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This week's curated selection of best unbuilt architecture features conceptual residential projects submitted by our readers from all around the world. Highlighting innovative designs, approaches, and compositions, this roundup puts together a series of inspiring interventions that offer a fresh look on the typical house structure.
In the following article, ArchDaily has gathered ideas from Poland, France, Hungary, Iran, and the United States. Grouped under one common theme, the feature includes a new take on the typical building complex, an attempt to shorten the transitional gap between a house and an apartment, and a collection of modular residential models that can be implemented anywhere. Moreover, it also showcases Christophe Benichou's latest intervention, "The Pleated House" located in the Hautes Alpes in France, a hyper-sustainable house on the beach and a structure completely erased and integrated into the natural landscape.
Read on to discover 9 conceptual house proposals and their descriptions from the architects.
Bookan Residential Tower
Bookan residential tower is a 10 story tower located in the northern part of Tehran. Seeking for an innovative solution to provide moments of the traditional lifestyle of living in villas in this new vertical tower, while having sufficient light and space for greenery, the proposal works with the notion of façade and its relation to mass and the way it defines the border between inside and outside. Contrary to the usual take on facades that consists of pushing it inward and sticking it to the central core in a way that living spaces remained in their places, many high-quality in-between spaces have been created which raise the quality of inhabitant's life.
Dune House
Initially inspired by a squid's rainbow flash at a nighttime fishing expedition, the Dune House is a powerful prototype for the future of homes at a global scale. There are no machines but humming electrical devices that power, heat, cool and vent. There is no chemical waste or fuel. The only carbon emission is the candlelight on the dinner table. The construction is planned to be respectful of local bird and animal habitats and is a success in natural preservation since it is only recognizable from sea and blends seamlessly with nature; immersed not imposed.
"Koocheha", meaning alleyways, is an attempt to shorten the transitional gap between a house and an apartment. The project has revolved around the creation of a vertical neighborhood; of single houses that are embedded in a residential complex. The design process had two main concerns: circulation throughout the vertical and horizontal connections, and also provision of light to all units. In order to resolve these issues, the building mass is divided into two volumes creating a void in between them.
Garden Walk House
FORMA Architects, PLLC & Mark Gettys Architects
Using the local vernacular of ocean building – an elevated walkway, wooden fencing, and structural stilts – the project reimagines the canonical beach house by inserting a series of exterior volumes into interior domestic spaces. Rather than packing all the house functions into a singular volume, the sleeping, bathing, living, and pool-lounging areas are pulled apart and interspersed with open-air gardens. An elevated boardwalk links the spaces together along a singular axis, directing movement and the eye toward the ocean.
Maison W - The Pleated House
Christophe Benichou & Virgile Ponsoye
The Maison W, or "the pleated house", is a rental housing project located on the slopes of the Pic de Charance, above Gap in the Hautes Alpes in France. It is a singular architecture project. It is discreet and exuberant, strange and familiar. It is familiar because it takes up the codes of the modern villa, paying tribute to it. It is also strange when it dares diverting from the abstraction of it. It distorts its lines and folds to try to establish a dialogue with the local geology while offering unique architectural sensations inspired by both the client and the site's singularity.
Damavand villa
ARC- Ashkan Rafiey Cooperation
This project poses the question of how a recognized space can perform as the structure of a villa. Doing so, instead of designing a plan inside a structural envelope, with recognizing private and public spaces of a villa, and extracting them from one another, the villa can be defined by two elements, enabling the spaces to express their plans as they are. This project is a single unit house located in Damavand, Iran. The site of the project overlooks a broad view of nature, including the Damavand volcano.
Landscape house
The house was designed in the hilly scenery of the Krakow Valleys. Principal assumptions of the project were suited to a context, proximity to nature, and preservation of intimacy by future inhabitants. The project entails a transformation and an attempt of maximal use of a surrounding landscape and nature, a creation of shelter to dwell in with a simultaneous the least possible interference in the natural values of an existing place. The building seems to be invisible from the western and southern parts. A green roof adjusted to a natural land inclination does not spoil a surrounding landscape.
Casas inHAUS + Fran Silvestre Architects / Mario Ruiz / Yonoh
Fran Silvestre Architects, Mario Ruiz, and Yonoh Creative Studio have been in charge of designing the new models that the Valencian modular houses company Casas inHAUSwill offer to its future clients worldwide. The new housing designs range from transferring the Mediterranean essence with Fran Silvestre, to a volume set by Yonoh Creative Studio, defined by light and the play of planes, and finally, a curved and fluid space that creates a refuge from the environment by Mario Ruiz.
House of Waves
Páricsy and Partners Architects
The house is situated on the top of the hills surrounding Budapest, on a site that declines evenly to the southwest. The shape of the house is a quite low-key part of the street-view. The unique form of the house is defined by two intersecting cuboids that lie on top of each other. The social spaces can be found in the cuboid parallel to the street, while the private areas are located in the orthogonal one. Where the cuboids intersect each other, you can find the supplementary rooms and the stairs.
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.


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Coffee Table Curator: February 2016
Coffee Table Curator is a feature highlighting the month's best art books; your remote control and coasters will look chic by association.
Whether you're trapped in your apartment due to the frigid February snowstorms or staying in by choice to avoid Fashion Month madness, know that you can be in good company with this month's collection of coffee table books. Browse the slideshow above for our six favorites.

subset: commoncrawl


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Berkley & Jensen Advantage Infant Formula
Reviews: 6
Consumers have contributed 8,669 baby formula reviews about 97 baby formulas from 20 brands and told us the best baby formula you can trust. Compare the best baby formula brands and products below.
Model: 57539, 57512
Model: MYERS501908
Are you a Baby Formula expert? Viewpoints needs writers for its editorial content. Read more »


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Legendary singer and songwriter James Ingram died at 66-years-old Tuesday, sources say. Ingram lost his battle to brain cancer, according to TMZ. His passing was confirmed by his close friend actress, television producer and director, Debbie Allen. "I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir," his dear friend Allen said. " He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name."
Ingram, an Ohio native with a velvety voice, won two Grammy Awards for 'One Hundred Ways,' in 1981 and for his duet 'Yah Mo B There' with Michael McDonald in 1984. He also collaborated with other big names such as Quincy Jones , Michael McDonald, Ray Charles and Anita Baker. He had two number one hits on the Billboard charts. 'Baby, Come to Me,' peaked at number one in 1983 and his hit 'I Don't Have the Heart,' shared the same accolade in 1990.
Some of Ingram's other biggest hits include 'Just Once' and 'Somewhere Out There.' The latter, a duet with Linda Ronstadt, was on the soundtrack for 'An American Tail,' scored two Grammy Awards wins and two Oscar nominations. Ingram also enjoyed success as a songwriter. He wrote Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)' on Jackson's iconic 'Thriller' album.
Ingram is survived by his wife, Debra Robinson. The two married in 1975.


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EXCLUSIVE: Fergie Renews Wedding Vows!
On the eve of their first anniversary, Fergie and Josh Duhamel put aside his recent cheating scandal and renewed their wedding vows in a top secret ceremony outside of Santa Barbara, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.
The couple married January 10 in Malibu, and threw a lavish party for their friends and family. This time, it was just the two of them and a minister on a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Fergie & Josh's Wacky Wedding Invitation
The pair flew by private helicopter into the Santa Barbara Airport Wednesday, January 6 at just before 4 pm. They were met by a limo from the Bacara Resort which swept them to the lavish hotel 20 minutes away.
"They were both dressed nicely and walked right out to the bluff outside the hotel where weddings often take place," an eyewitness told RadarOnline.com. "A minister was waiting for them.
"Fergie was crying and seemed very emotional," the source said, adding that their private ceremony lasted less than 15 minutes.
As the sun went down the couple went into Bacara's formal Miro restaurant where they were able to eat alone because it was before the restaurant had opened for the evening.
"They had the whole restaurant to themselves and left before the first customers came in," the source said.
- Johnny Depp's Longtime Pal, Legendary Rock N' Roll Guitarist Jeff Beck Dead At 78
- Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Tell-All Netflix Series Delayed To 2023 After Attacks On 'The Crown'
- Dianne Feinstein Refuses To Retire Before Her Senate Term Ends In 2024 Despite Colleagues Arguing She Is 'Mentally Unfit To Serve'
Hand-in-hand, Josh and Fergie left the hotel as quietly as they arrived, and returned to the airport for their trip back to Los Angeles.
Josh was accused of cheating on Fergie last October. Stripper Nicole Forrester claimed she and the actor had a very sexy encounter in Atlanta where he was shooting a film.
Josh Reportedly Cheated On Fergie With A Stripper
Through his rep, Josh denied the story but Forrester had passed a polygraph examination before her story was first published.
