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Latin American culture is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America, and includes both high culture (literature, high art) and popular culture (music, folk art and dance) as well as religion and other customary practices. Latin America also has many races.
Definitions of Latin America vary. From a cultural perspective,[1]* Latin America generally includes those parts of the Americas where Spanish, French or Portuguese prevail: Mexico, most of Central America, and South America. There is also an important Latin American cultural presence in the United States (e.g. California and the Southwest, and cities such as New York city and Miami). There is also increasing attention to the relations between Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole. See further discussion of definitions at Latin America.
The richness of Latin American culture is the product of many influences, including:
Latin America has a very diverse population with many ethnic groups and different ancestries. Only in three countries, do the Amerindians make up the majority of the population. This is the case of Peru, Guatemala and Bolivia. In the rest of the continent, most of the Native American descendants are of mixed race ancestry.[citation needed]
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries there was a flow of Iberian emigrants who left for Latin America. It was never a large movement of people but over the long period of time it had a major impact on Latin American populations: the Portuguese left for Brazil and the Spaniards left for the rest of the vast region. Of the European immigrants, men greatly outnumbered women and many married natives. This resulted in a mixing of the Amerindians and Europeans and today their descendants are known as mestizos. Even Latin Americans who are considered "European" usually have some native ancestry. Today, mestizos make up the majority of Latin America's population.
Starting in the late 16th century, a large number of African slaves were brought to Latin America, especially to Brazil and the Caribbean.[citation needed] Nowadays, Blacks make up the majority of the population in most Caribbean. Many of the African slaves in Latin America mixed with the Europeans and their descendants (known as Mulattoes) make up the majority of the population in some countries, such as the Dominican Republic, and large percentages in Brazil, Colombia, etc. Mixes between the Blacks and Amerindians also occurred, and their descendants are known as Zambos. Many Latin American countries also have a substantial tri-racial population, which ancestry is a mix of Amerindians, Europeans and Africans.[citation needed]
Large numbers of European immigrants arrived in Latin America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most of them settling in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and southern Brazil) and Northern Mexico.[citation needed] Nowadays the Southern Cone has a majority of people of largely European descent and in all more than 80% of Latin America's European population, which is mostly descended from five groups of immigrants: Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, French, Germans and, to a lesser extent, Irish, Poles, Greeks, Croats, Russians, Welsh, Ukrainians, etc.[citation needed]
In this same period, immigrants came from the Middle East and Asia, including Indians, Lebanese, Syrians, and, more recently, Koreans, Chinese and Japanese, mainly to Brazil. These people only make up a small percentage of Latin America's population but they have communities in the major cities.
This diversity has profoundly influenced religion, music and politics. This cultural heritage is (arguably improperly) called Latin or Latino in United States' English. Outside of the U.S., and in many languages (especially romance ones) "Latino" just means "Latin", referring to cultures and peoples that can trace their heritage back to the ancient Roman Empire. Latin American is the proper term.[citation needed]
Spanish is the language in the majority of the countries (See Spanish language in the Americas). Portuguese is spoken primarily in Brazil (See Brazilian Portuguese), where it is both the official and the national language. French is also spoken in smaller countries, in the Caribbean, and French Guiana.
Several nations, especially in the Caribbean, have their own Creole languages, derived from European languages and various African tongues. Native American languages are spoken in many Latin American nations, mainly Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Mexico. Nahuatl is one of the most spoken indigenous languages with more than a million speakers in Mexico, which is officially confirmed by a government's census. Although Mexico has almost 80 native languages across the country, the government nor the constitution specify an official language (not even Spanish), also, some regions of the nation do not speak any modern way of language and still preserve their ancient dialect without knowing any other language. Guaraní is, along with Spanish, the official language of Paraguay, and is spoken by a majority of the population.
Other European languages spoken include Italian in Brazil and Argentina, German in southern Brazil, southern Chile and Argentina, and Welsh in southern Argentina.
The primary religion throughout Latin America is Christianity (90%),[2] mostly Roman Catholicism.[3][4] Latin America, and in particular Brazil, were active in developing the quasi-socialist Roman Catholic movement known as Liberation Theology.[citation needed] Practitioners of the Protestant, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormon, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bahá'í, and indigenous denominations and religions exist. Various Afro-Latin American traditions, such as Santería, and Macumba, a tribal- voodoo religion, are also practiced. Evangelicalism in particular is increasing in popularity.[5]
In long-term perspective, Britain's influence in Latin America was enormous after independence came in the 1820s. Britain deliberately sought to replace the Spanish in economic and cultural affairs. Military issues and colonization were minor factors. The influence was exerted through diplomacy, trade, banking, and investment in railways and mines. The English language and British cultural norms were transmitted by energetic young British business agents on temporary assignment in the major commercial centers, where they inviting locals into the British leisure activities, such as organized sports, and into their transplanted cultural institutions such as schools and clubs. The British role never disappeared, but it faded rapidly after 1914 as the British cashed in their investments to pay for their Great War, and the United States moved into the region with overwhelming force and similar cultural norms. [6]
The British impact on sports was overwhelming, as Latin America enthusiastically took up football ((called fútbol in Spanish)). In Argentina, rugby, polo, tennis and golf became important in middle-class leisure. Cricket was ignored.[7]
In some parts of the Caribbean and Central America baseball outshined soccer in terms of popularity. The sport started in the late 19th century when sugar companies imported cane cutters from the British Caribbean. During their free time, the workers would play cricket, but later, during the long period of US military occupation, cricket gave way to baseball, which rapidly assumed widespread popularity, although cricket remains the favorite in the British Caribbean. Baseball had the greatest following in those nations occupied at length by the US military, especially the Dominican Republic and Cuba, as well as Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico. All of these countries have emerged as sources of baseball talent, since many players hone their skills on local teams, or in "academies" managed by the US Major Leagues to cultivate the most promising young men for their own teams.[8]
Beyond the rich tradition of indigenous art, the development of Latin American visual art owed much to the influence of Spanish, Portuguese and French Baroque painting, which in turn often followed the trends of the Italian Masters.[citation needed] In general, this artistic Eurocentrism began to fade in the early 20th century, as Latin-Americans began to acknowledge the uniqueness of their condition and started to follow their own path.
From the early 20th century, the art of Latin America was greatly inspired by the Constructivist Movement.[citation needed] The Constructivist Movement was founded in Russia around 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. The Movement quickly spread from Russia to Europe and then into Latin America. Joaquín Torres García and Manuel Rendón have been credited with bringing the Constructivist Movement into Latin America from Europe.
An important artistic movement generated in Latin America is Muralism represented by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo and many others in Mexico and Santiago Martinez Delgado, Pedro Nel Gómez in Colombia. Candido Portinari represented the monumentality of Muralism in his paintings, making chronicles the Brazilian people and their realities. Some of the most impressive muralist works can be found in Mexico, Colombia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Mexican painter Frida Kahlo remains by far the most known and famous Latin American artist.[citation needed] She painted about her own life and the Mexican culture in a style combining Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism. Kahlo's work commands the highest selling price of all Latin American paintings.
Pre-Columbian cultures were primarily oral, though the Aztecs and Mayans, for instance, produced elaborate codices. Oral accounts of mythological and religious beliefs were also sometimes recorded after the arrival of European colonizers, as was the case with the Popol Vuh. Moreover, a tradition of oral narrative survives to this day, for instance among the Quechua-speaking population of Peru and the Quiché of Guatemala.
From the very moment of Europe's "discovery" of the continent, early explorers and conquistadores produced written accounts and crónicas of their experience—such as Columbus's letters or Bernal Díaz del Castillo's description of the conquest of Mexico. During the colonial period, written culture was often in the hands of the church, within which context Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz wrote memorable poetry and philosophical essays. Towards the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, a distinctive criollo literary tradition emerged, including the first novels such as Lizardi's El Periquillo Sarniento (1816).
The 19th century was a period of "foundational fictions" (in critic Doris Sommer's words), novels in the Romantic or Naturalist traditions that attempted to establish a sense of national identity, and which often focussed on the indigenous question or the dichotomy of "civilization or barbarism" (for which see, say, Domingo Sarmiento's Facundo (1845), Juan León Mera's Cumandá (1879), or Euclides da Cunha's Os Sertões (1902)).
At the turn of the 20th century, modernismo emerged, a poetic movement whose founding text was Rubén Darío's Azul (1888). This was the first Latin American literary movement to influence literary culture outside of the region, and was also the first truly Latin American literature, in that national differences were no longer so much at issue.[citation needed] José Martí, for instance, though a Cuban patriot, also lived in Mexico and the United States and wrote for journals in Argentina and elsewhere.
However, what really put Latin American literature on the global map was no doubt the literary boom of the 1960s and 1970s,[citation needed] distinguished by daring and experimental novels (such as Julio Cortázar's Rayuela (1963)) that were frequently published in Spain and quickly translated into English. The Boom's defining novel was Gabriel García Márquez's Cien años de soledad (1967), which led to the association of Latin American literature with magic realism, though other important writers of the period such as Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes do not fit so easily within this framework. Arguably, the Boom's culmination was Augusto Roa Bastos's monumental Yo, el supremo (1974). In the wake of the Boom, influential precursors such as Juan Rulfo, Alejo Carpentier, and above all Jorge Luis Borges were also rediscovered.
Contemporary literature in the region is vibrant and varied, ranging from the best-selling Paulo Coelho and Isabel Allende to the more avant-garde and critically acclaimed work of writers such as Giannina Braschi, Diamela Eltit, Ricardo Piglia, Roberto Bolaño or Daniel Sada. There has also been considerable attention paid to the genre of testimony, texts produced in collaboration with subaltern subjects such as Rigoberta Menchú. Finally, a new breed of chroniclers is represented by the more journalistic Carlos Monsiváis and Pedro Lemebel.
