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Saturday, January 28, 2017
A Dog's Purpose
I am aware of the controversy that has cropped up leading to the release of this film and I will have a few comments at the end of the post. We are going to start with what made it to the screen first. There is an immediate way to recognize how the story in the movie and the marketing of the film rely on the audience who loves dogs to simply show up. The name of the Director is never mentioned on the teaser poster, in the trailer, nor any material I'd seen leading up to the events this week. In fact, in most of the writing about the behind the scenes video clips that have leaked, they never said the name of the film's director, it's Lasse Hallström. This is a two time Academy Award nominated director, who has a string of well regarded movies on his resume, and there is not one "From the Director of..." tag lines to be seen in the studio material. It was not until the credits that I saw his name. This guy made "My Life as a Dog", "The Cider House Rules", "Chocolat" and a movie that I admired very much from just a couple of years ago, "The Hundred Foot Journey". I can see why he was chosen to direct, and my guess is that his name will not put as many butts in the seats as a good picture of a dog.
People who love and own dogs will be able to identify with this film immediately. I think all of us have voiced our own dogs thoughts at least in our heads, but many, including me, have done it out loud with regularity. We anthropomorphize our animals all the time. With the right story line and voice casting, this movie should be catnip [yeah I know] to all the dog lovers out there. Who can resist the notion that our animals think about us and the things we do just they way we think about them. Comedic actor Josh Gad, who has several successful voice performances under his belt, manages to get the wistful, empathetic tone of a dog just right. "Bailey", the lead character in our story, is just that kind of dog. The screenplay then provides several lives for "Baily" to lead, while clearly indicating which story is the main spine of this work.
Frankly, this movie could be just a kids film, but it is really much more. Let's admit up front that it is an infernal machine. This device is designed to drain us of all moisture residing anywhere in our heads. Since the dog has several incarnations in the film, it is no spoiler to say that we get several on screen and off screen deaths of our hero. There are at least four times that a dog steps off the stage and it is likely to be accompanied by your tears. The dog is also a hero in the lives of most of his owners. He literally saves lives a couple of times, and also saves the heart of the people who's lives he has entered. There are moments of dog/people love that will force your eyes to well up again. In his soft and warm voice, Gad provides "Bailey" with humor, pathos and an opportunity to consider the foibles of human existence.
The director manages to make all of this happen in an atmosphere that is usually great to look at, even when the environment is not very appealing. "Bailey's" life as a German Shepard K-9 officer is not particularly warm except for two or three minutes. The warmth of the apartment and life he shares as a corgi is easier to relate to and see beauty in. It is however in the two most extended sequences, that pretty much bookend the story, that we can see Hallström do the thing that he is best at. He makes the countryside look like the farm life that city dwellers dream of and farm hands and rural types want their lives to be. Canada stands in for Michigan and the suburban scenes set in the sixties look like a fond memory of a mostly idyllic childhood. Ethan, the kid who loves and grows up with "Bailey" is played by three different actors. Both of the younger performers are engaging, but there are some story elements that are a bit much and they still seemed natural. The one place it fell down a bit was near the end of the first long segment. Ethan changes for various reasons but the performance does not quite get us there. It doesn't matter too much because we are crying our eyes out at the dog's story at that moment. This is a good piece of misdirection by the director from a plot point that feels a little artificial. In the last segment, things don't start out so well for our canine hero, and this is another time when the director manages to let a few well placed shots and a montage of time convey the events in the story. We are spared an even uglier look at human behavior than we might have had otherwise.
Denis Quaid is Ethan all grown up. His story gets a bit short shrift. Ultimately we see that much like the other lives "Bailey" has come into, Ethan is lonely and in need. I was pleased to see Peggy Lipton in the film. I am currently re-watching "Twin Peaks" in preparation for it's return this Spring, and Lipton as Norma is great. Her adult version of Hannah does not have a lot to do but it does work well with Mr. Quaid and it finishes off the movie in a way that should make audiences satisfied. My daughter read the book that the film is based on just last night. She told us after the movie about the ending of the book, and I'm glad that the film spared us another parting. There are just so many tears I can afford to surrender without having to give up my man card.
Now as for the controversy. The clips of the German Shepard in the water that have shown up on line are about the mildest form of "abuse" you can imagine. My dogs are more reluctant to get in the water at bath time and they are in greater danger than the canine star was. So either that makes me a heartlessly indifferent dog hater, or the world has gone mad with overly sensitized social media consumers. PETA, who is behind the boycott movement against this film, is an extremist organization that objects to animals being used for any entertainment purpose (or any other reason for that matter). It is in their interest to move mainstream thought on issues like this in their direction. Whales and Elephants are bigger targets (literally) but they have been more successful there. Pet ownership is something they also see as problematic. In a nation of pet owners, it's hard to find a wedge issue to gain entry with. This is their opportunity to push the outside of the envelope. Ultimately I hope they fail because this movie is more likely to inspire responsible pet ownership and thus better treatment for dogs. The twisted logic of this "Animal Rights" organization deems anything which makes dog ownership seem appropriate, is undesirable.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 6:03 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Dennis Quaid, Lasse Hallström, Peggy Lipton
Friday, January 27, 2017
The Lamb Devours the Oscars: Hell or High Water
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 8:00 PM No comments:
Labels: #Lamb, Hell or High Water
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Visiting the Forgotten Filmcast: Greased Lightning
I had a great visit with Todd at the Forgotten Filmcast, where we talked about this Richard Pryor Vehicle. [Yes that is a Pun]. Click on the image to visit the site and listen in.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 5:22 PM No comments:
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Blazing Saddles and a Conversation with Mel Brooks
There were probably more than 4,000 people at the show last night. The Mircrosoft theater is the former Nokia Theater where we had gone two years ago for The Godfather Live. I think it changed sponsors just after we were last there. The room is spacious and the sound quality was excellent. Just after 8 pm, a title card came up on the screen which had been playing a series of trivia questions about Brooks and the film. The card announced that the Governor would be joining us in 93 minutes, harumph.
We got a Digital screening of one of the classic comedies of all time. Complete with every politically incorrect joke that was in the film when it originally played in 1974. Just a few months back we had gone to a screening of Blazing Saddles along with Willy Wonka, in tribute to the late Gene Wilder. I don't think there is much more to add about the film, so I will simply refer you to that post if you want to knoe my view of the movie. ( Blazing Saddles).
When Mel came out after a joyously laughed at 93 minutes of lunacy, he received a deserving standing ovation which he quickly dismissed. He had fish to fry and he dove right in. The interviewer (I think it was Steve Halberman, but I could have that wrong) asked one question and fifteen hysterical minutes later we got to a follow-up question. Brooks makes the whole evening seem like an intimate experience with friends. Many of the stories he has told before, but they all sound fresh and unrehearsed and there are enough bits of improvised shtick to make you feel like this was all for the first time.
One interesting moment was when a question was read by the host from an audience member, who turned out to be Dom Deluise's nephew. Mel could not say enough nice things about Dom and of course he had a great story. The whole evening was filled with anecdotes about Harvey Korman, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Pryor, Carl Reiner, Sid Cesar, and a dozen more. Mel told jokes, exaggerated a little and sang his heart out a couple of times without any accompaniment. It was a bravura performance by a man who is rightfully a National Treasure, and as sharp as a tack in his tenth decade of life.
I'd be happy to go to a screening of "Young Frankenstein" and repeat the whole process over again tonight. This series of shows is billed as the Back in the Saddle Tour, if it comes to your town, be sure to splurge on some tickets and see the man live.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 12:31 PM No comments:
Labels: Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks
Monday, January 16, 2017
A Monster Calls
It's January, so I'm ready for my annual dose of Liam Neeson kicking someone's ass. So today we saw this and he did it, the only problem is that it was my ass he kicked. This is a sad story about the worst thing that can happen to a kid. As it builds up to the climax, I became more and more effected by it. At first I thought I was withstanding the story pretty well but then I turn around and there is Mr. Neeson's voice, ready to help knock me down and remind me that I am a human being who is a big cupcake.
This is a story that seems like it should be familiar but it is told in a very unique way. As I mentioned, the arc of the narrative concerns the loss of a loved one and the young man that has to face this truth is struggling with a way to confront it. The Monster that comes is not friendly but in a strange way is very supportive. The story is direct but there are three specific moments when the monster tells a tale to young Conor. Much like A Christmas Carol, Conor is visited on separate occasions and each time he a story is shared with him. Buried inside of each tale is a lesson, but it is never a clear lesson and Conor finds the stories increasingly confounding to the task he has of finding a cure for his mother.
