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Old Montreal churches get a second life
Inside a former Anglican church in central Montreal, crucifixes, prayer benches and candlesticks have been replaced by books and chessboards -- part of an effort by developers and community groups to breathe new life into abandoned churches. "I really like coming here. I like the little church feel, it is conducive for concentrating," university student Alexia Delestre whispered at the Mordecai-Richler library, which is housed in the old church building. Across the once highly religious French-speaking province of Quebec, dozens of churches have been transformed into daycare centers, spas, basketball courts, climbing centers, and a cheese factory. "In general, we do not want to destroy churches if we can preserve them because they are beautiful buildings that mark the urban space well," said Justin Bur, 58, a member of the local historical society Memoire du Mile-End. "They are important landmarks." Another 1960s church in Montreal was saved from demolition at the last minute and now houses a residence for the elderly, social housing, and daycare. Outside, its imposing white concrete structure and its high-perched cross stand out in the urban landscape. Inside, seats and children's toys fill rooms with high ceilings and large windows. "It's really the Rolls-Royce of daycare centers," boasted Isabelle Juneau, deputy director of La Creche daycare, highlighting the modernist architecture and the brightness of the place. City of 100 steeples The repeal in the 1960s -- during Quebec's Quiet Revolution or secularization -- of a tax that paid for the maintenance of churches contributed greatly to the abandonment and deterioration of places of worship. Many have been deserted, including in Montreal, which was nicknamed "the city of 100 steeples" by the writer Mark Twain who once famously said that "you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window." Quebec used to be home to around 2,800 churches, but their number has been dwindling, explained Lucie Morisset, an urban heritage researcher. In Montreal alone, there were about 1,000 churches at the beginning of the 20th century, of which only 400 are left today. "There are no more priests, there are no more religious practices. Society has moved on to something else," said Morisset. Over the past two decades, about 100 churches have been redeveloped, according to the Quebec Religious Heritage Council. About ten have been demolished and some forty have transitioned into synagogues, mosques, or other types of places of worship. Costly conversions Conversions are not always easy, but they have become even more costly lately due to galloping inflation. Marc-Andre Simard, general manager of the Chic Resto Pop restaurant said it cost several hundred thousand dollars to convert an old church into a community cafeteria. The entire basement was repurposed into a kitchen and the grounds had to be decontaminated after an old heating oil tank leaked. The restaurant now serves more than 300 meals each day to the neighborhood's needy while providing kitchen training for the unemployed -- amid the original woodwork, multicolored stained glass windows, and confessionals. For Simard, it is "essential that the entire religious heritage is not left to rot" because old churches can still serve as community spaces or residences. The post Old Montreal churches get a second life appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A new ‘Exorcist’ takes possession of North America box office
Fifty years after the original, newly released "The Exorcist: Believer" topped the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $27.2 million in ticket sales, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. Analyst David A. Gross called that "a good opening for a horror sequel," the best of any of the "Exorcist" movies, despite what he said were poor reviews and lukewarm audience scores for Blumhouse and Universal's Halloween-timed film. Like the original, "Believer" features possessed victims convulsing, covered in sores, and speaking in tongues. It also has a decidedly interfaith exorcism. Leslie Odom Jr. and Ann Dowd star, with an appearance by Ellen Burstyn from the 1973 original. "Believer" was to have opened on Friday the 13th, but the studio moved up its release to avoid conflicting with the release that day of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," a concert film certain to generate big numbers, Variety reported. Last weekend's box office leader, Paramount's family-friendly "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie," slipped slightly to second, at $11.8 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. The Paw Pups, using new superpowers as they fight to protect their city, are voiced by actors Taraji P. Henson, Chris Rock, Serena Williams, and McKenna Grace. In third, also down one spot, is Lionsgate's horror flick "Saw X," at $8.2 million. This latest in the "Saw" series, again with Tobin Bell as the infamous Jigsaw, has received strongly positive reviews. The fourth spot, down from third, went to 20th Century sci-fi thriller "The Creator," at $6.1 million. John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, and Allison Janney play humans in a world at war with artificial intelligence. Holding steady in fifth was Fathom Events' faith-based movie "The Blind," at $3.1 million. It portrays the real-life struggles of swamp-dwelling reality TV star Phil Robertson with addiction and romance. Rounding out the top 10 were: "A Haunting in Venice" ($2.7 million) "The Nun II" ($2.6 million) "Dumb Money" ($2.2 million) "The Equalizer 3" ($1.8 million) "Hocus Pocus: 30th Anniversary" ($1.5 million) The post A new ‘Exorcist’ takes possession of North America box office appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AI of the tiger: Tiny camera ‘protects’ predator — and people
Tiger populations are on the rise in the jungles of India and Nepal and the predators are roaming ever closer to villages, sparking a race among conservationists to find ways of avoiding conflict. They are increasingly finding solutions with artificial intelligence, a bunch of technologies designed to reason and make decisions like humans. Experts from Clemson University in South Carolina and several NGOs published research last month on their work using AI-enabled cameras that they say could help revolutionize tiger conservation. They placed tiny devices around enclosures in the two South Asian nations, both to protect villagers from the predators -- and the predators from poachers. According to their research, published in the BioScience journal, the camera system called TrailGuard can distinguish between tigers and other species and relay images to park rangers or villagers within seconds. "We have to find ways for people and tigers and other wildlife to coexist," Eric Dinerstein, one of the authors of the report, told AFP. "Technology can offer us a tremendous opportunity to achieve that goal very cheaply." Elephants and Amazon loggers The research claims the cameras were immediately effective, picking up a tiger just 300 meters from a village, and on another occasion identifying a team of poachers. They say their system was the first AI camera to identify and transmit a picture of a tiger, and it has almost wiped out false alarms -- when traps are tripped by passing boars or falling leaves. The scheme is one of several putting an AI spin on the established ideas of wildlife surveillance. Researchers in Gabon are using AI to sift their camera trap images and are now trying a warning system for elephants. Teams in the Amazon are piloting equipment that can detect the sounds of chainsaws, tractors and other machinery associated with deforestation. And US tech titan Google teamed up with researchers and NGOs four years ago to collect millions of images from camera traps. The project, called Wildlife Insights, automates the process of identifying species and labelling images, saving many hours of laborious work for researchers. Conservationists like Dinerstein, who also leads the tech team at the Resolve NGO, are sure that technology is helping their cause. 'Early warning system' Their goal is to ensure that 30 percent of the Earth's land and oceans are designated protected zones by 2030, as agreed by dozens of governments last year, with that number eventually going up to 50 percent. Those zones will need to be monitored, and animals will need to move safely between protected areas. "That's what we're shooting for, and the critical element of that is an early warning system," he said. The plight of tigers underscores the size of the challenge. Their habitats have been devastated across Asia and their numbers in India fell to an all-time low of 1,411 in 2006, before steadily rising to current levels of around 3,500. In the mid-20th century, India was home to an estimated 40,000. 'Jury still out' Jonathan Palmer, head of conservation technology at the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who was not involved in the study, said TrailGuard had exciting potential. But Palmer, who helped found Wildlife Insights with Google, said the broader uses of AI in conservation were not yet settled. "In most cases, AI species identification is still in its infancy," he said. His NGO recommends outside verification of any species identification done by AI. And Palmer said the "jury was out" on whether AI was better deployed in cameras at the scene or afterwards on servers or laptops. Those uncertainties aside, Dinerstein is widening the rollout of TrailGuard -- this time with even bigger animals in his sights. "Elephants wander outside parks all the time and it leads to a massive amount of conflict," he said. They destroy crops, cause chaos in villages and can even cause train crashes, with dozens of deaths every year, he added. "There's an immense opportunity here to prevent that." The post AI of the tiger: Tiny camera ‘protects’ predator — and people appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Global governance is stuck in time
