#rod loyola

[the-quotable-alberta-hansard]

May 28, 2024

Member Loyola: To me, I like to call a spade a spade; it is what it is. For me, this bill reeks of Take Back Alberta not wanting to put on a mask. I mean, we’ve heard it right from the minister’s lips that this is what it’s really about. When the local authorities at the municipal level were encouraging people to take safety precautions and to wear a mask, some of the members on the other side of the House, well, just couldn’t take that. They just couldn’t take it. Of course, their friends in Take Back Alberta were up in arms about it, literally. Literally, up in arms about it.

[falaya-real-estate]

Types of Houses in New Orleans, LA

If you're interested in buying a house in New Orleans, you'll find a wealth of choices, from French Quarter homes to American townhouses. New Orleans offers a variety of architectural styles, including Victorians and French colonials. Read on to learn about the most popular types of New Orleans houses. You'll also find tips for saving money on your new house purchase! And, don't miss the chance to tour some of the city's historic landmarks.

French Quarter

Whether you're looking to buy a small, historic home in the French Quarter or a sprawling estate with a private pool, there are several options in this area. Many of these historic homes are well-maintained and boast a great mix of modern functionality and old world charm. Some of these homes are located in the historic Warehouse District or have great views of the Mississippi River.

If you're interested in historic architecture, you'll want to look at the many Creole townhouses in New Orleans. These buildings were built in the French Quarter after a major fire in 1788 and feature courtyards, balconies and steep roofs that reflect Spanish and French influence. Alternatively, you can opt for a traditional American townhouse in the Lower Garden District or Central Lower District. These houses often have stucco exteriors and balconies on the second floor.

Garden District

The Garden District of New Orleans offers a mix of historic architecture, unique architecture, and beautiful homes. From the 19th century mansions to the charming Victorian homes, the Garden District is full of historic charm and beauty. This area is also renowned for its diverse price range. Whether you're looking for a small bungalow or a spacious mansion, the Garden District will have a home to fit your budget.

One of the most famous Garden District houses is the Cornstalk Fence House, also known as the Colonel Short's Villa. This beautiful magnolia-lined mansion was built in 1859 by merchant Colonel Robert Short. One of the main features of the mansion is the decorative rod iron cornstalk fence that circles the lawn. Colonel Short's wife ordered the fence and it was cast at the Foundry of Wood, a company in Philadelphia. The process was expensive at the time, but the fence remains a popular feature of the mansion.

American townhouses

Unlike Creole Townhouses, which have commercial components on the first floor and residential levels above, American Townhouses have exclusively residential floors. Often called Double Gallery Houses or Row Houses, American Townhouses are connected to their neighbors and share a common wall. The houses feature Queen Anne and Italianate features. Some are also designed in Empire Style.

These structures have distinct styles and are popular in the French Quarter and surrounding areas. Depending on the style, you can choose from two-story townhouses, three-story buildings, or four-story structures.

Ursuline Convent

The Ursuline Convent was a group of historic convent houses in New Orleans, Louisiana. These nuns came to the city in 1727 at the request of Governor Étienne Perier to run a hospital and educate young girls. Today, many of the Ursuline Convent houses still stand. You can visit the convent's museum and learn more about the nuns who lived and worked in the buildings.

The Ursuline Convent is New Orleans' oldest building. It was built between 1748 and 1752 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The original convent was on Dauphine Street, which was in the 9th Ward. The building was later moved to its current location on State Street in 1912.

St. Charles Avenue

A prime location for luxury homes in New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue is a posh Uptown street topped by the Audubon Park and the Loyola University. It is filled with restaurants and bars, and is a living monument to New Orleans' allure.

There are several ways to get around the neighborhood. You can ride a bike or car down St. Charles Avenue, or take a streetcar. Whether you prefer to take the streetcar to the famous French Quarter or spend an afternoon strolling the city's famous Bourbon Street, you will find plenty to do in St. Charles Avenue.

This spacious Victorian home is located a block from St. Charles Avenue, with ample parking. Inside, the home features three upstairs bedrooms, a modern kitchen, and a beautiful private outdoor pool. Located close to a streetcar stop, you can walk to local restaurants and enjoy the parade.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

May 7, 2021

EDMONTON – An Ontario MP and an Alberta MLA will not be participating in the 2021 iteration of the notorious al-Quds Day hatefest, following successful advocacy by B’nai Brith Canada.

Marwan Tabbara, Independent Member of Parliament for Kitchener South-Hespeler, and Rod Loyola, NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Ellerslie, had been listed among the speakers for the online Canadian al-Quds Day event, to take place on May 8.

Shortly after B’nai Brith reached out to Loyola and Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley, Loyola relayed his withdrawal from the event. Following a direct conversation with B’nai Brith, Tabbara backed out as well. B’nai Brith explained that al-Quds Day calls for the elimination of Israel, rather than a two-state solution, and has been a continuous source of antisemitism since it arrived in Canada.

At last year’s online al-Quds Day event, a speaker described all Israelis as “thieves and murderers.” In 2018, a featured speaker said he was praying for the “eradication” of Israelis. In 2013 and 2016, speakers called for Israelis to be shot, and in 2014, a Muslim cleric called for “Yahoodi” (Arabic for “Jewish”) to be “dismantled”. The 2018 speaker, Shafiq Hudda, was also set to headline the 2021 event.

Tabbara was Chair of the Parliamentary Canada-Palestine Friendship Group until June of last year, when he withdrew from the Liberal caucus in the House of Commons. Tabbara also told B’nai Brith that he had never committed to participating in the al-Quds Day event and that organizers used his name without his knowledge.

“No Canadian elected official should lend their name to promote this blatantly antisemitic event,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “We thank MP Tabbara and MLA Loyola for listening to the concerns of the Jewish community and ultimately doing the right thing.

“B’nai Brith will continue to speak out whenever and wherever the forces of Jew-hatred attempt to exploit public figures in a bid to promote their toxic message.”

The May 8 event is being promoted on social media by the so-called “Canadian Defenders for Human Rights,” or CD4HR. Firas al-Najim, the group’s manager, filmed himself harassing Jewish seniors in a Toronto park in 2019 and led a failed campaign to boycott various Jewish-owned businesses in the Greater Toronto Area.

[fili12group5-blog]

Tungkol sa Batch ‘81 at AKO: Isang Pagsusuri

Ang Batch ‘81 ay isang pelikulang isinagawa noong 1982. Ginawa ito sa ilalim ng talyer ng MVP Pictures. Si Mike de Leon ang tagapangasiwa ng paggawa ng pelikula na ito at sina Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., Raquel Villavicencio, at Mike de Leon naman ang gumawa ng manuskrito nito. Ang mga gumanap ay sina Mark Gil bilang Sid Lucero, Ward Luarca bilang Pacoy Ledesma, Noel Trinidad bilang Santi Santillan, Ricky Sandico bilang Ronnie Roxas, Jr., Rod Leido bilang Arnulfo "Arni" Enriquez, Dodo Cabasal bilang Pete Magtibay, at Edwin Reyes bilang Ding Quintos (“Batch ‘81”).

Sa kabilang dako, ang Alpha Kappa Omega o AKO naman ay isang adaptasyon ng Batch ‘81 na isinagawa sa 2019 sa pamantasan ng Atene o de Manila. Si Guelan Varela-Luarca ang nagsulat ng manuskrito nito. Ang mga gumanap ay sina John Sanchez bilang Sid Lucero, Earvin Estioco bilang Arni Enriquez, Ron Capinding bilang Santi Santillan, Nico Nepomuceno bilang Ronnie Roxas, Jr., Ymo Escurel at si Cholo Ledesma bilang Pacoy Ledesma (depende sa petsa ng dula), at si Ram Catan bilang Ding Magtibay (Lastscoop).

