Nov 05, 2019 Jason Gabak Eagle Observer, News, News, Press-Observer, Skaneateles Press

Marcellus Free Library plans November events

Fall Story Times Sessions have begun! Preschool Story Time on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. through Dec. 3. For children ages 4 through 6 years old. Registration is required.

Toddler Story Times on Wednesdays at 9:30 and 10:15 a.m. through Dece. 4. For children ages 18 months through 3 years old accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.

Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. Read to Doc the Doodle Dog! For emerging readers of all ages. Look for Doc in the Childrens area of the library.

Monday night is Trading Card Game Night at the Library: Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 6 p.m. A free community program where students and families can learn and play trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokmon in a judgment-free zone.

Monday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Nature Kids Yoga with Carrie. For children ages 3 and up. Please bring a yoga mat or a towel. Free. Registration required.

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 to 4 p.m. Family Puzzlemania! Puzzles of all types to challenge puzzlers of all ages. Drop in for a few minutes, or stay the two hours. All ages welcome.

For adults

Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 11:30 a.m. The Marcellus Garden Club hosts Bartlett Tree Experts. They will discuss the work they have done in Marcellus Park saving 100+ trees from disease. Open to the public

Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Marcellus Free Library Board of Trustees Meeting. Open to the public.

Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6:45 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Paper Crafts with Alyson Esposito. Make a beautiful homemade greeting card using the rubber stamping technique. Adults only please. Register with Alyson directly: aly.esposito3440@gmail.com or call 315-604-6467.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Onondaga Audubon Society presents: Raptor Migration at Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch with Andy Mason, the co-president of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and co-chair of the Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. the Marcellus Mini Movie Family Film Festival (M3F3). M3F3 is dedicated to bringing films to our community which entertain, make us think, reflect our local environment and are fun for all members of the family. Our mission is to increase film making and appreciation in the community. Free and open to movie-lovers of all ages.

Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. Upstate Medical University hosts Hands/Wrists Pain and Ankle Arthritis Program in the Library Community Room with Michael J. Schreck, MD, Assistant Professor, Upstate Medical University, Hand, Wrist and Upper Extremity Surgeon, Upstate Orthopedics. 6 p.m. Options for aching hands and painful wrists: Learn about causes and treatments for hand and wrist related pain as well as latest options for treatment and repair. At 6:45 pm Scott M. VanValkenburg, MD, Assistant Professor, Upstate Medical University, Department Chief, Foot and Ankle Surgeon, Upstate Orthopedics, Ankle Arthritis. Free and open to the public. Please register directly with Upstate: call 315-464-8668 or email, info@upstate.edu.

Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Trivia Night at the Library hosted by Director Jake Widrick. Please register. Free to play BYOB (bring your own bottle) and snacks. The 2019-2020 MFL Trivia Season starts now! From September through May, teams will be competing for the season grand prize: MFL Trivia Champion Tshirts and some other swag, including your name engraved on the MFL Champions Cup. Feel free to register like normal on a monthly basis, but also email Jake directly at jwidrick@gmail.com to let him know your team name.

The visiting artists for November will be members of the Camillus Art Association.

The Marcellus Free Library will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28 and the following day, Friday, Nov. 29.

Continued here:
November has plenty to offer at the Marcellus Free Library - Eagle News Online

Mississippi State Universitys Mitchell Memorial Library hosts technical skills workshops throughout the year inside the Digital Media Centers makerspace, one of which is a knitting workshop.

The last workshop was taught by Teri Robinson, an assistant professor in the Office of Thesis and Dissertation Formatting, and Caree Sisson, Technology Specialist for the Digital Media Center. Attendees were instructed in basic knitting skills, such as how to make a garter stitch, and practiced using skeins of yarn and 3D-printed knitting needles. Attendees got to take home their yarn and needles at the end of the workshop.

Sisson acknowledged the 3D-printed practice needles were not high quality, but she added that their lower cost, compared to metal needles, is beneficial for the library and the students.

It allows people to have something to take home and practice with. We want to provide patrons with materials instead of having to keep them here, Sisson said.

Robinson, who has been knitting for over 10 years, said she hoped those who attended the workshop gained an appreciation for the art.

Knitting is considered an old lady hobby, but theres a lot more to it than most people expect," Robinson said.

This is the first workshop Robinson has taught on knitting, but she said she would teach more if asked.

Robinson noted the positive benefits community members could find in knitting.

If you can learn some of the basic techniques, then it opens up a whole new world of creativity for you, Robinson said.

Sisson said she has been crocheting for almost 10 years, but she has only been knitting for three weeks.

Its really difficult, so I might not keep it up. I have a lot of crochet projects I would like to do, Sisson said.

Sisson has also taught a crocheting workshop for the Digital Media Center. These workshops are part of a larger effort by Sisson to promote the Makers Space.

Weve had a crochet workshop, a knitting workshop, a decal workshop and were having a Christmas t-shirt workshop in December, Sisson said.We want to give students access to things they might not otherwise have access to.

Sisson hopes to expand the workshops further by collaborating with student groups and offering tutorials on more advanced techniques.

I spoke with the fiber arts club about possibly working together, Sisson said. We hope having more teachers will allow us to offer more workshops at more levels beyond beginner.

Sisson also said she hopes to create more informal knitting events where students can collaborate and share knowledge.

Its helpful to have other people as resources, Sisson said. If someone knows how to do a stitch I dont, I can just ask.

Sisson also said students can set up individual appointments if they would like to continue developing skills from a workshop or if they missed a workshop but still want to learn.

Laura Terry, workshop attendee and staff member within the forestry department, has been knitting for seven years but found the workshop to be a helpful confirmation of her knowledge.

Im mostly self-taught and dont practice much, so I wanted to make sure I hadnt made something up about how to knit, Terry said.

Terry described the workshop as an affirming experience.

I was struggling, but I could see other people struggling too, Terry said. It helped me remind myself that its okay to not totally get it.

Terry said attending the workshop has inspired her to continue with knitting as well as start new projects.

Im making a scarf for my girlfriend which I hope to have done by December, Terry said. Im thinking about setting up a one-on-one appointment to find some direction on starting other projects.

Terry said she hoped to go to future workshops.

I think it was a great experience, Terry said. Ive even had coworkers ask about it to see if theyd like to do it, too.

Mitchell Memorial Library offers workshops for academic and extracurricular topics. Details on upcoming workshops can be found on the MSU events calendar as well as the Mitchell Memorial Library website. Students interested in setting up one-on-one lessons in knitting or crocheting can email the Digital Media Center at dmc@library.msstate.edu.

Continued here:
Students stitch in style in MSU library's makerspace - The Reflector online

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The following events are planned for adults, children, young adults, and their families in December 2019 at George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, 8125 Ashlane Way, The Woodlands, Texas. All events take place at the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library:

Featured Event

Monday, December 9th from 5:00pm-7:00pm Holiday Open HouseCome join us as we celebrate the holiday season with a special Open House complete with refreshments and a special appearance by Santa. Everyone welcome!

Thursday, December 12th at 10:00am and 11:00am Storytime with Santa Children 12 and youngerSanta will be visiting the Mitchell Library for a special storytime at 10:00am and 11:00am. *Dont forget to bring your camera!*

Computer Classes

Tuesday, December 3rd at 9:30am How to Search the InternetNew to searching the internet or want some great searching tips? This is the class for you!

