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8 services that you must try
Simply providing a great flight isn't enough. Lufthansa wants its guests to feel just as welcome on the ground as they are in the air. Here are eight services to make your stay at the airport easy and convenient.
1.) Express chauffeur
We've all been there: you come back from a wonderfully relaxing trip only to find that your return trip is so stressful you almost regret going away in the first place. No small change for the train, the taxi rank is crammed, the bus driver is rude, the suitcases seem to weigh a ton… there has to be a better way of doing things. Well, there is. Why not arrange to be picked up by a chauffeur and driven home? Gate-to-Door. Or the other way round: Door-to-Gate. In Munich you can even pick Gate-to-Sky: winter sports fans can arrange to be flown by helicopter straight up to the mountains.
2.) Personal airport guide
Every airport is a world unto itself, with its own special rules, signs and customs, and it's not difficult to get lost in these confusing surroundings. Wouldn't it be great to have a guide who knows the hidden corners and hot spots of this strange world like the back of his or her hand? Lufthansa offers this service in Munich and Frankfurt: a Lufthansa Guide will meet you and take you to your flight, train, hotel, shuttle bus, show you where the lounge is, the restaurants, taxi ranks, meeting point, baggage hall…in more than 14 languages. And not necessarily in that order.
3.) The digital newsstand
Most people carry at least one screen around with them, many have several: smartphones, tablet, notebook…. Even real bookworms will think twice about cramming yet another item into their bag at the airport newsstand. Lufthansa offers its guests the latest magazines and newspapers as eJournals: from three days before your journey you can download a choice of reading matter with your booking code and browse at your leisure. And what's even better: you don't need to worry that your favorite magazine could be sold out!
4.) Layover at the Lufthansa Spa
Every minute counts – particularly when you're travelling. If you have to sit around at the airport waiting for a connecting flight, why not make the most of it? At the Senator Lounges in Munich and Frankfurt you can book a treatment session in the soundproofed spa and relax area, where the treats on offer include manicures, pedicures, oxygen treatment, hot stone massages and more on request. In Frankfurt, Lufthansa also has a Welcome Lounge for Business or First Class passengers arriving on certain long-haul flights where you can refresh yourself for the day ahead and have breakfast. Have a shower! We'll iron your shirt our blouse while you freshen up.
5.) Layover in a sports car
Not interested in relaxing? Would you prefer to buckle up again straight away? Then why not continue your flight – in a Porsche 911 along some of Germany's most beautiful roads. With Porsche First Class Excitement in Frankfurt and Munich, First Class passengers can treat themselves to a little jaunt past forests, lakes, castles and vineyards. Why wait? Get behind the wheel instead!
6.) Shower, nap and take off again
The new Terminal 2 in Munich now offers showers outside of the Lufthansa Lounges to allow long-haul passengers to freshen up before continuing their journey. The airport also has Recreation Areas with relaxing loungers and special mood lighting to create a soothing ambiance. And if you want some privacy, then head for one of the Napcabs at Gates G06, H32, L04 where you can enjoy the comfort of a pod with a single bed – and catch up on some shut-eye.
7.) Young travellers
Every year, 80 000 children travel alone on a Lufthansa flight and the airline becomes a temporary family. Lufthansa's service for unaccompanied minors was launched 50 years ago; specially trained staff take care of their young charges and ensure that their time at the airport and during the flight is fun. Unaccompanied minors can also change flights with Lufthansa. And if they happen to miss a connecting flight, then their Lufthansa "family member" will spend the night with them at a hotel.
8.) Baggage tracing
Can't bear to give up that suitcase at check-in? Now, thanks to the Lufthansa App and our digital baggage services, you can stay in touch: scan a link on your digital boarding pass and you can see exactly where your luggage is at any given time. At some airports after landing you will also receive a message telling you which baggage carousel to head for to be reunited with your belongings. And if you're travelling with a Romova Smart Bag, then you can attach an Electronic Tag to your case at home. The only thing you still have to do is actually pack your things – there's no digital solution for that yet.


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Dear James,
I am usually fearful of what I will learn about my alma mater in the wake of Spiritual Emphasis Week each semester. You didn't let my anxieties down. The enthusiasm you expressed for the speaker this year is understandable. Pastor Henry Strong is obviously a very skillful communicator, and his ability to write many and timely books is impressive (though I admit to not having read one). I am also glad that he spent so much time with students in Witherspoon Lounge when he visited Rutherford College recently. I have long wished that professors at Rutherford would interact with students outside the classroom and office in relaxed settings.
But when your father told me during the fellowship hour that you would like to move to Boston so you could join Pastor Strong's church, I almost spilled coffee down my shirt. Not only is the thought of your moving to a different region of the country distressing to those close to you here at home, but I also wonder what it suggests about your expectations for a pastor. Granted, the idea of relocating on the basis of available congregations is admirable. Too many of your peers are thinking about the next stage of their lives primarily as a career move. They seem to be disregarding their need to be where they can worship and receive pastoral oversight.
The problem with your attraction to Pastor Strong's church is that you may be succumbing to unhealthy standards for a pastor. Yes, this man does much of what a minister is supposed to do, and he does it in a much more visible way than most. He studies Scripture, expounds and applies it, leads worship, and apparently assumes his responsibilities as a presbyter both in his session and in his presbytery. I say "apparently" because someone who travels the way he does, especially when he is in book-promotion mode, is not going to be available for some regularly appointed session and presbytery meetings, not to mention any committees on which he might serve. He is also an effective speaker, and I have heard a number of recordings that attest to his powers of delivery (though I am not as sure that he preaches as much as he "gives a talk").
As I say, Pastor Strong does the things that pastors are supposed to do in a very visible or public way. This means that he is ministering the word to a wider audience than that of his congregation. But when folks read his books or listen to his online sermons, Strong is not acting in his capacity as a minister because he has no relationship to the reader or listener. They are not members of the congregation that called him. They did not take vows to submit to him in the Lord, and he has not made promises ratified by real people to minister the word faithfully to anyone who picks up his book in a bookstore. In other words, he has no personal, and therefore no pastoral, relationship to remote listeners and readers.
Granted, you say you would like to become a member of his congregation, and this would put you in a real relationship to Strong. But then comes the flip side of the problem I have just described. How can a man who is as busy as he is have time for a personal relationship with his congregants? What generally happens in situations like Strong's is that he is at the top of a large pastoral staff in which the pastors without star power have the day-to-day responsibilities of shepherding the flock. At least that accounts for the pastoral oversight that Christians need. I can well imagine the disappointment you will experience if you move to Boston only to discover that you had more access to Strong during his visit to Rutherford than you do in the place where you worship.
Think of it another way. Have you ever heard of a celebrity dad? Well, of course, there are dads who are celebrities because of their work outside the home (Brad Pitt might qualify). But do you know any dads who are celebrities because of their activities as a father and husband? Bill Cosby's character on his hit television show comes to mind, but that still isn't the real thing. We do not know what Bill Cosby was like as a father because most of the duties of fathers are hidden from the public eyetaking out the trash, cleaning up after a child's upset stomach, praying over the family meals. These are not tasks that create celebrity because they are unexceptional and do not attract publicity.
Some might argue that I am simply setting into motion a set of expectations that tolerates average or even mediocre men in the ministrythose without the ability to attract large audiences. Perhaps so, since I believe what Paul writes about God using earthen vessels to accomplish his purposes. The skills of the pastor are not what make his ministry effective; rather, it is the power of God that saves. My point, though, is not to deny the value of excellence. It is rather to underscore the quiet and routine ways in which the pastoral ministry transpires. Pastoral ministry is not flashy, but we need it in the same way that we need fathers and mothers to be in the home, not on speaking tours about parenthood.
I think you would do well to consider this before looking for housing (and being shocked by the price) in Boston.
Uncle Glen
"Uncle Glen" is a pseudonym for two Orthodox Presbyterian elders. Reprinted from New Horizons, January 2010.
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Chaplains and Military Personnel

