text:
Return to Transcripts main page
The Madman in My Life
Aired July 4, 2013 - 22:00 ET
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Anderson Cooper. In early June, southern California was the scene of a deadly shooting rampage. This one carried out by a lone gunman in Santa Monica. The suspect with a history of mental health issues murdered five people, including his own father and brother before he was shot and killed. Each time these crimes occur, we ask, what could have been done to prevent it? Were there any warning signs? Often, it's the people the closest to the perpetrators, their spouses, their relatives who feel the most responsible. Well, tonight, an intimate perspective of the most troubled and violent among us from those who knew them best. We hear from wives, the daughters, the brothers and the fathers of those who would later commit unspeakable acts. Randi Kaye begins our special report, "The Madman in My Life." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of our city. RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A daughter's sickening nightmare. ANGIE GREGG, ARIEL CASTRO'S DAUGHTER: If you would have asked me this last week, I would have told you he's the best dead and the best grandpa. He's dead to me. KAYE: A brother's terrible discovery. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife, Linda, comes to me one day and says do you think there's any possibility that this Unabomber might be your brother? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are 11 individuals or parts thereof that were recovered, and those would include 11 intact skulls. KAYE: A father's frustration. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was ordered by the court to undergo counseling. I visited the psychologist, but she did not indicate to me that she knew what was wrong. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A single engine aircraft has crashed into a seven- story building. KAYE: A wife's horrible surprise. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't imagine anybody doing anything like that. Let alone my husband. KAYE: A family's desperate attempt to prevent a massacre. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His thought process was the world was going to end on Friday. KAYE: What do you do when a loved one becomes a monster? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you know the truth about someone that you love? AMANDA BERRY, KIDNAPPING VICTIM (via telephone): Hello, police. Help me. I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm here. I'm free now. KAYE: A chilling 911 call. BERRY: OK, are they on their way right now? DISPATCHER: We're going to send someone as soon as we get a car open. BERRY: No, I need them now before he gets back. KAYE: Minutes after receiving this call, Cleveland police would rescue Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Georgina DeJesus -- three young women who had been missing for 10 years. COOPER: An extraordinary story out of Cleveland tonight. A man by the name of Ariel Castro, 52 years old, has been arrested. He is the suspect in this. KAYE: Prosecutors say Ariel Castro kept these women locked in his house where he raped, starved and beat them, forcing one to have several miscarriages. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a decade is beyond comprehension. REPORTER: Why are you covering your face? What do you have to say to those women? What kind of monster does this? KAYE: As shocking as these crimes are, what is, perhaps, equally disturbing is that the alleged perpetrator lived in plain sight for a decade, remaining close to family and friends. GREGG: It's a horror movie. Only, we're in it. We're, you know, the main characters. KAYE: Angie Gregg knows the man charged with these disturbing crimes very well. Ariel Castro is her father. GREGG: If you would have asked me this last week, I would have told you he's the best dad and the best grandpa. KAYE: Gregg, one of Ariel Castro's five children, says her father was loving and kind. GREGG: Living in that home, there were a lot of good memories. I remember my dad lining us up and cutting our bangs himself. Going on family outings, carnivals, motorcycle rides with my dad. There were a lot of good times. KAYE: Gregg says the good times ended when her mother left her father because he was physically abusive. GREGG: He was pretty jealous. He beat her pretty bad several times. He would make excuses for the reason why he was the way he was with her. KAYE: Yet, even after the parents separated, Gregg remained close to her father, often visiting him at his home, unaware of the alleged horror taking place, hidden behind closed doors. GREGG: I spent some time in there. I would be in there after two hours at a time, and never noticed anything, you know, odd. PEDRO CASTRO, ARIEL CASTRO'S BROTHER: I don't know how my brother got away with it for so many years. That would never cross my mind. KAYE: Ariel Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, are also still trying to comprehend how their brother was able to hide his alleged savagery. P. CASTRO: I can't believe that Ariel was committing such a hateful crime for this long amount of time, acting like if nothing happened, you know, no worries. ONIL CASTRO, ARIEL CASTRO'S BROTHER: It hurts. It hurts a lot. I woke up out of the nightmare last night. I want to wake up out of this one, and I just can't. KAYE: Both brothers say they visited Ariel's house often, never suspecting any wrongdoing, even when they saw him with a little girl whom they later discovered was Amanda Berry's child born in captivity. P. CASTRO: I had no idea that little girl was his or Amanda's. KAYE: How is it possible that these close family members could not have known what was going on? How could they have not suspected or noticed anything troubling about their brother, their father? DR. REID MELOY, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Oftentimes, you will find individuals who can channel their aggressive behavior and sometimes their sexually aggressive behavior in a way that is very narrow and very clandestine. KAYE: Dr. Reid Meloy is a forensic psychologist. He studies the psychological makeup of violent criminals. Although Dr. Malloy hasn't met Ariel Castro, he says it isn't surprising that those close to Castro were shocked that he may have committed these disturbing crimes. MELOY: We tend to assume what we see on the surface as being a full understanding of the individual. But the assumption is that the book is explained by the cover. And the cover typically doesn't tell us what's inside the book. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd like to enter a plea of not guilty. KAYE: As Castro awaits trial on charges of kidnapping, rape and murder, his family must attempt to reconcile the man they knew and loved with the man charged with such sickening crimes. GREGG: It's hard, but I have no sympathy. He was just another person who's lied and deceived and manipulated people, and I could never forgive him. KAYE: Dr. Meloy believes Castro's family members are just beginning to emotionally process their brother's actions. MELOY: The sad reality is typically the healthier the family member is, the more likely they are to feel a sense of guilt and responsibility for what's happened and it can take a tremendous amount of work internally for them to overcome the sense that they had some responsibility for what happened. GREGG: There's no doubt in my mind that he's guilty, and I have no problem cutting him out of my life. He's dead to me. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw a door open, all of a sudden, a big explosion. KAYE: Coming up, his brother terrorized a nation. DAVID KACZYNSKI, TED KACZYNSKI'S BROTHER: If we turn Ted in, you know, it's not going to be to a psychiatric hospital. It's going to be to a criminal justice system that could very easily put him to death. (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID KACZYNSKI, TED KACZYNSKI'S BROTHER: To me, he was always a good brother. I mean, I always looked up to him and he was smart, he was independent. He had principles. KAYE (voice-over): Growing up, David Kaczynski always admired older brother, Teddy. D. KACZYNSKI: He had a sense of right and wrong, that you behaved with integrity. Never violent. There was absolutely no indication of what he would later become. KAYE: David's brother was the Unabomber -- a domestic terrorist responsible for 16 bombings that killed 3 people and wounded 23 others. His killing spree went on for nearly two decades, until the one person who said he'd never abandon him -- D. KACZYNSKI: I hope that my brother, Ted, will someday forgive me. KAYE: -- faced the dilemma of whether to turn him in. REPORTER: Ted, are you the Unabomber? KAYE: And possibly send his big brother to death row. Separated by seven years, David and Ted Kaczynski grew up together on the outskirts of Chicago, with Teddy always looking out for his baby brother. D. KACZYNSKI: I remember when I was about 3 years old, I used to push my way out through the screen door we had in back and play out, play around out back. And I always had a ball. But the frustration was in trying to get back inside the house because at the age of 3, I was so short I couldn't reach the doorknob. And then one day, Ted, who would have been 10 or 11 years old at the time, came out of the house and I saw him fiddling around at the back door. When he was done, he said, Dave, see if this works. All of a sudden I realized what he had done, he made a little makeshift door handle for me. KAYE: David appreciated Ted's kindness, but noticed something else about his brother. D. KACZYNSKI: I guess there was a part of me, even as a young child, that thought Ted is a little different. And I remember once asking mom, "You know, mom, what's wrong with Teddy?" And she says, "Nothing