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Patent US6641136 - Sports pinball amusement device - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA sports game pinball amusement device for playing a sports game. The playing field contains a plurality slots with sensors for determining the activity in a game and a multiplicity of slots with sensors representing the final. The game is played by launching a ball along an inclined playing field to...http://www.google.com/patents/US6641136?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6641136 - Sports pinball amusement deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6641136 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/881,538Publication dateNov 4, 2003Filing dateJun 14, 2001Priority dateMar 8, 2001Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS20010030392Publication number09881538, 881538, US 6641136 B2, US 6641136B2, US-B2-6641136, US6641136 B2, US6641136B2InventorsSming HuangOriginal AssigneeAmerican Alpha IncExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (12), Referenced by (7), Classifications (19), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSports pinball amusement device
US 6641136 B2Abstract
A sports game pinball amusement device for playing a sports game. The playing field contains a plurality slots with sensors for determining the activity in a game and a multiplicity of slots with sensors representing the final. The game is played by launching a ball along an inclined playing field to determine the plays in a baseball, football, soccer game or the like, which is programmed into a microprocessor.
What is claimed is: 1. A sports game pinball machine for playing a sports game, said machine having a housing with a top wall, a rear wall and a pair of side walls and of which the upper face is designed as a playing area, said housing having means for translating at least one ball throughout a plurality of locations therein, means for launching said ball for play action and means for displaying a sports action responsive to said play action, said play area being inclined downwardly so that a ball will roll downwardly because of gravity and having a multiplicity of slots about the rear wall having means for sensing said ball for determining an activity, which is part of the game that is represented by said slot, and a programmed microprocessor, which depicts a sports activity by the action of a ball on the playing field.
2. The machine of claim 1 including a multiplicity of slots about the front wall having means for sensing said ball for determining a game play.
3. The machine of claim 2 wherein slots about the front wall comprise at least four.
4. The machine of claim 1 wherein said means for scoring and controlling the process of said game comprises a microprocessor programmed for the sport of baseball or football.
5. The machine of claim 1 wherein the slots about the rear wall are on a rotary carousel.
6. The machine of claim 5 wherein said carousel is rotated and controlled by said microprocessor.
7. The machine of claim 1 wherein said machine comprises value determining depicting means and balls are played, said determining means relates to an inning played by a team in the game of baseball.
8. The machine of claim 1 wherein said machine comprises baseball determining means for balls played for the game of baseball.
9. The machine of claim 1 wherein said first slots are selectively activated to represent yardage in a football game.
10. The machine of claim 1 including a tilt detector.
11. The machine of claim 1 including flipper means.
12. The machine of claim 1 including means for providing a visual display and sound when a ball enters a selected slot to activate a video of a game activity.
13. The machine of claim 1 including a movement determining means for determining the position of a player on a base in the game of baseball.
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/801,457 filed Mar. 8, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,470.
The present invention relates to a sports game pinball amusement device, which simulates a sports event using images of players displayed on a graphic display device. More particularly, there is provided a pinball machine, which simulates actions in a baseball, softball, football game, or the like.
A large number of players play pinball games to kill time. However, because the pinball machine is a simple game and the game is over in a short period of time, there is a problem that the players are not able to kill time, as they desire. Further, because of the simple game, a large number of players lose interest in games.
Pinball machines have numerous configurations that are well known in the art. It is conventional practice in a pinball machine apparatus to modify the structure on the game surface, the design and the score value of different targets in order to revive the incentive of practiced players without changing the principal of the game.
There are many commercially available pinball machines that incorporate various scoring indicators, lights, graphics and sound. These machines include mechanical three-dimensional figures that communicate visually and audibly with a player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,049 to Borg, which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses a pinball machine wherein a section of the playing field is changed by rotating the section to expose different components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,142 to Arad, which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses a pinball machine having provisions for translating a ball in play throughout a plurality of locations. There is also provided an audio system to provide a speaking effect in response to different play conditions.
According to the present invention, there is provided a sports-oriented pinball machine having a slanted playing field and a plurality of representative playing slots arranged on the playing field about the bottom of the playing field to determine the activities specific for the sport. Playing slots are provided with sensors for detecting a ball that enters the slot. A microprocessor is provided, which is activated when a ball enters a slot to record an activity and/or a score and display the activity which occurred. Means are provided on the playing field to translate a ball in play throughout a plurality of locations thereon.
Advantageously, video and audio means are provided in association with the microprocessor for providing speaking and/or sound or light effects in response to different play conditions.
In a baseball game the action of the ball on the playing field can determine hits, runs, errors, stolen bases and the like.
In a football game, first downs, field goals, touchdowns, and lost yardage can be determined by the released ball.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a pinball game apparatus in which a sports activity is depicted.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sports game pinball game apparatus, which alters the playing field to challenge the skill of the user.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide visual and sound effects, which respond to the playing conditions of a sports activity.
It is still another object to provide a game in which the essence of a baseball game or the like is provided.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports pinball machine of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a baseball game apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of further embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a football game pinball machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a football game similar to the apparatus of FIG. 2.
As seen in FIG. 1, in the simplest form of the invention, there is provided a pinball apparatus 10 comprising a housing having an upper face 12, which forms the sloping playing field. The playing field is conventionally covered by a transparent glass pane 14.
The housing is defined by a first or top wall 14 1, a rear wall 15 and side walls 16 and 17. The playing field 12 is inclined downwardly toward the rear wall 15 so that a ball will roll downwardly because of gravity.
The playing field has a plurality of path altering pins 20 and bumpers 18 to accommodate various ball path-altering provisions. The playing field may also contain first ball path altering slot or slots 19 formed by walls that contain sensors 22, which define the activities in the game. The pins 20 may also comprise various fixed and elastic, active and passive targets as common in the game.
Along the bottom wall 15 there is a plurality of slots 20 1, which contain sensors 21 that can sense a ball entering one of the slots 20 1. Slots 20 1 define the play in a particular game, for example, hit, home run, walk, etc.
Preferably, the slot or slots 19 define hits, strikes, balls and steals, and the bottom wall slots 20 1 define strike outs, walks, home runs, etc.
A ball launch guide 16, is disposed near one side of the housing. Launch guide 16 is bound by a wall which is offset a nominal distance from side wall 17 to form a ball launching channel. A spring loaded pull knob 32, ball contact end 28, and an intermediate body having a compression spring 30, is collinearly mounted through the housing along the longitudinal extent of launch guide 16. When knob 32 is fully extended, ball 26 exits launch guide 16, and is first expelled by releasing knob 32. Once ball 26 exits launch guide 16, it is in play and may come into contact with wall 14 1, bumpers 18, and enters first slots 19 which define a ball or strike. The object of the game is to enter into a selected slot 19 and 20 1. Each slot 20 1 is provided with a sensor 21, which is associated with a microprocessor that contains a program, which acts with a sensor 21 in the slots 20. In the case of baseball, the microprocessor provides either the actions of the home team or visitors. Two can play the game. The players skill in being able to enter a given slot 19 and 20 will decide the particular activity in the game desired.
Along the upper part of the housing and along the top wall 14 1 is a display board 32, which is associated with a microprocessor to provide the score and a visual display on screen 40 in accordance with the play on the playing field and the sensors 22 and 21 activated by a ball 26. The display can depict a player running, stealing a base, striking out, etc.
The microprocessor is also programmed to display images of players running, coin insertion, coin payout, etc. If the ball 26 enters a slot 20 1, the sensor signals the microprocessor, which senses the display board 32 and displays the activity and score. Generally, there are slots 20 1 on the playing field for each event in the game and optionally an additional slot for extra innings that is an LED so as to display that slot when scoring occurs of a particular value.
Along the playing field are a plurality of pins 20 and bumpers 18, which randomly direct the ball to slots 19 and 20 1. The size and shape of the pins as well as their positioning on the playing field have an effect on the ball and the odds of a ball going to a specific slot.
Upon inserting a number of coins into the slot 34 prior to playing the game, a sensing means senses the coins inserted so as to provide pulse signals corresponding to the number of coins which are transmitted to and counted by a detection unit and by pressing button 36 111, a signal is sent to activate the control unit which provides a signal to the microprocessor to activate the game.
The playing field may be provided with active and/or inactive pins and bumpers which not only provide scoring but also activate a video or sound program. The balls 26, as they roll down the inclined plane, randomly bump into pins or bumpers to deflect the path of the ball. At the bottom of the playing field, there may be provided thrust levers or flippers 24 a controlled by buttons 24, which can direct the ball 26 into play for different slots or direction. The length of the flippers can be as conventionally used in a pinball apparatus.
The playing field at the back wall is provided with a gutter or return mechanism, which is conventional in the art. One such mechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,213, which is herein incorporated by reference.
