JeffreyCottrill asked:


Hope. It’s what gets us out of the bed in the morning and keeps us putting one foot in front of the other. But for those going through divorce, hope can be elusive.

We’d like to share our personal tips for a successful marriage and hope that they can help you with your relationship. Here they are:

As the owners of Divorce Magazine, we want you to know that hope for a happier future after divorce is possible. One year after my (Dan’s) divorce, I launched Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com to help provide useful information to people going through a divorce and New Jersey divorce law. Then, two years later, I remarried. In 2007, we celebrated our10th wedding anniversary.

We’d like to share our personal tips for a successful marriage and hope that they can help you with your relationship. Here they are:

1. Spend time together. “Work and play together, with each other, and with your kids, no matter how busy you are,” says Dan.

2. Don’t be afraid to also spend time apart. “We all need our space,” says Martha an experienced family lawyer New York. “When Dan and I spend time apart it doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.” Spend time with your girl or guy friends, she suggests. “Don’t hesitate to do activities or sports you love on your own, if your spouse is not into the same thing.”

3. Be supportive of your spouse. “Support each other in whatever it is that interests you,” advises Martha. “Make your spouse a proud mother or father, help them be successful in their career, and support their family and hobbies.” (Martha and Dan, for instance, are activists for the same non profit organization — The Hunger Project.)

4. Begin from a place of trust. “Never question your spouse’s intention,” stresses Dan. “They may do things that ‘appear’ to be wrong or hurtful, but if you start by knowing they have good intentions, the rest will take care of itself.”

5. Communicate. “Tell each other what works, and what doesn’t work,” suggests Martha. “Don’t save it all up and then blow up.” And be sure to tell them regularly that you love them, she urges. “Just tell them!”

6. Appreciate life — and one another. “Don’t take each other for granted,” advises Dan. “And don’t take your relationship for granted, either. Learn the art of appreciation. It will do wonders for your relationship and your life.”

7. Celebrate your accomplishments, individually, and as a couple. “And celebrate your children’s accomplishments, too, together as a family,” says Martha.

Since 1996, Divorce Magazine and DivorceMagazine.com have proudly produced the industry’s only divorce magazine and Google’s top-ranked divorce website. Developed to inform, educate, and support divorcing people with divorce-related articles, news, exclusive interviews, and helpful resources, the website and magazine are regionalized to serve divorcing people in their own areas. The magazine offers six local editions throughout North America, while surfers can choose any U.S. state or Canadian province to learn more about the divorce process and resources available in their area.

Dan Couvrette is the founder and CEO of Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com

Martha Chan is the V.P. Marketing of Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com



Melinda

Phil Davies asked:


Manhattan, New York – February 21, 2008 – The February 6-7th, Winter, Stock & Bond Auction at R. M. Smythe & Company (#277) saw heated bidding that was typified by the sale of a featured stock certificate from Buffalo Bills Wild West Company, which saw a final hammer price of $20,000. The beautifully illustrated certificate featured a portrait of Buffalo Bill at top center. Other noteworthy sales that warmed the winter auction included:

Lot # 1396 (Presale Estimate – $15,000-25,000) Final Bid – $19,000

Accessory Transit (of Nicaragua) (NY) 1856. #12. $5000. Bearer Bond. Auxilliary ocean going steamship. Signed twice by Cornelius Vanderbilt as president, and on the reverse. Not cancelled. John W. Amerman. NY. VF.*

Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was an American financier and founder of his family’s fortune. At the age of 16 he bought a boat and ferried passengers and goods between Staten Island and Manhatten. He later made a fortune in the steamship business, earning himself the nickname “Commodore.” In 1862 he sold his ships and turned to financing railroads, where he amassed a greater fortune estimated at $100,000,000 making him one of the richest men of his time. Accessory Transit was organized by Vanderbilt to move passengers and freight to the West Coast through Nicaragua. Vanderbilt hired C.K. Garrison as his agent through San Francisco, and Charles Morgan as his agent in New York.

Shortly after this bond was issued came the “war of the three commodores,” between Charles Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt and George Law. Accessory Transit competed openly with the Law-Aspinwall mail subsidy line. Morgan and Garrison, on the other hand, manipulated the Transit’s stock in such a way that they profited while Vanderbilt lost heavily. Vanderbilt is said to have stormed at them, “I will not sue you because the law takes too long. I will ruin you.”

Vanderbilt did manage to unseat Morgan and Hoyt from the board of directors, but another headache immediately developed in the form of William Walker, who invaded Nicaragua with the support of Morgan and his Associate! William Walker made himself President of Nicaragua. In order to get the money needed to keep a 1200 man army together, he took sides in the in-fighting within Accessory Transit Company. Foolishly backing those who had double crossed Commodore Vanderbilt, Walker confiscated the company assets and handed them over to the insurgent faction. Vanderbilt retaliated with a blockade, cutting Walker off from reinforcements while inciting the neighbouring states. Vanderbilt sent mercenaries to Costa Rica, where they obtained a small force of native troops to attack Walker. As a result Walker suffered defeat and had to flee in May 1857. Vanderbilt was then back in business with Nicaragua.

The first Accessory Transit Certificate signed by Cornelius Vanderbilt that we have sold in over a decade, a museum quality certificate that may not be obtainable again in a lifetime of collecting.

Lot # 1083 (Presale Estimate – $1000 to $1500) Final Bid – $1800

Black Star Line (DE) 1919. #2153. 5 shs. Green. Eastern Hemisphere globe with the title “Africa The Land of Opportunity” flanked by a field hand and an ocean liner. Signed by Marcus Garvey as president. VF.*

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) was convinced that African Americans could not prosper in countries where they were the minority race, Garvey urged a “Back to Africa” movement, and conceived of a steamship trading company trading between New York, the West Indies and Africa. Over a half million in subscriptions poured in, but the enterprise never materialized. Garvey was arrested, convicted of mail fraud, and deported to Jamaica.

Lot# 1092 (Presale Estimate – $500 to $1,000) Final Bid – $1400

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (MD) 1838. #12. 2500 shs. People stroll along the Canal and the Potomac River at left. Signed as corporate president by George C. Washington (1789-1854), grand-nephew of George Washington, congressman and Indian treaty negotiator. Tape stain center, otherwise VF.*

This enterprise was chartered in 1828, in succession to the old Potowmack Company. Half of the six million in capital came from the States of Maryland and Virginia as well as the cities of Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria. Although John Quincy Adams turned the first spade, the undertaking was not a success. A change of plan widening the canal made it impossible to finish the work within the constraints of the capital. By the crash of 1837, all of the $8 million had been spent and the canal was still 50 miles from Cumberland. In the meantime, President Jackson had to repeatedly call out the militia to restore order among the quarrelsome and striking workers.