subset: commoncrawl


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Nuclear Sense and Nonsense
The Nuclear Delusion: Soviet-American Relations in the Atomic Age
With Enough Shovels: Reagan, Bush and Nuclear War
Any European citizen who picks up the two books under review hoping to inform himself about the nuclear dangers that bedevil East-West relations could well be excused were he to gain the impression that George Kennan was brought up within a culture wholly different from the one out of which the characters in Robert Scheer's pages emerged. How, one might well ask, could a politically sophisticated analysis of American-Soviet relations, of the kind which George Kennan provides, appear in the same country and at the same time as the proclamations of a band of military camp followers who pretend to provide intellectual backing for the controversial defense policies of Ronald Reagan and Caspar Weinberger? How is it that senior and experienced American military leaders who have spoken out have so far failed to refute the martial vaporings of a handful of civilians who offer guidelines for all-out nuclear war, as though its consequences would be little worse than a succession of severe droughts? Can it be that the enormous momentum of the arms race, and the pervasive power of the military machine, have in recent years so conditioned the environment of American opinion that, for all that may be said in favor of free speech, public expressions of dissent have so far had as little impact on the formulation of government policy in the US as the whimpers of dissent have in the USSR?
Whatever the answer, the belligerent noises now coming out of Washington are certainly sharpening the anxieties of ordinary citizens in parts of Western Europe where public expressions of concern can still have an impact on government policies. People are scared by talk of protracted nuclear war; by the fact that there is no let-up in the nuclear arms race; by the lack of progress in the START and "theater weapon" talks. And, however regrettable, and quite apart from differences of view about steel imports into the US, or trade relations with the USSR, strains in the Atlantic Alliance will increase the more it becomes clear that European governments are unable to influence the East-West military confrontation.
The recent admissions that the Pentagon, with presidential blessing, is embarking on preparations that would ostensibly provide the US with the means to fight a "protracted" nuclear war against the USSR have generated a new wave of alarm, and more than a little astonishment, in those European quarters where questions were already being asked about other aspects of nuclear strategy. Caspar Weinberger's efforts at retraction, culminating in his "open letter" to some seventy newspapers, have done nothing to allay anxiety or to reduce bewilderment. Theodore Draper's "open reply"1 indicated that the Weinberger letter will more likely than not intensify fear among those of America's European allies on whose territory such a war, were it ever to occur, would be fought.
But the whole concept of a nuclear war in nonsense, and the purpose of Mr. Scheer's book is to reveal the degree of nonsense it is. If the…
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A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
2009 Top Prospect List: #6 Chris Dickerson, of
Height 6-3, Weight 228, B/T: L/L, DOB: 4/10/1982
2008 Redlegs Baseball Prospect Ranking: Other Notables
Chris Dickerson, cousin of former NFL great Eric, has long been the best athlete in the Reds' farm system. However, prior to 2008 it looked like he would never translate his massive athletic skills into functional baseball tools. Nowhere was this truer than at the plate, where he just never made enough hard, consistent contact to be a productive hitter.
Despite his struggles, Dickerson's tremendous athleticism made him a candidate to "flip the switch" and instantly become an impact player. It's still too soon to tell, but that may be exactly what happened in 2008.
The Reds sent Dickerson back to triple-A Louisville to start the 2008 season. He didn't start out very well, posting a lackluster .241/.347/.349 slash line in 98 plate appearances in April. He followed it up with an even less inspiring .242/.290/.339 line in 69 plate appearances in May. However, at that point, his entire career changed.
The Reds have been incredibly patient with Dickerson's development due, in no small part, to his tremendous athleticism. However, until June of 2008, he had consistently underwhelmed. His raw tools never translated into baseball skills or quality production. In June, something seemed to click and his production finally began to match his raw tools.
In 93 plate appearances in June, Dickerson hit .301/.441/.479 with a stellar 21% line drive rate. He didn't slow down for the rest of the year. In 110 plate appearances in July, Dickerson posted a "Ruthian" slash line of .326/.418/.717 with 8 homeruns. In 40 plate appearances in August, Dickerson posted a solid .351/.400/.432 line before the Reds finally called him up to the show.
The real question is was it for real or just the result of a small sample size?
Here are his minor league line drive rates and BABIP by month:
Month: LD%__BABIP
Obviously, Dickerson's BABIPs jumped significantly in the final three months, but that's not unexpected given that he was hitting line drives at a much higher clip. The type of ball in play determines how often they fall in for hits and no type of batted ball results in a hit more frequently than a line drive. So, while there is undoubtedly some luck in those BABIPs, they were driven to significant degree by his improved performance.
However, what remains unclear is how much was the result of Dickerson being "locked in" and on a white hot tear? What strikes me as interesting is that if it was merely a hot streak, how did he manage to carry it with him to the Major League level? Can you carry a hot streak up the ladder with you despite facing more advanced pitching?
The Reds called Dickerson up in August after the departure of Adam Dunn. Dickerson's first Major League game was August 12th, in which he went 1-for-4 with a walk. It wasn't long until Dickerson was racking up multi-hit games at the MLB level. He only played in 31 MLB games, but had 7 multi-hit games. In those 31 games, he had 102 ABs, six of which resulted in homeruns. All told, Dickerson posted a slash line of .304/.413/.608/1.021 during his MLB stint before being shutdown with a stress fracture of the ankle. Even so, Dickerson was the only reason to watch the Reds in the dog days of summer. While his time in the majors was undeniably minor, his impact was unquestionably massive.
Obviously, Dickerson isn't Babe Ruth reincarnated, so it would be unreasonable to expect him to post anything close to a 1.021 OPS over the long haul. In addition, Dickerson posted an 18.5% line drive rate, but a .410 BABIP, so more balls fell in for hits than is to be expected. However, the great thing about a player like Dickerson is that his secondary skills are so strong that he only needs to hit ~.260 to be very valuable hitter. His stellar walk rate means that if he can hit just .260, then his OBP will be ~.360. On top of that, his power will generate a significant number of home runs and his speed will allow him to swipe him quite a few bases.
For 2009, the two pertinent questions on Dickerson seem to be:
1) Can he make enough contact to hit .260?
2) If he does hit .260, will the Reds be smart enough to see just how valuable that will make him?
Not only did Dickerson put up massive production in 2008, he did it with a sweet swing.
Dickerson has a quiet stance at the plate. He stands tall at the plate and when the pitcher is in his windup, he bounces the bat off his shoulder a couple of times as a timing mechanism. He has a very small stride, which is really just him rolling up on his toes and putting his foot back down. He has a quiet lower body and very strong balance throughout his swing.
Dickerson has a smooth, flowing swing that you only see in lefthanded hitters. He fires his hips well, which generates significant rotational velocity. Rotational velocity of the hips is a key factor in the amount of power generated by batters. The more rotational velocity you can create, the more momentum you will produce. The greater the momentum when you contact the ball, the greater the force you impart on the baseball. Dickerson has strong hip action, which creates substantial rotational velocity and allows him to impart substantial energy to the baseball. He can really drop the head of the bat on the ball and when he does it usually travels a long distance. He gets good extension, but his swing does have a tendency to get too long, which can exacerbate his problems in making consistent contact.
Dickerson has a tremendous set of tools, but what makes him all the more intriguing is that he plays a premier defensive position and plays it very well. One of the things I've come to appreciate is the value of players who combine plus defense and plus on-base skills while playing premier defensive positions. That's why both Paul Janish and Chris Dickerson intrigue me. By now, everyone understands the importance of on-base percentage in the game of baseball, but you usually only find the players with plus on-base skills at the corner positions. It's not hard to find a first baseman or leftfielder with above average on-base ability, but you don't often see players who combine the requisite defensive skills to play a premier position with the ability to control the strike zone needed to post high on-base percentages.
In the Reds organization, both Dickerson and Janish have these attributes, which is why they deserve a longer look to see if they can be productive enough at the plate to hold down starting jobs. If everything breaks right, Dickerson could be a gold glove caliber centerfielder with power, speed, and strong on-base skills.
Clearly, Dickerson's 2008 level of performance is not sustainable and an expectation of that is not what earns him his spot on this list. Even so, no one climbed higher on this list in the course of one year than Chris Dickerson. The big question remains whether he will make enough contact to post a respectable batting average. However, he has such a diverse set of skills that he really only needs to hit ~.260 to be an impact player at the MLB level. Dickerson is older than most of the other prospects on this list, but his upside remains considerable and in 2008 he took a big step towards reaching it. It will be very interesting to see how he performs in 2009 and, frankly, I think he's a big key to the Reds' chances in 2009. For now, Dickerson's massive tools and increased polish land him at #6 on the list.
5 comments:
- AnonymousMarch 13, 2009 at 4:46 AM
It's my understanding he is not related to Eric D...he stated that last year in a pregame interview last yearReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 13, 2009 at 4:51 AM
hopefully the reds give him a chance in left to get the bulk of time or at least the lh option in a platoonReplyDelete
Hmmm, interesting. I just got my 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook and they, too, listed Eric Dickerson as his cousin. If Chris said it himself, then it's rather likely that he isn't. But, a lot of the sources I've come across state that he is, so I'm not sure. Either way, they are both great athletes.ReplyDelete
As for his playing time, I think the Reds would be foolish not to give him a very long look in the outfield. And, to me, he should be getting the long look in center, NOT in left. True impact offensive players that provide plus defense at premier positions do not grow on trees. So, the idea of moving him to left to accommodate a premier out-maker like Willy T seems foolhardy at best.
I still believe Dickerson is a key player for the Reds in 2009. In fact, as Dickerson goes in 2009, so may go the Reds.
Anyway, thanks for the comment, anon!!
- AnonymousMarch 13, 2009 at 5:14 PM
yeah i agree i think i would rather see him in center with perhaps gomes in left, but i don't think that will happen because of the $$$ paid to Willy T...i do think that i would prefer the reds bat Taveras(if he is in cf)bat 8th...that would give the pitcher a great chance to bunt him over because of his speed...i don't know why everybody seems to bat the slow guys 8th these days...bat dickerson 1st and have some pop at the topReplyDelete
To be honest, I don't get the Willy T signing. To me, the Reds should be giving Dickerson an extended look in centerfield. His tools are absurd and the Reds need to see what he can do. When you factor in that Drew Stubbs is on the cusp of the majors, the window to look at Dickerson in center is closing. So, I'm not sure why we are giving Willy T the centerfield job.ReplyDelete
Stubbs is likely to be the CF next year, so what is the point of Taveras this year? To me, you give Dickerson the CF job to see what he can do. If he can handle it, then you have a very pleasant problem next year when Stubbs arrives. In fact, if both Stubbs and Dickerson live up to their projections, then the Reds could have the best defensive outfield in baseball in 2010. In fact, they could have the most toolsy and athletic outfield as well.
As for Willy T, if we truly are stuck with him (And, with Dusty at the helm and the extra zeros in Willy T's paycheck, I'd say that we are), then I might consider hitting him 9th. I'm not convinced about the validity of the strategy, but maybe it works in this situation. Dickerson sees a ton of pitches, which would enable Willy T to swipe a lot of bags. That may be the best way to minimize the "contribution" of Willy T.