The game is played in a manner similar to known pinball machines. In the preferred embodiment, the general rules are as follows: The player will play balls until three outs are recorded in the microprocessor. Scoring is made by having a ball enter into one of slots 19, which can depict a hit and then into one of slots 20 1 to obtain a score. The game can be started by placing coins into slot 34, whereby coin insert and detection unit signals the CPU. Alternatively, a start button 36 111 is pressed. The CPU has a control unit, which illuminates the game board by LED's, an LCD for visual display and the audio units.
The player selects the desired play by pressing one of the buttons 36 1, 36 11 after activities are displayed for the home team or visitor. The start button 36 111 causes the release of a ball 26 into launch channel 16.
The ball 26 is put into play by extending and releasing knob 32. The ball in play can be controlled by the skill of the player in being able to control the direction of the ball by a controlled vibration of the machine. Optionally, a tilt mechanism may be provided to control the degree of vibration. If the tilt detector is activated, the game is over.
The ball 26 travels downward toward the back wall 14 1 so as to enter one of the first set of slots 19 and activate one of the sensors 22 which are lit. According to the game, the direction of the ball is determined by the skill of the player in using the flippers 24 a controlled by button 24 and in vibrating the apparatus.
The projected images and sounds can be triggered by one or more targets or pins 18 which are electrically connected with the CPU to trigger an image or sound upon impact with a ball 26. There may be provided a projector (not shown) which comprises a cassette with an endless film which cyclically produces an image on the display. There is further the possibility to trigger image reproduction and sound or change when the sensors 21, 22 have been activated.
The game of baseball can be played by releasing a ball to first go into one of the slots 19 to decide an action such as steal, hit by pitched ball, etc. The slots 19 may have actions for offense or defense or be randomly selected by the microprocessor whereby all slots display an offensive action or defensive action.
The slots will be displayed by LED or LCD after the game starts. The kind or value of the slots can be permanent or randomly selected. For baseball, the computer will select the outcome of each ball. The player could then shoot the ball to determine an offensive play or defensive play.
A similar arrangement can be made for the game of softball.
Along the playing field, near pins 20, may be positioned sensors 22 about the bases which indicate a single, double, or triple which has been hit so that action on the field can take place before the ball 26 reaches slots 20 1.
FIG. 2 represents a game similar to that shown in FIG. 1. The game differs by not providing sensors along the bases and allowing the play of multiple innings.
The apparatus 110 has a top wall 114 1, side walls 116 and 171. A launch channel 111 is formed by wall 261 and 171. A ball 0 is put into play by extending a knob 221 which is attached to rod 23 which extends into the channel 111. The ball 0 is put into play when the knob 221 is released and the compression spring 251 has the front end 241 impact on the ball 0 where upon it will enter the playing field. On the playing field the ball 0 will encounter the bumpers and/or pins 18 1 as well as the slots 19 and 20.
A difference from the game of FIG. 1 is that multiple coins can be placed in coin slot 42 to pay for extra innings or for two players to oppose each other. In which case, the buttons 41, 41A, 41 1 and 41 11 are associated to signal a microprocessor the activities played. Button 41 represents one player and button 41A represents the second play which informs the microprocessor which program is to be used. Button 41 1 releases a ball onto the launch channel 111 for play. Button 41 11 starts the game after the coins are placed in coin slot 42.
Similar to the game shown in FIG. 1, there are flippers 50A activated by a button 50 which keep the ball 0 in play to keep it from entering an out slot which may be represented by one or more slots 20.
FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention wherein the bottom slots are on a carousel 55. The carousel is controlled by a microprocessor which randomly selects which slots 55 1 are accessible by a played ball 0. Each of the slots 55 1 has a sensor (not shown) which senses a ball 0 entering and falling into ball return 56. Walls 57, 57 1 and 58 deflect the ball 0 into one of the slots 55.
The game can contain the options programmed into the microprocessor whereby the plays, pitches or the like, are drawn by the microprocessor or obtained by playing the game a plurality of balls until one or three outs are reached. The game may be drawn to a single player at bat or a part of an inning.
The machine can alternately be provided with a single forward slot, which in combination with a video display advances a runner on base that is determined by the microprocessor, or the carousel can comprise a multiplicity of slots, which are for determining a hit, steal, out, etc. Buttons 59 and 59 1 provide the player with the option to select how the game is to be played.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration according to the present invention wherein a microprocessor or CPU 70 is a memory device in which every processing program is stored. CPU 70 controls the LCD display 64, a coin insertion and detection unit 60 for detecting the insertion of a coin and includes a coin payout unit for paying out coins.
The CPU has a motor control unit 61 which controls the activation of the sensors 21, 22, a lamp control unit 62 which illuminates the apparatus upon insertion of a coin, a LED control unit 63 for the LED's 48 of the sensors 21, 22 and other illuminations, a LCD control unit 64 for the video display which also contains a graphic RAM for storing graphic data to be sent to the video display and a character ROM in which character data are stored, and a sound control unit 65 which stores sounds or announcements for different activities on the video display.
The device of the invention contains a memory device 71 in which every processing program is stored, means for controlling operations of the processing programs, a CRT control circuit 61 with a CRT display for images of base runners, a coin insertion detector 60B for detecting the insertion of coins, a counter of coins and a payout hopper.
The CRT control circuit 61 comprises a CRT controller for controlling the images to CRT 61A, a graphic RAM for storing graphic data to be sent to the CRT 61A and a character ROM in which character data are stored.
A baseball game can be played by allowing play of a multiplicity of balls until three outs are reached. The slots at the front of the apparatus can represent hits, outs, balls or strikes.
The slots at the rear of the apparatus can represent one or more outs, double play, hit, home run and the like. A ball going through slot 19 can represent a single. The striking of selective bumpers can represent a steal. The entry of a ball into slot 20 can represent hit, out, double play, etc. All of which plays are programmed into the microprocessor.
Advantageously, a video program with sound displays the action of the balls. The same action occurs in a softball game.
FIG. 5 represents a football game using an apparatus similar to FIG. 2 except that a football field is shown and the scoring is in accordance with activities on a football field.
In a football game, the object is to score a touchdown, which can be represented by a ball reaching the rear slots. The front slots can represent first downs, loss yardage, etc. Selected bumpers can provide first downs or lost yardage, all of which is shown by the microprocessor on a video screen. The rear slots can represent touchdown, field goal, fumble, etc. When a programmed score or a fumble or the other side takes possession the game is over. A payout occurs when there is a score.
Games, which can be programmed for the apparatus include baseball, softball, football, rugby and soccer.
Sounds which can be programmed into the microprocessor can be that of a sports announcer which announces �hit, out, etc� in a baseball game or the like.
The player may choose to continue to play based on the cumulative score or he may choose to pay out. The machine may be programmed to dispense tickets or coins.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments shown, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS4015847 *Mar 25, 1976Apr 5, 1977Myers Stephen BPinball sports complexUS4105207 *Aug 18, 1976Aug 8, 1978Ideal Toy CorporationPinball type baseball gameUS5016879 *Dec 8, 1989May 21, 1991James And Rosemarie Parker Family TrustPachinko gameUS5121919 *Jun 14, 1989Jun 16, 1992Raha-AutomaarriyhdistysGame playing deviceUS5137278 *Mar 14, 1991Aug 11, 1992Williams Electronics Games, Inc.Amusement device with trading card dispenserUS5149093 *Jan 9, 1992Sep 22, 1992Williams Electronics Games, Inc.Amusement device with trading card dispenserUS5342049 *Mar 3, 1993Aug 30, 1994Michael WichinskyGaming machine with skill featureUS5904352 *Mar 19, 1996May 18, 1999Kabushiki Kaisha Ace DenkenPachinko game machine having card game playing functionUS6029973 *Jan 22, 1996Feb 29, 2000Kabushiki Kaisha Ace DenkenGame machineUS6203009 *Aug 4, 1998Mar 20, 2001Digideal CorporationSlot-type gaming machine with variable drop zone symbolsUS6279904 *Jun 1, 2000Aug 28, 2001American Alpha Inc.Pinball machine with sloping playing fieldUS6390470 *Mar 8, 2001May 21, 2002American Alpha Inc.Card game pinball amusement device* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7766337Aug 19, 2008Aug 3, 2010Soarex, Inc.Game apparatusUS8773452 *Aug 29, 2011Jul 8, 2014Randall Bret PerlowColor display converter for pinball machinesUS20090321471 *Apr 13, 2007Dec 31, 2009Aniceto Pedro Alcaraz GarciaAutonomous annoucement system for mechanical vending machinesUS20120190440 *Aug 29, 2011Jul 26, 2012Randall Bret PerlowColor display converter for pinball machinesUS20130113161 *Nov 8, 2012May 9, 2013Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc.Pinball machine and redemption systemUS20130147111 *Dec 9, 2012Jun 13, 2013John A. PopadiukDisplay for a Pinball GameUS20140035227 *Aug 6, 2012Feb 6, 2014Stern Pinball, Inc.Coin operated game device using leds to provide general illumination* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification273/121.00R, 273/119.00R, 273/119.00A, 273/118.00R, 273/121.00A, 273/118.00AInternational ClassificationA63F7/02, B65D75/58, A63F1/00, B65D77/02, A63F7/00Cooperative ClassificationA63F2001/003, A63F2001/008, A63F1/00, A63F7/027, A63F2007/0064, A63F2001/005European ClassificationA63F7/02P1, A63F1/00Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionDec 27, 2011FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20111104Nov 4, 2011LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesJun 13, 2011REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedNov 7, 2006FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services

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Where Manual Labor Is the Price of Academic Excellence - The New York Times
U.S.|Where Manual Labor Is the Price of Academic Excellence
Where Manual Labor Is the Price of Academic Excellence
By SCOTT JAMES SEPT. 30, 2010
For parents at Miraloma Elementary School in San Francisco, the quest for academic achievement means getting their hands dirty.
