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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Classical music's big opportunity is its current audience
Let's look at alternative strategies for a moment. For instance, classical music could finesses its current audience instead of chasing the mythical monolithic / young / hip / rock loving / vibrant / technically literate / affluent 'new' audience . If every current audience member attending ten concerts in a year (that's less than one a month) was persuaded to come to one more concert, the classical music audience would increase by 10%. Similarly if every classical music buyer purchasing 10 CDs (or downloads) a year bought another CD, the market would grow by 10%. And, at the risk of repeating myself, if every classical radio station listener increased their listening from 10 to 11 hours a week, the classical radio audience would be 10% bigger. Admittedly this strategy is not as sexy as turning classical music into rock by another name, but 10% growth is a lot better than classical music's big new ideas are currently achieving.
A statistically insignificant sample of one proves that the 10% strategy will work. As my credit card bill (and wife) will attest, my CD purchases in 2013 were up more than 10% over the previous year. But looking back over my acquisitions, a substantial number of these were of composers new to me. One discovery I particularly want to share is Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777), who music historian Charles Burney ranked alongside Handel, Scarlatti and Bach. Given that judgement Wagenseil's absence both from the concert hall and record catalogue is puzzling. But I heartily recommend the two CPO recordings of his sparkling symphonies - see above - and, of particular interest, his Quartets for Low Strings (three cellos and double-bass) and Organ Concertos.
Classical music's big opportunity is its current audience. That audience can be grown by bold, imaginative and, above all, intelligent programming - more Wagenseil, Malcolm Arnold and Ramon Humet please - in the concert hall, on CD and on the radio. But for this strategy to work loyal concert goers will need to be cherished, instead of being treated with the contempt that is currently fashionable. The 10% strategy may not be the glamorous quick fix that bonus driven music industry executives desperately want. But at least it is realistic.
Also on Facebook and Twitter. No review samples were used in this post. Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).
6 comments:
- Pliable said...
Peter Puskás has shared this post on Facebook saying "here's someone making a lot of sense about how to develop audiences...we need more of that..."
- 10:40 am
- Andi said...
Sure, growing an audience is more cost effective than finding new audiences.
But as symphony organizations around the US can tell you, the average age of a patron is 65 - and getting older. Many patrons are 75+. To be morbidly honest, those patrons aren't going to be around forever. If symphonies are to still exist in a decade or two, they need younger audiences.
With that long range knowledge in mind, it would be foolish to abandon efforts to bring more young people into the hall. If classical music organizations, from symphonies to radio stations, can't find these younger people, then it won't matter if they found a 10% growth in 2014.
- 3:24 pm
- Pliable said...
Andi, I am afraid you are subscribing to a common and convenient myth, namely that "Many patrons are 75+. To be morbidly honest, those patrons aren't going to be around forever".
At the moment, whether we like it or not, the majority of the audience for classical music is older people and this target market is growing not shrinking. It is projected that in the States, as an example, the number of people over 65 will grow from the current 40 million to 70 million in 2030. It is convenient but wrong to assume classical audiences are shrinking because concertgoers over 75 are dying. As has been discussed here before, and as available statistics for classical radio listeners show, audiences are falling because the core current audience is being driven away by patronising attitudes and gimmicky attempts to win new audiences, while the much discussed new audience shows no signs of materialising.
Classical music is keen to end silly traditions such as concert dress and silence between movements. But one silly tradition that it seems unable to end is the erroneous assumption that any new audience must be young. Classical music needs new audience members, but as a recent post explained it is wrong to assume that this new audience will be solely young and hip. There is no single current audience for classical music and no single new audience. When classical music starts to value every new concert goer, irrespective of age, income and ethnicity it will have finally dumped one very silly tradition.
- 3:57 pm
I feel compelled to chime in.
I agree with Pliable that it is futile for orchestras to target "young" people. The average young person is just not ready for classical music -- the mind has to have been developed and she has to have lived a little to appreciate this art form.
But I can also see why the orchestras see the grey hair set as perishable goods.
Why not target the middle-aged? They will be around a while and some of them may be ready for classical music.
Just now in the U.S. we are seeing a resurgence of Hollywood films made for the "older" audience. Food for thought for concert organizers?
- 5:59 am
- Graeme said...
I second the idea that it is time to hear Malcolm Arnold. apart from a few outings of the Grand Grand Overture or the Padstow Lifeboat on the radio, when was one of his symphonies programmed in the UK? I would have thought that Verdi, Wagner and Britten were doing well enough without anniversary festivities...who cares about Malcolm Arnold or CPE Bach?
- 12:51 am
- Frank said...
I present a program on 3MBS in Melbourne and try to program lesser-known music. I've just discovered Wagenseil - have already played his trombone concerto and will play one of the quartets for lower strings soon. Thank you for alerting me to the disc of symphonies; that's now on my shopping list
- 9:00 pm


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Part of the branding campaign includes an updated logo, a "NL" stylized to look like an orange tulip, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The logo replaces the "Holland tulip," which was created by the tourism board 25 years ago and used to promote the country.
The central government hopes to use the new logo, which debuted in November, for 20 years, the ministry said. The new logo can be used to promote the Netherlands abroad and by cities, universities, sports organizations, companies, cultural institutions and civil society organizations, Ms. de Beer said.
"If we compare our branding to a song," Ms. de Beer said, "this basic narrative provides for the repetitive chorus, to which everyone can add on their own couplet."
Marketing experts, however, were not convinced that the rebranding was needed.
David Corsun, the director of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver, said on Sunday that it was always better for a brand to have a cohesive identity. But Dr. Corsun said any confusion caused by the country's two names was probably not a major hindrance.
"My impression is that maybe more is being made of it than the results will drive," he said. "I'm disinclined to believe that it's going to have some earth-shattering results for them, but it seems like it's going to have a relatively benign to somewhat beneficial outcome for them."
Allen Adamson, a founder of the branding firm Metaforce and an adjunct professor of branding at New York University, said that the country's new campaign was irrelevant because, for many people, the two names were interchangeable, so the rebranding wouldn't affect their behaviors.
It's an interesting intellectual exercise, he said, but Dutch officials are trying to solve a problem that does not exist.

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I'm not exactly in a bad mood, but I'd characterize it as a "drab" mood. I'm stuck in the apartment on the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet (also plain roasted chicken and chicken soup) until my body deals with whatever it is dealing with.
So I'm bored.
This has gone viral already, so you've probably already seen it. I caught up to it when George Takei posted it on Facebook. Look at it again:
gislebertus posted this image a few weeks ago. It was hysterical for all of the wrong reasons, but I obviously couldn't Facebook it:
All right. I know that I've been stalling on the whole Lord of the Rings compilation liner notes thing, especially considering that I am finished with the mix itself. They're too long for a single entry and rather than just making separate entries for discs one and two, I'm thinking of a master entry with links to the notes. All I can say is that when you see them, you'll understand. There's a lot to cover.
The most comprehensive account of a composer's work at a studio since Film Score Monthly's Miklós Rózsa Treasury (1949-1968), the Varèse Sarabande Club Release of Bernard Herrmann at 20th Century Fox is a colossal fourteen-disc set containing music from eighteen scores that the irascible composer wrote for the studio. While a considerable amount of this music has already been released, the sound in all cases has been vastly improved over any predecessor and many scores that were previously available are now presented in expanded or complete form.
Some of what the box set features, from the Varèse press release (with additional comments from myself) are as follows:
- Four scores are making their premiere appearance. Never before have Herrmann's original recordings of The Snows of Kilimanjaro, White Witch Doctor, 5 Fingers or Hangover Square appeared on CD.
(The William Stromberg recording of The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a personal favorite, but Herrmann's own reading is stunning. I was only familiar with White Witch Doctor from the suite on the Charles Gerhardt 'Citizen Kane' album, but the full score is even more exotic because of Herrmann's unusual orchestrations)
- Jane Eyre appears in its entirety for the very first time, nearly doubling its previous length. Along with the significantly improved sound, the expansion makes this presentation a revelation in every way.
(I had the old Arista Fox disc that paired this score with David Raksin's gorgeous Laura, but the sound on the new one blows the old one away)
- Anna and the King of Siam was already premiered in its entirety back in 2000, but has been remastered for inclusion here.
(This was Bernard Herrmann at Fox: Volume 3; the sound on the new disc is much cleaner)
- One of the most beloved Herrmann scores of all, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, here receives its definitive presentation, featuring additional material, together with stunning new sound.
(I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the sound on this particular score, which is a little brittle in comparison to some of the others. I may also be a bit hypercritical because this is one of my all-time favorite Herrmann scores. The new presentation is much better than the old, especially the finale, which was prematurely faded out on the original Fox issue, but the Elmer Bernstein recording is still valid)
- The bonus tracks for the landmark The Day the Earth Stood Still feature a particularly fascinating track allowing us to eavesdrop into the original recording session.