Fergie stood by her man through the scandal and then made headlines of her own with a blockbuster interview with The Advocate where she revealed her bisexual past.
Fergie Talks About Bisexual Past
Fergie and Josh spent last weekend in Miami, where they attended a Dolphins football game -- Fergie is a part-owner -- and looked happier than ever.


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Photos For Class
Photos For Class makes it easy for students to quickly find copyright-free images that are automatically cited upon download. As students move from consuming content to creating content, it's important that we teach them about copyright. I also want my students to cite sources, but I don't want them spending a lot of time doing it.
Copyright Free / Copyright Friendly
Searches will return pictures that are fair use due to no known copyright, being government work, or licensed as Creative Commons Attribution or Attribution, Non Commercial.
Properly Cited
The citation feature is what sets Photos For Class apart from other sites. Photos For Class automatically adds citations to the bottom of each image that you use. The concise citations include the photo name, author, a link to the original image, the type of license, and a link to more information on the license. Now students can cite image sources without spending lots of time with in-text citations and bibliographies.
Age Appropriate & School Safe
Photos For Class takes multiple steps to filter out inappropriate images. A lot of images retrieved come from Flickr, where they are already filtered as "globally safe for all ages." Photos For Class restricts certain search terms and keywords, and additionally relies on users to report inappropriate images.
Making it even better for the classroom.
Give it a try:
Click here to add a search bar like the one above to your class website.
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Are you an Edmodo user? Check out the free Photos for Class app in the Edmodo store.
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About this Worksheet: This prepositions worksheet directs the student to write a preposition on the line to complete each sentence. The student must understand the context of the sentence in order to know which preposition to write. Common prepositions are given at the top of the worksheet. It is importan to learn how to use prepositions correctly in a sentence. This prepositions worksheet gives the student much practice with writing prepositions in a sentence.
This worksheet is suitable for 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade.


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Sunday, August 2, 2009
A stray thought from my recent hospital stay: The echoing, untraceable screams of the lost old man at night remind me of the howling of the coyotes in the fields behind our home. When the yelping wakes L. and I, we always embrace and wonder about the whereabouts of the cat.
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text: I must admit I was really thrilled when I read this review of the Sourcebooks edition of Lydia Bennet's Story. Lydia Bennet's one goal in life is to be the first of her sisters to marry. That dream seems to come true when dashing regimental soldier George Wickham asks her to elope with him. It takes a bit of time—and some active involvement from one of her sisters' suitors, a certain Mr. Darcy—before Lydia and George are actually married. Soon after the wedding, though, Lydia discovers married life is not quite the round of social events, nonstop shopping, and the attention of a devoted husband that she imagined. Snippets from Lydia's "diary" are interspersed in each chapter as Odiwe re-creates her version of what happened to the "wild" Bennet sister from Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. While Lydia's story might be sexier than what Austen would have written, Odiwe emulates Austen's famous wit, and manages to give Lydia a happily-ever-after ending worthy of any Regency r


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(Reprinted from Theosophic History (6:8), October 1997, pp. 309-15, with additional material.)
Madame Blavatsky's Baboon: Theosophy and the Emergence of the Western Guru, by Peter Washington, London: Secker & Warburg, 1993; isbn 0-436-56418-1, notes, bibliography, index, cloth, 480 pages (1995 American edition subtitled: A History of the Mystics, Mediums, and Misfits Who Brought Spiritualism to America).
Peter Washington is the General Editor of the Everyman Library and the author of several books including Fraud: Literary Theory and the End of English. He is a professor of English and European Literature at Middlesex University and a reviewer and critic for The London Evening Standard and The Independent.
Editor's Introduction:
W. T. S. Thackara's "Notes on Madame Blavatsky's Baboon" by Peter Washington is not so much a book review as a remedial essay. When Madame Blavatsky's Baboon first appeared in the U.K. in 1993, many were dismayed at the number of inaccuracies in the author's treatment of the Theosophical content of the book. It was hoped that when Schocken Books published it in the U.S., the necessary corrections would have been made. Such was not the case, however. As a result, Mr. Thackara of the Theosophical University Press (Theosophical Society, Pasadena) undertook the task of itemizing and correcting some of the more significant errors. Given the popularity of the book (there are numerous references on the Internet), it is important that readers be aware that although the book is entertaining (Robert Boyd in TH VI/6 wrote a more sympathetic review, highlighting the scope and ideas contained therein), it is important that readers — especially scholars — be made aware of the oversights and sometimes inexcusable errors that are scattered in Mr. Washington's book. Of course, the question arises, "If the book has this many errors in reference only to Theosophy, how many more exist in the author's treatment of the other movements?" Perhaps others will respond to this question.
. . . All too often, this subject, when it is discussed in scholarly circles, is presented in a most unscholarly fashion. Falsehoods are perpetuated and original research is not actively pursued. A renewed interest in Theosophy is appearing, however.
. . . It is my hope that [a dispassionate historian of religion giving HPB her due] will take place sooner rather than later. One way of doing so is for scholars to reevaluate — or perhaps read for the first time — Blavatsky's principal writings in the light of nineteenth century scholarship. Readers will be surprised, in my opinion, at the depth and eclecticism that exist especially in her masterworks Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine.
— James Santucci, PhD, Chairman, Department of Comparative Religion, California State University, Fullerton
Written in a witty and engaging style, the book contains sufficient facts and insights, some quite good, to make it appealing to a wide readership — beguilingly so, perhaps, for it has been cited as a source reference in magazines such as the Smithsonian (May 1995), and Peter Washington has been interviewed on British television as an "authority" on theosophic history.
On superficial examination the book appears to be well-researched and objective. But a more careful inspection — especially of the theosophic section, to which these remarks are limited — discloses serious errors and omissions. Aside from fairly obvious use of innuendo and half-truths to bolster his negative conclusions about H. P. Blavatsky and Katherine Tingley, the author is frequently inaccurate, misrepresents theosophic teaching, relies on uncorroborated assertion (often from unfriendly secondary and tertiary sources), omits rebuttal evidence, garbles dates, events, and attributions, downgrades, trivializes, and generally gives a one-sided account. Whatever merit the book may have is defeated by its unreliability and prejudice.
One would expect any author who writes on historical subjects to use primary sources as far as possible. We have no record of Peter Washington contacting the Theosophical Society (Pasadena) and its considerable historical resources, either to verify facts or to interview staff members and living witnesses who are perhaps better informed about Blavatsky, Tingley, Purucker, and theosophical history. Washington's scholarly competence and objectivity may be deduced from the following list of errors and omissions. It is not exhaustive, but representative.
1. Pages 34e-35b: "According to Blavatsky's later description of the Brotherhood, this hierarchy is headed by the Lord of the World, who lives at Shamballa in the Gobi Desert.11 The Lord of the World came originally from Venus with several helpers and now inhabits the body of a sixteen-year-old boy. In descending order of authority, his helpers are the Buddha, the Mahachohan, Manu and Maitreya. . . .
"Manu's assistant is Blavatsky's original visitor, Master Morya, often referred to as Master M or simply M. His special duty in the distribution of cosmic responsibilities is to preside over the qualities of Power and Strength, with particular regard to the guidance of nations. . . .
"Maitreya's assistant is Master Koot Hoomi . . . whose past incarnations include Pythagoras. . . . He is a cultured fellow, a linguist and musician whose work takes in the supervision of Religion, Education and Art. [etc., etc.]"
COMMENT: Misinformation; misattribution; evident reliance on secondary or tertiary sources; undocumented (Chapter note 11 is a reference to Shambhala by Rene Guenon and Marco Pallis). This misleading description is not to be found in Blavatsky's writings, but may be traced to a divergent tradition which gained prominence among some theosophists many years after Blavatsky's death in 1891. A careful scholar reasonably conversant with theosophic history and doctrine would not confuse the two. Peter Washington (hereinafter PW) in fact gives very little description of theosophy as presented by HPB and her teachers, and what he does mention is often inaccurate or out of context (see Note 13 below).
2. Page 45a: "Madame Blavatsky's baboon signalled her own posture in this debate as an adamant anti-Darwinian. . . . But involved with this lofty dismissal of Darwinism . . . is the further message that anyone who thinks as Darwin does must be no better than a baboon, i.e. crude and crafty, foolish, vulgar, greedy, gross, and deceitful."
