Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Center for Public Integrity

2010-02-22T09:20:31Z

Defender of torch: Removed category Government of the United States (using HotCat)

{{Cleanup|date=July 2009}}
{{External links|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox Non-profit
| Non-profit_name = The Center for Public Integrity
| Non-profit_logo = 
| Non-profit_type = [[501(c)(3)]]
| founded_date = March 1989
| founder = [[Charles Lewis (journalist)|Charles Lewis]]
| location = [[Washington DC]]
| origins =
| key_people = [[Bill Buzenberg]], Executive Director [[Marianne Szegedy-Maszak]], Chairperson
| area_served =
| focus = [[Investigative Journalism]]
| method = Foundation and Member Supported
| revenue =
| endowment =
| num_volunteers =
| num_employees =
| num_members =
| owner =
| Non-profit_slogan = Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
| homepage = [http://www.publicintegrity.org/ publicintegrity.org]
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}

The '''Center for Public Integrity''' is a [[nonprofit]] organization dedicated to producing original, responsible [[investigative journalism]] on issues of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy and committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United States and around the world. The Center's mission is to produce original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable. Located in [[Washington, DC]], the Center for Public Integrity has conducted investigations into many topics; the environment, public health, public accountability, federal and state lobbying, war profiteering, and financial disclosure, all of which have a public integrity component.

In 1997, the Center launched the [http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/icij/ International Consortium of Investigative Journalists](ICIJ), a project of the Center for Public Integrity that globally extends the Center’s watchdog style of journalism in the public interest by marshaling the talents of the world’s leading investigative reporters.

The Center releases its reports via its web site, press releases, and news advisories to all forms of media; broadcast, print, online, and blogs, throughout the U.S. and around the globe. The Center's 2004, "The Buying of the President" book was on the ''[[New York Times]]'' bestseller list for three months<ref name="growing importance">{{cite news
|last=Lewis
|first=Charles
|url=http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/presspol/research_publications/papers/working_papers/lewis_april_07.pdf
| title=The Growing Importance of Non-Profit Journalism
| publisher=The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press,
Politics and Public Policy |format=PDF}}</ref> after its January 2004 publication. The Center also collects and organizes the public records it gathers into online databases so that other reporters and the public have access to the information. In 2006, ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' media critic [[Jack Shafer]] described the Center as having "broken as many stories as almost any big-city daily in the last couple of decades"<ref>{{cite news | first=Jack | last=Shafer |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2152033/nav/tap1/ | title=If You Don't Buy This Newspaper … We'll shoot your democracy. | publisher=Slate.com | date=23 October 2006}}</ref>.

The Center receives funding from a large variety of foundations, philanthropic, and private donors. The Center does not accept anonymous donations, government grants and does not lobby, promote or endorse any legislation, policy, political party, or organization.

==Origin of the Name==
In an essay marking the 10th anniversary of the Center's founding, Lewis wrote:
{{Quotation|Initially the idea of having "investigative reporting" in the name appealed to me. But the landscape was crowded with groups having those words in their names: the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) in Missouri, the Fund for Investigative Journalism in Washington. It was not just that figuring out a way to include investigative and reporting in a memorable name without repeating all the other memorable names was going to be a problem. The whole reputation of investigative reporters was not exactly at its highest point at the time. Was this really how I wanted this group to be identified?

So I asked a friend who was not a journalist, "What should this be called?" We tried to come up with the central theme to our discussions and we realized that the theme was integrity. And then we refined that theme to public integrity. I went to my new Board members and suggested the name. We knew that it sounded a little pompous. A little pretentious. A little strange. But it ended up being a very useful name because when anything arose remotely involving ethics, or impropriety anywhere, any time, in any field of endeavor, we would get the call.<ref name="2000 report">{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/assets/pdf/2000_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf | title=2000 Annual Report | publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}</ref>}}

==History==
===The founding (1989-1990)===
The Center was founded in March 1989 by [[Charles Lewis (journalist)|Charles Lewis]] after an 11-year career as a television reporter that included a stint as correspondent [[Mike Wallace (journalist)|Mike Wallace's]] producer for the [[CBS News]] program [[60 Minutes]]<ref name="2000 report"/>. Frustrated by his sense that the current system failed to adequately investigate corruption in Washington, Lewis quit his job at CBS and founded the Center. At the time, he wrote:{{Quotation|In recent years, a disturbing paradox has increasingly gnawed at me: America's best and brightest reporters, working for the most respected national news organizations, too often do not investigate the country's most important stories. ... While about 4,000 accredited reporters work today in Washington, not much muckraking is actually going on. There needs to be a group of respected journalists in Washington who on a regular basis are doing insightful investigative studies of the systematic problems hampering government and the political process.<ref>{{cite news | title=Mercenary, not public, service | last=Lewis | first=Charles | publisher=IRE Journal | date= Spring}}</ref>}}
After starting out with headquarters in his home in Northern Virginia, Lewis began by securing funding and garnering support from a variety of a prominent public figures—early advisers included [[Arthur Schlesinger Jr.]], [[James MacGregor Burns]], [[James David Barber]], [[Kathleen Hall Jamieson]], Father [[Theodore Hesburgh]], [[Bill Kovach]] and [[Hodding Carter III]].<ref name="growing importance"/>.

===The Lewis era (1990-2004)===
In May 1990, Lewis used the money he had raised and his house as collateral to open an {{convert|1800|sqft|m2|-1|sing=on}} office in Washington at [http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=1910+K+Street+Nw,+Washington,+DC 1910 K Street, N.W.]<ref name="2000 report"/>. In its first year, the Center's budget was $200,000<ref name="growing importance"/>. By the 1992 elections, Lewis had added three full-time staffers. The Center continued to grow over the years, relocating to 1634 I Street, N.W. in 1994, and by 2006 it employed more than three dozen employees. Its offices are now located at [http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=910+17th+Street+Nw,+Washington,+DC 910 17th Street, N.W.]

In 1996 the Center launched its first Web site, but did not begin to publish reports online until 1999<ref name="growing importance"/>.

Lewis served as director until January 2005. At the time of his departure, the Center claimed to have published 14 books and more than 250 investigative reports<ref>{{cite news | url=
http://www.public-i.org/docs/publici/pi_2004_12.pdf | title=The Public I |month=December | year=2004| publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}</ref> and have a working staff of 40 full-time workers based in Washington partnering with a network of writers and editors in more than 25 countries<ref name="growing importance"/>. Years later, Lewis said he decided to leave his position at the Center because "he didn't want it to become 'an institution that was Chuck's Excellent Adventure<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg">{{cite news
| last = Hartmann
| first = Anath
| title = Center of Attention
| publisher = [[American Journalism Review]]
| month = December | year = 2007
| url = http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4442
}}</ref>.'"

The departure surprised and upset philanthropists Herb and Marion Sandler, who had partially funded the Center's activities<ref name="NYT-Sandler-Profile">{{cite news
| last = Nocera
| first = Joe
| title = The Money Issue
| publisher = The New York Times
| date = 2008-03-09
| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/magazine/09Sandlers-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
}}</ref>.

Lewis has continued a draw a salary. According to filings with the IRS, he received $99,000 from the Center in 2005<ref name="2005-990">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2005.pdf
| title=2005 Annual Return (IRS Form 990)
| publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}
</ref> and $86,000 in 2006<ref name="2006-990">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2006.pdf
| title=2006 Annual Return (IRS Form 990)
| publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}
</ref>. This is a reduction from his previous salary, which was reported at $180,000 at the time he stepped down as executive director<ref name="2004-990">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2004.pdf
| title=2004 Annual Return (IRS Form 990)
| publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}
</ref>.

===The Baskin-Rawls era (2005-07)===
In December 2004, the Center's board of directors choose a successor, television journalist [[Roberta Baskin]]. Baskin came to the Center after directing consumer investigations for [[20/20|ABC News's 20/20]] and serving as Washington correspondent for [[NOW (TV series)|PBS's NOW with Bill Moyers]]<ref> {{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2004_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf | title=2004 annual report | publisher=The Center for Public Integrity|format=PDF}}</ref>.

After the handover from the founder and long-time director Lewis, many of the Center's senior staff also left the organization<ref name="growing importance"/>.

In September 2005, the Center announced that it had discovered a pattern of plagiarism in the past work of staff writer [[Robert Moore]] for the Center's 2002 book ''Capitol Offenders''. The Center responded by hiring a copy editor to review all of Moore's work, issuing a revised version of ''Capitol Offenders'', sending letters of apology to all of the reporters whose work was plagiarized, authoring a new corrections policy and returning an award the book received from [[Investigative Reporters and Editors]]<ref name="RobertMooreRelease">
{{cite news
| title = Statement on Unattributed Use of Source Materials
| publisher = The Center for Public Integrity
| date = September 9 [2005]
| url = http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/release.aspx?aid=29
}}</ref><ref name = "Baskin-AJR-Letter">{{cite news
| last = Baskin
| first = Roberta
| title = Taken Aback
| publisher = [[American Journalism Review]]
| date = February/March 2008
| url = http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4468
}}</ref>. Moore went on to work for a political consulting firm that specializes in [[opposition research]]<ref name="RobertMooreNewJob">
{{cite news
| last = Prince
| first = Richard
| title = What's in the Floodwater?
| publisher = [[Maynard Institute]]
| date = September 14 [2005]
| url = http://www.maynardije.org/columns/dickprince/050914_prince/
}}</ref><ref name="RobertMooreMJS">
{{cite news
| last = Bice
| first = Daniel
| title = Integrity washout finds niche dredging muck in court race
| publisher = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]
| date = September 14 [2005]
| url = http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=583463
}}</ref>. In March 2007, Moore told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Center's official version "is not accurate in telling the full story of why I left the center," but did not elaborate<ref name="RobertMooreMJS"/>.

In early 2006, [[The National Journal]] reported that Center staffer [[Bob Williams]] alleged he was fired for raising concerns about a no-bid consulting contract then-Managing Director [[Wendell Rawls]] received from the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], "where an old friend served as chairman<ref>{{cite news
|last=Singer
|first=Paul
|date= February 18, 2006
| title=Integrity's Turmoil
| publisher=[[The National Journal]] }}</ref>
." Williams told a reporter he was asked to leave shortly after challenging Rawls to "step outside" in response to Rawls impugning his masculinity<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>. Baskin and Rawls declined to comment on Williams' accusations about his departure, but both disputed his contention that Rawls' contract was an example of [[cronyism]] and later contested the story's account of a "heated" confrontation at a staff meeting<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/release.aspx?aid=41
|date= February 23, 2006
| title=The Center for Public Integrity Responds
| publisher=PublicIntegrity.org }}</ref>. Writing in 2008, Baskin alleged that Williams "physically threatened" Rawls at the meeting in question<ref name="Baskin-AJR-Letter"/> and said that "Williams was angry and hurt about having to leave and cannot possibly be viewed as a credible source...<ref name="Baskin-AJR-Letter"/>"

Baskin held the position until May 24, 2006<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/release.aspx?aid=109 | title=The Center for Public Integrity Announces Leadership Change | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>, when Rawls stepped in to serve as acting director. Writing in 2007, Lewis would describe the Center's output during Baskin's tenure as "generally unremarkable," lacking "the pop" of work from his tenure, and also report that fundraising for 2005 and 2006 amounted to only half the total Lewis raised during 2004, his final year<ref name="growing importance"/><ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>.

Baskin would later express surprise at Lewis' criticism while making a veiled referenced to the "high" salary he continued to earn after his retirement<ref name="Baskin-AJR-Letter"/>.

===The Buzenberg era (2007-present)===
In December 2006, Rawls was succeeded by [[William E. Buzenberg]], a vice president at [[American Public Media]] / [[Minnesota Public Radio]]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/release.aspx?aid=73 | title=William E. Buzenberg Named Executive Director Of The Center for Public Integrity | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org | date=23 October 2006}}</ref>.

Buzenberg was first interviewed for the position in 2004 during the hiring process that ultimately lead to the selection of his predecessor, Roberta Baskin.<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>

With traditional newsrooms shrinking and budgets for in-depth investigative reporting being cut in 2009, The Center for Public Integrity was dramatically boosting its productivity and visibility, with daily reporting on its PaperTrail blog in addition to major investigations. The Center’s report, Who’s Behind the Financial Meltdown?, looking at the roots of the global financial crisis, was featured in numerous media outlets, leading Columbia Journalism Review to ask, “Why hasn’t a newspaper or magazine done this?” More than 100 newspapers, magazines, wire services and web sites cited the Center’s report, The Climate Change Lobby Explosion, an analysis of Senate disclosure records showing the number of lobbyists on global warming had grown more than 300 percent in just five years, and that Washington now boasts more than four climate lobbyists for every member of Congress. Tobacco Underground, an ongoing project tracing the global trade in smuggled cigarettes, produced by the Center’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, was honored with the prestigious Renner Award for Crime Reporting from Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Online International Reporting.

According to a report by Lewis, "the number of full-time staff was reduced by one-third" in early 2007<ref name="growing importance"/>. By December 2007, the number of full-time staff had dropped to 25, down from a high of 40.<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/> At the time, Buzenberg said "It's a great, great place, but I will not mislead you... [Lewis] quite frankly left the center in great shape financially, but when you have a visionary who leaves, how do you continue? 'With difficulty' is the answer.<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>"

Baskin publicly disputed Buzenberg's claims in a letter to the [[American Journalism Review]] where she wrote:{{Quotation|Contrary to the statement from current Executive Director Bill Buzenberg, the center was not left "in great shape financially" by my predecessor. Much of the money raised during the year prior to my tenure was used to offset budget overruns on several previous projects. I replaced our director of development and made fundraising my number one priority, much as Buzenberg has done. As a rookie fundraiser, I take pride in the fact that I was able to raise millions of dollars<ref name="Baskin-AJR-Letter"/>.}}

In 2008, Lewis reflected on the transition period following his resignation and said:{{Quotation|I regret what happened to my staff and the condition of the Center. It’s no secret it had a less than enviable few years. But that’s one of the reasons I thought it was important to leave. I had founded it and run it for 15 years, and at some point the founder does have to leave the building. Leaving at the 20-year mark, or 25-year mark, or 30-year mark wouldn’t have made such a transition easier; in fact, it would have made it even more difficult.

There is something called the Founder Syndrome, and one of the problems is that the transition period is difficult because people think of the organization in terms of one person. I was trying to make it something beyond “Chuck’s Excellent Adventure” — less about me and more about the idea of having a watchdog entity in the nation’s capital doing investigative work.

I don’t regret it, I think it was important that I left, but I do feel badly about the hardship it brought to people I think the world of. On a personal and human level, I feel bad for those folks and have spent dozens of hours helping people work through things.

What do I think of things currently? It’s been a bumpy time. Bill Buzenberg is the third director since I left, but they have turned an important corner, and it’s back, and will continue to do important work. I’m doing everything I can discreetly to help them from outside the organization.<ref name = "Lewis-Glaser Interview">{{cite interview
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| subjectlink = Charles Lewis (journalist)
| interviewer = Mark Glaser
| title = Charles Lewis Tries to Solve — Not Bemoan — State of Investigative Journalism
| program = MediaShift
| callsign = [[PBS]]
| date = 2008-06-18
| accessdate = 2008-06-19}}</ref>.}}

==Notable Work==
* The Center's first report, America's Frontline Trade Officials reported that nearly one half of White House trade officials over a 15-year period became lobbyists for countries or overseas corporations after they left public service. According to Lewis, it "prompted a Justice Department ruling, a General Accounting Office report, a Congressional hearing, was cited by four presidential candidates in 1992 and was partly responsible for an executive order in January 1993 by President Clinton, placing a lifetime ban on foreign lobbying by White House trade officials<ref name="growing importance"/>."
* [http://www.public-i.org/docs/publici/pi_1996_08.pdf Fat Cat Hotel] (1996)
** "This Public report, written by [[Margaret Ebrahim]], won the 1996 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service in Newsletter Journalism. The report profiles 75 fund-raisers and donors who stayed overnight in the Clinton White House<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://store.publicintegrity.org/ecom/store/default.aspx?act=details&type=report&iID=22
| title=Online Store: Fat Cat Hotel
| publisher=PublicIntegrity.org }}</ref>."
* The Buying of the President, 1996, 2000, 2004
* [http://projects.publicintegrity.org/wow/ Windfalls of War]
* [http://projects.publicintegrity.org/lobby/ LobbyWatch]
* [http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/671/ Patriot Act II]
* [http://projects.publicintegrity.org/powertrips/ Power Trips]
* [http://projects.publicintegrity.org/527/ Silent Partners]

===Honors===
The Center's work has been honored by journalism awards from [[PEN USA]], [[Investigative Reporters and Editors]], [[the Society of Professional Journalists]], the [[Association of Capital Reporters and Editors]], the [[National Press Foundation]], the [[Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy]] and others<ref name="awards">{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=awards|title=Awards|publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</</ref>. A full listing may be found [http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=awards here].

===Spinoffs===
Created in 1997, [[the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] network includes 92 leading investigative reporters and editors in 48 countries. The group has collaborated on numerous online and printed reports on corporate crime, [[arms trafficking]], terrorism, U.S. military policy and human rights issues. [[Global Integrity]], another international project, was launched in 2001 to systematically track and report on openness, accountability and the rule of law in various countries.

===Funding===

The Center for Public Integrity is supported by individual contributions and grants awarded by charitable foundations. [http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=funders A list of the Center's funders] may be found on its official Web site. Donations are [[tax-deductible]]. The Center ceased accepting contributions from corporations and labor unions in 1996<ref name="2000 report"/>. In its first year, the Center's budget was reported to be $200,000<ref name="growing importance"/>.

===Budget===
[[Image:CPI budget.png| frame | center | | Source: IRS filings<ref name="2005-990"/><ref name="2006-990"/><ref name="2004-990"/><ref name="2002-990"> {{cite news |url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2002.pdf | title=2002 Annual Return (IRS Form 990) | publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}
</ref><ref name="2003-990">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2003.pdf
| title=2003 Annual Return (IRS Form 990)
| publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |format=PDF}}
</ref> ]]

<div align=center>
{| class="wikitable"
|-

!

! 2002<ref name="2002-990"/>

! 2003<ref name="2003-990"/>

! 2004<ref name="2004-990"/>

! 2005<ref name="2005-990"/>

! 2006<ref name="2006-990"/>
|-
| Program Services
| $3,211,035
| $3,431,602
| $3,436,047
| $3,156,524
| $3,310,376
|-
| Management
| $158,635
| $647,919
| $781,966
| $814,311
| $856,808
|-
| Fundraising
| $312,476
| $283,785
| $327,890
| $429,868
| $569,753
|-
| Expenses
| $3,682,146
| $4,363,306
| $4,545,903
| $4,400,703
| $4,736,637
|-
| Revenue
| $2,934,193
| $4,314,611
| $6,494,199
| $3,138,139
| $3,207,695
|-
| Excess or Deficit
| ($747,953)

| ($48,695)
| $1,948,296
| ($1,262,564)
| ($1,528,942)
|}</div>

==Praise==
"The Center for Public Integrity has rescued investigative journalism from the margins and showed us how important this kind of reporting is to the health of democracy.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[Bill Moyers]]

An indispensable truth-teller in a treacherous time.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[Arthur Schlesinger Jr.]]

