text:
Science Talk

Remembering Martin Gardner, with Douglas Hofstadter

Martin Gardner died May 22nd at 95. He wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American magazine for 25 years and published more than 70 books. Podcast host Steve Mirsky talks with Gardner's friend Douglas Hofstadter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, about Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner died May 22nd at 95. He wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American magazine for 25 years and published more than 70 books. Podcast host Steve Mirsky (pictured) talks with Gardner's friend Douglas Hofstadter, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, about Martin Gardner.

Podcast Transcription

Steve:          This is a special edition of Science Talk, the weekly podcast of Scientific American. I'm Steve Mirsky. Martin Gardner died this past Saturday, May 22nd. He was 95 years old, and he is still probably the person most associated with Scientific American magazine. His Mathematical Games column ran from 1956 to 1981. He also published more than 70 books and was a truly beloved figure around the world. Douglas Hofstadter is the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach and took over Martin's column, changing the name to the anagram Metamagical Themas. On Monday, May 24th I called Hofstadter in Paris to talk about Martin Gardner.

Steve:          You wrote back in 1992: "I came to understand that there were thousands of people spread all around the world, mathematicians, physicists, philosophers, computer scientists, on and on, who thought of Martin Gardner's column not merely as a feature of Scientific American but as its very heart and soul." How was Martin the heart and soul of the magazine?

Hofstadter:          Well when I was, when I came to know Martin Gardner's column, I was probably on the order of 14 years old, and it might have been a little bit earlier, and I will always remember that, the excitement that there would be if I went to the mailbox of my parents' house and found the copy of Scientific American had arrived; and I instantly flipped it open, look to the page where Martin Gardner's column was, went to that page and was [riveted] by whatever he said every time without any exception. And I realized later—not at that time but perhaps many years later—that many, many, many people did exactly that, that in some sense Scientific American was just the wrapping itself was just the wrapping for Martin Gardner's column. Martin Gardner's column was what it was all about it, it was so full of profundity and humor and paradox, exploration of fantastic new ideas that are so stimulating to people who enjoy mathematics or philosophy; just this mixing of beauty and paradox mixed together with also a wonderful dose of sense of humor.

Steve:          You wrote in that 1992 essay about Martin's passion for paradox, and you wrote, "I would say that more than anything this passion gave Martin his virtually unerring sense for what is important." How did that the attraction to paradox inform his ideas about what was truly important to be thinking about?

Hofstadter:          Well I think that somehow when humans thought, human intuition I should say, that [is], sort of, the everyday intuition conflicts with the way the world really is, it always hides something; there is something profound going on when our everyday intuition is in conflict with the nature of the world. And this happens all the time in mathematics and in physics, and it also happens in a certain sense in philosophy; when we try to understand any deep question in any discipline. And Martin was drawn in, you know, a powerful, magnetic sense towards these places where there is a disconnect between human intuition and the truth, and he favored them, he relished this kind of thing and he made the reader understand how deep these things were and how mysterious the world is. And I have never seen anyone who writes that way about the nature of truth, you know, a beautiful book that he wrote, it's not his column but, was the Ambidextrous Universe, it was the book that went into enormous detail about the question of left-right symmetry and time-reversal symmetry and the way in which these kinds of symmetries pervade nature and pervade physics and then it had been it turned out that there was a third symmetry in that family called charge conjugation symmetry, which is the simply the interchange of a particle with its antiparticle. And if you should combine all three that is, time reversal and mirror reversal and charge conjugation or reversing particles or antiparticles, [there's] a theorem in physics that says that that if you do those all things the world is the same, if you do all three of them. It used to have been thought that the world would be the same if you did any one of them, if you would, that if you did a mirror reversal of anything that happened in the mirror would be physically possible. And Martin explains very beautifully why that's not the case, counter to our intuition; that processes in a mirror aren't always physically realizable, and why time-reverse processes are not possible, and that's a very profound issue having to deal with the arrow of time which seems to conflict with the symmetry of the laws of physics. There are so many things, I mean, that's just an example but the Ambidextrous Universe was a beautiful book that I have given to many friends just, an example of so many books that he wrote that explains beautifully and with millions of examples these profound things.

Steve:          Yeah, he wrote a book called The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener, The Whys, W-H-Y-S...

Hofstadter:          …Yeah, yes...

Steve:          …of a Philosophical Scrivener, and at your instigation he then wrote a bad review of his own book for The New York Review of Books. Talk a little bit about why you recommended that he do that and what the purpose of that was?

Hofstadter:          Well, of course I didn't know whether he could, I mean, of course he could try but I didn't know whether the editor would approve such a thing, but in fact the editor had a good sense of humor, and I, you know, I don't remember why I suggested it, but I do know that Martin was extremely fond of intellectual hoaxes. He thought that the hoax was a marvelous way of getting people to think deeply, and he put in a lot of hoaxes in his own column, usually in the April issue, because that, of course, gives you an excuse. But in [the] case of this review I don't know if it came out in April or when, but all I know is that he convinced The New York Review of Books editor to let him do it, and he wrote a scathing review of his book. But the point was that Martin knew very well what the objections would be and he wrote the objections very well; he represented the opposite side very, very well. But as he went on it became sort of more and more heavy and more and more and strain, and finally in the last sentence he said that the narrator of this review, the persona that he was putting on said, that Martin Gardner occasionally writes reviews under pseudonyms and one of the pseudonyms that he uses is blah, blah, blah, and that was the name of the person who was supposedly writing this review. So he revealed in the very last line that this was all, not a hoax, but that it was his own take on how the world would disagree with him, and in a sense he really did a good job of showing how the world would disagree with him. I think that nobody could have written a more accurate, negative review of his book and yet it brought out all the interest of the book at the same time; I mean it brought out all the issues that he was trying to cover in a lovely way.

Steve:          It's actually a terrific exercise for any writer who is trying to make an important point, to go through it and challenge yourself; Darwin does it in Origin of Species to some degree.

