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Donald Sterling's tenure as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers has been loaded with allegations of racism and generally deplorable behavior.
While the overtness and tone of the racism on the tape that leaked this weekend are shocking, it's no surprise that Donald Sterling said horrible things about black people.
The NBA, under David Stern, tolerated it for years.
In a 2009 wrongful-termination lawsuit that was eventually rejected by a jury, former Clippers general manager and NBA legend Elgin Baylor claimed that Sterling had a "plantation mentality."
From Baylor's lawsuit:
"[Sterling] said, 'Personally, I would like to have a white Southern coach coaching poor black players.' And I was shocked. And he looked at me and said, 'Do you think that's a racist statement?' I said, 'Absolutely. That's plantation mentality.'"
In the suit, Baylor also claimed that three top Clippers players — Sam Cassell, Elton Brand, and Corey Maggette — complained to him that Sterling was bringing women into the locker room to look at the players, and once said to one of the women, "Look at those beautiful black bodies."
In 2006, the Department of Justice brought housing-discrimination charges against Sterling for allegedly refusing to rent to African-Americans at his Los Angeles residential complexes. The suit was settled three years later for a record $2.75 million, with Sterling avoiding an admission of liability.
In sworn testimony, one of Sterling's top property supervisors Sumner Davenport claimed he made racist comments about black people living in one of the buildings he had just acquired:
"That's because of all the blacks in this building, they smell, they're not clean. ... And it's because of all of the Mexicans that just sit around and smoke and drink all day."
Davenport also told a story about Sterling saying "just evict the b----" when a black tenant complained about water damage (via ESPN's Peter Keating):
"Kandynce Jones' refrigerator dripped, her dishwasher was broken, and her apartment was always cold. Now it had flooded. Davenport reported what she saw to Sterling, and according to her testimony, he asked: 'Is she one of those black people that stink?' When Davenport told Sterling that Jones wanted to be reimbursed for the water damage and compensated for her ruined property, he replied: 'I am not going to do that. Just evict the b****.'"
In a 1983 incident, prospective Clippers coaching candidate Rollie Massimino says that Sterling used the N-word in an impromptu interview at LAX (via Jeff Pearlman):
"Here's this guy, and he has this blonde bimbo with him, they have a bottle of champagne, they're tanked. And Don looks at me and he says, 'I wanna know why you think you can coach these n*****s.'"
Sterling also has a history of saying strange and insensitive statements about women. In a 2003 lawsuit against a former mistress, Sterling talked about paying the woman $500 every time they had sex:
"When you pay a woman for sex, you are not together with her. You're paying her for a few moments to use her body for sex. Is it clear? Is it clear?"
There's also this absurd exchange, from that same deposition (via Deadspin):
Beyond racism, Sterling has a history of gross behavior. Like the time in 2004 when he refused to pay for an assistant coach's $70,000 prostate-cancer surgery (which the Clippers players eventually paid for out of their own pockets). Or the time he heckled Baron Davis, his own player, so mercilessly that it broke his spirit.
Davis told The New York Post in 2012:
"I just stopped liking basketball. And then you dribbling down the court and having the owner like cuss at you and call you an idiot. I didn't even look forward to coming to the games, and if the owner [Donald Sterling] came to the game, I definitely was not gonna have a good game because it was just like, how do you play when the main heckler in the gym is the owner of the team, and he's telling you how much he hates you and calling out your name?"
The NBA never disciplined Sterling for these incidents. In fact, it went out of its way to establish his team as one of the league's marquee franchises by vetoing the Chris Paul trade and eventually rerouting the star point guard to the Clippers.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver pleaded ignorance when asked about Sterling's past behavior at his press conference this weekend. Silver has worked at the NBA since 1992. It's impossible to believe he doesn't know Sterling's history.
The league has ignored Sterling for decades, tolerating him in the hopes that he'd never do something to embarrass the league on a mainstream level.
Now that the bombshell has dropped and derailed the NBA playoffs, the league has only itself to blame.


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In 2012 we recorded remakes (covers) of 2 awesome Beatles songs – "Yes It Is" and "Think For Yourself". As far as I know we are the only Beatles Tribute band to have officially released original songs on iTunes. Check out our Beatles and Original songs and albums on iTunes!
Original Music Video
In August 2012 to celebrate the Beatles 50th anniversary and a very important day in Beatles' history – Aug. 18, 1962 (the day of Ringo's first show as a Beatle), REPLAY released an original "Beatles-style" song and music video.
Sid Bernstein
Once in a lifetime you get to meet a living legend... read my Sid Bernstein story.
Replay Boutique
REPLAY Pens, Posters, Photos, Postcards, T-Shirts and more! Check out all the goodies available at REPLAY shows and events.

subset: commoncrawl


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This is the second part of a two-part series. There are, however, two versions of part 1. The first part was originally published as On the SkepticalScience Post "Pielke Sr. Misinforms High School Students", which was, obviously, a response to the SkepticalScience post Pielke Sr. Misinforms High School Students. That version was also cross posted at WattsUpWithThat asTisdale schools the website "Skeptical Science" on CO2 obsession, where there is at least one comment from a blogger who regularly comments at SkepticalScience. The second version of the post (Do Observations And Climate Models Confirm Or Contradict The Hypothesis of Anthropogenic Global Warming? – Part 1) was freed of all references to the SkepticalScience post, leaving the discussions and comparisons of observed global surface temperatures over the 20th Century and of those hindcast by the climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their 4thAssessment Report (AR4).
The closing comments of the first part of this series read:
The IPCC, in AR4, acknowledges that there were two epochs when global surface temperatures rose during the 20th Century and that they were separated by an epoch when global temperatures were flat, or declined slightly. Yet the forced component of the models the IPCC elected to use in their hindcast discussions rose at a rate that is only one-third the observed rate during the early warming period. This illustrates one of the many failings of the IPCC's climate models, but it also indicates a number of other inconsistencies with the hypothesis that anthropogenic forcings are the dominant cause of the rise in global surface temperatures over the 20th Century. The failure of the models to hindcast the early rise in global surface temperatures also illustrates that global surface temperatures are capable of varying without natural and anthropogenic forcings. Additionally, since the observed trends of the early and late warming periods during the 20th Century are nearly identical, and since the trend of the forced component of the models is nearly three times greater during the latter warming period than during the early warming period, the data also indicate that the additional anthropogenic forcings that caused the additional trend in the models during the latter warming period had little to no impact on the rate at which observed temperatures rose during the two warming periods. In other words, the climate models do not support the hypothesis of anthropogenic forcing-driven global warming; they contradict it.
In this post, using the "ENSO fit" and "volcano fit" data from Thompson et al (2009), the observations and the model mean data are adjusted to determine if there was any impact of volcanic aerosols and El Niño and La Niña events on the trend comparisons during the four epochs (two warming, two cooling) of the 20thCentury. In another set of comparisons, the HADCRUT observations are replaced with the mean of HADCRUT3, GISS LOTI, and NCDC land-plus-ocean surface temperature anomaly datasets, just to assure readers the disparities between the models and the observations are not a function of the HADCRUT surface temperature observations dataset that was selected by the IPCC. And model projections and observations for global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies will be compared, but the comparisons are extended back to 1880 to also see if the forced component of the models matches the significant drop in global sea surface temperatures from 1880 to 1910. For these comparisons, the average SST anomalies of five datasets (HADISST, HADSST2, HADSST3, ERSST.v3b, and Kaplan) are used.
But there are two other topics to be discussed before addressing those.
Part 1 provided the following discussion on the use of the mean of the climate model ensemble members.
The first quote is from a comment made by Gavin Schmidt (climatologist and climate modeler at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies—GISS) on the thread of the RealClimate post Decadal predictions. At comment 49, dated 30 Sep 2009 at 6:18 AM, a blogger posed the question, "If a single simulation is not a good predictor of reality how can the average of many simulations, each of which is a poor predictor of reality, be a better predictor, or indeed claim to have any residual of reality?" Gavin Schmidt replied:
"Any single realisation can be thought of as being made up of two components – a forced signal and a random realisation of the internal variability ('noise'). By definition the random component will uncorrelated across different realisations and when you average together many examples you get the forced component (i.e. the ensemble mean)."
That quote from Gavin Schmidt will serve as the basis for our use of the IPCC multi-model ensemble mean in the linear trend comparisons that follow the IPCC quotes. As I noted in my recent video The IPCC Says… Part 1 (A Discussion About Attribution), in the slide headed by "What The Multi-Model Mean Represents", Basically, the Multi-Model (Ensemble) Mean is the IPCC's best guess estimate of the modeled response to the natural and anthropogenic forcings. In other words, as it pertains to this post, the IPCC model mean represents the (naturally and anthropogenically) forced component of the climate model hindcasts. (Hopefully, this preliminary discussion will suppress the comments by those who feel individual models runs need to be considered.)
