text:
The Embarkation, Waterloo Docks, Liverpool.
The Illustrated London News, 1850
"A word with me! what is it, and how do you know my name ?"
"No matter to you how I know it, but listen to what I'm agoing to tell you!"
Herbert stooped almost mechanically, and the dwarf whimpered in his ear:
"Let that girl alone, or you'll be sorry!"
"And who are you?" asked the young man haughtily, and, drawing himself up, he looked down with infinite contempt on the hunchback, "who are you that make free to tell me so? To my knowledge I never laid eyes on you before!"
"That's neither here nor there. Mind what I tell you, or you'll rue it the longest day you have to live ! do you hear me now?"
Herbert was about to reply in a scoffing and contemptuous tone, but the little man raised his finger menacingly, and there was something in his look that the other did not care to provoke farther. He would fain make a joke of the whole affair, and tried hard to force a laugh.
"Well! well! my little fellow! no need for us to quarrel! I see you're a lad!"
"I've my eyes open, anyhow! remember that, Henry Herbert! a good day to you, sir!" and the dwarf took off his glazed leather cap, and made quite a polite bow and then walked away with the air of a tragedy hero.
The young man stood eyeing him a moment with a look half curious, half malicious, then humming to himself "The Rakes of Mallow" he sauntered away through the crowd looking as unconcerned as though nothing had occurred to raffle his temper
"Bessy!" said Mrs. Walters, whilst her young attendant assisted at her toilet, "who is the young man to whom I saw you speaking just now?"
Bessy's heart sank within her as she replied, or endeavored to reply: "He's our landlord's son, ma'am, Master Henry Herbert, from near Ardfinnan, ma'am! his father isn't the head landlord, but it's to him we pay our rent; he has a long lease of the property."
" Yes, yes, but where did the family come from? are they English or what?"
"Well, I b'lieve they are, ma'am, but they're a good many years in our neighborhood. The old gentleman and lady have ne'er a child but Master Henry."
"Humph !" said Mrs. Walters thoughtfully, and the slightest possible frown gathered on her fair brow, "Yes ! they have but one nose! they had more once! ha! ha ! Bessy Conway! what brings this young fellow to America? or is he going there?"
"He says he is, ma'am."
"Yes but is wealthy, is he not?"
"Why, yes, ma'am! the people say in our place that he doesn't know the end of his own riches."
"It is not to make a living, then, that the son leaves home What is he about, Bessy?" And the lady fixed her large blue eyes on the face of her attendant with a look that was meant to read her heart.
"What is he about, Mrs. Walters?" stammered Bessy with a most painful effort;" Lord bless me, ma'am dear! how can I tell what he's about? sure I wouldn't make so free as to ask him the question!"
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"Did you know he was going?"
"No more than you did, Mrs. Walters! indeed, indeed, I didn'!" Bessy spoke these words with an earnestness and sincerity that was not to be doubted. She raised her head, too, and looked her mistress full in the face, and there was truth in her eyes though her cheek was suffused with blushes.
Mrs. Walters looked at her a moment fixedly, then heaved a sigh. "You are a good girl, Bessy!" she said after a moment's pause, "but you are young and inexperienced. Take my advice and have nothing more to say to this Herbert. I know the family. There is little good in them, depend on . . . "
"Why, ma'am dear!" cried Bessy eagerly, "sure the whole country knows that. Nobody likes a bone in the ould man's body, and his lady is no great things either!"
"And the son?" demanded Mrs. Walters archly, with a sidelong glance at Bessy.
"Well! I don't know much about which may be bad or good for me."
"I'm glad to hear it, Bessy," said Mrs. Walters with a half smile, "I hope you'll never know him any better than you do now. But what's the matter, girl? sea sick already? you'd better go and lie down."
"Well, I b'lieve I will, ma'am, if it's pleasin' to you, for my head's so light I can hardly stand."
"Ha! ha!" laughed Mrs. Walters, "that is only the beginning of it-you'll be worse before you're better, my poor Bessy! I'm too old a sailor now to be seasick, but I had many a sore turn of it!go, go, now! I see you're quite sick already!"
Bessy was sick, and very sick, so much so that her kind mistress had to help her into her berth. "Now," said she, "I could give you something that would settle your stomach, but if you take my advice you will let nature take its course, for
(Page 23) a little suffering now may save you a great deal more hereafter in a strange climate."
"You know best, ma'am," said Bessy, making an effort to speak; "I'll do whatever you tell me."
"You are very bad, my poor girl," said the lady kindly, "but if it's any comfort for you to know it, I am sure you are no worse than most of the passengers by this time! we are now out in the Channel, and there is a heavy swell, so that the steamer heaves and plunges dreadfully. None but those who are, like myself, well accustomed to the sea, can escape sea sickness at such a time."
"Oh, ma'am dear! if I only knew what it was to be this way," sobbed out Bessy, "I'd never-never have left home."
"I dare say," said Mrs. Walters with a smile, "but remember this will soon be over. By tomorrow's dawn we shall reach Liverpool, and, once on land, you'll soon forget the seasickness. I must leave you now. Good night! and if you get any worse, just knock on the board at your head and I'll be with you."
"That Bessy Conway is a good girl," said Mrs. Walters to her husband that evening, " but I feel a little uneasy on her account."
"How is that?"
"Why, I find there is a young fellow on board who, I really think, has some design upon her. I saw them together in the first place, and, on questioning Bessy, I discovered, more from her manner and her looks than her words, that he has been making love to her."
"Well! and what then, Addie?" said the captain in his frank, abrupt way; "have not others made love before now, and what harm came of it?"
"Yes, yes, I know, it would be all right if the young man were of her own station..."
"Of her own station! Why, who the deuce is he?"
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"You would hardly guess unless I told you. He is the son of Wilson Herbert"
"What! he that swindled my father out of business in Birmingham so many years ago? You don't say so, Addie Walters!"
"But I do say so, William! because I know it is for truth. The father took refuge in Ireland to evade the fury of his injured creditors, and with his illgotten wealth he purchased a long lease of a fine property in Tipperary which he holds at a merely nominal rent."
"I rejoice to hear it," said the captain with his English coolness; "I shall come on him one of these days when he least thinks it. He shall refund our share of his plunder if there's law in England."
"Of that hereafter, William!" said his wife with a meaning smile, for she knew that Walters, good easy man! would never take the trouble of prosecuting Herbert, "but the immediate question is to keep our little Bessy out of the way of the son."
"I'll break every bone in his body," said the phlegmatic captain, "if I hear of him making any advances to her."
"I don't want to do that, either, William, so long as there are other means at our disposal. Indeed I would rather not have you interfere at all, that is, unless it is absolutely necessary."
"Well! well! Addie," returned her husband with imperturbable good humor, "I know you women are fond of managing such matters. I will leave it to you, then, as you desire it, hoping that you will let me know when moral force fails in regard to this hangdog Herbert, and I will try what physical force can do in the way of a good kicking."
"Agreed!" said the wife, "leave it to me for the present, at least," and there the matter rested.
It required very little management on the part of Mrs. Walters to keep Bessy from seeing much of Herbert during the passage. Even in Liverpool where they had to wait some days, Bessy Conway was so constantly occupied in Mrs. Walters' room, that she found not a moment to see any of her fellowpassengers, though the Murphys and Ned Finigan lodged just round the corner from the hotel where Captain Walters and his wife were staying.
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Mary Murphy was highly incensed at this supposed neglect on the part of Bessy. "I suppose she thinks herself mighty high in the world, because she happens to put up in a grand hotel. She wouldn't demean herself to come to see anybody in a lodging-house like this. Mary's brothers were of the same opinion, and indeed all the party, with the single exception of Ned Finigan and Ally Murphy. Ned took Bessy's part all through and would wager a trifle that it wasn't her fault."
"She's a first and second cousin of my own," said he, "and I know what's in her to the backbone. It doesn't come with her to give the cold shoulder to her friends or neighbors. Take my word for it, you're all blamin' her in the wrong."
"That's my notion, too, Ned! " observed Ally; "Bessy was always full of good nature and nobody livin' could make me believe that she left it all behind at home."
"Well, then, I declare, Ally, you're a truehearted, decent girl, and nothing else," said Ned Finigan with a look of admiration that set Ally's cheeks in a glow. "That I mayn't do an ill turn but you're a credit to them that owns you."