Tuesdays and Thursdays, December 5th, 10th, 12th, 17th, and 19th at 9:30am Make It Your Own Series (Parts 1-5)If you enjoy crafting, youll have fun creating holiday items such as holiday cards, gift boxes, gift tags, table placeholders, and gift certificates. Bring a flash drive to save your creations, or email them to yourself at the end of class. Each class is independent of the others. Feel free to come to one, just a few, or all five classes!

Fridays, December 6th and 13th from 9:30-11:30am Open LabHave a question about your computer, phone, or tablet? Need help using a Microsoft Office program or other software? Come visit the Computer Lab during Open Lab and our computer analyst, Brian, can help you find answers to your technology questions.Monthly or Bi-Monthly Events at the LibraryTuesday, December 3rd from 5:30-8:00pm De-Stress Sesh Teens 13-17 Teens have an opportunity to decompress by coloring, journaling, listening to music, playing games, aromatherapy, and snacking. Registration requested.

First and Third Friday, December 6th and 20th at 9:30am Needlecrafts: Knit & StitchCrocheters, knitters, embroiderers, quilters, and all textile artists welcome. Bring your own work-in-progress and supplies! Drop by Conference Room 222 on the second floor for inspiration and to meet fellow crafters.

First, Second, and Third Friday, December 6th, 13th, and 20th from 2:00-3:00pm Tunes @TwoOur popular program is back! Enjoy holiday favorites performed live at 2:00pm in the library lobby.

Saturday, December 7th from 10:00am-3:00pm - LEGO Fun Children 5-12Children ages 5 -12 are invited to get creative and build anything they choose with lots of Legos. This event is a come-and-go activity and a child must be supervised by an adult.

Second and Third Tuesday, December 10th and 17th at 1:00pm Adult Writers GroupIf you have a writing project you would like to start or a project you want to finish, Mitchell Writers Group might be a source of inspiration for you. Participants discuss each others work and offer supportive critique. Come join the fun!

Second Tuesday, December 10th at 1:30pm CrafternoonsJoin us in Community Room 102 for Crafternoons, an adult-focused craft program for adults and families to express their creativity! Each month will feature free crafts to create and take home, while supplies last. No advanced skills needed; just show up ready to have fun, meet other community members, and create something amazing! All ages welcome, but be aware that crafts are intended for adults. All supplies and instructions provided; no registration needed. Join us as we make seasonal wreath ornaments. Happy crafting!

Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30-8:00 pm Gaming Night Teens 13-17Teens gather to play games of all kinds, from classic board games to the newest video games. Snacks provided. Registration requested.

Thursday, December 12th at 1:00pm Adult Movie MatineeWe invite you to join other fans for popcorn, a drink, and a movie in Community Room 102.

Monday, December 16th from 1:00pm-3:00pm Holiday Gift Wrapping & Cookie TastingNeed a place to wrap your presents away from home? The library will provide paper, boxes, and all other wrapping supplies. All you need to do is bring your gifts and be ready to wrap! As you wrap, sample different holiday cookies and vote for your favorite!

Tuesday, December 17th , Wednesday, December 18th , and Saturday, December 21st from 10:00am-3:00pm Craft Fun Children 12 and youngerCome to the library for creative, self-directed craft activities for children. This event is a come-and-go activity and a child must be supervised by an adult.

Tuesday, December 17th at 5:30pm Movie Night Teens 13-17Pizza, popcorn, and movie candy will be served. Registration is required.

Weekly Events at the Library Mondays from 10:00am-12:00pm - Tiny Tots Library Play Time Ages 3 and youngerJoin us for a come-and-go Family Place Library weekly event that encourages play with educational toys and board books. Spend time together, play in a playgroup atmosphere, make friends, and visit with other parents. *There will not be Tiny Tots Library Play Time on December 23rd and December 30th. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am, 10:30am, and 11:00am - Family Storytime Ages 3 and youngerThis story program is for children and a caregiver with an emphasis on stories and activities for toddlers. This program emphasizes early literacy skills and is a great way to meet other families with young children. *There will not be Family Storytime the weeks of December 16th, December 23rd, and December 30th.

Tuesdays at 1:30 pm - School Age Storytime Ages 4 and upChildren are introduced to new authors and illustrators and develop listening, thinking, participation, literacy, and social skills. * Children may attend story club by themselves, but a parent or guardian must remain in the library during the program. **There will not be School Age Storytime on December 17th, December 24th, and December 31st.

Library Holiday ClosingChristmas Early Closing December 23rd all MCMLS branches close at 5pmChristmas Holiday December 24th and 25th all MCMLS branches closedNew Years Eve- December 31stall MCMLS branches close at 5pm

All current library events may be viewed at the MCMLS website - http://www.countylibrary.org**All events are free and open to the public****All events are subject to change without prior notice. Please check with the library to confirm the day and time of the events**

Read the rest here:
George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, The Woodlands Texas, Announces Events For December 2019 - Woodlands Online

On the opening morning of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Capt. Thain MacDowell ran towards enemy lines through a welter of mud and craters, sleet and machine gunfire.

He reached his objective, a German trench, only to find that he had become separated from most of his company. Joined by a pair of army couriers, MacDowell captured two machine gun placements, then climbed down a flight of steps into a deep dugout.

Around a sharp corner, he confronted a roomful of German soldiers. He turned and shouted to an imaginary group of Canadians behind him to hold their grenades. Seventy-seven Germans surrendered.

He sent the prisoners up the stairs in groups of 12 to conceal the fact they were surrendering to just three Canadian soldiers.

They had plenty of rations but we had a great time taking them prisoner, MacDowell wrote in a dispatch later that day, April 9, 1917.

His act of courage and deception would earn him the British Empires highest decoration for military valour. One of four Canadians awarded the Victoria Cross at Vimy Ridge, MacDowell was the only one still alive six months later when he returned home to Brockville on sick leave.

MacDowell was not sick in the conventional sense: He was suffering from what military doctors called war neurasthenia, or shellshock. His symptoms included depression, insomnia, headaches, irritability, fever, perspiration, difficulty concentrating and decreased energy. He also had a slight speech impediment.

MacDowell was one of 10,000 Canadian soldiers diagnosed with shellshock during the First World War.

The condition baffled doctors and challenged military leaders, who didnt know how to deal with the flood of traumatized soldiers that accompanied every major battle.

Some attributed the phenomenon to emotional weakness or malingering. More than 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed for cowardice or desertion during the war, including 23 Canadians.

An unknown number of them suffered from what today we would call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

War has inflicted trauma on successive generations of Canadian soldiers whose psychiatric injuries have been variously labelled shellshock, battle exhaustion, combat stress reaction and PTSD. The evolution of that diagnosis has traced a century of conflict: It is a story of service and science and suffering.

First World War Victoria Cross winner Lt.-Col. Thain MacDowell.SunMediaArchive

Capt. Thain MacDowell

In February 1915, British psychologist Dr. Charles Myers was the first to identify the phenomenon of shellshock. In the medical journal The Lancet, Myers recounted the case histories of three soldiers traumatized by shell explosions. Curiously, he said, the soldiers hearing was little affected, while other functions such as sight, smell, taste and memory were damaged.

The close relation of these cases to those of hysteria appears fairly certain, he concluded.

Hysteria was a mental disorder, attributed mostly to women at the time, which typically featured nervousness, fainting or fits. Shellshocked soldiers could be rendered mute or left with partially paralyzed limbs.

Some doctors theorized that shellshock was the result of a physical brain injury caused by soldiers repeated exposure to blast waves from exploding shells a new part of industrialized warfare. Others pointed to afflicted soldiers who had never been in an explosion to argue that the condition was due to a weakness of the nervous system, neurasthenia, triggered by the general stress of war.