Hofstadter:          Yeah, no, I agree; it requires a lot of self control and accurate self perception and so forth. I might add, you know, there are so many things that Martin Gardner did that are so important to me, but I should mention his first, the first book of his that I ever saw, which was Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, which I remember very clearly running into at age 14 in a friend's book[shelf] and that book just, what's the word, the scales fell from my eyes I think is the expression; meaning that I, up until age 14, even though I had grown up in a family, my father was a physicist and I was very exposed to science, I never really thought too much about, I mean, things that, sort of, you might say superstitions or just, sort of, I don't know, mysterious [forces] in the world, you know ESP and paranormal things and predicting the future and such things. And I had never really given it much thought, and I was as susceptible to such ideas, I suppose, as anyone else is. And I mean it made sense vaguely at least to me that you could dream things and they could come that you could dream things and that it happened on the other side of the world and they would turn out to have been true or [that you] could predict the future in some way by some mysterious means. Well when I came across that book Martin attacked maybe 15 to 20 different kinds of crazy belief systems, and I [had] never seen anything like it, never ever. And the writing style was so incisive, so full of pepper and so full of intense clarity, I mean just bursts of a sort of fireworks of clarity; I mean you would just understand why these ideas were so ridiculous, so nonsensical. And as I said the scales fell off from my eyes; I read every chapter with enormous fascination and I was also fascinated by the fact, this was  Martin's second edition, and in his preface to it, he said that when the first edition it come out he was inundated by letters from enthusiastic people who said to him that they loved every chapter of his book except for one, and they would always pick [out] the ones that, their favorite crackpot belief system was being attacked, and then they would say they were so happy to see all the others destroyed. And this is [an] extremely funny lesson about humanity, and as I say it was a real revelation to me, and Martin one of his sacred causes for his entire life was to combat pseudoscience; and he did it more masterfully and more intensely perhaps than anyone else on the surface of the Earth, and I think that's one of his great and permanent legacies.

Steve:          And you credit him with giving a real boost to your famous book Gödel, Escher, Bach when it came out he devoted a full column space to discussing it, and you think that had a lot to do with the popularity of the book.

Hofstadter:          I do and I want to point out something about that. My close friend Scott Kim was working in the same building as I was when I was writing Gödel, Escher, Bach and Scott was very, very involved in helping me evaluate whether passages were good or not and then stimulating, me giving me good ideas; I used a number of ideas due to Scott in the book, and Scott wrote a piece, I don't know maybe a 25-page article called "Strange Loop Gazette" when the book was not yet published, and he sent it off to Martin, and I know that that Scott Kim's "Strange Loop Gazette" had a very big impact on Martin Gardner and made him understand a lot of things about my book, and I owe a great deal to Scott Kim. But my point is not only about Scott, my point is really that Martin was so in contact with so many brilliant individuals—and Scott is a truly brilliant person, in fact Martin devoted at least one or two columns, maybe even three to Scott's ideas—but my point is that that Martin was in contact with these brilliant minds all around the United States and Europe and the rest of the world, and he managed to stay on top of the correspondence and to incorporate good ideas that came from all sorts of places, and he was very willing toward the later part of his life to share with people the immense amount of stuff that he had received. I think Don [Kunitz] at Stanford is the person who is the biggest beneficiary, and I think he has all of Martin's files, and I mean it's an incredible treasure trove of ideas. And so my point is that yeah, Martin did a wonderful favor for me but I think it was these partly due to Scott Kim; but of course it was [filtered] through Martin's intelligence, and Martin was the author of the article, but I think that somehow Scott Kim triggered it and this was very typical of how Martin worked. He took people's ideas and expressed them in the best possible way.

Steve:          And in 1981 you find yourself at Martin Gardner's house…

Hofstadter:          I think it was late 1980, you know.

Steve:          Late 1980, you were preparing to actually take over his column, and could you talk a little bit about his time with you there and the day you spent together?

Hofstadter:          Yeah, well what I remember is he came to pick me up at the train station, and he was very, very sweet, very kind, very gentle and very humble, and his sense of humor came out very quickly and it was a self-effacing sense of humor. And we arrived at his house, and I was introduced to Charlotte, his wife, who was a very kind woman, a little bit peppery but extremely generous. And I entered their house and I saw that it was very tastefully decorated and that there was no evidence on the lower floors, at least the main floor, that there was any kind of connection with mathematics or science; the[re] were just ordinary kinds of pictures, but very, very tasteful. And then Martin and I climbed up to the third floor where his study was, and [it was] just, you know, completely jam-packed with books that were so fascinating to me. I, you know, I didn't know how to resist picking up a book after a book after a book but I had to because we were just sitting there talking and we talked and talked and talked. And Martin was thinking that when I would take over the column that it would be very similar in spirit to his own, but I was thinking that it would have some things in common but not as much as he thought. And so I remember there was a, you know, he was showing me all sorts of things that he had hoped to put into the column, and I was thinking to myself, "Wow, you know these would have been great, but this is not the kind of thing that I myself I am likely to do." But I was fascinated by everything he told me, and as I wrote in that article, we were interrupted at one point by [a] phone call from Ray Smullyan, the logician and magician and musician—although I didn't know about the latter two, I only knew of him as a logician at the time and a very, very influential logician on myself; he had written a book that had a great impact on me. And so here I was listening, overhearing this conversation between [a person] that I truly admired, Ray Smullyan, and Martin Gardner, who I had admired even longer, and I had no idea that had any connection; and what was even stranger was that this was a conversation about a book that Smullyan had written called The Tao is Silent and I was learning that Smullyan was, you know, was a multifaceted person and fascinating person. And it again, it brought home to me the way in which Martin Gardner was at the hub of a vast universe of brilliant, sparkling intellect—including people like Marvin Minsky [at] the M.I.T. artificial intelligence lab; and John Conway who at the time was in England and later came to Princeton and who invented so many deep and fascinating mathematical ideas, especially the Game of Life, to which Martin devoted several columns and which was an incredibly important thing in bringing new ideas to the world of computation and about the cellular automata; and Donald Knuth at Stanford, the great computer [scientist]; Perci Diaconis a statistician who is fascinated by paradoxes of probability and a great magician as well; and Ray Hyman, a psychologist who had a spent a great deal of his life debunking people such as [Uri Geller]; and James Randi, one of the great magicians of our era who also was one of the most important debunkers of pseudoscience in the world. And all these people, and I am just scratching the surface, all these people he was in constant contact with, and they were close friends, and it was really quite mind boggling, and I found out about this when I was spending the day with him. And as I say, he was kind of grooming me to be his exact successor, and I was realizing that I couldn't be, and I would fall flat on my face if I tried to be a copy of Martin Gardner, but that I had my own interest and that I would have to go a little bit in my own direction. And so when I, you know, did do the column, I rearranged the letters in his column Mathematical Games in order to spell a different pair of words: Metamagical Themas, which is what my column was but it used the same letters, tipping my hat to Martin Gardner, but at the same time saying I can't do what he did for 25 years so beautifully and, you know, that was how my column, you know, started out.

Steve:          You must have gotten a kick out of the rearrangement of the letters, too.