"We're entirely obliged to you, Mister Finigan," said Mrs. Murphy with a look of great complacency, for Ned was supposed to have a nice penny with him to America, having got something worth while for his good will of a farm he had had near Ardfinnan. "We're entirely obliged to you for your good opinions in regard to Ally . I'm her mother, and maybe I shouldn't say what I'm going to say, but it's all among friends, anyhow, so I will say it. You didn't say a word to much for Ally Murphy, for there she stands that never turned her tongue on father or mother, or never gave either of us a sore heart."
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Ally attempted to laugh it off, saying, "Hut, tut, mother l sure that's just the old story over again: 'Every crow thinks her own bird the whitest."'
"It's you I b'lieve, Mrs. Murphy!" said Ned, regarding her daughter with increased admiration. Mary tittered in a corner and whispered to her youngest brother, "Hasn't he the fine taste entirely!" This was in allusion to her sister's rather plain exterior, unfavorably contrasted with her own pretty face and lithe girlish figure.
Somewhat embarrassed by Ned's steadfast gaze, Ally said, as much for the sake of saying something, as anything else: "Has anybody seen that poor old Dolly Sheehan since we got in!"
"Why, to be sure," replied her father, a goodnatured, careless sort of man, who, as the saying is, took the world easy, "why, to be sure, Ally, isn't herself and that comical fellow with the hump lodgin' in the one house, somewheres near the water side. Ha! ha! ha! faith, I'm thinkin' that chap has his eyes open, anyhow! He heard the old woman tell that she had a son in America and that she sold a little place at home, and he thinks she has something by her. He sticks to her like a leech, you see!"
Every one laughed at Paul's preposterous expectations, and no one, not even Ally, dreamed of a higher and purer motive for Paul's attention to old granny Sheehan.
The last day of our party's stay in Liverpool arrived, and Mrs. Walters remarked that Bessy came up stairs to her with a flushed cheek and a nervous excitement of manner very unusual with her. She was about to inquire what it meant but seeing that the girl avoided her eye and kept away from her as much as possible, she thought it might be better to let it pass unnoticed. "Could it be possible," thought Mrs. Walters, "that she should have seen that fellow Herbert again after all my precautions? And yet, how could she. I have hardly let her out of my sight, and certainly not out of the house since we have been here. It is very strange,"she mused, "very indeed !"
The mystery was solved when, on taking her seat at the hoteltable for dinner, Mrs. Walters observed Henry Herbert on the opposite side of the table apparently quite at his ease, and looking at her, moreover, with the coolest air of indifference and selfpossession. On inquiry she learned that he had come to the house the day before
"Now what am I to do, William?" said she to her husband the first time she had seen him after making the discovery.
"What's wrong now, Addie?"
"Why, that Herbert, to be sure. What do you think but I saw him at dinner here in the hotel. That fellow has the impudence of a certain individual whom I do not choose to name "
"What sort of a fellow is he I"
Mrs. Walters described him as well as she could, and the captain said: "All right! leave him to me ! come and bear a hand at strapping this trunk! that's my girl."
"Well but, William, what can we do to get rid of this Herbert?"
"Herbert be hanged! I'll hear no more about him!" cried the captain, with more temper than he generally showed, "I'll tell you what, girl! if you want to get rid of him, send Bessy packing. That's the plan!"
"That won't do for me," replied the lady, "I expect to find Bessy a very useful servant, and I should be sorry to lose her so soon. Moreover, I have taken her from her home and friends, and I cannot but consider myself responsible to some extent for her welfare. Altogether, you see, William. "
"Altogether, you see, Addie ! you have a good heart and a good head, which no one knows better than William Walters. But, as I told you before, just leave this gentleman to me. I'd look out for him, take my word for it!"
"Many thanks, William ! I know you will when you say it.
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But the safest way would be not to have him on board with us, at all. Do you think we could manage that?"
"It can't be done, Addie, can't be done!" and the captain shook his head; "it would never do for me to go to the office and direct the people there to refuse a passage-ticket to this one or that one. If the fellow has a mind to keep Bessy in view, be sure he has taken his passage already in the Garrick. But make your mind easy, little wife! you shall see if we don't keep Herbert at a civil distance, after all!"
His wife shook her head doubtingly, but she said no more on the subject.
That same evening, Mrs. Walters had occasion to send Bessy downstairs, and finding that she did not return as soon as she expected, she went out on the lobby, and looking over the banister, saw the girl on a landing lower down in earnest conversation, as it appeared to her, with Henry Herbert. The angry blood rushed to the lady's cheek, and her confidence in Bessy was terribly shaken, if not altogether destroyed. There was no shadow of excuse now for this continued intercourse with Herbert, stealthy, too, and therefore the more disgraceful. She had herself, warned her against him, and that but a day or two before, what confidence, then, was to be placed in a girl who could act as she did?
What was to be done? The idea of calling out on the staircase of a public house was repugnant to Mrs. Walters' punctilious notions of refinement, and to leave Bessy in such company was still worse. All at once, she perceived that Bessy had her foot on the step above, and was evidently anxious to go, whilst Herbert laid hold of the hand that rested on the banister, and talked earnestly and vehemently, thought in suppressed accents. Bessy, on her part, grew quite excited, and her mistress smiled pleasantly as she said to herself: "I was not mistaken in her after all; it is not so bad as I feared. I will go downstairs myself," was her next thought, and she had reached the top of the stairs for that purpose, when
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she discovered that a third person was added to the group below. It was Paul Branigan who had stumped up from the hall, notwithstanding the determined opposition of an individual whose white jacket and apron bespoke his official capacity in the house. At first Paul would hardly vouchsafe him a word of explanation, but fearing that delay might defeat the object he had in view, he at length grumbled out:
"Bad manners to you, don't you see it's the boy and girl above there that I want a word with?" Then waited for no further parley but mounted as fast as his misshapen frame could propel itself.
"Who the mischief is that ere hump-backed fellow?" said the discomfited waiter to another who was passing at the moment. "If he an't gone up stairs in spite of me!"
"Let him go," said the other, "Captain Walters knows him. He sent me for him there a while ago, and they had a talk in the barroom. It's all right."
"It was not all right for Henry Herbert when the hunchback laid his broad hand on his shoulder, and asked him what he was about.
Herbert started and changed color at the sound of his voice, then turning towards him though not very quickly, he tried to put it off with a laugh.
"You're a second Paul Pry," said he, "'pon honor you are! There's no such thing as escaping those two keen eyes of yours! Goodbye, Bessy! I'm glad to see you so well after crossing the herring-pond."
"Come along down here!" said Paul in such a tone of authority that Bessy involuntarily lingered to hear how the other would take it.
"What did I tell you on board the boat?" demanded Paul as the two descended the broad stairs side by side.
"I know well enough what you told me," replied Herbert in a low and very soothing voice, "but, but... "
"What brings you here, I say?"
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"Why don't be foolish, man! why wouldn't I be here as well as another?"
"I know well what brings you," said the hunchback looking up askance at the latter with the expression of malignant elf; "I tell you, Herbert, you've no business here, and only we're to sail tomorrow, I'd have you look for lodging elsewhere."
"Well, really, my good fellow," said Herbert when they stood together on the tessellated floor of the hall, "well, really, this is too much. For a stranger, you make over free!"
"Do I, indeed? ha! ha! ha! if you don't let Bessy Conway alone, this is little to what will come after. I know what's in you. ho! ho!don't I Henry? but do you keep out of my way, and I'll keep out of yours? I see by the color of your cheek that you understand me well! a word to the wise is sufficient, you know! But I hear you're going in the Garrick, too, better for you if you didn't, for it's as hard for you to keep from your devilment as it is for me to keep from stooping. I'll be off now, but mind you behave yourself!"
Herbert was only too glad to get rid of his troublesome visitor by a ready "yes! yes! don't fear!" and then turned quickly into the barroom, whilst the hunchback made his exit by the halldoor, leaving the waiter both amused and amazed at his perfect selfpossession and the air of authority which contrasted so oddly with his shabby habiliments.