A third of the way into the film, Conor's Grandmother appears. She is played by Sigourney Weaver, using the slight British accent that she probably picked up in "The Year of Living Dangerously" or "Half Moon Street". The Grandmother is stern and foreboding in young Conors life. He sees the future that he despairs of in her and does not sense the warmth that he and his own mother have. Part of the story will have to manage that relationship more delicately. His father is an expatriate living in Los Angeles. He does not appear to be a practical lifeline even though he wants what is best for his son. Mom is played by Felicity Jones and she is suitably beautiful and haggard as the path of her disease progresses. Louis MacDougal plays Connor and his most affecting scenes are with his Father, the bully who abuses him, and ultimately the two women who have and will dominate his life.
The real story here is a child trying desperately to reconcile himself with the loss of the most important person in his life. The Monster represents the turmoil and the tragedy that he is facing, but it never acts exactly the way you expect the story to go. Ultimately there is a turning point, and we can see that coming, but the path there is torturous and may leave some audience members a bit slack jawed. One of my favorite things about the film is that it contains some beautifully animated sequences that illustrate the tales being told. I suspect the water color paintings are based on the illustrations used in the book from which this film derives. Although containing some fairy tale elements, they are not really Disney friendly. Conor has to try to make sense of them and it is a final turn in the story that helps bring it all together.
Neeson is the voice of the Monster but his image does appear in a photograph that suggests Conor's Mother in her childhood with her own father. Neeson has done voice work before. As Aslan (or God if you like) in the Chronicles of Narnia he was suitably ponderous. His two faced cop in the Lego Movie was just the right touch of sardonic indifference. In this film his voice is ferocious and soothing and sometimes harsh. In the end it is a comforting voice, maybe like all of our fathers, a bit scary at times but also a voice that we feel we can trust. Grief and guilt need to be met with a purposeful and supportive figure. Until Conor can find that in the adults around him, he has a Monster to call upon. This is a sad story that may be tough for children to endure as well as soft hearted adults. It is however a worthy drama and ultimately redemptive, but in a painful way.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 8:40 PM No comments:
Labels: Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson, Louis MacDougal, Sigourney Weaver
Singin' in the Rain: Fathom/TCM 52 Essentials
This event was scheduled prior to the death of Debbie Reynolds. The host Ben Mankiewicz, did not mention her passing in the intro or the conclusion of the presentation, so that material was already in the queue, but there was a dedication card before the movie began. It is certainly a deserving tribute because you can clearly see in every scene she appears in, Debbie Reynolds was special. It's interesting that at one point in the story, R.F. the studio head takes notice of Reynold's Kathy Seldon. He calls her out of the chorus line for having that something special and unique. That is exactly what you can see in Reynolds. Her smile is effervescent, her face just glows, even when buried in a crowd of other actresses, and her line delivery is spunky and confident.
This movie does not need any defending. Mankiewicz suggested it might be one of the greatest musicals of all time, he qualifies that by pointing out that many would say it is "The" greatest musical of all time, present company believes that to be the case. For almost two hours I sat with a smile on my face, a laugh in my heat or a tear in my eye. Evey time you turn around there is another great number. As far as I can tell, other than the compilation film "That's Entertainment", this is the only movie where Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly worked together. That is almost incredible to believe when you watch the "Fit as a Fiddle" or "Moses Supposes" sequences in this film. They perform with such synchronicity, you would believe they'd been working together for years.
Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont is a hoot and a half. The opening segment where Kelly as Don Lockwood tells the background of their Hollywood "Romance" is so great because they hold her voice until the perfect moment. She still plays a bitchy star with her silent performance up to that part, but once she starts speaking, the laughs become bigger. Last year the whole scene with Ralph Fiennes and Alden Ehrenreich in Hail, Casar! was cribbed from Lina's diction lesson. Hell it was funny sixty-four years earlier, it should be funny again. Both films are tributes to old Hollywood and they make us aware of some of the foibles that the star system presented to the studios.
There were more than a hundred and fifty people at the afternoon screening today and I am happy to say they were not all of retirement age. I saw a Mom with her two little girls, maybe six and eight. There were four kids who came in together in their late teens, an couples of every age throughout the theater. "Singin' in the Rain" is a national treasure to be taken out and shared on a regular basis. In fact the last time I saw it on the big screen was a Fathom Screening from five years ago for the 60th Anniversary.
My Daughter and I are working up a project for this year where we will be posting on the 52 films from the TCM Essential Book we purchased last year. Instead of working through the films in order of the year they came out like the book did, we are going to try to do screenings of the movies as much as possible and let that dictate some of the order. "Singin' in the Rain" was up this weekend, an we just thought of doing this project last week, so this is a natural to start. I Think most of our posts will be Vlogs on Youtube, but I will link them here and put up a page to list all of the links as well. The loss of Debbie Reynolds is a sad way to begin the project, but the joyous film she starred in will live forever and she and it should be celebrated.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 12:24 AM No comments:
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Hidden Figures
I am a sucker for movies based on historical events. I don't mean those that are just inspired by true events, I mean stories about history. All narratives are subjective so I recognize that the emphasis of some stories is going to change from one story teller to another, but the key events , they stay the same. A battle is won, a President is Elected or killed, or a human achievement is accomplished. You don't have to make those things up. It is one of the reasons that I look forward to "Dunkirk" next summer. It is a key incident in the outcome of WWII, and even though the story may be dramatized, the events are real. "Hidden Figures" is exactly that type of movie.
For kids of my generation, the American Astronauts were the biggest heroes we could imagine. As a child, I never much paid attention to the technicians I'd see on television, at their stations, monitoring all that could go wrong. I did however come to recognize them from mission to mission. This movie tells the story behind the scenes of the behind the scenes of the early space missions. The fact that it is an empowering women's film and an important achievement in civil rights is what helps make it so much more interesting and worth telling. A movie about people sitting at desks doing math, sounds almost like the equivalent of watching paint dry. It may be important but it is only going to be of interest to someone who knows the numbers. The people who put those numbers together here are what the story is all about.
Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae are three bright math whizzes, working at doing computations for NASA, and facing two strikes. In 1961, women were largely excluded from the military and science community at NASA and these women happen to be black. They are not however, shrinking violets, they are empowered by their talents and more importantly their mission. Although there is a civil rights story here, it is largely powered by the exigencies of trying to build the math and engineering required for Americans to gain a foothold in the space race. There are a few of the traditional symbols of the movement, MLK speaking on television, violence in the south, and protests about segregation. The two obvious illustrations in this story are not however overtly about a struggle to achieve equal rights but to build an effective team. Henson's character Katherine, has difficulty doing her job because of the bathroom situation. She is excluded in an overtly racist manner by a coffee pot. When Kevin Costner's program director confronts these injustices, it is for building meritocracy, not to correct a social injustice. All of the women characters certainly want social justice, but first they want to be allowed to do their jobs and do them to the best of their ability. That is the most ennobling part of the story that I saw.
This is a film that could easily be a prism viewpoint of the space race as told in "The Right Stuff". Many of the events and characters repeat in the time periods covered. Just as the movie focusing on the Mercury astronauts rightly pointed out, this film amplifies why the recently deceased John Glenn was a national hero. As the three women represent the hidden struggles of the space program and America's self defeating institutional racism, Glenn represents the best in all of us. We want the talented and professionals to do their jobs so everyone else ca. These women showed that there were barriers preventing that from happening, and those barriers shackled our potential. We may not be completely out of the woods on these problems, but thank goodness we don't have the same attitudes with the same prevalence today.
The film manages to be highly entertaining and accessible to all groups. There may be a few small children who would not enjoy it much but everyone else should be happy to see this. There is humor, tension, and heroic drama throughout the film. The few characters that might be seen as villains of the piece are mostly just trapped in the mindset of the time and need some opportunities to grow, just as the oppressed women did. Americans of all races should be proud of the accomplishments of the space program in the sixties. It should be a unifying experience to take the steps to the stars, and this movie reminds us that it would not have been possible if we did not all move forward together.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 7:45 PM No comments:
Labels: Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Space Program, Taraji Henson, The Right Stuff
Sunday, January 1, 2017
This is a tale of two tales. The first half of this movie is compelling and emotionally engaging. It has a fantastic child performance and it says so many things about what is wrong with some aspects of the world that you will want to act after seeing some of it. The second half is anti-climactic for the most part. The extended story of our hero does not play out completely and it raises different issues that seem to be only tangentially related to what we started with. There is another solid performance as well, but it is overshadowed by the legacy of the younger version of our lead character.
Young Sunny Pawar plays the hero of the story, a kid named Saroo, who gets separated from his family in one of the biggest and most populated countries in the world. The circumstances of his "disappearance" are accidental, but much of the trauma that follows is deliberate and frightening. He is a child of maybe five, several hundred miles from home, in which direction he has no idea, and the only name he knows his Mother by is Mum. The family was scratching out a living doing manual labor and pilfering small amounts of commodities that are unwatched. He ends up in Calcutta, a city teeming with people, many of whom are looking to exploit a child.
