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Joseph Campbell
Personal Myth
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Forbidden Planet
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E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Droids
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This article is also available in Russian, translation by
Vitaly Chikharin, and Italian, translation by Luca Mariot.
Lucas has often acknowledged Dune as an inspiration. In early drafts of the Star Wars script the influence was much more obvious - the story was full of feudalistic Houses and dictums, and the treasure the Princess was guarding wasn't the Death Star plans, but a shipment of "aura spice." The final version of Star Wars is related to Dune mostly in spirit: a science fiction heroic fantasy treated seriously. Of all the ideas George Lucas inherited from Frank Herbert, the subtle lesson was how to use science fiction to create myth. His lesser borrowings might include:
Illustration courtesy of Justine Shaw, ©1999.
Frank Herbert (1920-1986) was an unusually bright boy who grew up with sporadically alcoholic parents during the Great Depression. He spent a lot of time alone, out exploring nature or swept away by "love affairs" with authors including Ezra Pound, Guy De Maupassant, Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway. On his eighth birthday Herbert announced his intention to be a writer when he grew up. By the time Herbert was twelve he had read and absorbed the complete works of William Shakespeare.
Herbert spent the first half of his life working mostly as a reporter. He had a formidable mind, but success eluded him. In 1956 he published his first novel, Dragon in the Sea, about submarine warfare in the near future. Herbert observed that it was silly to use giant metal ships to transport liquids which weigh less than water, and so invented the idea of a giant rubber balloon, shaped like a sandworm, which could be dragged across the ocean's surface by a much smaller, much less-expensive boat. Beginning in 1958 the British Dunlop company began to produce and sell Herbert's idea, as the Dracone Barge. The name "Dracone" (Latin for "dragon") was an overt acknowledgement that they got the idea from Herbert's novel. Arthur C. Clarke and Fritz Leiber recommended that Herbert take legal action, but he discovered that the two-year "discovery period" after publication of his book had elapsed, so it was too late to file patents.
As he neared 40, Herbert began to grow anxious about ever achieving his dream: to become an accomplished, rich and famous author. He resolved to buckle down and sculpt his masterpiece. Herbert devoted the next 5-7 years to researching and writing "the desert novel." He had two primary starting points: first, his life-long misgivings about what he called the "messianic impulse in human society." That is, he observed that people seem to have an inbuilt hunger for a powerful, charismatic leader to whom we can surrender our responsibility for making difficult decisions. Hebert observed that even the best leaders are humans, those humans have flaws, and elevating any man to a position of god-like power tends to magnify those human flaws to dangerous proportions. Worse, even if the original leader resists the temptation to abuse power, the bureaucracy which springs up around him will outlive him, and over time a bureaucracy becomes more and more incented to prioritize its own needs over the needs of people.
Herbert's second major starting point was They Stopped the Moving Sands, an article he'd written in 1958 about the United States Department of Agriculture's ecological experiments in Florence, Oregon. The USDA found that they could prevent the sand dunes from overwashing the highways simply by planting barriers of grass! Herbert chartered a single-engine Cessna airplane and flew over the experiment to take notes and photographs. As he watched the dunes roll by below, Herbert was suddenly seized by a powerful emotional surge. He realized that "...A sand dune is just a kind of fluid, only it takes longer for it to move. It creates waves that, when you see them from the air, are analogous to waves in a sea."1 The San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle's California Living magazine never published the article, but Herbert had caught the spark he'd been looking for; the seed he would nurture into Dune.
Much science fiction of Herbert's day was limited by the idea that SF was a completely new genre. Because of this many writers looked only as far as H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe or Mary Shelly for their inspirations, reaching back only 200 years. Herbert understood that science fiction is less a genre than a modern vocabulary through which to express the oldest genre in the world, the fantastic tale (the oldest stories of every known culture are almost exclusively fantastic tales). Because he saw the fantastic tale as a continuum reaching back past Wells and Verne through the Greek epics, Herbert was able to reach back not 200 years, but 3,000. In a way this gave him a 15:1 advantage over the average SF writer!
Herbert innovated in one other major way: in his day, science fiction was seen mostly as a way to express mind-expanding ideas through story, but the idea was the star, and the story itself was mostly seen as a "coat hanger" for the idea to hang on. Characters in science fiction were typically flat, plots were contrived and dialogue stilted and unrealistic. Herbert drew on his extensive self-education to marry science fiction with some of the strongest elements from literature, history, mythology, Eastern religions, mathematics, science and his personal life. A few of his most notable inspirations include:
William Shakespeare's Plays, particularly Hamlet (written 1601), but also Macbeth (1606), King Lear (1605), The Tempest (1610) and others. Paul carries his father's signet ring, as did Hamlet. Paul learns the true mood of his people by walking among them in disguise, like Henry the V. Herbert's most obvious borrowing is probably the climax of Hamlet, in which the hero publicly duels with his minor adversary, who carries a poisoned blade, while his major adversary looks on. Hamlet's conversation with the ghost of his dead father is echoed in the conversation between Liet Kynes and the ghost of his dead father Pardot Kynes (which I suspect was the inspiration for Luke's conversation with the ghost of Obi-Wan on Hoth). Paul's home planet, Caladan, echoes the sound of Shakespeare's character Caliban. Shakespearian scholars have noted that "Caliban" is probably a sneaky respelling of "cannibal," a common Shakespearean technique for teaching our unconscious a character's essential nature. The Caladan-is-based-on-Caliban theory is reinforced by Herbert's invention of the Caleban aliens in his subsequent novel Whipping Star.
Shakespeare conveyed his characters' thoughts by having them make asides, moments where they spoke directly to the audience, openly revealing their inmost thoughts. "Should I kill my uncle and sleep with his wife? What is life all about, anyway? I wonder how many jellybeans I could fit in my mouth?" Herbert adapted this idea to print by showing character thoughts in italics.
Herbert also borrowed Shakespeare's convention of occasionally writing passages in blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter, which he would disguise as standard unmetered prose. For example, Romeo and Juliet proclaim their love to each other in perfect sonnet form. Shakespeare's plan seemed to be to inspire an elevated emotional response in his audience by triggering their poetic response subliminally, without them being aware of it. The first writer to introduce the "metered verse hidden in prose" idea into Science Fiction was almost certainly A.E. Van Vogt (1912-2000). Herbert took it much further, burying not only sonnet form (14 lines of iambic pentameter), but several other forms, including haiku. This same technique was borrowed by Tolkien for his Tom Bombadil character, probably also inspired by Shakespeare.
Like Herbert, Lucas and Tolkien, Shakespeare's writing was an innovative compression and refashioning of his inspirations. His favorite was Arthur Golding's 1567 translation of Metamorphoses, by Publius Ovidius Naso ("Ovid", 43 BCE - 17 CE). For more information on Shakespeare's influences, check out the extraordinarily useful Narrative and Dramatic Sources of all Shakespeare's Works. Or explore a family tree tracing Shakespeare's influences back to Homer, Sappho and Callimachus!
It's no coincidence that so many major sources for Star Wars were influenced by Shakespeare: Dune, The Lord of the Rings, Forbidden Planet and Kurusawa (Kurosawa's Ran, 1985, was a remake of King Lear). For example, Shakespeare's Macbeth revolves largely around Macbeth's reaction to the Prophecy of the Witches. The audience is faced with genuinely deep questions like "Could Macbeth have defied the prophecy by acting differently? Or is fate predestined?" Macbeth's Prophecy of the Witches was modified by Tolkien (the witch's cauldron changing to Galadriel's Mirror), then modified again by Lucas ("Help them you could..."). Herbert's version of The Prophecy was delivered by the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam - the "head witch," as Macbeth's prophecies were delivered by the head witch Hecate; on the very first page of Dune Paul overhears Mohiam say, "And if he's really the Kwisatz Haderach... well..." The Prophecy in the Matrix is given by The Oracle, a nice allusion to the original source. This evolution of a single idea suggests how truly great stories retain their power to grip us even across barriers of culture, language and time.
So where did Shakespeare get his idea for The Prophecy of the Witches in the first place? Of course, Shakespeare drew from his favorite tragedy:
Oedipus Rex (written 430-415 BCE), by Sophocles: Oedipus Rex (pronounced Eee-di-puss Wrecks, though most Americans mispronounce as Eh-di-puss) was a major inspiration for Shakespeare and the only other serious contender for the "Greatest Tragedy of Western Civilization" title usually awarded to Hamlet. Herbert knew enough about storytelling to trace Shakespeare back through his sources and borrow from both. So far every influential artist I've reverse-engineered has turned out to lean heavily on this trick, so it must be pretty powerful. For instance, when Lucas was unable to get the rights to Flash Gordon he traced it back to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, then back further still to Gulliver on Mars.
It is from Oedipus Rex that Herbert borrows the underlying theme of prescience (the ability to tell the future) and prophecy (a foretelling of a future event). Everyone wishes they could somehow avoid missteps, but would we really be happy if we could see the future? Would that knowledge give us the power to change things, or does fate just steamroll over our attempts to influence our lives?
The Ancient Greek idea of foretelling the future centered around a shrine called The Oracle at Delphi, established around 1,400 BCE. People would come from all over Greece, Rome and even further to ask when to plant their crops, who to marry, even whether or not to go to war. Prophecies were given by the Pythia, the mouthpiece of Ge the Earth Mother (later changed to the male god Apollo by some men carrying extremely pointy sticks). The Pythia would enter a small room called the Adyton, where she would sit on a tripod over a cleft in the earth, waving laurel branches and smelling the sweet-smelling fumes which came up from below. If she inhaled too much she might becomes delirious or even die, but usually the gas induced a trance, upon which the Pythia would utter cryptic prophesies. The Oracle was built around the sacred spring Delphi, which the Greeks called the Omphalos - the Earth's belly-button. Geologists have recently discovered that Delphi once issued a combination of gasses including hydrocarbon, methane and ethylene. Ethylene is a hallucinogenic, so the Oracle's prophesies seem to have been at least partially the result of a drug trip. I believe that one of the main points of Sophocles' play is, "Hey, let's stop listening to the Oracle! Even if she could tell us the future, knowing the future would be a bad idea. We all need to figure things out for ourselves."
