HomeGovernment IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Globalisation, the buzzword in present times, stands for global spread of goods, services, technology, ideas and processes. Its important accompanying features are momentous changes in the nature of the States, governments and societies coming under its influence. Market forces are asserting a key role over the traditional functioning of the State and especially its welfare orientation. As the States are de facto getting economically, financially and culturally integrated, the public administrative system as the central regulating mechanism of a country has been facing a novel situation, when it has to interact with a network of supra-national organisations and shed its traditional insularity to steer the State as one of the many members of an intensely interactive group. In this Unit, we will try to explain the concept of globalisation and examine its impact on public administration generally and on the developing countries particularly. The structural adjustments taking place globally are posing new challenges for public administration in several ways. These will be highlighted in the Unit. In the present context, changing notions about globalisation and increasing concern about how to reshape it have become prominent. This Unit will cover some of these issues with special reference to the question of global justice and accountability in an international situation that does not present a level-playing field for most of the weaker States.
CONCEPT OF GLOBALISATION
Globalisation is ushering in far-reaching changes in the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres across the world. Globalisation refers to the multiplicity of linkages and interconnections between the States and societies, which make up the present world system. It describes the process by which events; decisions and activities in one part of the world come to have significant consequences for individuals and communities in quite distant parts of the world. Globalisation can be understood in terms of two distinct phenomena: 'scope' (or stretching) and 'intensity' (or deepening). On the one hand, it defines a set of processes, which embrace most of the globe or which operate worldwide hinting at a spatial connection. On the other hand, it also implies an intensification of the levels of interaction, interconnectedness or interdependence between the States and societies, which constitute the world community. Accordingly, alongside the stretching, goes a deepening of global processes (McGrew and Lewis, 1992).
Globalisation, some consider, has received the boost due to technological developments and market-driven economic development. Globalisation is bringing about interdependence between Nation States. It is said to create a free atmosphere for administrative, political, socio-economic, cultural and technological changes. Globalisation involves domains of activity and interaction that include the economic, political, technological, military, legal, cultural and environmental. It implies, from an economic perspective, removal of trade barriers, and large-scale entry of multinational enterprises engaged in Foreign Direct Investment.
Sociologists perceive it as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, encompassing various processes in the arena of politics, culture, technology, economy and so on. Anthony Giddens (1999) defines globalisation as 'new' and 'revolutionary', and is mainly due to the 'massive increase' in financial and foreign exchange transactions. This has been facilitated by dramatic improvements in communication technology, especially electronic interchange facilitated by personal computers. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1995) has defined globalisation as a shift from a world of distinct national economies to a global economy in which production is internationalised and financial capital flows freely and instantly among countries.
There is a mixed response towards the impact of globalisation on different countries. The proponents consider the developments caused by globalisation including expansion of trade, production, markets, investment, and technology as giving a push to the economies. This is said to result in employment opportunities, better living standards, and prosperity, collaborative arrangements, networking and so on. The opponents point out its negative repercussions as high levels of poverty, job lay offs, lack of employment for unskilled labour, increased economic inequality, subsidy cuts, and environmental problems, especially in developing countries. Hence the world over, we find stiff opposition from various social forums against globalisation. Income statistics from the US and the UN Development Programme indicate that the combined income of the 400 richest persons in the US is more than the combined national income of 20 African States totalling over 3 million people and is more than the total national income of the 146 million people of Pakistan. It is beyond doubt that global inequalities are on the rise, and are posing a serious concern.
Globalisation is giving rise to new societal expectations, changing value systems, altering the nature of State and governing systems. This is putting pressures on public administration to respond to the widely fluctuating shifts. It is resulting in major changes in the nature of the State. The Information Technology revolution is changing the complexion of tasks of administration. There is a widespread acceptance of the significant role being assigned to the corporate sector due to the removal of trade barriers. The managerial orientation in governmental operations and a change in the role of the State from being a direct provider to regulator as well as the provision of an enabling environment to private sector are also assuming pertinence.
Cerny (1994) observes "In a changing globalising-international and transnational environment, the State has been not only an agent of its own transformation, but also a major source of development of globalisation itself". Neo-liberalism, as we have discussed in Units 1, 3 and 5 of this Course, favours privatisation, economic incentives, reduction of expenditure on public goods etc., which have expedited the process of globalisation.
Globalisation has affected public administration due to the impact of pressures generated on it by global institutions, information technology and increasing concern for efficiency and productivity. The pressures exerted by global institutions are immense. These are defined as the pressures exerted by a formalised institution with a global jurisdiction that has authority and power over individual countries in a given policy area (Welsch and Wong, 1998). The aid conditionalities imposed have wider repercussions as they increase the developing country's financial, military, and political dependencies on the West. As David Korten (1995) observes, the "Bank-approved consultants often rewrite a country's trade policy, fiscal policy, civil service requirements, labour laws, health care arrangements, environmental regulations, energy policy, resettlement requirements, procurement rules and budgetary policies". In many developing countries, people, especially have been devoid of any choice of determining their own priorities, and policy preferences. Structural adjustment and stabilisation polices, pursued by several developing countries have been considered as a negation of local democracy.
IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The globalisation wave is bringing about an unprecedented expansion of trade, finance, and investment accompanied by unparalleled technological innovations and high levels of consumer demands and expectations. The impact of globalisation on the economy is mixed, with benefits accruing due to competition along with economic crisis, weakened State apparatus, propagation of market-oriented values, and disturbing concentration of wealth leading to increasing levels of poverty, inequality, social crises, with significant repercussions on the development process.
Globalisation is resulting in a transition from centrally planned to market structures, and their integration with the global economy the world over. This has repercussions for the administrative framework and, the functioning of State machinery. The emphasis is on acquiring new skills and capabilities; and changing the mindset of personnel to adjust to the new environment. The nature and processes of public administration have been severely affected by the changing perceptions of the role of the State, managerial orientation in governance, market-driven approach to development, and increasing advocacy of the complementary roles of government, market and civil society.
Public administration, according to Jamil Jreisat (2004) is facing new challenges due to the impact of globalisation. These are:
• A growing need for negotiation skills among sovereign States
• Changed role of bureaucracy from managing to facilitating economic activities
• An organisational, managerial culture which stresses performance and result oriented management (There is a demand for managerial skills of adaptability, cooperation and creativity)
• Focus on managerial leadership and expertise which has been necessitated by the demands of negotiations, mediation, and sensitivity to human rights and diversity
• Emergence of e-government, where all countries have been executing major initiatives to tap the vast potential of the Internet for improving and perfecting the governing process
• Need for a comparative perspective wherein, in response to the new global reality, public administration must effectively utilise a comparative outlook that incorporates non-western as well as more developed systems
The impact of globalisation has thus been a mixed one. In the view of Ali Farazmand (1999), due to globalisation, on the one hand, public administration seems to be moving towards protection of citizens' rights, accountability, ethical values, research and training. On the other hand, globalisation is leading to shrinking of public space, violation of human rights and commodification of citizens. Many others feel that it is also resulting in upsurge of democratic processes. The economic integration and technological changes is pushing the 'State' towards compliance of certain global standards and behaviour, while the internal social and political forces are attempting to assert the role of the State and its powers in protecting the interests of the governed. Hence, the State is undergoing a new transformative role and as a corollary, its impact on public administration has also been multi-dimensional. We will be discussing these factors now.
Changing Role of the State
The State has always been at the centre-stage of societal governance. Traditionally, many countries embarked on the concept of Welfare State – a political system with high degree of responsibility for the welfare of the population. The onset of globalisation has resulted in significant changes in this traditional role of the State. The market-based approach to public administration is leading to the emergence of a 'Competition State', which encourages public choice initiatives, deregulation, and privatisation, irrespective of the local, political and administrative cultures. Cerny (1997) describes the Competition State as one that has been transformed from a primarily hierarchical decommodifying agent into a primarily market-based commodifying agent.