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This numbered edition Canvas Print, designed by Álvaro Daniel González Lamarque, comes with a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity. Ready to hang, this image is printed onto a 450gsm white finish, 100% cotton canvas and stretched over 1.5" deep wood stretcher bars (3/4" for XS). Each print comes with wall hanging hardware.
Photography of a Canon 350D camera with a Canon EFS 18-55mm f3.5/5.6 USM.
Montevideo, Uruguay


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Blame the bus driver
There's a few unwritten rules among sportwriters — OK, maybe they're more akin to superstitions. For instance, I learned in my early days of covering baseball that you never say something like, "Boy, this game sure is flying by," no matter how quick it actually is flying by.
My first encounter with this part of "the code" came when I was still in college, covering the Lansing Lugnuts Minor League club for the Lansing State Journal in Michigan. Around the eighth inning or so in the first game of a doubleheader, I made an audible remark about the swift pace of the game. The result were some groans from the others in the pressbox, followed by a 15-inning game, and then another extra-inning contest after that. Lesson learned.
This afternoon, those of us Toronto reporters who made the trek to Bradenton to see a roster filled with Jays Minor Leaguers (OK, and Alex Rios, John McDonald, Jason Smith, Jason Phillips and Josh Towers) take on the Pirates, headed down to the visitor's clubhouse around the seventh inning. It's more of a shed that sits to the left of the left-field corner.
After getting an interview in with Towers, who had another solid outing for the Jays, we all walked out to near the foul line to catch the final inning. With Toronto up, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Jays' bus driver, George, made this comment: "OK, 1-2-3 and we're outta here!"
All of us writers groaned and gave the old guy a hard time. Sure enough, the first batter in the inning, Pittsburgh catcher Ryan Doumit, promptly deposited a pitch from Toronto reliever Brian Tallet over the left-field wall for a solo homer. That tied tha game up and sent it into extra innings. Thanks, George.
The game ended in a tie, and brought Toronto's Grapefruit League record to 10-11-4. Maybe next year, MLB should think about introducing a "blast off" or some other sudden death-type thing to solve all the tie games this spring has produced. The standings are starting to look a lot like hockey.
Anyway, Towers looked good — five strikeouts, one walk, one unearned run and 88 pitches (58 strikes) in six innings. He threw 28 of those pitches in the first inning. The lone run scored when Xavier Nady popped up to left field, but Toronto Minor Leaguer David Smith booted an easy fly, allowing Ronny Paulino to score.
Before the game, Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg revealed what we've all already been writing about — John Thomson is no longer in the running for a job with the Jays. He's scheduled to pitch 1-2 innings in Winter Haven on Wednesday, but there's no room for him in Toronto's bullpen or rotation.
Arnsberg also laid out the pitchers' schedules for the next week:
TUESDAY: Geremi Gonzalez will pitch 3-4 innings against Tampa Bay in the 1:05 p.m. tilt at Knology Park. … Toronto ace Roy Halladay will start in a Triple-A game at 1 p.m. at the Bobby Mattick Training Center.
WEDNESDAY: Left-hander Gustavo Chacin will hit the road to start against Cleveland at 1:05 p.m. in Winter Haven.
THURSDAY: Right-hander A.J. Burnett will start in a Minor League game at 1 p.m. at the Bobby Mattick Training Center. … A soon-to-be-identified Minor Leaguer will take the hill for the 7:05 p.m. game against the Yankees. Casey Janssen might've started, but the Jays are preparing him as a reliever now.
FRIDAY: Right-hander Victor Zambrano will head to Winter Haven for a 5-6 inning start against the Indians at 1:05 p.m. Arnsberg said the Jays are still prepping him as if he were going to make the club as a starter. … Righty Tomo Ohka will start in a Minor League game that afternoon.
SATURDAY: Towers will make his last start of Spring Training in a 1:05 p.m. game versus the Reds at Knology Park.
It's still not clear who the fifth starter will be — it appers to now be between Towers and Zambrano — but Ohka seems to be in line for the fourth job. Stating the obvious, Jays manager John Gibbons said Monday that the team will make a decision "by the end of the week."
Stay tuned…
4 Comments
those darn bus drivers! maybe you should use this in reverse… "well, this will be a long game," and you might get home sooner!
God forbid that you writers have to spend an extra 20 minutes watching baseball in shorts and t-shirts and sipping lemondade!
Oh the humanity!
There's no lemonade 🙂
I love baseball because of the superstition. If you go 0 for 4 one day, it's not because you got blown out of the water, it's because you didn't wear your blue underwear that day. Next day, suitably attired, you can forget about your 0fer, and be confident that the Gods of Baseball will smile on you once again.
I always felt the Jays played better when I was well supplied with Pistachios while watching the game. I recently had a heart attack, so I'm going to have to leave the pistachios to other fans (thank goodness we signed Frank Thomas), but I was wondering if anyone else has any superstitions I could help with?


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Kathy Watkins from Indianapolis, was kind enough to share these photos of her family's involvement with racing that go as far back as the early teens. We were able to find several articles about her grandfather Chester Cheney, who is seen posing above in a racing car in a photo taken by a Chicago photographer.
We are hoping our readers will be able to identify the make of the racing car that Cheney is posing in (above). We believe that it may be a Staver, which was manufactured in Chicago, and the distinctive front axle is a good clue to the estimated, thirty h.p. racers chassis. One other clue is the radiator badge in the photo (below) that appears to spell out Staver 2, in the high quality photo when enlarged and enhanced.
*Update* Tim Martin has found a photo that proves that Cheney's car is in fact a Staver. Follow this link to a photo of a Staver that used to be in Horn's (later Belm's) Cars of Yesterday, in Sarasota, FL.
The two part article (above) was found in the July 7, 1910, issue of The Motor World magazine and tells of Cheney's feature free – for – all win, in a Staver, at Omaha., Nebraska, in a two day race meet held there on July 4th and 5th. He also won one other race and placed well in three others.
David Traver Adolphus found the following about Cheney's involvement with the Staver racing team for an article he was writing for Hemmings Classic Car in late 2009:
As soon as the new, fully developed 30hp 1910 models appeared in the spring, Stavers started racing. From the beginning, Gus "The Little Swede" Monckmeier (a German immigrant, his nickname is obscure) was their factory driver, joined that year by Ned Crane and Chester Cheney. Monckmeier had earlier worked as an engineer in the Long Island Mercedes factory, so he probably served more like a modern test driver, rather than just a racer.
Staver was in the right place at the right time, because 1910 marked the debut of the Elgin National Road Races, which instantly became one of the premier events of the day. After Ned Crane was disqualified on the final lap (for almost taking Arthur Greiner's National off the track when pitting) and Cheney's car broke down after 42 minutes, Monckmeier was left to carry the flag, taking the Fox River trophy in just over three hours before more than 50,000 spectators. From there, they were off and running, with Monckmeier sparkling at the Algonquin Hill Climb and two Staver entrants at the Indianapolis Speedway in September. There, Keifer's Class B, Division 2 entry (161 to 230-cu. in. displacement) entry took second, and Arthur Greiner finished third in a five-mile race.
Chester Cheney must have had a busy summer in 1910, because he was also found to be listed in a Automobile Topics magazine, dated July 23, as participating in a 808 mile reliability run in Wisconsin, which left Milwaukee on July 18, 1910. In the event Cheney drove the number 24 Petrel, a very well built mid-sized double-chain drive car that was manufactured in the city.
Cheney is known to have also worked in Hathorn's Garage, in Mason City, Iowa, in the teens. Photos of the garage and crew are shown left and right (above).
The two notices seen here were both found in the Cycle & Automobile Trade Journal, the (above) dated December, 1912 and (below) December of 1919. We will have another reference and a photo of a cycle car and Charles Hathorn later on in the text.
Cheney is seen (above) in what appears to be a circa 1910 Buick racing car. Below are a couple of messages he sent home to his mother while he was out on the road on a racing trip:
"Dear Mother, Say Mother can't you come down to Harlan and see me? I will be here until the 13th. I won everything at Grand Island and the prettiest cup you've ever seen. Please come, your son Chet" it's posted in July, but undated. Another card is from Mason City, Iowa, posted Oct. 1912. "Dear Mother, will drop you a card letting you know I am all ok. We are heading for Blue Tooth (?) Minn tomorrow. All the races here came off fine. I hope I will see you before going off to Chicago. Your loving Son"
The photo above again shows Cheney, fifth in the line up here, at a race meet that appears to be either at Souix City, or Mason City, Iowa, circa 1912, based on the signage seen. Possibly Charles W. Canner is in the Tornado which appears to be 150hp De Dietrich special (see below), next is an unknown driver in the Blue Streak. The third car from the front appears to be a t-head Mercer. Chester Cheney is seen in the fifth car right next to the rail. The messages of the postcards earlier to his Mother and this photo above might point to the possibility of Cheney having raced for Pickens after Staver.
* Update * From Ivan Pozega from Australia: In 1912 at the Big Four Fairgrounds in Nashua, IA., a 150hp De Dietrich "Tornado" driven by C. W. Cannar won the 1 Mile Exhibition ahead of Marion Arnold (died in a crash Sept. 13, see below) in a Marquette Buick and an Arbenz "Blue Streak" posting third fastest time.
I was only able to find Chester Cheney at one event at Albert Lea Fairgrounds, MN in 1912 driving a car entered as the Green Goblin which was in fact a De Dietrich 'Torpedo'.
* Update * From Carl Schultz: An article in The NY SUN Nov 3, 1912- titled 'Safeguarding Track Meets' (above); AAA Contest Board took action recently against Charles W. Canner a driver who manages "The Marshall Flying Squadron" and suspended him for close to three years for running dangerous unsanctioned race meets in Iowa and Nebraska.
At the Harlan, IA (date not given) where the dust was not treated with oil, the top rail was not removed and a team driver, Chester Cheney went through the fencing in his Buick racer (could be the same car pictured above) and lost his right arm. Later "the same car driven by Marion Arnold on Sept. 13, went through the fence on the curve, killed its driver and injured a number of spectators". (Cheney's Granddaughter confirmed the news story is not true as he had both of his arms his for his whole life).
Read the two clippings (above) for the interesting details of the story.
This photo of a cycle car wearing a 1913 Iowa plate, has the following note on the back: "Cyclecar made by yours truly and Charles Hathorn & Chet Cheney….Sixty miles per hour on dirt roads". Note the U.S. Mail wagon and horse in the background.
The photo left (above) may have been from the cycle cars initial layout stages, which may only be a ladder resting on the axles for a photo.
Kathy Watkins noted the following about the middle photo "This is my Father Chester W. Cheney, my Mother Peg Cheney was the trophy girl, he raced jalopies in Vegas" The right hand photo shows him with the car. Watkin's adds "My Mother and Father met while he was building a car to enter in the Indy 500 in 1953. My Husband Sam Goldsmith worked in IndyCar for 9 years too. It's in my blood". Photos courtesy of Kathy Watkins