The region boasts six Nobel Prizewinners: in addition to the Colombian García Márquez (1982), also the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral (1945), the Guatemalan novelist Miguel Ángel Asturias (1967), the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1971), the Mexican poet and essayist Octavio Paz (1990), and the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa (2010).
In the 1870-1930 period, the philosophy of positivism or "cientificismo" associated with Auguste Comte in France and Herbert Spencer in England exerted a strong influence on intellectuals, experts and writers in most of the region.[9][10]
Intellectuals embraced positivism with enthusiasm as they say it as the key to modernization of their economies and societies and a weapon to break the old colonial patterns that still survived.[11] Positivism influenced government policy; In Mexico, for example, the administration of President Porfirio Díaz (1876 to 1911) relied heavily on a group of scientific and technocratic advisors who reflected Positivist thinking.[12]
Latin American music comes in many varieties, from the simple, rural conjunto music of northern Mexico to the sophisticated habanera of Cuba, from the symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos to the simple and moving Andean flute. Music has played an important part in Latin America's turbulent recent history, for example the nueva canción movement. Latin music is very diverse, with the only truly unifying thread being the use of the Spanish language or, in Brazil, its close cousin the Portuguese language.[13]
Latin America can be divided into several musical areas. Andean music, for example, includes the countries of western South America, typically Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela; Central American music includes Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Caribbean music includes the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Panama, and many Spanish and French-speaking islands in the Caribbean, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the less noted Martinique and Guadeloupe. The inclusion of the French West Indies varies by scholars.[14] Brazil perhaps constitutes its own musical area, both because of its large size and incredible diversity as well as its unique history as a Portuguese colony. Although Spain isn't a part of Latin America, Spanish music (and Portuguese music) and Latin American music strongly cross-fertilized each other, but Latin music also absorbed influences from the Anglo-Saxon world, and particularly, African music.
One of the main characteristics of Latin American music is its diversity, from the lively rhythms of Central America and the Caribbean to the more austere sounds of southern South America. Another feature of Latin American music is its original blending of the variety of styles that arrived in The Americas and became influential, from the early Spanish and European Baroque to the different beats of the African rhythms.
Latino-Caribbean music, such as salsa, merengue, bachata, etc., are styles of music that have been strongly influenced by African rhythms and melodies.[15][16]
Other musical genres of Latin America include the Argentine and Uruguayan tango, the Colombian cumbia and vallenato, Mexican bolero, ranchera, Nicaraguan palo de mayo, Uruguayan Candombe, the Panamanian cumbia, tamborito, saloma and pasillo, and the various styles of music from Pre-Columbian traditions that are widespread in the Andean region. In Brazil, samba, American jazz, European classical music and choro combined into bossa nova. Recently the Haitian kompa has become increasingly popular.[17]
The classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) worked on the recording of native musical traditions within his homeland of Brazil. The traditions of his homeland heavily influenced his classical works.[18] Also notable is the much recent work of the Cuban Leo Brouwer and guitar work of the Venezuelan Antonio Lauro and the Paraguayan Agustín Barrios.
Arguably, the main contribution to music entered through folklore, where the true soul of the Latin American and Caribbean countries is expressed. Musicians such as Atahualpa Yupanqui, Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara, Mercedes Sosa, Jorge Negrete, Caetano Veloso, Yma Sumac and others gave magnificent examples of the heights that this soul can reach, for example:the Uruguayan born and first Latin American musician to win an OSCAR prize, Jorge Drexler[19].
Latin pop, including many forms of rock, is popular in Latin America today (see Spanish language rock and roll).[20]
Latin American film is both rich and diverse. But the main centers of production have been Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba.
Latin American cinema flourished after the introduction of sound, which added a linguistic barrier to the export of Hollywood film south of the border. The 1950s and 1960s saw a movement towards Third Cinema, led by the Argentine filmmakers Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino. More recently, a new style of directing and stories filmed as been tagged as "New Latin American Cinema."
Mexican movies from the Golden Era in the 1940s are significant examples of Latin American cinema, with a huge industry comparable to the Hollywood of those years. More recently movies such as Amores Perros (2000) and Y tu mamá también (2001) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised. Nonetheless, the country has also witnsessed the rise of experimental filmmakers such as Carlos Reygadas and Fernando Eimbicke who focus on more universal themes and characters. Other important Mexican directors are Arturo Ripstein and Guillermo del Toro.
Argentine cinema was a big industry in the first half of the 20th century. After a series of military governments that shackled culture in general, the industry re-emerged after the 1976–1983 military dictatorship to produce the Academy Award winner The Official Story in 1985. The Argentine economic crisis affected the production of films in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but many Argentine movies produced during those years were internationally acclaimed, including Plata Quemada (2000), Nueve reinas (2000), El abrazo partido (2004) and Roma (2004).
In Brazil, the Cinema Novo movement created a particular way of making movies with critical and intellectual screenplays, a clearer photography related to the light of the outdoors in a tropical landscape, and a political message. The modern Brazilian film industry has become more profitable inside the country, and some of its productions have received prizes and recognition in Europe and the United States. Movies like Central do Brasil (1999) and Cidade de Deus (2003) have fans around the world, and its directors have taken part in American and European film projects.
Cuban cinema has enjoyed much official support since the Cuban revolution, and important filmmakers include Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.
Latin America has a strong tradition of evolving dance styles. Some of its dance and music is considered to emphasize sexuality, and have become popular outside of their countries of origin. Salsa and the more popular Latin dances were created and embraced into the culture in the early and middle 1900s and has since been able to retain its significance both in and outside the Americas. The mariachi bands of Mexico stirred up quick paced rhythms and playful movements at the same time that Cuba embraced similar musical and dance styles. Traditional dances were blended with new, modern ways of moving, evolving into a blended, more contemporary forms.
Ballroom studios teach lessons on many Latin American dances. One can even find the cha-cha being done in honky-tonk country bars. Miami has been a large contributor of the United States' involvement in Latin dancing. With such a huge Puerto Rican and Cuban population one can find Latin dancing and music in the streets at any time of day or night.
Some of the dances of Latin America are derived from and named for the type of music they are danced to. For example, mambo, salsa, cha-cha-cha, rumba, merengue, samba, flamenco, bachata, and, probably most recognizable, the tango are among the most popular. Each of the types of music has specific steps that go with the music, the counts, the rhythms, and the style.
Modern Latin American dancing is very energetic. These dances primarily are performed with a partner as a social dance, but solo variations exist. The dances emphasize passionate hip movements and the connection between partners. Many of the dances are done in a close embrace while others are more traditional and similar to ballroom dancing, holding a stronger frame between the partners.
Theatre in Latin America existed before the Europeans came to the continent. The natives of Latin America had their own rituals, festivals, and ceremonies. They involved dance, singing of poetry, song, theatrical skits, mime, acrobatics, and magic shows. The performers were trained; they wore costumes, masks, makeup, wigs. Platforms had been erected to enhance visibility. The 'sets' were decorated with branches from trees and other natural objects.[21]
The Europeans used this to their advantage. For the first fifty years after the Conquest the missionaries used theatre widely to spread the Christian doctrine to a population accustomed to the visual and oral quality of spectacle and thus maintaining a form of cultural hegemony. It was more effective to use the indigenous forms of communication than to put an end to the 'pagan' practices, the conquerors took out the content of the spectacles, retained the trappings, and used them to convey their own message.[22]
Pre-Hispanic rituals were how the indigenous came in contact with the divine. Spaniards used plays to Christianize and colonize the indigenous peoples of the Americas in the 16th century.[23] Theatre was a potent tool in manipulating a population already accustomed to spectacle. Theatre became a tool for political hold on Latin America by colonialist theatre by using indigenous performance practices to manipulate the population.[24]
Theatre provided a way for the indigenous people were forced to participate in the drama of their own defeat. In 1599, the Jesuits even used cadavers of Native Americans to portray the dead in the staging of the final judgment.[25]
While the plays were promoting a new sacred order, their first priority was to support the new secular, political order. Theatre under the colonizers primarily at the service of the administration.[22]
After the large decrease in the native population, the indigenous consciousness and identity in theatre disappeared, though pieces did have indigenous elements to them.[26] The theatre that progressed in Latin America is argued to be theatre that the conquerors brought to the Americas, not the theatre of the Americas.[27]
Progression in Postcolonial Latin American Theatre
Internal strife and external interference have been the drive behind Latin American history which applies the same to theatre.
1959–1968: dramaturgical structures and structures of social projects leaned more toward constructing a more native Latin American base called the "Nuestra America"
1968–1974: Theatre tries to claim a more homogenous definition which brings in more European models. At this point, Latin American Theatre tried to connect to its historical roots.
1974–1984: The search for expression rooted in the history of Latin America became victims of exile and death.[28]
Latin American cuisine is a phrase that refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. It should be noted that Latin America is a very diverse area of land that holds various cuisines that vary from nation to nation.
Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes (tortillas, tamales, pupusas) and various salsas and other condiments (guacamole, pico de gallo, mole). These spices are generally what give the Latin American cuisines a distinct flavor in penors; yet, each country of Latin America tends to use a different spice and those that share spices tend to use them at different quantities. Thus, this leads for a variety across the land. Meat is also greatly consumed and constitutes one of the main dishes in many Latin American countries where they're considered specialties, referred to as Asado or Churrasco.
Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods. Some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans. Some popular beverages include mate, Pisco Sour, horchata, chicha, atole, cacao and aguas frescas.
Desserts in Latin America include dulce de leche, alfajor, arroz con leche, tres leches cake, Teja and flan.
Traditionally, Mexicans have struggled with the creation of a united identity. The issue is the main topic of Mexican Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz's book The Labyrinth of Solitude. Mexico is a large country with a large population, therefore having many cultural traits found only in some parts of the country. The north of Mexico is the least culturally diverse due to its very low Native American population and high density of those of European descent. Northern Mexicans are also more americanized due to the common border with the United States. Central and southern Mexico is where many well-known traditions find their origin, therefore the people from this area are in a way the most traditional, but their collective personality can't be generalized. People from Puebla, for instance, are thought to be conservative and reserved, and just a few kilometers away, the people from Veracruz have the fame of being very outgoing and liberal. Chilangos (Mexico City natives) are believed to be a bit aggressive, and self-centered. The regiomontanos (from Monterrey) are thought to be rather proud, regardless of their social status. Almost every Mexican state has its own accent, making it fairly easy to distinguish the origin of someone by their use of language.
The derogatory term naco was forged by the middle and upper class Mexicans to refer to the native or mestizo population. The term allegedly comes from the word totonaco, which is one of the ethnic groups in Valle de Mexico. Its use has been made popular even among the poorest classes. Mexicans differ in opinion about the meaning of the word. Some would use it for a person who dresses in a tacky or tasteless manner, some use it to refer to the natives, some to the poor classes, and other for people with less education or culture and other ideology. The term fresa is in some terms the opposite of naco, and it is not always derogatory and means always some relative high economical status of the person termed in that way. Traditionally, people with more European looks and belonging to the middle or high classes are called fresas.
Dancing and singing are commonly part of family gatherings, bringing the old and young together, no matter what kind of music is being played, like cumbia, salsa, merengue or the more Mexican banda. Dancing is a strong part of the culture.
Mexicans in places like Guadalajara, Puebla, Monterrey, Mexico City, and most middle sized cities, enjoy a great variety of options for leisure. Shopping centers are a favorite among families, since there has been an increasing number of new malls that cater to people of all ages and interests. A large number of them, have multiplex cinemas, international and local restaurants, food courts, cafes, bars, bookstores and most of the international renowned clothing brands are found too. Mexicans are prone to travel within their own country, making short weekend trips to a neighbouring city or town.
The standard of living in Mexico is higher than most of other countries in Latin America attracting migrants in search for better opportunities. With the recent economic growth, many high income families live in single houses, commonly found within a gated community, called "fraccionamiento". The reason these places are the most popular among the middle and upper classes is that they offer a sense of security and provide social status. Swimming pools or golf clubs, and/or some other commodities are found in these fraccionamientos. Poorer Mexicans, by contrast, live a harsh life, although they share the importance they grant to family, friends and cultural habits.
Two of the major television networks based in Mexico are Televisa and TV Azteca. Soap operas (telenovelas) are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renown names like Verónica Castro, Lucía Méndez, Lucero, and Thalía. Even Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna from Y tu mamá también and current Zegna model act in some of them. Some of their TV shows are modeled after American counterparts like Family Feud (100 Mexicanos Dijeron or "A hundred Mexicans said" in Spanish), Big Brother, American Idol, Saturday Night Live and others. Nationwide news shows like Las Noticias por Adela on Televisa resemble a hybrid between Donahue and Nightline. Local news shows are modeled after American counterparts like the Eyewitness News and Action News formats.
Mexico's national sports are charreria and bullfighting. Ancient Mexicans played a ball game which still exists in Northwest Mexico (Sinaloa, the game is called Ulama), though it is not a popular sport any more. Most Mexicans enjoy watching bullfights. Almost all large cities have bullrings. Mexico city has the largest bullring in the world, which seats 55,000 people. But the favorite sport remains football (soccer) while baseball is also popular especially in the northern states because of the American influence, and a number of Mexicans have become stars in the US Major Leagues. Professional wrestling is shown on shows like Lucha Libre. American football is practiced at the major universities like UNAM. Basketball has also been gaining popularity, with a number of Mexican players having been drafted to play in the National Basketball Association.
The culture of Guatemala reflects strong Mayan and Spanish influences and continues to be defined as a contrast between poor Mayan villagers in the rural highlands, and the urbanized and wealthy mestizos population who occupy the cities and surrounding agricultural plains.
The cuisine of Guatemala reflects the multicultural nature of Guatemala, in that it involves food that differs in taste depending on the region. Guatemala has 22 departments (or divisions), each of which has very different food varieties. For example, Antigua Guatemala is well known for its candy which makes use of many local ingredients fruits, seeds and nuts along with honey, condensed milk and other traditional sweeteners. Antigua's candy is very popular when tourists visit the country for the first time, and is a great choice in the search for new and interesting flavors. Many traditional foods are based on Maya cuisine and prominently feature corn, chiles and beans as key ingredients. Various dishes may have the same name as a dish from a neighboring country, but may in fact be quite different for example the enchilada or quesadilla, which are nothing like their Mexican counterparts.
The music of Guatemala is diverse. Guatemala's national instrument is the marimba, an idiophone from the family of the xylophones, which is played all over the country, even in the remotest corners. Towns also have wind and percussion bands -week processions, as well as on other occasions. The Garifuna people of Afro-Caribbean descent, who are spread thinly on the northeastern Caribbean coast, have their own distinct varieties of popular and folk music. Cumbia, from the Colombian variety, is also very popular especially among the lower classes. Dozens of Rock bands have emerged in the last two decades, making rock music quite popular among young people. Guatemala also has an almost five-century-old tradition of art music, spanning from the first liturgical chant and polyphony introduced in 1524 to contemporary art music. Much of the music composed in Guatemala from the 16th century to the 19th century has only recently been unearthed by scholars and is being revived by performers.
Guatemalan literature is famous around the world whether in the indigenous languages present in the country or in Spanish. Though there was likely literature in Guatemala before the arrival of the Spanish, all the texts that exist today were written after their arrival. The Popol Vuh is the most significant work of Guatemalan literature in the Quiché language, and one of the most important of Pre-Columbian American literature. It is a compendium of Mayan stories and legends, aimed to preserve Mayan traditions. The first known version of this text dates from the 16th century and is written in Quiché transcribed in Latin characters. It was translated into Spanish by the Dominican priest Francisco Ximénez in the beginning of the 18th century. Due to its combination of historical, mythical, and religious elements, it has been called the Mayan Bible. It is a vital document for understanding the culture of pre-Columbian America. The Rabinal Achí is a dramatic work consisting of dance and text that is preserved as it was originally represented. It is thought to date from the 15th century and narrates the mythical and dynastic origins of the Kek'chi' people, and their relationships with neighboring peoples. The Rabinal Achí is performed during the Rabinal festival of January 25, the day of Saint Paul. It was declared a masterpiece of oral tradition of humanity by UNESCO in 2005. The 16th century saw the first native-born Guatemalan writers that wrote in Spanish. Major writers of this era include Sor Juana de Maldonado, considered the first poet playwright of colonial Central America, and the historian Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán. The Jesuit Rafael Landívar (1731–1793) is considered as the first great Guatemalan poet. He was forced into exile by Carlos III. He traveled to Mexico and later to Italy, where he did. He originally wrote his Rusticatio Mexicana and his poems praising the bishop Figueredo y Victoria in Latin.
The Maya people are known for their brightly colored yarn-based textiles, which are woven into capes, shirts, blouses, huipiles and dresses. Each village has its own distinctive pattern, making it possible to distinguish a person's home town on sight. Women's clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt.
Roman Catholicism combined with the indigenous Maya religion are the unique syncretic religion which prevailed throughout the country and still does in the rural regions. Beginning from negligible roots prior to 1960, however, Protestant Pentecostalism has grown to become the predominant religion of Guatemala City and other urban centers and down to mid-sized towns. The unique religion is reflected in the local saint, Maximón, who is associated with the subterranean force of masculine fertility and prostitution. Always depicted in black, he wears a black hat and sits on a chair, often with a cigar placed in his mouth and a gun in his hand, with offerings of tobacco, alcohol and Coca-Cola at his feet. The locals know him as San Simon of Guatemala.
Nicaraguan culture has several distinct strands. The Pacific coast has strong folklore, music and religious traditions, deeply influenced by European culture but enriched with Amerindian sounds and flavors. The Pacific coast of the country was colonized by Spain and has a similar culture to other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. The Caribbean coast of the country, on the other hand, was once a British protectorate. English is still predominant in this region and spoken domestically along with Spanish and indigenous languages. Its culture is similar to that of Caribbean nations that were or are British possessions, such as Jamaica, Belize, The Cayman Islands, etc.
Nicaraguan music is a mixture of indigenous and European, especially Spanish and to a lesser extent German, influences. The latter was a result of the German migration to the central-north regions of Las Segovias where Germans settled and brought with them polka music which influenced and evolved into Nicaraguan mazurka, polka and waltz. The Germans that migrated to Nicaragua are speculated to have been from the regions of Germany which were annexed to present-day Poland following the Second World War; hence the genres of mazurka, polka in addition to the waltz. One of the more famous composers of classical music and Nicaraguan waltz was Jose de la Cruz Mena who was actually not from the northern regions of Nicaragua but rather from the city of Leon in Nicaragua.