May mga tauhan at eksena na pinakita sa AKO ngunit hindi pinakita sa Batch ‘81. Pinakitang may kasintahan si Vince. Pinakita ang eksena ng pagbibigay-ligaya ni Pacoy sa sarili niya. Pinakita ang pagkain ni Santi ng cup noodles, at pinakitang may suot siyang digital na relo. Pinakita ang paggamit ng iPhone upang tumawag at kumuha ng mga litrato. Pinakita ang eksena ni Ding na nagbibigay ng kulambo at bentilador sa kanyang master. Pinakita ang pagtatalo nina Santi Santillan at Ma’am Casuso; walang tauhang nagngangalang Ma’am Casuso sa Batch ‘81. Pinakita ang pagsisisi ni Santi sa pagsali sa fraternity.

May mga tauhan at eksena sa AKO na binago. Walang Ding Magtibay sa Batch ‘81; sa pelikula, Quintos ang apelyido ni Ding at Pete ang pangalan ng tauhan na may apelyidong Magtibay. Pinalitan ang mga kagamitang panteknolohiya na ginamit sa AKO, sapagkat inilaan ito para sa kontemporanyong manonood. Sa Batch ‘81, nasa video tape ang iskandalo ni Pacoy. Sa AKO, nasa Facebook Live na ang iskandalo ni Pacoy. Pinalitan rin ang estilo ng buhok at pamamaraan ng pananamit ng mga tauhan mula sa AKO, at pareho ang dahilan nito sa pagpalit ng kagamitang panteknolohiya: ginawa ito para sa kontemporanyong manonood. Sa Batch ‘81, uso ang mahahabang gupit at bigote sa mga lalaki. Makakapal ang mga gupit nila. Sa mga babae naman, uso ang buhok na dumaan muna sa hair roller. Makakapal ang mga buhok nila. Hindi na tanyag ang mga ito sa mga lalaki at babae na gumanap sa AKO. Mas maikli na ang mga buhok ng mga lalaki at wala silang mga bigote (kung mayroon man, hindi ito makakapal tulad sa Batch ‘81). Sa mga babae naman, makina na ang nagbibigay-estilo sa buhok nila. Sa pangkalahatan, mas halata ang pagkakaiba ng mga estilo ng buhok nila. Pinalitan ang pagsagawa ng mga fraternity ng battle of the bands sa Batch ‘81 sa pagsagawa ng mga fraternity ng parodya ng Miss Universe sa AKO.

Nasa punto de bista ni Sid Lucero ang Batch ‘81. Dito, pinagtuunan ng pansin ang mga pangyayari sa loob ng fraternity. Pinakita sa pelikula na ang pagiging bahagi ng fraternity ang basehan ng pagtatagumpay ng mga tauhan.

Sa kabilang banda, nasa punto de bista ni Santi Santillan ang AKO. Sa AKO, pinagtuunan ng pansin ang mga epekto ng pagsali ng fraternity. Pinakita ng dula na hindi nasusukat ng pagpasok sa fraternity ang tagumpay. Inilantad ng dula ang mga suliraning panlipunan ng Pilipinas sa kasalukuyan, tulad ng paggiit ng mga Intsik ng kanilang kapangyarihan sa Pilipinas.

Naging matagumpay ang AKO sa pagpapakita ng lipunan sa kasalukuyan. Sa ngayon, laganap pa rin ang hazing sa mga fraternity. Isang halimbawa ang hazing na naganap sa Pamantasan ng Santo Tomas (UST) na nagdulot ng pagkamatay ng isang mag-aaral dito. Nagpaalam si Atyo, ang nasabing mag-aaral, sa kanyang mga magulang na magpapagabi siya sa UST para sa pagbibigay-pugay sa isang fraternity. Sa susunod na araw, nalaman ng mga magulang na si Atyo na dinala ang kanilang anak sa ospital. Sumugod sila upang makita nila ang anak nila, ngunit huli na ang lahat. Nabalitaan nila na punumpuno ng gasgas at candle wax ang katawan ni Atyo (Arcangel & Jiao, 2017). Dahil may mga insidenteng ganito sa kasalukuyan, importante ang pagsasadula na ginawa ng AKO. Nagsisilbi itong paalala ng mga kasamaang naidudulot ng fraternity. Hindi lamang ito pahamak sa buhay ng isang mag-aaral. Sinisira din nito ang relasyon ng isang indibidwal sa kanyang mga mahal sa buhay. Halimbawa nito ang pagsawalang-bahala ni Sid kay Arni at ang paghiwalay niya sa kasintahan niya, para sa fraternity. Pinagpalit ni Sid sa fraternity ang kanyang mga mahal sa buhay. Ipinakita din ng AKO ang pagkawala ng dangal na dulot ng pagsali sa fraternity. Sinunod ng mga neophytes ang mga utos ng mga master, kahit na labag na ito sa kanilang moralidad. Sa proseso, wala nang pagkakakilalanlan ang mga neophytes, dahil hinayaan nilang umikot ang mga mundo nila sa fraternity.

SANGGUNIAN

Arcangel, Xianne, and Claire Jiao. “UST Law Student Dead after Alleged  Hazing.” CNN, nine.cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/09/18/UST-Law-                    hazing-Horacio-Tomas-Castillo-III.html. 

“Batch '81.” ‎Letterboxd, letterboxd.com/film/batch-81/crew/.

Lastscoop. “NEWS: ‘AKO: ALPHA KAPPA OMEGA’ - TANGHALANG ATENEO    BRINGS MIKE DE LEON'S BATCH 81 TO THE STAGE ON MARCH 20              – APRIL 13.” The Jellicle Blog, 8 Mar. 2019, www.                                                jellicleblog.com/2019/03/news-ako-alpha-kappa-omega-tanghalang-ateneo-brings-mike-de-leons-batch-81-to-the-stage-on-march-20-april-13/.

“Theater Treats 2019: Ako: Alpha Kappa Omega By Tanghalang Ateneo .”          Spil.ph, 20 Mar. 2019, spil.ph/information/2019/03/20/theater-treats-                    2019-ako-alpha-kappa-omega-by-tanghalang-ateneo-march-20-april-13-              rizal-mini-theater-ateneo-de-manila-loyola-heights-qc/.

[mustafa-el-fats]

"I, ............, now in the presence of Almighty God, the blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, and all the saints, sacred host of heaven, and to you, my Ghostly Father, the superior general of the Society of Jesus rounded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the pontification of Paul the III and continued to the present, do by the womb at the Virgin, the matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that His Holiness the Pope, is Christ's vice regent and is the true and only head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the earth; and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing given His Holiness by my Savior, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical kings, princes, States, Commonwealths, and Governments and they may be safely destroyed. Therefore to the utmost of ray power I will defend this doctrine and His Holiness's right and custom against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever, especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and the now pretended authority and Churches of England and Scotland, and the branches of same now established in Ireland and on the Continent of America and elsewhere, and all adherents in regard that they may be usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred Mother Church of Rome."

"I do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical king, prince, or State, named Protestant or Liberals, or obedience to any of their laws, magistrates, or officers."

"I do further declare that the doctrine of the Churches of England and Scotland, of the Calvinists, Huguenots, and others of the name of Protestants or Masons to be damnable, and they themselves to be damned who will not forsake the same."

"I do further declare that I will help assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness's agents, in any place where I should be, in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, or America, or in any other kingdom or territory I shall come to and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant or Masonic doctrines and to destroy all their pretended powers, legal or otherwise."

"I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding I am dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the propagation of the Mother Church's interest to keep secret and private all her agents' counsels from time to time, as they entrust me and not divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing, or circumstances whatever but to execute all that should be proposed, given in charge or discovered unto me by you my Ghostly Father, or any of this sacred order."

"I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion or will of my own or any mental reservation whatsoever, even as a corpse or cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesitatingly obey each and every command that I may receive from my superiors in the militia of the Pope and of Jesus Christ."

"That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may be sent, to the frozen regions north, jungles of India, to the centers of civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous savages of America without murmuring or repining, and will be submissive in all things whatsoever is communicated to me."

