text:
(Brooklyn – WABC,
April 25, 2007) – The parapet of a vacant building under demolition as
part of the Atlantic Yards project collapsed onto the street in the
Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn Thursday
Officials say the
parapet on the former Ward Bread Bakery Complex came crashing onto the
sidewalk and Pacific Street just after 9:45 a.m.
The parapet is the
barrier at the edge of a structure employed to prevent persons or
vehicles from falling over the edge.
No workers were
reported injured, and there were no pedestrians struck, officials
Emergency services
personnel are now in the process of evacuating nearly 100 apartments
after a parapet fell.
Officials are
worried about the stability of the building and the possibility of
additional collapse, so they are evacuating the building next door at
800 Pacific Street. There are unconfirmed reports that perhaps 350
people could be displaced.
Pieces of the
parapet littered the sidewalk and crashed onto some
The five-story
building is slated to be demolished as part of the Atlantic Yards
project. Protestors rallied in front of the building on the first day
of demolition last month. The protesters said the historic building,
built in 1911 and covered in white terra cotta tiles, is example of a
"scorched earth" policy that will blight the corridor along
the Long Island Rail Road yards in Prospect
The work at the
bakery at 800 Pacific Street will include two months of abatement,
including the removal of asbestos, Forest City Ratner Companies said
in a statement. When the building is gone in two months, 75 percent of
the materials will be recycled, the company said.
Ratner's Atlantic
Yards project proposes a sweeping, 24-acre development with a
19,000-seat basketball arena for his New Jersey Nets, residential
buildings and four soaring office towers.
The Frank
Gehry-designed project would be built over Long Island Rail Road
storage yards and is dependent upon the state condemning more than two
square blocks of private property and knocking down up to 70
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn has planned a demonstration to protest the demolition of four buildings on the Atlantic Yards footprint ffor Monday April 23, at 8 a.m. at 191 Flatbush Avenue (between Fifth Avenue and Dean).
The reason: A Temporary Restraining Order to block Forest City Ratner's demolition of buildings within the Atlantic Yards footprint has been denied by Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Joan Madden.
The court expressly stated that in making today's TRO decision it was not pre-judging
the merits of petitioners
claims filed on April 5th.
Forest City Ratner plans to begin demolition on nine buildings during the
13 days between today and the Mary 3rd hearing.
Here's what Develop Don't Destroy had to say in a press release sent to OTBKB and others:
Major Legal Hurdles Still Face Developer
We are confident in the merits of our challenge to the state's approval of the
project and that once our claims are heard we will prevail sending the project
back to the drawing board. It is also clear that as long as owners and
renters challenging the state's right to seize private property by eminent domain
succeed in federal court,
the project cannot be built–not the arena or the skyscraper super-blocks.
Because of the irreparable harm these premature demolitions will bring, we call
on Governor Spitzer, Mayor Bloomberg and other elected officials to use the
ESDC's funding leverage to halt the demolitions unless the project is proven
to be legal and finacially feasible.
All legal papers, a summary of the lawsuit, and the list of co-plaintiffs can
be found here:
In an email from Develop Don't Destroy this morning, I learned that there are wall paintings by artist, Sol Lewitt, a giant in modern art, who died on Sunday at the age of 70, on the walls of one of the building sin the footrprint.
644 Pacific Street is in the footprint of Bruce Ratner's proposed "Atlantic Yards" project, specifically in the footprint of the arena itself. In that building, once occupied by one of Mr. Lewitt's studio assistants, are at least two wall paintings by the artist.
The building is in the list of the first round of demolitions the developer intends to begin in the coming weeks. These wall paintings should be photographed for historical documentation and the Sol Lewitt catalogue.
DDDB is calling on Forest City Ratner to ensure that this happens and provide the photographs to the Lewitt collection.
Above is not a picture of the wall paintings at 644 Pacific Street. It's a picture of a museum retrospective somewhere — maybe the Whitney.
Let's take some of that NO-WAY ONE-WAY ENERGY and show up for DDDB's day in court. Here's the scoop:
Attorneys representing the 13 plaintiffs in the "Atlantic Yards" eminent domain case will be back in court this Friday, arguing that Goldstein et al vs. Pataki et al should be heard in Federal court rather than at the State level, as Magistrate Judge Robert Levy recommended in a report issued last month. We encourage you all to come out–as you did for the first hearing on February 7th–to demonstrate to the Court how much the community cares about this case and its outcome.
Oral arguments are scheduled as follows:
Friday, March 30th, at 11:00 a.m.*
United States District Court. Eastern District of New York.
225 Cadman Plaza East. Courtroom 4D
* Court dates can change frequently. We will notify you if the hearing is postponed.
The plaintiffs' attorneys believe very strongly that the Federal bench should hear this case, and they're optimistic that presiding Judge Nicholas Garaufis — who will hear Friday's arguments — will ultimately agree.
We recommend that you arrive 30 minutes early if you plan to attend the hearing. Please be advised that cell phones, cameras and recording devices are not permitted in the courtroom, and will have to be checked in the lobby. As always, decorum is of the greatest importance inside the courthouse.
We sincerely hope that you will all attend.
didn't believe her assertion that, if built, Atlantic Yards would be
the densest residential community in the nation. But then it
dawned on Rolley, The New York Times has never published that fact in it's
reporting on the project. Here's what she had to say on her blog:
Commentary, from "Anonymice" on Brownstoner, regarding Jennifer Egan's Op-Ed in the Saturday Times, made us realize that Egan's piece was the very first mention in The NY Times that Atlantic Yards, if built, would be the densest residential community in the nation.
Two commenters posting on Brownstoner found that hard to believe; one even accused Egan of "creating 'facts' out of whole cloth."
This incredulity made us realize that unless these readers were receiving the DDDB newsletter, or were regular readers of NoLandGrab or Atlantic Yards Report, they had no clue. How could they? The New York Times never told them.
The next screening of Brooklyn Matters, a documentary about the Atlantic Yards controversy, directed and produced by Isabel Hill, will be on January 18th at the Municipal Arts Society.
The film features numerous interviews with critical residents, planners,
critics, and elected officials portray a scenario in which a cynical
developer and corrupt State agencies have hired gullible community
allies and a star architect to conceal their true motives. The politics
of the Brooklyn-based coalition, Develop Don't Destroy (DDD), are
clearly imprinted on the film, although the work is presented as an
independent documentary.will be held January 18 at the Municipal Art Society.
Does anyone know the exact address of the Municipal Arts Society? I think it's 51st Street and Madison Avenue right near the Helmsley Hotel.
This from Atlantic Yards Report:
Spitzer on AY
Spitzer's campaign told The Real Deal
that Spitzer seeks more transparency for the Atlantic Yards project,
which is proceeding under the auspices of the ESDC. What that would
mean exactly is unclear.
Note that Spitzer recently declared
that the most recent eight percent cut in the Atlantic Yards project
was "appropriate" and sufficient. It seemed clear he had little idea
that the project would be as large as initially proposed.
Support for housing
Spitzer's housing policy suggests new roles for the state, which has lagged behind New York City in supporting affordable housing. Advocates want the state to commit much more.
Some excerpts:
must increase the supply of affordable homes by using three tools that
New York State has: land, capital and increased densities where
appropriate. First, we must increase the amount of land
available for affordable housing. To increase supply, we should take
inventory of all public land to determine where building affordable
housing might be appropriate, revise the state's Brownfields laws to
make it easier to build housing and create a "New York Affordable
Housing Land Trust Program"…
Second, we must improve access
to capital for homeowners and builders. We need to better leverage
current state and federal housing resources and permit the state's
housing agencies to use more of their resources for the development of
affordable homes. We should also work with the State Comptroller's
Office to expand its existing efforts to use a small portion of New
York State's pension funds as a source of capital for affordable
Finally, we should partner with local communities to
encourage reform of zoning laws and permitting and approval processes
to allow for higher densities of residential housing and make it easier
for sites to become buildable.
Preserve existing affordable housing stock. New
York State's affordable housing stock is a precious resource, yet we
continue to lose affordable units for a variety of reasons. We must
review rent regulations, when appropriate, encourage owners to
rehabilitate and maintain our existing affordable housing and develop a
strategy of how best to preserve the affordability of housing built
under subsidy programs that are soon to expire.
Better administration, better planning and better leadership.
Achieving the efficient production of affordable homes requires
consolidating the state's housing efforts to eliminate administrative
bureaucracy and inefficient regulations, appointing effective leaders
to head our housing agencies and engaging in planning that integrates
all levels of government more than simply the housing agencies and
their programs.
A few billion dollars here, a few billion
dollars there. That could add up to some significant changes, and
remind people that the Atlantic Yards project would hardly be the only
source for affordable housing.