Gavin Schmidt's use of the word noise resulted in a number of discussions on the thread of the cross post at WattsUpWithThat. There blogger Philip Bradley provided a quote from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Climate Change Scenarios webpage. The quote also appears on the NCAR GIS Climate Change Scenarios FAQ webpage:
"Climate models are an imperfect representation of the earth's climate system and climate modelers employ a technique called ensembling to capture the range of possible climate states. A climate model run ensemble consists of two or more climate model runs made with the exact same climate model, using the exact same boundary forcings, where the only difference between the runs is the initial conditions. An individual simulation within a climate model run ensemble is referred to as an ensemble member. The different initial conditions result in different simulations for each of the ensemble members due to the nonlinearity of the climate model system. Essentially, the earth's climate can be considered to be a special ensemble that consists of only one member. Averaging over a multi-member ensemble of model climate runs gives a measure of the average model response to the forcings imposed on the model. Unless you are interested in a particular ensemble member where the initial conditions make a difference in your work, averaging of several ensemble members will give you best representation of a scenario."
So, Gavin Schmidt basically used "noise" in place of "variations of the individual ensemble members 'due to the nonlinearity of the climate model system'". Noise is much quicker to write. Gavin also used "realisation" instead of "ensemble member".
In summary, by averaging of all of the ensemble members of the numerous climate models available to them, the IPCC presented what they believe to be the "best representation of a scenario," as created by the natural and anthropogenic forcings that served as input to the climate models. And again, as it relates to this post, the multi-model ensemble mean represents the (naturally and anthropogenically) forced component of the climate model hindcasts of the 20thCentury.
The base years for anomalies of 1901 to 1950 are still being used. Those were the base years selected by the IPCC for their Figure 9.5 in AR4.
In part 1, we established that the IPCC accepts that Global Surface Temperatures rose during two periods in the 20thCentury, from 1917 to 1944, and from 1976 to 2000. The two periods were separated by a period when global surface temperatures remained relatively flat or dropped slightly, from 1944 to 1976. The IPCC in AR4 used the Hadley Centre's HADCRUT3 global surface temperature data in their comparisons with the model hindcasts. During the two warming periods, the instrument-based observations of global surface temperatures rose at the same rate, Figure 1, at approximately 0.175 deg C per Decade.
Figure 1
Climate Models, on the other hand, do not recreate the rate at which global surface temperatures rose during the early warming period. They do well during the late 20th Century warming period, but not the early one. Why? Because Climate Models use what are called forcings as inputs in order to recreate (hindcast) the global surface temperatures during the 20th Century. The climate models attempt to simulate many climate-related processes, as they are programmed, in response to those forcings, and one of the outputs is global surface temperature. Figure 2, as an example, shows the effective radiative forcings employed by the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) for its climate model simulations. Refer to the Forcing in GISS Climate Model webpage.
Figure 2
GISS also provides the datathat represents the Global Mean Net Forcing of all of those individual forcings. Shown again as an example in Figure 3, there is a significant difference in the trends of the forcings during the early and late warming periods. (Note: GISS has updated the forcing data recently, so the data may have been slightly different when the simulations were performed for CMIP3 and the IPCC's AR4.)
Figure 3
The GISS Model-ER is one of the many climate models submitted to the archive called CMIP3 from which the IPCC drew its climate simulations for AR4. Figure 4 shows the individual ensemble members and the ensemble mean for the GISS Model-ER global surface temperature hindcasts of the 20thCentury. Basically, GISS ran their climate model 9 times with the climate forcings shown above and those model runs generated the 9 global surface temperature anomaly curves illustrated by the ensemble members. Also shown are the trends of the GISS Model-ER ensemble mean during the early and late warming periods. The difference between the trends of the model ensemble mean during the early and late warming period is not as great as it was for the forcings, but the trend of the ensemble mean (the forced component of the GISS Model-ER) during the late warming period is about twice the trend for the early warming period. According to observations, however, Figure 1, they should be the same.
Figure 4
For their global surface temperature comparisons in Chapter 9 of AR4, the IPCC included the ensemble members from 11 more climate models in its model mean. And as illustrated in Figure 5, there is a significant disparity between the trends of the model mean during the early warming period and the late warming period. The ensemble mean during the late warming period warmed at a rate that is about 2.9 times faster than the trend of the early warming period—but they should be the same.
Figure 5
So in summary, for our examples, the net forcings of the GISS climate models rose at a rate that was approximately 3.8 times higher during the late warming period than it was during early warming period, as shown in Figure 3. And let's assume, still for the sake of example, that the model forcings for the other models were similar to those used by GISS. Then the increased trend in the forcings during the late warming period, Figure 5, caused the model mean to warm almost 2.9 times faster in the late warming period than during the early warming period. But in the observed, instrument-based data, Figure 1, global surface temperatures during the early and late warming periods warmed at the same rate. This clearly indicates that, while the trends of the models during the early and late warming periods are dictated by the natural and anthropogenic forcings that serve as inputs to them, the rates at which observed temperatures rose are not dictated by the forcings. And as discussed in part 1, under the heading of ON THE IPCC'S CONSENSUS (OR LACK THEREOF) ABOUT WHAT CAUSED THE EARLY 20th CENTURY WARMING, the IPCC failed to provide a suitable explanation for why the models failed to rise at the proper rate during the early warming period. The bottom line: the differences between the modeled and the observed rises in global surface temperatures during the two warming periods acknowledged by the IPCC actually contradicts the hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming.
I've provided this discussion in case there are any anthropogenic global warming proponents who are thinking the additional wiggles in the instrument data caused by the El Niño and La Niña events are causing the disparity between the models and observations during the early warming period. I'm not sure why anyone would think that would be the case, but let's take a look anyway. We'll also adjust both datasets for the effects of the volcanic aerosols, and we'll be adjusting the model and observation-based datasets for the volcanoes by the same amount. To make the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and volcanic aerosol adjustments, we'll use the "ENSO fit" and "Volcano fit" datasets from the Thompson et al (2008) paper "Identifying signatures of natural climate variability in time series of global-mean surface temperature: Methodology and Insights."Thompson et al (2009) used HADCRUT3 global surface temperature anomalies, just like the IPCC in AR4, so that's not a concern. Thompson et al (2009) described their methods as:
"The impacts of ENSO and volcanic eruptions on global-mean temperature are estimated using a simple thermodynamic model of the global atmospheric-oceanic mixed layer response to anomalous heating. In the case of ENSO, the heating is assumed to be proportional to the sea surface temperature anomalies over the eastern Pacific; in the case of volcanic eruptions, the heating is assumed to be proportional to the stratospheric aerosol loading."
The Thompson et al method assumes global temperatures respond proportionally to ENSO, but even though we understand this to be wrong, we'll use the data they supplied. (More on why this is wrong later in this post.) Thompson et al (2009) were kind enough to provide data along with their paper. The instructions for use and links to the data are here.
During the late warming period, Figure 6, and the mid-century "flat temperature" period, Figure 7, the trends of the volcano-adjusted Multi-Model Ensemble Mean (the forced component of the models) are reasonably close to the trends of the ENSO- and volcano-adjusted observed global surface temperature anomaly data. During the late warming period, Figure 6, the models slightly underestimate the warming, and during the mid-century "flat temperature" period, Figure 7, the models slightly overestimate the warming. However, as with the other datasets presented in Part 1, the most significant differences show up in the early warming period and the early "flat temperature" period. The trend of the ENSO- and volcano-adjusted global surface temperature anomalies during the early warming period, Figure 8, are about 3.3 times higher than the trend of the volcano-adjusted model data. And during the early "flat temperature" period, Figure 9, the trend of the observation-based data is slightly negative, while the model mean shows a significant positive trend.
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Adjusting the data for ENSO events and volcanic eruptions does not help to cure the ills of the climate models.
The IPCC chose to use HADCRUT3 Global Surface Temperature anomaly data for their comparison graph of observational data and model outputs in Chapter 9 of AR4. If we were to replace the HADCRUT3 data with the average of HADCRUT3, GISS Land-Ocean Temperature Index (LOTI) and NCDC Land+Ocean Temperature anomalies, would the model mean better agree with the observations? The trends of the late warming and mid-century "flat temperature" epochs still agree well, and trends of the early warming and early "flat temperature" periods still disagree, as illustrated in Figures 10 through 13.
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
So the failure of the models is not dependent on the HADCRUT data.
When I first started to present Sea Surface Temperature anomaly data at my blog, I used the now obsolete ERSST.v2 data, which was available at that time through the NOAA NOMADS website. What I always found interesting was the significant dip from the 1870s to about 1910, Figure 14, and then the rebound from about 1910 to the early 1940s. Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in the late 1800s were comparable to those during the mid 20thCentury "flat temperature" period.
Figure 14
NOTE: I wrote a post about that dip and reboundback in November 2008. The only reason I refer to it now is to call your attention to the first blogger to leave a comment on that thread. That's John Cook of SkepticalScience. His explanations about the dip and rebound didn't work then, and they don't work now. But back to this post…
That dip and rebound exists to some extent in all current Sea Surface Temperature anomaly datasets, more so in the ERSST.v3b and HADSST2 datasets, and less so in the HADSST3, HADISST, and Kaplan datasets. Refer to Figure 15.