"I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do to extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex, or condition, and that will hang, bum, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants' heads against the wails in order to annihilate their execrable race. That when the same can not be done openly, I will secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of the poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank, dignity, or authority of the persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do by any agents of the Pope or superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus."

"In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will subscribe my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and should I prove false or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from ear to ear, my belly opened and sulphur burned therein with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell forever."

"That I will in voting always vote for K. of C, in preference to a Protestant, especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party so to do; that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself which is the better supporter of Mother Church and vote accordingly."

"That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the inner movements of the heretics."

"That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the church either as an individual or with the militia of the Pope."

"All of which I, ............, do swear by the blessed Trinity and blessed sacrament which I am now to receive to perform and on part to keep this, my oath."

"In testimony hereof, I take this most holy and blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist and witness the same further with my name written with the point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and seal in the face of this holy sacrament."

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

CHI / Victoria Martinez: Next Chapter

Victoria Martinez, Puzzle Piece 88, hosiery, paint, and thread on found brick, 8"x3.6"x3, 2021

Victoria Martinez: Next Chapter July 10 – August 21, 2021 Opening Reception: Saturday, July 10, 12-4 p.m.

Please follow this link to make your appointment to visit the gallery. We are excited to welcome you! With covid cases rising again, we are requiring reservations for all our guests and limiting the number of visitors at any given time. You are welcome to bring one guest with you. Masks are still required throughout the building and in the gallery. Upon entering Mana Contemporary where our gallery is located on the 4th Fl, please check in at the front desk, use the touchless temperature scanner, and fill out a brief form for contact tracing. We look forward to your visit!

Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago and Transmitter, a collaborative curatorial initiative based in Brooklyn, New York, are pleased to present Next Chapter, a solo exhibition featuring work by Victoria Martinez. Next Chapter is part of #ArtistRun2020, a year-long exploration of artist-run spaces organized by Tiger Strikes Asteroid and Trestle Gallery.

Victoria Martinez is an interdisciplinary artist who creates fiber-based projects that extends to installation art and painting. Next Chapter is a site-responsive installation and a journey into Martinez’s next stage of mark-making through abstract paintings and object based works. Her practice is attuned to color, geometry, and found objects, and is rooted in a long-term commitment to observing the urban environment.

Martinez’s work explores landscapes, systems of power, and archiving particular sites as a form of honoring histories. In her abstractions, there are portals of reimagining spaces and memories as well as embracing alternative methods of map making. This is most notable in the material layers and textured textiles that are painted and transformed into an intuitive language.

On view as part of the large-scale installation are cut doorways that reveal a double-sided painting and enter a space of maps reenvisioning quotidian items and the body. Other works explore the grid that is embodied in city streets, murals, and buildings repeating patterns that become timeless. The brick sculptures sourced from a demolition at Dvorak Park in the Pilsen neighborhood, where the artist is originally from, are reconstructed into an archive that salvages the very sites that are being destroyed through gentrification projects in Chicago.

In Next Chapter, Martinez shares her observations of navigating the urban landscape and invites the audience to observe a new body of work based on a walking ritual that informs the industrial materiality and creates a new grounding for the artist.

This project was supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant and the Hyde Park Art Center Artists Run Chicago Fund.

Artist Bio

Victoria Martinez was born in 1987 in Chicago, IL. She received her B.F.A. from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2010 and an M.F.A. From Yale University School of Art in 2020. Martinez has exhibited nationally and internationally including the Yale University Art Gallery, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Loyola University Museum of Art, and her work has been critically appraised in Poetry Foundation Magazine and The University of Chicago Press. She is a recipient of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library Research Fellowship from Yale University, Michigan Avenue Galleries Grant from the Chicago Cultural Center, and an Enrichment Grant from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she currently teaches in the Fiber and Materials Studies Department. Upcoming projects include a solo exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in California, and an art feature in New American Paintings.  

Curator Bio

Next Chapter is curated by Eva Mayhabal Davis (b. Toluca, Mexico). Eva is a collaborative curator working with exhibition spaces and publications and is currently a Co-Director at Transmitter.

About Transmitter

Transmitter is a collaborative curatorial initiative based in Brooklyn, New York focusing on programming that is multidisciplinary, international and experimental. Our exhibitions have been featured in publications such as The New York Times,The New Yorker, Artforum, Vice and The Brooklyn Rail. The gallery was founded in 2014 by Rob de Oude, Carl Gunhouse, Sara Jones, Rod Malin, Tom Marquet, and Mel Prest. Transmitter is currently directed by Eva Mayhabal Davis, Rob de Oude, Hilary Doyle, Kate Greenberg, Carl Gunhouse, Melvin Harper, Reid Hitt, Genevieve Lowe, and Sara Meghdari.

We suggest making an appointment to see the exhibition or contact us about scheduling an appointment beyond our open hours. Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 12-4pm

<hr>

photos by Tom Van Eynde

[gretamclaughlin]

Fueling the Modern World

The readings focus on nonrenewable and renewable energy sources, and they talk about the necessity to shift to new forms of energy production to prevent further climate change. Environmentally-degrading oil is the most widely used energy resource in the U.S. Fracking, another popular energy source, is also detrimental to the environment, costly, and limited. I enjoy how the textbook notes various issues with nonrenewable energy sources that are not restricted to the environment; this appeals to a diverse audience and provides a comprehensive view of the scope of the effects of degradation. In other words, environmental issues influence a range of other social and political issues, including foreign policy. Keith Crane explains this in his book Imported Oil and U.S. National Security, stating that a disruption in oil imports “would undermine U.S. national security, for example, by weakening U.S. global economic and political influence and the ability of the United States to pay for U.S. military forces” (Crane 2009, 19). The readings go on to present other sources of energy like oil and tar sands, which emit air pollutants and produce more CO2 than conventional crude oil production. Certainly, some new and seemingly promising energy solutions further damage the environment, and many methods of energy production have a high long-term cost. Although we can promote the view that these sources are detrimental to ecosystems as a whole, it may be more effective to focus on the human cost, which would attract a greater audience. Regardless of the angle one takes, it is integral that people look towards more ecologically friendly methods for sustainable and lasting solutions.

The textbook also covers natural gas and coal and explains how natural gas intensifies climate change and shifts people away from finding better energy because it is seen as clean. The description of coal highlights both the environmental and health issues caused by its mining and combustion. The health costs can be such an economic burden on countries that switching to cleaner energy can become the most viable option. Ben Ewald conducted a study in New South Wales, Australia on the health costs of SO2 emissions from burning coal (Ewald 2018, 227). Sulfate particles are classified as part of the particulate air pollution smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). He found that by reducing PM2.5 levels 16%, there would be 104 fewer deaths and 560 fewer years of life lost per year in NSW, valued at about $539 million (based upon the statistical value of life) (Ewald 2018, 228). Ewald argues that pollution fees need to correspond with the cost of health damage to reduce emissions. Of course, speaking about human life in terms of money can be problematic, and it raises the question of why people cannot just value life for itself. Regardless, this tactic can expand the number of people in support of environmental action, including those who are more economically-driven. The production of CO2 by the coal industry causes further issues. By highlighting both the environmental and health impact of coal, the readers can understand how they are directly affected.

I always believed that nuclear energy was the key to the future, but the readings changed this. Although there are benefits to nuclear power like a low environmental impact and low accident risk, there are numerous disadvantages, such as the difficulty of disposing fuel rods, high cost, and low net energy production. However, governments have invested significantly more money into nuclear power than renewable resources, despite having little success. It makes me wonder what the world would look like if nations had focused on funding more sustainable options. Climate change may not be as advanced as it is now, and the U.S. could have been a leader in reducing emissions. According to a study in Risk Analysis, “Climate change concern is associated with increased acceptance of nuclear power only when nuclear power is considered as the only viable way to cut CO2 emissions” (Vainio et al. 2017, 557). Certainly, other options exist today that produce more energy and are better for the environment; therefore, nuclear energy and financement of it should be phased out.

