text:
How do you know which stores to ship when there are so many unknown factors in this economic climate?
IŌĆÖve heard so many answers to this question over the years. Some of the best are ŌĆśthe store is beautifulŌĆÖ or ŌĆśtheyŌĆÖve just opened another amazing looking store. It must have cost a fortune. They have to have plenty of moneyŌĆÖ. Needless to say, those are exactly not reasons to ship a store. The more money spent on furniture and fixtures and on leases, the less money they have to pay you. ThereŌĆÖs a middle ground, of course, but IŌĆÖve heard this too many times not to mention it.
So how do you know which stores to ship?
Everyone today should at least have a credit agency checking their orders. However, one thing to keep in mind with a credit agency is that they take no risk. They offer opinions only. A factor or credit insurer does not approve an account for shipment without assuming the risk. So they have much more at stake in the decision making process.
The fact that a store paid you well last season may not be a reason to ship them this season if they are being declined by your factor or given negative ratings by your credit agency. Financial conditions are changing rapidly.
Though I hate to say this, donŌĆÖt listen to your sales department when it comes to evaluating a stores credit. The two departments do not and should not mix. ItŌĆÖs like combining an advertising sales department with an editorŌĆÖs news room. There is an inherent conflict between sales people and credit people, and you need to recognize and respect that. Sales people have one agenda and credit people have another. Both are invaluable, but both are thoroughly different.
If a store is cooperative, willing to provide financial information, willing to work with you on your terms, then they are worth considering. If they stone wall you on information, they usually have something to hide. If they are being declined for credit in the market and they refuse to discuss credit card payments or COD terms, then you should simply ask them point blank, ŌĆ£Why should I take the credit risk and ship you?ŌĆØ Likely, they wonŌĆÖt have a good answer.
Be very careful with COD terms. COD checks dated 30 days hence, are no different than net 30 day terms. DonŌĆÖt fool yourself. If a store is declined for credit for negative reasons, ship certified COD or credit card. Negative declines refer to stores who have previously been placed for collection, whose financials are weak, who are showing significant losses on their statements, who are past due in the market. Often stores are declined for lack of current information. Request it from them. You must have a basis for determining whether they are credit worthy or not, and as I said in the beginning, what a store looks like is not one of them.
IŌĆÖm not getting paid. What are my options?
Well, if youŌĆÖre not factored and the invoice is at your risk, your options are unfortunately few. We all know that the court system takes time. Your best bet is to get the owner on the phone and work something out, regardless of how frustrating that might seem. Start a dialogue. Take back what you can, offer a discount if you must, but get the invoice settled. DonŌĆÖt ship new merchandise as a lure to get the old invoices paid. YouŌĆÖre not making any headway at all. The old adage, throwing good money after bad, rings true more often than not. If youŌĆÖre factored and your factor has other vendors owed money by the same store, the factor has leverage that you donŌĆÖt have. Regardless, the longer it sits unpaid, the less valuable the merchandise becomes to both you and the store. If you canŌĆÖt speak with anyone, if the voicemail box is full, if no one answers the phone during business hours, it may be too late. Then a collection agency is the best and last recourse and should be assigned the claim asap.
If a designer doesnŌĆÖt work with a factor, how would one be helpful?
Factors today are almost a necessity. No one individual has the ability to evaluate credit in these tumultuous markets. You need a team, a trained credit department to assist you. Also, you need the guarantees, the approvals, which insure your invoices. Even the largest of stores today are subject to credit restrictions and limitations, as we all well know. Factors that cater to small companies are available to assist with these decisions daily. Even if they decline the account, they will still be able to provide you with invaluable information regarding how they are paying other clients, what terms theyŌĆÖre accepting, how much merchandise they are returning unauthorized, how they are responding to collection calls, and so much more. They also have daily and direct experience dealing with the stores you want to ship. If they are paying one designer well and five others poorly, and you happen to speak to the one who is being paid well, youŌĆÖre not getting a clear picture of their credit worthiness or ability to pay you. Stores tend to pay the lines that are performing best and that they need the most, when their cash poor and unable to pay everyone on time. So you need a balanced opinion. Factors collect the funds and correspond daily with the stores. ItŌĆÖs much easier for them to advise on credit and assist with collections. If you were a store who depended upon one factorŌĆÖs credit lines for 20 of your best vendors, whom would you pay first? That factor or an independent designer who isnŌĆÖt factored by them? If they pay the factor late, they risk not getting shipped new merchandise by 20 vendors, not just one.
What insight or advice can you share about navigating this economy?
Every day is a challenge in this market. Talk to others in the business. More importantly, listen to what they have to say! If they tell you a store is unreasonable or demanding markdowns or chargebackŌĆÖs that are unauthorized, take those comments seriously. DonŌĆÖt sign purchase order agreements that require a guaranty of sales percentages. DonŌĆÖt agree to markdowns that are unauthorized. Turn the next order down if the current invoices are not being paid in a way that allows you to make money on the work youŌĆÖve already done. Be persuasive. Be honest. If your product sells out, do you ask the store to pay you more for it? Of course not. But if it doesnŌĆÖt sell well, whose fault is it? Not yours, if you delivered according to order and sample. So why should you share the blame? DonŌĆÖt allow any one store to become more than 20% of your seasonŌĆÖs business. No matter how strong the store may seem today, it may not be tomorrow. And besides the credit risk, if you are so dependent upon one store, you become a potential victim of your buyer. If one store returns one invoice that represents 3% of your total sales, you can absorb that return. If one store returns 20% of your season, you may not be able to absorb that loss. Spread the risks today or at least sell larger amounts to approved accounts that youŌĆÖve had past experience with and in whose stores your product has a history of performing. Do not force product on your stores. Tell your sales people or sales reps to sell your strongest products, the styles you know are the least risky today.
Gary Wassner / President / Hildun Corporate /┬Āgary@hilldun.com┬Ā/┬Āwww.hilldun.com


text:
What Investors Are Saying About The Sanctions on Russia
It's a matter of debate whether sanctions ever really work, but there's no doubt U.S. and European sanctions on Russia are taking a toll on the markets. The ruble and Russian stocks alike are down.
Here's what five big investors are saying:
Michele Gesualdi, chief investment officer at asset manager Kairos Investment Management, which has $7 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Before the whole issue escalated we roughly halved the exposure [to Russia]; but we have space to go back.
The sanctions so far are not really important. But the problem will be, it will be very hard for institutional investors to put money in [to Russia].
Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management, AUM about $439 billion.
We have reached a kind of unstable equilibrium. The outcome isn't good enough to have investors buying Russian assets, but not bad enough to hit global risk appetite.
The situation in Ukraine was one of the critical reasons we reduced our equity exposure to neutral over the last month, but we are not planning to make any big change based on the latest sanctions.
Viktor Szabo, investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, AUM about $320 billion.
We are only entering the first phase of the conflict and we expect the West to impose increasingly strong sanctions. Investors are underestimating the impact that sanctions will have on financial markets. Financial control and limitation in market access is already happening. Pressure on the ruble will continue. We had $35billion capital outflows in Jan and Feb and Mr. Kudrin said he expects $50 billion outflows a quarter for the rest of the year.
Alexander S. Friedman, chief investment officer at UBS Wealth Management, AUM about $2 trillion.
We are neutral on Russian bonds and equities relative to benchmarks. We had a small overweight in Russian equities that we reduced earlier this week. While the valuations in some Russian companies are starting to look attractive, the risk premium is likely to remain high. We therefore do not recommend an overweight position in Russia over the next 6 months but may look at the country from a more long-term investment horizon.
In a rational world, one would think that the tensions stop here but there are lots of ways in which we can see an escalation of the standoff. I would put the probability of level 3 Iran-style sanctions at 5%, which is still low, but this probability was 1% just three weeks ago.
Daniel Loughney, portfolio manager at Alliance Bernstein, AUM about $445 billion.
We remain wary of Russian assets and the ruble and are underweight Russia. We see Putin as likely to continue to undermine Ukrainian politics and this will illicit further sanctions from the west. FX reserves are tight, acknowledged by rating agency actions over recent days. All this will cause Russian debt to underperform. We are currently in the process of dimensioning the extent to which Russian assets can be affected earnings, access to primary markets et al.
–as told to Cassie Werber, Tommy Stubbington, Chiara Albanese and Neelabh Chaturvedi.