More nationally identified however, are musical instruments such as the marimba which is also common across Central America. The marimba of Nicaragua is uniquely played by a sitting performer holding the instrument on his knees. It is usually accompanied by a bass fiddle, guitar and guitarrilla (a small guitar like a mandolin). This music is played at social functions as a sort of background music. The marimba is made with hardwood plates, placed over bamboo or metal tubes of varying lengths. It is played with two or four hammers. The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is known for a lively, sensual form of dance music called Palo de Mayo. It is especially loud and celebrated during the Palo de Mayo festival in May The Garifuna community exists in Nicaragua and is known for its popular music called Punta.
Literature of Nicaragua can be traced to pre-Columbian times with the myths and oral literature that formed the cosmogonic view of the world that indigenous people had. Some of these stories are still know in Nicaragua. Like many Latin American countries, the Spanish conquerors have had the most effect on both the culture and the literature. Nicaraguan literature is among the most important in Spanish language, with world-famous writers such as Rubén Darío who is regarded as the most important literary figure in Nicaragua, referred to as the "Father of Modernism" for leading the modernismo literary movement at the end of the 19th century.[29]
El Güegüense is a satirical drama and was the first literary work of post-Columbian Nicaragua. It is regarded as one of Latin America's most distinctive colonial-era expressions and as Nicaragua's signature folkloric masterpiece combining music, dance and theater.[29] The theatrical play was written by an anonymous author in the 16th century, making it one of the oldest indigenous theatrical/dance works of the Western Hemisphere.[30] The story was published in a book in 1942 after many centuries.[31]
The Andes Region comprises roughly much of what is now Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and was the seat of the Inca Empire in the pre-Columbian era. As such, many of the traditions date back to Incan traditions.
During the independization of the Americas many countries including Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador and Panama formed what was known as Gran Colombia, a federal republic that later dissolved, however the people in these countries believe each other to be their brothers and sisters and as such share many traditions and festivals. Peru and Bolivia were also one single country until Bolivia declared its independence, nevertheless both nations are close neighbors that have somewhat similar cultures.
Bolivia and Peru both still have significant Native American populations (primarily Quechua and Aymara) which mixed Spanish cultural elements with their ancestors' traditions. The Spanish-speaking population mainly follows the Western customs. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, and weavings remain from several important pre-Columbian cultures. Major Bolivian ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Iskanwaya.
The majority of the Ecuadorian population is mestizo, a mixture of both European and Amerindian ancestry, and much like their ancestry, the national culture is also a blend of these two sources, along with influences from slaves from Africa in the coastal region. 95% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic.
Peruvian culture is primarily rooted in Amerindian and Spanish traditions,[32] though it has also been influenced by various African, Asian, and European ethnic groups.
Peruvian artistic traditions date back to the elaborate pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture of Pre-Inca cultures. The Incas maintained these crafts and made architectural achievements including the construction of Machu Picchu. Baroque art dominated in colonial times, though it was modified by native traditions.[33] During this period, most art focused on religious subjects; the numerous churches of the era and the paintings of the Cuzco School are representative.[34] Arts stagnated after independence until the emergence of Indigenismo in the early 20th century.[35] Since the 1950s, Peruvian art has been eclectic and shaped by both foreign and local art currents.[36]
Peruvian literature has its roots in the oral traditions of pre-Columbian civilizations. Spaniards introduced writing in the 16th century, and colonial literary expression included chronicles and religious literature. After independence, Costumbrism and Romanticism became the most common literary genres, as exemplified in the works of Ricardo Palma.[37] In the early 20th century, the Indigenismo movement produced such writers as Ciro Alegría,[38] José María Arguedas,[39] and César Vallejo.[40] During the second half of the century, Peruvian literature became more widely known because of authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, a leading member of the Latin American Boom.[41]
Peruvian cuisine is a blend of Amerindian and Spanish food with strong influences from African, Arab, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese cooking.[42] Common dishes include anticuchos, ceviche, humitas, and pachamanca. Because of the variety of climates within Peru, a wide range of plants and animals are available for cooking.[43] Peruvian cuisine has recently received acclaim due to its diversity of ingredients and techniques.[44]
Peruvian music has Andean, Spanish and African roots.[45] In pre-Hispanic times, musical expressions varied widely from region to region; the quena and the tinya were two common instruments.[46] Spanish conquest brought the introduction of new instruments such as the guitar and the harp, as well as the development of crossbred instruments like the charango.[47] African contributions to Peruvian music include its rhythms and the cajón, a percussion instrument.[48] Peruvian folk dances include the marinera, tondero and huayno.[49]
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The culture of Colombia lies at the crossroads of Latin America. Thanks partly to geography, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions. Rural to urban migration and globalization have changed how many Colombians live and express themselves as large cities become melting pots of people (many of whom are refugees) from the various provinces.[citation needed] According to a study in late 2004 by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Colombians are one of the happiest people in the world; this despite its four-decade long armed conflict involving the government, paramilitaries, drug lords, corruption and guerrillas like the FARC and ELN.[citation needed]
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations (see: Muisca, Tayrona). The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites. After independence from Spain, the criollos struggled to establish a pluralistic political system between conservative and liberal ideals.[citation needed]
Ethno-racial groups maintained their ancestral heritage culture: whites tried to keep themselves, despite the growing number of illegitimate children of mixed African or indigenous ancestry. These people were labeled with any number of descriptive names, derived from the casta system, such as mulato and moreno. Blacks and indigenous people of Colombia also mixed to form zambos creating a new ethno-racial group in society. This mix also created a fusion of cultures. Carnivals for example became an opportunity for all classes and colors to congregate without prejudice. The introduction of the bill of rights of men and the abolishment of slavery (1850) eased the segregationist tensions between the races, but the dominance of the whites prevailed and prevails to some extent to this day.[citation needed]
The industrial revolution arrived relatively late at the beginning of the 20th century with the establishment of the Republic of Colombia. Colombians had a period of almost 50 years of relative peace[citation needed] interrupted only by a short armed conflict with Peru over the town of Leticia in 1932.[citation needed]
Bogotá, the principal city, was the World Book Capital in 2007, in 2008 by the Iberoamerican Theatrum Festival Bogotá has been proclaimed as the world capital of theatre.
Venezuelan culture has been shaped by indigenous, African and especially European Spanish. Before this period, indigenous culture was expressed in art (petroglyphs), crafts, architecture (shabonos), and social organization. Aboriginal culture was subsequently assimilated by Spaniards; over the years, the hybrid culture had diversified by region.
At present the Indian influence is limited to a few words of vocabulary and gastronomy. The African influence in the same way, in addition to musical instruments like the drum. The Spanish influence was more important and in particular came from the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, places of origin of most settlers in the Caribbean during the colonial era. As an example of this can include buildings, part of the music, the Catholic religion and language. Spanish influences are evident bullfights and certain features of the cuisine. Venezuela also enriched by other streams of Indian and European origin in the 19th century, especially France. In the last stage of the great cities and regions entered the U.S. oil source and demonstrations of the new immigration of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, increasing the already complex cultural mosaic. For example: From the United States comes the influence of the taste of baseball and modern architectural structures
Venezuelan art is gaining prominence. Initially dominated by religious motifs, it began emphasizing historical and heroic representations in the late 19th century, a move led by Martín Tovar y Tovar. Modernism took over in the 20th century. Notable Venezuelan artists include Arturo Michelena, Cristóbal Rojas, Armando Reverón, Manuel Cabré, the kinetic artists Jesús-Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez. Since the middle of the 20th century, artists such as Jacobo Borges, Régulo Perez, Pedro León Zapata, Harry Abend, Mario Abreu, Pancho Quilici, Carmelo Niño and Angel Peña emerged. They created a new plastic language. The 80s produced artist as Carlos Zerpa, Ernesto León, Miguel Von Dangel, Mateo Manaure, Patricia Van Dalen, Mercedes Elena González, Zacarías García and Manuel Quintana Castillo. In more recent times, Venezuela produced a new a diverse generation of innovating painters. Some of them are: Alejandro Bello, Edgard Álvarez Estrada, Gloria Fiallo, Felipe Herrera, Alberto Guacache and Morella Jurado.
Venezuelan literature originated soon after the Spanish conquest of the mostly pre-literate indigenous societies; it was dominated by Spanish influences. Following the rise of political literature during the War of Independence, Venezuelan Romanticism, notably expounded by Juan Vicente González, emerged as the first important genre in the region. Although mainly focused on narrative writing, Venezuelan literature was advanced by poets such as Andrés Eloy Blanco and Fermín Toro. Major writers and novelists include Rómulo Gallegos, Teresa de la Parra, Arturo Uslar Pietri, Adriano González León, Miguel Otero Silva, and Mariano Picón Salas. The great poet and humanist Andrés Bello was also an educator and intellectual. Others, such as Laureano Vallenilla Lanz and José Gil Fortoul, contributed to Venezuelan Positivism.
Carlos Raúl Villanueva was the most important Venezuelan architect of the modern era; he designed the Central University of Venezuela, (a World Heritage Site) and its Aula Magna. Other notable architectural works include the Capitol, the Baralt Theatre, the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex, and the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge.
Baseball and football are Venezuela's most popular sports, and the Venezuela national football team, is passionately followed. Famous Venezuelan baseball players include Luis Aparicio (inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame), David (Dave) Concepción, Oswaldo (Ozzie) Guillén (current White Sox manager, World Series champion in 2005), Freddy Garcia, Andrés Galarraga, Omar Vizquel (an eleven-time Gold Glove winner), Luis Sojo, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Félix Hernández, Magglio Ordóñez, Ugueth Urbina, and Johan Santana (a two-time unanimously selected Cy Young Award winner).