Hofstadter:          It was quite fun. I love playing with words and Martin is an inveterate player with words and with language, and he savored the way in which other people did it. And he had this way of inspiring creativity among his readers, and he would, you know, show a limerick that had the [wrong] number of lines and in the next issue there will be several limericks that had all sorts of things wrong with them, usually self-referential limericks, you know, that would describe their own defects, and in the [wittiest] ways. And he just had a way of coaxing creativity out of people and inspiring people; and when I say people, I mean they ranged from those who are simply lovers of mathematics without necessarily having world class talent to world class mathematicians such as Don Knuth and John Conway and Ron Graham, who was the president of the American Mathematical Society, and a great juggler incidentally; and also I think Ron may be a magician although I am not positive of that. But the point is that these people [are] multifaceted and Martin interested people all the way from the humble teenager that I had been, to these, you know, Field's Medal–winning mathematician[s], and there was a continuum of people. And I don't [mean] to limit it to mathematicians, because as I say he was involved in many fields: the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mind, the magic debunking, and poetry. Martin was an extreme advocate of formal verse with precise rhyming and precise rhythm, and he, you know, he didn't make any he didn't hide this interest; and he had great disdain for poetry without structure. And he published a lot of volumes of annotated poetry and trying to preserve a kind of a sense of the beauty, the fluid beauty of the language, of the music of language, and I think that even though it may not be [in vogue] these days, I think that Martin had a very strong sense of what beauty was in language, and he managed to convey it. It may not ring true with the people in the lit-crit world, but I think to the average person, what Martin was saying was rang [true] very much.

Steve:          You know, you mentioned Raymond Smullyan and there's a story that, even though it's a Ray Smullyan story and not a Martin Gardner story, it may really illustrate the way a very simple thought process can inspire somebody to think about these paradoxical issues. And Ray Smullyan, I don't know if you recall this, but he was actually on The Tonight Show one night with Johnny Carson.

Hofstadter:          No I didn't know this.

Steve:          Yeah, he had a book out and you know Johnny Carson was an amateur magician as well.

Hofstadter:          Oh! I didn't know that.

Steve:          Yeah and he was very attracted to these kinds of things; Johnny Carson: also a very passionate amateur astronomer and a big donor to James Randi's debunking efforts, in fact.

Hofstadter: No kidding.

Steve:          Yeah.

Hofstadter:          This is a fascinating revelation.

Steve:          Yeah, and so Ray Smullyan is sitting on the Johnny Carson's show, and he is talking about the fact that when he was a little boy, his older brother had told him on April Fool's day to watch out because the older brother was going to play quite a trick on him on April Fool's day. And April fool's day came and went and Ray Smullyan, the little boy, said to his brother the next day, so you know what was the trick, and the brother said you waited all day for the trick and it never happened, that was the trick.

Hofstadter:          You know I remember this anecdote. I certainly remember the anecdote and very typical of; as you say it's not a Martin story but it's the kind of story that Martin favored, and as you point out very well this is a perfect example of a paradox. And Martin's columns about the unexpected hanging are all about this very issue of the, sort of, the conflict between the, what I guess technically they would call the object level and the meta level. I mean there was no surprise at the base level or the object level but there was a surprise at the meta level because there wasn't, because the surprise was that there wasn't that surprise. And this kind of thing is very, very important as it turns out. Many people think if that is as kind of silly or just game playing, but it turns out that these ideas are at the roots, these ideas about self-reference are also at the roots of the self-reproduction and are at the roots of how living beings reproduce themselves; because the same mechanism of self-reference has to be used in order for an object, the machine or a molecule, to reproduce itself. And this is the kind of thing that Martin would point out in his columns, that you know, there is a profound link between what seem to be maybe light-hearted or paradoxes and extremely deep things, things that are at the very core of all of human existence or all of life for that matter. This is the kind of thing that Martin would point out in favor in his columns.

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Forensic Anthropologists Find American Heads are Getting Larger

White Americans’ heads are getting bigger. That’s according to research by forensic anthropologists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Lee Jantz, coordinator of UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC); Richard Jantz, professor emeritus and former director of the FAC; and Joanne Devlin, adjunct assistant professor, examined 1,500 skulls dating back to the mid-1800s through the mid-1980s. They noticed US skulls have become larger, taller, and narrower as seen from the front and faces have become significantly narrower and higher.

The researchers cannot pinpoint a reason as to why American head shapes are changing and whether it is primarily due to evolution or lifestyle changes.

“The varieties of changes that have swept American life make determining an exact cause an endlessly complicated proposition,” said Lee Jantz. “It likely results from modified growth patterns because of better nutrition, lower infant and maternal mortality, less physical work, and a breakdown of former ethnic barriers to marriage. Which of these is paramount we do not know.”

The researchers found that the average height from the base to the top of the skull in men has increased by eight millimeters (0.3 inches). The skull size has grown by 200 cubic centimeters, a space equivalent to a tennis ball. In women, the corresponding increases are seven millimeters and 180 cubic centimeters.

Skull height has increased 6.8 percent since the late 1800s, while body height has increased 5.6 percent and femur length has only increased about 2 percent. Also, skull height has continued to change whereas the overall heightening has recently slowed or stopped.

The scientists also noted changes that illustrate our population is maturing sooner. This is reflected in the earlier closing of a separation in the bone structure of the skull called the spheno-occipital synchondrosis which in the past was thought to fuse at about age twenty. Richard Jantz and Natalie Shirley, an adjunct assistant professor at the FAC, have found the bone is fusing much earlier—14 for girls and 16 for boys.

America’s obesity epidemic is the latest development that could affect skeletal shape but its precise effects are unclear.

“This might affect skull shape by changing the hormonal environment, which in turn could affect timing of growth and maturation,” said Richard Jantz. “We know it has an effect on the long bones by increasing muscle attachment areas, increasing arthritis at certain joints, especially the knee, and increasing the weight bearing capacity.”

The research only assessed Americans of European ancestry because they provided the largest sample sizes to work with. Richard Jantz said changes in skeletal structure are taking place in many parts of the world, but tend to be less studied. He said research has uncovered shifts in skull shape in Europe though it is not as dramatic as seen in the US.

The findings were presented on April 14 in Portland, Oregon, at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

Science news source:

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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Open source software for numerical computation

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Selected projects for 2012 edition

