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Claude Debussy, in full Achille-Claude Debussy, (born August 22, 1862, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France—died March 25, 1918, Paris), French composer whose works were a seminal force in the music of the 20th century. He developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist and Symbolist painters and writers of his time aspired. His major works include Clair de lune ("Moonlight," in Suite bergamasque, 1890–1905), Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894; Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun), the opera Pelléas et Mélisande (1902), and La Mer (1905; "The Sea").
Why is Claude Debussy famous?
What did Claude Debussy create?
What was Claude Debussy's early life like?
Early period
Debussy showed a gift as a pianist by the age of nine. He was encouraged by Madame Mauté de Fleurville, who was associated with the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, and in 1873 he entered the Paris Conservatory, where he studied the piano and composition, eventually winning in 1884 the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata L'Enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Child).
Debussy's youth was spent in circumstances of great turbulence. He was almost overwhelmed by situations of great extremes, both material and emotional. While living with his parents in a poverty-stricken suburb of Paris, he unexpectedly came under the patronage of a Russian millionairess, Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck, who engaged him to play duets with her and her children. He traveled with her to her palatial residences throughout Europe during the long summer vacations at the Conservatory. In Paris during this time he fell in love with a singer, Blanche Vasnier, the beautiful young wife of an architect; she inspired many of his early works. It is clear that he was torn by influences from many directions; these stormy years, however, contributed to the sensitivity of his early style.
This early style is well illustrated in one of Debussy's best-known compositions, Clair de lune. The title refers to a folk song that was the conventional accompaniment of scenes of the love-sick Pierrot in the French pantomime, and indeed the many Pierrot-like associations in Debussy's later music, notably in the orchestral work Images (1912) and the Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915; originally titled Pierrot fâché avec la lune ["Pierrot Vexed by the Moon"]), show his connections with the circus spirit that also appeared in works by other composers, notably the ballet Petrushka (1911) by Igor Stravinsky and Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg.
Middle period
As a holder of the Grand Prix de Rome, Debussy was given a three-year stay at the Villa Medici in Rome, where, under what were supposed to be ideal conditions, he was to pursue his creative work. Most composers who were granted this state scholarship, however, found life in this magnificent Renaissance palace irksome and longed to return to simpler and more familiar surroundings. Debussy himself eventually fled from the Villa Medici after two years and returned to Blanche Vasnier in Paris. Several other women, some of doubtful reputation, were also associated with him in his early years. At this time Debussy lived a life of extreme indulgence. Once one of his mistresses, Gabrielle ("Gaby") Dupont, threatened suicide. His first wife, Rosalie ("Lily") Texier, a dressmaker, whom he married in 1899, did in fact shoot herself, though not fatally, and, as is sometimes the case with artists of passionate intensity, Debussy himself was haunted by thoughts of suicide.
The main musical influence in Debussy's work was the work of Richard Wagner and the Russian composers Aleksandr Borodin and Modest Mussorgsky. Wagner fulfilled the sensuous ambitions not only of composers but also of the Symbolist poets and the Impressionist painters. Wagner's conception of Gesamtkunstwerk ("total art work") encouraged artists to refine upon their emotional responses and to exteriorize their hidden dream states, often in a shadowy, incomplete form; hence the more tenuous nature of the work of Wagner's French disciples. It was in this spirit that Debussy wrote the symphonic poem Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894). Other early works by Debussy show his affinity with the English Pre-Raphaelite painters; the most notable of these works is La Damoiselle élue (1888), based on "The Blessed Damozel" (1850), a poem by the English poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. In the course of his career, however, which covered only 25 years, Debussy was constantly breaking new ground. Explorations, he maintained, were the essence of music; they were his musical bread and wine. His single completed opera, Pelléas et Mélisande (1st perf. 1902), demonstrates how the Wagnerian technique could be adapted to portray subjects like the dreamy nightmarish figures of this opera who were doomed to self-destruction. Debussy and his librettist, Maurice Maeterlinck, declared that they were haunted in this work by the terrifying nightmare tale of Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. The style of Pelléas was to be replaced by a bolder, more highly coloured manner. In his seascape La Mer (1905) he was inspired by the ideas of the English painter J.M.W. Turner and the French painter Claude Monet. In his work, as in his personal life, he was anxious to gather experience from every region that the imaginative mind could explore.
Late period
In 1905 Debussy's illegitimate daughter, Claude-Emma, was born. He had divorced Lily Texier in 1904 and subsequently married his daughter's mother, Emma Bardac. Repelled by the gossip and scandal arising from this situation, he sought refuge for a time at Eastbourne, on the south coast of England. For his daughter, nicknamed Chouchou, he wrote the piano suite Children's Corner (1908). Debussy's spontaneity and the sensitive nature of his perception facilitated his acute insight into the child mind, an insight noticeable particularly in Children's Corner, a French counterpart to Mussorgsky's song cycle The Nursery; in the Douze Préludes, 2 books (1910, 1913; "Twelve Preludes"), for piano; and in the ballet La Boîte à joujoux (1st perf. 1919; The Box of Toys).
In his later years, it is the pursuit of illusion that marks Debussy's instrumental writing, especially the strange, other-worldly Cello Sonata. This noble bass instrument takes on, in chameleon fashion, the character of a violin, a flute, and even a mandolin. Debussy was developing in this work ideas of an earlier period, those expressed in a youthful play he had written, Frères en art (Brothers in Art), where his challenging, indeed anarchical, ideas are discussed among musicians, painters, and poets. (He had in fact published in one of the anarchist journals poems that he had written and that he later set to music in the song cycle Proses lyriques [1893].)
Evolution of his work
Debussy's music marks the first of a series of attacks on the traditional language of the 19th century. He did not believe in the stereotyped harmonic procedures of the 19th century, and indeed it becomes clear from a study of mid-20th-century music that the earlier harmonic methods were being followed in an arbitrary, academic manner. Hence his formulation of the "21-note scale" designed to "drown" the sense of tonality, though this system was never adhered to in the inflexible manner of the 12-note system of Schoenberg. Debussy's inquiring mind similarly challenged the traditional orchestral usage of instruments. He rejected the traditional dictum that string instruments should be predominantly lyrical. The pizzicato scherzo from his String Quartet (1893) and the symbolic writing for the violins in La Mer, conveying the rising storm waves, show a new conception of string colour. Similarly, he saw that woodwinds need not be employed for fireworks displays; they provide, like the human voice, wide varieties of colour. Debussy also used the brass in original colour transformations. In fact, in his music, the conventional orchestral construction, with its rigid woodwind, brass, and string departments, finds itself undermined or split up in the manner of the Impressionist painters. Ultimately, each instrument becomes almost a soloist, as in a vast chamber-music ensemble. Finally, Debussy applied an exploratory approach to the piano, the evocative instrument par excellence since notes struck at the keyboard are, by the nature of the piano mechanism, neither eighth notes, quarter notes, nor half notes, but merely illusions of these notes.
During the latter part of his life Debussy created an alter ego, "Monsieur Croche," with whom he carried on imaginary conversations on the nature of art and music. "What is the use of your almost incomprehensible art?" Monsieur Croche asks. "Is it not more profitable to see the sun rise than to listen to the Pastoral Symphony of Beethoven?" Elsewhere Monsieur Croche supports the cause of the musical explorer: "I am less interested in what I possess than in what I shall need tomorrow."
In his last works, the piano pieces En blanc et noir, (1915; In Black and White) and in the Douze Études (1915; "Twelve Études"), Debussy had branched out into modes of composition later to be developed in the styles of Stravinsky and the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. It is certain that he would have taken part in the leading movements in composition of the years following World War I had his life not been so tragically cut short by cancer.
Wagner, said Debussy, was a wonderful sunset that had been mistaken for a dawn. As one looks back on the music of the last century this seems a remarkably shrewd observation. It was true of Wagner, of course, but it is now seen to be more true of Debussy himself. The fact is that there comes a time when the peak, the zenith of a civilization is reached. Critics have frequently noted this evolutionary stage in the music of Wagner, Debussy, or in one of their followers. A quintessential spirit is presented by these composers; and it seemed at the time that they could never be surpassed. But of course it is at this very stage that a decline in musical values sets in. Hence the paradoxical element in Debussy's stature. Undoubtedly, he was aware of this duality in his achievement, as may be gathered from his searching, hesitant letters. Sensitive to sham in every sphere and also a child of his environment, he not only perceived this dual aspect of his work but also realized the extent to which he himself was caught up in this vast evolutionary transformation.
Debussy's work cannot be judged on the musical level alone. "One must seek the poetry in his work," said his friend the French composer Paul Dukas. There is not only poetry in his music; there is often an inspiration from painting. "I love painting [les images, a generic term that might apply to the whole of Debussy's work] almost as much as music itself," he told the Franco-American composer Edgard Varèse. This association of the arts is a theme that runs through the whole of the 19th century—it originated with the theories of the German short-story writer E.T.A. Hoffmann—but for Debussy it was a theory more sensitively expressed in the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout his life Debussy planned to set The Fall of the House of Usher in the form of an opera—the shadow of the tale never having been realized in Pelléas et Mélisande—and actually signed a contract for the production of this work at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, but it was never completed. The fact is that the hero of the tale, Roderick Usher, was a hypersensitive being like Debussy himself—a poet, a painter, and a musician. Moreover, the reputation of Poe was, during Debussy's life and after, almost entirely a French reputation. The French poets translated his works, and the French painters appreciated his genius; and it was therefore only natural that a French musician should similarly have reflected the nature of his appeal.Edward Lockspeiser
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
opera: Later opera in FranceClaude Debussy, who was to have a decisive influence upon 20th-century music, completed only one opera:
Pelléas et Mélisande(1902), an almost verbatim setting of Maurice Maeterlinck's play. Pelléasis notable for the dramatic impact of its harmonic language and for its unity of text…
harmony: Dissonance after Wagner…the direct antithesis to Wagnerism, Claude Debussy evolved his own style that succeeded, as Wagner's had, in beclouding the harmonic basis of a work either altogether or for extended periods. Debussy was influenced by a number of sources: the Impressionist painters, who were involved with the renunciation of clear perspectives…
harmony: Romantic changes in classical harmony…counterpart in the music of Claude Debussy, who employed such devices as the scale consisting entirely of whole tones as a means of sidestepping the tonal feeling created by traditional scales. In the music of later French composers, especially the members of the post-World War I group known as "Les…
chamber music: The 20th century…were taken in France by Claude Debussy (1862–1918); his one string quartet (1893) and three sonatas (late works) represent the Impressionistic style based on whole-tone harmony, of which he was an exponent. Somewhat similar are the string quartet and piano trio by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), with a rich array of…
vocal music: Art songs in German, French, and EnglishDebussy's 57 published songs use poems of his contemporaries (especially Verlaine) but also three by the 15th-century François Villon. Debussy's vocal lines freely mix a declamatory style with more lyricism at points of climax. The piano emphasizes contours of the poem and imparts unity through…
More About Claude Debussy17 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
- association with Teyte
- evolution of style
- history of opera
composition of
- "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"
- "Suite bergamasque"
inspiration from
- Bourgault-Ducoudray
- Garden
- In Mary Garden
- Mallarmé
use of
- Impressionism