On a cold, foggy Wednesday morning recently, seven parents huddled around an outdoor table scrubbing stalks of organic celery for snack time. They had just finished cleaning and portioning a mound of Gala apples. Inside, three vacuum cleaners stood sentry in the hallway, at the ready for parents to tidy classroom carpets.
“You need to pick up where the state falls off,” said Rossana Rossetto, the mother of a first grader.
Welcome to the New Math of education: chores equal scores.
Parents are involved in nearly every level of school operations at Miraloma — from academics to the grunt work of food preparation, gardening and cleaning.
The results could have parents in other schools grabbing mops and heading to classrooms: In a few years, Miraloma has gone from being one of the poorest performing and least desirable schools in the city to being one of the highest scoring on academic tests and the most coveted.
In 2005, Miraloma scored 651 out of 1000 on California’s Academic Performance Index. Results released last week show a score of 865, among the city’s best.
“There were 450 parent requests for 37 open kindergarten spots this year,” said Ron Machado, the school’s principal.
On a recent visit to one of the school’s kindergarten classes, a half-dozen parents were assisting children alongside a teacher and one teacher’s aide. Most parental involvement entailed learning, but the manual chores are indicative of how far families will go to help a school succeed.
The extra hands have also been important during the recession when public schools must cope with budget issues. Miraloma, with 362 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, employs two custodians and two kitchen workers for maintenance and meals. To get beyond those basics, parents work in the school’s educational garden (complete with two chickens), prepare and provide organic snacks, and even do landscaping.
Ellie Rossiter, executive director of Parents for Public Schools, a nonprofit group that advocates for families in the school system, witnessed Miraloma’s transition firsthand. “Seven years ago when my child enrolled there, no one thought it was a good school,” she said.
Ms. Rossiter and a dozen other parents credited the turnaround to the school’s most recent principals, including Mr. Machado, a charming and creative former teacher who took charge five years ago. He once inspired students by promising to shave his hair into a Mohawk if test scores improved — a photo of him with that resplendent pink hairdo is on the school’s Web site.
“He makes it his job to make the family part of the school,” Ms. Rossiter said.
Miraloma is just one example in San Francisco’s public schools where parental involvement is having an impact. Standing at the celery-scrubbing table, parents easily rattled off the names of 10 other schools with high parental participation and correspondingly high test scores.
GreatSchools.org, a nonprofit organization that independently monitors school quality, recently ranked San Francisco as having the best public schools in California and No. 8 nationwide for cities with populations of 300,000 or more.
It is a ranking that defies conventional wisdom here. It is not unusual for San Francisco residents to bemoan the public schools — a reputation that experts say has developed due to the city’s complex system that requires parents to apply for schools, rather than to have their children attend whichever school is closest. Fears of ending up in a poor-performing school have unfairly tainted the whole system, experts say.
Matthew Hardy of the United Educators of San Francisco, the teachers’ union, said that the belief that the public school system is a failure was “one of those truths that isn’t true.”
What is true, however, is that not all parents can donate their days. The schools that tend to have the most parental participation also have more middle-class families. Miraloma’s success has come at a price: fewer children from working-class homes.
Still, there is a feeling that any school can improve if the parents get involved.
Monica McGee has had children at Miraloma for nearly a decade and remembers what failure looked like.
“Eight years ago there was no parental participation,” Ms. McGee said. “It was like a ghost town.”
Now, with grades soaring, pass the celery brush.
A version of this article appears in print on October 1, 2010, on Page A21A of the National edition with the headline: Where Manual Labor Is the Price of Academic Excellence. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

type: global

value: The New York Times (N.Y.T. or N.Y. Times) is an American daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership. Founded in 1851, the Times has since won 132 Pulitzer Prizes (the most of any newspaper), and has long been regarded within the industry as a national "newspaper of record".


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Marylinn Kelly: Word of the Week - 78
Four Pots by Cate Edwards.
A bristley pot by Claire Loder.
Words of the Week: CUPS, POTS, BOWLS
To contain, hold, serve. Function and delight. In illustration, cups, bowls and pots are subjects that capture my attention. In life, in my kitchen, it is possible I could never have too many bowls, certainly never too many in melamine. Or green glass or yellow-glazed ceramic. A bowl is a happy thing.
One of Cate Edwards collections of bowls.
Bowl with Fish by Sophie Adde.
Lithuanian ceramic bowls.
Study for Six Cups by Cathleen Rehfeld Meyers.
Tea Ceremony by Shaun Tan.
Labels: bowls, Cate Edwards, Cathleen Rehfeld Meyers, Claire Loder, cups, pots, Shaun Tan
These photos are fabulous - I like your word for this week!!! xoxoxo
Patti - Thank you. So happy to be here now, with access to so much stunning art. Not enough hours in the day to share it all. xo

value: Blogger is an American online content management system (CMS) which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Pyra Labs developed it before being acquired by Google in 2003.


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Real Anglicans in the Diocese of San Joaquin: November 2008
Much has been made over the last few years about numbers. Here in the diocese of San Joaquin Mr. Schofield for years has pounced on each parish exhorting them to get out and "evangelize". Drag those poor unfortunate suckers into your churches and make them Christians! Oh, and by the way, make sure they pledge, don't want anyone to think this Christianity thingy is free. Schofield had his henchman, Bill Gandenberger on the circuit preaching Friendship Evangelism to anyone and everyone that would listen. In fact, if a parish were ailing financially, the Friendship Evangelism package was a prerequisite for any assistance at all. NUMBERS, NUMBERS,NUMBERS!
Fast forward to the GAFCON folks who frequently explain that they have 35 million people they are speaking for and those 35 million people want TEC and the Church of Canada to end this wild goose chase of providing equal rights and full inclusion for this "silly little minority of people". These few folks tucked away in small corners of churches in America and Canada threaten the very lives of these 35 million worldwide Anglicans that could be killed at any moment because of the actions to protect this minority.
Now, if you travel over to Father Mark Harris' blog http://anglicanfuture.blogspot.com/ you will frequently find a lively discussion on the numbers. Generally the numbers discussion goes something like "the most Episcopalians in the world have now left the Episcopal Church in favor of the new improved North American Province". 200,000 Episcopalians can't be wrong, TEC must be deaf and hard of hearing. The average Sunday Attendance for the entire Episcopal Church in America is 6 (counting the babies in the crying room) while the average Sunday attendance in the Southern Cone Diocese of Fort Worth is forty eleven million so TEC is a dying. Then there is the old saw about how can the will of the people be denied? Gee whiz, how can we give LGBT persons basic rights and full inclusion when clearly the votes are in and the will of the people says they have no rights. TEC and Canada cannot deny the will of the people. Can they? Should they? What the heck is going on?
Well, here are at least two relative good answers to all those issues. First, the two mixed logical fallacies.
Both of these arguments are indeed telling but I have a couple more. First, there is the parable of the woman who had committed some grievous sin and was about to be stoned to death. Jesus comes along and says to the assembled men, "Let any man who is without sin cast the first stone." That woman would be alive today were it not for old age that caught up with her. But the most compelling argument I can make against all this numbers nonsense is that of Calvary. When it came time to pony up, when the time was right, God gave us his ONLY (I assume meaning 1) son. And Jesus, deserted by everyone (save his mom), including the Pharisees and the Saduccees and the assembled masses who screamed for crucifixion, knew that it takes only one person to change the world. AND, what was his last action? He took the criminal with him!
Numbers don't mean diddly.
Posted by Fred Schwartz at 9:32 PM No comments:
Which Is The Real Bishop Wantland?
