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Gandzasar's most important structure is the imposing Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich (Armenian:
Սբ. Հովհաննես Մկրտիչ, meaning "Saint John the Baptist"). It is a large church with a cupola in the inscribed cross plan. The Cathedral was built between 1216 and 1238, and has been hailed as a "crown jewel" and the "encyclopedia" of Armenian architecture by the famous Russian scholar Anatoly. L. Yakobson of St. Petersburg's Hermitage. [1] Professor Charles Diehl (1859-1944) of the Sorbonne University, the renowned French art historian and specialist on Byzantium, placed Gandzasar in a group of five most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world's architectural masterpieces. [2]
Diehl's other four Armenian masterworks included: Cathedral of the Holy Cross on the Lake Van's Akhtamar Island (915-921), Temple of Saint Hripsime in Vagharshapat
(completed in 618), Monastery of Haghbat (founded in the 10th century) and Cathedral of the Holy Savior in the city of Ani (completed in 1001).
The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of the Gandzasar Monastery closely resembles Armenia's two other churches: Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of the Harich Monastery in Armenia's present-day province of Shirak, and Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of the Hovhannavank Monastery located in the province of Aragatzotn.
The foundations of the Cathedral were laid in 1216 by Prince Hasan Jalal Vahtangian the Magnificent, who called himself the "Supreme Potentate" of Artsakh's largest and strongest Principality of Khachen. As described by the historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi—who was Hasan Jalal's contemporary and, most likely, knew him personally—the Cathedral was completed in 1238 and sanctified on the day of the Feast of Vardavar (Armenia:
Վարդավառ; Transfiguration of Christ, July 22), in the year 1240. The consecration of the church took place in the presence of over 700 guests, who included His Holiness Nerses, Katholicos of Aghvank (patriarch of Armenia's eastern lands), the famous medieval scholar Vanakan Vardapet (1181-1251), as well as Armenian bishops from all over Armenia. The sanctification of the Cathedral was delayed by two years because of the Mongol invasion of Armenia. [3]
The same information can be inferred from inscriptions in Armenian found on the walls of the Cathedral, including a large dedication made by the order of Hasan Jalal
himself on the interior of the Cathedral's western wall. The main part of the inscription reads:
"In the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, I, Jalal Dola Hasan, servant of God, son of Vahtang, grandson of Hasan the Great, the native potentate of the high and broad province of Artsakh, King of Hohanaberd, with large districts, have ordered to inscribe these lines. Father of mine, before his departure from this world, ordered me and my mother Khorishah, daughter of Sargis the Great, Prince of Princes, to erect a church and [organize] the cemetery of our forefathers in Gandzasar, building of which began in the year 765 of the Armenian Calendar (1216) with the help of the Grantor of Benefits (God); and when we erected the wall above the windows, mother of mine abandoned secular life and departed for pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the third time, where, putting on the cilice and spending many years in reclusion near the Lord's Temple, passed away on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, and there was laid to rest. As to us, we, being aware of the danger of being idle, hurried to complete the construction work with the holy blessing of Merciful God, in the year 787 (1238)..." (Source: Bishop Makar Barkhudarian. Artsakh. Baku, 1885, Chapter: Gandzasar Monastery, p. 111)
Overall, the monastery's structures contain up to 200 texts inscribed in Old Armenian in different times.
Armenian architecture blossomed during the post-Seljuk period and the beginning of the Mongol period (late twelfth and
thirteenth centuries). Monasteries in this era served as active centers of art and scholarship. Most of them contained scriptoria where manuscripts were copied and illuminated. They also were fortified, and often served as places of refuge for the population in times of trouble.
Several monastic churches in Artsakh from this period adopted the model used most widely throughout Armenia: a cathedral with a cupola in the inscribed cross plan with two or four angular chambers. Examples include the three largest and most complex monasteries of Artsakh: Dadivank (1214-1237), Gandzasar (1216-1261) and Gtichavank (1241-1246).
Several ancillary buildings as well as memorials in the courtyard testify to a more ancient origin of the monastery. These include several khachkars (unique-to-Armenia stone monuments with engraved crosses). Evidently, the original church of the Gandzasar Monastery was a modest structure that did not support the new ambitions and prestige of the rising Lords of Khachen. Hence, it was demolished in 1216, in the course of the expansion and remodeling of the monastery. But some medieval Armenian historians, such as Yeremia Chelebi (in his "Chronicles") and others, noted that the original Gandzasar Monastery was established most likely by Armenia's foremost saint—St. Gregory the Enlightener, in the 4th century.
The design of Gandzasar's Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is based on an architectural composition developed in the 10th century and well represented in other ecclesiastical ensembles located throughout the present-day Republic of Armenia, such as Haghbat (967-991), Sanahin (967-1084) and Kecharis (1033-1214). The monastic complexes of the 12th-13th centuries adhered fully to that blueprint, as testified by main churches at the Harichavank (1201), Hovhannavank (1216), and Geghard (1215) monasteries, in various parts of modern Armenia. [4]
Gandzasar's 16-piece colonnade on the drum is effectively a copy of that of Harichavank, and the great cross at the top of the facade is also found at Kecharis and Hovhannavank.
A conspicuous characteristic of Armenian monastic architecture of the thirteenth century is the gavit (also called zhamatoun; Armenian:
գավիթ ժամատուն). The gavits are special square halls usually attached to the western entrance of churches. They were very popular in monastic complexes where they served as narthexes, assembly rooms and lecture halls, as well as vestibules for receiving pilgrims. [5]
The gavit at Gandzasar is distinctive for its size and superior quality of workmanship. According to Kirakos Gandzaketsi, it was built by Hasan Jalal's wife Mamkan (the inscription on the masonry says: Mamkan, Hasan and their son, Atabak) in 1261, a year after Hasan Jalal's martyrdom in Persia at the hands of the Mongols.
The gavit was completed in 1266. [6]
The gavit's layout in Gandzasar corresponds exactly to that of Haghbat and Mshkavank, two monasteries located in the northern part of today's Republic of Armenia. The ceiling is illuminated by a central window which is adorned with the same stalactite ornaments as in the Armenia's monasteries of Geghard and Harichavank. [7]
In the case of the Gandzasar and Gtichavank monasteries, the cone over the cupola is umbrella-shaped, a picturesque design that was originally developed by the architects of Armenia's former capital city of Ani, in the tenth century, and subsequently spread to other provinces of the country, including Artsakh. [8] Umbrella-shaped domes were first introduced in the 10th century. [9] First examples where this feature was used include the Church of the Holy Virgin at Amberd Fortress and Church of St. Stephanos of the Marmashen Monastery. However, most closely Gandzasar's dome resembles the domes on the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of the Harichavank Monastery, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of the Hovhannavank Monastery. Both churches were erected almost simultaneously with Gandzasar's Cathedral. [10]
Some late medieval Armenian churches were evidently inspired by Gandzasar's characteristic dome. One of them is the renowned Cathedral of the St. Stephanos Monastery, built in the 17th century; it is located in northern, where the borders of Armenia, and Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan) meet.
The exclusively rich decorative pattern of the interior and exterior renders a particular uniqueness to Gandzasar's Cathedral. After the Akhtamar Cathedral of St. Cross on the Lake Van (now in Turkey), Gandzasar contains the largest amount of sculpted decor compared to other architectural ensembles of Armenia. The most famous of Gandzasar's bas-reliefs that embellish its domes and walls are Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ, a group of stylized animals (Lions, Eagles and Bulls—symbols of the Vahtangian princes to whom Hasan Jalal belonged), and two Churchwardens holding on their hands miniature models of the cathedral. [11]
Another sculptural work is a large Crucifix under the gable of the Western facade. The composition is made up of a broad-beamed cross with the figure of Christ in its lower half. With seraphs depicted overhead, there are the kneeling figures of the Holy Virgin and John the Baptist whose hands are outstretched to the suffering Christ.
Another large relief of the Cross is on the northern facade of the Cathedral. This repeats design found on main churches in the monasteries of Harichavank, Kecharis, and Hovhannavank—in western and central regions of modern Armenia. The Cross rests on a large protuberant arch, with an ornamented window and a small relief of the Armenian sign of the Sun (which is customarily found in lower parts of Armenia's famous stone monuments with engraved Cross called khachkars).
The monastery serves as a burial site for Hasan Jalal Vahtangian and other Khachen princes and bishops of his lineage. The tomb of Hasan Jalal is located in front
of the entrance to the main chamber of the cathedral, in the gavit.
The tombstone is carved from a solid piece of white marble. It is decorated with three large circular carvings: the Hexagram ("Star") of David, a Biblical symbol, which contains in its center an image of a swirl-styled Wheel of Eternity, an ancient Indo-Aryan sign used widely by medieval Armenians; the Wheel is supported by six pieces of vegetable decor, two of which represent fleur-de-lis (French lilies). This curious compound ornament is found in some other parts of historical Armenia where princely families related to Hasan Jalal's Arranshahik clan held power. This includes the Tsaghats-Kar Monastery in Vayots Dzor—the domain of the princely clans of Orbelian and Proshian (the latter were descendents of the Hahbakian dukes from Artsakh).
The second circle is organized as a 16-beam star. It is not entirely clear what it represents but it looks like a combination of the East Asian version of the
Wheel of Eternity (such as India's Ashoka Chakra) and Macedonia's 16-ray Star of Vergina.
The third circle is what is known in Armenian art history as the "Sun" (Armenian:
արև) an ornamented and, sometimes, protuberant sphere commonly found in the lower parts of khachkars (unique-to-Armenia stone monuments with large carving of a Christian cross). The Sun is thought to be one of the rudiments of the ancient sun-worshipping creed preserved in
Armenia's Christian art.
The tombstone contains the following inscription in Armenian:
"ԱՅՍ է ՀԱՆԳԻՍՏ ՄԵԾԻՆ ՋԱԼԱԼԻՆ: ԱՂԱԻԹՍ ՅԻՇԵՑԵՔ։ ԹՎ ՊՁ.
It reads: "Here Rests the Great Jalal; Remember Him In Your Prayers; Year 1431."
The tomb of Hasan Jalal is flanked by two groups of tombstones, all belonging to top hierarchs of the Holy See of Gandzasar. On the left side, one can find the tombstones of Katholikos Yeremia Hasan-Jalalian (reigned from 1676-1700) and of Katholikos Yesai Hasan-Jalalian (reigned from 1702-1728)—a historian and a prominent
leader of the Armenian national liberation movement of the 1720s. On the right side, there are two other plates: of Katholikos Hovhannes Gandzasaretsi (reigned from 1763-1786) and Sargis Gandzasaretsi (reigned from 1810-1828)—the last patriarch of Gandzasar with the full title of Katholikos. Near them is the gravestone of Metropolitan Baghdasar Hasan-Jalalian (lived 1775-1854), a clerical leader who played a critical role in organizing the Karabakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Inscriptions on all of these tombstones begin and end with the same two phrases that highlight the connection of the buried to Hasan Jalal Vahtangian: "Here is the grave of … [who belongs] to the dynasty of [Hasan] Jalal Dola." Also in the gavit there are older tombstones: of Katholikos Davit, Katholikos Grigor and Katholikos Hovhannes.
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist's courtyard has a number of other memorials including numerous khachkars—unique-to-Armenia stone crosses. Near the northern wall of the Cathedral stands a large khachkar commemorating Hasan Jalal Vahtangian's daughter Hatun, whose mother and Hasan Jalal's wife, Mamkan, was the daughter of the last ruler of Artsakh's southern Kingdom of Baghk. An inscription in the lower part of the khachkar reads: "I, Hasan, son of Vahtang, erected this cross [in memory of] my daughter Hatun, and on behalf of her mother, the Queen—daughter of the King of Baghk." [12]
Besides the Cathedral and the gavit, the monastery includes several monastic dormitories, a hermitage with eight solitary cells, a refectory, and several utility structures. Adjacent to the eastern wall is the building of Gandzasar's Seminary that was expanded in 1898. The courtyard covers the area of approximately two acres. [13]
The monastic complex includes offices of the Katholicosate of Aghvank and the Reception Hall built in the eighteenth century by Katholikos Yeremia Hasan-Jalalian.
All of Gandzasar's buildings are surrounded by high vine-covered stone walls, with two arched entrances. The main entrance looks toward the Castle of Hohanaberd and the cemetery, and the rear entrance leads to the town of Vank that lies at the foothills of Mount Gandzasar.
The first recorded renovation of the monastery was undertaken in 1551 by Katholicos Sargis, who left a memorial inscription on one of the walls of the Cathedral, and on the pages of a Gospel produced at Gandzasar's scriptorium at the time. Another repair effort was made in 1781 by Abov the Centurion, a military commander and son of Melik Hovsep of Talish, the Armenian ruler of Artsakh's northern country of Gyulistan. Gandzasar was again repaired in 1907, by orders of Abraham-bek Hasan-Jalalian, a successor of hereditary rulers of the Principality if Khachen. [14] And, in 1999-2002, the monastery underwent profound renovation financed by Mr. Levon Airapetian, a wealthy Russia-based businessman and benefactor who is related to the Hasan-Jalalian family (he is one of Abraham-Bek Hasan-Jalalian's great-grandsons).
[1] Yakobson, Anatoly L. "From the History of Medieval Armenian Architecture: the Monastery of Gandzasar," in: Studies in the History of Culture of the Peoples in the East. Moscow-Leningrad. 1960. p. 34
[2] Diehl, Charles, Bell, Harold (translation). Byzantine Portraits. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927, p. 43
[3] Kirakos Gandzaketsi. "Kirakos Gandzaketsi's history of the Armenians," in Sources of the Armenian Tradition. New York, 1986, chapter 31. Also: Kirakos Gandzaketsi. History of Armenia. Sovetakan Grogh, Yerevan, 1982, chapter 31
[4] Thierry, Jean-Michel. Eglises et Couvents du Karabagh. Antelais: Lebanon, 1991, p. 10-13
[5] Hewsen, Robert H. Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2001, reference: Gandzasar Monastery, p. 134
[6] Holding, Nicholas. Armenia, with Nagorno Karabagh: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides, 2004, chapter: Nagorno Karabakh
[7] Voskian, Hamazasp. The Monasteries of Artsakh. Vienna, 1953, pp. 28, 29
[8] Comneno, Lala M., Cuneo, P, and Manukian, S. Volume 17: Gandzasar. Documents of Armenian Art - Documenti di Architettura Armena Series. Polytechnique and the Armenian Academy of Sciences, Milan, OEMME Edizioni, 1987, pp. 4, 16, 39-48
[9] Halajian, John. Armenian Church Architecture: From Dormancy to Revival. Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 2006, p. 18
[10] Hasratian, Murad, and Sargsyan, Zaven. Armenia: 1700 Years of Christian Architecture. Yerevan, 2001, chapter: Gandzasar
[11] Comneno, Lala M., Cuneo, P, and Manukian, S. Volume 19: Gharabagh. Documents of Armenian Art - Documenti di Architettura Armena Series. Polytechnique and the Armenian Academy of Sciences, Milan, OEMME Edizioni, 1980, Introduction
[12] Hewsen, Robert H. Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2001, reference: Kingdom of Ktish-Baghk, p. 120
[13] Hewsen, Robert H. Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2001, see a plan of the Gandzasar Monastery on p. 134
[14] Mkrtchian, Shahen. Historical and Architectural Monuments of Nagorno Karabakh. Yerevan: Hayastan Publishing House, 1988, p. 18
Copyright © Gandzasar.com, 2008
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- Folic acid is a possible cancer risk. I mentioned this a while back and there are renewed concerns since some cancer survivors are being told to increase their folic acid intake (as I was). The advice in this article is that no one should take more than 400 micrograms a day from all sources - so monitor how much you are getting from both supplements and foods that have it as an additive.
- Examining the link between imaging procedures and cancer.
- Connecting the dots between diet and IQ in children.
- Berries could cut the risk of Parkinson's. Good in the fight against cancer, too. It's Valentine's Day - go share some berries with someone you love.
- University of Alberta researcher has discovered the mechanism that stops human genome p53 from suppressing tumours.
- Finally, this is Heart and Stroke month in Canada. On this day when we share our hearts with the people we love, please make a commitment to yourself and those you love to take better care of them.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday's health links
Good morning and welcome to a Valentine's Day edition of health links - because I love you.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Hearthstone Arena drafting is getting some changes. They are good changes, aimed toward a goal I approve of, but without knowing exact mechanics it is hard to say just how effective they will be.
The problem in Arena that they are trying to solve is that some classes are so much better than others. Mage and Rogue in particular are absolutely a tier above everything else and that is frustrating. I would like to play other classes regularly, but I hate selecting a class knowing it seriously penalizes my chances of winning and my card acquisition rate as a consequence.
There are two reasons for Mage/Rogue dominance. First off in Arena there is a real lack of AOE and other control resets. This means that the game revolves around minions beating each other up. Against most classes the ideal situation is you smash minions together so that the opponent's minion dies and yours is left with 1 health. This doesn't work well against Mage and Rogue, because they have by far the best hero powers for doing 1 damage. Against these two classes you can't effectively make awesome trades and they can, so they dominate the 'minion trading' part of the game, which is most of the game in Arena.
The second reason for Mage/Rogue dominance is just card quality. I think Mages in particular have it so good in this department - they have tons of common removal spells that are absolutely top tier. They have both multiple common AOE spells but also single target removal. Rogues get worse cards generally than mages but they still have a fantastic selection, better than other classes do.
Changing the first problem is a massive undertaking at the least. It would require a total overhaul of how Arena works, or a serious game redesign, both of which are things I think are not happening. However, changing card quality isn't actually that hard and doesn't need to do anything that would confuse a new or returning player.
Blizzard has decided that they want to move forward with this, so they are banning several top cards for Mage and Rogue and also banning a ton of terrible cards from weak classes. They correctly chose which classes were underperforming, and honestly the cards they are set to remove are mostly so terrible they saw little play anyway, so I think this is a good direction to go in. They can't get rid of the overpowered hero powers that Rogue and Mage have, but they can use careful banning to try to narrow the gap.
There is a real trick to this though. If those cards just vanish, then all the weak classes will end up with less cards to work with, and as such will be stuck more often with neutral cards. Neutral cards are weaker and less thematic so this is not ideal. It is still an improvement, but it isn't all it could be. If instead of just getting rid of the bad cards Blizzard added on an extra multiplier to the remaining class cards they could really make things better. So imagine that of 20 Priest cards 5 were removed. If they increased the occurrence rate of the remaining 15 cards by 33% then Priests would still get class cards at the same rate, but they would all be good ones instead of 1/4 of them being rubbish. This is a much more powerful change that would help maintain theme and increase the buffing effect of the banning.
However, given that Blizzard has said that right now they can only do on/off for cards, and can't subtly alter their rate of appearance, I suspect that they are stuck with the basic option which isn't as good. It will still help, but hopefully their tech improves over the next while and they can help even more.
I don't ask that classes be perfectly balanced in terms of win rate. These things shift with new releases and depend on who is playing, but right now it is so obvious that Mage/Rogue are the best that it feels sad to play other things. I don't want everything perfect, but I do want them in the same ballpark. It is a weird bit of balance - I don't mind individual drafts being wildly unbalanced, but I do mind class choice being that way. I think it is because I like to make all of my choices optimally, and if I play optimally right now I see only a small fraction of the cards and decks that are possible. If the classes were balanced I would win the same amount, but I would have much greater variety of decks and experiences while getting those wins, and that is highly appealing.


