text:
Author: St Margarets
Story: Lee Jordan: Tour Guide
Part: 1: Worlds Collide
Rating: Teens
Setting: Pre-HBP
Status: Completed
Reviews: 25
Words: 6,014
Updated: April 2, 2005, 5:55pm
Chapter Navigation: Previous Next
1: Worlds Collide
A/N: Lee Jordan is one of JKR's minor characters who needed to have his story told. So here it is! A warning: Lee and friends are of age in this story. There are references to drinking and sexual activity – although I think those scenes are relatively mild compared to other fan fiction stories out there. I will give fair warning about individual chapters should the need arise.
A huge thanks to Julu who has been the best writing buddy ever. And another huge thanks to wokka42 who is the editor of The Journal of Magical Physics. He talked me through a lot of the "science of magic." His e-mails have been invaluable sources of information and encouragement. And my undying gratitude to betas Jo Wickaninnish and Sherry for patiently fixing the same mistakes I make over and over again.
The bright blue September sky was a dazzling contrast to the white marble façade of the Gate Gallery for Magical Art. High above the imposing columned structure, statues of the nine muses sang, danced and recited for the crowd below.
George Weasley was watching them with a frown. "Explain to me again, why we are spending a perfectly fine Sunday afternoon in this queue?"
"We're here to see this dream woman of Lee's, remember?" Fred turned to Lee. "She's the goddess of the gift shop – right?"
Lee tore his gaze away from the smiling muse, Thalia, his favorite. "Her name is Amy Smith. And she's no dream – we've been going out for two months now. And I want you to meet her."
"Why can't you just bring her 'round the shop sometime?" George asked impatiently, standing on his tiptoes to see over the crowd to the entrance. "Why do we have to go to this kind of trouble?"
"All women are worth some trouble," Lee answered dreamily. He rarely saw Amy except for late nights after being out with their respective friends or during their lunch breaks. Lucky for him, the Quidditch Museum, where he tour-guided, was right across the street from the gallery.
"Is that the fateful fountain?" Fred asked, pointing to the round fountain in the middle of the small square between the museums and the music hall.
"Where I met Amy," Lee affirmed. "She was eating a peach. And the juice kept dripping off of her lips –"
"So you offered to lick it off," George continued. "Very sporting of you, Lee."
"– And altruistic, since you don't like peaches," Fred added.
"I like peaches just fine – and you don't have to make it sound tawdry."
"I like tawdry – it's better than sappy and sentimental –"
"Soon you will reach the Lockhartian heights of believing your own story."
"I'm telling you," Lee said impatiently. "It was love at first sight."
"Lee, you always think you're in love. It never lasts. Remember the Beauxbatons' girls?"
"First it was Michelle –"
"Then Antoinette –"
"Right," Fred said frowning in concentration. "I remember her – was she before or after Charlotte?"
Lee smiled, remembering his wonderful sixth year. "She was after Marie."
"Ah," Fred and George said in unison.
"What?" Lee asked, trying to be annoyed but not succeeding. There was no denying that he had been in and out of love a lot that year.
"Just be a git like the rest of us and admit you're attracted to her."
George shook his head. "And if the attraction is mutual – well, you're a lucky dog, Lee."
"This is different…." Lee trailed off. The attraction certainly was mutual. But since he wasn't about to describe the intense physical nature of this romance, he realized that there wasn't much left to tell about his relationship with Amy.
He frowned. Sometimes he wished that he and Amy did more together besides going to her flat in the dead of night. It was almost like she didn't want to be seen with him. He quickly pushed that thought away. He was going to meet her parents tonight. He had been invited to their home for dinner. Today he was going to put the Amy part of his life together with the Fred and George part. They were his oldest friends – his mates, he thought fondly, and he wanted all of his important people to know each other.
The crowd moved forward and now they were on the first of the many steps leading to the double-door entrance.
"So, why are all these other people here?" George asked. "Lee's love life might be interesting to us –"
"But not to all of London."
"Oh! There's a showing of Gervase's paintings. They brought his famous painting, Out of Depths, from Paris for the first time in fifty years."
Fred and George stared at him.
"Don't you remember from History of Magic? Dumbledore's battle with Grindelwald?"
"Lee, we don't have your super powers with women or the ability to stay awake in the most boring class ever invented."
Lee groaned. "History is all about stories – important ones. If we had had a decent teacher –"
"Save it, Lee." George waved him away. "We left Hogwarts months ago."
Fred narrowed his eyes. "So, how do you know this painting is here?"
Lee shifted uncomfortably. "I had to take the tour last week, remember? Mr. Mann wanted me to learn proper guiding etiquette so he sent me over here for the tour."
"Mann still getting you down?" George asked with a smile.
"Don't laugh," Lee said, the cold chill starting to spread in his stomach whenever he thought of his boss at the Quidditch museum. "I'm on probation."
"Probation!" Fred eyes opened in alarm. "What did you do?"
Lee kicked against the edge of the next step and didn't look up. "I sort of argued with a patron about brooms."
"Brooms." He could hear the amusement in Fred's voice.
"Yeah – I ended up telling him that a Shooting Star was the best for planetary expeditions." He looked up and grinned. "Like Uranus."
Fred and George roared. "Did the git even understand what you were saying?"
Lee laughed – he couldn't help it – it had felt so good to tell that smug, overdressed wizard off. "Not at first. It was only when his children started to giggle that he noticed."
"You basically told a patron to stick it in front of his children?" George chortled. "Why weren't you sacked on the spot?"
"His mother-in-law, a lovely lady by the way, stuck up for me."
"Saved by the patented Jordan charm." George shook his head admiringly. "What is it with you anyway, Lee? Why do all the ladies – young and old – like you?"
"George always thought it was the hair, but now that you had to shave it off for your job –"
"We can't explain it –"
"I know," Fred said, batting his eyelashes, "it's the dark, exotic eyes."
"No, it's the smile," George said, clutching his heart. "The dazzling white smile that says, 'there is no one for me but you.'"
"Except for –"
"Michelle –"
"Marie –"
"Charlotte –"
"That's enough," Lee said, laughing.
"East meets west in Lee Jordan," Fred said, "You'd be a perfect specimen if you just had freckles, Lee."
"Please," George said, looking stricken, "you can't do that to the female population – since Lee has only managed to be 'in love' with one at a time."
"True." Fred nodded.
"Enough! Look, even if everything you say is true," Lee began.
Fred and George continued to swoon, whispering in high voices, "It is true."
"It doesn't help me at work does it?" He sighed. Lee acknowledged that he could talk his way out of a lot, yet that ability didn't do him a bit of good with his boss. Mr. Mann, like Lee's father, was serious about his work – but Mr. Mann, unlike his father, didn't like Lee one bit. This job wasn't turning out the way he thought it would.
"Cheer up, Lee. Soon you'll see the goddess herself."
"And a bunch of boring paintings."
They were now close enough to be in the deep shadow cast by the building. The air was noticeably chilly in the shade. Autumn was truly on its way.
"You won't find them boring," Lee promised. "They're not like Hogwarts portraits where everyone is wearing robes."
"I should hope The Fat Lady is wearing robes," Fred said with a shudder. "She's not here is she?"
"Maybe a younger version," Lee said, laughing again. It was good to be talking about Hogwarts – hanging around with Fred and George. They had been so busy with their business lately that Lee had had hardly seen them all summer. Lee had a feeling there were other things going on their lives but he knew better than to ask. Fred and George would let him know when they were ready. Somehow Lee thought it had something to do with Dumbledore and the war going on now.
He sighed again without realizing it. When had he left Hogwarts and that hag Umbridge behind, he had thought all of his worries were over. All he had to do was report to work each day and party with his mates at night. Nothing had been further from the truth. He mentally shook himself – no use wishing things were different. "So, how is my original dream girl?"
"Angelina is training hard for Quidditch trials. She has one this week with the Kenmore Kestrals and next week with the Holyrod Harpies," Fred answered.
"What's Alicia going to do for a roommate if Angelina is on the road with a Quidditch team?" Lee asked.
"Holly's back, didn't you know, Lee?" George piped up. "She's the third roommate."
"Holly Kirke?" Lee was incredulous. Andrew, her younger brother, hadn't told him that Holly was planning on returning to England after her art course was completed at Beauxbatons.
"Yeah," George shrugged. "She's going to work at St. Mungo's."
Lee frowned. "Why would someone with an art course work at St. Mungo's?"
"Something about art therapy with children. It fits, doesn't it? You know how she was always trying to analyze you."
"Lee Jordan," Fred said, lightly punching him in the arm, "Holly's first mental patient. I think she needs to work on your delusions of being in love."
Lee shoved him back. "I don't need to be cured. Love isn't an affliction you know."
"Sure it is – symptoms are a swollen –"
"I'm not listening!" Lee cut him off.
"I talked to Holly on the Floo. France was good to Holly, it was," George said, thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll ask her out."
"And maybe the Cannons will take the cup," Fred scoffed. "Besides, she always liked Lee."
"All the girls liked Lee," George said, rolling his eyes.
"Look, she was my alphabetical order friend," Lee said, "Lee Jordan and then Holly Kirke. At first we were always paired up in class and then it became a habit."
Fred and George were wearing identical smirks.
"We're just friends," Lee said. "Holly usually disapproved of me, don't you remember?"
"Sometimes – but you were the only who could make her laugh – really laugh. She thought we were too cruel in our practical jokes," Fred reminded him. He turned to George. "What was the phrase again?"
"Malicious, exhibitionist behavior bordering on the sadistic."
"Right." Fred turned back to Lee. "What did she always say about you?"
"An exhibitionist with latent narcissistic tendencies," George answered before Lee could open his mouth. Then he added helpfully, "I think that means you were a prat like the rest of us in fifth year."
Lee bristled. "See what I mean? She didn't like me."
"But she did – you were friends despite your 'tendencies.'"
It was true, Lee realized. Holly had been a great partner in the classroom, and in her quiet way, a friend. But she had left Hogwarts after taking her OWLs. Lee hadn't had much of a chance to miss her his sixth year, since that was the year of the Triwizard Tournament when all the Beauxbatons girls had arrived and he discovered that he liked girls as much as they liked him….
"Finally! At the door," George observed.
"Who's paying?" Fred asked, looking at the ticket window through the open doors.
"Free passes." Lee held up the tickets. "And you didn't think any perks came with my job."
Fred raised his eyebrows. "Impressive – I can't wait until you can get us in to the Chamber music concert."
"Catch up on my sleep," George added.
Lee could tell they were relieved about not paying. Fred and George were never cheap, so it made him wonder how well the shop was doing. Then he dismissed that thought. Fred and George were probably cash-short at the moment. Sometimes supplies cost more than they anticipated, and it often took a while for them to recoup their initial investment on a new invention.
"Lee," Fred asked in a would-be-casual voice, "do you reckon you could come by the shop tomorrow evening? We found an entrance to the London Underground in the basement of the shop. And we like to –"
"You know – explore," George cut in. "But we don't want to get lost down there and since you know it so well, we thought you could help us find our magical waste bin."
"Sure," Lee said, nodding. "Did you Vanish something you can't get back?"
"Sort of. We saw some of the bins down there, but the numbers didn't correspond to the address. We didn't see ninety-three."
Lee grinned. "Probably because Dad uses Arithmancy to assign numbers to all of the bins. You probably have a twelve in your number since nine and three add up to twelve. But beyond that it's anyone's guess."
"I reckon anyone in Vanishing Management has to find ways to make it exciting."
"It is exciting," Lee replied, thinking of the days he had spent with his father reducing magical waste far under the streets of magical and Muggle London. "The animals that roam around there aren't the friendliest – and then you have to watch out for Dark Magic residue. Plus if you ever got lost or strayed off the path – down the abyss you go."
"Mind your step," George recited.
They were inside the vestibule of the gallery now. Through a glass partition they could see the gift shop everyone had to pass through on their way out. The small shop was jammed with t-shirts depicting various reproductions of famous paintings, glossy art books, and the usual mugs, magnets, and postcards every museum tried to sell.
"There she is!" Lee said excitedly.
Amy was in profile, her silvery-blonde hair gleaming in the artificial light, her voluptuous figure enhanced by the clinging pink robes she was wearing. Lee watched as she languidly waved her wand over a pile of merchandise for a harassed wizard with two children hanging on each arm.
"The goddess," George said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"What do you think?" Lee asked, surprising himself. He had never asked his friends their opinion of a girl before.
"Lovely as a picture," George said heartily.
"And just as lively," Fred said under his breath.
"What do you mean?" Lee turned sharply to confront him.
"Nothing," George answered hastily. Lee didn't miss the sharp glance George threw at Fred.
They didn't like her – at first glance they didn't like her. Lee knew that as well as he knew his own name. Suddenly, he felt a tremor of fear. Amy was not going to like Fred and George, either. But it was too late to back out. They were wearing the thin metal badges that proved they had purchased a ticket and they were being assigned to a tour guide, nattily dressed in navy blue with a crisp flag that said group A.
Fred and George dawdled in the back of the group, not paying attention to the guide at all. Lee was trying to listen to see if this guide was sticking to the script that Lee had heard last week, but Fred and George's impatient sighs and the dirty looks from the tour guide were too distracting.
As the group moved out of the first room full of ornate vases, cauldrons, wands and apothecary jars, Lee nudged Fred and indicated another exit. They sidled over to the side door and found themselves in a long hallway full of armor.
"Do you know your way out?" George asked in relief.
"Of course Lee knows his way out – he's never got us lost yet."
"Nose of a bloodhound, our Lee."
"I want to see the Gervase painting, and then we'll go," Lee answered, leading them through an arched passageway lined with tapestries commemorating wizards and their familiars. The cats, dogs, snakes and birds all hissed and barked and hooted as they sped by.
They skidded on the highly polished floor to hide from another group. "Just like school," George said, looking the happiest he had all afternoon, as he peeked around a corner.
"Here it is," Lee announced, pointing to a dark, paneled door. "We'll just try to blend in with what ever group is in there." Then he glanced at the Weasley's bright red hair and laughed.
"That's us – totally inconspicuous." Fred grinned.
Lee felt his spirits rising. This is what he had missed – the clowning around and petty rule breaking that they had taken for granted all during their years at Hogwarts. He slowly pulled the long brass door handle down so that the mechanism released the latch silently.
The Gervase painting dominated one wall in shades of black, white and gray-green. Luckily the room was empty except for a witch in soft green robes staring at the painting. Her back was to them, but Lee would know that fluffy light-brown hair that ended at the nape of her neck, and that quizzical slant of her head anywhere. "Holly?"