What has long impressed me about the Center in particular is its combination of realistic militance and fine scholarship.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[James MacGregor Burns]]

In a political culture without apparent guiding principles, in a time when those who own our great media conglomerates stress markets above journalism, the Center for Public Integrity has offered an increasingly potent antidote.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[Hodding Carter III]]

Ethics must be reintroduced to public service to restore people’s faith in government. Without such faith, democracy cannot flourish. [The Center's] ambitious agenda is filling a desperate need.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[Walter Cronkite]]

In Washington, D.C., a city that is home to a surplus of committees and organizations with names that suggest they are pursuing worthy causes on behalf of all Americans — when in fact they are not — there is one group that lives up to its name: The Center for Public Integrity. ... The Center has no axe to grind, except to look out for the best interests of all citizens. In so doing, it has turned out one thought-provoking, fact-filled, nonpartisan study after another on the major issues of the day — all required reading for those who are committed to good and honest government.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[Donald Barlett]] and [[James Steele]]

No one should be in doubt as to the value of the work of the Center for Public Integrity or the suffering that it causes. For much modern political and economic life and also, alas, for much media expression, nothing is so inconvenient, so unwelcome and often so powerful as the cold truth. This, the CPI for our pleasure and for our benefit provides.<ref name="2000 report"/> [[John Kenneth Galbraith]]

==Criticism==
=== Sources of Funding ===
Criticism of the Center frequently addresses the source of its financial support<ref name="snicker">{{cite news|url=http://www.angryleftexposed.com/profiles/cpi.html|title=THE CENTER FOR (SNICKER, SNICKER) PUBLIC INTEGRITY|publisher=AngryLeftExposed.com}}</ref><ref name="NRA-Pew">
{{cite news
| title = The Awful Truth About Scampaign Finance
| publisher = [[America's 1st Freedom]]
| url = http://www.nrapublications.org/first%20freedom/Scampaign.asp
}}</ref><ref name="Instapundit-Pew">
{{cite news
| first = Glenn
| last = Reynolds
| title = Astroturfing Campaign Finance "Reform"
| publisher = [[Instapundit]]
| date = March 22, 2005
| url = http://instapundit.com/archives/021967.php
}}</ref><ref name="WSJ-Soros">
{{cite news
| last = Editoral Board
| title = The Soros Agenda
| publisher = [[The Wall Street Journal]]
| date = December 30, 2003
| url = http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110004498
}}</ref><ref name="AIM-Soros">
{{cite news
| last = Kincaid
| first = Cliff
| title = The Hidden Soros Agenda: Drugs, Money, the Media, and Political Power
| publisher = [[Accuracy in Media]]
| date = October 27, 2004
| url = http://www.aim.org/special_report/2089_0_8_0_C/
}}</ref><ref name="Idaho-Soros">
{{cite news
| last = McKnight
| first = Becky
| title = Reader's view: Proposition 2 protects Idaho property
| publisher = [[Idaho Statesman]]
| date = October 15, 2006
| url = http://idahoptv.org/elections/2006/showOpin.cfm?StoryID=24386
}}</ref>. Despite its claims to be a nonpartisan news organization and profession of [http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=ethics | title=Journalistic Ethics | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>, the Center has been accused of bias towards [[right-wing]] political causes because it has accepted money from organizations and individuals that favor conservative policies and/or actively oppose [[left-wing]] political causes.

In a 2007 essay, the Center's founder [[Charles Lewis (journalist)|Charles Lewis]] offered this about the Center's fundraising habits:
{{Quotation|The issue of perceived financial “purity” and exactly from whom the Center should seek and accept money from has been an introspective feature of nearly every board meeting since 1989. Eventually, beginning in 1995, for example, we stopped raising funds from companies and labor unions because of their direct economic interests in influencing public policy; the nonpartisan Center has never accepted money from government, advocacy organizations, paid advertising or anonymous donors.<ref name="growing importance"/>}}

===Funding from George Soros===
The Center has been criticized for accepting large funds from [[George Soros]], a politically active billionaire and critic of the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]]. <ref name="snicker"/><ref name="WSJ-Soros"/><ref name="AIM-Soros"/><ref name="Idaho-Soros"/>. The Web site of one of Soros' organizations, the [[Open Society Institute]], discloses four grants to the Center, all made before his entry into the 2004 presidential contest. They are:
*A $72,400 one-year grant in 2000 supporting "an investigative journalism series on prosecutorial misconduct."<ref>{{cite news | url=
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/gideon/grantees/cpi_2000 | title=OSI:Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships | publisher=Soros.org}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"|
*A $75,000 one-year grant in 2001 supporting "an examination of wrongful convictions resulting from prosecutorial misconduct."<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/gideon/grantees/cpi_2001 | title=OSI:Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships | publisher=Soros.org}}</ref>
*A $100,000 one-year grant in 2002 "to investigate the political spending of the telecommunications industry on the federal, state and local levels."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=102 | title=OSI:Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships | publisher=Soros.org}}</ref>
*A $1 million three-year grant in 2002 "to support the Global Access Project."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.soros.org/grants/research/detail.php?id=101 | title=OSI:Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships | publisher=Soros.org}}</ref>
|}
The first two grants funded what eventually became the [http://www.publicintegrity.org/pm/default.aspx?act=team "Harmful Error"] report, which was headed by Steve Weinberg. Weinberg is a professional journalist and former director of [[Investigative Reporters and Editors]].

The telecommunications grant supported the launch of the Center's ongoing [http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/ "Well Connected"] project. According to the Center's site, other funding for that endeavor has been provided by [[The Ford Foundation]]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/default.aspx?act=faq | title=FAQ | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>. The project has won an Online News Association award for enterprise reporting<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2003_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf|title=2003 Annual Report|publisher=The Center for Public Integrity|format=PDF}}</ref> and the [[Sigma Delta Chi]] Award for Public Service in Online Journalism<ref name="awards">{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=awards|title=Awards|publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>.

According to [http://www.globalintegrity.org/default.aspx?act=4 its Web site], the Global Access project—now known as Global Integrity—seeks to "collect and disseminate trustworthy, credible, comprehensive and timely data and information on governance and corruption trends around the world." It publishes the Global Integrity Index, "an annual ranking of 50-100 diverse countries in more than 290 indicators of openness, governance, and anti-corruption mechanisms<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.globalintegrity.org/default.aspx?act=2 |title=What We Do|publisher=GlobalIntegrity.org}}</ref>."

Despite their previous connections, the Center documented Soros' political donations during the 2004 political elections as a part of its [http://www.publicintegrity.org/527/ "Silent Partners"] project, which won an Online Journalism Association award for its reporting on the [[527 groups|"527" groups]] that bypassed campaign finance disclosure regulations to funnel millions of dollars to both candidates<ref name="awards"/>.

===Funding from Bill Moyers and the Schumann Foundation===
A 1999 report in the [[Seattle Times]] raised questions about the ethical behavior of [[PBS]] journalist Bill Moyers by documenting examples of his work that featured sources whose organizations have been funded by the [[Schumann Foundation]], a philanthropic group he heads. Among the recipients of Schumann grants featured in Moyers' journalism has been the Center's founder Charles Lewis.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}

In 2004, Moyers and the Center were further criticized by [[Cliff Kinkaid]] of [[Accuracy in Media]]<ref name="AIM-Soros"/>, who emphasized that Moyers has also served on the board of the [[Open Society Institute]]<ref>{{cite news
| title = Geoffrey Canada and Joan Dunlop Join OSI Board of Trustees
| publisher = [[Open Society Institute]]
| date = December 6, 2002
| url = http://www.soros.org/newsroom/news/newtrustees_20021206
}}</ref>, a foundation started by a [[George Soros]] that has itself also funded projects at the Center.

===Funding from Supporters of Legal Restrictions on Campaign Finance===
Writing in [[The Wall Street Journal]] in March 2005, commentator [[John Fund]] accused the Center of being a member of what he termed the "campaign finance lobby<ref name="WSJ-Pew">
{{cite news
| last = John Fund
| title = Astroturf Politics
| publisher = [[The Wall Street Journal]]
| date = March 21, 2005
| url = http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110006449
}}</ref>." Citing a speech by [[Sean Treglia]], former program manager at [[Pew Charitable Trusts]], Fund argued that a "stealth campaign" by "eight liberal foundations" fomented a false sense of public demand for new restrictions on the financing of public campaigns<ref name="WSJ-Pew"/>. In the course of his essay, Fund singled out the Center as a front group pushing Pew's agenda.

{{Quotation|Reporters are used to attempts to hoodwink officials into thinking an issue is genuinely popular, and they frequently expose them. But when "good government" groups like the Center for Public Integrity engage in the same tactics, journalists usually ignore it<ref name="WSJ-Pew"/>.}}

The Center's [[Bill Allison]] responded to criticisms arising from Tregalia's speech by emphasizing that Pew's contributions to the Center's work on campaign finance have always been forthrightly disclosed<ref name="Allison-Pew">
{{cite news
| first = Bill
| last = Allison
| title = Puzzling Evidence
| publisher = The Center for Public Integrity
| date = March 23, 2005
| url =http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=673&sid=200
}}</ref>. In an published argument with blogger [[Ryan Sager]], Allison also disputed the notion that the Center's work amounted to advocacy:
{{Quotation|...The purpose of our grants is to do things like code hundreds of thousands of public records, put them in a database and post them on our Web site so anyone can use them. The amount of money we've gotten to push [[campaign finance reform]] is $0<ref name="SagerVsAllison-Pew">
{{cite news
| first = Ryan
| last = Sager
| title = Allison Responds
| publisher = [[Miscellaneous Objections]]
| date = March 23, 2005
| url = http://web.archive.org/web/20060513063513/www.rhsager.com/mo/2005/03/allison_respond.html
}}</ref>.}}In another essay on the Center's Web site, Allison challenged the Center's critics, and Fund specifically.{{Quotation|[Fund] doesn't cite a single instance in which the Center has attempted to "hoodwink" government officials (or anyone else, for that matter) into thinking campaign finance is a genuinely popular issue, because he can't. We simply don't operate that way. We don't do public relations campaigns. We don't lobby Congress. We don't petition the Federal Election Commission. We don't pretend we have legions of individuals contributing money to support our work. Our paid membership amounts to around six thousand people; we'd certainly be happy to have more.

We do put out factual information about a number of issues that interest us, one of which is campaign finance. And at least some of the public is interested in reading what we report. The Buying of the President 2004 was a New York Times bestselling book, and our 1996 report "Fat Cat Hotel," showing that the Clinton White House was renting out the Lincoln Bedroom to campaign contributors, became a topic in the press, on Sunday morning talk shows, even in the monologues of late night comedians. The Center's founder and former executive director, Charles Lewis, also got to appear twice on the Comedy Central program The Daily Show. But that's the closest we've come to any sort of popularity; and how any of that could hoodwink anyone is a bit of a mystery.

And as for Mr. Fund, back in the days when campaign finance issues were of concern to him, he sought us out to lend authority to his writings on John Huang and quoted us in an Oct. 29, 1996, column on the subject. Is it Mr. Fund's view that when he wrote about various DNC campaign finance violations, he was trying to hoodwink federal officials into thinking that people cared about the issue<ref name="AllisonVsFund-Pew">
{{cite news
| first = Bill
| last = Allison
| title = No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
| publisher = The Center for Public Integrity
| date = March 22, 2005
| url = http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=672&sid=200
}}</ref>?}}

==Foundations Providing Support<ref name="reports">{{cite news|url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=annual|title=Annual Reports|publisher=The Center for Public Integrity}}</ref>==
<div align="center">
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*Annenberg Foundation
*Arca Foundation
*Around Foundation
*Arthur D. Lipson
*Brodie Price Fund
*[[Carnegie Corporation of New York]]
*Charles S. Chapin Charitable Trust
*Cissy Patterson Trust
*Columbia Foundation – Christine H. Russell Fund
*Community Trust
*Daniel Solomon Tzedakah Fund of the Shefa Fund
*Donna Mae Litowitz
*Dudley Foundation
*Educational Foundation of America
*[[Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation]]
*Eugene Vasilew
*Fanny and Leo Koerner Charitable Trust
*[[Ford Foundation]]
*Freedom Forum
*Fund for Constitutional Government
*Gaia Fund
*Giles W. and Elise G. Mead Foundation
*Goldman Environmental Foundation
*Gunzenhauser-Chapin Fund
*Haas Charitable Trusts
*Hafif Family Foundation
*JEHT Foundation
*Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University
*John & Florence Newman Foundation
*John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
*[[Knight Foundation|John S. and James L. Knight Foundation]]
| valign="top" |
*Joyce Foundation
*Katz Family Foundation
*Kismet Foundation
*Lear Family Foundation
*Lear Fund of the Proteus Fund
*Leavens Foundation
*Litowitz Foundation
*Los Angeles Times Foundation
*Low Wood Fund
*Lucy Gonda Foundation
*Lynn R. & Karl E. Prickett Fund
*Mark S. Thompson
*McCormick Tribune Foundation
*Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation
*Nathan Cummings Foundation
*New York Community Trust
*Omidyar Network Fund
*Open Society Foundation
*Park Foundation, Inc.
*[[Pew Charitable Trusts]]
*Popplestone Foundation
*Price Family Charitable Fund
*Princeton Class of 1969
*Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund
*Rockefeller Brothers Fund
*Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust
*Sandler Family Supporting Foundation
*Scherman Foundation, Inc.
*Schuckman Peace Foundation
*Schumann Center for Media and Democracy
| valign="top" |
*Stewert R. Mott Charitable Trust
*Streisand Foundation
*Susan Loewenberg
*Thomas Rosbrow
*Town Creek Foundation, Inc.
*V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation
*Victor Elmaleh Foundation
*Wallace Global Fund
*Whitehead Foundation
*William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
*Working Assets
|}</div>

==Management and Staff==
<div align=center>
{| class="wikitable"
!Board of Directors<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=directors | title=Board of Directors | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>!!Advisory Board<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=advisory | title=Advisory Board | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>!!Management<ref name="staff">{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/staff.aspx | title=Staff | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>
|- valign="center" align="center" width ="100%"
|
[[Bill Buzenberg]] 
[[Hodding Carter III]] 
[[Alan J. Dworsky]] 
[[Charles Eisendrath]] 
[[Bruce A. Finzen]] 
[[Bill Kovach]] 
[[Susan Loewenberg]] 
[[Bevis Longsteth]] 
[[Paula Madison]] 
[[John E. Newman, Jr.]] 
[[Michele Norris]] 
[[Geneva Overholser]] 
[[Allen Pusey]] 
[[Sree Sreenivasan]] 
[[Marianne Szegedy-Maszak]](Chair)
|
[[James MacGregor Burns]] 
[[Joel Chaseman]] 
[[Edith Everett]] 
[[Gustavo Godoy]] 
[[Josie Goytisolo]] 
[[Herbert Hafif]] 
[[Rev. Theodore Hesburgh]] 
[[Kathleen Hall Jamieson]] 
[[Sonia R. Jarvis]] 
[[Charles Ogletree]] 
[[Charles Piller]] 
[[Ben Sherwood]] 
[[Harold M. Williams]] 
[[William Julius Wilson]]
|
[[Bill Buzenberg]] 
'''Executive Director'''

[[Ellen McPeake]] 
Chief Operating Officer

[[David E. Kaplan (author)]] 
Editorial Director and ICIJ Director

[[Bridget Gallagher]] 
Director of Development

[[Gordon Witkin]] 
Managing Editor
|-
|}</div>

==Reports and Filings==
===Annual Reports<ref name="reports">{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=annual | title=Annual Reports | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref>===
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2005_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf 2005] (PDF File: 738 KB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2004_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf 2004] (PDF File: 1587 KB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2003_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf 2003] (PDF File: 1264 KB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2002_CPI_Highlights.pdf 2002] (PDF File: 508 KB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2001_CPI_Highlights.pdf 2001] (PDF File: 584 KB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/annualreports/2000_CPI_Annual_Report.pdf 2000] (PDF File: 1503 KB)
===Annual Returns<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/about.aspx?act=irs | title=IRS Compliance | publisher=PublicIntegrity.org}}</ref> ([http://www.guidestar.org/help/faq_990.jsp#whatis990 IRS Form 990])===
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2006.pdf 2006] (PDF File: 3.0 MB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2005.pdf 2005] (PDF File: 2.2 MB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2004.pdf 2004] (PDF File: 1.9 MB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2003.pdf 2003] (PDF File: 3.1 MB)
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/docs/IRS/tax2002.pdf 2002] (PDF File: 3.3 MB)

==Published Books==
{{cite book
|coauthors= Borders, Rebecca & Dockery, C.C.
|title= [[Beyond the Hill: A Directory of Congress from 1984 to 1993]]
|publisher= [[University Press of America]]
|year=1995
|isbn= 081919820X
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Lewis, Charles; Benes, Alejandro; O'Brien, Meredith & The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Buying of the President]]
|publisher= [[Avon Books]]
|year=1996
|isbn= 0380784203
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Fagin, Dan; Lavelle, Marianne & The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[Toxic Deception: How the Chemical Industry Manipulates Science, Bends the Law and Endangers Your Health]]
|publisher= [[Carol Publishing Corporation]]
|year=1997
|isbn= 1559723858
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Lewis, Charles & The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Buying of the Congress: How Special Interests Have Stolen Your Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness]]
|publisher= [[Avon Books]]
|year=1998
|isbn= 0380975963
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Green, Alan
|title= [[Animal Underworld: Inside America's Black Market for Rare and Exotic Species]]
|publisher= Public Affairs
|year=1999
|isbn= 1586483749
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Lewis, Charles & The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Buying of the President 2000]]
|publisher= [[Harper Perennial]]
|year=2000
|isbn= 0380795191
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[Citizen Muckraking: Stories and Tools for Defeating the Goliaths of Our Day]]
|year=2000
|isbn= 1567511880
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Lewis, Charles; Allison Bill & the Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Cheating of America: How Tax Avoidance and Evasion by the Super Rich Are Costing the Country Billions, and What You Can Do About It]]
|publisher= [[William Morrow & Company]]
|year=2001
|isbn= 038097682X
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Renzulli, Diane & Center for Public Integrity, The
|title= [[Capitol Offenders: How Private Interests Govern Our States]]
|year=2002
|isbn= 1882583140
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[Harmful Error]]
|year=2003
|isbn= 1882583183
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Water Barons: How a Few Powerful Companies are Privatizing Our Water]]
|year=2003
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Lewis, Charles and the Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[The Buying of the President 2004: Who's Really Bankrolling Bush and His Challengers--and What They Expect in Return]]
|publisher= [[Harper Paperbacks]]
|year=2004
|isbn= 0060548533
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Center for Public Integrity, The
|title= [[The Corruption Notebooks]]
|year=2004
|isbn= 1882583191
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= The Center for Public Integrity
|title= [[Networks of Influence: The Political Power of the Communications Industry]]
|publisher= Center for Public Integrity
|year=2005
|isbn= 1882583205
}}

