text:
Exhibition dates: Cecil Beaton at Wilton: 3rd May – 14th September 2014
Cecil Beaton at Home: Ashcombe & Reddish: 23rd May – 19th September 2014
Bright Young Things, Costume Balls And Country House Parties
From The Roaring '20s To The Swinging '60s
An Exhibition Of Cecil Beaton Photographs
Designed And Curated By Jasper Conran
Cecil Beaton at Wilton installation view
© The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive
What a gay old time!
Frippery and finery taken by that dandy doyen of chic Cecil Beaton, partying in a highly structured class society that is seemingly oblivious to the approaching horrors of the Second World War (which only adds to the photographs air of insouciance). It must have been so much fun.
The thing is, Beaton was a talented artist who captured it all with total aplomb. To go from the haughty, stylish Georgia Sitwell, Renishaw (1930, below) to the Arcadian beauty of Rex Whistler (1927, below); from the formal organisation of The 15th Earl and Countess of Pembroke dressed for the coronation of George VI (1937, below) to the classic beauty of Princess Natasha Paley (1930s, below); or the structure and stillness of Alice von Hofmannsthal (1937, below) to the vivaciousness and movement of Lady Plunket (Dorothé) and Mr Maurice (1937, below) – takes a consistency of vision and an understanding of craft that few photographers possess.
The photograph of Lady Plunket is particularly astonishing… to see this composition in the twinkling of an eye: the movement, the joy, the flower in the hair, the women with the crossed legs in the background, and just the sheer grace of the couple, he suspended on one foot, she flying through the air. Unforgettable.
Dr Marcus Bunyan
Many thankx to Sotheby's, Wilton House and The Salisbury Museum for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.
East Front of Wilton House
© Wilton House Trust
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Edith Olivier, Mayor of Wilton, as Queen Elizabeth I for a pageant at Wilton
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Edith Maud Olivier
Edith Maud Olivier MBE (31 December 1872 – 10 May 1948) was an English writer, also noted for acting as hostess to a circle of well-known writers, artists, and composers in her native Wiltshire… Olivier had lived with her father and younger sister Mildred, and it was after Mildred died in 1927 that she started to engage a broader social circle. She formed a profound friendship with Rex Whistler and acted as a frequent hostess to an elite, artistic, and largely homosexual, social set which included Cecil Beaton, Siegfried Sassoon, William Walton, and Osbert Sitwell.
Her first novel, The Love Child was published in 1927, and was followed by further novels, biographies, including one of Alexander Cruden, and the autobiographical Without Knowing Mr Walkley.
Text from Wikipedia website
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Georgia Sitwell, Renishaw
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Georgia Doble
Georgia Doble, the Canadian-born wife of Sacheverell Sitwell, was born in 1906 to a banker of Cornish descent. She met Sitwell at a party in 1924 while participating in the social gaiety of the London season. Georgia was familiar with Sitwell's Southern Baroque Art and enjoyed his company, but she waited almost a year before accepting his marriage proposals. They were married in Paris on October 12, 1925. Their first son, Reresby, was born in 1927 and his younger brother, Francis, in 1935.
Georgia found it difficult to blend in with the Sitwell family, which had more than the usual share of dynamics. She did her best to play the self-assigned role of muse, but Sitwell was not a social man and Georgia missed the busy whirl of London. She attended many social events without him, which led to a great deal of friction between them. They both had affairs over the years, but remained deeply attached to one another throughout their lives. Georgia died in 1980.
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Lady Plunket (Dorothé) and Mr Maurice
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Stephen Tennant (1906-1987), William Walton (1902-1983), Georgia Sitwell (1905-1980), Zita Jungman (1903-2006), Rex Whistler (1905-1944) and Cecil Beaton (1904-1980), Wilsford, 1927
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Stephen James Napier Tennant (21 April 1906 – 28 February 1987) was a British aristocrat known for his decadent lifestyle. During the 20s and 30s, Tennant was an important member – the "Brightest", it is said – of the "Bright Young People." His friends included Rex Whistler, Cecil Beaton, the Sitwells, Lady Diana Manners and the Mitford girls. He is widely considered to be the model for Cedric Hampton in Nancy Mitford's novel Love in a Cold Climate; one of the inspirations for Lord Sebastian Flyte in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, and a model for Hon. Miles Malpractice in some of his other novels.
Sir William Turner Walton OM (29 March 1902 – 8 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola Concerto, and the First Symphony.
Zita Jungman's accounts of her fellow bright young things of the 1920s stress their high vocal pitch and decibel level – "shrieking", "screaming", "howling with laughter". So it is significant that when, in 1926, Cecil Beaton met Zita, who has died aged 102, in the Gargoyle Club, Soho, he responded to her quietness and understanding. She was, he wrote, a "thoroughly unflashy" original… The antics of the bright young things were relatively innocent: bottle parties, fancy dress balls and pageants, with cocktails and fast cars. The Jungman girls, along with clever Alannah Harper, Eleanor Smith and Loelia Ponsonby, staged treasure hunts, using their connections to arrange a fake edition of the Evening Standard or Hovis loaves baked to order with clues inside.
Enter aspirant photographer Beaton. He had spotted the sisters at a performance of Edith Sitwell's Facade, and met Zita again in Venice rehearsing for a ball. Alannah Harper modelled for him; Zita followed. He was financially thrilled. "They certainly would get into the papers … so very saleable." She spent hours before the lens in the Beaton house: "She loved doing her hair in various exotic ways and looked quite beautiful and quite extraordinarily funny. She is a perfect young lady."
Beaton described the sisters as "a pair of decadent 18th-century angels made of wax" and wrote of Zita: "With her smooth fringes, and rather flat head, like a silky coconut, like a medieval page, and with her swinging gait, she looks very gallant, very princely. But she can, if she wishes, easily become a snake-like beauty, with a mysterious smile and a cold glint in her upward slanting eyes." Her reaction to the pictures was to "lay back in a chair looking at them for ages, never speaking, just occasionally grunting a grunt of satisfaction".
Veronica Horwell. "Zita Jungman," on the Guardian website Friday 3 March 2006 [Online] Cited 07/11/2022
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Rex Whistler
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Reginald John "Rex" Whistler
Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 1905 – 18 July 1944) was a British artist, designer and illustrator.
Reginald John Whistler was born in Britain on 24 June 1905, at Eltham, Kent, the son of Harry and Helen Frances Mary Whistler. In May 1919 he was sent to boarding school at Haileybury, where he showed a precocious talent for art, providing set designs for play productions and giving away sketches to prefects in lieu of "dates" (a punishment at Haileybury, similar to "lines" whereby offenders are required to write out set lists of historical dates).
After Haileybury the young Whistler was accepted at the Royal Academy, but disliked the regime there and was "sacked for incompetence". He then proceeded to study at the Slade School of Art, where he met Stephen Tennant, soon to become one of his best friends and a model for some of the figures in his works. Through Tennant, he later met the poet Siegfried Sassoon and his wife Hester, to both of whom Whistler became close.
Upon leaving the Slade he burst into a dazzling career as a professional artist. His work encompassed all areas of art and design – from the West End theatre to book illustration (including works by Evelyn Waugh and Walter de la Mare, and perhaps most notably, for Gulliver's Travels) and mural and trompe-l'oeil painting. Paintings at Port Lympne Mansion (within Port Lympne Wild Animal Park), Plas Newydd, Mottisfont Abbey and Dorneywood among others, show his outstanding talent in this genre. During his time at Plas Newydd he may well have become the lover of the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey, the owner of the house, who had commissioned him to undertake the decorative scheme. Whistler and Lady Caroline Paget are known to have become very close friends and he painted numerous portraits of her, including a startling nude. Whether this painting was actually posed for or whether it was how Whistler imagined her naked is a matter of debate.
His most noted work during the early part of his career was for the café at the Tate Gallery, completed in 1927 when he was only 22. He was commissioned to produce posters and illustrations for Shell Petroleum and the Radio Times. He also created designs for Wedgwood china based on drawings he made of the Devon village of Clovelly. Whistler's elegance and wit ensured his success as a portrait artist among the fashionable; he painted many members of London society, including Edith Sitwell,Cecil Beaton and other members of the set to which he belonged that became known as the "Bright Young Things". His murals for Edwina Mountbatten's 30-room luxury flat in Brook House, Park Lane, London were later installed by the Mountbattens' son-in-law, decorator David Hicks, in his own houses.
Whistler's activities also extended to ballet design. He designed the scenery and costumes for Ninette de Valois and Gavin Gordon's Hogarth-inspired 1935 ballet The Rake's Progress.
When war broke out, although he was 35, Whistler was eager to join the army. He was commissioned into the Welsh Guards as Lieutenant 131651. His artistic talent, far from being a stumbling block to his military career, was greatly appreciated and he was able to find time to continue some of his work, including a notable self-portrait in uniform now in the National Army Museum. In 1944 he was sent to France following the D-Day landings.
In July he was with the Guards Armoured Division in Normandy as the invasion force was poised to break out of the salient east of Caen. On the hot and stuffy 18 July his tank, after crossing a railway line, drove over some felled telegraph wires beside the railway, which became entangled in its tracks. He and the crew got out to free the tank from the wire when a German machine gunner opened fire on them, preventing them from getting back into their tank. Whistler dashed across an open space of 60 yards to another tank to instruct its commander, a Sergeant Lewis Sherlock, to return the fire. As he climbed down from Sherlock's tank a mortar bomb exploded beside him and killed him instantly, throwing him into the air. He was the first fatality suffered by the battalion in the Normandy campaign.