It is reported elsewhere that Bishop Wantland now wants ++Schori to admit him as an honorary member of the House of Bishops. Honorary means, at least under one definition, given as an honor without the normal duties. This is the same person who invented the idea of stealing the name of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. See the following url:
You should recognize all the names there but the point is that this person would like to have a complimentary membership in the House of Bishops. May I suggest that he could get his friends including +Howe, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Schofield, soon to be Mr. Iker, retired bishop Ackerman, and a few other of his close friends and he could create a new House of Bishops just like he created PECUSA. They could then sit around and recognize the pretend Province of North America. They could also pretend that they were all Anglicans and one could be elected as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Posted by Fred Schwartz at 11:21 PM No comments:
Well, we are coming to the "turn card". The turn card in Texas Hold'em is the fourth card of the deck. It is not the finish, that is the river card, it is merely the point where one reads one's cards and says "Oh sh*t" or pushes the remaining stack of chips in and says "all in". The mighty Minns, along with Mr. Duncan, Mr. Schfield, ++Akinola, ++Nizimbi, soon to be Mr. Iker and the whole redefining, reasserting, thieving, mean-spirited purple shirted thugs have now pushed all their chips in and have called the bluff of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A new province is "coming" according to an interview over at the SFiF site. It never ceases to amaze me how these folks tell everyone they have discovered a new truth, such as those at GAFCON and the Jerusalem Declaration and then proceed to tells us exactly what that new truth is. I am always entertained by those who say that no one can hear God's voice but me and then proceed to tell us what God is saying. I think Elmer Gantry used this technique. In this instance they, the GAFCON leadership, now shares with us the unholy reality of what they discovered all by themselves in Jerusalem. Of course it is God's word because how could the spokespersons for over 35 million Anglicans be anything but truthful?
The incredible genius of this whole silly little plan for a few bishops to become king of the hill is that in this game they believe they have read ++Williams thoroughly and have decided to make this play. It seems apparent that we could only wait and see how the Archbishop of Canterbury plays his hand. There are however, a few other players at the table. Will these players think on their feet? Will they think creatively and respond with a gambit of their own? Unfortunately, our Constitution and canons do not allow the laity to play at his level, at least not directly. We are stuck -- so we will get to hang around and watch the card game finish.
"Now we need another movement to keep the Church faithful. I want to keep orthodox Anglicans together."
The picture is coming clearer. There are a number of bishops who are suffering from the disease I can only characterize "as delusions of grandeur". We have a growing number of ego-maniacal folks who want desperately and are willing to give up everything and everyone to become the next "Thomas Cranmer".
Who are these people? Well we know for sure the numbers include ++Venables, ++Orambi, ++Akinola, +Nazir-Ali, Mr. Schofield, Mr. Duncan, soon to be Mr. Iker, maybe retired Mr. Ackerman, and a few others.
Now, you may want to know how to tell who is the next person to vie for the coveted title of the New and Improved Thomas Cranmer. Well, I do not know by name but I can tell you a little about the person. The person hates women, thinks that women have a place in church, it just happens to be way in the back. The person hates anyone that is not wealthy and can contribute large sums of money to this person's expense account. This person wants to maintain second class citizenship for all those who do not think or act or live like they do. The person preaches repentance and punishment instead of reconciliation and love. This person is interested in big church instead of Christianity. This person preaches exclusivity rather than inclusivity. The person tends to throw friends, colleagues and neighbors "under the bus" in order to further their own agenda. Yes, these are some of the characteristics of the man who would be "Thomas Cranmer".
Here is where the rubber hits the road. All of these identified "Cranmer in-waiting" have signed on to the GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration identifying the Archbishop of Canterbury as being colonial and outdated and therefore superfluous to the Anglican Communion (never mind the seeming oxymoron for the moment). But is Thomas Cranmer who we need or do we need someone else? I think we need a bishop who is willing to go to all lengths to include everyone in their flock. Jesus looked for that 99th sheep that went wandering away can a bishop do less? I think we need a bishop who reconciles like Jesus did when the group of pharisees wanted to stone the woman for adultery and Jesus said "Hey there is no one else here to condemn you so neither shall I ('cept he said it in his own language). Isn't that the bishop we want? I think we need a bishop who shares the Eucharist with everyone just as Jesus did when he was at the last supper. I want a bishop who is willing to sweat blood for his flock like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. I want a loving bishop who says to the doubting , "here put your hand in the holes" instead of let's all go to GAFCON. I want a bishop that builds on the cornerstone not tears apart the fabric of the communion.
Think about it. What do you want?
So, in essence these identified bishops want to become the person that they have already identified as being obsolete? Here is my suggestion, why wait? Let's just declare all of these fine older gentlemen to be obsolete and be done with it! Then we go find bishops that know what bishops are all about.
Reading Katie Sherrod's blog http://wildernessgarden.blogspot.com/2008/11/prayer-vigil-saturday.html over the last few days has brought tears to my eyes. This weekend there will be the diocesan convention for the diocese of Forth Worth. I believe this is +Iker's diocese. It has been almost exactly one year to the date when Mr. Schofield (then Bishop Schofield) decided to move his diocese from Fresno, California to Buenos Aires, Argentina. That was December 7, 1941 oops 2007. Then in March there was a convention here in Lodi in which our ++Katherine came and visited. She wanted to know what questions we had. One question that was posed was, "What is the National Church doing/learning in order to stop this from happening in other diocese?". The answer now is apparently no better than it was then. The answer is NOTHING!
We have seen Pittsburgh and Quincy both fly south for the winter. We have in fact seen the Moderator, Mr. Duncan also fly east for a conversation with ++Rowan Williams. Please do not try to convince anyone that ++Williams would have seen any old Mr. because that would be just foolish. Now, the diocese of Fort Worth is about to "hop on board the train to Buenos Aires". And there is to be one more day of weeping and gnashing of teeth as once again the "purple-shirted thugs" are allowed to do what they please with impunity. Don't get me wrong, there will be lots of help as the diocese splits into little pieces and the laity is forced to pick up those pieces and find that one cannot "put humpty dumpty together again". It seems that those of us in the outer reaches of The Episcopal Church are left to go through this process over and over and over and over again until there is but a shell left and the people are broken and property is stolen and the history and love that we have all had is laid to waste by these power hungry purple shirted folks who proclaim the love of Christ all the while laying waste to everything in their paths and those that could help stand idly by and send us money and support for the long journey into night.
I just wanted to say to those that can do something to stop this insanity -- "Hey, wake up! There are thousands of people out here that need your help. That want your help. When ya'll gonna stop messin' around and do something proactive? Life is tough out here and it is getting tougher. People are hurting and yet the program of dis-information and hatred continues. " I do not want to belittle that which has been done for the diocese of San Joaquin but we were first, caught you off guard maybe. But crimenee sakes folks, this is number 4 -- NUMBER 4 how about you do something in advance so there is no number 5?
Archbishop Rowan Williams Neville Chamberlain
I have struggled with this posting for sometime. It gives me no great pleasure to now write this but write it I must. Why do you ask? Well, here, in a nutshell form is the answer:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=947756
The Archbishop of Canterbury has, through a series of appeasement moves, given away the Anglican Communion. More specifically, The Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
Lets take the above statement and dissect it for just a brief moment. We know where ++Rowan Williams personally stands on the issues that separate. That being said he has had a series of meetings with all sides but most recently with Moderator Duncan in an attempt to keep everyone together. On the final day of the Lambeth Conference he gave up our LGBT brothers. On the other hand he has steadfastly refused, according to the conservative fold, to replace all of the apostate churches with the "real deal". He stands neither for TEC/ACoC, nor for his own beliefs and not for the reasseerters. In effect, he has given up all the moral ground and so it is easy to see how the conservative blowhards can utter the words above.
It is way past time to make a decision and to act on that decision. It is time to declare those interloping archbishops inside North America to be legally and morally out of bounds - literally. Furthermore, they each must relinquish ANY claim real or imaginary, permanent or temporary immediately. It is time to declare those bishops that have been deposed to in fact be deposed throughout the Anglican Communion. It is time to take a stand and tell those who would destroy the Episcopal Church in the United States that they have 60 days to be reconciled or to be gone -- yes gone. Out of the Anglican Communion. Don't go away mad just go away. If you all want to start a Church of your own then please do, we wish you well. Just be sure you do it on your time and with your money and not with ours. Mssrs. Duncan, Iker, Ackerman, Schofield, if you want to evangelize then do it the old fashion way -- earn it, stop stealing it. And, by the way, do it without the benefit of orders.
Archbishop Rowan Williams you have been had. Appeasement does not become you any more than it became Mr. Chamberlain. You know it, they know it and we know it.
