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Sunday, May 22, 2016

'Separatist' JNU Student leader Umar Khalid faced severe 'Bengal protest' in Kolkata programme.

Kolkata Against Umar Khalid

Huge Hindu Protest against ‘anti national’, ‘pro-Pakistani’ Umar Khalid frightened his Maoist friends really in Kolkata !

Nirapeksha Das | HENB | Kolkata | May 21, 2016:: Hundreds of nationalist Hindus including RSS cadres, VHP, Hindu Samhati, Hindu Mahasabha supporters and mainly BJP workers started gathering in front of the Bharat Sabha hall on Saturday afternoon to protest against the entry of Umar Khalid, a student from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi to the Bharat Sabha hall in Kolkata. Claiming Khalid to be an ‘anti-national’, BJP and other protesters said that they would not allow him to enter into the prestigious hall related with Indian Freedom Movement. Khalid was scheduled to attend a programme organised by Naxalites under the banner of “Bastar Solidarity Network”.
People who were travelling in various vehicles were severely inconvenienced after hundreds of Pro-Hindu activists shouted their slogans against Umar leading to heavy traffic congestion on the BB Ganguly street and Central Avenue on Saturday afternoon. The vehicles remained stranded from crossings to crossings.
The “Nationalists of Kolkata” were raising the slogans, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Go Back Umar Khalid”, “Kick Out Umar Khalid”, “Drive Out ISI Agents”, “Down Down Anti Nationalists”, “Save Kashmir, Save India”, “Break the Black Hands of Anti-Indians” etc. It was seen to follow the slogans of agitators by the passers be also.
A fueling Hindu solidarity against a few Maoists attending Bharat Sabha (India Association) Hall on some matters related to ‘Dalit Politics’ in the name ‘Tribal Welfare’ actually created a great mess for them and some invitees hided and fled the place by Central Metro Railway.
A huge contingent of police was deployed at the spot to bring the situation under control. Police in the initiation level appealed the demonstrators to lift the agitations but they remained unmoved and went ahead with the protest. As the situation gradually went beyond control the police arrested the demonstrators and brought the situation under control.
It may be mentioned here that in April, JNU had rusticated Umar in connection with an incident taking place inside the university campus in which ‘anti-national’ slogans were allegedly raised. The incident had created much furore across the country. Pro RSS and BJP leaders in the state were trying then to gain some political advantage out of these issues.
When they came to know that Umar was supposed to come to the city to attend a programme at Bharat Sabha hall they chalked out their political strategy in a war footing. And the strategy was seen successful.
The State President of BJP, Dilip Kumar Ghosh (just own the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seat in recent election) somewhat challenged Omar Khalid by saying, “I know that you have come to Kolkata, but don’t dare to shout -‘Pakistan Jindabad’; the result will be fatal”.
The city has already seen similar unrest in Jadavpur University few days ago when a clash broke out between the ABVP activists and the students belonging to the Naxlite influenced and foreign funded ultra left  groups over the screening of film – “Buddha in a Traffic Jam” (get some critiques here).  Some students from the ultras had alleged that some of the ABVP supporters allegedly molested them when the trouble broke out inside the campus. ABVP also organised a rally from Golpark to Jadavpur to counter students’ rally to show out their strength and denied all the allegations of leftists.
 …BSN -The Anti National Way.
It is reported that the Programme of Khalid was initially scheduled at Muktangan in South Kolkata. But, apprehending a severe agitation in that region in view of growing strength of BJP-ABVP activists there,  police advised them to shift in North Kolkata.  Consequently, a programme of Hindu Mahasabha in the same venue on same date was cancelled by the authorities concerned to facilitate the Khalid’s prog which enraged another bunch of protests from the Mahasabha workers.
It is reported that Khalid stealthily entered the hall 2 hours before the program was scheduled. The program was supposed to start at 5 pm, but the police took Umar inside the hall before 3 pm. After the programme was over in Bharat Sabha Hall, police cordoned a safe journey for Khalid towards his destination.
The arrested BJP workers were released by the police at night after Khalid reached his desired destination.
It is strange that Kolkata police is helping a traitor JNU student leader under trail for his divisive programmes in Bengal capital in a very objectionable way to suppress the voice of the nationalist people here.
Such discriminatory treatment will lead a total denial and more staunch protest of Bengal people against Maoist and anti-Hindu, anti-National perpetrators in coming days, experts opine.

Courtesy: Hindu Existence / The links used above.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Crucial BJP politics halted Islamic progression in 2016 WB Assembly.

Islamic progression halted in WB Assembly due to crucial BJP politics this time.

Samudra Gupta | Spotlight Media | Kolkata | May 19, 2016:: The final tally of West Bengal Assembly Election, 2016 has been published by the Chief Election Officer some hours back.

All India Trinamool Congress will again form the ministry in Bengal by its thumping majority of  211 seats without any alliance out of 294 strength WB Assembly.

The Congress and Left alliance went for a very poor show with the defeat of Com. Suryokanta Mishra, the projected CM for the alliance.

For the first time, BJP is entering to WB Assembly with its highest strength of 3 MLAs including the victorious State President Dilip Ghosh from Kharagpur Sadar.

Earlier two MLAs of BJP in WB reached to Assembly through by-election and BJP never tasted the victory of General election so far in the State.

The final tally of WB Legislative Assembly 2016 shows us this picture. TMC -211. INC -44, CPIM -26, CPI -1, RSP -3, Forward Block -2, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha -3, BJP -3, Independent -1.

From this result it is very much clear that public has rejected the vested alliance of Congress and Left and eventually believed upon the much acclaimed 'development' by Mamata Banerjee without hearing anything about Sarada, Narada or collapse of Posta bridge etc.

This tremendous public support to TMC in this outstanding victory of Mamata and TMC will energize all in TMC to venture for more Sarada, Narada and Posta!

But, what is significant in this time that the run of Islamic Trojan horses towards WB Assembly house somehow halted as the numbers of Muslim MLAs have not been increased in comparison to the last Assembly position.

The Islamists in every political party usually design to increase the numbers of Muslims MLAs from their franchise and it was expected to cross the number of Muslim MLAs over 70 in 2016 WB Assembly as per their calculation done in Tipu Sultan Masjid and Furfura Shariff.

For the last two Assembly position the number of Muslim MLAs were increasing significantly. In 2006  there were 45 Muslim MLAs in the WB Assembly, which was increased as 60 in 2011. But, this time in 2016  the increase has been halted as the number of 59 MLAs will be seen in the Assembly floor.

The year-wise details can be obtained from below: (Click the links below to get details)

It is evident, while numbers of Muslims MLAs have been increased in both TMC (by +6 MLAs) and Congress (by +3 MLAs), the numbers of Leftist Muslim MLAs have been decreased meaningfully.

From an analysis it is detected that the presence of BJP politics in West Bengal has critically polarized the Hindu votes such a manner when some winning Hindu MLAs have been favoured by BJP vote sharing to make a defeat to their Muslim contenders.

In Budge Budge AC, TMC candidate Ashok Kumar Deb defeated INC candidate Sk. Mujibar Rahaman by 7159 votes. BJP candidate Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar shared a strength of 20778 votes. Ashok Kumar Deb got 84058 and Mujibar Rahaman got 76899. In this situation, if the BJP candidate could not garner the Hindu votes in his favour and allowed the same in favour of INC, there would be another Muslim winning MLA in the WB Assembly.

Such examples are seen in various places like Raniganj where a Hindu candidate from CPM defeated the Muslim TMC candidate by 12385 votes and BJP candidate got 32214 votes. Meaningful Hindu votes from BJP were not allowed to TMC here and that is the sole cause of defeat a Muslim MLA in this Assembly.

In Islampur where win of Muslim Candidate is a phenomenon, this time a Hindu candidate named Kanialal Agarwal of INC won the game by defeating TMC's Muslim candidate and Ex Minister Abdul Karim Choudhury by 7718 votes. Soumyaroop Mondal of BJP got the substantial 18668 Hindu votes. If the BJP candidate could not be successful to snatch a big number of Hindus votes from TMC, there would be another increase of a Muslim MLA in WB Assembly.

This crucial role of polarizing Hindu votes in favour of BJP caused a substantial defeat of many Muslim candidates this time including Rampurhat where BJP candidate Dudhkumar Mondal shared 25480 votes and Muslim candidate of Congress defeated by 21199 votes.

Crushing the constant humiliation of BJP by a section of Bengal Media including ABP Ananda, BJP this time shared a of 10.2% total votes, which has really played a crucial role in Bengal politics.

In the system irony of present election procedures, this 10.2% votes give only 3 seats for BJP. Whereas, only 2% increase upon this vote per cent i.e. 12.3% votes give a total of 44 seats to Congress making them fit for the post of leader in opposition.

Anyway, the five year planning of Bengal Islamists to make more MLAs in successive Assemblies in the favourable situation of 'minority appeasement' and 'Muslim vote bank politics', has been shattered to some extent this time as Islamic progression is halted in WB Assembly now due to crucial BJP politics.

Obviously, this is a success story of BJP politics to arrest a Political Jihad in West Bengal, though a little. Otherwise, there will be 70 Muslim MLAs in WB Assembly at least.

But, the three BJP MLAs viz. Dilip Kumar Ghosh (Kharagpur Sadar), Manoj Tigga (Madarihat) and Swadhin  Kumar Sarkar (Baishnabnagar) in the new  Assembly have their heavy task to chase three most communal persons in the floor of the house. They are Siddikullah Choudhury (Mangalkot), Abdur Razzak Molla (Bhangore) and Hazi Nurul Islam (Haroa), all from TMC.

This analysis seems too much communal to a part of TMC supporters and others. But, there are many winning TMC candidates like Jogaranjan Halder (Kulpi), Manturam Pakhira (Kakdwip) or Dipak Halder (Diamond Harbour) who are likely to understand the essence of this analysis and obviously who thank silently the BJP voters for their intelligent shifting of support to TMC for which they defeated their Muslim contenders put by the  Congress-Left alliance under a culpable communal motive.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Hindu Jagaran Manch leads the protest against Kaliachak Riot and Communal situation in WB.

