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The World's Famous Orations/Volume 6/On Being Found Guilty of Treason
Born in 1778, died in 1803; became a leader of the United Irishmen, and in 1803 led an unsuccessful rising in Dublin; escaping to the mountains he returned to Dublin to take leave of his fiancée, Sarah Curran, daughter of the orator, and was captured and hanged.
My Lords:—What have I to say why sentence of death should not be pronounced on me according to law! I have nothing to say that can alter your predetermination, nor that it will become me to say with any view to the mitigation of that sentence which you are here to pronounce, and I must abide by. But I have that to say which interests me more than life, and which you have labored (as was necessarily your office in the present circumstances of this oppressed country) to destroy. I have much to say why my reputation should be rescued from the load of false accusation and calumny which has been heaped upon it. I do not imagine that, seated where you are, your minds can be so free from impurity as to receive the least impression from what I am going to utter—I have no hopes that I can anchor my character in the breast of a court constituted and trammeled as this is—I only wish, and it is the utmost I expect, that your lordships may suffer it to float down your memories untainted by the foul breath of prejudice, until it finds some more hospitable harbor to shelter it from the storm by which it is at present buffeted.
Was I only to suffer death after being adjudged guilty by your tribunal, I should bow in silence, and meet the fate that awaits me without a murmur; but the sentence of law which delivers my body to the executioner, will, through the ministry of that law, labor in its own vindication to consign my character to obloquy—for there must be guilt somewhere: whether in the sentence of the court or in the catastrophe, posterity must determine. A man in my situation, my lords, has not only to encounter the difficulties of fortune, and the force of power over minds which it has corrupted or subjugated, but the difficulties of established prejudice: the man dies, but his memory lives. That mine may not perish, that it may live in the respect of my countrymen, I seize upon this opportunity to vindicate myself from some of the charges alleged against me. When my spirit shall be wafted to a more friendly port; when my shade shall have joined the bands of those martyred heroes who have shed their blood on the scaffold and in the field, in defense of their country and of virtue, this is my hope: I wish that my memory and name may animate those who survive me, while I look down with complacency on the destruction of that perfidious government which upholds its domination by blasphemy of the Most High—which displays its power over man as over the beasts of the forest—which sets man upon his brother, and lifts his hand in the name of God against the throat of his fellow who believes or doubts a little more or a little less than the government standard—a government which is steeled to barbarity by the cries of the orphans and the tears of the widows which it has made.[2]
I appeal to the immaculate God—I swear by the throne of Heaven, before which I must shortly appear—by the blood of the murdered patriots who have gone before me—that my conduct has been through all this peril and all my purposes, governed only by the convictions which I have uttered, and by no other view, than that of their cure, and the emancipation of my country from the superinhuman oppression under which she has so long and too patiently travailed; and that I confidently and assuredly hope that, wild and chimerical as it may appear, there is still union and strength in Ireland to accomplish this noble enterprise. Of this I speak with the confidence of intimate knowledge, and with the consolation that appertains to that confidence. Think not, my lords, I say this for the petty gratification of giving you a transitory uneasiness; a man who never yet raised his voice to assert a lie, will not hazard his character with posterity by asserting a falsehood on a subject so important to his country, and on an occasion like this. Yes, my lords, a man who does not wish to have his epitaph written until his country is liberated, will not leave a weapon in the power of envy; nor a pretense to impeach the probity which he means to preserve even in the grave to which tyranny consigns him.[3]
Again I say, that what I have spoken, was not intended for your lordship, whose situation I commiserate rather than envy—my expressions were for my countrymen; if there is a true Irishman present, let my last words cheer him in the hour of his affliction.[4]
I have always understood it to be the duty of a judge when a prisoner has been convicted, to pronounce the sentence of the law; I have also understood that judges sometimes think it their duty to hear with patience, and to speak with humanity; to exhort the victim of the laws, and to offer with tender benignity his opinions of the motives by which he was actuated in the crime, of which he had been adjudged guilty: that a judge has thought it his duty so to have done, I have no doubt—but where is the boasted freedom of your institutions, where is the vaunted impartiality, clemency, and mildness of your courts of justice, if an unfortunate prisoner, whom your policy, and not pure justice, is about to deliver into the hands of the executioner, is not suffered to explain his motives sincerely and truly, and to vindicate the principles by which he was actuated?
