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Since 2010, Social Security has closed 64 field offices (scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the list) and 533 temporary offices, reduced hours and gotten rid of more than 11,000 employees in its remaining 1,245 field offices. That's according to a report from the bipartisan staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which held a hearing on Social Security's downsizing Wednesday afternoon.
The committee found that the agency made decisions on cutbacks without first trying to figure out the impact on its 43 million annual customers, most of whom are between the ages of 60 and 69. The panel says Social Security also didn't ask how local officials thought the closings would affect usage of neighboring offices or what kinds of transportation options might be available to help people get there.
"[Social Security] failed to consult any local stakeholders and minimally consulted local agency management until after the commissioner agreed to close a field office," the report says.
Forgetting that many seniors aren't wired
The committee points out that while the agency has been trying to move as many users online as possible, it made these closing decisions without considering that more than half of people 65 and older don't have online access at home. Officials also disregarded that nearly a quarter of older adults report that health or other issues make reading difficult, the report says.
During Wednesday's hearing, Nancy Berryhill, deputy commissioner for the Social Security Administration, defended the online emphasis. "As customer expectations have changed, we need to balance those needs with the needs of those who prefer alternative options," she said.
But William Meyer, founder and managing principal of Social Security Solutions, a Social Security advisory service that relies on sophisticated software to identify claiming strategies, pooh-poohs Berryhill's point of view.
"The Social Security Administration isn't acknowledging that this retiree segment wants and needs to talk to people on the phone," he says. "Thinking that you can automate this and really help millions of people is just crazy. This is the biggest financial decision that most people make in a lifetime, and Social Security is going in the opposite direction of good customer service."
Sometimes, face-to-face is best
Meyer is particularly critical of Social Security's efforts to open automated kiosks in the front of some Social Security offices. "They did it with a lot of pomp and circumstance that I believe was all done to to divert attention from these cutbacks," he says.
Even if you are inclined to conduct complex retirement planning business online, some Social Security transactions can best be handled face to face, says Joe Elsasser, a certified financial planner and creator of Social Security Timing, another service that calculates recipients' optimum filing strategy.
For instance, Elsasser says when people want to file for spousal-only or survivor-only benefits while allowing their own worker's benefit to earn delayed retirement credits -- a strategy that can easily bring a married couple more than $100,000 in additional benefits during their lifetimes -- they should go to the Social Security office in person to make sure the paperwork is handled correctly.
The best times to go
Given the reduction in Social Security offices, Elsasser recommends that if you must go in person, do it when you are less likely to have to take a number and wait two or more hours. "Around the first of every month, getting service is really challenging," he says. "There are even big spikes in telephone wait times."
Instead, choose the "middle of the month and the middle of the week," he advises.
It is also smart to sign up for a My Social Security online account to get routine information.
Even when staffs were fatter, Social Security didn't give advice about benefit strategies. Understanding claiming options can make a huge difference in how much someone is able to get from the program. While Social Security does publish lots of information online, there are thousands of rules and regulations that affect benefit calculations. Getting expert help before you claim is the best way to ensure that you aren't leaving retirement money on the table.
Meanwhile, if you think Social Security should do a better job of helping its customers navigate the program, tell your congressional representative.
Social Security field offices closed since 2010
|Ketchikan, Alaska
|Rumford, Maine
|Hugo, Oklahoma
|Camden, Arkansas
|Hamtramck, Michigan
|Portland (Northeast), Oregon
|Barstow, California
|Moberly, Missouri
|Klamath Falls, Oregon
|Redlands, California
|Biloxi, Mississippi
|Somerset, Pennsylvania
|Corona, California
|Burlington, North Carolina
|Philadelphia (North Central), Pennsylvania
|Bristol, Connecticut
|Dickinson, North Dakota
|Philadelphia (Woodland Ave.), Pennsylvania
|Norwalk, Connecticut
|Beatrice, Nebraska
|Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
|Shepherd Park, D.C.
|Montclair, New Jersey
|Pittsburgh (Northside), Pennsylvania
|Quincy, Florida
|Glen Rock, New Jersey
|Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
|Pinellas Park, Florida
|Amherst, New York
|Yauco, Puerto Rico
|Palatka, Florida
|Grand Central (New York), New York
|Cayey, Puerto Rico
|Moultrie, Georgia
|Williamsburg (Brooklyn), New York
|Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
|Swainsboro, Georgia
|Kingston, New York
|Camden, South Carolina
|Clinton, Iowa
|Bronx (Hub), New York
|Maryville, Tennessee
|Chicago (West Town), Illinois
|Astoria, New York
|Memphis (East), Tennessee
|Pittsburg, Kansas
|Rome, New York
|Midland, Texas
|Louisville (West), Kentucky
|Chinatown (New York), New York
|Dallas (West), Texas
|Bastrop, Louisiana
|East New York (Brooklyn), New York
|Houston (Downtown), Texas
|Plaquemine, Louisiana
|Long Beach, New York
|Richmond (West), Virginia
|New Orleans (Clearview), Louisiana
|Mount Vernon, New York
|Seattle (South), Washington
|Chelsea, Massachusetts
|Glendale, New York
|Greenfield, Massachusetts
|Euclid, Ohio
Source: U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.


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Trades Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough
Receives Rajon Rondo, JJ Redick
Trades Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo
Receives Dwight Howard, Darren Collison
Trades Dwight Howard, JJ Redick
Receives Pau Gasol, Danny Granger
Los Angeles
Trades Pau Gasol
Receives Paul Pierce, Tyler Hansbrough
This is obviously out there, but I really like it. The Pacers get an All-Star point guard who can create and play defense, have the ability to move Paul George to small forward, and acquire a pure shooter.
The Celtics make the huge acquisition of a player who can be built around. It hurts having to give up Paul Pierce, but he is approaching the end of his career.
Orlando gets rid of a player who doesn't want to be there, and they get a legit starting small forward and a top big man.
Los Angeles gets another great scorer who already has experience with playing in a trio and will get rid of a player who is a bad fit for Mike Brown.

subset: commoncrawl


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Home sweet home: Connors' house rebuilt in time for Christmas
As Abbotsford Police Sgt. Judy Dizy led Bill Connor by the hand to the front door of his newly renovated home on Friday afternoon, he paused.
"You're supposed to open the door, boss," Dizy laughed.
Connor did as directed and then turned to address the crowd of volunteers and media gathered behind him.
"Take your boots off!" he joked as he stepped onto the recently laid hardwood floor and into his new living room, along with his wife Ann and their son John.
Less than six weeks ago, the Connor family almost lost their 60-year-old home, located on Downes Road just east of Bradner Road. A chimney blaze left only the shell of the house, and the family didn't have insurance.
The trio's future was in question, but Bill, who has lived on the property since he was two years old and is now in his 80s, didn't want to move.
A massive volunteer effort – started by members of the Abbotsford Firefighters Charitable Society and the Abbotsford Police Union – resulted in a groundswell of support from throughout the Lower Mainland.
Dizy helped coordinate the initiative along with her husband, firefighter Craig Bird, and Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker. The entire home was rebuilt, using donated supplies and volunteer labour, at no cost to the family.
New furniture, cabinets, countertops and appliances were provided, as were a new septic field, main water service, roof, and electrical and plumbing systems.
Outside, the property was cleaned up and landscaping was done. A new driveway will be poured once the weather improves.
Final touches in the home included a decorated Christmas tree, a fresh apple pie on the kitchen counter, and a framed collage of old photos, including Bill playfully propping a young John on his shoulders.
Dizy said donations came in from about 170 businesses, and there were so many offers that four homes could have been built. About 200 people volunteered their skills and time.
"We can't thank the community enough … We wouldn't have been able to do this without them. We're talking thousands and thousands of man hours," she said.
The goal from the start of the renovation four weeks ago was to have the Connors back in their home by Christmas. They have been staying in a hotel – also paid for by donations – since the Nov. 11th fire.
Walker said the experience, and seeing the family back in their home, was rewarding.
"It's overwhelming. The tears are holding back," he said at the scene.
About 200 supporters came to see the big "reveal," and Dizy read a letter to them on behalf of the Connors.
"We appreciate all the help from everyone. We have no words at this time to really show our feelings," the letter stated.
Walker said having finished the project in such a short time frame is a relief to all those involved.
"Our goal is complete. They are home. That's all that matters."


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Fowler uses clear head to get back on track
DENVER -- After a lengthy slump, center fielder Dexter Fowler went 10-for-20 as the Rockies won three of four games against the Giants.
He raised his batting average from .254 before the series to .286 going into Monday night's opener of a three-game set against the D-backs.
Fowler worked on some swing flaws during an early hitting session in Chicago, where the Rockies played the Cubs prior to returning home to face the Giants, but since then he has simply cleared his mind.
"We try to leave the thinking up to [the media], ya'll think you're thinking," Fowler said smiling. "You stop thinking. You're thinking nothing."
During Sunday's 10-2 victory over the Giants, social media blew up with fans criticizing Fowler for not thinking when they thought he should have been.
Fowler opened the bottom of the third with a single and advanced on a balk by Giants pitcher Barry Zito. As hitter Carols Gonzalez took ball four, Fowler tried to steal third -- by no means by the book, especially with Troy Tulowitzki on deck and Gonzalez a left-handed hitter.
Fowler's jump was poor and he was thrown out, which meant he violated the time-honored principle of not making the first out of an inning at third base. The Rockies didn't score in the inning.
However, manager Walt Weiss has given Fowler the green light, and has backed that by not second-guessing him when such decisions don't work. Fowler has used the bunt in odd situations as well, sometimes advancing a runner, sometimes forcing the defense to make difficult plays. Sometimes it hasn't worked.
"You go whenever you want, nobody's going to be mad at you," Fowler said. "Fans can say whatever they want. If they can be mad, they can be mad. We know how to play the game.
"Sometimes you run into some outs. [Zito] was a little bit quicker. Sometimes on 3-0, pitchers are a little slower to the plate. We've played for 20-plus years, some of us almost 30. Let your instincts take over."
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Pointing to evidence suggesting seawater intrusion is slowing and water levels are rising in the Salinas Valley, the county Planning Commission on Wednesday recommended approval of a proposed legal settlement over a water supply policy in the county general plan.
By a 6-3 vote, the commission recommended the Board of Supervisors approve legal settlement with a cadre of farming, business and taxpayer interest groups led by the Salinas Valley Water Coalition. The groups challenged a general plan policy requiring property owners to prove long-term, sustainable water supplies for new development.
The settlement would allow new development to proceed in much of the Salinas Valley without having to provide such proof while a five-year study of the Salinas Valley Water Project is conducted.
The groups say developers should not have to prove water supply because landowners have been paying assessments for years to pay for the project on the promise that it would provide an adequate water supply for all needs through 2030.
The project — a seasonal diversion dam on the Salinas River near Marina and spillway modifications at Nacimiento Dam — is intended to halt saltwater intrusion and protect the Salinas Valley water basin.
Howard Franklin, senior hydrologist at the county Water Resources Agency, presented data that showed the rate of seawater intrusion has slowed, though it continues to advance inland, and groundwater levels have risen in the past few years.
Franklin wouldn't assign credit for the improvement to any particular water management efforts, including the water project, and declined to opine that seawater intrusion would eventually stop or that the recovery of groundwater levels is a long-term trend.
But commissioners who voted for the settlement and representatives of interest groups that sued the county touted the data as evidence the Salinas Valley water basin is recovering.
Commissioner Jay Brown said the settlement would only last five years, based on what he called the "best available evidence," until the study delivered a clearer picture of the effectiveness of water management efforts such as the water project.
Salinas Valley Water Coalition president Nancy Isakson said she believed the study would show whether the water project was working as promised, and if it showed a lack of progress on bolstering the water basin, the entire community would need to come together to solve the problem.
Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, said the agricultural community would respond if the study showed a lack of adequate improvement in the basin, pointing out that water is an essential element of farming's success.
Commissioner Keith Vandevere, who voted against the recommendation, said it would make more sense not to approve any new development until there was proof the water basin was actually recovering.
Commissioner Martha Diehl, who dissented, added that until seawater intrusion is halted, no new development should be approved that would add stress on the water supply.
Commissioner Amy Roberts said she would vote for the recommendation not because she agreed with the settlement but because she believed water is a political issue that should be left to the supervisors.
The study would be conducted by a consultant, said Deputy County Counsel Les Girard, which could make recommendations on how to deal with seawater intrusion if the study shows a continuing deterioration of groundwater conditions in the basin.
Jim Johnson can be reached at 753-6753 or email@example.com.