text:
10 Steps to Pick the Right Doctor
Whether you need a primary care doctor or a specialist, these 10 steps will ensure you find the right doctor for you. View Slideshow
Dr. Artwohl's Experience
- General Surgery
Board Certifications
- General Surgery
- Peripheral Artery Catheterization
- Thromboendarterectomy or Excision of Infected Graft
- Varicose Vein Procedure
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak (CSF Leak)
- Cholecystitis and Gallstones
- Diaphragmatic and-or Hiatal Hernia
- Inguinal Hernia
- Peripheral Arterial Aneurysm and Dissection
- Peripheral Arterial Embolism and Thrombosis
- Peripheral Vascular Disease (PAD, PVD)
- Phlebitis and Thrombophlebitis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Varicose Veins
Background Check for Dr. Artwohl
Malpractice Claims not available
- Healthgrades does not collect malpractice information for Alaska.
- No sanctions history found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
0 Board Actions
- No board actions found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
Awards & Recognitions
Education & Training
Medical School
- University of Maryland At Baltimore / Professional Schools
- Graduated in 1980
Internship Hospital
- University MD Hospital
Residency Hospital
- Nhlbi/Nhi
- Phoenix Integrated Surgery Res
- University MD Hospital
Languages Spoken by Dr. Artwohl & Staff
- English

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Custom, Specialty and Business Computers, Linux Servers
Custom-built ComputersWindows, Linux and Servers
Got something in the shop? Click here to check the status of your repair.
One computer or 100, we can build it.
Whether you want more than a system off the shelf, or a customized name brand option for home, office, or business, we've got the solution.
All Custom Builds provide more than the basics.
Each build includes:
- Case and parts assembly
- OS installation
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Our Service Centers are here to help.
- Service for all computer brands
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We can repair systems under a manufacturer's warranty.
If your computer is still under manufacturer's warranty, we're factory-trained and authorized to repair:
- Acer
- Apple
- Compaq
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- Fujitsu
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text:
What is your age and gender?
Do you have heartburn, food reflux?
Any significant past medical history or surgery?
Do you have night sweats?
Dr. Arun
Your symptoms warrants an estimation of thyroid hormone. An hormonal dysfunction of thyroid can be responsible for your symptoms. Another possibility is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A severe GERD causes autonomic nervous system stimulation which in turn increases the feeling of hot skin by affecting the skin capillaries / arteries. Throat burning is because of GERD (acid reflux). Following measures would be helpful for GERD;
1) antacids; Maalox 2) acid blocker; Prilosec3) loosing weight, if overweight.4) avoiding alcohol, citrus fruits and juices, chocolate, and tomato based products5) avoiding large meals. Eat 5 small meals in a day.6) wait three hours after the meal before you sleep.7) elevate head end of the be by 8 inches.
An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy would diagnose GERD. A treatment for GERD resolve the throat burning and stimulation of the autonomic nervous system. Which in turn will help in feeling hot.
Please feel free for your follow up questions.
I would be happy to assist your further, if you need any more information.
You are very welcome.
You can ask your doctor to get TSH, T3, T4, free T3, free T4 done, instead of getting only TSH (which is routine). This is likely to give more insight to the problem. You may also consider getting sleep study for sleep apnea if your symptoms aggravate in the night time.
It is privilege assisting you.


text:
Brenda was born in Henderson to William and Nellie Pippin. She was a graduate of Henderson County High School. Brenda worked for Gibbs Die Casting for over 10 years. She enjoyed country music and classic rock. She loved her cat, Breezy and was an avid fan of UK Basketball and the St. Louis Cardinals. Brenda loved her family and enjoyed spending time with them.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Survivors include a son, Tim Gabhart of Corydon, Ind.; a brother, William "Bill" (Kuma) Pippin of Henderson, Ky.; half-siblings, Michael Pippin, Susie Pippin, and Kim Pippin; niece, Shanna Gish of Henderson, Ky.; and several cousins.
Relatives and friends are invited to Brenda's Life Celebration from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday and again on Tuesday starting at 9:00 a.m. until service time at Benton-Glunt Funeral Home, Henderson, Ky. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Henderson, Ky.
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text:
The same attributes are necessary to become successful in life, aka that other highly competitive arena known as the real world.
No one needs to tell that to Marsena Vranesic, former Cedar Crest and Michigan State swimming star and current admissions and marketing director at Manor Care Health Services in Lebanon.
The 2002 Cedar Crest alum and the District Three Class AAA 100-yard freestyle champion that same year, Vranesic is the latest subject of the monthly Daily News feature "Where Are They Now?", which focuses on the current lives and careers of former standout athletes from Lebanon County.
Where Vranesic is now is the direct result of where she spent a great deal of time from age 7 all the way through college - in the pool just about every day training with great determination to reach her full potential as an athlete.
Though she no longer swims competitively on a regular basis due to a cranky shoulder injury that required surgery after college - she does remain athletically-inclined, though, having recently completed her first half-marathon - those long-ago lessons learned in the water remain with Vranesic to this day.
"Every experience I had was unbelievable, it was worth it, all the hard work that you put into it," Vranesic said in a phone interview last week, of the impact her swimming career has had on her life today. "It definitely builds you as a person, builds your character. It instills habits, so you can take that with you to do what you do outside of sports, which is a job.
"You have to be dependable. You have to go to practice every day, you gotta show up for work every day. I think sports generates that character, where you're gonna be there day in and day out for that company or that school."
Vranesic's character was built with the help and support of many over the years, including family members, friends, teammates and coaches, most notably former longtime Cedar Crest swim coach John Davis. Although more than a decade removed from Davis' coaching guidance, his ex-pupil remains undeniably grateful.
"John Davis was the best coach I ever had," Vranesic said. "There won't be another. I owe a lot to that man."
So great was Davis' influence that Vranesic noted it took her several years into her collegiate swimming career at Michigan State to find another coaching style she was as comfortable with.
"It's a totally different level from high school to college, especially if you're going into a conference like the Big Ten," said Vranesic, who arrived at Michigan State for her freshman year to find the coaches that recruited her had left their post. "It was an adjustment. You go from a John Davis to an unknown and you're like, 'Oh, man.
The ex-Falcon has had to make similar adjustments in her personal and professional lives. After moving to King of Prussia - where some of her friends were also residing - shortly after college and spending three years working in the corporate marketing department of Certainteed, a Philadelphia-based building materials manufacturing company, Vranesic eventually found herself wanting to return to her home town.
The desire to come home was enhanced when the position she currently holds at Manor Care came open a little over a year ago. Vranesic learned of the job opening through her brother, Paul, who holds a similar position at Linden Village and jumped at the chance to interview for it. She, of course, got the job and hasn't looked back since.
"I was away for four years (at college), and a lot of my friends had moved to that area," she said. "So I thought I'd try Philadelphia for a little bit. But eventually all my friends started moving back home, so I kinda followed suit. That wasn't the main thing, but I have a lot of family that's still around the area and I ended up coming home a lot on the weekends.
"And the job at Manor Care had opened up, and I heard about it from my brother and he said, 'Are you interested?' I said, 'Yeah, I'll do an interview. I wouldn't mind moving back home, the cost of living is a lot less.' That's kinda how I came back here."
It's been an almost perfect fit for Vranesic, who given her job title is obviously responsible for Manor Care's marketing campaigns - you can hear her on radio commercials on Lebanon stations WLBR and WQIC - as well as working with both patients, hospitals and insurance companies to make sure those in need can benefit from the facilities' rehabilitative care.
It is that latter aspect of her job that Vranesic enjoys the most - being able to be there for those in need.
"It's nice to finally get into a career where you feel like you are helping people," she said. "When I was in high school I was interested in maybe doing nursing, but then I got into business. This is kinda both ends - I get to help people but I'm on the business end of it. It's a happy medium.
"I really like it here, there's a lot of good people. It's going good, and it's nice to be back home."