My lords, it may be a part of the system of angry justice, to bow a man's mind by humiliation to the purposed ignominy of the scaffold; but worse to me than the purposed shame, or the scaffold's terrors, would be the shame of such unfounded imputations as have been laid against me in this court: you, my lord [Lord Norbury], are a judge, I am the supposed culprit; I am a man, you are a man also; by a revolution of power, we might change places, tho we never could change characters; if I stand at the bar of this court, and dare not vindicate my character, what a farce is your justice? If I stand at this bar and dare not vindicate my character, how dare you calumniate it? Does the sentence of death which your unhallowed policy inflicts on my body, also condemn my tongue to silence and my reputation to reproach? Your executioner may abridge the period of my existence, but while I exist I shall not forbear to vindicate my character and motives from your aspersions; and as a man to whom fame is dearer than life, I will make the last use of that life in doing justice to that reputation which is to live after me, and which is the only legacy I can leave to those I honor and love, and for whom I am proud to perish. As men, my lord, we must appear at the great day at one common tribunal, and it will then remain for the searcher of all hearts to show a collective universe who was engaged in the most virtuous actions, or actuated by the purest motives—my country's oppressors or——[5]
My lord, will a dying man be denied the legal privilege of exculpating himself, in the eyes of the community, of an undeserved reproach thrown upon him during his trial, by charging him with ambition, and attempting to cast away, for a paltry consideration, the liberties of his country? Why did your lordship insult me? or rather why insult justice, in demanding of me why sentence of death should not be pronounced? I know, my lord, that form prescribes that you should ask the question; the form also presumes a right of answering. This no doubt may be dispensed with—and so might the whole ceremony of trial, since sentence was already pronounced at the castle, before your jury was impaneled; your lordships are but the priests of the oracle, and I submit; but I insist on the whole of the forms. I am charged with being an emissary of France! An emissary of France! And for what end? It is alleged that I wished to sell the independence of my country! And for what end? Was this the object of my ambition? And is this the mode by which a tribunal of justice reconciles contradictions? No, I am no emissary; and my ambition was to hold a place among the deliverers of my country—not in power, nor in profit, but in the glory of the achievement! Sell my country's independence to France! And for what? Was it for a change of masters? No! But for ambition! O my country, was it personal ambition that could influence me? Had it been the soul of my actions, could I not by my education and fortune, by the rank and consideration of my family, have placed myself among the proudest of my oppressors? My country was my idol; to it I sacrificed every selfish, every endearing sentiment; and for it, I now offer up my life. God! No, my lord; I acted as an Irishman, determined on delivering my country from the yoke of a foreign and unrelenting tyranny, and from the more galling yoke of a domestic faction, which is its joint partner and perpetrator in the parricide, for the ignominy of existing with an exterior of splendor and of conscious depravity. It was the wish of my heart to extricate my country from this doubly riveted despotism.
I wished to place her independence beyond the reach of any power on earth; I wished to exalt you to that proud station in the world. Connection with France was indeed intended, but only as far as mutual interest would sanction or require. Were they to assume any authority inconsistent with the purest independence, it would be the signal for their destruction; we sought aid, and we sought it, as we had assurances we should obtain it—as auxiliaries in war and allies in peace.
Were the French to come as invaders or enemies, uninvited by the wishes of the people, I should oppose them to the utmost of my strength. Yes, my countrymen, I should advise you to meet them on the beach, with a sword in one hand, and a torch in the other; I would meet them with all the destructive fury of war; and I would animate my countrymen to immolate them in their boats, before they had contaminated the soil of my country. If they succeeded in landing, and if forced to retire before superior discipline, I would dispute every inch of ground, burn every blade of grass, and the last intrenchment of liberty should be my grave. What I could not do myself, if I should fall, I should leave as a last charge to my countrymen to accomplish; because I should feel conscious that life, any more than death, is unprofitable, when a foreign nation holds my country in subjection.
But it was not as an enemy that the succors of France were to land. I looked indeed for the assistance of France; but I wished to prove to France and to the world that Irishmen deserved to be assisted!—that they were indignant at slavery, and ready to assert the independence and liberty of their country.
I wished to procure for my country the guarantee which Washington procured for America. To procure an aid, which, by its example, would be as important as its valor, disciplined, gallant, pregnant with science and experience; which would perceive the good, and polish the rough points of our character. They would come to us as strangers, and leave us as friends, after sharing in our perils and elevating our destiny. These were my objects—not to receive new taskmasters, but to expel old tyrants; these were my views, and these only became Irishmen. It was for these ends I sought aid from France; because France, even as an enemy, could not be more implacable than the enemy already in the bosom of my country.[6]
I have been charged with that importance in the efforts to emancipate my country, as to be considered the keystone of the combination of Irishmen; or, as your lordship expressed it, "the life and blood of conspiracy." You do me honor overmuch. You have given to the subaltern all the credit of a superior. There are men engaged in this conspiracy, who are not only superior to me, but even to your own conceptions of yourself, my lord; men, before the splendor of whose genius and virtues, I should bow with respectful deference, and who would think themselves dishonored to be called your friend— who would not disgrace themselves by shaking your bloodstained hand—[7]
What, my lord, shall you tell me, on the passage to that scaffold, which that tyranny, of which you are only the intermediary executioner, has erected for my murder, that I am accountable for all the blood that has and will be shed in this struggle of the oppressed against the oppressor?—shall you tell me this—and must I be so very a slave as not to repel it?
I do not fear to approach the omnipotent Judge, to answer for the conduct of my whole life; and am I to be appalled and falsified by a mere remnant of mortality here? By you, too, who, if it were possible to collect all the innocent blood that you have shed in your unhallowed ministry, in one great reservoir, your lordship might swim in it.[8]
Let no man dare, when I am dead, to charge me with dishonor; let no man attaint my memory by believing that I could have engaged in any cause but that of my country's liberty and independence; or that I could have become the pliant minion of power in the oppression or the miseries of my countrymen. The proclamation of the provisional government speaks for our views; no inference can be tortured from it to countenance barbarity or debasement at home, or subjection, humiliation, or treachery from abroad; I would not have submitted to a foreign oppressor for the same reason that I would resist the foreign and domestic oppressor; in the dignity of freedom I would have fought upon the threshold of my country, and its enemy should enter only by passing over my lifeless corpse. Am I, who lived but for my country, and who have subjected myself to the dangers of the jealous and watchful oppressor, and the bondage of the grave, only to give my countrymen their rights, and my country her independence, and am I to be loaded with calumny, and not suffered to resent or repel it—no, God forbid!