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Jan. 27, 2007
Syracuse, NY - The Yale women's tennis team suffered a loss last night to Syracuse, 4-3. The Bulldogs fell to 0-1 after losing their spring season opener in Syracuse.
Freshman Jessica Rhee won at No. 2 singles 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 over Maria Vasilyeva of Syracuse. Senior Olivia Nix and sophomore Lilian Nguyen also won at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Yale lost the doubles point and came up a point short of the victory as a result.
Yale stays in Syracuse to play No. 32 Maryland today.
No. 1 Olga Votavova (S) def. Janet Kim (Y), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 Jessica Rhee (Y) def. Maria Vasilyeva (S), 6-3, 2-6, 6-0
No. 3 Catherine Zawadzki (S) def. Sarah Lederhandler (Y), 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 Ashley Lipton (S) def. Christine Alford (Y), 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
No. 5 Olivia Nix (Y) def. Carolina Huignard (S), 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 Lilian Nguyen (Y) def. Chelsea Jones (S), 6-4, 6-2
No. 1 Votavova and Vasilyeva (S) def. Kim and Rhee (Y), 9-7
No. 2 Zawadzki and Jones (S) def. Alford and Lederhandler (Y), 8-1
No. 3 Huignard and Lipton (S) def. Lindsey Dashiell and Olivia Nix (Y), 9-8
Report filed by Steven Horn '10, Yale Sports Publicity

subset: commoncrawl


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The product complies with the latest international standards. The robust mono-block design has a fool proof, trigger action mechanism to break the electrical contacts, and a green indication ring to show whether the switch is actuated. Here, the mechanically decoupled triggering of the switching elements should be highlighted in particular. The optional high brightness central LED makes the product clearly visible, even in low light levels.


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Three Hope College athletes have been named to the ESPN/Co-SIDA Academic All-District teams for achieving in both the classroom and field of play.
Senior Lisa Smith of Dearborn, Mich. (Dearborn HS) has been named to the All-District second team in the at-large category. Smith was an All-American swimmer who majored in psychology. She has also received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Michigan.
Senior Matt Van Beek of Hudsonville (Unity Christian HS) has been named to the All-District second team in baseball. A four-year letterwinner who was co-captain of this year's MIAA champion team, Van Beek majored in biology. He was presented the college's Patterson Memorial Prize as a superior student with a major interest in biology. Van Beek will pursue his graduate studies at the University of Michigan.
Senior Matt TerLouw of Pella, Iowa (Pella HS) has been named to the All-District first team in track and field. A chemistry major, TerLouw lettered in cross country and track all four years. He earned all-conference honors in both sports and was a three-time NCAA All-American in the 1,500-meter run. He was also the co-recipient of the college's Otto van der Velde All-Campus Award. He will attend the University of Iowa Medical School.
The college division of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA schools. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible for nomination, an individual must be a starter or a key reserve with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20.


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From MeritBadgeDotOrg
Revision as of 09:24, April 23, 2008 by Scouterdennis (Talk | contribs)
- Describe precautions you should take to safely use basketry tools and materials.
- Do the following:
- a. Show your counselor that you are able to identify each of the following types of baskets: plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker.
- b. Describe three different types of weaves to your counselor.
- Plan and weave each of the following projects:
- a. a square basket;
- b. a round basket; and
- c. a campstool seat.


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You are on: FUND INDIVIDUAL page
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Tonight, my intention was to move all my Word documents and photo gallery on to a memory stick, directly due to the haunting memories of the Great Laptop Crash of 2011. The serious focus of my work dwindled quickly with wine and the warmth of the fire. I found praline almonds to snack on and began to revisit 2011 in pictures instead.
During an intermission (wine glass refill) I suddenly decided to be proactive and do my 2011 taxes. Buried in my receipts I unfolded a ripped-out section of The Toronto Star. It was a feature by food critic Amy Pataki, on her perfect week of eating. She documented seven days of breakfast, lunch and dinners, culling various outposts in Toronto. As I tabulated my restaurant and booze bills I started thinking of chicken and waffles, gourmet hot dogs, chocolate chip and blue cheese cookies and the like.
Taxes accomplished (and post-effects of my indulgent late afternoon massage at the spa long vanished), I felt guilt-free to return to the recreational creeping of pictures to piece together my perfect week of eating. It would go something like this (in no particular order, but consisting of all of the below and a daily 5km run included):
It was a shook-up snowglobe kind of day in Quebec City. Pink-cheeked skaters spun tight circles around the Place D'Youville outdoor rink. Here, en route to find elk and wild boar burgers at Chez Victor, we stopped for the sugar rush of childhood cocaine: maple butter and maple syrup filled cones. Probably the same nutritional value as a morning glory muffin.
I love this trend of childhood staples getting a gourmand slap of the spatula. Fusia Dog on Duncan Street has done just this. A Rowe Farms kosher weenie gets a substantial upgrade: paratha bread, kimchi, daikon slaw, coriander and a one-two punch of wasabi mayo.
50-50 fries at the Burger Bar on Augusta (Kensington Market). They are hit with a few shakes of salt and masala, and the marriage of white and sweet potato is a force to be reckoned with. Serve with July sun, pint of Augusta Ale, someone you love and a brunch burger: 6 oz. beef burg, with a fried egg, bacon and dollop of maple syrup on top. Reasonable fascimile: lamb and kimchi burger with gorgonzola & King pilsner.
A girl cannot live on hotdogs, burgers and fries and maple syrup-filled cones alone, but, my god, that would be a great existence. I am a salad specialist, mixing sweet and savoury at all costs. I think I put more fruit in salads than vegetables, and this one featured mango, raspberries, cuke and sugar peas. The dressing was a Mother Hubbard concoction of plain yogurt, honey, grainy dijon and orange juice. Never recreated the same way.
This was actually my girlfriend's order, but, we intermingled our pastas. The Drake Hotel gets much praise for its classic mac & cheese, but Kim's pumpkin-stuffed ravioli in browned butter sauce with smashed hazelnuts and basil was divine. One must order the splashy $12 Drake mojito too–rum, mint, fresh lime + sugar and soda. Add a night at either the Drake or The Gladstone to round out the night of romance.
When in Rome, or Egypt, one must do what the Romans/Egyptians do. So, we ate camel. It was the most sensational dish we had in all of Egypt. After being buried in sand as part of a therapeutic "sand sauna," we plunged into a nearby cold spring and recovered with rosehip tea and hookah pipe. As night fell, Ali Baba, our dear donkey, carted us back to the Al-Babenshal hotel. We sat on the rooftop of the 13th century fortress and felt like royalty. In fact, royalty was dining beside us–the King of Siwa Oasis was 20 paces from us. The camel stew with pita bread and spicy plum tomatoes and roasted potato was a 2011 stand-out.
In 2010 I was all over the Le Gourmand chocolate chip-walnut cookies for good reason. They are soft as clouds and the chips are a still in a melty, seductive state. But…move over Le Gourmand. About Cheese (483 Church street, Toronto) was hawking chocolate chip and blue cheese cookies until the baker of these tastebud magnets selfishly went on maternity leave.
Burgers with bacon & eggs. I sense a theme and wild animal attraction. This one was from the Gourmet Burger Co. on Parliament. I have since moved to the Annex and miss my burger go-to joint.
Yes, pink grapefruit, kiwis, dried cranberries and Wensleydale cheese (which is about $10 for a wedge that wouldn't even prop open a door). It's the yin meal to my yang meals of burgers.
Once upon a time I loved sushi, especially wild salmon rolls. Until I thought I was going to die from sushi poisoning and had 5 years of dry heaves whenever I saw sticky rice or soya sauce. I'm on my third attempt on re-entry. This art piece was from Omi Sushi on Carlton. I want to love it, I really do.
Kim's birthday breakfast request: a fried bologna & Velveeta sandwich. Now, this puts a traditional grilled cheese to shame. I had never seen the likes of Velveeta before. It's an actual cheese "loaf." Paired with ketchup and a mimosa, let's just say it was a happy birthday afterall.
But that was last year. Upcoming? I've already started a Belize Must Eat/Drink list for February. Armadillo, "Panty-rippers," raisin fudge, gibnuts (something similar to a guniea pig I think), coconut tarts, cashew nut wine, plastic pudding, tamiltos, cowfoot soup and Syd's fried chicken on Caye Caulker.
But before then, tell me. What's the best thing you ate last year? And what's on your list this year?