This 'roll back' of the State propagated during the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the USA and UK, due to the influence of Neo-liberalism has resulted in deregulation, privatisation and the introduction of market-oriented reforms in public services. This has led to a pro-market and anti-state philosophy of 'private good' and 'public bad'. The new political economy of development is based on 'market' and not the State as the central actor, as privatisation is expected to release locked up social initiatives and the developing countries are supposed to turn outward to participate in the unfolding of the process of globalisation.
The market approach argues that the government is less efficient than markets over providing services to individuals. The market firms due to competition and profit motive make a more effective use of given resources than the government agencies, which lack similar incentives. Also, individuals can choose the services they want from the market, subject to their income, whereas government provision of services leaves them with little or no choice.
A powerful new paradigm of determining the scope and limits of government action that was dominant in Western democracies held the view that government should:
• Do less
• Reduce or relinquish their previous overburdening responsibilities
• Privatise public services or their delivery wherever practicable; and
• Reform their own operations in accordance with the market concepts of competition and efficiency
These beliefs in 'Government by the Market', opined by Peter Self (1993), rest upon the proposition that the market system is inherently a better method of satisfying human wants and aspirations than recourse to government. The first objective of this thinking has been to slim the State and liberate the market forces in a variety of ways such as deregulation as well as through suitable monetary and fiscal policies. The second objective has been to import market concepts and incentives into the operations of the government itself. The third objective is to take measures to reduce the relative size and expanse of public expenditure and also to cut down the range of functions that the government performs.
Globalisation, no doubt impacts heavily on the State, its policies, institutions, and personnel. The 'public sphere' and the space for citizens' involvement have been shrinking and the Corporate State is making its presence felt. The biggest challenge for administration is to recast the role of the State. There is a need for evolving a new regulatory State with an expanded agenda. The State needs to be regulatory in nature, providing for mechanisms for ensuring efficiency, setting standards of service, removing market distortions, providing appropriate regulatory/legal framework for players in the market; and protecting the interests of consumers, employers, employees, and the other stakeholders.
Osborne and Gaebler (1992) in their work Reinventing Government have made a case for government having a key role in restructuring of markets through:
• Setting rules in market place
• Facilitating the provision of information
• Augmenting demand
• Catalysing private sector supplies and new market sectors
• Creating market institutions
• Risk sharing; and
• Regulating through application of market-oriented incentives
Effective economic governance demands the State to make efforts to provide a conducive atmosphere for market institutions to function and at the same time strives to make them socially responsive. For instance, the success of the East Asian economies of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong etc., which have been dependent on markets, was to a large extent due to the Governed Market (GM) paradigm. It has been pointed out that the essential kernel of the GM paradigm is State intervention with subsidies, with distortions of relative prices, and with control of credit markets; promoting economic choices and investment and production outcomes that would not have been possible through the ordinary working of the market. Necessary administrative support is required for promoting a competitive climate, and maintaining a stable economy (Sobhan, 1998).
A functioning market economy needs a sound and strong State geared towards evolving a legal and regulatory framework, which ensures predictability, stability, clarity and enforceability. The market-driven processes need to be directed towards achieving economic as well as social development. In Japan, the government, as observed by Okimoto (1989), has intervened directly in the market to:
• Establish sectoral priorities
• Mobilise resources to hasten their development
• Protect infant industries
• Issue guidance on investment levels
• Organise rationalisation and anti-recession cartels
• Allocate foreign exchange credits
• Regulate technological flows in and out of Japan
• Control Foreign Direct Investment
• Issue "administrative guidance"; and
• Publish white papers on mid-term and long-term visions of Japan's future industrial structure
Responsiveness of State Institutions
The globalising State that is said to threaten the lives of common people, through promotion of elitist policies, can be counteracted by reasserting the role of the State institutions in becoming responsive to the needs of people. The World Development Report – 2000/2001 'Attacking Poverty' asserts that public administration should implement policies efficiently, be responsive to the needs of the people and redistribute resources for activities that benefit the needy.
The World Development Report 2002 "Building Institutions for Market" has observed that "Weak institutions – tangled laws, corrupt laws, corrupt courts, deeply biased credit systems and elaborate business registration requirement – hurt poor people and hinder development". Countries, which faced such problems, have dealt with them by creating relevant institutions suited to micro-needs that increase income and reduce poverty.
The public institutions can thwart the negative consequences of globalisation through suitable interventions. For instance in Korea, the government through employment insurance, public works programme, livelihood protection programme, provides appropriate social protection by creating a base for a competitive and knowledge based economy. Similarly, in East Asian economies, measures have been taken to ensure that different sections of the society benefit economically from the growth strategies. The World Bank (1993) points toward several policy measures that have facilitated in providing the benefits of growth to a wide section of the population. These are:
• Provision of universal primary education with increased access to secondary and higher education
• Land reform measures in Japan, Korea and Taiwan have provided for a more egalitarian ownership of land, assistance to agricultural production both for domestic and export promotion, and provision of increased incomes to a broad group of land holders
• Promotion of small and medium sized enterprises (most exclusively in Taiwan, to a lesser extent in Japan)
• In addition, specific welfare measures such as investments in providing housing to low income households (in Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia) have also contributed to a lessening of poverty
The key challenge, to counteract the negative consequences of globalisation, is to strengthen and revitalise the public institutions in a manner to ensure their legitimacy and effectiveness in protection of public interests. The developing countries need to take concrete measures in this direction. According to James Wolfensohn, the then President of the World Bank (1999), development requires Good Governance meaning open, transparent, accountable public institutions. In a market economy, if growth is to be lasting, then it must be regulated - not over-regulated, but guided by public institutions and private professional conduct, which establish a foundation of transparency and fairness in economic life. Effective, accessible public institutions are not just conducive to, but a necessary condition for stable growth.
Management Orientation in Public Administration
Public administration, traditionally speaking, had the major obligation of promoting public interest. It had to assure representativeness and responsiveness to citizens. The managerial orientation in it is not a recent development, as it was prevalent earlier too but in varied form and content. The 19th century civil service reformers in the USA promoted managerialism in public service. It took the form of emphasising merit and fitness in public service appointments and selection and tenure of public servants based on efficiency and performance. This was precisely the reason for the advocacy of politics-administration dichotomy, as politics was considered to be the core factor of inefficiency. Later, the propagation of scientific management principles by F.W. Taylor wherein organisation was looked upon as a formal structure, with features of client orientation, and notions of impersonality etc. indicates that traditionally too, management orientation was considered necessary to promote efficiency, economy and effectiveness.
The new reform model in public administration, which emerged in the 1980s as New Public Management (NPM) approach has once again condemned the traditional public administration as a failure. It starts with the premise that the traditional, bureaucratically organised public administration (in the words of Al Gore) is, 'broke' and 'broken' and consequently, the public has lost faith in the government. The orthodox public administration which remained under attack for many years, has suddenly found a new reform replacement, as Edward Jennings observes, major initiatives to reform government processes are built around a shared set of notions. Government should now be performance-oriented. The management of government has to be deregulated. Public agencies must be entrepreneurial, mission-driven, and service-oriented. Public managers are to be risk takers who welcome participation and reward performance. They themselves are to be adjudged on their performance.
These reform initiatives are targeted at the multiple performance failure of the government and the need to build public confidence. They are thus premised on the belief that traditional bureaucracies have become stumbling blocks to responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency. The new reforms model that is the NPM model is based on certain postulates, which include:
• Focusing on achieving results rather than primarily conforming with processes
• Introducing market principles such as competition, and contracting out in the provision of goods and services
• Making public administration customer-driven to enhance service ethic and efficiency
• Assigning the role of steering activities to the government rather than rowing
• Relying on third parties such as non-profit organisations, and other levels of government in implementation of policies
• Deregulating the government activities to make them result-oriented
• Empowering the employees to serve the customers as it promotes teamwork; and
• Changing the overall public administrative culture towards flexibility, innovation, entrepreneurialism, as 'opposed to' rule-bound, process orientation (Rosenbloom, 2002, Paraphrased)
NPM has emerged clearly as a major manifestation of the Competition State. This new paradigm, which has gained wider implementation on a variety of labels such as reinventing, reengineering, quality management, liberation management, focuses basically on the changes in the structure and processes of government. Research studies indicate a wider acceptance of NPM model across the world, about which we will discuss in our MA Course (012). A discussion on some of the features of NPM also forms a part of our next Units 15 and 16.