subset: commoncrawl


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America the Beautiful Quarters® Day in the Classroom
Hot Springs National Park
Beginning in 2010, the United States Mint will issue 56 quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites as part of the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Program. The Hot Springs National Park quarter was the first of 2010 and the first overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.
Teachers, below you will find several activities and links that will bring the excitement of Hot Springs National Park's America the Beautiful Quarters Day into your classroom.
Hot Springs National Park Quarter
Learn more about the quarter that honors this national site.
America the Beautiful Quarters Program
Find out more about this program that honors a national site in every state, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories!
America the Beautiful Quarters Program Lesson Plans
The America the Beautiful Quarters Program lesson plans are now available for you to use in your classroom! Check out these exciting plans, which are FREE to download and are available in sets designed specifically for grades K and 1, 2 and 3, 4 through 6, 7 and 8, and 9 through 12. Also be sure to check out our plans relating to the Arkansas quarter released in 2003 by visiting our 50 State Quarters® lesson plans!
America the Beautiful Quarters Day Classroom Activities
Here you will find fun ways to infuse your curriculum with activities that celebrate the arrival of each new quarter!
Connected Coins
Arkansas is nicknamed "The Natural State" because of its many natural resources, including streams, lakes, farmland, wildlife, and minerals. In 2003, the Arkansas quarter was released. To learn more, visit Arkansas' State Quarter Day Page and the Arkansas quarter as the November 2003 Coin of the Month.
Teachers' Network
Teachers, if the activities above have piqued your interest, please sign up for the Teachers' Network! As a member, you can receive information about ALL of the educational resources available from the United States Mint.