is wrong with your brother." And I said, "Doesn't he like people? Why doesn't he have friends?" KAYE: Forensic psychologist Dr. Reid Meloy says it's OK for children to be different, until it becomes a problem. MELOY: When parents are getting feedback or comments from other people that a child is behaving in an unusual way or is engaging in isolating behaviors, that's very important to listen seriously to what people are telling you. KAYE: Kaczynski was socially awkward but brilliant. D. KACZYNSKI: He was, like, fascinated with rocketry, so he actually used to make his own homemade, not out of any sort of kit, rockets that he would shoot off in the park. KAYE: He earned a scholarship to Harvard at age 16, received his PhD from the University of Michigan and became a college professor at the age of 25. It was during his time at Michigan that he began losing touch with reality. D. KACZYNSKI: He might have had his first sort of psychotic break when he was there. He began to imagine visits by people who had never visited him. KAYE: In 1969, Kaczynski suddenly gave up his promising career as a college professor, wanting to divorce himself from modern society and his family. He eventually moved into a small cabin in Lincoln, Montana, choosing to live in isolation without plumbing or electricity. MELOY: He had this peculiar nexus between ideology, sort of a hatred of the growing and advancing technology within the world. KAYE: When David married his wife, Linda, in 1990, Ted was supposed to be the best man but refused to attend. That's when Linda started asking questions. D. KACZYNSKI: I struggled to answer the questions, why did he quit his job? Why is he living the way he's living? Why has he rejected his parents? Why did he refuse to come to our wedding? KAYE: And then the letters started to arrive, a diatribe of hatred toward modern technology. D. KACZYNSKI: It used to be that I suffered from hardly any tension at all around here. But the area is now so messed up that my old way of life is all shot to hell. LINDA KACZYNSKI, TED KACZYNSKI'S SISTER-IN-LAW: This was not just a disgruntled brother. But this was something quite more serious than that. KAYE: Attempts to get his brother counseling in Montana were unsuccessful. D. KACZYNSKI: Given that Ted was an adult, given that there was no evidence that he was an imminent threat to himself or others, essentially there was nothing we could do. KAYE: Around the same time David was receiving disturbing letters from his brother, Ted -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I opened it then it exploded. KAYE: -- universities and airlines received exploding bombs in the mail. REPORTER: Many contain meticulously carved wood. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We suspect this is the handwriting of the Unabomb subject. KAYE: The haunting similarities between Ted's dark letters and a manifesto the Unabomber sent to "The Washington Post" and "New York Times" caught the attention of David's wife. L. KACZYNSKI: It kind of added up that he was a woodworker. He had connections to Chicago and San Francisco. D. KACZYNSKI: Linda urged me to sit down and read the manifesto and I'm actually reading the first page, all set to turn to her and say, look, you've been really silly, I'm sure this is not Ted's writing, and finding myself with a kind of lump in my chest. KAYE: For David, it was a horrible realization. D. KACZYNSKI: If you look past the ideas of the manifesto, you see a person as troubled as my brother. KAYE: He now had to decide what to do. D. KACZYNSKI: If we do nothing and Ted is the Unabomber, we may wake up some morning and realize he struck again. Some innocent person died because we had failed to act. We'd have blood on our hands. KAYE: It took Linda two months, but she finally convinced David to contact the FBI. D. KACZYNSKI: There was no turning back, but I can't tell you how painful it was to just put my finger down and say, yes, he lives here, realizing that I could be sending my own brother to his death. When Ted was arrested, under the bed where he slept was another bomb wrapped in a package apparently ready to be mailed to someone. KAYE: Ted Kaczynski rejected his attorney's insanity defense and pleaded guilty to murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with no opportunity for parole. But to this day, David believes Ted is insane and should be in a mental institution. D. KACZYNSKI: My biggest regret was not to have clearer insight about Ted's illness, that he was ill. KAYE: David continues to write to his brother twice a year in prison. He has never received a response. Coming up -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a fireball. People let out a scream all around me. KAYE: Kyra Phillips on simmering anger. A deadly attack. SHERYL STACK, JOE STACK'S WIFE: I didn't know about the IRS. I didn't know that he was violent. KAYE: And a wife left searching for answers. STACK: How would I possibly know he would do a thing like that? (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. STACK: I still love Joe. I don't think that Joe was a bad person. KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It took some time for Cheryl Stack to get to this point. For two years, she has struggled but has found comfort in her music and her faith. S. STACK: I have been more sad than mad. Suicide is so painful on so many different levels. Then you add the public factor, the public suicide. PHILLIPS: It was February 18th, 2010. An angry and violent Joe Stack set his family's house on fire, then drove here to the Georgetown municipal airport, boarded his single engine plane -- JOE STACK: Georgetown tower, Dakota 2889 Delta's ready for departure. PHILLIPS: -- and was cleared for takeoff. TOWER: Eighty-nine Delta clear for takeoff. What's your direction of flight, sir? JOE STACK: Eighty-nine Delta going southbound, sir. PHILLIPS: At 9:44 a.m., Joe Stack was headed for his final flight. Joe Stack knew exactly where he was going, the Echelon Building in Austin, which housed the IRS. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a fireball. People let out a scream all around me. A few people were crying. PHILLIPS: Stack slammed his plane between the first and second floors of the building. It exploded on impact. One man in the building was killed, Vernon hunter, an IRS employee. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The region in danger. PHILLIPS: Immediately, there were fears that this was an act of terrorism, but it wasn't. It was simply one man's grudge against the IRS. And then came the manifesto. Before Stack would die by suicide, the 53-year-old software engineer would leave behind a rambling diatribe online, where he railed against the government in excruciating detail. "I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at big brother while he strips my carcass," Stack wrote. "The choose not to ignore what is going on all around me. I have just had enough." Today, that manifesto still haunts Sheryl Stack. (on camera): What do you say to people that may be listening to you and thinking, how could she not know about this rage, about this manifesto, about this anger? S. STACK: Well, I knew that he was angry, but I thought he was angry at us, you know? About the IRS, I didn't know that he was violent. How could I possibly know he would do a thing like that? PHILLIPS (voice-over): Sheryl met Joseph Andrew Stack through a mutual friend in 2005. Both loved music. Sheryl played piano, Joe played bass guitar. Two years later, in a small ceremony in Austin, they married. Joining them was Sheryl's 12-year-old daughter, Margaux. (on camera): Did he ever talk about how he was angry with the government, angry with the IRS? S. STACK: When we were dating, he did talk about the IRS. He didn't seem so angry, he just didn't like them. PHILLIPS (voice-over): But, actually, Joe's emotions ran much deeper. In the '80s, while living in California, he was part of an anti-tax movement, even forming his own tax-exempt home church. His run-ins with the IRS continued for decades. Joe and Sheryl got audited in late 2008, and once again, Joe was in another battle with the IRS, a battle he wasn't going to lose. Joe Stack started to document what would soon become his suicide mission. He wrote, "Desperate times call for desperate measures," and, "Violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer." This is what's left of the home that Joe Stack burned down. (on camera): Is it hard to come back here? S. STACK: That's hard to answer. It's not as hard as it was initially. It was really hard right after it all happened. PHILLIPS (voice-over): Sheryl says in the months before, he became more angry with the IRS and the audit. He started to blame her and her daughter, Margaux, for all his problems, and he became increasingly strict with Margaux. Sheryl talked about divorce. S. STACK: He said we were the cause of all his trouble. PHILLIPS (on camera): Wow. S. STACK: But that was the same time he was giving me a birthday card and saying you're the best thing that ever happened to me in my whole life. PHILLIPS (voice-over): Then came their final night together. MARGAUX: After we had dinner, we sat down in the family room and he was just talking. Like, he just wanted to leave. And he said he was just going to disappear, but we didn't really know what he was talking about. I said, "Mom, he's not even taking a toothbrush with him. Or anything, like, where is he going, this is scaring me." PHILLIPS (on camera): So, did you think he might do something that wasn't right? MARGAUX: I kind of had, like, a feeling that something was going to happen, like something bad. And I told my mom that I wanted to leave, and she said, OK. And so, we left. PHILLIPS (voice-over): Sheryl took her daughter to this nearby Ramada Inn. She never heard from Joe again. The next morning this is what