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Saturday, June 6, 2015
Louis Armstrong, Joe Glaser and "Satchmo at the Waldorf"
14 comments:
- terryteachout said...
To read my response, go here: http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/2015/06/not-just-the-facts-maam-2.html
- June 6, 2015 at 10:38 AM
- baz said...
Funny that Pops mentions Mozart - the film "Amadeus" did a disservice to the real Mozart much as this play does to the real Pops. But we should keep in mind that when art addresses real personalities, the almost inevitable distortion is only damaging if the audience accepts the art at face value and never looks further into the real life of the person.
As usual, thanks for this, Ricky. What you do here is give the necessary antidote for those who are inspired to look more closely at Pops, to listen to his music, and learn his story. For those people this is invaluable. For the rest, who will never look further and who will carry a mistaken notion about Louis around in their heads – well, alas – let the zoomers drool.
- June 6, 2015 at 12:32 PM
Teachout's sort of "work of fiction," with highly contentious and controversial elements and attributions relating to a real person, is a bad idea to start with.
- June 6, 2015 at 4:36 PM
- Mr. Vigeant said...
Saw Satchmo at the Waldorf last year. Tour de force. Went home and reread Pops, What a Wonderful World and American Genius. ( not all in one day!) Conclusion: As noted, the play is work of fiction and needed to end with Drama.
- June 7, 2015 at 12:30 PM
- Dan said...
A little off the subject, but.....As a one-time music historian, I was wondering if there are any extant tapes of any of Louis's final performances at the Waldorf. I gather they weren't very good, but as with all great artists, nothing they do is ever a "total loss." Or is the performance at the National Press Club the last one we have? The great, unexpected trumpet solo on "Dolly" would be a nice way to end the recorded story, but I'm still wondering....
- June 13, 2015 at 3:49 PM
- Ricky Riccardi said...
Hi Dan. Nothing has ever surfaced from the "Waldorf" but there's video of Louis on the Dick Cavett Show from February 22 and audio of him on Johnny Carson on March 1, the night before, and no lie, he sounds VERY good on both. I'll stop short of saying "great"--he looks like he's dying on Cavett--but he's almost back to 1968 form, from right before he went into intensive care. On Cavett, he calls "Ole Miss" almost as if to prove he's feeling good and though he cracks a note or two, it's a big improvement over his playing on Cavett in January 1970, when he sounded like a amateur in his first TV appearance since his sickness. And on Carson, he takes a wonderful little solo on "Pretty Little Missy," the finest of the handful of versions that survive from 1969-1971.
And remember, John S. Wilson could never hide his contempt for Armstrong and the All Stars but he went to the Waldorf and gave the opening a fine review. So if something ever did turn up, if it was from the early part of the stay, I think we'd be surprised. But as the two weeks wore on, Pops wore out and the stories I've heard paint a bleak picture of his trumpet playing by the end. Sad….but oh, how I'd love to hear something from that engagement!
- June 15, 2015 at 8:21 AM
- Unknown said...
Fact is, Armstrong - as a bona fide genius - exceeds all categories, including that of race and especially that of the stale '50s-era sociology of 'race'. Armstrong was an obvious genius in the fullest sense. However much the mainstream might want to appropriate him as a caricature ("What a Wonderful World") and however much a politically motivated, outdated discourse of race might want to paint him ("Uncle Tom", etc.), he's exceeded all analyses to date.
- July 6, 2015 at 1:05 PM
- Lit-Chick said...
Great article but I wondered if you ever talked to any black people about this? What blacks say to whites in public is often a far cry from what they say amongst themselves. It's funny how you said Glaser 'gave' Louis whatever he wanted. Gave? Glaser was only giving Louis back his own money he earned for Glaser, not the other way around. Look at the story Capitol Records and Nat King Cole which people call "The House That Nat Built". Glaser, a former pimp raped a 14 year girl and then married her only after he was indicted to avoid the rap. That's the kind of cat he was. I'm glad to see Louis saw a portion of his publishing returned because any study in the music business shows this is rarely the case so Louis' story would surely h=be an aberration in the history of treatment of black entertainers. Sammy Davis was paid in cash when he performed in Vegas which he immediately lost the same night on the tables while Frank was allowed to pay for free. Sorry to go on and I but I just wanted to know if you interviewed any of Louis black friends who weren't celebrities and therefore unbiased in expressing their opinions. During the Jim Crow era many black had to say they "loved" their managers.The reverse would mean no work. The fact is Louis made Glaser rich and any money Louis obtained was already rightfully his.. Pam Ward, LA author of Want Some Get Some and forthcoming "I'll Get You My Pretty," about Los Angeles in the 1940s
- August 30, 2015 at 9:51 AM
- Lit-Chick said...
Also forgot to mention, my great uncles Otis and Leon Rene were the first to record Armstrong's major hit and signature piece, "When its Sleepy Time Down South," in Los Angeles on their black-owned record label, Excelsior Records.
- September 1, 2015 at 5:24 PM
- Ricky Riccardi said...
Hi Pam! Thank you so much for writing and I apologize for the long delay in responding. First off, it's an honor to hear from a member of the Rene family!
By the time I started writing my book, only five members of Armstrong's band were alive (two were black), but they all reiterated how close Armstrong and Glaser were. But perhaps you'll find this interesting. In my blog, I quoted Jack Bradley, who still claims Louis never said a bad word about Glaser, even after Glaser died. But Jack did not like Glaser at all and was of the mindset that Glaser did work Louis too hard and take advantage of him. After Glaser died, Bradley was asked to write an article for the "Saturday Review" in July 1970 where he'd talk to black trumpeters Clark Terry and Ray Nance and white trumpeter Billy Butterfield about Louis. In the conversation (we have it on tape), Jack started dumping on Glaser, hoping that the other musicians would join in. They didn't. Here's my transcription of what happened next:
Clark Terry: "The only thing I could say about that situation is that Pops seemed to be very happy with the arrangement he had going with them. And I understand, I don't know the exact figures, but I understand whatever his salary was, x amount of dollars, which was sufficient for him to live like a king, and x amount of dollars for his wife, Lucille, which was enough for her to live independently, as she chose. And the rest, the taxes and all the worries and so forth with keeping up with the government and staying abreast, staying clear of tax problems was left up to Joe Glaser. Now if he made a million dollars behind that, I understand that it was none of Pops's business in the agreement. And if he didn't make that, Pops expected his salary right on and I understand it was a very substantial one. If it went down the way I heard it went down, it ain't a bad deal. It ain't a bad deal."
Jack then said that Louis felt he wouldn't have made it as big without Glaser, which Jack felt was ludicrous. Ray Nance responded, " It's possible because, I'm telling you, you've got to have good management. I don't care how great you are. You've got to have good management. Good management goes hand in hand with success, with talent. Like we all know there's a whole lot of people that are talented but they never get the right management. Or business! You might have a helluva idea for business but unless you have that business is done right with good management, you go bankrupt. You could go out of business without good management."
Billy Butterfield chimed in, "[Glaser] kept him clean all the time and he never got in any trouble with government and all of that like a lot of other guys."
Clark Terry: So when you think of it, who's to say? The most important thing is that Pops is an intelligent man, although he wasn't the most educated kid when he was brought up, he still was an intelligent person. And at the time he agreed to this agreement, I think he pretty much knew his way around. So I don't think anybody put a pistol on him and made him do it.
And when Bradley finally complained about Louis working 50 years of one-nighters, Terry--who lived down the straight from Louis in Queens and used to hang with him in his den--shot him down with a quick, "He loved doing it."
You can say here I go again, black musicians talking to a white man, but like I said, Bradley was no fan of Glaser and didn't end up using a word of the above in his final story, lest he give Glaser any more praise.
But it's a fascinating conversation and I'm glad we're having it. Thanks, Pam!
- September 30, 2015 at 11:09 AM
- Lit-Chick said...
One more thing, your argument that Armstrong dedicated Lazy River to Glaser is telling. Black and white folks know full well the metaphor of sending someone "up the river" The song's main hook is "Up the Lazy River." If this is a song Louis dedicated to Glaser I think the message is pretty clear. Business arrangements come down to simple math. Glaser never gave Louis a dollar that Louis didn't earn on stage. The only way to have a real discussion on this is to see the books where the math will speak for itself. Lots of musicians talked about the "new sharecropping" in the music industry where blacks are exploited financially by whites. Glaser was a two-faced, racist gangster who raped young girls and never once had his "friend" Louis at his home. Do the math.
- January 23, 2016 at 10:44 AM
- Lit-Chick said...
Your argument stating that Armstrong dedicated "Lazy River" to Glaser doesn't add up. Black and white folks know full well the phrase of sending someone "up the river." The song's main hook is "Up the Lazy River." If this is a song Louis dedicated to Glaser I think the message is pretty clear. Up the river is not a good place to go. Even thought you state all the things Glaser "gave" Louis, your math is out of sync. Business arrangements come down to simple equations. Glaser never gave Louis a dollar that Louis didn't earn on stage. The only way to have a real discussion on this subject is to see the books where the math will speaks for itself. Lots of musicians talked about the "new sharecropping" in the music industry where blacks are exploited financially by whites. This is and was a common phenomenon. Glaser was a two-faced, racist gangster who never in his entire life had his "friend" Louis at his home. Do the math.
- January 23, 2016 at 10:50 AM
- Unknown said...
Lit-Chick: This question is clearly your own little hobby horse. One has to wonder why, however, you feel so *certain* you know how Armstrong - now long-dead - felt about Glaser - now long-dead. Human experience, human psychology isn't always black and white. Armstrong was an independently-minded man (as well as being a musical genius) and could have simultaneously seen Glaser as a bastard *and* been, in his own way, devoted to him. Human beings are complex. Can't be reduced to math.
- January 23, 2016 at 11:02 AM
- David Weinstock said...
i have read all the books i could find and saw the play and loved it, in spite of what my reading told me was a 'dramatic license' against joe glaser. someone above mentioned the need for good management, and i thought about the leonard cohen bio that recently came out. i am not a leonard cohen fan, but he had an interesting career and retired to meditate or something when his daughter found out his manager had robbed him of everything. we have heard that story about a lot of stars of lesser stature than the great louis armstrong. having joe glaser in his corner kept louis alive and well as long as he did, even if joe glaser made a lot of money off louis. a lot of artists got ripped off totally. thanks for publishing this thing which took me a long time to read. louis was the greatest.
- January 25, 2016 at 1:47 PM


