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Why Black Panther Deserves Its Best Picture Oscar Nomination
In the hours since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Marvel Studios’ Black Panther was among the nominees for Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, a good chunk of the Internet has been in an uproar. For some, this was great news, bringing a great deal of representation to the Academy Awards, while also making history as the first superhero movie to ever be nominated for this award.
For others, this Oscars Nomination was “outrageous,” as many people considered Black Panther to be just another mediocre superhero movie. Numerous people spoke up, saying that it only received its nomination because it was the first prominent black superhero movie in decades. However, despite all of these remarks, Black Panther does actually deserve this nomination for Best Picture more than nearly every other superhero movie. While it may have been “mediocre” as a superhero movie, the thematic elements of the movie made it into something much more.
The complaint that the movie only received its Oscars nomination because “it was black” is actually a fair analysis, sort of. On the outside, Black Panther was an entertaining Marvel movie, with a fantastic villain, a compelling superhero, cool effects, a killer soundtrack, a star-studded cast, and a whole lot of action. However, within that, there was an incredibly deep thematic narrative. The movie didn’t just star a black hero – it was a story about the struggles that black people have had to suffer through for centuries, with an intriguing commentary on racism and prejudice put in there as well.
Related: Oscar Nominations 2019: The Full List of Nominees Arrives
The best way to pinpoint this thematic narrative is through Killmonger, the villain whose motivation was to fight the racism that has plagued the Earth for so long, but in the wrong way. T’Challa, on the other hand, ignored the racism in the beginning, not seeing it as his problem. In the end, T’Challa decided to listen to Killmonger and stand up for the people who were hurt by racial injustice across the globe, but would do it in his own way. While Black Panther was definitely a superhero movie, the entire movie was actually a debate about racism and how it should be addressed by the leaders of the world, which is something we have never seen before in a superhero movie (except for some of the X-Men movies, but those used analogies rather than calling out race specifically).
Another clear factor of why Black Panther is deserving of its nomination is how much it resonated with audiences. While Avengers: Infinity War may have earned more than Black Panther globally, Black Panther was much more successful domestically. Black Panther was more than entertaining – it was inspiring. Unlike most other superhero movies, Black Panther actually touched lives, bringing hope and motivation into the hearts of some people who thought that they couldn’t make a difference. Movies that inspire hope are truly among the best of the best, and are part of the reason why film is still seen as such a valued art form.
While there will surely be many people that will still consider Black Panther to be overrated and undeserving of its nomination from The Academy, these are likely people that were not touched by Black Panther in the way that others were. Whether you realize it or not, Black Panther was one of the most impactful movies of 2018, and undoubtedly deserves this nomination simply due to its thematic narrative and inspiring message, in addition to how fantastic the production was as a whole.
Topics: Oscars, Black Panther
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Evensong marking the 50th anniversary of the Anglican Centre in Rome. Image: Westminster-Abbey.org© (image found on the website of the Ambassador's blog)
Pope’s Q & A at Anglican All Saints Church
During Visit to Italy’s Largest Anglican Congregation, Francis Answers 3 Questions
February 27, 2017 15:20ZENIT StaffEcumenism and Interreligious dialogue, Pope & Holy See
Marking the first Pope to enter inside an Anglican church in his own diocese as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis’ visit Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, to the Church of England chaplaincy of All Saints in Rome, Italy’s largest Anglican congregation, was historic. Below is a ZENIT translation of the Pope’s question and answer session during the visit:
Question: During our liturgies, many people enter our church and marvel because “in fact, it seems like a Catholic church!” Many Catholics have heard talk of King Henry VIII, but they are ignorant of the Anglican traditions and of the ecumenical progress of this half-century. What would you like to say to them about the relation between Catholics and Anglicans today?
The Pope’s Answer: It’s true, the relation between Catholics and Anglicans is good today; we love one another as brothers! It’s true that in history there are awful things everywhere, and to “tear away a piece” of history and to carry it as if it were an “icon” of [our] relations isn’t right. A historical event should be read in the hermeneutics of that moment, not with another hermeneutic. And relations today are good, I said. And they have gone beyond, since the visit of the Primate Michael Ramsey, and even more so . . . But also in the Saints, we have a common tradition of Saints that your parish priest wished to stress. And the two Churches have never, never reneged the Saints, Christians who lived the Christian witness to that point. And this is important. But there were also relations of brotherhood in bad times, in difficult times, where the political, economic and religious power was so mixed, where there was that rule “cuius regio eius religio,” but even at that time there were some relations.
I met an old, an elderly Jesuit in Argentina. I was young, he was elderly, Father Guillermo Furlong Cardiff, born in the city of Rosario, of an English family, and as a boy he was an altar server – he was Catholic, of a Catholic English family – he was an altar server at Rosario in the funeral of Queen Victoria, in the Anglican Church. There was this relation also at that time. And the relations between Catholics and Anglicans are relations – I don’t know if historically one can say this, but it is a figure that will help us to think – two steps forward, half a step back, two steps forward, half a step back . . . It’s like that. They are humans, and we must continue <doing> this.
There is something else that has kept the connection strong between our religious traditions: the monks, the monasteries. And the monks, be they Catholic or Anglican, are a great spiritual force of our traditions.
And I would like to say to you that relations have improved even more, and it pleases me, it’s good. “However, we don’t do everything the same . . .” But we walk together, we go together. For the moment that’s O.K. Every day has its own trouble. I don’t know <but> this is what comes to me to say to you. Thank you.
Question: Your Predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, has put us on guard regarding the risk in the ecumenical dialogue of giving priority to collaboration in social action rather than following the more exacting path of theological agreement. From all appearance, it seems that you prefer the opposite, namely “to walk and work” together to reach the goal of Christian unity. True?
The Pope’s Answer:
I don’t know the context in which Pope Benedict said this, I don’t know; therefore, it’s a bit difficult for me, you put me in an embarrassing position to answer . . . Did you wish to say this or not . . . Perhaps it was in a conversation with theologians . . . but I’m not sure. Both things are important. This certainly is. Which of the two has priority? And on the other side there is the famous witty remark of Patriarch Athenagoras – which is true, because I asked Patriarch Bartholomew the question and he said to me: “This is true,” when he said to Blessed Pope Paul VI: “We will bring about unity between us, and we will put all the theologians on an Island so that they think!” It was a joke, but historically true, because I doubted, but Patriarch Bartholomew said to me that it was true. But what is the kernel of this, because I think that what Pope Benedict said is true: the theological dialogue must be sought also to seek the roots . . . on the Sacraments . . . , on so many things on which we are not yet in agreement . . . However, this can’t be done in a laboratory: it must be done walking, along the way. We are on the way and on the way we also have these discussions. The theologians do so. But in the meantime, we help one another in our necessities, in our life, we also help one another spiritually. For instance, in the twinning there was the fact of studying Scripture together, and we help each other in the service of charity, in the service of the poor, in hospitals, in wars. It’s so important; this is so important — the ecumenical dialogue can’t be made by being still. No. The ecumenical dialogue is done on the way, because the ecumenical dialogue is a path, and theological things are discussed on the way. I think that with this I don’t betray Pope Benedict’s mind, or the reality of the ecumenical dialogue. I interpret it so. If I knew the context in which that expression was said, perhaps I would say otherwise, but this is what comes to me to say.
Question: All Saints church began with a group of British faithful, but it is now an international Congregation with people from different countries. In some areas of Africa, of Asia and of the Pacific, ecumenical relations between the Churches are better and more creative than here in Europe. What can we learn from the example of the Churches of the South of the world?
The Pope’s Answer: Thank you. It’s true. The young Churches have a different vitality, because they are young. And they look for a way to express themselves differently. For instance, a liturgy here at Rome, or think at London or Paris, is not the same as a liturgy in your country, where the liturgical ceremony, Catholic also, is expressed with joy, with dance and so many ways that are in fact proper to those young Churches. The young Churches have more creativity; and in the beginning it was the same here in Europe too: they sought . . .When you read in the Didache, for instance, how the Eucharist was done, the meeting between Christians, there was great creativity. Then growing, growing the Church was consolidated well; she grew to an adult age. But the young Churches have more vitality and they also have the need to collaborate – a strong need. For instance, I’m studying, and my collaborators are studying the possibility of a trip to South Sudan. Why? Because the Bishops came, the Anglican, the Presbyterian and the Catholic, the three together to tell me: “please, come to South Sudan, only for one day, but don’t come alone. Come with Justin Welby,” that is, with the Archbishop of Canterbury. This creativity came from them, the young Churches. And we are thinking if it can be done, <or> if the situation is too awful down there . . . But we should do it, because they, the three, together want peace, and they work together for peace . . . There is a very interesting anecdote. When Blessed Paul VI did the Beatification of the martyrs of Uganda — a young Church –, among the martyrs were catechists, all young; some were Catholics, others Anglicans, and they were all martyred by the same king, out of hatred for the faith and because they didn’t want to follow the king’s filthy proposals. And Paul VI found himself embarrassed because he said” I must beatify the one and the other, one and the other are martyrs.” However, in that moment of the Catholic Church, it wasn’t possible to do that. The Council had just taken place . . . However, today those young Churches celebrate with one another together; in the homily, in his address, in the Mass of Beatification, Paul VI also wished to name the Anglican catechists, martyrs of the faith, at the same level of the Catholic catechists. A young Church does this. The young Churches have courage, because they are young; as all young people, they have more courage than we do … <who are> not so young!
And then, there is my experience. I was very friendly with the Anglicans at Buenos Aires, because the back of the parish of Merced was connected with the Anglican Cathedral. I was very friendly with Bishop Gregory Venables, very friendly. But there’s another experience: In the north of Argentina there are the Anglican missions with the aborigines, and the Anglican Bishop and the Catholic Bishop there work together and teach. And when people can’t go on Sunday to the Catholic celebration they go to the Anglican, and the Anglicans go to the Catholic, because they don’t want to spend Sunday without a celebration; and they work together. And here, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith knows this. And they engage in charity together. And the two Bishops are friends and the two communities are friends.
I think this is a richness that our young Churches can bring to Europe and to the Churches that have a great tradition. And they give to us the solidity of a very, very well cared for and very thought out tradition. It’s true, — ecumenism in young Churches is easier. It’s true. But I believe that – and I return to the second question – ecumenism is perhaps more solid in theological research in a more mature Church, older in research, in the study of history, of Theology, of the Liturgy, as the Church in Europe is. And I think it would do us good, to both Churches: from here, from Europe to send some seminarians to have pastoral experience in the young Churches, so much is learned. We know <that> they come, from the young Churches, to study at Rome, at least the Catholics <do>. But to send them to see, to learn from the young Churches would be a great richness in the sense you said. Ecumenism is easier there, it’s easier, something that does not mean <it’s> more superficial, no, no, it’s not superficial. They don’t negotiate the faith and <their> identity. In the north of Argentina, an aborigine says to you: “I’m Anglican.” But the bishop is not here, the Pastor is not here, the Reverend is not here . . . “I want to praise God on Sunday and so I go to the Catholic Cathedral,” and vice versa. They are riches of the young Churches. I don’t know, this is what comes to me to say to you.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
February 27, 2017 15:20Ecumenism and Interreligious dialogue, Pope & Holy See
Catholics and Anglicans: “Theological Questions Are Discussed Along Ecumenical Path,” Says Pope
Pope Approves Decrees for Saints' Causes, Including 2 Laypeople
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Bridgepoint Education Ranked 14th Fastest Growing Private Company in the United States by Inc. Magazine
- Ranked No. 1 in the Top 50 Education Companies
- Ranked No. 1 in the Top 50 Businesses in San Diego
- Ranked No. 14 in the Top 100 Inc. 5,000 Companies
SAN DIEGO, CA (August 20, 2008) - Bridgepoint Education, an independent private education company focused on delivering high-quality and affordable education in both traditional and online environments, today was named the 14th fastest growing private company in the United States by Inc. magazine in its annual “Inc. 500” rankings. The company was also ranked first in growth rate among private education companies in the nation, as well as the fastest growing private company in San Diego.
With revenue growth of 6,794.1 percent over the past three years, Bridgepoint Education is the only company on the Inc. 500 to be named in the Top 20 two years in a row while also moving up the list – from 17th last year to 14th on the current list.
In August 2007, the company was named the fastest growing private education company in the country with 2006 revenue of $31.4 million and a growth rate of more than 4,000 percent over the previous three-year period. This year, Bridgepoint Education moves into the Top 15 on Inc.’s list with revenues of $85.5 million in 2007.
“This tremendous honor demonstrates that our company's mission to connect deserving students of all types with high-quality, higher education opportunities is on target," said Andrew Clark, chief executive officer of Bridgepoint Education. “And being recognized with this award for the second year in a row, while moving up the list at the same time, underscores our vision of strong, sustainable growth.
"Bridgepoint Education was founded on the principle that education improves lives. We've built this company on the premise that every academically qualified student is entitled to a barrier-free higher education, regardless of their demographic profile or geographic proximity," Clark said. "The numbers tell the story: Bridgepoint’s innovative higher access to higher education -- either on campus or online -- is in high demand.
"In today's economy, it is more important than ever for the country's workforce to have baccalaureate credentials for career advancement, leadership and well-being. We are committed to helping our students achieve success. And it's a great reward to be recognized for our efforts by Inc. magazine," he added.
Bridgepoint Education currently offers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees through its two regionally accredited institutions: Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, and University of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Based in San Diego, Bridgepoint Education was founded on the principle that anyone who is academically prepared deserves access to higher education without sacrificing quality, transferability of credits, accessibility, academic standards or credentials. As an independent, private higher education company, Bridgepoint Education is committed to serving the millions of adults seeking an affordable alternative to high priced higher education. Bridgepoint Education subsidiaries provide both traditional and online education offerings, in addition to recruiting and admissions services. Our comprehensive education services have helped thousands of students improve their lives and careers through higher education. For more information, please visit us at http://www.bridgepointeducation.com or contact Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.
About Inc.com
Inc.com, the daily resource for entrepreneurs, delivers how-to guides, advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multi-media to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses. Inc.com offers dynamic marketing solutions to help advertisers effectively reach Inc.com's audience of business leaders. Visit http://www.inc.com.
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1 Faithful Catholic
This blog is dedicated to faithful and faithfilled Catholics located in North East Florida.
www.1FaithfulCatholic.com
Mission Possible: This double-life will self-destruct - Archbishop Chaput
I know it is long, but it is very worth the read. The Archdiocese of Denver has the PDF file HERE. Lets pray for all those attending the 2008 World Youth Day!
World Youth Day 2008: Theology on Tap
"Mission Possible: This double-life will self-destruct"
P.J. Gallagher's Irish Pub, Sydney, Australia, July 16, 2008
You hear a lot of stories when you're in a pub having a pint. So I thought I'd start our time together tonight with a story. Now, some of the tales you hear when you're sitting with friends over a beer might stretch the truth a little. But I promise: the one I'm about to tell you is true.
It's about a young man named Franz who lived about 60 years ago in a small village in Austria. Franz was the illegitimate son of a farmer who later died in World War I. He was a wild kid. Everyone recalls he was the first one in the village to drive a motorcycle. And I don't think that's because he drove safely or kept to the posted speed limits.
Franz was the leader of a gang that used to fight rival gangs in neighboring villages with knives and chains. He was something of a cad, too, and a womanizer. He got a girl pregnant and was forced to leave town. People said he went to work for a while in an iron mine. For reasons nobody knows, Franz came back a changed man. He had always gone to church, even during his wildest days. But when he returned, he was a serious Catholic, not just a Sunday-Catholic. He started making payments to support the child he had fathered out of wedlock. He married a good Catholic woman and settled down to become a good farmer, husband and father, raising three children and serving as a lay leader in his local parish.
I'll tell you the rest of the story later. But I want to quote something Franz wrote in a letter to his godson. He wrote: "I can say from my own experience how painful life often is when one lives as a halfway Christian. It is more like vegetating than living."
I remembered Franz and those words when I started thinking about tonight's topic: "Mission Possible: This Double-Life Will Self-Destruct." Most of you aren't Americans, and you're all too young to remember the original "Mission Impossible" TV series that aired in the States in the '60s and '70s. But I suppose the organizers of my talk figured you'd all seen the Tom Cruise movies that came out a few years back.
In any event, it's a clever image. Believers today are relentlessly tempted to lead a "double life" – to be one person when we're in church or at prayer and somebody different when we're with our friends or family, or at work, or when we talk about politics.
Part of this temptation comes from normal peer pressure. We don't want to stand out. We don't want to appear different, so we keep our religious beliefs to ourselves. It's as if we've internalized the old adage: "Never talk about religion or politics in polite company." I've never bought that line of thinking, myself. Religion, politics, social justice - these are precisely the things we should be talking about. Nothing else really matters. What could be more important than religious faith, which deals with the ultimate meaning of life, and politics, which deals with how we should organize our lives together for the common good?
So those are the things we want to talk about tonight. I think it's important, though, that we start with a kind of "diagnosis" of the culture we're living in. The reason is simple. We're living in the first age in human history where entire societies are organized according to this principle of "the double life."
Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor calls our period the "secular age." How we got to this moment is far too big a subject for us tonight. The point is that in just a few centuries we've gone from living in a world where it was virtually impossible not to believe in God, to living in a world where belief in God doesn't seem to be necessary or to make any difference.
Most men and women today can live their whole lives as if God didn't exist. Of course in the West – and by "the West" I mean developed, Western-style democracies like Australia -- we're allowed to believe in God, and even to pray and worship together. But we're constantly lectured by the mass media to never "impose" our religious viewpoints on our neighbors. This curious idea is always framed as a very reasonable and enlightened way to live. You're free to believe what you want to believe; I'm free to believe what I want to believe; and the government agrees not to tell either of us what to believe or not to believe.
But things aren't as reasonable and enlightened as they seem. For example, the last time I was in Australia, your parliament was considering legislation to allow the cloning of embryonic stem-cells. This cloning would translate into an attack on the fundamental dignity of human life. And Cardinal Pell and your bishops had the courage to stand up and say so. What astounded me was the backlash their statements provoked. There was talk of charging Church leaders with intimidating MPs and tampering with the legislative process. All because they had the audacity to voice a political opinion that was based on their religious convictions.
Cases like this are cropping up more and more in the developed world. Just last month a court in Belgium dismissed charges filed against a Catholic bishop. The allegation was that this bishop was fomenting hatred of homosexuals. Of course he did nothing of the sort. All he did was articulate the Church's ancient teaching that homosexual activity is a sin and that it's detrimental to an individual's spiritual health and well-being.
In a secular age, however, this kind of opinion becomes grounds for prosecution. And these cases have a very calculated "chilling effect." They reinforce, with the threat of jail and fines, the pressures that we Catholics already feel to keep our mouths shut. To obey the "double life" rule. To define our faith as simply private prayer and personal piety.
But we know we can't do that. We can't live a half-way Christianity. The organizers of tonight's event were right. Every double life will inevitably self-destruct. The question then becomes: How are we going to live in this world? How can we lead a Christian life in a secular age?
We can't really answer that question until we get some things straight about what it means to be a Christian. And that means first getting some things straight about Jesus Christ. This is another one of the by-products of our secular age: we don't really quite know what to think about Jesus anymore. A few years before he became Pope Benedict XVI, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote something that is unfortunately very true. He wrote: "Today in broad circles, even among believers, an image has prevailed of a Jesus who demands nothing, never scolds, who accepts everyone and everything, who no longer does anything but affirm us. . . . The figure is transformed from the 'Lord' (a word that is avoided) into a man who is nothing more than the advocate of all men."
We all know people -- friends or family members or both -- who think about Jesus in these terms. It's hard to avoid. Our culture has given Jesus a make-over. We've remade him in the image and likeness of secular compassion. Today he's not the Lord, the Son of God, but more like an enlightened humanist nice guy.
The problem is this: If Jesus isn't Lord, if he isn't the Son of God, then he can't do anything for us. Then the Gospel is just one more or less interesting philosophy of life. And that's my first point about how we need to live in a secular age: We have to trust the Gospels and we have to trust the Church that gives us the Gospels. We have to truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the son of Mary. True God and true man. The One who holds the words of eternal life. If we aren't committed to that truth, then nothing else I say tonight can make any sense.
Second point: Jesus didn't come down from heaven to tell us to go to church on Sunday. He didn't die on the cross and rise from the dead so that we would pray more at home and be a little nicer to our next-door neighbors. The fact that you smile when I say these things means we know intuitively how absurd it is to imagine a privatized, part-time Christianity.
The one thing even non-believers can see is that the Gospels aren't compromise documents. Jesus wants all of us. And not just on Sundays. He wants us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind. He wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is, with a love that's total.
We need to take Christ at his word. We need to love him like our lives depend on it. Right now. And without excuses. Remember that man who told Jesus: I'm ready to be your disciple, but first I need to plan my father's funeral? The way Jesus responds is so blunt, so disturbing: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. Follow me and proclaim the kingdom of God." Of course, he's not commanding disrespect for our parents. What he's saying is that there can be no more urgent priority in our lives than following him and proclaiming his kingdom.
My third point flows from the first two: Being a follower of Christ is not just one among many aspects of your daily life. Being a Christian is who you are. Period. And being a Christian means your life has a mission. It means striving every day to be a better follower, to become more like Jesus in your thoughts and actions.
Blessed Charles de Foucauld once said that, "God calls all the souls he has created to love him with their whole being. . . . But he does not ask all souls to show their love by the same works, to climb to heaven by the same ladder, to achieve goodness in the same way. What sort of work, then must I do? Which is my road to heaven?"
God expects big things from each of you. That's why he made us. To love him and to serve one another, and to play our personal part in bringing about the kingdom of love. So you have to ask yourselves the same questions that Blessed Charles asked himself. What does God want you to be doing? How does he want you to follow Christ?
Now, how do you go about finding the answers to these questions? By talking to God, humbly and honestly, in prayer. By getting to know Christ better through daily reading and praying over the Gospels. By opening yourself up to the graces he gives us in the sacraments. "Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." It's not about you choosing what you want to do with your life. It's about discovering how God wants to use your life to spread the good news of his love and his kingdom.
Blessed Charles, by the way, is one of the great stories of the 20th century. He was a Frenchman who lived most of his life like the prodigal son, squandering his inheritance on alcohol, women, and dead-end pleasures. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, his life changed forever. He felt called to follow Christ literally, setting off on foot to Nazareth to devote himself to a humble life of manual labor, prayer, and charity. Some years later, his imitation of Christ led him to the Sahara Desert, where he lived as a hermit and eventually died a martyr's death.
I want to suggest tonight that most of you will find your road to heaven starting a little closer to home. To illustrate that point, let's recall a story about another holy person of the 20th century, Blessed Mother Teresa.
Maybe you've heard of Celestial Seasonings, the herbal tea company. The company was founded by a man named "Mo" Siegel in the 1960s. "Mo" was very much a child of his age -- idealistic, with a generous heart. "Mo" made millions with his brand of herbal teas. And he gave a lot of his money to worthy causes. Yet he still wasn't satisfied. So he went to India to volunteer with Mother Teresa among the poor and dying. But when she met him, she told him to go home. The little nun poked this multi-millionaire entrepreneur in the chest and told him: "Grow where you're planted."
That's my advice to you, too. Grow where you're planted. Preach the gospel with your lives no matter where you are or whatever you find yourself doing -- going to school, working, making a home. St. John of the Cross said: "Where there is no love, put love and you will draw out love." Those are good words to live by. Put real love into everything you do. Not a vague, sentimental warm feeling. That kind of love doesn't mean anything because it doesn't cost you anything. No. Jesus wants a love that comes from the heart, a love that sacrifices for others as he sacrificed for us.
One final point before we begin our questions and discussion tonight. And it's this: Love the Church; love her as your mother and teacher. Help to build her up, to purify her life and work. We all get angry when we see human weakness and sin in the Church. But we have to remember always that the Church is much, much more than the sum of her human parts.
The Church is the Bride of Christ. The Spirit that worked in Jesus Christ and in his apostles is still at work in the Church. Jesus promised his apostles that when they teach, it will be he who is teaching. That when they forgive sins, it will be he who forgives. That when they say his words, "This is my body," the bread and wine will become his body and blood. Jesus doesn't forget his promises. Where the Church is, Jesus Christ is. Until the end of the age. And we always want to be where Christ is, because there is no way home to God except through him.
So love the Church. And this is crucial: Know what the Church teaches. What the Church teaches is what Christ wants you and everyone else to know -- for our own good and for our salvation. Know what the Church teaches so you can live those teachings and share those teachings with others.
The leaders of today's secularized societies like to fancy themselves as true humanists and humanitarians. But these same societies justify killing millions of babies in the womb and dismembering embryos in the laboratory. We dispatch the handicapped and the elderly and call it "death with dignity." Our very language has become distorted. The family is no longer the covenant communion of man and woman that leads to new life and hence the future of society. In fact, there are so few babies being born now in developed, Western-style countries that we have to wonder whether our civilization has lost its will to survive.
Only the Church stands up against these inhuman trends in our societies. It's your mission, as lay men and lay women, to ensure that Christ's teaching is preached and explained and defended at every level of our society -- in politics, in the workplace, in the culture. This takes real courage. There are all sorts of pressures, subtle and not so subtle, to sell out Jesus. To water down or diminish his Gospel. To pick and choose among his teachings. But we can't do that. Make a promise to Jesus Christ never to contradict the Church's teachings by your words or actions.
The Gospel is not just rules and "thou-shalt nots." It's the path to leading a heavenly life on earth. The way of life that alone brings true happiness and lasting joy. This age encourages us to seek a fool's paradise. To imagine that happiness is found in doing whatever we want to do. That's a snare. And many of our brothers and sisters are caught in that trap.
Only the truth can set people free. That truth is Jesus Christ. So if we truly love our neighbors we will want them to know the truth. The whole truth. Not just the parts of it that make them feel good, the parts that don't challenge them to change.
It's not possible for real Christians to lead a double life. We'll self-destruct. Or worse still, we'll just waste away. It will be like what Franz said. Being a half-way Christian is like being a vegetable. It's not a life. It's barely an existence.
I guess it's time for me to tell you the rest of the story about Franz.
The Nazis invaded Austria in 1938. Unlike most of his neighbors, Franz refused to cooperate in any way with the regime because he considered Hitler to be an enemy of Christ and the Church. For five years he waged a lonely campaign of resistance. Finally, he was arrested for refusing an order to enlist in the Nazi army.
While awaiting his sentence, many people, including his family and his local priest, urged him to pay lip-service to the regime and thereby spare his life. Franz wouldn't do it.
So 65 years ago, on August 9, 1943, Franz died on a Nazi guillotine. Today we remember him as Blessed Franz Jägerstätter -- a martyr for the truth that a Catholic can never lead a double-life. That there can be no such thing as a half-way Christian.
Blessed Franz wrote beautiful letters to his wife from prison. In one of them he talked about the great martyrs of the Church. He wrote: "If we hope to reach our goal some day, then we, too, must become heroes of the faith. For as long as we fear men more than God, we will never make the grade." Another time he wrote: "The important thing is that we do not let a single day go by in vain without putting it to good use for eternity."
Let me leave you with those thoughts. May you all strive to be heroes of the faith. And may you put every day to good use for eternity. Thank you.
In Our Lord and Our Lady,
1FaithfulCatholic
Posted by by Wylie N. Hartwell at 8:30 AM
About 1 Faithful Catholic
by Wylie N. Hartwell
A Roman Catholic husband and father in the Jacksonville area with a desire to share the Good News of Christ to others. This blog is a small way to do that. God Bless
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Young man is disabled and bedbound after selling his kidney on the black market to buy an iPhone and iPad
Asberth
(DAILYMAIL) A young man who sold one of his kidneys as a teenager on the black market in order to buy a new iPhone and iPad is now disabled, bedbound and needing constant care, according to recent reports on Chinese media.
The 25-year-old man, known by his surname Wang, had his kidney removed in an underground clinic before selling it on the black market for 22,000 yuan (£2,528) in 2011 when he was just 17 years old.
The teenager wanted an iPhone and iPad desperately in order to prove to his classmates that he was trendy, but his cash-strapped parents could not afford them.
His story shocked the country at the time, leading iPhones to be billed as ‘kidney machines’ by web users.
A picture released by Chinese media shows Wang lying in hospital bed to receive treatment seven years after selling one of his kidneys on the black market to afford an iPhone and iPad
Wang sold his organ on the black market in 2011 when he was 17 years old throught three middlemen he chatted up on a messaging platform. Surgery took place at an uncertified clinic
In order to raise funds for his gadgets, the high school student found three middlemen on a Chinese online chatting platform QQ, who promised to help him realise his dream – but at the cost of one kidney.
To complete the transaction, Wang travelled from his hometown in the eastern Anhui Province – one of China’s poorest provinces – to the southern Hunan Province in April, 2011.
He organised his travels secretly and neither of his parents was aware of his plan.
Upon his arrival, the middlemen introduced the boy to two surgeons, one surgeon’s assistant and one nurse, all of who worked at local hospitals and were moonlighting.
It was the boy’s dream at the time to own an iPhone 4 (pictured) and an iPad 2. Reports at the time said the high school student wanted to show off the gadgets to his classmates
An operation soon took place at an uncertified clinic provided by one middleman to remove the right kidney from Wang, according to a report on CCTV.com at the time.
The kidney was then sold to a patient by the middlemen illegally and the recipient paid 150,000 yuan (£17,258) as well as $10,000 (£7,860) for the organ.
Wang was paid 22,000 yuan – 10 per cent of the total profit – while the middlemen kept the majority of the money.
The boy immediately bought an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2 with the money before returning to Anhui Province.
His mother only discovered the situation when she saw him with his new digital products. She wondered where he had got the money and Wang told her he had sold his kidney.
His mother called the police.
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By Marco Dimitri
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild fire-ravaged Notre-Dame Cathedral and says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark.
“Notre-Dame is burning, and I know the sadness, and this tremor felt by so many fellow French people. But tonight, I’d like to speak of hope, too,” he said, announcing the launch of a fundraising campaign.
The cathedral went up in flames on Monday in a roaring blaze that devastated the cathedral, causing a huge loss for the city and for France.
Flames that began in the early evening burst rapidly through the roof of the centuries-old structure and engulfed the spire, which collapsed, quickly followed by the entire roof.
As a huge plume of smoke wafted across the city and ash fell over a large area, Parisians watched, many of them at a loss for words.
Paris fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet said hundreds of firefighters stopped the flames from spreading to the north tower belfry and the cathedral’s main structure has been saved from complete destruction.
After his announcement, response changed into a monitoring and mop-up operation, Macron said. “The worst has been avoided although the battle is not yet totally won,” he said.
Macron said a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre-Dame would be launched Tuesday and he called on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.
“Let’s be proud, because we built this cathedral more than 800 years ago. We’ve built it and, throughout the centuries, let it grow and improved it, so I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together,” he said.
The French leader credited the “courage” and “great professionalism” of firefighters with sparing Notre-Dame’s facade and two landmark towers from being destroyed.
However, Gallet said two-thirds of Notre-Dame’s roofing “has been ravaged.” One firefighter was injured, he said.
Gallet said fire crews will keep working overnight to cool down the structure.
Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late Monday that authorities remain “prudent” but are “much more optimistic” than earlier in the night.
The mayor of Paris said the neighbourhood closest to Notre-Dame Cathedral has been evacuated.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the significant collection of art work and holy objects kept inside the church has been recovered.
Fire treated as an accident
The Paris prosecutor’s office said investigators are treating the blaze as an accident for now. They have ruled out arson or possible terror-related motives for starting the blaze.
Prosecutors say Paris police will conduct an investigation into “involuntary destruction caused by fire.”
The cathedral had been in the midst of renovations, with some sections under scaffolding. Bronze statues were removed last week for work.
“Like all our compatriots, I am sad this evening to see this part of all of us burn,” the French president tweeted.
Macron, who cancelled an address to the nation that he had been due to give on Monday evening, went to the scene of the blaze.
‘It will never be the same’
The cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, features in Victor Hugo’s classic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts millions of tourists every year.
“I have a lot of friends who live abroad, and every time they come I tell them to go to Notre-Dame,” said witness Samantha Silva, with tears in her eyes.
“I’ve visited it so many times, but it will never be the same. It’s a real symbol of Paris.”
Built over a century, starting in 1163, Notre-Dame is considered to be among the finest examples of French Gothic cathedral architecture.
“Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicentre of our lives,” Macron told reporters in front of the still-burning Paris landmark.
It is renowned for its rib vaulting, flying buttresses and stunning stained glass windows, as well as its many carved stone gargoyles.
Its 100-metre-long roof, of which a large section was consumed in the first hour of the blaze, was one of the oldest such structures in Paris, according to the cathedral’s website.
“There are a lot of art works inside … it’s a real tragedy,” Mayor Hidalgo told reporters at the scene.
A centre of Roman Catholic faith, over the centuries Notre-Dame has also been a target of political upheaval.
It was ransacked by rioting Protestant Huguenots in the 16th century, pillaged again during the French Revolution of the 1790s, and left in a state of semi-neglect. Hugo’s 1831 work led to revived interest in the cathedral and a major “partly botched” restoration that began in 1844.
The wood-and-lead spire was built during that restoration, according to the cathedral’s website.
UNESCO said in a tweet it was “closely monitoring the situation and is standing by France’s side to safeguard and restore this invaluable heritage.”
Related Items:Featured, Paris, World
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Maurice Watkins appointed Chair of British Basketball Federation
You are here: Home / Blog / News / Maurice Watkins appointed Chair of British Basketball Federation
The Board of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) has appointed Maurice Watkins CBE to the position of Chair. Watkins is currently Chair of British Swimming and the Rugby League European Federation, a Director of Lancashire County Cricket Club, and is Senior Partner Brabners LLP. He is a member of the BOA National Olympic Committee.
Whilst on the Board of Manchester United Football Club (where he was a Director for 28 years), Watkins was also a Director of Manchester United Basketball Club in the 1980s/early 90’s and was one of the principle architects of the formation of the original English Basketball League.
Watkins is also Chairman of Governors of the Manchester Grammar School and New Islington Free School and Chair of Manchester Foundation Trust Charity. He is also a Council member of Bradford University.
The BBF runs the GB basketball teams under a federated model comprised of the Home Country Associations (HCAs) of England, Scotland and Wales.
Speaking of his appointment, Watkins said: “Basketball is the fastest growing sport in the UK and we have a great deal of potential to change lives and communities, and develop professional GB Basketball athletes who can perform at the highest level. To achieve this, we will work together. I’ve been encouraged by the unified voice of British Basketball and the Home Country Associations.
“Recent events have been challenging for GB Basketball, both in terms of governance and finance. Our first priority is to steady the ship, keep GB players on the floor and to begin to attract new sponsors. I look forward to taking on this challenge in partnership with the team of GB Basketball staff and volunteers who work tirelessly for our sport, and with the associations of England, Scotland and Wales.”
As we begin to shape the new BBF Board, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Nicky Shaw and Stef Collins for the steadfast commitment and dedication they have shown to the sport throughout recent events, and for being prepared to put the good of British Basketball before all other concerns. We look forward to continuing to work closely with them as we develop our future plans.
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Granada Aylesbury 1959 stage shows
Published on April 17, 2016 February 13, 2018 by Stephen Daglish
Following the 1958 shows, a further seven shows were staged in 1959. Again these offered a range of headliners.
The first show was in February and bought Cliff Richard and the Drifters to Aylesbury.
Image: Bucks Herald / Aylesbury Remembered
The Bucks Advertiser reported that 2,800 people were there – which seems alot, given the normal seating capacity of the Granada was 1,234. See report below; click on image to enlarge.
Also on the bill was Wee Willie Harris – described in the same review as “the blonde rock ‘n’ roller, was an active performer”. The compere was Jimmy Tarbuck – “a comedian of some originiality”.
Cliff Richard was popular in Aylesbury. Some years later, in 1963, his film “Summer Holiday” broke the records for any film at the Granada, with long queues in the High Street. Photo: courtesy of Brian Gauntlett.
Cliff Richard & The Drifters – Move It
Wee Willie Harris – Rockin’ at the 2 i’s
Marty Wilde and his Wild Cats appeared on 1st April.From mid-1958 to the end of 1959, Marty Wilde was one of the leading British rock ‘n’ roll singers, along with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. Hits included “Endless Sleep”, “Donna”, “A Teenager In Love”, “Sea Of Love” and “Bad Boy”.
Cherry Wainer was a keyboard player, best known as a member of Lord Rockingham’s XI – a scratch and who had a number one with “Hoots Mon”. Cuddly Dudley (Dudley Heslop) was Britain’s first black rock & roller, later lead singer of Red-E-Lewis and the Redcaps. Dickie Pride (Richard Kneller) was one of Larry Parnes’ acts (alongside Marty Wilde and other artists such as Tommy Steele, Billy Fury and Vince Eager). All had come to fame on the Oh Boy! TV show.
Dickie Pride – Slippin’ and Slidin’ on Oh Boy!
Next was Hughie Green and his act based on the TV quiz game Double Your Money. The main musical interest was Alma Cogan, billed as the guest star. The Bucks Advertiser review reported “the highlight of the show was without doubt the appearance of guest star Alma Cogan who captivated the audience – a quieter one this time, there was no shouting or screaming – with her catchy voice and personality.”
Michael Holliday, described as a crooner and “the British Bing Crosby” appeared in May. He had two British No. 1s with “Story of My Life“ and “Starry Eyed”. He died in 1963. The Bucks Advertiser reported that he performed with a stiff neck “caused by driving with his car windows open”.
September saw Petula Clark heading a bill that was based around the Cool For Cats TV show, which also included Tony Brent, Don Lang and Humphrey Lyttleton and his Band.
In October, Craig Douglas appeared. His version of “Ony Sixteen“ reached No. 1 and out-sold the Sam Cooke original. Guitarist Bert Weedon, who had just released “Guitar Boogie Shuffle“, and The Mudlarks (from Luton) also played.
Craig Douglas was back at the Granada Social Club in 1986:
The final show of the year was back to variety, with Bernard Bresslaw as the headline act. The music interest was provided by Mike Preston, Cuddly Dudley and Toni Dalli, with Mike Winters as the compere.
Last Modified on February 13, 2018
This entry was posted in Granada Aylesbury
Tagged with 1959, Cliff Richard, Craig Douglas, Granada Aylesbury, Marty Wilde, Petula Clark
Bookmark this article Granada Aylesbury 1959 stage shows
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Jews and women
Four things:
The Deep Thoughts on Jews and Christians ended up being a two-part Pyro-type post. So you can check out part one over there.
Most. Misleading. Post-title. Ever.
But boy oh boy, you want to be depressed? Check out what are listed as America's 100 Greatest Jewish Women. Oy! I think I'd not want to admit any solidarity. But that's me.
Finally and most seriously: my man Pastor Chris Anderson, and his fellow pastor Joe Tyrpak, have produced a really terrific 31-day devotional for women. How much do I like it? I gladly wrote a blurb for it. Check out more about it (and read my blurb) HERE. I'm glad to recommend it without reservation. Get it for your wife and/or mom for Mother's Day, or get it for yourself. It's surprisingly deep, thought-provoking, doctrinal and devotional. You won't regret it.
Posted by DJP at 8:30 AM
Sir Aaron said...
You're right. That list is pretty embarrassing. I wouldn't want to be on any list with Barbara Boxer. I do like Judge Judy, however.
28-Gloria Steinem
83-Gloria Stelnem
53-Judy Blume
Well...I suppose it would look dumb to have a "Top 98 list" so it was good to round up to an even hundred, even if you have to fudge the numbers a bit : )
Note to self: When creating a "GREATEST" website for something, make sure the website design wouldn't qualify for the "WORST ON THE INTERNET" award.
beachbirdie said...
There is an important distinction between a religious Jew and a secular Jew. Though I cannot play the role of Holy Spirit in anyone's life, it is a good bet that the women on that list are the most secular of Jews.
Meaning that they belong to Judaism as one belongs to a social club. They are Jewish because they were born that way and learned how to go through the motions. A lot of secular Jews don't even really believe in God. Sort of like a lot of people in church.
"...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19. (you can click the linked text for longer context).
@beachbirdie....so true. It is a very sad thing to behold. I have a dear friend who is a Reform Jew and agnostic. She's bipolar and was going through a suicide watch a few years back and called both me and the Rabbi, who, sadly, could offer her no more than social services -nothing to address her spiritual need. Worse, she won't hear of her need for Christ.
If you look at the history of Reform Judaism, it has some striking similarities to the development of liberal Christianity in the early 20th century.
In an attempt to adapt to the social, cultural, and political situation of the modern world, Reform Judaism has either abandoned or changed many of the traditional Jewish religious observances. At its core, the Reform movement challenged the belief that the laws and rituals taken from the Bible required strict observance in the modern world.
While respecting the Torah as an inspired, but not divinely authored, foundational text of Judaism, Reform rejected the binding nature of its laws, along with the authority of the Talmud and later rabbinical codes. Reform regards the Torah in humanistic historical terms, as the record of the Jewish people's quest for God and holiness
Stefan said...
Beachbirdie and Paula: yes to the gist of what you both wrote.
Even beyond Reform Judaism (which is indeed basically equivalent to Liberal Christianity, with the same inability to articulate a hope in the salvific work of God), there is a distinct secular Jewish movement, going back to 19th century Europe, when a conscious effort was made to develop a contemporary cultural identity based on the development of Yiddish literature and the arts, and apart from a belief in God.
Like Reform Judaism, secular Judaism has also historically been closely tied up with social liberalism. At the secular Jewish Sunday school I attended as a kid, Moses was understood not so much as a prophet of God, but rather a national liberator.
(That being said, I am indebted to God for going there. For example, we had a Passover meal every year, and though I did not know it at the time, it was an anticipation of the communion meal I partake in regularly now under the New Covenant.)
Oy gevalt on the title, and LOL, too! (I did kinda figure out that it had to do with the "neither Jew nor Greek" passage.)
Incidentally, I'm curious: How do modern-day religious Jews deal with ceremonial washings found in the Mishna (I am spelling it phonetically), which John MacArthur said is part of the Talmud? I heard his Sunday sermon, and he was saying that there are 30 chapters on hand-washing in the Mishna. (It was an awesome sermon on the beginning of Mark 7, BTW. They should have it on the Grace to You website.)
Chris Anderson said...
Dan, despite our email banter, I do very much appreciate your kind link to GM4W. Thank you.
Your initial description of it as "most eriously" cracked me right up. Positively Tiggeresque. Classic.
Blessings, friend.
sem said...
Sarah Hughes came up on the list twice as well. So they can name three women twice but leave out Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I guess that would be owing to beachbirdie's explanation.
I am no authority on these things. But the Mishnah is indeed part of the Talmud. The Mishnah is basically a multi-volume record of discourse between rabbis in the years following the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, on the interpretation and application of the Law. It is a written form of what is called the "Oral Torah," the elaborate set of rules that the developed after the Exile in the attempt to ensure that Jews would never again fall afoul of God's commandments...these rules are seen as sort of a hedge of protection around the commandments.
The use of "LORD" (in all capitals) in English Bibles is an example of this. Through a convoluted series of historical developments, it reflects a decision to never risk violating the Third Commandment, by never pronouncing God's Hebrew name aloud, even when not taking His name in vain.
Of course, all the rules in the world won't solve the problem the basic problem. It's rather a matter of having a heart of repentance for our sins—and this, of course, is the root of so much of the discourse between Jesus Christ and the religious leaders in the Gospels.
Regarding ceremonial washing, again, I really am not well versed in these things. But even today, in Orthodox Judaism, there is the practice of mikvah: ceremonial washing for purification. That is probably what Pastor MacArthur was referring to.
Thanks for answering my question, Stefan. I have to go back and listen to that sermon again to know whether Pastor MacArthur was referring to the mikvah. For one thing, I didn't realize the the Mishnah only came into existence after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. I thought it had existed during Jesus's day.
(Oh, and Dan, I didn't mean to do the unthinkable on purpose in my previous comment. For one thing, I didn't post the link itself. The other thing is that I referred us to GTY so that I don't incorrectly recount details from the MacArthur sermon--there was just so much stuff in that sermon...and he only finished half of what he had wanted to say!)
Although the Mishnah was compiled after the fall of Jerusalem (in order to preserve what would otherwise have become lost), many of the debates that are recorded in the Mishnah came from before the fall of Jerusalem, in the decades around Jesus' time.
For example, Gamaliel is one of the great rabbinic teachers who is quoted quite often in the Mishnah, and of course, Paul studied under him.
So in Jesus Christ's debates with the Parisees and Scribes, we are actually witnessing His interaction with some of the very people whose pronouncements upon the Law would later become codified in the Talmud.
Correction to my last comment (which is not as of yet posted):
Gamaliel is a revered teacher in the Mishnah, but very few sayings are actually attributed to him.
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Dual-Threat Milam Taking CRCBL by Storm
Milam (center) was named MVP of the CRCBL All-Star Game for his performance on the mound and at the plate
Succeeding as a hitter in Division I baseball is difficult. Pitching at the collegiate level is arguably even tougher. But for the Big Train’s Kevin Milam (St. Mary’s), he does both exceptionally well.
“My coach told me at the beginning of the year that if I was going to do both that one, I needed to get in really good shape,” Milan said. “Then two, I needed to be able to take care of my body and with my lifting, my stretching, all that stuff and three, that it was just overall going to be just a mental grind.”
Milam entered this summer coming off an incredible freshman season at St. Mary’s. The Brentwood, CA native was 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA, racking up 31 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched. Opposing batters also hit just .191 against him.
At the dish he was equally as phenomenal. Milam started 57 games for the Gaels, hitting .313 while leading the team in home runs (12) and RBIs (44). He was also third in doubles (14) and hits (67).
As a result of his incredible stats both on the mound and in the batter's box, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and D1Baseball.com named Milam a Third Team All-American. He was also recognized as a Freshman All-American by four separate college baseball outlets and earned WCC Freshman of the Year honors.
“Anytime that you are recognized for playing well in the things that you do makes every single thing worth it,” Milam said.
As for this summer, Milam has continued to be a dual-threat for the Big Train. He currently boasts a .340 average with four home runs, eight doubles and 19 RBI. On the bump, he is 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings of work. And despite being a reliever at St. Mary’s, Milam even started two games for Bethesda, most notably Wednesday’s division-clinching, 10-4 win over the Alexandria Aces.
Against the Aces Milam went six innings as the starter, giving up just two runs on five hits to go with six strikeouts. At the plate, he finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a three-run home run that sent the Big Train off to an early 6-0 lead.
“When I was in season our coach really said it takes one person to step up in a game like that and I always want to be that guy,” Milam said. “I love to have the spotlight; I love to have the pressure; it’s what I thrive for.”
Milam’s ability to perform as both a hitter and pitcher was also evident in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game on July 10. Milam was named the game MVP after going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk from the plate while also picking up the save for the South All-Stars in their 3-0 win.
"It's honestly pretty nice when I do both because I always play my best when I'm pouring sweat and I'm hot and I'm in the game and I'm wearing it," Milam said. "When I'm pitching I'm pouring sweat, I'm feeling it on the mound and when I get to the plate I still have that same focus. I'm locked in."
Now as the Big Train turn their sights toward the CRCBL playoffs, they need both Milam’s bat and arm to deliver if they hope to defend their league title.
“Just take every single day like it’s just another game and you got to do the things you got to do," Milam said of his playoff approach. "You don’t have to do anything more, you shouldn’t do anything less and you just got to go out there and play your game.”
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« Cab Plows Into Crowd Outside San Diego Nightclub, Injures 25 | Main | Recall Issued for 1.7 Million Baby Monitors »
Would-Be Rapist Caught On Tape, Suspected of Other Attacks
Photo Courtesy - WFTS-TV Tampa(MANATEE COUNTY, Fla.) -- A quick-thinking 12-year-old Florida girl was able to escape a man who grabbed her near a church and tried to rape her, and with the assault captured on video police said they may now have an image of the suspect in two other similar attacks.
The Gold Star Club of Manatee County announced Saturday it is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the unidentified suspect was caught on surveillance video Thursday following the girl home from school.
In the tape, a man is seen following the girl, then grabbing her from behind and carrying her to a tree, where police said he tried to rape her. But police said the girl was able to escape, when she told her would-be assailant that there were people nearby watching him. The man ran off, leaving the girl there, police said.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the attempted sexual assault is similar to two other recent cases in the area.
The suspect is described as a black male, 30-40 years old, approximately 6 feet tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a dark hoodie with black basketball shorts.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio
Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 4:26PM by jc Permalink
tagged Manatee County, Rape, Surveillance Video, Video, florida in National News General
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Home » Business » Enbridge says costs of Line 3 rising; cites regulatory delays, route changes
Courtesy of Enbridge Construction is underway on the Wisconsin portion of the Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement. The 12-mile segment IS expected to cost more than $100 million, will replace a line originally installed in 1967 runs 1,097 miles from Edmonton, Alberta to Enbridge’s Superior Terminal. (Enbridge Photo)
Enbridge says costs of Line 3 rising; cites regulatory delays, route changes
CALGARY-CANADIAN PRESS- Regulatory delays and route modifications will increase the cost of Enbridge Inc’s , Line 3 pipeline replacement project, the company said on Thursday, as it reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit.
Enbridge, North America’s largest pipeline operator, said the project from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin, will cost C$8.2-billion ($6.52-billion), 9 per cent more than its previous forcecast.
The increased cost will be offset, however, by lower operating costs and a stronger U.S. dollar, and the project remains on track for service in the second half of 2019, Enbridge said.
Chief Executive Al Monaco said on a conference call Line 3 had obtained permits in Canada and North Dakota and Wisconsin, but still
Enbridge pipeline 3
required regulatory approval from Minnesota, which Enbridge expects in the third quarter of 2017.
The Line 3 replacement project doubles the capacity of the existing line to 760,000 barrels per day and is the largest project in Enbridge’s history, according to the company.
Asked whether Enbridge can make up for the Line 3 replacement’s capacity elsewhere if the project gets delayed in Minnesota, Monaco said: “The capacity will be restored once the full line gets replaced.”
The company is unlikely to be affected by rival pipeline projects, TransCanada’s Keystone XL and Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd’s Trans Mountain, Monaco said.
“In terms of attracting spot barrels, we would see us as being extremely competitive,” he said. “The other thing is, a lot of those refiners in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast area like the diet of what we’re moving.”
Enbridge’s second-quarter profit was hurt by outages and production disruptions in its liquids pipeline business. The company said it expects the business to improve over the rest of the year, as production and throughput ramps back up on its mainline system.
Still, quarterly profit more than tripled, helped partly by the company’s $28-billion purchase of natural gas pipeline company Spectra Energy Corp.
Net income attributable to shareholders rose to C$919-million ($729.77-million), or 56 Canadian cents per share, in the second quarter ended June 30, from C$301-million, or 33 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, the company earned 41 Canadian cents per share. Analysts on average had expected earnings of 48 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
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People v. Phillips, 91 P.3d 476 (CO Ct. App. 2004)
Defendant: Phillips
The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellee,
Ronald Lee PHILLIPS, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 02CA1020.
91 P.3d 476 (2004)
Colorado Court of Appeals, Div. II.
April 8, 2004.
Ken Salazar, Attorney General, Rebecca A. Adams, Assistant Attorney General, Denver, Colorado, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Stefani Goldin, Fort Collins, Colorado, for Defendant-Appellant.
Opinion by Judge ROTHENBERG.
Defendant, Ronald Lee Phillips, appeals the judgment of conviction entered upon a jury verdict finding him guilty of second degree murder. We affirm.
The victim was defendant’s twenty-four-year-old son and had a history of violent and abusive behavior towards his girlfriend and defendant. The victim maintained a separate residence, but on the day of this incident, he visited his parents’ home where numerous others were present, including his girlfriend. Over the course of the day, the victim became intoxicated, attempted to assault his girlfriend, threatened to kill her horse, was physically restrained by others, and was generally enraged.
The victim also threatened to kill defendant after he intervened in the dispute between the victim and his girlfriend. Late in the afternoon, the victim entered the house unarmed. As the victim approached, defendant shot and killed him. There was conflicting evidence presented whether the victim lunged at defendant and threatened to kill him.
Before trial, defendant moved to dismiss the information, contending he was entitled to immunity under the so-called make-my-day statute, § 18-1-704.5, C.R.S.2003. After a hearing, the trial court concluded he had not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the victim unlawfully entered the dwelling, and therefore, defendant was not entitled to dismissal. However, the court concluded the issue could be presented to the jury as an affirmative defense. SeePeople v. Guenther, 740 P.2d 971 (Colo.1987)(the make-my-day statute affords defendants a pretrial determination of the statutory immunity claim, § 18-1-704.5(3), C.R.S.2003, and may also be raised at trial as an affirmative defense).
Defendant’s theories at trial were that his actions were justified under the make-my-day statute and also by self-defense.
After the jury deliberated and announced it had reached a verdict, the trial court read the verdict of guilty in open court and then asked the jury: “Is this your verdict, so say you one, so say you all?” The jury panel answered yes without dissent. Defendant requested that the jury be polled, and the trial court asked eleven of the twelve jurors, including the foreperson, but excluding the alternates, “Is this your verdict?” There is no explanation why the twelfth juror was not polled. The court then entered a judgment of conviction against defendant.
Defendant contends the trial court committed structural error by failing to poll one juror. The People contend defendant waived this issue for appeal by failing to object at trial to the incomplete jury poll. We reject both arguments and apply the plain error standard of review.
Structural errors affect the framework within which the trial proceeds, are not subject to a harmless or plain error analysis, and result in automatic reversal.Griego v. People, 19 P.3d 1 (Colo.2001); People v. Milligan, *479 77 P.3d 771 (Colo.App.2003). Structural errors affect the entire conduct of the trial or deny the defendant a basic protection and include trial before a biased judge, denial of the right to self-representation at trial, deprivation of the right to counsel, and violation of the right to a public trial. See Key v. People, 865 P.2d 822, 826 n. 8 (Colo.1994); People v. Willcoxon, 80 P.3d 817 (Colo.App. 2002).
A criminal defendant has the right to a unanimous verdict under state statute and rule. Section 16-10-108, C.R.S.2003; Crim. P. 23(a)(8), 31(a)(3). Unanimity requires a deliberative process that expresses the conscientious conviction of each individual juror. People v. Lewis, 676 P.2d 682 (Colo.1984); Lowe v. People, 175 Colo. 491, 488 P.2d 559 (1971).
Crim. P. 31(d) provides:
When a verdict is returned and before it is recorded, the jury shall be polled at the request of any party or upon the court’s own motion. If upon the poll there is not unanimous concurrence, the jury may be directed to retire for further deliberations or may be discharged.
A jury poll ordinarily requires each juror to assent in the verdict. See People v. Martinez, 987 P.2d 884 (Colo.App.1999); 21A Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 1297 (2003)(trial court should ask each juror individually to affirm the verdict).
However, the right to a jury poll is not absolute, and matters relating to the manner of conducting a jury poll are generally committed to the discretion of the trial court. Ryan v. People, 50 Colo. 99, 108, 114 P. 306, 310 (1911)(holding that no substantial right of the defendant was violated where jury was not polled; at common law, the matter of polling was in the trial court’s discretion and its question to jury, “So say you all?” and all jurors’ assent were “in effect a poll of the jury”); People v. Auman, 67 P.3d 741, 767 (Colo.App.2002)(cert. granted Mar. 24, 2003)(trial court has discretion in choosing words to poll jury); People v. Barnard, 12 P.3d 290, 295 (Colo.App.2000)(abuse of discretion standard applies to trial court’s determination whether the verdict was unanimous and to consideration of a juror’s doubt as to his or her verdict); 21A Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 1297 (court has discretion “as to how a jury should be polled”); seeCabberiza v. Moore, 217 F.3d 1329 (11th Cir.2000)(defendant had no constitutional right to jury poll); Hatcher v. Jackson, 853 F.2d 212, 214 (3d Cir.1988)(rejecting argument that due process requires court to ascertain the propriety of a questionable jury verdict).
In People v. Auman, supra, 67 P.3d at 767, the defendant contended the trial court’s “imprecise hurry-up” polling of the jury did not adequately protect her right to a unanimous verdict. There, as here, the defendant did not object at trial, and the division concluded review was under the ordinary plain error standard. The division concluded there was no plain error, observing that the record showed no confusion or reservations by the jurors when the trial court polled them.
We disagree with defendant that we must apply a structural error analysis. We conclude that Auman is persuasive and that where no contemporaneous objection is made to an asserted error or defect occurring during the polling of the jury, our review is limited to whether the error or defect rises to the level of ordinary plain error. Contrary to the People’s contention, we do not employ a waiver theory. See Hunter v. State, 177 Ga.App. 326, 339 S.E.2d 381, 382 (1985)(concluding there was no reversible error where defendant did not object to incomplete polling of jury); People v. Galloway, 74 Ill.App.3d 624, 30 Ill.Dec. 572, 393 N.E.2d 608, 610 (1979)(concluding waiver was justified because “[a]ny oversight could have been corrected immediately if defense counsel had made an objection at the time”; alternatively, court found no prejudice because of clear evidence of crime); State v. Brunette, 220 Wis.2d 431, 583 N.W.2d 174 (Ct.App.1998)(concluding defendant’s failure to call trial court’s attention to any deficiency or incompleteness of an individual polling waives claim of error).
The standard for plain error is whether, after reviewing the entire record, we can say with fair assurance the error so undermined *480 the fundamental fairness of the trial itself as to cast serious doubt on the reliability of the judgment of conviction. See Crim. P. 52(b); C.A.R. 35(e); Wilson v. People, 743 P.2d 415 (Colo.1987); People v. Johnson, 74 P.3d 349 (Colo.App.2002).
Because the jurors in this case orally informed the court their verdict was unanimous and the record does not show a lack of unanimity in the verdict, the unexplained failure individually to poll one of the jurors did not undermine the fundamental fairness of the trial. Thus, we perceive no plain error.
Defendant also contends the trial court committed structural error in failing to instruct the jury properly on his affirmative defense under the make-my-day statute, § 18-1-704.5. We disagree, and because defendant made no contemporaneous objection to the instruction, we apply the ordinary plain error standard of review. We conclude there was no such error.
It is the duty of the trial court to instruct the jury properly on all matters of law. People v. Stewart, 55 P.3d 107 (Colo. 2002); People v. Hayward, 55 P.3d 803 (Colo. App.2002). In determining the propriety of a particular jury instruction, we view the instructions as a whole. People v. Trujillo, 83 P.3d 642 (Colo.2004).
In enacting the make-my-day statute, the General Assembly stated that “the citizens of Colorado have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes.” Section 18-1-704.5(1), C.R.S.2003.
Section 18-1-704.5(2), C.R.S.2003, provides:
Notwithstanding the provisions of [the self-defense statute], any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant.
(Emphases added.)
As noted earlier, the statute affords defendants a pretrial determination of the statutory immunity claim, § 18-1-704.5(3); People v. Guenther, supra, and may also be raised at trial as an affirmative defense. The burden of proof generally applicable to affirmative defenses applies to such a defense, and the prosecution must establish the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt as to that issue as well as all other elements of the offense. Section 18-1-407(2), C.R.S.2003; People v. Janes, 982 P.2d 300 (Colo.1999).
Here, the court gave the following instruction without objection by defendant:
It is an affirmative defense to the crime of Second Degree Murder that the Defendant used physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person, that while the defendant was an occupant of a dwelling
1. the other person made an unlawful entry into that dwelling,
2. the defendant had a reasonable belief that the other person had committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry,
3. and the defendant reasonably believed the other person might have used any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant of the dwelling.
(Emphasis added.)
The jury was also given the following instruction regarding affirmative defenses:
The prosecution has the burden of proving the guilt of the defendant to your satisfaction beyond a reasonable doubt as to the affirmative defenses, as well as to all the elements of the crime charged.
After considering the evidence concerning the affirmative defenses, with all the other evidence in this case, if you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt, you must return a verdict of not guilty.
On appeal, defendant contends that under the facts of this case, the make-my-day instruction should not have required the jury to find he had a reasonable belief the victim had committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry. He maintains that the instruction should have required only that he had a reasonable belief the victim was committing or intended to commit a crime in the dwelling, in addition to the uninvited entry. We agree, but conclude reversal is not required.
As a threshold matter, we address and reject defendant’s argument that jury instructions with elemental errors should be reviewed for structural error.
In Griego v. People, supra, the supreme court held that “when a trial court misinstructs the jury on an element of an offense, either by omitting or misdescribing that element, that error is subject to constitutional harmless or plain error analysis and is not reviewable under structural error standards.”Griego v. People, supra, 19 P.3d at 8. The court expressly disapproved its prior holding in People v. Vance, 933 P.2d 576 (Colo.1997), upon which defendant relies.
We also reject the People’s argument that the instruction in issue was attributable to defendant, and that the invited error doctrine precludes him from challenging it. The record is silent regarding who drafted or tendered this instruction, and there is no basis for presuming it was attributable to defendant. See People v. Stewart, supra.
Because no contemporaneous objection was made to the instruction, we review the jury instruction for ordinary plain error. See Crim. P. 52(b); Wilson v. People, supra; People v. Johnson, supra.
Turning to the merits of defendant’s argument, we conclude the instruction was erroneous because defendant had an affirmative defense under the make-my-day statute if the evidence showed and the jury found, in addition to the unlawful entry, that defendant had a reasonable belief the victim was committing or intended to commit a crime in the dwelling. However, the jury instruction given here imposed a different requirement inconsistent with the facts, namely, that the evidence show and the jury find, in addition to the unlawful entry, that defendant had a reasonable belief the victim actually had committed a crime in the dwelling.
Nevertheless, we conclude the erroneous instruction did not constitute plain error because there was no evidence the victim’s entry into the house was unlawful, and therefore, no basis on which a reasonable jury could have acquitted defendant under the make-my-day statute.
In People v. McNeese, 892 P.2d 304, 310 (Colo.1995), the supreme court addressed the make-my-day statute at length and discussed the legislative intent behind it. The court concluded unlawful entry means a knowing, criminal entry into a dwelling, and stated:
In the House and Senate debates on the original “make-my-day” bill, the sponsors [of the] bill referred to the bill as a “homeowner’s protection bill.” In describing the function of the bill, the House and Senate sponsors repeatedly alluded to the bill’s protection of homeowners from “intruders” and people who “break[] and enter[]” into homes “illegally.”
The sponsors pointed out the bill’s potential for deterring criminals from breaking into homes. The typical scenario discussed in the debates and hearings involved an illegal entry into a home by a stranger in the middle of the night. The legislative history indicates that the General Assembly intended the “make-my-day” statute to apply in situations where an intruder illegally enters a dwelling. The hearings and debates also demonstrate that the bill was meant to deter criminals from breaking into a home to commit a crime.
People v. McNeese, supra, 892 P.2d at 310 (citations omitted; emphases added).
The supreme court reasoned that the statute immunizes from criminal prosecution an occupant of a dwelling who uses deadly force and that the “knowing, criminal entry requirement affords the occupant of a dwelling *482 sufficient protection from criminal prosecution, while discouraging random violence.”People v. McNeese, supra, 892 P.2d at 311; see People v. Guenther, supra, 740 P.2d at 977 (statute creates “conditional immunity” applicable only if certain factual elements are established).
Thus, “unlawful entry” requires an entry “in knowing violation of the criminal law,” People v. McNeese, supra, 892 P.2d at 311, and unlawfully remaining on property does not satisfy this requirement. People v. Drennon, 860 P.2d 589 (Colo.App.1993). Further, while every unlawful entry is necessarily uninvited, an uninvited entry is not necessarily unlawful. People v. McNeese, supra, 892 P.2d at 312; see People v. Malczewski, 744 P.2d 62 (Colo.1987)(police officer’s entry into house was lawful though uninvited).
As a division of this court stated in People v. Drennon, supra, 860 P.2d at 591: “[T]he victim was invited into the defendant’s residence. Only later was the victim asked to leave. Consequently … the defendant has failed to establish the legal elements of § 18-1-704.5 to bar prosecution.”
According to defendant, here, the jury could have inferred from the trial evidence that the victim’s permission to enter the house was withdrawn. Defendant relies on testimony establishing that on the day of the shooting the victim was so violent he had to be restrained to protect others from his behavior; he had kicked defendant in the groin; while the victim and defendant were outside the house, the victim had threatened to kill defendant if he did not go into the house; and defendant went into the house to protect himself.
However, the unrebutted evidence overwhelmingly showed the victim’s entry was lawful and invited, unlike an intruder who breaks and enters into the home. The victim’s sister testified the victim had a key to the house, knew where the spare key was hidden, and was not in the habit of knocking before entering. The victim’s mother testified the victim was raised in the house, visited frequently, kept cars on the property, and stored guns inside the house. Although the mother also testified that on the morning of the shooting, the victim and his nephew were playing with squirt guns inside the house and she “kicked them out,” it is undisputed that the victim remained on the property, freely accessed a camper located behind the house, and reentered the house afterward at least twice.
Further, defense counsel’s closing argument focused on the victim’s conduct, the elements of second degree murder, and the reasonableness of defendant’s belief that self-defense was justified. It did not challenge the prosecution’s evidence regarding the lawful entry.
The only arguable support we have found for inferring that the victim’s permission to enter the house was withdrawn is People v. Ager, 928 P.2d 784 (Colo.App.1996). However, Ager did not address the make-my-day statute, and we conclude it is distinguishable.
In Ager, the defendant argued, as relevant here, that he should not have been convicted of second degree burglary because the victim invited him into the premises he was charged with burglarizing. A division of this court upheld the verdict. The division acknowledged there was conflicting evidence whether the victim invited the defendant to enter the premises before the defendant began to assault him. But the division concluded that, even if the defendant initially had the victim’s permission to enter, there was evidence the permission was “implicitly withdrawn” once the defendant began assaulting the victim and the victim attempted to defend himself against the attack. People v. Ager, supra, 928 P.2d at 790. Accordingly, the defendant “remained in the [premises] unlawfully.” People v. Ager, supra, 928 P.2d at 790.
We read Ager as holding that in the context of second degree burglary, previously granted authority to enter a premise may be withdrawn. We do not read it as inconsistent with McNeese and Drennon, which specifically addressed the make-my-day statute and concluded the statute confers immunity on the occupant of a dwelling “only for force used against a person who has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, but not against a person who remains unlawfully in the dwelling.” People v. McNeese, supra, 892 P.2d at 309; see People v. Drennon, supra, 860 P.2d at 591; see also People v. Eckert, 919 P.2d 962 (Colo.App.1996)(failure to instruct jury on make-my-day affirmative defense was harmless where defendant failed to show that the victim’s entry into a bedroom in the victim’s house was unlawful and there was no evidence bedroom was exclusive province of defendant); People v. Esquibel, 794 P.2d 1065 (Colo.App.1990)(omission of “unlawful” element from burglary instruction was not reversible error where defendant never contended he was on the premises lawfully).
In summary, we agree with defendant that the instruction was erroneous, but conclude it did not constitute plain error because there was no evidence the victim’s entry into the house was unlawful. Because there was no basis on which a reasonable jury could have acquitted defendant under the make-my-day statute, we conclude the trial court’s error in instructing the jury on defendant’s affirmative defense did not undermine the fundamental fairness of the trial so as to cast serious doubt on the reliability of the conviction.
Defendant next contends the trial court erred in rejecting his tendered self-defense instruction. He concedes the instruction given tracked the language of the statute, but argues that it was inadequately tailored to the circumstances of his case. We disagree.
Jury instructions framed in the language of statutes are generally adequate and proper. People v. Dago, 179 Colo. 1, 497 P.2d 1261 (1972); People v. Hayward, supra. It is unnecessary to give an instruction that is encompassed in other instructions given by the court. See People v. Harlan, 8 P.3d 448 (Colo.2000); People v. Gallegos, 950 P.2d 629 (Colo.App.1997).
As relevant here, § 18-1-704(2), C.R.S. 2003, provides that deadly physical force may be used in self-defense only if (1) the actor reasonably believes a lesser degree of force is inadequate; and (2) the actor has reasonable ground to believe, and does believe, that he or another person is in imminent danger of being killed or of receiving great bodily injury. See also People v. Janes, supra.
At trial, defendant tendered an instruction stating:
A person has a right to defend himself and others against what he reasonably believes to [be] the unlawful assaults and attacks of another. A person may repel force by force.
A person has the right to make decisions and to act upon the circumstances as they reasonably appeared to him at the time, and as those circumstances may have appeared to a reasonable person. A person may act out of apparent necessity, if those perceptions are reasonable, even though the perceived danger does not exist.
In deciding whether or not the Defendant had reasonable grounds for believing that there was imminent danger, you should determine this question from the standpoint of the Defendant at the time he acted, in the circumstances in which he found himself. You must determine whether he acted as a reasonable person in those circumstances.
The Prosecution has the burden [to] prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant acted in an unreasonable manner.
The trial court observed that the prosecution’s tendered instruction “tracks the statute and is adequate” and gave it over defendant’s objection. The instruction stated:
It is an affirmative defense to the crime of Second Degree Murder that the defendant used deadly physical force because
1. he reasonably believed a lesser degree of force was inadequate, and
2. had reasonable grounds to believe, and did believe, that he or another person was in imminent danger of being killed or of receiving great bodily injury.
We conclude the instruction given was proper and the trial court did not err in rejecting the specific language requested by defendant.
Defendant next contends the trial court erred in the manner in which it responded to two jury questions posed during deliberations. Again, we disagree.
When a deliberating jury communicates any misunderstanding or confusion relating to a matter of law central to the guilt or innocence of the defendant, the trial court should give an additional or supplemental instruction responding to the jury’s inquiry. But no additional instruction is required when the original instructions adequately inform the jury. Boothe v. People, 814 P.2d 372 (Colo.1991); People v. Mendez, 897 P.2d 868 (Colo.App.1995).
It is presumed the jury understood and heeded the trial court’s instructions. However, this presumption is rebutted where a jury affirmatively indicates it has a fundamental misunderstanding of an instruction it was given. Leonardo v. People, 728 P.2d 1252 (Colo.1986).
The first question submitted to the trial court was:
As it applies to Instruction # 13 [regarding self-defense]:
“… that the defendant used deadly physical force because he reasonably believed a lesser degree of force was inadequate.”
Does this apply to all events over time leading up to the shooting, or the moment at which the shooting occurred?
The trial court informed counsel it intended to respond to the jury as follows:
In answer to your question, the Court instructs you that the following language from Instruction No. 13: “… that the defendant used deadly physical force because he reasonably believed a lesser degree of force was inadequate,” applies to all events over time leading up to the shooting, including the moment at which the shooting occurred.
Defendant agreed the court’s response was proper, but now challenges it on appeal. We reject his argument.
Because defendant acceded to the court’s response, he is precluded from raising this issue on appeal. See Horton v. Suthers, 43 P.3d 611 (Colo.2002). In any event, we conclude the jury’s question did not show any misunderstanding or confusion on a matter of law central to defendant’s guilt or innocence. The jury merely sought guidance regarding which facts it should consider in determining whether defendant’s belief was reasonable.
We thus conclude the trial court did not err in responding to this jury question.
The second question the jury asked the trial court was: “Please clarify further Instruction No. 9, specifically the last paragraph as it defines `knowingly.'” The trial court responded: “I can only refer you to the instruction. I have no clarification for you.”
The record does not contain any discussion concerning this response.
In the original instructions, the jury was given the statutory definition of “knowingly,” which adequately informed it about that mental state. See § 18-1-501(6), C.R.S.2003; People v. Dago, supra; People v. Hayward, supra. No additional instruction was required.
Finally, defendant contends he was denied his right to a fair trial based on cumulative error. We are not persuaded.
A new trial may be ordered when the aggregate effect of numerous formal irregularities denied the defendant a fair trial. However, when, as here, we conclude there is no individual error or when the individual errors do not show an absence of a fair trial, reversal for cumulative error is not justified. See People v. Carlson, 72 P.3d 411 (Colo.App. 2003).
Judgment affirmed.
Judge NIETO and Judge PICCONE concur.
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2607 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Status: Completed in November of 2018
Program: 33 units of affordable housing, half with a preference for individuals with intellectual disabilities, Two floors of commercial space
Total Development Cost: $16.3M
Funding Partners: Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, BNY Mellon, National Equity Fund, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Jewish Residential Services
Community Partners: Jewish Residential Services, Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition
Development Team: 4080 Architecture, Mosites Construction, Iams Consulting, Morris Knowles
Constructed in 2017 and 2018, Krause Commons is a new six-story building located on the former site of Poli’s Restaurant in Squirrel Hill, one of Pittsburgh’s strongest communities. Krause Commons is a supportive housing development comprised of 33 units, half of which have a preference for those with intellectual and/or mental health disabilities; the other half are general occupancy. The first two floors are home to Jewish Residential Services (JRS) which operates an expanded Howard Levin Club house on the first floor. Their administrative offices are located on the second floor. By having the Howard Levin Clubhouse and JRS administrative offices in the building, the service component for our residents is readily available, helping to eliminate the sense of isolation that special needs individuals may have when they live in scattered site housing. General occupancy units have been designed as work-force housing for those income eligible individuals who work in the area and who have few options for decent apartments.
1842 Washington Street, Heidelberg, PA 15106
Date Completed: December 2016
Program: 42 Units of affordable housing, half with a preference for clients on the autism spectrum
Total Development Cost: $13,337,033
Funding Partners: Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, PNC Bank, Allegheny County Economic Development, Northwest Savings Bank
Community Partners: Autism Housing Development Corporation of Pittsburgh
Development Team: RSH Architects, Repal Construction, Morris Knowles & Associates, Inc.
The David Wright Apartments, completed in December of 2016, is located on Washington Street at the site of the former Wright's Seafood Inn. The newly constructed building includes 42 one and two bedroom units, half with a preference for clients on the autism spectrum. The first floor has a community room for movie nights and other events, a quiet lounge, an exercise room and offices for NHS Human Services, which will have employees working there 25 to 40 hours per week to help tenants.
In the words of one of our residents, Elise Mote, this building "will give people like me, on the autism spectrum, the chance to live and make friends." Her mother, Beverly Mote, described the new apartments as "life-changing."
5815 Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Status: Construction Start: Spring 2017
Program: Renovations and upgrades to building with 37 units of affordable housing with a preference for artists
Total Development Cost: $1.3M
Funding Partners: Bridgeway Capital, Urban Redevlopment Authority of Pittsburgh
Community Partners: Artists and Cities Development Corporation
Development Team: Iams Consulting, Climatech Inc
The Spinning Plate Artist Lofts opened in 1998 as a 37-unit live-work residential building with a preference for artists. The development, funded through low-income housing and historic tax credits, converted an old historic auto dealership into much-needed housing for local artists. The building features large units with high ceilings, open floor plans, and large windows. The first floor includes a spacious first-floor gallery available for all residents to showcase their work.
Now in its 19th year of tax credit compliance, the Spinning Plate is undergoing critical upgrades and improvements. The $1.3 million project includes the installation of a central air conditioning system and replacement of the domestic hot water boiler system, replacement of the roof and selected plumbing fixtures, and lighting upgrades to the gallery and public spaces. The improvements will also include substantial exterior masonry work and selective interior painting as well as additional general building maintenance.
The project is located in East Liberty, a neighborhood at the epicenter of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment. The location is well served by a wide variety of transit options and is close to one of the largest shopping districts in the region. The preservation of the Spinning Plate Artist Lofts provides critical affordable housing in an area experiencing some of the most rapidly increasing housing prices in the region.
1844 Ardmore Blvd, Forest Hills, PA 15221
Status: This property is currently accepting applications, to download an application please click here.
Program: 41 units of affordable housing, 21 with a preference for veterans, 20 with a preference for seniors
Funding Partners: Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, BNY Mellon, National Equity Fund, Allegheny County Economic Development
Community Partners: Forest Hills CDC, Veterans Leadership Program
Development Team: RSH Architects, Nelcon Inc., Iams Consulting, Morris Knowles & Associates, Inc.
Forest Hills Veterans Housing, located on Ardmore Boulevard in Forest Hills, is one of ACTION-Housing’s most recent developments. The project, currently in the design-development stage, will involve the adaptive reuse of a vacant and abandoned building and the construction of a two-story addition to create 41 units of affordable housing. Twenty-one of the units will have a preference for veterans and twenty will have a preference for seniors. Six units will be fully accessible, including two units for hearing and vision impaired individuals.
Amenities in the building include a community room with a large outdoor patio for use by all residents, laundry facilities on each floor, and dedicated offices for both management and supportive services. The development will provide critical housing and supportive services while taking advantage of its location in an area of opportunity that offers a wide range of amenities and services to all residents.
The project is located along Ardmore Boulevard at a catalytic location at the gateway to the Borough of Forest Hills.
Spahr Building - 4877 Second Avenue, 15207
La Gourmandine - 5013 Second Avenue, 15207
Program: Renovation of two vacant commercial buildings in Hazelwood's commercial core
Funding Partners: Historic Tax Credits, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Dollar Bank, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Heinz Endowments, Hillman Foundation, Bridgeway Capital
Community Partners: Hazelwood Initiative
Development Team: mossArchitects, 4080 Architecture, Nelcon Construction, Iams Consulting, Langan Engineering
ACTION’S work on Second Avenue has been focused on renovating existing commercial structures with the goal of revitalizing the neighborhood’s historic main street. The Hazelwood Second Avenue project includes the renovation of two formerly vacant, blighted structures. The first is a historic four story brick building, constructed in 1911 as a hall for the Oddfellows. The building has been brought back to its original historic beauty and will house the commissary for the Pittsburgh Community Kitchen with the goal of eventually having a community restaurant. PCK will undertake job training in the space, preparing participants for employment in the fast-growing Pittsburgh culinary industry.
The second renovation is the vacant D’Imperio’s market, which has been transformed into a 6,000 SF production space for La Gourmandine bakery. The bakery will create job opportunities in the neighborhood and have a small café for community residents. Above the bakery are two affordable apartments.
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Quron Pratt continuing Rutgers’ tradition of starters excelling on special teams
Ryan Dunleavy • September 18, 2013
Quron Pratt blocks a punt to set up a first-quarter touchdown earlier this season against Norfolk State. (Mark Sullivan/MyCentralJersey.com)
PISCATAWAY — At the same time that his role as a wide receiver in the Rutgers offense was beginning to re-expand, Quron Pratt approached special teams coordinator Joe Rossi about his other in-game duties, which include being part of the punt block and kickoff return units.
But instead of asking for more time to focus on catching passes, Pratt asked for more responsibility. He got it, and he made a tackle in his debut as a flyer on punt coverage last week against Eastern Michigan, during the same game in which he took his first career kickoff return 99 yards for a touchdown.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he takes one back for a touchdown, doesn’t surprise me that he runs down on a punt and makes a tackle,” coach Kyle Flood said before invoking Pratt’s name in the same breath with some recent Rutgers’ standouts. “None of it surprises me because he prepares as well as any player on our program. He is an elite level preparer the likes of Devin (and) Jason McCourty (or) Logan Ryan.”
Keep Reading: “Special teams wins games for us.”
Posted in Uncategorized on September 18, 2013 by Ryan Dunleavy.
Video: Rutgers football analysis Week 4 vs. Arkansas
There is no shortage of storylines surrounding the second Rutgers-Arkansas matchup in as many years, and staff writers Ryan Dunleavy and Josh Newman touch on all of them from the injured quarterbacks to the star running backs to the first ever visit to Piscataway from an SEC program.
Video: One starting QB appears more likely to play than the other. Who is it?
Kyle Flood, Bret Bielema discovered they share similar football coaching philosophies
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema met prior to the 2012 season and talked shop for 90 minutes, impressing each other with their straightforwardness. (Mark Sullivan/MyCentralJersey.com)
Career-long assistant Kyle Flood was new to head coaching and was looking for some acquaintances in the college football fraternity when he attended an event in Arizona and asked his defensive coordinator at the time Robb Smith to arrange for him to meet then-Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema.
The two talked for approximately 90 minutes then and will renew acquaintances Saturday when Bielema leads his first team at Arkansas into Piscataway for the most intriguing game on Rutgers’ home slate during Flood’s second year at the helm.
“We spent probably about 1 ½ hours just talking philosophically, program things,” Flood said. “And it was good for me. It confirmed a lot of the things that I believed in. I think philosophically, the way he has run his programs, whether it was Wisconsin or Arkansas now, is very similar to the way we run our program here and I think people will see that on Saturday.”
Bielema coached at his alma mater Iowa from 1994-2001, serving as linebackers coach for the majority of that stint. Smith was a quality control/defensive graduate assistant on the staff from 1999-2001.
“Coach (Flood) is a very easy guy to like. He is up front. He is straightforward. He runs a very, very good football program,” Bielema said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “Smitty and I are very good friends and he spoke highly of Kyle and everything he has done in his career. It’s easy to see why. He’s very organized, very detailed and seems to play his kind of football. (He is) a guy that I really, truly enjoyed getting to know in the profession. There are a lot of good guys out there but he is obviously one of the best.”
Smith, whose special teams prowess gets most of the credit for Rutgers leading the nation in blocked kicks since he was hired by Greg Schiano in 2009, spent one season as the defensive coordinator under Flood before joining Schiano with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as linebackers coach.
Bielema, who coached Wisconsin to three straight Big Ten championships and Rose Bowl berths from 2010-2012 before being hired by Arkansas to replace John L. Smith last December, and Flood nearly were Big Ten rivals, though even that was not known at the time of their initial meeting.
With the gamesmanship surrounding who will play quarterback for both teams Saturday as they deal with injuries, Flood is willing to take Bielema at his word.
“He’s one of the first people I met as a head football coach,” Flood said. “He was very kind to me. He doesn’t strike me as a person who says things just to say them.”
While it will be the first-0ever visit to Piscataway from an SEC school and Wisconsin has never made the trip either, it will not be Bielema’s first look around High Point Solutions Stadium. He stopped by this past summer.
“We were fortunate enough that one of our donors gave us a plane for a day and a half and we flew to Florida so we could land, check out the hotel – I had never been to that hotel with my operation staff. I took with me my support staff and operation people because I wanted them to hear from me how I wanted things done at the hotel and in the locker rooms and in the set up at the stadiums. We flew from there to Rutgers and did the exact same things,” Bielema said.
“We went to the hotel. Spent the night in the hotel actually that we’re going to be at. It’s very close to the stadium. I had not been to Rutgers’ stadium but I wanted to see it because I know it’s a little bit unique. It’s out there in its own little area. The locker room setup is a little (unique). We made a dramatic change from what we had visualized to what we’re going to do when we get up there as far as the locker rooms.”
Kyle Federico still holds the edge in close kicking competition
Kyle Federico has missed three of his last four field goal attempts and is trying to hold off challenger Nick Borgese. (Mark Sull;ivan/MyCentralJersey.com)
Kyle Federico edged Nick Borgese in a position battle to be the Rutgers football team’s starting kicker during training camp and it looks like he is maintaining his lead even as the competition has been re-opened this week.
“I think right now we’re going have to look at all the practice tape and make a decision because it has not been a situation in the games or practice where I feel like either guy has taken full control of the job and I don’t feel like either guy has stepped away from the job,” coach Kyle Flood said. “As of right now, Kyle’s the starter and that’s the way we’ll go into it for tomorrow, but we’ll review the practice tapes as well.”
Both Federico and Borgese — in addition to injured quarterback Gary Nova and Tejay Johnson, who is facing a court date on Sept. 24 for a simple assault arrest over the summer — are unavailable to the media this week.
Federico has missed three of his last four field goals, including a 51-yarder last week and a 43-yarder at the end of regulation with the score tied against Fresno State. He made his first three field goals of the season, but went 6-for-11 last year before suffering a season-ending hip injury.
“Concerned? Absolutely,” Flood said Sunday about the placekicking situation. “I’m not worried about Kyle. I think Kyle is going to have a great career here but the reality of it is we expect him to make these kicks or we wouldn’t put him out there. We’ve got another guy in Nick Borgese that I have confidence in as well so we’re going to look at both of those guys this week and decide a little later in the week who will be our starting kicker for the Arkansas game.”
Rutgers’ Gary Nova has “optimistic” outlook, Arkansas’ Brandon Allen not so much
When Rutgers faces Arkansas on Saturday, it could be a battle of starting quarterbacks, backup quarterbacks or half and half.
While the picture surrounding Rutgers’ Gary Nova is beginning to get more clear — coach Kyle Flood is “very optimistic” about his availability — it does not appear as if Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is willing to show much of his hand.
Nova, who is unavailable to the media this week, and his starting center Betim Bujari are both dealing with head injuries.
“Both Gary and Betim were able to do more today than they did yesterday. I think that bodes well for both those guys on Saturday,” Flood said. “They’re both getting reps the way they always would in a game week. In these types of situations, I don’t know if you ever know until game day. But I’m very optimistic I guess is what I would say that both those guys are gonna play for us.”
Bielema said that Allen’s shoulder is improving despite his unavailability for practice and reports that he has been seen around campus wearing a sling.
“He has definitely gotten better,” Bielema said on the SEC coaches teleconference. “I know he was a lot better yesterday. We filled out our roster for the trip that we send to the airline. He is definitely going with us. He will be a game-time decision.
“He hasn’t been able to practice as of yet but the good news with this type of situation we’ve been able to get a lot of quality reds with our next quarterback, which would be A.J. Derby and then Austin Allen after that. It will be a work in progress to get to Saturday and if he can’t go then the next man will be in and we’ll take that challenge.”
Bielema did not appear to share Flood’s optimism as the teleconference progressed.
“I know he only played a limited amount in that third game, but he definitely is a guy that gets better with every practice,” Bielema said. “Don’t get me wrong, I think that he’s a guy that Saturday if he could roll, we would go with him, but on the same account he hasn’t practiced yet.
“One thing I don’t want to do is that this is a quarterback that’s a sophomore that I think has a very, very bright future and I love the way A.J.’s handling practice … so unless the doctors can guarantee me 100 percent there’s no risk whatsoever and B.A. looks me in the eye and tells me, ‘I can guarantee I can go coach’ and doesn’t blink, that’s the only way we’d let him go.’”
Kyle Flood, Postpractice Transcript
Josh Newman • September 18, 2013
OPENING STATEMENT
“It was a good day of work out there. Both Gary and Betim were able to do more today than they did yesterday. I think that bodes well for both those guys on Saturday.”
ON A TIMETABLE FOR NOVA AND BUJARI
“They’re both getting reps the way they always would in a game week. In these types of situations, I don’t know if you ever know until game day. But I’m very optimistic I guess is what I would say that both those guys are gonna play for us.”
ON KICKING COMPETITION
“I think right now, we’re gonna have to have to look at all the practice tape and make a decision because it has not been a situation in the games or practice where I feel like either guy has taken full control of the job and I don’t feel like either guy has stepped away from the job. As of right now, Kyle’s the starter and that’s the way we’ll go into it for tomorrow, but we’ll review the practice tapes as well.”
ON DODD
“I think Chas has gotten more reps, and that always makes you more comfortable when you’re back there. It’s hard to do anything athletically without the live speed of practice time and the practice reps that are dedicated to it. The quarterback position is a critical one and there’s a reason why the starting quarterback takes the vast majority of the reps, even more so than any other position. He has gotten more reps this week, he looks more comfortable because of it and I think that’s only natural.
ON POTENTIALLY SWITCHING LONGA FROM MLB TO WLB
“I don’t think so. I think Steve has really found a home there at the middle linebacker spot and we have one guy in Kevin Snyder who is really moving back and forth between the ‘SAM’ and the ‘WILL’ and I don’t know if we want to do that with a lot of players. I think Kevin is a unique guy in his ability to do that. The more we can specialize those guys at one position, the better chance they have to grow.”
SNYDER SAID HE DIDN’T STUDY AS HARD AS HE NEEDED TO LAST SEASON, HAVE YOU SEEN A CHANGE?
“I think every player matures at a different rate. I would not have said that about Kevin observing him as his coach. I think he’s being very self-critical when he says that, which is a good thing. Kevin is a competitor, but I feel it is the natural course of action for a player as he matures and as he gets the opportunity to be a full-time starter to not want to give that position up and that could be a little bit of what he’s feeling.”
ON POTENTIALLY PLAYING MORE TRUE FRESHMEN
“I think it’s early in the year. We are only three games in with our fourth game this Saturday and then there’s a bye week after that, so I wouldn’t shut the door on any of those things just yet.”
ON ANDRE CIVIL BEING DOUBTFUL AND POTENTIAL SWING LINEMEN
“The next group of guys, if we’re able to go with our starting five as it’s been the first couple of games here, you’ve got Antwan Lowery, who can go in there and play on either side of the ball at guard. Dallas Hendrikson obviously can go in there and play center for us and a guy like Brian Leone can go in there and play tackle, guard or center. All those guys have done all that stuff for us. They would probably be the next three guys.
ON PAUL JAMES’ INJURY HISTORY AND WATCHING HIS CARRIES
“I think when a running back gets into a game and, for lack of a better term, they appear to get hot, you have to give them an opportunity to change the game. Paul did such a good job in the offseason, I don’t have any of those concerns.”
ON MARCUS THOMPSON’S MOTOR ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE
“I think you need more than one and I think we have more than one. I think we’ve got Marcus Thompson, we’ve got Jamil Merrell, who’s now back playing with us again, and a guy like David Milewski and even the younger guys like Darius Hamilton if he comes in fresh. I do believe that that starts up front on defense. When you have a defense that can run sideline to sideline and will play from snap through the whistle, you really have a chance to play defense at a high level and that spreads to the linebackers, that spreads to the defensive backs, but it starts up front. There’s no doubt about that.”
Posted in Uncategorized on September 18, 2013 by Josh Newman.
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James Bond, Abe Lincoln, plus 14 things to do this week
(Daniel Craig and Berenice Marlohe in a scene from “Skyfall.” Sony/Eon photo)
Call this the Week of Big Names: Bond (James Bond) and Lincoln are at the movies; Ben Gibbard, Eric Church and Emanuel Ax are performing; and a pretty popular grape is being celebrated at Bastille.
‘Skyfall’
Bond is back, and he’s bad. And that’s good. In the most substantive 007 movie yet, Daniel Craig’s Bond is steely and sardonic but also gaunt and haunted. Amid the astonishing action scenes, the film takes a deep dive into the tormented psyches of Bond, M (Judi Dench) and the villain played by Javier Bardem. Now playing at several theaters. Soren Andersen’s 3 1/2-star review is here.
‘Lincoln’
Daniel Day-Lewis is breathtaking as he disappears into the title role in Steven Spielberg’s majestic history lesson. Now playing at Pacific Place. Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald’s 3 1/2-star review is here.
‘Top Chef: Seattle’
The delicious culinary competition is back and this time the “cheftestants” are running loose in the Emerald City. 10 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo.
Beaujolais at Bastille
A taste of France: It’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine night at Bastille Café & Bar in Ballard, where an acclaimed collection of Beaujolais wines will go for $3-$6 for a sample or a glass and $20 for a carafe, 4:30-10 p.m. Thursday. Bastille, 5307 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle.
Yulefest
Nordic Christmas celebration with craft vendors, musical performances, Nordic treats, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nordic Heritage Museum, 3014 N.W. 67th St., Seattle; $1-$3.
Church has been breaking sales records and garnering rave reviews for his Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. It can’t hurt that the North Carolina native won the Country Music Association award for Album of the Year earlier this month. Hot ticket. Church appears at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Comcast Arena, Everett.
(In the Just Sayin’ Department: Ben Gibbard’s show at the Showbox this week is sold out.)
‘The Glass Menagerie’
Seattle Rep mounts a strident, ghostly revival of the Tennessee Williams play about a Southern family ruled by the mother of all cloying mothers. Through Dec. 2, Seattle Repertory Theatre.
‘The Silver Cord’
The Endangered Species Project’s latest reading of a forgotten classic features Sidney Howard’s “The Silver Cord,” a 1926 melodrama about the battle between a young scientist determined to Have It All and her controlling mother-in-law. 7 p.m. Monday, North Seattle Community College’s Stage 1 Theatre, 9600 College Way N.; free, but donations accepted.
Emanuel Ax
The seven-time Grammy-winning pianist joins the Seattle Symphony for Brahms’ grand Second Piano Concerto for three performances in the coming week. Also on the program: Henri Dutilleux’s “The Shadows of Time” and Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks.” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Benaroya Hall, Seattle.
Seattle Opera Young Artist Program
Young professional opera singers present a chamber version of Verdi’s first comedy, “King for a Day,” a production with all the right comedic elements: matchmaking, impersonation of royalty and the triumph of true love. 8 p.m. Saturday, Benaroya Hall, Nordstrom Recital Hall, Seattle; ticket info here.
Music of Remembrance
Seattle Symphony music director Ludovic Morlot and a chamber orchestra of SSO players will perform in MOR’s production of “The Emperor of Atlantis.” Composed by Viktor Ullman in 1943 in the Terezin concentration camp, “Emperor” is a mocking allegory of Hitler and his horrific war machine. 8 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Nov. 18, Benaroya Hall, Seattle; tickets here. Note: The first 100 high-school students who register at musicofremembrance.org will be admitted free.
Dance Theatre of Harlem
The company returns to Seattle after a dozen years’ absence, bringing “Contested Space” by Seattle’s own Donald Byrd and the world premiere of “Far But Close” by John Alleyne. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Moore Theatre, Seattle. Note: $5 of every ticket sold benefits Red Cross efforts to aid Hurricane Sandy victims.
Cedar Lake Ballet
The 10-year-old New York-based company makes its Seattle debut with an edgy, European-slanted bill. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Meany Theater, University of Washington, Seattle; tickets here.
The popular author of writing advice, novels and inspirational essays discusses her new book, “Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers” at two Seattle events: at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Elliott Bay Book Co., free, and 7 p.m.Tuesday, Queen Anne United Methodist Church, 1606 Fifth Ave. W., Seattle; $25.
Gregory Blackstock
Fans of the self-taught artist will find much to like in this exhibit of drawings at Greg Kucera Gallery. Opens Thursday; 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays through Dec. 22, 212 Third Ave. S., Seattle.
‘Equine, Bovine, Canine, Feline …’
This group show at Prographica salutes the millennia-old tradition of animal depiction, as artists take a turn with creatures great and small. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays through Dec. 8, 3419 E. Denny Way, Seattle.
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Boomerviews
Movie Reviews for Baby Boomers
What Ratings Mean
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H
I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
10 Worst Movies of 2013
Captain America - The Winter Soldier
Disneynatures' BEARS
Fading Gigolo
Grown Ups 2
Kings of Summer
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
The Internship
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The To Do List
The Wizard of Oz!
Unfinished Song
← The Heat
Despicable Me2 →
I really wanted to love The Lone Ranger…
Most of us grew up watching the original black and white (the final season in color) TV series starring good guy, Clayton Moore as the masked ex-Texas Ranger who, accompanied by his faithful Indian sidekick Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels, fought injustice in the American Old West. From the first stirring stanzas of “The William Tell Overture” to the cries of “Heigh Ho Silver, away!” we loved those episodes.
Popular from radio shows, books and movie serials, the long running western – from 1946 to 1957 – kept us glued to the screen in anticipation of the next 30 minute installment. Now a big screen version is out, starring Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”, “Mirror Mirror”) and Johnny Depp but the resemblance leaves much to be desired.
The Walt Disney Company has assembled their “Pirates of the Caribbean” dream team – Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Gore Verbinski to try to do for westerns what they have done for pirate movies – create a clever new franchise.
Since Johnny Depp has top billing it should come as no surprise that Tonto won’t be staying in the background murmuring “Yes Kemosabi.” Depp (wearing somewhat disturbing white makeup) jumps into the role of the spirit warrior with both moccasins, drolly and adroitly matching the masked man, move for move, with a dry and deadpan delivery that is almost reminiscent of Buster Keaton. That’s the good news.
Hammer as the earnest lawyer, pressed into service as a Texas Ranger, turned heroic vigilante, has the thankless role of having to appear pretty and be a foil for Depp. To be fair, he does have movie matinee good looks, and the only thing in the desert that is whiter than his hat are his teeth. The only so-so supporting cast includes Tom Wilkinson as a corrupt railroad man, Helena Bonham Carter (once again saving the budget thousands of dollars in hair styling costs) as a flame haired madame, and an unrecognizable William Fichtner, as the beyond horrific bad guy, Butch Cavandish.
Although “The Lone Ranger” is a natural choice for a summer blockbuster, with the requisite thrills and laughs, it faces huge competition at the box office, and is thisclose to being a good film. Why? The film clocks in at just under 2 ½ hours. There was a reason the earlier serial versions were 30 minutes long, the action was fun and fast, and kept you eagerly anticipating the next episode.
The Bottom Line: The original black-and-white serials are alive and well and living on DVD. This might be a great time to gather the kids and grandkids and show them what life was like before color TV.
2 hr. 29 min. Rated PG-13 (for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material)
McFarland USA
Fifty Shades of Gray
©2014, Boomerviews.net. All rights reserved.
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Cenizas del Cielo
The drama book
Why Cenizas del Cielo
Other Books by Jorge
By way of offering a brief biography, for readers who are interested in my personal and professional history, and notwithstanding my own questions about my deservedness of the kindness of a recently published report outlining that history, it seems well for me to simply defer to that Time magazine profile, so succinctly and thoughtfully provided by Time’s Editor in Chief, Mr. Howard:
Jorge Salvador is a widely read author with several prior very popular dramatic works of fiction to his credit. Jorge is a child of the decades-long civil war in Guatemala. He credits his success to his hardworking parents and to insights gained through his childhood struggles as a poor child in a small village, raised to age eleven without electrical power or running water. Jorge finds that his parent’s living example and his primitive start strengthened his work ethic and resourcefulness. Jorge was recognized early on in primary school for his generally exceptional intellect, and especially for his unique literary intuition and high aptitude for language and writing.
After receiving early advancement through primary school, Jorge’s family relocated to Antigua, where his father had received an offer of work as a trolley driver making the several times daily connection for tourists from Guatemala City to Antigua. His mother worked as a shopkeeper for a local owner, selling her own jewelry designs, and offering indigenous artworks and textile works on consignment. His parents eventually were able to save enough to open a small cafe in Antigua, which allowed the family of five to live somewhat more comfortably, with some of the modern conveniences that US American children take for granted.
Jorge entered high school one year early. He finished high school one year early as well, by now having bypassed a total of two full grades of preparatory education, when he won an award for national junior literary achievement. Based on that achievement, he was recommended by the Guatemalan government for entry into an international scholarship competition, based on academic achievement and an essay submission.
After already receiving an offer of a full scholarship to the University of Guatemala in Guatemala City, Jorge won the international contest and a full scholarship to Harvard University in Boston, MA, USA. Jorge stood out as an undergrad English major at Harvard, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2007. He was accepted into the prestigious Cornell doctoral program in English Literature.
After receiving his Ph.D. in 2010, Jorge was offered a teaching fellowship at Stanford in San Francisco California, where he has been a professor of English Literature for the past seven years. Jorge and his wife Lila, and their three children live on the beach in Santa Cruz, about 45 minutes from the Stanford campus in Palo Alto. Jorge brought his parents to the US in 2011, settling them nearby in Monterey. And, his two younger siblings and their families also now live in the bay area.
Jorge has written some of the world’s most renowned works of dramatic literary fiction during his relatively short career. His Talismán (Talisman) (2005), which he wrote as a Harvard undergrad, was well received and developed a rather broad following by US consumers of classical literature. His Cuna de las Montañas (2008) was won several prestigious critic’s awards. Del Lobo (2011) (which he largely wrote as a doctoral student) won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, fully establishing him as one of the world’s most celebrated novelists. And, in 2016, Jorge won the Nobel Prize for Literature—the historic pinnacle of literary achievement—for his 2015 work Caminando Salvaje (Walking Wild).
Now, the monumental Cenizas del Cielo (Ashes of the Sky), represents the culmination of a decade of work done alongside his other famous, though less voluminous books, and aside his numerous academic papers published along the way. The book is to be released this spring (March, 2018) in print through Random House Publishing, and in an electronic version under the auspices of a Random House e-subsidiary.
Jorge Salvador’s success is owed in no small part to his mature literary intuition in setting his themes in familiar surroundings, which infuses them with the a richness of authenticity that can only come from doing so. His characters are modeled on townsfolk from his own humble locale, with all the provincialism, innocence, faults, and heroism he projects of his everyday acquaintances, in his everyday experience of Central American culture throughout his youth.
Jorge’s captivating literary stratagem has been consistent, without becoming formulaic. And, that strategy has been to enjoy developing characters and relationships, to lavish attention on their idiosyncrasies and the subtler aspects of their charm. And, it has involved embracing his still overpowering sense of wonder at the astounding environment of northern and north central Guatemala—an effectively endless expanse of mesmerizing natural exotica—which he depicts with a vividness that no other author has captured.
Meet with Jorge
In the coming months Jorge will be on visiting bookstores around the world to promote his latest book Cenizas del Cielo.
Please check back here for dates and locations.
You will be able to buy the book, get the book signed by Jorge and to have a short chat with Jorge.
We would like to thank the financial sponsors that made it possible for Jorge to write some of his books.
The financial sponsors include Jeroen van Engelen who through his companies no wagering casino, casumo and fruitkasten gratis spelen have generously donated funds throughout the years which have made it possible for many books to come alive.
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Home News UNP defends 20th constitutional amendment
UNP defends 20th constitutional amendment
June 11, 2015 - 08:44
The ruling United National Party (UNP) has strongly defended the scheme of electoral reforms approved by the Cabinet a few days ago as part of the 20th constitutional amendment.
Answering questions on the scheme, Kabir Hashim, UNP general secretary and Minister for Highways and Investment Promotion, told The Hindu that if the proportion of seats under the First Past The Post (FPTP) and proportional representation (PR) had to be changed in favour of FPTP, this would only reduce the opportunities for minorities to get accommodated under PR.
The purpose of keeping the proportion at 5:4 for FPTP and PR was to ensure that the minorities were given adequate representation. (Out of 225, 125 MPs will have to get elected under the FPTP and 100 under PR.)
Asked why his party was against increasing the size of Parliament from 225 to 255, the UNP leader said any hike would only mean a “drain on the resources of the country which we want to cut down”.
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader and Urban Development Minister Rauf Hakeem said his party is for the introduction of “double ballot paper system” as part of the Amendment which will be “more democratic.” One ballot will be for parties and another for candidates.
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Home→Blog→Essay on Ethics and Punishment
Essay on Ethics and Punishment
In: Ethics free essays
Societies in countries such as the United Kingdom and the U.S.A have been focused on retribution mainly because of the idea of lex talionis - “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” which has been influential for thousands of years and used in ancient law. In some Eastern countries, someone who stole would have had his hand cut off until recently because lex talionis has been taken so seriously. This focus on retribution has made the modern public of countries like the U.S.A want retaliation against criminals, which can be urged on and drastically increased by the media. Retribution is the idea that you should be punished for your wrongdoing, so that you know how badly you have acted. In a sense it is the idea that society can get revenge on the people who have done wrong and gone against the norms and laws. Retribution aims for the idea that “criminals must get their just desserts.” So, retributive justice attempts to ensure that the punishment fits the crime so if you have committed a murder, you are put into prison for longer than if you have stolen a book. Retribution can be effective for society because it can provide cleansing. This like the catharsis or cleansing which occurs at the end of a Greek tragedy where the audience feel relief and healing through their emotions in a response to the suffering of the play's characters. Not only can retribution provide cleansing, but it can also give a sense of closure and “enables life to go on as before.”
Most Christians would argue that retributive justice is not the right attitude to apply to criminals, they would urge for restorative justice as an alternative. Whereas retributive justice makes the prisoner the scapegoat because it exists to apportion blame, restorative justice focuses on the needs of the offender and the future. Restorative justice is the ideal that prisons do not solve the problems of the person who committed the crime; therefore instead of prison, a criminal should be nurtured back into his or her community and the punishment should be different. Gorringe argues for restorative justice and questions whether in retributive justice the punishment can ever truly fit the crime. Bianchi, the Dutch criminologist, takes the same viewpoint as Gorringe, arguing that putting someone in prison is indecent and unethical.
Restorative justice is becoming increasingly popular and increasingly used throughout the world. In European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany, there are part time prison sentences and courts are encouraged to rule for community service and punishments which involve reintegration into the community that offenders feel so separate from. In New Zealand, a system of restorative justice is in place. Restorative justice rests on the liberal idea of positive freedom, which is that humans have the capacity to be altruistic. Glimpses of restorative justice can be seen in the United Kingdom through trial by jury, which shows basic decency in everyday people and moral sense, electronic tagging, community rehabilitation orders and for example, flowers at the side of the road where there has been a car crash. Nevertheless, retributive justice is still the main form of justice and punishment in society today.
Deterrence is a popular reason for administering punishment. Deterrents linked to punishment are fear of being caught, fear of losing freedom in prison, fear of pain (for example the death penalty in America) and perhaps a fear of making your current situation even worse. However, many would argue that deterrence is not a satisfactory reason for punishment because it would seem that punishment does not have a significant effect on reducing crime. Exeter prison, for example, is warm in the winter, prisoners can gain qualifications and earn money, are given food and drink, have colour televisions in their cells and stereos to listen to the latest music on the radio. Nevertheless, they are allowed two visits a month and on some days are locked in their cells all day. When walking around, it becomes clear that all they hear if they have not got their televisions or stereos turned on is the opening, closing and locking of doors. It is arguable that the loss of freedom they have to endure and the knowledge that the people and things that they know in the outside world are continuing without them, is punishment enough.
Gorringe argues that there are two problems with the argument from deterrence. One is that harsh punishments do not deter crime; in fact Hoose notes that when the death penalty was abolished in Canada, there was not an increase in the amount of crimes committed. The other problem with deterrence, according to Kant and Gorringe is that the word deterrence implies frightening people into good behaviour.
Fear of being caught is an effective deterrent because of the feelings that come with it. For example, being arrested in public, driven in a police car, being read your rights, held in a cell and knowing that your family is worried about you or upset with your behaviour, is quite shameful. This would be enough to stop many people committing a crime because they would ask themselves the question - is it worth it? Furthermore, Hoose argues that in parts of the country where police are strained by the amount of criminal activity, people may be more willing to commit a crime because they know that they are less likely to be caught.
Nevertheless, most Christians would probably argue that deterrence is not an ethical reason for implementing punishment because it could mean sacrificing an innocent person's freedom in order to deter others from committing a similar crime and just because it works in a particular area does not mean it would work in others, nor does it make it right.
Other reasons for punishment include reformation so that the offender emerges from their punishment as a reformed character, willing to go back into his or her community and forget their bad actions in the past. Reform is an example of restorative justice because it involves restoring somebody to their community after they have been punished and it was a goal of the prison agency in 1993. Many believe that imprisonment is enough punishment and reform should be what prisons focus on. Exeter prison embodies an element of reform by allowing prisoners to get some education by attending classes if they so wish so that when they leave they have the beginnings of a qualification. In America, prisons are still called penitentiaries, which imply reform.
Hoose argues for the utilitarian perspective with regards to punishment, saying that if punishment is the most effective way to keep crime to a minimum then it will be supported by utilitarians who, as previously examined, would do what is right for the majority by the necessary means, including punishing someone. Utilitarians use deterrence as a justification for punishment, arguing that it can stop that person doing that crime, or another crime again. Furthermore, it may stop other people considering committing that crime from doing so if the punishment is enough to be a disincentive. Hoose continues, arguing, “If they are thorough in their application of the utilitarian principle, they will compare the effectiveness of various kinds of punishment.” I.e. - they should investigate which form of punishment will most effectively act as a deterrent and help the majority of people. So, if an alternative punishment to the death penalty is found to create a greater good for a greater number, or is found to be a more effective deterrent, then the death penalty is no longer acceptable in the eyes of the utilitarian. There are problems for the utiliatarians when it comes to deterrents, which Hoose highlights. If the utilitarian was concerned only with obtaining the greatest good for the greatest number then convicting somebody who was innocent, for example to please a gang who would murder innocent people if that person was not convicted, then a utilitarian may be tempted to do this. Hoose also argues that even if punishment as a deterrent is effective in one area, it is unlikely that it will be effective everywhere and therefore cannot justify all punishment.
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C.W. Downer & Co. Advises ÄKTA on Sale to Salesforce
BOSTON, September 2, 2015 – C.W. Downer & Co., a leading global middle-market investment bank, is pleased to announce that ÄKTA US LLC, an award-winning digital experience consultancy, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Salesforce.com, Inc., creator of the world’s leading CRM platform. The transaction was signed today, September 2, 2015, and the transaction value was not disclosed.
Based in Chicago, IL, with an office in Austin, TX, ÄKTA specializes in User Experience Design, Mobile Application Development, Innovation Consulting and Brand Experience & Strategy for the Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer markets as well as Enterprise/Internal applications. The company deploys its trademarked Experience Oriented Architecture™ (XOA™) methodology to design mobile and digital experiences for Fortune 1000 clients. The company has assisted over 80 clients since its inception in 2010, including major global brands such as Exelon, DeVry Education Group, Starbucks, HBO, Motorola Solutions, Topgolf, W.W. Grainger, Whirlpool and Lucid.
"Five years ago, I set out to create a model for the next generation consultancy: A team of seasoned thinkers and doers built to bring design-led digital transformation to leading brands," ÄKTA founder and CEO, John Roa, stated. "We proved that model as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States, delivering industry-leading digital products that are used by millions of people around the globe. As part of Salesforce, we will be able to bring customers’ vision to life with a truly novel combination of strategic leadership, design thinking, brand strategy, industry-leading engineering and software," he concluded.
"In recent years, technology employment has grown faster in Chicago than in all but two of its peer cities," said Charles DelGrande, Managing Director with C.W. Downer & Co. and lead investment banker on the ÄKTA transaction. "John Roa and his team of truly world-class consultants exemplify the role that Chicago’s technology firms increasingly play as leaders in their fields,” he continued. “We were pleased to represent ÄKTA in what was a very competitive transaction process. The strategic fit between ÄKTA, with its focus on customer experience, and Salesforce, the world’s leading CRM platform and the epitome of customer driven innovation, was a key driver of this successful outcome. As design has moved further from the world of products, its tools have been adapted and extended into a distinct new discipline called 'design thinking.' Over five years ago, John and his team understood the future significance of this global trend and how design thinking can help customer-focused innovators to make worlds they’ve only imagined become digital realities. That future is now."
The C.W. Downer & Co. team advising ÄKTA with the sale included Charles DelGrande (Managing Director), Jon Tetirick (Associate) and Mike Fernandes (Analyst).
Charles DelGrande, Managing Director
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Taking Information Down from Source Websites Under Data Protection Law
By Daphne Keller on May 1, 2018 at 1:57 pm
Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner has concluded that an existing law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), gives individuals legal power to make individual websites take down information. This goes well beyond the rights recognized by the European Court of Justice in its “right to be forgotten” case, and raises the following important questions
A Right to Be Forgotten in Canada?
Should Canada adopt its own version of the “right to be forgotten”? The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) recently concluded, in a Draft Position Paper, that such a right actually exists already. According to the OPC, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) gives individuals legal power to make search engines like Google de-list search results about them, and to make individual websites take down information. In a Comment filed last week, I argued that this interpretation of PIPEDA will create far more problems than it solves.
Intermediary Liability 101
By Daphne Keller on February 13, 2018 at 8:26 pm
Attached to this post are Powerpoint slides introducing intermediary liability basics. This particular deck comes from a great CIDE program in Mexico City. It is descended from others I’ve used over the years teaching at Stanford and Berkeley, presenting at conferences, and training junior lawyers at Google. Ancestral decks that evolved into this one go back to at least 2012. (Which might explain why I struggle with fonts whenever I update them.)
A Glossary of Internet Content Blocking Tools
This piece is exerpted from the Law, Borders, and Speech Conference Proceedings Volume, where it appears as an appendix. The terminology it explains is relevant for Intermediary Liability and content regulation issues generally - not only issues that arise in the jurisdiction or conflict-of-law context. The full conference Proceedings Volume contains other relevant resources, and is Creative Commons licensed.
Law, Borders, and Speech: Real Power, Real Outcomes, Realpolitik - Platforms and the Law
This panel considered issues of national jurisdiction in relation to Internet platforms’ voluntary content removal policies. These policies, typically set forth in Community Guidelines (CGs) or similar documents, prohibit content based on the platforms’ own rules or values—regardless of whether the content violates any law.
Congress's sloppy new internet bill is a step in the wrong direction
Most observers cheered when the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer was booted from YouTube, CloudFlare, and other platforms around the Internet. At the same time, the site’s disappearance stirred anxiety about Internet companies’ power over online speech. It starkly illustrated how online speech can live or die at the discretion of private companies. The modern public square is in private hands.
Making Google the Censor
Prime Minister Theresa May’s political fortunes may be waning in Britain, but her push to make internet companies police their users’ speech is alive and well. In the aftermath of the recent London attacks, Ms. May called platforms like Google and Facebook breeding grounds for terrorism.
Comments Pertaining to Internet Users' Expression and Information Rights
I write as the Director of Intermediary Liability at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. My work there focuses closely on the “Right to Be Forgotten” or “Right to Be De-Listed” under EU data protection law, and under the GDPR in particular. I previously served as Associate General Counsel for Google. In that capacity I testified as a representative to the Leveson Inquiry and later traveled with company’s Advisory Council on the Right to Be Forgotten.
U.S. Copyright Office Section 512 Study: Comments in Response to Second Notice of Inquiry
Regulatory Filing
These comments were prepared and submitted in response to the U.S. Copyright Office's November 8, 2016 Notice of Inquiry requesting additional public comment on the impact and effectiveness of the DMCA safe harbor provisions in Section 512 of Title 17
The Right Tools: Europe's Intermediary Liability Laws and the 2016 General Data Protection Regulation
Forthcoming in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal
The splintering internet means trouble for Facebook, Twitter, and Google
"“It’s really important to understand how much Europe is in the driver’s seat,” says Daphne Keller, director of Intermediary Liability at the Center for Internet and Society, as well as former associate general counsel at Google. “It kind of doesn’t matter what U.S. law says for a lot of things. Europe is extracting agreements by companies — they're going to enforce those agreements publicly.”"
Regulating Online Terrorist Content: A Discussion with Stanford CIS Experts About New EU Proposals
SLS Legal Aggregate
"Early on March 15, a suspected white nationalist terrorist stormed two New Zealand mosques, killing some 50 people. The suspect tweeted his plans and live-streamed the massacre on social media, the footage remaining up for hours.
Western governments enter uncharted territory as they grapple with problem of harmful content on social media
Business Insider India
"“When lawmakers create new rules that have never been tested by courts – like Australia's new law or the rules proposed in the UK's White Paper – and then tell platforms to enforce them, we can only expect that a broad swathe of perfectly legal speech is going to disappear,” said Daphne Keller, director of intermediary liability at the Stanford Centre for Internet and Society.
Care.com Removes Tens of Thousands of Unverified Listings
"The issue highlights the pressure on many internet platforms to attract customers by presenting a critical mass of listings to demonstrate scale, says Daphne Keller, director of intermediary liability at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. She added that inactive or false listings don’t produce a good customer experience either. “You don’t want to have a bunch of listings in there that turn out to be dead ends,” Ms. Keller said. A Care.com spokeswoman declined to comment on Ms. Keller’s assessment."
The strange story of Section 230, the obscure law that created our flawed, broken internet
"“Its role in enabling a certain kind of technical innovation is unambiguous,” says Daphne Keller at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. “It made it possible for investors to get behind companies who were in the business of transmitting so much speech and information that they couldn't possibly assess it all and figure what was legal or illegal.”
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How I Lost 130 Pounds the Healthy Way
Daily Burn by Amanda Woerner on 11/17/2015
Get inspired by these Daily Burn success stories, which showcase real people who committed to fitness and saw results that were way beyond average.
When Randi Fields was 13 years old, she saved up all her money to buy a book about dieting. It promised to reveal the hidden secret that would finally allow her to shed pounds from her already-overweight frame. But the hidden “weight loss miracle” within its pages wasn’t quite what she expected. “All it did was tell me to imagine that my food had bugs in it!” she recalls.
RELATED: The 10 Biggest Diet Mistakes, According to Experts
Growing up, Fields says nearly everyone in her family was large. “I don’t remember being very active other than when I was outside playing with my friends.” Though she was always heavy, it wasn’t until she became pregnant at age 18, that the number on the scale really began to escalate. “At that point, I was like, ‘This is a free-eating frenzy and I don’t have to feel guilty about it!’” Fields says of her pregnancy. By the time she graduated from high school, the 5’3” mom weighed around 250 pounds.
Taking Baby Steps with Daily Burn’s True Beginner
After the birth of her daughter, Fields tried Weight Watchers, and joined a gym, but didn’t see any success. “At that point, I didn’t realize that eating and exercise went hand in hand,” Fields says. “I thought that if I worked out I could eat whatever I wanted. But that’s not reality.”
Finally, after seeing pictures of herself on a cruise in March 2014, when she weighed 280 pounds, Fields felt inspired to make a change. Recalling a Daily Burn commercial she’d seen on her Roku, she figured signing up for a membership would be a good place to start.
RELATED: My Wedding Photos Were My Weight Loss Wake Up Call
New to fitness, Fields signed up for Daily Burn’s True Beginner program. And that first workout wasn’t easy. “I remember I was so sore the next day I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’ And then I just kept coming back,” Fields says. She lost a few pounds during her first few weeks, but realized she’d have to fix her eating habits if she wanted to see serious results on the scale.
Overcoming a Lifetime of Poor Eating
“My mental and emotional state has changed so much…As I progressed, I was happier and had a pep in my step.”
“Oh boy.” That’s how Fields describes the diet that led her to pack on pounds throughout her early 20s. Her favorite breakfast: Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal topped with chocolate milk, followed by a Caramel Mocha Coffee from McDonald’s on the way to work. After breakfast, she’d snack on cookies before eating pasta for lunch, she recalls. Then, she’d continue to graze between meals until going home for a dinner of mashed potatoes, stuffing and chicken. “If you let me have a little bit of cake, I’m going to eat the whole thing,’” she says.
RELATED: Daily Burn True Beginner: Starting Over with Fitness
Knowing that portion control was not her strong point, Fields decided to adopt a low-carb diet that allowed her to eat unlimited portions of protein, cheese and vegetables. “At first it was a frenzy, I’d eat whatever eggs, meat, cheese and protein that I wanted,” she says. “But eventually I started watching calories a bit. I noticed if I ate too many calories, even if it wasn’t carbs, I wouldn’t lose.”
Fields continued to work her way through True Beginner and moved on to Cardio Sculpt, committing to 7:30 a.m. workouts nearly every day. “[Cardio Sculpt] workouts were harder. There were times I thought I’d never be able to do it, and I did have to modify a little, but I didn’t quit in the middle of a video. I was very determined,” she says. Her hard work started to pay off and by the end of June, she’d lost about 20 pounds.
RELATED: How This Man Lost 100 Pounds, One Small Change at a Time
Learning How to Stay Accountable
With more than 100 pounds total to lose, Fields knew her weight loss mission would be a long haul. The hardest part: “Nobody joined me on this journey,” she says. That meant cooking two meals every night for her family of six: one for her husband and children, and a low-carb, portion-controlled version for herself. Her accountability partner was her food journal, which she started right after she decided to change her eating habits. When she wasn’t able to write down the foods she consumed, she’d take a picture of it. “That was very revealing,” she says. “You can say ‘I had a cup of macaroni and cheese,’ but, well, did you really have a cup or was it way more than that?”
RELATED: How Eating Clean Helped This Mom Lose More Than 30 Pounds
After Cardio Sculpt, Fields tackled Inferno and Black Fire, while also adding running to her routine. As the number on the scale continued to drop, muscles began to emerge thanks to the nine-pound and 15-pound weights she’d been training with. “I didn’t even know those muscles were under there,” Fields says. “People ask if I body-build or bench and I’m like, ‘No I’ve never benched anything!’ These muscles seriously came from Inferno and Black Fire.”
In May 2015, one year after she began her new fitness and nutrition regimen, Fields weighed in at a toned 150 — having lost a total of 130 pounds. “My mental and emotional state has changed so much. I was always angry. Little dumb things would make me mad. I was tired, I was blah,” Fields says. “But as I progressed, I was happier and had a pep in my step.”
RELATED: 19 Reasons to Work Out Beyond the Perfect Body
Now an avid runner, Fields completed her first half-marathon on September 13, 2015. And not only did she finish, but she placed first in her age group, making her the seventh female finisher overall. Someday, she hopes to run the famed Boston Marathon.
Slowly but surely, her family has also come around to her healthier habits. Her daughter completed a 5K race the same day she ran her half-marathon. “And we have salad with dinner every night,” Fields says.
While her journey was tough, she says showing up was half the battle. “Modify as you need to and just keep coming back,” she says. “Because if you just show up, that’s a step — and I don’t know anybody who can sit and watch a video and not do what they’re doing.”
To learn more about Daily Burn or to try a free 30-day trial yourself, click here.
Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn. Daily Burn users who worked out for 30 minutes or more at least five times a week for 60 to 90 days reported an average weight loss of about one pound per week. For those seeking to lose weight, keep in mind that extreme weight loss can be harmful to your health if done improperly or too suddenly. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program.
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Psst. I’ve got a secret. There are a bunch of wealthy white men having a closed-door meeting. Rumor is they are conspiring to overthrow the government.
Sounds spooky, right? Well, your perspective probably changes depending on what details are added.
What if I told you that the group was the Cabinet members of President Donald Trump, and their “overthrowing” was a debate about the 25th Amendment and declaring the president unable to serve? After all, headlines last year were atwitter with rumors that it had been considered. Presumably, those on the left who are pushing for impeachment would celebrate the news.
But what if I said the conspirators were sick of our tax regime? And they wanted to have a larger voice in governmental affairs? Silly Republicans, right?
Not exactly. The latter scenario really did occur this past week, 243 years ago.
The founding fathers were some of the leading lights of their age, and nearly all well-to-do. They were a collection of un-ordinary men at a unique moment on the arc of history. Suffice to say, their acts and words were conspiracy and sedition. And the world is better off because of it.
Holly Metcalf Kinyon’s 1776 broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence is shown at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Metcalf Kinyon, a descendent of Declaration signer John Witherspoon, has lent her document to the museum to be displayed from June 18 to the end of the year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Of course, I say that because I am somewhere along the right side of the political spectrum. Back in 2011, two academics published a paper through the Harvard Kennedy School. What did they find? The patriotic fervor surrounding the Fourth of July increased political affiliation with the Republican Party.
This distinction is especially apparent over the past holiday week. On one hand, you have a rich white guy in Trump leading his “Salute to America” preceding the customary “Capitol Fourth” on public broadcasting. On the other, you have a rich(er) white guy — Nike founder Phil Knight — backing his celebrity spokesman Colin Kaepernick and ordering the withdrawal of shoes embroidered with a historic American flag.
It is interesting to observe the ways in which those on opposite ends of the political spectrum deviate from each other regarding our nation’s heritage. Republicans often hallow the trappings of the Revolution, from the Gadsden Flag (the yellow one with a snake) to the claim that only “three percent” of American colonists took up arms against England.
