Mandate and Values.

EMERGENCY builds hospitals, trains local staff, and provides medical assistance to victims of war and poverty. Its vision of healthcare provision is rooted in the principles of equality, quality and social responsibility. On the basis of these values, EMERGENCY advocates that:  EMERGENCY’s stated goal is to provide quality medical assistance to victims of war and poverty around the world. The organisational aim is to employ first class medical services as a means to tackle boundaries and inequalities.

Activities.

How EMERGENCY operates.

EMERGENCY begins operations in a specific region or country based on two major factors: the need for specialized medical assistance from the local population, and the absence of similar humanitarian projects in that given country. Once a project is initiated, specialized international personnel construct and operate high-quality facilities, as well as first aid posts, and health centres for basic medical assistance. EMERGENCY also deals with endemic diseases such as polio and malaria and provides basic health care in these circumstances, as well as establishing social development projects, not only in war-torn areas, but also in high poverty regions. Since 2005, it has worked in Italy to provide healthcare to marginalised groups and communities. All of EMERGENCY's facilities are dedicated to training local staff so that they may eventually take over the running of operations from the NGO’s international personnel.  EMERGENCY builds and manages:

Local Staff.

The aim of EMERGENCY’s humanitarian projects and missions is to transfer long-term project management to local healthcare authorities, as long as the two core aspects of EMERGENCY’s activities, high-quality and free assistance, are guaranteed. On the basis of this aim, EMERGENCY has employed thousands of local staff in the countries they operate to cover both medical and non-medical positions. The organisation provides both theoretical and practical training and EMERGENCY considers this an integral part of its programmes.

Current projects.

Afghanistan.

EMERGENCY has been working in Afghanistan since 2000, when the organization began renovating and expanding a former nursery school in the center of the capital, Kabul, which had been destroyed by a rocket. In April 2001, this structure re-opened as a Surgical Center for victims of war and landmines. Since then, over 36,000 patients have been admitted to the facility.  EMERGENCY also runs a Surgical Center in Lashkar-Gah; the only free, specialized facility in the Helmand Province and in the remote areas surrounding it with first aid posts, where wounded patients are stabilized before being transferred to the main hospital by ambulance.  EMERGENCY operates two centers in the district of Anabah, Panjshir Valley: a medical-surgical center opened in 1999 and a maternity center opened in 2003. Similarly to other projects, EMERGENCY has established a network of First Aid Posts and Primary Health Clinics connected to the center.

Central African Republic.

EMERGENCY currently operates two projects in Central African Republic. The Bangui Pediatric Center was built in 2009 and provides free healthcare for children up to the age of 14, 24 hours a day. The center also organizes numerous outreach programmes, including health promotion for families and training for local medical staff.

Italy.

EMERGENCY has been working with migrants, refugees and disadvantaged individuals in Italy since 2005. Through a network of Outpatient clinics (located in Palermo, Polistena, Marghera, Castel Volturno, Naples), the NGO has provided over 210,000 consultations.  EMERGENCY also runs Mobile Clinics across Italy, which are intended to provide healthcare in places were access to public facilities is limited, including farming areas, refugee and migrant reception centres, and Roma camps. The Mobile Clinics are housed in converted buses, minivans and lorries that serve Apulia, Emilia Romagna, Sicilia, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria.

Iraq.

EMERGENCY has been established in Iraq since 1995, primarily treating victims of landmines left over from the 1981-1988 conflict. The Sulaimaniya Rehabilitation and Social Integration Center provides physiotherapy, the fitting of prostheses for amputees, and vocational training courses.  In 2017, EMERGENCY reestablished operations at the surgical center in Erbil that it had handed over to local authorities in 2005. The decision was taken due to the hospital's proximity to the Battle for Mosul. Throughout the year, the organisation provided free medical assistance to casualties of war and underwent extensive renovations, increasing its original bed capacity. As the acute phase of fighting ended, the hospital was handed back to be run by local authorities. EMERGENCY performed 1,749 surgical operations during its intervention, mainly for bullet and shell injuries.  In light of the ongoing refugee and internal migration crisis, EMERGENCY operates healthcare clinics in refugee and IDP camps in northern Iraq.

Sierra Leone.

Over the past 20 years, Sierra Leone has endured a bloody civil war, causing at least 75,000 deaths, and the Ebola crisis, which began in May 2014. In response to the Ebola crisis, EMERGENCY staff were trained in containing the spread of the disease at their established surgical and pediatric center in Goderich. With the virus spreading rapidly, EMERGENCY opened an intensive care unit for Ebola patients - the only facility of its kind in Sierra Leone. As hospitals were overwhelmed, the EMERGENCY center was the only surgical and pediatric center to remain open in the entire country.

Sudan.

EMERGENCY’s largest project in Sudan is the "Salam" Center for Cardiac Surgery in the capital, Khartoum. In view of the high incidence of heart disease in African countries and the lack of adequate health care standards, the "Salam" Center offers specialized heart surgery, with the aim of its establishment as a regional center for cardiac surgery serving the people of Sudan and the nine bordering countries: Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea.  The organization also runs a free paediatric center within the Mayo Refugee camp, on the outskirts of Khartoum since December 2005, and in Port Sudan since 2011.

Uganda.

In 2017, construction work began on the Centre of Excellence in Paediatric Surgery in Entebbe, on the banks of Lake Victoria, 35 kilometres from the Ugandan capital Kampala.  The hospital will offer free treatment and be a referral for Ugandan patients as well as children from all over Africa in need of surgery. One of its main aims is to help reduce infant mortality in Uganda and neighbouring countries, as part of the African Network of Medical Excellence (ANME). The ANME was created in 2009 to develop free medical systems of excellent quality. The hospital in Entebbe will be the second project in the network, after the "Salam" Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum, Sudan.  'A Culture of Peace'  Volunteers, medical and non-medical staff contribute to promoting a culture of peace, solidarity, and awareness and respect of human rights.  Volunteers in Italy and abroad constitute a great part of EMERGENCY's work, organising a wide range of events for the fundraising that allows the organisation to operate in various countries.  International branches  EMERGENCY has affiliates in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Switzerland, UK and the USA.

Awards.

EMERGENCY and its founder, Gino Strada, have been awarded numerous awards for their work.  On 30 November 2015, Gino Strada received the Right Livelihood Award in Stockholm, Sweden, “for his great humanity and his ability to offer medical and surgical assistance of excellence to the victims of war and injustice, continuing to denounce the causes of war without fear."  The organization was awarded the "Gold Medal for Public Health" by the Italian government in 2016.  In February 2017, Dr Gino Strada and EMERGENCY were awarded the Sunhak Peace Prize in Seoul, South Korea, for treating Ebola in Sierra Leone.

EMERGENCY is a humanitarian NGO that provides free medical treatment to the victims of war, poverty and landmines. It was founded in 1994. Gino Strada, one of the organisation's co-founders, serves as EMERGENCY's Executive Director.

Emergency je italská nezávislá a neutrální dobročinná organizace, založená 15. května 1994. Zakládajícími členy byl válečný chirurg Gino Strada, jeho manželka Teresa Sartiová, Carlo Garbagnati a Giulio Cristoffanini.


Format.