text:
I couldn't figure out where to put this so I figure you can't go wrong with general discussion.
I'm looking for suggestions of WARM winter socks to wear under my dress boots during winter. It averages anywhere from 20-10 degrees here with snow. Someone told me to get snowboard boots, but they may be too thick, I'm not sure.
Do any of you guys have favorite socks that keep your feet SUPER WARM in the winter when wearing under your tall boots? Any tips or tricks? This is my first year wearing tall boots in winter instead of my paddock boots and I really want to keep my talls in shape because when I don't wear them the calves seem to shrivel up and get narrow and then I have to soak them in warm water to get them on again...and then deal with calf cramps for the first hour :(


text:
We educate some of the state, nation and world's brightest students.
U.S. News and World Report counts our online graduate degrees among the best in the
Home to more than 35 fellows and one Southeastern Conference Faculty Member of the
Students work in state-of-the-art labs and directly impact many research initiatives.
Students and faculty work together to research and develop technologies that enhance
the world.


text:
Official Crown Of Laurel We Stay Official Fill White T-Shirt
Item # 205984
Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
Stash Points: 0
What is this?This is the number of points you get in The Zumiez Stash for purchasing this item. Stash points are redeemable for exclusive rewards only available to Zumiez Stash members. To redeem your points check out the rewards catalog on thestash.zumiez.com.
Roll hard and deep, all day every day, in the Official Crown Of Laurel We Stay Official Fill crew neck t-shirt.
|More Details


text:
I have a 12 year old AQH-APH-MFT-Appaloosa mix who rides ALL things western. From Western Pleasure to Roping. I currently have a curb bit, but am not giving as much effectiveness as I would like... A bunch of my friends use snaffles and they get great results. My curb bit is very heavey and I don't want it to be. Should I keep her on a curb bit or switch to a snaffle? Thanks!
Posted via Mobile Device


text:
Published on April 5th,2010 at 5:26 PM
By >Daimaou - G.G-B
By >Daimaou - G.G-B
Thanko new rotatable cradle for iPod Touch and iPhone is now upon us!
Category: Accessories - Tags: Apple, Cradle, Dock, Iphone, Ipod, Ipod Touch, Thanko
Not the news of the decade, but Thanko released a new charging cradle for both iPod Touch and iPhone with a 180-degree rotatable dock… Now you will be able to watch movies and video as well as charging your iPhone at the same time on a proper cradle…
1 Comments
Category Accessories
- - Panasonic New Cradle speaker for iPod and iPhone (January 8th,2010 at 1:33 PM)
- - Teac New All-in-One sound System for iPod & iPhone features the weirdest remote ever. (February 15th,2010 at 4:13 PM)
- - Sony's New iPhone and iPod Dock with Both USB and Subwoofer (September 3rd,2009 at 11:08 AM)
- - SC-HC40 et SC-HC30: Deux nouvelles chaîne Hi-Fi Slim compatibles iPhone chez Panasonic (February 25th,2010 at 6:12 PM)
- - SC-HC40 and SC-HC30, Panasonic new iPhone and iPod Friendly Slim Stereos (February 25th,2010 at 3:51 PM)
- - Japan Probe – News from Japan (Subscribe)


text:
Sweet Home Alabama (2002) Trailer
Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) is a well-to-do fashion designer in New York and the perfect boyfriend. But when he proposes to her, she doesn't forget about her family in the South and, oh, her husband back there who refuses to divorce her.
Film Info
2 min 29 sec Duration
52,000 views
- Posted: November 14, 2007
- Director: Andy Tennant
- Writer: Douglas J. Eboch
- Studio: Touchstone Pictures
- Release: September 27, 2002
- Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey
Trailer Tracks
No music available


text:
Bay Point Middle celebrates 50th anniversary
Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg held its 50th anniversary celebration at the school on Saturday, May 11.
Lots of smiles and hugs were seen all day, as students, families, alumni, former and current staff, former and current principals and assistant principals spent the afternoon together.
Principal Jason Shedrick greeted everyone in the courtyard, under the watchful eye of the osprey family that is nesting on the school's beautiful Falcon Sculpture, which was created by St. Petersburg sculptor Paul Eppling. A time capsule will be buried, including a letter to the future, which was written and read by current sixth-grader Reena Howard. Bay Point alum and technology leader, Kevin Decker spoke to the crowd about how important his teachers were to his success.
Four former principals were in attendance: Ron Cinnamon (1978-87), Dennis Griffin (1990-2005), Starla Metz (2005-2007) and Ann-Marie Clarke (2007-2012). Several former assistant principals and lots of former long-time Bay Point staff came back and reconnected with their Falcon Family. School Board members Terry Krassner and Rene Flowers, PCS Area I Superintendent Patricia Wright, St. Petersburg City Council members Steve Kornell and Wengay Newton came and spent the afternoon as well.
Mark Ferguson, the owner of the popular Ferg's Sports Bar in St. Petersburg, attended Bay Point Middle School. He was even crowned Mr. Bay Point Middle in the ninth grade. Ferguson was a physical education teacher in Pinellas County Schools for 18 years and was a volleyball and basketball coach at Bay Point Middle.
"All I have are good memories," Ferguson said of Bay Point Middle.
Ernest Givens is a former NFL wide receiver and played in the league from 1986-1995. Givens is still the Houston Oilers/Texans leading receiver. He attended Bay Point Middle and for the last 10 years has been a campus monitor at the school.
"We have some ups and downs, but the family, the camaraderie that is being instilled in the kids is tremendous," Givens said. "It's a true family atmosphere. If I have to go anywhere else, I'd retire. The camaraderie here, I love. And the teachers really care."
Numerous city and community groups and partners attended, including the City of St. Pete Sanitation Department, St. Petersburg Police K-9 unit, St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue firefighters, St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation's TASCO (Teen Arts, Sports, and Cultural Opportunities), Florida Blood Services Bloodmobile and Boyd Hill Nature Park's Birds of Prey. There were demonstrations by the Chemistry and DaVinci Clubs, as well as performances by the Drumline and Falcon Band.
The highlight of the afternoon was an exciting Alumni vs. Student basketball game, with alumni of all ages participating. It was a close game, but in the end, the old-timers proved victorious and showed true veteran savvy.


text:
OrangeR DigiArt Agency
Jakarta, Indonesia
$10.00 – $20.00/hr
35 jobs completed
422 Upwork hrs
Expert Wordpress, Cakephp Developer
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Front-end , wordpress developer
Ridwan Arifandi, as the founder, it's his passion to build a great company. He has loved for being web developer since a high school student which means more than 8 years ago.
With the passion of the CEO, we want to show the world how great we are. Almost 5 days a week, 8 hours a day ( and more ), we develop many sites.
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PSD to Wordpress template expert
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text:
March 24, 2009 | Press | No Comments
This past Sunday, over a million readers in Southern California and beyond read about Temptu at The Makeup Show LA produced by The Powder Group in the Los Angeles Times' Image Section. And not only that, they saw two members of the Temptu team in airbrushing action. For those of…Read More


text:
Antibody Drug Revival
The human immune system is still the best resource for fighting disease. After a decade of failed promise, drugs that exploit it are finally flooding the market.
In this new world of often unbridled pessimism, it's worth noting that nobody ever guaranteed you could make a living, let alone a good one, by pushing the limits of technology. Take Nils Lonberg, for instance. Lonberg compares his company's story to Sleeping Beauty's, but his analogy is not precise. Sleeping Beauty, after all, was lucky enough to sleep through her ordeal. Lonberg and his colleagues were wide awake through theirs.
Lonberg was just a few years out of graduate school in 1989 when he signed on with GenPharm International, a company developing a class of drugs known as monoclonal antibodies-souped-up versions of the proteins produced by the immune system to fight disease. The goal was to genetically engineer a mouse with a human immune system, one that could be used to generate "fully human" monoclonal antibodies.
His timing could hardly have been worse. A series of promising monoclonal-antibody drugs to cure everything from cancer to severe infections were about to turn out to be high-profile failures. One of these, a drug called Centoxin, made by Malvern, PA-based Centocor, was projected to earn billions as a treatment for often fatal septic shock before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve its use in 1992. The FDA decision marked the seeming demise of monoclonal antibodies and, at least for a while, of the prospects of the entire biotech industry.
"The short story," says Lonberg, "is we hunkered down." The longer story, like Sleeping Beauty's, does have a happy ending. In the past four years, Princeton, NJ-based Medarex, which purchased GenPharm in 1997, has blossomed. The monoclonal-antibody business now has some 300 employees, a brand new research facility in Milpitas, CA, and 60 hectares in New Jersey where it's building a huge development center. It also has a half-billion dollars in cash to make ends meet while it develops its technology and its drugs. "We're on our way," says Lonberg, who is now senior vice president and scientific director of Medarex.
The same can be said for monoclonal antibodies in general, which are in the midst of a remarkable revival. Technologies to make monoclonal antibodies have finally come of age, and the drugs themselves are being touted once again as potential cures or treatments for the entire spectrum of human illness.
Since 1997, the FDA has approved 10 monoclonal-antibody drugs-constituting a quarter of all biotech drugs on the market-with combined sales of well over a billion dollars a year. And perhaps more telling, one in every five biotech medicines in development is a monoclonal antibody. Even biotech giant Genentech, a South San Francisco, CA, company founded with the goal of producing enzyme and hormone drugs, now finds monoclonal antibodies filling half its development pipeline.
Indeed, the story of monoclonal antibodies is more than a fairy tale; it's a lesson in the values of persistence and patience. "When we started with monoclonal antibodies ten years ago, the prevailing wisdom in biotech was, Been there, done that, didn't work,'" says Paul Carter, a researcher with Seattle-based Immunex who helped launch Genentech's monoclonal-antibody research in 1990. "Now, everybody and their dog wants to get into antibodies."