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Rand Paul Happy to Dance with Israeli Yeshiva Boys;
Rand Paul is describing an episode from his trip to Israel in January: "I went to a Shabbat," he tells me, "it was the first time I've ever done that, and I had a wonderful time. I went to the yeshiva, and all the young men were singing and dancing, they had me dancing around the table. I hope I was singing something that was fine — it was all in Hebrew, so I had no idea what I was singing."
If there's any doubt that Rand Paul isn't his father's son on the issue of Israel, that trip and his posture afterwards should have ended it. He returned to the U.S. to tell Breitbart News, "Absolutely we stand with Israel. What I think we should do is announce to the world — and I think it is pretty well known — that any attack on Israel will be treated as an attack on the United States."
His father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, recently started a think tank that includes a "NeoCon Watch," which asks supporters for tips on the latest neoconservative mischief. "If you see something, say something," the website says. So Rand Paul's statement came as a surprise to his supporters and detractors alike, and it was the first in a series of such remarks.
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"I'm sure one of the reasons that Rand wanted to participate with me is because he's interested in the long term," says David Lane, the prominent Evangelical leader who organized the senator's trip, his first to the country. "I knew if he spent a week in Israel, his life would change."
Presidential historian Doug Wead has called Lane a "mysterious, behind-the-scenes, Evangelical kingmaker" and credited him with shifting the 2008 ground game in Iowa toward former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who went on to win a surprise victory in the state's primary. Lane, who has accompanied Huckabee on two Israeli sojourns, has a reputation for bringing Evangelical leaders together and organizing them politically through what he has termed "Pastors' Policy Briefings."
"When I took Rand, my goal was to spend a week with him and figure out who he is, where he is, if he is a believer," Lane recounts. But he undeniably had politics in view as well. Lane, whose daughter works as a press assistant to Paul, says that he approached the Kentucky senator and told him, "I'll take you to Israel and, if the Lord blesses it, I'm going to select the key Evangelical leaders to go with you."
Accompanying Lane and Paul to Israel were not only prominent religious leaders, but also prominent political operatives from early-primary states — among them, South Carolina GOP chairman Chad Connelly and Iowa GOP chairman A. J. Spiker — and longtime Billy Graham spokesman Larry Ross.
At the same time, Paul has courted influential conservative Jews, including Nate Segal, a Staten Island rabbi who serves as an intermediary between Republican activists and politicians and the Orthodox Jewish community. "Our paths seem to cross, so that's either fortune or planned," Paul says. "I tell Rabbi Segal that not only do I like him as a person, I consider myself safer when I'm around him because he's the biggest rabbi I've ever met."
A lumbering six foot four, Segal has the ability both to take center stage and to recede into the background. At last year's Republican national convention in Tampa, he arranged a meeting between Paul and several black-hatted Orthodox Jews. In a sweltering conference room off the main convention floor, according to a source in attendance, Paul reassured the group that he is a staunch supporter of the Jewish state.
Among those at the Tampa meeting was Richard Roberts, a New Jersey doctor and pharmaceutical executive who recently sold his company. Lane was, at the time, on the search for funding for his trip. "Next thing I know," Lane says, "I get a voicemail from Rich Roberts. I told him what I do; I told him the Evangelical Christians are the best friends of the Jews. So Rich Roberts underwrote the trip." Segal and Roberts also flew to Israel with Lane and his group, and made their mark on the adventure.
This is not the first time Segal has bridged the cultural divide. Back in the 1980s, when Rush Limbaugh was attacked as an anti-Semite for referring to the "Jewish lobby" on the air, Segal acted as his advocate in the Jewish community. The campaign against Limbaugh reached a climax when he was thrown out of New York City's Parker Meridien hotel, where he had been staying temporarily after moving to New York City. Shortly thereafter, Zev Chafets recalls in his book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One, Segal "got Limbaugh on the phone." He told Limbaugh, "You haven't done anything wrong, I will protect you." Limbaugh in January recalled on the air that Segal "saved me with the New York Jewish community, 'cause I didn't know what ['Jewish lobby'] meant."
Limbaugh and Segal also traveled to Israel together, and Limbaugh repeatedly aired a highlight reel from the trip — it featured Limbaugh touring Masada, chatting with former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, praying at the Wailing Wall, and flying to a military briefing in the Golan Heights, all set to Jewish music — on the television show he hosted at the time. "And here I am about to conduct a Merkava 3 tank," Limbaugh said as the video concluded. "Note that I look nothing like Michael Dukakis."
The latest jaunt seems to have had its intended effect. Paul says the experience had an impact on him. "The spirituality of it, the historical relationship with Christianity and Judaism, just the linkage to all the stories of the Bible and just being there, being on the Sea of Galilee, those things are sort of beyond words." Being in Israel also developed in him "a sense of kinship" with the people. "The one thing I've said over and over again is that we should quit sending money to countries that are burning our flag, and that, you know, that's the one thing I think you'll never see in Israel is anyone burning our flag."
He still maintains that foreign aid to all nations, including Israel, should end, though he argues for closing the spigot to America's enemies first and then gradually reducing the funding for American allies. By contrast, he remains more aggressive than most on the issue of Israel's settlements. After meeting with Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat and others, he says, "You get the idea from them that they're put off that American politicians would come over and tell them where neighborhoods could be built." Paul argues that such decisions are "completely their business and not ours." A New York Post column called his statements the most supportive since Sarah Palin's 2009 assertion that Israel should be allowed to expand settlements.
Though Paul discourages reading too much into his trip — "When you get to Washington, everyone asks you, 'When do you want to go to Israel?'" — he acknowledges that he needs to strike out on his own, given his father's well-known foreign-policy views: "I guess I don't look at it in really a calculated way. I am my own person and as I move forward I have to and want to present to the public . . . in my state and elsewhere, who I am and what I stand for, but it's not so much that I want to say 'Oh, I'm different on this, this, and this,' it's really getting beyond the comparison just to being who I am."
Lane left Jerusalem satisfied, having learned what he set out to discover: Paul, he says, is a believer. "When we were there, they had an eight- or ten-year drought going on. The week we were there, they ended the drought, it rained like hell." En route to Galilee, their bus encountered rockslides and collapsed bridges, and the group was stranded on the vehicle for hours. They turned to the tour bus's sound system for entertainment. "Rand said that he wanted to hear 'Stairway to Heaven' by Guns N' Roses," Lane recalls. (The senator's office writes to say the request was actually for "Knockin' on Heaven's Door.") Then he requested a song by Aimee Allen, who famously sang "The Ron Paul Anthem" at a concert for the elder Paul during his presidential campaign. Asked about Allen, Paul told Lane, "She's just gone through awful stuff and she's turned her life around."
"So, she's a believer?" Lane asked. "Yup, she's a believer," Paul responded.
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Rand Paul Embraces Israel
Rand Paul Happy to Dance with Israeli Yeshiva Boys;
Posted @ 17:29