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(For Thursday Treats I normally share recipes that are a bit more indulgent than the usual things you find on this blog, but these amazingly delicious Pistachio Cookies are actually low in carbs and sugar-free so they're about as healthy as it gets for a delicious holiday cookie! They're the kind of small rich cookie that are perfect to have just one or two with something hot to drink; enjoy!)
If you don't care about the whole low-carb or low-sugar thing you could substitute brown sugar for some of the sweetener, your choice. And there are some suggestions in the comments from readers who have tried this cookie with other kinds of nuts too if you'd like to improvise.
Flourless Sugar-Free Pistachio Cookies
(Makes 40-50 small cookies, recipe adapted from II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey, found via The Italian Dish.)
3/4 cup (4 oz.) shelled pistachio nuts, plus about 50 nuts to garnish top of cookies (I used dry-roasted pistachio kernels from Costco)
2 T plus 1 cup Splenda or Stevia-in-the-Raw Granulated Sweetener (or use a blend of Splenda/Stevia and sugar or all sugar if you prefer and don't care if it's sugar free)
1 2/3 cup almond meal or almond flour
2 eggs, beaten well
Add the almond meal and cup of sweetener and mix until well combined. Then add eggs and mix until completely blended into dry ingredients. Remove mixture from food process or mixer bowl and chill at least 8 hours. (I chilled it overnight and baked the cookies the next day.)
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop a small spoonfuls of dough and roll between your hands to make a small ball about an inch in diameter. (I used a teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop out the dough.) Put each ball on the parchment, smash down slightly, then press one pistachio into the center.
Bake cookies until they are lightly browned on the edges, about 12-15 minutes in my toaster oven. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack or dish towel and let cool.
My cookies didn't spread out much, probably due to the denser texture from the almond meal. Seems to me this recipe would also be very adaptable to other types of nuts; I'd love to know if anyone tries some variations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
More Low-Sugar or Sugar-Free Cookies to Try:
15 Delicious Low-Sugar or Sugar-Free Cookies to Bake for the Holidays


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It's been over a year since photos of Kristen Stewart kissing Liberty Ross' then-husband, Rupert Sanders, were splashed across the face of every tabloid on the newsstand, and Liberty has finally spoken out about the scandal that destroyed her marriage.
"It was horrible," the model told Vanity Fair in a new interview, of Rupert's fling with Kristen, who starred in his 2012 film, "Snow White and The Huntsman." "It was really the worst, really the worst."
Liberty said she learned of her husband's affair when he told her he had strayed – 20 hours before the damning photos were made public. The shocked wife took her two children to a friend's private home, where she tried to maintain as much privacy as possible.
PHOTOS: Celebrity Cheaters (Allegedly)
"I was able to be there completely secluded," she said. "I just visualized [being] this sort of Masai warrior. I was just going to stand very still and very strong, and just let it all roll past me. I tried to keep as far away from it as I could and to understand that this is my family and it's the most precious thing to me."
After much reflection, Liberty came to the conclusion that she couldn't stay married to Rupert, her partner of 16 years.
"I'm not a quitter," she said. "I've done everything I could to be the perfect wife and mother and really support my husband. But I just didn't have any more to give, you know?"
Now, Liberty – who is rumored to be dating music mogul Jimmy Iovine – is rising from the ashes.
"I have no words to describe what we went through," she said. "But I think, for me, something always has to completely die for there to be a rebirth. And, for me, I feel like I'm going through a rebirth."


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These Orvis versatile fly box sets the standard for quality fly-fishing accessories.
A classic style fly box loved for years, at a great value. Protect and organize your flies in your choice of boxes made of high-quality, marine-grade aluminum and high-density non-absorbent foam. The individual spring-loaded locking windows and the firm foam make fly retrieval easy on the water. Corrosion resistant.
Five models. Dimensions:
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Feedlots and other livestock operations of a certain size are called CAFOs – confined animal feeding operations. Some in the industry shy away from calling their operation a CAFO in conversation because somehow it has an "industrial" connotation.
Not Anne Burkholder.
Burkholder, owner of Will Feed, Inc., Cozad, Neb., is proud of the cattle she produces at her feedlot and embraces the term CAFO as she explains its meaning to consumers who read her Feed Yard Foodie blog. Burkholder's August 2 post, "I'm Not a Factory Farm," explains to readers what a CAFO is and that Burkholder is in no way, shape or form a "factory". Her blog says, "My CAFO houses cattle who are cared for by people. There is no mechanized 'factory' that accomplishes this."
I asked Burkholder why she chose to liberally use the word CAFO in this week's blog. Burkholder, who was busy attending the NCBA summer conference in Orlando, e-mailed me some very thoughtful comments back. "I think that we as beef producers need to be proud and stand behind who we are," she says.
"I am proud to care for cattle and raise beef. I am proud to own and manage a CAFO. 'Putting a face' on CAFOs and 'factory farms' helps to define them in honest and accurate terms. It is easy to hate a negative image, but much harder to hate a person. We can't hide from the terms because someone else has defined them in a pejorative way, but we can redefine them honestly and with the transparency that the consumer is asking for."
Burkholder's blogs are filled with photos from the feedyard that show consumers everything from cattle pens, how feed is delivered and the people who care for the cattle every day.
A wife and mother of three, Burkholder understands the modern consumer's wants, needs and concerns about the food they put on their families' tables. In her blog she uses pop culture examples to make her point with other mothers. "The term 'factory farm' has been defined by some media and special interest groups in a terribly pejorative sense," she explains. "I used a Harry Potter example in my post because I thought that was something that everyone could visually picture--then I could juxtapose that image with the true image of my feed yard. I really struggled as I wrote this post because it is such a difficult topic to talk about.
"I am so proud of what I do," Burkholder continues. "I truly believe that I live an admirable life caring for cattle. I am devoted to quality cattle care and quality beef production. I want the consumer to know how much I care, and to realize that a term like 'factory farming' is a sensational term that has little in common with the way that I care for cattle and raise beef."
Burkholder says this is a very difficult topic to talk about. "Emotional issues are hard to write about, and I have been personally attacked on this topic and that makes it even more difficult. I tell my kids that 'the right thing is not always the easy thing to do', and I took that to heart when I wrote it."
Burkholder's article finishes with these sentiments:
I am an American.
I am a wife.
I am a mother.
I am a cattle caregiver.
I work at a CAFO.
I laugh, I cry, I love, I live, I care with every fiber of my being.
I hope that you think of me when you go the grocery store and look at the beef in the meat-case because it is people like me that care for cattle and raise beef.
I am not a factory.
Read Burkholder's Feed Yard Foodie blog here.