If the spirits of the illustrious dead participate in the concerns and cares of those who are dear to them in this transitory life—oh, ever dear and venerated shade of my departed father, look down with scrutiny upon the conduct of your suffering son; and see if I have even for a moment deviated from those principles of morality and patriotism which it was your care to instil into my youthful mind, and for which I am now to offer up my life!
My lords, you are impatient for the sacrifice—the blood which you seek is not congealed by the artificial terrors which surround your victim; it circulates warmly and unruffled, through the channels which God created for noble purposes, but which you are bent to destroy, for purposes so grievous, that they cry to heaven. Be yet patient! I have but a few words more to say. I am going to my cold and silent grave: my lamp of life is nearly extinguished: my race is run: the grave opens to receive me, and I sink into its bosom! I have but one request to ask at my departure from this world—it is the charity of its silence! Let no man write my epitaph: for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and me repose in obscurity and peace, and my tomb remain uninscribed, until other times, and other men, can do justice to my character; when. my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph be written. I have done.[9]
- ↑ Delivered at the Session House in Dublin before the court which had convicted him of high treason, September 19, 1803. Emmet, at that time only twenty-three years old, had taken part in a rebellion against the government. The famous address here given was an impromptu one, delivered while Emmet stood forward in the dock in front of the bench. Curran's daughter, to whom Emmet was engaged, and of whom Moore wrote the poem beginning, "She is far from the land where her young here sleeps," two years afterward married an officer of some distinction in the Royal Staff Corps, Major Sturgeon. She died in Sicily a few months later—it is said of a broken heart.
- ↑ At this period Lord Norbury interrupted Emmet, saying severely, that the mean and wicked enthusiasts who felt as he did "were not equal to the accomplishment of their wild designs."
- ↑ Here he was again interrupted by the court.
- ↑ Again Emmet was interrupted, Lord Norbury saying he did not sit there to hear treason.
- ↑ Here Emmet was told to listen to the sentence of the law.
- ↑ Here Emmet was interrupted by the court.
- ↑ Here Emmet was interrupted once more.
- ↑ Here the judge interfered.
- ↑ At his execution Emmet, in passing out of his cell, met the turnkey who had been kind to him. Fettered as he was he could not shake hands with him. but in stead kissed him on the cheek. The turnkey is said to have fainted then and there and not to have recovered until after Emmet was hanged and his head severed from his body.


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Discover the wonder
Visit Zion National Park
and St. George Utah
Protected within Zion National Park's 229 square miles (593.1 km) is a spectacular cliff-and-canyon landscape and wilderness full of the unexpected including the world's largest arch – Kolob Arch – with a span that measures 310 feet (94.5 m).
Wildlife such as mule deer, golden eagles, and mountain lions, also inhabit the Park. Formerly "Mukuntuweap National Monument" opening on July 31, 1909; incorporated in Zion National Monument March 18, 1918; established as a national park on Nov. 19, 1919. The Zion Natural History Association (ZNHA) is also a great source of information about the park.
Zion National Park is very near St. George, Utah and the well known Tuacahn Amphitheater. Don't miss the chance to see a professional broadway style show in an unforgettable setting. Tuacahn is an absolute must see on your next visit to Southern Utah! There is so much to do in beautiful and sunny southern Utah. Only 90 minutes from Las Vegas makes getting here a breeze, and knowing that there are over 300 days of sunshine each year makes staying here at the top of our list!
Need More Information? Find out more about the Southern Utah Area, including Bryce Canyon, St. George Utah, and get detailed information regarding Hotels & Restaurants around Zion National Park.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Southall Story Exhibition continues….southallstory | April 25th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
If you've not had a chance to visit The Royal Festival Hall at The Spirit Level, there's still a chance to do so until 11th May 2010! In the meantime, you can click on the link below for some colourful and moving comments from visitors!
From Southall Postcards to The Southall Story Posse!
"The exhibition was amazing – some of the prints made me teary and some of the displays made me laugh! Wonderful. "
"Lovely exhibition. Heartfelt and powerful images and interesting history."
"When I was 17 my best friend & I decided we wanted to wear saris so we bussed it from Hanwell to Southall to a fabric shop & got our own lovely outfits. We made our own little tops & wore them to posh balls & parties. This was in the mid 1960s + we were white west London girls from convent schools. We liked to be different. Angela x"
"Unique, unforgettable, inspiring. We really enjoyed, thank you Yuka, Lee."
"FANTASTIC exhibition, thank you for putting this together. I'm going to visit Southall now."
"This exhibition brings a lump to my throat. I don't know what it is – some sort of connection. My parents arrived from India in the 1960s, from Punjab to Gravesend, Kent.
As a child I remember the excitement and buzz of walking around that little slice of Punjab, called Southall.
The photographs of families at the exhibition could be any Indian family in the UK from that period. The similarities are exquisite. I remember watching the bands (Alaap & Heera) at nearly everyone of the many weddings I attended as a child.
I still visit Southall today with my own young children, and I suspect that when they are older, they will inevitably do the same."
"One of my vivid memories of Southall is during the Sikh festival of Baisakhi, "cruising" in my car with friends decorating the car with orange ribbons with blaring Bhangra music and enjoying the carnival atmosphere. Everyone is joyful and happy no matter which faith you are – Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian. Karimini Kapila."