In the 19th century, Brazilian theatre began with romanticism along with a fervor for political independence.[50] During this time, racial issues were discussed in contradictory terms, but even so there were some significant plays, including a series of popular comedies by Martins Penna, Franqa Junior, and Arthur Azevedo.[51]
In the 20th century, the two most important production centers for professional theatre were São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. They were centers of industrial and economic development.[51] Even with the development of these two theatres, World War I brought an end to tours by European theatres so there were no productions in Brazil during this time.
In November 1927, Alvaro Moreyra founded the Toy Theatre (Teatro de Brinquedo). Like this company, it was in the late 1920s when the first stable theatre companies formed around well-known actors. These actors were able to practice authentic Brazilian gestures gradually freed from Portuguese influence. Except for some political criticism in the low comedies, the dramas of this period were not popular. Occasionally the question of dependence on Europe or North America was raised.[51] Even with more Latin American influence of theatre starting to filter in, its theatre still was under heavy influence of Europe.
The Brazilian Comedy Theatre (Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia) was created in 1948
Oswald de Andrade wrote three plays; The King of the Candle (O Rei da Vela, 1933), The Man and the Horse (O Homem e o Cavalo, 1934). and The Dead Woman (A Morta, 1937). They were an attempt to deal with political themes, nationalism, and anti-imperialism. His theatre was inspired by Meyerhold's and Brecht's theories, with a political sarcasm like Mayakovsky.[52]
1943 at The Comedians: Polish director and refugee from the Nazis, Zbigniew Ziembinsky, staged in expressionist style Nelson Rodrigues' A Bride's Gown (Vestido de Noiva). With this production, Brazilian theatre moved into the modem period.[53] World War II saw Brazil gain several foreign directors, especially from Italy, who wanted to make a theatre free from nationalistic overtones. Paradoxically, this led to a second renewal which engaged popular forms and sentiments; a renewal that was decidedly nationalistic with social and even communist leanings.[53]
During this time, the Stanislavsky system of acting was most popular and widely used. Stanislavski himself came to Brazil via Eugenio Kusnet, a Russian actor who had met him at the Moscow Art Theatre.
The next phase was from 1958 to the signing of the Institutional Act Number Five in 1968. It marked the end of freedom and democracy. These ten years were the most productive of the century. During these years dramaturgy matured through the plays of Guarnieri, Vianinha, Boal, Dias Gomes, and Chico de Assis, as did mis-en-scene in the work of Boal, Jost Celso Martinez Correa, Flivio Rangel, and Antunes Filho. During this decade a generation accepted theatre as an activity with social responsibility.[54]
At its height, this phase of Brazilian theatre was characterized by an affirmation of national values. Actors and directors became political activists who risked their jobs and lives daily.[55]
Through this growth of Latin America politically and the influence of European theatre, an identity of what is theatre in Latin America stemmed out of it.
Modern painting was born in Brazil in Modern Art Week in 1922. Among the artists who have excelled in the 20th century, are Tarsila do Amaral and his cubist influence, as Di Cavalcanti, Candido Portinari also influenced by Cubism and Expressionism is the great names of Brazilian art and is the painter of War and Peace, a panel at the United Nations in New York.
Brazilian contemporary photography is one of the most creative in Latin America, growing an international prominence each year with exhibitions and publications. Names like Miguel Rio Branco, Vik Muniz, Sebastião Salgado, Guy Veloso, and others, get strong.
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This was originally written in 1999. It was written shortly after he was diagnosed with kidney failure and spent over four years on dialysis. He had a successsful kidney transplant in 2004. When this was written, he had not yet started his decade long love affair with Kelly Ripa. At this time, he actually had a crush on Kitty Carlisle, of all people.
I sat with my brother Tommy and asked him what he would like to help me write about.
This was his blog post. I wrote it and he served as my verbal editor. We wrote this on GEOCITIES (remember that?) but the original page is long gone.
The only change is to remove any dead links.
Happy 44th Birthday, Tommy.
(These are some of the friends that Tommy made at the concerts.)
Georgette and her friends [She is on her 28th show, 7 so far on this tour ]…..
Elizabeth…..Donna…..Jacqui…..Regina…..PUNTIN…..Jackilope…..Larry Pare….{she is now a "Can't Smile Without You" Girl [She sang with Barry!]……UHONEY {Becky From Utah}…..Nancy Capwell…..Linda Torres…..Lorrieful…..The Brandon Family……SSmith7925
(This is from some conversations I had with Tommy back in 1999. I tried to write it then in his voice, from his memories.)
Ever since I was 4 years old, I have listened to Barry Manilow. I used to have trouble speaking, and my family and the teachers at my special schools noticed that I like Manilow's music. They and my family used the "Even Now" album to help me learn how to talk and communicate. It also helped my motor skills to drum along with the album. Since then, I have come a long way.
I am one of Barry's biggest fans. I have gone through over 18 different copies of "Even Now" and have seen Barry dozens of times. I am a member of the BMIFC, and traveled to Kansas City a few years ago for their convention.
During the recent A & E "BARRY MANILOW: LIVE BY REQUEST" special, Wil Shriner read an e-mail that my brother, Adrian , sent for me. I requested Barry to sing "I Made It Through The Rain", and I was thrilled when Barry dedicated it to me. I will never forget that night.
We had gotten our tickets for this years Manilow concert way back in May. I didn't think that I could wait three months, but a couple of things came along that made me happy.
I've had this webpage for a while. My brother built it to see if I was interested in the computer. In late July, Al Hunter Jr. [a reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News] contacted me after seeing my page, and wanted to do an interview with me. I was nervous. You can read the article by clicking A Special Devotion: Barry Manilow and Tommy Hickman
I've got more about that day a little farther down the page.
Because of that article, Margie Smith, a reporter for WB17, WPHL-TV here in Philadelphia, and Jill Wolfe, an assignment editor, contact me about doing an interview. I was nervous.
The day of the concert, they came in a big van with the dish on top. Everyone in the neighborhood asked me what they were there for. They talked to me for an hour. I played my singing of I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN, and they had me sing my favorite song , COPACABANA, on camera. We talked about why I wanted to meet Barry. I think I did good. I got to show them my Barry collection, including my favorite album, EVEN NOW, but when they asked me to sing, I sang along with the COPA version from the Boxed Set. We talked about how Barry's Music helped me. I answered all the questions without much help, though they also interviewed my sister, Julie, who teaches at the Easter Seal Society.
While I was being interviewed, the phone rang. My brother, Adrian, said it was for me. When I got on the phone, it was Susan Dubow, Barry's publicist. She said what I have always wanted to hear: I was going to meet my favorite singer, Barry Manilow. Channel 17 had set it up without me knowing. I love Channel 17!
I was told that Mark Hewitt, one of Barry's assistants, would come out to my seat around 7:45 [we were sitting in Section 101 Row E, which was about 13 rows from the stage] to take me backstage. He was right on time. He told me they would be back for me at 8:05. That was a long 20 minutes. Every minute seemed really long, and I was actually sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for them. Barry's' road manager [I forget his name, but he allowed me to hold his arm while I walked, since it was dark in the theater] led me and my father and brother back to the Green Room. Margie Smith and her cameraman were waiting for us.
After about five minutes, Barry walked in, along with Mark. I was so nervous, I couldn't stand up. Barry came over and talked to me. I showed him the Daily News article, and he said he had read it already. Barry said that he had been to my website, and Mark said that they had it in their Favorite Places folder on their computer. We talked about my favorite songs and he said he was singing them that night. I asked him about Annette O'Toole, who I used to have a crush on, and he seemed happy that I remembered his movie COPACABANA. I asked him if I could sing with him that night and he said that he didn't know. We talked for well over five minutes and then he allowed us to take a couple of pictures. Mark took them so that my family could be in them.
Finally, Barry had to go, but I thanked him again and he gave me a big hug. That was nice. Channel 17 asked me how I felt but all I could do was smile. Barry had made my life and now he had made my day. His road manager helped me back to my seat, which was nice because he must have had dozens of other things to do, and he chose to help me. Thanks.
Barry Vs. The Elements
I was so excited when I got back to my seat. I liked the intermission music, which was a series of the original commercials that Barry wrote or sang for. Then Barry came on and the great night continued. He was wearing a white jacket, which made him easy to see. He sang all of my favorites including EVEN NOW. When he sang CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU, I raised my hand, even though I knew I wouldn't be picked. I sang along real loud, though. He also saluted a BARRY ABRAMS, who he said helped him reach number One in Philadelphia back in the 70's when MANDY came out.
All night long, it looked like rain but Barry said that he would try to stop it. He almost did. As he sang SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD, the skies opened up and the screams of the people on the lawn threatened to drown him out. He begged those who felt they had to leave to come back again [He's coming back!] next year, and started NEW YORK CITY RHYTHM. As the wind blew and the rain reached all the way up front and the people ran for cover, it felt like pandemonium. The rushing of the soaked crowd combined with Barry and his orchestra trying to compete with the noise made for a wild, wonderful version.
The orchestra really added to the show. It made the songs sound like my records, especially the Sinatra stuff. I never really listened to Frank before the MANILOW SINGS SINATRA CD, but since then I listen to my brothers Sinatra CD's when we are in the car. This was great, as was WHEN OCTOBER GOES. All the orchestral numbers were great, especially WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND. It was also fun when Barry isolated the individual instruments in the orchestra.