  • Easy and Interactive Plot (Caio Lucas dos Santos Souza)
    Make an Interactive graphics for Scilab, where users can edit by simple click and retrieve data from point, curve, surface and modify the position of an entity by click and drag etc.
    Mentor: Sylvestre Ledru
  • Various improvements for the Scilab graphic features (Gustavo Libotte)
    The main objective is to improve various aspects of the Scilab graphics. For example, the first step would be to improve and stabilizes the datatip features of Scilab graphic.
    Mentor: Bruno Jofret
  • Improved graphic controls (Marcos Cardinot)
    Imagine how nice it would be if Scilab users could explore graphics data interactively with an edition interface which could enable viewing and modifying data by a sole click over a curve. This is the main aim of the project: facilitate the way to obtain such data in 2D and 3D graphics. The first objective of this project will be to improve GED, the current graphic object editor.
    Mentor: Vincent Couvert
  • Scilab for Android (Guillaume Mazoyer)
    Porting of Scilab to Android with a native interface.
    Mentor: Sylvestre Ledru
  • Integration of a "Design of experiments" module in Scilab (Maria Christopoulou)
    This project aims to implement a module that integrates a set of Design of experiments techniques (DoE) in Scilab. This module will contain various functions to produce combinations of variables that affect the operating conditions of a system.
    Mentor: Yann Collette
  • SIP (Scilab Image Processing Toolbox) + Scilab (Pallan Madhavan)
    This project aims to add functionality to the Google FLOSS project Leptonica and interface most of this C library with Scilab and thoroughly document this library. Google projects that will most benefit from this effort include Google Book search and Google Image Search.
    Mentor: Ricardo Fabbri
  • Aerospace Blockset for Xcos (Paweł Zagórski)
    The goal of this project is to provide aerospace blockset for Xcos. Users could easily model behavior of spacecrafts: their trajectories, maneuvers and attitude dynamics. To provide a comprehensive and structured set of blocks, block set should contain few essential libraries: - Guidance, Navigation and Control library - Equation of motion library - Environment conditions library - Utilities library
    Mentor: Clément David
  • Accurate Probability Distribution Function (Prateek Papriwal)
    This project aims at implementing more distribution functions in Scilab such as pdf, cdf, invert, cdf and Rng. The addition of above Matlab-like features would add more functionalities to the distribution functions toolbox of Scilab.
    Mentor: Michael Baudin
  • Introduce a REST client in Scilab (Rohan Kulkarni)
    The aim of this project is to introduce a REST Client in Scilab which will be capable of communicating with a REST server for executing Scilab operations.
    Mentor: Calixte Denizet
  • Signal Processing Blockset (Sumeet)
    Develop algorithms and tools for the design and simulation of DSP systems. These tools allow users to develop their own DSP algorithms for speech processing, radar tracking, baseband communications, etc. The blockset should provide capabilities for FFTs, digital filtering, spectral estimation, linear algebra computations, streaming, and multirate processing. The ability to visualize and simulate results with signal generators, interactive scopes, spectrum analyzers, is very interesting for users.
    Mentor: Yann Collette


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‘Only The Horses’ Out Now In The US and Canada

USA & Canada!

Only The Horses is out now!

Download the single on iTunes below or Amazon here

Only The Horses with the remixes can be found on iTunes here and Amazon here

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Bollywood calling

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 31 July, 2011, 12:00am
UPDATED : Sunday, 31 July, 2011, 12:00am

Japan has always been on Bollywood's radar. As far back as 1966 there was the popular film Love in Tokyo and its sing-along theme, Sayonara Sayonara. More recently there has been the popularity in Japan of actor Rajnikanth - during a visit in 2006, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged the success of the Indian star's 1995 film Muthu as an example of the positive ties between the two nations.

But China, not so much. Indian cinema has had an up-and-down relationship with the Asian giant for the past few decades. In the 1940s and 50s, actor Raj Kapoor was famous on the mainland for his movie Awara, and Awara Hoon, a song from the film, was on everyone's lips (although until recently only Russia was mentioned in the context of Kapoor's popularity outside India). In 1962, there was the gangster film China Town (set in Darjeeling and Calcutta). But over the following decades, Bollywood movies - Mumbai's main cultural export to the world - were nowhere to be seen in China while India's idea of 'Chinese cinema' was restricted to the action films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. My husband has a broken tooth from his childhood to prove how much his generation adored Hong Kong's 'chopsocky' cinema.

Then, in 2001, with the thawing of cultural relations between the countries, Oscar-nominated Lagaan became a hit across the mainland. A.R. Rahman, the music director of the film starring Aamir Khan, was asked to compose the score for Chinese filmmaker He Ping's 2003 film, Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

Bollywood went on to conquer Chinese hearts. Indian newspapers have reported on the popularity of Bollywood dancing (movements synchronised to Hindi film songs) in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. The Merchants of Bollywood, a musical about the history of the Indian film industry, toured the mainland in 2009 and the first exhibition of Indian cinema was held in China last year. The month-long event, held to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the countries, stopped at Beijing, Chongqing and Guangzhou.

Cut to the present and there are two exciting Indo-Sino entertainment ventures to look forward to. One is the plan to take Kingdom of Dreams, an Indian-culture theme park (which Bollywood has a major stake in), near Delhi, to four cities on the mainland. The first is expected to open in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, next year.

The other is Goldstruck, a Bollywood-style film being produced by Beijing's Light House Productions (backed by the state-run China Film Group) with India's Eros Entertainment. Goldstruck is said to be set in India, China and the United States, and the dialogue will be in Putonghua, Hindi and English.

After years of friction, relations between two of the world's oldest cultures appear to be on the mend - so what if pop culture is the catalyst?

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Relax - food from Japan really is safe

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 11 December, 2011, 12:00am
UPDATED : Sunday, 11 December, 2011, 12:00am

Japan's food safety standards are famously among the highest in the world. That is in large part why Japanese supermarkets are so popular in Hong Kong and baby formula from the country has been favoured by so many mothers. But food producer Meiji's recall last week of a batch of formula after detecting radioactive caesium in samples caused some parents to think twice. They should not be alarmed: strict regulations stand Japanese products in good stead.

Still, some shops selling the affected product, Step formula in 850 gram cans, thought otherwise. They withdrew cans from sale even though they were not from the affected batch and despite assurances by Meiji that the levels of caesium detected were so small they posed no health risk. Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety has so far also determined that there is no cause for concern.

All involved in the manufacture and monitoring of the product have done what is right, and though there is a need to be alert, safety mechanisms remain sturdy. While that may be the case as far as Japanese goods are concerned, the same cannot be said for all the food brought into Hong Kong. Unofficial distributors importing grey-market products can avoid labelling requirements, creating risks where there should be none. Some food from Japan bypasses our regulations, but at least its quality can be assured because it has already met Japanese standards. That is not the case for produce that slips in from less reliable sources.

The radiation leak from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, wrecked by last March's earthquake and tsunami, prompted Japanese authorities to impose even higher standards. Hong Kong's inspectors have increased vigilance, barring produce that has not met requirements. Understanding and common sense, not panic, are needed at such times. Of course, when it comes to food safety, there is always an element of risk. But if we are to have faith in what we buy, the first place we should vest that faith is in food from Japan in the absence of proof to the contrary.

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Ex-clients quizzed in probe of deVere

Confederation of Insurance Brokers declines to comment on investigation into possible regulatory breaches by financial advisory firm

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 31 December, 2013, 1:07am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 31 December, 2013, 1:07am

Former clients of the world's largest expatriate financial advisory firm, deVere, say they have been contacted by Hong Kong investigators probing possible regulatory breaches in a move that comes as the firm embarks on a major expansion in the city.