State-Market Cooperation
A consensus is gradually building up to create cooperation between the State and the market. Three kinds of interventions have been identified which are functional, institutional and strategic. Functional interventions seek to remedy market failures in so far as prices give the wrong signals. Institutional interventions seek to govern the market by setting the rules of the game for players in the market. Strategic interventions seek to guide the market, as these are interlinked across activities or sectors in an attempt to attain broader, long-term objectives of development. The State in order to facilitate market functioning needs to develop the physical infrastructure as well as create indispensable social infrastructure.
In 1994, some economists in India recommended evolving a paradigm of 'Socially Responsible Market Economy' (SRME), which seeks to: reorient the role of the State and planning through public sector and joint sector, strengthen economic and social service activities through building of human resources, skill development, employment generation; and develop infrastructure where private sector and foreign investment are not forthcoming.
The SRME paradigm emphasises on self-discipline, peer pressure and adherence to codes of conduct by all economic players. These codes are intended to be followed by all concerned sections of the society reflecting their socially responsible economic behaviour in a free market economy. The State is expected to play a balancing role in overseeing the achievement of people's welfare in a market driven economy.
The paradigm assumes importance as the State is always accountable to the people whereas the market is not. And if there is one thing to be learnt from the unfolding of the experiences of the post-Soviet reform, it is precisely this (Jain, 1996). A State, which pays little attention to the economic suffering and marginalisation of a significant proportion of its population, as has been rightly stated by Amit Bhaduri (2001), not only discredits itself but also the market process through which such marginalisation occurs. The importance given to the market forces in the present scenario might appear to give a reduced role to the State. But the State's role, as has been observed, has not diminished, since it has to reconcile the objectives of libralisation and the pursuit of national interests and developmental goals. In the national context, the State must endeavour to create the pre-conditions for a more equitable development, bargain with transnational corporations to improve the distribution of gains from cross-border economic transactions, practice prudence in the macro-management of the economy so as to reduce vulnerability and intervene to minimise the social costs associated with globalisation. In the changing scenario, there has also gradually emerged a view that philosophy of 'individualism', which is embedded in the market and the government guided by market forces is not favourable to any society. Hence, States and markets need to have an institutional alternative in the form of non-state actors.
Civil Society as a Supplementary Democratic Model
Civil society, which refers to self-organisation of citizens in contrast to the State or government, is rooted in western rational decision-making and political culture. Civil society comprises the collective of those social organisations that enjoy autonomy from the State, and have as one important goal, among others, to influence the State on behalf of their members. Civil society organisations in the words of Harry Blair (1998) are networks of groups formed for pursuing special interests and include all local and externally financed private, charitable, social service, developmental and professional organisations.
The development of the civil society organisations is considered as a growth of Communitarianism. Whether attached to and promoted by the political Left or Right, Communitarianism, it has been observed, would emphasise the growth of the third sector, meaning the non-profit organisations other than those in the public sector, as a solution to many problems of contemporary society. As the markets are being driven by profits, and the State organisations are being mired in inefficiency and unresponsiveness, the civil society organisations, have gained prominence due to their participatory, flexible, less bureaucratic, cost- effective, accessible, and people-friendly characteristics.
Larry Diamond (1991) identifies at least six functions of civil society in shaping democracy. These are:
• Civil society is a reservoir of political, economic, cultural and moral resources to check the process of the State
• The diversity of civil society will ensure that the State is not held captive by a few groups
• The growth of associational life will supplement the work of political parties in stimulating political participation
• Civil society will eventually stabilise the State because citizens will have a deeper stake in social order. Further, while civil society may multiply the demands of the State, it may also multiply the capacity of groups to improve their own welfare
• Civil society is a locus for recruiting new political leadership, and
• Civil society resists authoritarianism
Civil society, which provides a single civic identity that is distinct, and belonging to various groups of citizens, acts as a mediating link between the State and the markets. Anthony Giddens in his book The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy also makes a case for broadening of the democracy with government acting in partnership with agencies in civil society so as to combat civic decline. The established traditions of participative planning and community development can be complemented by experiments in direct democracy. The fostering of civil society, as has been observed, is an important task, for the State, with support for the 'bottom-up' politics of community renewal. This implies a greater role for service provision by non-profit organisations; more localised distribution channels; and a public sector that works to develop the capacities of local communities. We will discuss more about the role of the civil society in Unit 19 of this Course.
The State and market are considered as sources of remote decisions that might not have much of an impact on the lives of the community. The emergence of Communitarian movement, which is a new development, but is gaining momentum, provides a broader perspective on society as comprising new forms of community (local, voluntary, professional etc. working with the spirit of mutual concern and cooperation. The thinking that has gained coinage is that by delegating more of its functions to partly or semi-autonomous local agencies, communities and cooperatives, the State is promoting democratic decentralisation.
It is beyond doubt that market techniques such as privatisation, customer orientation, entrepreneuralism, and performance orientation are aimed at improving the efficacy of public administration. The clash of private interests with public sector values precipitates the problem. Above all, as has been pointed out, there is a thing called 'public interest', which lies at the heart of government operations, and it is irreplaceable by any market philosophy (Cf Bhattacharya, 2001).
Privatisation, which is being pursued as a key instrument of globalisation has been criticised by Peter Drucker, when he says, "We are learning very fast that the belief that free market is all it takes to have a functioning society or even a functioning economy – is pure delusion". The transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, especially in developing countries, in the last two decades has led to several doubts being raised about the efficacy and relevance of the State, importance of market forces; and ways of striking a balance between the State, market forces and the people. Even the Western liberal ideas, which earlier downplayed the significance of the State have started acknowledging the need to take into cognisance the positive aspects of governance such as providing for effective and transparent legal, judicial, regulatory mechanisms, evolving market friendly forms of State intervention, and mobilising social capital in pursuance of public policies and programmes.
The ultimate goal of development, whether it is pursued by the State or the market is to build human capabilities, and enlarge human choices, to create a safe and secure environment where people can live with dignity and equality. Globalisation is said to affect communities, and their participation in managing their affairs. The biggest challenge to administration lies in not simply strengthening the processes and institutions of government, but also looking at the governed, making them partners in the process of development, strengthening their capacities and empowering them. There is a rapid shift towards a societal approach to development, with an emphasis on centrality of 'social capital' to development.
Peter Evans (1998) in his analysis of East Asian economies has given a new orientation to the theory of 'Embedded Autonomy', whereby he emphasises that a significant factor responsible for their economic growth, is the presence of concrete set of social ties that bind these States to their surrounding societies. The State-society interaction that facilitates gauging the society's response to policies formulated by the State is important. Hence, he emphasises the need for a tie-up between the State apparatus and its societal constituencies.
A perusal of the structural adjustment policies imposed on the developing countries by the donor agencies indicates that the aid conditionalities have contributed to social damage in the form of rising inequalities, unemployment, insecurities and so on. Hence to minimise these effects globally, efforts are on towards strengthening local economies through rebuilding of communities. For instance, in Britain, there is an enormous range of entities which constitute 'community economic action' wherein nearly, one-and a half million people participate. It takes the form of community enterprises run by local people, credit unions, development trusts working towards economic, environmental and social regeneration of an area, community recycling schemes and so on.