(I already had most of these; they were on the gold disc edition of the score that was included in the laserdisc box set of the film available in the mid-90s; the old but attractive Arista faux stereo mix that graced the Fox presentation is preserved here and the sound is pretty similar to the previous editions, but they never sounded terribly bad either, considering their vintage)
- An expanded A Hatful of Rain shares disc seven with the world premiere release of White Witch Doctor, a score principally known (and much loved) thanks to its inclusion (in suite form) on the Gerhardt RCA album.
(The previous Herrmann at Fox CDs had a suite of A Hatful of Rain whet the appetite for more. This was a very nice addition)
- Beneath the 12-Mile Reef features improved sound but no new material.
(No new material is featured because the FSM release was already complete. On the other hand, modern remastering techniques have done wonders for the damaged original tapes. The wow that plagued the FSM CD is still there, but very minimized. This is a distinct improvement which works well for one of Herrmann's most distinctive scores)
- The Egyptian was expanded for our Deluxe Edition earlier this year but disc nine here isolates just the Herrmann music from the famous score co composed with Alfred Newman.
(This is kind of lame, although I can't praise the Deluxe Edition of The Egyptian and the Twilight Time Blu-ray enough)
- Garden of Evil has here been significantly expanded, adding some 15 new cues to what has been released previously.
(The expansion of this score, another one formerly available as a suite on one of the Herrmann at Fox CDs, is very welcome, but even more so is how much better it sounds now)
- Until now, King of the Khyber Rifles has been represented by only six cues on an earlier compilation. Presenting the entire score for the first time is a significant find.
(This is one of Herrmann's most raucous and exciting scores. The suite from a former Herrmann at Fox album had a few nice moments from the score, but the sound was horribly brittle and the raging nature of the music demanded a more complete presentation. The new version is like catnip to fans of action scores. The title music from this score was used in the trailers for Romancing the Stone)
- While Blue Denim's previous release was already complete, Prince of Players is another score that is, essentially, a premiere here (and a major one at that) as only seven of the score's 29 cues have been released previously.
(Blue Denim is exactly the same master that was prepared by FSM, there was really nothing to improve on. Prince of Players is another score formerly only represented by a short Herrmann at Fox suite that deserved so much more)
- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit expands from the eight cuts available previously to 21 here.
(How this score managed to be so neglected until now is beyond me, but this box set rectifies all of the issues that plagued the Herrmann at Fox discs)
- Our earlier release of Journey to the Center of the Earth was already pretty comprehensive, but we did add a few cues before remastering. The score is both a musical and sonic showpiece.
(The original issue of this score slipped by me. It went on the backburner when it came out because of the Pat Boone songs and I never caught back up to it until now. I don't know what the earlier presentation sounded like, but this one sounds stunning)
- Eight cues have been added to Tender Is the Night, along with a few bonus cues.
(Nice rounding out of another Herrmann at Fox suite, better sound too)
I am a huge Herrmannophile, so it's no surprise that this was right up my ally, but I was rather surprised by how consistently good everything in this box set sounded. The clear sound is all the more essential with the music of Herrmann, who often wrote his scores for some very unusual ensembles.
The liner notes by Julie Kirgo are pretty basic, which is a shame. A track-by-track breakdown, such as the ones FSM posts in their online liner notes, would have been appropriate for a presentation as exhaustive as this one. Ultimately, the music is the thing, and that's where this set excels.
- Four scores are making their premiere appearance. Never before have Herrmann's original recordings of The Snows of Kilimanjaro, White Witch Doctor, 5 Fingers or Hangover Square appeared on CD.
When La-La-Land first announced the release of Elmer Bernstein's music from Airplane!, one of the first thoughts that went through the heads of people like me was "If the Great Gates of Paramount have indeed been opened, what might that mean for Star Trek music?"
To say that it was like the opening of floodgates would be an understatement. Film Score Monthly released both James Horner scores, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock the mammoth (and yet so worthwhile) Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Ron Jones Project, a near-complete account of that composer's contribution to the series; La-La Land released Jerry Goldsmith's complete score from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and then followed it up with a three disc box set of Next Generation selections with a disc dedicated each to Dennis McCarthy and Jay Chattaway, and a third disc featuring guest composers.
Intrada Records has now joined the Star Party with a complete presentation of Leonard Rosenman's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, produced along with FSM's Lukas Kendall. The spine artwork is designed to match the Retrograde spines on Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock so that the "Genesis Trilogy" will look linear on the shelf. The old MCA record never sounded all that bad, which is why it is so surprising at how much cleaner the Intrada disc sounds. The orchestra is more distinct, and as a result sounds rather larger. The bells in the title theme are crystal clear. It's truly invigorating.
This has always been one of my least favorite scores for the franchise because I have never really warmed up to Leonard Rosenman's music. That said, it does contain some very nice moments; the title theme is very pleasing, the chase sequences are arresting and "The Whaler" is an extremely exciting piece of music. Intrada presents the complete score, and as it happens, injects a lot more of both levity ("In San Francisco") and drama ("The Probe — Transition/The Take-Off/Menace of the Probe/Clouds and Water/Crew Stunned") to the proceedings, improving the listening experience aplenty.
I have to admit, I'm also rather tickled to finally know the true story behind "I Hate You."
Once Cliff Eidelman's score for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is released (also from MCA, perhaps another Intrada release?), it will be time to revisit my Silver Screen Star Trek compilation.</b>
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The AAA-CPA Fall Education Conference - we want to help you save!
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We know this conference is too important for you to miss, so the AAA-CPA has extended our early-bird registration cut off to Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. So there is still time to save up to $100 and earn up to 17 hours of CPE and 15 hours of CLE/MCLE with two hours of Accounting and Auditing (A&A) at the stellar conference. Join us Nov. 2-6, 2011, for the AAA-CPA 2011 Fall Meeting & Education Conference at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel in New York City.
Don't forget about your room at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel directly at 800-222-TREE or online by clicking here. Be sure to mention the code AMA when making your reservation to receive our discounted rate. The hotel will only guarantee our room rate until Friday, Oct. 14, 2011. Reservations made after this date will be accepted by the hotel at a space and rate availability basis only, so reserve your room today.
AAA-CPA 2011-2012 Membership Dues - Payments were due by Oct. 1, 2011
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Dues payments may be paid online at www.attorney-cpa.com by logging into the Members Only section. Checks may be mailed to our office at: AAA-CPA, 3921 Old Lee Highway, Suite 71A, Fairfax, Va., 22030 or faxed to 703-352-8073.
Please contact the national office if you do not receive your renewal statement or have questions on our payment plans.
IRS webinar: 'Reporting of Employer Provided Healthcare Coverage on Form W-2'
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The IRS will present this free webinar on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. Eastern. For more information please click here.
Stop by the AAA-CPA booth 26 at the NAEPC Conference - Nov. 16-18
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The AAA-CPA will be exhibiting at The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) Conference being held in San Antonio. The NAEPC is a national organization of professional estate planners and affiliated estate planning councils focused on establishing and monitoring the highest professional and educational standards. NAEPC fosters public awareness of the quality services rendered by professionals who meet these standards. NAEPC builds a team approach involving cross-professional disciplines to better serve the public's need in estate planning. Click here to download the conference brochure.
Capital Area Chapter, North Texas Chapter announce new chapter presidents
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The Capital Area Chapter and North Texas Chapter have appointed new chapter leadership. Association President and outgoing Capital Area Chapter President, David B. Torchinsky, announced on Sept. 22 that Eric J. Rollinger will take over his duties as the Capital Area Chapter president. Eric is an associate at Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC and specializes in tax law. Click here for Eric's bio. Likewise, the North Texas Chapter previously led by President Elect/Vice-President Robert S. Driegert named Dan R. Waller the leader for the North Texas Chapter. Dan is partner at Secore & Waller, L.L.P. and has been a member of the AAA-CPA since 2002. For more information on Dan, please click here. Welcome Eric and Dan to chapter leadership!
SEC wants to increase frequency, lower duration of trading stoppages
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Federal regulators are considering changing the rules for when a dramatic shift in the stock market's value triggers exchanges to cut off trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission put proposed changes in so-called circuit breakers out for public comment. Those are measures that automatically halt trading if the market falls by certain percentages. The SEC wants smaller market declines to trigger halts, but it also wants to shorten the stoppages. More
Watchdogs to IRS: Curb Crossroads
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Two campaign finance reform organizations are calling on the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of four non-profit organizations heavily engaged in national politics. The groups are the Republican-leaning Crossroads GPS and American Action Network, the Democratic-leaning Priorities USA, as well as the nonpartisan Americans Elect. All fall under the IRS' 501(c)(4) code - broadly defined as social welfare organizations that should not have a primary purpose of engaging in politics - and therefore aren't required to disclose their source donors. More
33 state CPA societies back private accounting standards board
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A total of 33 state CPA societies representing over 275,000 CPAs have written letters so far to the Financial Accounting Foundation or passed resolutions urging the FAF to create a new accounting standard-setting board for privately held companies, according to the American Institute of CPAs. A trustee working group at the FAF has been studying the recommendations in a Blue-Ribbon Panel report on standard-setting for private companies and is expected to release its proposals for changes in the standard-setting process and structure. More
In debt talks, divide on what tax breaks are worth keeping
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Plenty of lawmakers are against tax breaks and so-called loopholes, unless they personally helped create them. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, for instance, says he is open to ending tax breaks for special interests. But when it comes to a tax break he secured in 2008 for the owners of thoroughbred racehorses, he argues that the measure is essential for the protection of jobs in his home state of Kentucky. More
Affordable Care Act: Will Supreme Court protect children, women and elderly?