Herbert borrowed several other riffs from Sophocles, including the blind prophet, the hero becoming blind at the death of his wife, and the flawed person being sent out into the wasteland to die (rather than burdening his family and tribe). Herbert also flirted with the subtheme of incest: if love can only exist between equals, there aren't enough superhumans on Arrakis to go around, so Atreides siblings tend to fall in love: Leto II and Ghani follow the Path of Light, refusing to act on their almost romantic love for each other. Alia is in love with Paul, so she arranges for him to chance upon her when she has no clothes on. This attempt to seduce Paul into an incestuous relationship is evidence that Alia has fallen to the Dark Path.
In addition to influencing Shakespeare and Dune, Oedipus Rex has the odd distinction of inspiring an entire field - psychoanalysis! Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized psychology by theorizing that myths and dreams are the keys to understanding our unconscious... or at least the myth of Oedipus, the tragic figure who unwittingly kills his father Laius and marries his mother Jocasta. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) thought using myth to understand the unconscious was a great idea, but observed that people's experiences followed the patterns of many myths, and Freud's fascination with Oedipus reflected not a universal, but Freud's own issues. Jung was also uncomfortable with the fact that Freud was cheating on his wife with her sister, who lived in the same house. Finally, Jung found it hypocritical that Freud wanted to analyze everyone else, but refused to be analyzed himself. Unsurprisingly, Freud interpreted the breakdown of the friendship Oedipally: Jung was the "son" who wishes to "kill the Father" (Freud) and "steal the Mother" (psychoanalysis) for himself. At the risk of going off-topic, I think Freud had a lot of good ideas, but he basically spent his whole life running away from his demons rather than facing them, hiding within the almost total power-imbalance of the psychoanalyst/patient relationship. Because Freud never faced his own issues he never got any better, and so spread as much pain and harmful ideas as good ideas. Jung was half-crazy too (like he probably believed in telepathy and UFOs and stuff), but he knew he was crazy and spent his whole life trying to find the door out of his craziness.
GeekNote: The Ancient Greeks didn't actually call the play Oedipus Rex, but Oidipous Tyrannus. Inspiration for Darth Tyrannus?
Erewhon (1872), by Samuel Butler (1835-1902): In 1863 Samuel Butler wrote an essay entitled Darwin Among the Machines, which combined Darwin's theory of evolution with the Industrial Era, prophesying that one day the machines would become sentient and we would become their slaves. In 1872 he expanded this argument into his most famous novel, Erewhon. The title is a clever play on words: Stories about utopias (perfect societies) have been around at least as long as Plato's Republic, but it was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) who first coined the term "Utopia," in his 1516 novel of the same name. "Utopia" is literally Greek for "no where," so Butler's satiric book (probably the world's first anti-utopia or "dystopia"), is titled "nowhere" written backwards, more or less: Erewhon. Dune refers to a "Butlerian Jihad," a war which resulted in the outlawing of any machine made to think like a man.
The Brothers Karamazov (1879) by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881): Dostoevsky's book has been called "the world's greatest novel," and even "the most profound piece of philosophy in all of literature." Sigmund Freud called it "one of the peaks in the literature of the world." Maurice Baring wrote, "Supposing the Gospel of St. John were annihilated and lost to us forever; although nothing would replace it, Dostoevsky's work would more nearly replace it than any other book written by any other man."
The most famous section of The Brothers Karamazov is chapter five, "The Grand Inquisitor." It tells the story of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Upon his return Jesus is surprised to discover that even though the Church recognizes him, they're not happy to see him. In fact they toss him in prison. The Grand Inquisitor explains to Jesus that a real messiah is a threat to the modern Church, because of the deal they made with the Romans in 312 CE.
According the New Testament Pilate had posted Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum on the cross above Christ's head, Latin for Jesus the Nazarean, King of the Jews. The early Church honored Christ's sacrifice by inscribing all crosses with the abbreviation INRI. Constantine convinced the Church to change the slogan to In Hoc Signo Vinces, Latin for In This Sign, Conquer. The Roman government began funding the Church, and in exchange the Church proclaimed that the Roman conquests enjoyed the benediction of God.
In the New Testament Christ had refused three temptations from Satan: the temptation to exchange freedom for bread, the temptation to demand a guarantee in exchange for faith, and the temptation to turn his back on God and rule the world. Dostoevsky's Inquisitor claims that by making the deal with Constantine, the Church had succumbed to all three of Satan's temptations. However, the Inquisitor doesn't consider this evil. He says that Christ's rules are too strict, that only a small number of people will ever be good enough to get into Heaven. Therefore the Church follows the advice of the "wise spirit" (Satan) and intentionally tells people comforting lies, so they can at least have peace of mind in this life.
The encounter ends with an echo of Christ kissing Judas: "The old man longs for Him to say something, however painful and terrifying. But instead, He suddenly goes over to the old man and kisses him gently on his old, bloodless lips. And that is His only answer. The old man is startled and shudders. The corners of his lips seem to quiver slightly. He walks to the door, opens it, and says to Him, 'Go now, and do not come back... ever. You must never, never come again!' And he lets the prisoner out into the dark streets of the city. The prisoner leaves."
Herbert plays with Dostoevsky's idea throughout the Dune series, putting Paul in direct conflict with the religion which springs up around him until he's ultimately killed by one of his own priests. Dostoevsky writes eloquently of the terrible, absolute freedom each of us has to reach our own moral conclusions, the necessity of living our own lives from moment to moment. Leto II echoes these words almost exactly.
The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949) by Joseph Campbell (1904-1987): Herbert learned a bit about the heroic myth from Campbell's extremely influential analysis. But he was even more influenced by...
The Hero (1936), by Lord Raglan (1885-1964): Like Campbell, Raglan tried to make sense of myth by finding the common underlying patterns. Raglan identified 22 characteristics typical of heroes, thereby implying a "Raglan scale": the more points a character has, the more heroic he is. Paul Atreides scores between 13-17, somewhere between Hercules, Gilgamesh and Captain Kirk. Raglan's book was influenced primarily by...
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (1911-1915), by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941). Brian Herbert said this was one of the books his father studied most closely. Frazer's comparative study identified some underlying patterns common to many world myths, including "the mindless animal in the depths of the psyche that guards the pearl of life." Herbert said this was an inspiration on his first two novels, Dragon in the Sea (1956) and the sandworms from Dune.
Science and Sanity; An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics (1933), by Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950). Several people have told me that Herbert took a class in General Semantics in San Francisco shortly before writing Dune, and the ideas strongly influenced his development of the Bene Gesserit. I've read all 825 pages of Science and Sanity, and I must admit I found it almost impossible to make sense of. Korzybski is most famous for the phrase "The map is not the territory" and for reputedly originating the practice of making little "quote marks" in the air around a particular spoken word to remind the listener that the word is only an imperfect placeholder for an idea. I think the basic message of his book is "When we confuse words and other signifiers for the unvoicable truths they represent, that misassumption distorts our perception of reality." Korzybski hints that he has discovered a revolutionary new way of looking at the universe that will change everything, but the only meaning I've been able to sift from his book from one reading is a needlessly dense, turgid restatement of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Herbert was probably turned on to General Semantics by fellow science fiction writer A.E. Van Vogt, an enthusiastic supporter of Korzybski and a big influence on Herbert.
Zen Buddhism: Herbert sprinkled Zen ideas throughout Dune. When The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam nonsequiters Paul with "Ever sift sand through a screen?" Herbert next writes, "The tangential slash of her question shocked his mind into higher awareness." This is the technique of the Zen Koan: saying or asking something that sounds like gibberish, but also like it might be incredibly profound, provided you think about it long enough. Zen masters developed this trick to "open up" the mind of their students without filling it with their own opinions. Myth teaches us that all mentors push us towards new ways of thinking, but only dark mentors attempt to make us think just like them. A mentor who walks the path of light teaches us how to open up to the voice from within, not without. The most famous koan in the West is probably "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Dune mentions the religion of the Zensunni, presumably a combination of "Zen" and "Sunni." The word "Sunni" is the nickname for ahl al-sunnah wa-l-jamaa ("The people who follow the traditions of Muhammad and his tribe", Arabic). The two primary sects of modern Islam are Sunni and Shi'i, with Sunni accounting for 90% of all adherents.
Taoism: Legend has it that sometime around 350 BCE the curator of China's royal library became disgusted with the way people attached to the court lived their lives. This curator, a man named Lao-tzu, gave away most of his possessions and left town on a water buffalo. On his way out of town the guard at the gate asked him to sum up everything he'd learned from his years reading all those books. Lao-tzu wrote the 5,000 character Tao-te-Ching, the "Book (Ching) of the Virtuous (Te) Way (Tao)." The Tao-te-Ching is one of the three most-translated books ever written, along with The Bible and the The Bagavad Ghita, the centerpiece of The Mahabharata. The word "path" as used in both Star Wars and The Matrix, ultimately originates in the Chinese idea of Tao.
The Tao-te-Ching is about balancing yang (literally "in the sunlight") with yin (literally "in the shade"). Westerners have mispronounced yang as yAng for so long that English dictionaries have begun to grudgingly approve, but yang is a word from Mandarin Chinese, so most serious scholar-types pronounce it the way the Chinese do, as "yong." Yin and yang are used to represent hardness and softness, male and female. Keep in mind that yin represents the Chinese idea of female energy, which actively draws male energy, not the Western idea of female energy, which just sits there looking pretty and hoping someone calls. The Five Principles of Yin and Yang are:
1. All things have two facets: a Yin aspect and a Yang aspect
2. Any Yin or Yang aspect can be further divided into Yin and Yang
3. Yin and Yang mutually create each other
4. Yin and Yang control each other
5. Yin and Yang transform into each other
Dune alludes to Taoism throughout. The very first line is "A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct." Compare with this fragment of chapter 63 of the Tao-te-ching, Consider Beginnings, as translated by Ursula LeGuin:
As stated above, Herbert's two primary starting-points for the novel were (a) his distrust of the bureaucracies which spring up around messiahs, and (b) the catch in his throat when he flew over the USDA's sand dune experiment. Why did the sand dune experiment capture Herbert's imagination so strongly? Perhaps he'd been searching for a way to convey the essence of Taoism to Westerners, and the USDA's experiment fit this need with an almost miraculous perfection: sands which can wear mountains to nothing restrained by blades of grass.
Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE): Although I have no direct evidence, my intuition suggests that Herbert may have used the real-life story of Alexander the Great as a source. Like Paul, Alexander enjoyed the highest quality education imaginable, receiving instruction in geography, philosophy, ethics, politics, zoology, botany, mathematics, logic, weapons, military strategy, horseback riding, drama, poetry, music (the lyre) and literature (He loved the Iliad and took Achilles as his role model). Like Paul, this education was arranged by his father (King Philip the Second of Macedonia). Also like Paul, Alexander was forced to deal with the assassination of his father when he was still only a young man.
Alexander's tutors included Leonidas, Lysimachus and Aristotle. This unheard of level of education lent Alexander a remarkable quality: as a teenager he exhibited the oddly striking self-possession of an adult (as Alia would in Dune), and as an adult Alexander seemed almost otherworldly. He could make insights and find connections in a way no one else could even approach. Again like Paul, Alexander's nearly superhuman abilities enabled him to conquer almost the entire known world while he was still a young man. Unlike Paul, Alexander started to believe the hype when people told him he was a god.
Alexander was strongly influenced by Greek culture, and the Greeks had borrowed Egypt's idea that if you kicked enough butt as a human being you were eligible for promotion to godhood. The most well-known Egyptian to do this was Imhotep. He was born a commoner, but through his genius rose to be vizier to the Pharoh Djozer (2650-2590 BCE). Imhotep was the inventor of the pyramids, the greatest medical doctor of his time and probably the author of the world's first medical textbook. He probably coined the first word for "brain." He may have invented the egyptian "sleep temples," where people sought the 4,600-year-old forerunners of hypnotism, psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy (how fascinating that psychotherapy and hypnotism began as the same thing!). Imhotep created the foundations for an enormous amount of modern thought, and after his death was promoted to an Egyptian deity. The modern world has sort of repromoted Imhotep into our modern Hollywood pantheon, casting him as the villain in The Mummy movies.
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) had one of the most powerful minds in human history. He discovered the entire field of logic, working backwards from mathematics to identify the Nine Rules of Inference. Aristotle vastly expanded the philosphy of ethics. He had been trained by Aristocles, son of Ariston (or "Plato," 427-347 BCE), who had himself studied under Socrates (469-399 BCE... or maybe Plato made Socrates up; no one knows for sure). Together Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the undisputed heavyweights of Western Civilization: they told us what it means to be human, and today their ideas are still echoed in the Gospels, Christianity, The Renaissance, the Scientific Method, and the structure of our society. Distressingly, nearly all scholars to have extrapolated from Plato's Republic seem not to notice that many of his points are made through satire. So like if Plato thinks Homer was the greatest poet ever, would he really have wanted to remove every disagreeable element from Odysseus' life? Or is he slyly making the point that those disagreeable elements are necessary for The Odyssey to speak to our deepest self? Plato uses this device, called satire, throughout his writing, so pay extra attention when hearing ideas supposedly supported by the writings of Plato! He probably didn't really think poets make things up = they're liars = we should kill them.
Herbert's Personal Life: So far every great story I've taken apart turns out to have been built partially as a mythic retelling of the author's life. Perhaps this process grants the writer a new vocabulary for understanding the forces they're wrestling with. Maybe we write best about what we know best. Or maybe the psychic crisis which pushed the creator into their unconscious is the source of all their creative power. Here are a few elements from Herbert's life which may have influenced Dune:
In his autobiography T.E. Lawrence explains how his homosexuality contributed to his military career. He says that he was initially attracted to soldiering because of the all-male environment, and his desire to impress other men sexually is what ultimately motivated him to become a hero. Rather than writing a gay male hero, Herbert transferred Lawrence's homosexuality to Dune's villain, Baron Harkonnen. According to Herbert's biography he considered male homosexuality immoral, and died without ever expressing love or approval for his gay son Bruce. In a world where gay teens are four times more likely to commit suicide, it's a shame that the stories of real-life gay heroes are often retold so dishonestly. As Herbert knew better than anyone, Paul Atreides was largely based on a real human being, and his great love wasn't a woman named Chani but a man named Dahoum. Paul may have also been modeled partially on Alexander The Great, who many historians call "the greatest military genius of all time." Alexander was also gay, and his boyfriend was a strikingly-handsome soldier named Hephaestion.
The Qur'an: The sacred book of Islam ("One who submits to Allah") was revealed by Allah (God) to the Prophet Muhammad (570-632 CE) over the course of his lifetime. Herbert has often acknowledged that he uses color symbolically in Dune, but the only piece of the puzzle he's ever revealed is yellow, which means danger. Given that the Fremen are based mostly on the Bedouins, it seems likely to me that Herbert borrowed the color symbology of the Qur'an. For instance, in the Qur'an green is associated with healthy growing plants that have plenty of water, so it's good (and a symbol of Muhammad even today, which explains why his descendants wear green turbans). Yellow is associated with plants that are withering from lack of water, so it's bad.
The David Lynch version of the Dune movie doesn't work from the Qur'an color symbolism as far as I can tell. The Harkonnens, for instance, decorate mostly with green. Nor do I detect color symbolism in the Children of Dune miniseries (yellow, especially yellow sunlight, often falls upon Alia, but there are no green or other Qu'ranic color symbols, so the yellow may be either an isolated color symbol or a coincidence). The John Harrison version of Dune uses an original color symbology; Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro invented a system based on the Four Elements which the Ancient Greeks believed all matter was composed of:
Red = fire = danger = The Harkonnens
Green = water = life = the Fremen
Blue = air = aristocratic aloofness = the Imperium
Black = earth = strength = the Atreides
White = all elements combined = wholeness = Paul in final scene
Imam Mohammed Ahmed al Mahdi (1844-1885): Ahmed founded modern Sudan in 1885, by successfully leading a Muslim jihad against the Egyptian and British forces. Sudan had been under foreign rule since 1821, when Mohammed Ali Pashai had invaded in hopes of getting rich by enslaving people. In 1881 Ahmed announced that we was the Al Mahdi (literally "the guided one"), the messiah whose coming is prophesied in the Qur'an. The snappy uniform worn by the Atreides in the Lynch movie was based on the outfit worn by the Khedive, or Egyptian Viceroy, from around 1867-1914. Pop singer Michael Jackson was so impressed with the look that he had copies made and wore them on tour in the early 1980s.
John Carter of Mars books (1912-1941), by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950): Herbert absolutely adored these books as a young man, and in a way Dune is basically the serious, literary, adult version of Burrough's pulpy "scifi superhero conquers a desert planet" fantasy. ERB's Mars books were a direct influence not only on Herbert, but Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, George Lucas, Michael Moorcock, Leigh Brackett, Olaf Stapledon, Robert Heinlein, Edmond Hamilton, Philip Jose Farmer and Ray Bradbury, who once wrote "Edgar Rice Burroughs is my father."
Herbert originally set Dune on Mars, but quickly discarded the idea, feeling that ERB and others had done Mars to death. I can find only one direct borrowing: The Lady Jessica finds a note in an arboretum left by her predecessor, Margot Lady Fenring. The note contains the Bene Gesserit code-phrase "On that path lies danger." This tells Jessica that there's a secret message hidden somewhere in the room. She eventually finds the message, subtle bumps like Braille extruded into the tree-leaf that hung over the note. Compare with this passage from ERB's The Warlord of Mars (1913-14), in which John Carter finds a scrap of paper while imprisoned in the dark: "I became aware of strange protuberances upon the smooth surface of the parchment-like substance in my hands. For a time they carried no special significance to my mind - I merely was mildly wondrous that they were there; but at last they seemed to take form, and then I realized that there was but a single line of them, like writing." The bumps turn out to be a secret coded message.
Foundation Series (1941-1993), by Isaac Asimov (1920-1992): During the time Frank Herbert was writing Dune, most science fiction pundits agreed that Asimov's Foundation was the best science fiction ever written. Foundation even won a Hugo (the highest award in the field) in 1966 for "best series ever." Asimov's story concerns a scientist called a psychohistorian, someone trained to understand the broad patterns of history well enough to make oracular predictions. Asimov's psychohistorian hero, Hari Seldon, predicts that the Galactic Empire will eventually fall just as the Roman Empire fell. He suggests the creation of a library-planet called Foundation, where all human knowledge can be preserved through the dark ages, just as monks preserved the wisdom of the Greeks and the Romans through the historical Dark Ages. Seldon's plan basically works, though a significant challenge rises in the form of a mule, a superpowered mutant who is so singular that he falls outside Seldon's prophecies.
Asimov often cited Edward Gibbons' The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (published around 1783) a primary inspiration for Foundation. I don't know of Asimov mentioning this, but it seems likely he was also influenced by the real-life attempts of H.G. Wells to persuade the Royal Institution to create a World Encyclopedia, to guard human knowledge against a potential dark age. Asimov was very familiar with Wells' writing and wrote admiringly of him. Wells believed that such knowledge would allow the encyclopedists to manipulate "everyone who controls administration, makes wars, directs mass behavior, feeds, moves and starves populations" for the good of all humanity - the same basic premise as Asimov's book. Asimov's Psychohistorians are basically the same as what Wells called "Human Ecologists." His Encyclopedia Galactica is basically Wells' proposed World Encyclopedia.
As the Foundation series developed, Asimov began opening chapters with epigrams from the Encyclopedia Galactica, the book the psychohistorians were working on. This introduced a brilliant way to address one of the main problems with writing science fiction: it takes a lot of description to explain an alien culture to a reader, but too much description is boring. By "hiding" his backstory, exposition and description in these little epigrams, Asimov was able to keep the main story focused on plot. Herbert expanded this idea in Dune, beginning every chapter with an epigram and flirting with neat literary devices like partial foreshadowing (revealing a few tantalizing details about "how it all turns out" but forcing us to read the chapter if we want the whole story).
Frank Herbert's father was agnostic, but his mother and his ten matriarchal aunts were Jesuits, and they ganged up on him and tried to convert him! Herbert's Bene Gessert are basically a cross between Asimov's Psychohistorians and the Jesuits (Jesuit = Gesserit). Herbert thought his aunts didn't play entirely fair, and he was especially unsettled by their readiness to do questionable things because they were so smugly certain they were right. Herbert considered this "the ends justifies the means" philosophy wrong-headed, and he thought he could prove it using Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem and (to a lesser extent) Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle.
Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem (1930). For most of the history of mathematics, from Pythagoras (582 BCE-496 BCE) through the famous book Principia Mathematica (1910-1913 CE) by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead, mathematicians had faith that everything will eventually be figured out using the wonderful tools of math and logic. In 1930 Gödel blew this 2,500-year-old conceit out of the water, by mathematically proving that no axiomatic (rule-based) system can ever be "perfect." There must always be a statement that "breaks" the system. So for instance English allows sentences which are syntactically valid (they obey all the rules) but logically irresolvable, such as "I am lying." (Is the speaker lying, or telling the truth?) Herbert's idea was that if systems by their very nature are incapable of perfection, then justifying questionable acts with a "perfect" belief system, as Herbert's Jesuit aunts and Asimov's Psychohistorians both arguably do, is logically insupportable. I agree with Herbert, though in all fairness I should mention that Gödel was speaking solely of mathematics, and it doesn't necessarily follow that his proof can be directly applied to something as messy as human politics.
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (1927): Werner Heisenberg (1901-76) pointed out that it's impossible to determine both the position and momentum of an electron at the same time. This arguably implies that the way we look at a quantum event may change the nature of the quantum event. "If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Heisenberg's principle is the basis of a lot of new-age ideas like "...the basic stuff of the universe... is... malleable to human intention and expectation..." (from The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, 1993). Herbert felt that if the way we look at something changes the something, this is further proof that there can be no absolute "perfect" system. For the record, I think Heisenberg's Principle is way-useful for describing quantum events, but the "telekinetic miracle" aspect is merely an artifact of semantics.
To explain: no one has ever seen a subatomic particle. They don't have a "color," or an "appearance," or a "surface." In fact subatomic particles aren't really particles at all, but more like waves of probability. They're completely outside our experience, so to speak of them at all we create metaphors. But then we find paradoxes in the metaphors and, forgetting that the map is not the territory, we proclaim that the paradox exists in nature! Well... maybe, but in general I think it's more likely we're perceiving the edge of applicability of our current metaphor. For instance, do quanta (bits of light) behave like a particle or a wave? "Golly, they behave like a particle sometimes and a wave at other times, depending how you look at them... therefore scientists are telekinetic!" Doesn't it seem more likely we've reached the point where the particle/wave metaphor is no longer adequate to describe the reality, and we just need a new metaphor?
Advertising and Psychology: Herbert's wife Beverly had been an advertising copywriter, and the Herberts were good friends with psychologists Ralph and Irene Slattery: Ralph had doctorates in philosophy and psychology, and Irene had been a student of Jung in Zurich. Herbert drew on their ideas about how the mind worked and how to "sell" things to make Dune as subliminally appealing as possible. For instance, Herbert told Tim O'Reilly that he intentionally structured the climax of Dune like a sexual climax. He revealed that "It's a coital rhythm. Very slow pace, increasing all the way through. And when you get to the ending, I chopped it at a non-breaking point, so that the person reading skids out of the story, trailing bits of it with him."
Selected Sources
Alia: Arabic female name; the feminine of A'La, which means "most high."
Lady Jessica Atreides: I suspect that Jessica is largely a reversal of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. Both are in league with the witches, and in fact are witches themselves. Both have an intense relationship with Duncan (Lady Macbeth tries to manipulate her husband into killing Duncan, while Herbert's Duncan is secretly in love with Lady Jessica). But there's a fundamental reversal: while Lady Macbeth is always scheming against her family, Lady Jessica is always scheming on her family's behalf.
Paul Atreides: The name Paul is taken from Paul the Apostle. Herbert said "He is every prince who ever went in search of the Holy Grail." Atreides literally means "the son of Atreus"; Paul is directly descended from Agamemnon Atreides, a hero from The Iliad (written around 850 BCE). Paul is the most perfect, powerful superhuman Herbert could imagine because he wanted to communicate what he saw as the central theme of Dune, that "superheroes are disastrous for humankind." Dune is a warning to mankind: "Don't give over all of your critical faculties to people in power, no matter how admirable those people may appear to be." Why not? "Beneath the hero's facade you will find a human being who makes human mistakes. Enormous problems arise when human mistakes are made on the grand scale available to a superhero." Perhaps more importantly, "Even if we find a real hero (whatever-or whoever-that may be), eventually fallible mortals take over the power structure that always comes into being around such a leader." This is dangerous because "It is demonstrable that power structures tend to attract people who want power for the sake of power and that a significant proportion of such people are imbalanced - in a word, insane." Herbert drew examples of larger-than-life heroes from Hitler, Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Stalin, Mussolini, and especially John F. Kennedy and George Patton, who he believed consciously "fitted themselves into the flamboyant Camelot pattern."
Piter De Vries: May be based on American novelist Peter De Vries (1910-1993), who wrote clever things like, "It is the final proof of God's omnipotence that he need not exist in order to save us." "Piter" is the Russian version of the name "Peter," which literally means "a rock."
The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen: The title Baron may be an intentional homonym for "barren" (as in "one unable to have children"), given Herbert's low opinion of gay men. The name Vladimir is probably a reference to Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476), the real-life inspiration for Dracula the vampire. Vlad's father was called Prince Vlad Dracul ("Prince Vlad the Devil"), so he was called Vlad Dracula ("Vlad the Devil's son").
The Bene Gesserit: A cross between Isaac Asimov's psychohistorians and Herbert's Jesuit mother and ten Jesuit aunts. Gessert = Jesuit. Herbert rejected their religion, but felt that he benefited greatly from learning their methods of argument. He said "My father really won. I was a rebel against Jesuit positivism. I can win an argument in the Jesuit fashion, but I think it's flying under false colors. If you control the givens, you can win any argument."
Herbert also lifted a few riffs used for the Bene Gesserit from E.E. "Doc" Smith novels, in particular the centuries-long breeding programs and superheroic mental abilities.
CHOAM (Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles): Herbert said "The scarce water of Dune is an exact analog of oil scarcity. CHOAM is OPEC."
Fedaykin: Almost certainly based on the Arabic "Fedayeen" from The Qur'an. Fedayeen means "one who sacrifices himself" (for Allah). Saddam Hussein's most trusted soldiers, who the American media called his "Elite Republican Bodyguards," Hussein himself called the Fedayeen. Yasser Arafat, addressing a press conference at the United Nations in 1983, called Jesus "the first Palestinian fedayeen who carried his sword." This reflected the popular Muslim idea that Jesus was a prophet of Islam.
Fremen: Based mostly on the Arabian Bedouins and the American Apache, plus a few ideas borrowed from the peoples of the Gobi, the Kalahari and the Australian outback. Their language is adopted from colloquial Arabic. The name "fremen" is probably meant to suggest "free men."
Kwisatz Haderach: Taken from the Hebrew term K'fitzat Haderech (קפיצת הדרך), which means "A jump forward along the path" (K'fitzat means "jump", ha means "the" and derech means "path/road/way"). Rashi (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, 1040-1105 CE) popularized the term to explain how Moses' spies were able to cover so much distance in such a short amount of time: God shortens the path of the righteous (in Numbers 13.25 from the Hebrew Bible). The Bene Gesserit believe the Kwisatz Haderach will be a jump forward along the path of mankind's evolution. Herbert's character is probably at least partially a reversal of The Mule from Asimov's Foundation series (this time the plan-upsetting, unpredictable man is the hero instead of the bad guy).
Duncan Idaho: Named after Duncan the Scot from Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Muad'Dib: Dune defines a Muad'Dib as a kangaroo mouse imported from Old Earth. Paul takes Muad'Dib as his nickname among the Fremen people. It seems probable Herbert is referring to "The Mahdhi," the Muslim name for the second coming of the Messiah. (Al Mahdi literally means "the guided one.") Many Arab leaders have called themselves Al Mahdi over the last several hundred years, notably Imam Mohammed Ahmed al Mahdi (see above).
Ornithopters: This word means "an aircraft designed to derive its chief support and propulsion from flapping wings." The first ornithopter was probably the one used by Menippus to fly to the moon, in Lucian of Samosata's story Icaromenippus, written around 160 CE. Lucian intended the ornithopter as a high-tech modernization of the wax-and-feather wings Deadalus and Icarus used to escape Crete in Greek myth. Interest in ornithopters was rekindled by the blueprints for flying machines by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The "ornithopters" in both Dune films had short insect-like wings, but neither actually derived propulsion from the wings, so technically they weren't really ornithopters. In all fairness, flapping wings are a highly inefficient way to move machines through the air. Herbert said "Ornithoptors are insects preying on the land."
Stilgar: Paul's Fremen mentor was probably modeled on Herbert's Native American mentor, a man named Indian Henry (of the Hoh tribe). The name "Stilgar" combines the words steel and guard.
Usul: Paul's girlfriend Chani calls him Usul, a nickname which literally means "base of the pillar" in Arabic. In Muslim scripture pillars are usually symbols for the masculine aspect of divine strength and fertility, so at the risk of appearing flippant the most succinct translation is probably "god phallus."
The Sandworms: Visually, Frank Herbert called the Sandworm "Earth shipworms grown monstrous." The shipworm (Lyrodus pendicellatus) is technically not a worm but a mollusk, with a tiny clam-like shell at the head. The shipworm uses its shell like a rasp, to burrow through wood ships and docks. Thus its nickname, "the termite of the sea."
Herbert said that his inspiration for the sandworms came from a line in Sir James George Frazer's The Golden Bough (1922), which alludes to "the mindless animal in the depths of the psyche that guards the pearl of life."
Spice: The most valuable commodity in the universe of Dune is the spice melange, since it extends the human lifespan and gives Guild Navigators the perceptions they need to carry transports between star systems. The most obvious influence on Spice is oil, the wealth under the deserts of our world (it's probably not a coincidence that Arrakis is pronounced Iraq-iss). But Spice also represents Frazer's "treasure guarded by the great serpent," which may be thought to be consciousness, or divinity. Herbert's friend Willis McNelly said that Herbert intentionally encoded the idea that spice is the sandworms' sperm, which is why they're so protective of it. This revelation supports the widespread perception that the sandworms represent, among many other things, giant phallic symbols.
1 From Vertext Interviews Frank Herbert, October 1973, Volume 1, Issue 4, by Paul Turner. Found at Christian Gilmore's old Fedaykin website.
2 The Jedi fighting technique was called "Jedi Bendu" in an early draft of the script, but this was later changed to "The Jedi Arts." "Prana" literally mean "breath" in Hindi (India's most common language). Metaphorically it means "the energy created by all living beings," very similar to The Force. Indians brought the idea of prana to China, where it is today called chi or ch'i. The Chinese brought the idea to Japan, where it is now called zi. "Bindu" is a minor chakra, or energy point, in the back of the head.
Star Wars: Origins © 1999-2006 by Kristen Brennan,
part of the Jitterbug Fantasia webzine.