"The Young Turks" live streams for up to three hours, with its story selection and associated commentary broken up by format. Issues that the show focuses on include national political news, the influence of money in the political process, drug policy, social security, the privatization of public services, climate change, the influence of religion, abortion and reproductive rights, civil rights and issues of injustice towards people of color and sexual minorities, sexual morality, and the influence of corporations, neutrality and establishment political thought on traditional news media. The program maintains a liberal/progressive ideology in its political commentary. Co-creator and host Cenk Uygur describes himself as an "independent progressive" and asserts that the show is aimed at the "98 percent 'not in power'" and what he describes as the 60 percent of Americans who hold progressive views.  The first hour, which is occasionally hosted solo by Uygur but frequently has Ana Kasparian among other co-hosts, focuses on American politics, foreign policy and breaking news headlines. The second hour – which is co-hosted by Uygur and Ana Kasparian – provides social commentary on a wide range of topics, both domestic and foreign. The program also features a post-game show, in which Uygur and Kasparian discuss their personal lives. Uygur has regular bits and on-air interaction with other staff members who create and run the show, including among others Jesús Godoy, Dave Koller, Jayar Jackson and Steve Oh.  Each Friday, "The Young Turks" features a panel of guests from the worlds of politics, journalism, pop culture, sports and comedy – dubbed the "TYT Power Panel" – that is led by Uygur and John Iadarola in the first hour and Kasparian in the second hour. Along with Iadarola, other fill-in hosts and recurring guests include series co-creator/contributor Ben Mankiewicz, comedian Jimmy Dore, television personality Brian Unger, Becca Frucht, Brett Erlich, Wes Clark Jr., Michael Shure, Cara Santa Maria, RJ Eskow, Gina Grad, Samantha Schacher, and Jayde Lovell.

Production.

"The Young Turks" is broadcast in a two-to-three hour live stream format, which airs Monday through Fridays at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The program was originally based out of the living room of creator/host Cenk Uygur, but it moved production to a small office in Los Angeles after the show hired a limited staff to produce the program. When the program was given a secondary live show on Current TV in 2011, the network provided a larger studio in Los Angeles to house its television and online broadcasts; production was forced to leave the facility after Current TV was sold to Al Jazeera, prior to the network's conversion into the now-defunct generalized news service Al Jazeera America.  In 2013, "The Young Turks" production staff relocated temporarily to new studio quarters at YouTube Space LA in Los Angeles. In October 2013, "The Young Turks" launched an Indiegogo campaign, aimed at raising $250,000 in order to build a new studio. Fundraising completed with $400,000 being raised. The program moved its production facilities and staff operations to a new studio facilities in Los Angeles later that year, with construction of their new studio being completed in June 2015. In 2017, TYT sought to expand its media network and hire more staff through various venture capital fundraising efforts that raised $20-million.

History.

Radio program.

"The Young Turks" was originally developed as a radio talk show that was similar in format to a Los Angeles-based public access television program that Cenk Uygur had hosted, titled "The Young Turk". With the help of friend Ben Mankiewicz (with whom he had previously worked), his childhood friend Dave Koller, and Jill Pike, Uygur began "The Young Turks" as a radio program in February 2002 on Sirius Satellite Radio.  In 2006, the program received attention for its 99-hour "Live on Air Filibuster," conducted during Congressional hearings for the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Hosts including Thom Hartmann and John Amato filled in during the event, to allow the show's regular hosts and contributors to rest or take breaks.  Prior to signing a distribution deal to carry the program on Air America in 2006, the show was broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio, on Sirius Left 143 and later 146, airing weekdays from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Eastern Time; a day-behind rebroadcast of the program aired on Sirius Talk Central 148 weekday afternoons from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. Eastern. Being carried exclusively on Sirius for several years, "The Young Turks" was the first show to air exclusively on Sirius Left that was not distributed through a syndication network. TYT was also carried by KFH (1330 AM and 98.7 FM, now KNSS (AM) and KNSS-FM) in Wichita, Kansas each weeknight from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Central Time and webcast by RadioPower.org.  On February 2, 2009, TYT was removed from the broadcast schedule of America Left, a progressive talk channel carried on Sirius/XM Channel 167, and replaced by an additional hour of "The Bill Press Show". The program returned to Sirius/XM on March 16, 2009. In late 2010, TYT announced through its Facebook page that it would discontinue carrying the program on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio; the last edition of "The Young Turks" to be carried on the service aired on November 19, 2010. TYT rejoined Sirius/XM in 2017 with the show being run on SiriusXM Progress.

Web series.

"The Young Turks" was the first daily streaming online talk show, having begun airing in that format in 2006, with an official website on the internet and a channel hosted on Youtube. The show provides in-depth coverage on politics regarding topics, events and other issues.  In August 2007, Ben Mankiewicz left the show to serve as a contributor for TMZ's syndicated entertainment news program "TMZ on TV". At roughly the same time, Jill Pike left to pursue a job in Washington, D.C. Ana Kasparian, then working as an intern for the program, was hired to do pop culture-focused segments. Mankiewicz eventually returned to "The Young Turks" as a regular correspondent.  During the 2008 elections, the show developed close ties to Brave New Films. The program aired commercials for the independent film production company and featured actors such as Robert Greenwald and Jonathan Kim as guests.  The success of TYT is due to a large extent of their shift from radio to the internet through the broadcast of programming content on online platforms. Uygur and co-host Kasparian applied a populist left branding and programming strategy that made TYT a successful global online organisation, with larger numbers of YouTube subscribers and viewers than several other notable news networks like FOX, MSNBC and CNN. The presence of TYT on Youtube has given the network a platform to democratise production of content and practices associated with its online distribution through an ability to share, comment and like material on its channel. Through likes and shares of TYT content on many online platforms, audience members have become a "virtual word of mouth" expanding the network's reach to other people with similar views and stimulating the growth of the TYT community.  Support by viewers for alternative media outlets like TYT adopting new technology has meant the network was able to overcome being a small sized organisation of the traditional alternative media landscape. The emergence of TYT in the digital era has resulted in fewer operational costs regarding organising and communication. TYT nonetheless has relied on small grassroots financial contributions from its viewers that gave it the ability to emerge as an alternative media organisation that does not advocate for the interests of corporations. The financial contributions TYT received went to renting a studio, and to purchase production equipment and furniture. By 2010, TYT employed people and maintained a budget resembling the size of a small newspaper.  On July 30, 2013, "The Young Turks" launched a TYT Network app on Roku, which features much of the same content that is already available for free through the program's YouTube channel, which has over 4.2 million subscribers and generates 50 million monthly views. The network is among the few online channels to generate more than 1 billion views since launching on YouTube, which does not market a channel on the Roku app store. Young Turks COO Steve Oh acknowledged that making the TYT Network available on Roku was the first part of a strategy to continue the network's growth, regardless of what medium in which its viewers are watching its content, with the intent to figure out a way to monetize its programming through multiple distribution channels, rather than relying on one or two larger channels (such as YouTube or cable television distribution). The network also announced plans to unveil native apps for iOS and Android devices. Oh also noted that the network's representatives were speaking with other media platforms about expanding its programming.  In April 2014, "The Young Turks" began offering its content on Hulu. With this, it began providing a condensed 30-minute version of the program featuring excerpts from the full two-hour daily show, along with a 30-minute weekly version of its daily pop-culture show "PopTrigger", with other shows being added shortly afterward. Oh stated on the Hulu launch that, "as TYT Network has grown from a single show to an entire network, we've consistently found ways to bring our shows to more people[..] We've long admired Hulu as a leader of online video and both parties saw an opportunity to bring digitally-native politics and pop culture talk shows to Hulu's audience." He also stated that the company is pitching shows to cable network, but had no immediate plans to revive a television broadcast as either a relaunched program or a show similar in format to the one it formerly produced for Current TV.  The website's yearly revenue was roughly US$3 million in 2013. According to Cenk Uygur, "about a third of the revenue comes from subscriptions, and the rest comes from YouTube ads." At that time, the company maintained a staff of 30 employees. In 2014, the company received a US$4 million investment from Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co., LLC, a private equity firm led by Republican former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer. In December 2016, TYT Network launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise US$2 million for the hiring of four further investigative teams. Five months later, the aim was met. In August 2017, it was announced that The Young Turks have raised $20 million in venture-capital from 3L Capital, WndrCo (owned by businessman Jeffrey Katzenberg), Greycroft, and e.ventures. TYT stated it would use the funds to "hire additional management execs and creative talent, as well as enhance its subscription-video offering and expand marketing initiatives". Shawn Colo, managing partner of 3L Capital, joined the TYT Network's board.  TYT operates under a strategy of diversifying its finances that involves the airing of socially responsible advertisements, offering subscriptions for TYT membership, selling its own merchandise and other investments. Among its advertising partners is Aspiration Bank, an organisation involved in "socially conscious and sustainable banking services" and whom TYT presents as different from other banks and their fossil fuel and campaign financing investments. Due to popular demand from viewers, TYT established an online outlet selling its own label branded merchandise, such as t-shirts, that are often designed and voted upon through the input of its audience. Its online subscription membership has two plans, "insider" offering full web content access and discounts, and "activist", offering additional access to its townhalls and political events.  Following the 2016 election, TYT fundraised for small grassroots donations among its members, raising thousands of dollars and created a media division named "TYT Investigates" devoted to investigative journalism with the aim to hold people with power to account. Operating as a watchdog outfit, "TYT Investigates" through its investigative journalistic team reports on issues such as inequalities in the economic system, power held by corporations, and other topics sidelined by traditional media like the views of ordinary citizens at political events. For example, TYT journalist Emma Vigeland has attended US President Donald Trump's political rallies and interviewed supporters.  In November 2017, TYT fired field reporter Jordan Chariton over sexual assault allegations made against him by the Huffington Post. Chariton denied the accusations, considered legal actions and later he settled the matter with TYT.  In mid-December 2017, Politico reported that TYT was courting former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather to host a news show. On January 21, 2018, TYT confirmed that it will show "The News with Dan Rather", a half-hour "untraditional evening newscast" weekly on Mondays in the time slot before the main Young Turks show.  In late February 2020, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) sought to unionise the production and post-production staff at TYT. Uygur urged his employees not to, as he stated TYT is a small media organisation and the move would endanger its financial viability, however the network has supported its workers holding a secret ballot to unionise. Employees expressed support for an open ballot that and a bargaining process followed. On 9 April 2020, employees voted 6 against and 9 in favour to have their own union and unionise with IATSE, with TYT approving of the majority decision.