text:
Nov 30, 1999
Exclusive Interview: John Embry
By Andrew Mickey, Q1 Publishing
Is gold the next "hot" investment? Or will it never break through the $1,000 threshold?
Some of the world's leading investors are currently placing their bets.
For instance, hedge fund manager David Einhorn recently bet big on gold. Einhorn manages $6 billion at Greenlight Capital and has averaged a 20% annualized return by booking only one losing year since 1996 (last year). His fund recently bought more than $200 million of SPDR Gold Trust ETF (NYSE:GLD) and more than $75 million worth of Market Vectors Gold Miner ETF (NYSE:GDX).
On top of that, the big money managers have already pumped billions of dollars directly into gold mining companies to fund takeovers and new mines and expansion.
It's looking like a lot of smart and big money is betting on gold. And as the financial markets, economy, and future outlook worsen, gold is holding up as a last bastion of hope for many investors.
How can you get in on it? Is it just gold? What about silver? Where are the real values to be had? What about other hard assets – water, agriculture, etc.?
It's best to start getting prepared now. To help us do that, Q1 Publishing's own Andrew Mickey, editor of the Prosperity Dispatch, recently had a private one-on-one conversation with John Embry, one of the leading gold investors in the world.
Embry has been following the gold sector for 35 years (that's since the early 1970's) and is one of the leading authorities on gold. Embry is currently the Chief Investment Strategist for Sprott Asset Management – a legendary name to long-time gold investors.
Prior to joining Sprott, Embry oversaw more than $5 billion in assets including the Royal Precious Metal Fund as VP, Equities and Portfolio Manager for RBC, a top-tier Canadian bank. Under his watch, the Royal Precious Metals Fund returned 153% in 2002 and was ranked #1 across all funds in Canada (remember 2002 was a horrible year for stocks as tech stocks continued to fall).
Now, gold is springing back to life and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable about gold than Embry. In this exclusive one-on-one, you'll learn:
- What Embry calls "an extreme bright spot"
- The one metal which might even be better than gold
- The asset class which has "fallen off a cliff" and how the decline "is a great thing"
- The #1 problem facing gold miners in the years ahead
- Why gold production will actually decline if gold continues to climb
- Could we have hit peak gold
It's not just all precious metals for Embry and the folks at Sprott. In a few moments you'll also learn about the one investment Embry says, "We haven't done as much as we should have." (Hint: it's not gold, silver, potash, oil or platinum)
We've got a lot to go over so let's get right into it. Hope you enjoy.
Your Q1 Publishing Investment Research Team
Andrew Mickey: Precious metals have been getting a lot of attention lately. But it seems like there has been a divergence between gold and silver. We've been watching the gold to silver ratio (the number of ounces of silver which can be bought for an ounce of gold) get wider and wider. Gold to platinum too. Do you see the divergence tied to the industrial aspect of metals like platinum and silver, gold is the supreme precious metal, or is there something else going on behind the scenes?
John Embry: No – it's a very strong manipulative aspect at work. If you go to the COMEX and look at the trading patterns and the short positions and such, clearly the prices are being messed around with.
Silver is a smaller market and can be messed around with more easily. I think silver probably has a bit more upside potential because the price is so far behind where it should be.
Andrew Mickey: So do you see silver as one of the bright spots?
John Embry: Oh yeah, it's an extreme bright spot. I could easily see it three times where it is now in the not-that-distant future.
Andrew Mickey: As far as gold supply, there is one period in the world gold supply where gold production kind of crested around 2007 or 2008. Are we facing a "Peak Gold" kind of situation?
John Embry: Yeah, we have most assuredly crested in terms of mine supply without question.
Andrew Mickey: So, when you look at five, ten years out…let's say in a world where gold is $2000 or $3000 or higher, how much more gold can realistically be produced in a year?
John Embry: Zero, I think. In fact, I think you probably need a lot more lead time - maybe five to ten years.
Just look at what happened in the '70s. The gold price went from $35 to $800 and, believe it or not, gold production was at a lower level worldwide after that 10-year period.
Now, the big question is what will happen this time? Number one, a lot of the existing mines are being depleted quite rapidly. Number two, when the gold price goes up a lot, mines generally tend to sort of drop the grade they mine because they can make a lot of money with lower grade and they can keep the good stuff for the bad times.
So by definition, they will be mining in the same number of tons but they will be taking the gold grade out of it, so collectively they will be mining less gold. They will make more money because the price is up but they will be mining less.
The other problem is that so many of the new interesting deposits that may or may not be developed in the future are located in these God-awful third world countries. They are having a real battle now with the governments, getting permitting, deciding who makes the money out of the mine, environmental issues etc. The gold deposits are all over the place and the governments are going to delay projects.
Say you find an ore body today. It would probably take a minimum of five years before the gold hits the market with all the attendant problems there are getting it into production. So all that's already baked in the cake. The gold price could be doing anything it wanted for the next four or five years…gold production isn't going to increase much – if any - at all.
Andrew Mickey: Amazing, gold production declining in the last great bull market for gold. So what does this mean for gold stocks, from your perspective? Where should we focus our investments across the whole range - from explorers all the way up to the majors?
John Embry: Right now, I think the majors are reasonably priced compared to the overall list. People have sort of focused on liquidity so they have gone after the majors and they bid them up aggressively and left a lot of the more illiquid situations behind.
That will all change. As gold becomes more popular and the price rises, at that point, money will filter down the food chain from the larger companies and they will go looking for the good quality smaller ones.
I particularly like some of the smaller producers now for a lot of reasons.
For one, they are going to make a ton of money in the current environment, particularly if they are producing outside the United States. Like some of the ones that are producing in Canada. The gold price yesterday was I believe $1,230 Canadian.
Another reason is because all of the costs of gold mining are dropping right now. Energy costs, steel prices, and all the things that went up so much and really hurt gold miners' profitability. They are all going the other way now and at the same time the price of gold is going up. So I think that people are going to be pleasantly surprised going forward by the profitability of some of these mines, which have struggled up until recently.
So I am pretty bullish on small producers and anybody who has got a legitimate ore body that can be exploited sometime within the foreseeable future. I think they are going to be viewed positively too.
But the key thing to focus on is when their production will begin. If they don't have to worry about getting through the environmental hurdles and getting the finance and et cetera, et cetera, they are going to make a lot of money.
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In a matter of months you could be sitting on gains of 300%, 500%, or
even if the market tanks.
Andrew Mickey: What do you see as the potential risks of politics and environmental concerns preventing anyone from starting production?
John Embry: They are not necessarily preventing a company from going into production, but they are certainly delaying it.
My favorite example is that probably the best ore body that's been discovered in the last 10 years is Aurelian's in Ecuador; which was subsequently acquired by Kinross. But the fact is, as long as the current government in Ecuador stays in power…I just don't see the thing entering production.
So that's what I am talking about. It's such a fabulous mine if it were in a good geopolitical environment. It would be being built as we speak, but there is no progress towards building it at this point.
Andrew Mickey: The gold ETF (like the GLD) has been the number one recommended way to invest in gold in the U.S.
It's a hot subject of debate by those who are new to gold and those which have been following it for while. The new people to gold always recommend the GLD. What are your thoughts?
John Embry: Well, they are just plain wrong in my opinion.
I think gold and silver are the ultimate insurance policy. When things got really bad in the system you want to make sure the vehicle you own has the gold and silver that it allegedly is supposed to have.
Now, I may buy gold and have it in my own possession. I know I have it. And then there are other gold and silver vehicles like Central Fund of Canada (NYSE:CEF) or Central Gold-Trust (NYSE:GTU), to cite a couple, where the gold is allocated. It's in a vault and there are regular audits to prove everything that's behind the vehicle is in fact there. So you are getting what you pay for.
Now, in the case of the ETF I am not totally sure. I mean if you read their prospectuses closely enough you'll see there is some wiggle room. What they are trying to do is just track the gold price so you don't necessarily need the physical gold. They could be using paper derivative types of products to back the stock.
What really made me kind of uncomfortable recently, was there was this dramatic ramp up in the amount of money going into the GLD ETF in particular. I looked around and I am going like, where is gold coming from?
As you know, the gold market is acknowledged by virtually everybody to be tight. I know mine supply is falling, I know that - I didn't see any appreciable change in any of the inventory levels or any of the recognized exchanges like COMEX etc., and there was no particular acceleration in the Central Bank dispositions. So my question is, if suddenly all this new buying appeared because of the ETF having to sort of stock up, where did the gold come from?
I am not sure it bought any gold. I think they might have gone to COMEX and just bought a paper contract.
I don't know. I just think there are better vehicles than ETFs.
Andrew Mickey: Switching gears a little bit here, let's talk about the big picture. Everyone wants to know what's going on.
It's a crazy time. What's your take? What going on in the general markets and where are we headed?
John Embry: I think we are probably headed for the worst economic debacle since the Depression - if not worse than that.
And the response for that by governments around the world is going to be, I think, a blizzard of paper money creation. They will run massive deficits, trying to prop up these economies.
So I think the major development is going to be ongoing issues of currency debasement. The value of paper money against real tangible assets is going to fall considerably. Right now, we are going through this deflationary scare. It won't last. It will change into a hyperinflationary environment in the not too distant future.
Andrew Mickey: A kind of stagflationary situation like we saw in the 1970's?
John Embry: No, worse than that. I think the inflation would be more intense. The decline in economic activity will probably be worse.
Andrew Mickey: What are the kinds of conditions that bring us to that state? Is it avoidable?
John Embry: Basically, we have already put the conditions in place. We ran economies with constantly too much leverage and debt.
Eventually, you reach a certain point where you can't really add any more debt because the capacity for the system to handle it has been exhausted. Once it reverses, it's very hard to change. They are going to try to change it by simply debasing the money.
Andrew Mickey: You seem to focus on the debasement of currencies as a government "solution" – for lack of a better term – to the problem. What are some of the best ways to protect ourselves from this situation? Which are you employing?
John Embry: Our strategy is pretty simple. What we really like is the monetary precious metals gold and silver. We don't like anything in the financial sphere at this time. The companies that we like are the more solid companies providing basic services and what have you. We like the ones which don't have overly leveraged balance sheets.
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Andrew Mickey: What about other real asset classes. There are other sectors I know you follow outside of precious metals like agriculture. That's the one thing that I've been completely excited about for years, but had to turn and run from over the summer. What's your take on it now? Is it time to wade back in?
John Embry: Well, I am with you on agriculture. It's a necessity that we must eat.
I guess one of the positive aspects of global growth is that the third world became a bit more affluent. Improvement in their diets put more demand into the world for basic food stuffs. Now that's slowed down a bit.
I think the real arbiter in the short run might be the climate. I see a lot of industry people bringing this up, changing sunspots. These changes in the sunspots suggest that we may be facing drought conditions in a lot of the world all at the same time.
If that's the case, I think you are going to see massive food shortages which would underrate a considerable price appreciation in the food because there will be a real fight for it.
Andrew Mickey: So, I don't want to get too technical with this subject, I assume that you're referring to increasing activity in sunspots?
John Embry: Yes, there is increasing activity in sunspots; which apparently, sort of cools the world out. It's really interesting because there has always been, as you know, there is debate about global warming.
I do believe that all this carbon release is creating global warming, but at the same time, we have this mass of long cycles in nature which sort of move from the ice age then back to a period where it gets too hot. In that cycle, we are headed towards cooling again and the sunspot is just one aspect of it.
Andrew Mickey: Can the sunspots cause some of the farming areas to change?
John Embry: Yes, they do. They have a role - for whatever reason – they have a major impact on increasing odds of getting hit by a drought. We have a lot of droughts going on in the world currently. There are droughts in Australia, South America, Northern China and Africa. But Africa has always had a drought.
There is a lot of food supply interruption. If a drought were to strike North America then that would really create a problem. I have seen some work suggesting that we are due for a drought based on certain cycle work.
Andrew Mickey: Okay, this is more or less an agricultural cycle that you are referring to I imagine. How long is this kind of agriculture cycle? Is it like an 80-year almost Dust Bowl scenario type -?
John Embry: Well, yes…I hesitate to go there because…it's like Murphy's Law, "everything goes wrong at the same time." And with the financial world right now in a mess the last thing we need is a sort of replay of the '30s in the agricultural space.
The pessimists among us think that there is a good probability that drought conditions could strike North America, and that would be the last thing I want to see.
Andrew Mickey: What about farmland then? It's an asset class which has had extremely consistent returns over the past 50 to 60 years. But, we've been waiting for a time like this.
John Embry: Farmland prices have fallen off a cliff. I just saw a guy in Minneapolis; again, he was saying that farmland is on offer everywhere right now.
This is a great thing. I am now in favor of buying farmland at the right price and that price is probably - as we are cleaning this whole mess up - the right price is going to be reached.
Jim Rogers calls it "The best place to invest."
The Wall Street Journal says, "Rising commodity prices have triggered a quest for it."
This boom isn't going away. Learn how to take advantage of it here.
Andrew Mickey: The same is true for all kinds of natural resources. Oil, natural gas, copper, iron ore, uranium, etc. They're all over the world and the government s which control them are in position to really inhibit or assist private companies who want to exploit them.
Recent US policy changes favor certain alternative energies. The one that really concerns me is uranium. In your opinion, when we look at uranium, should we look at it as declining uranium supply from current mines and or how new power plants can come on line if they can't get it? Which is the real problem? Or is it both?
John Embry: Excellent question. I do think there is a problem. The Cigar Lake up in Northern Saskatchewan has gone through all sorts of problems. Another major problem area is with the Olympic Dam mine in Australia. It has been having problems too.
So again, there's an issue with existing production.
In that light, I think that's going to make new discoveries. Quality discoveries in uranium which are really worthwhile and the problem, again, is how long it's going to take to exploit them. There just aren't too many good deposits. We had that huge run in uranium a couple of years ago, but a lot of the deposits were really junky.
The great advantage in uranium is that the true cost of producing the power, is in building the reactor. So, there's a lot of flexibility there. They don't care about what they have to pay for uranium just as long as they can get it.
So I think that's one of the aspects I like about uranium. The price is sort of inelastic in that sense. Just because the price goes up doesn't mean it's going to start to reduce demand.
Andrew Mickey: With respect to potash, nitrogen and phosphate, where do you see opportunities there? Most people are familiar with potash, the high capital costs to build a mine and the like. Are there any opportunities in nitrogen and phosphate because it's too easy, how do you guys kind of look at those
John Embry: Well, we actually – we meaning our Sprott Resource Corp - have been looking around for interesting opportunities in phosphate and what have you. We believe that as this whole agricultural thing unfolds that it will be a good business.
But right now, farmers are having trouble getting money like everybody else is. So really, there is a bit of a low in the fertilizer business. Looking for longer term opportunities, the short term is going to be a little problematic.
Andrew Mickey: Are there any other things that you think individual investors should keep in mind as this is the first time in a long time that any of us had to go through a downturn like this?
John Embry: Well, it's downright ugly out there. I was born in United States and I am a huge admirer of the U.S. I think what's happened is tragic. Consequently, people are looking to protect themselves and I really do think that precious metals in particular and solid commodity opportunities are going to be one way that's going to pay off in the end.
Andrew Mickey: What's your take on all the stimulus packages and infrastructure building and everything that's going on there?
We have been really bearish on infrastructure companies. How can the government support these businesses which are mostly private?
John Embry: I think that you are right. Typically, the market overacts to these things and obviously the infrastructure spending is partly implied; because, it's been neglected to such a great extent in North America.
We have the same problem in Canada. Our roads are falling apart. Really, they could spend a ton of money in the sector. Problem is, they don't have the money. They are going to have to create it out of thin air.
Andrew Mickey: One last thing. Are you currently looking at or investing in water? If so, would you be looking into water rights or a pipe manufacturer for example?
John Embry: We haven't done as much as we should have. I think water is going to be a major issue going forward.
As for ways to invest in water, I'm more interested in water rights. The good thing about Canada is, there is lots of water up here. The problem is going to be down in the U.S., particularly in Southwest and other areas. I just look at that and I shake my head.
Andrew Mickey: Well, thanks very much for spending some time with us. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
John Embry: Just that I think that it's important that your readers know all this. The world is a lot different than it was 10 years ago.
Andrew Mickey: And probably it will be a lot different in another 10 years.
John Embry: Well, it would be a lot different looking back from five years from now too, you bet, but I think we will be stood in good stead, certainly being in precious metals and end products, I think those are the two that I like the best.
Andrew Mickey: Well, thanks for your time, I appreciate it.
John Embry: My pleasure. Anytime.
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TAJ1191 Features: Material: Terracotta Hand painted Hand wash Clear glazed rims Chrome-plated stand with ring for easy carrying Collection: Jardin Christmas Collection. Price: $37.50
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31 years of experience
Accepting new patients
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FGP NYU Medical-Trinity Center
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He's always professional, extraordinarily smart and has a very special sense of humor. He is highly regarded by his peers and has excellent relationships with Board Certified specialists in most other disciplines for referrals
I only visited this Dr once, and it was traumatic. It felt like Dr. Marcel Laufer was abusing his authority as a Dr to perform certain "exams" that were very inappropriate..& asked several sexual questions during his "evaluation". He gave me the creeps, to say the least. I had to request a female nurse to be present when he performed the exam, & he acted like I was overreacting. The nurse came in, he performed an anal exam (which I REALLY do not think was even necessary in the slightest), then when the nurse left, he said "Oh, I think I need to check again", as if to sneakily get his way & examine me without a witness present. I was so scared of him & paralyzed but still demanded the nurse be called back in for it. Again, he acted like I was overreacting. Isn't that standard practice to have someone else present for such exams?? I absolutely felt violated, in danger & in the presence of a sexual abuser. I do not say any of this lightly, knowing a Dr's reputation is at stake here. But other people should not be put in harm's way with him. I'm a strong smart woman, & if he did that to me, then it must be something he does routinely, often without the patients even realizing how inappropriate he is being because of how sneaky he is about it. He abuses his authority, preying on vulnerable people who are trusting him when they need medical help. I truly believe he is sick & a danger to his patients.
Dr. Laufer is certainly a knowledgeable doctor, but follow up from one patient to the other is very different, which is totally incomprehensible.
Dr. Laufer does not care enough about his patients and their illnesses. Will often request tests unnecessarily. Doesn't know what he's talking about
He is probably the worse GI doctor in NYC. Told me my test results looked fine and i went about my life only to find out two years later from a doctor from the same network that my test results were NOT fine and that i tested positive for H. Pylori when the doctor was able to tap into my testing results from two years ago. He was not thorough and touched me in ways that felt inappropriate. I would not recommend. Stay away.
and he has a certain humorous way about him
Dr. Laufer handles both gastro-enterology and general medecine, a good mix for many.