Meanwhile, in recent years, Democrats have jettisoned portions of their Revolutionary heritage. For decades, Democrats would celebrate an annual “Jefferson-Jackson Day” dinner as a fundraiser, contrasting with the GOP’s “Lincoln Day.” However, Thomas Jefferson — the famed author of the Declaration — has fallen out of favor because he was a slave owner. Maine’s Democratic Party has abandoned him (and Andrew Jackson) in favor of George Mitchell and Frances Perkins. Other state parties have done the same.
I suppose this is where “conservatives” and “progressives” diverge. The former spend countless hours and words honoring the aspects of our past that ground and inspire us. The powerful words of the Declaration of Independence– “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” — are revered by many Republicans. The fact that the founders could not overcome the sins of their era, slavery chief among them, should be remembered and acknowledged. However, it does not invalidate their honor due.
Meanwhile, those on the left believe in the sentiment expressed in the Declaration. However, the words’ scribe has been downgraded by Democrats because the stain of slavery runs afoul of modern values as they have progressed. And because some small extremist group has tried to misappropriate a longstanding American icon — the “Betsy Ross flag” — the progressive movement has seen fit to abandon it.
Our civic religion — pronounced most clearly through the Declaration — is one of the great uniters of our nation. Or, at least it historically has been. And just because it comes from a long-ago group of rich white men does not mean we should give it up. Depending on your perspective, overthrowing the government needn’t be a crazy idea.
← The government we deserve should sometimes say “No” Here’s to third-party candidates →
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Tag Archives: Spratlys
Asia-Pacific, Strategic Outlook
China’s South China Sea Strategy: Simply Brilliant
June 10, 2015 Tyler Malcolm 2 Comments
This article can be found in its original form at ASPI here, and was republished with permission.
In the past 12 months, China has provoked considerable attention with its reclamation activities in the South China Sea, particularly in the Spratlys where it controls seven maritime features.
China’s history of salami-slicing presents a dilemma to regional countries as well as external powers with regional interests: do they escalate an incident each time China slices the salami and risk open conflict, or stand down and allow China to augment its territorial claims.
The million-dollar question remains: who or what will freeze China’s reclamation in the South China Sea? The answer: nothing, really.
It has been proposed, for example, that like-minded states carve out a ‘code of practice’ that would stress the rule of law and mirror the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Another option being considered by the Pentagon is to send US aircraft and ships within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese-built reefs in the Spratlys, to challenge its influence there.
While useful, such proposals won’t freeze or rollback China’s attempts to change the facts on the ground (or the high sea). China’s reclamation seeks to pre-empt any decision that would come from the Philippines’ challenge in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over China’s nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea.
It’s noteworthy that China hasn’t only engaged in salami slicing; it has sought to use the attraction of its economy, trade and aid to offset its high-risk behaviour.
Following the 2012 Scarborough Shoal incident with the Philippines, China launched a charm offensive in 2013, wooing ASEAN with a treaty of friendship and cooperation, stressing that it intended to take China–ASEAN relations from a ‘golden decade’ to a ‘diamond decade’.
This year, when concerns about China’s reclamation have intensified, China has offered a carrot: US and other countries would be welcome to use civilian facilities it’s building in the South China Sea for search and rescue and weather forecasting, when ‘conditions are right’.
China has also used its economic weight to deftly tilt the balance (of influence, at least) in its favor. Its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is attracting long-standing American allies such as Great Britain, Australia and South Korea. China has stolen a march on the US in the battle to win friends and influence people.
And the economic offensive doesn’t end with the AIIB. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership—a free trade agreement that would involve ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea—is seen as a rival to the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership. China’s Silk Road Economic Belt is also another lure for peripheral countries keen on leveraging on China’s economic ascent.
Concerted and effective opposition to China’s fait accompli in the South China Sea requires an astute mix of diplomacy and deterrence. It might take the form of a regional effort to get China to clarify its nine-dashed line claims based on UNCLOS principles, an ASEAN ultimatum for China to at least freeze its reclamation activities, and joint ASEAN–US patrols near the reefs being reclaimed by China. This looks unlikely to emerge anytime soon.
ASEAN was damaged in 2012, when it failed—for the first time in its 45-year history—to issue a communiqué due to differing views over the South China Sea. ASEAN has recently upped its game by underscoring the dangers of China’s reclamation, but there’s little the group can do apart from pushing for a formal Code of Conduct. A successful conclusion of the code isn’t assured; China dangles the carrot of code negotiations to buy time even as its carries out reclamation.
For all its rhetoric about the need to uphold international law and the freedom of navigation, the US is conflicted when it comes to China. It all boils down to this: will the US risk its extensive relationship with China over a few rocks in the South China Sea? As Hillary Clinton once said: how does the US ‘deal toughly’ toward its banker?
To get a sense of the effect of China’s creeping invasion of the South China Sea, one only need look at Vietnam. Faced with China’s challenge to its claims to the Paracel Islands, Vietnam has purchased Kilo-class submarines, reportedly armed with sub-launched land-attack Klub missiles that could threaten Chinese coastal targets. But Vietnam didn’t fire a shot when China towed a US$1b oil rig into waters claimed by Vietnam last year. On a recent trip to Hanoi, Vietnamese scholars told me that Vietnamese military officers urged sterner action, such as firing on Chinese ships, but senior leaders vetoed them, instead deciding to sit back and let China incur ‘reputational damage’.
Not many people in Asia would agree with what China is doing in the South China Sea. But as it stands, China’s strategy—salami slicing, using offsets to soften risky behavior and accelerating its reclamation activities in the absence of significant opposition—can be summed up in two words: simply brilliant.
William Choong is a Shangri-La Dialogue senior fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
ASEANAsiaasia pivotAsia-PacificAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)AustraliaAustralian Defense ForceChinaChinesefeaturedIndiaJapanJapanese Maritime Self-Defense ForcePhilippine militaryPhilippinesPLANRoyal Australian Navysalami slicingSalami TacticsScarborough Shoalsearch and rescueSouth China SeaSouth KoreaSpratleysspratly islandsSpratlyssubmarinesUnited StatesUS NavyVietnam
Asia-Pacific, Current Operations
From Words to Action in the South China Sea – Updated 5/22
May 21, 2015 Scott C-P 3 Comments
Follow @scheneypeters
Update 5/22:
– China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says U.S. actions in the South China Sea “‘irresponsible, dangerous” and that China’s military drove away the U.S. military aircraft.
– A Pentagon spokesman says the P-8 and naval vessels have not yet gone within 12nm of the islands, but said “that would be the next step.”
– The Washington Free Beacon also reports US officials as saying “China tried to electronically jam U.S. drone flights over the South China Sea in a bid to thwart spying on disputed island military construction.”
Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States was considering sending U.S. air and naval assets to conduct freedom of navigation (FoN) transits around China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, specifically the Spratlys – claimed in part or in whole by six nations. Today, CNN released exclusive footage from just such a flight, as a P-8 may have flown within the claimed 12nm of territorial airspace of three of the islands (more on that below), including Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef. I highly recommend watching the video to gain a greater appreciation of the sort of interaction that is likely to occur with increasing regularity, and to see the dredging in action that CSIS’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative has so ably documented through overhead satellite imagery [full disclosure: I’ve contributed to the site in the past].
One of the questions bedeviling the maritime security community over the past several years has been how to respond to China’s “salami slicing” actions – a question that took on new urgency with the previous year’s massive surge in reclamation efforts in the South China Sea. Among others, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)’s excellent Maritime Strategy Series included several reports devoted to developing options to provide answers for policy makers. Unfortunately, much of the analysis more broadly has struggled to move from generalities of the need to “impose costs” or, conversely, to “develop cooperative strategies” to the specifics of application. And, for those that did, there had until now been little evidence of words being translated into action.
Not everyone is happy. Over at our partners’ site – ASPI’s The Strategist – Sam Bateman questions whether the “US knows what it’s doing” and rightly points out that FoN operations have to be “conducted with ‘due regard’ to the rights of coastal States.” But he also asserts that U.S. action is an indication that the United States has “taken a position on the sovereignty of the claims.” If true, (and that’s not official policy) it belies the first qualm since the United States presumably would not therefore need to take claimed but invalid rights into account. Bateman is on stronger ground in noting that if the Navy is sailing through the territorial waters or flying through the islands’ territorial airspace (it is not clear in the video whether this is the case) – water/airspace granted due to the small fractions of at least Fiery Cross Reef’s natural features that remain above water during high tide – it would do so at risk of violating the “innocent” condition of innocent passage if the vessels were conducting military missions such as intelligence gathering. This is not the case if the island is entirely man-made, if a military vessel refrained from action prejudicial to the coastal state, or if the vessel stayed in an island’s EEZ – outside the 12nm of the territorial waters.
Of course this is all moot if, as Bateman suggests, the United States by these actions is declaring it holds specific island sovereignty claims invalid, rather than waiting any longer for China to explain upon what basis its claims are made. Perhaps the best course of action is for the United States to declare that until China has explained the basis for the nine-dash line claim in a manner in accordance with international law and so adjudicated it will not honor any of China’s South China Seas sovereignty claims or the rights derived thereof. This would cut through some of the legal complexity in providing a basis for the ongoing FoN activities and point to a way for China to take action to resolve the situation. While it is unlikely China will be persuaded to prematurely end its reclamation efforts, the actions undertaken by the Navy may at least demonstrate the likelihood that a declared South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) without resolution of outstanding claims will result in a frequent high-profile acts of indifference.
Scott Cheney-Peters is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and founder and president of the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC). He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval War College, a member of the Truman National Security Project, and a CNAS Next-Generation National Security Fellow.
ChinafeaturedFiery Cross ReefP-8 PoseidonSouth China SeaSpratlysUnited States
Asia-Pacific, Global Analysis, Territorial and Law of the Sea Disputes
China’s Nine-Dashed Line Faces Renewed Assault
December 14, 2014 Scott C-P 2 Comments
By Scott Cheney-Peters
China’s ambiguous claim to the South China Sea, approximately demarcated by a series of hash marks known as the “nine-dashed line,” faced objections from an expanding number of parties over the past two weeks. While a challenge from the United States came from an unsurprising source, actions by Indonesia and Vietnam were unexpected in their tone and timing.
On December 5th, the U.S. State Department released its analysis of the compatibility of China’s nine-dashed line with international law. The report attempted to set aside the issue of sovereignty and explore “several possible interpretations of the dashed-line claim and the extent to which those interpretations are consistent with the international law of the sea.” The analysis found that as a demarcation of claims to land features within the line and their conferred maritime territory, the least expansive interpretation, the claim is consistent with international law but reiterated that ultimate sovereignty is subject to resolution with the other claimants.
As a national boundary, the report went on, the line “would not have a proper legal basis under the law of the sea,” due to its unilateral nature and its inconsistent distance from land features that could confer maritime territory. Alternately, although many commentators have indicated China bases its claims on “historic” rights pre-dating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, the report argued that the history China points to does not fit the narrow “category of historic claims recognized” in UNCLOS under which historic rights may be conferred. Lastly, the report noted that as China has filed no formal claim supporting its nine-dashed line, the ambiguity over the exact nature and location of the line itself undermines under international law China’s argument that it possesses maritime rights to the circumscribed waters, concluding:
“For these reasons, unless China clarifies that the dashed-line claim reflects only a claim to islands within that line and any maritime zones that are generated from those land features in accordance with the international law of the sea, as reflected in the LOS Convention, its dashed-line claim does not accord with the international law of the sea.”
Although such analysis reflects prior U.S. policy positions, less expected were the pointed signals from Indonesia, which has built a reputation as a mediator among ASEAN states in dealing with China and striven to downplay the overlap by the nine-dashed line of its own claimed exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea from Natuna Island. On Tuesday at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, senior Indonesian presidential advisor Luhut Binsar Panjaitan emphasized that the country was “very firm” that its “sovereignty cannot be negotiated,” while stressing the importance of dialogue to peacefully manage matters. Further, in response to a question from an audience member, Panjaitan stated (56:00 mark in the video below) that the development of gas fields offshore Natuna in cooperation with Chevron would “give a signal to China, ‘you cannot play a game here because of the presence of the U.S.’” Meanwhile Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti noted that after sinking Vietnamese vessels the Indonesian Navy said it had captured illegally fishing she was considering sinking 5 Thai and 22 Chinese vessels also caught.
As Prashanth Parameswaran notes at The Diplomat, Indonesia is playing a balancing act – seeking at the same time to protect its sovereign interests as it attempts to align new president Joko Widodo (Jokowi)’s “Maritime Axis”/“Maritime Fulcrum” initiative with Xi Jinping’s “Maritime Silk Road” and play a leading role in China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. To some observers, sinking the Thai and Chinese boats is now necessary to preserve Indonesia’s image of impartiality, while others believe such action may be redundant if China heeds the warning that such behavior will no longer be tolerated.
Vietnam too took surprise action over the nine-dashed line, in a move long-mooted but unexpected in its timing. Vietnam’s foreign ministry announced last week that it had filed papers with the Hague arbitral tribunal overseeing the case submitted by the Philippines, asking that its rights and interests be considered in the ruling. Vietnam supported the Philippines position arguing that China’s nine-dashed line is “without legal basis.” While a regional source in The South China Morning Post noted that the action was as much about protecting “Vietnamese interests vis-à-vis the Philippines as it is directed against China,” and Professor Carlyle Thayer described it as “a cheap way of getting into the back door without joining the Philippines’ case,” Thayer also told Bloomberg News that it “raises the stature of the case in the eyes of the arbitrational tribunal.”
If the actions taken by the United States, Indonesia, and Vietnam were surprising, China’s reactions were not. On December 7th, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a white paper of its own on the Philippines’ arbitration case. The document states that China’s policy, as established in its 2006 statement on UNCLOS ratification, is to exclude maritime delimitation from compulsory arbitration. Additionally, the paper says that while the current arbitration is ostensibly about the compatibility of China’s nine-dashed line with international law, “the essence of the subject-matter” deals with a mater of maritime delimitation and territorial sovereignty. The paper goes on to say that until the matter of sovereignty of the land features in the South China Sea is conclusively settled it is impossible to determine the extent to which China’s claims exceed international law.
In effect, China is taking the position that only after it has conducted and conclude bilateral sovereignty negotiations will its nine-dashed line be open to critique. While the foreign ministry may be right that the Philippines is attempting to force the issue of territorial sovereignty, its argument that this prevents scrutiny of the nine-dashed line’s accordance with international law rings hollow.
At the end of the day, China has repeatedly stated, and its new policy paper affirms, that it will “neither accept nor participate in the arbitration” initiated by the Philippines. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei likewise remarked of Vietnam’s filing with the tribunal that “China will never accept such a claim.” So it is prudent to ask what benefit will come of the legal maneuvers. Some, such as Richard Javad Heydarian, a political-science professor at De La Salle University, point to the economic harm already incurred by the Philippines in opportunity costs and the danger of having created a worse domestic and international environment for settling the disputes. Yet given the lengthening list of states willing to stake a legal position on the matter and the moral weight of a potential court ruling, China can claim and attempt to enforce what it wants, but it will be increasingly clear that it is doing so in contravention of international law.
Scott Cheney-Peters is a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and the former editor of Surface Warfare magazine. He is the founder and president of the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), a graduate of Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval War College, and a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council.
ChinafeaturedIndonesiaNatunaNine-Dashed LineParacelsPhilippinesSpratlysUNUNCLOSUnited StatesVietnam
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Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (2)
The Prehistoric Society (2)
A Neolithic Downland Monument in its Environment: Excavations at the Easton Down Long Barrow, Bishops Cannings, North Wiltshire
A. Whittle, A. J. Rouse, J. G. Evans, C. Barker, C. Cartwright, G. Cruse, I. Dennis, A. S. Fairbairn, M. Hamilton, R. I. Macphail, B. Noddle, J. Pollard
Journal: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society / Volume 59 / 1993
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2014, pp. 197-239
Excavations at the Easton Down long barrow were part of a wider programme of research into the Neolithic sequence and context of the Avebury area in north Wiltshire. The short barrow, on high chalk downland to the south-west of Avebury and the upper Kennet valley, and containing only a few inhumations according to Thurnam's 19th-century investigation, dates to the later 4th millennium BC. Test pits around the barrow produced very little struck flint, and virtually no colluvium in the adjacent dry valley to the west. The mound covered a thin calcareous turfline above a rubbly soil, probably formerly cultivated. The pre-barrow molluscan fauna, soil micromorphology and other environmental data indicate a clearance adjacent to woodland. In the secondary fill of the flanking ditches there is a succession from renewed woodland to open conditions in the Late Neolithic.
The Easton Down monument falls relatively late in the regional sequence of long barrow construction. Its setting was probably one of scattered, non-permanent clearances in woodland. Woodland was still widespread on the higher downland of the region in the middle of the Neolithic. Renewed and bigger-scale clearance towards the end of the Neolithic may be connected with the construction of very large monuments elsewhere in the region. The later prehistoric landscape became both more open and less diverse.
Eight Ring-ditches at Four Crosses, Llandysilio, Powys, 1981–85
Walt Warrilow, Glyn Owen, William Britnell, M. Bowmer, P. Crew, T. C. Darvill, P. Q. Dresser, H. S. Green, A. Milles, G. C. Morgan, L. Morgan, S. P. Needham, B. A. Noddle, M. L. Ryder, B. W. Staddon, P. V. Webster, J. L. Wilkinson, G. Wimble
Journal: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society / Volume 52 / Issue 1 / 1986
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2014, pp. 53-87
Eight ring-ditches and several stretches of pit alignment have been excavated between 1981 and 1985, as part of the investigation of an extensive cropmark complex on a gravel terrace in the Upper Severn valley at Four Crosses, northern Powys. Excavation of the ring-ditches, which form part of a more scattered barrow cemetery, has revealed a long and complex pattern of development of barrow types and burial forms in the period between the Middle Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age. This is compared with the recently published sequence from the neighbouring upland barrow cemetery at Trelystan, and subdivided into four hypothetical phases. There is evidence of activity in the vicinity of some of the sites in the Iron Age, Romano-British, and possibly the early post-Roman period.
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World rowing championships in France
Matt Bracken 0 Comment Sports, The Baltimore Sun, World France, French Alps, rowing
The world rowing championships makes its way through the French Alps.
Rowers prepare their gear on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Rowers prepare to warm up in the fog in the early morning during the World rowing championships in Aiguebelette, French Alps, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Rowers carry their boat and oars, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Rowers warm up in the fog in the early morning during the World rowing championships in Aiguebelette, French Alps, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
From left, USA’s Kristine O’Brien, Grace Latze, Adrienne Martelli and Grace Luczak speed as they cross the finish line to win the Women’s four during the World rowing championships in Aiguebelette, French Alps, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A rower prepares to warm up in the fog in the early morning during the World rowing championships in Aiguebelette, French Alps, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Canada’s Patricia Obee, left, and Lindsay Jennerich compete in the women’s lightweight coxless pair sculls, on September 3, 2015 in Aiguebelette-le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
USA’s Nicholas Trojan competes in the men’s lightweight single sculls, on September 3, 2015 in Aiguebelette Le Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
From left, USA’s Kristine O’Brien, Grace Latz, Adrienne Martelli and Grace Luczak celebrate as they win the A Final in the women’s coxless quadruple, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Switzerland’s Jeannine Gmelin celebrates as she wins the A/B semifinal in the women’s single sculls, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
New Zealand’s Eve Macfarlane, left, and Zoe Stevenson compete in the women’s coxless pair, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
France’s Hugo Boucheron, left, and Matthieu Androdias react as they cross the finish line during the men’s coxless pair, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Switzerland’s Jeannine Gmelin wins the A/B semifinal in the women’s single sculls, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-le-Lac, during the world rowing championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Rowers warm up in the fog, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Japanese team rowers warm-up in the fog, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
A rower warms up in the fog, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
Rowers warm up in the fog on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
A rower prepares to go out on the lake for a practice session, on September 4, 2015 in Aiguebelette-Le-Lac, during the 2015 World Rowing Championships. (JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)
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Short Film: Pica-Don (Japan, 1978)
"Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
Donald "Size Matters" Trump
What we have here is an award-winning and forgotten animated from Japan which, much like A Short Vision (1956), our Short Film of the Month for September 2015, is beginning to have possible greater relevance than had in decades. "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it," goes the often paraphrased statement by the Italian philosopher poet George Santayana. Not a pleasant concept.
Pika-don was made by the husband-and-wife team of Renzo and Sayoko Kinoshita, who ran their own Tokyo-based independent animation studio called Studio Lotus. Renzo died in 1997. His wife Sayoko is still alive today.
Much of the short is about the day in the life of a family in Hiroshima prior to 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. A day like any other day….
To simply quote Wikipedia: "On Monday, August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the nuclear weapon 'Little Boy' was dropped on Hiroshima from an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay, flown by Colonel Paul Tibbets, directly killing an estimated 70,000 people, including 20,000 Japanese combatants and 2,000 Korean slave laborers. By the end of the year, injury and radiation brought the total number of deaths to 90,000–166,000. The population before the bombing was around 340,000 to 350,000. About 70% of the city's buildings were destroyed, and another 7% severely damaged."
Airship Daily explains: "Pikadon means 'flash boom'. It refers to what those witnessing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw and heard: first a blinding light, then a deafening explosion."
When it comes to nuclear warheads, the size of one's button in immaterial.
Christmas is already a little while back, but then we never do put our reviews online in a timely manner. The original title of this odd little film was You Better Watch Out, which is perhaps the more appropriate moniker for though the Santa-dressed nutcase does do "evil" in that he kills a few assholes, he is less innately evil than he is a poor nebbish who's gone off the deep end.
Christmas Evil is far from the earliest modern horror feature film to use the Christmas season as its setting and theme — that honor arguably goes Silent Night Bloody Night (1972 / trailer) — but with its rebranding as "Christmas Evil" the movie became one in a long series of name-day horror flicks spanning from Halloween (1978 / trailer & 2007 / trailer) to Friday the 13th (1980 / trailer & 2009 / trailer), My Bloody Valentine (1981 / trailer & 2016 / trailer) to Graduation Day (1981 / trailer) to Prom Night (1980 / trailer & 2008 / trailer) and so many more. (If, in the meantime, it hasn't yet joined most of the previously named slashers on the list of mostly unneeded remakes, it has, since its debut, been joined by an unending plethora of Christmas-themed horror movies of all sub-genres.) Of all the films just named, Christmas Evil is perhaps the most quirky, and the one that fits least to the expectations and genre traditions of a typical slasher or body-count film. Hell's Bells, it can't even be called a "dead teenager flick" 'cause not single teen appears in the movie, much less dies.
Nevertheless, or perhaps therefore, Christmas Evil is an oddly popular and generally well-regarded movie, one famously enough championed by no one less than the cult icon John Waters, who once claimed it to be "the greatest Christmas movie ever made". And although Waters' recommendations can generally be trusted — Lesbian Nuns is as good of a read as he said it was — we would tend to say that he was indeed being a bit hyperbolic in his praise of Christmas Evil, which, on the whole, is indeed mildly interesting and extremely idiosyncratic, but is never scary or horrific, is seldom bloody, and, worst of all, extremely slow.
Like most horror films, Christmas Evil opens with the mandatory prelude setting up a thin motivation to the events to occur years later: here, little Harry Stadling (Gus Salud) doesn't just catch Mommy (Ellen McElduff) kissing Santa Clause (Brian Hartigan), he catches Santa Claus licking Mommy in a place most adults find fun to lick — which causes him to grow up to be an unmarried, Christmas-obsessed loser (Brandon Maggart) working as an ineffectual manager at cheap-toy factory.*
* Sixteen years later, catching mommy having Yuletide sex was also used as the cause for sending the killer off the deep end in John Russo's indefinitely far more sleazy and bloody and breast-heavy and inept slasher Santa Claws (1996 / trailer).
And how Christmas-obsessed? Well, his walls have more Christmas paraphernalia than those of college boys (used to) have Playboy centerfolds. Worse, he also has extremely and perversely creepy voyeuristic tendencies: he spends his free time spying on kids to find out who's naughty or nice, diligently recording everything in notebooks. (Although his voyeuristic tendencies are clearly non-sexual in nature, they are nevertheless oddly uncomfortable to witness — luckily the scene in which he sees one kid reading Penthouse is not taken to its possible extremes.)
It takes well over 50 minutes before Christmas Evil embraces the violence and bloody that is expected of a movie marketed as it was, but even then the deaths are intermittent and rare. More than anything else, the mostly melancholic movie concentrates on the unraveling character of its lead loser and the world he inhabits, a world populated by hypocrisy, greed, and a lack of goodness. (An early version of Trump's world, so to speak, but on a smaller level.) The expected horror or trashiness is underwhelming, lost amidst scenes that veer from character development to whimsical to arty before almost being redeemed by a WTF ending which allegedly alienated audiences at the time of the movie's original ending. The oddly ineffectual and dislikable characterization of the second most important male of the movie, Harry's adult brother Philip Stadling — who is played as an aggressive choleric in an inexplicably one-dimensional manner by the soon-to-become great character actor Jeffrey DeMunn (also found in The Hitcher [1986], The Blob [1988], Turbulence [1997] and much more) — doesn't help things much, either.
For all its arguable failings, the biggest flaw of Christmas Evil is nevertheless not its failure as a horror movie, a failure that only arises if one goes into the movie actually expecting a horror flick: to put it simply, though the movie has "horrific" elements, it is not a horror movie. Thus, if viewers instead await an eccentric and drily black comedy with occasional flashes of artiness (e.g., the snow-covered street of Christmas lights) and inexplicableness (e.g., the Frankenstein [1937 / trailer] homage), they will in all likelihood find the movie entertaining in its own right, particularly if the print viewed is a newer, more pristine one and not one of the many no-budget and mutilated DVD versions found at dollar stores across the US.
Still, while Christmas Evil does function as the black comedy it was obviously intended to be, the humor is mostly intermittent, mostly wry or dry, and usually only mildly funny. Were it not for the gloriously WTF final scene, which totally redeemed the movie for us — a filmmaker really has to have balls to have an ending like that — we would have probably labeled Christmas Evil a loser. Instead, it gets a half-hearted recommendation as a movie that tries to be different and, in that sense, succeeds.
Addendum of irrelevant facts pertaining to and not to the movie:
One of the producers of the Christmas Evil, "the mod Los Angeles stockbroker and Pop-art collector" Burt Kleiner, who also briefly appears in the movie playing Sol Wiseman, was one of the original backers the L.A. Weekly.
In Brian Albright's Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews, filmmaker Lewis Jackson, whose baby this project was, reveals that made his directorial debut in 1970 with the now-lost 16mm "comedy about sexual perversions" entitled The Deviators, the producers of which subsequently added hardcore sex scenes shot by Eduardo Cemano who, according to Wikipedia, used the stunt prick belonging to Harry Reems. (Cemano, by the way, promptly used Reems' talents again alongside those of Dolly Sharp in the early porn flick The Weirdos and the Oddballs aka Zora Knows Best [1971]).
The lost movie Jackson calls The Deviators is actually, according to the movie's producer Barry Kerr over at the Rialto Report (whence the image above comes), the now lost movie The Deviates. Kerr's memory differs from Jackson's: "[Jackson and I] both wanted to make a movie. He had more experience than me, so we agreed he would write and direct the film and I would produce it. We put a little ad in the New York Times, and these two elderly guys in suits and ties with slight eastern European accents answered it. I don't remember their names but they wanted to make a movie. Not just any movie either; they wanted to make a porno movie. [...] So they gave us around $5,000 and Lewis wrote The Deviates. It was a hardcore film but it had a plot too. It wasn't wall-to-wall sex. I don't remember who was in it. [...] We made the film, we handed it over to the two old guys, we got paid — and that's the last I heard of it."
Nevertheless, in the 12 Aug 1972 issue of Billboard, on page 66, in a small blurb about Kerr's involvement with the soundtrack to his only know directorial project, Forbidden Under the Censorship of the Law aka The Flasher (1972), it is written that "Kerr's previous film, The Deviates, grossed $300,000." (For the full story behind The Flasher, and Kerr, check out the previously mentioned Rialto Report entry.)
Jackson's next film projects were both released in 1974 and involved producer Elliot Krasnow aka Kenneth Elliot. Perhaps the most notable is the only one still extant, a movie that perhaps could only have been made at that period of time when Blaxploitation and "porno chic" were all the rage: Jackson co-produced the world's first and probably only "black porno musical", Barron Bercovichy's Lialeh (1974). The plot, according to Jason S. Martinko's The XXX Filmography, 1968-88: "A black beauty (Jennifer Leigh) stars as a singer trying to make it big in the entertainment business."
NSFW Opening Credits to
Barron Bercovichy's Lialeh (1974):
Jackson's other project with producer Krasnow at the time was as writer and director of the now lost movie The Transformation (The Sandwich of Nightmares), the plot of which was based on a story he read in an issue of the underground comic Insect Fear. According to Jackson (again in Brian Albright's book), "The movie itself is quite mediocre because I couldn't get decent actors. I had written a lot of dialogue, and the actors were just bad."
One of the "untalented" actors of Lewis Jackson's lost The Transformation (The Sandwich of Nightmares), Les Crook, who plays Renfield in the flick, has since rechristened himself as "Les Visible" and, going by stuff found on one of his many blogs, has found a god of some sort, thinks Israel was behind 9-11, and the Holocaust never happened. He also discovered The Lost Plays by William Shakespeare. In regard to The Transformation (The Sandwich of Nightmares), a lost film that he is obviously incapable of discovering, in his mail to Temple of Schlock Les "Visible" Crook says, "That was a strange production." (Strange is a matter of opinion, one might say.)
Jackson went on to do uncredited work on porn films such as Maraschino Cherry (1978 / movie) and Barbara Broadcast (1977 / promo / movie), before finally making Christmas Evil. According to the imdb, while given "Thanks" in the credits of Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992 / film), his last official credit is as an associate producer for the independent regional horror The Ghouls (2003 / trailer).
Posted by Abraham at 12:54:00 PM
R.I.P.: Umberto Lenzi, Part III: 1969-75
6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017
"A mostly unsung titan has passed." The great Umberto Lenzi has left us! In a career that spanned over 30 years, the Italian director churned out fine-quality as well as crappy Eurotrash in all genres: comedy, peplum, Eurospy, spaghetti western and macaroni combat, poliziotteschi, cannibal and giallo.
Go here for Part I: 1958-63
Tarzan in the Golden Grotto
(1969, dir. Manuel Caño)
Italian title: Tarzán en la gruta del oro. OK, imdb and elsewhere credit the screenplay to Umberto Lenzi, from a story by Santiago Moncada and Joaquín Romero Hernández, but the credit sequence to the movie (below) doesn't support that. But who are we to say it ain't so, Joe? In any event, great soundtrack.
Credit Sequence to
Tarzan in the Golden Grotto:
Santiago Moncada and Joaquín Romero Hernández, the credited screenwriters, went on to write Cut-Throat Nine (1972 / trailer), while Santiago Moncada also worked on better-known movies, including Bell from Hell (1973 / trailer), Mario Bava's Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970 / trailer), and José Ramón Larraz's Rest in Pieces (1987 / trailer).
Upon Tarzan in the Golden Grotto's initial release in Italy, to avoid paying licensing fees to the Burroughs estate the loincloth-wearing jungle king was called Zan ("Zan", "Tarzan" — get it?) and the movie Zan, re della giungla, or: "Zan, King of the Jungle". By the time of Manuel Caño's sequel three years later, entitled Tarzan and the Brown Prince (1972) from the go, one assumes some licensing was achieved.
The fan-website Down Memory Lane with Tarzan says Steve Hawkes is "probably the best of the unauthorized 'Tarzans'." Maybe, but the Tarzans of Tarzan, A Gay XXX Parody (2016 / full film), Diego Sans, and Joe D'Amato's Tarzan X: Shame of Jane (1994) and Tarzhard — The Return (1995), Rocco Siffredi, are far more impressive, to say the least. And uncircumsized.
Tarzan and the Brown Prince:
Over at the great website Shock Cinema, Steven Puchalski, who thinks that "Steve Hawkes was the worst Tarzan to ever grace the silver screen", has the plot: "Steve Hawkes […] headed up two cut-rate, brain-dead Tarzan knock-offs by Spanish director Manuel Caño (The Swamp of the Ravens [1974 / song]). […] Hawkes had the necessary physique and loincloth, his '60s sideburns, '50s pompadour, wobbly yell, and all-around lousy acting made him an easy laughing stock..."
Puchalski also has the plot: "When sultry, scantily-clad white chick Irula (Kitty Swan, star of Ruggero Deodato's Gungala, the Black Panther Girl [1968 / first 30 minutes] & Virgin of the Jungle [1967 / first 27 minutes]) is seized by an African tribe in the opening minutes, who can save her? Muy macho Zan, of course, who rides to her rescue on an elephant, takes on her captors singlehandedly, and returns this beauty to her hidden Amazon village. Soon afterward, Zan is shot by greedy, evil white hunters who're after the Amazons' 'yellow stones' (i.e., gold), but it takes more than a bullet to put down our studly savage. After a hard-drinking old prospector patches his wound, shortsighted Zan rewards him with gold stolen from the Amazons' secret grotto, which quickly catches the attention of our stock villains. Meanwhile, Krista Nell (Feast of Satan [1971 / trailer], The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance [1975 / trailer], The Slasher [1972 / trailer, with Farley Granger], and The Red-Headed Corpse [1972 / scene, also with Farley Granger]) plays the prospector's gorgeous daughter, who's new in town and shocked by local customs (e.g., finding a eight-foot snake in her hotel room, the chief of police wandering in while she's bathing). After Irula becomes the new Amazon Queen, their home turf is attacked, her sisters are all slaughtered, and it's up to Zan (who's essentially responsible for this massacre in the first place, by revealing the location of their gold) to save the day... The production boasts scenic nature photography and comely actresses […], but it's still a ridiculously cheap, often excruciatingly dull mess. […]"
Stjepan "Steve Hawkes" Šipek eventually wrote, directed and (sometimes) starred in a variety of no-budget regional films down in Florida, most infamously the "anti-drug, pro-Christian, turkey-headed-killer horror film" (and total trash classic) Blood Freak (1972).
Blood Freak:
Battle of the Commandos
(1969, dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Italian title: La legione dei dannati. Everyone who has ever watched The Dirty Dozen (1967 / trailer) please raise their hands. Aka Legion of the Damned, possibly to cash in the similarly entitled Sven Hassel's book of the same name, which came out the same year. Lenzi goes back to macaroni combat; among the men who cooked up the screenplay, Dario Argento.
The Movie Scene, which says that Legion of the Damned "[…] takes on a whole new level of entertainment as some of it is so bad it becomes good", has a plot description: "After his platoon was massacred on what ended up being a suicide mission against the Germans, Irish Colonel Charlie McPhearson (Jack Palance) has had enough. That is until he is asked to assemble a group of men to go on another mission as the target is an operation run by Colonel Ackerman (Wolfgang Preiss of The Mad Executioners [1963 / trailer] and Cave of the Living Dead [1964 / full film]), whose troops were responsible for his platoon's demise. Assembling a group of military convicts McPherson knocks them into shape to complete their mission, which is to defuse underwater mines to clear the way for a June 10 invasion by commandos. But for McPhearson this is personal and he wants his men not only to do what they had to do but also the job of the commandos."
At imdb, Steve Nyland (aka Squonkamatic) from New York, USA, says "It's a film populated and made by legends or semi-legends, with the added bonus of Euro Horror siren Diana Lorys, since after all what good is an Italian genre film without some gorgeous woman to ogle. Jack Palance steals the show with a cockeyed performance highlighted by a half-Irish accent that he probably fed with a solid half pint of booze during the course of an average day's shoot. Can't blame the guy for turning it into a good time."
Among Diana Lorys' horror films, all of which are better than this war film, are Jesús Franco's The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962 / trailer), The Bloody Judge (1970 / trailer) and Nightmares Come at Night (1972 / German trailer), Carlos Aured's Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (1974 / trailer), and the great Fangs of the Living Dead (1969 / trailer).
Trailer to the totally unknown 1968
spaghetti western with Diana Lorys,
La ciudad maldita:
Orgasmo / Paranoia
(1969, writ & dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Starring the great Carroll "Baby Doll" Baker, in the second year of her Eurotrash phase — her first Eurotrash project being Marco Ferreri's Her Harem (1967 / trailer). In her autobiography Baby Doll (Dell, 1985), Baker writes little of her Italo-years, but she does mention that "The Italian film indusry was thriving then and I made close to twenty-four films. I'm never sure of the exact number. [...] I ended up in three different movies, all entitled Paranoia. Not only were the stories similar, but I'm fairly certain that Jean Sorel [...] was my leading man in all three." (She's wrong about the last, actually: in this Paranoia here, her leading man was Lou Castel.) According to Baker, her "three" Paranoias — though we know only of two — all had the same title "because an Italian producer didn't want to pay the title-registration-tax more than once."
Orgasmo is the first of four movies she was to make with Umberto Lenzi, the first three of which were done in a row. The movie's original title, Orgasmo, decidedly inappropriate for a land as prudish as the US of A, became her first Paranoia when it was thusly re-titled when shipped abroad. (In 1970, Carroll Baker starred in her next Paranoia, another Umberto Lenzi movie, which though entitled Paranoia in Italy was released in the USA as A Quiet Place to Kill. Confusion between the two has reigned since.)
Orgasmo:
In any event, this Paranoia aka Orgasmo was co-written with Ugo Moretti (who also had a hand in Emanuelle and the Erotic Nights [1978 / German trailer with — GASP! — penis]) and Marie Claire Solleville. Orgasmo was Lenzi's first giallo film, and like many a giallo film made before Dario Argento's style-setting directorial debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970 / trailer), the narrative and events are less codified.
Theme to Orgasmo —
Lydia MacDonald's
Fate Had Planned It So:
A plot description can be found At the Mansion of Madness: "Recently widowed and wealthy Kathryn West (Carroll Baker) has moved from America to a lonely villa in Italy. Detached from her past and looking to live a quiet life of peace and isolation, her only form of contact and company now is her lawyer (Tino Carraro of Werewolf Woman [1976 / trailer]), a stern housemaid (Lilla Brigone), and a deaf gardener. Kathryn finds herself attracted to a young stranger (Lou Castel of Requiescant [1967]) whose motor happens to breakdown in front of her house one day and is seduced and charmed into letting the young man and his sister (Colette Descombes, seen below from the July 1968 issue of Playmen International) stay with her. Once she is hooked in, both brother and sister, and surely some other outside influence, mess with her sanity in cruel and evil ways that drive her mad."
Over at the ever intelligently written She Blogged by Night, She-Who-Blogs points out that Lenzi's gialli "were never met with the same enthusiasm as those from his contemporaries such as Mario Bava or Dario Argento, and in many ways his films are more straightforward exploitation rather than full-blown gialli."
She later adds, "Not that Lenzi strove for all that much beyond salaciousness with his film, mind you. Orgasmo plays more like the American erotic thrillers so popular in the 1980s and 1990s than a true giallo. The sleazy mystery at the heart of Orgasmo is pure giallo […] as is its criticism of women, especially women of wealth. There's often a frustrating double standard in gialli, movies that use the sexuality of their female leads as the primary advertising point, while condemning the female characters they play for being too sexual. In Orgasmo, this condemnation mirrors heavily the 'woman of 40' trope so popular in pulp novels, the stereotype of a woman hitting her sexual peak while at the same time, in the more sexist plots, desperate for one last sexual fling in the face of the unspoken threat of menopause." Her final judgment is: "[…] Lazy storytelling permeates Orgasmo, and is the most responsible for the film's insubstantial feel. One can't go into the film expecting true, classic giallo without being disappointed, but when approached as a campy 60s throwback, Orgasmo can be a whole lot of fun. It's bright, colorful, soapy and silly, with just enough depth in the right places to keep you interested. This is one of the lightest, fluffiest gialli you will ever see."
Also from Orgasmo —
Wess & the Airedales'
Just Tell Me:
So Sweet... So Perverse
Italian title: Così dolce... così perversa. Carroll Baker's second movie for Lenzi, with a cast that also includes Eurobabe faves Erica Blanc (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave [1971 / Italian trailer], The Devil's Nightmare [1971 / music], Mark of the Devil Part II [1973 / trailer], La vendetta di Lady Morgan [1965 / Italian trailer] and much, much more) and Helga Liné (of Orgy of the Vampires [1973 / trailer], The Dracula Saga [1973 / trailer] and much, much more).
Note: Not in any way to be confused with Corrado Farina's Kiss Me, Kill Me aka The Devil Witch aka Baba Yaga (1969 / trailer), which, for some strange reason is not only often incorrectly credited as a Lenzi film, but is also often confused with this one.
One of the screenwriters of So Sweet... So Perverse, Massimo D'Avak, who worked on the mondo documentary Die andere Seite der Sünde / L'altra faccia del peccato / The Queer... The Erotic (music) the same year as this movie, later went on to help write Who Saw Her Die? (1972). The other co-scribe, Ernesto Gastaldi, wrote many a fun Eurotrash film, including 2019: After the Fall of New York (1983 / trailer), Torso (1973 / trailer) and Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory (1961).
Opening Credits:
The plot, according to Spinning Image: "Wealthy socialite Jean Reynaud (Jean-Louis Trintignant) leads a jet-setting lifestyle. Stuck in a dull marriage to his beautiful but frigid wife Danielle (Erika Blanc, seen below not from the film), he alleviates his boredom by sleeping with friends like the sexy but married Helene (Helga Liné). One day Jean hears a woman being assaulted in the apartment above where he encounters Nicole (Carroll Baker). Intrigued by the beautiful American woman, Jean discovers she is trapped in a sadomasochistic relationship with a brute named Klaus (Horst Frank of The Cat o' Nine Tails [1971 / trailer]). Inevitably Jean and Nicole have an affair whereupon he tries to help her escape her abusive boyfriend so they can start a new life together. But then various secrets come to light and […]."
Tofu Nerdpunk more or less says (in German), "Carroll Baker, Jean-Louis Trintignant, and Erika Blanc are truly good, talented and charming actors and are what make this early giallo from Umberto Lenzi watchable in the first place. Other than that, Lenzi has a few nice visual ideas, most of which are shoddily executed. The plot never really takes off, and one is used to better within the genre. You never really care about the puzzle or the different interconnections between the characters. […]"
At Hannes' Filmarchiv, however, Hannes more or less disagrees (also in German): "We are in the realm of Diabolique (1955 / trailer), but not that bad of a variation. […] But each revelation brings a reversal. As a result, the viewer's expectations are played with, and that all the way to the unusual, rather open ending. Cinematically the film is also at a high level. Accomplished visuals with thought-out perspectives and clever lighting are complemented by the actors' expressive body language."
Cinezilla also likes the movie, pointing out that "Like many of the titles that get sold off as gialli, Umberto Lenzi's So Sweet... So Perverse is unquestionably not a giallo. And even though it has a great title, it's neither sweet nor perverse. But it is a pretty entertaining little movie that stays safely inside the thriller sphere and comes off more like an extended twist on the Boileau-Narcejac novel Celle qui n'était plus ('The Woman Who Was')." (What? You haven't read that book yet?)
The great Riz Ortolani did the score; the song Why (music by Riz Ortolani, lyrics by Norman Newell and performed by J. Vincent Edwards) also showed up later in Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1971).
Scenes and Music from
So Sweet... So Perverse:
Paranoia / A Quiet Place to Kill
Lenzi's third movie with Carroll Baker, once again a movie that takes plot elements from Henri-Georges Clouzot's film Les Diaboliques (1955 / trailer) and, like so many films of its ilk, wallows in wealthy people doing bad things in beautiful environments.
The Italian title, Paranoia, naturally couldn't be used for the movie's stateside release, as that title has been previously used in the US for Orgasmo (1969), so it was instead renamed A Quiet Place to Kill. Spain got the better title: "A Drug Named Helen" (Una droga llamada Helen).
Over at All Movie, Robert Firsching offers the following synopsis to what he calls a "ludicrous thriller": "Carroll Baker plays Helen, a race-car driver who recovers from a coma and is summoned to the Majorcan villa of her ex-husband Maurice (Jean Sorel). Constance (Marina Coffa) is Maurice's new wife and wants Helen to help her kill him. Unfortunately for Constance, Helen double-crosses her and she is killed instead. But there are more surprises ahead when Constance's daughter Susan (Anna Proclemer) shows up and tries to kill Helen because she wants to help Maurice, who is revealed to be her lover. The story […] is all quite complicated, but has very little dramatic impact due to static cinematography and weak performances."
Terror Trap calls the movie "Standard stuff, but Lenzi's creations are always fun to watch and he consistently coats his work with a dash of stylin' flavor (check out that mod, reverse-negative opener). Leads Baker and Sorel are mucho easy on the eyes; and the grand guignol type climax is a cool touch."
(Spoilers) Over at imdb, that busy purveyor of porn lor of New York, New York, also thinks "impressive visuals, merely OK thriller", but he points out that the movie actually only nods at Les Diaboliques (1955) and, rather, that "the real ripoff here is from an equally distinguished source, René Clément's Purple Noon (1960 / trailer). […] That classic Patricia Highsmith movie presented the thriller format in sundrenched, always bright & beautiful settings, probably the best such example of that approach since Leave Her to Heaven (trailer) in the '40s. Lenzi adopts the same against-the-grain (no Gothic or gloomy visuals) look and carefully imitates the key elements of Purple Noon's suspense. The murder takes place on a yacht, and the final twist of the film, the 'return of the repressed' frisson moment, is identical, as the incriminating corpse is dredged up from Davy Jones Locker not as part of the official search but rather accidentally from another search instigated by the guilty parties."
The whole movie
in under 7 Minutes:
Deadly Trap
(1971, writ. & dir. Umberto Lenzi)
Italian title: Un posto ideale per uccidere. Aka Oasis of Fear and Dirty Pictures. Lenzi's Easy Rider (1969 / trailer) in the form of a giallo — being hip was never so dangerous as in the the late 60s and early 70s. This is one of his more popular gialli, and not just because a young and beautiful Ornella Muti does a lot of nude scenes (considering her age at the time, 16 or 17, possibly done with a body double). The photo of her below is of when she was of legal age and did a photo shoot for the Italian literary magazine, Playmen.
Video Vista as the plot: "The story is of two handsome young smut peddlers, Dick Butler (Ray Lovelock of The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue [1974 / trailer], Autopsy [1975 / trailer]), Queens of Evil [1970 / trailer] and much more) and Ingrid Sjoman (a 16-year old Ornella Muti of Eleonore [1975 / music] and Flash Gordon [1980 / trailer]) taking advantage of sexual freedoms in Copenhagen and smuggling rude material, including audio sex tapes, into other countries. In Italy they do well in the black market but live fast on the proceedings moving in a cycle of impoverishment to wealth and back to impoverishment again, always in the belief that the new era in pornography can be exploited ad infinitum. They live on their youth and when they find themselves without other resources produce dirty still shots of their own beautiful bodies to peddle on. Things take a further dip when they are robbed of everything including their camera equipment and they are forced to resort to taking nude shots of Muti in a photo booth. Incriminated in a theft in which they have played no part they become sought after by the police. Running out of petrol they steer their vehicle into a large remote property and when unable to get a response at the house steal into the garage and siphon petrol from another vehicle. The householder is in though. A jittery Barbara Slater (Irene Papas, 44 and very fetching) interrupts them and, when less hysterical and more understanding, invites them in. The sexual mischief of the young ones is attractive to her and she sleeps with Lovelock but the following morning the young couple awaken to find another game afoot. The sex was consensual and they only imbibed in what was offered but Papas seems to be setting them up for rape and robbery. Matters worsen when the newly-cautious pair find a dead body in the boot of a car. […]"
Oasis of Fear:
The Spitting Image intectualizes "With Ingrid a dreamy lovechild who happily hands a kite taped with wads of cash to a impoverished child and Dick prone to spinning outrageous lies about their hippie exploits, the youngsters are both innocent and shrewd, both exploiters and the exploited. Their tendency to live life as a fun and games marks them as doomed. While they're canny enough to turn the tables on Barbara, Dick can't bring himself to commit real cruelty. The older woman has no such qualms. While not quite a long-lost classic, this evolves into an interesting chamber piece, and Lenzi delivers psychological drama and a number of tense sequences. […] While laced with intrigue and titillation, the film refuses to address icy Barbara's motivations and she wavers between pensive and hysterical. Coupled with a fatalistic streak that renders the Bonnie & Clyde (1967 / trailer)-style climax a foregone conclusion, Oasis of Fear is worth a watch but rather gimmicky and soulless."
Over at imdb, the Void from Beverley Hills, England, might disagree with the last statement about what (s)he sees as a "standout giallo from Umberto Lenzi": "[...] Oasis of Fear was made while Lenzi still had a lot of respect for the genre, and as such it stands tall as one of his very best films. [...] This film doesn't adhere to the usual giallo rules and traditions, and at first it's difficult to see where it's going. Lenzi does a good job with creating his characters, however, and although the first half of the movie is all about setting up the second half, it's interesting thanks to the handling and decent performances from all concerned. When the twist in the tale comes about, it's amazingly shocking because it appears to come out of nowhere, although Lenzi does a good job of ensuring that it doesn't feel superfluous to the plot, and the change of direction certainly suits the film. Oasis of Fear benefits from a good cast [...]. The real standout, however, is Irene Papas who is handed the meatiest role in the film [...], and gets to have fun with a character who is anything but what she seems. The standout sequence of the film takes place in an aviary full of owls, and the nihilistic conclusion manages to be sad despite the lightweight nature of the movie, and overall; this is a giallo definitely worth tracking down."
As the newspaper advert above reveals, long ago, at the Grand Theater in Paris, Texas, Dirty Pictures was shown as part of a double feature with Maurizio Lucidi's The Designated Victim (1971).
Trailer to Maurizio Lucidi's
The Designated Victim:
Knife of Ice
"Italian director Umberto Lenzi dispatches with his usual decadence and debauchery for an Agatha Christie-styled whodunit set in the Spanish countryside."
Italian title: Il coltello di ghiaccio. Aka Vertigine, Silent Horror, Dagger of Ice, Detrás del Silencio and The Ice Pick, the film marked Carroll Baker's fourth and last collaboration with Umberto Lenzi in a movie that some say has the hallmarks of a Lucio Fulci movie. Not necessarily a complement, though we here at A Wasted Life do usually enjoy Fulci's films immensely, even when we find them not that good. The title supposedly comes from an Edgar Allan Poe quote, "Fear is a knife of ice which penetrates the senses down to the depth of conscience," but oddly enough that attribution is only found in articles about the movie. In all truth, to us it sounds like publicity work from the days before the internet — or has anyone out there ever found exactly where Poe supposedly wrote it?
Trailer(s) to the Movie:
TCM has a truncated plot description: "As a thirteen year old, Martha Caldwell (Carroll Baker) witnessed the death of her parents in a terrible railway accident. Barely surviving the tragedy herself, Martha was struck dumb due to the shock. Now an adult, the still mute Martha lives with her uncle Ralph (George Rigaud, 11 Aug 1905 – 17 Jan 1984, of José Ramón Larraz's Emma, puertas oscuras [1974], Juan Piquer Simón's Journey to the Center of the Earth [1976 / trailer], and the great classic Horror Express [1972 / trailer]) in the Spanish countryside. Martha's cousin Jenny (Ida Galli, billed "Evelyn Stewart", of Hercules and the Haunted World [1961 / trailer] and The Night Child [1975 / trailer]) arrives to be with the family but is quickly stabbed to death. It appears that a sex maniac is roaming the countryside; killing pretty young girls. The already traumatized Martha seems likely to be the next victim but the case turns out to be far more complicated than it would first seem."
10 K Bullets likes the movie, saying "Knife of Ice isn't your typical giallo film as it is devoid of on-screen carnage and copious amounts of flesh on parade. [...] Lenzi's effectively uses flashbacks throughout the film to demonstrate Martha's fragile state of mind. I have seen Carroll Baker in many films through the years and for me Knife of Ice is one of her best performances of her career. The whole film relies on her performance and through her facial expressions and action she manages to bring us the viewers into her experience. Knife of Ice relies on the atmosphere that is heightened by the locations used. [...] Knife of Ice breaks away from a lot of the traditional giallo formulas, [but] still it is an entertaining film in which Lenzi manages to keep things inventive and fresh."
Ninja Dixon, who admits that Lenzi is one his favorite directors, complains that: "Knife of Ice is a very basic thriller […], but like most films by Lenzi is works pretty good even if the story hardly is unique and the production values just is a villa and some forest and nothing else than that. The story is generic and we've seen it before, but Lenzi elegant use of camera tracking and — as usual — superior editing makes this giallo stand out a little more […]. The cast is very good. […] Visually Knife of Ice is competent, but the location is boring and the story very rarely moves around outside the area, so the film seems a bit flat. Lenzi seem aware of this and tries to liven up the interior shots with smart use of the camera to a certain degree. […] Marcello Giombini's score is brilliant, the best thing with Knife of Ice."
Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso
Title in English: Seven Blood-Stained Orchids — and Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds in German. We're not sure whether this should be considered an honor, but Umberto Lenzi co-wrote and directed this, the last of the "official" Rialto Edgar Wallace krimis, a series that was already wheezing and on its last legs when it made its first German-Italian co-production three years earlier with Riccardo Freda's Das Gesicht im Dunkeln / The Face in the Dark (1969 / trailer). The casting of the German actress Uschi Glas as Giulia in Seven Blood-Stained Orchids was supposedly mandated by the German producers, as she was a regular in the late-stage German Wallace movies (this was her fifth and last appearance in an "Edgar Wallace" movie).
Two other German-speaking actresses were also part of the cast: Austrian Marisa Mell (24 Feb 1939 – 16 May 1992), who is also to be found in a few Wallace productions, and Petra "Miss World 1956" Schürmann (15 Sept 1933 – 13 Jan 2010), who had likewise already been in another Wallace, Die Tote aus der Themse / Angels of Terror (1971 / trailer). Seven Blood-Stained Orchids is the only Rialto Wallace that is set and takes place completely in Italy. Traditionally, London — or at least England — was the preferred location.
German Trailer to
Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds:
(What are Edgar Wallace krimis? Here at A Wasted Life, see: Der Frosch mit der Maske [1959], Der Rächer [1960], Der Fälscher von London [1961], Das Gasthaus an der Themse [1962], Der Schwarze Abt [1963], Das indische Tuch [1963], and Im Banne des Unheimlichen [1968]... and/or our R.I.P. career review of Joachim Fuchsberger.)
In any event, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids was not based on a Wallace book or title, nor did it share any stylistic elements to the traditional German Wallace krimis, and thereafter the series was officially dead (though it was revived for a series of German TV films during the second half of the 1990s). For that, however, imdb states that the movie's (uncredited) inspiration was Cornell Woolrich's great novel Rendezvous in Black. It is, like all the "Italo Wallaces", a far more enjoyable movie experience if you go into it expecting a giallo and not a Wallace movie.
Seven Blood-Stained Orchids:
Digital Fix has the plot: "An assassin is on the prowl, murdering women and leaving curious silver crescent moon-shaped pendants in their hands. He works fast, too. Within the space of two nights he has done away with an old woman, a prostitute and a young English artist, as well as made an attempt on the life of Giulia (Uschi Glas), a young lady who is engaged to fashion designer Mario (Antonio Sabato of Escape from the Bronx [1983 / trailer]). Carrying out the attack on board a train, our daring killer is surprised by the ticket collector and scarpers, leaving Guilia for dead. She is, however, very much alive, but the police decide that, for her own safety, it would be better for the killer to think her dead, even going so far as to stage a funeral. Mario, however, is not one for resting on his laurels, and he and Giulia decide to track down the killer themselves (giallo police are almost always incompetent). The film here gets complicated, as Giulia recognizes the crescent moon pendant as being identical to a key-ring owned by an American man she encountered at a hotel two years ago. It becomes apparent that all the victims are people who were staying in the hotel at that time, meaning that there is a grand total of seven women lined up on the chopping board. It becomes a race against time to track down the remaining targets before the killer, who always seems to be one step ahead..."
Hysteria Lives says, "All the classic gialli elements are here and the vintage is perfect — the genre was probably at its height. There's a lot to recommend this film, it's suitably twisty and the bodies keep on dropping, with the killer always being just one step ahead of the police. Riz Ortolani's loungey score is memorable and there are some especially effective suspense scenes (including one where an acutely paranoid patient in a sanatorium, played by genre regular Rossella Falk [10 Nov 1926 – 5 May 2013], finds she really does have something to worry about as the killer lurks in her room and the staff ignore her pleas for help, fed up with her previous crying-wolf tendencies). The beautiful Marisa Mell [...] puts in a memorable double performance as a potential victim-to-be and her twin sister. One of whom is terrorised by the killer with an electric drill, in an incendiary scene which not only pre-empts the power-tool mayhem of the 80s but also the gory excesses that Lenzi himself would excel in later years. But despite all the elements being in place the film, although a thoroughly entertaining one, fails to achieve anything near classic status. The requisite sleuthing, which is left to Mario (Julia staying at home like the good little woman for most of the running time), feels a little workmanlike. [...] Also, in a slightly ridiculous touch, the film recalls some of the worst cliches of older thrillers when, not once but twice, a woman faints when confronted by the killer!"
The Man from Deep River
Title Italiano: Il paese del sesso selvaggio. Aka Mondo Cannibal, Sacrifice! and any dozens of other names.
While Lenzi's earlier movies were always a bit exploitive, or at least had exploitive elements, this is perhaps his first true exploitation movie. The original Italian title alone reveals the depth of it intentions: translated directly into English, the original title would be "The Country of Savage Sex". And with this flick, Umberto Lenzi dove into the deep end of the exploitation realm and came up with what many people consider to be the first of the Italo cannibal genre, the most of famous example of which is arguably Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust (1980). Be what it may, this baby here is definitely not without its exploitive excesses and still packs a punch today, with or without the scenes of living animals being killed onscreen.
Written by Massimo D'Avak and Francesco Barilli, the two basically took the movie A Man Called Horse (1970 / trailer) — as in: "The Man from Deep River" — and moved the events to the cannibal wilds of Bangkok, Thailand. The very same year as this, the writing duo also wrote Who Saw Her Die?, while Barilli later directed Pensione paura (1977 / "trailer") and The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974 / German trailer).
The movie stars, of course, the great, if wooden, Ivan Rassimov [7 May 1938 – 14 Mar 2003], aka "the jaw with bad hair", and the fondly remembered Me Me Lai, the latter of whom for some reason stop making movies after a juicy part in Lars von Trier's The Element of Crime (1984 / trailer).
2,500 Film Challenge has a serviceable synopsis: "Photographer John Bradley (Ivan Rassimov) travels to Thailand on business, but when he ventures too far into the wilderness, he's captured by a native tribe and forced into slavery, catering to the every whim of his 'master', Maraya (Me Me Lai), who also happens to be the chief's daughter. Befriended by an old woman (Pratitsak Singhara), Bradley manages to break free, only to be recaptured a few hours later. But the attempt doesn't go unnoticed; the chief, impressed by his tenacity, welcomes Bradley into the fold, inviting him to join the tribe. Though hesitant at first, Bradley soon settles in, and is content in his new life. His happiness is threatened, however, when some nearby cannibals attack, forcing him and the others to fight for their very survival."
The Man from Deep River:
Cool Ass Cinema says that though the movie is "A strange blend of brutality and romance, it's not as extreme as later [cannibal genre] entries, but for historical value, it's required viewing. One of the film's strongest attributes is the capturing of the colorful local flavor and customs of the Thai people. You get a sense of both danger and exoticism in the surroundings and the culture — particularly the natives in their element. None of the other films — including Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust — managed to do this as successfully. [...] Lenzi's movie caters to a peculiarly crude romanticism built specifically around a single character immersed in a strange new world. The film isn't driven by violence alone, although there's no denying the sensationalism was the major selling point. [...] Man is the only film in this genre that makes any attempt at humanizing its savages. We live with them for 93 minutes unlike John Bradley who gradually changes from detesting his captors to becoming one of them. Like the Kuru, the cannibalistic enemies, this moderately passive tribe isn't without their share of barbarism. The difference is they have the capacity to love."
Let's have the Devil's Honey play the devil's advocate: "This film feels and looks more like one of those sixties jungle adventures then like a cannibal movie. Its main focus is on the native's rituals and tribal life, but in a clichéd, unconvincing way. With characters like the old friendly chief, the handsome daughter and the bad-guy medicine man, it is just too slick to make a real impact. The cannibal scenes, which play more like a separate episode near the end of the film, are on the other hand pretty gruesome, especially for a pre-Deodato cannibal film, and some were re-used for Lenzi's fun, but ultra cheap-looking Eaten Alive (1980). Most of the actors don't add anything to their clichéd roles, although Ivan Rassimov (of Planet of the Vampires [1965 / trailer], Body Count [1986 / German trailer — with Charles Napier and David Hess], L'Ossessa [1974 / French trailer], Emanuelle nera: Orient reportage [1976 / Italo trailer], and more), who is one of my favourite Italian actors, makes the most of his poorly defined character. Me Me Lai, who was pretty ok in Last Cannibal World (1977) and Eaten Alive (1980), doesn't make too much impression here, I found her sort of dumb and irritating."
Oh, yeah — the animal killings. The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review fills you in about what you don't want to see: "Deep River Savages does not stint when it comes to portraying the savageries of life among uncivilised tribes. These Italian cannibal films are not exactly ASPCA-approved and there are some sadistically dwelt-upon scenes with a mongoose being egged on to savage a snake. There is also a nasty pre-Crocodile Hunter (1996-2004) scene of a native wrestling a crocodile and then gutting it while it is still alive. The most stomach-churning scene is one where a monkey is bound inside a table specially built to expose its head and the top of its skull is whacked off with a machete, whereupon the natives invite Ivan Rassimov to join a feast and eat its brains."
Gang War in Milan
(1973. Writ & dir Umberto Lenzi)
Italian title: Milano rovente. From a story by Ombretta Lanza (supposedly), and co-scripted with Franco Enna. Aka Burning City, this is Lenzi's first poliziotteschi movie, as the violent Italo-crime films of the 70s are commonly called. Strange concept: a non-Blaxploitation movie in which the "hero" is a pimp. (Get me my money, bitch.) But then, no one in the movie is all that sympathetic — sounds like real life, except that in real life, we are all prostitutes. Speaking of sounds, the jazzy but downbeat soundtrack by Carlo Rustichelli is well worth checking out if you're a soundtrack kind o' person.
Celluloid Terror, which says that Gang War in Milan "is an excessively violent film that exploitation fans will eat up", has nutshell plot synopsis: "Antonio Sabato (The War of the Robots [1978 / trailer]) stars as Toto, a Sicilian who operates a prostitution ring that is confronted by Le Capitaine (Philippe Leroy of Le Trou [1960 / French trailer] and Castle of the Living Dead (1964 / trailer]), a Frenchman running a drug ring in Milan who is interested in uniting the crime families across Italy. When Toto rebukes at his offer, Le Capitaine responds in violent fashion and quickly opens up the door to one of the most violent gang wars you could imagine. […] There are a few odd shots that linger on a random object for a few seconds that seem to be forced product placement of some sort which is a bit funny. From car chases and shootouts to genital torture, Gang War in Milan really pushes the envelope and makes up for what it lacks in story with pure excess."
Gang War in Milan:
At 10K Bullets, John White says that "Milano Rovente is another assured Euro-crime thriller from Lenzi. It was in fact his first go at the genre. Like his later efforts it is genuinely exciting, earnestly acted and frequently gruesome. In this film there is no real hero and the central character [Toto] is selfish, shallow and a real bastard. His only real loyalty is to Lino (Antonio Casagrande, of that masterpiece that is Fellini's Satyricon [1969 / trailer]) but he even leaves him to be tortured and is willing to ignore him by running off with his money to Switzerland with Jasmina (Marisa Mell). When Toto gets his just desserts it is hard to feel anything other than he had it coming."
Michael Den Boer, also at 10K, adds "From a performance stand point the film puts most of the attention on its two leading men […], [but] it is two lesser characters which ultimately leave the strongest impression. And these two performances are Marissa Mell in the role of this film's femme fatale and Antonio Casagrande in the role of Sabato's character's right-hand man. His character also happens to the one whose genitals get electrocuted. Overall with Gang War in Milan, Umberto Lenzi would mark his first foray in the poliziotteschi genre with an explosive film that is highly entertaining and over flowing with exploitative elements."
"An experience in psycho-sadism you will never forget."
Italian title: Milano odia: la polizia non puo sparare. Also known as The Death Dealer, La rançon de la peur, Skylia tou ypokosmou, The Executioner, Der Berserker and The Kidnapping of Mary Lou.
Lenzi makes another poliziotteschi movie, written by one of Italy's great unsung exploitation scribes, Ernesto Gastaldi (The Monster of the Opera [1964 / French trailer], The Murder Clinic [1966 / trailer], The Vampire and the Ballerina [1960 / trailer], Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory [1961], Crypt of the Vampire (1964 / French trailer] and The Virgin of Nuremberg [1963 / Italian trailer), and it is non-stop violence and death to the very end. When he wanted to, Ernesto Gastaldi knew how to write great trash — we have fond memories as wee kiddies of having the heebie-jeebies scared out of us by The Murder Clinic and The Virgin of Nuremberg.
US Trailer to
The Death Dealer:
When watching Almost Human, one wonders not so much why the lead anti-hero, Giulio Sacchi (Tomas Milian [3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017] of Don't Torture a Duckling [1972 / trailer], Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! [1967 / trailer] and much more), is so psychotic and violent, but rather how he managed to reach the age he is in the movie. (Less than Human is more like it.) Actor Milian went on to work on a grand total of six movies with Lenzi.
Also there for the ride, as the Detective Walter Grandi, the great Henry Silva (of Dick Tracy [1990 / trailer] and Alligator [1980] and much, much more) in a very rare acting job as a (tough) good guy, one who decides to take justice in his own hands.
Marketed in the US as a horror movie, Almost Human is dismissed in the comprehensive German volume Das größte Filmlexikon der Welt as a "cheap and extraordinarily cynical action movie". That might explain why it is so well received by cult movie fans — but maybe the fact that it is both well made and well acted as well substantially transgressive might have something to do with its reception, too. (The "party" scene in the mansion is a make it or break scene for most who manage to get that far.)
In any event, Furious Cinema, which describes the movie as "a highly violent, furious work of Italian crime cinema", sees things differently and includes the movie on their list of 20 Furious Italian Crime Classics.
Italian Trailer to
Milano odia: la polizia non puo sparare:
The blogsite A Hero Never Dies writes: "[Tomas] Milian plays Giulio Sacchi, a smalltime petty criminal and sociopath, despised by even his criminal associates after unnecessarily killing a cop on a job. After killing a second cop for what turns out to be small change, Sacchi has an idea for a huge score and enlists a small team to kidnap the daughter (Laura Belli) of a wealthy businessman for a ransom of half a billion Lire. The kidnapping becomes a sadistic massacre and [Henry] Silva's cop Grandi is quickly on his tail but always a step behind. Grandi becomes so angered by the case, he's determined to get his man no matter what the consequences."
Over at All Movie, Donald Guarisco gushes: "This sick yet slick entry in the Italian crime film cycle of the 1970s is an archetypal example of the form, mixing sleaze and action in a manner that is compelling and unnerving all at once. The script moves along at a snappy pace, punctuating its storyline with bursts of brutal, sometimes perverse violence, and Umberto Lenzi's direction gives the mayhem a crisp, clean visual style that one wouldn't necessarily expect from such a tale. However, the real secret weapons of Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Puo Sparare are the lead performances by Tomas Milian and Henry Silva. […] The high quality of these performances, combined with the confident scripting and direction, make Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Puo Sparare a memorable venture into Italian crime filmmaking. The end result may be too grim and chilly around the edges for some viewers but anyone with an interest in this subgenre should check it out."
Cult Reviews agrees, raving "Almost Human is incredibly fast-paced, with super-exciting car chases and outrageous gunfights throughout the entire playtime. The script offers a lot of unexpected twists to keep you on the edge of your seat and Tomas Millian's hectic performance — his character is popped up on drugs most of the time — alone is enough to watch this masterpiece of 70s exploitation cinema, featuring a mesmerizing rock-score by Ennio Morricone. A true must-see!"
Spasmo
(1974, writ & dir Umberto Lenzi)
Supposedly, Lucio Fulci was originally slated to direct this film, but more than anything else the movie — which "follows two characters on a dreamlike journey involving murder, vanishing bodies, and jealous lovers, with dialogue and character development so random they would drive David Lynch into fits" — sounds like Jess Franco material.
Wikipedia, referencing Louis Paul's book Italian Horror Film Directors (ISBN 9780786487493), says "In the original cut, Lenzi opted to not show the murders as to add suspense and mystery about the motives and the identity of the assassin. The American producers felt the audience could be confused, so they added about ten minutes of footage displaying the murders and clarifying some parts of the plot. Reportedly, George A. Romero was hired to shoot the additional footage."
For that, Ninja Dixon thinks "Spasmo is a movie with very little violence and blood, except a grim murder-by-car, and Lenzi choose to have it that way to make it stand out from the rest of the thrillers being released. […] A movie like Eyeball would be a lot weaker without the blood and violence, but Spasmo is a very different kind of breed. […] It's a story of immoral people doing immoral stuff, but hey — that's what the world is all about […]. Bravo Lenzi! [...] In 1000 years, movies like Spasmo will still be talked about on the net — and Sound of Fucking Music (1965 / trailer) will be forgotten."
What can one say: Ninja Dixon is an optimist if he truly even thinks that in 1000 years there will be anyone left to talk about anything. We here at A Wasted Life will simply be happy if the world survives the Trump presidency.
But assuming someone is still there, why will Spasmo still be discussed? Perhaps, because the film is so weird. As Through the Shattered Lens points out, of all Lenzi's movies "none were as strange as 1974's Spasmo": "Attempting to detail the plot of Spasmo is a challenge. Even by the twisty standards of the giallo genre, the mystery at the heart of Spasmo is a complicated one. According to Troy Howarth's So Deadly, So Perverse Volume Two, even Lenzi admitted that Spasmo's storyline made no sense. Add to that, Spasmo features so many twists and turns that it's difficult to judge just how much of the movie's plot you can safely describe before you start spoiling the film. […] Even by the standards of Italian thrillers, Spasmo is chaotic. The film may not make any sense but it's never boring. Between the mannequins and the murders, it's pretty much impossible to follow the plot but who cares? As directed by Lenzi, Spasmo plays out like a dream, full of surreal images and memorably weird performances. […] Spasmo is a film that keeps you guessing. Whether it keeps you guessing because the plot is clever or because the plot itself is deliberately designed (and filmed) to make no sense is something that viewers will have to determine for themselves."
Spasmo:
For that, Mondo Digital has a plot description of what one on-line fan elsewhere describes as "a strange combination of Jean Rollin (the middle part in particular feels like something straight out of a Rollin film, in particular Fascination [1979 / trailer]) and David Lynch": "Our nominal 'hero' is rich kid Christian (Robert Hoffman of Naked Girl Killed in the Park [1972 / Italian trailer], Death Carries a Cane [1973 / German trailer] and the Edgar Wallace krimi Neues von Hexer / Again the Ringer [1965 / German trailer]), who hooks up one night with a cheery but mysterious blonde, Barbara (Suzy Kendall of Torso [1973 / trailer], Tales that Witness Madness [1973 / trailer], and the Edgar Wallace krimi Psycho-Circus [1966 / trailer]), whom he had previously encountered on the beach (where she was lying face-first, apparently suffering from memory loss). After he calls her a 'sweet, sweet whore,' she offers to take him back to her place for a quick one... on the condition that he shave off his beard ('There's a razor at my place; it's big, sharp, and sexy'). Naturally he complies, but before the two can consummate, he's ambushed in the bathroom by a pistol-wielding thug (Adolfo Lastretti of The Four of the Apocalypse [1975 / trailer] and Venus in Furs [1969 / trailer]) who winds up getting shot in the ensuing scuffle. Without even bothering to see the body, Barbara accepts Christian's word and goes on the lam with him to a friend's house, a desolate villa filled with birds of prey. Unfortunately they're surprised again by a couple renting the property, but Christan and Barbara are allowed to stay the night (even after explaining why they're hiding from the police). Christian decides to elicit help from his industrialist brother, Fritz (Ivan Rassimov of The Witch [1966 / full movie], Cjamango [1967 / trailer], Emanuelle Around the World [1977 / trailer] and Mario Bava's Schock [1977 / Italian trailer])..."
The trailer further above, of course, is misleading. "The film's original trailer has always been good fun, and remains so here. 'Spasmo ... spasmo ... spasmo ...' whispers the voiceover bloke as scenes from the film are deliberately edited together in misleading fashion over the course of 3 minutes. Brilliant. (SexGoreMutants)"
Syndicate Sadists
(1975, dir Umberto Lenzi)
"Life's a hole. We are born from a hole, eat from a hole, shit from a hole, and end up in a hole."
John Rambo (Tomas Milian)
Italian title, Il giustiziere sfida la città. So you always thought First Blood (1984 / trailer) was the first Rambo movie? Guess again — and watch Lenzi's Il giustiziere sfida la città (aka Just One Man and Rambo's Revenge and more), Lenzi's second movie project starring Tomas Milian.
OK, so it isn't really a "Rambo" movie, but prior to Stallone's interminable franchise beginning in 1982, Tomas Milian had read David Morrell's 1972 novel First Blood and tried to get a film version off the ground in Italy. He failed. But when this poliziotteschi movie came along, he had his character renamed John Rambo in honor and reference to the book. Thus, John Rambo cleans up crime in Italy instead of rednecks in the US… or Vietnamese and Soviets in Vietnam… or Soviets in Afghanistan… or Burmese in Burma.
But when speaking of literary sources, the plot to this movie has far more to do with Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest than First Blood — and thus, as most film reviewers notice, the novel's various illegitimate filmic offspring of note: Yojimbo (1961 / trailer) and, of course, For a Fistful of Dollars (1964) and, long after Lenzi's movie, Walter Hill's Last Man Standing (1996 / trailer).
Flash Solo:
DVD Drive-In has the plot to a movie that Cinema de Merde claims has "latent homoerotic content" and which "NAMBLA members may want to rent": "The film is loaded with pulp book brutality, with lots of blood squibs, a female being mercifully battered, and a heavy being suffocated with an overstuffed bag of cocaine. The dubbed dialog can be laughable at times, but Lenzi is able to cram the 92-minute running time with enough thrills for two or three films […]. Though made 30 years ago, Syndicate Sadists is the kind of vintage effort that puts modern action flicks to shame. Milian plays Rambo as a very tough, unbeatable nice guy with morals who is especially kind to children — risking his life to rescue one boy, and financially aiding another after his father's passing. Rambo is the kind of guy who would fire a bullet into a friend sporting a protective vest, as well as racing his bike from the back of a flaming truck. Lots of great scenarios are set up for the character, including a rousing fight scene where Rambo pokes a bloke in the head with a pool stick, while another ends up knocked out on a toilet seat. […] Legendary actor Joseph Cotton […] is really good as the tragic crime boss whose physical handicap is kept a secret until the end, and Euro-horror fans will love seeing [..] blonde sexpot Shirley Corrigan (of Blind Man [1971 / Italian trailer] and Dr Jekyll and the Wolfman [1972 / first six minutes]) as a bimbo […].
Fulvue Drive-in, on the other hand, was not too thrilled by the film, saying "Syndicate Sadists (1975) does not have the edge of the previous film and feels more like a Spaghetti Western in landing one big Hollywood star and hardly featuring him. Joseph Cotton is the one who gets the paycheck + vacation this time as a high-up head gangster."
Cinema de Merde, as indicated earlier, was also not a fan and complained that although thrilled by the title and appearance of the "cigar-smokin' bearded Italian biker", that after he "watched the first ten minutes […] it took […] about three weeks to finally get through the rest of the movie."
Everyone who appears in
Il giustiziere sfida la città:
Over at All Movie, however, Donald Guarisco — who had also so loved Milano odia: la polizia non puo sparare aka Almost Human — is far more appreciative of the movie: "Syndicate Sadists is an interesting midlevel example of the Italian crime film. Vincenzo Mannino's script is fairly pro forma in terms of plotting […], but it distinguishes itself with unique touches like having his crime boss character suffer from an affliction he is trying to hide from the other characters. Syndicate Sadists is also unusual in that it bypasses the usual tough-guy cop protagonist that these films usually focus on in favor of making Rambo a streetwise, anti-authority loner who is as likely to use his brains as a gun or his fists to outsmart the bad guys. Tomas Milian obviously appreciated getting such a unique character to play and goes to town with it, making him a character that is as sly and charming as he is deviously intelligent. Joseph Cotten (of Lady Frankenstein [1972]) also registers strongly as the tragic crime boss. The final surprise in this film is Umberto Lenzi's slick, confident direction; Euro-cult fans used to his sloppy, erratic horror film work will be surprised how efficient his direction is here. […]"
L'assassino è costretto ad uccidere ancora
(1975, dir. Luigi Cozzi)
Aka The Dark Is Death's Friend, The Killer Must Kill Again, and The Killer Must Strike Again. Based on a novel by the Russian-Italian genre novelist Giorgio Scerbanenco (28 July 1911 – 27 Oct 1969); Umberto Lenzi — or, rather, "Umberto Linzi" — has a rare credit as producer on the movie, so who knows what his input was or to what extent.
The Dark Is Death's Friend:
Luigi Cozzi, though hardly the most prolific of filmmakers, is nevertheless a name not unknown to cult movie fans: he is known for his Ed-Woodian directorial talents. He's been involved with some noteworthy projects, and made some prime trash of his own — most famously Starcrash (1979 / trailer), Contamination (1980 / trailer below), The Black Cat (1989 / trailer) and Paganini Horror (1989 / trailer) — and this one here, which is known as one of his most coherent and professional projects.
Contamination:
Braineater is of the opinion that "The Killer Must Kill Again is a lousy name for a very good film. […] That's a shame, because is one of the best Italian thrillers, and deserves a wider audience than its clunky title is likely to attract. […]" The website, however, is shocked that the movie is as good as it is, contemplating on how one can go from Starcrash, or Paganini Horror and "incoherent crap like The Adventures of Hercules (1985 / trailer)"* to a thriller with "a twist this unsettling". In their opinion, "if you have the slightest reservation about seeing The Killer Must Kill Again based on Cozzi's participation, put your doubts aside and see it at once. You'll never think of Luigi Cozzi the same way again."
* We went to that film when it came out cause, face it, Lou Ferrigno had a hot body and we had sort of liked Hercules (1983 / trailer). But it became the first movie we ever walked out of — a position held until we got suckered into going to see The Scent of a Women (1992 / trailer).
The plot, as given by Cinematic Shocks: "Cheating husband Giorgio Mainardi (George Hilton) has an argument with his rich wife Norma (Tere Velázquez of Night of a Thousand Deaths [1972 / trailer]) who has wised up to his betrayal and cuts him off financially with Giorrgio owing massive debts. He tells her that he is leaving her and storms out. While out after finishing a call to his mistress from a payphone he witnesses a mysterious man (Antoine Saint-John of The Beyond [1981 / trailer]), disposing of a woman's dead body by pushing the car that he drove her in into a canal. Instead of reporting it to the police, Giorgio blackmails the murderer to kill his wife for payment. […] When doing the job, everything goes well until the killer hits a snag. After putting Norma's body in the trunk of his car and having left the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition, he goes back into the house to wipe away any fingerprints he might have left. While inside a young couple, Luca played by Alessio Orano (Mario Bava's exquisite Lisa and the Devil [1973 / trailer]) and Laura (the pretty Cristina Galbó of The House that Screamed [1970 / Spanish trailer] and the Italo-German Edgar Wallace What Have You Done to Solange? [1972 / German trailer]) come along and steal the car completely unaware of what they have in the boot. […]"
"You may think that a movie filled with such flawed, unlikable people might not make for compelling viewing. Well, Luigi Cozzi's superb thriller The Killer Must Kill Again is just that. A gripping joyride through an unpleasant and bloody journey, the movie ends up being one of the best of the overcrowded giallo genre. (tina aumont's eyes)"
Manhunt in the City
Italian title: L'uomo della strada fa giustizia. Aka The Italian Connection and/or La mala ordina and/or a dozen other names. Not to be confused with Fernando Di Leo's 1972 movie also sometimes entitled Manhunt in the City (trailer), which also features Henry Silva.
Lenzi's other poliziotteschi film from 1975, co-written with trash-scribe extraordinary Dardano Sacchetti whose amazingly long credit list includes, among others, Zombi 2 (1979), City of the Living Dead (1980), Manhattan Baby (1982), Demons (1985), Graveyard Disturbance (1987) and Per Sempre (1987).
Henry Silva — of Chained Heat (1983 / trailer), Exterminio (1980 / trailer), Thirst (1979 / trailer) and Possessed by the Night (1994 / trailer) and much, much more — returns for his second Lenzi exploiter, this time a downbeat Italo-take on Death Wish (1974 / trailer), one which doesn't quite upend the concept of vigilance justice as much as it may have intended. (Spoiler: He kills the wrong people in the end — but walks away from it.)
This movie, in any event, has a lengthy scene in which Silva manhandles — no pun intended — a transvestite, Liana (Alberto Tarallo, cowriter of Killer Nun [1979 / trailer]), to get information ("You lyin' faggot!") which, nowadays, will surely separate Trump supporters from non-Trump supporters.
Music to
Manhunt in the City:
Cult Action has a bare-bones plot description: "A man's daughter is killed by thieves during a bank robbery. Due to the incompetence of the corrupt authorities, he (Silva) decides to take to law into his own hands and track down the killers, a gang who sport a scorpion insignia. Revenge is the name of the game, and the manhunt is on!"
Cool Ass Cinema, which is of the opinion that the "lost" movie is "a diamond in the rough […] well worth rediscovering", says "The script by both Lenzi and Dardano Saccetti gets a bit heavy handed at times with its talk of a by-the-book police force useless in taking care of the people they are sworn to protect. Silva does the disgruntled citizen shtick well, even though he's better suited to playing hitmen and hard boiled cops. It's difficult watching him getting beaten up by low level street scum a good portion of the film. By the end, though, he's a cold killing machine."
(Are we here at A Wasted Life the only ones who wonder why Quentin Tarantino hasn't written a Silva cameo into any of his movies yet?)
Like most giallo, the Italian name, Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro, is rather poetic if translated directly: "Red Cats in a Glass Maze". In English, it's aka The Eye in the Dark, Wide-Eyed in the Dark, The Devil's Eye and The Secret Killer — and possibly a few other names. A Spanish co-production, it is often considered a proto-slasher. For that, however, not only are the victims a bit broader than normal for a slasher, but the black chick (Ines Pellegrini, seen below) isn't the first one to go.
And A Slash Above has the basic plot: "A group of American tourists head to Barcelona for a summer holiday. Almost as soon as they arrive the fun comes to an end as one of their numbers is ruthlessly murdered by a hooded killer in a red rain mac. The maniac is something of a sadist and mutilates the left eye of each victim. Could it be the mentally ill wife of one of the tourists or has someone else got a grudge against the troupe?"
Eyeball:
The Bloody Pit of Horror has the skinny on the tourists: "So without any further ado, let's meet our group. We have lesbian fashion photographer Lisa Sanders (Mirta Miller of Count Dracula's Great Love [1973 / trailer], Vengeance of the Zombies [1973 / trailer], and much more) and her model / lover Naiba Campbell (Ines Pellegrini), unhappily married couple Robby (Daniele Vargas) and Gail (Silvia Solar of Cannibal Terror [1980 / trailer], The Man with the Severed Head [1976 / trailer], La perversa caricia de Satán [1976 / scene], and more) Alvarado, clergyman Reverend Bronson (George Rigaud), Mr. Hamilton (John Bartha) and his teenage granddaughter Jenny (Verónica Miriel of Night of the Howling Beast [1975 / French trailer]) and Mr. and Mrs. Randall and their teenage daughter Peggy. Also along for the trip is secretary Paulette Stone (Martine Brochard of Murder Obsession [1981 / trailer]), who's flying solo because she's actually fleeing from her married boss, whom she's been having an affair with. The boss — Mark Burton (John Richardson of Black Sunday (1960 / trailer) and much more) — ends up following her there anyway and she promptly informs him 'I refuse to be a plaything!' The entire group is being chaperoned by Martinez (Raf Baldassarre), a loud, obnoxious and ridiculous weirdo who likes to scare everyone with a toy spider and laughs maniacally while doing so."
Vegan Vorhees muses, "I'm not particularly well-versed in giallo classics, but I've seen enough to spot the standard hallmarks in play: Mysterious glove-wearing killer, many-a fast zoom into character's faces as something suspicious is said, 'Americans' with Euro-accents, amusing translations and clunky dubbing. Being a pre-American slasher product, Eyeball nevertheless presents itself with more than a few 80s teenie-kill aesthetics: There are POV shots as the killer floats towards his next unsuspecting victim, boobs-a-plenty, and a short but sweet final girl sequence — with, shock, a black final girl! […] Spain is presented in lush colors and inimitable 70s fashion choices, which lends the film a pleasantly diverting quality, as if you're taking a holiday from the same-old American slasher film conventions. Nothing really lets Eyeball down, it just suffers from the ridiculousness that haunts the whole sub-genre, with a motive so whacky I had to re-watch the ensure I'd actually not misunderstood it. Otherwise, it's business as usual: The females are all super hot and super killed, while the only male victim is old and creasy-faced, and killed off-camera. The men can be slimy, sleazy, and annoying but still survive intact, which is a general motif in most Italian body-count horror."
In regards to the last, the Tell-Tale Mind says, "There is a motive for the killings that take place, though it is sort of thin, but in the end it mattered very little as it was used to simply tie things up. Despite some weaknesses to it all, Lenzi's camerawork was one of the real highlights, bringing life to the scenery of Barcelona and really making those murders pop. Bruno Nicolai's music was also one of the better things about the film, though not exactly memorable, but it does compliment the picture quite well. Given what there was to work with, there are no real standout performances from the cast, though they do not necessarily do a bad job, but it adds to the overall mediocrity of the film. Still, Eyeball turned out to be an enjoyable feature where those looking for a little violence and a little blood will no doubt be pleased and those looking for something of a game changer being disappointed. A good film almost all of the right notes, but not a great one."
to Eyeball:
Go here for Part IV: 1976-82.
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(EN) Colonial Infrastructures – lecture by Johan Lagae
By DOCOMOMO Belgium / November, 7, 2016 / 0 comments
LECTURE | 10 November 2016, 19:30 | La Loge, rue de l’Ermitage 86, 1050 Brussels
Colonial Infrastructures. Notes on Politics, Building and Bureaucracy in the Former Belgian Congo.
In the last three decades, colonial and postcolonial architecture in Africa has become a major topic of interest in architectural history. Since the introduction of insights of postcolonial theory in architectural historiography in the early 1990s, scholars have engaged in investigations of how urban form and built environment in colonial territories are linked to the particular politics and policies of colonialism. So far, however, most attention has gone to those sites and projects that stand out as remarkable architecture, to the extent that the argument of the colonies being a “laboratory for modern architecture” has become a major trope in scholarship. In this lecture, Lagae will argue that even if fascinating architectural projects have been designed for and built in Congo, both during colonial times and after independence, much is to be gained by focusing on the more mundane built environment, and by taking seriously the production and métier of the often anonymous and bureaucratic architects employed by the colonial administration.Johan Lagae is Full Professor at Ghent University, where he teaches 20th Century Architectural History with a focus on the non-European context. He holds a PhD on colonial architecture in the former Belgian Congo and has published widely on the topic, as well as on modern architecture, colonial built legacy and urban history in Central Africa, and on colonial photography.
Johan Lagae is Full Professor at Ghent University, where he teaches 20th Century Architectural History with a focus on the non-European context. In 2007, he was a chercheur invité at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art in Paris. He holds a PhD on colonial architecture in the former Belgian Congo and has published widely on the topic, as well as on modern architecture, colonial built legacy and urban history in Central Africa, and on colonial photography. He furthermore (co-)curated several Congo-related exhibitions, such as Le mémoire du Congo. Le temps colonial (2005), Congo. Paysages urbains. Regards croisés (2007) and Congo belge en images (2010). From 2010 till 2014 he co-chaired a European research group devoted to the theme “European Architecture beyond Europe” (COST-action IS0904) and is on the editorial board of the open access ABE-Journal.
Lecture starts at 7.30 pm
entry: 3€
No reservation necessary but capacity is limited.
Conference language: English
venue: La Loge
This public lecture is the concluding event of ‘Tracing Colonial Infrastructures: site visit, worskhop and public lecture’, a study day organised by La Loge on 10 November 2016 as part of Sven Augustijnen’s exhibtion.
source: la-loge.be
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Firefly Lane Page 26
He pulled her closer and all her good intentions disappeared. She gave herself over to the pressure of his hands, let herself be guided down, down toward his mouth.
The kiss was like nothing she'd ever experienced before: tender and sweet at first, then searching, demanding.
She surrendered to him as completely as she'd dreamed of doing. His tongue electrified her, sparked a new and painful desire. She became greedy for him, desperate. Without thinking, she shoved her hands up under his T-shirt, feeling his warm skin, needing to be closer . . .
Her hands were at his collarbone, pushing the soft warm cotton upward, when she realized he'd gone still.
Her senses were so scrambled it took her a moment to clear her head. Breathing hard, aching with this new need, she drew back enough to look at him.
He lay back against the sofa, his eyes at half mast. He lifted his hand slowly, jerkily, almost as if he weren't quite controlling his own movements, and touched her lips, tracing their contour with his fingertip. "Tully," he whispered. "I knew you'd taste good."
And with that blow to the heart, he fell asleep.
Kate wasn't sure how long she sat on his lap, staring down at his sleeping face. Once again, time seemed elastic between them. It felt as if she were bleeding—but it wasn't blood that leaked out of her, not something that could be so easily transfused. Instead, she was losing her dreams. The fantasy flower of love she'd planted all by herself and tended so carefully.
She climbed off him and settled him onto the sofa, taking off his shoes and covering him with a blanket.
In her own bed, with a door closed between them, she lay awake for a long time, trying not to replay it over and over in her mind, but it was impossible. She kept tasting his lips, feeling his tongue against hers, and hearing him whisper, Tully.
When she finally fell asleep, it was already well past midnight and morning came much too quickly. At six o'clock, she slammed the silencer on her alarm, brushed her teeth and hair, put on a robe, and hurried into the living room.
Johnny was up, sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. At her entrance, he put the cup down and got up. "Hey," he said, shoving his fingers through his hair.
"Hey."
They stared at each other. She tightened the belt on her terrycloth robe.
He glanced at Tully's door.
"She's not here," Kate said. "She spent last night at Chad's."
"So you put me to bed on the couch and covered me."
"Yep."
He moved toward her. "I was pretty baked last night. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come by."
She wasn't sure what to say.
"Mularkey," he finally said, "I know I was out of it . . ."
"Yes, you were."
"Did . . . anything happen? I mean, I'd hate to think—"
"Between us? How could it?" she said before he could finish saying how much he would regret a liaison between them. "Don't worry. Nothing happened."
The smile he gave her was so relieved she wanted to cry. "Then I guess I'll see you at work today, huh? And thanks for taking care of me."
"Sure." She crossed her arms. "What are friends for?"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Late in 1985, Tully got her big break. Assigned to do a live broadcast from Beacon Hill, she was surprised by the flurry of nerves that made her fingers tremble and her voice break, but when it was over, she felt invincible.
She'd been good. Maybe even amazing.
Now she sat upright in the passenger seat of the live truck, a van specifically designed for the technical requirements of a live broadcast, bouncing slightly with enthusiasm. When she closed her eyes, she relived every second of it: the way she'd pushed into the front of the crowd and asked her questions, her flawless wrap-up at the end, shot in front of the well-lit bank, with the red and yellow police lights cutting through the darkening night. Afterward, it had taken forever to load up all the gear and get back on the road, but she didn't care. The longer this night lasted, the better. She hadn't even taken off her earpiece, battery pack, wireless microphone, or walkie-talkie. They were badges of honor.
"Pull over at that 7-Eleven," Johnny said from the back of the van. "I'm thirsty. Mutt, jump out and get a few establishing shots while we're here. It's your turn to make the drink dash, Tully."
Mutt drove into the parking lot. "Cool."
When they parked, Tully collected their money, then got out of the van and headed for the brightly lit mini-mart.
"None of that New Coke for me," Johnny said into her earpiece.
She pulled the walkie-talkie off her belt, switched it on, and said, "You say that to me every time. I'm not an idiot."
Inside the brightly lit store, she looked around for the cooler case, found it, and walked down the medicine aisle.
"Hey, look," she said, talking into the walkie-talkie, "they have Geritol. You need some, Johnny?"
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"Smartass," he answered in her earpiece.
Laughing, she reached for the cooler case's handle when she noticed a shadow move across the glass. Turning, she saw a man in a gray ski mask point a gun at the cashier.
"Oh, my God."
"Are you talking about me?" Johnny said. "Because it's about time—"
She fumbled for the volume on the walkie-talkie and switched it off before the robber heard something. She clipped it to her belt and pulled her jacket over it, hiding her battery pack at the same time.
At the register, the robber swung to face her.
"You! Get on the floor." The masked man pointed his gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger to make his point.
"Tully? What the hell is going on?" came Johnny's voice through the earpiece.
Tully fumbled with the earpiece cord, trying to conceal it under her jacket. Then she turned up the volume on the walkie-talkie's outgoing message, hoping like hell Johnny would be able to pick up some sound. "Someone's robbing the store," she whispered as loudly as she dared, depressing the outgoing button.
In her earpiece, she heard Johnny say, "Holy shit. Mutt, call 911 and then start shooting. Tully, keep calm and get the hell to the floor. We can go live with this. Turn on your mic. I'm getting hold of the station. They're on air now. Stan, can you hear me?"
A few seconds later, Johnny said, "Okay, Tully. We're putting this through to Mike. He's on air now with the ten o'clock news. Your audio is going on live. You won't be able to hear him, but he'll hear you."
Tully turned on her mic, whispered into it, "I don't know, Johnny. How do—"
"Your mic is hot, Tully," he said urgently. "You're on live. Go."
The masked man must have heard something; he suddenly swung toward her again, pointing his gun at her. "I told you to get down, damn it."
She just had time to process "I've had enough o' this shit" when he pulled the trigger.
There was a loud crack of sound. Tully barely had time to scream before the bullet hit her in the shoulder and knocked her off her feet. She crashed into the shelves beside her, was vaguely aware of colored boxes crumbling and falling around her. Her head hit the linoleum floor hard.
For a moment, she lay there, gasping, staring up at a wiggling snake of fluorescent lighting.
"Tully?"
It was Johnny's voice, in her ear. She eased slowly—slowly—onto her side. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, but she gritted her teeth and kept moving. Keeping low, she crawled to the end of the aisle, ripped open a box of Kotex, and shoved a pad over her wound, holding it in place. The pressure hurt like hell and made her dizzy.
"Tully? What happened? Talk to me. Are you okay?"
"I'm here," she said. "I just put . . . a dressing on my wound. I think I'm fine."
"Thank God," Johnny said. "You want to turn off your mic?"
"No way."
"Okay. You're live, remember? Keep talking. They can't hear me, but they can hear you. This is your big break, kiddo, and I'm right here to help you. Can you describe the scene?"
She got to a crouch, wincing at the pain, and moved forward slowly, trying to gauge when she could actually look up. "Moments ago, a masked man came into this mini-mart on Beacon Hill, wielding a handgun and demanding money from the clerk. He fired once into the air to make his point and once into me." Her voice was as loud a whisper as she dared.
She heard a noise; it sounded like crying. Keeping low, she came around the corner and found a little boy, huddled against the neon candy aisle.
"Hey," she said, holding out her hand. He took it greedily, squeezing so tightly she couldn't pull away. "Who are you?"
"Gabe. I'm here with my grandpa. Did you see that guy shoot his gun?"
"I did. I'm going to go find your grandpa to make sure he's okay. You stay here. What's your last name, Gabe, and how old are you?"
"Linklater. I'm gonna be seven in July."
"Okay, Gabe Linklater. You stay low and keep quiet. No more crying, okay? Be a big boy."
"I'll try."
She tucked her chin toward her chest and talked quietly into the mic. She wasn't sure what the station could hear, but she just kept talking. "I found seven-year-old Gabe Linklater in the candy aisle. He came in with his grandfather, who I'm looking for now. I can hear the gunman over at the register, threatening the cashier. Tell the police there's only one robber." She turned the corner.
There she found an old man, sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding a box of Purina Dog Chow. "Are you Gabe's grandfather?" she whispered.
"Is he okay?"
"A little scared, but fine. He's in the candy aisle. What did you see?"
"The robber drove up in a blue car. I saw him through the window." He looked at her shoulder. "Maybe you should—"
"I'm going to move in closer." She compressed the pad against her wound again, winced at the pain, and waited for the nausea to pass. This time, her hand came away bloody. Ignoring it, she reported in again to the anchor she couldn't hear. "Apparently, Mike, the lone gunman arrived in a blue car, which should be parked outside in front of one of the windows. I'm happy to say that Gabe's grandfather is also alive and unharmed. Now I'm working my way toward the register. I can hear the gunman yelling that there has to be more money and the cashier saying that he can't open the safe. I can see the flash of lights outside. So the police have arrived. They're shining the lights into the store, telling him to come out with his hands up." She scuttled out in the open for just a second and then crouched behind a life-sized standee of Mary Lou Retton eating Wheaties. "Tell the police he's taken off his mask, Mike. He's blond-haired, with a snake tattoo that wraps around his neck. The gunman is extremely agitated. He's screaming obscenities and waving his gun around. I think—"
Another gunshot rang out. Glass shattered. Seconds later a SWAT team stormed through the glass doors.
"Tully!" It was Johnny, calling out for her.
"I'm okay." She stood up slowly, feeling a wave of pain and nausea at the movement. She saw the live truck through the broken window. Mutt was there with the camera, shooting all of it, but she couldn't see Johnny. "Seattle SWAT has just shot the glass out of the window and come in. They have the robber on the ground. I'll see if I can get close enough to ask them some questions."
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Form and Paradox
Once the sign has done its work on the originary scene, that of arresting the forward, convergent movement of the emergent community toward the central object, the members of the group will, indeed, proceed to advance on the object and consume it together. This raises the question of how they do so without forgetting what they just learned, and restarting the mimetic crisis. The sparagmos, the manifestation of the resentment toward the center, must be contained. My answer to this question, one I have put forward many times, is that the sign is “flashed” at each point along the way, accruing meaning and variation along the way. Even at the “wildest” moment of the sparagmos, a quick gesture would prevent one member of the group from encroaching “too much” on the portion of another member. What this means is that form is needed to make transitions from one activity to another, or from one “stage” of an activity to another.
This is the reason for that “canopy of ceremony” enveloping all practices in traditional orders, the loss of which in modernity is so bitterly mourned by reactionary cultural theorists. Think, for example, of how difficult it can be to “disengage” from an intense conversation with a close friend. It’s awkward to say something like “ok, see ya” when that cut-off point inevitably comes. The good-bye is best framed in such a way as to indicate some carrying over of that experience into more mundane activities, as well as that the separation represents a mere interregnum, as the conversation will be resumed at some later point. Or, take perhaps the most “wild” activity of most modern humans, sexual intercourse—just as some process of seduction must proceed the act, some exchange of words and gestures must “seal” its conclusion, both to preserve it as sacralized memory and integrate it into the rest of life. A lot of “bad” sexual experiences are no doubt a result of a failure on the part of one or both parties to see to the “scenic” character of the act. (The new legal doctrine of “affirmative consent” is a kind of unintentional parody of this need for form, trying to codify in declaratives what must in large part take place on the ostensive and imperative level.)
I’m coming back to this question in connection with arguments regarding the moral order of absolutism I’ve been making recently. The problem for absolutist political thought is conceiving of a post-sacrificial center. We can’t have a God-Emperor because we know that the emperor doesn’t control the weather, the river or the crops, nor can we in good faith bring some portion of our possessions to a temple to be consumed so as to ensure the regularity of rainfall or, more generally, the benevolent gaze of the deities. But, since there is a center, over and beyond any “justifications” for it, or for a particular occupant of the center, that anyone could provide, the center’s de-sacralization leaves a hole. Since what the center does is issue imperatives, in obeying the imperatives from the center we confer the “graceful charisma” (a term from Philip Rieff recently referenced by Imperius in his twitter feed) the center needs—more precisely, we do so in the way we obey, by eliminating the gap between the imperative issued and the imperative obeyed. “Social science” becomes a holy science insofar as it is wholly engaged in studying the difference between imperatives issued and imperatives obeyed, including the ways that difference is manifested through the declarative order.
A particular “fork” confronts us in embarking upon the path any imperative places before us. Since the center is occupied by, has been “usurped” by, a human, every human comes to model him or herself on that occupant by demanding some form of centrality him/herself. Being the recipient of an imperative places you at a center with, therefore, some power to wield—at the very least the power to direct attention one way or another. One way of directing attention is by appropriating the “transgressive charisma” (to return to the distinction Imperius evokes) one gains by violently centralizing someone “falsely” claiming centrality. This putative falseness consists, circularly, in marginalizing the present claimant’s, and all those he invites to be represented by him, self-centralizing. We can identify transgressive charisma because its bearer will accuse his target of all of the violations of normative order that he himself commits in his very accusation.
And this normative order is the result of the deferral of scapegoating that marks post-sacrificial order. Something goes wrong—our first impulse is to find the origin of the threat and eliminate it. (We are all originary thinkers.) How? We first of all look for a human origin because anything that threatens us seems intentionally directed at us, and only a human could threaten us intentionally. (Gods, in sacrificial orders, can be considered humans for this purpose—the border line is very porous.) So, which human? Some of us stand out more than others, whether it is because we are “defective” in some way (physically disabled, speaking with a lisp, etc.) or because we have come, rightly or wrongly, to be associated with “trouble.” Some of us are “marked,” in other words. Someone, in a given situation, will be “especially” marked. How so? Someone will make some apparently plausible connection between that individual and the event. Someone else will second it. Others start to look more closely, and find other reasons for suspicion. And not just suspicion of a past deed, but of ongoing connivance in whatever the threat is. Everyone starts to converge upon this individual. It is not just that he needs to be punished, but that he is the source of a contagion that can only be stopped by shutting it down at its source, and right now. The proof of this is the very contagion that leads to the convergence on the individual. The panic intensifies until that individual is eliminated.
That is scapegoating, and we see this kind of thing happen, usually, of course, in much less disastrous forms, all the time. Look at why people get excluded from groups, ostracized by or within institutions. Now, if we put the scenario I described in the previous paragraph in reverse, let’s say that as the crowd starts to converge, one individual hesitates, and starts questioning the movement toward this central object. He points out that the association someone has made could easily have another explanation, or may not even be an association. He proposes that we look more closely at that purported “evidence.” He might further point out that harming this one person will do nothing—whatever the emergency is (if it is in fact an emergency—another question he might raise), it has to be addressed on its own terms. He may point out that some of the participants are clearly hurling accusations only because others are—indeed, they’re the same accusations, and the people hurling them give no evidence of having thought of them on their own.
All this scenic construction is what lies at the base of a “normative order” or “justice system.” The entire legal system can be seen as erected so as to cut off at the pass all the mimetic inclinations toward scapegoating. But the person who slows down the crowd redirects its hostility toward himself. He may become a victim, but he has advantages that the chosen victim doesn’t. The selected victim, the “emissary,” is marked, and every response he has given towards the crowd has stained him further—his denials are obviously lies, his tone and gestures show that he is keeping some secret, etc. The retardant, meanwhile, is no more marked than anyone else, and attempts to mark him now will be risky because too obviously “interested.” He begins by drawing attention to the crowd, which must now look at itself—or, at least some are looking at others, diluting its “crowdness.” To the extent that he is an effective retardant, everything he says confronts some claim, some accusation, made by the leader of the crowd (the self-chosen leader, or perhaps one chosen by the retardant himself, to give the crowd focus and slow it down). Why did he notice this, but neglected to tell you that? The retardant doesn’t want to renew the crowd’s fervor, this time directed at its (former) leader—he wants to dissolve the crowd, while ensuring that it retains a memory of what it would most like to forget. It may be important to punish the leader, but it should be a slow and proportionate punishment, in contrast to the hurried and massively disproportionate one the crowd was about to inflict. Most basically, the punishment should be a lowering of the trust given to that individual, which is really just a recognition that he has revealed something that we can’t forget. At the same time, there will now be something in each of us that we trust a bit less, and we will all be a little bit more ready to listen to someone taking on the role of the retardant in similar cases.
You have a post-sacrificial culture once the balance has shifted from the arsonists to the retardants so that, ultimately, most of us are mostly retardants, and can note our own inflammatory tendencies. But once this takes place there comes the tendency to farm out our retardant capacities to automatized institutions that run according to fixed rules and bureaucrats who can apply those rules without thinking too much about their origins or meaning. Sacrificial tendencies will then recur; indeed, the justice institutions themselves will attract such tendencies, where they can be indulged covertly and in good conscience. (Liberalism is essentially the laundering of scapegoating through the justice institutions.) We will never have to stop learning to be the first retardants. This is what we learn by giving form to all of our interactions and thereby ensuring continuity and consistency of intent—passing the baton, so to speak, even to ourselves. When scenes are formally constructed, emergencies are already accounted for in terms of the scene itself—there are “procedures” in place, even if only tacitly, in the forms given to actions and interactions. It is accusations of intent that can’t be seen in the form of one’s actions that will stand out, not markings of being less fit.
This requires an acknowledgment of the paradoxical structure of the sign I’ve been exploring in the last couple of posts. Again: we create the “reality” that we also simply “refer” to. Even knowing this doesn’t extricate us from the paradox because any attempt to act on this knowledge just generates a new scene, with an uncertain outcome, on which new signs with the same paradoxical structure will be emitted. We work, live think and speak with this paradox by remaking ourselves, as much as possible, into forms that sustain continuity across acts. I might be marked; any of us might be, under certain conditions. But one can show that the very things that might mark one are in fact signs of one’s retardant quality. What seems irritating, annoying, or threatening is really my giving notice of a readiness to hesitate before any prospective convergence. I would then need to remake myself so that that is genuinely the case, so that I don’t delude myself into thinking that simply being irritating and annoying in itself marks one as a retardant. One thereby constructs the reality within which one will circulate as a sign of deferral, but it will only be such a reality insofar as one actually defers, which also depends upon all the others—all the others with whom one is then engaged in a reciprocal process of creating an idiom of forms constituting an oscillation between hesitancy and continuity.
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MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE: Spotlight on Trevor Hoyte
Trevor Hoyte is Park Ranger at Rugby Borough Council. Based at the town centre Caldecott Park, which is protected with Fields in Trust as a Queen Elizabeth II Field, Trevor is a familiar face to park visitors. In this week's spotlight, we learn about his role in the maintenance and management of Rugby's parks for the benefit of the local community.
Family is very important to Trevor Hoyte, and he comes from a family with an exceptional sporting background. Trevor himself competed as an elite athlete, as did his brother Les and sister-in-law Wendy. The sporting success continues into the next generation as his own son and two nephews are all professional footballers.
Trevor remembers the role that parks and green spaces played in his own sporting journey - at age seven his father began coaching him as he practised sprinting in Acton Park, across the road from the family home in west London. Trevor took to athletics and soon was running for the borough, later the county and as an international. He was a Commonwealth Games finalist in 1978 and an Olympian as part of the sprint relay team at the Moscow Games of 1980.
With a professional eye, Trevor remembers the parks of his youth: "West London had lots of really good parks and sports grounds - Gunnersbury Park, Acton Park and the West London Stadium, all well-managed and kept in good order by the local council maintenance teams".
His local council, Ealing, helped out and supported his developing athletics career. Trevor used his experience as a professional athlete to coach and inspire other young people, a career move into youth work and sports development enabled him to provide motivational talks for young people, keep in touch with sport and "...give something back to the community, they supported me so it's only right that I should support other young people starting out". Just as his father did for Trevor, he continued the family tradition and coached his own son in local parks and green spaces. Encouraging young talent is a role that Trevor continues today as a mentor for young people who are given opportunities for work experience and volunteering in Rugby's parks and green spaces. "It's important that we encourage young people who need a little help - if I can't support them, who else will?"
A move to Rugby 13 years ago saw Trevor combining his coaching, sports development and motivational skills as a Park Ranger - as Trevor proudly points out "I'm the only Park Ranger in Rugby". He is based in Caldecott Park close to the town centre but splits his time across several other parks and green spaces in Rugby.
The job is busy and varied - no day is the same and seasonal variations find Trevor working hardest when everyone else is off work enjoying their local parks. Caldecott Park has over 300 trees representing 50 different species and it is well known for its floral displays, so there is much work to do ensuring that the park is well presented and looking at its best.
Trevor has planned and managed an increased number of events in local parks, despite budget constraints, including Art in the Park, National Playday, several musical acts on the bandstand - from brass bands to school orchestras - free summer workshops, history talks, tree walks and bug hunts and even late night outdoor cinema.
"It's important that we encourage young people who need a little help - if I can't support them, who else will?"
Trevor Hoyte, Park Ranger, Rugby Borough Council
As well as planning the events in advance, Trevor will be there early in the morning to help safely set-up the necessary infrastructure, power, marquees and any other equipment, then at the end of a long day, he will oversee the take-down of events and help return the park to its usual state, neat tidy and ready for the next days visitors.
But these visible parts of the job, the public events, are only a small part of the work of this park ranger. Before the trucks roll in at 6 am on a summer Saturday to set up an event there is a lot of unseen activity that has to be done in the background. Planning, risk assessment, licencing, coordination with council colleagues, volunteer management and increasingly working with external sponsors who support public events are all part of the mix.
Trevor has significantly increased local business contributions to events in Rugby's parks. Budgets are tight all around, but with networking and building local relationships Trevor has helped transform Caldecott Park. One major project was the re-opening of a café at the park: The Old Tool Shed. Initially, it was staffed with volunteers, then as things took off, with paid staff, providing local people with a route back into employment and for one aspiring young chef it was a springboard into a catering career.
Much of the unseen work will happen in the winter months when the park is quieter. Whilst there is less maintenance to do on the ground there is no shortage of work reviewing what went well from the previous summer and what could be improved. Work is programmed on a rolling two-year development plan and includes organising new activities, establishing new partnerships, preparing funding bids and encouraging sponsorship. Current development plans include upgrading the tennis courts and working with a sponsor to extend the edible borders in the park and pave an area adjacent to the beds, which are maintained by people with learning disabilities in a project that is a firm favourite with its participants.
When asked about the impact of his work in Caldecott Park, Trevor returns to a familiar theme. "Families", he says decisively. "Families are why we do what we do. It's really important that dad, mum, the kids should all have a place they can come and enjoy time together relax, run, kick a ball, and have family time. We want to make the park a welcoming, safe place where families, friends... the whole community can come and enjoy spending time together".
You can find out more about Caldecott Park and download a tree trail on the Rugby Borough Council website.
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The Patent Process. Step 3
Step 3: Filing for a Patent
To get a U.S. patent, you must file an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A patent application is a complex legal document, best prepared by one trained to prepare such documents.
There are two types of patent applications:
A non-provisional application, which includes: (1) A written document which comprises a specification (description and claims), and an oath or declaration; (2) A drawing in those cases in which a drawing is necessary; and (3) Filing, search, and examination fees. The applicant must determine that small entity status is appropriate before making an assertion of entitlement to small entity status and paying a small entity fee. Fees change each October. The fee schedule is posted on the USPTO Web site.
A provisional application, which was designed to provide a lower cost first patent filing in the United States and to give U.S. applicants parity with foreign applicants. Claims and oath or declaration are NOT required for a provisional application. Provisional application provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a patent application and permits the term "Patent Pending" to be applied in connection with the invention. Provisional applications may not be filed for design inventions. The filing date of a provisional application is the date on which a written description of the invention, and drawings if necessary, are received in the USPTO. To be complete, a provisional application must also include the filing fee and a cover sheet specifying that the application is a provisional application for patent. The applicant would then have up to 12 months to file a non-provisional application for patent as described above. The claimed subject matter in the later filed non-provisional application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the provisional application if it has support in the provisional application.
Publication of patent applications is required by the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 for most plant and utility patent applications filed on or after November 29, 2000. On filing of a plant or utility application on or after November 29, 2000, an applicant may request that the application not be published, but only if the invention has not been and will not be the subject of an application filed in a foreign country that requires publication 18 months after filing (or earlier claimed priority date) or under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Publication occurs after the expiration of an 18-month period following the earliest effective filing date or priority date claimed by an application. Following publication, the application for patent is no longer held in confidence by the Office and any member of the public may request access to the entire file history of the application.
Since the rights granted by a U.S. patent extend only throughout the territory of the United States and have no effect in a foreign country, an inventor who wishes patent protection in other countries must apply for a patent in each of the other countries or in regional patent offices. Almost every country has its own patent law, and a person desiring a patent in a particular country must make an application for patent in that country, in accordance with the requirements of that country.
The laws of many countries differ in various respects from the patent law of the United States. In most foreign countries, publication of the invention before the date of the application will bar the right to a patent. In most foreign countries maintenance fees are required. Most foreign countries require that the patented invention must be manufactured in that country after a certain period, usually three years. If there is no manufacture within this period, the patent may be void in some countries, although in most countries the patent may be subject to the grant of compulsory licenses to any person who may apply for a license.
he Patent Cooperation Treaty was negotiated at a diplomatic conference in Washington, D.C., in June of 1970. The treaty came into force on January 24, 1978, and is presently (as of December 14, 2004) adhered to by over 124 countries, including the United States. The treaty facilitates the filing of applications for patent on the same invention in member countries by providing, among other things, for centralized filing procedures and a standardized application format. The timely filing of an international application affords applicants an international filing date in each country which is designated in the international application and provides (1) a search of the invention and (2) a later time period within which the national applications for patent must be filed. A number of patent attorneys specialize in obtaining patents in foreign countries. If you file for protection under the treaty within one year of filing in the United States, you will have up to 30 months from the original U.S. filing date to file in any of the other signatory countries.
Under U.S. law it is necessary, in the case of inventions made in the United States, to obtain a license from the Director of the USPTO before applying for a patent in a foreign country. Such a license is required if the foreign application is to be filed before an application is filed in the United States or before the expiration of six months from the filing of an application in the United States unless a filing receipt with a license grant issued earlier. The filing of an application for patent constitutes the request for a license and the granting or denial of such request is indicated in the filing receipt mailed to each applicant. After six months from the U.S. filing, a license is not required unless the invention has been ordered to be kept secret. If the invention has been ordered to be kept secret, the consent to the filing abroad must be obtained from the Director of the USPTO during the period the order of secrecy is in effect.
Step 1: Is your invention patentable?
Step 2: Conduct a search of prior art
Patent Process
Copyright © 2019 X&J Patent
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European Tour Operation (Economics Essay Sample)
/ Samples / Economics / European Tour Operation
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Check Out Our European Tour Operation Essay
The recent economic crisis that hit the world had significant impact on various sectors across the world. Business environment has been affected politically, economically, socially, technically, environmentally and even legal wise. Together, these factors have affected and changed the environment, in which tourism operates. There is an increase in competition for market share; new legislations are increasingly being formulated by authorities managing tourist facilities like parks and hotels. Equally, people are increasingly becoming aware of the economic value of tourist attraction sites. There has been a readjustment in the operations of the activities of tour operators. In countering such challenges, the review of the existing business policies in the sector and emergence of new opportunities has become inevitable.
A report by The Croatian Tourism Cluster (2003, p. 14) indicates that tourism industry in Europe face no more competition among tour operators themselves than it faces from external competitors such as online channels and suppliers who provide services to tourists in a package. The report notes that there is a continued increase in external competition to operation in tour business than preceding years. For instance, more than 72% of the bookings in Europe were done through the internet in 2008. This, the report cites, was an increase from 66% in 2005 and 54% in 2002. According to this report, various factors have contributed to these shifts in competition. These factors include emergence of new entrants in the business, increased bargaining power from both the tourists and tour operators and availability of substitutes such as local sporting events. This paper is aimed at assessing tour operation model, used in Europe, and discusses key issues in business environment for tour operators.
Key Issues in the Business Environment for Tour Operation Industry
According to Viardot (2011, p.10) business environment for tour operators is a volatile one, as new issues keep emerging every day. He points out technological advancement, political realignment, social change and economic fluctuation as just but some of the challenging issues that tour operation have to deal with everyday. He further notes that a simple stride in technology could make a big difference between two operations in the same environment, all other factors held constant. Notably, this goes a long way in indicating how a simple factor affects the business environment vastly.
On their approach, Gerry, Whittington & Scholes (2011, p. 27) note that human capital, as a social factor, plays an important role in enhancing the business environment through innovative activities. They argue that returns on investment in tour operation and improved production is a factor of human capital input. In their subsequent contribution, they note that tour operators can only invest in human capital as all other factors depend on the quality of manpower that is within the industry. The Croatian Tourism Cluster (2003, p. 24) reports that supply of manpower in tourism industry has been steady as evidenced by the increased number of students who take up tour operation courses in institutions of learning. However, the report cites the need for harmonization of these courses to reflect global taste, as the world has become a global village.
According to Charles, Goeldner & Ritchie (2006, p. 34), political standings impacts on the kind of legislation, formulated to guide the tourism industry. They note that regulation is part of any sector, which cannot be avoided. Furthermore, regulation is a daily activity as laws are overtaken by time and event every day. Notably, Charles, Goeldner & Ritchie (2006, p. 34) say that regulation of tourism industry has the potential of increasing the operation costs for both small and large operators, which may impede growth in the sector. The trio suggests a formation of formalized tourism relationship through memorandum of understanding. This, they argue, will offer opportunities in addressing major regulatory constraints. According to them, regulation of tourism industry cannot be left in the hands of regulators and politicians but experts and tour operators who have first hand information in the sector. This can, thus, enable the operators to reduce on the cost of doing business besides having policies and regulations that favor the growth of the industry.
Coles & Colin (2008, p.31) cite the need to identify and diversify cultural ties in tourism sector to help in inculcating different social habits but at the same time building and retaining the cultural uniqueness in diversified tourist sites. Additionally, Coles & Colin (2008, p.33) underscore the need to build sustainable measures in preserving culture, cultural heritage and nature as a whole. Other areas to be sustained, they note, include the living communities and socioeconomic balance between the fauna and flora in tourist site. Furthermore, Coles & Colin (2008, p.33) note that integration of life qualities, quality of service offered and voluntary participation by every stakeholder has the effect of satisfying legitimate interest at both individual and group level. They add that such can be achieved if the public authorities and industry groups promise to champion the spirit of fair completion, thus, provide a level playing field toward realizing such interests.
Drivers for Change
From the above discussion, major drivers for change in this industry include technology, political stability, economic wellness and socially acquaintance. The Croatian Tourism Cluster (2003, p. 28) reports that the level of innovativeness and the equality services, provided by tour operators, depends on the above drivers. The report suggests that the drivers cannot be left as stand alone as their contribution to the sector is not mutually exclusive, i.e. each driver must be improved to achieve a collective effect across the sector. For instance, technological prowess would be null if there is no political stability within that environment
Opportunities and Threats in Tour Operation
One of the opportunities for tour operators is the availability of enhanced communication tools between the operators and the consumers. Charles, Goeldner & Ritchie (2006, p. 38) note that technology has helped in reducing the cost of operation in the industry. For instance, tour operators are now able to reach their customers through the internet by advertising their products and services. They note that tourism capitalization was close to 3 times bigger in United States than in Europe. They attribute this to a higher penetration of online marketing in the US compared to Europe.
Interestingly, majority of online bookings were done by bigger online travel agencies. Notably, Charles, Goeldner & Ritchie (2006, p. 38) indicate that technology use has led to uptake of a good percentage of market share by online operators. For instance, online operators took 50% of compound annual growth rate, while traditional tour operators recorded a downhill with a compound annual growth rate of -5.3%. Evidently, the power of technology as a tool in enhancing tour operation cannot be overemphasized (The Croatian Tourism Cluster 2003, p. 35)
Similarly, Viardot (2011, p.21) cites the use of technology in beating the challenge of political stability in many areas of operation. For instance, the rapid flow of information through the internet and other communication media helps both the tour operators and their customers to avoid dangerous sites, where there is uprising. He notes that technology also helps in ensuring that both players in the industry are well versed with the new development in regulations and policies to avoid confrontations with public authorities. Furthermore, Viardot (2011, p.21) argues that technology helps in reducing cultural shock to tourists as they already about the culture of the areas they are visiting through the internet.
On their part Gerry, Whittington & Scholes (2011, p. 50) note that a well regulated industry emanating from the partnership between stakeholders and public authorities as an opportunity for tour operators to increase on return for their investment. They argue that this regulation has the impact of ensuring that only qualified people are allowed to offer services, thus, locking out on quirk operators. Furthermore, they note that regulation helps in building the confidence and trust of consumers, thus, increasing the turnover. The trio argues that industry regulation provides an opportunity for industry players to harmonize their services and give value to their customers.
On the other hand, Gerry, Whittington & Scholes (2011, p. 35) cite difficulties in sustainability of both human capital and natural resources as a treat to the industry. They argue that due to climatic changes and global warming, many attraction sites are diminishing very fast. Increase in human population poses a danger of encroaching on resources that support this industry. They further argue that there is insufficient supply of manpower and expertise to match the demand for services. Charles, Goeldner & Ritchie (2006, p. 38) indicate that faster changes in technology increase the cost of investment besides the need for regular training of the available manpower to handle this change.
The Croatian Tourism Cluster (2003, p.12) report cites political instability as a threat as it disrupts the flow of tourists, thus, causing heavy loses to investors in the sector. Political instability impacts on the industry in a negative manner. Coles & Colin (2008, p.38) state that political instability has the effect of reducing the economic powers of countries and individuals, thus, reducing their consumption power. They note that this is a threat to sector growth that need to be addressed exhaustively by stakeholders.
Environmental Competitiveness for the Industry
According to Gerry, Whittington & Scholes (2011, p. 50), the environment competitiveness of tour operator industry is determined by forces within the industry. They identify entrant of new players, changing bargaining powers of both the operators and consumers of services and the availability of substitute services as key determinant of the competitiveness of tour industry. New players in the sector include people who invest in the sector and new public authorities who come up to regulate the industry. The list also includes new mergers and disintegration between the operators themselves, forming new association. Gerry, Whittington & Scholes (2011, p. 50) argue that bargaining powers of both the consumers and tour operators is dependent on economic forces such as the recent economic crisis, which results in the reduction of purchasing powers of individuals. Additionally, the presence of substitutes such as sporting events reduces the number of consumers who may be recorded in this sector.
Similarly, Viardot (2011, p.12) notes that industry growth also depends on the environmental condition. For instance, cost implications, opinion of public, concerning the sector, and the locations of sites for tour. Viardot argues that the sector is very sensitive to small detail in the environment, which makes a slight change to have a significant change in the way consumers view the industry.
Consequently, the above forces make this sector to have a greater chance of making profits. On the other hand, the presence of substitutes, such as sporting activities, tightens up the competition for consumers. However, Coles & Colin (2008, p.39) state that the profitability of tourism industry depends on availability of better services, rather than the absence of substitutes.