Holly whirled around and stared with round eyes. "Lee?" she asked weakly. Then she glanced behind him. "And Fred and George." She looked back at Lee. "You're in an art gallery."
"And they say Ravenclaws are the smart ones," Fred said, rushing forward to give her an exuberant bear hug.
Smiling, she hugged him back and then asked George, "You're not putting mustaches on all of the portraits or anything are you?"
"Holly, you haven't seen us in the flesh in two years and the first thing you do is accuse us of juvenile pranks," Fred reproached her.
"Oh, I see," she said. "You've graduated to adult pranks. What's on today's agenda – cat burglary?"
"I don't know why they always said you were the quiet and sweet one," George commented, "when it's really Lee here who is shy and retiring." George had doubled-back to propel Lee forward from the middle of the room where he had stopped in surprise at seeing Holly again.
"Lee." Holly folded her arms in front of herself.
Lee didn't make a move to hug her. It didn't feel right for some reason. Probably since he had never hugged her in the five years he had known her – not even after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch cup their fifth year.
"You changed your hair," she finally said after looking him over.
"Do you like it, Holly?" Fred asked, standing on tiptoe to rub Lee's head. "They scalped him for his job at the Quidditch Museum. After we dried our eyes, we pasted a lock in our scrapbook."
She took her time answering, while she regarded him seriously. "You've lost that look of…whimsy," she said, almost to herself.
Fred and George were laughing maniacally. Holly blushed at their teasing. "No, I mean you look so much older," she said in an apologetic tone. "Like you're in the army or something."
"Lee's a lover, not a fighter," George said gleefully.
"George – " Lee started to protest.
"I remember," Holly said flatly, a curiously closed expression on her face. She stopped looking at Lee. "So what are you blokes doing here?"
"Lee is obsessed with the girl in the gift shop," Fred answered.
For some reason, Lee didn't want to talk about Amy to Holly. It was worlds colliding and it didn't feel right.
"So, what do you know about this painting? Did you study it at Beauxbatons?" Lee asked, all in a rush.
She cocked her head and regarded him a moment before answering, as if she was determining if he really was serious about the painting. This was something she used to do often, Lee remembered. She was always so cautious about answering a serious question from him – but then she would eventually forget herself and start talking. Lee could never understand why she did that.
"We didn't study it at Beauxbatons – it was too controversial."
Lee nodded. "I remember – Professor Binns said it was because of the mystery surrounding Grindelwald's defeat and the secrecy of the painter."
"Professor Binns? Did you take NEWT level History of Magic?"
"I did. There were only three of us by the end."
She grinned, showing her almost-dimples.. "Three live ones?"
He had forgotten about those quirky dimples. "Two live ones, I stand corrected."
Fred and George were getting restless. "Holly, this painting makes no sense. It looks like a bunch of squares and triangles with heads stuck in them."
"And some only have one eye and their arms and legs are all wonky – like they were splinched or something."
"And why is there a spear at the top?"
"And why are there silver fish?"
Holly laughed. "This is the cubist style of painting, so the artist is interested in the geometry of shapes behind the natural forms."
Fred looked disgruntled at this explanation. "Pictures should look like what they're supposed to be."
Her eyes danced, but she answered his objections seriously, "The painting is highly symbolic and isn't meant to just represent the actual event of Dumbledore defeating Grindelwald. It's called Out of the Depths to remind us of the battles of good and evil going on inside of each of us."
"Oh, no – a moral to the story," George groaned.
"That patch of white," she said, pointing her wand to the upper left corner, "represents Albus Dumbledore. White standing for Albus and for good."
"Where's Grindelwald, then? There's black all over."
"If you back up and squint, you can see the shape of a huge monster – obviously Grindelwald was a man, but his darkness was pretty pervasive."
"Why does it look like it is underwater?"
"That's the rumor," Lee piped up before Holly could say anything. "That the battle was underwater – but not just any water, the water that lies under the London Underground."
"There's no water under the London Underground – is there, Lee?"
"Could be – Dad's never descended that far – but there are shafts and passageways that go farther down than he thinks is safe."
"Wow, that's why we need you, Lee."
"The spear," Holly continued, "is how Gervase signed his paintings, since that is what his name means.
"But there's a rumor that the spear has other meanings," Lee added, staring at the faces contorted in agony and the disembodied arms flapping feebly.
"Right," Holly said. "Same with the fish. They're Ramora, as near as we can tell."
"Ramora?" George asked, his voice alive with interest. "Do you think there are Ramora in the London Underground?"
Holly frowned at him. "It's thought to be symbolic. And I wouldn't bring your fishing pole – they are a protected species by International Statue."
"The Ramora," Fred said, looking longingly at the silver fish swimming in the bottom right of the painting. "The things we could do with their magical properties," he murmured.
"Get that out of your heads, you lot," Holly said warningly, glaring at all of them.
"Now, Holly, don't lump Lee in with us. He has his own fish to fry, so to speak," Fred said with a wink. He nudged George and the two of them went closer to the painting, leaving Lee and Holly to talk alone.
Holly turned to Lee. "You don't help them with the shop?"
Lee shrugged. "They started before I left Hogwarts. Surely your brother wrote you about their historic exit?"
Holly laughed. "Andrew thought it was cool. Angelina was fit to be tied. Raged on and on that they had ruined their futures. Although I don't think she was as angry as the time they got themselves banned from Quidditch."
"That wasn't their fault, you know!" Lee said angrily. "That Umbridge hag –"
"I know!" Holly said quickly. "I didn't mean to sound like that – you all had a terrible year."
"It was the worst," Lee said quietly. Holly was watching him with sympathetic eyes. "I didn't realize how evil people could be." He looked at the black and gray painting again and thought with a chill how it captured the atmosphere of despair at Hogwarts his last year. The claustrophobic session in Umbridge's office when she had made him write lines until his hand bled was seared somewhere in his psyche. He wondered how people ever put that sort of abuse behind them….
But there had been some bright shiny moments, he thought as the flickering silver of the Ramoras caught his eye.
He shook himself and forced a smile. "But Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup – without Harry and without Fred and George – your brother was over the moon."
Holly smiled. "He was – especially since he had done so poorly in the other matches. I still don't know if he's lived down the humiliation of that Hufflepuff knocking him off of his broom."
"He did all right since he was only a third year," Lee said. "Look at Ron, he had a hard time having the confidence to play Keeper and he was in his fifth year.
"I don't know if confidence was Andrew's problem as much as distraction."
"What distracted him – the crowd?"
Holly laughed. "Ginny Weasley. Andrew fancied her – you know, the exciting older woman."
"He fancied Ginny?" Lee laughed too. Poor kid. "Well, he's going to have to pine some more this year because Fred and George told me that she's going out with Harry now."
"She is?" Holly's eyes glowed. "Oh, that's really nice. I never thought of putting them together – I mean they were just kids when I left Hogwarts. But I'm glad – I heard about all the things they were doing to Harry in the papers and everything."
"Yeah." Lee could feel again the hot indignation of reading the Daily Prophet and knowing it was all lies. How people could believe such rubbish –
"If you would step over here, Ladies and Gentlemen." The loud voice of a tour guide cut into Lee's thoughts. "You will see some early sketches Gervase did of the Merpeople whilst researching his masterpiece."
Holly froze and stared at Lee. "Another group," she whispered.
Lee looked around. "Where are Fred and George?"
"Probably rearranging the placards or something," Holly said. "We're going to be in trouble for straying from our groups."
"That's right," Lee said, heading for the door opposite the voice. "You're doing a little rule-breaking of your own."
Holly hurried to keep up with his long strides. "I wanted a bit more time to study the painting."
They were in a long, dim corridor with many closed doors. "I know where we are," Lee said.
"You do? I always get turned around in buildings like this."
"I remember." Lee couldn't count the times he had shown her how to reach the astronomy tower without going down the wrong corridor.
They found Fred and George in a circular room lined with paintings of the Greek gods and goddesses. Aphrodite was in her famous half shell, but today she was dressed in a red sequined g-string with matching pasties.
"What did you do to that painting?" Holly asked, shocked.
Fred glanced at her flushed face, unconcerned. "Don't women know that a bit of mystery is more appealing than showing it all?"
Aphrodite was giggling and trying to rotate the tassels on her pasties.
Holly's mouth dropped open in horror at this sacrilege. Then she covered her eyes with her hand. "The point of that painting is not to seduce the viewer, but to celebrate the birth of beauty," she muttered.
"I'm officially seduced," George declared, watching Aphrodite's gyrations.
"Do something, Lee," Holly said in a tight voice, as if she had a headache.
Lee laughed and with a flick of his wand, removed the red sequins, so that Aphrodite was again clothed in the pastel foam of the ocean. The painting looked down and sighed.
"Most fun than she's had in a few hundred years," Fred protested.
"Come on," Holly said, going out the wrong door.
"This way," Lee called.
They made their way through several centuries of art, having all the more fun since Fred and George kept them amused with their version of the tour. As they minced and pointed and made up long, convoluted explanations, Holly gave up trying to correct them – even though Lee wanted to hear what she had to say about some of the pieces the tour guide had glossed over during his previous visit.
"Hello, what is this?" Fred said when they encountered a large white statue of a nude man and woman embracing and kissing passionately.
"I think it's self-explanatory, son," George said. "It's obviously this artist's version of The Talk."
"But they're not talking," Fred said innocently.
George stepped closer and looked between the writhing pair. "They might as well be talking. They don't have any naughty bits."
The male statue broke off the kiss and said, "Do you mind?"
"Tough luck, mate," George said with a grin.
"Holly," Fred said with mock seriousness, "why don't they have any naughty bits?"
"Yeah," George chimed in, "inquiring minds want to know."
Lee wondered how Holly was going to handle this. Two years ago she would have blushed and flounced off in confusion.
"Structural integrity," Holly answered. While her cheeks were pink, she didn't seem flustered at all. "See – there is more support in the middle of the piece to allow the lines of their legs." She traced the limbs with her wands.
"Oh – I thought it was another lesson in good and evil," Fred said with a grin.
"Well, it's called Paolo and Francesca and the story goes that they were overcome with passion after reading a book."
"Some book."
"What happened to them?"
"Her husband killed them both," Holly said cheerfully.
George nodded in approval. "Now there is a cautionary tale."
The torches flickered and then dimmed.
"Is it six o'clock already?" Lee exclaimed in horror. He was due at Amy's parent's house in a half an hour.
"Looks like the gallery is closing up," Fred remarked, lighting his wand. "We'd better get out of here before they let the three-headed dog loose."
"Or the security trolls."
"Which way, Lee?"
Lee led them quickly to the front entrance, which was shut tight. The gift shop was dark and shuttered as well. Amy had left before he had a chance to introduce her to his friends. But in a way he was relieved, too.
"Think we'll set anything off if we try to leave through the doors?"
"Probably," George answered, flicking his badge from the tour group at the doors. It bounced back.
"Looks like we're Apparating then," Fred said briskly. "Should we meet at the Apparition point in the square?"
"Sounds good," said Lee.
"Um –" Holly began.
"I'm not really sure." She clasped her hands tightly. "I mean, I just passed my Apparition test at the Ministry – but I don't have a very good sense of direction and I've never been to this Apparition point before, so I can't picture it in my mind."
"Sure you can," George said. "It's just down the front stairs on the other side of the fountain. There's a fancy iron pole with a white sign that has a big black A on it."
Holly looked at Lee nervously. He knew that look. It was the same 'help me' expression she got whenever she had to cut up a frog in Potions or prune a crying plant in Herbology. Lee smiled. His 'help me' look came when Professor Vector would call on him in Arithmancy and Holly would feed him the answers.
"How about I go first?" Lee said to her. "You picture what George just told you and then you picture me there. You don't have to know how to get someplace to Apparate – just where you want to end up."
"You want to end up right on Lee's feet, Holly," Fred advised.
"Okay," Holly said.
Lee Disapparated without further ado. He didn't have long to wait before he heard a pop and then Holly appeared right in front of him, treading on his foot. For a brief moment her soft hair tickled his nose.
"I did it!" she said with a broad smile. Then she leaped back when she realized she was stepping on his foot. "Sorry."
"It's okay – you don't weigh that much," he said, smiling back. "Let's get out of the Apparition area – Fred and George aren't that accurate.
They heard identical cracks and then the twins joined them. "I suppose we should walk you to your flat, Holly," George said.
"That would be nice, since I Floo'd here, and I'm not quite sure how to get home from here."
"I know," Fred said. "Let's see if Angelina and Alicia want to go to The Club tonight. There's no entry fee on Sundays."
"The Club?" Holly asked, looking interested.
"It's a dance club – there's The Club and The Other Club. The Other Club is a bit more posh though."
"That's the name – The Club?"
"Yup – how 'bout it?"
"Oh, that sounds like fun," Holly answered to Lee's surprise. "I love to dance."
Lee loved to dance too – and he didn't know that about Holly. She must have danced a lot at Beauxbatons. All the Beauxbatons girls who visited Hogwarts had been fantastic dancers.
"Great – let's do it," Fred said. "Lee, are you coming too?"
Holly was watching him expectantly, like she wanted him to come along. "I can't," he replied reluctantly. "I have that dinner thing to go to tonight."
"Right," Fred said. "After you meet the in-laws – bring the goddess along – we'll be at The Club for a while."
"I'll see," Lee said, knowing Amy would never agree to an outing with his friends –especially if it was at The Club. She once said that she only went to The Other Club.
Holly was starting to wander away with George.
"Right – see you lot later," Lee said jauntily.
"Tomorrow after work, Lee," Fred reminded him.
"Right. Er – bye, Holly. It was good to see you again."
She didn't turn around but she answered, "Bye, Lee."
He watched them walk into the shadows and then reappear when they reached the next street lamp. Holly's hair shone gold under the soft gaslight. He had dozens of questions he wanted to ask her – about her new job, how her mother was, how she liked Beauxbatons compared to Hogwarts.
Sighing, he turned toward the Apparition point, wondering why he suddenly felt so…. He searched his mind for the right word. 'Bereft' wasn't right. Neither was 'depressed.' 'Shaken' – that was it. His grin was rueful as he listened to the echoing sound of his own footsteps on the pavement. No wonder he felt shaken – his worlds had indeed collided today.
Now that he had put a word to the emotion, he found it easy to thrust it away. He squared his shoulders and focused his mind on Disapparating. He had a dinner party to attend.
Chapter Navigation: Previous Next