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June 1, 2008
| Article
Staying active has to be a conscious effort. We can't hold our jobs totally responsible for our weight issues, but they do play a role. I've seen from personal experience the effect of a sedentary job.
February 1, 2008
| Article
A fond farewell from Cyndy Drummey and her "As I See It" column.
January 1, 2008
| Article
As an overachiever in the realm of education, I wonder how many techs feel the same way I do.
November 1, 2007
| Article
Everyone talks about the great promise of retailing, but to hear about the challenges from someone in the trenches is a reality check.
November 1, 2006
| Article
I know it can be a gigantic pain to deal with old polish but you shouldn't throw it in the trashcan. Disposal of polish in most cities requires special handling.
April 1, 2006
| Article
Our theme this month: Rejuvenation. Jump-start. Refresh. New beginnings. Spring cleaning. Reinvigorate.
March 1, 2006
| VietSALON Article
Why do so many Vietnamese immigrants choose the nail industry as a profession? How did it all start? And what is the future of the nail industry based on the growth of a single ethnic group?
March 1, 2006
| Article
December 1, 2005
| Article
Like the George Bailey character in "It's a Wonderful Life," I sometimes wonder how bad off the world would be without the professional nail industry, my job, your job — Is it so bad that millions of women would go with unpolished nails?
October 1, 2005
| Article
This issue is packed with ideas on education: the state of it, ideas on reforming it, complaints about it, praise for it (what else would you expect from a magazine that bills itself as "Advanced Education for Nail Professionals"?).
September 1, 2005
| Article
What are the wildest excuses you've heard from your clients?
July 1, 2005
| Article
If I was going to make over the nail industry, I'd start by challenging any state that required fewer than 600 hours for a nail license to raise their standards.
June 1, 2005
| Article
If nail techs won't retail nail products, manufacturers will have to sell them in alternative outlets.
May 1, 2005
| Article
Look out for some exciting changes in the next few months.
April 1, 2005
| Article
Learning something new is what "back to basics" means to me.
CND Memento Mori Nails For Libertine A/W 201919 photos
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Mount St. Joseph University offers a wide variety of intercollegiate and intramural sports.
We are a NCAA Division III school and a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The men's and women's lacrosse team are part of the Midwest Lacrosse Conference.
For those interested in athletics at Mount St. Joseph University, please proceed to MSJSports.com.
Women's Sports
We offer women's athletic teams in:
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track & Field
- Volleyball
Men's Sports
We offer men's athletic teams in:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Track & field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling


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Check out the lyric video for Boys Like Girls' song "Life of the Party," which was provided exclusively to JustJared.com!
The video features lead singer Martin Johnson writing the lyrics to the song all over an acoustic guitar.
"Life of the Party," which was previously released on Boys Like Girls' EP over the summer, will be featured on the band's upcoming album Crazy World, which hits stores everywhere on December 11.
WHAT DO YOU THINK of the lyric video for Boys Like Girls' "Life of the Party"?
Boys Like Girls – "Life of the Party" Lyric Video (EXCLUSIVE)


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Update: Canadian model Gabriel Aubry has been booked on a battery charge after he was arrested on Thursday over a bust-up with Halle Berry's fiance.
Aubry, the father of Berry's daughter, Nahla, was held by cops after his Thanksgiving brawl with French actor Olivier Martinez at the actress' Los Angeles home.
According to reports, Martinez made a citizen's arrest before cops arrived at the scene, and both men were subsequently taken to the emergency room.
Andrew Smith, Commanding Officer of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations and Community Affairs Group, tells People.com that Aubry "was booked for a private persons arrest for battery" once he was released from hospital.
His bail is set at $20,000.
Gabriel is believed to have suffered a broken rib while Martinez injured his hand in the fight, which was allegedly sparked by Berry's ongoing custodial dispute with her ex-partner.
Previous: Halle Berry's fiance Olivier Martinez and her ex-partner Gabriel Aubry were both hospitalized on Thanksgiving after a vicious bust-up at her house.
Both men sustained injuries and were taken to the emergency room after the fight, which reportedly began after Canadian model Aubry showed up at the actress' Los Angeles home to drop off his and Berry's daughter, Nahla, for the holiday.
It is unclear what sparked the feud but reports suggest punches were thrown after the French actor told Aubry, "We have to move on," in regards to Berry's ongoing custodial feud with her ex-partner.
According to TMZ.com, Gabriel suffered a broken rib and contusions on his face, while Martinez is believed to have broken his hand and hurt his neck.
Martinez allegedly made a citizen's arrest for battery against Aubry when cops arrived at the scene.
A judge has since issued an emergency restraining order that bans Aubry from coming within 300 feet of Berry and her family.
Earlier this month, Berry lost her bid to move with Nahla and Martinez to Paris when a judge ruled in favor of Gabriel, who petitioned to stop her plan.


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These intra-diary discussion threads are getting pretty interesting. Have to contribute a bit. Kelly and lilo, I think a unified planetary government will happen, but but not while one planet is all there is.
I think it's in the human nature to need enemies, or at least adversaries. All the time small peoples have first squabbled, until communications have gotten better and their world has gotten larger, and they've seen that they're really rather alike, compared to those other folks. It takes a common enemy.
The problem is that right now, the world cannot get much larger, the global village is the only one there is. And thus it cannot really unite.
So. It won't happen until we start real extraterrestrial colonization, or get first contact. In either case, it's just a change in the scale of the us/them -dichotomy. But we can't get rid of it.
Which may prove most unfortunate in the latter case.
Btw, a bit of meta: the reason, I think, why these diaries are so successful, is that they sort of give the feeling of fighting on one's homeground. This diary page is my page, and everyone else who reads this reads this by her own explicit choice. Since I'm not forcing this down anyone's throat, I feel free to say whatsoever I bloody well want to. This is in contrast to articles and comments, since posting one of those means that you're actively trying to make other people see what you have to say, and then you have the responsibility for actually saying something worthwhile.
Moreover, though everyone is free to comment on other folks' diary pieces, they, too, can only do it passively, without any promotion except an entry in the updated diary list. I don't have to fear that some other person's comment would appear right below this diary entry and point out in excruciating detail how silly it is.
So, do not add full threading and "links to followups" to the diary entries. Making it easier to add a link to the entry you are commenting on is okay, but not vice versa! The feeling of independence and total control of one's diary page is crucial.
In fact, this is pretty similar to posting one's opinions on one's home page, except that in advogato it's easier to view lots of these together. However, I'm a bit unhappy that I have to place all this stuff I write on a foreign server. Of course I can keep a backup for myself, but it still doesn't feel the same...
Actually, perhaps finger would be a better comparison. I think that nowadays finger would be quite forgotten, had it not been for the id guys, who used to post lots of interesting stuff in their finger entries in the heyday of Quake. So even now we have sites like http://finger.planetquake.com/ which really resembles quite closely these advogato diaries, except that here we have lots more inter-diary communication.
But anyway I think it's this feeling of homeground, and passiveness, that makes the diaries so popular. Finger still beats advogato on this, though: with finger, or with your home page, you post the stuff on your own server, whereas in advogato it's a foreign server, but at least your own page.
I think this could be improved if the advogato engine could import the diary entries via finger, or via http, from people's own machines. A bit like quakefinger, perhaps. Then the passiveness of these diaries could be emphasized in that one wouldn't even have to actively post them on this advogato server, but the server would fetch them on its own.
Technically, this may not make much sense, but I think this is quite important psychologically.