We want authority figures and government agencies to be reliable, but as they appear here, it seems they are as much a part of the problem as some of the criminal element. There are some competent people who do finally end up helping Saroo connect with a different family in a country even further away. When Sunny Pawar is playing the character of Saroo, everything seems real and the stakes are so high as to keep us enthralled. When a twenty year period goes by with a single title card, and Saroo is played by Dev Patel, the stakes seem so much lower and the emotions feel like they are straining for significance. Saroo's identity crisis might have been a solid film if the movie had worked backwards. Instead it plays out like some psychological drama that would make an interesting hour on TV.
The complicated relationship the adult Saroo has with his adopted family is told in the most bare bones way possible. There are cryptic references to his adopted brother's drug use and emotional damage. Nicole Kidman as his adopted mother spends a lot of her time weeping for the problems of Mantosh, her second adopted child but Saroo never reaches out to either his mother or father for help in his crisis. They are the two most supportive parents you can imagine, and he is so wound up about his memories of his real brother and mother, that he can't bother to ask for help. This section of the movie is so frustrating because we can't figure out why he feels that way. Even when he has a supportive girlfriend to exchange exposition with.
I know this is based on a true story. When the film ends and we get some clips and a scroll of the truth, it is very compelling. If the film had been a documentary, or the story structure were different, I think I'd have been really more impressed. As it is, I liked the movie a lot, but it depended on the resolution of the search to redeem a dull passage that takes up a big chunk of the film. I've heard award talk about Patel and Kidman, but if anyone in this movie deserves to be honored for their performance, it is a little boy from India who made us care in the first place.
Posted by Richard Kirkham at 8:49 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar
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Story of Russia - R. Van Bergen
Far from being discouraged by his defeat, Peter was more than ever resolved to have a port on the Black Sea. He introduced reforms in the army, and while doing this, he ordered a fleet of boats to be built on the Don, and set 26,000 men to work on them. He also sent to Holland and other parts of Europe for officers and gunners, and superintended everything. It was at this time that he wrote to Moscow that, "following the command God gave Adam, he was earning his bread by the sweat of his brow. When he was ready, the army and the boats went down the Don; Azof was blockaded by sea and by land, and forced to capitulate. When the news arrived at Moscow, there was general rejoicing, and even at Warsaw in Poland the people cheered for the czar. The army returned to Moscow under triumphal arches, the generals seated in magnificent sledges. A young officer, Peter Alexievitch, recently promoted to captain, was marching in the ranks.
Peter wished to make of Azof a Russian town in the shortest time possible. He secured from the douma an order by which three thousand families were moved to that port, and streltsi were dispatched to garrison it. The czar wanted a naval force, and moved by his energy, the Patriarch, the prelates, and the monasteries offered to give one ship for every 5,000 serfs owned by them. This example was followed by nobles, officials, and merchants, and once more Peter sent to the west for competent men to help build them. At the same time fifty young nobles were dispatched to Venice to learn shipbuilding.
When he was seventeen years old, Peter had married Eudoxia Lapoukine, whose relatives abhorred all that was new; Peter's wife shared their sentiments, so that his home life was far from happy. He had a son by her, named Alexis; after the fall of Azof, Peter secured a divorce, an act unheard of in Russia, where she remained czarina in the eyes of the people. Busy as he was, Peter left his son and heir in charge of his divorced wife, while he was making preparations for the long expected visit to the west of Europe.
He determined that an embassy should be sent, and that it should be worthy of Russia. Accordingly he appointed the Swiss Lafort and two Russian generals "the great Ambassadors of the Czar." Among their retinue composed of two hundred and seventy persons, was a young man Peter Mikhaïlof, better known as Peter Alexievitch. When the embassy came to Riga, that young man was insulted by the governor. Peter said nothing, but made a note of it for future use. At Königsberg, "Mr. Peter Mikhaïlof" was appointed master of artillery by the Prussian Colonel Sternfeld. The progress of the embassy was too slow for Peter who had an object in view. He went ahead to Holland where he hired a room from a blacksmith at Zaandam, bought a workman's suit, and went to work in a dockyard. He often visited Amsterdam where his good nature and passion to learn gained him the good-will of the people. Peter then crossed over to London where he spent three months. Competent men of every profession and trade were engaged by him everywhere. Returning to Holland, his ship was caught in a violent gale, which frightened even the sailors. Peter kept cool, and, smiling, asked them if they "had ever heard of a Czar of Russia who was drowned in the North Sea?"
Peter did not forget Russia's political interests. He talked with William of Orange, the great opponent of Louis XIV, and with other influential men, but he did not visit the court of France. After satisfying his curiosity, he went to Vienna where he intended to study strategy; but his stay was cut short by bad news from home.
Peter had met with a sullen, obstinate opposition in Russia. It was led by the priests who said, and perhaps believed, that Peter was the anti-Christ. It was a cause for complaint that Peter often wore clothes of a German fashion; was the Russian costume not good enough for him? Again, why did he not devote his time to war, as the other czars done? He had made a bargain with British merchants to import tobacco into Russia; what did the Russians want with this "sacrilegious smell?" But the climax was that a Czar of the Russias should leave Holy Russia to go among heretics and heathens. Geography was not studied in the czar's empire, and all nations on earth were thought to belong to either of the two classes.
The trouble began among the streltsi who had been sent to Azof. These citizen soldiers looked upon their destination at the other end of the empire as an exile; which it may have been. Two hundred deserted and made their way back to Moscow and their families; they were promptly hunted down. When they returned to their regiments, they brought with them a secret proclamation from Sophia. "You suffer," she declared, "but it will grow worse still. March on Moscow! What are you waiting for? There is no news of the czar!" There was a rumor that Peter was dead and that his son Alexis had been murdered by the boyards. Four regiments revolted and left the ranks. Generals Gordon and Schein went after them with the regular troops, and after overtaking the mutineers, tried to bring them to reason. In reply they stated their grievances and persisted in their determination not to return to duty. The government troops then fired and scattered the streltsi. A number of them were arrested, tortured, and executed.
At this time Peter returned, furious at what had happened. He was determined to strike at the head of the opposition, the Russians who openly denounced innovations. He ordered that the face must be shaved. This was hitting every adult Russian in a tender spot, because the shaving of the face was considered in the light of a blasphemy. He began to enforce his orders at his court, sometimes acting as a barber himself, when he was none too gentle. A number of gibbets erected on the Red Square, reminded the bearded noble that the choice lay between losing the beard or the head. The Patriarch appealed to Peter, a holy eikon of the Virgin in his hand. "Why did you bring out the holy eikon? asked the czar. "Withdraw and restore it to its place. Know that I venerate God and His mother as much as you do, but know also that it is my duty to protect the people and to punish the rebels."
The gibbets did not stand as an idle threat. The Austrian Minister Korb was a witness of the executions, which he describes thus: "Five rebel heads had been sent into the dust by blows from an ax wielded by the noblest hand in Russia." Thus Peter did not hesitate to be his own executioner. It was like him to do his own work, regardless of what the people might think. A thousand men were sent to a gory grave, by the highest officers of the court; the executions lasted a week. The funeral of the executed was forbidden. Bodies were seen dangling from the walls of the kremlin for five months, and for the same length of time, the corpses of some of the streltsi hung from the bars of Sophia's prison, clutching the secret proclamation. Peter's divorced wife had joined Sophia's party; the two ladies had their head shaved and were confined in convents. The streltsi were dissolved and replaced by regular troops.
Peter then turned upon the Cossacks of the Don, who had shown greater independence than pleased him. Prince Dolgorouki to whom the task was confided of bringing them to order, wrote to the czar after he had destroyed the Cossack camp: "The chief rebels and traitors have been hung; of the others, one out of every ten; and all these dead malefactors have been laid on rafts, and turned into the river, to strike terror into the hearts of the Don people and to cause then to repent."
Mazeppa, as we have seen, was at this time hetman of the Cossacks of Little Russia. In his youth he had been a page of John Casimir, king of Poland; it was then that he had that terrible adventure which is connected indelibly with his name. After he was cut loose from the back of the unbroken horse that had carried him in the steppes, he entered among the Cossacks, and rose from the ranks by betraying every chief who helped him. Although it was Sophia who made him hetman, he was among the first to declare for Peter. His enemies, of whom he had many, accused him before the czar, but Peter admired him, and delivered his accusers up to him; they did not live long after Mazeppa had them in his power.