Developing bottom-up participatory processes shall enable the community to have control over their own needs and resources. In Brazil, as per the World Development Report 2000/2001, the involvement of beneficiaries in the process of disbursing development funds has facilitated better interaction with local administration. The Municipal Councils have 80 per cent representatives from the user communities. If they feel that Municipal Councils treat them unfairly, they can apply for funds directly from the State government.
In India, in the State of Andhra Pradesh, micro-financing has enabled many families to rise above the poverty line. Women form small Self-help Groups (SHGs) and avail loans at no or low interest rates to start income generating activities and build a savings corpus. This type of micro financing is considered as a viable solution to the livelihood problem, where poverty is the overriding factor. The State government is already in the forefront of the micro-financing sector. Activities such as afforestation programmes, multi-crop cultivation, setting up of seed-bank, raising of nurseries etc. are being undertaken.
Building synergy between the State and society needs appropriate strategies to:
• Develop, strengthen and sustain collaborative and participative processes
• Foster institutional development that facilitates resource mobilisation, coordination and networking
• Ensure transparency, empowerment, accountability; and
• Strengthen human capacities
Thank for reading


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Huntsman Expands Manufacturing of NANSA® EVM Series
New Supply Will Meet Global Demand for Key Agricultural Emulsifier
The Woodlands, TX – Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) today announced it is expanding manufacturing of its NANSA® EVM range of anionic surfactants, which will double current annual capacity to as much as 10,000 metric tonnes by the end of 2008. The expansion at Huntsman's Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy manufacturing plant is expected to be completed in two phases, with incremental capacity coming on stream by the end of each of the second and fourth quarters of this year. The financial details were not disclosed.
Huntsman is the world's leading producer of anionic surfactants, which are universally used in agricultural emulsifiable concentrate formulations for crop protection applications. The need to increase crop yields from available arable land has driven increased usage of these products and the Huntsman expansion addresses supply shortfalls seen in recent times.
"This investment demonstrates Huntsman's commitment to the agricultural market segment," said Don Stanutz, President, Performance Products Division. He added: "It also strengthens our position as the leading global manufacturer of anionic surfactants, which together with our world-class technology will continue to allow us to develop next generation products for our strategic customers."
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Its operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has 13,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide. The Company had 2007 revenues of approximately $10 billion. For more information about Huntsman, p lease visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.
Forward Looking Statement:
Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Huntsman companies filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. In addition, the completion of any transactions described in this release is subject to a number of uncertainties and closing will be subject to approvals and other customary conditions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that such transactions will be completed or that the company's expectations will be realized. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable laws.
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Matt Lauer's got the blues
I may do something next week I vowed in June I'd never do again. Yes, I'm going to tune in one morning to watch the "Today" show on NBC.
Matt Lauer's feeling sad.
It's true. Apparently, he's being besieged by New Yorkers who shout mean things at him over his apparent role in having beloved co-host Ann Curry ousted this summer.
TMZ reports Lauer is "miserable" and "freaked out" over things that people have screamed at him in the street, like, "You're a bad guy," and "You got Ann fired. Does that make you happy?"
Reports also say he's hearing sarcastic comments about his $25 million annual salary.
If I was earning -- or "making" is the better word -- $25 million, I'd be so deeply cocooned in a protective bubble even the now zipper-thin Al Roker would be incapable of slicing his way in.
And now there are new reports that Curry, who has nothing to do, is begging NBC to let her out of her contract so she can bump Anderson Cooper, the vapid dandy at CNN, from his prime-time role.
All this is happening as rating continue to tank.
Want a prescription for a morning ratings smash? Stop filming all those tedious pseudo news segments and let us watch the "Today" show cast and crew interact unfiltered.
Late film critic Gene Siskel used to have a simple and effective rule about reviewing films: He'd ask himself, "Am I more interested in watching this movie than I would be watching a documentary of the actors in this movie having lunch together?"
That's where we are with "Today." I can't stand watching the hosts pose as giggly chums and would rather watch the gritty tensions of what happens after they go to commercial. I'm sure it would be highly entertaining.
I know this because that's the exact premise for one of our favorite shows of all-time, "The Larry Sanders Show," the uproarious Garry Shandling satire that ran on HBO from 1992-98, and is now running uncensored -- it's a real profanity fest -- on IFC after midnight. We DVR them all and often watch them with lunch.
It's a behind-the-scenes gape at a vain and neurotic late night host (Shandling), his sycophantic staff, and all the gigantic egos that clash in trying to put together a daily network show. Real life celebrities like Tom Petty, Sharon Stone, Dana Carvey, and Carol Burnett play themselves as guests on the show.
It's hilarious.
I suspect there's a lot of entertaining pettiness going on every day at "Today," and "Good Morning America," too, I bet (I'm now devoted to "CBS This Morning," the only morning news program aimed at grown ups).
The posing that goes on in these alleged news shows is infuriating. Everyone's so cuddly and sweet to one another and all the cloying laughter over lame jokes is exceeded only by the bone-headed ex-jocks and coaches on the NFL pre-game shows -- and they at least have a history of multiple concussions to excuse the unseemly giddiness.
What pains me most is that an entire generation of future newscasters is growing up believing that acting zany and unctuous is the only way to succeed in the news business. It wasn't what I was taught in journalism school. Lauer, either, I know.
You see, both Matt and I attended journalism classes at Ohio University at about the same time. Really, we could have been buddies.
It's true. Our OU years nearly overlapped. That's only a glancing familiarity, sure, but I guarantee we'd be instant friends if I told him I used to do most of my non-bar loafing at the porch apartment above Roberts Menswear on Court Street.
It's an iconic address for anyone who's ever spent time in Athens. Lauer lived there.
I was best buddies with the guys who moved in there shortly after Lauer left.
The apartment had a porch that overlooked the college green. The parties there never stopped.
I'll bet Lauer misses those simpler times before his ambitions got the better of him.
It'd probably be good for his soul to go back to Athens.
Sure, he'd still hear a lot of people on the sidewalks shouting that he sucks, but it wouldn't be from people who think he was mean to Ann Curry.
It'll be from his old journalism professors.
• Arrivederci, Ann Curry
• Anderson Cooper blows, journalistically speaking
Posted by Chris Rodell at 11:42 AM
Labels: Ann Curry, Gene Siskel, Matt Lauer's sad, morning network news shows suck, The Larry Sanders Show
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The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Review by: Paul Towers, 08 June 2021
A Curve production
At Curve: 7 – 19th June 2021
"Curve are doing a phenomenal job in keeping everyone safe"
After 14 long, silent months Curve is at last returning to life with an actual audience and live music.
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is the perfect show to kick start the recovery of live theatre. Drawing on an incredible back catalogue covering more than 50 years The Lord has a wide range of styles with which to entertain us.
Starting with a lively montage of snippets of numbers from a myriad of shows the cast set the tone using no scenery, and no costumes. The music is all.
Each batch of songs is introduced by Lloyd Webber on video with biographical facts.
The cast of seven, 4 girls and 3 men, work hard and are almost upstaged by the lighting rig which seems to have a magnificent life of its own being designed by Ben Bracknell.
Madalena Alberto, Jessica Daley, Tim Howar, Ria Jones, Karen Mavundukure (performing in a wheelchair due to a leg injury), Shami Omari James and Tim Rogers are joined by Alyshia Dhakk for a breathtaking performance of Pie Jesu.
All of the cast except Shami and Alyshia are Andrew Lloyd Webber veterans and several are returning to Curve after previous successes.
The show is directed by Nikolai Foster and was originally co-devised by Richard Curtis.
Now, much as we all love musical theatre and can't wait to buy tickets I am sure the question on everyone's lips is is it safe? I have to admit I was a little dubious myself. However, Curve are doing a phenomenal job in keeping everyone safe. Everything is contact-less wherever possible, sanitisers are everywhere, there is a one-way system throughout the building and capacity is reduced so there is social distancing between every party whether you are 2 or 20 people. The middle wall between the main theatre and the studio has been raised so the entire production is done in the round utilising the awesome triple revolve kindly donated by Cameron Mackintosh from the original Les Miserables set.