Text from the Wikipedia website
Palladian Bridge at Wilton House
© Wilton House Trust
Sotheby's and Wilton House will pay tribute to the life and work of the photographer, writer and Oscar-winning designer Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) with a new exhibition of photographs from Sotheby's Cecil Beaton Studio Archive, designed and curated by Jasper Conran. Capturing the spirit of country house parties and costume balls, the exhibition will showcase previously unseen images from one of Britain's most celebrated photographers, giving a fascinating glimpse into his life and a vivid portrait of a charmed age.
Staged at Wilton House in Wiltshire where Beaton was entertained by his friends the Pembroke family at grand parties and pageants for over 50 years, the exhibition will run between 18th- 21st April and 3rd May – 14th September 2014.
Described as "a worldly Peter Pan" who never aged1, Cecil Beaton – the acclaimed photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair – was at the forefront of the fashion for costume and pageantry which swept through British society in the 1920s. Immortalised in the Noël Coward song 'I've been to a marvellous party', "Dear Cecil arrived wearing armour / Some shells and a black feather boa…," Beaton was renowned for his flair for fancy dress and costumery, later winning Oscars, Academy and Tony awards for his designs. He invited friends from all over the world to legendary parties at his Wiltshire home Ashcombe, where guests arrived "in the knowledge that they were to exchange reality for a complete escape into the realms of fantasy."2
As fancy dress became a popular feature of country house parties, and costume balls a highlight of the social calendar, Beaton seamlessly integrated his high-society personal life with his professional artistic quest to experiment with photography and fashion. Using the settings of Britain's grandest country houses as the perfect backdrop, Beaton persuaded his friends to sit for him in their exotic costumes, often designed by him, for these most unconventional of photographs.
This fascinating collection of photographs will be displayed in a new exhibition space, especially renovated for the event at Wilton House. Situated just a few miles from Beaton's country houses Ashcombe and Reddish, Wilton was the location for costume balls and theatrical events enjoyed and photographed by Beaton for over 50 years. Despite being pushed into a river at the first Ball he attended there in 1927, Beaton later became great friends with the Earls of Pembroke. Over time he photographed and chronicled the lives of three generations of the family in the surroundings of the house which he described as "perhaps the most wonderful piece in all Wiltshire's heritage of domestic architecture… at every time of year, in all weathers, unfailing in its beauty."3 On 14th January 1980, just three days before his death, Beaton celebrated his 76th birthday with a lunch party hosted by the family.
The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive
Sotheby's is the privileged guardian of the Cecil Beaton Studio Archive, a matchless repository of over 100,000 negatives, 9,000 vintage prints and 42 scrapbooks from the celebrated photographer's personal collection. Cecil Beaton negotiated the transfer of his private archive to Sotheby's in 1977 in order to preserve its role for future generations. Today, the collection – some of which is still stored in Beaton's original filing cabinets – is available for use as a picture library, lending images to be reproduced on the printed page and for exhibition worldwide.
Further photographs from the Cecil Beaton Studio Archive will be displayed at Salisbury Museum's exhibition Cecil Beaton at Home: Ashcombe & Reddish between 23rd May – 19th September 2014. This exhibition will bring together original photographs, artworks and possessions from Cecil Beaton's two Wiltshire homes, Ashcombe and Reddish which served as retreats, inspirations, and stages for impressive entertaining, to present a fascinating picture of Beaton's extraordinary life."
1 Hugo Vickers, Cecil Beaton: The Authorised Biography, Introduction, p. xxiii
2 Cecil Beaton, Ashcombe: The Story of a Fifteen-year Lease, p. 33
3 Cecil Beaton, Ashcombe: The Story of a Fifteen-year Lease, p. 35
Press release from Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Cecil Beaton on the Palladian bridge at Wilton House, September 1968 (detail)
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Alice von Hofmannsthal, Ashcombe, 1937, in her Costume for "The Gardener's Daughter" for "The Anti Dud Ball" at the Dorchester Hotel, 13 July 1937
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Princess Natasha Paley
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley
Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley (Наталья Павловна Палей), Countess de Hohenfelsen (December 5, 1905 – December 27, 1981) was a member of the Romanov family. A daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, she was a first cousin of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II. After the Russian revolution she emigrated first to France and later to the United States. She became a fashion model, socialite, vendeuse, and briefly pursued a career as a film actress…
Ethereal and glamorous, Princess Natalia would not follow any fashion trend, but would dictate her own. Hats and gloves were her signature. With deep-set gray eyes and pale blond hair, she became a sought after model establishing an image for herself in the Parisian elite becoming a well known socialite. As a model, she appeared in many magazines including Vogue. She was a favourite model for the great photographers of her time: Edward Steichen, Cecil Beaton, Horst P. Horst, Andre Durst and George Hoyningen-Huene.
Text from Wikipedia website
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
The Countess of Pembroke acting in Beaton's musical "Heil Cinderella"
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
The 15th Earl and Countess of Pembroke dressed for the coronation of George VI
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
The Countess of Pembroke in her Robes for the Coronation of George VI
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Cecil Beaton in "All the Vogue", Cambridge
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Beauty, decadence and a damned good party: Cecil Beaton at Salisbury Museum
The not so private world of Cecil Beaton – photographer to the Royals, painter, designer of interiors, stage and costume and secret diarist – seems to have been as opulent as his professional career was varied. If we are to believe his candid diaries, it was a world of decadent parties and languid weekend soirees full of bright young things who caroused at his Wiltshire homes against a backdrop of sumptuous interiors and fabulous gardens.
The first of these private pleasure houses was Ashcombe, which he rented for £50 a year between 1930-1945. It was followed by Reddish, which Beaton purchased in 1945 and lived in until his death in 1980. By all accounts both were splendid residences, and the stream of celebrities and society people who came and went were photographed by Beaton or captured in his notoriously frank scrapbooks and diaries.
And it is these extravagant worlds that can be glimpsed at Salisbury Museum who, with the help of the vast Cecil Beaton Archive at Sotheby's, are teasing them back to life. A tantalising glimpse into the photographer's more hidden moments and the celebrity in-crowd of friends and acquaintances he lavishly entertained, the exhibition brings together 183 unique photographs (including 35 vintage prints) exhibited with some of his artworks and personal possessions within recreations of the interiors.
But it's the cast of players that grabs the attention; bohemian aristocrats, socialites and some of the biggest stars of the stage, screen, fashion and art world form a procession of decadence that stretched across five decades from 1930-1980. Famous faces include Truman Capote, Leslie Caron, David Hockney, Bianca Jagger and Ivor Novello interspersed here with private snaps of his great loves – the Hollywood icon Greta Garbo, with whom he had an affair, and millionaire art collector Peter Watson, with whom (we are told) he didn't.
But as well as the society faces the exhibition includes images of the photographer's inspired garden designs at Reddish and his theatrically-styled home interiors at Ashcombe, which he created so he could 'live in scenery', inspired by his visit to Hollywood in 1929. Work in progress shots show the making of Beaton's fantastical 'Circus Bedroom' in 1932 with freshly painted murals of a circus clown, a girl on a merry-go-round horse and a jolly fat lady.
The bedroom was apparently created "on a rainy weekend in 1932" by a typically decadent gang of dazzling society types that included artists Rex Whistler, 'Jack' von Bismarck, Oliver Messel, Lord Berners, Edith Olivier, Jorg von Reppert Bismarck and of course Beaton himself. Whistler also designed Beaton's theatrical four-poster 'carousel' bed with gilded unicorns, stripey circus-top canopy and barley twist bedposts. Beaton is pictured with Watson amidst this baroque creation. And visitors can experience it for themselves courtesy of a full-scale recreation reconstructed for the very first time since it was broken up in 1945. A fascinating glance into a decadent disappeared world.
Richard Moss. "Beauty, decadence and a damned good party: Cecil Beaton at Salisbury Museum," on the Culture 24 website 28 May 2014 [Online] Cited 16/06/2021. No longer available online
Rex Whistler (British, 1905-1944)
Ashcombe House
© Private Collection
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Frontispiece montage for Cecil Beaton's Scrapbook, 1937, Ashcombe
© Private Collection
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Cecil Beaton on the front steps of Reddish House, Broad Chalke, June 1947, Reddish
© Cecil Beaton Archive, Sotheby's
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Cecil Beaton in his first costume of the night (the famous 'Rabbit' outfit) for the Fete Champetre, in his Circus bedroom, 10 July 1937, Ashcombe
© Getty Images/ Time Life
Cecil Beaton (British, 1904-1980)
Dorian Leigh photographed for 'Modess… because' campaign, Reddish House, Broad Chalke, 1950s, Reddish
© Johnson & Johnson
Dorian Leigh (April 23, 1917 – July 7, 2008), born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker, was an American model and one of the earliest modelling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered one of the first supermodels and was well known in the United States and Europe.
Henry Lamb (British, born Australia 1883-1960)
Portrait of Cecil Beaton
© Private Collection
Henry Taylor Lamb
Henry Taylor Lamb MC RA (Adelaide 21 June 1883 – 8 October 1960 Salisbury) was an Australian-born British painter. A follower of Augustus John, Lamb was a founder member of the Camden Town Groupin 1911 and of the London Group in 1913.
Lamb is noted for his unusual portraits, as exemplified by his well-known picture of an elongated Lytton Strachey. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1940 and was made a full Member in 1949. He was a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1942 and of the Tate Gallery from 1944 to 1951. His auction record was set at Christie's in London in June 2006 when his 1910 Breton Boy oil on panel fetched £60,000. As well as the Imperial War Museum, works by Lamb are held in regional museums throughout Britain, in the British Government Art Collection and in the National Gallery of Canada, which received the majority of Lambs portraits of Canadian troops at the end of World War Two.