Finally, in 1850, way over budget, the canal reached Cumberland, whose coal mines at least offered a commercial product that could be carried to Washington. The company ran at a profit from 1860-1880, with the exception of 1877 when a great flood on the Potomac wrecked the works. The company got back on its feet, but the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad steadily drained away its business. It lingered until 1924, when another great flood destroyed the works and made reconstruction financially impossible. The Federal government bought the land as a park in the 1930’s.

Lot# 1116 (Presale Estimate – $600 to $900) Final Bid – $950

Lewis & Clark Centennial & American Pacific Expo & Oriental Fair (OR) 1904. #1656. One share. Green. Large gold embossed corporate seal with an image of a settler and Indian pointing to a map of the Louisiana Purchase. “Where Rolls The Oregon” ships in harbor. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on either side. Nicest we have seen. Extremely Rare. VF+.

This exhibition was held in Portland, Oregon, in 1905, to commemorate the anniversary of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Coast, which charted a route to the West through the Rocky Mountains.

Lot# 1209 (Presale Estimate – $2,000 – $4,000) Final Bid – $2600

Estate of Alexander Hamilton (NY) Nov. 29, 1804. $200. Printed form. Signed as trustees by Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816) patroon, Morrisana, diplomat and US senator. He was a member of the Continental Congress and one of the three drafters of the Articles of Confederation. Also signed by Rufus King (1755-1827), Revolutionary soldier, Continental Congressman, US senator from NY, twice a US senator, unsuccessful Federalist candidate for President in 1804 (thus at signing). Another signer was Oliver Wolcott, Jr. The other signers were Robert Benson and Thomas Wilkes. Framed behind glass with an engraving of Gouverneur Morris. Not examined out of frame, but appears to be EF.

Issued just four months after Hamilton’s famous duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Hamilton was brilliant at getting the affairs of the United States in order, but he allowed his own personal finances to fall into complete disorder. The four gentlemen who signed this certificate formed a committee to liquidate Hamilton’s assets in order to try to save something for Mrs. Hamilton and the children.

Prices were generally much improved and autographed items and rare pieces did exceptionally well. None of the prices listed here include the Buyers Premium.

Accredited media interested in scheduling an interview to discuss this release or past or upcoming auctions are encouraged to contact Mary Herzog at 212-943-1880

About R. M. Smythe & Co.

R. M. Smythe and Co., established in 1880, buys, sells, and auctions coins, paper money, stocks and bonds and autographs at their corporate headquarters at 2 Rector Street in the heart of the Financial District in New York City. To order a catalog, to contact any of the firm’s specialists, or to make general inquiries, call 212-943-1880 or 800-622-1880, or visit the firm’s website at: http://www.smytheonline.com.



Troy

Gary E Rosenberg asked:


DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A CLIENT “BILL OF RIGHTS”?

Every New York attorney is required to hang this list of rights in his or her office ‘ where clients can read it:

STATEMENT OF CLIENT’S RIGHTS

1. You are entitled to be treated with courtesy and consideration at all times by your lawyer and the other lawyers and personnel in your lawyers office.

2. You are entitled to an attorney capable of handling your legal matter competently and diligently, in accordance with the highest standards of the profession. If you are not satisfied with how your matter is being handled, you have the right to withdraw from the attorney-client relationship at any time (court approval may be required in some matters and your attorney may have a claim against you for the value of services rendered to you up to the point of discharge).

3. You are entitled to your lawyer’s independent professional judgment and undivided loyalty uncompromised by conflicts of interest.

4. You are entitled to be charged a reasonable fee and to have your lawyer explain at the outset how the fee will be computed and the manner and frequency of billing. You are entitled to request and receive a written itemized bill from your attorney at reasonable intervals. You may refuse to enter into any fee arrangement that you find unsatisfactory. In the event of a fee dispute, you may have the right to seek arbitration: your attorney will provide you with the necessary information regarding arbitration in the event of a fee dispute, or upon your request.

5. You are entitled to have your questions and concerns addressed in a prompt manner and to have your telephone calls returned promptly.

6. You are entitled to be kept informed as to the status of your matter and to request and receive copies of papers. You are entitled to sufficient information to allow you to participate meaning fully in the development of your matter.

7. You are entitled to have your legitimate objectives respected by your attorney, including whether or not to settle your matter (court approval of a settlement is required in some matters).

8. You have the right to privacy in your dealings with your lawyer and to have your secrets and confidences preserved to the extent permitted by law.

9. You are entitled to have your attorney conduct himself or herself ethically in accordance with the Code of Professional Responsibility.

10. You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.



Charles

Raya asked:


Many people would think that trading raw materials is mutually beneficial between countries. The US economy depends on profiting globally, and we understand the benefit of using cheap labor in foreign countries through FDI. However, what happens when a state financed enterprise in China strategically buys up raw materials like iron and petroleum. I am not just talking about an even percentage, I mean “greater than 90% of the world’s raw supply of iron” and complete control over the U.S. petroleum supply.1 Fortunately, the US government noticed what they were up to and made it illegal for another county to purchase a controlling interest in the U.S. petroleum supply. On a side note, it was only five years ago that the North Korean government financed a massive plant to produce billions in counterfeit U.S. currency. Everyone knows that the U.S. military forces are superior to any other country, but there is one thing that we do not have. China has a “population of 87 million exceeds most European nations”.2 Many of these people are living in less fortunate conditions. You might even assume that they would prefer a better life, and the right leader could influence them to do so at the expense of other nations.

We are vastly out numbered, so what makes our military forces superior?

The answer is technology, industry, petroleum, and iron. Technology is always either for sale, or it can be gathered through espionage. China can buy the same level of technology from intermediaries or allied governments. Industry can be built with economic growth. Currently China is the number one growing economy in the world. It nearly controlled our petroleum supply domestically and failed, so China decided to buy petroleum from Saudi Arabia through German intermediaries. Now our gas prices are going through the roof and stock analysts are saying its some kind of market fluke created by a belief that oil prices will continue to soar.

Iron, the main export that I would like to discuss, is five times its original price four years ago when China started buying up the world’s supply of raw iron. Right now, they are using this iron to create cranes and other machinery to export to the US and other nations, but most of the iron is being stockpiled in China for future use. What future use? We can only speculate. Why would China stockpile their ever-increasing supply of iron and still buy more, regardless of the price (literally)? What big plans do they have for such an immense stockpile of iron? Aren’t bullets, guns, factories, and tanks made out of iron? Absolutely, here is a piece of an article on the Chinese economy.

“In recent years China’s booming economy, fueled by large inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) and rapid export growth, has emerged as a significant force in the global economy. This year, China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest recipient of FDI, and its bilateral trade surplus with the United States reached $117 billion in the 12 months up through August 2003. Both inward investment and export growth create strong demand for China’s currency, the Yuan. All things being equal, such demand pressures should cause the Yuan to appreciate relative to the U.S. dollar and cause China’s external position to return to balance.”3

Since China is the number one growing economy on the planet, they also have the number one growing currency relative to the US and other nations. Everyday China is become more industrialized. They used to be a purely state controlled economy, but they are starting to develop into more of a free economy in some areas. Overall, they are not shutting down as many businesses that do not pay the government officials regular bribes, which is definitely a move in the right direction.