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Congress, the White House and federal courts continue to battle over the nation's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law in March 2010. On Sept. 28, President Obama asked the Supreme Court to review the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the PPACA's requirement for all Americans to get health insurance by 2014 is unconstitutional. More
Tax hikes and jobs: The whole story
CNN Money Share
Raise taxes on the rich, and you'll put the nation's "job creators" at risk. It's a ubiquitous Republican talking point: Congress must keep the top two rates at 33 percent and 35 percent - instead of 36 percent and 39.6 percent as President Obama wants. More


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Closed Captioning Faux Pas
Television news coverage of the 2007 Malibu fire displayed risqué closed captioning.
Claim: Television news coverage of the 2007 Malibu fire displayed risqué closed captioning.
Example: [KABC-TV, November 2007]
Is this a real news screen shot?
Origins: Most viewers who frequently watch television with closed captioning (CC) enabled have likely noticed that the captioning doesn't always match the audio. This sort of mismatch can occur for a number of reasons: In recorded programs, it may be because the script provided to the captioner was altered before production was completed, because the program was later
edited, or because an actor/speaker spontaneously departed from the script. As well,
captions may sometimes be edited to accommodate audiences with lower reading levels or slower reading speeds.
Live broadcasts can present captioners with additional problems: Multiple speakers may talk at the same time, external noise may render some speech inaudible or otherwise
difficult to understand, and some words and phrases used by speakers may be unfamiliar to the captioner. And, since live audio is typically captured phonetically via stenotype or stenomask machines, with the output instantly translated into text by computer, unusually-spelled items such as foreign words, place names, and proper names can sometimes end up being rendered quite oddly in the captioning. (The French term
As we sat glued to television news coverage of the Malibu fire on the morning of Saturday,
Last updated: 28 August 2015


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The Aisle-Master takes a little getting used to at first but its nimbleness, once mastered, can't fail to impress
The Irish-manufactured Aisle-Master forklift is becoming a serious player in Australia's warehousing and logistics world.
Free range warehouses, where shelving and racks have space to spread out are now increasingly rare.
As land prices increase and globalisation brings more competition, companies need to squeeze as much capacity into their storage spaces as possible.
It's battery farming by necessity. And battery farming could very well call for an adaptable, battery-powered forklift.
Enter the Aisle-Master, a very narrow aisle (VNA) articulated truck.
In theory, it's a great idea: A versatile indoor/outdoor forklift that is a reach stacker and a counterbalance all in one.
A one-stop machine that can unload a truck and distribute the goods straight to the racking without need for double-handling.
A heavy-duty forklift that can reach absurd heights, turn within its own circle and cruise narrow aisles with ease.
So how does it stack up, then?
It could possibly be deemed unkind to mention that the Aisle-Master bears uncanny resemblance to a tractor when you first see it.
It's longer than you'd expect, due mostly to need for the articulated forks' wheelbase to swing 90 degrees and beyond.
The mast is noticeably high, even when the tines are sitting on the ground, but for a forklift that can extend to 15m there's no getting around that.
The Aisle-Master has a 19.5kW drive motor, which offers significantly more grunt than you'd get on a typical reach stacker which is more likely to run on 6kW.
The Aisle-Master is built well, there's no denying it. There's a simplicity you don't immediately notice if you concentrate only on its fancy, moving front end.
Behind the tines the forklift is remarkably basic.
No fancy start-up procedures, no onboard diagnostics software or fleet management integration (on the factory model at least), no automatic acceleration control, no automatic handbrake.
In fact, you could almost imagine you're driving an automatic car, with front-wheel drive (and turn), two pedals only, and a level-style handbrake, which, just like a car, isn't strong enough to hold the vehicle still if the operator forgets it's on and drives off without releasing it.
The tines are so far from where you sit they're practically in another room. In fact, most of the time you can't see them.
To help this problem a mirror is fitted just under the first stage of the mast, to help you keep track of how far off the ground your tines are.
It helps, but the lack of direct vision to your most important tool is still a bit unnerving.
The four-stage mast means not many gaps through the mast. This becomes less of a problem once you're lifting at a 90-degree angle, though. All of a sudden your load is right before your eyes, but it becomes lost again once (this time in the overhead guard) as you lift higher.
The cab is open and airy, and has an 'old-school' feel.
Personalisation for comfort consists of an adjustable steering column and a sliding seat. The digital display is unassuming and gives only bare essentials such as battery indicator and hour-count.
Extras such as height selector and height indicator can be optioned.
Three standard levers on the right-hand side control the tines (raise/lower, tilt and side-shift). All work smoothly, although the tilt function's scope is very limited (2 degrees forward, 3 degrees back).
The forward/reverse lever is situated behind the fork controls, somewhere near your right elbow, which I found awkward to access. For a function that requires such frequent switching I much prefer the traditional position beside the steering wheel.
If 'How does the Aisle-Master stack up?' is the question, then the answer surely must be, very high.
With a four-stage mast the Aisle-Master can soar to heights of 15m, which is really something to behold. Operating at this height is not for the faint-hearted, however, particularly if you haven't got your head around the mechanics of how the thing pivots and drives.
It's not simply a matter of articulating the fork-face 90 degrees and driving straight in, as you would on a reach stacker.
As you drive into a pallet the front wheels pull the main body of the forklift, along with the rear wheels, towards the racking.
This has the effect of moving the direction the tines point so they are no longer at 90 degrees to the pallet.
As you drive in you need to compensate for this by turning the steering wheel away from the direction you are moving.
When reversing out you turn the wheel the opposite way — towards the pallet.
It sounds confusing, but you can blame the laws of mechanics and geometry.
In very narrow aisles the over-articulation will come into play as you reverse out.
It takes a little while to get used to, but it won't take long for the muscle-memory to kick in and operating to become second nature.
I didn't quite become fluent in the dark arts of VNA operations during the short time
I spent test-driving, but workers I spoke to said the average forklift driver shouldn't take longer than one day of solid use to get accustomed to it.
The extra mental-exertion I found to be beneficial, as it keeps your mind on the job.
You could almost say it's fun. Almost.
It's not only the articulation that requires some mental adjustment, there's also the fact that unlike conventional, counterbalance forklifts, the rear wheels are fixed, while the front wheels turn.
This means you have to think things through differently when you approach a truck to unload, and when negotiating obstacles in the warehouse, but it has less of a foreignness than you might expect, and steering soon becomes intuitive.
The only scope for problems may be if the Aisle-Master is working alongside conventional counterbalance forklifts and the operator is required to jump between them during a shift.
Getting started couldn't be easier. A key turn and you're away.
If you've only ever driven conventional counterbalances you'll need a bit of time to learn the ropes.
The Aisle-Master drives with good control. Acceleration is not blistering but is smooth and even. An advantage of not having steering on the back wheels is you don't have to worry about your rear-end swinging out and taking people by surprise.
Stacking and lifting using 90 degrees of articulation is simple once you get used to it.
The simple rule to remember is drive forward until your front wheels are directly in the middle of the pallet (at 90 degrees i.e. side-on). Turn the wheel until the tines are facing the pallet then drive in, turning the wheel slowly away from the pallet to keep the tines straight. You'll soon learn what angles work best.
The Aisle-Master isn't as smooth on uneven ground as other 'normal' forklifts and the ground clearance small, so you'll need to be careful where you take it. But it's marketed as fully indoor/outdoor machine, so in theory it should be able to handle any condition that a conventional counterbalance can.
The versatility the Aisle-Master offers is likely to win the hearts of drivers, who will appreciate the multitude of options and angles that you can approach a task on, while those who watch the clock will enjoy the fact that the Aisle-Master can take goods directly from truck to shelf.
The solid tyres are smaller than you would see on some counterbalances, and the maintenance-free AC motor means new tyres will be one of the few ongoing cost throughout the life of the machine.
First you've got to find the hood. Hint: it's not under the seat. In fact, it's nowhere near the back of the machine.
The simple, AC drive motor is located between the front wheels. To access it you articulate the wheels 90 degrees and open a small panel.
Battery-electric motors do seem to be making a run for the big time in the industry.
As battery technology increases their limitations become less of a burden.
Consequently the Aisle-Master has a maintenance-free motor. Servicing involves a bit of greasing, a chain lube and a blow-out every 300 hours. The battery is designed to last a full eight-hour shift of heavy use.