It was Mazeppa's scheme to establish an independent kingdom, he had the support of the Cossacks who did not care to work but preferred to be supported by the people. The industrious classes longed to get rid of this burden, and looked toward the czar to set them free. The tribute which Little Russia paid to Moscow was quite heavy, and when it was rumored that Peter was going to war with Sweden, Mazeppa thought this was an opportunity to carry out his scheme. He entered into negotiations with Stanislas Leszcinski whom Swedish influence had placed upon the throne of Poland. Peter was informed of this in detail, but he did not credit it, beheaded one of his informants, and the others were tortured and sent to Siberia.
The war broke out, Charles XII, the romantic king of Sweden arrived in the neighborhood of Little Russia, and Peter called on Mazeppa to join the Russian army with his Cossacks. He pretended to be dying, but when the two hostile armies were drawing close, he crossed the Desna with his most trusted Cossacks to join the Swedes. Peter's eyes were opened; he gave orders to his general Menzikoff to take and sack Mazeppa's capital. This was done and Mazeppa's friends, who had remained behind, were executed. Mazeppa himself reached the Swedish camp. He was compelled to seek safety in Turkey, where he died miserably at Bender. His territory was annexed to Russia, the Cossacks lost all their privileges, and 1,200 of them were set to work on the Ladoga canal.
It was in 1700 that Peter, after concluding an alliance with Poland, determined to declare war against Sweden where young Charles XII had recently succeeded to the throne. Attacked at the same time by Russia, Poland, and Denmark, this young hero invaded the last-named country and compelled its king to conclude peace. After relieving Riga, Charles marched into Russia at the head of 8,500 men, and on the 30th of November defeated a Russian army of 63,000 men. This victory proved a misfortune, because it inspired the king of Sweden with contempt for Russian soldiers and made him careless, whereas Peter worked cheerfully and hard to profit from the lesson. While Charles was absent in Poland, his army was twice defeated.
Each of the two antagonists was worthy of the other's steel. Both were brave, but Charles was impetuous, whereas Peter acted upon cool judgment. The war continued until 1709 when Charles found himself in Little Russia, far away from supplies and reënforcements, in a Russian winter which happened to be exceptionally severe. In the spring he laid siege to Pultowa. The czar arrived on the 15th of June with 60,000 men; Charles had 29,000. On July 8, 1709, the battle of Pultowa was fought and Charles was defeated; he narrowly escaped being captured. With Mazeppa and the Pole Poniatowski, he made his way across the Turkish frontier, and remained until 1713, in the territory of the Sultan, whom he finally induced to declare war against Peter. This victory gave Peter the longed-for port on the Baltic, since Sweden was no longer in a condition to stop him.
What induced Sultan Ahmed III to risk war with Russia, was the hope of regaining Azof. Peter, on the other hand, hoped for an opportunity to capture Constantinople, the Czargrad of former times. He knew that he had the sympathy of the many Christians of the Greek Church, who were suffering under the yoke of the Turk. Trusting upon their support, Peter arrived on the bank of the Pruth with 38,000 exhausted soldiers. There he found himself surrounded by 200,000 Turks and Tartars. Peter gained a slight success, but not of sufficient importance to extricate or relieve him. Fearing an overwhelming calamity, Peter was prepared to make immense sacrifices in return for peace, and even to surrender Azof and the territory taken from Sweden, when his second wife Catherine had a happy thought. She collected all the money and jewels in the Russian camp, and sent them as a present to the Grand Vizier in command of the enemy, asking at the same time, what terms he would make. They were found unexpectedly reasonable: the surrender of Azof, the razing of the Russian forts erected on Turkish territory, and that Charles XII should be free to return to Sweden. Peter accepted eagerly, much as he regretted the loss of Azof and the failure of his schemes.
In 1713, a Russian fleet under Admiral Apraxine, with Peter serving under him as vice-admiral, captured several cities on the Baltic, and a Russian force entered north Germany. An alliance was formed against him and Peter decided to make an attempt at an alliance with France. In 1718, just as peace was being concluded with Charles XII, the King of Sweden, died and war broke out anew, lasting until 1721, when, by the Peace of Nystad, Sweden surrendered to Russia Livonia, Esthonia, and part of Finland. Peter had his way: Russia had open ports.
Peter was greatly pleased, and Russia rejoiced with him. The senate and Holy Synod conferred upon him the titles of "the Great, the Father of his country, and Emperor of all the Russias." In 1722, Peter led an expedition to the Caspian Sea. He captured Baku and five other important towns. He died three years later, in 1725.


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At a time when homophobic hate crimes are on the rise and unfair treatment of minority workers is in the news, it's never been more important to celebrate those who champion their diverse workforces.
The OUTstanding lists highlight those LGBT+ executives and allies who are doing great work in the world of business.
For the fifth year, OUTstanding have picked out dozens of role models who who are openly and visibly putting LGBT+ success at the top of the world's business agenda.
There are four separate lists of role models this year.
Firstly, Leading LGBT+ Executives, pays attention to the openly LGBT+ business leaders who've risen to the top of their organisations. 100 role models have been selected from across the world of business. These role models are all successful LGBT+ executives working one to three levels from the chief executive. These figures are the proof that LGBT+ workers can succeed in spite of the inherit prejudices they face. It is hoped these figures will inspire other LGBT+ professionals.
Next there's the Leading Ally Executives list. This list highlights the non-LGBT+ executives who are outspoken in developing and supporting their diverse workforces. The list will only feature those whose support has been unwavering – one Pride does not make a leading ally. Like the Leading LGBT+ Executives list, this will feature people at the top of their companies.
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The Top LGBT+ Future Leaders list celebrates those making an impact for LGBT+ rights at all levels in a company, not just those at the top.
Finally, there is a new category. Leading LGBT+ Public Sector Executives names role models who work at the top of the public and third sectors.
Who is on the list?
Leading LGBT+ Executives
This year, the Leading LGBT+ Executives list is topped by Alan Joyce, CEO of Australian airline Qantas. Joyce is openly gay and has lived with his partner in Sydney since 1999. In May 2017, he was publicly assaulted with a lemon meringue pie pressed into his face at a business breakfast. The incident was a direct attack on Joyce's outspoken support of same-sex marriage in Australia.
Speaking about being recognised, Joyce said:
"In the past year I've worked hard to drive changes in my own workplace, and indeed my own country. This includes establishing a formal LGBT+ network to provide support for Qantas staff and I've taken a very public stance in campaigning in favour of marriage equality here in Australia."
"No one should feel like they need to live a double life, or don't have access to the same opportunities as everyone else. I hope more LGBT+ business leaders and Allies join me in visibly celebrating diverse sexuality in the workplace."
The rest of the top 10 are as follows:
|Full Name
|Job Title
|Alan Joyce
|Stacey Friedman
|JP Morgan Chase
|General Counsel
|Jim Fitterling
|Chief Operating Officer for Material Sciences
|Gigi Chao
|Cheuk Nang (Holdings) Limited
|Executive Vice Chairman
|Dr. Vivienne Ming
|Socos LLC
|Managing Partner
|Inga Beale
|Lloyd's of London
|Martine Rothblatt
|United Therapeutics Corporation
|Jan Siegmund
|Corporate Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
|Siobhan Martin
|Executive Director – HR UK & Ireland
|David Hynam
|Bupa UK
Leading Ally Executives
Despite the appearance of a certain well-known social-media company owner on the ally list, the number one spot was taken by Denise Morisson, president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company. Morisson has held the position since 2011. In that same year she was named the 80th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. Under her tenure, the Human Rights Campaign has named Campbell Soup Company 'Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality'.
On her success in the OUTstanding list Denise said:
"I am extremely proud to be recognised as an OUTstanding Ally Executive and passionately believe in the universal right for people to express their sexuality without fear of discrimination or prejudice"
"At Campbell we strongly support and promote OPEN, our LGBTQ Pride employee network. We are continually challenging ourselves to do all we can to support and promote equal rights within the workplace. We're extremely proud to have scored a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index eight times, and to be named HRC's Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality and Buying Guide for Equality for 2017."
The rest of the top ten are:
|Full Name
|Job Title
|Denise Morrison
|Campbell Soup Company
|President and CEO
|Jose Berenguer
|JP Morgan
|CEO Brazil
|Paul Polman
|Andrew Liveris
|Executive Chairman
|Jean-Laurent Bonnafe
|BNP Paribas
|Group CEO
|Cathy Bessant
|Bank of America
|Chief Operations & Technology Officer
|Mark Zuckerberg
|Founder & CEO
|Rekha Menon
|Chairman and Senior Managing Director, India
|Sue Fox
|M&S Bank
|Mark Wilson
|Group CEO
Top LGBT+ Future Leaders
Of course, it's all well and good celebrating the status quo, but the future is important to. And its in safe hands, judging by the first placing Future Leader, Stuart Barette, Global CMB IT Programme manager at HSBC. He helped launch a number of initiatives helping transgender people get a more personal service from their banks. In practical terms, this meant introducing ten new gender neutral titles, to be applied across a customer's account including bank cards and correspondence.