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text:
10 February, 2012
4 comments:
- Esch House Quilts said...
What a fun way to be reminded of your Baba.
- February 10, 2012 at 10:52 AM
- CitricSugar said...
Pretty cool.
Growing up in SK, there was no shortage of Babas to look after children and their friends. What takes the cake is when I lived in Russia and babushkas would accost you in the street for not wearing a hat/scarf/mittens/coat, haul you back into the room you just left in the museum because you hadn't appreciated a work of art enough, and rescue you on a mini-bus when your pidgin language skills left you unable to tell the driver where you wanted let off. Then when you thanked her, she'd scold you for drinking a fountain pop when you should be drinking milk to be healthy. I love each and every one of them.
- February 10, 2012 at 5:01 PM
- Suzanne said...
I love these anecdotes about your Baba.
- February 12, 2012 at 7:10 AM
- roxi said...
Thanks for sharing Cheryl. They brought back great memories of my Baba! (Vilna, Alberta) She was always telling everyone they were "too skinny" too! I am now a Baba & proud of the name handed down to me.
- February 12, 2012 at 7:05 PM


text: Psst! Yeah, you. Can you keep a secret? OK, here it goes….my house is a mess! I mean, no matter how much I try to move the newspapers into the recycling bin, the toys into their bins, the laundry into the dressers, I just can't keep up. And since I work from home, I feel guilty that our home isn't as tidy as it could be. Barbara Reich must know just how I feel. Her just-released book, Secrets of an Organized Mom, speaks to me in a way that doesn't make me feel so terrible about my chaotic household. Instead it leaves me with practical tips that don't require a fancy smancy organizing system–just some common sense. Reich's how-to book breaks down the otherwise arduous [&hellip