By the light of a farthing candle which burned on a table between them in a tin candlestick, Paul Brannigan and Widow Sheehan sat looking at each other in a way peculiar to each. They had been talking of the same subject nearest old Dolly's heart, and she had been trying what rhetoric she possessed to induce Paul to reveal what he knew of Philip's fate.
"Wisha, then, Paul (if it's that they call you), I can't get it out o' my head but you know more about Philip than you choose to tell. Maybe it's married the boy is, or something the way, an' sure if he is you needn't fear to tell me. It's nothing but what his father done before him."
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Well! now , see here, Mrs. Sheehan, ma'am!" said the hunchback very seriously, "what interest would I have in keeping it from you, in case I knew myself?"
He tried to look very frank and unembarrassed, and fixed his little black eyes on the widow's face in a way that seemed to challenge scrutiny. Still there was a sort of nervous twitching going on about the mouth, and a restlessness of the whole person that did not escape the sharp eyes of the anxious mother. She shook her head but said nothing.
"Don't you b'live me, ma'am?" asked Paul with an air of offended dignity.
"Well, that I mayn't sin but it's puzzled I am entirely," returned Dolly in a dejected tone; "I b'lieve you, honest man! why wouldn't I! but there's something in my heart that tells me you know more than you're willin' to let me know. God help me, anyhow!"
The sigh that accompanied these words brought a tear to Paul's eye, and he began winking very hard to get rid of it unseen by Dolly. He affected, moreover, to be very angry, and got up from his chair with the air of a man who felt himself injured.
"I'll tell you what it is now, Mrs. Sheehan, ma'am! since you don't believe what I say"
"And what is that, astore?" asked the old woman suddenly, and with a half stupified air; "sure myself forgets what you told me about Philip?"
"I told you," said Paul in a voice that he vainly tried to keep steady, and affecting a sternness which was foreign to his heart at the moment, "I told you that I knew your son once, some years ago, but that I know nothing of him now. I declare I wish I hadn't said anything about it. It's purty bother I have with yourself and your son! isn't it now?" "The Lord forgive me!" he muttered to himself.
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"Oh! then don't be vexed with me, ahagur! sure only I see you're a decent man, an' a feelin' man, too, I wouldn't make so free as I do "
"Well! feeling' here or feelin' there, I don't want to hear a word more about that son of yours, as long as we're at sea, anyhow! when we get to New York, maybe I'd go with you to see about him!"
"God reward you, honest man!" sobbed the old woman as she wiped her eyes with the corner of her blue cotton apron. "Och! och! but it's easy known where the dacent drop is, the way it is with that bit of halfsir that I seen you talkin' to aboard the boat. He hasn't a civil word for any one that's lower than himself."
"Barrin' that girl from Ardfinnan, Bessy Conway," said the hunchback with a grim smile.
"What's that you say?" cried Dolly Sheehan with a start. "Do you think he'd be havin' an eye after the colleen? God keep her out of his clutches any way, for indeed, she's a fine likely little body, an' what's more, I think she's a decent father and mother's child, and has nothing in her barrin' what's good. But sure he'd never think of the like's of her?" she added.
"Not for any good, granny, you may be sure!"
"Wisha, then, Paul, it's not safe for him to be in her way, for, give the devil his due! he's a clean, clever boy to look at. He has a face on him that 'id deceived a Saint"
"He's passable," said Paul with a surly nod, "but that's neither here nor there. Little Bessy's safe enough."
"How do you know that, Paul?"
"No matter how I know it, it's true, and that's enough, granny." And again the little man nodded, but this time with an air of great complacency and selfsatisfaction.
"Well! myself doesn't know what to make of you," observed the old woman, after studying Paul's face for a moment; "you're a mighty close man, sure enough, but anyhow! the Lord enable
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them, that's well indeed, an' has a care over the innocent!"
Here the door was opened suddenly, and in came a big burly man, with a fair complexion, and good-natured, open countenance. He accosted Paul a loud laugh, a propos to nothing, it would seem, and a thump of his big fist on the shoulder that made the little man stagger on his feet, putting up his hand at the same time to rub the afflicted part.
"Why, then, bad manner to you for a sprissaun!" cried Ned Finigan, for he it was, "is it here you are, an' me huntin' you up and down this hour back? I see the work you're at," throwing a humorous glance at the old woman, "well! it's only natural, but, indeed, you're a purty couple, God bless you! Ahem! hem!"
"We're as God made us," said Paul gruffly; "was that your business with me that you took so much trouble to find me?"
"Ha! ha! ha! that's good, too! isn't it granny? little more, an'd he'd bite me; he's so mad because I praised him to his face, next time I'll say he's ugly, I hope that will please him."
"What did you want with me?"
"Don't be vexed, an' I'll tell you. Did you see that purty little fairhaired colleen that's waitin' on Captain Walters' lady?"
"I did. You mean Bessy Conway."
"Sorra one else! well! she's a cousin of mine by the mother's side."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Why so, aroon?"
"Why, because, you're big enough and strong enough to take her part when she wants a friend?"
"Then you think she's likely to want one?" said Ned anxiously. "That's jist what I meant to ask you. They tell me there's a scape-grace of a fellow here that's comin' after her to America, an' that you know all about him "
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"Don't be callin' hard names," said Paul with keen irony, "he's a gentleman's son, that chap!"
"If he was a king's son, and said or did that girl wrong,"- and Ned's brow darkened fearfully, and he clenched his brawny fist, "by the, I won't swear, no, I won't, but as sure as God's in heaven, and that's sure enough, I'd break every bone in his body, so I would!"
"That's rightstick to that, an' you'll do," said little Paul with an encouraging nod.
"But you said," went on Ned, " that he was a gentleman's son. I bar that. I know his father too well to my cost; he's a dirty low beggarman, that's what he is, for all the money and land he has ! No, I didn't come here to ask you who the fellow is, but what he is; that's what I wanted to hear from you -- if you know it !"
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," said Paul raising his dwarfish form to its utmost height, " but, whether or no, the time isn't come yet to make it known. But mind you watch him well, Ned Finigan ! and nail him! do you hear ? nail him on the spot if you catch him makin' too free with Bessy. I hope, now, you're a good soldier!" he added, looking earnestly up in the other's face. "I hope you are, for I'm thinkin' that lad carries arms about him."
"What if he does?" cried the big man fiercely. "I tell you, I'd think as little of what he could do, arms an' all, as if he was a block of the same inches. Is it me a good soldier? Why, man, there never was one of the name since the days of Oliver Cromwell that hadn't the heart of a lion! Did you ever hear tell of the jolly butcher that saved Ardfinnan Castle from the Cromwellians?"
"I never heard of him !" said Paul with a careless shake of the head, winking, however, at old Dolly.
"You didn't ! well ! that's strange, anyhow ! why, I thought every one heard of him. He was a mighty great hero entirely, an' a forebearer of mine to boot. I see you hardly b'lieve me,
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but there's not a word o' lie in what I tell you. That very man, Jerry Fahy by name. By the same token Jerry is an old family name with my mother's people. That very man was no less than my great, great grandfather." And Ned looked first at Paul, then at old Dolly, with the air of a man who expected to receive the homage of his auditors.
"See that now !" cried Dolly holding up her hands with real or pretended wonder.
"Humph!" said Paul very shortly, "I hope you'll never disgrace him !"
"Disgrace him ! why no, man alive! I don't intend it, but wouldn't you wish to hear how it happened?"
"Some other time will do as well, Ned ! we'll all have an early start of it the morrow!" In pursuance of this hint, Ned bade the others good night, remarking that they'd have time enough to talk.
Chapter 3Table of Contents


text:
There has been little serious discussion of this SC ruling online or in the print media: no speculation whatsoever over the meaning of gender in Pakistan, or whether this ruling is right in creating a hijra subject for the purposes of bureaucracy. What is going to constitute 'the Third sex'? And what happens to those who do not qualify for this category? What about those 'gender-confused' people who do not want to be identified as 'Third sex', preferring instead to be identified as 'male' or 'female'?. According to the article quoted above, the hijra are 'left by the society to live by begging, dancing and prostitution', to be exploited by the 'self-styled guru' – does it mean that after this 'social uplift' program, they will be made to give up their lifetyle? What if they can't? Does discrimination go away after formal barriers to progress have been removed, or does it merely become invisible and more difficult to fight? With the avenus of empowerment formally open to them, wouldn't the society find it easier to blame them if their 'begging and dancing and prostitution' continues? Will they be persecuted or will we realize that a 'respectable' life is just not possible for the hijra without a radical change in the society, its institutions and maybe our ideas of 'respectable'?