{{cite book
|coauthors= Center for Public Integrity, The
|title= [[City Adrift: New Orleans Before & After Katrina]]
|publisher= [[Louisiana State University Press]]
|year=2007
|isbn= 0807132845
}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite interview
| interviewer = Brian Lamb
| last = Buzenberg
| first = Bill
| title = Q&A
| program = [[Q&A]]
| date = January 1, 2008
| url = http://www.c-span.org/special/Buzenberg.asp
}}
*{{cite news
| last = Glaser
| first = Mark
| title = Center for Public Integrity Leading the Way for Serious Online Journalism
| publisher = Online Journalism Review
| date = 25 February 2004
| url = http://www.ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1077668140.php
}}
*{{cite news
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| title = Are We Better Off: This is Reform?
| publisher = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]
| date = May 3, 2004
| url = http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/2004/04/MJ100_200.html
}}
*{{cite speech
| title = Digging Where Journalists Don't Dig
| first = Charles
| last = Lewis
| url = http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.Digging%20Where%20Journalists%20Don't%20Dig
}}
*{{cite speech
| title = Expanding The Definition of News Media Trust, A Jay Rosen-Led Conversation
| first = Charles
| last = Lewis
| url = http://www.restoringthetrust.org/day4.shtml
| date =August 9, 2005
| location = [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]
}}
*{{cite news
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| title = The Nonprofit Road
| publisher = [[Columbia Journalism Review]]
| date = September/October 2007
| url = http://www.cjr.org/feature/the_nonprofit_road.php
}}
*{{cite interview
| interviewer = Ken Adelman
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| title = Stories from a Watchdog Journalist
| program = [[Washingtonian]]
| date = February 1, 2006
| url = http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1724.html
}}
*{{cite interview
| interviewer = Bob Garfield
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| title = The Digging Life
| program = [[On The Media]]
| callsign = WNYC
| date = March 4, 2005
| url = http://www.onthemedia.org/yore/transcripts/transcripts_030405_digging.html
}}
*{{cite interview
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| interviewer = Brian Lamb
| title = The Buying of the Congress
| program = [[Booknotes]]
| callsign = [[C-SPAN]]
| city = Washington, DC
| date = November 1, 1998
| url = http://www.booknotes.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1487
}}
*{{cite interview
| last = Lewis
| first = Charles
| interviewer = John McQuaid
| title = Charles Lewis on the Future of Investigative Journalism on the Web
| program = [[NewAssignment.Net]]
| date = November 20, 2006
| url = http://www.newassignment.net/tags/center_for_publi
}}
*{{cite news
| last = Keiger
| first = Dale
| title = An "i" Toward Tough Journalism
| publisher = Johns Hopkins Magazine
| month = November | year = 2000
| url = http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/1100web/lewis.html
}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org The Center for Public Integrity's official Web site (publicintegrity.org)]
*[http://www.publicintegrity.org/icij/ The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' official Web site]
*[http://www.globalintegrity.org/ Global Integrity's official Web site]
*[http://www.charles-lewis.com/ Charles Lewis's official Web site]
*[http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/7166.htm The Center's Charity Navigator Rating]
*[http://www.shorensteincenter.org/ The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy's official Web site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Center For Public Integrity}}
[[Category:1990 establishments]]
[[Category:Online magazines]]
[[Category:News agencies]]
[[Category:Political science organizations]]
[[Category:Online person databases]]
[[Category:Political corruption]]
[[Category:Investigative journalism]]

[[nl:Center for Public Integrity]]

50 Cent Party

2010-02-19T07:21:29Z

Defender of torch: NPOVing, which cannot present a claim made in a site as a fact

'''50 Cent Party''' (五毛党, [[pinyin]]: wǔmáodǎng), also called '''50 Cent Army''', is the name for alleged paid<ref>Bristow, Michael. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7783640.stm China's internet 'spin doctors']. BBC News Online. December 16, 2008</ref> [[astroturfing]] [[blogger]]s operating since 2005 from [[People's Republic of China]], whose role is posting comments favorable towards the government policies to skew the [[public opinion]] on various Internet message boards. They are named by the 50 Chinese cents, or [[renminbi|5 mao]], they are paid per such post, though many operatives are volunteers; other names are '''red vests''', '''red vanguard''' and the '''Five Mao Party'''.<ref name="elgan">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Elgan |title=How China's '50 Cent Army' Could Wreck Web 2.0 |url=http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/article.php/3795091/How+Chinas+50+Cent+Army+Could+Wreck+Web+2.0.htm |work=Datamation|publisher=JupiterOnlineMedia |date=2009-01-08 |accessdate=2009-01-11 }} </ref><ref name=zhong>Zhong, Wu. [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JH14Ad01.html China's Internet awash with state spies]. Asia Times Online. August 14, 2008</ref> Conservative estimates {{Who|date=January 2009}} say the 50 Cents Army employs tens of thousands of bloggers, some estimates say as many as 280,000–300,000.<ref name="feer">{{cite news |first=David |last=Bandurski |title=China's Guerrilla War for the Web |url=http://www.feer.com/essays/2008/august/chinas-guerrilla-war-for-the-web |work= |publisher=Far Eastern Economic Review |date=2008-07 |accessdate=2009-01-11 }} </ref><ref>Fareed, Malik. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/chinathemedia.marketingandpr China joins a turf war]. ''The Guardian''. September 22, 2008</ref> Their activities were described by Chinese President [[Hu Jintao]] as "a new pattern of public-opinion guidance".<ref name="radioau">{{cite news |first=Corrinne |last=Podger |title=China marshalls army of bloggers |url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200808/s2342236.htm |work= |publisher=Radio Australia |date=2008-08-21 |accessdate=2009-01-11 }} </ref>

They operate primarily in Chinese, but English language posts appear as well. Their effect is most felt at the domestic Chinese-language websites, [[bulletin board system]]s, and [[chatroom]]s. Their role is to steer the discussion away from anti-party articulations, politically sensitive or "unacceptable" content<ref>[http://www.tibetanreview.net/news.php?cat=2&&id=1846 China employs army of piece-rate ‘netizens’ for online thought control]. Tibetan Review. January 2, 2009</ref> and advance the [[party line (politics)|party line]] of the [[Communist Party of China]].<ref name="dnai">{{cite news |first=Venkatesan |last=Vembu |title=Big Brother 2.0 is here |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1218190 |work= |publisher=Daily News and Analysis |date=2009-01-02 |accessdate=2009-01-11 }} </ref> It has been argued that it is not so much [[censorship]] but a [[public relations]] tactic.<ref>Denlinger, Paul. [http://www.chinavortex.com/2008/07/american-astroturfing-vs-chinese-astroturfing/ American astroturfing vs Chinese astroturfing]. China Vortex. July 13, 2008</ref>

According to the Indian ''[[DNA (newspaper)|Daily News and Analysis]]'', "to this day, anyone who posts a blatantly propagandist pro-[[Communist Party of China|Communist Party]] message online is dismissed by increasingly cynical Chinese [[Netizen]]s as belonging to the Wu Mao Dang (50 Cents Party)."<ref name="dnai" />

==History==
Negative reporting of the authorities has increased on the internet in recent years.<ref name=cdt>Nan, Wu. [http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/05/chinese-bloggers-on-the-history-and-influence-of-the-fifty-cent-party/ Chinese Bloggers on the History and Influence of the “Fifty Cent Party”]. China Digital Times. May 15, 2008</ref> In one instance described on the [[China Digital Times]], the [[Jiaozuo]] City Public Security Bureau established a mechanism to analyse public opinion after criticism of the police by [[netizen]]s appeared on the internet regarding a traffic incident. The Bureau responded with 120 staff calling for the truth to be revealed in line with the public opinion, which gradually shifted and eventually supported the police position, denouncing the original poster.<ref name=cdt/><ref name=zhong/> In the aftermath of the [[2008 Weng'an riot |2008 Guizhou riot]], internet forums were filled with posts critical of the local authorites; the ''China News Weekly'' later reported that "the major task of the propaganda group was to organize commentators to past posts on websites to guide online public opinions."<ref name=zhong/> Some Chinese internet users are critical of the 50 Cent Party.<ref name=zhong/>

In March 2005, [[Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China]] did a [[purge]] of Chinese college bulletin board systems. The popular "Little Lily" BBS, ran by [[Nanjing University]], was forced to close. As a new system was prepared to be launched, school officials hired students as part-time web commentators, paid from the university's work-study funds, to search the forum for undesirable information and actively counter it with Party-friendly viewpoints. The project was a success. In following months, party leaders from the [[Jiangsu]] province began hiring their own teams.<ref name="feer"/> By mid-2007, web commentator teams recruited by schools, and party organizations were common across China. [[Shanghai Normal University]] employed undergraduates to monitor for signs of [[dissent]] and post on university forums.<ref name=nyt>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/world/asia/09internet.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all As Chinese Students Go Online, Little Sister Is Watching]. ''The New York Times''. May 9, 2006</ref> However, they not only operate solely within political discussion, but also general discussions in which arguments are often alleviated.<ref name=nyt/>

The [[Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China]] now holds regular training sessions, whose participants are required to pass an exam after which they are issued a job certification.<ref name="feer"/>

The "50 Cent Party" is considered a sensitive term in China – the [[Hong Kong]]-based ''[[Apple Daily]]'' reported that although searches for "Wu Mao Dang" revealed searches, most were inaccessible and had been deleted.<ref>"China hires, trains 'online commentators' to influence public opinion - daily". ''Apple Daily''. October 5, 2007</ref>

==See also==
* [[Big mama]], the informal name for the Chinese Internet censors
* [[Golden Shield Project]], a Chinese "national firewall" Internet censorship system
* [[Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China]]
* [[Web brigades]], alleged bands of Russian Internet users with a similar role

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.5maodang.com Wu Mao Dang website] {{zh icon}}

[[Category:Public relations techniques]]
[[Category:Media manipulation techniques]]
[[Category:Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Cyberspace]]

[[ko:우마오당]]
[[ru:Умаодан]]
[[zh:网络评论员]]

Brandon Flowers

2010-02-02T09:51:47Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 87.83.10.208 to last revision by Defender of torch (HG)

{{otheruses4|the musician|the American football player|Brandon Flowers (American football)}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| Name = Brandon Flowers
| Img = Brandon Flowers II.jpg
| Img_size = 300px
| Img_capt =
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Brandon Richard Flowers
| Born = {{birth date and age|1981|6|21}}
| Origin = [[Henderson, Nevada]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| Real Home =
| Instrument = [[lead vocals|Vocals]], [[keyboards]], [[synthesizer]], [[piano]], [[bass guitar]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[Post-punk revival]]
| Occupation = [[Musician]], songwriter
| Years_active = 2002–present
| Associated_acts = [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]], Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, Louis XIV, Wild Light, Lou Reed, 30 Seconds to Mars
| URL =
| Notable_instruments = [[Nord Lead|Clavia Nord Lead 2]] [[microKORG]] [[Korg MS-2000B]] [[Alesis Ion]]
}}

'''Brandon Richard Flowers''' (born June 21, 1981) is the [[American people|American]] frontman, [[vocalist]], [[lyricist]], [[guitarist]], [[bassist]], [[songwriter]], [[pianist]] and [[keyboardist]] of the [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]-based [[Indie rock|rock]] band [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]].

==Early life==
Flowers, the youngest of six children, was born on June 21, 1981 in [[Henderson, Nevada]] (near [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]) to parents of partial [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Lithuania]]n ancestry.<ref name=Interview> Interview [http://community.livejournal.com/_killmenow_/71160.html Interview] reprinted at [[Live Journal]] fan website.</ref> Growing up, his mother was homemaker and his father worked for a grocery store.<ref name="Spin"/> His father joined [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] when Flowers was five years old.<ref name=Hiatt>Hiatt, Brian (2008-12-25), [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25020239/the_killers_inside/2 "The Killers Inside"]. ''Rolling Stone'' (1068/1069):78-81</ref> They lived in Henderson until Flowers was eight, when they moved to [[Nephi, Utah]].<ref name="Spin">. [http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/11/lady_killer_interview_killers_brandon_flowers/ "SPIN.com: The Lady Killer: An Interview with the Killers' Brandon Flowers"]. [http://www.spin.com/ Spin.com]. Published November 2004. Accessed March 3, 2008.</ref> Flowers lived in Nephi until his junior year in [[Juab High School]], when he moved back to Las Vegas to live with his aunt.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/>

Brandon's brother, Shane, 12 years his senior (born July 4 1969 and sung about in The Killers's song "Sam's Town") is said to be most responsible for Flowers' musical development; he showed him [[The Smiths|Smiths]] videos and [[U2]]'s ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' movie and even early videos of [[The Shazzman]] on [[Motown Records|Motown]].<ref name="Spin"/> His older brother also introduced him to [[The Cars]], [[Morrissey]], and [[The Cure]].<ref name="Spin"/> Musically, Flowers is an [[anglophile]] and a fan of English bands [[New Order]], [[The Smiths]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Depeche Mode]], and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]. He credits the Pet Shop Boys song "[[Being Boring]]", especially the lyrics "I never dreamt that I would get to be / The creature that I always meant to be", as a major life influence.<ref name="Observer">[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1877578,00.html Craig McLean talks to the Killers' singer Brandon Flowers]. ''[[The Observer]]''.</ref> He has stated that "It was really weird because other kids were buying [[Tool (band)|Tool]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and I was buying [[The Cars]] and [[The Psychedelic Furs]]. I was pretty alienated as a kid."<ref name="Spin"/>

==Career==
Brandon Flowers, after dropping out of college, was a [[bellhop]] for a short while at the [[Gold Coast Hotel and Casino]] in Las Vegas.<ref>[http://thekillersfansite.com/oaktarticle.html Rock world makes a ''Hot Fuss'' over the Killers], ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', August 27, 2004</ref> In [[2001]] he was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a [[synth pop]] band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]].<ref name="Observer"/> Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] concert, and realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist.<ref name="Observer"/> He responded to an ad that [[Dave Keuning]] had placed in the paper that listed, among other bands, [[The Cure]] and Oasis as influences. Keuning later stated that his first impression of Flowers was that he was wearing the same shoes Oasis had.<ref name="Observer"/> After several short-lived bassists and drummers, Flowers and Keuning were joined by bassist [[Mark Stoermer]] and drummer [[Ronnie Vannucci]] and became the Killers in August [[2002]].<ref name="Observer"/> Vannucci later said that, even with songs like "little dwarf versions of what we have now, Brandon wasn't afraid to just get up there and just do it. You need that when you're trying to get something off the ground. As far as the drive goes, Brandon was never half-assed."<ref name="Observer"/> According to the ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', his parents have always supported his decision to become a rock singer, and were often the only people in the audience at The Killers' early performances.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

Flowers has been in a number of controversies based on comments he has made to the media. In particular, he made statements that sparked feuds with the bands [[Fall Out Boy]], [[The Bravery]] and [[Panic At the Disco]].<ref name=staff>Spin Staff (July 25, 2006), "Brandon Flowers Says 'Sorry'". ''Spin'' online. (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> However, he has since recanted, and told Spin magazine, "I'd like to take it all back. These people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am. I'm actually a nice person and I love people. I just am opinionated. It's not something I'm proud of."<ref name=staff/> Flowers criticized Green Day for performing the song "[[American Idiot (song)|American Idiot]]" in the [[United Kingdom]]. The concert, featured in Green Day's live DVD ''[[Bullet in a Bible]]'', shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot". Flowers said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song—those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it."<ref>No byline (October 13, 2006), [http://www.nme.com/news/nme/24702 "The Killers 'offended' by [[Green Day]]"]. NME.com (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> His assertion that ''[[Sam's Town]]'' would be one of the best albums to come out in the preceding 20 years drew ridicule from critics. Flowers has expressed his desire to be less provocative. He told The Advocate magazine, "With people that I've put down, I understand now that they have their own ability and a gift for doing whatever they're doing."<ref name=Voss>Voss, Brandon (2008-12-02), "No Shrinking Violet". ''Advocate'' (1020):64</ref>

Canadian-American singer-songwriter [[Rufus Wainwright]] wrote a song about Flowers called "Tulsa" for his fifth album ''[[Release the Stars]]''. Wainwright has stated in numerous interviews that it was inspired by their first meeting in a bar in [[Tulsa]], [[Oklahoma]]. According to Wainwright, Flowers was "very flattered and somewhat bashful" about this tribute.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22328312-5006024,00.html]</ref>

Flowers presented the [[Pet Shop Boys]] with an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the [[2009 BRIT Awards]]. He and [[Lady Gaga]] then performed with Pet Shop Boys as part of a medley of their hits.

While Flowers is usually confined to singing, or even playing keyboard on most of the Killers' songs, Flowers plays bass in the song [[For Reasons Unknown]], the 4th single from the [[Sam's Town]] album.

==Personal life==
Flowers married his long-time girlfriend, Tana Munblowsky, in a small, private ceremony on August 2, 2005 in Hawaii.<ref name=vh1>No byline (2005). [http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1507029/20050805/killers_the.jhtml "Killers Singer Brandon Flowers Marries Longtime Girlfriend"] VH1.com (accessed Oct. 14, 2006)</ref><ref>''ArjanWrites.com'' (accessed April 12, 2006)</ref> Brandon and his wife have two sons, Ammon, born July 14, 2007<ref name="people.com - The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20046633,00.html|title=The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son|last=Laudadio|first=Marisa|date=July 16, 2007 |publisher=people.com|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> and Gunnar, born July 28, 2009.