The former clients told the South China Morning Post they had been contacted by the Confederation of Insurance Brokers (CIB), which regulates the sector, and questioned about the products and services sold by the firm and the representatives selling them.

The news comes in the wake of a Post investigation which revealed in October that deVere, which controls US$9 billion of assets worldwide, was facing down accusations of mis-selling and bad practice from former clients and employees.

At the moment we have a patchwork of inconsistent regulation

The CIB declined to comment on fresh developments when contacted by the Post.

In an earlier statement, the CIB said it "has been aware of certain allegations regarding deVere for some time". DeVere has been disciplined seven times by the regulator in the past eight years for breaches of industry rules.

DeVere spokesman George Prior said the firm was unaware of an investigation and asked the Post to hand over the names of its sources.

The CIB regulates deVere and all its client-facing representatives must be licensed by the CIB. The use of unlicensed representatives is a breach of the Insurance Companies Ordinance, punishable by a fine of up to HK$1 million and two years' imprisonment.

DeVere has obtained injunctions on two former employees to prevent them talking about the company. None of the material in this article comes from those former employees.

DeVere has been without a chief executive in Hong Kong since September last year and the CIB has declined to license any new front-line staff to sell insurance while it has been without one.

The latest regulatory developments come weeks after deVere announced the acquisition of Precision Group Asia, a Hong Kong-based insurance broker regulated by the Professional Insurance Brokers Association (PIBA). Like the CIB, PIBA is a self-regulatory industry body accountable to its members.

The November 8 deal was followed a week later by the purchase of financial advisory firm GWM Hong Kong, which it plans to relaunch as Acuma, the brand name of a deVere-owned entity based in the Middle East. GWM Hong Kong is CIB regulated.

Three people who worked at deVere without CIB licensing - David Hubbard, Jason Ryder and Matthew Bond - who the firm says did not have client-facing roles and so needed no licence, have moved to Precision Group Asia. They now appear on the PIBA website as licensed representatives.

The actions of deVere in buying up brokers while under investigation underlines a weakness in the two-track system used for regulating Hong Kong's insurance market. Regulators are non-statutory bodies with limited powers to investigate or censure.

"Hong Kong needs a unified financial services commission that regulates all client-facing activities and client-facing institutions. At the moment we have a patchwork of inconsistent regulation. Particularly in the intermediary land there is a regulator arbitrage where brokers choose the weaker regulator," said corporate governance advocate David Webb, speaking without specific reference to deVere.

Prior said any suggestion the company was buying firms to confuse regulators was a "false accusation", adding that the firm was "excited about developing the deVere Hong Kong brand further".

DeVere has put forward Simon Davies as the new head of Acuma in Hong Kong.

Davies previously served as chief executive for the Hong Kong-based advisory firm Richmond Asset Management. The CIB fined Davies last year for a breach of compliance following a client complaint.

"As a 35-year veteran of this industry, I have a strong belief in the fundamental benefit to the general public of a healthy, well-regulated and robustly unbiased and compliant independent advisory sector," Davies said.

Investors in Hong Kong insurance firms do not need to get regulatory approval before a takeover. According to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, which oversees the CIB and PIBA, if a buyer of an insurance broker wants to control more than 15 per cent of the shares, the new owner must be deemed "fit and proper".

PIBA told the Post it was unaware of any CIB investigation when deVere bought Precision Group Asia. The CIB and PIBA have no formal means to share information about associated firms, or understand who ultimately owns the entities they regulate.

Prior said deVere bought GWM as a platform to launch Acuma, which it hopes to position as a wealth manager licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission, which would let it advise on a full range of investments. It wants to make Acuma the largest independent financial advisory firm in the Asia-Pacific region, Prior said, while continuing to operate the deVere brand in Hong Kong to provide financial planning for expatriates.

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Smaller class sizes under a Labour Government

Smaller class sizes under a Labour Government

A Labour Government will reduce class sizes by funding an extra 2000 teachers using resources freed up by scrapping National’s flawed ‘executive principals’ policy, Labour Leader David Cunliffe says.

“We all know that kids do better in smaller classes because their teacher has more time to devote to them.

“Unfortunately with staffing for senior primary school classes based on a ratio of one teacher to 29 students, classes with more than 30 pupils are not uncommon. That’s why a Labour Government will progressively reduce this ratio to 1:26 by 2018. This gradual change will allow time to train almost 1000 more teachers.

“The picture is not much better at secondary schools where there’s an average of 26 students per class. Labour will reduce this to 23 by 2018 and train 900 more teachers. We know how crucial the college years are to young people and their parents as they prepare to move from school into the world.

“Teachers need to be recognised and rewarded for the enormous contribution they make to our society. Labour believes in professional development for teachers. That is why we will:

• Raise the standards of those wanting to become teachers by pre-screening entry into all initial teacher education programmes.
• Set up a school advisory service to share best practice and provide mentors and advisors to teachers throughout the country.
• Support a self-governing teaching profession through the democratic appointment of a new Education Council.
• Redirect resources spent forcing National Standards on schools into teacher professional development programmes.

“National’s executive principals and expert teachers have divided the sector which has labelled the policy ‘unworkable’. Labour will work with educators and end this Government’s obsession with endless measurement and finger-pointing.

“A Labour Government is committed to a modern, affordable and quality public education system. This week we have announced moves to end divisive school donations and revolutionise schools and the way our kids are taught. Today we are outlining how under Labour, teachers will have enough time to spend with every student, as well as become the best teacher they can be,” David Cunliffe says

© Scoop Media

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Gaelic ‘enormously important to Scottish culture’

Alistair Carmichael believes Gaelic has to be 'nurtured and cherished'. Picture: Allan Milligan

Alistair Carmichael believes Gaelic has to be 'nurtured and cherished'. Picture: Allan Milligan

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New Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael has hailed Gaelic as “an enormously important part of Scottish cultural life” during a visit to the Royal National Mod in Paisley.

However, he said the language had to be “nurtured and cherished” if its use was to continue to grow.

Mr Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, was born on the Hebridean island of Islay. He made the remarks yesterday after he presented the winners of the prestigious Silver Pendant with their medals at the Mod, which is being held in Paisley for the first time. He was visiting the Renfrewshire town the day after the Princess Royal attended the second of two children’s competition days.

Mr Carmichael said: “It was an enormous honour to have been invited by An Comunn Gaidhealach [the Mod’s governing body] to present the silver medal.

“Gaelic remains an enormously important part of Scottish cultural life, which requires to be nurtured and cherished. It’s pleasing to see its growth, especially through Gaelic medium education. It should not be forgotten that for many years it was An Comunn Gaidhealach and the local and national Mods that shouldered the burden of keeping the flame alive when not many other people were interested.

“Today the UK government continues to support Scottish culture as the extra £1 million of funding for BBC Alba announced during the spending round earlier this year shows.”