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10 February 2006 12:45
Swimming in syrup is as easy as waterby zboog
It's a question that has taxed generations of the finest minds in physics: do humans swim slower in syrup than in water? And since you ask, the answer's no. Scientists have filled a swimming pool with a syrupy mixture and proved it.
1 (1 marks)


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LEE, RUSSELL WERNER (1903–1986). Russell Werner Lee, photographer, son of Burton and Adeline (Werner) Lee, was born in Ottawa, Illinois, on July 21, 1903. His parents were divorced when he was five, and his mother was killed in an accident when he was ten. He attended Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana, and graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in chemical engineering. Marriage in 1927 to Doris Emrick, a talented painter who later achieved considerable success under her married name, Doris Lee, brought him in contact with the world of serious art, in which he began photography. The Great Depression provided him the opportunity to develop his unique documentary style. From 1931 to 1936 Lee spent summers in the Woodstock Art Colony. He studied painting at the Art Students League in New York before he bought his first camera in 1935 for use as a drawing aid.
Lee was best known for his photographs taken for the United States Farm Security Administration between 1936 and 1942. Probably that agency's most prolific photographer, he was described by Roy Stryker, director of the photographic project, as a "taxonomist with a camera" because he dissected the visual aspects of any social situation in which he found himself. His use of direct flash allowed him to take relatively candid and very detailed interior shots. This became his trademark during his years with the FSA. Lee's social-documentary photographs were used by the agency to explain its work to the general public and to record the environment in which it worked.
His first marriage ended in divorce in 1938. In 1939 he married Jean Smith, a journalist from Dallas, who often traveled with him and wrote captions for his photographs and short essays on social scenes that Lee captured. Neither of his marriages produced children. His years with the FSA were followed by war service in the Air Transport Command. During World War II he flew more than a million miles and photographed the approaches to every airfield used by the ATC in its worldwide effort to supply United States and Allied troops. The photographs were used in pilot briefings and were considered of utmost importance for inexperienced pilots approaching unfamiliar airfields on radio silence. For his distinguished service Lee received the Air Medal.
After the war the Lees moved to Austin, where Lee remained active as a photographer. He was a friend of such prominent Texans as J. Frank Dobie and Ralph Yarborough. In 1946 and 1947 he conducted an intensive photographic survey of coal-mining regions of the United States for the United States Department of the Interior. Under the direction of Rear Admiral Joel T. Boone, he made more than 4,000 photographs of living and working conditions among miners, many of which were published in A Medical Survey of the Bituminous Coal Industry in 1947 and helped to bring about changes in work rules and health requirements in the mining industry. In addition to his government work, Lee took assignments from the Standard Oil Company and Fortune during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also spent considerable time photographing political and social situations in Texas; he made, for instance, a large series on Spanish-speaking people, a series on mental institutions, and many photographs of political events. He and Jean also taught short seminars in photojournalism at the University of Missouri during this time, thus helping to establish one of the most successful programs in photojournalism in the country.
In 1960 Lee visited Italy to photograph at the behest of University of Texas professor of classics William Arrowsmith. There he took about 4,000 photographs, a number of which were used in Arrowsmith's "The Image of Italy," published in the Texas Quarterly (September 1961). In 1965 the University of Texas asked Lee to give a one-man exhibition in the art department; subsequently, the university asked him to establish a photography program in the department. From 1965 to 1973 Lee taught photography at UT and influenced several hundred students.
His photographs were widely exhibited throughout his career. Solo exhibitions of his work were organized by the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery at the University of Texas in Austin (1965, 1987); the Tolson Institute, Lexington, Kentucky (1978); the International Museum of Photography, Rochester, New York (1979); and the Amarillo Art Center (1986). Collections of his work are housed in the Library of Congress and the National Archives in Washington, the University of Louisville in Kentucky, and the Barker Texas History Center in Austin. Examples of his work are included in the collections of the Amarillo Art Center; the Amon Carter Museum of Art, Fort Worth; the Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Rice University Art Collection, Houston; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the San Antonio Museum Association; the Museum of Modern Art, New York City; and the International Museum of Photography, Rochester, New York.
After his retirement in 1973, Lee and his wife lived quietly in Austin, working with students and scholars who were interested in photography. He died on August 28, 1986.
Austin American-Statesman, August 29, 1986. Gregory Curtis, "Making the Best of It," Texas Monthly, September 1976. F. Jack Hurley, Russell Lee: Photographer (Dobbs Ferry, New York: Morgan and Morgan, 1978). Russell Lee, FSA Photographs of Chamisal and Penasco, New Mexico (Santa Fe: Ancient City Press, 1985). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, F. Jack Hurley, "LEE, RUSSELL WERNER," accessed August 09, 2020, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fle71.
Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Modified on November 12, 2019. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Call for Papers: Texas Center for Working-Class Studies
Events, Symposia, and Workshops
Hi all! You may be interested in this call for papers I received from the Texas Center for Working-Class Studies at Collin College...
Katy Jennings' Ride
Scholarly Research Request
I'm doing research on Catherine Jennings Lockwood, specifically the incident known as "Katy Jennings' Ride." Her father was Gordon C. Jennings, the oldest man to die at the Alamo...
Texas Constitution of 1836 Co-Author- Elisha Pease?
Ask a Historian
The TSHA profile of Elisha Marshall Pease states that he wrote part of the Texas Constitution although he was only a 24 year-old assistant secretary (not elected). I cannot find any other mention of this authorship work by Pease in other credible research about the credited Constution authors...


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Product Description
Former All Sons & Daughters member David Leonard follows his solo debut The Wait with this re-imagined version of songs from the album. The Wait: Silence The Noise features intimate acoustic renditions of "By My Side," "Wanderer," "Signs Of Life," and more.
More Product Information
- Publisher: Integrity Music
- Release Date: August 16, 2019
- Format: Compact Disc
- Language: English
- Binding: Compact Disc
About the Author
David LeonardArkansas native and Tennessee resident David Leonard has been playing, singing, writing and recording music since college when he and friends formed the band Jackson Waters. He later performed with NEEDTOBREATHE before a season of recording as one-half of the critically-acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-nominated duo All Sons & Daughters.
David is a Dove Award-winning producer (Confio/Jaci Velasquez) and creative partner in The Creak Music (Ben & Noelle Kilgore, JJ Heller, Brandon Heath, All Sons & Daughters) located in downtown Franklin. He is also a Dove and Covenant Award-nominated songwriter whose credits include "Great Are You Lord," "Christ Be All Around," "All The Poor and Powerless" and "God Who Moves The Mountains." David released his first solo album, The Wait, in March 2019.