My favorite part of the show was Barry playing the recording of his grandfather urging him to sing "Happy Birthday" when he was three years old. When I was backstage with him, I told him that I liked that recording of his grandfather, especially on the FIRST BARRY MANILOW SPECIAL, and was really glad to here Barry use it during THIS ONE'S FOR YOU. It reminded me of my mom.
He ended the show with my favorite. COPACABANA , and second favorite I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN. During COPA, the sound system got real loud and then went out for a minute. While I didn't like it, we were close enough to the stage to still hear the band playing as Barry got the crowd to sing for him. It was great.
This may be the best Barry show I've seen in a long time. I only wish he was coming back before next year, but I'll try to go see him wherever and whenever I am able.
The Second Best Day Ever!
The second most exciting thing was that the Philadelphia Daily News did a big article on my love of Manilow's music and how it has been so important in my life. They even ran a great color picture of me. This ran in the Aug 11, 1999 issue. Click here if you would like to read the text of the article. If you saw it, please e-mail me with your comments. Thanks to Al Hunter, Jr. of the Daily News for liking my story.
A Special Devotion: Barry Manilow and Tommy Hickman
One of the reasons that I listened to Flyers Hockey, Gene Hart, passed away recently. I was glad to see that so many other people loved him as much as I do. I went to a memorial service at the First Union Center, where we , as Steve Coates said, celebrated the life of my friend. I got to see his wife, Sara, and his children again. Lauren , a great singer and his daughter, even gave me her autograph because I asked, just like I used to ask Gene every time I saw him. He gave it to me, even though I had gotten one a hundred times before.
Gene Hart was a legend in Philadelphia. He was THE VOICE OF THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS hockey from 1967 until 1995. He was a great announcer, and when he shouts "HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES", the entire city would feel good. His tapes and voice helped me learn to watch what was going on and express my feelings about what I am seeing. He was a diver on the old STEEL PIER IN ATLANTIC CITY, and his wife, SARA, rode the HIGH DIVING HORSE. He took me to dinner when we saw him vacationing in Honolulu. He told us funny stories about the Flyers , especially Dave Brown. He always had time to talk to me.

subset: commoncrawl


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Puerto Rican parade back on after funds flap
A parade that attracts thousands to Brentwood every year to celebrate Puerto Rican and Hispanic culture will go on for its 48th year in June, as the group has cleared the way to qualify for its share of county funds, organizers said Monday.
Nearly $31,000 in a taxpayer-funded grant approved by the Suffolk County Legislature for this year had been put on hold over the 2012 tax filing for Teatro Yerbabruja, a nonprofit that runs the event. According to the Suffolk County comptroller's initial review, the group was among three dozen agencies exceeding administrative spending limits.
County officials confirmed that Teatro Yerbabruja now is eligible to receive county funding after showing most of its expenses go to community programs.
That means the parade, scheduled for June 1, will go on, organizers said.
"We are happy, and the important thing is now to call for unity and continue our work," said Margarita Espada, the nonprofit's artistic director.
She said the parade "revitalizes the local economy and also offers a social space where people can experience each other's cultures and celebrate who we are."
The quest for the funds had led parade organizers to clash with Legis. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood), who attempted to give $5,000 granted for the event to a group running a summer camp program.
The parade had been promised $30,840 under then-Legis. Rick Montano, who Martinez defeated in September's Democratic primary. But the funds were in peril because a 2007 Suffolk law says that contract agencies can't have administrative expenses greater than 20 percent to receive county funding.
The group and the county confirmed Monday that Teatro Yerbabruja filed an amended federal tax return itemizing expenses that lowered its self-reported administrative costs from 59 percent to 14 percent.
"The next step would be that they would work with their legislator . . . to complete a contract," Suffolk County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki Jr. said.
Another 24 groups, out of 36 agencies that exceeded the 20-percent threshold, have not yet presented sufficient documentation to get the go-ahead for county funds.


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Publications on Children's Wellbeing ICS Releases Report on COVID-19's Impact onPediatric Healthcare in South Carolina…
Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors Conference
By Megan Carolan and Mary Garvey
Last week, ICS hosted its Second Annual Conference of the Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors, co-hosted with our partners at ReadyNation. A jam-packed two-and-a-half days in San Diego brought together over 200 representatives of more than 30 jurisdictions as well as researchers, business partners, and experts in Pay for Success (PFS) transactions. The conference was our first major event since announcing our five Pay for Success early childhood subgrantees, and included a significant focus on the nuts and bolts of pay for success transactions, balanced by a system-wide look at the possible role for PFS in the wide world of early childhood.
Some major takeaways from the conference:
1) Communications: From high level conversations with legislators to making sure providers know what to expect, clear frequent communication helps.
2) Impact Investors: The importance of balancing investing expectations — social, financial, as well as benefits that are difficult to monetize — cannot be overstated. Impact investors seek both social and financial returns, but to different degrees; when seeking out investors, tailor your messaging accordingly.
3) Innovation: PFS offers an alternate route where traditional government intervention is politically not feasible.
4) Fidelity & Integrity: It is important to have the right data AND to use it well. Using a third party to evaluate protects program integrity, and safeguards against disincentives. A promising practice is to create a wall of sorts between providers and the financing model/data systems.
5) Partnerships: Beyond formal contracts and partnerships, there is value in talking informally with one another. Jurisdictions exploring PFS need to talk to each other to bounce ideas off of each other regarding common struggles and troubleshoot problems. Also, reach out to other jurisdictions who may be at different points in their PFS process; there are always learnings that can be shared.
While we talk a lot about our technical assistance subgrantees, the conference was a powerful reminder that the work being done in this field truly traverses the nation. The map below showcases not only our PFS recipients, but early childhood grantees served by other grantees, those who applied for either TA or conference participation, and current completed transactions in the country. Interested jurisdictions include small cities, counties, and large states, from coast to coast and in between. Interested jurisdictions include small cities, counties, and large states, from coast to coast and in between.
In addition to discussing past and current projects, the conference included two exciting announcements of upcoming PFS opportunities:
- Mayor Ben McAdams of Salt Lake County, Utah announced that the county has opened a new Request for Proposals for a PFS project focused on maternal and child health outcomes; details are available on their website. Bidding ends May 27.
- The Policy Innovation Lab at the University of Utah is taking applications to provide technical assistance to providers who are able to serve in several policy and geographic areas. Applications are due June 17. The areas are:
- recidivism and homelessness in Boise, Idaho
- early childhood education in Adams County School District 50, Colorado
- homelessness and recidivism in Colorado
- recidivism in Missoula, Montana
- early childhood education in Las Vegas, Nevada
- recidivism in Utah
PFS is not a one-size-fits-all approach – it requires a specific consideration of each jurisdictions assets, goals, and barriers. But the widespread interest in this mechanism does show us that jurisdiction are eager to explore new funding approaches for programs they know work. We are looking forward to building on this momentum and exploring what PFS can do for the early childhood world.
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more photos
Stretching along the central part of the Croatian Adriatic, are the Kornati islands. With their immense natural beauty, diverse coastlines, and preserved marine ecosystem, most of the Kornati islands were declared a National park in 1980. National park Kornati sizes about 220 km2 which consists of 89 islands, islets and reefs. National park Kornati was named after the biggest island in the group - Kornat. Vegetation on the islands is minimal, giving the islands a bald look, however, nature still thrives with plant life on the rocks. Crystal clear water, and uncover the all kinds of reefs, shellfish and many species of fish below the surface.
The Kornati islands were populated in prehistoric times; findings of stone hatchets at the bottom of the hill Pasinka on the islands of Kornati confirm the stated. The Kornati islands were a frequent target for invaders and thieves, from the Romans and the Venetians to the aristocracy from Zadar. Although today the Kornati islands are only populated during the summer months, old field and fishing houses spread out in secluded inlets on the Kornati islands, give away the presence of their owners. There is no electricity or fresh water springs on the islands.
The Kornati islands are a real heaven for yachtsmen, divers and all those who enjoy the solitude of untouched and the magnificence of nature. There are 20 restaurants on the Kornati islands which serve fish specialities. You can get to the Kornati islands by boat (if you own or you rent), or by organised boat excursions offered by tourist agencies. For more information you can visit the public bureau "Nacionalni Park Kornati "in Murter. The park is located about seven nautical miles from the island of Murter.
Interesting things to see:
Islet of Taljuric - because of its oval shape it looks like a plate. It is dangerous for boats, because it is often covered with water.
Island Piskera - is the second largest island in the national park, it was once the main fishing centre on the Kornati islands with a warehouse for salted fish.
Mala (little) Proversa – is a shallow passage between Dugi (long) island and the island of Katine. Ancient Roman ruins approximately 90m long are visible in the sea, which were once above sea level.
Bay of Spinuta - in the bay, leftover wall ruins are visible of an Ancient Roman salt factory or of a fish cultivating pond
Excursion boats to national park Kornati are available from all tourist towns in the Sibenik and Zadar Riviera.
For more information please visit http://www.kornati.hr/
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Complete a Vision Care Plan Claim Form, attach original receipt(s) to claim form and forward to:
University Human Resources
57 U.S. Highway 1
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8554
Please allow 1 – 2 weeks for processing. Vision Care reimbursement will be included in your regular paycheck, under the code "VisionReim."
Employees can receive reimbursement once every two year contract period. The current two year contract period is July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019.
No, it is not considered taxable income.
No, there is no monthly premium.
Academic year
10-month employees with September 1 hire date are eligible September 1st
Calendar year
12-month employees are eligible after 2 months of continuous employment (i.e. August 15 hire date = October 15 effective date)
Academic year
10-month employees – coverage is suspended July and August and resumes September 1 if reappointed
Calendar year
12-month employees – coverage continues until the end of the month of the last day in pay status.