Mod president John MacLeod said: “We were delighted to welcome a UK government minister to the Royal National Mod.

“We have a good number of Islay competitors at this year’s Mod, which will please Alastair Carmichael on account of his island origins.”

Attendance is expected to be much higher in the town than in normal Mod locations due to Paisley’s close proximity to Glasgow, a major stronghold for Gaelic speakers.

Mod results

Oran Mor F.S. Cameron-Head Memorial Trophy (men) - 1. Robert Robertson, Fort William. 2. Andreas Wolff, A’ Choingeal. 3. (equal) John Howieson, Harrapool, and Ruaraidh Mac an t-Saoir, Uibhist a Deas.

Kennedy-Fraser Cup - 1. Janet H Campbell, Tobermory. 2. Alison Campbell, Erskine. 3. Karen MacRae, Portree.

Learners Katie Stewart Memorial Trophy (men) - 1. Lawrence Butler Perks, Aberdeen. 2. Alastair Gray, Caithness. 3. Pòl Younger, Glasgow.

4. Donald MacIver, Inbhir Nis.

Sea Song Bank of Scotland Cup - 1. Campbell McKenzie, Stornoway. 2. Lawrence Butler Perks, Aberdeen. 3. Alastair Gray, Caithness.

Traditional Moray Trophy (women) - 1. Joan Morrison, Newton Mearns. 2. Michelle MacNeil, Glaschu. 3. Eilidh Munro, East Dunbartonshire. 4. (equal) Hannah Knight, Eilean Leòdhais, and Iseabail Nic an t-Sagairt, Isle of Islay. Lochaber Rotary Club Trophy (men) - 1. Tormod MacLeòid, Eilean Leòdhais. 2. Neil Macritchie, Càrlabhagh. 3. Ruairidh MacCarmaig, Portree. 4. Calum Angus Macdonald, Lanarkshire.

Donald Murray Memorial Trophy - Joan Morrison, Newton Mearns.

Solos (Junior) - With Gaelic Songs: Glendale Quaich - 1. Ceitidh McLuskey, Ard-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig. 2. Tawana Maramba, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce. 3. Eilidh Jenkins, Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu.

Beginners Helmsdale Trophy - 1. Sandy MacGregor, Edinburgh. 2. Sonny Gibb Flexen, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce. 3. Iona Spooner, Our Lady of the Missions.

Elementary Florence Wilson Trophy - 1. Abigail Cavanagh, Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu. 2. Abigail Campbell, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce. 3. Laura Penman, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce.

Intermediate 1 K. Barry Milner Trophy - 1. Anna Jean MacKenzie, Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu. 2. Meredith Kiemer, Aberfoyle. 3. Joy Guse, Craigholme School.

Intermediate 2 Lawrence MacDuff Cup - 1. Ciorstaidh-Sarah Chaimbeul, An Caol. 2. Loxa Flexen, Broughton High School. 3. Sophie Joint, Douglas Academy.

Advanced Duncan Chisholm Trophy - 1. Màiri-Louise NicDhomhnaill, St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh. 2. Alice Guse, Craigholme School. 3. (equal) Finlay Cunniffe, Àrd-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig, and Sean Macpherson, Àrd-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig.

Solos (Senior)

Elementary Jean C. Campbell Award - 1. Anne Stephen, Aberfoyle. 2. (equal) Sue Mackay, Dumbarton, and Catriona Gorgas, Glasgow. 4. Grace Gallaher, Glasgow.

Advanced Elspeth A. Hyllested Trophy - 1. Rachel Rutherford, Glasgow. 2. Grace Guse, Glasgow.

Original Composition Margaret Balfour Trophy - 1. Neil Wood, Eastwood High School. 2. Anna Westwell, Leith Walk Primary. 3. Sophie Joint, Douglas Academy.

Comunn na Clarsaich Cup (13-19) - 1. Finlay Cunniffe & Sean MacPherson, Ard-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig. 2. Catriona MacGregor & Anna MacKenzie, Edinburgh. 3. Anna Westwell & Sophie Darbyshire, Leith Walk Primary. Lord Birsay Trophy (under 13) - 1. Ceitidh McLuskey & Sheena McGregor, Ard-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig. 2. Calum McCabe & Finlay Lawson, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce. 3. Laura Penman & Ceit Lamb, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce.

Senior Drumelzier Quaich - 1. Anne Stephen & Catriona Gorgas, Aberfoyle & Milngavie. 2. Rachel Rutherford & Grace Guse, Glasgow. 3. Grace Gallacher & Sue Mackay, Glasgow.

Voice and Clarsach Comunn na Clarsaich, Edinburgh Branch, Trophy - 1. Andrew Lyle & Blair Hendry, Bun-sgoil Innis an Uillt agus Bishopbriggs Academy. 2. Cliona McCabe & Tuesday Rose McDonagh, Ard-sgoil Sheumais Ghilleasbaig.

Open Pilgrim Harps Trophy 1. Buidheann Chlàrsaich Acadamaidh Dhùghlais.

In the ladies’ Oran Mor competition on Wednesday (A222) Sandaidh NicDhòmhnaill Jones, Uibhist a Deas, was 3rd equal with Eilidh Munro, East Dunbartonshire.

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Ian Redford recalls Dundee United’s wins over Barca

Paul Sturrock jumps a tackle by Barcelona defender Migueli during the tie at Tannadice. Picture: TSPL

Paul Sturrock jumps a tackle by Barcelona defender Migueli during the tie at Tannadice. Picture: TSPL

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IAN Redford was driving up from Norfolk on Wednesday night and although he had the car radio switched to commentary of Barcelona versus Bayern Munich, he was not aware that history was unfolding before his ears.

Joining him on the trip home to Fife was his golf professional son, who had been competing in a PGA EuroPro Tour event at Wensum Valley, near Norwich. As they journeyed north, Redford turned to tell Ian junior that he felt Bayern Munich would likely post the second victory of their Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona, which they duly did.

Little did Redford know that he was part of the side who last achieved the historic feat of defeating the Spanish giants both at home and away in a knock-out European tie. To be fair to various English-based broadcasters, this snippet of information was quickly and generously flagged up, mainly because it is such a remarkable statistic, and on two counts.

It has been an incredible 26 years since Barcelona last had such ignominy heaped upon them. And, perhaps more remarkable still, is the identity of the club who claimed this notable previous scalp.

Bayern Munich have finally emulated what Dundee United achieved in the Uefa Cup in 1987. Even then, Jim McLean’s side were only doing what came naturally to United, since the Tannadice side also inflicted two defeats on Barcelona in the Inter-City Fairs Cup, in 1966.