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Hiya Charlie,
13 years on QVC its along time do you feel part of the furniture now? On your message before your last message. Charlie bears hadn't done a fox until Franklin but Roxy is a gorgeous name for a fox. I think you present the charlie bears well :-).
Time does fly by though I have been at my job since I was 19 I now 25 so time does fly it has for me.
Hopefully you will find your drill to hang your pictures. Enjoy your few days off.
Take care Rebecca x
Hello, It's been quite a week here at QVC.
So busy, it's been great! A real highlight was meeting and interviewing the Military Wives on Monday. Such an inspiration – if you missed the performance and interview just click here!
I bumped into Dale on Wednesday. That's the only day of the week we're in work together. I mentioned in an earlier blog how we'll be sharing a dressing room at QVC's new premises.
Well, we were chatting outside my dressing room (about anything and everything…. we just ramble!) but I hope he didn't notice the room – it looked liked it had been lifted and spun around a few times, it was so messy! I'll need to discipline myself a little more when we move!
I can't believe I'm into my 13th year here at QVC! I know I often joke about time flying but I just can't think where those years have gone. It's funny because I remember my first show like it was yesterday. In fact, before my first show, I did what we call a 'walk on' into an earlier show where Jilly Halliday introduced me to the viewer.
But, I went solo for the first time shortly afterwards. It was a Monday morning and the show was at 9am, the first 'live' hour of the day. It was a jewellery show and to this day I don't know where that hour went. It seemed to start and finish in a split second!
So, here I am all these years later and I roughly estimate I've presented around 6000 hours for QVC since I first joined… now that is a scary thought!
Jewellery quickly became my passion and I've had a very special affection for it ever since. I've even been lucky enough to design a few pieces for QVC over the years.
I'm really looking forward to a wonderful day coming up this Tuesday 13th March – Silver Day. We have specially themed shows throughout the day and I've been truly spoilt. My first hour is at 3pm with Brazilian Serpentine (this is a premiere show), followed by Amber Discoveries at 4pm (if you know me, you'll know that Amber is a real favourite of mine)
Then I have an hour off (probably just enough time to grab a delicious strawberry milkshake from our coffee shop, which I've just discovered, made with real ice cream!) then I'm back on air at 6pm with Simply Diamonique. Do hope you can join me.
I have a few days off now and am planning to hang a couple of pictures, but I still can't find my drill (I mentioned this several blogs ago!). I bought these pictures nearly a year ago, and I love them, but where's my drill?!
Take care, have a good weekend and I'll see you soon.
Charlie x
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6 Comments
March 9, 2012 at 11:15 am -
Hiya Charlie,
March 13, 2012 at 6:07 pm -
Hi Charlie, I met you at the Beauty Bash earlier this year when you were drawing the raffles. I was the one who said she wanted a kiss intead of the prize then walked off with both! 😉 Anyway, you don't look old enough to have worked that long, let alone, just at QVC … CONGRATULATIONS! Re Dale, I have met him too at an event and know he is a bit of a perfectionist so please keep that dressing room tidy! Don't get to tune in that often but no-doubt will catch you all on one of the "late" shows of the day sometime.
March 13, 2012 at 11:27 pm -
Hello Rebecca. Thanks for your reply. Oh my word! I completely forgot about looking for the drill. Maybe next weekend! I can't believe it's my thirteenth year at QVC. My shortest job was 1 day!
Glad you enjoy Charlie bears so much.
Take care!
March 14, 2012 at 10:48 am -
Hi charlie i watched you since you started on qvc has it been this long those thirteen years have went so fast. Hear to many more charlie!! love from maureen aimerxx
March 15, 2012 at 8:19 pm -
Hi Charlie, congratulations on thirteen years at QVC! The time flies when you are having fun! What was your job where you only lasted a day?! I've just ordered the micro fleece sheet set as I already have the duvet set and love it. I'm watching Elemis which I love too. Cheerio, Christine xx
March 15, 2012 at 11:33 pm -
Hi Maureen, thanks for your lovely, kind reply… Where have those years gone… Scary!
Take care


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I have to wonder, will that get me kicked off CSL? Just kidding! Well, about the wondering, not about throwing out my juicer.
I know, that is sacrilegious. But, there was a reason, and it was in the CSL spirit in which I did it. So I will explain…no that is too much, let me sum up (points for recognizing the quote!)
Anyway, I am a second-hand buyer. My journey to where I am today in my lifestyle change really started with that. The idea that we use too much in our lives, why buy more? Why encourage people to create more things that we only throw away? I very rarely buy new anything- clothes, shoes, appliances, etc.
So when I started CSD/CSL on Jan 18th, I wanted a Juicer. I scoured my second hand haunts: Sally's, Savers, even a couple of tiny thrift shops and church sales. I wanted a masticating juicer, of course, but I only found centrifugal ones. Okay, fine. I settled on one. $6.00, probably made in the 90s. Black and decker though, a good name. Had all the parts and the manual, a good second-hand find.
And it was terrible. When I started blending, and wasn't in the mood for pulp, I'd use a mesh strainer and gather the juice and use the pulp by mixing it with hummus and eating it on bread for a very hearty snack. But with this juicer the pulp went everywhere and I didn't bother saving it. It took forever, I had to babysit it, so by the time my juice was ready I was running out the door.
Then I didn't want to clean it.
Then It wasn't clean so I wasn't making juice with it.
Now I wasn't drinking smoothies OR juice. I had a juicer, why would I make a smoothie?
Three days of this and I realized what had happened, I threw it in the trash. The juicer had become an obstacle to my lifestyle. Kris Tweeted today that: "Choosing a juicer is like choosing a mate – it has to work with your lifestyle for the long haul." And it sparked me to recount this to you and myself. Why? Because it was the exact reason I tossed it out. It wasn't what I wanted. And like a bad boyfriend, I kicked it to the curb.
I am still hesitant to buy retail a masticating juicer…I might try craigslist….
Wish me luck in my search for a true Juice-Sole Mate!