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Properly preparing and managing silage can reduce losses and improve an operation's bottom line.
A key to any successful cattle operation is sound management of the feed supply. From the cow-calf producer to the dairy or feedlot owner, this involves not just managing feed quality control but also implementing sound strategies to reduce feed losses and keeping close watch on the balance sheet. For producers who utilize silage as a feed source for their cattle, taking steps to reduce silage dry matter (DM) loss, also called shrink loss, can have a significant impact on the cost of production.
According to Keith Bolsen, professor emeritus at Kansas State University, most of the mistakes made occur before the silage is in the ration. It is estimated that between 18 and 20 percent of 117.85 million tons of corn silage made in the United States in 2013 will be lost to shrink. At $65 per ton that's about $1.4 billion in corn silage inventory. If shrink losses were reduced to single digits, say 9.9 percent, the loss would drop to about $750 million. Bolsen says paying attention to details and fine-tuning one's silage program, especially with regard to increasing silage density, improving sealing technique and utilizing an inoculant, can significantly reduce DM loss and, thus, reduce the cost of feeding a ton of silage.
Maximizing silage density
Achieving a higher packing density and reducing DM loss go hand-in-hand for multiple reasons. First, more densely packed silage in a bunker silo or drive-over pile is less porous, meaning less air moves through the silage and, subsequently, less spoilage occurs. Second, a higher packing density increases storage capacity of the bunker without over-filling or decreases the height of the pile without reducing storage capacity.
Bolsen says producers should aim to achieve a silage density of about 15 to 16 pounds of DM per cubic foot and 44 to 46 pounds of fresh weight per cubic foot. Unfortunately, many beef and dairy operations are not achieving that desired silage density, and he encourages producers to use a spreadsheet developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin Extension (bit.ly/zCfRj0) to predict packing density in advance. Two best practices for achieving higher densities are increasing the number of pack tractors and spreading forage in uniform layers that are 6 inches thick or less. Producers must remember if forage is delivered too quickly or not enough pack tractors are available, it can be difficult to achieve a uniform layer of 6 inches and to pack each individual layer before another layer of forage is added.
One dairy Bolsen worked with had a packing density of only 11.4 pounds of DM per cubic foot and an estimated shrink loss of 22.5 percent. By utilizing the University of Wisconsin Extension spreadsheet to predict density and making changes from year one to year two that included reducing the maximum height of the pile from 16 to 14 feet, adding a second pack tractor and reducing the layer thickness from 8 to 5 inches, Bolsen says the dairy was able to increase its average silage density to 16.4 pounds of DM per cubic foot and reduce its shrink loss to about 15 percent.
Other steps to consider when working to achieve a higher silage density include properly training employees who will be operating the push-up and pack tractors; forming a progressive wedge of forage and maintaining a maximum slope of 1 to 4 (1 foot of rise for each 4 feet of horizontal); increasing the weight of all push-up and pack tractors; passing over each layer of forage at least twice; packing drive-over piles from side to side; and driving up and backing down progressive wedge and side slopes to avoid making 180-degree turns on a forage surface, floor of a bunker or front apron of a pile. In bunker silos it is also necessary to increase the numbers of tractor passes near the wall to reach a high density in the forage that is within 3 feet of the wall.
Enhancing silage sealing
Once the forage is densely packed, the next step to reducing silage DM loss is to apply an effective seal to the bunker or pile. Bolsen says while it is inevitable that oxygen will get into the silage over time, utilizing an oxygen barrier film can reduce shrink loss in the outer 2 to 3 feet of corn silage by 40 to 50 percent or more compared to standard white-on-black plastic.
He says the film clings to the surface of the silage and fills the air pockets to better seal the silage. In a 3,000-ton-capacity bunker silo of corn silage that is 50 feet wide and 225 feet long with an average depth of 12 feet, sealing with an oxygen barrier film would save an extra $2,500 to $4,500 of silage in the original top 3 feet compared to standard plastic. In a 4,000- to 4,500-ton-capacity drive-over pile of corn silage that is 80 feet wide at the base and 400 feet long with an apex height of 12 feet, sealing with an oxygen barrier film would save between $5,000 and S10,000 of corn silage in the original top 3 feet compared to standard plastic. Bolsen says he's seen DM losses as low as 8 to 10 percent on beef and dairy operations that utilize oxygen barrier film to seal silage.
Two other factors to consider regarding the benefits of proper sealing are the negative effects of feeding surface spoiled silage and the dangers associated with removing spoilage from the top of most bunkers and piles today. Bolsen says producers who feed surface spoilage lose production efficiency in their cattle. In a Kansas State University study, fistulated steers were fed 0 to 16 percent surface-spoiled corn silage in rations that were 87.5 percent silage and 12.5 percent supplement. The addition of surface spoilage had large negative associative effects on DM intake and organic matter digestibility, as well as neutral and acid detergent fiber digestibilities. The first increment of spoilage had the greatest negative impact, and the results clearly showed that surface spoilage reduced the nutritive value of corn silage-based rations more than was expected. When used properly, oxygen barrier film can eliminate the need to remove surface-spoiled silage.
Using an inoculant
Bolsen says another important silage management decision is the use of a lactic acid bacterial inoculant. He says research backs this practice. Bolsen added that applying an inoculant at the forage harvester should be a "no brainer" because it reduces DM loss in corn silage by 1.5 to 2 percentage points. To calculate the value of using an inoculant, Bolsen referenced a dairy herd with an average production of 80 pounds of milk per cow per day, a ration DM intake of 53 pounds per cow per day (16 pounds of corn silage DM per cow per day), $22-per-hundredweight milk price and $65 per ton of silage. Reducing shrink loss with an inoculant, which he estimates costs approximately 2 to 3.5 cents per cow per day, increases net income by $60 to $75 per cow per year.
Regardless of the size of operation, Bolsen says this is "not a perfect world" and that mistakes leading to higher than optimum shrink losses can occur in every silage program. However, he says, working within "the silage triangle," which includes the beef or dairy producer, the forage grower and the silage contractor, producers can fine-tune silage management practices, reduce silage DM lossesand reduce the cost of feeding a ton of silage.


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Mind ReaderLanguage brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
A famous mind reader says that his job description can be summed up using just three letters of the alphabet. What letters are they?
AnswerE.S.P (Extra Sensory Perception)
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text:
Seeking the Higher Reward
The SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) premarket trading may have caused a few hearts to skip a beat as the "breakdown" looked to be on the horizon. Since the open, it has been a straight climb higher into resistance. I've seen several notes taking the position that this action is bullish because it is holding the lows. I'm not so sure. It looks like we are just digesting this move lower and potentially creating a bear flag here. I am watching the $137.60 and $139 levels. I'll become a bit more optimistic if it gets close over $139 and maintains this turn high in the Relative Strength Indicator. The SPY would trigger a buy from me on the move over $139, the strengthening RSI and a move over 20 on the stochastics. Until then, I am in wait-and-watch mode. A close under $137.60 still sets us up for $131. Technically speaking, there is a greater chance of a move to $131 from here as opposed to a push to $142. In other words, I believe the higher-reward trade, the short side, is also the higher-probability trade. Either side has provided solid areas where a trader can set stops without risking too much, so if you have conviction, you have definition, which makes for an attractive trade on that conviction.SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) Source: StockCharts.com View Chart » View in New Window »
On the other side of the SPY trade sits the iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund (TLT). Beyond Apple (AAPL), TLT may be the most talked about name on this site. The thesis always seems to be a short-side thesis, so I will constantly look for a short-term, short-side trade. The key there is short term. The longer-term short still doesn't seem to be on the table. The main trade thesis I follow for a short-side trade via puts is the third Bollinger band touch trade. Whenever TLT hits the third Bollinger band on the upside, I will enter in-the-money puts and look to sell them in the next one to three days. We've been riding the second Bollinger band higher, but haven't sniffed the third Bollinger band here the last three days. We were very close four days ago, but just came up a few pennies short. One other approach could work here for those looking for a short-side entry using the stochastics. When stochastics enter the overbought area (above 80), wait for the black line to cross under the red, and go short TLT. Then, look to cover the trade within the next three days. The quick trade has worked the last five times it has occurred. The odds of success drop a bit if holding the trade longer (four out of five times it had success), but the upside of those successes was significantly higher than the quick trade. The hold time there would be about three weeks. The "unsuccessful" trade was breakeven, so that is one failure I could live with if it happened again....16 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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text:
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer has confirmed that Hull City have made a move for Jordan Rhodes - but the club have turned down the Premier League outfit's initial offer, which is believed to have been £8m.
Hull are in the market for a striker after selling Shane Long to Southampton for £12m and have approached Rovers about their star man Rhodes.
At a press conference this afternoon Bowyer confirmed: "There has been an enquiry which has been taken to the board and the owners and that's as much as I know."
As things stand Rhodes is still in Rovers' squad for Saturday's home match against Bournemouth, which would be his 100th appearance for the club.
Speaking after his side's Europa League loss at Lokeren tonight Hull boss Steve Bruce said he was unaware the bid had been turned down before adding: "There's been dialogue at boardroom level and we'll see what comes of it.
"It's somebody who we are interested in and we've tabled a bid.
"What the situation is - as I talk to you now - I'm not quite sure until I see the powers-that-be."
See tomorrow's Lancashire Telegraph for more.


text:
UCLA can say the monopoly is over, and now it's really true.
Jim Mora didn't want to go there, but he doesn't have to because it goes without saying.
When asked point blank, Mora paused, smirked, said he didn't know and glanced in another reporter's direction so he could answer something else.
He wanted to say it, but he didn't.
We know.
USC knows it. UCLA knows it. Everyone in Los Angeles knows it.
USC's monopoly in Los Angeles is over.
UCLA controlled Saturday's city rivalry game and dominated USC from start to finish in a 38-28 victory that everyone should've seen coming.
Mora saw it as his players danced in the locker room afterward. It was a dance unlike any they had all season.
"We always dance, but this was a little more booty popping and a little more shimmying," tight end Joe Fauria said. "We expected this. We knew we were going to win. The tide is changing."
Cue the monopoly ad ... only this time with Mora.
The Bruins led 24-0 and even when USC cut the lead to 31-28 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bruins held it together.
They've got swagger.
The ad with Rick Neuheisel on it was premature. Now that UCLA can shout it from the rooftops, the Bruins are doing no such thing.
No one took the microphone or stood on a soapbox, but there was a cooler way to get the message across for the new-look Bruins.
"This is how we roll," quarterback Brett Hundley shouted on the field afterward.
And then they danced in the locker room. A private party with a dance-off.
"We were dancing and playing music and throwing Sprite bottles like we just won the Super Bowl," receiver Shaq Evans said.
As unfathomable as these four words would have been before the season started, they ring so true now:
The monopoly is over.
"When I stood out there in front of the locker room greeting those young men and saw their emotions, it's a very special day," Mora said. "I'm excited as I can be. I don't want to minimize it. I also believe as head coach being even-keeled as much as possible."
Perhaps, USC should be taking down that huge pictorial in the team meeting room at the John McKay Center, which reads: "USC owns Los Angeles."
USC is 7-4 overall and 5-4 in the Pacific-12 Conference after what was supposed to be the first legitimate run at a national title since Pete Carroll.
If a USC employee isn't taking that thing down today, players will have to cover their eyes in team meetings.
They know it's not true.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
UCLA - winner of the Pac-12 South Division - is young, has a fantastic freshman quarterback in Hundley with a first-year coach and big-time recruits crossing city lines.
"It's just one win but we're here to play now," UCLA receiver Shaq Evans said. "There's not going to be any more 50-0 s or complete domination. They can't just show up and beat us any more. It's going to be a fight. It's going to be different than in years past, I can tell you that."
UCLA was impressive on a national stage on a rain-soaked afternoon and USC is reeling after yet another sloppy, dismal and unfathomable performance.
Last year, in Neuheisel's final season before he was fired, UCLA was trounced by USC 50-0. But because USC was ineligible for the postseason because of NCAA sanctions, UCLA played in the Pac-12 title game by default.
There was no backing into the conference title game this year.
UCLA grabbed it, embraced it and monopolized it.
Beating USC was a bonus. The Bruins have bigger and better things in mind.
Like, maybe the Rose Bowl.
UCLA's season isn't over just because it beat USC.
The Bruins are 9-2 with games against Stanford, the Pac-12 championship game and a bowl game remaining.
No UCLA football team has ever won 11 games in a season. One more win ties the record at 10, which UCLA last did with Drew Olson as quarterback in 2005.
This monopoly is over.
"Its just one game until we can string some together and do it over and over again," Mora said. "Then it has significance to me. Don't get me wrong. This has significance. Real significance."
Monopoly-bashing significance.