Kolkata Protest.

Hindu Jagaran Mancha and others protest Kaliachak Communal Riot; condemn state inaction and demand the resignation of Mamata Banerjee.

Samudra Gupta | Spotlight Media | Kolkata | January 18, 2016:: Hindu Jagaran Mancha (HJM), South Bengal Unit, toady rallied in Kolkata on 18 January 2016 in protest of the Communal Riot lashed out on 3rd January 2016 at Kaliachak in Malda district of WB by a frenzied Islamic group named  Edara-e-Sharia.

The Rally started from Collage square and ended through a meeting in Rani Rasmoni Road in Kolkata.

In the Rally various speakers demanded immediate resignation of WB CM, Ban on Edara-e-Sharia outfits, full stop in state Muslim appease policy and the safety-security of peace loving Hindu citizen of WB.

Various speakers highlighted the Hindu persecution in rural and urban Bengal due to TMC hooliganism mainly perpetrated by anti-social Muslims who took shelter in the party during these years.

One of the organizers Nabendu Banerjee of HJM told, "We will not allow Mamata Banerjee to make this West Bengal as West Bangladesh!"

A participant told Spotlight Media that Mamata Banerjee promised Bengal people to make Kolkata as London, but she made Malda as Taliban state like Afghanistan.

It is now revealed the illegal harvest of poppy seeds in Malda-Sujapur-Kaliachak areas drastically turned down the law and order situation in entire Malda district and adjacent areas.

A good numbers of youth from Kolkata and adjacent districts participated in the rally.

A street corner was also held near Sonarpur Railway station by HJM On 17th January evening.
Sonarpur Protest.

In Delhi some Hindu groups led by RSS protested the growing communal situation like Kaliachak, Deganga, Canning, Usthi, Samudragarh etc. in West Bengal and rallied upto Banga Bhavan.

Delhi Protest.

Kaliachak-Malada Leaflet by HJM.

Pic Courtesy: FB postings of Upananda Brahmachari, Manik Dey and Krishanu Mitra.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Islamist Mamata Banerjee is humiliating Hindus of Bakreshwar due to her Muslim appeasement policy.

Puja stopped in Bakreshwar Temple for half day in protest of communal politics of Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Samudra Gupta | Spotlight Media | Suri | January 15, 2016:: Though the State BJP demands a gate in the way named after both the shrines, one for Hindus and other for Muslim to symbolise harmony, the culpable CM of West Bengal stealthy promised to the Muslims to make it exclusively Islamic only.

The Birbhum district unit of BJP has been demanding a common gate be built on National Highway No. 60 for pilgrims to Bakreswar temple (A 1000 years old Shiva Temple connected with Shakti Peetha) and Patharchapuri shrine ( A 100 year old Majar on a Muslim Oli) in the district and named after the two famous religious places to symbolise the communal harmony.

The renowned Muslim shrine Patharchapuri falls on the way from Suri to ancient Bakreswar, a famous Lord Shiva pilgrimage site which is known for its hot-spring also. But, the appeasement policy of TMC and WB CM fuels the situation towards a Hindu-Muslim division.

It is cracked that, the Islamist CM of West Bengal has promised to the Patharchapuri Shrine committee that "No Hindu names will be included in the gate plaque" in the middle of Suri-Bakreshwar Road proceeding towards both Brakreshwar Shiva Temple and Patharchapuri Majar.

The Data Baba Majar Committee requested the visiting WB CM not to include any "Napak (unholy) Hindu name with the Pak (holy) name of Data Baba of Patharchapuri", anywhere even in the plaque of the gate under construction.

Mamata Banerjee came to Patharchapuri on 2nd December last year in Suri for administrative meeting and reached Patharchapuri Majar to fulfill her prayer for an Islamic Bengal eventually.

Seeing this development for a blatant denial for the rights of Hindus and an uncanny attempt of removing the name of Bakreshwar from the plaque of the gate under construction by State Tourism Department, the priests, servitude of temples and the common Hindu men in the locality came to the street in protest.

On January 13, the Hindus of the locality blocked the NH 60 for hours until the local administration took the representation of aggrieved Hindus present in the protest. The agitating Hindus assembled in the nearby village Karidhya and marched upto the gate under construction. They started road block and stated slogan shouting against Muslim appeasement policy and undermining the Hindus issues by the TMC and State Govt. The priests and servitude also joined the agitation by stopping the Puja at Bakreshwar and other temples. However all the temples were remained open.

Hearing the road-blockade, BDO, Suri -I, Sri Kaushik Mukhrjee reached the spot and assured the immediate forwarding the representation to the State Govt through proper channel incorporating all the points raised by the local Hindus regarding the issue.

Actually, the conventional road direction also reflects the name of Bakreshwar, Anukul mandir and Patharchapuri. But, the Islamic insanity of Mamata Banerjee put the situation unbearable to local Hindus for removing age old Hindu names from the local Hindu identity.

Getting shocked with the identity crisis a good number of Hindus of TMC party also joined in the agitation and criticized Muslim appeasement of Mamata Banerjee.

Sensing a political mileage, the Dist BJP is preparing a bigger agitation holding the Bakreshwar issue as a political divide in TMC.

"...The gate must be named as Bakreswar-Patharchapuri Toran so that the visitors can find the routes of both places. This gate may be a symbol of communal harmony if the names of both this pilgrimages is mentioned," the newly appointed district President of BJP Ramkrishna Roy said.

The Secretary of Bakreshwar Temple Committee, Sri Rajib Banerjee told Spotlight Media, "WB CM Mamata Banerjee tells everywhere that mora ek brinte duti kusum - Hindu Musalman' i.e. Hindu Muslims are two flowers in a calyx; but why she is preparing the gate for one flower here?"

The Hindu Jagran Manch and RSS are also going door to door with leaflets describing the serial Hindu discrimination upon Hindus in West Bengal and the list of endless Muslim appeasement in the state by TMC and Mamata Banerjee.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The role of Mamata Banerjee to run Malda Riot in West Bengal.

Arnab Goswami Exposed #MaldaHypocrisy & #CommunalMamata in #TimesNow .

GSK Menon & Samudra Gupta | Spotlight Media | Kolkata | January 12, 2016:: At last Times Now has had the courage to expose the Malda riots in its entirety. Mr Arnab Goswami was at his mercurial best exposing the fraudsters who have been using the term “Secularism” to foster communal vote banks and remain in power.
Muslims in India have been over pampered by all political parties to remain in power. Their swelling population poses a grave security risk. Entire stretches of our international land borders and coastline have been taken over by the Muslims.
W.Bengal presents a case study of what dangers are awaiting India in the times to come. Most Districts bordering Bangladesh has been packed with Bangladeshis and a quick annexation by Bangladesh is a distinct possibility. Assam is another tinderbox waiting to explode. Kashmir is a brewing volcano. Down South, Kerala is becoming a major hub for fundamentalist training, ideology, and financing of terror groups. Government has to act decisively.
The so called Secular Brigade (read anti Hindu and mostly namesake beef-eating Hindus) are playing with fire. It is time to change our Constitution, it is not in harmony with the existing times, it is abused and misused by politicians and bureaucrats for narrow purposes. Our Military and Police are being put in a tight spot by these petty minded people. See how the Police in Malda was pulverised and ravaged. The idea is to terrorize the Police into submission. Mamta Banerjee needs to own up the responsibility for her complicity, connivance and abatement of destruction of Malda Police Station.
Malda is not a singularized case of communal flare up in Jihadi way in Kamlesh Tiwari row. In the same style of Kaliachak, the frenzied Muslim mob attacked Baisi Police station in Purnia, Bihar on 6th January, ransacked and destroyed police records and damaged public properties, set fore on public and police vehicles and ran away. Some experts now saying that the modus operandi  of the attacks on police by the Muslim mobs over the issue on blasphemy by Tiwari are almost same to put the Hindus in a Islamic threat and to destroy police records involving the criminality of Muslim offenders in the locality.
The other important point is coming to surface that the Radical Islamic wings are putting more pressure to the non-BJP ruled states like West Bengal (run by TMC/ CM Mamata Banerjee), Bihar (JD-RJD/ CM Nitish Kumar) etc. to franchise their more bargaining power to get the political mileage for the minority appeasement and power sharing.
Interesting these frenzied Muslim mobs only harm the Hindu officers deployed in the PS and the local Hindu shops, vehicles etc. Not for others.
In Malda, the whole of communal instigation was made by an Islamic organisation name Edara-e-Sharia headed by two Rajya Sabha Members, viz. Maulana Golam Rasul Balyavi (JD-U MP from Bihar) and Ahamed Hasan Imran (TMC MP from WB).
"Mamata Banerjee has no guts to tackle frenzied Muslim people in Bengal. She is playing Muslim Vote Bank Politics. WB CM Mamata Banerjee should resign right now", told Arnab Goswami in Times Now - Newshour Debate.
Here under we put the Times Now Debate on 11th January, 2016 which is sufficient to prove the role of JD-U MP from Bihar to flare up the Communal Riot in Sujapur-Kaliachak in Malda and obviously the great patronage and appeasement policy of Mamata Banerjee to boost up the Jihadi communal line in Bengal.
Here is all available news links about Kaliachak Riot in Malda, WB.

Big Debate on violence in Malda: Who is ruining the environment?

Why didn't Mamata Banerjee take action on Malda incident - Part I

Why didn't Mamata Banerjee take action on Malda incident - Part II

DNA: Analyzing the entire story behind Malda incident - Part I

DNA: Analyzing the entire story behind Malda incident - Part II

Police Instruct Not To Antagonist Minority In Malda Riots.

Why intelligentsia silent on Malda, Purnia violence: Kailash Vijaywargiya.

Malda Violence: Centre seeks report from WB govt on violence.
Courtesy to the all links above and sources.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Jihad looms large in West Bengal. Why TMC are in dire indulgence?

ISI-JUM-ISIS Combine to Attack West Bengal for an Islamic upsurge.

ISI-JMB-DGFI combine tries to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Bangladesh incorporating a part of WB.

ISI eyeing East India unrest via JMB…

JMB, other outfits operate in Bangladesh, India with ISI support.

