how are you welcome to New York doing well thanks for having me pleasure house camp been for you it's been good let's see we're about a weekend now and felt like I've learned a lot and seen seen a lot of different things you know figuring it out good days and bad days but overall it's been it's been good so trying to get in the routine trying to try to get the hang of it what you expected yeah I'd say it's about what I expected I mean it's you know similar to OTAs and similar to many camps in turn of in terms of the practices and just kind of the preparation of the practice it's just just longer days and just just more meetings stuff like that but it's it's good now the Giants publicly said there's no competition it's Eli's job but still you're the backup quarterback and eventually you're going to become the starting quarterback of this team so how is the relationship with Eli where you're trying to learn from him but probably the back of your mind you're thinking you know I'm also trying to replace this guy it's been great so far I think you know with Eli with with Alex with Kyle you know all the guys in that room I think we've you know we've done a great job helping each other and kind of you know me learning from them you know more than anything else but kept just kind of working together and making sure we're as a unit moving toward you know toward where we need to go as a team and you know doing our job as quarterbacks but you know with Eli in particular our relationship has been great I think he's you know he's an awesome guy he's helped me a whole lot with with anything that's come up and and it's been it's been great so far when was the first time how old are you the first time you met Eli first time I met probably my sophomore year at Duke and did you get to throw with him then or what was the situation yeah that was I didn't get to throw but I watched those guys work out they came down to Duke to see coach cut and to to work out to me they kind of like a little mini camp down there so I get to watch that send and sit in on some meetings and just be around them there so you're you're a very prototypical quarterback body type six four five everyone says you do all the fundamental things right this is obviously been a plan of yours for a good amount of time what what's the biggest challenge you face and this could be high school applying to schools whatever it was was there ever a time when you thought I don't know if this dream of being an NFL quarterback's gonna happen yeah I mean I think early on in high school I was a kid who grew really late so my first year playing varsity football was I was 135 pounds you know I was undersized and just kind of matured late and did you start or no I started yeah I started I got got banged around a little bit couldn't throw it but 40 yards and you know dealing with some of that but I think I learned a lot through that and then after my junior year it wouldn't get recruited very heavily I'd grown some but I was kind of going in that senior year I was gonna be a big year for me and I ended up breaking my wrist in basketball season didn't realize that till May so that knocked me out a lot of camps a lot of opportunities to be recruited so committed to Princeton it was the best best opportunity I had and through the through that season do call for me an opportunity to walk on with you know potential earner scholarship you know later on so I took that and what a scholarship actually opened up but I'd say kind of through that you know it's up and down that's not the same as you know going to be the starting quarterback in Michigan you know that is still a different path that must have presented some challenges yeah yeah no I mean I remember watching all the you know the recruiting rankings checking all the stars and you know watching those guys be caught up in that a little bit but it worked out and I'm here now it can be can be more thankful well your quarterback so that means everybody's gonna have a say especially when you get picked sixth overall so how was it to handle all the criticism that you get all the time people picking you apart because that's you're kind of just like a piece of me when you get drafted right everybody trying to find out what's wrong with Daniel Jones why he shouldn't be the sixth overall pick how did you handle that I mean for one I you know I realized that you know I was the sixth pick and to the New York Giants you know I wouldn't you know feel sorry for myself in that situation you know I mean I think that's a very fortunate situation people gonna have opinion to be that's their job and you know with the media whoever you know fans you know people are gonna have opinions but you know it I haven't played yet it's my job to you know prove prove the Giants right it's my job to play well and you know I'm confident I can do that and I you know realize there's a lot of work ahead but but I realize I'm in control of that now you're a really nice kid but are you thinking about how you want to stick it to all those people who said you shouldn't have been the sixth pick gonna be a motivator I mean maybe maybe you know I think some of that is there but but I don't think that's you know the first mode first motivation for me I think there's a lot of things things before that but do you hear when people one of the main things people say about you is that you're like Eli like that it has become at least for me and Don when we talked to people about what's going with the Giants what do you think of Daniel Jones you hear from people a lot of Eli and him and what I noticed that the most was when we did our you probably don't remember it because you were in a haze but we talked to you the day after you got drafted we did you did a phone with us and we hung up the phone and I was just like that kids Eli banding you know like from the way that you talk though how much you reveal and how much you kind of keep close to the best and just your general demeanor is that something did you emulate in that him or is it literally just a coincidence that you guys kind of have similar personalities well I mean I think it could it could come from from who were trained by with with coach God and that and you know as a as a kid he was certainly one of the guys I looked up to a lot you know him and Peyton and watching those guys play watching how they handle themselves but in terms of like a personality I think that's the coincidence largely but yeah did you did you hate going to Duke did I hate going because I hate Duke absolutely not you enjoyed it I enjoyed it sure you make a mistake positive wouldn't have preferred to go to Maryland and now I don't think so what was your favorite thing about being beside besides football where you did you get into the basketball team did you do the whole Duke experience I mean what was it like for you I did I got into the basketball you know being a Duke basketball fan and you know went to some of those games there's a lot of fun you didn't ever paint your face though did you I never paint my face never I didn't tend either or do any of that but I went to some games those are fun and you better not have to wait in a tent you're the quarterback of football team for God's sake but I mean there's a lot of people who can't get into yeah it's tough games but Duke was Duke was awesome place for me you know growing up in Charlotte just two hours from Duke and being in the area Duke's Duke was an awesome player were you hoping Zion would end up with the next I kind of was yeah I was but we got RJ I mean RJ you know yeah works definitely happy with that so I look forward to watching him talking to Daniel Jones here on the Michael K show it's hard to say I haven't even played your first pre season game yet but what when do you think you'll know you'll be ready I mean some people think that that you should play this year you're the sixth overall pick most picks that I play in their first year when do you think you'll know that you're ready I mean I think I think just the more more more reps you get I think you could you feel more and more confident and you know seeing you know I'm still seeing things a lot a lot of things for the first time seeing defensive looks and different pressures and and you know how they look against what we're running I mean I think I think just getting more and more reps I don't know if there'll be a you know a moment when I say I'm ready but I think just just the more and more reps I get the more confident I'll be I don't know how much you've talked to Eli about his rookie season but it was disastrous early on you know 0.0 quarterback rating against the Ravens has he talked to you about that about and trying to teach you what he went through in his rookie year maybe not maybe not specifically you know we talked about a little bit but but I mean I think you know our conversations now and you know what I'm learning now is more kind of specific to what we're doing here and you know practice getting ready for practice and you know I mean maybe we'll have that conversation but I think I think our you know our conversation what I'm learning now is more you know more focused on what we're doing here I was just looking at his hands see how big your hands are how big your hands I can't remember that's a solid full that's a solid full whatever the what are these called yeah no not now compared to an actual grown man that's how much when you grew you talked about growing during high school you obviously grew in height but was that was your hands growing a big part of it because that was always the part that I the second I was a kid I could always throw the ball pretty well as a little kid and then when I started using the bigger football and your hands aren't that big it's challenging now that is I always had bigger hands and then when I was small even when I was a freshman sophomore I'd size 15 feet so I thought I was gonna grow at some point which was which worked out but yeah I can always had big hands you rarely see the random guy walking on his five foot seven with the freakishly large you know size 15 which is beyond it really certainly wouldn't work out for sure I guess well remember Pedro Martinez at the freakishly long fingers that's why he was able to get the snap on the ball he wasn't a big guy at all right so it is kind of rare have you got to experience New York at all I've been in a few times great food have been to a few few different restaurants and yeah I got you have