Wilton House
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The Salisbury Museum
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65 The Close, Salisbury
Phone: 01722 332151
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Friday, January 13, 2006
Five Salient Points
(1). There is no policy, bylaw, or rule prohibiting blogging by trustees of the IMB. In addition, trustees may publicly criticize the majority decision of trustees unless the criticism is (a). intentionally deceitful, (b). a breach of confidentiality, (c). or an attempt to harm the organization's mission.
Read my blog. Any question regarding whether or not my blog violates any of the above will be easily answered by the attentive reader. I have always desired to make our IMB better, broader, and more Biblically consistent. Further, I have shown, and will continue to show, great respect for my fellow trustees.
(2). As a man who lives by principle, you can be assured my objections were voiced repeatedly, consistently and graciously to all of the trustees in business meetings. In fact, the press quoted some of my comments because they were in the public Plenary Sessions when I made them. This is what led some Southern Baptists to contact me after the affirmative vote for the tongues and baptism policies, they saw my name in the IMB press release of the business session.
However, once the decision on the new policies was made by the trustees, and I was on the minority side, the forum for dissent became the convention as a whole, since my accountablity is to the convention. I publicly stated I would not be seeking a reversal of the policies within the next IMB meeting. The convention as a whole would need to address the issue.
This is where the rub comes. Many are under the impression that dissent should become silent when a measure or policy is passed by a majority. "Majority rules!" they adamantly cry.
I agree that the trustee on the losing side of a vote should acquiesce to the majority, EXCEPT in one instance: if the dissent is a principled dissent (based upon a violation of conscience or Scripture), then as Luther would say, "My conscience is held captive by the Word of God. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me."
"Resistance to accountability," is the charge leveled in the trustee public statement regarding my removal. I interpret this phrase to mean "you aren't doing what we want." I think many trustees had the expectation that a new trustee should be quiet. I was not. That which I have been most vocal about is a subgroup of trustees who seem to control the direction, agenda and business of the IMB. I have much first hand information about this, but have chosen not to go into detail in my blog at this time. Frankly, I was trying to change things from within the Board.
I said to anyone who would listen in the hallways, parking lot and hotel that I would stop blogging if the trustee board passed a policy that blogging by trustees was detrimental to the IMB. I would not stop because people wanted me to stop, I would only stop because policy required me to stop. I still am amazed that the motion was to remove me rather than a recommendation for a policy that all trustees stop blogging.
One trustee asked me how I would feel if a deacon blogged our deacons meeting. I said, "I would love it!!" but I wasn't sure how many would read it. The fact that so many read my blog about the IMB indicates there is a great level of interest in the convention with what goes on at the IMB.
I think that the real issue is there was no control of what I said, though I was careful to always be respectful to the people associated with the IMB, encouraging about the work of winning the world to Christ and always careful to avoid any matter of confidentiality. I stand by what I have written. I think I have shed some light on things where light needed to be shined, and I believe that light is for the longterm good of our convention.
(3). There was no attempt at any private mediation prior to the actions at the Board meeting to recommend me for removal from the IMB. I expected, but did not know with certainty, that a few trustees might be upset with the blog. Only two, maybe three trustees ever wrote with their displeasure regarding my blog, and I even included one email of dissent (removing the name) in my blog to let readers know that not every trustee was happy with my public dissent via the blog. I also included my response to that anonymous email so people could conclude on their own whether or not blogging by a trustee was appropriate. By reading the comments of people who read that particular post, it led me to believe the blog was beneficial for the vast majority of the people in the SBC. It gave them a great seat into the greatest agency of our convention. Since I am accountable to the convention, I feel I was fulfilling my trust in shedding some light on our great work.
It seemed to me a leap across the Grand Canyon for any trustee to recommend my removal without first trying to arrive at a compromise. I could not understand the sudden action. Maybe I am missing something. I am sure willing to listen to the explanation from someone in the know, but I am clueless as to why the recommendation to remove.
"Lack of trust," is another statement in the official press release, and it seems to me to mean "we can't trust Wade when he writes and tells people what is going on." Several people have written or called me and said that trustees are telling them "Wade was new and did not work within the system," or "It was not what Wade said, but how he said it" (in a blog). I wonder how many trustees have even read my blog. I have a funny story about that which I will one day be able to share.
(4). My experience has been that people draw conclusions without ever reading my blog. In fact, many trustees did not even know what a blog was, but there was not a shortage of people who volunteered to tell them their opinion of blogs. It is a generational thing. One compared it to "internet pornography," and another said it was like "gossip."
I can only assume the words "gossip" and "slander," words used in the actual wording of the recommendation which was read into the offical record during the PUBLIC plenary session, refer to the blog (thus they probably meant "libel" rather than "slander" because the blog is written, not spoken). Nevertheless, what bothers me the most is that after repeated requests for someone to show me the slanderous statements, I have to this day, never received one piece of evidence.
Obviously it is distressing when a trustee can feel free to publicly accuse a Christian brother of slander when that brother has never been confronted privately. That is a violation of Matthew 18 and borders on the violation of other things.
But, I also make mistakes often. I can forgive easily. I am not interested in retaliation. There is far too much work around the world. I am hoping that the trustees will retract their statement and we can work together to make the IMB an even greater ministry of the SBC. My whole desire is to get us to a place where we simply focus on missions. We already have an excellent doctrinal framework --- the Baptist Faith and Message sees to that, now let's focus on missions!
(5). Finally, I am convinced that these actions were caused by God to bring about a result that would be impossible without such a public act. Because I believe God is behind it all I don't pay much attention to what men say.
It is critically important for everyone to remember that the big issue for me is not about "tongues" or "baptism." These two new policies are serious issues, but they are not the biggest.
The biggest issue is simply this:
Are we going to continue to narrow the parameters of cooperation in our convention by tightly controlling trustee boards and agencies to the point that that those who disagree on minor doctrinal issues are excluded from service? Are we going to allow principled dissent? I am just one trustee among over 80 trustees from around the world. Surely, the convention is big enough for people who disagree to work together? Cults conform. Christianity connects. I definitely enjoy being connected with fellow conservatives who cooperate in fulfilling the Great Commission even though there is no conformity in minor doctrines. That is the Baptist way!
I have been told by someone who has researched it, though I do not know if it is true, there has never been a trustee brought before the convention for removal from an agency board.
Well, I like being first, but I must confess, I would rather be last in this category.
Nevertheless, I am speaking to my church with a smile on my face this morning, a song in my heart and a perfectly clear conscience.
I hope you have as great a day as mine. I will blog on Monday night about the the weekend and a speaking engagement I have in Tulsa on Monday.
In His Grace and in Support of our SBC Mission Work Around the World!
Wade Burleson
42 comments:
Great post!
May God bless you today Wade as you articulate your predicament and positions to your congregation. I bet most don't know a whole lot about what is happening, in part, due to the lack of resources(computers) at their disposal.
"Blog? Blog? What's a blog?" :)
"So, Wade, you speak in tongues?"
May God bless you,
Jon B.
- Sun Jan 15, 03:39:00 AM 2006
Keep Standing Tall! for much is at stake.
-Rob Boss
- Sun Jan 15, 05:44:00 AM 2006
Brother, my family and I have finished our time in home church this morning. We live in CA and in our prayers for our peoples, our neighbors, our friends we prayed for the Living Water to flow from our lives into their lives. We also prayed the same for you, your family, your church and our convention. May He truly continue to search us, try us, convict us, take away the dross, refine us and use us for His Glory to shine to all the Nations.
Living among those who sit in darkness but upon whom also the Light of the Glory of God is shining, DB in CA
- Sun Jan 15, 05:51:00 AM 2006
"Three also Salient Points"
1. I doubt if it is possible to get a 2/3 majority or even a majority of the convention to remove you from the board. This is not something that will moblize people to attend the convention. It will be easier for people to be mobilized to come and support you. Therefore, if the intent of the trustees was to punish you they have probably failed and instead given your cause more publicity.
2 It would be hypocritical to criticize the trustees for trying to silence your dissent unless you also criticize the entire conservative resurgence for doing the same thing in past years. Your paragraph on not narrowing the parameters is almost word for word what theological conservatives were saying in the 80s and 90s and were ostracized for saying it.
3. Matthew 18 is still true. When was the heyday of liberalism at the IMB or in the SBC? Did you witness it yourself? Have you labeled and cast aspersions on a whole generation of SBC leaders and trustees with this broad condemnation? We have had 1000s of trustees so it is possible there may have been one or two trustees that denied the divinity of Christ at one time but I have not heard that. Do you know who they were and when they served and were they given a chance to anwer the charges?
- Sun Jan 15, 06:15:00 AM 2006
- jthomas899 said...
Wade, I am praying for you. Is blog one of the countries in Ezekiel? :)
- Sun Jan 15, 07:36:00 AM 2006
- wadeburleson.org said...
Ron, three excellent points. I removed the quote to which you refer because I do not have first hand knowledge about the trustee who denied the divinity of Christ back in the late 70's. Though I trust implicitly the person who told me this, I do not have first hand knowledge myself. Thank you for your clarity.
Jon, funny post!
Rob. thanks for your encouragement!
IN His Grace,
- Sun Jan 15, 07:42:00 AM 2006
- Jon L. Estes said...
Once again , thank you for exposing your heart. Have a great Sunday.
Gos is good all the time and wll the time God is good.
- Sun Jan 15, 08:18:00 AM 2006
- Kay said...
Wade, I know you as a man of integrity and am praying for you and your family through this. May God's will be done.
Looking forward to hearing from you this morning.