West Bengal Primary target of chaos plan: Bangladesh Official….

pic 1Jayanta Gupta | TNN | Kolkata | Dec 21, 2015::Organisations like the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have been operating under instructions from Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to create chaos in India’s eastern sector. According to officials in Bangladesh, the ISI has been as active in that country as it has been India in the last couple of years. In January this year, Mazhar Khan, a Pakistani envoy was expelled from Dhaka for allegedly funding JMB operatives. With operations getting more difficult in Jammu & Kashmir, the ISI has apparently turned its attention to Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
“The ISI is exploiting efforts by the JMB and other organisations to create unrest both in Bangladesh and the eastern states of India. West Bengal is primary in the scheme of things as there has been long-standing talk of jehadi outfits planning a Caliphate in Bangladesh after incorporating the districts of Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia of West Bengal. Pakistan and the ISI in particular has a lot to gain from the acts of violence perpetrated by the terror outfits. Historically, the Liberation of Bangladesh has been a sore wound for the Pakistani establishment. Improved ties between India and Bangladesh amounts to rubbing salt on this wound. By creating trouble in this region, Pakistan can make both Bangladesh and India suffer as unlike in northern India, the borders in the east are more porous,” a senior Bangladeshi official noted.
While Khan’s expulsion took place in January, intelligence agencies in Bangladesh recently came to know that Fareena Arshad, second secretary (political) in the Pakistan Embassy in Dhaka has links with the JMB and other outfits. Officials are not discounting the possibility of moles in the Bangladeshi establishment. Bangladesh’s external intelligence agency, the Directorate General Forces Intelligence (DGFI) was extremely close to the ISI till a few years ago after all. According to another source in Bangladesh, the ISI may have been planning a honey-trap to infiltrate the higher levels of government in Dhaka.
“Till Pakistan’s good relations lasted with the erstwhile governments in Bangladesh and the DGFI, the porous Indo-Bangla border remained a major entry point for subversive elements into India. Terror camps in Bangladesh – even those belonging to outfits in northeastern India – received support from the ISI. The DGFI even facilitated a visit by top ISI officials to areas close to the international border with India. Organisations like the Chhatra Shibir provided a regular supply to major terror outfits. All this ended after the present government came to power in Bangladesh. The ISI was desperate to regain ground and attempted major unrest in Bangladesh by using the JMB and other outfits in late 2014 and early 2015. By then, several subversives had set up base in India and were roped in to provide assistance. The Khagragarh blast and subsequent investigations thwarted this. Gradually, over the last one year, thanks to a crackdown by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other agencies, the JMB lost a lot of ground. However, its not the end by any means. Many leaders and key jehadis have gone to ground and are waiting for an opportunity to resurface,” an official from an Indian intelligence agency said.
Courtesy: HE.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Goseva is Greatest Service: Bengal Gov Tripathi.

Goseva is Greatest Service: WB Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi.

Bengal Spotlight Media | Barrackpore | Dec 20, 2015:: There is nothing like providing proper care and service for the cow progeny, said West Bengal Governor Sri Keshri Nath Tripathi in a opening ceremony of an Indian breed cow care  and research center at Bararckpore on Sunday.

In a joint effort with various Go-premi (Cow Lover) organisations, the Gomata Samrakshan Samiti arranged the 'foundation laying' programme near Sodepur-Panihati Rashmoni Xing in the presence of renowned Saint Sri Radhakrishna Das Ji Maharaj of Rajasthan. The MLA of Panihati Assembly Nirmal Ghosh, Industrialist Sri Ashok Todi and dignitaries were present in the programme.

As a chief guest of the function, the Bengal Governor says that beside protecting cows, we have to care for other animals also and we must not bear animal cruelty any more.

Mentioning the implication of cow protection in the field of agriculture, production of milk, health & nutrition, economy, medicine etc, Tripathi urged not to mix politics with the matter of cow protection.

The Bengal Governor also shared his experience how of of his friend's (a legislator of Kanpur)) elder brother got a relief from his traumatic health condition. When the doctors rejected the patient with an 'out of treatment situation', the patient returned home and started to take 'cow-urine' as per an elder's advice. The miracle started and the patiemt survived two years more.

Tripathi told the committee of the "Indian breed cow care  and research center"  to complete the project as a "model Goshala', as soon as possible.

__with input from Dainik Jugasankha.


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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

"Yeah... It's that easy"

That's a strong a statement as James has ever made... about anything.

I still don't see how this gets done.

Erik said...

If that's how LeBron feels, maybe Ferry should trade for Kidd at all costs. That way, if it backfires, LeBron is the one with egg on his face.

If you're Ferry, you're now off the hook with regard to public opinion should you trade for Kidd.

If the Cavs win a title with LeBron and Kidd, Ferry looks like a genius. If the Cavs don't, he can just say "LeBron assured me that Jason was the piece he needed to win us a championship. What was I going to do, deny him that and risk him leaving in a couple of years?"

Any way you slice it, now if the Cavs acquire Kidd, all the pressure would be on he and LeBron to deliver. I still think it's very risky, but now I'm almost intrigued to see what would happen if the Cavs traded for Kidd, now that LeBron has guaranteed a title with he and Kidd.

If nothing else, LeBron would be under pressure to play his ass off every night.

Ben said...

If the Cavs can't get rid of Hughes in the deal, this would mean that they'd have a ridiculous defense, but their fourth quarter offense may not look that great.

With Hughes and Kidd patrolling the wing, what's to stop teams from triple teaming LeBron and forcing them to make jumpers?

That being said, with Kidd in the fold, I can only imagine what LeBron's numbers would look like...

graham said...

Kidd could at least create for everybody, unlike Hughes. Hughes's problem is he isn't good at anything.

I think Ferry does everything in his power to get this done, but its still unlikely he has the pieces to work a deal.

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Monday, March 18, 2013

New joint. My Vasectomy, My Life-Insurance. The Good Men Project.

Much appreciative we are. We wrote this piece for the quite killer The Seven Deadly Sins reading series here in Chicago, as well as, our forthcoming essay collection Lost In Space, and are quite happy to have found a home for it in the Marriage section of The Good Men Project. So, please do enjoy, and as the mood strikes you, please feel free to share it, widely, yo. Excerpt? Cool.

"I want to tell you about my vasectomy.
It started one day when I went into my urologist’s office. I have one due to kidney stones, poor hydration, and consuming too much spinach.
The conversation went like this:
“The problem is spinach, that and you don’t drink enough water,” my doctor said.
“Spinach though, really?” I said.
“Well, and too much black tea. And cranberries,” he said.
“I’m sorry, so it’s spinach, tea, and cranberries. Why did I give up drugs, again?” I asked."

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'So what's the scouting report Trent?'

FAYETTEVILLE -  Trent Daniel repeatedly  represented Bryant and  never opposed Bryant.
Until perhaps  Friday  night in Manhattan, Kan. For Daniel would be pitching against  Bryant should the Arkansas Razorbacks summon their senior southpaw native son of Bryant, Ark., to relieve vs.  Bryant University in the  first round of the four-team, double-elimination  Manhattan  Baseball Regional.
“I’ve gotten a couple of jokes from my teammates,” Daniel said. “ It’s kind of funny being from Bryant and playing a team called Bryant, I guess.”
What have they said?
“Oh,  ‘Guess we are going to have a good scouting report, and playing your little brother,’ stuff like that,” Daniel said.
So what does he know about Bryant?  Not the high school  Hornets for which he played but these Bryant Bulldogs, the champions of the Northeast Conference.
“We know they are from Rhode Island,” Daniel said,  “and they  had a really good year and a really good showing in their conference tournament.  We heard they lost their first game and then won four or five straight.  We know they are a solid team.  You have to be if you are in postseason.  We have to be ready to play.”
Last year, Stony Brook, the Eastern unknown American East champion from South Hampton, N.Y., much like Bryant is the nationally unknown  from Smithfield, R.I., was the surprise of the College World Series before it finally boiled down in Omaha to Arkansas, third behind South Carolina and national champion Arizona.
“That’s what we have kind of mentioned that they could be the Stony Brook,” Daniel said.  “Hopefully not for us because Stony Brook went to the World Series.  But you can’t look past any opponent. You have to treat them all the same and that’s definitely what we are going to do because we know they can play. They are a good team.”
Kevin Brown,  .368 and 46 RBI,  and Carl Anderson, .340, and 47 RBI,  the Bulldogs’ two best hitters, both bat left-handed.
Host team Kansas State and Wichita State, opening the regional at 2 p.m. Friday with loser’s bracket  and winner’s games scheduled Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, are both loaded left-handed hitters.
Those left-handed hitters could signal Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn to summon Daniel at a critical juncture even with the Hogs starting two right-handers among the best in the country.
Barrett Astin, just one earned run the last 15 innings, starts  Friday night against Bryant.
Ryne Stanek, named Tuesday first-team All-SEC and one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spike Award, college baseball’s version of the Heisman Trophy, starts Saturday.
Great as Astin and Stanek have pitched, Van Horn doesn’t hesitate going to Daniel in key left-on-left situations knowing closers Colby Suggs and Jalen Beeks are ready to finish.
After an excellent 2011 following redshirting in 2010 as a sophomore transfer from Arkansas-Fort Smith, Daniel overcame a struggling start in 2012 to become Arkansas’ go-to guy against lefties en route  to and during the 2012 College World Series. Daniel’s  situational lefty vs. lefty matchups against slugger Logan Vick were  pivotal during the Waco  Super Regional when Arkansas  beat host Baylor 2 of 3 to advance to Omaha.
“That’s a guy I played with,” Daniel said,  “He was on my (2011)  summer team  so we we were already pretty good buddies.  There was a rivalry. I  got him those times, but he’s a great hitter.  I was lucky enough to get him.”
Though without a 2013  victory or save,  Daniel has skillfully guided the Hogs through key left vs. left situations, this season, too, though his last two relief outings at Auburn and in the SEC Tournament  against LSU weren’t up to his standards.
“It’s been a little bit up and down lately but I just have to stay confident and keep working hard with Coach Jorn and stuff,”  Daniel said.  “Things went well for me in the middle part of the season.  I’ve had a couple of rough outings the last couple of times, but I just have to keep going and keep competing. It’s become a mindset.  I’ve got to attack the zone and know I’ve got to do it with each lefty that  I face.”
For even in college baseball’s deepest bullpen,  Trent Daniel remains  that situational guy summoned from  the left to make things right.