text:
m. 09 Jun 1630 England
Family tree▼
Facts and Events
Descendants of Nicholas Knapp and Elinor; Ch, all born Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA except for Lydia, were:
1. Jonathan KNAPP - b 8 Nov 1631; d 27 Dec 1631 Watertown, MA
2. Timothy KNAPP - b 14 Dec 1632; d bef 1685 Rye, NY/CT?; m Wethersfield, CT to Bethia BRUNDAGE
3. Joshua KNAPP - b 1 Nov 1634; d 27 Oct 1684 Stamford, Fairfield Co, CT; m 9 Jun 1657 at Stamford to Hannah CLOSE - b abt 1632 Grinton Parish, Yorkshire, ENG; d 1696 Stamford, CT; Ch were: (a) Caleb KNAPP b Jun 1677
4. John Caleb KNAPP - b 20 Nov 1636 (see below)
5. Sarah KNAPP - b 5 Jan 1638/39; d 1681 Rye, (NY?CT); m 6 Apr 1667 at Stamford to Peter DISBROW
6. Ruth KNAPP - b 6 Jan 1640/41; d abt 1702 Greenwich, CT; m 20 Sep 1657 at Stamford to Joseph FERRIS - b 20 Jun 1635 Watertown, MA; d abt 1699 Greenwich, CT; Ch were: (a) John FERRIS; (b) Peter FERRIS b 6 Sep 1660; (c)James FERRIS b abt 1662; (d) Ruth FERRIS b abt 1663; (e) Moses FERRIS b abt 1664; (f) Joshua FERRIS b 31 Mar 1666; (g) Benjamin FERRIS b abt 1668; (h) Hannah FERRIS b abt 1673; (i) Lydia FERRIS b abt 1675; (j) Caleb FERRIS b abt 1679; (k) Joseph FERRIS b 31 Mar 1683
7. Hannah KNAPP - b 6 Mar 1642/43; d 4 Jun 1696 Stamford, CT; m abt 1673 at Stamford to Zerubebel HOYT
8. Moses KNAPP - b 6 Aug 1645; d abt 1725 Stamford, CT; m 1 Oct 1668 at Stamford to Abigail WESTCOTT
9. Lydia KNAPP - b 8 Jun 1647 Stamford, CT; d 9 Dec 1716 Stratford, CT; m 16 Jan 1665/66 at Stamford to Dr. Isaac HALL - b abt 1629 ENG; d 17 May 1714 Stratford, CT
Nicholas Knapp (immigrant 1630 Winthrop Fleet) - SHIP: Arbella, Peter Milbourne, Capt. and Master.
He resided at England; Massachusetts; Connecticut - a weaver and farmer by trade - was a member of the Puritan Congregational Church.
Much has been written about Nicholas Knapp and yet to this day we are still searching for proof of his ancestors. Was he related to William Knapp that sailed with Nicholas and did he have a first wife that he married in England?
If we had proof that Nicholas and William Knapp were related, we would be able to establish ancestors as William's line is found highly probable. We find that a Nicholas Knapp has been associated with Susan Mitterson, of Wells-By-The-Sea and were married in 1617, Co Norfolk, Eng and that she died in Eng prior to 1630, which would make Nicholas not from Co Sulfolk. Again, we must await until better data is available to confirm this theory.
We do know that Nicholas and his wife, Elinor were passengers with the Winthrop Fleet and set sail 8 Apr 1630 at six in the morning bound for New Foundland. Also aboard was William Knapp and his wife with seven children.
The Knapps settled in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA, which was settled mainly by immigrants from Counties Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk, ENG. The pastor of the church at Watertown was Reverend Deorge Phillips, from Boxted, Co Essex. The church was organized on 30 Jul 1630, with some forty men, headed by Sir Richard Saltonstall, signing the membership list. The church remained the only church for sixty-six years. Only church members could become Freeman and vote.
On 1 Mar 1630/31, Nicholas was fined five pounds for selling "water" which he claimed would cure scurvey knowing that it had no worth. William Pelham and Edmond Lockwood promised they would pay the fine.
Children were by Nicholas and Elinor. On 9 Mar 1659 Nicholas married Unica (Unity) Brown, widow of Peter Brown, who married Unity 22 Jul 1658 and he died soon after. Unity's first marriage was to Clement Buston who died 2 Aug 1657 in Stamford, CT of which three children, Sarah, Unity and Clement Buxton were born.
Nicholas wrote his will in Fairfield, Fairfield Co, CT on 15 Apr 1670 and where he died the next day on 16 Apr 1670.
Notes from Gordon Hamilton (PA): Re: Elinor Lockwood - Some have indicated that Elinor's maiden name was Disbrow (Disbrough). Evidence that it was Lockwood comes from the manuscript compiled by Alfred Averill Knapp on Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (1953). On page 3 of that book is the following quote from the Hartford Times, Oct 23, 1943, genealogical paaage, Query A-2695: "The late Judge H. Stanley Finch, long Surrogate Judge at Stamford and a keen student of Lockwood, Finch and allied families, gave his opinion that Elinor, wife of Nicholas Knapp, was daughter of Edmund Lockwood of Combs, Suffolk, England and sister of Edmund Lockwood (1594-1635) of Cambridge, Mass. and of Robert Lockwood (1600-1658) of Watertown, Mass. and Fairfield, Conn. This seems probable though documentary proof is lacking.")
http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm DESCENDANTS OF NICHOLAS KNAPP
Generation No. 1
ORIGIN: Unknown - [prob] England
Immigrant: 1630 - Departed England: 22 Mar 1630
Arrived Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA: 14 Jun 1630
SHIP: [prob] "Arbella" - Captain Peter Milbourne, Master
First Residence (in America): Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA
Removed to: [poss] Wethersfield, Hartford Co, CT-ca1646; [poss] Greenwich, CT-ca1648; Stamford, CT-ca1648
EDUCATION: Signed Will by Mark; Inventory included books valued at 6s. 6d.
WILL: 15 Apr 1670, Stamford, CT; Probated-Unknown [16 Sep 1670?]
INVENTORY: 27 Apr 1670 - Estate Valued at 166 lbs; 13 shillings; 11 1/2 d.
Birth approximate-based on estimated date of marriage.
More About Nicholas Knapp:
BURIED : Abt. 18 April 1670, Stamford, CT
RESIDED AT: (of) St Mary-Bures, Co Suffolk, EN; Watertown, MA; [poss] Wethersfield, CT; :[poss] Greenwich, CT; Stamford, CT
OCCUPATION(S): Weaver/Lay Physician/Miller/Farmer
RELIGION: Puritan [Congregational]
CHURCH AFF: Watertown Church, Watertown, MA; Stamford Church, Stamford, CT
MILITARY SVC: Unknown [probably local Militia]
More About Elinor:
BURIED : August 1658, Stamford, CT
RESIDED AT: (of) St Mary-Bures, EN; Watertown, MA; [poss] Wethersfield, CT; [poss] Greenwich
RELIGION: Puritan [Congregationalist]
CHURCH AFF: Watertown Church, Watertown, MA; Congregational Church of Stamford,
Notes for Clement BuxtonI:
There are few records extant that relate to the life of Clement Buxton I. It is quite probable that his origins are English but nothing has been found to prove this statement.
BURIED : Stamford, CT
RESIDED AT: England; New Haven, CT; Stamford, CT
OCCUPATION(S): Baker
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of NICHOLAS KNAPP (ca1606-1670)
In Stamford ye 15th 2mo Anno 1670 [15 Apr 1670]:
The Last Will and Testament of Nicholas Knap of Stamford concerning the disposal of his worldly estate:
1. I give to my sonn Moses Knap my house and land in Stamford with all the meadow and upland belonging to me. Also I give to my said sonn Moses my cart and plowe or plowes--with all the furniture of Irons, yokes, and chaynes belonging and a small gun in the house and a sword.
2. I give unto my sonn Timothy Knap the monies remayning due to me upon the bil for the house of John Bats [John Bates] lives in.
3.I give to my sonn Calep [Caleb] the loom and halfe the geers and the other halfe of the geers I give to my sonn Joshua Knap.
4. I give to my daughter Sarah Disbrowe the monies due to me from her husband about 37s - concerning the horss.
5. I give to my daughter Hannah one mare.
6. I give to my daughter Lidea [Lydia] the mare that was Mr Bishop's with the increase she hath.
7. I give to my daughter Ruth twenty shillings.
8. I give to my two daughters-in-law [step daughters], viz: Sarah and Uneca Buxton, all their mother's clothes as a free gift, except one hat and one new pettecote, which my will is they should have onward of their portion. Also I will and bequeath unto Uneca Buxton the new Bible as a free gift.
9. My will is that portions due my daughters-in-law [step daughters], viz: Sarah and Uneca Buston, out of the estate of their father Clement Buxton: I say that their part and portions be currently payd according to their portion of the inventorie.
10. Lastly my will is that my sonn Joshua Knap be sole executor of this my last will to receive all and pay all dues according to this my will as also debts to or for me.
If in the case that mare be not found that I have given to Lidea [Lydia] that then shee to have another mare in lue of that.
This being my last will and renouncing all other former wills made by me witness my hand.
(signed) John Weed Nicholas y Knap Eleazur Slawson (his mark)
STATE OF CONN ) SS Probate Court
Dist of Fairfield )
b. Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (1953), by (Dr) A.A. Knapp, :2-3
2 i. Jonathan Knapp23, born Abt. 08 November 1631 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA24; died Abt. 27 December 1631 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA25.
Notes for Jonathan Knapp:
Birth and Death date are estimated as his actual birth and death date are not found in the records. Watertown Books of Town Proceedings - Births, Marriages, Death, states only "Jonathan knap the sonn of Nickholas and Elinor knap buried the 27 of the tenth aged 7 weekes" [27 - 10 - 1631 converted to Old Style Date of 27 Dec 1631]. He is probably buried in Arlington Street Burying Ground, Watertown, MA.
+ 3 ii. Timothy Knapp, Sr, born 14 December 1632 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died Bef. 1685 in Rye, Westchester Co, CT [now NY].
+ 4 iii. Joshua Knapp, Sr, born 05 January 1634/35 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died Bef. 27 October 1684 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 5 iv. Caleb Knapp, Sr, born 20 January 1635/36 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died Bef. 04 March 1674/75 in Stamford, CT.
+ 6 v. Sarah Knapp, born 05 January 1638/39 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died 1681 in Rye, Westchester Co, CT [now NY].
+ 7 vi. Ruth Knapp, born 06 January 1640/41 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died Aft. 1702 in Greenwich, CT.
8 vii. Hannah Knapp26,27,28,29,30, born 06 March 1642/43 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA31.
Notes for Hannah Knapp:
Hannah, in many circles, is claimed to have married Zerubabel Hoyt, son of Walter & Rhoda (Tinker)(Hobbs)(Taylor) Hoyt. The only record of such marriage is found in the Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (1953), :1. Beyond that there is no foundation for the claim. The Hoyt Genealogy reflects Zerubabel with an "Unknown" first wife, whose identification remains unknown. Edwin Hall in his extracts of the Norwalk Records (1847), reflects nothing relative to the first marriage of Zerubabel Hoyt and the Stamford Records that are extant do not present any future for her. Thus claims to a marriage and/or death as found in many early day publications must be considered in error.
Based on the findings found in 1995 research [The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, :1137], no further record is known to exist as pertains to Hannah Knapp's future. She is last identified in the 15 Apr 1670 Will of her father, Nicholas and then a single woman. To indicate anything otherwise as pertains to her or her future would be nothing more than pure speculation.
+ 9 viii. Moses Knapp, born Abt. 1645 in [prob] Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; died Bef. 1726 in Stamford, CT.
+ 10 ix. Lydia Knapp, born 08 June 1647 in Stamford, CT; died 09 December 1716 in Stratfield-Fairfield, CT.