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The Smart Grid*, which was introduced in our CSR Report 2010, is an "intelligent power network" that controls the flow of power from both supply and demand sides. The grid is now drawing increasing attention in Japan, which has urgent need to make use of renewable energy. As a further step to put the research results on Smart Grid to practical use, we have developed "Micro Smart-Grid Demonstration System." This very compact power grid connects control devices, such as photovoltaic power generator, small wind power generator, small power storage battery and power conditioner, via DC power cables of 1 km in total. The sources of energy are only the photovoltaic and wind power received in the Works. The data on the amounts of electric power generation, storage and consumption are monitored and controlled. The fluctuations are managed by the energy management system (EMS) with a storage battery so as to allow stable and efficient use of electricity.
This system also features a DC interconnection system called "DC Link." With the EMS and DC Link, the system is expected to cut energy consumption by around 10% by reducing energy loss due to AC/DC conversion and transmission loss in cables. In its small size, this system contains our original control and telecommunications technologies as well as safety functions. Independent from any commercial power network, it can be a prototype for the stable use of renewable energy, and has received a great response since the announcement of the development. The power generated with the system is actually used for part of the lights and electric products in the Works and EV charging stations. We plan to collect and analyze various data including those on the impact of different weather conditions on the amount of power generation in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the system over approximately one year.
* Smart Grid
We continue to use this Micro Smart-Grid Demonstration System to evaluate the power system-related devices produced from our R&D activities and promote the commercialization. This system will be marketed under the brand name of "Ingenious Power SystemTM." Paying attention to the energy policy of the Japanese Government, we will meet the needs at various levels ranging from individual houses to local communities and cities. Electric power infrastructure, especially smart grid is a key to the creation of a new society and energy in the 21st century, and also a new domain that shorten the distance between society and Sumitomo Electric.
With the slogan "for Society, for SUMITOMO ELECTRIC" in mind, we will continuously prioritize social contribution. Sumitomo Electric will also make efforts to synchronize the phase of its growth and development to the phase of social development.


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|Image edited from THIS one found through Pinterest
I promise, though, that i've got loads and loads of posts lined up... I just need to keep my eyes open long enough to write them!
First on the agenda, though, is the second instalment of The Poolside Poser's Handbook (read the first here, if you fancy) which is all about cheery Summer music for 2013.
Nothing beats a glorious day spent by the pool, basking in the sun with your recently-updated iPod/iPhone/iPad/iWhatever on shuffle. A memorable holiday playlist is every bit as important as a glorious collection of bikinis and a flawless golden tan, and is a great way to stave off sunbathing boredom.


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IRVINE, Calif. — April 27, 2012 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it will offer a beta sneak peek of StarCraft® II: Heart of the Swarm™ to attendees of Major League Gaming's (MLG) Pro Circuit Spring Championship event, June 8-10 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. A large number of public demo stations at the event will allow attendees to try out the latest multiplayer build of Heart of the Swarm in advance of the upcoming beta test. Details on attending the MLG Spring Championship are available here.
Top StarCraft II pro-gamers from around the world will battle for $76,000 in prize money at MLG's Spring Championship with the first place finisher taking home $25,000. In addition to the MLG competition and Heart of the Swarm demo stations, the Anaheim event will also feature the USA national finals for Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II World Championship Series. Participants in the USA Nationals will vie for $30,000 in prize money as well as invitations to the upcoming North America continental finals of the StarCraft II World Championship Series. The top finishers in that event will represent their countries in StarCraft II at the Battle.net® World Championship event taking place later this year in Asia.
With two major StarCraft II eSports tournaments and the opportunity to play Heart of the Swarm in advance of the beta test, eSports fans have plenty to look forward to at the MLG Spring Championship event in Anaheim. Those who can't make it in person can still catch all the action via live streams online. Additional information about the event will be released in the coming weeks at www.majorleaguegaming.com.
Heart of the Swarm is the first expansion set to Blizzard Entertainment's sci-fi real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty®. The expansion will feature an all-new single-player campaign that will allow players to evolve their swarms with unique, campaign-only units and abilities. Kerrigan, the former Queen of Blades, will play a major role in each of the campaign battles as a powerful hero. Over the course of the campaign, she'll grow in strength and earn potent new abilities. New multiplayer units and maps will add new dimensions of strategic gameplay, and the expansion will include new features and upgrades to the Battle.net® online platform.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
Founded in 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) (www.majorleaguegaming.com) is the dominant media property exclusively targeting tens of millions of consumers worldwide who have a passion for playing video games as a competitive social activity. The company gives aspiring gamers around the world an opportunity to compete, improve their skills, and socialize through a thriving competitive community with more than 750,000 matches each month online and LIVE in-person Pro Circuit tournaments in cities nationwide. MLG broadcasts all Pro Circuit play via LIVE streaming online to hundreds of thousands of fans from more than 170 countries.


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Gulf War Research Misses the Point (Again)
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 24 March 2013 10:27
- Written by Dr. Claudia Miller
Brain damage? That's the latest theory from researchers trying to explain Gulf War illness. I'm skeptical of the new study and disappointed because medical research again is missing the point.
Thousands of Gulf War veterans have been sick and undiagnosed for more than decade as doctors grope for answers. No one can convincingly explain their many symptoms, which include pain, fatigue and cognitive impairment.
Things won't change until medical science acknowledges that we are dealing with an entirely new mechanism of disease. We recognize how germs and immune-system failures cause disease. Now we need to recognize that chemical exposures cause disease, too.
The Gulf War veterans are suffering the effects of chemical intolerance probably brought on by one or many such exposures in the war zone. I said so in congressional testimony as far back as 1999.
Wartime in the past has opened new thinking on the origin of disease. The germ theory, for example, emerged from the Civil War. Photo: Library of Congress.
My conclusions are based years of study. I also served as the environmental medical consultant to the Department of Veterans Affairs regional referral center in Houston for seven years in the 1990s. I've evaluated dozens of ill veterans. They have what is called TILT, or Toxicant-induced Loss of Tolerance.
A single exposure or repeated chemical exposures can cause TILT. People with TILT suffer from chemical intolerances that can impair cognitive abilities and cause multi-symptom illnesses.
With the Gulf War veterans, it doesn't matter so much which exposure caused their breakdown in tolerance — be it pesticides, smoke from the oil fires or pyridostigmine bromide pills. Those things have long since left these veterans' bodies. It's the aftermath of these exposures — the new-onset intolerances to low-level chemical exposures — which appear to be perpetuating their symptoms. In some cases, it may be difficult to sort out individual intolerances, or "triggers," because of a phenomenon called "masking." This occurs when individuals are reacting to so many exposures that they have overlapping symptoms.
How can we help these people? The single most important task is to sort out and "unmask" the causes or triggers for their symptoms. This requires an environmental medical unit, or EMU. Congress once endorsed EMU research for the Gulf War veterans but never funded it. Only a few EMUs exist in the world. They are environmentally controlled in-patient hospital units designed to isolate patients from exposures that set them off.
Once we get patients to baseline, we can reintroduce things like caffeine, foods and various substances to identify what causes their flare-ups.
This is not the first time doctors have been baffled by wartime disease. During the Civil War, doctors faced a similarly mysterious "syndrome" characterized by fever. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers died. The doctors did what good epidemiologists do today. They classified the cases. Since the hallmark symptom was fever, they classified the cases by fever type — remittent, intermittent, or relapsing. In doing so, they unknowingly lumped together dozens of unrelated illnesses — everything from typhus and typhoid to malaria and tuberculosis.
Today we face this same situation with Gulf War veterans, only this time the hallmark symptom is not as simple as fever. It's newly acquired intolerances these veterans have been experiencing since the end of the war.