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is on until 19th June
Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
Paul Towers: http://ptheatre.blogspot.co.uk/
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CURVE 2020 SEASON LAUNCH
By Paul Towers
It is always exciting to attend Curve's season launch because as well as all the shows we already know from the catalogue there are always surprises from Nikolai Foster and Chris Stafford, the artistic powerhouses behind Curve. It is also an opportunity to learn about the more fringe activities that happen in this flagship building. More and more Curve is forging co-producing relationships with other regional theatres which results in some incredibly interesting projects finding their way onto Leicester's premier theatre's stages.
See below about some of the upcoming productions but tonight we saw a whole lot more juicy titbits coming up.
For the third time we are getting a new production of Hairspray is returning to Curve this year. The big news of the night was that a European premiere of Roman Holiday is kicking off at Curve this summer. Also big news is that the new version of Sister Act starring Brenda Edwards drops in in April before heading off back to the West End.
Of course Curve has a reputation for hosting all sorts of festivals. Leicester Comedy Festival is the big one for February with the always popular Spark Festival, new productions especially aimed at toddlers running in the same month. DMU Pride, now firmly established at Curve, takes us into March with LGB themed productions. Curve continues its avowed intent to nurture new talent with a season of productions by the Curve Young Theatre group from March to May. Of especial interest is a production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof directed by Royal Theatrical Support Trust Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Anthony Almeida this summer.
Not only is the schedule bustling with home grown productions but Leicester gets to see all sorts of mainstream touring shows like Once, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Phantom of the Opera.
Details of all of these productions plus loads more can be found on the website www.curveonline.co.uk
ON STAGE THIS WINTER
Winter in the city's theatre-land is always about the Leicester Comedy Festival which runs throughout February (5th – 23rd). In the West End it is well represented with 18 shows booked for Upstairs at The Western. However, that doesn't mean there aren't loads of other events for those looking for some relief from the awful weather.
CURVE: As our biggest theatre it has a wide range of productions to keep us entertained. Highlights include 20-25 January The Woman in Black. This atmospheric ghost story is making a welcome return. The really big news is that the first ever national tour of the iconic musical Phantom of The Opera is kicking of at Curve and runs from 22nd Feb to 21st March. Back for a 3rd year is DMU Pride, a schedule of gay themed productions including The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me by the award winning playwright and actor Rob Ward following on from last year's successful tour of Gypsy Queen. Another production I am really looking forward to is CYC's Cry Baby, the musical version of the iconic film starring Johnny Depp. Just edging into April we welcome another touring version of an Alan Bennett, this time The Habit of Art (6-11 April).
DEMONTFORT HALL: Leicester's prestigious concert hall venue has its usual mix of one nighters throughout January before bounding headlong into February for Leicester Comedy Festival with the launch night on 10th January and then a host of top line comics from 5th to 22nd February. February ends with a feast of shows from 27th to 29th from the Russian State Ballet of Siberia. March heralds the arrival of the touring version of David Walliams' Billionaire Boy from 4th to 8th March. The month continues with the usual blend of singers, comedians and tribute acts. www.demontforthall.co.uk
THE Y THEATRE: Along with their usual eclectic mix of singers and personal appearances The Y makes its own important contribution to the success of Leicester Comedy Festival with a full schedule of comedy gigs from 5th to 23rd February with yet more top line comedians. www.leicesterymca.co.uk
LITTLE THEATRE: In February they feature Around The World in 80 days and the chance to relive the radio recordings of 'Dad's Army Live before 'John Shuttleworth's Back' for the Comedy Festival. Other productions include Beyond Reasonable doubt, HMS Pinafore, Blue Stockings and The Producers. www.thelittletheatre.net
Paul Towers
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Pride & The Gypsy Queen
DeMontfort University have held a DMU Pride event to celebrate LGBT History Month since 2015. This encompasses all sorts of supportive events within the university as well as cultural events at Curve and Phoenix Cinema.
This year Curve is hosting five events throughout February, four theatrical performances and one dance workshop. One of the shows on is a very welcome return of Gypsy Queen after its sold out show last year.
I spoke to Rob Ward, writer and actor in Gypsy Queen and asked him if he deliberately booked the show in for DMU Pride or did they approach him?
"We actually worked with them last year" he said "and we were approached to do the show last year for their Pride events in one of the cute rehearsal rooms at Curve and we sold out. So when we were approached for this year I got on to Curve, spoke to Nikolai Foster and they came and saw the show and this time we are booked in the Studio."
I mentioned that DMU were probably quite unique in spreading their LGBT awareness outside of the university: "Yeah, they have fostered such a good relationship with Curve that they can have this mini LGBT festival"
Then we moved on to Gypsy Queen. I wanted to know why Rob, as the author, wanted to set it within the travelling community: "I already had a small play about two gay boxers and I was looking to extend it to a more full length show, a studio tour. The problem was I couldn't find an angle to extend the story. Then about three years ago there was the whole incident with Tyson Fury and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award when he made a series of homophobic, sexist and generally awful comments around the time he had won the World Heavyweight title. There was an almighty uproar because he was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality award despite these remarks having been made public. This was a big issue for me because sport doesn't have role models for the LGBT community. It doesn't have openly LGBT sports people for fans like me. I don't feel like I belong in that world. So when the whole Tyson Fury thing came out I wondered just why he felt he had to say these things about gay people. What was his personal interest in all this? Then it crossed my mind what if he was gay himself? What if it was that classic defence mechanism? Maybe it is a case of those with most to hide shout loudest, and in that moment I thought what if one of these boxers is from the Traveller community. Suddenly you are bringing in not only a world of sport but also a community in which it is also very difficult to be gay but also the whole catholic debate and it gives the story a few more layers. You have two men, one from the world of professional sport and one from traveller community meeting and falling in love and suddenly the story burst into life."On this tour we have had a cast change, we have gone back to the original actor, Ryan Clayton [known for Josh Tucker in Coronation Street] now that he is available. He created the role of the sexually confident but closeted boxer, Dane, while I played the repressed gay traveller, George."
Gypsy Queen is on at Curve on Monday 25th February. Tickets are available from the Curve website.
The other productions for DMU Pride at Curve are Rubber Ring on Monday 18th February, the story of a 16 year old isolated on the Norfolk coast who runs away to London to see his hero Morrissey. On Wednesday 20th February there is Drip, a one man musical comedy about a 15 year old synchronised swimmer who can't swim. On Thursday 28th February there is Joan, a drag king's homage to the men she defies. Finally, for those feeling brave, there is a dance workshop on Friday 22nd February for those who want to learn to walk or dance in heels. Or maybe just take a class for the hell of it!
Full details of Curve's DMU Pride events can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yb4lm4x3 or via the Curve website
The entire schedule of all events for DMU Pride can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ybh4n4v7
Paul Towers https://ptcelebs.blogspot.com/
Fourth Western Park Beer Festival in September 2018.
The fourth Western Park Beer Festival will take place on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th September 2018 at St. Anne's Church Hall on Letchworth Road, Leicester. Tapping into the nation's continued love of real ale and craft beer, this charitable event is looking to surpass last year's total and donate over £8,275 for good causes.
The festival promises to offer a wide variety of locally sourced food and drink – providing a lovingly curated line-up of 22 real ales and craft beers, and a hearty range of locally sourced bar food. We have secured six rare keg beers and 16 beers on cask, including from Leicestershire's own West End Brewery, Framework, Elliswood and Everards, and the best of breweries further afield, such as Magic Rock (Huddersfield), Tiny Rebel (Newport) and Arbor Ales (Bristol). The Pizza Pod will be on hand to satisfy the crowd with their delicious hand made fresh pizzas. This year the festival is trialling a selection of cocktails, which the festival committee hope will tempt non-beer drinkers down to join in the fun, along with the cider, wine and fizz. Entry will be £5 per session including a free festival pint glass.