to go around a little bit but I wouldn't say I know it great yet so trying to still trying to figure it out I'd like to go back how weird was it when he looked over me and I just said I'm looking at your hands I don't know where you were going that's pretty strange retrospect that happened you work with Peter you never know what roads you're gonna go I know you know listen I covered due Kate awkward question about the size of his hands we talked about Eli Manning I'm excited for you to be here man I think it's an exciting story listen I it was very it had a lot of impact on my football fandom I'm a Redskins fan I was very curious about where you would end up have you gotten to build it do you have any relationship with Dwayne Haskins you guys kind of always be paired now in a certain way right kind of got to know him through the through draft process a little bit yeah I mean I wouldn't say I know him great but yeah I look forward to look forward to watching do you think about that because I thought that he is someone who I think people will probably measure his success in yours I think there's obviously a higher likelihood that he'll end up playing sooner than you will decide I hope because I I feel I know the ceiling for Case Keenum but people will compare you guys that's something that ever crossed your mind or no not really you know I think you know being in the same division I think it's a it's a it's a tradition traditional rivalry that goes back way before before us and I think that's a much bigger part of part of the game is certainly what I think are there any quarterbacks that you watch that that blow your mind still that like you're like you you can't even believe you're in the same league as these guys are they're insane I mean I've always lot I've always like watching watching the guys growing up but you know I think you know it brought Rogers and Brady all those guys and watching Eli practices is that way sometimes and how he can get through his reads how he knows exactly where he's going how he's seen you know things so many times he's just you know so quick with with how he thinks it's impressive is my home is too close to you in age that dude's a freak he does he's pretty yeah he's to do favorite non-fall thing to do probably play golf especially when the weather is nice not a great golfer yet still working on it do you have a handicap yet or no yeah don't even bother when you're if you're shooting a hundred right yeah once it's respect well yeah I can't tell you play you play in my handicaps 40 you know I'm about a 108 we'll see just such an Eli clone do you love Seinfeld like he does I don't I don't I don't even know Seinfeld you never watch Seinfeld at all what shows do you watch don't save him thrones obviously everyone watch games watch the game thrones we satisfy with the ending are you angry I wasn't angry I mean I think yeah I wasn't angry I mean I think you kind of knew you know we either John or Daenerys we're gonna die and and you know but the way it happened and it's still kind of like still kind of exciting to see no I was good I don't believe we have to be embarrassed those of us who are satisfied yeah I was totally good yeah I'm with you what about music music you know I don't know Kingsley on the revivalist kind of Southern Rock maybe what everyone called that yeah I guess so yeah Southern Pop Rock Southern Rock that's great about New York they all come through here every act comes through here either at the Garden or Barclays or so you're gonna get a chance to see a lot of great music while you're here because I think fans expect you to be here for like a decade and a half people are so many are gonna be here for a while good luck man yeah appreciate thank you thank you Daniel Jones


Psychology is popular and fascinating because it helps us to better understand ourselves, the people around us, makes us better communicators, and gives us insight into mental illness. Psychology is applied in every action we take. Want to make friends? Apply psychology. Want a thriving business? Apply psychology. Here are 5 psychological facts you might not have heard before. Did you know that people remember an average of 5,000 faces? A research team at University of York tested study participants at the mean age of 24 and how many faces they could recall from their personal lives. People they went to school with, family, colleagues, and the media, as well as the number of famous faces they recognized, whether it be actors, politicians, or any other public figures. The results showed that the participants knew between 1,000 and 10,000 faces. How many do you know? The range could be explained by the natural aptitude that some people have for remembering faces. There are differences in how efficiently people process the information and how much attention they pay to faces. Let's pretend it's snowing hard and you need yourself a new winter coat. You decide you saved up for a while and want to try this long, branded winter coat out. It's a long winter coat that hits at your ankle and you haven't seen anyone with it before.  What? Over the next week, you see it even more. People at the mall are wearing the same coat. People at your local supermarket are bundled up in their long coats too. Did everyone decide to get a long coat because you did? Welcome to the Bader-Meinhof Phenomenon, otherwise known as the Frequency Illusion or Recency Illusion. This phenomenon occurs when the thing you've just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly seems to come up constantly. It gives us a feeling that out of nowhere, pretty much everyone and their cousin are talking about it. This phenomenon is caused by two processes. The first is selective attention. You have just come across something for the first time and you then unconsciously keep an eye out for it and as a result, find it surprisingly often. The second process is confirmation bias, in which you agree with information that confirms your existing beliefs that, yep, you are definitely seeing it more often and that the branded long coat you just purchased a week ago has gained overnight popularity. Time to buy another coat. The decoy effect, asymmetric dominance effect, labelled by researchers in 1982, is a cognitive bias which shows us that consumers can easily be tricked in paying more than we want to. Ever wonder why products usually come in threes? Behavioral economist Dan Ariely explained this phenomenon in one of his TED talks, where he used an old economist's advertisement as an example. The ad featured three subscription levels, $59 for online only, $159 for print only, and $159 for online and print. He figured that the option to pay $159 for print only exists so that it makes the option to pay $159 for both online and print look more enticing. Then it would have if it was just paired with the $59 online option only. Researchers at Western Sydney University and the University of Manchester examined the effects of aerobic exercise on a region of their brain called the hippocampus, which is critical for developing new memories and other brain functions. Brain health declines with age, with the average brain shrinking approximately 5% per decade after the age of 40. The researchers reviewed 14 clinical trials which examined brain scans of 737 people before and after aerobic exercise programs, like stationary cycling, walking, treadmill running, and those in control conditions. The results showed that, while exercise had no effect on the total volume of the hippocampus, it did significantly increase the size of the left region of the hippocampus and humans. The hippocampus is important not just for forming new memories, but also for retrieving old memories. Research shows that one of the first areas in the brain affected by Alzheimer's disease is the hippocampus. This explains why one of the early symptoms of Alzheimer's is often an impairment of memory, especially the formation of new memories. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. Researchers say one new case of dementia is detected every 4 seconds globally. The estimate is that by 2050, more than 115 million people will have dementia worldwide. Postdoctoral research fellow Joseph Firth said that when you exercise, you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF, which may help prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain. This helps memory and thinking through both direct and indirect means. The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation and stimulate the release of growth factors, chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells. Indirectly, exercise improves mood and sleep and reduces anxiety and stress. So what should we do? Get to exercising. Standard recommendations advise 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week or 150 minutes per week. If that seems too much or overwhelming at the moment, start with a few minutes a day and increase by small 5-10 minute increments until you reach your goal. And lastly, one that we found to be more interesting is the Truman Show Delusion aka the Truman Syndrome is a delusion where a person believes that they are being watched on cameras, filmed and that the films are being broadcast for the entertainment of others. The Truman Show is a 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey, where the plot follows Truman Burbank. What Truman doesn't know is that every single person, other than himself, is an actor. And the island that he lives on is constructed under a massive dome where several thousands of cameras watched as every single move since birth and documented it on a TV show to the real world. Psychiatrists and brothers Ian and Joel Gold described the syndrome back in 2006. The delusions name came about based on the fact that 3 out of 5 of Joel Gold's initial patients referenced the Truman Show when they described their experiences. Joel Gold says, It's important to state that Truman Show delusion is a symptom of psychosis. People who choose to be the center of attention, have concerns about social standing, or who may fear being in public eye or seek it out, may be more drawn to identify with this delusion. I don't think people are making it up or choosing it. So that was 5 not so well known psych facts. Which one stuck with you the most? This is one of our many psychology facts series. If you enjoyed this and want to see more, let us know what you'd like to learn about in the comments below. Until next time.