Effective February 15, 2013, employees will receive their reimbursement through either direct deposit, if enrolled, or in their biweekly paycheck. This reimbursement will have a payroll code of "VisionReim" on the paystub and will not be subject to taxes or pension calculations.


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By fair means or foul
Take a bow
Set the stage for a riotous rampage as daemon hunter Baron Dashforth. Put up your dukes and batter all comers in a side-scrolling brawler located entirely on the grand spectacle of a theatre stage.
But that doesn't mean you won't be travelling the world – with a little help from the ever-changing auditorium (and your imagination), you'll battle everywhere from the deserts of Egypt to the depths of Atlantis in 22 incredible acts.
Perform shattering takedowns and reversals, learn 12 electrifying stage tricks and bring a friend along as Scampwick in local and online co-op modes.


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As warm as your warmest puffer and completely vegan and cruelty free, the GIADA is a dreamy winter coat. You can ditch the coyote and down and still stay warm and look amazing. We love that everything from Matt & Nat is completely free of animal-based materials. Each of their pieces holds up as a classic wardrobe staple and is made sustainably and with careful attention to quality and detail.
Description from Matt & Nat:
Long sleeve, knee length quilted puffer jacket with removable hood, front zipper closure, wide full coverage collar, two welt pockets, side functional snap detail at hem, and internal chest pocket
Model is 5'11 and wearing size M
Body Material: 100% Recycled Polyester
Lining Material: 100% Recycled Polyester Fill: 100% Polyester
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold, gentle cycle/ Tumble dry low heat
Sylvester & Co. Modern General®
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
(631) 725-5012


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Two car bombs exploded in a failed suicide assassination attempt on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Authorities say the blasts killed at least six people and injured at least two.
The attack occurred in Rawalpindi, next to the capital Islamabad, as President Pervez Musharraf's motorcade passed along a street closed to other traffic.
Army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan says the two cars carrying the bombs sped out of a gas station, and one hit the motorcade.
"The last vehicle of the presidential convoy, which had the police escort got hit and got damaged," he announced. "The police escort inside got injured, but the president and his entire staff is absolutely safe."
In addition to killing several passersby, the attack also damaged surrounding buildings.
It is the second attack on President Musharraf this month - on December 14, he escaped another bomb aimed at his convoy, just 500 meters away.


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The East Village ain't what it used to be. Less punk rock and fewer dirty needles, more hipster cafes and vape bars. Fortunately, Public Access T.V., one of the few rock groups to come out of the Village in recent years, are committed students of the old school.
Living in morbid, fly-and-rat infested filth? Check. Making the rock star's transition from hard drugs to macrobiotic dieting? Check.
Having your East Village apartment explode while you're on tour? Wait…yep, check. Such is the life of Public Access T.V. — the break out indie group, composed of Jon Eatherly, Xan Aird, Pete Star, and Max Peebles— they're leading the rock n' roll lifestyle of yesteryear. CONVICTS caught up with the group to chat crafting larger-than-life myths, the changing character of the Village, and how the darkest hours often yield the brightest results.
What were your expectations coming to New York?
You hope it's what you read about. We'd read about bands in the seventies and eighties more than anything. We wanted to fully go there, live in a crazy apartment, go a little bit too far and be OK with the shittiness of this place. We really love a lot of music from here, and wanted to stick it out and do it for real, in whatever way that takes.
Why the Village?
Basquiat, Bill Burroughs, Trotsky, Auden, Ginsberg, Joey Ramone within what? A four block radius? Why did they all come? I don't know.
Does the neighborhood still have that mystique to it?
Nah. It's a fucking frat zone. Did you go out last night in the East Village? Frat boys everywhere. It's gotten worse and worse. Look at CBGB, what is CBGB now? Varvatos. They have a fucking piece of the CBGB wall in museum plexiglass.
I heard they were going to put a Duane Reade there.
I'd take the Duane Reade [over Varvatos], I could afford something in there. It serves a purpose.
Does it at least feel like home?
You have to say it sucks, but yeah it's home. There's nowhere else in the world like this. Anyone who's a real New Yorker always talks about moving to LA or New England, but somehow they don't.
Tell us about the infamous apartment on Second Avenue?
It had an energy, it was a full floor. It was pretty dark, not literally — it could be dark — it was kind of what you made of it. I bet someone will walk by before we're done who had a night there.
So I'm assuming it wasn't the cleanest?
It was disgusting; there were a lot of fruit flies. The rats — there was one alpha male grandaddy rat with bites taken out of his tail — used to fuck outside the window. There was a ham under a bed for a few months. We couldn't figure out what the smell was for so long, but we finally found this piece of ham that looked ready to grow into a creature. Lots of vienna sausages and whiskey.
That's pretty savage. Was it all darkness and filth? Or did it have some redeeming qualities?
It was also a safe zone. If anybody went and lived with their girlfriend and that didn't go well, it was a place that was like a safe house for anyone to come back to. There was always a sense of comfort in the back of mind, because you were welcome there.
What about the writing that came out of the space? Did it reflect the vibes of the apartment?
The vibe usually — there wasn't too much of a middle ground emotionally, it was kind of like 'oh my god, this is fucking awful, I want to die' or 'this is fucking great' — there was no in between, so a lot of the songs are from the 'I wanna die' aspect of it.
Did you guys write and record in the apartment?
We did a lot of writing there. We had a setup where we could record and play music; a makeshift studio that was a curtained area in the living room. Nothing about it…necessarily affected what we were writing about. What we were writing about was more relationships with people. But a lot of relationships violently collapsed in that apartment.
And your first album came out of that apartment space?
It's just about everything that went down in that period of time. It was written in that zone. Maybe you went out too many nights consecutively then you had to lock yourself in the bedroom for four days because you couldn't face seeing anybody after that. A lot of the songs were written in that quarantined condition.
Do the songs have any kind of redemption? Or something that mirrors the safe space quality of the apartment?
Even if the vibe was like, 'I'm ready to die' we still try to put a taste of hope in. Even if the vibe is all down and out, there's a sense of light at the end of the tunnel.
Is it essential to live those highs and lows before you can write about them?
Are you asking, 'Do you have to be sad to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song?' Can you fake it?….It's a mix of magic and craft, but…
Elaborate on that.
Lou Reed wasn't a junkie, but he was telling stories about what was happening around him. He liked speed and he was an alcoholic, but he made a myth about being a heroin addict. Myths are the best shit to know and by definition they're not real. Maybe it's life magnified, but not real.
Will the next album come from a thematically different place?
The next one we're gonna do is gonna be more positive. We've learned how to become more stable people. A little more self-control. The name of the record was "Never Enough" — it had to do with that vibe that nothing was ever enough for us. You could look at it like hoping for more, not achieving what you wanted to, wanting to consume more of whatever it was you wanted to consume: drugs or alcohol. We're healthier now. Eating macro-biotically and meditating.
Tell us about some of the characters in the East Village?
A dude from the village people was at KGB two nights ago, he's fuckin' rad — walks around with a cowboy hat. There's the man in white in the LES — that guy's everywhere. The Hell's Angels still hold it down on Third Street. You gotta be a little insane to grow old in this neighborhood.


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Brutal winter storms blanket many parts of China each year, but the country's leading tech distributor weathered a particularly bad one in 2008. It was Feb. 5, and heavy snow that had piled up on Digital China Holdings' Hangzhou warehouse caused the roof to cave in. Inside were $10.5 million worth of Epson printers and other goods, destined to end up in thousands of Chinese stores.
What's worse, the collapse happened just before Chinese New Year, when millions of shoppers queue up to take advantage of massive sales. Anticipating more snowfall and fearing that the cold would ruin its inventory, the company quickly organized a rescue effort. Sixty-four bundled-up Digital China employees from Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing left family celebrations, and, box by box, the company managed to cut its losses to only $150,000.
Today Digital China guarantees customers in 19 cities delivery of any product within two hours--and not even a blizzard will stop what analysts say is the player to watch in China's fragmented tech sector.
The Beijing company is going through a growth spurt. Digital China was born a decade ago, a year before parent company Legend Group spun off both it and computer maker
Digital China's bread and butter is distribution; it sources products such as
But since 2007 Guo has focused on a third business with a vague name: it services. Digital China engineers can now design, implement and operate a system that links up a complex web of, for example, bank tellers, ATMs, loans and Internet payments. So far it services are a small but fast-growing piece of the whole business and a crucial part of the company's strategy. "During the process of our transformation, we have learned quite a lot from
Digital China's role model went through a similar transformation in the 1990s, becoming a company known not just for putting computers on desks but also planning how to connect them, monitor their activity and tailor their function to the customer's needs. "As IBM is the leading it service provider in the global market," says Guo, "so Digital China wants to be the leading it service provider in China."
The company is already doing just fine. In the year ended in March, Digital China's net profit rose 28% to $106 million, while revenue grew 18% to $6.5 billion. This marks the second year in a row that Digital China has earned a spot on the Fab 50.
Since its 2001 listing in Hong Kong annual revenue growth has averaged 22% and net profit growth 23%. Analysts view Digital China as a proxy for China's it sector, projecting 30% compounded annual earnings growth over the next two years.
Digital China has faced hurdles along the way, and not just snowstorms. One of the biggest and most unexpected happened in August, when its 49-year-old chief financial officer, He Jun, died suddenly of a heart attack. Like Guo, he had worked for Digital China and Legend Group for most of his career. "The worst moment [of being a chief executive] is when bad things happen, something you were not expecting," says Guo. The company is looking for a replacement.
