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Meru - Religion and Beliefs |
In this page: God Nkoma - Spirits Sacrifice The Agwe - Prophets and Diviners Death Disposal of the Dead Christianity |
The Meru have always been monotheistic, and traditionally believed that God (variously called Arega kuthera, Baaba weetu (Our Father), and Murungu) was essentially good, and could do them no harm. God was not a supreme spirit "out there" but a great and good Father who, though invisible, provided for and watched over his people while living among them.
It was God who, through his intermediary Mugwe, led the Meru people out of their slavery under the "Red People" to freedom. God equipped this man with the courage and strength for the task, and the people were delivered and brought to their present land.
Nonetheless, God is also associated with death, albeit indirectly in the form of natural disasters such as drought. At such times, prayers and sacrifices are offered.
Notwithstanding the omnipotence of God, the Meru also believed in the existence of spirits (nkoma or ngoma). There seem to have been three main types of spirits: the spirit-ancestors, evil spirits, and the spirit-protectors.
The first were those of physical ancestors - nkoma-chia-bajuuju-beetu - who kept the same characteristics as when they were alive, whether good or bad. Their survival was believed to be either of happiness or tears, according to the way one had conducted his life here on earth.
Interaction was possible with them, and entailed making libations and dropping them bits of food to quench their thirst and relieve their hunger. Thus, during their feasts and rituals and even in their private life, the Meru made libations of beer, saying Nkoma-chia-bajuuju-beetu, kundeni (Spirits of our ancestors, drink). While eating they dropped bits of food for them, saying Nkoma-chia-bajuuju-beetu, rumeni (Spirits of our ancestors, eat). And if anything poured accidentally there was no grieving. It was said that it was the ancestors who had anticipated their share.
Libations were also made to appease these spirits if misfortunes such as sickness and minor accidents occurred in the family. They were believed to live within the family homestead and any libations had to be made within its precincts, usually around its hearth. When the event involved the whole community, the libations were made in the courtyard where the public was served.
The evil spirits, whom the Meru referred to simply as nkoma, were more akin to supernatural forces. They were not human, and were therefore much more dangerous as they were both unknown and unpredictable. It was they who brought evil to the world (God, of course, was essentially good), and so they were enemies of the living.
The evil power was called Seitani, a word which stemmed, via Kiswahili or Somali/Borana, from the Arabic word for devil, Shaitan (which is also the root of the English word Satan).
The evil spirits were believed to live in woods and groves like the rest of the living community. For example, any plant that grew in the bush and looked like one that was eaten by human beings - such as yams and bananas - but was not, was referred to as rukwa rwa nkoma na ndigu chia nkoma (yams and bananas of the spirits).
The living avoided all possible contact with these spirits, in the first place by physically avoiding places where they were believed to live. Deceit was also be used to fool them: for example, if a baby died soon after being born, the next child who was born by the same mother was given a name of a fierce wild animal - such as a lion or hyena - so that the nkoma be deterred from also taking it. If, by some misfortune, the second child also died, the third born would be given a name which meant "I have no name". By doing so, the spirit would be cheated and it would never know the person.
The third and least common form of spirit was that of the spirit-protector, especially for women. In the Igembe section of the Meru, this protector was called Ntato, the python. The animal was (is?) also considered the spirit-protector of rain, and so it was taboo to kill one (as it is among many societies, notably the Luo).
Aside from normal animal sacrifices, which were either for God, or intended to please or appease spirit-ancestors, I've come across the following intriguing piece in the Consolata Fathers' booklet about the Meru, written sometime around 1974, which seems to mirror the human sacrifices which feature in the myth of the Red People:
There is proven evidence that in Meru region, not far from Muthara (Tigania) up to a few years ago, a peculiar practice continued, called "the seventh year sacrifice". Which could be said, in few words, to be a human sacrifice. During the circumcision ceremony of the seventh year (a most solemn one), the first boy to be circumcised was eliminated by pouring poison on the blade of the knife used for the circumcision.
They said that this had to be done to appease the spirit. Actually it was sometimes an occasion of fight between certain influential persons (like chiefs, witch doctors...) who would seize that opportunity to eliminate the sons of their competitors. In fact, it was because of the rivalry between the chief and the witch doctor of Muthara, who both wanted their respective son to become number one in the tribe, that the news came to the knowledge of the colonial authority. With a cunning compromise worthy of a thriller story, and with the help of the local missionary, the authority brought this peculiar ceremony to an end for ever. And on that very last performance of the "seventh year sacrifice" it was the witch doctor who lost his life.
The tradition of the Mugwe (Mogwe, Mugawe or Muga; plural Agwe) - or religious leader - has now sadly disappeared. In 1974, there was only one remaining Mugwe - that of Tharaka -and I have no idea whether his position was passed on when he died, or whether the lineage simply extinguished itself as it did for the other Agwe.
Traditionally, the Mugwe served as both prophets and spiritual leaders, either for their own clan (although only four clans had Agwe by the time the British left), or for the entire Meru nation. Their power stemmed from the Meru myth of the escape from the "Red People" (see the myth of the Red People in the History section), in some versions of which a prophet named Mugwe led the human sacrifice which brought the answer to their plight: that to escape over the 'Red Sea', the waters had to be struck with a magic spear.
The role and power of the Mugwe was hereditary, passing from father to son, but not necessarily to the first born. Training for this role started at an early age, and was carefully and closely supervised by the reigning Mugwe. The candidate had to be sober, kind to all people, and have a happily married life. The position also necessitated great moral virtues, as well an element of innate skill. Ideally, he would also be free from all blemishes, whether physical or moral, and was to follow correctly the ancient customs of the Meru. As such, he was the custodian of traditional values, a function which he exercised in tandem with the Njuri-Ncheke councils of elders, acting as a judge, and cursing those who deserved it.
The Mugwe's primary role, though, was to lead his people in dealings with God, either by offering propitiatory sacrifices (such as praying for rains and consequent good harvests and grazing) or expiatory sacrifices, whenever a serious fault was committed by a group or an individual of the tribe and needed the appeasement of God or the spirits. It was believed that the Mugwe was in direct contact with God.
The Mugwe was also what is popularly known as a witch doctor. His ability in this domain was called urogi (witchcraft), and combined knowledge of medicine, incantations and rituals with his ability to divine. As diviner, the Mugwe's primary concern was to predict natural events, such as the coming of the rains. But some divinations were more mysterious and less explicable. One case in point is a famous prediction made by the Mugwe of the Igembe section of the Meru ten years before the arrival of the first Europeans, who foretold the arrival in the region of "men dressed in white long robes" (presumably missionaries in white cassocks).
There are similar stories in Kikuyu, Embu and Mbeere cultures, and probably in many others also.
The Meru have two opposing attitudes to death, depending on both how the person had behaved while alive, and his or her status in society.
If it were a good or 'accomplished' person (akiri), they said Aromaama kuuraga (May he sleep in the region where rains are timely), or Naitirie-a-tutiga (He ascended and left us). At other times they would say, astonished: Ati ka baete (kana ng'ania) amaamire mma! Kumaama ng'ania amaamire gutirekaga muntu anyua ruuji ruthira kaau (It is unbelievable that so and so passed away! When we remember him we are unable to even drink).
On the other hand, if the deceased had been a wicked person the Meru would say Naaria eetire, ka ereeraga na miti yawe iri ituro (Where he went he never got a place to build a house. He always wanders with his building sticks on his shoulders). Or they would say Naaria eetire ka aakanaga mwaniki (Where he went he always burns in fire).
To explain a little more, if an 'accomplished' person dies, no matter the grief and sense of loss that might be felt by his or her close relatives, the event is not seen seen as a rupture of daily life, but is instead accompanied by a discreet if austere period of mourning and funerary rites. For the death of an akiri marks the successful end to one particular cycle of life, and is within the natural order of things.
On the other hand, the death of a wicked person - indeed, according to one scholarly paper, the death of any 'unfinished' person - is a tragic and dangerous event. By this theory, 'unfinished' includes all those individuals who have not yet attained the status of elderhood, as well as those elders who died too early to witness the ceremonial transferal of power to the succeeding age-set. These situations necessitate special rites which aim to avoid the danger (of malevolent spirits?), and reinstall the established order of things.
The Meru had a great taboo about death, and believed that a corpse was defiled. They called this rukuu, meaning 'severed from the living'.
If people realised that a neighbour of theirs was going to die, they would take him into the forest and shelter him in a hut they put up there, which was unsurprisingly called the "hut of death". The about-to-be-deceased's name was not to be mentioned anymore.
If someone died in their home, on the other hand, the house had to be destroyed, and the body dragged out by a rope to the bush where it was abandoned.
As they feared to touch a corpse for danger of contamination, whoever disposed of the body was required to undergo a cleansing ritual, known as kwenja rukuu. This involved shaving the family members (which was done by the one who disposed the corpse: he too was shaved by one of the family members). This was then followed by a sexual ritual, which symbolised having found a replacement for the deceased.
The sexual ritual concerned the parents and their children. If a child was not married, then after the death of one's parent, the council immediately proposed a girl or a boy for marriage, after consulting the father of the proposed candidate, who would concede to the request without any hesitation, leaving the arrangement for dowry and the marriage to a later time.
There were, however, some complications regarding the disposal of a barren woman or a man who never had a child. These were the people called mburatuu by the Meru, meaning useless people. When a barren woman died in her original home (otherwise her husband would have cared for her disposal if she had died when she was at his home), or when a childless man died, there would be a problem as no member of the family would want to touch the corpse of such a person because such corpses were viewed as a curse. However, since the corpse had to be disposed of, a public undertaker who was referred to as mwenji or mutheria (a ritual cleanser) was called in. This public undertaker was given a goat by a close relative of the deceased, with whose wife he had to carry out the sexual act. If the deceased was a widower, the public undertaker had to go somewhere else to look for a woman whose husband had passed away, or to look for a public woman undertaker (mwenji-o-muntu muka).
In spite of the 54% "traditional beliefs" quoted in my Facts & Figures on Meru religious beliefs, it seems to me extremely likely that the majority of Meru are now Christian. As mentioned above, by 1974, there was only one Mugwe left in the whole of Meru land. The second had converted that same year to Catholicism without passing the prerogative of his title to his son, and two more lineages of Agwe had disappeared in the early part of the century.
With the absence of traditional religious leadership, and the coincidental rise of unemployment, poverty and other urban woes, it would be no surprise to find that many more people have turned to Christianity to fill the spiritual void. Nonetheless, an evangelical website writes: "Due to the large number of church members among the Meru, most have concluded them to be an evangelized people. Upon closer examination one finds church membership to be primarily a cultural matter and the majority of Meru to be lost." It finishes, touching on probably the biggest problem facing modern Kenya today, that of corruption: "One frustrating hindrance to training and church development has been a political power attitude by church leaders."
One can only hope that Meru society refinds a sense of balance between the modern and the traditional before it is too late.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Never Removed from the Box. One of the Best Likeness on a Bruce Lee piece!
The item "Enterbay 1/4 Bruce Lee 70th Anniversary HD-1001 Resin Bust Statue Figure New MIB" is in sale since Thursday, September 2, 2021. This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Action Figures & Accessories\Action Figures". The seller is "astrohu" and is located in Staten Island, New York.
This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.