From this discussion, it is evident that tour operation all over the world over has great opportunities and challenges that if well addressed could lead to increased revenue to both the government and tour operators. In the modern technological world, for instance, proper use of technology tools can culminate into huge profits in the industry. It is also clear that when tourism sector makes money, the government also stands to benefit. However, this can only be achieved if better business policy and detailed analysis of the industry is done by both players and the government. Such analysis should focus on the pillars that form the backbone of the industry. Finally, the paper has stressed the need for collaborative efforts in stimulating growth in tour operation sector by focusing on opportunities available, which helps to improve the sector.
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A Foreign Area Officer (FAO) is a commissioned officer from any of the four branches of the United States armed forces who are regionally-focused experts in political-military operations possessing a unique combination of strategic focus, regional expertise, with political, cultural, sociological, economic, and geographic awareness, and foreign language proficiency in at least one of the dominant languages in their specified region. An FAO will typically serve overseas tours as a defense attaché, a security assistance officer, or as a political-military planner in a service's headquarters, Joint Staff, Major Commands, Unified Combatant Commands, or in agencies of the Department of Defense. They also serve as arms control specialists, country desk officers, liaison officers, and Personal Exchange Program officers to host nations or coalition allies. Roles and responsibilities of FAOs are extensive and varied. They advise senior leaders on political-military operations and relations with other nations, provide cultural expertise to forward-deployed commands conducting military operations, build and maintain long-term relationships with foreign leaders, develop and coordinate security cooperation, execute security assistance programs with host nations, and develop reports on diplomatic, information, military, and economic activities. Each branch has its own process for developing Foreign Area Officers to address their specific needs.
Army FAOs
The Army FAO program is the oldest and best established of the services. Unlike their counterparts in other services, the Army FAO transitions from his primary career field to a full-time FAO career track. The typical Army FAO first attends the Defense Language Institute (DLI) for his language training and then follows with a year of in-country immersion. During the immersion, the Army FAO is given a travel budget to manage to visit the country and surrounding region. He thereby is afford extended opportunity to build on the language program from DLI as well as increase his knowledge of the region.
Following a one-year immersion, the Army FAO generally returns to the US and enters a master's program either at the Naval Post Graduate School or some other institute that specializes in regional security studies. For more information on the Army FAO program, please visit the Army FAO Proponent Office.
Marine FAOs
For information on the US Marine Corp FAO and Regional Affairs Officer (RAO) programs, please visit the USMC International Issues Branch. And here is a detailed document from the Commandant of the Marine Corps on the Defense Attache System, including how to apply and duties of the position.
Navy FAOs
To achieve national security objectives and success in current and future operations, including The Long War, the United States Navy must be prepared to conduct operations in a variety of geographic, economic, cultural and political circumstances, and across the entire range of military operations. Of particular importance to the naval service, whose forces are forward deployed to shape events unfolding overseas, is detailed regional knowledge of these operating environments, including the ability to communicate effectively with both friends and foes in the area.
The goal of the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Program is to produce a cadre of officers with the skills required to manage and analyze politico-military activities overseas. FAOs will serve as regional specialists on fleet staffs, defense and naval attachés, security assistance officers, mobile training team officers and foreign war college students or personnel exchange program office.
Check out the Navy FAO Community website!
Air Force RASs/PASs
The dynamic and evolving global security environment challenges us to perform our mission under an expeditionary concept requiring rapid, world-wide deployment. To ensure our continued success in this environment, we need a cadre of International Affairs Specialists with the insight and skills to build effective relationships with global partners. A review of the former Foreign Area Officer (FAO) program made it clear that a transformation was needed. Under the old FAO program, officers were not developed sufficiently nor managed effectively to become foreign area experts and most faced significant career progression hurdles for serving outside of their primary AFSC. The new International Affairs Specialist (IAS) program replaces the FAO program and deliberately develops (selects, trains, assigns) officers with international affairs expertise while keeping them viable and competitive in their primary AFSC development track. The program consists of Regional Affairs Strategists (RAS) and Political Affairs Strategists (PAS).
For more information, check out the Air Force International Affairs website.
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Providing timely and relevant information to the Wisconsin urban forestry community is a key role of the Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry program. One of the ways in which this goal manifests itself is through a monthly newsletter received by 5,555 subscribers (May 2019). In order to ensure that the newsletter content is relevant and timely, the Urban Forestry program surveyed subscribers in spring 2019. Results are shown and interpreted below and suggestions made for future newsletter editions.
One hundred and thirty-four subscribers responded to the survey out of a possible 5,555 (response rate = 2.4%). These respondents came from many backgrounds, the biggest groups being from local governments (29%) and the private sector (26%). Respondents were also geographically distributed across the state, with the only counties achieving 10%+ representation in response being from Milwaukee (12%) and Dane (11%) counties.
A large majority of respondents were satisfied with newsletter content (82%) and timeliness (86%), and most were satisfied with its frequency (77%). Though there was widespread appreciation for the newsletter, there were clearly topics of greater interest to respondents. Plant health was of particular interest to subscribers, with the highest rates of relevance given to Invasive plants, Pests, and Disease. Other high scoring topics (> 80% combined high and fair relevance) included Did You Know (urban forest miscellanea), Publications, Regulations, Research, Taking action and Technology.
Just over half of respondents (52%) have been receiving the newsletter for more than three years, and, excluding those readers who had been subscribed to the previous newsletter iteration (The Insider), most people found out about the newsletter directly through the Wisconsin DNR website. The vast majority of respondents were timely email readers, opening the newsletter either within 24 hours (43%) or within a week (98%).
Survey Results and Discussion
Newsletter Quality and Relevance
The majority of readers were satisfied with the general content of Urban Forestry News (Question 5), with 43% being very satisfied and 39% being somewhat satisfied (82% total); seventeen percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. These results mark a clearly positive view of the newsletter.
However, there were obvious topic preferences from readership (Question 7). Content related to forest health were the only topics about which more than half of respondents found highly relevant. Pests (65%), Disease (65%) and Invasive plants (64%) led the field, but when combined with topics that were fairly relevant to readers, other topics also rose to the top. These included Research (94% total relevance), Taking action (86%), Technology (85%) and Regulations (84%). See Figure 1 for a full breakdown of results.
Figure 1. The relevance of each topic to subscribers.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the lowest ratings for relevance (highly and fairly) included Awards (24%), Financial help (61%), Partners (61%) and Inventory (68%). Despite low scoring amongst all readership, article page views counters some assumptions we would make about these topics. For example, a February 2019 article on awards was visited 400 times, more than twice the average article’s visitation. This may indicate that, though awards might not attract widespread interest, smaller populations are very interested in the topic.
Interestingly, many topics received significant (20%+) amounts of people unsure of their opinion. Awards, Inventory, Partners, and Recreation all elicited substantial uncertainty, perhaps indicating that the topic name was confusing or overly broad.
Forty-nine additional comments were submitted, many of which offered suggestions for how the newsletter could be improved. While most were unique submissions and difficult to summarize, some themes were repeated. There seemed to be a common interest in species selection advice for tough urban sites (e.g. what species are encouraged for street boulevards), while others wanted advice on species selection and treatment with regards to climate change and other environmental disruptions. Many people also desired more stories on what is working well in other communities. Finally, a few respondents noted that they preferred the old printed publication, The Insider.
Newsletter Frequency, Timeliness and Responsiveness
Half of all respondents preferred the monthly frequency of the newsletter (Question 4), while 27% had no preference. This amounted to 77% of respondents being satisfied with the current frequency of the newsletter, with the remaining preferring a frequency of every two or three months.
Almost half of all respondents were also very satisfied with the timeliness of information in the newsletter, and 37% were somewhat satisfied (Question 6). Eighty-six percent of readers feel the newsletter is thus satisfactorily sent with regards to time. The quickness by which subscribers read the newsletter also reflects their attentiveness (Question 3). Forty-three percent of respondents read the newsletter within 24 hours of receiving it while 55% read it within a week. Any timely information that is communicated through the newsletter (e.g. the availability of catastrophic storm grants) can be assumed to be consumed in a reasonable timeframe.
Subscriber Demographics
Newsletter subscribers come from across the state, with unsurprising peaks in subscriber geography in Milwaukee and Dane counties (Question 9). While there is generally a linear relationship between county population and number of subscribers, this is not absolute. For example, there was only one respondent in Racine County, the fifth most populous in the state, while four people responded in Portage County, ranked 20th in Wisconsin. It is also noteworthy that 8% of respondents work out-of-state and for that subset, employment demographics skewed toward the private sector.
Otherwise, local government was the most common place of employment for respondents at 29%, followed closely by the private sector at 26% (Question 10). This tracks with the focus of the DNR’s Urban Forestry program on municipal forestry staff, and secondarily with partners who aid and provide resources to homeowners (industry leaders, utility professionals, arborists, etc.). Surprisingly, about 14% of respondents were retired, possibly indicating former professionals still active as volunteers in the urban forestry world.
While many newsletter recipients were previously subscribed to The Insider (29%), sixty-five percent of the remainder subscribed directly from the DNR website (Question 1). This is the dominant way the DNR has attracted new recipients, though urban forestry staff have also signed up about 19% of the newer subscribers.
Over half (52%) of readers have been receiving the newsletter for more than three years (Question 2). This indicates strong value as readers do not choose to unsubscribe. Fourteen percent are relatively new subscribers (>1 year), and 23% have been subscribed 1-3 years.
Suggestions and Next Steps
The survey results above indicate general satisfaction with the content and frequency of the newsletter. There is no strong call to alter the monthly nature of the newsletter, nor is there any need to radically alter the information communicated in the newsletter. However, there are some changes that the Urban Forestry program could make to better improve the relevance and appeal of the newsletter:
Include more success stories. An easy avenue to share more success stories is to document in the newsletter what was shared in regional networking meetings. Coordinators could write (or partners guest write) a summary of what a particular community is doing.
Periodically identify species of interest, perhaps at critical times before spring planting or before trees would be ordered. Potentially, when new recommendations are released from reputable sources (e.g. University of Minnesota’s Gary Johnson), an article is written about them. Networking groups might do this already, but it should be extended to the wider newsletter audience.
Offer timely, summarized research, and offer ways in which the research could be put into practice.
Be intentional and creative with article headlines and consider altering e-mail subject lines. For instance, current subject lines generically say “Urban Forestry News – May 2019 edition”, though they could include more information to draw peoples’ attention (e.g. “Urban Forestry News – May 2019 edition – Disease Resistant Elms | Boulevard Tree Suggestions”)
Multiple people noted their fondness for The Insider, a publication periodically published by the DNR’s urban forestry program until 2015. While their fondness may point to a desire for a printed product, perhaps a review of the The Insider could reveal topics or content that could be resurrected. The quiz column about tree damage has been suggested as something to bring back.
Expand the reach of the newsletter. The Urban Forestry web pages were recently updated, and it is very easy to sign up for the newsletter, but at networking and other meetings, staff should remind attendees to subscribe. DNR Forest Health staff bring newsletter sign-up sheets to their meetings, and that would be an easy process for Urban Forestry staff to replicate.
Continue to partner with Forest Health and other Forestry programs to cross-promote relevant articles, especially regarding popular topics such as pests, diseases or invasive plants.
Continue to maintain newsletter analytics to assess readership trends.
Track and periodically assess the page views by topic, as well as how many articles are written about topics relevant to the newsletter readership. Is there enough content being produced within relevant topics or should this be a greater focus for the newsletter moving forward?
Target outreach toward underrepresented parts of the state, such as Racine County which appears to have few subscribers relative to its relatively large population.
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Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Telemetry Center
IndyCar Wins By Numbers
Tagliani Leads Wild First Practice
Alex Tagliani was the fastest in Friday practice with a time of 1:18.2096. The Hondas of Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden were second and third with the Chevrolets of Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounding out the top five.
Mike Conway was sixth in his first race weekend at Dale Coyne Racing. James Jakes was seventh ahead of Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud and Takuma Sato.
Six red flags slowed Friday practice at Belle Isle. Almost immediately a red flag came out for Josef Newgarden stopping on track. Ryan Briscoe brought out the second red for a spin. The third red was thrown when ducks were walking on the race course. Scott Dixon made it four when he stalled and James Hinchcliffe was the reason for the fifth red flag when the Canadian got into the tires at turn one. With a little more than fifteen minutes remaining, James Jakes stalled on track bringing out the sixth red flag.
Due to the red flags there was a limited amount of time during practice and one second only covered the top eleven times. Justin Wilson was eleventh, ahead of the Andretti Autosport teammates EJ Viso and points leader Marco Andretti. Chevrolets took positions fourteenth through seventeenth with Sebastián Saavedra, James Hinchcliffe, Simona de Silvestro and AJ Allmendinger.
Graham Rahal was eighteenth ahead of former Newman-Haas teammate Sébastien Bourdais, who will be making his 100th start in American open-wheel racing at Belle Isle. Ryan Briscoe was twentieth in his first session with Panther Racing. Charlie Kimball was twenty-first ahead of Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan. Rookie Tristan Vautier was twenty-third, Ed Carpenter was twenty-fourth with Dario Franchitti being the slowest on the timesheet. Franchitti brushed the wall just prior to the red flag brought out by his teammate Dixon.
Firestone Fast Six qualifying for race one will be at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Posted by Raymond Hando at 5/31/2013 12:41:00 PM
Track Walk: Belle Isle 2013
Tony Kanaan is coming off winning the Indianapolis 500 and leads the Izod IndyCar Series to Belle Isle for the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans. Marco Andretti leads the point standings after finishing in fourth at Indianapolis.
The First Doubleheader
This is the first of three doubleheaders this season for IndyCar. Two, 70-lap races will takes both starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. Friday will feature a practice session late in the morning with the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session happening at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday setting the grid for the Saturday race. On Saturday morning, at 9:15 a.m. ET qualifying for race two with take place. This session will see two, twelve minute qualifying groups. Groups will be determined by combined times from practice with odd-numbered positions making up group one and even-numbered positions making up group two. The grid for race two will be set in order of fastest times, combined from the two groups.
Race one will take place Saturday. Sunday will feature a morning warm-up at 9:00 a.m. ET before race two. This year's race will take place on a recently repaved, 2.346 mile configuration instead of the 2.07 mile configuration used since the IndyCar Series returned to Belle Isle in 2007.
Driver Changes
Mike Conway returns for his second and third IndyCar races of the season at Belle Isle. Conway will join Dale Coyne Racing, replacing Ana Beatriz who finished 15th at Indianapolis. Conway raced Long Beach for Rahal-Letteman-Lanigan Racing where Conway started 5th and finished 25th. Last year, Conway finished 9th at Belle Isle driving for AJ Foyt. Conway teams with Justin Wilson for the second time in their careers. Wilson and Conway teamed for six races in 2010 at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing before Conway suffered a season-ending back injury at Indianapolis. Conway has only been announced for this weekend, although it would not be unlikely Conway could run the remaining road and street course races. Conway does have a conflict with possibly doing the Baltimore Grand Prix. Conway drives an LMP2 car for G-Drive Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship which is scheduled to race in São Paulo the same day as Baltimore. Ana Beatriz is still trying to put together a sponsorship package to get back in the car.
The other possible driver change is Oriol Serviá stepping into the #4 National Guard Chevrolet currently driven by JR Hildebrand. This was mentioned last night on Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee. Curt Cavin cited Hildebrand's accidents at St. Petersburg and Indianapolis as reasons for why Serivá may replace the 2009 Indy Lights champion. Serviá lost his ride at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing after the team closed up shop after Indianapolis. Serviá is currently 9th in points and Hildebrand is 19th in points. This possible change has yet to be confirmed.
Update: Ryan Briscoe has been announced as the driver of the #4 National Guard Chevrolet at Detroit after JR Hildebrand's contract was terminated with the team. Nothing has been announced beyond this weekend. In 37 races with Panther Racing Hildebrand had one podium, five top-fives, twelve top tens and an average finish of 14.4. Prior to Hildebrand, Dan Wheldon drove 34 races for Panther Racing where he collected four podiums, seven top-fives, nineteen top tens and had an average finish of 10.9.
Grid Penalties
Four Honda teams will be taking ten spot grid penalties for race one at Belle Isle due to engine changes made at Indianapolis. Dario Franchitti's and Charlie Kimball's team changed engines prior to Pole Day while Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden made engine changes on Bump Day.
Sweep Bonus
Should a driver sweep the weekend at Belle Isle, there team will win an additional $50,000 bonus from SONAX. Should no one be able to win the SONAX Perfect Finish Award this weekend, the $50,000 will roll over to Toronto where the prize for sweeping will be $100,000 and should no one sweep Toronto, the $100,000 will roll over to Houston where a driver has a shot to win $150,000. SONAX is the leading manufacture premium car care products worldwide.
Track Facts
The pole sitter has won at Belle Isle on three occasions, tied with fourth as the starting position to produce the most winners. Second and third has each had produced two winners. The farthest a winner has started from is tenth when Danny Sullivan won. It was Sullivan's final win of his American open-wheel racing career. The last American to win at Belle Isle was Michael Andretti in 1996 and the last Canadian to win at Belle Isle was Greg Moore in 1997. Helio Castroneves has the most wins at Belle Isle among active drivers with two.
ABC will be covering both races at Belle Isle. Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET both Saturday and Sunday with the green flag scheduled for 3:50 p.m. both days.
Last year Honda dominated Belle Isle, sweeping the podium while Scott Dixon led every lap from pole position. Takuma Sato and Justin Wilson give Honda the best shot at success. The Ganassi cars will be near the front but will not dominate either of these two races. Despite a terrible season opener, Simon Pagenaud has finished in the top ten in each of four races since St. Pete, only Marco Andretti shares that distinction. The Chevrolets will still be strong. The Andretti Autosport cars have been spot on at each event this season and has a combined three wins, one pole, seven podiums, eight top fives and twelve top tens. I think all three Penskes will be quick with Will Power being a threat to sweep the weekend. I am going to pick Simon Pagenaud and Ryan Hunter-Reay this weekend. Sleeper: Mike Conway.
Posted by Raymond Hando at 5/30/2013 11:13:00 AM
The Ridiculously Radical Way to Simultaneously Help IndyCar and Formula One That Will Never Happen
Before I type this, I know it will likely never happen but it makes some sense if you really think about.
IndyCar is struggling. There I said it. Struggling to find sponsors, struggling with TV ratings, struggling to be relevant. IndyCar needs help. And you know what, there is nothing wrong to admit you need help. I'd rather by honest than lie and say everything is alright.
Formula One is doing fine. They have a nineteen-race World Championship. Millions and millions of dollars fill the paddock like it's nobody's business. Everything is peachy. But, there is one thing Formula One struggles with. Formula One wants a larger presence in the United States.
How can IndyCar and Formula One help each other out simultaneously?
First, I have to say it is radical. Two, it is NOT unprecedented. Three, it is unlikely for many reasons.
The idea: Make the Indianapolis 500, once again, a round of the Formula One World Championship.
There are many things preventing this from happening. Technology, conflict in schedules and conflict of interests from the two sanctioning bodies.
But could it work?
Mark Miles and Derrick Walker already made it known they want innovation and the speeds to increase at the Speedway. What better way to bring different technologies and promote innovation than to allow the Formula One teams to show up and run a car? Instead of forcing the Formula One teams to buy DW12 chassis and try to get an engine program from Chevrolet and Honda, when the Formula One regulations go to 1.6 liter, turbocharged V6 engines, allow the Formula One teams to come with their engines and their chassis, of course with different suspension and aero pieces for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and race.
There are more technical challenges preventing this from ever happening. IndyCar uses Firestone; Formula One uses Pirelli who don't make an oval tire. There is no refueling in Formula One; IndyCar does use refueling. IndyCar only allows six men over the wall for a pit stop; Formula One has at least double that. IndyCar uses a pneumatic jack; Formula One uses a hand jack. There are some things that would have to be worked out. The other issue is Formula One has expressed no interest in an oval race. That is the biggest barrier to be break down.
Formula One wants a larger presence in the United States and while the Grand Prix of America in Weekhawken and West New York, New Jersey has yet to take place and rumors were swirling at Long Beach that Bernie Ecclestone, Chris Pook and Zak Brown were going to bring Formula One back to Southern California, why not return to something that was done from 1950-1960 and have the Indianapolis 500 count towards the World Championship? While struggling, the Indianapolis 500 is still a recognizable event in the United States. At least 225,000 people attended the race this year and more might show up if they hear Formula One cars and drivers will also be there. It would increase the international profile of the race to have the names of Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Button and Räikkönen as well as the manufactures of Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Lotus (but this Lotus is much better than the last Lotus that showed up at the Speedway).
It makes so much sense to me. Formula One gets to be apart of one of the biggest races in the United States while IndyCar can benefit from being viewed on the world stage by Formula One television partners. Make the Indianapolis 500 a Formula One round and IndyCar, which is near impossible to find around the world, is now on the BBC, RTL and the other big networks in Europe not to mention other big networks around the world. With it being a Formula One race, there would be a conflict in TV rights for the United States and Canada. Would it be viewed as only an IndyCar race and be on only ABC and Sportsnet or would the Formula One deals make it available on NBC and TSN as well? These are kinks that would have to be worked out. Despite these kinks, the amount of international media walking the grounds would be an unbelievable plus for the series and the race. Seeing how excited Will Buxton was covering qualifying makes me wonder what he'd be like on race day and how would other members of the Formula One media react?
Formula One teams would need testing time for their oval parts to be either conducted in the United States or somewhere in Europe (Lausitzring and Rockingham come to mind). An IndyCar oval race in February or early March open to the Formula One teams could be beneficial or IndyCar oval races during Formula One's down periods in the summer could allow the teams to prepare a year in advance. Jim Clark won at Milwaukee and ran Trenton after finishing second in the 1963 Indianapolis 500. It has been done but just because Jim Clark did it doesn't mean the teams and drivers of today would.
Changes would have to be made to the calendar to allow this to happen. The current qualifying weekend would not be a problem for the Formula One teams but they would miss the first two days of practice like Conor Daly did this year. Push Monaco back a week to the first week in June to open up the weekend for the Indianapolis 500 and have a back-to-back of Indianapolis and Monaco. It is not unprecedented for Monaco to move. The Monaco Grand Prix has moved from a race in early April to early May to it's current date in late May. I don't think one week would kill the event. Just three years ago the race was held two weeks earlier than it was this year and I think it was still well attended.
Other logistical problems: Team failing to qualify. In Formula One this rarely happens and if it does, it happens to a back marker not within 107% of the fastest car. A Formula One team might not be happy if neither of its two cars makes the show. Part of me wants to say that's just how it goes but I know if a team misses they might decide not to show up for Indianapolis, the same way Formula One teams didn't show up from 1950-1960 expect for one lone exception when Alberto Ascari and Ferrari ran the 1952 Indianapolis 500. For IndyCar teams, failing to qualify and losing a spot to a Formula One team would cost them a valuable paycheck and IndyCar teams need every dime they can get. Just add this to the list of things keeping this from ever happening.
Does this mother of all pipe dreams have a shot at reality? As of now, no but IndyCar has nothing to lose by trying to communicate with the FIA and the Formula One Teams Association.
It does make some sense. Formula One would be on the biggest stage in the United States. IndyCar would be shown to larger international audience. The rulebook could be opened up to allow teams from both Formula One and IndyCar to use innovation to try and go faster than the next guy. It would be a terrific event for any racing fan. Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 would be unbelievably important. Add twenty-two Formula One cars to thirty-three IndyCars and you have fifty-five cars going for thirty-three spots. Want to talk about a hell of a bump day?
However, before I get too excited, I have to realize it's not in the cards and it will likely never happen. I wish it would though. With racing being so specialized in this day in age, just one event where all the teams from two series got together and ran a race would be a wonderful, deep breath of fresh mountain air. The idea has its flaws but there is nothing that can't be worked out, right? Through dialogue the sanctioning bodies could work out the kinks and it could be a win-win for the FIA and IndyCar but before I get too excited again, I realize it's a pipe dream.
Just the thought of it though; Formula One teams and IndyCar teams at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to race the Indianapolis 500. Before getting negative, let that thought roll around your mind and try not to smile.
The Conundrum: What Is a Great Race and How to End It?
The two races that took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend saw two different ends of the spectrum.
The Indy Lights race featured 11 cars running the 40 lap race. Carlos Muñoz led most of the race with Sage Karam on his gearbox each lap he led until the back straightaway of the final lap where both Karam and Gabby Chaves made a move for the lead heading into turn three and they ran three wide through turn three, the short chute and turn four and down the front straightaway. And then Ireland's Peter Dempsey made a move on the outside around the top three and came from fourth exiting turn four to nip Chaves at the line for the win with Karam in third and Muñoz going from first to fourth in one lap.
Flash forward to Sunday. The Indianapolis 500 saw a record amount of lead changes, 68, double the record just set last year, a record for different amount of leaders (14) and was the fastest Indianapolis 500 ever with an average speed of 187.433 MPH. There was passing all day. Ed Carpenter led the most laps, a record low 37. There were only five cautions for twenty-one laps and at one point, the race saw a green flag run of 134 laps. However, after taking the green flag with three laps to go and seeing Tony Kanaan and Carlos Muñoz pass Ryan Hunter-Reay for the lead and second place respectively, the caution came out for an accident involving Dario Franchitti. The race ended under caution.
Honestly, Friday was not a spectacular race. Muñoz, Karam, Chaves and Dempsey ran 1-2-3-4 for most of the race with the only passing coming in the final half lap of the race. Jimmy Simpson, Chase Austin and Juan Pablo Garcia raced for seventh, eighth and ninth but those three were all close to twenty seconds back of the leader. However, the final half lap changed everything. A four-wide finish, where a blanket covered the top four seem to negate the facts the race was mostly processional.
Sunday was a spectacular race. There was plenty of passing, especially for the lead. There were green flag pit stops and the pit crews shined. You had AJ Allmendinger off the strategy of the leaders after having to stop a hand full of laps early for a loose seat belt but he was still a factor and it added a wrinkle to the race. You had veterans looking to get their first Indianapolis 500, rookies looking to win on debut, three-time winners looking to become four-time winners and not to forget mentioning the impending rain held off. However, the finish has many forgetting the exciting racing over the first 197 laps. It is the finish they are upset about.
Does anyone root for a race to end under yellow flag conditions? No. It happens though. The Indianapolis 500 ran to it's scheduled distance and the final lap happened to be under a yellow flag. Was it an exciting finish? No. Does it change the excitement of the previous 197? No. Well, at least it shouldn't. A race is more than the final two laps (unless it's a two lap race). Sunday the race was 500 miles. Not 5.
If a football game is in the final seconds and it's a 6-point game and the team ahead kneels on three consecutive plays because the team trailing does not have a time out, does it change the excitement of the game? It shouldn't. Let's say the team down 6 points have the ball and they are driving down field in the closing seconds of the game with no timeouts. They throw a pass down field and it is caught and the receiver is stopped inbounds 5 yards from the end zone with five seconds to go but the team does not have any timeouts to stop the clock and the linemen and quarterback are fifty yards down field. The clock runs out before another play is run and the game ends. Should the trailing team get one final shot to score a touchdown and win the game even though time is up? No. The clock ran out. The game is over.
I have never heard a football fan arguing the situation above being unfair. A football fan would say the trailing team used poor clock management and it cost them. Why in racing does very few people look at it as a poor decision not to go for it when a driver has a chance to do so and are bitten by a yellow flag? Why is there an urge to just wait until the final lap? If anything, it is a life lesson for everyone not to put everything off to the final second and to seize the opportunity in front of you. Whether it be going for a pass for the win in the Indianapolis 500, homework in high school, mowing the lawn or doing your taxes, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT! GET THEM DONE WHEN YOU CAN!
When it comes to the argument of green-white-checkered finishes, the philosophy of why they are used has to be explored. Why are they used? To give the fans a green flag finish. Who do they benefit? The fans. What are the consequences? A race going longer than it's scheduled distance and not recognizing the leader of the race when that distance is reached as the winner. Now, before you react, are any of those statements false? If the race is scheduled for 500 miles and the race is extended five miles by a green-white-checkered, is the leader at the 500 mile mark recognized as the winner? No.
Some believe green-white-checkered finishes are racing's version of overtime. But overtime is used when there is a tie. In racing, green-white-checkered finishes are used to try and create a desirable finish. Name me one other sport that extends a match on purpose in hopes of a exciting finish? Even with green-white-checkered finishes, a race can still end under caution (see this year's Auto Club 400 or last year's fall race at Talladega). Now let me ask you this: Say in basketball, when the 4th quarter ends, Team A leads Team B by 22 points. Should there by a rule saying the trailing team gets one attempt at a half court shot worth one point more than the deficit for the win? Think about that before you react. Think about if that rule actually existed. Radical isn't it? It gives the fans a reason to tune it at the end. The course of a 48-minute basketball game would all come down to the fate of one shot. The rebounds fought for, the shots blocked, the shots made over 48 minutes could be deemed meaningless if that half court shot is made by the trailing team.
That does not exist but how is that any different from green-white-checkered? The game is being extended in hopes of an exciting finish. Imagine if a team were to make that half court shot, and imagine it's for the championship. The place would go nuts. One man, one half court shot, for the title. Talk about pressure. But that is not what is done. When 48 minutes are up, whoever is leading is the winner. If it is tied (TIED being the keyword) after 48 minutes, overtime is used to break the tie. The green-white-checkered finish is not used to break ties. It is used to create a finish, hopefully a green flag finish. But, just like a race not using the green-white-checkered rule, a race could still end under yellow conditions. What does that solve? "Well at least they gave it a shot?" is what some of you are thinking. Doesn't each race get it's shot when it reaches it's scheduled distance? Why do you have to extend a race to "give it a shot" at a green flag finish? It had it's shot when the scheduled distance is reached and it either finishes under green or yellow flag conditions. Basketball games aren't extended to have a shot at a buzzer beater. Football games aren't extended to have a shot at a Hail Mary. Baseball games aren't extended to have a shot at a walk-off home run. When each game reaches their scheduled distance the team ahead wins and the game ends. If the game is still tied, overtime maybe used but only if there is a tie and that is the only way a game is extended.
Why can't racing fans understand that? Why do racing fans feel entitled to see a green flag finish? Why don't football fans feel entitled to see the final play of every game determine the winner and loser? As a racing fan, and that is all I am, racing fans need to take a step back and not be as enthralled in the final laps and enjoy every lap of the race. There is more to a race than the finish.
My final question to you: When the 500th mile rolls around in a 500 mile race, who is the winner? It should be a simple answer.
97th Indianapolis 500: First Impressions
1. Tony Kanaan has won the Indianapolis 500. He deserves it. I can't think of a person who is disappointed to see Kanaan finally get this win.
2. Record breaking day. Most lead changes in the Indianapolis 500, most different leaders in the Indianapolis 500, fastest Indianapolis 500 in history.
3. It is great seeing how happy everyone is for Kanaan. And it was great to see Alex Zanardi there to celebrate.
4. Rough break for Ryan Hunter-Reay. But third is still good.
5. I think Carlos Muñoz has a future in IndyCar.
6. If somebody had a problem with today's race then I don't know what we can do to make the racing better for them.
7. Great day for Marco Andretti and Justin Wilson.
8. I will repeat. Great day for Justin Wilson. THE BEST FINISHING HONDA IN FIFTH!
9. Helio Castroneves may have been the best finishing Penske, but AJ Allmendinger had the best race of any of the Penske drivers. And to think, Tony Stewart was offered the seat given to Allmendinger.
10. Great day for Simon Pagenaud and Charlie Kimball. 8th and 9th respectively.
11. Ed Carpenter got a nice top ten. I bet he wishes he did better.
12. Tough break for Dario Franchitti.
13. I am not sure eleventh will save the day for Oriol Serviá and Dreyer and Reinbold Racing but damn did they give it their all.
14. A good day for Ryan Briscoe in twelfth.
15. Ana Beatriz finished fifteenth in an under-powered Dale Coyne car. Anyone think she is a back marker now?
16. Good day for Tristan Vautier who finished 16th.
17. As of lap 120, EJ Viso has had a great day. And then he stalled in the pit lane.
18. Townsend Bell deserved better.
19. By the way, there is a doubleheader at Belle Isle starting in six days.
20. Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan needs a veteran. Oriol Serviá would be a great hire.
21. Those who need a break after today: Graham Rahal, Josef Newgarden, Franchitti, Sébastien Bourdais, JR Hildebrand, Honda.
22. People who I hope we get to see more of after today: Conor Daly (on a road or street course), Buddy Lazier (either behind the wheel or with someone else driving his car), Katherine Legge, Ryan Briscoe.
23. It was great to see a clean race, most pit stops coming under green flag conditions and wonderful racing and passing on a 2.5 mile oval that was not fabricated.
24. My blood pressure is finally reaching a healthy level.
25. Lindsay Czarniak did a great job. She should keep the host job for next year and maybe should be added to host all IndyCar races on ABC (although that seems unlikely).
26. ABC did a very good job. I sense a renewed interest from them in the Indianapolis 500. Now if only we can renew interest for all IndyCar races, the series would be sitting pretty.
27. A few empty seats at the Speedway today. Here is an idea with the Speedway's decision to raise ticket prices: Once the Speedway "breaks even," next objective should be to fill the place and ticket should see a reduction in price. Or allow fans with general admission tickets to fill in available grandstand seats if they choose to do so. I am sure there are logistical problems to both of my ideas but they should at least be explored.
28. We need less talk about saving fuel from the commentators and less talk of how it hurts to be leading (it happened early in the broadcast and wasn't really mentioned again after the first round of pit stops but it was still irritating). Does the Speedway still do the bonus for each lap led? If they don't, find a sponsor and let's bring it back.
29. I love the in-car cameras on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Hopefully the actually race coverage for the remaining IndyCar races on ABC will be available.
30. With next year being the third year for these engines, maybe IndyCar should permanently turn up the boost. And I'm not talking only 10 kPa. Maybe look investigate how the engine does with an increase of 30-50 kPa.
31. Another year and another request to bring the apron back please.
32. For all the talk of financial issues with teams and complaints about the low attendance numbers for practice days and how qualifying doesn't sell out anymore, it was a great month of May and though I am sad it is over, let's do the best we can to stay this excited for IndyCar through June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March and April.
33. 364 days until the 98th Indianapolis 500.
Morning Warm-Up: 97th Indianapolis 500
It's finally here. It is that day of the year where everything stands still and all eyes focus on 16th & Georgetown. The politics don't matter. The CEO doesn't matter. All that matters is 500 miles. It is the most important 500 miles of the year for 33 drivers. The winner is more than just another winner. They are forever to be remembered as one of the best to ever sit behind the wheel of a race car.
For two men, a chance to enter the penthouse suite awaits. Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti could join AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 mile race. Scott Dixon and Buddy Lazier look to win their second Indianapolis 500. But twenty-nine drivers look to become the 68th different winner of the Indianapolis 500.
Ed Carpenter is on pole and looks to become the first Hoosier to win since Wilbur Shaw in 1940. Carpenter is the most recent winner of an IndyCar oval race, , 2012 season finale, a 500 miler at Fontana. The fastest rookie, Carlos Muñoz starts second, the same position fellow Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya started when he won the 2000 Indianapolis 500. Marco Andretti completes the first row as he looks to join his grandfather Mario as a Indianapolis 500 winner.
EJ Viso is a sleeper on the inside of row two with Penske Racing's AJ Allmendinger starting fifth in his first Indianapolis 500 start and Will Power starting sixth.
Defending IndyCar champions Ryan Hunter-Reay starts seventh with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves starting eight and Canadian James Hinchcliffe starting on the outside of row three. Hinchcliffe won the most recent IndyCar race on the streets of São Paulo.
Inside of row four is 2011 Indianapolis 500 runner-up JR Hildebrand with 2011 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Alex Tagliani starting in the middle and fan favorite Tony Kanaan starting on the outside. This is Kanaan's twelfth start in the Indianapolis 500.
Oriol Serviá starts thirteenth in what could be a do-or-die day for him and Dreyer and Reinbold Racing as the team is facing financial difficulties for the remainder of the 2013 Izod IndyCar season. Justin Wilson starts fourteenth. The Brit has finished seventh two of the last three years. Sébastien Bourdais starts fifteenth. The four-time ChampCar champion started fifteenth in his rookie start in 2005, where the Frenchman was running in the top ten most of the day before having an accident end his day with two laps to go.
Three potential winners start on row six. 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon starts on the inside with defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti in the middle and the current Izod IndyCar Series points leader Takuma Sato on the outside driving for AJ Foyt.
Charlie Kimball is on the inside of row seven. Kimball missed the public driver's meeting and parade Saturday due to an illness. Let's see if Kimball will be able to make it through the race. James Jakes starts twentieth, the highest of the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing entries. Simon Pagenaud starts on the outside of row seven. Pagenaud was the fastest on Carb Day.
Townsend Bell starts twenty-second in what looks to be his only IndyCar race of the 2013 season. Next to him is another driver possibly in his only IndyCar race of 2013, 2012 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe. Simona de Silvestro will roll off the grid from the twenty-fourth position.
Josef Newgarden starts twenty-fifth in his second Indianapolis 500 start. Graham Rahal will start next to Newgarden in twenty-sixth with Sebastián Saavedra starting twenty-seventh.
Row ten features rookie Tristan Vautier and the two Dale Coyne Racing entries of Ana Beatriz and Pippa Mann. This is Mann's first IndyCar race since being injured in the 15-car accident that led to the abandonment of the 2011 IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.
And on the final row will be American rookie Conor Daly, son of former Indianapolis 500 starter Derek Daly, ahead of 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier with Katherine Legge starting in the thirty-third and final position.
For what it is worth, more 32 year olds (10) have won the Indianapolis 500 than any other age. 32 year olds in this year's race: Ed Carpenter, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott Dixon and Katherine Legge.
Chance of rain remains at 30% with a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Honda of Simon Pagenaud paced the final practice session before the 97th Indianapolis 500, ahead of the Andretti Autosport Chevrolets of EJ Viso and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The #9 Target Honda of Scott Dixon was fourth. Sébastien Bourdais was fifth.
Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti was sixth ahead of the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Honda of James Jakes. The surprise of the day was Katherine Legge who was eighth fastest. This was her second day in the #81 Angie's List Honda the other being Bump Day last Sunday. Marco Andretti was ninth with Alex Tagliani in tenth. Honda took six of the top ten in practice.
Tony Kanaan was eleventh ahead of the #19 Dale Coyne Honda of Justin Wilson. The fastest Penske driver and fastest rookie was AJ Allmendinger in thirteenth. James Hinchcliffe and Will Power rounded out the top fifteen. Josef Newgarden was sixteenth ahead of pole-sitter Ed Carpenter and Oriol Serviá. Points leader Takuma Sato and Charlie Kimball completed the top twenty.
JR Hildebrand was twenty-first, ahead of Ryan Briscoe in twenty-second. Briscoe had an engine fire at the end of the practice session. Graham Rahal was twenty-third ahead of the rookie Tristan Vautier and the Chevrolet of Sebastián Saavedra. Townsend Bell was twenty-sixth followed by fellow Chevrolet drivers Simona de Silvestro and Helio Castroneves. Conor Daly was twenty-ninth ahead of fellow rookie and front row starter Carlos Muñoz. Ana Beatriz was thirty-first just behind Muñoz. During practice, Beatriz got into the back of Muñoz while entering the pit lane. Both cars had minor damage. 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier was thirty-second and Pippa Mann was thirty-third.
Weather forecast for Sunday calls for a few showers with a high of 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Chance of precipitation 30%, winds ESE at 10 MPH. Coverage of the 97th Indianapolis 500 will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday on ABC.
Track Walk: 97th Indianapolis 500
That time of the year has finally come again. The cold days of winter are far behind us with the brisk mornings of early spring slowly fading away. It is late May and thirty-three drivers are preparing for 500 miles.
Will Chevrolet Show Up On Race Day?
For the second consecutive year, we enter Memorial Day weekend with Chevrolet clearly faster than Honda. But if last year taught us anything, Honda will be there race day. What about Chevrolet? The bow-tie brigade took the top ten spots on the grid and thirteen of the top fifteen but after dominating qualifying last year, the Chevrolet teams fell flat on their face. Andretti Autosport and Penske Racing have brought their A-game with each team having 100% participation in the Fast Nine on pole day and Andretti Autosport spent most of their week of practice working on race setup. As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I don't think Chevrolet will get caught with their pants down again.
Can Ed Carpenter Keep Up His Dream Month of May?
One of the nicest guys in IndyCar has a chance to become the most known IndyCar driver on Sunday. The Hoosier is on pole and looking to become the first Hoosier to win since Wilbur Shaw in 1939. It really has been a dream month for Carpenter. Winning pole as an owner-driver over the stalwarts of Andretti Autosport and Penske Racing was a great moment for Carpenter but as I said after pole day, no one dreams of winning pole for the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter knows winning Sunday is all that matters. Carpenter has a top-five finish and two top-ten finishes in the Indianapolis 500 and won the inaugural Freedom 100 in 2003. He is the most recent winner in a oval race and is one of the top contenders on Sunday.
The Ganassi drivers of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato carried Honda last year. This year the Alex Tagliani and Justin Wilson were the top Honda qualifiers. The Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan team had a rough month with one car failing to qualify and neither James Jakes or Graham Rahal have struggled with speed all month. Ryan Briscoe is the star one-off this year but starts twenty-third. Josef Newgarden was bumped to a second day qualifier but has shown good pace in traffic and is confident. The Ganassi drivers, whether it be Dixon or Franchitti, even Briscoe and Charlie Kimball have a shot and I'd say Sato has the best shot to extend Honda's streak of consecutive Indianapolis 500 victories to ten.
For Carb Day, IndyCar practice will be at 11 a.m. ET with the Firestone Freedom 100 taking place at 12:30 p.m and the Pit Stop Competition at 1:30 p.m. ET. All of Carb Day's activities can be found on NBC Sports Network starting at 11 a.m. ET and ending at 4:00 p.m. ET. ABC's coverage of the 97th Indianapolis 500 begins at 11 a.m. ET with driver introductions at 11:33 a.m. ET and green flag scheduled for 12:12 p.m. ET.
Weekend Forecast
Carb Day calls for sunny conditions with a high of 67 degrees Fahrenheit and zero chance of precipitation. Saturday may be mostly cloudy with a high of 64 degrees Fahrenheit and a 10% chance of precipitation. Race day could be touchy. A few showers are forecasted with a high of 69 degrees Fahrenheit and a 30% chance of precipitation. Hopefully all rain can hold off until after the race Sunday.
While many think Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti can repeat their run to the front, history is against them. On only two occasions has winners come from worse than row five in back-to-back years (1926 and 1927 when Frank Lockhart came from 20th and George Sounders came from 22nd. 1935 and 1936 when Kelly Petillo won from 22nd and Louis Meyer tied Ray Harroun as the farthest Indianapolis 500 winner from 28th). Dixon and Franchitti both start on row six.
Row three has not won the Indianapolis 500 in this Millennium. Kenny Bräck is the last winner from row three in 1999. Ryan Hunter-Reay is starting seventh. Seventh place hasn't won since AJ Foyt's first Indianapolis 500 win in 1961. The thing on Hunter-Reay's side is both he and Super Tex were born in Texas. Hunter-Reay was born in Dallas.
The most starts by a driver before winning the Indianapolis 500 is 13 (Sam Hanks 1957). Of the twenty-nine drivers yet to win the Indianapolis 500, Kanaan has made the most starts at 12.
Chevrolet will win. Honda will have a good day and have at least three cars in the top ten. I am pulling for Oriol Serviá and Dreyer and Reinbold because they need a great day and a win just as bad if not worse than anyone else on the grid. Of course, I am pulling for Tony Kanaan. Picking one to win is tough in this day in age. I'll take (in no particular order), Ed Carpenter, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay and I will give you the rest of the field. AJ Allmendinger will be the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of The Year. Carlos Muñoz will have a good day but I think he will fade towards the middle of the field. The Ganassi cars will be fine. Sleepers: Townsend Bell, Sébastien Bourdais and Josef Newgarden.
Which Driver Winning Would Be Best For The Indianapolis 500?
Whoever wins the Indianapolis 500 deserves it. To be the first to complete 500 miles (as long as it goes the full distance) deserves the milk, the wreath around the shoulders and their face on the BorgWarner Trophy.
But... there are some drivers who would be covered better by the media than others if they were to win on Sunday. Best example being 2011. Had Bertrand Baguette held on for three more laps, I would have been happy for the Belgian because he was a really good driver in Europe (won the Formula Renault title) but could not keep up with the money needed to make it to Formula One and choose IndyCar and was one of the best drivers to come from Europe to IndyCar in a long time. However, the media wouldn't have given Bertrand Baguette the time of day. If anything they would have made more jokes about his last name being a type of bread than acknowledge he won the Indianapolis 500.
Same thing this year. There are drivers who if they were to win on Sunday would be better for IndyCar than others.
Would it be good if Helio Castroneves or Dario Franchitti won their fourth Indianapolis 500? While it would be a historic feat, the backlash from some fans trying to diminish their four wins wouldn't be good. Yes each driver won an Indianapolis 500 during the split, some still don't think Castroneves won in 2002, Franchitti won a rain shortened race, all of Franchitti's wins were under yellow flag conditions. Those are some of the comments you will hear if either of those two drivers won and none of those comments are false. I'd like to see history happen but I'm sure the arguments from some trying to put either of these two driver's possible four Indianapolis 500 in the back seat compared to Foyt, Unser and Mears would get old. It would have it's positives but would have it's draw backs as well.
What about an American Winning?
Wouldn't be a bad thing. I am sure Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal winning would draw more eyes than if Buddy Lazier were to win his second (Nothing against Lazier. His win in 1996 with broken back was impressive and if he were to win Sunday, it would probably be the biggest upset in racing history, let alone Indianapolis 500 history). Andretti and Rahal have the names to turn heads. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the defending series champion and what is a better way to prove you are the best than winning the Indianapolis 500? Josef Newgarden is a young kid who is energetic and I think that can draw a younger audience and he is confident though starting 25th. AJ Allmendinger has the sponsor (Izod) behind him to promote like crazy if he were to win. JR Hildebrand would be a great win for the National Guard and because the 2011 finish is still fresh. Conor Daly is a young and upcoming star. Ed Carpenter is the Hoosier-native looking to make history. Townsend Bell has the best thing to happen to IndyCar in a long-time, Turbo, as a sponsor. Charlie Kimball's story as a diabetic is interesting and has a good sponsor in Novo Nordisk.
I say any American winning is a plus. My worry is if Conor Daly were to win or Buddy Lazier were to win (much easier said than done), it would get people saying "oh, Daly won. He's only in GP3. Imagine if a Formula One driver came to Indianapolis." Or "Lazier won after never racing the DW12 and being out of racing for four years? How hard can IndyCar be?" It's bad enough those within NASCAR think the top twenty in NASCAR could walk in and would finish 1-20th in the Indianapolis 500. We don't need the F1 guys thinking that.
Any Female Winning Would Be Good.
If Simona de Silvestro, Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann or Katherine Legge were to win it'd be a plus but they'd be compared to you-know-who and some from outside of racing may try to exploit them.
What Would-Be First Time Winners Not Yet Mention?
All the Americans and women would be first timers. Tony Kanaan winning may tear down the Speedway with the amount of joy people would feel for him. Sébastien Bourdais winning would be a positive for his legacy but he isn't as well known. Ryan Briscoe would be cool as a one-off and his wife, Nicole, who works for ESPN is in the best position to get him mentioned.
Who Has The Sponsor That Would Best Promote a Winner?
James Hinchcliffe. If he were to win, you'd think GoDaddy would be featuring Hinchcliffe more often. Bell winning with Turbo on the car would be great for the movie. Will Power has Verizon who could make it known Power won. I already mentioned Allmendinger and Izod.
Who'd Be The Best Sentimental Story?
Tony Kanaan would be it but Oriol Serviá and Dreyer & Reinbold would be a close second. Winning the Indianapolis 500 probably saves Serviá and D&R from closing it's doors for the near future. Who is not pulling for the team to save the rest of their 2013 season?
Who Would Not Be The Ideal Winner For the Indianapolis 500?
Someone with a small following. I hate to say it but Carlos Muñoz and Tristan Vautier are nobodies to average fans. Though Muñoz has been spot on all month, most wouldn't give a damn if he were to win. James Jakes hasn't had a great month and is an unknown. Same for Sebastián Saavedra. Nothing against any of these drivers. I think all have potential going forward but aren't established enough to turn heads.
It isn't fair that winning the Indianapolis 500 isn't enough to get average fans to appreciate a driver but sadly it's the world we live in and the current state of IndyCar. Some would be better than others but whoever wins deserves it and the win cannot be taken away from them.
The Social Media Impact of the 97th Indianapolis 500
Social media has a presence in society today and it cannot be ignored. Prior to last year's Indianapolis 500 I took a look at the Twitter accounts of the 33 drivers competing in the race and decided to take a look at if winning the race would profoundly increase the amount of followers and if it did, how large would the increase be? It's been nearly a year since Dario Franchitti won his third Indianapolis 500 and since that day, Dario Franchitti has seen an increase in Twitter followers from 61,372 to 95,190. Now a lot has happened since the last Indianapolis 500 and hopefully this year I will be able to see post a report a week after the race.
A few things about Twitter: 1. It seems really hard for someone NOT to gain followers. You have to do something really wrong to lose followers. So while you'll see every driver from 2012 gained followers, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
2. Gaining Twitter followers doesn't dictate who is the best or who is a good or bad person. As a diehard fan, it doesn't matter who wins the Indianapolis 500 or how many Twitter followers they have. Whoever wins the race deserves the recognition as a winner, the bottle of milk and their face of the BorgWarner Trophy.
3. However, if the winner of this year's Indianapolis 500 sees a huge jump in followers, it may be a sign people a.) are watching the race. b.) have interest in a driver or drivers and c.) could be interested enough to watch Belle Isle the following week and hopefully keep them interested through Texas.
Here is the list of drivers and the change in Twitter followers from prior to last year's Indianapolis 500 (all current Twitter follower totals are from the night of May 20th):
1. Ed Carpenter- 15,534 (+4948 from 10,586 in 2012)
2. Carlos Muñoz- 2,194 (2013 rookie)
3. Marco Andretti- 56,853 (+12362 from 44,491 in 2012)
4. EJ Viso- 56,114 (+37293 from 18,821 in 2012)
5. AJ Allmendinger- 105,507 (2013 rookie)
6. Will Power- 38,762 (+10,753 from 28,009 in 2012)
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay- 32,041 (+9911 from 22,130 in 2012)
8. Hello Castroneves- 83,914 (+21704 from 62,210 in 2012)
9. James Hinchcliffe- 32,896 (+15033 from 17,863 in 2012)
10. JR Hildebrand- 18,658 (+5412 from 13,237 in 2012)
11. Alex Tagliani- 71,848 (+12070 from 59,778 in 2012)
12. Tony Kanaan- 595,437 (+90610 from 504,827 in 2012)
13. Oriol Serviá- 16,348 (+4622 from 11,715 in 2012)
14. Justin Wilson- 23,996 (+6035 from 17,961 in 2012)
15. Sébastien Bourdais- 6,240 (Did not have a Twitter account until after Indianapolis 2012)
16. Scott Dixon- 47,568 (+23606 from 23,962 in 2012)
17. Dario Franchitti- 95,190 (+33818 from 61,372 in 2012)
18. Takuma Sato- 23,682 (+11138 from 12,544 in 2012)
19. Charlie Kimball- 10,020 (+3975 from 6,045 in 2012. This information is from using @charliekimball. @racewithinsulin, Kimball's other Twitter account currently has 6,698 followers.)
20. James Jakes- 8,840 (+5327 from 3,513 in 2012)
21. Simon Pagenaud- 11,638 (+5824 from 5,814 in 2012)
22. Townsend Bell- 36,670 (+31950 from 4,720 in 2012)
23. Ryan Briscoe- 30,565 (+6877 from 23,688 in 2012)
24. Simona de Silvestro- 24,716 (+7203 from 17,513 in 2012)
25. Josef Newgarden- 10,823 (+6115 from 4,708 in 2012)
26. Graham Rahal- 46,180 (+19648 from 26,532 in 2012)
27. Sebastián Saavedra- 12,059 (+4356 from 7,703 in 2012)
28. Tristan Vautier- 2,245 (2013 rookie)
29. Ana Beatriz- 36,926 (+6213 from 30,713 in 2012)
30. Pippa Mann- 13,894 (did not race in 2012)
31. Conor Daly- 11,376 (2013 rookie)
32. Buddy Lazier- 151 (Not on Twitter. Using Lazier Racing Partners Twitter account)
33. Katherine Legge- 11,612 (+4597 from 7,015 in 2012)
Some drivers have good following while others may see a giant boost if they were to win this Sunday. Overall, if one driver sees a large increase it could be a big boost for IndyCar as a whole.
Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The field is set for the 97th Indianapolis 500. Americans Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal qualified for the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth positions on the grid with four lap averages of 225.731 MPH and 225.007 MPH. Sebastián Saavedra rounded out row nine at 224.929 MPH.
Row ten features the lone full-time IndyCar rookie Tristan Vautier and the Dale Coyne teammates Ana Beatriz and Pippa Mann. In 2011, Beatriz and Mann both started on the same row with Mann starting thirty-first and Beatriz starting thirty-second.
The last row party will feature a rookie, a past Indianapolis 500 winner and the last driver added to the entry list. Conor Daly starts thirty-first after a rough first outing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He had an accident on Thursday and had an engine failure on his first qualifying attempt Saturday afternoon. Daly finally put it in the field Sunday with a four lap average of 223.582 MPH. Buddy Lazier qualified for his first Indianapolis 500 since 2008. The 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner will be competing in his seventeenth Indianapolis 500, the most of any driver in the field. Katherine Legge showed up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday and qualified on Sunday for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at 223.176 MPH. Legge lost her Dragon Racing ride over the winter to Sebastián Saavedra and recently ran the DeltaWing at Laguna Seca in the American Le Mans Series. This will be Legge's second career Indianapolis 500 start. She finished twenty-second last year after starting thirtieth.
Michel Jourdain Jr. failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. The Mexican driver was trying to make his third career Indianapolis 500 and second consecutive start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jourdain stepped out of the car with a little over fifteen minutes remaining after the crew was not able to find the set up to make the field of thirty-three.
This will be the third Indianapolis 500 to feature four women drivers. In 2010, Ana Beatriz, Simona de Silvestro, Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher all qualified while Milka Duno failed to make it. The following year Fisher retired to start a family but Pippa Mann qualified joining Beatriz, de Silvestro and Patrick.
Seventeen Chevrolets and sixteen Hondas will take the green flag next Sunday with thirty-three drivers representing thirteen countries (11 Americans, 4 English, 3 French, 3 Brazilians, 2 Australians, 2 Canadians, 2 Colombians, 1 New Zealander, 1 Scot, 1 Swiss, 1 Spaniard, 1 Japanese and 1 Venezuelan). Four past winners look to add their likeness to the Borg-Warner Trophy one more time and four rookies will make their first start in the Indianapolis 500.
IndyCar Has To Improve Relationships With It's Television Partners
If you follow me on Twitter (@4TheLoveofIndy) you probably saw my critical comments of the situation with NBC Sports Network's Pole Day and Preakness Stakes coverage. Let me first state that NBC Sports Network is a great partner for IndyCar and have tremendous coverage but when things go awry sometimes you have to be critical. It would not be fair of me, a guy who blasted ABC/ESPN last year when the Belle Isle race was moved to ESPNEWS and was not available on WatchESPN or ESPN3.com to let NBC Sports off the hook.
Yesterday was not the ideal situation for NBC Sports, IndyCar and the Preakness. Had mother nature held off we aren't having this conversation. With the history of rain during the month of May at the Speedway, especially during qualifying days, both IndyCar and NBC Sports dropped the ball when it came to a plan B. IndyCar should have made sure that coverage of Pole Day would have been moved to a fellow NBC Universal property. CNBC has been a suitable home for the Stanley Cup playoff when there are multiple game on at one time and other NBC Universal properties including MSNBC and USA Network broadcasted Olympic events last Summer. Yesterday, CNBC was showing a infomercial, MSNBC an episode of Caught on Camera on from 2008 and USA an episode of NCIS from 2009. If there was breaking news or a direr situation, it'd be one thing to not move Pole Day coverage to CNBC or MSNBC but that was not the case yesterday.
IndyCar must have better communication with NBC to make sure another NBC Universal property is available should a situation such as yesterday arise. Either that or make sure the NBC Sports broadcast is available online or on NBC Sports Live Extra app. And that's another bone I have to pick with NBC. The WatchESPN app features events that aren't even on one of ESPN's cable television channel and can only be found on the app or online. For NBC Sports, it's only available on the app or online if it's on television. Is this just another example of NBC's style of old practices of sports coverage such as showing Olympic events taped delayed, hours after they happened and with almost everyone knowing who won? Probably.
My question is what happens next year and I'm not talking about only Pole Day. Today is not only Bump Day but the final day of the English Premier League season which features 10 matches all kicking off at 11 a.m. ET. What happens next year on Bump Day? The NBC-EPL deal starting this August makes it sound like NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, MSNBC, USA and all other available outlets could feature an EPL match. What will happen to Bump Day coverage? All EPL match should be over around 1 p.m. and if Bump Day coverage were to start at 1:30 p.m. it wouldn't be the end of the world seeing as there would be four and half hours until the final gun. But IndyCar has to improve communication with NBC Sports NOW so IndyCar isn't swept under the rug come 2014. There has to be more dialogue and IndyCar should not settle for television coverage being abandoned. Relocated? Sure, as long as the fans can find it.
Yesterday was really the first time in the NBC Sports/Versus era of IndyCar coverage the ball was seriously dropped. NBC Sports has been a great partner and the Pole Day coverage was fabulous. The inclusion of Will Buxton (who in my opinion is the best pit reporter in racing and maybe the best pit/sideline report in all of sports) and Gil de Ferran benefited the broadcast and they meshed well with the core lineup of Diffey, Beekhuis, Lee, Snider and Miller. The product is fine but both IndyCar and NBC Sports should make sure the coverage of Pole Day 2013 is not repeated.
Pole Day at Indianapolis
Ed Carpenter won the pole (228.762 MPH) for the 97th Indianapolis 500 but he isn't settling. The pole means something to the Hoosier native but look into his eyes and you can tell he wants more. Winning the pole is nice but no one dreams of being the pole-sitter for the Indianapolis 500, they dream of greater success come the final Sunday in May. Carpenter said in the post qualifying press conference he wants to lead his team by example and remind them of why they are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May.
Will Power was Carpenter's final challenger but he fell to sixth. The Colombian rookie Carlos Muñoz starts second. The last Colombian to start second, Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000. How did that turn out?
Marco Andretti starts on the front row, his first career front row start for the Indianapolis 500. His teammate EJ Viso starts fourth with rookie AJ Allmendinger starting fifth, the best Penske. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves and James Hinchcliffe rounded out the top nine.
Those who failed to make the Fast Nine include JR Hildebrand, Alex Tagliani, Tony Kanaan and Oriol Serviá. Justin Wilson and Sébastien Bourdais start fourteenth and fifteenth while Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti joining points leader Takuma Sato on row six. Charlie Kimball is on row seven with James Jakes and Simon Pagenaud. Townsend Bell bumped his way back into the top twenty-four late and starts twenty-second, ahead of Ryan Briscoe and Simona de Silvestro.
Those who have to qualify tomorrow are Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Buddy Lazier, Pippa Mann, Ana Beatriz, Michel Jourdain Jr., Conor Daly, Sebastián Saavedra, Tristan Vautier and Katherine Legge, who was confirm to the third Schmidt Peterson entry. The number of the third Schmidt entry has changed from #99 to #81.
Weather forecast for bump day calls for partly cloudy conditions with a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Chance of precipitation is 20%, with winds SSE at 5 to 10 MPH.
Fast Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
EJ Viso posted the fast average speed on the rain-shortened Fast Friday at 229.537 MPH. He led an Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 for the second consecutive day with Marco Andretti (228.754 MPH) and Carlos Muñoz (228.520 MPH) behind the Venezuelan. Chevrolet continued their dominance with Will, Power (228.401 MPH), JR Hildebrand (227.549 MPH), Oriol Serviá (227.237 MPH), AJ Allmendinger (227.199 MPH) and Townsend Bell (227.160 MPH) taking positions fourth through eighth. Dario Franchitti was the fastest Honda at ninth quickest (227.080 MPH) and Takuma Sato rounded out the top ten (227.038 MPH).
Rain hit about halfway through the practice session. Thirty-two cars took to the track with the lone driver not to take a lap was Conor Daly. Daly had an accident on Thursday. Buddy Lazier made his first official laps of practice and was thirty-first quickest at 222.464 MPH.
Other notables from Fast Friday:
Past Winners: Helio Castroneves eleventh (226.988 MPH), Scott Dixon nineteenth (226.162 MPH).
Rookies: Tristan Vautier twenty-ninth (223.369 MPH).
Others: James Hinchcliffe twelfth (226.983 MPH), Ryan Hunter-Reay thirteenth (226.919 MPH), Tony Kanaan fourteenth (226.822 MPH), Josef Newgarden eighteenth (226.372 MPH), Graham Rahal twentieth (226.152), Ryan Briscoe twenty-fifth (225.265 MPH).
No more news has come out about the #99 Schmidt Honda. The #40 Ed Carpenter Racing entry did draw the first position in line for Pole Day tomorrow however that car has never been a serious contender to actually take laps at the Speedway.
Forecast for Pole Day calls for a high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a forty percent chance of precipitation. Winds ESE at 10 MPH.
I Disagree Mr. Miller
Love him or hate him, every IndyCar fan knows who Robin Miller is. He does not shy away from sharing his opinion and won't sugar coat it to make you feel good. He has been around since front-engine roadsters were the only option at the Speedway and when he started the infield feature nine-holes of a golf course. Now only four holes of Brickyard Crossing are located in the middle of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the front-engine roadsters have retired to their cozy home in the track's museum.
Putting racing politics aside, no one can doubt Robin Miller's love for IndyCar racing. Which is why his latest column about having Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifying condense to the week before the race hits a cord with me. In his column, it sounds to me as if Miller is raising the white flag and calling it a day. He knows interest in Pole Day is gone, Bump Day is gone and wants to shorten the schedule. Miller proposed practice Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, one qualifying day on Wednesday night, Thursday as a free Fan Appreciation Day with drivers signing autographs and as a rain-date for qualifying, Carb Day on Friday with the fastest six qualifiers racing for $1 million and pole position, parade Saturday and race Sunday.
I disagree Mr. Miller but not on all counts.
I love the idea of a free Fan Appreciation Day. The Thursday before the race could become a media day of sorts for the field of thirty-three with driver and fan interactions happening all throughout the day. Open the garages, fire up the barbecue and have a Gasoline Alley party the night before Carb Day.
I disagree with shortening the schedule but I understand where Miller is coming from. Yes Pole Day will not be a sell out, yes we barely have thirty-three cars and there will probably be no bumping but things can get better. Yes I am being optimistic but I have to believe. Miller cites Mark Miles interest in increasing speed and maybe one day hearing "it's a new track record" again over the public address system but that's not the only thing that has to be revived.
Bump day should be revived. If Miles wants the nostalgia of speed why not the nostalgia of a driver coming to the Speedway for his only IndyCar race of the year and beating one of the big boys to get in the field? Why couldn't we go back to grandfathering past cars to run Indianapolis? Yes, I know those Dallara IR-03s were ugly but if someone wanted to tinkering with the car to fit in a twin-turbo Chevrolet or turbo-charged Honda, why stop them? Or if someone wanted to make the Panoz DP01 capable of racing on ovals, why stop them? Instead of having a limited selection of what chassis a team can use, it could (keyword being COULD) increase car totals. Sure, does anyone want an old IR-03 to qualify for Indianapolis? Probably not but Al Unser Sr. didn't cry when he won in a year old car in 1987. And I never heard Miller crying when Jim Hurtubise failed to qualify a front-engine roadster from 1975 to 1981, over a decade after the last roadster had successfully qualified for the Indianapolis 500. Buddy Lazier scrambled to get a DW12 for this year's race. What if there wasn't this scramble? What if (IF being the keyword) Bryan Clauson could have taken a IR-03 and qualified? Or if another five or six or seven drivers decided to try to qualify with an IR-03? Bump Day would be be Bump Day and who would be against that?
This is not a nostalgic view, calling for a magical snap of the fingers to return to the late 80's and early 90's. All IndyCar has to do for the Indianapolis 500 is realize what a slightly more open rulebook could allow. IndyCar bringing in another manufacture or two running inline-4, diesel-hybrids would be nice but that's not happening in the near future. Now that the DW12 has been developed on-track for nearly two years there must be a gap over the old IR-03 and there should be little worries of the old car showing up every DW12. But grandfathering the car to run Indianapolis and having a driver take it out and beat out six or seven DW12s wouldn't be the end of the world. Hell it's a Dallara beating another Dallara. Dallara wins no matter what. Let's not just mothball old cars but allow them to be phased out.
The way the month of May is currently set up is fine. Let's be serious for one second and let me do my best Allen Iverson impersonation; Miller, you're talking about practice. Not the race but practice, and qualifying. Who cares if only a couple of people show up for PRACTICE!? They wanted to spend their money on practice and good for them. If the Speedway wants to save some money, send out a few less yellow shirts for practice. This week of practice gives some teams needed testing time and testing time they are no longer allowed to do on their own. Sure shortening the schedule will save them some money but they will lose time gathering data.
As for the $1 million, fastest six challenge on Carb Day: This is a guy who has been crying for money to be added to the Indianapolis 500 purse and now he wants $1 million (which I guess will magically fall from the sky) to be used on a Carb Day stunt for pole? Come on, Miller.
Instead of turning the Indianapolis 500 into just another race, let's keep it the way it is and open the rulebook up by allowing teams and drivers to take a chance with older equipment.
Day Six at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Carlos Muñoz returned to the top of the speed charts on Thursday with an average speed of 225.163 MPH, leading an Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 with defending IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay in second (225.006 MPH) and Marco Andretti in third (224.882 MPH). Scott Dixon was fourth (224.468 MPH), the fastest Honda. Chevrolets occupied the next five spots with Helio Castroneves (224.457 MPH), EJ Viso (224.221 MPH), JR Hildebrand (224.075 MPH), Ed Carpenter (224.019 MPH) and Oriol Serviá (223.995 MPH). Takuma Sato was tenth (223.660 MPH).
We had our first accident during practice week when Conor Daly made contact with the wall exiting turn one. Daly walked away from the accident with no injuries. The Inidanapolis 500 rookie was twenty-eighth quick (220.780 MPH).
AJ Allmendinger was eleventh (223.660 MPH) ahead of Simon Pagenaud (223.465 MPH) and Justin Wilson (223.460 MPH). Townsend Bell (223.182 MPH) and Dario Franchitti (222.818 MPH) rounded out the top fifteen.
Other notables: Will Power sixteenth (222.383 MPH), Tony Kanaan seventeenth (222.165 MPH), James Hinchcliffe twentieth (221.887 MPH), Simona de Silvestro twenty-second (221.776 MPH), Josef Newgarden twenty-seventh (221.152 MPH) and Graham Rahal thirtieth (220.555 MPH).
Buddy Lazier hit the track for the first time during practice week. He completed the refresher course. Still no word on the #99 Schmidt Honda but another new name has been added to the list of potential drivers. 1999 Indy Racing League champion and 2000 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter Greg Ray has expressed interest in the open seat. Greg Ray last raced at Richmond in 2004.
Weather for Fast Friday calls for a high of 76 degrees Fahrenheit with a 60% chance of precipitation. Winds SE at 10 to 15 MPH.
Day Five at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
It took five days but Honda finally showed some muscle with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti being the fastest on Wednesday at 224.236 MPH. One-off driver Townsend Bell was second (223.716 MPH) ahead of Helio Castroneves (223.699 MPH), Ryan Hunter-Reay (223.093 MPH) and Ryan Briscoe (222.803 MPH). The Andretti Autosport entries of Marco Andretti (222.741 MPH) and EJ Viso (222.727 MPH) were sixth and seventh ahead of Alex Tagliani (222.350 MPH) and Scott Dixon (222.312 MPH). Rookie Carlos Muñoz (222.268 MPH) rounded out the top ten. Fastest from Tuesday, James Hinchcliffe was fourteenth (221.670 MPH).
Ed Carpenter was eleventh (221.879 MPH), ahead of points leader Takuma Sato in twelfth (221.805 MPH) and Simon Pagenaud in thirteenth (221.677 MPH). Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing saw one car move from the bottom with James Jakes jumping up to sixteenth (221.241 MPH) but his teammates Graham Rahal and Michel Jourdain, Jr. were still down in thirtieth (219.123 MPH) and thirty-second (218.037 MPH) respectively.
Dragon Racing drivers Sébastien Bourdais was twentieth (220.949 MPH) quickest and Sebastián Saavedra was twenty-fifth (220.343 MPH). KV Racing Technology teammates Tony Kanaan and Simona de Silvestro were twenty-second (220.721 MPH) and twenty-eighth (219.859 MPH).
Other notables: Oriol Serviá seventeenth (221.153 MPH), Will Power twenty-third (220.719 MPH), Conor Daly twenty-fourth (220.659 MPH) and Justin Wilson twenty-seventh (220.174 MPH).
The big news from Wednesday was the announcement Buddy Rice would not be competing in the third Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports. Names that have been thrown around as potential drivers for the #99 Schmidt Honda are Jay Howard, Katherine Legge, Bryan Clauson, Richie Hearn, Jaques Lazier and Davey Hamilton.
Forecast for Thursday calls for a high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a sixty percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 MPH.
Day Four at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
For the fourth practice day, we had a fourth different name on the top of the timesheet. James Hinchcliffe set the fastest average speed on Tuesday at 224.210 MPH while driving Marco Andretti's #25 RC Cola Chevrolet. JR Hildebrand was second (223.652 MPH) with Marco Andretti (223.570 MPH), Helio Castroneves (223.556 MPH) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (223.332 MPH) rounding out the top five. Josef Newgarden was the fastest Honda in seventh (223.123 MPH). The next Honda on the timesheet was Charlie Kimball in nineteenth (220.722 MPH).
Ganassi Racing's two Target entries of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon were twenty-second (220.502 MPH) and twenty-fifth (219.848 MPH) respectively. The other Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold cars were in the top half of the timesheet with Oriol Serviá in ninth (222.093 MPH) and Townsend Bell in twelfth (221.898 MPH).
Fan-favorite Tony Kanaan was twentieth (220.645 MPH), the slowest of the Chevrolets. None of the three Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing cars were better than twenty-ninth and that was James Jakes (219.191 MPH). Michel Jourdain, Jr. was thirty-second (217.118 MPH) and Graham Rahal was thirty-third (216.633 MPH). Points leader Takuma Sato posted the slowest average speed on the day at 216.616 MPH.
Other notable names on the timesheet: Will Power fourteenth (221.654 MPH), Sébastien Bourdais sixteenth (221.088 MPH), Simon Pagenaud twenty-first (220.591 MPH), Ryan Briscoe twenty-third (220.100 MPH) and Alex Tagliani thirty-first (218.213 MPH).
1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier has yet to make a practice lap.
Weather forecast for today calls for a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit with winds WSW at 15 to 25 MPH. Chance of rain is twenty percent.
Day Three at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Day three of practice for the 97th Indianapolis 500 saw Marco Andretti post the fastest average speed at 225.100 MPH ahead of the Chevrolets of Helio Castroneves (225.075 MPH), Ryan Hunter-Reay (224.386 MPH), Will Power (223.784 MPH) and JR Hildebrand (223.624 MPH). Points leader Takuma Sato was the fastest Honda at sixth quickest (223.363 MPH). AJ Allmendinger was the fastest rookie in seventh (223.264 MPH) ahead of James Hinchcliffe (223.075 MPH), Tony Kanaan (222.833 MPH) and Josef Newgarden (222.340 MPH).
Conor Daly completed rookie orientation and was twenty-eighth quickest (219.044 MPH). Pippa Mann, Ana Beatriz, Justin Wilson and Townsend Bell all participated in their first practice session for the Indianapolis 500 yesterday. Wilson was fourteenth (221.810 MPH), Bell twenty-first (221.137 MPH), Mann twenty-third (220.500 MPH) and Beatriz twenty-sixth (219.975 MPH). The lone driver yet to make a practice lap is 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier. He is expected to make his first appearance this afternoon.
Other notable speeds from Monday practice were Oriol Serviá in eleventh (222.069 MPH), Simona de Silvestro seventeenth (221.613 MPH), Ed Carpenter twentieth (221.154 MPH), Dario Franchitti twenty-second (220.549 MPH), Scott Dixon twenty-fourth (220.419 MPH) and Graham Rahal twenty-fifth (220.360 MPH).
Today's weather forecast calls for a high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit under partly cloudy conditions with winds SSW at 18 MPH. There is a zero percent chance of rain.
Opening Weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Two days of practice for the 97th Indianapolis 500 have been completed as the IndyCar teams get ready for qualifying this weekend.
Day one saw Ed Carpenter jump to the top of the timesheet at 220.970 MPH (40.7296 seconds). Josef Newgarden was second in his T-car at 220.920 MPH and rookie Carlos Muñoz was third at 220.720 MPH. Muñoz and fellow rookies AJ Allmendinger and Tristan Vautier passed rookie orientation with ninety minutes to spare. The final rookie to complete rookie orientation will be Conor Daly who was in Spain on Saturday and Sunday racing in the GP3 Series where Daly finished 3rd and 5th. Daly is scheduled to complete rookie orientation today.
On Sunday Andretti Autosport ran all five cars and all five were in the top six positions. Muñoz continued to show his pace and was quickest at 223.023 MPH, ahead of defending IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (222.825 MPH), EJ Viso (222.523 MPH), Marco Andretti (222.485 MPH) and AJ Allmendinger (221.279 MPH). James Hinchcliffe was sixth (220.907 MPH). Charlie Kimball was the fastest Honda in seventh on Sunday at 219.778 MPH with Carpenter (219.756 MPH), Newgarden (219.706 MPH) and Tony Kanaan (219.636 MPH) rounding out the top ten.
Drivers who have yet to take to the track for practice are Daly, the three Dale Coyne entries of Pippa Mann, Ana Beatriz and Justin Wilson, Buddy Lazier and Townsend Bell.
A third Schmidt Peterson Motorsports entry was added to the entry list on Saturday. The #99 Honda was entered without a driver. Pippa Mann has been listed as the #63 Honda. The #40 Ed Carpenter Chevrolet is still on the entry list.
Weather for today at the Speedway calls for a high of 61 degrees Fahrenheit with winds going WNW at 12 MPH. There is zero percent chance of rain.
Things I'd Like To See This May
The month of May and the Indianapolis 500 is IndyCar's only unquestionable time on center stage. When the clock hits noon on May 26th, doesn't matter what else is going on, the Indianapolis 500 will be the biggest event happening. IndyCar must capitalize not only on showing the best racing IndyCar can produce but capitalize on bringing eye balls back to the TV not only for the Detroit doubleheader the following weekend or Texas the weekend after that but all fourteen remaining events.
What I'd like to see doesn't seem over the top to me. I'm not asking for IndyCar to magically sign another two engine manufactures for 2014 or magically get the NBC Sports broadcast team to cover the ABC races as well. Rather take advantage of the current situation and get people interested with what's on the table, not fairy tale ideas.
1. Promote the Triple Crown. During the Kentucky Derby broadcast the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes were mentioned on accident. I know the IndyCar Triple Crown returns for the first time in twenty-four years but let's not act like it doesn't exist like the Mario Andretti Road Course and AJ Foyt Oval Championships. Stating from the beginning of the Indianapolis 500 broadcast that it is leg one of the IndyCar Triple Crown with causal mentions of Pocono and Fontana is all that IndyCar should be looking for. Heck, Pocono is on ABC and we know no matter who wins Indianapolis, someone will be racing for $250,000 at Pocono. That's much more exciting than the usual $35,000 bonus a winner gets.
2. People not being afraid to cover the Oriol Serviá/Dreyer & Reinbold situation. I am not saying turn the month into a telethon to save the team but let people know what Indianapolis means to this team for the rest of 2013. It very well could be due or die for the Catalan and D&R. Serviá had a team shut down on him in 2002 when PacWest closed up shop. Hopefully that won't happen again. When Sarah Fisher started her own team in 2008 things were shaky. She had little money and Indianapolis was her only shot. When she spun and collected Tony Kanaan it appeared her career had ended. However Dollar General stepped up and now look at Sarah Fisher's little team. They have won a race, are full-time, have a good partner in Wink Hartman and have a popular driver. Not saying Dreyer & Reinbold's season will be saved but getting the story out there doesn't hurt the team, it can only help them.
3. Let's NOT blow the Kurt Busch test out of proportion. He did it. Unless he is in the race, it was only test. Let's not turn it in to speculation for what is to come in 2014. It brings nothing to the race broadcast. If Busch is to run an IndyCar race sometime during 2013, worry about it when it happens not before it's announced.
4. Let's stop talking about a road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's the month of May and it's sickening. We can get back to this nonsense when June rolls around but one final time: NO ROAD COURSE RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY! IT WOULD BE A DISGRACE!
5. An improvement in the relationship between IndyCar's television partners. Sometimes I shake my head at how ABC/ESPN and Turner/TNT have no problem cross promoting NBA playoff games but when it comes to IndyCar it's as if neither ABC nor NBC knows each other exists. I'm not sure whose arm IndyCar has to twist but they have to find them and fast.
Kurt Busch Passes Rookie Orientation
The first driver to pass rookie orientation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013 was Kurt Busch, though Busch has no plans to make an attempt to run the 97th Indianapolis 500. Busch completed the three phases of rookie orientation with a fastest lap at 218.210 MPH. He was testing Ryan Hunter-Reay's #1 DHL/Sun Drop Chevrolet from 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. yesterday, an hour and forty-five minutes longer than previously scheduled.
Busch said afterwards in a press conference he would not have enough stamina for not attempting the Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double this year but did not rule out the possibility of running the double in 2014.
With Busch passing rookie orientation he is now licensed to compete IndyCar oval races and there is a possibility Busch could run one of the remaining Triple Crown races at Pocono or Fontana. The other two jewels of the Triple Crown are not head-to-head with NASCAR races. Pocono is July 7th, a day after NASCAR returns to Daytona for the second time in 2013 and Fontana is October 19th, the night before the Talladega's Chase race. Busch's NASCAR team, Furniture Row Racing attended the test as they were on their way to Darlington for tomorrow night's Southern 500.
AJ Allmendinger will compete in the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans. This will be Allmendinger's fourth and fifth starts of the 2013 season. Allmendinger will be attempting to make his first Indianapolis 500 start this month.
Another driver who could be a Indianapolis 500 rookie in 2013, Conor Daly will be making his first start of the 2013 GP3 Season in Barcelona. Daly won the GP3 sprint race at Barcelona last season and finished 6th in the final 2012 GP3 Driver's Championship.
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves is celebrating his 38th birthday today. The other active three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dario Franchitti will be turning 40th on May 19th.
Indianapolis 500 Entry List Set, Still Holes to Fill
The entry list for the 96th Indianapolis 500 was released last night with 33 cars and 32 drivers. Today, that number reached 34 cars and 33 drivers.
Yesterday, 17 Chevrolets and 16 Hondas were on the initial entry list, including one-offs AJ Allmendinger, Carlos Muñoz, Ryan Briscoe, Conor Daly, Townsend Bell, Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Pippa Mann. A 33rd, driver-less entry, the #40 Ed Carpenter Racing entry was a surprise. The only owner-driver in the Izod IndyCar Series, Ed Carpenter made it known the entry was meant to be removed. The #40 Ed Carpenter Racing entry has remained on the entry list.
Today, a 33rd driver and team pair was announced with 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier and a family run operation, Lazier Partners Racing, Inc. Buddy's father Bob Lazier is the owner of the team. Buddy Lazier will drive the #91 Chevrolet, the same chassis driven by Jean Alesi last year as a Lotus. The last time Buddy Lazier drove a Chevrolet at Indianapolis was in 2005 for Panther Racing. He qualified 9th and finished 5th, the highest starting and finishing Chevrolet. This will be Lazier's first attempt at Indianapolis since failing to qualify in 2009.
A 17th Honda could still be in the works, however reports of a third Schmidt Peterson Motorsports entry for 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice appears to have hit a snag.
Bryan Clauson and Jay Howard are both reportedly trying to scrape together deals for the Indianapolis 500 and rumors are swirling that Kurt Busch, who is due to test tomorrow for Andretti Autosport, may try to do the Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double this year, a year earlier than originally stated.
As of now, 11 Americans, 4 Brits, 3 Frenchmen, 3 Brazilians, 2 Australians, 2 Canadians, 2 Colombians, one New Zealander, Japanese, Swiss, Mexican, Spaniard and a Venezuelan officially make up the entry list.
The first weekend in May featured a lot of racing across the globe. NASCAR had a surprise 1-2 at Talladega, Sébastien Loeb continued his retirement from full-time rallying in style, BMW had a stellar opening DTM race and lots of others series took to the track.
Front Row Takes The Front Row at Talladega
Eight years ago, a Bob Jenkins-owned car made it's first race at Bristol with Stanton Barrett. He finished 41st. Front Row Motorsports hadn't had much to brag about before last Sunday but David Ragan and David Gilliland changed that as the little team that could went 1-2, defeating the big boys of Roush, Hendrick and Gibbs. Ragan won his second career race, his first since Daytona in July 2011. The 1-2 was the 5th and 6th top ten finish for Front Row Motorsports, 3rd and 4th top five and of course the first win for the team. All six top tens for Front Row Motorsports has come on restrictor plate races, five coming at Talladega.
NASCAR races next Saturday at Darlington Speedway.
Retired Loeb Wins Again
He maybe retired from full-time rallying but Sébastien Loeb continues to win. He won his second rally of the 2013 World Rally Championship at Argentina, his eighth win in the last nine Rally Argentinas. He beat teammate, points leader and fellow Frenchman Sébastien Ogier by 55 seconds. Ogier leads the points by 54 points over Loeb, who has only competed in three of five rallies. Ogier is 65 points ahead of the next full-time competitor Mikko Hirvonen.
World Rally's next stop is Greece for the Acropolis Rally May 31st-June 2nd.
Farfus and BMW win at Hockenheim
Augusto Farfus won his second career DTM race this past Sunday at Hockenheim and leads the points for the first time in the Brazilian's DTM career. He held off fellow BMW driver Dirk Werner and Mercedes driver Christian Vietoris for the victory. This were the first career DTM podiums for both Werner and Vietoris. 2005 DTM champion Gary Paffett finished 4th while defending DTM champion Canadian Bruno Spengler finished 5th. Pole sitter and two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider finished 6th, American Joey Hand finished a career-best 7th, the Audis of Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Wittmann were 8th and 9th and Roberto Merhi rounded out the top ten. Wittmann scored points on debut and Merhi also picked up his first career point in DTM.
The German-based series makes it's first stop international stop in a fortnight at Brands Hatch.
Spaniards dominate the Spanish Grand Prix
Dani Pedrosa won his first race of the 2013 MotoGP season at Jerez while fellow Spaniards Marc Márquez and Jorge Lorenzo took the final two steps on the podium. Márquez out muscled the defending champion Lorenzo for the second in the final corner and in doing so the rookie took the points lead. Márquez leads Honda-teammate Pedrosa by three and Lorenzo by four points. Valentino Rossi finished fourth and is fourth in the standings, 18 markers back. Cal Crutchlow was fifth ahead of Álvaro Bautistia, Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Espargaró and Bradley Smith.
MotoGP heads to Le Mans in a fortnight.
Audi Sweeps Spa
Audi went 1-2-3 at Spa, all a lap ahead of top finishing Toyota. André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Trêluyer took the win ahead of the senior line-up of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval. Marc Gené, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis finished third. The #8 Toyota of Anthony Davidson, Stéphane Sarrazin and Sébastien Buemi finished 4th with the #7 Toyota retiring after 99 of 168 laps.
LMP2 was won by Pecom Racing's team of Luiz Pérez Companc, Pierre Kaffer and Nicolas Minassian. GTE Pro was won by the AF Corse Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella. GTE Am was won the Ferrari of the American 8Star Motorsports of Enzo Potolicchio, Rui Águas and Philipp Peter.
Next race for the FIA World Endurance Championship is the 81st 24 Hours of Le Mans June 22nd-23rd.
Jaime Whincup won two of three races at the V8 SuperCars weekend at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, Australia and leads the points by 45 markers over Will Davison. V8 SuperCars will make it's first stop every stop to the United States and Circuit of the Americas in a fortnight.
Yvan Muller and Robert Huff won the World Touring Car Championship races at the Hungaroring. Muller leads the points at the WTCC heads to Salzburgring in Austria in a fortnight.
São Paulo 2013: First Impressions
1. São Paulo is the BEST STREET CIRCUIT IN THE WORLD!
2. That was POSSIBLY THE BEST STREET RACE EVER!
3. If that can't get people hooked on IndyCar racing than I don't know what will.
4. James Hinchcliffe deserved the win.
5. Takuma Sato should have been penalized, twice for blocking. But at least race control is being consistent with their calls.
6. Great race by Marco Andretti.
7. Please, somebody, anybody, fund Dreyer & Reinbold and Oriol Serviá.
8. All the credit in the world to Josef Newgarden. 25th to 5th. Remember when Penske said he was interested? How about now?
9. Tough day for the Brazilians. My heart breaks for Tony Kanaan. Helio Castroneves salvaged a 13th and Ana Beatriz can't catch a break.
10. Graham Rahal needs a senior teammate. Nothing against Jakes but if Serviá is without a ride, RLLR should consider the Catalan.
11. Another terrible day for Will Power and Scott Dixon didn't do much better.
12. Now we head to Indianapolis. Fantastic.
13. I think there are 29 drivers who could win at Indianapolis.
14. Was there a NASCAR race today?
15. NBC Sports has done a phenomenal job this season. Leigh Diffey is great in the booth. Jon Beekhuis did a great job in place of Wally Dallenbach.
16. It's been 12 minutes since the checkers and I still can't catch my breathe.
17. Less than a week until opening day at Indianapolis. We've waited 11 months for this.
Morning Warm-Up: São Paulo 2013
For the second time this season, Ryan Hunter-Reay will lead the field to the green flag after winning the pole position Saturday afternoon. The American broke the track record at São Paulo by setting a time of 1:20.4312. Next to the defending champion is his teammate EJ Viso. This is EJ Viso's best starting position in his Izod IndyCar Series career. Dario Franchitti starts third with Brazil's favorite Tony Kanaan starting next to the Scot in fourth position. Kanaan is making his 200 consecutive start in an American open-wheel series race. He is twelve away from breaking the record held by his car owner Jimmy Vasser. James Hinchcliffe and Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six.
Will Power got caught out by a red flag in his round 1 group and missed the Fast Twelve. The only winner for IndyCar on the streets of São Paulo finds himself starting 22nd. Sébastien Bourdais starts seventh with Simona de Silvestro in eighth. Justin Wilson starts ninth and Marco Andretti bookended the top ten for Andretti Autosport. JR Hildebrand made it two consecutive races making it to the Fast Twelve and starts eleventh ahead of the most recent winner Takuma Sato.
Oriol Serviá starts thirteenth in what could be the penultimate round of the 2013 season for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing should funding not be found for the rest of the season after Indianapolis.
Other notable starting positions: Ed Carpenter 14th, Charlie Kimball 17th, Helio Castroneves 18th, Graham Rahal 19th, Simon Pagenaud 23rd and Josef Newgarden will start 25th after an engine change.
Graham Rahal was the fastest in the morning warm-up from São Paulo. EJ Viso was second with Scott Dixon, JR Hildebrand, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Simona de Silvestro, Sébastien Bourdais, Marco Andretti and Ana Beatriz rounding out the top ten.
Just a few quick facts: This is the first race on May 5th since 2003. Sébastien Bourdais won that day in the CART race at Brands Hatch. On two other occasions have a race been held on May 5th. In 1910, a little over a year before winning the first Indianapolis 500, Ray Harroun won at a 200-miler at Atlanta and in 1946 Joie Chitwood won the first race ever held at Trenton.
Coverage of the 75 lap Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 begins at 11 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Net with green flag around 11:30 a.m. ET.
What Happens When There Is No IndyCar Practice on a Friday?
News breaks. A lot of news breaks. And news comes from out left field.
Let's start with the bombshell of Kurt Busch testing for Andretti Autosport at Indianapolis on Thursday May 9th. Only two days before the opening day for the 97th Indianapolis 500, Kurt Busch will getting behind the wheel of an open-wheel car for the first time since a test with Team Rahal in 2003 at Sebring. This test comes only a little under two weeks after Kurt Busch tested a V8 SuperCar at Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Busch has stated interest in running the Indianapolis 500/Coco-Cola 600 double but as of now the test is only a test.
Late last night, more good news concerning the Indianapolis 500 was revealed by Robin Miller and Marshall Pruett. The 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice is reportedly set to drive for Sam Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, teaming with the Frenchmen Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier and Townsend Bell is also set for Indianapolis with Panther Racing and sponsorship from the DreamWork's movie Turbo, set to be released July 13.
Miller and Pruett also reported 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier and Bryan Clauson were nearing deals for Indianapolis. Jay Howard is also working to find a seat at Indianapolis. Lazier last raced in 2008 at Indianapolis where he finished 17th from a 32nd starting position. In 2009, Lazier failed to qualify for Indianapolis. Clauson made his Indianapolis 500 debut last year and had a good month going until an accident in qualifying ended his chances of qualifying on day one. Clauson would qualify 31st on bump day and finished 30th after a spin in the race. Jay Howard finished 30th in his one and only Indianapolis 500 start back in 2011 and has not raced since Texas 2011. Howard was in the abandoned Las Vegas race.
The Rice and Bell deals would fill the starting grid of thirty-three. Any additional would ensure bumping come May 19th.
Talladega, Hockenheim and Spa
While IndyCar is in São Paulo, NASCAR, DTM and the FIA World Endurance Championship all are racing at legendary circuits.
The second restrictor plate race of the NASCAR season takes place at Talladega Superspeedway and Denny Hamlin has been cleared to race, six weeks after breaking a vertebra at Fontana. Hamlin missed four races including his home race at Richmond last week. Brian Vickers will be on stand-by should Hamlin need a substitute. Hamlin has dropped to 28th in the points standings, 71 markers back of Kurt Busch in 20th and 126 points back of Paul Menard in 10th. The Chase is not out of reach as long as Hamlin can win a race or two and gets into the top twenty to have a shot at a wild card position.
Chevrolet has a firm grasp on Talladega, winning 34 of the 50 races since restrictor plates were mandated in the 1988 season but have only won five of the last ten. Chevrolet and Toyota each have four victories this season with Ford's lone win coming at Phoenix with Carl Edwards. Hendrick Motorsports occupies three of the top four positions in the points. Jimmie Johnson is first, 43 points ahead of Edwards in second and 46 ahead of Hendrick teammates Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who are tied for third. Clint Bowyer is fifth, the highest Toyota and defending champion Brad Keselowski is sixth after his worst finish of the season, a 33rd at Richmond. Kyle Busch has won two races in 2013 but is down in seventh after four finishes of 20th or worse. Greg Biffle is eighth, ahead of Richmond winner Kevin Harvick and his Childress teammate Menard in tenth. Aric Almirola is eleventh and would be one of the two wild cards, along with Matt Kenseth, a two-time winner this season, in thirteenth. Kenseth's win at Kansas may not count towards the wild card should Joe Gibbs Racing lose their appeal of penalties handed down after the Kansas race.
Coverage of the Aaron's 499 will be Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET.
The 2013 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters begins this weekend from the Hockheimring in Baden-Württemberg. Eight BMWs, eight Audis and six Mercedes-Benzs will take part in the German based championship in 2013. Defending champion Bruno Spengler returns to BMW, along with all the 2012 BMW drivers, Dirk Werner, Martin Tomczyk, Andy Priaulx, Augusto Farfus and American Joey Hand. BMW added two German drivers. Marco Wittmann makes his DTM debut this weekend after running three seasons in Formula 3 EuroSeries where he finished runner up in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Wittmann was a BMW test driver in 2012. Timo Glock will also be making his DTM debut at Hockenheim. Glock was slated to return to Marussia F1 at the beginning of the year before he parted with the team in mid-January. Glock raced at Hockenheim three times over his Formula One career but his best finish at the track was a disappointing 18th.
Mercedes enters 2013 with two less cars than 2012. Four drivers return including Gary Paffett, last year's runner up to Spengler, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris and Canadian Robert Wickens. Rookies Daniel Juncadella and Pascal Wehrlein join Mercedes in 2013. Juncadella won the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series championship. Wehrlein finished runner up to Juncadella in 2012. After 2012, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard retired from racing. Susie Wolff left to become test driver at Williams F1 and Jaime Green has gone to the Audi camp.
Jaime Green is the only new driver at Audi, taking the vacant seat left by Rahel Frey. The other seven drivers include past DTM champions Timo Scheider and Mattias Ekström, past DTM race winners Mike Rockenfeller and Edoardo Mortara and three drivers who have scored a podium in DTM, Felipe Albuquerque, Miguel Molina and Adrien Tambay.
Green flag for the Hockenheim will be at 7:33 a.m. ET on Sunday May 5.
The second round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season takes place at Spa-Francorchamps. Audi is coming off a one-two at Silverstone three weeks ago. Audi is entering a third car this weekend with drivers Oliver Jarvis, Marc Gené and Lucas di Grassi. In first practice earlier this morning, Audi was 1-2-3, led by the team of André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler. The Toyota TS030s were in fourth and sixth, split by the Rebellion Racing of Nicolas Prost, Neel Jani and Nick Heidfeld.
The fastest LMP2 car was the OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan of Olivier Pla, Alex Brundle and David Heinemeier Hansson. The Silverstone class winners Antonio Pizzonia, Tor Graves and James Walker were fourth fastest in class.
The Ferrari of Kamui Kobayashi and Toni Vilander were the fastest GTE Pro car, ahead of their AF Corse teammates Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella. An AF Corse Ferrari also held the top spot in GTE Am with drivers Jack Gerber, Matt Griffin and Marco Cioci.
Other notable names to Americans: Mike Conway was second quickest in the LMP2 class, Bertrand Baguette and Martin Plowman were fifth quick in LMP2. Chris Dyson and Michael Marsal were eighth quick. In GTE Am, the Krohn Ferrari of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Maurizio Mediani were eight fastest in class. Green flag at Spa will be Saturday 8:30 a.m. ET.
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Track Walk: São Paulo 2013
It's May
...and he’s on it
The Indianapolis 500 – how fans used data on their mobile devices this year
15 Days in May
An IndyCar Thanksgiving
16th And Georgetown
Power Wins In The Desert
anotherindycarblog
Unfiltered Race Notes… 3 Cars Makes a Race Edition
IndyCar Advocate
More Front Wing
A farewell to More Front Wing
New Track Record
Horses for courses at the Indy 500
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Do Casual Racing Fans Really Exist?
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Happy Festivus … and Goodbye
The Buxton Blog
Drowning in vitriol
The Set-Up Sheet
Through the Turbulence
IndyCar Windscreen Test at Phoenix
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Producer Joe Solo on Music Biz Success
Sing! Dance! Act! Thrive! Podcast
Producer Joe Solo on Sing! Dance! Act! Thrive!
Sing! Dance! Act! Thrive! Podcast Episode 021
Today’s episode is an interview that I did during Canadian Music Week with producer and songwriter Joe Solo. Known for developing Macy Gray for 17 years before she hit it big with her debut album in 1999, Joe’s credits include Michael Jackson, Fergie, will i. am, Quincy Jones, and many others. Joe was very generous with his time, shared valuable advice for musicians and told some great stories of some of the talent he has worked with.
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Producer Joe Solo Show Notes:
As I am a one-woman show, I have finally given into the saying “Done is better than perfect” that I have resisted for so long. I want to include transcripts of the episodes but I can’t dedicate the time and resources to transcribe them perfectly so here is the unedited transcript from otter.ai
Diane Foy 0:04
Welcome to sing dance act thrive, featuring conversations with performing artists and industry influencers on what it takes to succeed in the arts. I am your host Diane Foy and I believe that you really can make a living from your creative talents. As a publicist, podcaster and coach. My mission is to educate, motivate and empower you to thrive with authenticity, creativity, and purpose.
Hello, and welcome to episode number 21 of sing dance act thrive. Today’s episode is an interview I did during Canadian Music Week with producer and songwriter Joe solo. Joe is very generous with his time and shared some valuable advice for musicians, including some great on music licensing and how to make it in the industry. He has some great stories of some of the talent that he’s worked with, including Macy Gray of how he met her and developed her for 17 years before she hit a big with her debut album in 1999. Joe’s other credits include Michael Jackson, or he will I am Quincy Jones, and many others. And now he’s spending a lot of time coaching other artists through workshops and books and guest speaking. So I won’t talk too much. I’ll just get to it, because we talked for over an hour, and I hope you enjoy it. So what are some of the highlights of your career?
Joe Solo 1:44
Yeah, I’m glad you said someone not like your favorite because there’s so many I couldn’t possibly, you know, yeah, decide. What was really neat about the music business is it’s an adventure. Well, definitely the highlight is like the day I broke through from fancy on the fringes of the big time to being a complete rookie, smack dab in the middle of the big time. Right. I had been developing from scratch, Macy Gray for 17 years. And before she broke, right, and when she broke, I got calls from like every major music publisher in the world, like all in one day total Cinderella story. Yeah, kind of thing. And over the next it’s a month and a half. And I whittle down who I wanted to be with down to three, and a little bidding war started. This is all because the song I wrote with Macy called Sweet baby was going to be the first single our second record. That was really nice. Because not not only breaking through and signed a half a million dollar deal, a publishing deal. Which sounds like a lot. But then if you take 17 years of work and divided by all those hours, I don’t know if I was doing better hourly than like a McDonald’s french fry cook after taxes. Yeah. But, but it was cool. I’ll take it. probably the coolest thing was the first time I heard my music on somebody else’s radio. And what happened was I was live in Los Angeles, I was driving and my my windows were down. And this car pulls up next to me. It’s convertible. Dream. Yes. Couple of you know how much younger there’s a couple of few ladies in the car and their list their list. The song is blasting out of their stereo. And I’m like, hey, ladies, they look at me like I’m some crap. And I’m like, Hey, I wrote that. We’re like, really? Like, yeah, this is awesome. Yeah. Anyway, so that’s really highlight. You know, hearing your music in a public forum is very, very satisfying. That’s why I do what I do now, which is venture people on both a large scale and a one on one basis on how to break through and music because I feel so blessed to have gotten the music dream. I want that for others. There’s so many common mistakes people make. That can be avoided if they just knew about them, right?
Oh, and 17 years with Macy Gray. That’s a good lesson that it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a lot of work to get there. So maybe Can you tell us a bit about the journey from meeting her to when she broke the type of work that you did with her?
Yeah, and it wasn’t just her I was working with all kinds of artists. I serendipitously met her at this. Or she was a cashier and I was eating I was paying my bill. And just out of nowhere. She says Hey, are you musician or guitarist or something like yeah, play guitar, I produce a bunch of other instruments I play write songs. And she said, Well, I’m a singer. And I’m looking for someone to work with. So why don’t we try working together? Like completely out of the blue?
She hasn’t even seen you play.
No, no, I’m just paying my bill. And so I was like, sure, you know, I’m not. The next day she comes over. And she’s like warming up in the vocal booth. And of course, at this time, the vocal booth is a euphemism for bathroom. But I’m listening to her voice. And it’s just becoming obvious to me. This is a unique voice. And after about five minutes, I got on the talkback mic. And I’m like, Did you come out here for a second, I want to talk with you just comes out. And he said, I will commit right now. No matter how long it takes no matter what. It’s to be your producer and develop you be your songwriting partner until we make it and I will never quit. I will never quit on you. Which is 17 years. Yeah. Now, it doesn’t always take that long now. But back then I was just starting out too. Yeah, you’re learning together so much. Yeah.
So I saw on your website, you have quite a few credits. Can I maybe throw some names at you? And you tell me a little story?
Yeah. Quincy Jones, Quincy Jones, couple things. He has, he had this foundation called 5 million kids, which is a foundation that brings in well known industry people to speak to high school students and inspire them to follow their dream and their path and not get into the drugs and the gangs. And all this is all I can South federal la type places. So I got involved with that. And that’s very satisfying. And then also got a publishing company. And I wrote a lot of music. Quincy Jones publishing. And those are the two areas where we were. But what’s really, what’s really cool is like, it’s such a small, small, small industry. And everyone knows everyone, no matter where I go on the planet, I’m going to somebody I know. You know, my business partner, Matt, those places when I do it, everywhere he goes, no matter what country what cities have lived.
In seconds of us meeting someone stopped him.
We can’t walk through the hallways without like, you know, can’t get to the other side of the room and time. without, you know, meeting somebody that we met last year here, we’re and yours go somewhere else, wherever. But it all kind of comes together. Which is why I don’t inspire artists to just never ever quit has all these little seeds that you plant. Some of them start growing into flowers and trees later on in life. And it all comes together a very nice way. And that song sweet at we wrote in 1994 didn’t come out to 2001. Right now the night we wrote it was a couple hours to write it. We were excited. We knew we had a hit. And but it didn’t actually become one for you know, another seven years. Yeah. So be patient never quit.
That’s it. And it’s sometimes hard to when you are in those down times to not quit, like if you can’t pay rent, and things like that, you need to have that passion that you’re going to do it no matter what. And that’s kind of what keeps you going.
Yeah, and that doesn’t mean you can’t change direction. I mean, the whole industry is is populated with people who started out as artists or in a band or something like that. And then he discovered that, for whatever reason, it wasn’t going to happen for them artistically. But maybe they still have so much passion for music, that they went to law school and became a music attorney, or a publicist like yourself, or, you know, a publisher or a promoter, concert promoter. a&r person record label executive
is a struggle no matter what there’s but there’s so many
industry there’s so many areas where you could be satisfied in part of the music business. It doesn’t have to be Beyonce, Jay Z level of success superstar, you know, that happens for a very few and it’s lottery. The lottery on top of the lottery actually. But just to go first full circle with your question from before I was talking about how like the such a small world. Alright, so I was selected to be Michael Jackson’s music director, or the 45th birthday extravaganza that he threw at the Neverland Ranch. And there’s all these celebrities there and also invited all these kids from like, you know, orphanages, and hospitals, all kinds of stuff is really great event, thousands of people there. And so it was really, visually, you know, it was cool. To be the light. I was the live stage music director for that. It is really cool to work from Michael Jackson to meet him and come full circle. So yeah, it does work with your producer Quincy Jones. That’s all Yeah, I love I love q that’s what we call you. And so that’s small world thing happens a lot. And then that turns into other contacts and networking and networking, such a vital part, being successful in this business. Be the greatest artists in the world. But if you don’t know anyone that nobody knows you. You’re not going to get very far. Yeah,
Diane Foy 11:11
That would have been the next name I throw at you Michael Jackson. I’m a fan. I need to know. What’s the deal?
Joe Solo 11:17
Well, here’s what was it. Like, here’s probably the best Michael Jackson story. All right. During that weekend, you know he has a zoo on his property. Yeah, this is not just like cage with a couple of monkeys. All right. He’s got tigers and lions and elephants and giraffe. He’s got a serpent from the snakes and scorpions and tarantulas and including North America’s largest albino Anaconda. Wow. Now it’s also got some llamas. So I’m talking to a bunch of people. And in the zoo area, right next to this fence. And that I feel this slimy sensation. wipe up the back of my neck and I turned around and Michael Jackson’s mama had just left me on the neck. Head came over the fence of the legs me on the neck. Now, that morning, if you told me before the day is over, you’re gonna get licked on the neck by Michael Jackson’s la la. I wouldn’t have said this zero percent chance of that happening. And I would have been wrong. Yeah. You never know what each day brings. But it really is an adventure. Yeah.
And for that event, is that where maybe some of the artists, other artists that you worked with, like were there? I guess I assume there’s a lot of performers for that event.
There’s a lot of performers and other celebrities to it. Was this performer a shot? I don’t know if you remember her. She was there. And Macaulay Culkin was there. I mean, all kinds of celebrities. Mike Tyson was there. I got, I got to meet Mike Tyson. I don’t know if you know who he is. He’s He’s a EDM guy. He’s like one of the original pioneers of electronic dance music. He was there. And free businesses. So it was Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeon. I met him. And I was kind of like, Oh, so you’re the one is just destroy just taking all the money. Right? Not not like telling him Come on. Like, oh, that’s enough. Yeah. Or maybe he did. And Michael. So anyway, I don’t know.Yeah. But yeah, yeah, that’s really cool. It’s just interesting. Michael Jackson story I have nothing to do with this was a really inspirational story. After thriller was recorded. Michael, when he listened to the final mixes, he thought it was awful. And I mean, you literally cried because it puts so much time and emotional in that investment into this record. And he thought he thought it just didn’t translate well. So Quincy says, Well, why don’t we do this? Why don’t we go back in the studio. And we’re going to take each song, one day per song, the tweak the mixes, or remixes do what it takes to make that emotional campaigns happen. They whether they did exactly that. And that’s the record that we all know. It never surprises me, making your record how sometimes it’s just the last couple final tweaks and moves that glue everything together. Yeah,
you know, the perfectionist geniuses, they always are very particular.
I’m an admitted workaholic. But the thing is, is that I may spend 100, hundred and 25 hours on a single song. That’s average. But those professions that you create, once they’re done, they last forever, without any additional effort. Yeah, so it’s worth taking that extra time to really nail it, and making sure just every possible thing is undeniable. No weak links,
when do you know when to let go? With perfection we could tweak things forever
We Are you also just as a professional, you have to also say, you know, you have to make decisions, that’s the thing is, a lot of times a lot of times you make a decision, and just trust that the future decisions you make, on the song, the music, tweaking the mastering mixing will work, I got it, I got a real strong gut sense of that time. And usually, I’m going too far with something for some reason, my computer crashes, that like interrupt the process in my head, I’m like, all right, you know, it computer got like a sign from from the other world. But it’s more like an interruption of being stuck in that over perfectionist the process. And then also, there’s just time constraints in terms of budget costs a lot of money to work with me, and go on forever, you know, with us with a single budget with a single number there. So decisions have to be made. And that’s part of being professionals is making decisions about what to let go what not us. A lot of times, artists like for producing themselves will record every idea that you think of and then in the mix, try and squeeze every idea into the mix. And you can’t it’s just it’s just becomes too much. So you have to let go of your little babies got to kill some of your babies to make room for the others to grow. That’s a terrible analogy. But hope the point is made. Yeah, for sure. I also saw that you did some work with the shows like American Idol. see you dance dancing the stars. What is it that you did there? I didn’t work with them. These these are shows where music of mine was used on the show. Okay. Well, there it is. Yeah, yeah. So I’ve had the last count, maybe somewhere around 2600 placements around the globe. That was about a year ago. So this is a handful more now. And a lot of these placements are placed by my publisher, which is tentatively Sony. But they don’t call to say, Hey, we got a placement for you. Because they work with so many songwriters, they can’t spend their day all day long, just calling single placement the way you find out. is you get your royalty statement. Six months or a year later, you find out Oh, oh, looks like my music was the dog whisperer. Yeah. Or, you know, American Idol. One of the funds that they were saying, so and so forth. So a lot of times, that’s how I find out where the music was used, especially internationally. Yeah, you can’t keep up with it all, you know. So every time you know, there’s just a new show that my musics been featured on I just Well, not every time but it’s recognizable. I’ll add it to the list of credentials. Over time, your list is looking like a crazy alphabet. Because you’ve got all these different channels was called letters and callsign.
Do you get into creating music specifically for film or TV?
I do I do. What I’m doing right now is I’ve been composing a cinematic EDM library, specifically for placement in film and TV. And he thing there is that the whole point of the music, well, if it’s for like a TV show, the whole point of the music is to keep the adrenaline high. So somebody doesn’t feel like changing the channel, if they’re watching and broadcast TV, during the commercial. That’s the point. But for a more dramatic thing, or film, the job the music isn’t to show off your music. It’s to support the story. And the director’s vision of a movie, for example, tell the audience how to feel any particular scene. So let’s take for example, like you got a Batman movie in the Joker’s killing all these people as you’re playing like this dark horrific, just in in score that’s going to make you feel dark and feel like you know, the evil of the Joker. But let’s say you took the same scene where he’s killing all these people been played circus left, and you would feel you feel the joy and the folly of the Joker. So the music tells the audience how to feel the a particular scene. So it’s important to look at it as serve the director’s vision and the stories vision in that way. As opposed to I’m going to show off how great my music is. And hopefully, hopefully it will be great within that context. Then also, you know, a lot of times people want to get a song placed in film or TV, which is, in my opinion, right now like the best way to break through. Because you get upfront money, long term royalties, and you get instant, hopefully worldwide recognition. If the TV show of the movie is a hit, that one song can make your career. And if you do a TV show, like a theme, get paid for a theme of the show goes into syndication, like Seinfeld or something like that. You’re set for life. I know the composer Seinfeld’s out the wall is a friend of mine, he retired at 43. You make so much money off the royalties of reruns, yeah. That he got out of the game basically bought a mansion in eastern United States, about four kids and is living his life. And he still speaks like I do, to give back. But one show made his you know, financial security, real thing, just life. And of course, that show turned into other shows, you’re doing a lot of different situation comedies, and known as like the situation comedy composer. So I’m having a very good career. Or you take those films like a few mash, the opening song is an instrumental version of a vocal song called suicides, papers. And mash was made in like the late 70s, or something, but it’s still runs all over the world, and all these different territories and all these different channels that we have. I don’t know the writers name, but I do know that the writer probably is the two $300,000 a year in performance royalties, and still, you know, making money for time passing. So your songs, it’s like owning stock in a company. If the company does well, you make money for time passing. It’s the same thing. So as a music business person, it’s important to think that way as well as the artistic. What I mean by that is, let’s say you want to have what I call a universal appeal, meaning appeal to the large, wide set of cultures and demographics. You might have to let go of certain things. For example, Heaven, I had an artist who wanted to be known as like, great singer and great harmonica player. When he brought me his demos, the songs had a 64 bar harmonica solo at the beginning of the song,
I see you smiling, like dude, no disrespect to your harmonica. But if you really want to, if you really want to break through on a universal level, we shorten that to like maybe two bars, and then have a maybe like a eight or 16 bar harmonica feature towards the end. And let it be a component of a great song as opposed to the one to focus on. As I doubt you’ll ever get radio play, bar harmonicas beginning, situations like that sometimes artists ego will get in the way and say no, that’s how the music goes. And that’s how it’s going to be. And sometimes they say, Okay, well, that makes sense. Let’s let’s try it that way. And there is no one knows for sure. If that usual version of that song would have done better or not. I think there’s things that you can do. Let me backtrack for some things successful is a big component is luck. But there’s so many things you could do built luck, to your favor, to maximize the chances of being successful. That’s why I’m out here. talking to people, products, and speaking all over the planet, trying to help people get their music dream as best as I can.
Yeah. So you spent a lot of time songwriting producing, when did you kind of transition to coaching artists?
About 7 years ago, my kids, my kids, I have two girls. And it occurred to me that I’m spending so much time in the studio, that I’m missing experience of them growing up. So I wanted to reinvent myself, I came up. And I’ve always wanted to be able to like help people, I love helping people. I love making people laugh to crack as many jokes as possible during my talk, you know, have fun with it, want to make good money. So I reinvented myself, because of the, you know, 125 hours per song It takes in studio is missing out of them growing up. So I wanted to come up with a business that I could give back, have fun and make decent money or time passing I started was called the music success workshop. You know, create a good product, he put it online and promote it properly, then people can check it out if they want to buy it. And you don’t have to be right there hands on doing everything like we’re producing. I’m here for every single second of the production. Not in every case, sometimes I if the budget can’t afford me, I’ll have a co producer do part of the production. And I’ll do the beginning focus on the vocals in the end and focus on the final mix. But when I’m doing everything hands on, it’s it’s all consuming because I’m putting not just the time into it. But every ounce of passion I have, you know the songs with these artists they become but my little stepchildren like, all in love with. I live with it. And even even when I’m not directly working on it, my brain still is, it’s almost like impossible not to because you’re in the studio, you’re working on the same part listening to the same little or bar section over and over and over, then you do that all day. And then when after 12 hours of that it’s kind of hard to turn that fall off and your head keeps going and going to your head while you’re sleeping and your brain is working things out the next day, wake up with new ideas. You work on those and talking is all consuming. Which is why if I’m gonna, if I’m going to work with somebody, I mean, yeah, they have to have the budget, but I have to like them to as a person. Yeah. Because it’s such an emotional process, everyone is airing their soul, these songs are born out of their life experiences. And in some cases, they need the song to be partially written, maybe they have great verses and choruses, but weren’t able to come up with a bridge that is was as great as the other parts that I wrote, well, you don’t want to have an entire section via weekly. So maybe I’ll write the bridge. And we’ll call the song at some level. Or maybe they are writing with me from scratch. You split everything 5050. And we’re starting with just nothing like music, ideas, ideas out of the ether.
that’s even more time and more consuming. Because now they’re not little stepchildren of mine. But we’re actually making these babies together. But the real magic is when I’ve got ideas, and the artist has ideas. And somehow those ideas get hybridize and little baby ideas that are better than what either one of us alone would come up with. That’s where like the magic of collaboration is. So I really enjoy collaboration I want to enjoy the person who I’m going to be working with for so many hours and putting so much emotional investment into. And I think who you are character is a big part of being successful. Yeah. Because all about relationships in the Exactly. Which means you’ve got to have have a stellar reputation. Yes, any any of my buddies has been in the business, you know, for 2030 years, is it Well, what do you got? Everyone says the same answer. All I got is my reputation. So have character Don’t lie. Don’t BS.
And the industry talks.
Everyone knows everyone. Yeah. You know, just just be real be authentic artists. Yeah, nobody wants to work with a nightmare know how no matter how great they are. Because at a certain point, your life is short. So be cool. Be authentic Yeah.
So what is some of the advice that you give to a young artist starting out?
I may have mentioned this earlier, but the best piece of advice is just never quit. Ever. Quitting is not an option, change direction. If one day you discover that you’re miserable, but you can’t quit. I mean miserable for years at a time. Okay, then maybe musics not your thing. And you know, having a meaningful and happy life is more important than making it making it isn’t the solution to all problems. Once you make it, you just have a whole new set of problems the problems is so it is successful. Everyone’s got problems. But there will be ups and downs there will be minor and major heartbreaks along the way. And as you just simply stay with it, don’t quit eventually something breaks opportunity that you see how many extra falls in your lap. You know, I got it, I got a buddy is playing with corn, the bunch of a bunch of other bands. But he also this is really cool. video game music is really good at it. Really high adrenaline. And guess what Electronic Arts number one video game for the world has music called and said, We want you to do a whole library of music for us. And then that ended up becoming successful and became his thing. Now when he set out to be rock star guitar player, you know, the idea of being this top composer of video music was not in his vision. But that’s where the success for him started to go. So we went with it not comes up. Right.
So that’s not giving up. But yeah, but instruction exactly be look Be on the lookout for opportunity that might be different from what your original vision is. And you might want to go with it or at least test the waters. I’m same thing I started out as a guitar player. My vision was to be a very well known and successful guitar player in a band. And when I came out to LA, I was like 18 years old had a year of college under me and I’m going to go for music to my parents. I’m leaving school going for it. every parent’s dream. Well, in this case. My dad’s father is 10 or 11. Brothers and sisters are vaudeville performers. family involved performers back in the day. So my dad was like, Yeah, go for it, you know, keep the entertainment, the family entertainment going? What kind of things did they do and everything. That’s how it is? Yeah, I mean, for a lot of kids, they don’t know it is but it’s basically just proud traveling entertainers going from city to city and tour to these variety shows. And you had to be good, you had to kill every night. And every night was different, just like touring, you know, live, every show is different. But anyway, so I was very lucky to have parents that were behind me. And when I moved out when I moved out to LA that’s that’s what I was going for was was just be, you know, well known successful guitar player touring records the whole thing. And the thing is, is that the band that I put together was kind of sucked. not technically, we were all very proficient. But the ingredients were not put together in a way that people could relate to. We had this singer who was very androgynous, and sang in the super high falsetto and I’m sort of combination of old school font and big guitar. Then we had a pop drummer in basis he, you know, did the best he could. But we just never, we never went anywhere. Meanwhile, I’m developing Lacey. And we’re getting lots of attention and producing other artists and different styles and writing, writing writing all the time, different people, and then different styles and songwriter, producer, I started I started to you know, make some decent money and get my name around a certain point that’s like, Okay, I need side I’m I gotta continue pounding the pavement on this band thing, which is going nowhere and costing me a ton of money. Yeah. Or can I be satisfied having a career as a songwriter producer?
Sure, I’d be satisfied doing that. So I made the decision to stop the band thing, and, and more the director that was already being successful. And it was like the most liberating moment was liberating moment, right? Because I had to let go of my original vision, something that’s hard. Sometimes it takes time to get there, it’s very hard. But then once you make the decision to free,
yeah, it’s an adventure. The funny thing is, as a as a public speaker, and I’ve been told thought leader in the music industry, starting to get a lot of followers, people on my email list and everything like that. So several thousand, I was thinking, I could probably put out a record of my own music right now, and do even better than before, to an audience right. Now, even though it says a mentor and not, you know, not as a artist, maybe I’ll do that someday, right now. And still just focusing on helping as many people as I can break through
What are some of the products and services that you offer
primary product, the best one, I have, I find that people can shave off years and years of trial there. If they just have someone from the inside, show them the ropes, each from the secret handshakes, crack the code of the music business, the new music book, music success book, which will be coming out soon at fine bookstores everywhere. So this product is called make it big in a box. And it’s hundreds of video clips of me speaking, where I’m rendering advice to artists, of all stripes and types. Some of them are long form videos where I’m speaking for an hour and a half to three hours. And some of them are little clips were one minute, you get a piece of advice that that could potentially shave years off your success. And then there’s hundreds of written tips to all drawn from my experience, and my observation of the experience of others. Because, you know, when I started out, I a lot of buddies moved out to LA and they were going for it. And that a lot of people went away. And I can see he’s been successful, who is still pounding away at it, but hasn’t been a success. But they’re still doing the same thing that changes. And or the people who are starting to achieve some success and the story is building. You can look back and see doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look back and see what tends to be working for myself and for all these other people. And what is it working? Now nobody tell you exactly how to make I can tell you many, many ways, how to not make it. Yeah, a lot of people have this idea of how the industry works without this is where ego kind of comes in without actually knowing whether their idea is actually how this really work or not. So I try and teach that. You know, people think if you go into the big time studio, that you’re going to make a record. And they book eight hours, and they plan to do five songs. And that’s not, that’s not going to yield anything remotely useful. Other the experience of realizing that takes a lot longer than eight hours to do. I thought, you know, artists often takes six months, a year to three years making a record. You know, when I tell people 800 225 hours per song, just for a minute song, we’re thinking about a two hour movie spend two years making it a time. Everything is done, it’s whittled down to a two hour movie. That’s what Jason is saying with a record. It’s not that long for every style of music. You know, if you’re doing a more raw hip hop thing, or EDM were a lot of it’s programmed ahead of time, it’s not going to take this long. But if you got a lot of live drums and live instruments, layers of experimentation with arrangement, it does take a long
way back to make it big in a box. Just so much experience and observation that can help other people, I had to put it all into one package. If people want to find out, you know more about it, or get it they go to Joe solo calm my website, and they can make it bigger box. Right now, normally 2000 bucks. Right now we’re selling it for 995. And here’s the cool thing. In addition to all that video and written information, it comes with a live one on one consultations with the music industry professional from my company, or if they want to pay a little extra, I’ll do their consultation with you do it by phone, Skype or in person. So it doesn’t matter where in the world you are in person is the best you’re in LA. And we just come over to my place we sit down we talk at one on one consultation is a chance for the artists to answer all the questions or have their music analyzed, and develop a roadmap of where to go from here, where to go from where they are. That is included with the naked big in the box package. And right now Now, since we’re just releasing this, the first 25 people who order are going to get me as their consultant without having to pay the extra $700 passport. Also, I know that musicians don’t have 1000 bucks just lying around. So you could do a payment plan. charge extra for a payment plan where you spread it out over 12 months, yeah, ends up being like 79 bucks a month, which is like Starbucks money. They can handle that. Yeah. If you think you know, all there is to know about the industry, you don’t need any additional help or guidance or advice and you know, great. But if you want to get a lot of inside tips and direction and motivation and inspiration, and the 79 bucks a month and change your life forever.Auto resources totally that artist and keep going back.
Oh yeah, this is you go to Joesolo.com. And if you just want to test, test the waters, get on my email list, and I send out right away. Once you sign up, it’s free. You get a music success video nugget series, which are like a series of these three minute video nuggets. And also you get written tips every week, couple times a week, actually. And each one of these things you could put she start putting it to use on your career that very nice. Yeah. So instant change. But probably the best thing that comes with signing up to the email list is I’ve created a list of the nine music career killing mistakes, and how to avoid them here to give us a couple minutes or you gotta sign up. But just to entice you. I for example, one of them is people don’t understand this until they read it is those having your music on iTunes, you go to Joel solo, calm and sign up, you find out how that could be detrimental to your career, and a handful of other things that will hopefully avoid making very common errors that up and coming artists make. And it’s not their fault that they make these things. You know what, you know? Yeah, you have to realize that there are things that you don’t know, that you need to know, to be successful. And there are the quirkiest things to for example, if you’re trying to get your music, and film and TV, and you send your entire library of a 30 songs to some music supervisor, thinking, Okay, they’re going to see how versatile I am and what my talent is not realizing that, that doesn’t matter to music supervisor because their job is to find appropriate music for the shows and films they’re working on. And for the specific scenes that need music. Yeah,
you gotta do your research.
When you contact, your supervisor is asking ignore your email. So if they’re working on us on a space adventure, and you’re selling your hillbilly cowboy music, yeah, you know, you’re just what you’re just wasted there, you’re just telling them, I didn’t do my research. And these people are so busy, have so much responsibility. And they don’t, they don’t have time to listen to your 30 songs. In fact, it bogs down the emails, especially if like you send the actual send files, unless they request it. never send files always links unless they request something specific. And many of the music supervisors in Hollywood do have specific preferences. And you’ve got to get to know that. So how do you get to know something is personal is that well, that’s where networking comes into place. conferences, you gotta do your research, you can go to places like the Guild of music supervisors website has a lot of great information,
watch the shows that you want your music on.