text:
Platinum Denim Glitter Boyfriend Skimmer
Style # 570104824
Out of Stock
Boyfriend jeans are back. And now ours come in a chic crop length, designed for rolled-cuff styling, with a dusting of glitter for extra glam.
- Part of our perfect-fitting Platinum Denim collection.
- Our crops sit just below the waist, for a modern fit with maximum comfort.
- Inseam: 26".
- 76% cotton, 22% polyester, 2% spandex.
- Machine wash. Imported.
Read more… Read less…


text:
February 1999 Articles & Features
OE CV Joints & Boots
CV joints and their protective rubber boots should be inspected frequently for signs of wear. In fact, technicians should make it common practice to inspect the halfshafts whenever a vehicle is hoisted on a lift.
On front-wheel-drive (FWD) applications, two CV joints are used for each halfshaft. The CV joint closest to the transaxle is called the inner joint, while the one closest to the wheel is the outer joint. Under normal circumstances, CV joint and boot services usually fall under the catchall instruction "inspect," and do not require routine maintenance.
Faulty boots are the most common cause of CV joint failure. The accordion pleats often hide cracks and tears that eventually turn into serious leaks, allowing grease to be thrown out of the CV joint by the centrifugal force of axle rotation. Regular inspection can turn "scheduled maintenance" into "preventive repair" if you find a cracked, torn or otherwise damaged boot or a leaking transaxle seal.
The outer joints fail most often because they're close to the wheel and road surface. In addition to inspecting the boots for cracks and other signs of damage, look for leaking grease, and loose or missing clamps. Also look at the transaxle lip seals at the inner CV joints for signs of leakage. If you find evidence that a boot or joint is damaged, this does not necessarily mean the rest of the joints require service. However, if you remove a halfshaft for service, consider the preventive benefits of replacing the boot at the other end of the shaft.
The chart below lists symptoms and possible causes for common CV joint problems.


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Springfield police say three men accused of robbing the Subway restaurant at 630 North Grand Ave. E. on Tuesday are also responsible for three other recent robberies.
Springfield police say three men accused of robbing the Subway restaurant at 630 North Grand Ave. E. on Tuesday are also responsible for three other recent robberies.
Robert L. Mims Jr., 30, and Kevin D. Johnson, 23, both of Springfield, and Alvin Mims, 27, of Champaign each face armed robbery and aggravated robbery charges.
Tuesday's robbery at Subway happened just before 7:30 a.m. A woman working in the back of the restaurant turned around and saw two men, one of whom was pointing a gun at her face. The gunman pressed the weapon against the woman's forehead and told her to get the money, according to police reports.
The woman handed over money from the cash register, and the robbers fled.
Descriptions of the men were broadcast over police radios.
About two hours later, Springfield police detectives Sgt. Richard VonBehren and Joshua Stuenkel were driving near 15th and Cook streets on an unrelated call and noticed two men who matched the descriptions.
The detectives stopped the men, identified as Robert Mims Jr. and Johnson. Both were later arrested.
Sgt. Tim Mazrim of the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office arrested Alvin Mims during a traffic stop about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Eighth and Miller streets.
Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser credited the arrests to good police work.
Of the other three robberies, the one at Steak N Shake, 4211 Conestoga Drive, occurred Nov. 14 as a female employee was picking up the night deposit. She was going back to her car when someone walked up behind her and hit her in the head with a crowbar.
Two men took the deposit bag and the woman's purse.
On Dec. 10, an employee at Patricia's, 805 S. Dirksen Parkway, told police she was confronted at gunpoint by two men who entered the store wearing bandanas. The woman dropped to her knees from fear, and one of the men grabbed her neck and dragged her around the counter, she told police.
The fourth robbery occurred Saturday at Tobacco Direct, 2528 North Grand Ave. E.
All three men are being held in the Sangamon County Jail on $500,000 bonds.
John Reynolds can be reached at 788-1524.
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Originally posted by Mariano Aaaaa: Now I have a problem. After building and deploying my app, I need to keep on testing it. I need to run some sort of test suite (it could be the junit test cases) periodically from outside the ear.
What is your goal? What do you need to do this for?


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What is it?
A grant is funding that does not have to repaid. The Tuition Grant is applied toward tuition costs. This aid is offered by PTS, regardless of denominational affiliation.
How are grants determined?
PTS Tuition Grants are based on a student's need. Need is determined from information submitted on the FAFSA and the PTS Application. Students with a nine month family income, Adjusted Gross Income, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or liquid assets above the Cost of Attendance do not qualify for PTS grants. After determining a student's need, PTS fills a percentage of that need with grants.
What is the range?
The maximum Tuition Grant is the full cost of tuition. Members of the Presbyterian Church(USA) under care of their session may receive up to 100 percent of tuition; all others may receive up to 90 percent of tuition.
Who qualifies?
Full-time students (enrolled for nine or more credits) in a Master's program, demonstrating financial need, and who are members of a church. For specifics, see the Catalog. Students who are in a "default status" on their federal educational loans are ineligible for institutional aid.
How to apply?
- Submit a PTS Financial Aid Application . If applicable, submit documentation of Social Security benefits; signed copy of foreign, Puerto Rico, or other US territory Tax Form.
- File a FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IDR) to transfer your tax information into the FAFSA.
- If choosing not to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IDR), a signed Tax Transcript must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. A Tax Transcript can be obtained from the IRS at 800-908-9946 or on-line at www.irs.gov. Copies of Federal 1040s will no longer be accepted by PTS.
An application will be considered incomplete without the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or the Tax Transcript and will not be processed.
What is the deadline?
The Financial Aid Office is currently accepting complete Financial Aid Packets for the 2015-2016 academic year. Applications are reviewed on a "first come- first served" basis, until funds are expended. Early application is encouraged. Incomplete packets will not be processed. Students must re-apply each academic year. A student is NOT guaranteed to receive need-based aid every year. He/she must qualify financially and submit the application early. Additional details can be found under the Frequently Asked Questions section.


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- Filed Under
The summer concert series of the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell in Brookside Park, has a complete schedule of concerts available on its Facebook page or online at www.ashlandbandshell.weebly.com. Concerts are performed from 8 to 9:15 p.m. each Thursday and Sunday through Aug. 11.
On July 4, the Jimi Vincent Blues Band will perform soulful vocals, intense guitar combined with a Hammond B-3 organ. For details on this band, visit firstname.lastname@example.com.
On July 7, the Muleskinner Band will perform with music from Patsy Cline to Merle Haggard, gospel to the Drifters, Doobie Brothers to Crosby Stills & Nash.
The Ashland Chautauqua: Legends of the Silver Screen will be performed July 9-13 and will include portrays of jack Warner, William Faulkner, Ethel Waters, D.W. Griffith and Luella Parsons. For complete details, visit www.ashlandchautauqua.org.