The worlds first personality test was developed in an attempt to identify recruits with the emotional instability that could put them at risk for shellshock.

Treatments were mostly experimental, and sometimes, horrifying.

In December 1916, Myers spearheaded the establishment of specialized medical units near the frontlines to assess and treat traumatized soldiers using Freudian talk therapy. Theorizing that shellshock was a stress disorder, he believed a patient had to relive his experience to reintegrate the traumatic event with his conscious mind.

A Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis Yealland, was the leading proponent of an altogether different school of thought: that shellshock was a kind of personal failure.

Yealland, a clinician at Londons National Hospital for the Paralyzed and Epileptic, was convinced he could recondition traumatized soldiers through the power of suggestion. He regularly accompanied those suggestions with powerful electric shocks, and sometimes, cigarette burns. He used electrotherapy on 196 patients during the war, and published his results in a disturbing 1918 book, Hysterical Disorders of Warfare.

No one, including Yealland, could suggest that war hero Thain MacDowell lacked battlefield courage or personal fortitude.

Awarded the Victoria Cross in June 1917, MacDowell was hospitalized in England and sent home to Canada in October. He spent three months at Brockville General Hospital where, according to his medical history, he suffered a nervous breakdown.

In January 1918, after a period of rest, he was deemed fit for service again: Officer shows much improvement since last examination has regained his emotional control. No attacks of crying since Nov. 17.

MacDowell returned to England in February 1918, and spent the year in officer training as the First World War raced towards its bloody conclusion. He returned to Canada in December, one month after the armistice, and again sought help.

A medical history taken at the time says: Officer states that he tires easily and cannot sleep. Has not slept well since Nov. 1916. He may sleep 3 to 4 hours a night if there has been no excitement.

(In November 1916, MacDowell was thrown into the air by a shell blast at the Somme; he earned the Distinguished Service Order for his role in capturing three machine gun posts during the same battle.)

In January 1919, MacDowell was made commanding officer of a demobilization unit in Ottawa, where he was also an outpatient at the Sir Sandford Fleming Convalescent Home. He could only manage the work for a few months. By August 1919, he was an in-patient at Montreals Ste. Anne de Bellevue Hospital, complaining of depression, insomnia, restlessness and irritability.

He tires very easily and in all work loses interest, reads his medical case history.

In Montreal, he was prescribed massage and hydrotherapy, a popular method for treating mental illness in the early 20th century. Warm, continuous baths were used to treat agitated patients; they were often bathed in a darkened room for hours, sometimes days, at a time.

In October 1919, after MacDowell was deemed medically unfit for service and discharged, he returned to Ottawa, where he slowly recovered his mental health. His military file does not disclose what treatment he received.

For five years, he worked as private secretary to the minister of defence, and in 1929, married Norah Hodgson, of Montreal. They had two sons. He later entered the mining business as an investor and executive.

MacDowell died of a heart attack in March 1960. He was 69.

Ted Patrick was a signalman (radio operator) in the Irish Regiment of Canada.Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

Signalman William Ted Patrick

In the Second World War, signalmen maintained communication links between frontline officers and headquarter staff who managed the battlefield.

Enemy forces regularly used signalmen they carried radios on their backs to aim their artillery since they knew officers would be nearby. It made Signalmen William Ted Patrick a target in 1944 as he fought his way north through Italy with the Irish Regiment of Canada. He suffered perforated eardrums from shells exploding so close to him.

Patricks Italian campaign had other harrowing moments. In the Moro River Valley, he saw a heavily pregnant woman ripped open by a landmine. During another advance, he had to cover the lighted dials of his radio as German soldiers walked past him into an ambush.

He did not seek help for the profound anxiety he suffered.

Infantry soldiers like Patrick were the primary victims of battle exhaustion in the Second World War. Research by Canadian military historian Terry Copp, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, found that 90 per cent of Canadas battle exhaustion cases came from ground troops.

In part, that was a reflection of the Royal Canadian Air Forces uncompromising attitude towards aircrew members who developed psychiatric problems and refused to fly. Such airmen were branded as lacking in moral fibre or LMF; they were often demoted or dishonourably discharged.

The Canadian army took a more pragmatic view. Its senior psychiatrist, Col. Frederick Van Nostrand, wanted battle exhausted soldiers treated quickly while close to the frontlines so they could be promptly returned to action.

It meant that as Canadian forces fought through Normandy, hundreds of soldiers were treated each week at field dressing stations for acute battle stress. Typically, they were sedated for 24 hours, given two days of rest, and counselled by a therapist. Many were returned to action only to suffer another breakdown.

Battle exhaustion cases represented one-quarter of all wounded soldiers among Allied forces.Those numbers caught military planners by surprise in Canada, where medical officers had tried to weed out recruits with emotional instability.

The methods that were used were no better than flipping a coin, Copp, the author of two books on the history of combat stress, said in an interview. None of it worked in terms of predicting who would break down or who would not break down under conditions of combat.

In a prophetic report filed at the end of the war, Van Nostrand said he was unsure doctors would ever solve the vast problem of the psychiatric breakdown of soldiers during war.

It is my opinion, he wrote, that the methods now employed in the British, American, and Canadian armies will not materially lower the incidence of psychiatric casualties in a fighting force.

There are various reasons for these opinions but two of them are fundamental: First, there is direct conflict between the needs of the service and the needs of the individual soldier as assessed by his physician. Secondly, the attitudes and behaviour of the successful soldier are contrary to most of his previous teaching. He must not allow death or mutilation of his comrades to prevent him from reaching his objective, and finally, he must pretend that he is glad to risk his life for that cause.

Van Nostrand pleaded with military planners to accept that normal people cannot always manage the exceptional stress of war. Every soldier has his breaking point, he warned.

Ted Patrick had bumped up against his breaking point.

Ted Patrick.Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

After the Second World War, Patrick returned home to Ottawa and buried his memories. It was a common approach. He married, took a job in the civil service, and launched a bee-keeping business to supplement his income.

All the while, however, the tide of war washed over his subconscious. Patrick sometimes attacked his wife in the middle of the night, believing her to be an enemy soldier; she eventually began to sleep in a separate bedroom. Other times, hed wake up sobbing.

Patrick scrupulously avoided the legion hall and regimental reunions anything that brought the war to mind. He was also extremely cautious. He didnt like to go to unfamiliar places; he was, he said, like a rat that stayed close to a wall.

I would not take a chance on getting hurt or having the family hurt. I was always extremely cautious and went around danger, he once told an interviewer.

It wasnt until the 1980s that Patrick was finally diagnosed with PTSD; his psychiatrist urged him to confront his wartime trauma. Talking about his experiences and sharing his memories eased Patricks anxiety. Late in life, he became a dedicated volunteer at the Canadian War Museum and travelled to Holland for ceremonies to commemorate the countrys liberation.

He died in February 2015.

Gordon Forbes poses for a photo in his home in Ottawa Tuesday Oct 29, 2019.Tony Caldwell / Postmedia

Lt. Gordon Forbes

Gordon Forbes, 76, of Orlans, was on board H.M.C.S. Kootenay 50 years ago during the worst peacetime disaster in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy an event that would colour much of his life.

On Oct. 23, 1969, H.M.C.S. Kootenay was in the North Atlantic, returning to Halifax from a NATO naval exercise. At 8:21 a.m., during a full power trial a drill to test the destroyers performance at top speed an explosion ripped through the ships engine room. A mass of flames shot from a broken gearbox, setting fire to the 10 men inside of the room.