Flowers has long held a superstition that his death will be associated with the number 621 from having used a [[Ouija]] board when he was 13 years old. In 2005 en route to the [[Glastonbury Festival]] with The Killers on his birthday (6/21) Flowers was "convinced this was the end."<ref>[http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/The+Killers-34556.html Flowers Convinced Of Own Death En Route To Glastonbury.] ''femalefirst.co.uk'' 15-05-2007</ref>

===Religion===
Flowers is also a member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and his wife converted to the faith shortly before their wedding.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/> He has said that religion is "very important" to him.<ref name=indep>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormon-stars-face-backlash-after-gay-marriage-ban-1003967.html Mormon stars face backlash after gay marriage ban]. By Guy Adams. ''[[The Independent]]''. Published 9 November 2008.</ref> After joining The Killers, Flowers began a drinking and partying lifestyle that was contrary to LDS Church teachings. However, in 2006, he stopped, saying "I think I probably feel less guilt, and I'm also healthier than I've ever been. My wife being pregnant and all that really put things into perspective."<ref name=Hiatt/>

==Awards==
Flowers won [[NME Awards|NME magazine awards]] in 2005 for "Best Dressed" and "Sexiest Man."
He also won the award for "Most Stylish Man" at the 2008 ''[[GQ]]'' awards. In the 2008 awards the Killers won "best band in America" and "best track in America" at the [[NME Awards]]. He was interviewed by Q Magazine on behalf of the Killers as one of the "Artists of the Century" (Nov 2009) a second cover photo that year.<ref>http://covers.q4music.com/Item.aspx?pageNo=6143&year=2009</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquotepar|Brandon Flowers}}
{{commonscat|Brandon Flowers}}
*[http://www.thekillersmusic.com/ The Killers official site], from [[Island Records]]
*[http://www.thekillers.co.uk/ The Killers official site (U.K.)], from the Vertigo label
*[http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2005/11/051118_flowers/ "The Music That Changed My Life: Brandon Flowers"], Interview by Kyle Anderson, from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine''
*[http://www.killershotel.com Indie Rock Fans Website]
*[http://digital.spin.com/spin/200902/?pg=72&pm=2&u1=friend SPIN's Brandon Flowers Interview]
*{{cite news | author = Ed Powers | url = http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/festivals/brandon-flowers-killer-instinct-1815742.html | title = Brandon Flowers: Killer Instinct | work = [[The Independent]] | date = 2009-07-10 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = [[Alexis Petridis]] | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/18/killers-brandon-flowers-interview | title = American idol | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 2009-07-18 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = Dave Burger | url = http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_13404458 | title = The Killers prove name isn't exactly apt | work = [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] | date = 2009-09-24 | accessdate = }}

{{The Killers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers, Brandon}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American rock musicians]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:Scottish-American musicians]]
[[Category:Lithuanian Americans]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Nevada]]
[[Category:People from Henderson, Nevada]]
[[Category:The Killers members]]

[[ca:Brandon Flowers]]
[[cs:Brandon Flowers]]
[[da:Brandon Flowers]]
[[es:Brandon Flowers]]
[[fr:Brandon Flowers]]
[[it:Brandon Richard Flowers]]
[[lt:Brandon Flowers]]
[[hu:Brandon Flowers]]
[[nah:Brandon Flowers]]
[[nl:Brandon Flowers]]
[[ja:ブランドン・フラワーズ]]
[[no:Brandon Flowers]]
[[pl:Brandon Flowers]]
[[pt:Brandon Flowers]]
[[ro:Brandon Flowers]]
[[fi:Brandon Flowers]]
[[sv:Brandon Flowers]]
[[zh:布蘭登·夫洛爾]]

Brandon Flowers

2010-02-02T09:50:00Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 87.83.10.208 to last revision by Shadowjams (HG)

Brandon Flowers

2010-02-02T09:46:28Z

Defender of torch: rv to last good version

Brandon Flowers

2010-02-02T09:45:16Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 87.83.10.208 to last revision by Oxclose (HG)

{{otheruses4|the musician|the American football player|Brandon Flowers (American football)}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| Name = Brandon Flowers
| Img = Brandon Flowers II.jpg
| Img_size = 300px
| Img_capt =
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Brandon McKitterick Flowers
| Born = {{birth date and age|1981|6|21}}
| Origin = [[Henderson, Nevada]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| Real Home =
| Instrument = [[lead vocals|Vocals]], [[keyboards]], [[synthesizer]], [[piano]], [[bass guitar]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[Post-punk revival]]
| Occupation = [[Musician]], songwriter
| Years_active = 2002–present
| Associated_acts = [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]], Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, Louis XIV, Wild Light, Lou Reed, 30 Seconds to Mars
| URL =
| Notable_instruments = [[Nord Lead|Clavia Nord Lead 2]] [[microKORG]] [[Korg MS-2000B]] [[Alesis Ion]]
}}

'''Brandon Richard Flowers''' (born June 21, 1981) is the [[American people|American]] frontman, [[vocalist]], [[lyricist]], [[guitarist]], [[bassist]], [[songwriter]], [[pianist]] and [[keyboardist]] of the [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]-based [[Indie rock|rock]] band [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]].

==Early life==
Flowers, the youngest of six children, was born on June 21, 1981 in [[Henderson, Nevada]] (near [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]) to parents of partial [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Lithuania]]n ancestry.<ref name=Interview> Interview [http://community.livejournal.com/_killmenow_/71160.html Interview] reprinted at [[Live Journal]] fan website.</ref> Growing up, his mother was homemaker and his father worked for a grocery store.<ref name="Spin"/> His father joined [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] when Flowers was five years old.<ref name=Hiatt>Hiatt, Brian (2008-12-25), [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25020239/the_killers_inside/2 "The Killers Inside"]. ''Rolling Stone'' (1068/1069):78-81</ref> They lived in Henderson until Flowers was eight, when they moved to [[Nephi, Utah]].<ref name="Spin">. [http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/11/lady_killer_interview_killers_brandon_flowers/ "SPIN.com: The Lady Killer: An Interview with the Killers' Brandon Flowers"]. [http://www.spin.com/ Spin.com]. Published November 2004. Accessed March 3, 2008.</ref> Flowers lived in Nephi until his junior year in [[Juab High School]], when he moved back to Las Vegas to live with his aunt.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/>

Brandon's brother, Shane, 12 years his senior (born July 4 1969 and sung about in The Killers's song "Sam's Town") is said to be most responsible for Flowers' musical development; he showed him [[The Smiths|Smiths]] videos and [[U2]]'s ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' movie and even early videos of [[The Shazzman]] on [[Motown Records|Motown]].<ref name="Spin"/> His older brother also introduced him to [[The Cars]], [[Morrissey]], and [[The Cure]].<ref name="Spin"/> Musically, Flowers is an [[anglophile]] and a fan of English bands [[New Order]], [[The Smiths]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Depeche Mode]], and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]. He credits the Pet Shop Boys song "[[Being Boring]]", especially the lyrics "I never dreamt that I would get to be / The creature that I always meant to be", as a major life influence.<ref name="Observer">[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1877578,00.html Craig McLean talks to the Killers' singer Brandon Flowers]. ''[[The Observer]]''.</ref> He has stated that "It was really weird because other kids were buying [[Tool (band)|Tool]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and I was buying [[The Cars]] and [[The Psychedelic Furs]]. I was pretty alienated as a kid."<ref name="Spin"/>

== HE IS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH MICHAEL JAMES MCKITTERICK ==

==Career==
Brandon Flowers, after dropping out of college, was a [[bellhop]] for a short while at the [[Gold Coast Hotel and Casino]] in Las Vegas.<ref>[http://thekillersfansite.com/oaktarticle.html Rock world makes a ''Hot Fuss'' over the Killers], ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', August 27, 2004</ref> In [[2001]] he was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a [[synth pop]] band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]].<ref name="Observer"/> Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] concert, and realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist.<ref name="Observer"/> He responded to an ad that [[Dave Keuning]] had placed in the paper that listed, among other bands, [[The Cure]] and Oasis as influences. Keuning later stated that his first impression of Flowers was that he was wearing the same shoes Oasis had.<ref name="Observer"/> After several short-lived bassists and drummers, Flowers and Keuning were joined by bassist [[Mark Stoermer]] and drummer [[Ronnie Vannucci]] and became the Killers in August [[2002]].<ref name="Observer"/> Vannucci later said that, even with songs like "little dwarf versions of what we have now, Brandon wasn't afraid to just get up there and just do it. You need that when you're trying to get something off the ground. As far as the drive goes, Brandon was never half-assed."<ref name="Observer"/> According to the ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', his parents have always supported his decision to become a rock singer, and were often the only people in the audience at The Killers' early performances.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

Flowers has been in a number of controversies based on comments he has made to the media. In particular, he made statements that sparked feuds with the bands [[Fall Out Boy]], [[The Bravery]] and [[Panic At the Disco]].<ref name=staff>Spin Staff (July 25, 2006), "Brandon Flowers Says 'Sorry'". ''Spin'' online. (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> However, he has since recanted, and told Spin magazine, "I'd like to take it all back. These people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am. I'm actually a nice person and I love people. I just am opinionated. It's not something I'm proud of."<ref name=staff/> Flowers criticized Green Day for performing the song "[[American Idiot (song)|American Idiot]]" in the [[United Kingdom]]. The concert, featured in Green Day's live DVD ''[[Bullet in a Bible]]'', shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot". Flowers said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song—those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it."<ref>No byline (October 13, 2006), [http://www.nme.com/news/nme/24702 "The Killers 'offended' by [[Green Day]]"]. NME.com (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> His assertion that ''[[Sam's Town]]'' would be one of the best albums to come out in the preceding 20 years drew ridicule from critics. Flowers has expressed his desire to be less provocative. He told The Advocate magazine, "With people that I've put down, I understand now that they have their own ability and a gift for doing whatever they're doing."<ref name=Voss>Voss, Brandon (2008-12-02), "No Shrinking Violet". ''Advocate'' (1020):64</ref>

Canadian-American singer-songwriter [[Rufus Wainwright]] wrote a song about Flowers called "Tulsa" for his fifth album ''[[Release the Stars]]''. Wainwright has stated in numerous interviews that it was inspired by their first meeting in a bar in [[Tulsa]], [[Oklahoma]]. According to Wainwright, Flowers was "very flattered and somewhat bashful" about this tribute.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22328312-5006024,00.html]</ref>

Flowers presented the [[Pet Shop Boys]] with an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the [[2009 BRIT Awards]]. He and [[Lady Gaga]] then performed with Pet Shop Boys as part of a medley of their hits.

While Flowers is usually confined to singing, or even playing keyboard on most of the Killers' songs, Flowers plays bass in the song [[For Reasons Unknown]], the 4th single from the [[Sam's Town]] album.

==Personal life==
Flowers married his long-time girlfriend, Tana Munblowsky, in a small, private ceremony on August 2, 2005 in Hawaii.<ref name=vh1>No byline (2005). [http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1507029/20050805/killers_the.jhtml "Killers Singer Brandon Flowers Marries Longtime Girlfriend"] VH1.com (accessed Oct. 14, 2006)</ref><ref>''ArjanWrites.com'' (accessed April 12, 2006)</ref> Brandon and his wife have two sons, Ammon, born July 14, 2007<ref name="people.com - The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20046633,00.html|title=The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son|last=Laudadio|first=Marisa|date=July 16, 2007 |publisher=people.com|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> and Gunnar, born July 28, 2009.

Flowers has long held a superstition that his death will be associated with the number 621 from having used a [[Ouija]] board when he was 13 years old. In 2005 en route to the [[Glastonbury Festival]] with The Killers on his birthday (6/21) Flowers was "convinced this was the end."<ref>[http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/The+Killers-34556.html Flowers Convinced Of Own Death En Route To Glastonbury.] ''femalefirst.co.uk'' 15-05-2007</ref>

===Religion===
Flowers is also a member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and his wife converted to the faith shortly before their wedding.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/> He has said that religion is "very important" to him.<ref name=indep>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormon-stars-face-backlash-after-gay-marriage-ban-1003967.html Mormon stars face backlash after gay marriage ban]. By Guy Adams. ''[[The Independent]]''. Published 9 November 2008.</ref> After joining The Killers, Flowers began a drinking and partying lifestyle that was contrary to LDS Church teachings. However, in 2006, he stopped, saying "I think I probably feel less guilt, and I'm also healthier than I've ever been. My wife being pregnant and all that really put things into perspective."<ref name=Hiatt/>

==Awards==
Flowers won [[NME Awards|NME magazine awards]] in 2005 for "Best Dressed" and "Sexiest Man."
He also won the award for "Most Stylish Man" at the 2008 ''[[GQ]]'' awards. In the 2008 awards the Killers won "best band in America" and "best track in America" at the [[NME Awards]]. He was interviewed by Q Magazine on behalf of the Killers as one of the "Artists of the Century" (Nov 2009) a second cover photo that year.<ref>http://covers.q4music.com/Item.aspx?pageNo=6143&year=2009</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquotepar|Brandon Flowers}}
{{commonscat|Brandon Flowers}}
*[http://www.thekillersmusic.com/ The Killers official site], from [[Island Records]]
*[http://www.thekillers.co.uk/ The Killers official site (U.K.)], from the Vertigo label
*[http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2005/11/051118_flowers/ "The Music That Changed My Life: Brandon Flowers"], Interview by Kyle Anderson, from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine''
*[http://www.killershotel.com Indie Rock Fans Website]
*[http://digital.spin.com/spin/200902/?pg=72&pm=2&u1=friend SPIN's Brandon Flowers Interview]
*{{cite news | author = Ed Powers | url = http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/festivals/brandon-flowers-killer-instinct-1815742.html | title = Brandon Flowers: Killer Instinct | work = [[The Independent]] | date = 2009-07-10 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = [[Alexis Petridis]] | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/18/killers-brandon-flowers-interview | title = American idol | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 2009-07-18 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = Dave Burger | url = http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_13404458 | title = The Killers prove name isn't exactly apt | work = [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] | date = 2009-09-24 | accessdate = }}

{{The Killers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers, Brandon}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American rock musicians]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:Scottish-American musicians]]
[[Category:Lithuanian Americans]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Nevada]]
[[Category:People from Henderson, Nevada]]
[[Category:The Killers members]]

[[ca:Brandon Flowers]]
[[cs:Brandon Flowers]]
[[da:Brandon Flowers]]
[[es:Brandon Flowers]]
[[fr:Brandon Flowers]]
[[it:Brandon Richard Flowers]]
[[lt:Brandon Flowers]]
[[hu:Brandon Flowers]]
[[nah:Brandon Flowers]]
[[nl:Brandon Flowers]]
[[ja:ブランドン・フラワーズ]]
[[no:Brandon Flowers]]
[[pl:Brandon Flowers]]
[[pt:Brandon Flowers]]
[[ro:Brandon Flowers]]
[[fi:Brandon Flowers]]
[[sv:Brandon Flowers]]
[[zh:布蘭登·夫洛爾]]

Kolonialarchitektur in Nordamerika

2010-02-01T17:52:40Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 206.207.175.140 to last revision by Swampyank (HG)

<nowiki> </nowiki>[[Image:Salem Mass CorwinHouse.jpg|thumb|Corwin House, Salem, Massachusetts, built ca. 1660, First Period English]]

[[Image:Josiah Dennis House.jpg|thumb|Josiah Dennis House, Dennis, Massachusetts, built 1735, Georgian colonial]]

'''American colonial architecture''' includes several building design styles associated with the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial period of the United States]], including First Period English (late-medieval), [[French Colonial]], [[Spanish Colonial]], [[Dutch Colonial]], [[German Colonial]] and [[Georgian architecture|Georgian Colonial]].<ref>[http://www.oldhouses.com/styleguide/colonial-houses.htm Colonial House Styles and Examples], OldHouses.com website (Copley Internet Systems, Inc.), accessed October 24, 2009</ref> These styles are associated with the houses, churches and government buildings of the period between about 1600 through 1850.

==Subtypes==
Several relatively distinct regional styles of colonial architecture are recognized in the United States.

Building styles in the 13 colonies were influenced by techniques and styles from England, as well as traditions brought by settlers from other parts of Europe. In [[New England]], 17th-century colonial houses were built primarily from wood, following styles found in the southeastern counties of England. Dutch Colonial structures, built primarily in the [[Hudson River Valley]], [[Long Island]], and northern [[New Jersey]], reflected construction styles from [[Holland]] and [[Flanders]] and used stone and brick more extensively than buildings in New England. In [[Maryland]], [[Virginia]], and the [[Carolinas]], a style called "Southern Colonial" is recognized, characterized by 1-1/2-story brick houses, often with large [[chimney]]s projecting from the ends of the house. Along the lower [[Delaware River]], [[Swedish people|Swedish]] colonial settlers introduced the [[log cabin]] to America. A style sometimes called Pennsylvania colonial appeared later (after 1681) and incorporates [[Georgian architecture|Georgian architectural]] influences. A [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] style is recognized in parts of southeastern [[Pennsylvania]] that were settled by German immigrants in the 18th century.<ref name=britannica>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32952/Western-architecture/47369/Colonial-architecture-in-North-America Colonial architecture in North America], ''Enyclopedia Britannica'' Online, accessed October 23, 2009</ref>

Early buildings in some other areas of the United States reflect the architectural traditions of the colonial powers that controlled these regions. Architectural styles of [[Louisiana]] and [[French Canada]] are identified as French colonial, and reflect medieval French influences. The Spanish colonial style evokes Renaissance and [[Baroque architecture|Baroque architectural]] styles of [[Spain]] and Mexico; in the United States it is found in Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and California.<ref name=britannica/>

===First Period English (late-Medieval)===
[[File:Fairbanks house dedham.jpg|thumb|right|[[Fairbanks House]], ca. 1637, is considered the oldest wood frame house in America]]
[[First Period]] is a designation given to building styles used in the earliest English settlements at [[Jamestown, Virginia]] (1607) and [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]] (1620) and later in the other British colonies along the Eastern seaboard.

These buildings typically included medieval details including steep roofs, small windows (usually due to a scarcity of glass in the colonies), minimal ornamentation and a massive central chimney<ref>[http://www.antiquehomesmagazine.com/info.php?info_id=6 Early New England Colonial 1640-1780], ''Antique Homes'' website, accessed October 24, 2009</ref>

===French Colonial===
[[Image:Maison Bequette-Ribault.jpg|thumb|Bequette-Ribault House in Ste. Geneviève, Missouri, built 1778, French colonial]]
Developed in French-settled areas of North America beginning with the founding of [[Quebec]] in 1608 and [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] in 1718, as well as along the [[Mississippi River]] valley to [[Missouri]].

The early French Colonial house type of the Mississippi River Valley region was the "poteaux-en-terre", constructed of heavy upright cedar logs set vertically into the ground. These basic houses featured double-pitched hipped roofs and were surrounded by porches (galleries) to handle the hot summer climate.

By 1825, in areas prone to flooding the "raised cottage" was developed with the houses being constructed atop raised brick walls, typically eight feet tall for protection from flood waters. In dry times, the basement remained cool and was used for cooking and storage.

By 1770, the basic French Colonial house form evolved into the "briquette-entre-poteaux" (small bricks between posts) style familiar in the historic areas of [[New Orleans]] and other areas. These homes featured double louvered doors, flared hip roofs, dormers and shutters.<ref>Lester Walker (1996), ''American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home'', p. 92. (1998 edition: ISBN 9780879518714 and ISBN 0879518715)</ref>

===Spanish Colonial===
[[Image:St Aug NHL Gonzalez-Alvarez01.jpg|thumb|Gonzalez-Alvarez House, St. Augustine, Florida, built 1723, Spanish colonial]]
Developed with the earlier Spanish settlements in the Caribbean and [[Mexico]], the '''Spanish Colonial''' style in the United States can be traced back to [[St. Augustine, Florida]], the oldest established city in the country, founded in 1565. The style would also develop in the Southwest and in [[California]] with the founding of the missions by the Spanish between 1769 and 1823.