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Leeds United Message Board
David Conn
Can anyone shed any light on this guy? I hear there is to be a documentary by Mr Conn regarding the ownership of Leeds and he has been filming in Geneva?
Is this why the BBC are banned from Elland Road?Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
Jez that would be great but I think the fans are starting to boycott games not just because of his pricing policy but because he is destroying the club from within, from power hungry stewards to making the Kop for members only so he can throw out any fans who chant Bates Out etc. Ive never seen it this bad at Elland Road even in the Fotherby era. I had more fun going when we had 14,000, I can fully understand some of the fans only attending away games fun days out.
There are enough Leeds fans to get a 100,000 name petition and get this brought before the house of commons.
We can protest and shout as much as we want at home games, but we need some clout behind us if anything is to happen and the only way is to petition our local MP's, Fabien Hamilton being one who would gladly take up our fight, and also write to HRMC to get them to investigate the takeover.
The cat is well and truely out of the bag, even if the programme was a little dissapointing. We need to carry the momentum forward and let him know that Leeds fans wont take his underhand dealings at our club any longer.
Disappointing, Lotto! But it was what I was expecting. Bates, and football's authorities, basically, pulled up the draw bridge to defend their position but this is just the start of the siege. We now need some big guns to break down the opaque walls of football ownership and governance in the UK.
A big let down, basically said what we all know, but no proof all dodgy off shore goings on NO PROOF as it's all OFF SHORE ya get it ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... BATES OUT FFS! FFS is in no way related to off shore company's IT MEANS FOR **** SAKE lol....
Just read these articles Andy, and my blood is boiling!!!
I really cant wait to see the programme on Monday night to see the expose in full, and then wait for KB's response.
If it turns out that KB owns ER and we have been paying him rent of £1.2M a year then he is finished as chairman, and worse still if it is proven that FSF and Astor were indeed linked during the takeover then he is looking at being charged for purjuy.
I for one am going to start campaining for HRMC and some local MP's to investigate this whole sorry issue, and hopefully get this parasite out of our great club.
Some good stuff on there Andy, I read some other reports, and I especially like the The Premier League has priced out fans, young and old!
For an insight into the BBC's expose on Ken Bates' dealings with, and 'ownership' of, Leeds United, before it is broadcast, the following articles by David Conn (see below) are worth reading. Conn asks consistently incisive questions which Bates has refused to answer. So far, the football authorities have refused to break ranks with Bates. However, with the full media spotlight on their operations, the FA, FL and PL may be forced to yield some of their secret dealings territory before any government, wishing to get the public on its side, legislates to make them all publicly accountable bodies.
Yahoo does not allow URS. However, the articles are all available to view on the Guardian's 'Inside Sport' website under David Conn's Blog. Check out:
'Emotions running high between Ken Bates and Leeds United supporters' - 25 Aug 2011
'Ken Bates should answer some questions rather than make up enemies' - 5 May 2011
Serious questions remain despite Bates takeover of Leeds, says MP - 4 May 2011
'Why did Leeds sell to Ken Bates, who claims he has no money to invest? - 3 May 2011
Why do Leeds United not reveal their owners?' - 6 Apr 2011
'Does the ownership of Leeds United matter? It does if you value the fans' - 6 Mar 2010
'Fans of any football club have a right to know who the owners are' - 5 March 2010
'Five questions fans need answered about their club's owners' – 4 Mar 2010
'Guardian 'banned' from Leeds United's Elland Road' - 19 Oct 2009
'Riddle of Leeds' ownership remains shrouded in mystery' - 30 Sep 2009....
There are many more.
No I don't think so, international restrictions on BBC footage..
Peter, if it's on BBC can you not see it on BBC i-player?
I will be needing you guys to give me a good rundown of what is said obviously!
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A man was found dead in Hubbard Park on Sunday morning, a police sergeant said.
The name or age of the man has not been released pending notification of next-of-kin.
Police said they did not suspect foul play and that the man lived in town.
The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


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Selected Community Events
Become a Teacher in South Carolina
Apr 6, 2013 10:15 am; 11:15 am and 12:15 pm
North Augusta Branch Library, 135 Edgefield Road, North Augusta, SC 29841
Join the American Board and learn more about how you can change careers and become a certified teacher in South Carolina.
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Session is FREE and open to the public.
For more information, or to see other events in the area, go to www.abcte.org/drupal/teach/events.
Katelyn Price


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Swiss tennis star
Robert W: I think this is the BEST LINE OF THE STORY."Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life" The BEST Thing apparently includes taking pictures of him lying beside his Dad's Junk, and then sending that picture to an unknown KITTY.!!