Only three escaped alive.

Thick black smoke quickly filled the lower decks, but its source wasnt readily apparent to those on the bridge, including Lt. Gordon Forbes, the ships weapons officer who was responsible for Kootenays 50 tonnes of ammunition.

Engineering Officer Al Kennedy, one of those to escape the engine room, stumbled into the bridge, blackened and badly burned: Fire in the engine room, he announced.

That posed problems. The ships firefighting equipment was stored near the engine room, and the ships main ammunition magazine was immediately behind it. A sailor reported the bulkhead between the two was already hot.

Divers donned tanks and masks to descend into the smoke: They retrieved the ships firefighting equipment and rescued sailors trapped by the blinding smoke. Forbes sprayed down the magazine to reduce the threat of a catastrophic explosion.

If the magazine had blown up, it would have destroyed the ship, he told this newspaper.

It took about three hours to bring the fire under control; the magazine was then flooded to better stabilize the munitions.

Those on board were told not to talk about the disaster, which had killed nine of their fellow sailors. No one really knew how to deal with it, said Forbes.

At the time of the Kootenay disaster, the Vietnam War was in full swing: In 1969, the number of deployed U.S. troops peaked at 549,000.

HMCS Kootenay approaching flight locks, Welland canal.CF Photo Unit / Brown

Curiously, few soldiers reported battle fatigue symptoms in Vietnam. Army officials attributed that development to limited battlefield exposure: Soldiers were rotated through the war on one-year tours of duty. It gave them a firm date by which their wartime ordeal would end.

Many military planners thought the problem of battlefield stress injuries had been solved.

Instead, of course, it had simply gone to ground. Tens of thousands of soldiers returned from Vietnam traumatized: afflicted by nightmares, insomnia, depression, rage, paranoia and addictions. Psychiatrists labeled the phenomenon delayed psychiatric trauma or post-Vietnam Syndrome since some thought the disorder was unique to Vietnam.

It was the first time that psychiatrists recognized that stress injuries were not always immediate, but could announce themselves months, even years, later.

Psychiatrists who worked with Vietnam veterans lobbied to have the disorder formally recognized, and in 1980, the authoritative American Psychiatric Association made PTSD part of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The formal recognition of PTSD had profound consequences and allowed for better diagnosis and treatment. Therapists recognized the same disorder in Holocaust survivors, sexual assault victims, first responders and others afflicted by traumatic events such as the Kootenay explosion.

Sub-Lieut. Clark Reiffenstein, one of those who donned scuba gear to plunge into the ships smoke-filled lower decks, died of suicide one month after the fire. He was posthumously awarded the Star of Courage.

Many other Kootenay sailors struggled with alcoholism, nightmares and anxiety.

In 1990, Gordon Forbes was diagnosed with clinical depression soon after retiring from the navy. He suffered from paranoia and had difficulty sleeping. His condition was later linked to PTSD and recognized as a service injury by Veterans Affairs Canada.

It was one measure of the advance in the militarys approach to psychiatric infirmity.I was very pleased that they started to recognize PTSD, he said, and not just throw people out of the service on medical grounds, which is what happened to people who went to get help after the Kootenay fire.

In 2010, Forbes published a book, We Are As One, about the disaster and its emotional aftermath. Researching and writing the book, he said, was a cathartic experience for everyone involved: I had so many men come up to me after I wrote the book and say, I thought I was the only one.

Natacha Dupuis is a former Canadian soldier and Afghan vet who suffered debilitating PTSD after her war service.Julie Oliver / Postmedia

Master Cpl. Natacha Dupuis

Ten years ago, in March 2009, Master Cpl. Natacha Dupuis was put in charge of her first mission with the reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons: a week-long foot patrol in Kandahar Province.

Qualified as a tank gunner, she had served in Bosnia and was on her second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Leaving the Forward Operating Base Frontenac, a military outpost near Kandahar, Dupuis led her patrol to a hilltop camp. The next morning, as the patrol departed, a massive explosion ripped into the armoured vehicle behind Dupuis vehicle. The 14-tonne Coyote was blown into the air and landed on its roof.

Dupuis helped to collect the remains of two dead soldiers while preparing for a secondary attack that never came.

Her team was quickly evacuated, but Dupuis kept reliving the incident and re-imagining the terrible scene. For days, unable to turn off her flow of adrenaline, she couldnt sleep. A psychiatrist prescribed her sleeping pills, but she struggled through each day and often sought out a private place to cry.

She willed herself through her final two months of service in Afghanistan.

As soon as she returned home to Petawawa, however, she fell apart: Dupuis suffered powerful flashbacks and panic attacks that left her gasping for air. Diagnosed with PTSD, she transferred to Ottawa, then took a leave. She left the military for good in 2014.

Her story is a familiar one. A Veterans Affairs Canada report last year revealed that about 16 per cent of Canadas Afghan veterans more than 6,700 soldiers have been diagnosed with PTSD.

The PTSD rate remained high in Afghanistan even though the military had tried to carefully prepare soldiers for the stress of war.

Soldiers were briefed about the nature of stress injuries and the importance of seeking early treatment. Those leaving Afghanistan were given an overseas decompression period and repeatedly screened for PTSD or related afflictions. But the psychological inoculation of soldiers did little to reduce the overall incidence of PTSD.

I personally feel I was absolutely ready to face going to Afghanistan, said Dupuis. I was given very good training and it showed. We were able to react to the IED attack. But how do you prepare people to see a horrible scene like that?

After her diagnosis, Dupuis explored a variety of treatments, including cognitive therapy, a kind of talk therapy designed to help patients identify negative patterns in the way they perceive and deal with everyday events.

At Montfort Hospital, she tried a newly developed treatment, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which had been shown to help people process their traumatic memories through a series of guided, rapid eye movements. The therapy is believed to mimic the beneficial effects of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, which plays a role in the healthy storage of emotional memories.

EMDR was really difficult, said Dupuis. It would drain me a lot because it takes you right back to the trauma: You would feel like you are still there.

Read the original:
A century of trauma: Tracing the evolution of PTSD through four soldiers - Ottawa Citizen

Accessory maker Datel has had two attempts at making the ultimate Pokmon GO companion device: the Go-tcha and the Go-tcha Ranger. Both mimic the functionality of the Pokmon GO Plus (and the later Pokball Plus) but with one massive advantage they automate functions such as swiping nearby Pokstops and catching 'mon, so you don't have to interact with the device at all; it does all of the busy work for you.

We really like both of the previous Go-tcha devices, but with one huge caveat both of our review units completely failed after a few months (we actually had two of the original Go-tcha units die on us). Reliability is clearly a big problem with these devices, which makes reviewing the Go-tcha Evolve a little tricky; as much as we like it (and believe us, we do), we can't be entirely sure it will still be ticking over in six months. But for the time being, let's approach this latest accessory with a fairly open mind.

Like the original Go-tcha, the Go-tcha Evolve resembles a fitness tracker. It's a much larger unit than the original, but its design is arguably less obnoxious, so you don't need to feel self-conscious about wearing it in public (it's certainly a lot less obvious than the Pokmon GO Plus with its flashing multicolour LED). The strap is available in four colours Dynamic Grey, Trailblazer Blue, Globetrotter Green and Daredevil Red and is pretty comfortable. The main unit has a reasonably bright colour screen which displays information and cute little animations, and can be interacted with via a single touch-sensitive button.