Kay Shaughnessy
- Sun Jan 15, 09:26:00 AM 2006
Wade, I don't know you, and I don't know your personality, i.e., how you "come off" to others and in person; if we sat down and compared notes, so to speak, we would probably find areas of disagreement. But in this area at least we find ourselves in agreement. The issue in the SBC is less theology than personal agendas--another word for which is "control." Gee, this sounds very much like what many Southern Baptists, identified as "moderate" ot at least "less conservative" (epecially those from NC & VA) have been saying for quite a few years. Well, anyway, I plan to be in Greensboro and unless the Spirit tells me otherwise between now and then, count on my support. Granted, my support and 82c will get you a cup of coffee at most fast food joints; but our Father's support is another matter. Hang in there!
Because He lives,
John Fariss
- Sun Jan 15, 09:36:00 AM 2006
Thanks for this!
May I make a suggestion?
I've read your open letter to the SBC from Nov. 30th of last year where you talk about the baptismal issue. I don't believe it's on your site, and it gives an excellent explanation of what is going on. Could you post this?
From EA
- Sun Jan 15, 10:22:00 AM 2006
Of course you are under attack for your views. Any pastor that chases Oklahoma tornados and supports OU with your zeal would be a threat to the status quo of a group fixed on iron fisted control and afraid of open and honest debate. You don't fit the mold of a good robot. Go Wade! Go!
- Sun Jan 15, 12:55:00 PM 2006
- Kevin Bussey said...
BLOG=Burleson's Live Online Gathering
Keep up the great work!
- Sun Jan 15, 12:57:00 PM 2006
- WTJeff said...
Wade, I've been following your blog since the vote in November. I admire the stand you've taken and I that I would be able to make a stand with the wisdom and intergrity you have. You've truly honored God by the way you've handled it. I only have one question: Why remove yourself from any further executive sessions? The integrity and overall love of the IMB are needed in such sessions. You must act as the Lord has led you, however, and I respect your decision.
Jeff Parsons
- Sun Jan 15, 03:06:00 PM 2006
- The Browns said...
in my blog i asked the question, "Why have none of the "big dogs" of the SBC spoken out against this?" Bobby Welch is on the IMB board. Has anyone (SBC 'big dog') written an article, blog, or comment about this situation that carries enough weight to be heard?
see http://therooftopreview.
blogspot.com for the full question...
Shannon Brown
- Sun Jan 15, 03:06:00 PM 2006
- Paul said...
I think your #3 is the saddest point. Another trustee who voted for your removal told me that he hopes this doesn't make it to Greensboro. I told him that I hoped so as well, but that I imagine we mean two different things by that. He hopes you will resign and all of this will go away. I hope that the trustees will find a way to work in unity even in the midst of their diversity and love one another in the process.
We'll see.
Given the anonymous post a few up I have to wonder if this isn't some conspiracy by Texas fans to make Oklahoma pay off the field since (excepting this past season) they have been unable to make Oklahoma pay on the field.
Boomer Sooner.....uhm...er...I mean...God Bless.
- Sun Jan 15, 03:50:00 PM 2006
- Bowden McElroy said...
You're a Sooner fan? I'm going to have to withdraw my support and delete my posts on this subject from my blog!
-Bowden, OSU Class of '81
- Sun Jan 15, 03:57:00 PM 2006
- wadeburleson.org said...
Excellent question. I found it quite strange that I could be publicly accused of slander without being given one iota of evidence. I removed myself from Executive Sessions only UNTIL this matter is resolved by the convention.
I am the kind of person who speaks openly and honestly, and I like things to be presented in the open. Since the charges were made public by being read into the official record, I want them detailed in public. Too often Excutive Sessions can be used to keep things private that OUGHT to be made public.
I have asked repeatedly that "gossip" and "slander" be detailed so I know what in the world this is about. As you know, the public statement released by the trustees did not use those two words, but instead used the phrases "lack of accountability" and "loss of trust." I would be delighted for the specifics of this charge to be made public as well, but I think I know what that means.
Basically, I believe I am accountable to the convention, not fellow trustees. I also am bound by conscience, not the opinion of man (even if it is a majority opinion).
I welcome the public scrutiny. Put the details on the front page of the IMB web site.
I, more than anyone, want to know the specifics.
I await patiently.
In His Grace,
- Sun Jan 15, 04:00:00 PM 2006
Was SBC President Bobby Welch, an ex-officio member, present at the IMB trustee meetings last week?
- Sun Jan 15, 04:46:00 PM 2006
What is so distinctive in this entire controversy is that you have been honest, transparent and specific in reporting the details, while the IMB public news release seems really nothing more than an "ipse dixit" of vague generalities and allegations. What a marvelous opportunity has been given to the SBC to say, "NO!" to backroom politics and uncooperative conservatism (on minor doctrinal issues). This Okie firmly believes that God will use this episode to reaffirm His sovereignty in how He wants His Great Commission to be carried out in the SBC. May He continue to richly bless and strengthen you and yours as His will is accomplished.
In His Grace and Peace,
- Sun Jan 15, 05:08:00 PM 2006
- wadeburleson.org said...
Pastor Bobby Welch was not present.
In His Grace,
Wade Burleson
- Sun Jan 15, 05:25:00 PM 2006
Great post!!
- Sun Jan 15, 06:18:00 PM 2006
Mr. Burleson,
If you are serious about what you are writing, I challenge you to mobilize the Southern Baptists (including all the IMB trustees and personnel) to pray and fast for a unity in the Body and a harvest in the fields.
Not to pray and fast so that everyone might see that "we" are right and "they" are wrong. But to really fast and pray and seek God's face for the sake of His presence in our lives.
What would it be like if the Baptist (and secular) press could only write about the love and unity of the Body of Christ? That is the mark of discipleship (Jn 13.35) and not tongues, baptism, landmarkism, etc.
- Sun Jan 15, 09:10:00 PM 2006
- wadeburleson.org said...
Mr. Anonymous,
I agree.
I also think you may have missed a major point in this blog.
I am arguing that we all cease trying to convince anyone of the "right" or "wrong" side of different intepretations of non-essential doctrines. What do these non-essentials have to do with missions?
Let's cooperate together.
Wade Burleson
- Sun Jan 15, 09:35:00 PM 2006
"Frankly, I was trying to change things from within the Board."
Sorry..gotta laugh at that one... I know too many naive but well meaning folks in the SBC who have said this.
I've been asked to leave a couple of churches who like their Club-like existence just fine thank you.
In the words of Groucho Marx, "I would never join a club which accepts me as a member."
- Sun Jan 15, 09:58:00 PM 2006
- Kevin Bussey said...
Anonymous said...
What would it be like if the Baptist (and secular) press could only write about the love and unity of the Body of Christ? That is the mark of discipleship (Jn 13.35) and not tongues, baptism, landmarkism, etc.
That would be great. Unfortunately, the present leadership in the SBC isn't concerned about love. They only want to be right. Sometimes as Wade said in a post 2 weeks ago, you have to stand up to bullies! This whole incident has awaken younger SBC pastors and staff and given us the kick in the rear we need.
Wade, You are the Man!
- Sun Jan 15, 10:19:00 PM 2006
- Mike, Carrie, and Hunter McCoy said...
We support your decisions wholeheartedly! It's amazing how even as Christians we can persecute each other! We will be praying for you and the upcoming decision! We think you are doing a great job!
In Christ,
Carrie, Mike, and Hunter McCoy
- Sun Jan 15, 11:05:00 PM 2006
Thank you for taking this courageous stand. We need more "Wades" who will stand up for what they believe is right.
Stay strong and continue on!
Your friend, chamm
P.S. Shamm says "Amen".
- Sun Jan 15, 11:14:00 PM 2006
- Kevin said...
Dear Wade, I have experienced much the same thing you are experiencing as a deacon in a local baptist church. There was much dealing behind closed doors by a few members of the church. They did things without reguard to the rules of the church. They manipulated things to their advantage. They shut me up by discussing things at the Deacon meetings and voting on them so that I could not voice my opinion in the public forum of the business meetings(I would not speak out against the rulings made in the Deacons meetings). Politics ruled the day instead of God's will.
I have left that church with a great regret because I deeply loved many members of the church and was even told by one member that I was greatly loved by the members of the church, the best compliment that I believe, a Christian can receive. I'm praying for that church that God will restore it and remove the people who are running it for their own purpose instead of God's purposes.
My prayer for you, Wade, and the conventention is that God's will be done and if that should include(and you may not want to hear this) tearing down the convention, so that "one brick is not standing on another" so that what God wants is built back up, so be it. I don't believe God wants hard hearted, ungodly men running things. I believe God wants people who's motives are pure and want the things that God wants. I believe He wants people like you Wade to see that His will is done. May God bless you. Kevin
- Mon Jan 16, 10:43:00 AM 2006
- Kevin said...
Dear Wade, I have experienced much the same thing you are experiencing as a deacon in a local baptist church. There was much dealing behind closed doors by a few members of the church. They did things without reguard to the rules of the church. They manipulated things to their advantage. They shut me up by discussing things at the Deacon meetings and voting on them so that I could not voice my opinion in the public forum of the business meetings(I would not speak out against the rulings made in the Deacons meetings). Politics ruled the day instead of God's will.
I have left that church with a great regret because I deeply loved many members of the church and was even told by one member that I was greatly loved by the members of the church, the best compliment that I believe, a Christian can receive. I'm praying for that church that God will restore it and remove the people who are running it for their own purpose instead of God's purposes.
My prayer for you, Wade, and the conventention is that God's will be done and if that should include(and you may not want to hear this) tearing down the convention, so that "one brick is not standing on another" so that what God wants is built back up, so be it. I don't believe God wants hard hearted, ungodly men running things. I believe God wants people who's motives are pure and want the things that God wants. I believe He wants people like you Wade to see that His will is done. May God bless you. Kevin
- Mon Jan 16, 10:43:00 AM 2006
We have never met, but I have recently been reading your blog, and wish to make three comments.