We confront a host of existential threats — from the climate crisis to disruptive technologies — and we do so at a time of chaotic transition. For much of the Cold War, international relations were largely seen through the prism of two superpowers. Then came a short period of unipolarity. Now we are rapidly moving toward a multipolar world. This is, in many ways, positive. It brings new opportunities for justice and balance in international relations. But multipolarity alone cannot guarantee peace. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe had numerous powers. It was truly multipolar. But it lacked robust multilateral institutions and the result was World War I. A multipolar world needs strong and effective multilateral institutions. Yet global governance is stuck in time. Look no further than the United Nations Security Council and the Bretton Woods system. They reflect the political and economic realities of 1945, when many countries were still under colonial domination. The world has changed. Our institutions have not. We cannot effectively address problems as they are if institutions do not reflect the world as it is. Instead of solving problems, they risk becoming part of the problem. And, indeed, divides are deepening. Divides among economic and military powers. Divides between North and South, East and West. We are inching ever closer to a Great Fracture in economic and financial systems and trade relations; one that threatens a single, open Internet; with diverging strategies on technology and artificial intelligence; and potentially clashing security frameworks. It is high time to renew multilateral institutions based on 21st century economic and political realities — rooted in equity, solidarity and universality and anchored in the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. That means reforming the Security Council in line with the world of today. It means redesigning the international financial architecture so that it becomes truly universal and serves as a global safety net for developing countries in trouble. At the same time, divides are also widening within countries. Democracy is under threat. Authoritarianism is on the march. Inequalities are growing. And hate speech is on the rise. In the face of all these challenges and more, compromise has become a dirty word. We have just survived the hottest days, the hottest months, and the hottest summer on the books. Behind every broken record are broken economies, broken lives and whole nations at the breaking point. Actions are falling abysmally short. There is still time to keep rising temperatures within the 1.5-degree limits of the Paris [Climate] Agreement. But that requires drastic steps now — to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and to ensure climate justice for those who did least to cause the crisis but are paying the highest price. The fossil fuel age has failed. If fossil fuel companies want to be part of the solution, they must lead the transition to renewable energy. No more dirty production. No more fake solutions. No more bankrolling climate denial. Climate chaos is breaking new records, but we cannot afford the same old broken record of scapegoating and waiting for others to move first. And to all those working, marching and championing real climate action, I want you to know that you are on the right side of history and that I am with you. I won’t give up this fight of our lives. *** Excerpts from the UN Secretary-General’s address to the General Assembly, 19 September 2023. The post Global governance is stuck in time appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The Murdoch business: an empire on three continents
Over the last six decades, Rupert Murdoch built a media empire well beyond his native Australia, amassing key media properties across three continents in a run that was also characterized by multiple scandals. Through his companies, News Corp and Fox Corporation, Murdoch built one of the world's most substantial portfolios of newspaper and broadcast holdings under one roof. Murdoch's wealth was estimated at $17.3 billion by Forbes on Thursday when he announced he was handing the reins to his son Lachlan while shifting to an "emeritus" status at the two companies. Here is a closer look at the two businesses. News Corp The business includes Murdoch's holdings in his birth country of Australia -- led by The Australian, the lone national daily started by Murdoch in 1964. The company also owns Australia The Daily Telegraph and news website News.com.au, as well as television station Sky News Australia and pay television company Foxtel. Murdoch's initial investment in Britain came in 1969 with the purchase of the tabloid News of the World, which was shut down in 2011 following a phone hacking scandal. In 1981, he purchased the prestigious daily The Times, along with The Sunday Times, adding to a print news business that also included The Sun. Holdings in radio and television included talkSPORT, TalkTV, and Virgin Radio UK. News Corp is also present in Ireland with local radio stations. Murdoch's push in North America dates to 1985 with his purchase of the New York Post. In 2007, News Corp landed a major acquisition of the media group Dow Jones, whose holdings include the long-respected Wall Street Journal. The company in 1987 added the publishing house HarperCollins, which originally dates to 1817. HarperCollins bought romance publisher Harlequin in 2014. News Corp also controls Rea Group, which specializes in commercial and residential real estate through websites such as realtor.com and flatmates.com.au. In fiscal 2023, News Corp reported profits of $149 million on revenues of $9.9 billion. Fox Corporation In 1984, Murdoch acquired 20th Century Fox, an entity he reorganized and remade. In 2017, he sold the movie studio, renamed 21st Century Fox, to Disney. Fox Corporation is now comprised of the national television channel Fox and several cable channels, as well as Fox News, which is known for a right-wing spin on news popular with conservative Americans. Other holdings include the entertainment news network TMZ, as well as Studio Ramsay Global, which features British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and the MasterChef franchise. In fiscal 2023, Fox reported profits of $1.3 billion on $14.9 billion in revenues. The post The Murdoch business: an empire on three continents appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
End of era as Toshiba completes $13.5-billion offer to go private
Japanese industrial giant Toshiba marked the end of an era as a listed company on Thursday as it announced that a private consortium had bought almost 80 percent of its shares. Remaining shareholders will be "squeezed out" after the $13.5-billion tender offer and Toshiba shares will be delisted after more than 70 years on the stock market, Toshiba said. Toshiba traces its roots back to 1875 and evolved into a vast conglomerate in the 20th century synonymous with Japan's postwar economic revival and its technological innovation. The firm became a household name in Japan and beyond, making everything from early laptop computers, elevators and nuclear power stations to microchips. But it has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years, including a huge accounting scandal in 2015 and billions of dollars in losses from US nuclear subsidiary Westinghouse. Pressure from activist shareholders and a takeover offer from private equity group CVC prompted aborted attempts to split the company first into three, and then into two. Finally, Toshiba's board accepted in March the takeover bid by the consortium that includes more than 20 Japanese banks and other firms. "Toshiba Group will now take a major step toward a new future with a new shareholder," CEO Taro Shimada said in a statement Thursday. The saga has been closely watched in business circles for clues about what could become of other huge, diversified conglomerates in Japan and elsewhere. The post End of era as Toshiba completes $13.5-billion offer to go private appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Colombian artist Fernando Botero dead at 91: president
Colombia's most famous artist, Fernando Botero, who was known for his voluptuous depictions of people and animals, has died aged 91, President Gustavo Petro announced Friday. "Fernando Botero, the painter of our traditions and defects, the painter of our virtues, has died," the president posted on social media. Botero's works of plump and slightly surreal forms became enormously popular during his lifetime, on display in museums and public spaces in cities around the world, including Bogota, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, and Venice. Born in Medellin in 1932, his signature style was known as "Boterismo" and he is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The post Colombian artist Fernando Botero dead at 91: president appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Savoy dynasty daily life on display with Geneva auction