Linear channel.

On May 17, 2018, The Young Turks launched a 24-hour linear channel on YouTube TV which includes all of TYT's current shows and four new shows called "The Damage Report", ""#NoFilter"",""The Happy Half Hour"" and ""Old-School Sports"". The channel has since been made available on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Xumo as well.

Reception.

In a September 2006 article, "U.S. News & World Report" contributing writer Paul Bedard described TYT as "the loudly liberal counter to the right-leaning presets on my Sirius Satellite Radio." In 2014, "The Independent" described it as "the most-watched online news show in the world."  The network is reliant on its multimedia platforms to attract online viewers and its audience are either "young, educated, affluent and politically interested" people who consume news from online sources. As a result of ongoing TYT membership drives, its base of subscribed members has grown numbering 32,000 in 2019. Per month, the media outlet receives 200 million views. On YouTube, its main show, The Young Turks, has more than 4.7 million subscribers. Over 12 million viewers (2019) are subscribed to its multiple online channels. TYT has become one of the largest watched online networks with its videos seen over 8 billion times (2019). TYT's millennial viewership ranks the network first for news and politics across its online platforms.

Awards and nominations.

"The Young Turks" has won and been nominated for numerous Internet content awards, including, but not limited to:  Other awards won by "The Young Turks" in the 2010s were "Best Political News Site" and the "People's Voice Webby Award" in all 5 of its categories.

Television spin-offs.

"The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur".

The first linear television incarnation of the program began as an hour-long show that premiered on Current TV on December 5, 2011. Co-created and hosted by Cenk Uygur (who executive produced the series with original program co-creator Dave Koller, with Jesus Godoy, Jayar Jackson and Mark Register serving as producers), the program was co-presented by Ana Kasparian, with Ben Mankiewicz, Michael Shure, Brian Unger, Wes Clark Jr. and RJ Eskow as contributors and correspondents. It was filmed at studio facilities in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City.  Current TV announced the launch of a separate television broadcast of "The Young Turks" on September 20, 2011, with the program intending to air Monday through Friday evenings at 7:00 pm. Eastern Time beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011. It was the second news and opinion program to air on Current, alongside "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", and was part of a strategy to refocus the network's prime time schedule around progressive talk programming (which was followed by the debut of "The War Room with Jennifer Granholm" in January 2012). According to the show's website, the show was titled "The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur" to differentiate itself from the popular web series. For two years, the two separate shows were produced each Monday through Thursday, with a one-hour break between the production airtimes of the television and web shows. In a press release, representatives for Current described TYT as "a group of progressive, outspoken journalists and commentators discussing politics and pop culture" and founder Cenk Uygur as bringing a, "uniquely progressive and topical commentary about politics and pop culture."  On January 2, 2013, Current TV was sold to Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera Media Network, which announced plans to reorganize the channel as Al Jazeera America, focusing on world news and investigative content with a more neutral tone; with the move, the channel would discontinue its talk programming slate, including "The Young Turks with Cenk Ugyur", which ended its run on Current TV on August 15, 2013, shortly before the network's relaunch.  In an interview with the "Los Angeles Times," Uygur commented that with the discontinuance of the television broadcast, he was relieved to move on and focus on his web show and the TYT Network site, stating that he had been "exhausted from doing the two shows at once" and that he was glad to put his energies there, as he believes that the future of media will gravitate towards online content. Uygur also noted that he talked with Al Jazeera after the company bought Current, reaching a mutual agreement not to continue with the television broadcast due to the change in ideological tone that Al Jazeera America would maintain. However, members of "The Young Turks" on-air contributing staff, such as Michael Shure (who served as a political and general assignment contributor), Cara Santa Maria (part of TechKnow) and Ben Mankiewicz (who worked as a movie critic), regularly appeared on Al Jazeera America. "The Young Turks" also maintain a partnership with Al Jazeera's digital channel AJ+, in an arrangement first announced in March 2015.

"The Young Turks on Fusion".

"The Young Turks" returned to television with a weekly, hour-long program on Fusion, "The Young Turks on Fusion", which premiered on September 12, 2016 for a twelve-week limited run. Hosted by Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola, the program – which was broadcast from college campuses around the United States, in a live-audience format modelled after ESPN's "College GameDay" – focused on coverage of the 2016 United States presidential campaign. The show also featured Cenk Uygur, Jimmy Dore, Ben Mankiewicz, Hannah Cranston, Hasan Piker, and Kim Horcher as contributors, as well as Fusion reporters and celebrity guest hosts.

TYT Network.

"The Young Turks" has spawned a multi-channel network of associated web series and shows, known as the TYT Network.  YouTube Channel: TYT  Some of the programs produced for the service are produced in-house, among which include:  YouTube playlist : Aggressive Progressives  YouTube Channel: TYT Sports  YouTube Playlist: Old School  YouTube Channel: RebelHQ  Youtube Channel: TYT's The Conversation  YouTube Channel: TYT Investigates  YouTube Channel: The Damage Report  YouTube Channel: #NoFilter  YouTube Playlist: The Half Happy Hour  YouTube Playlist: Murder with Friends  YouTube Channel: The Ring of Fire  Other shows are not produced in-house:  Programs produced for the TYT Network that are no longer in production include:  Programs no longer produced or owned by the TYT Network, but are still in production:

Political activity.