Sheryl drove up to. The morning of the fire, Sheryl and her daughter took refuge at a neighbor's home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just got some information. PHILLIPS: It would be there that she would discover the fate of her husband on the local news. S. STACK: They interrupted the house fire to show that a plane had crashed into a building. PHILLIPS (on camera): How did you react when you realized it was his plane and it was him? S. STACK: Well, I don't think I did react. I think I just was -- just in complete and utter shock. PHILLIPS: He wrote in the manifesto, "But violence not only is the answer, it's the only answer." S. STACK: I don't know who that is. I don't know that man. I learned a lot being up in the air with Joe. One of the things I learned up there is that the sun is always shining on the other side of the clouds. It might be a really dark, dark day. It might be a terrible, terrible day, but on the other side of those clouds, the sun is shining. PHILLIPS (voice-over): Coming up -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never gave any idea that he was involved in murdering people or eating them or whatever. PHILLIPS: Randi Kaye on a sadistic serial killer, and a father's anguish. LIONEL DAHMER, FATHER: He was ordered by the court to undergo counseling. I visited the psychologist. She knew something was wrong but she really didn't know. She couldn't tell me anything. (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are 11 individuals or parts, thereof, that were recovered and those would include 11 intact skulls. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's gruesome. Very gruesome. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never carried himself or gave any idea that he was involved in murdering people or eating them or whatever. CHIEF PHILIP ARREOLA, MILWAUKEE POLICE: The suspect is a 31-year-old white male. We're doing a great deal of investigation in the individual's background, his whereabouts. For all purposes, his entire history. KAYE (voice-over): Today, Jeffrey Dahmer is remembered as a monster, who murdered, dismembers and cannibalized 17 victims. But long before then, Jeffrey Dahmer appeared to be an ordinary boy. DAHMER: He was my first child, and we had lots of fun together when he was young. He returned my love. I loved him very much Played in the sandbox I made for him at the university housing. Rode the bike with him. Took him for a chocolate shake every Saturday morning. KAYE: Jeffrey Dahmer's father, Lionel Dahmer, sat down with CNN in 2007 and recalled how Jeffrey's happy-go-lucky demeanor was soon consumed by overwhelming shyness. DAHMER: His schoolteachers noted that and told us that he seemed very shy and a little bit -- not very happy. KAYE: Psychiatrist Fred Berlin examined Jeffrey Dahmer after he was arrested for murder. Berlin says there were early signs that Jeffrey Dahmer had a dark side, but no indication he would become a serial killer. FRED BERLIN, PSYCHIATRIST: There had been one time in his childhood where Jeffrey Dahmer had brought home a road kill -- a dog or something that had been killed on the side of the road. Certainly as a father if one were to see that, you'd want to know, what in the heck is this all about? That's a far cry from saying that having known that that had happened, I think my son is going to turn into a serial killer who's going to take the lives of 17 people -- to me, that's really a heck of a stretch. KAYE: But by the end of high school, Jeffrey Dahmer was depressed, drinking and unknown to his family, having violent sexual fantasies. BERLIN: Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes were motivated by the presence of abnormal sexual cravings, fantasies and urges. And when people are being driven to act because of the privacy of their sexual makeup, that's something that's very difficult for any of us to detect. KAYE: Three months after his high school graduation in 1978, Jeffrey Dahmer committed his first murder, bludgeoning a 19-year-old hitchhiker with a 10-pound barbell, then dissecting his victim's body in the crawl space of his parents' home and burying the remains in a shallow grave. After the murder, Jeffrey Dahmer dropped out of college, began living at home without a job, and continued drinking heavily. His father urged him to enlist in the Army. DAHMER: He doesn't have an occupation of any kind. He's not trained for anything. So how about trying the Army for a while? KAYE: Less than three years after joining the army, Dahmer was kicked out for excessive drinking. DAHMER: We had to do something, so we sent him to my mother's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. KAYE: That's when his behavior changed, from strange, to bizarre. BERLIN: For period of time he was sleeping with a male mannequin in his grandmother's home in Wisconsin, pretending in his mind that it was a corpse. KAYE: While Dahmer was living with his grandmother, he continued abusing alcohol. His father enrolled him in a treatment program, but the psychologist working with Dahmer refused to share any insights regarding his mental state. DAHMER: He said, I will not discuss his details because he's an adult and that's between him and I. KAYE: Dahmer served short prison sentences for indecent exposure and molesting a minor. DAHMER: He was ordered by the court to undergo counseling. I visited the psychologist, but she did not indicate to me that she knew what was wrong. She knew something was wrong, but she really didn't know. KAYE: By 1988, Dahmer moved into his own apartment and attracted little attention. BERLIN: He was someone who you could sit down and speak with and seemed quite affable. So there's nothing about his appearance that would have given any clue to the sorts of crimes that we know he committed. KAYE: During the span of three years, the affable guy next door would kill and mutilate 16 more victims, all young men or boys, with most of the slayings taking place in his Milwaukee apartment. But his father was completely unaware of the grisly evidence inside the apartment. DAHMER: It was a very nice apartment actually inside. It was neat and clean when we went there. There was nothing to give us any signals that something was wrong. But there were red flags, but we couldn't see them. KAYE: In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer was finally caught and arrested. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talking to the head that's been severed, that's seeing himself as continuing on in an intimate relationship by eating somebody. KAYE: It wasn't until his trial that his father would learn about the horrific atrocities his son had committed. Dahmer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In 1994, less than 2 years after his conviction, Jeffrey Dahmer was brutally killed by a fellow inmate while cleaning the prison gymnasium. He was 34. Could Dahmer have been stopped before the rampage? His father says he begged his son's lawyer and the judge to keep his son locked up after his earlier molestation arrest. DAHMER: I wanted to have a little time, keep him in prison for the maximum time to try to find some solution to the problem. I wish he was alive that I could still, you know, we could have pursued this and really found out what might have been the triggers. I think I would have really quizzed Jeff on his inner thoughts. I could have pushed more, you know? I could have. KAYE: Coming up -- confronting mental illness. A family alerts authorities to a tragedy waiting to happen. VICTOR MILIAN, MIAMI-DADE POLICE NEGOTIATOR: He had on body armor when I was talking to him through the window. I saw the butt of a rifle. So I knew the danger was there. (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KAYE (voice-over): December 14th, 2012, the Connecticut Elementary School under assault. Within minutes, six adults and 20 children massacred. Just three days later, another school. This one in Florida, goes into lockdown. And Miami-Dade police negotiator Victor Milian is called into action. VICTOR MILIAN, MIAMI-DADE POLICE NEGOTIATOR: Part of the information I received was that there were multiple weapons involved, to include grenades. KAYE: The shooter isn't in the school, but across the street, living here. He's distressed and heavily armed. Inside his apartment, the walls are covered with violent rantings, and silhouettes used for target practice. His name is Franklin Rosario. Earlier that day, his sister, Alma, had sent this desperate e-mail that alerted authorities. "I lived with him and have seen his suicide note written on his wall at home and he has personally told me about plans he has to do mass public shootings." (on camera): What were your immediate concerns as soon as you got there? MILIAN: As I'm pulling up to the scene, there's a private school across the street. KAYE (voice-over): The police special response team surrounds the area as Milian begins talking to Rosario. MILIAN: He had on body armor when I was talking to him through the window. I saw the butt of a rifle. So I knew danger was there. KAYE: And he knew Rosario suffered from mental illness. He's a combat Army veteran who is 100 percent disabled who suffers from PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar and depression. It is unlikely that he is currently taking his medication. (on camera): Give me an idea of this veteran state of mind as far as you could tell. MILIAN: He was in a crisis mode. His thought process was that the world was going to end his thought process that the world would end on Friday and Americans were potentially in harm's way. KAYE: How do you rationally speak to someone who is suffering a mental breakdown? MILIAN: A lot of patience. A lot of patience. KAYE (voice-over): Milian says Rosario was suspicious of police but he somehow finds a way to build trust. MILIAN: I explained to