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Meet Tanya – founder, designer, creator. Tanya started a small succulent business, Fringe & Flora, last year in November 2016. We started by asking her a little bit about how she started up her business and what lead her to this field.
I've made many flower arrangements and potted plants for my own yard but wanted to create something on a smaller scale that people can have in their homes, offices, events, or give as gifts and become part of/enhance their home decor.
I started by choosing my pots and planters. I'm very selective about what type of pots I use- I want them to be beautiful and special but simple enough to allow the plants to shine. As well, I wanted to provide selections for many different tastes and decor styles. Succulents seemed like the obvious choice of plants to use because they are so beautiful, unique and diverse, and are relatively easy to care for and can be made to suit any space. It wasn't easy to find a supplier for them since they don't grow well in Alberta, but luckily I found a local nursery that I source most of my succulents from and occasionally will bring some in from BC. If only we had the weather to grow succulents year round, I would be in heaven!
Next came months of creating arrangements for family and friends to see what worked and what didn't. It was a huge learning process and involved many sleepless nights, but I eventually came up with a cohesive collection which was photographed for my website. I decided to work with a local photographer/designer, Jillian Schecher, which was so helpful and such a positive experience.
Then we asked Tanya to tell us a little bit more about the specifics of her brand. What the early stages of building her brand looked like, what her creative process looks like now, and how she collaborates with her clients to make each creation unique and authentic. This is what she said …
When developing Fringe & Flora, I knew what look and vibe I was going for but I just didn't know how to translate it into a brand. I decided to work with a local photographer/designer which was so helpful and such a positive experience. She helped bring my vision to life and create a brand that is truly "me" and shows what I offer, as well as keep me inspired and gave me confidence during the tough times when I wanted to give up.
Fringe & Flora arrangements are made-to-order and each one is unique. Customers can browse the collections of arrangements on the website, fringeandflora.com, and choose which style of arrangement and planter they like. From there, I have them fill out an order form with specific questions, for example how many succulents, if they want one larger or multiple smaller ones, colour palette, the décor style- to get a sense of what they want. Customers can be very specific and know exactly what they want, but often they give me full control to create something special for them.
I also receive requests for arrangements through social media and email. Often a person will like something I've posted on Instagram and message me to order something similar. I'm very open to all forms of inquiries and love working with clients and hearing their ideas, making it a collaborative process. Some of my nicest arrangements were created because of requests and feedback from clients.
Once the client places the order I will plan their arrangement and choose the perfect succulents. I try to keep a selection of succulents on hand but will always go out of my way to find just the right ones for that specific arrangement. Sometimes this means ordering something in or shopping around locally The whole process can take up to a week but if someone needs something on short notice I always do my best to have it ready for them. I offer delivery to the Edmonton area for a small fee, or pickups at my downtown studio at no charge.
Sometimes a person has a special container that they want used for their arrangement. I'm happy to do custom orders, as well as replanting a Fringe & Flora planter if the succulents start looking tired and need to be refreshed.
I have done a few pop-ups around the city and will open up my studio on the occasional weekend so people can stop by and shop some pre-made arrangements. The best place to get the scoop on what's going on with Fringe & Flora is probably Instagram (@fringeandflora).
We asked Tanya what she likes about her job and asked her what her favourite part of being an entrepreneur was. We also chatted with her a little bit about the life of an entrepreneur and how she is able to maintain a work/life balance. Here is what she had to say ...
My absolute favourite part about this job is creating something for people that they love and that makes them happy. I feel honoured when people choose me to create something that they will have in their homes or gift to loved ones, and I get so happy picturing it as something they display in their homes and that brings them joy.
I also really love the planting and gardening aspect and getting my hands dirty- it's so therapeutic to work with and the plants and the dirt and have contact with nature. No matter how stressed I am, after making an arrangement I always feel better. Visiting the greenhouses for inspiration and to get supplies is also pretty sweet perk of the job.
Finally, love being able to be creative and the process of planning out the arrangements- which succulents will look best together and go in which planter.
It's so fulfilling to see the final product after all the planning and hard work that goes into each one and people can know that every single piece is made with love.
Maintaining a work/life balance is definitely something I struggle with because I am a perfectionist and tend to feel like I have to be able to do absolutely everything all the time, and having your own business can be incredibly busy. Sometimes I have to force myself to take time away from work, to hang out with my husband and dogs, see my wonderful family and friends, work in my garden, or to just have time to myself, and have realized that I'm better and more productive if I do these things. It also might sound cliche but eating healthy and exercising (especially barre) make a huge difference. Whenever I leave barre I feel energized, more balanced and less stressed. I'm also trying to be more mindful and focus on the present and have recently started meditating which has been a game changer.
And finally, as always, we talked about community. How the YEG community influences her work, her business and her product and also, as an entrepreneur in Edmonton, how she works alongside other locally owned and operated businesses.
The Edmonton community has had a huge influence on what I do. I think our city is so special in that its residents really appreciate locally made goods are so supportive of local business. I feel so lucky every single day to live and work in YEG and be part of such an amazing group.
I've had nothing but positive feedback and support from other local business owners, makers and vendors that I've worked with or met at various shows and events. There is such an amazingly talented group of people who live here and work so hard at their crafts and rather than competing, it's like everyone wants each other to succeed.
The group who has had the biggest impact on me by far though are all the customers I've had the pleasure of meeting. I'm constantly blown away by how kind and supportive everyone is, and it makes me appreciate what I do so much and keeps me motivated to work harder and do better.
Email: email@example.com
Instagram: @fringeandflora
Website: fringeandflora.com


