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The Top 50 Music Moments of 2013 (#10 - 1)
Posted by
Daniel Wilcox
on 01.30.2014
From the return of Eminem and the success of Daft Punk to Beyonce's surprise album, the shocking return of David Bowie and more, 411's Daniel Wilcox concludes his look at the top 50 music moments in 2013 with #10 through #1!
I appreciate that we're near the end of the first month of 2014 and there's been plenty of year-end features on 411 and everywhere else. But it is still awards season, and as far as I'm aware, this is the last year-end feature. I could be wrong, it wouldn't surprise me. Today is the last of three columns counting down the biggest, most talked about and most controversial moments in the music industry in 2013. I will conclude today by counting down the top ten. I'm posting a day later than intended due to unexpected work commitments, so I apologise if you were waiting on bated breath for the conclusion of our countdown.
For anybody who missed it, or wishes to remind themselves, here are the first two parts of our list;
When compiling the list the only criteria I used was simply what got people talking in 2013. How will people remember 2013? I think I've managed to compile a pretty comprehensive list that covers the full spectrum of genres so without further ado let's get straight to it.
10. Vinyl Sales Continue To Rise
I've talked a lot about trends on this countdown, from the decline in the importance and success of TV talent shows and in particular singing competitions, to the rise in unique marketing strategies in music. Perhaps one of the more intriguing patterns in the music industry comes from the way we purchase our music. For the first time since the introduction of iTunes back in 2003, digital sales of singles and albums were down in 2013, partially due to the success of streaming services such as Spotify. As expected, CD sales took another hit last year, but there was one format that posted remarkable gains. Sales of vinyl records were up a staggering 22% for the year 2013. Now, vinyl sales have been trending upwards for six or seven years now but this was by far the biggest increase in sales for the format since the introduction of Soundscan in 1991. While the sales of vinyl only accounts for a mere 2% of all sales, it is an intriguing upward trend that doesn't look like it's about to stop any time soon. As digital sales become the way forward, those who seek a physical copy of their music are turning away from the CD and going to the more aesthetically pleasing design of the LP. In addition the popularity of the vinyl is most likely a response to the digitalisation of everything as well as falling in line with this "vintage" trend driven on by nostalgia. This trend isn't unique to the United States either, as vinyl sales are up worldwide with UK sales of vinyls up by more than half in 2013. This is fantastic news for independent record stores, who account for about 65% of vinyl sales. Of course, the trend is perhaps helped by the fact that a lot of retailers offer vinyls with codes that give them access to mp3 versions of their vinyls. Unsurprisingly, the majority of vinyl sales come from more creative and artistic musicians; the biggest vinyl sales this year came from Daft Punk, David Bowie and Arctic Monkeys.
9. Eminem Releases
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
, Returns To Form
In 2013 Eminem released his eighth studio album,
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
. Unsurprisingly, the record was a commercial success, becoming the second biggest selling album of the year, debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 with sales of nearly 800,000 in its first week. The record spawned (to date) four massive singles, the most latest of which being the Rihanna-featuring "Monster" that has spent a number of weeks at the top of the Hot 100. Other singles "Berzerk," "Survival" and "Rap God" were all praised, especially the latter for its technical marvel. More importantly, however, the album was a critical success with the general public perception being that
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
is Eminem's finest work in a decade. Nobody really liked
was a polarizing release at best, and 2010's
also had a number of detractors. The general consensus on
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
, however, is that it is by far Eminem's most matured work and lyrically features many moments of brilliancy. Personally I think there's two or three filler tracks that drag the record down and at 78 minutes it does take considerable effort to get through it in one sitting, but for the most part the record is absolutely phenomenal. I can't heap enough praise onto "Rap God," but I also have a massive soft spot for "Headlights." On
The Marshall Mathers LP 2
, Eminem is well aware of both his age and his place in the history of hip hop. His equal parts regretful and unashamed. The record's themes switch from reflection on his own behaviours and troubled life to acceptance of who he is and what he has become. It doesn't matter how good you are, however, or how important you are to the genre, if you stop growing you stop being relevant, and off the back of
, Eminem was beginning to stagnant, not necessarily in terms of quality but in terms of importance. On this record, Eminem shows more maturity and growth than he has in a decade and it makes for an incredible album. It's a performance, a work of art. The guest spots are few and far between but they're perfect. Rihanna features on the infectious "Monster," and fun's Nate Reuss provides the perfect foil for the touching "Headlights," an apology to Debbie Mathers. Kendrick Lamar shows up and delivers the goods, and it's very telling that Em was one of the few not to be brought into criticism in his "Control" verse this year. This album cements Eminem's status as untouchable. "Rap God" sounds about right.
8. Justin Timberlake Makes His Return To Music
Justin Timberlake's career is something of a marvellous feat. I don't know of too many people that started off in a cheesy 90s boyband who went on to become a respected name in the music industry and in Hollywood. It'd been a hell of a long time since Timberlake had been really actively involved in the music industry, his last album released way back in 2006. Even back then, people liked Timberlake for what he was. An artist. He made accessible, radio-friendly pop music, but it was far more sophisticated then the usual lowest-common denominator tripe you would regularly hear on the radio. It was multi-dimensional, it was intriguing and it sounded good, most importantly. So after years awake making films and working on other projects, it was a delight to hear that Timberlake was coming back to music. Timberlake announced his return with the release of lead single "Suit & Tie," taken from
The 20/20 Experience
. While the track was far from a home run, it was certainly a decent track and one that announced Timberlake was ready to come back and redefine R&B once again. Then we got "Mirrors," a complete game-changer and just a stunning track all round with a typically Timberlake epic video to boot. One of the most inventive, creative and downright catchy pop songs of the year, "Mirrors" reminded you how effortlessly Timberlake can pull off this gig. And in all fairness, the majority of the rest of the album followed suit. Generally lauded as more ambitious than either
FutureSexLoveSounds, The 20/20 Experience
became one of the biggest selling records worldwide and demonstrated how mainstream pop music doesn't have to be so bloody bland. There may be no man on the planet quite as suave as Timberlake, his vocal swoons from track to track, making for luscious pop tunes. Usually I would use adjectives like "daring" or "bold" to describe this record, but when you're Justin Timberlake, there's no such thing as taking risks, because you're capable of pretty much everything, as is evident by this damn-near perfect pop album. Of course, we would get a sequel later in the year and even though that was far from the critical home-run that
Part 1
was, it was still head and shoulders above what most of his competitors were doing. And even if the guy does decide to take another lengthy hiatus, he's still pretty good at the whole movie thing too.
7. The Lady Gaga Experiment is Mercifully Over
Five years ago Stefani Germanotta burst onto the scene with her debut single "Just Dance." It topped charts globally and the pop star better known as Lady Gaga became a household name in next to no time. "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance" were similarly massive, and helped her debut album
The Fame
and follow up EP
The Fame Monster
seel an absolute shit load of copies globally. As you can imagine, there was a ton of hype around her second record,
Born This Way
, but despite critical opinion being more divided the sales were the same. Singles did well, her tour became one of the biggest grossing tours ever, and all was good in the Gaga camp. Of course, in between albums number one and three, there was a whole lot of bizarre behaviour caught in the public eye, intentionally or not, that meant whether there was new music to promote or not the mass media was constantly talking about Lady Gaga. Case in point, the infamous meat dress. For three years or so, there was incidents like that on a near-daily basis. It was tiring but people lapped it up. Then came
Somewhere in the build up to
, people lost interest in Gaga. She wasn't in the public eye so much, partially due to some health issues that meant she wasn't working or promoting as much. But I think the other reason is because the media already had an unbalanced pop starlet making questionable decisions in the public eye to talk about. Gaga was no longer the flavour of the month. Lead single "Applause" was actually critically well-liked by it didn't have the same impact on radio as her previous lead singles had done, and subsequent collaborations with R. Kelly on follow up single "Do What U Want" weren't about to set the world on fire either. While the album did debut atop the Billboard 200, it shifted just over 250,000 copies in its first week, about 100,000 shy of expectations and significantly below albums by her rivals such as Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Beyonce. Furthermore, it proved that the album lacked selling power, taking an 82% hit in its second week. The album was discounted as part of Black Friday and got a sales boost from that, but at quite the cost. The record didn't chart well around the world either, and even in regions where it succeeded, it still wasn't a stayer. Now, there's a very public dispute between her and members of her management team stemming from losses of around $25 million, an extortionate amount of money. 2013 was the year that the Lady Gaga ship sailed.
6. Miley Cyrus Finally Sheds Her Disney Skin
Heading into 2013, if I asked you the question of which female pop star would have the biggest year, I don't think too many of you would have answered "Miley Cyrus." Surely her time had come and gone, the former Disney star had her moment in the music industry and it had past fairly unspectacularly. Well in 2013 Miley came back with a bang, or rather,
, and made herself a household name worldwide. The former Hannah Montana star had a staggering year from start to finish, love her or hate her, and I would suspect that for most people it would be the latter. Her chart success and her standing in the public eye are undeniable however, and what makes her 2013 all the more impressive is that no one would have predicted it. Her two mammoth singles "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" smashed all kinds of records on social media and YouTube, as well as peaking at two and one on the Hot 100 respectively. Her record
shifted far mores copies than rivals such as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, and her MTV VMA performances generating more social media buzz than any event in history.