So, the question is, should you buy an Aisle-Master? Here's where you get out your calculator.
Will the money you save on increased capacity be more than the extra money you spend on an Aisle-Master? Do the sums.
Many companies already have and are happy to call on the Aisle-Master to get the most out of their warehouse. In some cases having an Aisle-Master can increase storage by up to 50 per cent, depending on layout.
There's an added degree of difficulty for the driver, and your average driver is likely to prefer driving a run-of-the-mill counterbalance, although good drivers will welcome the challenge.
It's expected that when you jump onboard an Aisle-Master you'll be operating in close quarters where precision is required. With the heights that the mast can reach you can't afford any lax attention, either.
There is little compromise in terms of lifting ability or capacity to what you'd find in a 2.5-tonne counterbalance, and little to criticise in its performance or construction.
There's no denying it's quite astounding what an Aisle-Master can do, and one thing's for sure: it's a fantastic option to have and it's sure to turn heads, and not just its own.
Make/Model: Aisle-Master VNA articulated truck
Mast range: 4,300mm to 1,5000mm
Overhead guard: 2,270mm
Capacity: 1,500kg to 2,500kg
Ground speed: 16km/h
Lift speed (laden): 0.4m/second
Front tyre size: 412 x 174mm
Rear tyre size: 457 x 178/229mm
Gradability (laden): 12 per cent
Battery capacity range: 620Ah to 930Ah
Battery voltage: 48 volt
Weight (with battery): 6,400kg to 7,100kg
Standard colour: Yellow and grey
2 Comments
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A camera that shoots 360-degree high-quality spherical images in in a single shot Achieving 360-degree images in 23MP resolution
LONDON, 25 February 2019 -RICOH COMPANY, LTD. and RICOH IMAGING EUROPE, S.A.S. today announced the launch of the RICOH THETA Z1 the latest model from the family of cutting-edge 360-degree cameras. As the high-end model of the RICOH THETA camera series, the RICOH THETA Z1 supports approximately 23-megapixels resolution (6720 x 3360 pixels) 360-degree still image photo shooting, shooting spherical images in a single shot, giving consumers the opportunity to discover and capture life in 360. Since RICOH launched the world's first 360-degree consumer camera*1 in 2013, the company has stayed at the forefront of this emerging technology as it continues to evolve, and become an integral tool for a multitude of activities and industries such as virtual reality (VR), social media, business, real estate + more. Exceptional imaging and sleek design come together to deliver unique visuals offering a seamless integration into any element of everyday life - business or pleasure.
The RICOH THETA Z1 is the flagship model of this series, with RICOH deploying exceptional optical and image processing technologies, cultivated through years of high-performance camera development, to pursue its highest resolution and quality to date. The compact main body is equipped with a 1.0-inch back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, enabling approx. 23MP resolution 360-degree still images. It supports a diverse range of shooting modes, such as aperture priority, allowing users to take high-quality images regardless of the setting: outdoors, nighttime, indoors, beaches or snowy mountain views - nothing is off limits. Moreover, it is possible to shoot considerably smooth and immersive 360-degree videos in 4K (3840x1920 pixels) at 30 frames per second (fps) thanks to powerful 3-axis rotational stabilization to compensate for rotational shake.
The main body of the camera, with a 0.93-inch organic EL monitor and a Function (Fn) button, grants users access to a multitude of information at a glance, including the number of possible shots, exposure settings, and more, thus greatly improving the operability of the camera itself. In addition to JPEG, RICOH THETA Z1 now supports Adobe® DNG format (RAW) so that users can enjoy professional image editing as with a general digital SLR camera. Basic performance improvements are most evident in the AndroidTM-based system, which now offers flexibility in number of expansions one can add to the Z1 through the installation of additional plug-ins. The overall functionality of the latest model from RICOH not only meets the high demands of serious photographers, but also offers an optimal performance for professionals and amateurs alike. *1 As a mass-produced consumer product capable of capturing the scene around, above and below the device in a fully spherical image (as of October, 2013, based on RICOH research).
Full product details here: RICOH Theta Z1
Price & Availability:
Available: April 2019


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When you think of vacationing in Cancun or the Riviera Maya, relaxing pleasures such as playing golf, sunbathing by the pool, and snorkeling in the Caribbean typically come to mind. As it turns out, this tourist sweet spot on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has much more to offer than just that. In fact, if you dig a little deeper, there are some impressive adventures to be found there.
Here's a fun fact: the asteroid that struck the Earth and killed the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago actually landed in the Yucatan, creating a compelling and unique landscape unlike any other. Essentially, the entire area is a mega-sized slab of limestone through which ground water seeps, creating the legendary cenotes that are found throughout the region. While vacationing in the Riviera Maya or Cancun, visitors can dive or snorkel in these underground chambers, swim or raft along subterranean rivers, ride ATVs or amphibious buggies in the jungle, and sail through the jungle canopy along numerous ziplines.
Sound amazing? Here's an even deeper look at everything else a vacation to the Riviera Maya offers.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in Cenotes in a Yucatan Underground Cave System
If you want to scuba dive or snorkel in a cenote while you are in Cancun or the Riviera Maya, without a doubt you'll have to go diving in Dos Ochos, an underground cave system located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is a truly remarkable opportunity that will rank high on any traveler's list of outstanding memories.
The cenotes offer a peaceful respite from the warm temperatures that are common in the area and provide a brief escape from the world overhead. While swimming through the underground river system you'll discover an entirely new world located just beneath the surface. A world that was thought to be sacred and mysterious to the Mayan people that once populated the Yucatan.
Rio Secreto: Tops on Riviera Maya Things To Do List
Touring Rio Secreto is a highlight of any trip to the Riviera Maya. Adventurous travelers simply don a helmet –– complete with headlamp –– and a guide takes them underground for a combination walk and swim tour. Such an excursion allows them to experience the wonders of Mexico's longest underground cave system, which remains in largely natural and untouched state. This subterranean adventure is unlike any other, and visitors to the underground soon find themselves hopelessly captivated by the beautiful chambers and passageways that they find themselves passing through.
Untouched Nature at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
While floating downstream in Sian Ka'an, a biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Mexico, you can't help but think about the Mayans who created these waterways centuries ago. This adventure provides travelers with the opportunity to kayak through lush mangrove trees, motor past dozing crocodiles, and photograph a seemingly endless list of bird species in their natural habitat. Other activities include snorkeling along a pristine reef and fly-fishing in hidden lagoons that are popular with local anglers.
Xplor: An Underground Playground for Soft Adventures
At Xplor there is an entire world of subterranean adventures to be discovered, including swimming and rafting in underground rivers. But if you're looking for some above ground adventures too, the place has you well covered. Above the earth's crust you'll find a network of zip lines that look like freeways in the sky and a three-mile track where you can drive an amphibious buggy through the jungle, into and out of caves, and across suspension bridges that hang high above the water.
In other words, it is a manmade outdoor playground filled with all kinds of adrenaline inducing thrills. The entire thing is so much fun that you'll forget you aren't out exploring some remote section of the jungle. If you're looking to channel your inner Indiana Jones, this just might be the place for you.
Hidden Worlds: Ride a Skycycle Through the Treetops
While riding an "Aero Cycle" through the treetops at Hidden Worlds you'll get the chance to stop and enjoy the scenery or simply sit back and listen to the birds call out all around you. The family-oriented Hidden Worlds adventure park is tucked away in the Mexican jungle, providing a place where travelers can experience any number of exciting adventures. Amongst the top attractions are a zip line ride through the jungle, rappelling into a cenote, and snorkeling through an underground cave system.
The staff at Hidden Worlds is bilingual and the proceeds from this non-profit park go to benefit various causes in the developing world. Additionally, many of the people who work at the park are members of the local Mayan community too, providing a nice level of cultural exposure that you might not necessarily find anywhere else.
This is a particular great place to take the kids who are looking for a little adventure of their own, as it will get the heart pumping, but in a safe and fun manner.


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I'm not going to lie, I kinda love Valentine's day. Yes, it's silly and mhm, it's a total money ploy, but all the pink and red cuteness and hearts everywhere… I can't help myself. I indulged in some classic colours for this day of love and went full on Valentine's for this mani. Want to know how I got this look? Here's the breakdown:
♡ For my index finger I used Sephora Formula X in Curiosity as the base, OPI's Chic From Ears to Tail as the middle heart, and Essie's Boom Boom Room (on my must-have list) for the teeny one. So cute! This design is a love day fav because it's damn adorable is literally so simple to do, too.
♡ My middle finger is a base of OPI's Chic From Ears to Tail with a little bit of psychedelic water marble, done using Sephora Formula X in Curiosity and Essie Boom Boom Room.
♡ My ring finer has a base of White On by Sally Hansen and a bunch of dots using the pinks and reds previously mentioned. I think this might be my favourite nail… so simple but so chic!