Children of NICHOLAS KNAPP and ELINOR LOCKWOOD are:
Notes for TIMOTHY KNAPP, SR.: Arrested in 1657 for stealing a pig. Lived in Eastchester. Listed as proprietor at Rye after 1664. Farmer and blacksmith.
3. Timothy Knapp, Sr (Nicholas)32,33,34 was born 14 December 1632 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA35, and died Bef. 1685 in Rye, Westchester Co, CT [now NY]. He married Bethia Brundage36,37,38 Abt. 1658 in [prob] Fairfield, CT39, daughter of John Brundage and Rachel Hubbard.
Notes for Timothy Knapp, Sr:
Whether or not Timothy and Bethia (Brundage) Knapp had other children has not been discovered. Records reveal one son, Timothy, Jr, and then only by Land Record.
BURIED : Rye, Westchester Co, CT [now NY]
RESIDED AT: Watertown, MA; [poss] Wethersfield, CT; Stamford, CT; Rye, CT [now NY]
OCCUPATION(S): Farmer/Blacksmith/Constable
RELIGION: Congregationa/Presbyterian
CHURCH AFF: 1st Congregational Church, Stamford, CT
Notes for Bethia Brundage:
There is some conflict as to whether Bethia married Timothy Knapp, Sr or Joseph Taylor, or both. Torrey, in "New England Marriages before 1700", :443, reflects a marriage to Timothy Knapp, ca1658; on page 730, he reflects a marriage of Joseph Taylor & Bethia Brundage [note says see Timothy Knabb - typo should read Knapp], m. aft 1654, Rye?, Westchester Co, NY. Jacobus does not indicate a marriage to Timothy Knapp, but says Bethia married [possibly] Joseph Taylor, of Westchester Co, NY. In that we do not have a specific date of death for Timothy Knapp, and the possible marriage after 1654 of Bethia Brundage to Joseph Taylor, it is reasonably appropriate to assume that she married both and as such it is reflected in this writing.
+ 11 i. Timothy Knapp, Jr, born Bef. 1680 in Greenwich, CT; died Aft. 1768 in Rye, Westchester Co, NY.
Notes for JOSHUA KNAPP: http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm
4. Joshua Knapp, Sr (Nicholas)40,41 was born 05 January 1634/35 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA42, and died Bef. 27 October 1684 in Greenwich, CT43. He married Hannah Close44,45 09 June 1657 in Stamford, CT46,47,48,49,50, daughter of John Close and Elizabeth.
BURIED : [prob] Knapp Cemetery, Greenwich, CT
RESIDED AT: Watertown, MA; [poss] Wethersfield, CT; Stamford, CT; Greenwich, CT
OCCUPATION(S): Weaver/Farmer
RELIGION: Congregational
CHURCH AFF: 1st Congregational Church, Greenwich, CT
MILITARY SVC: Unknown [probably local Militia]
+ 12 i. Hannah Knapp, born 26 March 1660 in Stamford, CT; died 29 March 1721 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 13 ii. Joshua Knapp, Jr, born Abt. 1662 in Stamford, CT; died Abt. 1750 in Greenwich, CT.
14 iii. Joseph Knapp51,52, born 1664 in Greenwich, CT53; died Bef. 12 December 1723 in Greenwich, CT54. He married Mary Lockwood55,56,57,58 Aft. 1706 in Greenwich, CT59.
15 iv. Ruth Rebecca Knapp60,61, born 1666 in Greenwich, CT62; died Aft. 06 April 1736 in Greenwich, CT. She married John Reynolds Bef. 1694 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 16 v. Timothy Knapp, born 1668 in Greenwich, CT; died 16 February 1736/37 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 17 vi. Benjamin Knapp, born 1673 in Greenwich, CT; died 1716 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 18 vii. Caleb Knapp, born June 1677 in Greenwich, CT; died Bef. 26 January 1749/50 in Greenwich, CT.
19 viii. Jonathan Knapp63, born 1679 in Greenwich, CT64; died in Greenwich, CT.
Notes for CALEB KNAPP: http://members.tripod.com/~Silvie/Knapp.html
II. John Caleb KNAPP (aka Caleb KNAPP) - b 20 Nov 1636 Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA; d 12 Dec 1674 Stamford, Fairfield Co, CT; m 26 Mar 1660 at Stamford to Hannah SMITH - b 1642 Stamford, CT; d aft 1687 Stamford, CT; she was daughter of Dr. Henry and Ann (JACKSON) SMITH; Hannah was also m to Thomas LAWRENCE, Jr. Ch, all born Stamford, CT, were:
1. Caleb KNAPP - b 24 Nov 1661; d aft 1717 Norwalk, Fairfield Co, CT; m 23 Nov 1694 at Stamford to Hannah CLEMENTS
2. John KNAPP - b 25 Jul 1664; d 5 Apr 1749 Stamford, CT; m 10 Jun 1692 at Stamford to Hannah FERRIS
3. Moses KNAPP - b abt 1666; d 1753 Danbury, Fairfield Co, CT; m 30 Oct 1689 at Stamford to Elizabeth CRISSEY
4. Lt. Samuel KNAPP - b abt 1668 (See Below)
5. Sarah KNAPP - b 1670; d aft 1728 Greenwich, Fairfield Co, CT; m 1691 at Greenwich to Ebenezer MEAD
6. Hannah KNAPP - b 1672 (no further data known)
Most records including Caleb's birth record DO NOT indicate a first name of John, however, he is referred to as "John" Caleb in the Will of his father.
(John) Caleb, died by 4 Mar 1675, the date of his Inventory; his Will is dated 2 Dec 1674; Probated - 1675
His occupations were farmer/weaver - his religion, Puritan (Congregational)
Will and Inventory filed at Fairfield, Fairfield Co, CT - p36, Vol, 1675-1689; wife, Hannah (Smith), and all children on chart are named.
Hannah, the youngest daughter is said to have married Nathaniel Cross, in many early writings. This has been determined to be in error, for it was Hannah Knapp, daughter of Moses and Abigail (Westcott) Knapp, that he married, per Bond by Moses Knapp, in 1713, in which he names Nathaniel Cross as one of his 3 sons-in-law. No further record has been found on this Hannah Knapp, daughter of (John) Caleb.
5. Caleb Knapp, Sr (Nicholas)65,66,67,68,69,70 was born 20 January 1635/36 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA71, and died Bef. 04 March 1674/75 in Stamford, CT72. He married Hannah Smith73 Abt. 1660 in Stamford, CT74, daughter of Henry Smith and Unknown Jackson?].
Children of Caleb Knapp and Hannah Smith are:
+ 20 i. Caleb Knapp, born 24 November 1661 in Stamford, CT; died Aft. 1717 in Norwalk, CT.
+ 21 ii. John Knapp, born 25 July 1664 in Stamford, CT; died 07 April 1749 in Stamford, CT.
+ 22 iii. Moses Knapp, born Abt. 1666 in Stamford, CT; died 1753 in Danbury.
+ 23 iv. Samuel Knapp, Sr, born Abt. 1668 in Stamford, CT; died 1739 in Danbury.
+ 24 v. Sarah Knapp, born 1670 in Stamford, CT; died 1728 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 25 vi. Hannah Knapp, born Abt. 1672 in Stamford, CT; died Aft. October 1707 in Greenwich[Horseneck], CT.
Notes for SARAH KNAPP: http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm
6. Sarah Knapp (Nicholas)75 was born 05 January 1638/39 in Watertown, Middlesex Co, MA76, and died 1681 in Rye, Westchester Co, CT [now NY]77. She married Peter Disbrow78,79,80,81 06 April 1657 in Stamford, CT82,83.
Notes for Sarah Knapp:
Sarah Knapp, daughter of Nicholas DID NOT marry first John Disbrow. The source for her marriage to Peter Disbrow is contained in the Stamford, CT-Town Records, where the marriage is recorded twice, e.g., m. 6 Apr 1657. [see TAG [transcript] 10:44; 112]. There is no record of a marriage to John Disbrow as early writings so state. Statements in the book "History of Stamford-Darien (1868), by (Rev) Elijah B Huntington, :158 and the Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (1953), by (Dr) A.A. Knapp, :1, are ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT! The "History of Stamford-Darien" by Rev Elijah B Huntington, :58, is also in error stating that Peter Disbrow, married Sarah Chapman, about 1650, at Stamford, CT
BURIED : Rye, Westchester Co, NY
RESIDED AT: Watertown, MA; [poss] Wethersfield, CT; Stamford, CT; Rye, CT [now NY]
RELIGION: Congregational
CHURCH AFF: 2d Congregational Church, Stamford, CT
Children of Sarah Knapp and Peter Disbrow are:
26 i. Peter Disbrow, born Abt. 1668; died Bef. 1711 in [prob] Rye, Westchester Co, NY. He married Mary.
+ 27 ii. Rebecca Disbrow, born Abt. 1671 in Greenwich, CT.
28 iii. John Disbrow, died 1751 in Rye, Westchester Co, NY.
29 iv. Mary Disbrow. She married Joseph Lyon.
30 v. Leda Disbrow. She married John Boyd, Jr.
+ 31 vi. Elizabeth Disbrow, born 1676 in prob] Rye, Westchester Co, NY; died 15 September 1753 in Woodbury, Litchfield Co, CT.
Notes for RUTH KNAPP: http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm
+ 32 i. John Ferris, Sr, born Abt. 1658 in Greenwich, CT; died Aft. 1758 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 33 ii. Ruth Ferris, born 18 January 1658/59 in Greenwich, CT; died 17 September 1745 in Greenwich, CT.
34 iii. Peter Ferris95, born 06 November 1660 in Greenwich, CT; died 31 January 1689/90 in Greenwich, CT. There are claims made that Peter married a lady named Mary [maiden name unknown], on 12 Dec 1686. There is no documentation to support such claims. As far as is known as of 1995, he died at Greenwich, CT, unmarried.
35 iv. Moses Ferris96, born Abt. 1664 in Greenwich, CT; died Abt. 1748 in Greenwich, CT. He married Eunice Waterbury? or Winchell? Abt. 1687 in Greenwich, CT.
36 v. Joshua Ferris96, born 31 March 1666 in Greenwich, CT; died 02 April 1746 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 37 vi. Benjamin Ferris, born Abt. 1668 in Greenwich, CT; died 10 July 1710 in Greenwich, CT.
38 vii. Hannah Ferris96, born Abt. 1673 in Greenwich, CT; died 14 April 1711 in Greenwich, CT. She married Jonathan Austin Abt. 1691 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 39 viii. Caleb Ferris, born 1677-1679 in Greenwich, CT; died 1752 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 40 ix. Joseph Ferris, born 31 March 1683 in Greenwich, CT; died 07 April 1733 in Greenwich, CT.
41 x. James Ferris96, born Abt. 1662 in Greenwich, CT; died July 1727 in Greenwich, CT. He married Rachel7,98 Aft. 1704 in Greenwich, CT.
+ 42 xi. Lydia Ferris, born Abt. 1675 in Greenwich, CT; died Bef. 1732 in Greenwich, CT.
Notes for MOSES KNAPP: http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm
Early Genealogies claim that Moses and Abigail had three additional sons and a daughter, e.g., Israel, Jonas & Moses, and Mary. Current research indicates that Moses & Abigail had daughters only as shown in this report, based on a 14 Feb 1712/13 Deed [Stamford, CT - Deeds, Vol "B":185], in which Moses bonds his sons-in-law, Thomas Pennoyer, Nathaniel Cross and Samuel Husted "to maintain their father & mother-in-law for their lifetime". John Crissey was not considered in this Deed as his wife, Abigail, had died prior to this time and he had remarried. There are no records that would indicate a male in this family and is further proven by the fact that, had there been (a) male offspring living in 1712/13, by law, he would have established a "heir of right" to the estate of Moses & Abigail. There are no records extant that would prove otherwise. Simply put, Moses, no doubt, would have bonded (a) son in lieu of his sons-in-law, were he to have had such (a) son. Samuel Husted, the remaining son-in-law, requested relief from the 1712/13 Deed in 1725/26, thus indicating that Moses and Abigail were both deceased at that time. That Moses lived to be 110 years old as stated in earlier writings on this family can be labeled nothing more than an "atrocious genealogical blunder" including the claim that he died at Peekskill, NY!!
Notes for LYDIA KNAPP: http://rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/stamford/knapp_data1.htm
10. Lydia Knapp (Nicholas)104,105 was born 08 June 1647 in Stamford, CT, and died 09 December 1716 in Stratfield-Fairfield, CT. She married Isaac Hall, Sr106,107,108 16 January 1665/66 in Fairfield, CT109, son of Francis Hall and Elizabeth Thompson(?).