Charging is handled by a full-size USB port which is accessed by removing the upper part of the strap. This is quite a tough process (so much so that the unit comes with an instruction sheet focused purely on how to charge the device) and it often feels like you're going to break something; Datel recommends that you remove it by pulling it at a 45-degree angle. This connection also means that the Go-tcha Evolve isn't water-resistant, so you'll want to make sure you remember to take it off before having a bath or shower. The unit takes about 1 and-a-half hours to fully charge, and a charge lasts a fair few days, depending on how much you use the device. For example, after a week of fairly casual use, our unit still has a single bar of battery remaining.

Tapping the single button on the front of the unit wakes it from sleep, and subsequent taps move you through the menu system one option at a time. You can choose to toggle things like auto-catching (of both known and unknown monsters you can choose to ignore ones you already have in your Pokdex) and auto-swiping of Pokstops, as well as vibration alerts. The unit will also show if your Go-tcha Evolve is currently connected to your phone, and you can choose to have it display the time and date when it wakes from sleep, instead of the standard startup animation. You can choose to turn off the automatic processes if you so wish, and manually tap the device to execute a catch or Pokstop swipe.

But that's not all! There's a pedometer that tracks how many steps you've taken, and it's pretty accurate from what we can ascertain it kept pace with our Apple Watch, at least. You can also choose to totally silence the device so no alerts come through, which is handy when you're in a quiet environment and don't want it constantly flashing and vibrating. Speaking of the latter, the motor inside the Go-tcha Evolve is a little bit feeble and unless you're standing totally still, you often can't feel when it's vibrating.

The Go-tcha Evolve is listed as being compatible with the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR devices with iOS 10.0 or later installed. We'd also assume that the latest iPhone 11 models are supported. On the Android side of things, the requirement is a device with 2 GB RAM or more, Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Ver. 4.0 or higher) capability, and Android 5.0 or higher. There's a dedicated app available for both iOS and Android which allows you to toggle various settings more easily, as well as download firmware updates for the device itself. To connect the Go-tcha Evolve to the app, you'll need to make sure it's not currently connected to Pokmon GO itself.

As you might expect, the Go-tcha Evolve behaves very much like a Pokmon GO Plus, albeit with the ability to automate functions. Pokmon GO sees the device as a Pokmon GO Plus, so there's no way that Niantic can 'disable' it from the app (it's worth stressing that this product is 100% unofficial and not sanctioned by Nintendo, The Pokmon Company or Niantic). However, it also means that the Go-tcha Evolve is subject to the same limitations as the Pokmon GO namely, it won't stay connected forever and often disconnects at seemingly random times. We assume this has much to do with how your phone handles RAM management (we were using an iPhone XR, which has a rather pathetic 3GB of memory), but it's hardly a deal-breaker; when it happens, you just open the app, tap the Pokmon GO Plus icon, wake the Go-tcha Evolve and the connection is re-established.

Right now, we can't fault the Go-tcha Evolve. It improves on the original model and the full-colour screen is a real bonus. It's slightly larger, but it's not what we'd call an ugly product so there's no real shame in being seen wearing it when you're out and about. Battery life is good, and the fact that it tracks your steps as well as helps your monster hunting makes it even more appealing (especially as the process of playing Pokmon GO is sure to boost your daily step count).

The real question is: how long will this thing last? Datel's track record in this regard leaves something to be desired, and while we can't say for sure that the Go-tcha Evolve will suffer the same fate as its flaky predecessors, we can only offer a cautious recommendation at present. We'll update this review if the situation changes over the next few months, but for the time being, this appears to be the dream device for dedicated Pokmon GO players.

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Hardware Review: Go-tcha Evolve - The Pokmon GO Plus Killer - Nintendo Life

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The most beloved, wonder-filled science franchise in television history returns with a new, 13-episode, mind-blowing adventure when COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS premieres March 9 on National Geographic. This out-of-this-world trip through space and time will transport viewers across 13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution and deep into the future.

The next chapter of COSMOS, announced in celebration of what would have been visionary Carl Sagans 85th birthday this Saturday, Nov. 9, continues the legacy of the groundbreaking series co-written with Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, which was broadcast to a global audience 40 years ago. COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS airs on Nat Geo in 172 countries and 43 languages and on FOX this summer. The previous season was seen by over 135 million people worldwide.

This Emmy-winning, worldwide phenomenon is the brainchild of Emmy and Peabody Award winner Ann Druyan, creative director of NASAs legendary Voyager Interstellar Message, who serves as creator, executive producer, writer and director, and Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated executive producers Seth MacFarlane (The Orville, Family Guy), Brannon Braga (The Orville, Star Trek) and Jason Clark (The Orville, The Long Road Home).

Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, host of the four-time Emmy-nominated StarTalk series and best-selling author (Death by Black Hole, Letters from an Astrophysicist), returns as host and series executive science editor. This season begins with him on the shores of the cosmic ocean as COSMOS enhanced and upgraded Ship of the Imagination and Cosmic Calendar return, taking viewers on a journey through time and spanning a stunning variety of worlds. Throughout these adventurous episodes, COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS integrates one-of-a-kind VFX, animations, holograms and stylized reenactments to carry viewers to never-before-seen worlds and meet unsung superheroes who have made possible our understanding of lifes spectacular voyage from its origin at the bottom of the sea to its possible future on the exotic worlds of distant stars.

This third season of COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS is our boldest yet, says Druyan. The Ship of the Imagination will carry us places we never dared to venture before: lost worlds and worlds to come, deep into the future and straight through that hole in the curtain masking other realities and all of it rigorously informed by science and made real by lavish VFX.

National Geographic is proud to be the worlds leading destination for viewers who are passionate about science and exploration, says Courteney Monroe, president of global television networks at National Geographic. Which is why were excited for the next chapter of the most-beloved and most-watched science show to date, COSMOS, to return to our air. COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS takes complex themes from astrophysics, astronomy and anthropology and makes them accessible and entertaining for millions of people around the world to devour.

COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS ventures to previously uncharted territories: starting back to the dawning of our universe, moving forward to the futuristic 2039 New York Worlds Fair and then far beyond into the distant future on other worlds. Visit an open house in the first apartment ever built and climb a 10,000-year-old stairway to the stars. Return to the foreboding Halls of Extinction, with living dioramas of the broken branches on the tree of life, and venture to the new, glorious Palace of Life, with its soaring towers filled with vibrant marine creatures. Stand beneath its Arch of Experience to know what its like to soar with the eagles or swim with the whales on their epic voyages.

Associated with the series are some of television and films most revered creatives across all crafts, including Emmy-nominated cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Independence Day, Stargate); Academy Award-winning and Emmy-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter (Black Panther, Roots); Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated composer Alan Silvestri (The Avengers, Forrest Gump, Contact); visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun (Clash of the Titans, Blood Diamond); and supervising animation directors Lucas Gray (The Simpsons, Family Guy), Emmy-nominated Brent Woods (American Dad!, Family Guy) and Academy Award-nominated Duke Johnson (Anomalisa, Mary Shelleys Frankenhole).

Many celebrities compose the noteworthy corps of actors who lend their voices to COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS. This season includes Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Seth MacFarlane (The Orville, Family Guy) as President Truman; Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men) as German, British-born astronomer William Herschel; Academy Award-nominated Viggo Mortensen (The Green Book, The Lord of the Rings) as Soviet plant geneticist Nikolai Vavilov; and Judd Hirsch (A Beautiful Mind, Independence Day) as Robert Oppenheimer, famously known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. Sasha Sagan, Druyan and Sagans daughter, appears in a recurring live-action role as Sagans mother, Rachel Gruber Sagan.