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The giant chimneys at the Medupi Power Station in Limpopo have won the "overall" prize the "Mining and Industrial" category prize at the Steel Awards 2012.
Firstly, relatively little of it is used in comparison with what would have been required if other materials were used. This cuts down on all sorts of 'downstream' energy costs such as transportation.
Secondly, the steel in the project can be used again or recycled at the life-end of the project. Thirdly, steel construction creates jobs and thus has a positive social impact. Fourthly, steel construction has a highly beneficial effect on the economy at large. Steel also has a relatively small carbon footprint which has been reduced by 40% in the last 50 years," he concluded.


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While taking a smoke break he was out in the alley feeding the pigeons, back alley in Gastown.
Vancouver BC.
Image #2016-02-13 076
Long exposure made looking out from the Vancouver Convention Centre, into the Vancouver harbor. Title reflects the length of the exposure.
Vancouver, BC
Image #2016-10-13 010
Incoming storm over downtown Vancouver, underneath the Cambie Street bridge.
Vancouver, BC
Image #2016-10-14 063
Orpheum Theatre sign and art deco exterior.
Vancouver, BC
Image #2012-04-07 054
Ghosting image made of student passing in the stairwell, Simon Fraser University.
Burnaby, BC
Image #2017-04-08 023
On-location photography from the A&E television series, 'Bates Motel'. Filming concluded and this set was dismantled in spring 2017.
Aldergrove, BC
Image #2014-11-07 002
Amusement ride captured in motion, Northwest Washington Fair
Lynden WA.
Image #2014-08-16 028


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Umineko is a series of visual novels noted for their abstract characters, absurd storylines and general perpelxing insanity. The series have spawned Light Novels, Animé, Manga, and now it's own doujin video game. The original version of Umineko was conceived as an indie PC fighting game displayed at last years Otakon (The same way that Melty Blood came into fruition) and it was shown to be one of the highlights of the event as the developers managed to take the characters everyone knew and loved and placed them in a fighting game with amazing animation, a framerate for a 2D fighter not seen since Street Fighter 3 or Garou: Mark of the Wolves and in general, all the components of a very awesome game.
What's even better is that Alchemist (Creators of GalGun AKA Game of the Year 2010) confirmed that they are working on a 360 port of the Doujin featuring three new characters (Rosa Ushiromiya, George Ushiromiya and Jessica Ushiromiya), New scenarios and endings that will expand of the mythos of the series as well as Xbox Live compatability for smoother online play. No release date has been specified although fingers crossed for a region free release (If you can't wait for that, Arcana Heart 3 came out on NA PSN for $30 if you can't wait for a solid 2D fighting game, get to it!)
Also, this is my 200th news post, so yay to me.
Source: (Andriasang)


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Is there anything quite as euphoric as writing the final chapter of your novel? It's almost like giving birth to a new baby, and if you're a self published author, the comparison doesn't stop there. I recently finished the sequel to Sweet Tea and Southern Grace and at least this time I know the amount of work I need to do to make this baby grow!
With ST&SG, I was like a new mother nursing my baby along until it took it's first steps. I couldn't just sit idly by and expect it to flourish on its on. It needed to be fed, changed if necessary and then introduced to social situations so that eventually it could become well adjusted and self-supporting. But just like a child, it will never stop needing me, if only to give it a push now and then on it's road to success.
Having the second book baby will be a little easier, just like having a second child. I've learned so much - changes, feeding, social adjustments. and little pushes along the way - those are the things that are necessary to take it from mediocrity to success.
Early October is the due date for my second child, Lighting the Way. I'll post a birth announcement soon giving the name and details. Watch for it and help make my baby grow. Remember, it takes a village to raise a child!


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A major pro-Israel daily roundup is falsely claiming the United States supported Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi for the presidency of Egypt. Morsi was announced the winner of the election yesterday morning by Egypt's Presidential Election Commission.
Under the headline "Egypt's Secular Forces Condemn US Support For Muslim Brotherhood Candidate," this morning's Daily Alert from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) cites an article from the al-Ahram newspaper. The article quotes secular political leaders upset with their loss in Egypt's presidential election who hint at US interference in elections.
The idea the U.S. supported Morsi is a ludicrous notion for three reasons. First, none of the leaders cited give any evidence for their claims of U.S. interference. Secondly, the losing candidate and former Prime Minister under Mubarak Ahmed Shafiq was a much safer bet for a United States seeking to prevent conflict and instability in the region. Thirdly, the Obama administration has little self-interest in supporting an Islamist candidate with no experience five months before the U.S. presidential election in November.
However, the Daily Alert represents these baseless and non-sensical statements as "reported support of the U.S. for the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate." This representation is absolutely dishonest and factually incorrect. The JCPA should issue a clarification to its Daily Alert subscribers.
Facts are an important cornerstone of Israel's hasbara efforts.With a circulation of tens of thousands, the Daily Alert is considered an authoritative if conservative source on Israel news among pro-Israel activists and constituents. Of course, organizations like the JCPA are more than entitled to be as conservative as they like. However, any credible representation of politics should be based on facts. After all, pro-Israel hasbara organizations such as HonestReporting, Aish, and The David Project aim first and foremost to "provide students and adults with knowledge" to support Israel. As Dr. Martin Peretz wrote in a 2010 issue of The New Republic, "The facts are on Israel's side." Informing the pro-Israel movement with facts is not only a common sense move, but also good for hasbara on the whole.
With regards to how the pro-Israel community has analyzed Egypt's elections however, fear-mongering has sometimes replaced level-headed analysis. As yesterday's post on this blog describes, Israel is right to have some concern about Morsi's win. However, this concern should be mitigated by a number of on-the-ground considerations. Unfortunately, this morning's Daily Alert is evidence that one major member of the pro-Israel community seems to care more about sowing fear and mistrust than about informing an earnest pro-Israel public.
To claim falsely that the Obama administration "reportedly supported" Morsi's candidacy does a disservice to the global pro-Israel community and harms Israel's security by deluding its best and most passionate supporters. It harms the credibility of the JCPA, and is a juvenile attempt to politicize the security and stability of the Middle East. The complexity of Egypt's post-revolution politics deserves an honest assessment by Israel and its supporters. Tunnel vision and partiality is a luxury the Jewish State cannot afford when it comes to its relationship with Egypt. The JCPA should clarify its misleading item, and strive to present a factual account of a situation with important implications for Israel's security, and that of the region.


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Clarinets are Cool!
Klezmer is Jewish music, primarly of eastern european origin. It came to America along with the influx of Russian, Polish and other eastern european Jews around the turn of the 20th century. It is extremely lively, and there are no holds barred. Without a doubt, it offers some of the wildest clarinet playing that you'll ever hear.
But more importantly, Klezmer is a music in which the clarinet has a prime role and in which the biggest movers and shakers have been clarinet players. The American style of Klezmer was greatly influenced by Ukranian clarinetist David Tarras, who arrived here sometime around 1920, and worked steadily in and around New York City. The late 1970's saw a huge Klezmer revival which is still in progress. It was led by clarinetist Giora Feidman of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
At the turn of the 21st century, Klezmer is more popular and alive than ever. There are a number of very popular groups who are each taking the music in their own direction.
Jewish ethnic music is not one of the more widely talked-about influences in jazz, but consider the number of Jewish musicians who were movers and shakers in the Big Band Era. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Woody Herman make for quite a faction on clarinet alone. Benny Goodman, in fact, got his first break imitating Jewish clarinetist/comedian Ted Lewis in a talent show in Chicago. David Tarras was crossing over into swing music, and the Goodman band crossed over at times into Jewish music. Goodman hits like "And the Angels Sing" and "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" were actually based on Yiddish pieces.
Mazltov!: Jewish-American Wedding Music for Clarinet by Joel Rubin - This excellent book, published in both English and German, offers the most thorough technical data on Klezmer performance that I have yet seen. An excellent partner to the book is Joel Rubin's CD Zeydes un Eyniklekh (Grandfathers and Grandsons) recorded with New York's Epstein Brothers Orchestra. The music is drawn form the repertoire of American Klezmer legend David Tarras. The book is published by Schott (ED 8695) and the CD is on the Wergo label (SM 1610-2). They are available as a set from Tara Publications.
Andy Statman: Learn to Play Klezmer Music - I don't know much about Andy Statman other than that he is a fine player of the clarinet and the mandolin. The video is marketed by Tara Publications (#KZ-AST-90V) and is on my wish list for Santa Claus. Am I goyim or what?
Home Back to Clarinets are Cool! Email Me