1. I agree with your objections to the IMB policy. If I was in your position as an IMB trustee, I would have also voted against it.
2. I agree with you that the vote of the IMB trustees was an overreaction. I agree they should have set in place a policy against trustees blogging about the meeting if they did not want that to happen, rather than removing you.
3. I disagree with your tactics. You are against "crusading Baptists," but you yourself come across to me as the crusader. You said that you would welcome a deacon blogging your deacons meeting. Come on now, would you really, if the deacon objected to your leadership or the decisions of the deacons and discussed those differences, and put it out there so that nonbelievers anywhere from Alabama to Albania could read your dirty laundry? I think not.
- Mon Jan 16, 09:38:00 PM 2006
- wadeburleson.org said...
Mr. Anonymous,
Think what you will. Good leaders are never troubled by dissent. Abishai said to King David regarding Shemei's cursing of the King, "Do you want me to go cut that dead dog's head off."
King David answered, "Let him alone. God hath bidden him to speak."
Squelching dissent is a sign of insecurity.
In His Grace,
- Mon Jan 16, 09:47:00 PM 2006
"You are against 'crusading Baptists,' but you yourself come across to me as the crusader."
It appears to me that some of the trustees have, as an unintended consequence, put Wade in the role he finds himself.
Kind of ironic, if you ask me.
Jon B.
- Tue Jan 17, 12:30:00 AM 2006
Would there have been a conservative resurgence without dealings and planning by a relative few behind closed doors during meetings and in hotel rooms? And not just everyone can't be invited to the closed door meetings. Sometimes that hurts people's feelings.
- Tue Jan 17, 08:51:00 AM 2006
- Shaun Ewing said...
I am a friend of Melody's and have heard about your struggle. My husband had a similar issue with another mainline denomination several years ago. He was upholding the basic tenants of the faith and asking our conference to do the same. He was told that the Board of Ordained Ministry, if they had to choose, would choose a pastor who did not believe in the virgin birth or the physical resurrection of Christ over him and his conservative views any day. After years of fighting these battles, we felt that God released us from our calling to that denomination and to the efforts to effect change therein. We came to the Baptist church after leaving our denomination with a very heavy hearts.
I tell you these things just to let you know that we truly understand and are praying both for you and for your family. Stand firm and fight the good fight.
- Tue Jan 17, 09:52:00 AM 2006
Brother Wade,
I find your stand with respect to openness and fairness to be a breath of fresh air. For several years, I have avoided the national convention meeting but this could be the year of my return.
God bless you.
Bill Messer
Columbia, SC
- Tue Jan 17, 11:08:00 AM 2006
Does anyone on the International Board members read the Scriptures? This issue is settled in the Word of God. Thus the action taken by the International Board is sin because it is directly contrary to the clear command of the Scriptures. I would suggest that we heed the admonition of I Corinthians 14:37-39.
Moreover, it is a wicked perversion of the Word of God to say that this does not apply. Paul is giving instructions regarding speaking in tongues.
Jerry Dale Patterson
Oxford, Mississippi
- Wed Jan 18, 04:57:00 PM 2006
Regarding your willingness to have deacons blog your deacons meeting, you cited David allowing Shimei to curse him (2 Samuel 16:5-14) to say that good leadership does not squelch dissent. That's a good point. He later forgave Shimei (2 Samuel 19:18-23). However, remember that David did give Shimei enough rope to hang himself later (or should I say, let Solomon hang him- 1 Kings 2:8-9) and eventually Shimei paid the price with his own life(1 Kings 2:36-46). So while good leadership does not squelch dissent, dissent can be very costly to unity, and should not be done lightly.
I understand that you feel you were right to object, and I agree that you were correct in your principles. My objection was to the tactics used: like Shimei's throwing dust in the air and bringing down curses, which only agitates others.
- Thu Jan 19, 10:34:00 AM 2006
- Jeremy Weaver said...
I am praying for you. I wonder what would have happened to the world if Luther had become silent because 'Majority Rules'.
Thank you for your unwavering stance on these issues.
- Fri Jan 20, 08:22:00 AM 2006
- George said...
Thank you for your stand. Issues such as this are not simply related to the IMB. They are in and a part of our churches. My heart longs for the church to move toward the New Commandment of John 13:34-35 and less on the traditions and commandments of men that nullify the word of God. Matthew 15:1-9.
George Welborn
- Wed Jan 25, 11:22:00 AM 2006
The position that you take is not acceptable where the word of Christ is concerned. If I become involved with an organization that I disagree with I just get out. There is no way you can be augumentative with any one when the fact of the matter you position within the group does not allow you to make a public issue of a matter of this nature.
Be honest with your self, how would you respond to a church member who holds a position of leader ship, and would use the internet to oppose you in your own church?? Just give a chuckle and move on or would you become a little upset??
I have no quarrel with your right to disagree BUT not in a way as member of organization that would interfer with the work--that my friend is what you are doing!!
I spend 28 years in the Military as a chaplain and served in church for years as pastor and this is a no win position for you or for the IMB. I would assure you that you would be booted out of the military for taking such a stand while in position of confidential information and use it to futhur your cause. Very dishonest on your part and I can assure you what you give out you will get back one day in kind.
God bless your work but get honest what you are doing is an ego trip.
Tom Reynolds
- Wed Jan 25, 02:14:00 PM 2006
- Unknown said...
- Mon Jan 05, 03:28:00 AM 2009
- Sun Feb 08, 12:28:00 AM 2009

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Matt Leslie
The Fullerton Police Department has issued an ultimatum to the homeless people living in a camp near the closed Hunt Library facility, ordering them to leave by 3:00 pm Friday, June 14. Police have promised to store property for the displaced homeless people for up to thirty days, but some have expressed skepticism over the eventual fate of their posessions. Just last week police officers raided the encampment, making several arrests for drug use.
On June 4 the Fullerton City Council approved the beginning of lease negotiations with neighboring Grace Ministries, who want to rent the Hunt Library property for up to two years while their offices are renovated.
A two part video on Youtube by former Fullerton Public Library Trustee Marlena Carrillo shows the encampment of eighty people trying to figure out where they are going to go to avoid arrest. "We're just out here still trying to live, just like anybody else," says one camper in the video, who argued that they should have been given at least thirty days to leave. In the second part of the video a police officer states that he "just found out about this yesterday."
One has to wonder about the timing of both the raid and eviction. The Hunt Library was closed by an emergency vote of the Library's Board of Trustees three months ago because they were told that conditions had become dangerous for library staff.
At that time Fullerton Rag wondered why the Fullerton Police Department was incapable of maintaining safety at a city facility, one that has their name posted above the front door. Instead, they chose not to enforce Fullerton's anti-camping laws, allowing the camp's population to double in the past six months before finally deciding the time was right to raid it. Portable toilets had even moved to the site, and The Coast to Coast Foundation were feeding people there twice a month. During a recent City Council meeting Coast to Coast even invited members of the public to help with the food distribution, and presented awards to City Manager Joe Felz, Police Chief Dan Hughes, and the entire Fullerton City Council.
At that time none of the award recipients mentioned that the city would raid and then evict the camp in the near future. The camp was allowed to remain while police "responded to 460 calls to the site or incidents there," until just one week after the City Council gave its approval to lease out the property.
If a homeless camp can be evicted now to make it safe for a new lessee of the Hunt Branch property, why couldn't it have been done while it was still a library? And just where are the homeless people supposed to go with a permanent homeless shelter years away from opening and the police department now enforcing the city's anti-camping laws?


text:
Today I checked out the weather forecast at Weather.com, mostly to confirm my suspicions that yes, this winter is going to be eternal and that it's never going to rise above four degrees for the rest of my life.
(Okay, the actual forecast wasn't that bad, and it's actually going to get a little warmer very soon, but still.)
I noticed this banner ad in the right-side column where Weather.com usually puts them (among other locations):
Looks important, don'it? Like your security software is telling you something is wrong, right?
Yeah, well, it's not. It's an advertisement. Good thing the ONLY indication is the little Google AdWords logo in the upper right corner, eh?
Now, I don't know exactly what this advertisement leads to, but as far as I'm concerned, they're using deception to trick people into clicking on it. That makes me think of ransomware, because it's almost the exact technique used by makers of that type of malicious software. Click on it and you may find your computer locked down until you pay $80 or more to some crook.
I wish I could issue "just never click on anything" as a general rule, but it's sort of hard to use the Internet without clicking on something now and then. I would suggest this, though: if you see an ad like this on a major website, click on that little triangle AdWords logo (click carefully…you don't want to click on the ad itself!) and use the submission form to tell Google about it. Google's AdWords system is great because it allows access to online advertising for businesses of all sizes, but that wide-openness also means a lot of scammers get their greasy little banner ads through. It's like those "work at home" scans in the old print newspapers, only a couple hundred million times larger in scope.


text:
Young Ben working in the studio on his first laptop.
One of my favorite medical practices here in Austin got in touch with me last week and asked me to update an environmental portrait of one of their doctors. We had done an entire campaign photographing each doctor doing what they loved to do in their off time. Hobbies, sports, crafts. You name it. The campaign was fun and I got to write the copy as well which meant that I really liked the entire package.
We searched for schedule openings for both the doctor and myself and the only intersection that could happen quickly enough was to shoot this afternoon. We'll be meeting out on a soccer field to take the portrait. I'm taking the Elinchrom Ranger RX AS pack and a couple of flash heads with me to use. Since we'll be out in the middle of a big, remote field I'm pretty certain I won't be able to count on A/C current and I'd like a big pop of light in order to balance out the Texas sun.