In conjunction with the launch of the new season, National Geographic Books is publishing a companion book, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, by Druyan, the long-awaited follow-up to Sagans international bestseller, Cosmos.

COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS is produced for National Geographic and FOX by Cosmos Studios, the company Ann Druyan co-founded in 2000, and Seth MacFarlanes Fuzzy Door. Druyan and Brannon Braga are the series writers and directors. Druyan, MacFarlane, Braga and Jason Clark executive produce. Kara Vallow (Family Guy, American Dad!) co-executive produces, and Joseph Micucci (Patriots Day, Ted 2) produces. For National Geographic, Kevin Mohs is executive producer and Geoff Daniels is EVP of global unscripted entertainment.

Like COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS on Facebook at CosmosOnTV. Follow the series on Twitter @CosmosOnTV. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @CosmosOnTV.

About National Geographic

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographics media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; childrens media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Cosmos Studios

Co-founded in 2000 by CEO and visionary Ann Druyan, Ithaca, NY-based Cosmos Studios creates, produces, and distributes eye, brain, heart and soul-nourishing science-based entertainment in all media.

Cosmos Studios aims to tear down the walls that have excluded so many from the scientific enterprise. We work to demystify the language, values, and drama of science, to give everyone the power of its permanently revolutionary methodology.

Carl Sagan, and those privileged to work with him, demonstrated that there is a world-wide appetite for compelling entertainment that reflects our dawning awareness of cosmic evolution and our place in its great story. There is a planet-wide hunger for images and dreams that reflect our radically altered sense of who, where, and when we are where we might go, who we might become.

In collaboration with award-winning writers, artists, filmmakers, producers, researchers, engineers, educators, artists, and a growing list of partners across science, communications, and finance, we seek to touch audiences with the soaring spiritual high that comes from grasping science's central revelation- our oneness with the cosmos.

Come with us at http://www.cosmosstudios.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CosmosStudiosOfficial/ on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cosmosstudios on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cosmosstudiosofficial/

About Fuzzy Door

Led by writer, producer and director Seth MacFarlane and president Erica Huggins, Fuzzy Door is the production company behind many of todays most successful film and television projects. With potent irreverence, biting satire, rule-breaking humor, compelling social issues and engaging storytelling, it has created an enviable portfolio of award-winning properties. Currently, the company produces the Hulu space adventure series The Orville; the beloved and Emmy-winning animated comedy series Family Guy, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary; and the fan-favorite series American Dad!, now airing its 14th season. Fuzzy Door strategically built on the success of the 1980s Cosmos series by producing the award-winning Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which garnered 13 Emmy nominations and was seen by more than 135 million people worldwide, and is gearing up for the next installment, COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS, set to air in 2020. On the film side, Fuzzy Door has created several commercially successful comedies, such as Ted, Ted 2 and A Million Ways to Die in the West, which have collectively grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office. The company is committed to weaving a socially conscious and intellectually curious thread through projects to bring fearless, innovative and bold stories to life, while maintaining its trademark sense of humor and wonder.

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COSMOS Returns! Season 3 of the Most Celebrated Science Show on the Planet to Premiere March 9, 2020, on National Geographic - Business Wire

A shift in cultural valuesled by new design ideas such as fluid layouts, sustainability and a form of minimalismis paving the way for a more dynamic and modern mode of Indian architecture.

From the marble-clad Lotus Temple in New Delhi and the energy-efficient Pearl Academy of Fashion in Jaipur, to the iconic House on Pali Hill in Mumbaimodern Indian architecture is a striking ode to the nations evolving diversity in cultural values and lifestyles.

An increasingly informed consumer has become an integral part of the fluid network of minds that execute the design process. This convergence of stakeholders influences important transformations in conception and process. As countless emerging trends reformat our relationship with space, there are three interlocking principles that frame this design era.

First, there is a deep emphasis on responsible design. Design that is not only socially and environmentally harmonious but also thoughtful of its place in a broader blueprint of urban planning.

Second, fluid spaces and open layouts take precedence; creating visually striking forms that are both intimate, accessible and fresh.

Third, a reignited experimentation of functionality that balances uniquely Indian, visually striking spaces.

Responsible design

Conscious creation is the call of the hour. The overlapping impact of a growing population, environmental concerns and social costs have driven industry-natives and consumers alike to rethink the far-reaching costs and benefits of development.

Contemporary constructions are conceived with the understanding that they are not isolated forms. Everything from their plumbing systems and electric framework affects their immediate landscape, neighbouring communities and larger urban ecosystem.

Innovations such as vertical gardens on skyscrapers, green office spaces and rainwater harvesting systems are an example of modern projects minimising their carbon footprints and delivering inventively human-centric spaces.

There is a large team of diverse experts involved in manifesting smart spaces. However, the exclusive talent of the architect and designer is their ability to influence behaviour.

A well-designed space encourages utilisation. Large windows in an alpine home, for example, swallow the areas short hours of sunlight. Warming the proximate rooms and lighting them efficiently through the day.

In a tropical landscape, south-facing balconiesoriented against direct sunlight with louvred fencing and a strategic water body accent naturally cool breezes channelled through the panelled frames.

Intuitively, residents maximise their use of these areas. Thereby, limiting the use of artificial temperature control or lighting.

Fluid spaces

In larger commercial developments or expansive residences, fluidity is the key to ensuring access and interaction. In a large development, closed spaces could provide seclusion at the risk of isolation.

Design plays a key role in office spaces where employees in one area form a collective core and rarely move to interact with their cross-departmental colleagues. Going beyond the barriers established by corporate infrastructure, conventional office spaces that are designed in bleached tones and arranged to reinforce hierarchies through corner offices or name plaques exude a sense of separation.

Similarly in historic palaces or mansions constructed to offer both protection and prestige to its owners, living quarters are not so much private as they are barricaded and fortressed.

As modern city dwellers, we crave a balance of serenity and human connection. Fluid spaces common to contemporary blueprints offer exactly that.

A kitchen with an island and floating appliances can open into the garden for outdoor dining. It can accommodate a bar area that connects with the living room or swimming pool. Suddenly, its no longer just a kitchen but a flowing space with the ability to seamlessly serve numerous occasions and functionsfrom formal dinners and large parties to quiet afternoons with the family.

Indian experimental

Every era of design seeks a fingerprint for itself. Experimentation is an instrument of this evolution. Modern Indian architecture, in recent years, reflects a poetic return to the use of locally sourced materials and Indian craftsmanship, both of which are dispensed in reimagined, contemporary formats.

Even as eclectic tastes evolve, functionality remains paramount. Neo-Indian consumers seek a uniquely defining aesthetic palette that is pragmatic enough to support our increasingly fluid, secular and fast-paced lives.

Architecturally, traditional Indian elements like open pavilions and hallways complement the rise of fluid layouts in contemporary forms. Supplementally, materials like red bricks and local stones create an earthen warmth by pulling the outdoors, indoors.

A host of established and emerging home decor studios have risen to cater to the growing demands of this niche and rapidly evolving genre: whether it be organic fabric with minimalist Rajasthani prints or recycled wood furniture hand-painted with traditional elements.

This trend, like most that seek a fusion of disparate styles, requires invention. A traditional fixture cannot arbitrarily be assembled into a contemporary home. Adjusting the elements, forms and spaces to fuse together is not only a rigorous feat for design but it demands cohesive ingenuity in engineering, landscaping, electrical wiring, plumbing and lighting.