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Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Pierce Brosnan and Martin Campbell team up for Across The River and Into The Trees
Great news for the GOLDENEYE fans: Pierce Brosnan will be directed once more by Martin Campbell in an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's book ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES.
The man who directed the 1995 blockbuster will team up with the actor who had his 007 debut on that film for the third time, as another movie involving Campbell and Brosnan, titled THE FOREGINER is also being shot.
The production for ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES is set to start in October in Venice, based on a 1950 book dealing with subjects like ageing, love, and war.
Martin Campbell previously directed another GOLDENEYE star, Izabella Scorupco, in 2001's VERTICAL LIMIT.
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Various - British Hit EPs 1955-1989
1 item:
English, Paperback, 15.5x23 cm, 312 pages, At last, a chart book dedicated to British hit EPs! Includes a history of the format, an artist-by-artist listing of every 7-inch EP hit from 1955 to 1989 (with full track details for each record), analyses of chart performance, and - for the first time ever - the official UK EP charts reproduced in full. Profusely illustrated with over 600 sleeve shots. A collector's dream! Fully revised and expanded second edition.
Originally conceived as sort-of 'mini LP', the four-track extended play album or 'EP' achieved mass popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s, later enjoying a revival during the punk/new wave era of the mid-1970s.
Attractively packaged in glossy colour sleeves and often containing rare material, EPs also rapidly acquired a following among discerning music fans and record collectors that continues to the present day.
This is the first British EP chart book ever compiled. It includes comprehensive details of every 7-inch EP that appeared in the UK charts between January 1955 and the end of 1989, analyses of the best-performing artists and records, the official UK EP charts in full, hundreds of sleeve illustrations and much more. Whatever your musical interests, you are certain to find plenty within these pages to inform and entertain you.
The idea of an EP chart book was first suggested to me by my good friend, Morten Reff. Almost inevitably, it grew into a significantly larger undertaking than I had originally envisaged, but I hope the final result will prove to be a valuable source of reference for collectors and researchers for many years to come. Within the covers of this revised and expanded second edition you will find an artist-by-artist listing of every 7-inch vinyl EP that made the UK charts between January 1955 and the end of 1989, together with full track details for each release. This is followed by sections analysing various aspects of chart performance by artists and records, plus a complete breakdown of every EP chart published by the UK music industry magazine, Record Retailer.
For the sake of completeness, I have added an appendix documenting sixteen EPs that were listed as hits on other charts, but not by Record Retailer. Although it had initially been my intention to include only a handful of sleeve illustrations, I'm afraid my excitement and enthusiasm got the better of me and (excepting a handful of look-alike Volume 2's and similar), I ended up more or less going for the set. I hope that you will derive as much pleasure as I did perusing these wonderful artefacts of a bygone era. For reasons of space, sleeve shots appear in two places: either above the relevant artist's entry, or below one of the charts in which the record figured. To help you locate them, two indices are provided: one in straight catalogue number order, the other broken down by artist. Compiling this book has been an interesting and enlightening experience. More than anything, my protracted and at times frustrating search for EP sleeves brought home to me the rarity (and desirability!) of some of these items.
The Shirley & Lee EP, for instance, is virtually impossible to find and nowadays commands a price ticket well into three figures. Many others are keenly sought after and sell for around the £20 mark or considerably more. At the other end of the spectrum, it is still possible to pick up decent copies of some releases for a lot less than that from charity shops, car boot sales and eBay. Whilst every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information included, it is possible that errors may come to light after publication. Any additions or corrections are welcomed and will be incorporated into future editions.
George R. White York, October 2013