text:
Housemate Rogol Rakan Selepas Mabuk

Kalau takut dilambung ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai..kalau takut kena rogol, janganlah mabuk minum arak dan keluar dengan lelaki sesuka hati ! hah, kan dah kena..nak menyesal pun dah tak ada guna. Demikian, berita yang dilaporkan Theborneopost, seorang gadis menuduh rakan serumahnya merogolnya ketika mabuk.
MIRI: A nurse claimed that her housemate raped her on Thursday morning at their rented house in Luak after they came back from an entertainment outlet. The 24-year-old nurse lodged a police report on the incident on Saturday evening.
Miri police chief ACP Mun Kock Keong, when contacted yesterday, confirmed the report and disclosed that a male suspect in his 20s had been arrested late Saturday evening.
“The suspect has been arrested and brought to Miri Central Police Station to facilitate our investigation,” said Mun.
The suspect was remanded for five days. The offence is framed under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape, which carries a sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment and whipping if convicted.
According to sources, the girl and the suspect had gone to an entertainment outlet in the city centre together on Wednesday night, where after sipping a few glasses of thirst-quencher, the girl suddenly felt woozy.The suspect later brought her home and allegedly raped her.
The next morning, when she woke up, she realised that she was naked and felt discomfort on her private part.Worried and fearing that something awful had happened she confronted the suspect.
During the interrogation, it was said that suspect confessed to the girl that they had had sexual intercourse.

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text:
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Main Season · Roda Theatre
February 19–April 10, 2016

Running time: 2 hours, plus one 15-minute intermission

Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Conleth Hill (Lord Varys in Game of Thrones) and Tony, Academy, and Emmy Award winner Frances McDormand (Olive Kitteridge) star as the notorious couple in Shakespeare’s murderous play about the lust for power and the fickleness of fate. Joining these two powerhouses of the stage and screen is an exceptional ensemble of veteran actors from the Bay Area and beyond. Tony- and Obie Award-winning director Daniel Sullivan—dubbed the “go-to guy for Shakespeare” by the New York Times—helms this thrilling new production especially for Berkeley Rep’s audiences.

Creative team

Daniel Sullivan · Director
Douglas W. Schmidt · Scenic Design
Meg Neville · Costume Design
Pat Collins · Lighting Design
Dan Moses Schreier · Composer / Sound Design
Alexander V. Nichols · Video Design
Dave Maier · Fight Director
Lynne Soffer · Voice Coach
Barry Kraft · Dramaturg
Amy Potozkin · Casting
Tara Rubin · Casting
Michael Suenkel · Stage Manager
Megan Messinger · Assistant Fight Director
Steven Sorenson · Assistant Lighting Designer
Maya Linke · Assistant Scenic Designer

James Carpenter · Duncan / Porter / Doctor
Scott Coopwood · Lennox / Understudy Macbeth
Derek Fischer · First murderer / Servant to Duncan / Messenger
Gene Gillette · Bleeding captain / Seyton / Lord / Old man
Paul Henry · Ensemble
Conleth Hill · Macbeth
Christopher Innvar · Banquo / Siward / Lord
Eddie Ray Jackson · Donalbain / Lord / Soldier
Korey Jackson · Macduff / Lord
Paul Jennings · Mentieth / Messenger
Billy Eugene Jones · Ross / Third murderer
Leon Jones · Macduff’s son
Adam Magill · Malcolm
Rami Margron · Witch / Gentlewoman
Frances McDormand · Lady Macbeth / Witch
Devin O’Brien · Ensemble
Nicholas Pelczar · Angus / Second murderer
Tyler Pierce · Fleance / Servant / Siward’s son
Mia Tagano · Lady Macduff / Witch

“A riveting experience…Frances McDormand is so thoroughly engrossing a Lady Macbeth, and so unforgettable in her sleepwalking scene…The plot takes full hold in the richly nuanced, intense mutual familiarity of McDormand and [Conleth] Hill…Hill is mesmerizing in the intimate details of Macbeth’s doubts and horrors as he wades ever deeper in blood…This has the makings of a Macbeth for the ages.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Explosive…Throbs with urgency and terror…Grabbing even a jaded modern audience by the throat from the first unholy tableau to the last beheading, Daniel Sullivan’s visceral and urgent production taps into the monstrous depths of human nature, the way people are tainted by violence and corrupted by the lust for power.”—San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group

“McDormand is compelling in the sleepwalking scene…Hill humanizes Macbeth’s final act depravity, showing us a man exhausted by his own evil but left with no other choice than to go out fighting…James Carpenter uniquely individualizes three secondary roles—the clueless Duncan, the drunken Porter and Lady Macbeth’s doctor. As Banquo, [Christopher] Innvar so plausibly holds the stage as Macbeth’s equal that I’d like to see his portrayal of the Scottish tyrant one day. Korey Jackson infuses Macduff with a moral glow that galvanizes our rooting interest after Lady Macduff ([Mia] Tagano) and their son (Leon Jones) are brutally slaughtered.”—Los Angeles Times

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Prologue: from the Artistic Director

Bette Davis famously said, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.”

Neither is Macbeth.

Shakespeare’s play about a man who murders his way to the throne and then careens toward madness is at once a thinly veiled parable about the court of James I and a violent meditation on conscience. With every ensuing murder Macbeth’s mind erodes, his spirit is corrupted, his heart destroyed. Lady Macbeth, exhorting her conflicted husband to seize the bloody time, falls victim to her own hallucinations and is finally swallowed by darkness. All the while, the world is slipping off its axis: witches utter odd prophecies as the invisible forces of nature become visibly unnatural, a reflection of the chaos created by human beings bent on slaughter. This is a play with few surprises, a lot of blood, and no hint of a happy ending.

But, of course, being a play by Mr. William Shakespeare, the text is replete with spectacular poetry, relentless theatricality, and enough humanity to make us keep watching. Like a great haunted house, we want to see what’s in every room, to take a peek at characters eating through their lives as they wrestle with greed, loyalty, power, sacrifice, and, yes, love.

To conjure such a theatrically dark universe you need artists with tremendous talent, rigorous craft, and unflinching spirit. Happily, we have assembled such a group. Dan Sullivan is one of our great directors, having done almost every play in the canon multiple times. He is flanked by the incomparable duo of Conleth Hill and Frances McDormand, who have graced our lives on the big screen in countless unforgettable performances, but who grace our stage for the first time. Together they lead a small army of superb designers and actors into the forbidden landscape of Macbeth. They aim to take no prisoners.

For our part, we can only hope that any and all parallels to the modern world are not irrevocable, and that our desire to move civilization out of our present darkness and into the light…may yet win the day.

Tony Taccone

Prologue: from the Managing Director

It’s been quite a season already, and we still have two shows to go. From Amélie to The Hypocrites’ Pirates of Penzance and Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, followed by Julia Cho’s Aubergine, we’ve done our absolute best to take you on a roller coaster ride of fine theatre—from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the refined to the raw, from irresistible love to unbridled wrath, and from propulsive enthusiasm to quiet contemplation. Now we bring you one of the great plays of the western canon, in a production that features the talents of a remarkable ensemble.

We’ve been very proud of these productions, and you, our audience, have told us that you are more than satisfied. One of the best gifts I was given over the holidays was the call from an audience member who had just seen Disgraced and was moved enough to leave a message with her intense response to the show. She was still thinking about the play after having left the theatre, and it had resonated with her at her very core. This wasn’t the only call or message of thanks, and I count myself as a very lucky person to be the beneficiary of those calls.

Though we’re looking forward to Mary Zimmerman’s Treasure Island and Sarah Ruhl’s For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, we’ll be announcing—at the beginning of March—some of the shows that will comprise our 2016–17 season. If you’re a subscriber, you’ll be receiving your renewal packets in the mail so you can sign up for another exhilarating season of plays. Don’t put it off!

We do our best to reward our subscribers’ loyalty with flexibility and affordability. We’ve had to turn away folks from sold-out performances this season, but subscribers could rest assured they wouldn’t be left out. And, of course, they enjoy the best prices.

In recent years, it has been heartening to see the growth of our under-30 subscription base, and we’ve even seen growth in attendance among those young couples who are so busily juggling careers and their new families. It is a delight to be the “date night” for couples in search of an adult night away from the kids!

So, in March check your mailbox, your inbox, or Berkeley Rep’s website to discover several shows in our 2016–17 season. Subscribers, renew and guarantee that you will enjoy a program that we expect will be as appealing as what you’ve already seen this year. (We also welcome new subscribers, of course!) Commit to date night with your loved one, family night with more of your loved ones, theatre nights with those friends with whom you’ve been wanting to spend more time, or even a night of quiet reflection by yourself.

Either way, don’t miss out. Join us for next season’s adventure.

Susan Medak

The bloody smoking sword

An interview with Director Daniel Sullivan

By Sarah Rose Leonard

Daniel Sullivan is one of America’s most consummate Shakespearean directors. In the past decade he has directed The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, King Lear, and Cymbeline at the Public Theater’s Delacorte Theater in Central Park, and notably transferred his park production of The Merchant of Venice to Broadway in 2010. Sullivan was raised in San Francisco, attended San Francisco State, briefly moved to New York in his 20s, and then found his way to Seattle Repertory Theatre, where he was the artistic director from 1981 to 1997. In the late 1990s he made a permanent move to New York, where he has since worked steadily directing classical work and esteemed new plays on and off Broadway. This production is Sullivan’s first time staging Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Before rehearsals Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard spoke with Dan about the themes of ambition, fear, and madness in the legendarily murderous drama.

Sarah Rose Leonard: Why did you want to direct Macbeth at this point in your career?