The US wants to encourage free trade with China because of their enormous population. This means that US companies would have access to a huge new market of consumers. It also means improving the quality of life in China. It is also widely known that many native Chinese women perform acts of prostitution or marry solely to support their family. It is also common in China to see people walking barefoot because they cannot afford sandals, or seeing people including children who are starving. China also has more than 300 organized crime syndicates with a history that goes back to the Shaolin Monks. China is a desperate nation, so desperate that they engage in foreign currency scams to inflate the value of the Renminbi (pronounced Yuan). In 2000, the exchange rate was 8.3 Yuan per U.S. dollar. Today, the exchange rate is 7.6 Yuan per US dollar. Here is the second piece of the article above.

“But all things are not equal: China pegs the Yuan to the dollar at a fixed rate and strictly regulates imports and the allocation of foreign exchange. In order to maintain the Yuan’s fixed value, China must create a residual supply of Yuan to counter growing demand for its currency; China achieves this by buying dollars in foreign exchange markets. Between December 2000 and July 2003, China more than doubled its foreign reserve holdings from $168 billion (16% of its GDP) to $361 billion (31% of its GDP).”4

“How should the United States respond? On nine occasions between 1988 and 1992, the U.S. Treasury found that similar external surpluses accompanied by much smaller accumulation of foreign reserves constituted evidence that countries—including China—were manipulating their currency’s value for competitive trade advantage. When such a finding is made, U.S. law requires the Treasury Secretary to undertake negotiations to end such manipulation. Current evidence indicates that China is engaged in just such a manipulation of the Yuan for competitive gain.”5

Today, foreign “investment, combined with China’s swelling export earnings, have pushed the country’s foreign exchange reserves beyond $600 billion”.6

One thing that I learned from experience is that desperate people and people that try to steal from others generally cannot be trusted. This is why, among all the other evidence I provided above, I do not think we should let the Chinese government do whatever they want. They should not have a majority of the world’s iron, petroleum or our country’s economic and physical security in the palm of their hands. What good are tanks and supply trucks that do not have gas? This may seem silly today, because we are not at war with China.

In support of this opinion, many nations like Japan learned long ago that warfare in the physical sense is foolish and destructive, because it diminishes the productive capacity of the nation unless they can build new factories just as fast as their enemies can blow them up.

Today, the real modern warfare is economics. If China shuts down U.S. companies that depend on buying iron at a certain price in order to earn a profit after U.S. labor costs, then they take our market share and our productive capacity depends on whether China will sell us what we need. Prices are good today because Chinese labor costs are low, but it will not stay that way according to economic theory. Eventually the FDI, which exceeds our nation, will create even more jobs and economic prosperity in China. The end-result will increase wages, and hopefully it will improve working conditions.

However, if China does not sell to us anymore and they do the same bullying routine in other international markets, then we could be at a serious economic and military disadvantage. Should we trust China and believe that they want to change for the better? Here is an article that may shed some light on that question.

“China wants to suspend human rights talks with the United States. The news came after Washington said yesterday that it will condemn Beijing’s serious violations with a resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission currently underway in Geneva. The Chinese foreign minister called the action taken by the Americans a ‘serous meddling in China’s internal affairs.’ China’s Vice Foreign7 Minister said the ‘clash intentionally provoked by the United States has now seriously damaged any basis for dialog and discussion on human rights issues between both countries. China must immediately suspend talks and discussion.’ Yesterday, US State Department spokesperson, Richard Boucher, expressed the American government’s disappointment with Beijing’s inadequacies in improving human rights conditions in the country, after commitments it undertook in 2002 and 2003. Boucher also stressed Washington’s concern about ‘backward steps’ being taken by China, as reported in the American government’s world human rights report released last Feb. Last year the United States asked for a resolution, stating that Beijing had made limited, though significant progress in the sphere of human rights. The resolution was presented each year after the brutal repression of the student protestors in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. This year various human rights organizations, like Human Rights Watch, asked that the United States to put back a motion to blacklist Beijing. Even American trade union representatives requested that their government condemn China for the way it trades its labor force. Meanwhile Amnesty International called for a moratorium on the death penalty on China, reporting that the Chinese legal system does not guarantee fair trials and often punishes innocent persons. Yesterday the AI published a report titled ‘Executed according to law?’ ‘The report was released following statements made by a member of Chinese Parliament who said that every year there are at least 10,000 people sentenced to death in China 5 times more than all cases of capital punishment registered worldwide’.”8

The Chinese people are very much like our own with the exception that they communicate more through context and women are not valued very highly in their society. They also have four different cooking styles based on the four different regions. They speak different languages in each region, and they have a wide array of different traditions based on the former cultures that lived there before. China does not tolerate freedom of speech and they frequently kill anyone who is suspected on saying negative things about the current government. There is no defense or

fair trial, and basic human rights are not valued by their government. Their economy is state controlled, but they are slowly changing into a free enterprise economy.

I think that trading with China is mutually beneficial as long as they are not buying up significant amounts of raw materials that affect our national security. After the “911 attacks on New York and the Pentagon”, security measures at the ports are very strict in the US.9 The Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle have cameras, tall fences, and security personal strategically placed. They also conduct more customs inspections than before, and canines are commonly used to find people and contraband. The US also has a satellite system that detects nuclear radiation, infrared (heat signatures), records and filters every electronic conversation in the US, and video records the activities of the world’s ports. They also pay very close attention to refrigerated and abnormally heavy containers for biological weapons and shielded nuclear material.

China does not perform any significant security measures other than custom inspections accompanied by armed guards. Custom inspectors frequently accept bribes to expedite export and import processing, which creates a huge delay for companies who did not pay bribes or paid less. Dogs are also used for detecting contraband, but they use german sheppards instead of beagles. German sheppards are know to be effective in chasing down people and enforcing security. However, beagles have two hundred times the ability to smell contraband. This means that their port security is seriously lacking unless they physically inspect every crate, which they do not normally do whenever a bribe is taken to expedite the customs process.

Recently, the Port of Tacoma purchased three cranes from China to unload containers off the ships. They purchased scrap iron from suppliers in Washington State, melted the iron down, manufactured the cranes, and sold them back to us for less than domestic companies could make them.

Inventories of iron are currently state managed and exceed “70% of iron imports internationally”.10 US laws regarding customs are identified as governing security measures domestically. Otherwise, maritime laws apply to shipments.