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Elevated Stands—Hang-On Stands
These simple stands must be hauled into place and secured to the tree with belts or chains. They require separate climbing aids such as segmented ladders or climbing sticks. Attach the climbing aid to the tree so that you can step down onto the center of the platform.

subset: commoncrawl


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MIAMI, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- An offer by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to buy the Florida Marlins has been rejected by team owner Jeffrey Loria, The Miami Herald reports.
Despite a "large offer" to buy the team, Bush became the latest of about a half dozen suitors to be turned down by Loria, the newspaper reported Wednesday.
The group of wealthy investors put together by Bush reportedly included Venezuelan media mogul Gustavo Cisneros.
Bush declined to discuss the report or if he would have been the Marlins' chief executive officer and managing partner if the team had been sold.
Under Major League Baseball rules, Bush could be the team's managing partner even if he owned only a small percentage.
After 2014, Loria, 72, would have more incentive to sell because he would no longer have to split profits with Miami-Dade County.


text: Corporate Social Responsibility has been a very topical issue in contemporary times, but an in-depth understanding of this salient concept is quite questionable to many including actors in corporate spheres. This we could attribute to ignorance or limited research work to propagate what corporate social responsibility means and the benefits it may bring forth if properly adhered to by corporations. This paper thus has as fundamental focus to clarify and enhance the understanding of corporate social responsibility as well as the extent to which corporations adhere to the ever increasing demands emanating from stakeholders (consumers, governments, employees, environmental activists etc) for socially responsibility. The extent to which corporate social responsibility is a valid criterion to judge the actions of corporations is also of special interest in this research work. This paper adopts a theoretical and an empirical approach to provide a better understanding of corporate social responsibility, while a broad based exploratory case study approach is used to investigate the activities of some selected multinationals across the globe .We used three management responsibility categories technique to bridge our findings to our conclusions that the management style of multinationals examined fall under the immoral category associated highly with socially irresponsible companies which typically do not consider stakeholder interests. The paper unravels the devastative effects of their activities on consumers, the environment, employees, and local communities whose interest and well being they should enhance from the corporate social responsibility perspective. The paper concludes with some limitations encountered in this study and suggestions for further research.


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Saturday, February 23, 2008
Migration to Marengo
In early days, the typical migration trails were from Pennsylvania and Maryland south to Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and eventually Kentucky. Moving from Kentucky to the deeper south was a bit unusual, but that is exactly what a number of families did when they left their Caldwell County homes and headed toward Marengo County, Alabama. Marengo County was created in 1818 from land acquired from the Choctaw Indians and that appears to be about the time the folks from Caldwell County headed down there. Had there been an 1820 Marengo County census, I just bet we would find some familiar Kentucky names. As it is, some of these same families are shown on the 1830 Marengo County census.
One of the people who moved to Marengo County was Levi Greer, who had witnessed the will of Jesse Jenkins in Caldwell County on 18 August 1815. In August 1824, a commission was directed to Marengo County to take the attestation of Levi Greer regarding Jenkins' will.
In July of 1811 in Caldwell County, Greer and William Barton had witnessed the will of William Gillehen. In Marengo County on 31 Aug 1846, Greer appeared before a justice of the peace and stated he was well acquainted with Stephen H. Doss and his wife, Minerva, now deceased but who was formerly Minerva Barton, daughter of William Barton, formerly of Caldwell County, Kentucky. He also stated that Minerva departed this life in 1825.
Giving a deposition at the same time was Thomas Ringgold, who stated he became acquainted with the parties stated above in 1818 in Marengo County when Minerva was living with her father, William Barton, but afterwards she married Stephen H. Doss. Thomas Ringgold stated that William Barton frequently stated in his presence that he moved from Caldwell County to Alabama.
Henry Woolf went to Marengo County and exchanged letters with his sons back in Caldwell County. Copies of these letters can be found in the family files of the Martin Genealogy Library, Princeton, Kentucky. An obituary for Henry Woolf provides wonderful details of his life.
"October 18, 1823
Died at their residence, in Marengo County, Henry Woolf in his 78th year and wife Elizabeth in her 76th year, after having lived together for nearly 60 years and raising 13 children, eleven of whom are now living. Both fell sick on 25th of September and expired within a few hours of each other on the 3rd and are buried in the same grave. He was a native of Virginia and fought in the Revolutionary War; he emigrated to this state from Kentucky in 1819, since which time he has resided in Marengo County."
Other Caldwell County people who migrated to Marengo County include Jarret Cherry (and possibly Henry and Joshua Cherry), William Selman, Thomas A. Holland and the Wood brothers (see the Hooper divorce mentioned in this blog on 12 January 2008). When you find your family in a new area, look around for families they may have known in their old county. Families usually migrated in a group for safety and convenience.
1. File marked "Notes 1846," Caldwell County Clerk's Office, Princeton, Kentucky.
2. Pauline Jones Gandrud. Marriage, Death and Legal Notices from Early Alabama Newspapers 1819-1823, (Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1981), 8.
6 comments:
- Unknown said...
Among the families moving from Caldwell to Marengo County ca 1817 was that of Edward and Sarah/Sally (Parent) Jenkins. This family moved west to Bastrop Co., TX ca 1828. A colorful history of the family was published as "Recollections of Early Texas: Memoirs of John Holland Jenkins (Personal Narratives of the West)" edited by John Holmes Jenkins III. The Handbook of Texas entry for John Holland Jenkins can be seen at: www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/fje5.html
Pat Oliver
- February 26, 2008 at 1:32 PM
- Brenda Joyce Jerome said...
Thanks, Pat. No doubt there were other families who went to Marengo. If you learn of others, please let me know.
- February 26, 2008 at 2:21 PM
- wbonds said...
I've been tracking the migration of Richard Bonds and his wife Elizabeth Ann Hughs from South Carolina to Alabama. I'm now fair certain that they stopped over in Christian, Calloway, or Caldwell during the period 1810-1820. Four of their children born during that time all claim Kentucky as their birth state. Land grants were issued in both states, too, at the appropriate times. Please keep me informed as to your findigs with your families and if any of you need help on Marengo, I visit their probate records every couple of months. I also know their local genealogist well.
Wes Bonds
- March 3, 2008 at 11:39 AM
- Brenda Joyce Jerome said...
A Richard Bond was a buyer at the estate sale of John Hughs in 1812 Caldwell County. Danl. and Thomas Bond were other buyers.
Also a Richard Bond and Wm. Bond were named named in a road order in 1810 Caldwell County.
Thank you for your kind offer of help with the Marengo County probate records.
- March 3, 2008 at 12:01 PM
- Happy Greer said...
This is interesting. My Greers left Laurens Dist SC about 1798 went to western Ky with a crowd of others including Benj. Kilgore et al. They obtained land on the Dry Fork of Eddy Creek and then with others out of SC to w. Ky went to Alabama ending up in Marengo Co., Wilcox Co. and surrounding counties. I believe the brothers William and Isaac Greer were the ones listed in a census about 1816 - was it a Miss. Terr. census then or Clarke Co.? At any rate, Wm., Isaac, James T. Jr., and eventually their sister Ruth Greer Pennington widow of John of Caldwell Co. KY ended up in Marengo and Wilcox. In the mid-1830's James Jr. died leaving his estate to be divided between his brother William, sister Ruth, and the heirs of his deceased brother Jonathan Greer who d. ca 1808 in Ky. The children of Jonathan were all grown up and were: Elizabeth Woodworth of Crawford Co. IL, Abner Greer of Lawrence Co. IL, Jonathan Greer the younger of Christian Co. Ky, and Mary Laughlin of Caldwell Co. IL. Abner Greer was at that time either a state senator or representative in the IL Assembly, and went from IL to Ky to obtain the powers of attorney for his brother and sister there, already having obtained sister Elizabeth Woodworth's in IL, and he went down to Alabama where court records show that he did, in fact, obtain the inheritance and then went back north.
Your advice about tracking neighbors' names in genealogical research in conjunction with your ancestors is the rule of thumb which has served me well through the years. In addition to being helpful it is just downright entertaining to see the group movements and find the old familiar names over several states and several decades.
Really do love your blog, Brenda.
Best wishes.
Happy Greer
- August 19, 2008 at 4:51 PM
- Brenda Joyce Jerome said...
Happy, thanks for the added information and also for the kind words.
- August 19, 2008 at 6:22 PM