One way or another, Cyrus knows how to keep people talking about her. It started in 2012 with the new haircut and that continued into 2013 with the controversial new image, the raunchy music videos and the like. Cyrus was so controversial that hardly anyone even noticed when she ended her engagement to long-time boyfriend Liam Hemsworth. Of course the talked about Miley Moment of the year was her performance with Robin Thicke at the VMAs. Following a performance of her own hit "We Can't Stop" that featured Cyrus slapping the ass of a black woman onstage, Cyrus stripped down a skin-coloured two piece. She then produced a giant foam finger from... somewhere, and proceeded to touch Thicke's crotch with it, before gyrating and twerking up against him, sticking her tongue as far out as possible the whole time. Enter all the prudes and their outcries about in inappropriateness and decency. Personally, I was just offended by how awful the routine was but that's neither here not there. I was going to conclude by saying 2013 was the year Miley Cyrus grew up, but I'm not convinced that's quite right. More appropriate I think, is to say that 2013 was the year Miley Cyrus sexed up.
5. Daft Punk "Get Lucky"
This past Sunday, Daft Punk landed a major Grammy-double by scooping the gongs for both Album and Record of the Year for
Random Access Memories
and "Get Lucky" respectively. More importantly,
Random Access Memories
picked up the most prestigious award of its kind a couple of weeks ago, right here on 411Mania.com, as it was named the 411 Album of the Year. It was announced in Spring that a new Daft Punk record was due in mere weeks, and the internet pretty much blew. Hell, between that and "Blurred Lines," Pharell Williams had one of the best years of his career and he did next to nothing! I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Random Access Memories is my favorite album of all time, or even the year, because it's not. You take this album out of its context and pop it into its own bubble, I find it to be self-indulgent and at over 70-minutes long it takes some effort to digest in one go. "The Game of Love" and "Within" are
songs of the utmost quality, they're phenomenal, but such moments of perfection are few and far between. But in the context of what 2013 had to offer and what other pop acts are bringing to the table,
Random Access Memories
is everything the industry needs. It's not a wakeup call, because if you're not already on board then it's going to leave you behind and you're never going to catch up and that's where the album fails, it's almost too good, it's too perfect. It's an album that attempts to bring the human element back to the charts dominated by robotic EDM, but it offers such an idealistic view of the genre that it's almost impossible to fully comprehend its brilliance.
For me, what was so impressive about Daft Punk's dominance is the way they promote themselves, or they way they don't. They rarely make televised appearances, they don't do interviews, hell, they don't even show their faces. They're probably the most in-demand artist amongst live promoters anywhere in the world. Daft Punk simply put out songs and let their music do the talking, which in this day and age, is an impressive achievement in its own right. The need for self-indulgent pop stars to promote their music by flaunting their flesh and behaving like children is an admittance that their music isn't good enough to sell itself, but that has never been the case with Daft Punk. "Get Lucky" was everywhere this summer, and
Random Access Memories
was the fastest-selling record of the year at one point, unsurprisingly. In a year filled with comebacks from established artists and the emergence of many, many new ones, Daft Punk stood head and shoulders above the rest.
4. The Trial of Lostprophets' Ian Watkins
This one's a little uncomfortable to even write about. Ian Watkins was the leader singer of Welsh band Lostprophets, who garnered moderate success State-side but were a household name in Europe and the UK, scoring numerous number one albums and headlining festivals on a regular basis. However, you could tell from various interviews and public appearances that Ian Watkins, the band's lead singer, was a bit of a prick but as it was revealed this year, his issues went a little bit deeper than that. In December 2012, Watkins was arrested and charge with a number of offences that included but were not limited to the following; conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a one-year-old girl, possession of and/or distribution of indecent images of children and extreme animal pornography. Fans of the band were shocked, Watkins' bandmates were shocked. Except, and this is perhaps the most worrying part of the story, there's is a currently an ongoing investigation into three UK police forces for failing to act on information that may have lead to Watkins' habit to have been discovered years earlier.
Watkins furiously denied the charges at every court appearance until the trail began in November 2013, at which point he changed his pleas to guilty to all of the charges with the exception of the rape of a baby. This prevented the court from having to witness damage evidence which was in the form of video, Skype conversations, text messages and the like. Also on trial with Watkins were two mothers of children who had offered their children to Watkins. One text from Watkins to one of the mothers read, "if you belong to me, so does your baby." I will not go into the grim details of the case – they are readily available online but it does not make for pleasant reading. Suffice to say many senior officers in the case described it as some of the most harrowing stuff they'd encountered. One such officer described the singer as "a committed, organised paedophile" and "potentially the most dangerous sex offender" he had ever seen. Most sickeningly Watkins described the case as "mega lolz," a slogan the band used to put on T-shirts and the like. Needless to say, the band split up and Watkins is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. A harrowing story to say the least, and one that shook the British rock scene to its core.
3. Arctic Monkeys' World Domination
Arctic Monkeys burst onto the scene a decade ago boasting some phenomenal indie rock anthems that took the world by storm and sent them almost immediately to the top of festival bills everywhere.
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Your Favourite Worst Night
are two of the most important albums of the 21st century, partially because of their legacy and the amount of bands they inspired, but more importantly just because of how fucking brilliant they are. Then the went through the whole maturing stage, releasing
to minimal fanfare although a lot of hipster types loved it. It was a brave new direction and it proved a critical success.
Suck It and See
followed the same formula and the band was quickly cemented as one of the best and most influential of the century. It was surely impossible for them to get any bigger or any better, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong. In 2013 Arctic Monkeys headlined Glastonbury for the second time alongside the Rolling Stones and a bunch of other artists who in the grand scheme of things all became irrelevant once the Arctics were in town. It was their defining moment as a band and one of the very best headlining slots anywhere in the world in 2013. The band would go on to bring the goods at festivals all over Europe, adding to their reputation as a phenomenal live band. Soon enough they began releasing material from brand new album
and they found it was producing some of their most successful singles since 2007. The album dropped in September and it turned out to be the best album of the band's career, and easily one of the very best albums released in 2013. Some of the frantic energy from the band's first two efforts was gone and replaced by the raw confidence that made their Glastonbury set so astounding.
is equal parts daring, sexy and self-assured and features the band's best tunes to date. This was the year of Arctic Monkeys, because everybody now recognises them as one of the biggest bands in the world and the best we've got.
2. Beyonce's Shock Release of
There's been quite a few artists on this list that have been applauded for their unique marketing strategies for promoting new records. Arcade Fire ran an entire guerilla campaign. Jay Z made a commercial with Samsung in the middle of the NBA Finals. Kanye West shamelessly stuck his face on the side of monumental buildings around the country. Lady Gaga borrowed Jay Z's app method. Beyonce went the My Bloody Valentine approach, getting out of bed morning and saying "fuck it, release the thing." Admittedly, that's a slight simplification, but that's essentially what happened. Literally just a few days prior to the record dropping, an executive from the label mentioned that the new Beyonce record would be out "at some point" in 2014. And yet days later it was on the internet, which subsequently blew up, and then it was in shops a couple of weeks later selling by the shitload. Queen Bey even wandered into her local store to pick up a copy and treat the shoppers minding their own business to a bit of a show. The release generated over 1.2 million tweets in 12 hours. Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield wrote, "
Beyonce has delivered countless surprises in her 15 years on top of the music world, but she's never dropped a bombshell like this. The Queen Bey woke the world in the midnight hour with a surprise 'visual album' – 14 new songs, 17 videos, dropped via iTunes with no warning. The whole project is a celebration of the Beyonce Philosophy, which basically boils down to the fact that Beyonce can do anything the hell she wants to.
What's more impressive that being able to do that and still sell a ton of records is doing it with an album of considerable acclaim. Personally? I wasn't a fan of the record. But can I deny its success? Absolutely not. In a month the record has sold well over 3 million copies. That's staggering. It went straight in at number one on the Billboard 200, shifting some 617,000 copies in
just three days
. Three days. It had hit the million mark worldwide by the end of the week. Critically the album was universally adored by the masses with many publications pointing to its overt sexuality, impressive vocal range and lack of distinct song structure as its key features. People called it an empowering record, an incredible feminist statement and whole host of other somewhat over the top superlatives. To be able to make such a bold move to release the record the way she did and earn such high praise for it is absolutely staggering and a true testament to Beyonce's staying power and her credibility as an artist. 2013 looked like it was going to be a quiet year for Beyonce following the inauguration fiasco and then the Super Bowl, but at the end of the year she was the only person in music anyone was talking about. Is it my cup of tea? No. But you have to give credit where it's due.