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2009: The Shadow Ring - Life Review (1993-2003)
Anyone can create art, but relatively few create something meaningful. Even fewer construct something likable, never mind profound. Only a handful of untrained musicians will leave a lasting impression if they fail to learn a conventional way to play their instruments. In other words, legions of Furious Georges exist in the shadow of every Ramones.
Consider the odds against The Shadow Ring. Original members Graham Lambkin and Darren Harris never picked up an instrument before they decided to record their debut album. A lot of the band's early songs consist of relatively simple guitar patterns, sometimes accompanied by a few notes held down on a keyboard. Their lyrics, for the most part, explore seemingly mundane themes, such as water or their daily routines.
Yet somehow The Shadow Ring harvested their ideas and honed their musical inclinations, authoring truly unique, strange, and captivating music throughout their 10-year existence. They were chameleons, naturally shifting genres, while still retaining their original DNA. Their albums are warehouses of ideas, wherein the surreal seamlessly pairs with the tangible to spawn a universe only the band could inhabit.
Like any confounding and brilliant band, an anthology cannot easily sum up The Shadow Ring's discography, a body of work containing nine albums (including a double LP and a live album) and five singles. But Life Review, a two-disc, 34-track, 140-minute collection, does an adequate job. Compiled by Shadow Ring visionary Graham Lambkin, the album takes us through each period of the band's lifespan with grace and fluidity.
Three distinct phases mark The Shadow Ring's career, each seeming like a dramatic break from the last. The band worked out their ideas on one album and mastered the particular style on the next; when they decided to step outside whatever genre they spent two albums exploring, one record would transition into a stylistic shift for the band.
Different influences also marked each phase. As the band matured, their taste progressed from the basic Forced Exposure finds into a deeper realm of outsider composition. Their earliest recordings -- including two albums for Siltbreeze -- exhibited an amateurish take on folk while revealing affinities for early T. Rex, The Fall, and Vibing up the Senile Man-era Alternative TV. After their Siltbreeze years, the band jumped onto the Swill Radio roster, shed their guitars, focused on composition, and delved further into the Nurse With Wound list. With label-head/Idea Fire Company-member Scott Foust's think-tank environment, they expanded their musical ideas, morphing into an icy electronic trio, assimilating bits of compositional technique from sources like Walter Marchetti and Asmus Tietchens while retaining the homemade edge of their craft.
Still, the band's influences revealed themselves like temporary images on the retina; one must look closely to uncover their musical roots. Shifting from one style to the next, staying miles ahead of their peers, they sounded like nothing before or after them. Using Harris' stern, unemotional speaking voice to communicate keen observations and surreal imagery ensured that no one could mimic their lyrical bent. Lambkin's instrumental accompaniment -- be it performed on a detuned guitar, thrift store microphone, or with field recordings -- sounded truly unique with limited materials and limited knowledge of music theory.
Although they lacked any sort of formal training, Lambkin and Harris initially set out to create a dreary, bedroom-folk record. During The Shadow Ring's earliest albums -- the Don't Open the Window 7-inch, City Lights LP, and the Tiny Creatures 7-inch -- they tested the limits of their abilities. A few of their songs serve as a band workout, wherein Harris and Lambkin (jointed occasionally by Klaus Canterbury) probe rhythmic, instrumental, and poetic dynamics. Others provide a vehicle for Harris' vocal interpretation of Lambkin's musings.
On Life Review, eight tracks -- two of them previously unreleased -- document this early period. "Don't Open the Window," the oldest track on the comp, showcases the band keeping a small improvisational edge while fashioning rhythms from the same repetitive cloth as The Fall -- albeit with simple keyboard strikes and an out-of-tune ax, played by either Lambkin or Harris like it's the first time they picked up the instrument. The band truly finds its voice on the very next track, the previously unreleased "Computer Forms." A one-chord boogie on the guitar and crystalline xylophone percussion provide groundwork as Harris recites post-modern commentary on the band's music. Lambkin's lyrics showcase a Ulysses-esque narrative flow, beginning with the protagonist turning the knob on a faucet and thinking about writing music. He proceeds to lay out his thoughts, discussing furniture, giving advice to future musicians, and describing a stuffed frog.
Although they found instrumental footing on the Tiny Creatures 7-inch, they refined their sound on their second LP, Put the Music in Its Coffin, which finds them at the pinnacle of their early folk phase. Represented on Life Review by three tracks, the album is painted as rusty industrial English landscape with low bass lines, feedback, and cheap keyboard drones. The plodding rhythm guitar dirge on "Nocturnal Middle Rumbles" moves steadily above an underbelly of light, tumbling chord fragments. Harris describes a Kafka-esque scene: "Figure falls out of the alley/ Figure looks a lot like me in clay." It's a simple, direct statement accompanied by instrumentation that mimics the lyrical feeling. With it, The Shadow Ring mastered their initial folk phase; it was time to move onwards.
Tom Goss was recruited for their next album, 1996's Wax Work Echoes, and he ushered in The Shadow Ring phase two. With the acquisition, the band smattered drones and sparse percussion atop their rancid guitar rhythms. "Wallet of Wasps" rumbles along with gypsy guitar fractures and pounds of a bass drum. Goss smears space-synth drones over the instrumental passages, as what sounds like drawn-out notes on the violin emerge in the background. While not far removed from the selections on Put the Music in Its Coffin, Goss' presence underscores the dread and anxiety that runs through so much of The Shadow Ring's early work. Lambkin and Harris allow Goss to spread his wings on "Apricot Rat," where he covers a simple guitar line and pot-and-pan percussion with a gray, droning smog cloud.
The band sanded down the edges in their second phase with Hold on to ID, the penultimate statement of their two-album stint on Siltbreeze. Focusing their lyrical and instrumental vision, they created a cohesive album that tells the tale of rising water and heightening paranoia with intertextual commentary on the band's history. Recorded in Coombe House -- the drafty white tenement house featured on the cover -- the album captures a dark winter sound, with slow-moving piano and one-dimensional frosted drones forming around Harris' vocals. Some of the simple guitar rhythms found on Put the Music in its Coffin crop up on Hold on to ID, notably on the title track, which appears in a live version on Life Review. Mainly, guitars are used as percussion, drowned out with gray electronics and pushed to the back to make room for Harris' vocals.
Lambkin's emerging role as a meticulous craftsman is also apparent on Hold on to ID. A few spare piano strikes add multitudes of detail beneath the swirling industrial smog of "Wash What You Eat." The tape hiss solo that ends the title track compliments the frightful mood contained in the tune: synth frequencies rise and burst along with each verse like a screeching firework. Although Lambkin's lyricism began to blossom on the Mouse on Mouth single (also included in Life Review), it really comes to fruition on Hold on to ID. "The Way of the World" highlights the album's obsession with nautical creatures. "You've got to watch the water that is in your life," Harris warns. "Filter out impurities and try hard to find/ Aquavermin, the cancers of H20/ Stray fish that pass up through the plug hole." Surreal and dark while remaining playful, the song contains a style that figures prominently on the band's final trilogy.
While Hold on to ID keeps a steady focus, Lighthouse marks the sound of a band prying open their skulls and squeezing every last brilliant idea from their minds. The last album recorded at Coombe House and their first for the Swill Radio imprint, Lighthouse exists outside any of the band's phases and in a league with Walk to the Fire, Twin Infinitives, and other classic outsider double albums. A much looser experience than previous recordings, Lambkin and Harris laugh, cough, leave in mistakes, and invite friends like Idea Fire Company-members Karla Borecky and Scott Foust with Harry Pussy drummer Adris Hoyos to fill out the sound. Guitar plays less of a role in Lighthouse, as a madhouse of tape experimentation, drums, synth, and piano carve the curvy path through each song. The minimalist tendencies and attention to detail that the band would cement on their final two albums rear its heads on Lighthouse, while vikings, a woman working for a shadowy government agency, death visions, a father-to-be, British noblemen, King Arthur, and a lighthouse-keeper all factor into the lyrics, which, despite their wide range of subject matter, contain keen observations about life.
Represented by only four tracks on this anthology, Lighthouse's scope and sprawling musical vision is apparent; it's an album that begs to be heard in its entirety on its original vinyl format. The jittery keyboard rhythm, slow-moving piano strikes, and ascending and falling synth streaks on "I Am a Lighthouse" take a backseat to Lambkin's startling lyrical insights. Harris speaks about taking "a walk to where color does not grow" and "stroking rough hours into smooth minutes." He comments: "I got depressed and amazed together/ When I thought how quickly time goes." Harris' speak-singing accentuates Lambkin's simple but profound observations by injecting rhythm into his stern delivery. Meanwhile, the speed-walking pace of the background music mimics the psychedelic thought processing patterns in the narrator's skull filling.