The political ramifications of cutting off certain resources to China will make them an enemy. In order for the US to be effective at cutting off the massive purchasing campaign of iron by China, it will need allies who are all the current trading partners to do the same thing. However, this would also make them enemies of China, and suppliers are becoming very wealthy by selling their raw materials for a higher price to China. This means that international trading partners must have a significant reason to cut China off or limit them other than the US’s economic prosperity.

Culturally we also have to consider that the Chinese want a better life, and they want independence. It is unlikely that the US will be able to push the Chinese government into giving their people human rights without completely replacing their government or waiting a significant number of years for their human rights policies to catch up with the rest of the civilized countries in the world.

Geographically, China has taken over Hong Kong, which is the largest shipping location of Chinese imports and exports. The decision of the Chinese government to take over Hong Kong assures their ability to distribute goods internationally without major changes in worldwide distribution. Economically, we must understand that China has a lot to offer in terms of cheap labor and outsourcing, but it may come with a steep cost in the near future.

Letters of credit are guaranteed by international banks in Malaysia and China based on current deposits. This insures payment on receipt of goods for both imports and exports. The global marketing process for government contracts is the same as it is in the US. Foreign bidders are required to send a proposal to the government authority issuing the contract. Whether they choose to buy or not from a foreign source is a balance between price driven economics and supporting local companies.

China has no restrictions on the treatment of their employees, the ages of workers, the hours they work, the healthcare of employees or their working conditions. US employers must abide by laws concerning the treatment of minors, paying overtime, paying wages, paying health and unemployment benefits, discrimination, etc.

Foreign investment in China is carefully controlled in specific sectors and industries. Foreign investment in the US is allowed as long as it does not negatively impact our national security. This is why the US government stopped China from purchasing a controlling position in the U.S.’s primary oil supplier. However, it is almost a guarantee that they will try again.

If you choose to do business in China, please carefully consider the implications of your actions. Making a great profit is very important, but it can never come at the expense of our lives, the lives of our children or the world’s stability and security. I think the world has a great opportunity everyday to change for the greater good, maybe our enemies will decide that building a better world for everyone is better than petty arguments over land, money and religion.

Bibliography

Flannery, Russell. At Your Service, China! New York, NY: Forbes, 2007

Goodman, Peter S. China Ends Fixed-Rate Currency. Washington DC: Washington Post, 2005

Hersh, Adam S. China’s currency manipulation and U.S. trade. Washington, DC: Economic

Policy Institute, 2003

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_archive_10302003se

Hill, Charles W.L. Global Business Today 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin,

2008

R., M. Beijing suspends human rights talks with United States. Geneva: Asia News, 2004

http://www.asianews.it/view4print.php?l=en&art=524



ARDIN Cicilia Hong

Tom Hartley asked:




  Given the highly charged atmosphere that tends to surround sexual matters, it is likely that people will object to both the pro- and anti-censorship arguments that are to follow. Thus I will, on occasion, wear a fool’s cap for purposes of self-protection. Humor can serve as a prophylactic, a shield against accusations of being too preachy. Resorting to comedy can be cowardly, as when what ought to be discussed openly has instead taken guilty refuge in jokes, mockery or sarcasm, but it is essential that we can joke around while grappling with the sordid past of pornography and the messy debate about the obscene. Some say that it is permissible to talk about sex and even to show it in pictures, as long as this is done for a ‘serious purpose.’ But laughter helps to discharge some of the incredible tension in this arena. There is always room for more courageous comedic figures and gestures, as when Germaine Greer stood in front of a crowd holding a banana and demanding satisfaction.[i] Light-hearted self-deprecation can prevent polemical posturing, reminding us to not take things too seriously and to recognize the ridiculous contradictions within our own lives. Henri Bergson dryly theorizes that a laugh is the result of an absurd contrast between two independent series of events that collide producing two entirely different meanings simultaneously. In such moments of mirth personal, spiritual and psychological growth can occur along with mental and physical pleasure or relief. Thus if we have the will, and can temporarily suspend our moral judgments, humor can serve as an antidote to dogmatism.

 My personal interests and concerns with the questions and issues surrounding pornography are reflected in the way my writing expands here and contracts there in seemingly arbitrary fashion. Some shocking, confusing, even contradictory things will be said: you will hear the language of prudery and prurience echoed in the murmurings of lust and love. We will explore the convoluted histories of erotica and obscenity, for then we are less likely to make naive absolutist claims and are more tolerant of the opinions of others. There are many perspectives worth considering and each gives us a better chance at restoring some of the lost sacredness of sex. Let us revise our individual and collective understanding of the sensual body and sexual consciousness. But before dealing with dauntingly complex arguments about erotica and obscenity I intend to highlight the major issues surrounding the debate over pornography and its censorship, the character of the players and the quality of their play. The game should be fun, but it quickly gets serious; if moralists and hedonists agree on one thing it is that sex has the power to destroy as well as to create, perhaps civilizations as well as reputations.

 To understand the abuses of obscenity we should scrutinize both porn and its censorship, to observe the profanation of not only of human sexuality but also of our sexual rights and freedoms. The outcome of any public debate over the uses of obscenity and abuses of erotica both  reflects and reinforces a particular vision of humanity, a distinct ideological stance regarding sexual mores, laws and standards.

 Sex is a great part of what it means to be alive and the tiniest detail of life can be connected to the interrelationship of living energies symbolized by the erotic: “everything that people do is connected with ‘sex’: politics, religion, art, the theater, music, is all ‘sex’.”[ii] We are hardwired to respond to sexual stimulus and to enjoy pleasure. Our highly evolved cortex enables us to create and enjoy sexy images and language. This in turn expands our capacity for experiencing and expressing our human nature. Apart from its connection with reproduction and pleasure, ‘sex’ is also an avenue of deep connection with other people. To a large degree we define ourselves in the way that we manage our sexual relationships. Not only our body but also our mind, our personality, even our soul is inextricably linked with our sexual self in ways that can be malignant or benign. Likewise, pornography and the dialogue surrounding it and its censorship is part of a powerful and influential social phenomenon that can be organic, personalized, civilized and soulful, or else dehumanizing and destructive, the critical factor being the attention and care we bring to the matter.

 Here the abbreviated term ‘porn’ is used in a neutral sense [iii] to denote any material, written, pictorial, sculptural or whatever, regardless of its aesthetic, moral or legal status, as long as it is overtly sexual. Although common usage often equates porn with obscenity the former can refer to just about any sexualized cultural artifact, including what I might think is erotica or what you might deem obscene (or the other way around), whereas the latter specifically refers to something that is offensive to community standards. The constellation of images and objects that can be considered porn has consistently proven to be hard to define (and even harder to control). Ultimately there are simply descriptions and depictions of sex, some erotic and some obscene, some with scientific, literary, artistic or other merit and some without any apparent redeeming qualities. Depending upon your perspective, the content, context and a wide range of other criteria, porn can be erotic or obscene or somewhere in between.