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ESA astronaut launched to ISS to deliver and retrieve hardware
ESA PR 20-2009. NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on Saturday 29 August for the 13-day STS-128 mission to service the International Space Station. Among her crew is ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang from Sweden, who is performing his second spaceflight.
Discovery lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 05:59 CEST, successfully reaching low Earth orbit. After one day of manoeuvres and inspection of her thermal protection system, she will rendezvous and dock with the ISS at 03:03 CEST on Monday 31 August. There, the seven astronauts from Discovery will meet the six astronauts from ISS Expedition 20, and ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, who has been onboard the orbital outpost since late May, will welcome Christer Fuglesang. This is the 15th flight of an ESA astronaut to the ISS in 8 years and the 3rd time in less than 3 years that two ESA astronauts will be onboard the ISS simultaneously.
Three spacewalks with a European flavour
Dubbed 'Alissé', Fuglesang's mission will cover operations to be conducted both inside and outside the orbital complex. As a qualified Mission Specialist with a specialisation in Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), Christer will take part in the second and third of the mission's three spacewalks, scheduled for Thursday 3 September and Saturday 5 September, together with NASA astronaut John Olivas. The main objective of these two EVAs will be to install more than 20 metres of vital cabling outside the ISS to prepare for the arrival of the ESA-provided Tranquility Node 3 module in 2010. In parallel, the astronauts will also remove and replace a depleted Ammonia Tank Assembly (ATA) used as part of the ISS active thermal control system. At 800 kg, this will be the heaviest object ever manipulated in space by a single astronaut.
Another EVA, planned for Tuesday 1 September, will be dedicated to the retrieval of the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) – currently mounted on an external payload facility outside ESA's Columbus laboratory module – and its storage in Discovery's cargo bay for its return to Earth. This science package, which incorporates nine experiments designed to expose samples to the harsh conditions of space, test materials, analyse the near Earth orbit environment and take pictures of the Earth, has been operating for 18 months.
Deep freezing in orbit
In addition, Discovery is carrying the Italian-built Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), a cargo module the size of Columbus, which will be temporarily docked to the ESA-delivered Harmony Node 2 module in order to enable the transfer of racks, equipment and goods directly to the ISS in a shirtsleeve environment. Christer Fuglesang will be in charge of the payload transfer, and in particular of an important piece of ESA-supplied equipment: the second Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI-2), due to be installed inside Japan's Kibo laboratory to provide very low temperature storage for samples and experimental results. It will double the capacity provided by MELFI-1, which has been in operation onboard the US Destiny laboratory since 2006.
Among the other equipment delivered to the ISS through Leonardo will be food, clothes, water, and additional astronaut "sleeping quarters", also to be installed in Kibo.
"When Christer Fuglesang last flew to the ISS he was welcomed aboard by an ESA astronaut who was completing a six-month mission there. This time, again, he will rejoin Frank De Winne, who is conducting a long-duration stay in the ISS, and will soon become its Commander. How better to illustrate the strength of Europe's presence in human spaceflight?" said Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA's Director for Human Spaceflight speaking from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. "We currently have astronauts training for two more ISS increments and one shuttle flight on an ASI opportunity. At the same time our next generation of newly selected astronauts is about to start basic training. European astronauts are in space to stay and we are working hard on a daily basis to create the conditions with which to enhance Europe's role in human spaceflight and exploration also in view of the ISS lifetime extension."
"Not only do we have two astronauts in space, working together within an international crew, but we also have hundereds of scientists and engineers on the ground using the operational science facilities on board. Reaping the benefits of the investments made by ESA Member States in the ISS is now a daily reality through gathering real science data from experiments conducted inside and outside the Station," notes ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain. "Our contribution to the ISS is an asset for Europe, upon which we will build up future exploration endeavours with our international partners.
Discovery is due to undock from the ISS on Tuesday 8 September, bringing back NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra from the permanent crew, who will be replaced onboard by NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, launched with STS-128. Landing in Florida is set for Friday 11 September.


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Of all the years of the Civil War, 1862 is the most portentous in terms of events leading to freedom for the slaves. Most famously, it would see Abraham Lincoln issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September and have it go into effect permanently at year's end. But many other significant events relevant to emancipation also occurred in 1862. Here is a lists of highlights, taken from the website of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project at the University of Maryland, College Park.
13 Congress adopts an additional article of war forbidding members of the army and navy to return fugitive slaves to their owners
3 General David Hunter, Union commander in the South Carolina Sea Islands, requests permission to arm black men for military service; receiving no response, he begins recruiting on his own authority in early May, but the War Department refuses to pay or equip the regiment and Hunter is therefore compelled to disband it
10 At Lincoln's request, Congress pledges financial aid to any state that undertakes gradual emancipation with compensation to owners
16 Congress abolishes slavery in the District of Columbia, with compensation to loyal owners, and appropriates money for the voluntary removal ("colonization") of former slaves to Haiti, Liberia, or other countries
9 General David Hunter declares free all slaves in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida
19 President Lincoln issues a proclamation nullifying General Hunter's emancipation edict and urging the border states (Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware) to embrace gradual, compensated emancipation.
7 Congress adopts legislation enforcing the Direct Tax Act of 1861 in the seceded states; it provides for forfeiture to the government of land whose owners failed to pay the tax and for its subsequent lease or sale
19 Congress prohibits slavery in the territories
12 President Lincoln appeals to congressmen from the border states to support gradual, compensated emancipation, with colonization of freed slaves outside the United States, warning that if they do not act soon, slavery in their states "will be extinguished by mere friction and abrasion – by the mere incidents of the war"; two days later, a majority of the congressmen reject Lincoln's appeal
17 Second Confiscation Act frees the slaves of persons engaged in or assisting the rebellion and provides for the seizure and sale of other property owned by disloyal citizens; it also forbids army and navy personnel to decide on the validity of any fugitive slave's claim to freedom or to surrender any fugitive to any claimant, and authorizes the president to employ "persons of African descent" in any capacity to suppress the rebellion
17 Militia Act provides for the employment of "persons of African descent" in "any military or naval service for which they may be found competent," granting freedom to slaves so employed (and to their families if they belong to disloyal owners)
22 President Lincoln announces to his cabinet his intention to issue a proclamation freeing slaves in the rebel states, but agrees to postpone it until after a suitable military victory
22 In New Orleans, General Benjamin F. Butler incorporates into Union forces several "Native Guard" units composed of free-black soldiers; soon thereafter he begins recruiting both free-black and ex-slave men for additional regiments
25 After having withheld its permission for months, the War Department authorizes recruitment of black soldiers in the South Carolina Sea Islands
17 Confederate invasion of Maryland repulsed at Antietam
22 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln; it announces that all slaves in those states or portions of states still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863, will be declared free, pledges monetary aid for slave states not in rebellion that adopt either immediate or gradual emancipation, and reiterates support for the colonization of freed slaves outside the United States
11 Confederate Congress exempts from conscription one white man on each plantation with twenty or more slaves
23 Confederate President Davis issues proclamation ordering that black Union soldiers and their officers captured by Confederate troops are not to be treated as prisoners of war; instead, they are to be remanded to Confederate state authorities
This list, of course, while extensive does not list every single event in 1862 relevant to emancipation. Civil War Emancipation will explore as many of them as possible during 2012. I hope you enjoy it. I know I will. Happy New Year!


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Side-on from space, our atmosphere appears as a thin sliver of orange and blue. For all life on Earth, it functions as a combined life support system and protective shield. It supplies us with the air we breathe and protects us against harmful radiation.
Something in the air
However science has established that the composition of our atmosphere is changing, and the long-term consequences are unknown. Part, if not all, of the shift is due to us: about 200 years ago, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, the human race inadvertently began a gigantic chemical experiment, pumping out massive amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulphates, other trace gases and dust into the air.
The most significant result so far has been global warming although we remain unsure of just how high temperatures could rise. Other unpleasant surprises have been acid rain, the depletion of the ozone layer and a global increase in asthma rates. All these phenomena need to be better understood to ensure accurate remedies are taken.
Mapping the invisible
To know more we have to see more. Space-based atmospheric sensors can look vertically or sideways to map the atmosphere in three dimensions, producing high-resolution horizontal and vertical cross-sections of trace chemicals, dust particles and clouds, stretching from ground level to a hundred kilometres in the air, all across a variety of scales.
Instruments already in orbit can detect holes in the thinning ozone layer, plumes of aerosols and pollutants hanging over major cities or burning forests, and exhaust trails left in the atmosphere by commercial airliners. Future missions such as ESA's Aeolus will add to this picture by carrying out direct laser-based measurements of global wind fields, helping to establish the pattern of atmospheric mixing.
Watching the sky
Satellites in orbit will witness the way our atmosphere functions as a dynamic system, and how it reacts to human inputs. Earth observation will help predict the future consequences of our actions and provide reliable indicators to support the ongoing debate over global warming and its likely effects on the Earth.