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Swept Away
Release Date2012
Record LabelECM Records
Release Notes
- Editors Picks Downbeat Magazine 2012
- Critics Choice 2012 Jazztimes Magazine
Track Listing1. Swept Away
2. It's Time
3. One Thousand and One Nights
4. When The Sun Comes Up
5. B Is for Butterfly
6. Midnight Blue
7. Moments
8. Sirens of Titan
9. Foujita
10. Inside Her Old Music Box
11. Shenandoah
Release Biography
"This kind of charged lyricism could only come from players who are capable of investing every note they play with palpable emotion as well as peerless technique." – Echoes
Swept Away sees the top-class foursome of double-bassist Marc Johnson, pianist Eliane Elias, drummer Joey Baron and saxophonist Joe Lovano commune over music that is engaging and sensual, poetic and swinging. Brazilian-born star Elias previously joined ECM veterans Baron and Lovano on Johnson's 2005 ECM album, Shades of Jade, which reaped praise far and wide. The New York Times enthused over the "luminescence" created by the close partnership between Johnson and Elias, while The Village Voice said the album was "shimmering" yet "its lusciousness has all sorts of tensile strength." The same words suit Swept Away just as well, if not more so. The album includes a brace of melody-rich Elias compositions, ranging from the quiet intimacy of the title track and easy-flowing lyricism of "B Is for Butterfly" to a gorgeous romanticism in "Moments" that seems to stop time. Her relentlessly rocking, Eastern-tinged "One Thousand and One Nights" is another highlight, as is Johnson's evocation of after-hours atmosphere, "Midnight Blue." The album closes with the bassist's solo treatment of the old American folk song "Shenandoah," a poignant remembrance of his family from the Midwest. Swept Away is music of depth that is disarmingly easy to love.
A sense of romance and rhapsody pervades Swept Away, the writing giving dramatic context for the interactive rapport of the players in both trio and quartet configurations. There is also a spacious feel to the music that stems from the environment in which much of it was written, the home Johnson and Elias share in the Hamptons, New York. "I've written music in the bustle of Manhattan, on airplanes, every hectic sort of place," Elias says. "But we have a very different sort of relationship to sound out there, one that finds its way into the feel of the writing." Johnson adds: "There is definitely a feeling of quietude and space there that is inspiring for us. Nature is closer, and you can really see the changing of seasons. I think you can hear it in the music's openness and lyricism."
Whether it's dancing in synchronous counterpoint or floating on quietly reflective pools of sound, Swept Away is the work of master musical storytellers. On their own, Elias, Johnson and Baron constitute a working piano trio, having recorded together live and in the studio. Swept Away features several numbers that showcase the trio's special qualities, including the title track. Elias's solo on "One Thousand and One Nights" is one of many that brim with passion and fire, showcasing her inventiveness and technical prowess in league with the rhythm section's lithe ingenuity. Johnson laces "Inside Her Old Music Box" with an especially lyrical arco solo over impressionistic touches from piano and cymbals. Throughout the album, bassist and drummer demonstrate a kindred-spirit feel, the pair having known each other since the early '80s. "Joey and I share a lot of the same references and rhythmic sensibilities," he says. "I love the impetus he gives the music, how swinging he is, how creative." Johnson points out that in one of the quartet numbers, "When the Sun Comes Up," he anchors the quarter-note pulse while "it is Joey giving shape to the music, bobbing and weaving along with Lovano but never losing that beautiful sense of implied time."
Lovano enters with the second track, the blue-hued, valedictory-feeling "It's Time." Composed by Elias as a piece both with lyrics and, as here, without, "It's Time" is her tribute to the late saxophonist Michael Brecker. The pianist played with Brecker at the start of her career, when she was a member of Steps Ahead, and he worked with her on several projects afterward. Lovano's playing of the addictive melody in Johnson's "Midnight Blue" is so evocative and earthy that he seems to be blowing smoke rings into the air as much as breath into a horn. Another highlight with Lovano is "Moments," a new interpretation of an oft-covered gem of melancholy beauty that Elias wrote when she was just 21 and that first appeared on her 1985 album Illusions. "It's one of Eliane's masterpieces," insists Johnson. The bassist first met Lovano in the late-'70s Woody Herman band. "Joe has such a beautiful sound and is a consummate improviser, a player who is so quick to suss out the essence of a tune," Johnson says. "He is amazing at portraying the character of a composition in his improvisations." Elias adds: "As a composer, it's very satisfying the way that Joe incorporates a melody of a piece into his improvisations and shapes it. And we had some special experiences playing on Shades of Jade and again on this album. On `Moments,' he and I even improvised the same exact phrase at the same time, as if we were following a score."
As they often do in conversation, Johnson and Elias sometimes complete each other's thoughts in composition. They co-wrote "Sirens of Titan" and "Inside Her Old Music Box," and with Johnson's "When the Sun Comes Up," Elias's piano adds color and richness to the harmonies implied by his haunting melody and bass line. In the bassist's piece "Foujita," the impressionistic quality of the Japanese painter, after whom it's titled, is brought to life by Elias's touch, voicings and phrasing. Although born in very different places – the American Midwest and Brazil's biggest city – the two grew up loving some of the same music, including the lyrical strains of Bill Evans. (Johnson eventually ended up a member of the iconic pianist's last great trio, from 1977 to 1980. Elias recorded a recent tribute album to Evans called Something for You, with Johnson and Baron in tow.) Johnson and Elias have been making music together since the late '80s, developing a deep affinity and understanding. "Listeners who hear us play often assume that everything is all worked out in advance," the pianist says, "but it's just that we feel time and harmony together."
Marc Johnson was born in Nebraska in 1953, and he grew up in Texas. By age 19, he was working professionally with the Fort Worth Symphony, and while at North Texas State University, he played and recorded with fellow student Lyle Mays. The bassist first came to international attention in the late '70s as a member of the last trio led by Bill Evans. Johnson's many recording credits since then include discs with Michael Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, Eliane Elias, Peter Erskine, Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Joe Lovano, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny, Ben Monder, Paul Motian and Enrico Pieranunzi, among others. Johnson's first ECM recordings, made in 1985, were with his own Bass Desires quartet, featuring the guitars of Frisell and John Scofield. The bassist recorded for the label as a member of John Abercrombie's trio and appears on the guitarist's recent discs Cat'n'Mouse and Class Trip. He has also contributed to ECM albums by guitarist Ralph Towner (Lost and Found), pianist John Taylor (Rosslyn), saxophonist Charles Lloyd (Lift Every Voice) and bandoneón master Dino Saluzzi (Cité de la Musique).
Born in São Paolo, Brazil, Eliane Elias was a child prodigy in her native country, transcribing solos of the great jazz masters by age 12 and teaching piano and improvisation at Brazil's top school by 15. When she arrived in New York City in 1981, she astonished listeners, critics and fellow musicians alike with her pianistic fluency and charismatic stage presence. After a turn in the original acoustic line-up of Steps Ahead, she launched her starry career as a solo artist. A long line of chart-topping, Grammy Award-nominated recordings for Blue Note, RCA Victor and Concord followed, seeing her shine as both pianist and vocalist, as both an interpreter of classic Brazilian material and a composer of sophisticated, alluring original material. In 2000 appeared Impulsive!, an album of Elias's music arranged by Bob Brookmeyer and performed by the pianist along with the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. Elias made her ECM debut in 2005 on bassist Marc Johnson's Shades of Jade, not only playing piano but also contributing several compositions. In 2009, EMI Japan released Eliane Elias Plays Live, featuring the pianist playing mostly standards in her trio with Johnson and drummer Joey Baron. Elias was nominated for a Grammy in 2011 for Best Brazilian Song.


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Alabama's record yields in cotton, soybean and peanut crops in 2012 helped to offset lower than average corn yields, according to state agriculture officials.
Alabama's record yields in cotton, soybean and peanut crops in 2012 helped to offset lower than average corn yields, according to state agriculture officials.
Soybean and cotton yields in Northeast Alabama also likely set records this year, according to David Derrick, regional extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.
"For the row crop farmer, it's been one of the best years ever," Derrick said. "It's one of the best I can remember."
Farmers benefited from higher than average prices for corn and soybeans, officials said.
Bill Weaver, director of the Alabama office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistic Service, said drought conditions in the Midwest helped push soybean and corn prices higher.
"The people who had a lot of soybeans really made out well," Weaver said, "because they not only had good yields, they had good prices and that's unusual."
Alabama's projected soybean yield is 44 bushels an acre, breaking the record of 40 set in 2009.
Derrick said local farmers "did that and possibly more," with many having yields of 50 bushels or more an acre.
The projected statewide cotton yield of 840 pounds an acre shattered the record of 795 set in 1985, according to Weaver.
"In terms of production, it looks like it's going to be one of the best years we've had," he said. "People had really, really good cotton production. It's not uncommon that they had two-bale cotton out there ... ."
A bale of cotton is 500 pounds.
Cotton is more heat tolerable than other crops, Weaver said, which helped during the drought in June. He said the cotton yields should offset lower than average cotton prices.
Derrick said cotton yields locally would be above the state average.
"I think we made the best crop ever in this area in cotton," he said, noting that some fields had yields of three bales an acre.
The projected statewide peanut yield of 3,600 pounds an acre also set a record, benefiting according to Weaver from the same good weather that boosted the soybean crop.
Weaver said he couldn't recall records being set in three crops in the same year.
The bleak spot was a corn yield of 105 bushels an acre, down from 114 in 2011, even though corn prices were up.
Weaver said much of the corn crop didn't recover from the June drought, while cotton and soybeans had ideal late summer and fall growing seasons.
"A lot of fields were just devastated by that drought," he said.
Derrick said local corn yields probably trailed the state average, some by as much as 30 bushels an acre. "It varies a lot from one location to another," he said. "You don't have to go very far for it to make a lot of difference."
He said a farmer told him one field had yielded 160 bushels an acre, while another eight miles away yielded just 60.
Even with higher commodity prices, Derrick said, fertilizer, fuel and other costs to farmers will be higher.
More acreage in Etowah and Cherokee counties was planted in cotton, Derrick said, while acreage on Sand Mountain was split between corn and soybeans.
He expects more corn and soybeans to be planted locally next year because of the prices.