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Seven years after winning an Oscar for his screenplay for "Sideways," Alexander Payne has finally returned, with yet another tale of a middle-aged man in crisis who takes to the road in an effort to set things right.
"The Descendants" stars George Clooney as Matt King, the sole trustee of 25,000 acres of virgin Hawaiian paradise, which his relatives are itching to sell. But he's got far bigger problems, as he's just learned that his wife, who's in a coma, had been having an affair. Desperate for help taking care of his younger daughter, Scottie, he brings home his older daughter, Alexandra, who has a history of acting out. There is no shortage of drama in the life of the King.
Payne gets off to a shaky start with a long bit of narrative exposition, and just when you think you're finally about to witness a drama being played out--as opposed to read to you--you're subjected to a positively wooden and inorganic monologue that's really just more narration posing as dialogue. Things get better, but the improvement isn't marked enough to grab you.
Unfortunately, Clooney simply isn't convincing as a man back on his heels trying to get his bearings. Even in films where he's beset by trouble on all sides—think "Michael Clayton" or "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"—Clooney is inherently a fighter, a man who leans forward, not back. Payne has enjoyed great success with lead actors like Matthew Broderick in "Election" and Paul Giamatti in "Sideways," a pair of men who slide into world-weary and downtrodden with ease—but Clooney is a bad fit for Payne's gestalt.
And Payne fails to establish any connection between Clooney and his family's land, or Hawaii in general, until the eleventh hour. And even then, it's expressed mainly in narration (yes, more narration), as he discusses his family's 150-year history on the islands. But for the first 80 minutes, his Hawaiian shirt collection is the only indication of his affection for the place. Payne doesn't seem to have much affinity for the place, either, as almost all of his characters outside of Matt's immediate family seem to be slow-witted, bordering on flat-out stupid.
Only Shailene Woodley as Alexandra distinguishes herself, brandishing the type of disdain that only a daughter can feel for her father. She's a snarling, resentful and sarcastic monster, whose main problem with her father is that he's too stupid to see he's being cuckolded.
It's clear why Payne and Clooney were drawn to "The Descendants" and its tale of family legacies and they ways in which they are handed down and often taken for granted. But Clooney is miscast, and Payne's arc and dialogue feel too uneven to be believable or engaging.
"The Descendants" opens in limited release on Nov. 16


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The CCO asked and the Faithful responded with 818 votes. In the closest poll conducted in the nearly six years of ChicagoCubsOnline, 212 thought Mike Quade's team will win between 86-90 games this season ... and 210 see the Cubs finishing at or near the .500 mark....
Community Views
Given the day off by my employer, I decided to get ahead of myself and start on a few feature articles for the report. I found myself hitting a brick wall in trying to find the motivation to write articles on the minor league managers and coaches. Looking for inspiration, or perhaps just stalling for time, I switched on my DVR. Scrolling through the programs, I found that I recorded a broadcast of the movie Eight Men Out. I hadn't seen the movie since it was released on VHS (now I'm showing my age), so it was pretty fresh to me.
For those not familiar with the movie, it's based on the 1963 Eliot Asinof novel of the same name. It concerns the 1919 Chicago White Sox, and their conspiracy to "throw" the World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox agreed with gamblers to allow the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series. The player's motivation was believed unfair treatment by White Sox owner, Charles Comiskey. The frugal ...
We do not need another older player to play second base or anywhere else .
Please, please, please Jim Hendry do not bring the New York Mets retread to Chicago.
The Cubs system is full of second basemen we do not need anymore veterans to mudding up the works. Let the kids play
Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times sent the CCO an article on the 15 worst endings ever to regular-season games.
Merkle's Boner is #2 and Jaffe pointed out the infamous game happened 90 years prior to the day of the Brant Brown game.
After almost a four-month hiatus, the CCO's Community Blog is back ... and ready for posts. Due to the changes on the main page, the community blog had to be taken down.
The commenting system on the community blog is the same as on the front-page, Disquis, so you can post comments the same way. But in order to create your own blog post, you must sign into MT and create an account ... if you do not have one from before Disquis was added to the main page..
Please click here to create your account on the CCO to post your thoughts on the Cubs. All previous accounts have been restored with the same passwords and user names.
The end of yet another dismal season on the north side has brought about a number of questions for this franchise. Since 2003, Cub fans have seen management continue to patch and paste while chasing an elusive championship. With new ownership, the time may be right to move in another direction.
Sound familiar?
In 1981, the Cubs ended 60 years of ownership by the Wrigley family when they were purchased by the Tribune Company. Among the company's holdings included the Chicago Tribune newspaper, WGN television (the Cubs television outlet), and WGN radio (their radio outlet). The Tribune Company wasted no time in hiring Philadelphia Phillies Manager and former front office executive Dallas Green as their new General Manager. Together, they announced that they were "Building a New Tradition" for the Cubs.
But before looking at how Green changed the culture of the Cubs, let's take a brief look back at some of their former General Managers....
As bad as the Cubs defense looked last year why would they want more defensive woes with Dunn in our line up? If I recall correctly we have a player that was suppose to be able to hit 40 home runs a year when we signed Soriano. I don't think we need another bad defensive outfielder just because hit "may or may not" hit home runs. I'll give you the fact that Soriano did improve his defense last year but he still made some pretty lame attempts at catching a few fly balls hit to left. If we do acquire Adam Dunn I believe he should be made a first baseman. There are plenty of examples of outfielders making the transition from outfield to first, Pulhos comes to mind. By the end of the year the Cubs defense did show improvement. Young Castro didn't make as many errors as he did when first arriving and the defense was in fact better under Mike Quadi than under Pinalla. Weather Lou just didn't care anymore or was truly puzzled by the effort being shown by the players and was unable to co ...
Author's Note: This is the second in a series of articles dealing with player development. The first: Seconds from Stardom - The Tragic Tale of Richard Lewis, addressed the timing in which to promote young players. This article focuses on a team strategy for development. The last will look at long range planning. I hope you will find them interesting and informative.
The scene plays over and over again in a diehard Cubs fan's mind, like some recurring nightmare. It was October 14, in game 6 of the National League Championship. The Cubs were leading the series 3 games to 2. It was one out in the 8th inning, with starter Mark Prior pitching a 3 hit shutout. Luis Castillo hits a pop fly that is drifting foul toward left field. As outfielder Moises Alou streaked over to make the play, the crowd, including a bespectacled fan in a green sweatshirt and Cubs cap, rose to its feet. As Alou reached over into the stands ...
Hit the pause button! For those of you who believe in c ...
With the recent talk of playing time and call-ups of minor league prospects, its time to take a look back at one of the best examples of poor judgment by Cubs management.
Richard Lewis was a second baseman who, along with left handed pitcher Andy Pratt, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Juan Cruz and Steve Smyth prior to the 2004 season. Cruz was a part of the Cubs young pitching staff, which included Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, and Joe Borowski. Cruz was a set up man, but was held in high regard as a future starter or closer.
Lewis was also a well regarded prospect who batted .404 in the 2003 Arizona Fall League. He was assigned to the Cubs AA team at West Tennessee. He went on to hit .329 in 99 games. He had 47 extra base hits, including 10 Home Runs, and, more importantly, a .995 fielding percentage. At the All-Star break that year, Cubs GM Jim Hendry told a Chicago radio audience that outfield prospect Felix Pie and Lewis would be "t ...
John Dillinger was a bank robber, a murderer, and a Cubs fan.
He was Public Enemy #1--so hounded and hunted by the FBI that he underwent drastic plastic surgery to change his appearance. The surgery left him disfigured, but didn't do a very good job of disguising his appearance.
Other bank robbers and gangsters tended to lay low while they were "on the lam," but die-hard Cubs fan Dillinger couldn't stay away from Wrigley Field. In the weeks before he was shot, June and July of 1934, Dillinger attended several games. He went to see them on June 8th, and he went again on June 26th. He was convinced his new face was fooling everyone.
At that June 26th game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, a fan in the stands (Robert Volk from Crown Point) couldn't keep his eyes off the man sitting two seats away from him. There was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Was it possible? Was that...no, it couldn't be. It looked like it could have be ...


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Black velvet baby cakes
Nutrition and extra info
- Freeze cakes only
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal587
- fat41g
- saturates21g
- carbs52g
- sugars36g
- fibre2g
- protein5g
- salt0.59g
- 100g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 175g light brown soft sugar
Honey and syrups made from concentrated fruit juice were the earliest known sweeteners. Today,…
- 1 egg
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 100g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-…
- 5 tbsp cocoa, plus a little extra for decorating
- 150ml Guinness
For the cream
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 6 dariole moulds with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, egg, flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate, cocoa and Guinness in a mixing bowl. Beat together until lump-free. Divide between the tins then bake for 20-25 mins until risen and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool for 15 mins, then remove from tins and cool completely – the same way up they baked, don't turn upside-down.
Whip cream with the icing sugar and splash of Champagne, if using, until thick. Spoon a dollop onto the top of each cake and dust with a touch of cocoa. Serve with glasses of Champagne or Black Velvets for pudding.