♡ My pinky has OPI's Minni Style topped over Essie's Boom Boom Room.
And that's my Valentine's mani! So cute, right. Perfect for an evening spent with your sweetheart, a killer girls night to get your Cosmopolitan on and bitch about men, or the ideal mani for sitting alone on the couch eating your way through that bag of candy hearts. Girl, we've all been there. Plus candy hearts are awesome. Mmm.
Wishing you all a kick-ass day of love! xo


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|Country Of origin:
|United States of America
|Group Members:
|Euclid Gray , R. Kelly
The onetime backing group for R. Kelly, Chicago's Public Announcement made their solo debut in 1998 with All Work, No Play, scoring a Top Ten hit with the single "Body Bumpin' Yippie-Yi-Yo." Kelly moved on to contemporary R&B stardom while the group remained in semi-retirement until late 2000 when they released their sophomore album, Don't Hold Back. Their third album, When the Smoke Clears, appeared in 2005 on the Boss Entertainment label. ~ Jason Ankeny~ Rovi


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NAGOYA – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to erect a new plant so its subsidiary, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., can produce a new small jet currently under development, company sources said Thursday.
Mitsubishi Heavy intends to secure a 7.8-hectare site neighboring an airport in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, for the factory, which is expected to help invigorate the regional economy by creating new jobs. The firm hopes to start building the plant as early as fiscal 2014.
The Aichi Prefectural Government intends to develop the site, which it owns together with the central government, as an aircraft production base and to invite companies to bid for the land. Mitsubishi Heavy intends to win any bidding war.
Orders for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet have reached 325 units, and Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to boost them to 1,500 within the next two decades. It also aims to raise the production pace to 10 units per month around fiscal 2020.


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This Friday we have an artist from Toronto, whose t-shirts we first found during our Batman vs Superman – Dawn of Justice article.
TeeHunters please meet Andrew Sebastian Kwan.
Tell us a little about yourself
I was born Andrew Sebastian Kwan and I hail from Toronto, Canada. I'm 22 years old!
When and how did you first start getting into design?
I always drew when I was a kid and I never stopped. From an early age I figured out that I wanted to do go in a creative direction as a career. I grew up loving the Batman animated series and was always fascinated with how visually different it looked from the comics. It wasn't until around 10th grade when I was taking all the art classes my high school offered that I discovered all these different ways of creating things- painting and fine art to digital graphic design and commercial art.
What does it take to be a good designer? Do you recommend going to school to learn art and graphic design?
In short, all you need is a good eye. But I say that knowing it takes a lot of time and learning to develop a good eye. Everyone is different so not everyone needs to go to school. I know many amazing artists that have never had any formal training. I went to school (for sequential illustration)- going in, I felt like I didn't really need to be there and I could learn on my own. In hindsight, I gathered valuable knowledge that would have taken me a lot longer to figure out on my own. It's all about discipline and being able to see what you need to improve upon with your work. I think most artists who have attended a school would say that the lessons taught can be found outside the walls of a classroom or studio or wherever… the difference is how those lessons are communicated and delivered to you. So I think it's up to the artist to decide whether or not they need formal training.
I can say personally, that I was able to reach a point in my abilities faster than if I was flying solo. There's the advantage of being given assignments that I wouldn't always be interested in or forced to use a style or medium I wasn't comfortable in. Some people might think these are reasons to not go. But in doing so, I would discover ways of making things interesting for myself (and stretching my creativity and problem solving), sometimes I found that I was quite good at things that I thought I sucked at (turns out I'm a decent painter!) and basically it gave me all the tools needed to take on a variety of different jobs that may come my way and be able to create all the different things I saw in my head.
How long did it take to start getting noticed and actually selling your artwork?
I think I'm still in the process of getting noticed, but that's all part of the journey. I started selling my art when I started attending artist alley at different comic book conventions back in 2012 and continue to do so presently. It was probably around the summer of 2014 that things started picking up for me. It was just after graduating college and I had the time to apply what I learned to pretty much anything I wanted to do, and some cool things grew from that freedom.
If you were to pick a favorite design you have created, which one would it be and why?
That's always a tough decision! I like a great many of my pieces, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to create them. But if I had to choose, it's probably Batman: Fury Road. Batman's my favorite comic book character and for a while I've been trying to come up with a unique take on the character. He's so popular and he's been interpreted so many different ways and I had just seen Mad Max: Fury Road and loved it (who doesn't?). I thought "what would the Batmobile look like in a world like this?" and this image struck me and I had to get it out! A lot of hard work went in to redesigning characters and also designing the vehicles before putting final pen to paper which also took some time. In the end I was pretty satisfied with the effort put in and a lot of people also shared my feelings about it which was pretty cool!
Tell us about your creative process, from the beginning of a typical piece to its completion.
When I create a piece, I usually start with rough sketch layouts which are done either digitally on my laptop and tablet or in a notebook (depending on which one I can get to faster). I usually do a few different compositions and when I choose one to go with, I do what I call rough pencils. I use Manga studio to draw.
At this point, I'm ready to ink/ clean up lines. I look at the piece and decide what kind of vibe I'm trying to go for (clean or gritty). I have two different styles which are informed by what type of media I use; digital or traditional. When I illustrate digitally, I get a very clean and slick look and traditionally, I like to feel the tooth and grain of the paper and get into all the nitty gritty details. So I do one or the other and once that's finished I move on to the colouring stage which is usually the longest for me.
I don't have a standard process for colouring, but my clean line art is ready, I do a rough colour scheme where I just take a regular brush and start colouring in and experimenting with different colours. Sometimes I use Manga Studio, sometimes I use Photoshop. Once I have this rough colour scheme that I'm happy with, I start to do the final pass. I use the eye dropper tool to select colours from my rough and do a neater version. Sometimes I might use several layers and filters and sometimes I might just use one layer and 'paint' everything together. It's different with every piece!
Tell us something interesting in your life (such as achievements, funny story, places travelled, etc.)
This might be interesting- I've always been interested in filmmaking. I studied illustration and storytelling in college and film is another form of visual storytelling, so I've always been interested. I took filmmaking courses in high school with many friends that went into that industry while I took the art route. But I still play with some of the programs and tech as a hobby.
Anyways, I'm also a huge Star Wars fan and a couple years ago I decided to recut and edit the Star Wars prequels into a single 2 hour film called "Star Wars I-III: A Phantom Edit" which you can find on youtube. I love watching movie marathons and with a new Star Wars trilogy on the horizon, there's no way I can make it through 9 films. If I could take the prequels (what I think are lesser achievements, to put it lightly) and combine them into a single story, that would be easier to digest.
This was really intended to be a private project where I could learn about pacing, rhythm and shot selection- stuff that I could apply when creating comics. But, the opportunity of showing it to people came about when my college wanted to hold a movie night but couldn't figure out what movie to show. I pitched them this movie and they loved it. They even kept the movie a mystery and hyped up the event as the world premiere of a movie long in the making. It was great! And when people showed up and I made a brief speech to finally reveal what we were all about to watch, the look on everyone's face was priceless!
Sometime went by and for the hell of it, I decided to upload it to YouTube thinking only a few friends would check it out or use it as a gag on other people. But it kind of exploded with all the new Star Wars announcements, it was a perfect storm of attention- I'll just say, I will never underestimate the Star Wars community and I thought that was pretty cool!
Do you have any good advice for emerging artists?
Keep an open mind, learn lots, do what you love and stay mellow- in that order. These are more mindsets that I think influence artistic growth. As creators, we have to stay open to interpretation and things constantly changing and being different. We have to accept that and when we do, we become much more open to the whole world around us. This applies to art, I know a lot of young artists tend to get a head of themselves in terms of wanting to draw cool stuff, but the most important thing is to learn your basics. Learn everything there is to know about the principles of art, how to really develop an artistic eye and practice traditional art techniques. These thing may sound boring but when you're open minded, you're willing to accept that there's always room for improvement and you can learn valuable things from people and places you would least expect. Sometimes those are the best lessons. Leave your comfort zone with open arms. No matter what, strive to create good art. Learn to create good art out of something you're not invested in because once you get to that point, imagine what you could do with something you DO care about. Find a way to make everything you do interesting. Then come back and do what you love and see how much better you have become. And through all of this, keep your chin up and stay mellow. There's a reason movies always portray artists as super laid-back hippies; beauty hardly ever comes out of anger or frustration. Stay mellow, go with the flow and success will follow.


text: During the revolutionary upheavals of 2011 from Tahrir Square to Occupy Wall Street, a transformation of real conditions of lived existence seemed at hand. In 1958, philosopher Hannah Arendt coined the phrase 'the space of appearance' to convey her sense of where politics takes place. This space, derived from the ancient Greek city-state, was constituted by exclusion of women, children, enslaved human beings and non-Greeks. mehr


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Meet Noa Eagles, one of the McBride scholars at Bryn Mawr College
By Devanshi Vaid
Noa Eagles is more than just your average Bryn Mawr student. A junior in college, she also happens to be a full-time wife, a mother to a four-year-old boy, and an expecting mother to a child due to be born in July.