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The British are Coming
California's Highway One is a meandering ribbon of tarmac that follows the state's serpentine coastline from Mexico to the Oregon border. It's a scenic route, but can also be a treacherous one, especially along the Central Coast, as it weaves through the high palisades of Big Sur. It's a perfect place for a low-slung sports car, but this particular afternoon, we're heading north to the Monterey Peninsula behind the wheel of a new Rolls-Royce Ghost.
Perhaps the most well-recognized marque in the automotive world, the very name Rolls is likely to bring to mind a lumbering mass of metal, a liveried chauffeur up front and a distracted matron in the rear. But the nimble new Ghost challenges such assumptions. Decidedly smaller and more subtle than the brand's classic saloon cars—such as the ostentatious Phantom—it is surprisingly lithe and sure-footed as we charge through the tightest corners at well above the posted speed limit.
If the new Ghost lends a sporty air to the brand's staid persona, that's precisely what the planners at Rolls-Royce had in mind. The new sedan is expected to double, perhaps even triple, the British marque's sales in the coming years by appealing to a younger, hipper, but still quite affluent buyer.
And though Rolls executives tend to downplay the comparison, the Ghost takes aim at another exclusive U.K. nameplate: Bentley, whose Continental models—a sleek mix of sedans, coupes and convertibles—have, over the past decade, become the best-selling entries ever in the ultra-premium luxury car market.
For nearly three-quarters of a century, the two carmakers operated as one. The struggling Bentley was acquired by its more successful rival in 1931 and, in the decades that followed, little difference, beyond their hood ornaments, separated the brands. But as the second millennium drew to a close, the Rolls-Royce Motor Co., aware that it didn't have the resources to retain its position at the pinnacle of automotive excellence, put itself on the auction block. An unexpected turn of events—documented in Cigar Aficionado [April 1999 issue]—split the two divisions, and Rolls wound up in the hands of German luxury maker BMW, while Bentley became one of a growing corral of luxury franchises acquired by the aspiring Volkswagen AG.
In the dozen years since, they have been cordial but nevertheless aggressive rivals. And if Rolls is taking aim at the low end of its former partner's lineup, Bentley is striking out at the prestigious pinnacle of the Rolls brand with its all-new Mulsanne.
The massive machine is decidedly more modern than the outgoing Arnage, and is being positioned as a sporty alternative to Rolls's big Phantom. But it is nonetheless aimed at the exospheric elite, with a forest full of wood trim and a pasture's worth of leather. Simply sewing all that cowhide together, the maker boasts, takes Bentley craftsmen nearly three weeks.
The challenge that both manufacturers face is that the global luxury market is in the doldrums. While there are still plenty of potential customers with ready cash in hand, "they're not necessarily willing to flaunt that wealth when they may be closing plants and cutting jobs," concedes Ian Robertson, the BMW marketing executive who oversees Rolls-Royce.
The good news is that both of the high-line marques now have the luxury of waiting out the recession without fear of economic disaster, as might have been the case when they lacked substantial backing.
Financial problems have taken a heavy toll on the once-mighty British auto industry, as a whole, over the last few decades. Some of the best-known brands—Triumph and MG—have vanished from the market. With rare exception, the survivors have sought shelter in the arms—and treasuries—of erstwhile foreign rivals. In a surprising twist, two British brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, are now the prized possessions of Indian automaker, Tata.
Yet, as with Rolls-Royce and Bentley, the British makers who've survived are now turning out some of the best and most competitive products in their history. Here's a look at what they're up to.
Rolls-Royce: Taking Aim at the Affluent Mainstream
Though the big Phantom and its spin-offs, such as the Drophead Coupe, are the flagships of the Rolls-Royce fleet, the new Ghost is expected to become the best-selling model in the brand's history.
Named for the legendary 1906 Silver Ghost, it's a decidedly different animal than the in-your-face Phantom, with which it shares an assembly plant in Goodwood, a couple hours' drive from London. Yes, there's still the classic "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament above the waterfall grille, but Ghost is a more subtle sedan—if one can use that term to describe a $250,000 automobile.
As always, some owners will likely prefer to have a chauffeur handle driving duties, but with Ghost, Rolls hopes to appeal to a more involved, if still top-tier, buyer. Words like driving dynamics and performance come into play, concepts that the saloon car can readily deliver with its 563 horsepower 6.2-liter V8.
As well as the requisite wood and leather, Ghost offers modern luxury touches. There's a big navigation screen in the center console, and twin video monitors for rear-seat passengers. You can even plug in an iPhone or use the Bluetooth system for hands-free calling. And borrowing from parent BMW, the new car features the latest in safety systems, including active cruise control and radar technology that can warn a driver of an impending collision.
Unveiled in 2009, in concept form, as the 200EX, the new sedan will be just one of several body styles to boast the Ghost badge, Rolls officials confirm. Although specific plans are still under wraps, expect to see a convertible—or drophead, in British parlance—among other variants.
While Rolls CEO Torsten Mueller insists the brand is now making money, the Ghost will be a critical part of its business case, going forward. After a slow and agonizing start, the maker is selling about 1,000 Phantom variants annually. Even if the Ghost triples that output, as the maker predicts, that's barely a single day's production for a mainstream assembly plant. But for this BMW subsidiary, it could provide a very handsome profit, indeed, says Mueller.
Bentley: Reaching Up
After its acquisition by Rolls in 1931, Bentley became an automotive afterthought. By the early 1980s, the brand accounted for barely 5 percent of total Rolls-Royce Motor Co. volume. Then came the introduction of performance-oriented Bentley models, such as the lightning-quick Turbo R, and suddenly the equation turned upside down.
Following its 1998 acquisition by Volkswagen, Bentley put even more of an emphasis on performance with the launch of the sleek Continental line. Models like the GT coupe and new Supersport that can deliver an unexpected blend of muscle and elegance had Bentley sales surging to more than 10,000 cars a year before the global economic meltdown.
With sales now running barely a third of their peak, Bentley is struggling, and an updated version of the Continental line is under development. Meanwhile, like its luxury rivals, the marque is facing some stiff challenges, in the years ahead, as new emissions and mileage standards go into effect in key markets like Europe and the U.S., so it is preparing to unveil new, more efficient powertrain technologies for the new Continental line.
Even the big Mulsanne will be able to run on the renewable E85 bio-fuel. With the saloon car replacing the decades-old Arnage, Bentley is betting it will let it compete with the best in the world—a less-than subtle reference to former partner Rolls-Royce.
As you'd expect, this is a very large car, and it's lavished with leather and wood—in an interesting touch, the veneer wraps around the entire passenger compartment. But then there's the powertrain. Mulsanne's 6.75-liter V8 delivers the sort of muscle the brand has been known for since the days when W.O. and the Bentley Boys dominated the Le Mans endurance racing circuit. The car produces 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of tire-spinning torque. The Mulsanne can be driven as deliberately as any luxury limousine, but switching to sport mode and flogging the throttle will sink you deep into its plush upholstered seats.
Intriguingly, Bentley has priced Mulsanne at $280,000, well below the Rolls-Royce Phantom and only a wee bit more than the smaller Rolls Ghost. The two makers insist they appeal to very different sorts of buyers, but spend some time around the ultra-affluent and the argument sounds less persuasive. Will they be poaching off one another with their new offerings?
Jaguar and Land Rover: The Empire Strikes Back
Perhaps no automotive manufacturer has had so lengthy a roller-coaster ride as Jaguar. The British marque was repeatedly left for dead during its first three-quarters of a century. But, as we reported in the August 2008 issue, this cat clearly has nine lives. Jaguar's seeming salvation came in 1989 with its $2.5 billion sale to Ford Motor Co. But despite the billions Ford invested over the years, success continued to elude it.
As for Land Rover, the SUV maker had come perilously close to running off the road when the British Rover Group, collapsed despite the largesse of parent BMW. But Ford snapped up the Land Rover operations, as well, merging them into its newly-created Premier Automotive Group, along with Jaguar, Aston Martin and Volvo.
A decade later, when it was clear that the PAG would never come close to yielding its promised profits, the new Ford CEO Alan Mulaly announced his One Ford strategy, beginning the piece-by-piece sell-off of the European-based luxury subsidiary. The surprise came when Jag and Land Rover, which had effectively consolidated into a single business unit, were sold to the increasingly ambitious Indian automaker, Tata Motors—a company better known for its $2,500 Nana microcar.
Though still early, insiders seem pleased with the new parent, and Tata is betting its future on nurturing its new high-line subsidiaries. Ironically, Jaguar's and Land Rover's near-term success will almost certainly depend on the launch of the final products each developed while still a part of Ford.
For Jaguar, that's the all-new XJ sedan. The brand's long-time flagship has undergone the most dramatic remake in decades. "It's the face of the brand," proclaims Gary Temple, CEO Jaguar Land Rover North America. The sweeping coupe-like design calls attention to what is a very sophisticated bit of engineering. Under the paint, Jaguar has crafted a lightweight, all-aluminum package that has somehow achieved seemingly polar opposite goals. It is refined and comfortable, yet swift and sporty. It's offered in a variety of versions, all the way up to the newest addition for 2011, the 510-horsepower XJ Supersport.
While Jaguar's goal was to regain its reputation for striking, if timeless beauty, Land Rover is trying a different strategy with the upcoming Evoque. "This is the smallest, lightest, most fuel-efficient addition to the Land Rover lineup ever," contends managing director Phil Popham. Originally shown in concept form as the LRX, the new model is the Brit marque's first car-based crossover-utility vehicle, or CUV. The move is critical considering tightening fuel consumption and emissions standards—yet Land Rover insists Evoque will still offer some enviable off-road capabilities. Initially, it will be produced in four-wheel-drive configuration, with a front-drive model to follow. But in keeping with the times, look for a battery-based hybrid to follow around 2013.
Mini: Going to the Max
The Mini launched in 1959, as the British Motor Co.'s response to the fuel shortage created by the Suez Canal crisis of a few years earlier. The design penned by Sir Alec Issigonis proved to the Brits that small could be beautiful. Americans took another four decades to catch on.
Like Triumph and Humber, Mini might have landed on the junk heap had it not been for the former BMW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder—coincidentally a nephew of Issigonis. The avowed Anglophile acquired an array of foundering U.K. marques, though BMW was eventually forced to sell off all but Rolls-Royce and Mini.
The original Mini went out of production in 2000, but a new version debuted a few years later, and for the first time, was backed by a serious U.S. distribution channel. Sales quickly outstripped supply. Volumes dipped a bit in 2009, but several factors seem poised to drive a comeback, especially the likelihood of another fuel-price spike once the global recession ends.
And there's plenty of new product, with most of the attention focused on the all-new Countryman. It boasts a variety of firsts, starting with the fact that it's the first Mini SUV/crossover. It's also the brand's first four-door and the first model with all-wheel-drive.
"We've gone from astonishingly small to small," laughs Jim McDowell, Mini's top American executive, noting that even now the Countryman remains one of the tiniest vehicles on the American market.
Mini is also launching a new roadster and a coupe. And it is field-testing the battery-powered MiniE. Early results were so positive the maker agreed to extend the initial leases for some of its American drivers. Expect battery power to be a key part of Mini's strategy, going forward, suggests McDowell.
Aston Martin: How Do You Say "007" in Arabic?
"We would have disappeared if Henry Ford II hadn't come along," says Aston Martin's charismatic CEO Uli Bez of the Ford Motor Co. heir who purchased the foundering British maker in 1987. But Aston, which thrived under Ford's stewardship, was the first PAG brand to be sold off exactly two decades later. And again, the buyer proved a surprise—in this case a consortium headed by Kuwaiti investors and the chief of the Aston Martin Racing team, David Richards.
Competing in the same rarified air as Ferrari, Aston has been struggling through the economic downturn, relying on arm-twisting and hefty incentives to keep dealers moving the metal and its assembly lines rolling. But as it prepares for a future without a deep-pocket automotive parent it is taking some risky, if intriguing, gambles.
At one end is the new Rapide, which Bez describes as "the most elegant four-door sports car in the world." Until recently, that might have seemed a contradiction in terms, but suddenly this space is becoming crowded, what with offerings that also include the new Porsche Panamera. At Rapide's heart is a 470-horsepower, 6-liter V12. Like Panamera, Aston is billing the new model as more of a daily driver than its typical sports car, something "the entire family can enjoy together," said Bez during the Rapide's introduction at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Aston's other new offering, the Cygnet, is yet again a response to changing government regulations—if not evolving consumer trends. The winged logo on the hood might seem familiar, and there's plenty of Aston's plush leather in the cabin, but nonetheless a minicar seems a stretch for the maker. All the more curious was Aston's decision to partner with Toyota on the project. Based on the mainstream maker's little IQ, Aston will charge $45,000 to $75,000 for its version. While we can imagine the legendary superspy James Bond behind the wheel of the Rapide, it's a little more difficult to see 007 wending his way through London traffic in a minicar, whatever the brand.
Lotus: A New Fantasy
Have a fantasy of going up against the likes of Michael Schumacher? Lotus, with models like the all-new 125, Formula-One-class racer that can be run by a team of one, rather than by 80 people, has historically been the place to go. Now, the rarified, but economically fragile, British marque announces the rollout into 2015 of a fleet of new models that seem to portend—by tiny Lotus measures—a move toward more practical rides.
The announcement, made on September 30 at the Paris Motorshow, introduced five new street-worthy versions, including the entry-level (about $56,000) Elise, Elite, Elan, Espirit and Eterne, a four-door, four-seater with hybrid technology, meant to compete with the Rapide. The hoopla comes with a website devoted to the as-yet unavailable models (lotusnewera.com) and bespeaks a new dawn for the company (owned since 1994 by Malaysia's Proton) with buzz phrases like "the end of compromise," "the icon is back," and "the grown up."
Also due for new expressions is the already on-the-market Evora. They include Evora S and Evora IPS, the second of which will be the first automatic-transmission Lotus in quite a while. While details are sketchy on what is to come, the current Evora has already proved itself a winner. The latest offering, which was developed under the codename Eagle, is a punchy mid-engine two-seater—and the marque's first 2+2 since the 1992 Excel. With its featherweight aluminum chassis and 276-hp 3.5-liter V6, Evora can keep pace with some of the best sports cars on the road, hitting 0 to 60 in just 4.9 seconds and topping out at 162 mph. It's also as nimble as a go-kart—if only a wee bit easier to climb into.
Of course, if extra seating and easy access isn't why you look to Lotus (and you also have an extra million dollars lying around) you can sign for the 125. But you better move fast, as the British-based company plans to produce only around 25 of what is, for all intents and purposes, a copy of the British marque's 2010 Formula One design. Except you get a slightly longer cockpit—to handle drivers measuring anywhere from 5'4'' to 6'2''—and a downsized Cosworth 640-horsepower V8 with the luxury of an on-board starter.
Yet Lotus promises, "there'll be a bit of Formula One in most of the new entries." The Eterne will be one of numerous models offered with the KERS hybrid system developed for the marque's F1 racing program."
Morgan: Forward Into the Past
While the days of the empire are long gone, there's something about the products of the Morgan Motor Co. that harks back to a bygone era. The very retro-influenced design, for one thing, with sweeping, offset fenders that could be lifted nearly whole from the 1930s. And the fact that the boutique brand continues to use wood for the underlying chassis, even today, 101 years after its founding by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan.
HFS, as he was generally known, ran the maker until his death in 1959, when son Peter took over. Today, Charles Morgan, the grandson of the founder, is at the helm, and he has been carefully crafting a new generation of products that have one axle in the past, the other in the future.
Consider the Aero Max, with its distinctive split-window boat-tail rear. The 367-horsepower two-seater falls into the rarified supercar class, capable of launching from 0 to 60 in just 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of more than 170 mph. Yes, there are still modified running boards, and the body frame is yet again made from ash, but the chassis is lightweight aluminum, and the overall car weighs well less than the more modern-looking BMW M3.
Morgan is producing just 100 copies of the $220,000 Aero Max, slightly more of the soft-top Aero 8. But the company is about distinctive, classic, even quirky design, not about volume. It typically produces well under 1,000 cars annually.
Morgan is the most obvious tie between past and present for the British auto industry. Things have changed dramatically since the days when British warships ruled the seas—and the roadways. The U.K. has created more brands that remain on the market than most countries in the world, but today, the majority of those nameplates are foreign owned. And while that may be a bit of a blow to British pride, marques like Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and Land Rover are now producing not just some of the best cars in English automotive history, but some of the best products in the world. Rule Britannia.
Paul A. Eisenstein is publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com on the Internet.