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COLUMBUS -- A lawmaker panel signed off on biennial transportation plans Wednesday, setting up what could be a lengthy floor debate in the Ohio House.
Two of the biggest points of contention concerned toll rates on the Ohio Turnpike and road and bridge commitments in northern Ohio.
The House finance committee OK'd two-year spending plans for the Ohio Department of Transportation and several other state agencies that are separate from the larger $63 billion-plus state budget expected to be finalized by midyear.
The committee also gave its approval to legislation that would leverage billions of dollars for road projects statewide using future toll revenues from the Ohio Turnpike.
The bills were moved on mostly party-line votes, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposing.
The legislation is expected to be considered on the floor of the House today, where the bills likely will be passed and forwarded to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
The turnpike bill solidifies a plan outlined late last year by Gov. John Kasich and calling
for the state to borrow about $1.5 billion, via bonding against future tolls, and hope to leverage another $1.5 billion in local and federal funding.
The administration has said that more than 90 percent of new bond money would go to roadwork in the northern third of the state. Tolls would be frozen for regular users of the turnpike who travel shorter distances.
But language on the spending and toll goals was not included in the legislation OK'd by the House finance committee Wednesday.
Administration officials say including such provisions could hurt future road and bridge projects.
But Democrats say not including the language in the legislation amounts to a broken promise by the governor.
"Without assurances that the money will be spent in northern Ohio or that our fuel tax won't be diverted to others parts of the state, this is double taxation on northern Ohioans," said Rep. Kathleen Clyde, a Democrat from Kent. "They're going to have to pay their tolls when they travel on the turnpike and their motor fuel tax with no assurance that that money will go to their communities, like that turnpike money is required to be used now."
Rep. Mike Foley, a Democrat from the Cleveland area, added, "This seems to me to be taking an independent, good running piece of infrastructure and changing it to a political football for a reelection campaign in 2014. That really disturbs me."
Rep. Ron Amstutz, a Republican from Wooster and chairman of the House finance committee, called the turnpike plan a "conservative proposal."
"I think we've seen a good recommendation that has been well vetted and has been presented in ways that I think are reasonable...," he said.
Rep. Ross McGregor, a Republican from Springfield and primary sponsor of the turnpike legislation, added, "I have not heard from one citizen of northern Ohio (opposed to the bill). ... I think (lawmakers opposing the legislation are) manufacturing a problem that doesn't exist."
Democrats offered a number of amendments during Wednesday's finance committee hearing. All failed, though minority party members likely will offer comparable amendments during the floor debate on the legislation.
Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.


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The President - Wolfgang Maassen
Resident in Schwalmtal, Germany
President since 2005, re-elected 2013 in Essen (Germany)
Editor-in-chief of "philatelie" (monthly stamp journal of the German Philatelic Association – BDPh), APHV-Magazin (stamp journal of the German Philatelic Dealers Association – APHV), The Philatelic Journalist (AIJP) and Publisher of PHILA HISTORICA, a cost free digitally published special interest paper on www.philahistorica.de (quarterly with about 250 pages each).
Author of numerous philatelic books, amongst others the guidebooks "Ratgeber für Briefmarkensammler" and many research studies about philatelic history.
RDP; fellow der Royal Philatelic Society, London; member of the Académie Européenne de Philatélie (AEP); president of the Consilium Philatelicum.


text:
Thanks for the visual resources and feedback, I'll see if I can work with this style. I've also been looking for ways to make the rendering more efficient, so I should be able to improve the rendering quality if that pans out.
Also, feel free to use this stuff however you want.
As for what samples are:
For the most part, raytracing is a method of rendering that produces an image by simulating individual randomized paths of light en masse. Each "sample" is one photon for every pixel in the image, with multiple samples being averaged together to create the appearance of a consistent surface. Fewer samples results in erratic shading, producing the grainy effect in this image (its like trying to create a population demographic map by only studying a few people per area)


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The correct answer is Lalo Schifrin!
Best known for his "Mission: Impossible" theme song, Lalo Schifrin is an Argentinean-born composer, arranger, pianist, and conductor, whose jazz and classical training earned him tremendous success as a soundtrack composer. Born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires on June 21, 1932, his father was a symphonic violinist, and he began playing piano at age six. He enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire in 1952, hitting the jazz scene by night. After returning to Buenos Aires, Schifrin formed a 16-piece jazz orchestra, which helped him meet Dizzy Gillespie in 1956. Schifrin offered to write Gillespie an extended suite, completing the five-movement Gillespiana in 1958; the same year, he became an arranger for Xavier Cugat. In 1960, he moved to New York City and joined Gillespie's quintet, which recorded "Gillespiana" to much general acclaim. Schifrin became Gillespie's musical director until 1962, contributing another suite in "The New Continent"; he subsequently departed to concentrate on his writing. He also recorded as a leader, most often in Latin jazz and bossa nova settings, and accepted his first film-scoring assignment in 1963 (for Rhino!). Schifrin moved to Hollywood late that year, scoring major successes with his indelible themes to Mission: Impossible and Mannix. Over the next decade, Schifrin would score films like The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry, and Enter the Dragon. As a jazzer, he wrote the well-received "Jazz Mass" suite in 1965, and delved into stylish jazz-funk with 1975's CTI album Black Widow. Schifrin continued his film work all the way through the '90s; during that decade, he recorded a series of orchestral jazz albums called Jazz Meets the Symphony, and became the principal arranger for the Three Tenors, which complemented his now-dominant interest in composing classical music.
– Steve Huey, for the All Music Guide to Jazz
Schifrin performs the Mission Impossible theme
Play another Jazz History Quiz!


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Fred, why cant you just respect other people?I started this topic and should be respected when I statethat I only want advice from people that are doing architectural / interior photography for a living.You have bombarded almost every topic on LuLa with your anti-MFD and pro DSLR posting.That is mainly why I wrote "I only want advice from photographers who are doing this kind of work or has done it in the past"...........
I have a D800E and I know it is a fantastic camera.It probably could be the only camera I need to satisfy my clients.But it is NOT the only camera system to satisfy me.I know you get this.Or else you wouldnt shoot with Fuji GX680 and 8x10 Capish??
5. Stitching works really well on an internet forum. On a shoot, particularly when there is exposure and focus bracketing, it can be more difficult.
Willowdid you ever take a look at the HCam or FPS ?The concept offers unprecedented wideangle with nearly none of the problems that view camera/Frames have with real WA lenses of Schneider or Rodenstock.means : 80 Mpix with up to 126,3 degrees of image angle(17mm TS-E), movements and no LCC at all needed.The 24mm TSE will deliver 108,9 degrees with available movements of up to 8mm /no LCC/ no Centerfilter/ and significantly lower lens price.About all of our customers do intense work on car interiors, architecture and other stuff that needs this extreme wideangle.see e.g. here http://www.hcam.de/downloads/digit0411_riess.pdf campaign for Agip photographed with HCam B1 and 17mm TSEMore infos here: http://hartblei.de/en/hartbleicam1.htmRegardsStefan
Hi Thomasthis was answered in Detail here:http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=75282.0see also herehttp://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=75245.0RegardsStefan
I apologize if I have contributed to that, but having made my living at this since 1978 and taught AP at two universities with opportunities to use and test a broad range of equipment in both a teaching environment and for clients, I feel an obligation to share my real life experiences on questions like these.


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"It's so much fun to be bad."
Recent gossip blog headlines might make this the least surprising statement ever uttered by Ryan Phillippe. But all kidding aside, Phillippe is, of course, talking about his on-screen behavior in "The Lincoln Lawyer."
"I don't know what this says about me, but it's so much fun to play the villain," Phillippe tells PopcornBiz. "When you're the protagonist or the hero of a movie, there are rules. You need to keep the audience on your side, you have to be conscious of the way that character will be perceived. With a bad guy all that goes out the window. There's so much license, and in fact your aim is to not be liked. It's a lot of fun."
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Phillippe's encountered his share of privileged, entitled and dark-edged types that, like his character, prowl dangerously through the fringes of Hollywood.
"You see those personalities around this town," he says. "A lot of times it's rich kids whose parents enable them and their behaviors – these kids have developed a sense of entitlement and arrogance and the belief that they can get away with anything, literally."
It's not a lifestyle he can relate to, he says. "I have in my career a couple of times been cast as a person of privilege, and I grew up lower middle class," he explains. "My parents struggled to pay the bills. For some reason, I get thought of for roles like this. But it is interesting for me to get into that psyche. Maybe there was part of me that was envious or jealous of that growing up. I like trying to see it from that side."
And while he has no shortage of starring roles ahead, Phillippe's also got a nice backup plan in place: "I'm an investor in Craig's, the hottest restaurant in town right now," he says. "There was one Thursday in particular where Don Rickles and Bob Newhart were eating together, and in another booth was Scarlett Johansson."
"It's so far from what I do, and I'm really curious about it, just to see the changes and getting input from the patrons," he adds. "What we'd ideally like, obviously, is for it to become a Hollywood institution, for it to last as long as something like Chasen's or Morton's did."