TYT promotes itself as the "Home of Progressives". Uygur has stated that "TYT values journalistic objectivity". TYT commentary generates "hybridized content". This involves TYT referencing news from mainstream sources and providing its own content analysis by connecting it to different narratives and discourses related to the social realities of its audience. The network's commentary has generated counter narratives in relation to traditional policy discussions. TYT places news in its context and connects it to the decision making process. By engaging with social movements, the station has called on its audience to become part of its "TYT army". The network uses its platforms for advocacy, such as calling for its audience to participate in the political process and give candidates support.  As part of new media, TYT coverage conveys the frustration and discontent held by youth with the political system. Progressive social policies and liberal values are promoted through commentary by TYT. Examples include TYT calling for gun control and the need to mitigate violence by police during its coverage of the 2018 Parkland school shooting. In similar coverage of shootings, TYT has provided information on gun and crime related homicide numbers and placed into context the laws, police training and additional factors that worsen the situation. Hosts on TYT advocate for unionisation in large companies and the sharing of profits with their workers. The network has spoken out against corruption in politics and for the need to remove corporate donations out of the political system. The station has been critical of what it regards as a "corporate coup" in the US. TYT has criticised politicians from the US Democratic Party for alleged attachment to financial interests and for appearing to be progressive. Hosts on TYT have called for the Democratic Party to undergo a revitalisation process. The network has been critical of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and its supporters like Hillary Clinton, whereas TYT approved of Senator Bernie Sanders' opposition to it. The station has defended the whistleblower WikiLeaks organisation and its data disclosures on several issues such as the TPP, the DNC email leak and the Hillary Clinton email controversy. TYT was sceptical about claims of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.  The station uses traditional and online media platforms regarding political action and mobilisation for citizen engagement with institutional politics. For example, TYT townhalls are hosted in local communities involving a moderator asking questions of the expert panel followed by audience questions, with the events streamed on Youtube and on-demand web access for its subscription membership. Viewers also have the option to send video questions to the network if they are unable to be present at the townhall. TYT townhall events involve detailed commentary by hosts and guests on political topics ranging from personal experiences to abstract notions on issues of concern that serve to connect their audience and lived experiences with politics. During the 2016 US presidential election, TYT hosted townhalls with Sanders and Green party candidate Jill Stein. In the late 2010s, other TYT townhalls were held with Sanders on the climate change crisis. Several hosts for TYT have expressed support for Sanders. The network supports political candidates who are from the same ideological persuasion. Following the 2016 presidential election, Uygur co-founded Justice Democrats, an organisation that seeks to get progressive candidates elected into office. During the US mid-term elections (2018), the network endorsed all candidates from the Justice Democrats (JD). TYT was the first network to give airtime to progressive candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to discuss policies and contrast themselves from electoral opponents on its shows like "Rebel HQ", a half an hour interview based program created in 2017. In 2018, TYT also featured other progressive political candidates on "Rebel HQ" such as Richard Ojeda during his congressional run, gubernatorial candidates Cynthia Nixon who ran in New York State and Christine Hallquist in Vermont to discuss their policies.  As a platform for online and offline civic engagement and political action, "Rebel HQ" offers information about a candidate, their website and campaign. The show informs viewers on how they can contact politicians, assist progressive candidates affiliated or unaffiliated with the Justice Democrats through donations or to participate by volunteering, canvassing and attending events like rallies in local communities. TYT's online platforms facilitate the encouragement of civic participation with the political system that in 2018 assisted Justice Democrats in getting 7 congressional victories, 25 candidates during the general election and 78 in the primaries. After Ocasio-Cortez became a congresswomen, TYT has continued to cover and defend her from slants by the political and media elite. Other Justice Democrats congressional members like Ro Khanna and Rashida Tlaib have appeared on TYT discussing progressive policies and issues.  In June 2019, during a high-profile Democratic presidential candidate campaign weekend in Iowa, TYT and a group of supporters launched the Progressive Economic Pledge campaign, challenging presidential candidates to sign. The pledge is to support higher wages, Medicare for All, Green New Deal, college for all and the end of private campaign financing.  In mid-November 2019, Uygur filed to run for Congress in California's 25th district, a seat recently vacated by the resignation of Katie Hill, an office also being pursued by former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos. Uygur as a result took a leave of absence while campaigning but continued to make appearances as co-host during designated breaks in his campaign schedule, with Kasparian acting as the executive producer and assuming editorial control of the program during this timeframe.

Name controversy.

According to Cenk Uygur, the name of the show was chosen because it is a popular colloquialism traditionally meaning a young radical who fights the status quo. The Young Turks show has been criticized for the name, as the original Young Turks political movement in the Ottoman Empire committed the Armenian Genocide, and that in 1991 Cenk Uygur wrote an article in "The Daily Pennsylvanian" in which he promoted Armenian Genocide denial. In 2016, he rescinded these statements, arguing: "My mistake at the time was confusing myself for a scholar of history, which I most certainly am not. I don’t want to make the same mistake again, so I am going to refrain from commenting on the topic of the Armenian Genocide, which I do not know nearly enough about."

The Young Turks (TYT) is an American leftnews and opinion show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web series focusing on news and current events. TYT covers politics, lifestyle, pop culture, science, sport and other social topics. The program was created by Cenk Uygur, Ben Mankiewicz, and Dave Koller. Currently co-hosted by Uygur, Ana Kasparian, and John Iadarola, it is also often accompanied by various other in-studio contributors. The program presents an anti-establishment stance and provides commentary on topics of varying news genres. "The Young Turks" began as a radio program that premiered on February 14, 2002, on Sirius Satellite Radio; it was later carried on Air America, before launching a web series component in 2005 on YouTube. In 2018, Regional News Network offered it initially on WMCN, its New Jersey broadcast television station.

The Young Turks (nebo zkráceně TYT) je americký pořad formátu společenského komentovaného zpravodajství vysílaný on-line. Jeho hlavními moderátory jsou Cenk Uygur a Ana Kasparianová. Pořad se dotýká témat z politiky, společnosti, ale i zábavy a trendů nebo sociálních sítí. Dal by se charakterizovat jako liberální nebo progresivní.


History.

The name of the island, Ada Međica, is Serbian for "border river island" as for the centuries the Sava river was a border of many states (Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Kingdom of Hungary, Serbia, Ottoman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, etc.). The island is on the borderline today too as it belongs to the municipality of Novi Beograd, and away Ada Ciganlija belongs to the municipality of Čukarica. The island was previously, at least until the World War I, also known as Ada Zanoga.  In 1962 first settlers began visiting the island when the first stilt houses were constructed. The very first one was a tree house built on the tip, constructed by, an architect and artists, nicknamed Peđa Isus (Peđa the Jesus). He built it after the Communist authorities confiscated his family's home, as his own "free sanctuary". After he was informed that the authorities plan to demolish his tree house because "it became the gathering place of young people who are, with their outfits and behavior, inadequate for Tito's youth", Ristić removed the house from the tree and placed it on the ground. He was criticized originally, but in time got praises for being an "urban Robinson [Crusoe]" while his idea was labeled as rebellious and escapist. Also, he inspired many others to spend weekends on the islands, technically without leaving the city but also without any of the urban rush.  Already in 1963 the care of the island has been entrusted by the municipal government to the “Society of the Sava and Danube Devotees” for 99 years, as ordered by the decision of the Supreme Court of Yugoslavia. Stilt houses were first built on the side facing the Ada Ciganlija and later the side facing New Belgrade's Block 44 also developed. The city later sued the Society wanting the island back, but they lost in court.  When a long international swimming marathon "Ada Međica" was organized in July 2016, a non-exploded, heavy World War II bomb was discovered near the island's tip, at the depth of. The bomb was removed and destroyed. The marathon, known as one of the rare swimming events in Serbia which includes swimming upstream, is planned as an annual event and the second outing in 2017 was dedicated to the celebration of 55 years since the first houses were built on the island. Since 2018 there are two races: one recreational ( downstream only) and one professional and semi-professional ( around the island).