And don't forget the Southall Story exhibition in the Spirit Level is open until 11th May.


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I recently installed the Windows 8.1 Update on a virtual-machine setup. In this case Windows is installed on Parallels Desktop running on a Mac using OS X 10.3 (the latest available version).
I have only a few programs installed on Windows 8.1. One is an auto-maintenance database program that's not available on Macintosh. The other is Quicken 2011 which I use because the Mac version of Quicken is crippled.
Today, I found that the data files from BOTH of these programs were simply gone, while everything else functioned apparently normally. The computer was powered down ever since these programs were last used successfully, so I couldn't have been hacked, and Norton Internet Security with the latest definitions is installed on Windows. In 24 years of PC use, I've never once had this problem. Both files were backed up, so I didn't lose data, but I don't know what caused this very weird phenomenon.
I'd blame the Windows 8.1 Update installation if anyone else noticed anything like this, but I cannot imagine for the life of me what would cause the selective deletion of data files from two different programs.


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The 10 Most Prescribed Drugs
By Daniel J. DeNoon – WebMD Health News
Most-Prescribed Drug List Differs From List of Drugs With Biggest Market Share
The 10 most prescribed drugs in the U.S. aren't the drugs on which we spend the most, according to a report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.
The institute is the public face of IMS, a pharmaceutical market intelligence firm. Its latest report provides a wealth of data on U.S. prescription drug use.
Continuing a major trend, IMS finds that 78% of the nearly 4 billion U.S. prescriptions written in 2010 were for generic drugs (both unbranded and those still sold under a brand name). In order of number of prescriptions written in 2010, the 10 most-prescribed drugs in the U.S. are:
Hydrocodone (combined with acetaminophen) — 131.2 million prescriptions
Generic Zocor (simvastatin), a cholesterol-lowering statin drug — 94.1 million prescriptions
Lisinopril (brand names include Prinivil and Zestril), a blood pressure drug — 87.4 million prescriptions
Generic Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium), synthetic thyroid hormone — 70.5 million prescriptions
Generic Norvasc (amlodipine besylate), an angina/blood pressure drug — 57.2 million prescriptions
Generic Prilosec (omeprazole), an antacid drug — 53.4 million prescriptions (does not include over-the-counter sales)
Azithromycin (brand names include Z-Pak and Zithromax), an antibiotic — 52.6 million prescriptions
Amoxicillin (various brand names), an antibiotic — 52.3 million prescriptions
Generic Glucophage (metformin), a diabetes drug — 48.3 million prescriptions
Hydrochlorothiazide (various brand names), a water pill used to lower blood pressure — 47.8 million prescriptions.
The 10 Best-Selling Drugs
It shouldn't be a surprise that these generic drugs are not the ones bringing in the big bucks for pharmaceutical companies. The drugs on which we spend the most money are those that are still new enough to be protected against generic competition.
The IMS reports that Americans spent $307 billion on prescription drugs in 2010. The 10 drugs on which we spent the most were:
Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug — $7.2 billion
Nexium, an antacid drug — $6.3 billion
Plavix, a blood thinner — $6.1 billion
Advair Diskus, an asthma inhaler — $4.7 billion
Abilify, an antipsychotic drug — $4.6 billion
Seroquel, an antipsychotic drug — $4.4 billion
Singulair, an oral asthma drug — $4.1 billion
Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug — $3.8 billion
Actos, a diabetes drug — $3.5 billion
Epogen, an injectable anemia drug — $3.3 billion
U.S. Prescription Drug Use: 2010 Factoids
Who's paying for all these drugs? Commercial insurance helped pay for 63% of prescriptions, down from 66% five years ago. Federal government spending through Medicare Part D covered 22% of prescriptions.
For Americans covered by insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, the average co-payment for a prescription was $10.73 — down a bit from 2009 due to increased use of generic drugs. The average co-payment for branded drugs for which generic alternatives were available jumped 6% to $22.73.
Other facts from the 2010 IMS report:
Doctor visits were down 4.2% since 2009.
Patients filled more than half of their prescriptions — 54% — at chain drugstores, possibly because of discounts on generic drugs.
Brands that lost their protection from generic competition led to $12.6 billion less spending in 2010 than in 2009.
The price increase for drugs without generic competition led to $16.6 billion more spending in 2010 than in 2009.
Drug companies offered $4.5 billion in rebates to assist patients with the high cost of brand name drugs for which there was no generic alternative.
IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics: "The Use of Medicines in the United States: Review of 2010," April 2011.


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Sterilization guidelines
Download the most comprehensive cleaning and sterilization guidelines in the dental industry. They show you step by step how to clean, disinfect, inspect and sterilize Nobel Biocare devices according to validated processes.
In addition, you'll find information on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging; and an extensive set of pictures of new, used and worn instruments to help you determine whether a device has reached the end of its shelf life.
For questions, please contact email@example.com
Already a Nobel Biocare customer?
Log in to your personal MyNobel portal to access additional literature, handling instructions and guidelines in My Library.


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Last night Christie's saw the highest auction total ever, as the house took in $744.9 million with premiums on an evening that saw new records for Lucas Samaras, Joseph Cornell, Alexander Calder, Robert Gober, Salvatore Scarpitta, Barnett Newman, Martin Puryear, Frank Stella, Robert Mangold and Joan Mitchell, whose 1960 untitled painting set a new record for any female artist at $11.9 million.