"I am a Lighthouse" represents a more straightforward side of Lighthouse -- at least for The Shadow Ring. The wilder side is shown on the anthology with "Fish and Hog" and "Arthuring Tina." The funhouse explodes on the former, as Harris gives surreal step-by-step instructions for using a box (sample: "Three: Put someone in a box and cut them to twins"), while an ascending piano line gets interrupted by Hoyos' drum bashes and a voice pleading "Don't say no." The album's bizarre King Arthur obsession becomes blatantly obvious on "Arthuring Tina," where, on top of a four-note keyboard pattern that occasionally gives way to negative space, Harris engages in consonant word play and silly commentary ("Half-a-dead Tina/ She was full of blood like us").
After the wonderland of Lighthouse, the band ventured into the meat market of Lindus, a cold yet playful trip into the darkest region of the walk-in cooler. The album marks another transition for the band: a short jump into the world of minimal electronics. Although one must use very unflattering terms to effectively capture the mood of the album, it is one of the most consistently engrossing works The Shadow Ring ever committed to vinyl. Whereas Lighthouse painted a carnival inside of Coombe House, Lindus -- represented on Life Review by three tracks -- catches the band sketching out an alien atmosphere. Tape manipulation plays a prominent role in creating this atmosphere, allowing Lambkin to add bits of static and found sound to the mix and to slow vocals until they become something inhuman and almost unrecognizable. At times they sound contained, sterile, and stiff, as though they were recorded in an empty morgue. Lyrically, the album provides blunt insights into the human condition, comparing our race to urination and describing seedy beach people. Elements like footsteps and narration on "The Riverside" prevent the tunes from further drifting into orbit, while keyboards and electronics stretch out in the background like the steel lining of a meat cooler floor.
I'm Some Songs, the band's swan song, turned out to be the perfect endpoint. Although it seems one-dimensional on first listen, it reveals its labyrinthine construction with repeated exposure, slowly morphing into a meticulously crafted masterwork on par with the upper echelon of avant-garde compositions. The minute details Lambkin mixed into the record -- like a clinging metal sound before the vocals on almost every song -- emerge like hidden treasure. He used the same backing tapes, played at different speeds and altered in different manners, on almost every trach, creating an aural sense of déjà vu. In a 2007 interview, Lambkin pointed out the pace at which he dropped a piece of metal to the floor during a particular song. At one point, he intentionally dropped the metal at the wrong interval. It's a detail that one may not process right away, but it illustrates his progress as a composer and the lighter, playful side of his studious editing.
Flowing oceanic sounds and a steady cylindrical drone carve out the setting of "Man on the Land," one of two tracks from I'm Some Songs that appear on Life Review. Lambkin crafts an abandoned factory of sound, as a soft, conveyor-belt drone and a ghost-wind flow through dilapidated hallways. Harris' vocals are slowed until they sound like Darth Vader's recitation of shamanistic philosophy. It all solidifies Lambkin's status as a top-tier thrift-store composer, using anything applicable to construct the right sound.
Of particular note on Life Review is "Veehay," one of six stellar unreleased tracks on the anthology. Soaked in a rainbow spectrum of Tangerine Dream synth lines, the tune occupies a realm apart from most of I'm Some Songs' content. Once again, Harris' vocals are stretched out and disfigured, but they wash over the drone, adding a relaxing feeling to the cold album. Fittingly, "Start Repeating," a companion piece of sorts to "Veehay," ends the disc. A spiral staircase of post-techno synth rhythms, the track adds a smattering of colors to the frost, all the while padding its belly with an airy drone and decaying organ breaths.
And, at the end of "Start Repeating," The Shadow Ring basically waved goodbye. But something has nagged at the band's fans for the past five years; many of us believed Lambkin had at least a few outtakes stashed somewhere. On top of that, the band never received due portion of the burgeoning interest in avant-garde music that sprouted up over the past seven years. Life Review finally lends some closure to The Shadow Ring's legacy with unreleased gems like "Stella Drive," their take on Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive," and two cuts from the City Lights era that are arguably better than that entire record. Even with all the album cuts, it's both fresh and exciting affair, and a nice introduction that will probably attract a wave of new listeners. Even as the final hammer smack nails The Shadow Ring's career shut, the band proves to be impervious to decay. What are the odds?
2007: The Flying Luttenbachers - Incarceration by Abstraction
An artifact of neglected genius: that's what we have here. After grinding The Flying Luttenbachers stone for 15 years, Weasel Walter has finally come to the conclusion that the band, concept, and their thoroughly impressive opus will never garner the attention or respect that they duly deserve. He was forever moving upwards and onwards to the ends of staying an outsider to any musical clique that might be burgeoning with popularity, yet was consistently praised by the audience he did have as an innovator and inspiration -- too completely absorbed in his vision to worry about his perception by his audience, peers, or even his collaborators. If you don't dig it, hell, he'll push forward without you. Another casualty of the oft-cited phenomenon of being too far ahead of one's time.
I can only surmise that the rising tide of the internet's proliferation of ever more and weirder music that has lifted so many boats, but failed to buoy that of the Luttenbachers, drove the final nail in their coffin. And what a shame, since those who are flooding in are surely aware of the cultural trope of the misunderstood genius. Truisms are truisms for a reason, and one is that some art is just too hard to swallow without the benefit of the mastication of several generations, even for the purportedly open-minded and adventurous.
What hath this neglect wrought? How about Weasel's most succinct and accomplished compositions forced into the most awkward of arrangements? Having, to some extent, economically abandoned the project (probably out of deference to those that have performed and labored nigh-gratis previously on his recordings), Weasel's only recourse for getting the music in the can was to revisit the arduous path taken on Systems Emerge From Complete Disorder and perform the entire work himself. Bear in mind that this is still a rock album, no matter how divergent from the mainstream predilection it may be. And rock music, even as cerebral as TFL's, thrives on syn-/en-ergy, and a massively overtracked recording is where both go to die. To wit, Weasel labels these "definitive solo versions of each piece… for the sake of documentation." Not exactly the verbiage of transcendent rock power.
While not benefiting from any of the aural or psychic bleed of a live recording, Incarceration by Abstraction is entirely adequate. I first fell in love with The Luttenbachers to the sonically equivalent Systems, so to properly receptive ears, none of the brilliance should be lost. TFL has long been (since Infection and Decline, at least) an exercise in pitting the systematic and mechanical against the metaphysical and beautiful against the absurd and irreverent, but previous works have given precedent to each of these aspects in their own turn, whereas here, each is given equal treatment. In that respect, this certainly has the feel of an ambiguous end to a cycle, which is put to words in the first libretto of the cycle.
With any luck, it was the tidiness of this being a summary work that led to the cessation of TFL's operations, and Weasel will revive the project. But rest assured, he trudges forward, constantly nudged from his beeline path, but never relenting, always paying lip service to having learned his lesson. Maybe this time he has, and he'll focus on that for which there's a receptive audience. But something tells me he is, at his core, a slave to his vision and might just be content to strive for greatness at the expense of happiness.
RIP The Flying Luttenbachers.
1. Assault On Apathy
2. Electrocution
3. Medusa
4. Violent Shade
5. Triplex (For Ed Rodriguez And Mick Barr)
6. Crypt Emission
7. The Serialization Of Cruelty
8. The First Time
2009: Death - …For the Whole World to See
Thank the fine folks at Drag City for rescuing this one from the sands of time: In 1971, David, Bobby, and Dannis Hackney, three African-American brothers from Detroit, got hip to The Stooges and decided to forgo the soul/funk they'd been playing. In 1974, they cut a rock 'n' roll demo with Jim Vitt, known for his work with Parliament/Funkadelic, and started making the rounds with a single, "Politicians in My Eyes" b/w "Keep on Knocking." Clive Davis, president of Columbia, heard it and expressed interest in the group, but told the band they'd have to change their name: Death.