1. The Return of David Bowie
2013 saw numerous musical returns, some of which we have already discussed; Justin Timberlake and Daft Punk made blockbuster returns this year and did very well. Similarly, we've seen some real sudden album releases, the big one we've just discussed in Beyonce. But no comeback was more triumphant and no surprise album was so welcome as David Bowie and
The Next Day
. Bowie has always been something of an enigma so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the comeback and album were announced the way they were. There was no rumours beforehand, no speculation outside of the same wishful thinking people had been hanging their hats on for years. Then on January 8th last year we were told Bowie was back. But there's been on interviews, no public appearances, no promotional tour and no headline slot at Glastonbury. In this day and age David Bowie is only interested in making music and according to his producer, 2013 was the right time because Bowie had something to say, not something to sell.
The Next Day
was released in March, entering at number one all over the globe and number two in the United States. In many countries Bowie had his best sales figures for literally decades and in some cases ever. Going Gold in eight countries, it's fair to say that the record was a commercial success, but that pales in comparison to its critical acclaim.
The Next Day
has received high praise from all corners of the globe and has been nominated for countless awards, including next month's Grammys and Brit Awards. Most tellingly, numerous outlets and critics have labelled the album Bowie's best work for decades.
David Bowie is an English national treasure, without question. In a day and age where music is sold based on sex, scandals, Tweets, twerks and anything else young starlets can do to shift records, seeing Bowie create such a genuine buzz simply by announcing a new album was refreshing and heartwarming. Seeing the same album become one of the year's success stories helps to restore a little bit of faith in the music industry as a whole, and in the consumers who buy music in 2013. As of right now we may remember 2013 most for the antics of Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber, the summer of "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky." But David Bowie's legacy is a legacy that will be in tact decades from now and he doesn't need to make tabloid headlines to do it; he just has to release music.
WILCOX vs. WEYER IN MOVIES/TV FACT OR FICTION
It's Grammy week, so the 411 staff counted down
And have you read 411's TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2013?:
10 Most Anticipated Movies
Nick Diaz: Own Worst Enemy?
Andrei Arlovski: Who's Next?
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Guest author: marketing expert, Paul Featherstone In this article I provide advice on how to promote and how to market art and illustration and your services online whether you are an artist or an illustrator.There are literally thousands of people in the world who have a talent for art and illustration; unfortunately we will never get to enjoy the work produced by these people as they may not be marketing their skills successfully. Many … [Read more...]
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
A POSSIBLE challenge to David Cameron's leadership of the Conservatives was discussed by senior right-wing Tories at a private dinner last week, according to an exclusive in The Times.
The main talking point at the dinner was a "plot" to push for an EU referendum before the 2015 general election in what the paper calls "a move designed to destabilise the coalition".
The paper claims that when the subject of Cameron's leadership came up for discussion, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling was forced to intervene and "calm down" guests excited by the notion.
The Times claims the dinner is "the most dramatic sign yet of growing discontent among some Tory MPs at the direction of the government, the influence of the Lib Dems and Mr Cameron's leadership style".
About a dozen MPs were at the dinner in Westminster. Among them were David Davis (above left), who stood against Cameron in the 2005 leadership election, former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, John Redwood and Bernard Jenkin. It was organised by the Thatcherite 'No Turning Back' group within the party.
A source "familiar with the dinner" told the paper much of the discussion revolved around a "mandate referendum" on Britain's relationship with the EU to be held before 2015, though the "prospect of an early end to the coalition and the chances of a challenge to Mr Cameron were also discussed".
However, one diner told the paper that reports of "revolution" were wide of the mark. "It was a rounded and subtle discussion," he said.
Meanwhile, Theresa May has emerged as a possible candidate for the Tory leadership if Cameron is ousted. The Daily Mail reports that she could step forward after the next election as a 'stop Boris' candidate if there is a leadership challenge.
The Daily Telegraph's Benedict Brogan has blogged that the Home Secretary has been "developing her profile, mixing uncharacteristically revealing interviews with sharp policy positions – attacking judges, toying with scrapping human rights laws", all of which suggest a possible bid for power.
"MPs notice that every week they get an email from her aides inviting them to the 'surgery' she holds for MPs at the far end of the tearoom every Wednesday at 12:30 after PMQs."
The Guardian likens May's position to that of John Major ahead of Margaret Thatcher's demise, as senior Tories "jostle for position" amid the speculation about a challenge to Cameron's leadership. ·
More on Dinner 'plot' to unseat coalition and even oust David Cameron


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I stayed at Hotel Le Sicht on 7/6/13 and was impressed. I cycled to the hotel from Ijmuiden and due to the ferry from England to Ijmuiden having long delays it meant I didn't arrive at the hotel until 23:30 I was with a group of 10 and the staff at the hotel stayed on late, kept the restaurant open... More
Location: The Netherlands > Friesland Province > Oudega
Price Range (Based on Average Rates): $
Number of rooms: 9
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Blog home page
CLC home page
Campaign Finance Litigation
Campaign Finance Policy
Ethics and Lobbying Reform
FEC Activity
Media Policy
Voting Rights Act
Posted May 7, 2009 by Tara Malloy and J. Gerald Hebert
Many decades of hard-earned reforms to the nation's campaign finance laws are in danger of being dismantled by a litigation offensive mounted by interests opposed to those reforms.
Emboldened by the conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court, ideological and interest group opponents of campaign finance regulation have brought an unprecedented number of cases in the past year to challenge campaign finance laws at the federal, state and municipal levels. The challenges are being brought by national party committees, trade associations, ideological groups and so-called "527" organizations. These opponents are often represented by attorneys working for tax-exempt organizations whose public filings reveal little about their funding sources and whose primary mission is to overturn existing campaign finance laws.
What is most striking about these groups' litigation effort is that it challenges longstanding campaign finance laws that have already been upheld and declared constitutional. For this reason, their challenges often fail in the lower courts as these courts simply uphold preexisting Supreme Court precedent that is supportive of campaign finance regulation. The problem is that under Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court is quickly undermining that very precedent.
The Roberts Court, however, is not overturning earlier Supreme Court rulings openly. In their current offensive, anti-reform groups rarely challenge the general constitutionality of campaign finance law "on its face," but instead frame their cases as challenges to the law "as applied" to specific situations. These kind of "as applied" challenges have given the Roberts Court the opportunity to significantly erode existing precedent without having to reverse such precedent explicitly. Effectively, however, the Roberts Court has begun to overturn a variety of campaign laws previously upheld by the High Court.
At the federal level, recent challenges are attempting to tear down many decades' worth of election law, including the principles behind restrictions on corporations that extend as far back as the Tillman Act of 1907. That Act banned political contributions by corporations and was shepherded through Congress by President Teddy Roosevelt in an era when corporations wielded staggering power in Washington as the main sources of funding for political parties. Challenges to other long-standing provisions of the election laws, such as coordinated party spending limits, demonstrate that the mission of anti-reform advocates is far more ambitious than merely rolling back the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), also known as McCain-Feingold. Instead, their apparent goal is to go back nearly a century and dismantle many of the campaign finance reforms enacted in the wake of the Watergate era scandals and to revert to an era of unregulated, undisclosed spending in federal elections that fueled public outrage at the turn of the 20th Century.
This federal litigation offensive is being replicated at the state level. During the past two years, opponents of campaign finance regulation have challenged state or municipal campaign finance laws in Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Washington and West Virginia, to name just a few jurisdictions.
As a result of this redoubled anti-reform effort, the campaign finance arena has experienced one of its most active litigation periods. In the past year, the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan Washington-based legal institute with particular expertise in issues of campaign finance law, lobbying regulation and government ethics, has represented a party or was active as an amicus in over twenty cases in both federal and state court, and monitored and consulted in several additional cases.
The litigation efforts against decades' worth of campaign finance laws are concentrated in five principal subject matter areas:
I. Attacking Limits on Use of Corporate and Union Treasury Funds
II. Going After the "Soft Money" Ban and Coordinated Spending Limits
III. Challenging Public Financing Programs
IV. Attempting to Deregulate "527 Group" Spending
V. Undermining Meaningful Political Disclosure
* * * *
I. Attacks on Limits to Political Use of Corporate and Union Treasury Funds
A rash of litigation is currently underway against restrictions on the use of corporate and union treasury funds to influence federal elections. These various restrictions have been enacted over the course of the last century in response to a variety of abuses and scandals. The last significant addition to these laws was Title II of BCRA which prohibited the use of corporate and union treasury funds to finance "electioneering communications," i.e. advertisements referencing specific federal candidates that are broadcast shortly before an election. This funding restriction was upheld in a "facial" or direct challenge to its constitutionality by the Supreme Court in the 2003 case, McConnell v. FEC.
In 2007, however, in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, the Supreme Court gutted BCRA's electioneering communications funding restriction. Essentially, the Supreme Court held that this restriction could be applied only to ads that "expressly advocate" for the election or defeat of a federal candidate or represent the "functional equivalent of express advocacy." Encouraged by the WRTL decision, opponents of campaign finance laws have recently filed several additional challenges to Title II of BCRA.