On Saturday 15th September there is a special family session with road closure around the hall, from 12 noon – 5pm, and support from Ride Leicester will bring Leicester Wheels for All to the event. The family session will provide a good selection of children's activities alongside the cycling, including a bouncy castle, street games with volunteers from WWCE, face painting and free ice cream for children.
The festival committee is delighted to announce that Everards and Geo-Matters have agreed to support the festival as main sponsors, alongside a range of local businesses who are sponsoring the bars and the beers at the fundraising event. "Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, this year we are hoping to beat our annual fundraising record so that we can make an even bigger difference to our four chosen charities" said Matt Pearce, Chair of the Western Park Beer Festival.
Having raised over £20,000 for local causes, including Menphys, Dovelands Primary School and Loros, since the first festival in 2015, the Western Park Beer Festival has proven to be a popular event for the local community. This year the fundraising is to be split across four good causes, with the majority to go to support Action Homeless and The Bridge Hopelessness to Hope in their vital humanitarian work in the city and county. The festival is also supporting the Sepsis Trust UK in honour of a local man who developed sepsis and who, if not for the NHS and its staff, would not be here today, and is backing Western Ward Community Enterprise's efforts to bring the Eco House in Western Park back into community use.
Visit www.westernparkbeerfestival.org for further details. You can also follow us on Twitter @WesternParkLeic or Instagram @westernparkbeerfestival, or you can like us on Facebook @westernparkbeerfestival to stay in touch with all of the Festival's latest news and views.
We hope to see you there, pint glass (or half) in hand!
Friday 14 September, 5pm – midnight
and Saturday 15 September, Family Session 12 – 5pm and general admission 6pm – midnight.
St Anne's Church Hall, Letchworth Road, Western Park, Leicester LE3 6FN.
The police have handed over the explosion site on Hinckley Road to the Leicester city council who are in the process of making the area safe along with utility companies. We cannot thank the local community enough for pulling together and supporting the family's involved and emergency services during this difficult time.
The force has suffered a rise in theft of motor vehicles. Electronic devices are being used to trick newer vehicles into thinking the real key is present. Please take necessary steps to protect your vehicle with steering locks and alarms.
Shops burglaries are on the rise along the Narborough road corridor again. Entry is being forced by smashing the front windows with cash tills and charity boxes being targeted. Shop owners are urged to look out for each other, install good quality CCTV, bank cash and hide charity boxes out of view.
Westcotes has suffered a rise in burglary dwellings with the majority of properties being left insecure. Please lock your doors and close windows. Do not give these opportunist burglars an easy ride. Challenge your neighbours to do the same to prevent you becoming a victim of crime.
Officers have worked tirelessly with partners and a landlord to evict troublesome occupants causing anti-social behaviour from a property on Westcotes Drive. This property is now unoccupied and citexed. We will continue to patrol this location and are already receiving positive feedback from the community.
Finally, police officers have now been issued with spit guards. The message is clear. If you spit at an officer, you will wear a spit guard. This has been publicised recently and more information can be found on the police website including a video showing the guard being fitted.
Please feel free to stop and talk to any of our officers about what matters to you. Not all issues are a police matter but we will do our best to address your concerns or point you in the right direction.
Sgt 256 Chris Schofield
We Pull Together Part Two
The emergency services were overwhelmed by the response from the community and charity groups, who went to the scene of the explosion in Hinckley Road, offering hot drinks and refreshments.
Staff from the emergency services painstakingly worked around the clock for two nights in sub-zero temperatures searching for survivors before starting the harrowing search for more human remains.
Tammy Hill from the Crows Nest (Pictured above) arrived with tea, coffee and food and the offer of an overnight stay at the pub for those evacuated, the volunteer Rapid Relief Team provided hot food and drink to emergency responders. They arrived at 11 pm on Sunday night and worked in snowy conditions feeding officers at the scene until 7pm the following evening. They were joined by The Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS), which normally feed the homeless and stayed throughout the early hours.
Local business have pitched in to help. Supermarkets and takeaways brought supplies to officers - one family turned up with a homemade cake and another with a box of chocolates.
Superintendent Shane O'Neill said; 'We are very humbled by the efforts of members of the local community to support our officers, fire and rescue staff and paramedics who have been working in freezing weather.
'Something hot to eat and drink can make all the difference when emergency responders are working in extreme and harrowing conditions and are cold and tired and can really help them keep their energy levels up.
'We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been kind enough to give up their time to help.'
We Pull Together Part One
The explosion that ripped through a Hinckley Road building killing five people, including three members of the same family, proved our community can all come together in times of tragedy for the common good.
At 7.00pm on February 25th, a quiet Sunday evening, lives were changed forever as an explosion tore through the Zapka supermarket The blast rocked houses for half a mile in all directions and brought people running to the scene to help drag victims from the rubble and give first aid. Business owner Aram Kurd claims he crawled out calling for Viktorija Ljevleva who was on her second shift at the store. Viktorija, Mary Rajoobeer and her two sons Shane and Sean, and Leah Beth Reek, Shane's girlfriend, perished when the blast destroyed their flat and the building collapsed in on itself.
Gas pipes ruptured and flames took hold, adding to the danger faced by fire crews as they struggled to bring the blaze under control and clear debris on both sides of Hinckley Road.
It was a bitterly cold night but immediately our West End community rallied round offering help where they could; pulling the injured from the building, turning traffic away from the scene before emergency services arrived and later bringing hot food and drinks to the exhausted police & fire crews.
As Hopes of finding survivors faded and the awful scale of the damage became apparent, local people were there supporting those left without homes and businesses, and for the emergency services as the traumatic work of carefully sifting through the rubble for remains began.
Five people were hurt in the explosion, one seriously, they were taken to hospitals in Leicester and Nottingham but it was days before the names of the missing were officially released. In the meantime, 60 residents had to leave their homes and nearby businesses were shut to give the emergency services space to work. A community assistance point was set up at St Anne's Church by Leicester City Council and local people flocked to donate everything from nappies to dog food.
As work to clear the site continued over the next two weeks the two adjacent buildings housing TJ's burgers and Morgan's Bar were found be be unsafe and pulled down.
An-depth forensic investigation to find the cause of the blast was immediately started by fire investigators in conjunction with the police. Three men were arrested and charged with manslaughter and arson. Two others were arrested on Conspiracy to Cause an Explosion and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act but were later released pending further investigation. Another man was also arrested. One of those charged with manslaughter and arson is the shop owner Aram Kurd.
Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali (boyfriend of victim Viktorija Ljevleva) appeared at Leicester's Magistrate's Court on Monday 5th March charged with five counts of manslaughter and one count of arson with intent to endanger life. They remain in custody until their pre-trial review at Leicester Crown Court on April 3rd. The Prosecution says evidence indicates the explosion and fire was caused by petrol that had been spread through the shop.
Richard Perry
Main Pic Elliot Hornbyeditor@westernparkgazette.co.uk


Home / Breaking News / E3 2019: Cyberpunk 2077 stars Keanu Reeves for more vengeance fuel
E3 2019: Cyberpunk 2077 stars Keanu Reeves for more vengeance fuel
Death Stranding may have a ton of 3D-scanned celebrities, but do you know who it doesn't have? Keanu Reeves. Add Cyberpunk 2077 and you've basically broken the internet's hype meter.
The beloved John Wick star surprised E3 viewers this morning with an in-game appearance for the upcoming action-adventure RPG. They broke into raucous cheering and applause when Reeves then made his in-world appearance on the Xbox stage, decked in his now-recognizable suit and scruffy facial hair. He was clearly taken aback by the raw enthusiasm of the fans, so I strongly recommend watching that entire segment – start at the 48:14 mark.
So that's one guy with a dead friend, and another guy with a dead dog. Sounds like things are about to get explosive.