Porcelain figurines, a white faux-leather sofa and a foosball table: these are among the items in a House of Savoy auction, providing a rare glimpse into the everyday life of royals. More than 200 objects are going under the hammer this week, drawn from the former Geneva home of Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy -- the son of the last king of Italy, Umberto II -- and his wife Marina. Royal aficionados may be interested in a delicate 18th century tea cup, a modernist game of chess, or two motorcycles owned by the couple's 51-year-old son, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy. A portion of the lots are being sold off online until September 18, while others will feature in an in-person auction two days later hosted by the Geneve Encheres auction house. In all, the objects being sold by the couple are expected to fetch between 100,000 and 150,000 Swiss francs ($112,000-$168,000). But Cyril Duval, a partner at Geneve Encheres, told AFP the value estimates were not really important, since the collection was more about "falling in love". This auction, he said, "makes it possible for collectors to obtain certain objects they may have dreamt about after seeing them in magazines or on the screen". The collection comprises of historical memorabilia and some household items from the villa the Savoy family had built in the 1970s in Vesenaz, on the outskirts of Geneva. Vittorio Emanuele is the 86-year-old head of the House of Savoy, whose family was forced to leave Italy after the monarchy was abolished in 1946. 'Rock and roll' Among the items for sale is "a 19th century dinner set used during a ball hosted by Queen Victoria in London City Hall", Duval said. There are also objects linked to the Savoy family heritage, including engraved silver coat of arms and porcelain figurines, but also bronze statuettes recalling the modernist interior style of the Geneva villa. The collection also includes items that are "much more pop", Duval said. He highlighted one of the two motorcycles, a 1941 Indian Sport Scout, with an asking price of 15,000-20,000 Swiss francs ($16,800-$22,400). "It belonged to crown prince Emanuele Filiberto, a 20th century rock and roll prince with tattooed arms," he said. The grandson of Italy's last king, who is married to French actress Clotilde Courau, enjoyed riding his motorcycles with Johnny Hallyday, the late French rock legend, he added. Duval explained that the auction was taking place after "the prince and princess left and sold" the Geneva villa this year, opting to stay in their residence in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Gstaad instead. Vittorio Emanuele was born in Naples in 1937, less than a decade before the monarchy ended and his family was forced to leave Italy. He and other male heirs of the Savoy family were sent into exile because his grandfather Vittorio Emmanuele III had collaborated with the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini on anti-Jewish laws during World War II. Vittorio Emmanuele III abdicated in May 1946 after 46 years on the throne, and his son Umberto II succeeded him, but only for a month before a June referendum abolished the monarchy. The Italian parliament only ended a constitutional ban on the House of Savoy's male heirs returning to Italy in 2002, after Vittorio Emanuele and Emanuele Filiberto swore loyalty to the republic, but they have continued living mainly in Switzerland. The post Savoy dynasty daily life on display with Geneva auction appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Road rage
Those with sharp memories and local crime story buffs will never forget three road rage cases that hogged print and broadcast news headlines toward the end of the 20th century and into the millennium. These high-profile cases involving detainees Inocencio Gonzales, Rolito Go, and Jason Ivler ended in their conviction and sentencing to long prison terms, with their names forever etched in the annals of heinous crimes recorded in the country. A brief refresher. On 2 July 1991, a De La Salle University engineering student was driving on a one-way street in San Juan City, Metro Manila, when he ran into construction firm executive Rolito Go, plying the road from the opposite direction. After a brief altercation, Go shot Eldon Maguan in the head, who died in the aftermath. Go served 25 years in prison before he was released. Seven years later, in the middle of a heated argument over a parking slot, real estate developer Inocencio Gonzales Jr. lost his cool, which led to the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman and the wounding of two younger children with her and her husband at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City on 21 October 1998. Gonzalez was meted a 14-year prison term. In 2009, a nephew of music celebrity Freddie Aguilar, Jason Ivler, shot dead a son of former Malacañang official Renato Ebarle Sr. after a tiff on a Quezon City road. An earlier road incident in 2004 that snuffed the life of another Malacañang official, Nestor Ponce, also pointed to Ivler as the accused in Ponce’s death. A Quezon City court found Ivler guilty of the murder of Renato Ebarle Jr. and sentenced him to 40 years in jail. There are no available statistics on road rage incidents in the Philippines, but observers have noted an alarming increase in recent years. But in the United States, statistics show 413 people were hurt in road rage shootings in 2022, or a 135 percent increase from 2018. US traffic experts say confrontational driving is more often the case that could be caused by traffic conditions, inconsiderate motorists, and high stress levels among motorists with ages ranging from 19 to 39. Not too long ago, two road rage incidents that have gained public attention because of social media posts that had gone viral involved men in uniform. In the viral video of an incident in Quezon City, Wilfredo Gonzales, a policeman dismissed from the service for grave misconduct in 2018, was shown brandishing a gun and threatening a cyclist in a traffic row. Even more controversial was a press conference conducted by the QC police days later that suggested they were “lawyering” for Gonzales, a former QC policeman. The PNP has no mandate to host such a press conference, it was later learned. In a separate incident, a Pasay City policeman, SSgt. Marsan Dolipas was also shown in a video post holding down an armed Angelito Velasquez Rencio, who said he was an Intelligence agent, after a traffic dispute in Makati City when the latter allegedly sideswiped the policeman. Both incidents prompted the usual calls for an investigation. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Rafael Tulfo have called for a Senate probe into the escalation of road rage cases in the country. It is interesting to note that even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. filed Senate 2923 when he was still a senator back in 2011. The bill “hopes to once and for all stomp rood rage as on unnecessary and reprehensible evil, and define such as a circumstance that could aggravate, or even qualify, on offense occasioned by it. The incidents involve public order and safety, particularly “road sharing,” a concept that they said is often ignored or alien to many Filipino motorists, added the senators. For his part, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, whose jurisdiction includes the control of the PNP, said: “For the sake of a peaceful and orderly society, we cannot allow a culture of impunity. We cannot allow bullies to intimidate people with deadly weapons. There must be consequences here.” Still, the incidents persist. Behavioral scientists attribute road rage to several reasons: A need to control other drivers who violate their space, unchecked anger or aggression, huge egos, or a need to be dominant. Others think the rise in incidents lately came about by the advent of Covid-19 when stress levels reached abnormally unreachable heights caused by depression, the loss of jobs or loved ones to the pandemic, and the inability to cope with such. Solutions have been suggested. Push for continuing driver anger management education. Discard the “it’s the other driver’s fault” excuse. Don’t allow anyone to push your “rage buttons” by staying calm and collected when an altercation appears to be headed your way. Yield to others. These may be easier said than done, but why not take the chance? As an anger management expert said: Realize road rage is ridiculous, life-threatening, and not something you have to participate in — ever. And you can arrive at your destination safe and sure. The post Road rage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Unite for peace