In November 2008, the Supreme Court accepted the appeal of another such challenge, Citizens United v. FEC. The case challenges not only BCRA's electioneering communications funding restriction, but also its accompanying disclosure requirements, as they apply to Citizens United's film, Hillary: The Movie, and its advertisements promoting the film. In a sense then, Citizen United is a "piggyback" case to WRTL. Citizens United argues that just as the WRTL decision limited the application of the electioneering communications funding restriction to express advocacy or its functional equivalent, so too should the Supreme Court limit the application of BCRA's electioneering communications disclosure requirements to express advocacy or its functional equivalent. If Citizens United is successful and the Supreme Court invalidates BCRA's Title II disclosure provisions, the case will have far-reaching ramifications for both campaign finance and lobbying disclosure laws, likely fueling further legal challenges to any disclosure regulations that regulate beyond express advocacy communications.
In July 2008, a three-judge federal district court panel in Washington D.C. rejected Citizens United's argument and ruled that the BCRA disclosure requirements are constitutional as applied to all electioneering communications. The Legal Center and Democracy 21 filed a brief as amici curiae in the district court supporting the disclosure requirements in June 2008.
Citizens United appealed to the Supreme Court, where the case is now pending. The opening brief filed by Citizens United made clear that it is challenging not only BCRA's disclosure requirements but also the validity of Austin v. Mich. State Chamber of Commerce, a key Supreme Court decision that in 1990 upheld restrictions on corporate spending in federal elections. If the Supreme Court were to overrule the Austin precedent, as Citizens United urges, this would open the door to the dangers of unregulated corporate spending in federal elections. The Legal Center is part of a team of public interest groups that filed an amici brief on February 24, 2009 defending the electioneering communications regulations. The Supreme Court heard oral argument on March 25, 2009.
In addition to the Citizens United case, the electioneering communications disclosure provisions in BCRA were also challenged in Koerber v. FEC, a case filed in October 2008 in a North Carolina federal district court. Plaintiffs are challenging the disclosure provisions as applied to two television ads that meet the statutory definition of "electioneering communications," yet according to plaintiffs, are not the functional equivalent of express advocacy.
The Legal Center with Democracy 21 filed an amici brief in October 2008 with the district court defending the BCRA disclosure provisions. On October 29, 2008, the district court concluded that plaintiffs were not likely to succeed on the merits of their challenge, and denied their motion for a preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs appealed the decision, and the Legal Center filed an amici brief along with Democracy 21 with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 24, 2009. The case remains pending.
II. Going After the "Soft Money" Ban and Coordinated Spending Limits
In this era of exploding campaign costs, the party committees are constantly seeking new avenues of revenue. In the case of the Republican National Committee (RNC), it filed two separate suits in November 2008 seeking to overturn key laws curbing unlimited "soft money" contributions to political parties and capping coordinated spending between party committees and candidates.
The first lawsuit, RNC v. FEC, challenges the ban on "soft money" that was the signature accomplishment in the enactment of BCRA. Plaintiffs challenge both provisions of Title I of BCRA that bar the national parties from raising or spending soft money, i.e. money not in compliance with federal contribution limits and source restrictions, and provisions that prohibit state parties from using soft money for activities that affect federal elections, such as voter registration or GOTV (get out the vote) drives. Prior to these restrictions in BCRA, six- and seven-figure soft money checks provided the bulk of funding to party committees and were a popular tool for garnering or maintaining the attention of Congress in a high-stakes pay-to-play legislative environment.
Because the soft money provisions were upheld in the Supreme Court's 2003 decision in McConnell, the RNC plaintiffs bill the case as a challenge to the provisions only as applied to the funding of certain party activities. However, the complaint lists nine such activities, including party spending on so-called "grassroots lobbying" or issue ads, and therefore the many exceptions sought would eviscerate the previously upheld soft money ban.
The case, which is currently pending in a district court in Washington D.C., was briefed in the first months of 2009. The Legal Center serves as co-counsel to the congressional sponsors of BCRA who are participating as amici curiae in the litigation: Senator McCain (R-AZ), Senator Feingold (D-WI), former Representative Marty Meehan (D-MA), and former Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT).
The second lawsuit brought by the RNC, Cao (RNC) v. FEC, challenges the limits on coordinated spending between political parties and their candidates for federal office. The coordinated spending limits were enacted in 1974 as part of the comprehensive post-Watergate reforms, and were specifically found to be constitutional in the Supreme Court's 2001 decision in FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee ( Colorado II).
Here again, because these limits were upheld in Colorado II, the RNC's complaint frames the case as a challenge to the limits "as applied" to party spending that is not "unambiguously campaign related" or "functionally identical to contributions." If accepted by the court, however, this argument would essentially require the invalidation of the coordinated party spending limits previously upheld by the Supreme Court in Colorado II. The Legal Center is considering amicus participation in support of the FEC.
III. Challenges to Public Financing Programs
Challenges to public financing programs on the federal, state, and municipal level are hardly a new phenomena, but the number of suits has exploded in recent years. A particular focus of the recent challenges is the so-called "trigger provisions" of such programs that provide candidates participating in the programs with additional public funds in the event of high spending by non-participating opponents or outside groups.
In the same way challenges to BCRA were encouraged by the Supreme Court's decision in WRTL, the challenges to public financing trigger provisions have been encouraged by another recent Roberts Court decision – namely Davis v. FEC (2008). There, the Court struck down the so called "Millionaire's Amendment," a BCRA provision that allowed certain congressional candidates to accept up to six times the $2,300 federal contribution limit if they faced an opponent who spent a large amount of personal funds to finance his or her campaign.[1] Opponents of public financing are using the decision to challenge state programs' trigger provisions, claiming that trigger provisions are analogous to the Millionaire's Amendment because they similarly provide benefits to certain candidates, namely publicly-financed candidates, if their opponents spend large amounts of money for their campaigns. They argue that Davis flatly prohibits any statutory scheme that increases the financial resources available to one candidate based on the spending of his or her opponents.
On November 3, 2008, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Duke v. Leake, the first case to present the question of whether public financing trigger provisions are unconstitutional under the Davis precedent. The denial of certiorari let stand the May 2008 decision of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the constitutionality of North Carolina's public financing program for judicial elections, including the program's "trigger provisions." The Legal Center had been active in the aforementioned litigation, filing an amici brief on behalf of itself and nine public interest organizations, successfully urging the Fourth Circuit to affirm the district court's decision to dismiss the challenge to the public financing program.
The Legal Center also serves as co-counsel for the intervening defendants in Green Party of Connecticut v. Garfield, which challenges the constitutionality of Connecticut's recently-enacted state public financing system. Among other claims, plaintiffs have argued that the "trigger provisions" in Connecticut's public financing law are constitutionally suspect in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Davis. The district court, which initially had rejected plaintiffs' challenge to the trigger provisions, granted plaintiffs' motion to reconsider this issue in October 2008. The case remains pending.
The Legal Center is also active in the defense of several other state and municipal public financing programs around the country facing similar challenges.
IV. Attempting to Deregulate "527 Group" Spending
Attempts are also being made to again unleash huge amounts of additional money within the campaign finance system by deregulating the so-called "527 groups" that have gained infamy since 2000. At issue is the novel legal question of whether groups making only independent expenditures can constitutionally be regulated as federal "political committees" subject to the contribution limits and other restrictions of the federal campaign finance laws.
The leading case on this subject is SpeechNow.org v. FEC, filed in federal district court in Washington D.C. in February 2008 by the 527 organization SpeechNow.org and its supporters. Plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction, arguing that because SpeechNow.org makes only independent expenditures, the state interest in preventing actual and apparent corruption does not justify its regulation as a political committee. Specifically, SpeechNow.org objects to the imposition of the $5,000 contribution limit and the comprehensive disclosure requirements applicable to political committees.
The Legal Center, along with Democracy 21, filed an amici brief in March 2008 opposing SpeechNow.org's motion for a preliminary injunction. The brief highlighted that McConnell upheld the "soft money" provisions in BCRA, which imposed federal limits on contributions to national and state parties, even if the contributions were ultimately used for independent purposes. The McConnell decision, argued the brief, thus confirms that the state's anti-corruption interest extends to limits on contributions to political committees even if they make only independent expenditures. The brief also chronicled the role played by 527 groups in the 2004 and 2006 elections, describing how such groups were closely tied to candidates and party committees and often served as "effective conduits for donors desiring to corrupt federal candidates and officeholders."
On July 1, 2008, the district court denied plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, relying heavily on the description of the recent electoral activities of 527 organizations presented in the Legal Center's amici brief. SpeechNow.org has appealed the decision to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal is currently being held in abeyance while the case proceeds in the district court.
Another recent case challenging the regulation of independent groups is The Real Truth About Obama, Inc. (RTAO) v. FEC. RTAO, a 527 organization, filed suit in a Virginia federal district court in July 2008, requesting a preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining enforcement of several FEC regulations. Specifically, RTAO argued that the FEC's definition of "express advocacy" is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, as is the FEC's definition of "contribution," which covers funds raised in response to solicitations that indicate that the money will be used "to support or oppose" the election of federal candidates. Both of these rules are crucial to the FEC's analysis of whether an independent group qualifies as a "political committee" subject to the applicable requirements under federal campaign finance law.