Wake up, Samurai
How about that new Cyberpunk 2077 trailer, huh? It seems that our protagonist V is betrayed after a presumed heist – RIP Jackie – forcing him to whip out the slick mantis blades installed in his arm. Unfortunately, things don't go his way and he reboots outside of the city, greeted by the still-mysterious character played by Keanu Reeves.
This celebrity appearance makes me think the sequence is all part of the script rather than an in-game event gone wrong. It wouldn't make sense for CD Projekt to fork out loads of cash, only to hide their star actor behind a branching path. Or maybe Reeves simply jumped at the opportunity: "I'm always drawn to fascinating stories."
They clearly can't show much else without spoiling too much of the story, and we already have a good enough idea of what to expect from the open-world game. If you haven't seen it, they've already shared the full 48-minute video of the closed-doors gameplay from last year's E3.
We've also gotten a look at the collector's edition, which leaked hours ahead of Microsoft's briefing. The official video gives us a much clearer look at its contents and statue, a 10-inch depiction of V leaping off his bike with guns blazing.
John Wick vibes, all right.
Cyberpunk 2077 heads to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 16th, 2020.
Screenshots: GameAxis
Tags: Bandai Namco Entertainment, CD Projekt RED, cyberpunk 2077, e3 2019
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Et Tu, Jennifer?
© Copyright 2014 - Unknown - Used by permission
Storycodes: Solo-F; F/f; latex; catsuit; hood; stockings; boots; cuffs; gag; caught; tease; torment; bdsm; crop; nipple; armbinder; rope; bond; revenge; cons/reluct; X
This can't be the right place, Jennifer thought as she parked her car. She checked the piece of paper Robert had given her. It didn't say anything about a do-it-yourself storage place, but the address checked out.
It took Jennifer a while to figure out that Unit #S-11 was way in the back. She moved quickly through the rows of single-story sheds, the darkness only occasionally punctuated by dim naked bulbs hanging randomly over the garage doors.
She didn't hear or see anyone else in the entire complex. This is truly crazy, she told herself. But she couldn't deny the excitement was close to unbearable. It had been more than a week since Jennifer had enjoyed dinner with her best friend Karen's husband Robert. After spending several hours hog-tied in his front closet, she had written a list of her most secret bondage fantasies as she had been instructed.
She didn't recall anything about a deserted industrial park on the outskirts of town, but she didn't have much choice now. Here we are... now, what's that combination for the lock? Jennifer threw up the garage door and peered into the blackness within. Gotta be a light switch somewhere... maybe by the door... aha! Fluorescent tubes flickered and caught as Jennifer hurried to pull down the door before anyone else could see what was waiting inside.
A hanger holding a red rubber catsuit complete with attached hood and a black latex teddy with matching stockings and shoulder length opera gloves dangled down from a solitary chain suspended in the middle of the ceiling. Underneath it was the oversized briefcase lying between two metal loops screwed into the concrete floor about three feet apart. Upon closer inspection, Jennifer noticed the short chains padlocked to the rings, and the big opened lock on the end of the ceiling chain. Otherwise, the room was empty.
"Oh, my," she said out loud.
She put down her purse and walked over to inspect the slippery-looking lingerie. 'Doesn't look like my size'. She felt a flush of titillation. Good. She began peeling off her clothes. Once she was naked, she opened the briefcase. On top were two sets of three-inch wide cuffs made of polished black leather with gleaming silver hardware and four padlocks... one for each of the double straps. Underneath those was some kind of web-like contraption that Jennifer deduced was a harness designed to cover the lower part of her face with a single piece of rubber. 'Oh and here's the ball for my mouth. Ewww'.
But all these devilish toys seemed positively benign compared with the shoes she found at the bottom of the briefcase. "He must be kidding," she said to the empty room as she inspected the long, supple calfskin boots. The heels were at least seven inches long. And the part for her foot looked like it was designed for a ballerina from hell. At the very bottom was a bottle of talcum powder. 'How thoughtful. The cunning little scumbag'. Jennifer shivered as she took the catsuit, teddy and stockings off the hanger and tried to figure out the best way to put them on.
After powdering herself, she sat down on the cold floor and put on the catsuit, when the hood was finally in place she then began rolling the stockings into a thick ring so she could unroll them up her already rubber-encased legs. After several minutes of exertion, she pulled them taut so their tops grazed the crease where her legs met her pubic region. 'Hmmm, nice. Now the teddy...' She stepped into the leg holes and began tugging it over her hips, stomach and chest. She had to bend down to pull the straps over her shoulders, and when she stood up straight, she felt all the air being pushed out of her body.
'That's... kinda... snug...' she thought as the latex dug deep between her legs and squeezed tight against her torso. She became instantly aware of the inch-wide gash in the crotch as her pussy was pushed through the opening so her lips stuck out temptingly.
It took Jennifer a little longer to figure out why the rubber was so constricting across her breasts. Two slits had been cut into the latex, so she presumed she was supposed to pull her tits out through them. This wasn't easy, nor was pulling on the gloves. Jennifer arched a foot, slipped it into one of the shoes, sighed, and began lacing it up. When she had them both on, she stood up, and immediately started to tip over. 'Man, this is ridiculous', she thought as she regained her balance and tried to take tiny little steps around the room. 'It's like being trapped in a permanent pirouette'.
'Time for the gag'. The rubber tasted awful in her mouth, and it took her a while to figure out how the straps were supposed to be arranged behind and over the top of her head. When she was finished dressing herself, Jennifer felt a bit woozy from the erotic flashes. She looked down at her breasts poking out from the teddy like twin whales washed up on a blackened beach, and wished she had a mirror. 'Oh, well. The cuffs would have to do. OK, put them on... whoops, don't snap both padlocks... attach to the chains... can't... quite... reach... there... shit.' Jennifer stood splayed in the middle of the room and cursed her impatience. Robert had never said what time he would be meeting her here.
And did he definitely say tonight?
She was only a little thankful that most of her weight was hanging from her arms, because it made it a little easier to stand in the ballet heels. 'But still... maybe if I just... Nope, definitely not going anywhere soon. Where is he anyway? Damn damn damn... '
Time stopped for an eternity, then Jennifer broke the silence with a yelp when she heard someone working the latch on the garage door. She began shaking as it slowly rose noisily up its runners. Then her heart jumped when she saw someone duck under the door. It wasn't Robert.
"Well, hi!" said Karen, "How's it going? You look goooood." Jesus!
"Surprised, Jennifer?" She smacked her riding crop into the leather glove on her hand. "Me, too." Jennifer's eyes were as round as Frisbees. There stood Karen in leather breeches and thigh high riding boots with a red jacket covering a white silk shirt knotted around her waist. She was carrying a large suitcase that looked like a larger version of the briefcase. "Robert's told me everything. We're like that as a couple. No secrets. Especially a juicy one like this." Karen strode behind Jennifer and gave her ass a hard pinch. "I especially like the list, Jen. So creative. And perverted. I never knew."
She walked back around and stood in front of Jennifer's suspended body. "Man, I wish I had your tits." Karen reached out and grabbed one of Jennifer's rubber-covered nipples between her leather-clad thumb and forefinger.. "I guess I do tonight." She tightened her grip and slowly pulled her breast toward her. "Mmmm." Her other gloved hand jerked forward to slap Jennifer's stretched flesh. "Yes indeed. A fine pair of hooters."
Jennifer couldn't believe it. How could Robert tell her? The crop became a blur as it smacked Jennifer's crotch. "I've always wanted to try being the master, but Robert never lets me." Smack, this time on her ass. "But this is almost better." Smack, smack across her breasts. "Much better." Smack smack smack smack. "Oh, I like it when you moan and groan. Is that what I sound like? No wonder Robert likes it so much."
By the time Karen put down her crop, most parts of Jennifer's body were burning bright red under the catsuit. "Wanna see something cool?" Karen reached into a side pocket on her jacket and pulled out a huge plastic dildo in three sections of increasing width so it looked a bit like a Christmas tree. Reaching into the other side pocket, she pulled out a tube of K-Y and began squirting the jelly along the sides of the monstrous plug. "Don't be so bashful. After all..." Karen walked behind her captive and pushed the tip into Jennifer's defenceless hole. "You deserve it."