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AddShoppers Social Product API
AddShoppers is a free social commerce platform for retailers. One snippet of code enables social analytics per SKU and apps expand the functionality. The platform is fully integrated with Facebook's Open Graph Want/Own actions. With the API users will have the ability to sort products by most Wanted, Tweeted, etc., setup triggers that will email customers automatically when a Wanted product is released, measure the ROI of social sharing at the product level. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in JSON.


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With a variety of apartment and cottage floor plans to choose from, our residents are free to enjoy independent living, organized activities and a continuum of services provided by Manor staff. It's an ideal mix of support and self-reliance.
Our licensed nursing center provides the perfect blend of health care and personal comfort in a home-like atmosphere.
The House of Hope is a specialized center for Alzheimer's and dementia care where seniors can live out their lives in comfort, security and dignity.


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Well, it's happening in the West now. A 14 year old girl (13 when marriage was arranged) has been spared from a forced marriage (all emphasis mine):
The Melbourne teenager is one of a number of Australian girls forced into arranged marriages overseas each year.
Her plight came to light when child protection officers received a report in June that the then-13-year-old had been taken out of school ahead of her intended marriage.
In a landmark decision published on Monday, the Family Court barred the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, from travelling abroad until she turns 18.
Federal Police were ordered to place the girl's name alongside the names of accused serious criminals and tax cheats on the official Watch List at departure points around the nation.
Her family, who are believed to be Muslims from the former Yugolsav Republic of Macedonia, has had to surrender the girl's passport and cannot apply for a new one.
The money quote:
"According to Islamic law a woman must give her consent to marriage without any form of collusion," [Islamic Council of Victoria vice-president Sherene Hassan] said yesterday.
"Sadly there are some Muslims that fail to discern [the difference] between culture and religion."
Failed to 'discern' between culture and religion? Gee, forced marriages to underage, non-consenting girls wouldn't have anything to do with THIS, would it?
Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became Allright, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age.
Apparently, 'culture' only influences Muslims when it is a backward, 7th century culture. Anything more modern or humane would be un-Islamic.
(Cross-posted at SnappedShot.com)


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BILLINGS, Mont. — Yellowstone National Park administrators are recommending the removal of roughly 900 bison next winter through hunting, shipments to slaughter and for research purposes.
The proposal represents about 19 percent of the park's wild bison.
Officials say removing the animals will relieve population pressures that periodically push large numbers of migrating bison into Montana during harsh winters.
Wildlife advocates say a better approach would be allowing bison into areas outside the park where they are now barred.
Livestock interests and some local officials have opposed expanding bison habitat. They cite concerns over animal disease and public safety.
Hunters and government agencies removed 640 bison last winter.
Whether next winter's goal will be reached depends largely on weather conditions. Fewer bison leave the park to graze at lower elevations during mild winters.