Administration.

One of the local communities which constitute the neighborhood of Blokovi of Novi Beograd was named Ada Međica in the 1990s, with a population of 5,012 in 1991 and 4,636 in 2002. Local community was later abolished and the island is now part of the local community "Sava".

Nature.

The island is forested with 250 wildly grown oak trees, between 50 and 100 years old, majority originating from the 1920s. In 2015-2017 some 2,500 seedlings of pedunculate oak and ash were planted throughout the island.  The forest was a habitat for the sparrows, mallards and pigeons, but by the 2010s they were almost completely wiped out by the growing population of crows. Two large flocks of the wild geese live on the island and are an attraction for the visitors. Other birds which can be found on the island include blue tits, woodpeckers, pheasants, collared doves, herons, jays and hen harriers.

Characteristics.

Ada Međica has no resident population, but has 87 weekend-stilt houses and 202 house-boats owned by the residents of Belgrade. Maximum size of the stilt house or the house-boat is. Necessary electricity is provided by the solar panels. Water was conducted through the pipe on the Sava river bed and a mini-waterworks with five taps was built on the island. During summer, over 2,000 Belgraders spend weekends on Ada Međica, which is accessible only by small boats, including the seasonal boat line from the Block 44. Leisure activities include swimming, walking and barbecues, as the area is nearly intact and without touristic facilities. Only the eastern, upstream tip of the island is concreted to prevent the erosion.  The Sava river's stream is so strong that it pushes the island 50 to 100 centimeters per year in the downstream direction. The island is regularly flooded by the river and an operation of "anchoring" the island is deemed too expensive by the local authorities. During the floods, the island is regularly covered with mud and usually flooded so much that the boats have to be used for the transportation from one stilt house to another. There are two small beaches, officially classified as the "wild beaches". One is near the northern, concreted tip and the other is a sandy beach close to the southern tip.

Ada Međica () is an island and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd. Ada Međica is an ovally shaped river island in the Sava river, a long and wide, covering an area of. It is located just north of the central part of the much larger Ada Ciganlija.

Ada Međica () je místní část města Bělehrad a ostrov řeky Sávy. Administrativně patří do čtvrti Novi Beograd. Ada Međica je ostrov oválného tvaru, přibližně jeden kilometr dlouhý a asi 200 široký. Nachází se severně od středu většího ostrova Ada Ciganlija, respektive mezi ním a Novým Bělehradem asi 4 kilometry jihozápadně od ústí Sávy do Dunaje.


Current status.

According to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute on nuclear waste, Karachay is the most polluted (open-air) place on Earth from a radiological point of view. The lake accumulated some 4.44 exabecquerels (EBq) of radioactivity over less than one square mile of water, including 3.6 EBq of caesium-137 and 0.74 EBq of strontium-90. For comparison, the Chernobyl disaster released 0.085 EBq of caesium-137, a much smaller amount and over thousands of square miles. (The total Chernobyl release is estimated between 5 and 12 EBq of radioactivity, however essentially only caesium-134/137 [and to a lesser extent, strontium-90] contribute to land contamination because the rest is too short-lived). The sediment of the lake bed is estimated to be composed almost entirely of high level radioactive waste deposits to a depth of roughly.  The radiation level in the region near where radioactive effluent is discharged into the lake was 600 röntgens per hour (approximately 6 Sv/h) in 1990, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Natural Resources Defense Council, sufficient to give a lethal dose to a human within an hour. , the lake's status is completely infilled, using special concrete blocks, rock, and dirt. It had been completely backfilled in November 2015, then monitored before placing the final layer of rock and dirt. Monitoring data showed "clear reduction of the deposition of radionuclides on the surface" after 10 months. A decades-long monitoring program for underground water was expected to be implemented shortly after.

Background.

The name "karachay" means "black water" or "black sea" in several Northwestern Turkic languages, including Tatar.  Built in total secrecy between 1946 and 1948, the Mayak plant was the first reactor used to create plutonium for the Soviet atomic bomb project. In accordance with Stalinist procedure and supervised by NKVD Chief Lavrenti Beria, it was the utmost priority to produce enough weapons-grade material to match the U.S. nuclear superiority following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Little to no consideration was paid to worker safety or responsible disposal of waste materials, and the reactors all were optimized for plutonium production, producing many tons of contaminated materials and utilizing open-cycle cooling systems which directly contaminated every liter of the thousands of liters of cooling water the reactors used every day.  Lake Kyzyltash was the largest natural lake capable of providing cooling water to the reactors; it was rapidly contaminated because of their use of the open-cycle system. Lake Karachay was even closer; however the lake was too small to provide sufficient cooling water. Lake Karachay was then designated a close-by and convenient dumping ground for large quantities of high-level radioactive waste too "hot" to store in the facility's underground storage vats. The original plan was to use the lake to store highly radioactive material until it could be returned to the Mayak facility's underground concrete storage vats, but this proved impossible due to the lethal levels of radioactivity. The lake was used for this purpose until the Kyshtym Disaster in 1957, in which the underground vats exploded due to a faulty cooling system. This incident caused widespread contamination of the entire Mayak area (as well as a large swath of territory to the northeast). This led to greater caution among the administration, fearing international attention, and caused the dumping grounds to be spread out over a variety of areas (including several lakes and the Techa River, along which many villages lay).  In the 1960s, the lake began to dry out; its area dropped from 0.5 km in 1951 to 0.15 km by the end of 1993. In 1968, following a drought in the region, the wind carried 185 PBq (5 MCi) of radioactive dust away from the dried area of the lake, irradiating half a million people.  Between 1978 and 1986, the lake was filled with almost 10,000 hollow concrete blocks to prevent sediments from shifting. Conservation of the affected area continued into the 2000s via the federal target program "Nuclear and Radiation Safety in 2008 and for the period up to 2015", with the rest of the lake finally being backfilled in November 2015. Conservation work was completed in December 2016 with the final layer of rock and soil being added, effectively making the former lake "a near-surface permanent and dry nuclear waste storage facility."

Lake Karachay (), sometimes spelled Karachai or Karachaj, was a small lake in the southern Ural mountains in central Russia. Starting in 1951, the Soviet Union used Karachay as a dumping site for radioactive waste from Mayak, the nearby nuclear waste storage and reprocessing facility, located near the town of Ozyorsk (then called Chelyabinsk-40). Today the lake is completely infilled, acting as "a near-surface permanent and dry nuclear waste storage facility."

Karačaj () je malé jezero na jižním Uralu v centrálním Rusku. V roce 1951 začal jezero využívat Sovětský svaz jako odkladiště pro radioaktivní odpad z jaderného kombinátu Majak, který se nachází v blízkosti města Ozjorsk (v rámci utajení pojmenovaného Čeljabinsk-40).


History.