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Mariano Rivera to announce plans to retire at end of 2013
NEW YORK -- The great Mariano Rivera is getting set to close his career.
The New York Yankees' reliever plans to announce this weekend that he will retire after the 2013 season, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official statement. A news conference was called for Saturday at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.
The 43-year-old closer is baseball's saves leader with 608. He is regarded as one of the best clutch pitchers in history, posting a record 42 postseason saves with an 0.70 ERA while helping the Yankees win five World Series championships.
"Greatest closer of all time. No question in my mind," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I've had the thrill of catching him. I was there when he really burst onto the scene as a dominant setup man and then to see what he did as a closer has been a thrill for me."
"It's really hard to imagine that anyone could do the job he did," he said. "At times it seemed like it wasn't fair. That's how good Mo was. He was so dominant."
Rivera missed most of last season after he tore a ligament in his right knee while catching fly balls during batting practice. The right-hander was hurt May 3 and had surgery the next month.
"I can't say it surprises me," former Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "I think he was sort of in-between last year, before he got hurt. It didn't surprise me he wanted to come back, just based on who he is and what he represents."
Rivera returned home to Panama this week for a personal matter, and was expected to rejoin the team Saturday.
Hank Steinbrenner declined to say what would be announced at Saturday's news conference. But the Yankees co-chairman said he would like Rivera to remain involved with the team when he does end his playing career.
"If he wants to, that would be my preference," Steinbrenner said. "I think he'd be a great influence, even if it's only at spring training."
There was a good chance Rivera would pitch in an exhibition game Saturday for the first time this spring. The 12-time All-Star typically goes at his own pace in camp, fine-tuning his dreaded cut fastball in the bullpen and in simulated games.
"You only need one finger with him, so if I get four cut off we are still good to go," Yankees catcher Chris Stewart said.
"Having a guy out there who knows where he's going to throw it every single time - you can't ask for better than that. And then to have a guy with one of the best pitches in the game - it makes my job easy. If you have the lead after eight, there's a pretty good chance you are going to get a win," he said.
Minus Rivera, the Yankees still won the AL East last year with Rafael Soriano moving into the closer's role. Soriano left after the season as a free agent and signed with Washington.
David Robertson has gotten chances to close in the past when Rivera hasn't been available. The Yankees also have hard-throwing Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen.
Rivera began his major league career as a starter in 1995, soon became a setup man and quickly blossomed into a dominant closer. His emergence from the bullpen to the blaring strains of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" was a fan favorite at the old Yankee Stadium, and the tradition carried over the team's new ballpark.
Torre guided the Yankees to four championships with Rivera. Now managing Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Torre said Rivera's accomplishments won't be matched.
"First of all, I don't think anybody would get enough of an opportunity in postseason to do what he did. It's not that somebody may not be special up there. His career is one thing, but when you look at what he's done in postseason, it's amazing. It really is," he said.
"He really was a security blanket for our ballclub. They never got tired of winning and he certainly was a big part of it," he said. "He's the greatest ever. It certainly isn't a knock at the other guys. But first of all New York, where it's the biggest fishbowl in the world, the postseason, where everybody gets a chance to go `let's see how good you are' and to scrutinize. And he responded, he responded. He was more than a closer. He was a regular player for us because of how much of a part of our victories he was."
Rivera also is the only - and last - big leaguer who wears No. 42. The number was retired in 1997 in tribute to Jackie Robinson, although players who had the number at the time were allowed to keep it.
The numbers Rivera put up may never be duplicated, either.
"A lot of people over the years have asked, especially when I go back to Japan, `Who is the guy that you don't want to face, or the toughest guy to face?"' Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki said through a translator. "He was probably the guy who would come up at the top of my list."
"To have the success that he's had, there's been nobody who has had this much success and there will be nobody in the future that has this much success with one pitch," he said. "Pitchers obviously try to throw to places that hitters will have a hard time hitting, placing the ball where a hitter doesn't want to have it thrown. But Mariano would just throw to where you are waiting for the pitch and you still can't hit it."
Rivera was the MVP of the 1999 World Series and the MVP of the 2003 AL championship. Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he thought Rivera deserved a few more awards, too.
"I think he should have been named MVP a few times. He was the MVP of baseball a couple of times," Leyland said.
"You talk about a closer, he made closing a whole different thing," he said. "When the Yankees got to the ninth, they never, ever, thought they could lose with him on the mound."


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Redskins pick up fifth-year option on Ryan Kerrigan
The Washington Redskins have picked up the fifth-year option on linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, keeping him under club control through the 2015 season.
The Redskins had until Saturday to make the move, and general manager Bruce Allen had indicated the team would do so.
MORE: Latest NFL mock draft | Congress pushes Redskins name change
Kerrigan was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2011 draft. His salary will be about $1.5 million this season and approximately $7 million during the option year.
Kerrigan has yet to miss a game since entering the league. He has 24½ sacks in three seasons and made the Pro Bowl after the 2012 season.


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text:
If you've got the money, DC has a collection of sparkling comic book-centric jewels you can adorn yourself with. Our personal favorite are the bedazzled Cat Woman claws, and this Gotham City ring.
For more go to the website Noir Jewelry, where you can purchase your very own set of kitten claws.
[Via Geekologie]


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'Leccy Tech Gordon Brown wants the UK to become a "world leader" in producing and exporting electric cars.
If that isn't enough come 22 April - Budget Day - the government will also announce that it will enter talks with power companies about setting up a nationwide network of e-car charging posts. And e-car trials will begin in cities from early next year.
Of course, much of this isn't really new. The three-city trial was announced back in October 2008 - and back then it was definitely three cities - as was the £100m project to turn our green and pleasant land into EV nirvana.
'The range, Prime Minister? 25 miles with a chauffeur, 30 without...'
Once again, exact details of how this whole 'leccy vehicle revolution is supposed to manifest itself when the UK doesn't have a major indigenous car maker were rather lacking. Presumably Business Secretary Lord Mandelson's recent visit to the North East to encourage Nissan to build its first generation of electric vehicles at its Sunderland plant has something to do with it.
To ensure that the fleets of EVs soon to take to the nation's roads are truly green, the Government also plans to relax planning rules on the building of wind farms to ensure Britain hits its target of generating 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020.
In an interview with the Independent, the Prime Minister said he would consider buying a fleet of electric cars for Ministers so they can set a good example. Good example? We aren't sure what we are most astounded by: the level of patronisation in that comment - or the PM's belief that most of us view Government Ministers with enough regard to follow any example they set, no matter how worthy.
Of course, since Jaguar has yet to show its hand regarding any EVs it may be planning, we wonder if this means sticking Whitehall Mandarins in a fleet a G-Wizzes. We hope so as surely that can only be beneficial to our democracy.
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No snob: This criticism welcome at UVA
When you're a noted scholar whose books are helping to shape film theory, it might be easy to rest on your laurels and bask in the glow of emeritus professor-hood. But Robert Kolker, 64, is keeping busy in his "retirement."
Now teaching at UVA, he's about to publish his ninth book. He admits he hopes that his forthcoming Oxford Handbook for Media Studies will become a professional reference book. With the avalanche of praise for his previous books and his own electronic adventurism, that's a distinct possibility.
The Washington Post Book World called Kolker's history of '70s Hollywood, A Cinema of Loneliness, "the best book on contemporary American film that we have or are likely to have for some time." Vanity Fair's Film Snob's Dictionary, Vol. 2 dubs Kolker's 1983 book, The Altering Eye, a "must-have."
But Kolker's no book snob. After The Altering Eye went out of print, he put the whole thing– plus several digital film clips– online (otal.umd.edu/~rkolker/AlteringEye/). And if snobbery means turning up one's nose at teaching, again Kolker's innocent.
Now in his second semester at UVA, he teaches a course called "Four American Directors: Scorsese, Stone, Fincher, Kubrick" with an enrollment of 70 students.
Even the Virginia Film Festival counts him an unofficial advisor. Last year, he taught a course related to the Festival's "Speed" theme. Already this year, says Festival director Richard Herskowitz, "he just gave me some great ideas for guests."
Kolker grew up in Astoria, Queens– appropriately, near the current site of the Museum of the Moving Image. While working on his MA at Syracuse, he frequented a local art theater where he saw director Luis Bunuel's films and noticed that movies have "an author, who is consistent throughout his or her work," he says, describing the then-new "auteur theory" of film.
Next, Columbia University sent Kolker to read at the British Museum and watch films at the National Film Theatre at night. He recalls it as a marvelous time to be a film student. "There was a film culture in the '60s," he recalls, "love of film, delight in film."
When asked to name his favorite filmmakers, Kolker mentions some obvious choices: Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet, as well as some others Blockbuster doesn't stock: Germans Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog.
One of Kolker's subjects who became a fan of his writing is Oliver Stone. "Although I never met Stone personally," he says, "he has been very helpful. He liked the third edition of A Cinema of Loneliness enough to buy a number of copies to give to people. He also was helpful in securing material for the second edition of Film, Form, and Culture."
Kolker enjoys Charlottesville, which he calls a "very comfortable place." Before arriving at UVA, Kolker taught film at the University of Maryland for 30 years (where he holds the emeritus title), and later held a distinguished chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
"It's a wonderful career," Kolker beams. "You get to teach and you get to write. What could be better?"
Robert Kolker