On September 11, 2008, the district court rejected RTAO's motion for a preliminary injunction. RTAO appealed the district court's decision to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the appeal is pending. The Legal Center, along with Democracy 21, filed amici briefs with both the district court and the Fourth Circuit to defend the challenged FEC regulations.
The Legal Center's litigation efforts in this subject area also include the defense of municipal laws that seek to regulate contributions to committees making only independent expenditures. The Legal Center participated as an amicus and as a consultant to the state defendant in both a federal court challenge to the constitutionality of San Jose's limit on contributions to independent expenditure committees, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (COMPAC) v. City of San Jose, and a federal court challenge to San Francisco's municipal contribution limit, Committee on JOBS v. Herrera.
The Legal Center is also monitoring Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce v. City of Long Beach, a challenge to Long Beach's municipal contribution limit which is pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
V. Undermining Meaningful Political Disclosure
Beyond seeking to remove caps on contributions, opponents of reform are seeking to remove meaningful disclosure as well. Essentially, opponents of campaign finance laws not only want to make unlimited contributions and expenditures, but they would like to do so anonymously. As explained below, disclosure laws currently under attack include lobbying disclosure provisions in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) enacted last Congress, as well as state laws modeled on BCRA's electioneering communications disclosure requirements.
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) v. Taylor is a lawsuit filed by NAM in federal district court in Washington D.C. to challenge a provision of HLOGA that requires a lobbying coalition, such as NAM, to disclose any member organization of the coalition that funds the coalition's lobbying activities and "actively participates" in such lobbying activities. This provision aimed to repair a loophole in the pre-HLOGA disclosure law that had allowed special interest groups to evade lobbying disclosure by creating umbrella coalitions to conceal the real interests behind a lobbying effort.
In February 2008, the Legal Center, joined by Democracy 21 and Public Citizen, filed an amici brief with the district court in support of HLOGA. The amici brief argues that federal lobbying disclosure laws have been on the books since the 1940's, and were specifically declared constitutional in the Supreme Court's 1954 decision in U.S. v. Harriss. Amici thus argue that Supreme Court precedent makes clear that HLOGA serves the governmental interest in providing full disclosure of lobbying activity and in protecting the integrity of the legislative process.
On April 11, 2008, the district court dismissed NAM's complaint, finding that the HLOGA provision was narrowly tailored to serve the state's compelling interests in promoting transparency and deterring corruption in government. NAM appealed the district court's ruling to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the appeal is currently pending. The Legal Center again filed a brief in support of the disclosure provision in June 2008 with the Court of Appeals.
On the state level, challenges to disclosure laws are appearing in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2007 decision in WRTL. In Ohio Right to Life (ORTL) v. Ohio Election Commission, ORTL is challenging multiple provisions of Ohio's state campaign finance law, including Ohio's "electioneering communications" disclosure requirements. Repeating the legal argument made in Citizens United, ORTL asserted that the Supreme Court's decision in WRTL renders the state electioneering communication disclosure law unconstitutional as applied to any communication which does not meet WRTL's definition of express advocacy or its functional equivalent.
In July 2008, the Legal Center filed an amici brief on behalf of itself and Ohio Citizen Action to defend the constitutionality of Ohio's disclosure requirements. In September 2008, the district court granted in part, and denied in part plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction. The court, however, rejected ORTL's request to enjoin Ohio's electioneering communications disclosure law, relying in part on arguments presented in the Legal Center's amici brief.
In addition to the Ohio statute, there are also ongoing challenges to the electioneering communications disclosure laws of at least two additional states (West Virginia and Florida), and the Legal Center is monitoring these cases.
The ultimate goal of this multi-pronged attack on campaign finance law is clearly to turn back the clock nearly a century and allow untraceable and unlimited contributions from and expenditures by those seeking favors from elected officials. Opponents of campaign finance laws believe they have a sympathetic Supreme Court that will allow them to ignore many decades' worth of High Court precedent, as well as public outrage and scandals running from "
Teapot Dome" to Watergate.
To date, most of this well-orchestrated attack on campaign finance laws has escaped the notice of the press and the American people. At stake are not only millions of what could become "invisible dollars" spent on political campaigns but more importantly, the ability to use money to influence – if not determine – who controls the reins of power in this nation.
[1] In March 2008, the Legal Center and other public interest groups filed an amici brief with the Supreme Court in the Davis case to support the constitutionality of the Millionaire's Amendment.


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29th April 2014
South Africa: Minister of Justice launches new programme to help stop anti-gay violence 3
5:38 PM — The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development in South Africa has launched a new programme to tackle violence against the country's LGBT community.
28th April 2014
Uganda proposes new law to tackle NGOs promoting 'very bad homosexuality' 6
6:52 PM — Uganda says it plans to introduce a new law that would prohibit non-governmental organisations from promoting homosexuality.
27th April 2014
UK: African bishops 'deeply troubled' by lack of action over gay clergy marrying 22
12:22 PM — A group of African bishops have said they are 'deeply troubled' by the lack of action against clergy flouting the ban on same-sex marriage.
17th April 2014
Two Ugandan men could be jailed for life if convicted in homosexuality trial 5
5:26 PM — Two Ugandan men will go on trial next month charged with breaking the country's anti-gay laws.
11th April 2014
Tory minister Alan Duncan: Anti-gay laws are a problem in 'primitive cultures' 35
6:22 PM — International Development Minister Alan Duncan has rejected calls to cut foreign aid to countries with anti-gay laws.
UK: Church claims blind bisexual asylum seeker was beaten and assaulted by deportation staff 12
12:25 PM — A bisexual blind asylum seeker from Cameroon was beaten by immigration staff in an attempt to deport him last weekend, campaigners have alleged.
8th April 2014
Pope urges 'sexual responsibility and chastity' in order to fight HIV 28
12:18 PM — Pope Francis has praised church workers in Africa who promote chastity as a key way to prevent the spread of HIV.
2nd April 2014
Video: Ugandan teen arrested over gay sex with 22-year-old father 18
1:42 PM — Two men have been arrested in Uganda for allegedly having gay sex, Ugandan police have said.
1st April 2014
European Parliament President: Cut aid from African countries with anti-gay laws 19
11:11 AM — The president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz sparked a row yesterday, after he told a joint summit that African countries imprisoning gay and lesbian people should be disqualified from receiving EU aid.
18th March 2014
African leaders may shun EU summit over sanctions imposed on Uganda and Nigeria for their anti-gay laws 11
2:53 PM — An organisation representing African nations says leaders from the continent may pull out of an upcoming European summit over efforts to impose sanctions on Uganda and Nigeria.
5th March 2014
Cycling star calls on anti-gay Ugandan politicians to be banned from Commonwealth Games 19
5:31 PM — Graeme Obree has called for Ugandan politicians who support the country's anti-homosexuality law to be banned from attending the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
4th March 2014
Ghanaian cardinal calls for Uganda to repeal anti-gay law, says 'homosexuals are not criminals' 9
5:53 PM — A Ghanaian cardinal has criticised Uganda's anti-gay law and urged for its repeal.
25th February 2014
Ugandan tabloid 'exposes top 200 homos' one day after harsh anti-gay law signed 31
11:43 AM — A tabloid newspaper in Uganda has published a list of the "200 top" gay people, a day after President Yoweri Museveni signed into law a bill imposing life sentences for those imprisoned for being gay.
24th February 2014
William Hague 'deeply saddened and disappointed' with Uganda's President for signing anti-gay law 12
4:20 PM — UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says he's "deeply saddened" by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's decision to sign anti-gay legislation.
Ugandan President to sign anti-gay law today 11
9:08 AM — The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, is due to sign the country's Anti-Homosexuality Bill imminently, reports say.
7th February 2014
Labour MP Diane Abbott calls on UK to use 'soft power' against homophobia in Africa 4
11:47 AM — Diane Abbott says the UK Government is not doing enough to challenge LGBT rights violations across Africa.
3rd February 2014
Senegal jails men for breaking anti-gay laws, president claims there's no discrimination 7
6:05 PM — The President of Senegal says his country is "very tolerant" and "does not discriminate" as two men are jailed for breaking anti-gay laws.
30th January 2014
African traditionalist group rejects 'troubling' Archbishops' request for anti-gay laws to be dropped 9
6:44 PM — An African traditionalist group has rejected calls from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to scrap anti-gay laws in Uganda and Nigeria.
27th January 2014
Ivory Coast: Security guard hospitalised after violent mob attacks office of gay rights group 9
4:55 PM — A mob has stormed the office of a gay rights group in the Ivory Coast.
UK man 'relieved' at having Ugandan anti-gay charges dropped 8
10:43 AM — A retired gay man from Kent who faced jail in Uganda for possessing a pornographic video has spoken of his relief after being deported to the UK.