AA sprang from The Oxford Group, a non-denominational movement modeled after first-century Christianity. Some members founded the Group to help in maintaining sobriety. "Grouper" Ebby Thacher was Wilson's former drinking buddy who approached Wilson saying that he had "got religion", was sober, and that Wilson could do the same if he set aside objections to religion and instead formed a personal idea of God, "another power" or "higher power".  Feeling a "kinship of common suffering" and, though drunk, Wilson attended his first Group gathering. Within days, Wilson admitted himself to the Charles B. Towns Hospital after drinking four beers on the way—the last alcohol he ever drank. Under the care of William Duncan Silkworth (an early benefactor of AA), Wilson's detox included the deliriant belladonna. At the hospital, a despairing Wilson experienced a bright flash of light, which he felt to be God revealing himself. Following his hospital discharge, Wilson joined the Oxford Group and recruited other alcoholics to the Group. Wilson's early efforts to help others become sober were ineffective, prompting Silkworth to suggest that Wilson place less stress on religion and more on "the science" of treating alcoholism. Wilson's first success came during a business trip to Akron, Ohio, where he was introduced to Robert Smith, a surgeon and Oxford Group member who was unable to stay sober. After thirty days of working with Wilson, Smith drank his last drink on 10 June 1935, the date marked by AA for its anniversaries.  The first female member Florence Rankin joined AA in March 1937, and the first non-Protestant member, a Roman Catholic, joined in 1939. The first Black AA group was established in 1945 in Washington DC by Jim S., an African-American physician from Virginia.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, many AA meetings moved to online meetings using platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and conference calls. Some members expressed concerns about anonymity and security and steps were taken, including having "digital bouncers at some online meetings.

The Big Book, the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions.

To share their method, Wilson and other members wrote the initially-titled book, "Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism", from which AA drew its name. Informally known as "The Big Book" (with its first 164 pages virtually unchanged since the 1939 edition), it suggests a twelve-step program in which members admit that they are powerless over alcohol and need help from a "higher power". They seek guidance and strength through prayer and meditation from God or a Higher Power of their own understanding; take a moral inventory with care to include resentments; list and become ready to remove character defects; list and make amends to those harmed; continue to take a moral inventory, pray, meditate, and try to help other alcoholics recover. The second half of the book, "Personal Stories" (subject to additions, removal and retitling in subsequent editions), is made of AA members' redemptive autobiographical sketches.  In 1941, interviews on American radio and favorable articles in US magazines, including a piece by Jack Alexander in "The Saturday Evening Post", led to increased book sales and membership. By 1946, as the growing fellowship quarreled over structure, purpose, and authority, as well as finances and publicity, Wilson began to form and promote what became known as AA's "Twelve Traditions," which are guidelines for an altruistic, unaffiliated, non-coercive, and non-hierarchical structure that limited AA's purpose to only helping alcoholics on a non-professional level while shunning publicity. Eventually, he gained formal adoption and inclusion of the Twelve Traditions in all future editions of the Big Book. At the 1955 conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Wilson relinquished stewardship of AA to the General Service Conference, as AA grew to millions of members internationally.

Organization and finances.

AA says it is "not organized in the formal or political sense", and Bill Wilson, borrowing the phrase from anarchist theorist Peter Kropotkin, called it a "benign anarchy". In Ireland, Shane Butler said that AA "looks like it couldn't survive as there's no leadership or top-level telling local cumanns what to do, but it has worked and proved itself extremely robust". Butler explained that "AA's 'inverted pyramid' style of governance has helped it to avoid many of the pitfalls that political and religious institutions have encountered since it was established here in 1946."  In 2018, AA counted 2,087,840 members and 120,300 AA groups worldwide. The Twelve Traditions informally guide how individual AA groups function, and the Twelve Concepts for World Service guide how the organization is structured globally.  A member who accepts a service position or an organizing role is a "trusted servant" with terms rotating and limited, typically lasting three months to two years and determined by group vote and the nature of the position. Each group is a self-governing entity with AA World Services acting only in an advisory capacity. AA is served entirely by alcoholics, except for seven "nonalcoholic friends of the fellowship" of the 21-member AA Board of Trustees.  AA groups are self-supporting, relying on voluntary donations from members to cover expenses. The AA General Service Office (GSO) limits contributions to US$3,000 a year. Above the group level, AA may hire outside professionals for services that require specialized expertise or full-time responsibilities.  Like individual groups, the GSO is self-supporting. AA receives proceeds from books and literature that constitute more than 50% of the income for its General Service Office. In keeping with AA's Seventh Tradition, the Central Office is fully self-supporting through the sale of literature and related products, and through the voluntary donations of AA members and groups. It does not accept donations from people or organizations outside of AA.  In keeping with AA's Eighth Tradition, the Central Office employs special workers who are compensated financially for their services, but their services do not include traditional "12th Step" work of working with alcoholics in need. All 12th Step calls that come to the Central Office are handed to sober AA members who have volunteered to handle these calls. It also maintains service centers, which coordinate activities such as printing literature, responding to public inquiries, and organizing conferences. Other International General Service Offices (Australia, Costa Rica, Russia, etc.) are independent of AA World Services in New York.

Program.

AA's program extends beyond abstaining from alcohol. Its goal is to effect enough change in the alcoholic's thinking "to bring about recovery from alcoholism" through "an entire psychic change," or spiritual awakening. A spiritual awakening is meant to be achieved by taking the Twelve Steps, and sobriety is furthered by volunteering for AA and regular AA meeting attendance or contact with AA members. Members are encouraged to find an experienced fellow alcoholic, called a sponsor, to help them understand and follow the AA program. The sponsor should preferably have experience of all twelve of the steps, be the same sex as the sponsored person, and refrain from imposing personal views on the sponsored person. Following the helper therapy principle, sponsors in AA may benefit from their relationship with their charges, as "helping behaviors" correlate with increased abstinence and lower probabilities of binge drinking.  AA's program is an inheritor of Counter-Enlightenment philosophy. AA shares the view that acceptance of one's inherent limitations is critical to finding one's proper place among other humans and God. Such ideas are described as "Counter-Enlightenment" because they are contrary to the Enlightenment's ideal that humans have the capacity to make their lives and societies a heaven on earth using their own power and reason. After evaluating AA's literature and observing AA meetings for sixteen months, sociologists David R. Rudy and Arthur L. Greil found that for an AA member to remain sober a high level of commitment is necessary. This commitment is facilitated by a change in the member's worldview. To help members stay sober AA must, they argue, provide an all-encompassing worldview while creating and sustaining an atmosphere of transcendence in the organization. To be all-encompassing AA's ideology places an emphasis on tolerance rather than on a narrow religious worldview that could make the organization unpalatable to potential members and thereby limit its effectiveness. AA's emphasis on the spiritual nature of its program, however, is necessary to institutionalize a feeling of transcendence. A tension results from the risk that the necessity of transcendence, if taken too literally, would compromise AA's efforts to maintain a broad appeal. As this tension is an integral part of AA, Rudy and Greil argue that AA is best described as a "quasi-religious organization".

Meetings.

AA meetings are "quasi-ritualized therapeutic sessions run by and for, alcoholics". They are usually informal and often feature discussions with voluntary donations collected during meetings. (AA's 7th tradition encourages groups to be self-supporting, declining outside contributions). Local AA directories list weekly meetings. Those listed as "closed" are available to those with a self-professed "desire to stop drinking," which cannot be challenged by another member on any grounds. "Open" meetings are available to anyone (nonalcoholics can attend as observers). At speaker meetings (also known as gratitude meetings), one or more members who typically come in from a neighboring town's meeting tell their stories. At Big Book meetings, the group in attendance will take turns reading a passage from the AA Big Book and then discuss how they relate to it after. At twelve step meetings, the group will typically break out into subgroups depending on where they are in their program and start working on the twelve steps outlined in the program. In addition to those three most common types of meetings, there are also other kinds of discussion meetings which tend to allocate the most time for general discussion.  AA meetings do not exclude other alcoholics, though some meetings cater to specific demographics such as gender, profession, age, sexual orientation, or culture. Meetings in the United States are held in a variety of languages including Armenian, English, Farsi, Finnish, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. While AA has pamphlets that suggest meeting formats, groups have the autonomy to hold and conduct meetings as they wish "except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole". Different cultures affect ritual aspects of meetings, but around the world "many particularities of the AA meeting format can be observed at almost any AA gathering".