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Who is the best lyricist around today?
Well, WHO??
- nicotinepancake, Feefle, Wolflikeme, friendofthenight, GMMiles, and carbonlakes this'd this
Nick Cave
obviouslyharman_kardon, Luis_Carruthers, less_than_zero, JohnnyZaza, dis-integration, and Jack205 this'd this
Or, does anyone really listen to lyrics anymore?
How important to a song do you feel they are?
sorry i was inferring that of course they are important
Obviously there are some types of music where the lyrics aren't important (like some types of dance music for instance), and obviously you're gonna get people who don't give a shit about lyrics and just like a hummable tune, but I'm not sure you could name me a classic song without lyrics that are either brilliantly written from a language aspect, or hold some kind of emotional meaning to people. Even trite stuff like James Blunt is popular because of the lyrics, however laughable they are to people like you and me.
So yes, the lyrics are the most important part of the song.
if thats true
Then why not just read poetry, a song can be great (for me at least) if it doesn't have any lyrics. If a song is great that has lyrics the lyrics have to be great also but there are so many great pieces of music out there (especially classical music) that are really emotional and inspiring that don't need lyrics. Music and instruments are the most important part of music even if people prefer to listen to clichéd lyrics by musically boring.Zapsta, GalacticStar3ruption, untrue, and harryrick1 this'd this
scatman, fat man, black and white or brown man
tell me about the colour of your soul.
Scatman gets my lyrical vote.
Fatman Scoop?
(repeat x1000000)
Unfuckwitable.crashinglikeamouse this'd this
Andy Broder
or maybe E.
Also, two of the most overlooked musicians of our age.
until they released their terribly average 3rd album
i'd have suggested paul smith of maximo park...
paul smith
is shit hot.
- joshjoshjosh, guntrip, Luis_Carruthers, and GMMiles this'd this
- this'd this
alex turner
yoni wolf
will oldham
Matt Berninger
Will Oldham
as a change from all the more established lyricists
I've always thought that Toby Haye's comes up with some totally inspired lines.
So many replies and no mention of Guy Garvey.bazzo this'd this
No idea
I'm one of those people who prefer the music, in fact I can't even remember all the lyrics to some of my favourite songs. And instrumental music is awesome.
Why?'s lyrics are sometimes a bit special I guess but can also be embarassing beyond belief.
paul smith's lyrics are up there with kele's for cringe factor
- rikx and thismodboy this'd this
- villiersterrace this'd this
I like reading his lyrics as much as listening to him spit them.
They paint some vivid fucking pictures.
James Mercer
Matt BerningerCoja and smokeyrabbitfoot this'd this
Tom Waits
Nick Cave
Jens Lekman
mf doom
lil wayne
kid cudi
2nded for Lil Wayne & MF Doom
Weezy cracks me up, I was listening to him for the first time in a while today and even when he's talkin bollocks he's entertaining. Doom cracks me up and paints some insane pictures. I've not really heard Cudi but Wolf makes me cringe I can only stand a track or so every now and again of his, its all so sappy and lame. He's got some good bits though yeah.
I wana add Trim and Durrty Goodz to the pile, maybe Wiley too, when those lot are on form and have something to say they are so good. Same with Dizzee too, he's kind of watered everything down for the new stuff but when he had something to say he was one of the best around and probibly still has it in him somewhere.
- GMMiles this'd this
I'd probably say Kevin Barnes
though at times he's a bit pretentious. Still I reckon that it all depends on how much you can relate to what the lyricist is talking about.
will sheff
nick cave
and dave berman (am pretending he is still around!)
Guy Garvey, Nick Cave, Isaac Brock, Craig Finn.
Petah doherty
what's the chap from meet me in st louis called?
Because he's amazin.
Toby Hayes
he now has a solo project under the name Shoes And Socks Off, also lyrically amazing.
"The blonde haaaaaaaaaaaaairs..."wewerewerewolvesonce this'd this
forgot *tiny*, fail.
i've never really listened
to shoes and socks off, the whole idea of solo projects never really enthralls me, perhaps i really should check it though.
pete doherty for sure
he is an absolute master of conveying the most complex and emotions through his lyrics and is the voice of a lost generation. he has helped me through many a difficult time. anyone worth their salt on here should think the same. pete if you're reading I LOVE YOU, not in a sexual way though (i'm not gay), more like a best friend that you haven't met...yet :) :)
Guy Garvey's actually quite a good call...
The music's horribly dull, but some of the lyrics ar cracking.
Pete Doherty hasn't written owt decent in years. If you beleive that his new material matches anything on the Babyshambles Sessions, you're living in another world.
If we're playing the 'used to be brilliant, and still make records so they count' game, Morrissey wins. Game over.cassette this'd this
I'd say....
Matt Beringer
Jeff Tweedy
Will Oldham
Stuart Murdoch
Aidan Moffat
Yoni Wolf
First shout for Hayden Thorpe of Wild Beasts
The audacity of some of his lyrics is fantastic!
Agree with the above too; Yoni Wolf really sticks out, especially the lyrics on 'Gemini'.
Tim Smith
of Cardiacs
Bob Dylan you absolute morons.
He is the best lyricist of all time.
Let's set him aside though.
It's like saying, "What's the best film ever made?" Everyone settles in for the convo and then someone goes "The Godfather" and everyone else is like: Well, that was a fun five second discussion.
So yeah, apart from Dylan...
Has to be The Gift of Gab!!
Although, I do second the vote for Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy.
Lou Reed/John Cale - I can't choose but one!
Morrissey, Luke Haines, Neil Tennant, Neil Hannon and Momus have all been around ages and all lost their musical edge but still beat all of the current crop sadly.
Bradford Cox.
He's a master of saying a lot with very few words. Songs like Cryptograms and Agoraphobia convey complex psychological states with very minimal language.
So nobody's said Stephin Merritt yet?!
Stephin Merritt.
James Mercer
Panda Bear, Wild Beasts, Isaac Brock, Justin Vernon
Matt Berninger
and Tom Waits.
Probably the best song ever written:
"Men In Black"
[Men In Black Soundtrack]
Here come the Men in Black
It's the M.I.B.'s, uhh, here come the M.I.B.'s
Here come the Men in Black
They won't let you remember
Nah nah nah
The good guys dress in black remember that
Just in case we ever face to face and make contact
The title held by me - M.I.B.
Means what you think you saw, you did not see
So don't blink be what was there
Is now gone, black suit with the black Ray Ban's on
Walk in shadow, move in silence
Guard against extra-terrestrial violence
But yo we ain't on no government list
We straight don't exist, no names and no figerprints
Saw somethin strange, watch your back
Cause you never quite know where the M.I.B.'s is at
Uh and...
Here come the Men in Black (Men in Blaaaaack)
Galaxy defenders (oahhaooohh ohhhhh)
Here come the Men in Black (Men in Blaaaaack)
They won't let you remember
Uh uh, uh uh, now
From the deepest of the darkest of night
On the horizon, bright light enters sight tight
Cameras zoom, on the impending doom
But then like BOOM black suits fill the room up
With the quickness talk with the witnesses
Hypnotizer, neuralizer
Vivid memories turn to fantasies
Ain't no M.I.B.'s, can I please
Do what we say that's the way we kick it
Yaknahmean? I see my noisy cricket get wicked on ya
We're your first, last and only line of defense
Against the worst scum of the universe
So don't fear us, cheer us
If you ever get near us, don't jeer us, we're the fearless
M.I.B.'s, freezin up all the flack
(What's that stand for?) Men In Black
Uhh M
The Men in Black...
The Men in Black
Let me see ya just bounce it with me, just bounce with me
Just bounce it with me c'mon
Let me see ya just slide with me, just slide with me
Just slide with me c'mon
Let me see ya take a walk with me, just walk it with me
Take a walk with me c'mon
And make your neck work
Now freeze...
Here come the Men in Black (Men in Blaaaaack)
The galaxy defenders
Right on, right on
Here come the Men in Black (Men in Blaaaaack)
They won't let you rememberk (ohhhh nooooo)
Alright check it, let me tell you this in closin
I know we might seem imposin
But trust me if we ever show in your section
Believe me, it's for your own protection
Cause we see things that you need not see
And we be places that you need not be
So go witcha life, forget that Roswell crap
Show love to the black suit, cause that's the Men in
That's the Men in...
Here come the Men in Black (here they comeeeee)
The galaxy defenders (ga-la-xy de-fenders)
Here come the Men in Black (ohhhh here they come)
They won't let you remember (won't, let you, rememberrrr)
Here come the Men in Black (ohhhh here they come)
Galaxy defenders (ohh ohh, ohh ohh, ohh ohh)
Here come the Men in Black
They won't let you remember
conor oberst (bright eyes) just listen to some of the lyrics over his last few albums and be amazed, some of them have stayed with me for years now
I'm pretty sure we did this one a few months ago
Still: John Darnielle, Yoni Wolf, Stephin Merritt, Gareth Campesinos!, Will Sheff, Matt Beringer, Jeffrey Lewis, Nick Cave and the man Wikipedia calls "Andy "Falco" Falkous". Oh and Busdriver and Slug from Atmosphere.
Keith Buckley
I'm pretty surethe_instone this'd this
Tim Kasher
Maybe a litte too Emo in places, however, still very good though!


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Justin Bieber might have found his true niche other than singing: basketball.
At the NBA All-Star celebrity game in Los Angeles last night, the heartthrob was selected as the most valuable player, The Associated Press reported.
Bieber, who wore a red-and-white jersey, was playing for the West, which lost to the East 54-49. In the game, he scored eight points with four assists and two rebounds. He garnered cheers from the crowd at the Convention Center when he handled the ball, said The Hollywood Reporter.
U.S. & World
The star said in an interview during the game: "I'm just running back and forth. I'm controlling this whole team. I'm just kidding."
The leading scorer on the West team was former Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen with 15 points.
Former basketball player Bill Walton coached the West team. Aside from Bieber, other celebs on the West team included Rob Kardashian, "Chuck"'s Zac Levi and singer Trey Songz. Magic Johnson coached the East team that included rapper Common, Jason Sudeikis and Nick Cannon.
Selected Readings: The Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter


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marketingcrazy necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 6 diseños de 5 diseñadores freelance.
As seen when starting regular movies, you'll see companies have a short animation that blends into their logo (think 20th century fox, etc...). This is a little longer, but the same idea.
Please see materials at: http://www.salsacrazy.com/basement.htm
Opening animation for a bunch of film clips for basementempires.com (a site which teaches people how to build a business out of their passion online)
Philosophy of the clip you'll create: The idea behind the clip is a visual representation of someone reaching the world, and "shining a light over it" from their basement (the basement of their house). The idea is the light represents their business, as they can reach the entire world from their small home.
The Clip, in Detail: Animated 12 second opening: Starts bright light (white light filling screen), camera pulls back to expose window sill with light pouring out of it, pullsback slowly farther to expose basement (bottom room of house) with the window sill and light spilling forth, with abright light spilling out of it, camera pulls out farther to see the entire house(with bright light still shining from the basement) sitting alone on top of a high hill or cliff,camera pans across hill, to massive town (light shining over it from the basemnt windown) and long visible distance withlight from the window spilling out across the night sky, covering the town into thecurvature of the earth, and as we pull back from the curvature earth we see thebright light, still coming from the Basement, shining from the entireglobe, and turning into the logo, Basement Empires: Your Passion, YourBusiness
Music - Inspirtational, typical movie opening, perhaps a little newsy. Not necessarily music, but sounds that are correct for the scene...
- I'd love a large .mov production quality animation, DV Quality
- Anything unprofessional...ask questions if you don't understand the project!


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Social Security payroll tax increase will shrink paychecks
Legislators approve 2 percent increase
Even though the country didn't fall off the fiscal cliff, many taxpayers will still see extra money coming out of their paychecks in 2013.
Action Seven reporter Regina Ruiz explained that the country has been on a tax holiday from some of the Social Security payroll tax. But that has now come to an end, and the deal to avert going over the fiscal cliff won't change the fact that the tax has been increased.
Ruiz said that means the average New Mexico family will have an additional $22 taken out of its paycheck, for those paid twice a month.
"That's extra rice; that extra hamburger meat; that extra gallon of milk; an extra can of formula," said Albuquerque resident Robin Stone-May.
In 2011, lawmakers cut the Social Security payroll tax by 2 percent percentage points -- from 6.2 to 4.2 percent -- to stimulate the struggling economy. The cut equaled roughly $580 a year for the average New Mexico family making $44,000.
"The payroll tax (cut) was viewed, when the economy was much more fragile, as something you could put in place to help families put money in their pocket to go out and spend," said Democratic Sen. Tom Udall.
But Udall said as times get better, the payroll tax is what pays for Social Security.
Even though lawmakers said the deal is done, some people still feel that Congress should extend the cut again.
"When it affects our paychecks, they should make it a priority over everything, I believe that," said Albuquerque resident Geraldine Williams.
Udall said almost all of the lawmakers agreed to let the Social Security payroll tax cut expire to protect Social Security.