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Gilded Rooms Smoking Parlors Set a Style of Their Own in America's Great Age of Palaces
That room, an exotic Turkish-style retreat with Moorish arabesques and strapwork fresco painted in vivid red and green, is considered the country's earliest existing domestic smoking parlor. Morse built his home, now called Victoria Mansion, on the cusp of an era that would produce scores of the world's most princely residences, nearly all of them embracing the newfound conceit of a separate enclave for smoking, drinking, leisure pursuits and man talk. Through the efforts of preservation groups across the country, many of these American castles are being maintained and may be visited by aficionados eager to vicariously experience almost incomprehensible luxury.
This era of conspicuous spending that spanned from the 1870s until just before the First World War was called the Gilded Age, after the title of a contemporary novel co-authored by Mark Twain. Great wealth was consolidated among a fortunate few, who thought of themselves as "nature's noblemen." Outside the fold they would be referred to as "robber barons." Whatever the spin, aristocratic metaphor was not unfounded, as these men built temples to themselves that would rival the palaces of Europe and be compared to Kubla Khan's Xanadu. Writers such as Henry James and Edith Wharton developed a love/hate fascination for these playgrounds that the author Louis Auchincloss would later describe as "crudely crammed with gold."
While Morse's Italianate mansion hardly approached that scale of building, he and a few others were popularizing lavishly ornate interior decor and the idea of the male smoking retreat for private residences. Located in a second-floor tower (fashion would later place the typical smoking parlor on the ground level), the room was small (10 feet by 10 feet) but dazzling. A divan and two ottomans made of cherry wood were upholstered in the same silk-and-wool Islamic weave that was used for the curtains and valances. Imported from England, a five-light gasolier, which was suspended by a system of weights and pulleys that allowed it to be easily raised and lowered, might have been used for lighting cigars as well as illumination.
The room would have easily performed the social function of separating the genders--it was, after all, a time when smoking in the presence of a lady was considered extremely impolite. But Morse's intent was probably much greater. "My sense of how he wanted the whole house to be was an advertisement for the way he made his money," says Donna Ridewood, director of Victoria Mansion. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that the self-made man was also heralding his triumphal return to the state of his birth.
Helping Morse advance the cause of the smoking parlor was Gustave Herter. The German-born Herter was one of the first professional interior designers in America and highly renowned in the world of luxury hotels, where he more than likely met Morse. He would go on, in partnership with his brother, Christian, to form Herter Brothers, a name synonymous with the opulent style of the Gilded Age. It was Herter who directed the ornamentation of Victoria Mansion and constructed the smoking room's furniture. He probably chose the motif because of the fine tobaccos (and possibly more exotic smoking materials) that came from Turkey, and the style (also called Islamic or Moorish because of other Near Eastern influences) epitomized the first smoking rooms in the United States. One practical design consideration was the use of pocket doors, which in the absence of good ventilation, were meant to trap the smoke within the room. In later homes, improved air circulation would be the strategy for dealing with tobacco fumes.
The Civil War would prevent Morse from making regular use of the mansion, which was completed in 1860, until 1866, as he was a slave owner and Southern sympathizer. When peace came he returned to Portland to escape New Orleans' heat and yellow fever.
Because Morse left few personal documents, nothing is known of the cigars that were smoked at Victoria Mansion. This is true of most of the old smoking dens. Apparently, cigars were such an accepted part of life that few bothered to make note of them.
After Morse died in 1893, his wife, Olive, sold the house to J.R. Libby, a local department store owner, who used it as a winter residence. Since his family was connected with the temperance movement, says Ridewood, they didn't use the smoking room nor Morse's wine cellar for their intended purposes.
Styles would change and smoking parlors would enlarge as they took on dual functions as billiards rooms, libraries or hunting rooms, but Herter had helped to describe a new direction in which interior designers could make a statement. When the Gilded Age began in earnest, the male den was one of the few roomss where highly proscribed rules for decoration did not exist, according to Paul Miller, curator of the Preservation Society of Newport County.
Miller's domain, which includes some of most spectacular mansions ever built, is situated in the oceanside town of Newport, Rhode Island. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, this playground of the extravagantly rich would witness one of the most pretentious periods of competitive home building of all time, spearheaded by men such as the Vanderbilts, Astors, Stuyvesant Fish, James Gordon Bennett and Oliver Hazard Belmont. But because the owners aimed at recreating the nobility of European architectural styles of the Renaissance and the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, they left little room for creativity, except in the smoking parlor.
"In design the smoking rooms and the billiard rooms are unique in the interior scheme, in that most Gilded Age reception rooms or ground floor rooms were based on historical prototypes," observes Miller. "Given the fact that there were no historical precedents until the nineteenth century for smoking rooms, their design became all the more innovative and, in many cases, exotic. Whereas most of the Gilded Age interiors you'll be looking at--for example, dining rooms, ballrooms, drawing rooms--were based on English or French design sources, the billiard rooms became the specialty of such American decorators as Marcotte, Tiffany, or Herter."
The desire of this American royalty to imitate European design was so pronounced that in The Breakers, Cornelius Vanderbilt II's stately home, the ladies' reception room boasts an interior of Louis XVI paneling lifted from a 1776 Paris townhouse.
While the smoking parlor was spared such slavish mimicry, it was hardly devoid of protocol. Social conventions in these rarefied circles became so rigid that the taking of tobacco was often written into the rules of behavior. Miller defers to Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, a primer on the mistress' duties from the late nineteenth century, and a section titled "The Proper Conduct Upon Leaving the Dinner Table" to describe the customs:
"When fruit has been taken and a glass or two of wine passed round, the time will have arrived when the hostess...rises and gives her guests the signal to retire to the drawing room. The gentlemen will rise at the same time. The one nearest the door opens it for the ladies, all courteously standing until the last lady has withdrawn. In former times [the mid-nineteenth century], when the bottle circulated freely among the guests, the ladies retired earlier than they do at present times. Thanks, however, to the changes time has wrought, moderation is now invariable amongst gentleman and they now take but a brief interval for tobacco, talk and coffee in the smoking or billiards room before they rejoin the ladies."
For all its trappings, wealth at the time represented a kind of entrapment for ladies and gentlemen, who were expected to follow a social schedule laid out almost to the minute. In the case of Newport, social historian Eileen Warburton points out, it was "very much a female dominated environment." The season lasted through July and August, when wives would take up residence in these grand houses, which were considered something like summer cottages by their affluent owners. Husbands, too busy building empires to fully enjoy the fruits of their labors, joined them mostly on weekends.
Gentlemen who were in town might spend their day in athletic pursuits such as yachting, fishing, hunting, riding or driving horses, golfing and playing tennis. Little time was spent at home. If they wanted a cigar they probably went to the Reading Room, an exclusive men's club that remains private today, where they could engage in confabulation without fear of offending ladies either with their smoking or bawdy talk. In the evening, they were expected to escort their wives. In the absence of a husband, one of the young officers from the nearby naval college--whom Warburton describes as something like tailor's dummies meant to look good in suits--could stand in his stead.
So although these men bankrolled great smoking parlors, they spent precious little time in them. "Men didn't spend hours there, because they had to rejoin their wives in the ballroom," says Warburton, who feels that the cliché of men disappearing for cigars and brandy for the rest of the evening was a European custom that didn't travel well to the United States. "It was considered un-American to abandon your wife."
As for the conversation over cigars, Warburton thinks that not a lot of it was about business. More likely, they spoke of their sporting interests, while the women were in a drawing room discussing the likelihood of matrimony among the single population. Also, since it was a close-knit, clubby society full of men who were related or who had gone to school together, they had much in common, and might have been making decisions over brandy about shared clubs or art organizations.
One smoking anecdote that survives from that moneyed set is actually about quitting. It seems that Cornelius Vanderbilt, the "Commodore" who started the family's transportation empire, was preaching to his son, William Henry, about the woes of smoking. The Commodore asked him to give it up, offering him $10,000 for his compliance. His heir immediately acquiesced, but refused the reward. But don't pity poor William Henry. The son whom Cornelius thought would never amount to much stood to gain more than $100 million in inheritance, which he doubled before passing it on to his own children.
The amount of cash sunk into erecting Newport "cottages" was simply staggering. Whereas Victoria Mansion cost the then-princely sum of $100,000, by 1892 William Kissam Vanderbilt, son of William Henry and grandson of the Commodore, had built Newport's Marble House, based on the Petit Trianon at Versailles, for $11 million. By the end of the century, the owners in Newport seemed to be playing what Warburton describes as a game of "my palace is bigger than your palace," and the homes showed it in every detail.
Among the eight properties that may be toured in Newport, dating from 1748 to 1902, are four of these revivalist mansions: two built by Vanderbilt heirs, one by the steamship owner Hermann Oelrichs and the other by coal magnate Edward J. Berwind. They represent only the tip of the iceberg, however. At one point there were as many as 50 mansions there.
More modest, but still breathtaking, are two houses from the middle part of the century, one done in Gothic and the other in Victorian style.
The Gothic-style Kingscote, which was built in 1839, was sold to William Henry King, a trader with China, in 1863. Though King was committed to a mental hospital in 1866 (where he enjoyed imported cigars), his nephew, David, continued his uncle's tradition of decorating with pieces and artwork imported from China. He began upgrading the rustic house to the new formality of Newport, adding a parlor-full of overstuffed Turkish furniture from the New York design firm of Léon Marcotte in 1878. He later commissioned a three-story addition by Stanford White, the architect who, with his partners McKim and Meade, would do much to define the Gilded Age.
Newport's preservation society is also custodian to Chateau-Sur-Mer, a Victorian home built in 1852 for William S. Wetmore, who also made his fortune in the China trade. His son, George Peabody Wetmore, who would later be governor of Rhode Island, commissioned Richard Morris Hunt in 1871 to renovate the house, reflecting fashionable European design. Hunt would go on to design 25 mansions and cottages in Newport and several along New York's Fifth Avenue. Among the added rooms was a French salon designed by Ogden Codman, a cousin of William Wetmore's, who wrote, with novelist Edith Wharton, The Decoration of Houses, a treatise on interior design that laid out the precepts of Gilded Age decor with its notions of restrained elegance, echoing European styles. In the mansion there are two pieces of particular interest to smokers: a Chinese-style lacquer cigar box made in the 1840s, emblazoned with the Wetmore coat of arms, and an owl-shaped humidor.
Given the scale of the truly great mansions of Newport, only a few architects were up to the task of designing them. Miller calls the change in American homes "a transformation so radical you wonder how one could have achieved it." They did it, in part, by employing the same designers over and over. Hunt became almost the family architect to the Vanderbilts, and McKim, Meade and White, cigar smokers all, picked up much of the rest of the business. White would play another role in the history of U.S. society when he was shot dead in 1906 by a jealous husband. The trial for the murder would provide pages and pages of scandal fodder to the yellow press of the era.
As the revivalist trend took over, the smoking room began to appear as a dual-purpose room, incorporating billiards, hunting motifs, or the library into the concept of the male domain. By the time Wharton and Codman inveighed against the clutter of the Victorian style, in 1897, they would have this to say about that compartment:
"The smoking-room proper, with its mise en scène of Turkish divans, narghilehs, brass coffee-trays, and other Oriental properties, is no longer considered a necessity in the modern house; and the room which would formerly have been used for this special purpose now comes rather under the head of the master's lounging-room or 'den'..."
The two self-appointed purveyors of style preached the wisdom of practicality in furnishing such a room:
"Fragile chairs, lace-petticoat lamp-shades and irrelevant bric-a-brac are consequently excluded....Thus freed from the superfluous, the den is likely to be the most comfortable room in the house; and the natural inference is that a room, in order to be comfortable, must be ugly. One can picture the derision of the man who is told that he might, without the smallest sacrifice of comfort or convenience, transact his business at a Louis XVI writing-table, seated in a Louis XVI chair!"
Naturally, Wharton and Codman go on to argue that such a marriage of form and function is quite possible. This seems to have been the concept that informed such rooms as the neo-Byzantine billiards parlor at The Breakers, which was built in 1895 in the style of a sixteenth-century Italian palace, from a Hunt design. The room was decorated by Tiffany and Baumgarten, with portraits, a formidable desk and a billiards table, and it had a high ceiling and lofty windows, by which ventilation could easily be achieved.
Miller points out that ventilation, ease of traffic circulation and lighting (achieved by high windows and bright exposures) were a preoccupation of the design of the period. Since price was no object, heating these cavernous areas was not an overriding concern.
It is probable that in some of the other great mansions that survive--like Oelrichs' Rosecliff (1902), designed by White; Berwind's The Elms (1901), designed by Horace Trumbauer; and William K. Vanderbilt's Marble House (1892), designed by Hunt--the library may have been used for the purpose of cigar smoking. At The Elms, an alabaster humidor remains as part of the furniture collection.
Year-round residences built closer to New York City along the Hudson River and on Long Island also employed the library or an office/den for cigar smoking. Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival mansion in Tarrytown, New York, built in 1838 on the Hudson, is an example. The home was acquired in 1864 by George Merritt, a holder of a patent for railroad car springs. He would enlarge the building, using designs by the original architect, Alexander Jackson Davis.
The library, which had originally been a dining room, was enlarged, creating an inner sanctum out of the serving bay. Called the cabinet room, it is where Merritt most likely enjoyed his cigars, as well as his books. Furnishings included a large pierced-oak Gothic Revival armchair and a marble mantelpiece. Davis designed furniture that echoed the Gothic appoint-ments of the building's exterior. Furniture from the Herter Brothers can also be found there. The original library, on the second story, became an art gallery.
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So I was at a school picnic we had to go to today. As I was sitting down, some ants started crawling onto the plastic blanket. At first I just started flicking them away with my fingers to keep them away from my sandwich... but more came, so I took one of my sneakers off of my feet and started whacking them and squashing them. As time went on they really didn't stop so I got up, put my shoe back on, and just started stamping my feet on the whole damn line and flattened their busy little antmound.
When I sat back down, some Indian hindu kid called me "white bully" because I step on ants. I told him to kiss my stinking feet. Why do people react this way? I've been stepping on bugs my whole life! If bugs are reincarnates of people, well... too bad, better luck next time hah. That means I've crushed a lot of people haha.