Yeah, make sure your music makes sense for that show. Although everyone will say, everyone, including myself, well, thank Well, there’s so many different emotions in the show that they can use any kind of music, but if you look at if you look at TV shows, they really have sort of a certain style that fits within that show. And there’s a real good piece of advice, real good piece of advice. Industry, people are extremely busy, especially music supervisors, but extremely busy. So if you’re going to write them, first of all, never send out bulk email that says, Hello, or you’re industry person, or hot. I mean, I see that. And it’s like, that’s, I don’t even bother reading it. Because I already know that they didn’t take the time at all, to research what I’m doing or what I’m all about. And the first thing you’re right, is right, this verbatim, thank you for taking the time to read this. So before you get into who you are, how you think you can make their job easier, all kinds of things like that, which is awesome. You got to put right, they have to catch fish. And you only got which which, which is another thing I teach is how the various the people in the various roles in history think because like music attorney and a publisher and a publicist, in our person, music supervisors, they all have different ways of thinking that are focused on what they do and what they need. So it’s good to learn that too. So you know how to approach these people. And then when you know how to approach these people, you have more confidence, because you know what you’re doing. And they sense that confidence is that is a big factor in success, too. Because they want to work with a professional, the professional knows, the business, knows how to network, how to talk, how to speak the language of the person, they’re talking to teach all this stuff. And it’s all it’s all the make it bigger the box package, which by the way, is not an actual box, it’s all online, and you get a password, and then you can access it whenever you want.
Yeah, have you come up here a lot? I know you were here last year and this year for CMW.
Last year was the first year they flew me out to speak. And I loved it. I was ignorant of how much Toronto is, is a major Music Center in the me. There is so much talent here. And there’s so much support for artists here. The country supports artists with all kinds of brands, after grants. Yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s really amazing. And the people are great. So when they asked me to speak again this year, I say yes, this is like a really good energy. The other thing I do is a before and after session, where I’ll play a portion of this demo that artists brought me to produce that they created or create with another producer, whatever, and then play the broadcast quality finished master that’s been handling, technically, please perfection. But more important, has the emotional conveyance of the lyric in the spirit of the song and artist. That’s all part of being a broadcast quality Master, not just engineering master goes all the way back to the initial performances that you capture. Anyway, so I’ll play before and afters so people can hear the difference that a seasoned producer can make. And it doesn’t just make a difference in how the song is perceived, how well it’s perceived, which is significant. But then it also sets. When you have professional quality master. It says a lot of things about the artist it says and ready. It says this is this is my music to to record company, it says here’s the record, it’s already done. You don’t need to finance it. And guess what it’s going to sound like and take that risk. Here it is. Let’s do like a distribution deal. Or something like that. So having having that finished mastered master changes, the most positive way the perception of us professional, the difference. So I can say that it doesn’t mean anything to people. here that makes all the difference. And I have some before and afters on my website as well. We’ll check that out. Joe solo calm. So you get a sense of what I’m talking about.
Thanks for joining me any final words of wisdom?
Yeah, he make it big in a box and get thousands of final words of wisdom. Yes, Joesolo.com, but I’ll give you a real one to there’s a good one a lot of people struggle with, do I? Do I do the music that’s authentically in my heart and soul? Or do I do the music that I think maximize chances of success? Because maybe that’s the style of the moment? And the answer is you your authentic, you use it. That’s actually from my perspective, that increases your chances of success more than hopping the style moment. Because when you’re authentic, and when you’re real, when that translates, comes out of the speakers and touches the hearts of somebody and move somebody that’s what inspires people. That’s what inspires people and your job as an artist is to move them some way, whether it’s in a dance, or to let them know hey, there’s we all go through heartbreak and loss of various clients or, and everything in between. So do the music that’s in your soul. Not what you think is the one that’s quote unquote likely to make it because it’s the style of the moment. And by the way, by the time, make a record and do a marketing campaign. Especially if you get signed with a label. It’s going to be two years later, that style of a moment will have changed anyway. So just do your authentic music. This could be very liberating for anyone who’s struggling with this streaming. So that’s one final piece of advice. Thank you. My pleasure.
It was so great talking to Joe. He has he’s a wealth of information, definitely check out his website. And now during CMW i sent some artists to different panels and workshops to report back what they learned and how they’ll incorporate it into their career. For Joe solo, I have Canadian singer songwriter Tamara Maddalen, she attended Joe’s asked me anything panel. So I’ll let her tell us what her takeaways were. For links and show notes visit Diane Foy.com/021
Tamara Maddalen 53:39
So one of the things that he talked about, which I really resonated with me was that you need to have a music business mentality and be professional and prepared. Because when you’re ready, the business will come to you, you won’t have to be knocking on doors. So you really want to position yourself to be ready. And that this industry, the music industry is a small world, everyone talks to everyone else. And you need to learn how to network, you need to know your core business, so that you can identify the obstacles that you meet along the way and be prepared to confront them. So being proactive, seeing where opportunities come up, and then being ready to capitalize on them.
He also talked about a lot of things that you shouldn’t be doing. So things that you would be a detriment to your progress. And he gave a really great example of music supervisors, there’s only a small group of them and they all talk, they all hang out one another with one another, and they’re quite competitive with each other. They’re all trying to break the next best thing. So when an artist has a catalogue of songs, and they just mass email, a bunch of music supervisors, what they end up doing, and you know, in their mind and in their intention is they think, okay, I’ve covered all my basis, I’ve sent everything out to everyone I possibly know, surely someone will think one of my songs is great enough to feature in a film or commercial. But by not doing their due diligence and not understanding who they’re sending their music to and tailoring their approach, they’ve actually done more damage to their chances of being heard. Because I’m music supervisor will see this massive large file bogging down their inbox, and just delete it. And then they’ll share that experience, maybe when they’re golfing or hanging out with their buddies. And they’ll all say, yeah, we saw that email come through and we we to deleted it.
So here you are thinking as an artist that you’ve done yourself, you know, some some good, and you’ve actually damaged your your chances are blown your chances. So that that goes back to being ready and knowing who your audiences. And then Joe talked about taking your time and working on your craft. And he gave the analogy of when he produces, he’s averaging about 100 an hour hundred hours of production time, per song, you know, to evolve it to the point where it is studio on radio quality ready.
So I feel like myself over the last four years, I’ve really done that without even knowing I’ve always really put the music first and wanted to put first a quality product out and then figure out how to get it to market. But I couldn’t do it until I had a good product. Joe talked about being authentic as an artist. And I think that that goes with with just being an authentic person in general, but also in any business that you’re in. If you’re not authentic, that’s going to come through in short order. If you’re trying to sell yourself as being something you’re not, as soon as you’re pushed put on the spot, you’re there going to rise to that occasion and deliver or you’re going to be seen as someone who’s not prepared and wasn’t genuinely authentic and what they were trying to deliver. He talked about getting to know the music business. And that’s where I think that I needed to work on it strengthening my weakness and knowing business language in the in the music biz, such as what a copyright is, and what a copyright does for you as a songwriter, corporate licensing, I need to get to know a bit more about how to get in to film and into potentially commercials and using my my music and other avenues that I didn’t think about earlier. You know, just what a music supervisor does, I didn’t realize there was a whole segment of professionals that do just that.
He talked about when you are reaching out and you made those Connect connections and your networking, that you’re going to always want to be humble, polite, and not pushy. And he talked about experiences of his own, where when he’s doing a business deal or a networking with someone in the biz, they’re spending 95% of the time, you know, just talking about life and their own experiences and general conversations about one another that have nothing to do with music. And then they’re going to do about 5% of the time will be focused on business. But that’s unlike that’s not unlike most things and most businesses, where you you want to you want to spend time with your colleagues having fun, and then you do a bit of work. But it’s really the relationships that are being built that that you know, open the doors and push push things further. He talked about finance, financing a good product as well, which is really important. And it is expensive. It’s it’s been expensive for me to put this record out. Because I want to do the songs justice and I want I want them produced the way I hear them in my mind. So you know not cutting corners. And if that means getting a second job or allocating money from other things, other luxuries that you might have to forgo in order to make your dream a reality, then that’s what’s going to take and taking your time to do that.
So I didn’t rush into this record, because I knew that I wanted to hire good people and collaborate with really great musicians. So I waited until I could afford it. And that’s when I brought them in. And then he, you know, we talked about once you’ve got a great product, how do you get it out? Well, you know, male database is really important is to build a fan base slowly over time. And he even talked about doing it with a chunk of 1000 fans at a time. Which when you break it down to those smaller segments of numbers, it doesn’t feel so daunting and overwhelming as an artist, because I think how am I going to appeal to all these massive people? Well, I don’t, I need to just do what I do slowly, methodically, and then build my fan base, a small chunk of people at a time. And as I’m doing that, and I’m engaging, I’m going to get to know my fans better, I’m going to get to know what their needs, their wants, and their likes are. And I think that the music will just follow suit. They talked about also offering music related products and services. So I need to expand my creativity, and looking outside of the box as well. So now that the album is getting close to conclusion, and I know that I’m going to be printing CDs, and also some vinyl, what else can I offer. So I need to start getting creative about how to use my website, and how to use my streaming services, to find a niche product that represents me as the brand but also gives my fans what they want.
And I think that that’s going to take time to develop, so that it’s unique to me, and I am going to take my time to get it right, I’m not in a rush on that front, I really want to get that part, right, you talked about when you hit a wall and your creative process, you should look at potentially writing in different ways. So maybe take a song apart of how you had originally written it, and maybe utilize the verses as the chorus, or write a new song around a bridge, which is very, very cool. Because sometimes we do get into writer’s block, or we tend to use the same formula over and over and over again. So to stop the songwriting starts to become a little bit redundant. And I know that now that I’ve wrapped up this record, and it certainly has a signature Americana, Americana roots rock sound.
For the follow-up record, I think that I need to get a little bit more adventurous and creative. So I’m going to definitely take those tips that Joe provided in the workshop, when I sit down to you know, start crafting the next album, and maybe pulling segments of a verse apart or a bridge and rewriting it completely differently, to see what I come up with. He said something really interesting about when you have completed your work, and you want to see, you know, you take it to market and you sort of test it to see, is it any good? Because you think it’s good? Because you’ve been working so hard at producing it. But what is what are your fans think? Or what are your friends think that are like-minded in that type of music genre. And he said a trick to do is to sneak be sneaky and just play it at a party without anyone knowing that it’s you. And he said, if your song is good, no one will say anything. But if it’s not good, you to take it off with him or someone will start complaining about or stating what is this crap within about 30 seconds. So I’m going to try that. See what I come up with, which is unsolicited feedback, which is like gold, right. And I’m a little fearful of doing it. But at the same time, I think it’s important to do because then you’re going to get honest feedback on what people think. Joe talked about self-doubt.
And I think we all have that, in general, certainly artists do I know I’ve, I’ve suffered with it, it kept me from putting out new music for a very, very long time. And I’ve worked really hard at getting over that. When I do have a moment where I’m thinking negatively, even Joe addressed. He said I’ve had self-doubt myself, all successful artists do. And you know, we start out in this business, not knowing anything. And we are literally finding our own path, pathway to market, which will be different from every other artist. So we said when those moments of self-doubt calm, allow yourself to ponder on it for about 90 seconds. That’s about it. You need to grow from it. But then be prepared to answer back with something that’s positive, that reinforces the opposite. And that’s going to build your strength and your character.
Diane: Hey, that’s my coaching.
Tamara: It is your coaching. And in fact, I wanted to bring it back around to your coaching because we worked on that very exercise having an actual statement that was self-destructive, but having an immediate response to that. That was the opposite. And in doing so, I’m prepared now with actual narratives in my mind that I’ve pondered on. And when those moments of self-doubt come, I’m ready to walk myself off the ledge as it were, and reinforce that note, I’m on the right path. And I’m setting myself up for success. I thought that that was really great that he, you know, brought that up because he’s extremely successful. And yet here is a person that has we all climb the mountain as it were in the music industry and work with the greatest artists there are. Yet he still succumbs to that sometimes, yeah, we all do. It’s human nature. It is Yeah. But he said learn the ropes because that’s the most important thing that’s going to serve you learn the music ropes, not just musically artistically, but of the music industry as well. And then never quit, no matter how hard it gets, never quit. And that’s really where I’m at. Now I’ve started this. It’s four years in, and I don’t know what this album will do for me as an artist, and what level of success I will have commercially with this record. But I can tell you, that everything that I’ve accomplished, even to the point of even being invited to be on this podcast with you, Diane, those are all successes for me. And whatever this album was meant to do. It’s already done for me, and then some. So I’m completely blessed every day that I get to work with amazing collaborators, such talented people, and I’m just so excited about the future. And I really want to take advantage of every opportunity that comes.
Diane Foy 1:05:09
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Author, Historian & Independent Journalist
Meet Gwynne
Excerpts of Gwynne Dyer’s Books
WAR – Chapter One – Book Excerpt
WAR – Chapter Three – Book Excerpt
WAR – Chapter Eight – Book Excerpt
Lecture Topic: Is It 1939 Yet?
Half a Billion Tanzanians?
By Gwynne Dyer ⋅ September 13, 2018 ⋅ Post a comment
I was one of five children, so I am in an invidious position when I write about population growth. That was quite normal at the time where I grew up, but I and my brothers and sisters have had a total of only ten children, so we’re down to replacement level in this generation. This is not happening in Tanzania.
“Women can now throw away their contraceptives,” said Tanzania’s President John Magufuli last Sunday. Secondary education is now free in the East African country, he pointed out, so children are no longer such a major expense. Tanzania needs more people, and women who don’t have more babies are just lazy.
“They do not want to work hard to feed a large family, and that is why they opt for birth control and end up with one or two children only,” Magufuli continued. “I have travelled in Europe and elsewhere and have seen the harmful effects of birth control.”
This is not really a problem in Tanzania, where the average woman has more than five children. The population has grown at a steady 3% for decades, and since independence in 1961 it has increased sixfold, from 10 million to 60 million. There is no sign of the birth-rate dropping, and the country is on course for 100 million in less than 20 years.
Yet President Magufuli thinks women should throw away their contraceptives because the country needs more people. He is not alone in this conviction. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (which has about the same birth-rate as Tanzania) once told me that his country could easily feed 100 million people. He called the country’s population explosion “a great resource”.
Uganda’s population at independence in 1962 was just 7 million people. It’s now 45 million, and will reach that 100 million target in about 30 years – and there is no reason to believe that it will stop there. Uganda’s birth-rate has not dropped in decades either.
The end-of century predictions for these countries if birth rates gradually drop towards replacement level, as they did in Asia and Latin America in the past 50 years, is around 300 million each. But if the birth rates don’t drop in future decades (as they have not dropped in past decades), then these two countries alone will have a billion people in 2100. That’s a very bad idea.
Tanzania and Uganda together have about twice the area of France, which has only 65 million people. They would, with a billion people, be about eight times more densely populated than France – and unlike France, the great majority of their people would still be poor. The long-term economic growth rate in both countries is about 3% and their population growth rate is exactly the same, so most people stay poor.
And still John Magufuli wants to get the birth rate up. He presumably believes that a bigger population makes a country stronger, but if that were true Tanzania would already be as powerful as France. Five or ten times its current population will make it weaker, not stronger. It will also ruin the environment and leave a lot of people hungry
Magufuli has won popularity throughout East Africa with his flamboyant campaign against corruption. He is also a thin-skinned authoritarian who had banned street protests, closed down two radio stations for “sedition”, and brought charges against at least ten people for “insulting” him on social media platforms, but a recent opinion poll in Tanzania gave him 96% support.
Hardly anybody in Tanzania sees curbing population growth as a priority, and it’s certainly not a vote-winner. Indeed, this is true for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, and those who point out that it really is a problem that could ruin the continent’s future are frequently accused of neo-colonial or racist attitudes. But there are a few bright spots, and one of them is on the other side of Africa, in Ghana.
Ghana’s population was 5 million at independence in 1957; now it’s 30 million. But with great effort it has now got its ‘total fertility’ down to four children per woman, and if the birth rate continues to fall the prediction is for ‘only’ 73 million people at the end of the century. Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah thinks this is still too many.
Dr Appiah is the Executive Director of Ghana’s National Population Council, and a very brave woman. She has proposed that women should be restricted to having three children, and denied access to free government services if they exceed that number. It’s a long way short of China’s one-child-per-family policy (now abandoned), but at least it addresses the problem.
She has faced a storm of criticism for her proposal (almost all of it from men), but she has stood her ground. There is little prospect that Ghana will actually adopt such a policy in the immediate future, but Africa needs more women like her. Urgently.
To shorten to 700 words, omit paragraphs 8 and 10. (“Tanzania…poor”; and “Magufuli…support”)
Zika: Don’t Panic
By Gwynne Dyer ⋅ February 3, 2016 ⋅ Post a comment
Zika, the mosquito-borne virus spreading through the Americas that has been linked to thousands of babies born with underdeveloped brains (microcephaly), is just the latest new disease to spread panic around the world. And wait! News just in that it can be sexually transmitted too!
There is real cause for concern here. The virus is almost bound to spread to the rest of the world, except those parts with winters severe enough to kill off the two species of mosquito that bear it, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopicti. And these mosquitos are active during the day (unlike the Anopheles mosquitos that spread the malaria parasite), so insecticide-treated bed nets don’t offer much protection.
The World Health Organisation has declared a global public health emergency, and the media panic is building: first AIDS, now this. We are too many, we travel too much, and new pandemics are Nature’s retaliation for our many sins. Clearly the apocalypse is upon us.
Well, no, actually. New diseases have been devastating human populations for at least three thousand years, but no modern pandemic compares with the Antonine Plague of the 2nd century CE, the Justinian Plague of the 6th century, or the Black Death of the 14th century, each of which killed between a quarter and a half of the populations affected.
The worst pandemic of relatively modern times was the “Spanish Flu” outbreak of 1918-19, which killed between three and five percent of the world’s people. It was bad, but it hardly compares with the older plagues.
The slow-moving Aids epidemic has killed about 30 million people since the 1980s, or less than half of one percent of the world’s current population. Two million people died of AIDS in the peak year of 2005, but the number of deaths in 2015 was only 1.2 million. New infections are also falling.
And Zika? So far as we know, it doesn’t kill anybody – apart from some of the microcephalic babies, about a quarter of whom die because their brains are too small to control their bodily functions. The majority, who do survive, face intellectual disability and development delays
Four-fifths of the adults who are infected experience no symptoms whatever, and the fever in those who do usually burns out in less than a week. Nor does the Zika virus remain in the body permanently: women who have been infected are advised to wait six month before becoming pregnant (although many will probably choose to wait longer).
Zika has been around for quite a while. It was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947, and the first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954. It gradually spread east across Asia, and started crossing the Pacific early in this century. But by the time it reached Brazil last year, it had suddenly mutated into a form that causes microcephaly in some of the babies of infected mothers.
The link between Zika and microcephaly is only statistical for the moment, but it is pretty convincing. Brazil had only 150 cases of microcephaly in 2014, but it has had more than 4,000 cases in the past four months, and the Zika virus has been found in the brains of some of the afflicted babies.
This recent mutation in the Zika virus is not part of the endless seesaw battle between viruses and human immune systems. It is just a random event. It doesn’t even make Zika more infectious and thereby serve the “purposes”, so to speak, of the virus. It just has this deeply unfortunate side-effect of damaging the development of human embryos. And these days we have ways of dealing with it.
Infectious diseases were probably not a problem for our pre-civilised distant ancestors, but since we began living in dense populations highly infectious diseases have been civilisation’s constant companions. And for most of our history we had no way of controlling these diseases except quarantine.
In the past century, however, science has begun to get on top of the problem. Killer flu epidemics are still possible because the highly unstable influenza virus can mutate faster than we can create and mass-produce the appropriate vaccine, but smallpox has been eradicated and polio is on the brink of extinction: new polio cases have fallen 99 percent in the past 25 years, and Africa is now entirely polio-free.
Even the ancient scourge of malaria (not a viral disease) is in retreat. Deaths from malaria have halved in the past fifteen years, and the new “gene-drive” technology opens up the prospect of eventual eradication of the disease
Now that Zika has become a problem researchers have started working on a vaccine, and in due course one will almost certainly become available. Another approach may be to target the species that propagate it by releasing genetically modified sterile mosquitoes to reduce the size of the insect population. It will take time, and it may be necessary to use both approaches, but we are not facing a permanent global threat.
The glass is not half-empty. It is half-full, and still filling up.
To shorten to 725 words, omit paragraphs 9 and 10. (“The link…with it”)
Update: Drums Along the Nile
By Gwynne Dyer ⋅ June 3, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment
Drums Along the Nile
By Gwynne Dyer
Beware the open mike. On Tuesday Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi summoned senior politicians of all parties to discuss Ethiopia’s plan to dam the main tributary of the Nile river. One proposed sending special forces to destroy the dam. Another thought buzzing the dam site with jet fighters might scare the Ethiopians off.
Ayman Nour, a former presidential candidate and a more sophisticated player, suggested that Egypt support rebel groups fighting the Ethiopian regime. “This could yield results in the diplomatic arena,” he said. And none of them realised that their discussion was being broadcast live by Egyptian state television.
All students of geopolitics are familiar with the legend that Egypt has privately warned the governments upstream on the Nile that it will start bombing if they build dams on the river without its permission. The truth of that story is about to be tested.
Last month Ethiopia started diverting the waters of the Blue Nile in order to build the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a $4.7 billion, 6,000-megawatt hydroelectric project that is the centrepiece of the country’s plan to become Africa’s largest exporter of power. Egypt instantly objected, for it depends utterly on irrigation water from the Nile to grow its food.
Even now Egypt must import almost 40 percent of its food, and the population is still growing fast. If the amount of water coming down the Nile diminishes appreciably, Egyptians will go hungry.
A treaty signed in 1929 gave 90 percent of the Nile’s water to the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, even though all the water in the river starts as rain in the upstream countries: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. That caused no problems at the time, but now Egypt is using all of its share of the water – and the upstream countries are starting to use the water for irrigation too.
The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the first real test of Egypt’s tolerance for upstream dam-building. The reservoir will take 63 million cubic metres of water to fill; Egypt’s annual share of the Nile’s water is 55.5 million cubic metres. So even if Ethiopia takes five years to fill the reservoir, that will mean 20 percent cuts in the water Egypt receives from the Nile for five years. And even after that there will be a large annual loss to evaporation.
The dam that was getting the Egyptian politicians worked up is just the start. Ethiopia plans to spend a total of $12 billion on dams on the Blue Nile for electricity and irrigation, and Uganda is negotiating with China for financing for a 600-megawatt dam on the White Nile. More dams and irrigation projects will follow – and the upstream states are in no mood to let Egypt exercise its veto under the 1929 treaty.
That treaty was imposed when all the countries involved except Ethiopia were under British rule, and it reflected Britain’s big investment in Egypt. In 2010 the upstream countries signed a Cooperative Framework Agreement to seek more water from the River Nile, effectively rejecting the colonial-era treaty and demanding that Egypt relinquish its veto and accept a lower water quota.
That’s not going to happen. Mohammed Allam, Egypt’s minister of water resources under President Hosni Mubarak when the upstream states signed their agreement three years ago, warned that “Egypt reserves the right to take whatever course it sees suitable to safeguard its share.” The post-revolutionary Egyptian government cannot afford to be less firm in defending Egypt’s interests.
The issue will probably be kicked down the road for a couple of years, because the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will not be completed until 2015 at the earliest. But there is big trouble for Egypt (and Sudan) further down the road.
By 2025, a dozen years from now, Egypt will be trying to feed 96 million people, which would be very hard even with its existing giant’s share of the Nile’s water and all its current food imports. The countries that signed the Cooperative Framework Agreement will have 300 million people, so by then they will also be extracting very large amounts of water from the Nile Basin for irrigation.
Without that water, Egypt’s only options are beggaring itself with massive food imports (until the foreign exchange runs out), or famine. Unless, of course, it decides on war – but its options are not very good on that front either.
Not only are the upstream countries a very long way from Egypt (the Nile is the world’s longest river), but they will have strong support from China, which is financing most of the dams they are now building or planning.
Egypt, by contrast, has repudiated its former American ally, and may find that the US is reluctant to re-engage even if the government in Cairo can overcome its own distaste for Washington. Why would the United States want a confrontation with China over Egypt?
So there probably won’t be a war. And Egypt will probably face an apocalyptic food shortage in ten or fifteen years.
To shorten to 725 words, omit paragraphs 7 and 10. (“The Great…evaporation”; and “That’s not…interests”)
Ethiopia: Population, Famine and Fate
By Gwynne Dyer ⋅ September 1, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment
A quarter-century after a million Ethiopians died in the great hunger of 1984-85, the country is heading into another famine. The spring rains failed entirely, and the summer rains were three weeks late. But why is famine is stalking Ethiopia again?
The Ethiopian government is authoritarian, but it isn’t incompetent. It gives fertilizer to farmers and teaches best practices. By the late 90s the country was self-sufficient in food in good years, and the government had created a strategic food reserve for the bad years.
So why are we back here again? Infant deaths are already over two per 10,000 per day in Somali, the worst-hit region of Ethiopia. (Four per day counts as full-scale famine.) Country-wide, 20 percent of the population already depends on the dwindling flow of foreign food aid, and it will get worse for many months yet. What have the Ethiopians done wrong?
The real answer (which everybody carefully avoids) is that they have had too many babies. Ethiopia’s population at the time of the last famine was 40 million. Twenty-five years later, it is 80 million. You can do everything else right – give your farmers new tools and skills, fight erosion, create food reserves – and if you don’t control the population, you are just spitting into the wind.
It is so obvious that this should be the start of every conversation about the country. Even if the coming famine in Ethiopia kills a million people, the population will keep growing. So the next famine, ten or fifteen years from now, will hit a country of a hundred million people, trying to make a living from farming on land where only 40 million faced starvation in the 1980s. It is going to get much uglier in Ethiopia.
Yet it’s practically taboo to say that. The whole question of population, instead of being central to the debate about development, about food, about climate change, has been put on ice. The reason, I think, is that the rich countries are secretly embarrassed, and the poor countries are deeply resentful.
Suppose that Ethiopia had been the first country to industrialise. Suppose some mechanical genius in Tigray invented the world’s first steam engine in 1710. The first railways were spreading across the country by the 1830s, and at the same time Ethiopian entrepreneurs and imperialists spread all over Africa. By the end of the 19th century, they controlled half of Europe too.
Never mind the improbabilities. The point is that an Ethiopia with such a history would easily be rich enough to support 80 million people now – and if it could not grow enough food for them all, it would just import it. Just like Britain (where the industrial revolution actually started) imports food. Money makes everything easy.
In 1710, when Thomas Newcomen devised the first practical steam engine in Devonshire, the population of Britain was just 7 million. It is now 61 million, but they do not live in fear of famine. In fact, they eat very well, even though they currently import over a third of their food. They got in first, so although they never worried in the slightest about population growth, they got away with it.
Ethiopia has more than four times the land surface of Britain. The rain is less reliable, but a rich Ethiopia would have no trouble feeding its people. The problem is that it got the population growth without the wealth. Stopping the population growth now would be very hard, but otherwise famine will be a permanent resident in another twenty years.
The problem is well understood. The population of the rich countries has grown about tenfold since the earliest days of the industrial revolution, but for the first half of that period it grew quite slowly. Many babies died, and there were no cures for most epidemic diseases. Later the death rate dropped, but by then, with people feeling more secure in their lives, the birth rate was dropping too.
Whereas in most of the poor countries the population hardly grew at all until the start of the 20th century . But once the population did start to grow, thanks to basic public health measures that cut the death rate, it grew faster than it ever did in the rich countries.
Unfortunately, economies don’t grow that fast, so these countries never achieved the level of comfort and security where most people will start to reduce their family size spontaneously. At the current rate of growth, Ethiopia’s population will double again, to 160 million people, in just 32 years.
You’re thinking: that will never happen. Famine will become normal in Ethiopia well before that. No combination of wise domestic policies, and no amount of foreign aid, can stop it. And you are right.
What applies to Ethiopia applies to many other African countries, including some that do not currently have famines. Uganda, for example, had five million people at independence in 1960. It now has 32 million, and at the current growth rate it will have 130 million by 2050. Uganda is only the size of Oregon (New Zealand, Ecuador, Romania, Laos).
History is unfair. Conversations between those who got lucky and those left holding the other end of the stick are awkward. But we cannot go on ignoring the elephant in the room. We have to start talking about population again.
To shorten to 725 words, omit paragraphs 10 and 15. (“Ethiopia…years”; 20and “What…Laos”)
Sudan: No Surprise
The People’s Republic of Amnesia
The Mad Dog of the Middle East
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Trust Law for the Everyday Man
Cameron (South African Law of Trust (2002) 117) et alia submits that for a valid trust to be created the founder must intend to create a trust, the founder’s intention must be expressed in a way as to create an obligation, the property subject to the trust must be defined with certainty, the trust object must be lawful. Therefore for a trust to exist, there must be intention to donate property to be controlled by a group of persons, in their individual capacities, for the benefit of someone else, the intention must be to achieve a lawful objective. Each trust therefore ought to have three parties; the founder, the trustees and the beneficiary. Our law does not bar either of the role players in a trust from wearing more than one hat.
The founder is the natural or legal person who establishes the trust, the trustees are persons who jointly hold, control and administer the trust property in trust for the benefit of another, while the beneficiary is the party who benefits from the creation and administration of a trust (Du Toit South African Trust Law; Principles and Practice (2007) 5-6). A trust may come into existence by way of a written agreement (trust deed), a will, a court order or by way of legislation.
The Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988 is legislation which governs our trust law in conjunction with common law and case law. The act does not over regulate this area of the law and leaves enough room for the law to develop through the courts. This is important when dealing with an area of the law which is growing and developments are continuous. In simple terms: the act is the skeleton, partly reflecting the position of the common law, while the courts, through their decisions and interpretation of trust law continuously put flesh onto the skeleton, and common law is the foundation on which all develops.
The definition of a trustee in section 1 of the Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988 does not define what a trustee is, save to indicate that a trustee is someone who acts as such by virtue of an authorisation under section 6 and includes any person already appointed as a trustee at the commencement of the act. A trustee may be appointed by the founder through the trust instrument (section 6) and/or by the Master in terms of section 7 of the Trust Property Control Act. An appointed and authorised trustee assumes the office of a trusteeship, and accordingly holds an official position and acts in an official capacity (Du Toit 80).
Cameron et alia stated that for the full accession to the office of the trustee the person ought to have been appointed in a lawful manner, be properly qualified, accept the office of trustee and must have received authorization from the Master. When read in line with the Trust Property Control Act, the person does not become a trustee even if he may meet the other essentials of trusteeship if he has not received a letter of authority from the Master.
In Simplex (Pty) Ltd v Van Der Merwe 1996 (1) SA 111 (W) the court indicated that it was evident from the legislation that an act by a person without the required authority had no force, though not explicitly stated in the act. The judge proceeded to indicate that these actions by a person appointed as a trustee who acted without a letter of authority cannot be ratified. This view was however challenged in Kropman NNO v Nysschen 1999 (2) SA 567 (T) wherein the court disregarded the provisions of section 6 (1) of the Act and allowed for the ratification of an act which was otherwise invalid. However in Van de Merwe v Van De Merwe 2000 (2) SA 519 (C) went against the decision in Kropman and followed Simplex on the interpretation of section 6 (1) of the Act and the contract in question in the matter was found to be void and could not be ratified. Therefore according to these decisions the position followed is that if the appointed trustee has not been authorised he cannot bind the trust and further cannot act as a trustee of that trust.
by Gastavus Chabalala
gastavus@dyason.co.za
Posted on July 2, 2015 July 2, 2015 Author dyason
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A Guide to the Custis-Lee-Mason Family Papers, 1756-1863 Custis-Lee-Mason Family Papers, 1756-1863 20975
A Guide to the Custis-Lee-Mason Family Papers, 1756-1863
Custis-Lee-Mason Family Papers, 1756-1863
.1 cubic feet
Custis-Lee-Mason Family. Papers, 1756-1863. Accession 20975, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Gift of Douglas Southall Freeman, Richmond, Virginia, 16 May 1935.
Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis was born 22 April 1788 to William Fitzhugh (1741-1809) and Ann Randolph Fitzhugh (1747-1805). She married George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857) in 1806, and they were the parents of Mary Randolph Custis (1808-1873) who married Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). Mary Fitzhugh Custis died 23 April 1853 at Arlington in Alexandria County, Virginia, and was buried there. George Washington Parke Custis was the son of John Parke Custis (1755-1781), and the grandson of Daniel Parke Custis (1711-1757) and Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802).
Mary Randolph Custis Lee was born 1 October 1808 at Annedale, Clarke County, Virginia to George Washington Parke Custis (1781-1857), the grandson of Martha Washington, and Mary Lee Fitzhugh (1788-1853). She married Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) at Arlington House 30 June 1831, where they lived off and on for many years before the Civil War began. Mary Custis Lee died 5 November 1873 in Lexington, Virginia. She was buried in the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, Lexington. The Lees had seven children including George Washington Custis Lee (1832-1913).
James Murray Mason was born 3 November 1798 in Georgetown, District of Columbia, to John Mason and Anna Maria Murray. Educated at schools in Georgetown, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1818. Mason studied law at the College of William and Mary, then moved to Winchester, Virginia, in 1820 to practice law. Mason served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1826 to 1831, except for 1827-1828. Elected to Congress, he served from 1837 to 1839. The Virginia state senate sent Mason to the United States Senate in 1847, and he became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations and Finance Committees. When the Civil War began, Mason left the Senate and offered his services to the Confederate States of America. He was appointed the Confederate diplomatic commissioner to Great Britain. Taken from the British ship Trent, Mason spent a brief time in U.S. custody before being released. He went to Great Britain to carry out his duties. After the Civil War, Mason moved to Canada where he stayed before returning to Virginia in 1868. Mason died near Alexandria, Virginia, 28 April 1871, and was buried at Christ Episcopal Church. He married Elizabeth Margaretta Chew (1798-1874) 25 July 1822, and they had eight children.
Papers, 1756-1863, of the Custis, Lee, and Mason families of Virginia, consisting of correspondence to and from members of these families. Collection is divided into three series: Series I: Custis Family Papers, 1756-1844. Series II: Lee Family Correspondence, 1832-1863. Series III: Mason Family Papers, 1822-1846.
Custis family correspondence, 1756-1844, contain mainly correspondence to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis (1788-1853) of Alexandria County, District of Columbia and Virginia. Letters deal mainly with social, family, and personal news of her correspondents, who include her daughter Mary Custis Lee (1808-1873), Robert Randolph, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, T. James, Anna Maria Fitzhugh, S. E. Goldsboro, M. Meade, Lucy Jane Randolph, Rosalie [Fizhugh?], and William W. Meade. Many of the letters from Mary Custis Lee portray life as the wife of a military officer in the United States army during the 19th century. Of particular interest are: a) a letter, 27 May 1756, from Daniel Parke Custis of New Kent County, Virginia, to Robert Cary and Company, merchants of London, England, concerning his tobacco crop; b) a letter, n.d., from Mary Fitzhugh Lee Custis at Old Point Comfort, Virginia, to her husband George Washington Parke Custis, at Arlington, in Alexandria County, District of Columbia, concerning the status of one of their slaves; and c) a letter, n.d., from William W. Meade to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis concerning a contribution to the American Colonization Society.
Lee family correspondence, 1832-1863, containly mainly correspondence to Mary Randolph Custis Lee (1808-1873) of Alexandria County, District of Columbia and Virginia, containing social, family, and personal news of her correspondents, who include: A. T. Hale, Mary B. Carter, Henrietta Dimmock, Julia C. Stuart, M. F. Powell, Robert E. Lee, Lloyd N. Rogers, Anna Maria Fitzhugh, S. E. Goldsboro, E. C. Huger, Mary C. Goldsboro, and George Washington Parke Custis. There are three letters, one from Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis and two from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, to George Washington Custis Lee while he was a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Letter, 12 July 1837, from Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) to his wife Mary Randolph Custis Lee describes an exhibit on George Washington at a Baltimore museum, for which her father George Washington Parke Custis had lent items. Also included letter, 1 March 1863, from T. G. B. to Mary describing a family's life during the Civil War.
Mason family correspondence, 1822-1846, containing mainly correspondence to James Murray Mason (1798-1871) concerning the estate of his father-in-law, Benjamin Chew (d. 1844), including the dispute surrounding ownership of the Chew home, "Cliveden," Germantown, Pennsylvania, and other legal matters involving the estate of Chew, for whom Mason was an administrator. Also includes letters concerning Elizabeth Chew (1798-1874), Mason's future wife; one, 6 March [1819], possibly from Elizabeth's sister Anne Chew regarding Elizabeth's health and her relationship with Mason; and one, 9 July 1822, from Elizabeth's father Benjamin Chew to Mason regarding Mason's upcoming marriage to Elizabeth. Also includes the answer, n.d., of Benjamin Grayson, John W. Grayson, and George M. Grayson to a bill in chancery in the Superior Court of Chancery, Winchester District, and addressed to the honorable Henry St. George Tucker (1780-1848).
Collection is organized into three series. Series I: Custis Family Correspondence, 1756-1844. Series II: Lee Family Correspondence, 1832-1863. Series III: Mason Family Papers, 1822-1846
Arranged chronologically in each series.
Custis Family Correspondence, 1756-1844, n.d.
Letter, 27 May 1756, from Daniel Parke Custis, New Kent County, Virginia, to Robert Cary and Company, London, England, regarding business and his tobacco crop.
1 leaf.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis at Old Point Comfort, Virginia, to George Washington Parke Custis at Arlington, Alexandria County, District of Columbia, concerning a slave named Philip and other personal matters.
Letter, 5 March 1814, from Robert Randolph, Fauquier County, Virginia, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, concerning his personal life and religion.
Letter, 10 October 1823, from Eleanor Parke (Nelly) Custis Lewis, Fairfax County, Virginia, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, discussing her husband's health and other family news.
Letter, 4 November 1823, from Eleanor Parke (Nelly) Custis Lewis, Fairfax County, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, containing family and personal news.
Letter, 12 April 1832, from M. Meade, White Post, Virginia, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, sending news of family and friends.
Letter, 1 September 1833, from Mary Randolph Custis Lee to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis discussing family news, including the health of Mary Custis and George W. P. Custis, and Mary Lee's family.
Letter, 16 May 1844, from T. James [?], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, relating society news from Philadelphia, family and personal news, as well as discussing an attack on part of the Episcopal Church.
Letter, 17 February, n.y., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh [Battaile?], Cambridge, Maryland, to Mary Fitzhugh Custis and Mary Randolph Custis [Lee], Alexandria County, describing Cambridge and discussing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 1 June n.y., from T. E. Goldsboro, Easton, Maryland, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, describing the visit of Mary Custis' daughter Mary Randolph Custis [Lee] to the Goldsboros' home.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee to Mary Lee Fizthugh Custis, Alexandria County, discussing family and personal news and the Lee family travels west, including to Cincinnati, Ohio.
4 pages, fragmented.
Letter, 18th June n.y., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Fort Hamilton, New York, New York, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, describing life at Fort Hamilton and in New York City, including society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 12 August n.y., from L. J. Randolph to Mary Custis in Baltimore, Maryland, containing personal and family news.
Letter, 14 August n.y., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Washington, D.C., to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, containing family and personal news
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, St. Louis, Missouri, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, sending news of the Lee family during its time in St. Louis while Robert E. Lee was stationed there.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Fort Monroe, Elizabeth City County, Virginia, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, discussing life at Fort Monroe and describing the society life around the Lee family, including information on some of the other military officers there.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Fort Hamilton, New York, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, sending society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 28 September n.y., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis providing family and personal news.
Letter, 24 November n.y., from Rosalie [Fitzhugh?], Easthampton, Massachusetts, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, describing Easthampton and containing family and personal news.
Letter, n.d., Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Fort Hamilton, New York City, to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, providing news of the Lee family and discussing an upcoming trip.
Letter, n.d., from William Meade to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, concerning a bequest that a relative left for them to leave to a worthy cause. Meade suggests the American Colonization Society.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee to Mary Lee Fitzhugh Randolph, Alexandria County, containing Lee family and personal news.
Lee Family Correspondence, 1832-1863.
Letter, 15 October n.y., from Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, to Cadet George Washington Custis Lee, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, concerning some trouble he is in at West Point.
Letter, 7 December, n.y., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee, in Baltimore, Maryland, to George Washington Custis Lee, West Point, New York, regarding trouble he is in at West Point.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Randolph Custis Lee to George Washington Custis Lee, West Point, asking him to remember her to family friends. Possibly a not complete letter.
Letter, 27 August 1832, from A. T. Hale, Glastonbury, Connecticut, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, at Old Point Comfort, containing family and personal news.
Letter, 6 January 1833, from unidentified person to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, sending society and family news.
Letter, 22 February 1833, from Mary B. Carter, Shirley, Charles City County, Virginia, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, discussing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 22 January 1835, from A. T. Hale, Glastonbury, Connecticut, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, containing family and personal news.
Letter, 18 April 1835, from Henrietta Dimmock, Old Point Comfort, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Washington, D.C., sending news of events and people in Old Point Comfort, and family and personal news.
Letter, 15 May 1835, from Julia C. Stuart to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, discussing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 28 June 1835, from Henrietta Dimmock, Fort Monroe, Elizabeth City County, Virginia, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Washington, D.C., containing society, family, and personal news and events in Old Point Comfort.
Letter, 3 December 1835, from M. F. Powell, Loudoun County, Virginia, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, discussing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 14 May 1836, from Henrietta Dimmock, Old Point Comfort, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Washington, D.C., providing society, family, and personal news from Old Point Comfort.
Letter, 18 December 1836, from Henrietta Dimmock, Washington D.C., to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, sending society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 12 July 1837, from Robert E. Lee, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, discussing an exhibit on George Washington, including some items donated by George Washington Parke Custis, in a Baltimore museum.
Letter, 30 July 1837, from Lloyd N. Rogers, Baltimore, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, concerning the death of his daughter.
Letter, 18 September 1838, from Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, St. Louis, Missouri, asking why she has not heard from her daughter, and sending family news.
Letter, 4 January n.y., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh, in Cambridge, Maryland, to Mary Randolph Custis [Lee], Alexandria County, thanking her for her letter and sending society and family news from Cambridge.
Letter, 15 March n.y., from S. E. Goldsboro, Easton, Maryland, to Mary Randolph Custis [Lee], providing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 1 July n.y., from E. C. Huger, at White Sulphur Springs, (West) Virginia, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, sending her news of events at the springs and personal news.
Letter, 3 July n.y., S. E. Goldsboro, Easton, to Mary Randolph Custis [Lee], Alexandria County, regarding society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 4 September n.y., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh, Fairfax County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, at Old Point Comfort, discussing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 7 November n.y., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh, Fairfax County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Old Point Comfort, regarding society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 10 November n.y., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh, at Arlington, Alexandria County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Old Point Comfort, concerning society, family, and personal news.
Letter, 28 November n.y., Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, St. Louis, Missouri, containing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, n.d., from Mary C. Goldsboro, Easton, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, sending society, family, and personal news.
Letter, n.d., from either S. E. or Mary C. Goldsboro, Easton, to Mary Randolph Custis [Lee], providing society, family, and personal news.
Letter, n.d., from Anna Maria Fitzhugh, Fairfax County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Old Point Comfort, sending society, family, and personal news.
Letter, n.d., from an unidentified correspondent to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, St. Louis, Missouri, sending family and personal news.
Letter, n.d., from Eugenia [?] to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Alexandria County, asking Mary Lee to visit.
Letter, n.d., from Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, Alexandria County, to Mary Randolph Custis Lee, Old Point Comfort, discussing family and personal news. Contains a postscript by George Washington Parke Custis.
Letter, 1 March 1863, from T. G. B. to Mary [?] describing how his/her family is coping with the events of the Civil War.
Mason Family Correspondence, 1822-1846.
Letter, 6 March [1819], from an unknown correspondent (possibly Anne Chew) to James Murray Mason, Williamsburg, Virginia, discussing Elizabeth Margaretta Chew's (Mason's future wife) recent illness and her relationship with Mason.
Letter, 9 July 1822, from Benjamin Chew, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James Murray Mason, Winchester, Virginia, concerning the upcoming marriage of Mason to Chew's daughter Elizabeth.
Letter, 24 July 1841, from Benjamin Chew, Cliveden, Germantown, Pennsylvania, to James Murray Mason, Winchester, discussing family news and a possible visit.
Letter, 1 May 1845, from Daniel Agnew, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to James Murray Mason, Winchester, concerning the estate of Benjamin Chew, including lands in Beaver County.
Letter, 18 August 1845, from William W. Chew, Philadelphia, to James Murray Mason concerning a dispute within the Chew family and a mayor's order for Benjamin Chew to keep the peace toward his sister.
Letter, 19 October 1845, from William W. Chew, Germantown, to Elizabeth Margaretta Chew, Winchester, containing family and personal news.
Letter, 25 October 1846, from William C. Chew, Germantown, to James Murray Mason concerning the affairs of the estate of his father, Benjamin Chew.
Letter, 31 October 1846, from William C. Chew, Philadelphia, to James Murray Mason, Winchester, concerning the affairs of his father's estate.
Letter, n.d., from Elizabeth Margaretta Chew Mason to James Murray Mason, Winchester, containing family and personal news.
Answer, n.d., of Benjamin Grayson, John W. Grayson, and George M. Grayson to Henry St. George Tucker of the Superior Court of Chancery, Winchester District to answer complaint of William Richards and others.
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Bloggity
Science stories
Book (and Events!)
Inked out
I see dead people
December 30, 2011 in "india"
It is a strange fact that the best people to visit in Delhi are dead. Since Hindu death rituals involve cremation, rather than burial, only the tombs of India's Islamic rulers survive as monuments to its history. Oddly, there are very few examples of palaces for these ancient rulers with even the Taj Mahal --India's most famous landmark-- being a mausoleum built for the third wife of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. One is forced to conclude that each ruler dedicated his time to building the most magnificent resting place possible, while camped at the construction site in a degradable mud hut.
The fee to entre the main tourist sites around India is two tiered, with the fee for foreigners typically over a factor of ten higher than that for Indians. Still, even with this discrepancy, the cost was not unreasonable being typically 250 rupees or about $5. (The Taj Mahal was the high exception at 750 rupees for foreigners but then... it was the Taj Mahal). I didn't feel this difference was unfair, since maintenance of these buildings must be fairly phenomenal yet a single price would mean most locals couldn't enjoy their own city. My friend pointed out the only possible problem would be for visitors from countries such as Sri Lanka, whose economy was weaker than India's own. Possibly, the solution would be for them to claim to be local. With 1,652 mother tongues recorded in the Indian 1961 census, it would be hard to prove otherwise.
We started our exploration of India's great dead at the Qutub Minar: a tower 72.5 meters high made of red sandstone with decorative elements reflecting both Islamic and Hindu styles. Its construction was begun by the first Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and completed by his slave-turned-son-in-law and third Sultan, Iltutmish (and you thought America was the land of opportunity). The latter's tomb is in the same complex along with a few other Sultan's.
From there, we moved onto Lodi Gardens where multiple tombs from the 15th century lie in extensive gardens where families were picnicking and other... uh, soon-to-be-families... were doing slightly more than picnicking. Like in Chile, children in India typically live with their families until marriage, making the possibility of 'getting a room' rather slim. Also like Chile, there are stray, but friendly, dogs everywhere. Woof.
Next we visited Emperor Humayun's tomb, commissioned in 1562 by the Emperor's wife. Not only does this vast building contain the impressive resting place of the above mentioned deceased, but its plinth houses a further fifty-six cells in which rest over 100 other gravestones. Slightly strangely, these hangers-on are not all neatly stashed away inside the rooms but a select few seem randomly dropped outside the door as if left there by mistake. I suggested this was laziness on behalf of the people charged to do the burying while my friend opted for a building error like in 'Sim City' where you mistakenly place objects with an accidental click of a mouse button.
Some tombs, like the one above, were built by the grieving loved ones of the deceased as either a loving memorial or out of desire to maintain their own status. More tombs, however, were built by their owner during his lifetime. This seems a somewhat morbid occupation for a king, and doubly odd since no sign of where he might have lived in life survives.
The one exception to this is the Red Fort in Delhi. Outside, it appears to be a stronghold in red sandstone but, rather like a cream filled chocolate, once through its forbidding walls you reach an area of extravagant pleasure in white marble. Built in the 17th century, it was the residence of the royal family, with open walled buildings through which waterways ran. Clearly, one was suppose to laze by the pool side and.... think about the tomb you wanted to construct.
[Top image, clockwise from top left: the Qutub Minar, Lodi gardens, the Red Fort in Delhi and Humayun's tomb]
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Sensations of Tone...
I’ve just returned from Zürich, Switzerland having performed at the Unerhöert Festival with bassist Christian Weber and drummer Michael Griener. We have a new recording scheduled for a January 2017 release on the Intakt label titled “Sensations of Tone”. This title is taken from a nineteenth century text by Hermann von Helmholtz on acoustics and perception of sound. The program consists of a series of improvised pieces in alternation with a number of early jazz compositions. What’s of most interest to me is they way in which basic raw materials, “tones”, can elicit very different “sensations” with the juxtaposition of both approaches heightening perception of the similarities and the differences.
“Sensations of Tone” is currently available as a pre-release CD from my website. Cost is $15. I’m continuing the website sale (3 for $30) so please have a look at the list of available titles and consider filling out your collection with items you may not already have. This sale is especially beneficial for international orders. The shipping cost outside of the US is the same for 1 CD as it is for 3 CDs. Take advantage of this opportunity!
Order your copy of “Sensations of Tone”…
“Sensations of Tone” was recorded in New York City earlier this year and the improvisations are titled based upon some of the locations involved in the development of the music.
1. Orchard and Broom (Eskelin, Weber Griener)
2. Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton)
3. Cornelia Street (Eskelin, Weber Griener)
4. China Boy (Boutelje/Winfree)
5. Ditmas Avenue (Eskelin, Weber Griener)
6. Moten Swing (Bennie Moten)
7. Dumbo (Eskelin, Weber Griener)
8. Ain't Misbehavin’ (Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
Listen to excerpts from "Sensations of Tone".
Posted by Ellery Eskelin at 9:38 PM No comments:
The Political Sphere
This past October I did a very nice tour of the UK with Chris Sharkey and Matthew Bourne which was organized by the Orpheus Project. There is to be a BBC radio broadcast of one of our concerts in December. I’ll keep you posted.
It was great to spend a couple of weeks getting to know folks and get a little deeper into the scene, comparing cultural notes. Of course, the recent Brexit vote was a topic of conversation. What was not widely expected to happen, happened. Or perhaps we should say, it was much closer than many of us would like to have thought possible. This was before our U.S. presidential election and so I certainly didn't want a similar "not widely expected" result to occur here. Which leads me to the following…
I think that most people who are deeply into music would agree that this “playing / listening” thing often feels like a freeing of the spirit, if you will. Seeing and feeling a bigger picture, bigger than our sense of self, bigger than time and events. At this fundamental level, there are no divisions. And yet music exists on a very functional level as well, in this very world of divisions, distinctions and conflicts. In times of crisis we tend to revisit the discussion of art and it’s role in society. Whether you, the reader, feel this past election represents a crisis may well depend upon how you voted. But given the fundamental issues at play and the very real risks involved I hope that we can agree on the need to see this bigger picture. No divisions means that we are not as separate from each other as we may sometimes feel. It’s realizing that this very feeling of separateness creates so many of our problems. At the same time, we do need to see and respect the very real dynamics of difference (based upon politics, culture, race, religion, gender, sexuality) that we experience in this life in order to fully experience that bigger picture of no divisions.
So how (and why) do we make music in this problematic and often violent world? Do we keep our heads down and hope that the healing power of music does it’s job? Or do we become activists, connecting our art to the causes we believe in and taking concrete steps to address real issues? Both approaches contain truths, both carry risks. Too “hands off” and we risk being aloof and ineffectual, in essence denying the suffering going on all around us. Too “hands on” and we risk generating self righteousness and anger, an intoxicating combination especially when we think we are “right”. We can be “right” and still fuck up. It’s important to acknowledge these feelings but in action I want to be careful. Careful not to disengage out of anxiety and helplessness. And careful not to create further division and harm out of self-righteousness and aggression. Personally I find that acting from these feelings can become a form of self-violence if I don’t recognize that what I do to myself I do to others and what I do to others I do to myself. So rather than pose any answers I think it best to keep asking the questions (over and over) all the while trying to see more clearly and act more compassionately. I sense that it’s never going to be “enough” but I don’t want that to stop me either.
So I hold no judgements about what you or anyone else may feel the need to do with respect to art and politics. These are challenging circumstances. Do what you need to do. I simply share this as a way to articulate and clarify my own intent. During the lead up towards the Iraq War I actively engaged in protests and wrote strongly worded opinion pieces about what I saw happening. It felt very necessary. As a result I was invited to play at a political gathering and found myself asking some very difficult questions about the role of music in this arena. There seemed a dilemma in associating my music with a particular political stance. I don’t like the idea that this music that has served to reveal greater truths throughout my life could be used to limit or distance myself from other people who may hold differing political views. So I drew a line and decided not to accept that invitation. I don’t hold this as a “rule” and maybe I’ll change that stance, I don’t know. I certainly do support and love many musicians who make political music or otherwise contribute their art towards political expression. But there is no argument that I can make with respect to politics and music, one way or the other. I’m not trying to defend a position or to negate one. It’s just that if I am to honor the music in the ways I often espouse in this blog I must especially honor the humanity of all people in doing so. Especially when it’s difficult. And I do realize that this does not negate being political with music. So when speaking out I want to constantly strive to be aware of the need to speak from the same place of humanity and compassion that the music comes from. Not to divide, but to hopefully bring together all people, including those with whom I may disagree or feel challenged by. I used to bristle at the idea that music and art are inherently political. But we do pursue this spiritual quest (above politics) within the very circumstances of our daily lives as we create them. Both of those realities are true. And they are not necessarily in conflict unless we make them to be so.
One thing I am already doing after this election is spending less time on-line. And more time face to face with you all…see you out there…
Two Items of Interest...
A couple of projects I'm involved with...Bassist Stephan Crump’s new recording "Rhombal" also featuring trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and drummer Tyshawn Sorey is now available from Stephan’s website. I have a special fondness for this group and will be announcing some upcoming dates soon.
And catching up on an earlier tour (May 2016) with The Red Hill Orchestra (Jozef Dumoulin leading, and featuring drummer Dan Weiss), there’s a nice video taken from one of our concerts in France.
Roberta “Bobbie” Lee (1940 - 2016)
I wrote about my mother some time back on the blog. About her musical upbringing and how it affected my own trajectory. I want to publicly announce that “Bobbie Lee” passed away on September 16th, 2016. She was 76 years of age. Too young to go in my opinion. But I feel her everywhere.
Summer 2016...
Gonna keep this post short and simply wish everyone a rewarding summer on whatever level you want to approach that. I will be taking a bit of a break from traveling until this fall, when I will be touring the UK for the first time in some years. I’m looking forward to that and will share more details as we get closer.
So that means I will be in NYC all of July and August, available for private lessons to saxophonists in particular although musicians on any instrument are welcome for improvisation lessons. Please contact me via e-mail for more information.
In other news, I recently tried the new Selmer saxophone reeds and was very impressed. I personally find many so called “jazz” style reeds to color the sound somewhat artificially towards something louder and brighter. So I appreciate that these reeds, which are not made towards any particular style of playing, seem to allow the natural sound of the instrument to emerge, balanced and well proportioned, naturally vibrant but with a dark, focused core that has a bit more density than many other brands I’ve tried. I was impressed enough to accept the Selmer company’s offer to become an official endorser of these reeds. Thank you Selmer!
Also, I’d like to remind you not to let the summer pass without picking up a copy of “Trio Willisau Live”. If you don’t know what that is please read all about it here.
I kind of feel that posting on the blog should require something a bit more substantial than any of this. But after that lengthy interview I did for Point of Departure last month I have the feeling there’s going to be little to say for awhile. Kind of emptied my head on that one. So I’ll simply offer something short and obvious, not original to me, but something that I remind myself of from time to time, as an improvisor. And that is…just start from where you are.
Enjoy your summer…
Point of Departure Interview…
The online music journal “Point of Departure” has just published a rather extensive interview that I’m happy to share with you. I appreciate POD for offering a space in which to get a bit deeper into this whole music/life thing. Areas of focus: comfort zones, jazz as “the truth”, established practices, repertoire, studio versus live, state of the industry, technology, creativity and simply being human. Read the interview HERE.
And a reminder that:
The CD sale commemorating the release of the new recording TRIO WILLISAU LIVE continues with the addition of a few back catalogue titles that have previously been unavailable. Have a look at the discography page for specific information on these titles. You can order them here.
ARCANUM MODERNE Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins, Jim Black
VANISHING POINT Ellery Eskelin, Mat Maneri, Erik Friedlander, Mark Dresser, Matt Moran
TEN Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins, Jim Black, Jessica Constable, Marc Ribot, Melvin Gibbs
TRIO NEW YORK Ellery Eskelin, Gary Versace, Gerald Cleaver
is nearly sold out…there are less than 10 copies available!
A one time only special offer…I do have a very limited number of “out of print” titles that are not listed on the ordering page. Occasionally I put together packages of 30+ titles for folks who want the entire catalogue. I’m down to my last such “package offer”. It’s a very discounted deal for anyone interested but is sold only as a collection. Have a look at the ordering page for more information…
Posted by Ellery Eskelin at 10:36 PM No comments:
Paul Smoker
The first time I met and played with Paul Smoker must have been in 1987, just prior to Joint Venture’s first recording project. Joint Venture was formed out of a series of regular sessions at drummer Phil Haynes’ Corner Store loft in Brooklyn. We had a trio with bassist Drew Gress and Phil suggested we invite Paul to come in from Iowa (where he had been living and teaching) to make a recording with us. Paul was Phil’s teacher at Coe College and Phil became part of Paul’s speed / power trio with bassist Ron Rohovit. They had made an LP or two, one of them featuring Anthony Braxton as guest artist. Phil told me all about Paul, we listened to the recordings and somehow it seemed right to do this even as it was something of a risk, agreeing to make a studio recording with someone I’d never played with. Paul was also a good twenty years older than us so it wasn’t quite like inviting one of your peers to go along with a speculative deal. I wasn’t even completely sure about the “do it yourself” thing myself but Phil was thinking big and talking persuasively. We agree, Phil makes the call. Paul agrees and books his flight, joining us a couple of weeks later to rehearse and get acquainted.
The night arrives and in comes Paul, tall guy, cowboy hat, cigarette. And of course his trumpet. His image would seem to match his reputation for candor and directness. You could be forgiven for feeling a bit intimidated although he was also very relaxed and genuine, no games. This is our first meeting. A little small talk and now we’re gonna play. I suggested we try “Just in Time”. Paul kind of scoffed, in a good natured way, but still, tinged with a bit of incredulity and probably deeper down, a sense of WTF!?! I think he may have wanted to give me a hard time but was giving me the benefit of the doubt instead. So after a bit of hemming and hawing, subtle posturing and a couple of well placed sighs he reached back into the memory banks as we counted off the tune. What came out of his horn could not have been more at odds with the attitude expressed just moments before. Total commitment, unabashed, emotionally engaged and dealing with the tune on multiple levels at once.
After this ended we kind of took a few minutes to let it all sink in. A pretty intense performance for a first time meeting. Almost a bit of a shock. Nothing much to say afterwards. Paul gradually catches his breath and comes back to that attitude he was working on before, saying, in a somewhat confrontational tone, “Man, you know how long it’s been since I played Just in Time”? Pause. “Yea, about five minutes ago”, I shot back. At that point Paul’s face lit up with a beautiful smile and we all laughed at the fact that in spite of all the protestations to the contrary, we still could not have imagined Paul Smoker (or anyone else for that matter) making “Just in Time” any more “real” than we had just witnessed. At that moment I think we all realized that this “Joint Venture” might work pretty well. The music and the connection was palpable and just cut through everything.
We kept the band going for three recordings on the enja records label, which helped us all get a start in the recording and touring business branching out as individual leaders over the years. Joint Venture had a unique chemistry, four musicians each with individual and strongly felt approaches to the music, exploring common ground while allowing ourselves to be pulled in other directions at the same time. As a result of this healthy tension I think we were able to touch on that “whole is larger than the sum of the parts” kind of thing. It’s really beautiful when something like that can happen.
So thanks Paul for sharing such a wonderful spirit in your life and music. Many people loved you deeply and you live on through them and through their music.
Paul Smoker passed on May 14, 2016 at the age of 75.
Posted by Ellery Eskelin at 9:28 PM 1 comment:
Trio New York LIVE - Now Available!
It’s here now! Order from the web site...
Trio New York LIVE…or in this case Trio Willisau LIVE
Ellery Eskelin - tenor saxophone
Gary Versace - Hammond B3 organ
Gerry Hemingway - drums
Recorded live at the Jazz Festival Willisau, Switzerland, August, 2015
This new CD recording is from a live performance at the Willisau Festival in Switzerland last August. I wrote a bit about the gig in a previous post and am very happy to report that hatOLOGY records has just released the project in their inimitable style and packaging, including a full color photograph of the band on an enclosed postcard. Hear our extended improvisations on "My Melancholy Baby", "Blue and Sentimental", "East of the Sun", "We See", and "I Don't Stand A Ghost of A Chance With You".
So, get your hands on a copy and wrap your ears around the latest sounds from the New York / Willisau axis. Take this link to my official web page and have a look at all of the titles available for immediate world wide mail order. To further commemorate this release I will be instituting a special sale, for a limited time only. The standard price per CD is $15. Choose any two discs for $25. Choose any three discs for $30. Very simple.
Please note that I have added a couple of additional titles to the CD ordering page:
TEN (from 2004, a series of improvisations from duos to sextet)
Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins, Jim Black, Jessica Constable, Marc Ribot, Melvin Gibbs
hatOLOGY 611 CD
LES INDIGNES (recorded in Amsterdam after a tour in 2011. Very nice compositions from Celano and Baggiani plus improvisations)
Guillermo Celano - guitar
Clemens Van Der Feen - double bass
Marcos Baggiani - drums
Spring 2016 update...
This post can serve as a momentary place maker for the transition from winter into spring. Let’s see…
In January, bassist Stephan Crump’s “Rhombal” was in the recording studio. Stephan Crump, bass and compositions; Adam O'Farrill, trumpet; Ellery Eskelin, tenor saxophone; Tyshawn Sorey, drums. The results of this session, “Brothers”, will be released in a couple of months. Next NYC appearance by the group will be on April 22nd at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village. Here’s video from a live performance by the group, Stephan’s composition "Loose Bay”.
In February I had the chance to reconnect with bassist Christian Weber and drummer Michael Griener and follow up on a project that we began in Zürich in 2011. This group had a very particular sound from the very first time we played together. Partly it’s to do with the fact that Christian plays the bass without an amplifier and that Michael played a set of drums that were a bit smaller than the standard sizes used in most groups. This allowed me a bit more freedom to explore some other timbral possibilities on my instrument. We also performed at the Willisau Festival in Switzerland later that same year which you can see a video clip of here. We played exclusively improvised concerts at that time but in hanging out together we discovered a mutual love of early jazz. I kept that in mind over the years hoping that we might address that musically at some point. As it happened, Christian recently spent six months in New York City which allowed us the luxury of getting together regularly to play some of this early material and think about how we might incorporate it into our sets. Michael came to NYC for a few weeks in February and so we rehearsed extensively, did a concert in town and went into the recording studio soon after in order to document our work together. Included are renditions of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Shreveport Stomp”, a Fat’s Waller composition and a couple of early jazz standards. These are alternated with free improvisations so as to highlight aspects of both approaches to the music from a somewhat different perspective. We hope this project will be released by year’s end. The group will be performing in Europe in November of 2016.
Looking ahead at the performance schedule, I’ll be in Europe for two weeks in May with Jozef Dumoulin and the Red Hill Orchestra. That’s Jozef on Fender Rhodes piano & compositions, myself on tenor saxophone and Dan Weiss on drums. Really nice combination of textural elements and multi-directional rhythmic propulsion. Here is a track called "The Gate" from Jozef’s recording “Trust”. This is where we'll be in May 2016:
May 4th, De Werf, Brugge BELGIUM. May 5th, Le Bocal, Apt FRANCE. May 6th, Festival Koa, Montpellier FRANCE. May 8th, Le Périscope, Lyon FRANCE. May 9th, De Singer, Rijkevorsel BELGIUM. May 10th, Bravo, Brussels BELGIUM. May 11th, Le Petit Faucheux, Tours FRANCE. May 12, Jamboree, Barcelona SPAIN. May 13th, Valencia SPAIN. May 14th, Bogui Jazz Club, Madrid SPAIN. And for all of you folks in the Big Apple...May 25th, (le) poisson rouge, NYC
When not traveling I enjoy taking advantage of the many offerings of contemporary chamber music that are available in New York City. One of my very favorite ensembles is the Argento Chamber Ensemble. Very often after their concerts there is a question and answer period in which the audience can speak with the composers and performers. I always enjoy these although they do present some potential challenges to the participants. One such occurrence took place after the ensemble’s performance at the Brooklyn Library last month. The program featured works by Tristan Murail, Huck Hodge, Oliver Schneller, Bert Van Herck and Oliver Schneller. I had the impression that a significant portion of the audience may not have been accustomed to modern chamber music and some of the questions reflected that. This is an excellent opportunity for the ensemble to get feedback from listeners and for listeners to gain insight into the processes involved in creating this music. One of the great things about New York audiences is that you are liable to get some very forthright opinions, especially if folks feel challenged. I was encouraged by the feeling that while some may have struggled with what they were hearing, overall, seeing the musicians on stage and hearing a series of different pieces allowed for a more intuitive sense of what is going on. I’m a firm believer that we do not need to understand the music we hear on an intellectual level in order to “hear” it. Of course, some knowledge about the traditions involved and the intent of the composers may well enhance the experience. I could also point out that our knowledge of what we are hearing may also be a kind of filter than can actually diminish our perceptions of what we are hearing if we are not careful. Toward the end of this session, after about twenty minutes of discussion, a woman in the back stood up and shared her experiences of the concert in some of the most starkly negative terms I could imagine. It was not as if she was criticizing the proceedings, it was clear that she was sincere in what she was saying and how she felt. After describing the desolate and bleak landscape conjured by the sounds she heard she wrapped it all up by asking, imploring even, “where is the love?” That really got everyone’s attention. After a momentarily uncomfortable pause each person on the panel offered an equally sincere and compassionate take on what their personal experiences and intentions were with regard to music making. This got to the crux of everything really, in a way that we do not often encounter in public settings like this. The emphasis on intellectualization and technical terminology was set aside for a very heartfelt and affirming exploration of why we make music. In spite of any differences in approach between the panelists there was clearly a deep commonality shared among them. And it is this commonality that points to the essence of what makes music such a powerful force in our lives. It can go by many names but past the conditioned and superficial associations we may have with certain sounds, music generally speaks to something beyond or larger than our sense of self. Something we may not even fully understand. We may feel it quite strongly and yet how we respond to it can be varied and unpredictable, deeply positive or deeply negative or anywhere in between. But it is reaching us. So walking home after the concert with friends we discussed the issue and came away feeling that in fact asking “where is the love” does not mean that this audience member didn’t "get" the music. I think she did, and quite strongly, in spite of the fact that I did not relate to her reaction. And as we know, there is no correct reaction. It was affirming to have been witness to that conversation. I might also point out that there is sometimes a kind of trite attitude concerning the idea of provoking an audience into having a strong reaction and then associating some kind of merit to such work on the basis of that. Personally I find controversy and provocation to be highly overrated without something deeper underneath it. But a genuine challenge, one that does in fact come from love, is a rare thing to encounter and be open to. I commend that listener for bringing up the question. There was one final question after that one, actually more of a testimonial, on the part of a very elderly woman who was sitting in the front row. I could tell that she also was not a devotee of modern music but her response was highly energized and very positive toward what she had heard. She continued speaking for some minutes on the importance of this kind of forward looking activity in our culture and she related the experience to a number of topics although we could not always clearly understand what she was saying. But she was excited. After some time her husband put his hand on her back in order to signal that maybe she should finish but she kept right on going. At a certain point one of the staff from the library who was leading the event kindly stepped over to motion for the microphone but she just waved him away. All in all a wonderful affirmation that this music is not restricted to experts or aficionados. It speaks to anyone who will listen.
Every other year I do a week long teaching residency at my Alma Mater, Towson University in Baltimore. Each time, we’ve taken up a particular theme or investigation. The first year, I worked with the improvisation ensemble in developing a concert. The second year I brought a batch of my own compositions from over the years and adapted them to a student ensemble for their concert. The third year was devoted to the exploration of “swing” as a creative act in which the jazz ensemble presented a concert of early jazz works from Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington. This year’s theme was chamber music containing improvisation and took place this past March. In discussing the idea with Dave Ballou (who runs the program at Towson) I described for him my idea about commissioning a chamber music composition in a modern classical idiom that would feature an improvising soloist. (This is something I’d already set in motion and have been working towards for a couple of years now and hopefully in 2017 we may have the results.) Dave, being a wonderful composer in addition to a great instrumentalist (check out Dave’s new “Solo Trumpet” recording) offered to write a piece for student ensemble (actually, recent alumni as it turned out) for us to tackle on this residency. I’ve been working with a so called “classical” set up on saxophone in my practice (Rascher mouthpiece, Vandoren reed and Buescher tenor, for my fellow saxophone geeks) and this was a great opportunity to give this idea some momentum. Without writing a "jazz meets classical" piece Dave’s sensitivities as a fellow improvisor made for a work that allowed great flexibility in my approach. Rather than working with highly restricted materials as prescribed by the composer (often the approach in chamber music that uses improvisation) I was allowed to have a compositional voice, meaning that my role might shift freely from being “inside” the ensemble to a more front a center “soloist” voice as I felt the need. For this performance I stuck rather close to the material at hand but I can easily see many more possibilities of approach in future performances. Maybe we’ll even get to record this. Until then, here is some audio from the concert. Recorded sound is not optimal but I think it’s worth offering. It is an eight movement composition for two violins, cello, bass, clarinet, bassoon, piano and tenor saxophone. The first is movement four. The second is an excerpt from movement one leading into movement six.
It’s called “For 7 instruments and Ellery Eskelin” and is dedicated to pianist Reynaldo Reyes who taught at Towson from 1962 until just this year, passing away some months ago at the age of 82. Mr. Reyes accompanied me on my very first recital at Towson, in 1978. I wish I could recall the name of what we played but it was a rather thorny piece of modern classical music for saxophone and piano and he sight read it perfectly on the first rehearsal. He was known for doing that. A wonderful musician and teacher who will be dearly missed.
As part of my activities I’m asked to present a mid-week concert of my own music. Being that the the focus was on chamber music I thought it only appropriate to invite pianist Sylvie Courvoisier to perform in duo. We’ve been doing duo concerts (as well as trio concerts with Parisian cellist Vincent Courtois) since around 2000. This was our first concert in about a year or so and it was great to catch up musically and see what we had each been up to in the interim. Here’s an example, a bonus track “Number 19”, from our recording “Every So Often”.
Other activities during the week involved working with students on how to learn the song “Cherokee” (in which at one point while listening to student performances of this tune involving questionable note choices I had to point out “your ear would never let you do that!”), a series of private lessons on a range of issues (probably my favorite thing to do) and coaching the improvisation ensemble (in which we explored each musician's natural tendencies and discovered what things made them uncomfortable). Actually, being uncomfortable in these situations is not a bad thing. We used uncomfortability (not a real word but for sure a real feeling) as a way to address strengths and weaknesses. This became a way of fine tuning the entire ensemble's sensitivities so as to best allow each musician the opportunity to fully contribute to the music. Some players are more naturally supportive while others more naturally assertive. And of course you don’t want too many of one or the other. Both in being true to themselves and by having to carry the music at any time, often unexpectedly, showed us quite clearly that there is no place to hide, neither in being too passive nor in being too aggressive.
There were many discussions during the week and after each concert there was a question and answer period in which students and members of the listening public could discuss the performances. As in the case of the question and answer session that I referred to above, there were folks in attendance that were not all that familiar with the kind of music being presented. I was told by someone in the audience that as the improvisation ensemble started playing a couple sitting behind them was heard to be discussing “what kind of music is this” and “maybe the second half will have some Charlie Parker jazz”. They stuck around and seemed to enjoy Dave Ballou’s chamber music piece even though that would certainly not qualify as “Charlie Parker jazz”. After the duo concert with Sylvie I sensed during the discussion that perhaps this was a challenging concert for some folks. We do our very best to “tell a story” in our improvisations, to play structurally and compositionally. But I had to ask “did anyone completely loose the thread of the music?” Fortunately one person raised their hand and said as much. This lead to a fruitful discussion about how to communicate in music and what is being communicated. Personally I cannot second guess what I think will work in any given situation and so it reminded me (again) to trust the music completely. And so I come away from this experience encouraged and asking myself, is there really a separation between listener and music? It certainly doesn’t seem that way, no matter the myriad responses that we all have in any given situation. Whether you thought it was good or bad, liked it or not, reached you or didn’t, all that seems less important than the knowledge that there is always something more.
I enjoy these residencies more with each one that I do. Pianist Bill Murray (founder of the Bill and Helen Murray Jazz Residency) deserves our deep appreciation for setting this all in motion. Plus everyone at Towson including Dave Ballou and Jim McFalls. And each and every student and alumni who took part. It was rewarding on so many levels. Thank you.
There was also one off-campus event that I want to mention. On Tuesday of that week I got to sub for Dave Ballou on his regular gig at Bertha’s with the Mike Kuhl Trio (Mike on drums along with Jeff Reed on bass). Bertha’s has been around for I don’t know how long. It’s situated in Fell’s Point in Baltimore, close to the harbor just east of downtown. When I was living in Baltimore (I left in 1981) this area was a bit deserted at night and seemed to carry the heavy feeling of lost seafaring days along the old docks and bars that lined the low buildings and cobbled streets. It’s more brightly lit these days and a center of nightlife but you can still get a sense of the ghosts of Fell’s Point, maybe even that of Edgar Allen Poe himself. It’s great to see that some of these old joints have not changed all that much from what I remembered. Dark inside, old instruments hanging from the rafters, vintage furnishings. And speaking of vintage, in visiting the men’s room you’re confronted with the largest and possibly oldest urinal still in use in America. Or at least that was my impression. Rising up from the floor to the height of a grown man it’s like an enormous white porcelain coffin stood on it’s end. Interacting with history is what that felt like.
Playing at Bertha’s was a ton of fun. I also got to see my friend and fellow tenor saxophonist from my Towson University days, Brad Collins. We played together in Hank Levy’s ensemble and had not seen each other in thirty five years! Brad plays around Baltimore a lot so check him out. This was a straight up jazz gig, calling tunes as we went, of the kind I did frequently all around Baltimore at one time. In fact, somewhere in the second set it occurred to me that I used to play John Coltrane’s “Some Other Blues” on every single jazz gig I ever did in town. My good friend and fellow tenor player Tom McCormick taught it to me back in the day. So I called the tune and as we played I could feel just what it was like playing places like Bertha’s in the late ‘70s. Tom and I had another good friend and tenorist named Mike Carrick who was older than us and instilled much in the way of the Baltimore tradition to our approach at that time. Mike would say to me, “yea man, you got that Baltimore honkin’ thing!” That made me feel good. So I couldn’t help but let loose with Mike in mind. Mike passed a few years ago but his spirit is still strong among those who remember him.
As I’m writing this, after being back home for a couple of weeks, I received some very sad news about the passing of another musician who was in Baltimore at that time, bassist and composer Terry Plumeri who was also a formative influence on us younger musicians. I played a number of times with Terry, once in a trio with drummer Harold White (who had also played in Horace Silver’s band) and another memorable occasion at a Fell’s Point jazz club called The Bandstand, which was my first real opportunity in town to lead a group for a weekend at a club that also headlined New York artists. Terry had recorded in the early ‘70s making an LP called “He Who Lives in Many Places” with Herbie Hancock, John Abercrombie and Eric Gravatt. Terry also toured for some years with Roberta Flack. After leaving Baltimore Terry composed for film and symphony orchestras around the world. His signature sound on the bass was his arco playing. This is a photo of Terry as I remember him from those days. Here is a video of Terry in recent years doing a solo contrabass piece called “The Caves of Peacock Springs”. While we have access to no end of recordings and documentation of this musical tradition I’m convinced that it is the spirit of musicians playing together, learning from each other and sharing their lives with each other that makes this a living tradition. Each one who passes has had an effect on those around them, and that is the real spirit of what keeps this alive. Never take that for granted, not even for a moment. Thanks Terry.
One of My Favorite Spots in NYC…
I had been out of town for a week so I was looking forward to resuming my daily morning routine at the local coffee place, Cupcake Cafe, on 9th Avenue and 40th Street in Manhattan. An “old New York” type of establishment, of the kind that is becoming increasingly scarce, it’s on a street containing some of the the last remaining examples of old New York establishments in Hell’s Kitchen, such as the “Sea Breeze Fish Market” (one of the oldest fish markets in New York City) and the “International Grocery” which sells all kinds of spices and imported foods.
At the Cupcake I can sit for as long as I want, have a conversation with pretty much anyone there or more often just sit in silence. This has been my ritual for some time now. Order an espresso and sit with my small porcelain cup and saucer unapologetically doing nothing for twenty minutes, half an hour or sometimes more. No reading, no phone, no computer, no headphones. That’s almost treasonous to admit in NYC. But I think this may be the most important part of my day since once I get home and get to work I often have a certain difficulty establishing office hours and juggling tasks in a home setting. On days without rehearsals or teaching, practicing is a constant, but there is always business to do. The business of “independent artist” means there are a lot of “hats” to wear. Fortunately I like hats but I tend not to change them every five minutes. The “to do” list gets reprioritized, a half dozen things get done and a half dozen more get added. I have until late afternoon until things shift into family mode. So these potentially fractured days need some grounding and this morning ritual sets the stage nicely.
This particular day I approach the Cafe and see that the gate is down over the large window facing Ninth Avenue. There is a brightly colored hand written sign posted about being “closed for renovations” with a series of cheery and clever reasons of just why that is. All of which make the phrase “closed for renovations” seem ominous. The gate to the door was open and someone I didn’t recognize came out, walking purposefully, talking on a cell phone. Through the window of the closed door I looked in and saw Mike, the owner and ever present host standing in his usual position behind the counter. He saw me and shook his head from side to side, waving his hands. Then he gave me the cut-throat signal, hand sideways across the neck.
There we have it. Closed on this day for sure. As I walked to another place for coffee I ran into a couple of neighborhood folks who frequent the cafe. They were both certain that the place had closed for good but I had to know for sure. Once I got home I called the cafe and Mike picked up. “So it’s true?” I asked. True and final as it turned out. Mike explained that the situation was complicated, involving lawyers and other properties. “And the sign saying renovations?” “That’s bullshit” he said. I told him how much I appreciated the place and we agreed that it was indeed unique. He must have been in the midst of dealing with it all since he broke off the call rather suddenly. Which was not unusual. I’d heard Mike’s gruff demeanor speaking on the phone and with customers for many years. Sometimes a new person would walk in and ask for tea and Mike would ask “what kind do you want?” in such a way as to frighten them so badly that they often left. In fact, I think I went there regularly for at least six months before Mike did more than grunt at me. But I could tell he was a good guy and over time he opened up. He even became more relaxed with new customers, still gruff but in a charming way. Often I would walk in and Mike would start talking to me as if in mid thought, on a subject that might take me a few minutes to discern. Sometimes I didn’t really know what he was talking about. But over time it became clear that he knew pretty much everything about what was going on in the city. When Mike would engage in the occasional conversation with a group of regulars he could completely light up over some subject concerning sports or culture.
The place was decidedly rustic, furnished with many antique pieces of equipment, including an old style wooden ice box for the milk. Chairs were sometimes in need of repair and wobbly. There were a couple of old church pews along the wall and a huge marble table in the middle of the room. A bakery was in the back. Their pies were some of the best I’ve had. The radio was often tuned to WKCR or WFUV (local independent stations for jazz or alternative music) or was off entirely which I loved even more. Sometimes business appeared to be slow but they seemed to get a steady flow of cake orders for parties and such. Above all it was authentic. As was Mike. The folks who came in regularly, writers, artists, musicians, actors, neighborhood workers and the occasional traveler killing time in between buses (it was across from the Port Authority Bus Station) gave the place a special ambiance that I always knew never to take for granted.
The Cupcake Cafe had been around for about thirty years although it started in another location down the block. At one time it was very popular but somehow I never clicked with the place when it was so active. I’d only been coming in for the past four or five years and was often concerned about the health of the business given the little things I’d occasionally hear Mike say. My feeling is that they had a good run but that the real estate game must have caught up with them finally. I don’t really know. But I'm going to have to take my morning rumination somewhere else. I knew this day would come. These kinds of places are almost too good to be true any longer. I will have to do my best to keep that state of mind with me. Thanks for all the good years Mike.
Posted by Ellery Eskelin at 11:13 PM 3 comments:
Paul Bley…on the subject of playing forever…
Upon hearing the news of pianist Paul Bley’s passing on January 3rd, 2016...
I met Paul Bley at the Ravenna Jazz Festival in Italy sometime in the early ‘90s. He was playing with Steve Swallow and Jimmy Giuffre. I was there with Joey Baron’s group “Baron Down” and we were sharing the bill with them. The concert took place at the Teatro Alighieri, a beautiful opera house built in the 1800’s. It was great to hear them play and Paul was very complementary towards us. After the concert I was walking back to the hotel, taking my time as the streets were active and it was nice to see what was going on. Along the way I happened to glance into a coffee shop and to my surprise saw Paul standing alone in the back having a coffee. I really wanted to talk to him about a musical issue that was on my mind so I went over and said hello and we began chatting. I explained that for some years I had been investigating ways to play rhythmically free while retaining the harmonic form of a song in time, something that I hadn’t heard that many people do. I told him that I’d been trying to trace the impetus of this idea and that I had the feeling that he was the guy to ask.
While it’s a bit problematic to single out one person I had always suspected that Paul was at least close to the source of this. He had played with Ornette Coleman very early on in his career. Ornette Coleman’s phrasing was very organic to my ear, insinuating a freer sense of harmony by virtue of his melodies and how they were placed. Paul also played with Sonny Rollins, who on the other hand was right on it with respect to the harmony but with an amazingly flexible time feel and use of phrasing that bordered on free. I remember driving home late one night after a gig in Baltimore and hearing a long cut by Sonny on the radio, a twenty minute vamp on one chord. His playing was powerful and his ideas were abundant, a fountain of imagination. But his phrasing was loose to the point that it almost sounded drunk, except that the nuances were very detailed and his timing was incredibly precise. I almost had to stop the car just to listen. It made a big impression on me.
I’ve told the story a number of times about how this idea of loose and organic phrasing combined with an exact sense of time and harmony came together for me one afternoon at a jam session. And how that same evening I had the opportunity to sit in on a gig with Paul Motian (a long time collaborator with Paul Bley) which catalyzed the whole thing in a “never look back” kind of way. You can read about this in more detail in a previous post that I wrote about Paul Motian. And so in looking to find out where this all might have come from I began listening and tracing more deeply some of the musical currents that lead up to it. In retrospect, I can hear this going all the way back to Louis Armstrong. But somehow it seems to have gotten lost amid the mostly eighth note oriented approach to jazz playing that dominated when I was coming up (and in many ways still does). But there was this one “modern” recording that particularly stood out, “Sonny Meets Hawk” from 1963. I’d never heard Sonny Rollins play quite the way he does on this recording, rather startling, and I’ve always wondered what was going on there. Did it have something to do with Coleman Hawkins’ presence? How could that not affect a person, especially another saxophonist? Paul Bley plays on this date and his solo on “All the Things You Are” was equally startling and multidimensional.
So I spelled all of this out for Paul Bley right there in the coffee shop. And I asked “what was the dynamic between Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins? And “where did this way of playing come from that I heard in your solo?” I think these were the only questions I asked. It was certainly all I said for the next hour or so. Paul took my questions and spun an elaborate and somewhat confusing (though I didn’t dare interrupt) story that began with his time on the road with Sonny Rollins and gradually morphed, spilling into all kinds of other tangental areas finally ending with the proclamation that in six months time the CD will be dead and we’ll all be forced to create visual imagery to go along with our music, just to stay in business (this was 1994). It was a wild ride, hugely entertaining if not somewhat illogical and contradictory at many turns. And I never got a straight answer to my question. I’m not sure he even addressed it. But I do remember very vividly his description of what it felt like playing in Sonny’s band. He said they were playing every night plus these matinee gigs on Sunday afternoons. He spoke about how over the period of some weeks Sonny kept upping the ante during his solos and how it made Paul feel in trying to keep up. Sonny would play longer and longer solos in which the intensity went unabated. It got to the point where Paul felt that the attitude became one of playing forever. When Sonny was playing, he was simply going to play forever. And when it was time for Paul to play he was in turn going to have to play forever as well. Imagine that kind of commitment. Forever. I’m going to play forever. There are a lot of ways you could take that, both positively or negatively, seriously or not. But it was almost as if he were reliving the experience in telling it to me. I was kind of in awe of this even as I was also a little confused.
To be honest I’m still unsure what he really meant or what he may have been trying to get at. But it’s a great thing to wonder about. Now, in thinking about Paul Bley’s passing, twenty years later and moving through the imaginary barrier between one year and the next, is it time to reflect? Or time to look ahead? To sum up the past or forecast the future doesn’t seem right somehow. Lately I’m beginning to feel more and more as if it’s all right here, right now. Nothing’s missing. In spending that bemused hour with Paul I could only make sense of what he was saying as a flow. But what was he getting at? Perhaps he was just being mischievous but I sensed more than that. That’s why I didn’t want to interrupt him. I knew there was something special in his story telling, something in between the lines, and I knew I might miss it if I wasn’t paying close attention. And here I am, still wondering. Best not to try and sum it all up. Being a little confused can be good. Things are messy, agendas are many. And yet there is truth all around us. Learn from what’s right in front of you, an idea that I try and instill in my students. Good to keep reminding myself as well. Thanks Paul.
For those who read Italian there is a review of that evening’s concert.
Rodd Keith plays...Tenderly
Here’s a short excerpt of a recording of my father Rodd Keith, playing piano sometime in the mid 1950’s. He was around the age of twenty and largely self-taught. I don’t have many examples of his music other than the song-poem material that’s drawn a certain amount of attention. I’ve always been told there was much more to him and this early example perhaps points to that. It would have only been a few years prior to the time my mother and he played music together. They even did a television program in Kansas in the late 50’s. I always wondered what that sounded like. Maybe a little bit like this…
“The Soul of Baltimore”
I mention my hometown of Baltimore not infrequently. The experience of growing up there has left an indelible impression in ways that I’m still working out, even after thirty-plus years in New York City. I often speak of my mother, who played organ in nightclubs throughout the city in the early ‘60s. Not jazz clubs but lounges. With lots of drinking. She was there strictly for the music and to make her living. But there’s no getting around the fact that the reputation that many of these clubs had was not completely underserved. There was often a criminal element around the edges. Or at least you didn’t have to go far to find it. And yet the ways in which the musical and social culture interacted with every other walk of life…religious, workaday, political, educational, you name it…were much more fluid than not. Boundaries were not always cleanly delineated.
Being a musician afforded me the opportunity to see life from a number of perspectives, sometimes contradictory and confusing, that I don’t think most folks get to experience. If I was a writer I think I’d try and do a book on Baltimore, from the 50’s or so on up. I may have said this before somewhere, that while in Baltimore it’s hard to imagine anything outside of Baltimore. And when outside of Baltimore it’s hard to imagine Baltimore as having been a real place, almost having been part of my imagination. But it’s quite a real place. And it’s quite unique in my estimation. In looking back there is much to value although while living there I often found a certain kind of frustration with limitations that I could not fully understand. I sometimes do research on the musical and social fabric of the city. I’m fascinated with history as it was lived on the streets, the kind that does not always find expression in history books chronicling the main events and important figures of past generations. There were many people who were integral to the culture of Baltimore who’s stories may never be properly told.
And so when I come across something that speaks from this place I like to share it. Especially when the content resonates directly with what is still happening in Baltimore. The University of Baltimore hosts archival material on line including this WMAR-TV documentary from 1968 called “The Soul of Baltimore”. It’s a time capsule of sorts in which civil rights activist Walter P. Carter speaks at length on conditions in the city from a number of perspectives. If you can get past some of the narration Mr. Carter goes into some depth in his own words on a range of subjects including the role of jazz in Baltimore. In fact there are a couple of short excerpts of a live concert from the Left Bank Jazz Society by saxophonist Lee Konitz with Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums (at 5:25 - 6:26 and again at 14:36 - 16:01). He also speaks of Coltrane’s last concert having taken place at the Left Bank.
Here's the link: “The Soul of Baltimore” 1968
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Call for consultation 305.622.9199
Gregory D. Curtis is a Miami-based attorney located in Miami Gardens Florida. His office handles both criminal and civil matters at the state and federal level.
Gregory D. Curtis earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from the State University of New York at Sullivan County located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He obtained his Bachelor degree from Morgan State University, located in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in the area of Finance from the University Of The District Of Columbia, located in the Nation’s Capital, Washington D.C. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law, located in Miami Florida. While enrolled at the there he participated in the Tour De España Program, which allowed his to study law in each of these cities: Barcelona, Madrid, Costa del Sol, Alhambra, Seville, and Toledo. The following year, Gregory was selected for an internship in Tokyo, as a Summer Associate, with the Showa Law Office located in the Hanzamon section of Tokyo, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in Japan.
As a former attorney with the Department of Children and Family Miami-Dade County, Gregory gained invaluable experience handling hundreds of cases dealing with families with dependency issues, from shelter care hearings to TPR cases.
In January 2002, Gregory began his own criminal and civil defense practice. He has successfully represented defendants throughout Florida including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Osceola, Orange, Duval, Charlotte, and Collier Counties. He has also made Pro Hace Vice appearances in the Southern District of Alabama, located in Mobile, Alabama, and the Northern District of Mississippi, located in Greenville, Mississippi. Further has also made appearances in the state court of Georgia Civil Courts.
For a sample listing of Gregory’s successful representations, click here.
Please Note: The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience. Material presented on this website is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended as professional or legal advice and should not be construed as such.
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Sustainable Development: L'Oreal Pursues its Transformation
HONG KONG, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Shortly after Earth Day, L’Oreal publishes its 2018 Sharing Beauty with All sustainability programme Progress report which highlights significant progress specifically regarding commitments to fight climate change.
Low carbon growth: a renewed performance
In 2018, L’Oreal reduced the carbon emissions of its plants and distribution centres by 77% in absolute terms compared to 2005, while increasing its production volume by 38% during the same period. This performance demonstrates the Group’s ability to achieve economic success while reducing environmental impact. In addition, by year-end, 38 of L’Oreal’s production sites achieved carbon neutrality.
The CDP has recognized these achievements. In 2018, and for the third consecutive year, L’Oreal is one of two companies among more than 3,000, to be awarded three ‘A’ ratings (i.e., the highest rating) by the CDP in three major areas: climate protection, sustainable water management and fighting against deforestation. L’Oreal is the only company in the world to have received this triple distinction from the CDP, three years in a row.
"Climate change is a major concern for the world, and its consequences call for urgent action. The L’Oreal Group aims to play a leading role in driving efforts to meet this challenge," says Alexandra Palt, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer L’Oreal. "Companies need to get involved, and we should be judged on the merits of our actions and results."
Brands take action
L’Oreal encourages its brands to raise awareness and mobilize partners, customers and consumers on major environmental and social issues. As part of the Sharing Beauty with All programme, brands identify a specific cause and run awareness campaigns. In 2018, more than half of the Group’s brands (57%) took action including Giorgio Armani Beauty, Biolage, Biotherm, Garnier, La Roche-Posay, and Ralf Lauren Fragrances.
SPOT evaluation tool: a first in the cosmetics industry
The Sustainable Product Optimisation Tool (SPOT), deployed across all the Group’s brands, is a first in the cosmetics industry. Since 2014, L’Oreal teams, with the support of international experts, have developed a methodology to measure the environmental and social performance of a product and identify levers for improvement.
SPOT is also instrumental in achieving L’Oreal’s goal of improving the social or environmental profile of 100% of new products by the end of 2020. In 2018, 100% of all new or renovated products — i.e. 2,195 products — underwent SPOT assessment, and 79% of the products launched during the year were improved.
Download the report and access the 2018 results: click here
Follow @LOrealCommitted, L’Oreal’s Twitter account dedicated to sustainable development.
About Sharing Beauty with All
The Sharing Beauty with All sustainability programme was launched in 2013. Integrated all across the Group’s value chain, it embodies L’Oreal’s commitments to sustainability by the end of 2020. All aspects of its environmental footprint are addressed, from product design to distribution, including the production process and the sourcing of ingredients. Each year, L’Oreal reports on its progress in a way that is measurable and transparent. Today, the Group is one of the world’s most-recognised companies when it comes to its strong ambition and commitment toward sustainability. To learn more: www.loreal.com/loreal-sharing-beauty-with-all
About L’Oreal
L’Oreal has devoted itself to beauty for over 100 years. With its unique international portfolio of 36 diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 26.9 billion euros in 2018 and employs 86,000 people worldwide. As the world’s leading beauty company, L’Oreal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair salons, travel retail, branded retail and e-commerce. Research and innovation, and a dedicated research team of 3,993 people, are at the core of L’Oreal’s strategy, working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world.
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Spiecker, Frank 1872-1924
SPIECKER, DETLEFS, ROSTERMUNDT, SCHEEL
Frank Spiecker, a well-known and successful business man of Remsen and the cashier of the German Savings Bank of that place, was born in Benton county, Iowa, on September 1, 1872, the son of Hans and Amalia (Detlefs) Spiecker, who were born in Holstein, Germany, where they were educated and where they grew to manhood and womanhood. They later came to United States and located in Davenport, Iowa, where they were married. They were ninety days on the ocean, having made the ocean voyage on a sailing vessel. After his arrival in Davenport, Hans Spiecker engaged in the drayage business and for some years conducted a dray line in that place. He and his wife later moved to Benton county, Iowa, and there they rented a farm for some years. In 1882, Hans Spiecker purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land in Fredonia township, Plymouth county, at nine dollars an acre. He did not locate on the place until 1883. On his arrival on the place, he at once began the task of development and improvement, the farm in time becoming one of the best in the township, and there Hans Spiecker engaged in general farming and tock-raising until the time of his death in 1908, at the age of sixty-six years. His widow died at the age of seventy-three years, in 1915.
Hans and Amalia Spiecker were active members in the German Evangelical Lutheran church, and were prominent in the social and the religious life of the community. Mr. Spiecker took much interest in the civic life of the township and became one of the prominent and influential men of the district. Hans and Amalia Spiecker were the parents of the following children: Anna, Frank, Theo., Henry, Mary, Kate, Ferdinand and Margaretha. Anna married John H. McLean, of Sioux City. Frank is the subject of this sketch. Theo., is a well-known farmer of Fredonia township. Henry is retired farmer of Remsen. Mary became the wife of Herman Oehlerts, of Fredonia township. Kate is the wife of Martin Dornbusch. Ferdinand is retired at Remsen and Margaretha died in early life.
Frank Spiecker received his education in the common and the high school of Remsen and at the Northwestern Normal School at Le Mars. Upon completing his schooling he was employed by the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company at Remsen. In 1904 the bank was reorganized as the German Savings Bank and since the reorganization Mr. Spiecker has been the cashier of the institution. James T. Toy, of Sioux City, is the president; L. H. Harnack of Remsen, is vice-president, and Frank Spiecker is cashier. The directors of the institution are: M. A. Mieras, Simon Rothlisberger, James F. Toy, L. H. Harnack, Frank Spiecker, Anton Wintz and Joseph Zenk. The bank is one of the strongest institutions of this section of the country, and because of the financial standing of the directors and the officers of the bank, and because of the courtesy and business-like management of the institution by the officers of the place, it has the confidence and the respect of the entire community. The constant aim of this bank organization is to give the people of the district the best service possible, consistent with conservative and good banking. The bank has had a growth that is in all ways in keeping with the growth of the community, and is today recognized as one of the leading banks of the county.
On June 19, 1895, Frank Spiecker was united in marriage to Magdalena Scheel, of Plymouth county, the daughter of Michel and Margaretha (Rostermundt) Scheel, both of whom were born in Germany and there received their education in the public schools and there grew to manhood and womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Scheel immigrated from Germany in the early days to Benton county, Iowa, where they were married and in the year 1882 they moved to Plymouth county and engaged in general farming until the year 1888, when they retired and moved to Remsen. In the year 1907 they moved to Long Beach, California, where they are now living. There were nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Scheel, John, Magdalena, Rosa, Emma, Herman, Henry, Gustaf, Adolf and Alma. Magdalena became the wife of Frank Spiecker; Emma, Adolf and Alma are now with their parents at Long Beach, California, and John, Rosa, Herman, Henry and Gustaf died in the year 1886.
To Mr. and Mrs. Frank Spiecker there were born Emory H., Carl V. and Thelma R. Emery H. received his early education in the schools of Remsen and attended one year at Morningside, and is now attending the Iowa State University from which institution he will be graduated from the department of liberal arts in 1918. Carl is at home and attending the high school at Remsen and Thelma is also at home attending public school. Frank Spiecker and wife are active members of the Evangelical Lutheran Christ church at Remsen and are prominent in the social and the religious life of the community, where they are held in the highest regard and esteem. Mr. Spiecker is treasurer of Fredonia school township and has been treasurer of the town of Remsen and also treasurer of the school board, and for many years has been interested in the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company at Sioux City, and has long been and is now one of its directors. He has always been identified with the Republican party and has been active in the local affairs of the township and the town.
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Origin of life: Simulating how Earth kick-started metabolism
In the new study, the researchers have demonstrated a proof of concept for their fuel cell model of the emergence of cell metabolism on Earth.
In the Energy Leeds Renewable Lab at the University of Leeds and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the team replaced traditional platinum catalysts in fuel cells and electrical experiments with those composed of geological minerals.
Dr Laura Barge from the NASA Astrobiology Institute 'Icy Worlds' team at JPL in California, US, and lead author of the paper, said: "Certain minerals could have driven geological redox reactions, later leading to a biological metabolism. We're particularly interested in electrically conductive minerals containing iron and nickel that would have been common on the early Earth."
Iron and nickel are much less reactive than platinum. However, a small but significant power output successfully demonstrated that these metals could still generate electricity in the fuel cell -- and hence also act as catalysts for redox reactions within hydrothermal vents in the early Earth.
For now, the chemistry of how geological reactions driven by inanimate rocks and minerals evolved into biological metabolisms is still a black box. But with a laboratory-based model for simulating these processes, scientists have taken an important step forward to understanding the origin of life on this planet and whether a similar process could occur on other worlds.
Study tests theory that life originated at deep sea vents (and fails to pass the this specific test.)
The question Reeves and his colleagues set out to test was whether methanethiol -- a critical precursor of life -- could form at modern day vent sites by purely chemical means without the involvement of life. Could methanethiol be the bridge between a chemical, non-living world and the first microbial life on the planet?
Critically, the researchers found an abundance of methanethiol being formed in low temperature fluids (below about 200°C), where hot black smoker fluid mixes with colder sea water beneath the seafloor. The presence of other telltale markers in these fluids, such as ammonia -- a byproduct of biomass breakdown -- strongly suggests these fluids are 'cooking' existing microbial organic matter. The breakdown of existing subseafloor life when conditions get too hot may therefore be responsible for producing large amounts of methanethiol.
"What we essentially found in our survey is that we don't think methanethiol is forming by purely chemical means without the involvement of life. This might be disappointing news for anyone assuming an easy start for hydrothermal proto-metabolism," says Reeves. "However, our finding that methanethiol may be readily forming as a breakdown product of microbial life provides further indication that life is present and widespread below the seafloor and is very exciting."
Edited April 9, 2014 by dream_weaver
New study outlines 'water world' theory of life's origins
According to the findings, which also can be thought of as the "water world" theory, life may have begun inside warm, gentle springs on the sea floor, at a time long ago when Earth's oceans churned across the entire planet. This idea of hydrothermal vents as possible places for life's origins was first proposed in 1980 by other researchers, who found them on the sea floor near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Called "black smokers," those vents bubble with scalding hot, acidic fluids. In contrast, the vents in the new study -- first hypothesized by scientist Michael Russell of JPL in 1989 -- are gentler, cooler and percolate with alkaline fluids. One such towering complex of these alkaline vents was found serendipitously in the North Atlantic Ocean in 2000, and dubbed the Lost City.
The water world theory from Russell and his team says that the warm, alkaline hydrothermal vents maintained an unbalanced state with respect to the surrounding ancient, acidic ocean -- one that could have provided so-called free energy to drive the emergence of life. In fact, the vents could have created two chemical imbalances. The first was a proton gradient, where protons -- which are hydrogen ions -- were concentrated more on the outside of the vent's chimneys, also called mineral membranes. The proton gradient could have been tapped for energy -- something our own bodies do all the time in cellular structures called mitochondria.
The second imbalance could have involved an electrical gradient between the hydrothermal fluids and the ocean. Billions of years ago, when Earth was young, its oceans were rich with carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide from the ocean and fuels from the vent -- hydrogen and methane -- met across the chimney wall, electrons may have been transferred. These reactions could have produced more complex carbon-containing, or organic compounds -- essential ingredients of life as we know it. Like proton gradients, electron transfer processes occur regularly in mitochondria.
This appears to disregard the methanethiol referenced in the previous post.
As is the case with all advanced life forms, enzymes are the key to making chemical reactions happen. In our ancient oceans, minerals may have acted like enzymes, interacting with chemicals swimming around and driving reactions. In the water world theory, two different types of mineral "engines" might have lined the walls of the chimney structures.
"These mineral engines may be compared to what's in modern cars," said Russell.
"They make life 'go' like the car engines by consuming fuel and expelling exhaust. DNA and RNA, on the other hand, are more like the car's computers because they guide processes rather than make them happen."
One of the tiny engines is thought to have used a mineral known as green rust, allowing it to take advantage of the proton gradient to produce a phosphate-containing molecule that stores energy. The other engine is thought to have depended on a rare metal called molybdenum. This metal also is at work in our bodies, in a variety of enzymes. It assists with the transfer of two electrons at a time rather than the usual one, which is useful in driving certain key chemical reactions.
"We call molybdenum the Douglas Adams element," said Russell, explaining that the atomic number of molybdenum is 42, which also happens to be the answer to the "ultimate question of life, the universe and everything" in Adams' popular book, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Russell joked, "Forty-two may in fact be one answer to the ultimate question of life!"
At the origin of cell division: The features of living matter emerge from inanimate matter in simulation
Giomi and DeSimone's artificial cells are in fact computer models that mimic some of the physical properties of the materials making up the inner content and outer membrane of cells.
The force exerted by the filaments is the variable that competes with another force, the surface tension that keeps the membrane surrounding the droplet from collapsing. The generates a flow in the fluid surrounding the droplet, which in turn is propelled by such self-generated flow. When the flow becomes very strong, the droplet deforms to the point of dividing. "When the force of the flow prevails over the force that keeps the membrane together we have cellular division," explains DeSimone, director of the SISSA mathLab, SISSA's mathematical modelling and scientific computing laboratory.
"Acquiring motility and the ability to divide is a fundamental step for life and, according to our simulations, the laws governing these phenomena could be very simple. Observations like ours can prepare the way for the creation of functioning artificial cells, and not only," comments Giomi. "Our work is also useful for understanding the transition from non-living to living matter on our planet. The development of the early forms of life, in other words."
Chemists and biologists who study the origin of life don't have access to cells that are sufficiently simple to be observed directly.
Keeping in mind that this computer program admittedly mimics some of the physical properties. Extrapolating this; any computer program can only mimic discovered physical properties.
Scientists achieve first direct observations of excitons in motion
A quasiparticle called an exciton -- responsible for the transfer of energy within devices such as solar cells, LEDs, and semiconductor circuits -- has been understood theoretically for decades. But exciton movement within materials has never been directly observed. Now scientists have achieved that feat, imaging excitons' motions directly. This could enable research leading to significant advances in electronics, they say, as well as a better understanding of natural energy-transfer processes, such as photosynthesis.
An exciton, which travels through matter as though it were a particle, pairs an electron, which carries a negative charge, with a place where an electron has been removed, known as a hole. Overall, it has a neutral charge, but it can carry energy. For example, in a solar cell, an incoming photon may strike an electron, kicking it to a higher energy level. That higher energy is propagated through the material as an exciton: The particles themselves don't move, but the boosted energy gets passed along from one to another.
Exciton diffusion is also a basic mechanism underlying photosynthesis: Plants absorb energy from photons, and this energy is transferred by excitons to areas where it can be stored in chemical form for later use in supporting the plant's metabolism. The new method might provide an additional tool for studying some aspects of this process, the team says.
Reconstructed ancient ocean reveals secrets about the origin of life
A reconstruction of Earth's earliest ocean in the laboratory revealed the spontaneous occurrence of the chemical reactions used by modern cells to synthesize many of the crucial organic molecules of metabolism. Previously, it was assumed that these reactions were carried out in modern cells by metabolic enzymes, highly complex molecular machines that came into existence during the evolution of modern organisms.
"Our results demonstrate that the conditions and molecules found in the Earth's ancient oceans assisted and accelerated the interconversion of metabolites that in modern organisms make up glycolysis and the pentose-phosphate pathways, two of the essential and most centrally placed reaction cascades of metabolism," says Dr. Markus Ralser, Group Leader at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge and the National Institute for Medical Research. "In our reconstructed version of the ancient Archean ocean, these metabolic reactions were particularly sensitive to the presence of ferrous iron that helped catalyze many of the chemical reactions that we observed."
Some of the observed reactions could also take place in water but were accelerated by the presence of metals that served as catalysts. "In the presence of iron and other compounds found in the oceanic sediments, 29 metabolic-like chemical reactions were observed, including those that produce some of the essential chemicals of metabolism, for example precursors of the building blocks of proteins or RNA," says Ralser. "These results indicate that the basic architecture of the modern metabolic network could have originated from the chemical and physical constraints that existed on the prebiotic Earth."
Origin of life: Stanley Miller's forgotten experiments, analyzed
Stanley Miller, the chemist whose landmark experiment published in 1953 showed how some of the molecules of life could have formed on a young Earth, left behind boxes of experimental samples that he never analyzed. The first-ever analysis of some of Miller's old samples has revealed another way that important molecules could have formed on early Earth.
The boxes of unanalyzed samples had been preserved and carefully marked, down to the page number where the experiment was described in Miller's laboratory notebooks. The researchers verified that the contents of the box of samples were from an electric discharge experiment conducted with cyanamide in 1958 when Miller was at the Department of Biochemistry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.
An electric discharge experiment simulates early Earth conditions using relatively simple starting materials. The reaction is ignited by a spark, simulating lightning, which was likely very common on the early Earth.
The 1958 reaction samples were analyzed by Parker and his current mentor, Facundo M. Fernández, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. They conducted liquid chromatography- and mass spectrometry-based analyses and found that the reaction samples from 1958 contained peptides. Scientists from NASA's Johnson Space Center and Goddard Space Flight Center were also involved in the analysis.
The research team then set out to replicate the experiment. Parker designed a way to do the experiment using modern equipment and confirmed that the reaction created peptides.
Edited July 7, 2014 by dream_weaver
New molecule found in space connotes life origins
Hunting from a distance of 27,000 light years, astronomers have discovered an unusual carbon-based molecule contained within a giant gas cloud in interstellar space. The discovery suggests that the complex molecules needed for life may have their origins in interstellar space.
Excerpt;
Organic molecules usually found in these star-forming regions consist of a single "backbone" of carbon atoms arranged in a straight chain. But the carbon structure of isopropyl cyanide branches off, making it the first interstellar detection of such a molecule, says Rob Garrod, Cornell senior research associate at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research.
This detection opens a new frontier in the complexity of molecules that can be formed in interstellar space and that might ultimately find their way to the surfaces of planets, says Garrod. The branched carbon structure of isopropyl cyanide is a common feature in molecules that are needed for life -- such as amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This new discovery lends weight to the idea that biologically crucial molecules, like amino acids that are commonly found in meteorites, are produced early in the process of star formation -- even before planets such as Earth are formed.
Molecules that came in handy for first life on Earth
Some molecules are found in two chiral variants that, just like hands, are mirror images of one another. Nature, however, makes use of only one variant; for example, DNA is made of a right-handed helix and the most common sugar -- glucose -- is also right-handed. Why nature does this, and how it all started, remains an intriguing puzzle. After all, whenever chemists make the same molecules they obtain a mix of both variants.
An article by Kenso Soai in Nature in 1995 described the experimental realization for the first time, but this only worked after addition of a pinch of the left-handed or right-handed product to start with. The Radboud chemists however took it an important step further: they updated Frank's concept and discovered a spontaneous asymmetric synthesis method which takes place in the absence of left- or right-handed molecules. René Steendam: "The first left-handed amino acids could have been produced in this way, no matter whether this happened on earth or somewhere else in the universe."
"No one has done this before, no-one has achieved -- in a single, simple reaction, in a single beaker with no chirality present -- an end situation that is 100 % left-handed or 100 % right-handed" says Elias Vlieg, Professor of Solid State Chemistry.
The origin of life: Labyrinths as crucibles of life
Water-filled micropores in hot rock may have acted as the nurseries in which life on Earth began. A team has now shown that temperature gradients in pore systems promote the cyclical replication and emergence of nucleic acids.
"The key requirement is that the heat source be localized on one side of the elongated pore, so that the water on that side is significantly warmer than that on the other," says Braun. Preformed biomolecules that are washed into the pore can then be trapped, and concentrated, by the action of the temperature gradient -- thus fulfilling a major prerequisite for the formation and replication of more complex molecular structures. The molecular trapping effect is a consequence of thermophoresis: Charged molecules in a temperature gradient preferentially move from the warmer to the cooler region, allowing longer polymers in particular to be securely trapped. This is an important factor in the evolution of nucleic acids such as RNA and DNA, simply because longer molecules can store more genetic information.
I do wish a different term than information would be selected. I get the gist of what is meant, but find it often used as an open invitation for equivocation.
Recreating rock pores in the laboratory
Braun and his colleagues have shown that this mechanism works in the laboratory: "We used tiny glass capillary tubes to construct an analog of the natural pores found in rock, heated the pore from one side and allowed water containing dissolved fragments of linear DNA of varying lengths to percolate through it. Under such conditions, the long strands are indeed trapped within the pore," Braun explains. "Pores that were exposed to heat are frequently found in igneous rock formations, and they were certainly common in rocks of volcanic origin on the early Earth. So this scenario is quite realistic. And the temperature effect is enhanced by the presence of metal inclusions within the rock, which conduct heat at rates 100 times higher than water."
Temperature gradients and replication
Not only are nucleic acids retained in the pore, they are also capable of replication under these conditions. In the hotter zone, double-stranded strands are separated into its component strands within minutes. The single strands can then be transported by convection -- cyclical flow along the pore perpendicular to the orientation of temperature gradient -- back to the colder region of the pore. Here they encounter the chemical precursors from which each DNA strand is built, which are fed into the pore by a continuous inflow. The preformed strands then act as templates for the polymerization of complementary strands. This cycle makes it possible not only to replicate the strands but also to elongate them by stitching fragments together. When the nucleic acids accumulate to levels beyond the storage capacity of the pore, newly replicated molecules can escape and colonize neighboring pore systems.
Link found in how cells start process necessary for life
Source: University of Colorado Denver
Researchers have found an RNA structure-based signal that spans billions of years of evolutionary divergence between different types of cells, according to a new study. The finding could alter the basic understanding of how two distinct life forms -- bacteria and eukaryotes -- begin the process of protein synthesis.
Jeffrey Kieft, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics and corresponding author of the article in Nature, said scientists have long thought that the molecular signals that initiate protein synthesis in bacteria and eukaryotes are mutually exclusive. Scientists in Kieft's lab explored whether a structured RNA molecule from a virus that infects eukaryotic cells could function in bacteria. Surprisingly, they found that it could initiate protein syntheses, a process necessary for life.
Eukaryotes are organisms, such as plants, animals and fungi, whose cells contain a nucleus and are enclosed within membranes, while prokaryotes, such as bacteria, do not contain a nucleus.
Discovery demystifies origin of life phenomenon
Biomolecules, if large enough (several nanometers) and with an electrical charge, will seek their own type with which to form large assemblies. This is essentially 'self-recognition' of left-handed and right-handed molecule pairs.
Liu explains that all life molecules are paired as left-handed and right-handed structures. In scientific terms, the phenomenon is called chirality. Nature's selection of only right-handed sugars and left-handed amino acids upon which to build life might be much simpler than we expected before.
Liu found that any molecules, if large enough (several nanometers) and with an electrical charge, will seek their own type with which to form large assemblies. This "self-recognition" of left-handed and right-handed molecule pairs is featured in the March 10, 2015 issue of Nature Communications.
"We show that homochirality, or the manner in which molecules select other like molecules to form larger assemblies, may not be as mysterious as we imagined," Liu says.
While an understanding of how homochirality occurred at the onset of life remains a mystery, this new finding emphasizes that Mother Nature's inner workings may not be as complex as we think.
Chemists claim to have solved riddle of how life began on Earth
A team of chemists working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, at Cambridge in the UK believes they have solved the mystery of how it was possible for life to begin on Earth over four billion years ago. In their paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the team describes how they were able to map reactions that produced two and three-carbon sugars, amino acids, ribonucleotides and glycerol—the material necessary for metabolism and for creating the building blocks of proteins and ribonucleic acid molecules and also for allowing for the creation of lipids that form cell membranes.
— they believe they have found a way to show that everything necessary for life to evolve could have done so from just hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide and ultraviolet light and that those building blocks could have all existed at the same time—in their paper, they report that using just those three basic ingredients they were able to produce more than 50 nucleic acids—precursors to DNA and RNA molecules.
I wonder how these products compare to Millers results.
Complex organic molecules discovered in infant star system: Hints that building blocks of chemistry of life are universal
Source: European Southern Observatory - ESO
For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, in a protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. The discovery reaffirms that the conditions that spawned the Earth and Sun are not unique in the Universe.
Astronomers have known for some time that cold, dark interstellar clouds are very efficient factories for complex organic molecules -- including a group of molecules known as cyanides. Cyanides, and most especially methyl cyanide, are important because they contain carbon-nitrogen bonds, which are essential for the formation of amino acids, the foundation of proteins and the building blocks of life.
Until now, it has remained unclear, however, if these same complex organic molecules commonly form and survive in the energetic environment of a newly forming solar system, where shocks and radiation can easily break chemical bonds.
By exploiting ALMA's [Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array] remarkable sensitivity [2] astronomers can see from the latest observations that these molecules not only survive, but flourish.
Importantly, the molecules ALMA detected are much more abundant than would be found in interstellar clouds. This tells astronomers that protoplanetary discs are very efficient at forming complex organic molecules and that they are able to form them on relatively short timescales [3].
Evidence of key ingredient during dawn of life
Source: University of North Carolina Health Care
Scientists have provided the first direct experimental evidence for how primordial proteins developed the ability to accelerate the central chemical reaction necessary to synthesize proteins and thus allow life to arise not long after Earth was created.
"This doesn't yet solve the central chicken and the egg problem," Carter said. "Even the designed protozyme requires a ribosome to synthesize it and lead to protein creation. But what we've shown is that blueprints for life actually contained more information than anyone had realized because both strands of the ancestral gene were responsible for encoding the two classes of synthetases needed for the creation of proteins."
Origins of life: New model may explain emergence of self-replication on early Earth
Source: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
One question of the origin of life in particular remains problematic: what enabled the leap from a primordial soup of individual monomers to self-replicating polymer chains? A new model proposes a potential mechanism by which self-replication could have emerged. It posits that template-assisted ligation, the joining of two polymers by using a third, longer one as a template, could have enabled polymers to become self-replicating.
Not one of the better articles on the subject, but this paragraph leaped out in particular, bolded mine:
Nearly every culture on earth has an origins story, a legend explaining its existence. We humans seem to have a deep need for an explanation of how we ended up here, on this small planet spinning through a vast universe. Scientists, too, have long searched for our origins story, trying to discern how, on a molecular scale, the earth shifted from a mess of inorganic molecules to an ordered system of life. The question is impossible to answer for certain -- there's no fossil record, and no eyewitnesses. But that hasn't stopped scientists from trying.
Give up biologist, give up abiogenesists. The question is impossible to answer for certain. Abandon hope all ye who enter here. This is the message that the pseudo-intellectuals have carried to nearly every corner of the globe. " "There are no absolutes," they chatter, blanking out the fact that they are uttering an absolute." Passed down from the Nazi's, the Relativists, emanating from the whirling Heraclitean flux of the Pragmatists, repeated by Dewey, obfuscated by Kant, embraced by the Utilitarians, the contradiction is blatant to those who see it.
There may be no fossil record, there may be no eyewitnesses. The evidence for existence is existence. The evidence for every other valid concept in existence is wrested from this vast sea of concretes that are whirling and spinning. When the deep need for explanations gets supplemented with the deep need for those explanations to be grounded in fact, necessity may then indeed bear her child.
How yeast doubled its genome, by mating between species
Source: PLO
The common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was the first non-bacterial living thing to have its genome sequenced, back in 1996. However, when the sequence of that genome emerged it appeared that the scientists were seeing double -- the organism seemed to have two very different versions of many of its genes. How could this have happened?
Spiraling back to the opening post of this thread, and touching on the previous one,
"When we first saw the results of our study, we thought there had been some kind of mistake," explained Toni Gabaldón, the lead investigator of the study, head of the CRG Comparative Genomics Group and ICREA Research Professor. "Honestly, when the results are not what you expect and contradict what is established, the first thing you do is think that they were affected by some kind of problem. But once all the potential problems have been discarded, you begin to interpret the data objectively, without preconceived ideas, and to do real science. That's when we started to consider the different possible explanations and to work on a new idea,"
a paragraph later:
Gabaldón added, "It's one of those magical moments of research when, once you open your mind enough, you can surrender to the evidence in the data and discard what you had considered as a proven fact to adopt an entirely new paradigm, no matter how implausible it seems at first. Afterwards you reel in your new paradigm and see that it also explains other independent observations. Scientifically it has been a challenging and rewarding experience. "
I can only wonder at what Newton might have felt as he went through his materials and dotted the i's and crossed the t's.
Surrendering to the evidence in the data is a sound approach, but to discard what you had considered as a proven fact has implications about the scientists approach to what constitutes as proven. If proven facts can be overturned with new evidence, the what has been identified is an earlier miss-integration. This highlights the need of a proper means of integration to prevent this from turning into a vicious circle. Miss-integration followed by new discoveries and then using the same methods that led to the first miss-integration to grope for a new integration. without examining the approach inevitably has to lead to more of the same. Edited August 13, 2015 by dream_weaver
This thread started out with yeast and has turned toward abiogenesis since.
Life’s Secrets Sought in a Snowflake
Ratcliff and Travisano developed an easy way to force yeast to become multicellular. They grew the microbes in tubes and spun them in a centrifuge once a day. The largest cells or those that clustered together sank the fastest. Each day, they selected the fastest sinkers, challenging those cells to another round of the experiment. Over the course of 24 hours — roughly seven generations of yeast — the cells accumulated tens of thousands of mutations.
Then, a couple of weeks into the experiment, the composition of a few of the tubes suddenly changed. The cells began forming large clusters, and the silky solution of single cells transformed into grainy blobs. Within 100 yeast generations — about two weeks — the population had shifted almost entirely to snowflake yeast.
How does the centrifuge ultimately get factored out of understanding the process? Not addressed here, but it does serve as a catalyst in this procedure.
While typical yeast divides and disperses after each generation, snowflake cells divide and stick. Daughter cells cling to their mother like baby kangaroos. Mother and daughters then divide again and again, each producing another attached offspring.
The evolution of snowflake yeast created more than a mere clump of cells. Wild yeast strains sometimes produce a sticky protein on their surface, which makes the cells adhere to each other. Brewers like this sticky form, known as floc yeast, because it’s easier to remove it from newly brewed beer.
But snowflake yeast is quite different from flocs. Floc yeast cells divide and separate, then condense into a genetically diverse pile. Snowflake yeast grows in highly related clumps. It’s this difference that Ratcliff and others say distinguishes a simple blob of cells from a cohesive unit capable of evolving true multicellularity.
Similar experiments were also performed on algae with multi-cellular results that differed from their gravity-induced counterparts.
Descriptions like individual cells having to "surrender its will to survive" and "sacrificing themselves to benefit the whole" ring of the platonic view of society as an organism. There are also the "cheater [moochers?] cells, the single-celled equivalents of lazy roommates who eat everyone’s food but never go shopping or pay the bills." Brackets mine.
Boydstun 174
Real Name:Stephen Boydstun
NOVA (2016)
From yeast to snowflake yeast. Life’s Secrets Sought in a Snowflake.
Whether snowflake yeast qualifies as truly multicellular or not is a difficult question to answer. There’s no clear dividing line between single-celled and multicellular organisms. Ratcliff likens the transition to what he calls the rich man, poor man problem. If you gathered everyone in the United States and lined them up according to wealth, the richest people would land at one end and the poorest at the other. If you just looked at these extreme ends of the spectrum, it would be easy to define the characteristics of the rich and the poor. But if you drove down the line of people, it would be impossible to define a strict point where the rich group ended and the poor group began. By this analogy, snowflake yeast is in the multicellular middle class.
So multicellular is a continuum? How might this have been explained using color as the continuum axis?
This is a fairly long article that does more to couch the questions than add much from the other tie-ins provided here.
On a parallel note, Creation of minimal cell with just the genes needed for independent life
Researchers have designed and synthesized a minimal bacterial genome, containing only the genes necessary for life, and consisting of just 473 genes. This advances the team's groundbreaking research published in 2010, in which they built and booted up the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell, providing proof of principle that genomes can be designed in the computer, chemically made in the lab, and transplanted into a recipient cell to produce a new, self-replicating cell controlled only by the synthetic genome.
On 2/9/2016 at 6:24 AM, Boydstun said:
I watched part of this when you originally put the link here. The video, there, has been moved behind DPTV Passport now.
Rosetta’s comet contains ingredients for life
Source: University of Bern
Ingredients crucial for the origin of life on Earth, including the simple amino acid glycine and phosphorus, key components of DNA and cell membranes, have been discovered at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Another exciting detection by ROSINA made for the first time at a comet is of phosphorus. It is a key element in all living organisms and is found in the structural framework of DNA and RNA.
Was the secret spice in primal gene soup a thickener?
A little goo will do to get RNA and DNA to progress toward self-replication. Could some abundant ingredient have helped the precursors of genes become life molecules? Another indicator that little drama may have been necessary in chemical evolution.
A few selected highlights
For generations, scientists pursuing an answer performed experiments in water but hit a wall.
Georgia Tech researchers Christine He and Isaac Gállego overcame it by adding an off-the-shelf viscous solvent (the thickener). In separate experiments with DNA then RNA, the copying process proceeded.
In water alone, when cooling sets in, the long chains snap back into their helix structure so rapidly that there's no time for the matching process with the shorter chains. That snapping shut, which happens in both RNA and DNA, is called "strand inhibition," and in living cells, enzymes solve the problem of keeping the long chains apart while gene strands duplicate.
The analogous explanation
High viscosity has been known to slow down the movement of long strands of DNA, RNA and other polymers.