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Deep within the confines of our claw machines, a race of miniature mole-people operate the cranks, cogs, steam engines, coal furnaces, and circuitry that makes the claw dance across their sky and choose stuffed animals with cunning precision. You see, the mole-people celebrate a grand sacrifice when the most skilled customers finally win a fluffy prize. But when they go days without sacrificing a toy animal? The mole-people weep. Loudly. We know this because we can still hear them.
What the fuck, Dennys.


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Comments Posted By Danavir Goswami
Displaying 1 To 10 Of 32 Comments
Puri priests up in arms against ISKCON
The email address for the Gajapati of Puri firstname.lastname@example.com was returned as undeliverable. Reason: No response from server
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 17.11.2008 @ 01:11
November 14, 2008
Dear Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb,
My respects to you. Jaya Jagannatha!
My name is Danavir Goswami, a member of ISKCON and disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
You may recall that a few years ago I organized the tour of Druze leaders that journeyed from Israel to Jagannatha Puri to meet you. They enjoyed their visit very much.
I have heard that under your jurisdiction an effigy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was recently burned by those claiming to be followers of Lord Jagannatha. I find it almost unbelievable.
Millions of persons around the world, such as myself, had never heard of Lord Jagannatha before Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON movement brought the Rathayatra Chariot festivals to our cities. Now we worship Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra with great devotion and love.
Srila Prabhupada was a great devotee of Lord Jagannatha in modern history—how then could such a saintly person's image be defamed in Puri itself?
I do not suspect that you were a party to the effigy burning, however since this great atrocity has taken place under your supervision, I urge you to use your powers to the fullest extent to punish those who are responsible for the act. The world awaits your decision and action so that this heinous act is rectified.
May Lord Jagannatha guide you and empower you to take the correct action in this matter. I will be very thankful to hear it and see it so that such a demoniac action is never performed again in Jagannatha Puri.
Wishing you well,
Danavir Goswami
(Rupanuga Vedic College Inaugural President)
Rupanuga Vedic College/Polestar
5201 Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri 64110
Tel: (407)413-9406, Fax: (816) 924-5640, Mob: (407) 407-575-7187
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Website: www.rvc.edu
Skype: DanavirGoswami
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 15.11.2008 @ 04:23
In response to Comment #9: Yes, we have begun arranging for the translation work of the cantos not translated by Kusakratha Prabhu. Thank you.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 24.10.2008 @ 20:46
"I think the word 'allusive' in the text should be changed to 'elusive'. "
Correction noted with much thanks.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 16.10.2008 @ 02:56
• "The confidential science of pure devotional service is taught explicitly only in a few Vedic scriptures little known to the public. Amongst these rare texts are the Gopala-tapani Upanisad, the Narada-pancaratra, the Garga-samhita, the Visnu Purana, the Hari-vamsa Upapurana, the Uttara-khanda of the Padma Purana, and the Bhagavata Maha-purana."
— (Srila Sanatana Gosvami's Dig-darsini Commentary
on Brhad-bhagavatamrta: 1.1. 21-23)
• "Mayapura is the Lord's yogamaya potency. It is filled with ever-increasing bliss. In the Garga-samhita it is described as 'the destroyer of sins.'"
maya mayapuri saksat
sri-garga-samhitayam sa
kirtita papa-nasini
—(Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya, Chapter 3; Text 19 by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)
• "Parvati said, 'O lord Siva, Please describe to me the most wonderful character and confidential activities of the One on whom you meditate and adore with great devotion. Previously I heard from your mouth the thousand names of Lord Krsna, now please tell me His story.'
Siva (Mahadeva) replied, 'O Goddess who provides welfare to all, the life story of Lord Krsna has been included in the Garga-samhita.'"
—(Garga-samhita Mahatmya, taken from Sammohana-tantra)
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 14.10.2008 @ 08:04
Good Science, Bad Science - A response to Rupanuga prabhu's paper
In the beginning of the article it was forcefully established that BBT editorial changes carried out during Srila Prabhupada's presence on earth were, in principle, authorized. Later in the article, Hayagriva dasa's editorial work was strongly censured although he was a BBT editor during Srila Prabhupada's presence on earth.
The article states:
"'Nor having once been does he ever cease to be" says that the soul comes into being at a certain point and then it is eternally existing."
Some persons may understand it in that way but others understand, "Nor having once been does he ever cease to be" to mean "nor existing does he ever cease to be."
The article states,
"I wonder if Rupanuga prabhu, given his sustained isolation from the main stream of devotees, has submitted his treatise to such peer review."
Rupanuga Prabhu's analysis may be receiving its peer review here in the columns of the in-house family news site Dandavats.
The article states,
"Srila Prabhupada instructed his editors to present his books so that they are recognized as definitive."
One important dictionary definition of "definitive" is, "Supplying or being a final or conclusive settlement." In that sense, any editorial changes made after an author's demise could lessen a book's definitiveness.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 12.10.2008 @ 04:20
There's More Than One Kurma dasa
Kurma dasa Prabhu has nicely expressed his desire to be known as a faithful ISKCON devotee. There is merit in this, he is not boasting but just distinguishing.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 22.09.2008 @ 03:09
Brighton Rath Yatra 2008 - Does it get better than this?
No, with HH Mahavisnu Swami on accordian and HG Kripamoya Prabhu singing while playing mrdanga surrounded by a group of blissful devotees, all under the transcendental gaze of Lord Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva…it does not get much better than this.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 22.09.2008 @ 02:42
Nrsimha devi dasi expressed her great devotion for Srila Prabhupada by maintaining his home in Vrndavana for years. She was grave and did not speak whimsically as far as I could see. The only interaction I had with her other than in Srila Prabhupada's house took place on the morning when HH Tamal Krishna Goswami was involved in a car accident while departing from Mayapur to Kolkata. We both rode in a big bus along with other devotees. Upon entering the hospital room we saw Tamal Krishna Maharaja's body lying white and motionless on the bed. She burst out in tears and ran to him placing her head on his feet—-sobbing for a long time.
It seemed to me that Nrsimha devi had no attachments to the material world and that her heart was drawn to join her spiritual masters with their Lords in the spiritual world.
All glories to her example of steady devotional service and detachment from matter.
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 15.07.2008 @ 15:11
Mahabharata - A Work-In-Progress
Fascinating presentation! Please continue with your very important service.
"The idea of theater, based on Bhagavatam topics is also a very good way to introduce the philosophy to the people in general." (Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Danavir: — Bhuvanesvara 26 January, 1977)
Comment Posted By Danavir Goswami On 26.12.2007 @ 09:09
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During the fourth season of Mad Men Feministing writers will offer some of our thoughts on feminist moments, scenes, and themes in the new episodes in order to start a discussion about these topics in our community. This year we'll help you get through the middle of the week wait for the next episode. *WARNING: Lots of spoilers follow.
Don lets Faye stay in his apartment alone.
Remember Don's secret Dick Whitman drawer? Letting Faye stay in his apartment feels like a big change for Don, a shift away from his very secretive nature. Can you imagine him building relationships with women based on trust and honesty? -Jos
No, I really cant. Besides, I think Betty might snag him back before that happens. -Vanessa
Joyce's lesbian hijinks.
Rowdy! -Samhita
Love Joyce. -Vanessa
Peggy and Abe debate civil rights vs. women's rights. Peggy: "I have to say, most of the things Negroes can't do, I can't to either…and nobody seems to care." Abe jokes about "a civil rights march for women."
Why did they do this? Just to infuriate my intersectional sensibilities? I think Peggy is right actually, that at this moment people weren't as focused on women's rights as they were on black civil rights. But segregation was specifically race-based and needed a specific response. What would later become the women's movement started from this recognition of lack of attention to the specific ways that women are segregated in society, but ended up reproducing a lot of the inequalities in the civil rights movement by marginalizing black women. Its like, I feel her and I think what she said was a little bit racist because she says, "*they* can get where I am by working hard," which as you know, is that bullshit line people use to justify the idea that people can just overcome racism, as opposed to it being a structural problem. -Samhita
On the one hand I'm so sick of hearing social justice issues framed as a zero sum game. On the other, this is really real, and it makes sense Peggy would feel a tension between supporting the civil rights movement, which she's not very connected to, and fighting for her own rights. One theme that's stood out for me all season is how our main characters see struggles for racial justice from a distance, without much personal connection. Peggy actually got moved on civil rights, and I think it was by seeing the links to her own experience of being kept out of the boy's club. -Jos
Sally runs away to visit Don.
I was getting weird vibes about the relationship between Don and Sally in this episode. When she came out of the room in his t-shirt and offered to make him French toast, it almost seemed like she was another one of his lady friends, albeit one he has a particular soft spot for. -Lori
Agreed Lori, especially after Sally feeling abandoned and waiting up for her father earlier in the season. She's learning patterns of interaction with men from a huge sleazeball, basically. -Jos
Don has Faye deal with Sally. Faye calls him out.
Shorter Faye, "Look, don't put your children on me, grow a pair." I would have liked this more if it wasn't so subtle and it didn't end up being about how she is really insecure about how she is bad with kids, but it is just a lifestyle choice. But I realize they are trying to make it realistic and that is probably realistically how that character would feel in that time in history. -Samhita
Miss Blankenship dies. Roger: "She died the way she lived. Surrounded by the people she answered phones for."