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Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day
• No, no, no — it's a man. And a famous man. Although many of you sent in various clever titles for the screen shot seen above, you should be aware that the "old scary dude" in the expensive rough rider outfit is NBA superfan Jim Goldstein. Last night he saw Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder disrupt the Lakers inevitable title run by defeating Kobe and Co. 101-96. Durant: 29 points, 19 rebounds, many star-is-born/coming-of-age references.
• The Lakers eventual opponents, Lebron and Co., were also forced to play a longer series thanks to the heroic performance of Derrick Rose. Cleveland is still up 2-1, but have now given Joakim Noah another day to insult the city.
• Hockey.
• And, Christ, poor Jimmy Clausen. Even though Jon Gruden practically adopted the boy as his own son and the Kiper & McShay variety show have made him a viable star, no NFL team was willing to waste a first-round pick on the boy.
Good morning. It's Friday. This is fun.


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Comedian Drew Carey will own part of Seattle MLS
Recommended Video:
No one can question Drew Carey's dedication. His inspiration? Maybe.
The comedian, television star and game-show host made assurances when he was announced as the latest addition to the Seattle MLS ownership group at the George and Dragon Pub on Monday that he was not just a marquee name to help create buzz around the new team.
Carey recently met with Seattle MLS owner Joe Roth to discuss his potential involvement.
After talking about soccer and the Seattle market, Roth offered Carey a position in the ownership group.
Flexing his Hollywood muscle, Carey had two demands.
With the Arsenal-Reading game as a TV backdrop, Carey announced Monday that his involvement with the Seattle MLS club would mean a unique approach to running the team.
First, Carey wanted to allow fans to buy memberships that would allow them to, among other things, vote on the fate of the team's general manager.
"If you don't like the job he's doing, if he doesn't have a winning team, if you don't like the product, if you don't think the hot dogs taste good when you go to the stadium, you can just vote him out," Carey said, with co-owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer grinning in the background.
"We're not afraid to let the fans have the power," Carey added.
Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain and Atletico Barboa in El Salvador institute this democratic system and were Carey's inspiration. He even became a member of Barcelona after a recent European trip.
"I went to Europe and saw how Barcelona's organization was structured; I thought we should have that in America," said Carey, 49, a Cleveland native who became a soccer fan after attending an MLS game in Los Angeles and has been active in pursuit of a soccer fix all around the world ever since.
"No other fans in the United States will have the chance to do what Seattle soccer fans will be able to do," he said.
Second, Carey wanted to be part owner of the only professional team in America that has a marching band.
The ownership group of Hanauer, Roth and Paul Allen agreed to Carey's demands and brought him into the fold.
The expansion team will be made official Tuesday during a downtown news conference that will include MLS commissioner Don Garber and Gov. Chris Gregoire.
For Carey, the announcement caps a year in which he has hosted two game shows and become engaged.
"Every month it seems like some big thing is happening. I don't know what's going on this year, but it's a good year to be Drew Carey," he said.
"If I won the lottery I'd be the most hated man in the world."
The club is taking deposits for season tickets at mlsinseattle.com.


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Our recently installed bathroom uses existing pipes that were previously plumbed into cut out sections of joists, with no cladding.
Approximately 10 minutes after use there is a quite loud creaking.
We were advised this was because of the absence of cladding, and that quick solution is to use expanding foam in between the pipe and timber joist, to act as cladding. this avoids the much bigger job of completely refitting pipes and pulling up floor/re cutting joists.
The pipes are easily accessible at the moment as we are renovating (we have the ceiling off in the room below bathroom, but the bathroom itself is all tiled up).
Will this work, any other ideas?


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The Trafford Centre (a really big shopping centre for people who have never heard of it) is my local, it's kind of where me and Mr C used to hang out when we first started dating and had no where to go because it's open til 10pm…
So it has a special place in my heart.
Now Selfridges and Nails Inc have launched a nail polish in its honour the 'Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre Nail Varnish' . It certainly looks very pretty like a glittery gunmetal? I'll have to check it out in person and let you know.
I asked Mr C what colour polish he'd make for Manchester and he said a cloudy grey. I think I'd make a rainy baby blue.
This Nails Inc polish costs £11 and it will be available from the 10th May exclusively from Selfridges Manchester, in the Trafford Centre of course.
What colour nail polish would you make for your home town?


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What is your favorite B.o.B EP/mixtape/single? What songs do you want to hear on the new record?
What is your favorite B.o.B EP/mixtape/single? What songs do you want to hear on the new record?
What is your favorite B.o.B EP/mixtape/single? What songs do you want to hear on the new record?
It's very hard to have a favorite from Bobby Ray, I am not even sure he can pick a favorate. lol... I have to say, each song hit me in a different way, I love them all, it's like having all these kids running around, you can't jus say "Oh, this one is my favorite" that's how I feel, I can't say this or that one is my favorate, THAT WOULD BE A FAT LIE. Because I LOVE THEM ALL ! ! ! thank you Bobby Ray for your realness, tactfulness, truthful thing ness, lol... but you know I love me not some, but A LOT OF BOBBY RAY! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Overall, I'd say Hi! My Name is B.o.B is my favourite mixtape... it was the first tape I had heard from B.o.B and was definitely fiending afterwards. Fav tracks include Left Field, Do Anything/One Day, Grip yo body, Sing my Song, plus the touched-up versions of Cloud 9 and Haterz... and the skits are priceless, can't deny that.
I really liked B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray as well, mostly since the majority of it was self-produced. I totally think Bobby Ray dominated that tape though, too many good tracks haha.
Since then the singles have been crack and the one off the new tape "The Biz" is solid too. Yo Brandon where did you hear about potential Coldplay and Weezer collabs? Em and Lupe were the ones he announced and T.I. should be a given...?
B.o.B vs Bobby Ray was my favorite mixtape, but picking a favorite single is tough. Satellite and No Man's Land are great Bobby Ray songs, and Change Gon' Come was real good too. Plus the new singles, I Feed These Streets and Nothin On You. Too many to choose from. I guess it depends on my mood since he has songs that fit almost every mood possible.
I'm definitely curious to hear the Eminem, Lupe, T.I., Coldplay, and supposed Weezer collaborations on this album. But most importantly, I'd just like to see his first album be nice and full, about 17+ songs.


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UELAC Branches
Atlantic region | National | Central region east | Central region west | Prairie region | Pacific region
Branches of the Association
While conforming to the national organization's objectives and programs, local branches are self-governing and produce their own activities and events. Branches must hold at least one meeting a year, but almost all meet every, or every second, month.
Branch activities have included extensive research projects, such as the King's Names project undertaken by Sir Guy Carleton Branch in Ottawa. In that endeavor, the branch is attempting to produce a computer data base which will index every possible Loyalist mentioned in the records of the British Army at New York City during the Revolution. To date, thousands have been indexed. Other branches have erected plaques commemorating Loyalists or Loyalist events, and supported local historical and educational activities. Branch activities are only limited by the imagination of its members.
The Branches of the Association and the areas that they cover, organized by region of the country, are listed below: you may click on "email" to contact a branch, or on "website" to view that branch's website; or you may click on "newsletter" to view the branch newsletter.
"The Branches of the UELAC" contains details about the formation and chartering of current and past branches; more extensive details about individual branches can often be found on that branch's website.
Branches with their own Facebook groups are now designated by a Facebook icon linked to that group's page. Click this icon – – for the general UELAC Facebook page. If marked with an 'M' as follows – – you must long in as a Facebook member to view the group; otherwise, the page is publicly accessible.
Bridge Annex – a Virtual Branch - [website]
As a virtual branch, serving all of Canada.
Bay of Quinte Branch - [email] [website]
The Counties of Northumberland,Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington.
Col. Edward Jessup Branch - [email] [website]
Leeds and Grenville Counties
Heritage Branch - [email]
Montreal Quebec
Kawartha Branch - [email] [website]
Please see the Branch website
Kingston and District Branch - [see "contact" page on website] [website]
Kingston and Area
Little Forks Branch - [email] [website (English)] [website (French)] [website (Patrimoine-Ascott-Heritage)]
Lennoxville Quebec
Sir Guy Carleton Branch - [email] [website]
Ottawa and Area
Sir John Johnson Branch - [email] [website]
Quebec (other than Montreal)
St. Lawrence Branch - [email] [website]
From the Ontario/Quebec border along the St. Lawrence River, including the Three United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
Bicentennial Branch - [email] [website]
Windsor and Area
Col. John Butler (Niagara) Branch - [email] [website]
Niagara Peninsula
Governor Simcoe Branch - [email] [website]
Grand River Branch - [see "contact" page on website] [website]
Kitchener, Brantford, Simcoe and area
Hamilton Branch - [email] [website] [newsletter]
Hamilton and area
London and Western Ontario Branch - [email] [website]
London and Area
Assiniboine Branch - [email] [website]
Province of Manitoba
Calgary Branch - [email]
Calgary Alberta and Area
Edmonton Branch - [email] [website]
Edmonton Alberta and Area
Manitoba Branch - [email] [website]
Province of Manitoba
Saskatchewan Branch - [email][website]
Province of Saskatchewan