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To find information about each Council and remote communities, including a link to local websites, click on the Council name below. If you don't know which Council you are looking for, enter an address or suburb/town name in the search function below (excludes remote Aboriginal communities).
To download a list of Council contact details or LGA contacts book click here.
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To download a list of Council meeting days, click on the Local Government Calendar of Events.
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Below: Council names in Alphabetical Order (for more information about outback areas click here).
SA Councils List
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The address search function at the top of the page is provided by the LGA to assist anyone seeking to locate the Council which represents and serves a particular location. It uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Localities Index (NLI).
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PBS - Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story (2014) 480p HDTV x264-mSD
Language: English
56mn 39s | 852 x 480 | x264 - 450Kbps | 23.976 fps | AAC - 128Kbps | 231 MiB
Genre: Documentary
In 1943, Noor Inayat Khan was recruited as a covert operative into Winston Churchill's Special Operations Executive. With an American mother and Indian Muslim father, she was an extremely unusual British agent. After her network collapsed, Khan became the only surviving radio operator linking the British to the French Resistance in Paris, coordinating the airdrop of weapons and agents, and the rescue of downed Allied fliers.


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This is the 3rd time that I've photographed this gorgeous family
and I love seeing how much William is growing from a little baby to a handsome young boy!
He certainly had me on my toes but I'm pleased that I have some very special photos to share from this session. There are so many more but since this is just a sneak peek, I'll keep the other images as a surprise!
It was so lovely to see you guys again !


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Game of Thrones is a site for the HBO-series based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
New to the series? Read our spoiler-free review of A Game of Thrones.
Read our Privacy Policy.
Narrated by Aidan Gillen as Littlefinger, this promotional video for season 3 of Game of Thrones certainly looks and sounds ominous:
What do you think of it?
The Westeros network consists of several different sites, including a forum and a wiki, for all your A Song of Ice and Fire needs.