Jennifer could do nothing to stop the intruder from its fateful journey deep into her resistant cavity. "There we go... hold on... let me just stretch the rubber over the base... ah... perfect."
'So big... so... full...' Jennifer's breathing turned into grunts.
Jennifer stared at her friend with horror as Karen picked up her crop from the floor. Every strike made her ass contract into a deeper agony, but she couldn't do much more than wince. "That's enough for now." Jennifer hung limply from her bonds as she watched Karen open the suitcase. First she pulled out a long adjustable metal bar, then a shorter version with two wide cuffs on the end. Next came a few coils of nylon rope. Finally, she brought out a rubber arm binder that didn't look much wider than one of the gloves she was already wearing.
"Hmmm, let's see... better start with the rope." Karen went to work harnessing Jennifer's upper body in hemp. When she was finished, she tied one end of a long line to the rope between her breasts, then stood on the briefcase to thread it through the metal ring in the ceiling. After some deliberation, she knotted the other end to the rope between Jennifer's still-spread legs. 'What's with the slack?', Jennifer wondered. Karen reached up and unlocked Jennifer's wrists from the chain. 'Can't... keep my balance oh... '
Jennifer fell backward until the rope went tight, leaving her suspended in a semi-sitting position. "Ouch." Karen walked behind Jennifer and knelt down. "Give me your hands." Jennifer hesitated for a moment, but she knew her fate was already sealed. "Very good." The gloves were replaced with the binder that fused Jennifer's elbows, as well as a large section of her upper arms. "Wow. Now I know why I wouldn't let Robert use one of those on me."
Jennifer closed her eyes and tried not to think about what her weight on the rope between her legs was doing to the butt plug. Karen adjusted the long spreader bar between Jennifer's ankles, then secured it so the chains holding her feet to the floor were taut. The shorter one went between her thighs. "Almost done, girl." Jennifer felt something being attached to the end of the binder, then her arms began stretching down, down, down... "There," Karen said as she finished tying the end of the rope to the long spreader bar. "That should keep you for a while."
Jennifer hung her head back and yowled into her gag like an animal caught in a trap. The tension of the rope pulling down on her arms was beyond awful, but it was easily matched by the rope around her breasts... between her legs... and the plug... "Oh, I almost forgot... you wrote something about nipple clamps..."
Karen pulled out a pair of evil-looking pincers with metal tips and thick springs. Long chains trailed off from the joints where the handles crossed. "Try these."
'Oh... oh... OH... OH...'
Karen stood on the suitcase again so she could push the chains through the loop hanging down from the ceiling. 'Oops, too short', Jennifer thought when she saw the ends hanging maybe a foot over her suspended torso. Then Karen reached into her jacket and pulled out two metal balls with small hooks sticking out of them. "Found these in Robert's grandfather's basement. Don't really know what they were for, but they sure are heavy." She slipped the hooks around the last links of the chains, then let the balls drop from her hand.
Jennifer thought her tits were going to tear off her body. "Ah. Perfect." Karen stood back to admire her handiwork. "Oh, stop whimpering. You asked for this. Hell, you wrote it down." Jennifer barely heard her friend's admonitions. "I think I'm going to let you think about this for a while. Oh, don't worry. Robert should be here. Eventually. And once I'm sure you two are having fun, I'm going to give David a call and invite him over for some friendly foreplay. Who knows? Maybe we'll even take a little drive out this way."
Jennifer groaned and tried to arch her back. "Something about the punishment fitting the crime. But we can still be friends." Karen pulled up the garage door. "Or something."
The fluorescent lights went dark. "And hey, nice shoes."
Karen's laughter was cut off by the creaking of the door's wheels as they shot down their runners, then slammed shut.
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TV BANTER . . . with Joanne Madden
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Remembering Chez Hélène
Canadian children in the 21st century could use a television show like Chez Hélène. This classic chidren's bilingual program aired for 14 seasons on CBC Television, from October 26 1959 until May 25, 1973. I watched the show as a child and I remember it with great fondness. It was how I and countless other English speaking Canadian youngsters learned our first words in French, The first French word I recall from the show is "regardez" (look). Host Hélène Baillargeon would say, "Reardez, Suzie" to a puppet named Suzie the Mouse.
Chez Hélène was a weekday program and it was only 15 minutes long. According to a blurb on the CBC's Digital Archives, "its goal was to give English-speaking children exposure to the French language," but it sometimes served to give French-speaking children exposure to the English language. Chez Hélène had the good fortune to be broadcast between two other immensely popular Canadian children's shows - The Friendly Giant and Mr. Dressup.
It was Knowlton Nash, then chief of information programming for the CBC, who cancelled Chez Hélène in 1973. He explained his reasoning for axing the show in a piece for The Globe and Mail. He wrote that the program was cancelled due to the Canadian version of Sesame Street, which began airing in 1972. The Canadian Sesame Street contained five minutes of French per episode and Nash argued that it had "double the audience of Chez Hélène. Another executive at the CBC opined that Chez Hélène was cancelled partly because it had been on the air so long. The executive felt that it was time to end the show's life cycle.
Hélène Baillargeon
Hélène Baillargeon, a singer and folklorist from Quebec, hosted the program. Hélène was born at St.-Martin-de-Beauce, south of Quebec City, on August 28, 1916. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, she studied voice in Quebec City from 1935 to 1938, in New York from 1939 to 1940 with Mrs. Franz Rupp, and in Montreal from 1940 to 1944 with prominent Canadian composer and pianist Alfred La Liberté (1882-1952). It was La Liberté who introduced her to folk music.
In 1944, Hélène wed André Côté, a Montreal crown attorney. From 1950 to 1955, she worked as a researcher with folklorist and anthropologist Marius Barbeau (1883-1969) at The National Museum of Man in Ottawa. During the 1950s, she sang on many CBC French and English radio and television broadcasts.
Hélène was named to the Order of Canada in 1973 and was appointed a Canadian Citizenship Court judge in 1974. She continued in that role until 1984. On September 25, 1997, Hélène she passed away in Montreal at the age of 81.
In 1978, Hélène Baillargeon appeared on CBC's 90 Minutes Live. Host Peter Gzowski introduced her as a "Canaidan heroine." Hélène modestly protested that the description was "much too much."
Madeline Kronby
Madeline Louise Kronby was Hélène's sidekick, was a versatile actress who played the role of Debbie in the 1959 independent Canadian film A Cool Sound from Hell. She portrayed the bilingual "Louise" on Chez Hélène. After Chez Hélène went off the air, Madeline provided the voice of Pic in the English language version of Radio-Canada's Nic and Pic, a children's program about puppet mice who travel around the world in their balloon (in 1975, Nic and Pic was dubbed for the English language CBC network).
Madeline Kronby died of breast cancer on February 14, 2004 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Suzie the Mouse
Hélène with Suzie
I can't forget my favourite character on Chez Hélène, the delightful Suzie the Mouse. Suzie, an English-speaking puppet, was voiced by Florence Shreiber and Corinne Orr.
- Joanne
Posted by Joanne at 12:30 PM
dnisme@blogspot.com September 18, 2016 at 10:03 PM
Thanks so much for the information. Chez Helene popped into my head and I was curious to see what info there was on the show. I remember thinking I was so smart as a child, being able to speak French. I remember Suzie the mouse, also.
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PAUL LYNDE ("Hollywood Squares," "Bewitched") was born on June 13, 1926 in Mount Vernon, Knox County. Ohio, USA. He died on January 10,1982 at the age of 55. Click on image for more information.
I am a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For many years, I worked as a researcher and archivist at the Toronto Star, the largest newspaper in Canada. I like to share my interest in trivia, television, current events, politics, movies, quotes etc.
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