 Similarly we typically view the history of porn in positive or negative terms. Either as a matter of evolution or of degradation, depending upon whether we emphasize the need to adapt to changing conditions or else focus on the need for continuity in terms of basic sexual mores, definitions of the obscene and the erotic, and the way we use words, images, and other shared symbols and cultural meanings. Both lines of thought are essential to understanding the issue but both also pose problems: radical lawfulness is as limiting as is radical non-conformism. When we condemn or condone porn, when our primary concern is to attack obscenity or defend erotica, we are predominately either Conservative or Liberal in our world-view. Midway between these two points of view stands a third.

 To use the analogy of a game the golden mean is the ideal “umpire”[iv] who enforces the rules but tries, however unsuccessfully, to not interfere with the flow of the game [v][vi] This flow, as many spiritualists and even ‘atheists’[vii] envision, involves two contrary yet complementary life-promoting, ruling forces. The goal of the game is the reconciliation of essential dualities (i.e. mind/body). Specifically, the early Greeks associated the rational Conservative force with Apollo and the knowledge of causality and order, and the vital Liberal force was represented by Dionysus and the pleasure of chaos. Prometheus was the umpire whose wisdom and humanity symbolized a creative synchronization or balance of the other two positions. Wisdom considers ambiguity and paradox not as an obstacle but as a positive thing in itself, an opportunity to reconcile soul-splitting dichotomies.

 Understandably we tend to judge porn users according to the worst of them, and we likewise assess the debate about porn in terms of its most extreme participants whose legal definitions, moral descriptions and self-interested promotions often approach the fanatical. As Eric Hoffer, a fanatic about fanatics, puts it, the game of history is usually played by the best and the worst over the heads of the majority in the middle[viii]; that is, the average person is shaped by minorities at each end of the social spectrum, by the superior individual in politics, literature, science, commerce or industry, who plays a large role in shaping a nation, and by those at the other extreme, the failures, misfits, outcasts, criminals. This fallacious exclusion of the middle ground philosophically limits our choices and slants the argument by presenting ready answers that preclude all independent thought. We face equally abhorrent either-ors, and attempt problem solving using only circular techniques that pre-determine the nature of the solutions.[ix] Alternately being pilloried or praised, according to the political will of the moment, sexual expression is made out to be something distinctly different from the rest of the myriad forms of relating and existing. Cognitive categories and oppositions help us make meaning of the world, but when the debate over porn degenerates into hermetically isolated monologues we are prevented from ever achieving a collective sense of the true, the good and the beautiful within our culture and within ourselves. The absence of any kind of structuralized picture of not only sexuality but also of the world at large undercuts our ability or willingness to take part in the debate and reinforces our reliance upon others to impose order on our sexuality. Will the winner be Eros or Thanatos?

 Many of us are familiar with the many sexually explicit narratives and images commonly found in porn. But what do we really mean when we loudly condemn or silently applaud? Is the Classical Priapus[x] a crude relic from an uncivilized past or a potent male fertility image? Depending upon one’s definition, a Playboy centerfold, Goya’s Venus de Milo and bare breasted natives in National Geographic might all be considered equally obscene. And what is meant by real or depicted harm? If real harm is portrayed, does that mean that someone’s freedoms were violated or did they consent to being abused? If the harm depicted is not real, could its depiction still cause real harm to someone else? If laws are broken in the production of a picture or movie, are the pictures, such as those depicting actual murders, suicides, traffic violations or drug use, in and of themselves illegal to view? How are we supposed to legislate against fictionalized crime? Are we more concerned with sex than violence, and is one type of graphic material more harmful than another? Is porn free expression or harmful diversion? Are there legitimate depictions of sexual organs and acts for artistic purposes? Do we really need laws to restrict ‘dirty’ words and images or does censorship do more damage than good? In the absence of restrictions, would porn actually cause any of these harms? American Supreme Court Justice Stewart Potter was justly ridiculed for saying he cannot literally define obscenity but he knows it when he sees it-yet he did inadvertently help spawn discussion about how criminality must be based upon clearly articulated principles and not upon the basis of blind impulse.

 In trying to determine what is appropriate in terms of the consumption and display of porn it is imperative that we take risks and participate in the public forum on sexuality since many moral and legal issues now confront us, especially in the realm of digital porn. The central question here is not simply whether the free availability of porn in society has harmful consequences, nor how government should function in regulating it, nor even whether the whole point is moot given the advent of the world-wide-web. What is more important is whether we are inhibited in our ability to use ‘good’ porn (i.e. the erotic) in the sense of a communal artifact, and whether we are able to participate in public arguments over the how and why of censoring ‘bad’ porn (i.e. the obscene). Enjoying erotica, listening to the censorship debate, or actively arguing over obscenity, are all modes of political expression and are part of a larger dialogue regarding cultural values. We rely upon such discourses for attaining and maintaining democratic principles, and they serve as a yardstick by which we measure our success. In many societies, the notion of being accountable to posterity is at the heart of the entire moral system, and we too owe it to future generations to participate in the debate. So as umpires we will now attempt to negotiate the middle way, the synthesis that reconciles traditional values of reason and organization (the thesis) and progressive values of feeling and freedom (the antithesis). Regardless of which of the three roles (the Conservative, the Liberal or the Umpire) we end up playing, what matters, or what ought to matter most for us, are the victims of obscenity who suffer harm[xi]-harm being a concept that must be negotiated not only within the boundaries of the law, but also in terms of biology, psychological, sociology and spirituality.

 In all discussion of sexuality and of what constitutes normal sexual behavior there is “no truth independent of power relations, no truth without a politics of truth”.[xii] Yet as an artifact porn predates any political attempts at regulation; it is ephemeral and ubiquitous because ‘sex’ is a quintessentially human experience involving every conceivable aspect of awareness and is one of our greatest preoccupations. Eroticism is presumably even older than prostitution and explicit depictions of sexual organs and behavior, obscene or otherwise, can be found throughout history. Stylized representations of large penises and buxom women presumably had not only a functional role-sometimes even as dildos and masturbatory aids-but also served a structural purpose. Such artifacts help to define a culture, perhaps positively, as in the case of fertility symbols, or negatively, as when they signify depravity and obscenity. Uncovering the significance of porn, ancient or otherwise, clearly requires a balanced consideration of conflicting views as well as the humility necessary to learn from the past.[xiii]

 History shows that we forget old victories and defeats in the censorship debate. Walter Kendrick[xiv] argues that we keep on fighting the same old battles “incessantly”[xv] because the issue of porn has never been openly addressed. Perhaps there are no final answers since the ethics of both porn and its censorship are complicated, in part, because the scientific and legal facts keep changing. However, basic questions still need to be addressed by outspoken and open-minded people in freethinking and personal, creative and even humorous dialogue. Walter Lippmann notes that it is “not possible to be indifferent”[xvi] about important issues like divorce, contraception, monogamy, and prostitution. Likewise with porn, we cannot just abstain from judgment, though we can withhold it. We can dismiss the issue saying “I do not know about it,” “live and let live,” “I am sickened and angered by it,” “I profit by it,” “I enjoy it.” Or we can feel threatened, puzzled, intimidated or intrigued by porn, sometimes even simultaneously. We can insist that the law should not enforce any restrictions whatsoever, or argue strenuously for more censorship. Either way, as George Orwell says, “it’s difficult to discuss obscenity because people are afraid of appearing either scandalized or not scandalized enough”.[xvii] There is an urge to identify with one group or another because otherwise we fear getting caught in the crossfire. Polarization leads to incessant squabbling, not debate and resolution, and when a single aspect of life, our sexuality in this case, bears the full force of a major ideological battle, the results are truly obscene.