Despite the higher net energy of nonrenewable resources, it is necessary to switch to renewable resources to reduce the environmental and health impacts. The readings highlight how by turning to cleaner options, we can create business opportunities and provide jobs, which is important because people often lean on the economy to justify ruining the environment. Indeed, it is integral to promote the positive economic effects and opportunities of businesses and countries becoming greener in order to generate more support for climate action. Consolidating diverse interests will be essential in fighting environmental degradation.

The U.S. needs to implement a smart grid to connect wind farms and solar power plants throughout the country, subsidize energy efficiency initiatives, and make the switch to more renewable energy. Generally, human systems are unnaturally linear, and in order to decrease human impact on the environment, people need to switch the energy system to one that imitates those found in nature (biomimicry). For example, solar cells mimic leaves, with some newer technology even turning to the sun as leaves do. Other renewable energy includes wind energy, which is highly productive and could potentially fuel the entire country. Loyola University Chicago created a program in which they collect oil from Chicago restaurants and universities and convert it into biodiesel that operates university and other local vehicles (Loyola University Chicago, n.d.). Small projects such as this one increase in their value when their methods are employed on a larger scale.

Of course, governments need to establish comprehensive policies to reduce pollution and increase renewable energy use, such as Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which improve vehicles’ fuel efficiencies. Standards are being used in Paris by establishing a low-emission zone where only certain vehicles can enter (Bernard et al.). This reduces air pollution and encourages people to purchase fuel-efficient and electric cars. Increasing CAFE standards in the coming years will further improve the energy efficiency of vehicles on the road.

We need to create legislation that forces communities to utilize renewable energy. California legislation requires the state to use renewable energy to produce half of its electric power by 2030. If this was imposed on a national level, we would see a sharp increase in wind, solar, and other renewable energy and a lower reliance on coal, oil, etc. Furthermore, the government needs to shift away from awarding subsidies and tax breaks to nonrenewable energy producers, and it should provide financial incentives for building and using renewable energy. Of course, these initiatives would be more logical if the U.S. government sped up the process of building a smart grid so widespread usage of clean energy would be more viable. Tax breaks and other economic incentives should also be used to encourage people to purchase more energy-efficient vehicles, including hybrid and electric cars. 

The government must also implement full-cost pricing when it comes to nonrenewable resources to reduce their usage. The International Monetary Fund approximates that if full-cost pricing were applied to burning coal, coal use would drop 55%, and CO2 emissions would drop 20%. It is necessary that pricing accurately reflects human and environmental cost; in the case of the NSW study, taxes were not high enough to make any companies take action. However, if done properly, this method can greatly reduce emissions from burning coal and producing other forms of nonrenewable energy. Promoting environmental education in schools and through community groups is integral in combating the narrative that nonrenewable energy is safe, which is purported by many corporations.

Unfortunately, impoverished people bear the brunt of climate change much more than those who are well-off, and many suffer as a result of wealthier people’s actions, such as corporations. While the rich can flee the effects of environmental degradation, marginalized people must face them directly. This makes comprehensive environmental policy even more necessary, and it can ameliorate other race and class issues, such as health. More immediate policy can include building parks in urban areas and cleaning up pre-existing places. Grassroots organizations can also spearhead efforts, and the Bronx River Alliance is revitalizing the Bronx River, and their work has a multitude of psychological and physical benefits to nearby residents. Growing up, I had the opportunity to explore nature through clean parks, playgrounds, and more in my neighborhood. Just 20 minutes down the road in a more impoverished neighborhood, children did not have access to the same opportunities and did not live in a healthy environment. Today, the memories I made in nature were formative and continue to affect my relationship with the world. It is unfair that so many young people are denied these opportunities, just because of how much money their parents have, and action must be taken to prevent further injustices.

Changing building standards to ensure green architecture would reduce energy waste, use solar energy to heat buildings, and more. Unfortunately, living in a sustainable manner is largely only accessible to wealthier people who have the means to live in buildings with top-of-the-line technology. Therefore, by making green living more accessible to everyone with government subsidies, less energy will be wasted and less emissions will be produced, leading to a cleaner world for everyone. On an individual level, we can all take action in our homes by ensuring that leaky heating is sealed, using LED bulbs, shutting off electronics when not in use, and transitioning to energy-efficient appliances. Switching to a cleaner and more energy-efficient world is critical in preventing further climate change. Acting sustainably can be a difficult road to take, especially given the capitalist system that we live in. I find myself purchasing from Amazon instead of shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, and I often eat meat in favor of vegetarian and vegan options. However, we must all be more conscious of our actions and their effects in order to have a cleaner future, or even a future at all.

Word Count: 1668

Question: If governments had focused their resources on renewable energy rather than nuclear energy, how would current emissions have been affected?

Diagrams:

Savings due to reduced air pollution in New South Wales, Australia

Potential phases for Paris’ implementation of its low-emission zones: cars receive stickers based on their fuel-efficiency

Sources of U.S. energy in 2019 - very unsustainable

Works Cited:

Crane, Keith. 2009. Imported Oil and U.S. National Security. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.avoserv2.library.fordham.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=c36b0d2f-45db-4a48-9f08-35b1ee8e70c8%40sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=276729&db=e000xna. 

Ewald, Ben. 2018. “The value of health damage due to sulphur dioxide emissions from coal- fired electricity generation in NSW and implications for pollution licences.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 42, no. 3: 227-229. EBSCOhost. 

Vainio, Annukka, Riikka Paloniemi, and Vilja Varho. 2017. “Weighing the Risks of Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: Trust in Different Information Sources, Perceived Risks, and Willingness to Pay for Alternatives to Nuclear Power.” Risk Analysis: An International Journal 37, no. 3. 557-569. EBSCOhost. 

Bernard, Yoann, Joshua Miller, Sandra Wappelhorst, and Caleb Braun. 2020. “Impacts of the Paris low-emission zone and implications for other cities.” The Real Urban Emissions Initiative (March 2020): 5. https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Paris-LEV-implications-03.12.2020.pdf. 

Loyola University Chicago. n.d.”Biodiesel Program.” https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/sustainability-new/pdfs/IES-biodiesel.pdf. 

[oilsteven80-blog]

Does the Proposed New LA Probation Oversight Commission Have the Legal Right to Subpoena Power? A Group of Experts Say….YES

What kind of power does a civilian commission need if it is to effectively oversee a large, complex governmental department, which is also a law enforcement organization?

This question was the primary topic of discussion on Thursday, October 26, when the Los Angeles County Probation Reform and Implementation Team-–or PRIT, as it is known for short—met in front of a crowd of community members, lawyers, youth advocates, and others on the third floor of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.

The PRIT, for those unfamiliar, is a temporary nine-person body that is tasked with creating a detailed plan for the formation of the Probation Oversight Commission (POC), the new county government entity, which will oversee and advise the county’s probation department, and will report directly to the board of supervisors.

(If you’d like additional background on the proposed POC and on the PRIT read our stories here and here.)

During the previous  PRIT meeting, the team members, plus various guests—along with community members and youth advocates in the audience who ventured to the mic to ask questions—discussed the mission of the new commission.

PRIT chairperson, Saul Sarabia

This day, however,  was devoted to the thorny issue of what powers everyone thought the POC ought to have, and how those wishes squared what powers it could legally possess.

Most significant among the powers up for discussion was subpoena power.

To put that particular power in context, it helps to know which other county oversight entities have it, and which do not.

For instance, the Office of the Inspector General, which oversees the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and has investigative power, does not have subpoena power.

The Civilian Oversight Commission—or COC—for the LA Sheriff’s Department, on which the new POC is supposed to be generally modeled, does not have subpoena power either—although when the body was formed, many advocates and community groups argued strenuously that the COC needed it.