Posted by Fred Schwartz at 8:23 AM No comments:
There is an article in the Living Church on the results of the Executive Council meeting in Helena, Montana. This was the lead paragraph:
"Executive Council has called for a reconciliation-oriented conversation with members of Common Cause Partnership, according to the two top officials of The Episcopal Church. They spoke to members of the media Oct. 23 during a brief conference call at the conclusion of the council’s four-day meeting in Helena, Mont."
Now, I enjoy a good meeting as much as the next guy. A reconciliation conversation with folks who want to reconcile would be a truly great thing. Now, if we could find three people in Common Cause that would like to reconcile with the Episcopal Church one might be able to have a meeting with a reconciliation conversation. As it stands there are not three people, in fact there is not one person in the Common Cause Partnership that wants to reconcile with The Episcopal Church. The Moderator ,aka Mr. Robert Duncan, went to Canterbury about a week or so ago to have a reconciliation conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury and it did not include The Episcopal Church.
Note to the Executive Council, "When you find yourself in a hole the first thing one needs to do is stop digging." Members of the Executive Council, San Joaquin, Pittsburgh and now Quincy have "decided to leave" the Episcopal Church. While the concept of " a diocese cannot leave the Episcopal Church" is a great legal argument, but as a practical matter, can we "get past that issue". Folks, there is the Fort Worth Diocese standing in the wings and if you think for one minute that a "reconciliation conversation with Common Cause Partnership members" is going to stem the bleeding then you folks have not studied the diplomatic negotiations leading up to World War II. I suggest that you ask +Cantuar for the tapes from Chamberlain.
Keep this in mind, you guys smacked the stuffing out of the Moderator of the Common Cause Partnership. He is a proud and an arrogant man. Do you think for one moment that he is now going to come and have a reconciling conversation with the very persons who publicly beat the crap out of him? Please, this would be an embarrassment to him. Oh sure, someone may show up because we want to talk and the more we talk the more they get done and the less we are prepared for the inevitable.
Here is an idea -- how about we develop and execute a plan of action that begins the long process back of rebuilding the Episcopal Church? How about we stop talking with those that would bury us (see the Chapman Memorandum for a refresher) and start some form of an proactive plan the brings us all together and then rebuilds the "big tent" that we once had.
If we do what we have always done we will get what we always got.
Posted by Fred Schwartz at 10:42 PM 1 comment:
It has been a week for elections, hasn't it? Today's news is that a group of clergy and laity in the Western Pennsylvania area have elected Robert Duncan as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
There is one small problem, however. This same group of people voted to separate themselves from said Episcopal Church of the U.S.A. and affiliate with the Province of the Southern Cone. If this group has decided they do not wish to leave the Episcopal Church, we can celebrate that reconciliation has begun in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. But that leaves one little step in the selection process: the Diocese's choice must be approved by the TEC House of Bishops. This might be difficult because Robert Duncan was recently deposed by that same body.
Yes, we know that Moderator Duncan's deposition is not recognized by the leadership of some churches in the Anglican Communion - and those churches have a very large number of members. However, they have no power to decide who is a bishop in the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A. And TEC has no power to select their bishops, either.
Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables, another of your flock has gone astray. Are you going to make an announcement similar to the one you issued when John-David Schofield pulled the same maneuver in the San Joaquin Valley of California?
On the eve of one of the most important elections held in the State of California ever the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin made a statement to the rest of the church. That statement is that this church will no longer be the refuge of the "few privileged". That the Episcopal Church in San Joaquin has for too long marginalized every class of people they do not understand and do not like and the time is now to begin to unravel that intricate and insidious process we have used to exclude people. The continuing diocese of San Joaquin, in convention, approved the creation of an Equity Commission. Here is what the Episcopal Life On-line wrote last week:
The commission is to include at least nine lay and (nine)(added for clarity) clergy members to support, engage and affirm marginalized communities within the diocese. Echoing the baptismal promise to "respect the dignity of every human being" the resolution identified the marginalized as "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender persons; women; various ethnic communities; the disabled and those adversely affected by socioeconomic circumstance in the life and worship of the Church, as the Diocese works toward justice, reconciliation and peace."
Commission members would also partner with congregations and other dioceses, provinces and organizations, identify resources and meet the pastoral needs of the marginalized, according to Cindy Smith, president of the diocesan standing committee.
"We look at it as creating a structure that encourages the gathering of information, dialogue and gives a means for making recommendations for us to move forward," said Smith, a parishioner at Grace Church, Bakersfield
http://www.episcopal-life.org/81803_101963_ENG_HTM.htm
What does that mean? Well ,we could surely focus on the issue about to be decided in California on Proposition 8. An entire class of people has been pushed into a closet and left there to die of suffocation. This resolution means that the Episcopal diocese of San Joaquin will explore those ways in which the church has had a hand in this despicable process and remove the impediments to full inclusivity in our church. But the resolution does way more than that! First it deals with the issue of marginalized women. Here is a quote directly from Mr. Schofield, "Even women have a place in the Episcopal church." But apparently not in any capacity that could be seen and valued. It deals with those ethnic minority groups that have been locked out of our churches and it deals with the disabled and the poor. No longer can we simply send a buck to ERD and believe we have "done our fair share to help the poor and homeless." Think back to when you went to Church today -- was your building completely handicap accessible? Many, many are not. And I don't mean did you all throw up a ramp to appease your discomfort with those in wheel chairs and scooters. Your altar rails and your aisles and your restrooms and the ability for the hearing impaired to hear the word of God and the blind to see the word of God. Time to really create handicap accessibility.
There is a Church in Southern California, Messiah of Santa Ana and the rector is Fr. Brad Karileus. This parish is in the heart of the city with the most Spanish speaking individuals outside of the Mexico City in the world. This parish has held up as part of their mission the full inclusion of everyone including Spanish speakers. It should be a beacon to the rest of us to get our act together. We need to reach out to everyone -- to make our house of worship friendly for everyone.
Now, the soap box is done but for one more issue. This commission is charged with ONLY conducting a survey to explore the reasons for marginalization and create recommendations on how to correct these past sins. It does not put into action anything! It will bring back to the next convention the commission recommendations for the entire assembly to review and perhaps act upon.
While I applaud the movement forward we need to keep in mind that these classes of people continue to suffer from second class citizenship. With voting around the corner, how would you like it if when you went to vote the precinct officer said, "Sorry, you cannot vote. We are studying the problem and may act on it in the future but right now, sorry!"


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http://nyti.ms/KIMHd6
The decline in the number of workers covered by employer plans began long before the recent crisis. According to census data, 65 percent of workers had employer-backed plans in 2000, but only 55 percent were covered by 2010. This decline has been driven in part by rapid increases in health care costs.Economists agree that no matter how those costs are apportioned on paper, any money spent on employer-sponsored plans ultimately comes at the expense of wages. Real wages have risen little in recent decades, and the prospect that they will keep stagnating portends further erosions in coverage. So even if we ignore the inherent failings of the employer model, it simply won’t be able to deliver broad health coverage.Modeled after proposals advanced by the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and other conservative research organizations in the 1990s, the main provisions of the president’s health care law were intended to eliminate the most salient problems associated with the current system.One provision establishes insurance exchanges, where participating companies must offer coverage to all customers, irrespective of pre-existing conditions. Another imposes a financial penalty on those who fail to obtain coverage — the individual mandate. And a third prescribes subsidies to make insurance more affordable for low-income families. (The Massachusetts plan engineered by Mitt Romney as governor in 2006 took an almost identical approach.)WITHOUT each of its three main provisions, the law won’t work. The individual mandate, of course, is the most debated. Critics denounce it as a violation of our liberty. Paradoxically, the slim majority on the court that affirmed the mandate’s constitutionality seemed to embrace that view, likening the mandate to requiring citizens to eat broccoli for their own good. The court defended the constitutionality of the mandate by calling it a tax rather than a penalty.But that interpretation will strike many economists as a misreading of the mandate’s purpose. It isn’t that people should buy health insurance because it would be good for them. Rather, failure to do so would cause significant harm to others. Society will always step in to provide care — though in much more costly and often delayed and ineffective forms — to the uninsured who fall ill. To claim the right not to buy health insurance is thus to assert a right to impose enormous costs on others. Many legal scholars insist that the Constitution guarantees no such right.No one can be sure how the law will play out. But its critics would be unwise to assume that it would have been easy to draft superior legislation had the law been overturned. Any new attempt would have taken the employer-based system as a starting point.What’s important now is how the health care sector will evolve under the new framework. And here, there are grounds for optimism. While the effects of the court’s Medicaid restrictions aren’t entirely clear, the law will certainly extend coverage to tens of millions who now lack it. In addition, new insurance exchanges will provide a broader array of care options. Increased competition tends to hold costs in check, even while enhancing service quality, and there’s no reason to expect the situation in health care to be different.
