source: Daily Mail 15 01 16 The average rainfall for South Africa per annum; the global average is 985mm S PAC E New Venus-like planet discovered A Venus-like planet has been discovered in a solar system relatively close to our own, in what some astronomers are describing as arguably the most important ‘exoplanet’ found orbiting a star other than the sun. The rocky planet, called GJ 1132b, is slightly larger than the Earth and, like Venus, its surface The percentage of South Africa’s water used for agricultural purposes is too hot to support liquid water. However, scientists believe that the planet will be invaluable in the search for extraterrestrial life. At 39 light years away, GJ 1132b is the nearest rocky exoplanet yet discovered. Its relative proximity to Earth means that astronomers now have an important test bed to study the atmospheres of other far-away planets with telescopes that could detect the first chemical signatures of life beyond the solar system – such as atmospheric methane. Source: iol.co.za HISTORY Who is buried under the Great Pyramid? It may be more than 4,500 years old, but it seems the Great Pyramid of Giza still hasn’t revealed all its secrets. ECONOMY BMW pours billions into SA economy BMW is set to invest more than R6 billion in the carmaker’s South African operations to start production of the newest model of its X3 sport-utility vehicle. 16 01 16 The X3 will replace the assembly of the German company’s 3-Series sedan at the Rosslyn plant north of Pretoria. It will be the first time the SUV is produced outside the United States, and the model will be sold locally and exported, including to other African countries. South Africa’s automotiveincentive programme has attracted companies such as BMW, Ford Motor and Volkswagen to set up and invest in factories in the country. BMW will spend more than R3 billion on the Rosslyn factory, plus an additional R3 billion on suppliers, startup costs and training. Source: iol.co.za Experts scanning the huge monument in Egypt think there could be a royal tomb concealed deep inside it after thermal cameras detected higher temperatures in stones at its base. They could be caused by internal air currents, a different type of stone or the presence of a secret chamber, said the international team of scientists behind the research. Source: Daily Mail BIZARRE Bagpipe music used to drive away homeless people An English municipality is playing the ear-piercing sound of bagpipe music 11.5% The percentage of South Africa’s water used for domestic purposes in a bus station at night to drive away homeless people from sleeping there. More than a dozen homeless men and women used to congregate by the station’s restrooms in Bournemouth, Dorset, according to local newspaper, Daily Echo. They would bed down there all night and reportedly intimidate passers-by and hurl drunken abuse at women, according to the paper. But they’ve since moved elsewhere after the shrill sound started being pumped out over the speakers between midnight and 6:30am. “It seems to be doing the job,” one station worker told the Daily Echo. “They just cannot stand it. You try getting any sleep with that going on,” he added. It’s not known where the sleepers have gone, and the scheme has drawn criticism from some locals. “What a daft idea – all that will do is send them elsewhere – these people need practical help,” one said. Source: Daily Mail take \| off The amount of water that is actually allocated per person per day in South Africa The percentage of your brain that is made up of water TECHNOLOGY NASA develops super-robot BIZARRE Spider gets neighbours in a frenzy A man in Australia got so upset about a spider in his home that his neighbours thought he was murdering a woman, police said. Concerned residents called cops after they heard hysterical screams, furniture thrown and a man cursing at a home in Wollstonecraft, Sydney, the New South Wales police revealed on Facebook. He was heard shouting, “I’m going to kill you! You’re dead! Die! Die!” But his anger was actually directed at an arachnid that had entered his property, police confirmed. Neighbours feared that he was attacking and trying to kill a woman – possibly his girlfriend or wife. Police said several patrol cars raced to the home, where the “out-of-breath” and “rather flushed” man answered the front door. A report said officers asked him where his wife or girlfriend was, but he said he didn’t have one, and that he lived alone. “Come on, mate, people clearly heard you yelling you were going to kill her.” “It was a spider, a really big one!” he said. Australia has a reputation for being home to some of the world’s most dangerous spiders – including the funnel-web and the redback. Source: Huffington Post 18 01 16 A ‘superhero robot’ is being designed by NASA to help astronauts on a mission to Mars. Named Valkyrie, or R5, the 1.9m, 125kg humanoid machine has been under development by the space agency for a number of years. NASA has teamed up with two leading universities to develop the machine’s dexterity and artificial intelligence ENVIRONMENT The most electric place on Earth Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest concentration of lightning, with 250 lightning flashes per square kilometre each year. The storms ease off in the drier months of January and February, and are most spectacular at the peak of the wet season around October. At this time of year, you can see an average of 28 lightning flashes each minute. Experts have sought reasons for the area’s uniquely intense for deep space missions. Each leg has seven joints. Instead of feet, there are grippers, each with a light, camera and sensor for building 3D maps. A robot could stay out in the vacuum of space for days, weeks or even months. storms for decades. In the 1960s it was thought that uranium deposits in the bedrock attracted more lightning strikes. More recently, scientists suggested the conductivity of the air above the lake was boosted by the abundance of methane from oil fields below. Neither theory has been proved though, so for now this record-breaking light show is attributed to a potent combination of topography and wind patterns. long-distance athletes. Source: BBC.com H E A LT H Is sugar the key to athletic success? Ditching some sports drinks for a spoonful of sugar could make exercise easier for weary marathon runners and Source: Daily Mail Researchers at the University of Bath say that stirring table sugar into a water bottle before a big physical event could be the difference between success and failure. In a new study, they assessed the impact of endurance exercise on liver glycogen levels. The team tested various drinks to see how different carbohydrates could help avert the decline of liver glycogen levels and fatigue. Their experiment, conducted on long-distance cyclists, showed that ingesting carbohydrates in the form of either glucose or sucrose can achieve this. Both sucrose – in the form of table sugar – and glucose are important carbohydrates often referred to as simple sugars. Source: Daily Mail 11ℓ The amount of water used each time you flush the loo ❝ A new day Quotes about making a fresh start “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” Rainer Maria Rilke “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” TS Eliot “As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” Criss Jami “One can begin so many things with a new person – even begin to be a better man!” George Eliot “The key to a better life isn’t always a change of scenery. Sometimes it simply requires opening your eyes.” Richelle E Goodrich “The best endings are the ones that lead to new beginnings.” Mathangi Subramanian “Forget everything you’ve done. Start over.” Marty Rubin “New month, new intentions, new goals, new love, new light and new beginnings.” April Mae Monterrosa “Let go of your disappointments, mistakes and failures. May you find complete healing, renewed spiritual strength and courage to begin again.” Lailah Gifty Akita ❝ “I know it’s not the end ... it’s only just the beginning.” Lisa Schroeder proudly brought to you by knowledge the magazine that surprises Refresh your mind, feel smart again Could your finger or hand die if you sleep on it? Ivan Kok, Johannesburg N ESO/NASA o, that is impossible. You can wake up with pins and needles in your hand or arm because a nerve was pinched. However, a body part can only die off when the blood supply is almost completely closed off for a longer period and this will never happen when you lie on it. A nerve can get damaged when it has been pinched for a long period. Usually, you will move around enough in your sleep to prevent this. But with people who are very drunk or under the influence of drugs this moving around is sometimes suppressed. The singer of heavy metal band Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, fell asleep with his arm over a chair in 2002. A nerve was damaged to the extent that he needed 4 months of physiotherapy before he could play his guitar again. How is it possible that we have images of our entire galaxy? Bronwen Strydom, Free State T hat is not possible. What you may have seen are not photos but probably artist impressions. These are images created by an artist to create an impression of how the galaxy would look from the outside. The galaxy looks very different from Earth. All stars that we can detect with the naked eye are part of the galaxy. 20 01 16 The closest are seen as loose stars. We can see stars at a greater distance as a luminous belt in the sky when it is dark enough. Why do we see a belt and isnâ€™t the sky completely lit? Thatâ€™s because the shape of the galaxy is more or less like a disc. The majority of the stars are found on the flat surface. Knowledge is the magazine that fascinates, surprises, captivates and gives answers to questions you never thought you wanted the answers to. Knowledge has a clear focus to introduce you to the entertaining world of knowledge through intelligent content on technology, science, culture, history, health, psychology and much more and presents them in a unique way compared to other magazines. Knowledge is a quirky read that connects knowledge with entertainment and is your trusted companion on your ongoing quest for knowledge. www.coolmags.com T&Cs apply freedom Connecting your cargo from the Capital city to the Mother City. Airlink Cargo can only facilitate the movement of cargo to these destinations if it originates from any of our other branches of operations except Johannesburg. Ndola Pemba 33097 Cape Town George Port Elizabeth To ďŹ nd out more about our air freight transport service offerings, contact Airlink Cargo on 011 978 1128, [email protected] or www.airlinkcargo.co.za Antananarivo Pretoria Sishen Kimberley Upington Bloemfontein Nampula Tete Connecting 35 destinations in 9 African countries. panorama Komodo Judo This stunning wildlife image by Andrey Gudkov is part of the 51st Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition currently on show in Cape Town. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases the natural worldâ€™s most astonishing and challenging sights for over 50 years. Launched in the UK in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, today the competition receives over 42,000 entries from 96 countries, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year there are 13 images by South African finalists and winners for the various categories featured. 22 01 16 ???? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? Wonderboom Airport Dominique Drake finds out why Pretoria’s very own airport is welcoming, convenient and perfect for the business traveller being from Pretoria, I was looking forward to talking to Hendrik Kleynhans, acting executive director of Tshwane Airport Services, about Wonderboom Airport. That’s because for many who have lived in this part of the world, including myself, Wonderboom Airport is a prominent feature in the landscape of Tshwane North. 24 01 16 The airport’s name stems from a landmark in Pretoria – the wonderboom, a fig tree that has been growing near the airport for 1,000 years and is now protected in a reserve nearby. In 1936, Wonderboom Airport was opened for commercial purposes, but during the Second World War, the South African Air Force took over operations of the airport. As such, many Second World War pilots were trained at Wonderboom for both the British and South African air forces. Since 2003, it has been under the guidance of the Tshwane City Municipality. Initially, management focused its attention on attracting businesspeople, ambassadors and diplomats, who have used their services often. But it seems to have 80 45 minutes The number of steps it takes you to get from the parking lot to the airport entrance The time it takes to park, check in and board your flight At your service Not only is Wonderboom a fully functional airport, but it hosts 184 businesses on its premises. A few that you would find on the list are: • Fixed-wing pilot training • Helicopter pilot training • Advanced pilot training • Flight school • • • • • • • • • Pilot shop Freelance pilots Aircraft maintenance operations Skydiving for professionals Aircraft parts Aerial imagery Private aircraft charters Game capturing Airborne geophysical surveys Why use Wonderboom Airport? For those who travel often using OR Tambo, you may be wondering, why use a smaller airport such as Wonderboom? Well, here are a few reasons to help you make your decision: Convenience spread its wings to the tourism industry, with many tourists booking leisure flights. The airport facilitates private operators as well as chartered companies. In August this year, Airlink in partnership with SAA launched the Pretoria to Cape Town route. The main focus for this service is to enhance economic growth in Pretoria, which is greatly supported by the Tshwane City Municipality. Currently there are three daily return flights to Cape Town during the week. On weekends Airlink operates one flight on a Saturday and two on a Sunday. Wonderboom is located in relation to all industrial and business areas in the Tshwane district. It is only 11km from the city centre, which includes more than 130 embassy and trade missions. It is also only a 15-minute drive from universities and tertiary education institutions. In the late 1970s, upgrades were done to the airport to allow it to accommodate aircraft that may have to be diverted from OR Tambo. This first occurred in early 1980, and it was a Boeing 727 Accessibility Regional passengers from other provinces, such as travellers from Polokwane, the North West Province, Madibeng and Mpumalanga, won’t have to travel that extra distance to Kempton Park to reach OR Tambo. 25 01 16 great \| escapes Pretoria via the highways to OR Tambo, that the time that it takes you to leave the house, travel, find parking and check in at OR Tambo Airport is the same time it will take you to drive to Wonderboom, check in and land in Cape Town. Service For more info see flight schedule on page 81 26 01 16 Travel time Due to the airport’s location, travelling in traffic will be a rare occurrence, as it is in the opposite direction to the peak-hour traffic of the daily commute of hundreds of thousands of people driving to Johannesburg. The team at Wonderboom actually did a test run and found that when you travel from Pretoria from an area such as Woodlands or Menlyn to Wonderboom Airport, versus travelling from anywhere in Johannesburg or You will experience quick, friendly and personal assistance from the Airlink staff. The check-in process is an appealing one – from arrival, parking, checking in and boarding your flight, it will only take 45 minutes out of your day. Check-in is required 30 minutes before departure. The arrival process is even better. In fact, it will take you seven minutes from departing the aircraft to collecting your luggage. Epicurean feast Villa San Giovanni Pizzeria and Terrace forms part of the Wonderboom Airport complex. It is an eatery that boasts a stunning menu filled with classic Italian fare, including melt-in-the-mouth slow-cooked osso buco with tomato salsa, homemade lasagne – light as a feather and with the right balance of sauces and cheese – and some of the 11km R48 The short distance you need to travel to get to the city centre, home to 100+ diplomatic missions What you pay for 48 hours parking at Wonderboom Airport Check-in Thinking of catching a convenient early morning flight to Cape Town. Why not stay overnight at the Villa San Giovanni Hotel before heading to the Mother City. This includes the following: • Overnight stay at the four-star hotel: R790 (no meals included) • Breakfast at Villa San Giovanni, the onsite restaurant: R80 • 48-hour parking: R72 • Total cost: R942 *Prices are estimated averages best gourmet pizzas in town, with a low GI crust if you prefer and their prices are extremely reasonable as well. With a perfect view of the runway, you could enjoy your meal while viewing the landing and take-off of many aircraft and helicopters. It may even provide you with your very own Casablanca moment. Villa San Giovanni is child-friendly, and your little ones can keep themselves busy creating their own pizzas or in the well-equipped play park. Contact: 012 543 0501 Website: www.vsg.co.za Onsite Hotel Villa San Giovanni Hotel, is a four star hotel that is conveniently located at the airport. It offers quick and easy access to the city and is safe and secure. Each of the 11 en suite bedrooms ensure that you will enjoy the luxuries from home such as air-conditioning, TV Facilities on offer • • • Business lounge 11-room four-star hotel Voyager Miles are applicable • • VIP business lounge to be completed early in 2016 Tourism information and a daily cleaning service. An added bonus is the uninterrupted views of the runway by day and night from the rooms. Meals aren’t included but with a short walk to the restaurant breakfast could be enjoyed on the restaurant’s terrace. Contact: 012 543 0501 Website: www.vsg.co.za Moving forward Wonderboom Airport would like to expand its operations to include a number of initiatives to enhance general aviation at Wonderboom Airport. Due to the scheduled flights from Airlink, it is possible to have other aviation services, such as private chartered flights and the like, use the same air space safely. According to Kleynhans, their next biggest challenge will be to reestablish an international status to be able to service the regional market and then serve the African continent. This application was submitted in October 2012 and has gone through a thorough assessment process. A reply from parliament is expected in the new year. Text \| Dominique Drake Photography \| Supplied We actually put it to the test. After the interview I waited for an incoming plane that was scheduled to land at 17:00. At 16:52 I saw the Avro 85 touchdown and taxi to its parking bay. At 16:56 the doors opened and the first passenger disembarked at 16:57. At the luggage carousel the first passenger received their luggage at 17:00 and strolled out the door. 27 01 16 Travelogue Sights and sounds of Zimbabwe often Zimbabwe makes the news for the wrong reasons, which overshadows the many attractions of this landlocked country. It is known for its dramatic landscapes and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. 28 01 16 You are forgiven if you think this is a street in Pretoria. These blooming jacaranda trees are actually found in Milton Avenue, Harare A colourful lizard enjoys the warmth of the sun in Mana Pools National Park Tame the king of the jungle in one of Zimbabweâ€™s many national parks An aerial view of the capital city, Harare. With more than 1.6 million residents, it is the most densely populated city in the country 29 01 16 great \| escapes How to get there See page 78 for flight schedule www.flyairlink.com Bright colours and expressive dance moves are very much a part of Zimbabweâ€™s culture 30 01 16 Statuettes carved from stone displayed in a marketplace near Victoria Falls Remnants of a glorious past Wildlife gets right of way in this part of the country A stunning landscape view of the granite hills in Domboshawa. The granite hills are a national monument of Zimbabwe and have some examples of cave paintings that date back almost 6,000 years 31 01 16 Tailor-made travel Unique experiences in South Africa southern Africa is an enticing tourism destination that offers authentic experiences found nowhere else on Earth. Here are just a few unique offerings that one can enjoy in the region. 32 01 16 Cruise to the Knysna Heads Visitors to the Garden Route can enjoy a wonderful ecoexperience on the Knysna Lagoon. Travellers begin the adventure with a cruise to the Knysna Heads in a ferry, followed by a 4x4 vehicle drive up to the Featherbed Private Nature Reserve. A guide will provide information on the history of the area, including the fauna and flora. Travellers can also choose the optional guided 2.2km walk through the coastal forest and fynbos. Tired of the same old vacation offerings? Try these unique experiences Stargaze in Sutherland Sutherland in the beautiful Karoo is one of few locations in the world that are ideal for stargazing. This once-ina-lifetime experience allows travellers to see the natural beauty of the stars and the remoteness of the landscape. The famous Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is located in Sutherland. SALT can be visited Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm, and tourists can book a guided tour at the visitor centre. Walk with elephants The Elephant Sanctuary provides an opportunity for people to interact with elephants up close. There are three Elephant Sanctuaries across southern Africa at Hartbeespoort Dam, Plettenberg Bay and Hazyview. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview started in 1999 with five elephants and has grown to a total of 12. Visitors can walk hand-in-trunk with the elephants and experience an elephant-back ride or bare-back elephant ride. Visitors are guided through an unforgettable experience. The Elephant Sanctuary is open Monday to Sunday from 8am to 3:30pm. Return to the place of origin Maropeng, meaning â€˜returning to the place of originâ€™ in Setswana, is the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind and the Sterkfontein Caves. The Cradle of Humankind has received World Heritage Site status owing to the wealth of human ancestor fossils that have been discovered in the area. Families and visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour that begins with an underground boat ride and ends with a fossil display that changes regularly. The facilities at Maropeng include a restaurant, a state-of-the-art conference centre and a boutique hotel. Maropeng is open every day from 9am to 5pm. 33 01 16 great \| escapes and will be in the company of an experienced guide. The tours depart at 6am, 9am, 12pm and 3pm in summer and at 10am and 2pm in winter. Travel with musicians Airlink will get you to your dream holiday destination. See flight schedule on page 78 Turtle season Each year, from mid-October to December, magnificent loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs along the beach in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The turtles hatch from late December through to March. Guests visiting Wilderness Safaris’ Rocktail Camp get front-row seats to one of the world’s most fascinating spectacles and can enjoy a Turtle Drive led by an experienced guide, during which they may have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the tiny hatchlings making their way to the ocean for the first time. The remote northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline represents one of the most important western Indian Ocean breeding sites for both the loggerhead and leatherback turtles. Travel is not only about adrenaline activities anymore. Increasingly, it is about meeting people, discovering cultures and having unique experiences. Rock the Route is a small tour operator specialising in road trips. One of its unique road trips on the Garden Route sees travellers following a music band as they travel along from venue to venue. On the road, travellers will get to meet and befriend some talented musicians and hang out with them after their shows. It could be a small flamenco band from Argentina or an international rock band doing an acoustic tour, and travellers will be on the bus with these artists and see their shows every night. The Extreme 19th The Extreme 19th at Legend Golf and Safari Resort in the Entabeni Safari Conservancy, Limpopo Province, is the world’s longest and highest par three. Accessible only by helicopter, the tee is situated atop Hanglip Mountain with a 361m shot to the green, located 400m below the tee. Golfers staying at the resort can experience this incredibly unique hole along with the 18-hole Signature Golf Course. Iconic people who have experienced this extreme hole include Lewis Hamilton, Morgan Freeman, Frik du Preez, Naas Botha, Morné Steyn and South African golfing legend, Gary Player, who opened the Extreme 19th. Kayak with dolphins 34 01 16 Dolphin Adventures offers guided sea kayaking journeys from Central Beach to Plettenberg Bay. Visitors will enjoy views of the Tsitsikamma Mountains and Robberg Nature Reserve while gliding across the unique coastline, encountering marine life such as dolphins up close and personal. Visitors will be supplied with a kayak Zip-line tour Cape Canopy Tours and Cape Nature, a public institution promoting and ensuring biodiversity conservation within the Western Cape, offers a zip-line through the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, about 90km southeast of Cape Town. The one-hour tour is suitable for ages five to 75. Visitors will slide along steel cables and move from one platform to another, while taking in all the views of the reserve. Two professional guides accompany each group, ensuring strict safety standards while providing an enlightening and educational experience, with interesting facts about the nature and geology of the area. Text \| Daniella Di Gaspero \| toursimupdate.co.za Photography \| Shutterstock great \| escapes Waiting for a silver lining Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? the events in Paris, Beirut and Mali late last year have had a cascading effect on global society at many levels. The attacks have highlighted issues such as migration and refugees in Europe, increased security checks on travellers of every description and, naturally, on the prospects for foreign travel everywhere. It is the randomness and horror of such terrorist activity, designed to promote fear and a sense of insecurity among the public, that make it such a potent weapon. It immediately creates a climate of anxiety that begins to threaten even day-to-day life, resulting in people clinging to the familiar, reluctant to even travel locally, let alone internationally. It could be said that these incidents have created a heightened sense of unease among prospective and confirmed travellers, leading to them cancelling bookings or even reconsidering possible destinations due to security concerns. We in South Africa have long been exposed to aspects of negative publicity – particularly in terms of violent crime and, recently, the visa debacle – and have had to develop ways of dealing with this. They remain facts that we must both acknowledge and accept, but generally we are able to find some compensatory factors that can be promoted to counter the apprehension expressed by our travel customers. This is patently obvious since South Africa remains a popular destination for many thousands every year. As such, we must acknowledge that there will be disruption to travel and inconvenience to travellers in some instances, and at some destinations this may even be quite considerable. But forewarned is forearmed and, if people are sufficiently prepared for what they are likely to encounter in terms of inconvenience, they will be less inclined to blame those in the travel industry for their discomforts. Having confronted this rather gloomy scenario, is there anything on the horizon that might bring us some cheer? Well, there is a rumour circulating among some economists that the price of crude is set to fall further, and lower fuel costs are always a boon to the travel industry – it is, after all, part of our lifeblood. Nassim Taleb’s 2007 book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable described the extreme impact that certain rare and unpredictable events could have on economies. As Taleb puts it, the idea is centred on “our blindness with respect to randomness, particularly large deviations.” At a recent economics conference in Kilkenny, Ireland, he ventured the opinion that oil prices were headed dramatically downwards. He further suggested that the Saudi economy was far from robust, and could even go broke. The consequences of this would put crude into free-fall. Now while that isn’t a brilliant scenario for the oilproducing countries, it would have a positive and uplifting impact on global travel, because as any elementary economics student will tell you, there is a very direct correlation between price and demand: the higher the price, the less the demand, and conversely, make things cheaper and more people will buy them. You only have to look at the success of Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair venture (now Europe’s biggest independent airline) to know that the formula works. So we might yet see a boom in business in the not too distant future. Text \| Linda Pampallis Photography \| Shutterstock Linda Pampallis is Chief Executive Officer of Thompsons Africa. With over 40 years' experience in the industry, Linda is leader in her field, highly regarded and respected, with an in-depth understanding of tourism 35 01 16 Cash flow Achieve financial wellness by starting your planning now great achievements start with a plan. A financial plan that will help you reach your personal and financial goals is well worth the effort. Here are 10 ways to kick 2016 off to a good start: 1 Know your finances: Let this be a ritual where you know exactly how much money is coming into your account and how much of your income is financing bad debts such as clothing store cards, loans and hire purchases. 36 01 16 2 3 4 5 6 7 Now that you know how much debt you owe, you can start on your plan to pay it off. Always pay off higher-interest debts first. Start thinking about your financial goals. Do you want to save more for your retirement, save for a deposit on a house, or maybe start saving for your childâ€™s education? Write down these goals and estimate how much you want to save each month to reach them. Review your risk policies. You might find that you are over-insured and need to cancel some policies, which in turn saves you money. The younger generation should make sure that their risk cover is escalating to keep up with their growing assets and liabilities. As you grow older, your wealth also grows, hence your assets and liabilities are bound to grow. If you have children, open a savings account to set aside money for the holidays and for school fees and uniforms. While you plan your holiday, keep your financial plan in mind. Reassess your decision to go on holiday if you are falling short of your savings target. 8 If you receive a bonus, first pay off any outstanding debt and then put extra money into a savings account. Try investing in a tax-free savings account. It is a simple, flexible, affordable investment that you could use to save for a goal. You can save up to R30,000 a year and R500,000 over your lifetime, tax-free. You should leave your money for the long-term to benefit from compound interest and to increase your tax saving. Make sure you have a valid, up-to-date will in place. If not, then this should be on your list of things to do in 2016 to complete your journey to holistic financial wellbeing. Consult with a registered financial advisor, as a good financial advisor will provide investment advice to help you grow your money. In order to eliminate financial stress and start working on becoming wealthy in 2016, it is imperative to stick to a budget and live within your means. Starting off the new year with a good financial strategy can encourage savings, diminish spending and grow your finances. Nelisiwe Ndlovu is an associate consultant at Alexander Forbes Financial Services 9 10 Text \| Nelisiwe Ndlovu Photography \| Shutterstock 37 01 16 Focus on the goals that really matter Checklist what do you want in life? Chances are you could come up with a pretty long list of things if you set your mind to it. There are probably things relating to your job or career, your fitness and health, your relationships, and many other aspects of your life. But when it comes to setting goals, which of these things really matter? If you set goals for everything you want, or think you want, you may easily become completely overwhelmed, as the list becomes unmanageable. So how can you focus on the goals that really matter? Here are a few pointers: Make some time for yourself. Grab a pen and some paper and list all the things you want to achieve this year. Don’t edit or prejudge, just write them all down; everything from the chance to have a lie-in in the morning to that dream home or dream car. To help, try asking yourself questions like: “What do I want to do?”,“Who do I want be with?”,“Where do I want to live or visit?”,“How do I want to feel?”and“What do I want to own?” Keep the list simple. If, for example, a Ferrari is your dream car, just write ‘a Ferrari’ with no further details for now. 1 Make 2016 the year that you finally achieve your ultimate ambitions 38 01 16 2 3 From your list, try to identify how long it will take to attain each thing and then break them down into short-term (up to one year), medium-term (one to three years), and long-term (four years and beyond). Try to ensure you have a balanced list of three to five goals in each category. If you find you have lots of long-term goals, it may indicate that you are putting off going for what is really important to you, or if they are all short-term, maybe you have not decided on what you really want in life. Next, put some detail into the remaining things on your list, so that your goals are as precise as possible – so for that Ferrari, add the colour, the engine spec, the model, what the interior is like, and so forth. Identify why you want those things. Without a genuine reason, you may find that they are not that important after all and not worthy of setting a goal for. Think about how attaining the things on your list will make you feel. If you don’t have an emotional response, then setting a goal to get them will be harder to do. Discard those for which you cannot identify a genuine reason why and that do not have an emotional response. It is unlikely that they are things that you really want as you move forward to the life you desire. You should now have a balanced list of short-, medium- and long-term goals for which you can set a plan of action and start working on. 4 5 6 7 8 You will now have goals that really matter to you and upon which you can focus. But be sure to review them regularly â€“ on at least a weekly basis â€“ to ensure that they are still important to you and that you are taking the steps necessary to bring them to fruition. Only you know what truly matters. Text \| Tony Hall Photography \| Shutterstock 39 01 16 Why Africans must join forces to protect scarce water resources Hydrosolidarity african water resources are under increasing stress, and the continent is likely to face significant water shortages by 2030. Population growth combined with climate change and continued economic development will put further stresses on water resources and infrastructure. Effectively and equitably governing Africa’s water resources is vitally important. One of the most effective solutions will be for industry, civil society and all levels of government to join forces. It is impossible to downplay the importance of water for human individuals, societies, and the natural environment. We depend on it for food, energy and the natural functioning of ecosystems. Ignoring the problem or praying for rain will not solve Africa’s water insecurity. 