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Investors still running away from stocksAugust 2, 2012: 12:57 PM ET
Investors recently dipped a toe back in the stock market, but the water was apparently not fine.
According to the latest report on mutual fund flows from the Investment Company Institute, investors pulled $2.1 billion out of U.S. stock mutual funds during the week ended July 25. That came after modest inflows of $99 million during the prior week.
Overall, investors have been taking money out of domestic stock mutual funds for several months.
Since the beginning of the year, investors have pulled more than $57 billion from U.S. stock mutual funds. By comparison, these funds lost $13.6 billion during the first six months of 2011 and $24.6 billion during the first six months of 2010.
Meanwhile, bond mutual funds continued to attract investors, raking in $5.8 billion in assets during the latest week, compared with the prior week's $6.5 billion inflow.
Hybrid funds, which invest in both stocks and bonds, gained $737 million last week, building on the prior week's $905 million inflow. Taking the middle road has been good for hybrid funds, which have enjoyed inflows for much of 2011.
Investors have been rattled by the debt crisis in Europe, concerns about the fiscal cliff in the United States and a chronic global economic malaise.
But given the latest high-frequency trading fiasco, brought to you exclusively by the wizards at Knight Capital (KCG), the trend is not likely to reverse any time soon.
Related: The Wall Street machine is broken
The New Jersey-based brokerage giant said Thursday that it will face a $440 million loss on erroneous trades it made in nearly 150 stocks on Wednesday.
The costly blunder was apparently the result of a "rogue algorithm" that fired off a volley of buy and sell orders in a matter of minutes that were supposed to be executed over a period of days.
While the episode brought back bad memories of the May 2010 flash crash, the so-called circuit breakers that regulators installed after that unfortunate incident appear to have worked this time around. Still, the mishap illustrates the potential for mayhem when high-frequency trading goes awry.


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Resources for Researchers
NIAID offers many resources to support your research, including reagents, model organisms, and tissue samples, to name just a few. Use the filters under Filter Search Results to narrow your search, or simply enter specific search terms in the search field.
Showing results filtered by:CLEAR ALL
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ACTG/IMPAACT Specimen Repositories
The specimen repositories are a collaboration between the ACTG and IMPAACT clinical trial networks to make the large body of specimens collected for HIV research available to investigators.


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collect around (someone or something)(redirected from collected around it)
collect around (someone or something)
To gather around someone or something. The kids collected around the clown to watch him make balloon animals.
collect around someone or something
to gather around someone or something; to accumulate around someone or something. The guests collected around the table that held the birthday cake. The children collected around the birthday boy.


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On Our Website: Video Podcasts!
Richly illustrated with paintings, photographs, and sound recordings of featured birds, these video podcasts are an entertaining and educational supplement to the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America. You may view and download three hours of podcasts from our web site. Choose from the cateogries below:Family Overviews Species Profiles Biography Tutorials
Peterson Bird Identifications present Roger Tory Peterson's artwork of North American bird species, with full life history, seasonal range map, and depictions of similar species. The text is by Kenn Kaufman and Roger Tory Peterson.


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Fruity Splash
JO ANN CLEVELAND February 05, 2013How in tghe world did none of comment on this?? And it is a winner too! You must have had this one hid! lol
Needless to say...it is fabulous!
Congratulations girl!
jo ann c. #1513069
Judy V. Kennamer February 06, 2013BP lost all my comments! Thanks joAnn!!! #10556570
just having some fun trying to catch the splash action when dropping fruit into water
Exif: F Number: 6.3, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/4000 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 800, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 100.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Uploaded on January 30, 2009
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Judy V. Kennamer. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer. Contact photographer via gallery
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Spacecraft with American, 2 Russians blasts off to International Space Station
MOSCOW – A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American lifted off early Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, soaring into the night sky for a six-hour trip to the International Space Station. Their six-month mission will include a spacewalk with the Olympic torch.
NASA's Michael Hopkins and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky will orbit the Earth four times in the cramped capsule before docking at the orbiting outpost.
Live coverage provided by NASA TV showed the launch went off as scheduled shortly before 1 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday. Less than 10 minutes into the flight, a NASA commentator said the Soyuz had reached orbit after an "uneventful and successful" launch from the cosmodrome, which Russia leases in Kazakhstan.
During a spacewalk in November, the two Russians will have the honor of taking the Olympic torch into open space as part of the relay of the Olympic flame ahead of the Winter Games being held in Sochi in February. The torch will not be lit, however, because of safety concerns and will only arrive at the station in November with the next crew.
"We will take a picture of it with the space station in the background, with the Earth in the background, and we will try to make sure that we see Russia, and maybe Sochi where the Olympic Games will take place," Kotov, a veteran of two previous six-month missions, said in an interview posted on NASA's website.