Figure 15
So how well do the model mean of the forcing-driven climate models compare with the long-term variations in Global Sea Surface Temperature anomalies? We'll use the average of the long-term Sea Surface Temperature datasets that are available through the KNMI Climate Explorer, excluding the obsolete ERSST.v2. The datasets included are ERSST.v3b, HADISST, HADSST2, HADSST3, and Kaplan. And you will note in the graphs that the number of models has decreased from 12 to 11. TOS (Sea Surface Temperature) data for the MRI CGCM 2.3.2 was not available through the KNMI Climate Explorer. This reduces the ensemble members by 5 or about 10%, which should have little impact on these results, as you shall see. And you'll also note that the years of the changeover from cooling to warming epochs and vice versa are different with the sea surface temperature data. The changeover years are 1910 (instead of 1917), 1944, and 1975 (instead of 1976).
As one would expect, the forced component of the models (the model mean) does a reasonable job of hindcasting the trend in sea surface temperatures during the late warming period, Figure 16, and also during the mid-century "flat temperature" period, Figure 17. The trend of the model mean during the early warming period, Figure 18, however, is only about 33% of the observed trend in the mean of the global surface temperature anomaly datasets. That failing is similar to the land-plus-sea surface temperature data. And then there's the early cooling period, the dip of the dip and rebound, Figure 19. The model mean shows a slight warming during that period, while the observed Sea Surface Temperature anomaly mean has a significant negative trend. Yet another failing of the models.
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
If you were to scroll up to the Sea Surface Temperature dataset comparison, Figure 15, you'll note how the HADSST3 data is the only Sea Surface Temperature anomaly dataset that has been corrected for the 1945 discontinuity, which was presented in the previously linked paper Thompson et al (2009). Raising the Sea Surface Temperature anomalies during the initial years of the mid-century flat temperature period has a significant impact on the observed linear trend for that epoch. And as one would expect, the trend of the model mean no longer comes close to agreeing with the HADSST3 data during the mid-century "flat temperature" period, because the observed temperature anomalies are no longer flat, as illustrated in Figure 20.
Figure 20
Earlier in the post I noted that Thompson et al (2009) had assumed global temperatures respond proportionally to ENSO, and that that assumption was wrong. I have been illustrating that fact in numerous ways in dozens of posts over the past (almost) three years. The most recent discussions appeared in the following two-part series that I wrote at an introductory level:
ENSO Indices Do Not Represent The Process Of ENSO Or Its Impact On Global Temperature
Supplement To "ENSO Indices Do Not Represent The Process Of ENSO Or Its Impact On Global Temperature"
Just in case you missed the obvious answer to the title question of this two-part post, the answer is they contradict the hypothesis of anthropogenic global warming. The climate models presented by the IPCC in AR4 show how global surface temperatures should have risen during the 20th Century if surface temperatures were driven by natural and by anthropogenic forcings. As illustrated in Figure 5, the climate models show that surface temperatures during the late 20th Century warming period, from 1976 to 2000, should have risen at a rate that was approximately 2.9 higher than the rate at which they warmed during the early warming period of 1917 to 1944. But, as shown in Figure 1, the observed rates at which global temperatures rose during the two warming periods of the 20thCentury were the same, at approximately 0.175 deg C/decade.
In this post we illustrated that…
1. regardless of whether we adjust global surface temperature data for ENSO and volcanic aerosols,
2. regardless of whether we use the global surface temperature dataset presented by the IPCC in AR4 (HADCRUT3) or use the average of the GISS, Hadley Centre, and NCDC datasets, and
3. regardless of whether we examine global land-plus-sea surface temperature data or only global sea surface temperature data
…the model mean (the forced component) of the coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models selected by the IPCC for presentation in their 4thAssessment Report CANNOT reproduce:
1. the rate at which global surface temperatures fell during the early 20thCentury "flat temperature" period, or
2. the rate at which global surface temperatures warmed during the early 20thCentury warming period.
The model mean (the forced component) of those same climate models CANNOT reproduce the rate at which global surface temperatures fell during the mid-20thCentury "flat temperature" period if the Sea Surface Temperature data during that period have been corrected for the "1945 discontinuity" discussed in the paper Thompson et al (2009).
As illustrated and discussed in parts 1 and 2 of this post, global surface temperatures can obviously warm and cool over multidecadal time periods at rates that are far different than the forced component of the climate models used by the IPCC. This indicates that those variations in global surface temperature, which can last for 2 or 3 decades, or longer, are not dependent on the forcings that were prepared solely to make the climate models operate. What then is the purpose of using those same models, based on assumed future forcings, to project climate decades and centuries out into the future? The forcings-driven climate models have shown no skill whatsoever at replicating the past, so why is it assumed they would be useful when projecting the future?
ABOUT: Bob Tisdale – Climate Observations
NOTE: The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) recent revised the security settings of their Climate Explorer website. You will likely have to log in or registerto use it. For basic information on the use of this valuable tool, refer to the post Very Basic Introduction To The KNMI Climate Explorer.
The sea surface temperature and combined land+sea surface temperature datasets are found at the Monthly observationswebpage of the KNMI Climate Explorer, and the model data is found at their Monthly CMIP3+ scenario runswebpage.
For the Global HADSST2 data, I used the data available through the UK Met Office website, specifically the annual global time-series data that is found at this webpage, then changed the base years for the anomalies to 1901-1950.


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There were 1,879 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 394,372 in the last 365 days.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today released a study entitled "Toward New Horizons—Arab Economic Transformation Amid Political Transitions," which highlights the urgency of pursuing bold economic policy reforms to achieve economic stability and generate job-creating growth in the region. The study examines the economies of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya and concludes that the near-term economic outlook continues to be challenging and that the priority for the coming year is maintaining economic stability.
"Arab Countries in Transition have maintained economic stability while navigating through difficult economic and socio-political terrain. However, economic growth is still too low and the jobs created are far too few to meet the aspirations of the people that took to the streets more than three years ago, in part to ensure better access to economic opportunity. The priority now is to launch ambitious reforms to raise growth and make a dent in the countries' high rates of unemployment, especially among youth," said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Unless strong economic and financial reforms are implemented, recovery will be insufficient to reduce the region's high rates of unemployment in a meaningful way, particularly among the women and youth, the study says. The authors, an IMF staff team led by Harald Finger and Daniela Gressani, recommends focusing on three medium-term policy priorities for Arab Countries in Transition (ACTs): creating more jobs in the near term, reducing vulnerabilities to safeguard economic stability, and setting in motion reforms to generate higher and more inclusive growth in coming years. The authors argue that fiscal policy should aim to reorient resources toward raising public investment while protecting vulnerable groups through well-targeted social assistance. Fiscal policy also needs to remain anchored in policy frameworks that maintain and strengthen economic stability.
In addition, the study finds that a strong economic reform agenda will be essential for propelling private sector activity and fostering a more dynamic, competitive, innovation-driven, and inclusive economy. Deepening trade integration can offer significant gains. In addition to the large potential direct gains of boosting exports, trade integration can serve as catalyst for reforms in other areas that will help countries compete. Tackling complex and burdensome business regulation could unleash entrepreneurial activity and private investment, and reduce informality and corruption. Large benefits could be gained from strengthening access to finance especially for small and medium enterprises, an area the ACTs lag behind all other regions in the world. Labor market and education reforms can provide incentives for hiring and participation in the formal labor market. And countries need to create efficient social safety nets to protect the poor and vulnerable in cost-effective ways.
"The agenda for jobs and growth in the Arab Countries in Transition has to be tackled in a complex, evolving socio-political environment. Countries should carefully prioritize and sequence their reforms in the context of a changing political economy that requires broad-based consensus building and buy-in from stakeholders that were previously excluded," Masood Ahmed, Director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, said today at a press conference in Washington.
The authors contend that stepped-up support from the international community will also be critical, through increased financing, better access for the ACT's exports to advanced economies' markets, and broader policy advice and capacity-building.
This study will serve as an important input to the regional conference organized by the IMF, together with the Jordanian government and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development that will be held in Amman, Jordan, on May 11-12. The conference titled "Building the Future: Jobs, Growth, and Fairness in the Arab World", will be attended by Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the region, as well as Managing Director Lagarde. It will provide a forum for debate among high-level policymakers, the private sector, civil society leaders, and academics on the main elements of an economic vision for the ACTs.


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10 Letter of Coleman Cole to Choctaw Council regarding withdrawal of funds from the treasury; November 17, 1875; and resolution to pay officers and members of the General Council, national officers and light-horsemen, November 17, 1875.
11 Letter of Coleman Cole to editor of The Vindicator regarding use of executive veto, March 29, 1876.
12 Letter of Coleman Cole regarding use of executive veto, March 29, 1876.
13 Answer to Coleman Cole's letter regarding the use of executive veto (a protest), March 29, 1876.
14 Letter of Simpson McGilbery to Coleman Cole regarding use of executive veto, regarding movement of capital to Atoka, April 19, 1876.
15 Letter of Levi Willis to Coleman Cole's use of executive veto, April 26, 1876.
16 Letter of Coleman Cole to editors of The Vindicator, an answer to Levi Willis, May 10, 1876.
17 Notice of Coleman Cole to non-citizens, that they must make application to the Executive Office if they intend to remain, May 10, 1876.
18 Memorial of Coleman Cole to the Secretary of the Interior, regarding payment for Choctaw land sold to the state of Mississippi, October 11, 1876.