"It's a little like making them swim in honey," Grover said. Applying that to origin-of-life chemistry seemed obvious, because in prebiotic times, there probably were quite a few sticky puddles.
"In that solution, it gives the short nucleotides, which move faster, time to jump onto the long strand and piece together a duplicate of the long strand," researcher He said. In her experiments, it worked.
On the origin of life: Studying how the first biomolecule self-replicated
Source: American Chemical Society
It's the ultimate chicken-or-egg conundrum: What was the "mother" molecule that led to the formation of life? And how did it replicate itself? One prominent school of thought proposes that RNA is the answer to the first question. Now researchers in this camp demonstrate RNA has more flexibility in how it recognizes itself than previously believed. The finding might change how we picture the first chemical steps towards replication and life.
When a short piece of RNA (green) binds a nucleotide analogue (PZG, pink), three different binding modes are observed, suggesting canonical Watson-Crick is not the only possible mode of RNA self-recognition.
Credit: American Chemical Society
Simple fats, amino acids to explain how life began
Source: University of the Basque Country
Summary: A research group has explored how the chemical molecules that could have given rise to life were assembled.
. . . "life involves activity among a huge variety of molecules and components, a change of approach has been taking place in recent years and research that takes into account various molecules at the same time is gaining strength," — Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo, researcher in the Biophysics Unit and of the UPV/EHU's Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science.
. . . "Our group has expertise in research into membranes that are created in prebiotic environments, in other words, in the study of the dynamics that fatty acids, the precursors of current lipids, may have had. The Montpellier group for its part specialises in the synthesis of the first peptides. So when the knowledge of each group is put together, and when we experimentally blended the fatty acids and the amino acids, we could see that there was a strong synergy between them."
. . . "Life emerged out of these basic molecules; therefore, to study its origin we cannot start from the complex phospholipids that are found in today's membranes. We have demonstrated the formation of the first coming together and formation of chains on the basis of molecular precursors. Or to put it another way, we have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve diversity and complexity in biology by starting from chemistry."
. . . "Most likely we will never manage to find the answer to how life began, but we are working on it: all of us living beings on Earth have the same origin and we want to know how it happened."
[Bold emphasis mine] Ok, it is not defeat before they get where they are headed, but I can't help but think this is an albatross around the neck.
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CHRONICLES OF OUR GENERATION
History is the creator of who we are and why we are. It marks the path of knowledge on directing the course of all enterprise, as the past is the prologue of the future.......AMOR PATRIAE
PRELUDE TO WAR AND ITS POSTERS
From Chinatown and the High Line to Washington Square Park fountain and Harlem, scenes from the summer of 1939 are brought vividly to life in rare color footage of New York City.
The Romano Archives footage has just been released 74 years after a French tourist captured the scenes on 16mm Kodachrome.
Life appears carefree in summertime Manhattan, in the year the city hosted the World Fair in Flushing Meadows and months before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Top of the rock: Tourists enjoy the view from the Rockefeller observation deck in 1939
Cooling off: Children splash around in Washington Square Park fountain on the hot summer's day
Still popular: The fountain in Washington Square Park is still a favored place to cool off on a hot day
While some scenes, such as the tourists gathered on the Rockefeller observation deck, appear unchanged today, footage of the High Line shows trains using the elevated railway that has since been converted into a park.
The city's streets appear congested even in 1939, but with classic cars and double decker buses. Even the famed yellow cabs look different. The French cameraman also captured city folk enjoying the summer's day, when it was still possible to buy a pina colada for 5c. Men sit smoking on the steps of brownstones, market traders sell fruit and vegetables off street stalls and women in elegant dresses and hats chat over coffee.
Children are seen paddling and running through Washington Square Park fountain, an open-top bus shows tourists the city sights, and designer shops such as Cartier draw in shoppers.
Changing times: A train is seen on the High Line, which has since been transformed into an elevated park
City life: Neighbors are seen chatting on the steps of a Harlem brownstone by cameraman Jean Vivier
Fresh look: Everyday scenes like this market trader selling vegetables on a street corner were recorded
Color film was just taking off at the end of the Thirties. In the year this amateur footage was taken, Technicolor was being used on the 1939 classics Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
A spokesman for the archive told the Huffington Post the footage was part of a longer film shot by Jean Vivier, who sailed from Marseille to New York on the SS Normandie for a vacation.
Kodak amateur movie cameras had been available since 1935. According to the company’s website, 'Kodachrime Film was introduced and became the first commercially successful amateur color film.'
Timeless: Some scenes, such as the statue of Prometheus outside the Rockefeller Center, remain unchanged
Big apple: New York City was a popular draw for tourists in 1939, the year it hosted the World Fair
Although Kodak had introduced sound on film in 1937, Vivier's film was silent, with a score added later, according to Yahoo News.
Vivier's film was released by the Romano Archive, a digital archive of American and European history privately owned by the Italian Vincent 'Enzo' Romano.
When he arrived in New York City nine years ago, Paul Sahner began to take photographs and short videos of the city as a way of familiarizing himself with New York's topography, and to discover and explore his new city.
In the years since he began the project, Sahner began to feel overtaken by a sense of urgency to document the city exactly as he was seeing it in any particular moment.
'I'm not sure if it's simply that I'm paying attention more than I used to or if there is an actual shift going on, but the rise and fall of neighborhoods seems to be taking up an accelerated pace,' he says.
'Once this time, this moment, has passed it will never return.'
Sahner's project, he says, is not merely about documenting streets and buildings, but rather moments in time.
In this spirit, Sahner began making fascinating 'Before and After' shots. Pairing his own contemporary photographs with shots taken from the beginning to the end of the 20th century, Sahner creates a fascinating contrast of the same place in different eras.
Sahner's website NYC Grid adds another layer of interest to the comparison with a toggle function that allows users to slide back and forth across the photograph revealing more or less of the before and after images.
Grand Central Terminal 1913/2013: The lower level was once only used for suburban commuter trains but the once-bare space is now the dining concourse at the station
Grand Central Station 1984/2012: Not to be confused with Grand Central Terminal, Grand Central Station is a U.S. Post Office on the corner of 45th Street and Lexington Avenue
Union Square West 1894/2013: The Decker Building, second from left in this block of six buildings that has stood for more than 100 years, was the site of the 1968 shooting of Andy Warhol. Sometime during WWII, the minaret crowning the building disappeared
Manhattan Bridge Arch 1915/2013: The arch was built as part of the City Beautiful movement which aimed to 'to create moral and civic virtue among urban populations'
New York Savings Bank 14th St and 8th Ave 1937/2013: The bank finally moved from the neoclassical structure well after the subway station opened in 1931, and the grand building is now occupied by a CVS pharmacy
New York Savings Bank 14th Street and 8th Ave: When the 8th Ave/14th Street subway station first opened in 1931, the New York Savings Bank building had already been inhabiting that corner for nearly 35 years
Bowling Green 1907/2013: The park is New York City's oldest at almost 300 years old, and it - along with the fence surrounding it - is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
23 Wall Street 1917/2013: The former office of J.P. Morgan and Co., across from the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall turns 100 this year. A bombing damaged its facade in the 1920s and recently it has been converted into condos
Bryant Park 1922/2013: Before being named in honor of William Cullen Bryant in 1884, Bryant Park was called Reservoir Square. In the 1922 shot, people watch a demonstration garden being planted near the eastern end of the park
Bryant Park 1922/2013: During the 'before' period, the west side of the park was perpetually in shadow due to the Sixth Avenue elevated railway line that had been there since the late 1870's
Racquet and Tennis Club 1965/2013: The Racquet and Tennis Club, an all-male social and athletic club, was built in 1918 and its height makes it a rare sight on Park Ave, where skyscrapers tower over it
Grand Central Terminal ramps 1913/2013: Sahner says, 'At 100 years old, we tend to forget how forward thinking [Grand Central] is... Without stepping upon a single stair you can go from several stories underground to street level in a matter of moments'
Sutton Place 1915/2013: Sutton Place was home to middle-class brownstones and the Central Park Brewery until the 1920s when rich New Yorkers began building mansions and co-ops; it's still known for its upscale apartments
Park Avenue and Lever House ?/2013: Lever House was the first skyscraper of its kind, built in 1952. The date of the 'before' photo is unknown but Sahner has narrowed it down to between 1952 and 1964, based on other buildings in the shot
As if fighting the Nazis was not enough, British troops faced danger on the home front too... from their gossiping girlfriends.
The hazards of confiding details of military manoeuvres to the fairer sex during the Second World War prompted a poster propaganda campaign depicting women as incapable of keeping sensitive information to themselves, as not to be trusted and sometimes even as spies.
Examples of the famous 'careless talk costs lives' warning are among a newly unearthed and rare, mint condition collection of 200 posters - sized A1 and A3 - produced by the Ministry of Information.
An amazing look at 100 years of military propaganda: The posters that helped the Allies win two world wars - and the REAL story behind 'Keep Calm and Carry On'
The Australian War Memorial houses more than 10,000 propaganda posters
World War I and II posters were published to encourage military recruitment
Others warned civilians not to help the enemy by engaging in careless gossip
Some ask for the conservation of food and resources, such as 'Eat Less Bread'
Posters were designed by artists including Norman Lindsay and Walt Disney
The collection includes an original copy of 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster
That poster has become an iconic British image, used widely in merchandising
'Propaganda' is on display at Victoria's Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
A sailor drowning in a deep, dark sea points his finger at the viewer and stares accusingly. 'Someone talked!' the poster screams.
A concerned-looking father sits in an armchair while his son plays with toy soldiers on the carpet and his daughter sits on his lap asking, 'Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?'
Five short, sharp words below a crown tell the British population what to do in the event of a German invasion in World War II: 'Keep Calm and Carry On.'
These are three of the most powerful images from the Australian War Memorial's huge collection of propaganda posters - one of the largest in the world - amassed over the past century.
Now these posters have left the museum for the first time and are being displayed in an exhibition called Propaganda at Victoria's Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG).
This American World War II poster was issued by the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information. The drowning sailor points accusingly at the viewer as he reaches out for help. The poster is designed to warn of the fatal consequences of careless talk on the home front
This is probably the best-remembered British recruitment poster of World War I. A father sits in an armchair with a look of concern across his face. His son plays with toy soldiers below him on the carpet, while his curious daughter sits on his knee, asking what he did in the Great War
This iconic poster was originally nearly lost. It was never officially released by the British Ministry of Information, as it was designed to be displayed only in case of catastrophe, such as a German invasion. Millions of these posters were pulped before the end of the war in 1945
This poster was produced in the United States by the Graphics Division, Office of Facts and Figures. It depicts a smiling Australian soldier and was designed to promote goodwill between American servicemen and Australians. It is held in the Australian War Memorial collection
The MPRG's exhibition features dozens of posters covering all aspects of wartime propaganda from a time before television and the internet.
Many of the posters encourage military recruitment, sometimes by trying to shame men of eligible age into enlisting.
That image of a daughter looking up from her book to ask what her father did in the war is perhaps the best-remembered British propaganda poster of World War I.
Soldiers on the Western Front displayed it on the walls of their dugouts, with their own answers to the question penciled in.
An Australian equivalent featured a woman in front of a tattered Australian flag with the words: 'Were YOU there then?' Many recruitment posters follow similar themes.
The great Australian artist Norman Lindsay produced a recruitment poster for World War I showing a Digger with his back to a wall about to be bayoneted by a German soldier.
The Australian's desperate, outnumbered comrade is on the ground, arm outstretched, pleading 'Quick!'
Lindsay produced several recruitment posters as well as pro-conscription messages when enforced enlistment for war service was put to the vote. (On both occasions it failed).
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An Australian recruitment poster from World War I depicting two Australian soldiers being attacked by a larger German force, with one Digger on the ground appealing for help. This poster was drawn by Norman Lindsay, the creator of the children's book The Magic Pudding
Towards the end of 1915, a War Census of the Australian population showed 244,000 single men of military age were available for enlistment. The Australian government promised Britain 50,000 more troops - in addition to the 9,500 per month being sent as reinforcements
A Scottish infantryman gestures to an idyllic scene of cottages nestled among green rolling hills in this World War I recruitment poster. The solider points to the scene with his right hand, as his left hand rests on his rifle, suggesting the village is under threat from German attack
The acclaimed painter, writer and sculptor published the classic children's book The Magic Pudding at the end of the war.
Recruitment posters were considered vital in Australia as the country relied solely on volunteers to fill the ranks of its overseas forces.
Towards the end of 1915, following the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, a war census found 244,000 single Australian men of eligible age were available for enlistment.
A recruitment poster of the time featured a kangaroo in front of advancing Australian troops and the words: 'Australia has promised Britain 50,000 more men. Will you help us keep that promise?'
Another evocative recruitment poster depicts a Scottish infantryman gesturing to a picturesque village set in rolling hills behind him in World War I.
With one hand near the muzzle of a .303 rifle the soldier points with his other hand to the cottages behind him, with a caption asking: 'Isn't this worth fighting for?'
Below the soldier the poster demands 'ENLIST NOW'.
During World War II the fear of information falling into the wrong hands was felt strongly by warring countries. To remind civilians and military personnel to keep all information from being overheard by enemy spies, posters spelt out the consequences of sharing state secrets
This British World War II poster reminds the civilian public of the prominence of German spies. A man is split in two. On the right-hand side, he appears to be a fashionable English gent. On the left, he is in full German military dress. The message is not everyone is as they appear
Another example of a poster designed to warn about the consequences of careless talk. This British World War II example by acclaimed graphic designer Abram Games depicts a man's head with his mouth circled as soldiers lie dead below - a result of the man's carelessness
White man pretends to be Japanese in US WWII propaganda film
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That artwork was produced by Britain's Parliament Recruiting Committee, which distributed 54million copies of 200 different posters during World War I.
The most famous of the posters in the exhibition has in recent years become iconic, particularly in Britain.
The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' imagery is now ubiquitous - featuring on T-shirts, mugs and tea towels - but it was barely known before this century.
While it the poster was never officially released by Britain's Ministry for Information there are some reports of it appearing on streets during World War II.
Most of the posters were pulped due to paper shortages by the end of the war but some survived in collections including those of the Imperial War Museum and the Australian War Memorial (AWM).
The Keep Calm and Carry On poster was produced in 1939 as part of a series of three 'Home Publicity' posters.
The the others were 'Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory' and 'Freedom Is in Peril - Defend It With All Your Might.'
Posters were produced during both world wars to encourage civilians to be frugal with resources such as food. Bakery products were among rationed foods. This simple message 'Eat less bread' featured on a poster which was more than 1.5 metres long and 1 metre high
Another poster directed at civilians. This British World War I design was issued by the Coal Mines Department of the Board of Trade. It features a giant lump of coal floating against an orange background. The text urges the viewer to conserve energy by having fewer hot baths
Designed by Walt Disney this poster was issued by the US War Manpower Commission. It depicts a grasshopper clutching a bag and banknotes with a factory in the background and encourages workers to stay in their roles long-term rather than changing jobs frequently
Each poster showed the slogan under a representation of a Tudor crown. Keep Calm and Carry On was intended to be distributed to strengthen morale in the event of a calamity such as German invasion.
More than 2.5million copies were printed and never displayed, meaning the poster was largely forgotten for decades.
Then in 2000 an original Keep Calm and Carry On turned up in a box at a book store at Alnwick, Northumberland, in England's north-east.
The couple who owned the store put the poster on display and it became so popular they began to produce and sell copies.
It has since been mass produced and widely parodied. It has become a 21st Century symbol of British stoicism, according to the Australian War Memorial.
'The simplicity of the design, with the words emblazoned in white against a fire engine red background, coupled with a simplified crown at the top, perhaps accounts for the recent popularity of the poster,' the AWM states.
'Moreover, the "Britishness" of the slogan, advocating a stiff upper lip in times of terror, reflects the courage with which Londoners faced the Blitz during the war.'
A British World War II public safety poster designed by F Kenwood Giles. This was one of a number of posters commissioned by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents by Giles. This poster encourages workers to be aware of spills and prevent industrial accidents
Another workplace safety poster. This British World War II design by H A Rothholz was one of a number of posters the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents commissioned Rothholz to produce. This poster encourages workers to be aware of stray bolts, in case of accident
A World War II poster issued by Britain's Ministry of Labour and National Service. Designer Pat Keely was employed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to produce humorous and visually striking posters to combat the high incidences of workplace accidents
Many propaganda posters stressed the importance of civilians being careful about what they said in public, lest the enemy take advantage of strategically important information.
An American World War II poster issued by the Division of Public Inquiries from the Office of War Information features the image of a drowning sailor in a black sea.
The 'Someone talked!' poster, by Austrian-born illustrator Frederick Siebel, who had served in the United States Army, won a competition judged by US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and others.
It was displayed at New York's Radio City, distributed throughout the nation and became one of the most well-known American posters of World War II.
Among the most stylised and effective of these posters is a British example from World War II highlighting the danger of enemy spies. It shows a man split in two.
On one side the man is a respectable, fashionable citizen. On the other he is in full German military dress. The poster warns: 'Talk less. You never know.'
A British World War II recruitment poster encouraging women to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service, depicting a stylised portrait of a woman wearing an ATS forage cap. It was dubbed the 'blonde bombshell' and was criticised by the House of Commons for its overt glamour
This poster depicts a black and white image of a woman in overalls wearing a headscarf. She leans over a table, clenching her right fist and glaring at the viewer as she implores 'Change over to a victory job.' The woman's plain image is set against the Australian flag in full colour
According to the AWM, 'It is an effective way of asserting visually that not everyone was as they appeared.'
A more complex if less visually appealing example on this theme shows two women chatting in a café while a man nearby listens to their conversation.
In a panel below, an Allied ship is shown sinking, presumably because the enemy had learnt how to attack it from the careless women's small talk.
Other posters were designed to discourage wasteful use of resources.
One from Britain issued by the Coal Mines Department of the Board of Trade in World War I features a lump of coal and urges the viewer to take 'fewer hot baths' and 'save coal'.
And even simpler version states simply: 'Eat less bread'.
Another series of posters stressed the importance of safety in the civilian workplace, particularly in times of war. One such poster shows an oil spill which spells 'Oil' above the words 'Mop it up'.
It was commissioned by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Such posters were designed to reduce high levels of workplace accidents in British factories which could potentially impact the wartime effort.
This simple poster was published by the British Parliamentary Recruiting Committee to encourage men to enlist in World War I. The primary text is printed in blue, set against a white background. The Union Jack appears behind the text, appealing to the patriotism of Britons
This striking design was issued in 1918. It depicts guns and a sailor aboard a battleship at sea. The poster was created to promote the purchase of war bonds with the white space in the upper half of the design left blank to allow for the addition of local text following distribution
Another work-themed poster, issued by the US War Manpower Commission, was designed by Walt Disney and featured a grasshopper clutching a bag and banknotes, with a factory in the background.
'Don't be a job hopper,' it states. 'Our soldiers are sticking to their guns. Stick to your job!'
The poster was meant to encourage workers to stay at their jobs long-term rather than change employers frequently.
When women aren't being portrayed as idle gossipers they appear as glamorous wartime workers.
A British recruitment poster encouraging women to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service was dubbed the 'blonde bombshell', according to the AWM.
The poster was criticised by the House of Commons for its 'overt glamour and reference to potential sexual freedoms for a more liberated female wartime population.'
Depicting a stylised portrait of a woman in profile wearing an ATS cap, it was deemed unsuitable and withdrawn from circulation.
A German World War I poster depicting an eagle's head, representing Imperial Germany, and a dove, symbolising peace, carrying an olive branch . The poster appeals in gothic typeface for subscribers to war loans, which provided more than 60 per cent of Germany's war costs
This Japanese propaganda poster from World War II depicts a victorious Japanese aircraft, possibly intended to be a Zero, and two burning American aircraft, possibly intended to be Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks, in combat. The American aircraft seem headed for watery graves
That poster was by Abram Games, one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, who produced advertisements for Shell, Guinness and British Airways.
Describing his role as a wartime poster artist, Games said: 'I wind the spring and the public, in looking at the poster, will have that spring released in its mind.'
An Australian attempt at enlisting women in the war effort showed a woman in overalls wearing a headscarf, leaving over a table with a clenched fist imploring: 'Change over to a victory job.'
More modern posters in the exhibition protest against the use of nuclear weapons, particularly the testing of bombs in the Pacific by the French.
One such hand-screened poster printed for the Union of Australian Women in 1979 pleads to 'Ban the neutron bomb'.
The gallery describes the exhibition as presenting 'some of the key poster designs used to engage wide social action and response over the 20th century.'
'[The posters provide] an insight into the power of information graphics, advertising and communication strategies to elicit solidarity, engagement, fear, loathing and a call to action.'
A protest poster campaigning against the use of nuclear weapons and the testing of those weapons in the Pacific by the French. The central image is a bomb falling towards the ground. The bold use of red and white in the poster is meant to emphasise the strength of the message
This poster was designed and printed for the Union of Australian Women. All stencils were handcut by Ralph Sawyer and then hand-screened in four colours at the Waterside Worker's Union in Sydney. The poster was distributed to many countries and won a prize in Germany
The AWM holds a collection of more than 10,000 propaganda images, from government-issued recruitment pleas to handmade posters protesting against the Vietnam War.
The posters have been collected from all wars in which Australia has fought and show the different approaches various nations take to propaganda, recruitment and protest.
Danny Lacy, senior curator at the gallery has co-curated the exhibition with Alex Torrens, curator of art at the AWM.
'The selection of posters in this exhibition reflects my interest in modernist design and is paired with Alex's familiarity with the strengths of the memorial's poster collection,' Mr Lacy said.
A British World War II poster showing how 'The RAF's intensive bombing of Germany's war industries continues.' Two Lancaster bombers are seen flying over Germany, the sky lit with criss-crossing searchlights as several major factory fires burn from bomb explosions below
'The memorial has a dizzying amount of propaganda posters in their collection, in fact one of the largest in the world, so these 45 posters selected for the exhibition, have special resonance, and chosen from deep within the archive.'
The gallery states the posters 'compel us to think about the pressures, restrictions, concerns and fears that existed during wartime.'
The AWM's collection has been assembled over the past century, by actively seeking posters from Australian and foreign governments during and directly after both world wars.
Originally a project of the memorial's records section, the collection remained in the research library until the late 1970s when it was moved into the care of art curators.
This is the first time these posters have been displayed outside the memorial.
Propaganda is on at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until July 8. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
A German World War I poster featuring a peasant farming scene. The poster asks 'Do you want this?... Defend our land.' German poster design during World War I was intended to be simple, graphic and visually arresting. Such posters often also extolled an overt German nationalism
Careless talk: The newly unearthed posters warn of the potentially deadly risks of letting slip secrets about military manoeuvres to friends or girlfriends
They lay gathering dust in an old printworks for years until a worker took them home.
After his death, a relative took them to an auctioneers to be valued.
Some of the posters would today be comdemned as 'politically incorrect' due to their portrayal of women
The posters - described by the Imperial War Museum as a 'once in a lifetime find' - are expected to fetch up to £160 per set of four when they go under the hammer.
Today some would be condemned for their 'politically incorrect' portrayal of women, but in a time when television was suspended and before the internet they were an eye-catching and sometimes amusing way of spreading a vital message.
The auction is due to take place at Wallis & Wallis in Lewes, East Sussex, next Tuesday.
Mint: The posters are in pristine condition after being kept safe in the home of a printworks employee
Roy Butler, senior partner at the auctioneers, said: 'After the man passed away, a relative brought them into us, asking if they might be worth selling. I said "absolutely".
'They are quite a find, and as minty as can be. I can remember seeing a quite a few of them myself during the war.'
Richard Slocombe, senior curator at the Imperial War Museum in London, said that the find seemed to be a 'unique case'.
Valuable: The posters are expected to go for £160 per lot of four
He said: 'There are instances of singular posters turning up in peoples' attics, but to have this number turning up in pristine condition is almost a once in a lifetime event.'
They were designed by the Ministry of Information during the Second World War to boost morale at home.
Mr Slocombe added: 'Many of the slogans have entered into the popular consciousness.
Excitement: The haul of the 200 posters has been hailed as a 'once in a lifetime' find
'We've all heard about the ubiquity of Keep Calm and Carry On. But ironically that poster was never actually published. Mainly because its two sister posters - Freedom Is In Peril and Your Courage Will Bring Us Victory were seen as being patronising and condescending.
'From about 1941 they took a more humorous approach.'
He said wartime propagandists were heavily inspired by commercial advertising. Many of the posters feature attractive women with titles such as Tell Nobody - Not Even Her and Keep Mum - She's Not So Dumb.
Rousing: The posters were designed by the Ministry of Information to boost morale during the war
Mr Slocombe explained: 'They had a very contradictory approach to women, and lurched from one stereotype to another depending on the needs of the day.
'At the beginning of the war they were shown to be helpless females in need of male protection.
'Then from 1941 when women were called to do war work, the images became much more positive.
'But in the anti-gossip, anti-spying campaigns, women were often portrayed as femme fatales, or as being unreliable, and vaguely untrustworthy.'
Air Vice Marshall William ‘Bull’ Staton fought in both world wars like the fictional hero, James Biggleworth, after signing on when he was 19
He retired at 54 to allow younger pilots the chance to progress
In just six months he tore down 25 enemy aircraft in WW1
Captured by the Japanese in Java in 1942, but refused to co-operate and they pulled his teeth
Gave evidence against his captors at war crimes trial
AVM Staton's numerous medals will go on sale later this month and are expected to fetch £80,000
He was also a crack shot and led British Olympic shooting team in 1948 and 1952
An air ace who fought in the British forces for 35 years has been hailed as the real life Biggles after joining the service as a teenager and fighting out both world wars before being captured by the enemy in 1942.
Air Vice Marshall William Staton single-handedly downed 25 enemy aircraft at the end of World War I before going on to head his own squadron and inspire RAF strategies until 1945.
Like his fictional counterpart who was replaced by a younger pilot at the end of the famous Biggles adventure book series, AVM Staton from Emsworth, Hampshire, withdrew from service aged 54 to allow younger officers to be promoted.
Air Vice Marshall Staton served the British armed forces for over 30 years, starting his career as a cadet in the Royal Flying Corps before qualifying as a pilot at the age of 19
John Bigglesworth, whose adventures span the pages of nearly 100 books, was created by WWI pilot, W.E. Johns, who based the character on Royal Flying Corporals he had met during service.
The Biggles series was hugely popular in the 1950s and 60s and followed the adventures of pilot James Bigglesworth who fought in both world wars much like AVM Staton
His endeavors could have been directly inspired by the life of AVM Staton whose first action as an air force pilot saw him down two enemy aircraft over the Western Front at the beginning of WWI.
Within the next two weeks he downed an additional five fighters, gaining ace status and a recommendation for the Military Cross, the first of many awards which were to come throughout his 35-year service.
By September 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after bringing down another 11 aircraft, often diving in to save fellow pilots who were being attacked over northern France.
A recommendation describes his 'preference for point blank attack and his frequent rescue of fellow pilots' which led to his popularity.
After being wounded in the thigh by an exploding bullet however, Mr Staton was forced to withdraw from combat for the remainder of the war. His injury won him the Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross.
At the onset of World War II, AVM Staton, who was by now 40 years-old, served in India and the Far East before being made a Wing Commander of 10 Squadron.
He received the prestigious Distinguished Service Order for his contribution to the development of the Pathfinder Force, a team of squadrons which located and lit up target enemy aircraft with flares to improve bombing accuracy.
Air Vice Marshall William Staton (left) with an unknown observer manning a gun. In just six months during WWI AVM Staton downed 25 enemy aircraft winning himself the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1918
The damaged wing of William Staton's Whitley Bomber that was struck by six shells as he flew for an hour in search of an enemy target. Despite the shot-up aircraft, AVM Staton successfully raided the oil depot in Bremen, and flew back to Britain
The Pathfinder Force was incorporated into RAF strategy towards in WWII to light up enemy aircraft, making it easier for Bomber Command to strike with accuracy
THE PATHFINDER FORCE: THE TARGET MARKING SQUADRONS THAT LED WWII FIGHTERS THROUGH THE DARK
At the beginning of WWII, AVM Staton was reportedly disappointed with the low accuracy of his squadron's bombing and encouraged the use of flares to light up target aircraft.
Eventually he suggested the formation of a separate unit to do the job, which would go on to become the Pathfinders Force.
Yet AVM Staton would never have seen the target marking squadrons deployed, after being captured by Japanese guards in 1942 and held in captivity for the rest of the war.
The early Pathfinder force squadron was expanded to become the No. 8 Pathfinder Force Group in 1943.
The majority of Pathfinders used were RAF squadrons, although some were employed from the air forces of other commonwealth countries.
The ratio of Pathfinder aircraft to Main Force bombers varied according to the difficulty and location of the target, with one Pathfinder to 15 Bombers being common.
By the start of 1944, the majority of Bomber Command was striking within 3 miles of the Pathfinder Force indicators, a significant increase in accuracy since 1942.
Nineteen Pathfinder Force squadrons were created between 1942 and the end of the war in 1945.
Weeks later he was again honoured with a second Distinguished Service Order, the Bar, for his extraordinary raid on an oil depot in Bremen, during which he spent an hour trying to locate the target.
After being hit by six shells during the raid, his Whitley aircraft was severely damaged but the officer managed to fly himself back to Britain.
After being sent to the Far East, Mr Staton was taken as a prisoner of war by Japanese guards in Java in 1942. He was moved 16 times from one camp to another before having his teeth pulled out by interrogators with whom he wouldn't cooperate.
After the war had ended the Air Vice Marshall gave evidence at the war crimes trial of three Japanese officers who were found guilty of appalling brutality.
After retiring from service in 1952 to allow younger officers to be promoted, Mr Staton captained the British Olympic shooting team at the 1948 and 1952 Games.
A keen yachtsman, he was the Commodore of the Emsworth Sailing Club in Hampshire before dying aged 84 in 1983.
AVM Staton's impressive career was honoured with an abundance of medals, which are being put on sale later this month and are expected to fetch £80,000.
David Erskine-Hill, of London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, said: 'William Staton managed to defy that well considered RAF adage, "there are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old bold pilots", being twice the age of most of his fellow aircrew in the last world war.
'The combination of gallantry awards he won in both world wars is quite unique.
He added: 'They reflect the type of operational career that one would normally expect to find in the pages of pure fiction.
'Thrice decorated for notching up a tally of 25 enemy aircraft destroyed in six months in 1918, he added a brace of DSOs to his name in equally quick time during the winter of 1939-40.
The collection of medals is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000 when it goes on sale at the end of the month
AVM William Staton (front centre) with the winners trophy from a shooting competition. Mr Staton went on to captain the British Olympic Shooting Teams in 1948 and 1952 after retiring from the RAF
Among the medals being sold is a commemorative medal from the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki where AVM Staton captained the British Shooting Team
'I cannot recall ever having come across a pilot - let alone one in a poorly defended Whitley - remaining over a target for an hour, or certainly not one who made it back to base.
'Add to that his courageous example while a prisoner of the Japanese and you begin to wonder where his story will end.'
'The medals have been in his family since his death and they feel it is time to pass them on.'
His extraordinary medals include the Distinguished Service Order with Bar, the Military Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar and two Mention in Despatches oak leafs.
Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, center, hands on hips, with members of the fascist Party, in Rome, Italy, Oct. 28, 1922, following their March on Rome. This march was an act of intimidation, where thousands of fascist blackshirts occupied strategic positions throughout much of Italy. Following the march, King Emanuelle III asked Mussolini to form a new government, clearing the way towards a dictatorship. (AP Photo) #
Four Italian soldiers taking aim in Ethiopia in 1935, during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Italian forces under Mussolini invaded and annexed Ethiopia, folding it into a colony named Italian East Africa along with Eritrea. (LOC) #
Italian troops raise the Italian flag over Macalle, Ethiopia in 1935. Emperor Haile Selassie's appeals the the League of Nations for help went unanswered, and Italy was largely given a free hand to do as it pleased in East Africa. (LOC) #
In Spain, loyalist soldiers teach target practice to women who are learning to defend the city of Barcelona against fascist rebel troops of general Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War, on June 2, 1937. (AP Photo) #
Three hundred fascist insurgents were killed in this explosion in Madrid, Spain, under the five-story Casa Blanca building, on March 19, 1938. Government loyalists tunneled 600 yards over a six-month period to lay the land mine that caused the explosion.(AP Photo) #
An insurgent fighter tosses a hand grenade over a barbed wire fence and into loyalist soldiers with machine guns blazing in Burgos, Spain, on Sept. 12, 1936. (AP Photo) #
German-made Stuka dive bombers, part of the Condor Legion, in flight above Spain on May 30, 1939, during the Spanish Civil War. The black-and-white "X" on the tail and wings is Saint Andrew's Cross, the insignia of Franco's Nationalist Air Force. The Condor Legion was composed of volunteers from the German Army and Air Force. (AP Photo) #
Scores of families are seen taking refuge underground on a Madrid subway platform, on Dec. 9, 1936, as bombs are dropped by Franco's rebel aircraft overhead. (AP Photo) #
Aerial bombing of Barcelona in 1938 by Franco's Nationalist Air Force. The Spanish Civil War saw some of the earliest extensive use of aerial bombardment of civilian targets, and the development of new terror bombing techniques. (Italian Airforce) #
Following an aerial attack on Madrid from 16 rebel planes from Tetuan, Spanish Morocco, relatives of those trapped in ruined houses appeal for news of their loved ones, Jan. 8, 1937. The faces of these women reflect the horror non-combatants are suffering in the civil struggle. (AP Photo) #
A Spanish rebel who surrendered is led to a summary court martial, as popular front volunteers and civil guards jeer, July 27, 1936, in Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo) #
A fascist machine gun squad, backed up by expert riflemen, hold a position along the rugged Huesca front in northern Spain, Dec. 30, 1936. (AP Photo) #
Solemnly promising the nation his utmost effort to keep the country neutral, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is shown as he addressed the nation by radio from the White House in Washington, Sept. 3, 1939. In the years leading up to the war, the U.S. Congress passed several Neutrality Acts, pledging to stay (officially) out of the conflict. (AP Photo) #
Riette Kahn is shown at the wheel of an ambulance donated by the American movie industry to the Spanish government in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 18, 1937. The Hollywood Caravan to Spain will first tour the U.S. to raise funds to "help the defenders of Spanish democracy" in the Spanish Civil War. (AP Photo) #
Two American Nazis in uniform stand in the doorway of their New York City office, on April 1, 1932, when the headquarters opened. "NSDAP" stands for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or, in English, National Socialist German Workers' Party, normally shortened to just "Nazi Party". (AP Photo) #
About to be engulfed in a gigantic dust cloud is a peaceful little ranch in Boise City, Oklahoma where the topsoil is being dried and blown away during the years of the Dust Bowl in central North America. Severe drought, poor farming techniques and devastating storms rendered millions of acres of farmland useless. This photo was taken on April 15, 1935. (AP Photo) #
Florence Thompson with three of her children in a photograph known as "Migrant Mother." This famous image is one of a series of photographs that photographer Dorothea Lange made of Florence Thompson and her children in early 1936 in Nipomo, California. More on the photo here. (LOC/Dorothea Lange) #
The zeppelin Hindenburg floats past the Empire State Building over Manhattan on Aug. 8, 1936. The German airship was en route to Lakehurst, New Jersey, from Germany. The Hindenburg would later explode in a spectacular fireball above Lakehurst on May 6, 1937. (AP Photo) #
England's biggest demonstration of its readiness to go through a gas attack was staged, March 16, 1938, when 2,000 volunteers in Birmingham donned gas masks and went through an elaborate drill. These three firemen were fully equipped, from rubber boots to masks, for the mock gas "invasion". (AP Photo) #
Adolf Hitler of Germany and Benito Mussolini of Italy greet each other as they meet at the airfield in Venice, Italy, on June 14, 1934. Mussolini and his fascists put on a show for Hitler, but on the details of their subsequent conversations there was little news.(AP Photo) #
Four Nazi troops sing in front of the Berlin branch of the Woolworth Co. store during the movement to boycott Jewish presence in Germany, in March, 1933. The Hitlerites believe the founder of the Woolworth Co. was Jewish. (AP Photo) #
The Nazi booth at a radio exhibition which started in Berlin on August 19, 1932. The booth is designed as propaganda of the Nazi gramophone plate industry which produces only records of the national socialist movement. (AP Photo) #
Thousands of young men flocked to hang upon the words of their leader, Reichsfuhrer Adolf Hitler, as he addressed the convention of the National Socialist Party in Nuremberg, Germany on Sept. 11, 1935. (AP Photo) #
Adolf Hitler is shown being cheered as he rides through the streets of Munich, Germany, November 9, 1933, during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the National Socialist movement. (AP Photo) #
Hitler youth honor an unknown soldier by forming a swastika symbol on Aug. 27, 1933 in Germany. (AP Photo) #
The German army demonstrated its might before more than a million residents during the nationwide harvest festival at Bückeburg, near Hanover, Germany, on Oct. 4, 1935. Here are scores of tanks lined up just before the demonstration began. Defying provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany began rearming itself at a rapid rate shortly after Hitler came to power in 1933. (AP Photo) #
Thousand of Germans participate in the Great National Socialistic meeting in Berlin, Germany, on July 9, 1932. (AP Photo) #
A group of German girls line up to learn musical culture under auspices of the Nazi Youth Movement, in Berlin, Germany on Feb. 24, 1936. (AP Photo) #
Hitler's Nazi party convention, underway in Nuremberg, Germany, on Sept. 10, 1935. (AP Photo) #
America's Jesse Owens, center, salutes during the presentation of his gold medal for the long jump on August 11, 1936, after defeating Nazi Germany's Lutz Long, right, during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Naoto Tajima of Japan, left, placed third. Owens triumphed in the track and field competition by winning four gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, long jump and 400-meter relay. He was the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games. (AP Photo) #
British Premier Sir Neville Chamberlain, on his return from talks with Hitler in Germany, at Heston airfield, London, England, on September 24, 1938. Chamberlain brought with him a terms of the plan later to be called the Munich Agreement, which, in an act of appeasment, allowed Germany to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. (AP Photo/Pringle) #
Members of the Nazi Youth participate in burning books, Buecherverbrennung, in Salzburg, Austria, on April 30, 1938. The public burning of books that were condemned as un-German, or Jewish-Marxist was a common activity in Nazi Germany. (AP Photo) #
Mass gymnastics were the feature of the "Day of Community" at Nuremberg, Germany on September 8, 1938 and Adolf Hitler watched the huge demonstrations given on the Zeppelin Field. (AP Photo) #
Windows of shops owned by Jews which were broken during a coordinated anti-Jewish demonstration in Berlin, known as Kristallnacht, on Nov. 10, 1938. Nazi authorities turned a blind eye as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed storefronts with hammers, leaving the streets covered in pieces of smashed windows. Ninety-one Jews were killed, and 30,000 Jewish men were taken to concentration camps. (AP Photo) #
View of one of the large halls of the Rheinmetall-borsig Armament factories at Duesseldorf, Germany, on August 13, 1939, where gun barrels are the main output. Before the start of the war, German factories were cranking out pieces of military machinery measured in the hundreds per year. Soon it climbed into the tens of thousands. In 1944 alone, over 25,000 fighter planes were built. (AP Photo) #
While newly-annexed Austria awaited the arrival of Adolf Hitler, preparations were underway. Streets were decorated and street names were changed. A workman in Vienna City square carries a new name plate for the square, renaming it "Adolf Hitler Place" on March 14, 1938. (AP Photo) #
The 1939 New York World's Fair
An idea dreamed up at the height of the depression, the theme of the 1939 World's Fair in New York was "The World of Tomorrow." Planners were given permission to develop 1,200 acres in Queens, on the site of a former ash dump . Government agencies, corporations, civic groups, and smaller organizations from around the world arrived in huge numbers, building extraordinary pavilions and setting up exhibitions. The iconic Trylon and Perisphere structures became the symbols of the entire fair; they housed a diorama called "Democracity," a utopian city of the future. Over the course of two seasons, 44 million people attended the fair, catching glimpses of a possible future, and enjoying entertainments from marionette shows and thrill rides to girlie shows and choreographed aquatic extravaganzas.
Rosalie Fairbanks, a guide to the New York World's Fair, points to the theme of the exposition -- the Trylon and Perisphere -- in New York on Februray 22, 1939, after the entire sheath of scaffolding was removed for the first time. (AP Photo)
An aerial view of the 1939 New York World's Fair site during construction in Flushing Meadows, Queens, on May 17, 1938.(AP Photo) #
Shifts covering full 24-hour period were in effect as work was rushed on the filling in of land for the New York World's Fair in Flushing, New York, on December 16, 1936. (AP Photo) #
During construction, a bridge leads from the administration building to the exhibit area of the New York World's Fair, on February 21, 1938. (AP Photo) #
Arlene Warner, "queen of beauty" of Elgin, Illinois, presides at the opening ceremonies of the Elgin Time Observatory at the New York World's Fair on May 10, 1938. She is unveiling a heroic figure of "Time," represented as a slave striking a gong sculptured by Bernard J. Rosenthal of Chicago. (AP Photo) #
The Russian pavilion at the New York World's fair, one of the last exhibits to be completed for opening of the exposition on April 30, 1939. A theater and a restaurant are incorporated in the semi-circular structure, and the exhibits and activities are designed to show the Russia's peoples. (AP Photo) #
The Coronation Scot, in America for the New York World's Fair, made several runs between Washington and Baltimore, where she awakened considerable interest. The Coronation Scot stops here on a bridge near Washington, alongside the famous American train Royal Blue, on March 27, 1939. (AP Photo) #
The World's Fair buildings now nearing completion over seven miles away (upper right) can be seen in the distance from the top of the Empire State Building in New York, on February 27, 1939. (AP Photo) #
Flanked by Boy Scouts, President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened New York's $160,000,000 World's Fair with an address in which he said America has "hitched her wagon to a star of good will", on April 30, 1939. He emphasized the United States' desire for placid living among the countries of the world and expressed hope that the future would see a breakdown of "many barriers of intercourse" among European nations. (AP Photo/John Lindsay) #
Some of the 35,000 guests of honor who listened to the opening speeches in the Court of Peace at the New York World's Fair, on April 30, 1939. (AP Photo) #
A view taken from the side of one of the many lagoons at the New York World's Fair on July 7, 1939. Light brings out some of the wondrous beauty as erected at the "World of Tomorrow". The famous statue of George Washington is silhouetted against the lighted Perisphere. (AP Photo) #
Visitors ascend the "electric stairway" in the Hall of Power at the Westinghouse Building at the World's Fair, on May 8, 1939.(AP Photo/Westinghouse) #
Jamming every inch of space in the huge Hall of Electrical Living at the Westinghouse Building at the World's Fair, crowds stand 6 deep on the sidewalk outside the glass-enclosed structure to watch Elektro, the Westinghouse Moto-Man, perform his 26 mechanical tricks, including, walking, talking, smoking a cigarette and counting, on May 8, 1939. (AP Photo) #
Prominent representatives of the state of Washington look at a diorama of Grand Coulee dam, part of their state's exhibit at the New York World's Fair on May 1, 1939, after opening day ceremonies on April 30. From left are Mrs. E.B. McGovern, U.S. Senator Homer Bone, Mrs. Bone, and Comm. E.B. McGovern, representing the governor. (AP Photo) #
A World's Fair night views of Consolidated Edison's fountains, on June 24, 1939. (Library of Congress) #
With New York City as a backdrop, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (first car) proceed up the Westside highway along the Hudson en route to the New York World's Fair, on June 10, 1939, soon after they landed at the Battery. A score of New York motorcycle police surrounded the royal car, and several men stood guard on the running boards. (AP Photo) #
Presentations are made to Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in the British Pavilion, during their visit to the fair in New York, on June 19, 1939. (AP Photo) #
A workman at New York World's Fair repaints the famed Perisphere, on June 6, 1939. (AP Photo) #
Color view of the 1939 World's Fair. Corona gate with Bulova clock, ca 1939. (Library of Congress) #
The entrance to General Motors' Exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939-1940. The exhibit attracted nearly 25 million visitors.(AP Photo/General Motors Corp.) #
Futurama, the model city of 1960, designed by Norman Bel Geddes for the General Motors Exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1939. This photograph shows an elevated view of the huge model of a futuristic city with widely spaced skyscrapers, double-decked streets with moving cars representing traffic patterns, and parks and landing pads for helicopters and auto-gyros shown on the roofs of low buildings. (Library of Congress) #
"The Road of Tomorrow," an elevated highway of cork and rubber composition, at the Ford Exhibit at New York's World Fair in 1939.(AP Photo) #
Lines to enter the fair at Flushing Gate, on October 27, 1940. (Library of Congress) #
The National Cash Register Building at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Original here. (CC BY Flickr user rich701) #
Workers in an exhibit use modern techniques to package bacon for Swift Premium Meats. (Prelinger Archives) #
Bumps and laughter enliven one of the Fun Zone's many novel rides at New York's World Fair in 1939. (AP Photo) #
Jack Sheridan's "Living Magazine Covers" exhibition, where, for a fee, one could enter and photograph topless models posing in sets designed to look like contemporary magazine covers. (Prelinger Archives) #
Ford Motor Building entrance, May 12, 1939. (Library of Congress) #
Poland's pavilion at the New York World's Fair. (AP Photo) #
Members of the New York World's Fair staff, on a tractor train in 1939. (Library of Congress) #
World's Fair, railroad pageant. Final curtain, May 27, 1939. (Library of Congress) #
A closer view of the end of the railroad pageant, as a "woman of the future", center, brings together performers representing past and present, on May 27, 1939. (Library of Congress) #
An overhead view of the expansive fairgrounds in June of 1940. (National Archives, via army.arch) #
Statue of George Washington on the fairgrounds, on the 150th anniversary of his inauguration. Original here.(CC BY Flickr user rich701) #
Swimmers in Billy Roses "Aquacade" at the Marine Amphitheater at the New York World's Fair, on June 10, 1939. (AP Photo) #
General Motors Building with the B. F. Goodrich Tire Building in the left background. Original here. (CC BY Flickr user rich701) #
Crowds surround a new television in the RCA exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair. (Library of Congress) #
The waterfall exit of the Electrical Utilities Building. (Prelinger Archives) #
General night view of the World's Fair, New York City, September 15, 1939. (Library of Congress) #
The second and last season of this edition of the New York World's Fair closed on October 27, 1940. Unfortunately, events in Europe were descending into a second World War, and budget overruns ended up leaving the World's Fair as a financial failure. Shown here is a view of the View of the Trylon and Perisphere being dismantled in New York, on January 23, 1941. (AP Photo) #
A March, 1940 aerial view of the World's Fair grounds. (National Archives, via army.arch) #
Formerly a New York World's fair excursion bus, the "Spectroheliogram," was converted after the fair closed, to be used to shuttle WAACs to and from work at the armored force replacement training center, July 26, 1949 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. (AP Photo)
The motor, dubbed the 'Ghost Car', is a Pontiac Deluxe Six which, bizarrely, has been covered in the see-through material Plexiglas.
Built in 1939 by General Motors and chemical company Rohm and Haas at a cost of $25,000, it was the first transparent full-sized car to be made in America.
One of a kind: The 1939 motor is a Pontiac Deluxe Six which has been covered in Plexiglas, developed just a few years earlier in 1933
Innovative: General Motors and chemical company Rohm and Haas built the vehicle for $25,000 - an astronomical price during the 1930s
A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE PIONEERING PLEXIGLAS PONTIAC
The collaboration between GM and Rohm & Haas was made for the 1930-1940 World's Fair in San Francisco
At a cost of $25,000, it was the first transparent full-sized car to be made in America
Two Ghost Cars were made but the 1939-1940 Pontiac Deluxe Six is the only won known to survive
It toured the nation's dealerships and went on display at the Smithsonian until 1947, and was subsequently owned by a series of Pennsylvania Pontiac dealers
This model has a three-speed transmission, a six-cylinder engine, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes
Billed as a vision of the future, it was made for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, where it became a sensation at General Motors' 'Highways and Horizons' pavilion; and it continues to cause a stir today.
Just two were ever made and this model, which has a three-speed manual transmission, and is thought to be the last of its kind.
It has clocked up just 86 miles in its lifetime; and now its set to go on sale for the first time since the early 1980s. It last sold for an undisclosed amount. American auctioneers RM expect it to sell for between $275,000 and $475,000 when it goes under the hammer on July 30.
A spokesman for RM Auctions said: 'The car is in a remarkable state of preservation.
'It's a testament to the longevity of Plexiglas in an era when automotive plastics tended to self-destruct within a few years.
'Although it has acquired a few chips and cracks, it is structurally sound and cosmetically clear, showing off the Ghost Car's innards as it did in 1939.
'This motor still turns heads as much as it ever did. It is not, obviously, suited for touring but as a unique artefact from automotive and cultural history.'
Ready for the road: A Pontiac Deluxe Six as it would have appeared in car showrooms in the late 1930s
Seventy-two years of wear: The Plexiglas does have some chips and cracks but is mostly in good condition, according to auction notes
The car has was the result of a collaboration between General Motors and Rohm & Haas, who developed the ground-breaking material Plexiglas in 1933.
The material went on to be used in military planes during World War II and then expanded in to signs, lighting, fixtures, trains and other cars.
Rohm & Haas used drawings for the Pontiac four-door Touring Sedan to create an exact replica body out of the transparent acrylic.
It was completed with structural metal underneath, which was given a copper wash, and chrome-plated hardware.
Rubber moldings were made in white, as were the car’s tires. The only recent mechanical work has been replacement of the fuel lines.
The model also boasts an L-head six-cylinder engine, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.
According to the GM Heritage Center, a second car, on a Torpedo Eight chassis, was hurriedly constructed for the 1940 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island, a man-made island in San Francisco Bay.
Not for touring: The collectible is unlikely to be seen on the road
Transparent: Wires and a spare wheel can be seen through the trunk of the car
Once their respective showcases had closed, both 'Plexiglas Pontiacs,' or 'Ghost Cars' as they were sometimes known, toured the nation’s dealerships. The 1939-40 Deluxe Six is the only one known to survive.
Following the dealership tour, it went on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and was reportedly there until 1947.
It was later owned by a succession of Pennsylvania Pontiac dealers. It appeared at the first annual meet of the new Pontiac-Oakland Club International in 1973 and was purchased by Don Barlup of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Barlup commissioned a partial restoration from S&H Pontiac of Harrisburg and sold it to collector Leo Gephart in 1979.
The current owner’s father purchased it from Gephart in the early 1980s, and it has remained in the same family ever since.
Not surprisingly, it has no conventional vehicle identification number; even the machined boss for the engine number is blank.
A collection of period photos and other memorabilia accompanies the car, which still turns heads as much as it ever did.
Mechanics: The model has an L-head six-cylinder engine, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes
Turning back the clock: The dial on the 1939 car shows the wear of its 72 years
At the wheel: The steering wheel features rings of chrome-plated hardware, and Pontiac's insignia in red
Artefact: The car has clocked up just 86 miles in its lifetime; and will to go on sale for the first time since the early 1980s
Sensation: Billed as a vision of the future, the car was made for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair in San Francisco, pictured here
Vintage: The Transparent Car, on display at General Motors' 'Highways and Horizons' pavilion in 1939, has continued to cause a stir since its debut.
Whether its the pretty girls or parades, hot dogs or hot summer nights, the 4th of July is a day to enjoy the best bits of the Big Apple.
These vintage photographs from as early as 1922 show New Yorkers tanning on Jones Beach and marching down Fifth Avenue - the same celebrations one might spot this week.
Just take peek at the parties of the past to learn that these Yankee doodle-dandys have been committed to the stars and stripes forever.
Girls, Girls: Four of Billy Rose's 'Aquabelles' stage a fashion show of the past, present and future bathing suit styles at the New York World's Fair on July 4, 1939
Stay Cool: Crowds flock to Rockaway Beach to stroll the boardwalk and take a dip on a hot 4th of July in 1946
Me-Wow! At left, fireworks explode around the Statue of Liberty in 1976, while at right, Uncle Sam the cat is gussied up in patriotic flare in 1956
Looking at the photographs throughout the ages, it does appear one thing has changed: the size of bathing suits. Swimwear appears to shrink from one year to the next, though the red, white and blue bikini will probably be here to stay. New York City has been home to the annual Nathan's Hot Dog eating competition since 1916. The competitive eating competition was rumored to have begun in order to settle a fight among four immigrants as to whom was the most patriotic.
Another New York tradition, Macy's fireworks over the water have been televised on NBC since 1976.
In 2009, the fireworks were moved from the East River to the Hudson River to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's exploration of the waterways.
Dance: People trying the Barrel of Fun ride during 4th of July celebrations at Coney Island in 1942
Confetti: Columns of soldiers march in an Independence Day parade up Fifth Avenue in 1942
True Blue: Miss Sybil Bauer poses for a photo after setting four new world's records and one New American record at the Brighton Beach Pool on July 4, 1922
Play Ball: Mayor LaGuardia speaks in the microphone as baseball great Lou Gehrig listens with bowed head at Yankee Stadium, July 4, 1939
Beachy Keen: Jones Beach State Park in Long Island has long been a holiday destination and July 4 in 1936 was no exception
Striking images of New York mobsters from the dirty thirties have been revealed as they come up for auction.
Over 24 years, Eugene Canevari, a detective with the New York Police Department began working on cases involving some of the most well-know crime figures of the era: Lucky Luciano, Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter, Dutch Schultz and Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll.
After retiring in 1952, Canevari took with him a number of police documents and photographs that charted his long career.
Revealed: The files of New York Detective Eugene S. Canevari will be auctioned next week
Now his files are up for auction and they include some incredible artifacts such as original mugshots of gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Johnny Torrio.
The files also contain various other police documents.
Canevari, who born in Greenwich Village, was on a first name basis with many of the mobsters he later prosecuted, having known several since childhood.
Last rights: The collection includes pictures of deceased bodies in suspected homicides laying in coffins
With a career beginning in 1928 at the age of 25, Canevari eventually rose to the rank of Detective 2nd Grade, mainly through his work on organized crime.
In addition to organized crime, he also worked on the NYPD Bomb Squad and Homicide Unit, not to mention his undercover work infiltrating Communist organizations.
Beyond the force, he also protected several celebrities including FDR, James Cagney, and Winston Churchill.
After a long and successful career, Canevari retired in 1952, at the age of 49, having served nearly 25 years.
Attempted train bombing: Fascinating collection related to an attempted train bombing, consisting of five original and seven typed witness statements, most dated February 15, 1930
In one part of the collection, photos depict the scene of an attempted bombing with dynamite on train tracks. A witness statement reads: 'There was a box of dynamite with a bomb wired up ready to explode…I volunteered to go down and take it out of the way as quickly as possible…I collected the sticks of dynamite…The full sticks of dynamite I put back in the box.'
Another states: 'I looked down and I saw it was dynamite and said get away it is dynamite…When I got down on the track I took a stick in my hand and I looked at it. Then I knew it was dynamite.'
In the mafia assassination of Dutch Shultz a typed police report is up for sale. The incident is described in detail on now yellowing paper.
'A Tavern and Restaurant…was entered by three men and upon going to the rear of restaurant opened fire…four men received gun shot wounds of the body and were removed to Newark City Hospital…'
The notes taken at the time by a member of the Newark Police Department, at the bedside of Dutch Schultz, while he was talking irrationally, in a semi-conscious condition are also noted.
‘Please leave me alone Bugs, I was never a bad guy in my life, I’m not a rat. Tough sweating. Augie, I always though you were a rat but I did not think you would do this.’
The report concludes with a description of three unidentified suspects in the shooting. Schultz’s rambling last words became famous, and have been referenced and parodied in many works since.
Shooting report: In the shooting of Dutch Schultz, the gangsters famous last words are recounted.He was assassinated by the Mafia in 1935
Papers: The collection of NYPD reports and documents related to mobsters and complaints, dated from throughout the 1930s
The collection has various mug shots of criminals. Johnny Torrio's is filled out with a physical description and personal details on the reverse, listing his crime as 'Forging In,' occupation as 'Real Estate,' and date of arrest as '4-28-36,' although the date on the identification card in the photo is April 22, 1936.
Torrio was arrested on a forgery indictment for passing a bad promissory note; he subsequently plead guilty to income tax evasion and served two years in prison.
His arrest made headlines throughout the nation, as bail was set at a whopping $100,000 — which Torrio’s wife quickly delivered to the courthouse in cash.
Johnny Torrio: Incredibly influential mobster who mentored Al Capone and helped build the ¿Chicago Outfit¿ in the 1920s (1882¿1957)
History in your hands: The collection contains NYPD reports and documents related to interrogations and witness testimonies, dated between the 1920s and 1950s
Charles 'Lucky' Luciano was instrumental in the development of organised crime across the United States.
In this mugshot from February 1931, Luciano was indicted on two counts of assault in the first degree, both of which were dismissed. This mug shot is probably the most iconic image of Luciano, and clearly shows the droopy eye which he suffered as a result of an earlier stabbing.
A major turning point came later in 1931, when Joe Masseria was assassinated at Luciano’s command, allowing him to take over as the first official boss of the Genovese crime family.
Lucky Luciano: New York Mafia boss (1897¿1962) instrumental in the development of organized crime in the US; he was responsible for splitting the Mafia into five different crime families
Notorious: Al Capone's death certificate. Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate
Al Capone is one of the most famous gangsters of the 1930s. He was part of The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently also became known as the 'Capones',
It was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early 1920s to 1931
Capone became involved with gang activity at a young age after being expelled from school at age 14. he spent eight years in prison between 1931 and 1939. In 1947, he died from a heart attack after suffering a stroke.
Across town New York mobster Joe Adonis was committing other crimes. As a part of his criminal empire, Adonis owned a number of car dealerships in New Jersey, where customers were intimidated into buying ‘protection insurance’ for their vehicle.
Joe Adonis: New York mobster (1902¿1971) influential in the rise of the modern Cosa Nostra
Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll was assassinated by rivals while in a phone booth at age 23.
In photo all are charged in connection with the shooting death of Michael Vengalli, a five-year-old child. Coll earned his nickname in the aftermath, when New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker dubbed him ‘Mad Dog.’
Lineup: Vincent 'Mad Dog' Col (far right)l, Notorious Irish-American mob hitman (1908¿1932) who had been recruited to assassinate Lucky Luciano in a plot foiled by a tip-off
Cast array of artifacts: Consists of over 60 pieces (many original carbon copies), primarily typed police reports and complaints, as well as handwritten notes and some court documents
The world's biggest collection of airship memorabilia amassed by a British businessman over 40 years is being tipped to sell for more than £1million.
David Kirch's hoard - including hundreds of photos of huge German Zeppelins - is so vast he planned to open a museum in an old aircraft hangar he bought especially.
But the 75-year-old, who hoped to offer the public rides on airships at the attraction, never got around to finishing the project and is now selling it all at auction.
A huge Zeppelin airship darkens the skies over an Austrian valley. This photo forms part of a massive collection - owned by David Kirch, from Jersey - which is up for auction
Some of the buttons and badges from Zeppelin tours across the US collected by Mr Kirch. The total collection weighs an incredible 15 tons and the auction house selling it has had to hire extra storage space for it
A Graf Zeppelin is skilfully flown over a lake. The Graf, called after its inventor, was built in 1928. It carried passengers and cargo in perfect safety for one million miles, and seemed to represent the future of long-distance air travel
The total collection weighs an incredible 15 tons and the auction house selling it has had to hire extra storage space for it.
There are 'thousands and thousands' of airship items including flags, posters, photos, toys, models, clocks, instruments, cutlery and crockery.
Also for sale are medals from those who flew and crashed in them as well as commemorative coins, badges and uniforms.
Some of the black and white photos are aerial shots of London, New York and Rome taken from the huge Zeppelins as they hovered menacingly above.
Others show a Zeppelin lit up by dozens of searchlights as it flew over London during the First World War.
Reflected glory: A shining Zeppelin flies over calm waters at Lindau harbour in Bavaria in one of the amazing photographs
Fabric from Zeppelin L31 which was destroyed over Potters Bar, Herts, in 1916
British fighter pilots in WWI flew their biplanes over the top of the Zeppelins and throw these explosive darts (left) at them; A compass (right) from an airship - just part of David Kirch's collection which could fetch £1million
British battleship George V is shadowed by a Zepplin at Kiel, northern Germany, in 1914
DREAD ZEPPELIN: BIRTH OF A GERMAN KILLING MACHINE
During World War I, the Zeppelin had been responsible for the first Blitz over England. And in 1937, the threat of World War II was impending.
The Zeppelin was a wholly German product. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, born in 1838, had been inspired to develop his airship by the sight of tethered balloons being used as observation posts during the American Civil War.
After countless setbacks, he developed his first successful airship in 1900 - three years before Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the world's first powered flight.
It was a tremendous feat which made the count a national icon. The German Kaiser hailed him as the greatest German of the 20th century. Over the next few years he improved on its design.
The individual hydrogen gas cells inside the airship's canvas envelope were better proofed against igniting the hydrogen with static electricity.
Aluminium alloy produced the strength of steel at one-third of the weight, and more powerful engines gave the airships an ever-increasing range.
And so Zeppelins became the first aerial passenger transport... later adapted for war.
There are quirkier items for sale including special darts invented by the British which were thrown by pilots onto onto Zeppelins in a desperate bid to puncture them in World War I.
And Mr Kirch even has disarmed bombs dropped by the German airships on London.
The collection is so big it is having to be sold over four sales at Wallis and Wallis auction rooms in Lewes, East Sussex.
Experts expect the total sum for all the lots will be more than £1million.
Mr Kirch, a wealthy property dealer who lives on Jersey, intends to give the proceeds to charity.
The businessman, who has never travelled in an airship due to a fear of heights, said: 'A friend of mine had a collection of envelopes that had been flown on an airship. He was short of money so I bought them and that's how it all started - back in 1968.
'After that, I became fascinated with airships and I bought anything to do with any airship.
'I bought a lot of papers belonging to a chief steward for Zeppelin and he was their longest serving employee.
'There are also bombs from World War One that were dropped by Zeppelins and also photos and scrap books.
'I love collecting and I used to go around car boot sales and antique shops and attend sales. This is the largest collection of its type.
'I had intended to open a museum to show my collection off and I bought a huge hangar at Cardington in Bedfordshire which was the former base of the UK airship industry to put it all in.
'It was one of those things you dream up, but I never got around to it because I was working on my business.
'There is a Zeppelin museum in Germany, but that has much bigger things, such as engines.
'Because I wanted to make a museum, it had to appeal to everybody so there are children's things and jokey things.
'But now I'm too old so I'm selling it. All the money will go to charity - to the elderly on Jersey.'
Mr Kirch has kept his collection in his home in Jersey and the aircraft hangar he bought.
Some of the photos in his collection show commercial and military types of airship and highlight the size of the industry that came to an end before World War Two.
One of Mr Kirch's photos showing a huge swastika on a German airship, which were used as propaganda tools
Auctioneer Glenn Butler from Wallis and Wallis Auctions, with Zeppelin crew mittens and hat; A captain's eye-view (right) on the deck of one of the massive airships
A Zeppelin under construction. The collection is so big it is having to be sold over four sales at Wallis and Wallis auction rooms in Lewes, East Sussex
'Ocean liners of the skies': The airships cast menacing shadows, left, while passengers inside were able to enjoy luxury dining, right
The British industry effectively ended in 1930 with the crash of R101, the world's biggest airship.
It was on its way to India when it crashed in France with the loss of 48 out of 54 of those on board.
The Germans continued with their industry, but the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 was the beginning of the end of commercial airship travel.
Glenn Butler, from Wallis and Wallis auctions, said: 'I've been in the auction business for over 30 years and I've never come across a collection as big as this on just one subject.
Flight of fancy: Mr Kirch's collection of Zeppelin memorabilia is so vast he planned to open a museum, but he never got around to finishing the project. Pictured, an airship over Austria
A Nazi banner for the airship command; right, a dinner plate from a Zeppelin
High flier: The 75-year-old hoped to offer the public rides on airships like the ones in his photos at his museum
Fascinating: Mr Kirch's hundreds of images include a Zeppelin over the Christopher Columbus statue in Barcelona, left, and an airship over the Middle East in 1929, right
'The collector has found everything connected with airships and there is a huge cross-over of interest.
'There are thousands and thousands of items that weigh 15 tons in total and arrived here in a 40ton container.
'We have had to rent extra storage areas because it is so vast. As soon as we emptied it for the first auction, we filled it straight up again.
'The sales will attract a variety of collectors because there are so many different things; from photographs to medals and uniforms to posters.'
The first sale takes place on Wednesday with two more planned for July and November.
Silently dropping death from the skies... Zeppelins attack Britain in WWI
By CHRISTOPHER HUDSON
By 1912, the airship was considered one of Germany's deadliest weapons.
The British government was at a loss as to how to combat them. Shells attached to grappling hooks were envisaged, and aerial minefields of mines dangling from balloons on a cable, of which Winston Churchill remarked: 'Since Damocles there has been no such experiment.'
It was actually a biplane, dropping a bomb on Tommy Terson's cabbage patch in Dover, on Christmas Eve 1914, which represented the first attack on mainland Britain for centuries. But Zeppelins were not far behind.
Once the kaiser had agreed to bombing raids on most of London except his cousin's royal palaces, the count's airships were over here with a vengeance, almost silently dropping death from the skies.
The commander of the German Navy Zeppelin Fleet believed that Britain 'could be overcome by means of airships through increasingly extensive destruction of cities, factory complexes, dockyards...' and a large number of his superiors believed him.
Many Zeppelins carried incendiary bombs in the hope that they could start a general conflagration. This largely failed, because half of them failed to ignite and most of those that did could be easily doused.
But one raid on the East End gutted several blocks of business premises, killing 22 people and causing half a million pounds worth of property damage.
A Zeppelin in flames over London during WWI. Some of the photos in Mr Kirch's collection show commercial and military (right) types of airship that highlight the size of the industry that came to an end before WWII
Until the middle of 1916, Britain could find no defence against Zeppelin bombers - they flew too high, and any Royal Flying Corps planes which did chase them were shot down by the airships' banks of machine guns.
But in mid-1916 the balance shifted, when a member of the Brock firework family invented explosive tracer bullets. The Germans fought back by inventing Zeppelins which could fly at 20,000ft.
These super-craft encountered many problems, though - if they weren't destroyed by jet-stream winds, their crews were too frozen and de-oxygenated to man the controls.
By the end of 1916, any hopes of using Zeppelins to turn London into a sea of flame had dwindled. Not until the very end of World War I did the Germans begin building vast new Zeppelins, capable of carrying a 4,000kg bomb-load.
By this time, America had entered the war - and the plan was to drop their deadly load over New York, thus paralysing the will of the Americans.
A Zeppelin's eye view of the Vatican in Rome, 1929, from the collection
Thankfully, after thinking about the sure-to-be awful consequences for 24 hours, the German Chief of Naval Operations responded with the one word: Nein!
The Zeppelin did not lose favour with their creators after World War I. In 1919 one accomplished the first transatlantic crossing by flying from Edinburgh to New York against prevailing winds in 108 hours.
Returning six days later, in 75 hours, it achieved the first double crossing, and paved the way for international airship travel.
The huge Graf Zeppelin, called after its inventor, was built in 1928. It carried passengers and cargo in perfect safety for one million miles, and seemed to represent the future of long-distance air travel.
Just as with Concorde after it, the Zeppelin's reputation was destroyed by one tragic accident. It had been, like Concorde, the zenith in luxury travel. But it was doomed - the fate of the Hindenburg ensured the floating airship would always be synonymous with disaster.
But even before the Hindenburg, question marks were being raised. Helium was non-flammable, yes, but helium-fuelled airships were also fragile and had a chequered history.
Of four American-built airships, two ditched in the sea and one was wrecked in violent winds.
The British used rigid airships for passenger mail, but our airship programme came to an end after the appalling tragedy of R-101. France and Italy had similar experiences.
Yet somehow the airship is too seductive a vision for people to give up on it. It floats like a butterfly as it travels quickly and silently to its destination.
Helium-filled airships such as the Stella Artois Star over London have yet to prove themselves in bad conditions. But the new generation of Zeppelins, built in the city of Friedrichshafen, where the only truly successful giant airships have been made, may have put together that broken mould and given back travel's ultimate luxury.
EXPLODING DARTS: HOW BRAVE BRITISH PILOTS DESTROYED THE ZEPPELINS
One of the explosive darts which form part of David Kirch's memorabilia
It was the logical way to take out targets that were essentially massive balloons filled with flammable gas.
When British First World War pilots were asked to destroy German Zeppelins, they did not turn to guns - but a giant exploding dart.
British biplane pilots would fly above the giant airships - filled with highly flammable hydrogen - lean over the side of the cockpit and drop the darts on top of them.
The projectile was designed to puncture the canvas skin of the balloon, drop inside and then explode, igniting the hydrogen.
Zeppelins successfully targeted would explode in a ball flames - similar to the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 - meaning the pilots had to make a quick escape if they were to avoid going down with the airship.
The Aerial Anti Zeppelin Ranken Exploding Dart was invented by Commander Francis Ranken of the Royal Navy in 1915 and was dropped from a height of up to 700ft, but between 300ft and 400ft was the optimum altitude to attack the low-flying German airships.
In the First World War, planes were initially not seen as a weapon, but increasingly became so as their potential destructive power was realised.
Dropping bombs was quickly seen to be an effective way to inflict damage on the enemy - and the method of destroying Zeppelins was a refinement.
They were either dropped individually or in clusters.
Expert Steven Bosley said: 'You had to be extremely brave to use these things.
'To bring down Zeppelins... it was designed to ignite the gas inside, and if you've seen pictures of these things go up you know that the person dropping it would have had to make a quick getaway.
'The plane would have flown above the Zeppelin and the dart was dropped on to the Zeppelin from above.
'The sharp point would pierce the material and then a small charge behind it would explode, igniting the gas.
'They did work apparently, and they showed how quickly air warfare became part of the overall conflict.'
Posted by ASC at 7:48 PM No comments:
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Hollow-Hoax
Dr Norman Finkelstein The Coming Collapse of Zionism
hollowhoax
Yes he is Jewish, and YES he believes there was a Holocaust
For him, and his family, there probably was. They were in the Camps in Germany, and offered no support from Israel, as they did not wish to become Zionist. However, Dr. Norman Finkelstein is today a “Displaced Professor” who has been attacked and driven out of his profession of teaching, because he tells the truth. A truth that Zionists do not wish to hear.
He would be labeled as a “Self Hating Jew” by Zionists, although he is an ICON for Judaism Worldwide.
Norman Finkelstein has the moral gravity of an Old Testament prophet, the scrupulous attention to detail of a Talmudic scholar, and the mordant sense of humor of a Yiddish novelist. All these attributes are on display in Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom, an indictment of Israel’s crimes in the overcrowded Palestinian territory from 2008 up to the present.
The criminal pattern of Israel’s ongoing blockade, punctuated by murderous assaults against the civilian population of the beleaguered territory, will not be news to anyone who follows Israel/Palestine. But the cumulative impact of Finkelstein’s meticulously-documented 408-page chronicle is devastating, and it will leave the reader stunned that the worldwide reaction is so muted.
Finkelstein does have one major new finding. He argues that the major international human rights organizations, after effectively denouncing Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2008-09, have since quieted down, to the point that Human Rights Watch issued only one feeble report after the biggest Israeli attack of all in 2014. Israel’s hasbara (propaganda), along with other kinds of pressure, is successfully whitewashing Israeli crimes.
Finkelstein deals in turn with Operation Cast Lead (2008-09; 1400 Gazans dead, including 350 children); the assault on the Mavi Marmara ship that was bringing medical and other supplies to the territory (9 dead); the less well-known Operation Pillar of Defense (2012; 100 dead, 35 children); and the most savage attack to date, Operation Protective Edge (51 days in 2014; 2200 dead, 550 children). He points out that by contrast, a total of 86 Israelis died in all these assaults, and of the 73 Israeli casualties in the 2014 invasion, fully 67 were Israeli combatants.
Throughout, Finkelstein thoroughly disproves Israel’s justification for its assaults, that they constituted “self-defense.” He points out that Hamas, the largest Palestinian political force in Gaza, did not start the regular hostilities; in fact, the organization showed growing signs of compromise with the reality of Israel, as Hamas’s policy was characterized by what Finkelstein calls “flagrant pragmatism.” Hamas also signed on to a 2014 agreement to end its feud with its rival, Fatah. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened by the specter of Palestinian unity, staged raids across the West Bank; Finkelstein explains that “the rampage was patently tailored to elicit a violent response from Hamas, so as to ‘prove’ it was a terrorist organization.”
Netanyahu issued propaganda during the 2014 Protective Edge assault over what he called “terror tunnels” under the Gaza border, supposedly aimed at Israeli kindergartens. Finkelstein reminds us that in fact, not one single attack through the tunnels targeted Israeli civilians. He also dismisses the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, calling most of them “bottle rockets” or “fireworks,” nearly all of which landed harmlessly. He quotes the Hamas leader Khalid Meshal: “Our modest, home-made rockets are our cry of protest to the world.”
Finkelstein also crushes the hasbara charge that Hamas and Gaza used civilian “human shields” during the fighting, which Israel and its apologists say partly excuses the high Palestinian civilian death toll. He finds that there is not a single credible piece of evidence for the human shield claim, nor is there any proof that Hamas hid weapons in mosques and schools.
He is impatient with the tortured efforts by Israelis and others, including lawyers and ethics professors, to justify Israel’s criminal tactics. He explains that one such scholar, Professor Gerald Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University, said that “Israel had the moral right to flatten all of Gaza.” Finkelstein adds wryly, “Steinberg founded the university’s program on conflict resolution and management.”
Finkelstein devotes considerable energy to the Goldstone Report, the 2009 investigative mission sponsored by the UN Human Rights Council, which concluded that Operation Cast Lead was “designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population.” He has scorn for Richard Goldstone’s eventual recantation of his own panel’s report, mixed with some understanding of the overwhelming pressure Israel brought to bear on the previously respected South African jurist. Finkelstein does show that hard facts still rebut Goldstone’s recantation.
Israel’s 2010 assault on the Mavi Marmara is next, and Finkelstein demolishes Tel Aviv’s dishonest argument that its commandos were fighting for their lives during a desperate melee on board the ship. He asks how the ship’s passengers somehow “plotted and armed themselves to kill Israelis, but didn’t even manage to kill those in their custody, whereas the Israelis took every precaution and exercised every restraint not to kill anyone, but ended up killing nine people.” (Ultimately ten with the death of a Turkish man left in a coma.)
In the book, Finkelstein relies heavily on Breaking the Silence, the truth-telling organization of former Israeli soldiers, and points out, “None of the hundreds of testimonies collected over more than a decade has ever been proven false. . .”
His most original finding — and one of the most alarming — is that the mainstream international human rights organizations have been silencing themselves about Gaza. He writes that Human Rights Watch “just barely issued one report” after the 2014 Protective Edge attack, which was the deadliest assault so far. Amnesty International did somewhat better, but he goes on at great length to argue that Amnesty’s reports were so contorted as to constitute a “whitewash.” He also charges that B’Tselem, the most prominent Israeli human rights group, also “acquitted itself without distinction in its reporting on Gaza.”
His conclusion is deeply pessimistic. He unsurprisingly dismisses the “peace process” as a fraud, and warns that Israel’s power and influence in growing, both in the Mideast and worldwide. “Meanwhile,” he concludes, “Palestine’s star is on the wane,” partly because “the cause of Palestine has now been eclipsed by the numberless humanitarian crises wracking the Middle East.” He predicts that Palestine “will be reduced to the minuscule weight of its demography and territory, and come more slowly to resemble the self-determination struggles in East Timor and Western Sahara.”
Norman Finkelstein has been at the top of Hasbara Central’s Enemies List for more than 3 decades. Over the years, the pro-Israel forces have slandered him, tried to deprive him of his teaching career, and even sought to prevent him from publishing. He is unbowed, continuing to bear witness from his study in the far reaches of Brooklyn. The hasbarists will certainly try to discredit his new book on Gaza. They should be daunted by the fact that he has never once been successfully challenged on matters of fact and hard evidence. Never once.
This following Movie is one of his works best watched
Norman Finkelstein, a Jew, gets it. Why can’t all Jews ‘get it.?’ Why have the Jews let the political Zionists usurp their religion and cause so much human misery? If the Jews are allegedly so smart, and if the Jews are so ‘god-like’ why don’t they see that this murderous Talmud ideology is suicidal for them? Why can’t the Jews control their own evil bastard offspring? When will all the Jews rejoin humanity? When the hell is Judaism going to grow up and mature into human adults? The time to do this is running out.
Collapse of Zionism in America (1&1/4 hrs)
Please Share the Truth
Categories: Archives
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2007: The Year Animals Took Over the Web
Some of the biggest hits on the internet this year are videos and stories about animals and their remarkable behaviour. The dramatic Battle at Kruger – a spellbinding brawl between a pride of lions, a herd of buffalo and two crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park – has been viewed an astonishing 18 million times on YouTube. Nora the Piano Cat, and her hilariously tuneless antics at the keyboard, has so far been watched 8 million times. Snowball the dancing cockatoo – who shakes around to music from the Back Street Boys – is one of this month's big favourites with two million views so far and rising. Then there's Dramatic Chipmunk (14 million views), Spiders on Drugs (9 million views), Otters Holding Hands (8 million views), Talking Dogs (6 million views), Funny Dogs (6 million views) and Wake Up Cat cartoon (2 million views).
Animal news and feature stories are consistently top of news websites' "most viewed" and "most emailed" charts. People don't just want to read the story – they want to share it with their friends and colleagues as well. The appetite for animal news and entertainment is huge.
The popularity of animals on the web has partly emerged because people all around the world are capturing footage of animals on video, digital cameras and phones. It's easier than ever to show off a much-loved pet clowning around at home or to share a chance and perhaps dangerous encounter with a wild creature filmed on holiday.
A new site www.itsanimals.com showcases light-hearted and amusing stories about animals as well as the touching and the serious. Featuring more than 60 videos and over 80 topical and timeless news and feature stories it is compiled from the very latest contributions to hundreds of sites and blogs.
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« Guest Blog: Jeff Goode–A Season of All Original Work
Guest Blog: Monet Hurst-Mendoza–Age is just a number…. right? »
Oh, to spec…
By Larry | Published: May 28, 2012
It’s that time of year again. That time to write a spec script. Now, normally, they tell you… (you know… THEY…) that in order to break into TV right now, you write an original pilot. Showrunners want to see what YOU would do if given a chance to make ANY TV show that would could. They want to hear YOUR voice, see YOUR vision. Which is GREAT. As a playwright, that’s ALL that I want to do. I want to write MY stuff. My rhythms. My characters. Me me me.
BUT. Sometimes… you have to write the spec. (And unless you have another writing sample… like a play… you should.) You have to start writing in someone else’s sandbox, play with other people’s toys… AND… you have to play with them EXACTLY how they would. Ok, not EXACTLY, but, enough that everyone knows you know the show.
It’s the season because THREE opportunities are happening right now: The Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, The ABC Writing Program, and the NBC Writers On The Verge. ALL require specs. So… OFF to the spec machine!
If only. If only there was a machine. But there’s not. The best thing to do, obviously, is to work on a show you love and have seen a lot of. For me, it was Castle. It’s a genre that I like (that I want to write in), it’s got great characters (one of my strength’s as a writer) and it mixes humor and drama (something that appeals to me.) AND, I have a couple scripts from the show and that REALLY helps. Because you want it to LOOK and FEEL like a script from the show. (Again, you’re playing in THEIR sandbox.)
But, it’s just WEIRD. It’s WEIRD to be writing something that is supposed to feel like someone else wrote it. That it’s someone else’s VOICE. I almost feel like I’m cheating. Like I’m aping someone else’s work. It would be like writing in the voice of David Mamet or Tennessee Williams.
As a writer I have worked hard to have my own unique voice… I WANT someone to see or read a play of mine and without having to look KNOW it’s me… But here, for a spec, that’s not the point. The point is to write the best possible script that could fit seamlessly in with the rest of the show.
It’s a creative challenge for me. How can I be ME, show them I’M a good writer, while using the voice of someone else? My strengths as a writer are character and dialogue, which is already more or less decided. So, I’ve decided to work on THEME. To focus my energy on the theme and emotion of the show of where the characters are. I’m lucky that the last season provides some really good space for that.
But, in the end, it’s WEIRD. But, it’s the job that I really want. I really want to play in the sandbox of American TV. In the next post, I’ll talk about why.
This entry was posted in TV, Writing and tagged Castle, imagination, Larry Pontius, NBC Writers on The Verge, playwriting, rewriting, spec pilot, The ABC Writing Program, TV, Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, Weird, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
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Will Hamdan Be Cut Loose?
Salim Hamdan, otherwise known as Guantanamo Bay detainee #149, became the first war-crimes defendant tried by the a U.S. military commission since World War II. About a month ago, the military tribunal convicted him of providing material support to terrorism, but acquitted him on more serious charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism. His sentence was 5-1/2 years in prison (prosecutors sought 30 years to life), and with time served, he will become eligible for release in early January 2009.
The six-member military jury found the evidence did not support prosecution claims that Hamdan, who was Osama bin Laden's driver, was a hard-core terrorist rather than a low-level functionary in al Qaeda's motor pool. Hamdan was also the plaintiff in the 2006 Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case in which the Supreme Court declared that the president's military tribunal's were unlawful in that they violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention. In the fall of 2006, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act which crafted new rules for such tribunals. There has been no shortage of legal wrangling over the treatment and status of enemy combatants, most recently in the form of the Boumediene v. Bush case, decided June 12, 2008, where the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that constitutionally guaranteed right of habeas corpus review applies to persons held in Guantanamo and to persons designated as enemy combatants on that territory. In other words, Gitmo detainees can file habeaus corpus petitions in civilian court to challenge their detention.
Jonathan Mahler, author of a book about the Hamdan case, writes that "It remains unclear whether he was a dedicated lieutenant of bin Laden's-'a body man for bin Laden,' as one of the government lawyers once described him to me--or, as his defense lawyers claim, little more than a lowly foot soldier."
But numerous news outlets have reported that Hamdan, a Yemini national, won't be going home anytime soon. According to the Wall Street Journal ...
The Bush administration maintains it can hold prisoners classified as unlawful enemy combatants, such as Mr. Hamdan, indefinitely. Under this policy, Mr. Hamdan won't necessarily be released when his sentence ends. Rather, the government may decide to continue imprisoning him on grounds that he remains a threat.
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Impressions: Ti West’s House of the Devil
An incredible film review-and-essay by Hunter Stephenson on Ti West’s House of the Devil (2009):
“I don’t care whether the female characters in so many of the aughts’ horror films die or live or get naked while doing both. They’re too fake to die and too dumb to live.
The state of American horror and the presentation of females therein is funny because a lot of today’s non-amateur porn has the same freaking problem. There’s a reason why Brett Ratner loves Playboy: like a lot of the dudes at Platinum Dunes, his taste in pussy is as boring and airbrushed as his filmmaking.”
Hunter’s right.
And House of the Devil is certainly 2009’s best horror film, insofar as it at least goes toe-to-toe with Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist (for starkly different reasons, the latter being more of a psychosexual art house horror film). The fear that is exorcised in House of the Devil, however, is a lot more basic (like a direct electrical socket to the subconscious).
It’s a shame, then, that the “best horror film of 2009” is, conceptually, an ersatz recreation and “best of” homage to the slasher/horror reels of the vintage ’70s and ’80s — a lineage of films that inherently defines its power (think Tobe Hooper, William Friedkin, John Carpenter [before he sucked], Wes Craven [before he sucked]). This is as opposed to a progressive attempt at dethroning the Brett Ratner/Platinum Dunes paradigm that has (over the first decade of the aughts) metastasized across American horror cinema. In that sense, Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist better succeeds as a progressive horror film that inadvertently deconstructs today’s glorified Goth industrial horror music videos (Resident Evil) and the unimaginative exploits of mainstream torture porn (Hostel, Saw).
House of the Devil, however, is deceptively kitschy. It begins as a Reagan-era high school reunion of references, the stuff that American Apparel is made of. The over-30s viewer is invited to sit back in his/her seat and reminisce over a bygone era of slasher films. This is a comfortable chair to be in, of course, particularly for a horror veteran.
Someone get the popcorn.
Then, without caveat or seam, the picture incrementally devolves into an excruciating chimera of the menace that once tattooed the psyches of audiences that first espied Kubrick’s The Shining or Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It helps that the female lead in House of the Devil is svelte, ordinary and intelligent (therefore familiar) rather than voluptuous, naïve and dumb (therefore uninteresting). I am vaguely reminded of Cécil De France’s performance in High Tension (released in 2004), a slasher film with a powerful female lead (a la Aliens-era Sigourney Weaver) that was enormously underrated.
It’s very simple, you see. If the viewer can relate to the protagonist, then he or she will care about said protagonist’s livelihood near the end of the movie.
Yes, that lesson is grade school simple, but it’s something that Hollywood rarely understands.
HoTD also seems to actively explore another deep-seated taboo in Americana: Satanism and the Occult. Ti West deftly designed the film as a part-time narrative study on the Satanic Panic that caromed through the media between the 1980s and the late 1990s, when claims and accounts of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) were largely exacerbated and exorbitantly discredited.
But this is where Ti gets smart.
Throughout his film, he demonstrates the question: Does that mean that none of these alleged incidents ever happened?
HoTD exists somewhere between the truth and the myth of SRA, and that’s partly why this film succeeds.
Why The Live-Action Film Adaptation of Akira is Going to Suck
M. Night Shyamalan is Jaded
Box Office Blues for Scott Pilgrim
Schadenfreude High of the Day: RootMusic's BandPage Application for Facebook May Mark the Death of MySpace
Review // Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
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"Sour"
E.J. Dionne has an excellent column in today's WaPo about Karl Rove's increasingly desperate lying. On one point, however, even Rover has to concede the truth:
In explaining Bush's poor standing, Rove kept going back to the war in Iraq. "They're just sour right now on the war. And that's the way it's going to be," Rove said of the voters. At another point, he acknowledged that the war had created discontent in the land. "I think the war looms over everything," he said.
Gee, I can't possibly imagine why Americans would be "sour" over the war. They just must be a bunch of malcontents and depressives; certainly nothing about being lied into a disastrous war with no end could reasonably make people "sour," could it? And none of that would have anything to do with you, Karl, or your boss, could it? Huh, motherfucker?
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Archives Advisory Board
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Amos G Avery
Kitty Brehme Warren
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Charles B. Davenport
Charles DeLisi
Hugo Fricke
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Carol Greider
Reginald G. Harris
Winship Herr
Alfred D. Hershey
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Hermann J. Muller
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Reginald Gordon Harris was born in Medford, Massachusetts, on July 18, 1898, the son of Rev. Benjamin Robinson Harris, a Baptist minister, and Agnes Adella Wilder Harris. He grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, and spent summers in Bradford New Hampshire. He entered Brown University in 1915, and first studied at Cold Spring Harbor in the summer of 1916.
He was a member of the R.O.T.C. at Brown. During World War I he trained in Plattsburg, New York; afterwards he was commissioned a lieutenant.
The war over, he returned to Brown, where he worked towards a graduate degree in biology while completing his undergraduate degree. He received the Ph.B. and M.A. in 1918. He spent the summer of 1918 and the summer of 1919 at Cold Spring Harbor as an assistant. In 1919 and 1920 he accompanied J. Chester Bradley on the Cornell Entomological Expedition to South America. He was supported in this by a donation from a wealthy supporter of the Biological Laboratory.
He attended the University of Paris on an American Field Service Fellowship from 1921 to 1923, and while in France he studied at the Station Zoologique de Wimereux.
Harris married Jane Joralemon Davenport at Cold Spring Harbor in 1922.The couple traveled to Northern Africa in 1923, where he engaged in eugenics research. In August of that year he was appointed Acting Director of the Biological Laboratory, which from its inception had been operated as a department of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, since 1898 under the direction of Harris's father-in-law Charles B. Davenport. In February of 1924 the Biological Laboratory was transferred to the Long Island Biological Association, and Harris was elected to the director's position.
He moved quickly to transform the institution into a major research center. In the first annual report of the Biological Laboratory he noted that "it is noteworthy that the office of laboratory director is no longer a seasonal operation. The laboratory director is in residence at the Laboratory throughout the year, occupied with executive duties and research. This change in the nature of the office is a step toward the realization of the policy to make the Laboratory of use to biologists throughout the year." He received his Ph. D. from Brown in 1924. In 1924 Richard O. Marsh, an engineer who had traveled to Panama, brought with him to New York City a group of Kuna Indians, a tribe whose desire for autonomy from the Panamanian government he espoused. To the media Marsh suggested that lighter-skinned Kuna, who were part of a significant minority within the tribe, might be the descendants of Vikings. A scientific investigation was proposed. The Department of Genetics of the Carnegie Institution of Washington was based in Cold Spring Harbor, and its director was Davenport. He and other geneticists commissioned Harris to travel to Panama to investigate the causes of light skin among the Kuna, and this he did in 1924 and 1925 in what has been termed the Second Marsh-Darien Expedition. His wife accompanied him as the expedition artist. The expedition coincided with the efforts of the Kuna to obtain autonomy from the government of Panama, and it is discussed in James Howe's A People Who Would Not Yield (1998), which includes photographs from it.
Harris was an active and successful interpreter of the work of the Biological Laboratory to its wealthy neighbors, and he brought in much funding from them for a year-round program of increasing importance to science. A portion of the land of the laboratory was leased to it by the Wawepex Society, and in 1925 he urged the board to purchase land adjacent to this land that had come on the market. He established a Scientific Advisory Committee in 1926 to examine critically the work of the Laboratory and to guide its activities as a research center. The laboratory gained administrative and laboratory space with the Nichols Building (1928), which he had championed. To explore how the work of the laboratory might be more far-reaching Harris formed a Special Advisory Committee on General Physiology and Biophysics. This committee recommended that Hugo Fricke be appointed Resident Investigator in Biophysics. After Harris obtained funding, the James Laboratory was built for Fricke's research in 1929.
From January until March 1927 Harris was in residence at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, where he worked with reproductive biologist George W. Corner.
Harris and his wife traveled to Guatemala in the spring of 1933 and to Colombia in the spring of 1934, collecting orchids on both trips.
Harris worked diligently in the fall of 1935 to edit the minutes of the symposium. His last official act that year was attending the meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee in Princeton on December 30. He died in early January 1936 of pneumonia.
The Reginald Harris Collection consists of biographical documents, professional correspondence, and records of biological research expeditions spanning Central and South America and North Africa. It is divided into three record groups: Record Group I: Photographs, 1916-1925, Record Group II: Personal Papers, Record Group III: Professional Papers. Of note, the administrative records of the Long Island Biological Association contain information that relates to this collection.
The collection includes documents, college essays, research notebooks, scrapbooks, and photographs. Most of Harris's personal correspondence is to and from his family, with his brother, Rev. Malcolm Harris, being a major correspondent. Other personal correspondence is with scientists to include Bradley, and geneticists William E. Castle, Corner, Thomas Hunt Morgan, and H. M. Parshley. There are two years (1924-1925) of Harris's correspondence for the Life Extension Institute, an agency founded to counsel prospective marriage partners on their genetic suitability for marriage.
Harris's professional correspondence is chiefly (though not exclusively) administrative after 1924; it has not been broken out into sent and received, as most of his letters are carbon copies. An inventory has been created of Harris's professional correspondents.
The collection contains both most of Harris's published writings in manuscript and as printed and research that was not published. The large number of negatives and loose photographs from the Cornell Entomological Expedition to South America have been identified in this finding aid by markings on the envelopes in which they were held by Harris (numbered A1-D22). An inventory has been created of the Panama photographs based on Harris's descriptions and Howe's captions.
The material from the Second Marsh-Darien Expedition in this collection is extensive. Among other things it includes hair clippings, glass lantern slides, a sheet of picture writing, a research notebook, and many photographs. The photographs, negatives, and lantern slides that are captioned are those that were seen and described by anthropologist James Howe. Howe's captions have been retained because of his knowledge of the Kuna and their history. There is no evidence in Howe's inventory (that accompanied his letter-of-gift) that he saw the Glenn Gift material that relates to this expedition before his donation.
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TURKISH FLAG RAISING CEREMONY AT THE STATE HOUSE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO ON OCTOBER 29,2004
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />TURKISH REPUBLIC DAY SPEECH<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Dear Members of The Turkish American Community and Dear Friends,
I like to welcome you to the 80th Anniversary Celebration of the Turkish Republic. As all of you know, the Turkish Republic was founded on October 29, 1923, by the leadership of our first President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Eighty years passed since then. During these eighty years, the world has witnessed several wars. Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War, numerous wars in the Middle East, to name a few. We have also witnessed the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the emergence of new nations and republics in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.
But the word " Republic" was not always used as it was intended. Often, even the tinniest dictatorships used the word "Republic", to disguise their form of government. On the other hand, Ataturk and The Grand National Assembly used the word "Turkish Republic" in its true sense. "Turkiye Cumhuriyeti" or" Turkish Republic. " Cumhur " meaning: "The People". "Cumhuriyet": meaning " The Government by The People".
<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><?xml:namespace prefix = w ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" />
Government by the People, for the People. Doesn't this remind us of something?
Today two years after the tragic events of September 11, the World is still looking for some answers in rebuilding relations between, East and West, Muslim and Christian and Jewish faiths. People in our communities and elsewhere are trying to learn more about other people, other religions, other countries with the hope of peaceful coexistence and a better world for our children and the next generations to come. People all over the world are looking for some answers, searching for models. They are talking about tolerance and understanding the "Other Side".
Well, they don't need to look any further. The Turkish Republic with its eighty-year history shines a role model for an all nations looking for these answers. Yes, The Turkish Republic, with it's secular state and pre-dominantly Moslem population, serves as a bridge between East and West, religious tolerance between all faiths, ethnic diversity, yet one national unity.
We the Turkish-Americans are proud of our heritage and our eighty-year young Republic. As Ataturk once said and it immediately became the motto of Turkish Republic: PEACE AT HOME AND PEACE IN THE WORLD.
PS: This speech was delivered by Cem Ozmeral, President of TAACO during the Republic Day Celebrations at the Fawcett center of The Ohio State University
THE PLAIN DEALER,NOV 16 2006 ISSUE
CEM OZMERAL AND GOVERNOR TAFT
SLIDE SHOW OF FLAG RAISING CEREMONY
RESOLUTION PRSENTED TO TAACO BY GOVERNOR BOB TAFT
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Arthur Russell and Buddhism
December 20, 2010 by marcusboon Leave a Comment
I’m just finishing Tim Lawrence’s excellent biography of Arthur Russell, Hold On To Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973-1992. In some ways, New York in the 1970s is starting to be very well charted territory, but the complicated web of connections between different scenes which is described in this book is still news, and Lawrence draws out these connections with the same loving detail he brought to his first book, Love Saves The Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979. The book nicely complements the recent compilation of Russell protégé Peter Gordon’s Love of Life Orchestra – a group that variously featured Kathy Acker on vocals, Laurie Anderson, Rhys Chatham and many others. I think Lawrence underplays the breadth of the “mutant disco” scene – there’s no mention of Ze Records, the Bush Tetras, Arto Lindsay’s various dance projects – but maybe Russell’s path somehow didn’t intersect with “punk funk” or the other post-new wave styles that were floating around when I first visited New York in the early 1980s.
One of the surprises the book contains is that Russell was a committed Buddhist. Russell was turned on to Buddhism in San Francisco in the early 1970s when he was involved with a Theosophical sounding commune called Kailas Shugendo, and then with a Japanese Shingon priest Yuko Nonomura (Shingon being an esoteric form of Japanese Buddhism with similarities to Tibetan Vajrayana). After that he appears to have made his own way, supported by friendships with Buddhists such as Allen Ginsberg, who Russell performed with and lived in the same building as for decades. He was either incapable of orthodoxy or uninterested in it: his Buddhism more like the “spontaneous Beat zen” of the early Beats which, as Hakim Bey argues, was arguably more true to the core of Buddhist thought and practice than the more orthodox and technically authentic versions of Asian religious traditions which dominate in Europe and the Americas today.
It’s still kind of shocking to read that Russell’s early disco masterpiece “Is It All Over My Face?” was produced according to Buddhist principles:
“… Arthur planned to record a song that bubbled with the earthy, collective spontaneity of the dance floor …. In order to realize this goal, Arthur decided to run the recording sessions as a live mix and knowingly fell back on the philosophy of Chögyam Trungpa and Ginsberg, who argued for the poetic value of unmediated inspiration and lived according to the maxim “First thought best thought.””
Recording sessions took place on a full moon, because that “is a time of celestial energy, productivity, and ritual.” Definitely a key event in a generally still unwritten history of queer post-hippie spiritual practice. And although the goal of such recording sessions was generally to produce a capitalist commodity, i.e. a 12 inch single, the situation is more interesting than that kind of crude summary. For one thing, Russell was notorious for playing with time in the studio and most of the recordings he made were never finished, let alone released. As with Jack Smith’s endlessly respliced movies, Russell made rhizomes of sound that seem to have been an end in themselves. For another, the tapes produced in these recording sessions were often played at places like Nicky Siano’s Gallery or the Paradise Garage without ever being officially released, in the same way that Jamaican dub plates allowed for dancehall transmissions that would often simultaneously be kept a secret by not being labelled and packaged for the marketplace.
When you start to look, a lot of Russell’s songs have obviously Buddhist lyrics. The pre-François K version of “Go Bang” starts with the lyric “Thank you for asking me questions/you showed us the face of delusion/ to uproot the cause of confusion”. While the famous chorus line “I wanna see all my friends at once/I’d do anything to get a chance to go bang, I wanna go bang” is usually interpreted as celebrating an orgiastic dancehall sexuality, it could just as easily be talking about the Bodhisattva’s vow to bring all sentient beings together to perfect enlightenment. Nor is there necessarily a contradiction between the erotic and Buddhist meanings of the lyric since in Tantric Buddhism, bliss is an aspect of the realization of emptiness or sunyata. Russell’s dance music has a peculiar suppleness and flexibility, it feels truly at ease and open, always morphing in unexpected and delightful ways – listen to “Let’s Go Swimming” some time – and that is how the greatest Buddhist teachers I’ve met have felt too.
What could, would or should a Buddhist music sound like? Maybe the question is meaningless: a number of Buddhist artists who I’ve talked to about the relationship between their work and their Buddhist practice have bluntly denied any connection between the two, even when their music or paintings or poetry are full of explicit references to Buddhist ideas. Generally such people embrace Buddhism as a traditional practice that is self-sufficient and separate from other aspects of their “modern” lives. “Buddhist music” then would be something that sounds like music associated with a particular Buddhist tradition or culture. But that then suggests that Buddhist culture is somehow frozen within a particular set of historical forms which it must dutifully repeat in order to appear authentic.
There have been a number of interesting books about Buddhism and the poetic avant-gardes, but Buddhism and contemporary music has barely been thought about. Maybe it’s because John Cage captured the brand of “Buddhist composer” so early on, although as La Monte Young once noted, “John Cage dipped into the well, but how deep did he dip?” I love Cage, and I happen to think that we have yet to find out how deep he dipped, but it’s true that his version of Buddhist music is just one version, with very particular musical decisions built around a particular set of East Asian Buddhist histories. Philip Glass seems to me a great Buddhist in terms of his support of a community of musicians (including Russell), but his music comes from other places. Although she denied it when I asked her about it, Eliane Radigue’s drones, with their emphasis on slow transformation of tonal combinations feels very meditative, and her collaboration with Robert Ashley on the life of Milarepa is stunning, reading the Tibetan saint as an old-timer in a American western. Ashley himself references Buddhism often, and his use of vernacular conversational lyrics in records like Private Lives and Automatic Writing (two of my favorite records ever ever) has an openness and spontaneity whose sources are surely in Cage, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and other practitioners of Buddhist inflected “spontaneous bop poetics.”
But Russell doesn’t really sound like any of these composers with the possible exception of Ashley. Maybe Ginsberg’s musical adventures such as First Blues, which Russell actually plays on, were important. Don Cherry was making a similarly eclectic Buddhist music throughout the 1970s, blending rock, and electric African sounds with Tibetan Buddhist chanting on records like Brown Rice and Relativity Suite. While Russell is fearless in moving between genres, he also displays a kind of warped respect for the fragile construction of those genres – which is why I was able to hear “Go Bang” for the first time in a Soho London nightclub full of strictly old school funk freaks. I think Lawrence does a great job of showing how an ethics of openness and spontaneity are expressed in Russell’s music, and in the ways that he imagined his music being used socially, to break down barriers between scenes, styles and so on. As with John Giorno’s poetry, there’s a non-coercive opening up of mental and physical spaces through montage and repetition. You don’t need to know that “this is Buddhist music” because that labeling would reify what’s going on and turn it into a mere idea of Buddhism. The “logic of sense” is loosened up in a melodic and rhythmically disciplined way — and that’s how the joys of the dancehall and the recognition of emptiness resonate.
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 1970-1979, 1973-1992, Allen Ginsberg, Arthur Russell, Arto Lindsay, Buddhism, Don Cherry, Drone, Eliane Radigue, Hakim Bey, Hold On To Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, John Cage, John Giorno, Kailas Shugendo, La Monte Young, Love of Life Orchestra, Love Saves The Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, mutant disco, Nick Siano, Paradise Garage, Peter Gordon, Philip Glass, Spontaneous Bop Poetics, The Gallery, Tim Lawrence, Yuko Nonomura
David Crompton says
Thanks for this, Marcus–very interesting stuff.
theoldpond0 says
beautiful! beautiful! I really appreciate this! yes, the recognition of emptiness and the joys of dancehall resonate in the “logic of sense”, that’s such a smart statement!
I hope more people will look into this- the connection between Arthur’s Buddhist practice and his music. sometimes I feel like he was a great Bodhisattva and that this is yet to be appreciated. though in some sense I think it has been appreciated by people who appreciate his music.
Arthur Russell and Buddhism « Buddhist Art News says:
[…] [link] […]
He wanted to write Buddhist bubble-gum music | Songcography.com says:
[…] The most active was a younger, more energetic cello-playing adept called Jigme, whose real name was Arthur Russell… Jigme… joined Jonathan Richman’s proto-punk band the The Modern Lovers. After […]
He wanted to write Buddhist bubble-gum music | Buddhist Art News says:
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Photo by: Getty Images Are Lawyers Necessary in all Cases?
The Constitution mandates that all persons accused of a crime have a right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, a lawyer will be appointed for you. But if you are in a car accident, need to declare bankruptcy or are a victim of discrimination, you have no right to an attorney even though your job, family, home or life savings may be on the line. Join us for this edition of Justice Talking as we ask: Should all Americans have a right to an attorney when they are sued or when they want to file a lawsuit of their own? And if you don’t have a lawyer, can you really get justice?
Interview with Deborah Rhode
Host Margot Adler speaks with law professor Deborah Rhode about the historic Gideon v. Wainright Supreme Court decision and efforts to extend its protection of citizens' right to legal representation to civil cases.
Deborah Rhode is Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law at Stanford University Law School. A faculty member since 1979, she is currently the director of the Stanford Center on Ethics. She has been a senior counsel to minority members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee and a cooperating attorney for the ACLU. She has also taught at Harvard, Columbia and Yale law schools. Rhode is the author of In the Interests of Justice: Reforming the Legal Profession.
Report from Los Angeles
Reporter Robin Urevich visits a Los Angeles coffee bar where legal self-help service is dispensed with the mocha latté.
Legal aid proponent Daniel Greenberg engages industry advocate Martin Kaufman in a debate on providing government-funded lawyers to defendants and plaintiffs in civil actions.
Daniel L. Greenberg oversees the pro bono program at Schulte Roth and Zabel, LLC in New York City. He was formerly the president and attorney-in-chief for Legal Aid Society, the country’s oldest and largest provider of legal services to the poor. Greenberg has also been a distinguished visitor at New York University School of Law and director of clinical programs at Harvard Law School.
Martin S. Kaufman is senior vice president and general counsel of the Atlantic Legal Foundation, which advocates the principles of free enterprise, the rights of individuals and limited government. Kaufman was formerly in private law practice, where he practiced commercial and civil litigation involving antitrust, securities, and energy issues. He has also served as deputy assistant general counsel for international trade and emergency preparedness for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Gideon v. Wainright Supreme Court decision establishing a right to representation by an attorney in a criminal case.
Poverty Law Center (PDF)
Civil Gideon: If Not Why Not? - Washington State Bar Association (MS Word Doc)
Brennan Center for Justice
Public Justice Center
Civil Gideon: An Idea Whose Time Has Passed - Calvert Institute for Policy Research
The Right to Counsel in Civil Cases - National Legal Aid and Defender Association (PDF)
Jurisdictionary
Self-Help Legal Center - Southern Illinois University
Dude, What Are My Rights? the Self-help Legal Survival Guide for Ages 18-25
by Corbin G. Keech, Charles W. Fairchild
How to Find the Best Lawyers: And Save over 50% on Legal Fees (Don't-Do-It-Yourself Legal Self-Help Books)
by John Roesler
Settle It Yourself: Who Needs a Lawyer
by Fred Benjamin, Dorothea Kaplan
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Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn – Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion
Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26.2B in cash, makes big move into enterprise social media : REDMOND, Wash., and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — June 13, 2016 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) on Monday announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. LinkedIn will retain its distinct brand, culture and independence. Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of LinkedIn, reporting to Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Reid Hoffman, chairman of the board, co-founder and controlling shareholder of LinkedIn, and Weiner both fully support this transaction. The transaction is expected to close this calendar year.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most valuable professional network and continues to build a strong and growing business. Over the past year, the company has launched a new version of its mobile app that has led to increased member engagement; enhanced the LinkedIn newsfeed to deliver better business insights; acquired a leading online learning platform called Lynda.com to enter a new market; and rolled out a new version of its Recruiter product to its enterprise customers. These innovations have resulted in increased membership, engagement and financial results, specifically:
19 percent growth year over year (YOY) to more than 433 million members worldwide
9 percent growth YOY to more than 105 million unique visiting members per month
49 percent growth YOY to 60 percent mobile usage
34 percent growth YOY to more than 45 billion quarterly member page views
101 percent growth YOY to more than 7 million active job listings
“The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centered on connecting the world’s professionals,” Nadella said. “Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.”
https://youtu.be/-89PWn0QaaY
Microsoft and LinkedIn will host a joint conference call with investors on June 13, 2016, at 8:45 a.m. Pacific Time/11:45 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss this transaction. The call will be available via webcast at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor and will be hosted by Nadella and Weiner, as well as Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. The presentation for the call is available on the Microsoft News Center.
Read More Info at : http://news.microsoft.com/2016/06/13/microsoft-to-acquire-linkedin/
Filed Under: Breaking news, Business, Technology Tagged With: Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn, press note
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kitmaker.net web
SPz MARDER
SPz Marder, The Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the Modern German Army
by: Christophe Jacquemont [ C_JACQUEMONT ]
The Vehicle's Background
Historically a very important fighting vehicle of the modern era, the Marder was first put into service in 1971. It was a true pioneer in the AIFVs (Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicles) field, along with the Soviet BMP-1 introduced in the late sixties. It is therefore alll the more surprising that no book had been dedicated to the Marder until now, and this opus by Peter Blume fills a gap in the libraries of armour enthusiasts and scholars worldwide. Peter Blume had already written a volume of the FAHRZEUG Profile series “Der Panzergrenadiere der Bundeswehr 1956-Heute” (number 4, ISBN 3-927132-28-4) which had a high Marder content but was more focused on the units, tactics and soldiers than on the vehicle itself.
The Marder is a fully tracked armoured infantry fighting vehicle armed with a 20mm automated cannon and from 1977 a Milan anti-tank missile system. It carries in battle 11 troop (9 in later variants) in a package capable of keeping up in the field with the Leopard 1 and 2 main battle tanks. In service with the German Bundeswehr since 1971, it was not to be exported until very recently. I understand the Greek Army is to get several hundreds Marder 1A3s from Bundeswehr stocks (this is, unfortunately, not mentioned in the book).
This is the latest book in Series 5000 from Tankograd - (in the words of the publisher “MILITÄRFAHRZEUG Spezial Technical Description and Service of the Vehicle-Types and Vehicle-Technology Modern German Army, NATO, Central Europe”). Like other books in this series, it has full dual English/German text and a mixture of colour and black and white photographs. The English translation by Jochen Wollert is first rate and eminently readable, I just noticed a couple of unusual (but understandable) expressions in the whole text.
The first two chapters deal with the predecessors of the Marder in the modern German Army, the lengthy development of the various prototypes and the initial production machines. This section has a number of mostly black and white photos, printed clear and large. A brief mention is made of the specialized variants, both those that made it to production (two types of driver’s training vehicles and the anti-aircraft Roland) and those that did not (a mortar carrier and the weird Giraffe anti-tank system with elevatable firing platform). Most interesting also is a photograph of an experimental system to make the vehicle fully amphibious with large inflatable buoys, but that one was not pursued either. The Roland AA system is only hinted at but will be covered in depth in a future Tankograd publication. As an aside, it’s interesting to note the German bias of the book’s coverage : no mention is made of the use of Marder suspension components in the Belgian version of the Jagdpanzer Kanone tank destroyer and no mention either of the Argentinean TAM family of vehicles, heavily based on the Marder.
The following chapter deals with the first modernisation efforts namely the Marder A1, A1 A, A1 ( ), A1 (-), A1 A2 and 1 A2 with relevant black and white pics. Those upgrades dealt with weapons systems (20mm gun, Milan), night vision, etc.
The next chapter has more photos, including some detail shots, and is dedicated to the Marder 1A3, A4 and A5. This is the first time I read about the 1A4 variant which is a command vehicle. The close-ups are quite useful for modellers wishing to add some details to their models, I was most interested in the photo showing the opened storage compartment contained within the rear access door! The large, clear photos of the 1A5 are also most welcome as those are hard to come by.
This is followed by a chapter on the technology of the vehicle with a very detailed written analysis of every major component.
The biggest chapter in the book, entitled “The Marder AIFV in active service”, is crammed with black and white (a minority) and colour (a majority) photos of various Marder types in the field, spanning from NATO maneuvers to Kosovo with the German contigent of KFOR. This is a goldmine of reference for modellers, be it for markings, camouflage schemes or weathering and those pictures will no doubt inspire many a diorama.
At the end, more a postscript than a final chapter really, mention is made of the ill-fated Marder 2 and last but no least a photo is shown of the Marder’s successor, the very impressive Schützenpanzer Puma.
Highs: Only reference book on this vehicle. Expert writer, large array of interesting photographs. Value for money.
Lows: Limited coverage of specialized variants, low number of detail pictures, no mention of TAM family.
Verdict: All in all this is a great book on the Marder, maybe not as immediately attractive to modellers as those walkaround types, but very useful nonetheless. At that price it should be on the reference shelf of any modern armour afficionado! Highly recommended.
Scale: Other
Mfg. ID: Miilitärfahrzeug Spezial N°5017
Suggested Retail: 15.5 Euros
Related Link: http://www.tankograd.com/cms/website.php?id=/en/in
About Christophe Jacquemont (C_JACQUEMONT)
FROM: LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE, FRANCE
Copyright ©2019 text by Christophe Jacquemont [ C_JACQUEMONT ]. All rights reserved.
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Davis Cup team aim to build for the future
Lawrence Trott
Published Jun 15, 2019 at 8:00 am (Updated Jun 14, 2019 at 11:49 pm)
Davis Cup team: Left to right: Steve Bean, Jensen Bascome, Tariq Simons, Neal Towlson, Ricky Mallory, Trey Mallory and Gavin Manders
Phillips wins four in a row
Butler beats Manders to clinch maiden title
Playing the old favourites at Wimbledon
Davis Cup squad prevail in relegation battle
Davis Cup campaign ends in defeat
Davis Cup squad halt winless run
A second Bermuda team arrived in Costa Rica this week, with the tennis team set to compete in the Davis Cup at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazu starting this weekend.
The team consists of No 1 seed Gavin Manders, Neal Towlson, Tre Mallory and debutant Tariq Simons, with the emphasis on youth as they prepare for a week of competitive matches starting this weekend.
Ricky Mallory, the national tennis director who is accompanying the team as coach, welcomes the inclusion of Simons, one of the island’s up-and-coming youngsters, who gets his first taste of Davis Cup tennis.
“Continuing with the BLTA’s vision of rebuilding the team for the future, 18-year-old newcomer Tariq Simons has been brought into the fold replacing former Davis Cup player, David Thomas,” said Mallory, the father of Trey Mallory, another talented youngster. “This will be a huge opportunity for Tariq who I feel will learn and grow from this experience.
“The players know that I always demand a professional approach to the game. With the assistance of Jenson Bascome, Steve Bean, Jovan Whitter and Gavin Manders, we have been guiding Tariq on his path to this event.
“He has seen what it takes to prepare oneself for international representation on the world stage. It is now important for us as coaches to collectively direct both Tariq and Trey on the right path to them becoming the future of Bermuda’s Davis Cup team which will eventually include more juniors coming through.”
Michael Wolfe, president of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association, added: “This is an interesting time as we continue our rebuilding process. For the new and younger players, it’s a time to gain valuable experience and prepare themselves to carry the Bermuda flag for years to come.
“It is also good to see the likes of a Jenson Bascome coming on-board as an assistant coach. Jenson is a former Davis Cup player and the first and only player in Bermuda’s history to be awarded the prestigious Davis Cup Commitment Award, given by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for his longstanding dedication in representing Bermuda in Davis Cup.
“He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with the players. The BLTA is looking for positive signs of growth from this trip.”
Competing with Bermuda in this year’s Davis Cup competition are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and US Virgin Islands; with the top two teams gaining promotion to Americas Zone 2. The tournament will run until June 23.
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[INTERVIEW] Cha Ji-yeon pushes every boundary she can
Cha Ji-yeon as Francesca in the musical "Bridges of Madison County" / Courtesy of Shownote
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The four-day affair between housewife Francesca and photographer Robert in the musical "The Bridges of Madison County" might look adulterous, but actress Cha Ji-yeon, who plays Francesca for the Korean production of the musical now on stage at the Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul, found deep yet subtle feelings of a woman in it.
"I am very well aware that the subject matter is different from social norms," she told The Korea Times. "However, the flow of the story under the skin is tightly woven. It revolves around a woman and shows how she changes and gets old. It's a rare chance for an actress to follow a character's life's journey on stage. I am blessed as an actress to play such a delicate role with gorgeous music."
Debuting in 2006 playing the sagacious mandrill Rafiki in "The Lion King" at the age of 23, Cha has played some of the most coveted roles among actresses. These include Elphaba in "Wicked," Aida in "Aida," Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca" and Effie White in "Dreamgirls."
Francesca seems poles apart from her fierce and powerful previous roles. The role even requires a classic soprano voice, which is not in Cha's main range of notes.
"There are some roles that just aren't meant to be despite how much I want them, while other roles run after me even though I don't accept them at first," she said.
"Francesca was the latter. I did not see the musical or the film of 'The Bridges of Madison County' despite its popularity. I only knew it required a classical singing style so I refused to take the role, but the producer continued to ask me."
Cha Ji-yeon, left, as Francesca and Park Eun-tae as Robert in the musical "Bridges of Madison County" / Courtesy of Shownote
Francesca is an Italian war bride turned Iowa farm wife and Cha portrays the woman whose life is shaken and stirred by a visit of a photographer while her family is out of town.
"I am tall and have a large frame, which resulted in me playing so-called strong and outgoing characters a lot," the actress said. "However, I feel rather comfortable playing Francesca, often reflecting my ordinary way of speaking."
Cha tries to bring audiences together in Francesca's journey, not to adultery, but by portraying the character convincingly.
"Francesca's feelings for Robert are not just love, but something more than that. It's like their souls are connected to each other. Her husband Bud also loves Francesca very much, but he is tough and doesn't perfectly match with her. It doesn't mean that their marriage or family is at stake though," she said.
"However, Francesca found consolation from Robert in her emptiness and loneliness coming from building a new home at a place far away from her hometown. He was like a gift, compensating for her unfulfilled life and reminding her of forgotten dreams."
Cha Ji-yeon as X-White, left, and X-Black in the poster for the upcoming musical "The Devil" / Courtesy of R&D Works
Possibilities beyond stereotypes
Cha is a versatile actress. Some might see ups and downs in Cha's roles, but to understand her choices, you have to see the forest, not trees.
"I aim to play a character contrary to the ones I have performed right before," Cha said.
After giving birth to a son in November 2016, Cha made a return as exotic dancer and double agent Mata Hari in "Mata Hari." After that, she played Song-hwa in "Seopyeonje," the story of a blind woman who strives to become the ultimate pansori singer.
Her next role was Wolha, a guide to posthumous time travel and narrator of the musical "Gwanghwamun Yeonga" and playful and carefree gypsy girl Esmeralda in "Notre-Dame de Paris," before settling in a small town in Iowa in "The Bridges of Madison County."
"I don't want to be a boring and predictable actress," Cha said. "I take the road not taken by others. I feel a sense of accomplishment whether I succeed or fail in my attempts."
Cha is often chosen as the most likely actress to break gender stereotype in Korea.
In January, Cha performed "Midnight Radio" from the musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," the story of a German transgender rocker, at the Korea Musical Awards ceremony and theatergoers showed their anticipation for Cha to become the first female to play the titular role in Korea.
"Yes, I want to be an actress of wide spectrum, but it does not mean that I just want to play male roles. For instance, a female Hedwig should be approached very cautiously because the story originates from a man who was forced to go through a sex change operation for the sake of freedom," she said.
"I don't want to overstep the mark, but push the boundaries as much as possible and play within the limit. There are budding young actresses who also want to break boundaries. It's not an easy way and I want to blaze a trail for those who want to take on challenges."
Cha began her career in theater as a way to earn a livelihood, but has made her way to the top over the past 12 years.
"I am still enormously pressured and worried about my performances," she said. "Some people say it is the time to set my heart at ease on stage, but I think such extreme strain and stress keeps me maintaining my first resolution as an actress."
After "Bridges," Cha will embark on another interesting journey as X-Black and X-White in the homegrown musical "The Devil." Roughly based on Goethe's "Faust," the rock musical revolves around a Wall Street stockbroker John and his choices after signing a contract with the evil X-Black.
In the musical's premiere in 2014, Cha played John's girlfriend Gretchen, but she returns as the symbol of good and evil mightiness X-White and X-Black, the roles previously played by male actors.
"I wonder what the future has in store for me. I am really looking forward to what I am going to do next because I have never chosen the obvious path," Cha said. "The next year is going to be another interesting one for me and my fans."
meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr More articles by this reporter
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Krohn Racing Returns to Daytona for the 52nd Running of the Rolex 24
Krohn Racing returns this weekend to Daytona International Speedway for the 52nd running of the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona in the new IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. Krohn Racing is prepared for their 10th year in a row at the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance challenge, having competed in both DP and GT classes every year since 2005.
Last year the popular green-and-blue liveried Krohn Racing Ferrari competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the full season, and the team is ready to get back to racing in the U.S. The No. 57 Ferrari F458, which will compete in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the new IMSA TUDOR Championship, recently tested at Daytona during the Roar Before the 24, and the team feels they have a solid setup and chance for success at the 24-hour endurance event.
With the addition of endurance sports car ace Peter Dumbreck and Ferrari factory driver Andrea Bertolini to the driver lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Krohn Racing regulars, team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn and teammate Nic Jonsson, are eager to take to the 3.56-mile superspeedway/road course circuit for the historic race.
TRACY W. KROHN, Driver, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
This will be your 10th year competing at the Daytona 24 hour race and you have finished as high as 4th overall (2010) but never quite made it to the podium. How much would it mean to you to be able to stand on the podium this season?
"That's the reason we're here. We come here to win. We've been to Daytona many times and we keep coming back because we want that podium finish. To win Daytona has been one of our main goals as a team for a long time and it's an unfinished goal that we hope to rectify this year."
Krohn Racing accomplished almost everything the team set out to accomplish at the Daytona test. Can you talk about the takeaways from the test and how you will apply what was learned to the race?
"It's our first time here with the Ferrari, so getting a good baseline of information at the test was most important. Nic and I already know the track well, but Peter has to learn and Andrea has to relearn it. You can never do enough testing, so we will continue to work on setup and advancements this week prior to the race start."
Having competed in many endurance events in the WEC and ILMC the past three seasons, what kind of preparation does it take to make it through a 24-hour event and be successful?
"At any race, you have to be there at the end, so taking care of the car throughout all of our stints will be the priority for us. We've got a good team, experienced drivers, and an excellent car, so we have the right combination. Hopefully we've prepared for whatever this challenging race might throw at us, but we just need to keep the car out of trouble and be there at the end."
Sports car aces Andrea Bertolini and Peter Dumbreck have joined Krohn Racing for this year's Rolex 24. What are your goals and hopes for them for the race?
"We're really happy to have Andrea and Peter joining Nic and me for this race. Both are excellent endurance drivers, and Andrea is a Ferrari factory driver, so we couldn't ask for better additions to our team. With our combined knowledge, we hope to run up front, keep the car in good condition, and even stand on the podium on Sunday."
NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
You and Tracy have raced together at Daytona for the past nine years (from 2005-2013) but have not yet earned the coveted Rolex. What are you focusing on improving for this year's Daytona 24 so that you can capture a podium finish?
"We're not going to do much different than usual when it comes to preparation for the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona. We've competed here many times, and we know that 24-hour races are about consistency and staying out of trouble. We have a car that has been fast enough to win in previous years, but other circumstances took hold of the situation. We've been in a position to win but then had mechanical issues take us out, which was out of the team's control. We have a good chance, same as we've always had. It's most important to stay consistent and start to really push when the sun comes up on Sunday morning."
"Twenty-four hour endurance races are mentally draining. You need to be mentally prepared, and you have to be on for the entire time. Even though you get time to rest, you can't really sleep and you wouldn't want to because you want to know what's happening in the race. You also burn a lot of calories through a 24-hour race and to be able to stay focused for such a long time is tough. You must start preparing yourself well before the race with proper nutrition and exercise and mental focus. It's a long race with a lot of attrition, so our first goal is just to make it through."
You're competing this season with the same Ferrari you and Tracy raced with last year in the WEC. At the test, was the team able to nail down a setup for the Ferrari that you think will be manageable for the race?
"The focus for the test was to get a solid race car. We weren't focusing so much on speed as consistency and making sure we know how to avoid incidents. The downforce is different for the GTs than the prototypes. We worked on all of that at the test. We looked at all potential technical issues and feel prepared for whatever comes our way in the race. Andrea drives Ferraris all day everyday, but Peter doesn't have as much experience in this car, so we're also focused on racecraft."
With as many as 67 entries expected for the Rolex 24 racer, how important is it going to be to manage traffic around the Speedway?
"Traffic is the key factor in an endurance race such as Daytona, especially with such an enormous field. That's a lot of cars going around a track at once. I bet that 30 percent of the drivers have never raced at Daytona before, so it's going to be as much focusing on the other cars as your own driving. There are really experienced gentleman drivers, and then you have the guys coming into their first pro race, so you have to be conscious of other people around you, which is the biggest challenge. Every time you're coming up to a car, you have to make sure it's a safe pass and know that you have enough space. Our responsibility as the more experienced guys is to make sure we don't cause the trouble, and we also have to stay out of it."