Beyond the loss of He, it hasn't been an easy transition from an electronics wrangler to what is essentially a tech-consulting firm seeking to accumulate patents. Most of its revenue comes from the distribution business, which is susceptible to downturns. In 2003 the company's smartphone business got hit by the SARS outbreak.
And while Digital China as a whole didn't see earnings fall during the global economic crisis, its distribution arm suffered. When high-definition monitors didn't leave store shelves, its retailing customers didn't need to restock. But its other businesses helped compensate. The nascent it services arm is performing well: It produced 21% of gross profits on only 9% of revenue.
Guo's career trajectory has mirrored that of the company he built. Immediately after earning a masters degree from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Science, he joined Legend, which proved to be an education in itself. "Education from schools will provide you with a catalog for reading, for reference, to learn the way to think," he says. He says trial and error is the modus operandi of his management team. "Running a business is more a practical process."
Guo's interests are very much aligned with those of Digital China's shareholders--which include Fidelity, the Bank of New York and
After Legend spun off Digital China, Guo slowly began racking up more deals with manufacturers, first in Asia and then beyond, promising them that he could get their products into large and small cities across China. Datamonitor says
Though Digital China had a few of its own branded products and a chain of franchises, it made money by shepherding the goods of others. But as the company expanded, it set higher goals.
Big state-owned clients entered the picture. Digital China set up videoconferencing for ICBC and developed a banking system for the China Development Bank. The projects kept getting grander. The year before the Chinese New Year snowstorm, Datamonitor says, the company signed an agreement with the Bank of Beijing to provide it services and software development as well as to handle its atm network. Digital China has also worked behind the scenes at all three of China's telecom giants.
Its close ties to the government have proved a boon; analysts say it's one of the company's greatest strengths. Digital China isn't government-owned, but it has earned Beijing's trust because of its well-honed connections.
The company scored a major coup in 1998 when it was tapped to do a multiyear deal with the central government's tax collection department. It designs software for managers and supervisors that also tracks what taxpayers owe, and Guo says today much of the government's tax revenue comes from this technology, which is in its third phase of development. Now that Digital China has this project under its belt, local governments, such as Hainan Province's, are asking it to do the same type of work for them.
Its most recent venture veers even further from its past as a middleman: smart cards. It is collaborating with three city governments to create cards along the lines of Hong Kong's multipurpose Octopus card; Digital China's acts as a storehouse for government-issued identification data, such as pension information and health insurance. One day soon, the company says, these cards will be used for banking, public transportation and small purchases.
It is also expanding its logistics business, taking advantage of its knowledge of China's infrastructure to build supply chains for automaker BYD. Digital China is actively trying to raise its profile in the public eye by taking steps such as issuing shares earlier this year (even though it didn't need the cash) and buying a stake in a Japanese tech firm, SJI Holdings.
The company faces competition in China from California's Synnex and
Meanwhile analysts argue that Digital China's growth is tied to the growth of China. The company is a one-stop tech shop, and to them, the future of China's it sector--given consumer and corporate demand for phones and laptops, tax-collection systems and smart cards--seems bright.
As it happens, the ten-year mark for the company is the perfect time to take stock. Revenue has climbed to $6.5 billion over the course of the decade, and Guo's latest goal is to double that in the next five years. It seems plausible: In 2000 the company had 1,000 employees; now it has 10,000, and most are engineers. Digital China used to rent office space in Beijing, but this year it christened gleaming new headquarters, which the company designed and owns, not far from its former digs. Says Guo: "I feel a very great sense of achievement."


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MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (GOLDKEY) (1965) #12 - Descriptive Bibliography
Title: The Dead Man's Diary Affair
Featuring: Man From UNCLE
Credits: unknown (Script), Mike Sekowsky (Pencils), Mike Sekowsky (Inks).
Title: George Washington's Master Spy
Credits: unknown (Script), typeset (Letters).
Title: The Powder-Puff Derby Caper
Featuring: Jet Dream
Credits: unknown (Script), Joe Certa (Pencils), Joe Certa (Inks).
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text: The Crow is a 1994 American fantasy action film directed by Alex Proyas, written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance. Based on James O'Barr's 1989 comic book of the same name, it tells the story of Eric Draven, a rock musician who is revived to avenge his life and his fiancée's. The lead actor, Brandon Lee, life was ended accidentally on the set during filming by a defective blank. Unfinished scenes that were to feature him were ... more on Wikipedia


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Navy Policy Documents
- U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Strategic Outlook US Coast Guard Released 22 Apr 2019
- SPAWAR Strategic Plan - Execution Year 2016 Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Released 27 Jan 2016
- A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority Chief of Naval Operations Jan 2016
- Department of the Navy Transformation Plan - FY2014-2016 US Dept. of the Navy Jul 2014 -- "The FY14-16 DON Transformation Plan, similar to the DoDs Strategic Management Plan (SMP) for FY14-15, identifies the most pressing management issues and provides the strategic blueprint to become more effective and better prepared to counter any challenge in the future."
- U.S. Navy Arctic Roadmap 2014-2030 Feb 2014 -- This update of the 2009 Navy Arctic Roadmap provides guidance necessary to prepare the Navy to respond effectively to future Arctic Region contingencies, delineates the Navy's leadership role, and articulates the Navys support to achieve national priorities in the Region. (...) This Roadmap outlines the Navys strategic approach for the Arctic Region and the ways and means to achieve the desired national end state. (...) This Roadmap provides direction to the Navy for the near-term (present-2020), mid-term (2020-2030), and far-term (beyond 2030), placing particular emphasis on near-term actions necessary to enhance Navys ability to operate in the Arctic Region in the future.
- Naval Aviation Vision January 2012 -- "Naval Aviation is critical to an evolving military shaped by war and fiscal pressures. The vision of Naval Aviation conveyed in this document is aligned to meet international responsibilities and national imperatives. As the architecture for near- and long-term strategic, operational, and fiscal decisions, it describes where Naval Aviation is today, outlines the transitions necessary for tomorrow, acknowledges the people at the heart of every operational success, and emphasizes the enterprise culture necessary to unveil efficiencies in the name of force sustainment. We share this vision to inform and guide the actions of those serving Naval Aviation today, and those whose support is critical to our continued success."
- A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower: Forward, Engaged, Ready Released Mar 2015 -- Revised Maritime Strategy
- A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower Released Oct. 2007 -- "This strategy stresses an approach that integrates seapower with other elements of national power, as well as those of our friends and allies. It describes how seapower will be applied around the world to protect our way of life, as we join with other like-minded nations to protect and sustain the global, inter-connected system through which we prosper."
CNO Guidance
- CNO initial Guidance for 2019 (FRAGO 01/2019): A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority
- CNO Guidance for 2006: Meeting the Challenge of a New Era
- CNO Guidance for 2005: Winning the Fight. And Bridging to the Future
- CNO Guidance for 2004: Accelerating Our Advantages
- CNO Guidance for 2003: Achieving Sea Power 21!
- CNO Guidance for 2002: Fight and Win!
Other Navy Policy Documents
Concept of Operations
Nonresident Training Courses (NRTC) /
Rate Training Manuals [TRAMAN]
Navy Training System Plans
Miscellaneous Other Documents
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Who is GCM?
Galloway-Chandler-McKinney Insurance was formed in 1993 when Jimmy Galloway of Columbus and Kyle Chandler, III, and Steve McKinney of West Point teamed up with the idea of forming an independent insurance agency that was regional in scope yet had offices in multiple locations. The concept was to be large enough to offer customers the best possible choices while maintaining the personal connection to a community so they could genuinely serve their fellow citizens.
Several years later, GCM began offering their services in Monroe County, and Jack Campbell joined as head of the Aberdeen and Amory offices. Following that addition, a location was added in Starkville that is now headed by William Hilbun.
Today, sons Brandt Galloway and Kyle Chandler, IV, are among the company's leadership. GCM maintains offices in all five locations but manages insurance plans for customers across the Southeast.


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Shattuckite Sterling Silver Pendant
Shattuckite Sterling Silver Pendant
Length 43 mm drop
Width 27mm
Weighs 11 grams
Keywords: Intuition, communication, channelling, mediumship, work with oracles
Chakras: Heart, Throat, Third eye
Elements: Water, wind
Zodiac Signs: Aquarius, Libra, Sagittarius, Taurus
Number: 2
Shattuckite Crystal Healing Properties:Shattuckite is a stone of truth. It can connect you to inner realms and help with understanding and communicating information from spirit guides. It is a protective stone and can be used to remove energetic blockages from the past. Shattuckite can help to heal broken relationships and establish harmonious connections with others. It is a wonderful stone to use for public speaking.
Shattuckite History and Uses:Shattuckite was named after the Shattuck mine in Bisbee Arizona where it was first found in 1915. It has been traditionally used by those in psychic professions such as mediumship, tarot reading and astrology because it is a powerful stone for connecting with the spirit world and communicating this information with accuracy and clarity.
Shattuckite Geological Description:Shattuckite is a copper silicate hydroxide mineral with a hardness of 3.5 and an orthorhombic crystal system. It comes in a range of colours from light to deep blue and shades of green and is often found in association with other copper silicates such as Ajoite, Turquoise, Chrysocolla and Malachite. It is found in Arizona, Argentina, Austria, Congo, Germany, Greece, Namibia, Norway, South Africa, great Britain and south western USA.
Affirmation: I open to receive guidance from Spirit and clearly communicate what I have learnt.
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