19 Biographical sketch of Coleman Cole, October 18, 1876; and annual message of Coleman Cole to Choctaw General Council, October 18, 1876.
20 Report of the Indian Commissioner on Indian law, Indian Territory, Government for Indian Territory, January 13, 1877.
21 Editorial on Coleman Cole, a visit to McAlester, February 10, 1877.
22 Notice of Coleman Cole, regarding infringement upon Choctaw rights by Indian Agent S.W. Marston of Muskogee, April 26, 1877.
23 Memorial of Coleman Cole to the U.S. House of Representatives, regarding lands belonging to Choctaw sold to the state of Mississippi, April 26, 1877.
24 Proclamation of Coleman Cole to officers to attend the meeting of the Executive Council, May 24, 1877.
25 Letter of Coleman Cole to editor of The Indian Journal opposing a mass meeting to oppose infringement by speculators, May 31, 1877.
26 Address by Coleman Cole to the Executive Council of the Choctaw Nation, June 21, 1877.
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Theater chains are taking sides in the "Bully"-rating showdown: Second-largest exhib AMC will allow minors into theaters with parental permission, while No. 3 chain Cinemark says it won't show the unrated pic unless the Weinstein Co. submits an R-rated version.
The nation's largest chain, Regal, said Wednesday that it will screen the docu, but will adhere to the MPAA's traditional R rating guidelines requiring that minors be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
AMC is essentially treating "Bully" as an R-rated film, but with one key difference: Under-17 moviegoers need a written note, though it will also accept verbal permission (mom on the other end of a teen's cell phone, for example). Exhib also will provide permission slips on its web site and at the box office.
Theaters usually treat unrated films like NC-17-rated pics, which prohibit any person under 17 to attend — or in the case of Cinemark, opt not to screen the film at all.
Lee Hirsch's "Bully," an expose on bullying in U.S. schools, has been at the center of a highly-publicized ratings battle, after the MPAA assigned an R rating because of language. Ultimately, Weinstein announced Monday it would release "Bully" unrated by the MPAA after failing to obtain a less-restrictive PG-13 rating.
AMC's overture marks a small — though not insignificant — victory for the film, especially as Weinstein broadens "Bully" to additional AMC locations over the coming weeks.
"Bully" bows limited Friday at five locations, of which two are AMC: New York's Lincoln Square and Century City in L.A.


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FDIC Consumer News
Spring 2011 – Special Edition: Shop and Save…at the Bank
Mortgages: Different Products for Different Needs
Although the recent financial crisis reminded the nation that real estate values can and do go down, history tells us that owning a home over many years can be one of the best ways to build wealth. If home ownership is still part of your American dream, here are tips for getting a mortgage that meets your needs and your budget.
Start by considering whether a fixed-rate loan or an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is right for you. Fixed-rate loans offer stability in the payment amount, while ARMs generally offer lower initial payments.
A good rule of thumb, especially if you intend to own your home for more than a few years, is to consider a fixed-rate loan even if ARMs carry a lower initial interest rate. A fixed-rate loan can provide peace of mind over many years, especially given that other housing costs — such as real estate taxes, insurance and home upkeep — are likely to rise in the future.
As you comparison shop:
"And if you plan to stay in the house for many years, it may be worth it to pay an extra point or two if that gets you a lower interest rate on a long-term, fixed-rate mortgage," Gimble explained.
For more information, read Looking for the Best Mortgage, a free consumer brochure published by the FDIC and other federal government agencies. And if you think you need additional guidance on buying and financing a home, consider talking to a no- or low-fee housing counselor approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (start at 1-800-569-4287 or www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm).
Last Updated 5/13/2011


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- A boy on joining wants to begin Scouting right away.
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Use Location Services for Alexa Skills
With location services, your skill can ask a user's permission to obtain the real-time location of their Alexa-enabled device, specifically at the time of the user's request to Alexa, so that the skill can provide enhanced services. When a user enables a skill that requests to use location services, the user is prompted in the Alexa app to consent to the location data being shared with the skill. Users can visit the Alexa Privacy Settings page in the Alexa app at any time to manage their skill permissions.
If you want to enable the user to verbally consent to share their location information with your skill, see Use Voice-Forward Consent in Your Alexa Skill.
- How location services work
- Conditions for location services
- Device address as compared to geo-coordinates
- Configure your skill to use location services
- Geolocation interface properties
- Check freshness and accuracy of data
- Request customer consent for obtaining permissions in runtime
- Detect which specific permissions are needed
- Detect if location sharing is off on the mobile device
How location services work
This figure shows how the location services features works to coordinate between Alexa, the customer device, and the skill.
Conditions for location services
Any skill that uses location information must meet the requirements below. If Amazon determines that your skill violates any of these requirements, we may reject or suspend your submission and notify you using the email address associated with your developer account.
- You must include a link to the Privacy Policy that applies to your skill on the Distribution page of the developer console.
- Your skill must not be a child-directed skill. See here for more information on child-directed skills.
- You may request permission to receive location information only when required to support the features and services provided by your skill. You may use any personal information you request only as permitted by the user and in accordance with your privacy notice and applicable law.
- You may not use location information, or other customer information, to link the customer's account in the background. That is, you may not associate an Alexa customer to a customer in your account pool with the same location information. Customers' Amazon account information is not verified and may be outdated.
- The skill must obtain the latest location information every time the customer invokes the skill with a request that needs this information, and the skill must overwrite the prior location data it had from the customer's previous request (that is, store only the most recent data).
"Current device location" is represented by geo-coordinates (including latitude, longitude, altitude, and so forth), which may be used as proxies for location for mobile devices like a smartphone or an in-car navigation system.
Device address as compared to geo-coordinates
Device address, such as "585 Broadway", is not the same as device geo-coordinates. Mobile devices can move around, so a mobile device's current location likely varies considerably from its registered device address. For stationary devices like the Amazon Echo, Alexa can provide you the device's physical address with the Device Address API. Stationary devices do not provide geo-coordinate data through location services.
For mobile devices, your skill should use location services instead of the Device Address API for the device's current location, with a few exceptions. For a pizza delivery skill, you may want to use the actual device address, not geo-coordinates, so that you can deliver the pizza to a precise location. For local search or navigation skills, geo-coordinates will be more useful than device address, because the customer's current location may be different than their home address.
Configure your skill to use location services
Configure your skill to use location services, as follows:
- Step 1–Enable Location Services permissions
- Step 2–Modify your skill service logic to handle location services data
- Step 3–Test your skill to ensure location services works as expected.
Step 1–Enable Location Services permissions
Go to the developer console at (https://developer.amazon.com/alexa), sign in if you have not already, and click Skills at the upper right.
Click Edit for your skill page in the developer console to open your skill.
Select Build > Permissions and enable the Location Services button. Without doing so, your skill cannot ask the customer for permissions to use location information.
This configuration informs Alexa that your skill wants to use dynamic customer location. If your skill is configured for Location Services, and the customer's permissions allow, Alexa will pass on the customer location inside the Service Provider Interface (SPI). If the Location Services button is not turned on, your skill will not receive customer location data.
Step 2–Modify your skill service logic to handle location services data
Inside your skill function, customer location data can be found in the custom skills context, which is a JSON object that is sent to your AWS Lambda function or to your web service.
Specifically, the data is contained in the "Geolocation" section of the
context object, at
The following code sample prints out geo-coordinates of the customer's device. Remember, only those customers who are using an Alexa-enabled device with its own location services can share their geo-coordinates with your skill, assuming the proper permissions have been granted. To determine whether the customer's device can share location, check whether the
context.System.device.supportedInterfaces object has a
Geolocation field. If the
Geolocation field does not exist, then the customer's device is unable to provide any location data, which is the case for stationary devices like the Amazon Echo. In that case, your skill should provide a customer experience that does not require knowing the customer's location like prompting the user that you are unable to receive customer's real-time location.
var isGeoSupported = context.System.device.supportedInterfaces.Geolocation;
var geoObject = context.Geolocation;
if (isGeoSupported) {
var ACCURACY_THRESHOLD = 100; // accuracy of 100 meters required
if (geoObject && geoObject.coordinate && geoObject.coordinate.accuracyInMeters < ACCURACY_THRESHOLD ) {
console.log(geoObject); // Print the geo-coordinates object if accuracy is within 100 meters
A sample payload is shown below. A
coordinate object must contain
longitudeInDegrees, and
accuracyInMeters, whereas
heading, and
speed are optional objects for the device to share with Alexa, and thus these optional fields may not be available to skills. For a more detailed description of each field, refer to Full Description of Geolocation Interface.
"locationServices": {
"access": "ENABLED",
"status": "RUNNING",
"timestamp": "2018-03-25T00:00:00Z+00:00",
"coordinate": {
"latitudeInDegrees": 38.2,
"longitudeInDegrees": 28.3,
"accuracyInMeters": 12.1
"altitude": {
"altitudeInMeters": 120.1,
"accuracyInMeters": 30.1
"heading": {
"directionInDegrees": 180.0,
"accuracyInDegrees": 5.0
"speed": {
"speedInMetersPerSecond": 10.0,
"accuracyInMetresPerSecond": 1.1
Step 3–Test your skill
Once your skill logic is written to handle geo-coordinates, you can start testing with a mobile device like the Alexa app.