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vaqueros el cercapainting
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media: canvas (cotton), graphite, oil
Signed, inspired by the true vaqueros- cowboys of Mexico in their camps.
© 2007 - julian orosco
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You should take attention for these modern American home ideas! Part of the Dwell Home Tour series, the luxury Los Angeles house architecture design are spaced from Larchmont into Silver Lake and Atwater Village and up to Beachwood Canyon self-drive otherwise carpooling means you able to set your own pace. You do not require speculating where the hipper-than-thou park their fixed gear bikes or else how many cans of Pabst their fridge holds. Because this self-drive tour through the East Side of Los Angeles on Sunday 27 June may not answer those burning questions, but it is a possibility to check out some astounding hipster hideouts. You can still throw on your favorite ironic t-shirt and view interior and exterior decorating pictures of these very cool enclaves architectural design from the comfort of your own dream house, If you can't make it over to East Los Angeles, USA this weekend. So, it's very fantastic home design, do you agree?
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Hero Run is a special and classic landscape action running game with challenging game features. The adorable character in this game is a fat and naughty bear, who wants to break through rabbits crowds and escape from a dungeon prison. Different from Temple Run, Hero Run is a side-scrolling one. But like almost all of the running games, the goal of Hero Run is to run or fly as far and fast as you can.
The game control is simple. You don't need to tile your phone or slide left or right on the screen like playing Temple Run. The only thing you need to do is just to keep touching on any point of your phone screen. So, you will feel comfortable for the simple controlling.
After starting the game by tapping your phone screen, you need pay attention to the unexpected power balls, obstacles and special cloud lasers, which may pop up on your way forward. You have to use your finger's tapping and holding on the screen to control the flying height of the lovely bear, so that it can dodge all the obstacles with the jetpack on his back. If the bear need fly to the sky when there're obstacles on the ground, you shall tap and hold the screen; while there're obstacles in the sky you can't tap to fly but run on the ground.
Apart from the dangerous obstacles, there are also a lot of coins and wonderful surprises waiting for you. The special power-ups are a great feature in Hero Run. You can see some square boxes or shining spin, which will help you to trigger amazing skills, such as turning into super robot with up and down teleporting power, riding cute animals with faster speed, and even turning into other steel animals. Collecting more coins allows you to buy unique equipments and other skills. Don't forget to collect them!
The spin and slot machine is another excellent feature of the game. If you get spins in the game, you will have chances to get extra bonus from slot machine, and also you may get a chance to run again, a boost in the next run or more extra coins. The special design of the game decreases the disappointment of game skillfully and gives you a feeling of extra lucky bonus.
I have got much pleasure and happiness from this game. However, I have to say, Hero Run is not an idea-original game, because it has copied a lot from another popular game named Jetpack Joyride which was developed by the developer of Fruit Ninja, such as the game settings and the gameplay, and so on.
Also, the graphics of Hero Run is not good enough. The developer surely can make the graphics better to improve interface settings and the text design. What provoke me most are the annoying ads popping up from time to time. To stop that, I just shut down the data connection, and then I can enjoy the fun of Hero Run freely.
All in all, it's really a nice game. It is quite addictive, exciting and definitely will temper your talent, reaction, and agility. No wonder it can get a 4.5 rating on Google Play. It's worthy of downloading and playing. But if you have played Jetpack Joyride before, you don't have to try Hero Run again.


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The Auditor-General is appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Cabinet. The Public Accounts Committee has the right of veto on the appointment of the Auditor-General. The Auditor-General reports directly to the Parliament of New South Wales.
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The Auditor-General is appointed for a fixed term of eight years. The Governor may remove the Auditor-General upon the direction of both Houses of the Legislature. The Auditor-General is not permitted to hold any position in the public sector after the expiration of the term except with the consent of the Governor.
The Auditor-General, through audits of government agencies, assists the Parliament of New South Wales hold the government accountable for its use of public resources.
The Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 allows the Auditor-General to conduct financial statement audits and performance audits of agencies in the public sector, that is, departments, statutory authorities, state owned corporations, universities and other prescribed bodies. From 2016-17, the Auditor-General was also given the mandate to conduct financial statement audits and performance audits of NSW local councils, under the Local Government Act 1993.
The Auditor-General does not have the mandate to audit private sector organisations.
There are approximately 420 financial statement audits and around 16 performance audits completed each year. This will increase with the introduction of the local council mandate from 2016-17.
A financial statement audit results in an independent audit opinion being expressed on the annual financial statements of an agency. This opinion expresses whether the financial statements comply with accounting standards, laws, regulations and other relevant statutory requirements. A performance audit assesses whether government agencies are carrying out their activities effectively, economically and efficiently and in compliance with all relevant laws.
The Auditor-General writes to all members of parliament and Secretaries/CEOs of the major agencies seeking views on topics. The Audit Office also conducts a strategic audit planning process which identifies areas of risk in the public sector. The output from this planning process, together with responses from parliamentarians and Secretaries/CEOs, is considered by the Auditor-General and a list of potential performance audit topics is selected.
The Auditor-General receives correspondence from the public on many issues. These issues are evaluated to determine what action should be taken. Some of these issues are considered in the strategic audit planning process.
The Audit Office is subject to annual financial statements audits by a private sector auditor approved by the Governor. Every four years the Public Accounts Committee appoints an independent reviewer to conduct a review of the Audit Office in accordance with section 48A of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983.
Please visit Complaints and Feedback for information on how to make a complaint about the Audit Office.
Under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 1994, the Audit Office has the role of looking into allegations of serious and substantial waste in the public sector.
Please visit Accessing Information for how to access Audit Office information under GIPA.
The Auditor-General issues approximately thirteen volumes of financial audit reports and approximately 16 performance audit reports to the Parliament of New South Wales annually. All of these reports are available in the Publications section of this website.
The Audit Office of New South Wales is pleased to receive visits from overseas delegations, where the proposed visit relates to the role and functions of the Audit Office and is sought at an official level (NSW Government or parliament, visiting delegation's government through a consul or embassy, or as part of broader activities coordinated by another NSW or Federal Government agency). Click here for further information, including fees.
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I couldn't believe when I saw the signs on the side of the street about a German Bakery in Utah. I first encountered the signs on my crazy road trip through all counties in Utah to complete the Geocaching GeoTour. It was late when I passed through the area and I didn't have time for this detour.
Now I am back in southern Utah and used the time to drive from Saint George through the Zion National Park to the German Bakery located in Orderville, UT.
The Forscher German Bakery is easy to find. It is located off to the right on Utah State Highway 89 going north. Plenty of parking is available. However, my GPS told me the wrong location of the bakery. If you head north the bakery is at the end of Orderville to your right. Going south check your left just before you go into downtown Orderville.
As a true German, I had to go in and try their pastries. It was already late afternoon when I arrived and the pastry cases were already low on some stuff. To my luck, they had one of my favorite German pastries the Bienenstich (translated one to one: bee sting).
I was so excited and couldn't wait to taste it. The last time I had one of these delicious pieces of german bakery tradition was probably over a year ago. I sat down on the front patio and took my first bite of the Bienenstich. It tasted just like the original I am used to getting from the bakery in the small village I grew up. I couldn't tell the difference.
A brief history of the Bakery
Born and raised in a baker's family in Netherland near the German border, Chris Odekerken opened this bakery on April 26th, 2014 in the small town of Orderville. Chris sold his bakery at home to move to the US in 2004 at the age of 53.
A new Forscher German Bakery is supposed to open in Torrance, California soon.


text: I have a half question, half satement. I have a few friends who are pure unix people, and have extensive professional know-how regarding Unix. I encouraged them to try OSX, and they did, using many of the open features of the Apple terminal. They have discovered, at least in their opinion, many changes in Apple's version of Unix, which has been "stripped down" according to them. They say is loses many of the cooler functions of pure Unix, and is harder to work with, especially in regards to networking. Does anyone else know anything about this? If this is true, its a sneaky way Apple can claim Unix functionality, but sacrificing some of Unix's quality. Im a unix user, but not a power user, so I dont know tons about it except from the SGI's at school.


text: Bubble Fountain : Clients can avail from us a wide gamut of Bubble Fountains that are developed using superior methodologies. In addition to this, we also offer an extensive range of foaming fountains & cascade fountains to suit the variegated preferences of our clients. Widely used at outdoor surroundings of different establishments, these products can be designed as per the clients specifications by our architects. Our range also includes indoor water fountain, indoor waterfall, indoor water


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new perspective
By HERALD TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD
Weiss, who will be sworn in at the March 12 council meeting, has served in three terms on St. Ignace city council where she also acted as the vice chairperson of the city's zoning board. She has served on the Mackinaw City Downtown Development Authority and on Gaylord's zoning board of appeals as well.
"She's coming in with a lot of fresh ideas," said Solokis, who used an opportunity to interview Weiss prior to Monday's meeting.
Her interests in the Gaylord community run broad and deep, from creating youth activities to supporting economic development in the city's new industrial park.