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TERRY and Rita Tolhurst toasted 50 years of marriage in a way they "had never anticipated" with 30 family members on the screen via Zoom on August 17.
The couple said the day was "absolutely brilliant" even if they couldn't meet up in person.
Their anniversary day started with a specially live-streamed Monday Mass celebrated by Bracken Ridge parish priest Fr Gerry Hefferan.
Mr Tolhurst said it was a beautiful Mass and "very meaningful for us".
The Mass was followed by the Zoom get-together later that night with extended family.
Last year, Mrs Tolhurst had talked about how, when it was their turn, they would get to celebrate Mass at St Stephen's Cathedral with other couples on their golden wedding anniversary.
"Unfortunately that's not to be," she said.
The couple were in a higher risk category for catching COVID-19, which meant they had to avoid crowds when possible.
They weren't going to miss out entirely – Mr and Mrs Tolhurst would be watching the livestream from home for the St Stephen's Mass when it would be celebrated on September 26.
Their journey had been full of unexpected moments – like the first time Mr Tolhurst played tennis.
In 1965, Mr Tolhurst decided to put his name down for the Queensland Catholic Lawn Tennis Association.
"It just so happened that Rita's brother, who was the captain of the team, had put in a request that they needed an extra team member," Mr Tolhurst said.
"So I became a team member… and I met Rita the first time I played tennis."
They had met in February and had their first date in May when Rita partnered Terry to the Young Christian Workers Ball at Cloudland.
They dated for a couple of years until Mr Tolhurst went to Canberra for a job promotion and they started a romance by correspondence.
Rita visited Terry in 1968 with her aunt and cousin and he popped the question while she was there.
On August 17, 1970, the couple were wed.
Two years later they had their first daughter and in 1976 their second daughter.
They had agreed by age 40 they would move to somewhere warmer because Canberra was too cold.
So they returned in 1987 in time for the World Expo in 1988.
Both their daughters got married and they now have "six beautiful grandchildren".
The couple's advice for married people – be patient and listen to the other point of view.
Mrs Tolhurst said faith had "helped us a lot with staying together and understanding each other".
"(Faith) has been a big part of our lives," she said.
Mr Tolhurst said it always had been too.
The couple attributed it to some "great parishes" too.
Since their first parish together in Canberra, they had always tried to get involved with the local church work.
"We've probably got the best parish priest in Brisbane, that's my opinion anyway – Fr Gerry Hefferan," Mr Tolhurst said.
Mrs Tolhurst said they had been "very lucky" to have had Fr Bernie Costigan for 21 years too.


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The former Baltes-Cambray Building, circa 1895, is now in its final location on the southeast corner of Superior and Harrison Streets, 177 W. Superior Street.
The historic building was scheduled to be demolished to make way for construction of Promenade Park when Bud Hall stepped forward to save the building. It was moved from its original location at 312 S. Harrison St. across Harrison to the east on January 29, 2018. Then, Allen County deeded the property at 177 W. Superior St. to the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission and the Commission deeded it to Don Hall's Restaurants. Hall's intends to renovate the building into a modern bar and restaurant.
This latest development is all part of the emerging Riverfront Fort Wayne neighborhood, which will include public spaces, commercial, retail, restaurant and residential spaces. For more information about Riverfront Fort Wayne, visit www.RiverfrontFW.org.


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American Dad - Just like its sister show Family Guy; American Dad was created by Seth MacFarlane. This animated comedy series airs on the Fox television network and is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. As with most animated shows that Seth MacFarlane has a hand in American Dad...
Just like its sister show
Family Guy
; American Dad was created by
Seth MacFarlane
. This animated comedy series airs on the
Fox television network
and is produced by 20th Century
Fox Television
. As with most animated shows that
Seth MacFarlane
has a hand in American Dad is geared towards a mature audience and features a lot of violence, sex, and rude humor. This has not stopped parents from letting their little children watch it American Dad has an ever growing audience of all ages; this program has not had any serious rating drops since it first launched in 2005. American Dad centers around the life of Stan Smith; Stan is a all American
family guy
who lives with his wife, two children, an alien, and a talking fish. Why does live with such strange creatures you may ask? Well, he holds a job at the CIA; this is where he acquired the alien and the talking fish. A day in the life of Stan includes listening to conservative talk radio and fighting everything that is non-American; this includes terrorists and his daughter Hayley who is anything but a conservative and never ceases to amaze her dad by smoking pot and living the life of a hippy. Stan's second child is Steve; this boy is your typical geek who has little or no social life and hangs out with his friends all day talking about Star Trek or playing musical instruments. Just because he is a geek does not mean he is not confident, Steve is very confident of himself to the point of being arrogant; this is seen throughout the show and he always seems to get in trouble at school because of this. Stan's wife is named Franc ine; she is a regular conservative stay at home mom, although her political views are not discussed much the creators have given hints that she does not subscribe to the same conservative beliefs as her husband. Overall this is a pretty funny show; from reading my description you may think that this show is a propaganda machine. This is not so, most of the political jokes show Stan as an idiot who does not know what he is doing.
Seth MacFarlane
really has a thing for creating funny shows for adults, just please make sure to use you better judgment when letting your little children watch this show. Just because it is a cartoon does not mean it is for children.
The Deep End
Family Guy
TV News
TV Series
TV Legends
News Journalists


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Some of our clients sell items on their website that don't necessarily exist in their POS or ERP system. Orders with that type of item cannot function with our Ship from Store suite of features; in this article, we'll discuss what causes this problem, and a few other small details.
Irregular Items
When we refer to "irregular items" here, we're specifically referring to items that are not in your POS or ERP system. If you have items like this on your website, you're likely already aware of what they are. If you're not sure, you can try crosschecking items you're concerned about in your POS system.
Why Don't They Work With Ship from Store?
Ship from Store requires that items exist in your POS or ERP system in order for us to apply "rules", which are used to govern how Ship from Store works. You can read more about rules and how they work for Ship from Store here. If a single item in an order doesn't exist in your POS system, then the integrator won't be able to apply any rules you've set to the order, resulting in the order failing.
If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to submit a support request.


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The Dawn of Another Life - The Star Circle of the Spirit World
by William W. Aber
There is no system of religion or philosophy, no new theory or science that Spiritualism does not embrace.
It has obtained a foothold among men that no other religion or science has been able to reach in regard to a future life. Like other reformations we have and are building such powerful auxiliaries to the success and growth of Spiritualism that no force can disturb its progress. We hope to make this work plain and comprehensive to its readers. All of this and much more is now easily to be learned by any one who will investigate and study the constantly increasing literature of Spiritualism at the present day.
The short, terse paragraphs and independent sentences contained in the three books, Rending the Vail, Beyond the Vail, and the Guiding Star, have given food to the hungry soul. This book will be entirely written by us, different than the other three books, being fully satisfied that the thoughts and expressions contained in this book will richly repay for the time consumed in their study, and that they will throw much needed light in what Spiritualism is, and what Spiritualists believe; this book is herewith presented to the public.