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The Toronto International Film Festival, which wraps up its 10-day run on Sept. 18, screens about 300 feature films. I have seen every single one of them. At least it feels that way sometimes.
Actually, I've seen 20 thus far – that's about three a day. The films come from 65 countries ranging from Albania to Argentina, but the festival's big liftoff is its long opening weekend when Hollywood showcases its upcoming wares – the movie equivalent of Paris's fall fashion preview. For film journalists, this is a chance to get a leg up on a lot of big-ticket items and, like it or not, be part of the buzz-athon leading up to the Oscars.
Last year, for example, I saw "The King's Speech" in Toronto. We all know where that went. I can safely say that this year Alexander Payne's smoothly enjoyable The Descendants, starring George Clooney as a harried father in Hawaii, will be in the running for an Oscar. I can also safely say that the Madonna-directed W.E., starring Andrea Riseborough as Wallis Simpson, will not be. At least that's what I've been told. Dear reader, Madonna's directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom," gave me zero incentive to subtract 114 minutes of my life for her latest venture.
That doesn't mean I could avoid all the Madonna hoopla at the festival. Apparently, in what is being billed as Hydrangea-gate, a fan presented her with a hydrangea on the red carpet and was rebuffed because the diva prefers roses. Additionally, Madonna's camp denies the report that, before her press conference, eight volunteers were told to turn and stand facing the wall so she could walk down the hallway without them looking at her.
Clooney, on the other hand, who was also represented at the festival in the entertaining if hardly groundbreaking politics-is-a-dirty-business drama The Ides of March, which he also directed, plays up to his public with smiley, goofy aplomb – unless he is asked about his personal life, which always prompts his standard curt reply: "Next."
The first film I caught in Toronto, Werner Herzog's documentary Into the Abyss, about death row inmates in Texas, was not exactly an upper – except that it's a very good film, and good films are always a lift. With his unmistakably dolorous voice, almost verging on self-parody, Herzog spoke with the audience after the public screening and revealed that making the movie prompted him to take up smoking again after quitting for years. This is also what happened to him in 2005 when he made the bear-mauling documentary "Grizzly Man." He plans more documentaries about capital punishment (which he opposes), so a smoke-free future seems unlikely.
David Cronenberg is a Canadian favorite son, but his new movie, A Dangerous Method, starring Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud and Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung, is a disappointingly stodgy talkfest. That casting is certainly offbeat, though. If I were promoting the film, I'd go with something like: "Who knew psychoanalysis could be so hunky?"
I caught up with Geoffrey Rush, one of my favorite actors, promoting his new film, The Eye of the Storm, where he plays a hammy Australian performer who decamped years before to London's West End to escape his harridan mother, played by Charlotte Rampling. It's an uneven but intermittently powerful movie directed by the undervalued, world-class Fred Schepisi ("The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith," "Roxanne") and it has the added bonus of costarring the great and fearless Judy Davis.
I mentioned to Rush that he played a bad actor in "The King's Speech," where we see him auditioning for "Richard III," and in "The Eye of the Storm" he is shown emoting in the outback as a brass-lunged King Lear. How does a great actor so convincingly play a dreadful one? "You just tear into it," he replies. "It's all self-exhibition."
Also on the Shakespeare front was the Ralph Fiennes-directed Coriolanus, where he plays the banished Roman general in a revamp set in war-torn Europe. Call me old-school, but I'm not crazy about Shakespeare modernizations that serve up the bard's language via CNN bulletins.
On the other hand, I'm not old school enough to go ga-ga over festival favorite The Artist, an Oscar-buzzy weepie set in 1920s Hollywood and almost entirely silent and in black and white. It's about a matinee idol, played by the French actor Jean Dujardin, whose fans forget about him when talking pictures come in.
This pleasant-enough novelty is, as they say, a "hard sell," except that The Weinstein Company is selling it. This is the company that, if you are a voting member of the Motion Picture Academy, will track you down to the remotest jungles of New Guinea in order to screen their film for Oscar consideration.
There were times when TIFF, as everybody calls the festival, seemed more like a rock show than a movie show. Davis Guggenheim's U2 documentary, From the Sky Down, kicked off the 10-day event, and there was also Cameron Crowe's documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty, and Jonathan Demme's Neil Young Journeys, which is mostly a record of Young's solo concert in May in Toronto's Massey Hall. Bono and The Edge and Eddie Vedder were limo'd all over town. They even jammed. But there's nothing quite like listening to Neil Young singing some of his best stuff in the Demme film. (This is their third collaboration together.)
After the screening, a grade school classmate introduced herself from the audience – turns out Young had a crush on her in third grade – and he talked about how as a little boy he used to collect turtles from the local watering hole in Omemee, Ontario, and blow them up with firecrackers. "I guess my environmentalism roots aren't all that deep," he said.
I attended a small dinner with Young that same night, where I wanted to talk music and he told me instead that the secret to dieting is not eating bread at restaurants. I asked about breadsticks.
He thought for a while and then answered: "That's a gray area." With a beat-up leather jacket and yellow Panama hat, Young could be mistaken for a superannuated roadie and not one of rock's lasting luminaries. He's currently writing a memoir about the cars in his life.
Francis Ford Coppola's mostly self-financed, microbudget Gothic horror film, Twixt, starring Val Kilmer as a sub-Stephen King novelist, is colossally disappointing, but it provoked one of the more moving moments at a festival press conference. The movie includes a fatal boating accident involving the novelist's daughter, clearly an allusion to the boating death of Coppola's son Gian-Carlo. Tearing up, Coppola said, "Every parent feels they are responsible for what happened to their kid. I didn't realize until I made the film that I felt so responsible for what happened those 24 years ago."
He was also asked if he would ever direct a "Godfather IV," to which he responded: "I have less interest in making another 'Godfather' movie than I have in this glass of water in front of me. And I'm not thirsty."
I was in Toronto during the 9/11 attacks and the festival commemorated that event on its 10th anniversary this year by showing a short film chronicling that horrible day. TIFF, which was in the middle of its run, didn't shut down on 9/11 but there were no parties, no galas, no red carpets, no interviews, just movies.
I thought at the time that the movies should have been jettisoned as well, but by the end, I changed my mind. Good movies can be more than diversions, they can be restorative, and back on 9/11 everyone was looking to connect with life in whatever way they could.
Ten years later, we live in a world very much shaped by that awful event, and the same principle, as this festival so vigorously confirms, still applies: Movies, at their best, are a way to bring us into the world and make us feel.


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transformation in Middelharnis
|Woongoed Flakkee
|Gert Jan Knevel, Benjamin Robichon
|project team:
|Rob Dekker, Loran Kampen, Ninja Zurheide, Giacomo Garziano
|Schoolstraat, Middelharnis
|plot size:
|7.925 m²
|October 2009
The former school building of Ëdudelta College is located in the center of the village of Middelharnis in the Netherlands, near a shopping area and several social functions. By applying physical connections into the location of the Technical School, the plot is divided into smaller parts.
The feasibility study of the Technical school in Middelharnis concerns a research for a former school redevelopment.
Next to an analysis of the context and the current situation, the feasibility study contains an investigation on which parts of the building can be reused, which parts might be demolished and which new parts need to be added. This is done in order to transform the building into a complex containing apartments and social functions.
The analysis on the surrounding urban street pattern, the direct connection to the environment, the historic structure of the complex and the existing building structure gives insight in a number of qualities. These qualities contain the nearness of the shopping area and an old harbour, various social functions and a good accessibility. In an early design stage, two conceptual interventions are developed. The first approach is based on a new access system around the existing complex, whereby the intermediate space between the building and the parcel boundary is used for galleries and outdoor space. The second option places a new access in the center of the complex. In the continuation of the study, the second option is taken one step further.
At this point, the research ends with a list proposing building (parts) to be maintained, demolished or added. In the feasibility report an overview is given of the integrated program in the building and the possibility of realising apartments.