That argument has never gone away. In fact, a county ballet initiative that will be placed on the 2020 ballot,   if passed by county residents, could give the commission the elusive ability.

The present LA County Probation Commission assuredly doesn’t have subpoena power. In fact, it frequently has trouble getting any kind of serious data and/or documents out of the probation department, even when the information is something any journalist can acquire, at least in theory, through a California Public Records Act request.

The LA Police Commission, which oversees the Los Angeles Police Department, has it, but they are an outlier.

With all of the above in mind, the idea that the soon-to-be-created LA County Probation Oversight Commission—or POC—could have subpoena power, has been deemed by many to be pretty much off the table.

But then about 30 minutes into last Thursday’s meeting, this no-subpoena-power conclusion unexpectedly became less solid than it had formerly appeared to be.

Limits and more limits

To help jump-start the conversation about what powers the new commission ought or ought not to have, PRIT’s chairperson, Saul Sarabia, had lined up a list of “informational witnesses” to explore the issue.

Among the first of these witnesses was Rod Castro-Silva, a senior attorney from Los Angeles County Counsel, which provides legal advice to the board of supervisors, and other county departments.

Castro-Silva presented a crisp outline of some of the legal restrictions that will circumscribe the POC’s actions.

Patricia Soung, director of youth justice, Children’s Defense Fund, fielding questions

To begin with, he said, the POC will be a Brown Act body, which means all its meetings must be open to the public, thus it cannot meet privately.

(In short, the state’s Brown Act, is an act of the California State Legislature, passed in 1953 and authored by Assemblymember Ralph M. Brown, which guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies.)

In addition, because of its Brown Act designation, the commission will be prohibited from getting any documents that can’t also be requested through the Public Records Act (PRA), since everything it does, as previously delineated, pretty much has to be public.

For example, most all of the files pertaining to the young people under juvenile probation’s care would be prohibited to the new POC, because the files of juveniles cannot be made public. Many court files for adult probationers would also be prohibited.

In addition, the new POC could not obtain personnel files of the department’s probation officers, as they are peace officers and thus most of this information would fall under the protection of the Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights.

(That last prohibition has been modified slightly, Castro-Silva noted, by two the newly signed laws, SB 1421 which allows public access to personnel records in certain instances, such those involving officer shootings and other major force incidents, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. AB 748 requires all law enforcement agencies in California to release body cam footage from critical incidents within 45 days. But as most probation officers don’t carry guns or have body cams, neither new law will apply in most cases.)

To get around some of the Brown Act restrictions, the new commission could use the Office of the Inspector General as its investigative arm, in that the OIG can get some of these prohibited documents, since it isn’t a Brown Act body.

Max Huntsman, Los Angeles County Inspector General

After Castro-Silva had wrapped up his presentation, PRIT team member Cyn Yamashiro asked if some of the prohibited documents and/or information, if subpoenaed, “could be produced by a judge?”

Yamashiro is both a longtime juvenile defense attorney, and a member of the vexingly power-free existing probation commission.

Castro-Silva said, yes, that was true. The Board of Supervisors has subpoena power, so they could request such material. But subpoenas “can be challenged,” he said.

What he did not add—what he didn’t need to add–was that a body like the proposed probation oversight commission, as is true with the LASD’s oversight commission, likely cannot have subpoena power without a change in the applicable legal statute.

Game change

The next person to weigh in on the matter of the POC’s prospective powers, or lack thereof,  was Patricia Soung, who is the director of youth justice at the Children’s Defense Fund, where she is also the staff attorney.

When she got up to speak, Soung stipulated that the analysis she was about to present was developed jointly with attorneys at the ACLU of Southern California, most specifically, it turned out, with ACLU staff attorney, Ian Kysel, who is known for his ability to excavate the exact right set of legal references or precedents for whatever predicament is at hand.

ACLU staff attorney, Ian Kysel

The issue of what powers that the commission should have, Soung began, is essential because the commission’s “efficacy flows from whatever powers we grant it to do its job.”

She then proceeded to unfurl a step-by-step lesson in the history the state’s juvenile justice system, beginning with the first juvenile court, which was established in 1903, and including the creation of county juvenile justice commissions, which have—ta-da!—subpoena power.

“In our analysis,” Soung said finally, “the governing law dictates that the oversight commission should have robust, expansive powers,”—including powers like “investigative power and subpoena power.”

Suddenly the audience members came to full attention.

Did she just say the POC should have subpoena power, and that it legally could have subpoena power?

Well, yes.  She did.

Soung, who has a past as a juvenile defense attorney, and used to teach juvenile law and procedure at Loyola Law School, also ticked off a list of other relevant “powers” the POC ought to have, such as the power  to inspect various probation facilities where kids reside, the power to review policy and budgets, the power to have access to independent counsel—and more.

A robust, independent and fair oversight mechanism, Soung continued,  “must not depend on momentarily strong leadership, relationships, or good faith” in the department “for access to information, testimony, and records.” It must outlast leadership and relationships that can change over time.

“Subpoena power does not guarantee access to desired information, but it is a tool that we can exercise to take into account a balance of interest,” Soung said.

“It is not a matter of choice,” it is a matter of law.

“…State statute is explicit,” Soung concluded firmly.

There was more, like the fact that the law appears to apply to the juvenile side of probation oversight, not necessarily the adult.  But Soung’s statement about the law was the bottom line of her presentation.

Alleged assaults of pregnant girls and bully pulpits

During the rest of the meeting, other informational witnesses made other relevant points.

Former Los Angeles juvenile court judge, and existing probation commission member, Jan Levine, told the PRIT team members that she was “familiar with serious problems within the probation department’s practices and facilities.”

Jan Levine, probation commission member, and former Los Angeles juvenile court judge

Yet, she said, as a commissioner, she was “frequently frustrated by the structural impediments to the current commission’s ability to effect meaningful and lasting change” because the group was “significantly limited in the tools available to it.”

Levine brought up a recent example in which a fellow commissioner, Jacqueline Castor, visited Central Juvenile Hall and while there, was approached by a pregnant young female probationer who told her that the previous night she’d been pushed off a table by a probation staff member because she had not gone to her room when told to. The girl said she had been dragged to her room by two officers, and allegedly threatened with the use of pepper spray by staff on the way.

“Another girl who witnessed the incident corroborated the girl’s story,” said Levine.

Yet, when Castor and other commissioners asked for a report on the matter, probation higher ups along with county counsel told the commission that the alleged incident was a “personnel matter,” and therefore must remain confidential since the commission was a Brown Act body, and could not go into closed session.

For these and other reasons, Levine told the PRIT members, the new POC must be enabled “to go into closed session.” And, like Soung, she emphasized that, to be effective, it will need its own independent outside attorneys. And that it also needs “the power to subpoena witnesses.”

In a variation on Soung’s presentation, Levine told the panel that, based on her examination, the interpretation the old probation commission has repeatedly been given about state law prohibiting the commission from ever going into private session, “is contrary to the plain language of the statute, per a 2006 opinion from the State Legislative Counsel.”

Bryan Williams, executive director, Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission,

Attorney, Bryan Williams, who is the executive director of the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission, said that one of the biggest challenges of the COC “was finding out what power we had and what power we didn’t have.” Its greatest “greatest power,” they found, is the bully pulpit. “But we had to learn how to use it,” he said.

Max Huntsman, LA County’s Inspector General, told the group that when the OIG started in 2014, the LASD “refused to give us access” to the reports and information they needed for two years. “For two years the sheriff said, ‘no way,’ you get nothing!’

“You know when they gave us access?” Huntsman asked the room rhetorically. “They gave us access when the working group, a lot like the PRIT, started talking about subpoena power for the Civilian Oversight Commission.”

And so it went.

There were other speakers, like Mark Smith, the Inspector General for the LAPD, and other pithy points.

Yet, by meeting’s end, one thing appeared to be clear: subpoena power was no longer off the table.