It's it's such a pleasure to see this place so full for an event like this at a time like this Well, first of all, let me introduce myself because I am new to this Institution I'm Lena Kattib and I have the pleasure of introducing myself as the director of the so as Middle East Institute And first of all I want to say a warm welcome to your Excellencies who have made the time to be here with us today even though of course There is a lot more going on in this in this region I highly appreciate the presence of the ambassador of the UAE and the ambassador of Palestine joining us tonight And of course all the members of the diplomatic services who are also with us tonight There's too many of you to to name but it's really very Encouraging to be honest to see that at a time like this the Middle East Still looms large in our hearts, and this is what the SME I the so as Middle East Institute is all about I have the pleasure of welcoming Caroline and certain Lancaster from the Muhammad bin Aisa Al Jabir Foundation now you may not know or you may know that the origins of the SME I Began a long time ago here at so as as the LME I which at the time stood for the London Middle East Institute And it was thanks to Sheikh Muhammad Ben Aisa Al Jabir and his foundation that the seed was planted for us to be here today Because that was how the SME I began for many years It was known as the London Middle East Institute and it did really great work to really put the Middle East at the heart of London Here we are now in a new iteration Celebrating tonight the launch of the new so as Middle East Institute emphasizing that this is very much about so as and how much we love being Affiliated with so as as a place that really embraces creative thinking and Innovation about the region and here again I have to send huge thanks to our director professor Adam Habib who is also gracing us without with his presence tonight Who is playing a? Huge role in transforming so as to what it is today Which is a place that is globally connected not just when it comes to the Middle East, but the rest of the world This is the place where the creative thinking is happening This is the place where great people like yourselves come together and engage in Fantastic conversations not just about the challenges That the world is facing and here particularly the Middle East and particularly at this time of great turmoil in the region Where as we know there is devastation at an unprecedented scale especially in Gaza and this is something that we as the so as Middle East Institute have been engaging very closely on and Not just through looking at The challenges and the suffering of the people which of course is very important But also through shedding light on the creativity shedding light on the talent shedding light on all the positive stories that happen in this region in spite of all this turmoil in spite of all the violence all the suffering This is a Middle East that we are proud of and that you know I'm so happy that all of you are here to Celebrate with us having the saw us Middle East Institute as a platform for talking about these issues for highlighting All the positive stuff happening in the region, but also thinking about Solutions and potential alternatives for the challenges faced in this region and in this regard There's no better person To inaugurate the saw as Middle East Institute through a public lecture than she's Sultan Saud al-Qasimi She's Sultan needs no introduction But I will just briefly say he is one of the most renowned public intellectuals of the Arab world He is a Commentator and a thinker and a writer on politics art culture He is a champion of art from the Arab world Especially contemporary and modern art and he in fact is one of the world's biggest collectors of art from the region and Some of you may know that he has spent the last few years giving a course that he designed on Politics and art from the Arab world at renowned universities all over the world and I'm very happy to announce tonight That we have Sultan having behind the scenes been working with some of our students at saw as from the from different disciplines But mainly from the school of art on Co-curating an exhibition that we're gonna host at the Brunei gallery here at saw as From July till September this year and it's co-curated by saw as students using the bergiel art foundation Which is the art foundation that hosts Sultan's collection It's a foundation that he created due to his passion about art From the region he is someone who represents the values of the saw as Middle East Institute in terms of Progressive thinking in terms of ethics in terms of focusing on creativity, but also diversity Which is at the heart of the Middle East so without further ado Please welcome Sheksohtan Good evening everybody and thanks to my dear friend Lena Khateeb for this very very generous introduction to be to be said to embody the values of the school of Oriental and African Studies and the Middle East Institute is A huge honor that I hope I can live up to I also want to say that It's a huge honor to be addressing a crowd that includes so many renowned individuals Including their excellencies the ambassadors who are here mr. Adam Habib Some of some some scholars that I that I follow and I and I admire so much and a lot of the research that you will see here emanates from Individuals who are here in this room today Venetia Porter, of course Nadine or a Dean over there my sake I feel And so many others I need to wear my glasses just to check who else is here But so many others we have Saib Eigner, I mean this room is bursting with with the intellect and with some of the Most important scholars, of course, dr. Ramuni.  I think people just wanted to meet each other and and see each other in different circumstances so this is a talk about Political art by Arab women artists, so there's nothing by men in this this presentation It's 100% works by women artists from across the Arab world So we will go on a journey across the Arab world through the eyes And the paintbrushes of women artists Let me begin by saying As someone who is interested in Arab modernity and the 20th century especially I Often think of art in historical context the Egyptian revolution of 1919 that led to the commissioning of Mahmoud Muhtar's Renaissance, Egypt or Egypt's awakening Monument or the Nekba or catastrophe of 1948 that resulted in the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians including artists such as Ismael Shamoud and Zulfa Asadi and the courageous Algerian uprising against the vicious French occupation in the 1950s and 1960s that was captured in countless monuments songs stories and artworks Today, however numerous other natural disasters and Political conflicts have plagued our region causing the destruction of homes and lives and livelihoods in Sudan It has sent tens of thousands into Kenya Egypt and Ethiopia Including artists Galal Yusuf the beyond Bahari Bakri Muath Yasir Al-Ghari and Hani Khalil Jaudat and Sadly in our beloved Palestine another Nekba or catastrophe is taking place in front of our very eyes and screens Resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and destruction of infrastructure including cultural institutions Already we lost leading poets such as Rafa Al-Areer Photographers including Majd Arandes and painter Muhammad Sami and on October 13th, 2023 Hibbe Zaghoud a 39 year old painter that captured Palestinians homes Landscapes and individuals focusing on Palestinian identity was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza She was one of countless victims of the ongoing Israeli aggression Against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank It seems humanity's cruelest attributes have resurfaced in the 21st century and there is no end in sight To the death and carnage history However, also shows us that good must prevail over evil and right over wrong no matter how long it takes Now to today's lecture just over a century ago in 1923 the Egyptian feminist union held its first meeting in the house of pioneering feminist Huda Sharawee Said to be an artist herself Demanding the reformation of the personal status law as well as women's suffrage in the meantime and despite They're not yet being a school of fine arts for women leading women Names started to emerge such as Amy Nimmer In fact, when the Cairo Fine Arts Institute was inaugurated in 1908 with an impressive role of students including Mahmoud Sa'eet Rahab Ayaad and Yusuf Kamal. It did not include a single female Student women in Egypt and across the Arab world would have to wait almost three decades Until an institution dedicated to training women Artists was opened in 1937 This may explain why young Egyptian women such as the aforementioned Amy Nimmer Resorted to studying abroad