PETER DUMBRECK, Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
You've competed in 24-hour events before, but never the Daytona 24. What are you general expectations coming to this track?
"I've only heard good things about the Daytona 24 Hour. It's renowned for being a fun but competitive race, and perhaps a bit more relaxed than the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Coming from Europe, it's unusual driving on a banked oval so I'm looking forward to the experience. I had a good run in a race simulator last week to get ready for the race."
With new teammates and a crew that is unfamiliar to you, what do you bring to the Krohn Racing team that will help your co-drivers be successful at Daytona?
"I have been racing on track at the same time as Krohn Racing for many years, so I feel I know the car well. I have 20 years of racing experience and seventeen 24-hour race starts. Hopefully I can integrate into the team and get up to speed quickly so we can have a solid performance in the Ferrari."
What do you see as the biggest challenge coming to a new Series in a highly competitive GT Le Mans class at a track that these cars have never raced at before?
"We are fortunate to have a really strong, experienced team in Krohn Racing, so I'm not worried about performance from the car or team. The one thing that is difficult to control is the number of cars on track at one time. There are 67 cars entered for the race on a 3.5mile track. It's going to be busy!"
ANDREA BERTOLINI, Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
For your first race with Krohn Racing, what are you most looking forward to? What do you think will be the biggest challenge of joining a new team in the new GTLM class?
"First of all, it's a great honor to race for the first time with Krohn Racing, a well-known and respected team. I have never driven for this team before, but I know that the level of professionalism is very high, also thanks to Risi's technical assistance."
You're very comfortable in a Ferrari. Can you talk about what Ferrari experience you'll bring to the team and how you can add to the technical knowledge?
"I do believe Krohn Racing has the full knowledge and experience both on the technical and sporting side to compete at the highest level. I can only repeat how much I am happy to have the chance to compete with a team who has been racing with Ferraris for a very long time."
Having not been able to participate in the test at the beginning of January, how have you prepared for this event?
"I don't think that my absence at the January test will be an handicap, as we can count on all the information collected by Krohn Racing and Risi Competizione in the test session. Now it will be just a matter of finalizing data and fine-tuning of the cars during the practice sessions. Then, it will be up to us drivers."
HAYDEN BURVILL, Krohn Racing Engineer:
Can you talk about your racing experience and how it translates to this team and this endurance event at Daytona?
"I've been a Race Engineer since 1992, so I've been to many races in different series and disciplines. You bring something from every single event as you go along. The benefit of age and experience is the ability to recognize the kernel of a situation that may expand into an advantage or disadvantage. When you sense a situation developing, it's probably based on a previous experience and you can draw on that to approach each situation for a competitive decision. This is true of the practice and preparation as well as during the race. As an endurance event, it's a matter of pacing yourself and keeping your cognitive skills clear and available all the way through to the end of the race. That means being calm and relaxed and avoiding any excess demands beyond the role of keeping the car in the most competitive position practical."
What did you learn at the Test and in the last few weeks about this team and the car that you can bring to the race?
"We learned that the GTLM cars have a distinct top speed disadvantage to the GTD cars. This is going to be critical to strategy in the race. Unfortunately, the GTD class will also have the least experienced drivers, mixed with some of the most experienced endurance drivers in the world. The challenge will be for our drivers to process that and avoid getting into trouble with the less experienced GTD drivers. The Krohn team is full of experienced racers so I don't expect any surprises on the track or in the pit."
For any 24-hour race, it's crucial to have the car make it to the end of the race. Technically speaking, what are you focusing on to make sure that the car stays out of trouble?
"It's my goal to give the drivers a car that can be placed anywhere in the corners. This will give us the best chance of meeting the expectation of avoiding contact and other driver's errors. Becoming involved in another car's misadventure is the greatest risk, and our drivers have the unenviable role of being on the frontline of that team objective. The Ferrari 458 is a durable car and I don't expect any car issues. The goal will be to avoid all issues on the track. Our practice with the spotter during the Roar Before the 24 has also illustrated the critical role the spotter will play in keeping the 57 car out of trouble."
GARY HOLLAND, Krohn Racing Team Manager:
You've just come on board with Krohn Racing for the season. What are your thoughts for what you are bringing to the team for a successful year ahead?
"Krohn Racing is going through a transitional phase at the moment: not only on the track with IMSA and Grand-Am merging, but also off the track. We are pleased to have the technical support of Risi Competizione; the team also moved headquarters to Houston, which in itself is quite a big change.
With all of these things going on, I am hoping to bring a drive to achieve all of the goals set out by the team throughout 2014 and beyond. I feel that we can mold into an excellent team given the experience of everyone involved and the desire to be successful. Obviously being a privateer team is very difficult when you are up against the factory teams, however, with the championship merger, everyone is finding their feet. I hope that with the expertise we have within Krohn Racing we can hit the ground running and take advantage whenever we have the opportunity. We have an experienced driver line up, so it's our goal to give them the best possible opportunity to achieve success."
The green flag will drop on the 52nd Annual Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona at 2:10 p.m. ET on January 25. Tune in to FOX for the LIVE start of the race at 2:00 p.m. ET on January 25. Overnight coverage of the Rolex 24 will stream on imsa.com starting at 9:00 p.m. ET.
More in this category: « Krohn Racing Post-Qualifying Report - Rolex 24 At Daytona Krohn Racing Completes Successful Test at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 »
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The Pressurized Water Reactor and the LFTR: Some Comparisons
In 1948 exploration of reactor technology was well underway. Most reactors had cores made of solid materials, for example uranium metal clad in aluminum. A second line of reactor development, the which began with the original chain reactor experiment at Cavendish Laboratory and continued with a reactor experiment at Los Alamos, involved the use of uranium compounds dissolved or suspended in water. The reactor was called the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor. In 1948 reactors were cooled by air, some other gas, or water. Research was underway involving the use of molten sodium metal as a reactor coolant. Alvin Weinberg had proposed the use of water under pressure as a reactor coolant. This concept had the potential to control the heat produced by the reactor and put it to useful work powering ships, or driving electrical turbines. This technology attracted the attention of the United States Navy, and eventually led to the development of the nuclear-powered submarine. Naval reactor technology also had potential for electrical production, and the Navy set up the first project to demonstrate civilian electrical production at Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile the Air Force, which was also interested in its own reactor technology to power bombers, sponsored aircraft reactor research in Oak Ridge. The original aircraft reactor concept explored by engineers at the K-25 facility in Oak Ridge involved the use of liquid sodium as a coolant. The original K-25 aircraft reactor concept had a very significant safety defect, and in 1947 three K-25 engineers, V.P. Calkins, Kermit Anderson, and Ed Bettis began to explore a radical reactor concept involving the use of hot liquid fluoride salts. This was a natural concept, because in 1947 K-25 was the largest industrial facility using fluoride chemistry. The three engineers researched the possibility of using liquid fluoride salts as a reactor moderator, fuel carrier and reactor coolant. The K-25 research lead to the Molten Salt Reactor concept. When the aircraft reactor project was transferred to ORNL in 1950 and assigned to the brilliant chemist Ray C. Briant, Ed Bettis pitched the Molten Salt Reactor to Briant. Briant and Bettis pitched it to Weinberg, and it was agreed that the defective K-25 sodium-cooled aircraft reactor concept should be scrapped, and the promising liquid-salt reactor concept become the focus of ORNL Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion research.
During the next few years a radically different reactor concept was to emerge in Oak Ridge. Conventional reactors are much-evolved versions of Alvin Weinberg's water-cooled reactor. They feature complex cores which contain a ceramic uranium dioxide clad with zirconium metal. This fuel system prevents the escape of radioactive fission products into the cooling water, but creates considerable difficulties for processing the fuel for fuel recycling and the extraction of fission products. The UO2 fuel is also a very poor heat conductor, and the fuel pellets inside conventional reactors become very hot, so much so, that there is a danger if the reactor cooling system fails that the UO2 fuel could melt at 2800°C and create an unholy mess.
The water-cooled reactor is just that, water cooled. A system of pipes carry the water through the core where it extracts heat from the fuel pellets. Water boils at 212 degrees under atmospheric pressure, but scientists had long ago discovered that if water can be kept under high pressure, its boiling point goes up. Engineers had discovered that power conversion becomes more efficient if water is pressurized and prevented from boiling at 212 degrees F. In order to prevent the water from boiling inside the sort of pressurized reactor that the Navy uses, the reactor is placed inside a massive steel pressure vessel, and water is pressurized in the reactor. The pressurized water is superheated, and because it is under pressure it does not turn to steam inside the reactor. A second type of reactor, the boiling water reactor, operates under a little lower pressure, and pressurized water begins to turn into steam in the upper part of the reactor.
Reactors that are cooled with pressurized water are quite complex and can be quite large and pose a number of problems. The presence of pressurized water leads to the danger of a steam explosion. Pressurized water can also leak from pipes outside the reactor, creating a danger that the reactor might not receive coolant water. Coolant failure can lead to core meltdown as it did at Three Mile Island. Core meltdown can lead to containment breach, either by melting through the steel pressure vessel, or by releasing hydrogen gas which in turn can explode with enough force to rupture the pressure vessel.
Pressurized water reactors and their cousins boiling water reactors can be made safe, but at a significant price in terms of complexity and weight. Light water reactors have control issues. Chain reactions may not be uniform throughout the reactor. Operators may need to employ control rods to prevent excess reactivity in parts of the reactor which can lead to local overheating and core damage. This necessitates an elaborate system of internal sensors inside the reactor along with an equally elaborate instrumentation, designed to provide operators detailed information about core conditions. During the 1970's reactor operators could be swamped with information leading to confusion and operator errors. This happened at during the Three Mile Island accident. Computer systems are now in place to manage the flow of information from inside the reactor, and to assist human operators in managing pressurized water reactors. Recent designs of pressurized water reactors have impressive safety features and can be described as demonstrating revolutionary improvements in safety over earlier generations of water-cooled reactors. They are also very expensive, and still use enriched uranium dioxide fuel that is expensive and difficult to reprocess. Pressurized water reactor technology is stuck with once-through fuel technology and the problem of nuclear waste.
When Ray C. Briant and Ed Bettis approached Alvin Weinberg in 1950 to discuss the Molten Salt Reactor concept, Weinberg was already aware of the shortcomings of his invention, the pressurized water reactor. Weinberg's mentor Eugene Wigner believed that the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor was a better route to low-cost electrical energy than the Pressurized water reactor, and Weinberg was pushing Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor research at Oak Ridge. Ed Bettis' Molten Salt Reactor had many of the attractive features of the homogeneous reactor without some of its drawbacks, but it was to take Weinberg some time before he realized that the MSR represented the preferred route to the pressurized water reactor alternative.
Both the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor and the Molten Salt Reactor featured a liquid fuel-coolant mixture. The mixture was pumped into and out of the core where moderation and geometry enabled criticality. Eugene Wigner had been attracted to the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor because its fuel could be continuously run through chemical processors outside the core. This meant that neutron-eating fission products could be removed, making the neutron economy of the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor so efficient that it could breed Thorium to U-233 advantageously. ORNL reactor designers were to design an Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor with a thorium-containing blanket surrounding core containing a heavy water with a dissolved uranium compound. Before his death Ray C. Briant suggested to Weinberg that a Molten Salt Reactor with a thorium blanket, similar to that designed for the Aqueous Homogeneous Reactor would have superior performance to the latter reactor. Thus Briant can be considered the father of the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor, but in many respects the LFTR had many fathers at ORNL.
Compared to the Light Water Reactor the MSR/LFTR had many safety features, the most outstanding of which was its strongly negative temperature coefficient of reactivity. The liquid salt fuel mixture of the LFTR responds to slow and then stop chain reactions as heat within the reactor increases.
The liquid salt in the LFTR core expands as it heats. As it expands there is less liquid salt in the core, carrying with it fissionable fuel. As fissionable fuel leaves the core, the fission reaction rate slows. At maximum core heat, enough fissionable fuel leaves the core to bring the fissionable mass left in the core down below the amount needed to maintain criticality, The chain reaction stops. Core salts retain heat, and heat is also replenished by the radioactive decay of fission products within the core.
What first attracted Ed Bettis and his associates to the Molten Salt Reactor idea was the way it would respond to a pilot's throttle use.
When the pilot demanded more power for his jet engines, heat is drawn out of the reactor core and transferred into the jet engine where it produces jet power. Heat from the LFTR core can also power powers closed-cycle gas turbines in electrical generating systems. As core temperature decreases, core salts shrink, and more salt is in the core, thus increasing the fission reaction rate. The greater the demand for power for a jet engine or a generator the greater the amount of heat generated by the core, and as a consequence the reaction rate within the core increases. The limitation of power output is determined by the heat removal rate, which in turn is based on the limitations of the turbine generating system.
The reaction rates slow down and then stop as heat withdrawal is decreased, or as temperature increases in Molten Salt Reactors--they basically control themselves. Thus while Pressurized Water Reactors require constant operator monitoring and operator input into its control system, MSRs including the LFTR, basically control themselves. The potential instability of the PWR is simply not present in the LFTR.
Compared to PWR, the LFTR has superior peak load reserve and load-following capacities. Since a LFTR's salts are at maximum heat when a LFTR is on standby, the LFTR can produce maximum power as quickly as its turbines can go to full generating speed under load. Thus the LFTR can not only load follow but can serve as peak demand reserve.
In the case of decreased load demand, less heat is drawn from the core, and the fission reaction rate slows. Thus the same feature that gives the LFTR superior safety over the Pressurized Water Reactor also gives it superior flexibility in generating electricity.
It is unfortunate that pro nuclear folks feel the need to denigrate nuclear technology that is not their favorite. This is the same strategy the anti nuclear people use. All the engineering problems with light water reactors listed here have been analyzed and solved.
If we mass produced Gen III reactors they could meet the worlds energy needs for clean low cost reliable power with a simple once through fuel cycle using sea water uranium for 400 years. We should have been doing that for the last 30 years and should do it now.
We should have a massive R&D program to develop Gen IV reactors including LFTR. The detailed development will reveal that these plants have their own set of engineering problems that will be solved.
As for safety, existing reactors are too safe already. The money time and emotion we spend on safety leaves us dependant on far more dangerous technology. Claiming that the new technology will be safer, as if it reduces risk significantly, is false and plays into the hands of the anti nuc’s.
Existing nuclear technology is good not bad. Future technology can be better.
Bill Hannahan
We need to greatly expand nuclear power. The status quo is not getting the job done. LFTR greatly improves the safety, proliferation resistance, waste management, and cost of current reactor technology.
Current reactor technology is very good. Good enough for you and me. But we can do much better. And we must, if we are to expand nuclear like we need to.
charlesH
Charles Barton said...
Bill the issues i discuss are not original with me. I feel that interest of nuclear technology is best addressed by acknowledging the problems and offering solutions. This is the route to progress.
donb said...
I think Bill Hannahan makes some good points. And as CharlesH says, safety well beyond that obtained with fossil fuels has been engineered into current LWR designs. I think we have every right to expect more safety from nuclear energy than from fossil fuels.
Engineering has brought us the blessing of safety, and has also brought us the curse of high cost. Regulation has been a significant contributor to high cost. A lot of regulation has been done in the name of safety. But a lot of regulation has simply added to costs with little benefit.
The goal now should be to come up with designs that are naturally safe to reduce the need for expensive materials and systems needed to "engineer in" safety. That is one of the promising features of the LFTR. As Bill Hannahan said, we need a strong development program for find out if the promises are true. A parallel design effort on a different design also needs strong support so that we don't put all our eggs in one basket. I personally would like to see the parallel effort working to make breeder reactor using uranium (we have LOTS of depleted uranium around, already mined, processed, and purified).
In the mean time, we should be doing what we know how to do now: building new LWR reactors as fast as we can in order to mitigate problems associated is burning fossil fuels. We need to build LWR fuel recycling plants to reduce waste, and to provide the start-up charge for LFTRs should they prove successful.
While there is no such thing as perfect safety or zero failures, future reactors should be designed so that failures are (as someone here has said previously) an economic event, not a safety event.
P.M.Lawrence said...
An idle thought has occurred to me - just as something amusing to turn around in the mind, not as a serious practical suggestion. In theory, you could make a Gaseous Homogeneous Reactor just by having a large enough chamber with fluorine and some uranium hexafluoride in it.
Rod Adams said...
Though I cannot talk about the details, please understand that submarines and aircraft carriers need power plants that respond just as rapidly as those that power airplanes.
Negative temperature coefficients of reactivity are not a unique characteristic of LFTR technology.
I understand what Charles is saying - light water technology does have some inherent engineering challenges that can add a bit to the cost of the plant. Safety is clearly achievable, but not "easy" or inherently cheap. However, much of the cost associated with LWR plants is avoidable through the use of good project management, regulatory reform, and careful work force training. As Charles says, mistakes during construction can lead to very expensive rework - my answer is "then don't make those mistakes."
Like Bill, however, I do get a bit frustrated with the continuous bickering among fission advocates. As far as I can tell, every fission power plant design available today is hundreds of times BETTER than the fossil fuel power plants that provide more than 80% of the world's electricity and nearly 100% of the process heat and transportation markets. Those are the competitors that we need to attack, not each other.
Rod, I see the Great energy debate of the 20th century as a continuation of a debate that was begun by Enrico Fermi, and Eugene Wigner during World War Ii. Even then there was not agreement among the founding fathers of reactor design about the best way to go about extracting electricity from Nuclear power. Wigner argued, correctly in light of experience, that capital costs for solid core reactors would be higher than coal fired power plants, but that the cost of liquid core reactor generating systems, especially if they used the thorium fuel cycle, would be competitive or lower than coal.
Agood case can be made that Wigner knew what he was talking about. Further, I feel that making that case is important, because there are impotant issues here that effect the future of the American economy, and indeed the world economy, as well as the cost of coping with peak oil and AGW. These issues which are impacted by choices we make about nuclear technology are important reasons for caring about our choices.
What you see as petty bickering, I see as an important debate among nuclear advocates. I believe that we ought to be confident enough about the future of nuclear power to lay the issues on the table and start to sort them out.
alex de maida said...
A question for Charles, or anyone wants to answer.
LWR are often (almost always) operated at 100% of full power, but what about the thermal efficiency (usually 30-35% at full power) of LWR at partial loads? I' ve never found anything about this point
Kaj Luukko said...
One big safety issue in LWR is the power generated in the core after the shut down. As we know, there is enough of power to melt the core if the cooling fails.
How is this taken care of on MSR? Is there the same amount of thermal power in the fuel after shutdown?
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The Observatory in the media
La Rambla: A site of information and flood prevention
Roquetes, Monday, February 04, 2013. The research group GAMA (“Grup d’Anàlisi de situacions Meteorològiques Adverses”) of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with the Ebro Observatory, have launched the web portal LA RAMBLA (http://laramblablog.wordpress.com). This website’s main objective is to be an information and prevention site against floods, a space dedicated to reminisce and share images, data and experiences of historical floods. Especially, the site intends to be a participatory space, which gives a voice to the public, and a meeting point between the world of research and the society. This space has started a project that aims to go beyond the one-way transmission of knowledge, from an academic institution to the people, and whose intention is to create a space for dialogue and exchange of knowledge and a meeting to increase the “culture” on floods in Catalonia from a scientific and social viewpoint. The sections “Aprenem” or “Recordant” provide information prepared by researchers on these risks and their impact. Other sections such as “Experiències” or “Fotografies” are designed to share photos, evidences or experiences on these phenomena, and include the documents provided.
This initiative is coordinated by Dr. M. C. Llasat, director of “Grup d’Anàlisi de situacions Meteorològiques Adverses (GAMA)”, which is part of the Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona, and it has had the participation of researchers from the group and the collaboration of the Ebro Observatory. Also, it has the support of the “Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya”.
Facts about this space can also be followed on the social networks throughout the profiles of the participating groups: The Facebook’s pages “GAMA - Riesgos Naturales - UB” and “Observatori de l’Ebre” and Twitter “@GAMA_UB” (hashtag #espailarambla) and “@obsebre”. For more information you might browse through http://laramblablog.wordpress.com.
© 2019 Observatori de l'Ebre
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NIKKI YANEZ
A strong return for Sarasota tennis star
YourObserver - Ryan Kohn - July 5, 2018
After a year spent training, the former top-ranked player is looking to reclaim her throne.
It was a normal May tennis practice at Twin Lakes Park for Nikki Yanez until a father and daughter approached her.
They introduced themselves and said the daughter, Alexandra, had written a school paper on Yanez and what an inspiration she was, Yanez said. Yanez was taken aback, but honored. It’s not every day that a stranger thinks of you as a role model.
Especially when you’re 14 years old yourself.
Yanez has been playing tennis since she was 8. She did gymnastics before that, and was a state champion, but envied her brothers who played tennis and were getting trophies and playing tournaments more frequently than her. In her father Paul Yanez’s eyes, tennis also offered a safer experience, with less injury risk than gymnastics. She has yet to suffer a serious injury on the court, he said.
Yanez still primarily trains like a gymnast. She only does about two hours of on-court tennis practice a day, spending up to six hours working on her conditioning. In lieu of attending a tennis academy, her family is her main support, with a few different private coaches helping out with specific aspects of her game. A trip to France to play in the Longines Future Tennis Aces tournament in 2016 let her see how the pros, playing simultaneously at the French Open, train, and she’s taken that experience with her.
From the beginning, Yanez was a star. It was her gymnastics background that helped her the most, giving her perfect balance and tons of lower body strength. Once she learned to hit the ball, which took about a month, it was a wrap. Yanez loved the singular responsibility tennis put on her.
“It’s all about you on the court,” Yanez said. “It’s your strengths, and you have to keep it up.”
Yanez shot up the age rankings, eventually landing at No. 1 in the United States Tennis Association at age 11 — not in Florida, but the entire country. She held that position for a while but has fallen from the top spot over the last year and change, as she’s focused not on playing tournaments (the biggest factor in rankings) but refining her game in practice, and making sure she’s prepared for the future. She currently sits at 29 on Babolat’s national recruiting rankings and 247 on the USTA Girls 14 list.
Her return to major junior tournaments came last month, when she reached the finals of the USTA Bobby Curtis Junior Sectional Championships in Orlando. Yanez called the tournament a “great experience” for her first showcase singles event in about a year. She’s next preparing for the National Clay Court Championships in Plantation starting July 15, and the National Championships (hard court) in Rome, Ga., starting Aug. 4. Her goal now is to reclaim her No. 1 ranking, something that might have caused stress in the past.
“When it (her rise in rankings) was first happening, I did feel pressure,” Yanez said. “My dad would say, ‘You’re the No. 1. Act like it and play like it, because you are.’ I think that got to me a little bit. I got nervous. But now I’m alright, I’m used to it.”
What makes Yanez so tough, Paul Yanez said, is that she plays a “male game.” Her forehand shot spins like a top, and her returns have a heaviness to them that her opponents aren’t used to seeing. That power, plus her gymnastics footwork, makes her a unique challenge, one she embraces. When asked what player she emulates, Nikki says perhaps the obvious answer — Serena Williams — but not before her actual favorite player, Rafael Nadal.
“Girls hate playing her,” Paul said, “but for her, it’s natural. She can hit normal or hit heavy and deep. She’s got a well-rounded game right now.”
Paul added that Nikki has been developing a Serena-esque serve, one so devastating that she aced one of her coaches, Denys Maasdorp, three times in a row in a recent singles match.
In preparation for her upcoming majors, Yanez played in May’s USTA $25,000 Women’s Professional Tennis Tournament at The Oaks Club in Osprey. Alexandra, the young essayist Yanez had met at Twin Lakes Park, was there every day of the event to cheer for her.
Being nationally known comes with its own set of challenges. When Yanez met Alexandra, she was wearing old workout clothes. In the future, she wants to always look professional and present positive body language, she said, because you never know who you’re going to meet.
She doesn’t want to disappoint anybody, and If Yanez reaches her potential, having fans will become the norm.
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No Easy Answers
John Ashcroft's FISA Editorial
The core arguments and contentions in Mr. Ashcroft's November 5, 2007 editorial in the New York Times strike me as weak or divisive. Paragraphs of the editorial in blockquote. This is not the complete editorial, although I did have critical thoughts about every paragraph. Just the same, I'll bet this post is pushing the limits of fair use of the NYT's OpEd.
Uncle Sam on the Line - By JOHN ASHCROFT
Published: November 5, 2007 (NYT)
At the outset, it is critical to understand what the immunity provisions the administration and Congress have negotiated actually do. This is not blanket immunity, as it is sometimes caricatured by its opponents. The Senate bill would confer immunity in only two limited circumstances: if the carrier did not do what the plaintiffs claim; or if the carrier did do what the plaintiffs claim but based on explicit assurances from the highest levels of the government that the activities in question were authorized by the president and determined to be lawful.
"Lawful" is being used as having a singular meaning, where in fact it has more than one meaning. The plaintiff's allege, and are almost certainly correct, that the TSP operated in contravention to statutory law in existence at the time. The meaning of "lawful" that Ashcroft is implying is a different meaning, that even actions that are against statutory law may be "lawful" because they are within Constitutional boundaries.
He is saying that the administration determined the surveillance was within constitutional "warrantless" boundaries, therefore the surveillance was lawful. But here's the rub, the administration refuses to divulge the legal rationale it used to reach that conclusion.
Longstanding principles of law hold that an American corporation is entitled to rely on assurances of legality from officials responsible for government activities. The public officials in question might be right or wrong about the advisability or legality of what they are doing, but it is their responsibility, not the company's, to deal with the consequences if they are wrong.
Therefore, ALL laws that provide a penalty for doing what the government orders are ineffective. "Just following orders." There's another longstanding principle of law. That the public can rely on published (as opposed to secret) statements of law to guide its conduct, and to understand the limits of what others can do, including the limits and parameters of government actions.
To deny immunity under these circumstances would be extraordinarily unfair to any cooperating carriers. By what principle of justice should anyone face potentially ruinous liability for cooperating with intelligence activities that are authorized by the president and whose legality has been reviewed and approved by our most senior legal officials?
It's doubtful that liability would attach to the extent it would ruin a telecom company. The court-imposed remedy is a tough problem to solve, but ruining the private holding of telecoms would just make obvious the hidden fact that the telecoms are private in profit motive only. For all other purposes, telecoms are state-run enterprises. Taxpayer money was spent to install equipment to facilitate interception and retention of virtually 100% of the traffic on the public network. See CALEA.
As a practical matter, in circumstances involving classified intelligence activities, a corporation will typically not know enough about the underlying circumstances and operations to make informed judgments about legality. Moreover, for an initiative like the terrorist surveillance program which the Office of Legal Counsel made clear was based on the Congressional authorization for the use of military force and the presidents war powers under the Constitution a telephone company simply has no expertise in the relevant legal issues.
This is basically saying that the telecom privacy laws can't be applied, for want of facts, by the company that is charged with compliance. Yet the telecom companies are given specific orders as to which communications and information to capture and turn over to the government.
If Ashcroft is arguing that the telecoms don't have the legal rationale that justifies violating the statutory proscriptions, then even if a legal theory such as "AUMF authorizes this" exists, the telecoms who cooperated were NOT given the benefit of the government's rationale for finding the activity to be legal. If not, do they just take the government at its word? "Just following orders."
If the attorney general of the United States says that an intelligence-gathering operation has been determined to be lawful, a company should be able to rely on that determination. Indeed, contrary to the assertion of Senator Russell Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, no company can realistically be expected to contradict such judgments by the attorney general, as they will simply not have the facts at hand to do so.
Not the facts? Or not the legal rationale? Or not either? Does the same apply if the government seeks identifiable medical records? School records? No warrant, just the word of the snooper.
Although the lawsuits are couched in the language of accountability and the public's right to know, they would really have the effect of showing the world and our enemies sensitive secrets about how our national security agencies do their work. For domestic purposes, proper accountability already exists through the peoples elected representatives on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. It is through the legislature, not lawsuits, that we as a nation have tried to balance the need to let our intelligence agencies operate in secret, as they must if they are to be effective, and the need to ensure that they do so lawfully.
And it is precisely a legislative pronouncement, "the statutory telecom law" that is being rendered moot by granting immunity. It's not possible to have it both ways. Either the statutory law will have a substantive effect, or it does not. When the government argues that the statutory law should have no effect in this case, but refuses to publicly disclose its evolution of legal rationale and the scope of its incursion (and in this case, the snoopers resisted all court overview and resisted obtaining changes in legislation, until after the incursion was made public), then its ludicrous to say that "the balancing solution lies with the legislature." In fact, if the public was unaware of the incursion, we wouldn't be debating whether or not the government follows its own statutory laws.
What he means to say is "the balancing solution lies with the snooper, his [secret] judgement and legal rationale is always correct, and the public is not entitled to know any more than that." Fair enough. There are plenty of governments that operate that way. Add the United States of America to the list.
Assuming that the country's communications companies helped the National Security Agency track Qaeda operatives and other terrorists after being assured that their conduct was lawful, they acted as patriots, not privacy violators. The Senate Intelligence Committee acted wisely. The full Congress should follow its lead.
"Patriots" and "privacy violators" are not mutually exclusive sets. The police officers who stuck a broom stick up Abner Louima's ass (or covered up the incident) are probably patriots. The insinuation that Ashcroft is making is that if you question the secret legal judgement of President Bush, then you are not a patriot. Lovely.
posted by cboldt # 11/05/2007 09:03:00 AM 0 comments
Dissent from al-Marri v. Wright
Source: http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/067427.P.pdf
Note that Judge Hudson is -NOT- part of the 9 member panel involved in rehearing the case, as the Fourth Circuit sits en banc.
Nonetheless, his dissenting opinion is clear and direct.
Rehearing en banc granted, August 22, 2007
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
ALI SALEH KAHLAH AL-MARRI,
Petitioner-Appellant,
MARK A. BERMAN, as next friend,
Petitioner,
COMMANDER S. L. WRIGHT, USN
Commander, Consolidated Naval
Brig,
Respondent-Appellee.
AL-MARRI v. WRIGHT
for the District of South Carolina, at Charleston.
Henry F. Floyd, District Judge.
(2:04-cv-002257-HFF)
Argued: February 1, 2007
Decided: June 11, 2007
Before MOTZ and GREGORY, Circuit Judges, and
Henry E. HUDSON, United States District Judge for the
Eastern District of Virginia, sitting by designation.
AL-MARRI v. WRIGHT 53
HUDSON, District Judge, dissenting:
I regret that I am unable to concur in the majority opinion, except
to the extent that I agree that this Court has jurisdiction over this
appeal. Although I do not embrace all aspects of the majority's juris-
dictional reasoning, I agree that Section 7 of the Military Commission
Act of 2006 (MCA) does not divest this Court of its constitutional
jurisdiction, under Article I, Section 9, to review habeas corpus deci-
sions involving individual detainees within the United States. See
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525, 124 S. Ct. 2633, 2644 (2004).
The MCA may, however, foreclose a right of statutory review.
Beyond the jurisdictional question, the majority and I part company.
While I commend the majority on a thoroughly researched and
impressively written opinion, I must conclude that their analysis flows
from a faulty predicate. In my view, the appellant was properly desig-
nated as an enemy combatant by the President of the United States
pursuant to the war powers vested in him by Articles I and II of the
United States Constitution and by Congress under the Authorization
to Use Military Force (AUMF). See Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 296 F.3d
278, 281-82 (4th Cir. 2002). ^1 I am also of the opinion that al-Marri
In Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the AUMF
provided congressional authority for the President to detain Hamdi as an
enemy combatant under the narrow facts of that case. The critical ele-
ments of the court's definition of an "enemy combatant", for the pur-
poses of that case, were the petitioner's being: 1) "part of a supporting
force hostile to the United States or coalition partner", and (2) "engaged
54 AL-MARRI v. WRIGHT
has received all due process entitlements prescribed by existing
United States Supreme Court precedent. I would therefore vote to
affirm the district court's dismissal of al-Marri's Petition for Writ of
Habeas Corpus.
The wellspring of the majority's reasoning is the notion that a non-
military person arrested on U.S. soil, outside the zone of battle, for
providing active aid to the enemy at time of war, cannot be declared
an enemy combatant and detained for the duration of the hostilities,
but must be prosecuted in the civilian courts of the United States. In
fact, the majority would even go further and find that the language of
the AUMF does not include organizations, such as al Qaeda, that are
not affiliated with recognized nation states. The clear congressional
intent underlying the AUMF was to afford the President of the United
States all the powers necessary to suppress those individuals or orga-
nizations responsible for the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
This broad language would certainly seem to embrace surreptitious al
Qaeda agents operating within the continental United States. The
AUMF provided as follows:
[T]he President is authorized to use all necessary and appro-
priate force against those nations, organizations, or persons
he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the
in an armed conflict against the United States." Hamdi, 542 U.S. at 526,
124 S. Ct. at 2645 (internal quotation marks omitted).
The boundaries of activity qualifying for "enemy combatant" status
staked out in Hamdi were not meant to be immutable. The obvious
impact of the limiting language was to confine the court's holding to the
immediate facts before them.
While al-Marri was not captured while armed in a formal theater of
war, the evidence would certainly support the conclusion that he was
actively supporting forces hostile to the United States -- and that the
forces he was supporting were actively engaged in armed conflict against
the United States.
Given the unconventional nature of the conflict that the United States
is engaged in with al Qaeda, the exact definitions of "enemy combatants"
and "enemy belligerents" are difficult to conceptualize and apply with
precision.
terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or
harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent
any future acts of international terrorism against the United
States by such nations, organizations or persons.
Pub. L. No. 107-40, § 2(a), 115 Stat. 224, 224 (2001) (emphasis
added). History has proven that al Qaeda, an international terrorist
organization with which the United States is at war, falls squarely
within that definition. See Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 316 F.3d 450, 459 (4th
Cir. 2003), vacated and remanded on other grounds, Hamdi v. Rums-
feld, 542 U.S. 507, 124 S. Ct. 2633 (2004).
Central to the majority's analysis is the locus of his arrest. Unlike
the petitioners in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 124 S. Ct. 2633
(2004), and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 126 S. Ct. 2749 (2006), al-Marri is
a lawful resident alien who was not taken into custody in a battle
zone. He was arrested in Peoria, Illinois, where he was residing on a
student visa. Despite powerful evidence of his connection to al Qaeda,
the majority believe the President is without power to declare him an
enemy combatant. They believe he must be indicted and tried for
crimes against the United States. Although definitive precedent is
admittedly sparse, in my opinion, this position is unsupported by the
weight of persuasive authority.
In Padilla v. Hanft, 423 F.3d 386 (4th Cir. 2005), a panel of this
Court unanimously rejected the argument that the locus of capture
was relevant to the President's authority to detain an enemy comba-
tant. See id. at 394. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by FBI agents
upon his arrival at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.
Id. at 388. A close associate of al Qaeda, Padilla had been "armed and
present in a combat zone during armed conflict between al
Qaeda/Taliban forces and the armed forces of the United States." Id.
at 390 (internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, "Padilla met
with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, a senior al Qaeda operations plan-
ner, who directed Padilla to travel to the United States for the purpose
of blowing up apartment buildings, in continued prosecution of al
Qaeda's war of terror against the United States." Id.
This Court in Padilla reversed the holding of the district court that
the President lacked authority under the AUMF to detain Padilla, and
56 AL-MARRI v. WRIGHT
that Padilla must be either criminally prosecuted or released. Id. With
respect to Padilla's argument that the circumstances of his detention
mandated only the option of criminal prosecution, this Court noted:
. . . We are convinced, in any event, that the availability
of criminal process cannot be determinative of the power to
detain, if for no other reason than that criminal prosecution
may well not achieve the very purpose for which detention
is authorized in the first place--the prevention of return to
the field of battle. Equally important, in many instances
criminal prosecution would impede the Executive in its
efforts to gather intelligence from the detainee and to restrict
the detainee's communication with confederates so as to
ensure that the detainee does not pose a continuing threat to
national security even as he is confined--impediments that
would render military detention not only an appropriate, but
also the necessary, course of action to be taken in the inter-
est of national security.
Military detention during time of war and criminal prosecution
serve discrete functions. The object of criminal prosecution is to pun-
ish for legal transgression. The purpose of military detention is to
immobilize the enemy during hostilities. Hamdi, 542 U.S. at 518, 124
S. Ct. at 2640. Such detention is also intended "to prevent the cap-
tured individual from serving the enemy." In re Territo, 156 F.2d 142,
145 (9th Cir. 1946).
The only significant fact that distinguishes the justification for
Padilla's detention from that of al-Marri is that Padilla at some previ-
ous point in time had been armed and present in a combat zone. There
was no indication, however, that Padilla was ever a soldier in a formal
sense, particularly while acting on U.S. soil.
Like Padilla, al-Marri, an identified al Qaeda associate, was dis-
patched to the United States by the September mastermind as a
"sleeper agent" and to explore computer hacking methods to disrupt
the United States' financial system. Moreover, al-Marri volunteered
for a martyr mission on behalf of al Qaeda, received funding from a
AL-MARRI v. WRIGHT 57
known terrorist financier, and communicated with known terrorists by
phone and e-mail. Decl. of Jeffrey N. Rapp, Director, Joint Intelli-
gence Task Force for Combating Terrorism, ¶ 7, Sept. 9, 2004. It is
also interesting to note that al-Marri arrived in the United States on
September 10, 2001. Id.
The district court in this case credited the Declaration of Rapp,
which was unrebutted, and found by a preponderance of the evidence,
that al-Marri had been properly classified and detained as an enemy
combatant. See Al-Marri v. Wright, 443 F. Supp. 2d 774, 784 (D.S.C.
2006). ^2
The standard employed by the district court to determine al-Marri's
qualifications for enemy combatant status was analogous to that
invoked by the United States Supreme Court in Ex Parte Quirin, 317
U.S. 1, 63 S. Ct. 2 (1942). In Quirin, the Court explained,
[E]ntry upon our territory in time of war by enemy bellig-
erents, including those acting under the direction of the
armed forces of the enemy for the purpose of destroying
property used or useful in prosecuting the war, is a hostile
and war-like act. . . .
. . . Citizens who associate themselves with the military
arm of the enemy government, and with its aid, guidance
and direction enter this country bent on hostile acts are
enemy belligerents within the meaning of . . . the law of
war. . . .
Id. at 36-38. The Quirin Court further provided that "[i]t is without
significance that petitioners were not alleged to have borne conven-
tional weapons or that their proposed hostile acts did not necessarily
contemplate collision with the Armed Forces of the United States."
Id. at 37. "Nor are petitioners any the less belligerents if, as they
Al-Marri not only failed to offer any evidence on his behalf, he
refused to even participate in the initial evidentiary process. Al-Marri,
443 F. Supp. 2d at 785.
argue, they have not actually committed or attempted to commit any
act of depredation or entered the theatre or zone of active military
operations." Id. at 38.
Ex Parte Milligan, 71 U.S. 2 (1866), does not undermine the dis-
trict court's decision. Milligan did not associate himself with a rebel-
lious State with which the United States was at war. See Milligan, 71
U.S. at 131; Quirin, 317 U.S. at 45, 63 S. Ct. at 19 (noting that the
Court in Milligan "concluded that Milligan [was] not . . . a part of or
associated with the armed forces of the enemy"). In this case, the
unrebutted evidence shows that al-Marri associated himself with and
became an agent of al Qaeda, the organization targeted by the AUMF
and the enemy with which the United States is at war. See Rapp Decl.
¶ 7 ("Al-Marri is an al Qaeda `sleeper agent' . . . was trained at an al
Qaeda terror camp . . . met personally with Usama Bin Laden . . . and
volunteered for a martyr mission."). ^3 As noted above, it is without sig-
nificance that al Marri did not himself carry a conventional weapon
in a zone of active military operations. See Quirin, 317 U.S. at 37-38.
In Hamdi, the Supreme Court considered the due process require-
ments for a citizen being held in the United States as an enemy com-
batant. See Hamdi, 542 U.S. at 509, 124 S. Ct. at 2635. Hamdi was
an American citizen captured in Afghanistan for allegedly taking up
arms with the Taliban in a combat zone. Id. at 510, 124 S. Ct. at 2635.
Like al-Marri, Hamdi was being detained at the Naval Brig in
Charleston, South Carolina. Id. at 510, 124 S. Ct. 2636. After apply-
ing a balancing of interest calculus, the Court observed, "a citizen-
Just as mere presence is not sufficient to make one a part of a criminal
conspiracy or an accomplice to a crime, I agree with the majority that
mere association with al Qaeda or an organization that supports al Qaeda
does not necessarily make one an enemy combatant. See Milligan, 71
U.S. at 131 (stating that "[i]f in Indiana [Milligan] conspired with bad
men to assist the enemy, he is punishable for it in the courts of Indiana").
This is not a case, however, of mere association. Al-Marri trained with
and became an agent of al Qaeda and, operating under its guidance and
direction, entered the United States on September 10, 2001, "for the pur-
pose of engaging in and facilitating terrorist activities subsequent to Sep-
tember 11," the very activities that the AUMF was intended to prevent.
Rapp Decl. ¶ 7; see AUMF § 2(a).
detainee seeking to challenge his classification as an enemy comba-
tant must receive notice of the factual basis for his classification, and
a fair opportunity to rebut the Government's factual assertions before
a neutral decisionmaker." Hamdi, 542 U.S. at 533, 124 S. Ct. at 2648.
"It is equally fundamental that the right to notice and an opportunity
to be heard must be granted at a meaningful time and in a meaningful
manner." Id. at 533, 124 S. Ct. at 2649 (internal quotation marks
omitted).
After upholding the power of the President to detain al-Marri under
the AUMF, the district court, after providing him with all due process
entitlements articulated in Hamdi, found that his continued detention
as an enemy combatant was proper and dismissed his petition. See Al-
Marri, 443 F. Supp. 2d at 785. In addition, al-Marri was represented
by counsel at all stages of the proceedings below.
I believe the district court correctly concluded that the President
had the authority to detain al-Marri as an enemy combatant or bellig-
erent. Although al-Marri was not personally engaged in armed con-
flict with U.S. forces, he is the type of stealth warrior used by al
Qaeda to perpetrate terrorist acts against the United States. Al-Marri's
detention is authorized under the AUMF "to prevent any future acts
of international terrorism against the United States." AUMF § 2(a).
Furthermore, setting aside the amorphous distinction between an
"enemy combatant" and an "enemy belligerent," there is little doubt
from the evidence that al-Marri was present in the United States to aid
and further the hostile and subversive activities of the organization
responsible for the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11,
I therefore vote to affirm the district court.
March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 March 2009 April 2009
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Itachi Uchiha by Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto manga chapter 139
Hideo Ishikawa[1]
Crispin Freeman[2]
Skip Stellrecht (Naruto Episodes 29-30)[3]
Notable relatives
Sasuke Uchiha (brother)
Rogue ninja
Akatsuki partner
Itachi Uchiha (うちは イタチ Uchiha Itachi?) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the series, Itachi is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha and is responsible for killing all the members of their clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi is treated as an antagonist for much of the series, however around the time of his death his villainous role is greatly downplayed. It is revealed that he was ordered by Danzo and the counselors of Konohagakure to kill the clan in order to prevent the Uchiha coup d'état which would have resulted in war. Despite his reservations, Itachi fulfilled his mission and defected from Konohagakure to become part of the criminal organization Akatsuki to continue protecting Konohagakure from behind the scenes.
Itachi has not been featured in the films and original video animations from Naruto, but he is a playable character in most video games of the series. His character has been very popular within readers from the manga, having ranked high in various popularity polls from the series.[4] Also numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Itachi's character. His fights are often noted to be "one of the best" in the series.[5][6][7] His appearance as an antagonist has been praised by several writers although some considered his initial not to be very surprising. The gradual revelations of his past and its impact on the story has also been praised.[8][9] Several types of merchandising have also been developed based on Itachi's appearance including figurines and plush.
2 Plot overview
[edit] Background
For much of the series, the only information given about Itachi's background is what his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, knows or remembers, as is chronicled in volume twenty-five of the Naruto manga. He grew up as the child prodigy of the Uchiha clan, establishing milestones for Sasuke and future Uchiha to live up to.[10] Over time, however, Itachi began to distance himself from the clan, acting hostile towards its members when he is accused of murdering his clansman Shisui Uchiha and prompting his father to discourage Sasuke from following in Itachi's footsteps.[11] Itachi soon afterwards killed every member of the clan with the explanation that he was testing his potential. He spared only Sasuke, who he claimed was too weak to be worth killing, and challenged him to live a life of hate so that he would get strong enough to someday pose a challenge to Itachi. Itachi vanished into the night, leaving Sasuke with the motive for revenge that drives his actions for most of the series.[12]
Towards the end of Naruto manga volume forty-three, after Itachi's death, the truth of his background is told by Madara Uchiha. Itachi's early childhood was marred by war, the violence of which caused him to seek peace at any cost. When years later the Uchiha clan began planning a coup d'état to take control of the village of Konohagakure, Itachi feared the attempt would cause another war and became a double agent, providing Konoha with intelligence on his clan's actions. The village eventually gave him the mission of assassinating the Uchiha, a task he asked Madara Uchiha for assistance with. After the Uchiha were eliminated, Itachi, tormented by his actions, could not bring himself to kill Sasuke too.[13] He made himself out as a villain. To keep Sasuke safe until then, Itachi threatened to share everything he knew about Konoha with its enemies if the village ever harmed Sasuke. In the meantime, he joined the criminal organization Akatsuki to keep an eye on it and Madara in case they ever conspired against Konoha.[14]
Itachi usually has a dispassionate appearance, rarely showing emotion and keeping his composure even when surprised or irritated. When first introduced, Itachi is portrayed as being extremely loyal to Akatsuki, trying to have Kakashi Hatake disposed of for knowing something about the secretive organization. He is also shown to be confident in his abilities, taunting Kakashi for not being as strong as he is. In both instances, Itachi proves to be on good terms with his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, who immediately does as he asks and worries about Itachi's well-being.[15] He is more considerate to his opponents in Part II, praising Kakashi during their re-encounter for improving his abilities and, when later confronting Naruto Uzumaki, only desiring to speak with him.[16][17] Itachi is, however, consistently hostile towards Sasuke; during their first meeting since the destruction of the Uchiha, Itachi breaks Sasuke's wrist and ridicules him for still being weak.[18] This attitude reaches its peak in the conversation that precedes Itachi's death, where he abandons his passive expression for excitement at the prospect of finally getting to kill Sasuke.[19] This is all explained to be a facade after his death, as his chief concern is Sasuke's safety, the evil persona being used only to cement Sasuke's resolution to kill him.[14]
Within the series, Itachi is renowned for his mastery of all ninja abilities. From his days as a ninja of Konoha, Konoha ninja know by reputation not to underestimate Itachi, his killing of the Uchiha clan only elevating him to the classification of an extremely dangerous criminal. He also became the leader of the ANBU Corps only at the age of 13. During his appearances he is shown to be very fast with his movements, with such actions as attacking before his opponents have the chance to respond and making his hand seals so fast that even those with a Sharingan cannot follow them.[20] Generally, however, Itachi does not actively participate in battles, remaining in a stationary position where he analyzes an opponent's actions, only then acting in self-defense. In these instances he relies heavily on trapping opponents in illusions to keep them preoccupied, something he can do merely by pointing or looking at them.[21]
As an Uchiha, Itachi possesses a Sharingan, an eye technique that gives the user heightened analytical capabilities. Before he assassinated the Uchiha he killed his best friend to advance his Sharingan to its next level: the Mangekyo Sharingan. When activated, the Mangekyo Sharingan changes the Sharingan's appearance and grants Itachi with abilities derived from Japanese mythology. The first, Tsukuyomi (月読?), traps his opponent in an illusory realm in which Itachi is allowed to torture said opponent for what seems like days in a matter of moments.[20] The second, Amaterasu (天照?), generates black flames at his focal point that will continue to burn until the target is reduced to ash.[22] The final ability, Susanoo (須佐能乎?), creates a massive ethereal warrior that uses the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi to attack for him and the Yata no Kagami to protect him.[23] Despite the effectiveness of the techniques, use of the Mangekyo Sharingan deteriorates Itachi's eyesight to the point of blindness.[19]
[edit] Plot overview
Itachi debuts in Part I after the death of the Third Hokage, Konoha's protector, by infiltrating the village with Kisame.[24] After drawing the attention of Konoha's forces Itachi reveals that, as part of Akatsuki's goal to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts, they are after Naruto Uzumaki for the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within him.[15] During a scuffle with Konoha's ninja they discover that Naruto has left the village, and upon tracking him down find that he is under the protection of Jiraiya. Itachi sets up a distraction to draw Jiraiya away from Naruto and the two try to capture him.[25] Sasuke, having heard that Itachi was back, intervenes, and Jiraiya soon returns as well.[26] After briefly tormenting Sasuke for still being weak, Itachi and Kisame leave to avoid capture by Jiraiya.[18] After Itachi's death in Part II, this entire visit to Konoha is revealed to have only been to make sure that the Third's death did not cause Konoha to forget their vow to protect Sasuke.[13]
Itachi makes a brief appearance at the start of Part II, distracting Naruto and the rest of his team while Akatsuki seals one of the tailed beasts it has captured.[16] Later, Itachi learns that Sasuke has absorbed Orochimaru, a man who defected from Konoha and once joined Akatsuki in order to absorb Itachi.[27] Knowing that a stronger Sasuke is now coming for him, Itachi meets with Naruto. After his death he is revealed to have given some of his power in the form of a crow to Naruto to be used to protect Sasuke and Konoha in case Sasuke ever attacks the village.[17] Sasuke ultimately tracks him down and they have their final battle, during the course of which he uses his Mangekyo Sharingan to push Sasuke to his limits. In doing so, Orochimaru is drawn out from Sasuke's body, and Itachi seals him away to keep him from Sasuke before he dies of disease.[23][28]
As his final act, Itachi implants his Amaterasu within Sasuke, meant as a failsafe that would kill Madara in case he ever approached Sasuke.[29] Since this surprises Sasuke, Madara explains the truth of Itachi's past, what is claimed to be an unfounded mistrust of Madara, and that, even though Itachi had been dying of disease, he kept himself alive with drugs so that he could die by Sasuke's hands. Now knowing his long-hated brother to have led a tragic life because of Konoha's orders, Sasuke resolves to destroy the village, even though Itachi had gone to lengths to protect it.[14]
Itachi reappears later during the Shinobi World War, resurrected by Kabuto to fight on Madara's side. Paired with Nagato and forced to fight Naruto against his will, Itachi learns from him about his brother's intentions to destroy the village and after asking him to keep his secret in order to protect the honor of his family, he entrusts him with the task to stop Sasuke. Itachi summons the crow he gave Naruto, activating Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan and revealing it holds the key to stopping Sasuke's destruction to Konoha - Koto Amatsukami, a powerful genjutsu which forces the victim to follow its command. Using it, Itachi breaks free from Kabuto's control, rendering Koto Amatsukami useless for another decade. He sealed Nagato using the Totsuka blade from his Susano'o, and heads out to Kabuto to stop the Impure World Resurrection and Reanimation Jutsu.
Itachi is not present in any of the seven featured films in the series, and has only a brief cameo in one of the original video animations; however, is a playable character in nearly all Naruto video games, including the Clash of Ninja series and the Ultimate Ninja series.[30][31][32] In some games, he utilizes variations on his techniques not seen in the anime or manga.[33] Naruto Shippūden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX marks the first appearance of Itachi in a video game set in Part II, with the second one being Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel.[34]
Itachi has ranked highly in the Weekly Shonen Jump popularity polls for the series, continuously placing in the top ten and reaching sixth place once.[4] The last such poll was in 2006, in which Itachi was in 11th place, staying out of the top ten for the first time.[35] Several pieces of merchandise based on Itachi have also been released, including key chains,[36] plush dolls,[37][38] and figurines.[39][40]
Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Itachi's character. IGN reader Jason Van Horn characterized Itachi as "badass" and jokingly mentioned he is a character to be afraid of since in his first fight in the series he did not make any remarkable move.[7] He found that "there is just something about the cold and numb Itachi", that makes the viewer "want to breakout in chills".[5] IGN's Charles White liked the episode where young Sasuke and Itachi's relationship were revealed, and hoped to see more on their past to resolve the mystery of Itachi's character commenting that learning about their "past has been intriguing".[8] Jason Van Horn criticised the first battle between Itachi and Sasuke, as "good" but not "as epic as it should've been".[41] James Musgrove commented that Itachi and his partner Kisame "make a dramatic and well-timed entrance into the story".[42]
In the Shelf Life section from Anime News Network (ANN) Bamboo Dong comments that Itachi is one of their favorite characters from the series noting his background and his introduction as the best parts of the series.[43] Activeanime writer Davey C. Jones celebrated Itachi's fights as the best ones in the series remarking his abilities to be as amazing as a "sci-fi ninja".[44] Holly Ellingwood from the same website agreed on this, noting his fight against Kakashi Hatake as one "few will be able to forget." The reviewer also praised Itachi's attitude commenting that he "is as cold and as ruthless as any villian yet."[6] In a review of the volume 16 from the manga, Deb Aoki from About.com listed Itachi's introduction in the series as one of the cons from the volume. She praised his first fight in the series to be very entertaining and that was meant to "whet readers' appetites" for future fights between Konoha ninja and the Akatsuki.[45] Additionally, his last fight with Sasuke before dying was considered "epic" by Casey Brienza from ANN. She found it to be more to be "a battle of minds" since even after Itachi's death Sasuke changes his thought about him when learning about his past. She also anticipated the impact of Itachi's past revelations on the future storyline of Naruto.[9]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Itachi Uchiha
^ "朝霧の帰郷". Studio Pierrot. Naruto. TV Tokyo. April 28, 2004. No. 81.
^ "Return of the Morning Mist". Studio Pierrot. Naruto. Cartoon Network. April 7, 2007. No. 81.
^ "Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!". Studio Pierrot. Naruto. Cartoon Network. April 15, 2006. No. 29.
^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 245". Naruto, Volume 28. Viz Media. pp. 8–9. ISBN 1-4215-1864-3.
^ a b Van Horn, Jason (2007-04-23). "Naruto: "Roar Chidori! Brother vs. Brother" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ a b Ellingwood, Holly (2008-04-20). "Naruto DVD box set 7 review". Activeanime.com. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
^ a b Horn, Jason Van (2007-04-09). "IGN - Review - Naruto: "Return of the Morning Mist" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
^ a b White, Charles (2008-01-07). "Naruto: "Brothers: Distance Among the Uchiha" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ a b Brienza, Casey (2009-04-25). "Naruto GN 42-44". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 401". Naruto, Volume 43. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-2929-5.
^ a b c Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 402". Naruto, Volume 43. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-2929-5.
^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 260". Naruto, Volume 29. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1865-7.
^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 259". Naruto, Volume 29. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1865-7.
^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2008). "Chapter 390". Naruto, Volume 43. Shueisha. ISBN 978-1-4215-2929-5.
^ Naruto: Ultimate Ninja English instruction manual. Namco Bandai. 2006. pp. 26.
^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). "Chapter 293". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. pp. 41–42. ISBN 4-08-874108-6.
^ "Amazon.com: Naruto: Chibi Itachi Key Chain". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
^ "Amazon.com: Naruto 8-inch UFO Itachi Uchiha Plush Figure + Pin". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
^ "Naruto Itachi 7" UFO Animal Plush + Pin". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
^ "Naruto Mattel 3 Inch Series 2 Mini Figure 3-Pack Itachi vs. Sasuke & Kakashi (Sharingan Battle)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
^ Van Horn, Jason (2007-04-30). "Naruto: "Hate Among the Uchihas: The Last of the Clan!" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ Musgrove, James (2008-03-24). "Naruto Volume 21: Eye to Eye DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ Dong, Bamboo (2008-04-28). "Shelf Life Funky Town". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
^ Jones, Davey C. (2008-03-21). "NARUTO VOL. 22 THE LAST OF THE CLAN! (ADVANCE REVIEW)". Activeanime. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
^ Aoki, Deb. "Naruto Volume 16". About.com. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
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This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
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NASA Staff Meeting Minutes 3 September 1996
By Keith Cowing on September 3, 1996 4:17 PM.
Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Director's Meeting September 3, 1996
The following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and Center Director's Meeting on September 3, 1996. Mr. Goldin was in attendance. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy identification.
1. AA Reports
E/Graves: Black Caucus week is September 11-15, 1996, and LeRC will support this event with exhibits.
G/Stephens: The General Counsel has issued an opinion letter concerning post employment restrictions for employment opportunities with USA. The opinion has been distributed to all of the Center's Chief Counsels. Congress has passed legislation clarifying that the one-year no contact rule for departing senior officials applies only to ES-5 and ES-6. The restriction applies to an official's position as opposed to salary. This week, the NASA General Counsel will meet with the Assistant Attorney General and members of his staff to review NASA's submission to Justice for inclusion in the Administration's response to the Adarand case. (Note: Justice subsequently canceled the meeting. No new date has been identified.)
R/Whitehead: The LeRC exhibit supporting Black Caucus week is LeRC's Mobil Education Center. It will be at Jefferson Junior High School on September 9-11, and will be in front of the NASA lobby on September 16. During this same week, an exhibit will be in the lobby for students, Kindergarten through Grade 12, representing all of the Enterprises.
U/Nicogossian: A recent edition of the Journal of American Medicine published a supportive article on the research conducted during a recent Shuttle mission concerning sleep in isolated environments. During the week of August 26, Code U had the opportunity to review the status of Dr. James Smith's research of the Commercial Space Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. This research concerns liquid phase sintering. Metal samples have been processed on the Mir's Optizon Furnace and are slated to be returned to Earth on STS-79. The research is to determine the effects of microgravity on porosity and microstructure of sintered materials for tool bit applications, which would provide new methods to reduce breakage in the tools. On August 25, 1996, Code I signed an agreement, established through the Commercial Space Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, with Argentina to perform investigations related to developing drugs to treat Chagas' Disease. This vector-bone, debilitating disease affects more than 20 million people in Latin America. Code U is now seeking flight opportunities for this research that involves both Space Product Development and Microgravity Science. The objective of these flights will be to identify the protein crystal structures that will assist in the development of pharmaceuticals to combat the disease.
P/Boeder: In the event that KSC has to rollback the orbiter, Code P will ensure that video of the rollback is available to the press. Weather stations have been using the video of the Hurricane Eduoard, and the follow-on storms in their daily forecasts. The press conference on the second Galileo encounter with Ganymede will be conducted at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 1996.
S/Huntress: The cause of Galileo's safehold has been identified and corrective action was taken to ensure the spacecraft was prepared to initiate the preparatory sequences for the second Ganymede encounter. The next space science launch will be SAC-B in October 1996 aboard the Pegasus XL.
I/Schumacher: The meeting between the Administrator and French Delegate Minister Fillon, currently scheduled for September 11, has been canceled. It is anticipated that the meeting will be rescheduled to October.
Q/Gregory: The Flight Readiness Review for STS-79 was conducted on August 29, 1996. The launch date has been set for September 14, 1996. The Aviation Safety Advisory Panel is visiting MSFC this week.
L/Lawrence: Congress is back in session. The Senate's schedule calls for addressing the VA-HUD-Independent Agencies Appropriations bill the afternoon of September 3, 1996. Expected amendments include one to eliminate funding for the Space Station and another to eliminate funding for NASA's Bion. The bill should be voted on September 4, 1996.
J/Sutton: A new audit by the Office of the Inspector General began with the entrance conference on August 26, 1996. This is the first of three environmental audits planned to start within the next 2 weeks. LeRC/Chester Sipsock is the supervisory auditor. JPL/Stan Graves is the lead auditor. Survey work will be conducted at JPL, MSFC, and probably LaRC. The auditors have five objectives for the survey, but intend to narrow the scope after the survey: (1) determine what progress is being made with respect to cleanup efforts at NASA after the survey; (2) compliance with environmental directives, orders, and other agreements; (3) provisions being made with other agencies and organizations to share the cleanup costs; (4) validity of cleanup cost estimates; and (5) adequacy of internal cost control measures.
F/Armstrong: Last week, NASA received a letter from OPM extending the Agency's early out authority under the same conditions as last year.
Z/Ladwig: NASA is waiting for further guidance and direction from the Office of the Vice President concerning the Space Summit. A mid-September release of the National Space Policy is expected.
C/Christensen: All of the decisions concerning the identification of SES employees and the Centers to which they will transfer have been made. The letters announcing these decisions will be issued by September 15, 1996. All of the HQ Associate Administrators will be receiving a letter announcing the September 18, 1996, job fair. All employees are strongly encouraged to attend this event.
2. AD/ Dailey
The HQ Honor Award ceremony will be held on September 25, 1996, at 1:30 p.m. in the HQ Auditorium.
During the softball games held on August 27, 1996, Team E/G/H won their second game of the series, defeating Code I 12-7. Code U defeated Code W 23-4. Code B beat Code P 12-7 on August 29. The games scheduled for September 3, Team A/Z will face Code Y, last year's second place team. Code W will play Team K/L. The games will be held at the Jefferson Field at 7th and G Street, SW, at 5:30 p.m.
3. Center Director Reports
ARC/Dean: Dr. McDonald is in Europe this week and will visit DARA. Next week ARC will host the Astrobiology Workshop that is expected to have at least 350 participants on the first day.
DRFC/Szalai: DRFC will hold an open house to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. Schools from the local area have been invited to participate in the celebration, and the Center will open the laboratories, simulators, and aircraft for them to go through. Mr. Goldin requested information concerning the Aerospike engine's first flight on the SR-71. Mr. Szalai provided a brief status of the program that indicated the Aerospike's operational ground check would be conducted during the last week of October at which time the flight schedule would be established.
JSC/Abbey: The Flight Readiness Review for STS-79 was held on August 29, 1996, at KSC and established September 14, 1996, as STS-79's launch date. The crew will be placed in quarantine on September 7 in preparation of the launch. Node 1, the first component of the International Space Station, and the U.S. laboratory module have successfully completed pressure tests at the Marshall Space Flight Center on August 28.
KSC/Honeycutt: Hurricane Fran is heading straight for KSC. The decision to roll Atlantis back to the VAB will be made by midnight on September 3. STS-79 has range clearance from September 14 - 17. September 16 is anticipated as the alternate launch date, should weather prevent the mission from launching as scheduled. (Note: Atlantis was rolled back on September 4, 1996.)
LaRC/Harris: On August 26, 1996, LaRC participated in an experiment to assist the U. S. Navy's stall/spin flight test. In this experiment a 22-percent model was dropped from 12,000 feet where it was flown through a series of profiles while being controlled from a ground station. At the conclusion of the test, a problem developed with the first stage parachute that resulted in hard landing. The model has been returned to LaRC to be repaired and the experiment's timeline is being reviewed and updated.
LeRC/Campbell: LeRC has been working with MIT on a research program investigating high-speed compressor stalls. Additionally, material research has developed a ceramic composite that can be used in the classroom to provide students with better tools to understand metal research.
MSFC/Littles: The ASAP will visit the Center on September 6, 1996, and a subcommittee will return the following week. The Super Light Weight Tank successfully completed its stability test and has one final test left. The Center finalized its contract negotiations with Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) to design, build, and test-fly the X-34, which is a small reusable technology demonstrator.
SSC/Estess: The August 27, 1996, final drop test of a recoverable propulsion module was successful. This experiment was in support of the Boeing Defense and Space Group of Seattle in their participation in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle project. A sub-committee from the Aerospace Advisory Panel visited the Center on August 29, 1996, and Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) visited the Center on August 30, 1996. Al Diaz and repre- sentatives from Mission to Planet Earth will visit the Center this week, and Mr. Estess will visit Phillips Laboratory later this week.
4. A/Goldin
Mr. Goldin expressed his appreciation for everyone's hard work on NASA's budget submission. A meeting was scheduled on September 3, 1996, to place the final touches on the OMB submission. Mr. Goldin addressed the issue of diversity in NASA's workforce, reiterating the fact that diversity is one of NASA's greatest strengths and that it is up to all of the supervisors to ensure that all employees have opportunities to excel and to grow.
NOTE: ACTION ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE TRANSMITTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER AND TRACKED BY THE HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE OFFICE. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDRESSED TO LORIE PESONEN AT 358-4525.
Officials-in-Charge of Headquarters Offices:
B/Mr. Holz
C/Mr. Christensen
E/Mr. Reese (Acting)
F/Gen. Armstrong
G/Mr. Frankle
H/Ms. Lee
I/Mr. Schumacher
J/Ms. Cooper
K/Mr. Thomas
L/Mr. Lawrence
M/Mr. Trafton
O/Dr. Lundy (Acting)
P/Ms. Boeder
Q/Mr. Gregory
R/Dr. Whitehead
S/Dr. Huntress
U/Dr. Nicogossian (Acting)
W/Ms. Gross
X/Dr. Mansfield
Y/Mr. Townsend (Acting)
Z/Mr. Ladwig
Directors, NASA Field Installations:
ARC/Dr. McDonald
DFRC/Mr. Szalai
GSFC/Mr. Rothenberg
JSC/Mr. Abbey
KSC/Mr. Honeycutt
LaRC/Dr. Creedon
LeRC/Mr. Campbell
MSFC/Dr. Littles
SSC/Mr. Estess
Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
A/Ms. Wilcoxen
AB/Ms. Saldana
AD/Ms. Shaeffer
AE/Ms. Moore
AI/Ms. McClung
AO/Ms. Wissinger
AT/Ms. Doss
CMC/Analysts
C-3/Ms. Soper
Goldin,
Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Director's Meeting September 3, 1996\n\nThe following documents the discussions addressed at the Senior Staff and Center Director's Meeting on September 3, 1996. Mr. Goldin was in attendance. Action assignments have been placed in brackets [ ] for easy identification.
Aeronautics (153)
Ask The Administrator (20)
Astrobiology (201)
Astronauts (328)
Astronomy (191)
Budget (699)
Canadian Space Agency Watch (6)
Cape Canaveral (22)
Commercialization (2318)
Congress (953)
Earth Science (214)
Exploration (1481)
Export Control (3)
Gorby (3)
Hubble (95)
ISEE-3 (46)
ISS News (1171)
IT/Web (336)
Internet Policies (105)
Military Space (14)
NASA Culture (24)
NASA Hackspace (12)
New Moon Rising (8)
Personnel News (930)
Policy (369)
SLS and Orion (563)
Shuttle News (874)
Shuttle News 1997-2003 (16)
Space & Planetary Science (1404)
Space Elevators (3)
Space Quarterly Magazine (18)
Space Tourism (5)
Transition (199)
TrumpSpace (32)
Web Site News (7)
suborbital (52)
This page contains a single entry by Keith Cowing published on September 3, 1996 4:17 PM.
1996 Agencywide Employee and Customer Satisfaction Survey was the previous entry in this blog.
Congressional Letter To NASA About Aircraft Consolidation is the next entry in this blog.
This website does not have any connection whatsoever with, endorsement by, or authorization from, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration nor does any product or service being offered or made available to the public have the authorization, support, sponsorship, or endorsement of, or the development, use, or manufacture by or on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Written by Assembly Democrats
http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/4th-cedarburg-s5.jpg MADISON, WI - This week, State Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) talks about Independence Day, as Wisconsinites come together with friends and family to celebrate at parades, barbeques, and festivals.
Audio File of Radio Address
Hello, this is State Representative Dianne Hesselbein with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.
Every year on the fourth of July families and friends gather to commemorate one of the most important days in our nation’s history. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence.
The document wasn’t signed until August, however, the date July 4, 1776 was the date on the original printed copies of the Declaration that were circulated throughout our new nation. The significance of the date was accentuated by the death of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the same day on July 4, 1826. It wasn’t until 1870 that Congress first declared the fourth of July a national holiday.
We owe the ability to celebrate this day to our founding fathers who had enough courage and tenacity to stand up and boldly declare: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Even though we live in a world vastly different from the world of our founding fathers, the truths they set down in the Declaration of Independence are still a reminder of how far we’ve come.
To put this holiday in perspective, we have to recognize some important truths of today.
Our freedoms are dependent on the men and women in uniform. They, and their families, ensure that our country is safe, by fighting for our principles.
Furthermore, our country must continue to strive for a more perfect union. It is that pursuit of a better future that guided our founders. Our work must continue until every person in our country is able to gain the same opportunities, enjoy the same freedoms, and is treated equally under the law.
We are at a pivotal moment in our history – with challenges previously unseen. Upholding freedom means respecting people from across the globe, especially those seeking to flee oppression in their own country for the promise of America.
This Independence Day, Wisconsinites will come together with friends and family to celebrate at parades, barbeques, and festivals.
But during this time, take a moment to remember our past, recognize our challenges in the present, and work toward a better future.
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Home » Digital, Radio, Television »
ICYMI: Amazon’s ad business grows
Plus, First Peoples Radio launches a new station and Stingray closes its deal with Newfoundland Capital Corporation.
Amazon makes $2.5 billion in ad sales
E-commerce giant Amazon posted a highly positive quarter, with revenue of $56.6 billion. Although Amazon’s revenue mostly comes from its inventory sales, the company’s burgeoning ad business grew by 123% year-over-year, bringing in $2.5 billion for the quarter. This is now the third straight quarter in which Amazon has posted more than $2 billion in ad revenue. While the company still doesn’t quite touch powerhouses Facebook and Google in its advertising prowess, it surpassed Oath (which took in $1.8 billion in its most recent quarterly revenue report) earlier this year and towering over the likes of Twitter ($650 million in its most recent earnings) and Snapchat ($297.70 million in the most recent earnings).
Ottawa and Toronto tune into new Indigenous radio station
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and First Peoples Radio responded to a gap in Indigenous representation by starting a brand new station, ELMNT FM. Launched in Ottawa and Toronto, the station aims to provide content that speaks to Indigenous Peoples within the community, with a goal to branch out nationally. The station will feature news from APTN NAtional News and The Canadian Press, with music ranging from rock, pop and rap to country and soul. The station will dedicate 25% of music to Indigenous talent, with 60% going to local programming.
Stingray closes deal with NCC
The CRTC has authorized Montreal media company Stingray to acquire shares of private radio broadcaster, Newfoundland Capital Corporation (NCC). The deal, which was set in motion earlier this year, will significantly add to Stingray’s offering of music, TV and video services with radio 101 stations across Canada. When the acquisition was first announced in May, the transaction was said to be worth $506 million.
Amazon, APTN, CRTC, First Peoples Radio, Newfoundland Capital Corporation, Stingray
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In the trailer, Lisa is looking for someone to back her health start-up, and that's when Anne pops the question. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Renée Zellweger's Netflix Series What / If Is Out Now on Netflix," 24 May 2019 The 53- year-old choreographer and reality star has been open about her painful health journey, sharing raw photos of her post-surgery and updating fans every step of the way. — Mackenzie Dunn, Woman's Day, "Abby Lee Miller Is Officially Cancer Free," 23 May 2019 As for the holistic approach, Pollak points out that the skin, being our largest organ, is inextricably tied to whole-body health. — Prue Lewington, Harper's BAZAAR, "Women Are Giving Up Botox for Facial Massage," 23 May 2019 Best of all, the Flatform will help raise money for the Tegan and Sara Foundation, the sisters' initiative that fights for health, political, and economic equality for young, LGBTQ+ girls and women. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Tegan and Sara Collaborated on Rainbow Teva Sandals for Pride Month, and Fans Are Losing It," 22 May 2019 The furry favorite has offered grooming services, training workshops, and plenty of toys for good boys for more than 50 years, and now, the brand's doubling down on its commitment to pet health with a new artificial-free policy. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "How To Get Free Pet Food At Petco This Weekend," 17 May 2019 Those include Labor Department powers under the law that sets minimum standards for private-industry health plans and current hospital-payment rules under Medicare. ... — Stephanie Armour, WSJ, "White House Wants Patients to Know Health-Care Prices Up Front," 15 May 2019 Under the Affordable Care Act, most private health plans must cover all birth control, including EC, as prescribed. — Glamour, "All of Your Emergency-Contraception Q’s, Answered," 22 Apr. 2019 In already fragile health ecosystems, these efforts to ban abortions could cost women their lives. — Lauren Rankin, Teen Vogue, "Alabama's Abortion Ban Is Dangerous, and it May Even Be Deadly," 16 May 2019
Continuing weight loss may deteriorate into wasting, a vaguely defined condition called cachexia.[30] Cachexia differs from starvation in part because it involves a systemic inflammatory response.[30] It is associated with poorer outcomes.[25][30][31] In the advanced stages of progressive disease, metabolism can change so that they lose weight even when they are getting what is normally regarded as adequate nutrition and the body cannot compensate. This leads to a condition called anorexia cachexia syndrome (ACS) and additional nutrition or supplementation is unlikely to help.[27] Symptoms of weight loss from ACS include severe weight loss from muscle rather than body fat, loss of appetite and feeling full after eating small amounts, nausea, anemia, weakness and fatigue.[27]
Social conditions such as poverty, social isolation and inability to get or prepare preferred foods can cause unintentional weight loss, and this may be particularly common in older people.[42] Nutrient intake can also be affected by culture, family and belief systems.[27] Ill-fitting dentures and other dental or oral health problems can also affect adequacy of nutrition.[27]
Public health also takes various actions to limit the health disparities between different areas of the country and, in some cases, the continent or world. One issue is the access of individuals and communities to health care in terms of financial, geographical or socio-cultural constraints to accessing and using services.[54] Applications of the public health system include the areas of maternal and child health, health services administration, emergency response, and prevention and control of infectious and chronic diseases.
Suicidal thoughts or actions. Topiramate, an ingredient in Qsymia, may cause you to have suicidal thoughts or actions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempts to commit suicide; new or worse depression; new or worse anxiety; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; trouble sleeping (insomnia); new or worse irritability; acting aggressive, being angry, or violent; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity or talking (mania); other unusual changes in behavior or mood.
*Offer is not available (different pricing applies) in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York (Metro & Premier Plus), Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Delaware, and does not include access to Signature Clubs or clubs in Canada. Memberships may require an initiation fee and/or annual fee as indicated on membership agreement, except as required by law. Memberships may require commitment to an initial term (except as required by law), in which case an early termination fee will apply if membership agreement is terminated prior to the expiration of the initial term. Single club pricing not available at all locations. Recurring monthly charges must be paid by electronic funds transfer from your checking or savings account or automatic transfer from an accepted credit or debit card. Must be 16 years of age or older (or at least 13 years of age and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian), sign membership agreement, and pay first and last months’ dues and fees for additional services purchased (if any) plus the initiation fee to join. This offer is not available in combination with other discounted rates, coupons or promotions. If offer is advertised as less than $1 per day, that is based on average monthly dues per day in a 30-day month for single club access only. A parent/ legal guardian must sign membership agreement or guest waiver, as applicable, on behalf of members / guests under 18 years of age. Personal training and other services are subject to an additional agreement and requires payment of an additional fee. Offer is subject to change without notice and may end at any time. Additional terms and/or restrictions may apply.
An article by Muscle & Fitness magazine, "Overtrain for Big Gains", claimed that overtraining for a brief period can be beneficial. Overtraining can be used advantageously, as when a bodybuilder is purposely overtrained for a brief period of time to super compensate during a regeneration phase. These are known as "shock micro-cycles" and were a key training technique used by Soviet athletes.[54]
Just as there was a shift from viewing disease as a state to thinking of it as a process, the same shift happened in definitions of health. Again, the WHO played a leading role when it fostered the development of the health promotion movement in the 1980s. This brought in a new conception of health, not as a state, but in dynamic terms of resiliency, in other words, as "a resource for living". 1984 WHO revised the definition of health defined it as "the extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities".[10] Thus, health referred to the ability to maintain homeostasis and recover from insults. Mental, intellectual, emotional and social health referred to a person's ability to handle stress, to acquire skills, to maintain relationships, all of which form resources for resiliency and independent living.[9] This opens up many possibilities for health to be taught, strengthened and learned.
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Revealing the Monsters Behind the Man in the Media Mask
Demasking the Torture of Julian Assange
by Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Torture Victims, 26 June 2019
I know, you may think I am deluded. How could life in an Embassy with a cat and a skateboard ever amount to torture? That’s exactly what I thought, too, when Assange first appealed to my office for protection. Like most of the public, I had been subconsciously poisoned by the relentless smear campaign, which had been disseminated over the years.
So it took a second knock on my door to get my reluctant attention. But once I looked into the facts of this case, what I found filled me with repulsion and disbelief.Surely, I thought, Assange must be a rapist! But what I found is that he has never been charged with a sexual offence.
True, soon after the US had encouraged allies to find reasons to prosecute Assange, two women made the headlines in Sweden. One of them claimed he had ripped a condom, and the other that he had failed to wear one, in both cases during consensual intercourse — not exactly scenarios that have the ring of ‘rape’ in any language other than Swedish.
Mind you, each woman even submitted a condom as evidence. The first one, supposedly worn and torn by Assange, revealed no DNA whatsoever — neither his, nor hers, nor anybody else’s. Go figure. The second one, used but intact, supposedly proved ‘unprotected’ intercourse. Go figure, again.
The women even texted that they never intended to report a crime but were ‘railroaded’ into doing so by zealous Swedish police. Go figure, once more. Ever since, both Sweden and Britain have done everything to prevent Assange from confronting these allegations without simultaneously having to expose himself to US extradition and, thus, to a show-trial followed by life in jail. His last refuge had been the Ecuadorian Embassy.
Alright, I thought, but surely Assange must be a hacker! But what I found is that all his disclosures had been freely leaked to him, and that no one accuses him of having hacked a single computer. In fact, the only arguable hacking-charge against him relates to his alleged unsuccessful attempt to help breaking a password which, had it been successful, might have helped his source to cover her tracks.
In short: a rather isolated, speculative, and inconsequential chain of events; a bit like trying to prosecute a driver who unsuccessfully attempted to exceed the speed-limit, but failed because their car was too weak.
Professor Nils Melzer
Well then, I thought, at least we know for sure that Assange is a Russian spy, has interfered with US elections, and negligently caused people’s deaths! But all I found is that he consistently published true information of inherent public interest without any breach of trust, duty or allegiance.
Yes, he exposed war crimes, corruption and abuse, but let’s not confuse national security with governmental impunity. Yes, the facts he disclosed empowered US voters to take more informed decisions, but isn’t that simply democracy? Yes, there are ethical discussions to be had regarding the legitimacy of unredacted disclosures. But if actual harm had really been caused, how come neither Assange nor Wikileaks ever faced related criminal charges or civil lawsuits for just compensation?
But surely, I found myself pleading, Assange must be a selfish narcissist, skateboarding through the Ecuadorian Embassy and smearing feces on the walls? Well, all I heard from Embassy staff is that the inevitable inconveniences of his accommodation at their offices were handled with mutual respect and consideration.
This changed only after the election of President Moreno, when they were suddenly instructed to find smears against Assange and, when they didn’t, they were soon replaced. The President even took it upon himself to bless the world with his gossip, and to personally strip Assange of his asylum and citizenship without any due process of law.
In the end it finally dawned on me that I had been blinded by propaganda, and that Assange had been systematically slandered to divert attention from the crimes he exposed. Once he had been dehumanized through isolation, ridicule and shame, just like the witches we used to burn at the stake, it was easy to deprive him of his most fundamental rights without provoking public outrage worldwide. And thus, a legal precedent is being set, through the backdoor of our own complacency, which in the future can and will be applied just as well to disclosures by The Guardian, the New York Times and ABC News.
Very well, you may say, but what does slander have to do with torture? Well, this is a slippery slope. What may look like mere «mudslinging» in public debate, quickly becomes “mobbing” when used against the defenseless, and even “persecution” once the State is involved. Now just add purposefulness and severe suffering, and what you get is full-fledged psychological torture.
Yes, living in an Embassy with a cat and a skateboard may seem like a sweet deal when you believe the rest of the lies. But when no one remembers the reason for the hate you endure, when no one even wants to hear the truth, when neither the courts nor the media hold the powerful to account, then your refuge really is but a rubber boat in a shark-pool, and neither your cat nor your skateboard will save your life.
Even so, you may say, why spend so much breath on Assange, when countless others are tortured worldwide? Because this is not only about protecting Assange, but about preventing a precedent likely to seal the fate of Western democracy. For once telling the truth has become a crime, while the powerful enjoy impunity, it will be too late to correct the course. We will have surrendered our voice to censorship and our fate to unrestrained tyranny.
This Op-Ed has been offered for publication to the Guardian, The Times, the Financial Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, the Canberra Times, the Telegraph, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Newsweek.
None responded positively.
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HomecouncilMeet The New Council Members: Byron D’Andra Orey
Meet The New Council Members: Byron D’Andra Orey
December 9, 2015 council, people Comments Off on Meet The New Council Members: Byron D’Andra Orey
Byron D’Andra Orey earned a B.S. degree from Mississippi Valley State University, Masters from the University of Mississippi and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans. He has taught at the University of Mississippi, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and currently teaches at Jackson State University where he is Professor and former chair of the Department of Political Science. During the 2003-2004 academic year he was selected as a Gallup Professor by the Gallup Organization. His research is in the area of race and politics, Bio-Politics and Legislative Behavior. He has published over thirty scholarly articles and book chapters.
He has received university awards that include Teacher and Researcher of the Year. He has also received the Jewel Prestage Teacher and the Rodney Higgins Mentor awards from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, TESS, Academic Exchange, the Palestinian American Research Center and he has worked with colleagues through a grant from the University of California, Irvine for undergraduates to participate in a summer research program.
Statement views: My views on the role of political scientists as individuals and political scientists as a social formation expressed through the APSA are shaped by my biography as a son of the American South. Consistent with the philosophy expressed by one of APSA’s past presidents, David Easton, I believe that our task is not only to develop an objective understanding of political matters, but to also use our knowledge and societal standing to promote desired social change, particularly in those areas such as race, ethnicity, gender and politics where widespread inequities remain. To that end, I consider myself a scholar activist with a special commitment to mentoring young men and women who are interested in becoming political scientists. As someone who is committed to civic engagement, I pride myself in leaving the ebony tower and stepping onto the urban concrete. As a member of the APSA Council, I would work to help forge alliances among APSA, major research intensive universities, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In that regard, I would continue the tradition established by Professors Samuel DuBois Cook, Jewel Prestage, Mack Jones, Hanes Walton and others. Moreover, given APSA’s commitment to diversity, I would work with other Council members to find a way to aid in creating a continuous spotlight on the report of the Task Force on Political Science in the 21st Century. Currently, there seems to be no incentive for Departments to improve their efforts in addressing diversity as outlined in the Report. On a related issue, I would work with other Council members to create a data base of scholars who study race, ethnicity, gender and politics. Such a data base could be used in a variety of conducive ways, one being a resource for editors of journals who are in search of experts who study race, ethnicity and politics.
APSA’s Annual Fund Impacts Critical Programs and Travel Costs to Annual Meeting
Call for Proposals: APSA’s Open Access Journal
The APSA Annual Fund provides immediate support to some of the association’s most critical programs. An unrestricted gift to the...
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Happy Moments
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Porto Group
Since its foundation by Mansour Amer in 2005, Porto has operated as one of the largest privately held corporations in Egypt. Porto started with Porto Marina, a resort in Marina on the North Coast with over 990 units. Ten years later, Porto Resorts now encompass over 30,000 units at 15 beautiful resorts in premier travel destinations throughout Egypt, the Middle East, and North Africa. From the white, sandy beaches along the Mediterranean coast, to the Dead Sea in Jordan; Families can affordably
experience the most sought after vacation destinations in the country through Porto Group. With resorts in the North Coast, Red Sea, Sharm El Sheikh, & Matrouh. Porto Group has established itself as a leader in the hospitality industry.
As one of the largest resort developers in Egypt, Porto Group is constantly growing and improving by providing the best affordable luxury vacations available. With first-class accommodations and unparalleled customer service, Porto Group’s family-friendly resorts range from standard two-bedroom apartments and cosy studios to spacious four-bedroom villas that provide all the essential comforts of a home. More recently, Porto Group launched Porto Pyramids, Porto October, and Porto New Cairo communities in Cairo, which feature all the amenities of the resorts in addition to all services essential to first home owners such as schools and hospitals. Porto Group is always growing and expanding to ensure the highest quality experience and value for Egyptian families.
&Mission
Porto creates new communities for people by anticipating and identifying their unique and individual needs, wants, and by creating value through the properties and companies we own, manage, and market.
Porto's vision is to become the leading architect of lifestyle-enhancing environments and experiences in the region through sound operation practices, exemplary customer services, strategic acquisitions and the development of new products and services that allow us to offer the most sought after family destinations in the Middle East.
"Since its founding more than thirty years ago, Porto has been guided by a unique vision to create a brand that is a benchmark for others, not only in Egypt but also in the MENA region at large.”
— MANSOUR AMER, FOUNDER OF PORTO GROUP
Much has taken place during the 30-year history of Porto. 30 years of experience has provided the expertise that comes with the planning, development and operation of more than 9.7 million square meters of property. For decades, Porto’s master plan has been a remarkable example of how long-range vision can bring balance, opportunity and happiness to families across Egypt and the Middle East. It’s part of a legacy that continues to guide the company to this day.
I believe the success of our company is due to the fact that we take care of our owners. I consider them as Porto’s most important asset because when we do our job correctly, they are our best salespeople. Our mission, to create value for people, remains the guiding principle of how we work and is the basis of that success. In looking at Porto today, I see two things. First, I see adherence to the principles of community planning, which include diverse experiences within our communities. The plan for this has been carefully thought out, reflecting a balance of uses and housing types and establishing the highest standards of care for the resorts and the people who lived there. I see a quality of design and architecture and focus on detail that is beyond what I could have expected.
Secondly, I see a company that recognizes and honours the importance of creating value for its customers. In the end, while the original master plan was both comprehensive and sophisticated, as a company we have constantly sought new ideas and concepts for its implementation. These core elements have allowed us to maintain our strong position as a leader in family homes, not only in Egypt but in fact across the MENA region. As we move forward, we thank our community, our partners, and all those who participated in the story, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Let the next 30 years begin.
Mansour Amer
Founder of Porto Group
Mohamed El Sayed
Hisham Abdel Khalik
CEO Delmar
CEO Delmar for Real Estate
Abdallah Lotfy
CEO of Real Estate Development
Sherif Khalil
Sherif Khalil is the Chief Commerce Officer (CCO) of Porto Egypt, a position he has held since May 2013. As CCO, Mr. Khalil drives revenue growth through the development and execution of Porto Egypt’s commercialisation strategy . He is a member of the Executive Management Team of Porto.
Mr. Khalill previously served at Amer Group as Chief Executive Officer for Amer Delmar Real Estate as well as CEO of Porto Vacation Homes. During his lengthy career Mr. Khalil has worked extensively in the tourism industry, collaborating with a number of major European and Asian tour operators. In 1999, Mr. Khalil joined Interval, holding a number of senior positions culminating in General Manager for the Middle East and North Africa in 2003.
Mr. Khalil holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Ain Shams University and later went on to complete a Diploma in Business and Administration and Sales and Marketing at the American University in Cairo.
Roshdy Mohamed
Walaa Tantawy
Porto Group is a leading real estate developer that offers mixed-use, family-oriented destinations. Porto has diversified businesses in the market of the primary and secondary homes complemented with hotels, shopping malls and restaurants owned by Amer Group.
Years Exprience
Units Delivered
All Year Around Destinations
Hubs of World Class Events
Million M2 Land Bank
About Porto Porto Experience Latest offers
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Mid-Term 2018 Election Outlook & Impact on the Industry
October 24, 2018 Oil And Energy 2018, Government Policy, October 2018
By Jim Collura, NEFI Vice President & Director of Government Affairs
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018. All 435 members of the House of Representatives, and 33 out of 100 Senators are on the ballot this year. At the state level, 39 governorships will be decided and control of many state legislatures hangs in the balance. Nationwide, generic ballot polling has consistently shown an advantage for Democrats.
This is not unusual. Democrat or Republican, the president’s party has traditionally lost seats during mid-term elections, especially when a president’s popularity is below 50% (Trump’s hovers around 40%). In each of the last three mid-term elections, the opposing party captured one or both chambers of Congress. Most non-partisan observers argue Democrats have attracted a greater number of qualified candidates, especially in purple and red states and districts where they have called up popular career politicians, political moderates or military veterans. In many races, they have also raised more money than the GOP.
Republicans have some things going for them, however. First, gerrymandered Congressional districts and local political trends are likely to limit pick-up opportunities. We are unlikely to see a repeat of the 52-seat pick-up achieved by Republicans during Clinton’s first mid-term when his favorability polls were about equal to Trump’s. Democrats are also facing the worst Senate map of any party in history.
Second, by nearly all measures, the U.S. economy is very healthy, unemployment is at record lows, America is not engaged in a major land war, and military casualties are at their lowest level since the start of the “War on Terror.” These factors typically benefit the party in power. Third, like President Trump, House and Senate Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer hold less than 50% approval in nationwide polling.
House of Representatives Outlook
Democrats need 23 seats to win control of the House, and they have plenty of opportunities. Open seats resulting from Republican retirements alone provide nearly enough pick-up opportunities for Democrats to retake the chamber. Republicans are retiring at a rate of more than 2-to-1 this cycle compared to Democrats. Half of the 44 Congressional Districts held by retiring House Republicans are considered competitive, as opposed to six of the 19 Congressional Districts held by retiring Democrats. Of all the seats Republicans are defending across the country, 23 are in districts Hillary Clinton won in 2016. One recent forecast predicts an 80% chance Democrats will retake the House, with an average gain of 37 seats, 14 more than needed.
Senate Outlook
If Democrats take the house, maintaining control of the Senate will be vital for the GOP to preserve its legislative agenda and protect President Trump from a possible impeachment. Republicans are defending only nine of the 33 Senate seats up this year. Democrats are defending 24. Ten of those are in states that President Trump won, several by double digits. However, Republicans can afford to lose only one seat, which would result in a 50-50 split, in which case Vice President Pence would possess the tie-breaking vote. And despite facing the worst election-year map in Senate history, Democrats have a shot at obtaining the two seats they need to take control. Democrats are proving competitive in at least two states won by Trump in 2016 and in a number of other states where races are expected to be close. According to recent polls, Republicans have pick-up opportunities in four states. If they pick up all four and hold their current seats, they will secure a 55-seat majority. However, this is unlikely due to four at-risk Republican seats seen as toss-ups. All things considered, election forecasters give Republicans a 68.7% chance of maintaining control of the Senate.
Impact on Industry Priorities
The outcome of the 2018 election could change the course of federal policy and have a meaningful effect on industry policy efforts. Following are four possible outcomes.
Democrats win House, Republicans keep the Senate: This is the most likely outcome and would result in a divided Congress. Most likely, led by Pelosi again, House Democrats would look to the possibility of retaking the Senate (with a more favorable map compared with 2018) and the White House in 2020. Having taken control of the House committees, they would likely conduct very aggressive oversight investigations and hearings into the Trump administration and its various officials, departments and agencies. Only major, must-pass legislation would be possible, and the negotiations would be dramatic and receive much press coverage. Government shutdowns over spending legislation would be possible.
Democrats win House and Senate (and impeach Trump): This would result in a very divided government. Moving forward with impeachment would create a constitutional crisis and historic political instability. If the attempt were to fail due to a lack of votes in the Senate, it could jeopardize Democrats’ competitiveness in 2020. In terms of legislation, Democrats would still have to negotiate with Senate Republicans to pass most major legislation, as a filibuster-proof supermajority requires 60 votes. Depending on how confrontational the Democratic Congress gets with Trump, this scenario could see frequent vetoes and government shutdowns. The president may want to use all tools at his disposal to protest investigations, hearings and impeachment proceedings.
Democrats win House and Senate (and don’t impeach Trump): Alternatively, having experienced a major defeat, Trump might extend an olive branch to Pelosi and Schumer right after Election Day. Democrats could decide to drop the idea of impeachment and work cooperatively with the White House on major legislative reforms to health care, infrastructure, energy policy, etc. Honestly, this is probably the least likely scenario listed here.
Republicans maintain control of both chambers: This would preserve the united government and result in the greatest amount of political stability. It is also the best chance that Congress has of successfully enacting meaningful legislation. This could include “Tax Reform 2.0,” the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, infrastructure legislation, etc. On the other hand, a smaller House majority could increase the influence of the conservative bloc, which could make enactment of legislation more difficult. At the same time, a tougher Senate map for Republicans in 2020 could motivate at-risk members to compromise, which could exacerbate intra-party divisions and institutional conflict between the two chambers.
Bottom Line: The industry needs to prepare for all possible outcomes and the effects they could have on federal legislative and regulatory priorities. NEFI Government Affairs Committee Chairman Scott E. MacFarlane will reconstitute and reconvene the committee immediately following Election Day. NEFI will also prepare a member survey to solicit feedback from members on which issues are most important going forward.
Donald Trumpmid-term elections
2018 Mid-Term Election Results & Im...
Past, Present & Future
December’s Drilling De-Regulations...
Toms on Trump
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An open letter to the pro-democracy leaders of Hong Kong
By Chin Jin - posted Monday, 20 June 2011 Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
Hong Kong has played a crucial role on several occasions in modern Chinese history. From the Sun Yat-sen revolution to the Anti-Japanese War, the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists, the return of Hong Kong and Macau and especially during the June 4th massacre following the 1989 Chinese democratic movement. Hong Kong people from all walks of life have strived to carry out arduous rescues during these difficult times. Furthermore, in the past two decades since the Tiananmen crackdown, it has only been Hong Kong that was able to summon hundreds of thousands of people in memory of this tragedy on each anniversary. The rest of the world has totally forgotten the bloodshed.
If we summarize the endeavors of Hong Kong people in modern Chinese history in a few words, it can be like this: "Hong Kong people strive to save not only themselves, but also whole of China'. This is because Hong Kong people were the only Chinese people who were able to breathe relatively free air to preserve the Chinese national identity. In other words, Hong Kong people are the small minority of the Chinese who are living in a relatively free society and have maintained a strong sense of Chinese national identity.
The Jasmine Revolution initiated from Tunis has triggered waves of social change in the Middle East since the beginning of this year.
This revolution not only puts an end to several decade-old dictatorships, but also makes the surviving autocracies shiver with fear. It is natural for mainland China to have been affected by this political tsunami, encouraging the Chinese people to act accordingly.
However, the extremely cautious Chinese authorities have of course quelled any slight commotion. And once there were online announcements calling for people's gatherings at a certain venue at a certain time, the arriving attendees would find themselves severely outnumbered by the armed police and the plainclothesmen. The internet itself is also heavily subjected to blockade by the authorities.
Therefore, it is easy to predict that there is hardly any possibility for Chinese residents to rally for the cause of the Jasmine Revolution due to the factors that happen within China. The situation in Taiwan is more subtle. The Ma Ying-jeou nationalist government has long been content with the status quo, they have lost the courage to compete in Chinese politics and they have abandoned their moral responsibility to the 1.3 billion mainland Chinese residents.
On the other hand, the Pan Green Parties are mainly focused on local affairs and are lukewarm about promoting a political change in mainland China. Looking around the world, we can find that Hong Kong is the only place on earth that can potentially mobilize the Chinese people to make a breakthrough to change the Chinese autocracy. If Hong Kong people would stand up for their fundamental rights, ie full democracy for Hong Kong, including direct election of the Hong Kong chief. And following in the footsteps of North Africa, it will encourage all Chinese residents to stand up for democracy, for Hong Kong people are also Chinese. Our homogeneity is much higher than that of the Middle Eastern countries who initiated the Jasmine Revolution. The resonance that is caused by our homogeneity can never be eliminated or underestimated.
It can be said that, if the civil discontent within mainland China is a potential explosive, then Hong Kong is the fuse; if mainland China is a motor engine, then Hong Kong is its starter; if the monolithic Chinese communist dictatorship is as strong as Achilles, then Hong Kong is his heels.
Professor YU Ying-shih, a highly prestigious scholar in America who graduated from New Asia College in Hong Kong, published an article about two months ago, entitled 'Hong Kong People shall be on Alert'.
Professor Yu revealed in this article that the Chinese Communist Party is planning to launch a reform of administrational regions, increasing the number of provinces to 50, and including 3 metropolitan regions, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The metropolitan area of Hong Kong will consist of Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. Therefore, Hong Kong will no longer be an independent administrative region according to this plan, nullifying Deng Xiaoping's promise that the socio-political status of Hong Kong would not be changed in 50 years. This denying a general election which had been proposed by the communist authority, and even making the Hong Kong Basic Law void.
Contemporary Hong Kong has followed China to a historical crossroad.
If Hong Kong people stand up at this moment for their full liberty and democratic rights that will not merely result in the democracy of Hong Kong, but of the whole of China. If Hong Kong people hesitate, they may miss the golden opportunity of Chinese democratization, and also witness the vanishing of the partial liberty and democracy that they currently have.
Chin Jin is an M.A. graduate of the University of Western Sydney and Chair of the Federation For A Democratic China, Australia.
» What does Xi Jinping stand for? - April 8, 2013
» The Chinese democracy movement and organizations - December 21, 2012
» Maturing governance in China - December 3, 2012
» For China human rights abuses are its history - March 9, 2012
» China's rise challenges more than economies - March 7, 2012
All articles by Chin Jin
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SanDisk Unveils Prototype 1TB USB-C Stick
| Wednesday, January 10, 2018
SanDisk is showcasing two new flash drives at CES this year. While owners of older PCs will find the product unappealing as a result, most PCs in the last couple of years also come with a Type-C port and, so, should be compatible. You can now directly access the device within third-party mobile creative apps, like FiLMiC Pro and LumaFusion. The SanDisk Extream Portable SSD is priced at $100 fo... [Full Article...]
LG's 65in rollable OLED makes every other TV look boring
Thanks to OLED technology's unique ability to turn each pixel on or completely off, LG OLED displays bring colors to life like never before while creating an infinite contrast. The LG ThinQ Speaker uses Google Assistant to let users control other connected LG devices at home with their voice. And, users will have access to 'more intelligent content information, ' to search soundtracks or cas... [Full Article...]
HTC announces Vive Pro with increased resolution and built-in headphones
It also features a built-in amplifier that offers an intensified sense of presence and richer sound. The ergonomics have been altered as well, shifting the center of gravity back on the headset, making it more comfortable. Vive has delivered the "largest upgrade to the Viveport customer experience since launch". Instead of a traditional 2D catalog, Viveport VR content is delivered in fully immer... [Full Article...]
Refreshed Dell Latitude lineup is faster and more functional for improved productivity
Customers will have a choice to purchase a version with the 8th Gen Intel Quad Core i5-8305G or the 8th Gen Intel Quad Core i7-8705G. When Intel announced its brand-new 8th Gen Core G-series processor earlier this week which features AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics, the company mentioned that the chip will appear in new 2-in-1 laptops from two manufacturers including Dell . [Full Article...]
Dell Mobile Connect mirrors phone screen on PC, but there's a catch
The takeaway? Literally anything you can do on your phone, you can do on your laptop using the phone, but on the laptop display with keyboard and mouse input. The app uses Bluetooth and WiFi direct to pair with your phone. However, you are still forced to split your time between your phone and the PC as they are fundamentally different from each other, and don't really work well together most ... [Full Article...]
Ring is getting into smart home lighting
Neighborhood security company Ring has just announced a slew of new home security products at this week's Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ) 2018. The package also comes with access to Ring's 24/7 monitoring and cloud video storage service, which costs $10 per month to maintain. [Full Article...]
Huawei launches Honor Band A2 with Smart Intelligent Health
Honor has now revealed that new smartphone will sport a glass unibody, similar to what has been seen in Honor 8 and Honor 9 smartphones. Honor will make the Honor View 10 available to buy in the United Kingdom, but this is the first time we've heard for certain the phone will be on sale in the US. [Full Article...]
Selected Whirlpool smart appliances will now support Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa
The directory is full of actions from both Google and a range of third party services, which we imagine will continue to be updated as new products hit store shelves. So it's not likely that they would all be vulnerable to the same hardware flaw, but we can never be 100 percent certain that these devices won't get hacked. [Full Article...]
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Revisiting The Stones of Ica
"So God created the Great Dragons"
...Genesis 1:21 The Latin Vulgate; 5th Century
In the whole -did dinosaurs co-exist with man- “controversy”, the Ica Stones are the smoking gun. More than that really--they're a mushroom cloud over the notion that dinosaurs died out millions of years before man even “evolved”. In this section of the website; Dinosaurs in Literature, Art and History, I believe we’ve already proven to the open minded that dinosaurs did in fact live with and “interact” with man. If you’re a Christian, we shouldn’t have had to convince you of that. The Ica stones are an archaeological treasure trove. They are in general beautiful works of art with themes seen in some of the other ancient Peruvian art we’ve examined on these pages.
Dr. Jose Cabrera, whose Father began collecting the stones in the 1930’s now has over 11,000 of these ancient artifacts in his museum, which are engraved stones of varying sizes, which depict: advanced astronomical scenes, advanced medical knowledge,- including heart transplants and brain surgery and many scenes showing dinosaur and man interacting.
Fully one third of the stones portray known dinosaur types; some displaying characteristics in the 1960’s (when the existence of the stones became “generally known”), which predated our current understanding of how these animals looked.
These stones show scenes of man controlling, killing or being killed by dinosaurs (a term first used in the mid-1800’s). As seen below, some of the scenes depicted appear to be of mechanical contrivances that remind us of Pascal’s tomb lid.
Ica Stone Etching from: Le Pietre di Ica, by Cornelia Petratu & Bernard Roidinger.
These stones show signs of being of great age, such as oxidation. Rocks cannot be carbon dated but as we relate below a number of experts have given their opinion as to the age of these stones as being between 1,500 and 12,000 years old. Conventional science and archaeologists have either ignored these enigmatic stones or condemned them as fakes. They have refused to cooperate with any scientific analyses of the stones and in general act as if they wish they’d go away.
No doubt some stones have been forged in recent years for profit, but everything -to super bowl tickets to Greek and Roman antiquities have been counterfeited and yet we all tend to still believe that most of the items are real.
When it comes to ancient Greek and Roman antiquities science is willing to analyze them to determine their age and their provenance because they do not threaten the paradigm like these artifacts do.
“The Indian chronicler, Juan de Santa Cruz Pachachuti Llamgui wrote that at the time of the Peru-tomb Pachachuti many carved stones were found in the Kingdom of Chperu-tomb, in Chinchayunga, which were called "Manco." (Juan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti Llamqui: "Relacion de antique dades d'este reyno del Peru.")
The reference to "Chinchayunga" was the low country of the central coast of Peru, where Ica is located today. "Manco" is believed to be a corruption of the Aymara word "malku" which means "Chieftain" or "Lord of vassals." It is noted that some of these stones were taken back to Spain. The chronicler of the Peru-tombs wrote in about 1570.” …Dr. Don Patton
Dr. Cabrera, who ran a museum showcasing the artifacts before his death, was a professor of medicine and the head of his department at the University of Lima, estimates that considering his own collection, other collections with which he was aware, that as many as 50,000 of these artifacts have been found.
Dr. Cabrera accepted the theory of evolution, but believed that the stones belonged to a race of advanced man who lived millions of years ago. Christians would disagree with his theories about the artifacts, but at least the stones don’t make us run and hide like they do materialist science.
Mainstream scientists have only to hear that they depict man interacting with known types of dinosaurs to conclude with eyes closed and ears plugged—that they are fakes. To be fair, Christians shouldn’t accept them as genuine simply because they reinforce what we believe but all should welcome an honest, scientific analysis of the artifacts. They are what they are, enigmatic, mysterious, beautiful and ubiquitous -— and very possibly ancient.
Excerpts From: The Message of the Stones", by Dr. Javier Cabrera
The book can be purchased online in English or Spanish here: Message of the Stones
360 kilometers south of Lima - capital of Peru - in the coastal province of Ica, there were discovered in 1961 some strange and mysterious stones shaped somewhat like river rocks. The strangeness, the mystery of the stones was that they pictured animals, men and ways of life very different from those previously discovered by students of the classical cultures of Peru.
The stones came from Ocucaje, an agreeable little town located 40 kilometers south of Ica. In this region, underground, are to he found innumerable graves of men who lived in the times of the Inca and before; lying on the surface of the earth are petrified remains of both tiny and huge prehistoric animals.
Ocucaje lies in an immense desert criss-crossed by mounds of ancient rocks, perhaps the oldest on the planet. There, in the solitude of the desert landscape, testimonials to the recent past and the ancient past lie side by side.
And if it were not for the small fields that arise on either side of the river - dry most of the year - that crosses the desert, it might be said that this part of the world had died, that time stopped here.
The strange stones were found by the peasants of Ocucaje. Ocucaje lies in the zone where since the beginning of the century the finest ancient textiles and ceramics have been unearthed, and the peasants have dedicated themselves, generation after generation, to the clandestine practice of searching for artifacts.
On a clear night, armies of men armed with picks, their faces covered so as not to breath the stench of the graves, protected by amulets to defend them against evil spirits, with the silence as their only witness, perform the enigmatic task of literally uncovering the past.
For long hours these moving shadows people the desert; if someone unaware of what they were doing should happen to surprise them at their work, he would think that the dead had abandoned their endless sleep to arise from the grave and take up their lives where death had interrupted them in some unknown moment so long ago.
Dr. Cabrera. Source: http://www.piedrasdeica.com/Biologia.htm.
The unusual figures engraved on the stones amazed the archeologists who saw them: they could not he reconciled with what was known of the men who had lived in ancient Peru, and they toppled all knowledge that had been pieced together regarding that era.
Doubt about the authenticity of the stones was their first response. Loyal to the notion that the oldest human beings in Peru dated from no more than 20,000 years ago and that only 3,000 years ago was there an advanced civilization to he found in the region, they could not admit the hypothesis that the stones might be evidence of a civilization much older than the classical cultures of Peru, that is to say, older than the Incas or the Pre-Incas.
The incredulity of the archeologists was communicated to the cultural authorities of the country. The engraved stones of Ica, which kept appearing and finding their way into private collections, were passed over by the archeologists and other specialists.
Carlos and Pablo Soldi, who had collected the first stones that appeared in Ocucaje repeatedly requested that their specimens be studied, but the experts decided to ignore their persistent petitions.
In 1966, an architect named Santiago Agurto Calvo carried out excavations in the graves of Ocucaje to try to determine if the engraved stones, of which he had a substantial collection acquired years before, came from them.
Santiago Agurto Calvo was able to find some specimens which led him to believe that the stones had been carved by pre-Incaic man. It was the first time that the exact provenance of some specimens was known.
But despite this conformity with the demands of the science of archeology, archeologists were still not interested in studying the stones.
REAL OR FAKES
This "Andean Camel" is actually a corythosaurus.
http://www.piedrasdeica.com/Biologia.htm
........At this point in my investigations I must confess I was surprising myself at every turn. The engraved stones of Ica were revolutionizing paleontology and radically changing the date of the appearance of culture and intelligent men on earth.
One question remained: Was it possible that the engraved stones of Ica were somehow being manufactured by modern man? I remembered the assertion made by the Director of the Museo Regional of Ica that the peasants of Ocucaje were making them. The assertion strained credulity, since these are simple people who totally lack the specialized understanding of science that can be seen in the stones.
Possibly the stones were not manufactured by peasants but by one or two men who did possess such understanding and who had the stones carved with the intention of selling them.
Despite the fact that I knew from Herman Buse’s account that these stones had been sold since 1961 for very little, amounts that would not even come close to compensating the enormous trouble they cost, I decided that I must have laboratory confirmation of the age of the stones.
THE LABORATORY CONFIRMS THE STONES' ANTIQUITY
ICA Stones of Peru
by Robert Prickett
Photo from: http://www.piedrasdeica.com/Biologia.htm
A year of research has got me nowhere. It is ironic that a most tangible object on present-day earth... of a long, long, lost civilization is so overlooked.
If the stones are a hoax (which they could be), I have some overriding questions: Why would anyone go to the trouble of years of labor carving pictures in stone and then burying them..., some many decades ago? Where is the profit angle? How would they do it? How could anyone without very recent knowledge, know how the world looked from the skies some 13,000,000 years ago? I have been looking for answers, without success. I welcome opinions.
Let me first explain that I pretend no extraordinary knowledge of the stones, other than what I have read. Nor do I attempt to deny or confirm their origination, and I do not yet accept or deny that they may be alien-related.
On the contrary, if someone were to insist on my own theory, I would hesitate a very long time, but based on the information, would have little choice but admit that I lean toward the ancient civilization possibility. Nothing else makes sense.
One thing is certain... approximately 15,000 stones, ranging from the size of a tomato to twice that of a basketball, do exist. Of that, there is no doubt. They are not a secret. They are not cached away in some mysterious place. Dr. Cabrera's museum is so incredibly open that anyone off the streets can walk in and handle the stones. Theft? Why bother? At one time, they could be purchased off vendor carts.
Why the mystery, then? The stones are clearly carved with remarkable scenes of medical transplants, people riding dinosaurs, telescopes, and views of the planet Earth as it appeared 13,000,000 years ago (that's right, 13 MILLION years ago, pre-stone age).
No one can explain them. There has been no logical, rational, or believable explanation of who carved them? When? Why? And, most importantly, how did they do it?
Only recently have scientists agreed on the continental shifts which have taken place over millions of years. Africa, the Americas, Asia, were once all configured radically different than today. Most research confirms that without question.
However, these rocks, buried for countless centuries, depict precisely how the world looked millions of years ago. As I said, this is a hobby of mine, nothing more, but I would truly enjoy having someone explain the mystery. For reasons I do not understand, the rocks have received little attention.
First, although I have covered the globe many times (retired airline employee), I have never seen Peru. The information presented here comes from books, scant as they are, articles, and BBC productions. Also, this is purely empirical information, as I have seen no hard evidence or testimony, other than pictures of the very real and undeniable stones themselves.
A great many tourists have possession of some actual stones, as the local museum is full, and the vendor sells them from carts. To appreciate the environment where the stones were found, let me briefly describe the area, for those unfamiliar with Peru.
Peru is one of the most geographically diverse countries on earth, with radical environments and weathers. It is large -- 1,285,216 square kilometers -- only slightly smaller than Alaska. The massive Andes mountains split its north/south borders, producing over 30 peaks above 6000 meters and competing with the Himalayas in elevations.
It also has the deepest canyon on earth, yet is bordered with 2000 kilometers of coastline on the Pacific Ocean. Peru has combinations of rain forests and deserts, in surprisingly close proximity.
Peru is bordered by Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Bolivia, thus making it slightly dangerous for the amateur traveler. The high country is filled with drug operations and bandits. Only seasoned travelers or those in groups should venture on foot into the hills.
Ancient history is deeply engulfed in Peru. It is the home of antiquities, and pre-Columbian civilizations like the Chavin, Mochica, Chima, and the Incas. It boasts the excavations of the Lord of Sipan, the fabulous Bruning Museum of Gold in Lambayque, the Valley of the Pyramids of Tucume, and archaeological sites of Chan Chan.
Perhaps the most famous of Peru's sites are the Plains of Nazca, famous for their unexplained plateaus sculpted with landing sites (or whatever) and intricate designs which can only be visually realized from the air.
Ica is a relatively small place, some 300 kilometers from Lima. Some time ago (the exact date is unknown, but approximately 20 years) a villager claimed to have found piles and piles of rocks deep in various gorges and caves. Some were also buried slightly under the ground. The native farmer produced only bags of stones at first, but later, he produced literally thousands of the artifacts. Here, the story gets confusing.
It has never been made clear on how many stories the man told but most were false, and they changed by the day, depending on who asked the questions. The countryside was ablaze with rumors and gossip about the find and no one could get a straight story.
The man was making a sizable income (by his standards) selling the stones to tourists and the curious. The stones really are remarkably beautiful, ignoring all aspects except decoration. That alone makes them quite unusual. He became something of a celebrity. Word traveled in the archaeological world, and experts descended on Ica.
Several BBS documentaries were run and that was my first exposure, many years ago. I was fascinated by the stones, incredibly beautiful even on TV.
Enter the Peruvian government. Now, you have to understand their position, not wanting to become another Egypt, overrun with diggers and robbers. They had enough of them already. No one knows what was said to the farmer but after arrest and confinement, he admitted the hoax and that he had carved the stones himself. He was going to bilk the tourists and never realized it would get out of hand.
End of story. The BBS, not pleased with the idea of being fooled, buried the story until European newspapers learned that the highly regarded BBS had been duped. They sprayed the story all over Britain, and the world. The stones' authenticity died overnight and would have remained a hoax...
...Except for one Dr. Javier Cabrera, a highly-regarded South American who still had questions. He kept badgering the farmer about carving the stones. How did he do it? With what? Could he show the doctor?
The farmer was evasive and maintained his story about bilking the tourists. After all, the Peruvian government released the man and allowed him to continue selling them from a cart. He was in heaven and why let this foolish doctor ruin a good thing?
Ironically, Dr. Cabrera became the prime customer for the stones, and the farmer apparently had an endless supply. When Cabrera had bought a few thousand, he really put the pressure to the farmer, "Just how many are there?" The farmer seemed to produce more every week. Cabrera was beginning to believe that he had fallen prey to this farmer, and the man had created a cottage industry.
Except the farmer refused to discuss exactly how he made the stones. The designs were the first overwhelming aspect to the doctor. Here were scenes of natives, adorned with robes and high crowns, similar to the Incas, performing medical procedures on patients. Several depict heart and brain transplants (I have seen several photos of these, and can attest to the descriptions)......Continued In right column
It was in the month of May, l967, and one day I selected from my collection 33 stones, among them a few that showed the reproductive cycle of long-extinct animals, which I knew would be controversial if their authenticity could not be established.
I went to my friend Luis Hochshild, a learned mining engineer and Vice-President of the Mauricio Hochshild Mining Co., based in Lima. I asked if his laboratories could perform an analysis that would determine the nature of the stone and the antiquity of the engravings.
At the beginning of June I received a report from the laboratory, in a document signed by the geologist Eric Wolf which stated:
This is unquestionably natural stone shaped by fluvial transport (river rock). Petrologically I would classify them as andesites. Andesites are rocks whose components have been subjected mechanically to great pressure which causes chemical changes to take place. In this case the effects of intense sericitation (transformation of feldspar into sericite) are obvious.
This process has increased the compactness and specific weight, also creating the smooth surface that ancient artists preferred for carving.
I will try to confirm this preliminary opinion by means of a more detailed test in the laboratories of the Engineering School and of the University of Bonn, West Germany. The stones are covered with a fine patina of natural oxidation which also covers the engravings by which their age should be able to be deduced.
I have not been able to find any notable or irregular wear on the edges of the incisions which leads me to suspect that these incisions or etchings were executed not long before being deposited in the graves or other places where they were discovered.
Lima, 8 June 1967.
Eric Wolf
Stegosaurus?
This analysis revealed three important facts: a) The engraved stones have a higher specific gravity than common river rocks found in riverbeds and beaches, which I had guessed as soon as I first held one in my hand;
b) The engravings are old, to judge by the coating of natural oxidation that covers the incisions as well as the stones themselves; and
c) The stones were engraved not long before being deposited in the spots where they were found, to judge by the absence of wear on the edges of the incisions, which means that the stones were not engraved for utilitarian or even artistic purposes, but rather to be deposited in a safe place - for some unknown reason.
One year before, Santiago Agurto Calvo had published the results of a petrological analysis of the engraved stones in his collection. These results were part of the newspaper article mentioned earlier, in which he discussed the discovery of engraved stones in the Ocucaje zone.
Specifically, the article dealt with some specimens that he had purchased in 1962 from huaqueros which, according to him, contained "unidentifiable things, insects, fish, birds, cats, fabulous creatures and human beings, sometimes apart and other times shown together in elaborate and fantastic compositions".
He had entrusted the analysis to the mining Faculty of the Universidad Nacional de Ingeneira and it had been performed by two engineers, Fernando de las Casas and Cesar Sotillo.
Since the analysis I had commissioned promised that the preliminary study would be followed up by a closer examination in the laboratories of the Universidad Nacional de Ingeneira de Peru and the University of Bonn, I decided to compare the analysis of my stones with that of the stones of Agurto. The analysis of Agurto's stones read:
All the stones are highly carbonized andesites, despite their coloration and texture, which suggest a different nature.
The stones come from lava flows dating from the Mesozoic era, characteristic of the zone where they were found. The surface has weathered, and feldspar has been turned into clay, weakening the surface and forming a kind of shell around the interior of the stones.
This shell measures an average of grade 3 on the Mohs scale (which measures the comparative capacity of a substance to scratch another or be scratched by another) and up to 4 1/2 in the part not so affected by weathering.
The stones can be worked with any hard material such as bone, shell, obsidian, etc., and naturally, by any prehispanic metal implement.
…..THE MYSTERY OF ACAMBARO
The North American scientist Charles H. Hapgood, a dedicated archeologist, revealed in 1973 the results of his laborious study of an extraordinary collection of 32,000 artifacts, the property of the German collector Waldemar Julsrud.
The collection is composed of ceramics, carved wooden objects, and engraved stones all from the region around Acambaro, in central Mexico. Looking at the color reproductions of many of these objects, one notes that the images of human beings do not resemble the inhabitants of the region in particular or the American Indian in general; and the animal images seem to be fantastic, though some species of extinct animals can be discerned.
We see oriental, negroid, and aryan human types, and we see, among the identifiable prehistoric animals, anthropoids, anteaters, crabs, horses, camels, crocodiles, and various species of dinosaur, including the stegasaurus, corinthosaurus, tyranosaurus, plesiosaurus, brontosaurus, and pelicosaurus.
For over twenty years archeologists thought these pieces were fakes. In support of this hypothesis they pointed out that 1) never before had so many pieces been found in so small an area; 2) never before had such delicate and fragile objects been preserved underground in such pristinity; 3) the objects made reference to unknown cultures; 4) the absence of patina and the accumulation of saltpeter was inexplicable, and 5) the depiction of dinosaurs was further proof that the etchings were phony.
Acambaro Gallery
The suggestion that the pieces were of recent manufacture, and that the person who manufactured them was Odilon Tinajero, a resident of Acambaro, who had sold specimens to the collection with the assurance that they were unearthed by him and his family. But doubts remained: the collection contained pieces that demonstrated considerable knowledge on some themes, such as the customs and legends of the Indian people, and rare and exotic extinct animals; many also showed extraordinary artistic ability.
But Odilon Tinajeros scarcely knew how to read and write and like the rest of his family had never exhibited any talent for things artistic.
Hapgood enlisted the services of a famous expert in the detection of falsifications. It had already been established that the pieces had been fired in an open oven, and given the sheer quantity of pieces that existed, this oven would have had to have been kept going day and night over a long period of time which would in turn have required copious firewood.
The investigations carried out by the expert, the municipal authorities, and by a local professor, however, conclude that:
1) Odilon Tinajero did not own an oven;
2) no one had seen smoke that might reveal the functioning of such an oven, and
3) there was not sufficient clay in the area to permit the firing of the thousands of specimens. Beyond this, Odilon Tinajero was selling the pieces at a price which would not have covered the investment needed to fabricate them.
Hapgood turned to laboratory analysis in order to try to verify the age of the pieces. The analysis - using radiocarbon dating and the thermoluminescent method - certified that the pieces were old.
The first method gave an age of 6,400 to 3,500 years, and the second, for some pieces, an age of 4,500 years. Thus was Hapgood able to demonstrate the archeological value of this incredible collection, ending a long period of doubt and incredulity.
……..THE MYSTERY OF OCUCAJE
The checkered history of the Acambaro collection is not unlike the history of the Engraved Stones of Ica, the gliptoliths(Cabreras name for the stones). Skepticism among archeologists regarding the authenticity of the Acambaro pieces lasted twenty years, and the same skepticism has animated Peruvian archeologists where the gliptoliths are concerned.
The difference between the Acambaro and Ica case is that in the latter case the doubt has not yet been dispelled.
Since 1961 when, according to the Peruvian scholar Herman Buse, the engraved stones first appeared in Ocucaje, constant efforts have been made, in vain, to enlist the help of Peruvian archeologists in verifying the authenticity of the stones.
First to try were the Soldi brothers, who put together the first collection of stones bought from the huaqueros of Ocucaje. Even though the Soldis mistakenly thought the stones were made by the Incas, this does not diminish the persistence with which they requested official tests to prove what they were already sure of: that the stones were not of recent manufacture.
Herman Buse reports in his 1965 book that one of the brothers – Pablo - said that the existence of a thick layer of saltpeter covering the specimens could not be explained except by the passage of considerable time, and he added that the huaqueros who had found the stones were willing to take archeologists to the places were they had been discovered, to show them that this was not a hoax.
Buse says that the other brother – Carlos - could not believe that anyone would have gone to the trouble to manufacture the stones only to sell them at the ridiculously low prices which the Soldis had paid. But when Peruvians archeologists heard of the Soldi collection, they immediately assumed a posture of incredulity, and they would not accompany the huaqueros to the excavations.
Several years later, in 1966, Santiago Agurto Calvo felt the need to verify the authenticity of the stones that kept appearing in Ica, and he began to carry out excavations, first on his own and later in the company of the archeologist Alejandro Pezzia Assereto, director of the Museo Regional of Ica. Agurto Calvo had a collection of several hundred stones which he had put to test in the laboratories of the Faculty of Mining at the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria.
As we saw in Chapter One, these tests revealed that the stones came from lava layers dating from the Mesozoic era (frau 230 to 63 ruillion years ago), and one feature was the relative softness of the stones surface. Based on this characteristic, Agurto Calvo speculated that the stones may have come from the time of the Incas or Pre-Incas, since the tools used by these cultures would have been capable of executing the engravings on this type of stone.
The excavations he made in Pre-Incas graves finally bore fruit: he found two samples, similar to those that made up his collection. This convinced him that there was no doubt as to the authenticity of the stones, and he declared them to be ancient, by virtue of having found specimens next to known remains and ceramics belonging to Pre-Inca man.
The newspaper article in which Agurto Calvo reported his labors and his discovery concluded with these words: "To the fundamental question - are they false, or are they real-? which it has been my fortune to be able to answer, other questions flow which are equally provocative but even more difficult to answer.
I am certain that the scholars and archeologists of the nation will give them prompt attention which will satisfy our curiosity and enrich the history and culture of Peru"
Two years later, in 1968, the archeologist Pezzia Assereto, who had accompanied Agurto Calvo, published a book on the archeology of the province of Ica, in which he makes note of the discovery: "Agurto was able after several attempts to find an engraved stone inside a tomb in the sector of Toma Luz of the Hacienda Callango del Valle in Ica on 20 August 1966...
After informing the Museo Regional of Ica of such an important find, Agurto and I made another excavation on 11 September of the same year, in the hill called Uhle of the sector of La Banda in the Hacienda Ocucaje, and we found for the first time an engraved stone inside a tomb of the Paracas culture, a thing I was not expecting, but which proved, by association, the authenticity of these artifacts".
Despite the fact that the Engraved Stones of Ica had been proven to be authentic archeological specimens, the cultural authorities of the central government remained indifferent. The discovery of Agurto Calvo alone should have been sufficient not only for the order to go out that the stones in existing collections be studied immediately, and not only that excavations in search of new specimens should be undertaken, but also that an end should be put to the illegal commerce in the stones.