Though the house's, and the world's, highest previous auction total, from November 2013, was $691.6 million, tonight's was just at the top of a pre-sale estimate of $519.1 million to $711.6 million without premiums. Auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen's job seemed mainly to channel huge, pre-determined sums of money in as orderly a way possible over a packed room that had audience members standing in the aisles.
But those looking for the kind of three-ring-circus that defined last November's contemporary sale at the house—where Francis Bacons's three-panel study of Lucian Freud became the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, selling for $142.4 million—must have been disappointed. Of the 72 lots, 39 had some form of guarantee on the works, which can rob such public transactions of their energy, and that may have been the case tonight. This even though four works bore the ominous "estimate on request" designation, which indicates that a work's potential value is so astronomical that specialists can only whisper a divined potential price.
One such work, by Francis Bacon, a triptych of studies of his partner John Edwards from 1984 which are similar to the Freud studies, hammered for a (strangely) subdued $72 million, sold to Christie's Deputy Chairman for Asia Xin Li, on behalf of a phone bidder. There was just one other bidder on that lot, which finished in under two minutes. Ms. Li also purchased another "estimate on request" work for $30 million, Jeff Koons' ultra kitschy Jim Beam -J.B. Turner Train (1986). That work also sold in about a minute and a half, though that was somehow enough time for Koons collectors Eli and Edythe Broad to make their exit from the salesroom during the lot (just 28, though the sale would eventually go on for two and a half hours) .
Even the record-breaking Barnett Newman, the evening's top lot, which sold for $84 million (nearly doubling a previous record set at Sotheby's last May, and impressively topping its $50 million estimate), sold to a standing order in the book, a tepid late sale battle that included just three bidders.
Such displays felt representative of much of the night, with many lots garnering just two bidders. But then, so long as they didn't give away too much of that $744.9 million on profit-less deals to obtain works for the evening (as they did with Peter Brant's Koons, Balloon Dog (Orange), which sold for a record $58.4 million at that record Bacon sale), the house higher-ups had to be pleased. At lot 39, the giant screen at the front of the room, which shows bids in euros, pounds, Swiss franks, yen, Hong Kong dollars and rubles, froze at US$18 million, for a 1977 Willem de Kooning (which sold for $21.1 million with premium, well above its $12 million estimate) and the room had to wait for lot 40 until it was reset. For a moment it seemed Christie's had literally broken the bank.
A pair of works by perennial auction house favorite Andy Warhol saw the healthy bids usually associated with auctions, however. The first, Race Riot (1964), quickly shot up to $50 million at which point Mr. Pylkkanen, the auctioneer, insisted he couldn't take a bid of less than 2 million. But then deals can be made on the fly too! Bids came in from Christie's head of contemporary art Brett Gorvy, Christie's specialist Koji Inoue and dealer Larry Gagosian, all representing phone bidders, and he eventually took Mr. Inoue bid of $1 million. At $53 million, however, the terms were renegotiated: he accepted half a million from Mr. Gorvy and then, a quarter million from Mr. Gagosian. Mr. Gorvy tried to bid a quarter million at $55 million as well, which elicited groans from the crowd. The work eventually went to Mr. Gagosian's bidder, for $56 million at hammer. (Even though he left at lot 29, Mr. Gagosian was fairly active tonight, nabbing a Christopher Wool for around its low estimate, $21 million at hammer.)
But that seemed like a steal compared to the Warhol that came just three lots later, a silver, straightforward Marilyn Monroe silkscreen, just 20 by 16 inches, that saw early bids from Alberto Mugrabi and a man in the front row but eventually came down to incremental Christie's phone bids and hammered at $36.5 million, just over double its high estimate. Call it star power. (Both Warhol lots were also guaranteed.)
The evening kicked off with works from the collection of Chicago couple Lindy and Edward Bergman, which comprised the first 14 lots and though each carried a guarantee each also sold for above estimate, with the notable exception of a major Joseph Cornell box (1945-1946) that featured a portrait of Lauren Bacall and sold for just $4.6 million, and another lower estimate Cornell box that failed to sell.
The standout of those lots was an Alexander Calder, Poissson volant (Flying Fish) (1957), which twisted, rather quickly, over the audience and nearly doubled its high estimate to make a hammer price of $23 million, selling to Ms. Li's phone bidder, with Mr. Gagosian the underbidder, registering half-million increments with definite nods of his silver, cropped head.
At the press conference following the sale, Mr. Gorvy praised the placement of that Calder lot, lot 8, saying the house was "lot conscious this time!" (November's record setting Bacon was, at the last minute, moved from lot 32 to lot "8A," some speculated so that it would be more attractive to Chinese bidders, 8 being a lucky number in China).
"I think Jussi said last May that if we had a few more 20 million dollar paintings we could have sold them like this," Mr. Gorvy said, and then snapped his fingers. "We had a few more 20 million dollar paintings this time."
At this press conference, Mr. Pylkannen said only that he was impressed by the amount of bidding from China which, he said, shows how global the art market is.
The week's major contemporary art auctions continue tomorrow evening at Sotheby's.


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Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Shortbread like Ena Baxter made it
It might also be that I find regular shortbread to be quite dull. Maybe it was not always so. I blame my current disdain for shortbread on the months I spent working in a quiet office in Edinburgh. Most of my days there were spent gossiping and raiding the stocks of Walkers shortbread. However, I live with E who loves it with a passion that betrays his Scottish upbringing. Our little girl loves shortbread too.