This was cute. And Burt Cooper's reaction was touching, especially since they had the scene earlier with them doing a crossword puzzle together. And the whole thing was comedy really, pure deadpan. -Samhita
"It's a business of sadists and masochists, and you know which one you are." I heart Miss Blankenship, going to miss her over-the-top-ness. Hilarious death scene! -Jos
Roger and Joan get mugged, have sex in a stairwell.
Why did it have to be a black guy?? (oh c'mon I had to ask it) -Samhita
Word! As for Roger and Joan boffing, while I don't find him very sexy, this scene was sorta hot. -Vanessa
Peggy suggests Harry Belafonte for the Fillmore Auto Parts jingle. Don: "Our job is to make men like Fillmore Auto, not make Fillmore Auto like negroes."
Peggy starts to make a connection between her own oppression and the oppression of blacks. Three cheers! Don's attitude is a very current attitude in advertising, 'who cares if what we are advertising is bad for the world, our job is not to save the world…'-Samhita
Joyce: "Men think they are like soup… Women are expected to be the pots… Who wants to be a pot?"
"…So Peggy, let's make delicious soup together." -Joyce. Cornball dialogue, but whatever, if Joyce turns Peggy gay she wins everything. -Jos
Yeah, what Jos said. -Samhita


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This weekend was for…
A low key Friday night with Alex eating dinner and watching West Wing. Sleeping in on Saturday and napping poolside. Starting And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini and not wanting to put it down. Cooking Saturday night dinner with Mallory complete with this delicious peach tart.
Getting up early on Sunday for a haircut and then spending the afternoon at Pizza Paradiso with my friend Emily enjoying their JulyPA event. Emily and I have lately found ourselves going on a lot of one on one lady dates as other friends drop out of plans but it's been really great to get to know her better and have a friend to share great meals (and drinks) with.
All in all it was a really restful and relaxing weekend at home.
A Connecticut native living in DC and loving life in our nation's capital. I like tasty food, travel, lady politicians, NPR podcasts, Leslie Knope & my hilarious friends.


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Before & After: A Dining Room Refresh
Sometimes it's just a simple decluttering, a few fresh coats of paint and a less-is-more attitude that completely transforms a room from kind of dark to light and bright, as it did in Cortney's dining room.
From Cortney:
Our family spends a lot of time at the dinner table. We (mainly me) were looking for a change. I really wanted to brighten the area and free up the wall space that our hutch was on. We found the new dry bar on Washington, DC Craigslist for $20! In my eyes it was a miracle, it's in great shape and it's the perfect size for our small space. We then painted the walls with Behr paint in cloud white. I painted the dining table with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The whole process took about 2 - 3 days.
Read more on Cortney's blog.
Thank you Cortney!
(Image credits: Cortney Peguese)
25 Comments
Wow,very bright and cheery now. Is that the same rug,or is the after photo taken on a very sunny day? I've used that Annie Sloan chalk paint and that stuff is nothing short of a miracle. Great makeover!
Wow! Huge improvement! It doesn't even look like the same room!
Where are those chairs from, please? Great makeover!
I like the brightness, but that blank wall just screams at me.
Where can I find a rug like that one? I love it!
Love it. Maybe she is waiting for the perfect piece of art for that wall.
I love how less makes it looks so fresh!
Simple and huge improvement...knocked it out of the park!
Night and day... literally. The ridiculously bad lighting in the first photo makes it pretty hard to compare the before and after. That said, the "after" does look very nice.
I'm pretty sure target has similar ones. I don't know if Courtney's are real or not, but they're all basically knockoffs of ant chairs.
After looks wonderful...before - not only color and light was needed but way too many pictures on the walls. Now everything fits together. Dining table looks great with a light color!
That's where it becomes obvious how different people are. I feel like a room is over cluttered and closed in if there's no bit of blank wall to rest my eyes on sometimes.
I'm a teacher, and I hate cheating. Maybe that's why I have such a strong negative reaction to most of the before and afters on this website. If the "after" is such an improvement, why stack the deck by changing the lighting and the angle? Wouldn't an honest, level-playing-field shot hold up? The value of the makeover is lost if it won't hold up in an honest viewing. AT loses credibility with these unfair "after" shots.
Okay let the hating begin. While the after is bright mostly because of lighting. I felt the other room was a bit more homey. It reminded me of my granny's kitchen. I like the second room for the light but wonder what the first room would look like if lighted the same way. I am just a person who likes cozy clutter.
Thanks AT for posting our before & after photos.The before picture was taken with my old iPhone 3 camera - not the greatest. The after was taken with my canon. Our chairs are from target a few years ago and the rug is from anthropologie a very long time ago. Since these photos were taken (about a year ago) we've done another revamp. . . .
Anthropologie!!! a very long time ago 5+ years.
Amen! I had no idea how bad it was.
I think you're looking into it far too much. Not many people would take the time to correctly "stage" and edit a before photo. Usually it's a quick snap with a cell phone, or maybe even an old picture that was never intended to be a "before" photo in the first place.
People are obviously going to try and show their achievements in the best light when they're done and AT are going to use the best photos. Imagine how much people would complain if every "after" was a grainy, poorly lit iphone photo. AT would have no readers after a week.
Not everything is a conspiracy.
Much better!!! Nice work. :)
The "after" is a step in the right direction but the gallery wall is still not the best use of the space. Most of the images are so tiny that the only way to enjoy them is to walk up and stand there in an area that otherwise doesn't call for people to stand in it; meanwhile people sit at the table for long periods but have nothing to see except some tiny images to squint at. I'd rather see the space filled with 1-5 larger images that are big enough for someone to enjoy (or at least recognize) while seated at the table.
You have a good point. Sometimes it is deliberate, though. I've read advice on staging before/after photos that instructs people to photograph the "befores" in the worst possible light.
Thanks for filling us in! It's always great to get details from the people who did the work. I hadn't considered that you might have switched cameras.
Thanks for filling us in! It's always great to get details from the people who did the work. I hadn't considered that you might have switched cameras.
They might have been more apparent before with better light (I totally get the phone/camera issue), but a lot of the things I love in the second picture were present in the first (specifically the chairs and the rug) - they just work so much better in the second because of the white walls and table! Great job!


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"I think it's just critical to recognize the people in the community who really make the community happen, and they are our heroes," American Red Cross of the Tri-States executive director Sue Olsen said. "People who do the little things everyday need to be noticed."
The Everyday Heroes award-winners tend to be very humble individuals, Olsen said.
"They don't think they should be nominated, they push back a little bit," she said, adding they'll often say, "'It's not me! I'm not the hero.' That's what an everyday hero is."
Most of the noteworthy acts of this year's 21 Everyday Heroes award honorees took place within the last year or have been part of ongoing volunteering efforts.
85-year-old Bob Westermeyer's story, however, is a little different.
On a Saturday night in April of 1940, Westermeyer, then 11 years old, was home babysitting his five younger siblings, when a fire broke out.
"He woke up, coughing and gagging from all of the smoke that accumulated in the room," Earles read to the crowd at the awards breakfast. "He then found his way through the house to get all of his five younger brothers and his sisters safely out of the house, and within seconds of them all leaving the home, the house was engulfed in flames."
"It was a terrible night, and luckily it turned out the way it did," Westermeyer recalled. "Most of (my siblings) are here yet. I got two of them missing, two brothers, but outside of that, it's just like any other time something happens: it's to the good, to the bad, and this was to the good for our part. We all got out alright."
People at the time thought Westermeyer should receive an award called the Carnegie Medal, but the award criteria required a recipient to have been injured in the course of heroic action, and Westermeyer had not gotten hurt while rescuing his siblings.
That's why when Westermeyer's son Tim Westermeyer heard about the Everyday Heroes of the Tri-States award, he thought it was about time his dad received the recognition he deserves and nominated him.
"He sometimes doesn't think he did a lot there, but, you know, like I said, I got five aunts and uncles that I spent a lifetime with, knowing that what he did - that was a good thing, you know, for our family to spend a lifetime together with them," Tim Westermeyer said. "If he hadn't done what he did, we could've lost them all."
The 2014 Everyday Heroes of the Tri-States award recipients are:
Sue Balsamo, Volunteer Community Impact
Catherine Basten, Volunteer Community Impact
Billy Brotzman, Workplace Safety
Sarah Browns, Health Care
Karen Fox, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Janelle Garriott, Workplace Safety
Cesar Gonzales, Workplace Safety
Gary Gooder, Volunteer Community Impact
Sarah McDonald Hasken, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Miranda Heiar, Volunteer Community Impact
Erica Johnson, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Scott Knapp, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Stephanie Lange, Health Care
Duane Lanning, Workplace Safety
Doug McKinney, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Mike McMahon, Professional Responder
Marge Meyer, Volunteer Community Impact
Gary Norby, Education
Paul Pettinger, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Logan Schmerbach, Good Samaritan (18 yrs+)
Robert Westermeyer, Fire & Rescue
The American Red Cross of the Tri-States is already accepting nominations for next year's awards. The nominees must live within the chapter's jurisdiction, and it covers Dubuque, Clayton, Allamakee, Winneshiek and Howard counties in Iowa, as well as the city of East Dubuque, Ill. That nomination form is HERE.