40 01 16 There is a much harder task ahead – building resilient communities that acknowledge water’s political nature while working together to govern it. A bleak outlook The overall security of global freshwater resources is bleak. Places as diverse as São Paulo, California, Zimbabwe, and more recently South Africa, have all recently experienced drought conditions, severely disrupting living conditions. Globally, there is a growing chasm between availability and supply, our awareness of water’s preciousness, and our ability to govern it. Add in the upheaval from changing weather patterns due to climate change, and the complexity deepens. Unless things change, by 2030 the world will face a 40% shortfall between availability and demand. This is because trends around climate change and economic 41 01 16 focus \| water security Staying ahead of the water challenge By 2025, about 1.8 billion people will be living in regions or countries with absolute water scarcity. Clean water and adequate sanitation is still far from reach for many of the world’s poorest. At the same time, more water is needed to produce food and energy to satisfy the rising needs of the Earth’s growing population. Securing water is a multifaceted issue, and if we add the extra uncertainty brought on by climate change, we can be certain that securing water will not be properly managed unless we find ways to stay a step ahead. What are our options? • First, we need to develop tools and global solutions that are innovative and forward-looking. We need to bring solutions to countries to help them anticipate the future in order to shape their investments and policies accordingly. Truly innovative solutions can be transformational. For example, using satellite technologies such as Remote Sensing can help farmers identify and predict areas where more or less water is needed, and unlock the potential of rural areas, thus diminishing poverty. Sophisticated climate-change tools can be used to guide the design of water infrastructure precisely to factor in climate change as well as other challenges, and deliver benefits for generations to come. • Second, we need to push for greater integration across sectors to enable countries to better explore the linkages between water, energy, food and the environment, and make decisions based on trade-offs and synergies. We cannot deliver water supply and sanitation to the poor without taking into consideration that the same water sources will be needed in energy, industry, agriculture and to sustain our ecosystems. • Third, we need to support programmatic approaches with multi-year engagements in strategic deltas, basins and countries. This way, we will be able to work with countries on the type of strategic planning and investments that will make dramatic economic improvements in the long term. Our work in the Mekong Delta and the Sahel are good examples of this approach. • Fourth, we need to strengthen water governance to help countries manage their water resources by building institutional capacity and exploring innovative financing options. We must ensure that we can build long-lasting institutions that can govern and manage across several political administrations. Text \| Diego Rodriguez 42 01 16 development in the least developed and emerging economies are converging. The authors of a recent UN report on water write: “This convergence is certain to intensify the water insecurity of poor and marginalised people in low-income countries and add to the urgency for new approaches to the allocation of water resources for development.” For Africa, already struggling with water insecurity, these deeply vexing challenges will only intensify over time. Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is expected to increase to 2.4 billion by 2050. Africa’s urban population is expected to double by 2030, and the movement towards cities will also exacerbate water stress. Already the number of people who can rely on piped water to their premises has decreased from 42% to 34%. Safe drinking water in urban areas will continue to be a major problem in cities across the continent. Unpacking the politics of water Water problems are political problems and require political solutions. Increasingly, scholars from a range of disciplines are focusing on governance as a key variable in the quest for increased water security. Governance requires a toolbox of rules, procedures, norms, and a recognition of particular power dynamics. There is also a focus on how alliances will overcome complex problems that need integration and co-ordination. Water clearly intersects with a range of social and environmental issues that, at first glance, bear no connection. Working together can plug the gaping holes in governance that emerge from top-down management. It also reflects our growing networked society, where a decision in one sector can have a knock-on effect in intended and unintended ways. Most crucially, collaborative water governance can overcome the gaps that come from weakened or illegitimate centralised political authorities. Common ground Because water is infused with politics, it can lead to deep divisions between competing communities. Equally, it can generate the necessary will to co-operate. Several approaches grounded in local contexts but built on a common spirit of hydrosolidarity need to be pursued. It is crucial that NGOs, traditional communities and business interests are all included in partnerships with various levels of government to ensure water is managed effectively. Including a diversity of stakeholders in the political process has a number of positive effects. Technical knowledge of local water resources is spread, effective resolution of conflict is found, legitimacy is increased, and costs are cut. Regional co-operation is also absolutely essential, given that there are more than 80 international rivers and aquifers across the continent. It is also necessary to learn from and improve existing examples of collaborative water governance, including South Africa’s uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership, and the Swiss-funded Bridge Programme, which is active across the continent. We must understand that the seeds for sustainable water security are often sown through the dirty work of bargaining, negotiation and compromise. No silver bullet Given Africa’s water insecurity, it may be surprising to learn that only 5% of the continent’s potential water resources are developed. There is clearly plenty of opportunity for growth. The challenge will be to sustainably manage that growth. There is no miraculous technological innovation that will guarantee water security and no package of funding from multilateral donors or national coffers that will fully alleviate water shortages. Water security involves a number of interrelated pieces: the population, food, energy, land, sanitation, infrastructure, social development, international relations and environmental integrity. A focus on building collaborative governance is a necessary step to increasing water security. Text \| Cameron Harrington Photography \| Shutterstock 95% of the continent’s potential water resources are yet to be tapped into executive \| decision New direction It’s not about change, it’s about leadership business leaders tend to focus on the more obvious issues and often fail to account for the underlying challenges that can cause irreparable damage to the company. It is these matters that inform the culture of an organisation. Leaders need to learn to scan below the surface, assess these threats to the company’s internal capacity, and develop strategies that build confident and engaged employees. Ultimately, an organisation’s capacity to perform is a function of individual human behaviour and it is the invisible challenges related to this that can affect the success of the organisation. Strategy, integrated processes and operating models are clearly defined and leaders spend significant time over-communicating these elements and implementing scorecards to ensure adherence. It isn’t wrong to focus on visible perils, but it is important that an equal amount of time is taken to focus on the elements that aren’t as detectable. 44 01 16 45 01 16 executive \| decision Visit humanedge. co.za or contact Carina Serfontein on 012Â 345 6281 for more information about The Human Edgeâ€™s upcoming public training programmes, executive breakfasts or to develop a programme tailormade to impact your company culture positively Tough call Challenges that bubble below the surface can include employee behaviour. Behavioural challenges can hinder an organisationâ€™s progress, yet many leaders do not focus on this as they lack the visibility of looming behavioural threats and the skills to respond quickly and effectively. Hard change is not a mystery, and when done correctly can yield impressive results for the business. For hard change or, as I call it, level three change to be brought about, a focused leadership strategy, based on sound principles, is necessary. The end goal of a level three change initiative is not simply soft behavioural change, but also business performance improvement. Getting it right 46 01 16 A successful change strategy has three key phases: The first phase is for senior leaders to conduct a culture assessment. The assessment will provide critical information that will produce more unified and committed leaders. The senior team will emerge from the assessment with a clear understanding of the three to five vital behaviours they must change if performance is to improve, a compelling and testable hypothesis for how these behaviours will drive improved performance, an unreserved acceptance of the absolute need for behaviour change, and a humble appreciation for the role they will play in driving this change. In the influence strategy phase, executives learn to diagnose barriers and design influence strategies that engage each of the six sources of influence. Experience has shown that when all sources of influence support new behaviours, change becomes inevitable. It is when leaders learn to skilfully marshal all of these sources that they become world-class leaders. It is during this phase that leaders are able to identify barriers to change and multiply their influence vocabulary. Leaders emerge with a promising change strategy and broader and deeper leadership skill set. The longest phase of level three change is implementation. It is during this phase that executives develop an overwhelming positive influence to support critical behaviours. Behaviour change and performance improvement are measured carefully to monitor the relationships between the two. Executive coaching is also undertaken at this stage, as leaders become aware of how their own behaviour can unwittingly undermine the change effort. It is now when the influence strategy takes root and begins to bear fruit. By not relying on a single source of influence and rather identifying several sources at once, superior results are achieved. The level three change process creates a model that sustainably drives rapid change that leads to profound and measurable improvement in performance. Text \| Helene Vermaak Photography \| Supplied panorama Standing room only The Little Chapel in Saint Peter Port (Guernsey) is possibly the smallest chapel in the world. It is a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. Originally built in March 1914 by religious exile Brother DĂŠodat, it was demolished once in July 1914 and again in 1923 due to various reasons. It measures 4.82 X 2.75m. 47 01 16 Great expectation How well do you treat your pregnant employees? it is concerning that I still receive various complaints from employees that they are losing their jobs because they are pregnant. This is despite the fact that employers are aware that labour legislation provides substantial protection for pregnant employees. 48 01 16 lvan lsraelstam is Chief Executive of Labour Law Management Consulting. He may be contacted on 082 852 2973, ivan@ labourlawadvice. co.za or go to www. labourlawadvice.co.za The Constitution of South Africa, the Employment Equity Act (EEA), the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Labour Relations Act (LRA), and the Code of Good Practice on the Protection of Employees During Pregnancy and After the Birth of a Child, together provide a far-reaching and comprehensive set of rights for pregnant employees. These rights cover the employee from the day she falls pregnant until well after the birth of her child. Our constitution ensures that no person may be discriminated against or dismissed on account of pregnancy. This is emphasised in the EEA and the LRA. The LRA prohibits the dismissal of an employee for any reason related to her pregnancy. In fact, this section makes such a dismissal automatically unfair. This effectively means that such a dismissal breaches a basic right of the employee, can never be justifiable, and merits compensation to be paid by the employer up to an amount equivalent to 24 months’ remuneration. In practice this means that a pregnant employee or one with a newborn baby has an inherent right to her job, provided that she behaves and works according to the employer’s standards. Retrenchment is also only justified if she has been so incapacitated due to illness or injury that she is unable to do her duties. Fair practice Therefore, should the employer fire the employee due to pregnancy, or should the employer wish to use the pregnancy as an excuse for getting rid of the employee, the courts will most likely come down very hard on the employer. The following recent case proves this point. In the case of Mnguni vs Gumbi, the receptionist at a medical practice claimed that she was dismissed because she complained that she felt tired while she was in the advanced stages of pregnancy. The employer claimed that the employee had not been dismissed, but only sent home. However, the Labour Court found that the employer had employed a new receptionist the very next day. It also found that the employer had not called on the employee to return to work when the opportunity arose. This suggested that the applicant had in fact been fired and that the dismissal was automatically unfair. The result: the employer had to pay the employee 24 months’ remuneration in compensation. The employer was also required to pay the employee’s legal costs. This case suggests that even where evidence of dismissal is not clear, if there is any evidence of an employee being dismissed due to pregnancy, employers cannot expect mercy from the courts. Therefore, where such dismissals are contemplated, advice from a reputable labour law expert should be sought. Text \| Ivan Israelstam Photography \| Shutterstock Sponsored content Tee time Explore South Africa’s sports capital Come the second week in February, Tshwane will be in the spotlight as 156 of the world’s top golfers tee off at the magnificent Pretoria Country Club for the fourth Tshwane Open tournament. The 2016 Tshwane Open takes place from 11 to 14 February at the Pretoria Country Club 50 01 16 Bigger, better and brighter, the 2016 Tshwane Open takes place from 11 to 14 February, so make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting event, which is part of the prestigious Sunshine Tour, co-sanctioned by the European Tour. Now in its fourth year, the tournament is blazing an international name for itself as a must-play tournament attracting some of the world’s best. The Tshwane Open has helped establish South Africa as one of the most successful hosts of European Tour events globally, according to the organisers. This year’s Open is expected to draw record crowds – attendance climbs every year – and it will also be broadcast live into more than 200 million homes. But it is also a truism that the tournament is about more than just golf: it’s a multi-dimensional City of Tshwane mega-event with a range of entertainment options on offer alongside the cracking golf. Food, fun and a little history The City of Tshwane uses the event to encourage players and fans to spend a few extra days exploring Tshwane; to take time to visit, rediscover and be inspired by South Africa’s capital city. Although Tshwane is large – home to some 2.5 million people from all backgrounds and spread across an area of more than 6,000km² – the atmosphere is sociable. Here you will discover a unique city filled with many great experiences: it’s a city of sport, a city of art and culture; it has a lively nightlife and wonderful restaurants. In February, the late summer days are warm and welcoming, like the residents. And it is this warmth people remember long after they have left Tshwane. The only way to really understand the people of a city is to sit down for a meal with some locals. Eateries vary from homely Mediterranean classics to the finest of fine dining. But a not-to-be-missed experience is the traditional African meal at a shebeen while listening to jazz. Tshwane is a musical city. Atteridgeville, with more than 50 clubs and numerous bands, is known as the jazz capital of South Africa, while Mamelodi (‘mother of melodies’) gave birth to malombo jazz: a combination of mbaqanga with traditional drumming, gospel music and African jazz guitar. Of course, a visit is not complete without touring the city’s heritage sites. Every itinerary should include the impressive Freedom Park, which captures the story of South Africa from the dawn of time; the bustling Church Square in the city’s CBD with its many 19thcentury buildings; the quirky mining town of Cullinan, where the world’s largest diamond was found more than a century ago; and the traditional Ndebele village of Mabhoko with its intricately decorated houses. You need not travel far to experience the country’s wildlife. Tshwane is the only city in the world in which the Big Five roam free within municipal boundaries, at the Dinokeng Game Reserve. And it’s a malaria-free zone. Golf courses galore After watching some of the world’s best golfers in action, you may feel the urge to get out on the fairways yourself. You’ll be spoilt for choice as Tshwane is home to 16 world-class courses. There’s the bushveld experience at the Akasia Country Club or the parklands Peter Matkovichdesigned Centurion Country Club; the magnificent scenery on offer at the Silver Lakes Golf Estate or the challenging Pebble Rock Golf Course with water hazards on 11 holes. You can also tee off at the Ernie Els-designed club at Copperleaf, venue of the inaugural Tshwane Open, or tee off at the well-known Zwartkop Country Club, which has seen a number of golfing greats striding across the green – players of the likes of Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Nick Price and Retief Goosen. All in all, Tshwane’s a wonderful place to explore, so join us at the 2016 Tshwane Open next month – it’s more than just golf. Text and photography \| Supplied For more information, visit www.tshwaneopen.co.za 51 01 16 executive \| decision a geofence location, drag and drop the pin on the map, resize the radius using your finger, and Locale does the rest. Locale’s sophisticated sensor fusion technology combines an accelerometer, Wi-Fi, GPS and other signals for optimal accuracy, performance and battery life. Vehicle Logbook Enterprise Vehicle Logbook Enterprise offers features with time and location recording, which makes it excellent for salespeople, fleet operators, businesses that need to track drivers and people who would like more detailed vehicle logging. It also allows you to back up and restore your database to your phone and your Dropbox account. This app can run in the background, allowing you to use other apps (music, camera, and the like) or take calls at the same time. Users can export everything into an Excel spreadsheet at the end of the month and administer the data. MoneyWise MoneyWise is a money manager app that combines an expense manager, a bill reminder and a budget planner. It provides a rich, detailed window into your personal finances and daily money management needs. Business expenses, personal expenses and travel expenses can all be managed quickly and easily using the simple and intuitive user interface. Kitchen stories APP YOUR LIFE Make your smartphone work for you Every issue we review the apps that tick our boxes. Here are this month’s picks. Locale 52 01 16 Locale’s advanced artificial intelligence manages settings automatically. For example, arrive at work and instantly your ringer silences and your Wi-Fi switches on. With Locale, never worry about your ringer going off accidentally again. Configuring is simple. To create Kitchen Stories offers aspiring and seasoned chefs alike the opportunity to hone their cooking skills and discover delicious new recipes and cooking inspiration. All recipes are easy to make and come with beautiful pictures, easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions, recipe videos, and clever how-to videos. Video editor This easy-to-use storyboard-style video editor is ideal for exporting videos to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and more. Enjoy an intuitive interface and animated interactions where you can see your images and video clips on a visual storyboard. Start a video on your mobile device and pick up where you left off on the full-featured desktop video editor. Text \| Ernst Wittmann Photography \| Shutterstock Gadgets Doodle away The 3Doodler is the world’s first 3D-printing pen. It was designed to inspire creativity while enhancing visual and tactical learning. Lift your imagination off the page and draw in 3D. The 3Doodler pen releases heated plastic filament that cools almost instantly into a solid, stable structure that can be used for science and math, 3D chemistry, art and design or engineering school projects. Price: R1,999 thegadgetshop.co.za Is this the One for you? The HTC One A9 is the latest addition to the award-winning HTC One family. The first non-Nexus smartphone powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings Google’s latest innovations and the simplicity of HTC Sense right out of the box. It features a 5-inch, edge-to-edge, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4, full-HD AMOLED screen that cascades into the metal frame, giving you brighter and more vivid colours for brilliant graphics and gaming. Its main 13MP rear camera features optical image stabilisation (OIS), which automatically minimises hand shake and corrects vibrations to give you a crystal-clear picture every time. Price: Contract dependent htc.com Soundcheck Whether you choose wireless, USB or stereo-powered audio gear, you will always be one step ahead of your enemies with the Corsair RGB VOID headset. With fast-forward design, spectacular fidelity and innovative features like InfoMic and CUE Control, Corsair VOID gaming headsets enable you to command and control your gaming soundscape, without hitting pause. Price: From R1,715 corsair.com time \| out Ending poverty starts with zero food loss insects, rodents, moisture, mould: these are the age-old enemies of the world’s food supply chain – the farmers’ nemeses. To combat them, the World Food Programme (WFP) has turned to a practical yet innovative solution. By addressing inadequate post-harvest handling and storage practices, the programme is transforming the lives of low-income, smallholder farmers in Uganda struggling to meet their families’ basic food needs. A mother of six children, Tereza Turyatunga is a resident of Biguli in rural Uganda. Her family’s income relies entirely on agricultural production, with maize as their primary crop. Turyatunga always had to sell her grain right after harvest, as that’s when weevils and other pests become a problem. Even worse, months later she would be forced to buy grain from farmers at prices that were five times higher. This poverty trap forced Tereza and her family to struggle with hunger almost every harvest. Her story in not unique though. There are multiple threats to food security and smallholder farmers across the African continent. El Niño is just one of many challenges that cause food insecurity for millions. The El Niño phenomenon brings increased rain to the Horn of Africa, while simultaneously causing poor rains in other parts of East Africa and increased flooding in Kenya and Somalia. These changes in rainfall and temperature affect crop and pasture development around the world, thereby jeopardising people’s ability to produce and buy food. The current El Niño is said to be one of the strongest on record – many already struggling communities around the world will feel the impact of El Niño on their livelihoods. Did you know that farmers in subSaharan Africa can lose up to 30% of their crops within the first month after harvest? 55 01 16 time \| out Top: Maize after 90 days – traditional storage unit Above: Maize after 90 days – new storage unit 56 01 16 Even in years without a strong El Niño, some of the largest threats to food security are post-harvest losses. In the weeks after harvest, sub-Saharan Africa alone loses 20 million metric tons of food each year, valued at over $4 billion, according to a 2011 study by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa can lose up to 30% of their crops within the first month after harvest. Crops can also become damaged, spoiled or lost while being harvested, handled, processed, stored and transported. Without knowledge of proper handling and storage techniques, a significant portion of crops is lost before ever making it to the market and to the table. Smallholder farmers often use traditional storage made from straw and wood, leaving their crops vulnerable to rain and infestation by insects and rodents. While harvesting and cleaning the crops, antiquated techniques and tools can damage the grain. For rural families like Turyatunga’s, lost food means lost land, labour, water, fertiliser and income. Lost food also deprives farmers of the opportunity to grow and strengthen their own household finances. An end to wastage To combat food loss and the subsequent loss of livelihoods, WFP launched the Zero Food-Loss Initiative in 2013. coupled with airtight storage equipment, enables farmers to reduce losses to less than 2%, a drastic 98% reduction of post-harvest losses. In just one harvest, participating farmers were able to pay off their investments in the new storage devices. On average, they could triple their income within the first year. Size matters At least three-quarters of the food WFP purchases comes from developing countries, stimulating local economies and reducing the time it takes to reach the hungry. WFP works with local farmers to increase the quality and quantity of food they produce and to help connect them to buyers. By working with farmers and local communities to prevent losses, WFP is building a world with zero hunger, one community at a time. In Uganda, WFP’s post-harvest management training, Turyatunga is one of more than 2,200 people in Uganda’s Kamwenge District who participated in the farmer training, with each of them acquiring new storage units. After an initial pilot project of 200 farmers, WFP and partners rapidly scaled up, organising training on improved post-harvest handling practices, and offering subsidised storage equipment for 58,000 smallholder farmers across Uganda. However, farming families are not the only participants to benefit from the training and improved storage equipment.“We have been using rudimentary methods to control pests by mixing ash and cow dung to put in the beans,” said Denis Tukahirwa, headmaster of the Gayaza Primary School in the Isingiro District, Uganda, one of the participating schools in the programme. “In the process, the colour and even the taste of the beans changed, causing them to turn sour. The modern silos are going to help us save time and keep our beans for over a year.” In the Isingiro District alone, over 820 farmers as well as schools like Gayaza Primary School received training on post-harvest handling and received silos subsidised at 70% of the total cost. “The silos will enhance the School Meals Programme in Isingiro schools, and enable them to have food for the children throughout the year,” said Peninah Tumusiime, education co-ordinator for the project. “It will sustain the school feeding programme with minimal external support.” Because of the silo that she purchased after being trained on post-harvest handling and storage, Turyatunga was able to sell her grain after four months of storage for twice the price that she would have received at the time of harvest. “I have never acquired such income from my produce,” said Turyatunga. With the increased income, she is hoping to buy two goats to start another source of income generation and meet the requirements to put her children through school. Because of the Zero Food-Loss Initiative, many farmers will have a surplus supply of grain for both consumption and trade for the first time. Not only does this increase national and international trading opportunities for the countries, but it improves individual income and community livelihoods. Text \| Katherine Marchand Photography \| Supplied Small scale farming holds the key to ensuring securing our food resources 57 01 16 time \| out Media Books, music and DVD's Books The Age of Magic by Ben Okri This new novel from Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri is about a group of world-weary travellers who discover the meaning of life in a mysterious Swiss mountain village. Eight film-makers, travelling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travellers find themselves drawn into the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they are disturbed, enlightened and transformed, each in a different way. An intoxicating and dreamlike tale unfolds. Run Racist Run by Eusebius McKaiser At a time when South African students protest against colonial symbols on university campuses, when accusations of racism erupt in cultural spaces, and when racial tensions in towns in the USA explode, it is clear that this conversation is long overdue. In this collection of essays, McKaiser does not pull any punches in his dissection of apartheid’s racist legacy – and no one is safe from his pen. Springbok Rugby Quiz by Pierre Francois Massyn This book examines rugby lore in an unusually entertaining way: it comprises 1,001 questions and answers. Rugby lovers can now enjoy some of the most outlandish anecdotes, as well as cold hard facts and statistics about this game we all love. This well-researched book covers the entire spectrum of our rugby history, from the first Test match in 1891 up to modern times. Rugby fans will certainly find more than enough challenges among the 1,001 questions included here. And, as a bonus, the author also includes his Dream Team – the best players of all time united in one superteam. Fun, informative and factual, this is a must-read for all rugby fans. CDs Losing My Religion by Kirk Franklin Losing My Religion marks Franklin’s 11th consecutive number one debut on the Billboard gospel charts. The 13-song project explores timely themes and classic sentiments, while offering renewed testimony to Kirk’s status as a Grammywinning songwriter and producer. Kirk collaborates with a wide array of music luminaries, including stellar performances from Kim Burrell, Lalah Hathaway, Tamale Man, Tasha Cobbs, Sarah Reeves, Bacardi Cortez, and Tasha Page-Lockhart. 25 by Adele Adele sold more than 2.5 million copies of her album within three days of release. Almost every song on 25 addresses heartache in one form or another. Adele’s instincts as a singer remain unmatched; she is, inarguably, the greatest vocalist of her generation, an artist who instinctively understands timbre and pitch. And this comes through in this album. DVDs Everest This disaster movie focuses on a doomed ascent of Mount Everest in May 1996. Climbers from two expeditions head towards the summit, the highest point on Earth, when an unexpected storm closes in, wreaking havoc. Stranded in a violent blizzard, the teams are pushed to the edge in a harsh battle for survival. The odds are not in their favour, and many will not make it off the mountain alive. Based on true events. The Martian Matt Damon stars in this movie about a manned mission to Mars that goes awry when a fierce storm hits. Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind, presumed dead, with few supplies and no hope of survival. He must keep his wits about him in order to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. He succeeds and NASA plans a daring rescue mission to try and bring ‘the Martian’ home, something that captures the attention of the world, who root for his safe return. If you'd like to win a copy of Sprinkbok Rugby Quiz, send your name and contact number to [email protected] with the words 'Kirk Franklin' in the subject line. time \| out Full range Does the new Ford Ranger have what it takes to be a solid contender in the double-cab market? 