him that I'm a veteran myself. I actually showed him my military ID card and I think that was the turning point. KAYE: After more than five hours of negotiating, no bullets fired. No storming the building, Rosario surrenders peacefully. He is taken to a treatment facility, not a jail. STEVE LEIFMAN, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY JUDGE: He was very sick. Very, very sick. But he didn't break a law. That's what's so -- they got to him before he did something terrible. KAYE: It was Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman's staff who had seen the e-mail and alerted police. LEIFMAN: We're waiting until someone is so sick, they're either getting arrested, getting sick or hurting somebody. And it's foolish, it's dangerous and it's very expensive. And it is ruining families, ruining lives and very unnecessary. We had a horrible situation. KAYE: Leifman has spent years ensuring that when possible, mentally ill people are taken to appropriate mental health facilities for evaluation. Instead of being arrested. He showed me the alternative, here -- ninth floor of the Miami-Dade detention center where the most acute cases end up. (on camera): I've never been to a place like this. This is an awful place. You can't argue with that. LEIFMAN: No, it's startling. KAYE (voice-over): It used to be dubbed, the forgotten floor. Judge Leifman told me. LEIFMAN: People forgot about the inmate who had serious mental illnesses. KAYE: He said today, it is much improved and incredibly costly, about $60 million a year to house these people in such horrific conditions. (on camera): When you're here and you look around, what disturbs you most? LEIFMAN: The overcrowding, 24/7 in the same cell. It is not conducive for treatment. There is no therapy here. KAYE: They stay locked up. LEIFMAN: They just stay locked up and they get a pill. That's pretty much it. KAYE: That's not treatment. LEIFMAN: That's not treatment. KAYE (voice-over): That's why the judge started an intense 40-hour course. LEIFMAN: Last year, 1.5 million people with serious mental illnesses were arrested. KAYE: Which gives Miami police the training they need to better deal with the mentally ill on the street and get them help. Lieutenant Jeff Locke went through the crisis intervention training. On this night, we joined him on a fairly quiet patrol. (on camera): So before there was CIT, before officers were specifically trained to deal with mentally ill, how did they deal with them? LT. JEFF LOCKE, MIAMI POLICE: Confrontational. Grab them, arrest them, handcuff them, put them on a gurney, tie them to a gurney and ship them off to a receiving facility. KAYE: Lieutenant Locke says CIT officers are taught to take a step back, to deescalate the situation. LOCKE: We're not showing up in that level. I'm here. I'm going to take you here. It is more of -- KAYE (on camera): I'm here to help you. LOCKE: We're here to help you. What can I do for you? What do you need? And really, try to become their friend. KAYE (voice-over): Judge Leifman says more than 3,900 officers are trained and on the team, keeping those suffering from mental illness out of jail and in treatment. LEIFMAN: We're not criminalizing their mental illness, which is what we've done in this country. KAYE: Unfortunately, getting the mentally ill help is not always enough. Army veteran Franklin Rosario had been in treatment for months when -- JUDGE: I'm just ordering you that you may not possess any fire articles of do you understand that? KAYE: At this bond hearing, he convinced the judge to let him go home. JUDGE: OK, next case. KAYE: Days later, he committed suicide, stabbing himself to death. But Judge Leifman's programs have many more success stories. Like this man. LEIFMAN: Justin, he is amazing. He was a chef at a nice restaurant on South Beach. He had a schizophrenic break. He attacked the owner of the restaurant. KAYE: It was 2007, Justin Volpe (ph) was taken to the ninth floor, the very same ninth floor we visited with Judge Leifman. JUSTIN VOLPE (ph): I do remember being completely delusional when I went in there and things not getting better after I wept to the ninth floor. And things got eventually worse. KAYE (on camera): Do you think it is the right place for someone who is mentally ill? VOLPE: I don't think it is the right place for anyone, let alone somebody that is mentally ill. KAYE (voice-over): Justin eventually entered the judge's program. After he completed it, the Judge Leifman hired him to work as a program peer counselor. VOLPE: I feel great giving back. What I do is I offer the experience of, I've been there. I've been arrested. I know what it is like, when you're not taking medication. KAYE: Justin has come a long way. He still takes medication for bipolar disorder but he is now a married father. He showed me photos of his wedding officiated by the judge. LEIFMAN: Just because you have mental ill know doesn't mean you don't have aspirations and dreams and goals. We're giving people hope again and they can recover. It is a remarkable, beautiful thing to see every day. (END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Over the last hour, we've seen how family members can often miss the warning signs or face frustration trying to get help for loved ones who are emotionally disturbed. In Miami, Judge Leifman has started a new program in schools that trains teachers to identify kids who may be suffering from mental illness and get them the help they need. Similar programs have been launch in the school districts across the country. Judge Leifman and others say it's important to know the most important part of mental illness is not the potential for violence but rather the stigma that prevents individuals and their loved ones from seeking help. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. (END VIDEOTAPE)


text:
This week, in Moline, IL, I am taking part in a ride-and-drive of John Deere's new large-frame construction equipment, rated 75 hp and up, launched at the World of Concrete earlier this year. The lineup includes the E-series skid steers and compact track loaders, G-series compact excavators, and 644K Hybrid 4WD loader.
The media event is called the Coal Valley Rally, where journalist are pitted against each other to outdrive, out-steer, and out-lift while sitting behind the wheel of these new vehicles. All of the new models are powered by Tier 4-compliant engines, required this year by EPA to reduce harmful engine emissions. John Deere took the engine-overhaul opportunity to wrap in new cab and vehicle features that offset the higher price tag.
Yesterday, on Day 1 of our ride and drive, we got the chance to experience the enhanced feature offerings by driving six vehicles, all designed around the customer's need for power, smoothness, comfort and ease of use. One was an E-series skid steer, two were E-series compact track loaders, and two were excavators.
Today we are touring the John Deere Davenport Works factory, where the 644K Hybrid 4WD loader is built. Later today, I'll get a chance to drive this loader, claimed to provide up to 25% more fuel efficiency than standard diesel-driven models. (Here's the video clip.) The diesel engine on this hybrid generates electric power and transfers it to electric motors, which power the loading functions.
Stay tuned for a gallery of field shots taken during our ride-and-drive over the sands and rubble at the Coal Valley testing grounds.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Puppy Linux Discussion Forum
Puppy HOME page :
"THE" alternative forum :
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
The time now is Sat 04 Jul 2020, 16:28
All times are UTC - 4
Forum index
Advanced Topics
Puppy Derivatives
EliteOS 1.1
View previous topic
View next topic
Page 2 of 5
[62 Posts]
Goto page:
Joined: 05 Aug 2007
Posts: 2111
Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
Posted: Fri 15 Oct 2010, 07:15
Post subject:
l0wt3ch wrote:
So what are you saying, the desktop is too minimal and non-"intutiative"?
I think so....but I am not a senior citizen who is new to computers. I'll show it to the class of seniors I am teaching and get their reaction. Not sure if you have done the same.
Back to top
Official Crustacean
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 15588
Location: Paradox Realm
Posted: Fri 15 Oct 2010, 07:21
Post subject:
@lobster: I've looked into eldy (and now noob Very Happy ), and I don't think those fit with the concept of EliteOS.
Why settle for four buttons when you can have a rich, customized, desktop experience?
Many years ago Barry kindly allowed me to use Puppy as the basis of Linux Tmxxine
that was before the puplet naming convention.
and before this site had ads
I have always made it clear that my derivations are based on Puppy
just not in every dimension
You might like to do the same with EliteOS as a courtesy
or are you intending a full fork?
I feel you have a good niche and wish you every success . . .
One of the tutorials in twinkle might be available worldwide?
Puppy Linux
Silver surfer gold
Puppy Raspup 8.2
Puppy Links Page
Back to top
Posted: Fri 15 Oct 2010, 17:47
Post subject:
@Terryphi: the text-to-speech reader is Festival, with Fala for a GUI.
@P123: Thanks.
EliteOS is made with the assumption that seniors are intelligent and cosmopolitan, but some need accessibility options, and tries to accommodate both groups, with an emphasis on the former.
Last edited by l0wt3ch on Thu 28 Oct 2010, 08:14; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
Joined: 05 Aug 2007
Posts: 2111
Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
Posted: Fri 15 Oct 2010, 22:01
Post subject:
l0wt3ch wrote:
@Thom: The selection of programs it currently comes with was actually a setup I did for a friend. So it hasn't been dumbed-down at all.
But, with virtually no desktop icons, a new user might not realize that.