The Elinchrom Ranger RX AS system is my go to "portable" electronic flash set up for stuff like this. With it I can be in the middle of nowhere and still count on pounding out 1100 watts of flash power, through a huge soft box, at least 125 times in a row (before changing batteries). A lot more times if I set the recycle time to "slow." The pack is hefty. It weighs 18 pounds and it's not something I really want to carry very far. Today I plan to use it with a 28 inch beauty dish, covered with a white diffusion "sock."
I've used the Elinchrom Ranger for nearly five years now and neither of the two battery packs I have for it show any signs of slowing down or losing their charge. It is also the most reliable set of lights I've owned. While the initial purchase price was high I have used the system for studio work and in hundreds of remote locations over the last five years to produce dozens and dozens of jobs. In fact, I used the system for a week long, location intensive, annual report project just a month after the initial purchase and it paid for itself on the very first job.
While packing for the project I was struck by the contrasts in equipment. The Swiss made flash system is stout and heavy. Made to handle years of photographer abuse. It's cumbersome to carry but nothing beats that big blast of clean light when you need it. Especially when you are hellbent on taming the Texas sun. On the other hand I'm packing tiny cameras. I'll be using the OMD EM-5 camera today and I think I'll try using it with the 75mm 1.8 Olympus lens that I'm still playing with.
The camera seems so tiny next to the beefy flash generator. But I guess that's the new nature of the business. The cameras have become almost an afterthought compared to the discipline of lighting. At least that's how it seems to me.
The only painful thing about working outside with big lights is the need to sandbag them. My favorite assistants are both out of town so I guess that means I'll be dragging a couple of 30 pound sandbags across the soccer field to anchor the light stand. Oh, the sacrifices we make just to get a good image...
editor's note: Kirk has been summoned for jury duty on Monday, Tues. and Weds. He may get out of it but he may not. That means the blog might be a bit spotty for the next few days. The following week is mercilessly over scheduled with wall to wall photo shoots right up until the minute he and Belinda head to New York on Thurs. to visit #1 son, Ben. It's a "parent's weekend" event at Ben's college. We should resume full on blogging enthusiasm around the 20th. In the meantime, if the web gets too boring, you might consider buying either the paperback version or the Kindle version of his fun novel, The Lisbon Portfolio. A big dose of Kirk's writing in a concentrated burst. Thanks for tuning in. Stick around to hear about the vagaries of jury duty and remember, if he gets dismissed the blog will return to normal this week.


text:
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text:
Southern producer D. Rama Naidu gets Padma Bhushan
Chennai Veteran southern producer D. Rama Naidu, known for making films like "Papa Kosam" and "Prem Nagar", has been named for the Padma Bhushan award on the eve of the 64th Republic Day. Naidu will get the honour for his relentless contribution to Telugu cinema over the last five decades. "Big congratulations to Ramanaidu mavayya (uncle) for the Padma Bhushan", tweeted Telugu actor Sumanth. The 76-year-old producer was nominated for the prestigious award along with Telugu veteran director Bapu by the Andhra Pradesh government in November last year. In 1963, he produced his first Telugu film titled "Anuragam" starring Jaggaiah and P. Bhanumathi. Later, he made Telugu films "Ramudu Bheemudu", "Papa Kosam", "Prem Nagar", and "Ahana Pellanta" among many more. In 2008, Naidu made it to the Guinness World Records for having produced movies in nine languages. Besides Telugu, his mother tongue, Naidu has made films in all other south Indian languages - Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. He has also produced movies in Hindi, English, Bengali, Oriya and Assamese, all under his banner Suresh Productions. In Hindi, he has to his credit films such as "Prem Nagar", "Anari", "Bandish" and "Maqsad". "Dharama Devatha", "Aswaradoon" and "Staten Island" were the films he produced in Oriya, Malayalam and English respectively. The veteran producer was also awarded with "Dadasaheb Phalke Award" in 2010. His son, Telugu actor Venkatesh, is one of the leading heroes in the industry while his eldest son, Suresh Babu manages their home banner Suresh Productions. Rana Daggubati, his grandson, is also a leading actor in the southern film industry.


text:
Burning trash is now prohibited statewide in all cases by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Effective on October 14, 2009, all open burning is prohibited in New York with several exceptions including the following:
- Campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width or diameter are allowed.
- Small cooking fires are allowed.
- Fires cannot be left unattended and must be fully extinguished.
- Only charcoal or clean, dry, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned.
- Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed.
In towns with a total population less than 20,000, you may burn tree limbs with attached leaves. The limbs must be less than 6 inches in diameter and 8 feet in length (also referred to as brush). However, this is not allowed from March 16 through May 14 due to the increased risk of wildfires.
Additional information on DEC regulations.
The DEC's existing incinerator rule already prohibited burning household trash in wood stoves, fireplaces and outdoor wood boilers. DEC recommends that you recycle all appropriate materials (such as newspaper, paper, glass and plastic) and compost your organic kitchen and garden waste.


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Same-sex marriage is legal in 16 states and gays can serve openly in the military, but a business can still fire someone over their sexual orientation.
That's almost exactly the opposite of what the gay-rights movement thought would happen two decades ago.
Even as activists have made major progress in changing public opinion and advancing their goals through Congress, state legislatures and the courts, a bill to ban discrimination by employers remains just out of reach.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed the Senate last week on a bipartisan vote, with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats, but it is unlikely to get very far in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
Supporters say that has created a glaring contradiction in how gays and lesbians are treated by the government.
"There is definitely a synapse connection problem," said Fred Sainz, vice president of communications and marketing at the gay-rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.
The irony is that ENDA, as the anti-discrimination bill is often called, was long thought by supporters to be an easier goal than same-sex marriage or allowing gays to serve openly in the military.
Activists have different explanations for why it has stalled.
Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez, co-director of the gay-rights group GetEQUAL, said one problem is that polls show many Americans think that a law protecting gays and lesbians at work is already on the books.
"I don't know any other issue in this country that had this broad kind of acceptance," he said. "It shouldn't be controversial, but D.C. makes it controversial."
Grassroots support is critical for a social movement, he said, and the gay-rights movement is just beginning to grow roots.
Many trace the gay-rights movement back to the infamous Stonewall riots, which occurred after police raided a gay bar in New York City in 1969. But activists say that public support came about more recently as more and more people came out of the closet.
Today, nine out of every 10 Americans say they have gay acquaintances. A little more than half of Americans support federal benefits for gays and want to see same-sex marriage legalized for the whole country, according to March and July Gallup polls.
Even still, organizers haven't quite figured out how to harness that support into legislative action.
"I don't know that we've hit yet that secret formula that will result in enduring legal protections," Sainz said.
That's because the federal government is about a decade behind American culture – another reason ENDA hasn't become law, said Ian Thompson, a legislative representative for the American Civil Liberties Union, who urged patience among supporters.
"Particularly when you're dealing with civil rights laws, these do not happen overnight," he said.
But Sousa-Rodriguez of GetEQUAL, an organization that is often critical of mainstream gay-rights advocacy strategies, said advocates are just as behind the times as the government is when it comes to arguing for equality.
He said the movement's supporters have made too many compromises on gay-rights legislation and focused their efforts on state issues when they should have been lobbying for broad equality at the federal level.
"We are still working on the '90s politics as if we're still in the '90s," he said.
He pointed to the past two years' push to legalize same-sex marriage in almost 16 states as an example, saying the movement failed to protect vulnerable members of the gay community, such as those who live in southern states that have constitutional bans on same-sex marriage.
"We're not demanding for what we deserve, we're demanding what we think we can get as a movement," he said.
Despite all that, the movement is heading into 2014 with some stunning victories.
It started with a 2011 repeal of the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, continued into 2012 with voters in two states legalizing marriage at the ballot box, and capped off this June with a Supreme Court ruling that repealed a federal law limiting same-sex rights and a California ban on same-sex marriage.
In addition, Hawaii is on the verge of becoming the 16th state to legalize same-sex marriage this year.
All this prompts Sainz to call 2013 "the year of the gays."
"We have made more progress in just one year than we have in the 43 years combined," he said.
But gay-rights supporters say their fight is only halfway finished. The movement needs what Sainz called aspirational laws, such as affirmative action for gays, to replace the discriminatory laws that have been repealed or revised.
"This is just kind of like the beginning of the civil rights puzzle," he said.
Another challenge comes when repealing discriminatory practices opens the door to new problems, such as how the military's acceptance toward gays, lesbians and bisexuals serving openly excludes the transgendered and doesn't address same-sex spouses living in states that don't recognize gay marriage.
Activists say they also feel that they're just an election away from having some of these laws reversed.
"We still have enemies that would push back against us," said Lt. Col. John Gillespie, US Air Force Reserves, and co-chair of the gay-rights military watchdog OutServe-SLDN.
The next battleground in the fight for laws appears to be religious liberty. ENDA passed the Senate with broader exemptions for religious institutions than those written into the Civil Rights Act a half century ago. A companion bill introduced in the House would go even further.
But ENDA's religious exemptions don't go far enough, said Leanna Baumer, a senior legislative assistant with the conservative, Christian organization Family Research Council. Baumer said her organization would like to see every business owner able to express his or her religious views when hiring or firing, which would effectively void the bill.
"When we talk about discrimination, we also have to take into mind a new type of discrimination that targets individuals or businesses or enterprises for their faith and values," she said.
Baumer argued that ENDA is stalled in Congress because lawmakers know it's unnecessary.
"Voluntary actions and what we call market sources are already solving the problem where it might exist," she said.
But gay-rights advocates said they'll keep pushing for equality via Congress and the courts, supported by the knowledge that public opinion is on their side and that eventually government will come around.