COMMENT: Inaccurate and misleading. The first statement could easily, but incorrectly be taken to mean that HPB was anti-evolutionist. On the contrary, HPB's Secret Doctrine is premised on an evolutionary paradigm, and she was sufficiently versed in the subject to articulate the difference between the principle of evolution and the Darwinian model which purports to explain its mechanism. Having translated at least a portion of The Origin of Species in early 1875, she was undoubtedly aware of Darwin's chapter 6, "Difficulties on the Theory" — fundamental problems which are unresolved today (fossil gaps, hybrid limits, instinct, etc.). In her Secret Doctrine, HPB gave Darwin due credit for the partial correctness of his theory in regard to variation, as distinct from speciation. But she criticized it as insufficient to explain the underlying causes of evolution, and Darwinians as being ethically culpable for putting "in the place of a conscious creative force . . . a series of natural forces working blindly (or we say) without aim, without design" (2:652 — here she quotes Ernst Haeckel so as not to misrepresent the Darwinist position). As for "lofty dismissal," HPB merely summarized the pertinent criticisms of contemporary scientists such as Darwin's co-theorist A. R. Wallace and French anthropologist A. de Quatrefages — issues which are still debated in scientific circles. Her position vis-a-vis Darwinism is echoed nearly a century later in the 1973 comment of zoologist Pierre-Paul Grasse (late president of the French Academy of Sciences): "Through use and abuse of hidden postulates, of bold, often ill-founded extrapolations, a pseudoscience has been created. . . . the explanatory doctrines of [Darwinist] biological evolution do not stand up to an objective, in-depth criticism. They prove to be either in conflict with reality or else incapable of solving the major problems involved" (Evolution of Living Organisms, NY: Academic Press, 1977, pp. 6, 202). There is a considerable difference between lofty dismissal and informed criticism.
3. Page 49c: "After that [the closing of Gerry Brown's Spiritual Scientist] Blavatsky established a Miracle Club, devoted to investigating occult phenomena."
COMMENT: Error of fact, evident reliance on faulty secondary source. Olcott organized the Miracle Club (with HPB's concurrence) in New York in May 1875, while HPB lived in Philadelphia. The Club failed almost immediately, but Brown continued publishing the Spiritual Scientist for another few years. PW's source is most likely V. Solovioff's Modern Priestess of Isis (1895, pp. 249, 255) which makes the same error (see Note 10 below regarding Solovioff's credibility).
4. Page 52b: "Isis Unveiled is an exposition of Egyptian occultism and the cult of the Great Mother."
COMMENT: Misrepresents and trivializes. This characterization of Isis Unveiled is novel, but entirely misleading. PW amplifies his description in the paragraph which follows, but this, too, diminishes the scope of the 1,317-page two-volume work enormously. He cites only negative reviews, omitting several positive ones.
5. Page 52e: ". . . another critic identified over two thousand unacknowledged quotations [in Isis Unveiled]."
COMMENT: Questionable source; omits rebuttal evidence. The critic — whom PW fails to identify (perhaps intentionally so, given his lack of credibility) — is HPB's long-time adversary, William Emmett Coleman, an ardent spiritualist who was a clerk in the US Army Quartermaster's Office at Ft. Leavenworth in the 1870s and later in San Francisco. In spite of his claim, Coleman never produced satisfactory documentation. For credentials he listed himself as a member of several learned societies — including the American Oriental Society, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Pali Text Society. According to historian Michael Gomes, investigation has revealed no contributions from him in these fields. Gomes also examined Coleman's criticism and, allowing for errors in manuscript preparation and typesetting, concluded that nearly every instance of quotation in Isis is acknowledged in one way or another (there are some 2,400 footnotes). Moreover, Dr. Graham Hough, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Cambridge, grudgingly admitted in The Mystery Religion of W. B. Yeats (1984, p.36) that "when she [HPB] cites an identifiable authority — a Neoplatonic philosopher, for example — it generally turns out that she gives a fair representation of what he actually said." One must also account for the testimony of Professor Hiram Corson of Cornell University, who was amazed by HPB's ability to quote "long verbatim paragraphs from dozens of books of which I am perfectly certain there were no copies at that time in America, translating easily from several languages, . . ." (see Michael Gomes, Dawning of the Theosophical Movement, pp. 143-55, 113.)
6. Page 53c: ". . . where nudism and dietary reform linked arms with universal brotherhood and occult wisdom."
COMMENT: False association, innuendo. Theosophy may recommend sensible dietary reform, but to my knowledge says nothing about nudism.
7. Page 53d: "Mr J. G. Felt."
COMMENT: Carelessness, probable reliance on secondary or tertiary source. John Symonds (1960, p. 75) and Gertrude M. Williams, Priestess of the Occult (1946, p. 101) both give it as J. H. Felt. Should be G. H. [George Henry] Felt.
8. Page 54c: "William Judge, the lawyer's clerk, proposed the colonel for President [of the TS]."
COMMENT: Downgrades; relies on secondary or tertiary source. Omits that Judge was a lawyer in his own right, specializing in commercial law. (John Symond's biography of HPB, frequently cited by PW, says "lawyer's clerk," as does Gertrude Marvin Williams, an earlier negative biographer, whom Symonds appears to rely heavily upon. Primary source is probably Olcott's "Old Diary Leaves" article in The Theosophist, Nov. 1892, where he states that Judge was "a lawyer's clerk" at the time — clerking was and is often the lot of young attorneys. But Olcott also mentioned in the same article that Judge had been admitted to the Bar in 1872).
9. Page 54e: "The Theosophical Society proper thus came into being on 13 September, though it didn't hold its first official meeting until the 17th, . . ."
COMMENT: Inaccurate date: first "official" meeting of the TS was held November 17th.
10. Pages 83: PW quotes the conclusion of the 1885 Hodgson Report of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which branded HPB "as one of most accomplished, ingenious, and interesting impostors in history."
COMMENT: Omits rebuttal evidence. Although PW points out that Hodgson withdrew his "conclusion" that HPB was a Russian spy, he fails to mention the SPR Journal's April 1986 publication of "J'Accuse" by Dr. Vernon Harrison, an expert in detecting forgery and a senior SPR member. From his analysis, Harrison concluded that "whereas Hodgson was prepared to use any evidence, however trivial or questionable, to implicate HPB, he ignored all evidence that could be used in her favour. His report is riddled with slanted statements, conjecture advanced as fact or probable fact, uncorroborated testimony of unnamed witnesses, selection of evidence and downright falsity. . . . [p. 309] The Hodgson Report is a highly partisan document forfeiting all claim to scientific impartiality . . . the case against Madame Blavatsky is NOT PROVEN — in the Scots sense" [p. 287]. Though not published at the time, Harrison's later study, H. P. Blavatsky and the SPR (TUP, 1997), condemns the Hodgson Report as being "worse than I had thought. . . . It is the work of a man who has reached his conclusions early on in his investigation and thereafter, selecting and distorting evidence, did not hesitate to adopt flawed arguments to support his thesis" (p. viii). Like Hodgson, PW does not challenge the unsubstantiated accusations of the Coulombs, whom he admits were seeking revenge, but allows their allegations of fraud to stand, evidently because they support his own conclusions. Similarly, he states (p. 90) that HPB confessed to Vsevolod Solovioff that her phenomena were fraudulent, a statement from Solovioff or possibly imported from John Symond's frequently-cited biography, but omitting Symond's question: "To what extent can one believe Vsevolod Solov'yov? There is only his word for it" (Symonds, Madame Blavatsky, 220).* Absent here also is Vera Jelihovsky's reply to Solovioff that her sister (HPB) sometimes "falsely accused" herself to escape annoyance, but had said to her that she (HPB) "was sure that she had never made any admission of the sort" (Solovioff, A Modern Priestess of Isis, 318). Throughout these chapters PW asserts trickery, sham, lying, and deceit on the part of HPB but, when not giving garbled information, never establishes anything more than hearsay, much if not all of it from hostile or prejudiced witnesses.
*Even Solovioff's translator, Walter Leaf, admitted that Solovioff used HPB's letters selectively: "the letters are not entire; they are selected by a bitter personal enemy with the purpose of damaging their writer, . . ." Leaf points to one letter in particular which implies "a real inconsistency with Mr. Solovyoff's narrative; it implies that he has not correctly represented the mental attitude in which he found himself after the Würzburg conversations. I confess that I am not satisfied with his own explanation . . ." (Solovioff, xv).
11. Page 110b: "Purucker, a suave, scholarly and ascetic fellow almost thirty years younger than Tingley, soon became her surrogate son and right-hand man. (7)"
COMMENT: Misleading innuendo. Gottfried de Purucker (GdeP), a lifelong bachelor, was ascetic and scholarly, but not "suave" by most definitions. As a student of and the successor to Katherine Tingley, he may be considered her "son" only in the sense of spiritual and intellectual mentorship.
Note 7 (on p. 415) is more serious. Here PW states that "H. N. Stokes wittily dismissed Purucker's extensive writings as 'Theosophical Jabberwock'." PW in fact garbles a statement in Emmett Greenwalt's California Utopia: Point Loma 1897-1914, where Greenwalt writes: "One of [GdeP's] critics, the independent theosophical editor, Dr. H. N. Stokes, called Purucker's vocabulary innovations 'Sanskrit Jabberwock'" (p.118).