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Video Inside...
The Wolverine star Hugh Jackman encourages people to participate in this years Free Comic Book Day scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, May 4th, 2013.
For a Free Comic Book Day Preview, see our story HERE.
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To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, PlasmaInfusion.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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Log in to the calendar system, find the event on the "My Events" tab, and click on the event title. From this view, you can edit, delete, unpublish, copy, or cancel the event.
Delete vs. cancel: If your event has been cancelled, you have two options. Deleting the event removes it from the calendar entirely. Cancelling the event keeps the event on the calendar, but marks it clearly as cancelled. Choose the latter option if you want to communicate to audiences that the event has been cancelled.
Editing within groups: Any member of a (non-moderated) group can edit any event belonging to the group.
Edit a repeating event: When you edit a repeating event, you will be given the option to change just that one instance or all future instances of the event.
> Return to the Event Publisher's Guide main page
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clw_uk wrote:Are members of the Sangha allowed to reveal if they are arahants or not to the laity?
8. Should any bhikkhu report (his own) superior human state to an unordained person, when it is factual, it is to be confessed.
4. Should any bhikkhu, without direct knowledge, claim a superior human state, a truly noble knowledge and vision, as present in himself, saying, "Thus do I know; thus do I see," such that regardless of whether or not he is cross-examined on a later occasion, he — being remorseful and desirous of purification — might say, "Friends, not knowing, I said I know; not seeing, I said I see — vainly, falsely, idly," unless it was from over-estimation, he also is defeated and no longer in affiliation.
Retrofuturist said: I believe the reason it is an offence is because unscrupulous monks could use it as leverage to receive better requisites from the laity
First of all I agree, if possessively defending a pov implying a transcendent perspective is somehow personally important to someone it isn't transcendent, and I'm sure the pointlessness of trying to do so would be obvious except in the case of someone else who is the seeing things the same way.Chris wrote:Hello all,Retrofuturist said: I believe the reason it is an offence is because unscrupulous monks could use it as leverage to receive better requisites from the laity
Yes, I agree. It could also be because the person deludedly thinks some experience means they really are an Ariya. One person who springs to mind used to post on E-S and was very offended when his claims were met with skepticism .... an emotion which I don't think an arahant would feel.
It is always a little sad when elderly ordained people speak of conversing with devas etc. ..... you get the same thing in nursing homes with the language fitting the religion of the person convinced they have had a spiritual experience, and often it is simply confusion, or the very early signs of the onset of dementia.
And, often it isn't the person themselves, but their disciples after their death, who claim their teacher was an arahant .... then you go through the whole examining the ashes and finding relics not consumed by the fire ... this is common in Thailand when well-known monks are cremated.
clw_uk wrote:My reason for asking was because Maha Boowa seems to strongly imply that he is an arahant
I tell you quite frankly: I no longer experience past, present, or future; for I no longer have any trace of conventional reality left within my heart. I can assure you that nothing more remains. Such is the power of the Lord Buddha's Dhamma for overcoming the kilesas. Dhamma resides in the heart. The kilesas also dwell in the heart and are its enemies. And we are the ones caught in the middle, bearing the good and bad fortune that results from this clash, for we belong to the heart, just as the heart belongs to us.
Or, as Ben said, you could actually focus on your own practice, which is what Buddhism is really all about
clw_uk wrote:i didnt know if one was allowed to even strongly suggest it
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Juan Carlos Navarro delights in pointing out that John Keats got it all wrong in his sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer." The Romantic poet, he says, not only misidentified the first European to glimpse the Pacific Ocean, but his account of the mountain looming over a tropical wilderness in what is now Panama was, by any stretch, overly romantic.
Navarro, an environmentalist who served two terms as the mayor of Panama City and is the early favorite in his country's 2014 presidential elections, notes that it was actually the Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa who did the glimpsing, and that countryman Hernán Cortés—the cutthroat conqueror of the Aztec Empire—wasn't even in the neighborhood during the 1513 isthmus crossing.
Nor was the peak—Pechito Parado—technically in Darién, the first permanent mainland European settlement in the New World. "Today, the Darién is a sparsely populated region of Panama," says Navarro, the only presidential candidate who has ever campaigned there. "In Balboa's day, it was just a town—Santa María la Antigua del Darién—on the Caribbean side."
Of all the inaccuracies in the sestet, the one Navarro finds the most laughable is the reaction of the expedition party after spotting the Pacific, which, to be persnickety, Balboa named Mar del Sur (the South Sea). "The look of the men hardly could have been one of 'wild surmise,'" Navarro says, disdainfully. "Before starting his journey, Balboa knew pretty much what he'd discover and what he could expect to find along the way."
The same can't be said for my own Darién adventure, a weeklong trudge that's anything but poetry in motion. As Navarro and I lurch up Pechito Parado on this misty spring morning, I realize it isn't a peak at all, but a sharply sloped hillock. We plod in the thickening heat through thorny underbrush, across massive root buttresses and over caravans of leaf-cutter ants bearing banners of pale purple membrillo flowers. The raucous bark of howler monkeys and the deafening cry of chicken-like chachalacas are constant, a Niagara of noise that gushes between the cuipo trees that tower into the canopy. The late humorist Will Cuppy wrote that the howl of the howler was caused by a large hyoid bone at the top of the trachea, and could be cured by a simple operation on the neck with an ax.
"Imagine what Balboa thought as he hiked through the rainforest," says Navarro while pausing beside the spiny trunk of a sandbox tree, whose sap can cause blindness. "He had just escaped from the Spanish colony of Hispaniola—the island that comprises present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic—an arid, spare place with a rigid system of morality. He lands in a humid jungle teeming with exotic wildlife and people who speak a magical, musical language. He's told that not far off are huge amounts of gold and pearls and an even huger sea. He probably thought, 'I'm gonna be rich!' For him, the Darién must have been mind-blowing."
This month marks the 500th anniversary of the exploration that not only blew Balboa's mind, but eventually caused him to lose his head. (Literally: Based on false charges brought by Pedro Arias Dávila, the father-in-law who had displaced him as governor of Darién, Balboa was decapitated in 1519.) The occasion is being celebrated with great fanfare in Panama City, where the crossing was a theme of this year's annual carnival. Nearly a million people took part in the five days of spectacles, which featured a 50-float parade, 48 conga-dancing groups and 10 culecos—enormous trucks that blast music and drench spectators with (somewhat inaptly) tap water.
While conquistadors like Cortés and Francisco Pizarro are reviled throughout Latin America for their monstrous cruelty, the somewhat less ruthless but equally brutal Balboa (he ordered native chieftains to be tortured and murdered for failing to bend to his demands, and gay indigenes to be torn to pieces by dogs) is revered in Panama. Statues of the explorer abound in city parks, coins bear his likeness, the currency and the nation's favorite beer are named for him, and the Panama Canal's final Pacific lock is the Port of Balboa.
As depicted in Balboa of Darién, Kathleen Romoli's indispensable 1953 biography, the Spanish-born mercenary was as resourceful as he was politically naïve. Balboa's greatest weakness, she observed, was his "lovable and unfortunate inability to keep his animosities alive." (He underestimated Dávila even after Daddy-in-Law Dearest had him put under house arrest, locked him in a cage and ordered his head to be chopped off and jammed on a pole in the village square.)