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Advent and Christmas
by Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor
In just a few days we will be celebrating the great feast of Christmas. It doesn't seem possible that it is Christmastime and yet here it is, so I hope and pray you and I have been using this Advent season to better ourselves and in doing so becoming better Christians.
You see, this is what we're all about. Everything we do, whether it is study, work or just day-to-day life, should be ordered to being a better follower of Jesus Christ. Advent time gives us a particular focus, that of Christ coming, both the first time at Christmas and also the anticipation of the second coming. So, most of our scripture focuses on either the prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus or telling us to be watchful, to wait and to prepare. Good advice to be watchful.
This week in the Gospel we have the Angel Gabriel give his greeting to Mary, as "Hail full of grace!" This is a notice to you and me that something big is going on. The simple peasant girl is being hailed as full of grace; I think we should keep our eyes open to what this means! We have heard this Gospel passage now three times during Advent and it serves to remind us of the importance of Christmas, but it also serves to remind us that God sometimes uses people who might seem unimportant for very important missions. In that time period, Mary would be seen as irrelevant, a nobody from a backwater burg, and yet we argue how important she is, we argue her superior dignity and her model Christianity, and she is all that.
How about you? What are you doing this Advent leading into Christmas to be somebody who shines forth the love of Jesus? Mary said yes to God and the world changed. Maybe your yes to God won't be world changing, but then again, maybe it will. We won't know until you give your answer. I'll tell you this much: your life will change if you say yes to God. Your life will be different and amazing if during this season you make a personal decision to be a mighty follower of Jesus Christ. Saying yes to God can be done in a way that is simple, like making the commitment to go to Mass every weekend, despite the other things going on in your life, despite the children being less than enthused and despite the inner call to maybe lie on the couch. Coming to Mass every week is a dramatic way of saying that God is important to you and thus your children will know it is important if you make it so.
I think this one big decision to put God at the center and to listen to where he's calling you is important. It's important for families and it is certainly important for children to see their parents participating, to see their parents happy and joyful about coming to Sunday liturgy.
Fathers, do not leave this to your wives alone. Your paternal influence cannot be downplayed. I know that for me, growing up and seeing my father at Mass made a real difference. It showed me that the Mass and the Church were for everyone, not just kids and moms. So during the upcoming joyful Christmas Season ponder your relationship with Jesus, pray about putting God at your center and be an example of active Christianity in the world. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas.
Fr. Chip
Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP/Flickr


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A few weeks ago it struck me that my body isn't in the best shape compared to what it was 3 years ago! Omg. So this time, I have decided to finally start working out again. But this time, I wanted to write and blog about it. So I could keep track of my progress and also look back and see the change that will happen. Not just changes physically, but also about my personality and my emotions.
Let me tell you about the work out I'll be doing. It's called Insanity Max 30.
"The Craziest 30 minutes of your day will get you the best results of your life"
Insanity Max 30 is a 60 day fitness program created by Shaun T. It is divided into two months of different sets of workouts, each lasting for 30 minutes. It is not a short version of the original Insanity workout. It is entirely something else because there are new concepts, moves and modifications.
At first, you might only make it through 3 minutes (and believe me even that will be an accomplishment). That means 3:00 is your MAX OUT time.
Next time you do the workout, try to push that time just 30 seconds longer. If you can make 30 seconds of progress every day for 60 days, at the end of 60 days, you will make it all the way to MAX 30. And when that happens—trust me…you're going to feel—and look—like a freakin' fitness god.
I've been doing Insanity (the first version) for years and it always showed me great improvements in my body especially in the mid-section. I've seen my body react to the workout that I've shed so much weight that I became a size 12 from a size 18. I could fit into my old clothes and easily mix- match what I want to wear.
I guess back then what really motivated me to really push and dig deeper was because there was a little voice inside of me that wanted to prove to myself and to show the people around me that I could do it. And another factor that I think helped to get thru it because I got my heart broken! Hahaha! I'm not suggesting that to lose weight you have to get your heart broken first. No, no, no! What I'm saying is, this is what I personally experienced and it had a great outcome. And that it really is up to you to push yourself to the limits and just dig deeper.
Fast forward to the present, I gained back the weight. Oh yes, it's really good to eat. Well who doesn't enjoy eating? However as I look at myself, I miss that little voice inside of me that says to push harder. I miss being drenched in sweat and not caring at all. I miss those mornings where the first thing that crosses my mind is to find time to work out because my body is so used to it already. I miss my body feeling pain and soreness especially before going to bed, because it means its working. I miss it when I encounter old friends in public places and saying how beautiful and good I look. I miss those moments when I wear my clothes and most of them are so loose that I have to figure out a way to make them fit me, not in frustration but in joy and gladness. Because it shows that I am losing weight.
So 2 weeks ago, March 13 2017, at 264 pounds (now you know my weight). I started this journey to work out again.
The first day is the most crucial part and it was crazy.
The work out that I did was called Cardio Challenge. During the first few minutes it was fine because my body was still warming up. But as time went by it was becoming more and more difficult. The good thing about Insanity Max 30 is that, there is a modifier that you can follow. The modifier executes simpler movements with less impact but it still does the job. Personally, I like to switch workouts from the modifier to Shaun T. But when it gets so intense I'd just follow the modifier all the way. Take note that following the modifier still needs a lot of work and you will still be sweating a lot.
The whole first week was intense and by the 4th day I could feel my body reacting. Waking up in the morning, I could feel my abs working. They were sore but it felt good and it made me happy.
The schedule of my work out is from Mondays to Fridays. It's only a 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week, but there is an option for a 6th day wherein you can do Pulse. But for now, I opt not to since my body is still adjusting to it. I work out after I come home from work, I usually start at around 6:30-7:00 pm. Since I work out after work, sometimes my body and mind is too tired that I end up not exerting much effort in working out and I ended up skipping a few workouts. And I think that is acceptable. As long as you put in mind that you have to do better next time. But all in all, the first week was a success.
However my second week was a failure. I wasn't able to continue the second week due to work loads. I was so busy at work that when I get home, my mind and body is just too exhausted. I thought of taking a break because my body was so tired from the event we had on the weekend and also outdoor shoots. And if I still worked out, I might pass out. While writing this I realized that this doesn't make me look weak but it makes me strong. Because it challenges me to push through with it more and more each day and to continue with my journey. There might be speed bumps along the way but I know I can do it. I'll take care of my body, because it is the only body we will ever have in our entire lives.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you can support me and cheer on me on this journey of mine.
See you on the next blog post! Watch out for; #BalikAlindogProgram (Week 2)
Always take care!
PS. Note to self: CONSISTENCY IS KEY


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Sunset Captiva is a small, private community in the heart of Captiva's "village" area. Consisting of 59 homes on the Gulf side of the island, and 10 bayside condos, the community actually has two separate homeowners associations, but all amenities are shared: docks, pool, tennis courts, grills and beach.
From Sunset Captiva you can walk to all that Captiva has to offer: fine dining, great shopping, a grocery and liquor store, Jensen's Marina (with charter fishing, boat rentals and live bait), and McCarthy's Marina (with day cruises, charter fishing and ice cream).
Sunset is a nightly event, during which many residents gather on the beach for nature's best show.
Sunset Captiva is truly unique, stretching from bay to Gulf. It has it all!
Looking for more information about our community? Please contact us via email at firstname.lastname@example.com - we look forward to hearing from you!