Back to top
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Posts: 453
Posted: Fri 15 Oct 2010, 22:25
Post subject:
I am going to relate a recent experience here in hopes that someone may find the event relevant and useful....
A neighbor decided to be a nice guy and purchase a well-used (old) laptop from e-bay to give to another neighbor of mine. The laptop arrived -- with a 10GB HD and 125MB of RAM. Neighbor #1 came to me when his attempts to install XP, 2000, and ME (all MS products) all failed. His request: a web browser and a MS-compatable office suite. I loaded an official Puppy linux as a frugal install, complete with Open Office and a backup save file. Everything worked.
Neighbor #1 gives laptop to Neighbor #2, an older lady, and demonstrates power up, office suite, etc... Neighbor #2 asks, "Where's my e-mail?" so #1 opens the browser, explaining that it is the connection to the internet. "Oh, yes. The internet -- that's my e-mail," responds the lady...
The browser opens to a Google search which I had set as the home page, and the lady again asks, "But if this is the internet, where's my e-mail?"
Neighbor #2 resets her webmail -- with saved login and password -- as the new home page and quietly walks away.... Oh, and neighbor #1 was also providing the wireless connectivity which neighbor #2 was/is absolutely oblivious to.
.... Now, obviously, there are a lot of my own elders out there who understand URLs, search engines, and web addresses -- as well as databases, command lines, and a whole lot more than I currently do. This lady was clearly not among that group.
In this particular instance, I think EliteOS would have been almost perfect. Again, this is only my real world experience. Take it for what it's worth.
Back to top
Posted: Thu 28 Oct 2010, 08:16
Post subject: 1.1 is out
Version 1.1 is out!
I've updated the
first post in this thread
Back to top
Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010, 05:42
Post subject:
The new version comes with many new features, as outlined in the first post. It's still based on Lucid Puppy 511, but it's much more pleasing to the eye than 1.0.
The introductory video has also been updated.
Back to top
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 5547
Location: GB
Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010, 13:04
Post subject:
Unimpressed. Sound not working? Couldn't find a mixer, either. This looks like the recent early version Wary which had all the same defects. Start-up jumps in with the wrong resolution, and the myopic locale that assumes the world ends at NYC.
It really doesn't matter how many bells & whistles are incorporated if the basic polish and universality is missing. It is far too big - for all those Mbs, I would expect to be put on-line automatically, maybe with a 3D pole-dancer wallpaper. Might as well swap to Opera and Chrome/Iron, with Eudora now that tronkel has developed a .pet, although Firefox with Sylpheed shows a modicum of taste.
As such, I have to mark this one as 'Hmm. Getting there, but could do better'.
Back to top
Joined: 29 Jun 2008
Posts: 10548
Location: SwedenEurope
Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010, 16:24
Post subject:
So if one move the cursor using the mouse over the desktop then it say the name aloud like Browser Mail Trashbin?
I guess if I download and test it I can hear how the synt voice are. These are usually of very different quality.
Good that somebody think of those with such challenges.
I sometime go around my room with eyes shut to get a sense of how it is to be blind. I know how challenged one is if one fail to hear what people say and only see the lips moving and misunderstand again and again and people give up saying same things again and again.
I use Google Search on Puppy Forum
not an ideal solution though
Back to top
Posted: Mon 01 Nov 2010, 18:33
Post subject:
@nooby: No, it doesn't do that.
EDIT: I found
this thread
, and downloaded the pet, but it is no longer working. I sent HairyWill an IM - maybe he's got a fix?
@sage: If the audio doesn't work on your particular computer, send me the iso with a SASE, and I'll give you a full refund.
Last edited by l0wt3ch on Fri 05 Nov 2010, 09:32; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 89
Location: Northern Ireland, UK
Posted: Tue 02 Nov 2010, 06:40
Post subject: Sound
I have always had a problem with Puppy & the internal speakers in my laptop (Toshiba Satellite L30-101) so I had to plug in an external speaker in the headphone socket, but Fluppy 005 sorted it. Now with my new (to me) PC (HP Compaq dc7600 Small Form Factor) none of the Puppy audio drivers work without plugging in the external speakers. I do not have this problem with my main OS - Ubuntu. Therefore I am not worried about the text to speech programs.
However I have worn glasses since I was 12 (27 years ago). Because of the weight of my prescription I have too spend somedays without wearing them, so I like being able to see this website without a real magnifier glass.
One major improvement is that for the next version of this puplet could you use the network manager that Browser Linux & its derivates uses. Because Puppy would be so much easier to use if it recognized that my new (to me) PC could only use Ethernet & connected my automatically. This would in my mind bring Puppy alot closer to replacing other OS's such as Ubuntu.
Back to top
Posted: Tue 02 Nov 2010, 18:18
Post subject:
The only thing I have done pertaining to audio is install the speech synthesizer and voices, I haven't changed any alsa libs or any part of the built-in sound system. I know there's some issues with Lucid Puppy regarding multiple sound cards and stuff, but apparently using Audacious as your music player allows you to select which one you like. Hopefully these issues will be improved in 5.2.
As for the magnifying glass, I did some investigating into what the visually-impaired wanted in one. Having the zoom follow the cursor was the important thing, so I went with Gnome-mag as it was the only working magnifier that fit the bill. Personally, I think it works great.
Having the Internet start up automatically is something I want as well, so I'll see what I can do for the next release.
Thanks again for the feedback.
Back to top
Posted: Fri 05 Nov 2010, 08:42
Post subject:
EliteOS 1.1 is now at Softpedia:
Back to top
Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 89
Location: Northern Ireland, UK
Posted: Mon 08 Nov 2010, 06:20
Post subject: Sneekylinux's video
Have you seen Sneekylinux's video?
Back to top
Posted: Mon 08 Nov 2010, 10:35
Post subject:
Thanks P123. I hadn't!
To get the virtual keyboard to focus on a particular window, click "focus" and then click on that window. Not sure Sneeky knew that.
Back to top
Display posts from previous:
All Posts
1 Day
7 Days
2 Weeks
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
Sort by:
Post Time
Post Subject
Page 2 of 5
[62 Posts]
Goto page:
View previous topic
View next topic
Forum index
Advanced Topics
Puppy Derivatives
Jump to:
Select a forum
Forum index
|___ House Training
| |___ Beginners Help ( Start Here)
| |___ Users ( For the regulars )
| | |___ Usuarios de habla Hispana
| | |___ Für deutschsprachige Anhänger
| | |___ Pour les francophones
| |
| |___ HOWTO ( Solutions )
| |___ Bugs ( Submit bugs )
|___ Advanced Topics
| |___ Additional Software (PETs, n' stuff)
| | |___ Package Collections / Repositories
| | |___ Browsers and Internet
| | |___ Business
| | |___ Compiling
| | |___ Desktop
| | |___ Documents
| | |___ Drivers
| | |___ Educational
| | |___ Engineering/Science/Simulation
| | |___ Eye Candy
| | |___ Filesystem
| | |___ Games
| | |___ Graphics
| | |___ Multimedia
| | |___ Network
| | |___ Security/Privacy
| | |___ System
| | |___ Utilities
| | |___ Virtualization
| | |___ Unsorted
| |
| |___ Cutting edge
| | |___ Multi-session live-CD/DVD
| |
| |___ Hardware
| | |___ Audio
| | |___ Networking
| | | |___ Dialup
| | | |___ Ethernet
| | | |___ Wireless
| | |
| | |___ Printers
| | |___ Video
| |
| |___ Puppy Derivatives
| |___ Puppy Projects
| |___ Next Puppy Development
| | |___ 4.x
| | | |___ Bugs (4.x dev)
| | | |___ Usability Issues (4.x dev)
| | |
| | |___ 5.x
| | |___ Bugs (5.x dev)
| | |___ Usability Issues (5.x dev)
| |
| |___ Localization Project
| |___ Documentation Project
|___ Taking the Puppy out for a walk
| |___ Announcements
| |___ Puppy Power
| |___ Suggestions
| |___ Misc
|___ Off-Topic Area
|___ Programming
|___ Security
post new topics in this forum
reply to topics in this forum
edit your posts in this forum
delete your posts in this forum
vote in polls in this forum
attach files in this forum
download files in this forum
Powered by
© 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
[ Time: 0.0701s ][ Queries: 12 (0.0129s) ][ GZIP on ]


text:
This is the same child who, on the way home from her sister's gymnastics class this evening, got so mad at me for taking away the ipad before she'd finished her drawing that she began to kick the back of my seat really hard over and over again, so I pulled into the parking lot of the nearest grocery store and told her that she had to get out of the car if she couldn't ride safely, so she jumped out of the car, barefoot, ran across the (empty, whew!) parking lot, in the rain, and hid behind a dumpster.