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Social Painting Nights: Wining and dining while you create your masterpiece
An emerging nightlife trend has Granite Staters drinking a bit more creatively. Social painting, a brand new way to spend some leisure time, takes all the fun of a night out at the bars and combines it with the artistic outlet of painting.
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Violence and Laughter: Ajay Skaria on the Ambedkar cartoon controversy
Guest post by AJAY SKARIA
Earlier this month, I signed, with some disquiet, onto this petition. Initiated by some members of the CHS at JNU, the petition protests against the withdrawal, in the wake of the cartoon controversy, of all NCERT Political Science textbooks, and seeks to defend the 'gains of the new National Curriculum Framework 2005'. One reason I signed the petition was because it seems to me urgent that we try to save the NCF 2005 textbooks. They are, quite simply, amongst the most superb provocations available anywhere to critical thinking for young minds. I have over the years read them with my two children, and I would be very disappointed if other children were deprived of the same experience. There were other reasons too: I share the petition's criticisms of the government's arbitrary way of making its decisions about the textbooks, and its demand that textbooks be produced by an 'academic, collective, democratic and inclusive process' that excludes any 'direct government intervention'.
But even though I would sign it again today for the same reasons, I continue to experience a deep disquiet about the petition, and especially one paragraph in it. Nor am I alone in this—other signatories have been disquieted by parts of it. (Indeed, this essay began as long email exchanges with one other signatory in particular, Janaki Nair, who shares much of the disquiet articulated below. Many of her responses and extensive comments are almost verbatim part of this essay).
In the petition I signed (and which therefore I cannot disavow, which is therefore as much my voice as this piece, even if it is a voice I am uncomfortable with), the paragraph that made me most uncomfortable was this:
the fear of cartoons is not unimportant. It tells us a lot about the democracies we now inhabit. Jawaharlal Nehru told Shankar Pillai 'Don't spare me Shankar'. B.R. Ambedkar saw the cartoon that is now being seen as 'offensive'. He had no problem with it. Nehru and Ambedkar, and great democrats like them, were aware of what cartoons mean. They were aware that creative cartoonists like Shankar or Laxman can encourage us to question what is taken for granted, reveal the ambiguities and contradictions of individuals, persuade us to see things in a new light. India has a long creative tradition of satire and irony. The productive power of laughter has been used not only in movements for social justice, but in children's literature as well. If we celebrate this tradition, we celebrate democracy. Only in non-democratic countries is there a fear of cartoons.
The CHS petition is not alone in this kind of emphasis. A statement by CSSSC faculty members notes that 'India has a long tradition of producing social and political commentaries in the form of hilarious visuals and words'. It also notes that the 'emerging trend of automatically equating lampooning with character assassination cannot but result in undermining the nation's democratic charter'. The concluding paragraph of that statement said:
It is on behalf of the 'little men', from whose perspectives the celebrated cartoonists dared to make light heavy-going matters, that we condemn the somber Indian politicians' and their lathi-wielding goons' zeal to persecute persons committed to the cause of irony, irreverence and critical humour in public life.
What is puzzling about both these documents (and all the more so since the CHS and CSSSC faculty know and have in some instances argued for everything that I am about to say below) is their failure to acknowledge (I hesitate to say 'understand'–how can they not understand this!) that there can be a genuine sense of Dalit hurt about the cartoons. That the hurt is to some extent manipulated by 'somber Indian politicians and their lathi wielding goons' I have no doubt. That it is sometimes a smokescreen being used by MPs to protect themselves–this again I have little doubt about.
Yet, unless we are willing to go back to that old narrative of pliable masses and manipulative leaders, surely the hurt is more than just this?
But during this controversy we in the Indian academic community seem to have had, with some very important exceptions (such as this essay by Aditya Nigam), the greatest difficulty admitting that it is more. Both petitions are silent about this hurt. They do not deal with the uncomfortable question of pedagogical strategies which may intend to use cartoons, images and texts in order to illustrate deep and unequal hierarchies from which we think we have distanced ourselves today, and which may yet be construed as a re-assertion, as a re-enactment of those very powers and hierarchies. That a group which includes Partha Chatterjee—whose writings have for long been teaching us to question an emphasis on elite manipulation, as also to question 'civil society' (the preferred equivalent in the NCERT textbook is 'public reason', a phrase that occurs in the text right beside the cartoon)—should ascribe the opposition to 'somber politicians and their lathi-wielding goons' is especially striking.
This refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the opposition to the cartoon is widespread. In a recent essay, for example, Nivedita Menon (from whose profoundly insightful criticisms of 'civil society' we have learned much) writes: 'Dalit intellectuals have unwittingly, I believe, played into the strategy initiated by MPs and politicians, both Dalit and non-Dalit – that of stifling democratic critique of the political classes'. Shiv Viswanathan (one of the earliest critics of the categories of civil society) has in this instance succumbed almost entirely to those very categories, and contrast the 'gentle chiding' of Shankar to the violence of the Danish cartoons (he forgets, in the process, that meanings do not inhere in texts—texts are read). He goes on to suggest that the reason for the outrage is that 'Ambedkar is now an iconic figure and to treat an icon to the irreverence of a cartoon is to insult him'. Such an explanation, needless to say, refuses to consider the possibility that there may be legitimate intellectual and political reasons for Dalit outrage.
The point I wish to make is only this: thinkers who have been on the forefront of the critique of humanist categories—the critique in other words of that complex of categories which includes secularism, the public sphere, civil society, public reason—seem to have mostly agreed that opposition to the cartoons is misplaced, manipulated, illogical, and so on. In a strange way, at this moment, they seem to have fallen back on the very humanism that they usually criticize. Perhaps nothing is more symptomatic of this than the way both documents are framed by a narrative about the decline of democracy and the public sphere from Nehruvian times to the present.
Why should this falling back on humanist categories have happened? It would obviously be quite misplaced (and also intellectually shallow) to bring up in these cases charges of upper caste privilege. Besides, it is not as though Dalits are a homogenous group who are uniformly hostile to the cartoon—Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, for example, is amongst those who seems to find opposition to the cartoon misplaced.
What is at work rather, it seems to me, are two categorical difficulties. First, there is the difficulty of perceiving hurt and humiliation from within the categories of civil society. Second, there is the even greater difficulty of thinking the other reason or other civility that is required to address this violence.
To attend to the first difficulty, we could begin by contrasting, in the spirit of Gopal Guru's argument, the experience of violence as oppression and as humiliation. Within the categories of civil society, violence is usually understood as a matter of oppression. Putting it simply, even simplifying a bit, oppression is seen as external and measurable, something from which the oppressed can free themselves by calculating their struggles correctly. The language of oppression does recognize that violence is sometimes experienced as humiliating, or as a wound. But within its terms, humiliation and the wound are the pre-rational or non-rational experience of oppression. It is precisely by converting that experience into the rational terms of oppression that there can be a successful struggle against that violence. Here, oppression is the real violence, and humiliation merely the secondary manifestation of that violence. Justice in this struggle against oppression, relatedly, is conceived as realizing a society organized around an equality that is not just abstract but also substantial. It is because of the pervasiveness of the thinking of violence as oppression, dare one say, that the cartoon controversy seems to so many like a diversion from the more pressing and real issues.
In contrast to this is the thinking of violence as humiliation, as a wound. Perhaps we can approach this thinking tangentially, by attending to the common strategy adopted by both petitions to deflect concern with hurt or the wound. Both documents affirm a humor that is firmly within the realm of state and civil society. Even if the spirit of 'little men' is invoked, the fight is in order to make sure that they have a place in state-sponsored school textbooks. Good democracies have states that invite laughter from civil society, and they have civil societies where laughter flourishes. In laughing in the right manner—a laughter that is constructive, that is what Shiv Viswananathan has called a 'gentle chiding'—what is taught is the dissent proper to civil society.
But here, in the cartoon controversy, we have a problem: many in the margins are not laughing. Instead, they seem even to be hitting out at the laughter.
This should not be surprising. It is now well understood, in significant part because of the work of those associated with CSSSC and CHS, that the unmarked public sphere has, to the extent it has existed, been constituted by the exclusion of non-elites. And as those from the margin have increasing come to participate in this sphere, the sphere itself has changed, in some cases even come close to disintegration. For those on the margins, the neutral language of the public sphere is on occasion deeply wounding.
It may in other words be irrelevant that nobody found the cartoon offensive at the time, that Ambedkar too is holding a whip, that both Nehru and Ambedkar are flogging the snail, and so on and so forth. What we must not fail to recognize and acknowledge is that irony, irreverence and critical humor, even when it sets out to question the dominant and the powerful, may also inadvertently hurt those who have suffered historical wounds that make humor about some issues difficult to perceive. This difficulty that they experience is not even necessarily wilful—it is rather a wound that festers, or a wound whose hurtfulness cannot be controlled by the wounded.
To think of violence as a wound or humiliation, in other words, is to name the way in which even though the experience of violence is always between self and other, it is yet never experienced as only external or measurable. Rather, it is incalculable, and is inscribed on the self of both dominant and subordinate. It is this experience that Frantz Fanon perhaps refers to when he says that the dreams of the colonized are muscular dreams. (If indeed Fanon is such an unavoidable thinker, this is because he most emphatically breaks from the understanding of violence in terms of the categories of public reason.)
From within the categories of civil society or public reason, as I suggested earlier, an emphasis on violence as humiliation, hurt and wound seems to lead to very dangerous and messy territory. The Gujarati Hindu middle class, for example, has a deep sense of historical hurt, and we know where that has led and is still leading. Perhaps indeed one of the reasons why the idea of a public sphere exerts such a powerful influence is because there is no such messiness here—only the conversion of humiliation into the rational language of oppression, into questions about abstract and substantive equality.
But when we adopt the language of oppression, we treat hurts, wounds or humiliations as pre-political. I should indicate how I here invoke this term 'pre-political'. By now, there is widespread recognition of one sense of politicalness—the one that emphasizes that power is at work in all human relations. Very few on the left today would treat any relations of caste, class or gender as pre-political in the sense of being unmarked by power.
Still, another sense of politicalness remains obscured. Even where the categories of public reason recognize the experience of humiliation, the assumption is that this experience belongs to the realm of sentiment and feeling, and is incapable of articulating its own thinking of reason, civility or justice. Reason, civility and justice are always assumed to be external to the experience of humiliation; these are to be provided by the language of oppression. Within this problematic, humiliation may have voice, but it lacks speech.
Here the pre-political is always subordinate to the political: it can be spoken for, but it cannot speak; it is the object of humanitarian intervention by those who can speak. And when we treat humiliation as pre-political in this sense, we are left only with those very concepts—such as 'due process', 'public sphere', and 'civil society'—which we on other occasions critique. This is the profound violence that marks the categories of public reason, a violence that is always invisible from within these categories themselves.
Perhaps this is the moment to attend to the second difficulty, and ask: what would be a politics that tried to inhabit and appropriate the reason, civility, and justice secreted by the wound or humiliation?
Let us begin with this recognition: crucial to this politics would be another equality. I say another equality because it is not enough to simply extend the equality of speech to others—there will always be those excluded from such equality, who are constitutively subaltern, who can at best be spoken for. One categorical name for those so excluded is 'animal', and the line between the animal and the human will always pass through the human. In order to think an equality that is more inclusive, in order to destroy the very possibility of the pre-political, we cannot simply expand the concept of equality we have; we must venture on the thinking of another equality.
The thinking of this other equality moreover cannot proceed only through an affirmation of what some time back might have been called carnivalesque laughter. There is much that is distinctive about that laughter. Unlike the 'unhurtful' laughter of civil society, carnivalesque laughter can be as well directed by the subordinate to produce critiques of dominant power.
But we must not forget that carnivalesque laughter, and more broadly the laughter outside civil society of which it is the most prominent example, can also institute and sustain the most violent hierarchies. Gopal Guru notes a phenomenon which may be relevant in this context, pointing out that humiliation is 'comic for those who are alleged to have deployed untouchables for the job which produces "dark pleasure" for the former. It is also comic in another sense: the Hindu upper caste person is doubly pleased with the minority person's confirmation of the ideology of purity-pollution'.
Indeed, it is partly in response to the violence outside civil society that the secular public sphere, with its abstract equality, is instituted, and even demanded by the subaltern. When Chandrabhan Prasad says that the British came too late and left too early, is not this remark organized in part by the association of the British with the institution, howsoever flawed, of a certain abstract equality? And yet, as the all-too-quick review here of the categories of civil society already suggests, abstract equality is by itself never enough, least of all for redressing humiliation and the wound.
We are thus here in a situation where we must equally question carnivalesque laughter and the 'unhurtful' laughter of secular civil society—both are organized around a profound and constitutive inequality.
To think this other civility and equality is not at all to embark on a new task. Amongst the most profound and original twentieth century thinkers of this other civility and equality are Ambedkar and Gandhi, who in their thinking of this question are abysally separated from and yet abysally close to each other, who at times seem to infinitely mirror each other (and what is mirrored, lest we forget, never converges).
One word, though by no means the only one, to describe this other equality and civility would be 'religion'. That is the word that both Ambedkar and Gandhi invoke to translate two abysally similar concepts—dhamma and dharma.