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Looking for NATHAN London UK information
I am interested in finding out more about Jane Nathan born London 1832. I have copy of her parents marriage record, and spent much time trying to trace 'Henry' and the O'Carroll story.
Jane N = James Rapley + 5: James c.1856,Thomas Wellington 1858,William 1860,Jane Hearn c.1862, Mary Ann(Polly) 1864. Jane 1:Rapley 2: Ormsbee ran hotels in Wellington from 1886, after for some years runing the Prince of Wales Hotel in Wanganui, also the Waitotara Hotel. Jane Hearn Rapley married Robert Clark Higgie in 1883 and are my maternal great grandparents. I wish to establish also that Jane Nathan was taken and kept by some Maoris at one time - I am guessing it was related to her father arresting the perpetrators of the Gilfillan murders - 1845. If you have any information with regard to these matters please send a note thru this site.
Uk - if you need help on missing info on the london side you should try adding you request on www.bbbc.co.uk/familyhistory following the link to message board its free and the people are very good finding info you thought you'd never find
Hi Pamelab,
I have heard about Jane Nathan being taken by the Maoris but they seemed to think it was when she was a small child - 3 - 5 years old. This does not add up as she was approx 7 when they arrived in New Zealand and 15 years old when the Gilfillan Masacre happened. There is nothing in the old papers (that I have found so far) that has said anything about her being taken, there are stories of other people but not a Nathan kidnapping. Even in her obituary nothing is written of this...the plot thickens but I will keep at it.
Happy hunting.
Jane Frances Antoinette Nathan (daughter of Anthony Nathan) was my great great grandmother. Her husband, Trayton George Wickens, Photographer of Wellington, died from typhoid in May 1900 at the age of 26, leaving "Nettie" a widow with two young sons - Trayton Lyall Wickens, and John Nimrod Wickens (my grandfather) After Trayton George's death Nettie moved to Blenheim to stay with her older sister Alice Maud Nathan (married name Corry) and then in 1902 married a David Pirani, a newspaper publisher of Palmerston North (later of Cambridge, then a farmer and real estate agent of Auckland) Nettie died about 1906 - family oral history has it that she was in South Africa, although it does seem unlikely that David Pirani was ever in Sth Africa. I understand that Anthony Nathan, by that time Mayor of Taihape, went to South Africa to bring back his grandsons Trayton Lyall Wickens, and John Nimrod Wickens, and that he raised them in Taihape. Certainly my grandfather was in Taihape when he sat the Public Service Entrance Exam in 1914, or thereabouts. Does anyone know anything about the circumstances of Netties departure to Africa, or of Anthony Nathan's journey to rescue his grandsons? Stephen Wickens [email protected]
Jane Hearne Nathan & Henry Nathan are my maternal g g g grandparents. 1 of their sons is my gg grandfather Joseph Charles Nathan b in Wanganui 1846 married Emma Penfold in March 1868 Emma Died in 1889 and I believe he then Married Emma Penfolds sister Elizabeth Penfold. Joseph Charles died on 5 Jan 1908. Emma & Joseph had 5 children. (1 son 4 daughters?)
My great grandmother is the youngest child. Mabel Gertrude Nathan B 4/10/1881 & married John Francis Perry in 1906 & they had 3 daughters Emma Nathan Perry (my grandmother), Rona Perry & Frances Pascoe Perry.
I'd really like to know who the all the children of Emma Penfold & Joseph Charles Nathan are.
I am quite sure that Amy Beatrice Nathan b 1876 is a daughter.
I not certain but think I'm on the right track with
Charles Joseph Nathan b 11 Sep 1869 & d 1933 being the one son.
So that leaves me with 2 other daughters....that I can't find record of names. The only clue is on JC Nathans death Cert their ages were 37 & 34 in 1908.
Sharon Rabone
Peter, my great grand parents were George Nathan and Mary Connery. If you pick up this message, could you email me at [email protected] Thanks


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Here's a short, but informative article on starting….and continuing a home yoga practice. 🙂
By Coraley Letcher
Starting a home practice can be a daunting task. When I talk to students about starting a home practice, the same topics keep coming up: They don't have the space or the time, they've tried but can't stick with it or when they try, they don't end up doing the type of practice they would like to. A home practice can teach you to follow your intuition and how to listen to your body. It will teach you to make time for yourself and it will allow you to reap the benefits daily practice can bring.
Below are my top three tips for starting and keeping, a home practice:
1. Keep a journal, calendar, or both.
Why? It keeps you accountable. By writing on your calendar that you are practicing that night, you'll motivate yourself to practice so as to avoid staring at your missed commitment the following day. A missed practice can be a big kick in the pants.
I keep my journal on a shelf in my home practice space. When I was working on incorporating consistent practice into my life, having the journal there always got me to go to my practice area, even if I had told myself I didn't have time, or was too tired to practice. No matter what, I could always convince myself that I had time to jot down what I was feeling in my journal. After a few instances of writing but not practicing, it started to feel ridiculous to be there and not practice. One new habit fed the other.
I have both a calendar and a health journal. I check my practice off on my calendar when I've completed it, and I write in the journal even if I don't do a practice. Both keep me accountable and motivated.
2. Release your expectations. All of them.
Don't worry about having the "perfect" space to practice. Don't worry about how much time you were able to spend on your practice on any given day, and definitely don't worry about the kind of practice you decide to do. Find a spot that's big enough to roll out your mat and start there. If it helps, you can set up a special space where you can keep your yoga stuff. Try setting up an alter, but don't let an imagined need for such a space keep you from starting your practice today….


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We are Maria and Fábio, Portugal wedding photographers that share love for one another and a great passion for the art of photography. We´ve been active members of prestigious wedding photography associations such as ISPWP, WPJA, BOWP and Fearless Photographers where our work had been awarded on various occasions. In 2015 we had the great honour to have been appointed as a judging panel for ISPWP FALL 2015 awards.
We´ve been blessed to photograph destination weddings in Europe, China and Brazil – Fábio´s native country. We take a great care and dedication to each and every wedding we shoot, and our photography style is a fusion of portraiture, artistic creativity and photojournalism.
What we love most about our craft is being the first hand witnesses of beautiful love stories unfolding through deep emotions, and documenting those moments has always been an honouring experience.
If you´re planning your wedding in Portugal or anywhere across Europe please get in touch with us. We´ll be happy to hear from you and be of service!
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RDA & Arts Council Plant Sea Grass on Ocean Blvd.
2011-03-17 · By Editor
Public art is a community asset that expresses a places positive sense of identity and values. The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA), in partnership with the Arts Council for Long Beach (ACLB), announces the installation of a new permanent public art piece downtown.
Sea Grass by Barbara Grygutis, a large-scale sculpture that captures the ebb and flow of ocean seagrass, has been installed in the median at Ocean Boulevard and Chestnut Avenue. At night, the 30-foot sculpture is illuminated, creating a beacon of light on the corridor, which serves as an entrance to many entering Long Beach via the 710 and 110 freeways.
"This latest public art installation is a unique landmark on the Ocean Boulevard corridor," said Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal, 2nd District. "Sea Grass serves as a beautiful gateway for the downtown and evokes Long Beach's historical ties and proximity to the ocean."
The sculpture by Grygutis was selected through a competitive, national call-to-artists, which included a two-phase panel review with participation from both community members as well as art and design professionals.
"The partnership between the RDA and the Arts Council for Long Beach provides a process whereby outstanding professional artists, both local to Long Beach and outside Long Beach, propose their work and are chosen for specific sites in the city identified by the RDA," said Craig Watson, Executive Director of the ACLB. "Sea Grass represents a stunning and beautiful welcome to the city at one of our important entryways. This is an artwork everyone can enjoy."
About the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency – For over 45 years, the mission of the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) has been to improve the quality of life by improving blighted areas of Long Beach, revitalizing neighborhoods, promoting economic development, creating jobs, providing affordable housing, and encouraging citizen participation. For more information on the RDA, visit www.LongBeachRDA.org.
About the Arts Council for Long Beach – The Arts Council for Long Beach fosters excellence in the creation and presentation of arts and cultural endeavors by supporting arts and cultural organizations and individual artists. The Arts Council provides access for families, children, and the community to a broad spectrum of creative expressions and cultural experiences by building strategic partnerships and programs that weave arts and culture into the fabric of our community. For more information on the Arts Council and its programs visit: www.artslb.org.


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Research, Consulting & Annual Conference
As a community, Franklin Academy strives to grow and learn, keeping up with the latest research in our field. As part of that mission, we are committed to engaging in research endeavors that further the understanding of our students and the teaching practices that best serve their needs. To date we have been involved with eight research projects with universities and institutions, including Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University and RUSH NeuroBehavioral Center, and have received grant money to support these research projects.


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Monday, 26 July 2010
What Milly Wore: Swishing and BBQ
7 comments:
Awww don't worry about losing one or two followers - it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, people just drop blogs all the time if they have a massive reading list like I do!ReplyDelete
Don't worry thought, you're not going anywhere ;)
Love outfits as usual! xxxxxxxx
Wow, Lovin' all your outfits. Your style is so bright and cool! Only just came across your blog, but I'm really liking it! xxReplyDelete
The first outfit is my fav!!!ReplyDelete
Looking great Milly! My fav outfit is the BBQ one, the dress is lovely and the H&M jacket is so Chanel. I remember trying it on myself (haha clothes twins) but didn't buy it =( I love your R&B boots so much, the jewels are so fantastic, I would never take them off if I owned them! The necklaces are adorable and the Topshop oversized tee in the second outfit is so cute!ReplyDelete
Don't worry about losing followers, shizzle happens and the ones who appreciate what you do are the followers that'll never leave!! PS I love your blog and your sense of style, so colourful and interesting but maybe you should post more often so we can all check your blog more often haha xx
you have great taste in footwear!! :) and i loooove that h+m jacket- looks so great!ReplyDelete
You look great! I love how the shirt in the first look is like an out-of-focus photo. And the cardi/jacket in the last one is gorgeous. I love the balloon necklace too! And your hair is amazing :)ReplyDelete
I totally <3 your hair, wish I could rock it... and I love that skull necklace! You're too cute.ReplyDelete