PW misrepresents both Stokes and GdeP. In the May-June 1935 issue of his OE Library Critic ("The Sanskrit Jabberwock"), Stokes criticized what seemed to him to be a "fad" in Sanskrit education at Point Loma. He does not mention GdeP by name in the article and, to my knowledge, never accused GdeP of "Theosophical Jabberwock" elsewhere, disagreeing only with GdeP's scholarly preference for Sanskrit precision (correct spelling can hardly be considered an "innovation"). On the contrary, Stokes was impressed with GdeP's teaching and his clarity in writing and speaking. He eventually joined the TS under GdeP's leadership, remaining an active member until his death on September 30, 1942, three days after GdeP died (Theosophical Forum, January 1943, p. 42). Had PW gone to the primary source, he might also have found there Stokes's description of his first meeting with GdeP in 1931 at a theosophical meeting in Washington, DC:
Naturally there were questions and answers, and to my mind the most impressive was his reply to a lady who had been sorely perplexed by reading Mahatma K.H.'s letter to A. O. Hume on God. . . . His reply, which I cannot attempt to abstract, was one of the most lucid expositions of this topic which I have ever listened to, and was something not to be forgotten.
Clearly, too, did he speak on the subject of non-resistance in relation to the different stages of chelaship [discipleship]. Many, of course, have read The Voice of the Silence and have realized the truth of its precepts in a sort of fashion. Let G. de Purucker quote one of these precepts and make a few comments on it, as he did on this occasion, and it ceases to be a rule or a dictum and stands out before one's mental eye an indisputable and eternal truth. With no great skill in speaking, yet in some way he makes one feel in a new fashion the truth of what one has long known. . . . It has been years since I have felt the tremendous significance of these precepts so forcibly; and it was all done so modestly and simply! . . .
His second, semi-public lecture, intended especially for theosophists, on "The Theosophical Movement," was the most brilliant and convincing theosophical talk I have ever listened to. He is a true genius in exposition and, as stated above, carries conviction with a power which it is rarely the good fortune of a mere reader to experience. . . .
All in all, then, I have felt myself more than rewarded. I have seen or heard nothing to which the most straight-laced theosophist of the old school could object and I have found an earnestness backed by power of expression which is only too rare and which, I think, places him in the very front rank of present day theosophists and teachers. — OE Library Critic, July 1931
12. Page 114c: "By the outbreak of World War One things were already on the slide. . . . The Purple Mother [Katherine Tingley] staggered on for another fifteen years, . . . but within a very few years of her death the community had been forced to close."
COMMENT: Inaccurate and denigrating. The historical record reads otherwise, including the chartering of Theosophical University in 1919 and a resurgence of membership in the 1930s under the leadership of G. de Purucker (1929-1942). The Depression forced cutbacks at Point Loma, exacerbated by new taxes and other financial burdens; but it was not until 1942, when San Diego became a staging area for the Pacific Theater in WW2, that GdeP moved the international headquarters — virtually debt-free — to Covina (Theosophical Forum, December 1942, pp. 573-4), from where it was moved in 1951 to its present location in Pasadena/Altadena.
"Staggering," moreover, implies senility and incompetence. Colonel Arthur L. Conger (whom General George C. Marshall regarded as "one of the best minds in the army"*) wrote to H. N. Stokes on August 8, 1932, as follows:
I have received your letter of the 6th in which you quote a correspondent as having alleged: "It is on unimpeachable authority I have that Mrs. Tingley was by no means 'the brilliant head' to the day of her passing. She suffered from brain affection for several years prior to her death." In reply I wish to deny most emphatically that your correspondent has any such "authority" — "unimpeachable" or otherwise — for any such ridiculous assertion. I have known Mrs. Tingley intimately since 1896. In 1926 I was her guest at Nurnberg. In 1927 she was my guest at Berlin [where he was the US Military Attache]. In 1928 I joined her at Visingso [Sweden] and was with her until April 1929. . . . Based on the above contacts I assert that there was . . . no lessening of Katherine Tingley's brilliant intellectual powers up to the very end of her life [on July 11, 1929]" — OE Library Critic, August 1932
*According to John Gilbert Winant in his Letters from Grosvenor Square: An Account of a Stewardship, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1947, p. 135. Winant was Governor of New Hampshire and, during WW2, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.
13. Page 406, note 3: "... HPB's great-nephew, Boris de Zirko."
COMMENT: Inaccurate. "de Zirko" should be spelled de Zirkoff. This could be a typesetting error, but more likely the author's inattention to detail. More importantly, I have found only this one mention of de Zirkoff — nothing in the index or bibliography. It is curious that there is no reference to the monumental 15-volume H. P. Blavatsky: Collected Writings, edited by de Zirkoff, in the bibliography — as any competent author relying on primary source material would surely include. One can only wonder how much of Blavatsky's writings PW has actually read or comprehended.
14. Dust jacket (English edition — front flyleaf): "In 1875 the Theosophical Society was founded in New York by a renegade Russian aristocrat and a superannuated American colonel. Its stated objectives were to promote the brotherhood of man and encourage the study of comparative religion and psychic phenomena, but it was really the vehicle whereby one of the founders, Madame Blavatsky, could exercise her occult powers."
COMMENT: Misrepresentation; insinuation of motive. Although probably written by the publisher's advertising staff, this passage reflects the author's style and conclusions. The publisher represented the book to Theosophical University Press (TUP) as "undoubtedly skeptical, but it is an objective study of the theosophical movement." In its March 24, 1994, reply to them, TUP requested an explanation as to "why in the very first sentence of the book's flyleaf, Colonel Olcott should be considered 'superannuated' at age 43 — when, for example, he subsequently received a personally-signed [U.S.] Presidential letter and special passport recommending him to all U.S. Ministers and Consuls abroad, with a commission to report 'upon the practicability of extending the commercial interests of our country in Asia.' "
The statement regarding HPB needs no comment.
15. Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) Autumn 1995 ReSource listing (page 11): ". . . an itinerant Russian expatriot [sic] of dubious nobility (Helena Blavatsky)." [HPB's aristocratic heritage is well documented on both sides of her family: von Hahn and de Fadeyev.] ". . . With incisive wit, this book enlightens on many levels — as intellectual history, as a panorama of human fancy and folly, as an exercise in how to separate fiction from fact, message from messenger."
COMMENT: Snide and inaccurate — a further example of how easily a reviewer/copywriter can be misled. Were he more conversant with the actual historical record, he might better characterize the book as an intellectual deception — one which infuses fact with half-truths and separates the message only by ignoring or misrepresenting it. An earlier draft of these Notes was sent October 25, 1995, to the late Dr. Willis Harman, then president of IONS, who replied on November 6th: "We had no intention to denigrate H. P. Blavatsky. . . . We are removing Washington's book from future catalogs. Thank you for calling this to our attention."
Judging only by this relatively small sampling, Peter Washington's treatment of theosophical history is seen to be heavily biased as well as dependent on faulty sources, raising legitimate doubts about his accuracy and objectivity in the rest of the book. Vernon Harrison's criticisms of the Hodgson Report (Note 10 above) could justifiably be applied to Mr. Washington's Baboon.
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Doctor, Faiyaz and Hagras, Hani and Roberts, Dewi and Callaghan, Victor (2009) A neuro-fuzzy based agent for group decision support in applicant ranking within human resources systems. In: 2009 IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ-IEEE), 2009-08-20 - 2009-08-24.
Applicant selection and ranking methods for job roles within Human Resources (HR) systems involve high levels of uncertainty. This is due to the requirement to allow for the varying opinions and preferences of the different occupation domain experts in the decision making process. Hence, there is a need to develop novel systems that will enable HR departments to determine the most important requirements criteria (experience, skills etc) for a given job, based on the preferences of different domain experts, while ensuring that the experts decisions are unbiased and correctly weighted according to their knowledge and experience. This will enable a more effective way to short list submitted candidate CVs from a large number of applicants providing a consistent and fair CV ranking policy, which can be legally justified. This paper presents a novel system using a neuro-fuzzy based agent approach for automatically determining the key skill characteristics defining each expert's preferences and ranking decisions, while handling the uncertainties and inconsistencies in group decisions of a panel of experts. The presented system automates the processes of requirements specification and applicant's ranking. Experiments have been performed within the residential care sector where the proposed system has been shown to produce ranking decisions that were relatively highly consistent with those of the human experts. ©2009 IEEE.
|Item Type:
|Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
|Additional Information:
|Published proceedings: IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems
|Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
|Faculty of Science and Health
Faculty of Science and Health > Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, School of
|SWORD Depositor:
|Unnamed user with email email@example.com
|Depositing User:
|Unnamed user with email firstname.lastname@example.com
|Date Deposited:
|27 Mar 2013 16:16
|Last Modified:
|23 Sep 2022 18:29


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|12 Years a Slave is both TIFF-bound and Oscar-bound.