What is being described by them as religion has nothing in common with the metaphysical concept of religion (let us call it theological religion as a shorthand). The latter has dominated our societies for millennia, and reaches its highest point, its contemporary culmination, in today's secular concepts. (This argument about secularism as itself the culmination of theological religion has been made by many thinkers: it already marks some of Nietzsche's writings, is formalized in the writings of Carl Schmitt, and finds forceful postcolonial articulations in the work of Talal Asad and Saba Mahmood.)
What is being described by Ambedkar and Gandhi as religion rather is another thinking, one that is coeval with theological religion but entirely opposed to it. To approach this thinking of another equality and civility perhaps we can take some cues here from Ambedkar. Already in that never-delivered address of 1936 to the Jat Pat Todak Mandal, he declares that he has decided to change his religion. With this announcement begins the trajectory that culminates, if one can use that word, in his embrace of Buddhism, and in the posthumous publication in 1957 of The Buddha and his Dhamma. Is it too much to say that during this whole period (and perhaps before 1936 too, for that is only the year in which his ferment leads him to the decision to change), the question of religion can never have been far from him? That it takes him so long to work through the question of religion precisely because the question is so close to him?
And yet, during this period, he also plays a crucial role in writing the document that the cartoon controversy is about—the Constitution, a document that institutionalizes the secular public sphere, or what the NCERT textbook calls 'public reason'. Is it too much then to say that, in Ambedkar's thinking, both before and after the Constitution there is a certain thinking of religion?
What is this religion? Clearly, it cannot be a private religion of the sort that public reason celebrates—by the terms of public reason, such a private religion is apolitical and subordinate to the state, and the change of or to a private religion would scarcely merit announcement at the Mandal. Clearly also, his religion cannot also have anything in common with what defenders of civil society call for in demanding a 'return to reason'—then he would not have needed a religion after the Constitution; he could simply have affirmed the Constitution and the secular public sphere in a theological spirit, as perhaps Nehru did and as so many secularists have in the decades since.
Rather, in Ambedkar's dhamma, we see one way of thinking a re-turn of reason. (A re-turn of reason along another way is at stake also in Gandhi's satyagraha, which he regards as a deeply religious activity. For Gandhi, though it must be initiated only after public reason fails, satyagraha is nevertheless utterly reasonable.) It is a re-turn of reason because of the way that religion now comes to be the way of thinking another equality and civility.
What is involved in this other civility, this re-turn of reason that also goes by the name religion for both Ambedkar and Gandhi, could be briefly indicated here by considering how it might proceed to address the cartoon controversy. If the cartoons had been circulated without the involvement of the state, then this other civility might simply have limited itself to concurring with public reason, which already gives us the resources to oppose every effort to muzzle the right to free speech, however offensive and hateful that speech might be.
What leads to the divergence from public reason is that these are textbooks—or books that are assigned the unavoidable task of speaking for the vision of public reason that founds Indian civil society and state. (It is very apposite in this sense that the controversy should be over a textbook on the Constitution).
From within the vision of public reason, 'good' textbooks are produced by widespread consultations with independent professionals and professional organizations that can speak for civil society. Within its terms, ire over the cartoon must be submitted to the scrutiny of public reason, which alone must decide what is included and excluded. This is why public reason can and must be searingly critical of the exercise of unilateral executive discretion in removing the cartoons.
By contrast, while this other civility would entirely concur in public reason's criticisms of the government, it would insist also that a festering wound, the experience of humiliation, has given rise to the ire with the cartoon. And this injury, given its political context, demands redress. Such redress might even require that some cartoons be excised. Within its terms, this is not censorship or even self-censorship. It is rather the civility of trying to engage with the humiliation and the wound created by domination without further perpetuating that violence. (That this happens all too easily is well indicated in this essay by Anoop Kumar.)
Of course, this other civility need not always and everywhere take the form of dropping whatever causes a wound. We can easily imagine a situation where, faced for example with the Gujarati Hindu middle class sense of hurt, this other civility might feel compelled to resist and question. But that resistance would not proceed in the name of the private sphere and its laughter. Rather, it would resist by drawing on the civility and equality proper to the wound.
For Gandhi, we know well, satyagraha is the name of this other civility and equality, and satyagraha involves justice and civility proper to the wound as satyagraha, and for him this involves civil disobedience or savinay bhang. What is less often recognized is that Ambedkar's The Buddha and his Dhamma also suggests a profoundly complex if elliptical thinking of civil disobedience, a thinking that diverges intriguingly from Gandhi's especially over the question of the relation to public reason.
Thus, acknowledging the wound as a political phenomenon does not mean that there is no politics involved in deciding how to respond to them—which wound to feel responsible for, and how to civilly contest and challenge those wounds.
Also, as my remarks above suggest, this other civility has an extremely complicated relation with the calculable relations that constitute the secular public sphere. On the one hand, the NCF 2005 exemplifies, if not in its details then its concept, what one cannot not want: it provides the education that creates citizens capable of exercising their rights, of calculating correctly how to fight injustice and oppression, of demanding the abstract equality that marks the public sphere. As such, this other civility must defend and even enforce the Constitution, and more broadly public reason.
On the other hand, to inhabit this other civility is also to refuse to treat the secular public sphere as the telos of NCF 2005. To inhabit this civility is rather to treat the NCF 2005 as an opportunity to think critically about critical thinking, about and against the secular public sphere. And yet, this must be done reasonably—through a simultaneous affirmation and reading otherwise of the Constitution that Ambedkar played such a crucial role in drafting.
But how is this provincialization of public reason to proceed? What does this other civility and other reason entail? What concepts constitute it? What is the laughter proper to it? These questions, and the struggle to answer them, the divergences and forks in that struggle, are perhaps what is most strenuously demanding of thought in the inheritance of politicalness we receive from Ambedkar and Gandhi amongst others.
(Ajay Skaria is a historian at the University of Minnesota.)
Rajshree Chandra permalinkMay 25, 2012 10:14 PM
Ajay, thanks for pointing out that when the push comes to the shove we all turn humanist, rationalists ( Kantian descendants,as it were) and inhabitors of the space called 'public reason'; that hurt, humiliation and wounds are worthy contesters of this construct. One small elucidation required though and I quote form your piece – "Thus, acknowledging the wound as a political phenomenon does not mean that there is no politics involved in deciding how to respond to them—which wound to feel responsible for, and how to civilly contest and challenge those wounds."… There seems to be assumption that between various "other civilities" there are some principles, that politics can draw upon that'll enable it to somehow adjudicate and help it respond. If these are not "out-there" (conveniently humanist/rationalist) principles, then politics can draw upon solidarities that are informed by some available alternate version of "publicness" that has no institutional moorings, and yet that is able to muster enough agreed-upon conception of alterity which is beyond the over-used, sometimes camouflaged recourse to humanist conceptions of public reason. Long story, short question – what informs this "other civility" that helps us distinguish once sense of hurt (dalit) from another ('Let's say Hindu middle class partition hurt')?
atreyee permalinkMay 26, 2012 10:21 AM
Maybe in the awareness of some 'civilities' having direct links to handles of state and capital, and the others having none, or tenuous, obscure ones. Some will take the lead on the internet, in the newspapers, in Coca Cola ads, and provincialize/miniaturize other registers of civility. Thus Dalit civility awaits magnanimous translation back into the registers of liberal humanism, and thereafter inclusion and conciliation with a liberal national imagination.
venugopal maddipati permalinkMay 26, 2012 3:03 PM
but what if some civilities aren't simply given over to conciliation? What if the gap is, as Ajay would say, abyssal?
Parth Shil permalinkMay 26, 2012 11:58 AM
This piece is nuanced and certainly politically correct. We are all too familiar now in the social sciences about critiquing abstract reason of the unmarked citizen subject. We know now that such abstraction is passing off the dominant fragment as the 'general'. So we know that we need to seriously engage with 'the other', understand the political charge of the 'pre-political' and make space for other civilities, other reasons, other worlds, we need to notice the provincialisation of reason. But the piece, unfortunately, is unable to notice when these 'other' reasons, 'secreting from wounds' really emerge in politics.
For the author not only finds the defence of reason by textbook writers problematic, he also finds the defence of reason by Dalit voices limited. Why is it that the author sees Chandra Bhan's celebration of colonialism and the tradition of critical reason brought about by it, so inadequate? Is that not provincialization enough? Or is that not provincialisation at all? Is Chandra Bhan the acceptable half of the voice of western imperial reason?
With all our academic questioning of abstract colonizing western reason on one side, we cannot deny that it is the Dalit movement after all that unabashedly celebrates colonial rule and its opening up of opportunities for 'others' to participate in the practice of critical reason. Colonialism as a defeat of and liberation from Brahmanical rule is a radical proposition of the Dalit movement that critics of western reason find hard to acknowledge and work with. In colonialsm, the same abstract reason, inaugurated in the emerging colonial public sphere, functioned as a liberator. In reading that, we can clearly see that the context of Dalit liberation changed the meaning of reason, provincialized it and claimed it too. That was the real provincialization of reason.
Furthermore, the very same Gopal Guru, who has been copiously quoted in this piece, is today standing in defence of the textbooks and questioning the discourse of 'hurt' sentiments that reduces the Dalit community to a historically instituted emotionalism. In a talk in JNU he argued in so many words, that the Dalit community, has been "pathologically condemned to an emotionalism", by the Brahminical social order. Dalits have never been considered fit to reason. Dalits are allowed only to experience. This mode of constituting Dalit subjectivity as emotional is itself the problem and the fundamental mechanism of oppression. This emotionalism has been the ground in the Brahmanical order of denying Dalits entry into spaces of power. Dalit movements have a long history of deliberation that challenges such emotionalism. The controversy over this cartoon, he argued, is an insult to that tradition of rational deliberation. Dalit movements, with all their experience of hurt, have vociferously claimed the space of reason and the author chooses to ignore this aspect of Dalit politics.
Similarly, the defence of critical pedagogy today, is not based on drawing people into a discourse of liberal citizenship. In fact on the contrary, it is an effort to draw political science out of the 'civics' mode, which was the ultimate form of liberal savarna citizenship education. This shift away from civics, that these textbooks stand for, is undoubtedly a product of the militant struggles of Dalit movements in India, as also, many other social movements. However, it is also a product of a dissident strand of political studies translating these struggles into a different social science, which has finally found its space in textbooks. The defence of reason, in this context, is then an attempt to preserve the achievements of a textbook which tries to rethink the discipline of political science through the challenges thrown by many social movements. This too is another instance of provincialization of reason.
We cannot just abstractly eulogize the other of reason. For reason, has been as much a tool of emancipation for Dalits, as it has been a tool of domination for oppressors, both Brahmanical and imperial bourgeois. But in these romantic dreams of the 'other' reasons, is there an embedded structural blindness that disallows one to notice the real sites where such 'other' reasons appear?
May 26, 2012 3:06 PM
The Dalits more than being hurt have been angered. Angered because the cartoon far from being top class political lampooning ad is instead a very crass falsification of the actual situation that prevailed in the Constituent Assembly. It is the upper caste members in the CA who delayed the drafting through their consistent filibustering and Ambedkar could do little about this. At the end of the day the Constitution produced had roughly 63% lifted straight from the Government of India Act of 1935 and so one can understand the extent of the filibustering with regard to the rest of the new stuff which is mainly related to the affirmative action, fundamental rights and directive principles provisions. Under the circumstances how can Ambedkar be blamed for what is essentially a seriously flawed upper caste exercise. I am surprised no end that academics are continually trying to justify an unjustifiable misdeed of inserting a false cartoon into a text book and thus conveying a totally wrong impression to the students.
parul permalinkMay 26, 2012 3:09 PM
Its funny the amount of noise the so-called Dalit activists are making about the cartoon. Ambedkar was not even the real drafter of the Constitution. As everyone who knows a bit of history is aware, it was B.N. Rau who was the real drafter of the Indian Constitution. But of course he remains unappreciated because the Congress always loved playing identity politics. I am more and more disturbed that the academics are trying to make us believe that "identity" is destiny. Therefore, if a person is born in a Brahmin family, he will never transcend the values of that family/caste/religion. However, while vilifying Brahmin identity, they forget that the same can be said for Dalits ie they cannot think beyond their historical grievance against upper caste and think for the good of the nation as a whole. The socialist/communist do not seem to understand that what they want to deny the rich is also denied to the poor (lack of property rights is the prime example today of short-sighted thinking of the commies). Similarly, the identity peddlers do not realise that the agency and free thinking they deny to the upper caste will also one day be denied to the Dalits if they do not change and go beyond identity politics. Maybe only then we will see a return of true scholarship based on the merit of the argument rather than the identity of the scholar.
shipra permalinkMay 27, 2012 9:55 PM
Your response really leaves one stumped , because far from enabling one to engage with nuances of Ajay's article and responses such as those of Parth, it brings home the realisation that after all these years of engagement , how limited has been the impact of all the hard struggle in making a dent in even the smugness of upper caste perceptions. It brings to us how even the most rudimentary critique of crass liberalism with the deeply casteist violence it camouflages behind the veneer of regressive ideas of 'merit' and 'equality', still needs to be pushed forward forcefully and even militantly . This comment betrays the most simpistic, reductive and crude upper caste endorsement of the caste hierarchy that still exists so unabashedly in our society.
William Robert Da Silva permalinkJuly 3, 2012 8:31 AM
I accessed kafila by accident of browsing. I found the debates illuminating in spite of hard and soft positions, prepositions and post-positions; appositions not excluded. Every now and then the rhetorical hides behind dialogical but, at the end of the day, there is communicative illumination. I would continue accessing the stimulating site. Thanks
November 8, 2013 4:36 PM
really very good information and thoughtful B R Ambedkar Quotes