 

 FOOTNOTES

 [i] [ii] (Ouspensky, 1949) p. 254

[ii]  (COP) The COP report used the term ‘obscene’ to refer to the objective legal concept of what is prohibited depending upon who did what to who, when, where and how. The word ‘pornography’ was not generally used because it denotes a subjective appraisal of the material in question according to notions of merit and value

[iii]  (Kirk, 1982) believes our government should act as an umpire over the people: “its role is not to impose beliefs and activities, nor to tutor or educate them, not to make them better or happier in another way, not to direct them, to galvanize them into action, to lead them or to coordinate their activities so that no occasion of conflict shall occur; the office of government is merely to rule” 589

[iv]  (Kirk, 1982) “the law is not concerned with concrete persons, but with activities; and with activities only in respect of their propensity to collide with one another. It is not concerned with moral right and wrong…but to keep peace” 593

[v] (Szasz, 1983) “Human actions should be interfered with or constrained only when those actions violate the freedom of others, or when interference is requested” 25

[vi] (Lippmann, 1929) interestingly ‘atheist’ originally meant not one who was defiantly against religion but rather one who worshipped god inwardly in their own way p. 27

[vii] (Hoffer, 1951)

[viii] (Pearce, 1973) the reality-shaping function of the mind that automatically fills the empty categories in between polar opposites, Pearce

[ix] (Miles, 1997) huge phalluses were often considered good luck symbols p. 120

[x] (Copp, 1983) justified paternalism is predicated on the harm principle, what Mill calls ‘definite damage,’ especially where porn affects innocent third parties, those other than the producers and consumers

[xi] (Lacombe, 1994) p. 13

[xii] (Roszak, 1973) we also need to be aware that our reactions might stem from arrogance and modern notions of progress that “make nothing so unthinkable as the proposition that pre-modern predecessors or contemporaries could have anything to teach that is humanly valuable” p. 5

[xiii] (Hunt, 1993 ) Hunt helpfully sums up Kendrick’s position of having “attributed the invention of porn to the conjunction of two very different events at the end of the eighteenth and during the early decades of the nineteenth century: the creation of  ’secret museums’ for objects classified as pornographic; and the growing volume of writing about prostitution” p. 12

[xiv] (Kendrick, 1987)”we have fought ignorant battles in the name of morality in the past…[ but] we ought not to be so stupid as to believe we must fight them again”

[xv] (Lippmann, 1929)

[xvi] (Arcand)

[xvii]

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Arcand, B. The Jaguar and the Anteater.

COP. , The Report of the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.

Copp, D. a. (1983). Pornography and Censorship. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus.

Hoffer, E. (1951). True Believers: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. Harper & Row.

Hunt, L. (1993 ). The Invention of Pornography: Obscenity and the Origins of Modernity, 1500-1800. New York, NY : Zone .

Kendrick, W. (1987). The Secret Museum .

Kirk, R. (1982). The Portable Conservative Reader. Markham, Ont. Canada: Penguin.

Lacombe, D. (1994). Blue Politics: Pornography and the Law in the Age of Feminism. Toronto, Ontario: U of Toronto Press.

Lippmann, W. (1929). A Preface to Morals . Time Magazine Publications .

Miles, C. w. (1997). Love in the Ancient World. Weudenfeld & Nicolson .

Ouspensky, P. D. (1949). In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching . New York : Harcourt, Brace & World .

Pearce, J. C. (1973). The Crack in the Cosmic Egg: Challenging Constructs of Mind and Reality . Simon & Schuster .

Roszak, T. (1973). Where The Wasteland Ends: Politics and Transcendence in Postindustrial Society . Garden City, NY: Anchor Doubleday & Co.

Szasz, T. (1983). Primary Values and Major Contentions: ed. Vatz, Richard E. and Lee S. Weinberg. New York, NY: Prometheus .

 

 

 



Ronald

Gary E Rosenberg asked:


I see children standing up in cars, looking out the back window or just sitting on laps. Don’t parents know that in an accident the body of an unrestrained child becomes a projectile, bouncing around the interior of the car? A child can be thrown from the car or through a window or windshield and fatally injured, and occupants of the vehicle can be hurt by a child impacting their heads or necks. Apparently, some people still have not gotten the message.

Are car seats too expensive? Or are people just plain lazy?

There are different types of car seat, usually varying depending on the size, age or weight of the child. Remember to buy a new car seat – old car seats may not have the latest safety features or may have been compromised in an accident.

Infant car seats – only face the rear; usually used in the back seat; may be used as an infant carrier and may be attachable to a stroller.

Convertible car seats – Used in the rear; when your child gets older may change into a forward-facing car seat or even a booster seat.

Booster seats – the last step before your child can wear a regular seat belt; used with the car’s seatbelt.

It is important that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions about how to attach the car seat. Also, you always want to send in the car seat’s registration form, so you are notified if the manufacturer recalls the seat for any defect. If your child is wearing a heavy coat, make certain that the harness straps are tight. Make sure to tighten the straps when your child wears lesser outerwear (when the weather warms up). Some safety agencies recommend removing your child’s outerwear in the car, so that the child can be fastened securely into the car seat.

Do not re-use a car seat after a serious accident – one that causes severe damage to the car. Get a new one.

Common car seat mistakes:

Placing child in wrong size car seat for his weight/size;

Placing a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of the car;

Not making sure the harness is tightened correctly;

Positioning the harness chest clip incorrectly;

Not using the latch correctly.

Not just a safety issue, it’s the law. Below I summarize New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 1229-c. For specific questions, consult the statute. No person shall operate a motor vehicle in this state unless:

(1) all back seat passengers under the age of four are restrained in a specially designed seat which is either permanently affixed or is affixed to such vehicle by a safety belt,

(2) all back seat passengers of such vehicle who are age four or older but under age seven are restrained in an appropriate child restraint system (+ combination lap and shoulder harness belts)

(3) all front seat passengers (a) under the age of sixteen are restrained by a safety belt; or (b) if they are under the age of four, by a specially designed seat which is either permanently affixed or affixed to such vehicle by a safety belt, or children who are age four or older but under age seven are restrained in an appropriate child restraint system (+ combination lap and shoulder harness belts)

The rule changes somewhat if: the passenger four or younger weighs more than 40 pounds, or if the car is not equipped with shoulder harness belts, or if all the lap and shoulder belts are already in use by other children in the car

No person shall operate a motor vehicle unless such person is restrained by an approved safety belt. No person sixteen years of age or over shall be a passenger in the front seat of a motor vehicle unless such person is restrained by an approved safety belt.