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Upon arrival at the rendezvous point, your tour guide will meet and greet you, and will locate you to the bus where your exciting trip begins. The local tour guide will then transfer you to your hotel to conduct check-in. After short break at the hotel, visit the famous "Broad & Narrow Alley", where, over the past centuries since its construction in Qing dynasty, it has gone through countless building improvisations under heavy influences from both Eastern and Western cultural styles. Then, visit the scenic "People's Park", where you will experience the relaxing leisure and peacefulness of the environment and worldliness of local seniors and their lifestyles. After, get a traditional taste of tea, through its sophisticated processes of preparation and knowledge, at a local teahouse.
After breakfast at the hotel, tour the Chengdu Dujiangyan Panda Base
Get a unique opportunity of being a "staff" for the breeding centre. Participate in the "Panda Keeper Tour" at the Dujiangyan Panda Base and get a chance to enter into all restricted areas in the Centre, being in close contact with the lovely pandas. With participation in the "Panda Keeper Tour", a lecture on handling the lovely pandas will be given by one of the centre's directors. Then, you will receive your panda keeper uniform and restricted area passport to enter the research facility. You will be assigned to a supervisor who will assist you for your time with the pandas. (Some activities might include: sweeping the immaculate panda bins, prepared bamboos for the panda, feeding the panda, help showering a panda and etc.). (Please be advised that activities listed are not all guaranteed. The Breeding Centre will make the arrangements accordingly for your activities). During your break, you are free to roam and explore the facility.
Lunch included. Time: 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm in the famous Panda Restaurant.
After breakfast, your local tour guide will transfer you to the airport. Depart home or extend your journey to other cities in China.
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No.21 3rd Section North - 2nd Ring Rd, Chengdu
+86 28 6906 9666
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Please request for an invitation letter from your Rewards Holiday representative before visiting the Chinese Embassy/Consulate.
There are offices located in Washington D.C, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston.
For more information, check out the Chinese embassy website: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/
We recommend that you begin your visa application 45-days prior to your departure.
Please be advised that final decision on issuing a visa is total discretion of the designated Embassy / consulate, we are not responsible for any delay caused by unmet requirements or denial of visa by the consulate. The embassy may require additional supporting materials based on different personal circumstances.
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Proposal of European appliance test results exchange
Based on the partner's experience with appliance testing (such as availability of information, number of tests, interest of stakeholders, distribution of information, feedback and corrective action taken), partners will evaluate the current experience with European exchange of information about product tests and will discuss the effectiveness and conditions to launch such mechanisms on a permanent basis between the national Market Surveillance Authorities. Related issues such as responsibility for such action, funding and EU official bodies support will be also addressed.
Results will be disseminated also among the international organisations and experts active in this field, or projects, initiatives or activities active at the same time, including also the national surveillance authorities.
This document will be published in Spring 2013. If you are interested in discussing the scope of this activity, please, contact the co-ordinator or the national project partners.
front page |
Title of the document |
Short note on content | ||||
country | date | number |
Energy labelling and ecodesign are a crucial driver for market transformation, orienting consumers' choice towards more energy efficient appliances. Unfortunately, not all EU Member States apply effective actions for controlling the correct labelling implementation and product compliance. The Come On Labels project therefore has analysed the question of information and test results exchange among Member States and related bodies, in order to draw some recommendations to be shared. The main goal of this document is to collect available information and practices about the sharing of surveillance activities at EU and Member States level, and to describe the recently published Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package that includes new recommendations and obligations for market surveillance authorities.


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VGD won the AGREEN STARTUP in 2018, the competition for startups in the service of agriculture. It is dedicated to farmers, technicians, engineers, developers, designers, politicians who are mobilizing everywhere in the field to imagine and create a modern and innovative agriculture through the digital revolution.
To discover the video, click on this link.
The following year, VGD participates in the major SIVAL plant innovation competition.
Result ? VGD is rewarded thanks to its innovative lighting platform and wins a membership to Vegepolys as well as a voucher for a stand at SIVAL.


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I have critiqued the Ayn Rand Institute's failures to advance Ayn Rand and promote her philosophy. Several people have asked me what I think ARI could do to succeed. I'll provide some thoughts on that below. But first, some context.
Yaron Brook, on his podcast, publicly asked: "While [Carl Barney] was on the Board [of ARI] for 25 years when these failures were happening, what did he do about it?" He goes on a diatribe about my article, ARI is Failing and Needs Our Help. Yaron says it is "filled with misrepresentations, inaccuracies, distortions, perversions, and on and on and on I could go, but what for, what would be the purpose?" He asserts that my comments are full of errors but he refuses to specify even one. That's telling. But it's not my focus here. And I'm not interested in trading barbs with him. (That said, if he continues making such wild assertions, I'll be inclined to publish the relevant documentation so that you can see for yourself.)
My concern here is to address Yaron's claim that in my 25 years on ARI's Board, I never said anything about my concerns with ARI's lack of success. To understand my thinking on this, it will be helpful to first look briefly at ARI's 2020 annual report, which was beautifully done—lots of nice pictures, graphs, and boasts. The problem is that it seriously lacks substance and doesn't report on any real, measurable results. So much is missing from it.
Yaron, ARI's Chairman and leading spokesman, is absent entirely. The annual report features large pictures and pieces on Tal Tsfany, CEO, and Onkar Ghate, "Chief Philosophy Officer," but no Yaron. I've never seen an annual report in which the Chairman has nothing to say.
Next, given that this is the Ayn Rand Institute, you would expect to see Ayn Rand promoted, but she is presented only after a long, nine-page interview with Tal and not until halfway through the report. That is a huge problem (more on this later).
A mention of Leonard Peikoff appears almost as an afterthought in the back of the report. That's wrong, too.
Then there is the question of transparency. Where are the measurements of ARI's success? And what is even being measured? Where is the data showing meaningful results (not clicks, views, or hours)? Anyone who cares about advancing Rand's ideas, and anyone giving money to ARI, should demand accurate, meaningful, rational measurements and data. The report offers little in this regard.
New Objectivists? Where are the numbers regarding increases or decreases in the number of Objectivists? There's no measurement of that, and no indication or evidence that there are any more Objectivists now than there were 5, 10, or 20 years ago. (Yaron: Please prove me wrong!)
New Intellectuals? There are no new professional intellectuals coming out of ARI, and none getting into major universities. Greg Salmieri is the most recent, and he graduated from the Objectivist Academic Center (OAC) over 15 years ago. Alex Epstein also graduated from the OAC over 15 years ago; he is a credible voice for reason and Objectivism, but he succeeded on his own merit outside of ARI. (Yaron: Am I overlooking successful, impactful new Objectivist intellectuals from ARI?)
Book Sales? What's happening with Ayn Rand's and Leonard Peikoff's books? How many books have been sold (not given away)? ARI's annual report provides no stats on book sales whatsoever. There's a good reason for that: the book sales have been down and declining in the U.S. for years. That is deeply troubling, and it's an indicator of massive failure. Podcasts and radio shows may help, but if people do not read Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff, they will never understand or appreciate Objectivism.
Objectivist Academic Center? Where are the OAC graduates? Where is the group picture of graduates for this year?… Past years? Of course, the government-ordered lockdowns blocked the possibility of an in-person photo, but why no Zoom picture? There is no picture because there is no one to photograph—few, if any, have graduated. This is extremely sad and troubling.
OCON? Attendance at the Institute's summer conference is perhaps ARI's most visible failure. I've attended OCON for over 30 years, and the attendance has remained more or less flat for that entire time. Attendance should be in the thousands, not hundreds. In my view, it should be 10,000 by now.
ARI's Board needs to speak to Yaron. He ran his December 31, 2020 personal radio show out of the Ayn Rand Institute's Conference Room but told his listeners to ignore that fact. He asserted that he's not speaking for ARI, and he's not discussing Objectivism, only his own ideas. Yet he's the foremost spokesman for ARI, the current Chairman of the Board, and the former CEO of about 15 years. Yaron used the power and prestige of his position to lend credibility to his show and to raise money for himself—a sort of telethon. In doing so, he has endangered ARI's nonprofit status with the IRS.
Yaron wants to get paid for his show, but despite my urging of many years, he refuses to charge for Leonard Peikoff's courses, which are invaluable. Not charging for Leonard's and Ayn Rand's works devalues and debases them. I know from comments I've received that many people are offended by the $0 price tag on material that is among the most valuable in all of human history. When I look at ARI's treatment of Leonard's courses, in particular, I see lack of respect.
So, what can be done? First, and above all, this is the Ayn Rand Institute—repeat, Ayn Rand! It should not be about Yaron Brook, or Onkar Ghate, or Tal Tsfany. All of Leonard Peikoff's lectures at the Ford Hall Forum and all his courses were directly related to Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. His brilliant exposition of Ayn Rand and Objectivism did not detract from his eminence; it enhanced it. Leonard has always been his own man, while being a devoted advocate of Ayn Rand and teacher of Objectivism.
ARI should be doing much more to promote Ayn Rand and her brilliant philosophy. Massive promotions should be done of her novels, her nonfiction books, and the courses that she and Leonard taught. There should be book clubs and study clubs centered around their books and materials.
No one teaches Ayn Rand and Objectivism as well as Leonard. All of his courses should be marketed vigorously, delivered professionally, and priced appropriately. They should not be thrown up on YouTube for free alongside kitten and puppy videos. They should be offered as premium courses and taught worldwide, as was agreed many years ago when I proposed, planned, and financed ARI Campus.
There is so much more that ARI could and should be doing to advance Objectivism.
Now, for an indication of what I did and said about such things while I was on the Board of ARI.
In 2014-2015, at Yaron's request, I created a detailed agenda, the most relevant parts of which I've uploaded here, here, and here. This is an extract from the introduction:
Agenda Questions: As for me, I'm not interested in a routine confirmation and tweak planning sessions, i.e., we do more or less of what we are already doing. Yaron wrote on 7/6/2015, we need "to expand current programs and bring new ones online… essential to changing the culture." I'm not sure this is true.
I want to question everything; re-think everything; then stop or continue with minimum, moderate, or maximum effort.
What will exist in 10 or 15 years that will make a real difference? Number of Objectivist intellectuals? …of Objectivists? …of fans? …of AR books sold? …of books sold? Conferences? Speaking tours? Campus courses completed? TV appearances? Radio show? Policy briefings? Books on healthcare, education, equality? What numbers of what do we want to exist in 10-15 years?
Above all, I want to set a clear, aggressive, specific goal(s) that will lead to a substantive, measurable result—100,000 students active on Campus? 15,000 Objectivists? 1,000 professors teaching Objectivism?
Really, the question is: What will be the BIG result by 2025/2030?—a clear, specific, measurable, significant, BIG GOAL(S), and a clear-cut means of achieving it/them.
Also, at the end, real commitment to the plan, even, hopefully, excitement.
Yaron and I, along with other ARI executives and some Board members, spent seven full days planning to significantly improve ARI, which I was already funding substantially and interested in funding even more substantially. I asked many questions to spark discussion and generate ideas. And many excellent ideas were considered. However, at the end of the planning, Yaron declared that he wasn't going to change anything. All of the planning that had been done over the previous seven days was rejected and abandoned. I was stunned and profoundly disappointed.
I left and went home. A few days later, Yaron flew to my home at Lake Tahoe and made promises to implement some of the ideas planned, and in particular, to promote and deliver Leonard's courses according to my requests. He didn't keep his promises.
Yaron had mainly planned to create a cadre of professional Objectivists at ARI who would write books and lecture around the world. Tens of millions of dollars have now been spent on this program. What is the result? Some books were published, but few if any of them sold more than 1,000 copies. There are no new renowned Objectivist speakers. Yaron's plan hasn't worked. If it had, and if ARI were successful, I would be cheering rather than critiquing.
Some are concerned about my critiquing ARI, yet if we are to have a real and effective Ayn Rand Institute—one that actually carries out the mission of promoting Ayn Rand and advancing her ideas—then we must speak up, particularly major contributors and Board members. Speaking up makes a difference. We can see this in my case; some of my prior posts have noticeably affected ARI. You can see a bit more focus on Rand, and more (but still inadequate) promotion of Leonard Peikoff and his books and courses.
We need a strong, effective ARI that produces measurable results. I've written several posts that have produced some changes, but I'm hoping that this will be my last one on this topic. I want to focus on Prometheus Foundation and on finishing my book.
I've spoken up. I've communicated some painful things that needed to be said. Now, I encourage contributors and the Board to speak up. Asking tough questions, such as those in the agenda I wrote, would be a starting point. Ask for measurable results. Demand them.
My best to you and ARI.