The early type of dwelling in [[Spanish Florida]] was the "board house", a small one-room cottage constructed of pit-sawn softwood boards, typically with a thached roof.

During the 1700s, the "common houses" were covered whitewashed lime [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]] with an oyster shell aggregate. Typically two-story, the houses included cooling porches to accommodate the Florida climate.<ref>Lester Walker (1996), ''American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home'', p. 41. (1998 edition: ISBN 9780879518714 and ISBN 0879518715)</ref>

===Dutch Colonial===
[[Image:Bronck-house.jpg|thumb|Bronck House, Coxsackie, NY, built 1663; Dutch Colonial]]
Developed from around 1630 with the arrival of Dutch colonists to [[New Amsterdam]] and the [[Hudson River Valley]] in what is now [[New York]].<ref>[http://www.hudsonrivervalley.org/themes/colonialera.html Hudson Valley Architecture: The Colonial Era (1609-1783)], Hudson River Valley Institute website, accessed October 24, 2009</ref> Initially the settlers built small, one room cottages with stone walls and steep roofs to allow a second floor loft. By 1670 or so, two-story gable-end homes were common in New Amsterdam.

In the countryside of the Hudson Valley, the Dutch farmhouse evolved into a linear-plan home with straight-edged gables moved to the end walls. Around 1720, the distinctive [[gambrel]] roof was adopted from the English styles, with the addition of overhangs on the front and rear to protect the mud mortar used in the typically stone walls and foundations. <ref>Lester Walker (1996), ''American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home'', p. 58. (1998 edition: ISBN 9780879518714 and ISBN 0879518715)</ref>

===German Colonial===
[[Image:De Turck House.jpg|thumb|De Turck House, Oley, Pennsylvania, built 1767, German Colonial Style]]
Developed after about 1675 or so, when the [[Delaware River Valley]] area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware) of the United States was settled by immigrants from Sweden, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, Germany (Deutsch) and several other northern European nations. The early colonists to this region adapted the "half-timber" style of construction then popular in Europe, which used a frame of braced timbers filled-in with masonry (brick or stone). However, the colonists modified the method to typically include a first floor of field stones, and a second floor and roof system of timbers or logs. Eventually, field stones became the building material of choice for the entire homes, as they grew from one-room cottages to larger farmhouses.

The "bank house" was a popular form of home during this period, typically constructed into a hillside for protection during the cold winters and hot summers of the region.

The two-story "country townhouse" was also common around [[Pennsylvania]] during this time. <ref>Lester Walker (1996), ''American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home'', p. 72. (1998 edition: ISBN 9780879518714 and ISBN 0879518715)</ref>

===Georgian Colonial===
(New England and mid-Atlantic Regions) (1720-1780)
The defining characteristics of Georgian architecture are its square, symmetrical shape, central door, and straight lines of windows on the first and second floor. There is usually a decorative crown above the door and flattened columns to either side of it. The door leads to an entryway with stairway and hall aligned along the center of the house. <ref>Jackie Craven, [http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Georgian.htm 1690s - 1830: Georgian Colonial House Styles], in Picture Dictionary of House Styles in North America and Beyond, About.com:Architecture website, accessed October 24, 2009</ref> All rooms branch off of these. Georgian buildings, in the English manner were ideally in brick, with wood trim, wooden columns and entablatures painted white. In the US, one found both brick buildings as well as those in wood with clapboards. They were usually painted white, though sometimes a pale yellow. This differentiated them from most other structures that were usually not painted.

A Georgian Colonial-style house usually has a formally-defined [[living room]], [[dining room]] and sometimes a [[family room]]. The [[bedroom]]s are typically on the second floor. They also have one or two chimneys that can be very large.

==See also==
*[[List of house types]]
*[[List of house styles]]
*[[Saltbox]]
*[[Cape Cod (house)]]
*[[Colonial Revival architecture]]
*[[Federal architecture]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.historical-home.com Historic Home - New England Antique Real Estate]
*[http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/activities/architecture/wellsthorne_ell.html Wells-Thorn House, Deerfield, Massachusetts]
*[http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-georgiancolonial.htm About: Colonial Houses]
*[http://images.google.com/images?q=houses%20of%20colonial%20williamsburg&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N&tab=wi Examples of Colonial House style at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia]
*[http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=houses+of+colonial+salem&btnG=Search+Images Examples of Colonial House style at Colonial Salem, Massachusetts]
*[http://www.enonhall.com The Restoration of a Colonial House in Virginia]
*[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/ Colonial House PBS series.]

[[Category:House styles]]
[[Category:American architectural styles]]
[[Category:Colonial architecture in the United States| ]]

[[de:Kolonialstil]]
[[es:Arquitectura colonial de Estados Unidos]]

Ode auf eine griechische Urne

2010-01-29T16:27:40Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 69.167.192.38 to last revision by NewEnglandYankee (HG)

[[Image:keats urn.jpg|thumb|alt=A fine-line drawing of an urn. It is tall, with high scrolled handles. Around the middle is a frieze of figures, of which four can be seen. From left to right, a naked man with a helmet and sword, a dancing woman in a flowing garment, a robed woman carrying a spear and a naked man with a cloak hanging from his shoulder. The drawing is inscribed "By John Keats".|Tracing of an engraving of the Sosibios vase by [[John Keats|Keats]]]]

"'''Ode on a Grecian Urn'''" is a poem written by the English [[Romantic poetry|Romantic poet]] [[John Keats]] in May 1819 and published in January 1820 (see [[1820 in poetry]]). It is one of his "[[John Keats's 1819 odes|Great Odes of 1819]]", which include "[[Ode on Indolence]]", "[[Ode on Melancholy]]", "[[Ode to a Nightingale]]", and "[[Ode to Psyche]]". Keats found earlier forms of poetry unsatisfactory for his purpose, and the collection represented a new development of the [[ode]] form. He was inspired to write the poem after reading two articles by English artist and writer [[Benjamin Haydon]]. Keats was aware of other works on classical Greek art, and had firsthand exposure to the [[Elgin Marbles]], all of which reinforced his belief that classical Greek art was idealistic and captured Greek virtues, which forms the basis of the poem.

Divided into five [[stanzas]] of ten lines each, the ode contains a narrator's discourse on a series of designs on a Grecian urn. The poem focuses on two scenes: one in which a lover eternally pursues a beloved without fulfillment, and another of villagers about to perform a sacrifice. The final lines of the poem declare that {{"'}}beauty is truth, truth beauty,' – that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know", and literary critics have debated whether they increase or diminish the overall beauty of the poem. Critics have focused on other aspects of the poem, including the role of the narrator, the inspirational qualities of real-world objects, and the paradoxical relationship between the poem's world and reality.

"Ode on a Grecian Urn" was not well received by contemporary critics. It was only by the mid-19th century that it began to be praised, although it is now considered to be one of the greatest odes in the English language.<ref>Sheats 2001 p. 86</ref> A long debate over the poem's final statement divided 20th-century critics, but most agreed on the beauty of the work, despite various perceived inadequacies.

==Background==
[[File:JohnKeats1819.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Miniature of Keats in his twenties, a pale sensitive young man with large blue eyes looking up from a book on the table in front of him, with his chin on his left hand with his elbow. He has tousled golden-brown hair parted in the middle, and wears a grey jacket and waistcoat over a shirt with a soft collar and white cravate tied in a loose bow.|John Keats in 1819, painted by his friend [[Joseph Severn]]]]

By the spring of 1819, Keats had left his job as dresser, or assistant house surgeon, at [[Guy's Hospital]], [[Southwark]], London, to devote himself entirely to the composition of poetry. Living with his friend Charles Brown, the 23-year-old was burdened with money problems and despaired when his brother George sought his financial assistance. These real-world difficulties may have given Keats pause for thought about a career in poetry, yet he did manage to complete five odes, including "Ode to a Nightingale", "Ode to Psyche", "Ode on Melancholy", "Ode on Indolence", and "Ode on a Grecian Urn".<ref>Bate 1963 pp. 487–527</ref> The poems were transcribed by Brown, who later provided copies to the publisher Richard Woodhouse. Their exact date of composition is unknown; Keats simply dated "Ode on a Grecian Urn" May 1819, as he did its companion odes. The structures of the poems unify them as a set without indicating an order, and while the five poems display a unity in stanza forms and themes, the unity fails to provide clear evidence of the order in which they were composed.<ref name="Gittings p. 311">Gittings 1968 p. 311</ref>

The odes were Keats's effort to discuss the relationships between the soul, eternity, nature, and art, which he was busy contemplating throughout 1819. His idea of using classical Greek art as a metaphor originated in his reading of Haydon's ''[[Examiner]]'' articles of 2 May and 9 May 1819. In the first article, Haydon described Greek sacrifice and worship, and, in the second article, he contrasted the artistic styles of [[Raphael]] and [[Michelangelo]] in conjunction with a discussion of medieval sculptures. Keats also had access to prints of Greek urns at Haydon's office,<ref>Gittings 1968 pp. 305–319</ref> and he traced an engraving of the Sosibios Vase found in [[Henry Moses]]'s ''A Collection of Antique Vases, Altars, Paterae''.<ref>Motion 1999 p. 391</ref><ref>Blunden 1967 p. 103</ref>

Keats's inspiration for the topic was not limited to Haydon, but embraced many contemporary sources.<ref>Magunson 1998 p. 208</ref> He may have recalled his experience with the Elgin Marbles<ref>Gittings 1968 p. 319</ref> and their influence on his [[sonnet]] "On Seeing the Elgin Marbles".<ref>Gumpert 1999</ref> Keats was also exposed to the [[Townley Vase|Townley]], [[Borghese Vase|Borghese]], and Holland House vases and to the classical treatment of subjects in [[Robert Burton (scholar)|Robert Burton's]] ''[[The Anatomy of Melancholy]]''. Many contemporary essays and articles on these works shared Keats's view that classical Greek art was both idealistic and captured Greek virtues. Although he was influenced by these ideas on classical art, his poem is unique; the urn that he describes as the subject of the poem is based on no known original, and is of his own creation.<ref>Motion 1999 pp. 390–391</ref>

Although "Ode on a Grecian Urn" was completed in May 1819, its first printing came in January 1820 when it was published with "Ode to a Nightingale" in the ''Annals of Fine Art'', an art magazine that promoted views on art similar to those that Keats held.<ref>Motion 1999 p. 390</ref> Following the initial publication, the ''Examiner'' published Keats's ode together with Haydon's two previously published articles.<ref>MacGillivray 1938 pp. 465–466</ref> Keats also included the poem in his 1820 collection ''Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, and Other Poems''.<ref>Matthews 1971 pp. 149, 159, 162</ref>

==Structure==
In 1819, Keats attempted to write sonnets but found that the form did not satisfy his purpose because the pattern of rhyme worked against the tone that he wished to achieve. When he turned to the ode form, he found that the standard [[Pindar]]ic form used by poets such as [[John Dryden]] was inadequate to properly discuss philosophy.<ref>Gittings 1968 pp. 310–311</ref> Keats developed his own type of ode in "Ode to Psyche", which preceded "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and other odes he had written in 1819. Keats's creation established a new poetic tone that accorded with his aesthetic ideas about poetry. He further altered this new form in "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by adding a secondary voice within the ode, creating a dialogue between two subjects.<ref>Bate 1963 pp. 498–500</ref> The technique of the poem is [[ekphrasis]], the poetic representation of a painting or sculpture in words. Keats broke from the traditional use of ekphrasis found in [[Theocritus]]'s ''Idyll'', a classical poem that describes a design on the sides of a cup. While Theocritus describes both motion found in a stationary artwork and underlying motives of characters, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" replaces actions with a series of questions and focuses only on external attributes of the characters.<ref>Kelley 2001 pp. 172–173</ref>

"Ode on a Grecian Urn" is organized into ten-line stanzas, and has a rhyme scheme beginning with a Shakespearian quatrain (ABAB) and ending with a Miltonic sestet (CDECDE). The same pattern is used in "Ode on Indolence", "Ode on Melancholy", and "Ode to a Nightingale", which makes the poems unified in structure as well as theme.<ref name="Gittings p. 311"/> The word "ode" itself is of Greek origin, meaning "sung". While ode-writers from antiquity adhered to rigid patterns of [[strophe]], [[antistrophe]], and [[epode]], the form by Keats's time had undergone enough transformation that it represented a manner rather than a set method for writing a certain type of lyric poetry. Keats's odes seek to find a "classical balance" between two extremes, and in the structure of "Ode on a Grecian Urn", these extremes are the symmetrical structure of [[classical literature]] and the asymmetry of [[Romantic poetry]]. The use of the ABAB structure in the beginning lines of each stanza represents a clear example of structure found in classical literature, and the remaining six lines appear to break free of the traditional poetic styles of Greek and Roman odes.<ref>Swanson 1962 pp. 302–305</ref>

Keats's metre reflects a conscious development in his poetic style. The poem contains only a single instance of medial inversion (the [[Inversion (prosody)|reversal]] of an [[iamb]] in the middle of a line), which was common in his earlier works. However, Keats incorporates [[spondee]]s in 37 of the 250 [[metrical foot|metrical feet]]. [[Caesura]]e are never placed before the fourth syllable in a line. The word choice represents a shift from Keats's early reliance on Latinate polysyllabic words to shorter, Germanic words. In the second stanza, "Ode on a Grecian Urn", which emphasizes words containing the letters "p", "b", and "v", uses [[Syzygy#Poetry|syzygy]], the repetition of a consonantal sound. The poem incorporates a complex reliance on [[assonance]], which is found in very few [[English poetry|English poems]]. Within "Ode on a Grecian Urn", an example of this pattern can be found in line 13 ("Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd") where the "e" of "sensual" connects with the "e" of "endear'd" and the "ea" of "ear" connects with the "ea" of "endear'd". A more complex form is found in line 11 ("Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard") with the "ea" of "Heard" connecting to the "ea" of "unheard", the "o" of "melodies" connecting to the "o" of "those" and the "u" of "but" connecting to the "u" of "unheard".<ref>Bate 1962 pp. 133–135, 137–140, 58–60</ref>

==Poem==
[[Image:Grecian-george.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Manuscript in Keat's hand titled "Ode on a Grecian Urn 1819." It is a fair copy in pen and ink of the first two verses of the poem. The writing is highly legible, tall and elegant, with well-formed letters and a marked slope to the right. The capital letters are distinctive and artistically formed. Even-numbered lines are indented with lines 7 and 10 are further indented. A scallopy line is drawn beneath the heading and between the verses.|First known copy of "Ode on a Grecian Urn", transcribed by George Keats in 1820]]

The poem begins with the narrator's silencing the urn by describing it as the "bride of quietness", which allows him to speak for it using his own impressions.<ref>Sheley 2007</ref> The narrator addresses the urn by saying:

:Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness!
:Thou foster-child of silence and slow time (lines 1–2)

The urn is a "foster-child of silence and slow time" because it is created from stone and made by the hand of an artist who does not communicate through words. As stone, time has little effect on it and aging is such a slow process that it can be seen as an eternal piece of artwork. The urn is an external object capable of producing a story outside the time of its creation, and because of this ability the poet labels it a "sylvan historian" that tells its story through its beauty:<ref>Bloom 1993 p. 416</ref>

:Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
:A flow'ry tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
:What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape
:Of deities or mortals, or of both,
:In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
:What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
:What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
:What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? (lines 3–10)

The questions presented in these lines are too ambiguous to allow the reader to understand what is taking place in the images on the urn, but elements of it are revealed: there is a pursuit with a strong sexual component.<ref>Bloom 1993 pp. 416–417</ref> The melody accompanying the pursuit is intensified in the second stanza:<ref name="Bloom p. 417">Bloom 1993 p. 417</ref>
:Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
:Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
:Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
:Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone: (lines 11–14)
There is a hint of a [[paradox]] in that indulgence causes someone to be filled with desire and that music without a sound is desired by the soul. There is a [[Stasis (fiction)|stasis]] that prohibits the characters on the urn from ever being fulfilled:<ref name="Bloom p. 417"/>
:Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
:Though winning near the goal – yet, do not grieve;
:She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
:For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair! (lines 17–20)

In the third stanza, the narrator begins by speaking to a tree, which will ever hold its leaves and will not "bid the Spring adieu". The paradox of life versus lifelessness extends beyond the lover and the fair lady and takes a more temporal shape as three of the ten lines begin with the words "for ever". The unheard song never ages and the pipes are able to play forever, which leads the lovers, nature, and all involved to be:<ref name="Bloom p. 417"/>
:For ever panting, and for ever young;
:All breathing human passion far above,
:That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloyed,
:A burning forehead, and a parching tongue. (lines 27–30)

[[File:V&A - Raphael, The Sacrifice at Lystra (1515).jpg|right|thumb|alt=Renaissance painting depicting the sacrifice at Lystra. In an ancient Greek townscape, a cow is brought before a small altar, and held by a kneeling man with her head down while another raises an axe to kill her. A group of people look with worshipful gestures towards two men who stand on the steps behind the altar. One of the men turns aside and rends his clothes, while the other speaks to the people. A crutch lies abandoned in the foreground and a statue of Hermes is at the end of the square.|Raphael's ''The Sacrifice at Lystra'']]
A new paradox arises in these lines because these immortal lovers are experiencing a living death.<ref name="Bloom p. 418">Bloom 1993 p. 418</ref> To overcome this paradox of merged life and death, the poem shifts to a new scene with a new perspective.<ref name="Bloom p. 418"/> The fourth stanza opens with the sacrifice of a virgin cow, an image that appeared in the Elgin Marbles, [[Claude Lorrain]]'s ''Sacrifice to Apollo'', and Raphael's ''[[Raphael Cartoons|The Sacrifice at Lystra]]''<ref>Bush 1959 p. 349</ref><ref group=A>The Raphael is one of the [[Raphael Cartoons]] then at [[Hampton Court Palace]]. The Claude is now usually called ''Landscape with the Father of Psyche sacrificing to Apollo'', and is now at [[Anglesey Abbey]]. It was one of the pair of "Altieri Claudes", among [[William Thomas Beckford#Works owned by Beckford|the most famous and expensive paintings of the day]]. See [[Gerald Reitlinger|Reitlinger, Gerald]]; ''The Economics of Taste, Vol I: The Rise and Fall of Picture Prices 1760–1960, Barrie and Rockliffe, London, 1961, and [http://www.anodyne2art.com/storage/artmoneyrhughes.pdf ''Art and Money''], by Robert Hughes. [[:File:V&A - Raphael, The Sacrifice at Lystra (1515).jpg|Image of the Raphael]], and [http://www.copenhagenfreeuniversity.dk/lorrain.jpg image of the Claude]</ref>
:Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
:To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
:Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
:And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
:What little town by river or sea shore,
:Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
:Is emptied of its folk, this pious morn?
:And, little town, thy streets for evermore
:Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
:Why thou art desolate, can e'er return. (lines 31–40)