Baxters family that make lovely soups and preserves. I was lucky enough to visit Fochabers in Scotland where their main factory is. Sadly it was too snowy to visit their Highland Village
The cookbook is full of traditional recipes. Most of the dinner recipes are meat. I have spent more time looking at the baking chapters. It is written for women who are skilled in the art of baking and don't need precision when it comes to cake tins, amounts of ingredients or baking times. I consider myself a competent cook and yet I find this sort of recipe challenging. I have tried the treacle scones once or twice and not got the (unspecified) amount of milk right.
Don't get me wrong. It was edible. Which was just as well. I had made it for a school lunch on Harmony Day. This is a day for children to wear their national dress and bring food from their family's country. Sylvia wore a tartan skirt and a t-shirt with the Scottish saltire on it. I had to pin them to fit with a safety pin or two.
It surprised me that Sylvia did not know what a safety pin was. I grew up helping changing my siblings' cloth nappies that were held together with safety pins. I guess they just don't feel safe enough for kids any more. Well I guess I did stick the safety pin into them occasionally. Oops!
racism damaging children recently which said that one-off multicultural events "can do more harm than good and reinforce rather than challenge negative attitudes and beliefs". I wonder how this plays out at Sylvia's school where there is a lot of diversity in the children's backgrounds. Today I heard about a nutrition presentation at the school where a child asked if the puppet presenter was fasting for Ramadan.
E's mother would also be delighted that I am using her cookbook to feed her son and granddaughter (and myself) a traditional biscuit that has been eaten for many generations in Scotland. So while plain old shortbread is not my favourite thing to eat, it is embedded in our family and can make me feel quite sentimental Which is a good reminder of why the simple foods are sometimes the most important to us.
I am sending this to Cates Cates for the Christmas in July theme this month for Anyone Can Cook Vegetarian Food. While shortbread can be enjoyed all year round, it is also a traditional festive treat and great for gifts..
Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Carrot dinner rolls
Two years ago: RRC Show us your Cookbooks
Three years ago: MLLA Chickpea, potato and tomato stew
Four years ago: Syrup cake, shoes and chooks
Five years ago: Pear and Walnut Chutney
Six years ago: Chickpea cutlets and gluten strings
Seven years ago: Mulled Apple Juice for a Midwinter Birthday
From Edna Baxter's Scottish Cookbook
Makes about 54 small squares
250g plain white flour
125g rice flour
125g sugar
250g butter
Preheat oven to 160 C or 325 F. Line a lamington or swiss roll tray with baking paper (mine is 31 x 24cm).
Use your hands (or pastry cutters) to rub butter into flours and sugar until thoroughly incorporated. The mixture will be soft lumps. Tip the mixture into into the prepared tray and use the back of a spoon or your hands to press it down firmly, evenly and flat. It might seem thin but thin is good. Mark squares (or fingers) by running a knife through the shortbread dough. Use a fork to poke holes in each piece.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Cool in the tray and then cut into squares or fingers as marked.
On the Stereo:
White chalk: P J Harvey
22 comments:
I haven't had shortbread for ages, but it's one of those things that doesn't tempt me to eat it - but once I start I can't stop.ReplyDelete
Cookbooks without detailed instructions scare me - especially if they're recipes for baking! Good on you for working it out.Replies
Thanks Linda - I confess once I start I can get very into shortbread - especially when it is freshly made. I still find cookbooks without detailed instructions hard - but I guess this is how we can cook from so many different cultures when we have detailed instructions :-)Delete
Lovely post, Johanna. I love shortbread, in fact they are probably the only cookies I will eat happily. Your version looks wonderful.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Nupur - I think it is significant that the other shortbread recipes I have posted are chocolate versions - I go by the maxim that everything tastes better with chocolate - perhaps I need to try chocolate dipped shortbread :-)Delete
- Anonymous22 July 2014 at 23:38
I can't stop at one piece or three, I used to finish a whole packet in a day. I loooove shortbread but haven't tried a vegan version yet. I bought some food grade lavender and have to try lavender shortbread. I'm envious you have relatives overseas who can send such fab, thoughtful gifts :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Veganopoulous - lavender shortbread sounds great - I have a recipe for lavender biscuits that looks like shortbread with lavender an have it bookmarked. And yes we do get some lovely gifts from overseas -feels like some sort of compensation for not seeing o/s family so often :-)Delete
ooh I haven't made short bread in ages, this reminds me to make it again!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Cate - it is a great easy recipe to make - esp when moving country and having a minimal kitchen :-)Delete
Shortbread, for me, will always have Australian associations even though I know it is Scottish really. My Australian grandmother produced mounds of the stuff, and we always received a huge tin at Christmas and smaller supplies across the year. As only my Dad and brother really like it, they had intermittent supply-driven biscuit binges!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Kari - I had plenty of shortbread in Australia because going to Scotland but I still associate it with Scotland which is where I have significant memories of the stuff.Delete
I love the digressions in this recipe, so much food for thought (and PJ Harvey 'White Chalk', I haven't listened to that for years but I LOVED it when it came out!). My mother in law makes phenomenal shortbread and try as I might, I can't make it like she can. I think it's one of those instinctive things, especially as it looks so simple on the face of it. I've seen an amazing shortbread recipe on eatetc recently that has nearly tempted me to give it another go, but I have been having so many kitchen disasters lately that I've lost my confidence a bit. Sigh. Anyway, hope all is well! xReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Lucy - ha ha - I enjoy my digressions too but really should't be encouraged :-) I think shortbread must be instinctive - can't remember making it with my mum though I would not be surprised if I did - but at least I grew up doing lots of baking that involved rubbing butter into flour which I guess helps. Though honestly I think my shortbread is yummy but not amazing - it has surprised me just how hard it is to get it right! Sorry to hear about your kitchen disasters - glad the cocktails are working out - sounds like you might need them :-)Delete