Speaking about his place on the list, Stuart said:
"I am thrilled and honoured to be the Top 2017 OUTstanding & FT LGBT+ Future Leader. There are not enough visible trans* role models in business, and this is especially the case amongst trans men. I have Asperger Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism, so for me, intersectionality is also important. Being included on the list sends a visible message that being trans* or having a disability is not a barrier to career progression or being able to affect positive change in the world and will hopefully inspire and empower others."
The rest of the top ten on the list are as follows.
|Full Name
|Job Title
|Stuart Barette
|Global CMB IT Application & Infrastructure Streamlining Manager
|Phoebe Bloomfield
|Aviva Investors
|People Talent Partner
|Robert Ronneberger
|Sayid Abdullaev
|Associate Product Marketing Manager
|Anthony Shop
|Social Driver
|Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder
|Jose Alberto Pino Andrade
|Consumerism Value Chain Manager
|Krishna Omkar
|Slaughter and May
|Daniel Ricard
|EMEA Human Capital Project Manager
|Anjeli Patel
|Senior Consultant, People Advisory Services
|Peter Foley
|Senior Associate
Leading LGBT+ Public Sector Executives
For the first time this year, the OUTstanding lists featured public sector executives. The person at the top of the inaugural LGBT+ Public Sector Executives list is Dinesh Bhugra, President of World Psychiatric Association. Bhugra and his partner Mike have been together for over 30 years. During that time, Bhugra has become a world-renowned expert on topics including: cross-cultural psychiatry, migrant mental health, professionalism in psychiatry, depression, psychosexual medicine, service provision and decision-making. He's also the first ever UK psychiatrist to be elected President of the World Psychiatric Association.
On his selection for this list, Bhugra said:
"Research has shown that LGBT+ individuals have increased rates of psychological disorders, and that when the laws around being LGBT+ change, these rates go down. This is no coincidence. Working in the mental health field, I'm delighted to be recognised as an LGBT+ role model, and hope to be able to use this position to drive progress and change."
The other names on the top ten list of leading LGBT+ Public Sector Executives are as follows:
|Full Name
|Job Title
|Dinesh Bhugra CBE
|World Psychiatric Association
|Maura Healey
|Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
|Attorney General
|Lee Marshall
|Church of England
|Chief of Staff
|Antonio Zappulla
|Thomson Reuters Foundation
|Chief Operating Officer
|Professor Gill Valentine
|University of Sheffield
|Interim Provost and Deputy VC
|Tammy Smith
|US Military
|Major General
|Carole Anderson
|Golden Jubilee National Hospital
|Head of Strategy and Performance
|Alan Gemmell
|British Council
|Director India
|Martin Shanahan
|IDA Ireland
|Craig Beaumont
|Federation of Small Businesses
|Head of External Affairs
Who organises the lists?
The Leading LGBT+ Executives and Allies lists are a collaboration between OUTstanding and the Financial Times. OUTstanding is a professional network for LGBT+ executives and their allies. Their mission is to inspire and mentor the next generation of LGBT+ executives, connect members, and inform the world of LGBT+ business news.
OUTstanding was founded in 2013 by Suki Sandhu, an executive searching specialist.
Verdict was lucky enough to speak with Sandhu about the OUTstanding lists and the state of LGBT+ rights in the workplace in 2017:
Verdict: Are things getting better or worse for LGBT+ people in the workplace?
SS: I think it really depends what industry and geography. In the UK we're pretty good in terms of legislation and protecting LGBT people. I know Theresa May recently did a speech where she talked about changing the policy and law around trans people because obviously, if you define as trans, you have to be defined as having an illness, it's looking to change that.
Whereas if you look in the USA, it's definitely going backwards. You've got someone like Trump who's banning trans people from serving in the military. Then there's legislation the Senate are trying to put through which will reduce the protections that LGBT+ have. There are still some states in the USA where you can be fired for being gay.
And then if you look in countries in the Middle East or Africa, its illegal to be gay. You can be murdered – given the death penalty for being gay.
There's a spectrum really depending on which area you're talking about. I would like to thing its getting better, but when you've got the political climate of Trump and Brexit it's uncovering a lot of hate against minority groups such as LGBT people. There's been a rise in homophobic hate crimes in the UK against LGBT communities.
We've got to be more vigilant. We need the role models on these lists to be those shining lights in the darkness that's happening around the world when it comes to inclusion.
V: My next question was going to be about Trump, but I think you already answered it there…
SS: Trump is bad news for LGBT people. You should judge people by their actions not their words. With him, you can judge him by his words and his actions. They're fairly similar for LGBT people.
V: So you just mentioned the worldwide climate for LGBT people. With more multi-national companies springing up, is it more challenging for executives to celebrate and champion their workforce consistently? Especially where they have branches in countries that are less open to LGBT people.
SS: I would say no. A lot of multi-national companies that are operating in regions unfriendly to LGBT people tend to have one set of policies that pervade the whole organisation. They call it the ambassadorial model where, within the four walls of the offices employees will be treated the same everywhere globally.
In the Middle East, LGBT staff will be treated the same in the Middle East as they would do in London or New York or wherever. As long as they stay true to their values and their policies, it's not a difficult thing.
But then the issue is: what you do outside those four walls? It's great protecting LGBT people within those walls in their office in the Middle East but once those employees step out, they're in the context of that country. They could be arrested for being LGBT. It's about asking what kind of quiet words can they have with those governments to try to exert their economic power to try to influence policy in those countries to benefit LGBT people.
So when they're investing in infrastructure or building new offices and creating jobs in somewhere like Delhi where they recriminalised homosexuality in the last few years. They should have a moral obligation to be having conversations with the government about the economic impact of not being more inclusive to LGBT people?
V: Are those conversations that do tend to happen?
SS: I think they happen in private. I'm not going to name any of the companies, because a lot of them don't want to be seen lobbying governments. But those quiet conversations are happening.
Think about in the USA, for instance, when there was the big trans bathroom saga. Multi-nationals clubbed together to write letters to that local government with a view to making them change their policies and outlook. When companies come together they can exert a lot of their power and influence to make positive changes in business.
V: To build on that, would you say that business could be the leading force for equality and acceptance worldwide?
SS: Yeah, I absolutely think it can be. Why wouldn't it be? You've got to remember the impact business has on society. Generally everybody has a job or has to go to work. If you think about these lists that we do in the Financial Times; collectively the companies in our list employ about 6 million people globally. Each company celebrates that company in that list. So we're already reaching 6 million people globally, and reaching them in a really positive way, to celebrate their place in the list.
When these people go home to their families and their partners, they'll hopefully talk about the LGBT leaders from their workplace who featured in the list. Those normal conversations will show that these leaders are just like everybody else. The reason we do these lists is also to challenge stereotypes about where people expect us to be.
Generally when people think about the LGBT community, they think of Alan Carr, Graham Norton, Ellen DeGeneres. They're all amazing, but as a community, we're more than entertainers. We're CEOs in the airline industry, we're partners in law firms, we're managing directors in financial services. And people want to be who they can see. Some people see some of the names in our lists and feel surprised because they didn't even know those people were LGBT! So the next generation of LGBT people see people that they want to be, inspiring them to be who they are from the start of their careers.
V: So it's just as much a source of inspiration as a celebration?
SS: Yeah, or an educational tool, to an extent.
V: If I was an executive who hoped to be on the list next year, what are the best practices I should think about incorporating into my business?
SS: So we have four criteria to be in the list.
- What are you doing in the workplace to help LGBT people or the community?
- What are you doing outside the workplace to help the LGBT community?
- What's your seniority and influence if you're an executive?
- What are your business achievements?
You have to score highly in those four areas to feature in the list. You can't just get into the list because you're the CEO in a tech business. That doesn't cut it for us.
You have to be able to show what you're doing for the LGBT community. The kind of things you should be doing include being visible in your support for the LGBT community, being out and being visible, mentoring the next generation, are you hosting events? Are you funding your employee resource group? You have to engage allies. Are you an executive sponsor? Are you supporting LGBT charities or NGOs?
So all of these things form part of your nomination which the judging panel will then score to assess whether or not you made the top 100.
We want people in the list to actually be doing things for our community.
V: This year you announced EMpower and HERoes featuring ethnic minority and female champions in the workplace. Do you think it's time more businesses focus on expanding their workforce beyond the straight white men who dominate?
SS: Absolutely. That's one of the main reasons why we set up OUTstanding, EMpower, and HERoes. These shine a light on the issues faced by these groups in business.