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Tagged: hypocrisy
My Life Of Hypocrisy
I am a hypocrite. Yes, you read that correctly and it's true. When you break it down to the most fundamental level, everyone involved in the global fight for intergenerational justice is guilty. Unless you live off-grid in a tree house built from downed lumber, grow all your own food, sew your own clothes from local materials, ride a bicycle made from recycled metals, never travel by air, and generate your own electricity from a homemade solar panel, (and have lived that way since the day you were born) then you are part of the problem. We all are. How could it have been any other way? Structure drives behavior and our modern system drives consumption behavior in one direction. I'll give you a hint: it's not down.
If you're like me, you were born into an industrialized world and began your indoctrination into the church of consumerism from your very first breath. Surrounded by toys that had traveled 10,000 miles on a cargo ship, then a train, then finally a truck to the local Babies R' Us, I began appreciating our collective industrial prowess before I could roll over. Fed by Gerber baby food that was the product of a bloated, unnecessarily global agriculture system, and clothed in garments that had made the same journey as my toys, I was already an unwitting participant of the global economic growth engine.
My parents had two cars and a house that was much larger than practically necessary. We bought food at a supermarket and everything else at a mall. We took long road trips from Minneapolis to Chicago. We flew all over the country; for a few hundred bucks, we could sit in an airplane and do in two hours what Lewis and Clark did in two years.
It doesn't stop there. My passion for intergenerational justice and fear of a very different world for my unborn children led me to the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, where I'm working towards an M.B.A. in Sustainable Business. I live in Seattle and have three weekend sessions on Bainbridge Island per quarter (Bainbridge Island is in the Puget Sound, 30 minutes off the Seattle shore). So once a month I get in my non-hybrid car, drive myself downtown and onto a diesel-sucking ferry boat and drive off the other side on my way to sustainable business school.
I got married this past summer. My entire family flew into Seattle from all over the country to meet us. We took our honeymoon on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, and we didn't exactly kayak to get there. We recently traded in one of our cars and we didn't buy a Prius. My wife and I frequently travel by air and land to visit friends and work on projects. I eat red meat and I love it. I drive up to the mountains to go skiing and honestly have the nerve to complain when the snowpack isn't as great as it used to be. Like I said, I am a hypocrite.
Why am I divulging all of this discrediting information? If I actually expect my words to have weight shouldn't I be living in one of those off-grid houses, eating homegrown vegetables, and riding a stationary bike to generate electricity so I can write this post on my (brand-spanking-new Apple) laptop? Shouldn't I turn my life into a bumper sticker and be the change I wish to see in the world? A common criticism of those working to disrupt our fossil fuel-driven economy is that we're all dependent upon (and indulgent in) business as usual so any interference would hurt society as a whole. Proponents of this school of thought would say that I am obviously a very active participant in our fossil fuel economy; therefore I have no right to seek to disrupt it. That line of thought could not be further from the truth.
The idea that I can't live within the current structure and honestly seek to transform it from within is offensive. Where else am I going to live? My only alternative is to live completely outside the system like the tree-people I described above, which I'm not yet interested in doing. Sure, there are things I could do personally to reduce my individual footprint, but simply by living in the United States I'm guilty by association. The notion that our past behavior somehow limits our future ability to seek change disempowers us all. It's like saying that because there was a time when nobody knew that smoking causes cancer, it's okay to keep smoking given what we now know. There was this point in history where we didn't know any better, so that should justify current behavior, right? Wrong. At this point we're just prisoners of the carbon economy, and we know it. I certainly wasn't consulted in its design. Were you? Structure does drive behavior so we had no choice but to behave within the structure we were born into.
We need to move past the stale argument that inaction is our only possibility because the alternatives are too hazardous to the global economic system. To the contrary, every year of inaction comes with a price tag of about $1.2 trillion. That's trillion, with a "T". This calculation takes into account the increasing costs of superstorms — like Hurricane Sandy— that are occuring with growing frequency around the world. Sandy will cost New York and New Jersey at least $70 billion. One must also consider the costs of infrastructural adaptions that will become increasingly necessary. But one of the largest costs associated with business as usual is… business as usual.
There's a reason Shell is spending billions to set up shop in the Arctic Ocean. Ignore for a moment the overwhelming cynicism of a fossil fuel giant seeking to harvest territory that is only recently accessible because of the direct warming impacts of their business practices. There's something else at work (aside from actually having access to these new territories) that we must all understand.
Shell wouldn't be attempting to engage in deep water drilling in one of the harshest areas on Earth if there were still easily accessible gushers in Pennsylvania or Texas. Those days are over. In order for fossil fuel companies to keep providing "business as usual", they must rely on increasingly expensive exploration and drilling techniques that require much higher consumer gas prices in order to be economical. These increased expenses are also figured into the cost of inaction. Doubling down on business as usual makes our economy more vulnerable, not less vulnerable. If the current energy delivery system relies on $100/barrel oil and suddenly we find ourselves in the grips of another global recession, we all suffer the consequences.
Again, structure drives behavior. It's no surprise that we're all so reliant on the current system since key players are spending vast sums to keep us all on the roller coaster just a little while longer. We all depend on this system right now and to expect that we'll all be able to somehow move beyond it without a fundamental structural shift is foolish. But having benefited from the advantages our industrial economic system in the past doesn't disqualify you from working to prevent the profound consequences of that same system from gaining irreversible traction.
Things are beginning to turn in a progressive direction and the structure is subtly shifting beneath our feet. Check out this collection of reports from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, which clearly outline threats to business as usual from climate disruption. Of note are the collections on Corporate Governance, Corporate Strategies, Insurance, Finance, Investor Resources, Clean Technology, and other sector-specific resources. These aren't exactly fringe business concerns. Taken together, these issues make up the core of our current economic system.
I have lived and acted in concert with the system in which I exist. My hypocrisy serves to highlight our great challenge. How can I turn my back on something that has provided so much comfort, so many opportunities, such a rich quality of life? This is the model that I was given, so of course I use it. Fortunately, I've awoken to a new realm of possibility. I now see that there is a viable alternative to business as usual and I've chosen to commit my life to helping us all get there. There are millions more like me out there; bounded by the system as it exists, yet aspiring to recreate the system as it could be. Paul Hawken would call it our Blessed Unrest.
My hypocrisy is only visible in the light of the many alternatives that now exist. When I was young my parents didn't know any better. It's not as if they bought four tickets to the Carbon Economy Express, knowing that it would end in economic, social, and environmental devastation. They were simply living the lives that system constraints dictated. But now, finally, we know better. I know better.
Contextual hypocrisy is no excuse. And we are reaching beyond the boundaries of business as usual, whether we know it or not. Our one precious Earth has curated an autoimmune response to the disease that we humans have spread. We have no choice but to evolve as a species. My participation in business as usual up until this point does not disqualify me from recognizing the susceptibility of the way things are, and endeavoring to make them more resilient for future generations. I can't change my past behavior, but I can look towards the future.
As with any self-destructive addiction, the first step on the road to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. So here it goes: My name is Mark, and I'm a carbon-aholic. Whew, I feel better. Now you try.
It's not as if I had much of a choice in the matter either. I was like a baby born to a drug-addicted mother; the child that has no say in their dependency. The very first moments of my life were spent surrounded by the comforts of a carbon-enhanced world. Check out this Carbonaholics Anonymous website for recovery information. I just found this CA site as I was writing and it's half funny, half sad, but all true. It will take an act of a Higher Power to remove humans from the perpetual drip of our carbon habit. The pull is too intoxicating. If we could commit to practicing the 12 steps of carbon recovery it would help us all.
In the problem, lies the solution. Our collective addiction is the most powerful reason to demand change. We don't want to be addicted to the dirty needle of fossil fuels any longer. But there are myriad powerful lobbies that have a strong interest in keeping things just the way they are. Fortunately, as I noted above, it's becoming harder and harder for them to perpetuate their antiquated business models.
I don't want to be an addict any longer. All of the comforts I enjoy as a result of the current system will change dramatically as our economy moves away from dirty carbon energy. I'll eat food that was grown closer to home, vacation regionally instead of nationally or globally, buy baby clothes from second-hand stores, live in a more reasonably-sized home, and rely much more heavily on transit systems or a bicycle for daily commuting. I would happily trade in my carbon-addicted life for this new vision of the future if it means snow in the mountains for my grandchildren.
I'm willing to make all of these changes, but I can't do it as long as our economic apparatus still reinforces old behavior. This is the last time I'll remind you that structure drives behavior, so if the system only supports a carbon economy then we'll all remain carbon addicts until the last cubic meter of bitumen is extracted from the Canadian Tar Sands. Is this the world we want to leave to our children and grandchildren? As long as the system requires it, I'll be living in one world and working towards another. I'll be a hypocrite until a new structure allows something else.
The first step is acceptance. My name is Mark, and I'm a carbon-aholic. Are you?