These questions do not surface because of the complete exclusion of a view from the transgender standpoint in our media. This not only means that the interests of the transgendered go largely unarticulated in our media, but also that the experiences of hijra remain shrouded in mystery. With a bourgeois mentality that is reluctant to recognize gender deviance ('inverted' gender identification, same-sex desire, transvestism, and other inappropriate behavior, all of which, it can be argued, find a measure of acceptance among the more traditionally minded who allow their sons and daughters to join the hijra), the hijra are comfortably assigned a 'Third sex'. Online, a few articles can illustrate this: it is thought that the hijra are 'almost invariably hermaphrodites', when in fact they are not, consisting in a large number of 'biological' males who would be described in the West as 'transgendered' and 'transsexual'. Because of that, you find people talking about 'the true hijra' and 'the cross-dresser' who only tries to pass off as a hijra. The castration ritual evokes feelings of fascination and horror; it is something that goes against the 'rational' sensibilities of most Pakistani moderns. Of course most of us are conditioned to react with feelings of revulsion and pity for their lifestyle, associated with shameless beggary, singing bawdy songs, dancing in the streets, prostitution and even theft and kidnapping. But these feelings also show under the ruse of rationality in articles like this and this. Such write-ups also show the hijra as the enigmatic, untamed Other of the Pakistani society. This is why it is easy to link the hijra with the rise of prostitution, the spread of HIV and other 'evils', especially for those who do not want to criticize the system of relationships that produce these problems. It seems as if we do not want any understanding of the hijra; we have alwayswanted to find a way to deal with them.
An understanding of the hijra begins with an understanding of the society. Ours is a society where, in traditional spaces, you find life strictly segregated on the basis of gender, and where it's not segregated, there is blatant male privilege. The (patriarchal) family reigns supreme as an institution that organizes much of life, based on appropriate gender role socialization, a preference for sons over daughters, early marriages marked by ceremonies that are a public spectacle, and an exclusive system for the care of the young and the old. Transgendered children have an awkward presence in this life - they cannot take the responsibilities of a son, nor can they be married off. And who will take care of them when they grow old? All this makes the marginalization of all 'gender-confused' a necessary condition of our social organization. And the 'unfortunate condition' of the hijra as a community becomes even more understandable when you think about the effects of urbanization and modern life itself, which has taken away their traditional place in the society and exposed them to sexual exploitation
And so, I do not find this Supreme Court ruling very heartening. There's nothing radical about it: by proposing that 'the hijra problem' can be solved by 'registering and surveying' them, it locates the problem in a few particular conditions of the hijra life, and not in the society. And of course no real change will be achieved: the program will suffer from the usual pitfalls of an inefficient bureaucracy. Moreover, the cause of the hijra is in danger of getting co-opted, who do not need to worry now that the State is doing all it can to save them. Gender injustice is a site of revolutionary potential, and that can be lost with the State apparatus formally committed to the 'social uplift' of the hijra. But, like I said before, there will be no real 'social uplift' because the focus is on saving them from this unfortunate situation, rather than working to change the deeply embedded norms of our society
But perhaps the greatest danger, to which I've only alluded so far, is further entrenchment of the gendered order. The hijra have traditionally aroused feelings of awe in the rest of the society, because they defied gender as taken for granted by everyone else. Increasingly, people's attitudes toward them is changing, as people rid themselves of 'silly superstition' and see the hijra as part of the lumpen masses. And I can see this official recognition as 'the Third sex' taking the demystification of the hijra further along. When they are seen as another sex category, the gendered body politic of the society comes to regulate and control them as well, their bodies becoming 'sexed' and providing the basis of a sex role, a body ideal, and a clothing distinction that applies to their sex. Much more likely is a medicalized view that 'pathologizes' their condition as defective maleness or femaleness ('intersex' as the medical classification goes), like it did in late 19th century Europe and became a part of the notorious eugenics movement. The concept of 'intersex' is heavily criticized by transgender activists in the US. In Iran, an adherence to this concept has led to a State-funded program of SRS operations which has both religious and scientific backing. The rationale behind these potentially life-threatening operations is the 'integration' of their 'hijra' into the society, but that does not necessarily mean a better life (from the documentary 'Transsexuals in Iran') for the gender-ambiguous of Iran.
At this point, we cannot project anything about the future of the hijra of Pakistan. But what is clear is that there are good reasons to be skeptical about this Supreme Court ruling. Perhaps then, the wise thing to do is to see this decision as inevitable in the given political context (as Basim Usmani reflects toward the end of his article), and not to endorse it as a positive step toward the liberation of the gender-ambiguous from an oppressive social structure.
July 29, 2009
Source: Sherryx weblog
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by Tom Utescher
It's back to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAA state tournament for the 17-1 Mount St. Joseph Academy field hockey team. The 2010 PA semifinalists won their first three games in the District 1 tourney last week, reaching the semifinal round while also assuring themselves a place among the six squads from the district that will advance to the big statewide stickfest.
Going into Districts as the seventh seed with a 14-1 record that included a season split with Class AA top seed Villa Maria, the Magic opened with a 2-0 victory over number 26 Norristown High School on Monday. Going past 23rd seed Bayard Rustin on Wednesday, 3-0, the Magic then survived a rousing fight with number 18 Spring-Ford on Friday, winning 2-1. As the higher seed in each clash, the Mount hosted all of last week's games; the action moves to neutral sites for the semifinals and finals.
Norristown goalie Eliana Gilette is having a great year (one of the few things the Mount knew about the Eagles), but on Monday the Magic made her look even better than she is. They converted only twice out of their many opportunities in the circle, both on corner restarts and in real time play.
Fortunately, the Mount goals came relatively early in the contest, so despite their frustration on offense later in the game, they were still holding a two-point lead. Freshman Chrissy Pascali punched in the first goal from near the left post, her momentum carrying her into the cage right after the ball. After a shot by Anne Burgoyne was blocked in front of the goal, junior classmate Allie Waters closed in to finish the play for the second Mount marker. Now down 2-0, Norristown called time-out with 12:10 remaining in the first half, and the Eagles did not give up another goal after they returned to the field.
For Wednesday's match the host Magic were able to gain access to Chestnut Hill College's artificial turf Victory Field, but some ill-fortune visited them as well when a hard-hit ball struck Pascali in the forearm during the pre-game warm-up. She started the contest and once again furnished the first goal for the Magic, then she retired to rest her bruised limb.
Senior Brooke Sabia scored to make it 2-0 before halftime, and after the break a second insurance goal capped off a complicated passing sequence. Sabia, her twin sister Allie, and junior Emilee Ehret sent the ball around the circle to set up the finishing blow by sophomore Millie Stefanowicz.
Coach Christina Peruto Post was much happier with this performance than she was with Monday's effort.
In addition to the Mount capitalizing on more scoring chances, she pointed out, "Our defense only allowed one corner, and we didn't have any saves at all marked down for Christina [Black, the Mount's sophomore goalie]."
Mount St. Joe and Spring-Ford have engaged in a number of scrappy basketball games over the years, and the hockey teams joined battle in the same spirit on Friday.
MSJ's Pascali probably doesn't know who "Little Richard" Penniman is, but if the groundbreaking musician had seen her play last week he would've pronounced her "Ready ready Teddy to rock'n'roll." For the third straight game she opened the scoring for the Magic, giving them a 1-0 halftime lead over Spring-Ford. The freshman stuffed the ball into the Rams' pen after a hard outside drive by Ehret rebounded off one of the goalposts.
Mount St. Joe generated 13 penalty corners in the match, but the Rams had eight of their own and the Magic defense was far from idle.
Coach Peruto Post pointed out "Christina Black had seven saves, and our center back, Laura Pacheco (a senior), actually had three defensive stops. We also got [single] defensive stops from each of the Sabias, and from [senior] Katie Gozden and [junior] Julia Mustin."
Spring-Ford tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second half, but the Mount cashed on a corner to regain the lead with 11:25 to play. Off the insertion, the receiver high in the circle dealt the ball off to the right for Brooke Sabia, who fired the game-winner and guaranteed the Magic an invitation to the PIAA's big dance.