Daniel Sullivan: I have seen three or four productions in the last 10 years or so, and I just began to see the play as more interesting than I previously thought it was. Macbeth’s constant questioning of what he’s doing, and that very human flaw of ambition, is something we can all identify with. Ambition draws us; it can become terribly hypnotic and can make us bad. If you make that first step, as Macbeth does, the whole play then is basically consequence. I think that’s dramatically interesting.

Other murderous figures in Shakespeare don’t question their actions—they actually take joy in them, and that’s not something that Macbeth does. He’s simply trying to fix the thing that he’s already put in motion, and it continues to go awry for him. More than anything, there’s a consciousness to him. As he says, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself…” But the fact is that he still goes forward…in fact, there’s no returning from what he’s done, and I think he knows that.

What do we know about the Macbeths’ relationship to violence before their first murder?

It’s interesting that our introduction to Macbeth is hearing about how he beheaded his rival and stuck his head on a pike. And the very next thing is Lady Macbeth hearing the news and saying he’s got too much of the milk of human kindness. I think we have to understand that this was simply part of the conventions of war—Shakespeare is just trying to say that he was a good soldier. Even in Shakespeare’s time, bodies were drawn and quartered in the town square and hung there for days. So it’s not as though our terror at the idea of beheading was shared by the Elizabethan audience. Her talking about him having the milk of human kindness is, I think, more about what we hear later when he tries to back out of what they have decided to do.

It’s interesting that the scene where he decides to go forward with the murder isn’t in the play—you don’t really know if the murder plot comes from Lady Macbeth or if it comes from him. It’s an interesting omission and you have to sort of guess at it.

Could you share some thoughts on the Macbeths’ marriage—particularly in relation to other Shakespearean romantic pairings? What is usual, or unusual, about their dynamic?

They’re unique in the passion they have for one another. Mired within their murderousness, they are two people taking care of each other. But something happens, and it’ll be an interesting thing to explore—he basically separates from her in terms of his plotting; once he gets the murderers on board to kill Banquo, he is no longer consulting her. And so that partnership starts to wither in some way. We always wonder what it is that drives her crazy because she is so much the instigator. But I think it’s more about him than it is about what she’s done—it’s the thing that she’s unleashed, who in some way she doesn’t recognize anymore—the idea of the milk of human kindness in Macbeth seems to have been buried and she no longer really knows him.

Macduff is often seen as a moral foil for Macbeth. How do you see Macduff functioning in relation to Macbeth?

Macduff is an interesting character because in the scene with Malcolm, he is accepting some of the most egregious things about Malcolm until he finally can’t take it anymore. He ends up looking with huge disappointment at him, but still trying to make it work. There is the politician in Macduff. And the large question is: What happens at the end of the play? Is it really as positive as it states? Is the future politically going to be what it has been—is Malcolm going to end up being a great leader? We’re not quite certain that we’re left in the hands of angels at the end of the play.

There’s this undercurrent of evil no matter who you’re on stage with in the play.

Right. Trustworthiness is very much an issue, from the beginning of the play. We don’t know where Banquo stands. There’s that really interesting scene with Lennox and the lord where you don’t quite know: is Lennox on his side? Is he promoting Macbeth? Is he testing these guys by saying these things? Fear drives so much of the play. The fear of not knowing who your partner is is a huge thing in the play.

How do you make sense of this play given the instability of the medieval Scottish time period?

James came into English royalty as a Scottish king, and the idea of joining England and Scotland together was something that Shakespeare certainly wasn’t going to go against, but there’s an ambivalence in it. What I find so wonderful about Shakespeare is that even though he was able to play up to a king like James, at the same time he left a lot of unanswered questions about what was going to happen in the future.

We’re doing the play in its period, in the Dark Ages. I feel it’s really about the bloody smoking sword. I think that certainly it’s a world that begins to live with a kind of fear that bad things can happen at any time. But I’m not here to underline those themes. I simply feel that we identify with it, as something that’s very much present in our world today.

Can you talk about the role of fate in the play?

Fate is created; it’s not something that exists. One of the things that I disagree with [literary critic] Harold Bloom about in terms of the witches is that they don’t make things happen…I believe they absolutely do. Without them, I don’t think the play would take place.

The witches are the driving force.

Oh, very much so. You can see it as a test—they see this huge ambition in this man, and they promote it. You can see it as some sort of universal, that everyone has this potential; let’s see what we can do to pull it out of him. But they have agency in the play. I don’t think this world would collapse without their pushing it. Macbeth wouldn’t do what he does, I believe, if it weren’t for the seeing eye of the witches knowing what his flaw is, and promoting it from the beginning. I mean, if Macbeth came back from the war and had not met the witches who suggest to him what the future is going to be, would he kill Duncan? I think that’s a big question.

Hail to Thee, Thane of Cawdor!

A primer on medieval Scottish royalty

By Katie Craddock

There are few surviving literary or historical chronicles of the early rulers of Scotland; its early history is almost labyrinthine in its complexity and contestability. We do know that five major tribes—the Picts, Gaels or Scots (who were actually from Ireland), Angles, Britons, and Norsemen—occupied Scotland before they were first unified under Kenneth MacAlpin. Each tribe had its own traditional system for determining its rulers, and these systems were not entirely harmonious. For example, the Picts likely used matrilineal succession, where the Scots did not permit succession through maternal bloodlines. The story of medieval Scottish succession, therefore, is rife with arguments, confusion, and full-on battles.

Kenneth MacAlpin began a royal succession known today as the House of Alpin—17 kings who reigned in Scotland for almost 200 years, from approximately 843 until 1034. The House of Alpin followed tanistry, a Gaelic custom for passing on titles and lands. Under tanistry, the king was elected by family heads in an assembly. The family heads concurrently elected a tanist, or heir-apparent, so if the king died or became unfit to rule, the tanist could become king immediately, avoiding a period of chaos and preventing a dangerous power vacuum. These assemblies mandated that a king must be fully grown and sound of mind and body; once elected, he would rule for the rest of his life. In a significant departure from the English primogeniture system, the tanist was not necessarily the king’s firstborn son; rather, any qualified male relation (brother, cousin, nephew) could be elected. In the case of the House of Alpin, tanist Giric impatiently killed off his predecessor Aed to become king; several others are rumored to have done the same during the first centuries of Scottish royalty.

Scottish society in the High Middle Ages (a period roughly between 900 and 1300) was a legally stratified feudal system. “Laws of the Brets and Scots,” a codification document from the period, describes five castes: king, mormaer, toísech (thane), ócthigern (a non-noble freeman who owned land or livestock), and serf (before the 12th century, Scotland also recognized a sixth group—that of the mug, or slave). The mormaers and thanes had similar roles, though the mormaers ranked above thanes, falling right beneath the king of Scotland. It is generally thought that for the purposes of Macbeth, Shakespeare condensed the classes of mormaers and thanes into merely thanes to describe the rank of characters such as Macbeth and Macduff—one large, noble, land-holding class just below the king filled with nephews and cousins, all of whom could potentially inherit the throne of Scotland. These lords controlled most of Scotland’s northern territory and ruled over their lands like kings of provinces: they were the secular and religious leaders of their territories, supervising law and maintaining order, and had their own warrior societies. They were expected to pay a regular cain, or tribute, to the king of Scotland—usually in the form of weaponry, livestock, and taxes collected from peasants. They were also expected to provide conveth, or food and hospitable accommodations for the king whenever he wished to visit. When required, these lords would give up their local armies in service of the king’s battles and expositions.

The House of Alpin came to an end with Malcolm II, who left no male heirs. Duncan I, the son of Malcolm II’s daughter Bethóc, began the House of Dunkeld. Early in Duncan’s reign, Macbeth was recorded as Duncan’s dux, which could mean both “duke” and “war leader,” implying that Macbeth may have been Duncan’s right-hand military man. When Duncan led an army into Macbeth’s northern domain of Moray, Duncan was killed in battle against Macbeth, and Macbeth succeeded him as king. Duncan followed his relative and predecessor Kenneth MacAlpin and many of the early Scottish kings in burial at the Isle of Iona’s Rèilig Odhrain, an ancient island burial ground off the western coast of Scotland. Macbeth was the last of these kings to be buried on the Isle of Iona after Malcom III, Duncan’s son, killed him.

The gadfly: Meet Macbeth Dramaturg Barry Kraft

By Sarah Rose Leonard

Barry Kraft is a rare breed: He is one of the few Shakespeare dramaturgs on the planet. He has spent the bulk of his professional life—and childhood—immersed in the Bard’s writings as an actor and avid reader. He comes to Berkeley Rep’s production of Macbeth from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he helps directors, actors, and designers navigate historical context and tricky language. Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard talked with Barry about the process of dramaturging a Shakespeare play and the elusive, enduring power of one of his most famous works, Macbeth.

Sarah Rose Leonard: I hear you’ve acted in all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays. Is that correct?

Barry Kraft: I have, and many of them several times.

That’s incredible. How did dramaturgy come into your life?

My first Shakespeare play was when I was 12 years old; it was one of John Carradine’s last Hamlets. He came through my hometown of Laguna Beach with his core company and auditioned locals for the peripheral roles. I was cast as the prologue to the play within a play, The Murder of Gonzago. And I thought, “Shakespeare, wow!” It was life-changing. I started reading, and studying, and seeing, and I was totally imbued with Shakespeare-everything: criticism, amateur productions, listening to it on records; I just couldn’t get enough. And I have a very retentive memory, so much of Shakespeare stayed in my head. And as the years and decades went by, I became a font of knowledge (sometimes unwelcome, sometimes welcome).

It was back in the end of the ‘92 season, Henry Woronicz, who was the artistic director of OSF (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), said, “How would you like to be a dramaturg?” I guess somebody had talked to him and said, “Kraft’s very helpful in rehearsals.” So he said, “Why don’t you—” because they didn’t have an official dramaturg then—“Why don’t you be [our] dramaturg?” So I said to Henry, “What’s that?” And Henry said, “I don’t know either, but we’re going to find out together,” which I loved. And I said, “But I want to keep on acting!” There’s a thing in our culture—very seldom are you allowed to be a recognized practitioner in two different fields. They say, “You’re this, so you can’t be that.” It’s really awful—instead of widening the horizons, they squeeze them in on you. And I said, “We’ll find out what a dramaturg is, but I still want to act.” Just imagine if someone had said to Shakespeare 400 years ago, “You can only be one of these: an actor, a poet, a playwright, or a shareholder in the Globe Theatre—now choose!” How much poorer his life would have been!