Many scholars have argued that private, nonprofit institutions like the Mayo Clinic are the most effective model of providing care, and not only because they can better coordinate across many specialties. They are also less likely than traditional fee-for-service practices to prescribe unnecessary tests and procedures. Given those advantages, such institutions, or ones that mimic them, might have spread even without health care reform. After all, employers have an interest in providing cost-effective care for their workers.But no matter which model proves most effective, it is likely to spread faster in the competitive environment established by the insurance exchanges.The new law will hardly be the final word on these issues. Though it takes tentative first steps on cost control, government budgets will be decimated unless we do much more to reduce inflation in medical services. And in Medicare, many tough decisions remain to be made about end-of-life interventions, and whether Medicare should become an optional form of coverage for those who aren’t elderly.The point worth celebrating is that last week’s ruling will at last enable our distinctly dysfunctional health care system to evolve into something better.


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Birch Hall for sale, once bought by the Queen for her granddaughters | Lightwater
The imposing Birch Hall in Windlesham is for sale through Strutt and Parker, for £4.25 million. Daily Mail reports on the sale and Queens plans for it to be a home for the Duchess of York and her daughters. As the Daily Mail explains, that never happened and it was sold to the current owners.
The Strutt and Parker sales brochure is shown below.
Tagged: Birch Hall, Windlesham
← The spring gardens we visited will be open in October to view the autumn colour
Diary Note 4: Bagshot Village Day, an afternoon of fun →

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Flourishing in Florence: Human Gridlock
On Saturday, February 18, Anna, Maria and I were greeted a beautifully sunny day in Venice. We took our time meandering through the narrow streets as we made our way to Piazza San Marco.
Having been to Venice twice before, I was prepared for the Piazza to be filled with pigeons as usual but instead found it to be filled with just as many people! In the center of the piazza, a huge stage was set up, donning bands, performances and costume contests throughout the day. There were also food and mask stands set up all around. But the most entertaining aspect was all the people! Everyone was wearing a festive mask and many wore lavish costumes. I kept thinking, “So this is where Lady Gaga get her inspiration.” For every person dressed up there were at least ten more surrounding them, taking pictures. It was crazy!
We all decided to join the fun and get our faces painted! Later we sat outside at a café along the main strip for lunch and enjoyed seeing all of the costumes, watching all the people pass by, and feeling the sun on our faces.
We eventually made our way to the Rialto Bridge. What was suppose to be a simple ten minute walk to the bridge turned into a thirty minute walk due to the vast amounts of people in Venice for Carnival. At one point, we couldn’t move because there were so many people. Between the narrow streets, and all the people, it was “human gridlock!”
By late afternoon it was time for a coffee search! We headed to McDonalds hoping for a nice American coffee – about the only time I will enter a McDonalds. On our way there we picked up some pastries we had been seeing everywhere for carnival. They were fried dough with raisins filled with cream and rolled in sugar. Although my arteries cringed, my mouth was happy. Unfortunately my tongue was not as pleased with the coffee – was actually pretty gross... Where’s my Starbucks?!?
For dinner that evening, we decided to enjoy one of things Venice does best – fish. After looking at a number of options we found a place we liked. I ordered fish soup and was pleasantly surprised with just how much fish it entailed! There were clams, mussels, shrimp, salmon, and octopus (which I tried for the first time!). All of it was soaked in a tomato broth base and served with bread. It was quite possibly my favorite dish yet! – And with all the amazing food I’ve been eating, that’s saying something.
We enjoyed some of carnival festivities at night before heading to the train station to catch a 12:30am train to the mainland (Maestra), and a 3:11am train to Florence, finally arriving home at 6:30am on Sunday. Oh the joys of traveling as a cheap college student…
Linda Kenney 3/7/12, 10:17 PM
Oh my, what an incredible adventure your Venice trip looks like! Was Carnival the same as Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Is it the street party the weekend before Lent begins? Interesting. I'll have to add that to my Bucket List.
The fish soup looks and sounds incredible! I'd love a serving of that right now! I've got to look for a recipe of that? Does it have an Italian name?


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25 | August | 2010 | The Tonka Report
BP Gulf Oil Disaster’s Walking Dead – Millions Have Been Poisoned
August 25, 2010: Terrence Aym / Salem-News.com – August 22, 2010
(CHICAGO) – A biochemical bomb went off in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010–as dangerous and destructive as a nuclear blast.
While an atom bomb’s destruction can be measured immediately after detonation, BP’s unintentional biochemical bomb is a slow-motion explosion that’s driving a continuing disaster. Unfortunately, lingering death occurs with both types of explosions.
Millions Exposed To Uncontrolled Hemorrhaging, Lesions, Cancers
Recently, frustrated scientists presented evidence that millions of Gulf area residents were poisoned by the BP Gulf disaster. Worse, they believe that millions more could be exposed to long term poisoning. Yet other than those worried scientists few seemed to care.
Now more frightening evidence has emerged: areas of the Gulf Coast may have been saturated with high levels of benzene, hydrogen sulfide and radioactive hydrocarbon effluents–three deadly substances that can cause disease and death years after the initial exposures. [Full report available here.]
The EPA And The Ongoing News Blackout
The curtain of silence that dropped just days after the Deepwater Horizon blowout has never been fully lifted. At the time, a no-man’s land was created prohibiting fishermen, reporters, news helicopters and civilian sea and air craft from approaching the immediate disaster zone. The US Coast Guard and BP conducted joint operations feverishly attempting to quell the spreading disaster. Reporters were threatened with arrest. News stories were yanked. Scientific reports buried. And data from the NOAA research vessel–initially sent to the region to take readings of the seafloor–was suppressed.
Yet some information leaked. Beyond the oil gushing into the Gulf at a rate never before seen, deadly methane gas flooded the region. The methane reached such high levels of density in the Gulf that brilliant scientists like Dr. John Kessler of Texas A&M recorded stunning readings of methane–amounts one million times higher than normal. His reports managed to reach the media. Although access to the forbidden zone has been restored, a partial news blackout remains in place blocking public access to the data that measured toxicity in the Gulf waters and Gulf states from April into August.
A Conveyor Belt Of Death: Deep Sea Oil Plume 22-Miles Long
Poisons flooded into the Gulf for three months. Unabated, these poisons have affected the ecology of the region. Now evidence is mounting that the delicate infrastructure of life inhabiting the Gulf continues to absorb much of the poison and is passing it on to unsuspecting humans. Reports that sea life in the Gulf have remained uncontaminated are being vigorously challenged.
And new reports are circulating the globe that the missing oil’s been found. A plume 22-miles long is suspended deep in the cold, dark waters of the Gulf. It’s not breaking up and it’s not being eaten by microbes. It is, however, acting as a conveyor belt of death.
Cocktail Of Poisons
Some environmental experts are calling what’s pouring into the land, sea and air from the seabed breach ‘a chemical cocktail of poisons.’ Areas of methane dead zones devoid of oxygen are continuing to drive species of fish into foreign waters, are killing plankton and other tiny sea life that are the foundation for the entire food chain, and are polluting the air with cancer-causing chemicals and poisonous rainfalls.
And before the news blackout fully descended, the EPA released data that benzene levels in New Orleans had rocketed to as high as 3,000 parts per billion (ppb). Benzene is extremely toxic, even short term exposure at low levels can cause agonizing illness and slow death from cancerous lesions and leukemia years later. But 3,000ppb is far from a low reading. Hydrogen sulfide was also detected by the EPA monitoring stations around the New Orleans area. The EPA reported hydrogen sulfide levels as high as 1200ppb. A normal, safe level falls between 5 to 10ppb.
Recently, Ron Kendall, an ecotoxicologist from Texas Tech University, was interviewed by National Geographic concerning the affect of the poisons released by the blown out well on bacteria and plankton in the Gulf. The results were not looking good. Indications of a major, ongoing poisoning occurring in the Gulf were widespread. “This is what we’ve been worried about, because this is the base of the food chain,” he told National Geographic. “Any effects on that level can work their way right on up.” Meaning right up the food chain to humans–many of whom have already been exposed to poisons from the air and water.
The Bio-Chemical Time Bomb
According to a report issued by Michael Harbart, Professor of internal medicine at Wayne State University and Kathleen Burns, Ph.D., Director of Sciencecorps, long-term exposure of the chemicals released by the ongoing BP Gulf disaster–at relatively low levels–should be avoided at all costs because “the potential for serious health damage is substantial. Chronic health effects are typically evaluated for specific crude oil components and vary from cancer to permanent neurological damage. They cover a range of diseases affecting all the organ systems…” [Sciencecorps.org: “Gulf Oil Spill Health Hazards”]
Senior EPA Analyst Admits Millions Poisoned In Gulf
Recently–in an eye-opening interview with ‘Democracy Now!’–Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, made this shocking admission: “And I think the media now has to follow the money, just as they did in Watergate, and tell the American people who’s getting money for poisoning the millions of people in the Gulf.”