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Trouble in U.S. and world financial markets is weighing on the cotton market, according to market analysts speaking at the Ag Market Network's September teleconference.
"I almost feel like we are discussing a financial Armageddon this morning," said Mike Stevens, an analyst with Swiss Financial Services. Stevens was referring to the day before when Wall Street recorded its largest one-day drop since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as several mega-financial companies began to falter in the wake of bad mortgage loans, a falling housing market and credit problems.
Lehman Brothers Holdings filed for bankruptcy protection and Merrill Lynch Co. Inc., agreed to be purchased by Bank of America Corp. The giant insurer American International Group, was looking for some type of rescue package.
The cascading failures are sure to have an impact on the commodity markets, according to Stevens. "After some of the most ballyhooed commodity bull markets in recent history, all of the major indexes went into negative territory yesterday. Goldman Sachs is now down 0.2 percent on the year.
"The fear is that consumer confidence is going into the tank, which will force everyone to get their erasers out concerning the demand side of the cotton equation. We have mega crop problems popping up here in the United States and nobody seems to care anything about it because of the fear on the demand side."
According to Stevens, one sign of trouble was when cotton prices easily broke through resistance levels. "Fundamentally, most of the cotton trade thought that global demand would step to the plate at 70 cents to 67 cents. The market's sharp drop through those levels without a pickup in export demand has shaken confidence greatly.
"Now traders and mills are forced to wait for another shoe to drop. Greatly exacerbating the problem is the fact that demand from China has contracted more sharply than anyone expected. Their crops are obviously much bigger that anyone anticipated."
But the news on demand is not all bad, Stevens says. "Remember, the demand has been chased off by a fear of the unknown. But that demand is still there, and it will come in and support the cotton market very quickly once the confidence returns."
When that happens, the cotton market is likely to return to fundamentals for determining cotton prices. While long-term fundamentals are positive, there are definitely some short-term issues to work through, noted Carl Anderson, Extension specialist, professor emeritus, Texas A&M University.
"A large supply of cotton hanging over the market helped push December 2008 futures from about 82 cents in mid-June to about 64 cents in mid-September, an 18-cent drop, or nearly $100 a bale. Hopefully, at these lower prices, we cure low prices by stimulating use and encouraging production."
USDA's Sept. 12 world agricultural supply and demand estimates were also bearish for cotton, showing lower consumption and higher ending stocks.
Export sales and shipments "have been weaker than expected," Anderson said. "Since our market is dependent upon exports, we're now waiting to see how low these prices will go before buying will start. We could see some sizable export sales overnight, and that would certainly be a positive for the market."
Another bearish piece of news was USDA's increasing its estimate of Chinese cotton production by 1 million bales to 37 million bales, after starting the season off at around 33 million bales.
China is still in the market for cotton, however. "China's cotton use is now projected at 53 million bales, so they have a 16-million bale gap between production and consumption," Anderson said. "They will need a sizable amount of cotton unless they use up their stocks. I doubt they want to get extremely low on stocks."
Anderson added that low cotton prices in China are encouraging mills to buy locally. Meanwhile, time is fleeting for U.S. cotton prices to rise high enough to encourage farmers to plant more cotton next year. "If prices don't improve soon, I definitely think we will see fewer acres planted next year."
That means that planted acreage in the United States will have dropped three times in a row. "Stocks could draw down and really get tight next year," Anderson said. "I'm still optimistic that the future holds higher prices. Currently, we have too much supply of cotton against a very unstable economy in the United States and in the rest of the world too."
Fifty-seven cents is a popular downside target for cotton, according to Stevens. "Once some stability returns, I think you will see a return to fundamentals in cotton to the 67 cent area. Then we can set up a trading range of 67 cents to 74 cents.
"I'm still bullish on cotton December 2010," said O.A. Cleveland, professor emeritus, Mississippi State University. "I believe we will get back into the high 60s. I don't know that we can get 70 cents again unless we have some crop difficulties."
These are very unstable times for cotton said, Pat McClatchy, executive vice president of the Ag Market Network. "We're not just trading cotton, we're trading companies and crude oil, which makes it difficult to get a grasp on what we want to do. But as some point, the markets will stabilize and we should see the market's responding to fundamentals from these low levels."
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So, here's my list of screw you's for the week, since i lost by 5 points:
Shonn Greene. How about not dancing at the end of the game and instead doing something during it. 1st round pick and I've gotten 10 points from you, you bastidge
Josh McDaniels (x2): You took 6 points off the board with stupid decisions to go for it rather than kick a field goal. There's 6 points I don't have. Couple that with playing Maroney over Buckhalter for most of the game and you're on the list.
Green Bay offensive line, James Jones, Mike McCarthy. I had Rodgers and Jermichael Finley. 12 points negated on a hold. The rest of my potential points negated because of the fumble and McCarthy's inability to manage the clock. Screw you guys.
Me: Jeremy maclin on the bench in favor of Buckhalter? (or Shonn Greene if I move Buckhalter to the RB slot.) Screw me, too.


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Ex-UNR Coach Keith Loper Dies at Age 86
Keith Loper, a longtime athletic coach and administrator at the University of Nevada, Reno, has died at the age of 86.
Loper coached a number of sports in the 1960s and 1970s, including football, wrestling, baseball and tennis. He also served as chairman of UNR's Recreation, Physical Education and Dance Department for 16 years before retiring in 1994.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that he died in his sleep at his home in Reno Tuesday morning. His daughter, Kara, says Loper and his wife, Diane, had recently returned from a trip to the Northeastern U.S. to see the autumn leaves.
Nevada baseball coach Gary Powers got his start as an assistant under Loper. He says he's one of the most caring and loyal individuals he's ever known.
Funeral services are pending. (AP)


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Review of DRS 2012 Bangkok on DesignResearchSociety website.
DRS2012 Summary Report
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New! DRS2012: Bangkok Photos Gallery
Thank you everyone for being a part of the conference, we really appreciated it. Let's see Opening & Closing Ceremony photos
PS. If you have some photos to share, please don't hesitate to send to our email: firstname.lastname@example.com. We will put your photos with your credit on our gallery.
DRS 2012 Bangkok
Welcome to the 2012 Design Research Society (DRS) international conference to be held at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on 1-4 July 2012. DRS: Bangkok 2012 is open to a variety of global perspectives on the theory, education and practice of design. Our informal theme is Re:Search: uncertainty, contradiction and value which we hope will encourage a distinctly contemporary exploration of issues facing international design communities.


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From the Standard of the West Since 1879, now for the workin' man and NEW from Justin Original Workboots comes the Stampede Collection in the popular Broad Square Toe profile. Available in both steel toe and non-steel toe versions (and your eyes won't be able to tell the difference) these durable western work styles are available in rugged leathers with great color combinations and with the patented J-Flex Comfort Insole System, they're as easy on your feet as they are on the eye! All steel ?toe styles exceed ASTM F2413-05,I75, and C75 standards along with being EH rated for electrical hazard. The comfortable and durable outsole is made from the Stampede rubber and EVA combination for long lasting wear and all day comfort. Try a pair today! Hey, at this price, try two.


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The Essential HR Handbook
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Paper coffee filters have so many alternative uses besides brewing coffee. You can use paper coffee filters to clean windows, line flower pots, protect china, but have you ever thought about using them to create a fun Halloween costume? We asked a few BUNN employees to experiment with coffee filters to craft fun, one of a kind Halloween costumes and props. Check out their fun creations below and feel free to share with your friends! (PS- Most of these costumes are made from materials you can find right in your home!)
Impress your friends and family by sporting a Halloween costume completely made out of paper with the Paper Doll costume! Who knew that the fun, little paper dolls every girl plays with could make such a fun and easy Halloween costume?!
Materials needed:
Directions for making the Paper Doll Costume:
To wear your Paper Doll costume over your clothes, simply slip the elastic loops over your arms and up to your shoulder. Volia! You are now a Paper Doll for Halloween. Plus, with the ease of preparation, you could make a couple outfits for your costume and change throughout the night. Its fair to say you may be the only one at your Halloween party with a wardrobe change!