It was now on.

Source: http://witnessla.com/can-the-new-la-probation-oversight-commission-have-subpoena-power-legal-experts-unexpectedly-say-yes/

[the-quotable-alberta-hansard]

December 6, 2023

Member Loyola: I find it absolutely unfathomable that we are in this Legislature at this time and that we are debating actually taking limits off the gifts that stakeholders are actually giving people in this government, members of this cabinet. To me, the fact that we’re just debating this at all is unconscionable.

An Hon. Member: Democracy.

Member Loyola: It may be democracy, but what it reeks of is corruption. It’s about stakeholders. What it looks like to the Alberta public is that wealthy, rich stakeholders will then have cabinet members in their back pocket. That’s what it looks like. That’s what it looks like to the Alberta public.

[psychic-readingonline]

Mysticism Reformation

Contents

Human transformation supported

Naomi shenstone donnelley professor

Bible study requires

Loyola (1491–1556): st

Seminary castilian mysticism

Volker Leppin. Subject: Mysticism and Spirituality, Theology and Philosophy of Religion, Christianity, The Reformation. Online Publication Date: Aug 2016.

Meaning Of Mysticism In English Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) Kant’s most original contribution to philosophy is his "Copernican Revolution," that, as he puts it, it is the representation that makes the object possible rather than the object that makes the representation possible [§14, A92/B124, note].This introduced the human mind as an active originator of experience rather than just a passive recipient

Mysticism is the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences.

Sep 14, 2017 … From its emergence as a comparative discipline in the mid-nineteenth century, the study of mysticism has been a lightning rod for many of the …

As evidenced e.g. by articles like On Contemplative Spirituality and Charismania, one of the issues I’ve been covering here at Apprising Ministries is the influx of hyper-charismatic excesses and full-on Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) into mainstream evangelicalism.

Mysticism and the reformation: A brief survey. B. McGinn. naomi shenstone donnelley professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of …

Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity.Mysticism is not so much a doctrine as a method of thought. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christianity (both the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions).. The attributes and means by which Christian mysticism …

Mysticism in the Reformation, Part I of Volume 6 of The Presence of God Series, is the first full account of the role of the mystical element of Christianity in the …

To contemporaries, the reordering of religion and the sundering of the social unity that it had once provided to European culture was the most significant development of the sixteenth century.

Mysticism John Macarthur Oct 29, 2018 … But even in the church, the allure of mystical experience regularly trumps the heavy lifting bible study requires. The popularity of self-appointed … Aug 4, 2013 … This is pseudo-Christian mysticism, it has nothing to do with the Bible, nothing to ….. John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Thy truth, Thy Word is

Even more so, central elements in his theology were shaped by mystical influences, … Theology and Philosophy of Religion, Christianity, The Reformation .

Poetry And Mysticism In Islam The Heritage Of Rumi Pdf Tawhid (Arabic: توحيد ‎ tawḥīd, meaning "oneness [of God]" also romanized as tawheed, touheed, or tevhid) is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam. Tawhid is the religion’s central and single-most important concept, upon which a Muslim’s entire faith rests. It unequivocally holds that God is One (Al-ʾAḥad) and Single (Al-Wāḥid); therefore, the Islamic

Ignatius of loyola (1491–1556): st. Ignatius had a number of mystical experiences …

Aug 25, 2008  · There are those who have been offended that I dared enter the Contemplative Temple and touch their “anointed” Buddha Thomas Merton.But here is another example of the reimagined Gnostic mysticism currently being taught to your pastor through Living Spiritual Teacher and “Christian” Roshi Richard Foster.Through his books the Guru of Contemplation has introduced Evelyn Underhill …

Self Mysticism Meaning Mysticism Literature Definition The Mysticism Of Light Mysticism is the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported

the university of st. mary of the lake mundelein seminary castilian mysticism and spirituality in catholic counter-reformation spain a research paper submitted to rev.

[abbyklinkenberg]

01 July 2017

I just finished reading One Hundred Years of Solitude for the second time. It's a hot day in Chicago and the edge of the circle of time is so sharp. 

I decided that I should try to see all 50 major museums here in Chicago before I leave, so yesterday I went out on the Brown line & transferred to the Red line in order to get to the Chicago station. There, I had a Potbelly sandwich and talked to Aidan for a little while before heading to the first museum: the Loyola University Art Museum, which turned out to be a very Catholic museum full of religious artifacts from the middle ages/Renaissance era, mostly. There were relics, the bones of saints, in some of the pieces--there were silver chalices from Germany in the 1700s and Roman keys from the first century BC and paintings by students of Caravaggio and stone apostles defaced during the Reformation. One of the hallways was full of self-portraits done by member of a poor community somewhere in Chicago, just pencil sketches that mostly looked as if they were done by children but were probably done by adults who never had the time or resources to fool around with artistic experiments. I tried to read all of the little museum information signs but at some point I got overwhelmed by the religious imagery and simply took it in aesthetically. There were two stained-glass windows done mostly in gray with bright yellow shading as the only color that I probably liked the best. A display of keys from the copper ones of the Roman empire through to the iron ones of the Middle Ages and steel ones of the Renaissance was also really striking. I like that they all did the same things but in slightly different ways, that they were all so neat and precise in their designs--one even had a club shape as the barrel of the key, or whatever it's called. It was really empty, I only saw maybe one or two other people apart from the staff (college-aged girls in blue shirts and black pants) who gossiped with one another while I walked through the museum. 

The Museum of Contemporary Art was only a block away, and was the real object of my day, so I went over there and paid the $8 entrance using my JNU student ID that expired last month. Lots of young people sat on the steps leading up to the entrance and the windows above were adorned with a giant tentacle motif in homage to the Murakami exhibition on the third floor. The first floor had two exhibitions, ETERNAL YOUTH and SMOKE, RISES or something; the first was nostalgic somehow, with magazine prints of Marky Mark and Kate Moss in Calvin Klein ads, an Instagram model blown up to be life-sized, and some other not-so-surprising or provocative looks at youth; it's not surprising anymore, to see kids wrecked by drugs or hiding behind masks or struggling with the trials of adolescence; we're so oversaturated with such content these days, it felt like a somewhat lazy exhibition--I did find some of the text pieces interesting, talking about the commodification of youth and how it's used as an empty promise and vague reason to buy something. 

The other, across the hall, was a series of basic sculptures involving 'other people' outside of the exhibition somehow, outside of the museum. Marble sculptures with shallow pools containing contact lenses of people who didn't know one another, SIM cards in cement blocks, manipulated window panes folded in strange shapes with cigarette buts or guitar strings attached to them. The most provocative one, to me, was a 'wall' with a square canvases on either side painted in the pattern of a shirt and a dress worn by a man and a woman who would occasionally come to the museum; the might meet, they might not; the canvases were put on parallel tracks that ran the length of the wall. And then a metal rod with a single earring through it--the other is presently worn by a woman somewhere in the world, which is the complementary part of the sculpture. The artist invites you to imagine the human elements that are contained in-part, yet that ultimately transcend, the museum space and sculpture itself. I found myself wanting more of that one, I felt that it was real art that provoked something in the viewer, a creative act that was the same and different every time. 

There was another gallery on that floor, tucked in the corner--a series of made-up constellations was on one wall, understandably meditating on the arbitrary yet meaningful nature of any constellation in the night sky that we have come to identify. The exhibit was named after some part of Moby Dick, 'the shallow level' or something like that. From Ahab's quotation about needing to strike through the mask, about how there is something beyond us that we can't quite access. Though the written explanation of the intention excited me tremendously, I found the art to be somewhat lacking, probably just because it's not to my taste. A painting that was overlaid with pink paint such that you can still kind-of see the stuff beneath (really obvious relevance, not profoundly interesting), a set of concrete blocks that looks solid from 3/4 sides but opens on the other, a map written over with a poem by the artist about metaphor and perception and imagining an analogous human example of reducing the world to a map, which I liked best, and some other things that didn't strike me particularly. 