User location (if available) is passed to your skill with each user utterance. In the following exchange, for example, user location is sent twice to the Alexa. If the user is in-motion, each utterance may contain different user location data. Location services does not support real-time streams of location data.
Here is a sample test dialog:
User: Alexa, take me to the nearest coffee shop.
Geo Test: Providing directions to Example Coffee Shop at 2008 Pine Street.
User: Alexa, where's the nearest movie theater?
The nearest movie theater is at 1100 Pike St.:
The geo-coordinate information ultimately comes from the hardware device, which uses its own location services to obtain this data. Alexa does not control the source of this data, such as whether it comes from GPS or is IP-derived. Thus, Alexa does not control the granularity nor the accuracy of user location data that is sent to a skill. However, a mobile device with Alexa must provide accuracy metrics (in the form of accuracy in meters,
context.Geolocation.coordinates.accuracyInMeters) so that skills can decide whether the level of accuracy is sufficient for the desired use within the skill.
Geolocation interface properties
At least one of the
locationServices object or the
coordinate object must be present in the payload.
|Valid Values
|Indicates whether location sharing is turned on in the user device.
|Indicates whether location sharing access is enabled or disabled.
|Enum string
|One of: "ENABLED", "DISABLED"
|No, if
locationServices is present
locationServices.access is set to "ENABLED", and
locationServices.status is set to "RUNNING", then location sharing access is enabled and running.
|Enum string
|One of: "RUNNING", "STOPPED"
|No, if
locationServices is present
|Device time when GPS data was updated in the device
(Preferably RFC 3339)
|Provides coordinates of device
|No, if
locationServices is not present
|Degrees from equator
|[-90.0, 90.0]
|No, if
coordinate is present
|Degrees from prime meridian
|[-180.0, 180]
|No, if
coordinate is present
|Uncertainty in the latitude and longitude in meters
|No, if
coordinate is present
|Indicates altitude of the device
|Meters above sea level within GPS limits
|[-6350, 18000]
|Uncertainty in the altitude in meters
|Indicates heading of the device
|Degrees from true north
|(0.0, 360.0]
|Optional accuracy parameter for direction
|Indicates speed of the device
|Meters per second within GPS limits
|[0, 1900]
|Yes, except for automotive (via contract)
|Optional accuracy parameter for speed
Check freshness and accuracy of data
It is important to check both the freshness and accuracy of the location data prior to using this data in the skill. Customer location can change quickly, such as when a customer is driving, which would make 10-minute-old GPS data highly imprecise.
To check for freshness, look at the difference between
Geolocation.timestamp and the timestamp of your IntentRequest (
request.timestamp). If this difference is small, the data is fresh. The
Geolocation.timestamp value is the time when the customer location was measured inside the device. The
request.timestamp value is roughly the current time when your skill is invoked.
By combining the freshness and accuracy check, you can create logic to determine whether the location data is usable. Suppose you want data with a desired accuracy of 100 meters and freshness of 1 minute, as shown in the following sample code:
var isGeoSupported = context.System.device.supportedInterfaces.Geolocation;
var geoObject = context.Geolocation;
if (isGeoSupported) {
var freshness = ( new Date(request.timestamp) - new Date(geoObject.timestamp) ) / 1000; // freshness in seconds
var ACCURACY_THRESHOLD = 100; // accuracy of 100 meters required
if ( geoObject && geoObject.coordinate && geoObject.coordinate.accuracyInMeters < ACCURACY_THRESHOLD && freshness < 60 ) {
// your code here
Request customer consent for obtaining permissions in runtime
Your skill payload may be missing geo-coordinates data, which you can check by testing to see if
context.Geolocation is null. If so,
context.Geolocation can be null due to three reasons, assuming you have enabled Location Services in the developer console.
Case 1: The customer's device is stationary, such as an Amazon Echo, or it is not set up to send its location to Alexa. In this case, the device's coordinates are unavailable by default, because it is not a valid mobile device.
Case 2: The customer has not opted in to share location with your skill. In this case, you may consider resolving this issue by asking the customer for permissions using the AskForPermissionsConsent card.
Case 3: The customer's hardware has location sharing turned off or the customer has not opted to share location with Alexa. For example, the location services on the customer's device, such as a mobile phone, may be turned off. In this case, you may consider asking the customer to turn on location sharing with Alexa.
In addition, two or more of the cases may apply at the same time. For example, the customer may not have granted location sharing permissions for your skill, and the device's location sharing may also be turned off as well.
To see if Case 1 applies, check the
context.System.device.supportedInterfaces.Geolocation field to see if it is set to true, as shown in the previous code sample. If Case 1 does not apply, proceed to test Case 2.
For Case 2, ask for the customer to provide permissions to obtain location information for Alexa or your skill. To ask the customer, return the
AskForPermissionsConsent card as a response. This card sends an instruction card to the customer's Alexa app, and the card contains instructions which tell how to turn on location sharing for Alexa or for your skill.
This sample code returns a response that generates an
AskForPermissionsConsent card for a hypothetical skill called FindMyWayHome. We recommend the use of the Alexa Skills Kit SDK for Node.js to simplify the response creation, as shown here.
var isGeolocationSupported = context.System.device.supportedInterfaces.Geolocation;
if ( isGeolocationSupported ) { // does the device support location based features?
var geoObject = context.Geolocation;
if ( ! geoObject || ! geoObject.coordinate ) {
return responseBuilder
.speak('FindMyWayHome would like to use your location. To turn on location sharing, please go to your Alexa app, and follow the instructions.')
} else {
// use location data
Notice that the response has two sections:
card and
outputSpeech. The card's type is
AskForPermissionsConsent, which tells Alexa what kind of instructions card to send to the customer. This card allows you to specify a list of permissions scopes inside the permissions list. For location permissions, the skill must pass
alexa::devices:all:geolocation:read as part of the list of permissions.
Along with sending this instruction card, the skill must specify what Alexa will say to the customer, such as "FindMyWayHome would like to use your location. To turn on location sharing, please go to your Alexa app, and follow the instructions". Place your speech in the
outputSpeech section of the response. Without verbal cues, the customer will likely assume your skill is in an error state.
Once this response is returned, the following sequence of events will occur.
1. The customer hears "FindMyWayHome would like to use your location. To turn on location sharing, please go to your Alexa app, and follow the instructions".
2. Alexa independently verifies whether there are missing permissions for location sharing to happen.
3. Alexa sends a home card with instructions for turning on location sharing, and the session terminates.
Depending on which permissions are missing, Alexa will send different instructional cards to the customer's Alexa app. If your skill has permission to use the customer's location, but Alexa does not, then the content of the card differs from when the skill does not have permission to use the customer's location.
If, however, neither Alexa nor your skill has the customer's permission, then the following instructional card is created.
4. After the customer takes the actions instructed in the card and retries using your skill, the
context.Geolocation object should contain a valid
coordinates object.
|Amazon can receive
device location?
|Skill can receive location
from Amazon?
|Skill location access
|Developer action
|Permission card to request location permissions
|Ask the customer to turn on location sharing to Alexa
|Permission card to request location permissions
Detect which specific permissions are needed
As described, you can determine whether your skill and Alexa each has permissions to access device location. Your skill can use this information to further customize your speech when the
AskForPermissionsConsent card is returned.
To determine whether your skill has permissions to read location, check the value in
context.System.user. This object contains metadata about the current user, including the
permissions.scopes object, which tracks the set of permissions the user has granted to your skill. You can inspect the values for each individual scope, such as
scopes['alexa::devices:all:geolocation:read'].status, which should be "GRANTED" if your skill has permissions.
Thus, if you want your skill to throw the instructions card only when your skill is lacking permissions, use code similar to the following:
if ( isGeolocationSupported ) { // does the device support location based features?
var geoObject = context.Geolocation;
if ( ! geoObject || ! geoObject.coordinate ) {
var skillPermissionGranted = context.System.user.permissions.scopes['alexa::devices:all:geolocation:read'].status === "GRANTED";
if ( !skillPermissionGranted) {
// return the AskForPermissionsConsent card here
If the skill permissions are present, but geolocation data is not available in the request, then your skill should re-prompt the user.
Detect if location sharing is off on the mobile device
If Case 1 and Case 2 do not apply, consider Case 3, where your skill is having trouble obtaining device location despite no permissions issues with Alexa or your skill. In this case, check whether the customer's device has location sharing turned on, or if there are some other technical issues. For example, the customer might be driving inside a tunnel, leading to loss of GPS reception.
To check whether the device has location services turned on, inspect the
locationServices object inside
context.Geolocation. The purpose of this object, if it exists, is to tell you whether the device is sharing location or not. However, note that the
locationServices object may not be available if the customer device did not provide it.
context.Geolocation.locationServices.access is "ENABLED" and
context.Geolocation.locationServices.status is "RUNNING", then the device is sharing location. Otherwise, the device is not set up to share location.
If location sharing is turned on, but your skill does not receive device location, you should let the customer know about that, with a message like "FindMyWayHome is having trouble accessing your location. Please wait a moment, and try again later."