This spring the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was all the rage, and the must-have fashion item seen on royals, dignitaries and celebrities alike was over the top hats! This Halloween have your own royal affair by creating a one of a kind hat with coffee filters!
Materials Needed:
Directions for making Kate Middleton inspired hat:
To wear your Royal Affair hat, take bobby pins and pin the hat into your hair.
Who says that the fairy costumes have to be just for the kids? With this Coffee Fairy costume you can celebrate your favorite beverage! Plus, be a hit with all your co-workers on Halloween by delivering cups of coffee as a treat from the Coffee Fairy!
Materials Needed:
Directions for making the wings for Coffee Fairy Costume:
Directions for making headpiece for Coffee Fairy Costume:
Pull this Coffee Fairy Costume together by wearing the headpiece, and strap the wings on your back. Grab a cup of coffee (or a pot of coffee) and become the Coffee Fairy!
The white hockey mask is a staple in American culture when it comes to Halloween and scary movies. Dont have time to pick up a real hockey mask? No problem, you can make one with coffee filters. This coffee filter created hockey mask is just as scary as the really thing!
Materials Needed:
Directions for making scary hockey Halloween mask:
Tie the mask on your face and throw on an old coat. Now youre ready to scare everyone this Halloween with this scary hockey mask.
Warning: Tie the coffee filter mask on your face loosely to ensure you have adequate air supply.
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An inmate working on the deconstruction of the Maryland House of Correction in Jessup suffered a medical emergency and died on a scaffolding system Monday, authorities said.
The 54-year-old inmate, who has not yet been publicly identified, collapsed on the scaffolding and was pronounced dead on the scene, Anne Arundel County fire department and Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services officials said. No cause of death was available Tuesday.
Several dozen inmates are working on the deconstruction of the notorious House of Correction, which was closed in 2007 after a correctional officer was fatally stabbed. The deconstruction, in which the building materials are being saved for reuse, began last month.


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I am developing a page for a private school in which you can enroll online. After you enroll and the data goes to the database, you receive an email with a link to click on and it tells you to print the page you see. The link was made in the parsing form and sends all the variables back to the users email so when they click the link, all their info is on the signup sheet. However, there are three sheets that need to be printed and I want to improve upon my methods and put in a control panel with javascript. The URL i specify is something like this:
This control panel then has three form buttons with all the persons info in each form so when they click on one, it will bring the page with their info. The problem is this. (or at least i think it is this) Since the javascript is client side, it executes and the link looks just like above. Then the php executes but it doesnt pass the variables to the script to open a new window. So anyways, I cant pass the needed variables from the link in the users mailbox to the print_page.php page to the control_panel.php page. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot,


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - University Pay Scale Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in University Pay Scale Goto page 1, 2 Next Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Hong Kong View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message gav71Joined: 19 Dec 2004Posts: 36 Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:42 pm Post subject: University Pay Scale Hi all I was wondering if anyone has a recent copy of the HK University Pay Scale. I've searched everywhere but can't find one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks and all the best gav Back to top Tinseltown RebellionJoined: 02 Jun 2009Posts: 44 Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:32 am Post subject: The simple answer is that they do not have one; at least not which anyone has ever seen, including present staff. Instructors at universities in HK do not receive annual increments as teachers in the school system do. People at universities in HK have individual deals in and around the same ballpark, or rather, ballparks, as there were massive reductions in pay and benefits in the university sector around a decade ago. Whereas before a language instructor (I) would be on around HK$40,000 a month, quite possibly with a housing allowance and educational allowance for any offspring (and sometimes with flights), now those signing new contracts will be put on between HK$25,000 and HK$30,000 at the very most (and sometimes only HK$20,000) with no other benefits. Instructors used to have contracts of three or four years, now there are one or two years, and sometimes only ten months! Many, many instructors I know at three or four 'universities' in HK (scare quotes are employed as very few of these institutions would be recognised as universities proper in the West) have now left to work at international secondary schools, the SNET scheme, and even the PNET scheme. Doing so has doubled their income in many cases. Back to top gav71Joined: 19 Dec 2004Posts: 36 Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:55 pm Post subject: Thanks Tinseltown. I have been out of the HK university sector for about 5 years now, so things must have changed quite a bit. When I last left, there was a university scale which was based on the Public Service Master scale (or a name similar to that), but they were just about to be 'released' from that restriction. At that time however, Instructors would receive yearly increments of approx 1500 HKD - they lowered it from approx 1800 HKD. Once instructors reached a certain level of experience, they were required to present a case to 'cross the efficiency bar' from Instructor 2 to Instructor 1. If they did so, they would continue to receive annual increments, however if they didn't, they would plateau at the pay level before the efficiency bar - I think it was around 33500 HKD. I had heard of universities making it difficult to cross the efficiency bar, which would probably account for the lack of salary increases. I'm not sure of the current situation, but back then unlike the NET scheme, to receive a living allowance an educator had to be hired at an Associate Prof level (perhaps Assistant Prof), which would normally mean a PhD, strong publishing record and at least 10 years of university experience. In most cases (5 years ago) instructors were paid more for their experience than NETS, but did not receive a living allowance. This usually accounted for the the disparity in income. Your statement about the current low salary is worrying though and I hope that there is a lot of room for negotiation. I imagine each tertiary institution is different, but from my experience I have to strongly disagree with your inference to the low quality of HK universities. The department I worked in was of a very high level that would easily meet 'Western' university standards. Anyway, thanks for the update. Back to top MarcoreganoJoined: 19 May 2003Posts: 872Location: Hong Kong Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:37 am Post subject: Hi Gav71, I would take TR's points with a pinch of salt - they seem somewhat over the top to me. He's certainly right about the general deterioration in university pay and contracts, but if I were you I'd make a direct approach to HKU, or your former colleagues if possible, before making any decisions. Back to top Tinseltown RebellionJoined: 02 Jun 2009Posts: 44 Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:12 am Post subject: gav71 wrote: I imagine each tertiary institution is different, but from my experience I have to strongly disagree with your inference to the low quality of HK universities. The department I worked in was of a very high level that would easily meet 'Western' university standards. Most 'academics' I have met and worked with at three universities in HK belong to the Third World circuit, which is why they are in HK. If they could get a job at a uni in the UK, the US, or in Australia then they would. Just take a look through the personal profile pages of the staff in the 'English' departments at the various 'universities' in HK (scare quotes are employed as most such departments do not tend to have many native speakers of English anymore). Fewer and fewer have a PhD and some don't even have a bog standard taught postgraduate degree. Most are just local kids who still live at home with their parents (locals seem to be preferred now); others who are not local have fantastic degrees in subjects wholly unrelated to English, linguistics, or education from such stellar institutions as the 'University' of Delhi. That is the staff. As regards the students, well, they are just kids. Very few live in the student accommodation (their parents will not let them) and so happily continue to live at home with mummy and daddy whilst at university. Thus, university in HK is just an extension of secondary school. They even have their attendance checked through a register. "Is Johnny Chan present ?" I am just surprised they do not go the whole hog and have uniforms, playgrounds, and head boys and head girls. There are no lectures as such, just school-like classes, still dominated with exams, drilling, and learning by rote. Those increments you refer to a thing of the past. There are no increments now. I know of instructor IIs on less than HK$18,500 a month (!) and instructor Is on a mere HK$24,000. The longest contract I have heard of in the past eight years is but two years, and that is without any housing, housing allowance, flights, transport allowance, or educational allowance. Things have changed. Back to top A'MooJoined: 21 Jan 2007Posts: 1067Location: a supermarket that sells cheese Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject: Do they still have hot dog day and show and tell? Seriously, it sounds as though HK higher education is becoming more in