Fortunately, this type of behavior does not faze me, because I am from the South, y'all, so I, too, jumped out of the car, chased her down, hauled her back in, lectured her mightily, and drove her back home before she could, I don't know, attempt to throw herself out of the moving minivan or something.
I swear, that kid's TEMPER! I just don't know where she gets it from!


text:
It's been awhile since we last checked in on Detour Gold Corp. (disclosure: long).
Over the past seven months, we have seen some nice price action, with a major rise in the early summer.
Over the past seven months, we have seen some nice price action, with a major rise in the early summer.
In our last installment on this stock the price was rising more or less monotonically. Now we see that what happened was a distinctive shift from one range (at lower left) to a higher price area, where the price has been bouncing around for awhile.
Looking at the two LSAs above, one represents a price range in the $21-25 range, and the second is $27-33. Should it fall out of this range, we would presume it could fall back into the other.
We can see a connection between the price chart and the reconstructed phase space portrait. It is clear that what we call confinement to a Lyapunov-stable area (and use as an indicator of at least temporary stability) . . .
. . . may be perceived by the chartists as "trading within a range".
(Those diagonal lines aren't intended to be there--they magically appeared during the conversion of the above chart from excel to corel to jpg).
If we look at the higher of the two Lyapunov-stable areas (LSA30), we see that different parts of it are occupied at different times.
Detail of LSA30 by month.
In particular, the regions of phase space centered at about $30 and at about $31.50 are visited at least three times, and several of those visits are characterized by small loops in the phase space portrait, suggesting quasi-stability. On the price chart above, those regions correspond with what chartists would call support and resistance.
The phase space portraits of complex systems are often characterized by areas of high probability density, which are sometimes (if they have the correct characteristics) called attractors, but may more commonly be referred to as Lyapunov-stable areas (LSA). An LSA is an area in phase space where the state of the system tends to remain assuming there are no dramatic changes in the dynamics of the system. We would normally interpret such an area as evidence for a metastable state in that region of phase space.
If the state space of the system normally occupies an area below the range of values represented within the LSA, then the upper and outer limit of values will appear (on a one-dimensional chart) to be resistance--and chartists frequently describe such phenomena as the price "bouncing" off resistance.
If the state space of the system is occupying the region above the LSA, the chartists will term the lower boundary of the LSA to be "support".
If support is broken, it means the system has left the LSA, and is moving towards another one, presumably at a lower price. The chartist will say that support has failed, and will look back along the chart for the next region of support, which will have been the lowest value of the next lower LSA. If the price has broken down through an all-time low, then there is no telling how low the price will go.
If resistance is broken, the price may move towards the next higher LSA if one is present. If so, the highest value within the LSA will be seen by the chartist as "the next area of resistance". If the price has broken to a new all time high, then we are probably all in the dark.


text:
Looking for design inspiration? Browse our curated collections!
Join our billboard contest! Enter by July 31st.
Shop our new kids collection!
Boundary: Bleed area may not be visible.
Click and drag to re-position the image, if desired.
by J Andrel
Pillow Insert
Image Size
The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
Background Color
Our throw pillows are made from 100% spun polyester poplin fabric and add a stylish statement to any room. Pillows are available in sizes from 14" x 14" up to 26" x 26". Each pillow is printed on both sides (same image) and includes a concealed zipper and removable insert (if selected) for easy cleaning.
Ships Within
2 - 3 business days
There are no comments for Into The Night. Click here to post the first comment.
Average Rating (4.79 Stars):
Leslie Pepke
July 2nd, 2020
I love this pillow, it is comfortable. The material is very nice and it looks like the pillow I saw with vivrant colors.
Sheila Hope
July 2nd, 2020
Perfect in every way. Design, color, size. Exactly what I was looking for.
Sheila Hope
July 2nd, 2020
Perfect in every way. Design, color, size. Exactly what I was looking for.
Sheila Hope
July 2nd, 2020
Perfect in every way. Size, color, design. Exactly what I was looking for.
Diane Scalora
July 1st, 2020
a beautiful realistic photo of the tiger
Bobbie Mosher
June 30th, 2020
Very cool!!! Very unique design
My paintings are a visual diary of my life experiences. I paint what I think - Not what I see. I don't know how to categorize myself. I feel outside the box. My life has been mystical.... The Goddess always shows me ... When I was 22, I was awarded a two year scholarship to Art College. After a grueling year of full time College and a full time job, I dropped out. I could not keep up the pace. I continued to study with various teachers. I studied art history. I've had many studios. My favorites were above the Poor Alex Theatre at Bloor & Brunswick - here in my home town of Toronto, Canada. I mixed with many creative minds and conceptualists. It was a special time of personal growth, I still charish. I have now been...
Our return policy is very simple:
If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on Pixels.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Pixels does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Pixels sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Pixels to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
All throw pillows ship from our production facility within 2 - 3 business days of your order.


text:
Product Directory
Global Suppliers
Search Sourcing Requests
Post Sourcing Requests
Agency Service
Third party service providers
Advertise with us
For Buyers
For Suppliers
Other Medical Products and Accessories > Others
Min. Order: 1 Piece(s)
Type: Manufacturer
Payment: ISO 9001 , GMP , Others
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2016-2018 Drugdu.com. All Rights Reserved


text:
Malaysian independent filmmakers have been attracting a lot of attention in the past year or two at festivals overseas. Internet and media savvy, this "Just-Do-It-(Yourself)" generation of independent filmmakers emerges from the digital revolution as well as high-tech state initiatives such as the establishment of the Multimedia University (only one aspect of the ambitious Multimedia Super Corridor) and the general support and training for work in the high-tech sector. Film festivals have proliferated in the last few years as there is a growing curiosity about places beyond one's national borders that accompanies shifts in global communications. Novelty or not, in Southeast Asia, the Malaysian indies are quickly gaining a reputation for remaining consistently active while independent of a state which does not have a systematic way of providing funds in the form of loans and grants. There had been a Malay New Wave in the early-mid 1990s heralded by U-Wei Haji Saari's The Arsonist and several individual films produced outside of the Malay mainstream film industry. Within the last five years though, a core group has emerged that is growing in maturity, experience and confidence while individually trying to find a voice and style to call their own. This newer generation differs markedly from their predecessors in terms of their prolific output, mode of production and organization.
Moreover, they distinguish themselves from previous Malaysian filmmakers by the collaborative way they operate: helping to edit, produce, shoot and write each other's films. The credits behind Amir Muhammad's The Big Durian is a prime reflection of the core group consisting also of James Lee, Woo Ming Jin, Deepak Kumaran Menon, and Tan Chui Mui who went on to direct their own projects after that.
I offer two broad reasons as to why this indie movement is significant.
Alternative Cinema
First, they provide an alternative to the existing commercial film industry and film culture in the country which is plagued with formulaic content, illogical plots and Hollywood imitations that undermine the intelligence of its audience. Indie films expand the conventional ideas of the function of film as both art and a documentation of social reality, rather than mere entertainment. Ho Yuhang, whose films Min and Sanctuary have both won acclaim overseas (Nantes, Pusan), laments about there being no strong tradition in social realist filmmaking in Malaysia, something which his films have sought to do. In terms of genres, in addition to features, indie filmmakers make short films, animation and documentaries, which are narrative or experimental in style. James Lee, who together with Amir Muhammad helm the country's indie film movement, has been making experimental shorts and features since 1999 which have been screened in film festivals abroad (Teatime with John, 2003; Goodbye to Love, 2004).