Confidentiality.

US courts have not extended the status of privileged communication, such as that enjoyed by clergy and lawyers, to AA related communications between members.

Spirituality.

A study found an association between an increase in attendance to AA meetings with increased spirituality and a decrease in the frequency and intensity of alcohol use. The research also found that AA was effective at helping agnostics and atheists become sober. The authors concluded that though spirituality was an important mechanism of behavioral change for some alcoholics, it was not the only effective mechanism. Since the mid-1970s, a number of 'agnostic' or 'no-prayer' AA groups have begun across the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the world, which hold meetings that adhere to a tradition allowing alcoholics to freely express their doubts or disbelief that spirituality will help their recovery, and these meetings forgo use of opening or closing prayers. There are online resources listing AA meetings for atheists and agnostics.

Disease concept of alcoholism.

More informally than not AA's membership has helped popularize the disease concept of alcoholism which had appeared in the eighteenth century. Though AA usually avoids the term "disease", 1973 conference-approved literature said "we had the disease of alcoholism." Regardless of official positions, since AA's inception, most members have believed alcoholism to be a disease.  AA's Big Book calls alcoholism "an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer." Ernest Kurtz says this is "The closest the book Alcoholics Anonymous comes to a definition of alcoholism." Somewhat divergently in his introduction to The Big Book, non-member and early benefactor William Silkworth said those unable to moderate their drinking suffer from an allergy. In presenting the doctor's postulate AA said "The doctor's theory that we have an allergy to alcohol interests us. As laymen, our opinion as to its soundness may, of course, mean little. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense. It explains many things for which we cannot otherwise account." AA later acknowledged that "alcoholism is not a true allergy, the experts now inform us." Wilson explained in 1960 why AA had refrained from using the term "disease": We AAs have never called alcoholism a disease because, technically speaking, it is not a disease entity. For example, there is no such thing as heart disease. Instead there are many separate heart ailments or combinations of them. It is something like that with alcoholism. Therefore, we did not wish to get in wrong with the medical profession by pronouncing alcoholism a disease entity. Hence, we have always called it an illness or a malady—a far safer term for us to use.  Since then medical and scientific communities have generally concluded that alcoholism is an "addictive disease" (aka Alcohol Use Disorder, Severe, Moderate, or Mild). The ten criteria are: alcoholism is a Primary Illness not caused by other illnesses nor by personality or character defects; second, an addiction gene is part of its etiology; third, alcoholism has predictable symptoms; fourth, it is progressive, becoming more severe even after long periods of abstinence; fifth, it is chronic and incurable; sixth, alcoholic drinking or other drug use persists in spite of negative consequences and efforts to quit; seventh, brain chemistry and neural functions change so alcohol is perceived as necessary for survival; eighth, it produces physical dependence and life-threatening withdrawal; ninth, it is a terminal illness; tenth, alcoholism can be treated and can be kept in remission.

Canadian and United States demographics.

AA's New York General Service Office regularly surveys AA members in North America. Its 2014 survey of over 6,000 members in Canada and the United States concluded that, in North America, AA members who responded to the survey were 62% male and 38% female.  Average member sobriety is slightly under 10 years with 36% sober more than ten years, 13% sober from five to ten years, 24% sober from one to five years, and 27% sober less than one year. Before coming to AA, 63% of members received some type of treatment or counseling, such as medical, psychological, or spiritual. After coming to AA, 59% received outside treatment or counseling. Of those members, 84% said that outside help played an important part in their recovery.  The same survey showed that AA received 32% of its membership from other members, another 32% from treatment facilities, 30% were self-motivated to attend AA, 12% of its membership from court–ordered attendance, and only 1% of AA members decided to join based on information obtained from the Internet. People taking the survey were allowed to select multiple answers for what motivated them to join AA.

Effectiveness.

Studies of AA's efficacy have produced inconsistent results. While some studies have suggested an association between AA attendance and increased abstinence or other positive outcomes, other studies have not.  The Surgeon General of the United States 2016 Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health states "Well-supported scientific evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of twelve-step mutual aid groups focused on alcohol and twelve-step facilitation interventions."

Relationship with institutions.

Hospitals.

Many AA meetings take place in treatment facilities. Carrying the message of AA into hospitals was how the co-founders of AA first remained sober. They discovered great value in working with alcoholics who are still suffering, and that even if the alcoholic they were working with did not stay sober, they did. Bill Wilson wrote, "Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics". Bill Wilson visited Towns Hospital in New York City in an attempt to help the alcoholics who were patients there in 1934. At St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, Smith worked with still more alcoholics. In 1939, a New York mental institution, Rockland State Hospital, was one of the first institutions to allow AA hospital groups. Service to corrections and treatment facilities used to be combined until the General Service Conference, in 1977, voted to dissolve its Institutions Committee and form two separate committees, one for treatment facilities, and one for correctional facilities.

Prisons.

In the United States and Canada, AA meetings are held in hundreds of correctional facilities. The AA General Service Office has published a workbook with detailed recommendations for methods of approaching correctional-facility officials with the intent of developing an in-prison AA program. In addition, AA publishes a variety of pamphlets specifically for the incarcerated alcoholic. Additionally, the AA General Service Office provides a pamphlet with guidelines for members working with incarcerated alcoholics.

United States court rulings.

United States courts have ruled that inmates, parolees, and probationers cannot be ordered to attend AA. Though AA itself was not deemed a religion, it was ruled that it contained "enough" religious components (variously described in "Griffin v. Coughlin" below as, inter alia, "religion", "religious activity", "religious exercise") to make coerced attendance at AA meetings a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the constitution. In 2007, the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals stated that a parolee who was ordered to attend AA had standing to sue his parole office.

American treatment industry.

In 1939, High Watch Recovery Center in Kent, Connecticut was founded by Bill Wilson and Marty Mann. Sister Francis who owned the farm tried to gift the spiritual retreat for alcoholics to Alcoholics Anonymous, however citing the sixth tradition Bill W. turned down the gift but agreed to have a separate non-profit board run the facility composed of AA members. Bill Wilson and Marty Mann served on the High Watch board of directors for many years. High Watch was the first and therefore the oldest 12-step-based treatment center in the world still operating today.  In 1949, the Hazelden treatment center was founded and staffed by AA members, and since then many alcoholic rehabilitation clinics have incorporated AA's precepts into their treatment programs. 32% of AA's membership was introduced to it through a treatment facility.

United Kingdom treatment industry.

A cross-sectional survey of substance-misuse treatment providers in the West Midlands found fewer than 10% integrated twelve-step methods in their practice and only a third felt their consumers were suited for Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous membership. Less than half were likely to recommend self-help groups to their clients. Providers with nursing qualifications were more likely to make such referrals than those without them. A statistically significant correlation was found between providers' self-reported level of spirituality and their likelihood of recommending AA or NA.

Criticism.

Thirteenth-stepping.

"Thirteenth-stepping" is a pejorative term for AA members approaching new members for dates. A study in the "Journal of Addiction Nursing" sampled 55 women in AA and found that 35% of these women had experienced a "pass" and 29% had felt seduced at least once in AA settings. This has also happened with new male members who received guidance from older female AA members, in pursuit of sexual company. The authors suggest that both men and women need to be prepared for this behavior or find male-only or female-only groups. However, women report feeling safe in AA, women-only meetings are a very prevalent part of AA culture, and AA has become more welcoming for women. AA's pamphlet on sponsorship suggests that men be sponsored by men and women be sponsored by women.