The Toronto International Film Festival is just days away. That means award season is just around the corner. Buzz on the Oscar race has already began (somewhat comically) in the past week as one Tweet after another heralded a GUARANTEED OSCAR WINNER AND A NEW KIND OF CINEMA. Enthusiasm has been through the roof for several films at Venice and especially Telluride, but the Oscar buzz seems almost fleeting, if not disposable. It's exciting to hear such praise for films and it's equally disappointing to see how quickly the next great cinematic masterpiece seems to be replaced by some shiny new thing. It could also mean that the first shot of the festival circuit hints at a very good season for movies. Let's be optimistic and go with that.
|Will the festival-circuit hysteria for Gravity make it the People's Choice
There will be more of a chance to grasp the merit of films like Gravity and 12 Years a Slave come September 5th when they play for larger, and arguably more diverse, audiences. TIFF has one of the better track record with the Oscar race as far as festivals go, although one should really note that the awards traction of Toronto and Telluride essentially goes hand in hand. The enviable People's Choice Award and other prizes give TIFF some quantifiable bonuses, and the fact that the audiences—which can number over 2800 ballots if a film screens at Roy Thomson Hall—are part of the endorsement indicates the range of appeal that's needed to take a film all the way to the podium in March.
|Daniel Brühl in Rush: is Rush this year's Argo?
Last year's TIFF saw an impressive number of Oscar nominees (and winners) in its programme. Three Best Picture nominees played the fest: Amour, Silver Linings Playbook (the People's Choice Award winner), and Argo (the People's Choice runner-up), which was the Oscar winner while the former two films scooped awards in major categories. Other notable TIFF-Oscar crossovers are Anna Karenina, which won one of four nominations, and The Impossible, which got Best Actress buzz rolling for Naomi Watts after the film had its world premiere at the festival.
Festivalgoers in Toronto can thus enjoy films of all awards-baiting variety as they browse the programme in searching of Gala screenings and/or Contemporary World Cinema. To make things handy, here's a quick list of some films to keep on the radar if your festival personality is the Oscar Junkie:
August: Osage County
Probably the biggest Oscar heavyweight at Toronto yet to be seen, August: Osage County seems like a no brainer for awards contention with its combination of a Toronto premiere, a Christmas release date, distribution by The Weinstein Company, and the presence of a stacked cast that includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Margot Martindale, Chris Cooper, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The main question most Oscar-minded TIFF-goers will help solve is the big riddle surrounding the size of Meryl Streep's performance. Streep was largely assumed a shoo-in for a Best Actress nomination (Deanna Dunagan won a Best Actress Tony for the meaty role) until it was announced that she would be campaigned in the Supporting category and Julia Roberts would go lead. It seems silly, since Streep gets top-billing in the film's trailer. (Interestingly, Amy Morton was nominated in the lead category and lost to Dunagan.) Confusion either ensued or decreased (it's hard to say which) when it was stated 18 days later that Streep might actually be pushed in lead. This most recent announcement seems to jive with word that sprung from test screenings earlier this year. Those screenings also provided good word on co-star Margo Martindale, who would likely be a casualty of category fraud if Streep were put in supporting. With so many buzz-worthy performances, it will be a big surprise if August doesn't yield some more Oscar chatter come Monday. It's just a matter of sussing out which actress goes where.
The Fifth Estate
TIFF's opening night films don't always make it to the Oscars. One would have to go back to the 2005 opener Water to find one that did. Last year's Looper almost changed that, since it came awfully close to a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The Fifth Estate, a timely WikiLeaks drama, looks like it could things a step further and bring director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Kinsey) back into the Oscar race. The film could pop into several categories if it delivers, but early looks at the film suggest that its biggest assets are its two male stars: Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl. Both actors appear in several high profile films at the festival (Cumberbatch in August: Osage County and 12 Years a Slave, and Brühl in Rush.) One would hardly recognize the actors if one watched the trailers for these films in a row. Their dramatic range is impressive (as is their physical transformation into these characters), so it seems logical that their performances in any or all of these films could be the talk of the festival.
Ron Howard at a film festival? Rush must be pretty good, then. It scored a major slot in the Gala programme, as it will premiere in the Sunday night slot of the opening weekend, which has hosted high-profile Oscar hopefuls like Precious, Albert Nobbs, and The Company You Keep. The latter film didn't go anywhere, but the other two did. Rush looks like the kind of film that, like last year's Oscar winner Argo, could find the right kind of crossover appeal between mainstream and art-house audiences alike. Earlyreviews are strong, so film buffs will surely approach the film with interest given the recent popularity of the racing doc Senna and the allure of another performance in Daniel Brühl's diverse filmography. Might Rush be the "Drama" of the Oscar race?
12 Years a Slave
If Rush is "the Drama", then 12 Years a Slave is surely the Drama-plus. Steve McQueen's film earned sensational buzz out of the sneak peek at Telluride with many critics/bloggers raving about the director's hard-hitting and realistic depiction of slavery. 12 Years a Slave is a serious contender if Toronto audiences agree. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor could find himself a front-runner in the Best Actor race, while supporting players Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyongo are earning strong praise as well. Most importantly, though, 12 Years a Slave promises to stand tallest in what has already been a strong year for black cinema. Might it join Fruitvale Station and The Butler in the end of the year gauntlet? All signs point to yes. (See AwardsDaily and Indiewire for especially strong reactions.)
Continuing the "question of taste" introduced last Oscar season (explained here), Gravity is doubtlessly the "big movie" of 2013. The praise is deafening and can be heard all the way from Venice to Telluride, and will surely continue in Toronto. Alfonso Cuarón's technical feat has been unanimously praised, with some calling Gravity a "masterpiece" and "a new kind of cinema". Top marks are also going to lead Sandra Bullock, who reportedly gives a career-best performance in what is mostly a one-woman show. With four screenings at the festival selling out like hot-cakes and the promise of a riveting adventure that sounds like both a ground-breaking feat of cinema and a breathless emotional odyssey, my money is on Gravity to take the People's Choice Award and follow an Oscar-bound trajectory of winners that have come before it.
It would be very exciting to see Denis Villeneuve back in the race after 2010's Incendies. Making his Hollywood directorial debut with Prisoners, Villeneuve provided one of the sleeper word-of-mouth hits at Telluride. First Showing is especially enthusiastic, noting, "A new crime thriller in the pantheon of acclaimed favorites like Zodiac, Se7en and even Silence of the Lambs has arrived." The Hollywood Reporter agrees, and raves that Villeneuve's handling of difficult subject matter makes for an intense film experience: "Viewers who see the movie will find it absolutely riveting, and this is a tribute to the filmmaker's skill and to the excellent cast that brings the story to life." Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are both earning top praise and could easily add some in-film competition to the already crowded Best Actor race. Variety is especially enthusiastic about the performances (and Villeneuve's direction), calling Jackman's turn "career best." Alternatively, might Gyllenhaal go supporting so both actors can eye the prize?
Stephen Frears has been off his game lately, but Venice reviews for Philomena suggest he's back on track. Frears last found himself in the Oscar race in 2006 when Helen Mirren's landmark performance in The Queen let the film ride a rave of accolades and acclaim throughout the season. It premiered at Venice, too, and Gold Derby's review round up from Venice teases that star Judi Dench might finally win a Lead Actress Oscar for her funny and moving performance in Philomena. (That clitoris line at least merits Golden Globe attention.) Praise for the film itself isn't especially enthusiastic—it's certainly positive—but everyone seems to agree that Dench is a highlight. The strength of Dench's performance might have something to do with all the funny business with August: Osage County: as another film on the Weinsteins' stuffed list of Oscar hopefuls, Dench will have to compete against both Roberts and Streep (or only Roberts), plus Nicole Kidman in the yet-to-be-seen Grace of Monaco. If Dench is in, she'll be in good company with her first nom since 2006's Notes on a Scandal and face off against Scandal co-star Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).
The Foreign Language Films
TIFF is just as big an influence for world cinema as it is for the main competition, as all five of last year's nominees for Best Foreign Language Film screened at the festival: Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, Rebelle, and A Royal Affair. Two festival selections, Romania's Child's Pose and Singapore's Ilo Ilo, have already been named as submissions in the category. Child's Pose won the Golden Bear at Berlin and Ilo Ilo scooped the Camera d'or for debut feature at Cannes, so they are both worth watching. More submissions will trickle in soon, so be on the lookout for films to add to your Oscar-filled festival line-up.