in institutions such as the Slade School of Fine Arts here in London where she enrolled in 1916 This three decade gap effectively meant that men had a head start of an entire Generation over their female peers thereby allowing them to ingrain themselves in society and be included in major museums and collections of Institutions such as the Cairo Museum of Modern Art that was opened in 1932 Lack of education Opportunities however was not the only obstacle that women artists faced across the Arab world Islamic inheritance law also meant that they would have less access to funds In case a parent passes away and social norms added an extra layer of challenge The 1920s witnessed a proliferation of women artists from across the Arab world in addition to the aforementioned Amy Nimmer of Egypt names such as Mary Sheeha had that Emerged in Lebanon while Sophie Halabi's landscape of Palestine reflected the serene beauty of the land Marie Haddad who was born to a prominent family of Lebanese bankers started exhibiting in the 1920s in Beirut and in 1933 through a political contact exhibiting Namely the French ambassador to Lebanon Le Conte de Maktel She was invited to take part in the prestigious Salon d'Otton de Grand Palais Thereby becoming the first Lebanese artist to do so She would later take part in the official Lebanese pavilion of the famous New York World's Fair of 1939 both a Political and spiritual statement Haddad would employ her paintbrush to depict Salim Al-Ashi Arrival of the Lebanese president Bishara al-Khouri The 1930s ladies and gentlemen was a decade of great promise in the Arab world It witnessed the first solo exhibition of a female artist perhaps anywhere in the region that of Zulfa As-Sadi Who's July 1933 debut at the Palestine Pavilion at the first National Arab Fair in Jerusalem included paintings of leaders such as Salah al-Din Who recaptured the holy city of Jerusalem from the crusaders in 1187 CE and Sharif Hussain bin Ali leader of the great Arab revolt Sadly few of her work survived as she was displaced in the Nakba of 1948 settling in Damascus until her passing and is said to have never painted again Other parts of the Arab world such as Tunisia So artists such as Saeeda bin Salah who's paintings depicted Tunisian women and who participated in the country's official art salon for more than one year But sadly faded into obscurity following her passing in the 1940s Witnessed a number of major developments with the first ever solo exhibition of an Arab female artist in a Western institution 1949 Iraq's Madiha Omar Held her first exhibition at the Peabody Library at Georgetown University where she was studying Following followed by another show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art the following year 1950 women's paintings became bolder and More assertive as the second half of the 20th century commenced and calls for national independence grew for instance in demonstration a 1949 painting by Tahia Haleem a large group of protesting Egyptians are seen carrying banners and Pushing against royal Egyptian guards wearing the tarbouche or a fez This event may be related to the assassination of the Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan al-Banna on the 12th of February 1949 whose death was blamed blamed on Egyptian secret police in 1959 in 1951 NGF Latoun created a painting titled we cannot forget Depicting four coffins shrouded in the flag of Egypt a drape with a crescent and three stars Being carried by a sea of people these coffins were set to contain the corpses of Citizens from the Suez who died while protesting the British occupation of Egypt It is said that stencils were created from this artwork and numerous replicas Were made of it although the final fate of this work is unknown the subsequent collapse of the Egyptian monarchy the following year Emboldened women artists to depict scenes that they may perhaps were reluctant to portray During the years of the monarchy for instance in this 1955 painting by gas be a Siri The infamous 1947 Mahalla incident where in order to quell a strike by factory workers Supported by student activists the Egyptian government deployed troops and tanks killing three workers And injuring 17 more the authorities response was set to have been so harsh that protesters Were pushed into the Nile Delta other artists who have revisited past themes of Brutality and injustice include in G if Latoun's depiction of British forces overseeing the execution of an Egyptian farmer named Hassan Mahfoud in the Dinshawai incident of 1906 British soldiers are depicted standing in formation overseeing the Executions while holding rifles while the corpse of an Egyptian citizen is carried away and the family is watching in the background in January 1952 this was the original slide I was going to begin with Less than two miles from where we are now sat The Institute of Contemporary Arts of London launched an international sculpture competition to commemorate and I quote all those Unknown men and women who in our time have been deprived of their lives or their liberty in the cause of human freedom And quote the competition garnered global interest with three and a half thousand Submissions and 80 works that were entered into the competition Including Iraq's Jawad Salim, which you see here on the left. This is the only work by a male artist in the presentation Maked for a monument to the unknown political prisoner 1952 1953 was Amongst and Fatima. I'm sorry amongst the array of artists who sent in proposals Was a lesser-known female Palestinian artist called Fatima. I love who was born in Jericho in 1920 And educated in Egypt's prestigious higher Institute of Fine Arts in Cairo She emphasized the female figure standing up With her eyes Blindfolded surrounded by three kneeling individuals one child and two adults her right hand is carrying a scroll Indicating her plight their representation of a woman's body as a political prisoner was clearly a conscious choice By the artist whose submission was one of 80 accepted into the competition Jewish women artists of the Arab world also actively depicted political events amongst them was Mariam Ben Ne Mariles Ben Haim like many of her fellow communists from across the Arab world Ben was actively engaged in the anti-colonial movement and supported the Algerian National Liberation Front for which she was sentenced in absentia to 20 years hard labor in this 1960s artwork Mariam Ben references a notorious incident on the 8th of February 1962 known as the Sharon subway massacre in the 20th agendissement in Paris in which nine anti-colonial protesters were killed by the French gendarmerie and over a hundred and twenty were injured She denounces the OAS the organization army secret the French paramilitary organization that brutally suppressed Algerians in fact the Algerian war of independence was a pivotal moment for many women artists of the Arab world Singers such as worda al-jaza area where the the Algerian and fairies sang songs of solidarity and freedom specifically naming activists such as Jamila Buhirid and their in their lyrics while the war pushed poet and writer a tell Adnan to start writing in English as a protest against the French establishment and also Shifting her focus to visual art as a creative means of expression Which is why you see a tell Adnan's work sort of emerging in the 1950s in her third and fourth decade Baya the acclaimed Algerian artist was also said to have refrained from painting during the eight-year long Algerian Struggle for independence other artists adopted a more literal and figurative method From Syria, we see the work of Hala Kwakli Who came from an Arab nationalist household? Her father being the former president of Syria Shukri Kwakli Kwakli depict the aforementioned Algerian independence icon Jamila Buhirid Surrounded by other protesters as she reads a declaration under the Algerian flag in 1958 only a black and white picture of this painting exists And according to the artist it may have been bought by someone from the Algerian Embassy in Damascus. We have no idea where it is By the late 1960s and 70s the theme of women as refugees was repeatedly visited During this period by Arab women artists amongst them was Egypt's Zayn Abisagini Whose monochromatic somber painting depicts a group of women huddled together While a child is covering her eyes Let me move to the gulf In 1977 Dubai born artist Ajat Makki received a scholarship from the government to study in the College of Fine Arts in Cairo During the studies. She produced this relief sculpture a clay composition Titled Palestine which depicts four women and three doves one of which appears to be imprisoned Behind steel bars while another is perched on an olive tree branch which continues to be a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance in The center of the relief is a woman wearing a traditional Araki a woven head cover traditionally worn by married women in parts of Palestine Looking over her daughter with an eye of concern for her well-being in the center of the relief appears the word Allah Which is a reference to the strong faith that these Palestinian women hold According to the artist daughter Elsa Martian writing in Oghiam Vantanyam Simone Baltaxi was born to immigrants parents who fled anti-Semitic pogroms in Ukraine in the early years of the 20th century after escaping anti-Jewish raids in In France she left Paris for Lebanon in the 1950s She was one of the first foreigners and moreover Jewish to go to the Palestinian refugee camps She brought back several studies which depict their miserable condition just a few years after the Nekba on The lower right of the foreground of this painting. We see a group of children Innocently playing while the center depicts a standing mother nursing her infant while in the background The while the background is dotted with tents that many thought would be a temporary shelter Until they were allowed to return to the homes that they fled in 1948 Another lesser known Artist is Suad Malhath who was an active member of the Jama'i The fan the Arab artist group of Jordan later changed to rabid change to rabid at the Fennanine Tashkili in Jordanian the Jordanian plastic arts Association which was established in Amman in the 1970s according to researcher Yasmeen to Khan Such associations offered a space to reflect on and impact the potential movements of the time Malhaths depicts a group of women in refugee camp Surrounded by tents while two white pigeons or doves are perched on a wooden ledge nearby Perhaps as a symbol of elusive peace The tragedy of Gaza Was definitely was definitely depicted by its very own late great Layla Showa who lived in London for a number of decades before she passed away in October 2022 Showa went on to create a number of artworks depicting Palestinian suffering at the hands of the occupation Including in this 1989 painting titled the three Marys of Gaza Which captures the agony of Palestinian mothers in the wake of the first intifada of 1987 which saw the killing of 142 Palestinians in its first year alone in her 1965 painting titled Gaza the artist depicts a cactus grove laid on a plain Brown background the cactus for many is a symbol of perseverance and strength characteristics often attributed to the Palestinians themselves who have endured decades of displacement and occupation The artist father was a prominent politician activist Rashad is Showa who served as a mayor of Gaza in the 1970s and 80s before He was forcibly removed by the Israeli occupation And of course it is important to mention that there was a very important cultural center on Gaza named after Rashad Showa that was destroyed in the past few weeks, and I really hope it is rebuilt In fact this painting that you just saw Survived a direct hit when the Showa family house in Gaza was attacked by the Israeli forces in the 1980s despite all the horrors the painting evokes hope It depicts a flowering cactus in bloom in the spring season when the yellow edible fruit is produced You see the painting hanging in the family home. Layla Showa sent me this a few months before she passed away Arab women also depicted scenes of martyrdom Including Layla and Sayyed who's painting the nation the martyr from 1977 Directly references the death of Syrian charity worker Marie Rose Boulos at the hands of militiamen During the early years of the Lebanese civil war Miss Boulos had volunteered to look after death Mute and blind children from whom you can see here Mourning her passing while her co-workers and friends carried her body and notice how when women Depict these scenes they place women at the forefront and men who are there are placed in the background So women notice what we do to them. So they do the same back They push us back Okay So keeping in the theme of a martyrdom Palestinian artist Faten Tubasi Also referenced Palestinian martyrdom and the Lebanese civil war in her 1984 painting depicting martyrdom known as Heroic Act the actual name in Arabic is Amal Feth I don't know how to translate it which was created two years after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 Tubasi who studied at the Reppens Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg in the early 1980s Portrays a mother looking over the laying body of her daughter that is draped in the Palestinian flag The graffiti in the background in case you don't need Arabic Includes phrases such as to Palestine and the steadfastness of Beirut And we will resist to the last drop of blood I'll tell you who this painting in a presents now It is said to reference The artist himself herself says the 1976 killing of Lena Nablusi Well, a lot of you who know Palestine will know this history a 17 year old daughter of a prominent Nablus family Who was chased and killed by an occupation soldier simply for carrying a Palestinian flag More recently leading Sudanese artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq created a painting titled blues for the six martyrs to reference the Sudanese protesters Who were pushed or killed by militiamen and then dumped into the blue Nile Many of whom were said to have concrete blocks tied to their feet According to one report in the Guardian. So these are individuals who are looking up at you From the river itself from the Nile itself very somber Arab women artists also depicted their country's leaders from simple portraits to political acts in 1970 Saudi pioneer artist Safiya bin Zagir depicted King Faisal who was a renowned modernizer and Reformer introducing for example public education for girls in in the Saudi high schools in 1973 King Faisal led an Arab oil embargo as a response to the US backing of Israel in its war against Egypt and Syria While leading Tunisian fine artists and the first native director of the school of fine art of Tunis Safiya Farhat captured the last known portrait of the anti-colonial political activist Farhat Hashad days before he was killed in 1952 by Laman Rouge a French terrorist organization operated by the French foreign intelligence One of my favorites Moroccan artist Malika Aghizney Depicts in the semi-abstract painting King Hassan the second leading the Green March of 1975 that saw 350,000 Moroccans advanced into the Western Sahara territory You can also note the use the use of Arabic calligraphy Invoking God's name as well as the red Moroccan flag featuring the lone star however No other leader has been depicted as often as Gamal Abdel Nasser by countless artists male and female from across the Arab world Can you guys see where the King of Morocco is in this work? So I point to you in this instance We see Tahiyeh Aleem showcasing Gamal Abdel Nasser on a boat dressed in upper Egyptian costume Reaching out to a Nubian man while holding a bundle of wheat, which is here a symbol of livelihood Ironically and despite the title of this painting the happiness of Nubia Abdel Nasser's policies would be detrimental to the people of Nuba In pursuit of his dream to construct the high dam in Aswan Nasser would force the relocation of dozens of Nubian villages While other Egyptian artists who depicted Gamal Abdel Nasser include Mariam Abdel Aleem will see a work by her very soon many women chose to depict their fellow women as protagonists and not simply victims especially in the wake of major conflicts in 1968 for example this painting by Syrian artist Maisoun al-Jaza'iri Women are shown to be carrying knives and swords While standing outside their homes in order to protect their families and themselves The date is relevant here as it has come one year after the 1967 defeat of the Arab armies at the hands of Israel and the occupation of the Golan Heights the Sinai Ghazza the West Bank and Jerusalem Earlier following the 1956 tripartite aggression Fatima Ararji who was the director of the Alexandria Faculty of Fine Arts depicted women alongside men carrying rifles at the advanced eastward so you see more women depicting women fighting back defending themselves not simply being you know Submissive or being weak, which I think is very very important when it comes to Art history the social dimension of women's struggles was never absent from Arab women artists work While the intimate moments of motherhood is a universal theme that That many Arab women artists chose to portray in Giflatouan's depiction of mothers in jail With their children is unlike many portraits In the mid 20th century in Egypt the very theme was revised and Revisited by other artists such as gas be a series prison children in 1959 both these artworks follow the amendments made to the Egyptian penal code Expanding