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David Goldberg, the founder of Endemol's North American TV operations, will step down as chairman-CEO in December. Goldberg was recruited by Endemol founder John De Mol to launch the Endemol North…
If you're one of television's creative people -- a writer, producer, entrepreneur -- now's your time, says Endemol Group prexy Tim Hincks, who will deliver the keynote speech at MipTV 2013 on April 8.
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Global TV production and distribution house Endemol, whose skeins include "Deal or No Deal" and "Big Brother," is shaking up its commercial and brands biz.
Endemol creative topper Paul Romer, who co-developed "Big Brother" alongside John de Mol, is to leave the company following a 15-year stint.


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Dental implants are being placed by many dentists these days. They have become the first choice option for missing teeth. But while some cases are fairly straightforward, many are quite complex and require more expertise than most dentists possess.
Dr. Arthur Chal, a Phoenix, Arizona implant dentist who practices in the cosmopolitan Camelback corridor linking Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, is driven by his passion for improving the quality of life of each and every patient he treats. This motivation coupled with his impressive credentials has made him a recognized expert in placing dental implants.
Brenda was referred to Dr. Chal by Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona. She had dental implants which had been placed when she was in California and was having serious problems with that treatment persistent infections, numbness, and constant pain in her lower lip.
When Dr. Chal examined her, he found that three upper implants had been placed in her nose and that the lower fixtures were compressing the nerve to her lower lip. He also found that some of them were were loose, leaving openings for infection.
These are problems, unfortunately, that are occurring too frequently, when dental implants are placed without careful planning including thorough radiographic studies, and when substandard fixtures are used.
Brenda - Before
Fortunately, Dr. Chal was able to rectify all of these matters for Brenda, as the happy "after" photograph below illustrates.
After Dr. Chal restored her mouth, Brenda's sister commented that she looks ten years younger.
To read more about Brenda's case study, see the page "Brenda's Dental Implants Story". It is very helpful in understanding the importance of having an expert implant dentist perform your treatment.
In helping Brenda, Dr. Chal and his technician, Bruce Keeling, pioneered a new fixed retrievable hybrid technique. They have subsequently been teaching this technique to international audiences of dentists and technicians.
Brenda - After
Dr. Chal is also the recommended cosmetic dentist by www.mynewsmile.com for Phoenix.
Learn more about Teeth in an Hour.
A guide to using this website:
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Please read the following disclaimer before using this website. | Links | More Links | Phoenix Dentist Dr. Arthur Chal | Blog
Best Dentist in Phoenix | Arizona TMJ Specialist | How Long Do Dental Implants Last | Dental Implant Infection
Dr. Arthur Chal


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main index
With Big Shells and Wings is a Mario fanfic written by abstow89 about Bowser gathering up every single villain the Mario Bros. have faced and then forming an evil league whose sole purpose is to finally defeat the Mario Bros. It's up to Mario, Luigi, and other allies to defeat Bowser and his team of minions before they take over the Mushroom Kingdom. As Mario and the gang venture through the Mushroom Kingdom, the narratives frequently change and explain what's happening on Mario's side of the story as well as Bowser's.The story is known for being random, having No Fourth Wall, and consists of lots of various action sequences, and Kooper getting shot in the leg. The humor is sometimes rather crude or just flat-out disgusting. And although the story is rated "T" and has most of its swearing censored, the author isn't afraid to go into detail when it comes to Gorn.
This fanfic contains examples of:


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|Hubblecast 25 Special: What's Next?
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|Metadata standard for astronomical images released
|Internship in Graphics Design
|Tracing the evolution of the first galaxies in the Universe
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|Artist's impression of supernova 1993J
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|Mass map of galaxy cluster MCS J0416.1–2403 using strong and weak lensing


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2012 election: What's up with California's Proposition 37? »
Vegansaurus loves voting. It is our right to have it, and our privilege to exercise it. Voting is tops!
That said, actually voting can be terribly confusing, especially here in California, land of the endless ballot propositions! There are always so many, and they are not all as straightforward as 2008's beloved Prop. 2. This year we've got 11, some directly contradicting others ON THE SAME BALLOT, WHY.
KQED's Calfornia Report recently reported on Prop. 37, "Genetically Engineered Foods Labeling Initiative Statute," as part of its series on all 11 of California's 2012 ballot initiatives. Here's the latest report, by science reporter Amy Standen:
Prop. 37 is endorsed by our pals at Pepple's Donuts (check out the signs in the shop!), and the wonderful human beings at Dr. Bronner's.
On the other hand, Adam of the wonderful Say What, Michael Pollan? blog has a well researched, reasonable, and scathing critique of Prop. 37. He concludes that
… Proposition 37 is bad politics. Dragging ill-informed and uninterested consumers into a dirty political fight and expecting them to make "conscientious" consumer decisions is not the way to spur social progress. And spreading misinformation isn't going to help that. If Proposition 37 is how the food movement will prove itself, count me out.
For more information on Prop. 37, check out the California Secretary of State's official guide, and KQED's ongoing coverage. How do you think you'll vote? I still have no idea.
[Photo by Nuclear Winter via Flickr]
∞ posted at 08:30 by seriousmeaveness
Dr. Bronner's is the world's best soap! Read all about it! »
I can't remember the first time I used Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Maybe in college, around the first time I went vegan. I just remember loving it—and when I discovered the lavender scent? Sold for life.
Over at Inc.com, Tom Foster wrote a great in-depth profile of the company, and guess what: It's exactly the combination hippie-activist independent eco-friendly company you imagined it to be the first time you giggled at the label. A few highlights:
- They soap contains 100 percent organic ingredients.
- They're so serious about Fair Trade they bought farms to grow their ingredients according to Fair Trade standards—coconut oil in Sri Lanka, palm oil in Ghana, peppermint oil in India, and "a partnership that combines olive oils from farmers in the West Bank and Israel, and has become a symbol of Israeli-Palestinian coexistence."
- They led the hemp industry to sue the federal government in 2001 in protest of the Bush policy of "seizing shipments of hemp seed and hemp oil at the Canadian border"—and won.
- They pay all their workers everywhere a living wage, and all the big corporate salaries are capped.
- They plan on staying independent forever.
Go read the entire article RIGHT NOW, it is three pages of you in happy shock because companies can be this amazing and turn a big profit. There is good in the world, you guys, and it starts with soap.
[photo by Max Edmands via Flickr]
∞ posted at 12:35 by seriousmeaveness


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Help get more Greens elected in Camden
If you support what we are doing, please consider making a donation. You can do that easily and simply by sending a cheque to:
"Camden Green Party", c/o 1 Duke's Head Yard, London N6 5JQ.
Or you can donate securely online through PayPal:
Camden Green Party members are hard at work all year round - delivering leaflets, sweating over press releases and navigating crumbling basement staircases as they canvass for support in the forthcoming elections.
And this is work that should produce results, but hard work, great representatives, and policies to tackle the real issues of fairness, social justice and climate change are not enough - your local Green Party also needs cash to deliver its message effectively.
It costs £20 to print 100 glowing green window posters, £200 to print a ward newsletter, £1,000 to rent a shop for the election period.
We in the Green Party don't take money from big businesses, and we're not in the pockets of media barons, but that means that we do have to ask our supporters and party members to contribute individually to our success.
Please give as much as you can spare by sending a cheque to the address above or donating via secure PayPal with a card (you don't need a PayPal account to do this). In order to comply with election law, you need to be on the electoral register and to give us your name and address if you give more than £200.
If you'd like to make a regular ongoing donation, that would be welcome, as it allows us to plan our expenditure. Please just fill out a standing order form.


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Premier Post - La sportiva Spantiks for sale
Geddes - on 03 Mar 2014
Price - Ł260ono (Cost New Ł520)
I am selling my La Spotiva Spantiks, size 45 / UK 10.5
I am usually a size 9, but I tired on a couple of different sizes and these were the perfect fit when wearing a liner socks along with summit socks.
Better to try these on at a retailer before buying to make sure of the size.
I have only worn these during one trip to the Himalayas, which I summited Mera Peak. I only had them on for 5 days throughout the trip.
The boots are in excellent condition as you can see in the recent photo. There are only a couple scuff marks on the rubber rand, otherwise perfect.
The price includes postage.
You can either reply to the add or get in touch with me direct at....
Cheers Geddes Murray
Jason B - on 03 Mar 2014
In reply to Geddes:
1monkeyman1 - on 05 Mar 2014
In reply to Geddes:
Off up mera myself in a couple of months. You selling on your mitts at all?
geezer - on 11 Mar 2014
In reply to Geddes:
Are these still available?
Geddes - on 14 Mar 2014
In reply to Geddes:
These boots are now sold.....
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