Gabrielle and Tom at the Farm
No stranger to the race for Best Foreign Language Film, Canada has several strong contenders at Toronto. The two biggies look to be Gabrielle and Tom at the Farm, which premiered to good reviews at Locarno and Venice, respectively. Gabrielle won the audience award at Locarno, which could put it on a trajectory akin to Canada's Oscar nominee Monsieur Lazhar. Tom at the Farm, meanwhile, has some critics calling it Xavier Dolan's best work, with Variety also noting that it's his "most commercially viable" film. Dolan is always a polarizing filmmaker, though, and Tom is no exception. The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a harsh review and noted that Dolan seems narcissistic and a bit too fond of putting his face before the camera. Dolan, however, hit back. What else is Twitter good for but to tweetslap your critics?
@THRmovies you can kiss my narcissistic ass.
— Xavier Dolan (@XDolan) September 2, 2013
Enough Said
We always talk about filmmakers who are overdue for recognition and this year I submit Nicole Holofcener for consideration. Her script for Please Give was one of the best in 2010 and it continued her streak of funny and insightful ensemble-driven indies. I'm very surprised, then, that Enough Said didn't play Telluride. Fox Searchlight usually has a strong presence there, which they more than enjoyed with 12 Years a Slave, but Enough Said seems like the kind of independent comedy that usually plays well in Colorado. Perhaps the distributor is just sharing the wealth. If Enough Said goes over well in Toronto, Holofcener could be in the hunt for her first screenplay nomination. The film could also bring a first Oscar nomination for the late James Gandolfini, who offers one of his final performances in Enough Said could help the film become a sentimental favourite at the festival.
Labor Day
If one film needs Toronto to improve on buzz from Telluride, Labor Day might be it. Jason Reitman's adaptation of the Joyce Maynard novel has its share of fans and its share of detractors. Both seem to love or dislike the film for the same reason, namely that it marks a change of course for Reitman. Indiewire, for example, likes the mature take in Reitman's direction. Ditto Awards Daily, which notes an attention to detail in Labor Day not seen in Reitman's other films. Less enthusiastic is a snarky, if well argued, review from The Playlist. Word on Kate Winslet's performance is especially strong regardless of one's preference for the film, and Josh Brolin's supporting turn could be one of the few legitimate contenders in the category so far.
Dallas Buyers Club
Everyone seems to want Matthew McConaughey to score an Oscar nomination. He probably came close (somehow) for last year's Magic Mike, which was an award-season favourite boosted by his strong work in Bernie and Killer Joe. Pushing Oscar but not pulling through can often work in one's favour the following year, though, and McConaughey's turn as a man battling AIDS in Jean-Marc Vallée's Dallas Buyers Club could be the film to do it. He already has Mud to give him a boost this year, or the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street to fall back on, depending on how Dallas scores. Also worth watching is Jared Leto's turn as a transgendered person, which is bound to go over well with all his fans in T.O. (Recall that his film Artifact nabbed the People's Choice award for favourite documentary last year after pleasing all the raving 30 Seconds to Mars fans.)
In addition to the films above, there are plenty of wild cards at TIFF that could change the game. The Railway Man starring Oscar winners Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman? Check, if it finds distribution. Third Person from Crash director Paul Haggis (whose 2 Oscars are on display at the Lightbox)? Check, if people get over Crash (it deserved the win!). Docs, like Finding Vivian Maier, The Armstrong Lie, or The Unknown Known? Check, if they make the shortlist. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the next Invictus? Check, unless it's the next Winnie. The Oscar-checklist just goes on and on... it's a busy festival for Oscar junkies!


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Dr. M. Peer Mohamed
Assistant Professor
About Me
Dr. M. Peer Mohamed, Assistant Professor of Zoology, has 10 years teaching experience.His area of research interest is Entomology.He is N.S.S. Programme officer of the institution .He has presented 2 research papers in national and international conferences. He has published 4 research articles in Popular journals.


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The Food and Drug Administration wants to reduce the levels of nicotine in cigarettes to "non-addictive levels" as part of a new effort to help Americans kick their tobacco habit.
NPR reports the move represents the first time the FDA is targeting nicotine levels.
"Because nicotine lives at the core of both the problem and the solution to the question of addiction, addressing the addictive levels of nicotine in combustible cigarettes must be part of the FDA's strategy for addressing the devastating, addiction crisis that is threatening American families," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.
The FDA says the new approach is about protecting the millions of young people who could be at risk for tobacco-related deaths later in their lives. "Unless we change course, 5.6 million young people alive today will die prematurely later in life from tobacco use," Gottlieb said.
The agency is also giving makers of newly regulated products like pipes, cigars, hookahs, and electronic cigarettes more time to submit them for review. Makers of e-cigarettes will have until 2022 to submit their applications. The FDA will also be seeking public input on the use of kid-friendly flavors in e-cigarettes and cigars.
Tobacco companies took a hit on the stock market when the FDA plan was announced. Reuters reports the world's largest companies were set to see their market value fall by $60 billion.
- Who Will Be TIME's Person of the Year 2023?
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Dan Froomkin
White House Watch Columnist
Wednesday, July 11, 2007; 1:00 PM
What's going on inside the White House? Ask Dan Froomkin, who writes the White House Watch column for washingtonpost.com. He answered your questions, took your comments and links, and pointed you to coverage around the Web on Wednesday, July 11, at 1 p.m. ET.
A Karl Rove Solution for Iraq? (washingtonpost.com, July 10)
The transcript follows.
Dan is also deputy editor of Niemanwatchdog.org.
Dan Froomkin: Hi everyone, and welcome to another White House Watch online discussion! My column today (which will be out very shortly) leads with President Bush's mocking comments as he inaugurated the newly-refurbished White House briefing room. But there's also an awful lot of analysis of his rambling town-meeting style talk yesterday ... and much more.
There's so much else going on today, too. Let's talk about it.
Washington: Dan: I was struck by the White House's official position (via its spokesman Tony Fratto) on former Surgeon General Richard Carmona's Congressional testimony. Carmona said that he was muzzled on various health issues by the administration. Usually when such issues arise, the White House glosses over them. Not so here. Fratto called Carmona a liar, saying: "As surgeon general, Dr. Carmona was given the authority and had the obligation to be the leading voice for the health of all Americans. It's disappointing to us if he failed to use his position to the fullest extent in advocating for policies he thought were in the best interests of the nation." In other words, "we didn't muzzle him at all, and if he didn't speak out, he didn't do his job." Pretty remarkable. Where is this going to lead?
Dan Froomkin: I read that very differently than you did. I read it as a cynical nondenial of his charges, wrapped in a nasty bit of character assassination. So, nothing personal, but I think you fell for it.
Me, I'd like to see the White House press office confronted on each of his specific charges (my fave: being told to mention Bush at least three times per page in every speech) and see what they say about each one.
Honeymoon for the Next President?: Dan: I've been pondering lately what effect Bush's credibility gap may have on the next president. Theory one is that the country collectively will be relieved to have "anybody but Bush" and will give the president the benefit of the doubt until he or she proves unworthy. Theory two is that cynicism has become so pervasive that the next president will have to perform extraordinarily well just to get back to neutral. What do you think?
Dan Froomkin: That's a really interesting question. I would suspect a bit of both. On the one hand, any president is going to have a honeymoon period of sorts. But on the other, there's the Nixon precedent -- Watergate completely and forever changed the nation's view of presidential infallibility.
Will we unquestioningly believe any future president if they cite "intelligence" as a reason for a preventive war? I don't think that will (or should) happen ever again.
More than a year ago (maybe two?) polls started showing that less than half the public considered Bush trustworthy. I'd be interested in seeing those numbers now, and comparing them to Nixon's.
Hilton Head, S.C.: Enjoy your column and your insight very much! Because Bush relies heavily on the advice of a small inner circle -- and obviously has received very bad advice through the years from this group -- why does he still have confidence in them, primarily Cheney and Rove? Why does he keep relying on these guys when they have gotten so much stuff wrong in the past six years and essentially helped wreck his presidency?
Dan Froomkin: There are two main hypotheses: 1. They make the decisions, not him. 2. Inertia.
Pasadena, Calif.: Dan, thanks as always for these chats. I found the comments you cited from Michael Ware's interview with Anderson Cooper to be particularly disturbing:
"These are American agendas, American benchmarks. These aren't the benchmarks that the factions within the Iraqi government really care about. What they care about is getting their hands on their own security forces and setting them loose as they see fit."
Do you have a feeling whether the Republican defectors are recognizing this reality, or are they rather merely responding to public discontent with the war in the face of the 2008 elections?
Dan Froomkin: CNN's Michael Ware, quoted in yesterday's column, has emerged as a real truth-teller.
I have a sneaking suspicion that history will look back on this period, almost as much as on the immediate post-invasion period, as one in which the U.S. government (and its people) completely misunderstood the circumstances in which we found ourselves. Iraqi politics is nothing like we imagine it to be.