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a reminder of how autocracies care little about causing death and destruction. The war is a gross violation of human rights and the principle of peaceful settlement of international disputes as codified in the United Nations Charter, which has helped maintain the rules-based international order and kept the world in relative peace since the end of the Cold War. [caption id="attachment_178304" align="aligncenter" width="1101"] Dr. Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) | illustration by Glen Tolo for the Daily Tribune[/caption] The war’s humanitarian and economic fallout has also shown that, in a globalized world, crises cannot be contained within national borders. It is, therefore, imperative to deter similar threats to global security from happening elsewhere. Taiwan—a democracy that is home to over 23 million people and that I proudly represent—continues to confront enormous challenges posed by China. Since the mid-20th century, the People’s Republic of China has vowed to take control of Taiwan and refused to renounce the use of force, despite never having ruled Taiwan. For decades, the people of Taiwan have remained calm in safeguarding the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, as China’s economic and military might has grown stronger, it becomes increasingly aggressive in flexing its military muscle to intimidate Taiwan, thereby threatening our democratic way of life. This includes sending warplanes and ships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and encroaching into our air defense identification zones. It has also intensified gray-zone tactics, such as disinformation and economic coercion, in an attempt to wear down our will to fight. The PRC’s expansionism does not stop at Taiwan. China’s use of gray-zone activities in the East and South China Seas are designed to expand its power and substantiate its hawkish territorial claims. In addition to signing a security agreement with Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, the PRC has been securing ports for future military use in the Indian Ocean. All of these maneuvers are causing grave concerns that peace is becoming more difficult to maintain. Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in everyone’s best interest. Half of the world’s commercial container traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait each day. Taiwan produces the majority of the world’s semiconductors and plays a key role in global supply chains. Any conflict in the area would have disastrous consequences for the global economy. In recent years, bilateral and multilateral forums have repeatedly emphasized that the peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to global security. While we can all agree that the war must be avoided, how to best do so requires inclusion, dialogue and, most of all, unity. The United Nations remains the best platform for global discourse. UN officials speak often of joint solutions, solidarity, and inclusion in tackling the pressing issues of our time. Taiwan is more than willing and able to take part in these efforts. However, Taiwan continues to be excluded from the UN due to China’s distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. This resolution neither states that Taiwan is a part of the PRC nor gives the PRC the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the UN and its specialized agencies. In fact, the resolution only determines who represents the member-state China, a fact that the international community and China itself recognized following the relevant vote in 1971. The subsequent misrepresentation of Resolution 2758 contradicts the basic principles upheld by the UN Charter and must be rectified. The 78th session of the UN General Assembly, which will center on the theme “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity,” is timely in light of a number of broad global challenges. For example, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were designed as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity. Yet the most recent SDG progress report showed that just 12 percent of SDG targets were on track, while progress on 50 percent has remained insufficient. And on more than 30 percent, we have stalled or even regressed. While there are no easy answers, the first step is dialogue. As a truly global institution, the UN can serve as a champion of progress. We call on the UN to uphold its principle of leaving no one behind by allowing Taiwan to participate in the UN system, rather than excluding it from discussions on issues requiring global cooperation. A good first step would be to allow Taiwanese individuals and journalists to attend or cover relevant meetings, as well as ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in meetings and mechanisms regarding the SDGs. Ukraine’s incredible bravery and resilience have inspired countries around the globe. The war there has forged a new sense of togetherness in the world. Unity is crucial to pushing back against Russia’s aggression and to preserving universal values, such as human rights and global peace, more broadly. It is vital to make China and other authoritarian governments aware that they will be held accountable and to urge them to settle differences through peaceful means. Allowing Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the UN system would benefit the world’s efforts to address pressing global issues. This would also demonstrate the UN’s determination to unite for global peace at a critical juncture when the future of the world is at stake. We are stronger together. Now is the time to act on this fundamental principle by including Taiwan. The post Unite for peace appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Unite for Peace in the World and Taiwan’s Inclusion in the UN
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a reminder of how autocracies care little about causing death and destruction. The war is a gross violation of human rights and the principle of peaceful settlement of international disputes as codified in the United Nations Charter, which has helped maintain the rules-based international order and kept the world in relative peace since the end of the Cold War. The war’s humanitarian and economic fallout has also shown that in a globalized world crises cannot be contained within national borders. It is therefore imperative to deter similar threats to global security from happening elsewhere. Taiwan—a democracy that is home to over 23 million people and that I proudly represent—continues to confront enormous challenges posed by China. Since the mid-20th century, the People’s Republic of China has vowed to take control of Taiwan and refused to renounce the use of force, despite never having ruled Taiwan. For decades, the people of Taiwan have remained calm in safeguarding the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, as China’s economic and military might has grown stronger, it has become increasingly aggressive in flexing its military muscle to intimidate Taiwan, thereby threatening our democratic way of life. This includes sending warplanes and ships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and encroaching into our air defense identification zones. It has also intensified gray-zone tactics, such as disinformation and economic coercion, in an attempt to wear down our will to fight. The PRC’s expansionism does not stop at Taiwan. China’s use of gray-zone activities in the East and South China Seas are designed to expand its power and substantiate its hawkish territorial claims. In addition to signing a security agreement with Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, the PRC has been securing ports for future military use in the Indian Ocean. All of these maneuvers are causing grave concerns that peace is becoming more difficult to maintain. Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in everyone’s best interest. Half of the world’s commercial container traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait each day. Taiwan produces the majority of the world’s semiconductors and plays a key role in global supply chains. Any conflict in the area would have disastrous consequences for the global economy. In recent years, bilateral and multilateral forums have repeatedly emphasized that peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to global security. While we can all agree that the war must be avoided, how to best do so requires inclusion, dialogue, and, most of all, unity. The United Nations remains the best platform for global discourse. UN officials speak often of joint solutions, solidarity, and inclusion in tackling the pressing issues of our time. Taiwan is more than willing and able to take part in these efforts. However, Taiwan continues to be excluded from the UN due to China’s distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. This resolution neither states that Taiwan is a part of the PRC nor gives the PRC the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the UN and its specialized agencies. In fact, the resolution only determines who represents the member state China, a fact that the international community and China itself recognized following the relevant vote in 1971. The subsequent misrepresentation of Resolution 2758 contradicts the basic principles upheld by the UN Charter and must be rectified. The 78th session of the UN General Assembly, which will center on the theme “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity,” is timely in light of a number of broad global challenges. For example, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were designed as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity. Yet the most recent SDG progress report showed that just 12 percent of SDG targets were on track, while progress on 50 percent has remained insufficient. And on more than 30 percent, we have stalled or even regressed. While there are no easy answers, the first step is dialogue. As a truly global institution, the UN can