This section shall not apply to taxis, liveries, and buses other than school buses EXCEPT no person shall operate a school bus unless all passengers under the age of four are restrained in a specially designed detachable or removable seat, or another approved restraining device.



ARCHIE

Mark Etinger asked:


City is home to one of the biggest, busiest legal communities in the world. Millions of attorneys practice their trade on the island of Manhattan, with thousands more graduating from law school each year and joining their ranks. But behind these busy men and women are the unsung heroes that make the legal professional run: New York court reporters.

What services do New York court reporters provide?

Court reporters working in New York City perform a variety of different functions for their clients, including:

Transcription of live court hearings The backbone of any courtroom legal proceeding is the written record of the event. Court reporters capture every detail of what is said by all parties and produce a flawless typed record of the resulting dialogue.

Transcription of depositions Obtaining a witnesses statement during deposition is a key element of the legal process. The deposition transcript can be used if the individual cannot appear in court, or if their story needs to be corroborated while they are under oath during trial. Court reporters attend depositions and create perfect written transcripts of the event.

Videographer services Court reporters do more than simply take good notes. Many of these trained professionals can be called upon to videotape court proceedings and depositions in order to provide a visual record of the event. Court reporters can also edit the resulting video and insert section breaks and graphics where needed.

What types of events do New York court reporters cover?

There are any number of events that can benefit from having a court reporter present, including: trials, pre-trial motions and hearings, depositions, estate planning meetings (such as will readings and probate-related matters), public speaking engagements, educational events and webcasts.

New York court reporters utilize top technology

More and more, court reporting is moving into the digital age, especially in bigger metropolitan areas such as New York City. Now, court reporters can produce a transcript and email it around the world with the touch of a mouse. Also, depositions and court records can be fully searched in seconds for key words and phrases – making what was once a laborious task for paralegals a breeze.

And that is just the beginning. Court reporters can also provide real-time transcripts beamed across cyberspace using online meeting software and other webcast technology.

These tools have taken the tried-and-true skills of professional court reporters and moved them into the digital age in order to improve communication between parties and make the information available to more people much faster. Court Reporter availability Many court reporters work on their own, as independent contractors. Their availability varies according to their own schedules. New York court reporting services, however, employ a large number of qualified court reporters so that there will be a greater chance someone is available to meet the client’s request, even if it is on short notice. Where can New York court reporters be found? As mentioned above, the majority of court reporting work in New York State goes on within the five boroughs of Manhattan. There are, however, thousands of court reporters available elsewhere in the state – from Long Island all the way north to Buffalo. Court reporting services will be able to locate quality reporters in almost any area of New York.



Eddie

Todd asked:


Salsa is a internationally popular dance style that has it’s roots in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and North America. The Word Salsa translates as the world for sauce and also can-notes a spicy flavor hence the sensual aesthetic of the dance.

The origins of salsa start in cuba when African rhythms came to the new world through slave trade in the form of the rumba. The sounds of these ancient times were used to call forth various Gods. Slaves were forced to convert to Christianity but managed to preserve their heritage by using code words to refer to their own Gods. In Cuba, African drum rhythms blended with the cuban official music and dance of Danzon. A style known as the Cuban son emerged and we now start to hear the claves play a central part of afro-cuban music.

Radio Broadcasting came to Cuba in 1922 along with Americans seeking to escape prohibition laws. This exposed a large population of westerners to cuban son and for the first time, afro-carribean music became popular in america. Renamed the Rumba, the music and dancing begin to appear in American salons in the 1930s and is still a popular style today among ballroom dancers. The rumba in many ways looks like a slower version of salsa. It’s got some of the footwork elements, the cuban hip motion, and arm styling.

Even with the Danzon (which has its origins in English social dancing), you can see the beginnings of the basic back and forward break of the basic time step.

In the early 1900s a cuban composer named Orestes Lopez wrote a Danzon piece called Mambo. In 1943, a famous band leader and a friend of Lopez named Perez Prado began to call his own brand of music “Mambo” meaning “conversation with the Gods”. The African influence is clear from the name. Perez’s Mambo was a more upbeat version of the Cuban music that contained big brass and drum sound to it. The story goes that he came up with a dance to go with his Mambo music and introduced the Mambo dance at La Tropicana night-club in Havana in the year 1943. Prado Perez took tour in the United states in 1951 and Mambo became a craze and Perez became known as the famed Mambo King.

The mambo dance first appeared in the United States in New York’s Park Plaza Ballroom – a favorite hangout of enthusiastic dancers from Spanish Harlem. However, the real breakthrough for the Mambo came when it gained its excitement in 1947 at the Palladium which was located in downtown Manhattan. The Palladium opened its doors as a club for whites only. However business was poor and so a Spanish music promoter named Federico Purgani was able to persuade the club owner to book latin music. He agreed but for Sunday matinees only. It opened its doors to Puerto Ricans and Cubans and became a rare spot where whites, blacks, and latinos could come together. From the doors of the palladium, the music and dance style known as the Mambo took America by storm. The palladium era were the glory days of Mambo and the nights were filled with the rhythms of the three Mambo Kings Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puete and Machito. Both of the Tito’s brought a Puerto Rican influence to mambo music and also their fusion of jazz into the Afro-Cuban sound added another wonderful layer of complexity paving the way for a new flavor of latin music that would be later called “Salsa”.

Palladium Mambo and cha-cha was the progenitor of Salsa but is still quite different. It had a lot more open work and the dancers dance on all different beats. There was no dancing on1 or on2 and there was no formalized technique. Dancers of different backgrounds such as ballroom, tap, jazz and swing all danced the mambo a their own way.

May 1966 marked the end of the palladium era as the nightclub closed its doors and the big 3 found their new home inside The Corso. Mambo music was played almost every night of week and it was here that a young Puerto Rican man named Eddie Torres learned how to dance the mambo by watching the dancers in the club. By this time, The mambo had already evolved into a slot dance and the cross body lead was there.

The 1970s gave rise to merengae, early forms of hip hop, disco and the hustle. Which was cool, okay kind of, well, i guess it’s not as bad as boy bands.

Among other aficionados, Eddie Torres kept mambo alive by teaching the dance and standardizing the break step on the 2 and the 6. Torres began to dance on 2 when June Laberta explained music theory to him. Tito Puente Also confirmed to Torres that dancing on 2 was a marriage with the music because the break step synchronizes with the accented slap of the conga drum.