It was pleasing to manage to get in touch with Redford yesterday evening, since although he did not score, he was identified, along with John Holt, as the best performer on the night at the Nou Camp, when United added a 2-1 victory to their collection of wins against Barcelona. John Clark scored from Redford’s free-kick to equalise on the night, and all but guarantee United a passage to the semi-finals. Iain Ferguson applied the coup de grace a minute before the end, leaving some well-known players a little embarrassed, although the gap between the teams was not what it is now.

“Mark Hughes was having a difficult time of it at Barcelona and Gary Lineker was not setting the heather on fire either,” recalls Redford, with reference to two of Terry Venables’ supposed star signings. “I remember discussing it in the dressing-room afterwards. After we scored the first goal, Gary turned to some of the United lads, and said: ‘That’s it, this lot will chuck it now. They won’t want to fight.’”

Redford was surprised to learn yesterday about the enduring nature of United’s achievement. “It underlines and emphasises the standard of Scottish football at the time,” he says. “I think we took it for granted sometimes; the media, players and supporters. Mind you, many of the fans who follow me on Twitter don’t take it for granted – they appreciate what happened over the two legs, and the enormity of it all, and are always asking me about it.”

It was a surreal night from start to finish. Later in the bar, Holt was overheard asking teammate Jim McInally for advice. “Jim tells the story,” says Redford. “We had just beaten Barcelona and John was telling Jim about this chance to join Forfar, and whether he should take it or not.” The carrot Forfar had dangled in front of him was a car, and though he did not accept the offer on this occasion, Holt did eventually end up at Station Park. “John had been singled out by the Spanish press for his performance and there he was, telling Jim: ‘I have just had an offer from Forfar – what do you think?’”

Redford is too modest. He, too, was praised in the Spanish papers the next day. One of the words used to describe him was “magnifico”. The midfielder relished playing away from home in Europe. He describes it as “suiting my style”, and Redford sealed United’s place in the Uefa Cup final, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach, after the sides had drawn 0-0 at Tannadice.

“I always seemed to do well in games in Europe away from home,” he says. “It allowed me to play to my strengths. That game in the Nou Camp and against Borussia came as near to me playing to my potential as I was able to get. I was allowed to get on the ball and make the play. I remember in the second half at the Nou Camp sensing that the game was turning our way, and I couldn’t get on the ball enough.”

These were different times. Redford also recalls feeling confident even before the first leg, which United won with a cross-cum-shot from Kevin Gallacher that still inspires debate about whether he meant it or not today.

A fortnight later in Barcelona, United were intent on completing their mission to humble these European aristocrats yet again. “It felt very gladiatorial, emerging from the dungeon-style dressing-rooms, which were underground,” says Redford. “It was quite a steep climb. I think we had to wait for Barcelona, and I remember looking around, and thinking: ‘Look how calm everyone is, especially Dave Narey.’ He was just standing there, looking like the coolest man in the stadium.”

United’s time had come, and yet it would take nearly 30 years for anyone else to follow in the Scottish club’s distinguished footsteps.

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Peter Senior becomes oldest ever Australian Open winner

Peter Senior. Picture: Getty

Peter Senior. Picture: Getty

Have your say

PETER Senior became the oldest Australian Open winner ever as the 53-year-old triumphed by one stroke after overcoming severe weather conditions that forced a three-hour suspension because of gale-force winds.

The US Champions Tour regular shot an even-par 72 in the final round at The Lakes to set the record, finishing with a total of four-under 284 as he kept his composure while several other contenders struggled with the winds.

Fellow Australian Brendan Jones was second after a 71, while countryman Cameron Percy finished third after a 73, two strokes behind. Englishman Justin Rose finished in a tie for fourth after a 76, three strokes behind Senior.

“Winning the [Australian] PGA a couple of years ago up at Coolum was great, but I tell you what, nothing beats winning right here,” Senior said.

Senior had ten top-ten finishes on the Champions Tour this year, but no wins, which made yesterday’s victory – with his son Mitch caddying – all the more special.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Senior said. “We’ve had three years on the Champions Tour, where Mitch has caddied for me for the last two years, and we’ve lost three play-offs, so it feels unbelievable to win with him on the bag.”

The previous oldest Australian Open champion was five-time Open champion Peter Thomson, at the age of 43 in 1972. Senior won the Australian Open for the first time as a 30-year-old in 1989.

Yesterday, gusts of up to 80 kph (50 mph) during a southerly wind change caused one television tower to topple, balls to move on the fairways and greens, and sand to be blown from bunkers and into the galleries and fairways.

The gusty winds remained after play resumed, and third-round leader John Senden shot 82, second-round leader Marcus Fraser had an 81, and Adam Scott carded 76 to finish well off the pace. Joining them, defending champion Greg Chalmers and Geoff Ogilvy each shot 77s, but 1984 champion Tom Watson, lucky to have started early, shot a 69 before the storm hit to climb into a tie for 28th.

Meanwhile, Charl Schwartzel carded his third seven-under 65 of the tournament yesterday to wrap up a dominating victory at the Thailand Golf Championship, extending his already commanding lead to win by 11 shots.

Schwartzel led from the first round and never slowed down, finishing with a 25-under total of 263 at the Amata Spring Country Club for the South African’s first win since last year’s Masters. This year’s Masters winner, Bubba Watson, also shot a 65 to finish in a tie for distant second with Thai golfer Thitiphun Chuayprakong, who finished with a 70. Sergio Garcia of Spain (70) was fourth in the Asian Tour event, 12 shots back.

Schwartzel finished second here last year, when Lee Westwood was the runaway winner by seven shots. “It’s been a great week. We had a good time last year and obviously I came in second,” Schwartzel said. “I do know how the guys feel like, as I had that feeling last year when I lost to Lee by quite a margin. Overall it’s been a great week. I played some solid golf. I’m very happy.”

And he finally got to lift another trophy, following a drought since his victory at Augusta in 2011. “It’s always hard when you have won such a big tournament,” the South African said. “You go on a high and feel that you can win all the ones you play in. I came close a few times. Winning is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. It’s been quite hard work and it’s been a difficult year, especially in the middle. It’s nice to put things in place and get the win that I’ve been looking for.”

After three inconsistent rounds, Bubba Watson made no mistake yesterday, making seven birdies in his first bogey-free outing of the tournament.

“I didn’t have my best stuff on Friday and Saturday. I made a lot of mistakes,” Watson said. “Schwartzel played pretty good and my best stuff probably wouldn’t be as good. It would have given me a chance to scare him, but I didn’t have my best in the previous two days. I had no bogeys, no mistakes, and somehow it came out to a seven-under.”

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Immigration advocacy groups call on Sheriff Baca to curb enforcement of Secure Communities

41974 full

Activists against Arizona’s immigration law want Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to support the TRUST Act, a bill that would curb police enforcement of immigration law in California.

The California Assembly plans to take up the TRUST Act again next month. It would require local law enforcement to release arrestees after they post bond, as long as their record contain no serious prior convictions.