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A report on the first outbreak of a single clone group A Streptococcus (emm-type 89) tonsillopharyngitis in China
Ying-Mei Liu, Jian-Zhong Zhao, Bin-Bin Li, Jun-Yong Yang, Xiao-Gen Dong, Jian-Jun Zhang, Bin Cao
Received: March 30, 2013 Revised: July 15, 2013 Accepted: August 8, 2013
Corresponding author:
* Corresponding author. Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical
University, Number 8 Gongren Tiyuchang South Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People's Republic of China.
** Corresponding author. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Number 3 Xi An Road, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, People's Republic
of China.
E-mail addresses: email@example.com (J.-J. Zhang), firstname.lastname@example.com (B. Cao). c These authors contributed equally to this work.
Background and purpose:
In 2012, 28 out of 140 staff working for a film crew in a Beijing movie and television base experienced a sudden onset of fever, sore throat, and/or tiredness, headache within the 24 hour period of July 26–27. All of the patients visited the hospital and were diagnosed as having tonsillopharyngitis. On July 28, 2012, a team of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff arrived and initiated an outbreak investigation. Pharyngeal swabs were obtained from patients for microbiologic analysis. All isolates of the outbreak were analyzed for toxin-genes and drug-resistance genes by polymerase chain reaction, and were performed for the emm typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing. On July 30, 2012, Group A Streptococcus was isolated from eight of the 16 throat swab specimens obtained on site. These isolates were found to have the same genotype emm 89. This is the first report to identify Group A Streptococcus emm type-89 as a cause of tonsillopharyngitis in Beijing, China.
Key words:
emm-type 89, Film crew, Group A Streptococcus, Outbreak, Tonsillopharyngitis
CommentsRespond to this article


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The Entry.toURI method specified in the FileSystem spec [1] currently has an open issue to define its format. I believe we also need to describe the ways in which it can and cannot be used, as some potential uses may have security implications. I propose the following format: filesystem:{protocol}://{domain}[:port]/{storage type}/{path} e.g. filesystem:https://www.google.com/persistent/images/logo.png I think that, for the domain that owns the asset referred to by the URI, pretty much any reasonable use should be allowed: video/audio/img/iframe/script sources, XHR [GET only], etc. I'm iffier on allowing any access to other origins, even for e.g. img sources, even though they're normally allowed cross-origin. I'd love to hear security arguments against and use cases for cross-origin access. Of course, it's always easiest/safest to start out not allowing such a thing and relax the rules later. Thanks in advance for any comments. Eric Uhrhane firstname.lastname@example.com [1] http://dev.w3.org/2009/dap/file-system/file-dir-sys.html#widl-Entry-toURIReceived on Friday, 21 January 2011 23:13:38 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Friday, 27 October 2017 07:26:29 UTC


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The Villas at Simpson Bay Resort
Kitchen Virtual Tour
The kitchens at The Villas at Simpson Bay Resort are fully equipped with everything you need to have a comfortable stay. From pans and pots to a glass cooktop stove, you can prepare and have dinner like you do back at home. Some of the elements you will find in your kitchen at The Villas are: Coffee Maker, flatware, glassware, blender, toaster, microwave and much more. Take a look to our virtual tour book one our suites or villas with full kitchen.
Please wait until the file finishes loading, This feature requires Apple QuickTime, If your browser does not load the movie by default please click here to download it
Click on the image and move the mouse pointer where you want to go. Use the SHIFT and CTRL keys to zoom in and out.


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(CNN) -- It's been three years to the month since Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" hit theater screens, becoming a worldwide blockbuster.
Tom Hanks says working in Rome, Italy, added to the production values of "Angels & Demons."
Now superstar Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are back with another of Brown's best-sellers, "Angels & Demons."
Unlike the previous effort in which the Oscar-winning duo went on a shooting spree across several European countries, the new film takes place in just one locale, Rome.
Much of the movie was shot on soundstages and sets built in Hollywood, but the cast and crew also spent months in the Italian capital, which they say provided the film with an undeniable authenticity, not easily duplicated anywhere else. Watch the excitement of shooting in Rome »
Hanks and Howard sat down with CNN to talk about the challenges -- and "blessings," in Hanks' word -- of making "Angels & Demons" happen in one of the world's most densely trafficked, architecturally powerful cities.
Tom Hanks: You're shooting in a place like Rome and quite frankly, every layer of history and every passer-by, every scooter, every truck adds to the ambience of the film, the production value that you couldn't get in a million years if we were trying to fake it during the daylight hours back home.
Ron Howard: We used every device known to cinema, from the latest cutting-edge technology to certain filmic illusions that go back a hundred years, literally to the birth of the medium, to sort of low-budget street photography where you['re] just pull[ing] up in a car, getting out a van, clearing a little space and shooting a shot. And I hope that it does the thing that these kind of adventures should do, which is really transport an audience.
Hanks: Every step of the way we seem to be enjoying the blessings of how complicated it is to shoot in a place of Rome.
We had a lady show up who was getting married at the Pantheon, and she had to get to the altar, and we had to get our shots. She showed up right between shots when we were moving the cameras.
We got her into her wedding day. We went and got our shots; she came out when she was done -- huzzahs all the way around and before the sun went down we were still able to finish up our day.
All About Tom Hanks • Ron Howard • Rome


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Around the world, the arts are finding their way into healthcare settings in ever more diverse ways.
Patients, their families, staff, direct care providers, administrators and those protecting the financial bottom-line, are discovering that there are a variety of real benefits to this. The Montana Arts Council has embarked on an online survey project to inventory the state of the arts and healthcare in Montana to determine where our technical and financial assistance might best be directed. We will survey artists, arts organizations, medical direct-care providers and administrators of healthcare settings separately.
As an Artist, Direct Care Provider, Administrator of a Montana healthcare facility, or Arts Organization, we will be inviting you to participate in this research. Your inside help is key to establishing an accurate picture of our state and we would appreciate your assistance and expertise. The first two online surveys, for Artists and Arts Organizations, are now open for responses. The remaining Direct Care Provider and Healthcare Administrator surveys will follow soon. The online survey will take approximately 10-12 minutes and all responses will be anonymous.
TO PARTICIPATE, please go to:
Choose either the ARTIST SURVEY, or the ARTS ORGANIZATION SURVEY
Questions or Comments, Please contact:
Kim Baraby Hurtle
Executive Assistant & Percent-for-Art Manager