serve as a champion of progress. We call on the UN to uphold its principle of leaving no one behind by allowing Taiwan to participate in the UN system, rather than excluding it from discussions on issues requiring global cooperation. A good first step would be to allow Taiwanese individuals and journalists to attend or cover relevant meetings, as well as ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in meetings and mechanisms regarding the SDGs. Ukraine’s incredible bravery and resilience have inspired countries around the globe. The war there has forged a new sense of togetherness in the world. Unity is crucial to pushing back against Russia’s aggression and to preserving universal values, such as human rights and global peace, more broadly. It is vital to make China and other authoritarian governments aware that they will be held accountable and to urge them to settle differences through peaceful means. Allowing Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the UN system would benefit the world’s efforts to address pressing global issues. This would also demonstrate the UN’s determination to unite for global peace at a critical juncture when the future of the world is at stake. We are stronger together. Now is the time to act on this fundamental principle by including Taiwan. The post Unite for Peace in the World and Taiwan’s Inclusion in the UN appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A morning stroll around Tuguegarao
Tuguegarao’s market, the hub of commerce for the capital city and nearby towns in the province of Cagayan, northern Luzon, is a quintessential site in provincial commercial centers with vendors preparing their produce and products to be sold for the day. Bags of pansit and bean sprouts were being unloaded for pansiterias to cook the city’s famous noodle dish, pansit batil potun, widely known as pansit batil patong, while early marketgoers visited the local karinderyas serving dishes such as igado and dinardaraan. An ambulant street-side stall sold meryenda or even breakfast fares best served with coffee — puto, suman, cassava cake, and the made-to-order bibingka of many kinds. [caption id="attachment_176530" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Horno ruins (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] All activities radiated from the multi-level market which spans one block, a landmark to behold not architecturally but for the space it occupies and the important function it and its immediate areas serve to the community. After all, Tuguegarao is still “the best pueblo for commerce in the valley,” as noted in the early 20th century by Dominican priest Valentin Marin. At the city center, there are quite a number of wooden and mid-20th century bahay na bato which breaks the monotony of the modern concrete structures. Of course, Tuguegarao is known for the San Pedro Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, and the much smaller Ermita de Piedra de San Jacinto, both made of bricks and built by the Dominicans during the Spanish colonial period. [caption id="attachment_176532" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Our Lady of Chartres Chapel (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] The Tuguegarao Cathedral was built from 1761 to 1766 by Fr. Antonio Lobato de Santo Tomas who also built the convent, belfry, a famed bridge, large lime-and-brick kilns, and the 25 parallel streets crisscrossed with the same number of streets forming a grid pattern. The same priest also contributed to the literary scene in the region with his Ibanag-Spanish dictionary, Ibanag grammar, and Ibanag devotional treatises. Cagayan is home to the Ibanag people as well as other ethnic groups such as the Itawes and the Ilocano. The San Jacinto chapel meanwhile was built in 1724, making it 'the oldest' structure in Tuguegarao. It still has its original wooden retablo and an iron fence installed in 1890 by Fr. Romulado Aguado, Tuguegarao’s parish priest that year. It is located east of the Colegio de San Jacinto, now the campus of the St. Paul University Philippines, originally the Colegio de San Pablo founded in 1907 by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. [caption id="attachment_176531" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Old building at USL (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] It was in 1934 that the school transferred to the site of the Colegio de San Jacinto from the Cathedral’s convent following their purchase of the colegio’s property. The colegio was located west of the chapel, the area of which is now part of College Avenue and the SPUP campus. That colegio originally served as the Colegio de Santa Imelda, an all-girls school which operated from 1892 to 1898 and was later converted into the Colegio de San Jacinto, a school for boys from 1901 to 1932. The girl’s college building was erected in 1890 under the direction of Fr. Dionisio Casas, the Dominican Provincial Vicar of that time with plans drawn by a certain Fr. Bruges and funds from the Dominican Province of the Holy Rosary. The front façade measures 75 meters while the side facades of the E-shaped edifice measures 25 meters each. The building is 17 meters wide and 10 meters high. It was of the bahay na bato style where the first level was made from stone and second level of wood. The project cost P75,000. Apart from the school building, then the biggest in the province, there used to be a separate wooden house in the area for the use of the Father Vicar. Both buildings no longer exist today. At present, the SPUP with its sprawling campus is host to many buildings including the impressive Gothic —inspired Our Lady of Chartres Chapel built in the second half the 20th century. During the Spanish colonial period, Tuguegarao was noted to have a carcel (jail), casa tribunal (court house), and schools, all of excellent construction. Today, the jail and courthouse house the Cagayan Museum and Historical Research Center which is at present being renovated. In front of this complex is the Rizal Park with the Rizal Monument. Rizal’s monument replaced that of Fr. Lobato de Santo Tomas in 1918. [caption id="attachment_176529" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Fr. Theophiel Verbist monument (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] Fronting Rizal Park is the old government center of Tuguegarao, now the Tuguegarao East Central School with the American-era municipio reused as one of the buildings of the school. Few blocks from Tuguegarao’s plaza complex are two brick hornos separated by a covered basketball court. Tuguegarao’s other horno is located in the same village (Barangay Centro 9) at the edge of the Pinacanauan River. These kilns produced lime and bricks for the construction of the city’s Spanish colonial buildings such as the church complex and the cemetery portal, walls and chapel. [caption id="attachment_176527" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Cagayan High School (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] During the American period, public buildings such as schools were also built. These include the Gabaldon-style Cagayan High School Building and the Cagayan Valley College of Arts and Trades. The Cagayan High School Building still exists to this day while the campus of the Cagayan college which is located in front of the former is now the Cagayan State University after its merger with the Northern Luzon College of Agriculture in 1972 through Presidential Decree 1436. The CSU campus now houses a number of overly decorated buildings, perhaps it most unique feature. [caption id="attachment_176528" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Ermita de San Jacinto (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] Also during the American colonial period, Dutch Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary priest Msgr. Constant Jurgens founded a school for boys named Cagayan Valley Atheneum inside the Tuguegarao Church complex. This school existed from 1938 to 1946 but it was destroyed during World War II. After the war, it was taken over by the Jesuits and renamed Ateneo de Tuguegarao which operated until 1962. In 1965, it became the Saint Louis College of Tuguegarao under the CICM priests and in 2002, University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao. The university’s campus, located on Arellano, Mabini and Lecaros streets, still has its mid-20th century, U-shaped wooden building and features a number of monuments including those of St. Louis Gonzaga, USL’s patron saint; two for Fr. Theophile Verbist, CICM founder; and the gigantic Good Shepherd at the facade of the Good Shepherd Chapel. Exiting through the schools main campus to Lecaros Street, one is greeted by the Bayani Hall Lecaros, the city’s first condominium building, adding another layer to the city’s history. These layers define what is Tuguegarao now, a bustling commercial center, showing glimpses of its storied past of its peoples. The post A morning stroll around Tuguegarao appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The lives and traditions of Davao City’s 11 ethnic groups