60 01 16 This is the new Ford Ranger, and I’m not going to beat around the bush, because the only thing you want to know is whether it is the best bakkie on sale in SA. The answer is yes. There’s no doubt in my mind that this should be your choice, for the time being, if you are in the market for a double-cab or extended-cab bakkie. The main reason is that the Ranger is the first of the next-generation bakkies to reach our shores, and it shows. Most of the mechanicals were carried over from the pre-facelift model, but the changes are so significant that it almost feels like a new car. Yes, from the rear, it looks exactly the same, but that new front-end is stunning. I’m not particularly fond of the orange colour that you can order in Wildtrak specification, but in blue or white, it looks epic. It looks American, and that’s not a bad thing. The American marque is not celebrated for building dynamic vehicles, but no one can accuse them of producing boring cars. Same, only different Mechanically, the Ranger is almost the same vehicle as before, but since it was already class-leading in that regard, there really was no reason to mess with the formula too much. I’m also happy to report that the clunky gearshift problem in the previous 3.2ℓ model has been solved. The biggest improvement, however, is the interior. That touchscreen infotainment system makes a big difference to the overall ambience, and thanks to the uprated Sync 2 system it’s a joy to use. The colour-coded segments are fairly easy to understand, and you are never more than two touches away from where you want to be. The overall quality is good, noise levels are impressively low, and the Ranger glides along nicely in town and on the highway. That’s 90% of the dynamic abilities sorted out for most future customers. There’s good news for those who will venture offroad as well. The Ranger, even though it can brag about its 230mm ground clearance, 800mm wading depth and impressive approach and departure angles, has never been a very good trail vehicle. We entered the Bridgestone off-road driving event in one last year, and it was too bulky for obstacle-based precision offroading. The updated Ranger has a new electrically assisted steering module and this makes a massive difference when manoeuvring it through tight obstacles, or on a rocky mountain pass. The inclusion of hill descent control on top-spec models also makes it much easier to come down the mountain. It firms up nicely at speed, which gives you a fair amount of confidence on a gravel road. The updated suspension is equally impressive, and the Ranger felt secure and composed on every surface we drove on. You still get that traditional bakkie bounce on a really bad tar surface, but that’s par for the course with every double-cab. As mentioned previously, the engines remain unchanged, and Ford gave us the opportunity to drive the 2.2ℓ and 3.2ℓ turbocharged diesel engines, the latter in automatic guise. The updated 2.2ℓ four-cylinder diesel, now delivering 118kW and 385Nm of torque, is all the engine you’ll ever need. It picks up speed nicely and is more than happy to cruise along at 130km/h. But the 3.2ℓ five-cylinder unit remains the best bakkie engine in the business. It’s a tower of power and I don’t think any reasonable person would be able to walk away from it after experiencing its 470Nm first hand. Verdict Ford has done a lot to ensure that the Ranger stays on top for the foreseeable future, at least in the leisure segment. With so many changes, it feels unfair to call it a facelift. Sure, for the most part, it’s the same vehicle as before, but the changes make a massive difference. So that’s the new Ranger in a nutshell. It’s the current class leader, but this could change as the year progresses. Text \| courtesy leisure wheels Photography \| Supplied It’s built for a bruising, but the new Ranger’s interior is comfortable with all the right appointments Leisure wheels is South Africa's foremost adventure motoring magazine. For this reason Skyways has chosen to work with Leisure wheels when it comes to providing you with motoring information. For more on the topic of adventure motoring, look out for the current issue of Leisure wheels, on sale now. www.leisurewheels.com 61 01 16 time \| out Epicurean feast Easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes The Kimberley Anne Small Luxury Hotel is fast becoming known as the finest dining establishment in Kimberley. Executive chef and general manager Stephanie Smith designs each dish to perfection, going so far as to draw up the exact image of how she sees every meal presented on the plate. This month, she shares two of her own favourite recipes. Pork belly with a ginger and star anise sauce For the ginger and star anise sauce: • ¼ cup light-brown sugar • ¼ cup water • 2 red chillies, sliced • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed • 4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce • Juice of a lime • 1 star anise For the pork belly: • 500g pork belly, whole, with the bones still in • Peanut oil for roasting 62 01 16 Method For the ginger and star anise sauce: 1. In a saucepan, slowly bring the brown sugar and water to the boil. Simmer until the mixture starts to caramelise. Add the chillies, ginger, Thai fish sauce, lime juice and star anise and cook slowly for 2 more minutes. For the pork belly: 1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Place the pork belly on an oven tray and cover it with foil. 2. Roast in the oven for about four hours. Remove the pork from the oven and carefully take out the bones. 3. 5. 6. Transfer the pork to another pan and place a similar size pan on top of it. Place something heavy on top and leave it in the fridge for three hours or until completely cool. Remove the pork from the pan, trim the sides, and cut into the desired serving portions. Preheat your oven to 180˚. Place the pork pieces, skin-side down, on a roasting tray that has been lightly brushed with a little peanut oil. Roast for 10 minutes on either side until nicely crisped. Remove from the oven and serve with the ginger and star anise sauce. This is a very rich dish. Radishes served with it will offset the richness. West Coast snoek and sweet potato samoosas, served with spekboom and fresh coriander leaves Method 1. Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • 1.5kg West Coast smoked snoek, deboned 300g sweet potato, peeled 3 medium-size onions 10mℓ oil 150g brown sugar 90g butter Bunch of spring onions (greens only), sliced Seasoning Samoosa pastry Spekboom leaves and fresh coriander leaves, to garnish 2. 3. 4. Cook the sweet potato in water until soft, and then drain. Return it to the stove, and on a low heat, add the butter and sugar and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Mash the potato with the butter and sugar, and then let it cool. Sauté the onions in the oil until soft and slightly brown. Add the snoek and sauté until all the liquid has evaporated. Mix the snoek and sweet potato mixture, and then add the sliced spring onion and seasoning. Fill the samoosa pastry with the mixture and fold into samoosas. Shallow-fry until golden brown. 5. For garnish, add indigenous spekboom leaves and fresh coriander leaves. Spekboom has a slight citrusy taste that pairs well with snoek. 63 01 16 time \| out Spice it up Easy-to-prepare butter chicken In our November 2015 issue, we published a butter chicken recipe courtesy of Jeera at Suncoast Towers Hotel. Unfortunately, gremlins stirred the pot and key information about the recipe and method was omitted. Here is the correct recipe. Skyways apologises for any inconvenience caused. Butter chicken Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 500g chicken breasts 2 tablespoons each of ginger and garlic 500mℓ cream 2 teaspoons turmeric powder 4 tablespoons curry powder 2 teaspoons jeera powder 2 teaspoons elaichi powder 20g butter Cooking oil 500g fresh red tomato puree 4 chillies 3 onions, chopped 10g curry leaves 50g mint, to serve 50g coriander, to serve Method 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 64 01 16 Marinate the chicken pieces with the ginger and garlic. Make a paste with the spices and cream. Heat the butter and sauté the chicken on medium heat until brown and keep aside. Heat the oil and add the chilli, curry leaves, onions and tomato puree and cook for eight minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture. Next, add the paste. Simmer until cooked through and serve with coriander and mint. time \| out Through Wine-pairing tips from an expert the grapevine What made a fifth-generation Franschhoeker become the leading Chardonnay producer? And what made him choose GlenWood? If you ask him, he will tell you that it was the love of the valley, love of the owner’s driving philosophy, love of the terroir, and love of good wines. In 1991, DP Burger joined Alastair Wood on his farm GlenWood with his well-earned Elsenburg agricultural diploma. He was about to embark on a gap year overseas. However, Wood explained to him his dream of producing simple, natural, quality wines. Burger cancelled his plans and accepted a position as general manager and winemaker. The rest is history. To achieve that dream, only grapes from GlenWood’s vineyards – all of which Burger planted – find their way into his cellar. Here are his choices of great South African wines. GlenWood Grand Duc Chardonnay 2013 The estate’s flagship wine shows outstanding oak and fruit integration. On the palate the wine displays a full, rich, creamy mouthfeel of almonds and vanilla, resulting in a lingering aftertaste of smoky peach and citrus. With just under 1,800 bottles produced, the Grand Duc Chardonnay 2013 is ready to enjoy now, or if cellared under the correct conditions, will reach its full potential within the next five to seven years. It should be enjoyed with cream-based pasta dishes, roast chicken, spicy Thai foods or any seafood dishes. La Bri Merlot 2013 This Merlot has a rich garnet colour. The nose is a complex mix of black cherries, red plums and mulberries. It is a juicy and elegant entry with soft integrated tannins as well as hints of dried mushrooms and red plums on the palate. It is the ideal wine to enjoy with any red meat dish. La Motte Pierneef Syrah Viognier 2013 This wine is a blend of 90% Shiraz from the Walker Bay (65%) and Elim (35%) areas as well as 10% Viognier from Franschhoek. The Pierneef Syrah Viognier 2013 is a very versatile partner to food. Try this classic Rhône-style blend with a festively spiced whole-roasted duck. Text \| Pippa Pringle Photography \| Supplied In 1991 DP Burger made a life-changing decision that saw him develop into one of the country’s finest winemakers 65 01 16 s e t o N time \| out sudoku Try the addictive game of Sudoku. The aim is to fill each block with a number from 1 to 9. Each number must not appear more than once in each row, column and square. If you canâ€™t finish this puzzle during your flight, please take this free copy of Skyways with you. The cabin attendant will make sure that the next passengers get their own magazine, with a clean Sudoku for them to puzzle over! Puzzles taken from www.krazydad.com challenging Puzzles supplied by Conceptis, www.conceptispuzzles.com easy Solutions can be found on page 95 battleship Each Battleship puzzle represents a section of ocean with a hidden fleet of one battleship, two cruisers and three submarines. The ships may be oriented horizontally or vertically within the grid so that no ship touches another, not even diagonally. Any remaining squares in the grid contain water segments, which are shown as a symbol of water or as an X. The numbers on the bottom and on the right of the grid show how many squares in the corresponding rows and columns are occupied by ships. The object is to discover where all six ships are located. 66 01 16 1 x Battleship 2 x Cruisers Easy 3 x Submarines Medium This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| boutique sky \| boutique www.oldjoes.co.za +27 83 229 3751 [email protected] N4 Schoemanskloof Road Mpumalanga S 25˚23.096’ E 30˚32.395’ Named after the first warden of the Kruger National Park, Sir James Stevenson Hamilton. Hamilton’s offers a relaxed atmosphere with a colonial touch. Open from 9am offering Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. Hamilton’s is available for functions and does outside catering, to avoid disappointment it is advisable to make a reservation. Accommodation Bar and Restaurant Labyrinth The perfect destination for reviving your soul... Tel: 013 790 3421 \| Cell: 082 461 4974 hamiltons.restaurant@vodamail .co.za DRAKENSBERG RESORT & SPA MORGENZON GUEST HOUSE ACCOMMODATION: WONDERBOOM AIRPORT, PRETORIA TO ADVERTISE IN CONTACT Tel: 011 468 2090 [email protected] Upington O79 895 8324 / (27) 12 566 3693 [email protected] 68 01 16 This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| boutique The Colony Shopping Centre Jan Smuts Avenue Craighall Park (011) 880-5010 www.hodges.co.za Coffee House & Restaurant Hodges Coffee House hodgescoffee We are open 7 days a week from 7am and from Tuesday to Saturday we are open in the evenings with the kitchen closing at 8:30pm. We always tend to make something extra in the evenings, be it our delicious oxtail, lamb curry or a sumptuous vegetarian lasagne. Hodges is a fully licenced restaurant with an interesting yet inexpensive winelist. Why stay home when you can stay with us? Leisure & corporate rentals in and around Cape Town & Johannesburg No time wasted with our real-time availability calendars, and reservations booking engine with instant confirmation. A PA R T M E N T R E N TA L S Try it LIVE... www.fzp.co.za • Studios from R500 per apartment per night, or R6 000 per month • 1 bedroom apartments from R750 per apartment per night, or R8 500 per month FZP Apartment Rentals +27 (0) 21 426 1634 www.fzp.co.za [email protected] www.facebook.com/fzpapartments • 2 bedroom apartments from R950 per apartment per night, or R10 000 per month. Scan to get a 10% discount code for your first reservation! AYO BULAW E OFFIC N! PE O W O N 70 01 16 [email protected] /zimcarhire WWW.ZIMBABWECARHIRE.COM This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| lounge NB: Rates applicable to Credit Card rentals from airport locations only. Please produce your airline boarding pass at the time of making your reservation. Offer valid until 29 February 2016. E&OE. 71 01 16 PGA Teaching Professional Gordon Millar 082 957 3375 [email protected]; www.aisj-jhb.com • Weekly Trips to Gauteng & Back • Monthly Trips to the Cape & Back • Local Moves – Good Rates • Contract Work Welcome! LOCAL AND COUNTRY WIDE REMOVALS Christo 084 047 2600 Petra 079 026 2619 Tel/Fax 0866 103 567 Email [email protected] 72 01 16 FREE GOODS IN TRANSIT INSURANCE UP TO R300 000 We look after yours, as if it were our own! WE SHIP WORLDWIDE INDUSTRIAL PARK Tete Mozambique Warehouse and Office Space Available Warehouses for Rent • Container Storage Space • Long Term Secure Vehicle Storage • Open Space for Rent Aluguer de Armazens • Armazenamento de Contentores • Parqueamento do Veiculos em Recinto Seguro, longo Prazo • Espaco aberto www.ossmozambique.com \| [email protected] Contact Numbers: English +258 82 046 1552 or +258 84 496 3489 Portuguese +258 82 566 8610 Also available in Pemba and Nacala TO ADVERTISE IN Mining, Agricultural & Commercial Exhibition 1 – 5 June 2016 Kitwe, Zambia SHOWSTAND MODULE psst, PSST…, have a look at the passenger across the aisle, two rows up… Yes her. Just the person you would like to promote your product or services to, not so? So why aren’t you advertising on this page? Call us for a free tailor-made proposal Discount available for early bookings Contact: Karen O’Neil Tel: 260-212-238011/238012 Fax: 260-212-238013 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cacss.co.zm Cell: 260 966 783075 Tel 011 468 2090 or email [email protected] LEADERS IN MODULAR CONSTRUCTION ANY BUILDING … ANYWHERE IN AFRICA – BEST PRICE, PREMIUM QUALITY, EXPERT SERVICE [email protected] \| www.nyumba.co.za \| Tel: +27 (0)83 2700 555 \| Fax: 086 612 2887 74 01 16 SOUTH AFRICAN IMMIGRATION SPECIALISTS WORK VISAS & TAX O UR SE RVI CE OFFERING Intra-company, critical skills & “general” work visas Exchange control remittance, setup of banking & forex approvals International payroll & Reserve Bank approvals Expatriate life & disability cover International & South African tax planning, compliance audits & tax ﬁlings SARS binding rulings, Voluntary Disclosure Programme & Dispute Resolution NICO THERON MARISA JACOBS [email protected] psst, PSST…, have a look at the passenger across the aisle, two rows up… Yes her. Just the person you would like to promote your product or services to, not so? So why aren’t you advertising on this page? Call us for a free tailor-made proposal This is your complimentary copy of Skyways. Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. 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Should you wish to hang on to any information, please take this copy of the magazine with you. sky \| industry Connecting 35 destinations in 9 African countries. Jetstream 4100 - Regional Turboprop Airliner 7 29 19.25m 18.29m 5.74m 2 600kg 25 000ft 500km/h Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Cruising Speed ERJ 135-LR - Regional Jet Airliner and Corporate Jet Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Cruising Speed 17 37 26.34m 20.04m 6.75m 5 000kg 37 000ft 800km/h Avro RJ85 - Regional Jet Airliner Number of aircraft Maximum Passengers Seating Classes Length Wing Span Height Fuel capacity Maximum Operating Altitude Maximum Cruising Speed 12 83 2 28.60m 26.21m 8.61m 9 362kg 35 000ft 780km/h STANDARD TIMETABLE – NOTE REDUCED SCHEDULE OPERATES DURING FESTIVE SEASON F L I G H T S – Domestic FLIGHT ROUTE 1 3 5 6 7 ER3 Airink Cape Town Day 1 = Monday, Day 7 = Sunday For reservations visit www.flyairlink.com, your travel agent or SAA Central Reservations on +27 11-978 1111 • Flight schedules subject to change • Contact your booking agent for these conditions 84 01 16 EXCESS BAGGAGE AND SPORTING EQUIPMENT: Refer to www.flyairlink.com Important information & Conditions of Carriage Clause 8 Baggage 8.3 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of content of the published timetable, both operational and strategic issues cause timetable changes. 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T&Cs apply (donâ€™t they always?). time \| out impression Telling ancient stories through recycled material and artwork a South African artist who tells the stories of the country's first inhabitants and their descendants is planning to take his message to the rest of the country soon. Stanley Grootboom, who comes from Coldstream in the Eastern Cape, exhibits his art at the Cradle of Mankind cultural village at Tsitsikamma's Khoi-San village, outside Knysna, and with the Knysna Art Society. The tales of Africaâ€™s forefathers are being told via a novel art medium In his art, Grootboom focuses on the indigenous people of South Africa â€“ the Khoi and San. He depicts their stories in paintings, sculptures and illustrated books. He has published an installation book and a CD on an art course he designed. The former, published in 2003, was made out of recycled material such as plates and hinges. In its 32 tin pages, the book tells the story of a young Khoi-San boy. He is planning to publish another three books, as well as colouring books. Nature as playground 86 01 16 When he was a child, nature was Grootboom's playground. "I grew up in Coldstream. In Tsitsikamma, we used to dive in the river bottom," he says. "I remember when I was about seven years old, I picked up drift wood and allowed it to dry on my pigeons' cage. Later I used it to make sculptures." The children would also collect black rocks, which they would burn and use as skin lotion. "We used it so that we didn't get sunburn." Grootboom says that in high school art was not offered as a subject. He matriculated from Knysna Senior Secondary School in the Western Cape in 1992. And although art was in his blood, he wanted to study law. "I saw a lot of bad things happening to my people, so I planned to help them in the villages as a lawyer. When I studied law at the time, I realised that things are better now in the new South Africa." He started researching more about his ancestry, gave up on law and art became his focus. The value of art "I was discouraged by many people that I would be a very poor person if I became an artist. A lot of people said this, because they heard this from someone. They were not exposed to these things and had a lack of information. A lot of us are uneducated about the value of art, and its cultural merits," says Grootboom. But these cautionary words from naysayers did not dampen his passion to succeed as an artist. He was indeed motivated by art and his heritage and culture, and got a job at the Department of Arts and Culture, where he worked for 12 years. He also facilitated workshops for the Department of Social Development. In his pursuit of the stories of his people, in 2003 Grootboom started walking with a voice recorder. He interviewed people from old forestry villages such as Krakeelriver, Coldstream, Clarkson, Gamtoos and Fairview. "I realised that there are things people still do (traditionally) even if they do not know it was passed on from their ancestors. "They still do the things but do not know it is Khoi. For example, they dig a hole in the ground (when sleeping outside) and throw a goiingsak over them," says Grootboom. A goiingsak is a hessian bag. A writing workshop at the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging, the institute dedicated to the study and preservation of the language, prepared him to write and do the illustrations for his books. Stanley Grootboom is keen to take his history lessons to the rest of the country Giving back The 40-year-old Grootboom also gives art classes to 87 01 16 time \| out Above: Grootboom is giving back by teaching teenagers in his community his methods of art underprivileged people in Knysna. His focus is mostly on people of the northern areas, but if anyone else comes who is not from that area, he does not turn them away. "My focus is on the previously disadvantaged." By giving these art classes for free, Grootboom believes he is giving back. "You get blessings in other ways," he explains. In the past two years that he has lived in Knysna, Grootboom has taught 25 people in his art classes. Art as rehabilitation Below: This form of art is not only inspiring, it is also therapeutic. 88 01 16 About three years ago, Grootboom trained 10 teens, aged 12 to 18, through the Department of Social Development. The best repayment for that experience, he says, was that the parents of the juveniles came to visit him afterwards to give him good news. "One mother in the beginning said that she could not get her child off dagga â€Ś There was a time when that boy, who is 12 years old, took dagga and drugs out of his socks, and I had him give it to the social worker," explains Grootboom. "After the art classes, parents said that the juveniles started washing dishes at home. The children's behaviour also bettered at home: they would greet their family members and ask how their days were." Grootboom believes that art is very therapeutic. "In school I used to have a bad temper. I thought chess would help. It was only when I did art that my bad temper went away. These days you will struggle to get me angry." There is a need for uniqueness in your art, he adds. "You have to identify what is important. It's not going to help you any way if you imitate someone. If your artwork is really good, it will make someone stop in their tracks. There should be emotional content in your artwork. The theme, consistency and technique [are] important. "You should bring something that is close to you, then you can bring out the emotion. If you work hard enough in art, you can make it work," concludes Grootboom. Text \| Melissa Javan Photography \| Supplied time \| out In June 2015, Facebook was worth an estimated $215 million Social network 10 fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about Facebook 1. 2. Al Pacino was the first ‘face’ on Facebook. 600,000 hacking attempts are made to Facebook accounts every day. 3. You can change your language on Facebook to ‘Pirate’. 4. Several people have been murdered for unfriending someone on Facebook. 5. Facebook tracks which sites you visit, even after you have signed out. 6. In 2014, a burglar in Minnesota was caught after he logged into his Facebook account on the home’s PC and forgot to log out. 7. Facebook is primarily blue because Mark Zuckerberg has red-green colour blindness. 8. There are about 30 million dead people on Facebook. 9. In Britain, a woman was given 20 months in jail for creating fake Facebook profiles for her family members in order to send abusive messages to herself and frame them for it. 10. The ‘Like’ button on Facebook was originally going to be called ‘Awesome’. Text \| Arno Visagie Photography \| Shutterstock 89 01 16 Battle cry Notes highlight the fight against addiction if you were listening to music in the ‘80s, American singer/ songwriter Martika’s Toy Soldiers will be well known to you. If you are a little bit younger, you might be more familiar with Eminem’s 2004 song Like Toy Soldiers, in which he samples the Martika hit. While Martika is widely known as a one-hit wonder, her one hit song did make a great impact. Toy Soldiers appeared on Martika’s self-titled debut album in 1988, and was released in 1989 as the third single from the album. The song wasted no time in shooting up the charts. It spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and also spent two weeks in the top position in New Zealand. It reached number five in both the United Kingdom and Australia. In true one-hit-wonder style, it was Martika’s only number one single in the United States, and the song that performed the best for her in the United Kingdom. The artist herself was overwhelmed by her success, beating the likes of Madonna to the number one spot: “I was busy doing promotion work when it happened, and I was told that the song had gone number one. I had to sit down and just breathe and take in the moment,” she said in an interview. At least for a one-hit wonder, she did extremely well. In March and April 2009, VH1 did a countdown of the 100 greatest one-hit wonders of the ‘80s and Toy Soldiers placed at number 67 on the countdown. Humble beginnings Martika (her real name is Marta Marrera) started out as a child actor before launching her career as a singer. Her most notable performances were in the movie Annie in 1982 and in the TV series Kids Incorporated, which ran from 1984 to 1986. Martika’s involvement in Kids Incorporated explains the distinct child-like sound of Toy Soldiers’ chorus. This American television series revolved around a group of children and teenagers who performed in their own rock group. It was aimed at the youth and included musical performances in every storyline. So, when Martika needed some extra vocals on Toy Soldiers, she Martika was only 22 when she “retired” from the music business. By that time she had already been doing it for 10 years 91 01 16 time \| out The song title is an apt description of how the grips of addiction can have you on a puppet string knew just who to call – her singing colleagues from her television days. Martika is the only one who sings throughout the whole song, but on the chorus she is joined by her former castmates, Renee Sands, Rahsaan Patterson, Devyn Puett, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Stacy Ferguson. Interestingly, Stacy Ferguson is today better known as Fergie, vocalist for the Black Eyed Peas. The fight against addiction 92 01 16 Drug abuse is a popular theme in music, most probably because of the strong emotions this destructive lifestyle can cause in both the addict and their loved ones. Around the time Toy Soldiers was released, people were becoming more aware of drug abuse in the youth. It is also the case with Toy Soldiers, as it was written about a friend of Martika who was addicted to cocaine. She was a bit unsure about writing a song with a more serious theme:“I was a little hesitant, because I had only written two songs before, and they were light songs,” Martika said. “This was the first time I got the nerve to write about something that was scary for me to talk about.” Toy Soldiers was featured on an episode of VH1’s Pop-Up Video, and here it was said that the friend referred to in the song did eventually conquer their addiction. The symbolic use of toy soldiers in the song is also a point of interest, and can be interpreted in several ways. Firstly, drug addiction usually has a strong grip on its victim, and it controls you – much like children control their toys (this also features prominently in the Metallica song Master of Puppets). Alternatively, soldiers represent strength and the ability to fight – but in this case it isn’t real, because the soldiers in question are just toys. This again alludes to the fight against addiction, in which the victim is sometimes not strong enough to win the battle. This is emphasised in the lyrics: “Bit by bit/ Torn apart/ We never win/ But the battle wages on/ For toy soldiers.” Where is she now? After 10 years in the entertainment industry, Martika ‘retired’ – at the age of only 22. Having made plenty of money, she wanted to take a break, having worked from the age of 12. The break ended up lasting for 20 years! “I spent several years just being a professional slacker,” Martika said in an interview. “I guess I had a delayed childhood. It wasn’t meant to be too long, but a month turned into two years, and then I just stopped wanting the pressure.” Martika returned to the music industry in 2012, but Toy Soldiers remained her biggest hit. Text \| Noleen Fourie Photography \| Shutterstock Mincon.com MINCON. 1ST FOR DURABILITY, RELIABILITY & PERFORMANCE. Track to the future What major tech advances will we see this year? Will we see these tech revolutions in 2016? if you were to believe the storyline of the classic Back to the Future franchise, then by now we should be flying over the streets on hoverboards, with pills that replace our three-course dinners. But we are not quite there yet. However, there are a few tech trends that could very well be making their debut in 2016. Here are our picks: New ways to recharge your devices Running out of juice? Not to worry. You can walk or run in your shoes, breathe a la Darth Vader-style, use your body heat, stop by a street sign, or use water: take your pick. Interactive clothes When fashion and technology collide, things can get pretty interesting and fun. With the debut of a dress that displays tweets in real time, we’re just waiting for it, along with programmable T-shirts and colour-changing and size-altering clothes to be produced en masse. Waste not, want not In an effort to help save the Earth, waste could become ‘clean energy’ or the likes of it – so as to lessen pollution – don’t you think? Maybe our poo can become a source of electrical power or fuel for vehicles. Mincon Southern Africa are proud to announce the introduction of 2 NEW ranges of Blast Hole Drilling Machines to the African Mining and Quarrying industries. REICHdrill DTH and ROTARY drills as well as BBurg TOP HAMMER and DTH drills. With the addition of these machines to our already superb range of Rock Drilling Tools and Accessories, MINCON and its strategic partners in Africa will help you to increase your bottom line. Mincon Southern Africa www.mincon.co.za Phone: +27 11 397 3630 Spill-proofed everything Using your phone in the toilet, and dropping sauce or beverages onto paper and your clothes, would soon be worryfree events. With companies developing superhydrophobic coatings, compounds for paper, and non-stick coatings, everything would become waterproofed – making stains or wetness non-existent. Mind-controlled gadgets As a step forward in the shoes of the fictional character telepath, Professor X of X-Men, humankind has created mood-controlled tails, and mind-controlled animal ears and skateboards. We’re expecting more mindcontrolled devices in the future; but will these devices that pick up brainwaves soon make us all pseudo-telepaths? Text \| Anthea Quay, Designtaxi.com Photography \| Shutterstock 93 01 16 The percentage of household water used for baths and showers The amount of water used by a family of four per day Didya know? 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Clue to number 9 94 01 16 Questions 1. UK 1980s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s nickname was the ‘____ Lady’? 2. The Rocinha favela in Brazil is said to be the biggest ____ in Latin America: tree; carnival; bird; or slum? 3. The Clostridium botulinum bacterium causes which commonly known but rare human poisoning? 4. Which famous line from Alexander Pope’s (16881744) poem, An Essay on Criticism, written in 1709, is often used in books, films and music? 5. Which two cities each hosted a John Lennon and How do you score with the Skyways quiz? Yoko Ono week-long hotel ‘bed-in’ peace protest in 1969? What is the currency of Pakistan? At the end of 2012, how many cities had hosted the modern Olympic Games three times? A diaspora is a dispersion of: droplets; people; sunlight; particles; or stolen property? A gilet (pronounced loosely ‘jee-lay’ – it’s French) is a jacket or blouse without: buttons; sleeves; pockets; or stitching? What foodstuff, meaning ‘fat liver’ in French, is made from the liver of a duck or goose that is fattened traditionally by force-feeding? Where on the female body is a snood worn? Born in October 1949, and in prison for life in France, by what nickname is Venezuelan Ilich Ramírez Sánchez known? Which country has a socialist political party whose members are called Sandinistas? Infection caused by the parasitic micro-organism genus Plasmodium is known better as which disease? What musical instrument has the nickname ‘the devil’s box’? Which German word refers to the highest or premier league of any sport in Germany and Austria? Which car/vehicle-maker has (at 2011) a logo of two chevrons, one above the other, both pointing upwards? What are the two major tributaries of the River Nile? A backless, usually female, shoe or slipper is commonly called by which animal name? The Greek god Dionysus is also known by which Roman name, associated with revelry? Answers 1. Iron 2. Slum (in Rio de Janeiro) 3. Botulism (food poisoning) 4. “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” 5. Amsterdam and Montreal 6. The rupee 7. One (London, in 1908, 1948 and 2012) 8. People 9. Sleeves 2,570,000 megalitres The capacity of the Vaal Dam (a megalitre is a million litres). That is the equivalent of about 17,134,190,000 bath tubs (enough for each person in the world to take 24 baths) Clue to number 15 6 2 Foie gras Neck Carlos the Jackal Nicaragua Malaria Violin Bundesliga Citroën White Nile and Blue Nile Mule Bacchus (god of wine and related harvest and consumption) Advert18231115 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Bell is Africa’s very own global equipment supplier. With support from our strategic partners we deliver a full range of premium machines well suited to a variety of industries and applications. Whether it’s mining, general and bulk earthworks, construction, roads and rehabilitation or waste management, our machines are all built tough for our harsh environment and are fully supported by Africa’s most comprehensive network of people dedicated to your success. Text \| Arno Visagie Photography \| Shutterstock Bell Equipment - a proudly South African company that’s committed to helping businesses to realise Africa’s potential. Get the answer Solutions to Sudoku and Battleship. Puzzles on page 66. swers 2 5 8 Proud to be building Africa Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad,Challenging Volume 8, Book 8 by KrazyDad, Volume 8, Book 8 Sudoku Sudoku Sudoku #1 4 8 7 9 1 3 2 7 6 5 9 1 9 1 8 4 3 7 5 2 2 4 6 8 8 6 1 3 7 2 3 5 5 9 4 6 Sudoku Easy 5 26 6 43 8 37 3 65 1 92 7 59 9 74 4 81 2 18 38 89 42 27 64 11 55 96 73 #2 64 1 7 95 5 2 71 24 5 6 78 43 81 38 93 29 46 12 69 87 35 5 9 8 1 3 6 9 4 6 7 2 5 7 4 1 8 3 2 3 2 1 4 7 6 5 8 9 2 1 3 8 9 5 6 4 7 1 3 2 7 5 8 9 6 4 Sudoku #4 Sudoku #3 2 3 1 4 5 65 82 97 79 1 6 4 3 8 9 8 5 3 7 21 19 48 62 4 3 5 6 7 6 4 7 9 8 16 2 4 33 57 5 8 1 9 2 2 7 5 1 3 9 6 8 4 Battleship 8 4 7 5 9 8 3 6 3 9 1 2 95 01 16 Starting afresh Why wait for January? a new year is almost always a time of fresh starts. The phrase ‘new year, new you’ peppers most media, while many of us see January as a time to change jobs, start diets or launch new projects. A stitch in time saves nine. So begin a new chapter of your life now 96 01 16 That’s great, but what about the rest of the year? Why not start your new life in March? Nobody ever pays attention to humble March – yet it used to mark the first day of the new year back in the Middle Ages. The Aztecs favoured 23 February, which seems entirely random, but it’s as good a day as any to start afresh. Nigerians celebrate their Odunde Festival on 2 June (‘Odunde’ means ‘Happy New Year’ in Yoruba) – a great time for a party considering we’re given six months to recover from Christmas, and not much else happens in June. This raises another question: what’s up with this festive season rush of celebrations? Did some Westerner decide to cram all our major celebrations into two weeks to keep business on track for the rest of the year? Let’s face it, commerce (aside from frenzied shopping) seems to grind to a halt over the ‘holiday’ season, which in spite of a multitude of cultural differences, impacts most of the planet. But I digress; we were starting afresh. Can you do it in August? If not, why not? If you need to lose 10kg, must the diet start on Monday, or could you simply skip the slab of chocolate you were planning to eat this afternoon? As a society, we seem designed to defer action to some milestone moment in the future. Until then, we’ll discuss those new beginnings at length to make sure we get them exactly right. Nothing worse than a new life that’s as bad as the old one. That’s not to say that it’s not wise to plan ahead – diving into the deep end can certainly lead to disaster if you have no idea what you’re in for. Why wait for January though? Start planning immediately. If you see the need to lose those kilos, change that job, start that project – do it at once! Life is short, but more importantly, it’s utterly unpredictable. You could get struck by a stray meteor at any moment. Happy New Year! Text \| Massy Odlazak Photography \| Shutterstock Space sponsored by	i don't know