If location sharing is turned off, however, your skill can request the user to turn on location sharing on his or her device, with a message like "FindMyWayHome is having trouble accessing your location. Please go to your device's settings to turn on location sharing, and try again."
Last updated: Oct 15, 2021


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Chapman & Myers Sloane Street Shop Light 54 Inch 4 Light Linear Suspension Light by Visual Comfort Signature Collection
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Chapman & Myers Sloane Street Shop Light 54 Inch 4 Light Linear Suspension Light by Visual Comfort Signature Collection
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Product Info
Since 1996, Lighting Industry Legend Mr. E.F. Chapman Has Been Associated With Visual Comfort As Chief Designer. Under His Creative Direction, The Company Established Their First Signature Line Of Products, Chart House; And He Continues To Design Premium Lighting For Them Today. His Classically Influenced Style Defines The Collection'S Core Of Traditional Silhouettes. His Evolution Of Useful Modern Proportions And Custom-Quality Production Sets The Standard For All Of Visual Comfort'S Designer Brands. Shade Measures 11.5 X 15.5 X 10 Inches. Shade Measures 11.5 X 15.5 X 10 Inches.
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Lamping Information
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Certifications and Compliance
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Electrical Specifications
Connection Type: Hardwire
Product Highlights
Lamp Type: Incandescent
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Japanese Lecture/Blog Post Translation: The Space Between Anime and Manga: #4: Why is the Manga Version of Nausicaa So Hard to Read? by Takekuma Kentaro
Translator/blogger's Introduction: This is another post in what will hopefully be a more regular series of translations of articles by Japanese bloggers and thinkers on manga, anime, and all of those sorts of visual culture that we enjoy so much. There's a huge amount of interesting material available out there that's quite unfortunately out of reach to a large part of non-Japanese fandom, and I hope that these posts help out in building the bridge between the English and Japanese-speaking 'spheres. I was delighted to see a positive response to my first translation, a post by Tamagomago-san on the 3rd opening of Goku Zetsubou Sensei, and would like to thank everyone who commented on the errors in my translation. Again, if you notice any errors in my translation or if you have any comments/questions on this post, I appreciate every single one.
On to the article. This post is a translation of a post by Takekuma Kentaro (probably best known in the states for co-authoring Even a Monkey can Draw Manga) on his blog Takekuma Memo. This post (split in two parts, part 1 and part 2) was taken from the detailed handout given at one of his series of lectures at Kyoto Seika University with the collective title "The Space Between Anime and Manga," and the subtitle of this specific lecture was "Why is the Manga Version of 'Nausicaa' So Hard to Read?" I was lucky enough to be able to attend this lecture, as well as the final two lectures in the series, which I hope to translate in the near future. I was also fortunate enough to obtain permission from Takekuma-sensei to translate his post, an allowance I am very grateful for. Some notes about formatting: I've tried to preserve the original formatting in a form that wouldn't result in mojibake the average person's browser, so I've gone with *s for circles and indents for arrows, both markers of the flow of the lecture in the original handout. Also, please keep in mind that this is a translation of a handout, and thus may require some level of independent thought in order to figure out what the author is getting at. Once again, I appreciate any and all comments, so please feel free. Happy reading!
– – – – – – – – – –
The Space Between Anime and Manga
Outline for the lecture series given at Kyoto Seika University
#4: Why is the Manga Version of Nausicaa So Hard to Read?
Lecturer: Kentaro TAKEKUMA
[A] The Complex Relationship Between Osamu TEZUKA and Hayao MIYAZAKI.
* Many publications ran memorial features on Osamu TEZUKA upon his death in 1989, and while most experts and insiders would memorialize him in these articles, Hayao MIYAZAKI, while acknowledging Tezuka's achievements as a manga author, criticized him harshly with regards to his activities within the field of animation, leaving many around the world dumbfounded.
"But as far as animation—I say this believing that on this topic alone I have the right, and also some duty to say this—Everything that Tezuka-san had spoken about or advocated was wrong.†("Tezuka Osamu ni 'Kami no Te' wo Mita Toki, Boku wa Kare to Ketsubetsu shita â€. Miyazaki, Hayao. Comicbox, May 1989)
Miyazaki sharply criticized Tezuka by saying that he believed that as an animator, Tezuka was a "Novice†and an "Unskilled Enthusiastâ€, but that despite this he was able to use his fame as a manga author to create his own anime company which then began to produce television anime, severely warping the direction of the Japanese animation industry.
On the other hand, Miyazaki also admitted that he once admired Tezuka as a manga author and had hoped to become a manga author himself. Thus, one can see that some elements of Miyazaki's ambivalence about Tezuka are very deep-rooted. As for Tezuka, despite being an individual who held strong rivalries towards other authors, surprisingly, he never said anything in public about Miyazaki.
Anime historian Nobuyuki TSUGATA writes in detail about this matter in his books Nihon Animeeshon no Chikara (The Power of Japanese Animation) and Anime Sakka toshite no Tezuka Osamu (Tezuka Osamu, the Anime Creator) (both published by NTT.) Based on information he gathered through individuals who knew Tezuka personally, Tsugata reasons that Tezuka's silence was caused by an over-awareness of Miyazaki. Tsugata bases this on the idea introduced by Kei ISHIZAKA that Miyazaki, with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa), had accomplished what Tezuka had wished to do with anime. That is, Miyazaki created a masterful feature-length animated film which had both a grand story as well as grand themes similar to what Tezuka had successfully created in his manga, and shocked Tezuka by doing it first.
[B] His Early Days of Trying to Become a Manga Artist
* Hayao Miyazaki was born in 1941 (Showa 16) in Tokyo. His father was an executive in the aerospace industry, and he was born into an affluent family where he could be exposed to manga and other stories from a young age. Similar to Osamu Tezuka, born in 1928 (Showa 3), he was blessed with an upbringing that would allow him to immerse himself in his interests and hobbies.
Fukushima Tetsuji's "Sabaku no Maoh (The Devil of the Desert)" (1949-1956)
Fukushima Tetsuji's "Sabaku no Maoh." Miyazaki was in love with this illustrated story (e-monogatari) during his youth. The "Levitation Stone" in Laputa was based upon a similar item in this story.
Miyazaki was a Tezuka fan, and later wrote in an essay that during his high school years, he lost faith in his own talent as a manga author and burned all of the manga he had drawn up to that point. He says that he realized that if he simply copied Tezuka, he would never be able to become a better manga author than him. (Nihon Eiga no Genzai, Iwanami Shoten)
The illustrated story that Miyazaki seralized under the pen name Akitsu Saburo during his days at Toei Doga, "Sabaku no Tami" (The Desert Tribe). (1969-1970.)
After Miyazaki became an animator, he serialized one manga, "Sabaku no Tami," under the pen name Akitsu Saburo for Shonen Shojo Shinbun (Boys' and Girls' Newspaper), published by Akahata (the newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party). Though this does have some (manga-style) defined panels, this is an illustrated story, and acts as both an homage to "Sabaku no Maoh" as well as a prototype for The Journey of Shuna (Shuna no Tabi) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
The illustrated story ("e-monogatari") is a medium that was very popular after the war, but is now a nearly lost art. Art and story are written by the same individual, but unlike manga, the words and pictures are clearly separated. This medium cannot be ignored when thinking about Miyazaki's manga.
[C] The Newly Recruited Animator with Directorial Aspirations
* In 1958, Miyazaki saw the Toei Doga film The Tale of the White Serpent (Hakuja-den), Japan's first color feature-length animated movie, and decided to become an animator. After being hired by Toei, he discovered the Soviet production The Snow Queen as well as the French The King and the Mockingbird, and realized that styles of animation other than the Disney style existed. Here he met director Isao TAKAHATA and animators Yasuji MORI and Yasuo OOTSUKA, all of whom strongly motivated him.
Miyazaki worked on Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon (Garibaa no Uchuu Ryokou, dir Yoshio KURODA) in 1965, soon after entering the company. While he was responsible for the in-between animation for the film's final scene, he made strong suggestions to key animator Shun NAGASAWA and the film's director Kuroda, and eventually the ending of the film was changed. In this new ending, Gulliver and the protagonist Ted, while visiting the Robot Planet, discover that inside the cracked body of the Robot Princess lives a human princess.
It's hard to figure out what would make the director accept such a major reversal of the story that had been planned up until that point. While it would not be unusual for an animator to be fired over an incident like this, Miyazaki on the other hand managed to have his changes accepted by the project's core staff. From this incident, we can see that his skill overwhelmed those around him, even from his earliest days as an animator, and that even in these days he had strong directorial aspirations.
While working voluntarily on Isao Takahata's directorial debut Hols, Prince of the Sun (Taiyou no Ouji Horusu no Daibouken), Miyazaki offered a huge number of setting illustrations, and was credited with the position of "scene design" in the film, a title that was newly created specifically for his work in the film. Essentially taking the position of "animation producer" in the place of Takahata, who could not draw, one could call Hols the starting point of Miyazaki's career.
* Miyazaki begins freelancing in 1971, and together with Takahata who had recently left Toei after taking the responsibility for Hols's poor box office performance, he turns his endeavors to television anime such as Lupin III and Heidi, Girl of the Alps (Alps no Shoujo Haiji).