At the moment, the straight white male is the majority in the boardrooms of today. There are only 6 or 7 female CEOs in the FTSE 100. There are also only 6 or 7 ethnic minority CEOs, and even then, all of those are Asian. There's no black CEO in the FTSE 100. And there's no LGBT or disabled CEOs whatsoever.
So altogether there's maybe 14 CEOs in the FTSE 100 who aren't straight white men. That's grossly unrepresentative of society.
OUTstanding, EMpower, and HERoes also exist to encourage companies to get in those communities to do more together. That's one of the frustrating things about these communities. They often work in parallel not together. Even when they're trying to do the same thing which is to increase diversity and create a more inclusive environment.
V: Do you think you'll ever do a merging of those lists or would that be counterproductive?
SS: At the moment we want to celebrate people across the individual strands but in the future that could happen!
V: What inspired you personally to set up the list?
SS: It was the fact that there were the other lists that I'd see in other publications across the UK where I'd see LGBT people. But only a tiny handful of those would be business people. I thought, why on earth are we not celebrating business people. Because I know they're doing great things around the world! That's when I had the light bulb moment.
If I was going to have a list of LGBT business people, I knew the Financial Times would be the one to host it. So we're really lucky to have the FT as our media partner across all three lists!


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The 6th of April holds memories of a life past, a life of lessons, growth but most importantly a life of those who came before us and gave their very soul for us to learn important lessons and hopefully have the courage to continue sharing these lessons.
As a young girl growing up in South Africa, April 6th held no special place in my life, it was just another day. It was not until I became an active member of the African National Congress Youth League that my eyes were opened. Being active meant that one was engaged in learning and internalizing the policies and founding documents of the League, participating in the livelihood of the branch and in the campaigns and programs – being engaged from the conceptualization to the implementation of a campaign or program. I learnt that April 6th was the day in 1652, Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape of Good Hope, and so began centuries of subjugation and oppression of the back majority of South Africa. Fast-forward almost three hundred and thirty years to April 6, 1979 Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was executed by the apartheid regime.
The natural question that followed in my mind and I never dared to ask it because soon I learned how shallow of me it was to even think it. Who is Solomon Mahlangu and what is his claim to fame?
In responding to that question I hope I will be able to share some of the lessons I learned as I continued to be educated on the ins and outs of Kalushi Mahlangu. Born on the 10th July 1956 in Mamelodi, he was the second son of Martha Mahlangu. His father left the family in 1962, leaving Martha who was a domestic worker to raise their children alone. The story of single mothers is not a new one to South Africa , but it is definitely a defining moment in the lives of many who were inspired , charged , called or even moved to seek a better life for them and their off spring . Kalushi was no different to those who continue to seek for a better world because of the sacrifices they saw their mothers perform to provide a better life for them.
Kalushi observed the hardship the black majority of South Africa suffered represented by the realities of his upbringing in Mamelodi. Like many young people of his time who are heroes of our revolutionary struggle, Kalushi had no choice but to get involved in the 1976 students uprising in South Africa when the students took to the streets to protest the introduction of Afrikaans as the main language of instruction in South African Schools. He joined the African National Congress in September 1976 and left to undergo training in Angola and Mozambique as a soldier of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He returned to South Africa on the 11th June 1977 through Swaziland to assist with student protests.
Comrade Solomon Mahlangu's childhood is reminiscent of the challenges experienced by many impoverished families in South Africa. Raised by a single mother, who worked as a domestic, meant that everyday around 5am Kalushi and his siblings were left by their mother who had to go take care of a white family. She would leave her kids not sure if they would wake up in time to get ready for school, what they would have for breakfast and lunch. She would not be sure if they would make it to school and home safely, who would help them with their home -work, yet she would leave her home to help the white family she was working for to achieve exactly those basic questions she left hanging over her head.
Add to that the reality that his neighborhood was not exactly designed to be child or teenager friendly , there were no community centers to go to, no parks to play in or even watch your younger siblings play in. The only reality you had was that mom would get home around 6 or 7 pm, and hoping that her employee was kind enough to allow her to bring the left overs from their dinnertable , otherwise your dinner would be served at 10 pm that night.
So you have all this social pressures you are dealing with than one day to arrive at school to be advised that moving forward, all instruction will take place in Afrikaans. It is understandable that Kalushi was moved to join in with the hundreds of students who took to the streets of South Africa determined that there must be a different better and efficient way to process this change.
But of course the Apartheid government responded in a manner that is well documented and ushered in the historic Soweto Uprising. The next question was then, what is to be done if our peaceful protests are met with such ruthless actions. The ANC Statement on the execution of Solomon Mahlangu in 1979 says, "Thousands left the country in the face of this repression. They left to carry on the struggle from outside the country. Nineteen years old Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was amongst them." He left his home at night, not even telling his mother where he was going or if he would return". Bear in mind this is a young man who was raised by a single mother on the account of this father leaving the family. On this evening he leaves his mother with no word, to fight for the opportunities that me and you enjoy today.
As we remember Kalushi, perhaps we can also look back and reflect on what may be construed as the biggest and deepest sacrifice we each performed at 19 years old? I know for a fact I was still learning to appreciate what this young man and the generation he represents did for me. They left to join the Armed forces of the Liberation Movement to ensure that we, our children will never have to :
- Wake up in the morning and find black mothers with no option but to take care of another family without having the necessary support system of her own.
- Spend our lives being second best because of the color of our skin.
- He left so that you and I will have the opportunity to choose those who will govern us and hold them accountable to the dream of equality, peace and justice for all
- He left so that women, young and old, like me can represent our country as Diplomats, can serve as Consul General in the US and be treated as an equal to their colleagues without gender being a defining moment of what they can or cannot achieve
So as we commemorate the 36th Anniversary of this execution and are brought to remember his words, when he faced his last moments alive and he said:
"Mama tell my people that I love them and they must continue the struggle. My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Aluta Continua!"
He left never to return to Mamelodi, never to walk the its streets again . He left to ensure that you and I will never forget that our success is pinned on the sacrifices of young man and women like him. Kalushi lived and died so that you and I ARE FREE.
Comrade Vuyiswa Tulelo is the Former Secretary General of the ANC Youth League and Consul-General in Chicago


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What if your student-athlete's team isn't competing this Fall?
Unfortunately, we are starting to see more reports of colleges and universities that are cancelling Fall sports. Recent examples include Morehouse College in Atlanta, Bowdoin College in Maine, and UMass Boston. Morehouse is an NCAA Division II university, while the other two are members of Division III.
- If your student-athlete's season is cancelled by his or her college or university, will they attend that college this Fall?
- Will they stay home instead where they may be "safer" from contracting Covid?
- What will happen to their scholarship?
Do You Need Advice?
Due to the uncertainty of this time and the frequent changes being announced by colleges across the country, we may not have all the answers for you. However, we can talk with you confidentially to review key eligibility or scholarship rules to keep in mind as well as possible options that your student-athlete can consider.
Schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues consultation online, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com or give us a call at 913-766-1235.


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Argonne National Laboratory is reporting that its scientists have designed a novel type of biochip. Based on the polymerase chain reaction, an old technology by now (isn't it?), the lab-on-a-chip should offer rapid diagnostic testing capabilities for a variety of diagnostic needs:
The biochip system can identify infectious disease strains in less than 15 minutes when testing protein arrays and in less than two hours when testing nucleic acid arrays. The system can be used in hospitals and other laboratories as well as in the field. The technology provides a point-of-care diagnostic system that would save time and money compared to current systems, which require sending samples to a centralized lab for confirmatory diagnosis.
Each biochip has hundreds to thousands of gel drops, each about 100 microns in diameter — 100 microns is about the width of an average human hair. A segment of a DNA strand, protein, peptide or antibody is inserted into each drop, tailoring it to recognize a specific biological agent or biochemical signature. These drops are in known positions so when a sample reacts, the reaction position can be detected, identifying the sample.
"The array of gel drops can be tailored to detect specific strains of infectious diseases or other biological organisms," said Schabacker. "Each drop can detect trace quantities of the agents for which they are specific."
The biochip can also be used to identify biological warfare agents. Easy sample preparation, standard operating protocols and a portable biochip reader that is smaller than a lunchbox make the system suitable for use in the field by first responders, military personnel and medical technicians.
The system makes use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a universal method for replicating billions of copies from one piece of genetic material. PCR allows trace quantities of DNA to be replicated to a level where they can be detected in the biochip system.