Source: http://www.piedrasdeica.com/Biologia.htm
But none of this was done. Not even the collection of Carlos Soldi was studied, and on his death it passed to the Museo Regional of Ica, according to his wishes. It was at this time that I began to dedicate myself to increasing the stones in my own collection, buying specimens from some other collectors in Ica from whom I had acquired the stones I already possessed - and later - acquired them from the huaqueros of Ocucaje.
In 1972 Herman Buse again brought up the issue of the engraved stones, at a moment when many national and foreign archeologists were convening in Lima at the First Congress of Andean Archeology.
In an article published in the Lima daily El Comercio, written with the obvious purpose of pointing out to the participants in the Congress their obligation to give an official opinion on the stones in light of the absence of such an opinion so far, Buse discusses the unofficial opinions which had been circulating regarding the archeological validity of the stones.
He points to the incredulity of the archeologists, and marshalls the arguments of those who believe in the authenticity of the stones, and of those who do not. Buse casts doubt on the latter arguments:
"The Cabrera collection, which is on display in the city of Ica, is composed of no fewer than 10,000 of these stones. 10,000 falsifications? Many of them purchased for only a couple of soles? Can such a price be explained given the delicate, complicated, difficult work involved?"
He adds: "Other responsible men believe in them, in their legitimacy and certifiable antiquity. For this reason it seems strange that professional archeologists reject theme out of hand."
But the experts participating in the Congress paid no attention to Buse, and once more we see the inexplicable lack of interest on the part of archeologists in studying the stones and determining their authenticity.
Cont...From Left Column. Surely, no uneducated farmer could even begin to fathom such things? Then the sheer number of stones became apparent. The farmer finally admitted that he had sold them for some time, perhaps thousands of them, before he became famous. The doctor currently owns 11,000 stones (at latest count) and estimates the total in existence to be about 15,000.
Even if one were to accept the unlikely notions that this man understood surgery, art, carving stone, and the history of the Incas..., and dinosaurs, and flying reptiles..., and a host of other disciplines, all of which is most improbable; there is the issue of simple math for one man to carve 15,000 stones would mean:
1. he began as a teenager;
2. he carved one stone a day;
3. he continued this 7 days a week for 41 years without missing a single day.
To refute this simple logic would mean:
1. he carved more than one a day (impossible to even do one);
2: he had help and lots of it'
3: they came from someone else.
Even if one accepts the idea that he had help in the hills, other farmers or such, the pure knowledge of the scenes would deny that any group of people could possess the wide scientific knowledge to complete the accurate details.
Dr. Cabrera, by then a trusted friend of the farmer, learned that the man was released from prison once he signed the confession that he was cheating the tourists. He agreed not to pretend the stones came from the hills but that he had indeed carved them himself. It was either that or go to prison for selling government possessions (the international antiquity laws).
The story, however, died the death of all shams and no reputable investigator would be stained by falling for the same hoax. BBS had been ridiculed beyond belief, and had thoroughly and painfully apologized to their public for airing the sham.
Meanwhile, the doctor continued his research with geologists to interpret the maps on several stones showing a weird configuration of the world. Some angles and land masses looked vaguely familiar, but the majority were badly skewered into strange shapes.
Geologists have confirmed that based on current computer projections, the shapes indicated on the rocks are indeed accurate for the planet earth, as it was, about 13,000,000 (million) years ago, and as seen from above!!!!
I have seen several of these photos, they are not some weird, distorted collection of vague notions, but very clear and distinct carvings showing land masses and oceans.
Now, Dr. Cabrera had a real problem. A farmer insists that he carved the stones himself and therefore, Cabrera has had no success in getting anyone to take the stones seriously. At first, the doctor was only considering the aspect that his stones dated back to the Incas, or pre-Columbian era. But now, his stones appear to be 13 million years old, not a mere few thousand. This would be pre-stone age!!!
How on earth could this man convince anyone of stature to even look at the stones, with their brief history in the press, much less consider them to predate stone-age man ???
The doctor maintains he has two enormous problems in getting anyone to take him seriously. One, there are so many stones. Like diamonds, we expect anything of value to be rare and difficult to obtain. There are thousands of the things just sitting around in Ica.
Second, and this is the real issue, one would have to accept the notion that some highly-intelligent form of man occupied this planet millions of years before the first known man could even swing a club. This is simply not acceptable.
I've seen several photos of stones showing men in robes riding flying reptiles and dinosaurs, very similar to the animals and reptiles shown in the movie, "Jurassic Park." To accept this concept would invalidate every book ever written about ancient man, and everything since then.
I've searched the net looking for references. But nowhere, outside of Peru, can I find anyone with any information.
Maybe it is a hoax, but if so, it is the greatest one I've ever read about. And the magnitude? Think about it. You're some kind of a trickster on a grade scale. Okay, do you spend years of your life carving complicated pictures in rock and then scatter them in the hills? Why? Where's the profit? What's the reason? Who benefits? This farmer, selling them off a vendor's cart?
I simply don't get it. Somewhere, somehow, there is an explanation. I want to know: Who carved them? When? How? How did they acquire the knowledge? And, why did they carve them?
Mysterious Reptile Shot Near San Antonio
Posted on Apr 15, 2013 | 17 comments
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Tag Archives: GFH Capital
Articles, Leeds United
Leeds United: Leeds held for sale by GFH Capital, negotiations ongoing
March 19, 2013 Spoughts 9 Comments
Reuters have today reported the fact that GFH Capital’s end of year financial statement clarifies the fact that Leeds United is being held for ‘active sale’ by the finance house.
Spoughts.co.uk are happy to report that for many weeks we have been made aware of the fact that GFH Capital are in negotiations to sell the club. For the majority of that time there were aims to sell a minority on the part of GFH Capital, but negotiations are ongoing and the situation changes regularly. It is likely that the situation has changed and that a majority sale is being sought by both parties.
GFH Capital is currently planning to sell “its stake” in Leeds, according to the financial statements, which suggests a sale of, at the very least, a majority.
The deal has been agreed in principle for a good while, but there is still a need to sign off on it.
Spoughts has chosen to keep the names of those myriad parties involved quiet for the good of the deal and the football club, with the belief of this website being that a quiet and speedy resolution is the ideal, despite the potential to drive traffic to the website by naming names. This information has been kept quiet for many weeks now by the website and will remain so until there is a desire on the part of the parties to reveal all.
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Leeds United: Time to go, Neil. Has the United manager’s tenure reached a premature conclusion?
February 7, 2013 Spoughts 8 Comments
By Jack Bennett.
It was only around a year ago that the city of Leeds had mustered some new-found positivity on hearing the news that veteran manager and promotion specialist, Neil Warnock, would be Leeds United’s new manager. There was a sense of genuine optimism that had previously been lacking, due to a combination of on and off-field factors that had left the white faithful disillusioned and disjointed. Despite an uncertain league position and the play-off spots slipping from grasp, some fans even put speculative bets on promotion. It seemed that things were finally looking up, after ten years of turmoil.
Fast-forward twelve months, and the club is seemingly in no better condition than it was when Warnock took over. With forty-one points from twenty-nine games, the Whites are looking unlikely to muster a late play-off push, and another season has once again slipped by, one that will be regarded as yet another missed opportunity. Despite the 63-year-old’s claim that he is ‘doing a good job’, the Leeds fans have been angered and frustrated by his poor tactics and team selections, ignorance, and even nonchalance at the club’s disappointing league position. Having brought in a multitude of players – many of them from his previous clubs – at the start of the season, the manager can have no complaints about a playing squad he has assembled.
Although Leeds reached the League Cup fifth round, where they were beaten comfortably by a strong Chelsea side, and beat Tottenham Hotspur last week to reach the FA Cup fifth round, the club’s lifeblood – its fans – have been loud in their criticism and disapproval of Warnock’s tenure, clearly and understandably angry at the way their club is being run and managed. Another season of disappointment has been a bitter pill to swallow for the fans, whose happiness at the takeover news in November quickly being ousted by continuing poor results on the field and a swathe of unproven signings in January.
In essence, Leeds have reached a crossroads. By sacking Warnock and bringing in a young manager with fresh hunger for success, the club would be able to plan ahead for next season, refresh the squad, and make a concerted effort for promotion. The flip side is, of course, to continue with Warnock in charge – although he may well choose to leave in May – and seemingly go round in circles further, with outdated tactics and a penchant for signing former players, many of whom are past their use-by date.
This is a time of great change for Leeds United, and I only hope that GFH-C make the right decision in taking this great club forward, rather than leaving it to stagnate.
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Leeds United: An Open Letter to GFH Capital
January 25, 2013 Spoughts 52 Comments
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amitai Winehouse, and I’m a Leeds United fan of 20 years, 6 months, and 6 days. If that sounds like an admission of guilt, it is to an extent. I am to Leeds United like poison to a rat, given the slow and steady decline that has occurred in my lifetime. However, people have informed me that everyone is like that to Leeds United, that very few get to experience genuine joy, so the guilt is with that caveat. Aside from this, to symbolise how fully I am tied to Leeds United, my middle name is Eric. As you are recently involved in the club, you may not know the tale, but months after winning the title (which occurred about 2 months before I was born), we sold Eric Cantona, who went on to do some things elsewhere. I was named in those heady days between title victory and sale, when Chalutz Bakery in Leeds named a bagel after the mercurial Frenchman. Anyway, I like to think I’ve seen many things in my twenty years, from the top to the bottom (well, bottom of League One – I’ve seen that fall at the very least). The reality is that I’ve been thinking about several things since you took over the club, and was intending to send them in an email to that address. Given the Becchio incident yesterday and our recent form, however, I’d like to put them in a public place, where fellow Leeds fans can comment.
First, some compliments. You’ve done the right thing already in several regards, such as the ticket offer for the Peterborough and Blackpool games. This will be the first time that I, as a student, will be able to pay a discounted rate for a game, for the entire time I’ve been at university. I travel down from Newcastle for every game I attend, and I know others who would be more willing to visit Elland Road on a regular basis if they were charged more in line with their spending ability (as a general rule: zero). As Eamonn Dalton said on our podcast recently, a fan who thinks that the only thing Ken Bates did wrong was selling players is a poor observer of Leeds United. Your zeal to communicate with the fans is commendable. It no longer works to place yourself, as owners of a football club, in an ivory tower. It does not matter if your communication arrives warts and all, it is best to have yourself seen as human beings.
Furthermore, I don’t think your work in the transfer market this window should actually be criticised. Looking at the books, we’ve overcommitted hugely to building projects under the previous ownership, and the finances aren’t in an ideal place. Becchio leaving isn’t entirely your fault either. He’s had very good money offered to him, apparently, by you, and he’s turned it down. He probably thinks he’s achieved all he can at Leeds, so why not chase a pay packet? He’s had no evidence for every year that he’s been here that we can actually hit the Premier League. It is difficult to convince a player that everything will be different, even if behind the scenes you are whirring away to do so.
Aside from this praise, however, there are some points I would like to share. They are based on a thought I read yesterday, which is that Leeds no longer feels like Leeds. This is the thing you must take first and foremost, understand and cherish, because it is simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It can be said, quite simply, that Leeds United is a very unique football club. We are one of very few remaining football clubs that have a heart and soul. This is what is slowly drifting away as time goes by.
My first idea, therefore, is decide what Leeds United means and craft your entire output around it. Too often businesses will look at themselves, copy others, and therefore pitch themselves as “like the market leader, but smaller and very slightly cheaper”. We have had this issue in recent years. We do a tribute act to other clubs who focus on corporatisation and advertising projects, but the simple reality is that whilst we remain a Championship club, this will not bring in the same money that it does for the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. Furthermore, each of these clubs has a way to sell themselves in that regard:
at Man Utd you will (sadly) see them win many things and they can sell themselves on “success”. Leeds cannot sell themselves on success, there has been none in recent years. Monarch Airlines taking an advert on the side of the pitch will not make them “champions of the sky”.
at Liverpool they can sell themselves on history until they (probably) win something again. Leeds cannot sell ourselves on history, because despite what Leeds fans know, our history is tainted, both by our reputation in the past as “dirty Leeds” and the fact that our historic periods of success have never actually featured much success. We have not won 18 titles in the past, or 5 European Cups.
at Arsenal they sell themselves on “doing things the right way”. They are also a cosmopolitan club in a cosmopolitan city, something that would not appeal to the same extent outside London.
What is Leeds United to our fans? Everyone will answer differently, but to me supporting Leeds United is a form of innocent rebellion. In a world where it is easy to latch yourself to a team that appears every week on the television, one that generally wins and suffers minimal lows and generally massive highs, supporting Leeds requires an effort. You have to listen to the radio, you have to picture it in your head, you have to go to the game if you want to see us play. You can’t just sit on your couch. Why do you do it? Because you know it is worth it ultimately. Or, at the very least, you feel like it is at a the time. You are subverting the norm and you get the reward, because it feels more real.
This is why Leeds fans have secret symbols to identify each other by, such as the Leeds salute. It is why we have such a huge away following, because it is a band of rebels who travel together to games, supporting their club when logic and reason suggests that it is entirely wrong. It is a case of doublethink, where you have to kid yourself that doing it makes sense. But similarly, you don’t, it just does.
So, therefore, there are two routes you can take in the image of the club you want to portray, and I genuinely think that sorting out the image of the club will make a big difference. You can be Man Utd-lite and fail to ever reach them, or you can craft your own ideal of what Leeds United can be. Look at St. Pauli in Germany. In a country where the likes of Bayern Munich make untold millions through ruthless marketing of the brand of being the best, St. Pauli have crafted a niche for themselves by being the outsiders. The reality is that they don’t even have the capacity of Leeds, being a club run in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg, population 27,612, a city filled with successful football clubs. Yet they have managed to not only maintain a position of relative on-the-pitch success, they have also managed to draw in fans from around the world with their message of being “The Buccaneers of the League”. Something so drastic does not need to occur at Leeds, but we do need to have our own identity. Right now we are just the club that loans players and sells our best. Why would people travel or bother to see that?
It would be a good idea to look at what has brought success to the club in the past and draw on it. Therefore, idea number two is to develop the Academy further and make this the focus of our club. Obviously we are not going to be Barcelona in terms of developing youth, but our major successes have come with building a team from the beginning and then bringing that through all levels. Look at recent developments like Sam Byram and Tom Lees. There is something about Thorp Arch that, even when neglected, allows us to bring through players coveted by other sides. We need to stop ignoring it, stop papering over the cracks, and instead invest the majority of our money in it. I’ll forgive a lack of ambition in the transfer market if it means a reopening and rebuilding of the residential wing of Thorp Arch. It also draws people into the football club, inherently tying them to a set of players who have the same love of the club that they do. We need to develop a philosophy under a Director of Football that will survive despite coaching changes. In 1988, when Howard Wilkinson first came into Leeds, the club took a risk, spending money it did not have on Thorp Arch, his dream project. Ten years on, when the first fruits were being revealed to the world at large, we began our most successful recent period, culminating in reaching the Champions League semi-final. Take the same risk.
Idea number three comes from a world of idealism, but is, I feel, the best way to bring fans back to Elland Road, which is what we are currently struggling horribly with. It is like a mausoleum when empty, and having a stadium of that size becomes a negative when the life is being drawn out of it. The idea is, therefore, to make each ticket worth what it costs. Look to Germany again, and the fact that Dortmund fans rebelled against €20 (£17) tickets recently. That being Dortmund, current Bundesliga Champions and Champions League contenders. Our fans have sat and taken the ticket prices for a long time, but there is a sense that forgiveness is almost over. The end of the tether is being reached.
I said to take a risk with the academy, and it is here again that I say to take a risk. I genuinely think that a full Elland Road is more important than spending huge on players. Look at our first season after promotion – we averaged 27,000 fans as success was built upon, even at high ticket prices, and those 27,000 would get behind the team, even when it was weak defensively and prone to errors. As John Lennon basically espouses in Imagine, and as might be seen as blind idealism, every philosophy and idea that we hold to be true is only held to be true due to collective belief in it. It’s on a lower level than he spoke, but who is to say football tickets in this country should be £30 a go. If you look at the relative entertainment value, a family can choose between the cinema, where tickets will cost no more than £10 and a satisfying ending is almost certainly guaranteed, or Elland Road, where sadness is the norm. You can buy tickets in Germany, for Bayern Munich, the aforementioned ridiculously successful team, for €9. Not only do they see the football for that, but they also have public transport to the ground paid for. Why not, when thinking about next season, jump off the cliff into that pool of water, know that you can do it, know that you can build a club that can sell out Elland Road at a much lower ticket price, therefore making up the difference. Aside from the increased attendance, it will do wonders for the club.
Leeds is a one club city, with 750,700 people the potential fanbase for your club (this aside from the boundaries up to the nearest club of a relative size either side of Elland Road, which increases that capacity hugely). If you can get a child to attend Elland Road every season, at least once, tying themselves to the club, it will change entirely how much money is spent on the club. Yes, he may only have to pay £5 entry, and his dad £10, but that kid will then want a Leeds kit, he’ll want a Leeds calendar, he’ll want a Leeds gnome and a pair of Leeds slippers. You go from having £40 spent on one disappointing day out every Boxing Day to £15 spent on a day out at a full stadium, plus another £70 spent on things that he needs to have, because he is Leeds.
How do you achieve this shift, whilst cutting prices massively? Firstly you actually advertise, something the previous ownership has been reticent to do, believing the existence of Leeds alone will draw people in (which it does, to an extent, but nowhere near enough). Secondly, you send representatives of the club out into the community. There are always injured players, and if they can walk, they can talk to kids in schools and sell Leeds United. You increase the number of free tickets given out to schools on a game-by-game basis. Forget those who complain about paying when those next to them attend for free – they should know that their experience is greatly improved by that attendance.
What does this all achieve? You look at the likes of Dortmund, where every man in the city is a fan of the club, and you see the success it can bring. For their league game against Bayern last season, where they essentially won the title, they sold out the Westfalenstadion entirely, a capacity of 80,720. Furthermore, however, they had a waiting list of 250,000 fans who all wished to buy a ticket, but could not. You can basically guarantee that those fans who couldn’t be in attendance spent money with the club over the course of the season, probably significant sums. How many individual fans would you estimate actually spend money with Leeds over the course of a season these days? About 40-50,000 at best (given season tickets are in the 10,000s)? Maybe a bit more? Why is it so minimal? Because the others are priced out of ever forming a bond with the team. You can almost certainly draw in each new generation of children as fans of the club, as long as they can ascend those steps whilst clutching their dad’s hand, look out at a sea of white and hear a roar unlike any other they’ve ever heard before. That’s when they know what they are.
Sell the experience that being a Leeds fan is meant to evoke. That’s what this would allow you to do. Having a full stadium, with everyone in the city behind the club, would help massively. We Leeds fans are insane, it is simple. If you get lots of us in one place, i.e. Elland Road, it is an experience like no other, and that solves the marketing issue. If you want to be really impressive, get behind the Safe Standing bid from the Football Supporters’ Federation, because there is no reason why you shouldn’t. You can bring Leeds into a new era or allow it to stagnate. If you bring us forward, the financial reward for you will be unbelievable. The reward for us will be having Leeds back.
Amitai Winehouse
Follow Amitai Winehouse on Twitter (@awinehouse1). Do you agree? Comment below or get in touch via Twitter.
futureGFH Capitalleedsleeds unitedLUFCTickets
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Church plans homecoming service
SPRING HOPE — Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church will hold its homecoming at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 19. The worship service will feature a former pastor, the Rev. Dennis Goodwin, as guest speaker. The service will be followed by a covered-dish lunch in the fellowship hall. All members, former members and friends of the church are invited.
Sharpsburg calls special meeting
SHARPSBURG — The Sharpsburg Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at Town Hall, 110 W. Railroad St. Town staff will present the 2019-20 budget for commissioners’ review. The meeting is open to the public.
Middlesex to open town pool
MIDDLESEX — The town of Middlesex will open its public swimming pool at the corner of North Walnut and Stewart streets on Saturday, May 25. The pool will remain open through Labor Day. For information on fees, hours of operation and availability, call 252-235-5761.
Church to hold women’s day program
BAILEY — Red Oak Grove Baptist Church, 6149 Old Smithfield Road, will hold a women’s day program at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 26 with the Rev. Stacy Atkinson of Life in the Word Church of Wilson as guest speaker. The service features music from the New Hope Baptist Church Choir and a special performance by the Women’s Day Steppers.
Food, clothing distribution slated
MIDDLESEX — “Feed the Need,” a free food and clothing distribution, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 1 at the First Baptist Church of Middlesex’s resource center, 103007 S. Oak St. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and Zaxby’s joins the church in sponsoring the event. For more information, call 252-235-4740.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR listings are published free of charge as a public service of The Enterprise. The submission deadline is noon Monday for each Wednesday’s edition. Email listings to news.enterprise@wilsontimes.com with “Community Calendar” in the subject line.
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Catholic Church - Coupeville, WA
207 North Main St. - PO Box 1443
Coupeville, WA 98239
smbulletin@staugustineoh.org
RE Elementary M/S-11th Grade Schedule
RCIA Children Schedule @ STA
RCIA Adult Schedule @ STA
RE Registration Form K-11
St. Mary Parish History
Early in January, 1866, Mrs. Daniel Pearson, accompanied by her teenaged son and daughter, prepared to board the steamship CONTINENTAL in New York Harbor to make the trip around the tip of South America to the Washington Territory. They would be part of the Second Mercer Expedition.
Mrs. Pearson and the children sailed on January 17, and they arrived in San Francisco on April 24, 1866. In a few days, they were sailing north on a smaller ship, landing on May 31, at Port Townsend, the port of entry for the Washington Territory at that time. On June 1, they sailed by ferry to Whidbey Island, coming ashore at Ebey’s Landing. As they climbed the bluff to their new home in the lighthouse, Flora Augusta Pearson, age 15, felt she was “one step from heaven.”
And so, the Pearson family and other pioneer families settled Central Whidbey Island on “land donations.” Flora Pearson worked with her father as Assistant Lighthouse Keeper for eleven years. On May 8, 1876, she was married to William B. Engle in Victoria, B.C. by the Reverend A. Russ, A Wesleyan minister.
They returned to Whidbey to take up residence on Hill Harmon, part of the Alexander Donation Claim.
In January, 1889, a committee was appointed to solicit money ($1000) to build a church, and in June of 1889 they began building. The church was incorporated on July 24, 1889.
By October 5, 1889, the congregation was moving ahead to complete the tower. The church was officially dedicated as the First Congregational Church of Coupeville on January 26, 1890.
In the year 1890, there arrived in Coupeville a bell from the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland. It weighed 800 pounds, was made of "bell metal" – i.e. 80% copper, and 20% tin, and cost $205.00. It was a gift to the church and was inscribed as follows:
"O Come, Let Us Worship" Presented to the First Congregational Church, Coupeville by T.W. Calhoun & E.J. Hancock 1890
The Puget Sound Academy was an "Academy of College" under the auspices and management of the Congregational Church, but open to all people. It took the place of high School in the Puget Sound area. The academy was very popular after it opened in 1886. Students came from Seattle, Tacoma, Port Townsend, and other surrounding towns and cities. When the original school on Lower Main Street burned in 1896; it was rebuilt on land south of the new church. A dormitory was built east of the church. As high schools became more common in the cities and towns of Puget Sound, enrollment in the academy fell. It was eventually moved by the Congregational Confederation to Snohomish, but the academy, now known as the Whidbey Island Academy, a private school, continued into the 1900s.
St. Augustine, Oak Harbor WA Catholic Church Website
Copyright © 2014 - 2019 | St. Mary Catholic Church, All Rights Reserved
We, the Catholic family of Saint Mary, seek to share the mission of Jesus Christ and His Church. Through our stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, we live out the mission of Jesus by the celebration of the sacraments, proclamation of the Word, and a commitment to serve God's people.
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Brock Townsend
Faithful Southron, THANK YOU!!
Southern Heritage
News and Views: The Museum of the Confederacy - A Brief Look At A Worsening Situation
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The Museum of the Confederacy - A Brief Look At A Worsening Situation
By Valerie Protopapas
vaproto@optonline.net
The Original Spirit of the Museum of the Confederacy:
The glory, the hardships, the heroism of the war were a noble heritage for our children. To keep green such memories and to commemorate such virtues, it is our purpose to gather together and preserve in the Executive Mansion of the Confederacy the sacred relics of those glorious days. [From the first appeal for donations to the Museum in January, 1892]
"The need of an organization to preserve a true and faithful record of the gallant struggle made by the soldiers of the South for independence being keenly felt, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society was chartered and organized under the laws of Virginia, its object being to teach all future generations the true history of the war and the principles for which these soldiers laid down their lives."
[From the first paragraph of the Introduction Page: Catalogue of the Confederate Museum of the Confederate Memorial Literary Society, 1905]
Dedication of Administrators from Earlier Days:
"(W)e must pray that others will rise up to carry on the trust."
[Former Board President Sally Archer Anderson, 1926]
Warnings of a New Direction:
“We’re the Museum of the Confederacy, not the Museum for the Confederacy”
[Former director Robin Reed, 1988-2001*] [*dates approximate]
"It's not a memorial or a shrine, it's a museum and research center."
[Present Director S. Waite Rawls]
Antecedents of the Current Situation:
Present Director of the MoC, S. Waite Rawls has rightly declared that the Museum of the Confederacy should “tell our story” and by that, one assumes he means the story of the attempt by certain Southern states to secede from the Union - including what brought the people of those states to this position, what they did and the constitutional basis for their actions, the war they waged against the attempt by the federal government and the states remaining in the Union to forcibly return them to that entity and so forth. Unfortunately, those whom Rawls has chosen to tell that “story” are men like Gary Gallagher, co-author of “The Myth of the Lost Cause” and Irwin Jordan – a so-called “black Confederate expert” - whose book refers to these brave black men who fought beside their fellow Confederates rather than in segregated commands under white officers as “zealots of the wrong”.
Nor is Rawls the first administrator of the MoC who seems to think that “our story” is best told by “those people” to quote General Robert E. Lee. Indeed, he seems to be only the last of a rather long and sorry parade of like-minded individuals. One of Rawls’ predecessors opened the Museum for lectures by such as Alan Nolan, author of the book, “Lee Considered”. Nolan is a lawyer from Wisconsin, a notable champion of the Union’s “Iron Brigade” and no friend of Lee or the Confederacy. In 1999, Curator Malinda Collier was quoted as saying in an article on the Museum’s plans for a 130th year exhibit on Robert E. Lee, that the exhibition would attempt to explain "how this man who led a traitorous army" nevertheless rose from the status of sectional hero to one of the foremost American heroes of all time. Most recently, in continuation of this apparent celebration of all things hostile to the Confederacy and its heroes, the prestigious “Jefferson Davis Award” was bestowed upon a work entitled “Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters by Elizabeth Brown Pryor. This book was advertised as a revelation of Lee based upon newly discovered correspondence but instead, it is a politically correct character assassination consisting of the author’s perceptions of Lee which are supposedly validated by a very few previously unpublished letters. Of course, there were kudos from the usual establishment “historians and critics” - and outcries from Museum members about what was either a total lapse of judgment on the part of the Administration or another example of the deviation in the museum’s goals and policies from its founding principles. In fact, given what has happened since Director Rawls’ installation, one has to wonder just whose “story” this gentleman wants told.
The attitude that Director Rawls is ostensibly attempting to counter by virtue of his ongoing collaboration with these foes of Southern culture, history and heritage, was clearly enunciated by author James McPherson. In 1999 McPherson gave an interview with Ed Sebesta on the liberal Pacifica Radio network program Democracy Now! on the subject of the Museum of the Confederacy and its Lone Star Ball fundraising event as well as Sebesta’s views on the historical Confederacy and modern day organizations connected with it. Sebesta stated that the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy were created with the motive of celebrating the Confederacy, including the use of slavery in the Confederate economy, and white supremacy. The interview with McPherson . . . included the following statement: ". . . I agree a 100% with Ed Sebesta about the motives or the hidden agenda . . . of such groups as the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They are dedicated to celebrating the Confederacy and rather thinly veiled support for white supremacy. And I think that also is . . . (the) hidden agenda of the Confederate flag issue in several southern states."
Apparently, however, MoC’s Administration had made sufficient “brownie points” with McPherson, for him to state that it had changed its orientation, from its original purpose of celebrating the Confederacy: “Over time, and especially in the last decade or two,” said McPherson, “it (the MoC) has become a much more professional, research-oriented, professional exhibit-oriented facility . . ." In other words, the “politically correct” Mr. McPherson approved of the MoC and its present “orientation”. Thus, the actions of Director Reed and Curator Collier, among others I’m sure, had won over McPherson and perhaps some of his fellow travelers. But one has to wonder if in doing so, their actions compensated for the abandonment of the original mission of the MoC as stated in writing by its founders and their betrayal of most of the present contributors to the Museum of whom one must doubt that either Mr. McPherson or Mr. Sebasta in fact, are.
As a further attempt to “revitalize” the institution, present Director Rawls told a reporter that he was thinking of partnering the MoC with the slavery museum in Fredericksburg as well as the planned museum at Fort Monroe should the MoC be moved in whole or in part to those locations. Parenthetically, as Fort Monroe was a haven for runaway slaves, one must suppose that any museum at that location would be largely if not principally devoted to that issue. Yet Rawls seems unconcerned that such establishments tend to be extremely one-sided in their treatment of the very complex subject of slavery - and are usually rabidly anti-Confederate in their focus. However, even Rawls’ efforts are not universally successful and there were considerable negative responses from Lexington’s “black community” and their white supporters when it was discovered that Lexington was being considered as a site for the MoC. One Al Hockaday –owner of two local stores, we are told – voiced his less than rational concerns about the impact of the MoC on Lexington as a whole. "I think the negative impacts would be more than the city could bear," this gentleman opined and further predicted that minority enrollment would drastically diminish at local universities because the museum would erode the town's social climate. One wonders about the intelligence of people who entertain - much less publicly express - such grossly irrational and supremely ignorant viewpoints! Nonetheless, despite the stupidity of these comments, Rawls addressed them by assuring Mr. Hockaday and others that the MoC is “not a memorial or a shrine. It's a museum and research center." Sheryl Wagner, director of marketing for Rockbridge tourism, pointed out that there had been “miscommunication” about the name. “You have to consider that the museum is about learning, not promoting the Confederacy." Apparently, Rawls believes that these are the people and the communities that would “enhance” the future of the Museum. That being the case, one has to wonder what sort of “future” Mr. Rawls envisions for the institution if he finds these sentiments and those who express them, acceptable and even positive.
If this – and other incidents too numerous to mention - weren’t enough, Director Rawls has also determined that the Museum of the Confederacy needs the “blessing” of the NAACP. The ongoing assault by that organization on all things traditionally Southern and/or Confederate is well known and undeniable. In fact, its actions have prolonged its existence far beyond any usefulness – and made a considerable profit out of being “offended” by all things Southern, demanding that they be removed, expunged and/or buried in the deepest possible pit, never again to see the light of day. Therefore, it is hardly strange that no “official blessing” was forthcoming from these overly-sensitive souls when Rawls approached them at one meeting. However, our intrepid Director was thrown a crumb for his conscientious groveling when the Spotsylvania NAACP graciously consented to consider the matter providing, of course, that the MoC tells “the whole story” of the “Civil War” (sic). Those familiar with the lexicon of political correctness know instinctively that this means “tell it our way or else!”
Yet, this might not be a problem given Mr. Rawls’ understanding of the patrons he wishes to attract to the MoC. In a statement made to the Fort Monroe organization in an attempt to make the institution more “palatable”, Rawls complained that those criticizing the Museum have misperceptions and that, its visitors, in Rawls’ words are "…NOT the redneck in the pickup truck with the T-shirt on that you might think of.” Rather, according to Rawls, visitors to the Confederacy museum are "well-educated, retired, married couples who are history buffs” . These sentiments - clearly illustrative of Rawls’ elitism - require no comment; they speak for themselves.
Finally, according to the report on the Fort Monroe plan by Conover Hunt, the authority’s interim executive director, the idea was to bring in experts in African-American history, Union history and Confederate history with said “experts” collaborating at a symposium and offering a comprehensive plan for a museum campus. But the question then is, whose “experts”? Does anyone seriously believe that they will not be the same “experts” who have been defining the era’s history from the beginning? Consequently, can any intelligent person believe that the “Confederacy” will receive objective, fair and balanced treatment? The answer to that is, I believe, painfully obvious.
How did Rawls react to all of the foregoing? Well, among other things, he openly considered removing the name “Confederate” from the title of the institution! With what he would have replaced it one cannot possibly imagine, but it is indicative of the direction in which this institution has been going for far too long that the matter was even broached. And with regards to the NAACP, Rawls is on record as saying, “One of the things I would love to have in the Museum of the Confederacy here is an NAACP meeting. It would send a signal to all Americans of what we are all about." It certainly would do that! But to the people for whom this institution is not just a collection of relics from a dead past, the “signal” sent by such an arrangement would be unjustifiable, undesirable and, given the NAACP’s sordid history, intolerable.
The crux of the problem was brought to light in an April 4th, 2007 newspaper article in the Washington Post. Under the headline: . . the onetime "Shrine of the South" . . . faces an uncertain future - History's Changing Tide:
“Attendance (for the MoC) has dropped by nearly half over the past decade . . . (a)nd this is in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy . . . It may even have to change its name. That same doleful report said the Museum of the Confederacy, though it has made efforts to distance itself from being an unabashed shrine, still ‘conjures up in the public mind images of slavery, racism, and intolerance. . . . [It] carries enormous, intransigent, and negative intellectual and emotional baggage.’"
The article then quotes Rawls as saying, " ‘. . . the museum was where Confederate veterans came to give their items to make a statement. Richmond was the epicenter of the Civil War. . . So yes, there's a symbolic message to our moving.’ [and can’t we all guess what that message is!]
“But (the article states) it's also about a historic shift in the mind-set of the white South, whose psychological underpinnings were held together for more than a century by the romantic ideal of "the lost cause" of the Confederacy. This held the antebellum world as a largely mythological place, a land of moonlight and magnolias, of "Gone With the Wind," of mint juleps and Henry Timrod's ‘Ode to the Confederate Dead at Magnolia Cemetery’:
Stoop, angels, hither from the skies!
There is no holier spot of ground
Than where defeated valor lies . . .
Swept Away By History.
“These sorts of atmospherics floated about in the cultural id, but the tangible remnants of the belief were preserved here (the MoC): Robert E. Lee's uniform, the plumed hat of J.E.B. Stuart, hundreds of battle flags, thousands of soldiers' letters from mud-filled trenches that soon would become their graves. People brought such things from across the war-ravaged South, thousands of them, artifacts presented with such reverence that they were called ‘sacred relics.’”
So here, in a nutshell, is the course on which the Administration of the MoC has chosen to embark and the reasons for that choice. Though the North is filled with “shrines” to those who died in order to coerce the South by military might back into a union that the vast majority of its people had rejected, the South apparently is not permitted any such shrine to the memory of those who resisted that tyranny with their last full measure of devotion. In fact, it probably won’t even be permitted to retain as historical relics the artifacts of its past because they “offend” the sensibilities of the politically correct - black and white. In the meanwhile, it seems that the present Administration of the Museum of the Confederacy is doing its damnedest to make the transition from shrine to tomb as rapid and as covert as possible.
posted by Chuck Demastus at 5:00 PM
rebelbill said...
What can one say but SKALIWAGS!!!
BorderRuffian said...
I see "laws of Virginia" mentioned in one of the quotes.
I wonder what laws apply to the MOC and if those laws define its direction and purpose? And are they violating that direction and purpose?
Also, I'm sure those that donated documents and artifacts back many decades ago did so with a certain understanding as to how they would be used...
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Saloppy
March 26, 2018 REPD Match reports
Hmm. And hmm again.
I suppose it wasn’t a bad thing I was at Pompey v Oxford yesterday, as it’s given me more time to reflect on Shrews 1 Dormice 0. And no, I won’t do any sort of “taming” quip whatsoever.
It’s almost like playing Northampton and having to put a “cobblers” reference in there somewhere.
But even a day or so later, I haven’t shaken off the nagging doubt I’ve had after the full time whistle. We’ve gone from being 50/50 to stay up to 60/40 in favour of us returning to League Two.
OK, we only lost by one goal to the team currently top, and yes we did put a little bit of a fight up in the last five minutes. But I left the New Meadow (or whatever it’s called now) realising just why we’re down the bottom.
We offered very little up front, even when we had a second striker up there. And when we did have an opportunity to shoot at the keeper, we decided to pass it. Confidence? As in, chronic lack of it.
We failed to clear the ball properly for their goal, although it had been coming for a little while. It’s not a new thing with our defence – previous games have seen us take the lead and then surrender it sooner rather than later.
Our set pieces are horrible, and I assume the only reason we don’t practice them is because the budget won’t allow us the time on the training ground to do so.
But something struck me on Saturday, as somebody who has only seen his fourth game (fifth if you count the Plymouth beamback) of 2018 – we looked so slow.
Seriously, we were borderline geriatric in body, mind and soul.
Shrewsbury were full of beans, as you would expect them to be, but while they were moving about freely we were playing with zimmer frames in comparison. Our idea of a quick throw-in is one that only takes six seconds rather than the usual ten.
And that’s almost literally as well.
Even when we did get an opportunity to attack, it was usually run a bit, then stop, then take a few seconds to make the next decision, and then it all breaks down again.
Mind you, I get the feeling regular matchday goers have known this for a good while. No wonder so many seem desensitised to the whole shebang.
It was only when Kaja came on that there was suddenly a bit of life. A youngster with a point to prove making a difference – who’d thunk it, eh? Not that it was enough, although one was left wondering what if we’d done that with 20 minutes left…
So, what? Well, playing one up front when we need the points merely gets you what you deserve. Regardless of who it is against. Where was Lloyd Sam? Or Antwi? The former might not have had clearance, but what’s the point of recalling the latter and not even including him?
He may not have made much of an impact if we’d used him as a sub on Saturday, but we’ll never know that now. Yes, it’s a gamble, but we can’t afford not to do so any more.
Read on, if you want to be depressed further…
Plus points: It didn’t rain.
Minus points: The feeling of inevitability. Fuller injured. Eunuchs up front.
The referee’s a…: Didn’t give us too much, although as so many times this season have proven – his contribution played little part in the end result.
Them: They’re top, but I didn’t think they were all that. They were certainly there for the taking, especially as they had a weakened squad. Hell, Northampton managed to draw with them last week.
Imagine if we were a bit braver against them on Saturday.
Then again, if you cast your mind back to the days when we too chased for promotion (remember them? They weren’t too long ago), there’s always a time around March where you end up slipping against struggling teams.
Shrewsbury might be going through that very patch right now. I didn’t see us play Wigan, but I think Blackburn were better against us, and I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see them miss out on promotion after all.
Still, the New Prostar Greenhous Montgomery Waters Meadow is how I imagine NPL to feel a bit like. OK, the concourses are lacking in soul, but the views are decent and it’s a similar capacity to what our new gaff will likely be (9875).
It’s over ten years old, believe it or not – and I wasn’t sad enough to know that until this morning, when I looked it up – but there’s definitely some wear and tear. Surface rust on the pillars, that kind of thing.
Oh, and how come they have so many supporter coaches…?
Point to ponder: Does our go-out-not-to-lose approach put too much pressure on us winning the Fleetwood type games?
The build-up to Good Friday isn’t going to be a sedate one, and I imagine the match itself is going to be one big bundle of nerves. And that’s partly because we’ve now put too much onus on getting a result.
It’s undeniably must-win, I’d even say it’s not a must-not-lose fixture now, but it does feel like we’ve gambled on survival by focusing on Fleetwood, Oldham and Bury. All home games, and all have the potential to fuck us up.
Remember Barnet on Easter Monday? Here’s a reminder if you want one, and a lot of what I wrote on that horrible day could have been written today.
This approach might pay off, and we may well stay up because of it, but it just seems totally un-necessary. Fleetwood need the points as much as we do, but they will know a draw at least will wound us more than it will them.
There’s still eight games remaining, and our fate remains in our hands, but we don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing what games to win in. Put it this way – I don’t fancy us having to go to Wigan to need a result to stay up…
Truth is stranger than fiction: 1) The local chippy sold saveloys. OK, it was cooked a bit too long, but given the heathen North barely sees one of those lovelies, you can forgive them. Decent chips, mind you. 2) The Deji song, to Ob-la-di. More creative than anything on the field of play within the last year. 3) “Breathe on ’em Salop” banner – urm, no thanks.
Anything else? I think our survival this season will depend on how much we can wring out just a few more little bits of magic in games, and hope that we’re not 2-0 down by the time we get them.
That was the major impression I got after Saturday – that all round, we’ve reached the end of the road.
True, there’s still a lot to play for, and the big prize is survival, but it’s shocked me how much we’ve lost our spark. Or if you prefer, mojo. Which is usually very difficult to get back.
Your editor has covered teams in the past that eventually go down, and many of them look like how we are at the moment. Not at war with each other, at least on the surface, but more a sense of being clapped-out.
And a lot of these teams lack an identity. I’m not sure what ours is, if we have one – are we a passing side? A long ball one? An in-your-face bunch of warriors who have forgotten how to say “quit”? On second thoughts, don’t answer the last one.
Basically, we’re a load of nothing. Last season, even though that’s when our goalscoring issues first surfaced, you could at least say we had a backbone that got us the points. It’s much harder to claim that these days.
We have spells of about 5-10 minutes where we suddenly wake up, but that’s all we seem to do. I’m led to believe Saturday was a typical example of so much of this season, in that regard.
We’re certainly not set piece specialists, unless you want to be a case study in how not to take them. I know it’s L1 rather than the Prem, but they’re poor even for this level.
And you can’t even say we’re totally shit, because we’re not in the position of Bury and Rochdale. Somehow, we’re still above the drop zone.
I’ve just thought back to the Barnet link earlier, and at least back then the players were all pulling together, staying behind at training to bond together and all that. That particular squad was a lot worse than now, but had more of a spirit about them.
What’s in today’s script?
I don’t know how many more games I’ll get to see this season, but the ones I’ve seen in 2018 alone don’t tell me much has changed. We’re keeping our heads above water and that’s about it, although eventually you drown.
We all know we need extensive surgery this summer, but it’s only just grabbed me how much of it we require…
So, was it worth it? Nah.
In a nutshell: Fleetwood will be fun.
Pre Fleetwood thoughts
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The Swamp Fox Files
I have taken the last six months or so to take a break from blogging, news watching, etc. I haven't stopped supporting Liberty, I just needed a break. In that time, I have had some time to think about the direction the Swamp Fox Files has been heading.
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Which Six Sigma Training Firm is appropriate for your company?
Since you understand exactly what Six Sigma training includes as well as the reasons why your company should take into consideration employing it, the final inquiry is ways to locate the right specialist for your company. Well, the very first thing is to specify just what you intend to accomplish by executing Six Sigma, and whether you want it implemented ideal throughout the firm or in chosen areas. This decision ought to not be made by you alone, yet busy with various other company employees, due to the fact that application should be given the highest priority as well as support if it is to proceed.
As soon as you have developed the advantages of applying Six Sigma and also got approval for it from your colleagues, you must seek referrals from your peers in other firms about just how their Six Sigma training was handled. Six Sigma is very much a people company, so it is also crucial to talk to a little of the Black Belts or supervisors of any type of shortlisted Six Sigma firms to see if you click with them and also they have the required degree of experience. The level of experience they have of working in your field isn't necessarily that appropriate compared to the degree of good understanding and their aptitude as fitness instructors, because good training indicates your colleagues will have skills that are transferable to various other markets. Additionally, think about the breadth of service being provided. Will the people that begin training you still be there at the end? Do they have their very own training products? Will there be a help work desk for employees to call after the training has been completed to ask them about any kind of Six Sigma issues that may develop in the future?
Ultimately, when you have actually made sure you recognize the number of issues the process is currently generating and establish the number you will certainly be satisfied with at the end of the job, you remain in a position to start the process of finding the best Six Sigma trainer for your firm. The best of good luck!
Danville Tea Party Leaders To Meet With Rep. Perriello
This article is a follow up to Silence The People!, which appeared here on the Swamp Fox Files last week.
“The Tea Party movement has come too far to be marginalized by these tactics. They shouldn’t be scared [to speak up].”
Last week, after the story of the Danville Tea Party leaders’ encounter with some unpleasant events broke on the 912Project’s website, I posted my take on the events. Earlier today I had the pleasure of speaking over the telephone with Nigel Coleman of the Danville Tea Party, and Michael Ernette. Mr. Ernette is not a member of the Danville Tea Party, but was there and a witness to the events that unfolded.
Mr. Coleman informed me that US Rep. Perriello’s (VA D-5) office has contacted them and set up a meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2009. It seems Rep. Perriello is denying any knowledge of the situation, and was not even aware they were there until the following day.
Mr. Coleman said that he plans to take a camera to record events, but the bottom line is, he just wants his questions answered. Questions that he was denied the privilege of asking on July 18.
As of this writing, the Danville Tea Party leaders have not received any response from the Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney General’s office. Mr. Coleman sent a letter to the Attorney General’s office on Monday, July 20, to request that the tactics used at the Townhall meeting be looked into.
According to both Mr Coleman and Mr. Ernette, the Virginia State Police consider the whole matter a closed case, with no further “surprise” visits.
Mr. Ernette said that he is concerned with how the media may portray the Thursday meeting the Danville Tea Party leaders will have with Rep. Perriello (an event which he will not be attending). He said that “Big people are following this situation, and it would hurt if the media makes Tea Partyers look stupid.” And that, he said, is a “Big problem.”
Other than a brief, and what Mr. Ernette states was a “slanted” article, the local media outlets have been silent on the events of July 18.
The attention to this situation has come from bloggers like the Swamp Fox Files, and the 912Project. Thanks to the event being reported on the 912Project’s website, Politico and Yahoo! News picked it up, Mr. Ernette told the Swamp Fox Files.
“Why were we not questioned at the event?” Mr. Ernette stated over the telephone on Tuesday. “We were encircled by members of various agencies.”
Mr. Ernette said that he was perplexed by the actions of the various police agencies involved on the day of the event, and the follow up meetings. And it seems as though there were several agencies involved: the Virginia State Police, what appeared to be Secret Service agents and members of the Department of Energy Protection Unit. Until my conversation, I was not even aware of such a police unit. (The existence and purpose of the DoE Protection unit would entail an entirely separate article, not to mention their purpose of being there. Suffice it to say for now, that their presence at the Townhall meeting is curious at best.)
Mr. Ernette stated he and the Tea Party leaders were informed that the Virginia State Police was there to assist another agency—the Department of Energy Protection Unit. He said they were also told that the police wanted to ascertain whether the protesters, meaning he and the Danville Tea Party people, knew how to ask a question. The problem with that statement, Mr. Ernette said, is that Secret Service agents stood with them the entire time they were there, and no one attempted to “see if they knew how to ask a question”.
Mr. Ernette said for him, the scariest part of the whole ordeal is the fact that police were sent to intimidate them after the event. Police arrived at the residence of Bobby Conner, the other Danville Tea Party leader, approximately 48 hours after the Townhall meeting.
Mr. Ernette said that the Virginia State Police considers the matter closed, and that the State police and the Department of Energy refuse to return any of their calls.
For now, their questions remain unanswered. Why were they not allowed to ask any questions on July 18? Why did a Pittsylvania County Deputy, who called their license plates in while they were eating at an area fast food restaurant, follow them? Why did the police show up at Mr. Conner’s residence 48 hours later? Why was Mr. Ernette followed on his was home?
Mr. Ernette said that he is not concerned with notoriety. He wants to make sure that the story is told so that the next group of people at a Townhall event is not intimidated. People should be able to ask questions without any fear of reprisals, he told the Swamp Fox Files.
Swampfox
The Swamp Fox Files is grateful to Mr. Nigel Coleman and Mr. Michael Ernette for agreeing to speak on this matter. While every effort was put forth to insure the accuracy of the statements and the events described above, any errors and inaccuracies of this article are due to the errors of the writer, and should not be construed as negligence on the part of the gentleman interviewed.
For verification of these events read the article that appeared in the Daville Register & Bee, "Tea Party Criticizes Rural Tour in Pittsylvania County", and you can contact the Virginia State Police.
EnviroCare: The Final Solution?
Abortion has long been one of the major social issues for Christians. Supposedly.
Abortion has long been one of the major issues for Conservatives. Supposedly.
The fact is very few Christians or Conservatives actually care one way or another about abortion. It seems that common sense would tell one that there is something majorly wrong with the violent destruction of a human being. Instead, we care more about 'endangered species' than we do about millions of unborn children.
Recently, information has come available that abortion plays a big role in the health care 'reform' that President Obama and the Statists wish to shove down the throats of the American people. Yet, very few people are bringing this issue up. Instead, we are more concerned about the death counseling the elderly will have to undergo. (For more information regarding abortion in the the healthcare 'reform' see: White House Fact Check Site on Health Care Filled With Inaccuracies and Could Abortion Sink Health-Care Reform?)
Don't get me wrong, I think that is evil to its very core, but what about the slaughter of the innocent babies? I guess, even to Christians, since they are not born, they don't count.
But now, we are told that aborting babies is good for the environment! You read that right. Do you want to save the planet? Do you want to help humanity survie the coming envirnomental holocaust? Then abort that kid now!
And of course, the real culprits are filthy American women who are burdening the world with their children. The rest of the world is OK, have kids, just odn't overdo. But Americans: please, kill them all!
I know, I am being extreme, right? Not really. Read what appeared on the New York Times Green Inc. blog. Also read, Reproduction and the carbon legacies of individuals, and official 'scientific' study conducted by Oregon State University.
Maybe what we should do is merge the healthcare and environmental bills together, and kill two birds with one stone. No pun intended. Abortion could be made mandatory for 'certain people' in order to 'save the environement'. Those who willing have abortions, can be given tax credits and tax breaks. It's a win-win situation!
Sadly, I am afraid that our nation is not far off from such a sick, twisted and depraved 'final solution' to our problems.
But will Christians continue to remain silent? Probably. As long as it does not affect them, they could care less. Just look at the way they vote. Much like the Christians in Germany during the days of Hitler, the Christians in the United States will remain silent, as long as such policies are not applied to them. Then, when those policies are applied to them, no one will care, and there will be no one to speak up.
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Ancient theaters in South Syria
Created on Tuesday, 12 February 2019 08:41 | Published Date | | Hits: 1428
*The size and capacity of the theater always complied with the size and administrative importance of the city.
*The theater of Busra is the most beautiful and integrated theater of its kind in the world.
*Ancient theaters served sport, cultural, artistic and political activities of the city.
South Syria is one of the richest areas in the world with ancient ruins and artifacts that witnessed the development of arts, architecture and monuments of past civilizations. The region is especially famous for its numerous theaters spread in most of its cities, towns and, sometimes, small villages.
Eleven of the fifty theaters discovered in Syria are located in Shahba, Qanawat, Daraa, Sweidaa, Busra and Sahar in South Syria.
When the Romans entered Syria in 64 BC they found civilized and lavish cities. Therefore they treated their inhabitants distinctively. They established an alliance among several cities called the Decapol i.e. the confedconfederation of the ten cities, although each city had its autonomy and freedom of striking money. This status was positively reflected on these cities in that they flourished and competed among themselves because everyone wanted to be the best. Magnificent monuments, successful administrative systems, and a special rule to reconcile harmoniously between old parts and the new ones of each quarter were established.
Roads were constructed to lead to the city center starting from the main army camps ,leading to the temples, municipal council, palaces, baths, the senate, the agoras (the markets) and the arches of triumph built on every cross road, the theaters, and then the horse race course. Busra was a typical city that combined all these elements.
Architecture of theaters
Roman architects were very keen to link the location of the theater with the city center in one hand and with the other cultural buildings in another.
Therefore we notice how the theater of Busra was linked with the race course, the baths, the main street, and with the circular theater which is still unexcavated till these days .Another example is the theater of Pompeii in Italy. In old Dara’a the theater stands in parallel with the main street crossing the city from the east to the west. The northern part of the theater, which is behind the stage, forms a corridor linked directly with the street, as it is the case with the theaters of Palmyra in central Syria and the theater of Ostia in Italy. In Shahba, the theater is located in the city center in the midst of the main buildings of the city and near the residence of emperor Philip the Arab, and the main square which has a high platform with semi circular rows of seats, an indication that people could stand there and see what is going on the stage ,or ,in another meaning, it is a theater without seats where people could gather to see not only the theater but the other activities of the city. In Qanawat the theater is directly linked with the Temple of the God of Irrigation. So we can understand that the theater was an important facility, always linked with the main squares and buildings of the city, especially with those that have similar cultural or entertaining functions.
The common thing among the theaters of South Syria is their direction. Most of them look north - west where the stage is in the northern part, unless the natural location implies another direction as is the case with the theater of Qanawat, where the stage is built in the western part of the theater, in parallel to the valley behind it, while the tiers of seats repose on the eastern slope. In Sahar’s theater the stage is directed to the west as is the case with the altars of temples, while the rows of seats parallel the lobby of the temple.
Size and capacity of the theater
It is clearly evident that theaters built in cities of South Syria were always complying with the population density and the administrative importance of these cities. Therefore theaters have different diameters. Sahar theater diameter is 20 m, Shahba 42 m, Qanawat 46 m, Daraa 62 m and Busra 102 m. All these theaters, excluding that of Busra, are relatively small. The size of the theater of Busra is similar to the Roman and Greek theaters,it can receive 15000 spectators ,while Shahba’s theater can take only 2500 , Daraa 5000 and Qanawat 4000 spectators.
Theaters in South Syria differ also in internal design and the number of the tiers of seats. There are theaters of one tier of seats like those of Sahar and Qanawat, others with two tiers like those of Daraa and Shahba, and theaters with three tiers like that of Busra. External designs also differ. Some theaters were wholly placed on flat plains, following the Roman and the Greek design, as is the case of the theaters of Palmyra, Jableh and Rome. Other theatres have their stages placed on a tilted slope, while the upper tiers are placed on columns as is the case in the theaters of Shahba and Daraa.
There are also theaters where the rows of seats are wholly placed on columns and poles on a natural slope while the stage is built on a flat ground like that of the theater of Qanawat. Because South Syria is a volcanic area rich with basalt, all the theaters were constructed from hard black basalt stones ,a distinctive common mark added to other common features like the thick and huge walls and columns, characteristics which helped these theaters survive the effects of time and natural disasters.
Variety of Shapes
As theaters differ in design, they also differ in shapes. Some theaters have the shape of a half circle with a straight stage, others are oval, semi circular, circular or elliptical, but they were all built for one purpose: theatrical shows.
Later theaters were used for sports, now known as stadiums, or for singing and were built like closed halls with tiers of seats for the audience, such as the theaters of Sahar and Qanawat.
Theaters were always designed with many gates and exits so that people can move easily in the lobbies and corridors and in and out of the gates. In Busra 15000 spectators can get in or leave the theater in less than fifteen minutes.
The race course was always a synonym of the theater. Usually it is a long rectangle
course, like that of Busra (440X134m) ,which extends from the north to the south. Tiers of seats can accommodate 35 thousand spectators. Another undiscovered course east of Daraa but it is not excavated yet.
Haifaa Mafalani
Category: Tourism
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Home > TV > TV News > ‘The Planets And Beyond’ Returns Tuesday, March 20
‘The Planets And Beyond’ Returns Tuesday, March 20
Former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino is back to serve as our tour guide through the universe in the new season of THE PLANETS AND BEYOND, debuting Tuesday, March 20th at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Science Channel. Each of the eight episodes in the second season takes an in-depth look at everything from Neptune & Uranus, to alien planets and the Sun. Massimino, who flew on two space shuttle missions to repair the Hubble Telescope, provides a perspective on the cosmos that only an elite few can match.
The premiere episode, BIRTH OF THE EARTH, is the incredible story of the origins of our world, which reveals that planets like Earth in other parts of the universe must be abundant. Our planet was formed by a series of cataclysms, from the most powerful blast in the universe to a planetary collision that could have destroyed it. Yet without these events, Earth would not exist, nor would we. Could the same extraordinary chain of events have created other earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe, which are inhabited by creatures like us?
Also explored this season are Uranus, Neptune and Mercury as well as alien planets, which scientists have for the last twenty years been discovering at an amazing rate. The Milky Way, which is our home galaxy that is made up of 200 billion stars, one of which is the Sun, will also be looked at.
An astronaut, the first person to tweet from space, and now a New York Times bestselling author, Mike Massimino grew up a working-class kid whose seemingly unreachable dream of becoming an astronaut and going to space was realized in an unlikely journey that was driven by determination and commitment and realized with hard work and humor. After two missions to the Hubble Space Telescope and four space walks to make critical repairs to the telescope, Mike is now the Senior Space Advisor to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a Columbia University professor, an author, a media personality, and an in-demand speaker for audiences seeking a unique perspective on teamwork, innovation, and leadership from a down-to-earth spaceman.
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Toronto Raptors: Four people injured in victory parade shooting
People could be seen fleeing the scene of the shooting
Four people were injured in a daytime shooting in Toronto during a crowded victory rally for the Toronto Raptors basketball team, police say.
Thousands of sports fans were packed into the city centre in Nathan Phillips Square when shots rang out, sending many scurrying for cover.
The event was only briefly interrupted as officials calmed the crowd.
Three people were arrested. Authorities have asked the public to send in footage to help their investigation.
Police tweeted that none of the victims had life-threatening injuries, though two were seriously wounded.
They also said they recovered two firearms from the scene.
Up to two million fans were estimated to have gathered in downtown Toronto on Monday for a parade in tribute to the basketball team.
The Raptors, who are the only National Basketball Association franchise in Canada, won the championship finals against the Golden State Warriors last Thursday - the first Canadian team to win the title.
Around mid-afternoon, thousands of revellers gathered to watch the event's closing ceremony with players and dignitaries, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Canadian musician Drake was among those seen celebrating alongside the team's players
Mr Trudeau later tweeted that he hoped for a "speedy recovery" for those injured.
"We won't let this act of violence take away from the spirit of today's parade," he said.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said he was "disappointed" the event was marred by gun violence.
Canadian sports fans were revelling in the win by the Toronto Raptors, the team's first championship victory in its 24-year history.
The team's players were carried along the parade route in five double-decker buses where their supporters greeted them in Raptors shirts and jerseys. The crowd dispersed without further incident in the late afternoon.
Mr Tory had proclaimed this 17 June as "We the North Day" - playing on the team's slogan "We the North" - to commemorate the historic season.
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Act 92 of 2000
AN ACT to codify the licensure and regulation of certain persons engaged in processing, manufacturing, production, packing, preparing, repacking, canning, preserving, freezing, fabricating, storing, selling, serving, or offering for sale food or drink for human consumption; to prescribe powers and duties of the department of agriculture and rural development; to provide for delegation of certain powers and duties to certain local units of government; to provide exemptions; to regulate the labeling, manufacture, distribution, and sale of food for protection of the consuming public and to prevent fraud and deception by prohibiting the misbranding, adulteration, manufacture, distribution, and sale of foods in violation of this act; to provide standards for food products and food establishments; to provide for immunity to certain persons under certain circumstances; to provide for enforcement of the act; to provide penalties and remedies for violation of the act; to provide for fees; to provide for promulgation of rules; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 41, Imd. Eff. June 3, 2015
Compiler's Notes: Sec. 1117 of Act 92 of 2000 provides:“Sec. 1117. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this act takes effect 6 months after the date of enactment. “(2) Until 6 months after the effective date of this act, compliance with the standards of the design, construction, and equipment of a food service establishment approved under former sections 12901, 12902, 12903, 12904, 12905a, 12906, 12907, 12908, 12910, 12911, 12912, 12913, 12916, and 12921 of the public health code, MCL 333.12901, 333.12902, 333.12903, 333.12904, 333.12905a, 333.12906, 333.12907, 333.12908, 333.12910, 333.12911, 333.12912, 333.12913, 333.12916, and 333.12921, is considered compliance with this act. “(3) Beginning 6 months after the effective date of this act, a food service establishment shall comply with the standards of design, construction, and equipment established under this act.”
© 2017 Legislative Council, State of Michigan
The People of the State of Michigan enact: Chapter I
SHORT TITLE, SCOPE, DEFINITIONS
289.1101 Short title.
Sec. 1101.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "food law".
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
Compiler's Notes: Sec. 1117 of Act 92 of 2000 provides:“Sec. 1117. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this act takes effect 6 months after the date of enactment.“(2) Until 6 months after the effective date of this act, compliance with the standards of the design, construction, and equipment of a food service establishment approved under former sections 12901, 12902, 12903, 12904, 12905a, 12906, 12907, 12908, 12910, 12911, 12912, 12913, 12916, and 12921 of the public health code, MCL 333.12901, 333.12902, 333.12903, 333.12904, 333.12905a, 333.12906, 333.12907, 333.12908, 333.12910, 333.12911, 333.12912, 333.12913, 333.12916, and 333.12921, is considered compliance with this act.“(3) Beginning 6 months after the effective date of this act, a food service establishment shall comply with the standards of design, construction, and equipment established under this act.”
289.1103 Scope.
The provisions of this act regarding the selling of food shall be considered to include the manufacture, production, processing, packing, exposure, offer, possession, and holding of any food for sale; and the sale, dispensing and giving of food, serving, and the supplying of food in the conduct of any food establishment.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000
289.1105 Definitions; A to C; unsafe substances, additives, or chemicals.
(1) As used in this act:
(a) "Adulterated" means food to which any of the following apply:
(i) It bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render it injurious to health unless the substance is not an added substance and the quantity of that substance in the food does not ordinarily render it injurious to health.
(ii) It bears or contains any added poisonous or added deleterious substance, other than a substance that is a pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity; a food additive; or a color additive considered unsafe within the meaning of subsection (2).
(iii) It is a raw agricultural commodity that bears or contains a pesticide chemical considered unsafe within the meaning of subsection (2).
(iv) It bears or contains any food additive considered unsafe within the meaning of subsection (2). However, if a pesticide chemical has been used in or on a raw agricultural commodity in conformity with an exemption granted or limitation prescribed under subsection (2) and the raw agricultural commodity has been subjected to processing, the residue of that pesticide chemical remaining in or on that processed food is, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) and this subdivision, not considered unsafe if that residue in or on the raw agricultural commodity has been removed to the extent possible in good manufacturing practice and if the concentration of that residue in the processed food when ready to eat is not greater than the tolerance prescribed for the raw agricultural commodity.
(v) It is or contains a new animal drug or conversion product of a new animal drug that is unsafe within the meaning of section 360b of the federal act, 21 USC 360b.
(vi) It consists in whole or in part of a diseased, contaminated, filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or it is otherwise unfit for food.
(vii) It has been produced, prepared, packed, or held under unsanitary conditions in which it may have become contaminated with filth or in which it may have been rendered diseased, unwholesome, or injurious to health.
(viii) It is the product of a diseased animal or an animal that has died other than by slaughter or that has been fed uncooked garbage or uncooked offal from a slaughterhouse.
(ix) Its container is composed, in whole or in part, of any poisonous or deleterious substance that may render the contents injurious to health.
(x) A valuable constituent has been in whole or in part omitted or abstracted from the food; a substance has been substituted wholly or in part for the food; damage or inferiority has been concealed in any manner; or a substance has been added to the food or mixed or packed with the food so as to increase its bulk or weight, reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear better or of greater value than it is.
(xi) It is confectionery and has partially or completely imbedded in it any nonnutritive object except if, as provided by rules, the object is of practical functional value to the confectionery product and would not render the product injurious or hazardous to health; it is confectionery and bears or contains any alcohol other than alcohol not in excess of 1/2 of 1% by volume derived solely from the use of flavoring extracts; or it is confectionery and bears or contains any nonnutritive substance except a nonnutritive substance such as harmless coloring, harmless flavoring, harmless resinous glaze not in excess of 4/10 of 1%, harmless natural wax not in excess of 4/10 of 1%, harmless natural gum and pectin or any chewing gum by reason of its containing harmless nonnutritive masticatory substances which is in or on the confectionery by reason of its use for some practical functional purpose in the manufacture, packaging, or storage of such confectionery if the use of the substance does not promote deception of the consumer or otherwise result in adulteration or misbranding in violation of this act. For the purpose of avoiding or resolving uncertainty as to the application of this subdivision, the director may issue rules allowing or prohibiting the use of particular nonnutritive substances.
(xii) It is or bears or contains any color additive that is unsafe within the meaning of subsection (2).
(xiii) It has been intentionally subjected to radiation, unless the use of the radiation was in conformity with a rule or exemption under this act or a regulation or exemption under the federal act.
(xiv) It is bottled water that contains a substance at a level higher than allowed under this act.
(b) "Advertisement" means a representation disseminated in any manner or by any means, other than by labeling, for the purpose of inducing, or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the purchase of food.
(c) "Agricultural use operation" means a maple syrup production facility or similar food establishment that finishes a raw commodity and is integral to the agricultural production of, and is located at, a farm. An agricultural use operation is not considered a food processor or retail processing operation for purposes of personal or real property but must meet those same standards and licensing requirements as prescribed in this act.
(d) "Bed and breakfast" means a private residence that offers sleeping accommodations to transient tenants in 14 or fewer rooms for rent, is the innkeeper's residence in which the innkeeper resides while renting the rooms to transient tenants, and serves breakfasts, or other meals in the case of a bed and breakfast described in section 1107(t)(ii), at no extra cost to its transient tenants. A bed and breakfast is not a food service establishment if exempt under section 1107(t)(ii) or (iii).
(e) "Color additive" means a dye, pigment, or other substance that is made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice or is extracted, isolated, or otherwise derived, with or without intermediate or final change of identity from a vegetable, animal, mineral, or other source, or when added or applied to a food or any part of a food is capable alone or through reaction with other substances of imparting color to the food. Color additive does not include any material that is exempt or hereafter is exempted under the federal act. This subdivision does not apply to any pesticide chemical, soil or plant nutrient, or other agricultural chemical solely because of its effect in aiding, retarding, or otherwise affecting, directly or indirectly, the growth of other natural physiological process of produce of the soil and thereby affecting its color, whether before or after harvest. Color includes black, white, and intermediate grays.
(f) "Consumer" means an individual who is a member of the public, takes possession of food, is not functioning in the capacity of an operator of a food establishment or food processor, and does not offer the food for resale.
(g) "Contaminated with filth" means contaminated as a result of not being securely protected from dust, dirt, and, as far as may be necessary by all reasonable means, from all foreign or injurious contaminations.
(h) "Continental breakfast" means the serving of only non-potentially-hazardous food such as a roll, pastry or doughnut, fruit juice, or hot beverage, but may also include individual portions of milk and other items incidental to those foods.
(i) "Core item" means a provision in the food code that is not designated as a priority item or a priority foundation item. Core item includes both of the following:
(A) An item that usually relates to general sanitation, operational controls, sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), facilities or structures, equipment design, or general maintenance.
(B) The requirements of section 2129(2) and 6152(1).
(j) "Cottage food operation" means a person who produces or packages cottage food products only in a kitchen of that person's primary domestic residence within this state.
(k) "Cottage food product" means a food that is not potentially hazardous food as that term is defined in the food code. Examples of cottage food product include, but are not limited to, jams, jellies, dried fruit, candy, cereal, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, dried herbs, and baked goods that do not require temperature control for safety. Cottage food product does not include any potentially hazardous food regulated under 21 CFR parts 113 and 114, examples of which include, but are not limited to, meat and poultry products; salsa; milk products; bottled water and other beverages; and home-produced ice products. Cottage food product also does not include canned low-acid fruits or acidified vegetables and other canned foods except for jams, jellies, and preserves as defined in 21 CFR part 150.
(2) Any added poisonous or deleterious substance, food additive, pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity, or color additive is considered unsafe for the purpose of subsection (1)(a), unless there is in effect a federal regulation or exemption from regulation under the federal act, the federal meat inspection act, 21 USC 601 to 683, the poultry products inspection act, 21 USC 451 to 472, or another federal statute, or a rule limiting the quantity of the substance, and the use or intended use of the substance, and the use or intended use of the substance conforms to the terms prescribed by the federal regulation or exemption or the rule.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 338, Imd. Eff. Dec. 23, 2008 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 113, Imd. Eff. July 12, 2010 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 516, Imd. Eff. Jan. 14, 2015
289.1107 Definitions; D to F.
As used in this act:
(a) "Department" means the department of agriculture and rural development.
(b) "Director" means the director of the department or his or her designee.
(c) "Domestic residence" means a single-family dwelling or an area within a rental unit where a single person or family actually resides. Domestic residence does not include either of the following:
(i) A group or communal residential setting within any type of structure.
(ii) An outbuilding, shed, barn, or other similar structure.
(d) "Egg" does not include a balut, which is an embryo inside a fertile egg that has been incubated for a period sufficient for the embryo to reach a specific stage of development after which it is removed from incubation before hatching.
(e) "Evaluation" means a food safety audit, inspection, or food safety and sanitation assessment, whether announced or unannounced, that identifies violations or verifies compliance with this act and determines the degree of active control by food establishment operators over foodborne illness risk factors.
(f) "Extended retail food establishment" means a retail grocery that does both of the following:
(i) Serves or provides an unpackaged food for immediate consumption.
(ii) Provides customer seating in the food service area.
(g) "Fair" means a fair or exhibition operated and managed under 1929 PA 11, MCL 46.151 to 46.153, or held by an agricultural or horticultural society under 1855 PA 80, MCL 453.231 to 453.240.
(h) "Fair concession" means a food concession, storage, preparation, or dispensing operation at a state or county fair.
(i) "Farmers' market" means a public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives selling directly to consumers food and products that the farmers have produced themselves. In addition, the market may include a variety of other vendors as determined by market management.
(j) "Federal act" means the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act, chapter 675, 52 Stat. 1040, 21 USC 301 to 399d, as in effect on October 1, 2012.
(k) "Festival" means an event, staged by a local community or local organization, that centers on and celebrates a certain aspect of that community or organization. Festival includes, but is not limited to, a fair, art show, chili cook-off, car show, hot air balloon festival, religious festival, drama festival, or cultural festival.
(l) "First receiver" means a person who receives eggs from a producer at any place of business and candles, grades, sorts, packs, or packages the eggs.
(m) "Food" means articles used for food or drink for humans or other animals, chewing gum, and articles used for components of any such article.
(n) "Food additive" means any substance, the intended use of which, directly or indirectly, results in or may be reasonably expected to result in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food if that substance is not generally recognized among experts as having been adequately shown through scientific procedures to be safe under the conditions of its intended use. Food additive includes any substance intended for use in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, preparing, treating, packaging, transporting, or holding food and includes any source of radiation intended for any use. Food additive does not include any of the following:
(i) A pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity.
(ii) A pesticide chemical to the extent that it is intended for use or is used in the production, storage, or transportation of any raw agricultural commodity.
(iii) A color additive.
(iv) Any substance used in accordance with a sanction or approval granted before the enactment of the food additives amendment of 1958, Public Law 85-929, pursuant to the federal act, the poultry products inspection act, 21 USC 451 to 472, or the federal meat inspection act, 21 USC 601 to 683.
(o) "Food code" means "Food Code, 2009 Recommendations of the United States Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration", which regulates the design, construction, management, and operation of certain food establishments.
(p) "Food establishment" means an operation where food is processed, packed, canned, preserved, frozen, fabricated, stored, prepared, served, vended, sold, or offered for sale. Food establishment includes, but is not limited to, a food processor, a food warehouse, a food service establishment, a vending machine location, and a retail grocery. Food establishment does not include any of the following:
(i) A charitable, religious, fraternal, or other nonprofit organization operating a home-prepared baked goods sale or serving only home-prepared food in connection with its meetings or as part of a fund-raising event.
(ii) An inpatient food operation located in a health facility or agency subject to licensure under article 17 of the public health code, MCL 333.20101 to 333.22260.
(iii) A food operation located in a prison, jail, state mental health institute, boarding house, fraternity or sorority house, convent, or other facility where the facility is the primary residence for the occupants and the food operation is limited to serving meals to the occupants as part of their living arrangement.
(q) "Food processor" means a food establishment that processes, manufactures, wholesales, packages, labels, or stores food. Food processor does not include a maple syrup producer. Processing is an act, such as canning, freezing, dehydrating, drying, distilling, extracting, preserving, grinding, crushing, milling, washing, trimming, packing, or otherwise preserving or changing the form of a food.
(r) "Food safety and sanitation assessment" means judging or assessing specific food handling activities, events, conditions, or management systems to determine their potential effectiveness in controlling risks for foodborne illness and their compliance with this act, accompanied by a report of findings.
(s) "Food safety audit" means the methodical examination and review of records, food sources, food handling procedures, and facility cleaning and sanitation practices for compliance with this act, accompanied by a report of findings. Food safety audit includes checking or testing, or both, of observable practices and procedures to determine compliance with standards contained in or adopted by this act, accompanied by a report of findings.
(t) "Food service establishment" means a fixed or mobile restaurant, coffee shop, cafeteria, short order cafe, luncheonette, grill, tearoom, sandwich shop, soda fountain, tavern, bar, cocktail lounge, nightclub, drive-in, industrial feeding establishment, private organization serving the public, rental hall, catering kitchen, delicatessen, theater, commissary, food concession, or similar place in which food or drink is prepared for direct consumption through service on the premises or elsewhere, and any other eating or drinking establishment or operation where food is served or provided for the public. Food service establishment does not include any of the following:
(i) A motel that serves continental breakfasts only.
(ii) A bed and breakfast that has 10 or fewer sleeping rooms for rent.
(iii) A bed and breakfast that has more than 10 sleeping rooms for rent, if the bed and breakfast serves continental breakfasts only.
(iv) A child care organization regulated under 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111 to 722.128, unless the establishment is carrying out an operation considered by the director to be a food service establishment.
(v) A vending machine location. However, if a food service establishment operates a vending machine location on the same premises, the vending machine location is considered part of the food service establishment.
(u) "Food warehouse" means a food establishment that stores or distributes food for wholesale.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 338, Imd. Eff. Dec. 23, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.1109 Definitions; G to P.
(a) "Guide for the control of molluscan shellfish" means section II, model ordinance, national shellfish sanitation program guide for the control of molluscan shellfish, 2009, recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration.
(b) "HACCP plan" means a written document that delineates the formal procedures for following the hazard analysis and critical control point principles developed by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
(c) "Imminent or substantial hazard" means a condition at a food establishment that the director determines requires immediate action to prevent endangering the health of people.
(d) "Inspection" means the checking or testing of observable practices against standards established in or adopted by this act, accompanied by a report of findings.
(e) "Juice" means the aqueous liquid expressed or extracted from 1 or more fruits or vegetables, purees of the edible portions of 1 or more fruits or vegetables, or any concentrates of such liquid or puree.
(f) "Label" means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter on the immediate container of any article and includes a requirement imposed under this act that any word, statement, or other information appearing on the display also appear on the outside container or wrapper of the retail package of the article or be easily legible through the outside container or wrapper.
(g) "Labeling" means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter upon an article, any of its containers or wrappers, or accompanying the article.
(h) "License holder" means the person who is legally responsible for the operation of a food establishment including the owner, the owner's agent, or other person operating under apparent authority of the owner and who possesses a valid license to operate a food establishment.
(i) "License limitation" means an action by which the director imposes restrictions or conditions, or both, on a license of a food establishment.
(j) "Limited food processor" means a food processor that had in the preceding licensing year or is reasonably anticipated to have in the current licensing year $25,000.00 or less in annual gross wholesale sales made or business done in wholesale sales. Only the food sales from the food processor operation must be used in computing the annual gross sales under this subdivision.
(k) "Local health department" means that term as defined in section 1105 of the public health code, MCL 333.1105, and having those powers and duties as described in part 24 of the public health code, MCL 333.2401 to 333.2498.
(l) "Low-risk food" means any of the following:
(i) Raw or prepackaged food that is not potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food).
(ii) Potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) that is prepared in a licensed facility and is not prepared on-site.
(iii) Commercially processed potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) that is fully cooked and heated only for hot holding.
(m) "Michigan bridge card" means the card used for the electronic benefit transfer system for food stamp distribution required under section 14h of the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.14h.
(n) "Micro market" means an operation that does all of the following:
(i) Offers for sale commercially prepackaged foods properly labeled for individual sale as required under section 3-201.11(C) of the food code, except as provided under section 3-302.11(B)(1), and does not offer bulk food for sale.
(ii) Uses an automated payment system.
(iii) Controls the entry to the operation so that the operation is accessible only by a defined population and is not accessible by the general public.
(iv) Limits consumer food preparation to heating or reheating food in a microwave oven.
(v) Utilizes continuous video surveillance of areas where consumers view, select, handle, and purchase food. An operation does not satisfy this subparagraph if the video surveillance is not of sufficient resolution to allow for the identification of situations that may compromise food safety or food defense.
(vi) If the operation uses a refrigerator unit or freezer unit, the operation only uses a unit that has both of the following features:
(A) Self-closing doors that allow food to be viewed without opening the door.
(B) An automatic self-locking mechanism that prevents the consumer from accessing the food if the refrigeration unit fails to maintain the internal product temperature specified under section 3-501.16(A)(2) of the food code or the freezer unit fails to maintain the food frozen.
(o) "Milk product" means cream, light cream, light whipping cream, heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, whipped cream, whipped light cream, sour cream, acidified sour cream, cultured sour cream, half-and-half, sour half-and-half, acidified sour half-and-half, cultured sour half-and-half, reconstituted or recombined milk and milk products, concentrated milk, concentrated milk products, skim milk, lowfat milk, frozen milk concentrate, eggnog, buttermilk, cultured milk, cultured lowfat milk, cultured skim milk, yogurt, lowfat yogurt, nonfat yogurt, acidified milk, acidified lowfat milk, acidified skim milk, low-sodium milk, low-sodium lowfat milk, low-sodium skim milk, lactose-reduced milk, lactose-reduced lowfat milk, lactose-reduced skim milk, aseptically processed and packaged milk, milk products with added safe and suitable microbial organisms, and any other milk product made by the addition or subtraction of milkfat or addition of safe and suitable optional ingredients for protein, vitamin, or mineral fortification. Milk product includes dietary dairy products, dairy-based infant formula, ice cream and other frozen desserts, cheese, butter, and any other product derived from milk.
(p) "Misbranded" means food to which any of the following apply:
(i) Its labeling is false or misleading in any particular.
(ii) It is offered for sale under the name of another food.
(iii) It is an imitation of another food unless its label bears, in type of uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately thereafter the name of the food imitated.
(iv) Its container is so made, formed, or filled as to be misleading.
(v) It is in package form, unless it bears a label containing both the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor and an accurate statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count subject to reasonable variations permitted and exemptions for small packages established by rules.
(vi) Any word, statement, date, or other labeling required by this act is not placed on the label or labeling prominently, conspicuously, and in such terms as to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use.
(vii) It purports to be or is represented as a food for which a definition and standard of identity have been prescribed by regulations promulgated under the federal act or by rules, unless it conforms to the definition and standard and its label bears the name of the food specified in the definition and standard, and, insofar as may be required by the regulations or rules, the common names of optional ingredients, other than spices, flavoring, and coloring, present in the food.
(viii) It purports to be or is represented to be either of the following:
(A) A food for which a standard of quality has been prescribed by this act or rules if its quality falls below the standard unless its label bears, in the manner and form that the rules specify, a statement that it falls below the standard.
(B) A food for which a standard or standards of fill of container have been prescribed by this act or rules and that falls below the standard of fill of container applicable, unless its label bears, in the manner and form that the rules specify, a statement that it falls below the standard.
(ix) It does not bear labeling clearly giving the common or usual name of the food, if one exists, and if fabricated from 2 or more ingredients, the common or usual name of each ingredient except that spices, flavorings, and colorings, other than those sold as such, may be designated as spices, flavorings, and colorings, without naming each and except under other circumstances as established by rules regarding exemptions based upon practicality, potential deception, or unfair competition.
(x) It bears or contains any artificial flavoring, artificial coloring, or chemical preservative unless the labeling states that fact or under other circumstances as established by rules regarding exemptions based upon practicality.
(xi) If a food intended for human consumption and offered for sale, its label and labeling do not bear the nutrition information required under section 343(q) of the federal act, 21 USC 343.
(xii) It is a product intended as an ingredient of another food and, when used according to the directions of the purveyor, will result in the final food product being adulterated or misbranded.
(xiii) It is a color additive whose packaging and labeling are not in conformity with applicable packaging and labeling requirements under the federal act.
(q) "Mobile food establishment" means a food establishment operating from a vehicle, including a watercraft, that returns to a mobile food establishment commissary for servicing and maintenance at least once every 24 hours.
(r) "Mobile food establishment commissary" means an operation that is capable of servicing a mobile food establishment.
(s) "Nonperishable food" means food that is not perishable food.
(t) "Perishable food" means any food that the manufacturer, packer, or retailer, in conjunction with the department, determines to have a significant risk of spoilage, loss of value, or loss of palatability within 90 days of the date of packaging.
(u) "Person" means an individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity.
(v) "Pesticide chemical" means any substance that, alone, in chemical combination, or in formulation with 1 or more other substances, is a pesticide within the meaning of the federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide act, 7 USC 136 to 136y, and is used in the production, storage, or transportation of raw agricultural commodities.
(w) "Principal display panel" means that part of a label that is most likely to be displayed, presented, shown, or examined under normal and customary conditions of display for retail sale.
(x) "Priority foundation item" means a provision in the food code whose application supports, facilitates, or enables 1 or more priority items. Priority foundation item includes an item that requires the purposeful incorporation of specific actions, equipment, or procedures by industry management to attain control of risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness or injury such as personnel training, infrastructure, or necessary equipment, HACCP plans, documentation or record-keeping, and labeling. A priority foundation item is an item that is denoted in the food code with a superscript Pf-Pf.
(y) "Priority item" means a provision in the food code whose application contributes directly to the elimination, prevention, or reduction to an acceptable level of hazards associated with foodborne illness or injury if there is no other provision that more directly controls the hazard. Priority item includes an item with a quantifiable measure to show control of hazards such as cooking, reheating, cooling, or hand washing. A priority item is an item that is denoted in the food code with a superscript P-P.
(z) "Public health code" means 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.1101 to 333.25211.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 142, Eff. Jan. 11, 2016 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 92, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 2018
289.1111 Definitions; R to W.
(a) "Raw agricultural commodity" means any food in its raw or natural state including fruits that are washed, colored, or otherwise treated in their unpeeled natural form before marketing.
(b) "Regulatory authority" means the department, the local health department, or the authorized representative having jurisdiction over the food establishment.
(c) "Retail food establishment" means an operation that sells or offers to sell food directly to a consumer. Retail food establishment includes both a retail grocery and a food service establishment, but does not include a food processor.
(d) "Retail grocery" means an operation that sells or offers to sell food to consumers for off-premises consumption. Food for off-premises consumption does not include take-out food intended for immediate consumption.
(e) "Rules" means administrative rules promulgated under this act pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.
(f) "Shellfish dealer" means an interstate wholesaler handling shellfish.
(g) "Shellfish dealer certification" means the issuance of a numbered certificate to a person indicating that the person is in compliance with the requirements of the guide for the control of molluscan shellfish and that the person has permission from the department to conduct 1 or more of the following shellfish activities, as defined in the guide for the control of molluscan shellfish:
(i) Shellstock shipper.
(ii) Shucker packer.
(iii) Repacker or reshipper.
(h) "Smoked fish rules" means R 285.569.1 to R 285.569.19 of the Michigan Administrative Code.
(i) "Special transitory food unit" means a temporary food establishment that is licensed to operate throughout the state without the 14-day limits or a mobile food establishment that is not required to return to a commissary.
(j) "Staple foods" does not include accessory foods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, soda, noncarbonated drinks such as sports drinks, punches, and flavored waters, candy, condiments, spices, hot foods, or foods ready to go or made to take out, such as prepared sandwiches or salads.
(k) "Sulfiting agents" means any of the following:
(i) Sulfur dioxide.
(ii) Sodium sulfite.
(iii) Sodium bisulfite.
(iv) Potassium bisulfite.
(v) Sodium metabisulfite.
(vi) Potassium metabisulfite.
(l) "Temporary food establishment" means a food establishment that operates at a fixed location for a temporary period not to exceed 14 consecutive days.
(m) "Temporary license" means a written authorization issued by the director to operate for a specified limited time period.
(n) "Transient tenant" means a person who rents a room in a bed and breakfast for fewer than 30 consecutive days.
(o) "Trimming" means removing leaves, roots, and other extraneous materials in preparation for grading, sorting, and sale as a whole fruit or vegetable. Trimming does not remove the peel or core and does not further cut the whole fruit or vegetable.
(p) "U.S. standards for shell eggs" means "United States Standards, Grades, and Weight Classes for Shell Eggs", AMS 56 (July 20, 2000), United States Department of Agriculture.
(q) "Vending company base location" means a vending machine location or other food establishment required to be separately licensed under section 4105(5).
(r) "Vending machine" means a self-service device that, upon insertion of a coin, paper currency, token, card, or key, or by manual operation, dispenses unit servings of food in bulk or in packages without the necessity of replenishing the device between each vending operation. Vending machine does not include any of the following:
(i) A device that dispenses only bottled or canned soft drinks; other packaged nonperishable foods or beverages; or bulk ball gum, nuts, and panned candies.
(ii) A water-dispensing machine that is registered under chapter IV.
(s) "Vending machine location" means the room, enclosure, space, or area in which 1 or more vending machines are installed and operated, or a micro market.
(t) "Wholesale" means selling other than directly to consumers.
(u) "Wild game" means animals from their natural state and not cultivated, domesticated, or tamed.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 92, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 2018
289.1113 Terms defined in act; meanings; use of terms "critical violation" and "noncritical violation."
(1) A term defined in the food code has the same meaning when used in this act, except as specifically defined in this act.
(2) The terms "critical violation" and "noncritical violation" shall not be used by a regulatory authority to classify violations of the food code.
289.1115 Repealed. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to repeal of acts and parts of acts.
Effective Date: The repealed section pertained to effective date of act.
289.1119 Rules; “act” and “establishment” defined.
(1) Except as rescinded, rules promulgated under public acts repealed by this act retain authorization under this act.
(2) Notwithstanding R 285.553.1 of the Michigan administrative code, the following terms have the following meanings for purposes of those rules:
(a) “Act” means the food law of 2000, 2000 PA 92, MCL 289.1101 to 289.8111.
(b) “Establishment” means any farm crop storage where food is handled, stored, or prepared and that is exempt from the requirements of section 7101.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002
289.1121 Authority and powers of director.
This act does not divest the director of any authority and powers available under part 24 of the public health code, MCL 333.2401 to 333.2498, for the enforcement of this act.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT
289.2101 Powers and duties of director.
(1) The director shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this act. The director may delegate enforcement and administration of this act to certain local health departments in the manner provided for in chapter III.
(2) The director shall investigate complaints and initiate and conduct other investigations as he or she considers advisable to determine violations of this act.
(3) The director may promulgate rules for the enforcement and implementation of this act.
289.2103 Repealed. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to the retail food advisory board.
289.2105 Seizure or embargo of food without warrant; tag or marking as notice of adulterated or misbranded food; complaint; findings and order of court.
(1) When necessary for the enforcement of this act, the director may seize without formal warrant any food found to be sold, held for sale, or exposed for sale in violation of this act or rules promulgated under this act.
(2) If the director finds or has probable cause to believe that any food is adulterated or so misbranded as to be dangerous to public health or fraudulent, within the meaning of this act, he or she shall affix to the food a tag or other appropriate marking giving notice that the food is, or is suspected of being, adulterated or misbranded and has been seized or embargoed. A person shall not remove or dispose of the food tagged or marked as embargoed or seized, by sale or otherwise, until permission for removal or disposal is given by the director or a court of competent jurisdiction.
(3) If food seized or embargoed under subsection (1) or (2) is determined by the director to be adulterated or misbranded, he or she shall cause a petition to be filed in circuit court in whose jurisdiction the food is seized or embargoed for a complaint for condemnation of the food. Seized or embargoed food shall be destroyed at the expense of the claimant of the food, under the supervision of the director, and the court may order the payment of the costs and fees and storage and other proper expenses by the claimant of the food or his or her agents. However, if the court finds that adulteration or misbranding can be corrected by proper labeling or processing of the food, after entry of the order; payment of the costs, fees, and expenses; and execution of a good and sufficient bond conditioned that the food shall be so labeled or processed, the court may direct the food to be delivered to the claimant for labeling or processing under the supervision of the director. The claimant shall pay the expense of the supervision. The food shall be returned to the claimant of the food on the representation to the court by the director that the food is no longer in violation of this act and that the expenses of supervision have been paid. If the director determines that the food so seized or embargoed is not adulterated or misbranded, he or she shall remove the tag or other marking.
289.2107 Adulterated food as nuisance.
(1) If the director finds any adulterated food that the director declares to be a nuisance, the director shall immediately condemn, destroy, or in any other manner render the food unsaleable as human food.
(2) If adulterated or misbranded food is a nuisance, is dangerous to the public health, or is fraudulent and requires the director's supervision, or if the food establishment requests the supervision of the director for sorting, destruction, reconditioning, or other disposition, the food establishment that is in possession of the food at the time of the seizure or embargo is liable for the costs of such supervision.
289.2109 Destruction of seized food.
If storage of seized food is not possible without risk to the public health, the director shall order immediate destruction of the food to be accomplished without delay by the owner, operator, or person in charge of the food establishment. The food shall be destroyed as specified in the order for destruction.
289.2111 Evaluation of food establishment by director; access; securing samples of food; examination of records; photographs or copies of records as evaluation; confidentiality.
(1) The director shall have free access at reasonable hours to any food establishment, including a vehicle used to transport or hold food, for the purpose of evaluating that food establishment or vehicle to determine if this act or rules promulgated under this act are being violated. The director may secure samples of any food, after paying or offering to pay for the samples, to determine if this act or rules promulgated under this act are being violated.
(2) The director may examine the records of the food establishment to obtain pertinent information about food, supplies, and equipment purchased, received, or used by, or persons employed by, the food establishment or location.
(3) The director may take photographs or copy records as part of an evaluation. If a food establishment identifies by written document or mark that a certain area or record contains visible trade secrets, the director shall identify any photographs of that area or copies of that record as being confidential and shall diligently protect the confidentiality.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 61, Eff. Oct. 1, 2015
289.2113 Order to cease food operations; resumption; reevaluation; hearing.
(1) The director may order immediate cessation of operation of a food establishment upon a determination that continued operation would create an imminent or substantial hazard to the public health.
(2) A food establishment ordered to cease food operations under subsection (1) shall not resume operations until the director determines, upon reevaluation, that the conditions responsible for the order to cease operations no longer exist. The director shall offer an opportunity for reevaluation upon request of the license holder of the establishment.
(3) If the director orders an immediate cessation of operation of a food establishment under subsection (1), the license holder may request an administrative hearing.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008
289.2115 Disease transmission by employee; investigations.
If the director has reasonable cause to suspect disease transmission by an employee of a food establishment, he or she may secure a morbidity history of the suspected employee and make other investigations as he or she considers necessary.
289.2117 Annual report; dissemination of information.
The department shall submit to the governor and the legislature an annual report summarizing all judgments, decrees, and court orders, which have been rendered by the department under this act, including the nature of the charge and the disposition thereof. The department may disseminate information regarding food as it considers necessary to protect the health of the consumer and the protection of the consumer against fraud. This section does not prohibit the department from collecting, reporting, and illustrating the results of the investigations of the department.
289.2119 Rules; evaluation, consultation, and training support to local health departments; review; criteria.
(1) Notwithstanding section 12909(1) of the public health code, MCL 333.12909, the department may promulgate rules to prescribe criteria for food service programs by local health departments. The department in promulgating these rules shall seek the advice and counsel of local health departments and the food service industry.
(2) The department shall provide evaluation, consultation, and training support to local health departments delegated authority and responsibility to perform food service program activities under section 3105.
(3) The department shall periodically conduct comprehensive reviews of each local health department's food service program. The reviews shall be based on criteria developed by the department with input from local health departments and may include a review of 1 or more elements of the following:
(a) Compliance with this act by the food service establishments within the local health department jurisdiction.
(b) The competency and training of the food service evaluation personnel.
(c) Compliance with the delegated program activities and established program review criteria, including implementation of risk-based strategies.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
289.2121 License limitations; notice; hearing.
(1) The director may issue a food establishment license with limitations. License limitations may be imposed based upon either of the following determinations:
(a) The site, facility, sewage disposal system, equipment, water supply, or the food supplies, protection, storage, preparation, display, service, or transportation facilities are not adequate to accommodate the proposed or existing menu or otherwise adequate to protect the public health.
(b) Food establishment personnel are not practicing proper food storage, preparation, handling, display, service, or transportation techniques.
(2) The director shall promptly notify a license holder of the imposition of a license limitation. The license holder shall be provided an opportunity for an administrative hearing on the issue of the imposition of the limitation.
289.2123 License limitations; reevaluation; removal of limitations and reinstatement of license.
(1) A person whose license has been limited by the director may, at any time, request a reevaluation of the food establishment for the purpose of removing the limitation and reinstating the full license.
(2) Based upon its reevaluation, if the director determines that the conditions for removal of the license limitation have been met, he or she shall remove the limitation and reinstate the full license.
289.2125 Fees for certain services.
(1) The department shall charge the following fees for the following services:
(a) A reissuance of a duplicate license, $15.00.
(b) A free-sale letter, $60.00 per letter.
(c) An evaluation of a food establishment if the evaluation is a second reevaluation of a food establishment that has already been evaluated and found to have a priority item or priority foundation item violation or if the evaluation is performed at the request of the operator, $60.00.
(d) A shellfish dealer's certificate, $150.00 annually.
(e) A review and approval of training materials, $60.00 per hour.
(f) A special transitory food unit plan review, $197.00.
(g) A plan review as specified in section 8-201.11 of the food code, $197.00.
(2) Fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the dairy and food safety fund created in section 4117 for enforcement of this act.
(3) The services referred to in subsection (1)(e) and (f) involve the formal review and approval procedure. The department may provide informal review or answer questions without charging a fee.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Jan. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 61, Eff. Oct. 1, 2015
289.2127 Manager food safety training; conditions for requiring.
After a conference with the owner of a retail food establishment for a repeated failure to correct a priority item or priority foundation item violation, the director may require certain individuals to complete manager food safety training for that food establishment.
***** Subsection (2) is not applicable after December 31, 2020 *****
289.2129 Certification of managerial employee under program accredited by American National Standards Institute; food safety training containing allergen awareness component; requirements; records documenting compliance; applicability of subsection (2); rules; updates; implementation of food handler program, employee health certification program, or manager certification program by local legislative body.
(1) Subject to subsection (2), all of the following food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards:
(a) A food service establishment unless it is a licensed temporary food service establishment.
(b) An extended retail food establishment.
(c) A food service establishment operated within a retail grocery.
(2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a food safety training program containing an allergen awareness component that has been approved by the department. The allergen awareness component may be an online program or a video. However, a certified food safety manager at a food service establishment with more than 20 locations within this state may satisfy this requirement by completing any nationally recognized food safety training program containing an allergen awareness component. A food service establishment shall retain records on the site of the food service establishment documenting compliance of its certified food safety managers with this subsection. The department shall enforce this subsection in the same manner that it enforces other provisions related to certified food safety managers. This subsection applies until December 31, 2020.
(3) An individual certified as provided in subsection (1) shall be recognized with full faith and credit by this state and all local units of government throughout this state.
(4) The department may promulgate rules to do all of the following:
(a) Develop requirements for retail food establishments to follow when employing certified food safety managers or personnel.
(b) Set a reasonable date for compliance with the requirements under subdivision (a) taking into consideration existing local personnel certification requirements.
(c) Establish certification fees necessary to implement, maintain, and track certified individuals directly or by contract. The department may annually adjust the schedule of fees to provide that the fee charged is sufficient to cover the cost of the certification tracking program.
(d) Implement and enforce the requirements developed under subdivision (a).
(5) The certification program developed by the American National Standards Institute, as it exists on April 1, 2008, is incorporated by reference. The department may adopt updates to the certification program accreditation standards in subsection (1) by rule.
(6) This section does not prohibit a local legislative body from implementing a food handler program, an employee health certification program, or a manager certification program, if it is not in conflict with this section.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 516, Imd. Eff. Jan. 14, 2015 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 142, Eff. Jan. 11, 2016 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.2131 Definition and standard of identity; rules fixing and establishing.
(1) When the department determines such action will promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers, the department shall promulgate rules fixing and establishing for any food or class of food a reasonable definition, standard of identity, and reasonable standard of quality and fill of container.
(2) In prescribing a definition and standard of identity for any food or class of food in which optional ingredients are permitted, the department shall designate the optional ingredients that are required to be named on the label.
289.2132 Agreements with other states and federal government.
The department may enter into agreements with other states and the federal government to provide and accept food safety assistance, including the training of personnel. Any employee of the department assigned to food safety duties or training programs outside this state shall be considered to be working inside this state for purposes of compensation and any other employee benefits.
History: Add. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
289.3103 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(a) "Certified health department" means a county, district, or city health department that meets the criteria for certification of health departments established by this act and that is authorized by the director to enforce this act for retail groceries, food processors, or fair concessions.
(b) "Foodborne illness outbreak" means an incident where any of the following occur:
(i) Two or more persons, not of the same household, have ingested a common food and have a similar disease or similar symptoms or excrete the same pathogens, and there is a time, place, or person association between these persons.
(ii) There is a single case of suspected botulism, mushroom poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, or other rare disease.
(iii) There is a case of a disease or poisoning that can be definitely related to ingestion of a food.
(c) "Food service program" means the systematic activity of the department and a local health department for effective administration and enforcement of the food code and this act, including all of the following:
(i) Periodic evaluations of food service establishments, temporary food service establishments, vending machines, and vending machine locations for compliance with law.
(ii) Support of recommendations for licensure with appropriate records.
(iii) Review of plans and specifications for new and extensively remodeled establishments.
(iv) Educational activities.
(v) Investigation of reports of foodborne illnesses.
(vi) Other activities which may be necessary to ensure proper implementation of this act.
289.3105 Enforcement; delegation to local health department; exceptions.
(1) The department shall delegate the authority and responsibility for the enforcement of the requirements pertaining to food service establishments contained in this act and rules to local health departments meeting the program criteria provided for in this act and rules. The local health departments shall enforce this act and rules and may delegate enforcement authority under a plan of organization approved pursuant to section 2431 of the public health code, MCL 333.2431. If a food service program is discontinued or is revoked for failure to meet the program criteria, redelegation to a local health department by the director of the program is not required. Local health departments delegated authority under this chapter shall enforce this act and rules in the manner provided for in part 24 of the public health code, MCL 333.2401 to 333.2498, except that late fees under section 4113, administrative fines under section 5105, and criminal fines under section 5107 are specifically not delegated to the local health departments.
(2) If a food service establishment is a part of a retail grocery or food processor and the retail grocery and food processor are the predominant part of the food business as determined by the department, authority and responsibility pertaining to that establishment are not delegated under subsection (1).
(3) If a retail grocery or food processor is a part of a food service establishment but the food service establishment is the predominant part of the food business as determined by the department, the authority and responsibility for the entire establishment are delegated under subsection (1).
(4) Mobile and temporary food establishments and special transitory food units that are predominantly food service establishments as determined by the department are delegated to the local health departments under subsection (1). Mobile and temporary food establishments and special transitory food units that are predominantly retail groceries or food processors are not delegated under subsection (1).
289.3107 Enforcement; delegation to certified health department.
The director may delegate the authority and responsibility for the enforcement of the requirements pertaining to food processing plants, retail grocers, and food concessions contained in this act and any rules adopted under this act to any certified health department. The certified health departments shall enforce this act and any rules promulgated under this act.
289.3109 Local health departments as authorized agents.
Local health departments that are delegated authority by the director pursuant to this chapter are authorized agents of the director for the purpose of implementing and administering this act and rules promulgated under this act.
289.3111 Retention of authority under MCL 333.2401 to 333.2498.
The power and authority granted under part 24 of the public health code, MCL 333.2401 to 333.2498, shall be retained by local health departments delegated authority under this act.
289.3113 Compliance with applicable local laws; conflict.
A county, city, village, or township shall not regulate those aspects of food service establishments that are subject to regulation under this act except to the extent necessary to carry out the responsibility of a local health department to implement licensing provisions of chapter IV. This chapter does not relieve the applicant for a license or a licensee from responsibility for securing a local permit or complying with applicable local codes, regulations, or ordinances not in conflict with this act.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.3115 Review of license application by local health department; inspection of establishment; temporary food establishment serving only low-risk food; in-office consultation; forward of approval or limitation to department.
(1) A local health department shall promptly review a license application for a food service establishment to determine if the application is complete and accurate. A local health department may return an incomplete or inaccurate application to a license applicant and request any additional information it considers necessary to ensure completeness or accuracy of the application.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), after a local health department determines that an application under subsection (1) is proper, complete, and accurate, it shall inspect the proposed or existing food service establishment to determine compliance with this act.
(3) If a temporary food establishment will serve only low-risk food, instead of conducting an inspection under subsection (2), a local health department, based on a public health risk assessment, may conduct an in-office consultation, including food safety education, and operational review of the proposed temporary food establishment with the license applicant. The person in charge of the temporary food establishment must be present during the in-office consultation. A local health department that conducts an in-office consultation under this subsection may also conduct an inspection under subsection (2).
(4) A local health department shall conduct an inspection under subsection (2) or an in-office consultation under subsection (3), as applicable, before it makes its recommendation to the department on the issuance of a license.
(5) A local health department shall forward to the department its recommendation for license approval or approval with limitation.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 142, Eff. Jan. 11, 2016 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.3117 Hearing; enforcement procedure; availability.
A local health department may apply procedures for enforcement of this act that provide notice and opportunity for a hearing equivalent in effectiveness to and which protect the rights of the applicant or licensee comparable to the provisions of chapters 4 and 5 of the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.271 to 24.292. A local health department shall have a written enforcement procedure and shall make a copy of that procedure available to the public upon request.
289.3119 Required fees; additional license fee; collection; exemptions; forwarding applications.
(1) Until December 31, 2023, and except as otherwise provided for in subsection (2), upon submission of an application, an applicant for a food service establishment license shall pay to the local health department having jurisdiction the required fees authorized by section 2444 of the public health code, MCL 333.2444, and an additional state license fee as follows:
(a) Temporary food service establishment...... $ 4.00.
(b) Food service establishment................ $ 25.00.
(c) Mobile food establishment commissary...... $ 25.00.
(d) Special transitory food unit.............. $ 39.00.
(2) When licensing a special transitory food unit, a local health department shall impose a fee of $150.00, which includes the additional state license fee imposed under subsection (1) unless exempted under subsection (4) or (5).
(3) The state license fee required under subsection (1) must be collected by the local health department at the time the license application is submitted. The state license fee is due and payable by the local health department to the state within 60 days after the fee is collected.
(4) A charitable, religious, fraternal, service, civic, or other nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 501, is exempt from paying additional state license fees imposed under this section. This subsection does not restrict the ability of the governing board of a local health department or authority to fix, revoke, or amend fees as further authorized and described under section 2444 of the public health code, MCL 333.2444. An organization seeking an exemption under this subsection shall furnish to the department or a local health department evidence of its tax-exempt status.
(5) A veteran who has a waiver of a license fee under the circumstances described in 1921 PA 359, MCL 35.441 to 35.443, is exempt from paying the fees prescribed in this section.
(6) The local health department shall forward the license applications to the department with appropriate recommendations.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Jan. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 375, Imd. Eff. Dec. 23, 2008 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 92, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 2018
289.3121 Evaluations; maintenance and retention of records.
(1) The department or a local health department shall conduct evaluations in compliance with this act.
(2) Records for all of the following shall be maintained by a local health department:
(a) Applications for licensure.
(b) Operation licenses.
(c) Evaluation reports.
(d) Pertinent correspondence.
(e) Plans and specifications.
(f) Administrative actions.
(g) Other applicable information relating to the operation of each food service establishment.
(3) A local health department shall maintain a record of all consumer complaints, the ensuing investigation, and the result of the complaint.
(4) All department and local health department records shall be retained in accordance with the records retention schedule of the department.
289.3123 Evaluations; frequency.
(1) A compliance evaluation of each food service establishment shall be performed by the director at least once every 6 months or as required by a statewide department approved risk-based schedule. Risk-based schedules shall be developed in consultation with local health departments.
(2) A food service establishment which operates for 9 or fewer months each year shall be inspected at least once during the period of operation by the director or as prescribed in the department's risk-based schedule.
289.3125 Evaluations; reducing frequency; limitation.
(1) Subject to subsection (3), a local health department, with the approval of the director and based on criteria developed by the department in consultation with local health departments, may reduce the frequency of evaluations of individual food service establishments if the local health department determines that a reduced evaluation frequency will not adversely affect food safety practices within the food service establishment.
(2) A food service establishment which, upon investigation, is implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak or chemical intoxication shall be evaluated by the director for compliance within the next 12 months.
(3) A local health department shall not reduce the minimum frequency of evaluations of any food service establishment to less than that described in section 3123 unless approved by the department.
289.3127 Evaluation findings; report.
(1) The findings of an evaluation of a food service establishment shall be recorded on an evaluation report form approved by the department. A violation of a priority item or priority foundation item shall be designated as such on the form. A violation by a food establishment of section 12603 or 12905 of the public health code, MCL 333.12603 and 333.12905, is not a violation of a priority item or priority foundation item of this act or the food code.
(2) The evaluation report shall summarize findings relative to compliance with the requirements of this act. The report form shall be signed and dated by the director.
(3) Upon completion of the evaluation, a copy of the completed evaluation report form shall be furnished to the person in charge of the food service establishment. If the person in charge does not sign the report form acknowledging receipt, delivery of the report form to the person in charge shall be otherwise documented by the director.
289.3129 Foodborne diseases and poisonings; allegation; investigation; notice.
(1) A local health department shall investigate an allegation of foodborne diseases and poisonings or suspected foodborne diseases and poisonings connected with food service establishments within its jurisdiction and delegated authority and shall promptly make a report of its findings to the department.
(2) If an investigation indicates that a source of a foodborne disease or poisoning was from a food processing, food storage, or similar type of food establishment over which the department has legal jurisdiction or responsibility, the local health department shall immediately notify the director while the local health department is completing the investigation.
289.3131 Communications system; development; implementation; provisions; availability of information.
(1) A local health department shall develop and implement a communications system with other applicable governmental agencies, individuals, and organizations including, but not limited to, hospital emergency rooms and state and local police. The communications system shall provide the means to contact specific local health department employees and basic information necessary to initiate a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. The information provided in the communications system shall be updated annually.
(2) Procedures for investigating suspected foodborne illness outbreaks shall be implemented consistent with procedures contained in the publication entitled “Procedures to Investigate Foodborne Illness, 5th Ed.,” prepared and published by the international association of food protection and incorporated by reference or an equivalent plan submitted to and approved by the department.
(3) All information gathered during the investigation which is not exempted from disclosure under section 13 of the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.243, and shall be made available to the owner, operator, or his or her employees to minimize the possibility of reoccurrence of the foodborne illness and to assure compliance with the code and this act.
289.3133 Analysis of food samples; utilization of laboratories.
Laboratories capable of providing the necessary analyses of food samples shall be utilized by a local health department to assist in the conduct of a food service program.
289.3135 Certification of local health department; application; qualifications.
(1) The department shall make available to any local health department an application form to be completed as a request for certification. The application shall provide information needed to substantiate the request to become a certified health department.
(2) A local health department seeking certification shall have sufficient trained administrative, evaluation, and support personnel and sufficient equipment to enforce applicable laws and rules consistent with current state standards in all licensed establishments within its jurisdictional boundaries.
(3) A certified health department shall demonstrate to the department the ability to conduct evaluations and related activities in accordance with the department's electronic evaluation system within prescribed time limitations utilized by the department. Evaluation, investigation, and legal actions and related activities shall be reported to the department on forms furnished by the department.
(4) A certified health department must be capable of conducting necessary sampling and product surveillance equal to state standards.
289.3137 Reports made by certified health departments; review and evaluation; conduct of evaluation quality assurance program; report to department; findings of department review or evaluation.
(1) The department shall conduct a general review and evaluation of reports and related data made by certified health departments under this act as often as considered necessary by the department.
(2) An evaluation quality assurance program consisting of field evaluation of performed evaluations conducted by the certified health department shall be routinely conducted by the department at a ratio of approximately 1 per 100 evaluations made.
(3) A certified health department shall report annually to the department a summary of all inspections, investigations, samplings, legal actions, and any other actions of a significant nature on a form furnished by the department. This report shall be made annually on the basis of the state fiscal year.
(4) A review disclosing adverse findings shall be reported in writing by the department to the health officer of the certified health department within 30 days after the review under subsection (1) is completed.
289.3139 Notice of deficiencies; hearing; revocation of certification; reapplication.
(1) If a certified health department fails to meet the requirements established in this act or rules promulgated under this act, written notice of deficiencies shall be furnished to the health officer of that certified health department within 30 days after completion of the review under section 3137. This notice shall offer an opportunity to the health officer of the certified health department for a hearing with the director. If a hearing is not requested, certification issued under this chapter shall be revoked within 30 days following the notice to the health officer of the certified health department. If a hearing is held and deficiencies are not corrected within the time period specified in the hearing, certification shall be revoked within the time period specified in the hearing.
(2) If requested by the health officer of the certified health department in a written notice to the director, certification issued under this chapter shall be revoked within 30 days of receipt of the written notice.
(3) Revocation of certification issued under this chapter does not restrict a health department from reapplication for certification.
289.4101 Food establishment license; scope.
(1) Except as provided in sections 4102 and 4105, a person shall not operate a food establishment unless licensed by the department as a food establishment.
(2) Separate areas for food service or preparation located in 1 building and actively operated under 1 management are considered to be 1 food establishment and only 1 license is required. The director may require separate licenses for these areas if managed separately even though under the same owner.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in this act, a city, county, or other local unit of government shall not adopt or enforce licensing ordinances or regulations for persons regulated under this act.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 112, Imd. Eff. July 12, 2010
Compiler's Notes: Sec. 1117 of Act 92 of 2000 provides:"Sec. 1117. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this act takes effect 6 months after the date of enactment."(2) Until 6 months after the effective date of this act, compliance with the standards of the design, construction, and equipment of a food service establishment approved under former sections 12901, 12902, 12903, 12904, 12905a, 12906, 12907, 12908, 12910, 12911, 12912, 12913, 12916, and 12921 of the public health code, MCL 333.12901, 333.12902, 333.12903, 333.12904, 333.12905a, 333.12906, 333.12907, 333.12908, 333.12910, 333.12911, 333.12912, 333.12913, 333.12916, and 333.12921, is considered compliance with this act."(3) Beginning 6 months after the effective date of this act, a food service establishment shall comply with the standards of design, construction, and equipment established under this act."
289.4102 Cottage food operation; exemption from licensing and evaluation provisions; requirements.
(1) A cottage food operation is exempt from the licensing and evaluation provisions of this act. This exemption does not include an exemption from the adulteration and other standards imposed in this section or under this act, or both, and does not limit the ability of the department to take appropriate enforcement action for applicable violations as described in section 5101. This subsection does not require a cottage food operation to meet the standards contained in 21 CFR part 110 or the food code.
(2) Cottage food products shall be prepackaged and properly labeled prior to sale.
(3) At a minimum, a cottage food operation shall place on the label of any food it produces or packages the following information:
(a) The name and address of the business of the cottage food operation.
(b) The name of the cottage food product.
(c) The ingredients of the cottage food product, in descending order of predominance by weight.
(d) The net weight or net volume of the cottage food product.
(e) Allergen labeling as specified by federal labeling requirements.
(f) If any nutritional claim is made, appropriate labeling as specified by federal labeling requirements.
(g) The following statement printed in at least the equivalent of 11-point font size in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan department of agriculture and rural development.".
(4) Cottage food products may be sold directly from the cottage food operation to the consumer only, and not by internet or mail order. Sales by consignment or at wholesale are prohibited.
(5) The gross sales of cottage food products by a cottage food operation shall not exceed $20,000.00 annually until December 31, 2017. After December 31, 2017, the gross sales of cottage food products by a cottage food operation shall not exceed $25,000.00 annually. For the purposes of this subsection, gross sales shall be computed on the basis of the amount of gross sales within or at a particular domestic residence and shall not be computed on a per-person basis within or at that domestic residence. The department may request in writing documentation to verify the annual gross sales figure.
(6) Cottage food products shall be stored only in the primary domestic residence.
(7) An exemption under this section does not affect the application of any other state or federal laws or any applicable ordinances enacted by any local unit of government.
History: Add. 2010, Act 112, Imd. Eff. July 12, 2010 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
289.4103 Application for license; submission; forms; information; mobile food establishment license; commissary service; forwarding recommendations to department; temporary license.
(1) An applicant shall submit an application for a food establishment license at least 30 calendar days before the date planned for its opening or the change of ownership. For temporary food establishments applying less than 4 days from opening, the director may charge twice the applicable license fee to perform the licensing evaluation.
(2) Application for the license under subsection (1) must be submitted upon the forms approved by the department and must contain the reasonable information required by the department to process the application.
(3) An application for a mobile food establishment license must include all of the following information:
(a) The location and dates of the operation.
(b) The name and address of the commissary that will service the applicant.
(4) Within 10 days after a change in the servicing commissary, the mobile food establishment licensee shall submit an affidavit containing the name and address of the new commissary servicing the licensee.
(5) The local health department shall forward license recommendations to the department. Section 3119(6) does not apply.
(6) The director may issue a temporary food establishment license. The director, pursuant to uniformly applied department guidance, may decline to issue multiple temporary food establishment licenses for the same establishment within a given calendar year.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Jan. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 92, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 2018
289.4105 Person, establishment, or organization exempt from licensure.
(1) A person, establishment, or organization that is 1 or more of the following is exempt from the licensure requirements under this act:
(a) Subject to subsection (2), an establishment licensed under 1 of the following acts while conducting activities within the scope of that act:
(i) Grain dealers act, 1939 PA 141, MCL 285.61 to 285.89.
(ii) 1959 PA 228, MCL 286.371 to 286.379.
(iii) 1964 PA 158, MCL 290.451 to 290.466.
(iv) Grade A milk law of 2001, 2001 PA 266, MCL 288.471 to 288.540.
(v) Manufacturing milk law of 2001, 2001 PA 267, MCL 288.561 to 288.740.
(b) A person that is offering only whole uncut fresh fruits and vegetables directly to consumers.
(c) Consumers or nonprofit cooperatives of consumers in compliance with the nonprofit corporation act, 1982 PA 162, MCL 450.2101 to 450.3192, providing products from regulated sources only for their own use.
(d) Nonprofit cooperatives in compliance with the nonprofit corporation act, 1982 PA 162, MCL 450.2101 to 450.3192, that are growers selling unprocessed products of their own production or are producers selling unprocessed products of their own production from regulated sources.
(e) Retail outlets for the sale of prepackaged honey or maple syrup produced in this state if the outlet is operated by the producer and the processing facility is licensed under this act. Both retail outlets and processing facilities are exempt from licensure under this act for producers with gross sales of $15,001.00 or less of honey or maple syrup. In such case, the honey and maple syrup shall have labeling substantially similar to that for cottage food products as described in section 4102(3).
(f) A temporary food establishment with no food preparation using only single-service articles and serving only non-potentially-hazardous food or beverage.
(g) A retail food establishment that does both of the following:
(i) Only sells prepackaged, non-potentially-hazardous foods.
(ii) Offers only an incidental amount of food, such as the sale of single-service packages.
(h) A mobile food establishment, such as an ice cream truck, that offers only prepackaged, single-serving frozen desserts.
(i) An event not open to the general public held by a nonprofit trade association representing food establishments, suppliers, or manufacturers where limited food preparation takes place for the purpose of advertising, displaying, promoting, and sampling prepared food.
(j) A commercial fishing guide service that serves lunch to a party of not more than 12 clients on or adjacent to a body of water, river, or stream while pursuing, catching, killing, taking, or attempting to take fish. As used in this subparagraph, "commercial fishing guide service" means a service provided for a fee or other valuable consideration, regardless of whether the fee or other valuable consideration is paid directly or indirectly, to assist another person in pursuing, catching, killing, taking, or attempting to take fish.
(k) A person owning or operating a device that dispenses only bottled or canned soft drinks; other packaged nonperishable foods or beverages; or bulk gum, nuts, and panned candies.
(l) Feeding operations set up in response to an emergency or disaster.
(m) A person operating as a food warehouse or food processor, if the food warehouse or food processor contains or handles only uncut fruits or vegetables, or both, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i) The establishment is owned and operated by the person producing the fruits or vegetables, or both.
(ii) Activities at the establishment are limited to storing, grading, sorting, packing, washing, trimming, and refrigerating.
(iii) The fruits or vegetables, or both, are primarily from the person's own production, and the balance are products of the same genus or genera from other agricultural producers.
(iv) The food is not "potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food)" as defined in the food code.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1)(a), a person operating as or conducting activities the director considers to be a food establishment must be licensed in the appropriate category under this act.
(3) If food is prepared in a food service establishment licensed under this chapter and the food is transported from the food service establishment to a fixed temporary serving location, the serving location is not required to be separately licensed and is considered an extension of the food service establishment if no food preparation is conducted at the serving location and the food is transported and served by employees of the food service establishment.
(4) If prepackaged food is transported from a food establishment licensed under this chapter to a sales location at a farmers' market, fair, or festival, the sales location is not required to be separately licensed and is considered an extension of the food establishment if the food is transported and sold by employees of the food establishment.
(5) If prepackaged food is transported from a food establishment licensed under this chapter to 1 or more vending machine locations by employees of the food establishment and the vending machine or machines are maintained by employees of the food establishment, the vending machine locations are not required to be separately licensed and are considered to be an extension of the food establishment, which shall be separately licensed. However, if the food establishment from which the prepackaged food is transported is located in another state, both of the following apply:
(a) One of the vending machine locations in this state shall be separately licensed as a food establishment.
(b) The remaining vending machine locations in this state are not required to be separately licensed and are considered to be an extension of the food establishment under subdivision (a).
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 113, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 145, Imd. Eff. Aug. 4, 2010 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.4107 Food establishment license; qualifications.
To qualify for a food establishment license, an applicant shall do all of the following:
(a) Submit an application as required by section 4103.
(b) Be an owner of the food establishment or an officer of the legal entity owning the food establishment.
(c) Comply with the requirements of this act and rules promulgated under this act.
(d) Allow the director access to the proposed food establishment in order to determine compliance with the applicable requirements of this act and rules.
(e) Pay the applicable license fees at the time the application is submitted.
289.4109 Expiration of license; duration of temporary license.
A license, other than a license for a temporary food service establishment, expires at midnight on April 30 each year. The department may issue a temporary food license for a period not to exceed 14 days.
289.4111 License fees; food sanitation fees; initial application fee as nonrefundable; convenience fee.
(1) The department shall impose the following license fees for each year or portion of a year:
(a) Retail grocery: $106.00 for 2016, $145.00 for 2017, and $183.00 for any subsequent year.
(b) Extended retail food establishment: $271.00 for 2016, $370.00 for 2017, and $468.00 for any subsequent year.
(c) Food processor: $271.00 for 2016, $370.00 for 2017, and $468.00 for any subsequent year.
(d) Limited food processor: $106.00 for 2016, $145.00 for 2017, and $183.00 for any subsequent year.
(e) Mobile food establishment: $183.00 for 2016, $186.00 for 2017, and $189.00 for any subsequent year.
(f) Temporary food establishment: $40.00 for 2016, $55.00 for 2017, and $70.00 for any subsequent year.
(g) Special transitory food unit: $150.00 for 2016, $153.00 for 2017, and $156.00 for any subsequent year.
(h) Mobile food establishment commissary: $183.00 for 2016, $186.00 for 2017, and $189.00 for any subsequent year.
(i) Food warehouse or vending company base location: $106.00 for 2016, $145.00 for 2017, and $183.00 for any subsequent year. In addition, the operator of the vending company base location shall pay an additional fee based on the number of vending machine locations in this state, as follows:
(i) 1 to 20 locations, $500.00.
(ii) 21 to 50 locations, $750.00.
(iii) 51 to 75 locations, $2,000.00.
(iv) More than 75 locations, $3,000.00.
If a person operates more than 1 vending company base location in this state, all vending machine locations served by those vending company base locations shall be aggregated on 1 of the vending company base location licenses for the purpose of determining the amount of the additional fee for vending machine locations.
(j) Food service establishment: the amounts described in subsection (2).
(2) If a local health department no longer conducts a food service program, the department, in consultation with the commission of agriculture and rural development, shall set the food sanitation fees to be imposed for the conduct of the food service program by the department. The fees imposed must equal, as nearly as possible, 1/2 of the department's cost of providing the service. The department may impose the service fees for up to 12 months after the date of cessation by the local health department. After the 12-month period, the department shall collect the fees only as authorized pursuant to an appropriation.
(3) Any license fee paid on an initial application is nonrefundable.
(4) The department may charge a convenience fee and collect from the applicant any additional costs associated with the method of fee payment for the license or permit fees described in this chapter, not to exceed the costs to the department.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Jan. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2015, Act 61, Eff. Oct. 1, 2015 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 188, Eff. Sept. 19, 2016
289.4113 Late fee; imposition; waiver; retention; use.
(1) The department shall impose, for a renewal application postmarked or delivered in person on or after May 1 of each year, a late fee of an additional $150.00. The late fee for a new application submitted after the establishment has opened for business is an additional $150.00.
(2) The department shall not issue or renew a license until the fee and any late fee, reinspection fees, and fines have been paid. A hearing regarding the department's refusal to issue or renew a license under this section is not required except as provided under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.
(3) The department may waive the late fee for producers of maple syrup, honey, and other seasonal agricultural products if the license application is submitted not less than 30 days before the applicant engages in processing, packing, freezing, storing, or selling or offering for sale the product.
(4) A late fee shall be retained by any certified health department or, in an area where there is no certified health department, by the department.
(5) The department shall use a late fee retained by the department under subsection (4) for the administration and enforcement of this act.
289.4114 Shellfish dealer; certification required.
(1) A person shall not act as a shellfish dealer unless the person has been certified as a shellfish dealer by the department. An application for shellfish dealer certification shall be submitted to the department on the forms approved by the department and shall contain the reasonable information required by the department to process the application. The applicant shall meet all of the following requirements:
(a) Be the owner of the shellfish dealer or an officer of the legal entity owning the shellfish dealer.
(b) Comply with the requirements of this act and rules.
(c) Allow the director access to the shellfish dealer and records as required to determine compliance with the applicable requirements of this act and rules.
(2) A shellfish dealer certification is valid from May 1 to April 30 of each year.
(3) Each shellfish dealer shall have and implement a HACCP plan and have a program of sanitation monitoring and record keeping in compliance with the guide for the control of molluscan shellfish.
289.4115 Bottled water; registration of brand; expiration; late fee.
(1) A water bottler or water dispensing machine owner shall register with the department each brand of bottled water with a unique declaration of identity before the sale or offering for sale of the water. The application for registration shall be made on a form prescribed by the department and shall include both of the following:
(a) The proposed label or placard for the water.