Turnkey experimentation catalyses progressive design. We are not only forging an era-defining neo-Indian aesthete, but we are also collecting a canon of work that will be a reference point for socially and environmentally harmonious architecture that aids future generations. So for many years to come, culture will not only influence but also depend on the far-reaching advantages of inventive, functional and responsible design.

The author is a Delhi-based architect and founder of an eponymous studio that offers comprehensive design-and-build services

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We are at a new juncture in modern Indian architecture - The Sunday Guardian

Jogen Chowdhury at his exhibition at the Kolkata gallery. (Source: Emami Art, Kolkata Centre for Creativity)

The ongoing exhibition Reverie & Reality at Emami Art, Kolkata Centre for Creativity, brings together your work of over six decades. How do you look at the evolution? You had earlier mentioned how you would look at the larger picture but it seems that now details interest you more.It is interesting for me to look at so many years of my work. Every exhibition is of interest to the artist. In my career, I would have made over 2,000 works and this show brings together 125 from my personal collection, and 75 more. It is around 1/10th of what I might have done. The display includes life studies and portraits I made as a college student, that tell curious visitors how I started my work. The later works include oils, watercolours and, also, more intricate lines in my cross-hatchings that depicted intense expressions. I also started using more colour.

Do memories of your early childhood, from Faridpur in Bangladesh, colour your work?

We used to live in a village that had trees and temples all around. My father was a zamindar with a lot of land. There was a community hall, outside which the Durga Puja mandap would be set up. We would have community theatre performances, where the villagers would participate. During the festive season, I used to observe the kumbharas (artisans) create statues of Durga and Saraswati. I would pick up the natural colours left by artisans and paint with them. I was extremely influenced by the manner in which they depicted Durgas eyes. This influence reflects in my work as well. I often draw larger-than-life eyes of women.

During Partition, you were eight or nine years old. In what way did your trauma leave a lasting impact on your work?That was a hard time for us. Initially we stayed with my uncle. My father got a job but he was not interested, so the onus of looking after the family fell on my elder brother. The refugees played a major role in the Left movement at the time and my two elder brothers also joined the Communist party. I was not directly involved in politics and disagreed with some of their ideologies but the situation did make me socially and politically more conscious. I began reading a lot of magazines and writing poetry.

In the past, youve lamented how back then there was no formal teaching of art history. When did you join art college?I used to draw a lot. My father used to draw often and my mother did alpona (floor art) and was good at stitching. Perhaps, I got my artistic talent from them. My family was very supportive when I decided to pursue art. I did well in art college. Our college (Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata) was established by the British and so was the academic course. There wasemphasis on technique, with still life, nature studies, portraits, life studies and realism. Our exposure to art history was through visiting lectures by historians and the likes of filmmaker Bimal Roy. There was a very good library that had journals with writings of the Tagores, Nandalal Bose and several art critics.

Several of your earlier works were dark. Is it true that you sold your first work for Rs 125?When I was in art school, it was all very realistic and academic. When I graduated from college, I started thinking about experimenting, how I should approach art in a way different from others. In those years, I was an art teacher in a school in Howrah. My art was rooted in the social situation. I started representing people around me. There was also satire in my work. I was still in college when a visiting foreigner purchased a street scene I painted. At my first solo at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (in 1963), I sold only one work, forRs 125. The exhibition was visited by several of my friends, including (poet) Shakti Chattopadhyay, (artist) Gopal Ghose. We went to a cafeteria to celebrate. Earlier, when we made art, the idea was not to sell. We were doing artwork like a poet writes poetry.

For a long time after you returned to India from Paris where you went in the 1960s, on a scholarship, to the cole nationale suprieure des Beaux-Arts you did not produce much work.International exposure disturbed the continuation of the work that I had been doing. In Paris, I saw several works by artists who have contributed to the development of modern art, and I was left wondering what should I do. I could not do what people in Europe were doing; that was based on their ideas. I was restless and continued to make drawings that were expressive. Finally, when I returned, I joined the Handloom Board in Madras (now Chennai). I wrote around 100 pages to understand what I should do. These writings were later published. I developed my own visual language. I was looking at our own country, the society, poverty and illiteracy. All along, my main subjects have been the people.

In your work, you have also commented on the politics of the times. One of your seminal works, Tiger in Moonlit Night criticised the Emergency. At the same time, you admired Indira Gandhi.I was a curator at the Rashtrapati Bhavan when Emergency was declared, so I found myself in the middle of what was happening.Tiger in Moonlit Night showed a dead lady being attacked by a tiger in a moonlit sky. It depicted the fake emergency, and was an interplay between the real and the unreal. I admired Indira for several reasons, including her ability to take immediate decisions. She was in Santiniketan when Rabindranath Tagore was still there. During her time, art and culture were flourishing in India. Now, I dont think that is continuing.

How has it been to see politics more closely as a member of the Rajya Sabha? You have been sketching portraits of politicians in the House.When I entered Rajya Sabha, I found itinteresting to see several people whom I had only seen in newspapers till then. I started drawing portraits, and have completed almost 50 pages, with five-six people on each page. This includes portraits of politicians such asGhulam Nabi Azad, Manmohan Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Smriti Irani. I hope to bring out a book before my term ends in April. I was always socially conscious, so when I entered Rajya Sabha in 2014, I was able to follow what people were talking about but I felt that for several people, politics is a profession. Not everyone is thinking about the nation. Some of the good ideas are not understood by everyone. After my tenure ends, I will concentrate more on my art. I am hungry to work more. I am old now and whatever time is left, I want to spend working for the sake of art.

Youve been buying works by young artists. And, this year, you opened the Jogen Chowdhury Centre for Arts in Kolkata.

I began by buying works of my students when I was a teacher at Santiniketan, which I joined in 1987. That encouraged young students. Through the centre, I want to generate more interest in visual art and cultural activities; involve the people. It has space for residencies and showcases several of my own works from my personal collection.

This article appeared in the print edition with the headline All along, my main subjects have been the people

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An exhibition revisits six decades of artist Jogen Chowdhurys body of work - The Indian Express

by Pope Francis

Pope Francis Address to the International Federation of Catholic Universities

On November 4, 2019, Pope Francis received in audience in the Vatican the participants in the Conference of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC), taking place from 4 to 5 November 2019 in Rome, at the Augustinianum Congress Centre, on the theme: New frontiers for University Leaders: the Future of Health and the University Ecosystem.

Vatican, November 4, 2019

Distinguished Rectors and Professors,

I welcome you to this encounter on the occasion of the forum of the International Federation of Catholic Universities dedicated to the theme New Frontiers for University Leaders: The Future of Health and the University Ecosystem. I extend a cordial greeting to the President, Professor Isabel Capeloa Gil, [in Spanish] and I thank her for the courtesy of speaking in Castilian and to all present, and I am grateful to the Federation for their commitment to study and research.

The university system today faces new challenges arising from the development of the sciences, the evolution of new technologies and the needs of society, all of which invite academic institutions to provide appropriate and up-to-date responses. This real pressure, felt in different areas of socio-economic, political and cultural life, challenges the very vocation of the university. This is especially the case for lecturers in their task of teaching, and of conducting research and preparing new generations to become not only qualified professionals in various disciplines, but also proponents of the common good, creative and responsible leaders in social and civil life, with a proper vision of the person and the world. Universities today, then, need to consider what contribution they can and must make to the integral health of the person and to an inclusive ecology.