All that exists in the scene is a procession of individuals, and the narrator conjectures on the rest. The altar and town exist as part of a world outside art, and the poem challenges the limitations of art through describing their possible existence. The questions are unanswered because there is no one who can ever know the true answers, as the locations are not real. The final stanza begins with a reminder that the urn is a piece of eternal artwork:<ref>Bloom 1993 pp. 418–419</ref>
:O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede
:Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
:With forest branches and the trodden weed;
:Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
:As doth eternity: Cold pastoral! (lines 41–45)

The audience is limited in its ability to comprehend the eternal scene, but the silent urn is still able to speak to them. The story it tells is both cold and passionate, and it is able to help mankind. The poem concludes with the urn's message:<ref>Bloom 1993 p. 419</ref>
:When old age shall this generation waste,
:Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
:Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst,
:"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," – that is all
:Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. (lines 46–50)

==Themes==
[[File:Portrait of Keats, listening to a nightingale on Hampstead Heath.jpg|thumb|right|alt= A Romantic painting of Keats sitting near a wood on elevated land. It is evening and the full moon appears above the wood while fading daylight illuminates a distant landscape. Keats appears to turn suddenly from the book he has been reading, towards the trees where a nightingale is silhouetted against the moon.|''Keats, Listening to a Nightingale on Hampstead Heath'' by Joseph Severn]]
Like many of Keats's odes, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" discusses art and art's audience. He relied on depictions of natural music in earlier poems, and works such as "Ode to a Nightingale" appeal to auditory sensations while ignoring the visual. Keats reverses this when describing an urn within "Ode on a Grecian Urn" to focus on [[Representation (arts)|representational art]]. He previously used the image of an urn in "Ode on Indolence", depicting one with three figures representing Love, Ambition and Poesy. Of these three, Love and Poesy are integrated into "Ode on a Grecian Urn" with an emphasis on how the urn, as a human artistic construct, is capable of relating to the idea of "Truth". The images of the urn described within the poem are intended as obvious depictions of common activities: an attempt at courtship, the making of music, and a religious rite. The figures are supposed to be beautiful, and the urn itself is supposed to be realistic.<ref>Vendler 1984 pp. 116–117</ref> Although the poem does not include the subjective involvement of the narrator, the description of the urn within the poem implies a human observer that draws out these images.<ref>Bate 1963 pp. 510–511</ref> The narrator interacts with the urn in a manner similar to how a critic would respond to the poem, which creates ambiguity in the poem's final lines: "'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' – that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." The lack of a definite voice of the urn causes the reader to question who is really speaking these words, to whom they are speaking, and what is meant by the words, which encourages the reader to interact with the poem in an interrogative manner like the narrator.<ref>Bennett 1994 pp. 128–134</ref>

As a symbol, an urn cannot completely represent poetry, but it does serve as one component in describing the relationship between art and humanity.<ref name="Perkins p. 103">Perkins 1964 p. 103</ref> The nightingale of "Ode to a Nightingale" is separated from humanity and does not have human concerns. The urn, as a piece of art, requires an audience and is in an incomplete state on its own. This allows the urn to interact with humanity, to put forth a narrative, and allows for the imagination to operate. The images on the urn provoke the narrator to ask questions, and the silence of the urn reinforces the imagination's ability to operate. This interaction and use of the imagination is part of a greater tradition called ''[[ut pictura poesis]]'' – the contemplation of art by a poet – which serves as a meditation upon art itself.<ref>Bate 1963 pp. 511–512</ref> In this meditation, the narrator dwells on the aesthetic and [[mimesis|mimetic]] features of art. The beginning of the poem posits that the role of art is to describe a specific story about those the audience is unfamiliar with, and the narrator wishes to know the identity of the figures in a manner similar to "Ode on Indolence" and "Ode to Psyche". The figures on the urn within "Ode on a Grecian Urn" lack identities, but the first section ends with the narrator believing that if he knew the story, he would know their names. The second section of the poem, describing the piper and the lovers, meditates on the possibility that the role of art is not to describe specifics but universal characters, which falls under the term "Truth". The three figures would represent how Love, Beauty, and Art are unified together in an idealised world where art represents the feelings of the audience. The audience is not supposed to question the events but instead to rejoice in the happy aspects of the scene in a manner that reverses the claims about art in "Ode to a Nightingale". Similarly, the response of the narrator to the sacrifice is not compatible with the response of the narrator to the lovers.<ref>Vendler 1984 pp. 118–120</ref>

The two contradictory responses found in the first and second scenes of "Ode on a Grecian Urn" are inadequate for completely describing art, because Keats believed that art should not provide history or ideals. Instead, both are replaced with a philosophical tone that dominates the meditation on art. The sensual aspects are replaced with an emphasis on the spiritual aspects, and the last scene describes a world contained unto itself. The relationship between the audience with the world is for benefiting or educating, but merely to emphatically connect to the scene. In the scene, the narrator contemplates where the boundaries of art lie and how much an artist can represent on an urn. The questions the narrator asks reveal a yearning to understand the scene, but the urn is too limited to allow such answers. Furthermore, the narrator is able to visualise more than what actually exists on the urn. This conclusion on art is both satisfying, in that it allows the audience to actually connect with the art, and alienating, as it does not provide the audience the benefit of instruction or narcissistic fulfillment.<ref>Vendler 1984 pp. 120–123</ref> Besides the contradictions between the various desires within the poem, there are other [[paradox]]es that emerge as the narrator compares his world with that of the figures on the urn. In the opening line, he refers to the urn as a "bride of quietness", which serves to contrast the urn with the structure of the ode, a type of poem originally intended to be sung. Another paradox arises when the narrator describes immortals on the side of an urn meant to carry the ashes of the dead.<ref>Brooks 1947 pp. 151–167</ref>

In terms of the actual figures upon the urn, the image of the lovers depicts the relationship of passion and beauty with art. In "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on Melancholy", Keats describes how beauty is temporary. However, the figures of the urn are able to always enjoy their beauty and passion because of their artistic permanence.<ref>Wigod 1968 p. 59</ref> The urn's description as a bride invokes a possibility of consummation, which is symbolic of the urn's need for an audience. Charles Patterson, in a 1954 essay, explains that "It is erroneous to assume that here Keats is merely disparaging the bride of flesh wed to man and glorifying the bride of marble wed to quietness. He could have achieved that simple effect more deftly with some other image than the richly ambivalent ''unravished bride'', which conveys ... a hint of disparagement: It is natural for brides to be possessed physically ... it is unnatural for them not to be."<ref>Patterson 1968 pp. 49–50</ref> John Jones, in his 1969 analysis, emphasises this sexual dimension within the poem by comparing the relationship between "the Eve Adam dreamed of and who was there when he woke up" and the "bridal urn" of "Ode on a Grecian Urn".<ref>Jones 1969 p. 176</ref> [[Helen Vendler]] expands on the idea, in her 1984 analysis of Keats's odes, when she claimed "the complex mind writing the ''Urn'' connects stillness and quietness to ravishment and a bride".<ref>Vendler 1984 p. 140</ref> In the second stanza, Keats "voices the generating motive of the poem – the necessary self-exhaustion and self-perpetuation of sexual appetite."<ref>Vendler 1984 p. 141</ref> To Vendler, desire and longing could be the source of artistic creativity, but the urn contains two contradicting expressions of sexuality: a lover chasing after a beloved and a lover with his beloved. This contradiction reveals Keats's belief that such love in general was unattainable and that "The true opponent to the urn-experience of love is not satisfaction but extinction."<ref>Vendler 1984 pp. 141–142</ref>

==Critical response==
The first response to the poem came in an anonymous review in the July 1820 ''Monthly Review'', which claimed, "Mr Keats displays no great nicety in his selection of images. According to the tenets of that school of poetry to which he belongs, he thinks that any thing or object in nature is a fit material on which the poet may work ... Can there be a more pointed ''concetto'' than this address to the Piping Shepherds on a Grecian Urn?"<ref>Matthews 1971 qtd. p. 162</ref> Another anonymous review followed in the 29 July 1820 ''Literary Chronicle and Weekly Review'' that quoted the poem with a note that said that "Among the minor poems, many of which possess considerable merit, the following appears to be the best".<ref>Matthews 1971 qtd. pp. 163–164</ref> Josiah Conder, in a September 1820 ''Eclectic Review'', argues that:
<blockquote>Mr Keats, seemingly, can think or write of scarcely any thing else than the 'happy pieties' of Paganism. A Grecian Urn throws him into an ecstasy: its 'silent form,' he says, 'doth tease us out of thought as doth Eternity,'—a very happy description of the bewildering effect which such subjects have at least had upon his own mind; and his fancy having thus got the better of his reason, we are the less surprised at the oracle which the Urn is made to utter:
:'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,'—that is all
:Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
That is, all that Mr Keats knows or cares to know.—But till he knows much more than this, he will never write verses fit to live.<ref>Matthews 1971 qtd. p. 237</ref></blockquote>
George Gilfillan, in an 1845 essay on Keats, placed the poem among "The finest of Keats' smaller pieces" and suggested that "In originality, Keats has seldom been surpassed. His works 'rise like an exhalation.' His language has been formed on a false system; but, ere he died, was clarifying itself from its more glaring faults, and becoming copious clear, and select. He seems to have been averse to all speculative thought, and his only creed, we fear, was expressed in the words— Beauty is truth,—truth beauty".<ref>Matthews 1971 qtd. p. 306</ref> The 1857 ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' contained an article on Keats by Alexander Smith, which stated: "Perhaps the most exquisite specimen of Keats' poetry is the 'Ode to the Grecian Urn'; it breathes the very spirit of antiquity,—eternal beauty and eternal repose."<ref>Matthews 1971 qtd. p. 367</ref> During the mid-19th century, [[Matthew Arnold]] claimed that the passage describing the little town "is Greek, as Greek as a thing from Homer or Theocritus; it is composed with the eye on the object, a radiancy and light clearness being added."<ref>Arnold 1962 p. 378</ref>

===Beauty is truth debate===
The 20th century marked the beginning of a critical dispute over the final lines of the poem and their relationship to the beauty of the whole work. [[Poet laureate]] [[Robert Bridges]] sparked the debate when he argued:
<blockquote>The thought as enounced in the first stanza is the supremacy of ideal art over Nature, because of its unchanging expression of perfect; and this is true and beautiful; but its amplification in the poem is unprogressive, monotonous, and scattered ... which gives an effect of poverty in spite of the beauty. The last stanza enters stumbling upon a pun, but its concluding lines are very fine, and make a sort of recovery with their forcible directness.<ref name="Murry p. 210">Murry 1955 qtd p. 210</ref></blockquote>
Bridges believed that the final lines redeemed an otherwise bad poem. [[Arthur Quiller-Couch]] responded with a contrary view and claimed that the lines were "a vague observation – to anyone whom life has taught to face facts and define his terms, actually an ''uneducated'' conclusion, albeit most pardonable in one so young and ardent."<ref name="Murry p. 210"/> The debate expanded when [[I. A. Richards|I. A. Richards]], an English literary critic who analysed Keats's poems in 1929, relied on the final lines of the "Ode on a Grecian Urn" to discuss "pseudo-statements" in poetry:
<blockquote>On the one hand there are very many people who, if they read any poetry at all, try to take all its statements seriously – and find them silly ... This may seem an absurd mistake but, alas! it is none the less common. On the other hand there are those who succeed too well, who swallow 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty ...,' as the quintessence of an aesthetic philosophy, not as the expression of a certain blend of feelings, and proceed into a complete stalemate of muddle-mindedness as a result of their linguistic naivety.<ref>Richards 1929 pp. 186–187</ref></blockquote>
Poet and critic [[T. S. Eliot]], in his 1929 "Dante" essay, responded to Richards:
<blockquote>I am at first included to agree ... But on re-reading the whole Ode, this line strikes me as a serious blemish on a beautiful poem, and the reason must be either that I fail to understand it, or that it is a statement which is untrue. And I suppose that Keats meant something by it, however remote his truth and his beauty may have been from these words in ordinary use. And I am sure that he would have repudiated any explanation of the line which called it a pseudo-statement ... The statement of Keats seems to me meaningless: or perhaps the fact that it is grammatically meaningless conceals another meaning from me.<ref>Eliot 1932 pp. 230–231</ref></blockquote>
In 1930, [[John Middleton Murry]] gave a history of these responses "to show the astonishing variety of opinion which exists at this day concerning the culmination of a poem whose beauty has been acknowledged for many years. Whether such another cause, and such another example, of critical diversity exists, I cannot say; if it does, it is unknown to me. My own opinion concerning the value of those two lines ''in the context of the poem itself'' is not very different from Mr. Eliot's."<ref>Murry 1955 p. 212</ref>

[[Cleanth Brooks]] defended the lines from critics in 1947 and argued:
<blockquote>We shall not feel that the generalization, unqualified and to be taken literally, is meant to march out of its context to compete with the scientific and philosophical generalizations which dominate our world. 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty' has precisely the same status, and the same justification as Shakespeare's 'Ripeness is all.' It is a speech 'in character' and supported by a dramatic context. To conclude thus may seem to weight the principle of dramatic propriety with more than it can bear. This would not be fair to the complexity of the problem of truth in art nor fair to Keats's little parable. Granted; and yet the principle of dramatic propriety may take us further than would first appear. Respect for it may at least insure our dealing with the problem of truth at the level on which it is really relevant to literature.<ref>Brooks 1947 p. 165</ref></blockquote>
[[M. H. Abrams]] responded to Brooks's view in 1957:
<blockquote>I entirely agree, then, with Professor Brooks in his explication of the ''Ode'', that 'Beauty is truth' ... is to be considered as a speech 'in character' and 'dramatically appropriate' to the Urn. I am uneasy, however, about his final reference to 'the world-view ...' For the poem as a whole is equally an utterance by a dramatically presented speaker, and none of its statements is proffered for our endorsement as a philosophical generalization of unlimited scope. They are all, therefore, to be apprehended as histrionic elements which are 'in character' and 'dramatically appropriate,' for their inherent interest as stages in the evolution of an artistically ordered ... experience of a credible human being.<ref>Abrams 1968 p. 111</ref></blockquote>
Earl Wasserman, in 1953, continued the discussion over the final lines and claimed, "the more we tug at the final lines of the ode, the more the noose of their meaning strangles our comprehension of the poem ... The aphorism is all the more beguiling because it appears near the end of the poem, for its apparently climactic position has generally led to the assumption that it is the abstract summation of the poem ... But the ode is not an abstract statement or an excursion into philosophy. It is a poem about things".<ref>Wasserman 1967 pp. 13–14</ref>

Walter Evert, discussing the debate in 1965, justified the final lines of the poem to declare "The poem, then, accepts the urn for the immediate meditative imaginative pleasure that it can give, but it firmly defines the limits of artistic truth. In this it is wholly consistent with all the great poetry of Keats's last creative period."<ref>Evert 1965 p. 319</ref> [[Hugh Kenner]], in 1971, explained that Keats "interrogates an urn, and answers for it, and its last answer, about Beauty and Truth, may seem almost intolerably enigmatic".<ref name="Kenner p. 26">Kenner 1971 p. 26</ref> To Kenner, the problem with Keats's Beauty and Truth statement arises out of the reader's inability to distinguish between the poet, his reflections on the urn, and any possible statement made by the urn. He concluded that Keats fails to provide his narrator with enough characterization to be able to speak for the urn.<ref name="Kenner p. 26"/> Charles Rzepka, in 1986, offered his view on the matter: "The truth-beauty equation at the end of the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' offers solace but is finally no more convincing than the experience it describes is durable."<ref>Rzepka 1986 p. 177</ref> Rick Rylance picked up the debate again in 1990 and explained that the true meaning of the final lines cannot be discerned merely by studying the language. This posed a problem for the [[New Critics]], who were prone to closely reading a poem's text.<ref>Rylance 1990 pp. 730–733</ref>

===Later responses===
Not every 20th-century critic opined primarily on the quality of the final lines when discussing the success or failure of the poem; [[Sidney Colvin]], in 1920, explained that "while imagery drawn from the sculptures on Greek vases was still floating through his mind, he was able to rouse himself to a stronger effort and produce a true masterpiece in his famous ''Ode on a Grecian Urn''."<ref>Colvin 1920 pp. 415–416</ref> In his 1926 analysis, [[H. W. Garrod]] felt that the end of the poem did not match with the rest of the poem: "Perhaps the fourth stanza is more beautiful than any of the others—and more true. The trouble is that it is a little too true. Truth to his main theme has taken Keats rather farther than he meant to go ... This pure cold art makes, in fact, a less appeal to Keats than the Ode as a whole would pretend; and when, in the lines that follow these lines, he indulges the jarring apostrophe 'Cold Pastoral' [...] he has said more than he meant—or wished to mean."<ref>Patterson 1968 qtd. pp. 48–49</ref> In 1933, M. R. Ridley described the poem as a "tense ethereal beauty" with a "touch of didacticism that weakens the urgency" of the statements.<ref>Ridley 1933 p. 281</ref> [[Douglas Bush]], following in 1937, emphasised the Greek aspects of the poem and stated, "as in the ''Ode to Maia'', the concrete details are suffused with a rich nostalgia. The hard edges of classical Greek writing are softened by the enveloping emotion and suggestion. In his classical moments Keats is a sculptor whose marble becomes flesh."<ref>Bush 1937 p. 109</ref>

In 1954, Charles Patterson defended the poem and claimed, "The meaningfulness and range of the poem, along with its controlled execution and powerfully suggestive imagery, entitle it to a high place among Keats's great odes. It lacks the even finish and extreme perfection of ''To Autumn'' but is much superior in these qualities to the ''Ode to a Nightingale'' despite the magic passages in the latter and the similarities of over-all structure. In fact, the ''Ode on a Grecian Urn'' may deserve to rank first in the group if viewed in something approaching its true complexity and human wisdom."<ref>Patterson 1968 p. 57</ref> [[Walter Jackson Bate]] argued in 1962 that "the ''Grecian Urn'' possesses a quiet and constrained composure hardly equalled by the other odes of this month and perhaps even unsurpassed by the ode ''To Autumn'' of the following September ... there is a severe repose about the ''Ode on a Grecian Urn''; it is both 'interwoven' and 'complete'; and within its tensely braced stanzas is a potential energy momentarily stilled and imprisoned."<ref>Bate 1962 pp. 140–141</ref> In 1964, literary critic David Perkins claimed in his essay "The Ode on a Nightingale" that the symbol of the urn "may possibly not satisfy as the principal concern of poetry ... but is rather an element in the poetry and drama of human reactions".<ref name="Perkins p. 103"/>