The best PR guy couldn't write it any better. The boys declined the censored offer and faded into the annals of Detroit rock history. They formed a short-lived Christian rock outfit, The 4th Movement, but soon took up day jobs, while their single went on to become a much sought after collector's item, selling for as high as a grand among grubby-handed record nerds. And yet, without the seven killer tunes that comprise Death's long-delayed debut, they would be little more than a cool back-story. The songs are good, fantastic even, and while it's important to note that these guys clearly weren't inventing punk rock -- as some overzealous dudes have suggested -- they were playing as aggressively as their most radical contemporaries and with a melodic edge that bellies the influence of glammier garage-rockers like Alice Cooper and early Amboy Dukes.
It's baffling to me that the opener "Keep on Knocking" was the B-side to the group's lone single. It's a crunchy, perfect blast of tuneful rock music: David's minimal guitar leads and over-driven rhythm crackle; the brisk pace finds Dannis' drums threatening to tear the song apart, and singer/bassist Bobby barks out a kiss-off to a former love. The band launches into "Rock-N-Roll Victim" with a characteristic 1-2-3-4. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be an anti-drug song or some counterculture anthem, with lyrics about rolling another stick of grass, but it's jutting, twist-turn riffs imply that if the band was high on anything, it certainly wasn't mellow. "You're a rock 'n' roll victim/ And I know it's the truth/ 'Cuz I'm a rock 'n' roll victim, too." It's glorious hard-rock nonsense.
"Let the World Turn" opens like some prog-rock Prince jam with multi-tracked vocals echoing over the album's funkiest break, before launching into a trashy attack that would later inform the British New Wave of Heavy Metal. If the start-stop rhythms aren't enough to give Lars Ulrich a hard-on, the ridiculous drum solo will surely seal the deal. "You're a Prisoner" and "Freakin' Out" follow, each more violent and distorted than the last, as if Drag City -- or whoever sequenced this thing -- envisioned an album-long crescendo. "Where Do We Go From Here???" features Bobby's mostly out of key vocals, but it's hard to object -- the song is so direct, his bass work so taut and soulful. Creepy, psychedelic laughter provides a break in the song, just enough for you to ask, "What's going on," before the whole thing thunders to an amp-melting conclusion.
"Politicians in My Eyes," the A-side to Death's original single, boasts the most confrontational lyrics on the album. Railing against politicians who don't care and "send young folks to die," the song asks a simple question: "Politicians tell me why/ won't you help the people who try?" The strife is supported by a barrage of drums and overdriven guitars that grind the song to its finish. As hard-rock takes on the shape of minimalist composition, the repeated rhythms and snatches of melody express rage and frustration long after the lyrics have ceased explicitly stating the message. It's the kind of song that feels as appropriate today as it did 33 years ago. That kind of fervor makes …For the Whole World to See such a blast and a defining example of the spirit that drives not just rock 'n' roll, but true outsider art.
1. Keep on Knocking
2. Rock-n-Roll Victim
3. Let the World Turn
4. You're a Prisoner
5. Freakin' Out
6. Where Do We Go From Here???
7. Politicians in My Eyes
1969: Bee Gees - Odessa
Reviewing Odessa without sounding like a total fan boy is difficult, but not totally inappropriate. Before you take my gushing five-star review at face value, it should be mentioned that this boxset is directed toward die hard Bee Gees enthusiasts rather than the casual fan. Fair enough; this long-awaited collection gives an incredibly detailed look at one of the trippiest, most complex examples of soft AM pop ever. While the band's first three albums experimented with arrangements and were ambitious in their own right, Odessa shows The Bee Gees at their most far-reaching. With tentative titles such as Masterpeace and An American Opera, there's no doubt they were thinking about the album as a whole, not just songs and singles. But despite the conceptualization, incredible songwriting, and a 'This is our album and we'll do whatever the fuck we want' sort of approach, Odessa has always been a dark horse next to albums like SF Sorrow, Sgt. Pepper's, and Days of Future Past.
Although their previous records shared a melancholic undercurrent, there are moments in Odessa that are downright devastating, forever raising the bar for sad music. The opening and title track, saturated in hallucinatory reverb, tangles a lost-at-sea story with a man's desperate attempt to contact an old love. Themes continue to spiral downward during the next three songs, with sinister lyrics like "It makes me laugh/ You've got no friends," "I followed a river/ Where the dead man would lay" and "15 kids and a family on the skids/ I've got to go for a Sunday drive." At the bottom of the well is "I Laugh in Your Face," one of the darkest, most brutal soft-pop songs of all time.
Through a maze of oceanic analogies and cryptic portrayals of Americana (something they picked up after writing portions of the album in New York), The Bee Gees' revel in conflicting emotions. It's all very obtuse, to say the least; the creative band/brother struggle that developed during Odessa's making produce some significant stylistic leaps. And while a lot of double albums might have been more successful if condensed into a single LP, Odessa plays without any filler. Even the purely orchestral pieces, though slightly superfluous, lend themselves to an overall tone without sounding completely misguided.
It's only natural that fans' expectations would be high after years of deluxe-treatment rumors. Fortunately, Odessa was put in the hands of reissue supervisor Andrew Sandoval, who obviously holds the album in very high regard, sparing no expense in creating the most detailed, bible version of the album. From the spot-on reproduction of the red velvet artwork to liner notes detailing where, when, and why each song was recorded, this three-disc version is about as comprehensive as we're going to get (especially given that the two living brothers, Robin and Barry, seem to ignore this phase of their careers.)
Disc one contains a remastered version of the album's U.S. stereo pressing. Coming much closer to the original vinyl mix, it's a vast improvement over the previous CD issue, which sounded washed out and loaded with tape hiss. The second disc contains the UK mono mix, which, although different from the U.S. version, is not as drastic as the opposing mixes from their first three albums. The bass thumps nicely and -- typical to mono mixes of the time -- the drums are heavier. The band is placed in the forefront, with ornamental orchestration used more as a backdrop than on the U.S. version. The mono mixes reveal that, at its core, Odessa is much looser than your typical Bee Gees album. It's an acoustic record in disguise, fairly casual and off the cuff, with guitar strings buzzing and double-tracked vocals often falling out of sync. Go mono!
Then there's disc three, loaded with alternate takes and demos. We learn that naming their British ship "Veronica" was a rather arbitrary decision and that their homage to Thomas Edison used to be about some lady named Barbara. While songs like "Marley Purt Drive" don't sound terribly different from their final mix, others (such as "Never Say Never," which had an insane fuzz-guitar part erased in favor of more orchestration) are drastically different. On early mixes, psychedelic mellotron parts often sit on the surface, prior to being drowned out by live strings. It's an amazing window into their creative process.
Unfortunately, all other versions of Odessa remain out of print. Long time fans should have nothing to complain about, while casual listeners will likely find this deluxe edition a little redundant. I can only hope newcomers are inspired to continue digging into the Bee Gees' catalog. Following Odessa, Robin left the band and recorded his solo masterpiece, Robin's Reign, which has never been officially released on CD. Barry and Maurice continued with the Bee Gees title, releasing Cucumber Castle, another great and undervalued record. Convincing them that Odessa is essential to music history seems like a tall order, but hopefully this reissue will remind them of how cool and complex they were before the leisure suits.
Disc 1 (stereo), Disc 2 (mono):
1. Odessa (City on the Black Sea)
2. You'll Never See My Face Again
3. Black Diamond
4. Marley Purt Drive
5. Edison
6. Melody Fair
7. Suddenly
8. Whisper Whisper
9. Lamplight
10. Sound of Love
11. Give Your Best
12. Seven Seas Symphony
13. With All Nations (International Anthem)
14. I Laugh in Your Face
15. Never Say Never Again
16. First of May
17. The British Opera
Disc 3:
1. Odessa (demo)
2. You'll Never See My Face Again (alternate mix)
3. Black Diamond (demo)
4. Marley Purt Drive (alternate mix)
5. Barbara Came to Stay
6. Edison (alternate mix)
7. Melody Fair (demo)
8. Melody Fair (alternate mix)
9. Suddenly (alternate mix)
10. Whisper Whisper – Part Two (alternate version)
11. Lamplight (demo)
12. Lamplight (alternate version)
13. Sound of Love (alternate mix)
14. Give Your Best (alternate mix)
15. Seven Seas Symphony (demo)
16. With All Nations (International Anthem) (vocal version)
17. I Laugh in Your Face (alternate mix)
18. Never Say Never Again (alternate mix)
19. First of May (demo)
20. First of May (alternate mix)
21. Nobody's Someone
22. Pity
23. Odessa Promotional Spot
1996: The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
For nearly 30 years, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was a legendary, unexperienced piece of pop detritus, cousin to Smile and Jerry Lewis' holocaust movie The Clown That Cried. The project -- a big-top-themed concert featuring the Stones, The Who, Taj Mahal, John Lennon, and others -- was supposed to be shown on television, but was never broadcast. Reasons for its absence abound, but the most accepted theory is that Jagger and co. were unhappy with their performances and felt upstaged by their colleagues.