The current indie filmmaking scene in Malaysia is centred in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, where the Kelab Seni Filem (Film Club) supports filmmaking activities by curating the Malaysian short film and documentary series several times a year. This has gradually increased interest in a relatively new genre in Malaysia, the short film, which in the past, was more associated only with student works. Moreover, independent documentaries are also able to stray away from the propagandistic or commercial style produced by state television stations and DiscoveryAsia or National Geographic by covering topics that are potentially censored. Indie films provide an insight into the marginal spaces of ethnic, class and other subcultures such as HIV-positive patients in a community home (A Place Called Home, Sabina Arokiam, Tina Von Sethe and Jimmy Choong, 2003), or transsexual sex workers in Chow Kit Road (Bukak Api, Osman Ali, 2000). They ask questions which have not been asked before on Malaysian screen such as Sex Education in Malaysia: Are We Doing Enough? (Lydia Lubon and Ahmad Yazid 2004) or do a vox populi on the meaning behind the grafitti 18? (Danny Lim 2005).
In terms of production, indies also undergo alternative modes of production, exhibition and distribution. Digital technology has, to a large degree, democratized filmmaking by making it more affordable. While there are always exceptions, most digital indie films are shot without permits or membership to professional film organisations using digital video, non-actors and a minimal crew. Made on a shoestring budget on private funds, they can be edited on home computers, then screened in 'underground' localities in Kuala Lumpur to film aficionados, amateur filmmakers and art and film students of various ethnic backgrounds. Since most of the films are not made to be shown in the local cinemas where they would have to undergo the National Censorship Board, they have relatively more creative freedom.
Secondly, indie films are assumed to make an important contribution to the most critical discourse in Malaysia: that of "race." "What are you?" may sometimes be the first question one is asked of one's ethnicity in Malaysia. In a country where the term 'race' is still used unproblematically in official and popular discourse, race underpins the crux of Malaysian society and identity. And "May 13, 1969," when race riots occurred between the dominant Malays and minority Chinese, is still deployed to prevent any public discussion on what is now considered a 'sensitive' issue. Independent films like 6horts (2002) and The Big Durian (2003) both by Amir Muhammad, cleverly broach topics tangential to ethnicity and culture such as Malay hegemony, the power of the Sultans, and systemic and structural racialisation sustained by corrupt crony politics and numerous laws that stifle freedom. However, aside from a few indie filmmakers -- Yasmin Ahmad (Rabun 2001, Sepet 2004), Teck Tan (Spinning Gasing 2000), Amir Muhammad -- not all indie filmmakers are keen on discussing race. This is because most are born after 1969 and grew up during Mahathir Mohamad's developmentalist 1990s. Ho Yuhang's Sanctuary and James Lee's The Beautiful Washing Machine are two examples of Mandarin language films which focus on urban individual alienation (and gender/power relations, in the case of Beautiful Washing Machine). According to political scientist Francis Loh, the discourse of developmentalism replaced the discourse of ethnic rights in Malaysian politics during the 1990s as minority political parties (Malaysian political parties are predominantly ethnic-based) lobbied for an economic share in the developmentalist state rather than emphasizing the preservation of ethno-linguistic and cultural rights as they did in the 1980s. [1]
Nevertheless, although racial difference may not be overtly politicized, ethnic and linguistic diversity is the strength of the indies (see Kong Rithdee [2] ). These films differ from the Malay-centric mainstream commercial film industry which features Malay actors, directors and producers, stories in the Malay language that revolve around Malay culture and society. Malay cinema gives the impression of Malaysia as an ethnically homogenous nation. Often when actors of other ethnicities are cast, they are stereotypes: the crass Chinese businessman, the comic Indian character (Buli which appeared in 2004 is a contemporary example). Indie films represent the polyglot that is Malaysia by being in Mandarin, Tamil, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, or English (always accompanied by English subtitles as a unifier).
Sepet, an interracial teenage love story between a Malay schoolgirl, Orked, and Chinese boy, Jason, is a film that transgresses the racialised boundaries of Malay cinema by its cosmopolitanism. The Malay family in the film is represented as being open to other cultures: they are familiar with at least two languages; are fans of Hongkong soap operas and Thai pop music; Orked is infatuated with Japanese-Chinese actor, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and reads Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth. More importantly, such a cosmopolitan disposition is also directed towards other cultures within Malaysia which are represented with some complexity. The Chinese cast is shown to speak in their various dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien) and Jason's mother is Peranakan Chinese, a group that has historically become indigenized to Malayness by language, food and clothing. Even the Malay characters are differentiated by their comfort with the multiple layers of modernity, religious commitment and conspicuous consumption that impact their identity: fashion is one way of perceiving this but fashion too, as Yasmin intends, can be a superficial marker of the comfort with one's identity. When Orked goes on a date with Jason, she wears the traditional baju kurung, a loose long-sleeved shift with a long skirt rather than jeans and T-shirt. This seems bizarre as two young people meeting across ethnic boundaries would normally compromise and choose a non-racialised, neutral halfway-point symbolized by wearing western-style apparel. Yet Orked's confidence in her Malay Muslim identity defies this norm.
Other indies contribute to the racial discourse by providing a diversity of representations that may focus particularly on their ethnic community and history (Tamil feature Chemman Chaalai or The Gravel Road; Ah Kew the Digger) or perhaps more subversively, when they transcend racialisation by portraying characters of other ethnic backgrounds or raise the topic of racialisation. However, indie filmmakers whose films secure local cinema screenings may realise their films are not "truly Malaysian" after all when they are later denied the incentive aid (to recover the entertainment duty they have to pay upfront) on the basis that their film is not a "local film" because it is not in Bahasa Malaysia (this policy is under review now).
Encounters with the state
Although the current Malaysian Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage announced in March this year that RM50 million has been approved for a feature film loan scheme under the National Film Development Board (FINAS), critics claim that these loans favour film production companies with large capital rather than low-budget indie productions. Moreover, the criteria for securing funding remain the same and the loans will likely be available only to those making commercial films (click for article). Prior to this decision, FINAS did give out small grants for best Student Short Film. However, recipients have also complained about the complicated, unclear and lengthy process they have to undergo before obtaining the money. In the late 1990s, Malay filmmaker, U-Wei Haji Saari, obtained a FINAS loan to make the kine-transfer for The Arsonist. More recently, when Ho Yuhang and his producer James Lee asked for some money from FINAS for the kine-transfer of Sanctuary (2004) for Pusan International Film Festival, they were offered only a tenth of the asking price. The initial reasons cited for the lack of support was that the film was not sufficiently multicultural to represent Malaysia. This incident and explanation cannot help but raise the issue of racialisation since The Arsonist dealt solely with Malay and Javanese relations and did not represent a multicultural Malaysia either. Ironically, even though most of the indie filmmakers themselves were moving away from problematizing race relations in their films, and working across ethnic boundaries in terms of independent film production, they encountered discrimination when dealing with state bodies that were ideological remnants of a Malay-centric NEP (National Economic Policy, 1971-1990) and National Cultural Policy. Such a policy emphasises assimilation to Malay language and culture rather than a practice of the politics of multiethnic inclusion. While many would deny that an intentional gatekeeping on the basis of race is occurring�since gatekeeping may also function due to ignorance and fear of those who may be more successful or have film school training compared to apprenticeships, the heated debate and discussions in the media and on the internet (weblogs, email@example.com email discussion list and kakiseni website) illustrate the deep-rootedness of racialisation in Malaysian public discourse and our collective consciousness.
Another similar contentious debate centered around the question of why independent digitally-shot films were not included in the 18th Malaysian Film Festival which had as its 2005 theme, "Era Globalisasi." Yet, the era of globalization saw only commercial Malay films (and some of dubious quality) included for national film award nominations; not to mention a surprising unreadiness to embrace more global trends like Digital Video technology. As the indie films receive more attention abroad and this gets reported in the local media, shaming more progressive and less insular officials into showing more support for local creative talents, perhaps the very status or level of independence (of the state) these filmmakers have may be undermined, particularly if and when the state seriously decides to fund them.