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Choreography by: George Balanchine
Music by: Paul Hindemith
Requiring great energy, speed, and precision, the striking choreography in Kammermusik No. 2 echoes the intricacies of its modernist score with jagged lines and stylized gestures.
A ballet requiring great energy, speed, and precision, Kammermusik No. 2 has a complex structure that echoes the music; one of the dancers in the original cast likened it to a computer. The ballet is performed by two couples and an eight-man ensemble. The men, with their jagged lines and stylized gestures, dance to the music of the orchestra. The soloists, dancing to the complex passages for piano, are in counterpoint to the ensemble. The score is one of seven kammermusik pieces — the word "kammermusik" is German for "chamber music" — written by Hindemith between 1923 and 1933, when the composer turned to a neoclassical style evoking the Baroque.


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Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sundays at 10:30am
Meditation at 9:30am in Studio B
Old Town Center for the Arts
633 North 5th Street
Cottonwood, AZ 86326
Kimberly Kelley
Send Email
Each Sunday we gather as an independent spiritual healing center with a very unique format for people like many of us that are "spiritually diverse". We attract people who have shared that they are part of other congregations, as well -- LDS, Catholic, Unity and Jewish. We are spiritually inclusive!
As an independent organization, the Center of Universal Light allows us the freedom to approach our Gatherings from a variety of directions, through spiritual practices, traditions, ceremonies, music and religions from any and all of the world's religions. Just like Sunday, we might combine several practices in one Gathering simply because the message is in line with our theme. In this way, we follow our vision which takes us "beyond religion" to a spiritual wholeness.
We also present many practical ideas for improving our lives and the world around us without a focus on doctrine to box us in. We are committed to the Truth in all positive spiritual practices and traditions which makes us all the more free to explore our collective beautiful hearts.
Arvel Bird and Kimberly Kelley founded CUL in April 2017. After 14 years of touring as full-time performers and many years as spiritual seekers this opportunity presented itself. I'd say it was out of the blue, but we had been visioning it for a year and 11 months. We weren't married to the outcome, we just visioned what we wanted to experience — a new type of community and lifestyle.
Co-Founder and Spiritual Director, Arvel Bird (www.arvelbird.com) is an award-winning recording artist using his Native American and Scottish heritages to create original music on his violin and Native American flutes. In his performances over the last many years, his stories of Indigenous spirituality, Animal Totems and culture eventually took on a spiritual tone which, combined with his music, connected with so many fans all over the world, that we wanted to create something more long-lasting.
We hope you will join us in our open-hearted, open-minded community.


text:
So you're contemplating telephony sip! At TelephoneSystemsDirect we are honest with our customers and so we will tell you that although our OfficeServ7000 series telephony sip enabled platforms will connect to SIP lines without any problem, we feel that, as we write this article (early 2010) that now is not the time for you to implement telephony sip.
Don't let that stop you putting an OfficeServ7030, OfficeServ7100, OfficeServ7200, OfficeServ7200S or OfficeServ7400 into your organisation because they are the best value for money telephony sip products available. You'll be ready for when the telephony sip tariff wars start to drive the cost of calls down and it becomes economic sense to switch. telephony_sip.pdf
We are a Samsung Platinum accredited dealership and have been an SME Reseller of the Year award holder, so we do speak with some assurance on telephony sip matters.
When the telephony sip national infrastructure is complete and stability is assured nationwide, then we'll be 100% behind telephony sip.
Want to know more? Ring us on 0800 652 8052 for telephony sip advice.


text:
Both adults and children can sit in the courtroom and view their state's history, from the beautiful state oak tree panels that cover the walls, to the two famous murals entitled "The Allegory of Education" and "The Fundamental Orders, 1638-1639," which grace the wall and the ceiling. Students may gaze up at the portraits of retired Chief Justices, and sometimes one lucky individual will play the role of court marshal for the day! Whether young or old, individuals can understand the importance of this courtroom - and how it differs from the Superior and Appellate courthouses in Connecticut.
The External Affairs Division of the Connecticut Judicial Branch welcomes tour groups Monday through Friday. Please call the External Affairs Division at (860) 757-2270 or e-mail email@example.com with a completed tour request form to arrange a tour. Please provide information about anyone in the tour group who may require special accommodations.
View the CT-N Video:
"Enduring Grandeur: Connecticut's Supreme Court Building"