Considered to be the Philippines’ largest city in terms of land area, Davao City is a sprawling 2,444-square kilometer area that has a population of about 1.632,991 million people based on the 2015 census. Dabawenyos (meaning the residents of Davao City and not the ethnic group of the same name) which is how local residents of the city are called, are mostly Visayans. The rest of the population are lumads or indigenous people belonging to different ethnic groups, while massive immigration is a continuing trend since the start of the 20th century. Davao City boasts of unity in diversity among the city’s population including the 11 ethnic groups with respect for one’s culture and traditions. Dabawenyos, migrants, lumads, not to mention ethnic Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Indians, Japanese, Indonesians and Malaysians co-exist in a city that is said to be one of the world’s safest cities. Let’s get to know these 11 ethnic communities, whose colorful and rich culture contributes to a vibrant and interesting metropolis, that is Davao City. [caption id="attachment_173319" align="aligncenter" width="948"] MERANAW - The Meranaw are said to have the best traditional clothes out of all Filipino ethnic groups. The name means “People of the Lake” and they are known to be brave. Historically, the Meranaw are believed to have offered sacrifices in defense of their homelands and to pay homage to Islam, their religion. Among those the ethnic group takes pride in is their rich literature which includes the chanted epic Darangen as well as their sophisticated wood and metal crafts expressed in their Torogan — a special house built for a Meranaw maiden — Okir, a design motif.| Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173320" align="aligncenter" width="1044"] Ata MANOBO — The Ata Manobo or “dwellers in highlands” are powerful people who appear to be a mixture of Negritos and other ethnicities in the area. As occupants of the headwaters of Davao, Tuganay and Libuganon rivers, the Ata Manobo depend primarily on hunting as their livelihood. They are thought to be sensitive and vindictive but can be easily pacified if handled with utmost diplomacy. | Photograph Courtesy Of Gerald Macfred Dillera[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173321" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Kagan— The group’s name was derived from the word kaog which means “whisper.” The Kagan people are known as agriculturists—cultivating rice, corn, abaca and coconut for cash crops. Those who are living near the coasts practice fishing. They are Tagakaolo who have converted to Islam either through intermarriage or contact with the Maguindanaos. | Photograph Courtesy Of Fb.com/davao Group 6 B[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173322" align="aligncenter" width="1149"] Klata-guiangan — Klatas occupy a very small territory stretching from Catalunan to Calinan within Davao City. Their traditional population centers included Blao, Tagakpan, Dulian, Sirib, Gunalong and Tamugan. They are called the “forest dwellers.” | Photograph Courtesy Of Fb.com/kadayawan Festival[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173323" align="aligncenter" width="885"] Iranun — They are regarded as the fiercest pirates in Southeast Asia, adopting a typical maritime lifestyle of sea invaders. They attacked merchant shipping and coastal settlements in the Philippines, the straits of Malacca and the islands beyond Sulawesi. These days, they work as fishermen and long-distance traders. | Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173324" align="aligncenter" width="967"] Sama — The Sama people are described as peace-loving and cohesive people, thus putting so much value on togetherness. Their forebears are said to possess special powers having the supernatural ability to invite spirits called Jin to do things for them. Majority of the Sama people are mostly living in the Bunawan and other coastal areas in Davao City. | Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173325" align="aligncenter" width="1034"] Maguindanao — Their name means “people of the flood plain” and their traditional home range includes Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte. Outside these provinces, they are scattered around the three districts of Davao City and other nearby provinces like Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. Living mostly along the mouths of rivers, they impeded the Spanish colonizers’ efforts in bringing the other indigenous groups of Davao into the Christian fold. | Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173326" align="aligncenter" width="973"] OBO Monobo — The Obo Monobo are known for their intricate casting, fine weaponry and jewelry. For them, these things possess souls, as souls also possess animate objects. Obo oral tradition tells of Apo Sandawa’s journey from the north to Davao. Apo Sandawa’s point of entry in Davao was at Ulas. From Ulas, Apo Sandawa and family moved north towards the Talomo mountains, even reaching Mt. Sinaka. Apo Sandawa’s journey ended in Mt. Apo where he was buried. Apo Sandawa is considered the ancestor of the Obo. | Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173327" align="aligncenter" width="919"] Tausug — The Tausugs traditionally reside in the archipelago of Sulu. Their name means “people of the current,” and they are known for their courage and bravery. Loyalty is an important trait among the Tausugs. They practice the ritual of blood compact to signify the depth of their loyalty to one another. They are fierce and dangerous but the moment one befriends one of them, the bond will be enduring. | Photograph By Roel Hoang Manipon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_173328" align="aligncenter" width="903"] Matigsalog — A subgroup of the Manobo, the Matigsalog or “river people” are considered to be the most aboriginal inhabitants of Mindanao chiefly occupying the Agusan River valley in Compostella, from Malalag to Sarangani and between Cuabo and Cape San Agustin. In Davao City, they live mostly in the hinterlands of Marilog, Marahan or Paquibato. Their houses are built near the rivers, often on the forks of trees. Of Malay descent, the Matigsalog are of slight built but athletic. Their name is made up of two words Matig (place of origin) and Salug (river). They are regarded as one of Davao’s colorful ethnic groups. | Photograph Courtesy Of Wikicommons/nick Nichols Cc By 2.0[/caption] The post The lives and traditions of Davao City’s 11 ethnic groups appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Icon Grandmaster Flash leads the Bronx in 70s-style hip-hop jam
As a teenager Grandmaster Flash began pioneering the turntable-as-instrument, playing the now iconic Bronx block parties that gave birth to hip-hop and revolutionized music. On Friday, he was back home, commemorating 50 years of the genre with a performance that had New Yorkers born in the mid-20th century reliving their youth -- and hip-hop's. "This is not a concert -- this is a jam!" Flash, now in his 60s, shouted from the stage, as hundreds of fans roared in applause in the South Bronx's Crotona Park. The audience swayed with their hands in the air as Flash threw it back to the jams of the early 1970s, which ushered in the genre that's profoundly impacted music as well as fashion, dance and the culture at large. The community parties offered teens and families a lifeline in an era of financial crisis that left much of the borough in crippling poverty. "It was the music that really resonated at the time in New York," said Quentin Morgan, 54, who rolled into the park on his bike to catch the event that's part of a series of festivities commemorating hip-hop's birth. "It was gritty in New York -- barely any laws," he said with a chuckle. "It was a different era." Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982 released "The Message," delivering a raw portrait of urban life and bringing a socially conscious element to the genre on a grand scale. On Friday night, the air was electric as Flash brought MCs Melle Mel and Scorpio onstage where they delivered a rendition of the iconic hit. That preceded a fierce appearance from MC Sha-Rock, widely considered the first woman to MC during hip-hop's nascent years. And KRS-One, who also hails from the South Bronx, freestyled to a chorus of cheers as Flash scratched and transformed, manipulating the vinyl, using now-standard techniques he pioneered half a century ago. Earlier in the evening as opening acts warmed up the crowd, Coke La Rock -- who on 11 August 1973 joined DJ Kool Herc at the party many musicologists consider hip-hop's official conception -- told AFP that for him, hip-hop and the Bronx are one and the same. "I can't see no division of it," the 68-year-old said, calling offshoots of the genre across the United States and even the world "my kids." "They all my kids, if I'm the patent, they the product." 'Biggest music on earth' Speaking to AFP backstage, Flash said Friday's event was meant to emulate the jams of his youth. "It was recreation -- moms said go outside and play," he said. "Never... did I think it would become part of the biggest music on earth." Organizers also relayed a message from the mayor of New York, as the city officially declared August 4 "Grandmaster Flash Day." Keisha Harmon joined the event with her partner of 27 years -- "my Teenage Love," she said, quoting the rap classic by Slick Rick. She'll be 50 in October: she was born in the Bronx just months after the genre she grew up on. "I have chills, look, goosebumps," she told AFP. "All the songs that are playing -- I'm a mother of seven and I'm a grandmother of eight -- and they take me back to No Kids." She described how the hip-hop jams of her childhood spread by word of mouth: "Hey, DJ-such-and-such is in the park, and we would have parties and sing, and it was just fun." "And this reminds me of that," Harmon added, motioning to the park crowded with partygoers on a humid August evening. The celebration "shows our talent" as citizens of the Bronx, she added. "It shows what we contributed to the arts," Harmon said. "Hip-hop has a substance." "The artists were storytellers." "South South Bronx, South Bronx!" the audience shouted throughout the evening, singing the song by Boogie Down Productions produced by KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock. According to city organizers, Friday night was Grandmaster Flash's first time playing the Bronx in two decades. Along with fellow hip-hop pioneers, he was joined by a troupe of breakdancers who wowed the audience with a throwdown. "Where's my old-schoolers at?" Flash asked the joyous crowd. "I wanna keep it in the 70s." "Somebody say Bronx!" The post Icon Grandmaster Flash leads the Bronx in 70s-style hip-hop jam appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