The bill would keep undocumented immigrants like Isaura Garcia, a 21 year-old victim of domestic violence, from ending up in deportation proceedings. Last year, authorities took Garcia into custody for calling 911 and let her abusive boyfriend go. Today, she says, she doesn’t trust the police.

“When other immigrants ask me, ‘Should I report that crime? Should I call the cops?' I really don’t know what to tell them," Garcia said in Spanish. "I’d be scared of getting deported, like what almost happened to me.”

The ACLU of Southern California and Sheriff Baca recently commissioned a report that indicated L.A. County holds 2,100 people every day in county jails on immigration hold. Most have no serious criminal backgrounds.

Sheriff Baca has said he doesn’t believe the TRUST Act would fix this trend.

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Should Generals and Admirals face review by subordinates?

by AirTalk

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Army recruits perform exercises as part of a demonstration for tourists in front of the military-recruiting station in New York's Times Square. Mark Lennihan/AP

If one thing is undeniable about the U.S. military, it's the power of hierarchy. If a brigadier general tells a full-bird colonel to jump, the only answer is "how high?" But as part of an effort to reform the training of top military brass -- generals and admirals, specifically -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, has put into effect a review system similar to that used on much of corporate America to root out some of the recent scandalous behavior of high-ranking military officers. This will include taking into account the opinions of lower-ranking soldiers and sailors about how their boss does his/her job.

Should the military adopt the way of corporate America? Is the political correctness enforced by HR review processes useful in a military constantly engaged in bloody conflict?

Tom Ricks, Senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security; contributing editor to Foreign Policy magazine; author of “The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today” (Penguin Press, 2012)

Jeffrey Addicott, Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas; he's a retired Army Lt. Colonel.

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About this scrapbook page:
Created for the "Scrap a Wedding Invitation Challenge" for Des & Kylie. I thought a scroll would make a cool invitation. I hope the wording is appropriate as well. I had fun creating this for them. Thanks =D
Design credits:
Paper, bow and ribbon from Delicious Scraps. Scroll bars and Pentacle from the net. Font is Freebooter Script.

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Thu March 11, 2010 7:31am Rating: 10.00

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Arrow takes UK rights to The Hour of the Lynx

EXCLUSIVE: The Killing’s Sofie Grabol [pictured] leads the cast.

Arrow Films has acquired all UK/Ireland rights to The Hour of the Lynx and plans a release in late 2013.

For full production information

The Hour of the Lynx

Søren Kragh-Jacobsen (Mifune) directs and Lars Bredo Rahbek (Flame and Citron, Superclasico) produces. The Match Factory handles international sales on the film, which is in the final stages of post production.

Kragh-Jacobsen also wrote with Jonas T Bengtsson and Tobias Lindholm. The story is based on a play by Swedish author Per Olov Enquist (The Visit Of The Royal Physician).

The cast is led by Sofie Grabol and Soren Malling, who both starred in The Killing, alongside Borgen’s Signe Egholm Olsen and Borie Ahlstedt, whose credits include Fanny & Alexander.

Grabol plays a vicar whose life is changed when she tries to help a violent and troubled inmate.

Arrow head of acquisitions Tom Stewart said: “We’re incredibly thrilled to be acquiring this exciting new film and to continue our superb relationship with the team at The Match Factory together with establishing a strong relationship with everyone over at Nimbus Film. With such a loved cast and our ever-increasing portfolio of all things Nordic, this will be a wonderful release to take to both UK & Eire audiences.

“We are happy to partner again with Arrow Films, who share our enthusiasm for the new project of this great director. Arrow Films will do a great job, as they did already on other Scandinavian titles,” added Brigitte Suárez of The Match Factory.

Producer Rahbek added: “We are delighted at the early and rapidly surging international interest in The Hour of The Lynx. Søren has done an incredibly strong film which we trust will touch and thrill in equal measure. We look forward to be working with Arrow Films to bring this film to audiences as discriminating as the British and the Irish.”

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Santa Clara University

New Graduate Business Students

Congratulations on your admission to the Graduate Business Program! You have joined an exceptional group of leaders. As you get to know your classmates, your instructors, and the greater alumni community, you'll begin to understand why Santa Clara University is one of the nation's top ranked business programs.

General Administrative Information
Academic Support & Records Office
Lucas 116

Saturday 3/15/14 Student Success Seminar
Highly-recommended workshop for incoming GBP students

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Academic Calendar

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Home » Scuba Gear Reviews

ScubaPro 3/2mm Profile Steamers Wetsuit / Jumpsuit Review – $139.95 – Scuba Gear Customer Reviews

28 February 2013 214 views No Comment
Rating:ScubaPro 3/2mm Profile Steamers Wetsuit / Jumpsuit Great suit, well made

The ScubaPro steamer line are great suits. Quality construction, and true to size. Ordered a size medium and fits great (58 160). After purchasing the 5/4 steamer, ordered this for warmer water and traveling.

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News Archive
California | Mon, Dec 3, 2012

Authorities say a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and his wife were the victims of a violent home-invasion in an upscale Santa Clara County suburb.

California lawmakers officially began their next two-year session Monday as they were sworn in to a newly reshaped Legislature in which Democrats hold powerful supermajorities in both houses.

Police sought a motive and a suspect Monday in the slayings of four people who were found in the yard of a suburban Southern California home that apparently served as an unlicensed boarding house.

A suspected smuggling vessel rammed a U.S. Coast Guard chase boat during a counter-drug operation off the California coast, killing one Coast Guardsman and injuring another, authorities said.

I know we’re just settling in with our popcorn for the scene where the lawyers and PR handlers transform disgrace into opportunity for the players in the David Petraeus story.

San Jose has matched a milestone that residents and city officials would have rather avoided.

California Highway Patrol officers fatally shot the driver of an SUV after a high-speed chase in San Diego County.

A volunteer Sunday school teacher at an Orange County Christian church has been arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a child.

Police are looking for a woman who shot a man in the face during an argument in the parking lot of a Central California market.

A Marine has died while scuba diving off the coast of San Diego.

A California widow who eluded capture after firing a shot at a police officer during a car chase last month has been wounded during her weekend arrest.

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Jackie Lacey will represent a number of firsts when she takes the oath of office as the new district attorney of Los Angeles County.

The San Diego Stock Exchange Index closed lower Monday at 121.83, down 1.10 percent from Friday. Declining issues beat advancers 43 to 35, and 61 issues were unchanged.
Vibra Bank (OTC: VBBK) was the top dollar gainer, up 75 cents to $23.25.
Illumina Inc. (Nasdaq: ILMN) was the top dollar loser, down $1.55 to $52.16.
For the complete, updated San Diego Stock Exchange Index visit

Mon, Dec 3, 2012
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