For many seasons at OSF, I would take a small part in a play, like John of Gaunt in Richard II, and I would dramaturg it at the same time—or the Poet in Timon of Athens. So the shift was very gentle. So after a time I said to myself, “I’ve acted in all the plays. Why not just focus on dramaturgy?” It’s a shorter gig and leaves more time for travel and other interests.

When you’re dramaturging a show, whether or not you’re acting in it, how do you prepare for the production?

With Shakespeare, the big difference is that half of his plays are published in at least two forms (usually just two—the early quartos during his lifetime, except for Othello, and then the great first folio in 1623 that contains 36 of the plays, half of them never before published). With many of those plays, there are gigantic differences in the original texts. So the first thing I do with those plays that have two or more original forms is I make a parallel examination and highlight each instance of what I think is a meaningful difference. It could be in just a wording, it could be in the character who’s saying the speech—whenever there’s a difference between quarto and folio, I put it out on paper and then present it to the director. Before we start we decide which of these choices, quarto or folio, we might want to do. Now, in the case of Macbeth, there’s only one source, it’s just the folio. There I don’t do a quarto/folio comparison, but I of course read, and reread, the play minutely.

Then I make notes of the meanings of the words—I use anywhere from five editions to 17, as when I dramaturged King Lear. I try to find the clearest definition of obsolete words or allusions that the actors can use. And if a couple, or several, editors disagree about the meaning, I gather all of those meanings so the director, the actor, and I can collaborate on what is actually being said at that precise moment, for the needs of that specific production.

When you’re in the rehearsal room, what are you focusing on?

One of the things I do is usually sit next to the director and listen to the questions that the actors come up with, and I will give an answer when it seems appropriate. Sometimes it’s hard for dramaturgs in the room to do that, because the director and the actor are hot at it, and the dramaturg has something to say that lends light, but it’s very hard sometimes to break in on the director-actor conversation. I call myself a “gadfly” at the Festival, and I base it on Socrates’ defense, “I’ve been charged with corrupting the youth of Athens. I haven’t done any such thing; Athens is like a very large and lazy horse, and what I do is go in like a gadfly and pester it, and I ask questions, and I make the city answer, and in the end you may swat me and kill me”—which, of course, they did; he had to drink the hemlock—“and then you’ll go on sleeping for the rest of your life.” So sometimes what I have actually done, after I’ve told the director I’m a bit of a gadfly, I’ll go, “Bzzzz!” And they can say, “Not now!” or whatever, but they know the dramaturg has something to offer at that moment. Most of the directors I’ve worked with many, many times, I have an ease with about knowing when to come in.

Do you find historical context important for Shakespeare’s plays?

It really depends on the specific play. In a play like Macbeth, I’m reading Holinshed’s Chronicles, realizing that Shakespeare had two different stories, with names slightly changed, about the murder of the king and the retribution. I find that fascinating. A prince of a scholar, Alan Dessen, told me decades ago, “When you’re looking, Barry, at the original source and what Shakespeare did, it’s fun to see where Shakespeare copies slavishly, but it’s far more interesting to see where he alters his source to interject his own viewpoint.” So far, the most interesting thing I’ve found in the Holinshed is that the Macbeth character was competently on the throne for 10 years after having murdered his predecessor. So you think, “What does Shakespeare achieve by having these events take place over no more than a year or two, enough time for Macbeth to make himself a tyrant who everybody hates and wants to depose? What does that mean in terms of speed of the play?” So with the historical context for Macbeth, I’m interested in the court of James, the witch trials, James’ interest in witches, Banquo, and James being a descendant of Banquo and all of that—the equivocation, the trials of the Gunpowder Plot—all of that stuff.

What’s something you’ve learned about Macbeth that’s surprised you?

It must’ve been Jonathan Bate who made the observation that, unlike Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Hamlet, Macbeth dies isolated from his nearest and dearest. Romeo and Juliet are practically in each other’s arms; Othello is strangling the object of his love; King Lear is holding his daughter in his arms; and Horatio is right there at the final seconds, receiving the injunction from Hamlet, “And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,/To tell my story.” But Lady Macbeth dies isolated, and Macbeth dies isolated from her, and I thought, yes, that is surprising. It’s obvious, but I had never considered it before.

What is a burning question you have about this play right now?

I’m thinking about the movie American Sniper. It’s the story of a soldier—a man who is eminently good at picking off the enemies, and then he comes home and he can’t find a way to interject himself into peacetime society, his family, and friends. I think this is the story of war. This play of Macbeth is so troublesome to me—it’s a burning question of how you can go off and kill, in hand-to-hand combat, so many humans, and get such high praise for doing so, and then come back and say, “Well, why is it bad now? If I perceive this person to be my enemy, and I could be king—as I seem fated to be—why is it a bad thing to exercise my skill in taking him off?” And this is why it’s deeply troubling to me. I was a conscientious objector—I refused induction during the Vietnam War—but I’ve been thinking about war and warfare all of my life. How do you go from being a killer of human beings, with ease, to ingratiating yourself in society and saying, “No, that is a wrong activity now, even though it was right before, and it could be right again”?

Pleasing a new monarch with a new play

By Barry Kraft

Early in the play, three wayward/weïrd sisters encounter the Scottish warriors Macbeth and Banquo and speak predictions “of noble having and of royal hope” to Macbeth. Banquo, feeling more than a bit neglected, demands of them, “If you can look into the seeds of time/And say which grain will grow, and which will not,/Speak then to me.” The remainder of the play sprouts from the growth of the seeds planted, or foreseen, by those three strange women. “The seeds of time” is a resonant phrase, meaning in part the sources of future events.

If poet-playwright William Shakespeare had the power of looking into the seeds of time, what might he have seen upon the death of Queen Elizabeth on March 24, 1603? For starters he would have seen (as would practically everyone else) the smooth ascension of the 36-year-old King James VI of Scotland to the throne—thus becoming King James I of England. But could Shakespeare have foreseen that the new King would prove to be even more fond of the theatre than Elizabeth was, and that within two months of donning the crown, James would bring Shakespeare’s acting company directly under his royal patronage?

Actually “royal protection” rather than “royal patronage” would be a more precise term to describe the connection between court and theatre. If London’s city magistrates had their way, there would be no theatre at all: players and playgoers, they firmly believed, were elements of a sinful, dirty business—the Devil’s domain. Only by means of the useful fiction that the plays performed at public theatres were extended rehearsals, practice trials to prepare the works for court consumption, was theatre permitted to exist. However, only when performing at court before the King (usually during holiday seasons) would the King’s Men—as Shakespeare’s company would come to be known—receive lavish royal rewards for their efforts. All other times the company had to rely on gate receipts to make ends meet.

We imagine that Shakespeare, motivated by necessity and curiosity, began to enquire into the habits, history, likes, and dislikes of this new English monarch, two years his junior. He studied his quarry with a keen eye. For instance, James had been heard to say that he disliked long plays, and eyewitnesses had observed him slumbering through them. Duly noted.

Then there was the royal practice of “touching for the King’s Evil.” From the time of Edward the Confessor (1042) the condition of the “King’s Evil”—tuberculosis of the lymph nodes in the neck—was allegedly cured by the laying on of royal hands. King James was always pleased to exercise this power. Duly noted.

And what about genealogy, family trees? King James I boasted to have traced his royal Scottish lineage from a (mythical) Banquo’s (mythical) son Fleance, on up to himself. Duly noted.

More importantly, there was the matter of witchcraft. James had an almost morbid fascination with witches, witch trials, witchcraft. He believed that his own life and concerns had been put into jeopardy on several occasions through the agency of witch sorcery. He had attended witch trials, avidly cross-examined and testified against supposed witches, and had administered capital punishment to the unfortunate women his courts found guilty of practicing witchcraft. In 1597, James wrote and published his own contribution on the subject: Demonology, in Form of a Dialogue. Duly noted.

All well and good. But now, how were these disparate duly noted Jamesian threads to be knotted together into an actual and actable performance piece that would be well received by the monarch? It might seem that one crucial element was missing—the plot. Creating a storyline was never a problem for Shakespeare: he simply hitched his imagination and poetic skill to whatever readily available vehicle he fancied—be it another author’s play, poem, tale, biography, history, etc.—and drove off in his own direction. Only a handful of the 40 plays he wrote, or occasionally collaborated upon, feature an original plot. (In today’s world, the Bard would be behind bars for plagiarism.) Plot creation wasn’t his skill: what he did with plots was!

In the case of Macbeth, he dipped back into a favorite source he had often used for his English history plays—Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, 2nd edition, 1587. Shakespeare lifted most of the facts of Macbeth’s career from Holinshed’s history, but for details of the murder of King Duncan he substituted Holinshed’s account of the murder of an earlier Scottish king. Shakespeare’s most dynamic alterations of the chronicle history were to severely truncate and blacken Macbeth’s 10 years of well-governed ruling over Scotland following Duncan’s murder, and to make the character of Banquo—King James’ ancestor—innocent, when in Holinshed he was chief amongst Macbeth’s “trusty friends” who aided him in dispatching Duncan.

In mid-autumn of 1605 a near catastrophe almost claimed the lives of King James, his family, his ministers, and the members of both houses of Parliament. Its aftermath would give Shakespeare the focus he needed to coalesce all of the observed Jamesian threads into a compelling dramatic unity.

A small group of Catholic gentlemen, embittered by King James’ failure to extend toleration to adherents of their faith, saw to it that a vault situated beneath the House of Lords was packed with 36 barrels of gunpowder along with iron bars. On November 4, the night before James was to appear in person to open a new session of Parliament, conspirator Guy Fawkes was arrested in the vault with all the implements needed to blow the whole shebang sky high. Under excruciating torture, Fawkes gave the names of his co-conspirators who were then hunted down, tortured, tried (with the King watching the judicial proceedings unobserved), then hanged and quartered.