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In order to achieve Moonshot Goal 1, "Realization of a society in which human beings can be free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050." we aim to develop and disseminate technologies that enable anyone to freely expand their physical and cognitive abilities by using cybernetic avatars (CAs).
We are proceeding with our research and development project, "Liberation from Biological Limitations via Physical, Cognitive and Perceptual Augmentation".
The ultimate goal of this project is to realize the "Internet of Brains (IoB)", where the brain is connected to the Internet using brain-machine interface (BMI) technology, and can freely control CAs in cyber-physical space, where cyberspace and real space are fused together, and directly communicate with other humans and AI.
To achieve this goal, we will gradually improve BMI technology, which is currently at a relatively basic research stage, to a practical level, by combining it with AI technology, which is making remarkable progress.
We will also address the many ethical, legal, social, and economic issues that are expected to arise when such technology is introduced into society, and we will provide guidelines for its use while working proactively to implement technology suitable for practical use in society.
Through this project, we hope not only to create many new technologies, but also to generate economic effects through industrialization.
In addition, we hope that these effects will spill over to related basic research and provide feedback, leading to the development of a "new science" that circulates between the economy and basic research.
KANAI Ryota
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
Chief Executive Officer
Araya Inc.


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I recently came across the following issue in a homebrew campaign setting, and am unsure how it would work RAW:
Our Warlock had used Minions of Chaos to summon a Fire Elemental via Conjure Elemental. Shortly after this we entered the Feywild, leaving the minion on guard duty on the Prime Material. As per the "Time Warp" section of the DMG's description of the Feywild (p. 50):
While time seems to pass normally in the Feywild, characters might spend a day there and realize, upon leaving the plane, that less or more time has elapsed everywhere else in the multiverse.
We have yet spent under an hour in the Feywild, potentially days in Material-Time, yet are unsure whether the Elemental will have expired, whether concentration is broken, or whether it will continue to be under the caster's control for their subjective hour time span?


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277 Dance Project will be presented under the Pentacle Showcase as part of the Dance Manager's Collective and Booking Dance Festival on January 8th at 6:35pm EST.
SIXTH EXIT, is a new evening-length dance piece by Nicole Philippidis for 277 Dance Project that investigates humans' connection with the planet, and how man-made pollution and climate change are affecting society both on a personal and macro scale. Performed by six dancers, and set to an original score composed by collaborator and
award-winning musician Johnny Philippidis
and Jacob Wolos.
Please use this RSVP link to RSVP and join us for the virtual showcase screening in real-time on January 8, 2021 from 6-9pm EST.


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Geometric morphometric analysis of growth patterns among facial types
Document Type
Publication Title
American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
First Page
Last Page
Publication Date
Introduction: Extreme patterns of vertical facial divergence are of great importance to clinicians because of their association with dental malocclusion and functional problems of the orofacial complex. Understanding the growth patterns associated with vertical facial divergence is critical for clinicians to provide optimal treatment. This study evaluates and compares growth patterns from childhood to adulthood among 3 classifications of vertical facial divergence using longitudinal, lateral cephalograms from the Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study. Methods: Participants (183 females, 188 males) were classified into 1 of 3 facial types on the basis of their adult mandibular plane angle (MPA): hyperdivergent (MPA >39°; n = 40), normodivergent (28° ≤ MPA ≤ 39°; n = 216), and hypodivergent (MPA <28°; n = 115). Each individual had 5 cephalograms between ages 6 and 20 years. A set of 36 cephalometric landmarks were digitized on each cephalogram. Landmark configurations were superimposed to align 5 homologous landmarks of the anterior cranial base and scaled to unit centroid size. Growth trajectories were calculated using multivariate regression for each facial type and sex combination. Results: Divergent growth trajectories were identified among facial types, finding more similarities in normodivergent and hypodivergent growth patterns than either share with the hyperdivergent group. Through the use of geometric morphometric methods, new patterns of facial growth related to vertical facial divergence were identified. Hyperdivergent growth exhibits a downward rotation of the maxillomandibular complex relative to the anterior cranial base, in addition to the increased relative growth of the lower anterior face. Conversely, normodivergent and hypodivergent groups exhibit stable positioning of the maxilla relative to the anterior cranial base, with the forward rotation of the mandible. Furthermore, the hyperdivergent maxilla and mandible become relatively shorter and posteriorly positioned with age compared with the other groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrates how hyperdivergent growth, particularly restricted growth and positioning of the maxilla, results in a higher potential risk for Class II malocclusion. Future work will investigate growth patterns within each classification of facial divergence.
Recommended Citation
Knigge, R. P.,
McNulty, K. P.,
Oh, H.,
Hardin, A. M.,
Leary, E. V.,
Duren, D. L.,
Valiathan, M.,
Sherwood, R. J.
Geometric morphometric analysis of growth patterns among facial types.
American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 160(3), 430–441.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2020.04.038


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Summer 2003
We've been hard at work since last summer, though as usual these photos show training in progress (yes, more excuses about my position). These pictures are from our first attempt at collection, and you can see that I'm sorting out what to do with my arms, and that while Duncan is raising his front half and using his hind end well, he's not yet really fully engaging his back. All the same I love these photos for what they do show--a wonderful flexion in his joints and a softness coming through to the bit. Besides, he's got on his Power Red saddle pad!
Photos on this page by Jennifer Roberson