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The last installment in The Realignment Program's re-posting of its series on public employee unions is here, and we turn from defending the idea of public employee unions to thinking towards a more expansive, hopeful vision of how progressives can promote public sector unionism.
In part 1 of "In Defense of Public Sector Unionism," I discussed the historical roots of progressive unease with public sector unions, and why ultimately such antipathy contradicts progressive ideology and frustrates progressive politics. However, readers demanded to see the statistical proof that public sector workers were not the over-paid gold-brickers of right-wing mythology. Thus, in Part 2, I demonstrated that the wage differential between public and private sector workers is actually a statistical illusion – public sector workers are union workers, and union workers earn essentially identical wages whether they're in the public or private sector – and that most public sector pensions are modest, while exorbitant pensions are a statistical blip caused by public sector management's compensation.
Which leaves us with the critical task of rethinking how progressives should approach government from the perspective as an employer of public sector workers. We've already discussed how the corporate model of the public sector is diametrically opposed to progressive goals and ideals, but as I've always believed, it is never enough to say what should be done away with – you have to have something to put in its place.
A New Model of Progressive Government:
Luckily, there is another model of how progressives can thinking about the relationship between the state and its workers, and how progressive elected officials should relate to public sector unions. It's one that you can find in place in cities, counties, and states all over the country, except that's it's not really visible as an exportable model – indeed, outside of the main public sector unions like SEIU or AFSCME, it doesn't get much public discussion (except on the right where it's denounced as liberals "in the pockets of big labor"). Crucially, it's not talked about consciously as a matter of ideology and beliefs as opposed to practical politics.
The model in question is a solidaristic partnership model of progressive public sector labor relations.
As it stands, progressives often think about the progressive movement and the union movement as united on the electoral level, where progressives see unions as a critical constituency that represents the aspirations of workers both looking for redress of grievances against their employers and to unite with other elements of society to further the cause of social justice and economic security. When progressives think about the progressive movement and the union movement's relations after election day, something strange happens – progressives start to think about the union movement as a special interest that's opposed to a "general" or "common" interest, and especially in the case of public sector unions (but also in the case of private contracts and prevailing wage statutes) looking to unjustly enrich itself from the public coffers. Thus, when it comes to the governance side, progressives want to keep unions at arm's length. This creates significant tension with the union movement, which sees this as an ungrateful (and ultimately counter-productive) attack on an indispensable ally, and a betrayal of the cause of social justice.
However, in a solidaristic partnership model, unions are rethought as a crucial player in the governing process, who should be brought into collaborative discussion with elected officials about how to best achieve progressive goals – in the same way that progressives would want to bring communities of color into the governing process (through democratic institutions like the Community Action Program of the War on Poverty) to guide civil rights policy.
In order to make a full transition to this new model at every level of government, however, progressives are going to have to make some changes in our thinking about how progressive governments should operate.
Abandon the Corporate Ideal of Government in Return for Civic Unionism:
The corporate ideal of government discussed in part 1 is not one of the better legacies of progressivism. As I've discussed in my Public Virtues series, the corporate ideal is intrinsically tied to the conservative idea that corporations are inherently and uniquely efficient organizations – and that this idea has been used to repeatedly thwart progressive attempts to undo the social and economic damage caused by corporate industrialization. Whether we're talking about the welfare state (where the conservative argument is that the welfare state is an inefficient expensive burden on corporate efficiency, and that "welfare capitalism" is preferable), or the regulatory state (where the conservative argument is that inherently inefficient governments can never regulate properly and only create burdens for corporations, who could produce superior results through self-regulation), the corporate ideal is hostile to the basic mission of progressivism and should be jettisoned with immediate effect.
Civic Unionism :
In its place, progressives should embrace the expansion of "civic unionism" as the progressive vision for how the public sector should operate as an industry. Civic unionism was an outgrowth of the Popular Front of the 1930s (think the UAW in Detroit or the ILGWU in New York City), encapsulated in the belief that everyone in the community (especially in the case of working-class majority communities) should be a part of the union, and that the union should be an expression of and a vehicle for the will and aspirations of the common people through advancing issues of common concern (pushing for higher wages without price increases, for example, or single payer health care instead of private benefits), and that the union and the community together should "control our turf" through a union-based political movement.
For progressives, civic unionism decisively rebuts the objections to public sector unions within progressivism by removing fears of "outside domination" by asserting a common interest and identity between the union and the sovereign people. It also eliminates the fear of "special interest" plundering of the public trust by redefining the union's focus outwards instead of inwards.
What this means for public sector unions is an expansion of power – that public sector workers should be at the table with elected officials when budgets are drawn up, when issues of taxation and spending are decided, and when new policy is being drafted – and an expansion of responsibility. If civic unionism becomes the dominant model, public sector unions will have direct responsibility for both the quantity and quality of public services, and the success or failure of the government to achieve the outcomes that the people want. In part, it means moving the focus of collective bargaining away from short-term considerations of immediate gains to the long-term stability of the union and the maintenance of the "union standard" of public sector "products."
Labor Party Governance as Solidaristic Partnership
In return, progressive elected officials and their supporters in the progressive movement have to re-think their behavior and attitude towards the workers they rely on to carry out progressive policies. Giving up the tools of corporate management – the right to hire and fire "at will," the freedom to impose decisions by executive fiat, the ability if challenged to break union contracts or hire scabs – is a surrender of power that requires something of a leap of faith. In return, what progressive elected officials gain is a greater degree of trust and cooperation from public sector workers; after all, whether it's in public or private enterprises, union workers work harder and more productively in part because they feel respected and listened to by their employers. You're not going to get the kind of "big picture" thinking that comes with civic unionism without a genuine feeling of partnership.
It's also the case that corporations in Europe or Japan have been able to reap enormous gains in productivity because their boards include union representatives (thus providing a more diverse array of opinions and a greater "buy-in" from the workforce in regards to management policy) and because shop floor committees have the autonomy to re-arrange the spatial, technological, and organizational setup of the production process, that workers can contribute the practical knowledge gained from the experience of working directly on the line to making the process safer and more efficient. Similarly, a solidaristic organization of public enterprises can reap enormous benefits by listening to the people who have a ground-level view of how bureaucracy functions, and by allowing public sector workers to shape their own workplaces so that rules and regulations work with, not against the smooth and speedy operation of government.
However, you won't get this kind of a leap of faith until the Democratic Party begins to understand itself as a labor party – the party of the working class and the common people of the United States. That's not to say that the Democratic Party is wholly a creation of labor unions or that progressive elected officials lack agency of their own, but rather that the union movement is a constitutive element of the progressive movement, and that by democratically creating a common agenda based around a vision of a high-quality public sector, we can move beyond a hierarchical structure to one of cooperation and joint direction.
Moreover, by bringing one of the largest constitutive elements of the common people into the halls of government and giving them the freedom to guide their work process, labor party governance is actually a democratization of government. Instead of rule by a technocratic elite who make decisions from on high, labor party governance brings the people inside the government and puts them in charge of making it work.
Full Employment and Hiring Halls In Return for Productivity Standards
This brings us back around to where we started, with the issue of efficiency progressives and their critique of public sector unions. While I'm confident in the empirical argument made in part 2, to the extent that efficiency progressives need a "quid pro quo" for the adoption of solidaristic governance (and to the extent that such a radical experiment requires being able to "produce the goods"), I think there is a way to increase labor productivity in the public sector without resorting to Taylorite models the likes of which we've seen in the education reform debate.
As I first explored almost a year ago, one of the reasons why teachers unions have been unwilling to get on board the "measurement and accountability" bandwagon is that there's zero trust between the unions and the reformers who are, let's not forget, their bosses. In the eyes of teachers unions, rhetoric about efficiency has largely been either the thin end of the wedge for untested or outright ineffective policies such as charter schools or cover for mass layoffs and the elimination of worker's protections in the name of re-establishing at-will employment. However, as I have argued, if we give unions responsibility for labor quality by employing teachers through a hiring hall-like mechanism, we completely change the dynamic. If public sector unions can be assured that they're not going to lose a voice in the workplace or jobs, then they begin to acquire a strong interest in ensuring that union labor is the most productive there is – and historically, craft unions with hiring halls developed incredibly high standards (both in terms of proficiency and even personal character) and intensive apprenticeship and selection systems to ensure that all union members are up to snuff.
Now this isn't a model that the likes of Michelle Rhee would approve of – it's antithetical to the individualistic and pro-corporate ideal of perfectly measuring output and having total managerial freedom to replace or retrain workers, or redesign production processes that lies at the heart of the "accountability movement." But there is no simpler way to create accountability for teachers than to put them in charge of producing high-quality teachers and giving them the decision-making authority to gate-keep who becomes a teacher. The same thing is true for the public sector as a whole – unions know that "with great power comes great responsibility," and will respond accordingly.
It also requires a commitment to full employment in the broader economy – by their very composition and heritage, unions look at the bottom cohort of teachers not as a statistical opponent to be vanquished but as real people who have families who depend on them, and who have mortgages and student loans, and who need to live just like anyone else. Throwing people onto the street in a period of nigh-double-digit unemployment is a gross social injustice, but in a context of full employment, the injustice disappears – an ineffective teacher can become an accountant or anything else, secure in the knowledge that not being suited for one career doesn't mean economic catastrophe. Instead of defending ownership over the job as a defense against dislocation and trying to maintain jobs at all costs, public sector unions can focus on building a public sector that works for all the people.
If this kind of relationship between public officials and public sector unions is familiar to you and reminds you of your local government, then you probably live in a progressive area where public sector unions are politically engaged in the Democratic Party and where progressive elected officials have chosen to pursue a policy of collaboration over confrontation. If it's not familiar to you, I recommend traveling to a progressive area and visiting some government offices, so that you can come to understand that there's nothing scary about solidaristic government.
My final word on the matter – progressives: you must remember that unionism is both a means and an end for the progressive cause, both a practical and a moral necessity. There is very little to be lost and so much to gain.