(b) For each year or portion of a year, a registration fee of $25.00 for each brand of water with a unique declaration of identity and $25.00 for each water dispensing machine.
(2) The registration required by subsection (1) expires annually on April 30 and shall be renewed 30 calendar days before expiration of the current registration.
(3) The department shall assess a late fee of $25.00 for bottled water or water from a water dispensing machine that is sold or offered for sale without registration. A registration is not effective until the late fee is paid.
289.4116 Receipt of completed application; issuance of license within certain time period; "completed application" defined.
(1) Beginning July 23, 2004, and notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the department shall issue an initial license not later than 90 days after the applicant files a completed application and shall issue a renewal license not later than 120 days after the applicant files a completed application. Receipt of the application is considered the date the application is received by an agency or department of this state. If the application is considered incomplete by the department, the department shall notify the applicant in writing, or make the information electronically available, within 30 days after receipt of the incomplete application, describing the deficiency and requesting the additional information. The period regarding license issuance and renewal is tolled upon notification by the department of a deficiency until the date the requested information is received by the department. The determination of the completeness of an application is not an approval of the application for the license and does not confer eligibility upon an applicant determined otherwise ineligible for issuance of a license.
(2) If the department fails to issue or deny a license within the time required by this section to an establishment that is otherwise ready to operate and is prevented from operating, the department shall return the license fee and shall reduce the license fee for the applicant's next renewal application, if any, by 15%. The failure to issue a license within the time required under this section does not allow the department to otherwise delay the processing of the application, and that application, upon completion, must be placed in sequence with other completed applications received at that same time. The department shall not discriminate against an applicant in the processing of the application based upon the fact that the license fee was refunded or discounted under this subsection.
(3) As used in this section, "completed application" means an application complete on its face and submitted with any applicable licensing fees as well as any other information, records, approval, security, or similar item required by law or rule from a local unit of government, a federal agency, or a private entity but not from another department or agency of this state. In the case of an initial application, completed application includes the completion of construction or renovation of any facility and the passing of a satisfactory evaluation.
History: Add. 2004, Act 267, Imd. Eff. July 23, 2004 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 293, Eff. Sept. 27, 2018
289.4117 Dairy and food safety fund; credit of money collected; creation; investment; lapse; administration; consumer food safety education fund; industry food-safety education fund; creation; use and carrying forward of funds; “fee-exempt food establishment” defined.
(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), money collected under this chapter by the department shall be credited to the dairy and food safety fund that is created as a restricted fund within the state treasury. The state treasurer may receive money or other assets, from appropriations or from any other source, for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The money in the fund shall not lapse to the general fund at the end of the fiscal year and shall carry over to the following fiscal years. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments. The department shall administer the fund and shall expend money from the fund for the purpose of administering this act and enforcing the provisions of this act, the grade A milk law of 2001, 2001 PA 266, MCL 288.471 to 288.540, and the manufacturing milk law of 2001, 2001 PA 267, MCL 288.561 to 288.740. The department shall be the administrator of the fund for auditing purposes.
(2) A consumer food safety education fund is created as a revolving fund in the department of treasury. The consumer food safety education fund shall be administered by the department and funded by adding $3.00 to the fee for each food establishment license in all categories except vending machines and in cases of fee-exempt food establishments. The money in the fund shall be used to provide statewide training and education to consumers on food safety. Money remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried forward into the next fiscal year.
(3) An industry food-safety education fund is created as a revolving fund in the department of treasury. The industry food-safety education fund shall be administered by the department and funded by adding $2.00 to the fee for each food service establishment license in all categories except vending machines and in cases of fee-exempt food establishments. The money in the fund shall be used to provide food safety training and education to food service establishment employees and agents of the director who enforce this act. Money remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried forward into the next fiscal year.
(4) As used in this section, "fee-exempt food establishment" means a food establishment exempt from all state and local food establishment license fees under section 3119(4) combined with an exemption from the local health department sanitation service fee under section 2444 of the public health code, MCL 333.2444.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
289.4119 Posting and display of license; “conspicuous place” explained.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), a person licensed as a food establishment under this chapter shall keep a copy of the current license or temporary license furnished by the department posted and exposed in a conspicuous place for public inspection. A conspicuous place is the principal place where food business is transacted.
(2) In the case of vending machines, the name and address and telephone number of the current vending machine location operator shall be conspicuously displayed on each vending machine.
289.4121 Changes proposed by food establishment; notice.
Thirty days before a food establishment proposes either of the following changes, a licensee shall notify the regulatory authority having jurisdiction of that proposed change:
(a) A change in the type of license even if the change would not result in the change of the regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the activity.
(b) A change in the type of license that would result in the change of the regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the activity.
289.4123 Transfer of license; limitation.
(1) A food establishment license is not transferable as to the holder or the location.
(2) A shellfish dealer certificate is not transferable as to the holder or to the location.
(3) A bottled water registration is not transferable as to the holder or the location.
289.4125 Issuance of license; requirements; hearing; revocation or suspension of license; period of refusal to issue or reissue license; summary suspension.
(1) Before a food establishment license, bottled water registration, or shellfish dealer certificate is issued, the director shall determine if the applicant meets the minimum requirements of this act and rules.
(2) After an opportunity for a hearing pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, the director may revoke or suspend a food establishment license, a registration for bottled water, or a shellfish dealer certificate issued under this act for failure to comply with requirements of this act or a rule. A person whose food establishment license, registration for bottled water, or shellfish dealer certificate is revoked or suspended shall discontinue the sale and offering for sale of food, the bottled water, or shellfish, respectively, until he or she complies with this act and the director issues a new registration or removes the suspension.
(3) If a person's food establishment license is revoked for egregious violations under section 5101(a), (b), (c), or (k), the director may refuse to issue or reissue a license to any establishment in which that person has ownership or management interest for a period of 2 years after the revocation.
(4) Based upon facts submitted by a person familiar with those facts or upon information and belief alleging that an imminent threat to the public health, safety, or welfare exists, the director may summarily suspend a license, registration, or certificate issued under this act. A person whose license, registration, or certificate has been summarily suspended under this section may petition the director to dissolve the order. Upon receipt of such a petition, the director shall immediately schedule a hearing to decide whether to grant or deny the petition to dissolve. The presiding officer shall grant the requested relief dissolving the summary suspension order unless sufficient evidence is presented that an imminent threat to the public health, safety, or welfare exists requiring emergency action and continuation of the director's summary suspension order.
289.4127 Summary suspension of license; petition for hearing; commencement of proceedings; reinstatement.
(1) After the regulatory authority receives a petition for a hearing from a license, registration, or certificate holder whose license, registration, or certificate is summarily suspended under section 4125, the proceedings shall be promptly commenced and determined as required by section 92 of the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.292.
(2) This section does not prevent the regulatory authority's immediate reinstatement of a license, registration, or certificate when the regulatory authority determines the public health hazard or nuisance no longer exists.
289.4129 Denial of license or registration; hearing; commencement; conduct.
(1) A license, registration, or certificate applicant may request a hearing regarding the regulatory authority's denial of a new or renewal license, registration, or certificate. A person desiring a hearing in response to a denial of a license, registration, or certificate shall submit a hearing request to the regulatory authority within 30 calendar days after the date of the denial.
(2) The regulatory authority shall afford a hearing within 30 days after receiving a written request for a hearing as specified in this section when the request demonstrates that there is a genuine and material issue of fact that justifies that a hearing be held.
(3) Hearings shall be conducted in an expeditious and impartial manner.
PROHIBITED ACTS AND PENALTIES
289.5101 Prohibited acts; violation.
(1) A person shall not do or cause to be done any of the following:
(a) Manufacture, sell, deliver, hold, or offer for sale adulterated or misbranded food.
(b) Adulterate or misbrand food.
(c) Receive in commerce food that is adulterated or misbranded and deliver or proffer the delivery of that food for pay or otherwise.
(d) Sell, deliver for sale, hold for sale, or offer for sale food unless that person holds a license issued under chapter IV.
(e) Disseminate a false advertisement concerning food or a food establishment.
(f) Refuse to permit entry or evaluation, or to permit the taking of a sample, as authorized by section 2111.
(g) Give a false guaranty or undertaking concerning food, unless in good-faith reliance on a guaranty or undertaking to the same effect signed by and containing the name and address of the person from whom the food was received.
(h) Remove or dispose of seized or embargoed food in violation of section 2105.
(i) Alter, mutilate, destroy, obliterate, or remove all or part of the label or do any other act with respect to a food while the food is held for sale resulting in the food being adulterated or misbranded.
(j) Forge, counterfeit, simulate, or falsely represent, or without proper authority use any mark, stamp, tag, label, or other identification device authorized or required by this act or rules.
(k) Permit filthy or unsanitary conditions to exist in a food establishment in which food intended for human consumption is manufactured, received, kept, stored, served, sold, or offered for sale.
(l) Falsely identify a country, state, or other place of origin of food on a label, tag, or other document with intent to deceive or defraud.
(m) Fail to establish or maintain any record or make any report required under this act or the federal act, or refuse to permit access to or verification or copying of any such required record.
(n) Interfere with the director in the conduct of his or her responsibilities under this act.
(o) Make a false statement, representation, or certification in any application, report, plan, or other document that is required to be maintained under this act or rules.
(p) Remove a tag, seal, or mark placed by the director.
(q) Operate without a license, registration, permit, or endorsement.
(r) Violate a provision of this act or a rule.
(s) Operate as a shellfish dealer without a shellfish dealer certificate.
(t) If the person is a food establishment, permit Michigan bridge card access to food assistance program benefits unless the food establishment's inventory records match redemption files for Michigan bridge card usage for food assistance program benefits and 1 or more of the following apply:
(i) The food for sale includes, on a continuous basis, at least 3 varieties of foods in each of the following 4 staple food groups and perishable foods in at least 2 of the groups:
(A) Meat, poultry, or fish.
(B) Bread or cereal.
(C) Vegetables or fruits.
(D) Dairy products.
(ii) At least 50% of the total dollar amount of all retail sales, including food and nonfood items, fuel, and services at the food establishment is from the sale of food in any of the 4 staple food groups.
(2) Each day a violation of this section occurs is a separate violation of this section.
289.5103 Misleading labeling or advertisement; liability of disseminator of information.
(1) If a food is alleged to be misbranded because the labeling is misleading or if an advertisement is alleged to be false because it is misleading, then the determination of whether the labeling or advertisement is misleading shall take into account, among other things, not only representations made or suggested by statement, word, design, device, sound, or any combination thereof, but also the extent to which the labeling or advertisement fails to reveal facts material in the light of such representations or fails to reveal facts material concerning consequences that may result from the use of that food under the conditions of use prescribed in the labeling or advertisement thereof or under such conditions of use as are customary or usual. A label, labeling, or advertising in compliance with the federal act is not considered a violation of this act.
(2) A publisher, radio-broadcast licensee, agency, or medium for the dissemination of an advertisement, except the manufacturer, packer, distributor, or seller of the article to which a false advertisement relates, is not liable under this section for the dissemination of false advertisement unless he or she has refused to provide, upon request of the director, the name and post office address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, seller, or advertising agency who caused the dissemination of the advertisement, or unless he or she has refused, upon the request of the director, to cease dissemination of the false advertisement.
289.5104 Donated food; criminal or civil liability; immunity; employment or designation of food safety manager.
(1) A retail food establishment, farmer, wholesaler, wholesale processor, distributor, or other person who donates food for use or distribution by a nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation, and a nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation that collects donated food and distributes that food to another nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation free of charge or for a nominal fee, is not subject to any criminal liability under this act or any civil liability resulting from the nature, age, condition, or packaging of the food unless the donor or nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation knew or reasonably should have known when it donated or distributed the food that the food was adulterated or not fit for human consumption.
(2) A nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation that serves donated food described under subsection (1) shall employ or designate as a food safety manager an individual who is certified under a personnel certification program described in section 2129(1) and (5).
History: Add. 2015, Act 41, Imd. Eff. June 3, 2015
289.5105 Administrative fines or costs.
(1) Upon finding that a person violated a provision of this act or a rule promulgated under this act, the department may impose an administrative fine of not more than $500.00 for the first offense and not more than $1,000.00 for a second or subsequent offense and the actual costs of the investigation of the violation. Each day of a continuing violation is not considered a separate violation of this act or a rule promulgated under this act. The department shall not impose upon any licensee or registrant administrative fines in the aggregate amount of more than $4,000.00 per location for a firm with annual gross receipts of $500,000.00 or less and $8,000.00 per location for a firm with annual gross receipts of over $500,000.00 during any 12-month period.
(2) Administrative fines and costs collected under this section shall be deposited into the dairy and food safety fund.
(3) This section does not require the department to issue an administrative fine for minor violations of this act if the department believes that the public interest will be adequately served under the circumstances by a suitable written notice or warning.
(4) The department shall not impose administrative fines for violations of the food code other than priority items, priority foundation items, or repeated violations that remain uncorrected beyond the time frame for correction specified under or agreed to, specified, or approved by the director under section 8-405.11(A) or (B) or 8-406.11(A) or (B) of the food code. The department shall not impose an administrative fine for a core item violation of the food code unless the violation is not corrected within 30 calendar days after the evaluation.
289.5107 Violations; penalties; costs of investigation.
(1) Except as otherwise provided under this act, a person who violates any provision of this act or rules promulgated under this act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $250.00 or more than $2,500.00 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
(2) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this act, a person who knowingly violates section 5101(1)(b) or (l) is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years or by a fine of not more than $10,000.00 plus twice the amount of any economic benefit associated with the violation, or both.
(3) If a violation results in a conviction under this act, the court shall assess against the defendant the costs of the department's investigation. The assessment for costs of investigation shall be deposited into the dairy and food safety fund for the enforcement of this act.
289.5109 Report of violation as condition.
When a violation of section 5101(1)(k) occurs which is not suspected of threatening the safety of food intended for human consumption, the department shall provide a person owning or operating the food establishment a written report of the violation before subjecting persons to the penalties provided in this act.
289.5111 Jurisdiction of court; restraining order.
In addition to the remedies provided for in this act, the department may apply to the circuit court for, and the court shall have jurisdiction upon hearing and for cause shown, a temporary or permanent injunction restraining any person from violating any provision of this act or rules promulgated under this act irrespective of whether or not there exists an adequate remedy at law.
289.5113 Application of remedies.
The regulatory authority shall justly apply the remedies according to law and this act consistent with the licensee's right to due process.
289.5115 Decision or order; direct review.
When a license holder or registrant has exhausted all administrative remedies available under this act and is aggrieved by a final decision or order in a contested case, the decision or order is subject to direct review by the courts as provided by law.
STANDARDS FOR FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
289.6101 Incorporation by reference; changes or updates by rule; annexes.
(1) Chapters 1 through 8 of the food code are incorporated by reference except as amended and modified as follows:
(a) Where provisions of this act and rules specify different requirements.
(b) Section 3-401.14 is modified to read as follows:
"3-401.14 Non-Continuous Cooking of Raw Animal Foods.
Raw animal foods that are cooked using a non-continuous cooking process shall be:
(A) Subject to an initial heating process that is no longer than 60 minutes in duration;P
(B) Immediately after initial heating, cooled according to the time and temperature parameters specified for cooked potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) under paragraph 3-501.14(A);P
(C) After cooling, held frozen or cold, as specified for potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) under paragraph 3-501.16(A)(2);P
(D) Prior to sale or service, cooked using a process that heats all parts of the food to a time/temperature specified in paragraph 3-401.11(A);P
(E) Cooled according to the time and temperature parameters specified for cooked potentially hazardous food (time/temperature control for safety food) under paragraph 3-501.14(A) if not either hot held as specified under paragraph 3-501.16(A), served immediately, or held using time as a public health control as specified under section 3-501.19 after complete cooking;P and
(F) Stored as follows:
(1) After initial heating but prior to cooking as specified under paragraph (D) of this section, separate from ready-to-eat foods as specified under paragraph 3-302.11;Pf and
(2) After initial heating, but prior to complete cooking, marked or otherwise identified as foods that must be cooked as specified under paragraph (D) of this section prior to being offered for sale or service.Pf The food may be identified in any effective manner provided that the marking system is disclosed to the regulatory authority upon request.".
(c) Section 2-103.11(L) is modified to read as follows:
"Employees are properly trained in food safety as it relates to their assigned duties;Pf and".
(2) The director, by rule, may adopt any changes or updates to the food code.
(3) The annexes of the food code are considered persuasive authority for interpretation of the food code.
289.6103 Plan review exemption.
(1) The following food establishments are exempt from the requirement for plan review and approval specified in section 8-201.11 of the food code:
(a) A temporary food establishment.
(b) A retail grocery.
(2) The plan review exemption for a retail grocery in subsection (1) does not apply to the operation of a food service establishment within a retail grocery. For purposes of this section, a deli within a retail grocery is not considered a food service establishment unless it provides seating for the customers.
289.6105 Plans and specifications; transmittal letter; fees; rejection.
(1) A person seeking approval of plans and specifications for a food establishment shall submit a transmittal letter with the plans and specifications. The letter shall identify and summarize the plans or projects and shall indicate the owner, operator, or designated agent.
(2) An applicant shall submit any required fees, as authorized by section 2444 of the public health code, MCL 333.2444, or this act.
(3) The director may reject the plans for a proposed food establishment if any of the information required by the food code is not included, is incomplete, or is inaccurate.
289.6107 Plans and specifications; review by director; revisions; approval; expiration; availability for inspection.
(1) The director shall review plans and specifications received under section 6105 as soon as practicable after receipt to determine their completeness and adequacy. If a submission of complete plans and specifications is not reviewed within 30 business days of receipt, the plans and specifications shall be considered to have been determined to be complete and adequate. Thereafter, construction may proceed without the director's authorization. Approval of the plans and specifications by operation of law does not relieve the license applicant or license holder from compliance with other provisions of this act.
(2) If the director determines that plans and specifications are incomplete or inadequate, or both, he or she shall notify the license applicant or license holder in writing and shall request the submission of revised plans and specifications with appropriate corrections or additions. The director shall not approve the plans and specifications until he or she determines that the plans and specifications are complete and adequate and that the food establishment is designed in accordance with the food code and this act.
(3) Upon a determination that the plans and specifications are complete and adequate, the director shall mark the plans and specifications showing approval and the date of approval, shall notify the license applicant or license holder in writing of the approval, and shall authorize construction, conversion, alteration, or remodeling of the food establishment.
(4) Approval of plans and specifications by the director and authorization for construction pursuant to the food code, this act, and rules expire if construction, conversion, alteration, or remodeling has not commenced within 1 year from the date of approval or has been interrupted for 1 year or more since the date of approval. A license applicant or license holder may apply in writing to the director for an extension of the approval and construction authorization before the approval expires. The request for extension shall identify the project for which the approval and construction authorization were originally granted and the reason for requesting the extension. The director may require modification of the plans and specifications to incorporate updated food safety practices or requirements, where applicable, unless the license applicant or license holder has entered into binding agreements or contractual obligations which cannot be canceled or modified without substantial loss to the license applicant or license holder as determined by the director.
(5) The approved plans and specifications shall be kept on-site during construction and shall be available for inspection by the director.
289.6109 Plans and specifications; conditions to approval.
The director may attach any condition to an approval of plans and specifications granted under section 6107 that he or she considers necessary to assure proper construction, conversion, alteration, or remodeling of a food establishment or portion of the food establishment.
289.6111 Approved plans and specifications; submission of changes; as-built plans.
(1) A license applicant or license holder shall submit in writing to the director a change in approved plans and specifications. Written approval must be obtained before construction under the approved plans and specifications.
(2) Upon request of the director, a license applicant or license holder shall submit as-built plans, clearly showing the work as constructed.
289.6113 Rescission of construction authorization.
(1) The director may rescind his or her authorization for construction, conversion, alteration, or remodeling of a food establishment if he or she determines that the license applicant or license holder is not undertaking construction in accordance with approved plans and specifications. The director shall notify the license applicant or license holder before rescission of construction authorization, advise him or her of required corrective action, and afford him or her the opportunity to take any required corrective action.
(2) The director shall order the license applicant or license holder in writing to cease construction, alteration, conversion, or remodeling activities if the applicant or license holder does any of the following:
(a) Fails to submit required plans and specifications for the construction, alteration, extensive remodeling, or conversion to use as a food establishment.
(b) Fails to construct, alter, extensively remodel, or convert a food establishment in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the director.
(c) Fails to take corrective action as required pursuant to this section.
289.6115 Preopening evaluation.
(1) After completion of the construction, alteration, conversion, or remodeling and before the opening of a food service establishment, the license applicant or license holder shall notify the director of the completion, shall submit an application for a license to operate the food service establishment, and shall arrange for a preopening evaluation.
(2) During the preopening evaluation, the director shall determine whether the food establishment was constructed, altered, converted, or remodeled in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
(3) Local health departments may specify when requests for preopening inspections are to be submitted.
289.6117 Exhaust ventilation; design, construction, and installation.
Exhaust ventilation shall be designed, constructed, and installed in compliance with applicable state law.
289.6119 Repealed. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to ventilation balance report.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to ventilation test and operating temperature.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to ventilation system and smoke test.
289.6125 Ice bins and machines; connection with waste line.
The waste line from ice storage bins and ice machines shall not be directly connected with another waste line and shall be drained through an air gap.
289.6127 Repealed. 2009, Act 188, Eff. May 1, 2010.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to smoking in retail food establishments.
289.6129 Consideration of risk-based evaluation methodology; evaluation report; priority items or priority foundation items; correction.
(1) The director shall consider the risk-based evaluation methodology as described in food code annex 5, section 4 A-H for conducting evaluations of food establishments.
(2) The completed evaluation report shall specify a period of time for correction of noted violations. The license holder shall correct the violations within the time specified in the report.
(3) All violations which are marked as priority items or priority foundation items on the evaluation report form shall be corrected immediately unless otherwise specified. The director shall confirm corrections within 30 days after the report is issued. However, if not more than 2 priority foundation item violations are noted and the director determines that the violations are not a risk to food safety, the director may confirm correction of the priority foundation item violations at the next routine evaluation.
289.6131 Mobile units with retention tanks; sanitary disposal of liquid waste.
(1) Each commissary where mobile units with retention tanks are serviced shall provide for the sanitary disposal of liquid waste.
(2) The local health department shall approve locations for the sanitary disposal of liquid waste.
289.6133 Mobile food establishment operating at fixed location; temporary license.
The director may license as a temporary food service establishment a mobile food establishment which does not return to a commissary or service base after 24 hours but continues to operate at a fixed location.
289.6135 Mobile food establishment; affixing name and address to vehicle; carrying copy of limitations; route schedule; decals.
(1) The name and address of the business operating a mobile food establishment shall be affixed to each side of the exterior of the vehicle in letters not less than 3 inches high and 3/8 of an inch wide and shall be in contrast to the vehicle background color. When more than 1 mobile food service establishment is operated by the same person, the director shall assign a number to each establishment.
(2) A copy of limitations attached to the license of a mobile food service establishment shall be carried on the mobile food service establishment at all times.
(3) If a mobile food establishment is operating on a regularly scheduled route, the director may require the license holder to provide a copy of the route schedule when the license is approved and every time the route schedule is changed.
(4) The director or the operator in the presence of the director shall affix 2 decals provided by the department on the mobile food establishment at the time the license is issued. The decals shall be conspicuously displayed on each side of the mobile food establishment so as to be visible when in transit and while serving the public.
289.6137 Special transitory food unit license; procedures; qualifications; noncompliance.
(1) To qualify for a special transitory food unit license, an applicant shall allow a review and receive approval of plans and specifications as specified in chapter VI. This review and approval must include the menu and standard operating procedures for the unit.
(2) A special transitory food unit license holder shall do all of the following:
(a) Keep a copy of the approved standard operating procedures in the unit and available for review upon evaluation by the director.
(b) Operate in compliance with standard operation procedures approved by the director.
(c) Before serving food within the jurisdiction of a local health department, notify the local health department in writing of each location in the jurisdiction at which food will be served and the dates and hours of service. The license holder shall mail the notice by first-class mail or deliver the notice not less than 4 business days before any food is served or prepared for serving within the jurisdiction of the local health department.
(d) While in operation, request and receive 2 evaluations per licensing year spaced generally over the span of the operating season. A local health department and the department shall charge a fee of $90.00 for such an evaluation.
(e) Send a copy of all evaluation reports to the regulatory authority that approved the license within 30 days after receipt.
(3) If a license holder fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section or the food code, the food establishment is ineligible for licensure as a special transitory temporary food establishment for the following licensing year and must apply for temporary or other type of food establishment licenses.
289.6139 Sulfiting agents; prohibition.
A food service establishment shall not store on the premises or apply to any food prepared in the food service establishment sulfiting agents.
289.6140 Milk and milk products.
(1) Only pasteurized ingredients from a department-approved source shall be used for milk and milk products manufactured, sold, served, or prepared at a retail food establishment. Such ingredients include, but are not limited to, milk, milk solids, whey, nonfat dry milk, condensed milk, cream, skim milk, eggs, and egg products.
(2) Ingredients that may be subsequently added to milk or milk products are those flavorings or other ingredients that have been found to be safe and suitable and added in a manner to prevent contamination, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Ingredients permitted by a standard of identity for milk or milk products under the federal act or regulations.
(b) Fresh fruits and vegetables added to cultured milk and cultured milk products provided the resultant equilibrium pH level (4.6 or below when measured at 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)) of the finished product is reached without undue delay and is maintained during the shelf life of the product.
(c) Ingredients subjected to prior heating sufficient to destroy pathogenic microorganisms such as roasted nuts or dried fruits.
(d) Ingredients having a water activity (Aw) value of 0.85 or less.
(e) Ingredients having a high acid content (pH level of 4.6 or below when measured at 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)) or high alkalinity (pH level greater than 11 when measured at 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)).
(f) Dry sugars and salts.
(g) Flavor extracts having a high alcohol content.
(h) Safe and suitable bacterial cultures and enzymes.
(i) Other ingredients that have been found to be safe and suitable by the U.S. food and drug administration.
(3) Retail food establishments that manufacture and wholesale milk and milk products must additionally be licensed pursuant to and meet requirements of the manufacturing milk law, 2001 PA 267, MCL 288.561 to 288.740, or the grade A milk law, 2001 PA 266, MCL 288.471 to 288.540.
History: Add. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008
289.6141 Antichoking techniques; display of poster.
(1) A food service establishment in which solid foods are sold and consumed on the premises shall prominently display a poster in the kitchen area of the food service establishment diagramming and explaining the antichoking techniques safe for both adults and children approved by the department for dislodging foreign obstacles caught in the throat of a choking person.
(2) This section does not impose a duty upon the owners or employees of a food service establishment to apply antichoking techniques.
289.6143 Preparation or service of wild game by nonprofit organization; requirements.
(1) A charitable, religious, fraternal, or other nonprofit organization that prepares or serves wild game in connection with its meetings or as part of a fund-raising event or that prepares or serves wild game to indigent persons free of charge is not required to obtain the wild game from a department-approved source.
(2) If a charitable, religious, fraternal, or other nonprofit organization prepares or serves wild game that is not from a department-approved source in connection with its meetings or a part of a fund-raising event or prepares or serves wild game that is not from a department-approved source to indigent persons free of charge, the organization shall post at the entrance to the dining area a sign bearing the following message: “The wild game served at this facility has not been subject to state or federal inspection.” The words of the message shall be written or printed in letters not less than 3/4 of an inch high and 3/4 of an inch wide and readable.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to frozen dessert standards.
289.6147 Disaster; cessation of operations; report; emergency plans as temporary alternative procedures.
If a food establishment is affected by fire, flooding, accidents, explosions, or other disaster that may create an imminent or substantial hazard and unless otherwise directed, all food operations shall cease and the licensee shall immediately report to the director the disaster and the effect of the disaster on the operation of the establishment. The department may recognize emergency plans that, if being followed, serve as a means to use temporary alternative procedures for continuity of operation.
289.6149 Definitions; satisfaction of section 3-603.11 of food code; statement; disclosures and reminders; text; exemptions.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Publicly available" means accessible to consumers, without their having to request it, before their placing food orders or making their selections.
(b) "Selection information" means whatever consumers read to make their order selections, such as menu, table tent, placard, chalkboard, or other written means.
(2) To satisfy section 3-603.11 of the food code, the food establishment may provide the following statement on selection information so that it is publicly available: "Ask your server about menu items that are cooked to order or served raw. Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.".
(3) A statement used under subsection (2) may be tailored to be product specific if a food establishment either has a limited menu or offers only specific animal-derived foods in raw or undercooked, ready-to-eat form.
(4) The language for the menu items shall match the language used for the disclosure and the reminder. The disclosure and reminder may also be in additional languages.
(5) The text for disclosures and reminders shall meet the following requirements:
(a) The text size for statements on handheld menus or table tents shall be visually equivalent to at least 11-point font size or may be visually equivalent to the font size of menu item descriptions.
(b) Text color provides a clear contrast to background.
(6) Table tents, placards, or chalkboards that are used exclusively to list food items that are offered as daily, weekly, or temporary specials are exempt from the requirements of this section when those food items also appear in the primary selection information that contains the disclosures and reminders meeting the requirements of this section.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008
289.6150 Definitions; presence or lack of artificial trans fat; statement; language.
(a) "Artificial trans fat" means an unsaturated fat or fatty acid that is produced by the partial hydrogenation of plant oils and that contains 1 or more instances of atoms bonded in a trans configuration.
(b) "Publicly available" means accessible to consumers, without their having to request it, before placing their food orders or making their selections.
(c) "Selection information" means whatever consumers read to make their order selections, such as a menu, table tent, placard, chalkboard, or other written means.
(2) A food service establishment may, but is not required to, provide on the selection information, so that it is publicly available, a statement regarding the presence or lack of artificial trans fat in any food served by the food service establishment.
(3) A statement described in subsection (2) may be tailored to be product-specific if a food service establishment has a limited menu.
(4) The text for a statement described in subsection (2) may be in more than 1 language and may meet the requirements of section 6149.
Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to implementation of alternative practices and procedures, training programs relating to bare-hand contact, monitoring of employees, and requirements for documentation.
289.6152 Food allergy awareness; display of poster; rules; private cause of action.
(1) Until December 31, 2020, each food service establishment in this state shall prominently display in the staff area a poster developed and approved by the department relative to food allergy awareness that includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the risk of an allergic reaction, or post the information from the poster in a different, readable notice in the staff area.
(2) The department may promulgate rules to carry out this section.
(3) This section does not establish or change any private cause of action. This section does not change any duty under any other statute or the common law, except as this section expressly provides.
History: Add. 2014, Act 516, Imd. Eff. Jan. 14, 2015
FOOD AND PROCESSING STANDARDS
289.7101 Compliance with federal regulations; exception.
Subject to section 1119(2), a food processor and a food warehouse shall comply with 21 CFR part 110, except that refrigerated potentially hazardous food shall be stored at 4.4 degrees centigrade (40 degrees Fahrenheit) or below.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 487, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2002 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012
289.7103 Processing low-acid foods; requirements.
(1) All thermally processed, low-acid foods that are packaged in hermetically sealed containers shall be processed in a licensed commercial food establishment.
(2) All processors of acidified, low-acid foods packaged in hermetically sealed containers shall comply with the regulations of the U.S. food and drug administration in 21 C.F.R. part 114.
(3) All thermally processed, low-acid foods that are packaged in hermetically sealed containers shall comply with the regulations of the U.S. food and drug administration in 21 C.F.R. part 113.
(4) Hermetically sealed packages shall be handled to maintain product and container integrity.
289.7104 Control of molluscan shellfish.
(1) @.02 of chapter I and chapters II, VII, IX to XIV, and XVI of the guide for control of molluscan shellfish are incorporated by reference except to the extent provisions of this act and rules specify different requirements.
(2) The director by rule may adopt any changes or updates to the guide for control of molluscan shellfish.
(3) The annexes of the guide for the control of molluscan shellfish are considered persuasive authority for interpretation of the guide for the control of molluscan shellfish.
289.7105 Processor of seafood; waiver for processor of smoked fish.
All processors of seafood shall comply with regulations of the U.S. food and drug administration in 21 CFR part 123. The requirement that a processor of smoked fish comply with the smoked fish rules is waived if the processor demonstrates compliance with the federal regulation described in this section.
289.7106 Processors of juice; safe cider production.
(1) All processors of juice shall comply with the regulations of the U.S. food and drug administration in 21 CFR part 120.
(2) An establishment that presses apple cider shall have at least 1 active employee currently certified under a program described in section 2129 or having completed a current course recognized by the department as pertinent to safe cider production.
289.7107 Bottled water; approval of source and water supply; maximum levels of substances; labeling of water dispensing machine.
(1) Bottled water shall be obtained from a water supply approved by the department of environmental quality and in compliance with the safe drinking water act, 1976 PA 399, MCL 325.1001 to 325.1023.
(2) A copy of the current sanitary survey report from the department of environmental quality under the safe drinking water act, 1976 PA 399, MCL 325.1001 to 325.1023, and the water sample results required under that act shall be available at the bottling plant for the director to demonstrate approval of the source and supply of the water.
(3) Bottled water shall not contain any substance in excess of the maximum contaminant level adopted for drinking water under the safe drinking water act, 1976 PA 399, MCL 325.1001 to 325.1023.
(4) A water dispensing machine shall be clearly and conspicuously labeled with the declaration of identity of the product dispensed.
289.7109 Operation of bottled water plant or bottle water; compliance with federal regulations.
A person shall not operate a bottled water plant or bottle water for the purpose of sale or distribution in this state without first demonstrating to the department that the source, bottling facility, treatment and bottling practices comply with 21 C.F.R. part 129, and product water meets the requirements of this chapter.
289.7111 Packaged food; compliance with federal regulations.
Packaged food shall comply with standard of identity requirements in 21 C.F.R. parts 131 to 169 and the definitions and standards of identity or composition contained in 9 C.F.R. part 319, and the general requirements in 21 C.F.R. part 130 and subpart A of part 319 of title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations except as modified or rejected by this act or rules promulgated under this act.
289.7112 Adoption of federal regulations.
(1) 21 CFR parts 1, 70, 73, 74, 81, 82, and 100 to 199, as set forth on the effective date of the amendatory act that amended this section, are adopted by reference, except to the extent that provisions of this act and rules promulgated under this act specify different requirements.
(2) The director, by promulgation of a rule, may adopt any changes or updates to 21 CFR parts 1, 70, 73, 74, 81, 82, and 100 to 199.
History: Add. 2012, Act 178, Eff. Oct. 1, 2012 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 92, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 2018
(a) "Added fat" means the addition of fat tissue originating from portions consisting of less than 12% muscle tissue in each portion.
(b) "Added water" means greater moisture content than normally found in meat and, except for poultry, is determined by total moisture minus 4 times the percentage of protein. Added water may be in the form of water or ice.
(c) "Artificial coloring" means coloring containing any dye or pigment which was manufactured by a process of synthesis or other similar artifice or by extraction of a natural dye or pigment from a plant or other material from which the dye or pigment was formed.
(d) "Artificial flavoring" means any flavoring containing any sapid or aromatic constituent manufactured by synthesis or similar process.
(e) "Binders" means food and nonfood substances used as an ingredient in comminuted meats for binding, stabilizing, thickening, or maintaining viscosity of the product.
(f) "By-products or variety meats" means hearts, livers, brains, tongues, tripe, stomach, lungs, melts, eyes, weasand meats, head meat, cheek meat, salivary glands, udder, lips, ears, snouts, skin, feet, spleens, slaughterhouse by-products, spinal cords, cracklings or crackling meal, packinghouse by-products, food processor by-products, partially defatted fatty tissues, and partially defatted chopped meat.
(g) "Candling" means the examination, in a partially darkened room or place, of the interior of an egg by twirling the egg before a bright light passing through an aperture in an opaque shield or by another approved method.
(h) "Comminuted" means chopped, diced, flaked, ground, or otherwise reduced to minute particles.
(i) "Extenders" means food substances used as an ingredient in comminuted meats primarily for replacement of meat ingredients.
(j) "Fat" means the quantity of adipose tissue determined by chemical analysis.
(k) "Fresh meat" means meat that has undergone no cooking, heating, or other processing except boning, cutting, comminuting, or freezing.
(l) "Lamb" means meat derived from sheep less than 1 year of age.
(m) "Meat" means the edible part of clean, sound striated muscle of cattle, swine, sheep, deer and other cervids, goat, turkey, duck, ratite, or chicken slaughtered in compliance with all applicable laws, with or without the accompanying and overlying fat, and sinew, nerve, gland, and blood vessels which normally accompany the muscle tissues and which are not separated from it in the process of dressing. Meat does not include specified risk materials.
(n) "Shellfish" means all species of any of the following:
(i) Oyster, clams, or mussels whether shucked or in the shell, raw, including postharvest processed, frozen or unfrozen, or whole or in parts.
(ii) Scallops in any form, except when the final product form is the adductor muscle only.
(o) "Skeletal meat" means the meat that is attached to a part of the skeleton, including head and cheek meat.
(p) "Specified risk materials" means items, associated with the nervous system of beef cattle, that are prohibited from human food as defined in 9 CFR 310.22.
(q) "Veal" means meat derived from a calf not more than 1 year of age.
289.7114 Shell eggs.
(1) U.S. standards for shell eggs are adopted by reference.
(2) Eggs described by United States department of agriculture as black rots, white rots, mixed rots (addled eggs), sour eggs, eggs with green whites, stuck yolks, blood rings or embryos beyond blood ring stage, moldy eggs, musty eggs, bloody whites, crusted yolks, eggs with abnormal odors, and any eggs which contain wholly or in part a tainted, disease, filthy, decomposed, or putrid substance are eggs unfit for human food.
(3) A person shall not sell, offer, or expose for sale to the consumer or to the retail trade, or have in his or her possession with intent to sell to the consumer, or to the retail trade, any egg unfit for human food. Such an egg shall be broken out of the shell and denatured or destroyed by methods approved by the director so that it cannot be used for human food.
(4) The final determination of all grade and quality factors of an official sample of shell eggs from domesticated chickens shall be made by visual examination of the egg to determine cleanliness, soundness of shell, and exterior quality, and by candling or breaking to determine interior quality. The examination shall be made by a competent representative authorized by the director. The representative shall certify the results of the examination and his or her certificate shall be prima facie evidence of the facts certified to in any court where the certificate is offered in evidence.
(5) All eggs from domesticated chickens sold, offered, or exposed for sale, or advertised for sale by a retailer or wholesaler shall be marked as follows to conform to the following applicable size requirement:
(a) "Jumbo", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 30 ounces per dozen, with no eggs below the rate of 29 ounces per dozen.
(b) "Extra large", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 27 ounces per dozen, with no eggs below the rate of 26 ounces per dozen.
(c) "Large", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 24 ounces per dozen, with no eggs below the rate of 23 ounces per dozen.
(d) "Medium", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 21 ounces per dozen, with no eggs below the rate of 20 ounces per dozen.
(e) "Small", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 18 ounces per dozen, with no eggs below the rate of 17 ounces per dozen.
(f) "Peewee", if the eggs weigh at the rate of not less than 15 ounces per dozen.
(6) All advertising of eggs shall include the correct unabbreviated size designation in describing eggs. The correct unabbreviated size designation shall also appear on the exterior of any container, open or closed, in which eggs are offered for sale to the retailer or the consumer.
(7) A person shall not by himself or herself or his or her agents sell, offer, or expose for sale, advertise, or in any manner represent for sale as strictly fresh, hennery, new laid, best, grade A, number 1, fancy, special, extra, selected, direct from the farm, or under any word, figures, symbols, or description of similar import, any eggs which are not fresh. An egg is not considered fresh unless it meets the standards of quality specified for the U.S. AA or A quality, or the equivalent, as designated in U.S. standards for shell eggs for individual eggs or in standards prescribed by the director by rule.
(8) All eggs from domesticated chickens sold, offered or exposed for sale, or advertised for sale by a retailer or wholesaler shall be labeled or marked to conform to one of the following grade requirements:
(a) Eggs that fully meet the specifications of U.S. AA quality or fresh fancy quality, or the equivalent thereof, as described in U.S. standards for shell eggs, shall be labeled and advertised as grade AA or fresh fancy eggs, Michigan seal of quality eggs, grade A or grade B eggs.
(b) Eggs that fully meet the specifications of the U.S. A quality, or the equivalent thereof, as described in U.S. standards for shell eggs, shall be labeled and advertised as grade A or grade B eggs.
(c) Eggs that fully meet the specifications of a U.S. B quality, or the equivalent thereof, as described in U.S. standards for shell eggs, shall be labeled and advertised as grade B eggs.
(d) Eggs that do not meet the grade requirements of subdivision (a), (b), or (c) shall not be offered for sale or sold in the shell. Those eggs may be broken out of the shell at the grading plant or grading station or may be offered for sale or sold to an egg breaking plant.
(9) Eggs shall be held and transported at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature beginning 36 hours after time of lay. If the eggs are to be processed as table eggs and are not processed for the ultimate consumer within 36 hours from the time of lay and, therefore, are held and transported as required at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature, then the eggs may be held at room temperature for no more than 36 hours just prior to processing to allow an equilibration step to temper the eggs.
(10) This act does not apply to a person who meets all of the following requirements:
(a) Is directly responsible for producing eggs from fewer than 3,000 hens.
(b) Only sells eggs directly to consumers or first receivers.
(c) Only sells eggs in containers that each bear a label stating "packaged in a facility that has not been inspected by the department.".
(d) Does not sell eggs through the internet or by mail order or consignment.
289.7115 Sausage; contents; definitions; requirements.
(1) Sausage consists only of skeletal meat either fresh, cured, salted, pickled, or smoked. Poultry sausage may contain accompanying skin in natural proportions.
(2) Sausage may contain the following:
(a) Salt or spice, cure agents such as sodium or potassium nitrate or sodium or potassium nitrite, cure accelerators such as sodium erythorbate or ascorbic acid, all that comply with applicable regulations of the United States department of agriculture food safety inspection service or any other curing agents determined appropriate by the department or pursuant to rules promulgated under this act. As used in this subdivision, "curing agent" or "curing accelerator" means any substance added to meat to cause or enhance preservation of the meat product.
(b) Added edible animal fat from the animals specified, eggs or egg products, chives, tomatoes, parsley, peppers, onions, garlic, celery, seasoning, or other natural flavoring, honey, syrup, sugar, pure refined dextrose, or subsequent cooking or smoking.
(c) Not more than 3-1/2% by weight nonfat dry milk, dry whole milk, or calcium-reduced milk if it is declared in conjunction with the product name.
(d) Fruits, vegetables, or nuts, or a combination thereof, if the name of the product is so qualified.
(e) Not less than 12% protein. The protein content requirement shall not apply to pork sausage, breakfast sausage, or roasted sausage but the finished product shall contain not more than 50% of fat. Fresh sausage shall contain no added water, except to facilitate chopping or mixing and in an amount not to exceed 3% of the total ingredients. Cooked sausage shall not exceed 40% fat and added water.
(f) Fresh and fresh frozen sausage, smoked and unsmoked dry sausage, may contain antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, or propyl gallate, or a combination of these antioxidants, with or without citric acid, in amounts that comply with applicable regulations of the United States department of agriculture food safety inspection service. When such antioxidants are added, the label on the product shall declare the presence of antioxidants in the manner required by the United States department of agriculture food safety inspection service.
(3) Sausage shall not contain any extenders, artificial flavors, artificial color, binders, excess added water or ice, boric acid or borates, sulphites, sulfur dioxide, sulphurous acid, or any other harmful preservative, by-products, or variety meats. Extenders necessary to produce low-fat products may be permitted as described in rules promulgated under this act. No other parts of the animal or any other substance except as above specified shall be permitted in sausage.
(4) Harmless lactic acid bacterial starters may be used in an amount not to exceed 1/2 of 1%. When used, the harmless bacterial starter shall be included in the list of ingredients in the order of its predominance.
(5) The following products are considered to be sausage, whether processed or inserted in either natural or artificial casings or other containers: wieners, bologna, ring bologna, knackwurst, bratwurst, roasted sausage, breakfast sausage, pork sausage, chicken sausage, turkey sausage, leona, beer salami, cooked salami, Polish sausage, minced luncheon, kielbasa, bockwurst, all varieties of dry or semi-dry sausage, and other meat food products prepared in sausage form and excluding loaves, liver products, headcheese, sulze, blood sausage, potato sausage, kishka, tongue sausage, and New York or New England pressed luncheon.
(6) "Fresh pork sausage", "Polish sausage", "fresh kielbasa", and "fresh country-style sausage" are sausages prepared from fresh pork meat.
(7) "Italian sausage" shall be uncured, unsmoked, and contain at least 85% meat or meat and fat with no more than 35% fat. Italian sausage contains fennel or anise and may contain red and green pepper, onion, and garlic. Italian sausage shall be prepared from fresh pork meat.
(8) "Fresh beef sausage" is prepared with fresh beef meat and shall not contain more than 30% fat.
(9) "Poultry sausage or poultry-meat sausage" shall be made from fresh poultry meat containing the natural proportions of light and dark meat unless otherwise designated. The name shall be identified by the species contained if the product contains all its meat from 1 species. It shall not contain more than 30% fat. Poultry-meat sausage shall not contain skin.
(10) "Cervid sausage" shall be made from the meat of cervidae from approved sources. The name shall be identified by the species contained if the product contains all its meat from 1 species, such as "venison sausage" or "elk sausage". A person shall not offer for sale, sell, or expose for sale any other product described as cervid sausage. Fat of another species and approved source may be added to cervid sausage.
(11) "Wild game sausage" shall be made from or contain wild game. A food establishment shall meet all of the following requirements with respect to wild game sausage:
(a) Wild game sausage shall be identified by the species contained in the product, such as "bear sausage".
(b) Wild game sausage shall not be sold and shall be labeled "not for sale".
(c) A food establishment shall reject for use in wild game sausage any carcass that in whole or in part shows evidence of spoilage or disease.
(d) If wild game that is not butchered by a licensed food establishment is made into wild game sausage containing wild game from more than 1 owner, the final consumer shall be provided with a written advisory stating "made from multiple wild game sources that did not receive whole carcass examination by a licensed food establishment". The text size of the advisory shall be a minimum of 11-point font in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background.
(e) The following categories of foods shall be kept physically separated during storage and shall not be processed, prepared, or held simultaneously in the same space:
(i) Raw wild game butchered by a licensed food establishment.
(ii) Raw wild game from sources other than a licensed food establishment, except when added to raw wild game butchered by a licensed food establishment.
(iii) All other foods, except for foods that are added as ingredients to raw wild game during final product processing.
(f) One of the following requirements shall be met:
(i) Food contact surfaces shall be thoroughly washed, rinsed, and sanitized between the processing of raw wild game butchered by a licensed food establishment, raw wild game not butchered by a licensed food establishment, and any other food.
(ii) Processing shall be done in the following sequence: foods other than raw wild game, raw wild game butchered by a licensed food processor, raw wild game not butchered by a licensed food establishment. After sequential processing, food contact surfaces shall be thoroughly washed, rinsed, and sanitized.
History: 2000, Act 92, Eff. Nov. 8, 2000 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 114, Eff. Apr. 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 428, Imd. Eff. Dec. 30, 2014
289.7117 Hamburger or ground beef; contents.
Hamburger or ground beef consists of fresh beef meat that has been comminuted and shall be identified as either hamburger or ground beef. Hamburger shall not contain more than 30% of fat. Ground beef shall meet the same requirements as hamburger except that it shall not contain more than 20% of fat. Monosodium glutamate may be added if declared. Hamburger may contain added beef fat, but ground beef shall not contain added fat. Ground beef and hamburger shall not contain added water or ice. Only ground beef may be qualified by the name of a particular cut of meat, such as “ground beef round” or “ground beef chuck”. If so qualified, it shall consist entirely of meat from the particular meat cut and be certified as that specific cut by a method of certification as the director may establish by rule. Hamburger or ground beef shall not contain by-products or variety meats, binders, extenders, artificial color, vegetable coloring, chemical preservative, boric acid or borates, sulphites, sulfur dioxide, or sulphurous acid. No other parts of the animal or any other substance except as otherwise provided in this subsection is permitted in hamburger or ground beef.
289.7119 Other comminuted meat food products; compliance with federal regulations.
Other comminuted meat food products, including nonspecific loaves and liver products, headcheese, blood sausage, kishka, tongue sausage, chili con carne with beans, or any other meat food products that may be allowed, shall be produced in compliance with applicable regulations of the United States department of agriculture food safety inspection service.
289.7121 Chili or chili con carne; contents.
Chili or chili con carne shall consist of not less than 40% of meat computed on the weight of the fresh meat and shall not contain by-products and variety meats except that head meat, cheek meat, and heart meat, exclusive of the heart cap, may be used to the extent of 25% of the meat ingredients with specific declaration on the label. The mixture may contain not more than 8%, individually or collectively, of cereal, vegetable starch, vegetable flour, soy flour, soy protein concentrate, isolated soy protein, dried milk, calcium reduced dry skim milk, nonfat dry milk solids, or seasoning. Chili con carne shall not contain binders, artificial color, vegetable coloring, chemical preservative, boric acid or borates, sulphites, sulfur dioxide, or sulphurous acid. No other parts of the animal are permitted in chili con carne.
289.7123 Meat loaf; contents.
Meat loaf consists of comminuted meat, processed in the form of a loaf, containing not less than 65% meat. Meat loaf mix consists of meat loaf sold in bulk uncooked form. Meat loaf may contain salt, seasoning, sodium or potassium nitrate, ascorbic acid, or the salts thereof, sodium or potassium nitrite, cereal vegetables, vegetable protein, nonfat dry milk solids, soy flour, eggs or egg products, macaroni, cheese, condiments, nuts, fruits, or gelatin. Binders and extenders shall not exceed 12% of the product. To facilitate chopping or mixing, water or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3% of the total ingredients. Meat loaf shall not contain by-products of variety meats, artificial flavors or color, vegetable coloring, chemical preservative, boric acid or borates, sulfur dioxide, sulphites, or sulphurous acid. No other substance is permitted in meat loaf or meat loaf mix, except as otherwise provided in this section.
289.7125 Ground lamb, chicken, turkey, and veal; contents.
Ground lamb, chicken, turkey, and veal shall not contain any added water or ice, artificial flavoring, by-products or variety meats, binders, extenders, artificial color, vegetable coloring, or chemical preservatives. No other parts of the animal or any other substance shall be permitted except as follows:
(a) Ground lamb shall consist of comminuted fresh lamb meat, with or without added lamb fat, and shall not contain more than 25% fat.
(b) Ground poultry shall consist of comminuted fresh poultry meat, with or without accompanying skin in natural proportions, with or without added poultry fat, and shall not contain more than 20% fat. The name shall be identified by the species contained in the product.
(c) Ground poultry meat shall consist of comminuted fresh poultry meat, with or without added poultry fat, and shall not contain more than 15% fat. The name shall be identified by the species contained in the product.
(d) Ground veal shall consist of comminuted fresh veal meat, with or without added veal fat, and shall not contain more than 20% fat.
(e) Ground pork shall consist of comminuted fresh pork with or without the addition of pork fat as such and shall not contain more than 30% fat. Ground pork shall not contain extenders, binders, variety meats, by-products, added water or ice, artificial flavor or color, vegetable coloring, chemical preservative, boric acid or borates, sulphites, sulfur dioxide, or sulphurous acid. No other parts of the animal or any other substance is permitted in ground pork.
289.7127 Meat pattie; contents.
“Meat pattie” is a product prepared in pattie form. “Meat pattie mix” is a product sold in bulk uncooked form. Meat patties and meat pattie mix are a mixture of fresh comminuted meat with or without the addition of fat and seasonings and containing not less than 65% meat. Binders and extenders may be used up to 12% of the finished product. Meat pattie and meat pattie mix shall not contain artificial color or flavor, by-products or variety meats, added water or ice, or more than 30% fat. Meat patties and meat pattie mix with fruits, vegetables, nuts, or mushrooms, either as a coating or ingredient, are permitted if labeled and advertised as “meat patties with _______”, inserting the common or usual name of the addition.
289.7129 Food subject to standards; identification; common or usual name.
(1) If a food is subject to a standard established under this chapter, it shall be identified by the name required by that standard. If no standard applies, the product shall be identified by its common or usual name. If no common or usual name exists, the product shall be identified by an appropriately descriptive name that is not misleading and that accurately identifies or describes, in as simple and direct terms as possible, the basic nature of the food and its characterizing ingredients or properties. A product manufactured or sold under the provisions of this act, which is sold in closed or sealed packages shall bear a complete label. The label shall bear the true name of the product as defined in this act, an ingredient statement if the product contains more than 1 ingredient, the net weight of the product, and the name and address of the manufacturer.
(2) Products sold from bulk retail displays shall bear a sign or placard containing the true and approved name of the product. If the product contains more than 1 ingredient, an ingredient statement shall be placarded, posted, or otherwise available for the customer in written form.
(3) Meat products using antioxidants shall indicate on the label, or in the absence of a label an adjacent placard, their presence and purpose.
(4) Meat products containing monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or any other source of monosodium glutamate shall indicate on the label or, in the absence of a label, an adjacent placard in its presence.
(5) The meat ingredients in a meat product that specifies 1 type of meat in its name, such as ham loaf, pork loaf, veal patties, or turkey sausage, shall be entirely from the species indicated in the product name. The meat in a meat product that specifies more than 1 type of meat in its name, such as beef and turkey sausage, shall be entirely from the types indicated, and shall contain at least 20% of each meat. A meat product that contains a type of meat consisting of less than 20% of that meat may be labeled as “(product) _____ added” or “product with _____”, inserting the common name of that meat. Sausage labeled or advertised as all meat or all beef shall not contain any nonfat dry milk solids or dry whole milk.
(6) All required words and numbers shall be legible to potential customers.
289.7131 Federally inspected meats; preemption of state ingredient standards.
A person shall not sell or offer for sale a product that is not manufactured to the ingredient standards of this act unless the federal government legally preempts Michigan's ingredient standards. In that case, federally inspected meats not meeting the ingredient requirements of this act shall be identified as federally inspected on intact, sealed packaging from the federally inspected location.
289.7133 Artificial casings or containers; products considered as adulterated.
(1) All products manufactured under terms of this chapter may be sold in colored artificial casings or containers only if the products are in complete compliance with all applicable regulations of the United States department of agriculture. These products shall not be sold in colored natural casings.
(2) In addition to the requirements of section 1105(1)(a), any product manufactured under the terms of this chapter is adulterated if it is the product of an animal which has died otherwise than by slaughter.
289.7135 Experimental packs of food; temporary permits.
(1) Temporary permits granted for interstate shipment of experimental packs of food varying from the requirements of federal definitions and standards of identity are automatically effective in this state under the conditions provided in such permits.
(2) The department may issue additional temporary permits where they are necessary to the completion or conclusiveness of an otherwise adequate investigation and where the interests of consumers are safeguarded.
(3) Such temporary permits are subject to the terms and conditions the department may prescribe by rule.
289.7137 Food additives; limitation.
Food shall not contain unapproved food additives or additives that exceed amounts specified in 21 CFR parts 170 to 180 relating to food additives, generally recognized as safe or prior sanctioned substances that exceed amounts specified in 21 CFR parts 181 to 186, substances that exceed amounts established under applicable regulations of the United States department of agriculture food safety inspection service, or pesticide residues that exceed provisions specified in 40 CFR part 180.
LABELING AND ADVERTISING
289.8101 Packaged food; label requirements.
Packaged food shall be labeled as specified in 21 C.F.R. part 101, 9 C.F.R. part 317, and subpart N of part 381 of title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and as specified under sections 3-202.17 and 3-202.18 of the food code.
289.8103 Bulk displays of unpackaged food and drink; salad bar; sign requirements; placard.
(1) All bulk displays of unpackaged food and drink offered for sale at a retail food establishment, including salad bars, which contain a detectable amount of sulfiting agents shall be prominently placarded with a sign which is clearly visible to the customer and which declares either of the following statements:
(a) (NAME OF PRODUCT)
THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS A SULFITING AGENT. SULFITES MAY CAUSE AN ALLERGIC REACTION IN CERTAIN PERSONS, PARTICULARLY ASTHMATICS.
(b) (NAME OF PRODUCT) _______________, the blank to be filled in with the name of the sulfiting agent, and if added as a preservative, a separate description of its function.
(2) All letters on the sign shall be of the same type style and color, not less than 1/4 inch in height, and of a color in clear contrast to the background. A smaller type size may be permitted if the department determines space is not available for the placard and the largest type size possible is used. If a retail establishment has multiple bins of sulfite-treated food which are segregated, 1 placard listing all of the applicable products is acceptable if it is placed at approximately eye level over the bins.
289.8105 Prohibited acts.
(1) A person shall not do any of the following:
(a) Make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public any advertisement containing any assertion, representation, or statement which is untrue, deceptive, or misleading or falsely represents the kind, classification, grade, or quality of meat.
(b) Use any term of quality without using or having for sale the quality of meat advertised or offered for sale.
(c) Designate or use any brand name of a company unless the meat so advertised or displayed for sale is of a quality which the use or designation of the brand name of such company would reasonably indicate.
(2) A person shall not advertise or display for sale any of the following:
(a) Any meat of the ovine species that is 2 years old or over as "yearling" or "lamb". Such meat shall be clearly designated "mutton".
(b) Any meat described by the use of words associated with grading terminology unless such meat advertised for sale actually bears the "USDA" federal stamp designating such grade or is of equal quality as the federal grade would designate.
(c) Any ham unless the advertisement or display states whether the ham is whole, bone-in, semi-boneless, or boneless.
(d) Any ham portion described by the use of the words "one-half" or "half ham" that has had a center slice removed.
(e) Any pork shoulder described as "ham".
(f) Any meat or meat product which has been branded or marked as imitation by a manufacturer or processor unless the advertisement or display clearly states that such meat or meat product is an imitation.
(3) A person shall not substitute in any sale any inferior or cheaper cut of meat without informing the purchaser that such substitution is being made.
(4) A person shall not keep or display any canned meats or canned meat products at a temperature exceeding 6° centigrade (41° Fahrenheit) if the label of such meats or meat products specifies that they shall be kept under refrigeration.
(5) Whenever it becomes necessary for the purposes of this act to procure a sample or samples of meat or meat products, the person in charge of the place where evaluation is made must permit the sample or samples to be obtained upon being tendered the advertised or offered price of the item being procured.
289.8107 Definitions; prepackaged perishable food; date; prohibited sales; advertisement of food sold after date; alteration of date prohibited; calculation of date; exceptions.
(a) "Date" means 1 of the following:
(i) For perishable food, the recommended last day of sale.
(ii) For nonperishable food, the recommended last day of sale or consumption, if any.
(b) "Prepackaged" means packaged prior to being displayed or offered for sale.
(2) A retail food establishment shall not sell or offer for sale a prepackaged perishable food unless the package bears a label with a date identified by month and day, except that bakery products with a shelf life of 7 days or less may be dated with a day of the week or an abbreviation. A retail food establishment may sell or offer for sale a prepackaged nonperishable food with or without a label that bears a date.
(3) The date for prepackaged perishable food may be displayed with or without explanatory terms. If explanatory terms are used, the terms shall be limited to 1 of the following: "Sell by _____", "Sell before _____", "Last date of sale _____", "Recommended last date of sale _____", or "Recommended sale date _____". Other meaningful terms may be used if specifically approved by the department.
(4) A retail food establishment shall not sell or offer for sale any of the following foods under the following circumstances:
(a) After the date, meat that has been removed from a federally inspected retail package.
(b) After the date, nonperishable food or prepackaged perishable food unless the food is wholesome and sound and is clearly identified as having passed the date.
(c) Nonperishable food that is no longer wholesome or sound.
(5) The retail or final seller is responsible for the proper advertisement of food sold after the date.
(6) A person who prepackages nonperishable food and chooses to label the food with a date or who prepackages perishable food shall do all of the following:
(a) Establish a meaningful date that takes into consideration the food quality and characteristics of the food, its packaging, and customary conditions encountered in commercial channels.
(b) If the date is the recommended last day of sale, allow a reasonable period after the date for consumption of the food without physical spoilage.
(c) Keep a record of the method of determination of the date.
(7) A retailer who purchases prepackaged perishable food may, upon written agreement with the person prepackaging such food, determine, identify, and be responsible for the date that each package of such food bears on a label.
(8) The date shall not be altered. A person shall not rewrap or repackage a food, in its original form and texture, with a date on the package different from the original.
(9) If the date is the recommended last day of sale, the date shall be calculated to allow a reasonable period for the subsequent consumption of the food, but shall not allow for a period which would result in a health nuisance as described in section 2107.
(10) This section does not apply to fresh fruits and vegetables and frozen food and does not apply to milk and milk products dated in accordance with the grade A milk law of 2001, 2001 PA 266, MCL 288.471 to 288.540.
(11) The requirements of this section do not apply to any of the following:
(a) An individually packaged food item that is a component of a larger food item if the larger food item is identified with a date the same as or earlier than the date of that component.
(b) Perishable foods packaged under, and in compliance with, federal laws and regulations, if providing information equal to or greater than the information required by this section.
(c) Smoked fish under the smoked fish rules.
289.8109 Foods sold or distributed from manufacturing, processing, packing, or repacking activity; identification.
All products that are sold or otherwise distributed from a manufacturing, processing, packing, or repacking activity shall be marked with a meaningful, visible, and legible code to enable positive lot identification and to facilitate, where necessary, the segregation of specific lots that may have become contaminated or are otherwise unfit for their intended use. Invisible coding is not considered meaningful coding. The coding format shall be provided to the department upon request. Coding records shall be retained for a period of time that exceeds the shelf life of the product or for 2 years, whichever is shorter.
289.8111 Vinegar; requirements and restrictions; definitions.
(1) A person shall not manufacture for sale, offer or expose for sale, sell or deliver, or have in his or her possession with intent to sell or deliver, any vinegar not in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
(2) The word “vinegar” as used in this section is limited to a water solution of acetic acid derived by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentation of fruits, grain, vegetables, sugar, or syrups and if not distilled must carry in solution the extractive matter derived solely from the substances indicated on the label as its source.
(3) Vinegar shall not be sold or offered for sale as apple or cider vinegar which is not the legitimate product of pure apple juice. The term “cider vinegar” or “apple cider vinegar” as used in this section means vinegar derived by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentation of the expressed juice of apples, the acidity, solids, and ash of which have been derived exclusively from apples and which contains not less than 4% of absolute acetic acid. Cider vinegar which, during the course of manufacture, has developed in excess of 4% acetic acid may be reduced to a strength of not less than 4%, and cider vinegar so reduced is not regarded as adulterated.
(4) Every manufacturer or producer of cider vinegar shall plainly label on the head of the cask, barrel, keg, or other container of such vinegar, his or her name, place of business, and the words “cider vinegar” or “apple cider vinegar”. A person shall not mark or label as cider vinegar or apple cider vinegar any package containing that which is not cider vinegar. Any vinegar sold or offered for sale shall be marked or labeled plainly upon the package or container from which it is sold and also on the original package or container in which it is sold or delivered, in a manner that shows its true character and source.
(5) Vinegar sold or offered for sale as sugar vinegar shall be strictly and distinctly fermented from sucrose, molasses, refiner's syrup, or nutritive carbohydrate sweetener.
(6) Vinegar sold or offered for sale as malt vinegar shall be strictly and distinctly fermented from malted barley, cereals, or a concentrate of malted barley or cereals, which has been enzymatically converted by the malting process.
(7) Vinegar shall not be sold or offered for sale in which foreign substances, other than substances permitted under this act, drugs, or acids have been introduced. Vinegar shall not contain any artificial color except as permitted under this act. Vinegar shall contain not less than 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 cubic centimeters at 20° centigrade. If vinegar contains any artificial substance, except as permitted under this act, or contains less than the required amount of acidity, it shall be considered to be adulterated.
(8) Vinegar made by fermentation and oxidation of the juice of grapes or the acetous fermentation of wine, without the intervention of distillation, shall be labeled with the name of the fruit or substance from which the vinegar has been made.
(9) Vinegar made by acetous fermentation of dilute distilled ethyl alcohol shall be labeled “distilled vinegar”, “white distilled vinegar”, “distilled white vinegar”, or “white vinegar”. Vinegar, except flavored vinegar and blended vinegar, made in part from distilled vinegar shall be conspicuously labeled “distilled vinegar” and shall have the component vinegars declared in the ingredient statement.
(10) Flavored vinegar shall be labeled “__________ flavored vinegar”. The space shall be filled in with the name of the characteristic flavor. All of the words in the name shall appear on a background of contrasting color. The flavor name shall be in letters at least 1/2 the size of the letters in the word “vinegar”. The word “flavored” shall be in letters at least 1/2 the size of the letters in the flavor name.
(11) Blended vinegar shall be labeled “blended vinegar” or “__________ vinegar”, the blank to be filled in with a name which accurately describes the nature or function of the vinegar. All of the words in the name shall be in letters on a background of contrasting color.
(12) As used in this section:
(a) “Blended vinegar” means the acetous fermentation of a blend of raw materials or a blend of 2 or more of the vinegars defined in this chapter but not including apple cider vinegar.
(b) “Flavored vinegar” means vinegar to which garlic, shallots, chili, tarragon, herbs, or spices, or the extract of any of those substances, is added to impart a characteristic flavor.
Rendered 7/17/2019 20:57:35 Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 47 of 2019
© 2019 Legislative Council, State of Michigan Courtesy of www.legislature.mi.gov
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Thomas A. Miller
Thomas A. Miller, 65, of rural Solon, died suddenly, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.
Funeral Mass was held on Dec 23 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Solon, with burial at Oakland Cemetery in Solon. A memorial fund has been established in Tom’s memory. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the website www.gayandciha.com.
Clifford Smith
Clifford Smith, 82, of Lone Tree, passed away on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011, at his home in Lone Tree. Funeral services were held on Friday, Dec. 23, at the Sorden-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services in Lone Tree. Burial was at the Lone Tree Cemetery, with full military honors.
Clifford Henry Smith, Jr. was born April 17, 1929, in Iowa City, the son of Clifford Henry and Velma Margaret (Hartsock) Smith. Clifford served the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict. On October 23, 1951, Clifford was united in marriage to Mary Margaret Forwald in Lone Tree.
William K. Smith
William K. “Bill” Smith, 56, of North Liberty died peacefully Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, surrounded by his family.
Bruce Larkin
Bruce A. Larkin, 57, of Iowa City, died unexpectedly on Friday, Dec. 16, 2011.
Services were held Dec. 21 at the Gay and Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City.
Bruce Anthony Larkin was born Sept. 27, 1954, in Ricketts. After high school, Bruce served in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent time stationed in Japan during the Vietnam War.
Local survivors include a son, Shawn Larkin (Rebecca) of North Liberty.
Memorials may be made to the Bruce Larkin Memorial Fund. Online condolences may be sent to Bruce’s family through the website www.gayandciha.com.
Walkin'
It’s been an interesting week.
Gretel, our short-term, short-tailed, feline roomer, stayed on a few more days after I last wrote.
She was no trouble at all the first few days as she dwelled inside the kennel Sabra set up for her with great care using feng shui, the ancient Chinese system using the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help improve life by channeling positive qi.
I’ve decided that the frantic feeling of being rushed, running out of time, too much to do that we face during the holidays every year is a phenomenon related to nothing more than the calendar. This sense of urgency, and the vague suspicion that we have somehow failed to get it all done, spring from a false assumption that time runs out on December thirty-first, and if we haven’t done as much or as well as we thought we would or should, we’ve run out of time and opportunity. And then there’s a feeling of unease about the coming year.
Identity theft and medical identity theft target older Iowans
By Tom Miller
DES MOINES– Identity theft occurs when a criminal uses someone else’s personal information, like your name, Social Security number or credit card number, without your permission. Medical identity theft is similar, but it involves personal medical information, like your Medicare ID number, medical information or medical insurance information.
Application deadline for farm, land
MARION– Trees Forever is now accepting applications from Iowa farmers and landowners who are interested in improving water quality and reducing soil erosion by participating in the “Working Watersheds: Buffers and Beyond” program in 2012. Technical assistance, project planning and funding resources are available to selected landowners who are willing to demonstrate and model good conservation practices. The deadline for applications has been extended to Jan. 13, 2012.
South Slope presents local non-profits with grants
NORTH LIBERTY– South Slope Cooperative and Iowa Network Services, Inc. (INS) are pleased to announce the following grants have been awarded in our matching grant program.
Grantees included the Optimist Club of North Liberty ($2,000); North Liberty Community Pantry ($2,000) and Jefferson Monroe Friends of Library ($1,600).
West boys swim to sixth place at Mercer Invitational meet Dec. 17
IOWA CITY– The Johnston Dragons won the Mercer Invitational Saturday, Dec. 17, at City High in Iowa City with 394 points. Ankeny, Cedar Falls, Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf rounded out the top five. The West High Trojans placed sixth with 207, besting rival City High’s seventh place showing with 187. Ottumwa High rounded out the field in eighth place with 75 points.
200-yard medley—3, IC West “A”, (Kaisen Yao, Carson Miller, Thomas Burrill, Anthony Lehnertz), 1:42.03.
200-yard freestyle — 17, Mason Weibel, 2:07.79. 19, Ross McCurdy, 2:09.58. 21, Scott Callum, 2:15.09.
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POLLAKOVÁ MIA
HomepagePOLLAKOVÁ MIAPOLLAKOVÁ MIA
Posted: October 11, 2018 Tags: Comments: 0
Address: Praha 1, 17. listopadu 6/207, Josefov.Eva Mia Krása née Pollaková was born on 24 March 1924 in Vienna. Shortly before her birth, her parents Karl Pollak and Vilma Pollaková, as well as the sister Hana, born in 1921, had moved to Vienna. There her father was director of a hardware store company. The family lived in the Innere Stadt, in Seilerstätte 13. In 1933 the marriage of the parents was divorced. In 1934 Vilma and her two daughters moved back to Prague. In 1938 her father died in Switzerland. In Prague, the family lived first in Kaprova 12 but had to leave the apartment in October 1939, as the SS confiscated the building and set up offices here. Eva, her mother and her sister moved to Sanytrová 12 (now 17th Listopadu). This apartment was a “Jewish apartment”, where another family (Otto Passer and Hedviga Passerová) lived with them. On 10 December 1941 she was deported together with her mother with the transport L from Prague to Theresienstadt concentration camp. Her transport number was the 293. There, her mother acquired sepsis and died on 1 January 1942. Eva Mia got to know František Krása, they married. On September 6, 1943, Eva and her husband were deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz concentration camp. Her transport number was 2609, that of her husband 2608. The couple came to the so-called family camp. Both Eva Mia and František Krása were murdered in the course of the Shoah, either in the Auschwitz gas chambers right after the family camp was dissolved between 8 and 9 March 1944 or after deportation to the Majdanek extermination camp.
The fate of her sister Hana is not known.
https://www.holocaust.cz/en/database-of-victims/victim/114772-eva-pollakova/
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Posted on 27th October 2015 by Peter Delow
Facing a brick wall, part 1
Originally published on HS2 and the Environment:
The middle of a large field is probably a good place to take measurements of ambient noise with a sound level meter, although I notice that, for some reason, HS2 Ltd acousticians prefer to set their meters up beside busy roads. The reason why the field is to be preferred is that it should be fairly devoid of reflecting surfaces that might cause local sound wave reflections that could distort the measurement. Measurements that are made in the absence of such local reflections are termed “free-field”, and all of the noise figures in the tables in the sound, noise and vibration section of Volume 5 of the HS2 Phase 1 Environmental Statement (ES), whether they be empirical or predicted, are expressed as free-field values (see footnote 1).
Whilst people do sometimes sleep in fields, either due to misfortune or for recreation, acousticians assume that, for the purposes of assessing the sleep disturbance potential of noise, sleep takes place in a bedroom. Whilst this seems a reasonable assumption, the parallel supposition that people sleep only at night is probably far less justifiable given the demands of modern living and shift work in particular. But I will pass over this particular objection, as it is the assumption about the bedroom upon which I wish to concentrate in this posting.
Bedrooms may be thought of as a volume enclosed by walls, a floor and a ceiling, and it is the noise that enters into this enclosed space from a noise source outside of the bedroom that gives rise to sleep disturbance effects. It is most convenient for this purpose to think of the bedroom as having one external wall facing the noise source and for the noise to be entering the room through this wall, which is referred to as the “most exposed façade”. A commonly-encountered way of assessing the noise level that will be present within the bedroom is to predict the noise pressure that will be incident upon the exterior of the most exposed façade and reduce it by the degree of sound insulation afforded by the external wall that forms the façade, expressed in decibels. This implies that it is the external incident sound level that is important, and this dictates that a so-called “façade” measurement is required; this is achieved in practice by setting up the sound level meter just in front of the façade of the external wall, typically at a distance of one metre from the wall.
HS2 Ltd has followed this convention in High Speed Two Information Paper E20 in defining the Significant Observed Adverse Effect Level (SOAEL) and Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (LOAEL) at night in terms of the maximum level of a single train pass-by, LpAFMax, in that this level has been specified as a façade measurement. For reasons that I can’t begin to understand, but which I am sure could be satisfactorily explained by an acoustician, when LOAEL and SOAEL have been defined in terms of the day and night continuous equivalent sound levels, LpAeq,16hr and LpAeq,8hr, free-space levels have been specified (see footnote 2).
What is important to recognise is that a sound level meter will, when measuring sound levels emanating from the same source, tend to register a different level when used in free-space configuration to what it will record when set up to make a façade measurement. The reason for this is perhaps best understood by returning to the sound level meter that I described at the start of this posting, which is sitting in the middle of a field happily registering the free-field sound level. If we were able instantly to construct a wall just behind the sound level meter, with respect to the source of the noise, we would likely find that the measurement will change. The reason for this is that the wall will act as a sound reflector and send sound energy back towards the sound level meter.
The impact that the façade will have upon sound level meter readings can only confidently be predicted by complex analysis of each individual case, and depends upon a number of factors including the size of the wall, the angle that it makes with the line connecting it to the noise source and the distances involved; it will also vary across the frequency spectrum. However, the literature encourages us to regard the effect as one of increasing the level measured and to employ a fixed value to convert from façade to free-field and vice versa (see footnote 3).
However, what we appear to be faced with when consulting the HS2 Ltd documentation is a total failure to take the façade effect into account when it comes to assessing impacts, or even, for the most part, to acknowledge that the effect exists, and this omission has been repeated countless times in front of the HS2 Select Committee when the Promoter’s legal team have quoted predicted and measured sound levels to petitioners. Without exception, all of the levels that I have heard quoted have been free-field and, in the case of the train pass-by thresholds, experts, lawyers, petitioners and Committee Members alike have, almost to a man/woman, failed to comment that the LOAEL and SOAEL thresholds to which they are comparing them are expressed in coin of a different currency.
It all seems a bit of a mess to me and one which is – surprise, surprise – serving to understate the impact of the train pass-by noise. Since, by the time that I was given a slot before the HS2 Select Committee in January this year, nobody had mentioned this issue, I determined that it would be one of the matters that I would raise, but for a report on that you will have to wait until part 2 of this blog.
(To be concluded …)
In the case of the operational noise assessment, that all of the figures in the ES are expressed as free-field values is confirmed in paragraph 1.3.7 in Annex B to Appendix SV-001-000 of the ES (for baseline data) and paragraph 1.1.15 in Annex D2 of that appendix (for the predictions of operational noise).
That the LpAFMax thresholds for SOAEL and LOAEL are expressed as façade levels is explicitly stated in paragraphs 15 and 18 of Appendix A to Information Paper E20 and in Table 1 in Appendix B. That the LpAeq thresholds are all free-field may be inferred from footnote 5 to Appendix A and footnote 9 to Appendix B.
Take, for example, the guidance in paragraph 9 in Annex A of Planning Policy Guidance 24(PPG24), which I understand is still used by local authorities despite being superseded by the Planning Practice Guidelines. This paragraph advises that “façade levels should be assumed to be 3 dB(A) higher than levels measured away from any buildings [i.e. free-field levels], unless a more accurate figure is available”.
Tagged ambient noise, noise level, sound level meter, sound wave
One comment to “Facing a brick wall, part 1”
If anyone is in any doubt about the impact hs2 is having on people’s lives then watch yesterday’s petitions on parliament tv
All MPs should be forced to watch it and then stop this criminal waste of money
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Tarot Reading The History Of The Cards
Author: Frederick Gimino
The fascinating art of Tarot reading has an amazing history. But, where did Tarot cards originate? Some speculate that Tarot may have originated in Egypt but there is no concrete evidence to support these claims.
Although, the standard playing cards migrated to Europe in the late 14th century with the Mamelukes of Egypt, it is a stretch to say they invented the Tarot deck, card games, or divinatory practices associated with it. In fact the modern Tarot deck as we know it today is a collection of images and symbols from a wide variety of cultures, from ancient Greece, Romania, Norway, India, Egypt, Italy, and France.
Some people speculate that Pythagoras, one of the first gurus of modern day esoteric philosophy and practices, may have invented the precursors to Tarot through his work with mathematics, music, tetractys, and Numerology.
According to the most accurate historical data available modern day Tarot cards originated in Northern Italy. The oldest surviving Tarot cards, called the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck, were created in the mid 15th century. This sixty-six card deck based on the "carte da trionfi" or triumph cards were designed and painted for the Visconti family the rulers of Milan and one of the most prestigious families in Italy.
These cards were designed to be played as a trick based card playing game with trumps called Tarrochi. This game spread slowly across Italy and mostly in the upper stratum of society. This was because pre-printing press hand manufactured cards were quite expensive and news traveled fairly slowly in those days.
It appears that in 1450 there was an Italian jubilee year with many festivities and pilgrims which brought the game into the public eye on a broad scale. In addition in the 1460's the introduction of Gutenberg's printing press to Italy made mass manufacturing books and cards possible. From this innocuous game of Tarrochi (called Tarrock in German/Austrian, or Tarot in France) it was not long before these cards aided by the wide spread use of the printing press became a medium for fortune telling and parlor tricks.
From Italy tarot cards migrated into Southern France and the "Tarot de Marseilles" is one of the most famous decks from that country originating around 1499 when France conquered northern Italy. The English Tarot deck is often called the Rider-Waite deck and is the one we are most familiar with in the modern day English speaking countries. It consists of 78 cards 56 minor arcana and 22 major arcana or what would have been the trump cards in the game of Tarrochi. It was created in 1909 by artist Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite. It was published by the Rider company and now is copyrighted by U.S. Games.
In addition it is no surprise that Tarot cards were under condemnation from their very conception by the religious authorities of the time. They were frowned upon by the Roman Catholic Church especially as a form of idolatry.
Interestingly enough science was much kinder to the Tarot deck than religion. For example, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud subscribed to tarot beliefs. Carl Jung attached symbolic importance to The Tarot cards attributing the cards with inkblot type properties. These enabled the psychologist to form evaluative inferences about an individual's archetypal characteristics. The cards helped identify characteristics that represent the subconscious symbolic and pre-symbolic attributes that affect how they view themselves, others, and their environment.
However, most modern psychologists frown on the notion of using Tarot cards in therapeutic settings for archetypal analysis. These methods of archetypal analysis are relegated to the fringes of the clinical practices.
Unearthing the true origins of Tarot cards may never occur with empirical certainty. But, one thing is for certain these divinatory aids of the occult are certain to continue on through the ages as a mystical tool for ascertaining answers to questions on past, present, and future events.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/new-age-articles/tarot-reading-the-history-of-the-cards-261313.html
Frederick Gimino is the founder of Free Psychic Network Providing a free Tarot Reading oracle, online psychic oracles, and online Psychics giving live advice.
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Nick Dearden
We need to talk about aid
Millions of pounds of aid money will be poured into London’s financial companies to insure developing nations against floods and hurricanes, the UK government announced two weeks ago. The British tabloids responded with stories of City fat cats getting rich from our tax money. On the other side, charities defended aid, as always, as necessary for fighting extreme poverty.
It’s become so common that the script could be written in advance. The government announces a scheme aimed more at generating profits for British business than fighting poverty. Right-wing newspapers, campaigning to end aid spending, shed crocodile tears complaining that it isn’t targeted at “the poorest”. Charities, whose budgets increasingly depend on aid spending, counter that it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
Beneath these routine arguments, the public is never allowed to engage in a more complex debate. Aid could, if radically refashioned and, preferably, renamed, play a much-needed role in redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor of the world, just as taxation does domestically. But it’s always been too tempting for governments to use it to further the interests of the powerful instead.
Over the past 10 years, aid thinking has been captured by free-market ideologues whose outdated dogma tells them that making the rich even richer is the best way to also make the poor less poor. Based on the false idea that any economic growth is bound to trickle down to the poor eventually, aid is routinely offered to help the private sector (read multinational corporations) to thrive.
That’s why today UK aid is spent setting up private schools and hospitals in Africa and Asia, contracted out to well-heeled corporate consultants, thrown into financial markets to “invest” in upmarket shopping malls and hotels, and used to “convince” the governments of African countries to make life easier for Western agribusiness. Not to mention the use of aid to prop up the post-Brexit financial centre of London. Or to help to “persuade” governments they want to negotiate a trade deal with us.
Rather than allowing countries to design their own path out of poverty, free from dominance by Western powers, aid is used to force those counties into a predesigned path that suits the West just fine - dependent on the markets of rich countries, on international capital, on the whims of big business.
If aid is to have any useful future, we need to openly challenge its direction. After all, aid was originally pushed by well-meaning social justice campaigners who, in the 1960s, told industrialised governments it was their duty to redistribute some of their wealth to poorer countries, to help them to develop. In 1970, the UN passed a resolution that the amount to aim for was 0.7 percent of their gross national income.
Very few countries have reached the target, but a sustained public campaign saw the Labour Party sign up to vastly increase aid in office, and Britain finally reached the target in 2013. Of course, some of that aid is spent as it should be - building education, creating decently paid jobs, expanding access to medicine. But too much isn’t. A new report from Global Justice Now sets out a radically different vision of aid. It starts with the word itself. Aid conjures up images of a generous donor helping those who can’t help themselves.
But this is not what aid does. Aid is minuscule in comparison with the wealth which the industrialised world has pulled out of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Historically the West’s wealth is built on the resources of the developing world. Even today, the world extracts more wealth from Africa than it puts in - through tax-dodging multinationals, through unfair trade deals, through the impact of climate change.
Aid, if spent properly, is a small piece of compensation. And even if the slate was magically wiped clean, a civilised society always redistributes wealth from the rich to the poor, on the understanding that everyone deserves a decent standard of living with human rights.
But this isn’t really “aid”. It’s more like a global version of domestic taxation, which is how we should conceive of aid. Our welfare state is not a gift which the super-rich control, where they spend their taxes on their favourite pet projects. Neither should rich countries control aid. It should be made accountable to recipient countries themselves: governments and citizen movements in a democratic manner.
Taxation allowed us in Europe to transform our societies. Through public health services, public education, social housing, income support, old-aged provision, ordinary people no longer had their basic needs and rights dictated by the laws of the market. Today, aid should be used to create a national health service for the whole world, together with education, housing and basic income, as a public right. We should share not just money but also doctors, teachers and civil servants.
Educated, healthy societies would attract investment, which can be helpful providing it’s properly taxed and regulated. Aid could be used to assist in building the knowledge to do this rather than, as is now the case, used to bully and bribe countries into deregulating.
Rather than funding privatisation schemes, or so-called public-private partnerships, we should support public-public partnerships, allowing different levels of government to share control of important economic utilities - such as energy, telecommunications, and more. Ensuring that national industries aren’t only controlled by central government can help overcome issues of corruption and lack of accountability.
Rather than making life easier for agribusiness, we should establish a food sovereignty fund to make small farming, which is better for the environment and rural society, more viable. Land redistribution, cooperatives, access to local markets, marketing boards can all help remove the precariousness and vulnerability from farming.
This vision is not utopian. In fact, there are current examples to build on. A Dutch public water utility helping Mongolia’s capital to develop a modern, public water and sewage service. Funds to Zambia which are fed directly to more doctors and more teachers. A British programme to share NHS expertise and a UN programme to promote tax experts. Direct cash transfers to families so their children can go to school rather than work. Farmers teaching each other to improve productivity in an organic and sustainable manner.
These are the seeds of a better form of global wealth redistribution. If sufficient wealth was put behind such projects, and enough control given to the societies on the receiving end, poverty could be wiped out in a generation, and the world would become a much more democratic place.
If, on the other hand, we continue to pretend everything is OK and support aid uncritically, then any hint of social justice will disappear, and we will be left with a pot of money which is detrimental to the huge task of building a fairer world.
This article has been excerpted from: ‘We need to talk (honestly) about aid’ Courtesy: Aljazeera.com
More From Opinion
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Bilbo's Last Song
Bilbo's Last Song is a poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is sung by Bilbo Baggins at the Grey Havens as he is about to leave Middle-earth. Chronologically this places it at the very end of The Return of the King, the last volume of The Lord of the Rings, although it was written later than the books and never included in them.
[edit] History
It was originally a text without link with Bilbo's story, entitled Vestr um haf, but Tolkien changed it in October 1968. It was given by Tolkien as a gift to his secretary Joy Hill in 1968 after she discovered it in Tolkien's library.
After Tolkien's death in 1973, Hill showed the poem to Donald Swann, who liked the poem so much that he set it to music and included it in the second edition of The Road Goes Ever On in 1978.[1] The poem was also illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and published as a poster on 26 November 1974.
The song was included in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1981), with music by Stephen Oliver. The first verse is chanted by John Le Mesurier as Bilbo, the second omitted, and the third sung by a boy soprano.
In 1990 the text was finally published in book form by Unwin Hyman, re-illustrated by Baynes.[2] New editions appeared in 2002 (Hutchinson, hardcover),[3] and 2012 (Red Fox/Random House, paperback).[4]
In 1996 the song was recorded by the Dutch Tolkien Society band The Hobbitons, with permission from the Tolkien Estate, for their CD J.R.R. Tolkien's Songs from Middle-earth.[5]
The copyright of the poem was given by Tolkien to Hill together with the poem itself. Upon her death in 1991, Hill gave the copyright to the Order of the Holy Paraclete. Baynes's illustrations for Bilbo's Last Song were not included in the bequeathing to the Order, but were given the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford upon her death in 2008.[6]
Letter to Joy Hill (28 October 1971)
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Donald Swann, The Road Goes Ever On, "Bilbo's Last Song"
↑ "Bilbo's Last Song. 1990", TolkienBooks.net (accessed 29 October 2012)
↑ "Bilbo's Last Song", RandomHouse.co.uk (accessed 29 October 2012)
↑ "Our CD", The Hobbitons (via Internet Archive) (accessed 27 May 2014)
↑ Wayne G. Hammond, Christina Scull, "Bilbo's Last Song and the Order of the Holy Paraclete (message 25132)" dated 7 March 2014, Mailing list for the Mythopoeic Society (accessed 16 March 2014)
Retrieved from "http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Bilbo%27s_Last_Song"
Categories: Books by J.R.R. Tolkien | Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien | Poetry books | Publications by title
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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Community Development District
Q: What is a Community Development District?A: A Community Development District (“CDD” or “District”) is a special-purpose unit of local government established pursuant to and governed by Chapters 189 and 190, Florida Statutes. A CDD is a type of, and the most popular form of, Special District. Special Districts are similar to cities and counties, except that Special Districts are organizations of local special-purpose government rather than general-purpose government. A CDD’s special powers are generally limited to funding, installing, operating, and maintaining public infrastructure. Other forms of Special Districts include Water Control Districts, Housing Authority Districts, and Fire Control Districts. Chapter 189 of the Florida Statutes addresses Special Districts generally, while Chapter 190 is devoted specifically to CDDs. CDDs have become a popular form of special-purpose government in Florida and there are currently more than 500 throughout the state.
Q: What powers are CDDs permitted to exercise?
A: As special-purpose local governments, CDDs possess certain legal powers similar to those held by cities and counties. CDD powers include the right to enter into contracts, to acquire and dispose of real and personal property, to adopt rules and regulations, and to obtain funds. These funds are obtained either by borrowing, issuing bonds, or levying assessments and taxes. CDDs also have certain special powers relating to the provision of basic public improvements and community facilities, such as roads, bridges, and water management services. Finally, after obtaining the consent of the local general-purpose government, CDDs have the power to construct or acquire and operate other types of facilities, including recreational amenities, fire stations, and security guardhouses.
All District powers are exercised subject to the regulatory jurisdiction and permitting authority of all applicable governmental bodies, agencies and special districts that have jurisdiction over the CDD. Similarly, the creation of a CDD does not alter the requirement of obtaining the necessary government approval for any activities or construction within the District. By law, CDDs do not have zoning, permitting, or comprehensive planning powers.
Q: How are CDDs governed?
A: CDDs are governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors elected initially by District landowners on a one-acre, one-vote basis. For voting purposes, any fraction of an acre is rounded up to the next whole acre. The Board of Supervisors will select a District Manager who oversees the works of the district and is generally responsible for any maintenance or improvements undertaken by the District. The District Manager also formulates the District’s annual budget that is presented to the Board for approval. CDDs also typically retain the services of an attorney and engineer.
If the District is comprised of less than 5,000 acres of land, has 250 “qualified electors” (residents of the District registered to vote in the county in which the district land is located) living within its borders, and if six years have passed since the creation of the District, Supervisors will then be elected by the qualified electors residing within the boundaries of the District rather than the landowners. If the District is greater than 5,000 acres in size, landowners continue to elect the Board Supervisors until ten years have passed and at least 500 qualified electors reside in the District.
Q: Are there any regulations applicable to the Board of Supervisors?
Board meetings are governed by the open meetings law, and therefore must be noticed in a local newspaper and conducted in a public forum. Subject to the requirements of the public records law, CDDs must make District records available for public inspection during normal business hours. The Supervisors themselves are subject to the same financial disclosure requirements as other local elected officials.
The District is also required to submit its annual budget to the overarching local government which has the option to review and comment on it. By law, the Board of Supervisors must adhere to competitive bid requirements when entering into contracts for construction, maintenance, or professional services when the contract price will exceed certain statutory limits. These requirements, as well as the myriad of governmental reporting and auditing requirements imposed on CDDs by statute, ensure that CDDs are particularly visible and accessible in relation to other entities exercising responsibility over the development of community infrastructure.
Q: How is a CDD different than a Homeowners’ Association?
A: While other kinds of special districts and homeowners’ associations (“HOAs”) may address certain issues relevant to developments, none of them have the specific powers necessary to provide the infrastructure of a community in the manner contemplated by the legislature when CDDs were created. In addition to their inability to effectively finance major capital improvements, HOAs generally do not meet regulatory agency requirements for stable, perpetual entities for long-term infrastructure maintenance. Further, HOAs do not operate under the same open meeting, public records, and financial disclosure laws as CDDs. CDDs also have the ability to place annual assessments on the County tax roll, helping ensure funds for CDD activities are timely collected. CDDs can operate District facilities and perform the maintenance tasks traditionally completed by HOAs. HOAs, however, can perform one function that CDDs cannot, namely the general enforcement of deed restrictions and the exercise of architectural control.
Q: What are the non-ad valorem special assessments levied by CDDs?
A: Non-ad valorem special assessments are annual monetary assessments assigned to properties within a CDD based not upon the value of the property but rather upon the relative benefit the infrastructure and operations of the CDD provide to the property in proportion to the benefit received by the other tracts of land within the District. CDDs typically levy two types of non-ad valorem assessments: bond debt service special assessments and operations and maintenance (“O&M”) special assessments. Bond debt service special assessments amortize the bond debt assessed against each lot, parcel or acre for the public facilities and infrastructure acquired or constructed by the District. O&M special assessments fund the general annual operations and maintenance activities of the District. Bond debt service assessments are typically fixed (they stay the same from year-to-year) and usually have a 30-year term. Each year, the Board of Supervisors holds a public hearing to adopt its annual O&M budget.
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"Too sexy for my bus," woman told
A German bus driver threatened to throw a 20-year-old sales clerk off his bus in the southern town of Lindau because he said she was too sexy, a newspaper reported Monday.
"Suddenly he stopped the bus," the woman named Debora C. told Bild newspaper. "He opened the door and shouted at me 'Your cleavage is distracting me every time I look into my mirror and I can't concentrate on the traffic. If you don't sit somewhere else, I'm going to have to throw you off the bus.'"
The woman, pictured in Bild wearing her snug-fitting summer clothes with the plunging neckline, said she moved to another seat but was humiliated by the bus driver.
A spokesman for the bus company defended the driver. "The bus driver is allowed to do that and he did the right thing," the spokesman said. "A bus driver cannot be distracted because it's a danger to the safety of all the passengers." Link
Tags: Sexy, Bus driver, Debora C.
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Board index ‹ General Discussion ‹ Fun and Games
November Flash Challenge: The stories
Writing challenges, flash fiction, interesting anecdotes, amusements, and general miscellanea.
We have five tales of changes in the night for your enjoyment. Let us know which you liked most...
Poll ended at December 02, 2018, 01:44:14 AM
Last Night In Cancun
The Tale of Blue Raven
Taylor and the Sloth
My Old Were-ferret Plush...
November 18, 2018, 01:44:14 AM by Wormtongue
Tell us which of this month's five tales tickled you most...
By JonTrue
Ixchel’s long, thick, raven hair cascaded around Russel like a waterfall. He watched her every move trying to memorize her body and the passion that poured from it. When they met at the resort bar, he towered over her, but here, in bed, she was powerful. Ixchel knew precisely what she wanted and exactly how to take it. For a moment, he felt Heaven. The rest of the world could burn while he had THIS: the cool, clean, white hotel sheets underneath him and the fiery, Mayan woman on top. He caressed her hips lightly, desperate to remember the way she moved. She leaned over him, her teeth ran along his rippling, well-muscled chest. It felt so good; she couldn’t help but give him a little nibble, a bite, then before she could stop, it was too late. She tasted blood.
“It’s ok baby, don’t stop. I’ll be fine,” Russel said coaxing her to continue.
She crawled over to the lamp switch built into the wall beside the bed. The yellow light brought them both back from the brink of ecstasy. “Dios mío, forgive me.” Fresh blood pooled around the bite. Ixchel ran to grab one of the neatly-folded white towels from the rack beside the sink. Her hair came down to the back of her knees giving her a modicum of modesty even as she ran naked through the room. She knew it was too late, but she had to try.
“Come on back to bed. I promise, you feel so good I hardly noticed,” he said rolling onto his side.
“Pinche gringo! Nothing is ok. You’re about to die, and all you can think of is sex?” She ran the towel under some water and dabbed off his wound. Tears of self-loathing filled her eyes.
“What’s the matter? Look, it’s hardly a scratch.” The bleeding had all but stopped and he smiled lovingly into her eyes. It was far too early to tell her that he loved her, but he felt its sting.
“Don’t look at me like that. You don’t know me, the things I’ve done, the things I’m capable of.” Tears welled up and clung between her long eyelashes.
“That doesn’t matter to me, Ixchel. All that matters is what we make of the future. That can be us, together. We can see the world together. Come here baby, let me hold you.”
“You’re sweet, you big oaf, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know who… what… I am.”
“How bad can it possibly be? I mean, what are you, a spy for a drug cartel? I don’t care, you’ll be safe in The States. You’ll be protected. We can run away together, and never look back.”
“Shut up already! You’re saying all the right things. It’s only making it harder. You don’t know how long I’m going to have to live with your words. Hell… I don’t really know.”
Russell sat up against the simple black headboard. He was becoming concerned, and he wanted to hear every word she had to say, “Alright, you’ve got my attention. What’s going on?”
“How old do you think I am?” Ixchel, listening curiously, raised her thick, expressive eyebrows.
“You look early to mid-twenties, but if you’re asking me, that means you’re what? In your thirties? Listen, I don’t care. You’re beautiful no matter what your age is. Age is just a number, that’s what they say?” Russel winced and put a hand over his wound, shooting pain radiating from the bite mark.
“Russel! I hate you! Why are you so perfect?” She wiped away mournful teardrops and choked back the sorrow like she had done so many times before. Ixchel forced herself to regain some composure, she was a proud woman and this behavior was unbecoming. “I’m in my twenties — two hundred twenties. I was born in 1794 in the Olmec heartland — a couple hundred miles from here,” her face grew sullen and anguished. “White invaders came to my village under the guise of exploration and good-will, but all they brought was death by disease. As I lay dying, a creature came out of the jungle and killed every white man there. It was a jahuaro, or in English, were-jaguar. It saw me dying of smallpox and took pity. He bit me and made me a jahuara, bringing with it the blessing and curse of longevity.” She looked down, avoiding his eyes. She’d had this conversation many times before and knew the question he was about to ask before he asked it. She knew the false hope her words gave.
Russel whispered with relief, “That’s great, it will be you and me together forever. I mean, you can teach me how to control my bloodthirst or whatever, but I’m good with that. I never liked being a normal white boy anyway.” He beamed with confidence.
“I’m sorry to say, but it doesn’t work like that. You’re wonderful, mi amor, but el jahuaro is only compatible with the people of the Olmec heartland. The others suffer a worse fate. Look at yourself; it’s already happening. I’m so sorry.”
Gold and black spots spread across Russel’s body, some growing sparse patches of fur. Burning groans escaped his throat as the infection took over. Giant canines ripped through his cheeks, too large to allow further speech, the only communication left was that of pain. He fell over to his side and grasped his face as the sounds of snapping bones filled the room like popcorn. He was a broken creature, gasping his last breaths, wheezing on his own fluids.
She couldn’t be around for the next part: there would be too many questions. Russel’s lungs were about to explode, and yet, she couldn’t afford to be there for him during his last agonizing breath. She grabbed her clothes and dashed into the humid Yucatan night. Ixchel understood the futility of outrunning the past — more than most, but that night she tried nonetheless.
By Michelle Dutcher
It was almost dusk before the small band of Shawnee reached the trail’s sleep circle. The six boys, all having just entered manhood the past year, laid their rolled blankets and parched corn-bags – a long leather bag, trussed at their backs like a knapsack – on the ground around the stones before retrieving sticks and small branches from the surrounding woods to build a small fire. However, they kept their bows and arrows on their bodies, close at hand just in case they ran into trouble or found an animal they could kill to eat.
Eventually the oldest man in the group, Waiting Fish, produced his fire pouch, took out two hard stones, and striking them against each other, threw a spark into a small pile of tinder, blowing on the tiny flame until more firewood could be added.
After the fire caught, they all ate, and when their appetites were satiated, the boys and the two elders sat in a circle around the flames and began to talk about their journey.
“We have visited villages unknown to you before now,” started Waiting Fish. “We have taught you to spot marks on the trees that we use to find our way to our hunting grounds. Someday you will be warriors and will need to run these trails without hesitation.”
By now it was dark and, as they were camped in a clearing in a canyon, Waiting Fish asked them what they saw above them.
“I see a thousand campfires just like ours, the fires of our ancestors,” answered the young man furthest from the two elders.
“This is a true answer,” said Waiting Fish. “And soon our ancestors will be joined by our sister, the moon. Tomorrow she will be complete in all her glowing beauty, so we will not hunt, even though we are close to returning to our village.”
The young men looked at each other with amazement. “Why is this so, Waiting Fish? Surely if we take back a deer or a fox to our parents, they will be grateful for our skill and thoughtfulness.”
“I will tell you why we dare not hunt on the day when the moon is full.” He took a moment to reflect before he spoke again. “While my father’s father’s father lived there was a beautiful Shawnee maiden, a great chief’s daughter, who all the young men wanted to possess.” He looked around the circle of young faces and chuckled at the eagerness of young men to find lovers of their own. “But she was so sought after for her charm and her legacy that she grew worried that her future husband would not be able to see past her outward appearance enough to view her true soul.
“So Blue Raven told her troubles to the full moon – who answered the girl’s prayers as Sister Moon thought best. Each month, when the moon was full, the maiden was transformed into a beautiful doe so she could plunge herself into the forest and spy upon young warriors – like you – to see what they said about her.”
“What did she hear?” asked one young man quickly.
“Patience, patience!” said Running Stream, the other elder in the group.
Waiting Fish took another draw from his pipe. “As she went to one camp after another, camps like this one, she would hear the young men talk of girls they had conquered, girls they had deceived…and when those young warriors asked for her hand, she would tell her father what the boys had said and the chief would deny them his daughter.
“But eventually the young maiden met a young warrior named Shining Hawk and, as usually happens, she loved him. But as the moon grew fat and she knew that soon she would become a deer for one night, she worried about what he would say when he was alone with his friends around their campfires. She wondered if she really wanted to know – perhaps all men were cold-hearted when they were alone…but her heart still hoped…”
The elders both looked around the circle, trusting that their young protégées would see the importance of respecting the women around them. The boys each nodded when looked at, showing that they understood this part of the lesson.
Waiting Fish continued with his story. “When Blue Raven awoke that night as a deer and stepped into the moonlight of the forest, she immediately sought out the campfire of her true love. He sat with his friends, but when he talked about his love for the maiden, his voice was gentle and his thoughts were pure. Blue Raven loved him even more. However, as she turned to walk away from the camp, she stepped on a twig and the snap caused the young men to grab their arrows and bows, fearing the worse. When they saw it was a doe they quickly surrounded it, arrows drawn.
“’Wait!’ shouted Shining Hawk. ‘Look at the doe’s eyes. They are not the eyes of a deer – but rather the eyes of a thinking creature.’ He held out his hand and the doe came forward towards her love, nuzzling his hand with her nose. But another boy in the group, who was always filled with anger, released his arrow and the deer fell to the ground, dying.”
The group of young warriors all gasped at once.
“As the doe lay there, she put her head in her love’s lap and turned back into the maiden. As they looked at each other, they loved deeply enough to fill a lifetime. And then she was gone. This is why we treat all creatures with respect and do not hunt when the moon is full.”
“That’s a sad story,” said one boy.
“Perhaps, but see, there, the brightest of all the campfires, that is where she lives now, with Sister Moon still protecting her...and Shining Hawk brings her wood every night to build their fire, forever.”
By JP Harrin
Taylor saw a shadow moving above him to his left and ducked. Whatever it was it reeked. And it had fangs.
“Hey,” Taylor yelled. “Did you attempt to bite me?” He looked up, and all he saw was a sloth.
“Sorry, sir,” the sloth said, “but I had no choice. I was told if I bit someone I’d return to normal.”
“Huh?” Taylor perched on a log, confused.
“You see, I was bitten by a werewolf,” the sloth said. “I don’t know why. I think maybe he was blind.”
“And he told you you’d revert back to your normal self if you bit someone.”
“That’s correct.” The sloth shifted to the left, moving closer.
“On no you don’t,” Taylor said, holding up a hand as if it were a shield. “You stay right there.” Taylor moved down the log away from the sloth. “You know he was lying don’t you. Once bitten, you’re a werewolf, or I guess were-sloth in this case, forever.” Taylor chuckled, took out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. “That is a funny thought.”
“I don’t see anything funny about it at all, sir.”
“You don’t? You live in a tree. What are the odds someone would climb up and bite you.”
“Oh, I wasn’t in the tree. I’d come down to relieve myself.”
“Relieve yourself?”
“Well, of course. Did you think we just held it in forever?”
“I hadn’t given it any thought.”
“Well now you know.”
“Do you have a name?” Taylor asked and took a drag on the cigarette.
“Flash,” the sloth said.
Taylor laughed so hard he almost fell off the log.
“I know. I know. My mother was a hippy and a pot smoker,” the sloth said. “She gave all her kids strange names. My older sister’s name is Gazelle, and my younger brother is Jugs. Don’t ask. I have no idea why.” The sloth shook his head and sighed.
“You even shake your head slowly.” Taylor said and snorted.
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” The sloth looked around as if expecting someone.
“Do you come down from the tree for other reasons?”
“Nope. No need to. All the food I require is up here. Insects and carrion and small lizards. Lots of them.”
“So how often do you come down to...you know?”
“Once a week. It takes a little time to get to the right spot, go, and cover everything up.” The sloth looked at the ground. “You’re feet are on my spot right now.”
Taylor stood and hopped to the side. “You’re shitting me, right?”
“Interesting choice of words, but no, I’m not.”
Taylor scuffed his feet on the ground in an attempt to clean them off. He raised his left foot and checked the bottom. “Oh crap,” he said and pointed at the sloth. “You ruined a new pair of hiking shoes.” He scuffed them some more. “If I could sue you, I would.”
“Of course you would. Everyone does these days.” The sloth moved his head in small circles to relieve the tightness in his neck. “Since you’re going to sue me anyway, why not move a little closer so I can—.”
“No way, Jose. In fact, I’m going to move back a little,” Taylor said, taking a big step backwards. “Ouch,” he said. “What the—?” He bent over in pain. Hair covered his face and fangs sprouted over his bottom lip.
“I forgot to mention my wife, Miranda. She was only twenty feet away, but...well...you know. She’s slower than molasses. We’ve both been were-sloths since we were youngsters.”
“And you haven’t bitten anyone before me?”
“Oh, there have been lots. We see them coming up the trails, and Miranda gets into position. Sometimes she’s late, and we have to let the person go on.”
“But you said once you bite someone, you revert back.”
“Well, that was a bit of a lie. Actually, a big fat lie.” This time is was the sloth’s turn to chuckle. “I’m afraid you’re a werewolf for life now. Too bad. You look to be about twenty-five.”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Same difference,” the sloth said with a shrug.
“Well, Miranda and I need to get some sleep. And you need to head along the path to get home before dark.”
“Home? What home? I can’t go back there. My parents. My girlfriend. What am I going to tell them,” Taylor said, looking up as Miranda joined her husband hanging from a stout branch.
“Can’t help you there, pal,” the sloth said, “but it’s a long walk back down the hill. I’m sure you’ll think of something. And now, sir, it’s time to say good night.”
Taylor watched as the couple snuggled and closed their eyes. Within seconds, he heard the sloth snoring. He walked away wondering what his life was going to be like now. He didn’t know anything about werewolves. Or would he turn into a were-sloth? The idea sent a shiver down his spine and made him pick up his pace.
Re: November Flash Challenge: The stories
by Sergio ‘ente per ente’ Palumbo
Rajiv was surprised, he could not believe it! The scenery at the port of Adelaide itself was very different from anything he had ever seen in his hometown. With all those tall buildings, and the strange shape of the houses, he knew for certain that he was very far away from his native village in India. The 10-year-old dark-haired boy had never imagined before how Australia and its cities might look. But necessity had forced him to leave his country, bringing him here, where his uncle had been living since the 70s. In fact, his uncle himself had called the boy, offering to keep Rajiv safe in the small house he now owned in town.
The youngling knew this was a very good thing, especially since he had seen all of his family killed. Surely, here things would be very different. He only needed to get accustomed to new traditions, new laws and a new language. After all, he had no other choice but to blend in.
After the were-tigers had encroached into southern India making the jungles dangerous, the peasants weren’t safe anymore, unless they were rich and could pay for the protection of armed guards to have their houses defended. But Rajiv’s parents had never been rich and they couldn’t afford protection. Actually, no one in his native village could…
And then, there was his special situation. As the owner of a were-ferret, he needed to escape his country more than anyone else. All the bloody were-tigers were natural enemies of the smaller were-ferrets and they had been hunting them for food for centuries in other parts of the country. So, he knew they had to leave when the were-tigers overtook his village, for the good of them both.
As he kept walking, following the long line of immigrants that were getting off the ship, he had some fears about his new environment. Studying the faces of the people the boy saw around him, he could see that most of them came from Indonesia, arriving here in search of new opportunities. Only a few people were from India.
When they got to the customs offices they were ordered to follow different paths. He entered a special room because he was under-age and unaccompanied. The boy had all the documents he needed to demonstrate that he had the right to live here, as his elderly uncle had invited him to Australia to live with him.
But he became worried when the blond-haired officer looked down at him and asked, “What’s that plush-toy you have in your hands?”
“It’s my were-ferret plush, Sir,” Rajiv replied. “It’s like a sort of…teddy-bear, if I correctly use… the word in your language, Sir.”
“Aren’t you too old to have such a toy? How old are you?” asked the second officer in the room, a bald tall man.
“I’m almost eleven, Sir.”
“You know we have to search your plush, looking on the inside…to be certain you are not smuggling in drugs…”
‘Oh no!’ the boy thought. ‘They are going to hurt my plush! They obviously don’t know about were-ferrets, and can’t imagine what they might do if they feel in danger…’
“So what are you waiting for? Give me the toy.”
As the child stayed motionless, the officer grabbed the object out of the boy’s hands. Then he began opening part of it, looking at the inside.
As the search progressed, a darkened expression covered Rajiv’s face. He was worried, very worried…
Then a scream was heard, followed by a strange cry that sounded unearthly. This was precisely what the boy had feared.
It only took a moment. The first officer was quickly assaulted by something he only caught a glimpse of: some pointy teeth fiercely tearing his skin apart. And then, when he fell to the ground, lifeless, it was the other officer’s turn to go through the same suffering. They were both killed before they could even reach for a weapon. And then there was just silence.
When everything was over, the boy looked at the creature that stood on the floor, which was now much larger than the tiny plush he had held in his hands before. The fur that covered his body, now about five-feet tall, was brown and dark. Rajiv had been afraid that something like this might happen.
Most people didn’t know that such were-ferrets were real and had three different modes: the plush shape that they turned to in order to look unnoticed; the living ferret shape that resembled the common animal; and a were-ferret phase, used to attack when defending themselves…
His were-ferret had a much longer life-span than humans, and had been with his parents since they were young. It had become his property once the were-tigers killed his family. His unearthly pet had tried to protect them but the attackers were too many that day…
Were-ferrets didn’t like it when humans touched them, as those men had discovered.
Rajiv thought that it was good that no one else was inside the room. Then, he watched the creature transform back into its plush mode. It was quiet now, as if nothing had happened. Its eyes were clear and its face displayed a sort of sneer, or maybe it was just his boyish fancy that made him think this way…
When two other guards entered the room, one yelled, “What happened?” So Rajiv began to cry saying, “It was a man, he assaulted and killed your colleagues…blood everywhere…he escaped through that door…”
The two raced out of the room along the path the boy had indicated.
It was at that moment, as the men raced outside, that Rajiv stood up, took his small bags and the plush-toy and moved away. They had gotten to the south of the world, exactly where they needed to be. And now a new pleasant, safe life was starting for both of them…
By: Robin B. Lipinski
She was one sexy piece of female perfection. Tight black leather pants with studded bits of silver tokens she had added over the years as she had been on the road traveling. Her body was buff and strong. Her matching leather shirt revealing some mighty fine twin temptations… Along with the leather and looks were her voice; husky; tuned; full of vibrations to match the Harley she was astride, exhaust rumbling at a stop sign next to another biker.
“Nice ride bitch, wanna ride something you can’t handle?” Most bikers are nice to each other in a rather weird motorcycle-tribal ritual, the man passing insult to the lady was one of those Neanderthal types with no manners what-so-ever.
She just smiled and with a wink, reached below her right side and pulled out a sawed off shotgun and blew the offensive man’s head clear off in a red cloud of brain matter and mist. But, before the body and chopper could fall to the ground, she grabbed a little gold star off the mans shoulder and while she was pinning it on her shirt, the headless man and bike fell in a clatter.
Zooming off, the woman felt good. The roar of her motorcycle actually caused her to purr like a cat. Weaving in and out of traffic she pushed the machine to a speed where it garnered the attention of the State police.
With the siren wailing, she just laughed and increased her speed. Soon the police car was far behind and seeing that see was winning the race she let up off the throttle, pulled over to the side, and waited for the Trooper to catch up.
Behind her the spinning red and blue lights let the world know that someone was about to get a ticket, or maybe even arrested. The car pulling to the side of the road behind the speeder.
Walking up from behind, a State Trooper approached the motorcycle with caution. The officer was young and she was female. Actually, the officer was a very beautiful female with a badge that made the uniform proud.
“Ma’am, do you know how fast you were going?” The female Trooper asked.
“Yes. I was going at least 120mph, maybe 130.”
The Trooper said, “125. May I see your drivers license, registration, and insurance?” To which the black leathered troublemaker quickly produced.
“Please stay here while I check this out.” The Trooper returned to her car to run the information through the computer. As she was checking the license, she thought of the woman she had pulled over. Inside, she grew excited. Something about the voice, leather, bike, and all those tokens studding through the leather. Soon though, all the information checked out and the Trooper filled out the ticket.
Walking back to the motorcycle, the Trooper handed the speeder a ticket and a warning, “Please, keep the speed down. You endanger yourself and others with such speeds.”
“Will do Ma’am, you have a great day.” With that said, she kicked the Harley into gear and purred off down the highway, thinking about that Trooper and her body.
As the Trooper was filling the rest of her day of duty with routine traffic stops and patrol, she could not help but think about that beautiful biker she pulled over earlier in the day. Inside, her hormones were active and she fantasized about what it would be like to see her again, only this time, in more relaxed conditions.
Funny how fantasy and wants work, as the leather lady was also thinking about the Trooper. So, later that night, she went to visit the Trooper.
With a knock on the door, the biker stood waiting for the Trooper to open the door. When the door opened the Trooper saw a very handsome man standing at her door. His muscles bulging and his masculine smell overpowering the females senses of the Trooper.
As the door remained open, the Trooper asked the man, “Who are you?”
“Oh, I think you know…” and the man pushed his way inside where nature was soon about to run it’s course. But first, the man grabbed a little metal pin shaped like a unicorn off the Troopers table, quickly pinning it on his black leather shirt, while the Trooper giggled in the background.
My vote is in. Some interesting stuff here.
ente per ente
Joined: September 18, 2009, 05:02:54 AM
November 20, 2018, 09:20:21 AM by ente per ente
My vote is finally in...some very good entries also this month...eh,eh
Now I'm ready to be leaving for another good vacation...see you on this great Forum again after I'm back from wonderful Japan...eh,eh
Megawatts
Location: Johnstown, Pa.
November 21, 2018, 03:05:07 PM by Megawatts
Well, got my vote in. Couldn't write on this time---too much going on with family. Many stories were interesting and one I especially like above all!
Tesla Lives!!!
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Dulwich Picture Gallery celebrates Adriaen van de Velde
Art and auctions, Events, Paintings and Sculpture — By admin on October 12, 2016 at 8:09 PM
The beach at Scheveningen, 1658. Oil on canvas. © Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.
Dulwich Picture Gallery celebrates Adriaen van de Velde, master of landscape of the Dutch Golden Age
By James Brewer
He was the son of one of the greatest Dutch marine painters, and his older brother excelled in the same genre, but Adriaen van de Velde secured his own fame by ploughing a different furrow.
Adriaen devoted his marvellous facility with the paintbrush (and red, black and white chalk) to depicting the human figure and his country’s real and imagined landscapes.
While his contemporaries gloried in the Golden Age, a long period when the Dutch led the world in trading (with the powerful Dutch East India Company), shipping and shipbuilding, Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672) found his ideals and inspirations in the farmland and countryside a short distance from his home in the great port city of Amsterdam.
Figures in a deer park c 1665. Oil on panel. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,
the Edward and Sally Speelman Collection.
He may have thought that two superb marine painters in two generations were enough, but he must have benefited from their skills and savoir-faire. Soon in artistic terms, he became his own man – in fact, he became his own teenager as he displayed precocious talent.
Dulwich Picture Gallery has installed a tribute to this genius with its latest temporary exhibition (until January 15 2017) Adriaen van de Velde: Dutch Master of Landscape. This is essentially a transfer of the first major retrospective of his work at the Rijksmuseum from June to September 2016.
Adriaen loved the cloud colorations of the heavens. He would have appreciated the wide skies above the London suburb of Dulwich, a near-bucolic (apart from motor traffic) area of Greater London, which is helping revive his fame.
Bart Cornelis, curator.
Guest curator Bart Cornelis has done a hugely impressive job of piecing together from sketchy documentary evidence and artistic detective work a biography of van de Velde and his relations with other significant painters of the age. He maintains Dulwich’s admirable record of concise, legible and informative labelling and commentary.
Born into a family of seascape painters, Adriaen van de Velde was baptised in Amsterdam in November 1636. His father was the noted marine painter Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611-1693) and brother the equally renowned marine specialist Willem van de Velde the Younger (1663-1707). Adriaen, who almost certainly never travelled outside Holland, is in modern times less well known than his father and brother, both of whom spent the last years of their life in London.
Figures on the beach at Scheveningen, 1660. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust. C Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2015.
Willem the Elder had been born in Leiden, the son of a Flemish merchant and inland barge master, Willem Willemsz van de Velde. Making good use of his shipping heritage, he rose to become the official artist of the Dutch fleet and naval battles, but with Willem the Younger moved to London in 1672, coinciding with the period shortly after the death of Adriaen and a downturn in the Dutch economy. Willem the Younger was celebrated for marine and coastal scenes and the Wallace Collection in London has some of his works.
Adriaen was probably first taught by his father, but turned away from marine themes. Mr Cornelis says it is unclear where he received further training; some sources have said that he did, from Jan Wijnants, but the latter was only five years older. It is not usually clear who was influencing who in the artistic circles of the time, although Paulus Potter was certainly a role model, as van de Velde was ‘Potteresque’ in his clever depiction of cattle.
Herdsman and herdswoman with livestock by a stream. Pen in brown and black grey wash. Teylers Museum, Haarlem.
Adriaen, who can be considered a child prodigy, must have realised quite early that there were enough seascape painters on hand. Although in his images (such as The Beach at Scheveningen of 1658, oil on canvas, loaned by Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel) of vast spaces “just how they are” he is not too far from what his father and brother were doing, he went on to focus on both Dutch-style and Italianate views of appealing landscapes with peasants and better-off individuals content with their lot, and happily domesticated animals – one of the dogs even dozes off ahead of a hunt.
He collaborated occasionally with his brother by adding figures and animals to a beachscape. In subsequent works, the spotlight is firmly on the human figures, and by means of the angle he adopts, the sea is pushed to the background. In his early 20s Adriaen was showing superb mastery and was “almost 19th century in his sensibility,” according to Mr Cornelis, who is a former deputy editor of The Burlington Magazine.
In distancing himself from the great sea pictures produced by the family stable, Adriaen forged his career essaying all sorts of subjects, “but manages to make all these genres his own,” says Mr Cornelis.
He was such a good figure painter and draughtsman that other artists invited him to populate their landscapes with men and women and animals. It needs huge skill to integrate figures successfully into other people’s paintings.
Seated woman with basket. Red chalk. Private Collection.
Mr Cornelis says that Adriaen’s figures and animals “are almost palpable in their three-dimensional presence.” Such highly-regarded painters as Wijnants, Jacob van Ruisdael, Meindert Hobbema, Jan van der Heyden, Jan Hackaert, Philips Koninck and Frederick de Moucheron entrusted their pictures to him for vital additions. Among the resultant stand-outs is Dulwich Picture Gallery’s Two Churches and a Town Wall(1660s) by van der Heyden, which features in the new exhibition.
We are told that few 17th-century Dutch landscapists devoted so much time and energy as van de Velde to sketching from models in the studio. The exhibition has among the figure work sheet with Two Studies of a Reclining Shepherd (Rijksmuseum), “which in its elegance and exquisite use of red chalk prefigures the work of 18th-century French artists such as Antoine Watteau and François Boucher.”
In April 1657 van de Velde married Maria Ouderkerk in Amsterdam, where he probably remained for the rest of his life. She was Catholic and their children were all baptised in clandestine Catholic churches. He died at the age of 35 and was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.
For much of his short life he was regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 17th century, but he was unable to cash in on his reputation. In the 1660s he was doing rather poorly financially, and documents have survived about loans that needed to be repaid. He began to paint landscapes of the sort that took less time to complete than his earlier large works, so that he could offer them quickly for sale. Mr Cornelis writes in the catalogue that there is no evidence that, as some artists did, he was able to pay off his debts by transacting paintings, “but had he done so, his creditors would eventually have done very well out of them.”
His fame endured until the mid-20th century, when he fell out of fashion. In the 18th and 19th centuries he was one of the most sought-after names by rich collectors in Germany, France and England. His paintings became more expensive at auction than those of Rembrandt.
Dulwich and the Rijksmuseum have performed a first-class service in assembling 60 of his most accomplished works and preparatory studies, many of the latter in characteristic red chalk; the whole charting landmarks from his oeuvre of less than two decades. Displayed alongside the paintings, the finely-wrought studies offer a rare glimpse of a 17th-century landscape painter through all the creative phases of his work. There are few other instances of such insights having come down from that era.
Dulwich advertises Adriaen.
Mr Cornelis said: “We can, as it were, look over his shoulder to see how he composed his landscapes. It is exceptional to have so many of his examples where you can follow his work from the preliminary sketch to the worked-out sketch. It gives you such a rare glimpse of how exactly he went about his business.”
For the first time van de Velde’s painting of The Hut (from the Rijksmuseum) is displayed next to the studies that the artist made, such as Seated woman with basket and Resting cow with three sheep (both from Amsterdam Museum), and a drawing of the hut, from a private collection. Mr Cornelis says that these and other examples reveal van de Velde’s almost obsessive attention to detail and how he proceeded from a rough composition sketch in pen and ink to separate studies of animals and figures from life, often in the medium of red chalk and signed.
The exhibition opens with works from the artist’s early 20s, including The Beach at Scheveningen, in which the human activity stands out in the pure light of a summer’s day. In that work a man is staring out to sea – “the direction of his gaze suggests that he is looking out to a vast, endless space invisible to the beholder,” says the exhibition caption.
The curator said the mountainous scenery and Italianate character of some of his landscapes and drawn studies sprang from his imagination and were inspired by the work of fellow artists. Examples include thePastoral scene from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, and the preparatory composition drawing for this painting from the Morgan Library & Museum, New York. Especially in his later work van de Velde succeeded in incorporating the sun-drenched atmosphere of Italianate painters such as Karel Dujardin, but brought a refinement to his subjects rarely matched by his contemporaries.
The exhibition concludes with his larger paintings, notably the monumental Portrait of a Family in a Landscape (Rijksmuseum) which was long thought erroneously to refer to the family of van de Velde; andLandscape with cattle and figures (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge). Together these works show a Dutch Arcadia as it was imagined by this exceptionally refined artist, avers Mr Cornelis.
The show includes pen-and-ink drawings and watercolours that the organisers justifiably say stand alone as works of art in their own right. Look out for the overloaded river ferries, as in Landscape with livestock crossing a river (Teylers Museum, Harlem), which is done with brush and watercolour, completed by framing lines in pen and dark brown ink.
Mr Cornelis curated the exhibition in collaboration with Marijn Schapelhouman, senior curator of drawings at the Rijksmuseum.
Works can be seen from institutions including the Royal Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, the Morgan Library & Museum, New York, Musée du Louvre, Paris, and the National Gallery, London.
Mr Cornelis said: “This exhibition provides an opportunity for the public to get to know the work of one of those exceptionally gifted and refined artists of the Dutch Golden Age who has more recently slipped through the net of history but who deserves to be rediscovered as the great painter and draughtsman that he is.”
Adriaen van de Velde: Dutch Master of Landscape runs until January 15 2017 at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Rd, Southwark SE21.
Tags: Adriaen van de Velde, Dulwich Picture Gallery
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