Yum, I love shortbread! Such a classic. I love these simple foods. Wonder what this recipe would be like with nuttelex?ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Kate - my suspicion is that it would work with nuttalex - I usually use nuttalex in a lot of my baking but thought I should try shortbread with real butter - might be slightly different texture and a bit less flavour - let me know if you try itDelete
I love Scottish shortbread-anything with so much delicious butter has just got to be a good thing no? :DReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Lorraine - butter does make anything taste goodDelete
I've got a Christmas in July dinner on Saturday, this will be the perfect additionReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Cat - hope you enjoy it.Delete
I've made shortbread a few times & now add some Estonian 'kama' which gives the shortbread a nutty flavour. Thanks for the reminder about it.ReplyDelete
BTW I don't know what the 3 comments at the end of this post are about - but you might want to delete them.Replies
Thanks Pene - never heard of Estonian kama but sounds interesting. And yes I try not to let these spam comments linger on my blog too long but when I am away overnight sometimes it is hard to keep up with spammers - those comments are gone now I am home!!!!Delete
Simple recipes are the best - including basics, I love shortbread when its buttery and soft with a glass of yummy dairy-free milk. I used to eat loads of them when I was young, but they also have a very good packaged shortbread in the U.S., but they were quite pricey and heavy though!ReplyDelete
Thanks for dropping by. I love hearing from you. Please share your thoughts and questions. Annoyingly the spammers are bombarding me so I have turned on the pesky captcha code (refresh to find an easy one if you don't like the first one)


text:
Saflok Part D 4" Female Coupler with Female Thread
Technical Specification
|Thread Type
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Product Description
Technical Information
All the convenient ease and multiple uses of a standard cam and groove coupling with higher design and safety properties of a world patented brand named product. This self-locking 4" Part D (Female Coupler with Female Thread) from Saflok can be fitted to any standard cam adaptor, assisting in the prevention of spillage of expensive and hazardous materials during product transfer processes. To open, pull the finger ring down and the handles will open in the normal way.
Special Features
Can be fitted to any standard cam adaptor. Handles will stay closed until you release them.
Designed with safety in mind and to reduce costs due to accidental disconnection. Specifically for liquid chemicals and parmaceuticals but also for cosmetics, foodstuffs, inks, adhesives, dyes, particularly where safety and costs are important.


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Ajit Hatti
NULL-open security community
Ajit Hatti is a Co-founder of "null -Open security community" the largest community of Hackers in India. Apart form securing technologies and products, he loves to design puzzles, CTFs at NullCon and other conferences.
Along with organizing "NullCon -The favorite International Hacking and Security Conference of India", he is also a Jailer of the major hacking event "JailBreak" at NullCon.
His work is focused on providing Trusted Computing On Hostile Platforms & most of his papers are in social interests. Recently he had presented a paper "How secure is Internet Banking in India" which grabbed good attention of the banking Institutes in India.
He regularly speaks and contributes at various security initiatives like NULL, NullCon, OWASP, COCON, ClubHack and various other security symposiums.
Sessions with this speaker
- BRIEFING | Lets Play - Applanting


text:
We real-world Earthlings take for granted that the seasons will change on schedule. Our planet's clockwork-like seasonality allows us to predict the passage of time with complete precision, and we can always be sure that spring is right around the corner. The same cannot be said, however, for the unlucky inhabitants of George R. R. Martin's Westeros.
Why is this? And what are the possible scientific explanations for Westeros' long, unpredictable seasons?
A unique feature of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire world is its extreme seasonal variability. Summers and winters have an indeterminate length, leaving its citizens wondering how long the current season will last — and how long they may have to endure the next one. At the opening of Game of Thrones Season Two, the good folk of the Seven Kingdoms learn that the summer, which has lasted seven years, is coming to a close, and with it, the onset of what could be a very long and bitter winter.
This makes for some pretty great fantasy, but is this actually possible? And is there any chance that variable-length seasons as portrayed in Game of Thrones could eventually happen on Earth?
The answer is yes. And in fact, there are at least five scientific explanations that can help explain what's going on in the Seven Kingdoms.
1. A wobbly planetary tilt
Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of its axis of rotation - a 23.4° offset of the axis to be exact. The direction of the Earth's rotational axis stays nearly fixed in space despite the fact that we're also revolving around the Sun. As a result, depending on the Earth's location during its orbit, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, causing us to experience summer. Half a year later, when the Earth is on the opposite side of the Sun, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, resulting in — yes, you guessed it — winter. The seasons are, of course, reversed for the southern hemisphere.
The seasons themselves are the result of shifting daylight exposures. In temperate and polar regions, the seasons are marked by changes in the intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface. The less sunlight, the colder it is. Makes sense.
