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Nobel Peace Prize

In 1947, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and British Friends Service Council accepted one of the most prestigious awards in the world—the Nobel Peace Prize—on behalf of Quakers worldwide. The prize recognized 300 years of Quaker efforts to heal rifts and oppose war. In particular, it named the work done by the two recipient Quaker organizations during and after the two World Wars to feed starving children and help Europe rebuild itself.

‘The foundations of a lasting peace’

In his presentation speech, Gunnar Jahn, chair of the Nobel Committee, recounted examples of Quaker relief work, pointing out that it was not the extent of this work, but the spirit in which it was performed that was so important:

“The Quakers have shown us that it is possible to carry into action something which is deeply rooted in the minds of many: sympathy with others; the desire to help others…without regard to nationality or race; feelings which, when carried into deeds, must provide the foundations of a lasting peace. For this reason they are today worthy of receiving Nobel’s Peace Prize.”

The role of ‘common folk’

Henry Cadbury, who was then chair of the AFSC board of directors, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

In his acceptance speech, Cadbury stressed the role of the ordinary individual: “You [the Nobel Prize Committee] are saying … here today that common folk—not statesmen, nor generals nor great men of affairs, just simple plain men and women like the few thousand Quakers and their friends—if they devote themselves to resolute insistence on Goodwill in place of force…can do something to build a better, peaceful world.”

Improving Soviet-American relations

The award’s prize money, slightly more than $40,000, was shared equally by AFSC and the British Friends Service Council. Clarence Pickett, then executive secretary of the AFSC, announced that AFSC would use its share of the prize money to try to improve Soviet-American relations. In the end, the money was used to make a film and publish Quaker proposals for peace between the Soviet Union and the United States.

pounds in a ton

How many pounds in a ton?

Pound is a unit of measurement. It is also mainly used in the United States and United Kingdom. It is abbreviated as lb and is used to measure mass. Its size varies from system to system. The most commonly used pound in the present day is avoirdupois pound. A pound is equal to 16 ounces or exactly 453.59237 grams.

A ton is also a unit of measurement for weight and mass but is used only to denote objects that are very huge and heavy. It is much larger than even kilogram. It gets its name from Old English. There are three types of tons i.e. Short ton, long ton and metric ton. Pound and ton are usually not used to measure the same objects. A ton is equal to 2000 pounds as per short ton, 2,240 pounds as per the long ton and 2,204.6 pounds according to a metric ton.

Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing’s ’skepticism’ made Nobel Prize a certainty

 Enlarge File photo by Alonso Gonzalez, Reuters Doris Lessing, 87, has written several critically acclaimed books, including 1962’s Golden Notebook and 1973’s The Summer Before Dark.

By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY

When the Swedish Academy awarded British writer Doris Lessing the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday, it praised her “skepticism, fire and visionary power.”

The feminist writer and political radical (she was once a member of the Communist Party) quickly proved her skepticism about awards and money.

When told by reporters gathered outside her London home that she had won the prize worth $1.5 million, she replied, “I couldn’t care less,” according to the Associated Press.

“I can’t say I’m overwhelmed with surprise,” she told reporters. “I’m 88 years old and they can’t give the Nobel to someone who’s dead, so I think they were probably thinking they’d probably better give it to me now before I’ve popped off.” Lessing, who will be 88 on Oct. 22, is the oldest writer to win the Nobel.

But Lessing’s selection surprised literary oddsmakers, who were betting on Philip Roth, Israel’s Amos Oz and Japan’s Haruki Murakami.

Lessing’s best-known work is 1962’s The Golden Notebook, a novel that offered insights into women’s lives and emotions. “The burgeoning feminist movement saw it as a pioneering work, and it belongs to the handful of books that informed the 20th-century view of the male-female relationship,” the Swedish Academy said.

Equally admired is Lessing’s first novel, The Grass Is Singing, published in 1950. Set in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), it revolves around the murder of a white woman by her black servant. After speaking out against apartheid, Lessing was banned from South Africa and Rhodesia in 1956. Born in Persia (now Iran) to British parents in 1919, she was 5 when they moved to Rhodesia.

Beginning in the 1970s, Lessing became more involved with experimental writing and science fiction, which has dismayed some literary critics.

“This is pure political correctness,” critic Harold Bloom told the AP. “Although Ms. Lessing at the beginning of her writing career had a few admirable qualities, I find her work for the past 15 years quite unreadable.”

Lessing continues to write and publish. This past summer, she released a feminist novel, The Cleft. She is working on a novel about her parents.

Mechele Linehan

There was startling new testimony Thursday in the trial of ex-exotic dancer Mechele Linehan. On Thursday Kent Leppink’s brother, Ransom, took the stand describing Kent as infatuated and obsessed with then Mechele Hughes. He talked about the day his brother called him, excited about his upcoming wedding. “And he was excited because he was making plans to get married. And he told me he was engaged and asked me if I would be his best man and was trying to pick out select dates for a wedding,” said Kent’s brother, Ransom Leppink.

Despite talk of weddings, it was obvious, Ransom said, that Kent knew something wasn’t right. In the week before his death, he changed his one million dollar life insurance policy several times, listing Linehan

as sole beneficiary and then switching it back to his family. In the end, his mother, father and brother were the three listed beneficiaries. “My father declined; he didn’t want the money. My mother declined; she didn’t want the money. I signed; and I got the money,” said Ransom Leppink.

Demonstrative Adjective!?!