But meanwhile, independent filmmakers source out external funding from Japan (NHK), France and The Netherlands: from the Hubert Bals Foundation, Rotterdam, (Ho Yuhang, Hishamuddin Rais for Dari Jemapoh Ke Manchestee), and from the Jan Vrjiman Fund (Amsterdam) for script development of Amir Muhammad's next documentary, The Last Communist. With or without state funding, the indie filmmakers will hopefully prevail if they keep to their initial aspirations to work with the medium of video/film to tell stories, represent diverse perspectives while simultaneously pushing the limits of what Malaysian cinema is: art, entertainment and politics.
Copyright ©2005-2020 Criticine. All rights reserved. Web Design/Development by Inksurge and TechHiveHome | Features | Interviews | Reviews | About | Contact


text:
Tag Archives: faith healing
Sunday's Child: Chapter 8 – A Life of Service vs. the Artist in Him
David's sister drove him to the monastery on move in day. It was actually a few days earlier than everyone else was scheduled to move in, because his lease was up and he had to be out of his apartment. … Continue reading


text:
Announcing: Your Best Slice
It's a big, wide pizza world out there. And as much as we'd love to be everywhere at once, such feats remain stubbornly limited to the realm of imagination. What better way to bridge the divide than by asking you, dear readers, to tell us what's great?
So, starting today, we'll begin collecting submissions to be featured each month in an exciting new Slice community feature. We want to hear about the best pies and slices being enjoyed across the country, from the mouths of America's die-hard pizza fanatics. We don't care whether it's a humble corner slice or a fancy-pants pie, so long as you can tell us what makes it memorable. Rep. your regional style, share a hidden gem, or revisit old favorites—most importantly, just make sure to treat yourself to some damn fine pies.
Pizza of the People, commence!
Ready to get started? Send us one horizontal photo from a great pizza experience you've had in the month of March.* Include a brief description of what makes it special, along with the name of the pizza (if it has one), and where to find it. We'll select the highlights for a slideshow at the end of the month, and, with any luck, even pay some visits to these pizzerias ourselves.
*Send all submissions to [email protected], with the subject line "My Best Slice." Please limit yourself to one submission per month. Self-promotion from businesses or their employees will not be accepted, nor will a single location be represented more than once in any slideshow.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
have it out with someone
Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!
have it out (with someone)
To have an argument, verbal fight, or frank discussion (with someone), especially to settle something that has caused anger, frustration, or annoyance. I had to have it out with my roommate because he never does his share of cleaning in the house. Tom and his boyfriend are always having it out.


text:
Views: 726
You are scaring me.
I feel completely alienated and isolated from this election.
I care deeply, and yet I don't care because no one cares about me. I cannot stand both candidates the "Big Two" parties have offered us. It's just amazing to me how differently I'm feeling about this election versus '08 when I supported and voted for Obama. I'm disgusted and repulsed by our lopsided merry-go-round political system, where if you don't agree with the Donkeys or the Elephants and/or subscribe to theism, you are irrelevant. I feel ignored, frustrated, and disenfranchised by politicians and the news media who prefer empty rhetoric to problem solving. I'm incensed by the disregard for our Constitution, big government bullying, the cheapening of our currency, the trampling of our civil liberties by fear mongerers, the intrusion into our personal lives by the religious right, and the bullshit of having our military stationed everywhere as glorified babysitters. I'm annoyed as hell with the current state of our country, and most depressingly I don't see it getting better any time soon. I certainly don't with these candidates, who in my opinion, as a libertarian independent, are two sides of the same coin presented in slightly different packaging. When I focus on it for too long, I become so infuriated that I want to punch a hole in the wall. At this point I don't think I can adequately convey just how much I despise the Democrats and Republicans. Every election we run back and forth from one party to the other and does it ever occur to anyone that we should try something else? I probably won't participate much in discussions regarding the election. I know who I'm voting for and it ain't Romney or Obama. I'm utterly disinterested in the "official" sham debates until Johnson and other candidates are let in. In '04 and '08 I watched every debate and took them seriously. Hell, I even remember the Gore/Bush debates from before I could vote. I laugh at that version of myself now.
What are voters scared of?
I agree. Voting for the lesser of two evils only results in continuing evil.
But not voting may leave you with the greater of two evils.
You are right on the money, jay. I've turned blue in the face trying to explain this to people. Most of the people I know voting for Obama or Romney don't even like them, but are convinced that they're the only "real" choices. They're miserable.
We've forgotten that voting should be a form of self-expression. I vote to express myself, not to pick the winning horse.
I trust Obama and I wanna hit Romney in the .... with his binder of women. I wish we could do something to outlaw/stop deceptive ads by all candidates and fine them for perpetuating the lies and twists. I would love more caught on camera moments of the candidates like the one about the 47% of Romney. I am so tried of the mailers and commercials living here in Virginia. It is all just BS. I would love to see them forbidden from talking about each other and only allowed to talk about themselves. PLUS have a cap on how much they can get to run a campaign and where they can get the money from.
© 2020 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
Cloudera CCB-400 Exam Test 2017 Updated
Get Cloudera Specialist CCB-400 Exam Practice Tests for Quick preparation
Cloudera CCB-400 Exam Questions – Updated 2017
- Certification: Cloudera Certified Specialist
- Exam Name: Cloudera Certified Specialist in Apache HBase
- Technology: IT Fundamentals
- Product Questions: 60
- Product Price: 97$ (
- Updated Date: 09 – Apr 2017
Pass Cloudera CCB-400 in first attempt with help of ExamsGeek's CCB-400 Practice Test and exam Questions. 100% Pass Guarantee
Cloudera CCB-400 CCSHB – A straight path towards career fulfillment. Cloudera IT Fundamentals Exam is a straight path towards career fulfillment because it offers the candidates to improve their knowledge in three significant areas which include %exam_topic%, HBase alongside other tools and design optimal schemas. Professionals whose skills are authenticated in these three areas for them the gateway of best employment opportunities is opened because information and IT Fundamentals play a vital role in most of the organizations to ensure the security and integrity of the information and IT Fundamentals is to detect and prevent the unauthorized use of the computers.
Achieve Cloudera Certified Specialist %exam_code% CCSHB in First Attempt with Money Back Guarantee
Cloudera CCB-400 CCSHB achievement in the first attempt without facing the failure is possible by preparing through the most authenticated source of preparation practice test software + PDF questions and answers booklet. Both the products enable you to do the best in real Cloudera Specialist CCB-400 exam because they are prepared by the industry experts with mutual efforts so success is guaranteed moreover you can get the discount of 30% if you purchase both the products at one time.
Cloudera CCSHB CCB-400 Cloudera Certified Specialist in Apache HBase preparation in a systematic way is easier and practice test software provides you the systematic arrangement of the entire syllabus so that none of the subject areas is overlooked. You can learn with various learning methods as well as can practice in the simulated real Cloudera Certified Specialist CCB-400 exam scenarios by the software. Avail the opportunity to become your own instructor by accessing your performance through self-assessment feature.
Customizable learning to have an estimation of time for each question and to have a good understanding of the each question's pattern is possible by preparing with the Cloudera Certified Specialist CCB-400 CCSHB practice test software. PDF booklet provides you the most updated questions from the entire curriculum and the opportunity to practice those questions is available in the software so you have a comprehensive package of preparation for guaranteed success. Money back guarantee, MacAfee Secure payment, free demo, 90 days free updates for Cloudera CCB-400 CCSHB and much more just for you !
Cloudera CCB-400 IT Fundamentals – A benchmark of professional excellence
Cloudera Certified Specialist Certification is considered to be the benchmark of professional excellence and it benefits you through several ways such as it authenticates their skills in the most important domains of their field that gives them an edge over the peers to be selected for the higher job roles by validating their professional excellence.


text:
Download and listen to your favorite musicians with a Free Music Downloader. We only list 100% legal software and services for downloading music. No illegal sites or peer-to-peer file sharing software will be featured at FreeMusicDownloader.net. However that's not a problem, because there are many legitimate free music downloaders available.
The three primary types of downloaders are: subscription services, pay per song stores, and legal peer-to-peer networks. These downloaders offer a convenient and hassle-free experience that illegitimate music services cannot match. Nearly all will let you download some songs for free or offer a free trial membership.