1973 A Puerto Rican named Izzy Sanabria launched a TV show called “Salsa” along with Latin NY Magazine and in 1975, Latin NY Magazine hosted it’s first ever Salsa Awards. Coverage of this event by the N.Y. Times, News-week and Time magazine generated worldwide interest in what seemed to be a new form of music. Some musicians protested the term “salsa” complaining that Izzy was merely putting a new label on Cuban music but in many ways, it was new and had evolved to something unique in its own right.

What was originally of African Cuban origin had found a home in America and adopted by the Latino community of New York. Innovations made by Puerto Rican musicians such as Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe transformed Afro-Cuban based music to a unique New York Latin Music. Modern salsa is something that was evolved here through the fusion of different cultural influences making what some might consider a home grown American phenomenon.

In the 1980s Eddie Torres began to formalize mambo 0n2 and made it something professional dancers could learn by standardizing the basic time step and teaching a repertoire of moves that had names to them. We now call the dance salsa since the term salsa has become internationally accepted to refer to music of African-Cuban origin as well as New York’s Latin music and their dances. Moving salsa education out of the street and into the studio made it much easier for students of the dance to learn spins and as result, the salsa today emphasizes more partner-work and closed position dancing. This is also attributed to the popularity of the hustle in the latino community during and their incorporation the partner-work into salsa, so I guess some good did come out of the disco days after all. Formalizing salsa made the dance much more marketable because it meant it could be taught in a class. Now Studios all around the world offer salsa classes and has become one the most popular social dance styles. There are people dancing salsa in London, Taiwan, Korea, India, even japan.

So in a nutshell, africans were brought over to cuba as a result of the slave trade. Their music blended with that of the cubans and a marriage between the clave and african drums was now formed. Mambo came along much thanks to Perez Parado who took it to america, he introduced the big band sound by adding brass instruments and Americans loved it and so began the glory days of mambo, innovation by New York’s puerto rican musicians added a element of jazz and the sound of the pianos. The music was transformed into what Izzy Sanabria labeled as salsa.

Pereze Parado spiced up Danzon and taught a new more energetic dance called the mambo. The mambo came to the U.S. and incorporated elements of ballroom, swing, jazz, and tap while preserving it’s latin steps. In the 70s, the influence of the partner-work aspect of the hustle left it’s mark on the mambo and was brought off the street and into the studio in the 1980s by Eddie Torres and was now called the salsa.

The history tells a story of a style of dance that is really a fusion of many different cultures and the dance continues to evolve this way today, with the newer generation mixing in components of hip-hop, belly dancing, and adding lifts and aerial moves from ballroom and swing. So now that you know the awesome rich kick ass history of salsa dancing, you’ll be able to go out and dance as a informed individual but more than just filling your head with knowledge and turning you into a salsa brainiac, I hope that this short article has help you gain a new appreciation of our awesome spicy saucy dance known as salsa! Thanks for reading



Phyllis

jim wilson asked:


Personal Injuries and accidents can happen anywhere, anytime if you are situated in a busy New York City. The NY City is emerging as a breeding ground for various types of accidents which take place on regular basis.

Several types of auto accidents which result in personal injuries are as given below:-



Car accidents

Motorcycle accidents

Truck accidents

Bus accidents

Airplane accidents

Train accidents.



 

Personal Injury Law is the legal term which deals with the damage incurred upon the victim by the negligence or willful actions of some individual or authority. You could become a victim of personal injury while at your workplace, auto accidents, or due to medical negligence by some medical authority/individuals. You can also become a victim of serious personal injury if you are involved in some slip and fall accidents which can happen due to non-maintenance of pedestrian sidewalks, or it can be a result of a pedestrian accident.

Your Personal injury can have detrimental effect on your health. If you become a victim personal injury, then you must contact your personal injury lawyer. If your injury was incurred upon you by the negligence or unsafe conditions provided by some individual or authority, then you are eligible for personal injury compensation. You should speak to your injury lawyer who will help you receive justice and compensation for your injuries.

There have been several instances where people who have suffer personal injuries, do not receive any justice or help. It is important to contact an experiences NY accident law firm,if you are seeking for justice. Your personal injury claim will cover your medical expenses, loss of work, and your physical as well as mental trauma you have gone through. Your personal injury claim will help you recover from your injures both physically as well as psychologically.

There are several complications which can arise as a result of personal injury. The party at fault will hire experienced defense lawyers who will try their best to devoid your right of personal injury claim. Further, it is observed that insurance companies indulge in unfair business practices to nullify genuine claims made by personal injury victims. Seeking the legal help of your New York injury lawyer will help you get justice and compensation for your injuries.

Some accidents can have detrimental effect on your health and physical wellbeing. You must contact a personal injury law firm to seek justice and compensation for your injuries. Your injury lawyer will guide you best course of action and will fight your case to ensure that justice is delivered to the injured.



Virginia

Ibrahim Machiwala asked:


American Lung Association Report Shows 2007 Shaping Up to be a Banner Year for Tobacco Control Policies.

Mid-Year Update Details Progress to Date in 2007;

7 States Significantly Strengthened Smokefree Air Laws, 8 Raised Tobacco Taxes

New York, NY (July 24, 2007) – In 2007, many states have taken strong action to protect their citizens from tobacco by making public places and workplaces smokefree, raising tobacco taxes, and passing laws to protect citizens from cigarette-caused fires, according to a report released today by the American Lung Association.

In the 2007 Mid-Term Update to its publication State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues or SLATI, the Lung Association summarizes state tobacco control laws enacted in 2007 on smokefree air, tobacco taxes, smoking prevention spending and fire-safety standards for cigarettes among other issues.

“In January 2006, the American Lung Association issued its Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge, urging all states to adopt strong smokefree air laws. The 2007 SLATI Mid-Term Report shows significant progress continues to be made. 22 states and the District of Columbia have laws fully protecting their citizens from secondhand smoke. We challenge policymakers in the remaining states to do the same,” said Bernadette A. Toomey, President and CEO of the American Lung Association.

Also in 2007, eight states have increased their cigarette taxes, already matching the total for all of 2006. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have increased their cigarette tax at least once since 2002. “We are encouraged that states continue to increase tobacco taxes, which makes cigarettes more costly. Higher cigarette prices deter young people from starting to smoke and help motivate adult smokers to quit,” said Toomey.

An increasing number of states have approved legislation setting fire-safety standards for cigarettes. Twelve states have approved this legislation in 2007, and three more states have legislation awaiting action by the governor. “This legislation is vital in the fight to reduce the 700 to 900 deaths annually from fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials,” she added.A PDF copy of 2007 SLATI Mid-Term Report is available online. This website is also the home of the online version of SLATI, which is updated on a regular basis to reflect changes in state tobacco control laws throughout the year.

About the American Lung AssociationBeginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org.



Anna