Sainz even predicted government pass ENDA sooner rather than later, erasing at least one paradox in their fight.
"If I weren't optimistic, I wouldn't be working for the gay rights movement," he said.


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Search Buddhist Channel
Dhamma Day celebrates Buddhist teachers
By HEATHER HARRISON, Columbia Missourian, July 16, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC (USA) -- Friday marks the day that Theravada Buddhists celebrate Dhamma Day, also known as Asalha Puja or Asanha Puja Day. The festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. Dhamma Day commemorates the first teaching of the Buddha.
After the Buddha attained enlightenment, or gained realization of the truth about reality, Buddha traveled throughout India from the city of Bodh Gaya to the deer park in Sarnath. Today, both Sarnath and Bodh Gaya are major sacred Buddhist sites.
Upon reaching Sarnath, the Buddha gave lessons to his five original disciples. Those lessons delivered by the Buddha are often referred to as "the first turning of the wheel of dhamma."
Dhamma comes from the ancient Pali term Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. Dhamma is the teaching of the Buddha and includes norms of behavior and ethical rules.
At this time, the Buddha told his disciples about the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are: life is suffering, the cause of suffering is craving, suffering can be eliminated by the extinguishing of craving, and there is a way to achieve this goal.
The Buddha prescribed the Eightfold Path as the way to achieve the goal of extinguishing craving. The steps are: right understanding, right intent, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Throughout the world, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path remain central doctrines in Buddhism.
Finally, the Buddha spoke about the Middle Way. The Middle Way is an avoidance of the extremes of indulgence and asceticism. The Buddha believed the Middle Way led to knowledge, calm and self-awakening.
Dhamma Day coincides with the beginning of monsoon season, when the Buddha and his nuns and monks would suspend their wandering lifestyle for three months. The heavy rains would prevent them from journeying forward. They would use this time for meditation and reflection. At the end the rainy season, they would resume traveling and passing on the Buddha's teachings.
Today's celebration
Dhamma Day is a chance to express gratitude to the Buddha and other enlightened teachers. Many celebrate Dhamma Day by reading Buddhist scriptures and listening to sermons. Monks receive small gifts such as food and candles on Dhamma Day. Monasteries in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar hold three monthlong "rains retreats" shortly after Dhamma Day. The rain retreats are used as a time for study, meditation and teaching new monks.


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Vanilla Macarons
• 1¾ cups almond flour
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 7 egg whites, divided
• ? cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Preheat oven to 275°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside. Using a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, begin to whip three egg whites to a medium peak. Meanwhile, combine water and sugar in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Simmer while monitoring with a candy thermometer; be careful not to overbeat egg whites. Remove syrup from heat when temperature reaches 240°F. Continuing to whip the egg whites on medium speed, pour the syrup down the side of the bowl to incorporate slowly. Increase speed and whip until whites form glossy, very stiff peaks. Using a spatula, stir the remaining egg whites and the vanilla seeds into the flour mix, making a smooth paste. With the spatula, fold one third of whipped egg whites into the batter; then gently fold in the rest. Stir until the batter falls in a ribbon when you lift the spatula. Using a soupspoon and your finger, place round dollops onto the baking sheet, about an inch apart. The batter should be stiff enough that the macarons hold their shape. (Cover batter with plastic film when not scooping.) Lightly tap the sheet to settle the batter. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until a light crust forms, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with your choice of toppings (see below). Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan 180° and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the cookies and let them cool. Repeat the process until all the batter is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for two days, or frozen. Makes 70 cookies or 30 sandwich cookies.
Suggested Toppings
• Cocoa powder
• Candied orange zest
• Chopped pistachios or other nuts
Suggested Fillings
• Fresh strawberry slices
• Fresh raspberries
• Nutella
• Fruit jam
• Orange marmalade
• Ganache (recipe follows)
• 14 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• 1½ cups heavy cream
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Assemble the cookies by placing filling of your choice on the flat side, then topping with another cookie to make a sandwich; or serve open-faced.


text:
Man, 25, seriously injured when tanker hits car on I-93
State police say man thrown from Jeep
A 25-year-old man was seriously injured on Interstate 93 on Thursday when a tanker truck struck his Jeep, throwing him from the vehicle.
Click here to watch News 9's report.
Police said Matthew Davis, of Plaistow, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Elliot Hospital for surgery. He was listed in serious but stable condition.
The crash shut down a portion of I-93 north for about four hours. State police said the truck crashed into the Jeep near exit 6 about 12:30 a.m.
"As a result of that, the operator of the Jeep, the 25-year-old gentleman, was ejected from the Jeep," said Lt. Christopher Wagner.
Police said the force of the crash threw Davis into the barrier separating the north and southbound lanes.
"As the troopers arrived on scene, they found the situation to be fairly grave, with life-threatening injuries to the operator of the passenger vehicle," Wagner said.
A good Samaritan helped police administer aid until an ambulance arrived.
The driver of the tanker truck, Wesley Basler, 56, of Richford, Vt., was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Police said Davis said his Jeep had run out of gas, and he was unable to push the vehicle off the roadway.
Police said speed and alcohol did not appear to be factors in the crash.


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Gay Dad Alec Mapa Says Goodbye to Glamorous
Gay Dad Alec Mapa Says Goodbye to Glamorous
November 07 2011 7:00 AM EST
November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST
Gay Dad Alec Mapa Says Goodbye to Glamorous
Gay Dad Alec Mapa Says Goodbye to Glamorous
Having a kid can change your life, and for gay comedian Alec Mapa, it can change your bathroom too.
Mapa has appeared on virtually every popular show on television, including Roseanne, Seinfeld, Friends, Dharma & Greg, and more recently, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, and Gossip Queens. Mapa is now appearing in a one-man show centering on his biggest accomplishment -- becoming a father. Baby Daddy runs February 9 to 11 at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York City.
He spoke with The Advocate about life as a new dad, why his home's glam has turned to grime, and how circuit parties helped prepare him for fatherhood.
Advocate: November is National Adoption Month. Did you ever think that
you would become a spokesperson for gay parenting?
Alec Mapa: Never. You have to understand that my role models as a kid were Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Bette Midler, Cher, Lily Tomlin, and Carol Burnett. I was gonna be a glamorous, funny lady. I like to think that I achieved some semblance of that. But in all my daydreams I really didn't think I was going to be a parent or married. It just wasn't on my radar as a gay kid. Driving down Sunset and seeing my family on a banner promoting LGBT parenting is an experience so bizarre and surreal. I'm still processing it. Having said that, as a little boy I always played with dolls and all my imaginary play was about keeping house, so my life right now makes perfect sense.
parenting as glamorous as it sounds? Any tips for new parents on how to stay
fabulous while raising a toddler?
If there's a way of making poop, barf, and pee glamorous, let me know. There's no parenting manual, class, or piece of literature that fully illustrates what a mess one little boy can make. My husband always ran a fairly tidy house, but now the effort of keeping things neat is sisyphean. We used to have a super-gay bathroom with gorgeous towels and bubble baths and cucumber water. It was like a spa at the Four Seasons. Now it's like a Porta Potti at Mardi Gras. Zion was 5 when he came to live with us, but his frustration level was infantile. As a gay man who's been on a lot of gay cruises and circuit parties, I'm no stranger to infantile behavior. Talking a toddler through a tantrum is pretty much the same thing as talking a circuit queen out of a K hole. Keep a calm, cool voice, maintain eye contact, and get them some place where they can't hurt themselves.
"America's Gaysian Sweetheart" strict?
Yes. I'm not doing my son any favors by letting him act like a brat. It's not natural for little boys to have manners or sit still. They have to be taught -- unless they're gay.
character from Desperate Housewives, Vern, knew a thing or two about
pageants. Do you think you would make a good pageant dad?
Seriously, I think kiddie pageants are bad for everyone.
there was an "Adopt a Celebrity" program and you got Kim Kardashian,
what fatherly advice would you give her?
"If you want privacy, turn off the fucking camera." I once saw Britney Spears at a Starbucks being besieged by the paparazzi and thought, Lady, do you really need a frappuccino every goddamn day? Buy a blender.
grew up gay in a traditional and Catholic household. It sounds like the makings
of a successful comedian. Was comedy always an outlet?
Humor always defuses tense situations, and I found early on I was always able to get away with murder if I made people laugh. Consequently, my son has also learned that cracking me up is the quickest way to get out of trouble. I yelled at him in a grocery store because he was running into people. "Be considerate, this isn't a playground. You're not the only person here." He sighed and said, "And the Oscar goes to ... " It was hard to stay mad after that.
favorite tweet of yours lately is, "I wouldn't count Rick Perry out just yet.
You can totally be an incomprehensible idiot from Texas and become President.
Twice." Which GOP candidate do you fear most?
I grew up with Anita Bryant, Dan White, and John Briggs on the TV telling people that gays were evil. I lived through the callous disregard of Ronald Reagan and the smiling maliciousness of Jerry Falwell when all my friends were dying of AIDS. The political pendulum will always swing from the left to the right, but each time it swings back it seems like homophobia is less socially acceptable. It's getting harder and harder to equate any kind of hatred with intelligence. So, in answer to your question, I'm not all that afraid of anybody. What did Gandhi say? "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." I like to think we're about to win.
just shot a pilot for a new show. Can you give us a tease?
I just shot a reality show pilot. It's a runway fashion show competition for dogs. It's going to be a huge.
See Alec Mapa in action in videos on the following pages.