Upstairs was an installation that I really hated with some computer-generated supermarket images of fruit and weird grocery store dollies and something about trying to make you feel like you're inside of a freezer with bags of fake ice and all that. Then things that look like paint cans but are actually meticulously crafted wooden sculptures of paint cans. The only part I liked, which was small, was built into the wall; a supposed massage parlor--you can see the entry with the sign, a stairway up to a door, and a back entrance, all in miniature, through holes in the wall. Playing the voyeur with nothing to see, sparking a curiosity that exists but can't exist there. 

On the third floor was the Murakami exhibition, which I didn't expect to love so much. The wall was covered in silver and electric pink, tentacles patterns and a stylized 'MURAKAMI.' Some of his beautiful early works with a traditional Japanese artistic technique that depicted turtles that seemed to have been made of condensed and reptilian mystery. A massive blue wall of many panels and absurdly deep blue pigments, an ornate stage setting with 2/1 at the top to celebrate the artist's birthday by making fun of that one guy who only made art that was the date written out on a canvas. More of those mocking types except the date and the canvas were painted the same color so it can hardly be distinguished. And then some rooms on Mr. DOB, his mouse-thing, that I liked sometimes but mostly didn't. Some explanation of his workshop technique making his larger pieces was also featured, but I wasn't too interested in seeing how the magic is made, but rather in the magic itself. His 'superflat' pieces were really compelling--flowers with faces covering an entire wall, for instance--and his aesthetic came back to me from his various famous collaborations with people in the 2000s, especially. None of that stuff was really my thing, but the rigorous detail impressed me. It started to get really exciting for me upon seeing Kanye's Graduation album cover in real life, in addition to a sculpture of the Kanye Bear and another painting from that time-period. A grandmother was trying to explain to her grandkids who Kanye West was--'a very famous rapper' and I found it funny. 

The room that made me feel the most, though, was a huge rectangular gallery with two massive sculptures of demons or something, red and blue, at the entrance and exit of the room, with some Murakami stained-glass windows behind them in a sort of religious allusion. The long walls were covered by two pieces--one was a white and blue dragon that didn't captivate me terribly much, but the other was a huge, intricate, and profoundly striking work of 100 monks of various sizes, stylized and detailed in the most precise and stunning manner. It was both grotesque and ascetic, simultaneously religious and irreverent. The size of everything was really moving to me. 

The final room displayed Murakami's most recent piece, done especially for the exhibition, entitled 'the octopus eats its own tentacle' or something like that. It's a reference to a Japanese saying that deals with cutting off an arm in order to grow a new one, with the recycling of the past and the coming of a circular future. That one was also beautiful, though I had been too impressed by the previous room to feel anything but a visual hangover as I pondered the equally beautiful scene. 

I left looking for a place to read and enjoy something to drink while listening to Vince Staples' new album, which I was inspired to hear because the museum is having him speak there later this month. I really liked what I heard and keep meaning to peruse it further. I ended up at a little French bistro where I had some happy-hour red wine that I had missed. Red wine was plentiful in Argentina, but I was very deprived of it in India, so it felt like a revelation. I read my book, talked to my sister and parents, and then ordered some muscles around sunset. They were gorgeous; I had smelled them from another table earlier in the evening and resolved to try them despite my ongoing attempts at vegetarianism (currently, I've decided to eat meat only one day per week). And it really was a beautiful day, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Solitude isn't necessarily that bad. 

[duaneodavila]

2018 Graduation Speaker Roundup

As the school year winds down, we begin the annual law school prowess measuring competition of comparing commencement speakers. Has your school secured a more prestigious speaker than your rival? Has some school gone outside the box and nabbed a cool, unorthodox speaker? This is where you go to find out.

We’ll constantly update this list throughout the graduation season. It’s relatively sparse right now, but this is where we need your help! A lot of schools send us their press releases when they lock down a premier speaker, but others fly under the radar. If you’re a law student or faculty member and know who’s speaking at your school’s graduation, email us the info (subject line: “[Law School] Graduation”).

Albany — NY Court of Appeals Judge Michael Garcia Arizona State — Attorney, author, and podcast host Rabia Chaudry Boston University — NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg Campbell — Deputy Attorney General (for now) Rod Rosenstein CUNY — Georgetown Law Professor Paul D. Butler Columbia — Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson Drexel — Former NAACP President Rev. Cornell Brooks Duquesne — Third Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hardiman Harvard — Senator Jeff Flake (and not Lawyers.com Spokesperson Lindsay Lohan) Hofstra — NY Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore Loyola — Former U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. Mississippi College — U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Garguilo Northwestern — Richard Painter NYLS — Justice Stephen Breyer Penn — Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Pepperdine — Ken Feinberg Roger Williams — National Immigration Law Center Executive Director Marielena Hincapié Rutgers-Camden — Brandeis Professor Anita Hill Rutgers-Newark — NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal St. John’s — Former SDNY U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Seton Hall — Cardinal Joseph Tobin Syracuse — Former SDNY U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Temple — Former Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante UC Berkeley — Dolores Huerta UC Davis — Justice Sonia Sotomayor UC Hastings — Representative Adam Schiff UCLA — Representative Ted Lieu University of Illinois — Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Wood University of Iowa — District of Arizona Senior Judge Susan Bolton University of Michigan — Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington UNLV — Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval UNC — Jay Bilas University of Utah — Dahlia Lithwick Vermont — U.S. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough Washington University St. Louis — Anne-Marie Slaughter

Keep ’em coming.

Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

2018 Graduation Speaker Roundup republished via Above the Law

[tensegritywiki]

Cloud Pavilion from Jason Dembski on Vimeo.

Cloud Pavilion

25 May–3 June 2016

Plaza Sai Van Lake

Macau SAR China

A collaboration between architecture students from the University of Saint Joseph and media students

from City University of Hong Kong, the Cloud Pavilion was a temporary structure located at the edge of

Sai Van Lake, Macau. It used a tensegrity structure constructed from bamboo rods, steel cables, and fabric

panels, which acted as dispersed screen for a video mapping installation. The structure comprised 174 one-

meter-long bamboo rods, 250 meters of galvanized steel cable, 1000 steel-wire cable clips, 100 stainless

steel turnbuckles, and 18 meters of white stretch fabric. The opening night featured live performances by a

number of Macau-based dancers. By applying advanced digital techniques to vernacular construction

methods, the pavilion is intended to be small-scale reinterpretation of Macau’s historical building culture

while simultaneously responding to the iconic architectural forms and dynamic lighting effects that define

the city’s contemporary visual identity.

CREDITS

Bamboo Structure (Department of Architecture and Design, University of Saint Joseph)

Professors

Jason Dembski

Diogo Teixeira

Students

Bryan Qingrong Zeng

Delia Fong Ian Wong

Cynthia Iao Hio Sin

Sam Sou Hou Wan

Gloria Ao Ieong

Kyle Cheong Hoi Kei

Michael Stanly Loyola Zapanta

Wong Pui I Anna

Gui Jesus Carvalho Freitas Da Silva

Rosita Ka In Pang

Eugenio Fiumi

Andrea Bonizzato

Video Mapping Installation (School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong)

Professor

Tobias Klein

Students

Ahamed Junaid Ibrahim

Vanetta Law Chung Yan

Kelvin Ma Chun Yu

Kwan Kin Wai

Chan Sui Ling

Chan Chun Kit

Chung Hiu Lam

Tsang Ka Wai

Angus Wing-chung Chan

Ronald Ng Pak Kei

Pauline Cheng Pui Lam

Venus Ng

Carol Tse Oi Ping

Chow Wing Nam

Lau Nga Fong

Tsui Ka Wai

Ho Ka Yee

Camellia Wong

Kai Cheuk Hei

Ko Yee Ki Kelly

Agnes Tang Hio Tong

Kwan Siu Yin Marvin

Wong Wai Yin

Henry Kwok

Iki Leung

Timothy Lam

Jesse Ma

Bill Yau

Kelvin Lee

Kelvin Li

Wun Hei Dominique Leung

Shin Jaekyung

Chow Yun Fu

To Tsz Sum Janice

WanYu Chun

Chan Ling Chi

Chan Wai Sze

Yuen Wing Tung

Ho Ngan Ping

Tina Yam Tin Yan

Opening Night Performances

Shape Shifter (Performer: Neil Sweeney)