TONY BENNETT : GRIT AND GRACE
Tributes have continued to pour in for Tony Bennett, the last of the great mid-20th-century American crooners who died on 21 July at 96, after outliving his fellow giants in popular music such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and gaining a whole new generation of fans in the era of social media with his number-one duets album with Lady Gaga. That 2014 late-career triumph had made Bennett, at 88, the oldest living American performer to notch a number-one album on the charts. It was more proof at the time of the extraordinary odds-defying grit that undergirded the grace and elegance of Bennett’s persona as the living embodiment of classic American standards, a sound that in the post-rock era many had banished to the dismissive-sounding “adult contemporary” category. Sinatra himself crowned Bennett as “the best singer in the business” in a 1965 interview with Life magazine. “He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more,” said the Chairman of the Board. Fifty-eight years later, Elton John, decades and a whole music era removed from Sinatra, was moved to say at Bennett’s passing: “Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable.” Indeed, Bennett was sui generis, from his singular sound to his defiant artistry. “Neither a fluid singer nor an especially powerful one, he did not have the mellifluous timbre of [Bing] Crosby or the rakish swing of Sinatra,” wrote the New York Times in its obituary. “If Louis Armstrong’s tone was distinctively gravelly, Mr. Bennett’s wasn’t quite; ‘sandy’ was more like it.” You can hear that sandy rasp even in his early, ebullient years, in signature hits like “Rags to Riches,” “Cold Cold Heart” (originally a country ditty by Hank Williams, remade by Bennett and sublimely covered 51 years later by Norah Jones), and of course, his timeless “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Touch of roughness The touch of roughness was what gave Bennett’s sound a rich, warm quality sort of like the hiss and pop of a vinyl record, conveying a more grounded, open-hearted, truthful sense to everything that he sang. In later years, as his lung power diminished with age, he cannily pruned his singing to a more direct, compact style, the belts now occasional but always at surprising moments, the lovely loping line maintained along with the heartfelt near-whispers. He kept to that sound and refused to change his style in the face of the sea change in popular music that would engulf his generation of swinging, jazzy entertainers. “Mr. Bennett stubbornly resisted record producers who urged gimmick songs on him, or, in the 1960s and early ’70s, who were sure that rock ’n’ roll had relegated the music he preferred to a dusty bin perused only by a dwindling population of the elderly and nostalgic,“ wrote Bruce Weber in the New York Times. Eight decades Time an unprecedented eight decades in the business some 20 Grammy awards, and the reverence of his peers and the public ultimately proved Bennett right: that his music still had a place in the modern world, that he could stick to what he did best — sing like nobody else the Great American Songbook, that canon of masterworks by the likes of Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen — and people of whatever stripe and age, undeterred by his gentleman’s suit and courtly manners from a bygone age, would sit and listen. Because great songs are great songs no matter the era, and as he once put it, “I wanted to sing the great songs, songs that I felt really mattered to people.” Asked if he ever got bored of his repertoire, Bennett said: “No. Do you get tired of making love?” “I was taught never to compromise; to never sing a cheap song,” he explained. “I never look down at the audience and think that they are ignorant, or think that I’m more intelligent than they are.” Bennett said these words in 2012, when, at 86, he had just released a new album, was doing grueling concert tours, and was also dabbling in painting in his free time. His historic 11 o’clock peak was two years away — the Cheek to Cheek album with Lady Gaga that made him an octogenarian with a number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart. (Attesting to his longevity and range, before Gaga he had collaborations as well with other epoch-defining female performers such as Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.) “Here I am today, at 86, and I’m even more passionate now than ever before. I feel that I’m at the top of my game, and things just keep getting better and better,” he said with characteristic cheer in his 2012 book Life Is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett. In announcing Bennett’s passing on Friday, the Twitter account under his name revealed: “Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was ‘Because of You‘, his first #1 hit.” What grit. What grace. The post TONY BENNETT : GRIT AND GRACE appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Top French photo fest shows unseen work by US legend Saul Leiter
A host of never before seen work by the late great US artist Saul Leiter is being showcased at one of the world's biggest photography festivals in France. Almost all of the paintings and drawings in the major Saul Leiter show at the "Rencontres d'Arles" festival in the southern French city have never been shown before. A former fashion photographer, Leiter -- who died in 2013 -- was a leading light of the New York school of photography of the 1940s and 1950s that included Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, and Robert Frank. Curator Anne Morin called him "one of the 20th century's most fascinating artist-photographers". "Everything is a matter of balance, exactitude, and humility in the works of this man, who nonetheless accorded great importance to imperfection," she said. In a short film presented at the show, Leiter said "You don't have to apologize" for looking for beauty. While summer temperatures outside soared well above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), the mercury hovered at around 20C in an underground exhibition space called the "cryptoportiques" where merchants once stored their wares in Roman times. Fittingly, it is hosting images of prehistoric caves at Arcy-sur-Cure in central France taken by French photographer Juliette Agnel. Drops of water occasionally oozed into the cryptoportiques, bringing to life the humidity pictured in the caves. The photos had to be covered with a fine film to protect them from the moist conditions, festival director Christoph Wiesner told AFP. Agnel illuminates only some parts of the caves in her photos, which show imaginary creatures and play on light and darkness in the manner of Old Masters like Rembrandt and Goya. The work "explores extreme environments, whose unsettling beauty provokes senses of wonder and feelings of the sublime", wrote curator Marta Ponsa. Scandinavian sisterhood In a nearby centuries-old cloister, the Camargue, France's largest wetland located next to Arles between the Rhone River and the Mediterranean, takes pride of place in an exhibition by France's Eva Nielsen with Marianne Derrien. "Insolare" captures the Camargue's reeds, marshes, the action of salt on the land, agricultural activity, and local architecture in paintings, silk-screen prints, and photography. Wiesner said the Camargue was "particularly exposed" to climate change, with Nielsen describing the location as "at once wild and fashioned by man". The sweltering temperatures of southern France take a dive into the chillier climes of Scandinavia with the exposition "Sosterskap" ("Sisterhood"), which highlights work by 18 women photographers who explore the welfare state from a feminist perspective. Fathers on paternity leave caring for their children, handcuffed women looking towards the future, and women of immigrant backgrounds, the latter by Nairobi-born Sweden-based artist Ikram Abdulkadir, feature in the displays. The curators highlighted the feeling of sisterhood in the work by young Finn Emma Sarpaniemi, whose self-portrait was selected as the festival's banner photo. Her portraits of groups of women in playful poses "embody a sense of togetherness and highlight the importance of fostering strong connections with those around us", they wrote. The festival with its 45 exhibitions runs until 24 September. The post Top French photo fest shows unseen work by US legend Saul Leiter appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON’