See also this piece by Robert Dreyfuss on NiemanWatchdog.org. He notes, for instance: "Corrupt and venal Iraqi leaders, squatting in bunkers in the Green Zone, might welcome American support and American money -- but do they have any 'street cred' whatsoever?"
Rockville, Md.: Question: Why is it called "White House Watch?"
Answer: "Because it is wrong twice a day."
And this is the polite version. Sorry.
Dan Froomkin: Funny. (Sort of.) Thanks for writing.
Reston, Va.: Maybe this is completely naive on my part, but can't Congress grant Scooter Libby immunity and make him tell the truth?
Dan Froomkin: Not naive at all. Yes, they can grant him immunity. But how in the world can they force him to tell the truth?
Washington: "Executive privilege," Sara Taylor and Harriet Miers: Isn't there an obvious first amendment issue here? Neither now works for Bush. Taylor has said she's willing to testify to avoid a contempt citation, though she'd rather not. Surely Bush was not happy with "The Price of Loyalty," nor was Clinton happy with "All Too Human" eight years ago. But when those books were published, no one denied that Paul O'Neill or George Stephanopoulos had the legal right to say or write whatever they pleased about their experiences in those administrations, including conversations with the president. (National security matters excepted, of course.) Why does a request from Congress for testimony annihilate the same right for Taylor or Miers? And conversely, how does it interfere with their obligations to testify if subpoenaed? What am I missing here?
washingtonpost.com: Ex-Aide Refuses to Testify on Attorney Firings (Post, July 11)
Dan Froomkin: A good question that I'm not fully equipped to answer. But the thing you're missing may be that maybe Taylor really doesn't want to testify. I only heard a tiny part of her testimony today, but it kinda sounded like as long as the answers were self-serving, she was pretty happy to talk.
Annandale, Va.: Regarding Carmona -- I have a tough time having any sympathy for him. He stayed four years; he was the one delivering speeches. Supposedly he was in charge, and what political appointees were saying was advice (after all, he was a political appointee too). As far as the story goes, it doesn't appear that even one time he went with his convictions over political advice. Sounds like he feels guilty now.
Dan Froomkin: And that's a good point. Under the conditions he describes, resigning in protest would appear to have been the most defensible decision.
Washington: To Hilton Head: "Why does he keep relying on these guys when they have gotten so much stuff wrong in the past six years and essentially helped wreck his presidency?" There is a third option: He doesn't think it's wrong advice. Look at the speeches he's giving to his echo chamber audiences -- he clearly thinks he's right, and anyone who disagrees with him isn't sufficiently patriotic.
Dan Froomkin: Fair enough.
3. Despite the public's deep disapproval of much of what Bush's inner-circle has wrought, the loss of Congress in 2006 and the defection of members of his own party, Bush believes that history will vindicate him.
But you could also see that as a subset of option 1. They make the decisions not him.
Atlanta: Hi Dan. Saw you on "Hardball" last week -- you were great! I am wondering if you can explain why Chertoff's "gut feel" on a terrorist attack is considered news. This is a guy who had "no idea" the levees in New Orleans could breach when he had warnings and facts. But we are supposed to take his "gut feel" seriously? And more importantly, why is the news media once again, being complicit in the administration's scare tactics? Can we assume no lessons have been learned? Thanks.
Dan Froomkin: Thanks so much! That was my first TV appearances in ages. I enjoyed it.
I have a "gut feel" about this Chertoff announcement, but unlike him, I have the good sense not to tell people what it is.
Sun Prairie, Wis.: Dan, I understand the urgency to get your column filed, but you might have noted in quoting David Halberstam's Vanity Fair piece yesterday that Halberstam died last month.
washingtonpost.com: A Journalist For Whom There Were Not Enough Words (Post, April 25)
Dan Froomkin: My apologies. Halberstam's death was a terrible tragedy. The headline of that segment in yesterday's column was "Halberstam's Last Thoughts," but you're right, I should have written more of an intro.
Denver: I like when you post comments from the people who don't like you or think you are wrong (twice a day apparently). Can you dedicate a column or discussion to these types of comments one day? They make me laugh.
Dan Froomkin: I don't get enough, I'm afraid.
Lake Elmo, Minn.: I find the question regarding the next president to be very intriguing and quite important ... what will the next president, regardless of party, have to do to essentially reconfigure his or her proper role? I think Bush's tenure has trashed the presidency.
Dan Froomkin: As I note in today's column, Susan Page has a big story in USA Today about Bush's legacy.
"No new president gets a clean slate -- global politics and the economy don't run in neat four-year cycles -- but presidential scholars say the unfinished business Bush will leave for his successor is unprecedented since at least World War II.
" 'I can't think of a single modern president about to bequeath to his successor such a difficult agenda and such a damaged presidency,' says Paul Light of New York University...
"White House spokesman Tony Snow says that Bush deserves credit for passing on a healthy economy and tackling daunting problems -- from Islamic terrorism to Social Security's finances to a broken immigration system.
" 'What the president does bequeath to his successor is a much greater sense of some of the challenges of the world,' Snow says...
"Snow counters that Bush inherited serious problems from President Clinton, too, though they may not have been obvious at the time.
" 'President Clinton did not address directly the terror threat. ... He didn't take on (Osama) bin Laden directly,' Snow says. 'Problems were brewing that the White House could have addressed more forthrightly and chose not to.' "
Dan Froomkin: Today's column, Mock the Press, is now available for your reading pleasure!
Florida: It's been quite a long time since we have heard anything about Karen Hughes. Is she still spreading goodwill on behalf of GWB around the world? Or is that impossible to do these days?
washingtonpost.com: Under Secretary, Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Dan Froomkin: Yes to both, with a special focus on the Muslim world. Which reminds me: Was anyone else a bit taken aback by some of Bush's recent statements about Islam?
Here's what he had to say yesterday: "A lot of people in the Muslim world believe that the United States is at war with Islam; that the response to the attack on our country was one where we attacked somebody based upon their religion. And I, for one, obviously need to battle that image, because we're not facing religious people, we're facing people whose hearts are filled with hate, who have subverted a great religion."
They have subverted? Not they've tried to subvert?
Similarly, as I wrote in my June 28 column, here is the text of Bush's remarks at the rededication of the Islamic Center in Washington. Bush's goal was to empower moderate Muslims. But some of his words may have rubbed them the wrong way.
"We must help millions of Muslims as they rescue a proud and historic religion from murderers and beheaders who seek to soil the name of Islam," he said.
Rescue? Rather than, say, protect? Imagine if a Muslim leader came to the National Cathedral and spoke of the need to help Christians rescue their religion from fanatics. Or am I just picking nits?
Boulder, Colo.: Dan, do you think Karl Rove still thinks the Republicans can take the White House in 2008? I don't see them winning under any circumstances with so many independents against Bush.
Dan Froomkin: It's a long way until November. It certainly looks that way now, but keep in mind that Rove and his ilk succeed more by running down their opponents than they do by building up their candidates. If Rove types can persuade a good chunk of the public that the Democratic candidate is a treasonous wimp, then they win, almost no matter what.
Washington: Re: Carmona. He may have thought that things would get better, especially in the second administration. He's in a job with limited lateral shifts and is not someone who will wind up running a med school, which I believe was Satcher's destination. I think he reached a point of being stuck and decided to just see it through toward the end. He's served in the military. He's worked in a command structure. Career military people don't "resign in protest" -- they retire and take their resentments with them. This isn't much different from what happens to well-compensated people in screwed-up organizations elsewhere in government -- or, for that matter, in the private sector.
Dan Froomkin: Thanks for the intelligent analysis. And forgive the naivety, but why shouldn't military people resign in protest?
Chicago: Dan -- recently, at the Aspen Institute, Karl Rove and Colin Powell had vastly different takes on the current involvement of al-Qaeda in the attacks on civilians and US soldiers in Iraq. Although Powell's credibility was whacked by his U.N. dog-and-pony show (albeit due to vice president Cheney's cherry-picking of intelligence relied upon by Powell) I've got to think that most everyone believes him to be more credible than Rove. Your take?
Dan Froomkin: Well, it helps that Powell's position was supported by the facts (and Rove's was not). Rove would like people to believe that al-Qaeda is responsible for most of the violence in Iraq, but it just ain't true. Brent Gardner-Smith covered Rove's remarks for the Aspen Daily News. I wish I had a transcript.
Atlanta: "Or am I just picking nits?" No, you are exactly right. This is exactly why our standing in the world is so precarious. The president does not know how to be diplomatic. Honestly I can't even listen to him anymore without being offended. I have to go back later and read what he said.
Dan Froomkin: Thanks. I know he was unscripted yesterday -- so was that just a slip of the tongue, or his true feelings on display? That Islam has in fact been subverted by extremists?