tune with the mainland, which was only a matter of time, like many other parts of the world, the West was able to introduce manners, standards and magazines that talked about more than some celeb (name ending in y) being spotted at a Hello Kitty expo holding hands with another celeb (name also ending in y), in-between advertisements for the prerequisite skin whitening cream, Lexus, and immigration lawyers...But things have become Cantonized.... Find your Filipino or backpacker,pay them 5000 a month(probably cant talk about how "thats more money than the village doctor makes/dont ask where he got the money for his benz and 25 years his junior wife"stuff they do in the mainland, have to work on that), put them 4 to a room (those rat and bug infested rooms in Silver Mine Bay would do nicely-you could capture an image of the beach and maybe, a Chinese restaurant sign, along with a picture of the peak and do the "come experience the beauty and majesty of this internationally renowned city" job) and have weekly exhibitions in which the white teachers dress up as spring rolls and bottles of soy suace and dance for the students (make sure theres a Barney outfit for the black teacher, so as not to scare the kids)... Back to top Tinseltown RebellionJoined: 02 Jun 2009Posts: 44 Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:19 pm Post subject: A'Moo wrote: Do they still have hot dog day and show and tell? No, but HKU is still the best university in Pok Fu Lam, probably. Things are not quite as bad as you say, at least not for those at the top, that is, those on the old pay scales (with benefits to boot) who 'co-ordinate', 'manage', and 'oversee' courses, from the sanctuary of their snug office/redoubt, of course. But for those at the bottom, that is, those who actually teach undergraduate (and often postgraduate) language courses, things couldn't really get any worse. Many are now often only earning a few thousand a month more than PNETs get for their housing allowance, and for that they must write and often 'co-co-ordinate' courses, and teach upwards of 14 hours a week. Add to this the fact that there is no housing provided, no housing allowance provided, no health insurance, no flights, and educational allowance and we soon see why so many former university language instructors in HK have become PNETs and SNETs, and why so many have gone elsewhere, usually somewhere or another in the ME so they can get what those who joined universities in HK ten or fifteen years ago got, and continue to get. You also have to remember that for many instructors there is no longer any summer holiday, what with the massive increase in summer courses, which of course they are expected to teach, whilst the professors, associate professors, and department heads are gallivanting off around the globe somewhere enjoying their two months in the sun whilst conducting 'research'. I mean, come on. HKUST are giving out ten-month and twelve-month contracts to assistant language instructors, and they only earn around HK$20,000 a month! An MA or MSc in a relevant area, and typically a teaching certificate of sorts, are required for the post. Meanwhile, the full instructors (not the senior instructors who are on mythical salaries, often upwards of some HK$80,000 a month) continue to pull in around HK$40,000, despite the fact they have identical qualifications to assistant instructors, and despite the fact they teach fewer hours. HKU was giving out four-month contracts a few years ago! As I say, to see who takes these pathetic jobs just browse through the staff pages! Look at all the Chinese surnames! But don't make the mistake of thinking they are 'ABCs', 'BBCs', or 'CBCs', etc.! Take a look at the institutions they obtained their qualifications from. Would Brits, Canadians, Australians, etc., really go to Hong Kong (or India!) to do their BA and MA, or is it more likely the case that, despite what they say, they are local, Hong Kong Chinese (i.e., non-native speakers of English)? And people bemoan the declining standards of English in HK! Back to top MarcoreganoJoined: 19 May 2003Posts: 872Location: Hong Kong Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:44 am Post subject: General academic standards at HKU and CUHK are certainly the highest in HK, though there are some strong departments in the lesser tertiary institutions. As to the salaries discussion, I agree that some English language instructors are recruited on what would once have been regarded as impossibly low salaries, but the unis do still recruit higher qualified staff at higher salaries (albeit not like it once was) - they have to. However, it's worth pointing out that the worst 'downgrading' has occurred in English language teaching - in other subject areas it's still possible to get very good university deals in HK. Back to top gav71Joined: 19 Dec 2004Posts: 36 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:04 am Post subject: Update Hi all Thought I'd drop a few lines, just in case anyone is in a similar situation and is thinking of applying to a HK uni. Without naming institutions or departments, it would seem that it is still possible (with a bit of negotiation) to be hired as an instructor on a 2 year contract for around 40K per month with full medical, gratuity, etc. Hope this helps gav Back to top athewmaJoined: 12 Sep 2009Posts: 2 Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: University salary data for Hong Kong After a lot of digging and research I have located a bit of data for university salaries in Hong Kong. The universities are certainly into the low salary, secrecy business big time these days and this contrasts strongly to the days when they were on public service pay scales and things were open and transparent. Since 1997 there had been a distinct two class system emerge with the higher level post holders doing very well and the lower levels deteriorating dramatically - essentially the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I guess universities are not into the idea of social equity. There are a couple of institutions that are still relatively open about salary scales. These are: Chinese University of Hong Kong place salary scales for most positions on their HR website - although not for the lower paid teaching posts such as instructors, lecturers, tutors etc (we can guess which direction those must be heading). Hong Kong Baptist's College of International Education place salary scales on job adverts. The university proper is into the secrecy game though. Lingnan University (and their community college) tend show salary scales on advertisements. Open University of Hong Kong also tends to show salary scales on the job advertisements. The data shown below covers the past two years (2008 to 2009) and has been sourced mainly from job advertisements and in one case from the institution's HR website. Each institution is listed separately and not all scales are complete due to the random advertisements I had looked over. Help in filling the gaps would be appreciated. I am also interested to in VTC and similar if anyone has this information. I am sure there are those of you out there employed with access to internal HR systems... So in the interests of increasing the bargaining power of the little person, let the data be free ++University Salaries sourced 2008 and 2009.++ ------------------------------------------------------------- HKBU College of International Education Aug 2008 (vairous adverts) Post : Base Salary HK$ per month Senior Lecturer : 46,600 65,100 Lecturer I : 32,200 51,000 Lecturer II : 23,900 31,100 HKBU Language Centre Aug 2009 Post : Base Salary HK$ per month Lecturer I : 32,200 51,000 Lecturer II : 23,900 31,100 Language Ambassadors : 11,000 Language Tutors : 8,000 ------------------------------------------------------------- Lingnan University collected 2008 and 2009 (vairous adverts) Post : Base Salary HK$ per month : Allowances Chair Professor : 104800+ : Total package 1.6million+ PA inc of allowances. Professor : 75,500 - 101,400 : Housing allowance: Assistant Professor or above (or at or above the Associate Director rank for non-academic appointments) Associate Professor : 61,600 - 81,200 : Housing allowance: Assistant Professor or above (or at or above the Associate Director rank for non-academic appointments) Assistant Professor : 45,300 - 71,400 : Housing allowance: Assistant Professor or above (or at or above the Associate Director rank for non-academic appointments) Senior Teaching Fellow : 30,400 - 38,300 Teaching Fellow : 23,100 - 33,300 Research Assistant : 7,500 - 18,800 Part-time Instructors : up to 450 per hour ------------------------------------------------------------- Lingan Community College April 2009 (vairous adverts) Post : Base Salary HK$ per month Principal College Lecturer : 40,200 - 59,900 Senior College Lecturer : 30,600 - 46,200 College Lecturer : 22,900 - 35,000 Assistant College Lecturer : 16,700 - 26,500 Part-time College Lecturer : up to 450 per hour Lingan Adminstrative (vairous adverts) Administrative Officer : 20,800 to 29,200 Assistant Human Resources Officer : 12,300 to 19,800 Administrative Assistant : 7,900 to 13,100 Assistant Administrative Officer : 12,300 to 19,800 ------------------------------------------------------------- Open U HK - Lee Shau Kee School of Business & Administration July 2009 (vairous adverts) Post : Base Salary HK$ per month Associate Professor : 58,415 - 85,280 Assistant Professor : 44,880 - 71,460 Lecturer : 27,910 - 48,400 Assistant Lecturer : 21,880 - 33,520 Teaching Assistant : 15,785 - 24,120 Open U HK School of Arts & Social Sciences Oct 2009 (vairous adverts) Assistant Lecturer : 21,880 - 33,520 Teaching Assistant : 15,785 - 24,120 Open U HK general (vairous adverts) Course Designer : 31835+ Executive Officer II : 17,805 - 33,520 Clerk : 9,565 - 20,835 : Part-time Research Assistant II : 98 per hour ------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese Uni of HK - Teaching (Gathered Sep 2009 from CUHK website) Appointment Level : Salary per Month as of April 1 2008 : Benefits/Housing (as of August 1, 2008) Professor of a subject or specialty : 107,795+ : University Accommodation or Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK21,600 per month Professor 1 : 85,280 - 104,670 : University Accommodation or Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK21,600 