Untitled Duet (Performers: Halfan Saddi & Stanley Martin)

Fabric of Desires (Performer: Heather Spilka)

Capoeira Trio (Performers: Neil Sweeny, Isaac Braga, Janusz Ciechowski)

Support

University of Saint Joseph

City University of Hong Kong

Macau Foundation

[96thdayofrage]

https://calmatters.org/blogs/california-election-2020/2019/09/kamala-harris-prosecuted-mentally-ill-woman-police-shot-democratic-presidential-campaign-san-francisco/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Harris charged Teresa Sheehan with assaulting the officers, alleging she came at them with a kitchen knife after they forced their way into her room. But the jury was not convinced. It deadlocked in favor of acquitting Sheehan on the assault charges, and found her not guilty of threatening to kill a social worker who had called the police for help to get Sheehan into a psychiatric hospital.

“Somebody used very poor judgement in deciding to bring these charges,” said Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

“If (Harris) actually looked at it and said, ‘This is a righteous case, I want to go after a mentally ill woman who was shot,’ then you question that decision. If she didn’t know about it, then you question her management skills.”

Today Harris, California’s junior U.S. senator, is trying to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination by highlighting her experience as a “progressive prosecutor.” The Sheehan case, though, is an example of her complicated record in criminal justice.

Harris did not re-try the case after the jury deadlocked, and Sheehan went on to sue the police for excessive force. After a legal battle that lasted several years and included arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, Sheehan won a $1 million settlement. Her civil suit also resulted in a landmark appellate court ruling that says police must take more care when interacting with people they know have a mental illness.

Harris was not involved in the civil suit. Her campaign spokesperson declined to say how involved Harris was in making decisions about the criminal case, but said she appropriately did her job in charging Sheehan.

“It was the responsibility of the District Attorney’s office to pursue accountability for individuals who may have committed assault against police officers,” Kate Waters wrote in an email.

Over her years as district attorney and California attorney general, Harris developed a reputation for being cautious on criminal justice issues and took criticism from across the political spectrum. Those on the left deride her for upholding wrongful convictions and the death penalty, while law enforcement and moderate Democrats were upset that in 2004 she declined to seek the death penalty for a man who had killed a police officer.

Harris recently released a plan for criminal justice reform that involves reversing some of her earlier positions. She now supports independent investigations of police shootings — though she didn’t back proposals to do the same thing in California when she was attorney general. She says she wants a tougher national legal standard allowing police to use deadly force only when necessary — a standard California just signed into law. But a key part of the new state law holds officers accountable for their actions leading up to a shooting — a provision that allows officers to be prosecuted if they escalate a confrontation before it’s become deadly.

In the Sheehan case, Harris cleared the officers of wrongdoing, and her office wrote an article in the San Francisco police officer union’s monthly newsletter touting a judge’s decision to allow the charges against Sheehan to go to trial.

“San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris announced that Teresa Sheehan… was held to answer on charges of assaulting two San Francisco police officers with a deadly weapon and threatening to kill a social worker,” said the article from October 2008.

“The police subdued the defendant by shooting her several times.”

Such articles were routine during Harris’ time as district attorney. She had a regular spot in the police union’s newsletter where she highlighted developments in key cases. The articles were part of her effort to build rapport with the police department — a dynamic that got off to a bad start when Harris declined to pursue the death penalty against a cop killer just a few months after she was sworn in.

“I think the relationship between the DA’s Office and the average police officer has come a long way since I first took office four years ago,” Harris said in an interview in the police newsletter in March 2008. “There is more trust and a better understanding that the DA’s Office is committed to working with the Police Department to get dangerous criminals off our streets and make San Francisco a safer city.”

“She had no record. There was no reason to believe that this was criminal behavior,” Kleigh Hathaway, Sheehan’s public defender, told CalMatters.

Hathaway said she thought she’d be able to quickly get the case dismissed, and was surprised how hard the district attorney’s office fought it.

“It was really clear hearing from potential jurors how outraged they were,” Hathaway recalled.

“There was this complete surprise and shock that this (56)-year-old Japanese-American woman who was in a wheelchair (from her injuries) was being charged with all these horrible crimes.”

Sheehan declined to be interviewed. Court records describe what happened the day she was shot: She had been off her medication and behaving strangely when a social worker decided she needed to be hospitalized and called police for help. Two officers entered her room, and found Sheehan lying on her bed. She then picked up a knife from a plate beside her, and came toward the officers shouting threats. They retreated to the hallway, and Sheehan closed the door.

“With the door being closed and us not having the ability to see what she was doing, we had no way of knowing whether… she had an avenue of escape” or access to other weapons, one of the responding officers said in court records. “And so in my opinion, as soon as that door was closed, the threat became more scary for us.”

The officers called for backup and drew their weapons. They broke down the door and pepper-sprayed Sheehan as she allegedly moved toward them with the knife. Then they shot her.

Hathaway argued that backup officers had arrived with bean-bag projectiles and that there was no need for the first two officers to break in and shoot. The jury deadlocked with 11 of 12 jurors voting to acquit Sheehan on the charges of assaulting the police officers. Afterward, one juror told the San Francisco Chronicle that police used excessive force and that Sheehan should not have been criminally charged. Others said they doubted if she was mentally capable of standing trial.

The assistant district attorney who handled the case declined to be interviewed for this article.

Hathaway, Sheehan’s public defender, said she never dealt directly with Harris on the case and didn’t know how involved she was in making decisions about it.

But, she said, “This wasn’t progressive at all. This was completely unsympathetic.”

Hathaway said she later went on to vote for Harris, and has been impressed with her performance as a senator. Though she hasn’t decided who she’s supporting for president, Hathaway says she’s intrigued by Harris’ campaign.

Harris defined her idea of a progressive prosecutor in “The Truths We Hold,” the book she published earlier this year:

“My vision of a progressive prosecutor was someone who used the power of the office with a sense of fairness, perspective, and experience, someone who was clear about the need to hold serious criminals accountable and who understood that the best way to create safe communities was to prevent crime in the first place,” Harris wrote.

Sheehan’s sisters have a different view, shaped by frustrations they faced advocating for their sister in 2008. They were flabbergasted that she could be put on trial after police broke in and shot her, and upset by the quality of medical care she received in jail for gunshots and shattered bones that have left her with a sunken face and a metal rod in her leg.

Frances Sheehan said she repeatedly asked Harris and then-mayor Gavin Newsom to meet with her, but both of them refused. Her sister Patricia said that’s shaped her political views ever since.

“I just couldn’t cast my vote for either one of them, no matter what,” Patricia Sheehan said in a recent interview. “They didn’t even have the courtesy to give five minutes to my sister Frances when she begged and begged… to listen to what was going on with Teresa.”

[the-quotable-alberta-hansard]

December 6, 2023

Member Loyola: Often when I have the opportunity to speak especially to conservatives, I ask them, like: okay; what is it that you’re truly trying to conserve? A lot of the times, you know, I challenge them. I mean, are you trying to conserve existing power structures? The further we look back in history, you see the inequity that has existed where certain people don’t have access to opportunities, never mind having access to power, to the opportunity to actually change their future. The reason for that is because of the existing power structures, that have always existed. Like, colonialism is but one of them.

[doingbusiness-ca]

Results: NDP's Rod Loyola takes second term in Edmonton-Ellerslie

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Results: NDP's Rod Loyola takes second term in Edmonton-Ellerslie