A sample to be tested is applied to a biochip, which is then put in a reader and scanned using patented side illumination laser technology to detect reaction sites. Automated algorithms determine the agents present in the sample…
The biochip system also has great potential as a discovery tool. Current research aimed at the development of proteome chips has shown great promise. Proteome chips, which are biochips displaying all the proteins expressed by an organism at a specific time, provide the ability to screen for new cancer biomarkers, vaccine targets and therapeutic targets, as well as provide a means of characterizing disease states.


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Facebook Ads are the new craze for the 2017 marketing scene. They are on track to drive more leads for your business in 2017 than any other paid channel. However, just like any paid marketing effort Facebook Ads are not something to just jump into and expect a return right away. You'll need to have the right strategy as well as a good understanding of your customers. This is a huge opportunity for marketers. An opportunity that if
Meet the newest member of the We Got That team – Roi (pronounced [roh-ee]). We're ecstatic that we've managed to uproot Roi from his hometown to become a part of our family tree! Roi's no sap, when he saw the opportunities we have at We Got That to help clients sell more online he happily packed up his trunk to join us. Roi's job is to make sure all the team's efforts have a positive impact for our clients and they're able
Many people believe they can just get their website launched and their Internet marketing strategy is done. The thought being, "I have a website, business will start pouring in." Your online presence is not a fire-and-forget effort. Generally speaking, new sites will attract search engines, once they're found, and begin to generate traffic. As time goes on and content is not updated, you'll find that traffic will taper off and the high-quality traffic you want disappears completely.
Pay Per Click Services (get on the first page of Google & Yahoo FAST through their sponsored listings) Sponsored listings can place your website at the top of Google's first page within days! Our full service setup and Pay Per Click services, also known as search engine marketing, is an affordable and scaleable way to receive quick, relevant traffic to your website. After the initial fee, you ONLY PAY when someone actually CLICKS on the link to go to your website. The


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1I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.
2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
3But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we didn't preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you didn't receive, or a different "good news", which you didn't accept, you put up with that well enough.
5For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.
6But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.
7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God's Good News free of charge?
8I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.
9When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn't a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.
10As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11Why? Because I don't love you? God knows.
12But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from those who desire an occasion, that in which they boast, they may be found even as we.
13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ's apostles.
14And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
15It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
16I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.
17That which I speak, I don't speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
18Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.
19For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.
20For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.
21I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.
22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring11:22 or, seed of Abraham? So am I.
23Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often.
24Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.
25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.
26I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;
27in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.
28Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.
29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don't burn with indignation?
30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.
31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don't lie.
32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes' city, desiring to arrest me.
33I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Public Domain


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Thursday, May 3, 2018
Summer Staple…
14 comments:
One of my favorite dresses on you EVER!!! Love this from head to toe!ReplyDelete
Love the headband wrap! The dress is so full of color and perfect for summer!ReplyDelete
what a beautiful maxi, please don't forget to come link up to A Labour of FashionReplyDelete
I am absolutely in love with this dress! Such a gorgeous look!ReplyDelete
xx, Elise
This dress is amazing on you Jacqueline!!ReplyDelete
Oh this dress is so pretty! When I saw it on the model I thought that curved seam under the bust made the print look off, but on you it's perfect! Maybe I need to see if my Target has this dress after all...ReplyDelete
I love this maxi dress! So pretty!ReplyDelete
So, so cute and YES this will be the perfect go to summer dress. Love the accessories, they really go great with it. That little headband is so cute in your hair!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 4, 2018 at 2:48 AM
This is so stylish and perfect for summer! Love it xReplyDelete
Anika | anikamay.co.uk
Such a pretty dress! Love the bag!ReplyDelete
xx Leah / www.leahbehr.com
Lovely dress you have here dear! Cute patterns, and effortlessly sexy! It has some kind of boho style in it too.ReplyDelete
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Nice and Perfect looking outfit..ReplyDelete
Liquidating checks, for instance, is a considerable measure less demanding these days than it was previously.ReplyDelete
Check Cashing chicago
Thank you for a really awesome blog. It was actually very helpful. I am so happy I found thisReplyDelete
porhub videos


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Catering trends
So what happen to the summer this year? Oh that's right climate change.....
"The culinary aspiration of 2012 are to continue to be environmentally and socially conscious..."
Laissez-faire acknowledges the adverse impacts that human activity can impose when producing catering for events, therefore we have put systems into place to take effective action to reduce our footprint and sourcing the freshest, local and seasonal produce we can get our hand on. We invest and aspire to continue being a valuable member of our community. Some of our initiatives include i.e: waste management (partnering with organizations such as Oz Harvest), encouraging waste reduction (use of reusable cups), recycling and, where possible, composting by the separation of compostable catering waste.
30 Birmingham Street, Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia
© 1991-2022 Copyright Laissez-faire Catering | Web CMS by Elcom


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In six months as president, Barack Obama has aggressively done the opposite of many specific things he explicitly and unequivocally promised as a candidate. A lot of these were things Obama's fiercest opponents never wanted. And Obama's fiercest supporters favor censoring this information. But if we expect public servants to be public servants, the public must know the facts, make of them what it will.
Here's a video of candidate Obama promising not to change laws with signing statements and denouncing that practice as unconstitutional. In 2007, Obama filled out a questionnaire for the Boston Globe in which he said "It is a clear abuse of power to use such statements as a license to evade laws that the president does not like or as an end-run around provisions designed to foster accountability. I will not use signing statements to nullify or undermine congressional instructions as enacted into law." Obama now does this routinely. His nominee for the Supreme Court (verbosely) refused to answer a question on the constitutionality of signing statements. She should have asked pre-election Obama to share with her his clear and compelling analysis.
Candidate Obama went beyond promising to sign and enforce laws as written (or veto them). He also promised to take each new bill that reached his desk and post it online for five days before signing or vetoing it, to give the public a chance to review it and weigh in (video). This promise was posted on Obama's campaign website. Of course, it would make far more sense for Congress to take this step before voting on legislation, but the president's doing it would be a good thing. Obama hasn't taken this step with a single bill and has tended to sign them within hours. In the same video, you can watch candidate Obama promise that when a tax bill is debated he will post online the corporations that would benefit. He promised to post online every corporate tax break and every pork barrel project contained in new legislation. He has not done so.
Bush did not just ignore long-standing laws and treaties and rewrite new ones with signing statements. He also invented law out of whole cloth, publicly and privately, through executive orders, alteration of existing executive orders, memos drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel, and the creation of secret programs. Candidate Obama promised to thoroughly review Bush's executive orders immediately upon taking office. Obama promised to swiftly undo all of Bush's executive orders that "trampled on liberty." Obama has had six months and has failed to produce any review of Bush's hundreds of executive orders and signing statements. Obama has overturned a handful of Bush's executive orders, not on the grounds that a president cannot make law, but on the grounds that the new president disagrees with those particular orders. Obama has instructed government employees to ask his new Justice Department before complying with Bush's signing statements, but not rejected those statements publicly on the grounds that a president cannot rewrite laws. And, just as he has written his own law-altering signing statements, Obama has routinely written his own law-making executive orders. He's even floated the idea of using an executive order to create a formal program of preventive detention (thus eliminating both the legislative branch and habeas corpus in one stroke).
Candidate Obama's website defined Bush's use of "state secrets" claims as a problem that Obama's election would solve. Asked about claims of "executive privilege" to keep secret activities of government employees that did not involve the president, candidate Obama told the Boston Globe "My view is that executive privilege generally depends on the involvement of the President and the White House." President Obama has used "state secrets" claims more broadly than did President Bush, and used them repeatedly to keep secret the rendition, torture, and warrantless spying programs created by Bush, including by re-asserting the same "state secret" claims made by Bush. Obama's White House has used "executive privilege" claims to block full compliance with a congressional subpoena by Karl Rove despite Rove's claim that the President was not involved in the crimes and abuses under investigation.
Candidate Obama told the Boston Globe, "I believe the Administration's use of executive authority to over-classify information is a bad idea. We need to restore the balance between the necessarily secret and the necessity of openness in our democracy which is why I have called for a National Declassification Center." President Obama continues to propose this idea, while failing to act on it, and while classifying information left public by Bush.
Obama's campaign promised: "Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government." President Obama has signing statemented away constraints on his power to retaliate against whistleblowers by firing them.
The St. Petersburg Times (Florida, not Russia) maintains a list of Obama's promises and tracks those kept and broken. While this newspaper lists some important promises that have indeed been kept, I don't share all of the same priorities (or care that Obama promised to get his daughters a puppy and followed through). And I do not want to hold a president to promises to do things only Congress can constitutionally do. The St. Petersburg Times ignores important issues that I discuss here, but I give them credit for doing more than any other media outlet I've seen. They list seven broken promises (as well as many compromised or partially fulfilled), and this is one of the broken ones: Candidate Obama promised not to hire lobbyists, saying, "I don't take a dime of their [lobbyist] money, and when I am president, they won't find a job in my White House." Candidate Obama's website said: "No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration." This promise has been tossed in the trash.