per month Professor 2 : 77,955 - 82,030 : University Accommodation or Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK16,200 per month Associate Professor : 64,945 - 74,725 : Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK16,200 per month Assistant Professor (In special cases, Assistant Professor may be offered lower commencing salary) : 47,990 - 61,680 : Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK13,000 per month (only of base salary is above 50475) Professor of a subject or specialty (Clinical) : 161,950+ : Monthly fixed sum cash allowance 62,081 - 63,984 Professor 1 (Clinical) : 122,700 - 159,605 : Monthly fixed sum cash allowance 47,047 - 61,197 Professor 2 (Clinical) : 86,395 - 92,720 : Monthly fixed sum cash allowance 33,119 - 35,544 Associate Professor (Clinical) : 60,535 - 83,370 : Monthly fixed sum cash allowance 16,564 - 31,960 Assistant Professor (Clinical) : 36,740 - 52,815 : Monthly fixed sum cash allowance 6,054 - 14,451 Chinese Uni of HK - Adminstrative Grade/Rank : Salary per Month as of April 2008 Senior Assistant Registrar/Senior Assistant Secretary/Senior Staff Tutor and equivalent rank : 84,160 - 100,115 Senior Architect/Senior Engineer : 74,525 - 100,115 Senior Computer Officer I/Senior Sub-Librarian : 74,525 - 90,555 Assistant Registrar I/Assistant Secretary I/ Assistant Bursar I and equivalent rank : 76,930 - 80,955 Senior Computer Officer II/Sub-Librarian : 57,650 - 80,140 Assistant Secretary II/Assistant Registrar II/ Assistant Bursar II and equivalent rank : 47,360 - 73,745 Assistant Librarian I : 47,360 - 54,420 and 57,650 - 67,310 Architect/Engineer : 36,260 - 76,655 Assistant Librarian II/Administrative Assistant/ Computer Officer I : 34,490 - 54,420 Assistant Architect/Assistant Engineer : 19,575 - 28,850 Chinese Uni of HK Adminstrative Benefits Staff salaries level per month : Benefits/Housing as of August 2008 85,280 and above : University Accommodation or Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK21,600 per month 77,955 82,030 : University Accommodation or Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK16,200 per month 64,945 74,725 : Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK16,200 per month 50,475 61,680 : Non-Accountable Housing Cash Allowance at HK13,000 per month ------------------------------------------------------------- Back to top Tiger BeerJoined: 08 Feb 2003Posts: 778Location: Hong Kong Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:56 am Post subject: Hoping that just like there are many misconceptions with uni teaching in Japan, that Hong Kong might be similar. On the other hand, some of the things here are alarming. Especially if they are suppose to be research-focused, but are requiring teachers to teach throughout the summer vacations months, etc. Back to top forest1979Joined: 10 Jun 2007Posts: 507Location: SE Asia Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:56 am Post subject: Yes there are a lot of misconceptions so take the notion of summer teaching, etc., with more than a pinch of salt. Back to top konaJoined: 17 Sep 2011Posts: 187Location: USA Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject: Any HKers out there think that I might be able to get on with one of those uni gigs with an MA TESOL and 1.5 years experience? I might be able to count it as two years if I include practicum, and I know that's meager experience compared with many other professors out there, but would it amount to anything livable/sustainable/enjoyable? Any and all advice appreciated. Back to top PerillaJoined: 09 Jul 2010Posts: 792Location: Hong Kong Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 3:02 am Post subject: kona wrote: Any HKers out there think that I might be able to get on with one of those uni gigs with an MA TESOL and 1.5 years experience? I might be able to count it as two years if I include practicum, and I know that's meager experience compared with many other professors out there, but would it amount to anything livable/sustainable/enjoyable? Any and all advice appreciated. I honestly doubt that you'd get a uni job here with such limted experience. Even though uni jobs in HK don't pay that well there are still plenty of TEFLers on the ground here who'd rather be working for a uni than the British Council (etc.), and word of mouth often accounts for vacancies when they come up. In any case, you'd certainly need to be in HK to stand any chance. Although not great, the uni TEFL salaries are enough for a decent standard of living, especially with the usual add-ons (IELTS examining, private students, etc.). Back to top konaJoined: 17 Sep 2011Posts: 187Location: USA Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:40 am Post subject: Doesn't sound too promising; I'm assuming I'd probably need to work at a language center in the mean time, and that doesn't sound too great from what I've been reading on these forums. Oh well, just thought I'd assess the situation... I'm guessing the situation is the same in Macau? Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Hong Kong All times are GMTGoto page 1, 2 Next Page 1 of 2 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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'œ... By the plan of relating her material to the main currents of thought in her period, Miss Nicholson gives her book an interest for all students of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.'' Saturday ReviewNicholson, Marjorie H. is the author of 'Newton Demands the Muse: Newton's Opticks and the Eighteenth Century Poets, Vol. 2', published 1979 under ISBN 9780313210440 and ISBN 0313210446.[read more]
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On May 11 at a Walmart in Massachusetts, staff apparently saw three men shoplift packs of Pokémon cards and exit the store.
Police searched one of the suspects' vehicle and discovered a large stash of Pokémon cards worth US$442.
According to The Sun Chronicle, the three men—David Danforth (19), James J. Davis (18), and Sean H. Nadeau (18)—were arrested and now face charges of conspiracy and larceny. The three teens appeared in district court earlier this week. Guess you can say they caught them all.
Catch a Pokemon? Men accused of stealing cards [The Sun Chronicle Thanks, Jason!]
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American Idiot is a single act musical. The performance is a unique and untraditional adaptation of Green Day's album American Idiot (2004), labeled as a punk rock opera. The album won the 2005 Grammy for Best Rock Album.
The creative team includes the Green Day's vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong who is lyricist and co-writer of the book, and also Michael Mayer (Director and Co-Book Writer), Tom Kitt (Music Supervisor, Arrangements and Orchestration), Steven Hoggett (Choreographer) and Jared Stein (Music Director).
The musical tells the extraordinary story of three lifelong friends. Jesus of Suburbia - the lead character from the punk rock opera, was renamed to Johnny and the writers have included two more main characters - Will and Tunny. The men have to choose between their safe suburban homes and chasing their dreams. Their quest leads them on the most exhilarating theatrical journey.
American Idiot came on stage for the first time in 2009 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The musical almost immediately became a successful hit and Green Day decided to take the cast into their Studio 880 to make a recorded version of the song 21 Guns. The track was released to iTunes for download on December 22, 2009. The original cast recording of the musical was released on April 20, 2010.
The show opened officially on Broadway on April 20, 2010, at St James Theatre and closed on April 24, 2011, after 27 previews and 421 performances. The musical was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award as Best Musical, and won two Tony Awards for its scenic and lighting design. The show also won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, plus a Drama Desk Award, two Broadway.com Audience Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
The production started it's North American tour in December 2011 from Toronto, Ontario. In 2012 American Idiot will be touring the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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Although the power was turned on in most parts of the city over the last week, there are still many residents who are displaced because their homes are uninhabitable or remain without power and hot water.
But the outpour of support for Long Beach residents since Hurricane Sandy hit more than two weeks ago has been remarkable, city officials and locals said, and a number of organizations and businesses are coming together to make sure that families in need receive support from their community during the holidays.
Among them is Swingbelly's, the popular West End barbecue restaurant, that has teamed up with the Long Beach Surfer's Association, Skudin Surf and the non-profit organization Surf for All, among others, to launch an "emergency relief" effort to provide Thanksgiving dinners for at least 100 Long Beach families on Thursday.
"Normally, we sell turkeys for Thanksgiving," said Kelly Sullivan, whose husband, Sean, owns Swingbelly's. "But after the hurricane, we said, 'Why don't we raise money online and try to feed 100 families in the West End?' That was the original plan. We created this website, www.crowdrise.com, and we set the goal at $10,000 thinking we would get just $2,000. But we raised $10,000 in 24 hours."
Sullivan said that the initiative has attracted corporate sponsorships as well and the attention of local community groups. The effort has since grown and more donations and volunteers are needed.
"We're going to do a community Thanksgiving dinner at the Ice Arena, all are welcome and we'll have food for everybody," Sullivan said.
Meals will be served outside the City of Long Beach Ice Arena, located at 150 West Bay Dr., in heated tents starting at 11 a.m. and go on until food runs out or there are no more people to serve. Those interested in volunteering should look for volunteers in bright shirts that read, "Ask Me How to Volunteer." There will be two shifts for volunteers — the first shift will be at 9:30 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m.