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Off to Stoke Mandeville I went, for another training weekend. Unfortunately I could only attend on Saturday as I was working Sunday.
I proved one thing, I can get lots of 9's and Bulls but they are coupled with too many 4, 5 & 6's and the occasional 1,2 & 3's as well. I feel that the control is coming, SLOWLY, just got to work out why I am putting up so many wild shots to spoil the party.
I have been to my Chiropractor and he has tweaked my exercises to incorporate my shooting and I have resolved to do more practice at home, even if it is without actually shooting lead.
More competitions are also needed to eliminate my bad nerves while competing, once and for all.


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I really didn't expect to enjoy Saigon as I figured it would just be another Mumbai but there's something about the place that made it really cool. No-one can ever explain what it is but for some reason Saigon seems to be a big hit with travelers (unlike Hanoi). On the bus I got chatting to a couple of English guys called Rob and Tom who reminded me of my mates back home. They had a great sense of humor and it was so nice to be able to speak bollax without having to explain what certain words mean. And what I mean by that is even if you speak to an Aussie, a Canadian an American etc you still end up having to explain certain phrases or words and asking what they mean by things like "rooting" or "wristy". Anyway we got off the bus and where bombarded by the usual taxi drivers and sales men trying to get us to go to their hotels and at first I was my usual cool and calm self and politely told them we knew where we where going. Unfortyunately I mildly lost it with one woman who kept asking where we were going and told her to "go away" only to realize shortly after that she was actually a government employed tourist helper! She then showed us to a cracking hotel where the three of us shared a sweet 3up dorm room with AC and attached bathroom and I apologized for being rude to her (she was fine with me and probably got that all the time). The three of us got straight on it and after a great fajita meal we hit a few bars and pubs before heading in around 4am. Most notable things from the evening where the 30p beers from the street bars, bumping into my Dutch friends from Goa and Hoi Anne and the English guys managing to barter the price of noddles from a menu at 3am! I know you can barter almost anything but I figured if itt was in black and white there was no negotiation, clearly not!
I woke up at around 11 am which was by far the biggest lie in since I Bahrain. Until then there was always something to wake me up, be it an alarm clock, a dog barking, an alarm clock etc and I felt amazing for it. The three of us wanted to go to the cu chi tunnels to fire some guns but we'd missed the last bus there by a clear 4 hours! We managed to get a taxi to take us there, wait and take us back for 10 dollars each which we thought was pretty good going. As you may have seen from my videos on FB I unleashed 10 rounds of an AK47 and 10 rounds of an M16 which was as cool as I expected it to be .Other than that the tunnels where a bit lame, the guide rushed us through the entire process and there wasn't really a lot to see or do. That evening we went for a quiet few drinks as we planned to get up early the next day for the Mekong Delta tour.
The Mekong delta was fascinated, and I wish I could have spent some more time there. I'd met up with the dutch guys the night before who had slated the whole experience so I wasn't expecting great things, but it was the best bit of 'culture' i'd had in weeks. We started off with a bus trip to a local factory/shop where handicapped people worked making handicraft art. At first I was giggling about the guide's pronunciation of the word Handicraft thinking he'd made a major faux par with his language translation, then I saw the people working and felt really guilty! A lot of them where blind and still managing to make beautiful pieces of tile art and egg shell type things (please excuse my lack of knowledge in art/handicraft) which was really impressive. I thought about getting a few pieces but I figured they'd get battered in my luggage so I didn't follow through. After that we carried on to the pier and took a boat through the river. I've got photo's that do it pretty good justice on my FB. Oh, the tour guide was fucking hilarious, he was cracking me up as he was like a Vietnamese stand up comedian who started all his sentences with "cus you know..." then usually ended each 'section' with a joke about the Vietnamese or westerners. He had all the jokes about lady boys, Vietnamese motorbikes being fucking dangerous, Vietnamese women; no money no honey etc... I can't really do him justice on here but he was really good. We then stopped off at at a place where they make coconut sweets in all different flavors (peanut/ginger/toffee etc) and they where so lush I ended up buying 6 packs! then we took some photo's holding a big ass snake (not sure on the type, perhaps one of you keen Herpetologist's can help identify from my FB pics!) and watched some traditional Vietnamese musical performances which where slightly hampered by some rude Chinese couple who talked through the whole thing (and those of you who have tried to watch x-factor with me will know that I don't tolerate talking through musical performances!) but I still enjoyed it. we also rode on a donkey and cart through a town and went on some traditional Vietnamese long boats which was great 'culture' (please read 'culture' with a dumb Essex girl voice). That was pretty much it for the mekong delta, a great day out and thoroughly guilt free travelling :-).
Next day I flew to Thailand (Bangkok) but I'll write about that another time as I'm thirsty.... for BEER!


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Welcome to the Spitler School Foundation photo gallery page. We have created many photo galleries for viewing and each tell their own story.
Photo Gallery by Erica Simone
Images by Erica Simone – Professional Photographer
The Spitler School had the privilege to host a visit from professional photographer, Erica Simone in March, 2010. Erica was traveling in Cambodia doing volunteer work at various children's schools and orphanages and documenting her experiences. We've included a portfolio of her pictures below.
We send our thanks to Erica for sharing her time and talent with the children in Cambodia, and we are especially appreciative of her sharing these wonderful photographs of our children at Spitler School. Please take a few minutes to enjoy her talents.
The Spitler School Family Visit – 2008
Danny and Pam Spitler returned to visit their school accompanied by Danny's father, Irvin, his sister Kay, and their friends Melissa Fox and Cheryl Turner. The following link will take you to the story and photos of this memorable visit and a special ceremony at the Spitler School.
Construction 2005 to 2009
From its humble beginnings in 2005 the Spitler School has risen from a parched piece of land in a destitute Cambodian village. The ongoing construction projects from its first building of wood and thatch to the current campus as been an exciting journey and is a testament to the Chea Sarin's administrative ability coupled with the financial support of the Spitler family and many generous donors. We welcome you to visit our construction photo gallery and watch the evolution of a dream coming true.
The Beginning Construction of Spitler School
Medical Assistance
Through the years the Spitler School Foundation has had the opportunity provide medical assistance to our students in Cambodia. Sarin made our first project possible as he took the time to transport young Trop to Phnom Penh, where a doctor associated with the Smile Train organization surgically repaired Trop's deformity.
A donation from Peter and Sally Preston allowed us to provide therapy and a lazy eye condition for Sari Malin. She is recovering nicely.
In 2007, we arranged for the King Benevolent Fund to visit Spitler School with a visiting medical team, who gave exams and left vitamins and parasite medicines for our students. In 2008 and 2010 Sarin arranged visits by a medical team from the Angkor Children's hospital to visit Spitler School for medical exams for our students.