None of this would be apparent from just a glance at her though.
On this day, she is dressed in a grey, full-sleeved Bryn Mawr hoodie and skinny jeans, with her arms adorned in bracelets and the occasional tattoo. This is matched with her wide, free smile that she wears on a regular basis. In passing, she appears to be just another student, though a little bit older.
Eagles, 33, is originally from Lancaster Pa. She is currently living in Havertown Pa. with her husband Patrick and son, Logan. Along with being a commuter student, she is one of the 20 McBride students at Bryn Mawr.
The McBride program is designed to give students of "non-traditional age" — they must be above 24 years of age to apply for the program — a second chance at college if for some reason they were unable to attend or complete their college education following high school. The program resembles a scholarship program and students are eligible for funding to help them pay the costs of attending the elite college.
The program, while helpful in the purpose it serves, was not always this way. Eagles said it was originally designed to cater towards "rich Main Line women who had nothing to do with their time." When it was started, it was a source of financial gain for the college. Much has changed since then – the program now works as a source of funding and support – reaching out to women who need it more, and helping them do what it takes to both attend and graduate from Bryn Mawr.
The change in the program was met with a similar change in the number of McBrides that were admitted every year – the trend over the last few years is that five McBrides have been accepted into Bryn Mawr every year. Eagles isn't complaining about the smaller numbers, as far as she can see, the smaller number allows for each of them to get a lot more individual attention and support – which goes a long way.
When describing her fellow McBride Scholars, Eagles said, "We all have stories to tell, we all have had some sort of interruption in our lives that didn't allow us to go directly from high school to college. But at the same time, we're all diverse – our stories tie us together but also highlight what makes us unique." She paused to grin, her eyes gleaming, and continued, "We're all fucking brilliant."
Eagles knows about stories. Her own is an indicator of her determination and strength.
In high school Eagles had applied and been accepted into Millersville University. Following her graduation however, at age 17, she decided not to attend the college and chose instead to move out of her house and gain her independence. She lived downtown and worked for a while. Soon after, she was enrolled in Harrisburg community college and had a job working as a rehabilitation agent in a halfway house for people who had just released from mental health institutions.
She was forced to stop working and drop out of college a little while later – causing the largest and longest break in her schooling. She was hospitalized for an eating disorder that she had been battling with since she was 10 years old. Eagles when talking about her disorder, said "It almost killed me several times… I was constantly in and out of hospitals. I had a heart attack when I was 19."
She battled with her disorder until she was 26 years old. And then she found psychodrama.
Psychodrama is a method of therapy in which patients utilize dramatization, role playing, and self presentation to investigate and gain understanding about their lives. The process includes elements of theatre (often including a stage and props) to re-enact real life situations so that they have the opportunity to reflect on their behavior and cope with their traumas.
Eagles, a Sociology major at Bryn Mawr with a potential Psychology minor, wants to be a psychodramatist. She hopes to specialize in trauma and eating disorders. "It's what helped me, it helped me heal through my past and my traumas, it got me out of the situation I was in." she said. "And I want to learn how to give that back."
Soon after her battle with herself, Eagles moved closer to Philadelphia, aiming to apply to and attend Temple University. Not quite ready for it yet, she decided to work odd jobs and nanny instead. After three years of doing that she discovered that Bryn Mawr had a McBride program, and she "never looked back."
When she first applied to Bryn Mawr, a dean informed her that while her application was well received, the fact remained that she hadn't been in school for a while. And so Eagles attended Delaware Community College for a year – and reapplied to Bryn Mawr College – this time with a successful outcome.
"It's been a rocky path to get here" said Eagles. "But now this is where I'm supposed to be. I mean… this is where I was always supposed to be, it just took me a while to get here."
So now that she's at Bryn Mawr, how does she juggle all of it?
"Time management" said Eagles. "There is no way I would be able to do anything without it."
Eagles takes three classes a semester, and arranges her schedule so that she only has classes on Mondays and Wednesdays while Logan, her son, is in preschool. The rest of the week, Logan stays in school, and she spends her time writing papers and doing research.
"Sometimes when I'm studying, he'll come and sit on my books or computer and that's when I know. I know I have to put away my school stuff and give him individual attention" said Eagles.
Though, she is sure that Logan understands why she is in school and why she studies so hard. "I've explained it to him," she said "and he's very proud of me. He'll tell everyone he meets that his mommy goes to Bryn Mawr. He knows it's a big deal."
Even with her supportive son, it hasn't always been easy for Eagles.
"There are times when I've had to take him to class with me. Once, I took him to a Penn sign language class I was taking, and he sat in it with me, with his portable DVD player and his coloring book," she said. "Luckily, he loved it. He thinks he's hot stuff going to school with mommy."
Logan loves Bryn Mawr. Eagles brings him over every now and then to play with his "friends" at the college. According to her, he knows that he cannot attend the college because he is a boy. However, he is always convinced that "everybody at Bryn Mawr loves [him]."
For Eagles, being a good mother is top priority. This is followed by being a good therapist. She is convinced however, that the two responsibilities feed off each other.
Eagles and her husband want to have four kids – and with one son, and another baby on the way, they are making their way to that goal.
How does Eagle's expectancy change her plans? According to her, all its doing is "throwing a kink in her thesis writing."
Her plan as of now is to take the fall semester off – this means that she will be graduating at the end of the calendar year 2013, instead of the academic year which would end in the summer. This will give her enough time to nurse her baby, and give her baby enough time to grow up independent.
Eagles isn't too worried, she knows that at Bryn Mawr, she is not trying to reach her goal of graduation alone. She said that "the administration at Bryn Mawr has been great, the sociology department is really excited and super willing to work with me." she pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing, "it's not a question of not having help, it's just about knowing when to ask for it."
And asking for it might be the hardest part.
Along with her skills of time management, Eagles also has a lot of support – something that was not a constant in her earlier life.
Eagles' birth mother left when she was two years old, was in and out of her life a lot and was "abusive and generally horrible all around." She did not get along with her stepmother either. And says that this was a part of the story behind her eating disorder. "I was trying to find a place I belonged, and I was healing myself through everything that had gone wrong in the past."
And find a place she did.
Through psychodrama, Eagles met her adoptive mother – a psychodramatist and therapist herself, she adopted Eagles into her family – giving Logan a grandmother (on his mother's side) and cousins.
This adoptive mother works in the town of Bryn Mawr, and has given Eagles a copy of her office keys – so that Eagles has a place to go and do homework when she needs to get out of her home.
She provides one form of support, Eagles' husband Patrick, provides another. He is supporting the family financially at the moment – allowing Eagles to be a full time student and mother.
Patrick is trained as an electrician but is the manager of advanced door services. His company fixes automatic doors – this however is not what he wants to do in the long run. Patrick too would like to go back to school, but since he isn't sure for what yet, Noa decided to go first.
"I'm going first and then I'll put him through school when I'm making the big bucks" said Eagles. "Oh wait" she continued after a brief pause, "I'm going studying Sociology – so there is no big bucks in that is there?"
She laughed. She isn't too worried about that right now, as far as she can see, she is living her dreams, and that does not give her too much time to worry about what may or may not come of it.


text: A photo remix by DoAn Forest. A friend, Youki Cropas, had taken a series of photos of birds in a harbor in Istanbul. Played in a slideshow, the photo sequence was hypnotizing. I asked for permission to remix them, and this is the result. My concept was of a lonely merchant sailor watching TV in a Korean harbor, different thoughts going through his head. The music was made by remixing and filtering Billie Holiday's "I'm A Fool To Want You."


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Ever have a dream come true? Something that you truly wished for, that when it came to fruition felt like a miracle? Cindy Sarai has been helping people make their fondest dreams of creating a family and adopting a child come true for over a quarter of a century.
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The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church.
With 78.2 million baptized members, it is the largest religious denomination in the United States, comprising 25% of the population. The United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines,[1] the largest Catholic minority population, and the largest English-speaking Catholic population.
Catholicism arrived in what is now the United States during the earliest days of the Texas, New Mexico, California, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.[3] French colonization came later, in the early 18th century, with the French establishing missions in French Louisiana: St. Louis, New Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile, the Alabamas, Natchez, Yazoo, Natchitoches, Arkansas, Illinois,[4] and Michigan.[5]
The number of Catholics has grown during the country's history, at first slowly in the early 19th century through some immigration and through the acquisition of territories with predominately Catholic populations, as the former possessions of France, Spain, and Mexico. In the mid-19th century, a rapid influx of immigrants from Europe (Irish, German, Polish and Italian) made Catholicism the United States' largest denomination. This increase of Catholics was met by widespread prejudice and hostility, often resulting in riots and the burning of churches, convents, and seminaries.[6] The Know Nothings, an anti-Catholic and nativist movement, was founded in the mid 19th century in an attempt to restrict Catholic immigration and was later followed, among others, by the APA, OUAM, JrOUAM, and the second Ku Klux Klan. The integration of Catholics in American society was marked by the election of John F. Kennedy as President in 1960. Over the last 60 years the percentage of Americans who are Catholic has stayed roughly the same, at around 25%,[7] due in large part to increases in the Hispanic, especially Mexican American, population over the same period which balanced losses of self-identifying Catholics among other groups.