What is Alexander Pope's (1688-1744) famous line from his poem An Essay on Criticism, written 1709, much used in books, film and music?	An Essay on Criticism - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on An Essay on Criticism Wikis An Essay on Criticism: Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism was the first major poem written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688–1744). However, despite the title, the poem is not as much an original analysis as it is a compilation of Pope's various literary opinions. A reading of the poem makes it clear that he is addressing not so much the ingenuous reader as the intending writer. It is written in a type of rhyming verse called heroic couplets . The poem first appeared in 1711, but was written in 1709. It is clear from Pope's correspondence [1] that many of the poem's ideas had existed in prose form since at least 1706. It is a verse essay written in the Horatian mode and is primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave in the new literary commerce of Pope's contemporary age. The poem covers a range of good criticism and advice. It also represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age. Pope contends in the poem's opening couplets that bad criticism does greater harm than bad writing: 'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill Appear in Writing or in Judging ill, But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence, To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense Some few in that, but Numbers err in this, Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss; A Fool might once himself alone expose, Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose. ... (1–8) Despite the harmful effects of bad criticism, literature requires worthy criticism. Pope delineates common faults of critics, e.g., settling for easy and cliché rhymes: And ten low words oft creep in one dull line: While they ring round the same unvaried chimes, With sure returns of still expected rhymes; Wher'er you find "the cooling western breeze", In the next line, it "whispers through the trees"; If crystal streams "with pleasing murmurs creep", The reader's threatened (not in vain) with "sleep" . . . (347–353) Throughout the poem, Pope refers to ancient writers such as Virgil , Homer , Aristotle , Horace and Longinus . This is a testament to his belief that the "Imitation of the ancients" is the ultimate standard for taste. Pope also says, "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance" (362–363), meaning poets are made, not born. As is usual in Pope's poems, the "Essay" concludes with a reference to Pope himself. Walsh, the last of the critics mentioned, was a mentor and friend of Pope who had died in 1710. An Essay on Criticism was famously and fiercely attacked by John Dennis , who is mentioned mockingly in the work. Consequently, Dennis also appears in Pope's later satire, the Dunciad . Part II of An Essay on Criticism includes a famous couplet: A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring . in reference to the spring of Pieria in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses . Ironically, the first line of this couplet is often misquoted as "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing," thus reinforcing the aptness of this very admonition, as the misquote betrays a certain want of learning. Part II is also the source of this famous line: To err is human, to forgive divine. The line " Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear to Tread " from Part III has become part of the popular lexicon, and has been used for and in various works. References ^ 22nd October, 1706: Correspondence, i.23–24. External links Up to date as of January 14, 2010 From Wikiquote Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. An Essay on Criticism was the first major poem written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688-1744). However, despite the title, the poem is not as much an original analysis as it is a compilation of Pope's various literary opinions. A reading of the poem makes it clear that he is addressing not so much the ingenuous reader as the intending writer. It is written in a type of rhyming verse called heroic couplets . The poem first appeared in 1711 , but was written in 1709. It is clear from Pope's correspondence that many of the poems ideas had existed in prose form since at least 1706. It is a verse essay written in the Horatian mode and is primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave in the new literary commerce of Pope's contemporary age. The poem covers a range of good criticism and advice. It also represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age. Contents Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss. Line 6. 'Tis with our judgements as our watches, none Go just alike, yet each believes his own. Line 9. Compare: "But as when an authentic watch is shown, Each man winds up and rectifies his own, So in our very judgments", John Suckling , Aglaura, Epilogue. Let such teach others who themselves excel, And censure freely who have written well. Line 15. Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, And some made coxcombs nature meant but fools. Line 26. One science only will one genius fit: So vast is art, so narrow human wit. Line 60. From vulgar bounds with brave disorder part, And snatch a grace beyond the reach of art. Line 152. Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. Line 171 - 174. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. Line 175 - 179. Compare: "Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus" (translated: "Even the worthy Homer some times nods"), Horace , De Arte Poetica, 359. Part II Of all the causes which conspire to blind Man's erring judgment, and misguide the mind; What the weak head with strongest bias rules, — Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools. Line 1. Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend — and ev'ry Foe. Lines 13-14. A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Lines 15-18. Compare: "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. He that travelleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school, and not to travel", Francis Bacon , Of Travel. Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise! Line 32. 'Tis not a lip, or eye, we beauty call, But the joint force and full result of all. Line 45. Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be. Line 53. Compare: "'High characters', cries one, and he would see / Things that ne’er were, nor are, nor e'er will be", John Suckling , The Goblins, Epilogue. True wit is nature to advantage dressed, What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed. Line 97. Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. Line 109. Such labored nothings, in so strange a style, Amaze th' unlearned, and make the learned smile. Line 126. In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic if too new or old: Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. Line 133. As some to church repair, Not for the doctrine, but the music there. These equal syllables alone require, Though oft the ear the open vowels tire; While expletives their feeble aid do join, And ten low words oft creep in one dull line. Line 142. Then, at the last and only couplet fraught With some unmeaning thing they call a thought, A needless Alexandrine ends the song, That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along. Line 156. True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense; The sound must seem an echo to the sense. Line 162. Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows, And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse rough verse should like the torrent roar. When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labours, and the words move slow: Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er th' unbending corn, and skims along the main. Part ii. Line 166. Yet not let each gay turn thy rapture move; For fools admire, but men of sense approve. Line 190. Some judge of authors' names, not works, and then Nor praise nor blame the writings, but the men. Line 212. What woeful stuff this madrigal would be, In some starved hackney sonneteer, or me! But let a lord once own the happy lines, How the wit brightens! how the style refines! Line 218. But let a lord once own the happy lines, How the wit brightens! how the style refines! Part ii. Line 220. Some praise at morning what they blame at night, But always think the last opinion right. Line 230. Fondly we think we honour Merit then, When we but praise Our selves in Other Men. Lines 254-255. Envy will merit as its shade pursue, But like a shadow proves the substance true. Part ii. Line 266. Be thou the first true Merit to befriend; His praise is lost, who stays till All commend. Lines 274-275. Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast, Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost! Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join; To err is human, to forgive divine. Lines 322-325. Compare: "To step aside is human ", Robert Burns , Address to the Unco Guid. All seems Infected that th' Infected spy, As all looks yellow to the Jaundic'd Eye. Line 358. Learn then what morals critics ought to show, For 'tis but half a judge's task, to know. Line 1. Be silent always when you doubt your sense. Line 6. And make each day a critic on the last. Line 12. 'Tis not enough your Counsel still be true, Blunt Truths more Mischief than nice Falsehoods do; Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And Things unknown propos'd as Things forgot. Lines 13-16. The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head, With his own tongue still edifies his ears, And always list'ning to himself appears. All books he reads, and all he reads assails. Line 53. Most authors steal their works, or buy; Garth did not write his own Dispensary. Line 59. No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd, Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard: Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead; For fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Lines 63 to 66. Compare: "Wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch", William Shakespeare , King Richard III, Act I, Sc. 3. But where's the man who counsel can bestow, Still pleased to teach, and yet not proud to know? Line 72. Led by the light of the Mæonian star. Line 89. Content if hence th' unlearn'd their wants may view, The learn'd reflect on what before they knew. Line 180. Compare: "Indocti discant et ament meminisse periti" (translated: "Let the unlearned learn, and the learned delight in remembering"). This Latin hexameter, which is commonly ascribed to Horace , appeared for the first time as an epigraph to President Hénault's Abrégé Chronologique, and in the preface to the third edition of this work Hénault acknowledges that he had given it as a translation of this couplet. Careless of censure, nor too fond of fame, Still pleased to praise, yet not afraid to blame, Averse alike to flatter or offend, Not free from faults, nor yet too vain to mend. Line 182. Up to date as of January 22, 2010 From Wikisource by Alexander Pope 'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill Appear in Writing or in Judging ill, But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence, To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense: Some few in that, but Numbers err in this, Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss; A Fool might once himself alone expose, Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose. 'Tis with our Judgments as our Watches, none Go just alike, yet each believes his own. In Poets as true Genius is but rare, True Taste as seldom is the Critick's Share; Both must alike from Heav'n derive their Light, These born to Judge, as well as those to Write. Let such teach others who themselves excell, And censure freely who have written well. Authors are partial to their Wit, 'tis true, But are not Criticks to their Judgment too? Yet if we look more closely, we shall find Most have the Seeds of Judgment in their Mind; Nature affords at least a glimm'ring Light; The Lines, tho' touch'd but faintly, are drawn right. But as the slightest Sketch, if justly trac'd, Is by ill Colouring but the more disgrac'd, So by false Learning is good Sense defac'd. Some are bewilder'd in the Maze of Schools, And some made Coxcombs Nature meant but Fools. In search of Wit these lose their common Sense, And then turn Criticks in their own Defence. Each burns alike, who can, or cannot write, Or with a Rival's or an Eunuch's spite. All Fools have still an Itching to deride, And fain wou'd be upon the Laughing Side; If Maevius Scribble in Apollo's spight, There are, who judge still worse than he can write Some have at first for Wits, then Poets past, Turn'd Criticks next, and prov'd plain Fools at last; Some neither can for Wits nor Criticks pass, As heavy Mules are neither Horse or Ass. Those half-learn'd Witlings, num'rous in our Isle, As half-form'd Insects on the Banks of Nile: Unfinish'd Things, one knows now what to call, Their Generation's so equivocal: To tell 'em, wou'd a hundred Tongues require, Or one vain Wit's, that might a hundred tire. But you who seek to give and merit Fame, And justly bear a Critick's noble Name, Be sure your self and your own Reach to know. How far your Genius, Taste, and Learning go; Launch not beyond your Depth, but be discreet, And mark that Point where Sense and Dulness meet. Nature to all things fix'd the Limits fit, And wisely curb'd proud Man's pretending Wit: As on the Land while here the Ocean gains, In other Parts it leaves wide sandy Plains; Thus in the Soul while Memory prevails, The solid Pow'r of Understanding fails; Where Beams of warm Imagination play, The Memory's soft Figures melt away. One Science only will one Genius fit; So vast is Art, so narrow Human Wit; Not only bounded to peculiar Arts, But oft in those, confin'd to single Parts. Like Kings we lose the Conquests gain'd before, By vain Ambition still to make them more: Each might his sev'ral Province well command, Wou'd all but stoop to what they understand. First follow NATURE, and your Judgment frame By her just Standard, which is still the same: Unerring Nature, still divinely bright, One clear, unchang'd and Universal Light, Life, Force, and Beauty, must to all impart, At once the Source, and End, and Test of Art Art from that Fund each just Supply provides, Works without Show, and without Pomp presides: In some fair Body thus th' informing Soul With Spirits feeds, with Vigour fills the whole, Each Motion guides, and ev'ry Nerve sustains; It self unseen, but in th' Effects, remains. Some, to whom Heav'n in Wit has been profuse. Want as much more, to turn it to its use, For Wit and Judgment often are at strife, Tho' meant each other's Aid, like Man and Wife. 'Tis more to guide than spur the Muse's Steed; Restrain his Fury, than provoke his Speed; The winged Courser, like a gen'rous Horse, Shows most true Mettle when you check his Course. Those RULES of old discover'd, not devis'd, Are Nature still, but Nature Methodiz'd; Nature, like Liberty, is but restrain'd By the same Laws which first herself ordain'd. Hear how learn'd Greece her useful Rules indites, When to repress, and when indulge our Flights: High on Parnassus' Top her Sons she show'd, And pointed out those arduous Paths they trod, Held from afar, aloft, th' Immortal Prize, And urg'd the rest by equal Steps to rise; Just Precepts thus from great Examples giv'n, She drew from them what they deriv'd from Heav'n The gen'rous Critick fann'd the Poet's Fire, And taught the World, with Reason to Admire. Then Criticism the Muse's Handmaid prov'd, To dress her Charms, and make her more belov'd; But following Wits from that Intention stray'd; Who cou'd not win the Mistress, woo'd the Maid; Against the Poets their own Arms they turn'd, Sure to hate most the Men from whom they learn'd So modern Pothecaries, taught the Art By Doctor's Bills to play the Doctor's Part, Bold in the Practice of mistaken Rules, Prescribe, apply, and call their Masters Fools. Some on the Leaves of ancient Authors prey, Nor Time nor Moths e'er spoil'd so much as they: Some dryly plain, without Invention's Aid, Write dull Receits how Poems may be made: These leave the Sense, their Learning to display, And theme explain the Meaning quite away You then whose Judgment the right Course wou'd steer, Know well each ANCIENT's proper Character, His Fable, Subject, Scope in ev'ry Page, Religion, Country, Genius of his Age: Without all these at once before your Eyes, Cavil you may, but never Criticize. Be Homer's Works your Study, and Delight, Read them by Day, and meditate by Night, Thence form your Judgment, thence your Maxims bring, And trace the Muses upward to their Spring; Still with It self compar'd, his Text peruse; And let your Comment be the Mantuan Muse. When first young Maro in his boundless Mind A Work t' outlast Immortal Rome design'd, Perhaps he seem'd above the Critick's Law, And but from Nature's Fountains scorn'd to draw: But when t'examine ev'ry Part he came, Nature and Homer were, he found, the same: Convinc'd, amaz'd, he checks the bold Design, And Rules as strict his labour'd Work confine, As if the Stagyrite o'er looked each Line. Learn hence for Ancient Rules a just Esteem; To copy Nature is to copy Them. Some Beauties yet, no Precepts can declare, For there's a Happiness as well as Care. Musick resembles Poetry, in each Are nameless Graces which no Methods teach, And which a Master-Hand alone can reach. If, where the Rules not far enough extend, (Since Rules were made but to promote their End) Some Lucky LICENCE answers to the full Th' Intent propos'd, that Licence is a Rule. Thus Pegasus, a nearer way to take, May boldly deviate from the common Track. Great Wits sometimes may gloriously offend, And rise to Faults true Criticks dare not mend; From vulgar Bounds with brave Disorder part, And snatch a Grace beyond the Reach of Art, Which, without passing thro' the Judgment, gains The Heart, and all its End at once attains. In Prospects, thus, some Objects please our Eyes, Which out of Nature's common Order rise, The shapeless Rock, or hanging Precipice. But tho' the Ancients thus their Rules invade, (As Kings dispense with Laws Themselves have made) Moderns, beware! Or if you must offend Against the Precept, ne'er transgress its End, Let it be seldom, and compell'd by Need, And have, at least, Their Precedent to plead. The Critick else proceeds without Remorse, Seizes your Fame, and puts his Laws in force. I know there are, to whose presumptuous Thoughts Those Freer Beauties, ev'n in Them, seem Faults: Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. Still green with Bays each ancient Altar stands, Above the reach of Sacrilegious Hands, Secure from Flames, from Envy's fiercer Rage, Destructive War, and all-involving Age. See, from each Clime the Learn'd their Incense bring; Hear, in all Tongues consenting Paeans ring! In Praise so just, let ev'ry Voice be join'd, And fill the Gen'ral Chorus of Mankind! Hail Bards Triumphant! born in happier Days; Immortal Heirs of Universal Praise! Whose Honours with Increase of Ages grow, As streams roll down, enlarging as they flow! Nations unborn your mighty Names shall sound, And Worlds applaud that must not yet be found! Oh may some Spark of your Coelestial Fire The last, the meanest of your Sons inspire, (That on weak Wings, from far, pursues your Flights; Glows while he reads, but trembles as he writes) To teach vain Wits a Science little known, T' admire Superior Sense, and doubt their own! Of all the Causes which conspire to blind Man's erring Judgment, and misguide the Mind, What the weak Head with strongest Byass rules, Is Pride, the never-failing Vice of Fools. Whatever Nature has in Worth deny'd, She gives in large Recruits of needful Pride; For as in Bodies, thus in Souls, we find What wants in Blood and Spirits, swell'd with Wind; Pride, where Wit fails, steps in to our Defence, And fills up all the mighty Void of Sense! If once right Reason drives that Cloud away, Truth breaks upon us with resistless Day; Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend--and ev'ry Foe. A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Fir'd at first Sight with what the Muse imparts, In fearless Youth we tempt the Heights of Arts, While from the bounded Level of our Mind, Short Views we take, nor see the lengths behind, But more advanc'd, behold with strange Surprize New, distant Scenes of endless Science rise! So pleas'd at first, the towring Alps we try, Mount o'er the Vales, and seem to tread the Sky; Th' Eternal Snows appear already past, And the first Clouds and Mountains seem the last: But those attain'd, we tremble to survey The growing Labours of the lengthen'd Way, Th' increasing Prospect tires our wandering Eyes, Hills peep o'er Hills, and Alps on Alps arise! A perfect Judge will read each Work of Wit With the same Spirit that its Author writ, Survey the Whole, nor seek slight Faults to find, Where Nature moves, and Rapture warms the Mind; Nor lose, for that malignant dull Delight, The gen'rous Pleasure to be charm'd with Wit. But in such Lays as neither ebb, nor flow, Correctly cold, and regularly low, That shunning Faults, one quiet Tenour keep; We cannot blame indeed--but we may sleep. In Wit, as Nature, what affects our Hearts Is nor th' Exactness of peculiar Parts; 'Tis not a Lip, or Eye, we Beauty call, But the joint Force and full Result of all. Thus when we view some well-proportion'd Dome, The World's just Wonder, and ev'n thine O Rome!) No single Parts unequally surprize; All comes united to th' admiring Eyes; No monstrous Height, or Breadth, or Length appear; The Whole at once is Bold, and Regular. Whoever thinks a faultless Piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be. In ev'ry Work regard the Writer's End, Since none can compass more than they Intend; And if the Means be just, the Conduct true, Applause, in spite of trivial Faults, is due. As Men of Breeding, sometimes Men of Wit, T' avoid great Errors, must the less commit, Neglect the Rules each Verbal Critick lays, For not to know some Trifles, is a Praise. Most Criticks, fond of some subservient Art, Still make the Whole depend upon a Part, They talk of Principles, but Notions prize, And All to one lov'd Folly Sacrifice. Once on a time, La Mancha's Knight, they say, A certain Bard encountring on the Way, Discours'd in Terms as just, with Looks as Sage, As e'er cou'd Dennis, of the Grecian Stage; Concluding all were desp'rate Sots and Fools, Who durst depart from Aristotle's Rules. Our Author, happy in a Judge so nice, Produc'd his Play, and beg'd the Knight's Advice, Made him observe the Subject and the Plot, The Manners, Passions, Unities, what not? All which, exact to Rule were brought about, Were but a Combate in the Lists left out. What! Leave the Combate out? Exclaims the Knight; Yes, or we must renounce the Stagyrite. Not so by Heav'n (he answers in a Rage) Knights, Squires, and Steeds, must enter on the Stage. So vast a Throng the Stage can ne'er contain. Then build a New, or act it in a Plain. Thus Criticks, of less Judgment than Caprice, Curious, not Knowing, not exact, but nice, Form short Ideas; and offend in Arts (As most in Manners) by a Love to Parts. Some to Conceit alone their Taste confine, And glitt'ring Thoughts struck out at ev'ry Line; Pleas'd with a Work where nothing's just or fit; One glaring Chaos and wild Heap of Wit; Poets like Painters, thus, unskill'd to trace The naked Nature and the living Grace, With Gold and Jewels cover ev'ry Part, And hide with Ornaments their Want of Art. True Wit is Nature to Advantage drest, What oft was Thought, but ne'er so well Exprest, Something, whose Truth convinc'd at Sight we find, That gives us back the Image of our Mind: As Shades more sweetly recommend the Light, So modest Plainness sets off sprightly Wit: For Works may have more Wit than does 'em good, As Bodies perish through Excess of Blood. Others for Language all their Care express, And value Books, as Women Men, for Dress: Their Praise is still--The Stile is excellent: The Sense, they humbly take upon Content. Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound, Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found. False Eloquence, like the Prismatic Glass, Its gawdy Colours spreads on ev'ry place; The Face of Nature was no more Survey, All glares alike, without Distinction gay: But true Expression, like th' unchanging Sun, Clears, and improves whate'er it shines upon, It gilds all Objects, but it alters none. Expression is the Dress of Thought, and still Appears more decent as more suitable; A vile Conceit in pompous Words exprest, Is like a Clown in regal Purple drest; For diff'rent Styles with diff'rent Subjects sort, As several Garbs with Country, Town, and Court. Some by Old Words to Fame have made Pretence; Ancients in Phrase, meer Moderns in their Sense! Such labour'd Nothings, in so strange a Style, Amaze th'unlearn'd, and make the Learned Smile. Unlucky, as Fungoso in the Play, These Sparks with aukward Vanity display What the Fine Gentleman wore Yesterday! And but so mimick ancient Wits at best, As Apes our Grandsires in their Doublets treat. In Words, as Fashions, the same Rule will hold; Alike Fantastick, if too New, or Old; Be not the first by whom the New are try'd, Nor yet the last to lay the Old aside. But most by Numbers judge a Poet's Song, And smooth or rough, with them, is right or wrong; In the bright Muse tho' thousand Charms conspire, Her Voice is all these tuneful Fools admire, Who haunt Parnassus but to please their Ear, Not mend their Minds; as some to Church repair, Not for the Doctrine, but the Musick there. These Equal Syllables alone require, Tho' oft the Ear the open Vowels tire, While Expletives their feeble Aid do join, And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line, While they ring round the same unvary'd Chimes, With sure Returns of still expected Rhymes. Where-e'er you find the cooling Western Breeze, In the next Line, it whispers thro' the Trees; If Chrystal Streams with pleasing Murmurs creep, The Reader's threaten'd (not in vain) with Sleep. Then, at the last, and only Couplet fraught With some unmeaning Thing they call a Thought, A needless Alexandrine ends the Song, That like a wounded Snake, drags its slow length along. Leave such to tune their own dull Rhimes, and know What's roundly smooth, or languishingly slow; And praise the Easie Vigor of a Line, Where Denham's Strength, and Waller's Sweetness join. True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance, As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance, 'Tis not enough no Harshness gives Offence, The Sound must seem an Eccho to the Sense. Soft is the Strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth Stream in smoother Numbers flows; But when loud Surges lash the sounding Shore, The hoarse, rough Verse shou'd like the Torrent roar. When Ajax strives, some Rocks' vast Weight to throw, The Line too labours, and the Words move slow; Not so, when swift Camilla scours the Plain, Flies o'er th'unbending Corn, and skims along the Main. Hear how Timotheus' vary'd Lays surprize, And bid Alternate Passions fall and rise! While, at each Change, the Son of Lybian Jove Now burns with Glory, and then melts with Love; Now his fierce Eyes with sparkling Fury glow; Now Sighs steal out, and Tears begin to flow: Persians and Greeks like Turns of Nature found, And the World's Victor stood subdu'd by Sound! The Pow'rs of Musick all our Hearts allow; And what Timotheus was, is Dryden now. Avoid Extreams; and shun the Fault of such, Who still are pleas'd too little, or too much. At ev'ry Trifle scorn to take Offence, That always shows Great Pride, or Little Sense; Those Heads as Stomachs are not sure the best Which nauseate all, and nothing can digest. Yet let not each gay Turn thy Rapture move, For Fools Admire, but Men of Sense Approve; As things seem large which we thro' Mists descry, Dulness is ever apt to Magnify. Some foreign Writers, some our own despise; The Ancients only, or the Moderns prize: (Thus Wit, like Faith by each Man is apply'd To one small Sect, and All are damn'd beside.) Meanly they seek the Blessing to confine, And force that Sun but on a Part to Shine; Which not alone the Southern Wit sublimes, But ripens Spirits in cold Northern Climes; Which from the first has shone on Ages past, Enlights the present, and shall warm the last: (Tho' each may feel Increases and Decays, And see now clearer and now darker Days) Regard not then if Wit be Old or New, But blame the False, and value still the True. Some ne'er advance a Judgment of their own, But catch the spreading Notion of the Town; They reason and conclude by Precedent, And own stale Nonsense which they ne'er invent. Some judge of Authors' Names, not Works, and then Nor praise nor blame the Writings, but the Men. Of all this Servile Herd the worst is He That in proud Dulness joins with Quality, A constant Critick at the Great-man's Board, To fetch and carry Nonsense for my Lord. What woful stuff this Madrigal wou'd be, To some starv'd Hackny Sonneteer, or me? But let a Lord once own the happy Lines, How the Wit brightens! How the Style refines! Before his sacred Name flies ev'ry Fault, And each exalted Stanza teems with Thought! The Vulgar thus through Imitation err; As oft the Learn'd by being Singular; So much they scorn the Crowd, that if the Throng By Chance go right, they purposely go wrong; So Schismatics the plain Believers quit, And are but damn'd for having too much Wit. Some praise at Morning what they blame at Night; But always think the last Opinion right. A Muse by these is like a Mistress us'd, This hour she's idoliz'd, the next abus'd, While their weak Heads, like Towns unfortify'd, 'Twixt Sense and Nonsense daily change their Side. Ask them the Cause; They're wiser still, they say; And still to Morrow's wiser than to Day. We think our Fathers Fools, so wise we grow; Our wiser Sons, no doubt, will think us so. Once School-Divines this zealous Isle o'erspread; Who knew most Sentences was deepest read; Faith, Gospel, All, seem'd made to be disputed, And none had Sense enough to be Confuted. Scotists and Thomists, now, in Peace remain, Amidst their kindred Cobwebs in Duck-Lane. If Faith it self has diff'rent Dresses worn, What wonder Modes in Wit shou'd take their Turn? Oft, leaving what is Natural and fit, The current Folly proves the ready Wit, And Authors think their Reputation safe, Which lives as long as Fools are pleas'd to Laugh. Some valuing those of their own, Side or Mind, Still make themselves the measure of Mankind; Fondly we think we honour Merit then, When we but praise Our selves in Other Men. Parties in Wit attend on those of State, And publick Faction doubles private Hate. Pride, Malice, Folly, against Dryden rose, In various Shapes of Parsons, Criticks, Beaus; But Sense surviv'd, when merry Jests were past; For rising Merit will buoy up at last. Might he return, and bless once more our Eyes, New Blackmores and new Milbourns must arise; Nay shou'd great Homer lift his awful Head, Zoilus again would start up from the Dead. Envy will Merit as its Shade pursue, But like a Shadow, proves the Substance true; For envy'd Wit, like Sol Eclips'd, makes known Th' opposing Body's Grossness, not its own. When first that Sun too powerful Beams displays, It draws up Vapours which obscure its Rays; But ev'n those Clouds at last adorn its Way, Reflect new Glories, and augment the Day. Be thou the first true Merit to befriend; His Praise is lost, who stays till All commend; Short is the Date, alas, of Modern Rhymes; And 'tis but just to let 'em live betimes. No longer now that Golden Age appears, When Patriarch-Wits surviv'd thousand Years; Now Length of Fame (our second Life) is lost, And bare Threescore is all ev'n That can boast: Our Sons their Fathers' failing language see, And such as Chaucer is, shall Dryden be. So when the faithful Pencil has design'd Some bright Idea of the Master's Mind, Where a new World leaps out at his command, And ready Nature waits upon his Hand; When the ripe Colours soften and unite, And sweetly melt into just Shade and Light, When mellowing Years their full Perfection give, And each Bold Figure just begins to Live; The treach'rous Colours the fair Art betray, And all the bright Creation fades away! Unhappy Wit, like most mistaken Things, Attones not for that Envy which it brings. In Youth alone its empty Praise we boast, But soon the Short-liv'd Vanity is lost! Like some fair Flow'r the early Spring supplies, That gaily Blooms, but ev'n in blooming Dies. What is this Wit which must our Cares employ? The Owner's Wife, that other Men enjoy, Then most our Trouble still when most admir'd, And still the more we give, the more requir'd; Whose Fame with Pains we guard, but lose with Ease, Sure some to vex, but never all to please; 'Tis what the Vicious fear, the Virtuous shun; By Fools 'tis hated, and by Knaves undone! If Wit so much from Ign'rance undergo, Ah let not Learning too commence its Foe! Of old, those met Rewards who cou'd excel, And such were Prais'd who but endeavour'd well: Tho' Triumphs were to Gen'rals only due, Crowns were reserv'd to grace the Soldiers too. Now, they who reached Parnassus' lofty Crown, Employ their Pains to spurn some others down; And while Self-Love each jealous Writer rules, Contending Wits becomes the Sport of Fools: But still the Worst with most Regret commend, For each Ill Author is as bad a Friend. To what base Ends, and by what abject Ways, Are Mortals urg'd thro' Sacred Lust of praise! Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast, Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost! Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join; To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine. But if in Noble Minds some Dregs remain, Not yet purg'd off, of Spleen and sow'r Disdain, Discharge that Rage on more Provoking Crimes, Nor fear a Dearth in these Flagitious Times. No Pardon vile Obscenity should find, Tho' Wit and Art conspire to move your Mind; But Dulness with Obscenity must prove As Shameful sure as Importance in Love. In the fat Age of Pleasure, Wealth, and Ease, Sprung the rank Weed, and thriv'd with large Increase; When Love was all an easie Monarch's Care; Seldom at Council, never in a War: Jilts rul'd the State, and Statesmen Farces writ; Nay Wits had Pensions, and young Lords had Wit: The Fair sate panting at a Courtier's Play, And not a Mask went un-improv'd away: The modest Fan was liked up no more, And Virgins smil'd at what they blush'd before-- The following Licence of a Foreign Reign Did all the Dregs of bold Socinus drain; Then Unbelieving Priests reform'd the Nation, And taught more Pleasant Methods of Salvation; Where Heav'ns Free Subjects might their Rights dispute, Lest God himself shou'd seem too Absolute. Pulpits their Sacred Satire learn'd to spare, And Vice admir'd to find a Flatt'rer there! Encourag'd thus, Witt's Titans brav'd the Skies, And the Press groan'd with Licenc'd Blasphemies-- These Monsters, Criticks! with your Darts engage, Here point your Thunder, and exhaust your Rage! Yet shun their Fault, who, Scandalously nice, Will needs mistake an Author into Vice; All seems Infected that th' Infected spy, As all looks yellow to the Jaundic'd Eye. LEARN then what MORALS Criticks ought to show, For 'tis but half a Judge's Task, to Know. 'Tis not enough, Taste, Judgment, Learning, join; In all you speak, let Truth and Candor shine: That not alone what to your Sense is due, All may allow; but seek your Friendship too. Be silent always when you doubt your Sense; And speak, tho' sure, with seeming Diffidence: Some positive persisting Fops we know, Who, if once wrong, will needs be always so; But you, with Pleasure own your Errors past, An make each Day a Critick on the last. 'Tis not enough your Counsel still be true, Blunt Truths more Mischief than nice Falsehood do; Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And Things unknown propos'd as Things forgot: Without Good Breeding, Truth is disapprov'd; That only makes Superior Sense belov'd. Be Niggards of Advice on no Pretence; For the worst Avarice is that of Sense: With mean Complacence ne'er betray your Trust, Nor be so Civil as to prove Unjust; Fear not the Anger of the Wise to raise; Those best can bear Reproof, who merit Praise. 'Twere well, might Criticks still this Freedom take; But Appius reddens at each Word you speak, And stares, Tremendous! with a threatning Eye Like some fierce Tyrant in Old Tapestry! Fear most to tax an Honourable Fool, Whose Right it is, uncensur'd to be dull; Such without Wit are Poets when they please. As without Learning they can take Degrees. Leave dang'rous Truths to unsuccessful Satyrs, And Flattery to fulsome Dedicators, Whom, when they Praise, the World believes no more, Than when they promise to give Scribling o'er. 'Tis best sometimes your Censure to restrain, And charitably let the Dull be vain: Your Silence there is better than your Spite, For who can rail so long as they can write? Still humming on, their drowzy Course they keep, And lash'd so long, like Tops, are lash'd asleep. False Steps but help them to renew the Race, As after Stumbling, Jades will mend their Pace. What Crouds of these, impenitently bold, In Sounds and jingling Syllables grown old, Still run on Poets in a raging Vein, Ev'n to the Dregs and Squeezings of the Brain; Strain out the last, dull droppings of their Sense, And Rhyme with all the Rage of Impotence! Such shameless Bards we have; and yet 'tis true, There are as mad, abandon'd Criticks too. The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read, With Loads of Learned Lumber in his Head, With his own Tongue still edifies his Ears, And always List'ning to Himself appears. All Books he reads, and all he reads assails, From Dryden's Fables down to Durfey's Tales. With him, most Authors steal their Works, or buy; Garth did not write his own Dispensary. Name a new Play, and he's the Poet's Friend, Nay show'd his Faults--but when wou'd Poets mend? No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd, Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard: Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead; For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. Distrustful Sense with modest Caution speaks; It still looks home, and short Excursions makes; But ratling Nonsense in full Vollies breaks; And never shock'd, and never turn'd aside, Bursts out, resistless, with a thundering Tyde! But where's the Man, who Counsel can bestow, Still pleas'd to teach, and not proud to know? Unbiass'd, or by Favour or by Spite; Not dully prepossest, nor blindly right; Tho' Learn'd well-bred; and tho' well-bred, sincere; Modestly bold, and Humanly severe? Who to a Friend his Faults can freely show, And gladly praise the Merit of a Foe? Blest with a Taste exact, yet unconfin'd; A Knowledge both of Books and Humankind; Gen'rous Converse; a Sound exempt from Pride; And Love to Praise, with Reason on his Side? Such once were Criticks, such the Happy Few, Athens and Rome in better Ages knew. The mighty Stagyrite first left the Shore, Spread all his Sails, and durst the Deeps explore; He steer'd securely, and discover'd far, Led by the Light of the Maeonian Star. Poets, a Race long unconfin'd and free, Still fond and proud of Savage Liberty, Receiv'd his Laws, and stood convinc'd 'twas fit Who conquer'd Nature, shou'd preside o'er Wit. Horace still charms with graceful Negligence, And without Method talks us into Sense, Will like a Friend familarly convey The truest Notions in the easiest way. He, who Supream in Judgment, as in Wit, Might boldly censure, as he boldly writ, Yet judg'd with Coolness tho' he sung with Fire; His Precepts teach but what his Works inspire. Our Criticks take a contrary Extream, They judge with Fury, but they write with Fle'me: Nor suffers Horace more in wrong Translations By Wits, than Criticks in as wrong Quotations. See Dionysius Homer's Thoughts refine, And call new Beauties forth from ev'ry Line! Fancy and Art in gay Petronius please, The Scholar's Learning, with the Courtier's Ease. In grave Quintilian's copious Work we find The justest Rules, and clearest Method join'd; Thus useful Arms in Magazines we place, All rang'd in Order, and dispos'd with Grace, But less to please the Eye, than arm the Hand, Still fit for Use, and ready at Command. Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire, And bless their Critick with a Poet's Fire. An ardent Judge, who Zealous in his Trust, With Warmth gives Sentence, yet is always Just; Whose own Example strengthens all his Laws, And Is himself that great Sublime he draws. Thus long succeeding Criticks justly reign'd, Licence repress'd, and useful Laws ordain'd; Learning and Rome alike in Empire grew, And Arts still follow'd where her Eagles flew; From the same Foes, at last, both felt their Doom, And the same Age saw Learning fall, and Rome. With Tyranny, then Superstition join'd, As that the Body, this enslav'd the Mind; Much was Believ'd, but little understood, And to be dull was constru'd to be good; A second Deluge Learning thus o'er-run, And the Monks finish'd what the Goths begun. At length, Erasmus, that great, injur'd Name, (The Glory of the Priesthood, and the Shame!) Stemm'd the wild Torrent of a barb'rous Age. And drove those Holy Vandals off the Stage. But see! each Muse, in Leo's Golden Days, Starts from her Trance, and trims her wither'd Bays! Rome's ancient Genius, o'er its Ruins spread, Shakes off the Dust, and rears his rev'rend Head! Then Sculpture and her Sister-Arts revive; Stones leap'd to Form, and Rocks began to live; With sweeter Notes each rising Temple rung; A Raphael painted, and a Vida sung! Immortal Vida! on whose honour'd Brow The Poet's Bays and Critick's Ivy grow: Cremona now shall ever boast thy Name, As next in Place to Mantua, next in Fame! But soon by Impious Arms from Latium chas'd, Their ancient Bounds the banish'd Muses past: Thence Arts o'er all the Northern World advance, But Critic Learning flourish'd most in France. The Rules, a Nation born to serve, obeys, And Boileau still in Right of Horace sways. But we, brave Britons, Foreign Laws despis'd, And kept unconquer'd and unciviliz'd, Fierce for the Liberties of Wit, and bold, We still defy'd the Romans as of old. Yet some there were, among the sounder Few Of those who less presum'd, and better knew, Who durst assert the juster Ancient Cause, And here restor'd Wit's Fundamental Laws. Such was the Muse, whose Rules and Practice tell, Nature's chief Master-piece is writing well. Such was Roscomon--not more learn'd than good, With Manners gen'rous as his Noble Blood; To him the Wit of Greece and Rome was known, And ev'ry Author's Merit, but his own. Such late was Walsh,--the Muse's Judge and Friend, Who justly knew to blame or to commend; To Failings mild, but zealous for Desert; The clearest Head, and the sincerest Heart. This humble Praise, lamented Shade! receive, This Praise at least a grateful Muse may give! The Muse, whose early Voice you taught to Sing, Prescrib'd her Heights, and prun'd her tender Wing, (Her Guide now lost) no more attempts to rise, But in low Numbers short Excursions tries: Content, if hence th' Unlearned their Wants may view, The Learn'd reflect on what before they knew: Careless of Censure, not too fond of Fame, Still pleas'd to praise, yet not afraid to blame, Averse alike to Flatter, or Offend, Not free from Faults, nor yet too vain to mend.	Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
IBM's innovative 'Selectric' typewriter of the 1960s-80s was popularly called a?	An Essay on Criticism - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on An Essay on Criticism Wikis An Essay on Criticism: Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Alexander Pope An Essay on Criticism was the first major poem written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688–1744). However, despite the title, the poem is not as much an original analysis as it is a compilation of Pope's various literary opinions. A reading of the poem makes it clear that he is addressing not so much the ingenuous reader as the intending writer. It is written in a type of rhyming verse called heroic couplets . The poem first appeared in 1711, but was written in 1709. It is clear from Pope's correspondence [1] that many of the poem's ideas had existed in prose form since at least 1706. It is a verse essay written in the Horatian mode and is primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave in the new literary commerce of Pope's contemporary age. The poem covers a range of good criticism and advice. It also represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age. Pope contends in the poem's opening couplets that bad criticism does greater harm than bad writing: 'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill Appear in Writing or in Judging ill, But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence, To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense Some few in that, but Numbers err in this, Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss; A Fool might once himself alone expose, Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose. ... (1–8) Despite the harmful effects of bad criticism, literature requires worthy criticism. Pope delineates common faults of critics, e.g., settling for easy and cliché rhymes: And ten low words oft creep in one dull line: While they ring round the same unvaried chimes, With sure returns of still expected rhymes; Wher'er you find "the cooling western breeze", In the next line, it "whispers through the trees"; If crystal streams "with pleasing murmurs creep", The reader's threatened (not in vain) with "sleep" . . . (347–353) Throughout the poem, Pope refers to ancient writers such as Virgil , Homer , Aristotle , Horace and Longinus . This is a testament to his belief that the "Imitation of the ancients" is the ultimate standard for taste. Pope also says, "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance" (362–363), meaning poets are made, not born. As is usual in Pope's poems, the "Essay" concludes with a reference to Pope himself. Walsh, the last of the critics mentioned, was a mentor and friend of Pope who had died in 1710. An Essay on Criticism was famously and fiercely attacked by John Dennis , who is mentioned mockingly in the work. Consequently, Dennis also appears in Pope's later satire, the Dunciad . Part II of An Essay on Criticism includes a famous couplet: A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring . in reference to the spring of Pieria in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses . Ironically, the first line of this couplet is often misquoted as "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing," thus reinforcing the aptness of this very admonition, as the misquote betrays a certain want of learning. Part II is also the source of this famous line: To err is human, to forgive divine. The line " Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear to Tread " from Part III has become part of the popular lexicon, and has been used for and in various works. References ^ 22nd October, 1706: Correspondence, i.23–24. External links Up to date as of January 14, 2010 From Wikiquote Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. An Essay on Criticism was the first major poem written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688-1744). However, despite the title, the poem is not as much an original analysis as it is a compilation of Pope's various literary opinions. A reading of the poem makes it clear that he is addressing not so much the ingenuous reader as the intending writer. It is written in a type of rhyming verse called heroic couplets . The poem first appeared in 1711 , but was written in 1709. It is clear from Pope's correspondence that many of the poems ideas had existed in prose form since at least 1706. It is a verse essay written in the Horatian mode and is primarily concerned with how writers and critics behave in the new literary commerce of Pope's contemporary age. The poem covers a range of good criticism and advice. It also represents many of the chief literary ideals of Pope's age. Contents Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss. Line 6. 'Tis with our judgements as our watches, none Go just alike, yet each believes his own. Line 9. Compare: "But as when an authentic watch is shown, Each man winds up and rectifies his own, So in our very judgments", John Suckling , Aglaura, Epilogue. Let such teach others who themselves excel, And censure freely who have written well. Line 15. Some are bewildered in the maze of schools, And some made coxcombs nature meant but fools. Line 26. One science only will one genius fit: So vast is art, so narrow human wit. Line 60. From vulgar bounds with brave disorder part, And snatch a grace beyond the reach of art. Line 152. Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. Line 171 - 174. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. Line 175 - 179. Compare: "Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus" (translated: "Even the worthy Homer some times nods"), Horace , De Arte Poetica, 359. Part II Of all the causes which conspire to blind Man's erring judgment, and misguide the mind; What the weak head with strongest bias rules, — Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools. Line 1. Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend — and ev'ry Foe. Lines 13-14. A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Lines 15-18. Compare: "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. He that travelleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school, and not to travel", Francis Bacon , Of Travel. Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise! Line 32. 'Tis not a lip, or eye, we beauty call, But the joint force and full result of all. Line 45. Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be. Line 53. Compare: "'High characters', cries one, and he would see / Things that ne’er were, nor are, nor e'er will be", John Suckling , The Goblins, Epilogue. True wit is nature to advantage dressed, What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed. Line 97. Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. Line 109. Such labored nothings, in so strange a style, Amaze th' unlearned, and make the learned smile. Line 126. In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic if too new or old: Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. Line 133. As some to church repair, Not for the doctrine, but the music there. These equal syllables alone require, Though oft the ear the open vowels tire; While expletives their feeble aid do join, And ten low words oft creep in one dull line. Line 142. Then, at the last and only couplet fraught With some unmeaning thing they call a thought, A needless Alexandrine ends the song, That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along. Line 156. True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense; The sound must seem an echo to the sense. Line 162. Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows, And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse rough verse should like the torrent roar. When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labours, and the words move slow: Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er th' unbending corn, and skims along the main. Part ii. Line 166. Yet not let each gay turn thy rapture move; For fools admire, but men of sense approve. Line 190. Some judge of authors' names, not works, and then Nor praise nor blame the writings, but the men. Line 212. What woeful stuff this madrigal would be, In some starved hackney sonneteer, or me! But let a lord once own the happy lines, How the wit brightens! how the style refines! Line 218. But let a lord once own the happy lines, How the wit brightens! how the style refines! Part ii. Line 220. Some praise at morning what they blame at night, But always think the last opinion right. Line 230. Fondly we think we honour Merit then, When we but praise Our selves in Other Men. Lines 254-255. Envy will merit as its shade pursue, But like a shadow proves the substance true. Part ii. Line 266. Be thou the first true Merit to befriend; His praise is lost, who stays till All commend. Lines 274-275. Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast, Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost! Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join; To err is human, to forgive divine. Lines 322-325. Compare: "To step aside is human ", Robert Burns , Address to the Unco Guid. All seems Infected that th' Infected spy, As all looks yellow to the Jaundic'd Eye. Line 358. Learn then what morals critics ought to show, For 'tis but half a judge's task, to know. Line 1. Be silent always when you doubt your sense. Line 6. And make each day a critic on the last. Line 12. 'Tis not enough your Counsel still be true, Blunt Truths more Mischief than nice Falsehoods do; Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And Things unknown propos'd as Things forgot. Lines 13-16. The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head, With his own tongue still edifies his ears, And always list'ning to himself appears. All books he reads, and all he reads assails. Line 53. Most authors steal their works, or buy; Garth did not write his own Dispensary. Line 59. No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd, Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard: Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead; For fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Lines 63 to 66. Compare: "Wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch", William Shakespeare , King Richard III, Act I, Sc. 3. But where's the man who counsel can bestow, Still pleased to teach, and yet not proud to know? Line 72. Led by the light of the Mæonian star. Line 89. Content if hence th' unlearn'd their wants may view, The learn'd reflect on what before they knew. Line 180. Compare: "Indocti discant et ament meminisse periti" (translated: "Let the unlearned learn, and the learned delight in remembering"). This Latin hexameter, which is commonly ascribed to Horace , appeared for the first time as an epigraph to President Hénault's Abrégé Chronologique, and in the preface to the third edition of this work Hénault acknowledges that he had given it as a translation of this couplet. Careless of censure, nor too fond of fame, Still pleased to praise, yet not afraid to blame, Averse alike to flatter or offend, Not free from faults, nor yet too vain to mend. Line 182. Up to date as of January 22, 2010 From Wikisource by Alexander Pope 'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill Appear in Writing or in Judging ill, But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence, To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense: Some few in that, but Numbers err in this, Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss; A Fool might once himself alone expose, Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose. 'Tis with our Judgments as our Watches, none Go just alike, yet each believes his own. In Poets as true Genius is but rare, True Taste as seldom is the Critick's Share; Both must alike from Heav'n derive their Light, These born to Judge, as well as those to Write. Let such teach others who themselves excell, And censure freely who have written well. Authors are partial to their Wit, 'tis true, But are not Criticks to their Judgment too? Yet if we look more closely, we shall find Most have the Seeds of Judgment in their Mind; Nature affords at least a glimm'ring Light; The Lines, tho' touch'd but faintly, are drawn right. But as the slightest Sketch, if justly trac'd, Is by ill Colouring but the more disgrac'd, So by false Learning is good Sense defac'd. Some are bewilder'd in the Maze of Schools, And some made Coxcombs Nature meant but Fools. In search of Wit these lose their common Sense, And then turn Criticks in their own Defence. Each burns alike, who can, or cannot write, Or with a Rival's or an Eunuch's spite. All Fools have still an Itching to deride, And fain wou'd be upon the Laughing Side; If Maevius Scribble in Apollo's spight, There are, who judge still worse than he can write Some have at first for Wits, then Poets past, Turn'd Criticks next, and prov'd plain Fools at last; Some neither can for Wits nor Criticks pass, As heavy Mules are neither Horse or Ass. Those half-learn'd Witlings, num'rous in our Isle, As half-form'd Insects on the Banks of Nile: Unfinish'd Things, one knows now what to call, Their Generation's so equivocal: To tell 'em, wou'd a hundred Tongues require, Or one vain Wit's, that might a hundred tire. But you who seek to give and merit Fame, And justly bear a Critick's noble Name, Be sure your self and your own Reach to know. How far your Genius, Taste, and Learning go; Launch not beyond your Depth, but be discreet, And mark that Point where Sense and Dulness meet. Nature to all things fix'd the Limits fit, And wisely curb'd proud Man's pretending Wit: As on the Land while here the Ocean gains, In other Parts it leaves wide sandy Plains; Thus in the Soul while Memory prevails, The solid Pow'r of Understanding fails; Where Beams of warm Imagination play, The Memory's soft Figures melt away. One Science only will one Genius fit; So vast is Art, so narrow Human Wit; Not only bounded to peculiar Arts, But oft in those, confin'd to single Parts. Like Kings we lose the Conquests gain'd before, By vain Ambition still to make them more: Each might his sev'ral Province well command, Wou'd all but stoop to what they understand. First follow NATURE, and your Judgment frame By her just Standard, which is still the same: Unerring Nature, still divinely bright, One clear, unchang'd and Universal Light, Life, Force, and Beauty, must to all impart, At once the Source, and End, and Test of Art Art from that Fund each just Supply provides, Works without Show, and without Pomp presides: In some fair Body thus th' informing Soul With Spirits feeds, with Vigour fills the whole, Each Motion guides, and ev'ry Nerve sustains; It self unseen, but in th' Effects, remains. Some, to whom Heav'n in Wit has been profuse. Want as much more, to turn it to its use, For Wit and Judgment often are at strife, Tho' meant each other's Aid, like Man and Wife. 'Tis more to guide than spur the Muse's Steed; Restrain his Fury, than provoke his Speed; The winged Courser, like a gen'rous Horse, Shows most true Mettle when you check his Course. Those RULES of old discover'd, not devis'd, Are Nature still, but Nature Methodiz'd; Nature, like Liberty, is but restrain'd By the same Laws which first herself ordain'd. Hear how learn'd Greece her useful Rules indites, When to repress, and when indulge our Flights: High on Parnassus' Top her Sons she show'd, And pointed out those arduous Paths they trod, Held from afar, aloft, th' Immortal Prize, And urg'd the rest by equal Steps to rise; Just Precepts thus from great Examples giv'n, She drew from them what they deriv'd from Heav'n The gen'rous Critick fann'd the Poet's Fire, And taught the World, with Reason to Admire. Then Criticism the Muse's Handmaid prov'd, To dress her Charms, and make her more belov'd; But following Wits from that Intention stray'd; Who cou'd not win the Mistress, woo'd the Maid; Against the Poets their own Arms they turn'd, Sure to hate most the Men from whom they learn'd So modern Pothecaries, taught the Art By Doctor's Bills to play the Doctor's Part, Bold in the Practice of mistaken Rules, Prescribe, apply, and call their Masters Fools. Some on the Leaves of ancient Authors prey, Nor Time nor Moths e'er spoil'd so much as they: Some dryly plain, without Invention's Aid, Write dull Receits how Poems may be made: These leave the Sense, their Learning to display, And theme explain the Meaning quite away You then whose Judgment the right Course wou'd steer, Know well each ANCIENT's proper Character, His Fable, Subject, Scope in ev'ry Page, Religion, Country, Genius of his Age: Without all these at once before your Eyes, Cavil you may, but never Criticize. Be Homer's Works your Study, and Delight, Read them by Day, and meditate by Night, Thence form your Judgment, thence your Maxims bring, And trace the Muses upward to their Spring; Still with It self compar'd, his Text peruse; And let your Comment be the Mantuan Muse. When first young Maro in his boundless Mind A Work t' outlast Immortal Rome design'd, Perhaps he seem'd above the Critick's Law, And but from Nature's Fountains scorn'd to draw: But when t'examine ev'ry Part he came, Nature and Homer were, he found, the same: Convinc'd, amaz'd, he checks the bold Design, And Rules as strict his labour'd Work confine, As if the Stagyrite o'er looked each Line. Learn hence for Ancient Rules a just Esteem; To copy Nature is to copy Them. Some Beauties yet, no Precepts can declare, For there's a Happiness as well as Care. Musick resembles Poetry, in each Are nameless Graces which no Methods teach, And which a Master-Hand alone can reach. If, where the Rules not far enough extend, (Since Rules were made but to promote their End) Some Lucky LICENCE answers to the full Th' Intent propos'd, that Licence is a Rule. Thus Pegasus, a nearer way to take, May boldly deviate from the common Track. Great Wits sometimes may gloriously offend, And rise to Faults true Criticks dare not mend; From vulgar Bounds with brave Disorder part, And snatch a Grace beyond the Reach of Art, Which, without passing thro' the Judgment, gains The Heart, and all its End at once attains. In Prospects, thus, some Objects please our Eyes, Which out of Nature's common Order rise, The shapeless Rock, or hanging Precipice. But tho' the Ancients thus their Rules invade, (As Kings dispense with Laws Themselves have made) Moderns, beware! Or if you must offend Against the Precept, ne'er transgress its End, Let it be seldom, and compell'd by Need, And have, at least, Their Precedent to plead. The Critick else proceeds without Remorse, Seizes your Fame, and puts his Laws in force. I know there are, to whose presumptuous Thoughts Those Freer Beauties, ev'n in Them, seem Faults: Some Figures monstrous and mis-shap'd appear, Consider'd singly, or beheld too near, Which, but proportion'd to their Light, or Place, Due Distance reconciles to Form and Grace. A prudent Chief not always must display His Pow'rs in equal Ranks, and fair Array, But with th' Occasion and the Place comply, Conceal his Force, nay seem sometimes to Fly. Those oft are Stratagems which Errors seem, Nor is it Homer Nods, but We that Dream. Still green with Bays each ancient Altar stands, Above the reach of Sacrilegious Hands, Secure from Flames, from Envy's fiercer Rage, Destructive War, and all-involving Age. See, from each Clime the Learn'd their Incense bring; Hear, in all Tongues consenting Paeans ring! In Praise so just, let ev'ry Voice be join'd, And fill the Gen'ral Chorus of Mankind! Hail Bards Triumphant! born in happier Days; Immortal Heirs of Universal Praise! Whose Honours with Increase of Ages grow, As streams roll down, enlarging as they flow! Nations unborn your mighty Names shall sound, And Worlds applaud that must not yet be found! Oh may some Spark of your Coelestial Fire The last, the meanest of your Sons inspire, (That on weak Wings, from far, pursues your Flights; Glows while he reads, but trembles as he writes) To teach vain Wits a Science little known, T' admire Superior Sense, and doubt their own! Of all the Causes which conspire to blind Man's erring Judgment, and misguide the Mind, What the weak Head with strongest Byass rules, Is Pride, the never-failing Vice of Fools. Whatever Nature has in Worth deny'd, She gives in large Recruits of needful Pride; For as in Bodies, thus in Souls, we find What wants in Blood and Spirits, swell'd with Wind; Pride, where Wit fails, steps in to our Defence, And fills up all the mighty Void of Sense! If once right Reason drives that Cloud away, Truth breaks upon us with resistless Day; Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend--and ev'ry Foe. A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow Draughts intoxicate the Brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Fir'd at first Sight with what the Muse imparts, In fearless Youth we tempt the Heights of Arts, While from the bounded Level of our Mind, Short Views we take, nor see the lengths behind, But more advanc'd, behold with strange Surprize New, distant Scenes of endless Science rise! So pleas'd at first, the towring Alps we try, Mount o'er the Vales, and seem to tread the Sky; Th' Eternal Snows appear already past, And the first Clouds and Mountains seem the last: But those attain'd, we tremble to survey The growing Labours of the lengthen'd Way, Th' increasing Prospect tires our wandering Eyes, Hills peep o'er Hills, and Alps on Alps arise! A perfect Judge will read each Work of Wit With the same Spirit that its Author writ, Survey the Whole, nor seek slight Faults to find, Where Nature moves, and Rapture warms the Mind; Nor lose, for that malignant dull Delight, The gen'rous Pleasure to be charm'd with Wit. But in such Lays as neither ebb, nor flow, Correctly cold, and regularly low, That shunning Faults, one quiet Tenour keep; We cannot blame indeed--but we may sleep. In Wit, as Nature, what affects our Hearts Is nor th' Exactness of peculiar Parts; 'Tis not a Lip, or Eye, we Beauty call, But the joint Force and full Result of all. Thus when we view some well-proportion'd Dome, The World's just Wonder, and ev'n thine O Rome!) No single Parts unequally surprize; All comes united to th' admiring Eyes; No monstrous Height, or Breadth, or Length appear; The Whole at once is Bold, and Regular. Whoever thinks a faultless Piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be. In ev'ry Work regard the Writer's End, Since none can compass more than they Intend; And if the Means be just, the Conduct true, Applause, in spite of trivial Faults, is due. As Men of Breeding, sometimes Men of Wit, T' avoid great Errors, must the less commit, Neglect the Rules each Verbal Critick lays, For not to know some Trifles, is a Praise. Most Criticks, fond of some subservient Art, Still make the Whole depend upon a Part, They talk of Principles, but Notions prize, And All to one lov'd Folly Sacrifice. Once on a time, La Mancha's Knight, they say, A certain Bard encountring on the Way, Discours'd in Terms as just, with Looks as Sage, As e'er cou'd Dennis, of the Grecian Stage; Concluding all were desp'rate Sots and Fools, Who durst depart from Aristotle's Rules. Our Author, happy in a Judge so nice, Produc'd his Play, and beg'd the Knight's Advice, Made him observe the Subject and the Plot, The Manners, Passions, Unities, what not? All which, exact to Rule were brought about, Were but a Combate in the Lists left out. What! Leave the Combate out? Exclaims the Knight; Yes, or we must renounce the Stagyrite. Not so by Heav'n (he answers in a Rage) Knights, Squires, and Steeds, must enter on the Stage. So vast a Throng the Stage can ne'er contain. Then build a New, or act it in a Plain. Thus Criticks, of less Judgment than Caprice, Curious, not Knowing, not exact, but nice, Form short Ideas; and offend in Arts (As most in Manners) by a Love to Parts. Some to Conceit alone their Taste confine, And glitt'ring Thoughts struck out at ev'ry Line; Pleas'd with a Work where nothing's just or fit; One glaring Chaos and wild Heap of Wit; Poets like Painters, thus, unskill'd to trace The naked Nature and the living Grace, With Gold and Jewels cover ev'ry Part, And hide with Ornaments their Want of Art. True Wit is Nature to Advantage drest, What oft was Thought, but ne'er so well Exprest, Something, whose Truth convinc'd at Sight we find, That gives us back the Image of our Mind: As Shades more sweetly recommend the Light, So modest Plainness sets off sprightly Wit: For Works may have more Wit than does 'em good, As Bodies perish through Excess of Blood. Others for Language all their Care express, And value Books, as Women Men, for Dress: Their Praise is still--The Stile is excellent: The Sense, they humbly take upon Content. Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound, Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found. False Eloquence, like the Prismatic Glass, Its gawdy Colours spreads on ev'ry place; The Face of Nature was no more Survey, All glares alike, without Distinction gay: But true Expression, like th' unchanging Sun, Clears, and improves whate'er it shines upon, It gilds all Objects, but it alters none. Expression is the Dress of Thought, and still Appears more decent as more suitable; A vile Conceit in pompous Words exprest, Is like a Clown in regal Purple drest; For diff'rent Styles with diff'rent Subjects sort, As several Garbs with Country, Town, and Court. Some by Old Words to Fame have made Pretence; Ancients in Phrase, meer Moderns in their Sense! Such labour'd Nothings, in so strange a Style, Amaze th'unlearn'd, and make the Learned Smile. Unlucky, as Fungoso in the Play, These Sparks with aukward Vanity display What the Fine Gentleman wore Yesterday! And but so mimick ancient Wits at best, As Apes our Grandsires in their Doublets treat. In Words, as Fashions, the same Rule will hold; Alike Fantastick, if too New, or Old; Be not the first by whom the New are try'd, Nor yet the last to lay the Old aside. But most by Numbers judge a Poet's Song, And smooth or rough, with them, is right or wrong; In the bright Muse tho' thousand Charms conspire, Her Voice is all these tuneful Fools admire, Who haunt Parnassus but to please their Ear, Not mend their Minds; as some to Church repair, Not for the Doctrine, but the Musick there. These Equal Syllables alone require, Tho' oft the Ear the open Vowels tire, While Expletives their feeble Aid do join, And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line, While they ring round the same unvary'd Chimes, With sure Returns of still expected Rhymes. Where-e'er you find the cooling Western Breeze, In the next Line, it whispers thro' the Trees; If Chrystal Streams with pleasing Murmurs creep, The Reader's threaten'd (not in vain) with Sleep. Then, at the last, and only Couplet fraught With some unmeaning Thing they call a Thought, A needless Alexandrine ends the Song, That like a wounded Snake, drags its slow length along. Leave such to tune their own dull Rhimes, and know What's roundly smooth, or languishingly slow; And praise the Easie Vigor of a Line, Where Denham's Strength, and Waller's Sweetness join. True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance, As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance, 'Tis not enough no Harshness gives Offence, The Sound must seem an Eccho to the Sense. Soft is the Strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth Stream in smoother Numbers flows; But when loud Surges lash the sounding Shore, The hoarse, rough Verse shou'd like the Torrent roar. When Ajax strives, some Rocks' vast Weight to throw, The Line too labours, and the Words move slow; Not so, when swift Camilla scours the Plain, Flies o'er th'unbending Corn, and skims along the Main. Hear how Timotheus' vary'd Lays surprize, And bid Alternate Passions fall and rise! While, at each Change, the Son of Lybian Jove Now burns with Glory, and then melts with Love; Now his fierce Eyes with sparkling Fury glow; Now Sighs steal out, and Tears begin to flow: Persians and Greeks like Turns of Nature found, And the World's Victor stood subdu'd by Sound! The Pow'rs of Musick all our Hearts allow; And what Timotheus was, is Dryden now. Avoid Extreams; and shun the Fault of such, Who still are pleas'd too little, or too much. At ev'ry Trifle scorn to take Offence, That always shows Great Pride, or Little Sense; Those Heads as Stomachs are not sure the best Which nauseate all, and nothing can digest. Yet let not each gay Turn thy Rapture move, For Fools Admire, but Men of Sense Approve; As things seem large which we thro' Mists descry, Dulness is ever apt to Magnify. Some foreign Writers, some our own despise; The Ancients only, or the Moderns prize: (Thus Wit, like Faith by each Man is apply'd To one small Sect, and All are damn'd beside.) Meanly they seek the Blessing to confine, And force that Sun but on a Part to Shine; Which not alone the Southern Wit sublimes, But ripens Spirits in cold Northern Climes; Which from the first has shone on Ages past, Enlights the present, and shall warm the last: (Tho' each may feel Increases and Decays, And see now clearer and now darker Days) Regard not then if Wit be Old or New, But blame the False, and value still the True. Some ne'er advance a Judgment of their own, But catch the spreading Notion of the Town; They reason and conclude by Precedent, And own stale Nonsense which they ne'er invent. Some judge of Authors' Names, not Works, and then Nor praise nor blame the Writings, but the Men. Of all this Servile Herd the worst is He That in proud Dulness joins with Quality, A constant Critick at the Great-man's Board, To fetch and carry Nonsense for my Lord. What woful stuff this Madrigal wou'd be, To some starv'd Hackny Sonneteer, or me? But let a Lord once own the happy Lines, How the Wit brightens! How the Style refines! Before his sacred Name flies ev'ry Fault, And each exalted Stanza teems with Thought! The Vulgar thus through Imitation err; As oft the Learn'd by being Singular; So much they scorn the Crowd, that if the Throng By Chance go right, they purposely go wrong; So Schismatics the plain Believers quit, And are but damn'd for having too much Wit. Some praise at Morning what they blame at Night; But always think the last Opinion right. A Muse by these is like a Mistress us'd, This hour she's idoliz'd, the next abus'd, While their weak Heads, like Towns unfortify'd, 'Twixt Sense and Nonsense daily change their Side. Ask them the Cause; They're wiser still, they say; And still to Morrow's wiser than to Day. We think our Fathers Fools, so wise we grow; Our wiser Sons, no doubt, will think us so. Once School-Divines this zealous Isle o'erspread; Who knew most Sentences was deepest read; Faith, Gospel, All, seem'd made to be disputed, And none had Sense enough to be Confuted. Scotists and Thomists, now, in Peace remain, Amidst their kindred Cobwebs in Duck-Lane. If Faith it self has diff'rent Dresses worn, What wonder Modes in Wit shou'd take their Turn? Oft, leaving what is Natural and fit, The current Folly proves the ready Wit, And Authors think their Reputation safe, Which lives as long as Fools are pleas'd to Laugh. Some valuing those of their own, Side or Mind, Still make themselves the measure of Mankind; Fondly we think we honour Merit then, When we but praise Our selves in Other Men. Parties in Wit attend on those of State, And publick Faction doubles private Hate. Pride, Malice, Folly, against Dryden rose, In various Shapes of Parsons, Criticks, Beaus; But Sense surviv'd, when merry Jests were past; For rising Merit will buoy up at last. Might he return, and bless once more our Eyes, New Blackmores and new Milbourns must arise; Nay shou'd great Homer lift his awful Head, Zoilus again would start up from the Dead. Envy will Merit as its Shade pursue, But like a Shadow, proves the Substance true; For envy'd Wit, like Sol Eclips'd, makes known Th' opposing Body's Grossness, not its own. When first that Sun too powerful Beams displays, It draws up Vapours which obscure its Rays; But ev'n those Clouds at last adorn its Way, Reflect new Glories, and augment the Day. Be thou the first true Merit to befriend; His Praise is lost, who stays till All commend; Short is the Date, alas, of Modern Rhymes; And 'tis but just to let 'em live betimes. No longer now that Golden Age appears, When Patriarch-Wits surviv'd thousand Years; Now Length of Fame (our second Life) is lost, And bare Threescore is all ev'n That can boast: Our Sons their Fathers' failing language see, And such as Chaucer is, shall Dryden be. So when the faithful Pencil has design'd Some bright Idea of the Master's Mind, Where a new World leaps out at his command, And ready Nature waits upon his Hand; When the ripe Colours soften and unite, And sweetly melt into just Shade and Light, When mellowing Years their full Perfection give, And each Bold Figure just begins to Live; The treach'rous Colours the fair Art betray, And all the bright Creation fades away! Unhappy Wit, like most mistaken Things, Attones not for that Envy which it brings. In Youth alone its empty Praise we boast, But soon the Short-liv'd Vanity is lost! Like some fair Flow'r the early Spring supplies, That gaily Blooms, but ev'n in blooming Dies. What is this Wit which must our Cares employ? The Owner's Wife, that other Men enjoy, Then most our Trouble still when most admir'd, And still the more we give, the more requir'd; Whose Fame with Pains we guard, but lose with Ease, Sure some to vex, but never all to please; 'Tis what the Vicious fear, the Virtuous shun; By Fools 'tis hated, and by Knaves undone! If Wit so much from Ign'rance undergo, Ah let not Learning too commence its Foe! Of old, those met Rewards who cou'd excel, And such were Prais'd who but endeavour'd well: Tho' Triumphs were to Gen'rals only due, Crowns were reserv'd to grace the Soldiers too. Now, they who reached Parnassus' lofty Crown, Employ their Pains to spurn some others down; And while Self-Love each jealous Writer rules, Contending Wits becomes the Sport of Fools: But still the Worst with most Regret commend, For each Ill Author is as bad a Friend. To what base Ends, and by what abject Ways, Are Mortals urg'd thro' Sacred Lust of praise! Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast, Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost! Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join; To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine. But if in Noble Minds some Dregs remain, Not yet purg'd off, of Spleen and sow'r Disdain, Discharge that Rage on more Provoking Crimes, Nor fear a Dearth in these Flagitious Times. No Pardon vile Obscenity should find, Tho' Wit and Art conspire to move your Mind; But Dulness with Obscenity must prove As Shameful sure as Importance in Love. In the fat Age of Pleasure, Wealth, and Ease, Sprung the rank Weed, and thriv'd with large Increase; When Love was all an easie Monarch's Care; Seldom at Council, never in a War: Jilts rul'd the State, and Statesmen Farces writ; Nay Wits had Pensions, and young Lords had Wit: The Fair sate panting at a Courtier's Play, And not a Mask went un-improv'd away: The modest Fan was liked up no more, And Virgins smil'd at what they blush'd before-- The following Licence of a Foreign Reign Did all the Dregs of bold Socinus drain; Then Unbelieving Priests reform'd the Nation, And taught more Pleasant Methods of Salvation; Where Heav'ns Free Subjects might their Rights dispute, Lest God himself shou'd seem too Absolute. Pulpits their Sacred Satire learn'd to spare, And Vice admir'd to find a Flatt'rer there! Encourag'd thus, Witt's Titans brav'd the Skies, And the Press groan'd with Licenc'd Blasphemies-- These Monsters, Criticks! with your Darts engage, Here point your Thunder, and exhaust your Rage! Yet shun their Fault, who, Scandalously nice, Will needs mistake an Author into Vice; All seems Infected that th' Infected spy, As all looks yellow to the Jaundic'd Eye. LEARN then what MORALS Criticks ought to show, For 'tis but half a Judge's Task, to Know. 'Tis not enough, Taste, Judgment, Learning, join; In all you speak, let Truth and Candor shine: That not alone what to your Sense is due, All may allow; but seek your Friendship too. Be silent always when you doubt your Sense; And speak, tho' sure, with seeming Diffidence: Some positive persisting Fops we know, Who, if once wrong, will needs be always so; But you, with Pleasure own your Errors past, An make each Day a Critick on the last. 'Tis not enough your Counsel still be true, Blunt Truths more Mischief than nice Falsehood do; Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And Things unknown propos'd as Things forgot: Without Good Breeding, Truth is disapprov'd; That only makes Superior Sense belov'd. Be Niggards of Advice on no Pretence; For the worst Avarice is that of Sense: With mean Complacence ne'er betray your Trust, Nor be so Civil as to prove Unjust; Fear not the Anger of the Wise to raise; Those best can bear Reproof, who merit Praise. 'Twere well, might Criticks still this Freedom take; But Appius reddens at each Word you speak, And stares, Tremendous! with a threatning Eye Like some fierce Tyrant in Old Tapestry! Fear most to tax an Honourable Fool, Whose Right it is, uncensur'd to be dull; Such without Wit are Poets when they please. As without Learning they can take Degrees. Leave dang'rous Truths to unsuccessful Satyrs, And Flattery to fulsome Dedicators, Whom, when they Praise, the World believes no more, Than when they promise to give Scribling o'er. 'Tis best sometimes your Censure to restrain, And charitably let the Dull be vain: Your Silence there is better than your Spite, For who can rail so long as they can write? Still humming on, their drowzy Course they keep, And lash'd so long, like Tops, are lash'd asleep. False Steps but help them to renew the Race, As after Stumbling, Jades will mend their Pace. What Crouds of these, impenitently bold, In Sounds and jingling Syllables grown old, Still run on Poets in a raging Vein, Ev'n to the Dregs and Squeezings of the Brain; Strain out the last, dull droppings of their Sense, And Rhyme with all the Rage of Impotence! Such shameless Bards we have; and yet 'tis true, There are as mad, abandon'd Criticks too. The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read, With Loads of Learned Lumber in his Head, With his own Tongue still edifies his Ears, And always List'ning to Himself appears. All Books he reads, and all he reads assails, From Dryden's Fables down to Durfey's Tales. With him, most Authors steal their Works, or buy; Garth did not write his own Dispensary. Name a new Play, and he's the Poet's Friend, Nay show'd his Faults--but when wou'd Poets mend? No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd, Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard: Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead; For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. Distrustful Sense with modest Caution speaks; It still looks home, and short Excursions makes; But ratling Nonsense in full Vollies breaks; And never shock'd, and never turn'd aside, Bursts out, resistless, with a thundering Tyde! But where's the Man, who Counsel can bestow, Still pleas'd to teach, and not proud to know? Unbiass'd, or by Favour or by Spite; Not dully prepossest, nor blindly right; Tho' Learn'd well-bred; and tho' well-bred, sincere; Modestly bold, and Humanly severe? Who to a Friend his Faults can freely show, And gladly praise the Merit of a Foe? Blest with a Taste exact, yet unconfin'd; A Knowledge both of Books and Humankind; Gen'rous Converse; a Sound exempt from Pride; And Love to Praise, with Reason on his Side? Such once were Criticks, such the Happy Few, Athens and Rome in better Ages knew. The mighty Stagyrite first left the Shore, Spread all his Sails, and durst the Deeps explore; He steer'd securely, and discover'd far, Led by the Light of the Maeonian Star. Poets, a Race long unconfin'd and free, Still fond and proud of Savage Liberty, Receiv'd his Laws, and stood convinc'd 'twas fit Who conquer'd Nature, shou'd preside o'er Wit. Horace still charms with graceful Negligence, And without Method talks us into Sense, Will like a Friend familarly convey The truest Notions in the easiest way. He, who Supream in Judgment, as in Wit, Might boldly censure, as he boldly writ, Yet judg'd with Coolness tho' he sung with Fire; His Precepts teach but what his Works inspire. Our Criticks take a contrary Extream, They judge with Fury, but they write with Fle'me: Nor suffers Horace more in wrong Translations By Wits, than Criticks in as wrong Quotations. See Dionysius Homer's Thoughts refine, And call new Beauties forth from ev'ry Line! Fancy and Art in gay Petronius please, The Scholar's Learning, with the Courtier's Ease. In grave Quintilian's copious Work we find The justest Rules, and clearest Method join'd; Thus useful Arms in Magazines we place, All rang'd in Order, and dispos'd with Grace, But less to please the Eye, than arm the Hand, Still fit for Use, and ready at Command. Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire, And bless their Critick with a Poet's Fire. An ardent Judge, who Zealous in his Trust, With Warmth gives Sentence, yet is always Just; Whose own Example strengthens all his Laws, And Is himself that great Sublime he draws. Thus long succeeding Criticks justly reign'd, Licence repress'd, and useful Laws ordain'd; Learning and Rome alike in Empire grew, And Arts still follow'd where her Eagles flew; From the same Foes, at last, both felt their Doom, And the same Age saw Learning fall, and Rome. With Tyranny, then Superstition join'd, As that the Body, this enslav'd the Mind; Much was Believ'd, but little understood, And to be dull was constru'd to be good; A second Deluge Learning thus o'er-run, And the Monks finish'd what the Goths begun. At length, Erasmus, that great, injur'd Name, (The Glory of the Priesthood, and the Shame!) Stemm'd the wild Torrent of a barb'rous Age. And drove those Holy Vandals off the Stage. But see! each Muse, in Leo's Golden Days, Starts from her Trance, and trims her wither'd Bays! Rome's ancient Genius, o'er its Ruins spread, Shakes off the Dust, and rears his rev'rend Head! Then Sculpture and her Sister-Arts revive; Stones leap'd to Form, and Rocks began to live; With sweeter Notes each rising Temple rung; A Raphael painted, and a Vida sung! Immortal Vida! on whose honour'd Brow The Poet's Bays and Critick's Ivy grow: Cremona now shall ever boast thy Name, As next in Place to Mantua, next in Fame! But soon by Impious Arms from Latium chas'd, Their ancient Bounds the banish'd Muses past: Thence Arts o'er all the Northern World advance, But Critic Learning flourish'd most in France. The Rules, a Nation born to serve, obeys, And Boileau still in Right of Horace sways. But we, brave Britons, Foreign Laws despis'd, And kept unconquer'd and unciviliz'd, Fierce for the Liberties of Wit, and bold, We still defy'd the Romans as of old. Yet some there were, among the sounder Few Of those who less presum'd, and better knew, Who durst assert the juster Ancient Cause, And here restor'd Wit's Fundamental Laws. Such was the Muse, whose Rules and Practice tell, Nature's chief Master-piece is writing well. Such was Roscomon--not more learn'd than good, With Manners gen'rous as his Noble Blood; To him the Wit of Greece and Rome was known, And ev'ry Author's Merit, but his own. Such late was Walsh,--the Muse's Judge and Friend, Who justly knew to blame or to commend; To Failings mild, but zealous for Desert; The clearest Head, and the sincerest Heart. This humble Praise, lamented Shade! receive, This Praise at least a grateful Muse may give! The Muse, whose early Voice you taught to Sing, Prescrib'd her Heights, and prun'd her tender Wing, (Her Guide now lost) no more attempts to rise, But in low Numbers short Excursions tries: Content, if hence th' Unlearned their Wants may view, The Learn'd reflect on what before they knew: Careless of Censure, not too fond of Fame, Still pleas'd to praise, yet not afraid to blame, Averse alike to Flatter, or Offend, Not free from Faults, nor yet too vain to mend.	i don't know
What is the Irish handheld single-sided round drum, often played with a double-ended beater?	Drums \| Gandharva Loka: the world music store in Christchurch, New Zealand – musical instruments from around the world. Drums Presenting the drums that are available from Gandharva Loka: the world music store in Christchurch, New Zealand. Drums Bendir The bendir (also known as erbeni or arbani) is a simple traditional frame drum used throughout northern Africa. Frame drums are the oldest and most common kind of drum and the bendir has been around since prehistoric times with strong evidence of its use in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia . It typically has a two or three strand snare (usually made of fine gut and seen faintly in the image on the right) stretched across the inside of its head which, when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm, gives the tone a unique buzzing quality. The bendir has a wooden frame, which is usually between 36 to 41 cm (14 to 16 inches) in diameter, with a membrane that is glued and/or tacked to the frame. Traditionally the bendir is played vertically by inserting the thumb of one hand into a special hole in the frame. It is then played using the fingers of the that hand and with the other hand moving freely across the face of the drum. Other methods of playing are on the lap and face up wedged between the knees. The bendir is used in the special ceremonies of Sufism which has a strong tradition of using music, rhythm, and dance to reach particular states of consciousness. A sample of the bendir being played can be viewed here . Bodhran The bodhran is an Irish frame drum that ranges in size from 25 to 65 cm (10" to 26") in diameter. Bodhrans generally have a goatskin head attached to one side of the frame. Synthetic heads or other animal skins are sometimes used. The other side of the frame is left open and the players free hand is placed against the inside of the drum head to control the pitch and timbre. As seen in examples to the right, bodhrans often have one or two crossbars inside the frame, but the use of crossbars seems to be declining in modern instruments. Some modern bodhrans integrate mechanical tuning systems (see middle image) that allow the bodhran heads to be tightened or loosened to compensate for atmospheric conditions. The bodhran is generally played on the lap of the seated player and a wooden beater, known as a tipper or cipin (see bottom image), is used to strike the drum in a technique that often uses both ends of the tipper and requires a great deal of wrist work. As with all Irish music, styles of play can vary from county to county. It is believed that the bodhran dates back several centuries and there is evidence that it was used as a battle drum back as far as the 17th century. The drum provided a cadence for the pipers and warriors to keep to, as well as to announce the arrival of the army. This leads some to think that the bodhran was derived from an old Celtic war drum. Sean Ó Riada declared the bodhran to be the native drum of the Celts, with a musical history that predated Christianity. The bodhran is very similar to the ancient frame drums of African origin. These days the bodhran is solely synonymous with traditional Irish music and, whilst it is not necessarily the backbone of Irish music, a skilled and sensitive bodhran player can certainly add a wonderful percussive element to an Irish music session. A good example of bodhran playing can be viewed here . Bodhrans and Tippers Gandharva Loka offers a range of quality standard and tunable bodhrans. We also stock locally made and imported tippers. Bodhran Books, DVDs and Bags Gandharva Loka stocks bodhran tuition books and DVDs including "Your Essential Guide to the Bodhran" – an instructional 'how to play the bodhran' DVD produced by Christchurch bodhran player / teacher Argène Montgomery-Hönger. We also stock good quality protective carry bags for bodhrans and frame drums – see: Drum Bags . Congas Congas (also known as tumbadora) are tall, narrow, single-headed drums from Cuba. Typically made from wood (fiberglass is also used) with screw-tensioned drumheads, congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). Congas are traditionally used in Afro-Cuban genres such as conga and rumba, although they are now very common in many other forms of Latin music, including descarga, Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, songo, merengue and Latin rock. Gandharva Loka stocks Rhythm Tech congas which are constructed from select Asian Oak to exact specifications and come with a robust stand (see image right). They feature 10" (25.6 cm) and 11" (28 cm) heads and offer superb quality at an affordable price. Bongos The bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed open-ended drums that are attached to each other. Each drum is a different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra (female) and the smaller the macho (male). Bongos are usually played by hand. Bongos originated in Africa and, as is the case with many instruments, it was the slave trade that brought the forerunner to the bongos to Cuba. Bongos are typically played on or between the knees but are also free standing with rubber feet so that they can be played on a table or bench. They can also be adapted to stands so that they can be played in the standing position. Gandharva Loka offers pairs of bongos and bongo stands that are sold separately. The bongos are a very suitable instrument for children and young adults who wish to develop rhythm and drumming capacities. Cajon The cajon (pronounced kah-hon) is a percussion instrument that has its origins in Peru and is considered to be the most popular percussion instrument in Latin America. In colonial times slaves were not permitted to use their traditional instruments so they improvised and started using wooden shipping crates as drums and this gave birth of the cajon. Today's cajon makers use either guitar strings or snare wires inside the drum to give the instrument a great crisp sound. Of all forms of hand percussion they perhaps more than any other give us a real drum set sound. With a nice warm punchy bass and crisp snare sound this instrument has unlimited potentiality. A demonstration of the cajon can be viewed here . Gandharva Loka stocks a locally made and imported cajons including self-assemble kitset models and cajons and 'cajonitos' (compact laptop cajons) made by Schlagwerk. Cajon Instruction / Tuition Books The Big Instruction Book for the Cajon – by Conny Sommer. (Includes a CD.) Cajon Styles for Drummers – by Martin Rottger. (Includes a CD with over 50 audio examples and play-alongs.) Daf The daf is a large frame drum used to accompany both popular and classical music in many regions of the Middle East and is commonly used in Khangah (temple of dervishes) during the zekr (spiritual chanting) rituals. Its Pahlavi (pre-Islamic Persian language) name is dap and daf is the arabic word for dap. Many Persian poets have alluded to the daf in their works including the renowned theologian and seer-poet Jalaludin Rumi . The daf frame is traditionally made from a thin circular band of hardwood and covered with goatskin on one side. It can also have small metal rings (often in chains) or small cymbals attached to the inside of the rim which creates a jangling effect when the drum is played. This makes the daf a type of tambourine and quite similar to the bendir. Tones of various depth and colour are obtained by hitting different spots on the skin with the fingers and generally daf have a beautiful low, soft tone with the rings being low pitched as well. In modern times the daf has risen to great popularity and is now integrated into many styles of Middle Eastern music. It is also becoming popular on a global level. A very good demonstration of the daf being played can be viewed here . Damroo The damroo (also known as the 'monkey talking drum') is a two sided Indian percussion instrument that is shaped like an hour glass. Gandharva Loka generally stocks three sizes the smallest if which is 8cm high by 9cm in diameter (a good size for children ) and the largest being 15cm high by 10cm in diameter. Cords control the tautness of the drum skin (usually goat skin) which allows the drum to be tuned. The player holds the damroo in one hand and, by twisting the wrist back and forth, causes the two knotted strings to swing and beat a rhythm on the heads of the drum. The steady rhythm of the damroo provides an ideal accompaniment to ballads or to catch the attention of passersby. Damroo are often brightly painted and decorated with motifs and ornaments such as bells and shells. The damroo is the drum of Lord Shiva and is considered to be the first instrument to be given to humanity. In India many sadhus (holy men) carry the damroo as do madaris (the peddlers who exhibit bears and monkeys) and pavement vendors. The prayer drum is in the same family of drums as the Damroo. Darbuka, Dahola and Doumbek The darbuka (also known as dahola, doumbek and chalice or goblet drums) is a goblet shaped hand drum of ancient origin that is mostly used in Middle Eastern styles of music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp tone. Darbukas are played with a much lighter touch and with different strokes than hand drums such as the djembe of Africa. Traditionally darbuka are made of clay, metal or wood but modern versions are also being made of synthetic materials such as fiberglass, aluminum (either cast, spun or from sheet) and copper. Traditional drum heads are animal skin, commonly goat and also fish, but modern drum heads are also being made synthetic materials including mylar and fiberglass. There are two main types of darbuka – the Egyptian style (top image) which has rounded edges around the head and the Turkish style which exposes the edge of the head. The exposed edge allows closer access to the head so finger-snapping techniques can be used, but the hard edge discourages the rapid rolls possible with the Egyptian style. There are two main sounds produced by the darbuka. The first is the 'doum' – the deeper bass sound produced by striking the head near the center with the length of the fingers and palm. The second is 'tek' – the higher-pitched sound produced by hitting near the edge of the head with the fingertips. Darbuka may be played while held under one arm (usually the non-dominant arm) or by placing the drum sideways upon the lap (with the head towards the player's knees) while seated. Some drums are also made with strap mounts so the drum may be slung over the shoulder, to facilitate playing while standing or dancing. A similar type of drum is the zarb . Dhol The dhol is a drum widely used throughout India but is especially popular in the Punjab region and particularly so among the Sikhs of East Punjab. It was used in war by the Sikhs and later to celebrate successful harvests. The dhol is most commonly associated with Punjabi music and dance and has remained very popular in modern Punjabi music. The dhol dates back to the 15th century and was probably introduced to the Indian subcontinent as the Persian dohol (duhul) which is described as being used in the orchestra of the Mughal emperor Akbar . The Indo-Aryan word 'dhol' appears in print in the early nineteenth. From northern India the dhol spread to other parts of the Indian subcontinent. A demonstration of the dhol can be viewed here . Dholak The dholak is a very popular folk drum of northern India that is also found in Pakistan and Nepal. It is barrel shaped with a degree of tapering at each end. It has a simple membrane on the right end and a single membrane with a special application (a mixture of tar, clay and sand known as dholak masala) on the inner surface of the left end which lowers the pitch and provides a well defined tone. There are two ways of tightening the drum heads of the dholak. Some models are laced with rope and a series of metal rings are used to adjust the instrument. On other versions metal turnbuckles allow the same effect. The dholak is either played on the player's lap or, while standing, slung from the shoulder or waist or pressed down with one knee while sitting on the floor. Djembe A djembe (pronounced 'jem-bay') is a drum of African origin. The exact beginning of the djembe history and tradition is unclear, but the drum was certainly present in the 13th century when the great Mali Empire was formed. Similar to the Middle Eastern darbuka , the djembe is shaped like a goblet and is played with the bare hands. The instrument takes its name from a saying of the Bamana people in Mali : 'Anke dje, anke be', which means, 'everyone gather together'. Due to the variations in the material used to construct djembe, there is a broad range of tones that can be produced by the instrument and the design of the body gives the djembe a deep and powerful bass note. The primary notes are generally referred to as 'bass' (low and deep), 'tone' (round and full) and 'slap' (high and sharp) although a variety of other tones can also be produced by advanced players. Gandharva Loka offers a wide range of types and sizes of djembe as well as padded bags (some have shoulder straps that allow the drum to be carried as a backpack) or colourful cloth bags imported from Africa – see: Drum Accessories and Drum Bags . We also stock instructional CDs and DVDs and are able to put our customers in touch with a dynamic drumming circle and excellent drum teachers here in Christchurch. Djun-Djun The djun-djun (pronounced 'joon-joon' and also known as Djoundjoun, Dun-Dun and Dunun) is the general name for a family of three bass drums that evolved in West Africa . Along with the djembe , the djun-djun originated in the Mali Empire . The three drums that make up a djun-djun set are the dundoumba (literally meaning 'big djun-djun'), which has the lowest tone and is the largest of the three. Next is the mid-tone, medium-sized sangban and the third and smallest high-toned kenkeni. Djun-djun provide the rhythmic foundation for the djembe and are often mounted with bells that are played in conjunction with the drum. Each djun-djun is constructed from the hollowed out base of a tree and then covered on both ends with cow or goat skin that is held in place and tensioned by rope. There are wide variations on how the djun-djun is played throughout West Africa. An example of how the djun-djun and the djembe are played together in a traditional West African drum ensemble can be viewed here . Drum Accessories DRUM BEATERS AND STRIKERS Gandharva Loka offers a wide range of drum beaters and strikers. We do not stock western style drum sticks but do have sticks that are used for drums such as the Japanese taiko and the African talking drum . We also stock a broad variety of beaters and mallets for gongs . DRUM HARNESSES These adjustable drum harnesses are designed to allow the musician to drum in a standing position. The straps have extra padding in the upper back area for comfort and support and the harness simply clips to the drums rim. DRUM SHOULDER STRAPS These strong and durable drum shoulder straps allow the musician to stand and move about while drumming. They are 4.5 metres long and are made from 50 mm webbing. There is no buckle – the strap simply threads through the ropes of the djembe and is knotted. DRUM HATS Gandharva Loka offers quality padded and waterproof drum hats that provide optimal protection for drum heads. We stock a variety of sizes with elastic bindings that ensure a secure fit. DRUM WAIST STRAPS These adjustable djembe waist strap have a clip at each end allows the musician to hold djembes and other drums in a secure position while seated. The strong and durable 75 mm webbing can be adjusted to be used with one or two drums. DRUM TUITION CDs AND DVDs Gandharva Loka also stocks instructional CDs and DVDs and we are able to put our customers in touch with a dynamic drumming circle and excellent drum teachers here in Christchurch. ROPE PULLERS Rope pullers (also known as cord pullers) are used to tighten the ropes that tension the heads on African drums such as djembes and djun djuns. Gandharva Loka offers two sizes of aluminium Power Grip rope pullers: One-handed rope puller – 10cm wide (left in image) Two-handed rope puller – 20cm wide (right in image) Drum Bags BODHRAN / FRAME DRUM BAGS High quality water proof padded bodhran / frame drum bags with side pocket, hand straps and shoulder strap. These frame drum bags come in three sizes: 35.5 cm (14 in) 45.5 cm (18 in) SMALL FRAME DRUM BAGS These quality padded drum bags are for small frame drums such as riq or kanjira . They are made of a washable, water-repellent nylon fabric with a zipper, a shoulder strap and a front pocket for accessories. DARBUKA BAGS These are similar to the djembe bags but smaller in size to fit Darbukas. High quality, waterproof, heavy duty, padded bags with shoulder and support straps, and zippered side pockets. DJEMBE BAGS High quality water proof, heavy duty, padded djembe bags with shoulder and support straps, and zippered side pockets. Three sizes: medium, large, extra-large. MADE-TO-ORDER DRUM BAGS Gandharva Loka can have drum bags made to order. Simply bring in your drum or give us the measurements and we can organise this for you. Drum Heads and Drum Repairs Gandharva Loka has drum heads available for tabla , naal , dholak and djembe . We also offer a repair service for almost every type of drum. If you require a quote on a drum repair or head replacement, kindly bring your drum into Gandharva Loka (this is preferred) or contact us . We can also organise harmonium tuning and repairs . Ghatam The ghatam is a percussion instrument of South India – an earthenware pot that is played using the fingers, thumbs, palms and heels of the hand to strike the outer surface of the ghatam. It has a huge variety of sounds. An airy low-pitch bass sound, called gumki, is created by hitting the mouth of the pot with an open hand. Musicians sometimes press the mouth of the pot against their bare stomachs which deepens the tone of the bass stroke and is another way to produce the 'gumki' sound. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hands. In Indian classical music, the ghatam usually accompanies the mridanga . Although the ghatam looks very similar to a Indian domestic clay pot, it is made specifically to be played as an instrument. The walls are made to an even thickness to produce even tone. Some types of ghatam are made with tiny shards of brass mixed into the clay as this produces a sharp metallic ringing sound favored by some musicians. The ghatam is a wonderfully expressive instrument and a lot of fun! Gong Drum A gong drum (also known as 'gong bass drum') is a percussion instrument that has a large single or double sided drumhead in order to create a powerful, resonant sound when struck. The head can be tuned as loose as possible to avoid any sense of pitch in the sound, or tensioned more tightly to produce tympani-like tones. Gong drums vary in size from about 50 cm (20 inches) to enormous sizes. First produced in the late 1970s, gong drums have since been used by a wide variety of musicians and recording artists and also in movie sound tracks. Gong drums are typically suspended in frames made from various materials such as wood, metal and aluminium which sometimes have casters for ease of movement in situations such as stages or recording studios. Gandharva Loka currently has an 85 cm (33.5 inch) double sided cow hide gong drum that is mounted in a wooden frame similar to the one featured in the image above. Kanjira The kanjira (also known as a ganjira) is a South Indian frame drum – a percussion instrument of the tambourine family. It is used primarily in concerts of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) as a supporting instrument for the mridanga . Having been used for less than a century, the kanjira is considered to be a comparatively recent innovation. It has been used in Indian classical concerts since the 1930s. Similar to the western tambourine, the kanjira consists of a circular frame made of the wood of the jackfruit tree, between 18 and 23 cm in width and between 5 to 10 cm in depth. The frame is covered on one side with a drum head made of monitor lizard skin while the other side is left open. The frame has a single slit which contain two to three small metal discs that jingle when the kanjira is played. It is normally played with the palm and fingers of the right hand, while the left hand supports the drum. The fingertips of the left hand can be used to bend the pitch by applying pressure near the outer rim. Generally the kanjira has a very high pitched sound and, unlike the mridanga or the ghatam , is not tuned to any particular pitch. To get a good bass sound, the performer reduces the tension of the drumhead by sprinkling water on the inside of the instrument. Khol The khol is actually a clay mridanga – a two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India as accompaniment to devotional, folk and Indian semi-classical music. The khols origins are considered to be in the West Bengal region of India. One end of the khol is much smaller than the other and both ends are traditionally covered with cow or goat skin. The heads are tensioned with leather straps and the instrument is played with the palms and fingers of both hands. As the popularity of the khol grew in the West, many variations resulted using non-traditional materials for the body, such as metal and fibreglass, and synthetic skins for the drum heads. Mridanga The mridanga is a percussion instrument from India. Of ancient origin, it is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in the Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) ensembles and is often accompanied by the ghatam , kanjira , and the mouth harp . The word mridanga is derived from the two Sanskrit words 'Mrid' (clay or earth) and 'Ang' (body). Early mridangas were indeed made of hardened clay and, known as the khol , are still available in that form. Over the years the mridanga evolved to be made of different kinds of wood due to its increased durability. In modern times mechanical devices have been added to adjust the tension of the drum heads. It is widely believed that the tabla , the mridangas North Indian musical counterpart, was first constructed by splitting a mridanga in half. Naal The naal (also known as Dholki) is a drum that is very popular with the tamasha tradition (a folk art form which includes singing and dancing) of Maharashtra state in western India. The naal has a barrel shaped body and the left side resembles the bayan (the large metal drum of the tabla ) except that it uses dholak masala (an oil based application) on the inner surface instead of a syahi (permanent black spot). The right head is unique in its construction. Goat-skin is stitched onto an iron ring and in the centre of this skin is a syahi, similar to tabla except much thinner. Traditional naal are laced with rope and sticks are used to tension the drum heads but today it is more common that naal are made with metal turnbuckles that allow more precise tuning. There is often some confusion concerning the term 'dholki' which literally means 'small dholak'. Dholki is often used for smaller dholak that, structurally speaking, are quite different to the naal. A demonstration of the naal (dholki) can be viewed here . Ocean Drum The ocean drum really allows you to bring the sound of the sea into your music. Using small metal beads inside a double sided frame drum, the ocean drum allows you to create wonderful ocean wave effects as you tilt the drum from one side to the other. The ocean drum can also be used as an effective drum using either the fingers or a beater. This is a wonderful instrument to use with children, in any sort of music therapy, or simply to create a wonderfully peaceful ocean atmosphere for your next performance. Pakhawaj The pakhawaj (also known as Mardal, Pakhavaj, Pakuaj, Pakhvaj, Pakavaj or Mardala) is an Indian barrel-shaped two-headed drum. The North Indian equivalent to the Southern mridanga , it also has many similarities to the dholak . It is the standard percussion instrument in the dhrupad style and is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of Indian music and dance. The pakhawaj has a low and mellow tone that is rich in harmonics. Laid horizontally on a cushion in front of the drummer's crossed legs, the larger bass-skin is played with the left hand and the treble skin by the right hand. Pandeiro Like the tambourine , the pandeiro is held in one hand and struck on the head with the other to produce sound. Typical pandeiro patterns are played by alternating the thumb, fingertips, heel, and palm of the hand. A pandeiro can also be shaken to make sound, or one can run a finger along the head to create a rasping sound. Pandeiro are used in a number of Brazilian music forms such as Samba, Choro, Coco, and Capoeira and the instrument derives from the pandeireta or pandereta of Spain and Portugal. Its ancient origin is considered to be in the Arabian region. Traditionally pandeiro are constructed with wooden frames, animal skin heads and metal cymbals but in modern times they are also produced using synthetic frames and heads. Riq The riq (also spelt riqq or rik) is a type of tambourine that is common to Arabic music and is an important percussion instrument in both folk and classical music. Traditionally the riq has a wooden frame, metal jingles (small cymbals), and a thin head made of fish or goat skin. These days riq frames are also made from metal or synthetic materials and the heads are also often synthetic. The riq, which descended from the Persian daf , typically measures between 20 and 25 cm in diameter. Riq frames are often decorated on both sides with inlay such as mother-of-pearl, ivory or decorative woods. Generally a riq has ten small cymbals (about 4 cm in diameter), mounted in five pairs. The skin head is glued on and tightened over the frame which is about 6 cm deep. The riq is played in music ensembles throughout the Arabic-speaking world where it has a particularly clearcut role that goes beyond the simple rhythmic requirements of the daf, tar , or mazhar . In Sudan and upper Egypt the riq is also related to worship. Shaman Drum Shaman drums are a type of frame drum which, in general terms, are one of the most ancient types of musical instruments. They have a simple structure and a strong association with spiritual rituals such as in the Shamanism . Frame drums come in a variety of sizes. They are usually round and are traditionally made of wood with an animal skin head and sometimes metal rings or plates incorporated into the frame to provide a jingle effect. Some models are now being constructed from synthetic materials and some have mechanical tuning. On many the drumhead is stretched and tacked in place. Frame drums are the earliest skin drum known to have existed. Although examples are found in many places and cultures, it is thought that frame drums originated in the ancient Middle East, India, and Rome, and reached medieval Europe through Islamic culture. The similarity of the names of frame drums in these regions shows the common history of these drums. Gandharva Loka currently stocks a line of quality Remo Buffalo Shaman Drums (pictured above). Sound Shapes Sound Shapes are high-quality, affordable percussion instruments that are perfect for the home, classroom or daycare center – children love them! They come in a variety of geometric shapes and cool sounds that are as vibrant as their colors. They range in size, colour, and shape but all have a great sound. Sound shapes can be set up as a mini drum kit using some of the special stands that are available, or can be split up and be used by a group. They are super strong, extremely portable and really easy to use, so they work well with children as well as adults who might need a light-weight, highly portable, practice drum kit. Tabla The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting yet complimentary sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word tabl which simply means drum. Playing technique involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of sounds and rhythms. The heel of the hand is used to apply pressure or in a sliding motion on the larger drum so that the pitch is changed as the sound diminishes. The history of the tabla has been the subject of sometimes heated debate. It is most likely that the tabla is a hybrid resulting from the experiments with existing drums such as pakhawaj , dholak and naqqara. A common legend credits the 13th century Indian poet Amir Khusrau as the inventor when he split a mridanga into two parts. The tabla is central to Indian music and is used in a variety of genres including the classical music of North India as well as Indian contemporary, pop, folk and film music – and has become very popular in the West as well. Tabla tones are beautiful and playing tabla combines rhythm, melody and harmony to create music that is soulful and meditative. Two very good examples of tabla playing can be viewed here and here . Tabla Instruction / Tuition Books Learn To Play On Tabla 1 & 2 – from the Pankaj Learn Yourself Music Series. Electronic Digital Tabla Gandharva Loka offers Radel Taalmala Digi-60 Dx electronic digital tabla. These are a state-of-the-art stereo digital musical instruments that have been designed by pioneers in the field of Indian electronic musical instruments who use the latest sampler technology to produce natural tabla sounds along with sophisticated features unmatched by any other model of electronic tabla. Crystal clear stereo sound provides for the natural sounding separation of the tabla (right hand) and the dagga (left hand). There are 60 thekas available in various taals that can be played at any tempo. Power cable and a strapped carry bag are provided. This instrument can also be powered using batteries. Taiko Japanese taiko drums (taiko in modern times is a general term for 'drum' but historically taiko meant 'great' or 'wide drum' in Japanese) have been developed into a wide range of percussion instruments that are used in both Japanese folk and classical musical traditions. Taiko drumming has been part of Japanese culture for many centuries and taiko drums can be found in the numerous temples and shrines throughout Japan where they are played in religious festivals and ceremonies. Taiko were also used in warfare to bolster the spirits of the warriors and to demoralise the enemy. Taiko are generally stick percussion instruments (although some taiko are played using just the hands) that have heads on both sides of the drum body and a sealed resonating cavity. They are characterised by a high amount of tension on the drums heads with a correspondingly high pitch relative to body size. Since the later part of the twentieth century, Taiko drumming has become a performance art in itself that includes physically demanding and dramatic drumming combined with dance and often humour. A demonstration of taiko in its modern performance role can be viewed here and in its more traditional role here . Talking Drum Talking drums (known by many names including Dundun, Gangan, Dondo, Odondo, Lunna, Donno, Kalangu, Doodo, Tama, Tamanin and Ekwe) are a member of the hourglass shaped family of pressure drums and are one of the oldest instruments in West Africa . Their history can be traced back to the Ghana Empire . The talking drum is particularly synonymous with the music and culture of the Yoruba people . Various sizes of talking drum exist, with the dimensions of the drum differing between ethnic groups. One of the special features of the talking drum is its ability to closely imitate the rhythms and intonations of spoken language. A skilled drummer can reproduce the sounds of proverbs or songs through a specialised drumming language and this dialogue can easily be understood by knowledgeable listeners which of course varied between ethic groups. Whether accompanying dances or sending messages, the sound of these instruments can carry for miles. Talking drum players sent messages by drumming the recipient's name, followed by the sender's name and the message. The drum heads of the talking drum cover both ends of the drum's wooden body and are traditionally made from animal hide, fish-skin or other membranes which are wrapped around a wooden hoop. Leather thongs run the length of the drum and are connected to both hoops. When these cords are squeezed under the arm the drum heads tighten and this changes the pitch of the instrument. The talking drum is struck with a slightly hooked stick and with the fingers of the free hand. A contemporary demonstration of the talking drum can be viewed here and a traditional demonstration can be viewed here . Tar A tar is a single sided frame drum which originates from North Africa and the Middle East and dates back thousands of years. The tar is generally held with one hand and played with the free hand although both hands are used in the role of playing and holding depending on the skills of the player. The tar has an open tone and is often either played for accompaniment to other instruments or in tar ensembles. Frame drums are common throughout the world – among the frame drum family are the tar, bendir , bodhran , daf and others. Kanjira , pandeiro and riq and tambourines are also types of frame drum that have small metal cymbals attached to them. Many Native American cultures use frame drums ( shaman drums ) in ceremony and celebration. These drums seem simple but are capable of great nuance and sophistication in the hands of an experienced or imaginative player. Gandharva Loka offers traditional tars with animal skin heads and also modern Remo tars (pictured above) with synthetic heads. Udu The udu is an African percussion instrument that is generally considered to have originated in Nigeria. Traditionally made of clay, the word udu means 'vessel' in the language of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Being a water jug with an additional hole, it was an instrument often played exclusively by women for ceremonial purposes. Today it is widely used by percussionists in many different music styles. The udu has a side hole which creates a deep reverberating note when struck with the flat palm of the hand. The entire body of the udu can also be played using the fingers. Several variations of the udu have evolved over the years which includes the Utar, the Kim-Kim and the Zarbang-Udu. The udu is an instrument that can add a unique and melodic aspect to the percussion aspect of any ensemble and is easily adapted to most genre of music. A fantastic demonstration of a variety of udu being played can be viewed here – and a great demonstration of the Udu Utar can be viewed here . Zarb The zarb (also known as tonbak, tombak, donbak or dombak) is a goblet drum that originated during the Persia Empire (ancient Iran). It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music. The Persian frame drum, known as the Daf, was for many centuries the favoured drum of the Persian court while the zarb was played by peasants. It is sometimes referred to as the Persian doumbek due to its origins and chalice shape that is similar to that of the doumbek. The zarb is made with a brass or wooden body and the drum head is typically made from sheep or goats skin. The zarb is normally positioned diagonally across the lap of the player who uses one or more fingers and/or the palms of the hands on the drumhead. Often (for a ringing timbre) the musician will play near the drumhead's edge and some players wear metal finger rings in order to get an accentuated 'click' on the drum's shell. A lovely example of zarb drumming can be viewed here – traditional Persian classical dastgah music played on ney , kamancheh , santur (aka hammered dulcimer ) and zarb. Page Index	Bodhrán
A diaspora is a dispersion of?	a.Origins - Cernetchi_tgj_project_Q3 Cernetchi_tgj_project_Q3 Origins of Drums Aburukuwa The Aburukuwa (also known as the Abrukwa) is an open drum of the Akan people and the Asante people of Ghana. It is bottle shaped and its skin is held on by pegs. It is usually played with curved sticks. Its sound resembles the birdsong of a bird of the same name. The Aburukuwa is the smallest of the three drums used by the Asante people during rituals and ceremonies. The Aburukuwa and its sister drums, the Kwadum and the Apentemma, were typically covered by red and black felt to represent death and blood. Although the drums have become associated with funerals and ancestor worship, they were also used during wartime. Ashiko An ashiko (aṣíkò) is a drum shaped like a truncated cone and played with bare hands. The drum is played throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. Like the djembe, the ashiko has three primary tones, bass, tone, and slap. The drum was originally played by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and was carved out of a solid log of wood. The modern stave construction of the drum arose in west and is not traditional. The ashiko is associated with a whole genre of music of the same name and adherents of the Christian religion, as practiced in Nigeria. Bass drum A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. Bass drums are percussion instruments and vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum (in Italian: gran cassa, gran tamburo). It is the largest drum of the orchestra. The kick drum, struck with a beater attached to a pedal, usually seen on drum kits. The pitched bass drum, generally used in marching bands and drum corps. This is tuned to a specific pitch and is usually played in a set of three to five drums. The bass drum was imported from the Middle East. Batá drum A Batá drum is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone larger than the other. The percussion instrument is used primarily for the use of religious or semi-religious purposes for the native culture from the land of Yoruba, located in Nigeria, as well as by worshippers of Santería in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and in the United States. The Batá drum popular function is entertainment and to convey messages. Its early function was as a drum of different gods, drum of royalty, drum of ancestors and drum of politicians. Batá drum impacted on all spheres of life. The Lukumí (or commonly called santería) religion and Batá drums are closely associated. The drums are played simultaneously (often with a rattle or "atchere") to create polyrhythmic compositions, or "toques" during santería ceremonies. A ceremony with batá drums is generally known as a "toque," "tambor de santo," or "bembé," but ceremonies can also be accompanied by shaken gourd-rattle "chékere" (in English "shekere") ensembles (usually with tumbadora, also called conga drums). There are estimated to be at least 140 different toques for the spirits (saints, or santos) and their different manifestations. Bedug The bedug (Javanese: bedhug) is one of the drums used in the gamelan. It is also used among Muslims in Java in religious purposes. Unlike the more frequently-used kendang, the bedug is suspended from a rack and played with a padded mallet. It is similar in size or larger to the largest kendang. It is not adjustable like the kendang, but has pegs holding the two identical heads in place, similar to the Japanese taiko. Its sound is generally deeper and duller than that of the kendang. Bedug is made as a big double-barreled drum with water buffalo leather on both sides. The bedug is not used in most gamelan performances, but is used in special ensembles like the gamelan sekaten, where it takes the place of the kempul. In some pieces it is used together with the kendang, especially to accompany dance. Bodhrán The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm (10" to 26") in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm (14" to 18"). The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm (3½" to 8") deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads, or other animal skins are sometimes used). The other side is open ended for one hand to be placed against the inside of the drum head to control the pitch and timbre. One or two crossbars, sometimes removable, may be inside the frame, but this is increasingly rare on modern instruments. Some professional modern bodhráns integrate mechanical tuning systems similar to those used on drums found in drum kits. It is usually with a hex key that the bodhrán skins are tightened or loosened depending on the atmospheric conditions.The drum is struck either with the bare hand or with a lathe-turned piece of wood called a "bone", "tipper", "beater", or "cipín". Tippers were originally fashioned from a double-ended knuckle bone, but are now commonly made from ash, holly or hickory. Brush-ended beaters, and a "rim shot" (striking the rim) technique for contrast, were introduced by Johnny McDonagh. Bongo drum Bongos (Spanish: bongo) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra (female) and the smaller the macho (male). They are membranophones, or instruments that create sound by a vibration against a stretched membrane. Bongo drums produce relatively high-pitched sounds compared to conga drums, and should be held behind the knees with the larger drum on the right when right-handed. It is most often played by hand and is especially associated in Cuban music with a steady pattern or ostinato of eighth-notes known as the martillo or "hammer". (See "The Martillo Pattern" with Manny Oquendo and "Bongo Riffs" with Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez.) They are traditionally played by striking the edge of the drumheads with the fingers and palms. The glissando used with bongo de monte is done by rubbing the third finger, supported by the thumb, across the head of the drum. The finger is sometimes moistened with saliva, or sweat before rubbing it across the head. When used in art music compositions they are usually struck with drum sticks. These drums can also be played on a stand, as is the case with concert orchestras and bands. Bougarabou A bougarabou (alternative spelling “Boucarabou”) is a set of drums commonly used in West Africa. The drums are single headed (cow skin), with an elongated goblet or roughly conical shape, usually placed on a single stand, and most commonly played in sets of three to four. Until the last few decades the Bougarabou was played only one at a time, usually with one hand and a stick, but in the last pooly generation or two (since the 1940s), possibly influenced from congueros in the western hemisphere, players play multiple drum setups. The drum is originally from the Jola (Joola) people in the south of Senegal, the Casamance and the Gambia, the Joola Buluf, the Joola Fogny and the Joola Kalunai. The Jola call a single drum Bugarabu (the ''a'' is pronounced like in about) or Bugarab. As -ab or -abu represents the article, also Bugaar, the indefinite denotation, is used synonymously in everyday life whereas the Plural Wugaraw is nearly not used. The drumset is played by a single drummer, unlike many African tribal situations. The drummer also wears a series of metal bracelets called Siwangas in Buluf and Fogny dialect that contribute to the sound. The audience and the dancers form a circle and clap, often with wooden chunks (size 25-30 cm) of palm peduncles, and sing with the music, but it is unique in that a single drummer traditionally provides the drumming. There are also some groups using a set of 3 or 4 drums and some more drums like Djembe or other small Jola drums. They are normally played with only the hands in a standing position. They have a full, deep, rich sound which can be heard for miles and is effective at all dynamic levels. They produce a kind of bass melody in the total rhythm. In other modern drumming situations, they are often used to back up djembes and tammas in a percussion group. Cajon CajonThe cajon is the most widely used Afro-Peruvian musical instrument since the late 18th century. Slaves of west and central African origin in the Americas, specifically Peru, are considered to be the source of the cajon drum; though the instrument is common in musical performance throughout the Americas. The cajon was most likely developed in coastal Peru during the early 19th century or before, where it is associated with several Afro-Peruvian genres. The instrument reached a peak in popularity by 1850, and by the end of the 19th century cajon players were experimenting with the design of the instrument by bending some of the planks in the cajon's body to alter the instrument's patterns of sound vibration. Knowing that the cajon comes from slave musicians in the Spanish colonial Americas, there are two complementary origin theories for the instrument. It is possible that the drum is a direct descendant of a number of boxlike musical instruments from west and central Africa, especially Angola, and the Antilles. These instruments were adapted by Peruvian slaves from the Spanish shipping crates at their disposal. In port cities like Matanzas, Cuba they used cod-fish shipping crates. Elsewhere, small dresser drawers became instruments. Another theory posits that slaves simply used boxes as musical instruments to combat contemporary Spanish colonial bans on music in predominantly African areas. In this way, cajones could easily be disguised as seats or stools, thus avoiding identification as musical instruments. In all likelihood it is a combination of these factors - African origins and Spanish suppression of slave music - that led to the cajon's creation. Early usage of the Peruvian cajon was to accompany Tondero and Zamacueca (old version of Marinera) dances. Candombe drums The tambores de candombe or tamboriles are drums used in the playing of Candombe music of Uruguay. They are single skin headed and there are three sizes: piano (bass range), repique (tenor range), and the chico (alto range). The drums are made of wood and have a curved barrel shape with its base very narrow. Candombe is performed by a group of drummers called a cuerda. The barrel-shaped drums, or tamboriles, have specific names according to their size and function: chico (small, high timbre, marks the tempo) repique (medium, syncopation and improvisation) piano (large, low timbre, melody). An even larger drum, called bajo or bombo (very large, very low timbre, accent on the fourth beat), was once common but is now declining in use. A cuerda at a minimum needs three drummers, one on each part. A full cuerda will have 50-100 drummers, commonly with rows of seven or five drummers, mixing the three types of drums. A typical row of five can be piano-chico-repique-chico-piano, with the row behind having repique-chico-piano-chico-repique and so on to the last row. Tamboriles are made of wood with animal skins that are rope-tuned or fire-tuned minutes before the performance. They are worn at the waist with the aid of a shoulder strap called a talig or tali and played with one stick and one hand. A key rhythmic figure in candombe is the clave (in 3-2 form). It is played on the side of the drum, a procedure known as "hacer madera" (literally, "making wood"). Cocktail drum Cocktail drums are a type of portable drum kit which combines bass drum and snare drum sounds in a single drum. Use of cocktail sets in modern music remains relatively rare but does remain a viable alternative for drummers looking to maximize portability and/or minimize stage space normally taken by the drum set. It is also useful as an alternative to a traditional drum set for providing a "retro" or "off-beat" appearance to a group. Some more modern cocktail drums are fitted with a baffle. The baffle is of a non-resonant material to prevent the bottom head's vibration from interacting with and "buzzing" the snare, which creates a sound much closer to that of two separate drums. Others use a small snare drum that is clamped or mounted in some fashion to the cocktail drum. This leaves the top head free to be used as a tom with the snares removed. The clamp provides the musician with a secure place for the snare drum without the added inconvenience of using a snare drum stand. Using two separate drums in this manner makes both drums easier to tune and provides much more consistent sound. Holders for cymbals, tom drums, cowbells and other various percussion instruments can be mounted to the cocktail drum depending on the musicians' needs. This makes the instrument very personal and few cocktail drums today are alike. Goblet drum The goblet drum (also chalice drum, darbuka,debuka, doumbek, dumbec, or tablah, ALA-LC: darbukah) is a hand drum with a goblet shape used mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. Though it is not known exactly when these drums were first made, they are known to be of ancient origin. Some say they have been around for thousands of years, used in Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian cultures. There has also has been some debate that they actually originated in Europe and were brought to the Middle East by nomadic Celtic tribes. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound. Traditionally, goblet drums may be made of clay, metal, or wood. Modern goblet drums are also sometimes made of synthetic materials, including fiberglass. Modern metal drums are commonly made of aluminum (either cast, spun, or formed from a sheet) or copper. Some aluminum drums may have a mother-of-pearl inlay, which is purely decorative. Traditional drum heads were animal skin, commonly goat and also fish. Modern drums commonly use synthetic materials for drum heads, including mylar and fiberglass. The name is an approximation of the two basic sounds the drum makes: "Dum" (the bass tone) and "Bek" (the high-pitched crack from the edge of the drum). There is actually a great deal of variety available in the sound. Chenda The Chenda is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, and Tulu Nadu of Karnataka State in India. In Tulu Nadu it is known as Chande. The chenda is mainly played in Hindu Temple Festivals and as an accompaniment in the religious art forms of Kerala. The chenda is used as an accompaniment for Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Kannyar Kali, Theyyam and among many forms of dances and rituals in Kerala. It is also played in a dance-drama called Yakshagana which is popular in Tulu Nadu of Karnataka. It is traditionally considered to be an 'Asura Vadyam' which means it cannot go in harmony. Chenda is an unavoidable musical instrument in all form of cultural activities in Kerala. There are different ways of playing A Chenda, made out of a cylindrical wooden drum, and has a length of 2 feet and a diameter of 1 foot. Both ends are covered (usually with animal's skin). The chenda is suspended from the drummers neck so that it hangs vertically. Using two sticks, the drummer strikes the upper parchment. This instrument is famous for its loud and rigid sound. Conga The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero. Although ultimately derived from African drums made from hollowed logs, the Cuban conga is staved, like a barrel. These drums were probably made from salvaged barrels originally. They are used both in Afro-Caribbean religious music and as the principal instrument in rumba. Congas are now very common in Latin music, including salsa music, merengue music, and Reggae, as well as many other forms of American popular music. Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned drumhead. They are usually played in sets of two to four with the fingers and palms of the hand. Typical congas stand approximately 75 centimetres (30 in) from the bottom of the shell to the head. The drums may be played while seated. Alternatively, the drums may be mounted on a rack or stand to permit the player to play while standing. While they originated in Cuba, their incorporation into the popular and folk music of other countries has resulted in diversification of terminology for the instruments and the players. Davul The davul (Turkish) or tupan is a large double-headed drum that is played with sticks. It has many names depending on the country and region. These drums are commonly used in the folk music of Iran and Turkey, as well as Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, portions of Greece and Serbia, as well as Iraq and Armenia. These drums have both a deep bass sound and a thin treble sound due to their construction and playing style, where different heads and sticks are used to produce different sounds on the same drum. In Armenia the dhol is not as long and is played with the hands and not with a stick. It is frequently heard in Armenian folk music due to its origins from Armenia. Not only is it in folk music but also in modern music as well, even having solos in many prominent songs. Other Greek names for this drum include Davouli, Argano, Toskani, Tsokani, Toubi, Toubaki, Kiossi, Tavouli, Pavouli, Toubano, and Toubaneli. Additionally, other names for the daouli, depending on the area, include toumpano, tymbano, or toumbi, which stem from the ancient Greek word tympano; this word exists in English in the word tympani for the drum section in the modern classical orchestra and the tympanic membrane for the eardrum. Damphu drum Damphu, or Damfoo, is a double-sided disk-shaped drum topped with leather and with a long wooden handle.This is a very rare musical instrument belonging to the indigenous Tamang Community. Damphu is a percussion instrument similar to a big tambourine. This instrument is used to melodiously play Tamang selo. The popular ancient folk instrument Damphu and an original rhythm of Tamang Selo have unique importance and influence among other Nepalese cultural folk music. This instrument is very easy to play and easy to learn. There are many saying and stories about invention of Damphu in Tamang community. It is like an ornament of Tamba. Tamba sings our historical and ritual songs with Damphu. According to Tamba - Once upon a time a man named Peng Dorje who was a hunter used to go to the jungle and kill animals.As usual,on a fine day he went for hunting and killed a deer. After seeing the corpse of the deer his wife became too sad because the deer was so beautiful. Since that day she kept on weeping. Peng Dorje was worried about his wife's sadness. He tried to make her happy. He used many tricks to get smile on her face. But he was unable to do that. Her sadness knew no bounds. Peng Dorje always wanted to see his wife very happy. Where there is a will, there is a way, He then went to the jungle and bought a 4 feet long wood called 'Ambu Sing'. He shaped it into 4 inches width and made a circle. He made 32 sticks made up of Bamboo too. Then he tighten the dry skin of deer on one side of the circle with the help of 32 bamboo sticks. The circle created melodious sound - 'Trak Dhin'. He started to sing remembering his ancestors and gods with the beat of that newly invented instrument. All creatures began to dance and his wife also started to dance upon the wonderfully created melody. A bird-"Danphe" was beautifully dancing too on this melody so beautifully. So Peng Dorje named that circle as Damphu. Frame drum A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. Usually the single drumhead is made of rawhide or man-made materials. Shells are traditionally constructed of bent wood (rosewood, oak, ash etc.) scarf jointed together; plywood and man-made materials are also used. Some frame drums have mechanical tuning and on many the drumhead is stretched and tacked in place. It is the earliest skin drum known to have existed. Examples are found in many places and cultures. It has been suggested that they were also used to winnow grain. Frame drums are one of the most ancient types of musical instruments. They have a simple structure with strong spiritual and entertaining effects. They are usually round, made of wood with animal skin and sometimes metal rings or plates incorporated into the drum to provide jingle. They have different sizes; the larger drums are played mainly by men in spiritual rituals and medium size drums are played mainly by women. Frame drums originated in the ancient Middle East, India, and Rome, and reached medieval Europe through Islamic culture. The similarity of the names of frame drums in these regions shows the common history of these drums. Kpanlogo Kpanlogo is a type of drum that is associated with kpanlogo music. The drum originates from the Ga people of the Greater Accra Region in Ghana, West Africa. Kpanlogo drums are a part of the membranophone family of musical instruments; a shell covered by a drumhead made of one of many products, usually rawhide. The drum has a tapered body carved from a single piece of wood that is similar in shape to a conga. The drumhead is typically made from goat, antelope, or cow skin that is stretched over one end of the drum and is tightened through the use of six wooden pegs. The skin can be tightened by tapping the pegs into the drum. Kpanlogo may be played with sticks, bare hands, or a combination of the two. Kpanlogo are traditionally played by an ensemble of drummers, often in sets of six kpanlogo drums of varied size. Djembe, dunun, and cowbell usually accompany the kpanlogo. The Kpanlogo drum as with other African drums were used as a form of communication as they could be heard clearly over large distances. The Kpanlogo drum played such a central theme in many of the important ceremonies that it became known as the ceremonial drum. Slit drum A slit drum is a hollow percussion instrument, usually a log drum of bamboo or wood, that is made with one or more slits in it. Most slit drums have three slits, cut into the shape of an "H". If, as is usual, the resultant tongues are different lengths or thicknesses, the drum will produce two different pitches. It is used throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. In Africa such drums, strategically situated for optimal acoustic transmission (e.g., along a river or valley), have been used for long-distance communication. The ends of a slit drum are closed so that the shell becomes the resonating chamber for the sound vibrations created when the tongues are struck, usually with a mallet. The resonating chamber increases the volume of the sound produced by the tongue and presents the sound through an open port. If the resonating chamber is the correct size for the pitch being produced by the tongue, which means it has the correct volume of airspace to complete one full sound wave for that particular pitch, the instrument will be more efficient and louder. The people of Vanuatu cut a large log with 'totem' type carvings on the outer surface and hollow out the center leaving only a slit down the front. This hollowed out log gives the deep resonance of drums when hit on the outside with sticks. Timpani Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of musical ensembles including concert, marching, and even some rock bands. Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano. However, in informal English speech a single instrument is rarely called a timpano: several are more typically referred to collectively as kettledrums, timpani, temple drums, or simply timps. They are also often incorrectly termed timpanis. A musician who plays the timpani is known as a timpanist. Navigation	i don't know
Triffis, Rudy (or Rudolph), Porpoise, Cody, and Corkscrew are moves in what sport?	Trampolining Terms - Stratos Trampoline Club Trampolining Terms adolf/adolph ~ front somersault with 3½ twists arabian ~ ½ twist into front somersault with initial take-off being of backward rotation baby fliffus ~ a move starting on the back, early ½ twist into 1¼ back somersault. Different to ball out - barani back (somersault) ~ a somersault with backward rotation back in – full out ~ a double back somersault with a full twist performed during the 2nd somersault back drop ~ a move starting on feet and rotating backwards ¼ of a somersault and landing on back back pullover ~ a move starting on the back, ¾ back somersault to feet (also variations to stomach, back or seat) ball out ~ a move starting on the back, 1¼ front somersault landing on feet ball out - adolf ~ a move starting on the back, 1¼ front somersault with 3½ twist ball out - barani ~ a move starting on the back, 1¼ front somersault with a late ½ twist. Different to baby fliffus ball out - half out ~ a move starting on the back, 2¼ front somersault with a ½ twist in the 2nd somersault ball out - randy ~ a move starting on the back, 1¼ front somersault with 2½ twist ball out - rudy ~ a move starting on the back, 1¼ front somersault with 1½ twist barani - ball out ~ misleading (though more popular) name for ball out - barani barani in - back out ~ a double front somersault, with ½ twist in the 1st somersault, and no twist in the 2nd somersault; also known as "half in - back out" barani out ~ a double front somersault with a ½ twist in the 2nd somersault. more usually known as "half out" barani ~ a forward somersault with a ½-twist, named after Italian circus acrobat and tumbler Alfonso Barani who "invented" the front salto with ½ twist around 1881 barrel roll ~ a move starting on the stomach, with one full twist, landing again on the stomach; also known as a "log roll" bed ~ the part of the trampoline on which performers bounce bluch ~ a move starting on the stomach, a complete side somersault, landing again on the stomach, more usually called "turntable". Named after Jim Blutch (pronounced blootsh) who "invented" the move during the 1940's and the skill carried his name until about 1955 bounce-roll ~ a move starting on the back, with a front somersault, landing again on the back; less commonly known as a "porpoise" or "dolphin" cast ~ movement towards either long side of the trampoline frame during a move cat twist ~ a move starting on the back, with one full twist, landing again on the back cody ~ a move starting on the stomach, 1 ¼ back somersault. Named after Joe Kotys of Akron Ohio, one of the few persons to compete internationally in both trampoline and gymnastics compulsory ~ pre-designed routine that contain specific skills / moves required of the trampolinist. Also known as "set" corkscrew ~ a move starting on the back, ½ front somersault with 1½ twists to back coverall pads ~ filled pads which completely cover the frame and springs for safety cradle ~ a move starting on the back, ½ front somersault with ½ twist to back crash dive ~ ¾ front somersault (straight) crash mat ~ a foam filled mat that a coach might use to reduce the rebound of a trampolinist when developing a new move. It is not a substitute for proper coaching of technique. Better name is "push-in mat", also often known as "throw-in mat" degree of difficulty (dd) ~ a rating that measures the difficulty of specific moves and is factored into the total score after judges have scored the execution of the moves; also known as tariff de-synchronisation ~ scoring how much the pair of synchro-trampolinists are out of 'tempo' with each other, judged by the difference in height of the landing dolphin ~ a move starting on the back, with a front somersault, landing again on the back; more commonly known as a "bounce-roll", and less commonly as a "porpoise" dorso-ventricle axis ~ an axis passing through the navel, around which the side somersault and turntable are done. No award for tariff is made for rotation around it double back ~ a double back somersault without twist double bounce-roll ~ a move starting on the back, with a double front somersault, landing again on the back double full ~ a back somersault with 2 complete twists. Not to be confused with the term "full - full" or more normally "full in - full out" double mini (tramp) [dmt] ~ an elongated version of a "mini" trampoline that is open at either end - useful for circus tricks and games. The 'artiste' runs and mounts, performs a trick or two whilst rebounding across the apparatus, landing on a foam filled pad at the other end. Now gaining a little more support but still very niche element ~ a component part of a skill that has a recognised way of performance end deck ~ a large, thick mat that sits on a frame at each end of the trampoline to cushion the impact if anyone falls from the apparatus. Less frequently known as "safety platform" execution ~ 1. the performance of a routine. 2. the form, style and technique used to complete the skills included in a routine f.i.g ~ federation internationale gymnastique, the organizing body for international gymnastics competitions including the Olympics. F.i.g. makes the rules, trains and certifies judges, and determines how competitions are run fliffis ~ any double somersault with a twist forward turnover ~ ¾ front somersault, starting from feet. A specific variant in the straight position is termed a "crash dive" frame ~ major metal parts of the trampoline front [somersault] ~ a somersault with forward rotation full ~ full twisting back somersault full in - back out ~ a double back somersault with a full twist performed during the 1st somersault full in - double full out ~ a double back somersault, with 1 twist in the 1st somersault, and 2 twists in the 2nd somersault; also known as a "miller" full in - full out ~ a double back somersault, with 1 twist in the 1st somersault, and 1 twist in the 2nd somersault full in - half out ~ a double front somersault, with 1 twist in the 1st somersault, and ½ twist in the 2nd somersault full in - rudi out ~ a double front somersault, with 1 twist in the 1st somersault, and 1½ twist in the 2nd somersault full out ~ a double back somersault with a full twist performed during the 2nd somersault. also known as "back in - full out" full twist jump ~ a move whereby a trampolinist rotates 360° around the body's longitudinal axis, finishes facing the same end of the trampoline gain ~ travel arising from excessive displacement of the hips in initiation of somersault movements; e.g. travelling forwards in a back somersault. Carries same penalties from execution judge as "travel" gyroscopic precession ~ complex mechanical phenomenon where twist rotation is obtained by 'borrowing' somersault rotation, in straight twisting moves. Translates into 'tilt - twist' in twisting multiple somersaults and easily visible viewed from the short end of the trampoline half in - half out ~ a double back somersault with a ½ twist in each somersault half in - rudi out ~ a double back somersault, with ½ twist in the 1st somersault, and 1½ twist in the 2nd somersault half in (- back out) ~ a double front somersault, with ½ twist in the 1st somersault, and no twist in the 2nd somersault; also known as "barani in - back out" half out ~ a double front somersault with a ½ twist in the 2nd somersault. sometimes known as "barani out" half turntable ~ a move starting on the stomach, 180° of side somersault, landing again on the stomach half twist jump ~ a move whereby a trampolinist rotates 180° around the body's longitudinal axis, finishes facing the opposite end of the trampoline jonah ~ early ½ twist into back somersault with initial take-off being consistent with forward rotation kaboom ~ somersault from front (or back) landing, where a double contact is made. the legs hit the trampoline bed momentarily after the body, reversing the rotation generated from the body kick out ~ extension of the legs to straight body position after the shape phase of a somersault is completed killer ~ a double back somersault with 4 complete twists. also known as a miller plus, and a poliarush (Dimitri Poliarush - BLR - winner, 1996 World Championships) kip ~ assistance given by a coach whilst on the bed; can be used to increase, neutralise or lower the trampolinist's bouncing height lateral axis ~ axis roughly defined as through the hips, around which front and back somersaults are done layout ~ a straight (or slightly arched) position of the body lazy back ~ ¾ back somersault line out ~ good technique where trampolinist neatly places arms beside body on completion of shape phase, or whilst twisting log roll ~ a move starting on the stomach, with one full twist, landing again on the stomach; also known as a "barrel roll" longitudinal axis ~ axis from head through the body, around which twisting is done lost move [syndrome] ~ psychological condition where the performer loses the awareness and technique of a particular move miller ~ a triple-twisting double back somersault, originally performed as "2½ in - ½ out", nowadays usually performed as "full in - double full out", with 1 twist in the 1st somersault, and 2 twists in the 2nd somersault; named after Wayne Miller (USA) - winner, 1966 1970 world championships miller plus ~ a double back somersault with 4 complete twists. Also known as a killer (sic), and a poliarush (Dimitri Poliarush -BLR - winner, 1996 world championships) overhead rig ~ overhead apparatus with a belt, ropes, pulleys and fittings allowing the coach to provide remote support for a move whilst the performer is learning pike ~ a position where the body is bent forward at the hips to 90° or more while the legs are kept straight, with the thighs close to the upper body piked jump ~ move showing the "piked" shape alone, i.e.. no rotation or twist planterflexion ~ extension of ankle joint - technical name for 'point your toes' poliarush ~ a double back somersault with 4 complete twists. Named after Dimitri Poliarush (blr) - winner, 1996 world championships porpoise ~ a move starting on the back, with a front somersault, landing again on the back; more commonly known as a "bounce-roll", and less commonly as a "dolphin" puck ~ semi-tucked shape allowable in competition for multi-twisting multiple somersaults. For competition, the rules require an angle between the body and thighs, and the thighs and lower legs, of 90° - 120° push-in mat ~ a foam filled mat that a coach might use to reduce the rebound of a trampolinist when developing a new move. It is not a substitute for proper coaching of technique. Also known as "throw-in mat", and "crash mat" quadriffis ~ any quadruple somersault combined with a component of twist radius of gyration ~ mathematical term for how 'spread apart' the body is when a somersault or twist is done around an axis randolph ~ a front somersault with 2½ twists; also known as a "randy" randy ~ a front somersault with 2½ twists; also known as a "randolph" rig ~ overhead apparatus with a belt, ropes, pulleys and fittings allowing the coach to provide remote support for a move whilst the performer is learning rob-roy ~ a move starting on the back, ½ front somersault with 2 ½ twists to back rocket ~ a kipped bounce whilst the kippee's hands are being held by the kipper roller ~ a move starting on the seat, full twist to seat drop routine ~ a combination of movements or manoeuvres displaying a specific range of skills rudi out ~ a double front somersault with 1½ twists in the 2nd somersault" rudolph ~ a front somersault with 1½ twists, also known as a rudy. Named after Dave Rudolph who executed the 1½ twisting front somersault on a trampoline in the late 1920's in vaudeville. Randolph and adolph were "invented" names for the kindred skills they represent rudy ~ a "rudolph" safety platform ~ a large, thick mat that sits on a frame at each end of the trampoline to cushion the impact if anyone falls from the apparatus. Also known as "end deck" salto ~ a somersault, i.e. rotation around the axis of the hips set ~ a pre-designed routine that contain specific skills / moves required of the trampolinist. Also known as "compulsory" side somersault ~ a 360° rotation around an axis passing through the navel (dorso-ventral axis) skill ~ a specific move that has a recognised way of performance and technical value somersault ~ an acrobatic movement where the body makes a complete revolution, heels over head; also known as 'salto' straddle ~ a position where the legs are split at least shoulder width apart and the legs are kept straight whilst the upper body is aligned forward at the hips at an angle greater than 45° straddled jump ~ move showing the "straddle" shape alone, i.e. no rotation or twist straight ~ a position where the body is extended in a straight line, technically defined as the upper body and the legs being positioned at an angle of more than 135° spotter(s) ~ People positioned at points around a trampoline in order to ensure additional safety for performers who might otherwise fall off without their intervention swivel hips ~ a move starting on the seat, a ½ twist in upright position, landing again on seat synchronised [trampolining] ~ two people jumping on separate trampolines in time with each other. They must perform identical moves or skills simultaneously tag ~ trampoline game. every player has to repeat all skills of those that went before in the correct order and append an additional skill at the end; also known as "add-on". (variants add-before, add-between) tariff ~ a rating that measures the difficulty of specific moves and is factored into the total score after judges have scored the execution of the moves; also known as 'degree of difficulty [dd]' three - quarter turnover ~ ¾ front somersault, starting from feet. Also known as 'forward turnover'. a specific variant in the straight position is termed a "crash dive throw-in mat ~ a foam filled mat that a coach might use to reduce the rebound of a trampolinist when developing a new move. it is not a substitute for proper coaching of technique. Better name is "push-in mat", often known as "crash mat" tilt-twist ~ complex mechanical phenomenon whereby aerial twist rotation, obtained by 'borrowing' somersault rotation in straight twisting somersaults, translates into an amount of "tilt". Easily visible viewed from the short end of the trampoline. Caused by "gyroscopic precession" travel ~ 1. movement away from the centre of the bed, with appropriate form deduction if excessive (outside the box) 2. movement along the bed in the same direction as the shoulders in somersault rotation, i.e. travelling backwards in a back somersault triffis [or triff] ~ any triple somersault combined with a component of twist tuck ~ a position where the knees are bent and drawn into the chest, with the upper body folded at the waist at angle of greater than 45° from the upper legs tucked jump ~ move showing the "tuck" shape alone, i.e.. no rotation or twist turntable ~ a move starting on the stomach, a complete side somersault, landing again on the stomach. (see Bluch) twist ~ rotation around the body's longitudinal axis, roughly defined by the spine	Trampolining
A gilet (pronounced loosely 'jee-lay' - it's French) is a jacket or blouse without?	Encyclo - AUTRC - Trampolining terms Encyclo (NL) Copy of `AUTRC - Trampolining terms` The wordlist doesn't exist anymore, or, the website doesn't exist anymore. On this page you can find a copy of the original information. The information may have been taken offline because it is outdated. AUTRC - Trampolining terms Category: Sport and Leisure > Trampolining Date & country: 28/03/2011, UK The tightness of a shape (tuck or pike) which earns good form Baby fliffus From back landing, 1 1/4 front somersault to feet with early half twist. Different move to barani ball-out, though it involves the same amount of rotation and twist from the same take off position. Back pullover 3/4 back somersault from back landing, usually to feet Back-in full-out Double back somersault with 1 twist in 2nd somersault phase Ball out 1 1/4 front somersault from back landing to feet Barani 1 1/4 front somersault (from back landing) with Barani-in Another name for side somersault Bed The springy landing surface of a trampoline, usually meshed but solid beds do exist Blind Move where the bed is not seen until very late before landing Bluch Back pullover from tucked seat drop position Bottom out Occurs when trampoline bed and springs reach maximum stretch, usually but not always because the bed reaches the floor. Bounce roll Front somersault from back landing to back landing Cast Sideways travel during a move Cat twist full twist from back landing to back landing (no somersault rotation) Chair of judging panel New term for the superior judge Checking Stopping the bounce by bending the knees, ankles and hips Cody Any somersault from front landing. Usually 1 1/4 back somersault from front, to feet; but (3/4) front cody is also seen Corkscrew A flat back landing from toes to head Coverall pads Frame pads which completely cover the frame and springs for safety Cowboy or cowboying Pulling the knees apart during tuck shape to shorten radius of gyration and gain more rotation Cradle 3/4 front somersault from feet to back landing Desync When a pair of synchro competitors are out of time with each other in their landings. Also, the degree of desync or the score awarded by the desync judges. Difficulty Alternative name for the tariff of a routine Dismount 1. The safe technique of getting off a trampoline Dolphin Bounce roll. Also, front somersault from seat drop position Dorso-ventral axis Axis from stomach to back, around which the side somersault and turntable are done. No award form tariff is made for rotation around it. Double bounce roll Two people jumping on the same trampoline, usually asynchronously Double full (Single) back somersault with 2 twists Fliff or fliffus Any double somersault with twist. Fliffus ball-out 2 1/4 front somersault from back with Form What the judges look for in a routine, ie. good technique, correct body position, straight arms/legs, body tension, etc. Forward turnover Front somersault from feet or hands & knees; usually from hands & knees to back or seat. But also, from feet, free body position to back Frame Metal parts of the trampoline which support its structure Free Body position that is undefined Free bounce A straight bounce when done in the middle of a routine Full (Single) back somersault with 1 twist Full-in Double back somersault with 1 twist in 1st somersault Full-in full-out Double back somersault with 1 twist in both 360 Full-in half-out Double front somersault with 1 twist in 1st somersault, Full-in Rudi-out Double front somersault with 1 twist in 1st somersault, 1 Full-out Double back somersault with 1 twist in 2nd somersault Gain Travel in the opposite direction to the rotation, eg. travelling forwards in a back somersault Gyroscopic precession Complex mechanical phenomenon where, during rotation around one axis, if a force is introduced on another axis, a resultant rotation is produced around the third axis. Can be demonstrated by holding a bicycle wheel's axis, then then turning it while it is spinning. Kaboom Somersault from front (or back) landing, where a double contact is made. The legs hit the trampoline bed momentarily after the body, reversing the rotation generated from the body. Kick out Extension of the legs to straight body position after the shape phase of a somersault is shown Kill To stop the recoil of the bed throwing the performer up. Done by the performer, or a coach (opposite of kip). Killer Little-used German term for miller-plus (a 4 twisting double back somersault) Kip Coaching technique to augment the power of the trampoline bed by it being depressed momentarily before the performer's landing Lateral axis Axis going from side-side around which somersaults are done Layout or lay Alternative term for the straight body position. ie. layout somersault=straight back somersault Line-out Good technique where performer neatly places arms beside body on kick-out of a shaped somersault, or whilst twisting Log roll Full twist from front drop to front drop, ie. similar to cat twist but fro the front Longitudinal axis Axis from head through the body (like a skewer) around which twisting is done Miller Alternative name for the voluntary routine in a competition Out bounce Controlled straight bounce allowed after a competition routine Periwinkle 1 3/4 front somersault with full twist in the first somersault Phasing The balance and timing of executing take-off, shape and landing of a move with good technique. Pike Body position where legs are straight, together and the body is bent at the hips. For competition, minimum angle is 135 Pike jump Move showing the pike shape alone, ie. no rotation or twist Ping, pinging When a move (somersault) is done but takes off not under control, usually travelling and losing height Pirouette Old term for full twist jump Porpoise Little-used alternate name for a bounce roll Prerequisites Moves which are a requirement to be mastered before learning another move, for sound coaching reasons Progressions Stages in learning a move, usually but not always moves in themselves. Some progressions are necessary but would never really be considered moves in their own right. Puck Semi-tucked shape (piked tuck) allowable in competition for multi-twisting multiple somersaults. For competition, the rules require an angle between the body and thighs, and the thighs and lower legs, of 90 Quadriffis Any somersault with twist and 4x 360 Radius of gyration Mathematical term for how 'spread apart' the body is when a somersault or twist is done around an axis. Randolph, randy (Single) front somersault with 2 Randy ball out 1 1/4 front somersault from back to feet, with 2 RMI Twist Relative moment of inertia twist, aka mid-air twist. A technique where twist can be generated in mid air (ie without contact with the trampoline bed), due to coming out of a shape. Roller Full twist from seat landing to seat landing. No rotation involved. Routine Sequence of (usually) 10 moves linked together with no straight jumps between Rudi ball out 1 1/4 front somersault from back to feet, with 1 Rudolph, rudi (rudy) (Single) front somersault with 1 Salto Alternative foreign (German/Russian) term for somersault Set Term when the judging panel's marks are split into two different groups of similar scores. Spotter Those who do 'spotting', ie. stand by the side (end) of the trampoline guarding against falling off Spotting 1. Landing in the same place as taking off; keeping in the middle of the trampoline Spotting deck End deck of a trampoline, attached to the frame Spotting mat Push-in mat used by the coach to provide a softer landing while learning moves; also sometimes seen in competition for use if the competitor needs it Spotting rig Overhead rig apparatus with a belt, ropes, pulleys and fittings allowing the coach to provide remote support for a move whilst learning. Straddle (jump) See piked straddle jump. Note, in competition, this is not a body position allowed in moves except the straddle jump. Straight Body position where legs are in line with body. For competition, thighs must be greater than 135 Swingtime Moves done consecutively as in a routine Swivel-hips	i don't know

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