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Keeping track of the INFINITE CRISIS dead and keeping up with the weekly 52!
Alert reader Mike B. sent me THIS LINK to a Wikipedia listing of all the known and suspected dead characters who gave their all during the INFINITE CRISIS... and on a related note, HERE'S A LINK to a site that DC put up that will be tracking the events of 52, the year-long, weekly series that catches us up real-time with the huge changes wrought by the Infinite Crisis.
From the article at ICV2:
Throughout the year as the 52 comic book series chronicles the fate of a world without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, 52thecomic.com will function as an Internet newsmagazine granting readers access to the headlines and stories of The Daily Planet including sports and weather information. In addition to this straight narrative function, the Website will also provide visitors with a "meta" service by providing interviews with the writers of the 52 comic, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid as well as behind-the-scenes storyboards by 52 breakdown artist Keith Giffen.
That's a pretty cool idea.
You can't keep track of the players without a scorecard!


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Home > Newsroom > News Releases
Assisting Efforts to Create Awareness on Alzheimer's Disease
Kuala Lumpur – Manulife Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad (Manulife Malaysia) today contributed cognitive exercise equipment valued at RM12,200 to the Alzheimer's Care Centre as part of the Company's long-term commitment to support the communities in which it operates.
The equipment was handed over by Mr Peter Robertson, President and Chief Executive Office of Manulife Malaysia to Y. Bhg Datuk Dr. Yim Khai Kee, Chairman, Executive Committee of Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia at a presentation ceremony.
The Alzheimer's Care Centre is established, funded and run by the Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia.
"There are approximately 10,000 people currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in the country. However, as this illness normally afflicts people above the age of 65, for many of whom the disease remains undetected and therefore untreated. That's why we felt it important to help raise awareness of this disease and the great work that the Alzheimer's Care Centre is doing. We hope our contribution will help expand the Centre's Therapeutic Activities and Reminiscence Therapy efforts and help the Centre to continue to provide much needed care to residents afflicted by this crippling disease," said Mr. Robertson.
"We are extremely grateful to receive Manulife's thoughtful contribution. Alzheimer's Disease affects the functioning of the brain and such equipment is important in helping to stimulate brain activity which we hope will slow the decline of mental functions," said Y. Bhg Datuk Dr. Yim.
"Alzheimer's Disease needs greater awareness in Malaysia. Many people do not receive the care they need as family members may just assume the symptoms to be part of growing old," added Y. Bhg Datuk Dr. Yim.
The contribution is part of Manulife Malaysia's commitment to supporting community projects. Other initiatives have included providing assistance to underprivileged children and to the elderly to help improve their quality of life.
Mr Robertson said: "Manulife's corporate giving goes beyond monetary contributions. We want all our contributions to be meaningful to the recipients and that's why we take great steps to ensure we donate what is really needed and for the Alzheimer's Care Centre, it was this specialized equipment."
The Azheimer's Care Centre also provides respite to caregivers of those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Y. Bhg Datuk Dr Yim said that it can be extremely tiring looking after AD patients and the Centre accepts patients who are dropped off for a few hours or a day for the caregivers to have some time for themselves.
The presentation ceremony was attended by the Manulife Malaysia staff and agency members, the Executive Committee members of Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia and family members of residents at the Centre.
About Alzheimer's Care Centre
The Alzheimer's Care Centre was set up in 2003, when Lee Foundation donated RM200,000 and Yee Seng Amalgated Berhad offered a 3-year rent-free lease to a valuable piece of land in Taman Seputeh. Today, the centre has registered a total of 38 patients with a daily attendance averaging 10. The centre provides not only a homely place for the patients but also activities with planned Therapeutic Activities and Reminiscence Therapy. These are primarily to provide mental and physical stimulus to make the best use of the remaining skills and abilities of patients. The patron of the centre is YBhg Datin Seri Wendy Ong.
About Manulife Malaysia
Manulife Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad, established in 1963, is a member of Canada-based Manulife Financial Corporation. Manulife Malaysia offers an innovative range of financial protection and wealth management products and services to meet different customer needs. The Company currently serves the needs of more than 270,000 policyholders and is one of the most financially sound life insurance companies in the country. Manulife Malaysia has been listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia since 1984. As at September 30, 2007, Manulife Malaysia's assets under management were RM2.9 billion.
About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$399 billion (US$400.5 billion) as at September 30, 2007.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.
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For more information, please contact:
|In Kuala Lumpur
Susan Ong
Tel: (03) 2719-9122
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
In Hong Kong:


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ROCHESTER — Each year the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsor a Good Citizen Contest. The faculty of Spaulding High School selects members of the Senior Class who have demonstrated in an outstanding way the qualities of Dependability, Service, Leadership, and Patriotism in their home, school, and community.
From those selected students, the Senior Class chooses the school's Good Citizen. We would like to recognize Eden Suoth as the winner of the DAR Good Citizen's award, Mary Torr Chapter.
Eden will be competing with other high school seniors in NH for the DAR Good Citizens State award. Offering congratulations
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Location, ST | website.com


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