the provisions under which women could be sent to prison While in Syria Lebanese artist the Ria Fakhouri depicted the 1958 to 1962 Syrian drought that heavily impacted the country's production and Export of wheat and barley the darkness of the background Emphasizes the sorrow and the critical condition of the mother with a child in her arms racism and Race is a constant theme in the work of artists of the Arab world in this 1973 painting by Palestinian artist Tamam al-akhal a laborer called the Suleiman from Jericho is depicted Jericho is home to one of the largest populations of Afro-Palestinians Many of whom are descendants of pilgrims who came to Palestine especially during the Ottoman period in a reflection of the harsh realities facing Modern artworks from the Arab world this portrait of Suleiman was damaged by a shrapnel during the during the Lebanese civil war you can you see it the shrapnel is Just above the forehead The American civil rights movement provided inspiration to Arab women artists to both show solidarity and inspiration To their own struggles both in Giflatoon and gas be a Siri depicted African-American women and of that era In if Raton's case it was a portrait of the revolutionary Marxist and feminist political activist Angela Davis the one on the right black and white by the way many of these works in black and white We don't have colored pictures of them. So we have to rely on these old photos Syrian artist lay on sale. We saw her work earlier Dark painting of a Vietnamese man laying on a bed of skulls and bones was an angry critique of the year's Long vicious American onslaught on the Southeast Asian country Vietnam Anika Linsen assistant professor of global modern art at UC Berkeley Notes that the the lying figure bears a slight resemblance to an African-American figure as well in 1965 The year this painting was made African-Americans accounted for nearly 25 percent of all combat deaths in Vietnam Going to Morocco Mariam Missians dignified depiction of African-American men Depict dressed in elegant Moroccan jellaba the traditional koftan Featuring hand-decorated embroidery known locally as a Sfifa was a repeated theme in her the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars were reflected in a number of paintings by leading women artists beginning with those from Iraq itself in 1991 Painted Gulf war Which depicts a woman standing hands lifted as though she is about to be crucified While arrows are fired at her and the relief and the relief of Apcalo one of the seven Sumerian sages figures at the temple of Ninurta at Nimrod the woman clad in white a color often associated with pureness virginity and innocence has her eyes closed as she is subjected to brutality and violence a Dozen years later Egypt's Mariam abdel aleem's fall of Baghdad Sees a swarm of crows the Sun upon the Iraqi capital as Injuries and deaths abound Amid the chaos families are separated and refugees are on the move abdel aleem's prophetic artwork foreshadows the destruction of Iraq that suffered for the next decade and a half From senseless violence that took the lives of 300,000 human beings So Adil atar a leading Iraqi artist based in London since 1976. By the way, did I show you the earlier slide? Yes, so now so Adil atar a leading Iraqi artist based in London since 1976 Depicts the destruction and fires engulfing what was known as the city of peace Following the American invasion of 2003. This painting is an impassioned homage to the irreversible loss and distress experienced by Baghdad inhabitants Now to peace Arab women artists also Tackled the theme of peace Even during the colonial era for instance Lebanese artist Blanche Ammoun was invited to present works at the Lebanese pavilion in the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair For the occasion of the New York World's Fair She created four large murals each depicting a peace agreement between the Phoenicians Lebanon and Neighboring civilization including the Egyptians and the Jews According to researcher maha Aziz Sultan's book lagh olibom Duman daf gansi a land dependence The Lebanese government had asked the artist Philippe Morani to oversee the Lebanese pavilion 1937 under the theme of Phoenician Salon Which is probably where she got the inspiration from as you can see here the Phoenicians are signing a peace agreement with the Egyptians or with the pharaohs Severe several years several decades later at the height of the Iraq Iran war Bahraini artist Balqis Fakhru Created a painting titled face to face showing Persian King Xerxes the first meeting with Babylonian King Hammurabi on the shore of the Gulf Behind them architectural monuments from both civilizations are featured Approximately half a million men died on both sides of the conflict over eight years of fighting with countless Injuries while the fate of many others remains unknown Is this an incredible piece? Coming to the end The Arab Spring provided many intellectuals and artists with opportunities to express themselves through creativity Amongst them is Yemeni artist Amna Nassiri who studied at the State Academy of Art in Moscow Before taking up a career both as an artist and instructor at the University of Sun'a Amna Nassiri who participated in the protests Depicts a sea of men and women Congregating in change square in the capital of Sun'a in the early days of the Yemeni spring of 2011 final slide the Taif Accord of 1989 Brought about the end of the 15 year-long Lebanese Civil War that resulted in a hundred and fifty thousand deaths and The immigration of over a million Lebanese citizens Recollecting that occasion artist Lor Ghurib Created this painting called reconstruction reconciliation withdrawal 1990 2005 which reflected the themes of the Taif Accords and the date in which the Syrian military finally withdrew its forces from Lebanon The artwork is filled with political slogans such as the phrase we demand freedom and the name of assassinated Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hareeri While the phrase tomorrow we play together Appears between both children from the early 20th century onwards Arab women artists Aspired to an equal footing with their male counterparts in many cases even beating them to major milestones Despite the many obstacles in their personal And professional career journeys Contrary to what some people may believe that Arab women artists were Complimentary to their male counterparts with some significant contributions here and there I hold that Arab art history cannot Simply cannot be written in full without considering the sizable contributions of women artists from the co-founding of major movements Like the like Iraq's Hurofia by Madiha Omar the Baghdad modern art groups Nazih Salim The crystallists Kamala Ibrahim of Sudan the Ausham movements by a Mahyiddin The Egypt contemporary art group Zaynab Abdul-Halim the statement against artistic racism by NGF Latoun Not to mention Salwar Al-Shuqir's seminal 1941 text Kaitha Fahim Al-Arabi Fanna Tasweer how the Arab understood visual art all these and more are a Testament to the pivotal role that Arab women artists played in the formation of the Arab art Canon What's more exciting for me personally is the process of learning the names of these women artists with the help of many Scholars and friends some of whom are in this very room with us today Ultimately, this is a Collaborative effort between scholars researchers collectors museums and one that will benefit us all. Thank you so much I mean, I could listen to Sultan forever I just want to say a huge. Thank you to Sultan for this really wonderful wonderful encyclopedic Knowledge of yours that you are now so generously sharing with us And I'm really happy that you have also accepted being affiliated with the Sawas Middle East Institute as a research associate You are inaugural research associate and the community at Sawas and all of us here will really benefit from your from your presence With us. Thank you so much and thank you all for coming tonight. I I Just want to briefly thank the small army of people behind the scenes who have helped make this event happen Everybody at Sawas from the advancement office to my own team especially Gloria and Imran From the Sawas Middle East Institute ackee who is the engine Thank you so much and all the volunteer student volunteers and everyone who made this event happen and We can now go have a drink We have a reception in the Senate House building So I'm afraid you'll have to brave the cold for a minute moving between one building and another you will be hopefully shown the way by the small army and Last but not least I want to say that we have also an advisory board for the Sawas Middle East Institute And we have some of them with us here tonight Please feel free to mingle with them at the reception in no particular order We have professor Matteo Legrenzi who's come all the way from Venice to be with us here today We have Dr. Venetia Porter who I'm sure a lot of you already know Dr. Radha Harithi who is a Sawas PhD And last but not least our very own professor Dina Motard. Thank you so much Thank you so much for being with us today and join us If you have the time as I said you'll be escorted. Thank you so much and this talk what by the way has been recorded So you can watch it again