As Alexander Higgins at ‘Democracy Now!’ points out: “Hugh Kaufman has been at the EPA since the Agency was created in the early 1970s, as an engineer, investigator and policy analyst. Prior to joining the EPA in the beginning of 1971, he was a captain in the US Air Force. He helped write all the Federal laws regulating the treatment, storage, disposal, and remediation of solid and hazardous waste. He has been the Chief Investigator on numerous contamination cases, including Love Canal and Times Beach.” [For links to the transcript of interview and the EPA analyst’s video testimony, go here.]
Like those exposed to the Russian Chernobyl disaster, or the many thousands now sick and dying after exposure to the 9-11 Twin Towers toxic cloud, the people of the Gulf coast may have joined the ranks of the walking dead. Experts cannot predict with any certainty that the poisons will be contained exclusively to the Gulf states. Weather patterns and the variable density of the substances could conceivably expand the Death Zone into parts of the Midwest and East coast of the United States.
Download the PDFs and study the scientific papers here. Review the 26 source links here. Access the video interview of EPA whistle blower Hugh Kaufman here.
BP Death Clouds Already Onshore
The Tonka Report Editor’s Note: The average age when nearly everyone who was involved in the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989 died… was 51. – SJH
http://salem-news.com/articles/august222010/walking-dead-ta.php
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The Government’s New “Right” To Track Your Every Move With GPS
August 25, 2010: Adam Cohen / Time – August 25, 2010
Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn’t violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway – and no reasonable expectation that the government isn’t tracking your movements.
That is the bizarre – and scary – rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants – with no need for a search warrant. (See a TIME photoessay on Cannabis Culture.)
It is a dangerous decision – one that, as the dissenting judges warned, could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell. It is particularly offensive because the judges added insult to injury with some shocking class bias: the little personal privacy that still exists, the court suggested, should belong mainly to the rich.
This case began in 2007, when Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents decided to monitor Juan Pineda-Moreno, an Oregon resident who they suspected was growing marijuana. They snuck onto his property in the middle of the night and found his Jeep in his driveway, a few feet from his trailer home. Then they attached a GPS tracking device to the vehicle’s underside.
After Pineda-Moreno challenged the DEA’s actions, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled in January that it was all perfectly legal. More disturbingly, a larger group of judges on the circuit, who were subsequently asked to reconsider the ruling, decided this month to let it stand. (Pineda-Moreno has pleaded guilty conditionally to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and manufacturing marijuana while appealing the denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained with the help of GPS.)
In fact, the government violated Pineda-Moreno’s privacy rights in two different ways. For starters, the invasion of his driveway was wrong. The courts have long held that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes and in the “curtilage,” a fancy legal term for the area around the home. The government’s intrusion on property just a few feet away was clearly in this zone of privacy.
The judges veered into offensiveness when they explained why Pineda-Moreno’s driveway was not private. It was open to strangers, they said, such as delivery people and neighborhood children, who could wander across it uninvited. (See the misadventures of the CIA.)
Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, who dissented from this month’s decision refusing to reconsider the case, pointed out whose homes are not open to strangers: rich people’s. The court’s ruling, he said, means that people who protect their homes with electric gates, fences and security booths have a large protected zone of privacy around their homes. People who cannot afford such barriers have to put up with the government sneaking around at night.
Judge Kozinski is a leading conservative, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, but in his dissent he came across as a raging liberal. “There’s been much talk about diversity on the bench, but there’s one kind of diversity that doesn’t exist,” he wrote. “No truly poor people are appointed as federal judges, or as state judges for that matter.” The judges in the majority, he charged, were guilty of “cultural elitism.” (Read about one man’s efforts to escape the surveillance state.)
The court went on to make a second terrible decision about privacy: that once a GPS device has been planted, the government is free to use it to track people without getting a warrant. There is a major battle under way in the federal and state courts over this issue, and the stakes are high. After all, if government agents can track people with secretly planted GPS devices virtually anytime they want, without having to go to a court for a warrant, we are one step closer to a classic police state – with technology taking on the role of the KGB or the East German Stasi.
Fortunately, other courts are coming to a different conclusion from the Ninth Circuit’s – including the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That court ruled, also this month, that tracking for an extended period of time with GPS is an invasion of privacy that requires a warrant. The issue is likely to end up in the Supreme Court.
In these highly partisan times, GPS monitoring is a subject that has both conservatives and liberals worried. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s pro-privacy ruling was unanimous – decided by judges appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. (Comment on this story.)
Plenty of liberals have objected to this kind of spying, but it is the conservative Chief Judge Kozinski who has done so most passionately. “1984 may have come a bit later than predicted, but it’s here at last,” he lamented in his dissent. And invoking Orwell’s totalitarian dystopia where privacy is essentially nonexistent, he warned: “Some day, soon, we may wake up and find we’re living in Oceania.”
The Tonka Report Editor’s Note: Well then, I guess we fight fire with fire. Check out these articles… – SJH
http://www.avweb.com/news/avionics/182754-1.html
Homemade GPS Jammer
http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2007/01/29/homemade-gps-jammer
Posted in Big Brother, Civil Rights, Communism, Conspiracy, Corruption, Deception, Disinformation, Education, Fascism, Fourth Amendment, Freedom, Government, History, Law and Justice, Martial Law, New World Order, Obama, Obama Regime, Orwellian, Police State, Propaganda, Psyops, Science / Technology, SCOTUS, Slavery, Socialism, Sovereignty, Surveillance, U.S. Constitution, U.S. News, World Government, World News
US Government Says Gulf Seafood Safe As Consumers Must Decide
August 25, 2010: Michelle Locke / Associated Press (AP) via Yahoo News – August 24, 2010
OAKLAND, Calif. – Shawn Mattiuz, manager of the Hapuku Fish Shop in Market Hall, a collection of upscale food purveyors in Oakland’s bustling Rockridge district, has been watching the Gulf seafood saga play out in the ice-cooled trays of his display cases.
For a few days after the oil spill turned into a crisis this spring, demand stalled as “everybody freaked out,” he said. Since then, he says concern has died down and he’s selling about the same amount of Gulf shrimp as he did pre-spill. “I get a lot of questions about it, definitely. They want to know if it’s regulated,” says Mattiuz. “The truth of the matter is from everything that I’ve read, it’s more highly regulated now than it ever has been.”
More Gulf waters are reopening to fishermen, and government officials say seafood cleared for sale has been thoroughly vetted. Whether consumers are buying those assurances — and the fish — remains to be seen. Nationally, an Associated Press-GfK poll that surveyed 1,007 adults nationwide between Aug. 11-16 found that 54 percent did not trust the seafood.
But Jimmy Galle, founder of Sausalito-based Gulfish LP and supplier to Hapuku and a number of upscale restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area and elsewhere, says his business has begun to grow again after a few lean months. “And the shrimp has been nothing less than spectacular lately,” he said.
Ann Cashion, co-owner of Johnny’s Halfshell in Washington, D.C., one of Galle’s clients, sees concerns about Gulf seafood safety fading. “I find that people aren’t even asking right now. It was more on top of people’s brains when the oil was still flowing,” she said. Cashion believes the testing is thorough, particularly because state officials are involved. “The state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast in general has so much to lose if there is any kind of problem with any seafood that gets through inspection, so I know the inspection is going to be thorough and is going to err on the side of ‘Let’s don’t take any chances,'” she said. Not everyone shares that confidence in Gulf seafood, which accounts for about 2 percent of overall U.S. seafood consumed.
“I would say that I always have a skeptical eye toward government regulation and government certification of things,” said Genie Gratto, an Oakland food blogger. “It’s been proven time and time again that, first of all government certification of food is such a massive job — the USDA and the FDA tend to be pretty understaffed in those kind of inspection areas — there’s no way they can get everything.” On the other hand, she does have confidence in buying from trusted suppliers, like the small meat and fish market she shops at. She also tries to buy local, which doesn’t include Gulf seafood.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups recently asked the Food and Drug Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to strengthen procedures for determining whether seafood is safe and whether fishing areas should be reopened. They also want sampling protocols and data published online.
“We’re not saying that the seafood is not safe,” said Gina Solomon, a senior scientist with NRDC. “We’re basically raising questions about the government’s procedures, their scientific procedures and their transparency.” One issue is whether government standards are strict enough to protect vulnerable populations, she said. “We want to make sure that the government is setting up a robust seafood safety testing program that will be able to protect the public for years to come, because that’s how long this problem is likely to last.”