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The Big House
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Hill
Chester Morris
Wallace Beery
Lewis Stone
Robert Montgomery
Leila Hyams
Film Details
Technical Specs
Kent Marlowe, a frightened young man convicted of manslaughter while driving drunk, becomes cellmates with hardened prisoners "Machine Gun" Butch Schmidt and John Morgan, who are serving time, respectively, for homicide and robbery. Conditions at the prison are extremely harsh, especially in the prison mess, where the convicts are fed small amounts of spoiled, inedible food. One day, when Butch loudly objects to the food, causing an unruly outpouring of complaints from the other prisoners, Warden James Adams orders him to be placed in solitary confinement, called "the dungeon," for thirty days. Before he is taken away, Bush passes his contraband knife down a row of prisoners until it reaches an anxious Kent. When yard snitch Oliver later tells Kent that his time in prison could be significantly shortened if he passes on information to the guards, his naiveté and fear cause him to hide the knife among Morgan's things. When head guard Wallace searches Morgan's bunk, he finds the knife and sends him to the dungeon, even though Morgan was to be paroled the next day and swears that the knife is not his. At the end of his time in the dungeon, Morgan feigns unconsciousness and is taken to the prison hospital. Late that night, by sneaking away from his hospital bed and changing places with the corpse of another prisoner who has just died, Morgan is able to escape the prison in the mortician's wagon. Intending to get back at Kent, whom he deduces planted the knife, Morgan goes to a bookstore owned by his sister Anne, whom Morgan had briefly seen visiting Kent in prison. Although Anne recognizes Morgan, when a policeman acquaintance, Sgt. Donlin, comes into her shop while Morgan is there, she covers for him, saying he is an old friend named Everett. Morgan starts a job and begins to spend time with Anne and her family, and the two fall in love, but his freedom is short-lived when Donlin, who had recognized Morgan, arrests him at the Marlowes' home. Back at prison, Morgan determines that he will serve his time and start life over when he is released. Butch wants Morgan to come with him, Kent and some of the other prisoners who are planning a prison break, but Morgan refuses, saying that he plans to go straight, despite the wretched food and horrible conditions at the prison. On the day of the planned escape, just before noon, when the attempt will be made, Morgan is called into the prison office. When Butch and some of the others start to break through the prison gates, which were momentarily opened to allow fellow conspirator Gopher, the prison gardener, hand a bunch of flowers to a guard, they are greeted by Wallace's men firing machine guns at them. Butch is convinced that Morgan had revealed their plans, even though Morgan refused to give Wallace any information. Unknown to Butch, Wallace has confirmed to Morgan that Kent is the informer. After some of the prisoners are killed in the escape attempt, Butch and his remaining cohorts barricade themselves inside a cellblock and, using prison machine guns they have confiscated, threaten to kill all of the guards they have taken prisoner. Morgan risks his life to save some of the guards, despite being wounded. As tear gas canisters and finally an army tank enter the cell block, a panicked Kent is killed. Butch, who has been mortally wounded, is about to kill Morgan when one of the other prisoners reveals that it was Kent who was the informer. As he dies, Butch smiles at his friend, saying he would never kill him and was "just kidding." After the riot is quelled, Morgan is proclaimed a hero and pardoned by the governor. He promises Adams that he will go straight from now on and plans to move to the islands or another country where government lands are available. As he leaves the prison gates, Morgan is embraced by Anne, who has been waiting for him.
George Hill
Chester Morris
Wallace Beery
Lewis Stone
Robert Montgomery
Leila Hyams
George F. Marion
J. C. Nugent
Karl Dane
Dewitt Jennings
Mathew Betz
Claire Mcdowell
Robert E. O'connor
Tom Kennedy
Tom Wilson
Eddie Foyer
Roscoe Ates
Fletcher Norton
Photo Collections
Movie Clip
Hosted Intro
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Wins
Best Screenplay
Best Sound
Award Nominations
Best Actor
Best Picture
The Big House
The film opens with an incident of vehicular homicide. While driving drunk, Kent Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) kills some pedestrians and is sentenced to a 10-year manslaughter term. Montgomery quickly loses his identity as he is photographed, fingerprinted, stripped, measured, numbered and outfitted in prison drab. He is then tossed in a tiny cell with two hardened cons: forger and petty thief John Morgan (Chester Morris), and the cellblock leader Butch Schmidt (Wallace Beery), aka "Machine Gun," a crude, calculating thug who lives for the day that he can break out of prison. In order to procure some favors from the warden (Lewis Stone), Kent rats on Butch about his escape plans and is murdered during the climactic breakout as a consequence. However, John behaves courageously during the ensuing riot, saving the warden and the guards from Butch's murderous rage; as a reward, he earns a reduced sentence and the love of Kent's sister Anne (Leila Hyams), whom he met during a previous escape attempt.
The story seems fairly standard by today's standards, and the romantic subplot involving John and Anne is unnecessary, but these are minor flaws to a film that is brimming with riveting sequences, strong dialogue, superb acting and innovative direction by George William Hill. Indeed, the director's use of natural light and unconventional camera angles combined with a harsh view of prison life are strikingly effective in creating the stark, vivid mood of the picture. This is best exemplified in the chilling scene where Butch is escorted down a narrow hallway which leads to the solitary block: he is thrown into the cell and the door is bolted while the camera lingers in the empty corridor. A deafening silence prevails. Slowly, the voices of other prisoners are heard, making comments about the new arrival; one convict curses, another cries hysterically and another sings. All the while, the camera remains immobile, focused on that empty corridor which seems to stretch interminably.
MGM arranged for screenwriter Frances Marion to tour San Quentin and she kept a diary of conversations with prison officials and inmates to observe atmosphere, personalities and prison jargon. The studio spared no expense in building huge sets that reproduced San Quentin cellblocks, the mess hall and the high-walled prison yard. Harold Wenstrom's fluid cinematography enabled him to capture some impressive crane shots that travel up and down the spiral staircases leading to the tiers of cells, giving the film a sense of movement that was ahead of its time. (Most films still revealed their stage-bound origins in the early thirties.) Even the film's editing techniques (supervised by Blanche Sewell) are impressive, particularly in the mess-hall sequence; at first the room is seen empty, but with the use of a quick dissolve, it soon fills with convicts and the camera pans along a row of sullen faces as the men wait for the signal to turn over their tin cups. It's a superior example of pure cinematic storytelling that captures the anonymity of prison life beautifully.
Also noteworthy is the realistic use of sound by Douglas Shearer (brother of MGM's grand star Norma Shearer). Movie audiences for the first time heard the stomping feet of hundreds of prisoners parading down the stairs, the rapid fire of machine guns, and the sound of steel doors slamming shut. Shearer would go on to win an Oscar for this film (the first of his 14 Academy Awards), and was eventually appointed head of MGM's Sound Recording Studio, where his advancement in sound effects were later demonstrated in his brilliant earthquake climax of San Francisco (1936) and his ferocious aerial battle scenes in the exciting Thirty Second Over Tokyo (1944).
The Big House was also something of a breakthrough for the lead actors, especially Wallace Beery. Although the studio had originally tailored the role of Butch for Lon Chaney, the actor unfortunately died of throat cancer just prior to this production. Newly signed by MGM after his long-term contract with Paramount was cancelled, Beery had been out of work for a year (the longest drought in his 20-year film career) when Frances Marion saw him eating spaghetti in the MGM commissary. His massive frame and hulking visage reminded her of some of the San Quentin inmates, and Beery was promptly cast as Butch. Beery played the role with delicious intensity and he created a hulking, menacing figure, as violent as he was conniving.
Until this film, both Robert Montgomery and Chester Morris had mostly been cast as romantic leads opposite such strong female stars as Joan Crawford, Dolores Costello and Norma Shearer. In fact, both Montgomery and Morris starred with Shearer in The Divorcee (1930), one of MGM's biggest box-office hits in 1930 and made just prior to The Big House. But in The Big House, both Montgomery and Morris deliver tough and uncompromising performances that went against their established screen personas.
Although George William Hill would direct a few more noteworthy films for MGM in the next few years, most notably those scripted by his wife Frances Marion (Min and Bill, 1930, and The Secret Six, 1931), his promising career was never fulfilled; he unexpectedly committed suicide in 1934 at the age of 39, leaving many to wonder what he might have achieved had he lived longer. At any rate, The Big House continues to stand as one of the most impressive prison dramas to emerge from the era of early talkies.
Director: Paul Fejos, George W. Hill
Screenplay: Joseph Farnham, Martin Flavin, Frances Marion, Lennox Robinson
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons
Cinematography: Harold Wenstrom
Costume Design: David Cox
Film Editing: Blanche Sewell
Principal Cast: Chester Morris (John Morgan), Wallace Beery (Butch Schmidt), Lewis Stone (Warden James Adams), Robert Montgomery (Kent Marlowe), Leila Hyams (Anne Marlowe), George F. Marion (Pop Riker), J. C. Nugent (Mr. Marlowe).
BW-88m. Closed captioning.
by Michael T. Toole
The Big House
The Big House on DVD
The first shots of The Big House present the prison as a massive, intimidating, almost medieval-looking compound and usher us inside along with the new guy getting processed: Kent (Robert Montgomery), an affluent kid convicted of a hit-and-run who goes through the system with a dazed look and a shuffling manner. Montgomery has never had the screen strength or presence of other actors in his early performances role but it works perfectly for the spoiled, weak-willed Kent. He's completely unprepared for prison and his ordeal is compounded when he's assigned to a cell with bank robber Morgan (Chester Morris), our leading man and a kind of underworld aristocracy thanks to his reputation as a criminal mastermind, and prison-yard bully Butch (Wallace Beery), who isn't too bright but defers to Morgan.
Chester Morris, a somewhat wooden leading man who later eased into B-movies and played Boston Blackie in over a dozen films, comes off as a slightly tougher Richard Barthelmess, the square guy (by underworld standards, at least) rolling with tough breaks. Beery is at once childish and brutal as Butch, a killer with no remorse who nonetheless hews to the prison code. Morgan and Butch may not always agree but they have each other's backs. Montgomery is nervous and sweaty as the wide-eyed fresh meat and he ignores good advice and turns snitch, illustrating the warning given by the warden in the first scene: "Prison doesn't make you yellow, but if you are already yellow, prison brings it out." I guess we know his predilections. Silent movie veteran Lewis Stone (later famed as Judge Hardy to Mickey Rooney's Andy) is the tough but committed warden and Stone is indeed tough, a disciplinarian with a reformer's spirit. He knows that packing men in ever tighter and tighter is simply putting pressure on combustible elements and it's only a matter of time before everything blows up.
The story is basically a roll call of what will become prison movie clichés. We see the regimentation and overcrowding of the prison, are introduced to the pecking order of tough guys behind bars, shown the culture of bullies and snitches and the prison code of loyalty and retribution. There's a prison reform speech, a frame-up, a spell in solitary, a cafeteria protest that erupts into a food fight, a prison break and a riot that gets way out of control.
The direct, however, is forceful and the presentation is striking. The cells are small and cramped, with barely any room for the men to move about. The mess hall is like a massive dungeon with high, blank walls looming over the inmates, who are packed into the tables lined up in rows and columns with regimented precision. Guards watch over them from on high. It's mealtime in purgatory and Hill contrasts the surface of resignation to the routine with the covert dealings out of sight for the guards below the table tops: close-ups of hands passing weapons and messages, an assembly line of covert dealings that has become part of the routine. The image is echoed at chapel, where the prisoners file in out of duty rather than faith and then distribute guns for an attempted escape. It makes a mockery of chapel as any kind spiritual reprieve.
The central cell block itself is an enormous four-story set with rows of cells stacked high and men ascending and descending through a spiderweb of metal staircases and walkways. An elevator camera passes through the levels and takes in the crowds of men in prison fatigues filing and out with every whistle, and when the riot erupts, the vertical movement enhances the sense of chaos as the violence inflames tempers. Hill has a cast of hundreds at his disposal and when he packs them into a set or the prison year, hemmed in by high walls and guard towers that loom over the men, he shows us exactly the kind of pressure that drives them to violence.
The overall effect is the machine-like ritual and numbing repetition of incarceration and the systematic dehumanization of the prisoners. Even before the opening scene and the impersonal processing of the new inmate, it begins in the credits, which play not over music but the lock-step trudge of marching feet across the prison yard. That beat crunches through the soundtrack of the film, a metronome that picks up with every stage of the prison routine. It's like a ticking time bomb that finally explodes in the riot.
The Big House was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor (Wallace Beery) and won Oscars for the evocative sound and France Marion's screenplay. It was previously released as a stand-alone movie on the Warner Archive line. The "special edition" of this release features a remastered edition of the film that is a significant improvement over the previous edition, at least according to those who have compared the two. I don't have access to the earlier release but this version looks quite good considering the age and the era. There's some minor wear, the contrast fluctuates throughout and there are some pops and scratches on the soundtrack, but it is perfectly watchable and you can hear all the dialogue clearly, which is good for a sound film of this vintage. The evocative soundtrack favors atmospheric effects over music and it comes through well.
But the "special" in this edition more specifically refers to the other two films of the triple feature: the French language version, directed by Paul Fejos and starring Charles Boyer as Morgan, and the Spanish language version. Both are shot on the same sets and utilize the same crowd shots, special effects, and even shot-lists and set-ups. The compositions are almost exactly the same, like they were shot on an assembly line production schedule cranking out the alternate versions on the sets in turn with the same machinery but a different shift of workers.
The biggest difference is in the variations of characters brought by the actors and dramatic direction. Fejos seems constrained by the structure here--see his striking Hollywood work in the Lonesome disc set Criterion released last year (a triple feature in its own right) to see his eye for setting scenes and moving the camera--and he's unable to exercise his own eye for composition and camera movement. He and Boyer, however, turn Morgan into a much more charismatic figure, less hard-boiled, smoother and cooler, with a sense of authority that comes from confidence and ease. The Spanish version, from journeyman director Ward Wing (a sometime actor with a couple of shorts and documentaries to his credit as a filmmaker), hasn't the same strength of character (Jose Crespo is a bland, unimpressive Morgan but Juan de Landa makes a strange mix of childlike clown and psychopathic bully as Butch) but the production value and the momentum keep it rolling along. The French and Spanish versions are not quite as well preserved as the original American version but perfectly watchable and acceptable. The English subtitles are actually close captions and include notations on sound effects.
by Sean Axmaker
The Big House on DVD
Director George W. Hill threatened to fire anyone who "acted", and forbade makeup.
Some contemporary sources, including a studio synopsis of the film found in its production file at the AMPAS Library, refer to Robert Montgomery's character as "Dean Marlowe," although he is "Kent Marlowe" in the released film. The Big House received glowing reviews when it opened, with many critics acknowledging the film as one of the best of the year. The picture also became one of M-G-M's biggest box office hits of 1930. Frances Marion won an Academy Award for Writing Achievement and Douglas Shearer received M-G-M's Sound Department's Academy Award for Best Sound for The Big House. The film also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor (Wallace Beery).
The Commission on Human Relations Progressive Education Association, New York, prepared an extensive study guide on The Big House and Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Warner Bros., 1932, see below) to be distributed to high school students. The study guide discussed elements of the two films as they related to conditions in prisons and paroles. A copy of the guide, which was undated but appears to have been published in the early 1930s, is contained in the AMPAS Library production file for The Big House.
A September 1930 article in International Photographer offers extensive discussion of the innovative camera angles, dolly shots and lighting techniques used by cameraman Harold Wenstrom for The Big House. Singled out, in particular, was the scene of Montgomery when Kent is shown being measured by prison guards in a medium shot, from behind, nude to the upper hips, with his arms outstreateched. The sequence in which Wallace Beery as "Machine Gun 'Butch' Schmidt" disrupts the prison mess and creates a near riot has been acknowledged by many film historians as the first of its kind in the prison genre that became popular in the 1930s.
According to modern sources, Marion travelled to San Quentin Penitentiary for background color on the screenplay. Modern sources also state that when the film had its first previews, The character of "Anne Marlowe (Leila Hyams)" was actually Kent's wife, but audiences so disliked the idea of an adulterous relationship between Anne and "John Morgan" (Chester Morris), that M-G-M production chief Irving Thalberg decided to reshoot several key scenes and change Anne to Kent's sister. In the January 19, 1946 Life magazine column "The Role I Liked Best," Morris called Mogran his favorite screen character.
The Big House was the first M-G-M film for Beery, who went on to many roles similar to Butch in his long and successful career at the studio. The Big House also was instrumental in the rise in popularity of Morris and Montgomery, the latter of whom was an M-G-M contract player into the late 1940s.
M-G-M also produced versions of The Big House in Spanish, German and French, with various directors and stars, among them Charles Boyer, who appeared in the French version. For information on the foreign-language versions, please consult the entry below for El presidio.