Moderation or abstinence.

Stanton Peele argued that some AA groups apply the disease model to all problem drinkers, whether or not they are "full-blown" alcoholics. Along with Nancy Shute, Peele has advocated that besides AA, other options should be readily available to those problem drinkers who are able to manage their drinking with the right treatment. The Big Book says "moderate drinkers" and "a certain type of hard drinker" are able to stop or moderate their drinking. The Big Book suggests no program for these drinkers, but instead seeks to help drinkers without "power of choice in drink."

Cultural identity.

One review of AA warned of detrimental iatrogenic effects of twelve-step philosophy and concluded that AA uses many methods that are also used by cults. A subsequent study concluded, however, that AA's program bore little resemblance to religious cults because the techniques used appeared beneficial. Another study found that the AA program's focus on admission of having a problem increases deviant stigma and strips members of their previous cultural identity, replacing it with the deviant identity. A survey of group members, however, found they had a bicultural identity and saw AA's program as a complement to their other national, ethnic, and religious cultures.

Literature.

Alcoholics Anonymous publishes several books, reports, pamphlets, and other media, including a periodical known as the "AA Grapevine". Two books are used primarily: "Alcoholics Anonymous" (the "Big Book") and "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions", the latter explaining AA's fundamental principles in depth. The full text of each of these two books is available on the AA website at no charge.

AA in television.

Chuck Lorre's "Mom" (2013–), follows dysfunctional daughter/mother duo Christy and Bonnie Plunkett, who are estranged for years while simultaneously struggling with addiction. They attempt to pull their lives and relationships together by trying to stay sober and visiting Alcoholics Anonymous. The show also explores themes of alcoholism, drug addiction and relapse.  In "Hill Street Blues", Captain Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) is a regular member of AA and is shown several times in AA meetings.  In "Grey's Anatomy," AA plays a large role in the storylines of multiple characters. In season 6, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) begins struggling with alcoholism and it is revealed that he has a history of alcohol addiction. AA and maintaining sobriety become an important part of Dr. Webber's life through out the rest of the series. Alcoholism, but more so drug addiction, is also heavily featured in the spin-off series "Private Practice." In season 4, it is revealed that both Dr. Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland) and Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) have a history of problem drinking and narcotics addiction. This becomes main theme in season 5 when Amelia relapses and begins using again following her friend's suicide. The season follows her relapse and recovery. When Amelia joins Grey's in season 11, overcoming addiction remains an important part of her story line. Both series commonly discuss AA meetings, sponsors, and the "serenity prayer".  In Aaron Sorkin's political drama, The West Wing, the character Leo McGarry is an admitted alcoholic and drug addict. He is reluctant to attend regular AA meetings, feeling the high-profile nature of his position as Chief of Staff of the White House would encourage a media frenzy. The vice president (Tim Matheson) invites him to a "weekly poker game", which turns out to be a secret AA meeting known only to those invited.  In CBS' Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller plays an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, who is a recovering drug addict. Several episodes are entered around AA meetings and the process of recovery.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship with the stated purpose of enabling its members to "stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." AA is nonprofessional, self-supporting, and apolitical. Its only membership requirement is a desire to stop drinking. The AA program of recovery is set forth in the Twelve Steps.

Anonymní alkoholici (AA) je mezinárodní svépomocná skupina pro osoby postižené alkoholismem. Založena byla v roce 1935 (dva roky po konci prohibice v USA) Billem Wilsonem a Bobem Smithem v Akronu v americkém státě Ohio.


Description and purpose.

The complex is built accordingly to withstand a category-I (nuclear yield of 100kt) nuclear explosion, and includes an underground network of water channels complete with a dry dock, repair shops, warehouses for torpedoes and other weapons. Additionally it could protect personnel from nuclear fallout. The complex is located in the mountain of Tavros, on both sides of which are exits. Caisson gates could be used if necessary to seal the entire complex. An exit to the open sea is provided on the northern side of the mountain. The holes in the rock are neatly covered with camouflage devices and networks.  Object 825 GTS was intended to house, repair and maintain Project 613 and 633 (known as Whiskey and Romeo-class respectively) submarines. The central water channel of the facility, at a length 602 meters, could accommodate up to 7 submarines if necessary, and up to 14 submarines of different classes in all water channels. The water channels have depths up to 8 meters, with widths ranging from 12 to 22 meters. The total area of all facilities in the complex is around 9600 m, while the total surface area of water stands at 5200. Equipment loading in peacetime was carried out on the pier, then conducted while watching out for the movements of spy satellites of possible military adversaries. A special tunnel is used for loading equipment into the base in wartime. The complex also includes a repair and technical base, codenamed Object 280, designed for storing and maintaining nuclear arsenal. Submarines could enter and exit the base completely submerged through its underwater access point. Temperature inside the base is kept around 15 degrees Celsius.  The Soviet Navy trained dolphins at this facility to attach underwater beacons and explosives to submarines and ships.

History.

In the period after the Second World War, the two superpowers, the USSR and the US, stepped up their nuclear arsenal, threatening each other with pre-emptive strikes and retaliatory strikes. It was then when Joseph Stalin gave Lavrentiy Beria (who was responsible at that time for nuclear projects), a secret directive; to find a place where they could house submarines for a retaliatory nuclear strike. Several years of research pinpointed the quiet Balaklava as the location, and the city was immediately coded and got merged into the city of Sevastopol as a city district. Balaklava sits on a narrow winding inlet with a width of only 200–400 meters. This small inlet protects the city not only from storms, but also from reconnaissance as it is not visible from any angle from the open sea. Additionally, the site is close to Sevastopol, a major naval base still used by the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet today.  In 1957 a special construction department coded as No. 528 was created, which handled the construction of underground facilities. The construction of the underground complex lasted eight years, from 1953 to 1961. About 120 thousand tons of rock were removed from the Tavros mountain throughout the process. To ensure secrecy supplies were transported at night on a barge in the open sea. After the complex was closed in 1993, most of the complex is unguarded. The abandoned facility was handed over to the naval forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2000.  However, the former base was frequently plundered during the unguarded period from 1993 to 2003, with all metal structures scavenged for the metal.  The Sevastopol "Marine Commission" led by Vladimir Stefanovsky proposed the construction of the current museum. The museum would have themed exhibition halls, which were former repair shops and arsenals, a submarine standing by the underground pier, a tourist center, a cinema room with a chronicle of the time of active military confrontation between the two superpowers, and finally, an underground memorial dedicated to submariners who died at sea.  The 10th anniversary of the museum was celebrated in June 2013. Submarine veterans, former employees of the base as well as representatives from the authorities, armed forces and students attended the ceremony.  The facility was placed under the jurisdiction of Russia and the southern area of the Military History Museum of fortification structures of the Russian Federation in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.

Restoration.

According to press information from March 2014, Russia is considering the possibility of restoring the submarine base in Balaklava.

Address.

The base sits at No.22 Tavricheskaya Naberezhnaya street, Balaklava district, Sevastopol, Crimea.

In popular culture.

The 2012 American action film, "Soldiers of Fortune", filmed parts of it near the base.

Naval museum complex Balaklava (, Russian: Музей холодной войны, "The Cold War Museum", designation K-825) is an underground submarine base in Balaklava, Crimea (originally known as "Object 825 GTS"). It was a top-secret military facility during the Cold War, located in Balaklava Bay.

Námořní Muzeum v základně Balaklava (ukrajinsky: Морський музейний комплекс "Балаклава") je muzeum v podzemní ponorkové základně v Balaklavě na Krymském poloostrově (Rusko/Ukrajina) původně označené jako "Objekt 825 GTS". Byla to přísně utajená ponorková základna během studené války.