The link to Macbeth was the last man to be hanged. Father Henry Garnet, a Jesuit priest, knew of the Gunpowder Plot, but under constraint of the Catholic seal of the confessional was silenced from speaking out. A handful of years before James was crowned King of England, Garnet had written A Treatise of Equivocation which justified the morality of giving misleading or ambiguous statements under oath. To equivocate, to juggle words with multiple meanings so as to avoid incriminating oneself, or revealing the secrets of the confessional, or committing the sin of lying under oath was defensible behavior, Garnet believed.

In a flash Shakespeare must have realized his own art was that of the equivocator: from the lowest pun to the highest flights of metaphor, duplicity was the stock of his trade, the marrow of his being. Hence, as well as peppering his new play with references to equivocation, he fashioned the very fabric of Macbeth out of the material of duplicity, of doubleness.

We can hope his new play (probably performed at court in the summer of 1606), was amply rewarded by King James. For if Shakespeare was able to look into the seeds of time, he would have seen an outbreak of plague that summer which would effectively close the theatres for the following two and a half years.

Might this have been the origin of the curse said to haunt Macbeth?

Watch now

Behind the scenes: Macbeth

Hear more about Macbeth from some of the cast!

Highlights: Macbeth

Get a peek at the Bard’s most notorious play, featuring Conleth Hill and Frances McDormand.

Toil and trouble

Meet the witches in Macbeth!

At the Commonwealth Club

Actors Conleth Hill and Frances McDormand discussed Macbeth and more with Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 8, 2016.

Something wicked on TV

Hark! Our TV spot for Macbeth arrives.

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Additional resources

Are you a Shakespeare nut? You’ve come to the right spot.

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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s biography

  • An extensive biography of Shakespeare from Encyclopedia Britannica.

Recommended reading from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

  • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in England has an excellent list of online resources for further reading about the playwright, early English texts, performance projects, and online journals.

Folger Shakespeare Library

  • An overview of the play from the Folger Shakespeare Library, our national resource on all things Shakespeare, located in DC.

Ian McKellen analyzes Shakespeare

  • Sir Ian McKellen takes us through a Macbeth monologue in a master class on speaking Shakespeare that aired on British TV in 1979.

Slings and Arrows

  • The second season of this delightful and hilarious TV show about a fictional Shakespeare Festival in Canada follows a production of Macbeth.

A biography of the real Macbeth

  • A BBC biography of the historic Macbeth, who was not as murderous as Shakespeare made him out to be.

“110 years of Macbeth on film”

  • An article from Slate magazine that discusses the seemingly endless film adaptations of Macbeth.

Dramaturg Barry Kraft’s reading list

Macbeth dramaturg Barry Kraft recommends the following books for the Shakespeare enthusiast. The titles are accompanied by notes from Barry.

Mark Van Doren—Shakespeare

  • This book came out in 1939. It’s an essay per play, and they are marvelous; they are stylistically beautiful and filled with wonderful insight—sometimes incorrect, but really worth a read.

James Shapiro—Contested Will

  • For Shakespeare’s life and work, I would recommend Contested Will. It’s an answer to the Oxfordians, and the Baconians, and everybody who believed someone else wrote Shakespeare’s works. Shapiro goes through, with kindness, insight, and humor, and demolishes their position. We learn so much about Shakespeare the theatre man when reading Contested Will.

Margaret Webster—Shakespeare Without Tears

  • This was written back in the 1940s. Webster was a producer; she worked with Maurice Evans often, and she has a chapter per play, and it just cuts the edge—what to avoid as a director or actor, what to embrace, what to look for—and her essays, one per play, are a bit old-fashioned, but still worth the read.

Harley Granville-Barker—Prefaces to Shakespeare

  • When I was young, I devoured his preface on Hamlet. Harley Granville-Barker is that rare combination of a theatre director, a critic, and a playwright himself. In fact, he’s very much like Shakespeare in that way, who was a part theatre owner, a poet, a playwright, and an actor—and an expert in all of those fields. The theatre is always deeply embedded in Harley Granville-Barker’s criticism, and he’s a great stylist as well.

Logan Pearsall Smith—On Reading Shakespeare

  • This is a beautiful little book. The first chapter, I think, is called “On Not Reading Shakespeare”—are we bamboozled by this man? He’s a delightful stylist.

Shakespeare in Love—Screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman

  • I love Shakespeare in Love; Tom Stoppard is my favorite living British playwright.


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Yellen faces Congress with Trump's plans hazy

WASHINGTON — The frenetic first three weeks of Donald Trump's presidency have left political leaders divided and dizzy with uncertainty over what happens next.

This week, it will be Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's turn to weigh in — if she chooses to — on how the economy could fare in the early months of Trump's administration.

Are Trump's proposed tax cuts, stimulus spending, trade tariffs and deregulation the right economic recipe? And does Yellen see the Fed raising rates three times this year, as the central bank in December forecast it would?

Few expect clear-cut answers from the Fed chair's semiannual testimony to Congress — first to a Senate committee Tuesday and then to a House panel Wednesday. The official topic will be, as always, the outlook for the economy and the Fed's interest rate policy. But Yellen will surely be asked whether she think Trump's program will more likely accelerate or weaken the economy.

In part because of uncertainty over the forthcoming details of Trump's economic plans, investors expect the Fed to leave rates alone for the next few months, perhaps until its June meeting. Even after Trump's proposals are spelled out, uncertainty will swirl around how well they will survive intact through Congress.

"A lot of what the Federal Reserve will do this year will depend on what President Trump and Congress do, and at the moment we have no idea what will emerge from Congress," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Until there is some clarity about what President Trump and Congress have in mind, I think the Fed is going to be cautious."

In December, the Fed modestly raised its benchmark short-term rate to a range of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent, its first increase since December 2015. Until then, the Fed had left its key rate unchanged at a record low near zero for seven years to energize an economy pummeled by the most severe recession in decades. In December, the Fed also forecast that it would raise rates three times in 2017.

After it met again early this month, the Fed issued a statement that noted improved sentiment among consumers and businesses. And the Fed said it had become more confident that inflation will reach its 2 percent target. But it offered no hints about when it would resume raising rates.

Many economists caution that the pace of rate increases could change quickly depending on how much success Trump has in getting his economic initiatives enacted. The president is expected to formally present his program in the coming weeks, offering tax cuts for individuals and businesses and increased spending on infrastructure projects and a rollback of government regulations.

Trump has said his goal is to double economic growth, as measured by the gross domestic product, from the lackluster 2 percent annual rate that's prevailed since the Great Recession ended in 2009 to a robust 4 percent rate or better. Comments he made late last week reiterating his commitment to major tax relief helped drive up stock indexes to fresh record highs.

But Fed officials could grow concerned that a big stimulus package at this stage of the recovery, with job growth solid and unemployment below 5 percent, might overheat the economy and trigger unwanted inflation pressures. If that were to happen, the central bank could decide to accelerate its rate hikes.

"The Fed has been pretty consistent that it wants the rate hikes to come at a gradual pace, but that could change if Fed officials believe the budget-and-tax package that Trump is pushing is too big and coming too late in the economic cycle, with the economy already at full employment," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at DS Economics.

Swonk said she thinks Yellen will avoid responding directly to questions from Congress this week about Trump's economic proposals until more is known about them.

"She is going to want to fly under the radar as much as possible this week," Swonk said.

Yellen will likely also face questions about a key Republican priority: To undo much of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law, which was intended to curb the kind of excessive risk taking in the banking system that fueled the 2008 financial crisis. Yellen has been a staunch defender of the law. But Trump and his allies argue that the law has imposed too many constraints on banks, thereby slowing lending and economic growth.

Beyond Dodd-Frank, Yellen could be pressed about Republican efforts to diminish the Fed's independence, in part by subjecting it to more intensive audits. With a Republican in the White House, those efforts now stand a greater chance of success.

Trump now also has the opportunity to fill three vacancies on the Fed's seven-member policymaking board after Daniel Tarullo, a board member who was guiding the Fed's regulatory efforts, announced Friday that he would resign this spring. With Tarullo's exit and the selection of a successor, Trump and likeminded Republicans in Congress could be able to soften the Fed's approach to regulation.

"The tide may be turning against the Fed," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Martin Smith School of Business at California State University. "Politicians learned during the financial crisis how powerful the Federal Reserve can be, and they want to impose more congressional oversight."

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

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Berkshire Guitars is a family owned and operated guitar maintenance, repair and customizing shop specializing in electric guitars, based in Augusta, Georgia. Ron Berkshire is the Principal Owner working with his son, Andrew (AJ) Berkshire, Luthier and Managing Technician.

Augusta’s only certified repair center for major guitar manufacturers, Berkshire Guitars offers a full range of services. We can help rejuvenate or customize your guitar from set-up, fret repair, re-fretting and inlays to hardware upgrades, electronics repair/replacement and complete body refinishing and painting. While we specialize in electric guitars, we also offer expert repair and customization on acoustic guitars, banjos, and all other stringed instruments – even sitars!

Visit the shop to see our one of a kind line of Berkshire Electric Guitars.  Berkshire Originals are high quality, handmade works of art you won’t find anywhere else – and they are fully customizable.


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Announcing Best Delegate Summer Programs 2014!

by Ryan on February 16, 2014

Learn more about Best Delegate Summer Programs

“I signed up because I am very passionate about MUN. I wanted to improve my MUN skills, specifically, public speaking and researching.”

– Eleanor S., California

Collage 8

Kevin and I are passionate about Model United Nations and we’ve been doing Model UN for a long time. But we know firsthand how hard it is to get started with MUN and how difficult it is to improve your MUN skills.

And that’s why we started Best Delegate Summer Programs.

Best Delegate Summer Programs features the best Model UN training in the world. We teach students everything they need to know to succeed at Model UN, from public speaking and social dynamics to research methods and resolution writing. We make sure delegates understand the United Nations and international relations. And we show them how to handle Power Delegates.

Our programs are taught by the best. Our Diplomacy Fellows are the best delegates on the college MUN circuit. Each delegate gets personal feedback from the Diplomacy Fellows on how to improve their MUN skills and become a better a delegate.