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Abide with MeVictor C. Johnson - Lorenz Corporation
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God abides with us in every passing hour, both in the deep darkness of the night and in the clouds and sunshine of the day. So it is, eloquently expressed in this beloved hymn; and so it is, elegantly revealed in this gentle and moving musical setting. �Lyrical, expressive, classic!
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Post CT shooting, MSM pushes anti-gun agenda, ignores lawful gun owners stopping other mass shootings in the same week.
Melissa Melton
December 17, 2012
When an armed man opened fire on a crowded shopping mall in Oregon last week, 22-year-old Nick Meli pulled out his concealed carry permitted gun, and took cover in a store before taking aim.
"I know after he saw me, I think the last shot he fired was the one he used on himself," Meli reported of the gunman's suicide that followed to KGW News Channel 8. Two people died at the hands of the shooter before the man took his own life, but many more could have lost their lives in Oregon that day had Meli not been there.
Yesterday in San Antonio, Texas, two people were wounded in another movie theater shooting before an off-duty officer took the gunman down, wounding him and effectively ending the murder spree before anyone else could get hurt.
As with other shootings stopped by lawfully armed citizens, news about these two incidents has been widely limited to local media outlets and seemingly ignored otherwise. Why the mainstream blackout?
Even though the media has struggled with reporting the actual facts of the Connecticut shooting, all the national news outlets seem to have time to publish are propaganda pieces pushing gun control.
In Reuters this morning, one headline reads, "In Newtown, an Anguished Debate over Gun Rights, Controls," and the subhead reads, "Two days after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, several dozen parents and children gathered in a circle at Newtown's public library to draw something positive from the town's sudden, tragic notoriety" (emphasis added).
CNN's Don Lemon used his airtime this morning to go on an anti-gun tirade, claiming mental health issues are secondary to gun availability.
News outlet Salon went to task posting gun control stories and targeting preppers on its site and official Twitter account all weekend, even writing a hit piece on Alex Jones. In "What's a Prepper?," Salon's Katie McDonough notes, "Preppers believe having weapons is just as important as having enough water. They are also deeply suspicious of government overreach, sounding Tea Party-like…"
The Atlantic's Senior Editor Robert Wright offered, "A Gun Control Law that Would Actually Work," going beyond the assault weapons ban Senator Dianne Feinstein has promised she will introduce during Congress' first 2013 session. Wright calls for a ban on any gun that can hold more than six bullets. Feinstein is not alone, either; USA Today is reporting "the most prominent pro-gun member of Congress" with an NRA "A" rating Senator Joe Manchin has announced the horrific mass shootings have "changed" him. Manchin is now calling for more control on public firearm purchasing power.
MSNBC asked, "Is the American Public Ready for Gun Control?" Politico gave us, "The Price of the Second Amendment," presenting the argument that the lives of the children in Connecticut are what we must pay to have the right to keep and bear arms.
Anti-gun op-eds abound. The Huffington Post published, "Gun Control and Mental Health Funding—If Not Now, When?" and "The Real 2nd Amendment Isn't the NRA Version." The Washington Post posted, "Now Is the Time for Meaningful Gun Control." The Christian Science Monitor declared, "Madison Never Meant Second Amendment to Allow Guns of Sandy Hook Shooting."
In the wake of the Connecticut tragedy, a White House.gov citizen petition for "legislation that limits access to guns" put up the day of the school shooting already garnered over 150,000 signatures in just three days, breaking the record for the most-signed petition on the government's site. People across the nation have also flocked to gun buyback programs to willingly turn their guns in.
Following an outcry on Facebook this weekend, the Discovery Channel announced its show "American Guns" was canceled. Even the National Rifle Association has fallen silent on social media sites, reportedly taking down its Facebook page and not responding on Twitter since the shooting.
As Alex Jones reported on his radio show today, "Here's the real newsflash folks—they're coming for our guns. Make no mistake."
Although our government is responsible for the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal that put guns in Mexican drug cartel hands that have since resulted in thousands of deaths, and Obama's drone strike kill list is reportedly responsible for the murders of nearly 200 children among thousands of dead innocents in the Middle East, the president somehow found the ability to wipe away fake tears at a press conference following the Connecticut school shooting.
In the Newtown massacre fallout, an all-out war has been declared on We the People's right to keep and bear arms.
The mainstream media has politicized the Connecticut school shooting to the point that using the tragedy to demonize the 2nd Amendment has seemingly become an Olympic event. Where is the supposedly objective media now to report on the other examples of guns in the hands of properly permitted American citizens saving people's lives?
Declaring we need stricter gun laws and to repeal the 2nd Amendment is synonymous with saying, "We want criminals and the government to be the only ones armed in America." Because if our legal arms are stripped from law-abiding citizens, the only people who will have guns will be the government and the criminals.
The problem is, the line between the two is so blurry, it's nearly impossible to tell who is who anymore.
"The lessons of history are numerous, clear and bloody. A disarmed population inevitably becomes an enslaved population. A disarmed population is without power, reduced to childlike obedience to—and dependence upon—the organs of a parental state. A disarmed population will lose—either piecemeal or in one sweeping act—those basic rights for which the citizens of America risked their lives and fortunes over two hundred years ago." — Brian Puckett
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Wow, despite the number of places opening in London of late this topic is pretty quiet.... Anyway.... Association Coffee on Creechurch Lane is a great new place and my current go to for an afternoon coffee. It's a beautiful and relaxing location with great friendly service and aside from espresso they have a selection of coffee's available for manual brewing, which they do a great job of. So far tasted a selection of Hasbean, St Ali and Square Mile.
So if you are in the EC3 area near Aldgate, St Mary's Axe, Bank Station then check it out


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Karen De Coster
January 1, 2013
There was Obama, the Sacrificer-in-Chief, all over NPR this morning, touting his "shared sacrifice…" Blah, blah, blah, shared sacrifice, blah, blah, blah. In year 2013, where alternative and fact-based information is easily accessible, how do these operatic phrases retain any traction? Oh, sorry, public education – that's how.
Google the term and look what comes up – you'll still see dipward headlines such as, "Shared sacrifice is the way forward." So what's the definition of shared sacrifice, and what's the definition of "forward?" This repulsive piece of presidential sludge has his own definition of "shared sacrifice": 54 Christmas trees, a 300 lb. gingerbread presidential palace, and a dandy $4 million Hawaiian vacation.
Residents living near the beachfront homes in Kailua where President Obama has vacationed every year since 2008 received alerts this week about the restrictions and expected travel disruptions associated with the president and first family's visit, according to a story in the Hawaii Reporter.
In the weeks before the president arrives, the sleepy town of Kailua, with its miles of beautiful beaches, will be inundated by street barricades, U.S. Secret Service agents and the U.S. Coast Guard personnel stationed in the nearby canal and waters off Mr. Obama's rented vacation home. The restrictions on local residents and other vacationers prevent the use of boats, surfing and paddling in the ocean in front of many of Kailua's beach-front homes.
In Mark Steyn's recent article on the royal Sacrifice Family, Steyn compares the lifestyle of Britain's Royal Family with America's Sultan of Sludge.
In his recent book Presidential Perks Gone Royal, Robert Keith Gray, a former Eisenhower staffer, revealed that last year the U.S. presidency cost American taxpayers $1.4 billion. Over the same period, the entire royal family cost British taxpayers about $57 million. There's nothing "royal" about the current level of "presidential perks": The Obama family costs taxpayers more than every European royal house put together.
And these dirtbags who inhabit D.C.'s House of Ill Repute still have hordes of cheering apostles who can't wait to wash the feet of their Masters and lick the next plate of serf scraps thrown their way.
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Tip of the hat to LOL Race Pics.
Related links:
How Kyle thinks
No drama
How Kyle Busch drives
Tony and Darian hug it out
I wish this was real
For the son of Montoya
Easiest punchline ever
Kyle gets that look
Us time
Too sexy for his shirt
Never start and park
Elvis Cheerios
Run, Danica, Run
The Pledge
Blame Gordon
Jimmie's golden horseshoe and Jeff's recklessness win the day
Jimmie pulls Denny aside
Junior's beard winces
Silence of the Rocket Man
Tony Stewart food run
Darrell Waltrip busted
Amish Stewart fan
Stealing Kyle's flag
Target practice
Sasquatch Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle goes to Walley World
I'm Tony Stewart … Ting!
Kyle is the new Bob
Drink responsibly
The Incredible Carl
What Carl Edwards said
Danica Patrick FAIL
Photo finish at ACS


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In Kid World, gross = cool. These are two of my most-used, superfavorite, yucky-cool nature books:
Yuck! by Brita Granstrom, is a fun picture book highlighting the fun yucky stuff that some baby animals eat (delicious delicacies like worms, rats, etc.) This is a great one to read with a felt story. I think it took me maybe 15-20 minutes to whip up all the felt pieces from scratch (sticky felt is my friend!)
I usually use this book as an introduction for food themes: "What are your favorite foods?"/ "What sorts of foods can we find while we take a walk?" (berries for birds, flowers for butterflies, etc.), but I've also used the book for lesson plans focusing on baby animals, and the Web of Life ("Why are yucky animals important?")
What Do You Do With A Tail Like This, by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, is all about the odd and amazing ways different animals use the same body part. There are lots of great, squeal-inducing tidbits, like the lizard who squirts blood out of his eyes ("AHHH!!!") This book captivates little ones, and bigger-little ones, too (it's a breezy starting off point for 3rd graders studying animal adaptations.) For younger ones, it's great for reinforcing comparisons, and the concepts of same and different ("What do you use your eyes for?"/ "How many eyes do you have?")
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Yucky-Cool Nature Books for Kidlets
Posted by PuppyLovePrincess at 6:29 PM
Labels: books, nature, preschoolers, science, teacher things
3 comments:
- Michelle Breum said...
Most kids love "yucky". I know mine do. Thanks for the book recommendations!
- July 02, 2011
- Melissa Taylor said...
these do look excellent - thanks! I hadn't see the Yuck book before and can't wait to read it.
- July 02, 2011
- Isil Simsek said...
Interesting books, my daughter would enjoy the "yucky" one.I would love it if you linked up to my Book Sharing Monday
- July 18, 2011
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) C.J. Fair scored 13 points, Trevor Cooney added 12, all in the second half to key a late surge, and No. 9 Syracuse beat Alcorn State 57-36 on Saturday night in the final game of the Gotham Classic.
It was the 901st win for Orange coach Jim Boeheim, one behind Bob Knight for second place all-time among Division I men's coaches. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski leads with 939 wins.
Syracuse (11-1), coming off an 83-79 loss to Temple at Madison Square Garden a week ago, increased its home winning streak to 31 games, longest in the nation. Alcorn State (2-13), which was late arriving because of the weather, dropped to 0-9 on the road in losing its ninth straight.
Marquiz Baker, who had averaged 25.7 in three games since returning from a knee injury that had sidelined him since November of 2011, finished with 15 points to lead the Braves.