Catholics gather as local communities called parishes, headed by a priest, and typically meet at a permanent church building for liturgies every Sunday, weekdays and on holy days. Within the 195 geographical dioceses and archdioceses (excluding the Archdiocese for the Military Services), there are 17,644 local Catholic parishes in the United States. The Catholic Church has the third highest total number of local congregations in the US behind Southern Baptists and United Methodists. However, the average Catholic parish is significantly larger than the average Baptist or Methodist congregation; there are more than four times as many Catholics as Southern Baptists and more than eight times as many Catholics as United Methodists.[9]
In the United States, there are 195 dioceses/archdioceses, one apostolic exarchate, and one personal ordinariate:
The list of dioceses/eparchies that are vacant (sede vacante):
eparchies) and two Eastern church archdioceses (or archeparchies), the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
The apostolic exarchate for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States is headed by a bishop who is a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. An apostolic exarchate is the Eastern Catholic Church equivalent of an apostolic vicariate. It is not a full-fledged diocese/eparchy, but is established by the Holy See for the pastoral care of Eastern Catholics in an area outside the territory of the Eastern Catholic Church to which they belong. It is headed by a bishop or a priest with the title of exarch.
The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter was established January 1, 2012, to serve former Anglican groups and clergy in the United States who sought to become Catholic. Similar to a diocese though national in scope, the ordinariate is based in Houston, Texas and includes parishes and communities across the United States that are fully Catholic, while retaining elements of their Anglican heritage and traditions.
As of 2014, 6 dioceses out of 195 are vacant (sede vacante). Another seven bishops, including three Archbishops and one Cardinal, are past the retirement age of 75.
The central leadership body of the Catholic Church in the United States is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made up of the hierarchy of bishops (including archbishops) of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, although each bishop is independent in his own diocese, answerable only to the Holy See. The USCCB elects a president to serve as their administrative head, but he is in no way the "head" of the Church or of Catholics in the United States. In addition to the 195 dioceses and one exarchate[10] represented in the USCCB, there are several dioceses in the nation's other four overseas dependencies. In the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the bishops in the six dioceses (one metropolitan archdiocese and five suffragan dioceses) form their own episcopal conference, the Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña.[11] The bishops in US insular areas in the Pacific Ocean—the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of Guam—are members of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific.
No primate exists for Catholics in the United States. In the 1850s, the Archdiocese of Baltimore was acknowledged a Prerogative of Place, which confers to its archbishop some of the leadership responsibilities granted to primates in other countries. The Archdiocese of Baltimore was the first diocese established in the United States, in 1789, with John Carroll (1735–1815) as its first bishop. It was, for many years, the most influential diocese in the fledgling nation. Now, however, the United States has several large archdioceses and a number of cardinal-archbishops.
By far, most Catholics in the United States belong to the Latin Church and the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. Rite generally refers to the form of worship ("liturgical rite") in a church community owing to cultural and historical differences as well as differences in practice. However, the Vatican II document, Orientalium Ecclesiarum ("Of the Eastern Churches"), acknowledges that these Eastern Catholic communities are "true Churches" and not just rites within the Catholic Church.[12] There are 14 other Churches in the United States (23 within the global Catholic Church) which are in communion with Rome, fully recognized and valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church. They have their own bishops and eparchies. The largest of these communities in the U.S. is the Chaldean Catholic Church.[13] Most of these Churches are of Eastern European and Middle Eastern origin. Eastern Catholic Churches are distinguished from Eastern Orthodox, identifiable by their usage of the term Catholic.[14]
There are 18 U.S. cardinals.
Four cardinals currently lead U.S. archdioceses:
Three cardinals are not currently diocesan bishops:
Ten cardinals are retired:
There are 454 active and retired Catholic bishops in the United States:
270 active bishops:
184 retired bishops:
In 2014 the Church has 38,275[15] diocesan and religious-order priests in the United States; over 30,000 lay ministers (80 percent of them women); 17,464[15] men who are ordained as permanent deacons in the United States (a permanent deacon is a man, either married or single, who is ordained to the order of deacons, the first of three ranks in ordained ministry;[16] they assist priests in administrative and pastoral roles); 49,883[15] sisters; 4,318[15] brothers; 16 US cardinals; 424 active and retired US bishops; and 3,631[15] seminarians enrolled in the United States. Overall, it employs more than one million employees with an operating budget of nearly $100 billion to run parishes, diocesan primary and secondary schools, nursing homes, retreat centers, diocesan hospitals, and other charitable institutions.[17] Catholic schools educate 2.7 million students in the United States, employing 150,000 teachers.
Leadership in the Church in the United States falls to its bishops. They are the shepherds of particular cities and their surrounding areas, called dioceses or sees. There is one non-territorial diocese in the United States for Catholics in the armed forces. There are approximately 430 bishops and archbishops who shepherd the nation's 195 dioceses and archdioceses. Each diocese is led by one bishop, known as its ordinary. Some dioceses (usually those that are larger) also have auxiliary bishops who help the ordinary. Some also have a retired bishop still in residence. It is possible for a diocese to be temporarily without a bishop (called a "vacant see") if the ordinary is transferred to a new diocese or dies without a named successor. Dioceses are grouped together geographically into provinces, usually within a state, part of a state, or multiple states together (see map below). A province comprises several dioceses which look to one ordinary bishop (usually of the most populous or historically influential diocese/city) for guidance and leadership. This lead bishop is their archbishop and his diocese is the archdiocese. The archbishop is called the 'metropolitan' bishop who oversees his brother 'suffragan' bishops. The subordinate dioceses are likewise called suffragan dioceses. There are currently 33 metropolitan archbishops in the United States. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops's website, there are 270 active Catholic bishops in the United States (5 Cardinal Archbishops, 1 Coadjutor Archbishop, 154 Diocesan Bishops, 73 Auxiliary Bishops, and 9 Apostolic or Diocesan Administrators) and there are 180 retired Catholic bishops in the United States (10 retired Cardinal Archbishops, 24 retired Archbishops, 94 retired Diocesan Bishops, 52 retired Auxiliary Bishops). Also according to the USCCB's website, there are 19 U.S. cardinals (five cardinals currently lead U.S. archdioceses, three cardinals are not currently diocesan bishops, and eleven cardinals are retired).
Some bishops are created Cardinals by the pope. These are usually conferred upon bishops of influential or significant dioceses - or upon bishops who have distinguished themselves in a particular area of service. As of August 2011, there are 19 American cardinals. Not all reside in the United States or are diocesan ordinaries. Five are sitting archbishops: of Boston, Chicago, Galveston-Houston, New York and Washington D.C.. Eleven are retired Archbishops emeritus: of Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Detroit (two), Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. (two). Three work in Rome with the Roman Curia, and one is retired from service in Rome without serving as a diocesan ordinary in the US.
According to the 2010 Official Catholic Directory, as of 2009 there were 189 seminaries with 5,131 students in the United States; 3,319 diocesan seminarians and 1,812 religious seminarians. By the official 2011 statistics, there are 5,247 seminarians (3,394 diocesan and 1,853 religious) in the United States. In addition, the American Catholic bishops oversee the Pontifical North American College for American seminarians and priests studying at one of the Pontifical Universities in Rome.