[D]His Discouraging Directorial Premiere and the Trying Days that Followed
* Miyazaki directed his first television anime, Future Boy Conan (Mirai Shounen Konan) in 1978, and his first animated film, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Lupin III Kariosutoro no Shiro) in 1979. While this film is considered a masterpiece today, it did not perform well financially at the time, and he was unable to create an anime film for several years afterwards.
During this period, he worked on the second season of the Lupin III television series, and in the final episode, "Saraba, Itoshiki Rupan yo" ("Farewell, Dear Lupin,") he bases a number of scenes on the Fleischer Brothers' Superman series, paying homage to an animation series he had seen as a child.
During this difficult period for Miyazaki, he creates a draft for a work called Mononoke Hime (a different work from the film he later created) as well as a large number of setting boards and other materials for Totoro. This is a textbook example of one's direction in life being determined by what they do during times of adversity.
[E]: Miyazaki's Turning Point: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's Manga Serialization and Anime Adaptation
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's first volume, Tokuma Shoten.
*The event that began Miyazaki's climb out of this difficult period was his meeting the Animage editor Toshio SUZUKI. Suzuki asked Miyazaki, "If you can't make anime, then please draw manga.â€
Miyazaki, having not drawn pictures with a pen for over ten years since making "Sabaku no Tami†(Miyazaki's keyframes and imageboards were mostly done in pencil and light paint) expressed his anxiety about this fact to Suzuki, who replied, "We can print your manga even if it's drawn in pencil.â€
At this point, Suzuki thinks that if the manga does well, then it could open the door to an anime adaptation which he could have Miyazaki direct.
Suzuki's expectations were on target, and the Nausicaa manga performed well, which led to plans for an anime adaptation. According to the accounts of those working on Nausicaa at the time, Miyazaki, who had received another chance, and possibly his last chance, to direct an anime, furiously devoted himself to his work like a man with nothing left to lose.
Miyazaki put the Nausicaa manga on hiatus to focus on anime production, and though he resumed the manga during later stages of anime production, the manga of Nausicaa took a full 12 years to complete, beginning serialization in 1982 and ending in 1994.
In the end, Miyazaki, a man who is foremost thought of as an animator, takes an opposite stance in this matter from the man he admired, Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka, who since his young days wished to create anime, first became successful as a manga author, then used his position as a manga author to create anime productions. However, Tezuka, unlike Miyazaki Hayao or Katsuhiro OOTOMO, could never completely stop creating manga in order to focus wholly on anime production. That Tezuka, the man who revolutionized story manga, ended his career as an anime creator as a man who was never particularly considered remarkable could be due to the fact that he could never quit his "side business†of being a manga author.
Part 2
[F] On the Nausicaa Manga Being "Hard to Readâ€
* These days, the manga version of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is established as a masterpiece of story manga. The themes and setting of Nausicaa are strongly influenced by the American author Frank Herbert's ecological science-fiction masterpiece Dune. Dune shocked readers at the time with its detailed description of a distant planet, describing aspects of the planet from its culture and history to even its geography and ecosystem, constructing an entire detailed fictional world. Not to be outdone by Herbert, Miyazaki created a similarly detailed world in Nausicaa, except through the visual medium of manga.
As the story progresses, more and more of Miyazaki's speculative thoughts and political beliefs, as well as his contrasting despair and hopes for mankind, were tackled head-on, creating a masterwork that displayed much of Miyazaki's "core†as an author. The manga's early themes of utopian socialism and idealism based upon environmentalist beliefs changed during the manga's 12-year serialization, ending in what can only be called an acrobatic performance, leaping from thoughts of despair to ones of hope for human civilization. As a story manga, it is a work whose grand plot rivals that of Tezuka's Phoenix (Hi no Tori.)
When looking through Miyazaki's oeuvre, the Nausicaa manga has more themes in common with his later Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) than its anime adaptation. Though Princess Mononoke is even called "Nausicaa Part 2†by fans and critics, I feel that it tries to fit too many subjects and themes into its 2 hour and 15 minute running time, and while it was highly commercially successful, that as a work of film, it was difficult to digest everything that it presented.
* Incidentally, when I first read the Nausicaa manga in 1982, I was left speechless by its themes and the level of detail of its world, but at the same time, I was surprised at how "hard to read†it was. Of course, this is a subjective opinion, and I believe that how hard or easy a certain work is to read depends on the reader. However, I feel that must be at least some who share my view.
[G] Why I Feel Nausicaa is "Hard to Readâ€
Page 48 from volume 1 of Nausicaa, released in 1983 (serialization began in 1982). Each individual panel is too complete, and the characters and background are drawn with lines of equal thickness. This leads to the characters not standing out. While as a work of illustration, it is of extremely high quality, that and the difficulty of a given manga to read are two separate subjects.
(1): Though this is in some part the fault of the manga being drawn in pencil, the characters aren't drawn in distinct "heavy lines.†The standard theory when creating manga states that one should draw characters with thick, defined lines (heavy lines), and the background with a thin pen such as a mapping pen, causing the characters to stand out from the backgrounds. Drawing the characters and backgrounds with the same quality of line, (often even leaving no space between the two) the characters often seem to get buried in the background.
2: The individual panels are too "complete†as illustrations. This is only true for each singular frame (panel), and there isn't enough of an attempt to connect one frame to the next, or to guide the reader in following the flow of the manga.
3: The characters' faces are roughly the same size in every panel. Nausicaa utilizes many different kinds of panels, vertical, horizontal, oblique, large, small, and so on. This is not too different from the average manga, but the problem lies in the fact that the size of the characters in each panel stays roughly the same, meaning there is little variation in the scale of each panel. Nausicaa's large panels do not feature characters, but rather depict finely detailed depictions of scenery.
Taking this into consideration, one must conclude that, as a character-driven story manga, Nausicaa uses very few techniques that draw the reader's eye to its characters.
However, this work is a human drama that aims to depict the relations between its various characters. For that reason, the objectives of the narrative and the content and composition of the manga's images do not match up.
This discord that we see in the Nausicaa manga is not present in any way in Nausicaa the anime. (In the anime, the characters stand out as you would expect them to.)
* Film is shaped through the control of each scene's length via the process of editing. In contrast, manga controls "time†through arranging the layout of the pages for the reader. This process is what we call "panel layout.â€
Manga is different from film (anime) in that one cannot directly control time. Through the differing layout, shape, and size of each panel, one can guide the reader's gaze, and create a false sense of time. When reading the early volumes of Nausicaa, one can see Miyazaki struggling to transfer filmic "time†to manga "time†within the organization of the panels, an aspect of these volumes which I find very interesting.
The technical irregularities seen in the Nausicaa manga are faults often seen when animators or illustrators unfamiliar with panel layout try to create manga. What happens with these individuals' manga is that the composition of each individual frame is too complete.
Page 196 of the final volume, released in 1995. In the middle of the long side-to-side panel four rows from the top, there is a close-up of Nausicaa's face. The background in this panel is simply a concentration of straight lines, forcefully drawing the reader's attention to Nausicaa's face. Panel composition like this is rare in the earlier volumes of Nausicaa. It's possible to argue that through the course of the manga's serialization, Miyazaki understood how to layout manga panels.
However, regarding Nausicaa's seventh volume, released twelve years after volume one, I would like to note that the panel composition becomes remarkably easier to read. The flow from panel to panel becomes more natural, and its characters become far easier to identify when flipping from page to page, as the scale which the characters are depicted is effectively varied. One of Tezuka Osamu's great accomplishments was his ability to naturally guide the reader's gaze through the panels of his stories, and in the end, Miyazaki seems to have been able to master this skill as well.
[H] How the Image is Treated in Miyazaki's Anime
* Putting manga aside and looking at Miyazaki's "main business,†animation, we enter a medium in which Miyazaki has been a master of since his earliest days. Usually the first topic to come up when talking about Miyazaki's anime is the mental ease and pleasure that comes with watching his films, a result of the works' editing and pacing.
Good examples of this are the escape scenes from the triangle tower in Future Boy Conan (where Conan escapes with the robots, then where he falls from the tower while holding Lana in his arms). In both of these scenes, Miyazaki's techniques challenge our common expectations of the standard escape sequence which we have come to anticipate in popcorn entertainment, while also acting as exciting scenes on their own.
* Another trait common to Miyazaki's anime is the extraordinary sense of his "treatment of pictorial space.†I once tried my hand at interviewing Miyazaki, and a thing that struck me was the strength of his desire for his viewers to be able to personally feel a sense of "space†in the worlds that he creates. For Miyazaki, whether it is live-action or animated film, conveying "a sense of space†to the viewer is a serious and difficult task.
Miyazaki brought up a Japanese film, Kurosawa's Yojimbo, as a good example of a film that illustrates the importance of this sort of space. In the middle of the main street of the film's town is a watchtower, and two of the city's powers confront each other, one on each side of the tower. The main character, a ronin played by Toshirou MIFUNE, supports neither side, and climbs the tower to spectate the encounter from a bird's eye view.