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Developing and presenting exhibitions is one of the Museum's key functions, as specified in the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. This year, the temporary and travelling exhibitions program continued to grow, and included content that supports the Museum's core themes of land, nation and people.
In 2007–08 the Museum delivered two temporary exhibitions, hosted two buy-in exhibitions and developed one exhibition in partnership with the Australian Research Council. Nine travelling exhibitions were toured throughout Australia, and the Museum also developed a significant international exhibition on Emily Kame Kngwarreye that travelled to major galleries in Osaka and Tokyo. Work continued on two major international exhibitions from the Auckland Museum and War Memorial, New Zealand, and the American Museum of Natural History, New York, for display in the Museum's temporary gallery over the next three years.
Temporary Gallery
Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert
(28 November 2007 – 3 February 2008)
During 10 weeks, 49,593 people, including Indigenous people, scholars, families and children, saw the stunning array of works displayed in the Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert exhibition. The exhibition explored the early history of the Western Desert art movement from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, before it was commercially viable or had received the international recognition it enjoys today. The exhibition featured a unique selection of rarely seen early canvases, boards and artefacts made by more than 30 acclaimed Western Desert artists.
The centrepiece of the exhibition was the giant Yumari canvas by Uta Uta Tjangala, painted in 1981 and widely regarded as a masterpiece. The exhibition also included works by renowned painters Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and Anatjari Tjakamarra.
Museum staff worked with Western Desert art expert Vivien Johnson in putting the exhibition together. The Museum was very grateful for the assistance and cooperation of Papunya Tula Arts Pty Ltd and the newly established Papunya-based Papunya Tjupi Arts Centre.
A number of popular public programs were presented in conjunction with the exhibition, including 'Mutukari', a public conversation facilitated by curator Peter Thorley and featuring Vivien Johnson, John Kean and Jeremy Long. The Museum also published a substantial exhibition catalogue that included essays by international experts on the history of the Papunya movement ( see National Museum of Australia Press ).
A highlight of the exhibition was the Tjitjti (children's) gathering place, a space where many children took the opportunity to create their own compositions inspired by the various motifs displayed in the gallery. The exhibition also showed previously unreleased footage by Ian Dunlop of life at the community of Yayi Yayi, where many of the painters were living in 1974.
The opening of the exhibition drew a large crowd, who were privileged to have present three of the surviving painters featured in the exhibition: Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra (the only original member of Papunya Tula still painting), Charlie Tjapangarti and Pansy Napangarti. Bobby West Tjupurrula, the Chairman of Papunya Tula, spoke eloquently of his pleasure at seeing his father's works exhibited at the Museum for the first time.
The Papunya Painting website gave viewers access to the works in the exhibition online and behind-the-scenes accounts of the preservation and preparation of the paintings in the show. A special end-of-school-year program, incorporating art, history, culture and creative writing activities, and using a cross-curricular approach, was fully subscribed.
Papunya Painting will be on display at the Australian Museum, Sydney, from July to November 2008.
Stretched for the first time
Out of the desert and into the lab
Unrolling the Museum's Papunya canvases, stored and untouched since their acquisition in the 1980s, was the first major step in creating the Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert exhibition.
Once work started, conservators faced many challenges. Some of the canvases were torn and needed initial repair; some were 'out of square' because of the way they had been painted; others had been rolled for so long that ripples or uneven areas had developed. But because most had never been exhibited before, they were in a relatively stable condition.
The paint layers in the canvases varied in quality, especially in works dating from the early days of the Western Desert art movement, when artists were still developing a feel for the materials. As happens with works produced in Indigenous communities, where artists paint their work on the ground, the paint layers also featured various inclusions: hairs, grit, small pebbles and even the occasional paw print. However, these are part of the painting and considered integral to the work. During conservation they are noted, but always left in place.
Conservator Mark Henderson was pleased that, apart from four canvases too big to fit in the Museum's storage area, the canvases will now stay stretched, stable and accessible for researchers or visitors.
The Papunya canvases have now taken their rightful place among the Museum's great treasures.
League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia
(8 March – 11 May 2008)
This exhibition was developed in conjunction with the Centenary of Rugby League Committee to celebrate the 100th anniversary of rugby league in Australia, and continues the Museum's commitment to collecting and interpreting Australia's sporting history.
The exhibition featured objects from the Museum's collection, including the Royal Agricultural Society Shield (recalling the great Dally Messenger). Other key objects included radio commentator Frank Hyde's binoculars and the folding card table from which he called rugby league games for three decades.
League of Legends was opened by Colin Love AM, Australian Rugby League Chairman and Chairman of the Centenary of Rugby League Committee. The opening was attended by many high-profile players, including Ron Coote, Steve Mortimer OAM and John Raper.
The media coverage received for League of Legends was extensive. Of particular note was the media focus on the unusual inter-generational nature of visitors, with grandfathers, fathers and sons sharing their experiences while viewing the exhibition. The Museum produced 10 'media moments', specifically targeting regional radio. These audio files featured Senior Curator Guy Hansen discussing historical and contemporary aspects of the game, for example, the role of fans, and could also be downloaded from the Museum's website for immediate broadcast. The website included an extended range of photographs not on display in the exhibition or featured in the accompanying catalogue, and a section in which fans could record their experiences of rugby league, using the 'Share Your Story' feature.
The Museum's partnership with the National Rugby League and associated organisations significantly enhanced the promotion and marketing of the exhibition. League of Legends featured extensively in the promotion of the centenary year, which attracted large numbers of rugby league fans who may not have previously visited the Museum. The exhibition hosted 39,755 visitors during its display at the Museum.
Programs held in conjunction with League of Legends included a 'Clash of the codes: Rugby Union vs Rugby League' debate (2 March), a Canberra Raiders Fan Day (8 March) attended by an estimated 2500 people, and a panel discussion exploring the history of rugby league (11 May). Online teaching and learning activities supported the exhibition and can be used by schools as the exhibition travels to a number of states and territories over the next 12 months.
Interest has been high from venues in the eastern states wishing to display the exhibition, and arrangements have been confirmed with the Queensland Museum, (Brisbane), the Powerhouse Museum (Sydney), the Museum of Tropical Queensland (Townsville), and the National Sport Museum (Melbourne). A small banner display has also had a strong response, with bookings taken for 2008–09 from 10 venues including rugby league clubs, libraries and museums such as the Gold Coast Seagulls Rugby League Club, the Southern Cross University Library and the Armidale Folk Museum.
An exhibition catalogue combined essays by sports historians and commentators with detailed information about objects featured in the exhibition, and proved popular with visitors to the exhibition.
The Goodwill trophy
A labour of love
Conservator Peter Bucke knew from the start that substantial research and hard work would be required to reveal the glory beneath the grime of the Courtney Goodwill trophy, a cornerstone object in the Museum's League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia exhibition.
The first stage of the conservation involved careful documentation, with each part of the trophy listed and numbered and the proposed treatment described.
Peter started work on the base, because the centre-post holding the globe could only be accessed from underneath. Before the globe itself could be reached, he filled 18 small plastic boxes with parts: nails, screws and pieces that had fallen off over the years and been inexpertly glued back.
All the metal parts were carefully washed and old polish residue and dirt removed.
An electro-chemical method was used to remove the deep tarnishing. The next step was to clean the wood — all seven blocks of it. This was an exceptionally detailed process, because much of the wood is carved and decorated with marquetry.
There were some interesting discoveries along the way. The kangaroo, for example, has some opal stones set into it, which meant more painstaking hand-cleaning.
In reassembling the trophy, Peter ensured it was stable enough for display in the exhibition and also to travel to other exhibition venues in the eastern states.
As a rugby league supporter himself, and well aware that sport is an important part of Australian culture, Peter grew particularly attached to the Goodwill trophy over the weeks of careful work.
Gallery of First Australians Focus Gallery
70% Urban
(29 March 2007 – 10 March 2008)
This exhibition drew on the Museum's collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material to explore the growth of dynamic urban Indigenous cultures across Australia. It featured a diverse range of objects and artworks that showed how Indigenous people are drawing on new materials and ideas to assert their identity through the telling of stories about cultural survival.
'67 Referendum: Spin, Myths and Meanings
(29 March 2007 – 10 March 2008)
This display commemorated the 40th anniversary of the referendum that saw 90 per cent of Australians vote to remove references in the Australian Constitution that discriminated against Aboriginal people. It provided information on the facts and myths about the referendum, and recalled some of the activities involved in achieving these changes.
Ngurrara: The Great Sandy Desert Canvas
(5 April – 22 June 2008)
Developed by the South Australian Museum, this exhibition featured one of the largest and most spectacular Aboriginal Western Desert paintings. The Ngurrara canvas was painted by the senior traditional owners of the Great Sandy Desert of northern Western Australia, as an expression of their links to their Country, for presentation to the National Native Title Tribunal in 1997.
Nation Focus Gallery
Great Railway Journeys of Australia
(19 April – 26 August 2007)
Developed by the Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich, Queensland, this exhibition explored the development of Australia's rail network, drawing on the Workshops Rail Museum's collection of objects, photographs and posters, and loans from other institutions and private lenders. It featured some of the most famous railway journeys in Australia, including the Indian Pacific, the old and new Ghan and the Queenslander. Key objects included a 1920s dining car and a model of the Southern Aurora club car.
Migration Memories
(4 September – 28 November 2007)
This exhibition explored the stories of 14 people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, who live in two distinctly different parts of the country: the opal-mining town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, and the Murray River town of Robinvale in Victoria.
Community members worked with curator Mary Hutchison (from The Australian National University) to select objects and stories relating to their migration experience. These collaborations resulted in two exhibitions — at the Lightning Ridge Historical Society in August 2006 and at Robinvale Leisure Centre in June 2007 where it was called Migration Memories: Researching Migration in Regional Australia.
Behind the Lines: The Year's Best Cartoons 2007
(13 December 2007 – 24 February 2008)
This year's Behind the Lines exhibition marked the 10th year the Museum has presented exhibitions exploring Australia's political history through the eyes of cartoonists. The Museum produced a catalogue to support the exhibition, which once again proved extremely popular with exhibition visitors.
The cartoons in this year's exhibition represented the best of the Museum's acquisitions from artists around Australia, including Alan Moir, Bill Leak, Cathy Wilcox, Geoff Pryor, John Spooner, Mark Knight and Warren Brown. The dominant issue for many cartoonists over the year was leadership — both the emergence of Kevin Rudd as a possible leader and the endgame of the relationship between John Howard and Peter Costello. Cartoons focusing on the 24 November 2007 federal election were also a feature.
'Drawing the lines', a political cartooning competition for upper primary and secondary students, attracted highly creative entries with a strong focus on current political issues. Prizes were awarded to the student cartoonists by editorial cartoonist for the Sun-Herald, David Pope, at a ceremony held at the Museum in December 2007. First prize in the primary school category was won by Harry Dalton, Campbell Primary School, Australian Capital Territory, and first prize in the secondary category was won by Ann Plummer, Dickson College, Australian Capital Territory.
As it has an established following among visitors, marketing for Behind the Lines 2007 focused on generating interest and awareness beyond those already interested in political satire.
Hidden in Plain View: The Forgotten Flora
(13 March – 9 June 2008)
From the National Herbarium of Victoria at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, this exhibition highlighted the incredible diversity of form and colour of fungi, lichens, mosses and liverworts, and some of the extraordinary people who work with them. Displaying botanical illustrations and specimens, historical and contemporary writing, as well as artefacts, this exhibition revealed the fascinating world of forgotten flora.
Small displays in the Museum Hall
The Museum featured nine small displays in the Hall this year. Six of these small displays featured objects from the National Historical Collection, two were undertaken in partnership with external organisations, and one was provided by an external organisation.
Schedule of Hall displays
|Spanish Expeditions in the South Pacific
|4 August – 6 September 2007
|Buy-in from the Embassy of Spain
|9/11 Flag
|7–30 September 2007
|National Historical Collection
|Cobb & Co Coach
|15 September – 14 October 2007
|National Historical Collection
|Montreal Expo '67
|13 September – 28 October 2007
|National Historical Collection
|Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service: 100 Years of Quarantine
|December 2007 – January 2008
|Partnership with AQIS
|Day of Mourning
|14 January – 15 February 2008
|National Historical Collection
|Citroën car display
|4 January – 3 February 2008
|National Historical Collection
|Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI)
|13 March – 4 May 2008
|Partnership with CMRI
|Bendigo Pottery
|19 March – 22 July 2008
|National Historical Collection