Candidate Obama's war related promises is a muddy area. Many Americans heard Obama promise to "end the war" at rallies and interpreted that to mean something similar to what it sounds like it means. But candidate Obama told reporters fairly consistently that he would escalate the war in Afghanistan. And, while he denied that a president had the power to strike another nation (such as Pakistan) he also proposed doing just that. And on Iraq, candidate Obama said he would withdraw all the troops over a period of 16 months, with the exception of what he called "non-combat troops" and possibly mercenaries and other contractors. Obama's campaign website said that he would "remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months." But candidate Obama did not make these promises in terms of fulfilling the requirements of the treaty made between Bush and Maliki, misleadingly often called a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Obama was promising a speedier withdrawal than the treaty required, and his position as a candidate was that the U.S. Senate should review the treaty. Our Constitution makes invalid any treaty not consented to by the Senate. With this one, Congress was not even consulted.
As president, Obama has indeed struck Pakistan repeatedly and escalated the war in Afghanistan. It would be difficult to argue that the former is constitutional, and the constitutionality of the latter depends on the disputed claim that when Congress funds war it thereby declares war as well. It is on Iraq, however, that President Obama differs most from candidate Obama. President Obama no longer wants Congress to approve the Bush-Maliki treaty, but frames his own plans in its terms. At the same time, Obama has violated the treaty's requirement that all troops leave localities by June 2009 by reclassifying troops and redrawing urban boundaries. The U.S. military commanded by Obama is opposing allowing the Iraqi people to vote the treaty up or down by the end of July 2009, which was a condition of the treaty's ratification by the Iraqi Parliament. And top U.S. generals have openly stated their intention to violate the requirement of complete withdrawal by the end of 2011, without any retraction of those statements being issued by the White House. Meanwhile, Obama quickly extended his partial-withdrawal timetable from 16 to 19 months and made it subject to the wishes of the generals he supposedly commands. Yet, even that slowed withdrawal is not happening, and the Pentagon is maintaining troop levels in Iraq at their current numbers into 2010.
Candidate Obama promised to "end the abuse of the supplemental budgets, where much of the money has been lost, by creating [a] system of oversight for war funds as stringent as in the regular budget." President Obama then proposed a regular budget that included war funds and set the record as the largest budget for military-war spending in the history of the planet. Shortly thereafter, Obama requested a war supplemental bill, which some congress members said they were voting for to please the president and others said they were voting for because it was the last such supplemental. Immediately after it passed, Congressman John Murtha revealed that another supplemental was planned for later this year. The White House did not dispute that statement.
Candidate Obama did not oppose striking Pakistan without congressional authorization, but did make statements on the idea of attacking Iran that showed his understanding that such strikes were unconstitutional. He told the Boston Globe:
"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action. As for the specific question about bombing suspected nuclear sites, I recently introduced S.J. Res. 23, which states in part that 'any offensive military action taken by the United States against Iran must be explicitly authorized by Congress.' The recent NIE tells us that Iran in 2003 halted its effort to design a nuclear weapon. While this does not mean that Iran is no longer a threat to the United States or its allies, it does give us time to conduct aggressive and principled personal diplomacy aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons."
The Boston Globe asked candidate Obama "Do you agree or disagree with the statement made by former Attorney General Gonzales in January 2007 that nothing in the Constitution confers an affirmative right to habeas corpus, separate from any statutory habeas rights Congress might grant or take away?" and Obama replied: "Disagree strongly." Obama's campaign statement was this:
"The right of habeas corpus allows prisoners to ask a court to determine whether they are being lawfully imprisoned. Recently, this right has been denied to those deemed enemy combatants. Barack Obama strongly supports bipartisan efforts to restore habeas rights. He firmly believes that those who pose a danger to this country should be swiftly tried and brought to justice, but those who do not should have sufficient due process to ensure that we are not wrongfully denying them their liberty."
President Obama has fought in court and made a speech in front of the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives asserting the power to do exactly what candidate Obama said was unconstitutional. Obama is imprisoning people outside of any rule of law in Bagram and Guantanamo, and proposing to keep some of them in prison indefinitely without ever bringing them to trial. He is proposing to formalize such a system and dress it up in "due process" reviews. He asserts the power to render prisoners to other nations, as well. Having promised not to render prisoners for the purpose of having them tortured, Obama now claims the power to render prisoners while promising not to use it for torture, yet failing -- in the view of many human rights advocates -- to justify the practice.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).


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We *always* advise our sellers to vacate the home any and every time a buyer or their representative is present. This includes initial showings, repeat showings, open houses, inspections and final walk-throughs.
Although it is an inconvenience to have to leave your home, I can assure you that buyers will spend longer in your home if you aren't there, and they will talk about it more — both the good and the bad.
And that is exactly what you want. You want buyers to spend time in your home. You want them to talk about it — the good, the bad and the ugly. The longer they spend and the more they talk the more emotionally vested they become in the home. And the more they are likely to want it.
Of course no agent will ever know as much about the home or the neighborhood as the person that lives there, but, with owners present and without fail the buyers feel uncomfortable in the home. You are trying to sell your home. Making potential buyers feel uncomfortable in it is the last thing you want to do. Perhaps running errands during the scheduled showing or nice long walk, could be one of many activities that could get you away from the home during the showing time.
If leaving the home is not possbile, avoid following the agent and buyer from room to room, try to provide ample space and only respond to questions that are asked by the agent.


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Five on Friday
I'm back this week with five things I'm loving right now.
1. Annabel Ingall Isabella Tote
While I was begrudingly waiting in the Apple store for them to tell me the fate of my iphone two weeks ago this girl walked in with the most gorgeous leather bag I had ever seen. I immediately made a beeline for her and asked her where she bought it. She proceeded to tell me she got it from a small boutique in FL., which made me want to cry because that's always my luck. As I started to thank her and walk away she said wait the designers name is on the inside and thats when she showed me Annabel Ingall tag. I thanked her profusely and once I received my new phone I immediately googled it and have fallen even more in love with the bag and the designer.
How gorgeous would this be for a summer tote?
2. Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Bites
We planted fresh basil in our herb garden this year so I had to pin this recipe the minute I saw it. Is there anything better than fresh mozzarella and basil?! Our basil is currently out of control so I'm hoping to make these and maybe some pesto to freeze to keep me busy while I wait for baby boy
3. Liz Lange for Target Maternity Long and Lean Tank
These are seriously the best tank tops ever. I know I have written about them before on here but now that my belly is gigantic and it's summer time I have been living in these. They are so comfortable and the size small still fits over my huge stomach. I have a long torso so lately it's been hard to find tops that will cover my belly but this fit the bill and to top it off they are only $12.99 a piece! I know I will continue to wear these even after I have the baby since I love them that much.
4. Dunkin Donuts Decaf Iced Coffee
In the summer I love nothing more than treating myself to a big iced coffee. Since I'm supposed to be avoiding caffeine I have been getting my fix by drinking decaf or half caff iced coffees from Dunkin Donuts. I get mine with cream and 1 splenda. How do you order your DD coffee?
5. Tart Collections Maxi Dresses
If you have never owned a Tart Collections maxi dress then you are missing out. They are the BEST maxi dresses ever. Hands down. Not only are the styles flattering, fun, or sexy but they are also made out of the softest cotton ever. I could seriously sleep in the two that I own. Even though they can be pricey they show up on Rue La La, Gilt, and Ideeli often so that is where I pick mine up. I just bought the above "Tiffany" dress from Rue La La for $90.00 to wear this summer post baby in a fun purple color.
8 comments
I need to check out tart. Now I am dying for a DD iced coffee!ReplyDelete
obsessed with that tote!!! too bad that fab color is sold out, i'll have to keep stalking :)ReplyDelete
a peek of chic
I love that maxi! All of AI's bags are gorge! How do you get your basil to take off? Mine is looking pretty sad right now. :( Those mozzarella /basil bites look amazing!ReplyDelete
I still rock the liz lange tanks. They are the perfect length!! I have a long torso.ReplyDelete
That bag is a stunner.
Those mozzarella bites look unreal!ReplyDelete
Oooh - that bag is dreamy!ReplyDelete
I like my DD iced coffee (hazelnut flavor, btw) with 1-2 splendas and 2 creams. Yummy!
I have that bag and I LOVE it! I can fit so much baby stuff in it and it looks so fab still! Get it - worth it! I got mine from Tuckernuck!ReplyDelete
I've been ordering a small DD iced caramel latte with half caffeine and it is heavenly!ReplyDelete
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