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Founded just over 16 years ago, Star Alliance has progressively built its presence in Asia/Pacific and now has eight member carriers based in this region, which continues to show a growing demand in air travel, posting 5.2% growth in 2012.
EVA Air from Taiwan today joins the Star Alliance network, further strengthening the Alliance's presence in Asia/Pacific. At the official joining ceremony held at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance said: "EVA Air has successfully completed all joining requirements and I can confirm that our Chief Executive Board (CEB) has now unanimously accepted EVA Air into our Alliance."
At present, 19 Star Alliance member airlines operate more than 4,000 daily flights to, from and within the Asia / Pacific region, serving 280 airports in 44 countries.
"Star Alliance has since its inception had a strong presence in Asia / Pacific. With the addition of EVA Air to our existing combinations of member carriers and hubs, we further cement our position of providing the strongest network on an international scale to, from and within this ever growing region. We are looking forward to welcoming new customers from Taiwan and serving more travellers on the expanding Cross-Straits market", Schwab said.
Austin Cheng, President, EVA Air said: "Star Alliance membership gives us the privilege of serving new customers from all corners of the globe and introducing our passengers to the seamless services and status recognition that the Alliance provides. As a member, we have the opportunity to introduce travellers to new ways of connecting to destinations throughout Asia via our hub in Taipei."
Ms. Wang Yingxiang, Vice Chairman of Air China Group said: "On behalf of Air China I wish to congratulate EVA Air on their Star Alliance membership. This will enable the airline to further enhance its brand value, social influence and operations. EVA Air will add new strength into the Star Alliance network, expanding its network to Taiwan and offering travellers more convenience and choice".
Star Alliance was founded with the mission of providing seamless global air travel for the high value international traveller. EVA Air's customers will now have access to a global network of 28 airlines, operating more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. In addition to bringing Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Surabaya in Indonesia as unique airports to the network, EVA Air expands the Alliance's presence on the important Cross-Straits market, which has grown from an annual passenger volume of just over 3 million in 2009 to around 9 million in 2012. Moreover, Taiwan's geographic location is such that it has the shortest average distance to all major cities in the Asia-Pacific region, making Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport an important hub in the region. In total, Star Alliance now offers 10 hubs across Asia / Pacific: Tokyo – Narita and Haneda, Seoul – Incheon, Beijing, Shanghai – Pudong, Taipei – Taoyuan, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Singapore and Auckland.
EVA Air now offers through check-in to the final destination for connecting flights operated by any Star Alliance member airline for both passengers and baggage, hence providing seamless travel. Passengers benefit as they do not need to collect their boarding passes for connecting flights at the transfer airports and, where permitted by local customs regulations, baggage will also be sent through to the final destinations.
Members in EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) will now be able to collect and redeem miles on all Star Alliance member airlines. MileageLands Diamond and Gold Card holders now enjoy Star Alliance Gold Status which entitles customers to such privileges as access to more than 1,000 lounges across the globe, extra baggage allowance on all Star Alliance member airlines as well as priority baggage delivery.
FFP members from all other Star Alliance member airlines can also now make use of these when travelling on EVA Air.
As part of their Star Alliance membership, EVA Air now participates in several of the Alliance's fare products. For the business travel sector, EVA Air flights can be included in Star Alliance Corporate Plus agreements which are aimed at large multinational companies. With foreign trade driving Taiwanese industrial growth for the last 40 years, many multinational companies are based on the island nation. For the Conventions and Meetings market, EVA Air now offers Star Alliance Conventions Plus and Meetings Plus, the dedicated products for the meetings and conventions industry, which holds more than 200 events in Taiwan per year. EVA Air also boosts the attractiveness of the Alliance's most popular fare product, the Star Alliance Round the World Fare (RTW). Available in First, Business and Economy Class, this fare allows customers to travel around the globe making use of the 28 member airline network. Customers can now make use of all EVA Air flights when booking their RTW fare, either through the Book & Fly online booking tool*, via an airline or through a travel agency.
With Taiwan forming part of the Pacific Rim, EVA Air now offers the Star Alliance Circle Pacific Fare which allows circular round-trips covering the Asian countries bordering the Pacific, the main international hub airports on the Pacific Coast of Canada and the USA, as well as the South Pacific (mainly Australia and New Zealand).
Last but not least, EVA Air is now included in the Asia Airpass alongside all other Asia based Star Alliance member airlines. This special coupon and mileage based fare is available to all overseas visitors to the region travelling on a Star Alliance member airline and allows customers to travel around Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam).
EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully international route network.It is the second largest Taiwanese airline, next in size to its main rival, China Airlines. EVA Air is headquartered in Lujhu, Taoyuan County.
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Just as you're beginning to recover from an angst-filled season of holiday shopping, Cupid reminds you that it's time to break out the credit card yet again. This Valentine's Day, don't get bogged down worrying about finding the perfect gift for your sweetheart. Let OK! help!
Whether you're looking for a romantic treat for that special someone or a fun gift for your favorite gal pal, OK! has you covered.
Some Valentine goodies perfect for him or her include: Victoria's Secret Beauty Tease for Two, Couples Retreat on DVD, BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone, the Nintendo Wii gaming system, a "Diamonds" and Roses Bouquet from Pro Flowers, a red Mini 210 notebook from HP and V-Day cupcakes from CRUMBS.
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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"High security, user friendly characteristics."
Peter Györgydeák, CEO of BioSec, Hungary
The Ferencváros Soccer Club in Budapest, Hungary was founded in 1899 and its new stadium was built in 2014, to host not only the team's national league games but also international level games. The 23,000 seat stadium is equipped with the latest technologies and is one of the most modern in Europe. Due to its capacity, the stadium has also proven to be ideal for concerts and other major events.
Identification system beside the ticketing and card based physical access control for mass personal identification.
BioSec LifePass solution based on Fujitsu PalmSecure palm vein technology:
Read the full Ferencváros Soccer Club case study (278 KB/A4, 2 pages)
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International Press Freedom Awards
|Galima Bukharbaeva has drawn international attention to the Uzbek government's authoritarian policies, earning a reputation as one of Central Asia's most outspoken journalists. Her work for the London-based Institute for War & Peace Reporting focused on sensitive issues such as police torture, repression of Islamic activists, and state-sponsored abuses against journalists and human rights activists. As a result, Bukharbaeva was placed under police surveillance, denied press accreditation, and threatened with prosecution. The government organized Soviet-style "protests" in the capital, Tashkent, denouncing her as a traitor.
Bukharbaeva was one of the few journalists to witness and report on the May 13 massacre in the northeastern Uzbek city of Andijan. A bullet tore through her backpack, piercing her notebook and press pass, when troops opened fire on demonstrators.
As a result of her reporting, state media accused her of "conducting open information warfare against the state." Facing government reprisals, she fled the country and lives in New York City, where she is studying at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Acceptance remarks
Links to stories by Galima Bukharbaeva:
Op-ed in International Herald Tribune, September 21, 2005
"Witness to a Massacre" (from Dangerous Assignments, Fall/Winter 2005)
Following are transcribed excerpts from a videotaped interview with Bukharbaeva, airing as part of CPJ's International Press Freedom Awards Dinner:
Q: So the government has opened an investigation against you, is that correct?
A: When I was already in New York, they came to my mom in Tashkent and they said that they opened a criminal case against me and they charged that I had illegal activity because my office didn't have accreditation. They work like this--just because they didn't like what I'm doing.
Q: Why is your work important in Uzbekistan?
A: Now I realize how important journalism is in the society because the only thing people really need is just truth. And this is what journalists have to provide. Without the fairness, without the truth, society cannot operate. ...
Take this example that was Andijan. Refugees and journalists who were there saw the Uzbek regime couldn't conceal this massacre. In the way were just five, six journalists. And now even people compare with Tiananmen Square, I think it's really, really important.
Q: This kind of work--you've had to leave the country twice. You've been intimidated and you've been shot at. What is the personal cost to you?
A: It's affected my health I can say. Especially after Andijan, I feel I'm a bit nervous and I'm stressed. And before this, too, of course, because you are not just a machine who is just writing. You are also human. But what to do? This is the life, like this is the struggle. I understand that if I struggle for something--the good things, like for truth--I think it's a cost what we have to pay. It's not expensive.
Acceptance remarks
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues:
It is a great honor for me to accept this prestigious award tonight. I would like to thank CPJ for all your efforts in supporting and protecting journalists in Uzbekistan and other countries all over the world.
The massacre in the city of Andijan where the government opened fire against its own people showed the importance that journalism plays in a society.
Because of a few journalists who saw what happened and told the truth, one of the most repressive regimes in the world was not able to conceal this crime.
[President Islam] Karimov's repressive government realized that a free press is dangerous to their corrupt, brutal regime. And, so, journalists who reported truthfully were branded terrorists.
Many of these journalists were forced to leave the country. A few were thrown in jail. Those who dared to remain in Uzbekistan are threatened and beaten routinely. Because of this, we do not know what is going on in the country, how to act, how to react. An entire country has disappeared from the information map.
This, yet again, shows us how important it is to protect freedom of speech and of the press. And how important it is for the international community to support press freedom in countries where domestic laws fail to protect it--in countries like Uzbekistan where state institutions are used as tools of the repressive regime to crush independent journalists.
Ladies and gentlemen: I would like to share this award with my six colleagues who reported along with me from Andijan; with all the brave journalists who remain in Uzbekistan despite threats and harassment and continue to do their jobs; with 20 human rights defenders, who are now jailed for speaking with journalists.
I would like to share my award with a brave housewife from Andijan, Makhbuba Zakirova, who had the courage to testify before a court in Tashkent in October, and told the truth despite the possibility of grave personal consequences.
I would like to share this award with the refugees from Andijan, who in the repressive aftermath continued to talk to journalists and tell us what really happened.
I dedicate this award to the hundreds, possibly thousands, of innocent victims whose lost lives oblige us to continue to report the truth.
As an exile, I live with the hope that all of us who had to flee Uzbekistan will be able to go back home. I hope we will be able to grieve openly for those who died. But my greatest hope is that the lessons of Andijan will not be forgotten, and that Andijan will never be repeated.
Thank you, CPJ, for not leaving us alone in Uzbekistan.
Amal Khalifa Idris Habbani (Sudan), Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (Vietnam), Luz Mely Reyes (Venezuela), Anastasiya Stanko (Ukraine)
Ahmed Abba (Cameroon), Patricia Mayorga (Mexico), Afrah Nasser (Yemen), Pravit Rojanaphruk (Thailand)
Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Shawkan (Egypt), Malini Subramaniam (India), Can Dündar (Turkey), Óscar Martínez (El Salvador)
Cándido Figueredo Ruíz (Paraguay), Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (Syria), Zone 9 Bloggers (Ethiopia), Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, "Zunar" (Malaysia)
Aung Zaw (Burma), Siamak Ghaderi (Iran), Mikhail Zygar (Russia), Ferial Haffajee (South Africa)
Janet Hinostroza (Ecuador), Bassem Youssef (Egypt), Nedim Şener (Turkey), Nguyen Van Hai (Vietnam)
Mauri König (Brazil), Dhondup Wangchen (China), Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan), Mae Azango (Liberia)
Mansoor al-Jamri (Bahrain), Natalya Radina (Belarus), Javier Valdez Cárdenas (Mexico), Umar Cheema (Pakistan)
Mohammad Davari (Iran), Nadira Isayeva (Russia), Dawit Kebede (Ethiopia), Laureano Márquez (Venezuela)
Mustafa Haji Abdinur (Somalia), Naziha Réjiba (Tunisia), Eynulla Fatullayev (Azerbijan), J.S. Tissainayagam (Sri Lanka)
Bilal Hussein (Iraq), Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad (Afghanistan), Andrew Mwenda (Uganda), Hector Maseda Gutiérrez (Cuba)
Dmitry Muratov (Russia), Mazhar Abbas (Pakistan), Adela Navarro Bello (Mexico), Gao Qinrong (China)
Jesús Abad Colorado (Colombia), Jamal Amer (Yemen), Madi Ceesay (The Gambia), Atwar Bahjat (Iraq)
Galima Bukharbaeva (Uzbekistan), Beatrice Mtetwa (Zimbabwe), Lúcio Flávio Pinto (Brazil), Shi Tao (China)
Svetlana Kalinkina (Belarus), Aung Pwint and Thaung Tun (Burma), Alexis Sinduhije (Burundi), Paul Klebnikov (United States)
Abdul Samay Hamed (Afghanistan), Aboubakr Jamai (Morocco), Musa Muradov (Russia), Manuel Vázquez Portal (Cuba)
Ignacio Gómez (Colombia), Tipu Sultan (Bangladesh), Irina Petrushova (Kazakhstan), Fesshaye Yohannes (Eritrea)
Jiang Weiping (China), Geoff Nyarota (Zimbabwe), Horacio Verbitsky (Argentina), Mazen Dana (West Bank)
Zeljko Kopanja (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Modeste Mutinga (DRC), Steven Gan (Malaysia), Mashallah Shamsolvaezin (Iran)
Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández (Cuba), Baton Haxhiu (Kosovo), Jugnu Mohsin and Najam Sethi (Pakistan), María Cristina Caballero (Colombia)
Grémah Boucar (Niger), Gustavo Gorriti (Panama), Pavel Sheremet (Belarus), Ruth Simon (Eritrea)
Viktor Ivancic (Croatia), Freedom Neruda (Ivory Coast), Christine Anyanwu (Nigeria). Ying Chan (United States) and Shieh Chung-Liang (Taiwan)
Ocak Isik Yurtçu (Turkey), Daoud Kuttab (Palestinian Authority), J. Jesus Blancornelas (Mexico), Yusuf Jameel (India)


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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. While in flight to Seattle I met a woman who told a compelling story. Several years ago, while she was a student at the University of… read more →
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