The leader of the free world, the president of the United States, ladies and gentlemen, the president, Ronald Reagan. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, George. Reverend Clergy, president and Mrs. Ford, the distinguished people that you have met up here, and those that are in the audience, millions of Americans will follow us to this place. And like us, they will find history here. They will relive in their own minds and through their children's eyes dramatic and critically important moments in our nation's life. Here they will reflect on the achievements of the 38th president of the United States. They will dwell on what Gerald Ford brought to this nation and what he gave to his country and his people. Some of those who come here will bring just as many of us to have today personal memories. I have my own. I couldn't help but recall, as we prepared for this trip, that the first time he and I encountered each other was in Michigan. Well, it wasn't exactly an encounter, and we certainly didn't have any awareness of each other. I was a young sports announcer for station WHO of Des Moines, Iowa. I was broadcasting an Iowa-Michigan football game. The center on that Michigan team was a fellow named Jerry Ford. Candor in a decent regard for history forced me to admit that was about 47 years ago and Michigan won. I have some other unique memories, one in particular is more recent, but serves to highlight our mutual interest in sports and politics. In 1976, we were engaged in another kind of game. He won that one, too, but you observe one day that we had something in common. He said that we both played football, and he said that he had played for Michigan and I played for Warner Brothers. Well, let me add that playing the gipper did get more attention than my three years in the line for Eureka College, which maybe proved something us linemen have always felt, and that is that it's pretty easy for the backs to get the glory. I was a guard, right guard, that is, and Mr. President, other less humorous similarities between us have occurred recently. This came home to me when I ran across this description of the American economy, the worst inflation in the country's peacetime history, the highest interest rates in a century, the consequence severe slump in housing, sinking, and utterly demoralized securities markets, a stagnant economy with large scale unemployment in prospect, and a worsening international trade and payments position. That description comes from the New York Times, and I thought you'd like to know the date was the summer of 1974. Gerald Ford had just become president of the United States. During his first few months in office, he made the battle against inflation, growing unemployment and the stagnant economy his first priority. He didn't hesitate to point to the causes of this economic crisis. He noted that in a 10-year period, federal spending had increased from over $100 billion to over $300 billion. In a 15-year period, direct and indirect federal payments to individuals had gone from 24% of the federal budget to 46% while spending for defense fell from 49% of the budget to 26%. President Ford asked his countrymen to choose. To put it simply, he said, we must decide whether we shall continue in the direction of recent years the path toward bigger government, higher taxes and higher inflation, or whether we shall now take a new direction, bringing to a halt the momentous growth of government, restoring our prosperity, and allowing each of you a greater voice in your own future. Well, as president, Gerald Ford made his choice. And when he left office, the economy was again moving in the right direction with inflation shrunk to a yearly rate of 4.8%. And his decision to carefully rebuild America's defense and his willingness to protect American interests and lives abroad began to re-establish our international prestige. He showed it can be done. Well, these are the facts of the objective criteria by which the success of the Ford presidency can be judged. Yet the legacy left his countrymen. My General Gerald Ford is something deeper and something more profound. In 1787, shortly after the Constitutional Convention concluded its work, Benjamin Franklin was asked what had been accomplished. And we all know, he said, we've given you a republic if you can keep it. For two centuries, this has been the challenge before all Americans. A challenge that has always been met but not without uncertainty, moments of doubt, and danger. During the first transition of federal power from one party to the other in 1800, fierce acrimony, vows of retribution to even talk of succession, filled the nation's capital. And in 1861, another great internal crisis shook our nation. And this time, the dissolution of the Union was not only threatened, it was, for a time, a reality. In both cases, the steadiness, the fortitude, the personal ease, and quiet confidence of our presidents saw us through. On August 9, 1974, when the nation was experiencing another traumatic test of its institutions, Gerald Ford, as has been said several times here today, took the oath of office in the East Room of the White House and spoke of the extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans. He spoke of a time of trouble and hurt, and he told us, our long national nightmare is over. He woke us from that nightmare. We've heard, repeated here today, dramatic statements that were made as evidence of that. He did heal America because he so thoroughly understood America. His was and is an unquestioning belief in the soundness of our way of governing and in the resiliency of our people. And when he was about to step down from the presidency, he took note of our remarkable tradition of peaceful transitions of power. He said, there are no soldiers marching in the streets except in the inaugural parade. No public demonstrations except for some of the dancers at the inaugural ball. The opposition party doesn't go underground, but goes on functioning. And a vigilant press goes right on probing and publishing our faults and our follies. And during our bicentennial, he reminded the American people of the collective wisdom of their ways and the remarkable achievements of their past. And the fact that we can meet in solemn gatherings like this and go right on without being bothered a bit by a few raucous voices from beyond. In the space of two centuries, Gerald Ford said, we have not been able to right every wrong, to correct every injustice, to reach every worthy goal. But for 200 years we have tried. And we will continue to strive to make the lives of individual men and women in this country and on this earth better lives, more hopeful and happy, more prosperous and peaceful, more fulfilling and more free. This is our common dedication, he said, and it will be our common glory as we enter the third century of the American adventure. Gerald Ford healed America because he understood the adventure of America, her way of governing her people and the source of her strength as a nation. And on the night he learned that he was likely to be the next president of the United States, he and Betty recited a favorite prayer from the book of Proverbs. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Today many of us in public life from this country and others have come here to speak words of tribute to Gerald Ford. The millions of Americans who will soon hear or read these words will not long remember them, but can be sure that in their minds and hearts there will be a flash of recognition and a swell of gratitude, feelings that have put into words would result in a simple statement by his countrymen about Gerald Ford. He was a good president who led us well, a good man who sought to serve others. Mr. President, I noted recently that your confidence in our nature's future is not at all diminished. You said that the nation again faces difficult moments, but that there's a good feeling in the country despite the problems. You said our plans for economic recovery will work because the American people will make them work. You noted that the will of the people is more important than all the technical things, all the micro and macroeconomics. There is just no way to equate that, you said, with the will of 229 million Americans. I am, of course, grateful for your support and counsel on this matter, but I would remind you that if today 229 million Americans can look forward to that future you speak of, it is because you brought us through difficult and trying times and helped us to believe again in ourselves. Not too long ago on the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous ride, you offered a prayer, Mr. President, in the old North Church in Boston. You said you hoped that those who follow us might say of our generation, we kept the faith, freedom flourished, liberty lived. That's a worthy prayer, Mr. President, and we offer it again today in a spirit of gratitude for your presidency and affection for you. Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my honor to introduce to you the 38th President of the United States, a man of decency, a man of honor, a man of healing, Gerald R. Ford. Mr. President, Mrs. Reagan, President López Portillo of Mexico, our good neighbor to the South, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, our good neighbor to the North, President Giscard de Sting of France, our good neighbor across the Atlantic, Foreign Minister Sonoda of Japan, our good neighbor across the Pacific, Mrs. Lyndon Bain Johnson from Texas, our good neighbor from out west, distinguished guests, all of my good neighbors from Grand Rapids, from Michigan and beyond. They say you can't go home again. They're wrong. It's not uncommon for a man of my age to be surrounded by so many friends and to be eulogized so eloquently. What is most unusual, and I must say most enjoyable, is to be here to hear it. Old soldiers may just fade away, but politicians will always respond to one more curtain call. It's not just the applause that we love. It is the sense of common shared interest, of common shared ideals, of serving a purpose larger than ourselves. It is the comfort of being among friends, the high point of my life next to meeting and marrying Betty. Was not making Eagle Scout or being named All-State Center from South High or earning my varsity M at the University of Michigan or getting my sheepskin from Yale Law School or winning my first election to the Congress or serving as 38th President of the United States. They seem so at the time, but the high point is always ahead, and today it is here in my hometown among my friends. This building is made of steel and concrete, but this moment is made of love. As I look back over the lessons of the years, it's been my experience that if you want to get where you are going, you cannot spend too much of your time contemplating where you've been. All those Saturdays I spent in the Michigan line, looking at the world backwards and upside down, taught me this. The world looks a lot better head on and straight ahead. Yet there are times for looking back. I'm thinking particular of election day 1976. Some of you may remember I voted early. I'll let you guess for whom. And before heading back to Washington, we unveiled Paul Collins' mural at Kent County Airport. There was my whole life spread before me, my dear mother and father, my brothers, the happy scenes of my boyhood here. I was physically drained and emotionally full. I knew it was going to be a close election. We had come from 30 points behind in the polls to just about even. We were hopeful, but still the thought seized my mind that I might be ending the full career that I've been privileged to have. Well, nearly five years have passed, and I've never been busier and happier. I've been to places I always wanted to see. I've talked with thousands of people. I played a little golf with you know who, and I've had to reflect. I have worked to bring this museum and the Ford Library at Ann Arbor to completion. Now I'm working on a foundation that will help students and scholars from all over the world to work with the original documents and mementos of my career in the Congress, the Vice Presidency, and the White House. Here they can examine in specific detail how our Constitution works, why our great republic is a government of laws and not of men, and discover for themselves that the people rule. This magnificent structure beside the Grand River with other presidential archives and memorials serves and shares a common purpose and utility, though their contents like the men they honor are very different. Unlike the pyramids, their function is not to deify the dead, but rather to distill from the past the essence of experience that may illuminate the dim path and the future. The past can construct the present not only in the art of leadership but also in the opportunities of citizenship. Since the days of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, it has been a tenet of American faith that every native son could grow up to be president, but the ideals of their generations had to be forged into the realities of ours, and so through the years we've moved slowly but surely to erase every spurious bar to high public service, whether it be region, religion, race, or sex. I would not be surprised, I would be glad if in this century it could be said that every American boy or girl can grow to be president of the United States. Within these walls you will find clues to some of the convictions I hold which explain the policies that I set and the decisions that I made. There are souvenirs and beautiful state gifts from my official visits to our good neighbor, Mexico, who president honors us today. And with his family joined Betty and me at a private dinner in the White House in 1976. Journeys to Europe and Asia, including Mr. Foreign Minister, the historic first exchange of visits by an American president and the emperor of Japan. One of my regrets is that I never got to Canada while I was in the White House, but I did have a number of constructive meetings with Prime Minister Trudeau in Washington, Brussels, Helsinki, and Puerto Rico. And a couple of winners ago, we had a memorable reunion on the ski slopes of Vail, Colorado, where I showed him the superb upside down landing techniques which I learned in the Laurentian 40 years ago. I'm also sorry I was never able to visit metropolitan France, but I recall a delightful meeting on the sunny aisle of Martinique, defying protocol. President Giscard de Stang and I immediately jumped into a swimming pool, out-distanced our foreign ministers, and did more for Franco-American friendship that had been done since the last time Ben Franklin visited Paris. Curious citizens and future historians may ask, why, with his desk piled high with domestic difficulties, did Jerry Ford spend so much time traveling a quarter of a million miles to NATO meetings, European security conferences, economic summit meetings, salt talks? Why did he crowd his White House calendar with calls from foreign leaders? Why spend most of his first hectic day as president seeing nearly every ambassador in Washington? The answer to these questions is found here in the Ford Museum. It helps to go back to the summer of 1940. Europe was in flames, one by one our traditional friends were being smashed by Hitler, Stukas, and Panzers. I had one more year to go at Yale. In whatever time I could spare, I flung myself into Wendell Wilkie's campaign, even though he had beaten Michigan's hero Senator Arthur Vandenberg of Grand Rapids for the Republican nomination. Why Wilkie? Vandenberg was an ardent isolationist, so was Grand Rapids in those days, and so was I. But what I admired about Wilkie was his freedom from machine politics and his fighting spirit. When I came home from the Navy after World War II, it was plain to me that the free nations would have to stick together as they had in war to preserve and protect the peace we had won so dearly. My political mentor, Senator Arthur Vandenberg, had abandoned his isolationism, and so had I. In fact, Arthur Vandenberg had become the chief Republican champion of international cooperation.


There's a phenomenon through many levels of the back rooms where shadow type entities have been seen stalking people. Sometimes they're in windows just looking down at you, or in doorways inside houses or standing over you while you're trying to sleep, but they mainly all look the same. They're like a taller than average human, they're skinny, they're darkly colored, and they're almost see-through. Some of them have been reported to have red or white eyes, but they always give off really bad vibes and just weird feelings to wanderers. They make you feel very uneasy. But the worst part is, we know almost nothing about them. Why do they stand around and watch people? Why do they follow them? What's their goal? Where do they come from? Can they talk? We just don't have any answers, but we do know that this is a phenomenon that's all across the back rooms on all different levels. Let me know your theories on them in the comments below.