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Alcatel Idol 4s review: VR Gateway
VR Gateway
Back in February, we first caught a glimpse of the Alcatel Idol 4s at MWC 2016. In keeping with the Alcatel tradition, it was piled together with another basic Idol 4 model, as well as three other POP4 devices. Still, even amid the announcement chaos that this event is known for, the Idol 4s still managed to stick out of the bunch. Now, the phone is officially on sale in North America and we couldn't miss the opportunity to take a closer look at what appears to be the highest spec'd Alcatel handset yet.
Alcatel doesn't usually dip its feet into flagship waters, but the once formidable mobile titan has found its own way of surviving all this time on the 'dog-eat-dog' market. For the most part, this has entailed catering to carrier needs and the Chinese phone maker has been throwing out a slew of entry-level to mid-range handsets hoping for something to stick.
Every once in a while, however, amid the endless sea of Pixi and Pop devices with all their carrier-specific varieties, Alcatel still manages to come up with something impressive while maintaining on affordability.
Alcatel Idol 4s at a glance:
- 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display
- Octa-core Qualcomm MSM8976 Snapdragon 652 processor (Quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A72 & quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53)
- 3GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage
- 16MP, f/2.0 main camera with phase detection autofocus and 4K video recording, 8 megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM support (hybrid second slot)
- LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- Fingerprint reader
- VR goggles included (the goggles are the retail box)
- 3000mAh battery
Now, we know this point is definitely open for debate, but we feel pretty confident in calling the Idol 4s a 'flagship offer'. The AMOLED display with QHD resolution is about as good on paper as most other 2016 high-end offers. As far as we are concerned, 3GB of RAM is still perfectly fine and although the Qualcomm SoC in question might be from the 600 series, ample power is available thanks to four Cortex-A72 and four Cortex-A53 cores. The camera setup looks just as promising in terms of raw specs as well.
Alcatel Idol 4s in official photos
However, the Alcatel Idol 4s is priced quite unlike a flagship - at the tantalizing $399 (even $350 on pre-order). It boils down to how well the Idol 4s actually performs everyday, outside the dry specs.
Reader comments
- Eve
- 21 Oct 2021
- sXg
LOOKIng for the old Alcatel phone calls only and messages. About 4years old
- Bert
- 18 Dec 2018
- 0xG
It's two different phones judging by pictures in your review and by specs in specifications. One has got a fingerprint and the other one hasn't got it.
- Omid46
- 25 Nov 2016
- auJ
My goodness.Amazing that Alcatel has made a risk to go so far beyond a average midrange class!!!Something newly must have happened in Alcatel!!Hopefully,gsmArena had gone to cons or disadvantages too!!!A good news anyway!!....Justice Rights....