[[F. W. Bateson]] emphasised in 1966 the poem's ability to capture truth: "The ''Ode to a Nightingale'' had ended with the explicit admission that the 'fancy' is a 'cheat,' and the ''Grecian Urn'' concludes with a similar repudiation. But this time it is a positive instead of a negative conclusion. There ''is'' no escape from the 'woe' that 'shall this generation waste,' but the action of time can be confronted and seen in its proper proportions. To enable its readers to do this is the special function of poetry."<ref>Bateson 1968 p. 108</ref> Ronald Sharp followed in 1979 with a claim that the theme of "the relationship between life and art ... receives its most famous, and its most enigmatic and controversial, treatment" within the poem.<ref>Sharp 1979 p. 151</ref> In 1984, Vendler praised many of the passages within the poem but argued that the poem was unable to fully represent what Keats's wanted: "The simple movement of entrance and exit, even in its triple repetition in the ''Urn'', is simply not structurally complex enough to be adequate, as a representational form, to what we know of aesthetic experience – or indeed to human experience generally."<ref>Vendler 1984 p. 152</ref> Later in 1989, Daniel Watkins claimed the poem as "one of [Keats's] most beautiful and problematic works."<ref>Watkins 1989 p. 105</ref>

Andrew Bennet, in 1994, discussed the poem's effectiveness: "What is important and compelling in this poem is not so much what happens on the urn or in the poem, but the way that a response to an artwork both figures and prefigures its own critical response".<ref>Bennet 1994 p. 134</ref> In 1999, [[Andrew Motion]] claimed that the poem "tells a story that cannot be developed. Celebrating the transcendent powers of art, it creates a sense of imminence, but also registers a feeling of frustration."<ref>Motion 1999 p. 391</ref> Ayumi Mizukoshi, in 2001, argued that early audiences did not support "Ode to Psyche" because it "turned out to be too reflexive and internalised to be enjoyed as a mythological picture. For the same reason, the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' drew neither attention nor admiration. Although the poet is gazing round the surface of the urn in each stanza, the poem cannot readily be consumed as a series of 'idylls'."<ref>Mizukoshi 2001 p. 170</ref>

==Note==
{{reflist|group=A}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
{{Wikisource}}
{{Commons cat|Sosibios vase}}
* [[M. H. Abrams|Abrams, M. H.]] "''Ode on a Grecian Urn''" in ''Twentieth Century Interpretations of Keats's Odes'' Editor Jack Stillinger. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968. {{oclc|190950}}.
* [[Matthew Arnold|Arnold, Matthew]]. ''Lectures and Essays in Criticism''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1962. {{oclc|3487294}}.
* [[Walter Jackson Bate|Bate, Walter Jackson]]. ''John Keats''. Cambridge MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1963. {{oclc|291522}}.
* Bate, Walter Jackson. ''The Stylistic Development of Keats''. New York: Humanities Press, 1962. {{oclc|276912}}.
* [[F. W. Bateson|Bateson, F. W.]] "''Ode on a Grecian Urn''" in ''Twentieth Century Interpretations of Keats's Odes'' Editor Jack Stillinger. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968. {{oclc|190950}}.
* Bennett, Andrew. ''Keats, Narrative, and Audience''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0521445655
* [[Harold Bloom|Bloom, Harold]]. ''The Visionary Company''. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993. ISBN 0801406226
* [[Edmund Blunden|Blunden, Edmund]]. ''Leigh Hunt's "Examiner" Examined''. Hamden: Archon Books, 1967. {{oclc|310443971}}.
* [[Cleanth Brooks|Brooks, Cleanth]]. ''[[The Well Wrought Urn|The Well-Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry]]''. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1947. {{oclc|265162960}}.
* [[Douglas Bush|Bush, Douglas]]. "Introduction" in ''John Keats: Selected Poems and Letters''. Ed. Douglas Bush. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1959. {{oclc|276449}}.
* Bush, Douglas. ''Mythology and the Romantic Tradition in English Poetry''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1937. {{oclc|55449294}}
* Carr, J. W. Comyns. "The Artistic Spirit in Modern Poetry". ''New Quarterly Magazine'', Vol. 5 (1876), pp. 146–165. {{oclc|2264902}}.
* [[Sidney Colvin|Colvin, Sidney]]. ''John Keats''. London: Macmillan, 1920. {{oclc|257603790}}
* [[T. S. Eliot|Eliot, T. S.]] "Dante" in ''Selected Essays''. London: Faber and Faber, 1932. {{oclc|250331242}}.
* Evert, Walter. ''Aesthetics and Myth in the Poetry of Keats''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965. {{oclc|291999}}.
* [[Robert Gittings|Gittings, Robert]]. ''John Keats''. London: Heinemann, 1968. {{oclc|251576301}}.
* Gumpert, Matthew. "[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-59037686.html Keats's 'To Haydon, With a Sonnet on Seeing the Elgin Marbles' and 'Seeing the Elgin Marbles']". ''Explicator'' (22 September 1999).
* Jones, John. ''John Keats's Dream of Truth''. London: Barnes and Noble, 1969. ISBN 0389010022'
* Kelley, Theresa. "Keats and 'Ekphrasis'" in ''The Cambridge Companion to John Keats''. Editor Susan Wolfston. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 052165839X
* [[Hugh Kenner|Kenner, Hugh]]. ''The Pound Era''. University of California Press, 1971. ISBN 0520018605
* MacGillivray, J. R. "Ode on a Grecian Urn", ''Times Literary Supplement'' (9 July 1938): 465–466.
* Magunson, Paul. ''Reading Public Romanticism''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. ISBN 069105794X
* Matthews, G. M. ''John Keats: The Critical Heritage''. New York: Barnes & Noble Publishers, 1971. ISBN 0389044407
* Mizukoshi, Ayumi. ''Keats, Hunt and the Aesthetics of Pleasure''. New York: Palgrave, 2001. ISBN 0333929586
* [[Andrew Motion|Motion, Andrew]]. ''Keats''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. ISBN 0226542408
* [[John Middleton Murry|Murry, John]]. ''Keats''. New York: Noonday Press, 1955. {{oclc|360836}}
* Patterson, Charles. "Passion and Permanence in Keats's ''Ode on a Grecian Urn''" in ''Twentieth Century Interpretations of Keats's Odes'' Editor Jack Stillinger. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968. {{oclc|190950}}.
* Perkins, David. "The Ode on a Nightingale" in ''Keats: A Collection of Critical Essays''. Ed. Walter Jackson Bate, 103–112. Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1964. {{oclc|711263}}
* [[I. A. Richards|Richards, I. A.]] ''Practical Criticism''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1929. {{oclc|317672795}}
* Ridley, Maurice. ''Keats' Craftsmanship''. Oxford: Clarendon, 1933. {{oclc|1842818}}
* Rylance, Rick. "The New Criticism". ''Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism''. Ed. Martin Cole et al. 730–731. London: Routledge, 1990. ISBN 0810383314
* Rzepka, Charles. ''The Self as Mind''. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1986. ISBN 0674800850
* Sharp, Ronald. ''Keats, Skepticism, and the Religion of Beauty''. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1979. ISBN 0820304700
* Sheats, Paul. "Keats and the Ode" in ''The Cambridge Companion to John Keats''. Editor Susan Wolfston. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 052165839X
* Sheley, Erin. "[http://www.erudit.org/revue/RON/2007/v/n45/015826ar.html Re-Imagining Olympus: Keats and the Mythology of Individual Consciousness]". Harvard University. Reprinted in "Romanticism on the Net", No. 45 (November 2007). Accessed 6 December 2008.
* Sikka, Sonia. "[http://www.calvin.edu/faith/resources/faculty/beauty/truth_of_beauty.pdf On The Truth of Beauty: Nietzsche, Heidegger, Keats]". ''The Heythrop Journal'', Vol. 39, No. 3 (1998), pp. 243–263. {{doi|10.1111/1468-2265.00076}}. Accessed 3 November 2009.
* Swanson, Roy Arthur. "[http://www.jstor.org/pss/373074 Form and Content in Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn']". ''College English'', Vol. 23, No. 4 (January 1962), pp. 302–305.
* [[Helen Vendler|Vendler, Helen]]. ''The Odes of John Keats''. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1984. ISBN 0674630750
* Wasserman, Earl. ''The Finer Tone''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967. {{oclc|271028805}}
* Watkins, Daniel. ''Keats's Poetry and the Politics of the Imagination''. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1989. ISBN 0838633587
* Wigod, Jacob. "Keats's Ideal in the ''Ode on a Grecian Urn''" in ''Twentieth Century Interpretations of Keats's Odes'' Editor Jack Stillinger. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968. {{oclc|190950}}.
{{Refend}}

{{Featured article}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ode On A Grecian Urn}}

[[Category:1820 poems]]
[[Category:British poems]]
[[Category:Poetry by John Keats]]

[[it:Ode su un'urna greca]]

The Heartland Institute

2010-01-23T09:07:58Z

Defender of torch:

{{Infobox Non-profit
| Non-profit_name = The Heartland Institute
| Non-profit_logo = [[Image:Heartland Logo.png|200px|center]]
| vector_logo =
| Non-profit_type = [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]]
| founded_date =
| founder =
| location = 19 South [[LaSalle Street]] Suite 903 [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], [[USA]]
| area_served = Worldwide
| origins =
| key_people = President and CEO: Joseph L. Bast Executive VP: Dan Miller VP: Kevin Fitzgerald Chairman: Herbert J. Walberg
| focus =
| method =
| revenue = [[United States dollar|US$]]2,747,328 (2006)<ref name="IRS">[http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/363/363309812/363309812_200612_990.pdf IRS Form 990] (2006), The Heartland Institute</ref>
| num_volunteers =
| owner =
| Non-profit_slogan =
| homepage = [http://www.heartland.org/ www.heartland.org]
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}

'''The Heartland Institute''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] [[free market]]-oriented public policy [[think tank]] based in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. It was founded in 1984 and conducts research and advocacy work on issues including [[government spending]], [[taxation]], [[healthcare]], [[tobacco smoking|tobacco]] policy, [[global warming]], [[information technology]] and [[free-market environmentalism]].

The Heartland Institute is designated as a [[501(c)(3)]][[non-profit]] by the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and advised by a 15 member board of directors, which meets quarterly. As of 2008, it has a full-time staff of 30, including editors and senior fellows.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.heartland.org/about/ | title = About Us | publisher = Heartland Institute}}</ref>

==History and leadership==
In its early years, the Heartland Institute focused on policies relevant to the [[Midwestern United States]]. Since 1993 it has focused on reaching elected officials and opinion leaders in all 50 states. In addition to research, the Heartland Institute features an Internet application called PolicyBot which serves as a clearinghouse for research from other conservative think tanks such as the [[Heritage Foundation]], the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]], and the [[Cato Institute]]. The Institute's president and CEO is Joseph L. Bast.

Heartland has been criticized for employing executives from such corporations as [[ExxonMobil]] and [[Altria Group|Philip Morris]] on its board of directors and in its public relations department.<ref>{{cite web | last = Fleishman | first = Glenn | url = http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004765.html | title = Sock Puppets of Industry | publisher = WNN WiFi Net News | date = February 1, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Smith | first = Kit | url = http://www.buffalobeast.com/81/wind.htm | title = A Mighty Wind: Wind Power Threatens Corporate Bottom Line |publisher = The Beast | date = August 10–24, 2005}}</ref> The Heartland Institute disputes this criticism, stating that "no one on Heartland's board of directors works for a tobacco company (Roy Marden retired years ago) or for an oil company (Walter Buchholtz was on the board but no longer is)."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heartland.org/FAQArticle.cfm?faqId=25 |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Is Heartland a 'Front Group'? |publisher=Heartland Institute |accessdate=2008-08-22}}</ref>

==Funding==
The Heartland Institute receives donations from approximately 1,600 individuals, foundations, and [[corporation]]s. No single corporate entity donates more than 5% of the operating budget, according to brochures from the company. <ref>http://www.heartland.org/FAQArticle.cfm?faqId=7</ref> Heartland states that it does not accept government funds and does not conduct "contract" research for special-interest groups.<ref>{{cite web | last = Bast | first = Joseph | url =
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=10582 | title = Welcome to The Heartland Institute! | work = Heartlander | publisher = The Heartland Institute | date= April 13, 2007}}</ref>

[[MediaTransparency]] reported that the Heartland Institute received funding from [[conservatism in the United States|politically conservative]] foundations such as the [[Castle Rock Foundation]], the [[Sarah Scaife Foundation]], the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], and the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mediatransparency.com/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=152 | title = Heartland Institute Funding | publisher = [[MediaTransparency]] | accessdate= June 20, 2008}}</ref>

Oil companies have contributed substantially to the Heartland Institute.<ref name="tiger">{{cite news | work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | title = Put a Tiger in Your Think Tank | url = http://motherjones.com/politics/2005/05/put-tiger-your-think-tank | year = 2005 | month = May/June | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref> [[ExxonMobil]] contributed a total of $560,000 between 1998 and 2005.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2007/oversight/28mar/mccarthy_testimony.pdf | format = PDF | title = Statement of Dr. James McCarthy | pages = 4 | publisher =
[[House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight]] | date = March 28, 2007 | accessdate = August 21, 2008}}</ref> This included $119,000 in 2005, ExxonMobil's largest gift to Heartland in that period. Nearly 40% of funds from ExxonMobil were specifically designated for climate change projects.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|title=Smoke, Mirrors & Hot Air—How ExxonMobil Uses Big Tobacco’s Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Science|publisher=[[Union of Concerned Scientists]]|month=January|year=2007|page=32|url=http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/exxon_report.pdf|accessdate=Setpember 25, 2009 | format = PDF}}</ref> As of 2008, the Heartland Institute had received almost $800,000 from ExxonMobil.<ref name="smh">{{cite news | work = [[Sydney Morning Herald]] | title = The climate change smokescreen | first = David | last = McKnight | date = August 2, 2008 | accessdate = December 28, 2009 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/global-warming/the-climate-change-smokescreen/2008/08/01/1217097533885.html}}</ref>

During the time that the Heartland Institute was contesting the health risks of [[secondhand smoke]], it received significant funding from [[Philip Morris]].<ref name="independent">{{cite news | work = [[The Independent]] | title = Tobacco and oil pay for climate conference | date = March 3, 2008 | first = Steve | last = Connor | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/tobacco-and-oil-pay-for-climate-conference-790474.html?r=RSS | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name="bt">{{cite news | work = [[Brisbane Times]] | date = June 17, 2009 | first = Matthew | last = England | accessdate = December 28, 2009 | title = How noisy naysayers led Fielding on to false path | url = http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/how-noisy-naysayers-led-fielding-on-to-false-path-20090616-cghf.html}}</ref>

==Positions==
===Global warming===
The institute is a member organization of the [[Cooler Heads Coalition]], which describes itself as "an informal and ad-hoc group focused on dispelling the myths of global warming."<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Cooler Heads Coalition |title=About GlobalWarming.org |accessdate=2008-08-22 |url=http://www.globalwarming.org/about }}</ref> The Cooler Heads Coalition is affiliated with the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]] and receives funding from oil companies.<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | title = Wingnuts in Sheep's Clothing | url = http://motherjones.com/politics/1997/12/wingnuts-sheeps-clothing | first = Keith | last = Hammond | date = December 4, 1997 | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref>

Heartland's publications, which are edited by James Taylor, a Florida-based lawyer who servers as the Institute's Environmental "expert," make the following assertions about climate change:
*"Most scientists do not believe human activities threaten to disrupt the Earth's climate."<ref name="higw">[http://www.heartland.org/pdf/ieguide.pdf Heartland Institute's "Instant Expert Guide: Global Warming"] retrieved 4 March 2008</ref>
*"The most reliable temperature data show no global warming trend."<ref name="higw"/>
*"A modest amount of global warming, should it occur, would be beneficial to the natural world and to human civilization."<ref name="higw"/>
*"The best strategy to pursue is one of 'no regrets'."<ref name="higw"/>

In March 2008, and again in March 2009 the Heartland Institute sponsored an international conference bringing hundreds of [[global warming skeptics]] to [[New York City]]. Speakers included [[Richard Lindzen]], a professor of meteorology at MIT; [[Roy Spencer]], a former NASA scientist; [[S. Fred Singer]], who was founding dean of the School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences at the University of Miami and founding director of the National Weather Satellite Service; [[Harrison Schmitt]], a former NASA astronaut and Apollo 17 moonwalker; and [[John Theon]], a former NASA administrator. Participants criticized the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] and [[Al Gore]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html?bl&ex=1204779600&en=fbfa2e2586c552a8&ei=5087%0A Cool View of Science at Meeting on Warming], by Andrew C. Revkin. Published in the ''[[New York Times]]'' on March 4, 2008; accessed March 4, 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/tobacco-and-oil-pay-for-climate-conference-790474.html Tobacco and oil pay for climate conference], by Steve Connor. Published in ''[[The Independent]]'' on March 3, 2008; accessed March 4, 2008.</ref>

In April 2008, environmental journalist [[Richard Littlemore]] wrote that a bibliography written by [[Dennis Avery]] and posted on Heartland’s Web site, titled "500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares,”<ref>[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=21978 500 Scientists Whose Research Contradicts Man-Made Global Warming Scares], by Dennis T. Avery. From the Heartland Institute website; published September 14, 2007, accessed June 20, 2008.</ref> included at least 45 scientists who neither knew of their inclusion as "coauthors" of the article, nor agreed with its claims regarding global warming. Dozens of the scientists asked the Heartland Institute to remove their names from the list; for instance, Gregory Cutter of [[Old Dominion University]] wrote, "I have NO doubts... the recent changes in global climate ARE man-induced. I insist that you immediately remove my name from this list since I did not give you permission to put it there." Dr. Robert Whittaker, Professor of Biogeography, University of Oxford wrote "Please remove my name. What you have done is totally unethical!" <ref>[http://www.desmogblog.com/500-scientists-with-documented-doubts-about-the-heartland-institute 500 Scientists with Documented Doubts - about the Heartland Institute?], by Richard Littlemore. Published April 29, 2008; accessed June 20, 2008.</ref>

In response, the Heartland Institute refused to remove any names from the list. It quoted [[Dennis Avery]] saying “Not all of these researchers would describe themselves as global warming skeptics,” said Avery, “but the evidence in their studies is there for all to see.” Heartland’s president, [[Joseph Bast]], wrote “They have no right -- legally or ethically -- to demand that their names be removed from a bibliography composed by researchers with whom they disagree. Their names probably appear in hundreds or thousands of bibliographies accompanying other articles or in books with which they disagree. Do they plan to sue hundreds or thousands of their colleagues? The proper response is to engage in scholarly debate, not demand imperiously that the other side redact its publications.” <ref>[http://heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=23207 "Controversy Arises Over Lists of Scientists Whose Research Contradicts Man-Made Global Warming Scares"] (press release). Heartland Institute. May 5, 2008.</ref>