And our programs take place at the world’s best universities. We’re hosting high school and middle school programs at Georgetown, Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, and more.

Ready to learn MUN this summer?

Learn more about Best Delegate Summer Programs

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Be Strong Live Long

Hanauma Hike

June 11th, 2013

I can't believe that I've lived here my whole life and have never hiked the Hanauma trail.

It was very easy and convenient to get to, there were no parking issues and (on this occasion) no crowds of people to share the trail with. My only warning would be to make sure you put sunscreen on before you head out and bring lots of water. Unlike the other mountain trails in the area, there aren't shade trees whatsoever along the way.

Right off Kalanianaole Highway headed eastbound toward Hanauma Bay, pass Koko Marina and the residential area on the right, you will see this sign and to the right is the shortcut to the ridgeline trail.

 photo 061113132_zps083e70a5.jpg  photo 061113131_zpsdde05fbf.jpg

After a few dozen yards upward you will quickly notice the fantastic view of Hawaii Kai and Hanauma Bay--a vantage point that you wouldn't otherwise get to enjoy. And it didn't take much work to get their either.

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We chose to head down the first trail to the left which overlooked the right side of the bay. It was a little scary scaling down the dry graveled dirt path while seeing nothing but cliff and ocean below, but we made it slowly and surely. At least we knew where we were headed. The path was clear.

 photo 061113103_zps31fd5d40.jpg

There is an almost eerie crater containing a graveyard of dried keawe to the right of the path. Signage indicated ancient Hawaiian significance so we happily circled the crater instead. Our reward was a view never had. At the south-eastern tip of Oahu, the bay looked gorgeous and the ocean view quickly served to de-stress.

 photo 061113108_zpsc04182c2.jpg  photo 061113121_zpsc5d25bc1.jpg  photo 061113119_zpsb3b36cda.jpg

Rounding the southern edge to head up the opposite side ridge, we found another path to water's edge. We stumbled upon fishermen's 'not-so-secret' spot, reminding us of Bamboo Ridge, which always leaves me in wonder about how the heck they found such a location, toted supplies and materials there, and were able to construct these structures. Amazing.

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Here were some of the sites along the way that I had to share. It had a desert look and feel, but beautiful nonetheless.

 photo 061113128_zps57c5ea87.jpg  photo 061113101_zpsdd9ba17e.jpg
 photo 061113125_zps5ab70f50.jpg  photo 061113102_zps3b593f67.jpg

Don't forget the sunscreen and water!

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Ok guys… we respect your determination, your dedication, and your staunch resolution to soldier on in the face of adversity. Seriously, we do. That said, it’s time for you to quit, Sprint. There’s simply no other way to put it. The most infamous losing carrier has released it’s quarterly earnings report, and things are not looking much better than they were last time around. Sprint lost 901,000 subscribers last quarter, amounting to a financial loss of $344 million or 12 cents a share. Sure, it’s a marginal improvement over the previous quarter’s results, but when you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel like this there’s really not much to rejoice about. There’s no telling how long the company can hold on, but considering a fire sale might be a necessary step before bankruptcy comes a’knocking. And you want might to save whatever image you have left by not having your CEO practically beg for your business in advertisements. Just a thought.

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Expected to be one of the main Galaxy S5 competitors (it was even referred to as a “Galaxy S5 killer) alongside the Xperia Z2 and new HTC One model, the LG G3 is apparently going to be waterproof and dustproof, according to ETnews‘ sources. However, it’s not clear what certification the device will have, assuming the report is accurate.

Comparatively, the Galaxy S5 has an IP67 certification, which means it can offer “complete protection against contact (dust tight)” and it can resist immersions in water of up to 1m. As for the Xperia Z2, the phone has IP55 and IP58 certifications, which means it’s dust protected, and can resist water jets and water submersions of up to 3m.

Made popular by Sony’s Xperia Z handset in early 2013 – and by following Sony Android devices – waterproof and dustproof features that were characteristic to rugged handsets in the past appear to be an important differentiator for flagship devices this year.

On top of ETnews’ report, a recent tweet from well-known @evleaks may reveal another G3 detail, the model number of the unreleased smartphone. “LGD850 coming to AT&T,” he wrote on Twitter adding that “D800 was G2, D820 was Nexus 5 and D830 was G Pro 2.” However, the leaker did not say when this unannounced phone would be launched on AT&T, or whether it’s indeed the G3. Recent reports have suggested that LG may be pushing forward the G3’s launch in order to better compete against the Galaxy S5, also launched earlier than anticipated.

LG has recently unveiled the G Pro 2, a new phablet meant to take on the Galaxy Note and other extra-large smartphones.

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A Church-Based Project in Gadsden and Leon Counties to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in African Americans

This project focuses on reducing cardiovascular risk factors in mid-life and older African Americans through implementing and evaluating an 18-month church-based health program. The project involves participants at six churches in Gadsden and Leon Counties.

 Desired Project Outcomes

  • Increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and calcium rich foods
  • Increased habitual physical activity
  • Decreased consumption of fat, sugar, and sodium
  • Improvement in blood pressure, body weight, blood sugars and other clinical indicators

Importance of Project

African Americans have high rates of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and strokes) which result in illness and death. Diet, physical activity and lifestyle factors can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Funding Source

National Center of Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health

Research Team

  • Penny A. Ralston, Ph.D., Florida State University
  • Cynthia M. Harris, Ph.D., Florida A&M University
  • Jasminka Ilich-Ernst, Ph.D., Florida State University
  • K.A.S. Wickrama, Ph.D., Iowa State University

Contacts for Information

Penny A. Ralston, Ph.D.

(850) 645-8110 (Phone)

(850) 645-8109 (fax)


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English Standard Version

Nahum 1:3

Embed This Verse

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fThe Lord is slow to anger and ggreat in power,

and hthe Lord will by no means clear the guilty.

iHis way is in whirlwind and storm,

and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

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For sale: Alero Superlight Bar End

Price RM 95.00
Condition Brand new
Posted 8 hours ago
Category Bar Ends
Brand Alero

If interested, you can call / sms /whatapp me at +6010-2325459

or email me...

Be careful of deals that look too good to be true

Username DaveCN
Since 31 December 2011
Rating +84 / 0 / -0 [rate this user]
Location Pulau Pinang


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For sale: CIGNA Cycling Helmet

Price RM 88.00
Condition Brand new
Posted 29 Nov 2016
Category Helmets
Brand Cigna
Helmet Type All Purpose
Size Medium Large

Brand new with many color options.

Cigna Cycling Helmet with 2 visor, dark and yellow.

More then 20 color.

Call Megabike 03-7781 4136

Thanks and ride safe.

Be careful of deals that look too good to be true

Username keongbike
Since 29 March 2011
Rating +3 / 0 / -0 [rate this user]
Location Kuala Lumpur


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Thursday, 19 January 2012

More British Women Wrestlers

Looking at the stats, the post which attracted the most attention was the one with two women wrestling.
Which, thinking about it, shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.
Now that's a direction I'd rather not take this blog down but... a couple more pics couldn't hurt.
The Buxom Viv Martell headlocks Blackfoot Sue.
I think this is from the late 70s.
"Naughty" Nicky Monroe wins a test of strength against Tina Starr.
Now I had the souvenir programme this pic was in so I think it's from 1985ish.
Incidentally Nicky was on the very first wrestling show I ever saw live. The Staffordshire County Show had decided to put on some wrestling alongside the usual incomprehensible countryside stuff. The first couple of matches attracted a moderate crowd but then Nicky wandered out in her swimsuit and not only did the crowd perk up but all of a sudden a load of dads suddenly materialised from the beer tent.   Happy days. Nicky beat Klondyke Kate if you're interested.

  1. This is Viv's favorite hold, the headscissors and no gal does it better. I have seen her make many girls submit with this hold after a long application. American gals are not allowed to force a submission with this hold for some reason.

  2. Thanks for commenting.
    It's a shame there doesn't seem to be any footage kicking around of Viv Martell. Damn you, British TV.

  3. I think it's because American fans seem to hate mat wrestling and resting holds.
    If the wrestlers arent flying all over the ring, they lose focus.
    Which makes me wonder why Lucha Libre isnt more popular in the States.

  4. I would simply LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVE to have Viv headscissor me. She looks gorgeous and so sexy and confident. I'd love it when she wasn't wearing any hose but I'd take it any way she'd let me have it. She IS GORGEOUS!

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Dual table in Hive

Since there is no Dual table in Hive..

I have created a dummy dual with dummy value ‘X’.

hive> CREATE TABLE dual (dummy STRING);

hive> load data local inpath '/local/user/dw/hive/dual.txt' overwrite into table dual;

Now we can use this table to select string values. Like

hive> select 'name','place','age' from dual;

to get current timestamp

hive> select unix_timestamp() from dual;

1 comment:


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36in Mother Load Wheeled Duffel by Transworld

36in Mother Load Wheeled Duffel

Item #:8996

Manufacturer: Transworld

Size: 36" x 17" x 15" ~ 68 linear inches

Material: 1200 denier polyester

Travel Group: Car, Oversized Check In

Price: $49.95
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36in Mother Load Wheeled Duffel Bag

This durable duffle bag holds 8,640 cubic inches (141.5 liters) and features thick 1200 denier polyester to resist ripping and tearing. Perfect for going back to school, camping or extended car trips. Save time and take everything in just one bag that pulls easily on its three wheels.

  • Durable - Thick 1200 denier polyester plus full length skid rails make this bag very tear resistant
  • Quiet and Stable - Three wheels glide steadily even under heavy conditions
  • Easy Storage - Store it under your bed. Duffle collapses to 4 inches (36in x 17in x 4in)
  • Organization - Large compartment packs big items, while the four side pockets are great for last minute accessories
  • Locking Telescopic Handle - Extends 11in for convenient pulling or pushing

  • Dimensions - 36in x 17in x 15in - 68 linear inches
  • Weight - 11 lbs
  • Capacity - 8,640 cubic inches (141.5 liters)
  • Bag Weight - 9.5 lbs
  • Material - 1200 denier polyester (1200 threads per inch)
  • 3 Pockets - One main and two side pockets
  • Color - Black