It's a reasonable concern. The bands on the roster -- aside from the play-by-numbers Jethro Tull -- are in top form, especially The Who, who had just come off a tour and were about to unleash Tommy. They perform a blistering, fevered rendition of their classic mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away," leaving the unrehearsed, creaky Stones outmatched.
Nonetheless, the headliners' scaled-back performance has definite appeal. It's interesting to hear The Rolling Stones with a little less energy than usual and more interesting still to hear them perform for a small audience. After an introduction from John Lennon (in its entirety: "and now"), the band starts their set with "Jumpin' Jack Flash," followed by "Parachute Woman," "No Expectations," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Sympathy For The Devil," and show closer "Salt of the Earth." It's a solid set, and if the rumor about the project's shelving is true, it's a shame the Stones didn't have enough faith in their fans.
Elsewhere, the '60s rock cameos come fast and furious: Marianne Faithful gorgeously singing "Something Better," Jethro Tull phoning in "Song For Jeffrey," Taj Mahal stomping through the murky funk of "Ain't That a Lot of Love." The best track, however, is also the most tossed off: a cover of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" by a band called The Dirty Mac -- featuring Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Lennon on vocals. The song sounds exactly like you'd imagine, with Lennon wailing his misery while Richards' and Clapton's notes bend within an inch of their lives. It's the perfect song choice for these icons; if they had tried to tackle "Hey Jude" or "All You Need Is Love," the result would have been a watered-down mess.
There's nothing bad here, just minutiae -- a carnival orchestra, an itchy 12-bar blues with shrieking Yoko Ono vocals, and witty banter between rock stars. The concert doesn't live up to its reputation, but it was never meant to be taken seriously. Instead, it's an informal experiment in variety, a throwaway work by legends who regularly threw away legendary things.
1. Mick Jagger's Introduction Of Rock and Roll Circus
2. Entry of the Gladiators – Circus Orchestra
3. Mick Jagger's Introduction Of Jethro Tull
4. Song For Jeffrey – Jethro Tull
5. Keith Richards' Introduction of The Who
6. A Quick One While He's Away – The Who
7. Over The Waves – Rosas
8. Ain't That A Lot Of Love – Taj Mahal
9. Charlie Watts' Introduction Of Marianne Faithfull
10. Something Better – Marianne Faithfull
11. Mick Jagger and John Lennon's Introduction Of The Dirty Mac
12. Yer Blues – The Dirty Mac
13. Whole Lotta Yoko – Yoko Ono & The Dirty Mac
14. Jumpin' Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones
15. Parachute Woman – The Rolling Stones
16. No Expectations – The Rolling Stones
17. You Can't Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
18. Sympathy For The Devil – The Rolling Stones
19. Salt of the Earth – The Rolling Stones
1981: Glenn Branca - The Ascension
At the New Music America Festival in 1982, John Cage attended a performance of Glenn Branca's Indeterminate Activities of Resultant Masses. He was deeply troubled by what he heard, leading him to famously liken Branca to a fascist. As a matter of course, if an artist is able to provoke extreme disgust -- and particularly if the disgusted party happens to be the exalted father of American avant-garde music -- that artist probably has something going for him. Branca's symphonies are still met with derision from certain quarters of the crusty classical coterie, but thanks in part to his association with the No Wave movement and Sonic Youth, his place in punk's history books (they have those now!) is cemented.
The Ascension was written directly before Resultant Masses, when Branca was still playing rock clubs and working up the nerve to call himself a composer. Released on what's widely considered to be the coolest record label of all time, 99 Records, The Ascension achieves a level of sophistication that even the most ambitious New York noise punks had only hinted at. Crossing the seemingly insurmountable divide between punk and classical, The Ascension stands apart from both traditions as simply essential 20th-century music.
Instead of offering my own account of an esoteric scene that died before I was born, I'll defer to the recent throng of coffee table No Wave books (and at $29.99, you can't call this cheap nihilism). The primary sources are probably more deserving of your time and money, though: Metal Machine Music, The Ramones, Brian Eno, No New York, minimalism, theater of cruelty, Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio, Branca's own Theoretical Girls, and of course John Cale and The Velvet Underground. Branca's piece managed to invoke the Lower East Side's noisy cultural legacy while predicting the future of indie guitar rock.
Critic/martyr Lester Bangs once argued that the alien screeching of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music was really just urban ambient music, "great in Midwestern suburbs, but kinda unnecessary in NYC." That holds for the more extreme side of No Wave in general: It's music to prove a point to, good for advancing passive violence on those around you, maybe attractive to Catholics with self-laceration complexes, but by design a moral and aesthetic dead end. Take The Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" which after 15 minutes of hard fought perseverance finally succumbs to its insidious disease and degenerates into unadulterated white noise. The Ascension works the opposite way; it takes white noise and harnesses it to create something highly organized and possibly even life-affirming.
Branca begins "Lesson No. 2" with an agit-bass riff before his guitar army joins in, adding grinding and whirring feedback to his insistent pulse. It sounds like the rehearsal of a particularly tight and imaginative No Wave band. The tune runs its course and then derails; Branca's shout-out and kiss-off to the scene that fostered his artistic development. It ends in crashes of cacophonous guitar executed with chilly precision on top of a steady drumbeat.
With a name borrowed from Situationist theory, "The Spectacular Commodity" initially continues the mood of cynicism and foreboding, a sonic depiction of industrialization's corroding effect on the landscape and the human spirit. A monstrous chord rings out seven times in slow succession like the toll of church bells -- strident metallic chimes. Three guitars, each playing on a different octave, are accompanied by bass and drums as they work their way through a series of tempo changes, rave-ups, and blowouts. The musically untrained among us won't understand everything that's going on, and it makes no difference. It's immediately discernible that, despite all the dissonance, each note played has its place in this 12-minute leviathan. At roughly 8:50, high, open-sounding chords begin to float above the grit, while the other two guitars drop in to perform exultant accompaniment. Climactic doesn't begin to describe it. This could make the perfect soundtrack to Fritz Lang's silent Metropolis or a triumphant battle tune for that fated day when humans will have to take up arms against the machines. Guitarists of the world, unite!
"Structure," built on recurring noxious harmonics, is all suffocated aggression and claustrophobia (on a related note, the pointed song titles helpfully guide the listener's free association responses to the work). The second side begins with "Light Fields (In Consonance)," which basically consists of one note, but garners its momentum through rhythmic interplay. The composition is somewhat reminiscent of Rhys Chatham's 1977 "Guitar Trio," which was probably the first piece to marry punk guitar with minimalist composition. However, Branca was no strict minimalist, and "Light Fields" suddenly becomes dynamic in its final two minutes, as the riffs begin shifting and climbing upwards until they reach the octave.
Last act "The Ascension" is as ambitious and lengthy as "The Spectacular Commodity," though otherwise an entirely different beast. It's a less muscular and methodical buildup, relying largely on the overtones created by extreme guitar feedback (one can only imagine how loud and powerful this must have been live). You know how weird guitar sounds are always referred to as "ethereal" now? Well, here's the blueprint. At times the center can barely hold and the song becomes almost completely abstract, yet during the last 30 seconds I would swear there were strings playing if I didn't know better. It's like a redemptive response to the godless Metal Machine Music.
The sense of otherworldliness in "The Ascension" is created in part by the random disorienting nature of feedback, as well as the song's Cage-ian silences and unpredictable tempos. Yet "The Spectacular Commodity" remains the show-stopper here for all the reasons Cage hated Branca's work: its shattering volume, its triumphant romanticism and Wagnerian hulk. One of Cage's misgivings was that too much of Branca's own personality was in his work, and indeed The Ascension bares the heavy hand of its maker. When I want ego-less sound, though, I'll just open my Brooklyn window or turn on my rain machine, thankyouverymuch. With both classical and rock, the listener's sense of empowerment often comes vicariously through the artist. Like the paroxysmal art-punks in Robert Longo's iconic Men in Cities series -- to which the striking cover art belongs -- sometimes we need the shock of loud, angular guitar to catalyze our own private liberation trip.
1. Lesson No. 2
2. The Spectacular Commodity
3. Structure
4. Light Fields (In Consonance)
5. The Ascension