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1 Timothy
- Chapter 1
Counsel is given to teach true doctrine only—Christ came to save repentant sinners.
- Chapter 2
We should pray for all people—Christ is our Mediator—Women should dress modestly—Women are blessed in childbearing and are admonished to continue in faith, charity, and holiness.
- Chapter 3
Qualifications are given for bishops and deacons—Great is the mystery of godliness.
- Chapter 4
Paul describes the latter-day apostasy—Christ is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
- Chapter 5
Saints are to care for their worthy poor—Policies concerning elders are given.
- Chapter 6
The love of money is the root of all evil—Fight the good fight of faith—Do not trust in worldly riches.


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Jessica Rabbit Pinup Comic Art Ink Print NDE
Jessica Rabbit Pinup Ink Art Print by Keyeske and Chykara
***Censors are not on actual art piece. Contact us if you are interested and would like to see without the censors. Ink Art Print by Keyeske and Chykara. The art was drawn by hand, scanned to the computer and printed on 8.5x11" Premium Card Stock Paper. If you would like to have a ink art commissioned piece, please inquire about our custom art request. If you would like to make a special request to have this print colored by hand, there is an additional fee.


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The ESPreSSO hydrodynamic model (<http://www.myroms.org/espresso/>) has been operated by Rutgers University since October 2009 as a data-assimilative nowcast/forecast system for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS, <http://maracoos.org/>), part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (<http://www.ioos.noaa.gov>). The underlying circulation model is the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS; <http://www.myroms.org>), a finite-difference, hydrostatic, primitive equation ocean model that solves for the free surface elevation and three dimensional flow patterns, temperature, and salinity.
The ESPreSSO configuration of ROMS has 5 km horizontal resolution and 36 layers in vertical terrain-following coordinates. Bathymetry and land-sea masking is from the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Coastal Relief Model. The vertical turbulence closure is the k-kl option of the Generalized Length Scale (GLS) formulation. Air-sea fluxes of momentum and heat are computed using bulk formulae applied to ROMS ocean surface conditions and meteorological conditions (wind velocity, rain, downward long- and short-wave radiation, and marine boundary layer temperature, pressure, and relative humidity) from the NOAA NAM atmospheric forecast. Ocean open boundary values are from a global forecast that uses the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HyCOM) with assimilation of satellite and in situ data with the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) system. ESPreSSO river inflows are from daily U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge data, and tidal harmonic boundary variability is determined from a regional tidal model.
Output from the ESPreSSO forecast system is saved every 2 hours. Access to model results is made practical through the use of Thematic Real-time Environmental Distributed Data Services (THREDDS) technology, which allows subsets of large data sets to be accessed directly via Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP) over the Internet from remote locations without transferring the entire multi-gigabyte model output.
The ESPreSSO data assimilation methodology consists of using the incremental strong constraint 4-dimensional variational (IS4DVar) approach to optimally adjust the model state within a 3-day duration analysis interval that precedes each 72-hour forecast. The assimilation cycle is repeated daily (hence the 3-day analysis windows overlap) and the first 24 hours of each forecast is retained as the "best estimate" of the ocean state for that day. It was these "best estimate" data that were analyzed here.
The data assimilated include surface currents from the MARACOOS HF-Radar (CODAR) network, sea surface temperature from satellite infrared (AVHRR) and microwave (AMSR-E) radiometers, and sea surface height anomalies from the Jason-2 altimeter satellite. In addition, a regional high-resolution climatology based on a 4-dimensional weighted least squares mapping of historical hydrographic data is assimilated to constrain biases in temperature and salinity introduced by the boundary conditions and/or internal model drift.
Significant wave height, dominant wave period, and wave direction were prescribed as SWAN TPAR format files on the model grid boundary with a spatial resolution of a boundary point every 25 grid cells using results from the NOAA Wavewatch III global multi-grid model, updated every 3 hours. A JONSWAP (JOint NOrth Sea WAve Project) spectral shape was assumed at these boundary points. Wind forcing was provided at 3-hour resolution from the NOAA North American Mesoscale (NAM) model (12 km resolution) over its domain, with forcing at the most offshore portions of the grid (outside the NAM grid) provided by the NOAA Global Forecasting System (GFS) model at 0.5 degree resolution. The SWAN directional resolution was 6 degrees (60 bins), determined via sensitivity analysis as the coarsest (and hence least computationally expensive) resolution that does not result in the "Garden-Sprinkler Effect" (GSE), wherein swell traveling over large distances inaccurately disintegrates into non-continuous wave fields as a result of frequency and directional discretization. The minimum frequency bin should be set to a value less than 0.7 times the lowest expected peak frequency and the maximum frequency bin should be set at least 2.5-3 times the highest expected peak frequency expected. In order to determine appropriate values, the peak periods from 43 NDBC buoys throughout the wave model domain were analyzed (when available) over the one year period of the study, yielding 297,533 hourly observations. The 99th and 1st percentiles of peak period were 15 s and 3 s, corresponding to frequencies of 0.07 Hz and 0.33 Hz, noting that these values may be biased by buoy limits of detection at high and low frequencies. The frequency range was therefore specified as 0.04-1 Hz. SWAN was allowed to internally determine the frequency resolution as one tenth of each frequency bin for best performance of the discrete interaction approximation (DIA) method of nonlinear 4-wave interactions, resulting in 34 frequency bins. Bottom friction calculations used the Madsen formulation with a uniform roughness length scale of 0.05 m. This value was selected for the best comparison of model output and buoy observations within the domain, and does not correspond to physical roughness values or the bottom roughness used in stress calculations. Wind generation and whitecapping parameterizations follow the modified Komen approach prescribed by Rogers et al. (2003), which reduces inaccurate attenuation of swell energy by whitecapping. Wave model outputs of bottom orbital velocity, bottom representative period, and bottom wave direction were output hourly and interpolated onto the ESPreSSO model grid.
NDBC observations were used for model validation; ten full-spectra wave buoys are within the domain. Due to maintenance problems observations from all buoys were not available over the entire time period and data from Texas Tower Station 44066 for January 2011, when the buoy was adrift but still reporting, were manually removed. Using the GM method and the same bottom roughness of 0.005 m used to process model output, surface and bottom parameters were calculated from buoy spectra and compared to model output at the same locations. The same person that conducted this processing step conducted each subsequent processing step.
Rogers, W.E., Hwang, P.A., Wang, D.W., 2003. Investigation of Wave Growth and Decay in the SWAN Model: Three Regional-Scale Applications. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 33, 366-389.
Warner, J.C., Armstrong, B., He, R., Zambon, J.B., 2010. Development of a Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System. Ocean Modelling 35, 230-244.
Dalyander, P.S., Butman, B., Sherwood, C.R., and Signell, R.P. (2012). Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Seafloor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database. USGS OFR 2012-1137.
Soulsby, R., 1997. Dynamics of Marine Sands, a Manual for Practical Applications. Thomas Telford Publications, London.
Wave direction, bottom orbital velocities, and bottom periods are calculated internally by the wave model. Near-bed current magnitude and direction are taken from the hydrodynamic model, with the reference height taken as the distance from the cell vertical midpoint to the seabed. GM requires that the current velocity be taken above the wave boundary layer (WBL) but within the log-profile current velocity layer. If the thickness of the WBL calculated using GM exceeds of one or more of the deepest grid cells, the current estimate and associated reference height are used from the deepest grid cell at each location where the reference height exceeds the width of the WBL. An estimate must be used for the maximum reference height where the log-profile velocity layer assumption is valid. As discussed in Grant and Madsen (1986), the thickness of the log-profile layer based on laboratory experiments is approximately 10% of the current boundary layer thickness (Clauser, 1956). Because tidal currents, storm currents, and mean flow have a boundary layer thickness on the order of magnitude 10's of meters (Goud, 1987), a maximum value for reference height is set as 5 m.
The GM bottom boundary layer model also requires a value for bottom roughness. For the mobility estimates, it is the skin friction acting on the particles, and not the total bottom shear stress, which is the relevant parameter. For that reason, observed sediment texture data from the USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database (v2.2) are used to calculate the bottom roughness at each point for which they are available. For non-cohesive samples (see definition in Process Step 2), the median grain size is used as the roughness. For cohesive samples a roughness of 62.5 micrometers, which has a critical stress based on Soulsby (1997) of 0.1 Pa, is used.
Madsen, O.S., 1994. Spectral wave-current bottom boundary layer flows, Proceedings 24th Conf. Coastal Eng., pp. 384-398.
Glenn, S.M., 1983. A Continental Shelf Bottom Boundary Layer Model: The Effects of Waves, Currents, and a Moveable Bed. Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cambridge, MA, 237 pp.
Glenn, S.M., Grant, W.D., 1987. A suspended sediment stratification correction for combined wave and current flows. J. Geophys. Res. 92, 8244-8264.
Goud, M.R., 1987. Prediction of Continental Shelf Sediment Transport Using a Theoretical Model of the Wave-Current Boundary Layer. Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cambridge, MA, 211 pp.
Grant, W.D., Madsen, O.S., 1986. The continental-shelf bottom boundary-layer. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 18, 265-305.
Grant, W.D., Madsen, O.S., 1982. Movable bed roughness in unsteady oscillatory flow. J. Geophys. Res. 87, 469-481.
Grant, W.D., Madsen, O.S., 1979. Combined wave and current interaction with a rough bottom J. Geophys. Res. 84, 1797-1808.
Madsen, O.S., 1994. Spectral wave-current bottom boundary layer flows, Proceedings 24th Conf. Coastal Eng., pp. 384-398.
Madsen, O.S., Poon, Y., Graber, H.C., 1988. Spectral wave attenuation by bottom friction: theory, Proceedings 21st Int. Conf. Coast. Eng., pp. 492-504.
Soulsby, R., 1997. Dynamics of Marine Sands, a Manual for Practical Applications. Thomas Telford Publications, London.
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.