It's important to note that the Earth's axis of rotation is extremely stable. If it wasn't, the Earth's tilt would be very wobbly, resulting in inconsistent and unpredictable seasonal lengths like the ones portrayed in Game of Thrones.
But thankfully we have the Moon. Or more specifically, we have a very large moon. The Earth's moon is disproportionately large compared to other planetary satellites in the solar system. And without it, there might not be any seasons, or the seasons could be very different than what we're used to. The Moon has the effect of stabilizing the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis. Without it, Earth would be a wobbly mess.
Now, back to Game of Thrones — in the episode "The Kingsroad," we learn that Westeros has at least one moon. It's very possible, therefore, that they have a very small or distant moon, that is causing a variable tilt in their planet's rotational axis.
It's interesting to note that, according to legend, Westeros used to have two moons, but "one wandered too close to the sun and it cracked from the heat" pouring out a thousand thousand dragons. Well, dragons aside, it's conceivable that some kind of cataclysmic celestial event could have wiped out their second moon, which would have thrown their planet's rotational axis out of whack.
As for our situation here on Earth, we're not completely immune from this problem. If our moon got knocked out of its current orbit, say by a massive object or a nuclear explosion, we would be in quite a bit of trouble.
2. An extremely elongated orbit
It's a commonly held myth that the Earth's seasons are caused by its changing proximity to the Sun. This makes sense from an intuitive perspective; the Earth is in an elliptical orbit around the Sun, which would indicate that the further it is away from the sun, the colder it would be. Hence, Earth's location at the aphelion point (the farthest point from the Sun) would indicate winter.
But this is not the case. Earth may be in an elliptical orbit, but it's practically a circle. Our distance from the Sun at the aphelion point has virtually no impact on the Earth's climate, though some experts believe that it may account for the southern hemisphere's moderate winters.
Now, that said, not all planets have a near-circular orbit like the Earth's. Mercury, for example, has the largest orbital eccentricity of any planet in the solar system at 0.2056 (compared to the Earth's 0.0167). The closer to zero the orbit is, the closer it is to being circular.
In Game of Thrones, it's very possible that Westeros has a very eccentric or elongated orbit. Unlike the Earth, their world could be extremely far from its sun at the aphelion point, which would explain the long and severe winters. Conversely, during perihelion, the planet would have a prolonged summer. Our very own Mars experiences this kind of thing; it undergoes wide temperature variations and violent dust storms every year, when it reaches perihelion.
The problem with this theory, however, is it doesn't explain the unpredictability of the seasons. The citizens of the Seven Kingdoms would still experience consistent yearly cycles and fixed length seasons, even if they would be longer than what we're used to here on Earth. So this theory, at least on its own, is not a very good explanation.
3. A complex Milankovitch cycle
The Earth is subject to some significantly longer orbital and axial trends. Variations in orbital eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth's orbit can determine climactic patterns that can take tens of thousands of years to play out. It takes about 26,000 years for Earth's axis to complete one full cycle of precession (the change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body), while at the same time the Earth is orbiting at a variable speed. The combined effect of these two phenomena creates a 21,000-year astronomical season. This is what is referred to as a "Milankovitch cycle."
This extreme long-term seasonality slowly changes the climate on Earth, typically resulting in colder winters in the Northern Hemisphere. It's thought that Milankovitch cycles are what's to blame for Earth's past ice ages. And anthropogenic global warming notwithstanding, current models suggest that the current warm climate may last another 50,000 years.
All planets have their own Milankovitch cycle which affect the weather and seasons in unique ways. Mars's polar caps vary in size on account of orbital instability related to a latent Milankovitch cycle. And Saturn's moon Titan has a 60,000 year cycle that changes the location of its methane lakes.
Looking at the situation in Game of Thrones, it's possible that Westeros's Milankovitch cycle is quick and complex. If this is the case, their seasons would be subject to variations in both length and severity — exactly the sort of thing that is seen in the series. Such long-term trends could be predicted when analyzing the physics of it, but it's nothing the planet's medieval-stage observers could measure or anticipate.
4. Oceans, currents, and winds
Any given region's climate is profoundly influenced by such factors as its latitude and proximity to large bodies of water. Take the South Pole, for example. It is in the middle of Antarctica, and a considerable distance from the moderating influence of the southern oceans. The North Pole, on the other hand, is in the Arctic Ocean, and its temperature extremes are buffered by the water. The result is that the South Pole is consistently colder during the Southern winter compared to the North Pole during the Northern winter.
Ocean currents and prevailing winds can also have an impact on climate, and they themselves are subject to cyclical variations. Currents like El Niño and La Niña impact on regional climates across timescales as long as five or more years. The power of Canada's warm Chinook winds are largely unpredictable, but their impact on the Prairies is significant.
The Seven Kingdoms may be subject to these sorts of long-term weather trends. The geography of their world may be considerably different than Earth's. Westeros may contain larger oceans, bigger mountains, stronger currents and more powerful prevailing winds — all of which would combine to create fairly unpredictable and long-term weather trends.
It's worth noting that global warming and rising ocean levels on Earth are stunting the ocean currents. Some experts believe that this could indeed result in a new ice age.
5. A combination of all factors
It's also possible, of course, that it's through a combination of some or all of these factors that Game of Thrones' seasonal variability can be explained. As shown, seasonality and climate are clearly the result of many factors.
Regardless, it's time to bundle up. Winter might be coming.
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