"But you know, as the film proceeds, the audience stops being able to tell which side is which.†Miyazaki said. He went on to say that viewing the two forces "from a flattened perspective causes a sense of confusion.†But, in the manga of Nausicaa, the relative positions and distance between of the Valley of the Wind and Tolmekia never seem clear to the reader, despite Miyazaki going so far as to include maps to help them in this regard. Hearing Miyazaki, who had such difficulty conveying this sense of space in the manga, talk about his fixation on the audience's "sense of space†surprised me.
Miyazaki pays a lot of attention in his own works to the acts of rising and falling. On the topic of vertical movement as opposed to movement on a flat plane, Miyazaki said "the viewer intuitively understands the acts of climbing and falling.†"Film is the depiction of motion and movement, and the forms of movement that are most intuitive to a viewer are falling and flying.â€
The level of attention Miyazaki pays to the physiological response of his viewers must surely be one of the reasons that he has risen to such a prominent position as an entertainer. I know of no other filmmakers who so thoroughly work with the "space†of their settings and the "movement†of their characters.
[I] Miyazaki's Anime as Slaves to Depiction
* Tezuka Osamu is an author of stories. To put it very bluntly, he always works towards the goal of "allowing the reader to understand the story.†Thus, the way I see Tezuka's works, the artwork and characters are "slaves to the story.â€
* Takahata Isao is a Slave to Production. Takahata, unable to draw, strives to create drama between his characters through his direction. Hilda, from Hols, Prince of the Sun is at once a human girl and the younger sister of a demon. Her human side and demon side are constantly in inner turmoil. How does one depict a character constantly undergoing this difficult personal struggle? In pondering this question, Takahata discovered that such a person would simply remain expressionless.
In order to depict the fierce inner struggle of an expressionless character, directorial strength, not pictorial strength, is more important.
* Miyazaki Hayao is a Slave to Depiction. Miyazaki has the ability to take a scene which would look boring if read on paper and turn it into a grand spectacle. A good example of this would be the opening scene of My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), where he devotes a full ten minutes to a sequence in which Satsuki and Mei move to their new house.
How many other filmmakers on this planet exist who would spend this much time dragging out a scene which gives background information to the rest of the film and little else? The viewers explore the house alongside Satsuki and Mei, and in the process fully understand the "space†of their new house. At the same time, we gain a sense of empathy for the characters and are drawn into their world. (I imagine that had Tezuka or Takahata directed this scene, it would have been wrapped up in all of thirty to sixty seconds.)
Another scene that could only have been created by Miyazaki is the sequence in Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) where a sludge-like monster comes in to take a bath. The charm of this scene would be difficult to describe in a planning document or a script, but Miyazaki, the animator-turned-director, was able to create this scene without having to subject it to a production process that involved the written word. This is an ability that only a very specific kind of director holds.


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WASHINGTON – U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the use of an Ebola diagnostic test developed by the Pentagon to help contain the world's worst outbreak of the deadly virus.
The move was one of a number of steps taken by the U.S. government this week to address the highly contagious disease that has killed more than 930 people in Africa and sickened hundreds more, including two Americans being treated in Atlanta.
The diagnostic test was authorized for use abroad on military personnel, aid workers and emergency responders in laboratories designated by the Department of Defense to respond to the Ebola outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
The test, called DoD EZ1 Real-time RT-PCR Assay, is designed for use on individuals who have symptoms of Ebola infection, who are at risk for exposure or who may have been exposed. It can take as long as 21 days for symptoms to appear after infections.
The agency can evoke emergency authorization for a medical product it has not approved when there are no adequate alternatives.
There is no known cure for Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever that has overwhelmed rudimentary healthcare systems and prompted the deployment of troops to quarantine the worst-hit areas in the remote border region of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The World Health Organization is meeting in Geneva to consider declaring an international health emergency.
U.S. health officials met on Monday in Washington with Guinea President Alpha Conde and senior officials from Liberia and Sierra Leone to discuss the crisis and identify what kind of help they most needed, a State Department official said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, met with the leaders on the sidelines of an African Summit.
Frieden was to testify on Thursday at a congressional subcommittee hearing on "Combating the Ebola Threat," along with representatives from the State Department's Africa bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development. [eap_ad_2] PROMISING DRUG
At a news conference after the summit, President Barack Obama said he did not have enough information to green-light a promising drug to treat Ebola and that the initial response should focus on public health measures to contain the outbreak.
"We're focusing on the public health approach right now, but I will continue to seek information about what we're learning about these drugs going forward," Obama said.
Two Americans, a doctor and a missionary, were being treated in Atlanta after having contracted the disease in Liberia. The relief groups that sponsored the Americans said their conditions improved in Liberia after they received an experimental drug developed by a San Diego-based private biotech firm and previously tested only in monkeys.
In New Jersey, a patient was being tested for Ebola because of flu-like symptoms after recent travel to West Africa, state health officials said on Wednesday. The patient has been improving and Ebola was unlikely, they said.
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City said on Wednesday that a patient being treated for a high fever and a stomach ache in strict isolation following his travels in West Africa tested negative for the disease.
USAID said it would send a disaster response team, which will include staff from HHS and the CDC, to West Africa to help coordinate Washington's efforts.
The aid agency is also adding $5 million in aid to help international response efforts in the countries hit hardest by the outbreak.
The money will go to programs that help trace people infected with the disease and provide hygiene kits, soap, bleach, gloves and masks to help stem its spread.
"To really protect ourselves, the single most important thing we can do is stop it at the source in Africa," Frieden said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program on Sunday. "That's going to protect them and protect us." (Reuters)[eap_ad_3]


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— -- An Illinois man who was accidentally imprisoned behind a jail's steel door for 31 hours is suing for negligence and trauma.
Farad Polk visited Cook County Jail, where his son is an inmate, on July 5. The guards told Polk to have a seat in a waiting area down the hall, Polk says.
When he entered the room – an area of the jail that was under renovation – the heavy, steel doors slammed behind him, turning the visitor into a prisoner.
For nearly a day and a half he says he tried anything to get someone's attention. He screamed and pounded on the room's 2-foot-thick walls, but nobody heard him.
"A concrete box," Polk called it at a Monday press conference.
When the screaming and pounding failed, Polk broke the head off one of the sprinklers, flooding the room.
The fire department arrived and finally, Polk was free. Polk says he's traumatized by the incident.
"It just tears my heart out," he said.
Cook County Jail released a statement to ABC News, describing the situation as an "extraordinarily unique set of circumstances that unfortunately resulted in him being in that room for that period of time."


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Commanded to Love: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV
Today, often times a "religious" person is seen to be someone who is rough and rigid, spouting do's and don'ts without thinking twice about the emotions of the person being scolded. The Prophet ﷺ, however, was the farthest from any such description. He was a man who was enveloped in mercy, who cared for the weak, encouraged the women, and stood up for anyone in need.
Allah (swt) describes the character of the Prophet ﷺ in the Qura'n when He says:
"So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]." [Qur'an, 3:159]
The Prophet ﷺ did not only have mercy towards the men of his society at a time when women were treated very harshly, he was also busy working against this to replace it with mercy and compassion.
The men at the time of Rasul'Allah ﷺ were privileged with the opportunity to constantly be in his company, learning and growing with him. The women wanted to have such an opportunity, and being the leader that he was, the women did not feel any shyness or fear in requesting this from him. Upon request, the Prophet ﷺ set aside a special time just for the women so that he could answer their questions and help them with what they needed. There is a narration in which the Prophet ﷺ was sitting amongst the women and they were talking loudly to him. Umar came into the room and the women completely changed their demeanor. Seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ did not get angry, nor offended, nor even jealous–rather, he laughed. Umar radi Allahu anh (May Allah be pleased with him), asked the Messenger ﷺ why he laughed at their behavior and he replied that he was amazed at how the women hid the instant they heard Umar's voice! This angered Umar and he questioned the women, asking how they should fear him yet not the Messenger ﷺ! Their response exemplifies the mercy that Prophet ﷺ had towards these women; they responded confidently that in comparison, Umar (ra) was hot-tempered, while the Prophet ﷺ was the epitome of mercy.
The Prophet ﷺ's mercy was vast and inclusive. He spread it far and wide to the point that even animals could find refuge in his kindness. Of the many instances that are breathtakingly vibrant with the clemency of RasulAllah ﷺ is that of the helpless bird. 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud was traveling with the Prophet ﷺ and a few other men. One of the men took an egg from the bird's nest. Out of despair, the bird came and flapped its wings at the Prophet ﷺ, and he took immediate notice to her sad state. He turned to his companions and asked them who had made this poor bird miserable. Upon finding out that her egg had been taken, he ordered the man to return the egg to her as a sign of mercy and compassion. At a time when many humans were not being shown kindness, the Prophet ﷺ mastered kindness to mankind and was already encouraging kindness and rights of animals.
Today, we look to the lives of the sahabah and read their stories. Many times, it is hard to comprehend how they had so much energy and drive to do all the things that they did. Their energy stemmed from pure Divine Love which was not built through harsh reprimands or robotic movements—rather, this love was built by being in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, seeing his amazing mercy and knowing that if he, the creation of Allah (swt), could exhibit such mercy, then what of his Creator?