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(Reuters) - Big business, a traditionally powerful but pragmatic player in Republican policy-making, has found itself outflanked and marginalized by smaller conservative groups opposed to compromise in the country's current fiscal crisis and the looming showdown over the debt ceiling.
As the shutdown of the government approaches its third day, business leaders and groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are worried about the economic implications of a standoff over the debt limit, but their pleas have not moved the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to action. Meanwhile right-wing groups like the Club for Growth and Heritage Action have gained traction, particularly as Tea Party-aligned lawmakers rise in prominence.
The U.S. Chamber's chief lobbyist said 16 House Republicans are now "out of earshot" for the Chamber, enough by his count to stymie legislation.
These lawmakers do not listen to their own Republican leaders and are oblivious to national polls, said Bruce Josten, the Chamber's executive vice president for government affairs. "They aren't going to listen to anybody except what they are being told from home."
Led by a group of conservative members, Republicans wanted to tie continued government funding to measures that would undercut President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. The dispute threatens to merge with an October 17 deadline for Congress to authorize an increase in the government's debt limit, or risk an unprecedented default.
The Chamber, which has opposed long opposed Obama's health insurance reforms, on Monday sent a letter to lawmakers from over 250 business groups, urging them to fund the government and raise the debt limit while cutting entitlement spending.
While the letter was addressed to all lawmakers, the message was clearly directed more at Republicans, with whom the Chamber has historically had far more influence.
Despite the letter, the impasse continues, with both sides blaming each other for intransigence.
The shutdown began on Tuesday after Democrats rejected Republican efforts to undercut the Affordable Care Act. Also known as Obamacare, a key piece of the program went ahead on Tuesday as people enrolled in new online insurance marketplaces.
The Republican Party is traditionally seen as supporting business interests while maintaining strong ties to leading industry groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which helps fund candidates' campaigns and lobbies for corporate-friendly measures in Congress. In the 2012 election cycle the Chamber spent nearly $28 million campaigning against Democrats, out of $32 million overall, according to Washington research group the Center for Responsive Politics.
In the budget dispute, the House Republican leadership has aligned with lawmakers sympathetic to the Tea Party in opposing a deal to end the shutdown, despite the pleas of business groups like the Chamber and Fix the Debt to avoid actions that would damage the economy.
With many Capitol Hill staff members off work because of the shutdown and Boehner meeting with Obama in the White House on Wednesday evening, the speaker's office did not immediately respond to questions about the Chamber's letter or the speaker's relationship with the business community.
Former House Republican leadership spokesman Kevin Madden said party chairmen and big donors used to have a more exclusive level of access to persuading legislators. "It's become a much more competitive market for (leadership's) attention."
Paul Stebbins, executive chairman of the board at World Fuel Services Corp in Miami, said the Republican willingness to allow a shutdown created "a very deep unease" among his fellow business leaders as they look ahead to the debt ceiling fight.
Honeywell International Chief Executive Dave Cote, a self-proclaimed "lifelong Republican," said he was frustrated with the party's unwillingness to agree to a deal.
Major bank executives including Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein and JP Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon met with Obama at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the budget impasse and the debt ceiling, but they did not go as a group to Capitol Hill, and none were scheduled to meet with Boehner or Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
After the White House meeting, Blankfein said the executives, in Washington as part of the Financial Services Forum, wanted lawmakers to understand "the long-term consequences of a shutdown - we're already in the short-term consequences of a shutdown - but certainly the consequences of a debt ceiling (not being raised), and we all agree that those are extremely adverse."
Blankfein implicitly criticized Republicans for using Obamacare as a weapon. "You can litigate these policy issues. You can re-litigate these policy issues in a political forum, but they shouldn't use the threat of causing the U.S. to fail on its ... obligations to repay on its debt as a cudgel," he said.
A short-term shutdown would slow U.S. economic growth by about 0.2 percentage points, Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday, and a weeks-long disruption could weigh more heavily, at 0.4 percentage points. If Congress fails later this month to raise the $16.7 trillion borrowing cap, the United States would go into default, likely sending financial shockwaves around the world.
United Technologies Corp, which makes Sikorsky helicopters and other items for the military, said it would be forced to furlough as many as 4,000 employees, if the U.S. government shutdown continues through next week, due to the absence of government quality inspectors.
Much of the far-right antipathy for big business began in 2008, with the passage of the Troubled Asset Relief Program that critics equated to a bailout of major banks and corporations.
While long-standing industry groups like the Chamber have lost some of their sway over House Republicans, conservative organizations like Heritage Action have taken their place, some observers said.
Heritage Action is the political wing of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank run by former Tea Party Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina since January.
Stebbins, of World Fuel Services, said single-issue groups like Club for Growth, an anti-tax advocacy group with a political action committee, were playing an outsized role in driving the politics behind the impasse.
"I think that one of the things that pragmatic businesspeople resent is that these absolutist imperatives become the litmus test whether you get to succeed politically," Stebbins said.
Led by former Indiana congressman Chris Chocola, Club for Growth has heavily supported Texas Senator Ted Cruz, whose 21-hour speech on the Senate floor last week helped set the stage for the budget fight.
In addition to lobbying members of Congress, Heritage Action also puts out a scorecard ranking lawmakers and funds aggressive advertising and publicity campaigns for its favored issues and officials.
Club for Growth is a juggernaut campaign funder of fiscally conservative Republicans.
Leaders from both Heritage Action and Club for Growth acknowledged that the Republican Party was indeed distancing itself from traditional business interests.
"The nature of the (House Republicans) has changed, and we think we have had something to do with that, with our support of some of the candidates we've endorsed," Chocola told Reuters, noting that "our goal is to be cheerleaders rather than obstructionists," and that he no longer speaks with Republican leadership.
Heritage Action spokesman Dan Holler said his group is in "constant communication" with leading Republicans, and that the lawmaker movement away from big business interests showed more attention is being paid to constituents.
Both Holler and Chocola pointed to their opposition to authorizing the Export-Import Bank as an example of their disagreement with the Chamber.
"There's an awakening in the Republican Party that being in favor of free markets and less government doesn't mean that you're going to be pro-big business," Holler said.
"Now you're getting to the point where (members of Congress) are saying, 'I don't care if groups like the Chamber of Commerce are lobbying for a tax credit,' or something like that."
Reporting and writing by Gabriel Debenedetti in Washington; Reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago; Additional reporting by Jason Lange and Jeff Mason in Washington and Patricia Kranz in New York; Editing by Claudia Parsons and Tim Dobbyn


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He said that the designs dated to c.1957-1960. Would this be about right?
IMO not Hoglund. Ofcourse I could have missed it, but I have 3-400 pieces from hoglund, several productions catalogues, i have worked at Boda, and see Hoglund pieces daily, this is a piece that I have never seen unfortunately.
Really wish I'd pushed the boat out on the glasses now. But... win some / lose some.
I suppose a lot of companies were producing terribly similar forms.
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Main Content
Kislak Center
Access to the Kislak Center
The reading room of the Kislak Center is located on the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library. The entrance to the building faces Locust Walk between 34th and 36th Streets.
The library is open to all who need to consult its collections. Readers must provide current photographic identification for admission to both Van Pelt-Dietrich Library and this department.
Bibliographic records for approximately half of the printed book collections can be found on Franklin, the library's online catalog, and more continue to be added as the library retrospectively converts the remaining card catalogs to machine-readable form. Until this process is completed, it is still necessary to consult the public card catalog located in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Access to manuscript codices, collections, and documents is provided through two electronic bibliographic utilities, Franklin and WorldCat. Finding aids for large manuscript collections are available on the World Wide Web. In addition, full facsimiles for Penn's pre-1801 Western manuscript are available on a Web site entitled "Penn in Hand." The site also provides facsimiles for approximately 200 Indic manuscripts and other selected items.