Want to become a connoisseur of gay jokes? Follow our new feed for LGBT comedy on Twitter @gaysayer


text: In her debut collection of short fiction, Whatever Used To Grow Around Here, Lauren Belski lovingly charts the unmapped and ever-shifting borderland between adolescence and adulthood in contemporary America. For the most part, her characters are twenty-somethings who long not so much for the innocence of youth but a sense of hope and optimism lost after repeated brushes with the daunting ambiguities and contradictions that constitute the so-called "real-world." In some ways, the biggest question facing many of these young adults who teeter precariously somewhere between the Gen-X and Gen-Y labels is that of what to wear: New sundresses, shirts, and skirts from Banana Republic, Hollister, and Macy's, all designed to flatter and look great in job interviews, cocktail parties, and other occasions for discomfort that mark the passage into adulthood, or the comfortable thrift-store rags of youth that cost three dollars and still smell of the perfume worn by their former owners? The over-sized Burberry coat your dad gave you, hoping perhaps, you'd one day grow into it? The heavy sweater and matching gloves the girl you just met promises to knit for you if only you'll come in out of the cold? The loose-fitting dress you wore on your first day of work only to realize, after dozens of late nights and countless boxes of salty Szechuan takeout, that it's suddenly the tightest thing you own? As anyone who's passed through the region of uncertainty explored throughout Whatever Used To Grow Around Here can attest, these aren't easy questions to answer, and while it was TS Eliot who talked about preparing a face to meet the faces you will meet, it's Belski who dares to ask what you'll wear once you've finished primping. The key to being an adult, it turns out, is to dress the part and keep on faking it until the act comes naturally, to drive in ever-widening circles around the edges of adulthood until the terrain starts to look familiar, to live life, to make mistakes, to get it all wrong yet still have the confidence, however misguided, that one day you'll get it all right.


text:
Movie News – Nicolas Cage has been confirmed for 'The Expendables 3'.
The 48-year-old actor is set to join Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in the third instalment of the fast-paced flick and producer Avi Lerner is now hoping to line up action veterans Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Mickey Rourke.
Sylvester wrote on his Facebook page: ''We are preparing the film with the same passion and commitment as the previous two. We have confirmed Nicolas Cage, a master actor who gives a veneer intellectual group. Hopefully we can realize to Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Mickey Rourke.
''That is the great mission of the producer. We will continue with the same narrative scheme, the agility and the frenzy, which are inherent to the saga. (sic)''
Sylvester also addressed rumours that the third instalment would be the last, claiming as long as people still enjoy the films there is room for an infinite number of sequels.
He added: ''What will definitely be the last? I cannot guarantee. In principle it would be two deliveries, but the affection of the people encouraged us to work on a third. I guess as long as we amused ourselves by offering fun and people, we can continue playing 'The Expendables'.''
Avi recently confirmed he was in talks with Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood to join the A-list cast – which also includes Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li and Randy Couture – and Mickey, who starred in 2010's 'The Expendables', looks set to reprise his role of mission coordinator Tool.
The producer stated: ''We're going to bring Mickey Rourke back, if he won't be too crazy. I like Mickey … I have started to speak to Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford. I'm not sure about Steven Seagal, we'll see.''
© Bang Showbiz


text:
From the Program Coordinator, Joye Smith
Thank you for your interest in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Bilingual programs. We are surrounded by some of the most linguistically and culturally diverse neighborhoods on the planet, and our graduates serve in classrooms, pupil personnel service departments, and administrations throughout the New York City region and even the world.
For those teachers already certified by New York State in another subject area but who desire additional certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), we offer Sequence 1 of the TESOL master's degree (30 credits). If you already have your master's degree and NYS certification, then you are eligible for the TESOL Advanced Certificate (21 credits), which also leads to ESOL certification.
For teachers who have a liberal arts and sciences bachelor's degree but no education coursework and who wish to pursue ESOL certification, we offer Sequence 2 (36-39 credits). For the final student teaching practicum, we will place you in model ESL classrooms in the Bronx and surrounding areas for an outstanding apprenticeship. However, should the opportunity become available, you are also eligible to work full-time as NYS ESOL teacher after successfully completing half of our program credits.
Our TESOL programs are geared toward those seeking ESOL PreK-12 certification, but we do offer Sequence 3 (30-33 credits) for aspiring teachers of adult ESL.
For teachers fluent in another language and certified by NYS as a classroom teacher PreK-12, we offer the Bilingual Extension PreK-12 (12-15 credits) to extend the base, monolingual certificate so that the candidate may also teach his or her subject area in the native language.
Candidates must meet with the program coordinator prior to applying for matriculation. Matriculation deadlines are on October 15 and April 15.
We are proud to offer programs that combine a strong theoretical and historical preparation in linguistics, grammar, second language acquisition, cultural perspectives, and bilingual education, as well as a hands-on, practical, research-based approach to teaching language and content literacy to English language learners (ELLs) of all ages.


text:
Story by
Martin SFP BryantFounder
Martin Bryant is founder of Big Revolution, where he helps tech companies refine their proposition and positioning, and develops high-qualit Martin Bryant is founder of Big Revolution, where he helps tech companies refine their proposition and positioning, and develops high-quality, compelling content for them. He previously served in several roles at TNW, including Editor-in-Chief. He left the company in April 2016 for pastures new.
Unlike the iPhone, Android users are free to download apps from sources other than Google's official Android Market.
With Google not yet offering paid-for apps in the Android Market in all territories and some manufacturers not including access to the Market at all, alternative stores can be an attractive way for developers to reach a wider potential audience. However, are they worth trying from a user's perspective?
With the news this week that Amazon is now busy preparing to sell Android apps itself later this year, we thought we'd round up all the current alternative Android app stores that are already available. Our list includes services that sell apps directly as well as those that act as an alternative front-end to the Android Market.
GetJar bills itself as "The world's second largest app store with over 1 billion downloads to date, second only to the Apple App Store". The store support Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Symbian platforms. You can filter down to just the Android apps by setting your phone type in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
GetJar was the first place you could download the Android version of Angry Birds, before even the official Market. The game's developer, Rovio cited GetJar's global reach as the reason for its choice. Other exclusive launches include the Android version of iPhone game Slice It!, while the company recently took the interesting approach of paying developers up-front for games and then giving them away to customers for free.
Rather than selling apps directly itself, AppBrain is an alternative way of browsing the official Android Market. Given that Google still doesn't have a comprehensive way of searching the Market from a browser, AppBrain is incredibly useful for hunting down interesting apps on a larger screen.
Once you've found an app you like, click 'Install' on the website and the companion AppBrain app on your phone helps you through the process of installing it, including the usual payment options if required. It's worth noting, though, that AppBrain only lists applications that are available in the US and that are compatible with Android version 1.6 and above for devices with certain screen sizes. That means that if you're outside the US, apps you select on AppBrain may not actually be available to you to install.
SlideME lets you browse its catalogue of apps online or via an installable app called SAM that runs the whole experience on your Android device. This market focuses on promoting the work of small, independent developers. One advantage of this is that it's a good place for publishers to scout out developer talent early, and app developers can be contacted directly via SlideME.
Free apps can be downloaded directly from the website, while those with a price attached are only available via SlideME's app.
MobiHand OnlyAndroid
An old hand at the app store game, MobiHand has been selling apps for a number of platforms for several years.
Via its OnlyAndroid store it offers a wide range apps and differentiates itself with discounted apps. This includes a "Deal of the Day", where one app is offered at a significant discount for 24 hours. The store sells phone accessories such as chargers and cases in addition to apps.
MobiHand OnlyAndroid also offers an app to access its store from your phone.
Like AppBrain, Appsfire doesn't offer apps itself, instead acting as an alternative to the official Market.
While available on the Web, Appsfire really comes into its own on your Android handset, offering smart app recommendations based on the apps you already have installed.
It highlights currently discounted apps, currently popular apps on the Market and offers curated lists of top apps chosen by experts. Some apps have video previews, while a social feature lets you share your app recommendations with others.
Newly launched Aproov is a Web-based app store initially focusing exclusively on free Android apps. Billed as "The way an app store was meant to be", it takes a bare-bones approach to navigation with a list of categories displayed on the left-hand expanding to reveal a mixture of apps uploaded directly by developers and search results from the official Android Market.
Customer ratings and reviews are supported and developers are able to upload videos of their apps in action, something that is promised for the future in the official Android Market. As a new store, it all looks a little sparse right now, with few user reviews or videos to be found. However, this is a store worth keeping an eye on to see how it develops.
Image credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
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text:
Geographical Index
United States
> Dickson County
Dickson County, Tennessee
Only Class A Reports
Class A, B, & C Reports
Only Class B & C Reports
July 1987
(Class A)
- Teenager frog gigging has nighttime encounter near Dickson.
July 1987
(Class A)
- Former park employee describes an encounter in Ruskin Cave Park
Summer 1985
(Class A)
- Witness clearly views a very tall bipedal creature at home near Charlotte
June 1985
(Class A)
- Witness clearly saw a very tall creature moving on two legs.
Explanation of the report classification system
Submit a report
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text:
Kanye West boycotts Grammys, heads to Brazil
Where was Kanye West on Grammy night as his name was called for award after award?
Jay-Z had to accept without his cohort as their N****s in Paris won for best rap performance and best rap song. And West was also a winner in the rap/sung collaboration category for No Church in the Wild, by Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean and The-Dream.
Both Jay-Z and Kanye have objected to the fact that rap artists are overlooked in major categories. And Kanye said in December that he would be boycotting the show again this year.
Jay-Z, who was spotted sipping wine in his front row seat at the Staples Center, showed up this year with wife Beyonce, and he performed his new Suit & Tie song with Justin Timberlake.
But Kanye, 35, was miles away in Rio de Janeiro with Kim Kardashian.
On Saturday, Kim tweeted: "Good morning Brazil!!!" The lovebirds were snapped at the Christ the Redeemer statue, striking their own (non-red-carpet) pose.