The FDA is reviewing the NRDC letter, but officials are confident in the protocols, said agency spokeswoman Meghan Scott. The main issue with oil contamination is potential cancer-causing substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. These are pollutants that show up in other foods as well, such as grilled meat. If there is contamination, fish metabolize it fastest, oysters and crabs slowest and shrimp are somewhere between. Testing includes “sniffers,” who check for traces of oil and lab tests on ground up seafood to check for signs of contaminants.
Because of strict adherence to procedures, the FDA “feels confident in the safety of seafood coming from these waters,” Scott said in an e-mail. “We also understand that we must remain vigilant to ensure the safety of seafood coming from the Gulf. As such, FDA and NOAA will continue to monitor both water and seafood to ensure that tainted fish is not allowed into the marketplace.”
Like Mattiuz, John Currence, chef/owner of the City Grocery Restaurant Group in Oxford, Miss., has been getting a lot of questions about Gulf seafood — but not because customers are nervous. “People have, through the entirety of this crisis, actually questioned us about our seafood because they wanted to support the Gulf fisheries and the Gulf fishermen, not because they were afraid of the quality of what was available out there,” he said.
Like others, he’s concerned about the long-term effects of the spill, “but nobody has any idea of what the actual answer to that is. So the question is, are we going to sit here and wring our hands in fear for what the future may bring? Or are we going to do our best to make the Gulf heal and be glad for what’s coming through our doors every day that is entirely on par with what we were getting April 19 (before the spill began.)
In Oakland, about half a dozen customers stopping by Hapuku Fish during a recent lunch-hour seemed unfazed at the idea of buying Gulf seafood. One exception was Louise Booth, a homemaker in the east San Francisco Bay. She wasn’t ready to buy Gulf seafood “for a while. I know it’s been authorized, but ….” she said, shrugging her shoulders. But regular customer Sharon Francis of Oakland happily selected some fresh Gulf shrimp to go with a paella. “I just trust my fishmonger,” she said. “I know these guys carry the best.”
The Tonka Report Editor’s Note: Above you have just read the US government and MSM propaganda spin concerning the safety of Gulf seafood. Now, I strongly urge that all of you read the following two outstanding articles, complete with heart-wrenching pictures of the damage and utterly damning videos and interviews of government officials, scientists, and actual Gulf fishermen that unequivocally prove without question that the US government, the media, and BP are flat out lying to the people of this country…
Environmental Disaster In The Gulf. How Has It Come To This?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=20737
Oil Spill Aftermath: It’s Only The Beginning!
http://preventdisease.com/news/10/082310_oil_spill_aftermath.shtml
Meanwhile, the journal Science is now claiming that a new, never before discovered oil-eating microbe has devoured the massive oil plume as well as all the other oil in the Gulf of Mexico. How convenient. Time will tell how long it takes before this too is proven to be yet another lie in a long line of deceptions thus far… – SJH
Study: Oil-Eating Microbes Plentiful In Gulf Oil Spill
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/08/study-oil-eating-microbes-plentiful-in-gulf-oil-spill.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100824/ap_on_re_us/us_fea_food_gulf_seafood_consumers
Posted in Agenda 21, Big Brother, Big Oil, Bio-Chem Warfare, Civil Rights, COINTELPRO, Communism, Conspiracy, Corruption, Deception, Disinformation, Economy, Education, Environmentalism, EPA, Eugenics, Fascism, FDA, Freedom, Genocide, Geo-Politics, Government, Gulf Of Mexico, Health, History, Law and Justice, Media, Nature, New World Order, NOAA, Nutrition, Obama, Obama Regime, Orwellian, Planet Earth, Propaganda, Psyops, Science / Technology, Socialism, U.S. News, Video, World Disasters, World Government, World News


text: Its not much on atmosphere, but the food was great and the value was incredible. We have the dinner rib eye special and it was fast, cooked just right and...More1 Thank rmanzo CrestlineBunnyLadyCrestline56Reviewed 4 August 2008 Stay OUT of The INN!You have to be kidding me if you think this is such a cozy place with great food! Been there enough times to know the service was very slow, the waitress was almost in a coma, couldn't think straight, never got anything right. We tipped...MoreThank CrestlineBunnyLady A TripAdvisor MemberCrestline1Reviewed 14 December 2004 Worth it!A very nice little restaurant and hotel tucked in the middle of Crestline, the Crestline Inn is a real treat. A bar, a cozy diningroom and outdoor seating during the warmer seasons make this a great place to take a date or the whole family....MoreThank A TripAdvisor Member Updating list... Nearby Nearby RestaurantsCrestline Cafe93 reviews 2.01 km away The Grill at Antlers Inn207 reviews 2.40 km away Stone Creek Bistro94 reviews 3.79 km away Hortencia's at the Cliffhanger38 reviews 1.97 km away Nearby AttractionsLake Gregory Regional Park150 reviews 1.49 km away Strawberry Peak Fire Lookout24 reviews 2.33 km away San Bernardino National Forest100 reviews 5.00 km away Lake Arrowhead Queen114 reviews 6.58 km away Improve this listing

value: Tripadvisor, Inc. is an American online travel company that operates a website and mobile app with user-generated content and a comparison shopping website.


text:
Hair for the Mini Diva: Simple Ponies Into A Pony
Simple Ponies Into A Pony
To start, part out the bottom of the back and get the rest out of the way.
Also, section out the bangs if you choose. Place the part far to one side.
Put the bottom section into three little ponies.
In the front, put two little ponies on the larger side.
Add another little pony under the first two. On the smaller side, put a pony near the front also.
Pull everything back into a ponytail.
We let natural curl do it's thing on Little Miss's hair, but you could add curls if you want.
This was a cute style and worked great for ballet class. ;)
Labels: 2-minute Styles, Dance, Gymnastics, Pony Braids


text:
Prolific: Welfare - Orientation part 2
Welfare - Orientation part 2
Your name is called along with maybe 5-7 others and you are sent to a waiting area until the specific person you are assigned to, called a case manager, calls your name to meet with you individually in her office to review your stack of paper work and give you the next designated step to receive TANF, money.
This is when you are informed that you will need to begin to attend a work activity program. You are given the name and location and the date and time to begin and told that if transportation is a problem, then you can be provided with a free weekly public transit pass, which will be available for you to pick up the upcoming Friday between 9:00am and 11:00am. I was ecstatic about that, I could go anywhere the system went and that was my goal to go anywhere and everywhere on my quest for employment.
My car had been broke since May; I walked everywhere I had to go, if I couldn’t walk to it, Oh well. I hate it though because my son is in the school band. Last year I couldn’t go to any performances, practices or anything. This kind of situation in a family’s life hurts the most when you think of how much it hurts the children in these families. The parents have to try and wear a face of it’s going to be okay, and the children know they are hurting, they see and feel their parents fear and pain right through any mask they try and wear to cover it up. Hurting people, hurt people! Someone said (find out who said this) you see it all the time, the children crying, small ones little ones and the parents frowning and yelling and even swatting and yelling at them. To someone who didn’t understand it might look abusive or neglectful, but I assure you, that parent, that woman is hurting, she is in pain and she feels abused and neglected when all she can count on is TANF.
In some quest to cure the ills of this percent of the US population the question was asked, “Why can’t you get a job”? Some one or some study somewhere or some survey indicated the biggest response was “I can’t get there”, I remember it being said that transportation was the number one cause of the peoples’ in ability to change their standing in life. Solve the problem of transportation and end poverty.
There were many people talking about how the local transit system was not the best; it could be better, as a matter of fact there was a vote about it about to take place July 31, 2012. I looked forward to the outcome. Many people wanted to vote no because it would mean neglecting the needs of one group for the interests of another group, who nearly always saw their interests satisfied. Wasn’t that the problem that started it all? So I wanted to participate in the vote and make my own judgment of the public transit system. If transportation was the reason for my shortcomings we were about to find out.
My first question was how long before I receive money? The answer was you must complete the work activity program, I then asked how long is that, I was told 45 days. Now I was disappointed, I needed assistance for my family now, not in 45 days, and besides how was I suppose to pick up a free transit card if I had no money to pay for transportation to get to it? I was told that was totally my problem, if I wanted to get the TANF this is how it starts.
Posted by HotChocolate at 12:50 PM
The Store-Eat It
Working at the Store-Night Shift
The Store-Ambitionless
Occupy, Resist, ProduceThe film, The Take is a won...
The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past-William Fa...
Working At the Store-Still Looking
Welfare-Give us the money, please!
Welfare-Shame
Welfare-Blah, Blah, Blah
Welfare-Seriously
Welfare-I did the time
Welfare-Perpetual Proverty
Welfare-Looking for Work
Welfare-Behavior Modification
Welfare-Punishment or Pride
Welfare Compliance
Welfare-Orientation-Why Are You Here?
Welfare-Dress Code
Welfare-Orientation
Welfare continued-How it all begins:
Welfare "Here, take this money and good luck"