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Carnival Dream
4 out of 5 stars
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Read the best port reviews and tips for this cruise itinerary.
|Day 1
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|Day 2
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Make friends BEFORE you sail, exchange tips on what to do onboard and in the ports and maybe even organize a shore excursion with your ship mates.


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Klipsch® Gallery G-17 Air
Slim profile, big sound and AirPlay® to boot!
Ralph Graves is one of Crutchfield's blog editors, and part of the company's social media team. He writes about home audio/video gear, specializing in Apple-related and wireless technologies. Ralph holds a master's degree in music composition, and his works have been released on various labels. He's served as product manager for an independent classical and world music label, produced several recordings, and worked extensively in public broadcasting. Since 1984 he's hosted a weekly classical music program on WTJU, and is also active as a blogger and podcaster.
More from Ralph Graves
Heads up!Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.
I recently took home a Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air wireless speaker system to audition. The system sounded good when Klipsch demonstrated it in Crutchfield's training room, but the acoustics of that space are very different than a typical apartment or house setting. I was curious to hear how the G-17 would sound like in an actual home environment.
Horning in on the sound
Klipsch uses horn technology to enhance the sound. The concept is that a long horn with a flared edge (like a bugle) can channel the sound waves and deliver a more natural-sounding acoustic. Horns also boost efficiency for better sound with less power.
The flares of the horns in the G-17 Air are designed to deliver an open, clean sound — and they certainly do. And they did something a little more (at least to my ears). The sound was subtly different from what I hear though standard speakers. As best as I can describe it, the sound seemed more natural somehow.
Overall, the highs were very clean. I'd almost characterize them as slightly crisp, but not unnatural or harsh. Mids and lows sounded very full, but at the same time they had a certain softness to them.
Simple wireless setup with AirPlay for computer
The G-17 Air has Apple AirPlay, which means it can connect wirelessly with an iTunes® library (our Intro to Apple Airplay has more details about the process). Once connected, G-17 volume controls appeared in my iTunes window, along with any other AirPlay devices I happened to have activated at the time. The nice thing is I can either adjust the volume on each speaker system individually, or use the master volume control in iTunes to pump up the sound across the board.
For the G-17, as with other AirPlay units I've tried, I had to "register" the device with my computer. That just meant going to an Internet address that came with the instructions and doing a simple download. Once completed, my computer and the G-17 were able to find and connect with each other wirelessly, and the G-17 popped up in iTunes.
Simpler wireless setup with AirPlay for smartphone
Connecting the G-17 to a smartphone was even easier. After turning on the G-17 and getting it to seek, I opened up the iTunes browser on the iPhone and found the G-17 listed. I selected it, and the connection was done. I could now start streaming audio from my iPhone® (or iPod touch®, or even iPad®) using AirPlay.
Although I didn't test it, I could have also used an Android™ phone with the G-17, making a simple Wi-Fi connection. I wouldn't have had quite as much control over the system as I did through AirPlay, but if you want just one wireless speaker system to stream your smartphone's audio and aren't concerned with streaming to multiple speakers, then the G-17 Air would be a good option.
The warm sound of acoustic music
The acoustic tracks I played through the system sounded great. Acoustic instruments have a softness to them that sounded warm and natural through the G-17. And the clarity of the highs helped keep the music in focus. Listening to the bluegrass band the Dixie Bee-Liners, for example, I could easily hear every note of guitar and mandolin, and thus appreciate the interplay between the two.
Another of my test tracks, "Terminal" by Robin Wyn, features a variety of unusual acoustic instruments, in addition to stand-up bass, guitar and piano. The tabulas sounded clean and well-defined, and the cello which provided the counter-melody had a nice resonance to it.
Classically trained
Of course for me, the real test for acoustic sound fidelity is classical music. Being able to reproduce the subtle tone colors and the extreme upper harmonics and lower fundamentals can make the difference between a recording sounding alive or flat. Orchestral music sounded expansive and full through the G-17, creating a soundfield that extended far beyond the modest width of the system.
Chamber music presents slightly different challenges, and the G-17 delivered. Solo instruments sounded open, and I occasionally heard small details such as keys clicking or bows scraping against strings. Every voice was clear, plus I could clearly hear the low register.
Energized electronic and lo-fi tunes
I played a selection of pop tunes and hard rock classics through the system. While I wouldn't characterize the bass as ground-shaking, it still had a strong presence that was appropriate for the music. Making the most of its limited cabinet space, Klipsch included a side-firing bass port that helps considerably.
Electronic music can be mastered to be preternaturally crisp, and the remixes I played from my Buddha Bar had that characteristic. I've heard these selections through cheap speakers, and the sound can be really harsh. Not so with the G-17 Air. The highs were crunchy (as they were supposed to be), but never distorted.
On a lark, I also played some selections from a Pebbles compilation. These are reissues of mid-60's singles recorded by teenage bands on a budget. The sound is so lo-fi, it sometimes goes past muddy to indecipherable. The G-17 actually managed to clean up the sound a little. Not that the fidelity improved, but it was as clean as I've ever heard those selections sound. Garbage in, garbage out? Perhaps, but the G-17 Air didn't add any garbage of its own!
The G-17 Air with its speaker grille on.
It looks good that way, too.
An unusual request
The G-17 has a detachable speaker grille that's secured with magnets. I generally left it off, as I liked the look of the speakers themselves. So did some friends I had over. One was particularly impressed with the sound, and noting how flat it was, asked if I thought it would make a good soundbar.
Well, no. It could serve as one if you're watching videos on an iPad or iPhone, but it's not designed to connect to a TV. But since he liked the sound, I suggested he check out the Klipsch G-42 soundbar which is also part of the Gallery line and uses the same horn-loaded speaker technology as the G-17 Air.
Overall impressions
Horn-loaded speakers have a characteristic sound, and it's one I like. I'm impressed that the G-17 Air could deliver highly detailed sound from speakers contained in a cabinet so small. Most of my iTunes library is made up of lossless files, and there seemed to be nothing lost in the transmission from computer (or smartphone) to speaker.
And their compact design meant I could place them just about anywhere — even on an end table (I could even wall-mount them if I chose). The Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air wireless speaker system is a great choice for someone with limited space, but who doesn't want to compromise with audio quality.


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