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Brent Cross Thameslink
February 2020
You can download a detailed construction schedule for the next three months below:
December 2019
You can download the Brent Cross West Station: Project update (Winter 2019) below:
November 2019
Planning application
The Brent Cross West full station planning application is publicly available on the council's website.
The following link will direct you to the planning application: Planning application Ref: 19/6256/RMA
Please note that the opportunity for comment closes on 12 December for statutory consultees and 19 for other comments.
Construction schedule
You can download a detailed construction schedule for the next three months below:
September 2019
You can download a Feasibility Study Report for the West London Orbital below:
You can download the Brent Cross West Station: Project update (Autumn 2019) below:
August 2019
You can download a detailed construction schedule for the next three months below:
July 2019
You can download the Brent Cross West Station: Project update (Summer 2019) below:
Below you can see some images of the assembly of the new Train Drivers' Accommodation, which has now been completed.
More photos
April 2019
Sidings rail track realignment and replacement of signalling and overhead power lines will be taking place over the Easter weekend and following weeks. This is within the Brent Cross Thameslink development area and includes some night time works.
March 2019
Work has begun to prepare the Geron Way site for construction of the new waste transfer station. Neighbouring residents received this recent update.
We will be sharing the plans for the new Brent Cross West station on Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration and would love to hear what you think. Come and meet the team.
February 2019
Brent Cross Cricklewood #BXC developers and contractors met with residents and councillors to discuss forthcoming works on site.
Presentations by the Brent Cross Thameslink team covered the night time and piling work for sidings to support the new Brent Cross West station and the replacement driver accommodation block.
London and Quadrant, contracted to build replacement dwellings for Whitefield estate residents, presented an outline of plots 53 and 54 which face Brent Terrace and back onto Clitterhouse Crescent.
Proposals for the demolition and securing of the Claremont Industrial Estate on behalf of Barnet Council were outlined by Argent Relate
This includes overnight works and piling for the sidings rail systems and new driver accommodation and demolition of the Claremont Industrial Estate.
May 2018
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire has approved the compulsory purchase order for Brent Cross Thameslink scheme.
Read the letter and inspector's report:
- CPO Report to the Secretary of State Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration (PDF)
- Brent Cross Cricklewood CPO3 (PDF)
Network Rail has issued a letter to residents who live close to the site on works due to begin in June. These groundworks will prepare for the replacement driver accommodation and railway sidings which will serve the new Brent Cross West Thameslink station. More information is available here
The rail freight facility was approved by Barnet Council's planning committee on 8 February. The Mayor of London has now considered the proposed development and issued a Stage 2 report advising that the Local Planning Authority may determine the planning application itself. A planning decision will therefore be issued in due course.
The waste transfer planning application is currently being determined by Barnet's Local Planning Authority.
The detailed planning application for the new Brent Cross West Thameslink station is due to be submitted in summer of 2018 with further community engagement and consultation on the relocated sidings.
A public exhibition was held on 31 January 2018.
Brent Cross Thameslink development
The Brent Cross Cricklewood development is Barnet Council's most significant growth and regeneration programme.
This £4.5 billion regeneration scheme is one of the biggest in Europe. The vision is to create a thriving town centre with attractive, high quality homes and green spaces. It will deliver a modernised and expanded Brent Cross shopping centre, new high street with local shops, restaurants and offices, 7,500 new homes and up to 27,000 jobs.
It will be served by enhanced and modernised transport links which will include a new Thameslink train station and bus station. The ambition is to create a vibrant place to live, work and socialise for existing communities and new people who will chose to live and work in the area.
The Thameslink station quarter
The Thameslink station quarter, delivered by Barnet Council in partnership with Network Rail, will bring a number of major transport infrastructure improvements for the area. The new Brent Cross West station will link the Brent Cross Cricklewood development to King's Cross St Pancras in under 15 minutes.
Other works will enable the new station's construction including:
- enhanced and modernised rail freight facility
- a replacement state of the art waste transfer station
- new rail stabling (sidings) areas
- a new bridge for vehicles and pedestrians across the Midland Mainline train line
Project outline
Outline planning permission for the Thameslink station quarter has already been granted. Significantly, the associated infrastructure works have been brought forward in the overall development programme from 2031 and will now see the new station open in 2022, much sooner than previously planned.
This will unlock a number of far reaching benefits including new transport links to existing local residents, employment opportunities and growth for the local economy.
Individual planning applications are currently being determined for the replacement North London Waste Authority (NLWA) waste transfer station and Rail Freight Facility.
Planning applications for Brent Cross West station and the railway sidings will be submitted early 2018 to facilitate these ambitious timescales.
The new station bridge will be open to pedestrians 24 hours a day and will be accessible to residents from both the Edgware Road/Brent side and Barnet.
Consultation so far
Community consultations sessions were held April – May 2017 as an opportunity to discuss the updated proposals for the Thameslink station quarter. These included the revised plans for the rail freight facility and waste transfer station as part of overall regeneration scheme.
A second round of public exhibitions took place in June-July 2017 where more information was presented about the new Brent Cross West and rail sidings.
These events were well attended and comments and suggestions made were incredibly valuable. This feedback was used to inform and amend the plans for the waste transfer station and rail freight facility.
Contact us
- Call: 0344 225 0003
- Email: email@example.com
- Write: Freepost RTHZ-AKZT-SABG, GL Hearn, 280 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EE
Email us: firstname.lastname@example.com to join our newsletter list and be kept up to date.
Please note: the council has commissioned strategic communications team at GL Hearn to run the consultation on its behalf. They will also analyse the responses and report on the findings. GL Hearn is a property consultancy.


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Colorado State University (CSU) mechanical engineering Emeritus Professor David G. Alciatore, PhD (known to his students as "Dr. Dave") recently appeared on a podcast with the famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Neil's podcast series, called StarTalk Sports Edition, deals with the science of sports, and the topic of the episode with Dr. Dave is billiards physics. The podcast was co-hosted by Tyson, comedian Chuck Nice, and past pro soccer player Gary O'Reilly, with Dr. Dave being the featured guest.
Dr. Dave wrote "The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards," a book dealing with the physics of pool and how to play the game. He also has a website at CSU (billiards.colostate.edu) offering instructional videos, articles, teaching and learning resources, and math and physics analyses dealing with every physical aspect of the game.
Dr. Dave taught and did research in mechanical engineering for 30 years before retiring to Emeritus status in 2000. He was an award-winning teacher and textbook author known for sometimes using pool examples in his engineering classrooms. He would also have occasional "seminars" for his students, where they could challenge him to games in a dorm pool room.
Things discussed during the podcast, with frequent amusing commentary by the hosts, include the history of pocket billiards, the origination of the terms "pool" and "english," the Coriolis Effect, the evolution of pool equipment, trick shots, sidespin physics, and pool strategy.
If you want to listen to the podcast, it can be found at: https://youtu.be/ZfxtXmnheDg (full version), https://www.startalkradio.net/show/pool-table-physics-with-dr-dave-alciatore (audio-only version), and https://youtu.be/N1SmW7-mdws (shortened/illustrated video version).