If these challenges concern the university system as a whole, Catholic universities should feel these needs even more acutely. With your universal openness (as in universitas), you can act in such a way that the Catholic university becomes a place where solutions for civil and cultural progress for individual persons and for humanity, marked by solidarity, are pursued with perseverance and professionalism. You can also examine that which is contingent without losing sight of what has a more general value. Old and new problems must be studied in their specificity and immediacy, but always within a personal and global perspective. Interdisciplinary approaches, international cooperation and sharing of resources are important elements, so that universality may be translated into shared and fruitful projects on behalf of all people in the context in which they live and grow.

The development of the technosciences, as we can already see, is destined increasingly to influence peoples physical and psychological health. This also affects the methods and processes of academic study. Today, therefore, we need to remember more than ever that every teaching entails asking ourselves about the why, that is, it requires a reflection on the foundations and purposes of every discipline. Education reduced to mere technical instruction or to mere information becomes a ruptured education. To believe that we can transmit knowledge by abstracting from its ethical dimension would be to abandon the task of teaching.

It is necessary to overcome the legacy of the Enlightenment. Educating, in general but in particular in universities, is not only a matter of filling the mind with concepts. The three languages are needed. It is necessary for the three languages to be brought into play: the language of the mind, the language of the heart and the language of the hands, so that one thinks in harmony with what one feels and does; one feels in harmony with what one thinks and does; and one acts in harmony with what one feels and thinks. A general harmony, not separated from the whole. In the first place, then, we must start from an idea of education conceived as a teleological process, that is, one which looks to the end, is necessarily oriented to an end, and therefore towards an accurate vision of the human person. A further perspective is necessary in the field of education in order to face the questions of why, questions, that is, of the ethical order. This involves the typically epistemological character of education which concerns the whole span of knowledge: not only the liberal arts, but also natural, scientific and technological studies. The link between knowledge and purpose refers to the theme of intentionality and to the role of the subject in every cognitive process. And we thus arrive at a new episteme: it is a challenge, to make a new episteme. Traditional epistemology had emphasized this role by considering the impersonal character of all knowledge as a condition of objectivity, an essential requirement for the universality and communicability of knowledge. Today, however, many authors stress that completely impersonal experiences do not exist: the forma mentis, the normative convictions, categories, creativity and existential experiences of the subject represent a tacit dimension of knowledge, one that is always present and is an indispensable factor for the acceptance of scientific progress. We cannot think of a new episteme from a laboratory, but from life, yes.

In this light, the university can be viewed as not only conscious, but also having an intellectual and moral energy whose responsibility goes beyond the person to be educated and extends to the needs of all humanity. The International Federation of Catholic Universities is called to take up the moral imperative of striving to achieve a more united international academic community. On the one hand by basing itself more faithfully on the Christian context from which universities originated; and on the other, by consolidating the network between older and newer universities, in order to develop a universal spirit aimed at increasing the quality of the cultural life of persons and of peoples. The ecosystem of universities develops when every member of the university, by focusing on the whole person, cultivates a particular awareness of the context in which people live and grow, and of all that contributes to their advancement.

The formation of leaders achieves its goal when it imbues the academic years with the aim of developing not only the mind but also the heart, the conscience, together with students practical abilities. Scientific and theoretical knowledge must be blended with the sensitivity of the scholar and researcher, so that the fruits of study are not acquired in a self-referential way, affirming only ones professional position, but have a relational and social purpose. Ultimately, just as every scientist and every person of culture has an obligation to greater service, because they possess greater knowledge, so too the university community, especially if it has a Christian inspiration, and the ecosystem of academic institutions must respond together to the same duty.

In this perspective, the path that the Church and Catholic academics must follow is succinctly expressed by the patron of the FIUC, the newly-canonized Cardinal John Henry Newman: The Church fears no knowledge, but she purifies all; she represses no element of our nature, but cultivates the whole[1]. Thank you.

Endnote

[1] The Idea of a University, Part 1, Discourse 9, 8.

Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2019

This item 12242 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org

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Library : The Importance of 'Three Languages' in Education - Catholic Culture

Australian fashion label Tigerlily has wiped clean its entire social media after confirming it is moving in a totally new direction.

The brand, founded in 2000 by James Packers ex-wife and model Jodhi Meares, is largely known for its itsy-bitsy bikinis and beach-babe attire, but after 20 years, it has decided to shift focus starting with its Instagram page.

As of midnight on Friday, more than 4300 photos and video content was deleted off its official account leaving many of its strong following baffled by the stunt.

Tigerlily CEO Chris Buchanan revealed to news.com.au it is part of the companys new direction which will focus more on apparel and less on its iconic swimwear range.

The most common misconception is that we are a swimwear brand, but we have been about apparel for the past 20 years, Mr Buchanan said.

He said while they may be famous for swimwear, Tigerlily has always been a ready-to-wear fashion brand.

We will have much more of a focus on apparel given it accounts for 80 per cent of our sales, he said.

Speaking exclusively to news.com.au Mr Buchanan said the label will undergo a complete rebrand, launching a sophisticated yet playful Resort 20 campaign to celebrate its evolution.

This will also include moving away from its signature gold Tigerlily branding.

Speculation of a shift in focus sparked in May this year when the brand chose not to showcase its popular bikinis at Fashion Week in Sydney.

Instead, it focused firmly on apparel a bold comeback statement after having been absent from the runway for 17 years.

Mr Buchanan said it was a conscious decision to showcase a more elevated offering at the time and in part to dispel the common myth about the brand thats its just about swimwear.

He said it made sense to return to the Fashion Week runway on the eve of the brands 20th birthday, with 2019 also marking the second evolution of the iconic Aussie label.

Each collection we create is aspirational but accessible for women, who embrace curiosity for exploring the new things, Mr Buchanan said.

Tigerlily has also seen huge success in the international market from the UK, Middle East and the US.

And all that growth comes from the apparel business. After 20 years, we see it as the perfect opportunity to really crystallise and communicate our new brand purpose, Mr Buchanan told news.com.au

As we expand into new markets and grow with our consumer, comes a refreshed look and perspective for the brand.

After 12 months in the making, Mr Buchanan said the brand was now ready for its next adventure, disregarding the shift as a risky move.

We believe they (customers) will respond well, because our fans who have been shopping with us from the beginning already know what we are about a ready to wear brand.

This is going to bring together a cohesive message across all our touch points.

Since 9am on Friday, Mr Buchanan said Tigerlilys Instagram page has already increased to an extra 1000 followers.

About 50 to 100 people are dropping in every half an hour it has created incredible interest and shows people are very supportive of brands that want to evolve.

The world is constantly evolving, as is consumer taste and we need to evolve to remain relevant.

The official launch of the brands new-look will be unveiled on November 19, but fans will be treated to teasers on its social media, giving a sneak peak into what the labels future will hold.

In an era when experience matters most Tigerlily is for the adventurous at heart who seek fun, freedom and lives in the moment, Mr Buchanan said,

The brand, which offers four ready-to-wear collections and four holiday edits per year, operates 26 stand-alone retail boutiques in Australia.

It also continues to expand globally with Selfridges, ASOS and El Corte Ingles among its growing list of distributors.

HISTORY:

In 2009, former swimwear model and Tigerlily founder Jodhi Meares sold her popular brand to Gold Coast surfwear giant Billabong for an undisclosed amount.

Billabong then sold the business for a reported $60 million to Crescent Capital Partners in 2017 as part of its get back to basics plan.

Tigerlilys revenue was about $30 million in 2016 and was expected to contribute between $7 million and $8 million in FY17, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

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Tigerlily deletes Instagram in rebrand from swimwear to apparel range - NEWS.com.au