According to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, there are approximately 230 Roman Catholic universities and colleges in the United States with nearly 1 million students and some 65,000 professors.[18] The national university of the Church, founded by the nation's bishops in 1887, is The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
By the middle of the 19th century, the Catholics in larger cities started building their own parochial school system. The main impetus was fear that exposure to Protestant teachers in the public schools, and Protestant fellow students, would lead to a loss of faith. Protestants reacted by strong opposition to any public funding of parochial schools.[19] The Catholics nevertheless built their elementary schools, parish by parish, using very low paid sisters as teachers.[20]
In the classrooms, the highest priorities were piety, orthodoxy, and strict discipline. Knowledge of the subject matter was a minor concern, and in the late 19th century few of the teachers in parochial schools had gone beyond the 8th grade themselves. The sisters came from numerous denominations, and there was no effort to provide joint teachers training programs. The bishops were indifferent. Finally around 1911, led by the Catholic University in Washington, Catholic colleges began summer institutes to train the sisters in pedagogical techniques. Long past World War II, the Catholic schools were noted for inferior plants compared to the public schools, and less well-trained teachers. The teachers were selected for religiosity, not teaching skills; the outcome was pius children and a reduced risk of marriage to Protestants.[21]
In 2002, Catholic health care systems, overseeing 625 hospitals with a combined revenue of 30 billion dollars, comprised the nation's largest group of nonprofit systems.[22] In 2008, the cost of running these hospitals had risen to $84.6 billion, including the $5.7 billion they donate.[23] According to the Catholic Health Association of the United States, 60 health care systems, on average, admit one in six patients nationwide each year.[24]
The church had a role in shaping the U.S. labor movement, due to the involvement of priests like Charles Owen Rice and John P. Boland. The activism of Msgr. Geno Baroni was instrumental in creating The Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
There are 69,436,660 registered Catholics in the United States (22% of the US population) according to the American Bishops' count in their Official Catholic Directory 2013. This count primarily rests on the parish assessment tax which pastors evaluate yearly according to the number of registered members and contributors. Estimates of the overall American Catholic population from recent years generally range around 20% to 28%. According to Albert J. Menedez, research director of "Americans for Religious Liberty," many Americans continue to call themselves Catholic but "do not register at local parishes for a variety of reasons."[27] According to a survey of 35,556 American residents (released in 2008 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life), 23.9% of Americans identify themselves as Catholic (approximately 72 million of a national population of 306 million residents).[28] The study notes that 10% of those people who identify themselves as Protestant in the interview are former Catholics and 8% of those who identity themselves as Catholic are former Protestants.[29] Nationally, more parishes have opened than closed.
The northeastern quadrant of the US (i.e., New England, Mid-Atlantic, East North Central, and West North Central) has seen a decline in the number of parishes since 1970, but parish numbers are up in the other five regions (i.e., South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, Pacific, and Mountain regions).[30] Catholics in the US are about 6% of the church's total worldwide 1.2 billion membership.
A poll by The Barna Group in 2004 found Catholic ethnicity to be 60% non-Hispanic white (generally of mixed ethnicity, but almost always includes at least one Catholic ethnicity such as Irish, Italian, German, Polish, or French), 31% Hispanic of any nationality (mostly Mexicans), 4% Black, and 5% other ethnicity (mostly Filipinos and other Asian Americans, and American Indians).[31]
Between 1990 and 2008, there were 11 million additional Catholics. The growth in the Latino population accounted for 9 million of these. They comprised 32% of all American Catholics in 2008 as opposed to 20% in 1990.[32] The percentage of Hispanics who identified as Catholic dropped from 67% in 2010 to 55% in 2013.[33]
There has never been a Catholic religious party in the United States, either local, state or national, similar to Christian Democratic parties in Europe and Latin America. Since the election of the Catholic John F. Kennedy as President in 1960, Catholics have split about 50-50 between the two major parties. On social issues the Catholic Church takes strong positions against abortion, which was partly legalized in 1973 by the Supreme Court, and same-sex marriage, which has been approved in 16 states and the District of Columbia as of November, 2013.[35] The Church also condemns embryo-destroying research and in vitro fertilization as immoral. The Church is allied with conservative Protestant evangelicals on these issues. However, the Catholic Church throughout its history has taken special concern for all vulnerable groups. This has led to progressive alliances, as well, with the church championing causes such as a strong welfare state,[36] unionization,[37] immigration for those fleeing economic or political hardship, opposition to capital punishment,[38] environmental stewardship,[39] opposition and critical evaluation of modern warfare.[40] The Catholic Church's teachings, coming from the perspective of a global church, do not conform easily to the American political binary of "liberals" and "conservatives."
There were small Catholic settlements in Spanish and French colonies, especially in California, New Mexico and Louisiana. Apart from the Louisiana, they had only a small role in the history of the Church in the United States.
Anti-Catholicism was official government policy for the English who settled the colonies along the Atlantic seaboard.[41] Maryland was founded by a Catholic, Lord Baltimore as the first 'non-denominational' colony and was the first to accommodate Catholics. In 1650, the Puritans in the colony rebelled and repealed the Act of Toleration. Catholicism was outlawed and Catholic priests were hunted and exiled. By 1658, the Act of Toleration was reinstated and Maryland became the center of Catholicism into the mid-19th century. By the time of the American Revolution in the 1770s. Catholics formed 1.6% of the 2.5 million population of the thirteen colonies.[42][43]
After the Revolution Rome made entirely new arrangements for the creation of an American diocese under American bishops.[44] Numerous Catholics served in the American army and the new nation had very close ties with Catholic France.[45] General George Washington insisted on toleration; for example, issued strict orders in 1775 that "Pope's Day," the colonial equivalent of Guy Fawkes Night, was not to be celebrated. Foreign Catholics played major roles, especially the Marquis de Lafayette, Casimir Pulaski, De Grasse, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, and Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing.[46]
In 1787 two Catholics, Daniel Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimons, helped draft the new United States Constitution.[47] In 1791, the First Amendment stated, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." This amendment officially granted freedom of religion to all American citizens, and facilitated the eventual repeal of all anti-Catholic laws from the statute books of all of the new American states. John Carroll was appointed by the Vatican as Prefect Apostolic, making him superior of the missionary church in the thirteen states, and to the first plans for Georgetown University. He became the first American bishop in 1789.
The numbers of Catholics surged starting in the 1840s as German Irish and other Catholics came in large numbers. After 1890 Italians and Poles comprised the largest numbers of new Catholics, but many countries in Europe contributed, as did Quebec. By 1850, Catholics had become the country's largest single denomination. Between 1860 and 1890, their population tripled to seven million.
Some short-lived anti-Catholic political movements appeared: the Know Nothings in the 1840s, American Protective Association in the 1890s, and the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, were active in the United States. Animosity by Protestants waned as Catholics demonstrated their patriotism in war, their commitment to charity, and their dedication to democratic values.[48]
The bishops began at standardizing discipline in the American Church with the convocation of the Plenary Councils of Baltimore in 1852, 1866 and 1884. These councils resulted in the promulgation of the Baltimore Catechism and the establishment of The Catholic University of America.
Jesuit priests who had been expelled from Europe found a new base in the U.S. They were noted for their schools and colleges, such as Boston College, Georgetown University, and several Loyola Colleges.[49]
In the 1890s the Americanism controversy roiled senior officials. The Vatican suspected there was too much liberalism in the American Church, and the result was a turn to conservative theology as the Irish bishops increasingly demonstrated their total loyalty to the Pope, and traces of liberal thought in the Catholic colleges were suppressed.[50][51]
By the beginning of the 20th century, approximately one-sixth of the population of the United States was Catholic. Modern Catholic immigrants come to the United States from the Philippines, Poland and Latin America, especially from Mexico. This multiculturalism and diversity has influenced the conduct of Catholicism in the United States. For example, some dioceses say the Mass in both English and Spanish.
When many parishes were set up in the United States, separate churches were built for parishioners from Ireland, Germany, Italy, etc. In Iowa, the development of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, the work of Bishop Loras and the building of St. Raphael's Cathedral, to meet the needs of Germans and Irish, is illustrative.
In 1965, 71% of Catholics attended Mass.[54]
In the later 20th century "[...] the Catholic Church in the United States became the subject of controversy due to allegations of clerical child abuse of children and adolescents, of episcopal negligence in arresting these crimes, and of numerous civil suits that cost Catholic dioceses hundreds of millions of dollars in damages."[55] Because of this, higher scrutiny and governance, as well as protective policies and diocesan investigation into seminaries have been enacted to correct these former abuses of power, and safeguard parishioners and the Church from further abuses and scandals.
One initiative is the "National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management" (NLRCM), a lay-led group born in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal and dedicated to bringing better administrative practices to 194 dioceses that include 19,000 parishes nationwide with some 35,000 lay ecclesial ministers who log 20 hours or more a week in these parishes.[56]
In 2008, 17% of Catholics attended Mass.[54]
Recently John Micklethwait, editor of The Economist and co-author of God Is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World, said that American Catholicism, which he describes in his book as "arguably the most striking Evangelical success story of the second half of the nineteenth century," has competed quite happily "without losing any of its basic characteristics." It has thrived in America's "pluralism."[57]
In 2011, an estimated 26 million American Catholics were "fallen-away", that is, not practicing their faith. Church leaders commonly refer to them as "the second largest religious denomination in the United States."[58]
For a full list of Servants of God and other open causes, see List of American saints and beatified people.
According to The Official Catholic Directory, the following are the top eight Catholic pilgrimage sites in the United States:[59]
Catholicism, Vatican City, Pope Francis, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI
New York, Pope Benedict XVI, New York City, Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
Catholicism, Essex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Maryland, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic Archdiocese o...
Renaissance, Middle Ages, Lazio, Roman Forum, Colosseum
Division I (NCAA), Big Ten Conference, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, St. Louis, Indiana
Google Books, California, Hawaii, World War II, American English
San Diego, New York, Illinois, New York City, Virginia
Philippines, United States Census Bureau, Texas, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Virginia
Hispanic and Latino Americans, Western United States, New York City, Southern United States, Midwestern United States