Springfield, Va.: Hi Dan. This is an absolutely hilarious comment from Tony Snow in your column today. Um, Tony, are you on the front page because of Bush's agenda, because positive things are happening. I wish someone had had a retort for him:
"Ron Hutcheson of McClatchy Newspapers...said 'The truth is that the president is not making the kind of news he made in the first term or even in the start of the second term, especially now that immigration has gone down.'
"Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, disputed that assessment. 'Last time I checked,' he said, 'the White House ends up on the front page every day.' "
Dan Froomkin: It was kind of hilarious. Sometimes I just let statements like that speak for themselves. But thank you for putting that in context.
Well,that's one way to end all wars...: "And forgive the naivety, but why shouldn't military people resign in protest?"
"Okay boys, at the count of three, we are headed for Omaha Beach!" "Uh, no thanks Sarge; I resign ... buh-bye."
Dan Froomkin: I wasn't being quite that naive -- I meant senior folks in leadership positions. I have nothing but sympathy and admiration for the grunts.
Columbia, Md.: I know others have written on it today, but your thoughts on the implosion of the McCain Campaign? For someone who literally turned the other cheek, he seems to be getting very little support out of the White House or Rove.
Dan Froomkin: I am not watching the 2008 campaign as closely as perhaps I should -- but from my perspective as a confirmed Bush watcher, I suspect that McCain's implosion had a lot to do with the fact that whoever runs in 2008 as a Bush defender ain't going anywhere.
What I'm watching for, particularly in the Democratic camp of course, is who establishes him or herself as the preeminent anti-Bush. I think there is a hunger out there for precisely that.
Wilmington, N.C.: Hi Dan. Do you think that Bush and Cheney's efforts to strengthen the executive may actually backfire in the future, leading to a weakening of that branch (like after Watergate)? Also, their efforts to co-opt and bully the mainstream media likewise seems to have had the unintended consequence of increasing aggressive reporting lately -- might that also be an outcome of their actions in office?
Dan Froomkin: I think that if the Democrats control Congress and the White House in 2008, they may well establish firm limits to prevent the kind of overreach we have seen of late. (Although one could argue that those limits already exist; they just were ignored; and the Supreme Court is the real battle ground of the future.)
As for the MSM ... yes, it's doing better, but I'm still not seeing enough aggressive reporting to make me the least bit optimistic about a widespread return to watchdog journalism in the short-run, not to mention the long-run.
Napier, New Zealand: Hi Dan. A bit off-topic, but what would Bush say (do) if the Iraqis asked the U.S. to leave? Might be a good way out.
Dan Froomkin: This goes back to what I was getting at above. The people we've established as leaders are dependent on us for their power, so it seems highly unlikely that they will ask us to leave. Nice trick, huh?
Washington: Speaking as someone who worked in a communications shop in the administration (albeit nowhere near the White House) I find the "mention Bush three times" line a bit hard to believe. I worked on speeches and I can recall no such instructions ever in the couple of years I spent. I doubt you'll take that on face value, but it was my experience.
Dan Froomkin: That would be an easy thing to go check; if it was a hyperbolic claim on Carmona's part, then shame on him.
Washington: "...the thing you're missing may be that maybe Taylor really doesn't want to testify." Sorry; I should've made clear that her "willingness" to testify seems (to me, anyway) disingenuous. But my larger point remains: unlike the CIA, the president has no evident right to quash the speech of former employees.
Dan Froomkin: I would tend to agree, but my understanding is that the legal terrain is not entirely clear. (This doesn't come up very often.)
Raleigh, N.C.: Re: "Islam has been subverted by extremists," I believe that this is not the first time he has said that, so it's probably something he does believe.
Dan Froomkin: And then he wonders why "[a] lot of people in the Muslim world believe that the United States is at war with Islam."
Baltimore: Sara Taylor -- did I get it right? Did she just admit to numerous violations of the Hatch Act? She wasn't immunized in this testimony, so can Congress ask that she be indicted?
Dan Froomkin: I haven't been listening carefully enough...
But Joel Havemann reports for the Los Angeles Times that "when asked about e-mail messages on her White House computer related to the U.S. attorneys, she testified that she used two computers, one for governmental matters and one for political issues, to avoid Hatch Act sanctions against doing political work at taxpayer expense. But sometimes, she admitted, she slipped up and used her government computer for political work."
Columbus, Ohio: Regarding today's column Dan, why does the press let Bush get away with antics like that? Why would they sit there and continue to show him respect when he clearly has none for them, or for the job they do? I understand respecting the office and being a professional, but if Bush is going to act like that, why do they bother being there? I would have reasoned that it was a waste of time and walked out, rather than watch the child act up for no reason other than because he could.
Dan Froomkin: I understand why they showed up -- it was, after all, a potential news event. And I understand the impulse to laugh at his antics. But this is serious stuff. Bush's mocking relationship to the press (and its mission of holding him accountable) is not only one of the most troubling hallmarks of his presidency, it's a legitimate source of nonpartisan, journalistic anger.
So where's that anger? That, to me, remains the big mystery. Why play along?
Silicon Valley, Calif.: Everyone I know wants to see Bush and Cheney impeached ASAP. RICO seems like obvious choice, given that they have been so corrupt on such an ongoing basis. There's a lavish buffet of Impeachable offenses to choose from. When can we sit down and eat?
Dan Froomkin: The Democratic leadership clearly has decided that they would rather run against Bush in 2008 than run in defense of their impeachment of Bush. It's all politics, baby.
Jersey City, N.J.: Does it look to you like some reporters might be taking some advice from the New York Times ombudsman? I noticed this paragraph in this morning's Post article from Michael Abramowitz:
"In his speech, Bush once again conflated two organizations, al-Qaeda in Iraq and the international network led by Osama bin Laden, saying that the same group that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, is responsible for much of the violence in Iraq. While the Iraq militants are inspired by bin Laden, intelligence analysts say the Iraqi group is composed overwhelmingly of Iraqis and does not take direction from bin Laden."
washingtonpost.com: President To Critics: Wait Till September (Post, July 11)
Dan Froomkin: Wasn't that swell? Here's that (possibly historic) column by the new New York Times public editor/ombudsman, Clark Hoyt. That's ombudsmanning! And check out the McClatchy Newspapers story by Jonathan S. Landay.
Dan Froomkin: Okay -- thanks, everyone, for another great chat. See you every weekday afternoon on the home page, and here again in two weeks!
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TCA's Past Chairmen's Award Presented Posthumously to Pat Quinn of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.
Successful businessman was always willing to share his leadership and expertise to benefit the trucking industry
Kissimmee, Florida:
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has presented its prestigious Past Chairmen's Award posthumously to Patrick E. Quinn, co-chairman and president of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc., Chattanooga, Tennessee. Max Fuller, co-chairman and CEO of the company, accepted the award on Quinn's behalf. The ceremony took place March 6 during the association's Annual Convention, held at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Past Chairmen's Award is given to recognized industry leaders who make significant contributions to the business community, the industry, and the Truckload Carriers Association. It is the highest honor given by the organization. Contrary to the title of the award, the recipient of the award does NOT have to be a past chairman of the association.
Quinn dedicated his entire professional career to the motor carrier industry. Educated as a lawyer, he specialized in transportation law for several years until joining Southwest Motor Freight, where he rose to the position of executive vice president and general manager. In 1985, he founded U.S. Xpress along with business partner Max Fuller, co-chairman and CEO. It eventually grew from a 48-truck start-up operation to become one of the nation's largest privately owned truckload carriers.
As a trucking leader, Quinn was very active in TCA, most notably serving as the organization's chairman from 2001-2002. He served on numerous association committees, including Regulatory Policy, Highway Policy, Carrier/Shipper Relations, Independent Contractor Practices Policy, Financial Oversight & Long-Range Planning, among others. He also participated in TCA's Shipper/Receiver Management Panel and the Improving Efficiency at the Docks Management Panel.
Quinn served a year as chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) from October 2005 to October 2006, and then volunteered to stay on as chairman for another eight months following the unexpected passing of ATA's chairman-elect, C.J. "Mac" McCormick, III. While Quinn was at the helm of ATA, he earned a senatorial appointment to serve as a Department of Transportation commissioner on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission. He was also a member of ATA's Image & Communications Committee and helped develop the plan for National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, now a successful annual event celebrating the work of truck drivers throughout the country.
In 1997, Quinn received the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Nebraska. He served on the Trade & Transportation Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as well as the board of trustees at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.
"There's no question that Pat Quinn made a huge impact on trucking during his many, many years of industry involvement," said Gary Salisbury, outgoing chairman of TCA and the president and chief executive officer of Fikes Truck Line, Inc., Hope, Arkansas. "His name was synonymous with trucking. I only wish we could have presented our highest honor to him while he was still with us."