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A great frame can enhance any picture or photograph. Even a Rembrandt or Van Gogh can visually improve with a quality frame enhancing the natural beauty of what lies from within.
Perhaps we can benefit as well with a new "frame?" Can a new frame improve what lies within us? I think so.
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that has had a tremendous influence in my life. Especially in dealing with the daily struggles, traumatic events, and normal stress and anxiety we all endure. I won't make this a book report on stoicism, rather I want to spend time on the concept of "framing" which they were so interested in and taught regularly.
Framing is the idea of taking an event or situation and looking at it "from a different perspective." The phrase "turning lemons into lemonade" is a perfect example. It's more than just being optimistic or positive, although that always helps!
To be honest there is an overabundance of life coaches and motivational speakers touting all sorts of antidotes for obtaining a healthier and more enjoyable life. "You'll get through this" or "tough it out" are common phrases and tend to desensitize us to actually learning valuable coping mechanisms.
Reframing is a strategy that is used to help control internal emotional reactions when external ones seem out of your control. Think of how many people have committed suicide or resorted to anger and alcohol simply due to an inability to see things differently? I have had so many opportunities to practice reframing in my life. Let me provide you with a recent example.
Many of you following my story are aware of some very personal situations I have had that made me become more aware of the importance of looking at things differently. A while back as I was in the middle of writing my book, This One's For You: An Inspirational Journey Through Addiction, Death, and Meaning I had a desire to pull the plug, give up on the project completely. I was getting to a point where I was concerned no one would read it and at times I was obsessively focused on the final result. Would it really make a difference? A classic example of trying to do too much for too many.
It was becoming more and more about me and less about the "why." The "why" of course was to honor our son, Seth who had died on 10/4/16 from a heroin overdose. I was comparing other books written on the topic and on other stories that were being told that were similar to mine. Quitting wasn't really an option and at some point, I decided to make this 100% about Seth. The moment I let go of the selfishness of this project was the moment I springboarded into an amazing journey that now has been a guide for many looking for help in these areas. By reframing the dilemma I was in I began to write effortlessly and with authenticity. Same book, just a different lens to view from. This also led me to begin The Living Undeterred Project.
A simple "change of perspective" on this afforded me the opportunity to really focus on the ultimate goal, to help others so this doesn't have to happen again. My book was published on 9/25/20, Seth's 27th birthday and to this day I have never once checked to see how many books I have sold. Not once and never will. Next time you are in a rut or have stress and anxiety consider a new frame. You'll be surprised how much this can make a difference.
Live Undeterred!


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Metronomia recommends "DVMD Focus" Series, May 20-21, 2021
On the 20th and 21st of May, the DVMD (German Association for Documentation and Information Management in Medicine) is offering two further online seminars titled "Klinische Dokumentation" (Clinical documentation) and "Berufsziel medizinisches Informationsmanagement" (Career in Medical Information Management) in their "DVMD-Focus" series. The first seminar will cover the topics of external quality assurance, data linking, speech recognition or AI and the second seminar will give insight into medical information management, including training, studies, fields of work and job perspectives.
The "DVMD-Focus" series started successfully in February 2021 with seminars such as "Innovative Konzepte für die online-basierte Lehre" (Innovative concepts for online-based teaching), "Tumor-Dokumentation" (tumor documentation) and "FHIR Basiswissen" (Fast Healthcare Interoperable Resources basic knowledge). Participants valued the time-saving access to concise, high-level information and knowledge exchange, which could easily be integrated into their work routine. This led to extensive positive feedback and a significant increase in DVMD memberships.
Metronomia, Sponsor of DVMD events, is proud to have contributed to the success of the DVMD's new online offering: Our Senior eClinical Project Manager, Jens Knösel, co-organized the spring symposium, setup the program, and helped to covert the event to a 100% virtual event at the last minute and to make it a success. In doing so, Jens was instrumental in laying the foundation for further exceptional DVMD ONLINE-events to come!
Read more about the DVMD: https://dvmd.de
More about the events & booking: https://dvmd.de/veranstaltungen/


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Product Description
The secret weapon of Introverted But Willing To Discuss 90S R&B Chrissy Allen shirt Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been uncovered thanks to some merchandise from the upcoming film. Ever since He Who Remains' debut in Loki, fans have been in love with the new big bad of the MCU. While it'll be hard to top Josh Brolin's Thanos, Majors is already doing a fantastic job. Soon, fans will be able to see the real Kang in Quantumania, or, as Majors called him, the warrior Variant. While the version of the villain in Loki didn't seem all that dangerous, this time around, he'll be a much bigger problem. No matter which Variant is ever on screen, one thing remains consistent across them all: their mastery over time itself. But how exactly does Kang utilize time as he does?
Introverted But Willing To Discuss 90S R&B Chrissy Allen shirt, hoodie, sweater, longsleeve and ladies t-shirt
The official press release for the upcoming threequel also specifically mentions time as "Kang's secret weapon." The Time Chair is likely key to his mastery over the many timelines. "KANG THE CONQUEROR is quite possible the biggest threat the MCU has ever encounted, with multiple versions of the villain—each more terrifying than the last. Known as He Who Remains in Loki Introverted But Willing To Discuss 90S R&B Chrissy Allen shirt this new and profoundly dangerous version Kang intends to up his game, triggering a concerted effort from Scott, Hope, Janet, Hank, and Cassie to stop him before it's too late. Time, it seems, is Kang's secret weapon, and he intends to use his unique understanding of it to conquer worlds far beyond the Quantum Realm." Previous information on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania revealed Kang needs help from Paul Rudd's titular hero. Majors' villain specifically noted that "something has been stolen from [him]." Did someone steal Kang's comfy chair? It would certainly make sense—and it also probably explains why the villain seems to be stuck in the Quantum Realm. Seeing as Kang is the overarching big bad of the Multiverse Saga, it's obvious that he'll be getting his favorite piece of furniture back at some point. But what exactly will happen to Scott and his family when he does? One fun theory about the chair is that Corey Stoll's MODOK is the one who stole it and might even be using it to support his massive head. Comparing these new photos with the floating head's quick appearances in the trailer, the two thrones don't seem to be the same. But how fun would it be if it were?


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Passive Voice
Example: Only fools eat spaghetti when they are wearing white.
When the subject is acted upon, the sentence is in the passive voice. The passive voice presents the subject as the target of an action.
Example: Spaghetti is eaten only by fools.
Verbs in the passive voice can be formed with any of the corresponding tenses:
simple past:
Active: A security guard chose the alarms Passive: The alarms were chosen by the security guard. past progressive:
Active: Yesterday those gym rats were lifting the free weights. Passive: Yesterday the free weights were [being] lifted by those gym rats. future:
Active: John will install the car stereo next week. Passive: Next week the car stereo will be installed by John.
Passive voice can only be constructed with verbs that are transitive, that is, verbs that take an object after them.
Intransitive verbs do not use the passive voice.For example:
Transitive active: The new boss fired me.
Transitive passive: I was fired by the new boss.
Intransitive: For no reason at all, the sun rose over Cincinnati. [Passive voice is not possible.]
The basic formula for changing a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence is the following:
The heavens were opened by an angry deity who was hoping more people would come to his party.
1) Remove the form of "to be" that is acting as a helping verb in front of the main verb and also remove the "by" in front of the subject
The heavens were opened by an angry deity who was hoping more people would come to his party.
2) Move the subject to the object's position and vice versa.
An angry deity opened the heavens who was hoping more people would come to his party.
3) Move any clauses that modify the subject near the subject (or that modify the object near the object).
An angry deity who was hoping more people would come to his party opened the heavens .
So, when should the passive voice be used?
In most cases you will want to emphasize the actor, so you should use the active voice, however, you may choose to use the passive voice in certain situations:
1) Use the passive voice when you want to keep the focus on someone or something that is acted upon.
Example: Pablo Picasso painted in his blue period while he was being patronized by Mr and Mrs. DeBouillet.
2) Use the passive when the the performer of the action is unknown or unimportant to your point:
Example: Traces of the oil spill were found as far away as Newfoundland.
Note: The actor here is invisible [there is no "by actor" present here]
3) Use the passive when you want to put the performer of the action at the end of the clause, where you can attach a long modifier.
Example: A secret mission to help thousands of starving Rwandans was organized in the summer of 1994 by Father Robert I. McAvoy, a forty-eight-year-old Catholic Priest from Gary, Indiana, with twelve years of experience in the Vietnam war zone.
4) Use the passive voice when you want to emphasize that some person or thing is helpless or a victim {similar to #1}.
Example: The small Arkansas hog farm was leveled by the tornado.
Example: The bag lady was hugged in broad daylight.
5) Use the passive voice when the scientific experiment and the results should be the focus of the sentence {scientific writing often uses the passive voice to lend objectivity to the findings}.
Example: The first documentation of altruistic vampire bats was obtained in 1996 in Mammoth Cave.
Example: The titration experiment was performed under careful laboratory conditions.
1. He is troubled by a growing fear that he may lose his temper.
2. A nod, gesture, or a glance can be interpreted by people in several ways.
4. In addition, some people may be irritated by a continual or intense stare.
6. With no support from the family, the doctor wonders whether his visit should be ended.
7. We may also be intimidated by a person who talks to us at a very close range.


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Good news for anyone on the Xbox and some time to kill. The Xbox Game Boss Ultimate is for sale, and you'll get more games than you can swing a stick at. The subscription service has over 100 titles, including Blast AAA Shooter Destiny 2 to Beautiful Fan Favorites like River City Girls, as well as one-day access to discounts, free games (2 – 4 per month) and Xbox exclusions.
If you are looking for a variety, it is difficult to find a better package than this. Xbox Live Gold is also included, so you can shoot / raid / mess with your friends during the holidays.
Go to the store now, you just have a three month subscription. Pick up for 24.85, which embraces the shelf price of $ 32.99.
Don't want to do that? It's okay. They sell a monthly pass for 85 9.85. It's not huge, but it's still a 10% discount.
If you are interested in getting your trims on the new Xbox One, check out our Xbox Black Friday Deals page. You can follow Jelly handles the Twitter account For updated news about the latest discounts. Happy gaming!