===Tobacco===
{{see|Passive smoking}}
The Institute has been actively involved in debate over [[tobacco]] policy, opposing [[smoking ban|restrictions on smoking]] and criticizing science which documents the harms of [[secondhand smoke]].<ref>[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=11386 Talking Points on the Proposed Chicago Smoking Ban by Joseph L. Bast - by Joseph L. Bast - The Heartland Institute]</ref> Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights reported that there is a the close financial and organizational relationship between the tobacco industry and the Heartland Institute, and described the Heartland Institute as "an active partner of the tobacco industry".<ref>[http://www.no-smoke.org/getthefacts.php?id=74 Heartland Institute page] from Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. Accessed June 20, 2008.</ref>

==Publications==

The Heartland Institute publishes five monthly public policy newspapers covering events three months after the fact, featuring articles written primarily by college-age freelance writers who receive little oversight or guidance. These include: ''Budget and Tax News'', which advocates lower taxes and balanced budgets for states and the federal government; ''School Reform News'', which calls for greater competition and [[school choice]]; ''Environment & Climate News,'' which focuses on "market-based environmental protection"; ''Health Care News'', devoted to consumer-driven health care reform and edited by [[Ben Domenech]]; and ''Infotech and Telecom News,'' which covers the technology and telecommunications industries from a free market perspective. The five monthly publications have a circulation total of nearly 200,000.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Heartland Institute |url=http://www.heartland.org/about/profileresults.html?profile=6110DE2CC2614EF79267933376E6B380&directory=0490F571009CFDBBCAA4E62B8A3EBAE2 |title=Staff: Joseph Bast |accessdate=2009-12-10}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.heartland.org Heartland's official website]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute Sourcewatch - More detailed funding information]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heartland Institute, The}}
[[Category:Conservative think tanks based in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Illinois]]
[[Category:Organizations of environmentalism skeptics and critics]]

The Heartland Institute

2010-01-23T08:37:21Z

Defender of torch: The Heartland Institute is conservative, not libertarian

{{Infobox Non-profit
| Non-profit_name = The Heartland Institute
| Non-profit_logo = [[Image:Heartland Logo.png|200px|center]]
| vector_logo =
| Non-profit_type = [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]]
| founded_date =
| founder =
| location = 19 South [[LaSalle Street]] Suite 903 [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], [[USA]]
| area_served = Worldwide
| origins =
| key_people = President and CEO: Joseph L. Bast Executive VP: Dan Miller VP: Kevin Fitzgerald Chairman: Herbert J. Walberg
| focus =
| method =
| revenue = [[United States dollar|US$]]2,747,328 (2006)<ref name="IRS">[http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/363/363309812/363309812_200612_990.pdf IRS Form 990] (2006), The Heartland Institute</ref>
| num_volunteers =
| owner =
| Non-profit_slogan =
| homepage = [http://www.heartland.org/ www.heartland.org]
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}

The '''Heartland Institute''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] [[free market]]-oriented public policy [[think tank]] based in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. It was founded in 1984 and conducts research and advocacy work on issues including [[government spending]], [[taxation]], [[healthcare]], [[tobacco smoking|tobacco]] policy, [[global warming]], [[information technology]] and [[free-market environmentalism]].

The Heartland Institute is designated as a [[501(c)(3)]][[non-profit]] by the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and advised by a 15 member board of directors, which meets quarterly. As of 2008, it has a full-time staff of 30, including editors and senior fellows.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.heartland.org/about/ | title = About Us | publisher = Heartland Institute}}</ref>

==History and leadership==
In its early years, the Heartland Institute focused on policies relevant to the [[Midwestern United States]]. Since 1993 it has focused on reaching elected officials and opinion leaders in all 50 states. In addition to research, the Heartland Institute features an Internet application called PolicyBot which serves as a clearinghouse for research from other conservative think tanks such as the [[Heritage Foundation]], the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]], and the [[Cato Institute]]. The Institute's president and CEO is Joseph L. Bast.

Heartland has been criticized for employing executives from such corporations as [[ExxonMobil]] and [[Altria Group|Philip Morris]] on its board of directors and in its public relations department.<ref>{{cite web | last = Fleishman | first = Glenn | url = http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004765.html | title = Sock Puppets of Industry | publisher = WNN WiFi Net News | date = February 1, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Smith | first = Kit | url = http://www.buffalobeast.com/81/wind.htm | title = A Mighty Wind: Wind Power Threatens Corporate Bottom Line |publisher = The Beast | date = August 10–24, 2005}}</ref> The Heartland Institute disputes this criticism, stating that "no one on Heartland's board of directors works for a tobacco company (Roy Marden retired years ago) or for an oil company (Walter Buchholtz was on the board but no longer is)."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heartland.org/FAQArticle.cfm?faqId=25 |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Is Heartland a 'Front Group'? |publisher=Heartland Institute |accessdate=2008-08-22}}</ref>

==Funding==
The Heartland Institute receives donations from approximately 1,600 individuals, foundations, and [[corporation]]s. No single corporate entity donates more than 5% of the operating budget, according to brochures from the company. <ref>http://www.heartland.org/FAQArticle.cfm?faqId=7</ref> Heartland states that it does not accept government funds and does not conduct "contract" research for special-interest groups.<ref>{{cite web | last = Bast | first = Joseph | url =
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=10582 | title = Welcome to The Heartland Institute! | work = Heartlander | publisher = The Heartland Institute | date= April 13, 2007}}</ref>

[[MediaTransparency]] reported that the Heartland Institute received funding from [[conservatism in the United States|politically conservative]] foundations such as the [[Castle Rock Foundation]], the [[Sarah Scaife Foundation]], the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], and the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mediatransparency.com/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=152 | title = Heartland Institute Funding | publisher = [[MediaTransparency]] | accessdate= June 20, 2008}}</ref>

Oil companies have contributed substantially to the Heartland Institute.<ref name="tiger">{{cite news | work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | title = Put a Tiger in Your Think Tank | url = http://motherjones.com/politics/2005/05/put-tiger-your-think-tank | year = 2005 | month = May/June | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref> [[ExxonMobil]] contributed a total of $560,000 between 1998 and 2005.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2007/oversight/28mar/mccarthy_testimony.pdf | format = PDF | title = Statement of Dr. James McCarthy | pages = 4 | publisher =
[[House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight]] | date = March 28, 2007 | accessdate = August 21, 2008}}</ref> This included $119,000 in 2005, ExxonMobil's largest gift to Heartland in that period. Nearly 40% of funds from ExxonMobil were specifically designated for climate change projects.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|title=Smoke, Mirrors & Hot Air—How ExxonMobil Uses Big Tobacco’s Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Science|publisher=[[Union of Concerned Scientists]]|month=January|year=2007|page=32|url=http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/exxon_report.pdf|accessdate=Setpember 25, 2009 | format = PDF}}</ref> As of 2008, the Heartland Institute had received almost $800,000 from ExxonMobil.<ref name="smh">{{cite news | work = [[Sydney Morning Herald]] | title = The climate change smokescreen | first = David | last = McKnight | date = August 2, 2008 | accessdate = December 28, 2009 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/global-warming/the-climate-change-smokescreen/2008/08/01/1217097533885.html}}</ref>

During the time that the Heartland Institute was contesting the health risks of [[secondhand smoke]], it received significant funding from [[Philip Morris]].<ref name="independent">{{cite news | work = [[The Independent]] | title = Tobacco and oil pay for climate conference | date = March 3, 2008 | first = Steve | last = Connor | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/tobacco-and-oil-pay-for-climate-conference-790474.html?r=RSS | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name="bt">{{cite news | work = [[Brisbane Times]] | date = June 17, 2009 | first = Matthew | last = England | accessdate = December 28, 2009 | title = How noisy naysayers led Fielding on to false path | url = http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/how-noisy-naysayers-led-fielding-on-to-false-path-20090616-cghf.html}}</ref>

==Positions==
===Global warming===
The institute is a member organization of the [[Cooler Heads Coalition]], which describes itself as "an informal and ad-hoc group focused on dispelling the myths of global warming."<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Cooler Heads Coalition |title=About GlobalWarming.org |accessdate=2008-08-22 |url=http://www.globalwarming.org/about }}</ref> The Cooler Heads Coalition is affiliated with the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]] and receives funding from oil companies.<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | title = Wingnuts in Sheep's Clothing | url = http://motherjones.com/politics/1997/12/wingnuts-sheeps-clothing | first = Keith | last = Hammond | date = December 4, 1997 | accessdate = December 28, 2009}}</ref>

Heartland's publications, which are edited by James Taylor, a Florida-based lawyer who servers as the Institute's Environmental "expert," make the following assertions about climate change:
*"Most scientists do not believe human activities threaten to disrupt the Earth's climate."<ref name="higw">[http://www.heartland.org/pdf/ieguide.pdf Heartland Institute's "Instant Expert Guide: Global Warming"] retrieved 4 March 2008</ref>
*"The most reliable temperature data show no global warming trend."<ref name="higw"/>
*"A modest amount of global warming, should it occur, would be beneficial to the natural world and to human civilization."<ref name="higw"/>
*"The best strategy to pursue is one of 'no regrets'."<ref name="higw"/>

In March 2008, and again in March 2009 the Heartland Institute sponsored an international conference bringing hundreds of [[global warming skeptics]] to [[New York City]]. Speakers included [[Richard Lindzen]], a professor of meteorology at MIT; [[Roy Spencer]], a former NASA scientist; [[S. Fred Singer]], who was founding dean of the School of Environmental and Planetary Sciences at the University of Miami and founding director of the National Weather Satellite Service; [[Harrison Schmitt]], a former NASA astronaut and Apollo 17 moonwalker; and [[John Theon]], a former NASA administrator. Participants criticized the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] and [[Al Gore]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html?bl&ex=1204779600&en=fbfa2e2586c552a8&ei=5087%0A Cool View of Science at Meeting on Warming], by Andrew C. Revkin. Published in the ''[[New York Times]]'' on March 4, 2008; accessed March 4, 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/tobacco-and-oil-pay-for-climate-conference-790474.html Tobacco and oil pay for climate conference], by Steve Connor. Published in ''[[The Independent]]'' on March 3, 2008; accessed March 4, 2008.</ref>

In April 2008, environmental journalist [[Richard Littlemore]] wrote that a bibliography written by [[Dennis Avery]] and posted on Heartland’s Web site, titled "500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares,”<ref>[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=21978 500 Scientists Whose Research Contradicts Man-Made Global Warming Scares], by Dennis T. Avery. From the Heartland Institute website; published September 14, 2007, accessed June 20, 2008.</ref> included at least 45 scientists who neither knew of their inclusion as "coauthors" of the article, nor agreed with its claims regarding global warming. Dozens of the scientists asked the Heartland Institute to remove their names from the list; for instance, Gregory Cutter of [[Old Dominion University]] wrote, "I have NO doubts... the recent changes in global climate ARE man-induced. I insist that you immediately remove my name from this list since I did not give you permission to put it there." Dr. Robert Whittaker, Professor of Biogeography, University of Oxford wrote "Please remove my name. What you have done is totally unethical!" <ref>[http://www.desmogblog.com/500-scientists-with-documented-doubts-about-the-heartland-institute 500 Scientists with Documented Doubts - about the Heartland Institute?], by Richard Littlemore. Published April 29, 2008; accessed June 20, 2008.</ref>

In response, the Heartland Institute refused to remove any names from the list. It quoted [[Dennis Avery]] saying “Not all of these researchers would describe themselves as global warming skeptics,” said Avery, “but the evidence in their studies is there for all to see.” Heartland’s president, [[Joseph Bast]], wrote “They have no right -- legally or ethically -- to demand that their names be removed from a bibliography composed by researchers with whom they disagree. Their names probably appear in hundreds or thousands of bibliographies accompanying other articles or in books with which they disagree. Do they plan to sue hundreds or thousands of their colleagues? The proper response is to engage in scholarly debate, not demand imperiously that the other side redact its publications.” <ref>[http://heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=23207 "Controversy Arises Over Lists of Scientists Whose Research Contradicts Man-Made Global Warming Scares"] (press release). Heartland Institute. May 5, 2008.</ref>

===Tobacco===
{{see|Passive smoking}}
The Institute has been actively involved in debate over [[tobacco]] policy, opposing [[smoking ban|restrictions on smoking]] and criticizing science which documents the harms of [[secondhand smoke]].<ref>[http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=11386 Talking Points on the Proposed Chicago Smoking Ban by Joseph L. Bast - by Joseph L. Bast - The Heartland Institute]</ref> Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights reported that there is a the close financial and organizational relationship between the tobacco industry and the Heartland Institute, and described the Heartland Institute as "an active partner of the tobacco industry".<ref>[http://www.no-smoke.org/getthefacts.php?id=74 Heartland Institute page] from Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. Accessed June 20, 2008.</ref>

==Publications==

The Heartland Institute publishes five monthly public policy newspapers covering events three months after the fact, featuring articles written primarily by college-age freelance writers who receive little oversight or guidance. These include: ''Budget and Tax News'', which advocates lower taxes and balanced budgets for states and the federal government; ''School Reform News'', which calls for greater competition and [[school choice]]; ''Environment & Climate News,'' which focuses on "market-based environmental protection"; ''Health Care News'', devoted to consumer-driven health care reform and edited by [[Ben Domenech]]; and ''Infotech and Telecom News,'' which covers the technology and telecommunications industries from a free market perspective. The five monthly publications have a circulation total of nearly 200,000.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Heartland Institute |url=http://www.heartland.org/about/profileresults.html?profile=6110DE2CC2614EF79267933376E6B380&directory=0490F571009CFDBBCAA4E62B8A3EBAE2 |title=Staff: Joseph Bast |accessdate=2009-12-10}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.heartland.org Heartland's official website]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute Sourcewatch - More detailed funding information]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heartland Institute, The}}
[[Category:Conservative think tanks based in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Illinois]]
[[Category:Organizations of environmentalism skeptics and critics]]

Benutzer:Feuerrabe/William Still (Abolitionist)

2010-01-22T19:12:43Z

Defender of torch: Reverted edits by 64.39.130.138 to last revision by Jusdafax (HG)

{{Two other uses|the abolitionist and member of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society|the African American classical composer|William Grant Still|the inventor of the Still hybrid engine|William Joseph Still}}
[[File:William Still abolitionist.jpg|thumb|William Still (1821-1902)]]
'''William Still''' (November 1819 or October 7, 1821 – July 14, 1902) was an [[African-American]] [[abolitionist]], conductor on the [[Underground Railroad]], [[writer]], historian and [[civil rights]] activist.

==Early life==
The date of William Still's birth is given as October 7, 1821, by most sources, but he gave the date of November 1819 in the 1900 [[Census]]. He was born in [[Burlington County, New Jersey|Burlington County]], [[New Jersey]], to Charity and Levin Still. Both his parents had come to New Jersey from the eastern shore of [[Maryland]] as ex-[[slaves]]. He was the youngest of eighteen siblings, who included [[Dr. James Still|James Still]], known as "the Doctor of the [[Pine Barrens (New Jersey)|Pines]]," [[Peter Still]], Mary Still, and Kitturah Still, who moved to Philadelphia.

William's father was the first of the family to move to [[New Jersey]] when he purchased his own freedom. Levin settled in [[Springtown, New Jersey|Springtown]] near [[Medford, New Jersey|Medford]] and later Charity joined the family with their four children, when she escaped. Charity was recaptured and returned to slavery, but she escaped a second time and, with her two daughters, found her way to Burlington County, to join her husband. The two sons she left behind were sold to slaveowners in [[Alabama]], in the [[Deep South]].

==Abolitionist==
In 1844, William Still moved to [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], where he began working as a clerk for the [[Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society]]. When Philadelphia abolitionists organized a committee to aid runaway slaves reaching Philadelphia, Still became its chairman. By the 1850s, Still was a leader of Philadelphia's African-American community. In 1859 he attempted to desegregate the city's public transit system.<ref>[http://www.darbyhistory.com/Still-StreetcarStruggle.html William Still, Darby, and the Desegregation of Philadelphia Streetcars (DarbyHistory.com)]</ref> He opened a stove store during the [[American Civil War]], and later started a coal delivery business.

In 1847 he married Letitia George and had four children who survived infancy. Their eldest was Caroline Matilda Still (1848–1919), a pioneer female medical doctor. Caroline attended [[Oberlin College]] and the Women's Medical College of Philadelphia (much later the [[Medical College of Pennsylvania]]); she was married, first to Edward J. Wyley, and after his death, to the Reverend Matthew Anderson, longtime pastor of the Berean Presbyterian Church in North Philadelphia. She had an extensive private medical practice in Philadelphia and was also a community activist, teacher and leader. William Wilberforce Still (1854–1914) graduated from [[Lincoln University]] and subsequently practiced law in Philadelphia; Robert George Still (1861–1900), was a journalist who owned a print shop on Pine at 11th Street in central Philadelphia and Frances Ellen Still (1857–1930) became a kindergarten teacher (she was named after [[poet]] [[Frances Ellen Watkins Harper]], who lived with the Stills before her marriage). On the [[United States Census, 1900|1900 U.S. Census]] William Still said he had two children and both were still living.

===Underground Railroad===
Often called "The Father of the [[Underground Railroad]]," Still helped as many as 60 slaves a month escape to freedom, interviewing each person and keeping careful records, including a brief biography and the destination of each person, along with any alias that they adopted, though he kept his records carefully hidden. He is one of the many who helped slaves escape from the United States. During one interview of an escapee, he discovered that the man, Peter Still, was his own brother. They had been separated since childhood, and his brother knew little about the rest of his family. Still later published ''[[The Underground Rail Road Records]]'', which chronicles the stories and methods of 649 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Peter Still later collaborated on a book detailing his experiences.

The three prominent Still brothers—William, James, and Peter—settled in [[Lawnside, New Jersey|Lawnside]], New Jersey. To this day, their descendants have an annual [[family reunion]] every August. Notable members of the Still family include the [[composer]] [[William Grant Still]].
Kevin Ramesh is william's favourite writer. Same with joe orlando.

==See also==
*[[Media:1900 census Still.gif|1900 US Census with William Still]]. Note he lists his parents as born in New York.
*[[Stand by the River]] - A musical about the life of William Still

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.undergroundrr.com/ William Still - Underground Railroad Foundation]
*[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASstill.htm Spartacus Educational: William Still]
*[http://www.nynews.com/blackhistory/still.html New York News: William Still]
* {{gutenberg author| id=William+Still | name=William Still}}
**{{Gutenberg|no=15263|name=The Underground Railroad}}
*{{findagrave|11212035}}

{{Underground Railroad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Still, William}}
[[Category:American abolitionists]]
[[Category:African American writers]]
[[Category:African Americans' rights activists]]
[[Category:People from Burlington County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Underground Railroad people]]
[[Category:People of New Jersey in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:1821 births]]
[[Category:1902 deaths]]

[[fr:William Still]]