Martin Scorsese’s new epic western crime saga Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will premiere exclusively in cinemas, in partnership with Paramount Pictures, beginning 18 October before streaming globally on Apple TV+. At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon also stars Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons and directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book. Killers of the Flower Moon will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. Killers of the Flower Moon is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Connect with #KillersOfTheFlowerMoon and tag @paramountpicsph. The post ‘KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
19 dead, thousands seek shelter in South Asia monsoon floods
At least 19 people are dead after floods triggered by South Asia's annual monsoon, with a week of relentless rains forcing thousands of people to seek shelter in India. Floods are common and cause widespread devastation during the treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency, ferocity and unpredictability. The toll from flooding and landslides last weekend in Nepal had risen to 14 by Friday, with more than two dozen still missing, according to officials. "Search and rescue teams are still on the ground," Dhruba Bahadur Khadka, a spokesman for the country's national disaster authority, told AFP on Friday. Four others were killed after flooding in landslides in India's remote Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh near the Chinese border, disaster management authorities there said Thursday. Authorities in neighboring Assam state said one person had died in flood waters by Thursday evening, with more than 1,300 villages inundated. Around 14,000 people had left their homes for emergency shelters, Assam's disaster agency added. Bangladesh is also on alert after forecasters warned of potential floods in northern districts bordering India. At least 20,000 families had so far been affected by flooding in low-lying areas around the northern district of Kurigram, authorities said. "The major rivers in the region are swelling," district administrator Mohammad Rezaul Karin told AFP. "The situation may worsen anytime if the flow from upstream increases." The Asian Summer Monsoon is essentially a colossal sea breeze that brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall between June and September every year. It is vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of around two billion people. But it also brings destruction every year in landslides and floods. A 2021 study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research tracking shifts in the monsoon from the mid-20th century suggested it was becoming stronger and more erratic. Last year catastrophic monsoon floods put a third of Pakistan under water, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people. Bangladesh saw record flooding the same year that killed more than 100 people and cut off seven million others, with relief efforts continuing for months. The post 19 dead, thousands seek shelter in South Asia monsoon floods appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A complex geopolitical relationship
The geopolitical relationship between the Philippines and the United States has been a topic of debate and scrutiny, particularly in the context of China’s rising influence in the region. Some quarters argue that the United States is exploiting its alliance with the Philippines to advance its own selfish geopolitical interests against China. To understand the dynamics of the Philippines-US relationship, it is essential to consider their historical ties. The United States colonized the Philippines in the early 20th century and granted the country independence in 1946. Since then, the two nations have maintained a close alliance, primarily through the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. This treaty commits both countries to support each other in the event of an armed attack. One cannot deny that the United States has its own strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region, and the Philippines plays a significant role in that context. These interests include safeguarding regional stability, ensuring freedom of navigation, and promoting democratic values. The presence of American military forces in the Philippines, notably through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in 2014, serves these objectives. China’s increasing economic and military power in the Asia-Pacific region has led to concerns among many countries, including the Philippines. China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, including territorial claims that overlap with those of the Philippines, has created tension and heightened the need for regional allies. In this context, the United States provides a counterbalance to China’s influence, as it has a vested interest in maintaining a stable regional order. While it is true that the United States has its own interests in the Philippines, it is important to recognize that the relationship is not one-sided. The Philippines benefits from the alliance in various ways. The US provides military assistance, training, and equipment to enhance the capabilities of the Philippine armed forces. Moreover, economic ties between the two countries promote trade and investment, fostering economic growth in the Philippines. The South China Sea dispute is a central issue that affects both countries. The US has been vocal in supporting the Philippines’ position on maritime rights and freedom of navigation. By maintaining a presence in the region, the US helps deter any potential aggression by China and ensures that international law and norms are upheld. From the Philippines’ perspective, US support provides a crucial boost in its efforts to protect its territorial claims. While the Philippines benefits from its alliance with the United States, it also strives for strategic autonomy. The current administration in the Philippines has pursued a policy of engaging multiple powers, including China, to diversify its diplomatic and economic relationships. This indicates that the Philippines is not solely reliant on the United States but seeks to balance its interests with those of other nations in the region. The geopolitical relationship between the Philippines and the United States is complex and multifaceted. While it is true that the United States has its own strategic interests in the region, it is an oversimplification to label the alliance as solely driven by selfish motives against China. The Philippines benefits from the alliance in terms of security cooperation, economic ties, and support in the South China Sea dispute. At the same time, the Philippines also pursues a policy of strategic autonomy, engaging with various powers to safeguard its own interests. A comprehensive understanding of this relationship requires acknowledging the nuanced interplay of geopolitical factors and the evolving regional dynamics. The post A complex geopolitical relationship appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Latest Spider-Man spins silver screen gold
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," Sony's newest chapter in the web-slinger series, soared to North American box office domination in its weekend debut, Sunday estimates showed, cementing the resilience of one of Hollywood's biggest superhero juggernauts. The animated offering featuring the voices of Shameik Moore, Haille Steinfeld, and Issa Rae netted a cool $120 million domestically for the Friday-through-Sunday period, and another $88 million internationally, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations. "This is an exceptionally good opening for an animation follow-up sequel," said analyst David A. Gross, adding the sequel has an "entirely fresh" look and is an example of "inspired commercial filmmaking." The film picks up the story of half-Black, half-Latino Miles Morales, using an eye-popping blend of decades-old 2D comic book drawing techniques with the latest computer-generated visual effects. Spidey dethroned Disney's live-action version of "The Little Mermaid," which raked in a similar amount in its debut the previous weekend and followed up with $40.6 million. The remake of the 1989 animated tale of an underwater princess who gives up her voice in pursuit of true love on land stars pop singer Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, and Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Ursula. "The Boogeyman" debuted in third with $12.3 million. The 20th Century Studios horror/mystery feature is the latest in a long line of films adapted from a Stephen King book, and one of its producers shepherded the hit show "Stranger Things" onto the small screen. Slipping one spot to fourth was Disney's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" which added $10 million to its cumulative worldwide total of some $780 million. Universal's action film "Fast X," part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, held the fifth spot, earning $9.2 million. Rounding out the top 10 were "The Super Mario Bros Movie" ($3.3 million), "About My Father" ($2.1 million), "The Machine" ($1.7 million), "You Hurt My Feelings" ($770,000). and "Kandahar" ($765,000) The post Latest Spider-Man spins silver screen gold appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»