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This interview was originally broadcast on April 12, 2012. Fernando Trueba's Chico & Rita is now out on DVD.
The animated film Chico and Rita is set in 1940s Havana, at a time when Cuban musicians were starting to leave the country and join the jazz scene in New York. It was also a time when musical styles were fusing — and changing the Afro-Cuban jazz scene entirely.
The film tells the story of Chico, one of the best piano players in Havana, and Rita, his sultriest singer. They're lovers, and eventually their migration takes them past New York to Paris — criss-crossing continents to make music while struggling to keep themselves and their relationship afloat.
Co-director Fernando Trueba, whose film Belle Epoque won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993, received another Academy Award nomination for Chico and Rita, which recently won Spain's Goya Award for best animated film.
Trueba joins Fresh Air for a discussion about the film — his first animated work — and his love of American jazz music, which helped inspire the film.
"I'm always listening to American jazz, and I arrived to Cuban music through jazz," he tells Terry Gross. "When we started talking about the idea of making the movie and music in Cuba, I said to [my co-director] 'Let's do a story where the characters are musicians, because I love this ambiance and all of that."
Trueba chose Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes to play the musical parts for Chico in the film. Valdes was a key bandleader and arranger in the Cuban music scene in the '40s and '50s. Then he disappeared into obscurity for decades, until his career was recently resurrected. Now in his 90s, he still plays at home — but no longer plays in public. Trueba says Valdes inspired the film.
"We thought, why don't we have the character be a pianist so we can have Bebo play in the movie? So that was the strong idea, and then the rest of the things came naturally after that," he says. "[We had the] idea that every time Chico's character was playing the piano, we had Bebo — the great Cuban musician alive today in the world — play."
Trueba modeled Chico's face in the movie after Valdes' face — and dedicated the movie to him.
"It's his last work, and that's why the movie is dedicated to him," he says. "Not only because of the music, but because I'm sure if it was not for my friendship with him, I would not have written or made a movie like this one. It's not Bebo's biography, it's not his life, but he was the main inspiration of the ambiance, that period, this kind of characters. So Bebo is, for me, everywhere in the movie."
When the film was completed, Trueba arranged for a private screening for Valdes.
"It was an incredible experience," he says. "I was watching Bebo's face all the time, and he was so moved. And at the end of the movie, he was crying his eyes out with tears, and he kissed me. It was an incredible moment. I will never forget that moment — very, very emotional and touching for both of us."
Before becoming a filmmaker, Trueba worked as a film critic in Spain. He has won several Goyas, as well as two Grammy Awards for his work as a music producer. His films include Calle 54, Belle Epoque, El año de las luces and El milagro de Candeal.
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies in for Terry Gross.
"Chico & Rita," the Oscar nominated animated musical, will be out on DVD next week. It's a love story set in Havana, New York, Hollywood and Paris, largely in the late '40s and early '50s, with great jazz and Cuban music and dazzling animation.
Our guest is Spanish director Fernando Trueba, who co-directed "Chico & Rita" with animator Javier Mariscal. Terry spoke to him in April. Trueba won an Oscar for his film "Belle Epoque." He also directed the music documentary "Calle 54," which featured pianist and composer Bebo Valdes. Valdes composed the score for "Chico and Rita," and played most of the piano parts. And he was the inspiration for the character of Chico, a Cuban jazz pianist and arranger whose music is considered passe after the revolution. Before the revolution he falls in love with Rita, a beautiful singer. This is the song she sings when he first sees her.
IDANIA VALDES: (as Rita) (Sung in foreign language)
That's Idania Valdes, along with Bebo Valdes - no relation - doing "Besame Mucho" from the soundtrack of "Chico and Rita." And my guest is the director and co-writer of the film, Fernando Trueba.
Welcome to FRESH AIR. I love your movie, so thank you so much for joining us.
FERNANDO TRUEBA: Thank you. Thank you.
GROSS: You clearly love Cuban music. You love Latin music. You've already done a documentary film about it. What was your idea of how to integrate that music that you love with a story?
TRUEBA: Well, I love Cuban music but, you know, what I love most of anything in music is jazz - American jazz most of the time. I arrived to Cuban music through jazz. And then when we started talking about the idea of making that movie in Cuba music, so I say to Mariscal, I say well, let's do a story that the characters are musicians, because I love this ambiance and all that. And because I had worked so much with Bebo and Bebo who was at the time with the movie he was 90 and I had previous records with him and we thought why don't we do the character a pianist so we can have Bebo playing in the movie? Bebo, who is the greatest Cuban musician alive today in the world.
GROSS: He's really amazing and it's so wonderful to hear his music in the context of a movie. And, as you say, he's in his 90s now.
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: And this you say was his last work. Is it not capable of playing anymore?
TRUEBA: Yeah. Yeah. At the time of the movie he had already stopped doing concerts because - and he love playing, he's always playing but he realized that his memory and health that he told to me I'm not going to play anymore in public but I will keep playing at home because I need to play. And his health was very delicate at the time but he could make it and he could do all the job in the movie, so it's his last work. And that's why the movie is dedicated to him because - not only because of the music but because I'm sure that if it was not for my friendship with him, I would never have written and make a movie like this one.
GROSS: So I want to play another song that Bebo Valdes wrote for your film "Chico and Rita." And this is the song that Chico is writing when he's separated from Rita and she's become a movie star in Hollywood and he's living in Paris. So as you say, there's different versions of the song. One of them in the movie is sung by Freddy Cole and I think it's supposed to be Nat King Cole because Nat Cole did a Latin album. And actually Nat Cole recorded with Bebo Valdes at some point, didn't he? Their relationship is very on-again, off-again and they're always inadvertently doing things to end this relationship that really should be but never lasts for long because of how they keep tripping each other up. So he's longing for her in Paris and as he's writing this song, he titles it "Rita," because she is his muse; she is what's inspiring the song. And then he scratches that out and he re-titles it "Lily," naming it after the dog who sits by him loyally at the piano as he composes. So, there's different versions of the song. One of them in the movie is sung by Freddy Cole and I think it's supposed to be Nat King Cole because Nat Cole did a Latin album. And actually Nat Cole recorded with Bebo Valdes at some point, didn't he?
TRUEBA: Yeah. Nat King Cole records in Espanol - in Spanish were recorded in Cuba and Bebo was the pianist in the band.
GROSS: Oh, so he's the pianist on Nat "Cole Espanol?"
TRUEBA: Yeah. Who was...
GROSS: Oh.
TRUEBA: ...the number one best-selling in Nat King Cole's career. And Bebo was an admirer of Nat King Cole pianist because Nat King Cole became very famous as a singer. But not only Bebo, Bill Evans, every time someone asked him who was his favorite pianist he would say Nat Cole and he had an enormous influence in some great musicians like Bebo, Bill Evans and many, many others. Bebo told me that at the time of that recording Nat King Cole didn't speak one word of Spanish. And Bebo not only had to play piano on the record but was his coach for Spanish, so he has to teach him to pronounce correctly the words of the song. And Bebo says he did pretty well, only the T's and the O's he didn't master them very well. That's why he say a cachero(ph) cachero instead of saying catcheto(ph). And there is a beautiful photograph of Bebo with Sarah Vaughan and Nat King Cole in Tropicana at that time in Havana.
GROSS: Sarah Vaughan.
TRUEBA: Sarah Vaughan. Yeah. Yeah. I, sorry. I...
GROSS: That's OK.
TRUEBA: Yeah. My American friends are disparate with me because I for years I've been saying Dizzy Gillespie...
TRUEBA: ... instead of Gillespie and I do this kind of mistakes all the time. Sorry.
GROSS: Oh that's great. So I'm going to ask you about a pronunciation. The singer on this version of "Lily" that we're going to hear is Estrella Morente. Am I saying that right?
TRUEBA: Estrella.
GROSS: Estrella.
TRUEBA: Yeah. Estrella, who means a star. Estrella Morente is for me the most, the greatest flamenco singer today. She's 30 years old and she's the daughter of the greatest Enrique Morente, who passed one year ago, was the best, the master of flamenco singer and she's an amazing artist.
GROSS: So let's hear this version of "Lily" by Bebo Valdes from the film "Chico & Rita" featuring Bebo Valdes at the piano and Estrella Morente singing.
ESTRELLA MORENTE: (Singing in a foreign language)
DAVIES: Music from "Chico and Rita." We'll hear more of Kerry's interview with director Fernando Trueba after a short break. This is FRESH AIR.
DAVIES: We're listening to Terry's interview recorded in April with Fernando Trueba who Co-directed the animated musical "Chico & Rita." It's out on DVD next week.
GROSS: Was it in some ways easier to do a realistic film about Cuba before the revolution, and do it as an animated film than it would have been to shoot on location in Cuba?
TRUEBA: I never thought of this story - this story started as an animation movie, and I never thought not for one second as a live action movie. And this - my first and only animation movie. I have always done live action movies with actors, or some documentaries, too. But some kind of stories and situations are best for animation than for live action or documentary or other kind of language.
So that's very curious. For example, most of the time when I see biopic movies, I don't believe, even if they are incredible actors or very good actors. I never believe in biopics.
GROSS: And these are biopics, biographical movies of...
TRUEBA: Biopics. Yeah. Biopics.
GROSS: ...of usually of famous people. And, yes, as you say, the information is usually all wrong, and you don't believe it.
TRUEBA: Yeah. I saw the - yeah. I saw the movie about Margaret Thatcher. And Meryl Streep, for me, is one of the greatest actress in the world. But when you watch that movie, you think I'm watching Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher. You don't get lost for one second because you know Margaret Thatcher. You can have - Anthony Hopkins who is one of the greatest actors ever playing Picasso. I will never, one frame, one second of the movie, thought I'm watching Picasso.
I'm watching the great Anthony Hopkins pretending to be Picasso. But when you do an animation and you draw Charlie Parker, it's Charlie Parker. You know, I can't explain it, but for me, at least, it's like that.
GROSS: You know, I had the same feeling watching the film. There are scenes in New York where, you know, at this club, it's like Thelonious Monk is at the piano, Charlie Parker's playing - the scene with, like, Ben Webster playing saxophone.
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: And if you - I agree. If you saw a real actor, you'd think, well, it doesn't quite look like Parker, and I wonder who's dubbing for him.
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: When you see it in an animation, it's like, great, yeah. He managed to work in Parker and Monk and Webster. And you just don't question it, because the whole thing is animation. You're not measuring it...
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: ...against reality the same that you do when an actor's playing it. Now, Bebo Valdes left Cuba in 1960, shortly after the revolution. And, you know, one of the points your film makes - which is a point that the documentary "Buena Vista Social Club" made about Cuban jazz musicians after the revolution - is that their music was considered not revolutionary, passe...
TRUEBA: Yeah. And...
GROSS: ...not pertinent anymore. Yeah.
TRUEBA: Yeah. And worse than that, it was considered American, imperialistic.
GROSS: Therefore counter-revolutionary.
TRUEBA: Yeah. And that's one of the things - every time you ask Bebo his favorite composers, he will say Jerome Kern, Gershwin, Cole Porter. All - he was in love with American music. And then when they told him you can't play that anymore, and that first years, it was really anti-American - it changed a bit later, at least in, at least in musical terms, I'm talking - but for Bebo, how that I can't play Gershwin? Why? He couldn't understand that. And also he, as a composer, he was with American BMI for his author rights. You know?
GROSS: The music publishing company.
TRUEBA: Yeah, the publishing company. And they say to him: Now you can't have your publishing company in America. Now the publishing belongs to the Cuban state. So for Bebo...
GROSS: So he couldn't collect royalties anymore.
TRUEBA: Yeah. So for Bebo, all these things were unacceptable. He didn't want to live in a country with no freedom with - so he left as soon as he can.
GROSS: Yeah. And my understanding is he asked for permission to take his band to Mexico.
TRUEBA: He went there because he had an audience in Mexico. But then the unions in Mexico were, at the time, very pro-Castro. So they boycotted him, the concert. And with tears in his eyes, really crying...
GROSS: They boycott his concert?
TRUEBA: Yeah. He had to left Mexico. So he went to Spain, to Iran, Italy, Germany. And then, in Sweden, he met his Rose Marie, who is still his wife. And he married her and he stayed there. But he wanted - the first thing for him was to came to United States after he married Rose Marie. He had the plan of coming here.
But that was the time of the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert - and Bob Kennedy. So he was black from Cuba, married with this blond Swedish woman, so he thought maybe it's more prudent - prudent?
GROSS: Mm-hmm.
TRUEBA: To stay in Sweden than to go to the United States in this moment. So he decide not coming here, who was for a musician, was the natural place to be, for a musician like Bebo.
GROSS: One of the things you did for your movie "Calle 54," the documentary featuring performances by Latin musicians, was you reunited Bebo Valdes with his son Chucho Valdes, who remained in Cuba...
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: ...and was pretty popular there.
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: And so they hadn't seen each other much over the years.
TRUEBA: Yeah.
GROSS: Were they both amenable to getting together and dueting for your movie?
TRUEBA: Yeah. I think they both need that more than anyone else in the world. For them, it was, like, an incredible experience. They were in heaven when we were shooting that scene. The fact of being together both in New York and playing together, for them, was a magical moment. And it was for me and for the movie, too. But it was very difficult for Bebo.
I remember that he told me once Chucho was playing in Carnegie Hall in New York many years ago, and he hadn't seen him for 17 years. So it was a night that McCoy Tyler was playing and Bill Evans was playing and Chucho was playing with his group Irakere.
So Bebo take a plane from Stockholm to New York just to see Chucho, you know, in America. And - but there was - he was never alone. There was a guy from government always with them. You know, because...
GROSS: From the Cuban government.
TRUEBA: Yeah. Always. When they came in tour, musicians, there's always one of the government with them because if not, sometimes people desert the - how you say when they don't come back? When they...
GROSS: Defect.
TRUEBA: Huh?
GROSS: Defect.
Defect. Exactly. Defect. We say deserter in Spanish. OK. So at that time, they couldn't speak intimately, because there was someone from the government. So that was very frustrating for them.
Hmm. Just one more thing. What was Bebo Valdes' reaction when he saw the completed version of "Chico & Rita" knowing that this was his final work?
TRUEBA: Yeah. It's incredible because I pick up the print when it was finished, and I went to Malaga and I rent the theater, and I screen the movie just for him and for Estrella Morente, the flamenco singer who - she lives also in Malaga. So it was an incredible experience.
I was watching Bebo's face all the time, and he was so moved. And at the end of the movie, he was crying his eyes out with tears. And he kiss me. It was an incredible moment. I will never forget that moment - very, very emotional and touching for both of us.
GROSS: Well, Fernando Trueba, thank you so much for talking with us.
TRUEBA: Thank you, Terry.
DAVIES: Fernando Trueba speaking with Terry Gross. Trueba co-directed the animated musical "Chico and Rita" which is out on DVD next week. Here's a duet with Bebo Valdes and his son Chucho recorded in 2007.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.


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edited by Erik D. Demaine
Joseph S. B. Mitchell
Joseph O'Rourke
Each problem is assigned a unique number for citation purposes. Problem numbers also indicate the order in which the problems were entered. Each problem is classified as belonging to one or more categories.
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Below, each category lists the problems that are classified under that category. Note that each problem may be classified under several categories.